[Shadow Tech Industries] Crystal Energy Cell

[Ice]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Ice reached down and pulled a large knife out from its sheath which was strapped to his lower right leg. "Here you go." He said, handing the blade over to her. Like any good Mando, Ice kept all his gear in pristine condition. It would be plenty sharp enough for the task at hand.

He tilted his head slightly at her comment. Was he not paying her handsomely to be doing this work? No matter, in the end, it was unimportant. What had him curious was her desire to work on further projects. Possibly even some joint stuff with STI and her company. His only issue with it, was the same as he had thought on earlier. She is a Sith. "Forgive me, and please don't take this as an insult, but a simple concern based on many prior experiences the galaxy over. But your people aren't exactly known for being trustworthy."

He began to walk around almost in a pace like manner as he kept his eyes on her. Turning away for a moment, he exhaled deeply. "I want to trust you. I do. Especially considering we are both apart of the Corporate Alliance. But how can I? Doesn't your very code tell you to take advantage of every possibility, even of alliances and maybe even friends?" Ice was a naturally suspicious person. Not because he wanted to be, but because he had to be. He had already blindly trusted, and it nearly got him killed...twice. "I mean I have no problem selling to the Sith. It just concerns me that I might be fighting the very things I set out to create with you, if I wanted to work closer with you."

He stopped pacing and turned to face her directly. "What assurance can you give that would convince me to take such a large risk?" He truly didn't mean it as an insult. Quite honestly, he found himself cautiously liking her as a partner. Especially since she was open to unorthodox ideas, and willing to go the extra mile to get something accomplished. Her next words would no doubt prove very interesting.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli accepted the offered knife and thought about what he had just said, considering several responses before settling on the most truthful one.

"I can't say anything that would assuage your fears," she began, pacing a bit. "You're right of course. I'm a Sith and our code does dictate only the strong rise above the others, and we must use those around us to ascend. I can even admit I hold by that code for the most part, but . . . well . . . I still consider myself a different kind of Sith. I was a student at Lorrd before I joined, studying all sorts of things so you might say I'm more open-minded than a lot of my colleagues to not stabbing people in the back. But, words mean nothing, and I do want your trust and I do want to work with you on this project further and on others. I guess what I'm trying to say is that judge me by my actions."

She stopped for a moment and considered something else.

"As for facing the things you helped create, I can only say I can't guarantee you won't," she said, looking over her shoulder at Ice. "Force crystals are powerful and this knowledge and this project would help both of us, so I don't want to face you. I want to work with you, maybe even help the Red Ravens eventually as a supplier of sorts. I don't need to be an enemy if you don't want me to be, I'd much rather be allies."

She stopped talking so he could let her words sink in, either for good or ill, she couldn't tell. She would do her job here, and prove that he could work with her. Tapping the knife on the table, she waited for his reply and the prisoners so she could get started.

[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

He didn't answer right away. Ice of course, like the words that she spoke. But like she also said, words mean nothing. Her final words left him curious. If looked at from a certain point of view, they could be taken as a threat. He just wasn't sure whether he should be viewing her as such. What she also didn't realize, was this project wasn't for the Ravens either. In point of fact, he didn't mean for this project to be for anyone but STI, due to the power of what they were creating. His other concern dealt with more on the heritage side of things. Considering he was a Mando, this was a very precarious alliance. He was beginning to wish he could pluck her out of the Sith Empire and put her in any number of other nations that held sway over the galaxy right then. Or simply wish she had stay in the Levantine Sanctum territory.

He was about to speak with the door flung open. "Sir." Said his guard. "The men and items you have requested are ready and waiting in the other room."

Still looking at Taeli, he sighed audibly. "Good. Then let us get about to it." He said with a gesture of his hand for her to follow him. And without having answered her reply since there were others present. He turned on his heals and headed to the other room.

Once inside, Taeli would see 15 hardened looking men standing along a wall. They were securely fastened, their arms behind their backs and handcuffed. Even their feet were cuffed, and there was 1 guard for each man along with 5 more standing by to help out if needed. The prisoners looked quite confused standing there in the empty room save for the tub sitting in front of them.

"Gentlemen." Ice started happily. "You are all condemned men sentenced to death in the arena either by wild animals or through death matches. I however have one offer of salvation from this fate for you. Which will not be offered again. I am needing ten volunteers for a scientific project. And only ten. Those who volunteer will be released from this prison and sentence once the project is complete. Again, I will not offer this a second time. So with that, who will volunteer?" He simply stared at them and waited.

They at first didn't answer, instead looked to each other as if waiting to see who would be the first to volunteer. So one man hobbled forward, then another. Soon they all did. Ice smiled coldly at them, and then turned toward Taeli. "You are welcome to take whom you wish and "free them" from their current sentence. I'll see you when you are finished." In a quieter tone he continued. "My men here will assist with whatever needs moving." Choosing not to watch the display, he then left the room.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli had the tiniest frown on her face as she watched Ice leave the room, but she didn't let that stop her from going on to the task at hand. She would get an answer to her statement later, she was quite sure, and there was work to be done.

"Bring that one over first," she said, pointing with the knife at a burly prisoner. Her first subject started struggling as he was dragged out of the line, and forced to kneel over the tub. Taeli slowly, oh so slowly, made her way up behind him as the guards held him in place. She wondered what they thought about the whole thing, but then she suspected they had either seen stranger or were hiding their uneasiness well. Her victim, not so much.

"Hey girl! The man said you'd let us go!" he yelled, struggling mightily hard.

"In a way, I am," Taeli said, keeping her voice a threatening monotone. "You get to be freed from life!"

With that she slit the inmate's throat, his blood gushing out into the tub before her. Gesturing with her hand, his body lifted up in a Force grip and she hung him upside down to bleed out faster and not waste a drop. The other prisoners tried to run, their fear already palpable in the Force, but the guards just beat them back against the wall and forced them to watch their fellow gurgle out the last of his life. It took another minute or two, but eventually all 5.5 liters of blood had dripped into the tub.

Tossing the body away into a corner, she gestured for the second inmate to take the same position.

"Hey look! I've got money, it was misunderstanding I was brought here," he begged in a nasally voice. "Please, just let me leave and. . ."

Further words were cut off as she Force Choked him to stop his talking, then slit his throat, repeating the process of suspending his body. The fear and despair kept growing, and the revulsion of some of the guards just added to the miasma slowly forming in the room.

@[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

@[member="Darth Arcanix"]

What Taeli hadn't noticed was that none of the guards were actual people. They were droids. In point of fact, the only beings outside of a very select couple were all guests. Ice took no chances, generally speaking when it came to loyalty. People could be bought off. Droids were infinitely more difficult to turn. At least that was Ice's opinion. Any expressions the guards made were simply for the benefit of the "volunteers" per instruction given them by Ice.

As the last body was being drained of blood and tossed aside, Ice had returned. "Take the bodies to the pits. I imagine the animals are hungry." As the droids did as was instructed, Ice shrugged as he turned to Taeli. "Waste not." With a snap of his fingers after the guards has disappeared with the bodies, a half dozen more "people" came in and lifted up the tub carefully. Holding out a hand in a gesture pointing back toward the crystal chamber, he said in a welcoming manner. "Shall we?"

Entering the room once more, Taeli would find that the tables had been rearranged so as to make it easier to move the crystals into position for their blood bath. There were now three crystals on the left, three crystals on the right, and one in the middle forming a 'U' shape. The top of which was at the double doors to allow plenty of space for the tub. "Place the tub wherever Taeli deems fit." He quickly ordered his workers while simultaneously putting in another order for the earlier guards to have their memory cores erased. With that done, he turned back to his guest of honor. "Can I get you any refreshments at all? Or might you need to rest? Sorry, I am unfamiliar with how taxing using the force can be...if at all."

The workers would leave the room the moment the tub was in the spot Taeli would see to be proper.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"In the middle of the room," Taeli said, indicating the center of the U and the tub was placed right where she wanted, not a drop of the precious liquid spilt. While she had been filling tub, she placed several Sith spells over each successive addition to the blood pool, allowing it to harness all of the dark side emotions and convert it into energy that filled the blood.

"No, I'm quite refreshed right now," she replied, standing next to the pool, knife still in hand. "You'd be surprised just how nourishing the dark side can be when you're feeding on fear and despair. Anyways, we're almost ready to begin, just one last thing of preparation."

As she said that, she slid the knife across her hand and allowed several drops of her own blood to be added to the existing pool. The power radiating form the blood spiked, and Taeli was slightly concerned as the crystals were resonating with it in the Force. These were going to be incredibly powerful, and highly destructive if one turned towards that sort of thing. It was the nature of the dark side after all.

Using the Force, she lifted the first crystal carefully and lowered it into the tub, submerging it in the liquid of life. She let it sit for a moment before raising it from the tub, blood sticking to every surface.

"Obdurare sanguinem hunc, talem hunc in virtute continetur cristallum," she chanted over and over, the blood starting to glow with a purple and black aura, the crystal drawing in that power. Slowly, the blood was drawn into the crystal's inner structure, hardening the connections beyond anything that could occur naturally and the power pulsing from the crystal turned into a barely contained maelstrom of raw power.

Taeli let out a small breathe and shuddered a bit as she lowered the crystal back onto the table.

@[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

Ice simply nodded his head when she said she didn't need anything. And typing out new commands to have those last workers memory cores also wiped, he turned back toward her and listen as she went on about how sustaining the dark side could be. The comment left him curious as the few holos of prominent dark siders that he had seen never really showed a good looking person. They usually seemed old and haggard. Maybe there was simply something he was missing. Totally possible with his lack of knowledge in the ways of the force.

He then looked on in a bit of awe as she performed the ritual on the first crystal. Unknown to Ice, he was force sensitive. So when the crystal began to pulse more and more strongly. He could feel it himself and it made him slightly nervous as Ice had no idea what it meant. In fact, he suspected it was more just the crystal and her ritual causing it to cast some residual affect through the room.

As soon as the crystal was released back to its spot on the table, Ice caught her gasping slightly for breath and beginning to shudder lightly. He laid a soft hand on her shoulder, a look of concern obviously in his eyes. "You ok?" He asked genuinely. He may not overly care for her people. But he did care for the people that worked for him more than many people in power it seemed these days. "If this is too much for you, don't feel you need to continue." He'd wait for her answer, but then he was cast another look of awe toward the crystal.

It did indeed seem to feel different. Stronger, more powerful than even before.

@[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Alchemy can be a bit draining," she replied, shaking off the after-effects and using the Force to pick up the second crystal and lower it into the tub of blood. "I'm literally changing the very nature of the crystal, warping its normal state to something stronger and more potent, that can take a bit out of girl, but not to worry, I can probably get most of the crystals done before I need rest."

Lifting the crystal out of the tub, she repeated the chant she had done before, watching the blood seep into the crystal. As she did though, and not telling her companion, she reached out with her senses and found that the crystal was resonating not just with the dark side and her power, but also slightly with her companion. Now that was a very interesting tidbit, her host was at least partially Force Sensitive. She would broach the subject later, as she was fairly certain he didn't know himself.

The power now pulsing from this crystal began to resonate with the other alchemically changed crystal, the energies inside whirling around and forming a stronger storm within both. Setting it on the table, she gave another gasp and shudder. The energies in the room were building faster than she had anticipated, the dark side becoming rife within and Taeli couldn't resist the urge to start drawing on that power just a little bit, her Marks of Darkness emerging around her eyes and slowly starting to spread.

@[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

@[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Her quick explanation and shake off moved Ice to move away and give her her space. Ice gave her a nod and a smirk. Well he had to give her this much, once she agreed to a project, she'd see it through it seemed. But he still couldn't decide if that could make her trustworthy....or manipulative. He admired the stick to your guns and no quit attitude. And as she picked up the next crystal and began the process again, the feeling in the room only grew stronger. It almost made him feel as if he could take on the galaxy by himself...and win easily. Such an odd thing these crystals.

Still, it appeared as though this supposed pipe dream of his was actually turning into a real possibility. His mind began thumbing through idea after idea on how he could apply these to ships, droids, tanks, research facilities. Pretty much anything and everything that required power. This was his key to unlocking true security. He could feel it.

He stared at the crystal as the ritual continued. Watching the blood of those poor fools seeping into the crystal was a surreal thing. What he didn't care for was the effect it was having on Taeli. Perhaps there was a way he could help her yet. As she set down the second crystal. He called her name. "Taeli." Withdrawing a very simple necklace, he revealed the bobble on the end to be a small force crystal that could fit into a lightsaber. "Here. This was part of your payment anyway. I figure if it would help sustain you and keep you strong, it would probably be of use to you now." He held out the powerful trinket for her to take. She had definitely earned it already. And it would be interesting to see what she'd do with it.

He had also heard tales of the force being intoxicating. Sometimes even overwhelming the users that vied to control it. This would be an interesting test to see if he could trust her to maintain control and honor her word.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Thanks," she said, taking the crystal and feeling the soft pulses of it resonating with her Force presence. That would certainly help her as she prepared the third crystal, lowering it into the blood pool.

The dark side was writhing here now, and she knew she had to keep a tight lid on her drawing from the raw power being given off by just two crystals. She wanted to grow stronger though, and this was too perfect and opportunity to draw upon it and increase her ties to the Force. She decided against it for the time being, focusing on performing the ritual on the third crystal. Blood dripped back into the tub as she started chanting again, the dark side twining into the crystal with the blood.

"Do you feel anything? she whispered to Ice, staring at the crystal. She knew her Marks of Darkness were fully revealed right now, and growing from even just the tiny bit of power she had allowed to slip in. It was intoxicating, the wielding of such power, but she couldn't allow it to affect her judgment. She wanted this project to succeed, to show her host she could be trusted with helping towards his goal. Her question was a careful probe, a delicate question to see if he could feel the power swirling through this room.

Setting the third crystal down, she drew upon the one Ice gave her to not shudder violently and began working on the fourth crystal, submerging it into the tub. The three changed crystals were resonating even stronger now. Tempting her to draw on the power, to steep herself further in the dark side.

@[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

Ice raised an eyebrow at her question. How could anyone have not felt the power that was in the room? It felt thick, almost like you could cut it with a knife. That was how strong it felt. It was something like he had never felt before. To be quite frank, the whole experience was making him quite a bit nervous. He could see the changes that were quite rapidly taking place just on her face. The fact that she would ask if he could feel anything while this was happening to her made him instantly wonder if it was happening to him too.

He thought it might be a good idea to take the finished crystals out of the room after the fourth one was finished. He had no idea what continuing to add more and more super crystals would do to either of them. And it was a risk he didn't want to take. But now how to answer her question. "Maybe. I'm not sure what I feel right now to be honest with you. But perhaps we should stop here and take a break once the fourth crystal is done. You uh...look like you need a breather."

People always say you fear the unknown, Ice had never really felt that way before. Even now he found it fascinating, but it was such a different experience that every warning flag in the back of his mind was going off.

@[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Perhaps you're right," Taeli gasped, lowering the finished fourth crystal onto the table. She really wanted to keep going, to finish the seven crystals, but the power was starting to overwhelm her common sense. Anymore resonation, and she could loose control potentially. The power, even thought she was trying to consciously not draw upon it and add it to her own, was bleeding into her.

"The problem is, if I stop now, we have to refill the tub at a later time," she whispered. "The spells I casted on the blood only work for so long until they cause the blood not used to become wasted."

No, she thought, jerking away and onto her feet unsteadily. She had to stop, for now anyways.

"Out of the room, now," she whispered, pushing Ice out ahead of her. Once they cleared the room, she felt much lighter, but the marks around her eyes were still prevalent and growing slightly. She strode away from the door and leaned against the wall , shaking off the after-effects of the ritual.

[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

He listened carefully as she seemed to almost sound like she was at war with her own thoughts. It was this sort of thing that had him worried. Unstable, he then thought. When she suddenly declared they needed to leave, he moved immediately. So quickly in fact he almost didn't feel her push as he nearly outpaced it. Pulling up his datapad, he sent commands to more workers to have them come in and remove the tub, dump the contents, clean it, and then come and remove the four crystals that had been completed and take them to the vault for safe keeping.

Putting his datapad back, he noticed she was leaning up against the wall. "Oh geez." He said softly, as he quickly made his way to her side and grabbed her arm to steady her so she wouldn't collapse. He cast a quick glance around and saw a nearby chair. Giving a gentle tug he insisted. "Come over here, sit down before you fall down." If she would listen he'd help her to the chair and then back away a couple steps and watch her worriedly. If not and she in fact resisted, he'd still back away as in the first scenario, releasing her immediately.

The markings around her eyes were admittedly a little disturbing to see. "This was what people desired in the Sith?" He couldn't understand it. While powerful yes, the dark side seemed to drain the user and affect the body in a way that didn't make what power you gained worth it. "Can I get you anything? Water? Uh...anything?"

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Just need to catch my breath," she said, shaking her heads and clearing it completely. "My apologies about that, I'm still learning alchemy myself so I might have let it get a little out of control there. My master warned me the first time is always the most dangerous and draining for a first time."

She noticed him staring warily at her markings. Smiling, she allowed them to disappear, leaving no trace that they existed on her face.

"Again, my apologies, I didn't mean to unnerve you there," she said, standing up and not shaking anymore. She was feeling slightly tired, but nothing that a good book and a meal wouldn't solve. The dark side might twist those that use it, but that only happened much further in one's life. "A hot meal actually would be appreciated, rather hungry after that and I would enjoy the company."

Seeing the workers going into the room where she had been working, she added, "Best if you lock those up separately for now. The resonating from the ones made should die down once separated, but they will start up again if they are ever brought together again. I would recommend doing that ocne you're ready for whatever project they are destined for. Now how about that meal and we can talk, as I can sense you're still a bit disturbed and have some further questions and I have some of my own?"

[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

She was able to do all that and she was merely a trainee? Ice contemplated this notion worriedly. What could a master alchemist do? He was now thinking it might be time to look into anti force user technology. He had nearly completed all of his small projects for combating standard troops. But these force users were another breed entirely. "No need to apologize." Ice said genuinely. "Your skills even as a student are impressive." He then smiled at her, a smile which only broadened some when he saw the markings vanish from her face.

Hearing her suggestion about keeping the crystals separate he immediately added that directive to the workers orders. With that finished, he threw out an arm in politeness to escort her to lunch. "It would be my very great pleasure." He again said genuinely. "Yes. Let's go have something to eat." As they walked to the speeder, he wondered if there was any way he could convince her to break off from the Sith. Not forsake the darkside or whatever they called it. She could have her religion. But it was still her political ties that made him nervous. That was why he had been so excited about the corporate alliance. It was supposed to be a bunch of companies working together with the end goal of protecting each other. But it was starting to look like nothing more than a place to make new government contracts. Sadly, he felt it would also be useless to try and convince her of his desires.

Putting business aside for just brief moment, he asked pleasantly. "So what are you in the mood for? You can find just about any type of quisine down at the wharf. Anything in particular catching your fancy?"

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Well thank you for the compliment, I've mainly been studying from old readings and such," Taeli replied, looking over the options for a meal. "My master showed me some things, but a Sith has to supplement her knowledge as we aren't in the business of sharing everything with apprentices. For me, that's a problem, because I have to know every little thing I can about a subject, I just love knowledge in general, but sometimes it's a hunger."

Thinking about the project for a moment, she recognized just how powerful she had actually grown in her time with the Sith, if she was able to actually perform that ritual. It wasn't a particularly hard ritual for experienced alchemists, but for a novice like her, it was still an accomplishment for her. She had a feeling, just from his words and such, that Ice wished she wasn't a Sith. There were times she wondered what would have happened if she hadn't met Darth Praelior on Lorrd, but she would push those thoughts aside to focus on the current time and place.

"I'll have a nerf-steak sandwich, along with a large pot of Yavin Spice tea if you have it," she said. "I'm rather fond of it from my school days, and nothing is better for recovery."

Getting her food, she went over to a small private table and sat down, taking a sip of her tea and immediately feeling the warmth blossom in her stomach.

"Now then, I think you had some questions for me?" she asked.

[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

Ice smirked as she finished her initial comment. "Aye. I understand the craving of knowledge. It's why I am in this industry. I love learning how to beat problems. You get a rush almost when you finally come to understand how something works and then find a way around it. Those discoveries usually lead to new ones. It is just unfortunate when politics and certain laws can get in the way of progress, isn't it?" He let the thought hang there for a while as they arrived at the appropriate restaurant for what was desired.

He ended up ordering the same thing she did, except had a simple water in place of the tea. With her final question, he raised an eyebrow. "Do I? Well perhaps one, maybe two. But I already know the answer to it. So there is no real point in bringing it up. Once more I believe you already know what it is I would ask of you." He added with a smirk. "So with that in mind, perhaps we should just start with your questions."

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Smiling slightly at the dodge, confirming in her mind what he wished, she asked, "What exactly were you feeling in that room as I empowered those crystals? I only ask because they seemed to be affecting you more than you probably expected."

She was curious to hear the answer as she had an inkling, but nothing more, that her host might be able to touch the Force. His aura was stronger than most beings, except for other Force Sensitives she had met. If he was Force Sensitive, well that would certainly changer her opinion of him beyond liking that he felt the same about knowledge. She wondered if perhaps their two companies might work out an arrangement in the future, but she would ask about that after she finished with the crystals.

[member="Ice"]

 

[Ice]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

He kept chewing the bite of sandwich he had taken while he thought on the question. He truly didn't know how he would even begin to describe the sensation. "I don't really know. Stronger maybe? They almost seemed alive. I guess that would make sense if they are force crystals and they are supposed to be empowering right? I just thought they would only affect force users though. Didn't realize that the boost in energy would make them detectable by someone who wasn't." A small frown began to appear on his brow. "Why do you ask? And...should this strange side effect give me concern for using the crystals as a power source?"

He was curious as to why she seemed so interested. She had after all, asked roughly the same question two...three times already? Was he supposed to have felt something? Taking a sip from his drink, he simply waited to see where she was going with this.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli was silent for a moment as she considered saying what was on her mind, but she felt she had to now. He needed to understand something.

"I wouldn't be worried about that strange side effect, as those crystals can only affect the emotional state of a normal being and only when in close proximity to them for an extended time. In a reactor or weapon, they won't do anything untoward," she began slowly, swirling her tea around and staring into the glass. "But . . . the empowering effect only affects those who can touch the Force, even slightly. So my next question . . . have you ever experienced unexplained strokes of luck? Or a sense of absolutely knowing something was going to happen? Or when in a fight, you knew what to do to win?"

If he answered yes to any of those, she would know one hundred percent he could feel the Force. That would make things much more interesting in a way, since if he was present when she worked on the final three crystals, he would be affected again. Unless properly trained to at least shut out the crystals' influence, he wouldn't be able to handle them directly for too long or risk giving into that power. She had the training, but she was a Sith. To her, that power was something she ultimately desired, but she didn't want to alarm or break off this budding alliance.

[member="Ice"]