Private Grandson versus Grandfather

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"Are you...are you giving him the 411 on everything he's missed? David asked.

Nathan had gone stock still at the two names. He went pale. The blood drained out of his face. He stepped back, shock and total outrage playing over his eyes.

His crime had come back to bite him. His own act of spite.

He didn't scream. He didn't destroy stuff around him. He simply leaned back against a tree in silence.

She had murdered his family. He had murdered her back. She had come back to steal his daughter from him. She had succeeded. And the woman that he had once flatly refused to marry due to being repulsed by by her hidden nature had aided in the corruption.

Devastation played across his face in a glance. David, unused to seeing this level of emotional torment on anyone other than Percival (It was why he didn't confess having free will to him, as he didn't trust anyone that emotional. He was even leery of Mother for it), was at a loss for what to do.

"Hey, Grandpa...I know you're being given the mother of an extremely emotional toilet swirly, but we really , REALLY have to go if we wanna avoid a run in with The Napalm Schutta--" David said, hoping he wouldn't ask.

Nathan didn't move and David tentatively went over to him.

"Look...it's not so bad! Where you gonna go? I'm betting you ain't even got any friends in this era." David posited. "You're so full of rage and hatred you'll be a better fit with us at this point. Look, nobody in House Io is gonna be pissed at you for that little rampage of yours. Even The Cult won't be pissed--they're surprisingly chill about that sorta chit. For Sith, anyway. And Mother! Mother will be positively dying to meet you! I bet even The Battalion will be happy to see you in her own twisted way."

Nathan asked only one thing.

"Who is Syd Celsius?"

David looked up, spotting movement out of the corner of his photo-receptors. He pointed upward.

"That."

Nathan stared, stared at the confused expression on Syd's face.

She looked as he remembered, save she wore a gold and navy blue catsuit the reflected everything.

"I was drawn to this world. A disturbance that haunted even my sleep..." Syd said, a blink of her eyes ripping away the Disruptor from David's hand, pinning it against the tree.

"Sith abound...and of course House Io, still nipping at the heels of the Jedi, refusing to let old sins rest. Old grudges die."

"YOU!" Nathan screamed in a deep, dark rage.

Syd looked at him. She didn't recognize him. Yet she got the terrible feeling she should.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly.

"YOU MURDERED MY WIFE!" Nathan screamed back in absolute hatred.

Syd's reply came out in a pained, guilt ridden whisper.

"I have killed many wives..." Syd replied very softly, sensing no lie in his response, and became desperate to diffuse whatever this was she had walked into without understanding. "You'll have to be more specific." (Fear. And Dead Men: 14000 XP)

Nathan's energy sword flashed on.

He didn't consciously teleport to her. He blacked out after the sword activated.

Syd screamed in surprise and pain as he reappeared above her, his sword lopping off one of her hands as he tackled her, and they both tumbled to the ground, hitting the mud as he started savagely punching her, only for Syd to kick him off, her severed hand skittering up her leg like a damn facehugger and reattaching itself at the wrist, though it's be a lie to say it was done healing, or that it was combat capable.

Nathan, still in a state of psychotic fury, teleported towards her, but Syd used an Atrisian Aikido move to gently toss him backward.

"Who are you?" Syd asked in confusion, activating one end of her saberstaff, it's orange blade reflecting off her suit.

David got out his own energy sword. He didn't want to hurt Celsius, as he had actually been kind of fond of her back in the day, but if he wouldn't help his Organic grandfather kill the now-friendly murderer of his wife, then Family wouldn't have much purpose.

Blood, metaphorical in his case, was thicker than water.

"Wait. Maybe we don't have to fight." Syd posited. "Who is this man, sons of Laertia?"

Percival Io

 

[Percival Io]

“And what if I am?” Percival replied, glaring at David. “Someone has to tell him.”

Morris’ reaction to the names of his daughter’s allies seemed to hit him even harder than the initial news of her corruption did. He didn’t scream this time, he just leaned against a tree, dead silent.

David tried to urge him to come with them. Percival scowled, but didn’t say anything. Perhaps some good could come of Morris accompanying them…

But then Syd showed up, and all hell broke loose. Morris screamed and attacked her. While David rushed to help him, Percival hung back. “Morris, stop this at once!” he shouted irritably. “She’s not who you think she is! Darth Phyre is dead! I killed her myself!”

Syd tried to break up the fight, asking them questions. “He’s Morris Crownwraithe,” Percival replied. “Our grandfather. Though if he doesn’t stop acting like an impulsive fool, I’m going to disown him. You and Syd have the same enemies, the same goals. You should be teaming up, not wasting time fighting each other!”

Nathan Bloodscrawl​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

Nathan's fist violently smashed into Syd's face over and over. He was beside himself with rage, Animal noises escaping him, mind feral at the sight of her.

Every knuckle blow smashed down harder than the one that came previously and Syd's face started to collapse inward, glowing green blood spilling out of cracks in her face. It was unclear why she didn't strike back. Had he simply gotten lucky and caught her on an off day? Or had Syd lost the will to fight?

She flinched remarkably little as the blows came and her thoughts grew foggier. She considered reaching out to Starlin but he would no doubt feel her death when it occured anyway; why subject him to feeling the absolute pain she was in as his knuckles fractured her skull.

Hands clasped her shattered face and drove it into the mud, the look of insane hatred and fury on his face only increasing.

"YOU DISMEMBERED HER!!! YOU DISMEMBERED HER AND ATE HER SOUL IN FRONT OF ME, YOU FREAK OF NATURE!!!" he screamed so loudly it actually disoriented David, who stumbled back clutching his head. Percival would no doubt understand the level of fury Nathan was in. David understood this innately, as all Model 1's did, their minds based off of dying victims of the Bryn'adul.

"Percival..." David said in a worried tone, deeply discomforted for the first time ever at the sight of a murder in progress.

"I don't think he gives a chit if you disown him..." David said, stepping forward.

"Grandfather..." The Model 1 called out as Nathan was in the process of violently pushing the battered Syd's head into the mud with his boot, a savage look on his face as he stood over her, watching her drown. Her legs and arms were flailing in some vestigial mortal instinct, fragmented, bruised thoughts of Laertia and Starlin passing through an increasingly injured brain.

"Grandfather, don't." David called out. "You're not killing Phyre. Just an incredibly lonely woman with too much power who got swept up in events where her reach exceeded her grasp. She'll never be welcomed with open arms anywhere again. She'll never love again. She will die alone."

Nathan pushed her head into the mud further, eyes staring daggers at her flailing form.

David tried something else.

"If you kill her, like this...you will never be rid of her, Grandfather. She'll be with you always. Like Elaine."

Nathan went still, blinked. Stared at Syd. Her form was very weak at its flailing.

His boot came off her face and he stepped back, a look of insanity still present in his gaze. But he was making no move. He seemed catatonic.

David immediately scooped up the horribly injured, coughing Syd, scooping mud out of her shattered, dislocated jaw with metal fingers.

"Percival! Oh, Gods, he fethed her up good! She needs a doctor!" David said, taking out a medkit, stabilizing her with all the Bacta injections he had, then immediately worked on applying medication to reduce the swelling.

"I can only do so much. She needs a trauma team. The Bacta bought time, but she's gonna die if we don't do more." David spoke, getting out his Comlink.

"I'm calling Agatha. She owes me one..." David spoke, trying to get a signal out.

"Starrrrliiiiiinnnn....Starrrrrliiiinnnn..." Syd got out, delerious, neurons firing a million different incoherent messages

Nathan remained still, unblinking.

"Percival, Grandfather's in severe shock. Talk to him. Don't lecture. That's the last thing you wanna do." David said to Percival Io

 

[Percival Io]

"Percival... I don't think he gives a chit if you disown him..."

Percival didn't need to be told that. Morris' mindless bashing in of Syd's face made that clear enough.

Still, he felt no real pressing urge to try and stop him. Percival was so numb to the violent conflicts within and outside House Io, so disillusioned to any attempts at changing things for the better, that he found he couldn't bring himself to care about the woman being murdered in front of them. Let her die. She was an enemy of his House, after all. Why should he give a damn if his grandfather killed her?

But David finally stepped in. Percival was surprised that the Model 1's words had any effect on the psychotic Morris, let alone that they succeeded in stopping him.

"Percival! Oh, Gods, he fethed her up good! She needs a doctor!"

Percival remained silent, still apathetic to the entire situation. David announced he was going to contact Agatha, a leader of the Medical Neutralizers. "I have no strong feelings one way or the other," the Chaplain replied dully.

"Percival, Grandfather's in severe shock. Talk to him. Don't lecture. That's the last thing you wanna do."

Percival rolled his eyes and sighed, but didn't protest. Syd was moaning something that might've been a name, but her jaw (and presumably her brain as well) was too badly damaged for it to be understandable.

"Shut up," Percival barked at her, finally losing all patience. Then he turned toward Gramps. "If you want more answers, come with us. Otherwise, stay here and rot for all I care," he snapped.

Nathan Bloodscrawl