Private Fangs of Obligation

[Maple Harte]

Wearing: Biker Leathers

With: Vera Mina


Aboard: Castle Morpheus

Invited: Sawa Ike


Today was the day.

Maple had showed to the Castle Morpheus, bright and early, arriving without fanfare. There was a price for defying Nine's orders to kill The Amalgam repeatedly, and though the latest circumstances had caused even Nine to at last relent on that, it still didn't change the raw fact that Maple had defied her, made excuses for it. And then Rhand had happened.

Xiphos had fired on the World Ship, and sent thousands of Maw Slaves to their death. Nine directly held Maple responsible for not ending the influence Amy had earlier.

The price was this:

Maple must give up her humanity as the price for defiance. And she was terrified. But it was either that or House Li-Ves would go to war with House Io for compromising their standing in the now fallen CIS.

Maple had gone quietly to her quarters, deep in the Castle Morpheus' Atrisian Gothic halls. The Morpheus was out on one of its hunting trips and Sawa was invited. Maple had thought of writing to Sawa, in a last ditch attempt to get her to appeal to Nine on her behalf, but if there was one thing Maple couldn't tolerate it was looking weak, trying to hide behind her favorite bloodsucker to avoid the consequences of her choices. She had held her peace. Sawa would inevitably find out soon enough.

Maple entered her quarters, and frowned as she spotted Vera, wearing a magnificent looking purple cocktail dress and Black Stilettos.

Looking at Vera, the very vision of beauty in her public guise as a Lawyer, it was easy to forget that she was a murderous, utterly lethal prototype Android whose high tech processors and sadistic programming had served as the basis for Laertia's Mechanical Nuetralizers, effectively making her the Super Prototype for nearly all of them.

Vera smiled. "Hello, Maple...I'm so glad you are becoming one of us, at long last."

"You anticipated this?" Maple asked, her mismatched eyes, one of Sith sulphur, the other a wet green, focused on Vera utterly. Maple had been wary of Vera ever since they had first met. Vera was unlike any other HRD. She was likely the most advanced in the Galaxy after Westenra.

"Oh, of course... Organics are not nearly so difficult to predict as they like to think they are..." Vera said. "I had actually predicted you would not follow your orders to kill The Amalgam. Not just because Laertia would convince you, but because you love her in spite of what you tell yourself. And forgive me, but it was so terribly obvious you love her."

"I guess your time around that scientist paid off...you can actually recognize Love... whatever happened to her by the way?"

Vera's smile fell. "I wish I knew. She disappeared..."

In spite of not even really liking Vera all that much, Maple tried to be nice.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Not your fault."

"I know. It's just that...being what you are...I imagine you don't get a ton of sympathy."

"Why Maple, what 'I' am is a beautiful, successful Lawyer, who also happens to be a murderous artificial abomination that enjoys killing people. But thank you."

Vera got up from her seat and Maple's breath caught in her throat. Vera was crafted as much for art as lethality.

"Why, to welcome you personally into our family of course. I always felt you would make a great Vampire."

Vera retrieved a long box from atop a drawer. She opened it and presented its contents to her.

Maple removed the Katana, it's sheath and hilt a custom purple, with orange diamonds.

"I had it custom made for you..." Vera explained stepping a little closer. Maple backed away on instinct.

"Thanks..." Maple replied. "Vera, I have a question..."

"Shoot."

"Did you know Laertia was going to do terrible things?"

Vera paused.

"I knew. Yes. But even I was caught off guard by the scale. Would you like to know how I knew that?"

"Sure."

Vera leaned forward slightly.

"Because I saw ambition. Belief. Determination. All of which were too great to be constrained by the teachings of the Jedi. So in a sense, I knew Laertia better than most did. Better than perhaps even you yourself did."

Maple was given pause at this.

"Maybe you did..." Maple conceded.

"I'll take you out for your first hunt after your conversion. Why, we'll make a killing spree out of it!" Vera gushed.

Maple narrowed her eyes. Vera's smile widened.

"Just trolling..." Vera said, winking as she walked out of Maple's quarters.

Maple sighed and sat on the bed. She couldn't wait to see Sawa again. But she was also still pretty terrified at becoming a vampire...

Meanwhile...

Vera walked into Nine's lavish private quarters, watching as Nine Lives dressed herself in a metallic crimson Kimono. Nine was actually wearing lipstick, in anticipation of Sawa's arrival.

"Ah, Daughter! Just the person I wanted to see!"

"Hello Mother. Sawa's arrival is imminent. After that, we go hunting with the Morpheus..." Vera announced.

"Excellent. By the way, I have some things you might like. I've acquired upgrades for you..."

"What, pray tell, might those be?"

"Those Bio Nuetralizers my descendant created. One in particular caught my interest. Her Medical Nuetralizers secrete healing Enzymes. I acquired the genetic sequence that allows for that."

"Thank you, Mother. You look lovely, by the way."

"Thank you daughter. Hopefully this will make it easier to tell Sawa I have to convert Maple as punishment...where will you be?"

"Messing with and trolling Maple until the time to convert her arrives. I like her. I promise I'll be delicate."

"Ah. Go on then." Nine replied.

Vera came over, planting a kiss on Nine's cheek before heading out of the room.

Nine then awaited Sawa. She hoped Sawa would understand. Sawa would be escorted to her quarters, where a fresh supply of blood would be available, in the form of a crystal bottle with stasis technology to keep it fresh constantly.

 

[Sawa Ike]

Maple Harte

The invitation to the ship was something... different and Sawa had barely needed much reason to go. Her ship gliding towards it and being greeted before she was standing there in her ship. The idea of Ni-Ne and Maple being there was interesting but she wasn't entirely certain what was set to happen. Still her kimono was secured, black silk with dark red and purple flowers on it, pale skin and her long hair secured close to her head. Her saber on her hip and black gloves on her hands as she walked out fo the ship through the airlock and passage taking in the ship. Her silvery eyes observing without her head turning to check on the others who were here... the different people here only brought her attention as she entered the room she had been given and looked at the food absconding for the moment to reach out with the force and attune her senses to what was around her.

 

[Nine Lives]

Sawa Ike looked as lovely as ever.

Nine saw her and instantly rose upward, gliding over to her. Her skin, her hair, her scent. Nine had so much to regret between them

"Ohhhh, I missed you, my Prefect! I've been trapped in some fairly heavy chit and I have to...err...punish...Maple. Not lethally, mind you, but...Sawa...I'm gonna have to turn Maple into a Psy-Pire, like myself...there. I said it..." Nine said trying to clear the air.

"She screwed up with me, badly. Have you heard of Darth Xiphos? Xiphos is my only living descendent. Maple has been...helping her...and one of Xiphos's allies is The Amalgam."

"I ordered Maple to kill her. But Maple couldn't do it because deep down, part of her still loves The Amalgam...and I don't know what else to do to avoid having to kill her as punishment. Maple not obeying me had very serious consequences,for Xiphos and myself...but she has to be punished in some way...and I can't think of any other way than outright taking her humanity..."

Nine sat down on a nearby luxury sofa.

"And I'm terrified of the future for the first time in a long time...no CIS..."

 

[Sawa Ike]

Nine Lives

Sawa took a moment for Ni-Ne to come towards her but then she was unloading a whole lot of information and the energy vampire looked at her. "Whoa.... slow down my sweet." She said it and looked at her more as she was absorbing everything that had been said.. she knew it and understood it but her brain was playing catch up to try and make more sense of it. "You are telling me in a minute enough information to fill an hour conversation." Sawa said it and moved to the side finding a place to sit as she remained there and looked at Ni-Ne and at Maple being able to sense her within the force. She remained there though looking at Ni-Ne and there was more going on. "BUt calm yourself... you know first hand the danger of such a... threat." She said it and looked at her because for good or ill. She had forced this upon her once... Ni-Ne doing such a thing to another is something she didn't think would have happened.

 

[Vera Mina]

Vera lay naked on the operating table, multiple robotic arms installing both cybernetic and genetic upgrades to her body, which had been surgically opened in key sections.

Vera was honestly nervous, felt a tinge of fear as each upgrade, especially to her brain, was applied. These were the most comprehensive series of upgrades yet. Especially her Empathy updates.

Vera had been given the option before going under the knife to leave out the empathy updates. Her experience with Karlie had made her accept all of them. She wanted those updates, wanted to be able to love Karlie more, understand her more. Wanted to love her family and mother on more than a superficial level. She was terrified of not enjoying killing as much as she used to. But her need to love and be loved was winning out over such animal cravings.

As the arms closed her up her consciousness seemed to expand, processors and brain comprehending much more than they had previously.

She sat up on the table, feeling a swell of genuine emotion towards her mother. She gasped slightly, realizing it was love she felt. More intensely than before.

Many things occured to her suddenly. Her sister, Lynda, a copy of Westenra Mina , was in deep, serious psychological pain in a way that Vera had not fully comprehended before. She was due here on the Morpheus days ago, given her more recent actions, which Vera had partly enabled at Epoch. But she had not reported in and Vera, beyond the risk of Lynda bring compromised, suddenly felt very fearful for her sister. She didn't know how to help her sister and it suddenly distressed her very much.

Vera got off the table, putting on her clothes, surgery wounds fully healed at this point. She decided she would check on Maple immediately, as she was beginning to empathize with Maple's fears.

It also struck her, the incongruity of Nine's current actions and origins.

Wasn't it... hypocritical?

Vera left Castle Morpheus' Lab processing her surroundings with an expanded consciousness.

She felt the pain of her missing beloved much more distinctly now as she explored it's halls. Was this place always so drafty?

As Vera walked through the halls of her home, she began to process Maple's predicament more and more.

And as she processed it, she began to get the distinct feeling that perhaps being a vampire was not all it was cracked up to be...

Meanwhile...

Nine herself was stricken by the final comment from Sawa Ike .

By the Force...she was right.

Had she really moved so far away from the person she once was. Had she really become her own Darth Shojo?

Nine sat back down.

"You're right..." she said quietly, ashamed. "I was so pissed at Maple defying me...I didn't even think about that angle...that I was going to do what was once done to me."

Nine started over.

"Laertia Io is my last living descendant of blood. She was a powerful Jedi Shadow who came out of retirement, helped save Atrisia. Taking her in seemed like a no brainer. I taught her my science. As much as she could learn. But she disagreed deeply with the Jedi Order over their decision to fight the Sith over the Bryn'adul. She rebelled and killed Jedi over the decision. And I helped her. I helped build her army. I financed her war on them to help delay the GA, NIO, and Ashlan Crusade from reaching CIS space...and now Laertia is wanted as a mass murderer of Jedi, and Maple would not do what I asked her, and now Laertia is committed to war, and the complete genocide of the Bryn'adul..."

 

[Sawa Ike]

Maple Harte Nine Lives

Sawa listened to her and looked at Ni-Ne as she moved forward and caught her there.. her attention more with just her hand stroking her hair when she moved to be next to her. "It is going to be alright... benefit of our condition Ni-Ne is that we can outlive all of the fools and handle things as they come at our own pace. What for them is a lifetime to us can be a blink of the eye." She said it and looked while she remained there just wrapping her arms around the other woman when she breathed in the scent of her. "You have to handle her most likely.. this Laetria seems like she could be a problem but the Bryn were dangerous and still can be.. letting someone throw themselves at them trying to eradicate them isn't too bad it is just the making waves and attracting the jedi attention that can be dangerous as they can reveal more about you.. they might not understand that you used to be a jedi and were good.... so I would just cut her funding off and watch her flounder.. if need besmack some sense into her like I did Elise."

 

[Nine Lives]

"It's too late. She has found a nearly limitless source of wealth. So huge even I cannot ignore the extent of it. Cutting her off now would mean nothing." Nine said. "I fethed up. Bad. If I back out now...I lose any influence I still have over Laertia."

Nine looked at her hands.

"I don't understand how I didn't see it all coming. I truly don't. I couldn't abandon my last blood relative. But the problem is The Amalgam... Laertia won't kill her because The Amalgam is her former master. And Maple couldn't do it for the same reason. They both love her too much. Though I think Maple is starting to crack. But I have a solution. A nuclear option. I've been digging up all I could on the Brain Demon The Amalgam worships. I think we can kill it."

Meanwhile...

Maple shook and shivered, unconscious in her bed.

In her mind she was trapped in the white void with The Amalgam, sitting calmly across her in a chair.

"Hello Daughter. I heard today you were losing your humanity... finally..." The Amalgam began with a warm smile.

"Leave me alone, Monster." Maple said quietly.

"But I'm here as moral support. Who better to guide you through such a momentous occasion than one who has already thrown away mortal shackles?"

Maple didn't say anything back.

The Amalgam sighed. "You really have no one but yourself to blame. But I thank you for the loyalty. It means something.

The Amalgam's form shifted to that of Ursula Sandraven, Maple's teacher. She reached out, taking Maple's hand. Maple did nothing, simply having no energy mentally to be hostile at the moment.

"We'll wait right here. Just the two of us. We don't even have to say anything." She said in Ursula's voice.

"Fine by me..." Maple replied...

Sawa Ike

 

[Sawa Ike]

Nine Lives

SSawa listened to her and continued to just remain there next to her allowing herself the moment to pass and they were at something... she could sense something going on with Maple in the back of her mind and she remained there with Ni-ne... allowing their bond to focus as she breathed in and then outwards... exhaling for a moment and her eyes were rimmed with golden amber instead of their usual silver. She was focusing on the force and stretching out the time between them... taking the moment between the tick and the tok as it were to just embrace her. She didn't know what the overall plan was but there was a whole lot of options if they looked at it and only three she could think about involved waging a total war and burning everything this woman who pestered Ni-Ne's thoughts valued to the ground.

She was standing in a pagoda and allowing herself to wait there as the marble floors reflected much more. Cherry blossoms around them with leaves falling in a swirl from energy and wind... the scents of rain on the air as she spun around and the song they had for years... if anything she worked to sing it about them over the centuries. "The best option might be to exterminate her and everything... your family is important but if she has become a threat.... we don't want her burnign the galaxy to ash now do we?" She said it and remained there with her mind focused but slipped reinforcement towards Maple to try and ease her.