Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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I Don't Think the World is Sold (Moira)

Coruscant Convention Center

Conferences, they were always the most interesting of things for Madeline, when she wasn't the speaker. And it seemed more and more these days that she was required to speak as her advancements in Nanotech, Biotech, Genetics and even Medicine were changing the face of the galaxy.

Madeline had traveled all the way from Atrisia, to Coruscant. A familiar city as much of her teenaged years and early adult life had been spent on the planet studying and advancing her knowledge in whatever ways she could manage. In the end she came out with four doctorate degrees and numerous masters degrees as well. Brilliant, she was called. Genius, even visionary. The young woman had done a little of everything and it seemed just about anything she picked up in the sciences, she could learn with ease and excel at. It actually took her a long time just to settle on the degrees she had.


This particular conference was Coruscant's way of showcasing it's best and brightest. Given that, it was only natural that Madeline was selected to be one of the speakers. Today she'd be talking on nanites. With the help of a colleague she'd set in stone the foundation for self-sustaining nanites, that could think for themselves, work for themselves, without the need for a command protocal. These nanites literally could heal wounds and help sustain a beings body for sometime. Well beyond normal limits would allow. It would remove toxins, stave off diseases and illness before they became a major problem. Basically it would be a nanite that was more organic, more free thinking than anything that had ever been created. But right now it was all theory, and some of their theories so far had held. Extensive testing was needed, and much more time in the lab working with them.

Madeline was standing off to the left side of the stage, behind the curtains waiting for her introduction to be completed. A datapad held in her hands as she nervously rapped her fingers along it's edge, impatiently waiting. For her, she'd much rather have been in the audience than to be the one speaking. There she could take notes, formulate new ideas, doodle on flimsi and no one would notice. No one would care. But here, on the stage, thousands of eyes were on her. This particular room held ten thousand, and even in the back it was standing room only. A packed house, her greatest fear.



"Without further ado, Doctor Madeline Kahoshi."

Applause followed as the blue eyed Atrisian took her cue and headed for center stage, a bright smile on her lips trying to mask the nervousness and sweaty paws. Public speaking, not her forte. Finally there at the podium she took her place under the bright lights and began a lengthy lecture on the new nanite theories, and what the results in the lab and current applications they had done in test animals were. An hour passed too slowly, and finally Madeline ended her speech and left the stage.


A heavy sigh as she came off the stage. A towel handed to her from one of the stage hands to dry her palms with. Still she could feel her heart pounding within her chest, but it was gradually slowing. Heading from the area, Madeline wasn't due in any of the other meetings until the next day where she would sit on a committee for genetics during a Q&A session. Right now, she only wished to grab a cup of Starcaf, and head back to her hotel room, order room service and relax at the spa. Moving through the halls she managed to avoid most people with the serious and cold expression that she held. With some luck she would escape the convention hall without being stuck in some long conversation with some other dull scientist who wasn't nearly as bright as she, and could not quite grasp her advanced concepts.
 
@[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

She observed. That was what Moira was good at. She was not distracted by aimless chatter, her mind was focused as she sat through the presentation throughout the entire hour in which Doctor Kahoshi discussed her research on nanites. Self-sustaining nanites, able to heal and keep a fragile organic body functioning. Moira could immediately see the potential military applications. Given that Emperor Akio, for all his pride, was a smart man, she was certain he had seen them as well. Organics were often so pitifully weak, but in science lay the power to increase their utility and make them useful.

Her cold eyes were focused on the woman as she spoke. Moira was perceptive and she noticed the sweaty paws, the signs of nervousness, though to the scientist's credit she did not let it rule her. Moira was an arrogant, cynical woman with a terribly high opinion of herself and a deeply ingrained disdain for most beings in the Galaxy, but she could recognise brilliance, that special spark certain individuals had, when she saw it.


Few people were worth talking to, but they existed. Such as Velok and Cora Passek. She was...intriguing...somehow. Despite being reckless, overzealous and unable to maintain herself.


The name Madeline Kahoshi had appeared in her files. Intelligence about her work back on Coruscant...tearing a living being apart at the cellular level, now that was something Moira could appreciate. But then she had been pushing for the Omega Protectorate to embrace biowarfare and make use of the package it had recovered on Maramere. Along with unverified rumours about biological weapons development on Atrisia. Officially Doctor Kahoshi had her own company now, working on her own projects, but Moira doubted Emperor Akio would really let a mind like that go to waste.

Why did Moira think that? Because if she were him, she most definitely would not. Even if it meant locking her in a laboratory. There was time for the carrot and time for the stick. Atrisia had manifold potential enemies after all, even if events at Rakata Prime and the Ithorian Treaty hinted at an agreement with the Fringe - force cultists as well.

She still wondered how Atrisia dealt with force-users. She saw three options: Extermination, deportation, making use of them in a controlled setting. Perhaps science could be bent towards one of these means. There had been...rumours in the intelligence community.

As Madeline left the conference room Moira arose and followed after her. At enough of a distance that it would not appear obvious, but never leaving her out of her sight, moving with unerring accuracy, not letting herself be distracted by any other guests. They were not relevant after all. Madeline's cold expression did not deter, if anything Moira had perfected that look over the years and by now was extremely adept at looking stoic and impassive. She was dressed in a fine and most likely expensive women's business suit, though with pants instead of a skirt, and comfortable flat shoes.

So she passed through the mass of largely irrelevant people, pushing a few aside, though her icy eyes seemed to make many pass away naturally, before finally linking up with Madeline. "Doctor Kahoshi, a moment of your time please?" she spoke softly, in as friendly a tone as Moira could manage, but though the tone was warm it was also quite insistent, the voice of someone not used to having her requests denied. "Moira Skaldi. Impressive lecture. I've been observing your work for quite a while. A chemical agent to break down a sentient on the celullar level. You have a talent for innovation. A credit to the Atrisian Empire." Moira could not keep up when it came to discussing the science in detail because she was no researcher, but this casually spoken line showed she was not ignorant of Madeline's spoke.
 
@[member="Moira Skaldi"]

At mention of her name, Madeline glanced to the blonde haired, blue eyed woman who caught up along side of her. Maddie paused only for a second to speak, "If you wish to talk Miss, you'll have to keep up. Otherwise I'll be forever stuck at this convention and get very little sleep that I so desperately need for a long day tomorrow." She wasn't trying to be rude, or obnoxious, just trying to spare herself the agony of dealing with a massive group of people. So many interested in her work.

She tensed at the next words from the woman's mouth, so few knew about that project. Giving a small bow of her head, she smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate someone who knows good work when they see it. Glad to know I have a fan." One could assume it was just that, cause if one dug deep enough the information was out there. But Maddie had a gut feeling that maybe there just was something more to this Miss Skaldi.

"Would you like to join me for a cup of starcaf?" She smiled. "On the way to the hotel and all need something to keep me going for a little bit. So that would give us some time to talk." Now was the time to figure it out, figure out what exactly this woman wanted from her, or to inquiry of her. "Otherwise, I'll have to decline." Everyone always wanted something these days. why couldn't just one person actually just wish to chat with her one on one as a person. Not as a scientist.
 
@[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

"Certainly. I am not fond of crowds. Choking really, the larger the amount of individuals in a group, the more the intelligence level decreases," Moira said in her warmest tone. It was not being an arrogant queen if it was true. Without missing a beat she fell into step alongside Madeline, having no difficulty keeping up.

Her stride was full of purpose, precise - perhaps a bit too much so. There seemed to be something about her that made the crowd of trivial people give them way, but then they were not worth talking to anyway. Moira had many names, many stories, if one dug deeply enough one would recover the Republic files linked to the name. Of course, those had been purged of the truly juicy stuff, which was why one would find them suspicious. If one dug even deeper and cut a few corners...one would doubtlessly discover the connection to the killing fields of Contruum.

Of course, there was also the fact that Moira met Akio back when he was a Vice Admiral in the orbit of Cato Neimoidia. For a pleasant, off-the record dinner. She had appreciated the tea.

"Let us say that similar to you, I am in the business expanding of boundaries. Regardless of how mundane intellects might judge it," she said in response to Madeline's comment about having a fan. "Yes, I'd like one, thank you." Moira was being strangely...nice for this conversation, but though her tone was polite it remained insistent. There was a woman who wanted something from Madeline and clearly knew what it was. Losing no time she guided Madeline away from the annoying crowd and to a small cantina where they could buy starcaf, with Moira being so gracious to pay. "I'm acquainted with your cousin, Emperor Akio. We were...colleagues for a while. Before his enthronement."
 
@[member="Moira Skaldi"]
"Neither am I." She said softly, loathed in truth. "Just too many people to deal with, too much to manage. An individual is smart, people are dumb, stupid, animals. Herd instincts come into play in large crowds." Her opinion quite clear on the matter and so few held up to her standards of intellect. "Right action, and I can have them stampeding like nerf." A slight chuckle followed that, but it was a sad fact of life. One just had to know how most beings in the universe thought and behaved when in a large group.

Madeline, by nature was an observer of details and watching Moira, something was off to her. To which she just hadn't quite placed her finger on it. Precise and too the point, movements flawlessly placed, it made her wonder.

She sighed, a bit worn if she was being honest with herself. "Perhaps. I just like knowing the edge of science and seeing if I can push beyond it. But I do have limits these days." Her lips twisted into a frown thinking back to the very project that brought her under Atrisia's wing, under Akio's as well. Projects like that, she found more and more that she worked with them, did them, the sicker it made her. It wasn't something she wanted to mess with any longer.

"Oh really? What did you two work together on?" She managed to smile thinking to him. "He's been quite good to me. The Kahoshi family these days is mostly a crime family. Three of us stand on the side of what is just and good, and we've had to stick together. Watch each others backs because there is no one else who will. Akio, is a kind soul, but does what is needed, necessary when it is required." She'd gotten to know Akio well, spending much time with him after her little excursion to Bonadan to hide from Atrisia, to protect herself and attempt to bury the deadly project which Shu had forced her into making. The woman was absolutely brilliant, could make anything she wanted given time. But at the same time, foolishly naive of the consequences. Never seeing what the possible end result could be.


With her Starcaf in hand, she visibly seemed to relax a little bit at the first sip, clearly a guilty pleasure for her. "Practically grew up on Starcaf in my teenaged years when I came to Coruscant to study."
 
Limits. Moira took note of the word. She saw the woman's lip twist. She also noted the cavet: These days. That meant there had been a period when she had not been bound by such...artficial restrictions. To Moira such restrictions did not exist. The limit to one's actions lay in one's capabilities. Ethics were just a construct, serving the purpose of making oneself feel better.

Ergo something must have happened. Whatever it was, talent should not be wasted. This would require correction. Especially considering the line of work she had in mind. She listened as Madeline elaborated on her family. The description of herself and her cousin being on the side of all that was good and true might have amused her. People so liked to create such artficial categorisations to place themselves above their fellows and justify their actions. But she imagined criminal connections, however much this part of the family might try to distance itself from them, might have come in handy for Akio's rise to power.

"We conquered a planet together once," Moira said matter-of-factly, as if that were the most normal thing. "Cato Neimoidia. Back during the treaty with the Republic. Terribly ironic how many ripples that event caused when it was not Republic boots on the ground that took the world but an Atrisian armoured division. They made their countrymen proud. Embarrassing for the Republic to have to outsource like that."

In the aftermath of the conquest many had complained about Republic imperialism, it had caused great disillusionment among several Jedi. Personally Moira had never understood this. People were by their very nature murderous and greedy, any structure they created would expand until it could no longer digest. Then Contruum had followed and the press had called it the Republic's Dirty War.

To Moira Contruum had been a work of art, her masterpiece, undone by fools and cowardly politicians. "Trust is a precious commodity. Especially in a backstabbing Galaxy such as is."

After Contruum...things went blank for a while. Quite literally for Moira. She had...difficulty remembering certain events, much like after waking up from a dream. She banished that thought of the airlock and took a sip from her starcaf. "I practically live on it. Keeps me going. Intense work," she confessed.
 
@[member="Moira Skaldi"]

Madeline gave a small nod, conquering planets, seemed a strange concept to her. But alas it should not have been. Not when she was capable of creating things that could bring the entire Galaxy to it's knees within a couple of weeks. "I see." She smiled a little, "I'm afraid I wasn't even aware of such actions being taken but I suppose that is what I get for being holed up in a lab for ninety percent of my time." A chuckle came, "Ironic, yes. But not surprising. Suddenly something that once appeared to be so tiny, harmless in the Republic's eyes had such power, now a threat. Something to be watched. I'm certain it made many others stand and take notice."

Idly she stirred her drink to help cool it a little bit quicker. "Indeed, you are quite right on that." Maddie was more untrusting than most, for she'd learned the hard way a few too many times. "Better to ensure trust is earned, and one is actually worthy of said trust, than to hand it out so willingly and be betrayed in the end." Madeline may have been a scientist and rarely spent time outside her lab, but the blue eyed woman had a firm grip on the nature of the galaxy.

Just watching Moira, at this point, she was certain something was off about her. The movements, so precise... to methodical. It was beyond a normal human. Her thoughts drifted to OCD and such other behaviors but her gut reaction told her no. No, that was not it, and one way or another Madeline would figure Moira out.

She chuckled softly. "There are so many nights that research papers would have never been completed on time without such a beverage. I'm certain there was a time that I likely paid for the wages of half the StarCaf cafe employees here on Coruscant."

"That first project ... It was foolishness. I was so naive and just stretching my legs really as a scientist. I was testing the bounds of things as I knew it. Curious if such a thing could be made." And she indeed had the answer on that now. "Just, the implications of such a weapon." She sighed, "Are hard to stomach somedays. Something I do regret going to far in." Another sigh, "It's the type of thing that can bring a galaxy to it's knees with a few well placed bombs." Maddie shrugged it off. That project itself wasn't what made her change her mind on weapons ... It was the implications of her cloned child, that made Doctor Kahoshi start to think twice of what she'd done.

Maddie figured she had given enough time to fulfill the social requirement. The pleasantries were over. Now the time for business had come. "So, I must ask ... How is it that you knew about my earliest work? So very seldom few knew about it. I know my errors with security protocols on datapads now. But at the time, Akio seemed to be the only one who ever knew of the exact details of my work. He whisked me away from here for my protection and at that point I was kindly asked to work for the Atrisian Military. Truly, it makes me wonder how you happened upon such information." She was certain only a handful of organizations had that knowledge and it left a short list of people that this woman could be working for. But if Akio had learned of it all the way from Atrisian space, a number of Intelligence organizations were bound to have their hands on at least the basics of what she was creating.

She went on, "In addition to that, something about your tone screams that you are quite insistent and used to getting your way, which brings me to my secondary question: What did you wish to speak with me on?"
 
@[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

"Indeed. Power shifts more quickly than some people think. Anyone who sits on one's laurels and grows complacent will wake up to find that the Galaxy has moved on and natural selection has rendered them superfluous. The wheat is separared from the chaff," Moira spoke softly when Madeline brought up the question of Atrisia's rise. Of course, this was quite dependent on the Ithorian Treaty securing it. However, her words were more directed against her employers. They had grown complacent, gotten used to having it easy against warlords and Reavers, now the clouds were darkening.

Of course, Moira did not care either way. Empires rose and fell, those unable to keep up with the times were exterminated. It was a law of nature. She would be there to watch the fireworks. Bonus points if she got to see Colonel Kerrigan's heroic and futile blaze of glory. It would be interesting.

Madeline might be a scientist - and this unnatural idea of having limits would have to be fixed - but she seemed to have a grasp on how the Galaxy worked. One just needed to get rid of those inefficient moralisations.

The type of thing that could bring the Galaxy to its knees with a well-placed bombs...

Most interesting.

Regret is a waste of time. Irresponsible even.

Moira had clear views. In her mind there was no place for remorse, doubt or guilt. Hence why she never questined what she did. There had been a time when she had done so...but she could no longer really remember. The past life seemed like a dream, the flashes and images were blurry....but it did not matter. She was not a wet hen after all.

"The walls have eyes and ears, as you know," Moira responded. "Republic Intelligence was watching but, in its usual inefficient way, did not get around to acting on it. Perhaps because their employers are too inflexible. Chances are they would not have used your skills properly anyway," she gently but quite insistently led Madeline away from any crowds, navigating her back towards the hotel.

"I left the Republic some time ago after they...proved how wasteful they were. Officially the Omega Protectorate employs me. They are slightly more practical and less burdened by bureaucracy, giving me access to resources. Before you ask, this is not a thinly veiled attempt at entrapment," she held up her hand. "Antagonising Emperor Akio is not in my interests and I know your country well enough to be familiar with your concepts of honour. Rather...I am suggesting mutually beneficial work between us."

In other words Moira fully expected some of the results to find their way back to Atrisia in some manner. The phrasing also suggested that with 'us' she meant herself and not her bosses. As for 'less burdened', it meant they did not watch her properly. "Tell me, have you heard of Reavers?"
 
@[member="Moira Skaldi"]

Maddie nodded to the statement Moira made about the power shifts but said nothing on the matter. She knew just as easily as power came, it too went.

She frowned, hating how many knew about that little project. "I supposed you are right on that. Too many people know I can do that," The ebony haired woman let the blonde lead her away quickly, "Makes it risky for me to be in public." Her fears evident on her face, but there was always protection for Madeline. Watched closely after the 'incident'. Far as ISB knew it was only because Madeline was a valuable resource, one that could not be squandered or allowed to be stolen, captured, killed.

The woman was quick to explain her intentions, washing a little of Madeline's fears away. "What do you have in mind exactly?"

At the question of Reavers she only shook her head, "You mean tales of monsters, meant to frighten little children 'round campfires?" She couldn't think of a possible reason for Moira to be asking her this. It seemed, silly. Frivolous.
 
@[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

"As perfect as they are for the purpose, not campfire tales I'm afraid," Moira responded dryly. "If we need a lesson for why uncontrolled force-users drunk with power are a problem, they are proof of it. The soldier-fanatics of a darkside cult called the Bando Gora - worshipping 'Chaos Gods' to whom they sacrifice their captives. Humans captured during slave raids....mutilated, experimented upon...apparently chemicals are used to heighten their aggression. Fiercely violent, unstable, cannibalistic creatures. But with strength and endurance far superior to a human," at that she reached into her jacket pocket, slowly so that it could clearly be seen she was not reaching for a weapon, for she assumed that at least one Atrisian agent was watching them, to remove a datapad and pass it over to the doctor. She would not only find information on Reavers on it, but also a rather gory scene from a Bando Gora laboratory.

Incidentally it was the one Kerrigan's forces had stormed when they boarded a Bando Gora battleship. The Reavers were vicious, their features mutilated, twisted into something savage, but they shrugged off countless laser bolts and even when maimed stormed forward, seeking to tear apart their adversaries. What might be interesting for Madeline was that one from the fingertips of one of the beasts lightning bolts surged from its fingertips. "A True Reaver. Unimaginative terminology, I know. There are varying theories about its force-sensivity. Potentially induced through Sith sorcery."
 
@[member="Moira Skaldi"]

Maddie looked at Moira strangely, as she began to explain about the Reavers and what they really were. She listened patiently as they finally arrived at her hotel, and the good doctor led the pair up to her room, opening it with her key and showing Moira in. The datapad handed to her, she quickly skimmed the information until she got to the video. Seeing it, horribly sickened her. Grimacing, she closed her eyes tightly and turned her head away. "I get it, don't need to see anymore, please turn it off." The poor woman seemed on the verge of a panic attack. Easy to frighten and very easy to panic. It couldn't be helped. It was just something that came hand in hand with people in her field. It seemed common place among the most brilliant scientists.

It took a moment, Madeline braced herself against the wall using it heavily for support. What she'd seen, the scientist just could not believe. It wasn't making sense to her, not clicking for her, of how something like this, something so evil, something that seemed to come from a child's nightmares could be so real, so horrible, so deadly. A few breaths sucked in to calm herself, as she was prone to panic attacks, and right now she just needed to calm down before she reached that state.

"Yes, I've been doing research into that area of force-sensitivity. Looking at what makes them that way DNA wise, and I know what part of the DNA code that has to be changed to allow a being to touch it. Recreating it, however is troublesome. I've not figured it out yet, given time I'm sure I will. There hasn't been a problem, to date that I couldn't some how solve given time."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking for a moment, "So what is it that you need for me?" There was one more thing she felt like adding. "I'm afraid I can't give you a completely private meeting, Miss Skaldi. I'm certain one of my guards will ask to be let in shortly, for my own protection. The line of succession must be protected." She said sadly as a knock came at the door. "I can ask for some privacy, have the sound cut to the room, and have only my most trusted agent in the room. Even the bathroom if you wish for more privacy. But that is the best I can offer." These were things that Madeline hated about the laws that had been signed. She was more than just an asset, she a Jun, a Princess more or less.
 
@[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

One might have thought that Moira felt some exultation or amusement at Madeline's distress upon seeing the gory and gruesome vid play out before her. It seemed like something out of a horror holovid, but this was reality. However, Moira remained as impassive as before, no flicker of emotion crossing her features, as still as a statue. A beautiful, dangerously lethal one. She looked interested as Madeline spoke about her research into the field of force-sensivity. It made tactical sense for the Atrisian Empire...to find a way to figure out what made force-users tick.

To breed a legion of their own, conditioned to be docile and obedient, venerating the Emperor? Or to develop a way to terminate those of their enemies and rivals - they were surrounded by empires with contingents of forcers, even their understanding with the Fringe Confederation could not hold - ..elegantly through bacteriological warfare? A virus. Perhaps combine both options. All of them were so intriguing. Cora already had nerve...kept safely somewhere...if she could utilise Madeline's brain to develop something equally devastating...the results would be...most interesting.

If Madeline were to be processed - ascended, for that was what being transformed into an HRD really entailed - she would be...magnificient. Freed of her...organic failings.

"That is sufficient. I would not expect the Imperial Eye not to try and watch. It would be...disappointing," she said calmly, impassively. "I am sure you understand that the information I can provide at this stage has limits. These creatures are...savage, fanatical, a grave threat and regarding their operations they have grown bold over the years. What I am proposing is research. Even this 'Force' can be broken down and analysed using rational principles of science. I am in a position to provide the...organic materiel for this project." Many Bando Gora had been captured after the conquest of Bespin due to the rapidity of the takeover and recently MICO had launched operations to manipulate the criminal networks and pirate fleets the Cult relied on to lure Cultists and Reavers in.
 
[member="Moira Skaldi"]

Madeline sighed heavily, finally able to think once more. A rub of her forehead and she pushed herself away from the wall and to the door, opening it. "Yuri, only.

"But m'lady? Your.."

Madeline quickly cut him off. "I insist. Only Yuri. No one else. No ears in the room, you and the rest may wait where you wish but as far as I'm concerned the matters I'm discussing are private, and you are not privy to such information." She smiled politely, "It's well above your pay-grade." With that she waited for a plain clothed Atrisian to enter, he bowed before Madeline, a most serious expression upon his face, worried one might say, for Maddie rarely took such risks in the open.

Without a word, her own darkened almost angered expression seemed to silence any protest that might have further resulted. A single gesture of her hand, she waved him to a seat in the corner, behind Moria ever so watchful of her every movement. "As I said, this is the best I can offer for privacy." Trust needed to come first.

"The creatures as you so kindly put it, clearly a threat to anyone. Something that needs to end, permentently. So ... considering that I have broken down the Force to it's most primative components within the very DNA structure of humans, it's not a stretch to do the same with these .... monsters." She shuddered at the thought.

"Now given what you have, are you looking merely to strip away the force? Or looking to eradicate the problem all together. Viruses can easily be engineered, or nanites, or chemicals of varying types. It's all about how you wish to go about this that determines what I need and must do for a sucessful result." She said softly as she took a seat across from Moria. Yuri twitching in the background as she did so, clearly uncomfortable with the situation as a whole, but he made no move, and spoke not a single word. He was supposed to be invisible, just there when he was needed. "So tell me Moira, what do you want?"
 
[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

Moira watched the interaction between Madeline and her plainclothed watchdog/guardian without making a comment. She observed, something she was good at, only speaking when Madeline addressed her again. "In the long-term eradication would be the goal. They are too much of a pest to run around unchecked and leave destruction in their wake. Ergo the problem requires a definite and final solution," she spoke softly. Her features remained calm, so at odds perhaps with what they were discussing, but nonetheless she was intrigued...deeply so.

The Force was a phenomenon the woman only understood to a limited extent. Being obviously unable to wield it, she could only observe and study its effects, device countermeasures to its use and such. Ergo it was in a sense gratifying to see it broken down and pulled from the sphere of mysticism and metaphysics to that of a world grounded in science, rationality and rules.

"However, if feasible I am likewise interested in a method of control for the short-term. They are monstrous savages but I think we can both agree that there are powers in the Galaxy whose acts warrant monsters being unleashed upon them. The Protectorate will take their homeworld and conquer it, but splinter groups will doubtlessly remain. Beasts they are, but redirection of their aggressive urges would be of utility. I imagine their Bando Gora masters use their 'Force' to exert control over them, we should go the path of science and prove that any force magic can be broken down by it."

Reavers were wild beasts reminiscent of the Yuuzhan Vong of old in their viciousness, particularly the True Reavers that had the raw power of Sith Marauders. But if they could be harnessed and redirected in their destructive urges to productive ends, that would be useful from her perspective. Likewise it would make a virus to eradicate them at a later date even more useful.
 
[member="Moira Skaldi"]


Maddie listened patiently, watching Moira, every tiny movement observed in her own little ways. Something was off about her, too flawless. The more she sat with Moira, the more she noticed it, something just was lacking in the woman before her and Madeline knew it. "Long term eradication is easy. It's simple. I don't have to ensure the subject lives at all. Just have to learn the most efficient way to spread the terminal solution across the beings." Biting at her lower lip, her eyes drawn down, her eyes moving slowly back and forth as she thought it through. Thinking of different ways to tear the monsters apart.


A sigh came as she looked back up to Moira, "Control, is harder. It's much easier to end a being's life than it is to enforce control. Believe me, on that one as I've worked methods on .." She paused for a second, "Other creatures." Not mentioning that they were for force users on her home planet, a thought that she cringed at knowing the things her clone 'son' had likely encountered.


"Control, isn't everything it's cracked up to be, and would likely take twice as long as me finding a way to destroy the monsters. But ... there never has been a task laid before me that I haven't found a solution to." With a confident nod, she went on. "I'd need a lab, assistants, protection.... and samples as well as test subjects for both. It won't be pretty. Not at all." The kind of experiments requires would be horrible, cruel, and Madeline knew it. However, with this kind of threat, she found she cared not for the comfort of the beings she worked on. That much was clear in her eyes.


"Oh trust me, the Force as we know it can be broken down. It isn't the big mystery that the Jedi and Sith have claimed for thousands of years. So, whatever force they do use, it will be figured out, and we will learn what they hide in mystery and myth. It just takes the right determined person to break it all down. To know what to look for, and it helps to know how to tear apart DNA down to it's very basics. What you ask, is doable. It will unfortunately take some time. Everything like this does. I can't whip something like this up over night. And I am being straight forward with what I need to do it. Don't want those creatures in my space, so ... I'm hoping you have a facility that I can use. Somewhere ... Away."
 
[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

"Oh, I agree. I do not expect to miraculously assume direct control over the entire army of Reavers and make docile pets out of them. That is something for bad holovids," Moira joked. So, yes, she actually did have something close to her sense of humour. Or thought she did at any rate.


"A temporary state of chaos in their ranks brought about by a schism would suit my purposes well. Control beyond that would be of utility. I understand how complex and time-intense the task would be and rest assured you'd be provided with staff, resources, the...materiel and subjects to work with. The Pyre's esteemed Exarch is very zealous at wiping out any of those creatures she finds, but nonetheless it has captured a sizeable number of them. I have supervision over a secure facility for them. It was not in intent a research station, but I have implemented the necessary changes in the light of the monstrosity the Pyre fought on Bespin. Terminating an enemy is one thing, understanding what makes him tick to then tear him apart another."


To be precise it was a ghost prison. The same Moira used to interrogate Bando Gora cultists, though the higher-ranking prisoners had been transferred. She had concluded quite early that physical coercion was an inefficient measure since they were religious fanatics who fed on pain. Psychological torture, sensory deprivation, humiliation and the like were far more efficient. She called it the Five Techniques. She had also noted that some of the Bando Gora cultists seemed to entertain a bizarre worship of Kerrigan...because she had killed their Primarch, so in the eyes of some she had taken up his mantle, becoming an avatar of the blood god against whom they tested themselves to prove their worth. Something she had found methods to exploit.

"Tight security. We keep the Reavers under strong containment protocols. Along with a few cultists who are...being persuaded to offer insights. Scientific staff has been transferred from the teams that researched the Denon and Dark Harvest zombie outbreaks. Reasonably away from Atrisian space."
 
[member="Moira Skaldi"]

"One would be surprised how many people expect instantaneous results. When these things are delicate matters that take many years of training, learning just to even begin to unravel. From the time I turned sixteen to my twenty-eighth birthday, I spent in study." She smiled a bit, proud of herself and how many degrees she had gained in that time. "People have unreasonable expectations sometimes, and I feel it's better to put it out from the beginning that instant results are not possible. Not even a slight probability." Maddie gave a slight shrug. Some people just had the wrong idea about how the scientific process worked. The best results took time and dedication to the work at hand. Something she wished more people understood.

Giving a nod, she understood. "Well, it can be managed all in due time. As long as you are willing to give that to me, and allow me to work unrestricted, then really I have no issues." At the mention of the facilities looked back to the table, her eyes moving back and forth once again, thinking it all through. "Given that you have made the necessary changes, are providing me with staff and all that I need to work, the only matter remains is my fee and housing for the duration of the project."

Another nod, "With the distance and tight security, the teams that you are handing me, it will be a simple matter of when I can get underway. Contracts will need to be drawn up of course." Madeline knew the legal details mattered, and to have everything that was to be expected of her written out was quite an important matter. "I need everything in writing, to ensure everything goes smoothly. You understand, I'm sure." The Atrisian Heiress spoke with all seriousness as her smile had disappeared completely with her last few statements.
 
[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

"I can emphasise on that, yes. I've worked for Exarch Kerrigan after all. She is terribly focused on immediate results that will happen instantaneously. But then I suppose that's the battering ram mentality. Focused on instant release," Moira said dryly. This writer is not sure whether the timeline was made that clear, merely that this thread obviously takes place before Gehenna when Moira was the Protectorate's head of intelligence, so they are comfortable with setting it during Siobhan's time as Exarch of Eriadu. Moreover, this should give Moira the chance to make more snarky remarks about Siobhan and how often she made waves in sensationalist tabloids.

She brought forth her briefcase and, after looking through the papers it contained, passed over a folder that had some neat aurebesh sigils emblazoned upon it. "Do take time to read it through." It contained a contract with an outline of terms, which would probably be quite similar to the ones Madeline already knew from the time she had worked with Valik etcetera. She would be provided with suitable accommodation and receive a very substantial fee for her efforts. Likewise she would be placed in charge of her own project team of scientists, with the staff being paid for by MICO. Needless to say their work was to take place under conditions of complete secrecy and could not be disclosed. Officially the facility where the research would take place did not exist, after all. Likewise experiments on Reavers did not take place.
 
[member="Moira Skaldi"]


"Such a sad mindset." Madeline said with a shake of her head as she reached out to take the folder in hand. "A mindset of the unenlightened, lessor beings."

Laying it down before her, Maddie slowly started to work through the papers within. Each one being read throughly. All the legal matters been things she had run into before, the usual for her type of contracts. After a good thirty minutes passed before she laid the papers down and looked to Moira. "Considering this is to take place in complete secrecy, can the Protectorate ensure my complete safety? As I'm not sure you will like me bringing my own security team along. But my government doesn't exactly let me leave home without my own personal safety being completely ensured."

"If only I had the same freedoms I once used to." She frowned with a glance to Yuri in the corner. Hating the fact that she was as closely watched and guarded as she was, knowing it was only likely to get worse in the future as she rose through the ranks of the Empire. "If that can be guaranteed, then I see no reason to not sign the documents before me and we, together, get this project underway." Her expression seemed most sad, feeling like her own freedom was slipping away from her as she had been chosen as the heir and the laws that made it so only seemed to remove the freedoms that the most ordinary citizens had. Now, she had next to nothing, needing permission to go just about anywhere, and to undertake projects of great interest to her. It all annoyed her to no end.
 
[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]

"Indeed. She has her uses though. As a battering ram. And the public has taken a shine to her due to her 'heroics'. Even her endless dalliances have made her appear 'relatable' to a certain strata," Moira commented. She gave Madeline a curt nod in response to her query about the Protectorate being able to ensure her safety.

"I can assure you, yes. The facility and its premise is heavily guarded given the nature of the creatures interned. MICO spec ops, Omega Pyre elite troopers. MICO has become rather professional at keeping its unmentionables...secret and out of sight, out of mind. Likewise there will be a security detail to ensure your personal safety. It would be folly to risk the safety of a foreign princess and genius level scientist due to sloppiness." Moira had a...way of motivating her minions to do their job properly and was known as a rather unforgiving boss.
 

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