VE: Alive

[Syren]

"Cash, cars, girls, boys.
Nothin lasts forever, babe.
Hot nights, bright lights.
Nothin lasts forever, babe.
True love, first touch.
Nothin lasts forever,
nothin lasts forever,
nothin lasts forever, baby. "

Hyperspace

Karen feels a sudden, tremendous ripple through the Force. Her lover's anger flares in part through a confusion over her whereabouts. By now, the Corporeal Quandary is in orbit over Byss and he knows she is not onboard. The Winton royal is M.I.A. Dementat would not ask Commander Price for an explanation knowing her tendency to lean toward secrecy when dealing with the crew, especially with matters involving The Four. She has not been able to find the right words to tell him the whole truth about Medivh, Mara and just how much her father figure figures.

Karen reaches out, finding his troubled heart to wash it with calm.

Worry not, lover mine. Trust me. We will be together again soon.

I love you.

Always.

Mara's voice brings her back to the present moment.

"Once we exit hyperspace at Kamino, we will want to avoid being seen. the management of Kamino has shifted many times since it played a role in the galaxy atlarge. Under Palpatine, the Kaminoans were enslaved, and their factories destroyed. That their facilities have been converted from building clones to building droids indicates a major shift in priorities. I suggest we exit hyperspace far from the major cities and fly low over the water on our approach. We should avoid entering the cities if at all possible, but we need to make sure the facilities are destroyed. We also need to make sure that any communications transmitters are destroyed. We don't want to tip anyone off."

"Agreed," Karen says with certainty. "Public relations are not part of the plan."

"We also could try a different tactic - flood the facility and make it look like an accident. that might give us more time to hit our other targets."

Karen arches a brow.

"Ooo, I like that. It's slick. Deceptive. Even though these facilities can only receive, we cannot risk being identified by my father's army. They would be programmed to recognize us. I vote for the short and sweet. Accidents do happen. That angle may serve us well."

Take down his resources like he took down her friends.

Revel in the revenge.

She knows it wouldn't work for every target but the more they could stage the better. It would provide the greatest reveal and advantage when they roll up deep in this third act. Alexander Winton never thought he'd live to see the day. Technically, he didn't but that's neither here nor there.

Karen's got a clue with "Valerie: The Sequel!!" to help make sure those pieces fit.

Ready or not, here they come.

Save the Empire, set Corellia free and rid the galaxy of plague and prophecy alike.

Mara turns, "We have some time to think about it - Kamino is a long distance away. I suggest we spend our time preparing. And in my case, practicing. I know how to use a weapon, but I am still new to the Force."

"And how it can be controlled to manipulate most situations in your favor. Personality, verve and suggestion is how I scored Contruum for the Empire. There are a variety of tactics that work well on the weak-minded. However, it proves more difficult and takes considerably more skill to twist the mind of a non-humanoid. Some are resistant to such things while others are highly susceptible. Know your foe."



-TBC

[Medivh]

Hyperspace

Mara listened to Karen's tutelage, saving her words in memory banks for easy recall.  They spent much of the rest of the journey discussing the Force and how it could be used and manipulated. And when it should or should not be used.  Karen was, technically, a sith - more inclined to use the Force by channeling emotions, and paying less attention to what moral restraints should apply.  Mara was more neutral, undecided on what limits should be used.  She was a warrior by nature, programmed to achieve her goals.  Her limits had always been succeed in the mission with as little collateral damage possible.  Neither Karen's philosophy, nor that of her blonde opposite among the jedi fit neatly with Mara's view of the world.  It made for an interesting discussion.

They were interrupted by the soft whine, indicating that they were shortly coming out of hyperspace at their destination.

Kamino

The planet was covered by thick, heavy clouds, making the world from orbit appear more gray than it's actual shade of blue.  Mara at the controls eased the vessel downward into the clouds, and almost immediately, they could feel the planet's regular weather.  Rain was pelting against the viewport and the stabilizer wings, and even Mara had to hold the joystick firmly to avoid being blown off course by the wind.

"Now we take it as low as we can go - without drowning ourselves." Mara of course made the statement despite the fact that she herself couldn't drown.  But that's neither here nor there.

Slowly, the ship was brought down, beneath the clouds, where the rain and wind were even harder, the stormy seas, sloshing around, waves reaching up as if to grab them before crashing down again.  Who would ever want to live here?

Navigating around the waves much like she would navigate through an asteroid field, Mara finally leveled off about ten meters above the water surface.

"I would buckle up"

the trip was bumpy as they moved forward along the watery landscape.  Waves crashed against them from every side, and Mara refused to activate shields, lest someone read the energy signature.  Slow progress before finally they saw their destination - a cluster of pods shooting out of the water.  Mara dared to close her eyes for a moment, using the ship's normal sensors to increase the range of her own.  She could feel them within - a mass of artificial lifeforms.  well, hardly.  They were mechanical beings to be sure, but far less sophisticated than Mara - or even a standard astromech droid.  These were grunts, programmed to run by droid control signal.  But there was something else.

"This droid army has been given a skin coating - nothing as sophisticated as my own biological systems, but a disguise.  My guess is they used Kaminoan technology to clone skin cells.  This army is going to look human."

And act like zombies, obeying a distant master.  Chilling.

Mara navigated the ship closer to the pods, finally ducking it underneath, shielding it from the rain but not the wind or waves.  The ship was lifted a bit higher off the sea surface, and Mara began extending a grappling claw on either side of the ship.

"I am going to try holding up the ship between two of the support columns - let's hope we don't slip while we are doing our work"

the claws extended, grasping at the slick surface of the support columns, Mara meanwhile, adjusting ever so slightly to compensate for the continuingly battering waves.  It took several minutes and several misses before finally they felt the ship suddenly brace, locking in place.

"alright.  and now to work."

TBC

[Syren]

Kamino

Anchored between two towers, she slips through the roof hatch into the raging storm outside. Karen is instantly soaked and tries to stand as she looks for the best place to attach the explosives that would destroy the cloning facility. Mara is right behind her. The wind whips at her, throwing her off balance. Her boot slips on the slick exterior of the shuttle and she falls, sliding fast. Mara reaches out, shouting her name. She disappears over the edge, screams drown out by the massive waves slamming against the support beams, and grips the wing as she dangles above a roaring ocean below. She knows there is no time for Mara to come get her without risking a fall herself so she clamps on with both gloved hands and swings. Arching her back, Karen flips and pulls into a roll to land solidly back on the shuttle roof. She steadies herself with the Force and breathes deeply.

The was close. A little too close, perhaps.

Next time, reevaluate footwear.

Mara looks almost relieved as if somehow glad she would not have to carry out the mission alone. Karen feels the same. They are in this together. In a strange way she never thought possible, she needs Mara. She couldn't think of anyone else who she would rather be with at this moment. They understand, above all else, what must be done.

Karen kneels to get closer to Mara.

"The weakest point would be the base of the support column but can we be certain its completely destroyed if we only knock it into the ocean?"


-TBC

[Medivh]

Kamino

Mara watches as Karen slides to the edge of the ship - and then flips back upward.  A nifty trick of the Force.

Karen carefully makes her way to Mara, who has managed to walk with remarkable ease despite the slippery surface.  Magnetic footwear = must have. 

"The weakest point would be the base of the support column but can we be certain its completely destroyed if we only knock it into the ocean?"

Mara nods

"Almost - we will need to hit a few other points, near where the columns meet the city structure.  blow a hole in that will get bigger when it crashes into the water, and let the storms do what else needs to be done.  Plus, we'll use really big explosives"

Mara let out a rare grin as she pulled a thermal detonator from her utility belt, and a sticky, clay-like substance.  Moving to the column she slammed the detonator against the clay adhesive against the wall, where it was resting quite securely despite the rain and wind.  A hand reached up and typed in a few things on the detonator.  A red light went on and began blinking, slowly.

"armed.  Next"

She was in her element now - sabotage - and she was working with a grace that did not always come out when she was trying to be more diplomatic with others.  One by one, charges were placed, secured, and armed.  When they had finished placing the charges that were within reach of the ship, Mara climbed a barely visible utility wire until she was on a small service catwalk between the columns.

With stable footing, she was moving faster, placing charges at a frightening speed, and disappearing around a corner and out of sight.

Karen was less of a sabeteur, and Mara had left some of the closer, more easily accessible charges to her.

It was not long before Mara returned, rain dripping from her hair and face and everywhere else, but a satisfied look in her eye.

"All set?  good - let's go"

she found her footing back on the ship, and made her way to the entrance.

"We'll get out of reach of the blast and watch to make sure it was successful."

========================================================

Medivh had always loved machines, the way they whirled to life.  They had been his drive, his secret passion.  Droids were a fascination of his.
Now, all he was was a machine. He had learned the value of mortality and the evils of searching for immortality.  He had helped set loose terrors on the galaxy that could hardly be maintained.

And now, while his circuits still worked, he in his lonesome sanctuary on Ord Radama, was determined to help set things right.  To help Mara and Karen on their quest.

So he had, since they left, been searching.  Seeking out the enemy's location.  Finding signals.  And now, after much searching, he had finally cracked a code, a droid signal far superior to the ones he had used in his prime.  It was at one single location - Geonosis - but it was a big deal. Using the code, he began installing his command sequences.  The droids he hacked into would, at a signal, attack the other droids and destroy the facility.  It was a huge goal, and a painstaking process of sabotaging one droid at a time.

But he was a machine.  He did not get impatient.  And he would help set things right.

One droid at a time.

TBC

[Syren]

Kamino

Despite the onslaught of rain and wind, Karen manages to secure and arm the charges. This is not her area of expertise but she is determined not to let Mara down. Karen is more of the social schemer and it's time she branched out. Her heart races as she fights against the elements to return to the shuttle. Inside, Mara detaches them from the support towers and angles away. Staying low while gaining some distance, she turns the ship around.

Mara extends the remote.

Karen smiles and accepts it.

With a glint in her eyes, she activates the charges. Multiple flashes compliment the furious lightning above in the ensuing explosion, sending flaming wreckage spiraling into the sea. The facility is consumed by smoke as it tilts dangerously to the right before snapping off.

The free fall is a spectacular sight indeed.

Karen waits until the raging ocean consumes it entirely before exhaling. She falls back breathless against the seat.   

"I say Maker Almighty, what a rush."



-TBC

[Medivh]

Kamino

Mara hovers over the destruction site for several minutes, cautiously optimistic of their success.  Suddenly, she leaned forward, peering out of the viewport.

"Well ..."

Mara was indeed speechless.  Coming to the surface, the most disturbing sight one could imagine. Burned bodies seemed to be clawing up out of the water.  At first appearance, many seemed human, but badly burned, but on closer inspection, it was clear they were anything but - bodies spasmed as indications of circuits shorting out, and where skin had been burned away, sparks and circuitry could be seen.

Perhaps the most disturbing was the faces themselves - a number of these droids carried the face of the standard clone troops of the Clone Wars from decades ago - obviously, an easy face for the Geonosians to replicate.  But there were others.  The faces of men and woman, far more familiar to Mara and Karen.  Mostly Karen.  Among the dying droids were faces of Karen's high school friends and acquaintances.  All of those who had perished for the lie that was the prophesy.  As if to make things worse, they also saw themselves grasping for life - Mara/Valerie's figure was reaching up toward the ship from the stormy waters.  Kimber, Melanie - and even the redheaded Karen herself.  Apparently, Alexander Winton had replacements for them all.

Mara wasn't about to watch to see if any of these droids survived.  Lifting the ship higher above the water, she quickly activated laser cannons, and began firing into the seas, blasting away at one creepy droid after another, watching as steam rose every time the lasers hit the water.

The droids all stopped moving, and while humans float, metal sinks.  Slowly but surely, the last droids sunk down into the bottomless ocean of Kamino.  Even as the storm raged, there was an eery silence, an odd sort of peace.

Mara hovered around for several minutes more, making sure no more droids resurfaced.

Then she quickly took to the sky, back to orbit, back to the safety, tranquility of hyperspace.

They had more targets to hit.
TBC

[Syren]

Kamino

The rush of excitement is dampened by the aftermath. Those faces, one’s she knows, one’s she grew up with and lost, attempt to claw their way out of the sea. Their mouths open in silent screams, charred limbs thrashing out before Mara blasts them back to the hell they came from. A sickening fascination keeps her eyes locked on the bodies until none are left.

Karen clutches the seat and considers the implications.

Her father wants to make this as painful as possible for all of them. To use their images, their likeness, is to somehow imply they can replace what was taken from them, that they themselves can be replaced. These droid clones would be the versions of themselves Alexander Winton wanted them to be. So long free will and hello, mindless Imperial drone. She feels ill and finally turns away as Mara guides the shuttle up into the turbulent skies.

After they have entered hyperspace and gain some distance from Kamino, Karen finally turns to Mara and says with a menacing conviction.
 
“He will never replace us.”


-TBC

[Medivh]

Geonosis

There was a somber air as they departed from Kamino to their next destination - Geonosis.  The world was essentially one giant termite colony, filled with massive factories of droid construction, dating back to the time of the Clone Wars.  The Trade Federation had lost the world fairly quickly, and when war was over and Empire took over, Geonosis fell into the forgotten history.  Under Medivh, its facilities had been refurbished and were used to create most of his droid armies before he began to shun imperialism, shutting down most of the facilities and keeping only what was necessary for maintaining a defensive force.  Len Gesser continued those policies, and Geonosis was forgotten again.

Apparently though, Alexander Winton had gotten his hands there, and the facilities were running again, fulfilling his dark purposes, and housing one of several facilities that could 'replace' him should he be killed.  again.

Mara gently pulled back on the controls, slipping out of hyperspace to stare at the harsh orange world, surrounded by a small field of rock-debris - and the ancient remains of old republic and federation ships.

"When we get to the surface, we'll have to do some scouting around, figure out where the droids are being constructed and how best to eliminate them quickly"

Mara quickly navigated through the debris field, making her way to the desert surface.  Almost instantly, she recognized that something was up.

"I am picking up massive activity up ahead"

"Is that the factories?"

Mara shook her head

"I think it is - but the readings i'm getting on sensors - that's not from droid construction.  It looks like there is a fight going on."

Mara flew forward, cautiously until she reached a large chasm with plooms of smoke coming out of it.  Hovering over it a bit, and flicking shields into active, she slowly lowered the ship down into the caverns below.

The sight they saw was astonishing.  There were the massive droid foundaries, churning away - but smoke was rising from them.  And more remarkably, they saw what looked like hundreds of standard IG-100 MagnaGuards, hacking and blasting away at the facility.  In fact, the cranes and arms of the factory itself seemed to be tearing itself apart.

"Something set them to sabotage themselves.  Let's take a look"

Mara set the ship down on a landing platform near where the action was taking place and making sure her blaster was secure, hurried to the ramp, jumping down even before it finished lowering.  Quickly pulling her weapon out, she made her way toward the 'front line', cautiously approaching the nearest droid.

The imposing visage of the IG-100, gray metal with red eyes (not quite as scary as the Phage model with black armor) was a powerful memory for Mara, and the last thing she wanted was a combat encounter with these formidable creatures.  Still, she had to know what was going on.  Suddenly, one droid turned to her, it's red eyes staring at her as it carried a heavy blaster rifle.  It paused, then stood at attention, silent as if processing information. Then, it's mechanical voice speaking out.

"Medivh sends his compliments, and says he is taking care of Geonosis - and that you should proceed to your next target"

Mara couldn't help but smile.

"Tell the Viceroy we appreciate his assistance"

Mara began to turn when the droid suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Medivh wishes for you to be careful.  And reminds you not to become too attached to the princess."

Mara stared back at the droid, nodding her head, before breaking free, hurrying back to the ship.

"It seems we got some assistance - it looks like this sabotage is the work of the Viceroy - Medivh - and we should head on to our next target"

TBC

[Medivh]

Lok

Naboo, near the city of Harte Secur
Kamino, Bio-clone development center
Geonosis, Droid Construction Plant
Holowan, PhlutDroid Station
Mechis III, Droid Construction Plant
Lok, Nym?s Factory Compound
Coruscant Asteroid Field, Phage?s command platform
Center Point Station, Corellian Space

Two down.  Six to go.  And there was no doubt some of them would be harder than the previous two. Kamino hadn't even seen them coming, and Geonosis was taken care of by Medivh. 

Lok, however, was not likely to be that difficult.  Nym's factory was a small facility, known less for Nym himself than for being briefly taken over By the IG-88 droids shortly after the battle of Yavin. IG-88 as a distant cousin of the M100 MagnaGuard droids, and so as an unobtrusive facility, it made a great deal of sense.

Exiting hyperspace and zooming in, they quickly began to see the barren wasteland of the world.  Pools of sulfer, dry rivers, volcanoes.  Like Tatooine though, settlers had managed to eek out an existence and the world had several spaceports, farmers, factories, and was home to a decent smuggling operation.

Mara took the vessel past one of the settlements toward a cluster of volcanoes that had an ominous smoke rising from their peaks.  Easing back on the controls, she began circling downard into a valley filled with dry lava and fossilized tree branches.  Here, they could see the outer remnants of Nym's factory compound - a set of blast doors that looked as if they had been thrown against the rocks and discarded.

Vessel brought down to a flat patch of land, Mara and Karen made their way down to the dusty surface.

Mara drew her blaster as she approached the discarded blast doors.

"They were damaged before they were moved here.  I think they were put here purposely, not part of a fight or explosion"

Moving further up a rocky path, they reached a cavern that extended deep into the heart of the volcano.  Here, they could see what replaced the old blast doors.  Walls and ceiling bore signs of age - rust, blaster fire, green moss.  But these blaster doors were new. Very new.  Their metal shined brightly as the sun's ray pierced into the cave in the afternoon light.  A silvery-gray made up most of the doors, but in the center, right where the doors met, was a blue-metallic symbol that gave them a start.

THe doors bore the signia of the Corellian COnfederation.

"I guess that confirms it - your father is working with Judec"

"More likely my father is playing Judec."

Now Karen took the lead, lifting and igniting her pink saber and running toward the blast door.  With a swipe, she cut a deep gash at the door.  Then another and another.  A blast door's thickness was its best defense against a lightsaber, and it would take time to cut through.

Mara had watched with curiosity as Karen let out her aggression on the doors.  Apparently, mentioning her father now made her mad. Of course, it made sense.  She had just seen proof that her father found her expendable, and replaceable.  Mara meanwhile glanced around the surroundings of the cavern, keeping blaster ready in case ...

"Karen ..."

Karen pulled back, saber in a fighting stance as she looked at where Mara was staring.  Coming from outside of the cave, they could see the shadowy image of a group approaching in the distance.  Several were droids - MagnaGuards, standing tall as they marched.  The others, about half a dozen, looked to be young-ish, dressed in Corellian colors, and marching in perfect time with the droids beside them.  Were they clone-droids, like the ones they saw on Kamino?

It was an odd juxtaposition, but Mara had other worries.  They had to get inside and destroy the facility without being discovered.  That didn't seem likely to happen at this point.  Nor could she afford to let them get closer, see them (if they hadn't already), and sound an alarm.

Karen had a similar worry, deactivating her saber so the light would not be seen.

"What now?"

Mara glanced down at her belt, thinking of what possible options existed.  Thermal detonator couldn't be relied on to guarantee the right range without destroying the cavern around them, and blaster would alert them before the enemy could be wiped out.  THat was when Mara remembered her new abilities, turned off to this point.  Closing her eyes, Mara 'flipped the switch' slowly turning up the signal in her body that triggered the midichlorian activity.

There was a rush of raw data streaming into her, different from what her sensors were already telling her.  The human looking beings were definitely human, but they weren't thinking normally.  They seemed drugged, or turned off, while their bodies reacted by some other stimuli

Mara reached down and grabbed a thermal detonator, taking a deep breathe as she activated the dead man's switch.  If she would take her hand off the trigger, it would explode.  But Mara had been practicing simple Force techniques, including telekenenis and subtle pressure.  Conjuring up the Force within, she pressed down on the dead-man button while carefully removing her finger.  No explosion. GOod. Now to hold it while ...

Karen seemed to understand the tactic now.  With the slightest motion of her hand, the detonator was lifted out of Mara's hand and began floating toward the oncomers. Karen moved the explosive, while Mara focused her energy on maintaining the pressure on the dead man switch. Finally, Mara nodded her head.

"Now"

Karen pushed her hand forward, and the detonator flew at the droids and humans, just as Mara released her own pressure.  The explosion ripped through the air, causing the cavern to shake, but far enough out that it didn't collapse on them.  Karen reignited her saber and they both went to ensure the targets were destroyed.

Reaching where the cloud of smoke was, Mara bent down next to the body of one of the soldiers.

"She has something attached to her neck. A remote of some kind.  She isn't a droid - she's a human.  What is this for?"

TBC

[Medivh]

Lok

The mystery of the device on the woman's neck had to wait, Karen and Mara having to deal with the facility itself.  Karen finished making short work of the door, and they burst inside to find a fairly quiet facility.  Security cameras were taken out first, then explosives, all the while keeping an eye out for additional guards - man or machine.

It was not until they had set the explosives, with the clock bleeping down and they began exiting that they ran into another obstacle.  A group of humans (or at least human looking) guards blocked their path and began firing.

Mara and Karen both took quick cover, Mara pulling out two blasters while Karen used the lightsaber strategically to bounce fire back at the enemy.

A slightly vacant expression on their faces and Mara, almost as a hunch, aimed and fired at the small device on the side of one's neck.  It sparked, and the soldier suddenly stopped firing, glassy eyes coming into a confused focus. She dropping the gun and falling to the ground, grabbing her neck.

Mara glanced over at Karen who looked back.  What was this thing?  Still no time to think about it - they had to get out and the clock was ticking.  None of the other guards had even hesitated to help their comrade.  Mara kept firing, scoring several good while Karen knocked several bolts back as well.  Suddenly the guards remaining became more aggressive.  six of them pulled out a second weapon, and their firing improved.  Mara had to pull back behind her cover, and Karen's saber was whirling faster than ever to block the shots.

Mara leaned back against the metal grating, closed her eyes, and again triggered the circuit that would enable the Force to course through her.  THere was something missing, or suppressed about these guards.  SHe could feel them advancing, Karen having to take several steps back now to regain balance after shots continued to come harder.  Mara glanced up, noting a light fixture overhead, then quickly looked at the descending red numbers on the detonator.  Only a few minutes left to get far away from here.  Here goes nothing.

Lifting her arm up, she clenched it and yanked downward, using the Force to pull at the lighting fixture until it came free of its anchoring and hung, swinging from the ceiling.  It flickered and went out.  SHe lifted her hand again this time in a motion to swing the fixture at the soldiers, but as she did, a blaster bolt struck her arm and she lost control.  The light fixture came crashing down between Mara and Karen.

Mara glanced down at her hand, synthetic flesh smoking slightly.  Several of her fingers were not functioning.  That was a clean hit.  Her body's pain sensors registered something but she quickly disabled that function.  NOW was not the time to be suffering from human vulnerabilities.

Karen meanwhile had managed to regain her footing, and was again steadily pushing back with the Force, but something about these soldiers was making them harder to stop, even if they took hits.  machines?  no, they were human. That was certain. but something was off.

Mara turned now and focused again on the light fixture sitting on the floor.  Lifting both hands - the good and the damaged one - she channeled the force again, lifting the fixture and plowing it into the guards.

That was when she saw something quite astonishing.  Though it hit full frontally four of the guards, two of them moved... no, sprinted, no flew out of the way.  They practically flipped over the item, never ceasing their attacks.

Mara, who was not easily astonished, shook her head.  What had Alexander Winton created here?

Karen no doubt was thinking the same thing, but she was still in the fight.  With the distraction of the fixture, Karen did her own flip, moving quickly forward and slashing at one of the soldiers as they landed on their feet.  Weapons first, parts falling to the ground, but then hands and arms.  The soldier didn't stop though, coming at Karen like a zombie, though at this point, it was to be slaughtered.  Karen's eyes had darkened as she sliced off the head of the guard, turning and with break-neck speed sliced the neck of the other.  Mara meanwhile had risen and fired at the four guards underneath the light fixture, stepping on top of it to hold it down as she fired at the devices on their necks.  Almost immediately, all four stopped fighting entirely, bodies going limp though eyes seemed to have new life in them.

Mara was about to ask them a question, but at that moment, she head a warning beep chime from behind them.

Karen was already moving ahead, the Force increasing her speed, and Mara followed suit, running out of the chamber just in time to feel the heat of the explosion behind them.

Neither of them paused until they reached the ship, at which point, Mara looked over at Karen, whose eyes had returned to their normal shade.

"THose soldiers - they weren't normal

"I'll say - quite a bitch to kill too"

"I don't think they had control of themselves.  I think those devices on their necks.  I think they are some type of controlling device"

Neither one of them liked thinking about what that could mean.  Alexander Winton was making droid replacements for people and using machines to control other people.  It was like a virus, designed to infect and take over everything.

Karen looked more determined than ever.

"Let's go."

============================================================

The next two stops were not as enlightening or revealing.  Mechis III  was a planet littered with droid factories, but when they arrived, they found that Medivh had been at work here as well the entire world in an uproarious conflict as droids destroyed droids.

Holowan's PhlutDroid station was also uneventful, though it had a certain extra creepiness to it.  Here, Karen and Mara found a line of IG-88 model assassin droids mixed in with IG-100 magnaguards.  and one very special, almost cryptlike chamber, with a very complex looking bionic droid inside.

They needn't ask what it was for. It just needed to be destroyed.

And it was.  Mara's hand was still damaged, but she had managed to tinker so that her fingers worked correctly again.  It was temporary, or so she hoped.

With Kamino, Geonosis, Lok, Mechis III, and Holowan taken care of, the last stop before returning to the core planets was Naboo.

TBC

[Syren]

Hyperspace

Heading for Naboo, her head is swimming. The Confederation symbol on Nym sealed something for Karen. The sheer infrastructure of her father's plan was astounding. What they discovered on Lok further fueled her alarm. How could something so vast remain undetected from them for so long? How far back had her father been seemingly plotting the next stage in evolution? Human Replica Droids like Mara were rare. As far as they knew, the only other was the GURI project until they saw the bodies of those closest to Karen floating in the oceans of Kamino. Even then they could not be sure how advanced they really were. Were they also replica's, meant to simulate humanoids, or simply sick skins slipped over durasteel and circuits masquerading as the victims of the prophecy?

Lok was something entirely different.

Droid replacements would only get Alexander Winton so far. Most scanners would detect them unless they were as sophisticated as Mara's design. Using human's in such a capacity had a much larger scope. What they witnessed - the neck remote - could just be a prototype for something far more covert. A primitive ancestor to a microchip or implant, something capable of infiltrating any organization or government body. Had this method been actualized sooner, Karen has no doubt Alexander would have replaced The Four.

Valerie - Mara. Mara - Valerie.

The first step in recreating that which you cannot control.

How far would he have gone to ensure they played their parts perfectly?

Karen feels violently ill but steadies herself by glancing over at Mara who is flexing her damaged fingers slowly. She resists the urge to reach out, to try and mend her in some way but even her Force ability, fierce some as it may be, was not strong enough to heal as Dementat had done to her. He had made her whole again after Alexia maimed her on Roon. She wonders if she could ever be that powerful.

"You need repairs," Karen says softly. "I know somewhere we can go."

Mara raises her eyes to her.

They would land at her mother's property she inherited in the Lake Country.

She programs the coordinates into the computer.

"We can regroup at the Greyson Compound."


-TBC

[Medivh]

Naboo

"You need repairs," Karen says softly. "I know somewhere we can go."

Mara glanced down at her hand, flexing the fingers as she glanced up at Karen

"We can regroup at the Greyson Compound."

Mara's first thought was one of concern.  They were coming to Naboo to destroy and sabotage, not for repairs.  Would staying here longer than necessary give Alexander Winton a heads up?  Would it allow him to monitor them?

"we have to be careful, whatever we do.  Your father is smart, and this is, his territory.  We don't want him knowing we were here, if we can avoid it."

As they began descending into the atmosphere to see the lush forests, stretches of plains, and beautiful cities that were a hallmark of Naboo, Mara wondered how this peace-loving world could be the home of a tyrant like Alexander Winton.

But then again, it was apparently the home of a yet more famous manipulator.  Palpatine.  He had been senator of Naboo long before he had been Chancellor or Emperor.

"Karen, Naboo used to be your home, wasn't it?  It was where you, and Alexia lived with both of your parents.  Were you all born here?  It seems like too much of a coincidence that your father came from the same place as Palpatine..."

TBC

[Syren]

Naboo

"Karen, Naboo used to be your home, wasn't it? It was where you, and Alexia lived with both of your parents. Were you all born here? It seems like too much of a coincidence that your father came from the same place as Palpatine..."

She glances away from the landscape momentarily.

"Melanie and I were born here, yes and we did live on Naboo for a time before moving to the Core. My father was originally from Bakura which is where Alexia was born. It was my mother who was from Naboo to become Queen in her adolescence."

Karen reflects on the stories she was told.

"They met when he was on a business trip with RepulsorCorp. They were both twenty at the time and he said she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. I don't remember all that much from here since I was only a child but I agree it's probably not a coincidence that Palpatine resided here as well."

Mara guides the shuttle out over the Lake Country, following Karen's coordinates to the Greyson Estate. From the air, the compound itself seems to peak out from beneath the dense foliage now threatening to overtake it.

"Despite my selfish past, I met with an accountant on a quarterly basis after my parents supposedly died. He would outline profit margins and holdings including this estate. Although I never returned, I know it remained abandoned. I just couldn't bring myself to come back."

She shutters.

"I would say we should hit up the accountant for information but he died when Coruscant was destroyed."
 
Mara sets the shuttle down carefully on a landing pad. Karen moves to the ramp and descends slowly. Vines snake their way across the platform as a crisp breeze sends falling leaves into spirals. There are no signs of life anywhere and it seems as though all traces of her fabulous childhood have been drained. This place had once been so vibrant and full of laughter.

Now it remains cold and empty.

"I'm not sensing anyone," Karen says, striding across the platform.

Most of the compound was open and lined with wide columns. She always thought it looked like something out of a play. The side door of the house is tangled in vines. She pulls them away and brushes the dust from the keypad. Her code still works, most likely because she or the accountant never had it changed. The interior of the house is musty but the lavish decor and design still resonate. Her mother did have spectacular taste. A thick layer of dust coats nearly everything. The furniture is covered with expensive cloth that spills across the marble floors.

Pictures of Alexander, Monica, Celeste and Henrick hang on the walls. A montage of happier times before the burden of child-rearing came along to dampen the plans. They look content, peaceful. A massive family portrait hangs above a exquisitely carved mantle. Monica cradles the infant Karen while Alexander stands with his hand on a dour looking Alexia's shoulder. Alexia's eyes are fixed on Karen's flushed, surprised face with an expression of near distain.

"She never did want me around."

Mara stands beside her, taking in the portrait.

Karen laughs hollowly, "You want to know the funny thing? I never cared much for the Force or any of the corporate, political or royal shenanigans my parents loved to wrap themselves up in. I wanted, more than anything else, to be normal. I knew we had talents, powers that had caused much kindness and pain throughout history."

She sighs.

"I knew these powers were frowned upon within the Empire. The Emperor did not take kindly to those who might one day rise up and threaten him. So I convinced Melanie we didn't need them to be different or special. We could create our own lives and stories. Boy, did we ever."

Karen stares at the portrait for a long time, caught in a flux of emotion. They look perfect but grew to be anything but.

"We watched Alexia teeter on the brink of madness for years. This served as all the motivation we would need to bury our abilities. As everything fell apart and Alexia finally snapped, a part of me wished we had embraced these powers sooner. Perhaps our friends would not have suffered and died if Melanie and I had been strong enough to fight Alexia. We could have ended it then."

She stirs, breaking out of the trance.

"Let's get you fixed up."

They search the estate. While the family had never been fond of droids, they were useful in their own ways. Karen finds the servants quarters beyond the kitchen and the repair kits and tools used to maintenance the mechanical staff. As Mara rummages through the workshop, Karen returns to the fire place and to the portrait.

Something about it sparks a memory of her father.

Karen moves to the left pillar holding up the mantle. The dusty face of griffin stares stoically at her. She reaches out and runs a finger along its fearsome features before gripping it with both hands and pushing inward. The griffin sinks back and there is a loud click followed by grinding as the fireplace slides open.

Another spiral staircases awaits her.
 
Karen ignites her saber and descends into an anteroom much like the one they saw at the Emerald Estates on Byss. It seems her father had a penchant for these chambers. Symbols and glyphs are burned into the stone walls. In the center of the room, two circles, one within the other, line the floor. Kneeling closer, she discovers their last names burned into the floor, over and over again. Their names compose both circles.

Winton. Masterton. Gellar. Patten.

Each name is paired Winton/Masterton and Gellar/Patten in the larger circle. The smaller circle is paired Winton/Gellar and Masterton/Patten.

She recalls the words of the prophecy, spoken by Medivh.

Two blessed with the gift.

Two called to serve as Touchstones.

Karen stands and moves between two stone pillars into the next room which is almost entirely empty except for one thing. A large sarcophagus leans against the far wall. She has seen this before as well on Byss but they never opened the first. Curiosity pulls her gently forward. The sarcophagus glares ominously in the glow of the saber.

Exhaling, she reaches out with the Force and pries it open. A severely decayed body lies inside reeking to high holy hell. Karen gags, reeling backward with an arm over her nose and mouth.

"MARA!"



-TBC

[Medivh]

Naboo

"I'm not sensing anyone," Karen says, striding across the platform.

Mara has her own Force abilities turned off, reducing the drain on her energy systems, but she wanted to confirm Karen's own assessment.  Activating her personal scanners, she did a quick inventory of the residence.  No life signs, nor any active surveillance equipment.  The place had apparently gone into disuse some time ago.

That assertion was confirmed when they saw the dust and overgrowth.  Even the most perfect intelligence agent could not make such a pristine layer of dust and misuse.

Inside, Mara is immediately drawn to the pictures, images that did not fit her description of Karen and her family.  There was Alexander Winton, a figure Mara had never personally met, but who had profoundly shaped her very existence.  He was smiling, and Mara could see how he and his wife resembled Karen and Alexia.

The family portrait was also some secret happiness from the past, even the young Alexia looking more like a jealous sibling than what she would become later.  Mara listens as Karen reflects back on her past, about who she had been.

Mara, of course, had none of this.  Her 'past' did not really exist more than a year ago.  She was a young child, for all intents and purposes.  Both of them seem deep in thought, when Karen turns to Mara

"Let's get you fixed up."

The maintenance equipment turned out to be only moderately accurate, but Mara begins to scan through spare parts and kits in hopes of finding something useful.  This was no mechanical lab, and despite Winton's genius, he clearly didn't do his droid work in this home.  Mara found a small battery cylinder that seemed intact, and a series of insulated wiring.  Slowly and methodically, she began stringing some of the wires into her damaged hand, threading it along until it was near where it needed to be.  miniature tools connected the far end of those wires to points above and below her palm, while loose ends remained sticking out.

Next step was connecting the cylinder, creating a power source to bypass the injured wiring and help get the necessary signals to her fingers while bringing their functionality back up.  Battery connected, she tucked it inside her hand, securing it in place with a twirl of wiring, then lifting her arm to see the handiwork.  It was not pretty, the battery and wires noticeable compared to the seamless work of biology and mechanics that made up the rest of her body.  It was also a visibly open wound, leaving that hand vulnerable for a smart attack.  But fingers flexed, and she felt the dexterity she was capable of returning.

She was about to begin putting away the tools when she heard a scream.

"MARA!"

Mara wasted no time, dropping the tools and drawing her blaster as she ran into the other room.  She saw the staircase leading downward, and followed the path Karen had taken, coming down into a chamber much like the one on Byss.  Karen was there, looking positively sickened, eyes wide in horror as she stared down into a sarcophagus, where lay a decaying corpse.

Mara glanced around the room quickly, and sensing no danger, put the blaster away, coming up next to Karen and peering down.

The bones and sinews had decomposed so that the face was barely recognizeable.  Maybe this was the body of Alexander Winton from the first time he died?  or some poor soul he had used as a replacement?  Mara leaned in, caring little for sanctity of the dead, and swiped with her finger a small piece of decaying flesh, running it through her hand and closing her eyes for a moment.

She opened them, shaking her head.

"The DNA is not one I am familiar with.  It is not a relative of yours, nor of Valerie's.  I might be able to do a reconstruction analysis"

Mara dropped the piece of flesh and moved closer to the corpse, staring at it intently.  Her eyes began to flutter as her mind worked.

Deep inside her head, Mara was assessing the bones and flesh, trying to analyze how it had decayed.  Where was the nose, what did the face look like.  Facial hair was a virtual impossibility to analyze, and eye color and shape was also an unknown, but slowly, the image inside her processors began to put together an image.

"I have analyzed his cranial structure as best I can.  I can state with an 87.35 percent certainty that it matches the cranial structure of the man in the picture upstairs.  The one with your father and mother."

Mara blinked as she  left her internal thought processes and focused back on Karen.

"Who is that man, Karen? And why is he buried in your house?"

TBC

[Syren]

Naboo

Surface: Lake Country: Greyson Estate

"Who is that man, Karen? And why is he buried in your house?"

Her mind is spiraling into the past.

The man in the picture with her parents?

It's a story all too familiar.

A loop no one can seem to escape.

Once upon a time, there were four friends...

"Doctor Henrick Masterton," Karen breathes. "Melanie's father."

Mara processes this silently.

"He was my father's best friend. They shared everything together. Well, almost everything. After my parents were reported quote-unquote dead on Bakura, we thought the Masterton's would return to the Core but they never came. Melanie waited and waited. She confessed these fears only to Valerie who in turned told me. Melanie put on a brave front but in her eyes I could tell she was hurting. Her parents seem to have vanished never to be heard from again. This absence tightened our bond as we clung to one another in confusion and fear. But I guess that was the plan all along."

Karen lets out a small sob, turning away.

"Alexia told me our father killed our mother. He must have murdered Henrick too and kept him here where no one would think to look. There are things Alexia showed me, mental projections of those final moments between them. They were only flashes, not complete pictures but I think the other parents turned on him somehow. Maybe they found out what the prophecy really was and if so, this was his way of silencing them forever so they could not warn us."

She exhales and refocuses on Mara.

"If Henrick is buried here, where is Celeste Masterton? We have seen what lengths my father has gone to ensure his triumph over us and it makes me wonder if he murdered his wife and friends then he most likely took samples. He would have enough to recreate what was lost the way he resurrected himself and those who died for his cause."

Karen is emboldened by the sheer waves of emotion.

"It is him who is the abomination. Not us. He made Alexia what she was and I almost fell for it too. The depths of his treachery and deception disgust me. You and I have a real chance to stop him and I am honored to fight at your side. We have to make this right. I need to know why he would do this to everyone he claimed to love, why he would kill his own wife and dearest friends, why he would sacrifice his own children for an absolute power that he never seemed to want..."

She shivers, her voice falling to a whisper.

"I suppose you never really know someone, do you?"


-TBC