Private A Matter of Perspective

[AMCO]

“...Think anyone’s going to ask questions if I just show back up with a fresh, normal arm again?”

Sombre nod made somewhat less likely to provoke concern by the mischievous smile that accompanied it, Adrian's reply came in much the same way. "Oh, I am sure they would... unless, of course, someone had taken the liberty of producing falsified records for the purchase of a cloned arm from a local clinic. With traceable funding, of course - a charity dedicated to providing life-enhancing medical treatments to veterans of the war against the Bryn'adul."

It went without saying that such records would only go so far if she slipped up or let a force healer examine the limb closely, but he trusted her sensibility enough that he did not see that happening anytime soon. Hiding any further experiments would be a challenge, certainly, but the results were worth it.

At least in his experience, there were plenty of examples of would-be Alchemists whose incompetence or overambition had cost them dearly.

Eying her for a moment as she expressed her gratitude, its sincerity brought a bright smile to his lips. "Think nothing of it - I am always eager to help those interested in exploring the limits of the Force, even in a limited fashion. Besides, I relish the challenge of creating something new."

Turning towards the lifelike green arm, in appearance much like the one she never lost, he nodded in satisfaction. "Speaking of, let's attach this thing."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

The padawan’s grew wider with every word, caught off guard by the casual mention of the idea. Just like that he had a plan in mind for how to circumvent the issue entirely. There was no doubting his preparedness.

“You’ve certainly thought this through.”

Of course, her own capabilities in keeping up a lie were inconsistent at best. As long as no one pried too deeply, she was good enough at playing up a facade. She had been doing so for most of her time with the Jedi anyway.

Amani gave him a warm smile in return. There was at least some respect to be found in his ambition, even if choosing to overlook any other potential… ideological differences that inherently separated the two of them.

"Speaking of, let's attach this thing."

She blinked, “Like… like now?” A hint of eagerness hit her voice. Amani stared at the arm; Seeing something that was so incredibly familiar and yet entirely new was a bizarre sight to behold. She reached over to her metallic limb, preparing to detach it, all the while studying every minute detail of the cloned material.

AMCO​

 

[AMCO]

Had she truly expected him to hand her something as exotic as this without bothering to produce the paperwork for a more mundane explanation? It seemed a bit silly to him, but then he was quite familiar with the at-times inexplicable actions of his fellow Sith, so she might be on to something.

Besides, minor details like fraudulent medical records were something he had gotten used to his assistants handling silently and efficiently.

Eyes glittering with amusement, he nodded towards the wreck of an arm currently attached to her shoulder. "Yes, now. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to lug that thing around for a while more first. I'm not quite sure what you did to it, but try to avoid similar situations with this one." He could produce tissue able to withstand all kinds of strangeness with more advanced bioalchemy, of course, but not without leaving a mark.

As she removed the metallic limb, he leaned closer, examining the scarred tissue and nerve endings where it had previously ended. Normally he would involve a healer, but that wasn't strictly necessary for the attachment itself - and given the nature of the limb, she should be able to deal with any minor issues herself easily enough. "Yes, this should do quite nicely..."

"... but I must warn you, reattaching the nerve endings might very well hurt almost as much as losing it in the first place."

Anaesthetics and the like were not ideal, in this case, though a bit of creative mentalism would likely be able to suppress most of the pain. That would involve giving him access to the inner workings of her mind, however. "I could suppress it, but that would involve a minor display of mind control."

Personally, he would rather suffer the pain than that, but the choice was hers. Pulling the limb from the modified bioprinter, he gave it one last look.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

“It’s a long story.” Not that long really. She got zapped into next week by the now Dark Lord of the Sith after a foolish attempt to stand up to him alone, and was lucky enough that her arm took the brunt of the damage.

But all those pesky little details seemed unnecessary for right now.

Amani set the prosthetic to the side, revealing the scarred flesh underneath, cut just short of the shoulder.

"... but I must warn you, reattaching the nerve endings might very well hurt almost as much as losing it in the first place."

Suddenly, she was much more nervous than before. Amani sat still as she contemplated the experience. She couldn’t even recall the pain from losing it. The adrenaline of when it had first been severed in the heat of battle, combined with the loss of consciousness not long after, made the memory hazy at best. Although in her occasionally stubborn nature, she sometimes didn’t bother to keep up with pain medication after the fact. That unpleasant sensation, she was most certainly familiar with. And it alone was something she was less than interested in feeling again. But she certainly wasn’t ready to have anyone controlling her mind, either.

Yes, she had just willingly offered up her genetic material to a stranger, it’s different. Amani swallowed her fear, “...I’m ready,” came the resolute response.

AMCO​

 

[AMCO]

Like him, the woman was more fearful of letting another into her mind than the pain her refusal would bring. He could respect that.

"Very good." Holding her soon-to-be-attached arm in one hand and prepping the scared flesh where her original limb had once been with the other, he flashed her a smile that was almost gentle. "Brace yourself, try for even breathing."

Was it necessary? Not really. Would focusing on something else help? Potentially.

Without further ado, he pressed flesh against flesh, the area rippling and tingling as he applied his will upon a willing, stationary subject, slowly shaping that small part of her body so as to make it able to receive this new attachment. A rougher grafting would have worked too, but he was nothing if not a precise artisan. He would not tolerate imperfections in his work, by the time he was done it would look as if she'd never lost an arm.

Nodding to himself at the unbroken skin, his eyes met hers. "Here comes the unpleasant part."

Without any further warning, he began reattaching the nerve endings, first one by one and then in groups - as he worked, sensation would reemerge and with it the body screaming in confusion, nerves long-since severed firing aggressively as they returned to functionality.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani gave him a nervous nod as she inhaled deeply, working to calm herself with slow and rhythmic breaths.

Initially looking away, she was tempted by curiosity to peek over and watch his work, the sight of which brought about a lapse in her concentration. “Weird…” The padawan watched, mesmerized by the rippling sensation as the flesh was manipulated. “...That doesn’t feel so bad,” She chuckled in relief before catching his gaze.

"Here comes the unpleasant part."

Oh.

With only a moment to steel herself, Amani tensed up in panic. The first few nerves felt like sharp pricks, which then flared in intensity as more and more nerves were reanimated, launching long-lost messages back into her brain that screamed. It was much like he said, as if the arm was essentially being ripped off, only in reverse.

She arched back in response to the overwhelming sensation, writhing in place and pinning the back of her head against the wall. On instinct she reached over several times as if to try and get rid of the pain, forcing herself to stop just short of it each time. A scream of pain caught in her throat, coming out like little more than a stifled whimper.

As a healer, it was a lot easier to tell others to focus on something else in moments of excruciating pain from the other side of the situation. Her thoughts raced for ways to end it before she effectively gave up. Amani rode out through the remainder of the pain in relative silence, her mind too overloaded to do much of anything else.

AMCO​

 

[AMCO]

In hindsight, his bedside manner was probably less than ideal - that was par for the course as far as Sith Alchemists were concerned, however, especially given that he wasn't really a doctor, in the sense that he had neither a medical license, nor a relevant degree, nor even any relevant training.

What he had plenty of, however, was talent, power, and determination; thanks to bodily enhancements, he also had the physical strength to calmly hold down his patient - well, the part of her he was working on, anyway - and carry on unimpeded. Much like ripping off a plaster, it was better to get it over with than to hesitate with every hint of pain... or, in this case, every sensation of excruciating torment.

To him it was a relatively brief exercise, but to her it must have felt much longer still. The process finishing with minimal fanfare, it was suddenly over.

"There we go, one fully functional arm. There may be some leftover sensations, tingling and the like, but your brain should adapt quite soon. Just lay still, breathe, and think happy thoughts." That was an acceptable bedside manner, was it not? Perhaps he was improving!

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Once the pain had finally begun to subside, Amani opened her now watery eyes to the ceiling, and muttered dryly, “...Ow.”

An understatement. But the most apt description she could offer at the time.

The underlying sensation had yet to fade, but the pain had diminished enough to the point that she could at least function. The arm looked just like her real one, a feeling that was simultaneously brand new and familiar. It was a bizarre experience, she couldn’t help but chuckle in her amazement at the return of something she once thought was lost forever.

“Just like that.” Amani held the arm up, examining the flexing muscles and tendons as she wiggled her fingers. Funny the nuances you notice after gaining a new perspective. “And this is supposed to help me with healing and the like, right?”

AMCO​

 

[AMCO]

There was pain, but also excitement - soon the former would pass, but the latter would hopefully stick around for a while. While hardly so needy as to demand constant validation (his ego was ironclad, thank you very much), a certain appreciation for the alchemical arts and their products might well be the motivation she needed to make excellent life choices.

"Very much so. I imagine there will be a period of adaptation, but I would not be surprised if you notice an improvement right away." In many ways, it was similar to the Talismans the Sith, especially the sorcerers among them, were ever so fond of. Probably best not to point that out, however.

Waving his hand as if to comment on the approximation the statement represented, his follow-up was rather cheerful.

"Should help with anything that has to do with restoring or altering living beings or parts thereof, really. A bit of added efficiency, a dash of extra speed, and a sprinkle of enhanced precision to round it off." Not the most versatile tool he'd ever made, but the list of downsides was more forgiving.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

She ran her opposite hand across the new flesh, feeling the sensation of organic tissue as if to further confirm its place in reality. It was still so fascinating. It’s not exactly like cloning was a new medical breakthrough, but to be on the receiving end of such treatment was nonetheless a curious experience. And as Adrian had mentioned, it was more than mere cloning that had achieved these results. There was more here than meets the eye.

“Restoring and altering?” Her ears perked up. Amani had noticed the mention, and the difference between the two ideas. How far that could go, she supposed she would have to find out. “I guess I’ll have to try it out.”

The padawan idled with her inner musings for a moment before posturing upright, “So, what now?”

AMCO​

 

[AMCO]

Try it out she would, he was sure. Carefully at first, no doubt, but if his assumptions were true and she really was able and willing to go beyond the taboos of her fellow Jedi to achieve her goals and help those she could not help with the limited arts of the Jedi, then this might get interesting.

None of that was said out loud, however - as interested as he was in her development, it was her development, her decisions.

"That you will." Teeth gleaming, a spread his hands expansively, as if to illustrate the opportunities that lay before her. "Now, you find your own path. I cannot claim disinterest in what you chose to do, but at the same time I hardly have a claim to it - so get out there and shake things up, won't you?"

Would her actions end up benefitting the Sith Order as a whole? Possibly, but it could just as easily go the other way. That was hardly his concern, however, for as interested as he was in the power and stability his connections brought him, the actual conflict between the Light and the Dark remained a vague annoyance rather than a cause worth getting all fussy about. He had always been an individualist,

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

His words were unexpectedly inspiring. She stood up a little straighter, head held higher, with an arm better than ever. After their time together it was almost easy to forget she was dealing with an actual Sith Lord. An exchange that was not only productive, but downright pleasant even.

Barring one of the most painful experiences of her life being sprinkled in right towards the end there.

“Well, thank you again. It means more than you know.” The return to flesh and bone was a welcome one, far more comfortable in her mind than cold, unliving metal. Not to mention the extended capabilities this one offered.

Amani stepped back, and gave the slightest of bows, “If that’s it, then I guess I’ll get going. Your ship's security system isn't going to like… blow me up if I try to leave, right?” She looked around the fanciful interior once more, figuring she wouldn’t see tech like it for some time, and offered a last warm smile.

AMCO​

 

[AMCO]

Nodding in response to the Mirialan's further thanks, a cheerful smile remained on Adrian's lips; her gratitude was evident, but more importantly so was her heightened confidence. That, more than anything, she would need to defy the taboos of her fellows in pursuit of her own goals.

"Yes, that's it, no repayment necessary," a chuckle leaving his lips, Adrian shook his head. "No, no I don't imagine it will."

Opting to follow her out like the gracious host he was, they soon found themselves back at the entrance, energy rippling along the floor where the odd force-conduit-of-sorts he used to onload or offload passengers without landing was based. Yet another unusual experience to what must be quite the day, for her - stepping into thin air and trusting in technology to bring her down safely.

Not that there weren't failsafes aplenty.

"I look forward to seeing how you develop, Amani - may the Force serve you well."

Amani Serys​