Wearing:
Diplomatic Gown
Armed with: Subverter's Blade (Red Split Saber)
Objective: Offer aid
007 hours prior.
Countess Arianna Belasko reclined in the luxurious white leather sofa of her suite on Nar Shaddaa, in a silvery gown with exposed shoulders. A finger on each hand was covered in an outrageously expensive Fire Diamond ring, her earrings studs fitted with million credit Night Pearls. Her neck was draped with a pendant of multiple diamonds and rubies.
"I'm so glad you came to me with this, rather than some vision-less joke of a Dealer..." The Countess of Khemost assured the Masked CEO.
With the fall of the CIS as a Galactic Super Power, all the rats were jumping ship, and all the vultures were circling over it's still fresh corpse. House Io had been rapidly gobbling up whatever of its military surplus could be acquired, for it was essential it be in their hands over the enemies. Shipyard and Droid manufacturers, who had made billions forging both for the CIS, were now heavily in debt due to the sudden, shocking collapse.
A masked CEO, who had agreed to meet the filthy rich Countess despite her being associated with someone viewed as a violent maniac (And rumored to be a violent Psychopath herself), straightened the lapels of his expensive suit.
"So you willing to pay off all our current debts
and buy from us?" The masked man asked.
"Of course. A Ship and Droid Manufacturer selling almost exclusively to us is one not selling almost exclusively to our enemies."
"If...I...I'm nervous, Countess..." the CEO confessed.
"And I sympathize with you
completely..." The Countess assured him. "But who would you rather sell most of your stuff to? The Ashlan's, with their rediculous approach to economics and purity tests? The Alliance, a government so incompetent they were led by the nose to get tons of their Jedi killed and their main world burnt? That bunch of Fascists in the NIO? That bunch of Fascists in the EE? The Maw, who would rather kill you, and take your assets rather than pay what they are worth?"
The CEO lowered his head. Times had made him desperate.
"I see your point."
The Countess handed him the contract. It was as legal as it possibly could be. He would be making deals with one of her front companies for the ships and the droids.
"This contract grants you exclusive access to all shipping lanes used by Moonlighter Shipping and Chimera Services. You will sell ships and Droids to us and through us. You keep 90 percent of the profits, my organization, in turn gets to plant our operatives in your power structure as factory floor employees."
"Just factory floor? Why not someone higher ranking?"
"Our enemies would expect it..." Arianna replied. "If our operatives get pinched and no one is found at the higher level, you can still claim plausible deniability."
"If...if we are found out..." The CEO trailed.
"Your prospects are grim as they are. Besides, no other organization will give you this kind of deal..." Arianna assured him. "The House
protects sir..."
The CEO's hand, trembling, reached for the pen...
There was a crash, and Arianna instinctively surrounded both her and the CEO to blunt the effects of a flashbang as SJC Rangers and Jedi Knights stormed into the place.
One Jedi a powerfully built Guardian, brandished a blue Lightsaber.
"Countess Arianna Belasko, you are hereby placed under arrest for being under suspicion of aiding and abetting terrorism and anarchy against The Silver Jedi Concord and The Galactic Alliance. Surrender or face the consequences of the Atrocities you enabled."
Arianna smiled, ceased the sphere of water. She exuded a powerful, rotting, but Fake Dark Side Aura...
"These are remarkably serious charges, I hope you have sufficient proof beyond eyewitness testimony..." The Countess remarked patiently, folding her arms, wrists draped in Corusca Gem-studded bracelets.
"Don't play games. You were personally witnessed killing Jedi at Kerest." the Jedi said, face the epitome of calm and control.
"Ugh,
Jedi, always calling those who don't want to do it their way or the high way
terrorists. The Alliance and the SJC were the biggest terrorists of the Third Imperial Civil War. It was you who threw in with the NIO and allowed them to grow so insanely powerful to start with, and allowed the Bryn'adul and Maw to ravage world after world. How's that working out for you, by the way? Oh,
right, the Bastion Accords collapsed and you're even worse off than before! The Black Knight
did warn you, as I recall, about how the NIO were going to screw you, in the end."
"Enough! Throw down your weapon,
Demon, and we won't have to do this the hard way."
"Silly Jedi..." Arianna said with an evil smirk. "Don't you know
anything about who opposes you? We
love doing it the hard way."
Arianna's flesh shuddered violently everywhere as three Jedi all tried to suppress her connection to the Force at the same time. Due to the nature of her enchanted gown this caused their attack to have quadruple the effect, making Arianna stagger backward, unnatural, pig like metallic squeal escaping her throat. The Jedi who had spoken snorted in disgust and moved to restrain her.
The Suppression attempt, amplified greatly by the weaknesses of her dress was almost overwhelming to the Force Spawn, and she was genuinely helpless for a few moments as The Jedi got her arms in restraints, further compounding her problems by fitting her with a Neural Disruption Collar. Her flesh melted and sloughed and reset constantly off her Skeleton, occasionally melting face exposing the surface of a pearl white skull.
The masked CEO screamed at the sight of her. He kept shrieking, couldn't stop shrieking.
"Pretty soon everyone will see you for the monster you really are..." The Jedi vowed
"I'm not out of...the apartment...yet." The Force Spawn hissed through melting lips.
The Jedi snorted and hauled her up...
That was the curses activated. Glowing runes placed on the floor beneath the feet of the Jedi using Force Suppression, severely disrupted their concentration.
The Collar may have disrupted her ability to call on the Force, but it did nothing to actually disrupt the enchantments on her dress.
The melted abomination snapped it's head back and broke the Jedi's nose, making him fall backward as she broke her cuffs and ripped off the Collar, barely getting a water shield up as the Rangers and Jedi opened fire, two Jedi hitting her with Force Pushes that slammed her backward, severely stunning her, a bullet ripped hit her side, then her shoulder but the enchantments on her gown prevented the shot gun blasts from piercing her flesh.
She hissed at them demonically, conjuring a hammer of water that she used to bash the shooter's brain in, just as a Jedi swung at her face with her Lightsaber...only for the power coursing through her flesh, reinforced by the enchantments of the Gown, to cause the blade to skitter off it. She lunged, hands clasping around his face, instantly leeching his Psychic Energy and rendering him unconscious, hurling him at the other rangers, summoning a shield of water to block the sonic bolts that headed her way, a tentacle springing from it, punching a Ranger's lights out.
Arianna was yanked backward by a Force Pull, gripped telekinetically, and slammed into a wall, making her woozy. Her face caught another Lightsaber blade, this one held to her face to try and break through both the natural enchantments of her flesh as well as those of her gown.
She squealed unnaturally in pain, rage, forming a solid bubble of water around her attacker, causing him to start thrashing about.
One end of her saber staff went active and she cut off his hand with a quick chop, throwing a hand covered in sagging, melting flesh out. It looked like she was Force Choking the Rangers. To the Jedi, it would feel like an act of the Dark Side, but in actuality, she was triggering only minor muscle spasms in the throats of her victims, causing them to fall unconscious without truly harming them. Do to her own nature as a False Persona, Arianna sincerely believed she was choking them to death.
One Jedi left, both blades from her staff came out and she was on him in a frenzy, slashing chaotically in Form 007, destroying his stubborn Soresu defense. Her hand grabbed his face and he was near instantly drained to unconsciousness. Despite his strength in The Force, Arianna was simply that much stronger.
Her flesh finally reset across her body, and she was once more the immaculate, pale skinned Countess of Khemost, who only minutes before had been finalizing a business transaction.
Arianna turned, smiling warmly at the masked CEO, and strode up to him.
"As I said, Sir..." she said, handing him the contract, flesh on her face shuddering for a second.
"The House protects..."
A few hours later...
"Well..." Darth Xiphos said as Arianna came aboard the
Cathedral Yacht. "That suite is a wash..." Xiphos wore a solid black armorweave kimono
"At least I got the contract signed..." Arianna proclaimed as Xiphos followed Arianna to her Private Quarters.
Arianna began removing her Jewelry. "I was extraordinarily lucky none of this was damaged..." she admitted, removing the last of it and wearing a simple black pendant on a black chain with a green Kyber in the middle. It was worth the least of any of her Jewelry, but meant the most to her because Xiphos had made it as a gift for Arianna. Arianna took a remote and classical harp music played over the speaker.
She sat down on a ludicrously expensive sofa. Without a word, Xiphos sat next to her, head reclining on Arianna's lap.
The Sorceress casually ran pale fingers through Raven black strands of hair.
"Mother, that was far too close. We need to do a better job securing you. I'd like to post one of my daughters as your security detail. An Advanced Model 1..."
"Will it make you feel better, Julia?" Arianna asked, running a finger gently across Xiphos's forehead.
"It would. If I lost you, I would burn down the home of whoever did it. I would burn down their
planet..."
"The most important is I'm here, and I'm safe, and we are on our way back to Home..." Arianna assured her with a warm smile.
"I do have a bit of business that needs attending..." Xiphos said. "Someone is trying to get a reconstruction project going. I want to get us involved, but anonymously, at whatever meeting they intend."
"Who do you want for the operation, dear Julia?" Arianna asked, eyes trailing to a lock of Julia's hair wrapped around her finger."
"The
Diplomatic Nuetralizers . I think it's time we put them to a true field test..."
Arianna nodded. "That is an excellent idea..."
One Hour before meeting started...
Aboard
House Io Star Destroyer (KNV PHOENIX BLOOD)
SIGNAL INTERCEPT...
TRACING...
TRACING...
IDENTIFIED: CODE CLEARANCE AUTHORIZATION 777-007-777-700-14213542
AUTHORIZATION INSTRUCTION: DECRYPTING...
DECRYPTING...
DECRYPTED
AUTHORIZATION:
PHOENIX BLOOD RECEIVES DEPLOYMENT SANCTION OF HONEY BUTTERFLY. COORDINATES IN INTEL PACK.
HONEY BUTTERFLY IS TO ATTEMPT TO SECURE INVOLVEMENT IN RCSRT. PROJKT. SECONDARY: SCOUT POTENTIAL GOAL-HOSTILES
MESSAGE TERMINATES.
STORING AND RE-ENCRYPTING.
The House Io Star Destroyer
Phoenix Blood is a reserve ship where special Bio Nuetralizers receive in-depth instruction and testing. It is one thing to have some of the highest quality programming available in a brain that can be updated wirelessly or directly. It is another to actually use and learn to use it properly.
Xiphos had used other facilities before. Old space stations and the like (She swore by old stations like the old VenteX Cargo Facilities). But going forward, the Bio Nuetralizers would be received and tested on this ship and others like it.
The
Model 1 units, first of Darth Xiphos's children, retained special rights as to the instruction and testing of all other Nuetralizers, mechanical or otherwise.
Some hadn't even been deployed yet.
The Model 1's trained all their brothers and sisters without prejudice. They were their older brothers: The eldest sibling cares for the youngest.
Most Model 1's today are veterans of battles in the third Imperial Civil War. They were covered in war paints. Mainly stripes and dots to signify how many they killed, what kind of enemy, and which battle. The very oldest veterans, the ones who had been active since the Invasion of Generis, had a Dark Green stripe across their forehead. They were allowed to wear a dark blue stripe on the chassis for surviving the second and third battle of Ziost, a red stripe for Korriban, an acid green one for Vjun.
Very few Model 1's had all the stripes. But the ones that did are utterly lethal and intelligent.
One such Nuetralizer served as the Headmaster. His name was Martin. He was one of the very first factory models ever tested--one of the first two, in fact, on the planet Pzob.
He was accorded much respect by all the other Model 1 units. Even the obnoxious, often trolling Model 3's didn't give him any chit.
Upon receiving authorization by Mother to deploy one of the very newest models, Martin immediately set off for their recreational area. They were exceptionally fast learners, figuring out how to complete training courses as fast as they could be thought up. The Phoenix Blood had an equal compliment of Organic Citizens being both observers in the interest of transparency to the populace as to what they were doing, as well as interacting with the Bio Nuetralizers as a necessity.
Martin entered a stark white colored area filled with trees.
They were purpose built diplomats. But they were still Nuetralizers.
They all went still, eyes instantly fixed like a hawk on Martin. Some were playing harps. Others had acquired a pet hamster for a source of affection that didn't come from their siblings and were busily petting and playing with them. Some played Pazaak, others checkers. All looked the same, an incredibly beautiful young woman with tan, flawless skin and dark brown hair, wearing a silver armorweave dress.
"Good Morning, Little Sisters!" Martin said. "I have come to select which among you will have the honor of attempting to get in on the ground floor of a reconstruction project. Show of hands if you believe yourself ready..."
Present...
Armed with:
Vibro Rapier (Cortosis-Weave)
Wearing: Armorweave Gown
Heavy Sonic Blaster
She was a vision of beauty, but as she moved, one could tell something wasn't
quite right.
Her skin, though it looked real, was curiously flawless. Her movements very fluid, unusually precise.
She had been given a cover as an employee of
Chimera. None of its assets were traceable back to House Io or even Arianna herself...none of her name's were on any of its books, and the company was secretive as it was.
She was armed only with a simple Vibro-Rapier and a Heavy Sonic Blaster. Of course, her abilities as one of the smartest, most advanced HRD's in the Galaxy receiving it's first true field test came with it's own, built in benefits. After being let in, the slim but athletic looking young woman walked daintily to an empty seat, quietly listening to
Kyra Perl
express her concerns.
After others spoke their peace, Megan, The Diplomatic Nuetralizer decided to say her own peace.
"Forgive me if this seems impertinent..." Megan said delicately in a Coruscant accent, tone as non offensive as possible.
"But it occurs to me the first order of business is to secure fuel and shipping routes...and a steady chain of supplies..."
Coren Starchaser
Tiland Kortun
Vooltroo
