Leaves from the Vines

[Seras Goto]

Al-Khali was a place few knew about... even fewer were invited here... but Seras was looking to upgrade and improve the facilities here. She had the experiments, the shroud and what would serve witht he shielding system. She moved with her hood up. Concealing her black hair. Golden eyes loking out upon the landing pad as the storm was being kept at bay to allow passage to the facility. Automated piloting with guidance circuits. "bring her in when she comes." THe landing pad was here, the statue that held her holocron, her research about this facility behind its many riddles. The rest of the facility was protect from others being able to get in thanks to the gap and crags. Her fingers were in their gloves, her entire body within the mechanical suit as the breathing in the cold quiest came out. With the shroud she was able to speak and be heard.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Odacer-Faustin. One of the more intriguing locales from where a request came. In the middle of Sith Empire-land, it was a fringe world to them, but her main memories of her interactions with the Sith Empire were, to say the least, most unpleasant. She sold those Sithies a special variety of copier toner, which caused their photocopiers to burst into ionic flames and, from there, a business enter to catch fire and get blacked out, under the guise of Darth Venefica, but she made it out alive only because Griet saved her hide back there. I really hope the Sith Empire really doesn't attempt retribution for Shusugaunt, she thought. Here, the order from [member="Seras Goto"] called for plants that writhe, induces fear and unease, and, in her mind, it took carnivorous plants and, given Odacer-Faustin's frozen landscape, carnivorous plants that could survive the cold temperatures. For this purpose, she bought Ice Plant seeds on the black market, as well as other seeds from other plant species, such as the D'Qar creepervine, safely stashed in the Shusugaunt Ghost's cargo hold, alongside a few ingredients. And the hard part as navigating the crags and gaps to get to a secret landing pad; it really tested her ability to pilot - she would be made to think that the treacherous network of crags and gaps were impossible to navigate for all but the elites of the Sith Empire's starfighter pilots, when coupled with the violent gusts that shook her craft at every turn and made her life miserable until the secret landing pad was found. But said elites are typically deployed either in the Caldera, over Bastion or as part of the escorts of the Imperial Circle of Lords.

"It's me, Janick: I have some base materials for the defense upgrade project"

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

She looked at the ship approaching, the few ones who were around served needs but the soldiers who were here.. what was left of them anyways so that they at least had some people watching. Seras walked forward and looked at the woman. Mechanical breahting coming as she waited for the nanites of the shroud to take effect. "It is quite alright." Where she was moving with her attention shifting around. To get a better idea when she mentaly opened herself up to receiving telepathic messages and sending them. The walls of the facility were tall and made to be smooth so no one could grip them. Turrets and sensors spaced every couple meters to have full coverage and there was little in the way of looking outwards. THe screams of things on the other sides of the crags were coming into the silence. "We have been working on a number of upgrades, one is to ensure the experiments being experimented on will not communicate with the outside. The sickness makes them frenzy with the promise of warm meat."

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"But what you asked me for was more about covering the walls in some sort of organic stuff capable of inspiring unease and fear as well as writhing"

After Janick took out the crate laden with the key ingredients from the Shusugaunt Ghost's cargo hold, she began to examine [member="Seras Goto"] in the Force for knowledge she feel she could drain out of her that didn't directly relate to those experiments, with the sickness from the outside making them frenzy with warm meat from the outside. Wall smoothing was one thing, to render it unscaleable without having some sort of claw strong enough to penetrate the wall, or a jetpack, but the hard part in creating Sithspawn, animal or vegetal, from multiple species was to ensure that the DNA from all of those species would mesh and hence the need to grind the gametes into dust before any other ingredient could be inserted. At least that's what she would make out. Then she could induce a change in the genome and only then she could think about inducing meiosis in the new gametes. She also heard rumors that IVF was the main medium but she would be led to think that it was nothing new to Seras. I might have accrued fame in the alchemical world for alchemizing electronic devices, but what caused the Sithspawn specialists to be unwilling to work with you, one way or another? she thought.

"Speaking of which, I have two of the more crucial ingredients that will, together, form the basis of what we want: ice plant seeds from Hoth for the cold-resistant and carnivorous parts, and D'Qar creepervine for the fast-growing part. One question, however: how familiar are you with IVF? Because I'm led to think that the process of creating Sithspawn is partially based on IVF"

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

Looking at her while she was leading the way, through the airlocks and lifts down deeper itno the facility. THe pressurized room they entered more like a lab chamber she would be able to work in without the preservation suit. Seras removed her mask revealing a mass of scar tissue around her mouth and throat. She looked out at it when she was removing her throat guard, hood and turned her head to look at the woman as the light flashed. "THe nanites won't be active in here allowing communications." She said it while moving with her hands going voer the computer banks and systems. "I am not a member of the empire, I do not swear to serve them nor do I really care about their latest purpose. I am here, in my lab we can work on it though. Splicing the seeds and testing them to make it work."

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"I believe the best growth rate we will get will be that of the D'Qar creepervine, about 20-30cm per day"

In Janick's mind, what made IVF part of the process of creating Sithspawn came immediately after the infusion of the ichor, which, in turn, came more or less simultaneously with splicing. She didn't bother to purchase IVF and gene splicing equipment for the Circle because she didn't want anything to do with Sithspawn even if she had the ability to create Sithspawn, with the ichor being injected at the splicing stage. But when [member="Seras Goto"] explained that she isn't affiliated with the Empire, she now understood in full why she didn't wish to work with the usual Sithspawn suspects, which included the person that told her on Shusugaunt that she didn't know what she was doing. I hope Seras' memory is good enough to limit the risks of her accidentally forgetting something from me draining knowledge from her. However, a better memory will make it more difficult to alter or erase knowledge via rubbing. Her mind seems to be rather fast so I can drain or infuse knowledge at a pretty rapid rate without causing undue pain, she thought, while trying to get a feel for the Garhoon's mind before she could even attempt to drain that juicy knowledge of splicing so that she could piece together the missing knowledge for creating Sithspawn.

"I ground the seeds into fine dust, but not too fine; that way it makes it easier to extract the strands of DNA we want from each species of plant. However, with your permission I may probably wish to drain the knowledge of splicing from you: it will be much faster for me to learn that way than any other method. I know how to make it so that it won't be too painful: it's just a matter of not draining faster than the slower of your mental processing speed or the target's. The same goes with Memory Rub with respect to infusions or alterations"

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

She was looking at her and raised an eyebrow. The mass of burned scar tissue around her mouth curling back a little with a smirk that looked more sinister. The fants coming down as they slid over her normal looking teeth. "You want to drain my knowledge." She moved forward in the lab and without her mechanical breathing the wheezing came out different. Here in the high pressure environment though she moved around and took the samples to the machines for cleaning. "You are perhaps overthinking this Lady Beauchamp." Seras was looking at some parts of it, the monitors coming up with the information when she finally turned striding forward. She looked at her while golden eyes gleamed. "I'll make you a deal dearie, I'll give you the knowledge and you'll feed me."

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"On second thought, I'll pass. You wanted me here for a reason and feeding you the way you seem to imply it would go against it"

Now that she entered [member="Seras Goto"]'s lab, with the seed dust in tow, she would be making mental noted of what would be necessary if the Castle was to produce Sithspawn in-house, as well as any relevant capital expenses; if it meant adding a new tower, so be it. As much as she hated to admit it, the risks of Seras draining her like a vampire would outweight the benefits of draining knowledge. I'm sure I can learn fast enough without draining. I think splicing is the missing component in creating Sithspawn that I don't know how to perform yet, but I can perform all the rest of the alchemical rituals. Usually hygiene is a concern when I alchemize crystals, liquids, and other objects to ensure that their users won't get sick, but I know ichor interact with contaminants to create Force-powered poisons, she thought, while she simply put the two vials of ground ice-plant and D'Qar creepervine seeds on the table, ready to observe how splicing was done, and also infusing the ichor in use for Force-fear into the new DNA, provoking some mutations that will make the new plant generate an aura of unease and fear, more than simply resist cold weather with strong winds, or so she would be led to think. That is, before she took a small syringe and draw her own blood with it, not caring about the cleanliness of the syringe, and putting it next to the vials of ground seeds.

"Shall we get started?"

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

Seras looked at her when she was moving back. "As you wish." Seras grin was wicked and the fangs retracted when she started to bring the blood, seeds and dust to the computer. Letting it go into the different treys. "We start with getting the details of the seeds, the materials require some simulations to ensure they will fir together but that is the reason for the alchemy. You are looking to bend the rules and properly ensure that it is combining." She looked at the screens as the machinery opened a small compartment with small tools she could use to manipulate the foundation of the seeds. Simulations were running of the plants on their own with information that they should be able to use when Seras combined her blood with the woman's to bend and improve the power of what they were creating.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

So she had flashbacks from the genetics lessons she was having in her undergraduate career as she looked around the lab equipment: 5p-3p, dominant-recessive genes, replication defects, and, of course, coding vs. non-coding DNA. And it seemed that it was not simply about computer simulations, or even sequencing their respective genomes; it was about taking out the proper sequences from the right species, and this is where alchemy came in: ichor were to be used to make the delicate transitions from a cell to another and, of course, ensure the 5p-3p order is respected when fitting the strands of DNA into the recipient species' genome. There seemed to be a lot of non-coding DNA in both species, as far as she could alchemically tell, so she may as well replace a non-coding sequence, or a set thereof, by the coding one(s) providing the desired properties. Relax: the recipient species is typically the one with the largest number of desired phenotypes, or at least the most crucial if all species considered have a similar number of desired phenotypes, she thought, while it was surprising how fast she seemed to pick up the splicing portion of creating Sithspawn. [member="Seras Goto"] would see Janick use those tools to channel alchemy as it was determined that the D'Qar creepervine had three properties of interest: fast growth, writhing and feelings of unease and fear, while the resistance to cold, would come from the ice plant. Thus the host species would be the D'Qar creepervine. She thus entered a phase of intense concentration while the strands of DNA containing the resistance to cold portion of the ice plant was being transferred into a D'Qar creepervine seed, carried by the Force-effects used in alchemy.

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

Seras was looking at it when they manipulated the materials here. THe simulations let them see what could be getting factored in before she checked on it. Once Kanick started working on her own the Garhoon moved over to a wall and reapplied her throat guard and mask. THe process could take hours.. days even and then there would be a lot more testing required. "This could take time, I shall have a room in the dorms set up for you and a minder designated to guide your around if you need it" Seras was moving and going into the airlock as she turned her head. "Do not mess witht he samples, these are not toys human."

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"Understood"

So [member="Seras Goto"] saw fit to get a minder for her... Janick understood that she would not be touching samples from other experiments, and that even the one experiment she was called in for was not guaranteed to succeed, with the only thing changing was the non-coding DNA strand being replaced from the creepervine genome. Yet all it took was one or two samples that actually worked. They had a limited supply of blood to go around in Petri dishes or other IVF implements Seras saw fit to use for this Sithspawn kind of chokevine, so they sure as hell made every one of those samples count; as soon as a handful of seeds were spliced for one sequence of non-coding DNA being replaced, she put those seeds into a specifically-labeled Petri dish. Rinse and repeat with each new sequence of non-coding DNA being replaced while splicing occurred. Aided by those Force-fear ichor of course. Now the alchemy is coming full circle: I can work in every major alchemical area by now. Although Sithspawn is by far the most time-consuming of the gang, I'm sure any decent dark-sider biochemist can become an alchemist, proportionate to their chemical knowledge, she thought, while a tenth sample or so was finalized.

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

Seras watched on the screens while the work proceeded and she continued her own work. IN the airless chamber she had a full vac suit on with breathing equipment. Watching as the dangerous chemical they were working on interacted in the controlled tubes with the limited air they created. "Continue." She was't just one to work on an experiment at a time. No she was working on this for a personal need. Something that reacted with oxygen molecules and practically liquified them, making a green cascade that spread out and wherever oxygen went from water to lungs it was being destroyed. THe test subjects choking and drowning from their own lungs filling up. "Excellent, inform me when she has been ready to proceed with the next phase.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"I'm so... tired; I have about twenty samples with different DNA positions for the desired properties. If it's safe to proceed to the next stage tomorrow, I'd rather wait until then" she told [member="Seras Goto"], with some hints of fatigue in her voice, after getting as many samples as possible done for the day and safely storing them.

Ouch. Such intense concentration drained my mental batteries, and my Force-batteries, too, because I used the Force for precise alchemical stuff. In this situation, there just isn't any substitute for good old sleep, Janick thought, while her minder brought her to her room in the dorms. As tempted as she might be to infuse into the minder the knowledge of what to watch out for, what affects the effectiveness and pain levels of Memory Rub and Drain Knowledge, she couldn't concentrate hard enough to achieve that. Not that the minder was even able to perform those Force-powers in the first place, so maybe before she returns to the lab she could feel ready to do that. And also eat a meal away from the experiments, too: she didn't eat anything while in this compound. While, of course, she knew the next step would involve triggering the reproduction, she also knew that stimulating reproduction with the Force would, in fact, be a time-consuming operation and one that required poodoo-loads of concentration as well as Force-energy. And she prepared to sleep; this time around, since her brain was pretty much fried, it was very easy for her to fall asleep.

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

Seras looked at her going off to sleep. She remained in her chamber at the bottom of the medical tower... or pit. it used the ancient temple the statue was above and went down into the rock. With the lowest levels connecting to the geothermal taps and what served as recycling and processing. For waste and the water they were keeping at the bottom of the crags. She entered the chamber feeling the system removing the bodysuit so she could sleep with a face mask on over her mouth only. THe burns across most of her body, pale skin and ruined sections of her body. The black rose soldiers who were in charge of keeping everything going when she fell asleep. The morning would look much the same, they didn't really have a difference between snow blizzard and snow blizzard as Seras walked in the courtyard checking out what they had found.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"I'm hungry now" she told her minder while she woke up the following day.

Hopefully the food won't be as disgusting as the carnivorous plants Seras called me to aid in, Janick thought, while realizing that a carnivorous plant that was writhing and inducing unease and fear would make for a disgusting, crawling, carnivorous plant, not that different from the D'Qar creepervine. But she knew as well as anyone else that intense mental activity can eat up a significant chunk of the body's energy, although it was quite different from physical exercise in this respect. Just that she had no clue whatsoever as to what [member="Seras Goto"] would, in fact, feed Janick's minder or Janick. Just that the meal would be forthcoming and it would be the first meal (and possibly meat if meat is on the menu) she ate while on Odacer-Faustin. Hungry she really is, no question about that, but she cannot touch the experiments other than the one she came here for. In a few days or so there will be vines at the base of the crag, which will crawl in time all the way to the top of the crag, and inspire unease and fear in any intruder that comes anywhere near the place. For now, anyway, she followed the minder to the room where meals are being served, near the bottom of the medical pit.

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

THe minder looked at her in the morning and led the way. The mess area where they could eat was mostly a room with the serving and cooking droid. Making plates of food for the people. Strips of nerf bacon, potato's, peppers for spice, blood sausages made from native tauntauns that had been brought and left to populate on the planet long ago. Blood soup fashioned by the ancient sith into a sort of early morning item. The medical doctors that served Seras here in their black masks and robes were eating. Though small slot in the helmets, even she had come up to eat. Sitting at one of the smaller and higher positioned tables. Room only for two really and no one even tried to go up there as she drank some of the ichor. For her throat and body to at least not get any worse while she looked out across the mess hall. The silence in the facility from the nanites something few really saw but there was sounds among all of them. Clattering of dishes, chewing and enjoying some of the food. The droids bringing all of it to some of them.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

When it was Janick's turn to get served, it couldn't have come at a better time. Yes, she was, in fact, eating a proper breakfast, just that she knew the work [member="Seras Goto"] brought her here for was not over: there was the step of actually causing the seeds to come alive and, from there, reproduce. For now she knew it was just a bunch of cells with different DNA samples in them: just because there were non-coding genes being replaced, doesn't mean they are viable. The spark of life would have to be given to all 20 of the samples she managed to cobble together yesterday, so that tissue cultures could be made based on them. However, she knew some seeds should be kept in reserve for future reference, especially after what worked and what didn't has been determined. And yet she knew that not all of them were likely to be viable, especially since it was possible a non-coding sequence could, in fact, play another role that might affect viability, and that the D'Qar creepervine was, in fact, a species that wasn't studied that much, genetically speaking. Once she was finished eating, she returns to the lab...

"We should keep some seeds from the samples in reserve and not use all of them for tissue cultures. Because I expect successful samples to grow quickly, outgrowing a Petri dish in a matter of hours, once the spark of life is given to each of these tissue culture samples, they should be planted as soon as they reach a certain size"

 

[Seras Goto]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

"Agreed." Seras stood there with her half face mask on as she was breathing in and pout. Eyes watching the samples and preparing them for the next stage of testing. It would take some time and she thought about one or two things they might be able to do. Introduction of pelko barbs to it as a sort of thorn on the vine might be possible. If it touched the small toin would render the limbs numb to the touch andcould prove one fo the more effective methods of defense. You woudln't be ab le to touch it. Other parts might be needed as she started the machines to begin processing. Pausing only for a moment to ensure the fields were clear of anything from the orchids and sickness. If that got to any cell it would infect it... it was after all quite dangerous.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"Perhaps it's a question I shouldn't ask, but what defenses are there against airborne attack? The point of venomous vines that induce unease and fear is to deter ground-bound intruders"

Pelko barbs? That stuff is becoming a moat that would become very difficult to traverse afoot, but, in her mind as a fighter pilot, the real threat remaining to Al-Khali is an airborne one. Or a vehicle-mounted one, if an intruder still wished to use ground-bound methods. She'd rather have SAM batteries, anti-aircraft guns, and also turbolasers, indirect fire weapons, on top of pelko barbs or writhing vines in a moat. The stuff would likely underneath the dual-mode generator, but once [member="Seras Goto"] is closing in on the outer gate, Janick concentrated as hard as she could to give the samples an alchemical spark of life, as if an alchemical in-vitro fecondation. Hopefully a handful of the samples will survive in this cold environment, and yet she will only know in a few days' time which ones, if any, were viable, so she'd draw up a rough map of the area, and divide the moat in 20 roughly equal sections to seed with pelko barbs and the experimental seeds, with the number of the region corresponding to the seed sample being seeded in that area. But because of the pelko barbs, she would think a dispenser droid is to be used for that purpose.

"Plus I'd rather divide the moat in twenty different sections, one for each sample; do what you will with the pelko once the seeds are sampled"