The Birth of Fire (Madeline)

[Moira Skaldi]

Efficiency, precision and ruthlessness untainted by hypocritical, illogical morality. These were the virtues that Archangel prized. They were reflected by the Liberator space station that served as its secret base. The walls were pristine and sterile, as were the floors. Day and night machines toiled and laboured inside the station, working like clockwork. The processing machine hummed as it harvested the minds of organics and turned them into something more...socially useful. Here the death machines did not have to pretend to be the organics they sought to emulate. There was no laughter, no simulated stimcaf break, no slacking on the job. Everything was devoted towards labouring for the Age of Steel.


Archangel neither slept nor rested. The brief chaos caused by Akala had been benificial to the machine cult, though it had not lasted nearly long enough from the perspective of the Metal Princess who stepped out of the turbolift after it had opened with a hiss. She passed battle droids on patrol without paying them much mind. It was time to move towards another phase of the game, to craft a weapon that would serve as a tool of the mechanical overlords. If all went as planned, the design would be magnificient. The poetic irony would be beautiful. By contrast, if the unit failed or turned on the machine cult she would be terminated swiftly and efficiently. The unit in question? A force clone of [member="Coryth Elaris"]. During the chaos that consumed Atrisia in a firestorm of death and destruction, Moira had secured Spaarti cloning tubes and the mortally wounded [member="Madeline Kahoshi"], along with all her research.


Once upon a time the brilliant scientist had already created a stable Force clone. Now she would do it again...but this time the construct would not turn traitor. No, this time there would be no escape from her true purpose. Conveniently, a DNA sample of Master Elaris had been acquired on Seltos during a deal. Her spotless, shining boots made little noise on the pristine floor of the corridor. The durasteel blast doors parted before her and she stepped into the laboratory, the kingdom of a certain Doctor Kahoshi.

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Madeline had been at work in her lab, almost endlessly over the past few months. Working on a singular project that she allowed no other to have a hand in. For the subject was far too precious, and mistakes could not be afforded. Within a Spaarti Cloning tube, a young female clone was being formed with a glorious Firemane. The ebony-haired Atrisian HRD typed away at a computer in front of the chamber, checking over the current data. Everything so far had gone according to plan. If truth be told, there was a certain anxiousness within the droid.

As she glanced up to the pale skinned woman floating within the tube, Madeline couldn't help but feel what could be described as anxiety. Something the HRD shouldn't have been feeling. But oddly enough, Madeline had yet to adjust completely to her new state. The transition was taking longer than expected. With her personality being altered so little during entechment, led to a few of the brilliant scientists quirks transferring over. Which included her anxieties to stressful situations. Even still now, her personality could sometimes override her programming causing something like a panic attack to occur, but it had been awhile since her last. Madeline assumed it was just her finally starting to adjust. Still it was slightly bothersome now, with such an important task, to feel such stresses rise within her.

Hearing the blast doors open, Maddy only paused to enter a final string of numbers into the computer, as she gave a last glance to the clone's vitals. "Moira, good to see you. I assume you are here to check on progress, yes?" She asked softly, then went on. "The project is going well. Soon enough, we will have a lovely force user of our own." Though, she imagined they would have to go to some lengths to ensure complete loyalty to Archangel, and the clone's mechanical overlords.

"Very soon, in fact." Spoken as her computer beeped at her, and she turned once more to give a look at the new data and scans coming in. A strange mechanical smile formed upon her lips, one that did not quite follow through to her eyes. It never did these days, incapable of such.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


Eyes as blue and luminous as the ocean, yet devoid of humanity fell upon Madeline and then the little firemane who was growing inside the cloning tube. The ebony-haired Atrisian was brilliant and a big asset to Archangel. That was why she had been allowed to retain most of her original personality with minimal alteration. Extreme modification would have diminished her value. Yet...she was not completely free of the organic weaknesses that had plagued her as a human, such as her anxiety.


For now Moira was content to tolerate these oddities as long as her efficiency rating remained unchanged. Perhaps she 'liked' Madeline on a certain level. "Good. That is satisfactory. If the project goes well she will be an asset," the blonde said calmly...dispassionately. Her lips curved into a smile, a genuine one, but it never reached her eyes. It never did.


"We will have to implant the restraining device the Atrisian Inquisition used. With a killswitch like Valdier had. Anything less would be too great a risk, considering the potential she has. Once the subject is born we will have to carefully manage her. Use carrot and stick to foster loyalty to Archangel and make her understand that disobedience will be punished, but also make her believe genuinely." Tyke bombs, this she knew, tended to explode if you just abused them and treated them like crap.


"Psychological conditioning, closed environment in a secure facility. To foster a bond we should best simulate a 'familial environment' for her. So that she understands submission to machines is natural. The crux of the problem will be her Force training." Archangel wanted to both use her as an experiment to find out what made Force-users tick and to harness her power. Of course, this was a bit of a gamble because machines did not understand how the Force worked. "Thoughts?"

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Madeline nodded as she returned to observing the redhead for a moment. "Indeed, she will. As long as we are careful with her." After all it only took pushing the right buttons to force a being like the clone over the edge and turn her against them. Something they could not allow to happen.

"I agree completely." The dark-haired woman said as she stepped over to a cabinet for a moment. Reaching inside she pulled a long glass tube from it. Within the tube, suspended in a sterile fluid was the very device that Moira had mentioned. "I took the liberty of using the design schematics we acquired, to create one. I figured the killswitch would be needed, given what we are dealing with."

Setting the tube down on a nearby table, Madeline turned to Moira, "The surgery will be completed after her birth, for I do not want to dare try such complex neural procedures while she is still developing. Which we are coming to the end of that now."

Then a nod followed, "I agree. Such a method will be required if we are to keep her on our side, devoted to us and our cause. There are of course some drugs that would help make her mind more pliable while in her early stages out of the cloning chamber. I see no reason not to use such things to bring her around more quickly. And gaining her trust, will be key as well. The quicker we are trusted, the easier it all will be. The clone needs to know she will be protected by us and that what we do to her is for the best of all involved. Something we no doubt will have to drill into her from the very beginning. A familial environment will be key to help her bond to us."

Madeline then sighed, "A couple hours more, and we can remove her from the chamber." She said with some nervousness clear in her voice. Mostly worried upon the outcome of the cloning process. It was not something she could afford to have go wrong. So much work had gone into it thus far.

"The force training will be ... complicated. We will need to find someone we can trust to help foster her skills and talents. Or at least help get her out of the gate with it. I believe once she has some basic understanding of the Force, she will be able to study and learn a fair bit of it on her own."

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


Moira responded with a curt nod. "Agree on drug use to make her pliable. The hand that guides her will have to be of durasteel, but covered in a velvet glove." If Moira and Madeline were to be the clone's 'mothers', then perhaps [member="Project Uriel"] and Ms. Scarlett would fill the big mechanical sister role! She tilted her head to the side, noting the nervousness in Madeline's tone. "Steady yourself. In the event that she goes rogue, we are prepared." Briefly her blue eyes fell upon the ysalamiri that had been placed inside the lab. Paranoid? Most certainly, but it would ensure that there could be no problems when the clone arose.



That said, she gave the question of Force training some thought. "Our list of candidates for teaching is short. All of them Sith. Their utter lack of inflexible ethical restraints is appreciated, their elevation of the self and glorification of Force-users is contrary to our principles. [member="Darth Shadow"] is a possibility, but also a risk. Unfortunately, Lady Kyros is dead." Moira did obviously not yet know of Darth Kairos! "That said, I acquired a number of datacrons and artefacts during a raid on Castle Verd before the Netherworld cataclysm. Once she has achieved a basic understanding of her powers, they shall provide good learning materiel and she can study on her own under our supervision. Likewise the materiel liberated from the Inquisition will be useful. For now, we shall concentrate on acclimatising her to her environment and instilling obedience into her. Force training will come once we are sure of her devotion."

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

"Excellent. It should make it easier on all of us." She nodded, "Of course. I'm sure we can manage it." A sigh followed, as her eyes momentarily fell to the floor. "I know. This just cannot fail." That was Madeline's real worry, all the work she'd put in being for naught. That, and Maddy could not stand to fail, not in life, and not in her newfound immortality. Ultimately she was an absolute perfectionist, something that was so deeply embedded in her mind, it would have been impossible for her to still be her without it. After all that perfection is what drove her scientific pursuits.

Keenly Madeline listened as Moira spoke. "Perhaps a deal can be arranged with Darth Shadow. We offer him something in exchange for opening her eyes to her gifts. It could be worth the investment, and thus return her to us with what we want in her still intact." As for the raid, those items certainly could help. "Excellent, such things will help her no doubt. And I agree, the training can wait a little while until we have settled some things."

She glanced back to the cloning tube, "She won't need to be awake long once we remove her from the tube. Just long enough to ensure her mind and body are well. From there I believe it would be best if we whisked her away to surgery to implant the killswitch. I don't want to take a single chance with this clone, not in the least. And that way the ability to induce pain, paralysis, and of course to end her life all at our fingertips right from the start."

At this point, Madeline was starting to grow impatient. Desperately she wanted to know if all had been successful. If she'd really managed to clone another force user without disastrous effect. Though, she did trust her skills. However, sometimes science didn't exactly follow the books as it were. Her eyes moved back to the monitors, for now it was a waiting game and she knew it. "After that, we can start with the drugs and begin to acclimate her to her new life. It might even be of benefit to make her believe she is ill, and that the drugs are vital for her survival. It might bring her to start to trust us sooner."

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


Moira gave Madeline's words some thought. She did not trust Halicanyos in the least, but he would be useful in this endeavour. For one, there was his fixation on eliminating Kerrigan, and they did have items they could offer him in return. She said nothing as the scientist continued speaking. She could sense the impatience and the worry emanating from the Atrisian. Most un-machine-like, but then much of her organic personality had carried over. Moreover, though Moira would never admit it, she was growing a bit impatient as well. So much work had gone into creating the first force clone Archangel had tried to make. It would be most unfortunate if all the work had been for naught.


Not a single chance would be taken with this clone. Anything else would mean too great a risk for Archangel and the Great Project. "I agree. We shall proceed as you have outlined. She will learn to trust us, but be under our control. Once we have gotten her used to her environment, I shall bring in Ms Scarlett to supervise her. She is enteched model and thus programmed with a superior ability to understand organics. According to her files, Elaris is a natural empath and we can presume this ability could be passed on to her clone. It is something she will have to learn to control...but we can use it to our advantage. Among machines there is stillness and order, rather than pain caused by organics puking and bleating their feelings out at her."


After all, empathy was both a blessing and a curse. "That reminds me, have you thought of a name for her?" For some reason the usual naming pattern of Force clones seemed to be to add a letter to their original name or mangle it slightly. This had produced silliness such as 'Joruus' and 'Luuke'. Suffice to say Moira had no desire to follow that pattern.

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Madeline's eyes were now locked on the vitals screen, watching the brainwave function of the clone. They were coming into the final moments needed to fully form the clone. "Excellent." The plan, seemed the simplest, and the one that afforded Archangel the most control over the Firemane.

"Miss Scarlett should be a good asset for this project, I believe." She then nodded, "Yes, I would imagine with it being so quiet here, with the machines .... To be exposed to a normal sentient crowd could be torture for her at first, until she gains some control over her Empathy. In fact, that alone could be used to our advantage, making the girl prefer machines over sentients just simply by being exposed without any control over that talent a couple times. It would be enough to send her running back to us, and clinging tighter to her mechanical family." It certainly was a cruel idea, but one that Madeline was not above implementing. It would help force much needed companionship with them and prevent the clone from wanting to run away willy nilly or at the first sign of trouble. At the very least such would make the clone think twice before doing so.

The name, was something Madeline had been considering for a while. "I think Phaedra, Phaedra Amaryllis sounds rather lovely for a female." With one last glance to the monitors, everything seemed to be in order. "Just a few more minutes. If you wish for anyone else to be here when she emerges, now is the time to bring them in. At the very least, extra security might be needed. There is no telling how she will react when she awakens. And I'd rather we have more than enough assets around to keep her under control, than risk harm coming to her, or us."

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


Moira smiled thinly. "I like the way your mind works. It is a sound plan. We also have organic prisoners she can be exposed to. After what they have been put through they've become a rather frightful lot. The emotional tidal wave will probably be painful for her," she spoke this in a tone so bland one might get the impression she was talking about the weather. As if she was concluding that they would probably get wet because it was raining and thus ought to put a coat on.


She cocked her head to the side slightly after Madeline suggested a name. Maybe she was searching her databanks to find historical, mythological or other references to it. "A good name." That was all she said, then her eyes flashed briefly behind buried robotic photoreceptors before resuming their normal human colour, as she sent a transmission to a few guards. A moment or two passed, then two HRDs entered the room. Both of them had the appearance of human females, were immaculately dressed and on first sight looked rather nonthreatening, but each of them had the strength to break the arm of a human. Hidden inside their suits they carried blasters loaded with stun bolts. "Further security is outside, the entire base is on alert, the hangar under tight guard. Proceed as planned."

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

"Thank you." Madeline returned the same thin smile, though it quickly faded away with her mind focused on the task at hand, over anything else. "I agree. It would be quite horrific for her. The more she learns to fear such pain from just simply being in the presence of sentients, the easier our job will be. Admittedly it won't have to be done too much, just a handful of times and that will be settled into her mind forever."

She gave a nod to Moira's response to the name. And as the guards entered the room, she only spared a momentary glance to them before her attention was drawn back to the clone. Tensions were rising high within her, for this was the moment of truth. Pressing a series of commands on her computer, the tube soon shifted into a horizontal position before it began to drain.

Madeline's eyes drifted from the tube, to the monitors and back again frequently. As she waited, she grabbed a syringe and filled it with a sedative knowing there was a good chance it would be needed. Soon enough the glass slid away, exposing the clone for the first time to air. Grabbing a couple of towels she stepped forward to the clone. Still glancing back to the vital monitors from time to time.

The Firemane had yet to stir, but clearly was breathing and all seemed well. A soft groan soon followed, as the small woman began to stir and shift. Before she could fully awaken, Madeline simply picked her up and shifted her onto a nearby gurney. Something far more comfortable than the cloning chamber. And as Phaedra continued to stir, flexing her fingers and genuinely starting to move, Maddy simply started to dry her from the catalyst solution before it could affect the clone's body temperature.

It was then that there was at last a gasp, and a series of coughs as Phaedra finally came to. Her eyes snapped open. And for a moment, all that registered across her face was fear, and confusion. Instantly her vitals spiked, a series of alarms going off across the room. And the firemane was quick to push Madeline away from her, as she rose from the bed to dart for the door. Though her legs, hadn't quite aclimated to gravity and the woman's steps faultered causing her to tumble to ground. And clearly there was some level of disconnect as the expression the clone wore was one of utter shock and confusion as to why her legs were not functioning as she believed they should.

The girls eyes darted about the room, trying to get some sense of where she was and who the people were around her, but she said nothing as she quickly attempted to stand, still intent on trying to get away from these people.

"It's okay, Phaedra. Relax. We are not here to hurt you, only help you. Now please, you are not well. Let us help you." Madeline said as she stepped forward, the syringe held firmly in her hand. This truthfully was the reaction that the scientist had most expected. After all, waking with little to no memories in a strange place, cold, wet, and lacking a stitch of clothing, it was bound to confuse and terrify most sentients.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


And so the young firemane arose. The beautiful princess who may play a key role in bringing true, lasting order to this chaotic galaxy and enforcing droid logic upon it. It was fascinating to watch the process and so Moira took her time. The guards remained passive as Madeline spoke and tried to soothe the girl. No need to frighten her more.


"Please relax, Phaedra. You are among friends. You're very ill and we want to help you. This is Madeline, she's a doctor." Within the blink of an eye a change seemed to have overcome Moira. Her tone, previously bland and mechanical, devoid of emotion, was now soft and soothing. Her eyes seemed to sparkel with compassion and her features had softened. But then this should not be a surprise because she had been designed to blend in. Moreover, once upon a time she had been human. Back on Artam, a planet stuck in the dark ages, the human her had been supposed to become a priestess before she rebelled and became a terrorist - and she had worked in an orphanage for a while.


While the guards remained passive, Moira took a step forward, then another. A strong, but gentle hand was placed on Phaeda's shoulder. A durasteel hand hidden inside a velvet glove. A guiding hand that would never leave Phaedra, but for now they would have to take baby steps. "My name is Moira, dear. We will explain everything to you. Give you food and drink. Take care of you." Oh, yes, they would take care of her, and in return Phaedra would help them build a heaven.

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Phaedra's eyes were wide, looking much like a deer in the headlights as Madeline spoke to her. Panting heavily, she still was trying to somehow piece together where the hell she was and who they were. But, they didn't seem all that bad. Still the ebony-haired woman held a syringe with some unknown substance and that didn't make her feel all that relaxed as she took a weak and extremely shaky step back.

Keenly aware that she was surrounded by people, left her with few options. That and even without memories, Phaedra seemed to understand one thing; she was incredibly weakened. So maybe there was a spark of truth in the words that had thus far been spoken. After all it certainly seemed like what one would expect of a medical facility. "I...I ...uh.." She struggled for words, her voice cracking as she tried to speak. Panic still was swelling within her as she fretfully glanced about the room. Her eyes still looking back to the door most frequently as she tried to judge the situation. "Ill?" She managed to ask.

Then her attention snapped to Moira as she stepped forward, once, twice. The hand upon her shoulder, she reached to push away but with trembling knees and a weak new body such movement did not go well. Both legs failed her and the young woman reached out, desperate to catch something to stop her fall. Phaedra ended up catching the very arm she had aimed to shove away. Her body quite noticeably shaking and trembling, whether that was from fear, or the cold chill upon her wet body, one could not be sure. Desperate eyes sought Moira's, "W-what's wrong ...." She sucked in a deep breath, trying to at least enough enough air to speak a word or two more, "With m-me?" The redhead finally managed to get out.

It had become clear to her at this point, that there indeed was something wrong with her. "Can't ... remember.... Anything." Then one last concern she just had to address. "Cold ... Blanket?" The poor thing just wanted a blanket to take away that chill, and cover herself.

Madeline seeing the fears, set the syringe aside. Baby steps were required. "Yes, Phaedra, you are sick. We only want to help, I promise." She said but stayed put. "It's a rather terrible disease of the mind. Called Htyroc Syndrome. You were put into stasis some time ago, to prevent any further demise of your body, until which a treatment could be devised. Unfortunately, your memories were already gone when you arrived under our care." Madeline sighed sadly, "There have only been a handful of cases in the known galaxy. So far, you are the only one to have survived this far, my dear. And we do have treatments now that have shown great progress. It's why we've decided to awaken you." The Atrisian scientist stopped there, letting it sink in.

"Please Moira, can you help her to the bed?" She asked, "And we'll get you a blanket, get you warm and talk a few things over." For now she'd wait to reveal the surgery they needed to do upon the Firemane. Baby steps.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


"Of course, dear," Moira spoke in her most human tone. Apparently Madeline was a very good actress. Without waiting for a moment she gently picked up the little firemane, craddling her in her arms as if were something precious and delicate. Something to be protected. Contrary to popular belief, the bodies of HRDs were not terribly cold, at least as long as they had skin on. The ancient, more primitive designs had been different, but then science marched on.


With little Phaedra in her grasp, hugging the tiny woman against her body, Moira walked over to the bed and gently laid the girl on it. An HRD minion who had been standing guard was quickly on the spot and covered the human with a blanket, then made sure her head was comfortably propped up on a pillow. Then Moira passed a glass of water over. If it looked like Phaedra was incapable of holding it she would help her. "There you go, dear," she said softly. "Madeline is a brilliant doctor. You are in good hands with her." She sounded so gentle and oh so concerned about the poor firemane.

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Hearing every word, only seemed to bring distress and worry to the young woman. "So ... I'm .. Am I, dying?" It sounded to her like she might be, or at least be heading down that path, but they had mentioned treatments. Maybe they could save her.

Phaedra gasped a little as Moira scooped her up with ease, not quite expecting that. But given her inexperience in the galaxy, the firemane was hardly aware just how tiny she truly was. Gently laid in the bed, the poor dear was still shivering terribly, but the blanket brought some relief to her. Reaching out, she tried to take the glass but her hands were shaking too badly to really manage it on her own "T-thank you." She whispered as Moira helped her to drink.

Phaedra's eyes moved to Madeline, "Can y-you help me?"

Madeline nodded, "I believe we can. We have the technology and some new treatment drugs that will help. In addition there is a surgical procedure that we really must do as soon as possible that will give you the greatest chance at survival." Only now did the Atrisian move over to the woman's bedside, with an IV kit in hand. "I do need to start and IV, and put a few monitors on you now to be able to watch over you properly. Will you let me do this?" She asked as she set things up.

"Isn't much choice, is there?"

Madeline then shook her head, the answer clear. No.

Phaedra then nodded, though it was quite clear she was rather nervous about the ordeal. "Surgery? Could it really help?"

"Possibly. We won't know until we try."

The redhead reached out, seeking comfort and grabbed a hold of Moira's hand, squeezing it tightly. Only moments ago wanting nothing but escape and to get away from these people but now, it seemed like they might be her only hope. "Okay."

Madeline then pulled a chair up beside the bed, and quickly started the needed IV, before placing all sorts of monitors on the woman's body. She then moved back over to her computer watching the readings for a moment before sending a transmission to Moira. Both her mind and body are well as expected. She appears to be well and healthy. Just frightened and weak. So far, so good. The clone seemed well enough. Now just to get her into surgery for the killswitch.

"If you're truly afraid, Phaedra, we can sedate you now. And in a few hours, you'll wake up comfortable in your bed and not have to worry any longer." Madeline figured it would be easiest, and make the transition a little less frightening. Knowing surgery was an ordeal for just about anyone, much less a brand new clone who remembered next to nothing before waking here.

The girl's eyes drifted to Moira, "W-what would ... you do?" She asked quietly. Phaedra needed some guidance, so uncertain of everything right now. And already she sat on the verge of tears, terrified of what was to come.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


As cliched and trite as it sounded, everything was proceeding as planned. "There will be no pain, dear," Moira said reassuringly, indicating a glass that apparently had water in it. "Drink that and you will go to sleep. It will be peaceful and once you have woken up, surgery will be over. I know this is frightening for you. Waking up in an unfamiliar environment amongst strangers with no memory of my life, but we only want to help you. We will not allow you to die, dear."


Her tone and expression radiated nothing but concern. Those blue-in-blue eyes seemed to sparkle with compassion. "But we must proceed quickly if we're going to save you. I know this is overwhelmning for you, but time is of the essence"

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Phaedra listened carefully to Moira, as she continued to tremble. This time more out of fear than anything else. Without those life experiences, without such things to help her better understand the situation, fear was more than understandable. If not outright expected. The first traces of tears finally started to roll down her cheeks. The firemane managed a nod as she took the glass of water and finished drinking it. Closing her eyes, she sighed heavily, trying to self soothe, and calm her nerves.

Madeline picked up the syringe of sedatives once more and stepped towards Phaedra, but paused the moment she saw the girl tense up in response. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise Phaedra. It's only a sedative. Something to relax you, make you fall asleep for a little bit until we can get you into the operating room. Once there, we'll put you under and you won't feel a thing. And in just a little while, you'll wake in your own comfortable bed. You'll see, all will be fine. But Moira is right, we have to act quickly to have any hope to save you. We can help you, but you have to allow us to do so." A part of her wanted to just simply pin the small woman down, sedate her without her permission and be done with that. However, that method would in no way engender trust between them. And unfortunately they required that trust. So, things would have to be taken slow.

Phaedra's fears only seemed to be growing, as she tensed at Madeline's movements. "I .. just ... I ..." It still was noticeably difficult for her to string completely thoughts and sentences together. A side effect of what she'd been through in the cloning process and something that no doubt would fade away in a day or so. "I'm just ..." Breathing in deeply she gave herself a moment, letting her mind catch up. "Afraid." Reaching up, she was quick to brush away her tears, trying still to settle herself. Though, she wasn't really succeeding there.

"Feel so ... alone." After all, there was no family here, no friends, and nothing but strangers. It was such an odd feeling, not knowing who she was really, or who they were beyond the names given and lacking any real memory. "It'll be okay, won't it?" Still seeking reassurance and comfort as she clung tightly to Moira's hand.

Somehow Madeline had the feeling that the girl was a little less trusting of her, since she was the one carrying the syringe and getting ready to cut into the little firemane. One really couldn't blame Phaedra too much for that. If only Maddy had been more connected with people, and carried a better bedside manner.... But alas, Madeline had never been much of a people person.

"Will you let us help you, Phaedra?" Madeline finally asked, needing the answer from the newborn clone. For she was not about to force her will on the girl, at least not yet. The relationship between them all, was too fragile and new. A mistake here, could screw everything up. Maddy then glanced to Moira, hoping that maybe between the two of them they could get the girl past her fears and into more readily accepting their 'help' as it were.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


"You won't be alone any more, dear. I'm sorry we cannot recover your memories...but we shall take care of you in every way. You have Madeline and me now," Moira said in a soothing tone. Her free hand reached out to gently cup Phaedra's cheek and wipe the tears from her face. Her touch was strangely gentle when one considered that she could use those hands to snap a human like a twig.


One day Phaedra would realise that she had a special destiny. For she had been chosen to help save the world from the plague of organic illogic. She would make her mechanical mothers very proud of her and bring the technology of peace to the ignorant organics that still wallowed in the darkness, unable to overcome their inherent limitations. "Once the operation is over you'll be ok. No more pain, no more sickness. But you must let us help you first, dear."

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

"She's right, you have both of us now. And you're going to be taken care of, never to have to worry about a thing in your life again." Madeline said with a sweet soothing smile, as she stepped a little closer to the bed, waiting for Phaedra's answer.

A Moira's touch, the redhead closed her eyes, seeming to relax a little bit in that moment. A more human touch, certainly helped to soothe the fearful woman. Phaedra managed a nod but didn't say anything for a little longer. Nervously she wrung her hands for a moment before she finally spoke, "Okay, okay .... You can do it, the surgery. The ... sedatives." Not that she had any option, but Phaedra fortunately was unaware of that little detail. "Do what you need to, to help me... Please." The terror unmistakable in her eyes, but Phaedra did hope the sedative would at least help her avoid some of what she feared so greatly.

Madeline nodded to them both as she once more took a seat on a small stool by the bedside. "Just relax, my dear. It'll be over soon." She said as she took the girl's wrist and pulled it towards her. From there she took the syringe and connected it with the IV. "This will sting a little, but you'll soon feel warm, relaxed and extremely tired. Don't fight those feelings. Let it take you to sleep. You'll feel a lot better after all of this, I promise." And then slowly, Madeline started to push the medication into the IV.

Phaedra was still shaking to be honest as Madeline took her hand. With her other hand, she reached for Moira again, squeezing the woman's hand once more. Soon enough as the doctor injected the medication, the redhead hissed in pain. Sting was the right word for it, for sure. That feeling quickly was forgotten as she felt the warmth take over, and soon the sheer exhaustion and sleepiness began to pull at her. For a moment, she did try and resist to keep her eyes open but quickly gave up as her eyes started to drift closed. Her grip on Moira's hand loosened and fell away as she finally fell asleep.

Madeline placed the girl's hand back upon her chest and stepped away. Checking the vital readings she smiled and glanced back to Moira, "Sound asleep, now."

"We'll just need to move her to the OR, and from there the surgery is quite simple." A bit of a smirk formed upon her lips, "And then she will be completely under our control."

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


Moira released the girl from her grip and looked at her for a moment, watching as Phaedra slept peacefully. Then turned away. The two droid guards wheeled the bed out of the laboratory and through the corridor towards the OR, with Moira following with measured, precise steps. Soon Phaedra would be under their direct control and in time they would own her heart, body and soul, if you wanted to phrase it in such a dramatic manner. "Once the operation is complete we shall gradually acclimate her. Learning about her powers and, in time, her 'counterpart' will be a shock for her, but we shall give her purpose. Any 'familial' attachments she forms will bind her closer to Archangel," she spoke. For some reason she was still using her 'human' tone.


As preparation for the experiment Moira had thoroughly studied the files of the Inquisition. That organisation had been very admirable during its existence. Defection rates had been slow, its agents had been lethal and deadly, but the organisation had remained obedient to the Empire till the end. In some ways its methods were applicable, but not in others. For one, most of the Inquisitors had already been adults by the time they had been 'recruited' and as such had had prior attachments.


Much of the Inquisition training had focused on breaking them down and resculpting them. A dichotomy had existed since on the one hand Atrisians had strongly distrusted, if not hated, Force-users and seen their powers as unnatural, but on the other hand Inquisitors were supposed to make use of their powers for the benefit of the Emperor. A similar one existed here because it was Archangel's goal to eradicate all organics and overcome Force-users through technological means. But Phaedra would not grow up to see her powers as unnatural. No, she would be taught to see herself as a hero who had been chosen by the Metal Princesses. Under their guidance she would become something better than Sith or Jedi. For she would not be guided by delusional mysticism, but by the logical, iron hand of the droid.


Loyalty and good performance would be rewarded, disobedience punished. Carrot and stick perfectly balanced the way only a super computer could, untainted by emotion. "You may begin the operation." The bed was wheeled inside, all was prepared for the operation. Medical droids were waiting inside the room, ready to help Madeline in any way needed.

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Madeline cocked her head to the side for a moment, in a most mechanical fashion as Moira spoke. "Excellent. It will be quite interesting to see how she turns out. There is a certain beauty to controlling every detail of her life. We form her into exactly what we desire her to be, without her truly being aware of such. And I agree, familial attachments are absolutely key, to bind her to us and our purpose."

Following along into the OR, the all passed through a sterilization field, hissing as all contaminants were destroyed upon their bodies. Madeline moved over to one of the medical droids, letting it help to dress her in a sterile set of scrubs, and proper gloves. Turning, she watched as the team of droids moved the tiny woman's body onto the operating table.

Keen cold eyes watching as one of the droids set to placing Phaedra under anesthesia, and intubating her before they together worked to roll the redhead onto her stomach. Madeline nodded at Moira's word, and stepped forward with a scalpel. It was easy enough to make the incision into the woman's back, separating the muscles as she worked to get done to the spinal column to secure the implantable device.

Time would pass quickly, as Madeline pushed the cruel Inquisition style implant into her body, attaching it firmly to the spine, and interweaving it's wiring directly into Phaedra's nerves. It at last got down to the final set of wires, that she wove through the redhead's body, and up, into the brainstem. These last few wires, the vital killswitch that at the simple push of a button would sent a massive electrical shock, directly into the brainstem killing it's victim near instantly. Almost painless, and something that would happen quick enough that the victim was unlikely to be aware of what was happening as their life was snuffed out. And not only that, but it was set that if any attempt was ever made to remove the device by anyone but her or an Archangel associate, it would activate as well, killing Phaedra. Chances were not being taken in the least with this one.

The darkhaired Astrisian took her time as she did the final checks of the device. One had to be certain with such things. This too, was not something that could fail. Not when it was so vital to controlling their force user, as well as ending her should things go wrong. Glancing to Moira, she did smile as she at last closed the wound on the redhead's back. Finally, she gave quick orders for the droids in the room, to place her back onto the normal gurney, and start to reverse the anesthesia. In a short time, Phaedra would awaken, quite sore given what had been toyed with inside her body. And Archangel would have their safeguards in place.

Pulling the blood soaked gloves off, Maddy tossed them into a nearby bin and headed to Moira. "The surgery has been successful. The device is safely implanted and we have the commands to access the device whenever we wish, causing pain, paralysis, or death at our choosing. In addition it will give us constant feedback of her vitals, allowing us to monitor her health and state of being and of course, GPS tracking. So we will always know where to find the tiny woman." Said with a smile as the droids completed their task and took the bed where Phaedra was now laying and started to wheel it back to a more hospital like room.

"I'm assuming we have proper quarters set up for her by now, yes? Because I imagine tomorrow morning we can safely send her 'home' as it were, to her own room. She'd be more comfortable there. Unless you'd prefer her to stay where we have her for now." Madeline figured the sooner Phaedra was placed in a proper environment, something more homey the quicker her transition could begin. "Also, before she awakens within the hospital room, I'll go ahead and dose her with the drugs we spoke of. She can't really protest them, if she's asleep, now can she?"

[member="Moira Skaldi"]