"Chestnut"

[Noire]

​

Z E L T R O S​

Coratanni Cartel​

Penthouse​

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We humans are alone in this 'verse for a reason. We've murdered and butchered anything that challenged our primacy. ​

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The sound of a sharp slap resonated within the room, followed by the muffled cry and stumble of a body stumbling to the ground.

The distinct, penetrating clip of a red high heel with the brand of S.I.N. etched along its sole went ambling in a slow half circle. At the center, the bloody and mewling body of Vies' daughter. Her face was black and blue, blood crusted where shards of ice had sliced her skin. No medical treatment for her. Not unless granted by Natalia's whim.

At her back lay her beloved, a medical droid finishing the touch ups of what would be the next stage of his evolution. Of adaptation.

But first this schutta would pay.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

To say that he was annoyed didn't go far enough.

His new metallic fingers slowly curled inward, the pads of his new digits slowly pressing against his palm. He spun the hand slowly, his lips thinning as he watched the arm. They had managed to create something for him with remarkable speed, though he would have to put his own touches upon it in due time. It seemed that the device had been meant for another rich man here on Zeltros, though who he was or what he did Slevin didn't particularly care.

He scowled slightly.

"Well my love." The Crime Lord said, not paying any attention to the girl whimpering on the floor. She was of little consequence, not when he was dealing with...this. He frowned slightly again and then slowly raised his palm, glancing at the dark reflective metal. "You'll have to get used to cold fingers."

Slevin glanced towards her. "A new adventure for you."

He tried to smile, though his rage was still more than palpable.

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]


“Yes, my love.” Natalia would purr, only to prop and press the red stiletto of the S.I.N. heel at Maile’s back. With distinct snarl of her upper lip, the blonde woman gave a slow, downward press, undaunted by the cries and squeals Vies’ daughter made.

Her cybernetic eye gave a swivel, face turning to meet her beloved’s gaze. She gave a cock of her head, the long swath of blonde hair swaying alongside her bare back. They had to grab a medical doctor from his own home, snatching him in the middle of the middle of the night. Persuaded, he had quickly tended to Slevin’s wounds and her own. Natalia suffered more cosmetic damage than anything as serious as her beloved. However, it was now a way to enhance their abilities. An opportunity.

The only difference is that it had been forced upon by the incompetence of the sniveling brat under her heel.

“I have them hunting down Vies. As well as ensuring that his competitor meet a fitting end.” acquisition of a cloning facility and high-tech research and development were next.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

He considered the arm for a few more moments. The device was an interesting twist in the story of his life. He didn't mind the appendage too much in all honesty, after all it was just another way to further himself. He recognized that it would be useful, but it was...strange.

The fingers furled into a fist one more time.

There was a slight metallic clack as each of the digits struck his palm. As soon as his fist closed a knife ejected from the back of his palm, the blade spiking out for a moment and letting out a glimmer as it reflected the light from above. He frowned slightly again, then let his gaze fall towards Natalia. There would always be changes, Natalia had her eye and now it seemed that he had his arm. Slowly he rose, pushing himself off the chair and shifting to look at his beloved.

"No." He told her quietly.

This was something he had to do himself. "Take them alive."

The blade slowly retreated back into his hand as he gave it one last look. This was personal. He had never been overly fond of his right arm anyway, not anymore than he was of his other appendages, but the loss was enough to warrant a more personal touch.

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

"Oh?' Natalia's voice carried an edge of intrigue. For now, the blonde gave a cluck of her tongue.

"Don't. Move." there was an underlying threat there. Rarely did the woman become so brutal, her game was one of manipulation and intricate deceit, However, when Slevin's well-being was involved, she was unmerciful and harsh in her judgment. Every action made to have it last in all its painful glory.

"The Runners will be back soon with the information. We can make our move then." she added, drawing her foot back from the cowering Maile.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

A slight spark trickled over his fingers, the stun gauntlets within his arm activating with but a thought. He smiled for a moment, the device was an oddity, that much could be said, but...it had it's upsides. His fingers slowly curled one more time, an odd vibration carrying through them. His hand slowly extended towards the chair that he had been sitting in, the flat of his palm suddenly flaring open. There was a loud creak of metal, and then suddenly the metal was pressed aside.

A loud snap rang within the room, the chair flying against the far wall. He smiled slightly, retracting his hand as the cowering girl on the floor looked up at Slevin. She glanced at Natalia for a moment, then back at him as if begging for some kind of mercy. "What an interesting toy."

He would have to play around with it more later.

"I lost my arm." Slevin said as he slowly turned towards Natalia, his hand gently slipping around her throat. "A proper lesson must be taught."

His new mechanical fingers tightened in a loving embrace.

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]



Natalia’s lips twisted in a provocative purr. The metal was cool, however, with the heat of her skin it would warm. Slevin delicately and lovingly cradled her neck, caressing the dark ink that decorated the skin there. The length of her tattoo ran around her throat and then pitched south in a peak between her breasts.

“A tit for a tat.” Or more. There was still progress to move forward with. Slevin’s arm and Natalia’s own cybernetic eye had provided an avenue. An opportunity. As both had been genetic creations, narcissistic to the extreme, they each held themselves as being above all others. The created were about to become the creators.

Leaning close, Slevin allowed Natalia to draw her face and nuzzle against his cheek. The raps of his beard grazing her skin with familiarity.

“Perhaps we should start with one closer to us?” That cybernetic eye shot over towards Maile, who immediately began to grovel.

“No! Please! “ she had found her voice again, if done through split lips and swollen features.

“I’m sorry. I was in shock. There was blaster fire everywhere!”

Of course, Natalia meant that Maile had taken her sweet time to sound the alarm.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

He considered the suggestion for a few moments. Killing the girl would bring a small hint of satisfaction, he couldn't help but admit that, but it would also be foolish. Malie was still more than useful, even with her fathers betrayal. Killing her would hurt the man, but it would also likely drive him to do something more...erratic. Right now they could at the very least predict him, if the girl died? That would become much more difficult. He frowned for a moment then slowly shook his head.

"No." He told her as his fingers gently pressed into her neck, guiding her to glance back at him.

"Not yet." Slevin doubted that they would ever kill the girl, she had other uses after all, but Malie didn't need to know that. What she did need to know was that she was more than expendable, that to Slevin and Natalia she was nothing but a toy, a plaything to be bandied around like a dozen others. The Crime Lord smiled slightly, his fingers pressing against his lovers neck for a moment more as he leaned down and killed her. "Punish her."

He said simply. "Don't kill her."

She was still a useful tool after all.

Better to keep her alive and move forward with their other plans. If they killed Malie's father the girl stood to inherit everything. The club, the casino, half a dozen other legitimate enterprises. Through her the two of them could take over. The process wasn't pretty, but at least it would work.

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

Some things were best left to savor later. Maile recognized that for the moment her life was spared. What hadn't settled was the knowledge that there were some circumstances where one would have wished for death instead.

A small beep came from Natalia's wrist comm. It was their head of security. Well, the new one. The former had been, well made an example of. They should have reacted faster. With more skill. Incompetence was not acceptable behavior.

Slevin allowed Natalia the luxury to move, the blonde answering the comm with a press of her finger.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Thawne, we have located Mr. Vies."

That crimson smile turned woflish.

"Good."

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

Locating him was far short of capturing him unfortunately. He knew that the man would be somewhat difficult to capture, if only because his resources here on Zeltros extended far beyond what one might actually think. The Casinos upon this world were all connected.

Oh some were rivals, some hated each other, but they all knew one another. The fact of the matter was that the Casinos would very likely band together once their recognized Natalia and Slevin as a proper threat. They would try to come together to be something...more. The effort was futile of course, Natalia and Slevin would get what they wanted, but they still had to be weary. Zeltros was an animal all it's own, and he wasn't quite sure if they could control it.

"We must move quickly." Slowly his fingers unwound.

There was no time to waste here.

"Assemble everyone." He told her. "We can't afford to fail."

If they left this world defeated there was no way they could retake the ground they already had, not for another few months.

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

Natalia gave the nod. Coming to her feet, the woman eyed the whimpering Maile upon the floor.

"Soon, precious," she added, her voice a husky promise that at any other time would have been provocative. Instead, it merely assured the blonde that she would have her comeuppance soon enough.

The click, click, click of her heels strode right past Maile, Natalia bringing her come up from her wrist as she began to assemble the Runners and their team.

Those that worked with Natalia and Slevin were well aware that loyalty and an immediate execution were highly valued commodities. Or at least ensured longevity. When Natalia snapped her fingers, they were supposed to jump into action.

Not fifteen minutes later and a shuttle would pull into the landing pad.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

Slevin frowned slightly as he weighed the blaster in his new hand.

The weapon was one of several dozen that they'd intercepted on a trade route from Byblos, stolen from Vanir Technologies. It was designed to be rather heavy, utilizing bowcaster bolts instead of the usual charged tibianna. Yet in his palm it felt like a child's toy. He frowned slightly, the idea of this new appendage setting him ill at ease for some reason. He could see it as the useful tool that it was, the weapon that could solve a dozen problems.

Yet it felt...unnatural.

He supposed that it was in fact, but that didn't really help settle his mind at all. "I will enjoy gutting them."

Slevin said as he slowly wrapped his metallic fingers around the handle of the blaster, the roar of engines shaking the bulkhead beneath his feet. He trembled slightly, though whether that was the ship around him or the rage in his stomach was difficult to tell.

"The estate is on the southern edge of the peninsula." He told the Pilot as he slowly stood. "Take us there."

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

"How does it feel?"

Natalia's voice was a husky murmur as the woman sat beside her beloved. Right leg swung over the left. Bacta ointment and treatments had quickly healed her skin. However, there was no missing the faint red lines where the glass had sliced it open. It would take some time before they would fade.

"Are you able to feel temperature well?" it was a curious thing. When Natalia was in the midst of adapting to the new cybernetic eye, there was always an odd, ghostly feeling tied to it. It was of little concern as it allowed her to enhance herself. Yet she was curious if it was the same for a limb.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

"Strange." He said in answer as his fingers closed a bit righter around the blaster in his hand.

He knew that one didn't just 'get used' to a new arm overnight, but it felt...foreign. Perhaps in time he would get used to it, but for now it was still something entirely new. At times he found an odd sort of...after image of his own arm in place of the cybernetic, but the sensation was brief and gone as soon as he looked towards the source. He let the pads of his fingers drum over the weapon within them, slowly pressing as if testing the feel of the heavy metal.

"No temperature." He told her quietly. "Just...sensation."

Slevin had no idea if that made any sense. "It's different."

That was really the only way to describe it. He supposed if he could feel the temperature of the limb it would always be cold, yet he could feel touch on the pads of his fingers.

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

To show her appreciation and perfect acceptance of all that was her beloved, Natalia brought her hand cover to caress the length of it. It was cool under her fingers, but she understood the power and strength underneath it.

"I cannot wait to see you use it." he was already fast, to begin with. Lethal. One can only imagine the sight that would be to see him crush a foe with his fingers wrapped around them. Crack them open like a chestnut.

The focus was on getting their revenge, but that also came along with what would follow.

Her cybernetic and his was just the beginning. A start of the prototype.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

The estate grew closer, the edge of the peninsula filling out in the viewport just ahead of him as the gunship rocketed across the skies. He frowned slightly for just a moment before slowly turning the blaster over in his hand, his mechanical thumb flipping over the safety.

"We'll have to be fast." He told her.

Zeltros itself had no army or navy, the locals had long since found no need for such things. Yet the Casinos had plenty of security forces, each one having more than a dozen or so different divisions with a dozen mean each. They were practically private armies. Usually they just kept the peace, but if something went against the will of the owners? Well then Penthouses would get attacked and people would lose their arms. He scowled slightly, shifting his weight and glancing up towards Natalia.

Slowly he stood, pulling himself up via the strap on top of the ship.

His stomach dropped slightly as the Gunship began to lower itself, a slight whir beginning to rumble through the ship as the vessels weapons powered up.

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

The next few minutes passed by with crystal clarity. For Natalia, it was as if every nerve was now heightened to the umpteenth degree. All she heard were the preparation of the blaster rifles and pistols, sounds of the Coratanni Cartel preparing for war.

The volley of blaster fire spat at their direction was the opening chorus. A symphony of a cacophonous range that followed the escalation of notes as they returned fire. They came to the casino with the echoing blasts of blaster fire punching through with harsh notes.

Natalia's blasters came up, twin Houks forging ahead of her to grab the throats of two casino security guards. Their meaty fists came back down, splattering crimson amidst the crack of skulls.

A Trandoshan appeared at the far end of the casino entrance. Patrons already scattering amidst the cries of panic and the Zeltrons natural attempts to subdue matters.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

Slevin didn't particularly care if there were civilian causalities.

Oh he was sure that they would appear on the news either way, that the Zeltrons would stir up trouble and arrest more than a few for this, but it wouldn't be them. The Casinos would get the blame, the men and women who had for so long run the cartels of these sorts of places. It was all part of the plan in a way, stir the pot, create a little chaos. Force the government of Zeltros to intervene where they hadn't intervened in so long. It would have been easier to work with the Cartels, but now?

Now they would fall.

"This way." Slevin said as he raised his blaster and put several bolts through the Trandoshan at the end of the hall, the Lizard like Alien letting out a horrible screech as it was struck twice in the chest. A heavy thud ringing out as the massive alien fell to the floor. The Crime Lord scowled as he slowly pulled out a rebreather from his jacket, placing the mask over his face before glancing over towards a clutch of cowering Zeltrons.

He knew their games all too well.

Distractions couldn't be allowed.

 

[Noire]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

Lust and Love.

At any other time Natalia would be the one leading the games. However, at this moment she didn't care for the stink of Zeltron pheromones. Her beloved and she knew their tricks. This had been their go to method to counteract invasions in the past. At least, until the idiots invading finally realized what they had to do in order to prevent failure.

The mask she slipped on was black, but it would filter the pheromones well. It was tempting to consider the implantation of an anti pheromone cybernetic, but that was a discussion for another time. A Twi'lek suddenly came from Natalia's right, breaking the woman's concentration.

The quick jab slash of a vibroblade aimed for Natalia's belly. A growl escaped with a snarl from Natalia, the woman jerking away before bringing her blaster back up. She shot at the woman's face, the scent of charred skin rising amidst the cry.

At the VIP suite where the Casino owner stood watching, security teams went to lock down the entrances.

"I don't want them getting in you hear me!" he spat out."

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Natalia Thawne"]

As a group they quickly closed the distance of the casino grounds. People were screaming all around them, some fled, others hid beneath he gaming tables. The soldiers that Slevin himself had trained pushed forward before Natalia and he. They moved with expert precision, their blasters erupting in sparks of red whenever a threat came towards either of the couple.

They passed through the first set of great double doors, moving into a hallway lit with bright white lights.

"My love." Slevin said as he half turned, pulling the trigger of his weapon to put down another Trandoshan that had rushed towards them. The weapon smoked for half a second, Slevin half twirling it in his grip as he shifted his gaze towards Natalia. "Get to the turbo-lifts."

He told her, his hand rushing over the small of her back. "I'll join you shortly."

Slevin pressed a kiss to her cheek, then turned down the hall.

There was something else that he wanted to get before he executed those responsible for his arm. Something that he knew he would find within the VIP rooms of this casino in particular. He had seen it in a file that Vies had kept upon his desk. A small smile twitched on his lip as he and one of his soldiers rushed down the hall, the others following Natalia.