Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Mental Equity

To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
Since Shusugaunt, and maybe even before that, Janick has come to realize that her mind could become a much more potent tool than just what could her intellect or memory bring her. She could even get someone to relive painful memories with but a little modification from the procedure to use Memory Rub: instead of editing one's mental memory files, it was more about forcing the opening of a mental memory file, or alternatively she could indiscriminately open a lot of mental memory files at once and hence cause the target's neural network to overload. For the time being, she just got back from one of those space patrols over the Utapau system; nothing noteworthy on that patrol that could advance the resolution of a case involving theft of construction materials. But she never actually had a chance to use these two items on the field so it was going to be a risky proposition at best to actually teach it to somebody: to the extent Kimiko learned Memory Rub from her, she didn't take the chance to learn Neural Storm or Memory Walk. Yet, perhaps [member="Dax Fyre"] could prove different, and actually learn the more gritty-nitty of dark-sided mentalism. Such mentalism would, however, be used only if the conventional interrogation methods failed, and enhanced interrogation was then the order of the day. For some reason, he could feel Dax's signature coming towards her...
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Indeed, it was Dax who approached the Witch. They'd met once before, during the Antithesis debacle several years back. It had been a brief encounter, but even then Dax could tell the woman had the potential to become a powerful Forcer. In the end, he'd been right. Which was why has was quite interested in speaking with her when Janick's name popped up as he combed through the case files of a theft on Utapau.

"[member="Janick Beauchamp"], its been a long time." the Grand Marshall said, offering a hand. The man was here in an official capacity, well what passed for official in ORC territory, and so he always liked to be a bit more formal at times such as these, "I hear you've been working on that construction theft job right?"
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"Yes, Dax, but we have made no progress, no new leads either. Other patrols are out there right now on the lookout for clues"

Between now and the next patrol I will teach him what I can, she thought, while the local jail housed prisoners on remand, awaiting trial, and those on whom conventional interrogation techniques were unsuccessfully attempted on were tagged in the cell tracking system. Because of due process, she would not attempt mentalism on anyone before conventional interrogation techniques were exhausted. However, she could feel it would not be easy for her to attempt infusing any piece of knowledge whatsoever onto [member="Dax Fyre"] because she could feel his mental defenses were much stronger than on a normal human. Just that she would prefer to ask the student's permission before infusing knowledge into a student for the purposes of teaching Force abilities. It's definitely not going to be the same as teaching Memory Rub to Sukai or Kimiko because the student is half-Epicanthix; it will be a lot more painful for me to infuse the knowledge into him, because my brain will have to work a lot harder, she thought, while the memories of her using Memory Rub on these two people surfaced.

"Might be best to let that other patrol do its job, and before our turn to return patrolling arrives, maybe I can teach you a few things on mentalism. The first item on the menu is Memory Rub, which allows you to make alterations on someone's memory. I even taught Kimiko Memory Rub by infusing the knowledge into her brain. With your permission, I may attempt to infuse the knowledge of Memory Rub on you: do I have the permission to attempt infusing knowledge into you, using Memory Rub?"
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Well the woman was forward, he'd give her that much. "Memory Rub huh? That could come in handy I guess, so yeah, do it." The Rogue did his best to drop as much of his mental defences as possible. As Janick already knew, his Epicanthic blood granted him some natural resistance, but in this case it would only be a hindrance. He only hoped her probing around in his mind wouldn't bring up some old memories he'd rather leave untouched.

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
Hehe: while still a bit stronger than Ki's, his mental defenses will only likely prove a hindrance. I'm not worried about digging up old, painful memories even if I knew how to do so, since I would simply be making a mind-to-mind copy-paste of memory files, she thought, while the go-ahead was given by [member="Dax Fyre"] to start infusing the knowledge of Memory Rub into him. Her brain was lighting up, so that the knowledge of Memory Rub would start flowing from her brain to the student's. Once the mental data transfer began, both people would have visions flashing into their minds of the following: how to open the mental data channel from a person to another, and then the various processes involved. He was experiencing one of the three processes right now: the infusion of knowledge. He would also experience, in this infusion, the visions of how to edit a person's memory files and finally, how to delete a memory file from a person's mind. And the vision would finish by the various caveats, such as accidentally cause a person to forget something even though one only wanted to alter a memory, or the mental defenses of a target, but, as the caveats of Memory Rub were being flashed in both minds, headaches began to burn her head from the inside, and she passed out, falling on the floor as a result.

"The infusion is... over; how... do you... feel?" she asked Dax, while acknowledging her voice tone sounds a lot more tired than before.
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Dax closed his eyes as the process began. He hadn't exactly ever been taught anything in this manner before and it was certainly strange. His face seemed to reflect that as well. Sure, the Rogue had had his fair share of telepathic experiences, but never anything this...intrusive. Images appeared before his eyes, both like wisps of smoke, but solid as stone at the same time. But soon enough they both began to experience pain and as Janick hit the floor Dax dropped to a knee, panting, a bead of sweat dropping from his face.

"I'm alright...you?" he asked as he helped the woman sit up.

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"Perhaps I ought to... take... painkillers"

On the one hand, the resulting pain allowed her to recharge her Force-batteries faster than she normally would, but on the other hand, just because she could recharge her batteries faster, doesn't mean she can actually use it again until these pains have subsided to a satisfactory degree. [member="Dax Fyre"] felt the pain, too. Perhaps the level of mental resistance faced would have a bearing on how painful it is for a Memory Rub user, and presumably the other three items - that would be worrisome if I actually wanted to use Memory Walk or even Neural Storm. As much as I would then inflict pain on the target, I would also be inflicting pain on myself, albeit the balance of pain would depend on the relative level of mental resistance. In all other cases where I used Memory Rub, the pain was manageable but nothing like what I'm experiencing now, she thought, surprised that she had enough mental functionality left to make those observations. And yet, she'd rather lay down on a bed that is normally used for conventional interrogation, while waiting on the painkillers to be administered to her.
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
"Well I can't help you there, let's just get you a place to sit for now." The Rogue helped the woman to her feet and draped one of her arms over her shoulder. On the bright side, headaches were a constant for him, so this was nothing particularly new. But still, it hurt like hell. Eventually the two got to a bench upon which they both collapsed. "Does it always hurt that much?" the man asked.

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"No, it never seemed to hurt... as it had"

Might be best to wait until my pain level is manageable before teaching him Drain Knowledge. Now I have an idea of what someone hit by Neural Storm is feeling in its head, she thought, while it's clear to her that her brain isn't functioning at the level she is used to, as if [member="Dax Fyre"]'s remaining mental defenses could overload her brain as someone using Neural Storm would. It was about time that she could get painkillers, while lying on that bench, from one of the police agents, and also cold water to drink with the painkillers, because her head is heating, consistent with a fever. But she knows that painkillers don't kick in instantly. And that same police agent brought the painkillers for Dax, too, and another cup of cold water. Now that she actually gulped the package, she starts feeling better, but remains cautious of not abusing painkillers, but she knows she is not well enough yet to get Dax to learn Drain Knowledge. Yes, she knew it could be painful to have flashbacks in battle distracting her, but she never was subjected to such a level of headaches from Force sources before...

"Now I know what I feel if... someone... used Neural Storm on me" she told Dax, while her headaches have only somewhat improved.
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Dax knocked back two of the small pills and followed up with some water after thanking the officer. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at the Witch's comment, "Yeah, I don't envy anyone who's experienced a Neural Storm." The man leaned against the bench and closed his eyes a moment, hoping the painkillers would kick in soon. "Where the hell did you learn to do this stuff anyways?" he asked, eyes still closed.

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"While I learned Drain Knowledge based on hidden vaults on Yutan, Memory Rub is, in fact, the product of me applying electronics knowledge to mentalism, and all the other stuff I know about mentalism is the result of a similar process" she answered [member="Dax Fyre"] while her pain levels progressively returned to a more manageable level. "Speaking of Neural Storm, the main use I would have for this is to stun a target that would otherwise prove uncontrollable, but that you want to apprehend alive: overloading a person's neural network would likely cause a nervous breakdown, cause that person to collapse or otherwise cause it to have a seizure; sometimes a seizure is preferrable to killing the suspect"

And these vaults on Yutan were where I heard about Neural Storm, but at the time I was not subjected to it. But it was my exposure to alchemizing electronics, such as this modem and these entertainment systems, that gave me ideas as to how to modify the procedure in use for Drain Knowledge to get to Memory Rub, Neural Storm and Memory Walk, she thought, while these flashbacks returned, of these days spent in a dark vault on Yutan in an attempt to learn more about the Force. Which also meant her mental functionality was coming back, too. Due to safety reasons, Janick preferred to teach Memory Walk by having the student use Drain Knowledge on her to learn it over actually using a live subject to experiment it on. And yet, Neural Storm was probably going to be used more, so she would probably want to have him experiment Neural Storm on somebody that would go out of control at some point, which will probably come in the next few hours, either in this local jail or out on patrol. Just that Drain Knowledge is probably the way to go for him to learn Memory Walk.

"Whereas Memory Rub is about altering someone's memories, by either copy-pasting, editing or deleting a person's mental memory files, Drain Knowledge is about forcing the copy-pasting of mental memory files from the target's mind to yours, and usually the burden of pain lies on the target. That said, many of the pitfalls of Memory Rub will apply to Drain Knowledge, too. Oh and I'm used to being used Drain Knowledge on, so it won't be overly painful to me. Try to use Drain Knowledge on me to learn Memory Walk; Memory Walk is too dangerous to have you attempt performing a live attempt on somebody"
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Dax nodded and began to focus on the woman, linking their minds together. Her mind began to unfold, and just as he had seen it before, it was as if he were at a computer terminal, and he began his search. It didn't take much time to find the memories relating to Memory Walk, and soon enough, he'd copied the memories into his own mind as if he were just a flashdrive.

Severing his connection, the world came back into full view, "Well...that was interesting."

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
The visions flashing in [member="Dax Fyre"]'s mind were of a variant of Memory Rub that forced the target's most painful memories to surface, because the user would use the Force to force the opening of the mental memory files associated with them, with the cycle stopping when the target no longer had sufficient mental functionality to recall memories, the target could defend itself or when the user was completely drained, and also the legal issues to take into account when using Drain Knowledge for interrogation: although it was permitted under ORC law, due process was still a thing to her. Once again, the pain to the user would probably be very similar to the pain absorbed when using Memory Rub, perhaps a little higher, depending on the mental defenses of the target. Still, the pain she is subjected to is not unbearable and her mental functionality gradually returned back to normal. But she knew that painkillers would take a while to completely kick in. She could also feel that something dark is afoot near the liquor store, so they should get underway soon.

"Just because it's not overly painful to me, doesn't mean it's not going to be overly painful to someone else you would be using Drain Knowledge on, be it for interrogation or something else entirely. For interrogation, due process dictates that Drain Knowledge be used only after conventional interrogation methods have been exhausted, because it is legally considered to be enhanced interrogation. However, most people that can actually use these dark-sided powers won't talk about those in computing terms. Nor will you see that many people present Drain Knowledge as a learning aid, or Memory Rub as a teaching aid. And yet I sense a disturbance will soon occur by the liquor store"
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Dax had felt the same presence that [member="Janick Beauchamp"] had, but when he first felt it, but at the time he wasn't sure if it had been leftover from some of the memories the two had just shared.

Nodding, the man stood, "Looks like we're back on the job then." The Rogue un-clipped his saber and waited for Janick to get up from the bench so they could get to work.
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
Once she did get up, Janick still had her head buzz a little, but it was for this reason that the cop that gave her the painkillers was the one driving the squad speeder to the liquor store where the alert was first given, with [member="Dax Fyre"] in tow. There was a gang of vandals, ready to smash windows and the merchandise of the liquor store, on a rampage, with some of the vandals brandishing signs calling for a ban on alcohol sales. I feel that these vandals hold a clue in the construction material theft case, she thought, while realizing that arresting them alive would be of capital importance to resolve the affair. It was about to get serious enough when the first window was smashed as they arrived. As the vandal that smashed the first window stood poised to smash another window, she focused on infusing not knowledge per se, but a Force-trigger causing the vandal's brain to overload, causing a violent but nonlethal seizure in the vandal, which fell to the ground. Exactly as she predicted would happen in a case of someone hit by a Neural Storm: the vandal had violent headaches. But just because one vandal was neutralized didn't mean the story was over.

"Stay some distance away: it might get ugly. Using a similar method from Memory Rub, you could insert a specific trigger in one of those vandals smashing booze bottles or windows that will make the target's brain lose control and get it to overload; this is Neural Storm"
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Dax looked at her confused a moment, "Why the feth am I trying to do this right n-" he stopped himself and shook his, "Nevermind, just gimme a second." The Rogue focused in on a single vandal, and got to work. Dax himself had always experienced a small buzzing, whitenoise-like sound in his ears for as long as he could remember. As he got older, and he saw more combat it had gotten worse. Most of the time he could tune it out, but he suspected it could be one of the causes of his headaches. And it was this buzzing that Dax drew on, projecting it into the rioter's mind, enhancing it, making it louder, until the man keeled over in pain before slumping to the ground unconscious.

Dax shook his head pressed a hand against his temple. The ringing in his own head had intensified as well, and had not yet died down. "Tell me again why this is a good idea?"

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"It's about sedating the most berserk of criminals for arrest"

But this time around, a third vandal recognized Janick for what she represented, in the eyes of that vandal: a symbol of alcoholism, by virtue of her being the primary muse of the Asobi 95% tihaar (Griet was the secondary one). As tempting it is for her to just use Neural Storm once again, perhaps there may be another spell she could more readily use to immobilize the vandal that may be less energy-consuming: siphoning heat from the vandal's feet into his weapon. In doing so, the vandal starts suffering from hypothermia while the weapon starts to burn his hands before he was even able to fire it. A funny combination but the vandal was forced to drop the weapon before falling on the ground next to it, feeling that he could no longer stand on his feet, much less run, when his body was feeling drowsy and he lacked coordination as a result of her simultaneously using pyrokinesis on one item and cryokinesis on another. Meanwhile, a fourth vandal charged at [member="Dax Fyre"], oblivious to what happened to the first three vandals, and seeing that their position has been compromised, while the first three vandals are being handcuffed.

"Now you may use any method you want to capture the fourth and final vandal" she told Dax before the fourth vandal could close in.
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Dax couldn't smirk as the other vandal ran at the Marshall. While his companions had blasters, all he had was a vibroblade. Dax simple waited for the man. When the rioter attempted an overhead strike at Dax, the Rogue stepped in, instead of away. His left arm moved upwards, blocking the strike at the wrist before wrapping his arm around the raiders. With an elbow to the chest and a sweep of the leg, the raider was on the ground. A swift punch to the face, and the man was out cold. "Sometimes nothing beats brute force" he said with a cheeky grin.

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
Soon we'll find out what involvement they had about the theft of construction materials from the Utapau Alcohol and Drug Abuse Recovery Center, if any, I suppose, she thought, while the four vandals were hauled away in a squad speeder, handcuffed and knocked unconscious by several means. With the blaster's ammunition becoming unstable as the heat was working its way through the ammunition clip, Janick threw it up some distance above using telekinesis, where the blaster belonging to the third vandal ended up being cooled down above the water to safely bring it to a more manageable temperature. Yes, [member="Dax Fyre"] would probably realize that the squad speeder is a little tight for seven sentients, two of which had really big headaches, a third one had hypothermia, and the final one was dazed by a punch. Just that, once the vandals were offloaded into their cells of the police station, it was time for them to be divided up for interrogation, while remaining mindful of due process and all that. And, of course, offering proper medical assistance to the vandals that needed it.

"You interrogate vandals #2 and #4, while I'm taking up #1 and #3"
 
The Reaper of Won Shasot
Dax nodded, a bit unused to being the one given orders after so long, but compliant none the less. The man dragged the two rioters to one of the walls, cuffed them both and leaned them up against the wall. He slapped the first one awake, "Alright, start talking. Why the feth are you here."

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
 

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