The Mother of All Psy-Pires
Came to Atrisia in: Castle Morpheus
Wearing: Progenitor's Robes (Armorweave Kimono)
Armed with: Hundred Handed Giant
Obsidian Lightsaber
Objective: BYOO (Induct Laertia Io into House Li-Ves.)
Currently with: Westenra Mina (Melissa, Meleena, and Melinda Configuration), Vera Mina (Command Configuration)
It had all paid off.
To a degree...
Letting her daughter Westenra send a few copies into the GA had paid dividends. Funding the GA Military through her own networks in backdoor channels had made quite a few of them a ton more receptive to Westenra's vast, VAST lobbying for closer ties to the CIS, and those who were not were not about to speak up and possibly lose funding. Money talks.
A lot of people on both sides were about to swim in pools of credits over this treaty. Thousands more than Westenra had wanted this. Thousands more than Nine herself had wanted this. Though Westenra had only put in a few drops in the bucket out of the millions of drops of millions of other people across space who had fought for this, they had been big fat, juicy drops, made of currency and funneling it to the right people.
The CIS and GA were coming together.
Today was even more special because of her guest.
After weeks of frustrating delays, she had finally arranged time to meet Laertia Io. Her last living descendant, and formally induct her into House Li-Ves.
Nine was giddy with nervousness, having practiced human like movements for over an hour.
But she was so nervous. Laertia was technically all that remained of the ancient bloodline. Plus, she was very much loyal to the Jedi, even after the Revelation on Kar Shian.
Laertia needed to know she had actual family, as screwed up as it was. The Force had brought them together, for a reason.
The copies of Westenra that Nine had dispatched to be her only living relative's bodyguards reported troubling things.
Laertia was often crying at night, and sneaking out. It was impossible to follow--her teleporting abilities made her nigh impossible to track on the run. She didn't do this often, but it was enough that it became noticeable.
Laertia was also incredibly close to an android caretaker that had been around long before the Westenra copies. Some sort of advanced prototype with similar capabilities to Nine's own creations (and a whole slew of factory defects Laertia constantly needed to find ways to mitigate). Terrible migraines that could only be mitigate by powerful brain regulators.
The galaxy had left the last of her blood a person holding their sanity together by sheer force of will. While that was most impressive, Nine knew a mind could only bend so much before it broke. It was paramount to preserve her health. Nine's honor demanded it.
The one major roadblock was, it seemed, Laertia's very devotion to the Jedi.
Nine wasn't 'against' them, mind you...but she had been one once. Once was enough. It was ironic really...Laertia's master The Amalgam had been so good at faking Jedi-Dom that her efforts while maintaining her vile deception actually 'had' produced a mostly-functional Jedi...but as with all things corrupted and subverted by The Sith, such achievement came at a terrible cost.
Nine wasn't a fool. She knew how intelligent Laertia was based on the reports her bodyguards gave. She knew Laertia would be uneasy with even a tangential connection to the Sith--she was not blind to the fact it was a Sith, Darth Metus , who ruled The CIS, just one who happened to have shockingly tolerant policies to having Light Adepts in his ranks. Politics made for strange bedfellows. Here they were opposing one Sith, a murderous Beast that consumed torture and murder like it was bread and water, and yet didn't mind aligning with another Sith in the process as long as he wasn't a Genocide-of-the-Jedi-or-Galaxy-in-general sort.
Laertia had to be eased into the idea of being aligned to the CIS in spite of being run by Sith, and helping them quell a powerful Dark Nexus was surely one way to do it.
Vera entered Nine's lavish personal chambers aboard the Morpheus, using her red haired Chiss Form, clad in a long gray kimono with white rose print embroidery with a hood, in deliberate mimicry of Nine's own dark green version with the same rose design.
Vera had never deliberately mimicked Nine before, but it pleased the Raven Haired Vampiress all the same. Her daughter was emulating her now.
"Yes Daughter?" Nine asked, blinking shadow eyes with glints of glowing purple at the center, her hair done up in that weird as hell Gary Oldman style from 90's Dracula from when he's playing host to John Wick as Old Man Gordon.
"The ship is about to arrive in ten minutes..." Vera spoke..."Heavily armed sucker too...never seen anything like it up close..."
"Indirect way of telling us she's not afraid to fight her way out if we don't feel like letting her leave."
"I have observed her. She's like me...when it comes to fighting. Fast and vicious. If it should, for whatever reason come to that, I strongly advise resorting to overwhelming force to stop her. I myself would not like my odds if I had to fight her."
"You're never this humble..." Nine observed, strapping her weapons on.
"I didn't have to worry about not coming back to Karlie Lynn Destat before." Vera replied honestly, even if she showed little emotion over it.
"This is a good sign!" Nine said of her daughter's anxiety encouragingly, gliding over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.
Vera folded her arms. "Yes...the pieces have all fallen into place, haven't they?"
"There is a reason for everything. The Force led us to this, Daughter..." Nine stated with confidence. "House Li-Ves has weathered the storm. We have our fingers all throughout the CIS. While I suffered grievously at The Amalgam's hands, her torture left me one of the only Knight's Obsidian still alive. Our House wields great riches and immense if silent political power thanks to the efforts of everyone here, but most especially you and Westenra. I love all my daughters, but you and West go beyond my wildest expectations. This is not just my victory. It is yours and Westenra's. First and Foremost."
Vera raised an eyebrow of her sculpted chiss facade.
"When I am gone from this world...you will lead the house, with West as second in command." Nine vowed. "You just have to learn to develop a tad more empathy with Karlie's help then you will be ready..."
Vera looked stunned.
"You really mean it?" Vera asked.
"Your design has evolved..." Nine assured her. "You are not the thoughtless killer you were when you started...you have forced yourself to learn discipline...and you have made your mother very proud for figuring out ways around my programming safeguards..."
Vera went still as her mother hugged her.
"You are my favorite daughter..." Nine said. "I know I shouldn't have favorites as a Mother. But you are my favorite, for you remind me of me when I was just starting out."
Vera, after a moment, slowly, hesitantly returned the hug before they both went to the tram system to reach the Hangar.
Five minutes later...
The Shadow Bride, a heavily armed personal warship designed in the manner of ancient Fury Class Interceptors docked in the ornate hangar of the Morpheus in orbit over Atrisia. Nine and a gaggle of Morpheus Knights awaited as an honor guard as the hatch opened.
Nine knew she was one of them the moment she laid eyes on the sculpted, tombstone skinned beauty stepping onto the hangar floor in a pitch black Kimono. The eyes, the mouth features...Laertia had the same hair color as Nine's mother, had the gray eyes of Nine's father. How far down the line of descent was she?
She was accompanied by all three of the bodyguard Westenra's, each looking different, one taller, one curvier, and one slightly more muscular than the others, but all sharing the traits of golden skin and Blond Hair, and all in armored skintight metallic pink catsuits. Out followed the prototype she had been told of, the Android Moya Virtu . Nine should have expected it...Moya would not leave her on the day she was formally inducted.
Laertia carried herself very stiff and formally but she managed a smile as she stopped before Nine Lives, the Morpheus Knights saluting her with their vibro-ninjato.
"Welcome, Lady Io...I have wanted to meet you for so long..." Nine said to her only biological relative.
Laertia bowed, her Raven hair slicked back, holding back her fascination at seeing some of her facial features in Nine. She had never seen a family similarity in anyone before...
"Helloz, Laydee Li-Ves...I'mmz Io. Laertia Io."
(Clip of Bond Theme Plays)
Nine, due to being mentally unstable, darted her head about in confusion, looking for the source of the quick jingle before focusing on Laertia.
"Have my daughters protected you adequately?" Nine asked of Laertia softly.
"Ohh yesss, verry mucch..." Laertia said with muted enthusiasm.
"You must have so many questions about your lineage. Walk with me. I would tell you these things while showing you around my home. We shall have tea afterward."
She looked at Vera, who gave a slight nod to Laertia and excused herself, heading for the Rogue Shadow-like Saotome Envoy. She had a separate mission...she was heading to Jar'Kai with The Knights Obsidian...
Laertia began to walk with Nine.
"Our families history begins with the gloriously insane Kain Li, who fought in a berzerk fury while completely naked for most of his life..." Nine began as they moved slowly down the passages of the mobile Castle...
"Hee wuzz naykedz?" Laertia asked in amazement.
"Oh yes. Trust me, it only gets crazier from there..." Nine said with a chuckle as she walked with her...
Wearing: Progenitor's Robes (Armorweave Kimono)
Armed with: Hundred Handed Giant
Obsidian Lightsaber
Objective: BYOO (Induct Laertia Io into House Li-Ves.)
Currently with: Westenra Mina (Melissa, Meleena, and Melinda Configuration), Vera Mina (Command Configuration)
It had all paid off.
To a degree...
Letting her daughter Westenra send a few copies into the GA had paid dividends. Funding the GA Military through her own networks in backdoor channels had made quite a few of them a ton more receptive to Westenra's vast, VAST lobbying for closer ties to the CIS, and those who were not were not about to speak up and possibly lose funding. Money talks.
A lot of people on both sides were about to swim in pools of credits over this treaty. Thousands more than Westenra had wanted this. Thousands more than Nine herself had wanted this. Though Westenra had only put in a few drops in the bucket out of the millions of drops of millions of other people across space who had fought for this, they had been big fat, juicy drops, made of currency and funneling it to the right people.
The CIS and GA were coming together.
Today was even more special because of her guest.
After weeks of frustrating delays, she had finally arranged time to meet Laertia Io. Her last living descendant, and formally induct her into House Li-Ves.
Nine was giddy with nervousness, having practiced human like movements for over an hour.
But she was so nervous. Laertia was technically all that remained of the ancient bloodline. Plus, she was very much loyal to the Jedi, even after the Revelation on Kar Shian.
Laertia needed to know she had actual family, as screwed up as it was. The Force had brought them together, for a reason.
The copies of Westenra that Nine had dispatched to be her only living relative's bodyguards reported troubling things.
Laertia was often crying at night, and sneaking out. It was impossible to follow--her teleporting abilities made her nigh impossible to track on the run. She didn't do this often, but it was enough that it became noticeable.
Laertia was also incredibly close to an android caretaker that had been around long before the Westenra copies. Some sort of advanced prototype with similar capabilities to Nine's own creations (and a whole slew of factory defects Laertia constantly needed to find ways to mitigate). Terrible migraines that could only be mitigate by powerful brain regulators.
The galaxy had left the last of her blood a person holding their sanity together by sheer force of will. While that was most impressive, Nine knew a mind could only bend so much before it broke. It was paramount to preserve her health. Nine's honor demanded it.
The one major roadblock was, it seemed, Laertia's very devotion to the Jedi.
Nine wasn't 'against' them, mind you...but she had been one once. Once was enough. It was ironic really...Laertia's master The Amalgam had been so good at faking Jedi-Dom that her efforts while maintaining her vile deception actually 'had' produced a mostly-functional Jedi...but as with all things corrupted and subverted by The Sith, such achievement came at a terrible cost.
Nine wasn't a fool. She knew how intelligent Laertia was based on the reports her bodyguards gave. She knew Laertia would be uneasy with even a tangential connection to the Sith--she was not blind to the fact it was a Sith, Darth Metus , who ruled The CIS, just one who happened to have shockingly tolerant policies to having Light Adepts in his ranks. Politics made for strange bedfellows. Here they were opposing one Sith, a murderous Beast that consumed torture and murder like it was bread and water, and yet didn't mind aligning with another Sith in the process as long as he wasn't a Genocide-of-the-Jedi-or-Galaxy-in-general sort.
Laertia had to be eased into the idea of being aligned to the CIS in spite of being run by Sith, and helping them quell a powerful Dark Nexus was surely one way to do it.
Vera entered Nine's lavish personal chambers aboard the Morpheus, using her red haired Chiss Form, clad in a long gray kimono with white rose print embroidery with a hood, in deliberate mimicry of Nine's own dark green version with the same rose design.
Vera had never deliberately mimicked Nine before, but it pleased the Raven Haired Vampiress all the same. Her daughter was emulating her now.
"Yes Daughter?" Nine asked, blinking shadow eyes with glints of glowing purple at the center, her hair done up in that weird as hell Gary Oldman style from 90's Dracula from when he's playing host to John Wick as Old Man Gordon.
"The ship is about to arrive in ten minutes..." Vera spoke..."Heavily armed sucker too...never seen anything like it up close..."
"Indirect way of telling us she's not afraid to fight her way out if we don't feel like letting her leave."
"I have observed her. She's like me...when it comes to fighting. Fast and vicious. If it should, for whatever reason come to that, I strongly advise resorting to overwhelming force to stop her. I myself would not like my odds if I had to fight her."
"You're never this humble..." Nine observed, strapping her weapons on.
"I didn't have to worry about not coming back to Karlie Lynn Destat before." Vera replied honestly, even if she showed little emotion over it.
"This is a good sign!" Nine said of her daughter's anxiety encouragingly, gliding over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.
Vera folded her arms. "Yes...the pieces have all fallen into place, haven't they?"
"There is a reason for everything. The Force led us to this, Daughter..." Nine stated with confidence. "House Li-Ves has weathered the storm. We have our fingers all throughout the CIS. While I suffered grievously at The Amalgam's hands, her torture left me one of the only Knight's Obsidian still alive. Our House wields great riches and immense if silent political power thanks to the efforts of everyone here, but most especially you and Westenra. I love all my daughters, but you and West go beyond my wildest expectations. This is not just my victory. It is yours and Westenra's. First and Foremost."
Vera raised an eyebrow of her sculpted chiss facade.
"When I am gone from this world...you will lead the house, with West as second in command." Nine vowed. "You just have to learn to develop a tad more empathy with Karlie's help then you will be ready..."
Vera looked stunned.
"You really mean it?" Vera asked.
"Your design has evolved..." Nine assured her. "You are not the thoughtless killer you were when you started...you have forced yourself to learn discipline...and you have made your mother very proud for figuring out ways around my programming safeguards..."
Vera went still as her mother hugged her.
"You are my favorite daughter..." Nine said. "I know I shouldn't have favorites as a Mother. But you are my favorite, for you remind me of me when I was just starting out."
Vera, after a moment, slowly, hesitantly returned the hug before they both went to the tram system to reach the Hangar.
Five minutes later...
The Shadow Bride, a heavily armed personal warship designed in the manner of ancient Fury Class Interceptors docked in the ornate hangar of the Morpheus in orbit over Atrisia. Nine and a gaggle of Morpheus Knights awaited as an honor guard as the hatch opened.
Nine knew she was one of them the moment she laid eyes on the sculpted, tombstone skinned beauty stepping onto the hangar floor in a pitch black Kimono. The eyes, the mouth features...Laertia had the same hair color as Nine's mother, had the gray eyes of Nine's father. How far down the line of descent was she?
She was accompanied by all three of the bodyguard Westenra's, each looking different, one taller, one curvier, and one slightly more muscular than the others, but all sharing the traits of golden skin and Blond Hair, and all in armored skintight metallic pink catsuits. Out followed the prototype she had been told of, the Android Moya Virtu . Nine should have expected it...Moya would not leave her on the day she was formally inducted.
Laertia carried herself very stiff and formally but she managed a smile as she stopped before Nine Lives, the Morpheus Knights saluting her with their vibro-ninjato.
"Welcome, Lady Io...I have wanted to meet you for so long..." Nine said to her only biological relative.
Laertia bowed, her Raven hair slicked back, holding back her fascination at seeing some of her facial features in Nine. She had never seen a family similarity in anyone before...
"Helloz, Laydee Li-Ves...I'mmz Io. Laertia Io."
(Clip of Bond Theme Plays)
Nine, due to being mentally unstable, darted her head about in confusion, looking for the source of the quick jingle before focusing on Laertia.
"Have my daughters protected you adequately?" Nine asked of Laertia softly.
"Ohh yesss, verry mucch..." Laertia said with muted enthusiasm.
"You must have so many questions about your lineage. Walk with me. I would tell you these things while showing you around my home. We shall have tea afterward."
She looked at Vera, who gave a slight nod to Laertia and excused herself, heading for the Rogue Shadow-like Saotome Envoy. She had a separate mission...she was heading to Jar'Kai with The Knights Obsidian...
Laertia began to walk with Nine.
"Our families history begins with the gloriously insane Kain Li, who fought in a berzerk fury while completely naked for most of his life..." Nine began as they moved slowly down the passages of the mobile Castle...
"Hee wuzz naykedz?" Laertia asked in amazement.
"Oh yes. Trust me, it only gets crazier from there..." Nine said with a chuckle as she walked with her...
