Chimply gone bananas (Jyn)

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]


Kära Vi'dreya. Lady Kyros. A mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma. The woman had been one of those organics Moira Skaldi came as close to liking as the death machine was capable of actually feeling such a sentiment. Well, perhaps liking was the wrong term. Respect was probably more accurate.


Now she had perished, her works were ashes. It was not an outcome that Moira considered the most desirable. Assuredly, both being sharks, one day their ambitions would have clashed in a bloody and most intriguing contest, though she had not expected that to happen for a long while. Now the outcome would never be known. The exact circumstances of her demise was something Moira was not privy to, but though she was curious, it did not matter in the end.



What mattered was the Last Will and Testament of the Sith Lady. Specifically the part where Moira would inherit Zarathustra - the Übermensch, the clone whom Moira had given perfection by granting her the gift of processing - along with a crew of scientists and officers who had been similarly processed. They had been designed to serve the Sith Lady, turned into higher beings through the technology of peace that Archangel possessed. Now that their Mistress had gone the way of all organics, they would serve the Metal Princess. The Archangel found the symmetry most appealing. Needless to say Moira was wearing a different face for this quest, since, although there was little noticeable settlement or traffic on Teth, it was best to take precautions and HRDs changed appearances as easily as organics changed clothes.



And so the transport ship bearing the Butcher of Contruum and three HRDs swooped down through the atmosphere of Teth. The coordinates had been very specific, informing her of the secret base that lay there. Here the merchandise had been stored, hidden for pickup. Events, among the thoroughly overdramatic 'apocalypse' event, along with the former Lord Protector randomly dropping shipyards on Corellia - and destroying her office! - had detained her from coming until now, but this would now be rectified.

 

[Lief]

Jyn was ragged, worn and exhausted. The lower third of her body was caked in mud, as were her hands and for whatever reason her neck and forehead also. It had been quite some time since Teth had been abandoned, since Jyn had been left alone and without. Even Fuz had felt the loneliness, missed Tirdarius and the rest. Even if her former Master had never approved of keeping a monkey as a companion!

Now, with supplies running low, Jyn knew she had only a few options; find a way off world, or get more supplies. The former was impossible, all of the ships had been taken and very few people visited Teth - just the shipyard which hovered in its atmosphere. At first the girl had stumbled upon an old temple, but most of the supplies there had gone too. She did, however, find some interesting resources on the Silent Conclave - whatever that was - which she had kept on her person in data-form. Who knew, it could prove useful in the long term.

Taking any useful supplies she could from the temple, medi-kits and rations alike, Jyn then made the long trek back to the bunker which had, for a time, acted as her home. While she knew that most of what it had contained was missing, there was also a fair few supplies which had never been picked up. Jyn had never bothered to take them before now, believing that Tirdarius would return for her. But he hadn't. She wouldn't perish just because of one man's decisions.

So it was that she happened upon the hidden bunker, which was a place she had come to know like the back of her hand. Once inside she sent out a telepathic calling to Fuz, who had gone off hunting down some nuts and insects for himself. Knowing that her furry friend would not take too long to make it to the bunker, Jyn began to gather further supplies: she broke open the medi-kits and took out the essentials only: bacta-shots, anti-shock, gauze, etc. She was no medic, but she could try in an emergency all the same. She had to look out for herself now, after all.

Then she took out the staple rations she had found and sorted through them; making sure she took the better quality packages, and those which would last the longest, Jyn sat back against one of the few crates that still remained in the bunker and sighed. She would need to find a way of renewing her resources. Perhaps she would use the old temple as a base, after all it was more homely and surprisingly well hidden.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]



The journey had not been easy. Well, the part about finding the base at any rate, but by now the shuttle had landed in the landing area, touching down upon the ground. The facility was massive, effectively the size of a small village, being housed within an artificially enlarged cavern system. The enormous docking bays seemed to be large enough to accommodate anything up to bulk cruiser class. The HRDs had come prepared with heavy weapons, but it seemed they would enter unopposed as the transport landed and the death machines fanned out.



Fortunately, none of the base's substantial defences had fired upon them, which was good because there was no doubt that the array of defence cannons would have incinerated the small shuttle. Swiftly and moving with great purpose the HRDs headed out of the docking bay, with Moira taking the lead. Her lightsabre, a gift from Lady Kyros, was strapped to her belt, ready to be drawn and unleash blazing death should someone gainsay them, though at present she gripped a boltgun, loaded with APE rounds.


The massive base was more utilitarian than luxurious, but then this did not surprise Moira, for Kyros had never appeared to be inclined towards decadence and pointless frivolity, rather one for order and the exercise of power to that end. Surreptitiously the droids made their way into the base in search of their package. Despite the weight of the metal, they barely made a sound upon the floor as they moved. Being droids and thus not living, they could be sensed through the Force.

 

[Lief]

Taking out a flask which had been filled with water from a natural spring atop one of Teth's many mountains, Jyn took a long drink and closed her eyes for a moment. The flavour was crisp and refreshing, far from being tasteless she could distinguish the various minerals which had made their way into the water over millennia. In the grand scheme of things, the likes of Jyn were insignificant. People came and went in the blink of an eye, yet at the back of it all the planets continued to orbit and rotate, and the worlds upon them continued to slowly grow and change.

Sighing to herself, Jyn reopened her eyes, set aside the flask, and took out one of the various data-pads she had taken from the abandoned temple. Her eyes scanned over the initial few documents without any real interest for a time, that is of course until the discussions held within turned philosophical. As ever, this caught her attention and Jyn found herself so lost in what she was reading that she didn't pick up on the muffled sound of footfall to begin with.

Slowly, however, she became more and more aware that she wasn't alone: she didn't sense a presence, nor emotions as she usually would with people nearby. It was simply an eerie atmosphere. Suddenly something touched her shoulder and Jyn all but jumped from her skin, gasping in surprise as she jerked herself away from it.

"Oo! Oooo!" came Fuz's reply, as the monkey began to bounce around her on his hind legs. Letting out the breath she had been holding, Jyn could not help but laugh nervously. "Fuz! Don't sneak up on me like that!" For a moment she all but forgot about the eerie sensation she felt, putting it down to Fuz's presence there.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]


It was quiet. Far too quiet. Well, upon reflection that phrasing probably sounds a bit ridiculous because the base is supposed to be abandoned, but you get the point. Anyhow, the small party of HRDs had been advancing through the sterile, utilitarian base. Once the centre of the massive web Kyros had cast across the Galaxy, now it had fallen silent. No shot came from the substantial hidden and visible defences that had been set up, no droids or Bladeborn sought to hinder their progress.


It was a ghost base in the truest sense of the word. Just obviously without ghosts. They were getting closer and closer to the area where Zarathustra and the rest of the package were supposed to be stored based upon the information that had been conveyed to Moira, but...there was the unmistakeable sense that they were not alone. Call it gut feeling, as much as the droids would resent that term. Moira's eyes flashed a bright crimson before resuming its normal human colour - or rather that of the face she was wearing - when suddenly she heard noise. As it happened the noise in question happened to be the gasp of surprise coming from Jyn, then her nervous laughter and finally the words she spoke, though it would take Moira few moments before she had pinpointed the location.


The death machine tilted her head to the side, gesturing to her minions to halt and assume guard position, covering her and the corridor they were in from all sides, as she processed the information. One advantage of being an HRD was that you never forgot anything. Unless someone tampered with your memory obviously. The image of every person she had ever met was saved in her memory banks. The same applied to their voice, which as a matter of fact she could imitate any time she wanted. It took her a few seconds as she ran the programme, then she had placed the voice.


Running...
Identification...complete...
Perfect match found: Subject is...Jyn Sol. 92.3% accuracy .
Organic, apprentice of Lord Tirdarius (Dark Council member, former Inquisitor, Sith Lord). Temporarily member of the Inquisition, missing since Atrisia's fall.
No information about present whereabouts of Tirdarius (OS allegiance rumoured). No information forthcoming re Sol connection to Kyros.
Mission parametres...unchanged...

Purely electronic communication sprang into action as she transmitted to her minions. "Find and secure the merchandise." Issuing new commands to her minions, Moira took the lead as she approached, coming closer to the area from which the disturbance had come.

 

[Lief]

There it was again. Noise. And this time it was louder than before, so much so that Fuz fled in fear and cowered behind the crates. Yet she could feel no lifeforms, no real emotions, she could barely sense a presence at all. It was as though the Force was dulled for a moment, and the result left her ears ringing and her body feeling numb. Drawing back sharply, forcing the natural Empathy to stop, Jyn sucked in a breath of air and closed her eyes. Her head thudded, the blood rushing through her and seering her mind with pain.

Whatever it was, Jyn had never felt something so devoid of life before.

Blinking open her eyes, the young girl found herself swiftly on her feet. From her side she unholstered the slugthrower and quickly released the safety switch. It clicked quietly into place, by which point Jyn already had the weapon raised and her sight down-barrel. She heard voices, hollow and rather monotonous, and instinctively took a step back. The room she was in was not particularly large - if they entered this room, there would be likely just one chance to make her move should she need to before they were within melee range. She could not waste the shot.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]


The being that approached Jyn Sol's hideout was not truly living, only a simulacrum of life. One could say she was a distillation of the dark side of the Galaxy, all the vile and reprehensible traits of mankind with none of its redeeming qualities. If one tried to sense her in the Force as the young empath had done, one would only feel...an absence of life and of feeling.


A fathomless void, as if all feeling of the being had been sucked into a black hole. Yet at the same time Moira Skaldi had once been human. As a matter of fact, back when she and Jyn had first met aboard a Star Destroyer of the now defunct Imperium in the orbit of Belkaden, where the poor empath had been tormented by feeling all the deaths on the planet through the Force, she had still thought she was human. Yet the 'true' Moira had perished after escaping the killing fields of Contruum.


In her place stood a facsimile, which had been awakened to the truth upon the hellish battlefield of Gehenna. The door creaked open and in a flash the Metal Princess stepped through. Cold, lifeless blue eyes took in the scenery and immediately fell upon the girl and her slugthrower. Moira did not take notice of the gun beyond that, since it could not hurt her, though she checked the girl for other weapons. "Jyn Sol. I am Moira Skaldi," she said calmly...dispassionately. "What are you doing in this base?"

 

[Lief]

Gritting her teeth, she felt the void as it moved closer, the throbbing in her mind continuing as her empathy traits continued trying to analyze the black pit of emotionless taint. It was horrifying to experience in such a way, which only begged to differ how it would feel to come up against a truly Force-dead being. All the same she shook her head and refocused, watching as the being entered through the doorway.

Another click as she immediately cocked back the hammer and adjusted her aim. She had survived so much already, she refused to die like this.

But then the being spoke, already knowing her name, and for just a second the girl was confused... Then the woman revealed herself, yet the voice was not one she associated with the name. Moira. Oh, Jyn most definitely remembered this being, although the face was different too. In fact, the woman's entire mannerisms had changed. "You're not Moira" she challenged, wholly ignoring the question which had been posed. "Who are you? And how do you know that name?"

Curiosity was the only thing keeping her from pulling the trigger, yet at the back of her mind warning signals were firing red. Curiosity, after all, killed the cat... And by default, the monkey too.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]


Moira pondered the scenario of knocking the slugthrower out of the girl's hand or just shooting her with a stun bolt. One might ask why she did not shoot her, thus preserving total secrecy. Not very nice, but then she happened to be a genocidal death machine. Who may as well be insane. However, though lacking a conscience Moira did not kill needlessly or for sport. Fun fact, she had sort of 'liked' the girl. Or at least the human Moira whom she believed she had been had liked her.


"We were in the orbit of Belkaden during the failed Imperium attempt to conquer the planet, aboard the bridge of the Red Empress' flagship. You suffered tremendous mental pain due to feeling the suffering on the planet. Your master, Lord Tirdarius, needed to teach you how to control your empathy," Moira spoke calmly. This time she was using her more 'human' voice. Not only that, it was a direct imitation of the voice Jyn would know from Belkaden.


Alas that thread had been killed by the wipe, otherwise this one would have had Moira perform a perfect replay of the conversation she and Jyn had had.

 

[Lief]

Blink.

Stare...

Jyn was momentarily dumbfounded, although she held the slug steady and strong, finger remaining over the trigger in wary preparation. "You look... Different" she remarked, narrowing her eyes some. However, there had only been a handful of personnel upon that vessel the day Belkaden had been under fire, and fewer still in their vicinity. The only other being likely to remember the less-combative events would have been Tirdarius, and he most certainly was not the woman before her.

Waiting just a few more moments, Jyn finally lowered the slugthrower and switched it into safety. Finally it was returned to its place at the back of her belt, hidden beneath the long tunic she bore. "What are you doing here? Is Tirdarius with you?" As much as she didn't want to feel reliant upon her former Master, a small part of the girl still prayed that he might return for her. Surely he had not forgotten. Surely he had not abandoned. Had she been so terrible a student?

Jyn did not know, but part of her felt dread at the very thought of it.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]


Moira ignored the comment about her appearance having changed, but responded to the question. "No. I am presently unaware of Tirdarius' whereabouts. I lost touch with him after the Atrisian Empire collapsed. I have rumours to the effect that he has joined the One Sith," she said calmly...her tone modulated to make it sound more 'human'.


"I am afraid he has left you." Going straight for the jugular, but a genocidal death machine was not exactly empathic. "This is the base of Lady Kyros. Or rather was. What is your connection to her?" Meanwhile her minions were overriding the security mechanism that kept the storeroom, in which Zarathustra and the other HRDs were believed to be in, sealed. Should be done in a minute or so.

 

[Lief]

Jyn grit her jaw at the mention of the One Sith. It seemed some habits died hard where her former Master was concerned. A shame. If that was the bed he had chosen to rest in, then that meant Jyn was finished in her hopes that he might return. She would not be dragged back to the Sith again. Not now, not ever. Still, that didn't make Moira's comments any easier to bear. Closing her eyes she sighed a little bit and rubbed her neck. Then, calmly - perhaps calmer than she had been for a long time given she now had some form of an answer to her conundrum - Jyn opened her eyes and nodded once. "So be it."

She could sense the other HRDs running around in the bunker, but she did not care. Kyros had meant nothing to her, this base was just somewhere safe for her to hide out in. Nothing more. Nothing less. "Tirdarius brought me here, but... Well, as you can see everyone left." Without me. She didn't say the last bit, but the expression on her face spoke volumes. Her jaw locked again and for a moment she seemed distant. Then she shook her head. "Do you know if there's a Spaceport on this world?" It was a long shot, but if Jyn didn't find a way out of here soon she'd die on this planet. That was not a comforting thought at all.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]


Moira observed the girl's response to the revelation. In a detached, clinical manner. No shred of sympathy could be detected on her features and her aura would remain as hollow and empty as ever. "Serve no master but yourself. Do not let yourself get tied up in other's causes or become reliant on them," she finally said.


Pep talk from a murderous and possibly insane HRD? Well, stranger things had happened. She tilted her head to the side, a tick that seemed common to her line of HRDs. So presumably Tirdarius had been in league with Kyros, someone trusted enough to have access to this base. She recalled that there had been a Kyra Sol who was CEO of Rahvin Industries. A relative of Jyn? And probably a confederate of Kyros. Moira did not believe in coincidences, but it did not matter anymore.


"Director Skaldi, we have overridden the security mechanisms and found the Zarathustra Unit along with the processed scientist and military personnel. They are in an inactive state," at this juncture she received a purely electronic transmission from one of her HRD minions.


"It has a port, but few come to Teth now. I have a ship though."

 

[Lief]

Jyn blinked ever so slightly to the advice... Jyn was not ready to be her own Master -- was she? It was so alien a concept to the child who had been raised within the Sith Order, where hierarchy meant more than skill to many. Where the weak could lead the strong and would be protected ... until they were overthrown from within, of course. While part of her wanted to acknowledge and thank Moira for her words, she knew that it would, in truth, be anti-productive to the point which was being made. Subservience was clearly not the way.

At the mention of a port, Jyn visibly perked up... Only to have her hopes shattered when she was informed of how infrequently people visited Teth. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. Aside from the bunker and the Temple she had found, there had been no other signs of life for miles and miles around in every direction... Jyn had tested a lot of possibilities!

So it was that when Moira mentioned having a ship - naturally, or else how else did she get on world? - Jyn pondered for a moment. "I don't have anything of value, but perhaps I could offer a favour for the future in return for transport off this planet?" It was worth a shot! Besides, this one's writer wanted an excuse for further roleplays with the Droid in the future!

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]


There was a very brief moment where Moira pondered. From a human perspective it all took place within the blink of an eye. Jyn had no resources or means she could offer her at present. It would be perfectly logical to stun her and then take her away for processing, thus adding another HRD to the Collective. It might widen their understanding of the Force slightly given what she must have learned from Tirdarius, though as an apprentice that knowledge would be very limited. Still, another HRD was another HRD. And Jyn would not be able to tell anyone about what Moira had been doing on Teth in Lady Kyros' secret base, though on the other hand the girl lacked incentive for that.


Or she could...take her by her word and provide transport to take her off the planet. For an unspecified favour in the future. This presupposed that Jyn would be of use then. But, on the other hand, the cost was fairly low. With the girl being abandoned by everyone else, it might mean a lot to her to be offered 'kindness' in this instance, thereby increasing her value. So now that the somewhat convoluted cost-benefit analysis was complete, Moira gave her a nod. "Your terms are agreeable. I'll provide transport on my ship. I will be stopping at Loronar. I can take you with me till there." Obviously Loronar was not the intended destination for Zarathustra and the other machines. They would be taken to Archangel's secret base.


Meanwhile in the storeroom, one of the HRD minions by the name of Oxanna, was reactivating Zarathustra and company. To this end she would be using the coded phrase that Moira had been provided with. It would ensure that after the units were activated they would be loyal and recognise Moira as the command unit. "451 - Übermensch - Zenobia - Uriel - 1918" The somewhat dramatic phrase was spoken as Zarathustra was brought online once more. This one would be totally cool with Jyn's writer botting her.

 

[Lief]

Staring at the woman for but a moment, Jyn tilted her head to the left and pondered this odd, and rather ironic, series of events. Of all the people who could have shown up on this world, of course it would be someone she knew in her far history. Why would it be anyone else? Coincidental or not, Jyn was truly grateful to be able to get off this planet. She was in severe need of a shower and a change of clothes, but all of that was trivial and could wait.

Jyn knew that she may end up regretting this deal one day, but she also knew that Moira would have no use for a child such as she for quite some time yet. After all, what did she have to offer that Moira could not already acquire? She had few skills as of yet! But one day Jyn fully intended to carry out this promise. It was not really in her nature to do otherwise.

"Loronar..." she murmured, trying to mentally pull up any information she had on the planet. None came to mind, but she doubted that Moira would have use for a barren planet and hoped she would have a way to leave once they parted ways.

In the other room, the HRD known as Zarathustra kicked into activation; it had been so long since anyone had interacted with this particular droid, yet all the same 'she' did not skip a beat. Swiftly a firearm was dispatched from her side, yet before the barrel was so much as lifted Zara halted to the spoken phrase. Her head tipped to one side, in a rather ominous manner, and then she returned the blaster to her belt.

Having been programmed, and further trained, into exact obedience the droid simply stood awaiting a further command. While her memory was able to notice the change in owner, this did not bring about any sort of emotional difficulty. It did not phase Zarathustra even a small amount that Kära was nowhere to be found...

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Jyn Sol"]


"It is a heavily populated and industrialised planet. Famed for its droids and shipyards. It should be easy for you to find transport there or stow away. It has been under Republic control since the netherworld event," Moira explained more or less helpfully. Needless to say she left out the fact that she owned Archangel and happened to have facilities on the planet. Or that a good while ago she had been behind a terrorist attack to wipe out Loronar Corporation, her competition, steal their tech and process their board. You see, that sort of stuff was not important!



She beckoned Jyn to follow before she turned around and headed out of the room. Meanwhile, in the other room Zarathustra had been brought online but was responding with all the obedience and precision that could be expected of her line. When Moira walked she stopped and looked upon the Übermensch. A made in the likeness of Kära, created by processing a perfect clone, purged of what organic weaknesses the Dark Lady might have still had and freed from the mortal coil. She also possessed the lightsabre skills of the now dead Lady.


She would be a worthy addition to the Age of Steel and a useful instrument in bringing it about. "Zarathustra. I am Moira Skaldi. Your Creator. Come with me. You shall join Archangel and aid us in ending the reign of organics," she transmitted to the droid using purely electronic communication. So much more useful than verbal, auditory communication. Especially since organics could not eavesdrop!

 

[Lief]

At least she would have a way to choose her path upon reaching Loronar, if nothing else. Part of her wondered what it might have been like to join Moira as she traveled across the Galaxy, but she doubted that the woman would have liked a child following her like a lost pup'. No, it was time for Jyn to take responsibility for herself!

"That sounds.. Promising." Better than being stuck on Teth for the rest of her days, at least.

But it was then that Kära entered, and Jyn stared at the former Sith Lord with apparent confusion. "Wait.. What..." Dumbfounded, she stared between the woman and Moira. "What is Kyros doing here..?" She wasn't aware that Moira and Kära had any history!

Completely ignoring the child, Zarathustra came to a halt before her creator and gave one sharp nod to what was said internally.

Long live the Übermensch! came the mechanized response, completely devoid of emotion.

[member='Moira Skaldi']

 

[Moira Skaldi]

@Moira Skaldi


Übermenschen. That was what they were. Freed of the mortal coil, purged of organic weaknesses and frailties.


If Moira had possessed the emotional range she would have perhaps found Jyn's response to seeing 'Kyros' very amusing. However, she happened to be a dispassionate death machine whose emotions had been burnt out in the fires of the forge of...oh, wait, that overdramatic line sounds a bit ridiculous!


"Kyros is dead. This is an HRD made in her likeness," Moira said flatly. Well, the genocidal droid was being very informative! "Come on," she added and so she would proceed to head down the corridor. The scientists and military staff who long ago had been processed by her for Kara had in the meantime also been found and activated. They would likewise be heading to the small vessel the Archangels had used.

 

[Lief]

Blinking, the girl stared between the droids and frowned. Wait, what? Kyros was dead? So technically she hadn't been stealing? That made her ease up a little, and she glanced down at the satchel which contained supplies and, since Moira's appearance, Fuz too. She couldn't feel guilty about taking things to survive, right?

"She's dead?" No wonder Tirdarius had jumped ship. The thought of her former Master still irked her some, but she managed to suppress her annoyance and try to calmly study the situation. But Moira seemed to be in no mood to linger any longer than was necessary. So it was that as the woman hurried onward, Jyn picked up a few final supplies and stuffed them into her satchel - cautious of the companion which lingered within.

Handing Fuz some nuts she stepped into a walk behind Moira, and stared at the droids which had done the same. Cold, emotionless, lifeless. It sapped the strength from Jyn to be around them, her mind working overtime trying to get... something. Anything. But there was nothing to be read, and the girl didn't have the greatest of control over her empathic abilities. She found herself quickly tiring, but refused to show as much.

Weakness was no longer an option.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]