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| - Fountain Square - Plaxton, Caspar The huge buildings in the background threaten to take over this small patch of green that is the center of Plaxton City. A stone fountain -still in place from another time- sits in the center of the square. It depicts a young woman looking into the sky. Water flares around her and bursts into a star pattern ten feet above her head. The inscription at the base of the fountain is written in the aging language of a more romantic time. 'Farewell, for all journeyers that leave this place shall always return to call it home.' Lush trees now dominate the square, shading the area from the dusk sky above is cloudy with patches of clear spots allowing you to see the sky behind them. Deep rich reds, oranges and browns fill the branches, seemingly setting the trees afire with color. Patches of well maintained grass surround the base of the trees, allowing space for visitors to relax or picnic. The central, most famous area of Plaxton City, seems to become more and more park-like with the frequent additions and maintnence. Dressed simply in a pair of rumpled and creased scrubs, Lynae walks into the Fountain Square while tossing a small ball from hand to hand, her thoughts oddly tangled up in the bit of a nursery rhyme one of the patients at the clinic kept reciting. Her eyes scan the square, noting the presence of CDU Marines, the civilians that move about freely, all signs that remind her that nothing is as it should have been. But the rhyme continues to spin in her thoughts, 'And in all that brown, the sun went down. It was evening and the colors began to disappear in the warm dark night,' she mouths the words as she studies the sunset and the riot of colors. Preston is a fresh and inexperienced recruit, and if Grammatons showed emotions, he would probably look eager and all the rest of the stereotype. However, he looks placid, as he always does, with his shiny new uniform, walking slowly towards the fountain. Tossing the ball up into the air with her left hand, Lynae catches it deftly with her right and continues strolling slowly through the square. The sight of the nicely refurbished and repaired fountain brings an odd sort of smile to her face, recollections of Axel flying through the air. The smile fades at the thought of Malign, the thought enough to give her pause as she scans the area again. Preston stops for a moment as he sees the oddly dressed human tossing a ball in the air. How odd. Even for a human. His luminescent red eyes stop to regard to woman for a moment, halting his progress to the fountain. Lynae appears to be in what looks like a remarkably good mood, the faint smile forming on her face again as she tosses the ball up in the air again. The sound of unexpected laughter from nearby as a pair of workers pass through the square causes Lynae to loose track of the ball and it lands in the fountain. The current of the fountain sweeps it up and around at an unexpectedly fast rate, disappearing from her sight as she rushes forward. Swearing softly as she studies the water, Lynae begins to move slowly around the fountain trying to track the progress of the ball. Preston frowns as the ball goes intot he fountain, and shrugs. Not as if he's doing anything, might as well do a good thing for once. He approaches the fountain, waiting for the ball, and does his best to try to snatch it up for Lynae. Whether he gets it or not is up to her. Lynae tracks the progress around and around again as it's momentarily caught between two elegant spills of water down the fountain itself, "There it is!" she says triumphantly, noticing the young man at the edge of the fountain as well, "can you reach it?" she asks, too far away to do so without climbing into the fountain. Preston smiles. "I can certainly try, m'aam." he says, learning over the edge, again trying to fish the ball out of the water for her. Lynae nodding in appreciation, Lynae braces one hand on the edge of the fountain as she tracks the path of the ball again before another spill of water kicks it towards the edge of the fountain briefly, rebounding off the edge and practically right into the young mans hands. Once the young man catches the ball that Lynae had lost in the fountain and hands it over, Lynae speaks a word of thanks to which Preston only bobs his head in response too before departing. Lynae wipes the ball off on the sleeve of her left arm, wrinkling her nose for a moment before she moves away from the fountain and tosses it back up into the air, once again enjoying the sunset and the aftermath of a hard day at work. Malif walks casually through the crowd, mindful of the pace for the comfort of the one traveling with him. His clothing style is now back to what would be considered normal for him. Tossing the ball neatly into the air again, Lynae catches it with her right hand, seizing it from mid-air and tossing it again as she walks through the evening crowd of civilians enjoying the cloudy, by nice, weather now that the sun has set. Her attire would seem odd, perhaps, if she weren't on a world where people dress as they wish, when they wish too. Her scrubs are more than a bit wrinkled after the long day, the crisp creases long since faded, and if it weren't for the expression of quiet achievement on her face she'd look more tired than anything else. Malif gestures for Xar'on to close the distance as he approaches the woman in scrubs and then calls out. "Dr Cassius." he slows his steps and raises a hand to better identify himself in a crowd. looking briefly back to see where Dr Tanner is. Xar'on picks up the pace, the hint of a limp reappearing in his gait from the steady walking and now increased pace. He looks for this 'Dr. Cassius', looking in the direction his companion called. Lynae nearly drops the ball, again, as she hears her name spoken in the crowd. A look of caution crosses her face before she spots Malif and the expression shifts to one of greeting, a smile forming as she replies, "Malif," aloud and waves before closing the distance. The white haired man following Malif earns a portion of that smile in greeting, though there's a good deal of curiosity and again caution in her expression as she tips her head in a nod of hello before speaking again, "Back so soon?" Malif nods curtly and steps aside to introduce the man with him. "Allow me to introduce you to Dr Tanner, one of the CSA's best battle surgeons." he nods to the man and then introduces the woman to Tanner. "Dr Tanner this is Dr Cassius, the person you were briefed on." Xar'on looks at the woman, his eyes instantly going to the wounds...and the medic bracelet. "Damn. A doc allergic to bacta. That's a kick in the ass. Speakin' of which, who kicked yours?" he growls. His eyes scan her face once more, and he cocks a bushy eyebrow. "Doc Cassius? I swear yer a dead wringer fer a Doc Caiton." Lynae arches one eyebrow as she replies, "It is indeed. And a pair of storm troopers using stun batons meted out a few delightful minutes of punishment, hence the lovely patina of bruises that augment my physical appearance so neatly," she says quietly. Her gaze shifts back towards Malif briefly before turning back towards the newly introduced Dr Tanner, "Dead ringer, perhaps. But Doctor Caiton is no more, I am Doctor Cassius." The words are a bit cryptic, but entirely apt. Malif crosses his arms as the two Doctors get to know one another. "I told you I wasnt going to let that matter lay long, I already have a Tech specialist in line, should the blasted device hold any tricks other then the one it is designed for." he smiles and chuckles. "Also out of an obscure place and isolated from Intelligence channels." Xar'on shrugs, and grunts, "Fair enough." His eyes move to her wrist, to the other device. "That the culprit? You concious when the stuck that thing on?" It is apparent that he is forcibly restraining himself from grabbing her wrist and examining the device in public. Lynae tucks the ball into one of her pockets, her right hand moving then to brush across the display set in her left wrist as she takes one of those calm slow breaths that is rapidly becoming essential to her well being. Yeah, her pulse leaps for a moment, but she's getting good at this - sort of. "You're thinking that the device is a trap," she says aloud to Malif before she turns her gaze back towards Tanner. "No," she replies at first, her tone of voice bitter. "One of my best surgeons did the work. One of my -former- best surgeons, I trained him myself. Talk about irony. They knocked me out and when I came too I had this," she taps her wrist then lifts her hand to pull aside the collar of her shirt enough to reveal the upper edge of what is clearly an ugly scar on her upper chest. Malif remains silent now as key information begins to flow between the two professionals, his own eyes now scanning the crowd. Xar'on scowls...or rather, scowls more deeply. "Damn. They're tappin' yer heart directly. Would've been easier if they were just tied to the artery in yer wrist," he mutters. He moves closer, and ever so slightly, bends at the waist to try to get a closer look at the monitor on her wrist. "Knowin' them sumbitches, that thing could be...hmmm." He glances around the public space. Looking from Lynae, then Malif, and back again, he grunts, "You folks got a place a bit more private?" Lynae feels her mouth go dry and the color drain from her face as she stares into Tanner's face, "That thing could be what?" she says in a low voice. She draws another nice deep breath, her left hand trembling ever so faintly and she curls her fingers into a fist to conceal the movement. "I know it's situated in the best of the possible worst places for it to be implanted, Doctor," she says with clear respect and in a voice that works hard at be level and calm. "When it is removed my heart is going to stop. The damage has already been done to the cardiac muscle which means that jump starting my heart again is going to be even more dangerous. However, subsequent jolts from it is going to kill me anyway." There's a calm almost fatalistic tone in her voice as she smiles, "Sure. I have a place out near the beach, if you gentlemen would care to join me. Or we can repair to the sandbar and enjoy a drink or two. I find that I have less qualms about enjoying a good meal or an after dinner drink these days. So much of life to enjoy, gentlemen. So little time as well to enjoy it in." Malif raises a brow and places a hand on her shoulder. "I told you that trick and traps maybe an issue, thats why I have a Tech specialist lined up." he looks to Dr Tanner and then back to Cassius. "I am leaving nothing to chance here...they are the best." Malif's eyes do not fail him. He quite easily spots a tall, darkly cloaked figure approaching slowly. The figure's hood is up, hiding the face and head mostly from view. However, the whole thing has quite a few distinct markings that make it stand out. The crowd moves around the figure, most people accurately wary of a tall black cloak with a vibro blade slung at it's hip. Xar'on coughs from deep in his chest once as he shakes his head. "You ain't dead yet, so stop talkin' like it. Think it best we continued this elsewhere. Fer a whole mess o' reasons." "Not yet, no. But would you lay odds on it?" Lynae asks, one eyebrow arching upwards as she spots the dark cloaked individual arriving to join the small group near the fountain. She studies the cloaked individual for a moment, and the weaponry before she says, "Thus and so. If you will follow me, gentlemen, I have a place near the beach that would serve better than standing in the middle of the square." She gestures with one hand towards the direction needed to get to the aerotram and begins to lead the way with Malif shadowing her footsteps. Cennes Place Cabin 5 - Orlaeno: Caspar A tidy little cabin sits among the many that are nearly identical in form and construction, the walls painted white with a bright red roof. The front door opens to a small entryway which leads directly into the central room for the cabin which contains a couch, two chairs that flank it, a coffee table all of which are positioned to offer a view of the holovid screen that is mounted on the wall. Windows to the east and west offer generous ambient lighting and a slowly oscillating ceiling fan stirs the fresh air and cools the room to a comfortable temperature. To the immediate right of the door is a small kitchen outfitted with the standard, useful appliances, sink and a well stocked pantry. The arched doorway from the kitchen leads into a small seating area that holds a small table that is tucked against a wall, the large window in this room is the entire length of the eastern wall and the view offered makes the room seem bigger than it actually is. Once exiting the dining room a hallway leads north with two doors to the east again, leading each into a small bedroom that is furnished with nothing more than bed, dresser, night stand with lamp and the usual furnishings, each room identical down to the bedspread and matching curtains. At the end of a hall is the bathing room, funished with a real shower instead of refresher. Another door leads from the main room to the shaded back patio, the sound of the ocean seems temptingly close and if one were to walk to the very edge of the patio the ocean can be seen around the side of the cabin nearest. Weathered patio furniture is placed in a haphazard arrangement, two chairs nearest the table while others are either folded and stacked against the side of the cabin or already planted in the sand for easy use. -=-=-=-=-=-=<>=-=-=-=-=-=- Having traveled the distance from the city to the Orlaeno, specifically the station at Saturnalia Square, Lynae leads the way towards the little place she calls home these days. A little cabin that looks much like all the rest in the specific gathering, but she keys in the correct lock code (after a few tries) and opens the door and invites Malif & Co into her house with a wave of one hand. "Welcome to my humble abode," she says simply. As soon as the door closes, Xar'on places his bag on the floor and walks over to Lynae. He grunts a quick, "Excuse me," as he gently grips her wrist and moves it up to his eye level, eyeing the monitor bracelet closely. "Can this sucker come off, or is it rigged to what they stuck on yer ticker?" The figure from before has inexplicably found itself here, settling in the corner. It stands off in a corner, hands pressed into the sleeves in a classic monks pose. Lynae shakes her head quickly, "It's imbedded," she explains, "and it's .. yes," she adds with a breath of laughter. "No, it doesn't come off. My pulse needs to stay at a constant rate, no more than 120. At one-twenty, the device will begin beeping. I can, of course, mute it by pressing the button. At one-forty-four, it will deliver a lethal charge to my heart. That doesn't mean certain death, of course, but it means resuscitation, but each time is damaging," she explains. She glances towards the dark figure and says, "Please, make yourself comfortable if you'd like. There's only the two doors," she adds, just passing along data. Xar'on nods, and remains silent for a moment. "Alright...this thing only set to go off with heartrate /increase/?" The cloaked figure nods, the silvery flames emproidered on the edges of the robes shimmering in whatever light is provided. However, it just stays in it's corner, waiting. "To the best of my knowledge, yes. I've seen the schematics on the model and the rewiring appears to have been thorough. It's not keyed to activate it my pulse lowers," Lynae answers after a moment of deep thought, a frown settling on her face. "Basically, it's a leash," she says with a wry smile. Xar'on grumbles obsceneties beneath his breath. "My concern with the wrist...well, manacle...is that if you try tamperin' with it, a bomb will take half yer arm off. Maybe not kill ya, but put a mean hurtin' on. Need someone with that kinda know-how to peek at it and see if there's any explosives in the damn thing." The figure's gloved hands slide from the sleeves and push back the hood to reveal a man's bald head. He doesn't seem happy about this, "Who would do this to you?" He asks. His voice is soft and milky, kind of matching the chocolatey tone of his skin. "If they are sent to meet the Flame then you may be able to avoid it's greeting for a little while longer." Lynae's immediate response is one of those slow motion blinks that indicate deep stunned thought, "Hmmm," she manages aloud as the numbers steadily climb upwards and hover around the 110's before she takes another one of those deep breaths, answering the questions in turn. "It's part of my punishment for treason. This thing is my lasting punishment instead of execution. Sometimes I think Fleming is overly clever, as I wouldn't have thought of this," she adds. "I wouldn't think that Fleming had the time to hard wire something like that but.." she clears her throat softly, "Johanna said that there was more wrong than just the device. But she couldn't pinpoint what, precisely. I mean, I know about the tissue damage, and I don't heal well as it is," she adds with a slow shake of her head. Xar'on takes a step back, and then begins pacing, grumbling as he walks. "Nice sentiment, bub, but sending these Imps "to the flame" don't take care of that thing in her chest." More pacing. "Tissue damage, I can deal with. Yer bacta problem isn't that big a deal...we'll just use kolto or kolcta. We need to have this thing on yer wrist scanned and examined by a pro...I'm guessin' the tech you've got on standby, Auditor. Doc, I'm assumin' you took some bioscans of yer wrist and torso. I'm gonna need to see those images, 2D or holo...whatever you got. Plans for what they got in there may help me, but I doubt it." Mugenjin nods, "I see...it is the Empire that holds this grip on you..." He starts to think himself. "I'm sure that this cannot just be removed and I doubt pure faith will get us through this time." He then tilts his head some, "Kolto will indeed help with the tissue damage, but the device itself is the problem." High Priest Obvious states, "I do not know...I'm sorry." "One answer at a time then," Lynae says, "Dierka-corp, Libre-Line, model twenty-two point five, to be precise. The irony is that I had the privilege of seeing a beta testing of this device before it came online and was available to the fleet at large. I was impressed by it's functionality and the low rate of tissue rejection," she remarks again in that ironic tone of voice. Her gaze shifts towards Mugenjin before she nods slowly, "As I said, this is my punishment. I've been knocked down by it three times so far. Each one is worse. However," she switches gears again slightly, "scans I do have. Both of the device and then of the cardiac cavity to pinpoint specifically. The folks at the hospital have already rigged up a good stop gap measure, it'll keep my heart from reaching that critical number, which also means I can stop hitting the ground at unexpected moments," this last is said with a faint tone of embarrassment tinged anger. Xar'on's nods curtly, and his gruff voice is all business. "Good. First, we make sure this thing doesn't blow yer arm off. And my face, since I'm gonna be foolin' with it. Here's the plan of attack: Sedation and temporary paralyzation. Then we're gonna freeze you...get yer heartrate to single digits. I don't like that this thing has already zapped you a few times. Once we get it out, some kolto or kolcta patches on dissolving patches infused with chromostring on the affected muscle tissue. If it's too far gone, we'll just replace the damaged chambers 'n valves with tech. Gonna need some time to examine yer scans. And we need that tech here to look at this thing yesterday." Mugenjin just stays quiet now, this is not talk for a priest. Lynae, like most doctors, is a lousy patient and prone to micro-managing her own health care, yet this thing forces her to surrender control of the situation and, in effect, control over a good portion of her 'universe'. She moves a few feet into the middle room and takes a seat, a contemplative expression on her face. "I wouldn't have thought of that approach. When this is all said and done, I think I'd like to spend some time discussing a few days worth of techniques and refreshing some of my skills." She rubs the back of her neck with one hand, "I'll get you those scans and all the data you need. One other thing, we.. you, that is, may have another pair of hands to help out. Before I spoke with Malif about this I'd sent word to another physician who I reasoned had the skills required. I seriously doubt - then and now - that he'd be willing to render assistance, but if he decides too, it may prove a benefit. But your plan is the best one I've heard so far. I can't get over the fact that I could do this surgery, but I can't operate on myself." Xar'on nods in response as he walks to his bag and removes a datapad. He begins to assault it with a stylus as he replies, "I don't want any assistant who isn't 100-percent concentrated on helping you. And forget the freezing...we'll use Thanatizine instead. Kolto will be hard to come by. Auditor, I need you to have the nearest CSA ship send me a supply of Thanatizine and chromostring, and start trying to get some kolto. We can study yer scans while that's happenin'". Lynae rises from the chair she'd taken a seat in and crosses the room to where she keeps the copy of the scans and hands it over to Xar'on, "These are the most recent ones," she says while doing so. "I can give you a copy of my medical history as well, which is a trifle lengthy. A few battle wounds here and there," she says with a dismissive shrug. "Nothing that should interfere with this specific 'condition' however." She sighs then, "I'm going to put on a fresh pot of caf and get some food started," and after making this general statement she moves to do just that.
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