Private The Ruins

[Agatha Io]

Slowly, as Agatha healed, her morals and her programming began to go to war more and more the longer the regeneration process went on. But it eventually stopped, and Agatha sat up, as good as new, as if she had never suffered any damage.

But she was still deeply conflicted now. Where was the honor in tormenting Mi'la/Mila like this? Where was the glory. How did lying to her, brainwashing her, protect House Io? How did it protect the interests of Mother?

"C'mon, Mila, let's see what's in this place...looks...like it's been inhabited..." Agatha muttered to herself as she took the Lead. Mila had given her all to keep her safe. Agatha could do no less for Mila.

The cave they had fled to began to show paintings and faded language she didn't recognize. This cave was at the base of the strange Volcano which had produced that incapacitating sound.

Soon, as Agatha explored, she came across signs of weapons and old gemstones buried in sand.

In the midst of her exploring, Agatha, for reasons that made no sense to her, told something of the truth as she walked, not looking at Mila.

"My Mother's hate for the Jedi has consumed her. I think the chance to hurt Jedi is one of the only things keeping her going beyond leading our family..."

Agatha was extremely sad as she said that, and couldn't hide it.

"For her, it has...it's become personal to the point of insanity..." Agatha said, a single tear escaping the corner of her eye...

"How can you hate someone so much your own mental health and physical well being doesn't matter? I cannot treat someone who doesn't want to be treated..."


Mila Io

 

[Mila Io]

The Ruins​

Location: Planetside
Tags: Agatha Io

Spoiler: Currently Equipped

Jumpsuit
Lightsabers x2

Mila looked a bit concerned as Agatha sat up, seemingly intent on pushing on ahead. She knew the woman's abilities to recover were indeed superior to her own, but, she didn't feel comfortable with her moving ahead so swiftly. "Just don't hurt yourself okay? I'm a bit tapped after that last encounter." She stated, feeling fatigue in her body, but not feeling restrained by it.

As the pair moved on ahead together, still holding her weapons close at hand. The designs of the cave were odd to her, almost familiar to some part of her mind, yet it evaded her. She kept to herself, reflecting on the situation, staying close to Agatha as they moved through the cave. Then Agatha spoke of her mother, and Mila felt a touch uncomfortable. "I know...from what you told me, I'm amazed your mother tolerates you being around me." Her hand reached for Agatha, feeling the tremor of emotion from the woman, as she squeezed her shoulder.

"You have to learn to let people make their own mistakes Agatha. I know you care alot about living things...but...people sometimes are lost in their own mistakes." She tried to pull Agatha into a hug, her senses pushed outward trying to work out what in the hell they were currently standing inside of.

 

[Agatha Io]

Agatha's head hung down at Mila Io 's words.

"That would be the advice I would normally give..." she trailed. "But Mother's mistakes... Mother's..."

Agatha's lip trembled.

"...inadequacies...it isn't just Mother who will pay the price for them...it will be my whole House..."

Agatha sat on a rock.

"Mother is more vicious than you know...she...she wasn't once...from what I heard. But I and my entire design line came into the picture long after she stopped being that person."

GLITCH DETECTED.

"The cost of victory over the Maw at Tython broke her..." Agatha revealed. "Mother overtaxed her teleportation ability, causing terrible internal injuries and psychological trauma. The Pain Killing tech she used to suppress her migraines has backfired. It's damaged her nervous system. She needs to be constantly immersed in Bacta. Can't be out of the tank for more than a few hours or she can't even walk...

Agatha looked up at Mila guiltily.

"And...and I have been forced to compromise my ethics programming with you Mila...you...you are not quite you..."

 

[Mila Io]

The Ruins​

Location: Planetside
Tags: Agatha Io

Spoiler: Currently Equipped

Jumpsuit
Lightsabers x2

Mila was entirely lost with Agatha, brow furrowed as she stepped towards the woman, listening to what she had to say. She knew there was disagreement about her mother, but to have this effect, to be this upset….it was a bit more than what Mila had come to know.

Then the topic of the Maw arose, that Mila was not herself correct. That entirely sent Mila, as she paused, trying to think what a proper response to all this would be. What she might be able to say. She sat beside Agatha, bothered by how serious the woman spoke her words, and attempted to cheer the replicant up by force.

Well, the only way Mila knew how, as she gently tickled Agatha’s side, wondering if something was amiss in the woman’s logi processes. “Hey, I am as me as I’ll ever be. And for your mother….with all the technology out there, I’m sure there’s a solution to all this mess.”

She didn’t suspect a thing.

 

[Agatha Io]

Agatha giggled intensely by being tickled by Mila Io , at least at first...

But then the hot guilt came back.

"No, Mila. You don't understand. You really are not you..."

Agatha rubbed her eyes. The stress of the impossible position her Mother put her in weighing down on her.

"You were a Jedi Knight....,named Mi'la Undari ...you came to us trying to persuade Mother to give up her war against the Jedi. Mother...Mother had other ideas..."

Agatha grimaced.

"Mother had you rendered unconscious. Then she had you implanted with the personality talking to me right at this moment."

Agatha fidgeted.

"It is extremely difficult for me to disobey her orders. But I must. I can't do this anymore. You...and the other you...deserve better than that."

An unearthly moan from deep in the cave startled her

"What was that?" Agatha asked.

 

[Mila Io]

The Ruins​

Location: Planetside
Tags: Agatha Io

Spoiler: Currently Equipped

Jumpsuit
Lightsabers x2

Mila stared at her for a long moment, shaking her head, nothing that Agatha said aligned in her mind. She crossed her arms, frowning and trying to garner more insight from this, reaching out in the Force, trying to pull threads of sense from Agatha's words and mind, but the woman's unique being in the Force prevented this. She had to think this was some sort of damage done by Agatha's body earlier, or, something akin to that. The Jedi wasn't sure. "Sure Agatha, just...rest now...okay?" She soothes, stroking the woman's brow gently, before a shift in the force and movement in the cave caught her.

She grabbed for her blade, and ignited it, letting the purple hue fill the air. "Stay behind me." She said firmly, starting to build up the force within her once again. She wasn't strong enough to fight some dark lord of the Sith, but she had power enough to defend someone she cared about.

At least she hoped.

 

[Agatha Io]

She had told the truth, but she was not believed.

Agatha hid how crestfallen she was at this. Poor Mila. Mother really had done *quite the number on her.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but her ethics, and more importantly, her genuine like of Mila would not allow her to be dissuaded. She would simply have to keep trying. She should have expected Mother's conditioning of Mila Io would not be so easy to break.

Agatha's thought was interrupted by the brush of fingers against her forehead. Even now, Mila was focused on caring for her. Protecting her.

She did not deserve Mila's friendship, Agatha realized. But she would do her best to earn it.

Agatha heard the moan from deep in the cave. Saw something shuffling towards them in the darkness. She got out her fusion pistol. She wasn't a hundred percent, but she could still shoot.

What came out was swathed in black robes, and a cloud of flies and beetles swarmed it.

"Youuuuu who trespass...leave at once..." the rattling, robed thing spoke. "This cave leads to the Volcano Prison, where none may enter. An ancient evil inhabits it. Extreme danger. Leave."