Private The Cold Laboratory

[Maerae Verdan]

Ship:
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Seras Goto

Odacer-Faustin was a cold, desolate world not suited to intelligent life. Heavy snow blanketed the world, so thick it rose to the waist in some places. Harsh winds buffeted the the terrain, strong enough to topple heavy walkers on the plains. Tall jagged mountains reached into the sky, stretched out like fingers trying to touch the clouds. Storms blew year round it seemed, making visibility a serious issue no matter where one might be on the world.

All in all, it was a dangerous place to establish any sort of colony. So, naturally, the Sith had established an academy there.

Al-Khālī clung to one of the jagged spire-like mountains, braced on durasteel supports, with walls so slick and smooth that no mere human could have scaled them. As Maerae spied the structure through the shuttle's viewport, she found herself secretly relieved that she hadn't been expected to attempt to scale the mountain to gain entrance. She was always up to a challenge, and she seethed at the idea of being coddled.

But even she wasn't arrogant enough to think she could survive the climb in this weather. To say nothing of breaching the defenses and actually getting past the wall.

As a mere Acolyte, that might have been expected of her: do it the hard way, or die trying. But as Darth Strosius 's newly minted Apprentice she enjoyed certain luxuries—like arriving by shuttle—provided that they were used sparingly, and not as a crutch to avoid any true trials or tests of her abilities. Not that Maerae would have accepted such a crutch anyhow: to take a shortcut was unworthy of any who would call themselves Sith.

As the shuttle lowered itself down to the landing platform, Maerae left her standing position in the cockpit and moved to the back of the vessel. The ship touched down, and the ramp descended. Moments later, Maerae's boots thudded against the metal ramp as she exited the shuttle, unsure of what or who she would be greeted by.

 

[Seras Goto]

Maerae Verdan

The academy and medical lab was many thing... it rarely trained anyone not looking to be a doctor or medic which among sith was a rarity... so fresh recruits were.... rare. The shuttle arriving as the weather control stations in the mountains lessened the storms to make a path and its cloaking field stayed down for the moment. Dozens of turrets and weapons trained to follow it arriving and the area around the landing platform was filled with more scanners and sensors. Medical Corps personnel standing there in the sleek armored uniforms that were sealed and gleamed. SOldiers in sealed armor with additional protection in key areas and bulkier to prevent chewing.

"Proceed to processing and cleaning. Anything foreign will need sterilization, ensure anything infectious is noted, open wounds, fever. Report anything odd right away. Biological research is conducted here. We do not want temple or ships being infected without control." THe one said it and stood there... both looking at and past the woman and ship. The lower levels filled with researchers in their armored suits as they experimented on reanimated parts of infected. Seras in her pressure chamber where she could work without the mechanical suit and the Garhoons body was a mass of scars, burns and melted flesh. Facial muscles a sinister visage as the cheeks were melted and barely connected.

"Visitors Doctor." The voice from the droid came outside and she looked up from the table. their test on Hetzel prime had given many results but done were as beneficial as this one. The jedi encountered had stopped the drengir attack partially.. so the body was half drained in areas and half alive as the man was begging for something for the pain. THe muscles in his arm dried and husk like as the skin pressed into the nerves and the blood vessels were constricted. He was in constant pain there and in his neck which was much the same.

"Visitors..." THe voice came out with a hiss as golden eyes looked up at a screen to show her and she was moving to the alcove in the chamber. Her chest plate and mask being afixed to her for a moment with a hiss and her breathing came out mechanical for a moment as the chamber opened into another with one around the table closing. Decontamination lights working as they were made to sterilize the air and surfaces but would leave the man and her alive. It was the best way so far to decontaminate and prevent spreading of it as she walked to the lift. The airlocks and seals being done as each section had its own scanners and pressurized sections.... slower but again mean to keep spreading to a minimum.

While in the courtyard the open area was mostly deceptive.. the main tower was gone.. the buildings were converted to various needs and walking around in it were droids monitoring and patrolling to seek out any signs of something trying to get in or out. The central statue with three faces on it serving like a statue of a sith but the faces were different. One full, one half covered and one completely covered juust barely seeing the jawline but the head would look down and follow ones who walked by. THe medical corp doctors motioning to stay away from the kudzu like plants growing that tried to grab at thing coming near. "In the larger patches there are the 87th Drengir Combat Unit."

He saaid it as the lift finally arrived and Seras stood there coming out with the wind tossing the black hair to the side. Her eyes were tracking and looking at everything she could see. "Welcome to Al-Khālī."

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Ship:
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: @whomever 120%

"Understood."

Maerae was directed to processing and cleaning, something she didn't argue with. Her knowledge of medicine and biology were limited, but she understood the need for a place like this to be sterile and free of risk of contamination. And she herself didn't particularly want to catch any strains of any virus they might be developing here.

She'd had only just become a true Sith Apprentice. She would not die because of some alien bug in her system.

When she was clean and the staff had deemed her sterile enough to enter the facility proper, Maerae was shown to the turbolift, and instructed to wait. She took a moment to eye her surroundings, which felt sufficiently alien to her. But then, she had grown up on Nar Shaddaa, where the only thing that wasn't alien was the metal structure of the ecumenopolis.

This world, and this academy, were nothing like that. They were far cleaner too, naturally. The statue that tracked her movements was interesting, but as always, Maerae kept her face impassive. It was far harder to get a read on her emotions when she controlled herself, and she had no intention of coming off as a wide-eyed child in a candy store.

When the lift arrived at last, Maerae was greeted with who she knew to be this academy's facilitator. She knew little of the Sith Lord Seras Goto, outside of her name and her reputation for being... something of a butcher. It did fall in line with Sith teachings, however. Maerae refused to allow herself to feel fear in the woman's presence, even as inhuman breathing sent chills down her spine.

It would not do to show weakness. Ever.

"My Lord," Maerae bowed reverently, "you honor me with your presence. Thank you for receiving me on such short notice."

 

[Seras Goto]

Maerae Verdan

Her eyes watched the woman and she smiled under the mask. It reaching her eyes but she only served to look more predatory in some of it. MOtioning that she can follow her along the path. The interior would be a lot more scans and checkpoints for contamination. She looked over one of the areas of the garden. "We are always welcomed to receive fresh meat." She saaid it and motioned her forward. "Tell me child... what do you think we do here?" An academy was vague... a medical temple sounded like something the jedi would haave... and healing and recovery benefitted anything if done right... but she was curious of what this woman thought they had here. The Academy was now off star charts generally and no one came here.

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Ship:
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Seras Goto

Lord Seras's words were cryptic, and eerie, but Maerae did not allow them to frighten her. She had not come to be cowed. She had come for knowledge, and to expand the breadth of her skills, if such a thing were possible. She had no idea if she possessed any talent in the medical arts—few Sith were capable of such a thing—but she owed it to the Order to find out.

To ensure that the Sith Order prevailed... that was all that mattered.

"I must admit my ignorance," Maerae answered easily, "I know you study and practice the medical arts here, but little else. I imagine you also deal with producing plagues, or the vaccines to such plagues. Biological warfare is not something we Sith shy away from."

She said it in a calm and composed voice, as always. Maerae had no use for anger, fear, or malicious intent—not until she took the field of battle. Until then, she was cool and professional, as was her natural state of being.

 

[Seras Goto]

Maerae Verdan

"Knowledge of ones ignorance is the first step." She said it and standing there moved towards the walls and waited. Looking out over the gap between the mountain that they had created. "Watch." She said it and stayed there for a moment looking out as the snow continued to blanket the mountain pass and slowly it appeared.... first one and then three and then a larger thing. "Explorers, smugglers.. one who wanted to use this worlds isolation and remoteness for their own gains... they discovered the first infected on the world who are still out there preserved and seeking something warm to eat." She said it as they screamed and it came from half torn throats.

""We study biological weapons, for warfare and at times having the means to counter them should someone else seek to match us. We teach medical skills for both healers and doctors who can apply them were needed and we research ways to make use of those conquered. Not all are of a benefit and sometimes people are needed to disappear... or at times vanish for a week and come back marking whatever rebel network they use." She remained there on the wall as one of the thing lunged at them and the gap got the better of it. Falling into the struts that had been sharpened and smooths as the impact seemed to slice it in several different pieces on the way down.

"We can teach you a great many things but this is not a sith court.. this academy relies on each being smarter then the others. More controlled and careful, being reckless with your procedures to decontaminate can lead to a flash purge of the facility which will destroy most test subjects." She looked now to make sure she understood what could be the weight of it... hundreds of researchers and their projects gone with likely one person to blame. "And... "She said it with a mechanical hiss of her rebreather. "All have paid their pound of flesh, given a goal that could be done. We just returned with data from Hetzel and have seen drengir seeds placed in food going to the deeper core worlds. Drengir that we have command of at the root mind."

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Ship:
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Seras Goto

Maerae watched with a stoic expression, as Seros showed her true horror. The screams of the infected. Even as the... thing lunged at them, on the wall as they were, the young Acolyte did not flinch. Her eyes merely trailed it as it fell to its death.

This was a horrifying, terrible world. But Maerae was already beginning to understand that it had its uses. The Sith believed in harsh trials; believed that struggle and strife made one strong, and they were right. For as wretched as this world, and even this academy seemed to be, they fell perfectly in line with Sith doctrine. This was a place useful to the Order, even if it was one that Maerae would have preferred to avoid.

There was power to be gained here.

"I understand," Maerae commented, "this facility is a boon to the Order, but maintaining and running it efficiently is also a balancing act. All it takes is one fool to undo everything."

Flash purges probably meant weeks, if not months, of progress either destroyed or halted. Maerae was no fool. She understood what the punishment for such a thing would be. She was a quick study, and she was clever, but she had to be more than that—she had to be wise.

 

[Seras Goto]

Maerae Verdan

It was impressive, she didn't flinch... never fail to acknowledge something good. That she seemed to understand the gravity of it helped as well... made the need to say failing and leading to damage would make them the next subject to preserve what information is there. She nodded going from it and leading the way into one of the other structures. Pod beds arraigned in rows that were being used to monitor as droids went through. "The barracks, where all sleep and are monitored for sickness that might not show. The pods circulate their own air and will lockdown to prevent spread of infection."

She said it while walking down the line and an airlock at the end was being cycled while she stood there and motioned for her to get in. The doors sealing and sonic scrubbers making everything look clean and almost brand new. Last checks from small probes with some drops of blood. Eventually opening into the lift as it proceeded to go down into the outer areas. Large rows of different creatures from around the galaxy. In twos. "We experiment with different distribution, usually with pairs. NOrmal means like airborne inhalation or ingestion or contact. The other is injection directly. Depending on rate of infection we will know the best means to deliver."

She looked at more of it and the lift stopped. "Murakama flowers, rakghouls, technobeasts are some of the samples we have and test here. The drengir provie cultivation as they can regrow organic parts faster then some. We have had success with hybridization from the process. Prisoners taken from attacks and raids serve well enough for subjects and different species allows us to test the use. We have been developing a strain og bota's mutagenic properties for the various species to alter them."

 

[Maerae Verdan]

Ship:
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Seras Goto

Maerae had no intention of becoming the next test subject to grace these halls. So, she would have to be a quick study, and she would have to exercise caution. She had never been particularly good at that last part, but her time in these halls would be the perfect opportunity to learn. Either she would adapt, or she would die, as was the way of the Sith.

Lord Seros led her to some sort of airlock, likely meant for decontamination. When her better bid that she enter it, Maerae did so without hesitation. An Apprentice knew to obey those above her, and as she had yet to displease Seros, there was no reason to be suspicious about what was being asked of her.

Once Seros had deemed her sufficiently sterile, Maerae was led to some of the test subjects that the Sith Lord was experimenting with.

"Ah. Experimenting with the transmission of diseases, to see what is a more effective way to spread a plague."

Seeding such illnesses on worlds they meant to conquer... Maerae could understand how that would make conquering them easier. But, once the world was theirs, then what? Then they'd have a diseased world with a plague ridden population. That was of no use to the Sith. Perhaps, then, the plagues were meant to be more targeted. At individuals, or small groups, not an entire world.

"Interesting. We could kill an entire cruiser with these plagues, all without ever activating a lightsaber."

 

[Seras Goto]

Maerae Verdan

"Yes and with the nanogenes from technobeasts being researched we can develop a killswitch within. Something to end the plague once it reached critical mass and tipped the world to be ours. Survivors would be in shambles if targeting goes well at leaders and heads of their government. Food supplies and infrastructure." She said it as the lift finished and opening into another airlock to repeat the process. "These labs are for the early development, to teach the ones who come here. They will serve you for now." She said it after another round of decontaminations and checking. THe hallway lined with additional airlocks and turrets able to cover several directions. Areas of the floor lined with squares off color. "Mashers and security turrets, flame throwers and most importantly heavy gravity that will immobilize." She said it while walking forward and into one of the observation rooms. "You are going to need proper attire. There are uniforms for this. THe droids will put it on and check the seals before you are admitted into the room." She said it and indicated the Medical Corp Armor that was in a case with lighting.