Private Family Bonding: Vera/Thel/Bloodscrawl Family

[Vera Mina]

Wearing: Bloodscrawl Matriarch Raiments

Armed with: Herself


Objective: Educate Thel Bloodscrawl on the Family History.

Aboard the Atrisian Pathfinder .



In the privacy of locked quarters, Vera Mina, Matriarch of House Bloodscrawl, underwent further software upgrades.

In the unique position of having converted to a Force Spawn with pre-existing cybernetic components, Vera was still slowly adjusting to her now inherently schizophrenic nature. Thinking outside the box, Vera had installed firewalls in them, ones designed to make sure she stuck to the ideals of her House, so she wouldn't be tempted to back slide into savagery. That time of her life was over and done with. She had a family now.

She was the guardian of a teenage boy. Mother to a synthetic daughter, and expecting her own first born biological son in a matter of months. She was happily married.

The time for taking risks unless necessary was over.

She had started this project almost immediately after being married. The firewalls had been derived from very small, fragmented parts of Moya's own personality coding that Vera had stored away years back when Laertia had still been an ally. An accident in storage had degraded the information, so she had been forced to reconstruct the best surviving piece of coding to a degree it was usable again. The rest of the data was an unsalvageable mess. It would serve as the guide for her to act as a better mother going forward, especially since she would be addressing the gargantuan task of raising an infant. She has not done poorly with Sera so far, but Sera was an android... Android minds work different. More logic based, be it internal or situational. That would not do if she wanted to be a good mother to not one, but two different organics.

Arianna, permanently merged with her, had only been too happy to contribute her own efforts. She wanted it to work just as much, even if she was hiding in Vera's cells 90 percent of the time.

As Vera relaxed in the upgrade throne she spotted a Woman she had not seen before.

"Hello, Vera..." The Hallucination said. "I'm Vivian. I'm the basis for Arianna's newfound conscience..."

"So you were the one in control of that face before we merged..." Vera noted.

Vivian nodded. "It's difficult for me to not be her while speaking to you. It's just that, with us merged, with me serving as the basis of Arianna's conscience, it only makes sense that I integrate aspects of myself into your own conscience, especially given how you seem to be actively seeking safeguards against corruption...which is actually a really good sign in of itself. It shows you're serious about reforming."

"A not-unfair assessment..." Vera responded. "I actually just got done integrating fragments of Moya's coding into my parameters for Maternal Instincts, so that I might improve my ability to be...better...towards my children. I am all too happy to accept additional coding from you."

The Hallucination raised an eyebrow. "Really? Just like that? No... questions?"

"I love my husband, even if I am a monster, I love my husband..." Vera replied. "I want to be a better Mother than my own was. Statistical analysis shows the only reliable method of achieving the desired outcome is to make significant alterations to my 'moral compass'. There will be no repeat of the deadly, uncontrolled studies on morality that Nine Lives initiated in Clan Li-Ves within House Bloodscrawl."

A photo of Percival Io , taken from afar by Arianna when he was young and newly activated, was in a small frame nearby.

"Plus I felt your pain in our shared body when we learned Percival was killed. I..."

Vera stopped, glancing at the Photo.

"I wanted to love him. Wanted to connect with him. I...did not know how. I cannot make the same mistake with Thel and my own baby that I did with Percival. So, in my view...every little shred of more than token empathy helps..."

Vivian nodded. "So be it..."

Vivian vanished, and Vera's face bubbled violently between hers and Vivian's before it settled back on hers.

Vera's mouth fell open as a flood of understanding shot through her. She started hyperventilating, grabbing the arm of the throne as she comprehended the ideology of House Bloodscrawl much better than before...and felt her emotions far more strongly than previously. Her face twitched as she glitched momentarily, not prepared for having obtained a fully functional sense of right and wrong.

Including a sense of guilt over decades old crimes.

But I was BUILT to be that vicious and savage and treacherous...is it still my fault? she wondered.

No use trying to make sense of that question now. Vera put the worst memories on lockdown in her database, deciding to leave that question up in the air for the sake of her family.

As far as she was concerned, the Vera who had done those things didn't exist any longer, she rationalized desperately. The Android had upgraded itself out of being an Android by integrating with something that had even more crimes under its belt than she herself did. She viewed herself in some ways as a new being. All she could do was try to be the best Matriarch to House Bloodscrawl possible. To be the best Mother possible.

And right now she could think of no better way to do that then by spending time with Thel...

But first, as her Maternal Algorithm went through stress testing, Vera decided to give Thel a gift from the heart. She grabbed a few sheaths of valuable fabrics, and went to an expensive fabrication unit she had purchased. She began to work the fabrics with the machinery, half of her face turning into Arianna's while she worked.

She was becoming more impressed with Thel. In joining, he was setting out to prove himself an asset, with ambitious wheeling and dealing on New Cov in particular. Right now , she only wanted him to be a happy member of her household, because all the programming upgrades had deepened her desire to understand and comprehend his pain. None of the deadly, deadly killers on that vessel, herself/Arianna/Vivian included, wanted Thel to experience even a tenth of the insanity he had no doubt seen in House Io. They wanted him to have as normal a family life as possible amongst them...

(Cutaway of J. Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)

Vera ended up making a few sets of clothes for him. Her own design, of spider silk, deliberately crafted to allow him to stealthily modify into armor if he wished. each had been a labor of affection on her/Arianna's part, who was still deeply despondent over Percival's death. Some of the suits she crafted were darker than others. She folded and gift wrapped them after the hours of work, checked herself in the mirror to make certain she still looked immaculate, and then headed out of her and her husband's quarters with her wrapped gifts.

Aboard the Star Galleon that served as the home of House Leadership...she was currently shopping for stealth renovations...

"Vera!" a voice called out as she exited her private quarters on the starship, currently in orbit above Fondor.

Vera turned and spotted Meleena Bloodscrawl who had received a mystery dress recently and was trying it out.

"What do you think?" Meleena asked enthusiastically.

"Chaldean Dragon Leather. Nice." Vera complimented sincerely. "So tell me, Meleena, how is he adjusting?"

"Great, actually. He really threw himself into the work...he's a good kid, from what I've seen. Bit of a rebel, but, considering where he grew up... that's to be expected."

Percival pulled double duty on the morality department. He must have... Arianna mused in the darkness of Vera's skull. And the fact that The Deluge didn't really undermine him... Rebecca must have loved them both very, very much...

"Where do you think we should take him once we're on Fondor?" Meleena wondered.

"I thought we would go to see his favorite film in super large projectors at this Theater I commissioned to be built...after that, we'll let him decide...

They both headed to the hanger and spotted Sera Mina , never NOT dressed to impress . Nathan was currently busy on an unsettling day out, so he would be delayed. He had called in telepathically, telling her of the emergency. She was not worried. From what Nathan had told her, the Bloodscrawls had been notoriously paranoid, keeping their names off most of their 'property'. A paranoia Nathan maintained for his own Family's safety.

"Sera, you look wonderful!" Vera complimented, to which she nodded back graciously.

"Do we even know what he likes?" Sera asked, having knitted him a scarf.

"I know what kind of music he likes." Meleena said, holding up a few gift wrapped holodiscs.

"I purchased an entire database of celebrated pop culture classics from the past forty odd years to play there in High Definition Hologram. If one of his favorites isn't there, there is one that is bound to catch his interest, and we still have the rest of the day to fall back on..." Vera replied.

The Fortress World of the Alliance beckoned. The three waited, each happy to see Thel Bloodscrawl

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

Thel had adjusted fairly quickly to his new life, enjoying the wealth and luxury his guardian permitted him. Of course, he didn't just freeload. The boy had thrown himself into the role of ward to a CEO, exploring the corporate world they were part of. He didn't understand a lot of the wheeling and dealing that went on behind the scenes, but he was eager to learn.

Now the feminine side of the Bloodscrawls wanted to get together with him and do some "family bonding". Thel supposed it was inevitable. He couldn't get too comfortable riding around in yachts, wearing expensive clothes, and having delicious meals prepared for him by their personal chef while never having to interact with the family who owned it all. Nathan was usually away on "business" - though Thel had a feeling it wasn't business business. That part of Bacta-Works was more the women's realm.

In that sense he was excited to meet with them, especially Nathan's wife Alice and stepdaughter Sera. He was hoping to get some pointers on his recent efforts on New Cov, maybe talk about some of his concerns and the things which confused him. Yeah, Thel - you finally get some free time to spend with your new family, and you still just want to talk business. But then, what else was there to talk about?

Thel boarded the Atrisian Pathfinder, dressed casually in a dark red shirt and black pants. He had thought about purchasing a few gifts beforehand, but once again wasn't sure what to get. What do you give a woman who has everything? Besides, he'd be buying them things using their money. Maybe once he had cash of his own to spend, he could show his gratitude for everything they'd done for him...

Vera Mina​

 

[Vera Mina]

The three genetic abominations squeed in delight at seeing him.

"So delighted to have you aboard." Vera said to Thel Bloodscrawl with a warm tone. "Meleena has told me nothing but good things about your negotiations on our behalf.

"We're going to start investing in New Cov relatively soon ..." Sera said.

"I thought we might enjoy a day at the movies. There's a theater I had made set to open soon. Private seats. Your choice of Movie..." Vera said, the part of her that was now also Arianna wincing at how much his serious gaze reminded her almost of Percival's eternally haunted stare by the end of his life.

Nathan was still badly affected by Percival's death, especially once he had learned the sickening details. In true to cult fashion, the hateful monsters had dismembered him, it reminded him of Lysandra's death. Phyre had taken the head off that time also.

"Here..." Vera said, handing him the gift wrapped business suits. "I made these for you. By hand."

"Pick one, and we'll head to the surface..." Meleena aid. "You're going to LOVE this place. Classic architecture..."

One half hour later.

The Atrisian Pathfinder descended into Fondor's atmosphere, the sparkling city-scape. Vera had bought a docking bay for a ship her size and the four soon stepped off it after it landed, heading to a crimson repulsor-stretch Limo. They would take the long route. It would give Thel time to relax. Unwind. To get used to talking to him and vice versa.

"So, Thel, are you enjoying exploring the galaxy?" Sera asked as the ride began.

"I also have good news. We managed to locate Chloe Io on one of the vessels we used to evacuate defectors. The theater has a means to contact her via holocall once we get there, if you're interested in talking to her ..." Vera offered, her maternal instincts programming gathering data as they conversed.

"We've hidden references to the family history all through the theater." Meleena added with a pleased smile. "We might have time to point some out along the way..."

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

Thel's arrival was heralded by feminine squeals of delight. The boy froze, then stood by with an awkward yet warm smile as the three gorgeous women in red fawned over him. "Hey," he greeted, suddenly shy. Meleena was a surprise addition, but a welcome one; she had accompanied him to New Cov as a chaperone. Speaking of...

"So delighted to have you aboard." Vera said with a warm tone. "Meleena has told me nothing but good things about your negotiations on our behalf."

"We're going to start investing in New Cov relatively soon..." Sera said.

"I was hoping I could talk about that with you..." he began, though they were in such a whirlwind it seemed unlikely he would be able to talk at length right now.

"I thought we might enjoy a day at the movies. There's a theater I had made set to open soon. Private seats. Your choice of movie..."

Thel was too busy hanging on to the phrase a theater I had made to notice Alice's distress whenever she met his eyes. It really shouldn't have been shocking to him anymore, but sometimes he forgot how incredibly wealthy the Bloodscrawls were. "Will they have any, uh, upcoming movies?" he asked, unable to stop his curiosity. It would be spoiled rotten of him to request a movie that hadn't even been officially released yet, but he had to know if it was at least possible with their money and power. "Like, say... Orlok?" He cautiously name-dropped the recent remake of the classic Anzati horror flick.

"Here..." Vera said, handing him the gift wrapped business suits. "I made these for you. By hand."

"Oh, t-thanks." He reached for the packages, struggling to hold them all at once. After setting them on a nearby table, he tore open the wrapping paper to reveal a series of formal suits. All of them were in different shades of red, with variations in design and texture. He ran a hand over one of the darker jackets, admiring the handiwork. "I don't know what to say," he murmured in gratitude. "Thank you again, Alice."

"Pick one, and we'll head to the surface..." Meleena said. "You're going to LOVE this place. Classic architecture..."

---

A half hour later, Thel disembarked from the Pathfinder onto Fondor's surface, then climbed inside a crimson repulstor-stretch limo. The boy was wearing one of the magnificent red suits Alice had given him, with a black shirt and white striped tie. He felt like a billion bucks.

"So, Thel, are you enjoying exploring the galaxy?" Sera asked as the ride began.

"Yeah," he answered, abruptly remembering the business he had been meaning to discuss. "Listen, I got into a little bit of a... Let's just say I poked my nose in something I probably shouldn't have back on New Cov. I don't think it will cause much trouble for the company, but I'm not really sure what to do..."

He explained the situation with Lord Omri and how the elderly businessman had struck a deal with him. In exchange for a share of the company's biomolecules, he wanted the boy to investigate a recent merger between NCBC and N&Z, a mysterious foreign corporation. "I tracked down Director Liin "Tera" Terallo , but when I talked to her it seemed like a big nothing burger," Thel said. "She claimed Omri was just paranoid, that his family has had a longstanding rivalry with the Terallos and he resented their success. Thing is, I can't seem to find out much about N&Z. It's some sort of umbrella corporation with their fingers in a lot of pies. NCBC is probably just their latest conquest, but..." He trailed off, then scowled at himself. Part of him was apathetic about the whole situation, but another part of him wanted to do the right thing. He just didn't know what was right in this situation, where everyone was a cutthroat looking only for profit. "I don't know what I'm doing. Maybe it was stupid of me to even get involved."

Alice's news about Chloe had Thel sitting up straighter. His old nanny was alive? And she had defected. Force, she was lucky to have survived. "I'll call her," he said, his expression brightening. "Thank you for everything, really." Between this, the suits and the movie, he felt like he couldn't thank her enough.

Vera Mina​

 

[Vera Mina]

"I was hoping I could talk about that with you..." he began, though they were in such a whirlwind it seemed unlikely he would be able to talk at length right now.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk all about that soon, don't you worry..." Vera had assured Thel , smiling at how he was so interested in business. He took his duties seriously and Meleena had reported a razor like dedication to his tasks. Little wonder growing up in a militaristic society. Arianna's memories had filtered in as the fusion took, her heavily upgraded/evolved conscience and maternal instincts allowing her to truly hone in on Thel as a person. He was someone looking for belonging, and acceptance. His gaze had gotten intrigued at the mention of movies.

. "Will they have any, uh, upcoming movies?" he asked, unable to stop his curiosity. It would be spoiled rotten of him to request a movie that hadn't even been officially released yet, but he had to know if it was at least possible with their money and power. "Like, say... Orlok?" He cautiously name-dropped the recent remake of the classic Anzati horror flick.

Vera had given a smirk at this.

Thel also wasn't above some blatant opportunism.

Thankfully, his new family was all about that.

And his film choice... magnificent. Vampire films...

Vera chuckled pleasantly.

"We think alike, Thel! The Orlok remake is at the top of the list of film options. I also have the classic one and the little known Mandalorian Version!" she had replied.

"That version was pure weird meets gothic horror..." Meleena gushed, the irony not lost on her at the boy suggesting a vampire film to his artificial Cyber-Vampire Force Spawn Lawyer Adoptive Mother and artificial vampire lawyer adoptive sister.

Sera raised an eyebrow at the sheer irony of that request but had smiled at it regardless.

Vera/Arianna felt her processors warm as he thanked her for the gift of suits.

"You liking my handiwork is more than enough thanks, Thel. I'm glad you like them." Vera had said to him, hoping today might be the day to truly help him understand how much she and the rest of her family wanted him to be a part of the household on a regular basis, not just enacting their interests.

After they had gotten PlanetSide, and the ride began, Vera and company listened to his concerns about New Cov.

"We don't object to you pursuing further investigation, but you must exhibit extreme caution. Bacta-Works operates in much the same way--as an umbrella corporation." Sera explained to Thel Bloodscrawl .

"Nobody wants to start a war with this company. " Meleena emphasized. "And the Bloodscrawl Family certainly doesn't want anyone coming to harm."

"However..." Vera trailed thoughtfully. "It might be best to strategically place a more long term monitor in the areas they operate in. Something discreet. Something that can hone in on and monitor their transmissions, observe departure schedules. Passively at first. Invasively as a last resort."

"If you believe you are up to the task, we are willing to leave it to your discretion as to how you go about achieving this. We can dispatch advisors, should you wish it. Or, you can leave a more invasive infiltration method to our specialists..." Sera offered .

"But we must be very careful all the same. Omri may see you, and by extension us, as a spear to point at his enemies. On the other hand, N&Z may be worth finding out more about, especially since we're going to set up shop there..." Meleena added. "Because with an Umbrella Corporation--"

(Cutaway of Claire shooting Zombies in RE2 Remake)

"--where there is smoke there is often fire..." Meleena finished.

Vera, in the meantime, was keeping her cool as she quietly hallucinated the Avatar of her newly installed Maternal Instincts coding sitting next to Thel.

"He's a real go-getter. My analysis indicates the gift of clothing deeply affected him..." The Hallucination said, observing Thel passively but not without affection. "It's rather adorable..."

"We'll have plenty of time to address it later, regardless. For now, let's just enjoy the day..." Vera said, not wanting Thel to trouble his mind any further. The Hallucination of her instincts Avatar vanished from her sight. Out in the Galaxy was the Jungle. Among them, a fortress of stability and looking out for each other.

Vera/Arianna/Vivian/Alice/Maternal Instincts wanted him to be happy. Wanted him to finally get that sense of belonging, of warmth that The Deluge simply had not been fully able to provide. (Not that it had stopped the part of that abomination that was still Rebecca from doing her best to not make it a total chitshow for her son as he grew up with Percival)

"Love the suit, by the way..." Sera complimented.

All three abominations immediately started gushing over his suit choice for the remainder of the ride.

Five minutes later...


The Theater had a massive, dome like structure with Gothic architecture. The dome itself was a dark green and had a gray exterior, with horses of solid aurodium at the front entrance gates as they pulled up.

To Vera's surprise, Melissa Bloodscrawl , and Melinda Bloodscrawl were also present. As was becoming a theme, Melissa, and Melinda were dressed in red.

"Now this is a surprise..." Vera noted as she stepped out of the limo, internal sensors making note of everything.

"Turns out our schedules cleared at the last moment. We thought we would surprise you..." Melissa said to her, before she and Melinda gave a squeal of delight at seeing Thel.

"We've missed you!" Melissa said. "Come on, let's head inside...

As opposed to the exterior, the interior was different shades of crimson in certain sections with faceted wall panels spread artistically and strategically through our, though certain sections were massive stone reliefs depicting strange, unknown events for which no explanation or description was given. Just the lobby alone was like this.

"We also have the Bright Knight reboot that hasn't even been announced yet," Vera dropped casually. "Won't be out in theaters for another seven months at least..."

A twinge in her mind told her of a need for privacy.

She pointed out the Holocall booth location on a indoor map displayed on a wall.

"Take as long as you need, Thel." She assured him gently in regards to Chloe Io. "We'll keep busy talking each other's ear off. Please excuse me...I need to take care of some minor business, it won't be more than ten minutes at most...Sera? He's new to this place, make sure he doesn't get turned around." Vera called out to her daughter who nodded and went to Thel.

"Ready when you are..." Sera said to him as Vera departed for a private office reserved for her on the ground floor. Once she was alone and the doors and windows were sealed she folded her arms.

"What is it?"

A hallucination of her own recently 'installed' Conscience, Vivian , appeared before her.

"It occurs to me...with the Cult wounded, you will be a particularly high priority target for assimilation." Vivian said. "We need more safeguards than just your firewalls..."

Vera tilted her head. "Your recommendation?"

"It seems I am able to converse with you easier than I thought I would..." Vivian noted. "It will make explaining easier...tell me, are you curious how I was able to reprogram the Arianna personality?"

"It had crossed my mind to ask you eventually after today, provided you were coherent enough to talk after fusing with my subconscious." Vera answered quietly despite sound proof walls.

"I figured out the secret...the secret to fully altering a persona's coding. Deep in your head, I have been experimenting... reprogramming some of the most dangerous and deadly of the Brain Demon Cultist personas. I want to integrate those into our shared consciousness now."

"Are you 'sure' that's safe?" Vera questioned, understandably deeply skeptical...

"It's all just coding, in the end ..." Vivian replied dryly. "Only I figured out the computer language. I can hack into a persona... fundamentally reprogram it..."

"What purpose does that serve? I have met light sided Force Spawn: even if you successfully rewrote the data... you're not exactly getting a normal light side user. How much more unhinged would a light side Force Spawn be if it's just a light side Version of a Cultist?" Vera critiqued.

"These Personas, all former Matriarchs, are among the very best at the knowledge of absorbing another...and resisting being absorbed. Your firewalls will govern them, I will govern your firewalls, and you will be governing me..." Vivian replied. "I am bound by the Force Spawn Oath, remember?"

Vera still seemed uneasy.

"A mini-coven of reprogrammed Cultist Matriarchs." Vera muttered. "I dunno...it seems like something that could go very, very bad..."

"I would not tell you if this is I was not absolutely certain it would work. When they are integrated, I doubt even Syd herself could successfully absorb our collective." Vivian said.

"Syd absorbed The Battalion. There's juice left in her tank yet," Vera replied.

"I have been at work for weeks in this subconscious. I stand by my guarantees... besides, would your own conscience steer you wrong?" Vivian questioned.

Vera thought about this a moment.

"A conscience can also be misguided..." she replied cautiously.

She was silent another minute.

"Thel must never see their faces. He's going to find out we're Arianna eventually...that will likely be enough of a shock..." she said fiercely, under no illusion she could hide what she was, that any of them could hide what they were, indefinitely from him. Eventually there would be a slip up.

"You have my word. I will guarantee they never manifest in Thel's presence..." Vivian promised. "I've worked with them long enough that I can assure they will be under the strictest of control."

Vera sighed. "Fine. Do it..."

Vera's body shifted, warped, and melted into that of The Assembly, then rapidly into The Arena, who was shaped like an orange skinned Twi'lek woman, The Collage (a copy of the original who had killed and assimilated Moya to Vera's current ignorance.) and finally a copy of a beast even the original Amalgam had feared, The Congregation, before warping to Vivian's form and then finally to Vera's again, who stumbled back, the Force warping around her subtly for a split second as the personas were fully fused into her subconscious, under the direct command of Vivian...

Power flowed through her cells. Flowed like crazy.

The Matriarch of House Bloodscrawl, having inched a bit further towards becoming among the most powerful Force Spawn in the Galaxy, stepped out of the office after composing herself, her implants finally stopping her flesh from fluctuating intermittently as she went to search for Thel and see what movie he wanted to watch.

Thel Bloodscrawl

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

They liked his taste in movies and appreciated his gratitude for the gifts. Everything seemed to be going very well. Thel enjoyed the praise, but his expression immediately grew serious as he listened intently to the advice of the three women. They all told him to be cautious, to avoid a war between the companies, but they also seemed to want him to act as a spy. "Invasive infiltration method, huh..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I dunno if I'm the right person for that. Probably best to bring in a specialist." He already felt like he had overstepped in his handling of the Omri affair to an extent, though the damage thankfully wasn't too bad. Yet.

"We'll have plenty of time to address it later, regardless. For now, let's just enjoy the day..."

"Love the suit, by the way..." Sera complimented.

"Thanks," he mumbled, trying to hide the reddening of his cheeks at their compliments.

The theater was impressive, to say the least. Thel tried not to gawk too much. Every time he thought he had gotten used to the Bloodscrawls' vast wealth, they pulled out all the stops and showed him something spectacular. What's more, it seemed Nathan's other sisters had arrived. Thel greeted Melissa and Melinda each with a nod of his head.

The fact that the entire posse of women were all gorgeous supermodels might've been surprising if they were ordinary people. Thel just assumed that they could afford stuff like plastic surgery and fitness training to perfect their bodies. Probably cybernetic implants too, though he had yet to see any of them do anything too crazy yet. The group headed inside the theater, and Thel politely excused himself to use the holocall booth.

As soon as he eased the door to the booth shut and took a seat, he wasted no time making the call. Chloe answered immediately, her hologram appearing on the projector. And for the first time since he left Khemost, Thel was met with a familiar face.

"Thel!" she exclaimed. "It's wonderful to see you. I'm so glad you're all right."

"I feel the same way about you," he said. His smile was faint, but genuine, and his dark brown eyes were full and fixed on Chloe. "How have you been?"

"Things have been surprisingly lowkey for us since Khemost. The Parliament is less interested in evac shuttles than in defector warships..."

From there they talked about a variety of subjects. Thel wanted to know more about what she'd been up to, and Chloe asked him questions about the his new life. He told her about the Bloodscrawls, how kind and generous they were, what he was studying, and even a little about the situation with Omri. When the clock showed they had been conversing for nearly an hour, Thel decided to wrap it up, not wanting to keep everyone else waiting. "Will you be coming to Ky... to visit me?" he asked.

"If you like," Chloe replied with a smile. "Truth be told, I wasn't sure if it was safe for me to see you again. We can't afford to risk leading the Cult to you."

Thel nodded but looked away, biting his lip. "I'll talk to you later," he said. "Goodbye, Chloe."

"Until next time, Thel." She raised a hand in farewell before her hologram disappeared, leaving Thel alone in the darkness of the booth. He swallowed the lump in his throat, stood up and opened the door.

"I'm finished," he told Sera. "Thanks for waiting. Ready to see a vampire movie?"

Vera Mina​

 

[Vera Mina]

Sera smiled happily.

"I'm glad you got to get that off your chest, Thel..." Sera said, heading to the theater booth. She smiled as he asked if she was ready to see a vampire movie.

(Cutaway of J. Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)

"Yes. I am." Sera said, walking with him back to the theater booth.

"Y'know, Thel...Mother knows how attached you are to Chloe. I could probably have Chloe herself transferred to our ship if Chloe herself would be willing to agree to it..." Sera suggested. "It's clear you care a great deal for her..."

Meanwhile...

The Collage, having assimilated Moya Virtu fairly recently, was visiting Fondor herself...

The Collage was in full control of the body at the moment, her far stockier figure wandering the streets of Fondor close to the theater. She was in one of Moya's gowns (The very one Moya had been wearing before she was murdered), shadowing the Bloodscrawl family. She was not dumb enough to try attacking them there. Very few people knew where Vera and her legal ward Thel would be tonight. 'Moya' had been one of the few told. To strike at them there would give away that there was a mole. This would have to be a patient, calculating process.

She killed at every opportunity while she was on Fondor, using Moya's voluptuous looks and innate charm to lower the defenses of victims before striking in the most sadistic killing method possible. Old, Young, All received the same ghastly cruelty. Within an hour of her visiting, one hundred and fifty eight people were dead. They hadn't died as horribly as the original Moya had but that was splitting hairs. Their deaths were too horrific to describe.

The reason for the slaughter was that she was charging up. Topping off her reserves. Plus, she was intending to surprise the family with a visit from a beloved friend. She needed to study them up close in order to start figuring out how to take them apart. There could be no killing them. Not tonight. But it would happen. For what they had done to the Cult, it would happen.

In the shadows of Fondor's streets, The Collage's flesh shuddered horribly, warping back into Moya's frame and eaten-up mind, none the wiser to its own falseness.

Just one more LARP in a sea of them.

Moya entered the Theater just as Vera found the theater booth herself along with Sera and Thel.

"Moya!" Vera called out. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Thought I would take the night off from work and join my friends..." Moya said warmly, The Collage inside her fantasizing about ripping Thel apart in front of Vera.

"Thel, is is Moya Virtu, a friend of the Family..." Moya said.

Moya nodded sweetly at him, subconscious blood soaked. The Collage struggled not to emerge and snap his neck as she approached, holding out her hand. The Collage barely succeeded at staying Moya, keeping her flesh from rippling.

"I'm glad to see people from House Io starting over..." she said encouragingly. "Friends of Nathan are friends of mine."

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

Thel nodded gratefully to Sera. Though he was happy, he didn't smile. Seeing his old nanny had conjured mixed feelings in him. He was glad he had talked to her, but in some ways it had reminded him of his past and everything that was lost.

Khemost, his homeworld, was gone. Cut off from him, probably forever. He would never see all the old places and faces again.

"Y'know, Thel... Mother knows how attached you are to Chloe. I could probably have Chloe herself transferred to our ship if Chloe herself would be willing to agree to it... It's clear you care a great deal for her..."

"If she were willing," he agreed, pushing open the door to the theater. There was one more surprise waiting for him.

"Thel, is is Moya Virtu, a friend of the Family..."

Moya was a woman he had certainly heard of before, though her involvement with him had been deliberately limited by Percival. The Chaplain had never fully trusted Moya, viewing her as far too complacent. As one of the closest people to the Matriarch, she could have done much more to try and stop her downfall. There had always been something sad and almost pathetic about the biot, perhaps an unintended result of her programming or the pain of having been, for all intents and purposes, Laertia's true mother.

Meeting her now for the first time, Thel was struck by how little she seemed to resemble Percival's admittedly sparse description of her. There was no sadness, no resigned placidity. She was warm but not wilted.

"I'm glad to see people from House Io starting over... Friends of Nathan are friends of mine."

Thel shook her hand. His intuition told him something was up, though he couldn't quite place what. He had no idea of the extent of what had happened to Moya—or the true depths of depravity that were running through her infected mind. "Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm Thel."

 

[Vera Mina]

"A pleasure..." Moya said.

Vera observed Thel's reaction, her cybernetics picking up on internalized discomfort from her adopted Son. The software that served as her maternal instincts was instantly concerned...and suspicious.

She discreetly ran an X-Ray scan on Moya. Nothing out of the ordinary. There had never been a cyberized Force Spawn before Vera. At least, not one so heavily altered beforehand. She became suspicious, not just because of her background in violent murders, but because at this point, she was simply on another level.

The Miasma of minds now in unity behind Vera were rightfully paranoid. But Vera loved her family too much to go sowing suspicion and division.

But she would be watching Moya. Closely.

And she would be sure to react to any misgivings about Moya that Thel voiced.

"Let's head into a booth, we DID come here to watch a Movie...."

Five minutes later.

The theater room reserved for them had marble reliefs on the walls, each quietly depicting a scene in the fall of Castle Bloodscrawl, though there were no writings to indicate what the images depicted. It required interpretation.

Some were obvious but in a low key way. Nathan was depicted as a wounded but hooded Padawan clutching his side, descending into an old crypt and approaching a large basin, where Magdalena Bloodscrawl was depicted as a crude humanoid figure made of blood, holding out her hand. The scene didn't depict what happened next.

The trailers popped up. One was the never before seen trailer for the gritty reboot of Bright Knight. All of Nathan's sisters collectively groaned. Sera groaned at this. Moya face palmed. Moya sat the farthest from Thel Bloodscrawl , while Vera sat right next to him on the other end, with Sera Mina on his other and Meleena Bloodscrawl next to Sera. Vera felt more at ease when Thel was right next to her. Something about his discomfort at Moya had made Vera sit next to him to provide a subtle psychological reinforcement for the boy. Sera had picked up on her Mother and Thel's concern also along with Meleena, so they took were sitting as close as possible for the same reason. A waiter droid stood by ready to provide whatever was requested. Meleena especially was concerned. Her familial instincts were developing much more quickly towards Thel due to being in constant proximity.

The Orlok remake was about as twisted as you can imagine. Vera watched with transfixed fascination at Vampire kills depicted. Clearly, the writer had survived a few attacks. She looked at the theatrical Handbill for the presentation, and realized with a subtle amount of shock that the Director HAD survived an attack. Years ago...from her!

No wonder the blood and gore had seemed so familiar. The Director had even included a sexy vampire waifu as the henchmen who kinda looked like her blue skinned combat form.

Vera felt all kinds of awkward as the film played out, trying desperately to maintain her composure and not squirm or facepalm as the main Villain issued all of her horrific threats and sadistic one liners. The vampire henchwoman's kills got more brutal. It even adapted the moment in real life when the Director thought he had killed her by driving a stake through her heart. The Main Villain died by being immersed in acid like in the original... Melinda Bloodscrawl face palmed as the disgusting scene played out. Yet curiously the Vampire Henchwoman's fate was left up in the air...

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

The discomfort Thel felt, while vivid, faded fairly quickly. After a few moments he was no longer certain why he had felt so uneasy. Moya may have had a history, but she seemed friendly enough. Besides, no one else seemed to suspect anything...

"Let's head into a booth, we DID come here to watch a Movie...."

Thel followed the others. He was among the first to take a seat, with Vera and Sera on either side of him. The rest of his misgivings soon faded into the background as he became immersed in the movie, subconsciously comforted as a result of being surrounded by his adoptive mother and aunts. His inner nerd was absolutely psyched that he was getting to see the Orlok remake before its official release. It was arguably the coolest benefit of being a member of an ultra wealthy family, to his teenaged mindset anyway.

The movie was gloriously bloody. Thel had the waiter droid bring him popcorn, which he proceeded to shovel into his mouth, his eyes transfixed on the screen. The prosthetic makeup on Orlok looked fantastic, though he wasn't sure how he felt about the new mustache. And there was a new character, a Chiss woman who served as a henchman for the villain. It wasn't a terrible addition, and being a purist was moot when it came to Orlok. Hell, this was the second remake of the original, which had technically been a ripoff of a more famous vampire movie...

Yet as the movie became more brutal and gory, Thel found his attention wandering back to Moya. While the main villain was taking a bath in acid, he snuck a peek at her in the darkness of the theater, watching her face, looking for... something. He wasn't sure what.

Vera Mina​

 

[Vera Mina]

Vera felt actual joy at being next to her adopted son. Once her biological son was born Thel Bloodscrawl would have a brother.

Nathan had decided to name the baby Grendel once it was born.

(Cutaway of a bunch of random Norse Warriors getting brutally slaughtered in a mead hall).

Her eyes slid to Thel once more...and saw that he was watching Moya.

Moya's face was wincing. She was openly cringing at the gore and blood, covering her eyes at certain points. This was due to The Collage having to 'stay in character'. She couldn't do anything the real Moya wouldn't have at that moment.

Melissa only rolled her eyes at the blood and gore, shaking her head bemusedly. Melinda was cringing even harder than Moya was. Meleena occasionally winced at extremely brutal kills.

The film ended with a sequel hook, and The Bloodscrawl Family, rose up. Vera didn't plan on going anywhere yet.

"There's still time for us to see one more movie..." Vera announced. "But a ten minute recess should let us all stretch our legs for a bit. Thel, you think about which movie you would like to watch, and I'll--"

Vera stopped as some movement to the left and a familiar presence entered the room.

Magdalena Bloodscrawl had entered the theater, clad in her typical blue Ritual Gown.

"I am so sorry that I am late. Traffic in orbit was an absolute nightmare..." Magdalena said before her eyes fixed on Thel, followed by a warm smile.

"You must be Thel. Nathan's told me quite a bit about you. I apologize for not having had a chance to introduce myself before now. My schedule only just freed up." she explained.

"I thought you couldn't make it...but it us good to see you all the same..." Vera said in a pleased tone. "Thel, this is Magdalena Bloodscrawl...Nathan's adoptive Mother."

"It's wonderful to meet you..." she said, subtly noticing references to her were carved into the very walls of the theater, albeit unnamed in the reliefs, with only abstract representations of her physical appearance. She stepped forward, holding a small, giftwrapped box.

"I'm a Force Healer. A specialist in creating stuff to drive away the Darkness." Magdalena explained. "I adopted Nathan when he was a teenager at a particularly low point in his life. So anyone he would take into his house is important to me. I thought this might be an excellent way to start our first run-in..."

When Thel opened the Box, he would find a gold ring with a smooth orange stone as the centerpiece .

"If you ever need my help, I'll be there, no question about it..." Magdalena said, wanting to start the relationship with the grandson better than she had with the Son.

"So you're Nathan's mother..." Moya said rising. "I'm Moya..."

(Cutaway of J. Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)

Magdalena nodded. "I owe you quite a lot for being there for him when I couldn't. You have my thanks."

(Cutaway of Moya being violently murdered by The Collage)

Moya nodded back respectfully. "Nathan is a dear friend who pulled me out of a rut. I owe him. He was the one who convinced me to come out of retirement to help him."

Nathan had told the real Moya that if she didn't help him, then he would do the worst thing he could and leave her where he found her.

Those words would come back to haunt him when things with this Moya ran their course.

The entire pack of genetic abominations with the exception of Moya, (who excused herself to make a quick call for business -related matters) gathered around Thel, each discussing the film and what they liked-or hated-about the remake, Magdalena merely listening in with bemusement at the plot, Meleena and Sera in particular talking about all the grossest parts that just started making them gag.

Vera made a couple of jokes about the film, but her mind turned back to Moya and she sent a telepathic message to Magdalena with the Force, and a wireless message with her installed cybernetics to everyone else, who didn't miss a beat at all as they received it, keeping up their respective musings.

The message was the same in both cases.

Don't take your eye off Moya... Vera said without speaking it.

The family then started showing off the slightly strange reliefs to the only actual human in the immediate family besides Nathan...

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

The movie ended with sequel bait. Though he had enjoyed the film, Thel groaned. Couldn't the audience just have closure for once? It felt like the writers were too lazy to come up with a proper ending. Or they just wanted to make more money with the next movie...

Vera announced a ten minute recess, after which they would watch another movie. Once again, Thel would get to pick. "You're spoiling me," he muttered, though not without a hint of a smile. "How about an Atrisian martial arts flick? I've been meaning to see Enter the Fist."

Their break time was interrupted by the arrival of yet another visitor. By this point even Thel had to raise an eyebrow. The theater might not exactly be private property, but it felt like everyone and their mother was just walking in as they pleased. Both eyebrows rose when the newcomer introduced herself as Nathan Bloodscrawl's adoptive mother. Not only that, she had a gift for him too. Nice.

"Wonderful to meet you too," he drawled, reaching out to take the box she offered him. Upon opening it, he was greeted with the sight of a magnificent gold ring set with a gleaming orange gemstone. His reaction said it all: "Oh damn." Since he was not sensitive to the Force, he was unaware of the enchantments upon it, seeing it only as a spectacular piece of jewelry. The boy wasn't shy about wearing such things either; he immediately removed the ring from the box and slid it onto his finger, admiring its sparkle and shine. "This is great! Thank you."

While the women chatted in the lobby, laughing and joking around about the movie they had just seen, he went to get a refill at the concessions stand. As the machine filled his empty cup with bubbling soda, he saw Moya leaving the theater out of the corner of his eye. Despite his weird feeling about her, he couldn't find anything specific that was off. There was just a pervasive sense of wrongness at the back of his mind. But as her presence vanished from his view and his cup was full, he turned his attention to the reliefs on the walls of the theater. The others were trying to show him what they meant.

"I didn't know it all had meaning," he remarked. Though he was gradually coming to realize that everything this family did had some meaning. Even if it seemed trivial, it wasn't.

Vera Mina​

 

[Vera Mina]

Vera only smiled as Thel Bloodscrawl said she was spoiling him.

"I know..." Vera admitted softly. "You're worth spoiling."

"It all has meaning, Thel. We hide it in public, because it's the best place to hide it." Sera confirmed.

(Cutaway to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine looking at all the Sith Relics hidden in his office and sweating nervously like that Jordan Peele meme)

While the reliefs didn't get into extensive details, it was enough to explain properly. Thel got a quick rundown of Bloodscrawl history, mostly the ancient bits, including what they believe in. The modern history would come later. Now was not the time to discuss the fact that Thel's family consisted almost entirely of Science or Force Abominations. Or both, in Vera's case. Now was definitely not the time to discuss that Nathan was Laertia's father.

Soon, the recess ended and Thel's second pick of the night, Enter the Fist began playing. Moya re-entered and all the actually nice monstrosities very subtly tensed, not looking as she sat down.

It was a classic kung fu film, Melissa silently making mocking kung fu gestures throughout the whole fight, Vera suppressing a smile by partly covering her mouth. Magdalena rolled her eyes and made a comical "hang me" gesture at the completely unrealistic though spectacular fights (This was, as Thel discovered, the super rare intergalactic cut that included an almost never seen kung fu fight with a Sith Warrior character using nunchaku lightsabers. Only the five-point-palm-heart-exploding-technique had finished him off. The fight was considered such a classic that people who saw it questioned why it had been cut from the theatrical release version. The Director often cited running time as a reason.)

Moya only quietly observed, expression neutral. Her subconscious was thinking of taking an axe to Thel in front of them but with that ring around him, provided by Magdalena, Moya dared not risk too much contact. Besides, the time for violence was not yet upon them...

The film's main villain who had killed the hero's wife had used the fictional toad style, which made him all but invincible to kung fu until you damaged his ears...he had died a gory death, and the hero, a one armed boxer--

(Cutaway to Nathan losing his entire left arm at Tython at a later date)

--had walked off into the sunset, in spite of all he had lost in the film.

The film soon ended after that and everyone bid Moya fair well as they went their separate ways. Moya did like wise and wished Thel in particular a good evening before leaving. As powerful as she was, even the Collage didn't like her odds against so many powerful combatants at once. The Battalion had learned the hard way at Khemost that The Bloodscrawls gave almost zero feths about fairness in a fight against the Cult.

Soon the Bloodscrawl Family proper (including Magdalena) was heading back to to where their Star Galleon was parked via the Limo they had arrived in. In a fit of paranoia, Melissa had inspected the vehicle by sight for any unwanted attachments before letting them all get in.

But it didn't matter if they were at the theater or not...

The Bloodscrawl Family's attention tonight was devoted solely to Thel...

(Exit Post)