Private Spoils of War: Honoghr

[The Amalgam]

Wearing: Mage Epidermis

Armed with: Skin Shears (Purple Split-Saber)

Objective: Obtain Bryn'adul Weaponry/Vessels


Darth Phyre, even after the disastrous injury Laertia inflicted at Danuta, remained devoted to turning her fully, for Phyre knew that if it happened, Julia would become a Force to be reckoned with and be a true Sith.

Phyre, in spite of a nature even more sadistic and murderous than even The Amalgam she had pretended to be throughout the Third Imperial Civil War, absolutely knew Julia had a vision for House Io, and in spite of her various heresies Phyre found herself an all too willing supporter of House Io. It's structure echoed that of the Cult of The Brain Demon. Once she had influenced Julia enough, she could shake the cobwebs out of the rest of the philosophy.

In spite of everything, Phyre was still allowed in territory Julia controlled. Phyre had figured Julia would declare a death mark upon her and the cult upon discovering it had actually been her, not the actual Amalgam, guiding her throughout the third Imperial Civil War. After what Julia had pulled at Danuta, Phyre at last understood why Julia wasn't trying to kill her.

What a tangled web we weave, dear Xiphos..." The creature wearing the face of Syd Celsius, Master to Starlin Rand muttered as her Phantom Class Yacht docked with Julia's Gozanti cruiser, the Absolution of Loste, and allowed Phyre to come aboard in orbit over the homeworld of the Noghri.

Phyre stepped aboard, already feeling the wakened fragment of The Amalgam stirring as she walked past various members of the slowly growing House Io. Refugees from dozens of ruined worlds.

Phyre headed to Julia's quarters, passed dark green banners with a black helm emblazoned on them. The sterile, Utilitarian quarters had changed, and for a second, Phyre wondered where Julia was.

Then she heard a click behind her.

"You murdered her..." Maple Harte snapped, tears streaking down her face, her golden revolver pointed at Amy's head. "You murdered Amy..."

"Ah..." Phyre said, turning around to face the main object of The Amalgam's obsession. She was obsessed with Laertia too, but as Laertia had finally discovered on Danuta, that had been for ultimately different reasons.

"Maple. Dear Maple...may I ask whether Laertia told you or if you worked it out yourself?"

"Myself..."

"Before or after Kerest?" Phyre wondered.

"Before..."

Phyre raised an eyebrow. "What gave me away?"

"The real Amy would have taken me up on my offer to be each other's prisoner. I know it."

Maple, in truth, had not immediately reached that conclusion after their fateful assignment together on Korriban, but had grown more suspicious as time went on, feeling The Amalgam's attention draw more to Laertia, do strange things that didn't make sense. Even for someone as dangerous and unpredictable as The Amalgam, her uncritical, unconditional support of Laertia and her crusade had struck Maple as from complete left field, given that before that, the Witch had behaved incredibly antagonistic to the both of them, exhibiting the patterns of a super powered stalker with an unhealthy crush on both of them who liked murdering entire families in her off time. Then suddenly she had become a critical asset without blinking to Laertia. The obsession with Maple hadn't gone away, but Laertia was so fething crazy by this point that the Amalgam seemed to be drawn to it for much of the war. Maple had been grateful at first, to not have The Amalgam as fixated on her but that had turned to suspicious horror after Csilla, with The Amalgam risking everything to save the planet. This same Amalgam who had unleashed a Zombie plague on Castagne, killing thousands.

"And the true Amy was always more obsessed with me ultimately."

Phyre was given pause at this.

"I'm sensing a little jealousy..." Phyre said playfully, stepping closer. "For what it's worth, your ploy almost worked." Phyre said, before snatching the revolver out of Maple's hand with Superhuman Speed and pinning her to the wall, unable to hold back Amy's mind, flesh warping into the figure of the near impossibly beautiful Witch that Maple had sworn to kill not just as a method of justice, but as a mercy for a person she loved.

"It kept small fragments of me from getting digested completely in Phyre's spiritual stomach..." the Amalgam said, running her fingers across a disgusted Maple's cheekbone. "Hello, daughter. How I missed you."

"Stop calling me that, freak. You're not her. You're just wearing her face..." Maple snarled.

"Uri..." The Amalgam hissed, fixing dead purple eyes onto Maple, who went still.

"It's me, dear..."

"Impossible... you're still her..."

But Maple knew that look, and it wasn't the look Phyre had given her. This was The Amalgam. She wasn't as dead as Maple believed.

She was still disgusted.

"How?"

The Amalgam leaned forward smiling.

"You and Laertia both kept me alive..."

Maple's face went pale in horror and abject disgust.

"You're sick..."

"Uri..." The Amalgam said gently, though she pulled Maple close, getting her in a head lock to properly stroke her hair.

"Don't you see I do not care what I must go through, what I must accept, what titles I must give or take away, as long as the end result is us, you, me, and Julia, together? Forever? I'll accept any madness that would get me that. Get what I want, get you what is best for you...Sure, Phyre, is mostly in control, but we can just work around that. We'll get her out somehow, I promise..." The Amalgam assured, petting Uri's head. "Then it will be just us three again, killing together, happy... all the better if I can reverse enslave Phyre. She is a rather fun killer.

"She took over your body and manipulated you like a puppet!"

"Like I wouldn't have done the same. Curious how that worked out, us just so happening to want the same thing..."

Maple pulled away from her, pointing the telekinetically summoned pistol at her. The Amalgam merely smiled.

"We can still be happy. Your destiny, the glorious one I spoke of is yet to be fulfilled on your end..." The Amalgam said, disappointed that Maple still didn't fully want to accept the new normal, or the choices she had made repeatedly defying Nine Lives and the order to kill her.

"I don't want your destiny! I never did!" Maple cried out angrily, scared and insane and suddenly unsure what to do yet again.

"Then pull the trigger if you really can..." The Amalgam encouraged.

The Amalgam suddenly zipped towards her with superhuman speed, seizing her wrist and forcing the pistol to her own temple.

"If anyone is going to do it, better it be someone I would kill to stay forever next to..." The Amalgam cooed, the panicked persona of Phyre that had been forced back into slumber desperately trying to get back control, knowing The Amalgam really was crazy enough to let her do it.

"Go on, Uri. Kill me. Let me be with you always..."

The Amalgam kissed Uri on the forehead, making the mentally ill Bounty Hunter shudder in self disgust, unable to let go, even knowing how dangerous Phyre was now that she was merged with Amy.

"Ahem..."

They both turned. Laertia Io stood watching them in robes of deep, dark blue.

"If you could both stop posturing, we have business to discuss..." Laertia said, walking in and otherwise ignoring the display.

"You sick schutta..." Maple called out to Xiphos. "How could you? You're still working with this freak!

"Easily..." The Amalgam cooed. "She asked..."

Maple slapped The Amalgam.

"Harder!" The Amalgam said with a grin. "Much harder... you're fun when you're angry..."

Maple went over and slapped Xiphos about seven times before storming out. Xiphos did not react because Maple had every reason to be furious. And because hurting Maple was a step too far even for Xiphos.

"I'm sure she'll cool off..." The Amalgam said not-helpfully..."Shall I go talk it out."

"You've done enough, echo..." Xiphos emphasized, making the witch shiver openly in delight at how authoritative she was being. "I'll handle it. You...wait here and don't touch anything..."

Xiphos left her quarters and The Amalgam smiled.

"I'm going to touch everything..."

 

[Laertia Io]

Xiphos followed a furious Maple.

"Maple, wait--" Xiphos called out.

Maple ignored her calling until Laertia teleported in front of her.

"Would you please calm down?" Xiphos asked.

"LAERTIA, DO NOT TELL ME TO BE CALM! YOU'RE STILL WORKING WITH HER IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING SHE HAS DONE TO YOU!" Maple roared.

Xiphos whispered a strange spell and then teleported them both to The Shadow Bride.

"How'd you do that?" Maple asked.

"You have great potential in magic. You'll figure it out, I'm sure..." Xiphos trailed. "Let me explain my reasoning."

"A piece of the thing that butchered your parents has near total control over someone who is already a monster. Why are you still working with her?"

"Wait a minute...how do you know so much?" Xiphos asked.

"I've been having chats with your old pal Themis. She's seen fit to tell me a great many things...gods Laertia, you're even more fethed up than I am. I knew something about Syd was odd. How she was too similar to Amy. She was a surrogate, wasn't she, you sick feth?"

Xiphos's head hung down in shame.

"Yes."

It had been a long time since Maple had heard that sort of vulnerability from her old friend.

"Is that why you were really jealous of me, back in the day?" Maple asked in a much more quiet voice, face twisted in a mix of pity and disgust.

"Yes."

"Laertia... she's a murderer. Even without Darth Phyre she murders younglings."

"So did my children at Barab and Danuta."

"She kills non combatants. For fun."

"Like we did not get a thrill out of murder when we were doing it. I'm fully aware of what she is. But what if I told you we could preserve what we loved best in her?"

"Ursula was a lie--" Maple protested.

"URSULA MADE US WHAT WE ARE!" Xiphos shouted, tears streaming down her face, her pale face in the grip of a mad anguish. "WE WOULD BE NOTHING IF NOT FOR THE AMALGAM! Who cares if all the happy memories were lies, THEY WERE REAL TO ME!"

Xiphos looked at her organic hand.

"I would have been a nobody. DIED a nobody. And when she walked into my life, I-I--"

Xiphos went quiet, fists clenched.

"You think I want to love her? No! But I can't help it! And you can't either, or you'd have tried to kill her, really kill her! Not those half assed attempts you constantly pull out! But what if we could preserve what we want? What if we could cherry pick where she is concerned?"

"What are you talking about?" Maple asked, backing away, pity overriding all disgust.

"What if we could recreate Ursula? There are ways. Sorceries. We can dispense justice for her and her wretched cult AND keep Ursula at the end, for ourselves..."

Maple took a step back further.

"I thought you'd lost it after Rhand. Laertia...let her go. You can't save her. Whatever you create won't be Ursula, just what you wanted Ursula to be."

"How can you know? I have a good plan. A great plan. We've done every other horrible thing. Why not play God?" Xiphos demanded. "Don't you see? There's a way for us to still keep our honor and preserve what is best in The Amalgam, while ridding the Galaxy of her AND Phyre's evil."

"And if you fail? What then?"

"Then we kill her, once and for all. And we kill the whole cult."

"You found an excuse to keep her alive before." Maple growled.

"I mean it this time. But if I can preserve something good in her while smiting her evil, I have to try...and since you went past your own deadline for trying to kill her you support this by default..."

"Laertia...I don't want to be trapped by the past. Ursula is my past. You can keep her. You want to recreate her so much? Fine. But don't expect me to help you. And when you fail, you had BETTER help me kill her. Or you had best step aside. This is the last delay I am going to give you. There will be no more after this. And I mean it this time, Laertia. I really do mean it. If killing her is what it takes to save your soul, I'll pull the trigger and if you want to sic all your children on me that's on you." Maple vowed. "Don't do this. Please. Just accept the inevitable..."

"If I had always accepted the inevitable, I would have died in my very first knife fight. I have to preserve what is worth preserving. Or die trying."

"And if such an option to preserve or recreate Ursula wasn't on the table, would you be pleading for her life still?

"Are you going to give me one last chance or not?" Xiphos asked.

"I shouldn't..."

The pair stared at each other.

"You love her too. You may not want to, but you do. What if she is right? What if we really are meant to be happy together, just not the way she intended?

"You want to pull another Arianna Belasko?"

"The plan is already in motion."

Maple looked at her. "One more chance. I'm not even going to bother with a time limit. We'll both know when it fails..."

"Thank you, Maple."

"Feth you." Maple snapped. "I'm only giving you your final chance for one single reason: because you'll never have any closure otherwise. You'll never move on from her if you are not allowed to completely fail at saving her."

"You love her..." Xiphos asserted, going over to her.

"Admit it...you love her...even though you don't want to."

Maple's fist clenched.

"Hurry up and get to failing, so we can finally put her behind us. We'll never know peace as long as she lives." Maple replied, glowering.

Xiphos's hands clenched tightly on Maple's shoulders.

"Admit it...please..."

"Why is it so important that I do?"

"So I know I wasn't alone in how I felt..."

The pair stared into each other's eyes.

"I won't give you the satisfaction..." Maple replied brusquely, leaving for the docking hatch...

Xiphos sat on a nearby crate, trying to compose herself before going back to face The Amalgam.

Twenty minutes later...

"So..." The Amalgam trailed, lounging lazily in a chair as she stared at the holoprojection.

"Why are we orbiting this terraformed chithole?"

"Honoghr was conquered by The Bryn'adul long ago. With their fall as a Galactic Super Power, massive amounts of war materiel are unsecured just like it was with the tenth Sith Empire. Ships, ammunition, weapons, all for the taking. I have reason to believe that there is a Noghri resistance cell still active here. Possibly captives kept for experimentation."

"It's also hot as feth, and we'll need environment suits." Maple said, in one corner of the briefing room, arms folded with a scowl, refusing to look at either her OR Amy unless necessary, ESPECIALLY after Amy had blown her a kiss.

"There may still be Bryn'adul resistance here. We're going to explore it's Super-Construct. Sarka Class Frigates will link up with us. Amy, I want you to head up any Anti-Bryn'adul efforts with my sons and daughters. Kill whatever Bryn'adul you find. I don't care how young they are. Kill them."

The Amalgam grinned that sick cheshire cat grin of hers.

"How can I refuse such a Genocidal request?" The Sithspawn asked playfully.

Xiphos ignored the question. She was waiting for her daughter, Cameron Crownwraithe , to show.

 

[Cameron Crownwraithe]

Location: Laertia’s Quarters, Absolution of Loste - High Orbit of Honoghr
Tags: The Amalgam Laertia Io

"You sick schutta..." Maple called out to Xiphos. "How could you? You're still working with this freak!

"Easily..." The Amalgam cooed. "She asked..."

Maple slapped The Amalgam.

"Harder!" The Amalgam said with a grin. "Much harder... you're fun when you're angry..."

The speedster could only sigh.

She imagined that this was what it was like to be a child raised by parents in the midst of an ugly divorse, albeit ones who were super-powered Witches, Force-wielders, and shapeshifters. Naturally, the stakes were vastly higher than regular verbal altercations between mom and dad, which was why Cameron had decided to sit outside of her mother’s quarters until things calmed down. The diminutive Zanshi kept just out of sight as Maple stormed outside, followed closely by her mother. Listening in silence as Maple stormed out and screamed at her mother, Cameron closed her eyes in relief as the distinct note of her mother’s teleportation saw the two women out of the hallway, presumably to some place more private.

However, Cameron didn’t immediately go inside, sensing that the Amalgam and/or Phyre, potentially along with a few other Brain Demon Witches, might have been waiting inside.

Mother had advised her against being alone with them.

Ever the dutiful daughter, Cameron heeded her mother’s advice, instead pulling her OmniLink from her gauntlet to play Phantasia Online, a shamelessly grindy and pay-to-win fantasy MMO which nevertheless drew Cameron’s attention when she wasn’t training or doing something else. Since she couldn’t play shooters or any other twitch-based games without being accused of hacking (It turned out that Super Speed also gave Super Reflexes), with its tab-targeting system, Phantasia was one of the few games she could enjoy, especially since mother had money, meaning that Cameron could buy anything she wanted in the game’s economy and gold shop.

Her character was a decked out, Level 200 (Owing to XP Boosts) Crossbow Sniper, who Cameron loved customizing. By now, she had so many outfits in her inventory that she could have the character wear a different one every day, for three years and that didn’t include dyes, auras, or various other aesthetic details the game had to offer. And so, Cameron got lost in customizing her character’s outfit, eventually deciding on a fairly basic pink catsuit, after twenty minutes of gaping at the other, more aesthetically heavy options.

However, once she heard her mother’s voice, Cameron put the OmniLink away and walked into her mother's quarters.

“Hi, Mom! And Aunt Maple and...Amy.” The speedster said in an initially cheerful tone, though her voice shifted as she greeted the Amalgam, who seemed to be the one in control, for the time being.

“So, just a Tuesday, huh?”

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-09 “Hayai” Energized Bodysuit
  • Left Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Right Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Energy Shield
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Alchemical Equipment
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Supernal Infusion
  • Utility
    • Evasive-226-R Field Disruptor
    • The Tinfoil Hat
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Twin Trajectories
• Hekler’Kok SMG-01 (2)
  • 40 Round Stick Magazine
• Flash Grenade (2)

 

[The Amalgam]

"Why Cameron, so delicious of your writer to post you. It's always a party when you show up..." The Amalgam said complimenting Cameron Crownwraithe .

"Hello, Cameron..." Maple said, trying not to be grumpy. None of this was Cameron's fault.

"Greetings, Daughter..." Xiphos said warmly. Her children were pretty much the one, true bright spot in her life.

"Oh, Cameron, an ordinary Tuesday involves knives and puppies...but we'll get into that when you're older and your Mommy finally gets around to pulling that stick out of her you-know-what--"

"Can't you just say, 'Ass'?" Maple asked in spite of her annoyance.

"Only in reference to how good mine looks." The Amalgam replied looking right at Xiphos, whose Organic Eye twitched at her next words:

"And it looks fantastic by the way." The Amalgam added.

"Anyway..." Xiphos said tersely. "We have come to the Noghri Homeworld of Honoghr. The Noghri were vicious, infamous for their Assassins. But even they could not stop the Bryn'adul. Now that their empire has fallen, we can expect tactical retreats or them digging in. We can expect that of the fanatics. The smart ones who make retreats won't be used to it..."

"Darling, once I'm on the ground, there will be nowhere for the lobster to go except in the pot." The Amalgam boasted. "Can I take Cameron--"

"No." Xiphos answered flatly.

"Aww, what's the worst little old me could do?" The Amalgam asked coyly.

Maple drew the hammer back on her large, long barreled golden revolver.

"That's a big fething gun, Maple. Where did you get that?" The Amalgam asked.

"It's called Francisco." Maple Harte answered curtly, her insanity causing another OOC shout out. "And it's a Christopher Lee reference."

The Amalgam got up from where she sat and stomped her feet like a child.

"Awwww, I wanted the Christopher Lee reference. What kind of chit is that, Narrator?" The Amalgam cried out to no one that any of the characters except her and Maple were aware of.

Xiphos began rubbing her eyes, on the verge of Face Palming.

"No, seriously! What kind of chit is that?" The Amalgam demanded of the Narrator. "You give Maple the Bond villain reference and all I get is a gun named after a fething skin condition?"

"Most items have references to skin where you are concerned..." Maple pointed out.

"I get that! I know it's my theme!" The Amalgam said crossly, still angry at this injustice. "But you'd think given how I'm somewhat modeled after Bond villains I'd warrant at least a Blofeld reference."

"You warrant a bullet." Maple snapped. "Laertia can I please shoot this schutta?!"

"Not the face! It would ruin my brand recognition!" The Amalgam taunted.

"Are you two done?" Xiphos asked calmly, wanting to tear her hair out.

Maple holstered her pistol, refusing to look in The Amalgam's direction.

"Ah...plot armor..." The Amalgam said wistfully.

"Too much fething plot armor if you ask me..." Maple grunted.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how fantastic my ass looks...hey Laertia, take a quick peak and see how it compares to Syd's..." The Amalgam joked turning her backside to Laertia so she could get a good view.

"I will blast you." Xiphos threatened, whipping out a sawed off pump action shotgun from under her robes and pointing it at the Witch.

The Amalgam immediately sat the feth back down...but blew her a kiss, winking.

"Now..." Xiphos continued, putting the shotgun back within the folds of her robes. "We will be descending in The Shadow Bride towards the Super Construct after the Sarka Frigates arrive. They carry House Io citizens who have been training under my sons the last few months and they are eager for Bryn'adul blood. They'll be clad in Environmental Bastion Armor with Rebreathers. Maple, you go with Cameron and look for the main systems within the construct. Amy will kill any Bryn'adul she finds, and I and the Citizenry will search for what I think may be a Super Carrier ship that had just finished being assembled when the Bryn'adul collapsed at Danuta. Go expecting danger. If you find any captives free them immediately, but stun them. There may be Maw Agents that were captured too. Any genetic samples of Bryn creatures are to be secured for study. Draelvasir Technology has unique properties. It's a massive priority we obtain samples. Any questions?"

 

[Cameron Crownwraithe]

Location: Laertia’s Quarters, Absolution of Loste - High Orbit of Honoghr
Tags: The Amalgam Laertia Io

The speedster gave a wholesome smile at each of the greetings, with the noted exception of The Amalgam , who she honored with only a cold, neutral expression, especially when the Witch broke the fourth wall and mentioned torturing puppies. Nevertheless, Cameron was somewhat relieved when the Amalgam set the attention of the room somewhere else. With a deep breath, Cameron took a seat as her mother attempted to start the briefing, before being interrupted by the Amalgam, again, it seemed.

“Oh here it goes again…” The Zanshi said softly. “At least y’all aren’t going on about my power set being an A-Train expy.” She added.

From there, the speedster sighed as she listened to her family fall back into the usual, including threats, postures, and bluffs, knowing that everyone in that room had at least some degree of plot armor…

Right?

After a few more back-and-forth insults and warnings, her mother finally got the briefing underway, which Cameron listened to intently, as she always did when getting ready to go out on a mission. Being a speedster, her mind was capable of processing things almost instantaneously, so the briefing was easy for her to understand. However, the speedster was most excited at the prospect of working with Maple, as she was one of the most lethal and feared marksmen in House Io and by extension, the galaxy. She was also fast, an artist with firearms, staves, and drunken-style martial arts. Where Cameron was a speeding bullet, Maple was a smart bullet, capable of curving in unpredictable, erratic fashion and striking a target with the same amount of deadly force.

“Crystal clear, Mom!” Cameron answered. “Also, I think a few Sirens are coming as well. I know quite a few of them have an appetite for crab.” She added.

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-09 “Hayai” Energized Bodysuit
  • Left Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Right Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Energy Shield
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Alchemical Equipment
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Supernal Infusion
  • Utility
    • Evasive-226-R Field Disruptor
    • The Tinfoil Hat
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Twin Trajectories
• Hekler’Kok SMG-01 (2)
  • 40 Round Stick Magazine
• Flash Grenade (2)

 

[The Amalgam]

"Excellent..." Xiphos said. "Their empire may be collapsed but they're still dangerous. I have vowed never to rest until every last one of these Draelvasir are made extinct for their crimes against The Galaxy. Examples must be made for any other culture that would attempt what they did: that only punishment awaits at the end."

Just then the door opened and in stepped Lyssa Io , who had morphed her body to make it look as if she wore silvery biker leathers with black spikes, wheeling in something on a gurney covered by a large gray sheet.

"Hello, Mother! Sister! Aunt! Amy." Lyssa said, glowering a bit in the last name.

The Amalgam mockingly blew Lyssa a kiss, which made the Nanite android scowl.

"Hello Lyssa." Xiphos said warmly staring at the gurney.

"Which brings me to my next point of business..." Xiphos added, walking over to the gurney, pulling the sheet off and revealing a fair skinned blond woman in a silvery, armorweave gown.

"I have completed another Nuetralizer Model. With most House Io Citizens still living aboard Sarka Class Frigates, and other vessels, or working at the shipyards we control in secret, it's become necessary to have a pragmatic solution to the issue of rendering medical aid to various Refugees who came to us. To that end, me and Melissa were hard at work crafting a solution. I present...The Medical Nuetralizer Model 1."

"What's so special about it?" The Amalgam wondered.

"This brand new citizen of ours has been crafted from top to bottom to render medical aid, from surgery to treatment of biohazards and general medical emergencies. It also secretes a powerful enzyme that mimics the effects of Bacta, hands can double as defibrillators. Plus, once it samples blood from a patient, it can customize it's blood to match the patients for a transfusion, or any of its internal organs, even parts of its brain, for donating to a patient in need, and regrow them after donating them. And it still has the inherent lethality of any Nuetralizer, being a full capable combatant with full firearms and melee Programming.

Even the Amalgam raised an eyebrow. The Darth Phyre in her was so intrigued it actually managed to take over for a split second, shifting to the face of Syd Celsius , from who she was derived.

"Julia, just out of curiosity, did it ever occur to you that if you released something like this into the open market, you would completely compromise The Medical Industry and render most organic doctors obsolete?" Phyre asked.

"Why, yes, you psychopathic schutta, it did...but it's not for the Galaxy. It's for my citizens...they deserve the best. I'll give them the best."

Phyre only smiled.

"And you've decided on a pet name for me..." Phyre cooed, biting her lower lip in open lust towards Xiphos.

Maple and Lyssa and Xiphos rolled their eyes, shaking their heads in disgust.

"There's no such thing as a Non-Combatant with House Io, is there?" Maple asked, trying to ignore Phyre.

"We saw the results of being a soft citizen elsewhere. I ain't having that chit in my society. You don't see the Maw making slaves of Mandalorians. If and when The Maw comes for us, I want to make sure every citizen is a lethal threat to those feths. Every street is to be a fortress that will cost the Maw Savages a dozen or more just to walk a few steps every time . Every weapon shall be one that causes the maximum amount of damage possible. Every Citizen shall be able to face down a dozen or more and have a solid chance at winning. To do this...weakness must have as little of a foothold as possible."

"The Mandalorians are tough. It didn't save them in more recent conflicts..." Phyre pointed out.

"The Mandalorians have their problems, we have ours..." Xiphos asserted. "And some groups of Mandalorians coasted on their collective reputation, and it made them sloppy. Overconfident. We'll do our best to avoid that. I'm not saying we become all cold and formal like The Eternal Empire that Ingrid L'lerim controls, but our citizens must be as strong and dangerous as we can possibly make them."

"Well, making a Killer Doctor is certainly one way of going about it..." Phyre mused, before Amy resumed control, shifting her face from Phyre's back to hers.

"Alright, dear Laertia. Flip the switch." The Amalgam said enthusiastically.

Xiphos ran a finger across the forehead of the new model.

It shot awake, sitting up on the gurney, looking around before it spotted Xiphos and smiled.

"Hello, Creator." The Medical Nuetralizer said, a distinct and crisp Coruscant accent programmed into it. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

"And it opened up with a Robert Picardo reference! I like this thing already!" The Amalgam exclaimed.

"No emergency at the moment..." Xiphos assured.

"What is my designate?" The Nuetralizer asked.

"What would you like it to be, Citizen?" Xiphos asked gently.

The Nuetralizer thought a moment.

"Greta..." Greta answered.

"So be it. Henceforth, from this moment forward, you are Greta Io..." Xiphos told her. "Everyone, head to the hangar. We strike soon."


Cameron Crownwraithe

 

[Cameron Crownwraithe]

Location: Laertia’s Quarters, Absolution of Loste - High Orbit of Honoghr
Tags: The Amalgam Laertia Io

“Hi, sister!” Cameron answered Lyssa's greeting with equal amounts of wholesome cheerfulness, the value of family just as important to her as it was to every member of House Io. She ran over to give the gynoid a hug, embracing her sister before turning her attention back to the briefing and…

A new member of House Io.

Pink eyes flared wide as her mother pulled the sheet back on the gurney, which Cameron had failed to notice up until now. Taking in the fair-skinned, curvaceous form of the…

Nuetralizer?

Cameron blinked a few times in apparent confusion, before realizing that this wasn’t just a new individual citizen, but an entirely new class. Now curious, she listened intently as Laertia described her purpose, that of a healer. She didn’t lie when she said they were needed, as House Io’s organic population had increased with the introduction of the Sirens and the arrival of more refugees from the territories ravaged by the now-declining Bryn'adûl. Cameron remembered when the soldier ranks were almost exclusively Nuetralizers. Now, there were Sirens, refugees, and yet more who had flocked to the banners. Nevertheless, House Io was still defined by equality, a place where artificial beings were afforded the same rights and responsibilities as “naturals”. It was an island of equality in a galaxy of perpetual injustice, a family for outcasts and renegades abandoned by the Jedi, the Sith, or even galactic society as a whole.

Cameron would have it no other way.

The speedster watched with wide, unflinching eyes as her mother ran a finger across the forehead of the new citizen, who woke up with a start, a question forming on her pulchritudinous features as the salutary statement mess left her lips in a precise, Coruscanti accent. Cameron frowned at the Amalgam’s comment, but it didn’t take away from her delight as she watched the Nuetralizer come to life, a moment which Cameron had never witnessed up until now.

“Welcome to the family, Greta.” Cameron said as a soft smile formed across her full lips, joyful tears welling in her eyes as she did. “I-I’m Cameron Crownwrathe.” She added, before moving in to hug her newest sister, savoring the moment even as her mother ordered the group to the hangar..

“Yes, Mom!” Cameron answered dutifully, before turning back to Greta. “My friend Mason will show you around, Greta.” She gestured to the Model 1 who had appeared behind her.

“May the Force be with you, sister.”

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-09 “Hayai” Energized Bodysuit
  • Left Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Right Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Energy Shield
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Alchemical Equipment
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Supernal Infusion
  • Utility
    • Evasive-226-R Field Disruptor
    • The Tinfoil Hat
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Twin Trajectories
• Hekler’Kok SMG-01 (2)
  • 40 Round Stick Magazine
• Flash Grenade (2)

 

[Lyssa Io]

Armed with: Herself,

Bright Favor

DR-03 (At least 300 House Io Citizens armed with this)

LMG-01

F-1 Rail Pistol


The instant Xiphos had told them to head out, Lyssa had departed (Though being hugged by her adopted Sister Cameron Crownwraithe had put a spring to her emotional step), letting everyone make their own arrangements. She headed to the section of the armory reserved for her and retrieved some of her more dangerous weapons. Most House Io Organic Citizens were marching down there with nothing less than a T-007 Ion Disruptor, The Model 3 units armed with the dreaded DC-15LE (The Nuetralizer Model 3's were slowly starting to consider it their personal weapon of choice, with many choosing to decorate in House colors of Dark Blue or Dark Green, and modded it to fire explosive shots--even the Molecularly compressed flesh of the Drael could withstand only so many of those shots) and had armed themselves with Arm mounted Miniature Rail Cannons as a secondary weapon. The Model 2's, being Model 2's, had brought EMRG-50 Rail Cannons.

The attack on the Super Construct was thoroughly plotted out. Having attacked such places previously, they were getting a better idea of the Super Construct's general layout.

They were to slaughter any Drael they encountered. Not one was to be spared. Lyssa felt nothing for the most hated of House Io's foes, who they were sworn to destroy utterly.

Lyssa was soon armed to the teeth, heading to the docking link where the Shadow Bride, Mother's personal warship awaited.

The Sarka Class Frigates soon came out of hyperspace, about ten in all. They would all be descending in Assault Shuttles, House Citizens that were organic were often wearing Environmental Bastion Armor, colored mostly Dark Blue but sometimes Dark Green also (this latter color scheme would be especially prevalent for the mechanical citizens.)

Xiphos, wearing her dark blue Chitin, was already at the controls, with Maple and Amy lounging about in the main hold, along with Greta and Cameron (who had hopefully arrived by this point, fingers crossed).

Greta, still in her tight fitting silver armorweave gown, was busily examining a Assault Concussion Rifle that Mason was showing. The Model 1 pointed out how it worked while Greta watched and observed in fascination.

"My violence databases are getting tingly just looking at it. Would it be strange to fall in love with a Big Fething Gun?" Greta asked.

"That happens to me twice a week little Sister." Mason chuckled.

Greta slung it over her back, and also picked up a First Order Mega Blaster. "Is this too much?" she asked Maple.

Maple looked at Greta wryly.

"No kill like overkill against Lobsters..." Maple said.

"Oh, good! I was so worried I was overdoing it!" Greta exclaimed happily. "If any of you needs a skin graft or a new lung don't hesitate to put me on the chopping block!"

Maple and Amy stared at each other.

"Would you like to comment on that previous statement, dear Uri?" The Amalgam asked.

"Nah. I ain't touching that statement with a ten meter poll...Lyssa would you like to?" Maple asked.

"You are presumably creeped out by the bluntness of her statement, despite it being factual." Lyssa answered in her usual, creepy serene manner poking through.

Maple nodded with a roll of the eyes.

"What can I say? She hit it on the head..."

"Honesty always creeps people out when they aren't used to it." Lyssa observed. "Cameron? You ready?"

 

[Esmeralda Io]

Location: Armory -> Hangar Bay -> Assault Shuttle, Absolution of Loste - High Orbit of Honoghr
Tags: The Amalgam Laertia Io

There were few citizen-soldiers in the ranks of House Io who could lay claim to their own lightsabers.

While many Nuetralizers and Sirens were capable of going toe-to-toe against Jedi, Sith, and other types of Force-wielders, owing to their training in Teräs Käsi, it was still a mark of distinction to have one, especially if the wielder lacked sensitivity to the Force. Having earned her lightsabers by finding them, Esmeralda still couldn’t believe that she had been allowed to keep them, especially after being forced to give away half of them to the Dark Entity in exchange for their services in teleporting the House Io contingent out of the ruins, thereby allowing them to hold onto loot which otherwise would have been surrendered to the Eternal Empire. The fact that she didn’t kill a Jedi for her lightsabers like so many other Nuetralizers had done, caused the Echani some level of anxiety, almost feeling like an imposter in a sense. Nevertheless, the Model 1s had eagerly trained her in using the new weapons, introducing her to the basics of Form I and II. In the process, her mechanical brothers assured her that she had earned the weapons, even if she hadn’t killed a Jedi for them.

Perhaps negotiating with a powerful, Dark Entity was the next best thing.

Admiring herself in the locker’s mirror after donning her semi-skintight armor, Esmeralda couldn’t hold back the smile that formed on her lips as she gyrated her hips, not only taking in the breadth her assets, but also the way her lightsabers looked in their place on the small of her back. However, the lightsabers weren’t the only thing that was new. Glancing down, Esmeralda examined the small implements attached to her boots. Unfortunately, she only had a few opportunities to practice with them before now, since she couldn’t use them on House Io starships, but they were already proving to be very addicting, if only for the fact that they made her feel like a rad, shotgun-wielding skater girl.

After all, she was already halfway there.

Slamming the locker shut, Esmeralda took the turbolift down the hangar bay. There were already a few Sirens and House Io citizens there by the time she arrived, looking like a roller derby player with her eye black, armor, and razor skates. Upon seeing Lyssa, she gave her a soft smile and a wave, having remembered the gynoid from Zakuul. Then, Esmeralda took the lift down into one of the assault shuttles, a deep breath on her lips as she mentally prepared herself for the battle to come…

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-04 “Apsara” Ultralight Combat Armor
  • Gauntlets
    • FAE/MDW-01 Active Defense System - Replaces Universal Gas Launcher - Left
      • Seeking Anti-Warhead Nano Missiles
    • Wide-Beam Sonic Stunner - Left
    • WMMW-01 - Right
      • SMG (2)
  • Undersuit
    • UL-14 "Virtus" Class Underlay
  • Energy Shield
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • B-11 “Greitis” Class Combat Boots
    • FAE/U-04 "Phyre Blade" Energized Razor Skates
  • Utility
    • Evasive-226-R Field Disruptor
    • Medpac
  • Droid
    • IBIS Drone
• PbDR-01 N.S.
• Sentinel Blade (2) - Duelist Style

 

[Cameron Crownwraithe]

Location: Laertia’s Quarters -> Hangar Bay -> The Shadow Bride, Absolution of Loste - High Orbit of Honoghr
Tags: The Amalgam Laertia Io

Before long, Cameron was at her mother’s side in the cockpit of the Shadow Bride, manifesting in a flash as the soldiers were loading up into the assault shuttles. Her mother looked positively regal, yet terrifying in her new armor, a heavy suit meant to tank damage and to dish out punishment to the most monstrous Draelvasier Juggernauts. In contrast, Cameron’s skintight bodysuit was meant to enhance her Speed, with the high heels being an aesthetic choice. Fortunately, they were imbued with the Force to nullify the stress which she might otherwise incur from wearing heels, in addition to enhancing her balance. Nevertheless, Cameron felt bad for anyone who would have to face her mother in that suit, knowing that they were contending with a powerhouse capable of bringing massive amounts of force to bear, in addition to mobility in the form of sudden teleports.

“I’m here!” Cameron said, before shifting her attention to Greta as her little sister chose not one, but two heavy weapons. “Someone likes big guns.” The speedster giggled playfully. “Just remember the Assault Concussion Rifle is a one shot weapon.” She added. “It’ll be a waste to use it against a Drone or even a singular Juggernaut. Use it against large groups of enemies, Rhivaks, and Brumaks.” The Zanshi continued.

“Make every shot count.”

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-09 “Hayai” Energized Bodysuit
  • Left Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Right Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Energy Shield
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Alchemical Equipment
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Supernal Infusion
  • Utility
    • Evasive-226-R Field Disruptor
    • The Tinfoil Hat
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Twin Trajectories
• Hekler’Kok SMG-01 (2)
  • 40 Round Stick Magazine
• Flash Grenade (2)

 

[Laertia Io]

14 hours before arrival to Honoghr...

Aboard a repurposed Space Gun on the outer rim, at the center of three Industrial Complexes

It was the early days of House Io before official formation.

Xiphos had used every trick in the book to keep Refugees that came to her fed, clothes and sheltered. Selling weapons, scrap, and materials seized not just from enemies, but from fallen allies as well as scavenging countless military shipwrecks had served as income to fit many on old warships, or cheap space stations at the edge of space working at Scion Mobile Shipyards or Sword Herald Special Purpose Enterprises...

Slowly but surely, a militant culture was developing at the guidance of the Model 1 units and veteran soldiers who had come to the House. Ever since the vicious attack by the Maw on Coruscant, they had even gotten some disillusioned Jedi coming to them. Xiphos had welcomed them with open arms, throwing aside whatever grudge she had held towards them before...after having their minds thoroughly read of course.

The ex-Jedi had immediately begun training as Light Sith. You could always spot them...they were quieter than most, living amongst the Civilians. Xiphos refused to have Light Sith sequestered away in a temple, feeling it led to elitism, and being unable to understand day to day suffering. She made sure they lived and walked amongst Civilians most of the time. Curiously this was something even Xiphos's more murderous allies The Cult of The Brain Demon indulged in on their own initiative.

Ted Forrest had lost his entire Family when The Bryn'adul had devastated Nar Kreeta. A then Pre Xiphos Laertia had gotten him to safety where anyone else might have failed utterly. All the refugees who wanted revenge knew Xiphos was one of the few who would allow them to obtain it in any way they saw fit.

He had worked at the mobile shipyards for months, acclimating him to working with so many other groups. In time, he had even gotten use to the creepy Nuetralizers and their off kilter jokes.

He chastised himself mentally for thinking it. They were only as they had been built. Everybody, Droid or Organic was a citizen. All were blood brothers and blood sisters. All had suffered.

But now he and a bout two thousand others were being selected for glory after being trained heavily for what awaited them.

Ted had spent the day before the planned raid staring at his family photos before heading to the quiet Mess Hall of the repurposed Space Station where he and a thousand others had gathered and trained at an old Golan Arms stronghold. Only it's shields worked. They were still having trouble getting the stations guns working. More room to move around when not in training than he had in months. The station was only at quarter capacity. Much of the interior had been reworked to house more people. The Leviathan of Sev Tok and two Sarka Class Frigates waited above it in a dark vigil. Xiphos City, they called it unofficially, this cluster of Space stations.

He was in a dark blue environmental suit, based on those used by the Ubese, like all organic citizens. They were serving more than standard rations. Some premium box stuff meant for a few First Order Higher Ups.

Might as well, right? Could be their last meal...

The usual suspects were in the Mess Hall. Model 1's playing with throwing knives, aiming them at a picture of Starlin Rand , who had killed many of their brothers at Kerest. The Chiss were mingling, studying everything and everyone around them. There were a pair of those sadistic Brain Demon Cultists in their absolutely skintight white catsuits keeping alive the head of a Juggernaut with Magic in a corner so people could toss knives into it if they were bored (Everybody did it now and then), a few Model 2's were practicing juggling, and a bunch of Model 3's playing chess against Sarkan Refugees. Light Sith meditated in an area away from the tables but made sure to face them. Sirens busily chatted with themselves, Organics, Nuetralizer, Sith, and Witch freely.

He noticed new faces next to the Organic Chefs. Young looking women with Dark Brown Hair in Dark Green Catsuits. Clones?

"Hi!" one of the clones said as he walked up to the Mess Counter.

"Hi. What's on the menu?" Ted asked.

"Premium Rations seized at Hoth from the First Order. Sausage. Bacon. Eggs. Biscuits..." the young woman answered. Other lookalikes of her, all wearing the same Dark Green chromium catsuit busily prepped it in the back of the Kitchen.

"Sorry, I don't recognize your Model. Which company built you--?"

"Sword Herald!" The girl said. "And I wasn't built, I was grown! I'm a Nuetralizer! A General Purpose Model!"

Ted blinked in surprise. "General Purpose? Like what, a Protocol Droid?"

"Among other things! I'm Tabitha!" Tabitha said, holding out a hand, which he shook, visibly surprised.

"But you call yourself a Nuetralizer. That means you know how to kill, right?" Ted asked.

"Absolutely. Xiphos wouldn't make an HRD, even one meant for civil duties, unless it could kill."

Ted blinked. Xiphos didn't feth around.

"Always a pleasure to meet another Citizen."

"Likewise! Good hunting at Honoghr!" Tabitha exclaimed. "Some of my Sisters will be there to get a taste of battle for ourselves. I'm not the only new model getting deployed. Did you train with the new Radiation Blaster?"

"Yep. Gods, have you seen what it does to living tissue?"

"That's why they made it. House Io must be willing to go farther than most will for Victory."

"It's powerful, granted but is Xiphos really sure it will kill Baeduran?"

That is not an ordinary blaster. The flesh of that variant of Bryn'adul is molecularly compressed, but even it has it's limits. The amount of radiation deposited on impact, not just against the tissue, but against the armor as well is high enough that even their flesh will suffer severe radiation poison after a few shots. And if that doesn't kill them, the Verpine Shatter weapons and Disruptors our brothers are bringing will." Tabitha assured.

"Let's hope..." Ted replied, taking a tray of premium rations, heading to a nearly full table and taking his time as he ate next to Model 1's reading books rapidly...

It was a few hours later that the call finally came and hundreds of organics headed for the shuttles that would take them to Sarka Frigates. They had been cleared of their usual Droid Compliments to fit more Citizens aboard.

Ted was issued his gear and weapons. Now all that was left to do was make the trip...

(Fallen Order Upgrade Sound Plays)

(Ted has received new weapons and equipment!)

Weapon: HOUSE IO ASSAULT RADIATION BLASTER

Spoiler

Deadly Assault Blaster with built in 25 mm Grenade Launcher. Fires highly radioactive blaster bolts designed to contaminate armor and tissue, severely poisoning it. Useful for enemies ordinary blasters are not enough to stop...or if you just want overkill on a normal foe.

Weapon: ANTI-MAGNETIC POLARIZATION RAY GUN REPRODUCTION

Spoiler

Based off ancient technology that fires severely damaging bolts of Magnetic energy, this has been issued in limited numbers to certain squads in the Honoghr Raid to test their effects on Bryn'adul Tissue. Able to overwhelm organisms that heal extremely quickly. 30 shots, average range, low fire rate, High Damage.

Weapon: VERPINE SHATTER PISTOL

Spoiler

Deadly pistol that fires tiny rounds via magnetic acceleration, capable of felling even the stoutest foe and toughest Conventional armor

Ammo: 25 MM GRENADE ROUND (HIGH EXPLOSIVE)

Spoiler

High damage standard grenade round in 25 mm. High Recoil

Number of available rounds: 6

Weapon: RADIATION GRENADES (STANDARD)

Spoiler

Deadly grenade that spreads lethal radiological particles in concentrated amounts over a wide area.

Armor: ENVIRONMENTAL BASTION SUIT

Spoiler

Highly protective Environment Suit, fitted with a rebreather helm. Hooded, and colored in Dark Blue House Io colors. Fitted with strengthening underlay and ballistic shielding. Protective against temperature and radioactive extremes

Item: GNS STRENGTH ENHANCER

Spoiler

Unregulated technology that greatly boosts the wearers strength. Use cautiously. Issues to select squads on trial basis

Item: MED PAC

Spoiler

Medical Treatment Equipment. Contains various Equipment including radiation inoculation treatment

Item: DEAD EYE DRUG

Spoiler

Experimental Drug Injection developed by the Galactic Empire to temporarily boost personal Accuracy to very high Levels. Issued in limited amounts to select squads for the Raid on an experimental basis.

Number of injections available: 3

Item: GUN JACK DRUG

Spoiler

Form of Spice that enhances strength to tremendous levels, at the cost of Reason and temperament. Issued in limited numbers to select squads on trial basis.

Number of injections available: 1

(MGS2 Menu Theme Plays)

(Ted got a Squad!)



Assigned to "Task Force Elaine".

Consists of:

Model 1 Nuetralizer (Gerard)

Equipment: Disruptor Model 1

The Conjoined (Brain Demon Cultist)

Equipment: Double Bladed Lightsaber (Red)

Model 2 Nuetralizer (4, Jesse, Carl, Adrian, Tom)

Equipment: Stouker Concussion Rifle

Model 3 Nuetralizer (3, Brady, Timmy, and Jimmy)

Equipment: Shatter Rifles, T-7 Ion Disruptors

Organic Citizen Soldiers (007 Armed like Ted)[/spoiler]


Present:

"First drop?" the Model 3 called Timmy asked as they descended to the surface of Honoghr in an Imperial Drop Shuttle...

"Yeah! But I'm ready!" Ted called back. "I'll irradiate the Lobsters so badly their ancestors are gonna need inoculation!"

The Conjoined, a Shi'ido Force Spawn who resembled a red skinned pureblood Sith female, clad like all her cult in a white catsuit, gripped her Lightsaber, flesh rippling as she grew eager for the slaughter.

"The killing can't start soon enough if you ask me..." she said in a sultry voice at odds with her horribly bubbling flesh as she channeled the Dark Side.

Gods, we are a strange lot... He thought to himself...

"Brothers! Sisters!" Their Family Captain, Gerard called out as the shuttle flew through defensive cannon fire from the construct, touching down a tenth of a kilometer from it.

"GLORY AWAITS!" he bellowed as the hatch opened.

It was general invasion as he set out. The Shadow Bride had already landed and to his surprise he could see the Matriarch herself, and her closest allies spearheading the attack towards the construct.

Despite the collapse of their empire they were putting up fierce resistance. It felt warm due to the terraforming, only his armor keeping him cool enough to function.

Ted yelled, compensating for the kick of the weapon as he fired at a Juggernaut with his squadmates, the 3's taking cover and standing by.

The bolts pelted the bastard fast and hard, but he kept coming until one got him right in the face and he slowed, already feeling the effects of multiple radioactive bolts that his flesh had no defense against...a few more shots to the face finally downed him, his brain having been heavily irradiated after the armor was punctured...

Ted looked, then spotted a group of charging Drones and emptied a few bolts into them, dropping them in one or two shots. Though their skin had not been fully penetrated, the concentrated, radiological weaponry was doing what it was meant to do all the same...

"FOR MY FAMILY!" he yelled in rage, not ceasing his assault as he took cover from the heavy amount of return projectiles. The Conjoined whispered a spell and the projectile spikes being flung at them seemed to slow as they got closer to their position, allowing him to dodge...

Cameron Crownwraithe

 

[Esmeralda Io]

Location: Outskirts of Military Super-Construct - Honoghr
Tags: The Amalgam Laertia Io

"First drop?" the Model 3 called Timmy asked as they descended to the surface of Honoghr in an Imperial Drop Shuttle...

“You’re supposed to get the fresh meat hyped, Timmy! Not...make references to crappy HoloNet memes!” Esmeralda giggled. Fortunately, it seemed that Ted was already angry enough on his own. He was one of the many enraged refugees from the worlds ravaged by the Bryn'adûl while the Jedi sat idle, busy waging an ancient war against an enemy that would always be there for them to fight. Of course, the Jedi had justified it by telling themselves that this would be the last time and finally the Sith would be cleansed from the galaxy forever. Of course, that had been a lie, which anyone, even a young strand-cast like Esmeralda who was less than a year old, could tell from a mile away.

“That’s the spirit, Ted.” Esmeralda answered, smiling at the refugee-turned-soldier as she did.

Not a moment later, the hatch hissed open and the squad set off towards the Super-Construct, savage war cries and bloodthirsty howls on their lips as they engaged the charging packs of Drones and squads of Juggernauts headed their way. While Esmeralda was of a more composed, icy character in battle, her appetite for violence was no less demanding. Her disruptor rifle sang a disharmonious melody of high-pitched cracks as she fired on a quartet of slavering Drones, rendering all four of the creatures unto atoms in short order before setting her sights on a Juggernaut Minor armed with a glaive. A precise lance of nonharmonic energy delivered to the head ended the monster before just as it charged out of cover, the sound of its fall covered by the cacophonous rhythm of the battle transpiring around the radius of the Super-Construct.

Vaulting over the rock she was using as cover, Esmeralda activated her razor skates with a mental command, kicking up earth in her wake as she moved to catch back up with her advancing squadmates. Yelping as she very nearly lost her balance skating over a rock, Esmeralda smiled as the sensation of speed came over her, but it was all too temporary, as she was forced to come to a stop in a roll, avoiding going too far ahead of her squad mates.

They were stronger together.

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-04 “Apsara” Ultralight Combat Armor
  • Gauntlets
    • Hekler'Kok WMMW-01 - R/L
      • SMG (2)
    • L86 - Pisces Compact Beam System - R
    • Wide-Beam Sonic Stunner - L
  • Undersuit
    • UL-14 "Virtus" Class Underlay
  • Energy Shield
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Thighs
    • FAE/MDW-01 Active Defense System (2) - R/L
      • Pink Vapor Nano Missiles - R
      • Seeking Anti-Warhead Nano Missile - L
  • B-11 “Greitis” Class Combat Boots
    • FAE/U-04 "Phyre Blade" Energized Razor Skates
  • Droid
    • IBIS Drone
• PbDR-01 N.S.
• Sentinel Blade (2) - Duelist Style

 

[Akemi Io]

Tags: Laertia Io Cameron Crownwraithe


Light hit Akemi's photoreceptor for the first time in weeks and she waited as her HUD updated with relevant information and her personality profile synced with her body. She looked down at her hands, flexing and rotating them. She was a new model a Nuetralizer, Fixer model 1. She had been shut down for diagnostics after quirks were found in her programming during initial trials. Downloading her diagnostic profile.

• Mental systems 99.98%
• Tested peak processing speed 100.04%
• Physical memory 76.4% available
• Physical systems 99.86%
• Bio-organic anomaly detected - within safe operating parameters ref# Midi-Chloroxians
• Database uploaded and updated

She was pleased, and mother would be pleased that she was operating within recommended limits. She activated her leg motivators and stepped forwards, it took a few milliseconds for her to readjust to using her body after the long diagnostic checking. Lights appeared sequentially on the ceiling, floor, and both walls as she calibrated her motive engines.

"Please locate my mother" she said, hearing her voice for the first time in ages, she eagerly wanted to see her and to meet the sisters she was told she had during her test phase.

" Laertia Io is aboard an assault shuttle approaching the planet below. came the response from a nearby terminal. Akemi glanced at the terminal.

"Thank you, please ready a shuttle for me to join her" The computer would prepare a vessel for her. She reached out wirelessly and detected the systems aboard her bonded Loralora <<good afternoon friend>> she non-verbally communicates to it. <<please meet me at the hangar bay>>. The bike would follow her instructions and be ready at the bay when she arrived. She wondered why her diagnostics had her physical processes at 99.86%, she was feeling 99.92% at least. Maybe it was just the good mood putting a little spring in her step.

Repeatedly she tried downloading data on her sisters from the net and had even had a sparring match with mother's anti-intrusion algorithms. Akemi had been told they were a surprise and she wouldn't be allowed to meet their minds until she was properly introduced. She had pouted about this for ages, sulking for whole seconds before she accepted she would have to wait for her surprise.

"Public data on Akemi Io please." she enquired to the computer.

"data suppressed - order of Laertia Io"

Ooh, interesting? So she was a surprise for her sisters too.

Boarding the shuttle she saw her Loralora waiting for her along with a pair of model 3s instinctively she connected with their diagnostic systems, both operating with a high degree of efficiency, mild motor function error on the one to her right. She could correct that with a minor software tweak increasing bias to his left leg.... there, done, he should perform 7% better in the field.

She took her seat and closed her eyes, the young girl in her was very excited, mother to impress and sisters to meet today.

 

[Laertia Io]

Darth Xiphos charged into combat, wielding her single most powerful weapon, the Sword of Cinndurr.

She had mixed feelings about the blade, to be honest. On the one hand it was one of her single most powerful melee weapons. On the other, it belonged to her...

Xiphos could forgive a lot of things...the reality of her own situation, and years of being on a defensive war effort, all but demanded she cut others slack.

But what she could not, would not forgive, was being tricked in the way that the master of Starlin Rand had. It was this basic misinterpretation of past events that would cause Xiphos an incredible amount of pain going forward.

Xiphos, however much Syd's power and expertise had made this possible, had genuinely loved Syd. Loved her. To find out she had given her heart (and her virginity) unknowingly to the creature that had murdered her biological parents had broken her heart in too many ways.

Could she have forgiven that if she had known from the start? She wasn't sure. Would she have been more inclined towards forgiveness if Syd had remained loyal to her cause? Maybe. They would never know, now.

That wasn't even covering the fact that Xiphos was starting to accept Syd had been a surrogate for someone she had wanted nearly as badly, much though it shamed her. Then there was the whole issue with The Battalion, and how she seemed positively addicted to the curly haired beast...

As she collapsed a Baeduran's skull with a brutal punch to the face, she spotted Maple Harte, fighting alongside Cameron Crownwraithe , using shatter pistols, telekinetically lifting up the heavy guns of The Bryn'adul and killing them with their own bullets. Model 3 units surged against enemy defensive points with well honed, coordinated fire and deadly accuracy. The green bolts of Radiation Blasters leapt through the air to blast through Bryn Armor.

Xiphos's heart swelled with happiness, pride at seeing her mechanical sons fight alongside her Organic Citizens, to bring vengeance, Righteous and Earned, upon the Lobster vermin that had slain so many, pointlessly. Soon their attention would be directed at the Maw as well.

She saw The Amalgam breaking Bryn necks with the Dark Side, tearing out their life force and turning bodies to dust, a brilliant, beautiful abomination of the Dark Side. She had never truly tasted Bryn Blood before this moment...but she seemed born to do it.

All that made Xiphos truly lethal came from her mentor. Without the Amalgam's training she would have died hundreds of times over. She could never have survived all she had if The Amalgam had not been her teacher. She knew that. Knew it.

House Io could never have existed without her...without Darth Phyre's contribution.

She couldn't discard her. She hated Phyre. She loved Amy, even though she knew Amy would eventually pay for her crimes. Must pay for her crimes.

But how to salvage what she wanted from Amy with Phyre in the way? Would it mean having to salvage Phyre in some way also?

That thought gave Xiphos pause.

Xiphos teleported atop a Juggernaut's head, driving the fiery orange Lightsaber blade right through his skull, at one point she and Amy began fighting side by side, their deadly skill with the Lightsaber, (A Split Saber for The Amalgam, The Kylo style blade for Xiphos) on full display.

They were a perfect storm of Destruction, Amy's dark curses and sky lightning, Xiphos's unpredictable teleports and Lightsaber throws. The pair dashed through hoardes of Bryn'adul, attacked from all sides, Xiphos using her Bio Armor to generate a fiercely powerful gravity swell that slowed the movements of a very large Baeduran , allowing her to hack his arm and head off. The Model 3 units and the Citizens surged into the Super Construct, intent on butchering everything inside. She saw Ted Forrest near Esmeralda Io and one of the Brain Demon Witches and a bunch of House Io citizens gunning down hoardes of drones.

This pleased her greatly. They needed to cut their teeth on the Bryn'adul. Only then would they be ready for Panatha, if her intel was correct.

Xiphos rammed her blade into the chest of a Juggernaut, running through the heart areas, while Maple just used a bunch of their weapons with telekinesis to become an artillery barrage that tore open both chest and face, reducing even a Juggernaut to bloody chunks in seconds. Sarka Class Frigates descended from above trying to weaken the Quilxyn Shield around the Super Construct itself, firing their main composite beam guns at it. But the shield still held. It could let people through, but wouldn't let them back out.

But something about this shielding was different. It was golden in color. Xiphos stretched out her senses, realizing it was enchanted.

"Seems they have Force Users..." Xiphos noted, having fought their wizards time and again. They were very dangerous. One had nearly killed her at Nar Kreeta. Before House Io. Before any of her children were created. When she hadn't yet decided to rebel.

Greta, the Medical Nuetralizer, seemed to be having fun with the Assault Concussion Rifle, for she had blown four of their Juggernauts away already.

"The bigger the gun the squishier a Motherfether is!" Greta noted. "If only you could cure illness this way..."

"You technically can!" A Model 2 next to her chuckled evily.

Greta thought about it a moment as she casually gunned down a Drone.

"Heh..." she chuckled.

Bryn Mortar strikes hit and Xiphos immediately shielded expanded a telekinetic field that attempted to slow any Incoming shrapnel headed their way. Some House Io citizens died in the impacts, along with a lot of her Model 3 Sons.

Cold bitter rage hit like a Tsunami. It always hurt her to watch her children be killed in front of her. It hurt badly to watch the refugees, those she had taken in, trained, die also, giving their lives for vengeance upon the Bryn Hoards, for a brighter future for not just them, but a future where no one would face the Bryn'adul hoard again. Or the Maw.

Nuetralizer TIE's swooped in from above, obliterating the Mortar positions, She blew her flying children a little electronic kiss that their brains would register as a positive sensation signal.

Her Technopathy allowed her to sense the fast approaching presence of Akemi Io , her shuttle under escort by TIE Silencers flown by Jester Squadron and immediately requested through that same Technopathy for her Model 2's to create a defensive perimeter around the area they had seized already.

When it was set up, The shuttle finally landed while everyone else took the opportunity for a breather, a magical barrier channeled by The Amalgam preventing further attack for now, Xiphos stepped to the shuttle to receive one of her newest creations, Akemi.

Xiphos's bio armor opened up and the pale, scarred, but very beautiful Matriarch slipped out of it wearing a pitch black body glove.

Well aware of its design capability, having designed it jointly with the help of her Sister Melissa, Akemi was to be tested this day. Knowing her particular design found Organic speech incredibly slow, Xiphos smiled and spoke through pure Technopathy.

Hello Akemi. I'm Xiphos. It's a pleasure to meet you, daughter.

Maple, busily examining a Bryn gun turned and stared in curiosity.

"Another Daughter?" Maple inquired.

"Yes, dear Sister. Another daughter." Xiphos explained. "Every one, Akemi Io."

"She likes cosplay too?" The Amalgam asked, flesh shuddering as she channeled the protective barrier."

"It's combat armor..." Xiphos explained.

She refocused on Akemi.

I am happy to see you. I hope your trip down wasn't too rough. We'll have more ships soon, personalized for our use to make trips like that less anxiety inducing. A Nuetralizer must taste battle at birth. It's House tradition.Today is the first day of your life in House Io. I have a special assignment for you...we'll be going into the construct soon, and I want you to explore 'exactly' how many pieces of Bryn'adul tech you can interface with, if any. It's alright if you don't succeed, but if you do, it may have opened another avenue to controlling their powerful Bio Technology for ourselves.

Xiphos silently signalled a nearby Model 3 giving an evil cackle as he blasted a Bryn'adul's head apart with a shatter rifle, and he immediately fetched a case he had been carrying.

Inside it was an Energy Sword.

I constructed this one personally. It's my welcome gift to you. she explained, activating the flat purple energy blade to demonstrate it's use before shutting it off and handing it to her, along with a Dashade Sonic Disruptor passed to her by that same Model 3. This Disruptor had the large frontal dish typical of old school Sonic weapons, but it had a gold chrome color with pearl grips.

I also built that one. Xiphos said to Akemi before turning to Cameron. "Cameron! Come meet your new sister!"

 

[Cameron Crownwraithe]

Location: Outskirts of Military Super-Construct - Honoghr
Tags: The Amalgam Laertia Io Akemi Io

The speedster was a sonic boom of energy as she punched into the lines of the Bryn'adûl in the wake of her mother, careful not to overextend, given the potential of there being Rescripts in the area. Nevertheless, without them, there was very little that the hulking Juggernauts and feral Drones could do against her mother’s teleportation and Cameron’s own raw, blistering speed. In one moment, a squad of Juggernauts was charging out of the Super-Construct to engage the House Io forces, eager to slay the soldiers of the rogue group which had been sweeping through Bryn'adûl territories in the months after their fall. The next, their decapitated bodies slumped to the ground mid-stride, the heads hitting on the group with a thump and rolling until they ceased momentum at the bottom of the hill. As his head came to rest against a boulder, a veteran Major Juggernaut watched with a wide, disturbed gaze as what had been his body collapse to the ground in his periphery, before staring into the eyes of a freshly-cloned Minor, one dying warrior to another, then expiring moments later.

Similar fates befell four more Juggernaut squads as Cameron slashed her way through their ranks, blood running freely from her Twin Trajectories, as the blades bit into necks, skulls, and brains, leaving behind groups of decapitated their wake. The speedster paired flying, supersonic kicks with the blades as well, delivering so much kinetic force that the Juggernauts were sent flying backwards, their chests deeply-caved in with vaguely foot-shaped indentations, the surrounding organs reduced to a soft mush in the process.

The daughter was a hyper-efficient foil to the mother’s savage brutality.

Before long, there was a lull in the fighting as the House Io forces established a foothold in the wake of the mortar attack. After running the wounded back to the Medical Nuetralizers, prioritizing the most dire, Cameron manifested by her mother’s side in a gust of disturbed air, watching with wide, magenta eyes as the shuttle landed in the middle of the growing camp.

"Another Daughter?" Maple inquired.

“Another sister?!” The speedster spoke up, giddy excitement lacing her tone as she took in the Nuetralizer’s pulchritudinous, Atrisian features, along with the novel style of catsuit she wore. “So many new sisters!” She added.

The Zanshi speedster was in front of the Neutralizer before her mother called, bouncing excitedly on her heels as she did.

“Yes that’s me! I’m Cameron! The Cameron Crownwraithe.” She said with a giggle, her voice surely, but suddenly taking on a squeaky high pitch as the speedster’s vocal cords began to accelerate with excitement. “Oh my gosh, I wish I had something to give you!” She began quickly. “Wait! I know something! I have lightsabers back in my armory! I don’t use them anymore, but you can totally have them! I hope you like pink! What is your favorite color by the way?” The speedster continued on, while Akemi answered back in technopathy.

Within five seconds, the two girls were almost fast friends.

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-09 “Hayai” Energized Bodysuit
  • Left Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Right Gauntlet
    • Wide Beam Sonic Stunner
  • Energy Shield
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Alchemical Equipment
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Supernal Infusion
  • Utility
    • Evasive-226-R Field Disruptor
    • The Tinfoil Hat
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Twin Trajectories
• Hekler’Kok SMG-01 (2)
  • 40 Round Stick Magazine
• Flash Grenade (2)

 

[Akemi Io]

Tags: Laertia Io Cameron Crownwraithe

Communication "verbal" <<technopathic>>

Akemi smiled widely as she was introduced to her new family, data started unlocking about them as she was introduced. <<I am happy to see you mother, I am looking forward to joining you here, it looks like there is lots to do>>

As The Amalgam spoke, Akemi's personally algorithms kicked in and she was rewarded with a new personality trait. "apparently I love cosplay" she said excitedly as her hair and skin changed colour to closely match that of the Amalgam and her body language mirrored her "ask me another, I want to learn all about me". Her particular model of combat armour looked fairly revealing to most uneducated onlookers, but the thin mesh that covered most of her body was tightly woven armour weave, protecting the softer bio-organic components beneath.

Next was Cameron Crownwraithe who bounded over, she was so fast, not a Nuetralizer though, something different to explore? She communicated rapidly as she moved which was lovely. Akemi wondered just how fast she could get, so she responded via technopathy, slowly at first, then accelerating to see what Cameron was capable of. Was it fair to do sneaky performance testing? Maybe was it fun? Certainly. <<lightsabers are lovely, I would like those, but I don't have a present for you yet. I will try and find something pretty while we are here.>> she thought for a moment, she already knew the answer to this question. << I like lots of colours, but I think my favourites are E30B5C, 673147, and FFA6C8.>> she suspected she could probably work out her full order if preference in a few moments but determined that listing 17 million different colours in order of preference would be excessive.

Speaking aloud to everyone she had the look of a happy child on her birthday, all these lovely people here to greet her. "are all my sisters this nice? I have read mean things written about our family" she uploaded a series of articles to her present family, there were two about suspected terrorist activities and then a third about repeated destruction at some holy site she couldn't find on any map referred to only as 'fourth wall'

This was the best day, she was expecting some sort if combat testing to come, but she was brand new and performing at peak efficiency, the Bryn-tech already fascinated her and she had downloaded everything she could about it. She would attempt to interface with things, she was already developing theories about their hardware based on what she had read.

 

[Laertia Io]

Yes, all your sisters are this nice... Xiphos said to Akemi Io

Don't worry about getting me presents. You being here is a gift in itself... The Heretical Sith assured her. As for some of the mean things people say of us...some of it is indeed true. I was a member of the Silver Jedi Order and I rebelled and started killing them when they chose to focus on a Sith Empire that was locked in a Civil War with the NIO rather than fight these Bryn'adul we're slaughtering. I am responsible for what they term 'Atrocities', even though they themselves were guilty of everything I am guilty of and worse. I did no less than what they were doing, and fought just as hard to win as they did. They call anybody who opposed them in that war terrorists.

The Amalgam was about to make suggestions about hair styling only to be shot a look by Maple.

We've done bad and bloody things to get where we are. Some of it I regret. Most of it I don't. The Jedi Order and the New Imperial Order deserved to be opposed for what their short sightedness and Fanaticism against the Sith led to: Trillions slaughtered by these hate filled beasts I strove to build the strength to punish as they deserve. But at opportune times I try and punish the Jedi. It was they who sabotaged any hope of a unified response. If they had done the right thing...you and the rest of my children might not exist. Or if you did, you certainly wouldn't exist as you now are. I might have ended up still being at war with The Amalgam. I might have still been working for the Jedi. I...

Xiphos stopped that train of thought. She would likely still be with Syd.

I...I think we should focus on the task at hand... Xiphos continued, glad that Cameron Crownwraithe was getting along with her. Of all her children, only Cameron was truly Organic, and also the only one to bear the last name of Laertia's birth parents, the Crownwraithes.

"Amy, any luck on that barrier?" Xiphos asked.

"The Shaman's are...skilled...they are using part of their own life force to reinforce the barrier...but I'll crack it...soon...ish..." Amy replied, flesh warping all over her body horribly as she channeled the Force.

"This is taking too long. Darlings, will one of you please tell the ships in orbit to slightly increase their fire?" Xiphos asked of the mechanical Nuetralizers, who immediately got out a comlink.

The Amalgam meanwhile bashed violently like a lava flow against the spirits of the Shaman's blocking her. They were mighty, but rarely had they encountered an entity as foul spiritually as she was.

Gradually, the combined might of all the spirits inside of her wore them down, brutally crushing and drinking their souls, laughing on the inside as their spirits were torn apart and devoured by the army inside of her.

The barrier failed just as increased fire began hitting the super construct. Xiphos got a transmission from Ted Forrest.

"Lady Xiphos! Have established beachhead within construct!"

"Excellent, Ted." Xiphos complimented. "Reinforcements will be there shortly."

Xiphos looked at Akemi.

"Every Nuetralizer must taste battle Akemi. I'm sending you with your brothers ahead. Your combat database was installed by me personally. Use it to its fullest..." she said, observing how Akemi interacted with captured Bryn'adul tech.

Yes...Akemi was starting to understand it.

"As a side task I need you to study Bryn'adul weapons. Their Radesh and Barracas oil to be certain. Everyone else, let's move in! I want all of these Bryn dead in the next two hours!" Xiphos ordered.