A Modicum of Grave Robbing and Tinkering

[Onrai]

Vanessa smiled as she moved out of the tomb, slowly but surely moving Marka Ragnos' body out as Tavion Axmis' body was also removed. The two bodies would soon be placed on repulsor sleds and moved over to a nearby shuttle. Vanessa would then turn to Farah and smile. "Thank you very much for helping me out. If you'd like - we'll be heading to Malachor V so I can do what must be done to the corpses. Turn them into the abominations they were meant to be. I'd love to have you there to learn about such alchemy - I even have some medical equipment - experimental stuff - that I would love to let you have examples of for your practice."

After all, she was extremely fond of this young woman already - she was a cut above almost every other Zambrano that Vanessa had ever met.

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

Farah shifted on her feet, watching the repulsor sleds cart away the pair of bodies they’d extracted from the tomb. Her eyes tracked back to Vanessa when the other woman addressed her.

How unlike many of the Sith she’d met was this woman—her Master’s other two Acolytes were largely silent as if in reverence. Farah had a knack for taking consult calls during missions.

The thought of watching a real alchemy Master work and have the chance to both make herself useful and gain a few new skills was too enticing.

“I’d love to, honestly.” Farah answered, something of a genuine smile curling one edge of her mouth. “Not every day I get an opportunity like this, right?”

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Farah"]

"No, it isn't. And it's not every day that I get the opportunity to teach someone who will actually put what I teach into practice." She said. "I've seen foolhardy acolytes. I've seen rude acolytes. I've seen acolytes who I downright couldn't stand, and would have squelched had their masters not been in attendance. But you..." She smiled, looking over at the Zeltron with genuine happiness. "You're something else. And I mean that in as good a way as possible. I appreciate your interest a lot."

The thoughts of someone actually considering her to be worth something were somewhat alien to Vanessa, but it caused a tiny bit of warmth in her otherwise cold heart. "Let's get going." She headed to the shuttle, following the repulsor sleds.

 

[Farah]

Farah blinked. She was unused to being complemented. Well…complemented this way. Unwelcome comments about her looks and body happened routinely. Welcome complements over her skill with a scalpel happen sometimes too. But it was rare that her drive and interested were praised. For a few moments she looked surprise, unsure of what to say.

“I…thank you.” Her gaze shifted away for a moment then back to Vanessa, feeling a bit awkward. “You seem to know a lot so it would be foolish of me to refuse to learn from you.” She shifted on her feet. “You’re more…amicable than many of the Lords I’ve met.”

Farah followed Vanessa back to the ship at her indication. “Between you and me, I’m pretty rude in some circles.” She smiled, distractedly.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Farah"]

"Nonsense. If you ever want to not learn about anything, you have the right to say no. I'm not going to be offended." She said matter-of-factly. The latter comment was no surprise - Vanessa did desire to form better relationships with other Sith who were less about backstabbing and more about doing what needed to be done. "I find being friendly is a better way to build bonds, trust, and even friendship between Sith than an aggressively dark and sinister outlook. There are so many Sith in the Empire who just want to pawn around with people instead of trying to better us as a whole, instead of trying to spread our influence and our philosophy throughout the galaxy. We need to work together, because if we do not, the Jedi take advantage of our infighting and watch while we destroy each other, moving to pick over the shattered pieces of our power like a carrion bird."

As they headed into the ship, the two cadavers located on the repulsorsleds and securely fixed with energy binds to prevent them from sliding off, the shuttle would take off. Their trip to Malachor V and the Trayus Laboratory would soon begin. "I'm honestly used to other Sith being rude to me, or at the least being cold. If it means anything more, I appreciate you being willing to open up and be cordial in return." She sat down in a seat while the shuttle entered planetary orbit.

"You know, it's come to my attention that I don't really know much about you. What can you tell me about yourself, Farah?"

 

[Farah]

“I don’t know much about the other Sith.” She was honest in that regard. Farah tended not to get along with the silent sentinel types. Or a lot of other types. She had acidic mannerisms but knew enough to curb them around those who could rip her spine out with their minds. Still, it was eaiser to be less acerbic around Vanessa. The woman didn’t coddle her nor did she see her as another annoyance. She seemed to actually enjoy teaching, and Farah liked learning.

In regards to the unified Sith, the doctor could care less. Though bound to serve the Zambrano family, Farah was out for herself.

“I try.” She shrugged. “You’re much stronger than me but you’re not lording your power over me like an insecure manchild. I give respect where it’s due.”

When the conversation topic turned to herself, the Zeltron found herself at a surprising loss for words.

“I’m a doctor.” She began, knowing that much was redundant. “I specialize in trauma and cardiothoracic surgery.” Her voice was almost hesitant, as if she were searching for anything she really knew about herself.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"Suits me. I know too much." She said. Vanessa knew enough of the Sith that were around to have a general understanding of the circumstances they were involved in. She had watched Kaine evolve from pompous Epicanthix noble to slow, cold, calculating, and generally an evil and unpleasant fellow to be around as he arose to his position as Emperor - some said God-Emperor - of the Sith Empire. That said, while she certainly enjoyed being in the presence of the most powerful Darksider alive, deep within her heart, she felt as though Farah was someone to be appreciated more than her father. Her arrogance was, if not nonexistent, then certainly not blinding.

"Why would I do that? That's for insecure menchildren to do." She replied. Vanessa nodded. "Giving respect initially instead of expecting to receive respect from your mentors is a sign of deeper wisdom. That, or you're lucky enough to be playing your acolyte cards right. Remind me not to play sabacc with you if this good luck keeps up."

She listened carefully, pondering the words of the young Zeltron. "And I'm a Sith who specializes in alchemy, miniaturizing superweapons, and torturing the occasional Jedi." Vanessa replied. "It's what I do. But it's not who I am - the only facet of what defines me." She motioned to the acolyte. "What can you tell me about you​? How was your childhood growing up?" Vanessa was unsure as to whether or not Farah had experienced such, but figured it was a means to open up the conversation. if worst came to worst, she was prepared to tell a bit about her own childhood.

Well, what she could remember of it.

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

A tired smile curled her lips just slightly. “I’m just trying not to get killed.” It was remarkably easy when she kept herself in check. Especially given that she’d had the good fortune to interact with Sith who didn’t go all zap-happy for the slightest mistake.

Her face scrunched a bit for a moment at the mention of torture. Farah wasn’t one to delight in causing harm to others, but that didn’t mean that Vanessa necessarily did either. Still, Farah did what she had to do and if it meant making things unpleasant for someone else, then so be it. Such was the way of a medical professional with an ethical blank slate.

Oddly enough she’d never actually met a Jedi.

Again, the doctor was at a loss for words. She’d never given the idea of a childhood a second thought because it had never factored into her own equation. Sure, she was bothered by the fact that she didn’t have years of experience and growth to give herself and her abilities much depth but she was trying to remedy that.

Childhood, though. It was something she’d never considered. “I was born on Khar Delba.” Farah decided to be honest. Her origin was no big secret and considering that every other person she ran across mistook her for her template…it probably wasn’t a big deal in the end. “In an incubation cradle.” She continued. “I’m a clone.”

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Farah"]

"I'm in the same boat with you." The shuttle soon jumped to hyperspace. "I've been killed enough times to make a TIE pilot an ace. I'm quite fond of this body and really would rather not have to go through the whole ordeal of existing as a ghost for a period of time until I can return to life."

Vanessa herself noticed Farah's response to torture. "I'm not really a fan of doing such, honestly. Torture is not only the most cliché thing a Sith can do to a Jedi, but it's also quite ineffective. You're only strengthening their resolve to resist, after all. Sure, some break - but once broken, they're never worth what they originally were."

She listened for a moment, eventually hearing Farah's own admission of being a clone. "Well... I am too, technically." Vanessa replied. "In fact, for the past twenty years I've effectively been in a series of cloned bodies, grown in cylinders. Honestly, I've been through so many bodies that I hardly remember what my original looked like." She said. "That's one of the downsides of being a spirit. You have a loss of identity. An inability to really be someone outside whatever form you take."

 

[Farah]

Farah remained silent, still almost as she listened to Vanessa relay the fact that she had died…many times? And was a spirit of sorts who’d gone though many earthly vessels?

She’d heard that such a thing happened with Sith but didn’t think it to be practical. It seemed like something out of a holodrama. Then again, there was quite a bit she had yet to learn about the Sith ways. This sort of thing made her uneasy for now.

“By the Force.” She muttered, shaking her head. “Sorry.”

It took her a few moments to properly compose her thoughts. “That must be quite the strain on you, I’d imagine.” She didn’t know the first thing about transferring spirits into bodies.

“How old does that make you, then?” While considered a rude question especially when directed towards a woman, it was asked in a clinical manner and Farah wasn’t one to tiptoe around certain concepts.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Farah"]

"It's okay. I've... sort of grown numb to it now." She said. "I've been stabbed, shot, eaten, roasted, and have generally died in a number of horrifying ways. Each death just... takes a part of me, I guess. The part that really worries about it. It's almost gone now." She replied, sighing. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought any of this up."

She thought for a moment as the ship exited hyperspace. "It hasn't happened for a while, but yes, it's difficult to maintain the will to stay in the physical realm and find a new body." She thought for a moment. "I hope you never have to do it."

The last question was rather blunt. "Honestly... I guess I'm around like seventy." She smiled, then put her hands on her hips and crossed her legs, giving a seductive smile for a moment before going back to her normally calm demeanor. "I know, right? I look pretty good for someone who should have more wrinkles than Palpatine."

The ship exited hyperspace, revealing the planet of Malachor V before them. "We're headed to a place of important significance. The Trayus Academy. Where one of the most significant instances of the Old Sith Wars occurred."

 

[Farah]

Farah listened intently, organizing the new information in her head as Vanessa spoke. Zeltrons weren’t one to shy away from social interaction and Farah was no exception, bitter though she may seem. “I don’t mind.” She shrugged when Vanessa apologized. “As long as you don’t.”

The doctor crossed one leg over the other and raise a brow slowly. “It does not sound pleasant.”

Still, she had to hand it to Vanessa. She did pick a nice vessel. “You made a good choice.” The comment was made almost clinically. “What advantages does this body offer over your previous one?” Aside from youth and aesthetics, obviously. Younger bodies made moving around easier, and some would argue that being attractive made certain tasks easier. Sometimes though, she wished that she could scrub the pink from her skin.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Farah"]

"Ah." She said. "Very well then." She thought for a moment. "it's not pleasant, but that's something to be taught when you reach masterhood." She replied. "There are means through which masters can save the soul of another, but they are rarely used and quite esoteric to perform." She responded. Perhaps one day, if Farah was ever in a situation where such would be an issue, she would be willing to provide her with a new body.

"I try to go for aesthetic, healthy, and capable bodies. Fortunately I have never had to suffer from the Dark Side decaying away at my form like it did with Palpatine's clones." She replied. "There are actually not that many advantages. It's flexible, but I suppose its near-human form is really the best quality. My last body was green, and it wasn't really possible to get rid of that issue." She said, thinking for a moment as the shuttle began to move to the surface.

"Farah... let me ask you a question. Is there anything you wish you could change about yourself?"

 

[Farah]

Farah wouldn’t fault anyone for aesthetics. If you had the choice between two equally capable vessels and one was prettier than the other, it would make sense to go for the pretty one. Everyone liked to feel good about themselves. Physically capable and flexible made enough sense for her not to question it.

The more she thought about it, the less strange it seemed. Farah herself had been brought into this world using the most unnatural of methods. Did it bother her that she was a clone? Of course it did, but that didn’t stop her from anything.

Vanessa’s question came out of left field and practically startled the doctor. She took a good long minute to genuinely think about what she’d like to change about herself. There were a lot of answers naturally, but Farah wasn’t the type to have a heart to heart with someone or reveal insecurities like that.

“It would help to be more physically intimidating.” She mused. Being a young, female Zeltron doctor got her a lot of looks and some doubt as to her skill. Partially why she was so aggressive when it came to her work. “Though I’ve made more than one intern cry.”

It was only natural for her. Eat the weak, etc., etc.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"More physically intimidating - so taller? Stronger? Scarier?" The woman was thinking over the potential benefits of GenDestruct, which she had already successfully used to prevent Azira Zambrano from suffering the mental degeneration of her forebears and which had been used on the mercenary known as Natassia Traxen to, over several hours, destroy her cell by cell and rebuild her as a Seiarenei. A third and final test would be the 'make it or break it' moment for the material - if she went through with this test on Farah, if she did this, then the product would be verifiably safe for use. Safe enough that Vanessa would feel suitable offering it to a select group of clientele.

And she knew exactly where to get a compatible DNA baseline to tinker with.

"I can do that for you." She said. "GenDestruct, my cellular destruction and construction mixture, can make you more physically intimidating. Whatever you want, I can do that." She said. "I can assure you the process will be long, hard, and painful. You'll have to be put in a bacta tank so your body can regenerate properly. But the results, as I have tested them previously on others, have been remarkable, with a zero percent failure rate." She said.

"What do you say?"

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

Farah hadn’t expected for Vanessa to take her seriously. Even more, she hadn’t expected the other woman to offer her a solution.

“Can you make my scowl permanent?”

That was, though it hadn’t been delivered like it was, a joke. Partially because Farah had a case of chronic queen face (and attitude).

Still, she listened with an open ear.

“No thank you.” Her response was brisk but not unkind. “I am interested in your drug, though. GenDestruct. How does it work?”

Farah had been conducting her own experiments under the helm of Cornerstone Scientific. The company was doing well financially, but more importantly it gave her the resources and cover to do as she pleased within reason.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Farah"]

"Yes, but I can also make you nice." She smiled - she actually joked. A Sith apprentice, joking. Vanessa never thought she would actually live to see the day.

"GenDestruct is essentially a prototypical retroviral solution. Each individual vial is tailor-made for use with the subject's base genetic code. Essentially, it overwrites the cells, destroying them and rebuilding them. It can do such small things as repair damaged sections of DNA to allow for issues such as dementia from occurring later in life, or it can change humans into other near-human species - and vice-versa. I do warn you... all of my prior tests have occurred in bacta tanks. The subject is left in incredible pain over a period of several hours as their body is biologically destroyed and rebuilt."

She thought for a moment. "Perhaps a product you could utilize."

 

[Farah]

Make her nice. Farah almost actually laughed. For all she was—driven, rude, acerbic—the Zeltron had never been called nice.

“Interesting.” Her tone of voice reflected that she did indeed find Vanessa’s project thought-provoking. “I assume that it can repair genetic mutations both congenital and acquired over a long period?” There was much research done in the realm of genetic diseases but still more to do in terms of action—figuring out which gene or combination of genes were responsible for a certain disease or disorder was one thing, but going on to repair that defect? In every cell of the body? She could see why a bacta tank was required for this sort of thing. Farah almost winced thinking about it.

“That sounds incredible, to be honest. I’d love to have the chance to experiment with something like that.”

She paused, letting a thoughtful silence fall between them for a few moments before speaking again.

“How did you go about creating it? Bioengineering and alchemy or something else?”

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"So long as there is a 'pure' copy of their genes pre-mutation - or a pure copy of their or a comparable species' genes." She replied. "I initially attempted to use alchemical means, but the issue with that was the Dark Side kept causing corruption to the host bodies. I settled for a purely technological means - reprogrammed retroviral cocktails. They're far more effective without any Force assistance." She said. "Like... Let me suggest a way that this could alter you for the better. I'm sure that as a Zeltron, you have people who automatically think you're a thigh-opening, pheromone-abusing, double-jointed sex addict because they have shallow minds and don't realize you're a cold, cunning, calculating and highly skilled doctor. Now take away the pink skin - and boom. No one knows, and no moron makes such a shallow assumption. With a sample of your DNA, and comparison of it with other near-human and human genomes, it is possible for me to change the color of your skin to, well... whatever shade you want, potentially."

She thought for a moment. "Zeltron pigmentation comes from the species' long-term adaptation to the radiation of their star. By focusing on the gene that generates that pigmentation and replacing it with genes from, say, a human, it would be possible for you to, over several hours, have your entire skin change to a more human-like coloration, without affecting any of your other traits." She shrugged. "Again, just a final thought on demonstrating it to you personally - if not, I would still be more than happy to give you access to the basic formulation for your practice. Simply send me information from a blood sample, tell me what the patient needs, and I will provide you a custom-made vial of GenDestruct that should handle whatever issues they have."

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

Farah weighed her options. Then she chose her words carefully, mindful of the company that she was in.

“I’m going to have to decline again. I’m not interest in changing my appearance right now.” She wouldn’t deny that she sometimes wished to be born something else—human, male even because they seemed to be granted greater respect in her field off the bat. That was something deeply personal though, a weakness she would not expose so willingly.

“You’re right, bluntly so.” Her eyes flickered over to the other woman. “Still, I wouldn’t get as much satisfaction in crushing my peers if I looked more human.” Was it...pride she had? Not necessarily as a Zeltron, but as herself. Kaine had cloned the woman he chose to for a reason, after all. Those shallow assumptions were part of her drive.

And that was the truth.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]