Ask [Paqualis III] Trials and Travails

[Orenth]

THEME
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Denon was in the rear view but Byron couldn't help but return to it in his thoughts. Below the sojourn class shuttle stretched Paqualis III. The Knight's destination was Chatau Vidalis seeing as he had reached out to Doctor Morata for help with his leg. A simple cybernetic had been set as his replacement below the knee but the Knight was still healing and it didn't feel right.

Supposedly Morata Corp and the tools at the Doctor's disposal would be an improvement. The bar had already been set fairly low. Byron grumbled as he moved away from the starport and flagged down an air taxi. The ride was quiet and the man found himself staring at the pant legs that covered his lower body. While Byron stared at his lap with an unfocused gaze, his senses were reaching towards his legs, trying to feel ever bone and tendon, every cell and damaged nerve.

"We're here, Master Ryker." The driver said. The Knight looked around and saw the droid to be telling the truth. "Oh...thanks." Shuffling towards the side of the airtaxi, Byron managed to get out of the vehicle with a little more grace than when he had first entered. Byron was still using a cane to lean on for the time being and sadly it was going to be awhile before he didn't need it. At least that was what the other doctor told him.

Byron approached Chateau Vidalis and looked it over. It was definitely more extravagant of a domicile than the man would have expected to ever own. The Knight had heard about it in passing but hadn't come to the home of Doctor Morata until now. Heading inside he would check in to see if there was a place where appointments. Byron wasn't sure what to expect from a castle-house that also doubled as a hospital.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Her head had been throbbing painfully since the assault on Denon. True, MorataCorp had rescued some of the remaining survivors once the threat had mostly eased, but she loathed the Jedi. Loathed the Sith for imposing ever more on innocent civilians, justifying injury for more slaughter. The Jedi were no better, claiming to be paragons of justice while the AMS virus sank its' fangs into the galaxy.

Still, there had been a patient request, and she was not one to say no.

Heels clicked into the lobby; long white hair pulled away from her features, amber eyes were a flat gold, her face expressionless as she stared down the bruised, bloody man before her with a cool, critical eye.

"Knight Ryker?" She enquired coldly in a quiet rasp, eyeing him up and down, before turning away.

"This way, please."

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Byron looked towards the Doctor as she approached. It had been years since they had first been introduced though he would hope an AMS outbreak wouldn't be forgettable. The Knight would nod and join the Arkanian woman as she led the way. She was curt and cold, moreso than he remembered. Plenty had happened since then in Byron's life. It would be ignorant to assume otherwise in anyone else's. "It's been a long time since Ralltir."

"Either Doctors make a lot more money than I realize or you come from a family of means..." He spoke as they walked. Maybe most people around here know about her but Byron wasn't going to pretend like that sort of thing mattered to him in the moment. It was more just for conversation than anything. In hindsight it sounded more judgmental than Byron may have intended but the man thought it better segway than just 'this place is fancy'.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

For a moment, the good Doctor was mildly confused. Ralltir. The name did spark something in the back of the woman's thoughts; she didn't respond immediately, instead continuing on her measured pace, taking in the man's face. Remove a few years and a few inches of beard, perhaps even lean the shoulders a bit and add a leg...

"You were a bit shorter then." The statement was spoken dryly, giving the male a sideways glance. "And younger. But this... was a family 'gift', unwanted and unused. I did not need familial support." She wouldn't say anything else until reaching a private room; once he would enter, she would close the door behind her, and lean against it, staring flatly at the Knight.

"How may I help you, Byron."

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

"About the same weight though." He said darkly with a hint of irony and a singular chuckle. The bulk Byron felt he had gained and muscle that came with the years put him at about the same after losing the leg. But the Knight intended on getting back to full strength and improving beyond that. But things would never be the same and Byron will always have an artifical leg from now on.

Reflecting on the experience only deepened a sense of emptiness beside his heart. Part of him had wondered if it was just a phantom pain or a side affect of what Tiamat had done on Denon. She had literally carved a piece off of him but the wound had cut into his very being that day. It would take a long time for that to heal and even then such an experience left its own kind of scar.

The Knight almost looked past the last comment about support. "Well you're putting it to good use." He replied.

At the question his head looked down and his cybernetic foot though. "I was hoping to get your expert opinion on options for my condition given my line of work. I tend to end up in dicey situations and would like to have a leg that was maybe...improved." The man was more in the know about ship design and maintenance more-so than advanced cybernetics. A few tricks picked up over the years for taking care of droids was about all he knew.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She could sense the gnawing emptiness within him. Perhaps it was grief, of a kind. She stared levelly at him for a moment, not saying anything, but watching his movements, taking in his words. The cybernetic foot was standard grade; she strode forward, kneeling to look, and then frowning.

"Improved? Like how?"

She glanced back up, then nodded to the bed.

"Have a seat, allow me a closer look."

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Byron shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well maybe a cannon leg would be a bit rediculious..." He half joked. "...but I'm up against Sith and other ne'er do wells on a regular basis that may try to exploit my synthetic limb." The knight's weight remained on his right leg for the most part.

When she instructed him to sit he did so without objection. "Do soldiers some soldiers get cutting edge tech or have ways of regrowing limbs? I hear about some stuff like that but I figure most of it is either just rumors and urban legends or some high priced operation for the culturally exclusive." cloned body parts were an option but not something he knew much about. Shock resistant cybernetics or even just a 'good as new' sort of integration were things Byron was hoping for. Rolling up his pant leg he made the partially mechanical light come fully into view.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

A white eyebrow twitched at the man's joking; it was a coping mechanism, she noted, seeing how he moved, testing his emotions shifted. He was deliberately keeping things more light-hearted, perhaps trying to dispel the doubt he also held. She didn't have a specialty in robotics or cybernetic limbs, but she knew more about the market than she let on.

At his question, she flicked up a glance, staring levelly with amber eyes on the youth. "There is some technology like that, yes," she replied quietly, examining. Whoever patched this to him did a decent enough job, but he was a soldier. That's all the Jedi were; soldiers and generals fighting in some cosmic eternal struggle, and to what ends she had no idea.

She took her time examining it from all angles. Since he was walking on it unevenly, the weight must have been distributed unevenly with the cybernetic... but even though she had opened her doors to the Jedi, she wasn't a philanthropist. It would be expensive, far more than whatever credits the Order might have supplied their Knights.

He would owe her.

She glanced back up at him. "Those that you mentioned will be expensive upgrades. What specifically were you hoping for?"

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

As she looked him over, he could feel her gaze on him. Maybe she didn't mind masking it since she was a Doctor but he felt a bit anaylzed. Her answering tone didn't sound hopeful. Perhaps even a bit pitiful. Byron wasn't the type to take offensive by those things. He looked the Doctor over, mostly because he was not sure where else to look.

There was that same proffesionalism he remembered. Though it was intertwined with compassion, in the fiber of her being from what Byron would guess. He expected as much from most Doctors. Not to mention the particular brand of bitterness.

"...shielded from EMP or ION damage would be supremely helpful." He said as a matter of fact. "...quiet too...of course and able to fit under clothes." He hoped those were obvious choices but he didn't want to wake up with an lightening resistant peg leg tomorrow. "I uh...expect to go up against people that can pull circuits from inside machines with their mind and shoot lightening from their fingertips" He said his situation. "...so..ahem...what do you suggest Doc?"

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Her brows steadily rose at his request, briefly wondering if he planned on bankrupting himself entirely. Though she could be charitable and craft something for free, such a concept was a difficult one. For a few beats, she merely stared at him, blinking.

"EMP shielded, quiet, and Sith-resistent. Correct?"

She didn't wait for an answer, but rose, staring at him steadily for another moment. "I can make you something."

Tapping on the datapad closest to her, a holo-display hummed to life, and she began tapping on keys. The display of a cybernetic leg hummed to life, and she eyed his prosthetic again, making adjustments. "Durasteel coring, with ambivalent pressure dispersement and custom-weighted torque..." She tapped on a few more keys. "Duraplast shell, coated with rubberized reinforcement to prevent electronic interference and synthskin to match..."

Before his very eyes, the image built and built, until something roughly his size and dimension glowed blue in the exam room.

She stared at him levelly, amber eyes calm.

"Such a custom project would cost you roughly 150,000 credits on materials alone. Customized..." she sighed, running a hand through her hair, closing her eyes briefly. Just thinking about it gave her the beginnings of a headache.

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Maybe it came from having a certain sense of privilege, but the man had never been overly wanting for money. A middle class family in a small city on Contruum Six who went to college, and got a job, became a Jedi instead of remaining a civilian. Not having wealth sometimes made him go about things a certain way, but money was just another tool that he didn't tend to have on his belt, or rather in his pockets. Byron had grown used to it though but as a Jedi he ended up saving most of it and ending up spending on repairs or upkeep of his ship. Once he even had to just outright pay a particularly stubborn toydarian to get directions when his personav broke on a mission.

"You're a miracle worker." He said and was even furthermore impressed as he watched the woman weave together the limb he would be receiving. Without being an expert in cybernetics, he understood the gravity of his request and what the Doctor was saying as well as showing him. The Knight cleared his throught and blinked at the price all the same. .

A sigh came from Byron's bearded face. "I could sell my starfighter..." His expression unhappy at giving up the ship. The antique cloakshape fighter could maybe run for a fraction of that though unless he sold it at a good price. Part of the cost would maybe be covered thanks to his Jedi association. "That...thirty percent ....maybe ten percent..." He corrected as he had his doubts.

The reason he was using the Astral Mantle was he was cash strapped. His fingers tapped the bed he was sitting on. He was definitely not paying off his college loans any time soon. "That could pay...thirty percent ....maybe ten percent..." He tried to think of what could make up the difference. "You okay Doc?" He asked as he noticed her pained expression come through her previously calm exterior.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She blinked at his question, then nodded once. "I'm fine. I have just been occupied with research and stayed up far too late." She stared at him for another few beats, then hummed.

"What would you be willing to do, to have this custom-built?"

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

The man gave a single mirthful chuckl "HM! Is that your way of asking if I'll work for it? Yeah. We pay off everything we take...one way or another." The Knight added a shrug to the perspective her held.

"What did you have in mind?"

She was the type of person that kept things close to the lab-coat. In the Force, Byron opened himself up a bit more and reached out into the immediate area and feel around the focus of Ilana. She was cool and logical on the surface. Her stern demeanor could intimidate some but Byron had relaxed a bit despite this.

The bearded knight had gone through a great deal of self reflection. He didn't need to try and fix everything despite the 'heroic call' that many Jedi felt. I'm nobody's hero. Not everything needed his input or involvement. His own passing in time would mean he would not get to affect the galaxy beyond any form of legacy he left behind. Force ghosts and holocrons perhaps were a gateway into achieving that. But the humble man did not think that highly of his own presence or accomplishments. All the same, Byron would wait to hear the details of this exchange that the Doctor had in mind.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

A light huff slipped past her lips; almost a laugh, she quirked a brow at him, giving a slight smile.

"Yes, that's exactly what I was insinuating."

She hummed once, tapping on her lips. Eyed him, then the display.

"Full rights to patent a new way of creating this. And a favor owed, no questions asked and no right to refuse." Amber eyes stared at the man coolly, then extended a hand.

"Do we have an accord, Knight Ryker?"

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Byron stared at her with his head turned slightly to one side. Blinking once, then twice the Jedi thought about it briefly. By the third blink he shuffled off the examination bed so he was standing in front of the Doctor. Extending his right hand to emphasize his agreement he smiled "I think so." She held no malice for him and it would do him no good to be paranoid. That wasn't how he operated though most people maybe saw this characteristic as naivete. But for him it was closer to faith or hope. In not so many words he just wanted to say yes. I am trusting you, Doctor.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She had expected him to be wary of her stipulations to not ask questions; most people would have been. But nothing surprised her more than when he shuffled back towards her. Extended his hand.

For a moment, she blinked at his hand in her face, then slowly shook with her own cybernetic one.

Huh. He was trusting her.

She didn't know whether to be pleased or alarmed at how easy-going his manner was.

"All I ask is that you stay around while I begin the process; it will take time to create, and I will need you to properly fit it to avoid pain."

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Hearing more details, Byron nodded and would standby. He was patient and wondered if he needed his input for anything. Taking a slow and even breath he began to focus on centering himself while he waited. It was something he had already been doing since the lose of the foot. The cybernetic interfaced better as he used technometry techniques. This would continue even as the new limb was crafted and added to his body to become a part of it.

The Knight forever seemed to feel the dark side now. Like a what a light house was to ships, there was a dark beacon beyond the planet. It was as present in his mind as the sun in the sky and so was Tiamat. As he turned inward in introspection the Knight found darkness and glowing crimson cracks spreading within. After a moment it felt like molten lava was slowly moving its way through his veins. The Knight couldn't help but grunt in discomfort and that grew to a pained growl.

Byron did not open his eyes. Keeping them pressed shut he didn't know even if any of this was part of the cybernetic procedure. Something else was happening. A vision maybe, Forcing its way into his body and mind. A red world, covered in spines and skulls dripping in the blood of thousands. Just like the man had felt all over his body, he felt the place in his mind's eye rumble and explode with plumes of fire. Fiery orange clouds lowered the sky until everything was wreathed in an inferno.

@Killa Ree success

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

It took a long time. Amariel, even with all these resources at her disposal, always took her time crafting something worthy of its' owner. She would adjust and fine-tune, the cybernetic slowly pulling together. But pained grunting and growling snapped her attention from the project, making her look up at the man on the bench.

Pain.

Why was he in pain? Powering down the hydrospanner, she rose, pressing a hand to his shoulder.

"Knight Ryker. What's going on?"

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Byron's chest rose as he took a deep breath inward. It was not his leg that was causing him pain. The man's eyes opened and blinked rapidly trying to focus back in the same perspective he normally had. His vision was still blurry until his right arm came up to whip away the sweat that had dripped into his eyes. It wasn't sweat though he realized after a moment but tears.

"I.." His head turned to look at the Doctor. "..I saw...felt something. A vision I think." The man couldn't stop replaying the images and sensations from the vision. It had felt real and different from being in a place in person. The Knight was not sure how to explain it to a civilian Doctor. Taking a calming breath, the bearded man recovered from the shaking vision. His right hand came over to touch her's on his left shoulder. "I'm fine. Keep going....if you've still got more to do." The pain that he had felt and barbarism was not the Doctor's doing. With this revelation, this message from the Force, Byron did not know what it could mean. Not yet. Taking his right hand back he would do his best to relax for the rest of the procedure and his mind occupied with more anxiety than he cared to admit.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She didn't need to be an empath to sense his distress, bleeding through even with his expressions. Not too long ago, another man sat on her table asking questions she couldn't really answer. But experiencing visions... she paused, then stared at him again, expression level, remote. His hand over hers was warm. She swallowed once, briefly, fighting the urge to snatch her hand back from the touch, even though she initiated it. Instead, she slowly removed her hand, plopping back into her seat.

"You can talk about it." She nodded back to the degrees displayed on the wall. "I'm a licensed therapist, after all."

@Darasuum