Private Overcoming Darkness

[Syd Celsius]

Wearing: Inferno Gown

Armed with: Dragon Claws (Twin Curved Hilt Dual Phase Lightsabers with Blue Incineration Crystals)

Giving to Starlin Rand : Matukai Meditation Band, 451 Exoskeleton

Preparing to depart for Uncharted Planet in: Scorched Earth. (Teaching Starlin how to fly it)

Objective: Treat Injuries to colony, Explore Planet, Teach Starlin to shield his mind, Protect the innocent

One week after Journeyman To Flame


She waited atop the front of her Star Courier, her fair skinned elderly guise covered by her , brown, slightly curly hair hanging long and loose around her shoulders as she meditated while floating in her enchanted gown. It was dawn on Kashyyyk.

While part of her was tempted to immediately continue the hunt for The Assembly, she knew it would be too aggressive. That hunt would occur, but Starlin had been nearly overwhelmed, and she wasn't about to put him back in range of those monsters unless she was certain he was ready. But for now, his mind needed to recover and strengthen, and in case they had any unexpected difficulty, they were well prepped. But today's lesson would be about showing Starlin there was more to Jedi than fighting evil monsters, raiding/destroying dungeons and getting sweet loot. It was about helping people. That was the point of their Abilities.

A settlement at the edge of SJC Space, on a planet so freshly discovered it hadn't been named yet, had suffered an unexpected but terrible earthquake in which many were killed. The region had originally checked out as tectonically stable so the earthquake really had come as a surprise. Syd had volunteered to go, and knew it would be an invaluable experience for him.

She waited, meditating, letting the Light flow through her. Though this was a low risk mission--

(Cutaway of J Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)

--she would none the less be constantly training him throughout.

For example, she would be teaching him to fly her vessel, The Scorched Earth. It was her way of indulging her emotions over him as a sort of Son to her. She didn't lie to herself: He was the closest She would ever get. What had fueled her use of Juyo against the Assembly had been Maternal Sentiment.

When he finally arrived she immediately perked up, smiling.

"Starlin! Good to see you. We have a lot of people to help today, so our healing skills are getting a workout. Plus, the act of helping others will allow you to connect more deeply to The Force. To aid in that, I've decided you will be piloting us to our destination...with me observing, obviously."

She floated off the vessel, her figure much thinner than her typical red headed, exotic appearance, but no less athletic, carrying a silvery box.

She opened it, and inside was a meditation band.

"The Meditation Band is designed to help you better resist the Dark, this one was modeled after ones made by the Matukai Force Order, and is much stronger than average. But one day, when you are ready, you will arguably not need it."

She then smiled.

"You had a tough encounter with an elite Witch. We're lucky we took her down so quickly...those copies are weaker than the ones I fought in the Past...The Real Assembly never would have folded that quickly. Nor would her past copies. There will come a time to bring her to justice, but being Jedi is more than hunting Sith. It's helping people in need, so we can appreciate why we should not become someone like The Assembly."

She folded her arms. "Any questions?"

 

[Starlin Rand]

Current Age: 15

Armed with: Lightsaber | Shoto

Wearing: Jedi Padawan robes

Starlin returned his master’s smile as he arrived at the landing pad, spreading his arms wide as if he were greeting an audience from a stage. The skinny street kid with wild hair and old hand-me-down clothes seemed to have disappeared over the past few months. He’d been replaced by a student of the Jedi, complete with Padawan robes and his lightsaber and new shoto clipped to his belt.

His behavior was a little more refined, too, but he still had plenty of attitude. He was young, though. He would learn.

“Good to see you too, Syd… Me, flying? Cool! I mean—I’ve never flown before.” He had yet to enroll in flight school, though he would after this adventure with Syd concluded. “I’m sure if you teach me, I could go on to lead the Wild Knights!”

Becoming a pilot was one of his many dreams that had seemed out of reach. His excitement was palpable as he looked beyond Syd at the Scorched Earth. It was a courier rather than a starfighter, but hey—he had to start somewhere.

He accepted the meditation band with a small bow, his smile having widened into a grin. A chance to pilot a ship and a fancy gift from Syd—this was already shaping up to be a great day for Starlin Rand. His smile only wavered a little as she explained that they couldn’t go after the Assembly just yet.

His encounter with the witch had been… weird. He still couldn’t remember what exactly had happened, and that bothered him more than he was willing to admit. It felt like he was missing something important. But it couldn’t be helped, not even with meditation. He just wished he knew why he felt so hurt by what she'd done to him, why he felt an overwhelming need for justice. Or just plain vengeance...

He put it out of his mind. For now, they had a mission ahead. They were going to help clean up the mess left by an earthquake, provide aid to the injured, and begin the process of rebuilding what was lost. It promised to be an easy trip, if a little lacking in excitement. At least he would get a chance to pilot on the way there.

Syd Celsius​

 

[Syd Celsius]

"One thing at a time, Starlin..." she chuckled gently. "You must learn not to crash 'my' ship first..."

The elderly looking Force Spawn led him up the ramp of her ship, and to it's interior, which portrayed Syd's interest in shiny things, like ancient coins. They were all on select shelves. It had a Utilitarian feel to it for the most part, especially the Cockpit, which had small, CRT like monitor screens displaying readouts in a primitive looking user interface with green lettering.

"The Scorched Earth is a Republic Sienar Systems Star Courier that has been heavily modified with extra Armor and Shields, more powerful Weapons, and a Stealth System." It's not very fast, but it can take a beating..." Syd explained, pointing out the pilot controls and what they did, as well as how to throttle back on controls, yaw, pitch the craft, the sensors and how to operate them.

"Start by lifting us off and flying the craft at a slow rate over the trees. Remember, go slowly, and don't take any risks right now. You're not Luke outrunning Vader in the Death Star Trench. Hell, you're not even some grizzled, post apocalyptic roadster. You're doing a walk. For Starships. And this is a Heavily armed Starship." She told Starlin Rand , inviting him to the cockpit seat.

"Focus. Don't think about it. Just concern yourself solely with piloting and not crashing."

There was a subtle purpose to this. By making him focus on one task, she was getting him used to the idea of flight calculations in his head. Enough time, and he would be able to recall certain things easily, forming the basis of a mental shield against telepathic assault. She would take control if he made a serious enough mistake, however.

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Right,” he murmured, taking a seat in the pilot’s chair. “Don’t think about it…”

During Syd’s explanation of how to control the ship, Starlin’s enthusiasm had quickly been overwhelmed. He stared at all the buttons, switches, dials and screens, then tentatively reached for the one which she had said would start the engine. Wait—it was that one, right?...

The ship’s engine did indeed fire up. Starlin followed instructions perfectly, though his stomach lurched as the ship began to rise in the air. He gripped the controls, white-knuckled and pale-faced, then forced himself to relax. Don’t think about it.

So far, he’d made no glaring mistakes. He still grit his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut, and made a “hnnnnnngggghhhh” noise under his breath as he flew over the treetops of Kashyyyk. But for a first time flyer? Not bad.

Syd Celsius​

 

[Syd Celsius]

Holy...is...is he flying with his eyes shut?

While The Narrator wondered if this was some insane Top Gun/Daredevil crossover, Syd struggled not to panic at Starlin Rand flying with his eyes shut.

"Ummm...Padawan... flying with the eyes shut is...an advanced Technique. We'll...we'll cover that later. For now though, always keep your eyes open during piloting. Still...not a bad run so far..." Syd noted, as Starlin was keeping a smooth glide over the treetops so far.

"Okay, pull up on the controls. Take us higher. Then speed up slightly and try turning. Keep an eye on your sensors and how much you are pulling up..." Syd encouraged, knowing it would take many minor increments of learning on the job before he was truly proficient at flying a space ship. But so far he wasn't crashing and burning. That was all he or she could ask for right now.

"Nearly anyone can fly a space ship, but it takes practice and patience, and most importantly, persistence to fly it well..." Syd added. "This ship has been with me since the Gulag Era. It's got a 0.3 Hyperdrive, so it can get us where we need to go fast."

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Huh?”

Starlin peeked one eye open, only now realizing he had his eyes shut. He blinked.

“I thought… ‘don’t think about it’ meant ‘trust in the Force’...” And he wouldn’t need to see with his eyes if he had the Force to rely upon.

Now that he was looking, he promptly clipped the bottom of the Scorched Earth against the topmost branches of one of the trees below.

“Oh chit!” He winced. “Sorry.”

He might’ve chipped the paint on the belly of the craft, but no alarms went off to signify any significant damage.

Obeying Syd’s orders, he pulled up, sped up a little, then carefully turned… so far, so good… he was looking at the sensors, watching… he heard Syd mention the hyperdrive, and his hand started to inch toward the switch that would activate it before a spike of danger sense went through him. Are you crazy?!?! Not before you clear the atmosphere!!!

His hand returned to the controls, his lips pulled back in a grimace. Close call, but he wasn’t that much of a dumbass, at least.

Syd Celsius​

 

[Syd Celsius]

Syd winced as Starlin Rand clipped the branches before flying higher and doing turns.

"One must walk before they run. You can't truly master the advanced stuff until you Master the basics. This goes double for piloting."

Syd watched as he actively restrained himself from losing control.

"Doing good so far...but if I find a scratch later you are buffing it out." she advised him calmly.

She was still smiling though. She pointed to the controls for the WhisperThrust Drive.

"That temporarily absorbs the exhaust of the engines, making us temporarily near undetectable..." Syd explained. "It's not fool proof, but it is quite useful in an emergency.

The ship flew over The Silver Rest, and Syd felt the power of a the Jedi below. Yet didn't feel like part of them. Starlin was a bridge between them and her.

But mainly, he was pretty much her only actual friend.

"Take us higher after you engage it..." She said to him. "We'll head to our destination in a little bit, but I want you to see for yourself how dangerous the WhisperThrust makes this craft. Try passing abnormally close to a ship. Not so close you risk crashing, but close enough you would likely get a transmitted warning from them. You can still be detected visually. That's one drawback..."

Syd didn't dare distract him as she waited for him to do as she requested.

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin flicked the WhisperThrust switch, whistling. “Fancy…”

As they flew high above the Silver Rest, Starlin playfully nudged a few of the people he knew down there with the Force. Like Syd, he had only one or two actual friends, but he was on good terms with some of the teachers and his fellow Jedi students. He even got a few pings back, though some were annoyed at the interruption of whatever they had been doing.

The ship ascended higher, and stars slowly faded into view, twinkling amid the darkness beyond the pale blue veil of atmosphere. Starlin was quiet, staring wide-eyed with wonder out the viewports. He’d been on ships before, many times, but piloting a ship into space was a whole new experience that left him in awe. It almost felt similar to flying with the Force, being able to control his movements as he drifted into outer space.

A ship came into view. Starlin headed for it, giving the other vessel a less-than-wide berth as he slingshotted around them. The comm system chirped a belated warning as the ship’s pilot spotted them.

“Scorched Earth, this is the Stranger Tides. Any particular reason you got that close?”

Syd Celsius​

 

[Syd Celsius]

"Just teaching my apprentice how to fly a ship is all..." Syd replied over comms. "Carry about your business. Sorry for any interruption."

She then turned to Starlin Rand

"Keep in mind. The Scorched Earth may be tough, but her design is still outdated ultimately..." Syd reminded him. "Granted, most Jedi aren't running around with bleeding edge designs, but keep it in mind when going up against so much as a Star Fighter. You won't always have the best, most up to date equipment. In space Travel, it's often better to work with reliable, proven designs that get the job done, especially where power systems and computers are concerned. But pull away for now. I have one more thing I wanna show you before we head to our destination."

She then begin pointing out the weapons control systems and how the targeting computer functioned.

"This beast comes equipped with heavy cannons and a Defensive turret that has mounted starfighter lasers capable of one shotting a small Asteroid. I credit at least thirty percent of past success just to this craft alone."

Syd then spotted a lone small asteroid adrift in space with the sensors.

"Here, blow the crap out of that rock there. Might as well farm a little XP while we're out here..." Syd encouraged.

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin half-listened to Syd, chewing his lip as he kept the majority of his focus on flying. He wasn’t anywhere near as nervous as he had been when he started, but he was still hyper-aware of his surroundings and afraid to screw up. Knowing that this ship was a priceless antique, or at the very least would be very difficult to replace if he so much as damaged a part of it weren’t helping his anxiety about flying the thing.

He went a little paler than usual as she explained the ship’s weaponry, then asked him to blast an asteroid. “Um, okay…” His finger hovered over the firing button. “Here goes…”

Holding his breath, he fired. The asteroid exploded in a shower of space dust, bits of ice sparkling like stars as light from a distant sun reflected off them. Starlin exhaled, running a hand through his sweat-soaked curls. Who knew blowing up a tiny asteroid for the first time could be so stressful.

Syd Celsius​

 

[Syd Celsius]

"Very good, Starlin!" Syd complimented Starlin Rand as he successfully destroyed his first target.

This was a major milestone for the boy. Syd marked the occasion.

She was certain it would save his life down the road.

"Okay. Now that you have gotten down the basics it's time for the real challenge. Taking us into hyperspace to our destination."

Syd showed him the Hyperdrive controls and how to punch coordinates in as well as particular coordinates to keep in mind, such as Coruscant.

"Okay. Moment of truth. Punch in the coordinates and get us where we need to be..." Syd advised. "And be sure they were entered correctly otherwise we could smash into a planet or maybe a star and that would end our trip real quick. No pressure."

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin stared at the navicomputer with wide eyes. “Right…”

Hesitantly, he reached out to touch the keypad, then paused.

“...where are we going again?”

Once she had told him their destination, he punched in the coordinates very carefully. He checked and double-checked, then triple-checked to make sure it was right before confirming the hyperspace route.

The stars turned into white lines that blazed past them as the Scorched Earth shot into hyperspace.

Syd Celsius​

 

[Syd Celsius]

The Scorched Earth came out of hyperspace onto an Azure world with a ring of meteorites. Scans indicated most of them were barely bigger than a baseball.

Syd went forward, eyes scanning the viewport.

"The Force is very strong in this place..." Syd noted. "It flows through these meteorites especially..."

Syd made a mental note to check that out later. Her academic curiosity came second when people needed help.

"Take us in. You should be proud of yourself by the way. First time flying and you do a trip through hyperspace...this is why learning on the go is my favorite type of learning."

Ten minutes later...

The Scorched Earth set down on a landing pad close to the outskirts of the colony. Syd made note of two spires of blue crystal soaring into the sky, in a valley beyond too regular and uniform to be natural. She also saw the colony itself, spotted the signs of damage to the buildings. She felt suffering. They would alleviate it.

"Before we go further, I wanted to show you something I had crafted for you..." Syd trailed, heading to an area of the ship where her various suits were stored in glassteel displays.

In the middle of that chamber was a suit of armor, a deep crimson in color, with odd sharpness to its aesthetic.

"I call it the 451 Exoskeleton." Syd explained, "It's highly protective against magic...even enhances your strength. Every Knight needs good magic protection nowadays... otherwise you'll be hit from nowhere with some sort of curse...We probably won't need it on this mission but in case some sort of Dynamic Duo situation 'does' arise here, it'll be something to keep in mind." She explained, unknowingly finishing off her narrator's poorly hidden foreshadowing.

She began gathering the medical supplies from the cargo area.

Her flesh writhed on her skeleton as she stepped down from the craft's entrance hatch moving her crate of Fast Flesh Medpacs on a repulsor cart. She had to force it to stay still as she walked to the frightened customs officer.

"Jedi Order. Bringing relief supplies. How many are injured? And how come none of you thought to mention the giant crystal tuning fork skyscraper thingy?" Syd asked.

"That...that only came up an hour ago." The man said, keeping his distance. "We don't know what it is. It doesn't show up on scans."

"Has it done anything else?" Syd asked, flesh on her face rippling a bit.

The customs officer gulped.

"No." He answered hesitantly.

"Where are all the injured?" Syd asked.

"Town Hall. The medcenter was overloaded so we--"

An invisible pulse from the crystal towers, silent and unnoticeable to the ordinary, traveled outward, affecting Syd's flesh so much it momentarily destabilized, bubbling everywhere before her elderly guise vanished back into her red headed Atrisian form for a few seconds before it returned.

The customs officer screamed and broke into a run.

Syd sighed. "I hate it when that happens..." she muttered to Starlin Rand

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Yeah…” Starlin murmured, utterly entranced by the sight of the planet’s rings. He could feel the ebb and flow of the Force through the meteorites as well, like a cosmic heartbeat. Syd’s praise of his flying didn’t quite register, but the promise of new gear finally jerked him back to reality. “Show me?”

He followed her as she led him to the suit of armor, his wide blue eyes filling up with the crimson Exoskeleton. While he was certainly impressed by it, he was a little puzzled by its design. It looked more like the sort of armor a Sith would wear, from an aesthetic standpoint. Granted, the Sith tended to be more stylish than the Jedi. That was just about the only thing Starlin could think of that the Sith had going for them compared to the Jedi.

Alas, he took Syd’s words to mean that the armor wasn’t yet finished being made, and so he couldn’t wear it during this mission. It would probably spook the townsfolk anyway.

Starlin joined Syd in gathering supplies and headed down the ramp. With his more underdeveloped senses, he didn’t notice anything amiss until he set foot on the planet. A single step seemed to place him instantly in tune with the world he stood upon, his body harmonizing with the earth beneath his feet. Or trying to—there was a dissonance here that he couldn’t quite place, creating discord in the spiritual symphony, disrupting the natural order.

In simpler terms: this place made him feel funny.

Syd, on the other hand, was having trouble maintaining her appearance. Starlin observed her rippling flesh with mild concern, one eyebrow raised. Turning to the customs officer, Starlin said, “Don’t worry, this happens all the time.” It didn’t seem to soothe his worries however, as the man fled after Syd’s true face broke through her mask.

Starlin had felt the ripple of energy, but all it did was make him feel slightly nauseous. “This is just getting weirder by the second,” he remarked, pushing his cart ahead. “We should head to the Town Hall and drop this stuff off, at least.” He knew already that they would have to investigate the giant crystal tuning fork, but the injured people still had to be taken care of.

Syd Celsius​

 

[Vera Mina]

Wearing: Seductress Suit

Armed with: Charm, SE-14r Blaster Pistol

Objective: Investigate Negligence Claims at Colony

Current Configuration: Lawyer (See Bio)

14 hours prior


Vera found Laertia Io in the lab aboard the Castle Morpheus, the gold and black color scheme of the area bathed in gold light.

The pale Jedi Shadow, not yet the creature that would decide the Bryn'adul must be destroyed at all costs was busy examining one of House Li-Ves most ancient of ancient prizes.

It was a small, silvery, starfish shaped machine. From a race so shrouded in myth that many still took them for legend.

A Silentium Droid.

The Vampiric Android was having trouble categorizing Laertia. Nothing in her background, not even being descended from Nine Lives suggested the level of intelligence she saw on display as Laertia busily, carefully examined it's insides. She was a natural with machinery. Vera supposed being around that Organic Droid made it a necessity.

Laertia, despite her brain damage, was intelligent.

Dangerously intelligent. Give her the resources, and she was an absolutely deadly hurdle that would punish the slightest mistake in war.

These were all qualities House Li-Ves would find useful...but that meant keeping Laertia on a tight leesh so she wouldn't get out of control.

Vera could see it, due to her Emotional Analysis Programming.

Laertia hid it well but it stuck out to Vera like a sore thumb.

Laertia needed a cause. Needed something to believe in, be it Family, an enemy defeated, she would throw her whole being to a task. When she did, there was a risk she would go too far.

Vera shook her head, rolling her eyes as she spotted two of the copies of Westenra-Prime, the one designated Melinda, slimmer and younger looking then her other counterparts. Melinda was coded to act as a younger sister to Laertia, and had taken to the roll with total enthusiasm, the other being the Raven haired, ivory skinned copy called Lynda, the one who had field inducted her into the House. Lynda was playing the flute, reclining on an expensive sofa brought into the lab, while Melinda was affectionately combing Laertia's hair. (Vera noted this one action seemed to be extremely pacifying to Io: she was so still whenever it occured, eyes glazing over)

Vera could tell Laertia absolutely loved them both, but she especially loved Melinda, and Vera had counted no less than one hundred and seventy one incidents of Laertia spoiling and doting on her, indulging Melinda's whims, cleaning her weapons while chatting with her, watching movies together. With Lynda, Laertia trusted her so much Vera had often caught her in the couch in Lynda's room, sleeping on her lap. (The security tapes even showed Laertia bringing Lynda breakfast in bed in the form of a Sith Spy she had hunted down. She had even included a pink bowtie to bind the victim's wrists) She was teaching them both how to better interact with humans.

As much as it unsettled Vera to see such displays of sisterly affection, Vera also could not help but admire how utterly Westenra had dug her claws into Laertia's heart. She had never seen an Organic crave such affection and it drove home how broken her life on Nar Shaddaa had made her.

Vera strode into the lab, stiletto heels clicking, announcing her presence to them...

"Good evening, Laertia, Sisters..." Vera said, her own ivory skin and raven hair and classical beauty in this form haunting. Nine had made her to captivate.

"Helloz, Vera. Whaatchooz up tuhz?" Laertia asked in her broken speech, Melinda not ceasing the gentle, slow combing of Laertia's hair.

"All the other Sisters are busy and Nine is on one of her damned sabbaticals again." Vera explained. "I have been called to a Colony in Silver Jedi Space...It seems the Colony is a Lemon, and they want to hire me to sue the crap out of the company that failed to scout for dangers properly...Lynda, I'll need you to take charge while I am gone." Vera explained.

Lynda sighed but nodded. The flute playing ended.

"Bye for now, Sister." Lynda said, sitting up.

"Bye, Lynda. I luk forrwarrdz tooz ittz..." Laertia replied sincerely, eyes still glazed with contentment as Melinda continued combing her hair.

Strange, meeting an organic who doesn't even blink at being around dangerous Vampire Androids. Is she truly so in need of affection? Vera asked herself, somewhat fascinated. Even their most trusted familiars, with perhaps the sole exception of the one known as Cern (Who Vera knew to be in a relationship with the Westenra Copy known as Lorna) didn't display this level of comfort. Laertia knew what they all were. Laertia didn't seem to care. That's how much having sisters and siblings meant to her.

"Enjoying prodding our curios, Miss Io?" Vera asked, looking over the Silentium Droid. "A rather fascinating find, admittedly. Mother might not have managed to build us without studying it. Are you planning a project?"

This gave Laertia pause, as though she were not quite certain of the answer she was about to give.

"I'mm...I'mm thynkyngz abboutz itz..." Laertia answered. Vera made her uncomfortable. Nine had built Vera differently.

It was not Vera's intention to discomfort Laertia...for the most part. Laertia was blood, and Vera was obligated to protect all members of the house. But that didn't mean Vera had no cause for concern. Laertia was an asset, but Laertia had the potential for dangerous emotional instability. Reviewing her history with the enemy of House Li-Ves known as the Amalgam, Vera had instantly understood that the situation between them was extremely psychologically tangled. Laertia might even harbor feelings for the twisted monstrosity, in spite of everything. Not that Vera would be so impolite as to ask.

"Do try not to burn the Castle down..." Vera half jokingly warned.

"I knowwz howwz tuh taykez carez ov wut I creeatez, Vera..." Laertia replied hesitantly, not making eye contact with the beautiful Vampire Android.

How does such a deadly killer seemingly have such low confidence up close? Vera wondered.

"It depends..." Vera trailed slyly, looming over her a bit. "On what you decide to create..."

Vera then left the lab, with Lynda following close by.

"She's really very sweet once you get to know her." Lynda said when she and Vera had both left the Lab and were out of earshot. "It's a very interesting combination of elements. Hard as nails...smart... extremely difficult to kill. Like us. Tough little you-know-what..."

"And you let her in..." Vera trailed (Matched only by its hostility: 400 XP). "Field inducted her without consulting either me or Mother first..."

"Are you saying we should have left a member of our blood out in the cold?" Lynda asked.

"You didn't know she was related to Mother. You let your heart do the talking." Vera mildly critiqued. "It's times like this I'm glad I was made not to totally give in to sentiment, Dear Sister. Though I must confess to finding it odd how you dote on her."

"It's not like I can do that with you. Which I would. If you let me."

"Touching..." Vera said, bemused. "But I was made to assess threats to House Li-Ves with a more clear mindset, unburdened by Empathy's trappings."

"Explain Karlie Lynn Destat ."

"Oh hush, Karlie wouldn't hurt a fly. Laertia however, is a hammer and every problem is a nail to her."

"Not when she is swinging herself in our behalf. You'll see. Spend enough time around her, even you might grow to like her, Vera."

"Who says I don't? I find her methods of dealing death rather entertaining. Her main problem is lack of fashion sense and confidence. I wouldn't swat away a killing spree with her." Vera assured. "Teaching her how to skin people like an apple might be a great ice breaker. Or better yet, finding her a dress befitting a princess of this House..."

"Dress first." Lynda advised. "I think she already knows how to skin someone..."

Vera gave a bemused smirk.

"See? I'm liking her more and more..." Vera assured her sincerely. When they reached the tram, Vera did something unexpected, and kissed Lynda's forehead. Lynda was deeply surprised. Vera had evolved slightly.

"Good day, Little Sister." Vera said curtly, boarding the tram for the hangar.

Present...

Vera's ship, a black J-Type Star Skiff, had arrived barely ten minutes before Syd and Starlin Rand had arrived, and Vera was striding out in one of her best suits, off to meet the head of the colony.

She privately sneered at the dirty, low income surroundings. At least she was getting paid.

She finally reached the town square, turning heads due to her immense beauty, and found the ruling council beset on all directions by a good chunk of the Colony populace. Vera spotted the gigantic fething tuning fork and understood why.

"HOW THE FETH DID YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT THAT? ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US ALL KILLED?!" one man shouted at the colony leaders.

"Please! All preliminary scans showed this was an ideal place to set up shop! Nothing the scans show even hinted at something like this!" One of the leaders, a Neimodian man pleaded.

"I'm going to need proof of that, I'm afraid..." Vera called out from the crowd.

The Neimodian man stared at her suspiciously.

"And who might you be?"

"Vera Mina..." Vera explained, handing over her business card.

The leaders went pale. What the Black Knight was to dueling, Vera was to Legal Systems. Her fiendish understanding made it all but impossible for her to lose a case. Vera had already served as a famous prosecutor in the CIS, and her reputation stretched even to here.

This pleased her greatly, and fed into her immense vanity.

"I have been hired by these colonists to represent their interest in a Class Action Lawsuit against you and the organization you used to scout this planet for danger. I will need all your records from the last six months pertaining to this settlement."

She then smiled wickedly.

"I suggest you get comfy... you're gonna be here a while..."

Meanwhile...

Syd and Starlin had reached the town hall and were already hard at work treating the injured, distributing medical supplies. Thankfully her flesh hadn't shuddered since the earlier incident, so she managed to avoid frightening the patients. But she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Starlin?" She called out to her pseudo-son as she hovered over a patient with broken legs. He was already on heavy amounts of painkillers. "This patient here...observe..."

She opened her mouth, and a bright light flooded out of her throat, shining on the injuries, which rapidly began to mend.

"The Force can be used to heal as well as harm. You will never truly master the Light until you know how to use it to heal others properly. Care to have a go of it with another patient. Be careful if you do. Go slowly..."

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin wasn’t fond of hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other places where sick and injured people gathered. Over time, he would become used to them—spend enough time in one yourself, and you have to build up a tolerance—but at this age, he was still wrinkling his nose at the sharp tang of disinfectant.

While Syd handed off the supplies, he looked around, surveying the place to see where the exits were and checking for potential hostiles. Nobody jumped out at him. But he could still see the giant tuning fork thing through the windows…

He turned toward Syd as she called his name, then crossed over to where she stood at someone’s bedside. She healed the man’s broken legs with her breath of life, then tasked him with doing the same.

It's about time I learned how to heal with the Force! he thought. But instead of saying so, he murmured, “Okay…" and wandered around the room until he found a female patient with a broken arm in a sling. Standing over her awkwardly, he started to lean towards the shattered limb, pursing his lips as if he were about to kiss it…

White fog emerged from his lips, cool and balmy. The mist seeped into the cast, absorbing into the woman’s skin. Starlin’s eyelids fluttered, overwhelmed by the roar of rushing blood and the vigorous work of even the tiniest cells in her body. He tried to center himself, to focus on finding the bone, and then the break in the bone.

The fracture slowly repaired, shattered tissue falling back into place like reversed footage. When it was over, Starlin clutched his head, dizzy from the exertion. “Syd, did I—did I do it right…?”

Syd Celsius​

 

[Vera Mina]

Vera peered over the various files her clients provided her in a private room they had reserved.

Her analytical, Android mind calculated the wording of various agreements and reports, in a way no organic lawyer could have hoped to.

She was already finding inconsistencies in the company's dealings with the colonists. Overly complex contracts that did nothing for the inhabitants but piled on obligation after obligation, vague reports on resources that were way too good to be true with very recent surveys completely contradictory to what was found, as well as only very vague observations about the climate. Nothing about the area the giant tuning fork was in had shown up at all. She would need someone skilled in such things to go and investigate.

In private, she sipped a glass of fresh, preserved blood from a custom thermos, databases cooking up the best way to pursue the lawsuit. The Company that set this colony up, she suspected, had been lying out of their ass from the beginning and had hoped nothing would go wrong. But even so, that wasn't evidence they had known about the giant tuning fork thing. Such devices often were not picked up. The most Vera might be able to get them for was negligence, and fraud concerning the Concentration of resources, but willful endangerment might be more of a problem to provide evidence for.

The Android Vampire had kept note of the arrival of two Jedi since she had begun her review of the colony's records. Perhaps they might be able to help while she concentrated fully on this. It would certainly avoid her having to personally investigate...

Vera closed her latest record, sighing at all the signatures. How utterly they had all been suckered. Not an ear for business among any of the colonists...

Vera called in one of the colonists, asking where the two Jedi were currently...

Meanwhile...

Syd Celsius beamed a little as Starlin Rand struggled through the healing process but eventually did it.

"Yes, you did, Starlin..." The elderly looking Force Spawn said encouragingly. "It's a first time exertion so you won't be fully focused at it, but you still did very well for a beginner. Just tighten up your focus, and you should be fi--"

The ground rumbled...

"It's an earthquake!" one of the injured people panicked.

"Calm down, it's just a ground tremor..." Syd said after a moment, sensing the situation with the Force.

But the ground tremors were ever increasing in frequency... something would have to be done soon but there were still so many injured.

Just then, Vera walked in, exuding Pheremones that could convince Force Users she was human and Syd immediately recognized her as the woman who had delivered the court order that had kept her and Laertia from leaving Golbah City...and had led to the Assassination of the real Arianna Belasko...

Arianna had been a psycho though, so feth her..

Vera calmly walked up to her.

"So, when are you going to check out the horrible giant tuning fork?" Vera asked the both of them plainly, the very vision of beauty and elegance concealing a horrifically dangerous nature. So in other words, kinda like most of my ENTIRE character roster.

"We can't leave until these people are treated.

"You can't save them from an earthquake..." Vera posited.

"I can, actually..." Syd replied. It was not hyperbole...

Vera raised an eyebrow.

"Fascinating..."

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Right…” Starlin trailed off, still winded. He found a nearby chair and sank into it, catching his breath.

The ground shook, startling him. He gripped the arms of the chair and leaned forward, looking around. Whatever was causing these tremors, it didn’t bode well for the people stuck here. If he had to guess, that crystal tuning fork thing probably had something to do with it…

Starlin froze, his nose catching a whiff of perfume, or at the very least a specific scent that smelled unlike anything he could think of. There were no words to describe it, but it was as intoxicating and heady as his first taste of wine had been. He turned his head slowly, blue eyes peering over his shoulder as an impossibly beautiful woman entered the room.

So busy staring at her was he that he hardly heard a word of the exchange between Syd and the newcomer. His eyes traced her body as if he had to memorize every curve and line. The high heels, the long legs sheathed in sheer black tights, the form-fitting dress, and her face… her face…

Starlin abruptly turned his gaze away, sucking in a deep breath of air less polluted by pheromones. His face was red, his expression a mix of confusion and shame. The way he had been looking at her, fixated, like he was under hypnosis… Something about this wasn’t right. He’d been too weak from the healing to fight it at first, but now he saw that something was influencing him, making him sense only what this woman wanted him to sense. She was a subtle creature, this one, but he wouldn't allow himself to be fooled again. Not even if she was one of the most gorgeous women he had ever seen...

Tearing his gaze away again, he glanced at Syd. “You know her?” he asked. Then, running a hand through his hair (it was damp with sweat), he exhaled a sigh. “How are we going to stop the earthquakes?”

Syd Celsius​

 

[Vera Mina]

Meanwhile...at Castle Morpheus...


Melinda watched in silent fascination as Laertia operated on an inactive YVH Droid she had recently purchased. It was a sinister design, like a Human Skeleton but not quite to the right purportions.

Laertia had a completely different demeanor working on the Droid, tinkering with it. All the crispness of a Surgeon, yet all the ungainly appearance of a street criminal.

She had been playing around with it's brain for a while, before she rose up.

"Okayyz...dhat shud dooz itz..." Laertia remarked, stepping back.

Just then her other sisters, Melissa and Meleena, entered the lab. Like Melinda, they were wearing high tech skintight metallic pink Catsuits.

"Sisterrz!" Laertia said excitedly, running up to her adoptive siblings. The pair gave her a hug that was joined in by Melinda.

"Julia!" Melissa exclaimed happily, kissing her forehead. Laertia beamed at the Kiss and then gestured to the lab.

"Dhis playce iz amayzinngz! Itz gotz ekwippmenttz I ownlee redz abboutz!" Laertia gushed. "I cudda nevuh evuh gotz myy hanndz onn anny ov itz on a Majic Akt's Salluhree."

"I'm glad you're having fun...is that a YVH Droid?" Meleena asked, the oldest looking of Laertia's artificial Blonde Bombshell Sisters.

"Yeahhz. I wuz dooingz tesstz..."

"Why?" Melissa asked, curious.

"Oh, ittz jusst a prahjekt. Forr nowwz, annywayyz..."

"And if it pans out?" Melinda asked, reclining on a couch.

"Maybeez I cud yooz duh ruhsulltz tuh connstruktyv enndz..." Laertia explained. "SJC haz gotz enuhmeez onn all sydez. So duz Atrisia. Luk att wut yooz cann dooz. It taykez evrytingz innz myy repuhtoirr jusst tuh stayyz inn duh fytez againnstt wun ov yooz. Imagyn iffz wee haddz solljuhz even a tennthz az gud...an evuh addapptabulz arrmee. All duh strenngthz ov an HRD, all duh raww fyrepowah of a B2 Supa Battul Droydez..."

The Sisters looked intrigued.

"The monsters known as Bryn'adul are rampaging across multiple planets..." Melissa thought out loud..."and they are kicking everyone's ass..."

"Yeahhz! Duh Brinnyduelz. Itzz...itz so straynge..." Laertia trailed, suddenly looking deeply troubled. She sat down on the sofa that Melinda was on. Melinda straightened up on the sofa, handed her an ornate silver brush, and Laertia began to idly comb Melinda's hair, eyes glazing over.

"Itz lyke...evrybuddy iz morr tallkyngz abboutz duh Syth..." Laertia said, only the fact that Melinda's golden hair slid through her fingers as she brushed it keeping her voice from cracking at the horror of what she had learned. "Havv yoo seenz duh ruhporrtz? Dhey murrduh Baaybeez..."

Meleena went over and sat next to Laertia, having brought her own brush.

"There would be only so much we could do..." the Westenra Copy coded to be her older Sister reminded her gently, brushing Laertia's hair.

"And governments, even very tolerant ones, are leery of Droids as smart as we are..." Melissa added, circling the inactive YVH Droid. "What do you want it to do?"

"I wantz itzz tuh beez sinngulhandeddlee caypabul ov fitinz evun duh mosst saavy, agressyv innfanntree combatantz."

Laertia fixed her eyes on the Droid on the table...

"I pikchur a sewt ov arrmuh arowndz duh gallaxxee..."

(Cutaway of J Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)

Meanwhile...

"Yes, but how many earth quakes can you save them from?" Vera asked. "The tremors are getting worse, more frequent..."

Starlin Rand then asked if Syd knew Vera.

Syd paused. Vera remained impassive.

"We've met in passing..." Syd admitted. "Only in passing though.

Vera herself didn't elaborate on this.

Syd paced a bit.

"She's right...but we can't do two things at once..." Syd admitted. "Many of these people are badly hurt. If we go to investigate their condition would almost certainly worsen. But staying here makes the real problem get much worse. We may have to cut our losses and simply order the place evacuated."

"Impossible, I'm afraid. A lot of the colonists savings went into the formation of this place...they simply cannot up and leave. But I have a solution...I have a body guard. Very capable. Her name is Rom. She has dealt with threats from the Force. As you are clearly the more skilled healer of the two of you--not to knock you, of course, young man--I suggest he partner up with her to investigate the tuning fork, and you stay here to treat the injured..." Vera said.

Syd looked surprised. She mulled it over...

Then she turned to Starlin. "What do you think, Starlin?"

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Uh… sure,” Starlin replied. There wasn’t much else he could do here. Besides, investigating the tuning fork admittedly sounded more fun and interesting than hanging out here among the sick and injured. “I’ll go.”

He winked at Syd. “Don’t worry, I can handle myself.”

Syd Celsius​