Private Groving Minds

[Darth Strosius]

A small hum, a noise that was made in agreement but sounded more exasperated than anything else. It was the only response that He could make about the predicament as the Neti was wise enough to move on to another topic rather swiftly. The mere reminder made His skin crawl and His tendrils pulse with what could best be described as some sort of phantom pain. An ache that shouldn't exist but was present all the same.

Darth Strosius inclined His head at the offer of assistance, seemingly somewhat surprised. "The offer is tempting I must admit." The nexus on Alvaria was the only reason that He was able to recover as relatively swiftly as He had been able to before now, supplementing His natural regeneration with an empowered healing method that He wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. Korriban was a world far more drenched in the Dark Side than Alvaria, any one of its nexi could provide enough power to reforge Himself.

But power alone wasn't the issue.

"Before any healing can truly begin I will need to recover or recreate as many of my lost parts as possible however. I can fill the voids with the Force but that would only result in a lengthy process of adjusting on my part and more time spent bedridden is unacceptable. The more of myself that I can reclaim the less I will need to substitute." His ashes had been scattered farther than He had ever thought possible, but at least He did have some to experiment with so that He could better understand His condition. "I would be willing to accept what aid you can offer, perhaps there is another method that is beyond my current understanding."

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Her eyes widened as the man actually sounded agreeable. It was a relief to know that he could in fact collaborate with others outside his direct belief system. Darth Strosius had always been less aggressive toward her than he tended to be toward many others, based on reports she'd heard from others. However, the neti was finally noting an even more amiable shift in his demeanor. Discussion of science and sorcery appeared to be safe topics on which to further build a foundation of alliance.

"Well..." she began slowly "Which method would yield the best results for an acceptable degree of effort? Recover or rebuild?"

The neti refilled her teacup, gaze never straying from his masked faced as she awaited his answer.

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man clicked His tongue at the question and sat back in His seat, resting His chin on His fist as He made a wave towards her with the other hand. "That would be the question at hand indeed. Recovery isn't as complicated of a process and should be more...natural. However I have come to suspect that I will need some rebuilding done regardless and as such I have been gearing my most recent efforts of study and procurement towards that option rather than the former."

Darth Strosius shifted in His seat slightly, the tendrils that exuded from His robes seeming all the more prominent as He nodded towards them. "You see, I have come to realize that one of the reasons for my current predicament is that my...essence could not be fully contained within my physical being at the time of my demise. These strands aren't just seeking their lost parts, they are roots that have grown beyond their pot as it were. Even with my body fully reconstituted and restored as it was these "leaks" will remain to some extent."

It was a rather odd situation really. To be at once far less and weaker than He was before the Kaggath but also to be far more in the same manner. A result of His own drawing of power from His flock, their connection having not severed with His demise but instead cemented Him into something more than He was before. That was a fact that He had no intentions of divulging in full however, not to Lady Madrona and certainly not to His followers. Bogan only knew what they would do if they knew that they could permanently increase His power by their devoted self-sacrifices. He shuddered at the thought.

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Stillness fell over the neti as Darth Strosius began to speak of process- her mind was spinning already with possibility but she gave no indication other than her intense stare. That was, until the man used an analogy so well crafted for her specifically that she suddenly became downright animated.

The rustle of leaves and vines, a gentle slithering hiss of plant matter trailing across itself, filled cool air of the mountainous greenhouse. A'Mia leaned over the table and her torso elongated subtly so her entire form craned closer to the seated man. Her tea was set down absently and her hands raised before him, as if to hover atop an aura about him. Despite her clear burst of enthusiasm, she was not so presumptuous as to breech his personal bubble, but the intent was there.

"Now that is such a clear way to frame it..."

Her tone grew hushed but more singsong, as if the curiosity and enthusiasm about having a new puzzle to solve had shifted her into a more abstract mindset.

"If your physical form is the pot- well then the rest of you constitutes the plant. I can think of a handful of excellent ways to augment and expand a living vessel. This analogy also begs the question, how best to nourish the metaphysical aspects of you? Oh, what a delightful blend of interlocking problems that need solving!"

As quickly as she'd leaned and loomed, the arboreal woman withdrew back to her more "normal" looking seated form and she began typing furiously on her data pad as she rattled off her initial theory.

"If we could acquire a suitable number of Force users, or even those with a stronger Force signature, to be contained and enriched via a nexus... Yes, like fattening livestock before slaughter- then those of us practiced in sorcery might combine our efforts, multiplying the effects of that gathered energy so that you could feed upon it."

Her sentences were half formed, and surely the notes she typed at a breakneck speed were more coherent, but she continued on as Alisteri's simple likening of himself to a root bound plant continued to inspire innovation.

"That is just the matter of metaphysical nourishment though- how to rebuild the vessel? And encourage further growth, to maintain the benefits of adaptation... A donor perhaps? A... clone."

Large eyes snapped back up to her guest, as if suddenly remembering he was there, technically engaged in this conversation with her.

" Darth Malum of House Marr contained you for a time, yes? By which method did he ensure your general return? Did he keep samples of your flesh or were you left to regenerate without grafting or other such methods of rehabilitation?"

The question was oddly intense, as if it were a missing integer in a delicate mathematical equation.

 

[Darth Strosius]

An eyebrow quirked up beneath His mask at the Neti's encroachment, leaning back in His own seat slightly and eyeing her with what must have been a look of confusion. She seemed rather excited all of a sudden and He wasn't quite sure why. Evidently He had managed to strike a chord of inspiration within her, so much so that she was quick to return to her note taking despite the brief hovering closeness. Darth Strosius opened His mouth to respond but she continued quickly, catching Him somewhat off-guard.

Amidst the flurry of theory there was one remark that did catch His attention, one that seemed far more likely and less costly than acquiring several Force Sensitive individuals for some grand process. A clone. Project Inductii rang fresh in His mind, the creation of sleeper agents and soldiers with which He'd have a direct connection to via a relatively simple alchemical process during their gestation. He needed cloning equipment regardless for the project to succeed, but what if He went further?

He had no intention of attempting to replicate Himself of course, not even with Inductii. His own biological makeup was skewed and modified so extensively that to decode it and mass produce it would be quite the hassle, not to mention exceedingly disturbing, that the thought hadn't really crossed His mind. Lady Madrona raised a very good point however. He was missing pieces of Himself, what if He could simply just make more? How fascinating of a concept.

"Hm?" Darth Strosius was pulled from His own silent musings by the question, meeting the expectant look on His host's face with a slow blink before He realized what she was asking. "Ah, right. Well, he was more focused on preserving me physically and keeping my body alive more so than anything else. It wasn't expected that I would die during the duel, but complications occurred of course. He mostly left my regeneration in the hands of my own body and bacta, but he did supply me with blood from himself and from some of his associates so that I could restore myself much faster."

For all intents and purposes His body had been in something of a coma for a few days until His spirit was reunited with it, awakening Him once more and restoring Him to life. Albeit in something of a broken shell. "My condition was unexpected and somewhat unknown to the both of us and I was in no position to properly diagnose myself then as I have by now. As such only recently have I been able to engage in efforts and theories on how best to mend my metaphysical condition."

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Though she was not adept at reading a room from the social or emotional perspective, A'Mia did have a knack for peering into the minds of others- their inner workings and how their thoughts moved along neurological pathways. Though physically rooting herself made that process far more clear and concrete, even without snaking mycelium tendrils the neti was able to register when particular thoughts caught hold of someone.

She stopped typing, as suddenly as she'd started, and shoved the datapad to the side once more to fix her wide eyes back upon him. A'Mia seemed to be formulating her next words very carefully. In truth, she felt so certain that she could help him achieve a breakthrough but knew that pushing for too much scientific leeway too soon was only going to drive the fickle, prickly man away.

"I did not mean to imply a lack of effort on the part of your... brother in arms. Rather, I was attempting to determine if he has yet viable samples from when you were in the initial healing process."

The neti opened long fingered hands in a sweeping gesture as if to say "oh well" and continued on.

"It would seem not. However, I see a path forward you might still find agreeable and initial inquiry into the process would require very little initial investment of time or energy on your part- in the grand scheme of things that is."

She was unused to brokering deals, ill practiced at such maneuvering and frankly, too earnest with intense curiosity to maintain any kind of guile for long when discussing such intriguing matters.

"Plants are well versed in the art of cloning. It is much simpler process for them, to be sure, but the ability is impressive. There are even some invertebrates that possess a similar, stunning capability to grow anew from just small fragments. Though you are far more complex an organism than any I am referencing, with the use of sorcery, alchemy, and rigorous scientific method, I do feel certain we could craft you a new biological vessel- or patch the old one, if that is preferred."

Her mind was already whirling with charts and grafts, the image of an advanced hyperbaric chamber that might also double as a sort of personalized greenhouse for the vessel she was dreaming up. Before she lost herself in those visions of grandeur though, A'Mia honed back in on the man before her.

"The most straight forward way for you to contribute to this process would be to provide a limb."

The line was delivered with no attempt to soften the ask, she was direct and her mind was busy calculating the various factors she'd need to control for. It was said with all the emotion of a neighbor asking to borrow a cup of sugar for a recipe. In truth, she laid bare her request with the kind of cold practicality that one organism familiar with regeneration would use upon another.

"A limb and allowing me to take full biometric readings of your current form down in my lab. Barring that, whatever you are willing to give that even approximately resembles the data I might glean from those two things will have to be suitable."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Beneath His mask, an eyebrow quirked up in confusion at the mention of 'samples' from His recovery. While He could see why they would be useful for the current topic of discussion, there had been no need to take any such samples then. He was in enough pieces as it was already. Darth Strosius briefly considered such other pieces for a moment as the Neti continued, seemingly leading into some arrangement to acquire what samples would be needed to better understand His condition and how to best mend it.

His ashes were an aspect that He hadn't put much thought into over the course of their conversation up until now despite how relevant they were. They were His missing parts after all, the ones that made Him less than whole by being separate and scattered. Not that being whole again would solve the tendril issue of course but still. If Lady Madrona wanted to assist in patching His old form then they were no doubt an essential ingredient even if new tissue could be made and substituted, and a valuable ingredient for crafting a new vessel as well.

A new vessel.

The thought made something in Him stir, something that He hadn't felt since the dream that encompassed His two halves merging into one form once more. It was foreign to be sure, an inkling that was not at all of His own mind, and yet it felt so natural. So compelling and right, at least in this regard. In this instance when the idea of a completely new body was laid out before Him something within the back of His mind had latched hold of it. Filling His thoughts both subconscious and those at the forefront with the blissfully complicated prospect.

A new form that was unbound by the limitations that He was born with, free from the restraints and scars that He had made for Himself just to channel the Force beyond what His body had ever been supposed to. Free from the face of a slave of Kessel. The idea was infectious more so than tantalizing, it had seized His full attention for a long moment until the Neti's request finally broke through and registered in His mind. "I-what?" Darth Strosius was grateful that she continued, if only to confirm that He hadn't misheard her the first time.

Neither the relinquishing of a limb nor the scan sounded particularly ideal and especially not pleasant. The limb would regrow of course, that in and of itself wasn't the issue. Rather the idea of leaving it behind to be picked at and studied seemed oddly personal and invasive. The scan on the other hand would no doubt involve having to remove at least a few layers of His robes in order to get an accurate reading and revealing His body was too terrifying to contemplate. Some horrors were best left unseen. He already had to bear the sight Himself, He'd rather not have it examined by another.

Instantly He tensed and seemed about to lambaste His host for even making such requests, a keen enough eye could spot the telltale movement of His head tilting so that He could fix her with a hidden stare as He did so, but no words left Him. He hesitated. The compulsion pulsed in His mind, whispering not with words but with concepts and sensations just as it had done with the enrapturing new form idea. This could very well be the perfect opportunity.

His cult could never see this side of Him, this scarred and imperfect creature that sat beneath the robes and bindings that they knew as their leader, but Lady Madrona was different. She was on Korriban, far away from any of His followers and would have no need to tell anyone of what she saw as a result of the scan or the limb once it was removed and declothed. He would never be able to pull off such feats by Himself. It was a simple fact but one that He had always struggled to accept.

There always had to be involvement from outside parties, whether they be simple test subjects or apparent peers in this sole example. The Neti could see what He truly was and very likely wouldn't tell a single soul about it. That thought brought the barest hint of relief to His tense form, enough that instead of denial He said something far more clinical and restrained. "Embalming fluid." The two words hung in the air as He seemed to hesitate again before continuing.

"Sangnir tissue enters a period of rapid decay following its separation from its larger whole, it usually starts within a few minutes. Mine decays within a single minute unless treated and stored properly." Even His blood had to be stored in alchemized tanks so that it didn't simply evaporate into thin air after it was extracted from Him. That was what made His ashes so special to begin with, they shouldn't exist at all. "I'd recommend a compound of embalming fluid and bacta, the bacta should encourage tissue regrowth and briefly delay the decay period when not submerged in the embalming fluid. That's the only way you could store a limb of mine for any real length of time. The scan will be a relatively simple matter by comparison I'm sure."

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

The woman suddenly went very still in that uncanny way she had, vibrantly and verdantly alive yet devoid of any telltale signs of respiration or subtle body movements. She watched and she listened. The silence was deafening for a time, in that tense interval between alarmed, half formed question and whatever might come next.

A'Mia watched the Weave ripple and shake about him, in the way it often did around powerful Force users experiencing strong emotions. Despite her unique and almost miraculous ability to witness such metaphysical phenomena with her eyes, the neti lacked a personal depth of understanding about the ways and wiles of more sentimental creatures than herself.

Curiosity pulled her toward him faintly in the interim between her observation. Her lean wasn't so dramatic as before, but her eyes were wider and brighter, searching as if they could see the lines of his face despite the almost ever present mask. Then he spoke and it was as if a spell was broken.

Relief.

A rare sensation for the neti, blooming up within her trunk and tingling at the tips of her fingers.

He had not rejected her summarily.

Darth Strosius was considering working with her, allowing her to explore a vision and even aid in the process.

A'Mia nodded slowly, reaching for the datapad once more. Her movements held a new reverence, as if perhaps she was already sinking into a state of ritual focus. Though they were likely far from close to taking any actionable steps right in that moment, the neti hazarded a step in that direction.

"Excellent feedback," she spoke slowly, taking notes at a much more natural pace, "And I had already started formulating some kind of hyperbaric chamber- we can speak more on combining such properties with an appropriate tank. I've no shortage of bacta now and I'm certain I could formulate embalming fluid, but arrangements will need to be made for the specialized propagation method I have in mind."

"The scan is very simple," she began, then paused as memories of Revna Marr laid upon her specialized table came to mind unbidden.

Not so long ago, that treasured daughter of Wonosa and companion to her Master had accepted her aid. It had been a learning experience and a challenge for both Sith women. A'Mia had many peculiarities and perhaps a few glaring flaws, but failing to learn from lessons of the past was not amongst her weaknesses.

The neti recalled how vulnerable Revna had been in those moments. Brave and powerful too, but vulnerable all the same. She'd given herself over to A'Mia's care and the neti was not known for her bedside manner. If the Sith Shadow was truly going to successfully render aid to a more powerful, and certainly more volatile Sith Lord, she would need to be at her best.

"So simple, in fact, why don't we endeavor to do that tomorrow? I can have sustenance provided to you in the meantime, and private quarters can be arranged at a place of your liking- the Palace if you wish, or perhaps Kor'ethyr would be more comfortable, in one of the spare Professor suites?"

A lesson from Elmindra Xitaar came to mind, and a very faint smile found A'Mia's face even as she mused silently how much Alisteri would rankle at the mere mention of the First Lord. The Faleen had instructed her not to be hasty when vying for a preferred outcome, she'd cautioned A'Mia from so doggedly pursuing her curiosity and instead had been training her to let conversations and emotions breathe a bit between key talking points.

"If you come for the scan in the morning, I'll be able to draft up some of what has been forming in my mind’s eye, I can show you the improvements to my laboratory and greenhouse. Then we can determine a timeline for collecting that limb, whether we have the resources to proceed at once, or if you need some time to prepare before we take that step."

She leaned back and politely folded her hands in her lap, eyes wandering to the table between them in a rare show of deference as she concluded quietly.

"Is that agreeable?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

"So long as you can preserve the limb, you'll have all the material you need for your...propagation method." Truthfully He had no doubt that she could indeed figure out how to multiply His biological material and make something useful from it, her experience with unorthodox methods of doing so would more than likely expedite the initial experimenting needed to do so. Sangnir tissue was unique and His was even more so, the method that she had in mind may need to be modified considerably.

As long as she didn't ask Him for any more spare parts then time and dedication would conquer the issue of course. The scan should help dismiss some vague notions or plans that would work for most other species. Hopefully. Darth Strosius wasn't quite certain what the scan would and wouldn't show, no doubt some of the finer details of His form would be glossed over or unseen entirely by machinery. The Force and technology so rarely worked with one another without proper integration being included in the machinery itself after all.

He blinked in surprise at the offer of room and board, idly wondering for a moment if the sustenance she offered was tailored to His more vampiric sensibilities, but quickly shook His head and waved off the offered areas. He was never one for Palace's and the academy's unusual structuring would no doubt leave Him lost if He were to go for a stroll during the night. "I appreciate the offer Lady Madrona and I am more than willing to stay and continue this work in the morning, but I have all that I require on the shuttle I came in on already. I will simply rest there until the morning."

Darth Strosius doubted that there would be any resting on His part, sleep eluded Him all too often as it was in more familiar environments. Korriban with its constant and delightfully incessant presence would no doubt hinder any plans for a quiet and slumbering night for Him. Not that He minded of course, being so close to a nexus was rather novel. "It won't be me that needs the time to prepare for the task to come, you'll be the one needing to preserve my limb and ensure that my scan gives some usable data." He responded with a hint of mirth, as though finding it somewhat amusing that she thought He would need some time to mourn the loss of a limb.

Were it not for the rapid decay He'd have already ignited His lightsaber and severed one of the appendages right then and there just to save on time. He'd sacrificed far more for far less in the past, at least this would be for a constructive purpose. Typically He only used blood or small samples of His flesh for experiments, an entire limb was unnecessary for most of His work. "You can give me a proper tour of your laboratory then I suppose, is there anything else you wanted to discuss for the moment?"

Madrona A’Mia