[center]~|Day 1, 20:40 - 23:57 GST|~
~| Aboard the Kaggath, Darth Nyiss' Quarters: Nyiss, Tolun & Nazca|~[/center]

Darth Nyiss led her two Jedi guests, Tolun Fi and Nazca, through the opulent reception area of her quarters towards a side door near the back. She had little doubt that to the young Jedi girl this area would seem appealing, it was after all the most comfortably furnished area on the ship. She did not expect Tolun to be impressed by such creature comforts though. She knew better than to think a man so dedicated to science would care for such things.

When she reached the door, she punched a code onto the keypad lock, while simultaneously manipulating the interior of the lock with her telekinesis. Only with the combination of both would it open the door - and open it did.

Inside, the room was dimly lit, though the contents could still easily be seen. A great variety of objects, some looking scientific, others looking far more like they belonged at an archaeological dig site decorated the benches running around the edges of the room. In the center was a vaguely person shaped table held up by an arm that could feasibly rotate it to any angle. A few buttons were on the side of the table, their purpose unclear but most likely for manipulating the tables position. Clearly visible on one of the benches near the table was what appeared to be a dismembered hand, skin matching Nazca's - though on closer inspection, it could be seen that it was, in fact, mechanical.

Nyiss stood back and ushered the two Jedi inside. It wasn't a large room but there was still plenty of room for the three of them to stand without being crowded. There was only the slightest hint of anticipation visible on her face as she spoke "If the young Jedi could please lay down on the table? Then we will begin."

The whole ordeal had thus far been something that Tolun Fi was reluctant to admit was of great curious interest. The Kaminoan consular largely ignored the lavish trappings, and really, he had expected the Darth to enjoy no small amount of opulence and instead focused on the technology she had arrayed in her quarters. He took note of the keypad, not able to see the combination when Darth Nyiss entered the code. It seemed far too rudimentary of a security option for someone of her obvious power and capability, so Tolun Fi suspected the Force was also involved, to some capacity, if not some sort of biometric system. 

Once the room's access was granted, Tolun Fi took note of the artifacts, immediately cursing himself for not having any form of historical background. He couldn't begin to describe what was arrayed around the room, but they were captivating. The table, however, seemed to clash with the general aesthetic and looked like an interrogation table. Not seeing any obvious machines for discerning what would happen, he had to admit he was somewhat disappointed, as well as mildly disgusted, wanting no part in whatever was going to happen to Nazca. He said nothing, standing silent like a sentinel appointed to some grim duty. What could he hope to learn here? 

Nazca's eyes scanned the impressive room. Her jaw, as was expected of her, dropping slightly. However a slight scan of her emotions would reveal her disinterest. It was a show of wealth, second only to a few of the Hutt kung mansions she had broken into, nothing more. She was more interested the locked doors to either side of them, one of which they began approaching. If people kept their doors in their rooms locked, that meant there was something valuable to them behind it.  

She doubted that anything she saw in here would be useful, to her at least, but one never knew and it was better to be prepared rather than sorry. She watched Nyiss putting in the code, edging around quickly so she could see the numbers, mouthing them to herself to commit them to memory. Past experience told her they'd doubtlessly need something else, if Nyiss didn't rely on button pressing to activate her lightsaber she certainly wasn't going to rely on a simple passcode to lock her doors. Still, having one half of the key to the lock was better than having no key at all.

All the technology and artifacts in the room were meaningless to her. She was a thief from Nar Shadda, not a scientist. With the door closed behind her, a very powerful Sith next to her, and Tolun trapped with her, Nazca had no choice but to force herself to walk towards the interrogation/operation table. It didn't take force powers to the see that she was scared, bravado long gone in the face of unknown horrors. It was only when she had laid down on the table that she noted the hand. The hand that looked disturbingly close to her own, now removed, one. Curious, and eager to distract herself from wondering what Nyiss was about to do to her, Nazca spoke. "Why do you have a hand that's..." She trailed off, eyes going to her own stump. "Oh. Oh fuck no. You're not putting some Nek Taken robot Sith hand on me. I'll just take the ring removal and deal with my stump as is. Sound good to you?"

Nyiss was surprised by the reaction of the Jedi girl. Her surprise flashed briefly across her face before being replaced by a glare. "Is this always how you repay generosity?" She snapped at Nazca. "Just how often do you think I provide free boons? If you choose to scorn this one now, I will not allow anyone to replace your hand in any way. Even should Tolun or your mechanically minded friend cobble something together I will have it torn off. Either accept this gift now or remain with one hand forever more. That is your choice, and the only choice you will have while you remain here."

With that, she turned her back on the girl and looked at Tolun. "First we will remove the rings. They could cause unnecessary damage later if they remain. There are surgical tools in the draws below the benches. They will open for you, take what you need. Then we will install the new hand... Assuming she chooses not to continue defying me. Perhaps you can talk some sense into her? While you are doing these things, I will be taking detailed scans of her bio-metrics... I must tailor several chemicals to suit her body precisely. If you need to restrain her while you operate, the blue button on the tables control panel will activate restraints." With that she turned to one of the walls and at the touch of a button brought up a number of large screens displaying a wide variety of scientific data, though all the writing was in the Sith script.

Tolun checked the drawers as suggested, finding a surprising assortment of surgical tools in the small compartment, kept nicely sorted by dividers. While the manufactures and designs were clearly from Imperial worlds, it was impossible to hide the function and design of the tools any more than an Imperial blaster differed in basic form from a Republic one. Conspicuously absent was any form of anesthetic or injector. Pain was evidently a desired effect from any procedure caused in this room, which was hardly a surprise, given the rather unpleasant decor of the room. He found a portable x-ray machine that came coupled with a drone projector that would move to keep in his line of sight as he was working, some sutures, and a surgical cutter. Also present was a mostly-used bottle of kolto gel, which would be useful in promoting healing in the open wound. A small mercy is still a mercy.

He stood to his full height, meeting Nazca's fearful gaze with his own impassive one. Now, more than most situations, required a detached emotional state. Fortunately for Tolun Fi, he was well practiced. "Nazca, I do not know what Darth Nyiss has planned for this... operation, but I am certain the results will not be fatal or offer lasting harm. We both are at the mercy of the Sith, if you could call it that, and it is worth considering that there are worse things than pain and death. I will do what I can to keep you comfortable during the procedure and see to your care afterwards. You are not a Jedi yet, you regrettably were taken before you could truly understand the Order's virtues, but do not give into anger, fear, or hate for they will betray you. I will show you the way, if you allow me to." he looked over to Darth Nyiss, as if bored. He was feeling anything but. "I am ready to begin the procedure." he said, moving to Nazca's hand, studying the rings in detail. He activated the x-ray drone and studied where he would have to make the incisions without damaging the bones. Sensing the need for precaution, he reached over and activated the restraints for Nazca's arm. This would not be a pleasant task, and he rather did not enjoy the sound of screaming. 

Nazca glared back at Nyiss, distrust mingling with fear. It was only the knowledge she wouldn't get far that kept her from leaping up from the table and trying to make a break for it. "Since when do Sith give free boons? What does this give you. You're all just like the Hutts. Anything 'free' always either benefits you or is a lie." Nazca knew Nyiss was doing this because she was feeling generous. Sith just didn't act that way. But, she also knew that she didn't really have a choice in the matter. Xid wouldn't let her go around long without a hand, and she shuddered to think about the punishment the Sith would enact upon him, once they saw that she didn't care how much pain they put her through. Sullenly, she spoke a final time to the Darth. "Fine. I'll take your hand." [i]Don't expect me to trust it, though.[/i] She added silently, eyes going to watch as Tolun approached. 

She gave a wane smile, growing pale as she saw the various surgical implements Tolun looked through the drawer. "Show me as much of the way as you'd like, Tolun." She began to shake as she felt the restraints activate to hold her in place. Unwillingly, flashes of the procedure to put the rings on entered her mind and her fear increased. Nazca barely bit back on panic, resisting the urge to start pulling and thrashing against the bonds. She didn't want that pain again. She didn't want to physically remember it. "Give me something to bite down on." She asked, softly and in a pleading tone as she looked at Tolun. "Please."

The kaminoan nodded, finding a roll of bandages, which he wrapped around the handle a flashlight. "Of course." he said, gently guiding the bundle to the young girl's mouth. "You will get through this. You will heal. And you will rise again, stronger than before." he said, hoping his words had weight. 

Nazca smiled gratefully at Tolun, taking the makeshift bundle in her mouth and biting down experimentally on it. It should help. Hopefully it would. As Tolun spoke, she nodded and took a deep breath. It didn't help the fear writhing in her, but it did make her relax, if only slightly. This was going to hurt, she knew, but she had dealt with pain before. She could deal with pain again, even if it came at the hands of a crazy Sith bitch who practically radiated power.

“Wise words. You should listen to Tolun, the pain will make you stronger.” Nyiss said conversationally, before turning to look at Tolun. “I’m surprised you would try to train her in the Jedi ways in this environment. It is a remarkably cruel thing to do. In the end she will be a stronger Sith for it though, and so I shall allow you to try.” She turned to Nazca then. “And yes I intend to make you, and all of your fellows, Sith. Weak, crippled Sith are of no use to me.”

She then turned back to the screen and tapped in a few commands, at which point some equipment nearby began whirring as it mixed chemicals. “You may begin when ready Tolun.” She said turning once more. “I am eager to watch you work.”

"Cruel? No. Simply proper etiquette." Tolun Fi remarked, picking up the surgical cutter and igniting it, a brilliant blue light emitting from the projector. When the trigger was depressed, it would work similarly to a cutting laser in the guise of something not unlike a tattoo gun. Increasing the intensity, as he had to cut through a metal alloy, he took Nazca's hand in his off hand to both reassure her and hold her still in the event she squirmed, as even restrains could only do so much. The drone positioned itself on the opposite side of the rings so he would be able to see when he was about to cut through. 

The process was slow, deliberate work that required an immense amount of concentration and one by one, the outermost metal fell free from her fingers, leaving the sub-dermal portions. This is where it would become difficult. "You may wish to bite down now." Tolun Fi said to Nazca, beginning to carve between the metal and her flesh and the light burning of flesh mingled with burning steel. The muffled screams from the girl were ignored best he could, and his hand belied an unexpected strength, preventing Nazca's hand from moving. The work continued, and eventually Nazca's body reacted to the trauma by exhibiting signs of shock. Tolun Fi inwardly cursed Darth Nyiss for forbidding anesthetic, as it was simply a cruel mockery of a medical practice. There were a dozen ways he could have done this differently, and all of them parsecs more compassionate and better for the patient than this butchery. 

After what must have been close to a couple hours, the last of the metal fell away and after a quick inspection to determine if her bones were damaged, Tolun Fi applied a thin layer of kolto in the open wounds as he began to apply the sutures, closing them off before wrapping them with bandages, including a final couple of layers over the hand at large to prevent Nazca from moving her hand. The deed complete, Tolun Fi neatly put the tools away and leaned back with a sigh. "You understand that her body needs time to heal, otherwise this entire procedure was pointless." he remarked.

“Thank you for your superb work Tolun, but I’m afraid I don't have time for that.” Nyiss stepped forward then and took Nazca’s injured hand in her own. Lightly closing her eyes, she willed the Force to speed the healing process of the girls damaged fingers. This lasted several minutes, but once it was done, days were shaved off the girl's recovery time. Upon opening her eyes, Nyiss looked at Tolun once more.

“For your continued assistance, I will allow you several hours each night in the lab to carry out your research. I will assist you directly if I am not otherwise engaged at the time.”

She then crossed to the other side of the table picked up the cybernetic hand and offered it to Tolun. “Shall we continue? I will assist you with this.”

"Uncharacteristic of a Sith to master healing arts." Tolun Fi observed, no small amount of respect in his voice. Nyiss was still largely a reprehensible woman, but damned if she wasn't fascinating. He was curious why she was giving him reign of her lab equipment, and anything he would do would doubtless be monitored, but this was the best opportunity to find the breakthrough he was looking for. "The gesture is appreciated. Perhaps your insight will help me with more... problematic issues in my research." He stepped forward, taking the robotic hand and he turned it over in his hands, surprised by the quality of craftsmanship. It was light, had a fair deal of moving joints, and would have more or less the same functionality of a real hand, although he wasn't sure if this was one that would simulate nerve endings. He moved to Nazca's arm, making eye contact with the young woman. "I apologize for the pain and distress, but this will be over soon." He promised beginning to slot the arm into position. "I am ready to proceed."

Nazca would have loved to say she remained stoic. That she managed to control her emotions as she felt and saw the cutter go through the outer layer of her rings. That would have been her most blatant lie to date, however. The truth was her shaking got only worse as he cut through, fear increasing. She barely managed to keep herself from crying, and couldn't keep herself from attempting to thrash away from Tolun as he lowered the blade to cut into her skin. It was futile, of course. The last thing she felt before the 'surgery' began was hate. She hated the Hutts for putting the rings on her, and killing her friends. She hated the Sith for being exactly like them. Most of all, she hated Darth Nyiss for her cruel sense of 'strength' and putting her through this. 

She was only aware of a few things during the operation. All consuming pain. The bandages being clenched tightly in her teeth. Screaming. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and by the time the surgery was complete, Nazca barely noticed her hand being taken care of. Her skin was covered in sweat, her lips and fingernails tinted blue, and her breathing was shallow. So much so that she spat the, soaked with saliva, bandage roll out. She looked at Nyiss, an undeniable spark of hatred resting in her gaze. [i]Just like the Hutts. She's just like the slugs.[/i]

Her eyes shifted to Tolun as he spoke, the shaking began again as the fake hand was slotted into place. She slipped into Mando'a, voice shaky and hoarse from so much screaming. [sup]*[/sup]"Jorso'ran kando a tome. Mhi mav cuyir par'jila. Do it." 

“As you may already be noting, I am full of surprises.” Nyiss said to Tolun, genuine happiness in her voice. Then she looked down at Nazca, a knowing smile on her face. “It’s quite rude to try to hide what you are saying from me. You also really shouldn’t assume I only speak basic just because I am a Sith. The Mandalorians are our allies you know.” Her eyes took on a dreamy unfocused quality then, and she was suddenly not looking at Nazca, but past her... “As for triumph… We will all be triumphant in time. Even you.”

Just as soon as her mind had left the present, she had snapped back to reality, her tone business-like. “First, we connect the damaged nerves of her arm with the artificial nerves of the hand.” She said, picking up a tool to begin.

Nazca's surprise showed for longer than she would have liked, the shock slowing down her reactions. After a brief moment she gave a wane smile in Nyiss' direction before replying in Mando'a still. [sup]**[/sup]"Kote lo'shebs'ul narit." Her smile grew slightly wider and her eyes more interested, albeit in a dull fashion. [sup]***[/sup]"Sharee tul'tze jen shur geti, jendoslu." She half expected the Darth to reply in kind, much like Jayda had. Despite her growing hatred, she couldn't help but respect Nyiss' intelligence. Even if the bitch was getting ready to experiment on her.

[i]63 minutes later[/i]

“There, the procedure is complete.” Nyiss said with some small satisfaction. “Unfortunately,” she began in a way that suggested she was anything but disappointed. “She is still unconscious from the pain. Tolun, you will have to carry out the tests and help her adapt to the hand later, but i’m quite sure the operation was successful.” With that, she turned to face the screens on which her research was displayed.

A few button presses later and a pair of visual displays of genetic structure showed up. One of them was Nazca’s. The other bore some similarities, but was clearly not the same. Nyiss wasted no time. “Tolun… Do you think this will be accepted by Nazca’s system?” She said pointing to the different structure.

The Kaminoan approached, observing the two strains with an observant, toned-out stare as he studied the differences between both Nazca's genetic structure and this proposed one. The scientist was fascinated, the Jedi was apprehensive at whatever Nyiss wanted to accomplish. Whatever the result, it wouldn't be pleasant.

"Impossible to say, but given how sensitive genetic codes are, what you're proposing may simply be too different for her body to adapt to. Take for instance the common Hill Slug of Nal Hutta. Genetically, it's about 95% the same as the DNA of the Hutt species. One is a brilliant, if disgusting sentient race that achieved space faring status, the other is a mindless invertebrate that eats insects and fungus." He waved his fingers between two sequences, an immediately notable difference between Nazca's genetics and Nyiss' experiment. "Look here, this isn't even similar to what you'd find in primates closely related to humans. If you tried to 'zip' this into pace of the host strain, it may end up with a total rejection and body failure. You must keep in mind that even near-human isn't near enough in a lot of cases. With modification, something not so extensive... maybe you can accomplish what you wish, but right now I do not unreasonably believe this would cause grand organ failure." Tolun Fi said, his voice level. He turned to look at Nyiss. "It would help if I knew exactly what you were trying to accomplish. I'd prefer to keep the patient alive, and I cannot do that in ignorance."

“You’re quite right.” Nyiss replied conversationally. “Initial tests, using a purely scientific approach, proved quite disastrous, as expected. I’ve determined that in order to bring about success, the process must be… helped along with the Force.” A few more taps of the controls and several images of the horrifically disfigured remains of previous subjects appeared. “I’ve yet to perfect the process and unfortunately my supply of suitable test subjects in the Empire has been quite limited thus far.” She turned to Tolun for a moment then and said “Don’t worry. They weren’t Jedi.”

Turning back, she continued. “And I truly do not wish this fate on this poor girl. That is why I want your help. I know a great deal of Sith Alchemy, but when it comes to altering the nature of a living thing, Alchemy can be rather… brutal. I was hoping you may know some Jedi lore or scientific approach that would allow a significantly higher success rate. Along with my revised Alchemy treatments I expect this one will at least survive.”

“As for what I am trying to achieve? You are familiar with the idea that a being can be naturally attuned to one side of the Force, yes? I wish to control that. That is, in part, what I am trying to do. Perhaps the most important part. The rest you will have to wait for I’m afraid. It is difficult for a Sith to trust, I’m sure you understand.”

The Darth then turned and picked up a large syringe and filled it from an arcane, disturbing looking drum on one of the benches. The device was hooked up to a number of tubes that went into the walls. The liquid that was then filling the syringe was thick and black. Without sparing a breath she spoke. “I will now be injecting this into the girl. She will act as the control, to observe the effects of my Alchemical approach, without any adjustments that may be able to provide.”

Surely Darth Nyiss had to have known that finding genetic predispositions to the Light or Dark side was something Tolun Fi had spent a considerable amount of time and resources researching. It would have seemed inconceivable that she would have sought him out if his own work couldn't have benefited her; after all, they were like-minds working towards a common goal with likely different desires. 

It was both fortunate and unfortunate that what she was offering happened to coincide with what Tolun Fi needed to do. She may be using him, but there was no reason he couldn't potentially do the same to her. He would just have to tread carefully, speak the right amount of descent to not draw suspicion, and see how much of the data she presented that would be beneficial to his own aims. 

"Jedi doctrine does not specify anything that would be particularly advantageous in this particular situation, but fortunately, I was never one to care for sticking to doctrine if there's a better way to do things." Tolun Fi said. "I am familiar with the theory that there's certain predispositions to the Light or Dark side that might be innate to an individual, so it would seem we both have a similar interest in discovering it. Now, let's see what this concoction you've created does. I will monitor vitals... and try to react if there's a potentially fatal reaction. You may proceed when ready." 

“Very well.” Nyiss said in a neutral tone. Though a little annoyed that Tolun had no Jedi lore to share, she had been expecting that outcome. The Jedi were not known for arcane and esoteric knowledge of any usefulness. They tended to try to destroy or hide such information.

Nyiss’ focus returned to the task at hand swiftly though. With a quick, sharp motion, she plunged the syringe into Nazca’s chest. The injection of the liquid would appear painfully slow to those unused to such things.

When the last of the thick liquid had drained from the syringe, Darth looked up at Tolun and smiled.

[sup]*[/sup]'We shall bear this weight together. We will be triumphant.'

[sup]**[/sup]'You can keep your glory.'

[sup]***[/sup] 'You can't understand me now, bitch.'