General of Signa-Ki RND
Linn didn't smile back. She simply handed over a slim datapad — Andrew's profile. Combat footage. Known weaknesses. A brief visual log of his last six purchases — including the exact brand of synthleather boots Sommer wears.
"He cannot reach Sommer before the impression completes.
If you fail, I will erase your name from every system — and bury what's left of you next to the prototypes."
And she stepped into the hall — walking not as a soldier, but as a whisper in heels, a smirk behind mirrored glass."Then I won't fail."
His jaw clenched."Andrew, relax… I'm safe. Just business. Let her help you until I'm done. I'll be out soon."
"You're sure she's alright?"
"You said Sommer's alright," he muttered, arms crossed over his chest. "Then why keep me away from her?"
"Because you matter just as much in this," she said gently. "Sommer… is special. I get it. She's a pillar. A storm wrapped in perfume and silk. But do you really believe she'd throw herself into a venture this large — Signa-Ki — without laying groundwork first? Without considering you?"
She tapped the datapad beside her, letting it glow subtly between them — schematics, neuron-responsive armaments, hybridized slicer tools, and unnamed experimental Force-resistant armor designs flickered past."You weren't brought here as a bystander. You were brought here as her partner. You have a brilliant mind, Andrew Lonek. You built your own power — from smoke, steel, and backroom fire. You've got more pull in Nar Shaddaa's underworld than most realize… and an instinct for tech that's hard to match. We'd be foolish not to explore what you could offer."
"The illusion you saw earlier?" she asked, voice softening. "It wasn't meant to punish. It was an evaluation. A resistance stress test."
"You know what the Jedi are capable of. Mind probing. Gaslighting. Emotional invasion. You've seen it firsthand, haven't you?"
"We needed to ensure your neural profile could withstand manipulation. And you passed. Barely. But you passed."
"That makes you… viable."
"To help develop countermeasures. To help protect people like Sommer. Like yourself. Like the rest of us."
Her breath whispered just beside his ear now."You could be part of a movement that finally rewrites the rules of Force dominance in the galaxy."
"We don't want to change you, Andrew. We want to use what you already are."
But then—"You are the architect of your own crown, Sommer Dai. All we are doing is polishing the jewels."
"You are calm. You are in control. You are loved by your patrons. You serve a greater plan."
But Sommer blinked. Not slowly—deliberately. The Dahlia was trying to smooth her like silk over wire."You are ours."
She turned to the mirrored wall across from her. The lights flickered."You want my mind," she murmured, aloud. "Then let's see if you can handle what's really in there."
"I'm not your doll," she whispered. "I'm not your clone. And I will not be your f***ing flower."
"She's resisting."
"Should we increase the neurological blend dosage? Or restart the imprint from segment one?"
"No," she finally said. "If we push harder, she'll break the loop entirely."
"We knew this could happen," she said. "She carries resistance. That's why the Dahlia must take root slowly. Like a wine… or a tumor."
"Initiate Protocol Bramble."
"No," Linn said. "Not yet. First, I want to test her self-perception index."
"Feed her a false success sequence. Let her think she's breaking through. Unlock the observation door remotely, and program the next chamber to resemble the Gilded Veil. Complete with dancers. A stage. Mirrors. Her office. Let her feel home."
"Then we watch."
"Then we remind her of the night she begged the dark for power," Linn said coldly. "We flood her with the pain that built her."
"And we let the thing she used to be come to the surface. Broken things are always easier to guide."
There was her stage."What…"
But her body betrayed her. Muscle memory took over. Her hand ran across the bannister leading to the upper lounge. Her fingers knew the grooves."No," she whispered. "This isn't right."
She stepped closer."What is this…?"
The silhouette rose."This is manipulation," she snapped. "This isn't mine."
Suddenly mirrors surrounded her again — warping and multiplying the figure a thousand times over."Isn't it, though?" it murmured.
Her chest ached — memories bleeding at the edges."You built this from nothing. But it was always a mask, Sommer. All glamour. All teeth. All fire in your eyes, but no spine in your shadow."
The projection flickered again — now showing Sommer bleeding from the eyes, just like Zori Galea, whispering:"This is my club," she growled.
A scream built in her throat.You wanted to be me, didn't you? You wanted power. And you begged for it. It heard you.
Her reflection flickered again — and for a moment, the images stilled."You can show me whatever you want," she snarled at the projection. "But you can't make me forget who I had to become to build it."