Ask Nar Shaddaa Even the dead can teach you something

[Jerex Dorn]

It was such a lovely day on Nar Shaddaa, of course, many people would disagree, Nar Shaddaa didn't have beautiful horizons, birds chirping, a nice sunset or lovely neighbors...Quite the contrary, really, thugs and infected were the only things that lived on Nar Shadda save for an old, cheerful doctor, because Jerex Dorn didn't care about any of that. The old sith just felt that today was going to be a nice day. After all, not many days were filled with the promise of advancing his research.

"Thanks doc, you the best" a Nautolan man said as he incorporated himself, bandages wrapping his shoulder nicely as the tall, elderly man helped him get up, patting him on the other shoulder with a smile on his scarred, aged horribly face "Ah, don't mention it, just try to not get another slug stuck in that shoulder for the next month or so, okay? You follow a healthy workout routine, would be a shame to let that part of your arm go to waste in exchange for a robotic replacement!" The Nautolan man nodded before dropping a bunch of credits on the bed he had just been laying on and leaving, Jerex waving him goodbye "Come back any time...Even if that sounds awful in this context!"

And so, Jerex started to clean his tools, whistling an old lighthearted song without a care in the world, he didn't expect many more patients, not at this time of the day anyways, he was just waiting for a certain someone, a master of the dark arts, someone young yet full of knowledge, formerly Darth, now just Veles. The old sith champion could have asked for help a long time ago, part of his reasoning against that was his pride and his desire to grant the empire something powerful all by himself, but nowadays he had come to the conclusion that there was no shame in calling for help. Not only that, but he also never had such a huge lead until now...A lead about something that he felt only a select few should have the privilege of knowing, that including the man that was about to go through that door inside his medical clinic.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

It had been a long time since Veles had last been on Nar Shaddaa. Though he’d spent time on Coruscant, he’d lived in the lower levels, which were essentially how the entire Smuggler’s Moon operated, so he did not feel completely out of his element. As the Dathomirian Sunset entered the atmosphere, leaving realspace behind and dunking them into the dense smog of Nar Shaddaa, he stared out the window at the rickety and haphazardly built buildings that stretched on for kilometers, at the platforms between them, some that looked like they might collapse if anyone so much as breathed at them. Nevertheless, it was remarkably lively and ships darted to and from the port, speeders whizzing by under them and people—no, entire crowds—mingled together on the “streets.”

As the shuttle shuddered to a stop in the hangar and the droid gave him the green light, Veles stepped out of the ship and surveyed his surroundings. He wasn’t dressed to stand out, because that would not be wise in a place like this; the best thing to do was to blend in as much as possible. And among the various characters of Nar Shaddaa, a golden-eyed, white-haired human with face tattoos would not stand out too much.

He was just wearing a black cloak with the hood let down, tight-fitting pants underneath and a belt that held his lightsaber, among other things. Veles clearly nevertheless radiated “Sith,” but at least he was subtle about it. The last thing he wanted was for this trip to be extended.

His mind wandered, drifting off to the reason he was here. Striding toward the exit of the hangar and toward the spot where he’d be meeting his accomplice, he thought about the promise of being able to control AMS-infected undead. It vaguely reminded Veles of the project he had worked on with Raze on abominations, the way they successfully harnessed the creatures. If that was possible for Sithspawn, surely it was possible with those afflicted with AMS. And it would be a very powerful weapon indeed.

Veles entered a building with an unmarked door and went down the hallway, counting each door as he passed it. At the seventh, he turned to his right, inhaled, exhaled, and then knocked on it.

@Versok

 

[Jerex Dorn]

"On my way~" An old but chipper voice would reply to the knock on the door as Jerex just finished cleaning his medical tools, approaching the door and opening it just to find the young champion in front of him. While Jerex already knew of Veles and how he looked, it would be the first time Veles encountered the old sith doctor. Wearing his glasses, an old timey vest, a shirt and some matching trousers, Jerex looked like...Well, a man his age when it came to outfits, in another life he would be the perfect, cheerful grandpa.

However, Veles would also quickly notice that it was not only age that showed on his face and every single part of his skin that was a display: Scars covered him from head to toe, and while most of them were physical in nature, it wouldn't be hard for him to realize that many came from embracing the dark side, be it by alchemy or any other foul rituals. "Oh, just in time, please, come in!" Jerex said with a smile as he led Veles into his apartment/clinic.

"Sorry if this place is a bit messy, I just had to take a slug from someone's shoulder, didn't have much time to clean the floor yet!" Yet, even if Jerex said this, the place was surprisingly clean for a clinic on Nar Shaddaa that had just been recently used "Please, have a seat, do you want a drink?" Jerex pointed at a nearby sofa before he went to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of fine whiskey and one or two glasses, depending on the young man's response.

"I must say, I am really glad you've decided to take my offer, I am actually a big fan of your work. To think such a young man would be leading the rediscovery of so many ancient arts! I am sure many sith will try to follow your example in the future, truly commendable!" The old champion said as he came back from the kitchen, giving Veles a glass if he wanted any before sitting on a chair right in front of the sofa "I've been working on this lovely little planet for so long, I've got knowledge about this virus that I think not many others know about. Knowledge I've wanted to put to use for years now, but to no avail..." How long had it been since the virus struck Nar Shaddaa? He honestly forgot, keeping track of the time that had passed was difficult for him, but it had been quite a while.

"But recently, an opportunity has presented itself to me, and I ask for your help as to make sure it doesn't simply escape my grasp, there's strength in cooperation, after all!" And he only wanted to cooperate with the best of the best, truth be told, Veles' fame and knowledge of the dark arts were well known, he was probably better at it than Jerex himself, his help would be most helpful "I assume you may have plenty of questions about what we are about to do. So, please, ask away." Jerex said, knowing full well that he had only told him that they could find a way to control the infected, there were so many details he had glossed over back then, it was time to explain them now.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

The door opened, the hand holding the knob leading to a man who looked like someone’s doctor — albeit perhaps a bit more toward the mad scientist side — which was mildly surprising to the Dathomirian, because most Sith came a dime a dozen and were usually just carbon copies of each other. His eyes scanned the man in front of him in a blink. Truth be told, it was exactly what someone seeking to find ways to control zombies would look like.

Stepping inside, his eyes darted over the room, which seemed to be a mix between living room and an operating room. That was likely where he worked, Veles supposed. He noted the couch that was not too far from a surgical chair, and as Jerex pointed toward it, the Dathomirian obliged. It was surprisingly comfortable and indeed very clean — much like the room they were in.

”No, don’t worry — it looks perfectly clean.” And it was true. ”Yes, I would appreciate that,” he added when asked if he wanted a drink. The man re-emerged with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses and Veles grinned slightly. They would get along just fine.

”Thank you,” he replied, basking in the compliments. ”I do agree. Besides, the scientific must stick together. There aren’t many of us.”

The time came for questions, and Veles, naturally, had several. ”What do you think could be the uses of this ability that we seek?”

@Versok

 

[Jerex Dorn]

"Hopefully that will change soon, eh? Heard about your attempt at creating an academy on Dagobah, not many places that would be better suited to foster the next generation of this line of work, despite the setbacks you might be experiencing, I'm sure it'll be more than worth it!" The old champion said with a smile on his face, really glad about what Veles had been doing. Truth be told, Dagobah would be one of the first places he would visit after leaving Nar Shaddaa, wanting to see with his own eyes just what Veles would've done to the place. Even if the academy was for acolytes Jerex was sure it would also make it easier for him to study the planet as a whole.

"Well, let me give you a bit of context first, do you know why Nar Shaddaa ended up the way it is right now, why the virus was so effective against the planet?" Jerex asked, drinking from his glass of whiskey as to give Veles a bit of time to ponder about the question he had asked "If you think it's beccause the streets of Nar Shaddaa were filled with people and so the numbers grew up exponentially, you would be correct. However, there was more to it." Leaning a bit forward as he clasped his hands together, the old man kept talking, giving context about what happened during the whole Nar Shaddaa situation.

He had not talked to many about what he had seen back then, but it was what made him know so much "I was here when the infected took over the streets, by the time people knew what was happening, there weren't tens of infected, not even hundreds: In just an hour or so there were thousands, maybe even millions! That doesn't happen with a normal outbreak."

Jerex explained all of this with a small smile on his face forming as he remembered the good old days, he didn't talk about the hell on earth that was that outbreak as a traumatizing experience, but rather as an amusing one that allowed him to learn a lot about something interesting "A sith controlled them, he made sure they stayed in the sewers and grew their numbers before taking the streets, I know because I met him and visited his lab while all of it was happening. Unfortunately, the jedi killed him and his progress was lost...But I am sure it can be rediscovered, one way or the other."

"which brings me back to your question!" Jerex' smile widened as he clapped his hands together enthusiastically "There are many planets whose destruction would greatly weaken our enemies, yet our ships can't really get to them yet, too deep inside FWA and republic worlds...But with this ability and a bit of finesse we could create an army anywhere and raze it all!"

The old sith let out a soft, yet maniacal chuckle, his eyes glowing even more intensely now as he looked deeply into Veles' own "Just picture this: A small base inside the deepest parts of Coruscant's underworld, slowly but surely creating a wave of death that would rise up and end all of them, the core of a government rendered useless! A crippling blow that they wouldn't see coming...We would become the bringers of death...All we need is more insight and a bit of preparation."

@vamp