Private Unprecedented Development

[Liin Terallo]

The dream was shifting. At first I was painting a flowery field; before I ended up being in the field. Yet instead of everything looking lifelike; my surroundings appeared as though I was within my painting itself. But a strange thing started happening. The air was solidifying like the ground. I could not see it. But I could feel it. I tried to run, but it came from all directions; moving towards me as though it was hunting me.

And then it had me. An invisible field of solidized air wrapped tightly around me like an overly weighted blanket.

In my panic I woke up, fearful that I could suffocate. My eyes snapped open; and what I saw was far different than what I had expected. The panic that I had before wakening returned, for I found myself within a strange room, tethered to the air by some kind of tractor beam. Looking down at my arms and feet, I can see them bounded by ropes of energy.

I have never been in this kind of situation before. Had some bounty hunters captured me? I try to recall the moments before the dream came, but I cannot. Nothing was out of the ordinary and that scared me.

All that I can hope is that this is all still a part of the dream, that I have not yet woken up from.

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Fear sharpens the mind but blinds the heart.​

Location: It's a Secret
Objective: Interrogate
Tags: Liin Terallo


Daxium sat in a chair within the holding room, motionless, a dark silhouette against the sterile light. His isopnous yellow eyes never left the woman slumped across from him, still unconscious from the drugs he had administered. He showed no impatience, no fidgeting, no restless shifts of weight. He waited with the unnatural stillness of a predator that knew its prey could not escape.


His tall, muscular frame remained relaxed, almost casual, yet there was nothing human in the way he watched her. Minutes bled into hours. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.

At last, his eyes narrowed just slightly. The only movement he had made since sitting down.

She was waking.

He observed the subtle changes as consciousness returned: the tightening of her brow, the shallow hitch of breath. Confusion surfaced first, followed swiftly by fear. Emotions flickered across her face like reflections in broken glass. He studied each one with the same cold, calculating intensity, unmoved by her dawning panic. For the moment, she hadn't noticed him—too focused on the wrongness of the room, the restraints, the unanswered questions racing through her mind.

Then he spoke.

"You're awake."

The words slid from him in a low hiss, barely more than an exhale. His lips scarcely moved, his posture never softened. The statement was not a greeting, nor a threat, just an observation.

And now, she would see him.

 

[Liin Terallo]

The sudden sound of a voice shifted my focus immediately to it's source. How I did not notice him before now daunted me. But I had to push that observation aside and focus on the matter at hand. And the amount of questions that began to pile up were many.

"Who are you? Where am I?" One look at his eyes told me that he was one of those Force Wizards. But that still did not help to clarify things. Most people were Force Wizards. And either he was a bounty hunter, or a member of the Black Sun itself, or he was after my research in some manner. People tended to split into two different sides when it came to my research; they either wanted to end it or to exploit it. And at this moment I was unsure of just where he sat in the equation.

Regardless, I did what I believe that most people would do in my situation. I tried to move against the restraints that tethered me, feeling for some kind of glimmer of hope that I could get myself free. However I have never been a strong person physically. I am just barely at average, I think. I have not exactly had time for athletics.

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Stillness is not peace; it is preparation.​

Tags: Liin Terallo

"Who are you? Where am I?"

He sat forward in his chair and tilted his head to the side, studying her. "My name is Daxium. We are on Nar Shaddaa." His voice was toneless, as if he was simply supplying facts and information to her, which, to be fair, he was. He had chosen the planet specifically for this interaction. Above all, Dax was a calculating individual, and he knew how to put people in a situation where their backs were against the wall, promising the results he wanted.

"We are going to discuss your research. If you behave, then I will make certain you get off this planet without a bounty hunter finding you."

He watched her with his jaw set.

 

[Liin Terallo]

We are on Nar Shaddaa? I certainly hope not. But I could not see anything beyond this room in order to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. We could be elsewhere for all I knew; with the mention of being within Black Sun territory being used as an intimidation tactic.

I stared at the man that sat in front of me. His face gave the expression of confidence; as though he had done this kind of thing dozens of times before.

"And who do you work for?" I can imagine him working for the Imperials. But he could be a part of a government that I am unaware of. I have been so focused on my own research that I have hardly taken notice of what was going on in the Galaxy at large.

I made no attempt to scream or to call out for help. In a closed room my voice would only be muted.

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Compassion fades when certainty takes its place.​

Tags: Liin Terallo

"And who do you work for?"

His toxic yellow eyes narrowed, not at the question she asked, but at the questions he wanted answered. This was not her interrogation to steer, and he was not a man known for patience when crossed.

"I don't work for anybody."

The words were flat, unblemished. The truth, in its simplest form. He stood alone in this galaxy.

A pause followed, deliberate and heavy.

"Have you decided," he continued with the merest hint of a growl in his voice, "whether you intend to cooperate?"

 

[Liin Terallo]

I rose my eyebrows in surprise as he claimed to not work for anybody. Perhaps he just wanted my research to sell on the Underground market. I could not have that. I could not afford to let anymore of my research be released to the public than what already was. At least some of the information out there was fake.

"I will cooperate." Yet I had no intention of cooperating fully. He did not look the type to know enough about microbiology to know of whether or not I am telling the truth. I just need to make it sound like the truth. And that should be good enough.

"What part of my research do you want to discuss?"

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Power reveals what patience conceals​

Tags: Liin Terallo

"I willd cooperate."

Daxium nodded his head once to indicate he heard her. He of course, did not trust her, but he was pleased she at least understood the situation enough to realize he was in charge of it. Daxium was a dominate, cold, and calculating individual but he was not someone who relished in violence. He had no problem using it if needed, he just didn't go out of his way to cause it. It was a means to an end for the man, not a source of joy like some Sith he had met.

"What part of my research do you want to discuss?"

"These synthetic... abilities..." He tasted the word in his mouth and frowned at the weak description. "How do they work? Do you need to inject yourself each time you want to use them? If I let you down now would you be able to use them against me?"

His tone held no fear or concern for his safety, it was merely a question.

He fell silent, his intense gaze watching her for a response. As he waited he noticed the lines of her chin, her slim neck, and the way her hair fell in ringlets. She was an attractive woman, which made her choice of profession puzzling. Gorgeous women could easily get a free ride in the galaxy just because of their looks, and yet she had chosen to study and make something of herself. He didn't quit understand the motivations behind most people and his brow creased in puzzlement at the thought.

 

[Liin Terallo]

My eyebrows lifted in surprise at his first question. I could not imagine of such a limited serum. But perhaps that is how it was made in the past, which could be why it is not something that is so widely produced.

"No, the effects last longer than that. But the exact duration is so far unknown." The isotope-5 within the serum is what gave it extra longevity. But for how long that will be is uncertain.

Now in response to his second question; I wanted to chuckle to myself, but refrained from doing so. The very idea that I would lash out an attack someone was positively absurd. It certainly was not how I was raised. And he looked more than capable to defend himself. I rarely even carry a weapon on me. "I am not a threat. And I do not know of the extent of the abilities. Only that they have consequences when used." It is not as though I have had any sort of training, or have anyone to learn from. This is new territory.

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Tags: Liin Terallo

No, the effects last longer than that. But the exact duration is so far unknown.

He nodded, his lips pressed together in a thin line as she spoke. He had heard of serums that temporarily increased abilities, but the rumors were her research was different. Based on her explanation it certainly seemed so.

I am not a threat. And I do not know of the extent of the abilities. Only that they have consequences when used.

He watched for silently for a long moment, his toxic eyes staring at her throat. Her pulse wasn’t racing in the way most humans did when they lied. She seemed sincere enough.

“I want you to look at a sample for me. I am going to let you down. If you try to run I’ll break both your legs.”

He spoke with a disinterested precision. Threatening her again was not something he relished in, nor was it something he shied away from. It was just the way to get things done.

He stood up fluidly, his towering frame seeming to expand and fill more of the room. Daxium was tall and broad, more noticeably so when he stood. He turned slightly and grabbed a pair of thick black gloves, which he put over his hands, covering every inch of bare skin there.

He walked towards the keypad controlling the field that kept her suspended in air, moving surprisingly graceful for his large size. He entered the keys and the field flickered off. Daxium held his hands up, ready to catch her if she stumbled in the shock as she returned to gravity.

 

[Liin Terallo]

Whether he believed me or not for any of my responses; I could not tell. And the way that he stared at me did not give me any level of comfort. There was no hate there; only something else that I could not put a name on.

Curiosity rose as he spoke of some sample that he wanted me to look over. I cannot quite imagine what it would be, other than it having something to do with the synthetic force, but I could be wrong. "Alright."

The open threat to break my legs was also unpleasant. And I had a feeling that he meant it. Although I have never once suffered from a broken bone; I was not about to change that now.

I held my breath as he turned the device off, hoping that I would be able to catch myself once gravity was restored. But I did not. I gasped as I fell forward, grabbing onto his outstretched hands. "Thank you." My balance was not yet restored from whatever it was that he had drugged me with. I still cannot recall how I had come to be in his possession to begin with. "May I have some water, please?" The question was not a part of some ploy, but of a need.

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Tags: Liin Terallo

His hands were surprisingly gentle when he caught her, almost like he was afraid he’d break her if he wasn’t absolutely careful. Daxium did not have much experience with physical contact. His toxic skin and blood meant that he had to keep a safe distance from others. He was also a loner so he wasn’t drawn to people to begin with.

May I have some water, please?

He nodded once, and stretched his arm out, inviting her to walk beside him towards a back room where he had a microscope set up and a refrigeration unit. As they walked he hovered, careful not to touch her but ready to catch her if she fell. The drugs might take a while to wear off and the thirst was probably due to them as well.

She was surprisingly agreeable to his demands, though that could be just because of his tactics. It had never occurred to the man to simply ask her for a meeting. Two decades of brutal training at the hand of his mistress had ruined those socially polite thoughts.

When they reached the other room he opened the fridge unit and pulled out a bottle of water. It was sealed tight so no trace of drugs or contaminants. He would have drank some of it to prove this, but his saliva would probably kill her, which despite his methods was something he did not want to do. Death was another means to an end, not a source of joy.

As he handed her the bottle, carefully making as little contact with her skin as he could he turned his head, curiously watching her.

“Do you prefer Miss Terallo or Doctor Terallo?”

His tone was even. It was just more information he was collecting, rather than a true interest in her. Though she was interesting. Her meekness, her submissiveness, it was difficult for him to understand.

 

[Liin Terallo]

Well at least his grip was gentle. I let him lead me on the walk, keeping my pace slow. I did not allow for too much distance to seperate us just in case he thought that I would try to run.

Right now I had no reason to try. So far there was nothing that I have lost outside of my freedom. I can only hope that it will not be for long. But that could change if he tried to get me to divulge secrets about my research. I can only hope that that was not what this is about.

I took the offered bottle in hand and opened it. And as I drank from it I also saw him studying me. The fact that he wore gloves the moment before he freed me was curious. Perhaps he was one of those types that was a germaphobe. That in and of itself was not unusual.

I took another sip before responding to his question. "Miss Terallo is fine. I do not carry any titles anymore. I gave those up some time ago. I just work for myself now. And I hope to keep it that way." The last thing that I need is to be forced to work for some company or government. I can imagine that that is what my bounty is for.

"What sort of sample do you need me to look at? And why?" I needed those answers, for I cannot rely on guesswork.

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Tags: Liin Terallo

He nodded at her preference for ‘Miss’ though he was a bit confused by it. From what he had seen in the galaxy people were reluctant to let go of titles that made them feel special. Or maybe that was just the Jedi. His nostrils flared ever so slightly as he thought of them.

What sort of sample do you need me to look at? And why?

“It is a skin tissue sample.” He folded his hands behind him while she drank, his calculating eyes never leaving her face.

“I assume that with the ability to grant the Force the next logical step is the ability to take it away. The blood sample I have here is being transformed by the midichlorians inside it. The transformation makes the skin deadly. Or perhaps if this synthetic Force would accomplish the same.”

He reached over and grabbed a box of gloves and sat them down next to the microscope where the sample was already on a slide waiting for her.

“I just want to know if you thought removing the Force… or lowering the midichlorian count in the blood…. would reverse the tissues toxicity.”

Other scientist had already looked and told him they did not feel this was likely or possible. Perhaps it wasn’t. Or perhaps it just required a long drawn out study by anybody who had a clue on what to do with it.

 

[Liin Terallo]

Every movement that I make; he appears to study me. It is if I myself am under a microscope. That does not make feel at all comfortable. Instead it only draws the walls surrounding me closer together.

I had a dream once where a shadowy figure ones told me that I was not creating the Force within my lab; but instead a cage. A cage where I will be forced into. At first I had thought that dream to be a whole lot of nothing. But now I see it for what it was; an omen.

I set down the glass of water and pick out a pair of gloves from the box. Sliding them on I realize that they are a little too big for me. The fingertips extend beyond my own, and in such a way that would almost look comical. But they are better than none at all; especially if I am dealing with toxins.

I peer into the microscope, adjusting the lens so that the sample is in focus, speaking as I did so. "I am not yet at that level of my research. I am still working on studying it's effects on the tissue at the molecular level. I have not heard of anyone becoming toxic from it. Perhaps your body treats it like a virus? That is my first guess." A thought came to mind, and so I peered up at him from the microscope. "Are the effects still the same when you are around a ysalamiri?"

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Even light casts shadows

​

Tags: Liin Terallo

She was observant and logical, deducing that it was his own tissue she was staring at under the microscope, based on the careful way he avoided physical contact and wore long gloves. He frowned, finding that he didn't like the feeling of someone knowing too much about him. Daxium had never had any true intimacy of any kind, other than with his twin, with whom he shared a Force dyad, so to have someone else know him was unsettling.

"The Ysalamiri do weaken the toxins, but they do not remove them completely. I tried to keep one on my person... but the toxins killed it."

She had said she was not that close in her research yet, which he had suspected might be the case. The question was whether he could let her go and continue her research, and promise to call her later?

"If you had more time to work... do you believe you will discover more about the molecular level effects?"

 

[Liin Terallo]

The toxins killed the yslamiri? That is not all that surprising. Immunity only lasts for so long afterall, before an adaption on either side is made. Viruses and infections always mutate. I may not have gone into the medicinal field, but these kinds of things are a part of harvesting healthy and viable biomolecules on New Cov.

I stood up straight as he asked about whether or not more time could be helpful. Was this an urgent matter? I can only assume that it was, for why else would I be kidnapped?

"Time is what I ask for from everyone. Proper results are never instantaneous. Lasting results never are either." I picked up the bottle of water and took another sip. "I will need to go back to my laboratory. We both do not need the Black Sun to come knocking. "

Tag: Daxium Ryiah

 

[Daxium Ryiah]

Conviction can be louder than truth.​

Tags: Liin Terallo

"I will need to go back to my laboratory. We both do not need the Black Sun to come knocking. "

Daxium eyed her for a long moment, his calculating mind considering the possibilities. She was the first scientist not to shy away from his demands or to tell him that it would be impossible to do as he asked. That in itself was enough to give her more time to finish her research. He wouldn't dare to hope, for it wasn't his style, but at least he saw an option in the bleak future.

"You've kept your end of the bargain. I will make sure you get back to your laboratory safely. Perhaps the next time we meet, you will be further along in your research."

It was difficult to keep the threat out of those words, despite how calm he sounded. The truth was, he would look her up in the future, and what he would find would determine the next steps.

The End​