Chimera

[Eugen Aker]

The massive decks of the Roanoke had been transformed into a makeshift triage for all the wounded - there were just too many to care for in the actual medical bays - and a shelter for all those refugees who aimed to escaped the rule of the Sith as they had been left to their own devices in the Caldera. A section of the ship had been completely cordoned off as a quarantine area for survivors of the viral outbreak on the surface. For the time, they had all been sealed away in rescue pods to halt further mutations and prevent another round of outbreaks.

Battle armor had been replaced with scrubs as Suravi coordinated with physicians on those with those that had suffered the most critical injuries. One of the Jedi Councilors, Master Hex, fell into this group. On top of the massive trauma he had received, there were further complications related to all the bionic implants present in his system. As they were failing or just outright busted, they would be nothing but a hindrance to his recovery. They would need to be completely replaced.

Because of the complexity of his situation, and his position within the order, she paid special attention to Hex, personally carrying out an initial treatment of submerging him in a nutrient bath to stabilize his condition. The aim was to get him conscious in order to obtain permission to proceed with her plans. Given all the implants, she found him to be a perfect candidate for a new series of augmentations from Panacea, and it something she wanted to begin before they reached Voss - beating out the competition.

[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

The rest of the battle was a blur for the warrior, he could only remember the sands, the monsters and the sounds of the last boom. It seemed not too much longer after a ship was able to make his rescue from the desert and dark side planet. Despite his injuries the warrior stayed awake and walked into the ship without help anyone who tried was shoved away that was until they needed to take off his armor and robes. A Lorrdian didn't like being with layers of cloths, especially Jericho, it took several men to sedate him long enough to put him into the tank and the scrubs. Where his body was visible, it could be seen that he was naturally large and the implants just made him bigger while completely covered in scars from all of his previous battles. For a moment he fell to sleep only to re-awake and gaze upon a woman he was unfamiliar with, though he felt her presence and knew she was not one of them and from her looks she was no creature of Matsus. He looked from side to side then back to her and remembered about the remaining battle. "Have they been evaluated? The Jedi?" The warrior asked getting right to the point.

[member="Suravi Teigra"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

As the councilor began to stir in the chamber, she was notified of his awakening. She returned to the bay, tablet in hand as she observed his vitals. Passively, she could feel Councilor Hex's strengthening connection to the Force, a good sign that he would on the proper path to recovery. She did not know of his potential for healing, but the Kiribian alchemists among her physicians knew how to channel one's energy with specialized tools and treatments.

"All the Jedi, surviving Rangers, and a few thousand refugees," she began, speaking to him through the tank by a comm unit attached to his breathing mask. "Many of them were in just as bad shape as you, but we've managed to stabilize their conditions. The refugees we took on board were perhaps hit the hardest, as they were near the epicenter of the orbital strike."

That damned woman. Suravi had urged Charzon not to attack the city for fear of such an event like this occurring. The Republic and Jedi were not the Sith, they didn't just mindlessly go around deleting opposition. She was of half of mind to think that Charzon had been a plant by the Sith, as she had willfully disobeyed instructions from both herself and Jedi on the ground to exercise restraint. The worst thing of it was that the coward fled the system to avoid reprisals, leaving the Silvers to clean up her mess. As soon as she received notification of that blasted carrier's hyperdrive activated, she had almost called for a retaliatory strike of her own. In the olden days, she probably would have carried through, but she just wasn't that sort of ruthless person anymore, for better or worse.

"We're taking everyone back to Voss. The most critically wounded have been placed in stasis later for a dedicated facility, but due to your importance to the Jedi Order, I thought it best to begin treating you immediately. There's been some complications with your implants. Pulling some information from them, you may have those implants to thank for your survival, but right now, they're serving nothing but an impediment to your recuperation. I can proceed with a procedure to fully regenerate your body, and even get rid of the build up of scar tissue from previous wounds, but I'm afraid to say that it can only begin once I remove those implants. Otherwise, I just leave you in the tank, and pass you off to Sasori to attempt some repairs, but in my professional opinion, I think it will be a messy affair. Would you like the details of my procedure before giving me your decision?"

[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

Jericho let out a sigh of relief for all those who were part of the battle, or rather the massacre, many were still able to walk away from this, scarred but alive. The sigh was quickly followed by a cough of pain, he looked at the woman that stood outside of the glass. Normally his instincts would have taken over, he would have analyzed her more thoroughly from head to toe, but his eyes were locked with hers. Only few have seen him such a weakened and exhausted state though he didn't like it, but he was in no place to complain. He did everything he could to stay awake to listen to her but still many of her words sounded slurred to him and at some points though her lips moved words didn't seem to come out. As is eyes remained focused on hers, he wasn't able to read her lips. He let out another breath and gave her a nod, letting her continue with anything she wanted to do for complete his recovery.

[member="Suravi Teigra"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

While the man remained silent, she could read his expressions and feelings well enough to understand how vulnerable he must have felt in such a weakened state. Completely at her mercy. For the special few so used to bending the galaxy to their will with a mere thought, the closet Force Sensitive was all to familiar with the sense of dread that came with being powerless - just like everyone else.

He didn't offer any resistance to her proposal, so she went ahead and proceeded.

"In Kiribian medicine, we do things a little differently. Unless the patient specifically makes the request, then we usually opt to regenerate lost tissue and limbs. We carry out this process with 3D bio-printers, limbs rebuilt over a biodegradable prosthetic used as a foundation. Our base models usually complete this process during a series of sessions over several weeks, but the military model on board can finish this process within a few hours. The process of rapid regeneration is usually painful, particularly with the model we're using now, so you'll be fitted with a temporary neural node to dull your pain receptors in that region. However, being Force Sensitive, this may affect your ability to channel the Force as your neural pathways are being regulated. Usually, this isn't an issue, but I'd caution you to try not to attempt any actions with the Force for the time being."

"With most people, the process ends with regeneration, but in your case, we can take it a step further to replace your augments. Special fibers derived from skin grafts of amphistaff will be bonded to your bones, muscles and skin. When a current passes through the fibers, they will grant you with increased speed, strength, and durability as the tissue is reinforced with the empowered threads. The whole system is activated and regulated by a power gland and bio-computer implant respectively. The biocomputer's secondary function is something akin to an exo-cortex, assisting you in processing information more quickly for greatly reduced reaction times."

"The advantage of this system over your typical implants is that it's completely organic. The platform is not vulnerable to ion weapons or EMPs like more conventional implants, and they are self-healing and require little maintenance."

"So, would this be something you would like to try? The augments can be removed at any time, if they don't meet your standards. It's hard to gauge the performance boost you'll receive in comparison to your original implants, but you should see about a similar level of performance if not better. As your body is completely rejuvenated into a peak state, you should experience an improved channeling of the Force as well."

There was her pitch. The Chimera augments were something of a radical departure from augments derived from drugs and cybernetic solutions, but she hoped the promise of improved Force abilities would entice the Councilor to give her proposal a try. Even as the Supreme Commander of the Republic, the woman always had Kiribi on the mind. Anything to see their efforts be finally recognized by the galaxy at large.

[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

The warrior was learning much about the science that was being put within him and much in the ways of the Kiribian ways of life from her words alone. There was something within her that he could trust, feeling an aura about her. But with her mind and her ways she could be very much like Matsu possibly worst. He didn't know but he didn't have much of a choice at the moment did he? He could take the time to heal himself and repair his own cybernetics but that could take weeks if not months before he would be fully recovered for a fight let alone another large scale battle as that. Plus the idea of having his limbs back was more than just ideal, an offer only a fool in his condition would refuse. But there was requests for the woman in the white lab coat experimenting on him. "Whoever you are...." The warrior started off quietly. "Don't heal my scars nor dull the pain." The many scars on his body and face made his look less than ideal as a partner but each had their stories. Each reminded him of his failures and what he could improve on, it was his belief, it was his way of life. The near emotionless man, needed pain to remind him that he was still alive not a husk that held broken memories of all those he lost in his lifetime. The stories on his body and the pain he felt gave him strength, more than many would never come to understand him and his ways. But it was who he was. "Aside from that....Do as you wish."

[member="Suravi Teigra"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jericho wasn't the first person she had met that fancied their scars like mementos, or even the first Jedi for that matter. It was a strange practice for the Kiribian, who came from a culture that always strived for perfection in their appearance. One blemish was a blemish too many.

"I am Suravi Teigra, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Galactic Republic." What was left of it. " However, right now, I'm just your doctor. If it's your wish, then I make sure the surface scars remained untouched, but I'm going to have to remove the scar tissue from your muscles and connective tissue. All of it is just an unnecessary hindrance to your performance, forcing you to draw on more of your power in an inefficient manner. It's actually quite shocking how much scar tissue you have - I suspect if you didn't have the Force to help you move around, then you would have been left hobbling about a long time ago."

"I can't budge on the neural node. I feel I need to emphasize the fact that it's not just a feel good measure for you, but also a precaution protecting all those who surround you. From what I've been told, you could level this room without much trouble. I don't want to risk that event occurring with a power fluctuation from sensory overload. Let's not forget about how the careless actions of one led you to this moment."

She wasn't about to let this Jedi indulge on his masochistic tendencies on her watch. Rather than proceed with the treatments, she'd knock him out cold and throw him in stasis for the sake of the crew.

[member="Jericho"]

 

[Jericho]

A doctor as well as the supreme commander of the fleet, such an honor to have the attention of a talented individual. Initially, she made it seem like that was an option but now seems like that wouldn't be the case and it was the only choice he had. The warrior clenched his fists tightly at the thought but she made a sound argument regarding to the situation. If Jericho were in her situation he'd do the same for the safety of his crew as well. The warrior took in a deep breath and let out a sigh, having to submit. "I understand." He commented to her. "Proceed."

[member="Suravi Teigra"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

"Very good." Having been a Jedi, she knew the right strings to pull to ensure their compliance.

"However, first comes the removal of your implants. As the process requires me to decouple the implants from your nervous system, I'll have to put you under. By my estimate, I should finish in about three hours. We should be within Voss system by then. Pancea Techs will be meeting us there to proceed with the next phase."

"I'd like you to rest now, you've more than earned it."

She reached out, tapping the area of glass level with his head, tawny eyes crinkled in a half smile. There were many reasons to mourn, but also to rejoice considering the number of lives that had been able to save aboard the assault carrier.

[member="Jericho"]