Private A Matter of Perspective

[AMCO]

Slowly but surely, she was shifting to his way of viewing things. He was still a Sith and she a Jedi, but for now he had her trust.

Best not waste it.

Nodding amiably at her approval, his razor-sharp mind was already churning through concepts, discarding some and tinkering with others. "You mentioned you were a healer, no? Focused primarily on the Force as opposed to displays of physical prowess? I can work with that, certainly." Like most of his kind, he had never had much of an aptitude for healing... but the shaping of living flesh was an entirely different matter.

In the end, however, the concept was fairly similar - mix in a little something learned from the Voss Mystics and voila.

"I would, of course, need a sample of your DNA to make it as compatible as possible..." Smiling wickedly, the Sith Lord proceeded to offer his rather unusual reassurances. "... and just in case you start thinking this is all some sort of nefarious ploy to get my hands on your genetic material, I can think of at least half a dozen ways I could have gotten my hands on it without your knowledge, most prominently..."

Nodding meaningfully downward, his tone was dry. "... that glass of water."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

“That’s right. If you could actually find a way to enhance that, then…” She trailed off in reverie. The concept became all the more enticing now that it was nearly within grasp. If Sith Alchemy could truly achieve something so, as she saw it, inherently good, then what other benefits could it contain? He just might make a believer out of this Jedi yet.

The mention of DNA collection brought her back down to reality. Every time it seemed the Sith Lord had her fully on board, something else came up that made Amani second guess it. But, his words rang true, even if his method of reassurance was rather discomforting. “Fair enough…” She followed his gaze down to the glass of water when he pointed it out, “So, is there a ‘preferred method’ of yours for getting it? Hair? Saliva? ...Blood?” Amani looked over to her right hand, involuntarily drumming her fingers anxiously against the counter. She sounded nervous, but in truth was prepared to quite readily give up just about whatever was needed at this point.

 

[AMCO]

Her interest was all but palpable - for the arm, perhaps even for the strange science that would bring it into being.

Excellent.

"Oh, I am sure I can - I have completed far more challenging projects in the past."

Transitioning to yet another obstacle, the Sith Lord was fully prepared to relent on this particular request; it was not that it would not improve the finished product, but given certain Sith (cough Darth Carnifex cough)'s predilection towards nonconsensual cloning, he did not imagine the average Jedi to be particularly interested in parting with such samples.

Once again, however, the Mirialan proved than she was anything but average.

"Excellent - and whatever medium makes you most comfortable, really, though I suppose blood would be optimal." He would certainly be able to arrange something very quickly indeed, given that he owned the company that owned the company that owned Euphoria.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

“Right. Like I said I’ll trust you.” It would not be unfair to say that Amani was somewhat naive. Being cooped up in a Jedi temple for most of one’s young life can do that to a person. Though lately, life had thrown much at her, and she had taken part in many things that one her age should not exactly have to. She still had much to experience, but she was not stupid. The potential problems that came with giving up her DNA to a questionable party such as this did cross her mind. But this was a decision made out of desperation.

And no small amount of intrigue.

“Blood it is, then.” Amani looked down at her arms one more time, one flesh, the other metal. Was she really going through with this? A deal with a devil? Some Jedi might call it as such, but she didn’t see it that way. At this moment, Amani was not a jedi, she was just a girl who wanted to be whole again. And really, she didn't see Adrian as much of a Sith right now either. “I don’t imagine the bartender would look too kindly to me making a blood sacrifice on his counter,” She lifted her palm up lazily, looking at the faint traces of veins underneath the skin, "When can we start?" A soft smile crept across her lips.

 

[AMCO]

Trust was not something he had expected from a Jedi, but it was a pleasant enough development - where some Sith would have seen this most recent development as an opportunity for some good old fashioned exploitation, Adrian was far more civilised.

Did that mean he wouldn't gently nudge her in the direction of broadened horizons if he could? Of course not, he was still Sith, after all.

Chuckling warmly, the Sith Lord eyed the bartender with faux-thoughtfulness. "No, I suppose he wouldn't - bad for business." Matching her smile with one of his own, he chuckled again. "Eagre, aren't we?" Gaze turning distant as he communicated with a shipbound minion, his smile broadened.

"There we go, my yacht is en route, should be here in no time. Could use its medbay or one of Euphoria's rooms." Smirking wryly, he extended his hands as if to direct attention to the posh shirt and tight pants he wore - or rather, formed from his shapeshifting body. Much more comfortable than actually wearing clothing. "Even I don't bring syringes when clubbing, so drone-delivery it is."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

“I would imagine so.” She chuckled along with him. Amani finished the rest of her drink, placing the glass down and cutting her laugh short as her eyes unintentionally met the bartender’s.

“You have a yacht? And it has its own medbay?” She asked in disbelief. Not exactly the most surprising development, the man had already noted his above average fortune, but nonetheless the lower middle class Mirialan was easily excited by the casual mention, “I’ve never been on a yacht before…”

Amani hopped out of the seat eagerly, before quickly trying to change her demeanor, leaning back against the counter nonchalantly. “I mean, it would be interesting, I’m sure. Buuuut if you would rather use one of the rooms, that’s fine, too. Of course, the medbay is probably more suited to such things. But, I digress.” She felt the need to downplay her interest, even if it was rather obvious. The padawan had never been much of one for attachment to worldly possessions, at least most things. Truly there wasn’t that she could even claim sole ownership of. But, curiosity had been the theme of the night.

“Not much use it sitting around here, though.” She kicked her heels idly, ready to move on his mark.

 

[AMCO]

Smiling warmly at her interest, Adrian nodded, as if owning a yacht was the most natural thing in the world.

Sliding out of his in response to her, he made no move to pay his bill and the bartender made no complaints; clearly, he was not used to personally paying for himself, his given word being more than sufficient guarantee for all but the most extreme of transactions.

"Oh, that was more to give you a polite out in case you didn't feel like following me off Zeltron's sovereign soil." Nodding in the direction of the nearest entrance, he would set a casual pace, smoothly gliding between clubbers without letting their presence interrupt the flow of conversation. "One cannot simply land a shuttle on the pavement, of course, unless one wants to break the law and be rude about it."

It was clear which he considered worse.

Emerging from club to see the sleek silvery hull of his yacht hovering some distance above and away, casting shade over a park in a way which almost certainly wasn't approved by the local flight regulations - good thing he had his share of contacts in the planetary government.

As if on cue, a cylinder of pale energy shot out of its bottom, forming a transparent elevator for the pair.

"I hope my humble carriage suits the lady's fancy." A statement which he paired with a certifiably Corellian smirk, of course.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

"Oh, that was more to give you a polite out in case you didn't feel like following me off Zeltron's sovereign soil."

Amani blinked in response to his reasoning. She hadn’t exactly considered that. Tonight, just one of several things she didn’t give much thought to. Whereas Adrian seamlessly moved through the crowd, Amani had to play catch up, occasionally bumping into people as they moved, struggling to hear him over the sounds of the club “Makes sense, I guess.” She added conversationally.

Outside, the conspicuous, chromium covered yacht hovered with a literal air of superiority. “Wow. It’s very… shiny.” The elevator projected down from the ship, the two of them stepping on as it brought them inside. “So you get to fly around in this everywhere you go?”

She matched his smirk with her own, her look transitioning into one of fascination once their ascension was complete. “Oooo…” Stepping into the interior, Amani examined the fine art and decor that adorned the ship’s entryway. “It’s nice in here.” The padawan was particularly mindful of where she moved, afraid of touching something she wasn’t supposed to. Such places were rather unfamiliar to her still. She eyed one of the couches, turning back to Adrian as if to receive permission, before she slowly plopping onto it. “You said there’s a med bay, yeah? Is it as nice as the rest of this?” No sooner had she sat down did the Mirialan stand back up, meandering further into the ship.

 

[AMCO]

"Wow. It's very... shiny."

Adrian chuckled wryly at the Mirialan's entirely appropriate comment; even he had to admit that it might seem a bit too shiny, at times. Not here, in the heart of one of Zeltros' recreational districts, but next to the dull vessels favoured by most Sith it stuck out more than most.

"When I feel like it, yes - which is most of the time, to be honest. Faster, more comfortable, and more secure than the average shuttle."

Watching with amusement as her smirk transitioned into fascination at the sight of the Truesilver's carefully crafted interior, he let her look around for a bit, his own smirk only widening at her seemingly being hesitant to interact with anything - including a thrice-cursed couch!

Nodding in silent approval moments before she plopped down into the luxurious seating, he chuckled again.

"No need to be so careful, Amani, I tend to invest in sturdy furniture." Smiling mischievously, he nodded towards a nearby door. "Yes, over this way, and as nice as is physically possible without sacrificing functionality." One soundlessly opening doorway and an equally posh corridor later, they arrived at the medbay, its interior a mixture of sterile silvery metals and high-end synthwood.

As was to be expected, the medical equipment was top-of-the-line and, in a few cases, more advanced than anything available on the open market.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

Amani nodded and let herself sink into the couch for a few moments at Adrian’s approval. Quickly after, her attention was diverted to the doorway, and she stood up to follow his direction. Her gaze fell to her cybernetic as they walked, only partially repaired from the events on Yavin. She rolled up her sleeve to examine the loosely patched skeletal framework that currently made up most of the arm. The prospect of being rid of it was increasingly appealing.

The door opened, and the medbay was revealed. The Mirialan let the sleeve drop as her astonishment reached new heights. Advanced equipment of the highest quality decorated the room, a medic’s dream come true. “Wow...” She took a closer look at several pieces of tech, some of it even she wasn’t familiar with. “Even the Jedi don’t have access to some of this stuff.”

Amani turned back to her host, “This is amazing, Adrian. I wish I had more time to look at it all.” She stepped back from the equipment, looking at both of her hands once more. “But I suppose there’s more pressing matters. How do we start? Is this as complicated as I’m imagining or…?”

 

[AMCO]

Yet more fascination from the Mirialan, but this time it was less the fleeting amazement caused by luxury beyond anything she was likely to have experienced as a Jedi and more the recognition of a healer seeing superior tools of the trade.

"The Jedi have certain budgetary limitations which I do not. That is, I assume, the reason for those horridly dull robes so often favoured?"

Looking down at her own robes, he grimaced. "No offence intended, you wear yours quite well."

Only too happy to have the conversation move on from his little faux pas, Adrian took a long moment to consider the timetable of this little project before replying. "Yes and no. The start is fairly simple - a sample of blood and maybe some tissue, which is then placed into one of my lab's more unusual devices. After that, it must be modified while growing, modified carefully so as to not cause issues when channelling the Light."

Stroking his chin, he did a quick bit of mental arithmetic. "It won't take too long, actually. My own arm was a nexus in all but name and was made when I was but a Knight - I have better equipment too. Yes, I should be able to finish this before our respective duties take us away from Zeltros."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

Amani was drawn away from her curiosity by Adrian’s comment, turning to give him something of a look and crossing her arms defiantly, “I happen to like wearing my robes.” The girl huffed, though she relented her attitude when he attempted to remedy his gaffe with a compliment. Offering only a shrug, a coy smirk, and a “Hmph!” in response, she obliged to refocus on the task at hand.

The Sith Lord’s explanation managed to elicit a brief chuckle from her, “Heh. I don’t suppose ‘unusual device’ is the official term?” Amani took a closer look at some of the equipment, recognizing one of them as a centrifuge, the other… well, it certainly seemed an unusual device, “Maybe I’ll just take your word for it.” She decided against messing with it - this was still an alchemist’s playground, after all.

A bit of mental math apparently gave him the answer he needed, one which surprised the Mirialan greatly, “Wow, that does sound surprisingly fast.”

Amani found herself backtracking to one of his previous statements as she gave it a second thought, regarding the channeling of light, “...What do you mean by issues?”

 

[AMCO]

It seemed the Mirialan was willing to forgive him for pointing out her lacking sense of fashion. Good, it was hardly a hill to die on, so to speak.

Smiling at her admittance of ignorance, he opted to give her the proper terminology - after all, in the best-case scenario she might very well make use of similar devices one day. "Technically, it's a biometamorphic furnace built in accordance with the Qishian tradition but modified to incorporate a high-end bioprinter rather than the usual sorcerous fire. I didn't expect that to tell you much, however."

His smile only widening, he nodded. "Quite, but then I only make use of the best of the best when it comes to medical technology - always a good idea to be able to clone essential organs in an emergency, carbonite and other forms of stasis can be risky for vulnerable patients."

Meeting the potential for further concerns head-on, his tone was calm, clear, and perfectly confident.

"I simply mean that the changes subtle rather than gross, which would suit your desires just fine, no?" That said he directed her attention to a strange necklace he seemingly produced out of nowhere, though in actuality it was kept inside him. "Some creations of Sith Alchemy are vulnerable to the Light in all its forms, some, like this Shield Talisman, can be used by Jedi just fine but are still touched by the Dark."

Pulling the Talisman back into his sleeve, he nodded towards the bioprinter-cum-alchemical device from before.

"... and some, like what I plan to do with your arm, have no quantifiable connection to the Dark whatsoever. An example would be my Changelings."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

"Technically, it's a biometamorphic furnace built in accordance with the Qishian tradition but modified to incorporate a high-end bioprinter rather than the usual sorcerous fire. I didn't expect that to tell you much, however."

“......Well, alright then.” Amani blinked a few times, trying to process everything he said.

She gave all the equipment one last look over as she turned back towards the Sith Lord, “Yeah, I can tell. I’m not complaining. Tech of this level can be a huge game changer.” And it suited for her own circumstances quite nicely.

“Oh yes, that's just fine by me.” His next explanation regarding any issues seemed satisfactory enough to assuage her doubts. He pulled out a peculiar talisman, which Amani peered at closely as she listened. Adrian’s nod then drew her attention back to the device from before. ”Well I’m ready to get started as soon as you are. Just tell me where you want me.”

The padawan dawdled a few moments as she awaited her instructions, before trying to hint at a different subject as they got to work. “So, I don’t really have much of a right to ask this, considering the help you’re already giving me, but… if I needed a way to travel more freely around Sith Empire space… How would I go about doing that?” She paused, waiting to see what kind of reaction that would elicit.

 

[AMCO]

A game-changer? She had no idea - once upon a time he had been too enamoured with the power of the Force to consider combining it with the more mundane sciences, but no longer; fleshshaped fiends grown in artificial wombs and sorcery blended with fringe science to capture demons.

The former, at least, was perhaps best left unmentioned in the presence of a Jedi, however free-thinking.

"To get started, I merely need..." Pulling a sterile syringe from a cupboard, he smiled disarmingly. "... a small sample of your blood."

Getting to work once the sample was in his hands, he deposited her blood within a compartment, typed in a few commands, and then returned his attention to her as the custom-built device before them began laying the groundwork for a new limb, spinning flesh and bone from spare biomass.

"That depends on what said access is for... if you simply need to pass yourself off as any other citizen, I may know of a friendly fellow in New Hirona's administrative apparatus who's been known to misplace documentation at times. Greasy hands, you see."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

Amani watched closely while Adrian got to work, treating the experience as a learning opportunity as much as anything else. The machine spooled up, quickly beginning the process of forming the foundations for the arm in earnest. She nearly pressed her face up against the device, watching in awe as the biomass was slowly woven into something recognizable. “That’s amazing.”

The padawan was brought back to reality when he answered her question, a particular mention catching her interest. “I think that would probably work fine. If it isn’t… too much trouble?” She inquired cautiously, not wanting to push his hospitality too far.

It was the mention of New Hirona that really drew her attention. She had heard of it, but little more than that. “New Hirona, that’s Mirial’s capital, right? I’ve never even been to Mirial, not since I was born. My parents never really told me much about it.” She twiddled her thumbs as she mused. Amani always had a deep-rooted curiosity about her homeworld, one that she had never quite been able to sate given her circumstances. “...What’s it like? Have you ever been there?” She asked hesitantly.

 

[AMCO]

Chuckling softly, Adrian shook his head. "No trouble at all - after all, I am simply... directing your attention towards the right place."

Smile turning somewhat sad at her mention of Mirial itself, he sighed. "New Hirona is quite something, a masterpiece of engineering, a secure home for all of Mirial's own and numerous others... but it was only necessary because of the scourge that befell the planet itself. Even the Sith-Imperial Legion was powerless to turn back the tide of undeath that swept across it."

It went without saying that the Silver Jedi's ill-fated attempt to "liberate" the world hardly helped, quite the contrary the instability it caused was a primary motivation for the Sith Empire finally abandoning most of the infested world.

"On the bright side, the space station is quite lovely - vibrantly alive and large enough that you can find almost anything your heart desires."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO

"Even the Sith-Imperial Legion was powerless to turn back the tide of undeath that swept across it."

“The what?!” Amani blurted out. “How--How does that even happen?!” He’d have to excuse her, perhaps the last thing she was expecting to hear was that the planet had been condemned to hordes of the living dead.

“So it’s…” The padawan’s posture slumped, unable to hide the despondent demeanor that took over, her eyes falling downcast to the floor. “...I guess going back isn’t really an option.” Strike that one off the Sith space to-do list. As if Amani wasn’t already feeling down enough because of her difficulty reconnecting to the past. She’d longed for the opportunity, but it seemed like her hopes had been dashed. At least for any chance of seeing it as she had imagined it to be.

"That's... something, I guess." Amani acknowledged the space station, a small balm for her current crisis.

 

[AMCO]

“The what?!” Amani blurted out. “How--How does that even happen?!”

He had most certainly not expected to find her wholly ignorant of the tragedies that had befallen her ancestral homeworld, but then her parents might very well have sought to shelter her from the truth in her youth... and the Jedi were not exactly known for their transparency either.

As far as he was concerned, anyway.

"A Primeval-affiliated Death Cult, I believe. The Court of Belagoth? When Sith-Imperial forces moved to uproot them after consolidating that region of space they unleashed everything they had and subsequently lost control. The coven was purged to the last, but the damage was already done." Tilting his head as if to observe her reaction, his voice was soft. "Of course, a group of Silver Jedi conjuring a bloody Wall of Light in the middle of the bloody capital during a "liberation attempt" hardly helped the situation."

Turning his attention back to the machine as if to let her process what he had just said, Adrian eyed the displays for a long moment before reaching out with his slender fingers, energy dancing from fingertip to fingertip as he did something to the work-in-progress arm.

Or rather, bone with a bit of tissue covering it. His machines were fast, but not that fast.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

AMCO​

Amani's disbelieving stare grew more perplexed by the moment as Adrian explained the unfortunate fate of Mirial. The padawan could acknowledge that her youth had been a sheltered one. To what degree, she was only just now realizing. Her interest in delving into the history of her homeworld was a recent development, and such revelations blindsided her entirely. The mention of the Silver Jedi only further adding to her internal conflict. “They did that?”

Amani turned her attention back to the machine after a moment's pause, “Can’t say I fully know how to process all of that.” The arm was coming along steadily it seemed. She couldn’t complain. Not about the arm, at least. There appeared to be quite a lot for her to be upset about regarding Mirial's less than ideal recent history. Her gaze dragged over towards the Sith alchemist as he began to manipulate the limb in some way or another. Amani leaned closer, eager to make this a learning experience.

“What are you doing now?”