#Bacta & Hitchhikers || Thread

[mando-of-esverr]

Bacta & Hitchhikers || Hoovedrycal

[mando-of-esverr]

Conversation & a Contract || Darius & Presence

Darius didn't know what Presence had done after she sedated him, but he most assuredly didn't appreciate the slime trails on his chest plate and neck gator. But at least there was fresh fruit on one of the nightstands for them, and the Gastropoda in his head wasn't making a puppet out of him. But he still fumed.

'The moment I get the chance, I'm not letting you back in,' he thought, scrubbing at the stickiness on his chest plate. 'I REFUSE to be a slave to a slug!'

<Hut's are slugs,> came Presence's cool reply, <large, dry, land-dwelling slugs, and they have plenty of slaves from what you've shown me.>

'But they're not in my head posing a threat to control everything I do,' Darius thought as he scrubbed.

<But they are no less masters over other people and you don't fight them.>

'I would if they tried to be masters over me.'

<Not if they owned your contract.>

Darius paused. 'That's different. A contract is a voluntary agreement entered into by two or more sentient beings. This is invasion, capture, and enslavement.'

The Gastropoda paused and he could feel it wriggle in the space between his skull and his brain. Finally, the creature spoke. <You're right. This is an invasion, capture, and enslavement. It's against everything I've been trying to work for and I did it because I didn't want them to get more hosts...>

Darius paused and turned his head slightly, listening.

He could feel the slug's mind as it heaved a mental sigh and focused on him. <I ask your forgiveness on that. I thought if I could go unnoticed, I wouldn't impact you as much as a Loyalist would. I know what they do to their hosts. I didn't want that fate for anyone else. I don't want that fate for anyone else.>

Darius rested his cleaning rag on his armor and gazed at its reflective surface. "I don't want that either," he murmured quietly. The two sat there for a moment, each mind feeling the other before Darius spoke again. "Presence... If you're serious about this... about saving people from this invasion... then we're going to need to set some ground rules, namely on the sedating and puppet mastering thing."

<Agreed,> the Gastropoda replied and paused before continuing. <Mando, I have many hosts who I use to get around and do my varius tasks. If you will help me, be one of my aids, I'll agree to a contract with you on your terms. It will be a contract of trust for both of us, and I'll abide by it and the terms we agree upon.>

Darius thought about the offer. There was a whole invasion slithering through the minds and water systems of the New Republic, and nobody knew about it but himself, the hosts who've been captured, and a young Cervid prince. Beyond them, nobody knew... not Lavinia, not Tajur, not even Tycho. If he turned away right now, how many other people would fall into the Gastropoda trap that he fell into? how many have already fallen into it? and how long would it be before everyone was a host, struggling as prisoners in their own bodies?

He couldn't turn away from it now... not when he knew there'd be consequences later. Not when he knew what it was like…

He reached over for his side bag and pulled out a datapad. Setting his chest plate aside, he balanced the datapad on his knees and began typing furiously. He felt the Gaspoda turn her attention on him, her interest tinging the back of his mind.

<A contract?> she asked curiously.

"Yes," he said quietly, trying not to wake Regulus. "If we're going to work together, the terms are going to be official and binding. If you break them, the deals off and Regulus will know and I have every right to retaliate. If I break them, the same goes for you and you have every right to retaliate as you see fit outside of making me an unwilling host. I will die before I let that happen again."

Presence considered him shrewdly as she read over the terms. Darius could feel her mental frown. <Hmmm. Not good enough. There aren't enough protections on your side to ensure my compliance. Here, these will do better.>

With that, the pair of them began a mental spar of negotiation, defining terms, and agreeing on which terms were needed and appropriate or not. It was several long hours before dawn and they finally completed the contract.

At the bottom was Darius's signature.

And beneath that was a bizarre blot almost shaped like a slug.

Darius saved and encrypted the file before saving it to be uploaded to his company personnel classified files. This was not something he wanted public, and he knew that the moment Tajur read it, he would turn his bucket into a bell before the young man could blink.

"Well, it's done," he said with a sigh. "Let's hope it sticks."

[mando-of-esverr]

Darius blinked. "Pools?" he asked. "What pools?" He'd only been through the hospital once, been in a room where he did the helmet thing, and woke up standing with Regulus somewhere in town. He'd been asleep the whole time and now he was struggling piecing together everything he was missing.

As far as the Mando knew, there was an invasion happening, he knew these slugs were involved. He knew this "Visser One" was the only slug to take a Cervid which meant it was a shapeshifter. Oh, he was going to need a heavy briefing after this. One he hoped would fill in all the blanks he wasn't connecting.

Even as Regulus grinned, the Mando couldn't help but frown. "Hang on, I thought the whole 'Visser One is coming' thing was a ruse to scare the slugs so you could try and free some hosts you found?" he said tilting his head. "Do you think he'll actually be coming?"

Darius felt his stomach clench. "I think we both need to talk to Presence and get this all sorted out."

He looked over at the helmet and sighed reluctantly. "I don't want that thing in my head. But... I know it's the only way you'll be able to talk to her until she figures out how to morph."

Regulus just sits. He was thinking that he told everything he knew. The invasion, Visser one, and well why he was here. “ I think I told you everything I know unless I am missing something.” He says. Regulus shrugged. He got up and he just looked into the mirror. His reflection. No. This human reflection. His face was his face now. He wondered how’s that human doing.

Probably he might have forgotten that entire encounter. He grabbed a comb and fixed himself. “ Visser One, the only slug to take over a Cervid. Then..” He tried to think. Ah! He forgot! Reg suddenly forgot. The pools! If there’s a way to destroy the pool before the Visser arrives, then this planet might be free. His eyes widen into that of hope.

A smile escaped the royal. “ If we can destroy the pool that is in this planet, we might be able to help the hosts!” Reg grins. He learn how to grin! However Presence was his priority too. “ I need to talk to her though.”

[mando-of-esverr]

Darius stopped and looked up at Regulus, staring at him hard through his helmet. He took a deep breath and pressed his gloved hands together in front of his helmet. This was clearly not good news.

"So you're telling me," he said very slowly, "that should presence choose to, she could morph me at any time while she's in my head?"

He shifted on his bed, his breastplate almost falling off of his lap. He caught it with a grunt and placed it back on the chest of his flight suit. Darius wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, he himself didn't want to morph because that would interfere with his religious obligations, namely to the Watch's creed and his good standing with them. Sure, he wasn't part of the watch anymore, but old habits died hard.

Darius breathed deeply and looked up at Regulus. "Alright, presuming Presence will want to morph eventually... what are the limitations and what, uh, can I expect from it?"

This   was  new  for  him.   Reg  wished  he  had  the  answer  to  everything  ,  but  he  was  no  god  .   He  didn’t  know.  Regulus  blinked  and  he  probably  could  help  presence  with  her  morphing  powers,  though  was  it  a  good  idea?  She  was  a  parasite  and  now  she  has  his  people’s  power  that  was  clearly  not  meant  to  be  shared  with  everyone. 

The   dark  haired  prince  bites  his  lip.  “  This  is  a  tough  one,  I  don’t  know..  I  am  pretty  sure  once  she’s  in  your  head  she  can  morph  using  your  body,  but  you  don’t  get  to  control  your  morphs.”  He  says.  The  dark  haired  royal  sighs.  He  wasn’t  a  genius  when  it  comes  to  this.  He  only  knows  the  basics.  The rules still apply.

No staying in morph for more than twenty four hours.

[mando-of-esverr]

The room was comfortable with two plush beds, two side tables, and a Kandrona Helmet for Darius. The Mandalorian host sighed, unslung the packs from his shoulder, and set them on the side tables as he sat down on the bed not taken by Regulus. He watched Regulus until the young shape-shifter fell asleep before gently reaching over and grabbing the bag with the cube.

Darius's dreary mind perked up with alarm his focus honing in on the cube. It was in his hands. Presence had taken the cube. Was she going to use it? Steal it? Had that whole story about the Gaspoda peace movement just been a ploy?

'No. No, don't do it, don't you do it,' he thought, feeling his gloved fingers caress the cube through the bag.

<You have no idea what this is or what it means for one of my kind to have it...>

Gently, his thumb pushed the cloth away as he gazed at the glowing, blue cube. Dread curled in his stomach.

'No, don't do it. Don't make me take morphs. Do you have any idea what a parasite could do with a morph-capable Mandalorian!?'

<I do,> the slug replied, <and I'm not willing to GIVE them that power.>

Darius felt a wave of disorienting dizziness, the relaxing of his muscles, the sleepiness of this Gastropoda's natural sedative. The parasite laid him back against the bed, the cube and its bag still held in his hands. The last thing Darius remembered was a sensation of discomfort in his ear and something wet slithering down his neck.

Presence slid and crawled from her host's ear, down his chest plate, and over to the fabled Morphing Cube. Everything was dark and silent, nothing but the slow rise and fall of her slumbering host's chest and the soft hum and warmth from the cube itself. Presence's body stretched and contracted, almost like a pearly inch worm. She was grateful for being born a Somnus Gastropoda, one who could sedate their hosts for easier management, otherwise this wouldn't work. The small slug worked her way down carefully until she was right up against the bag holding the humming device. She could feel its vibrations on her skin and couldn't help a small click and soft pop of excitement. Crawling over the lip of the bag, Presence stretched herself as far as she could until she touched it! Its surface was smooth and warm beneath her touch and the contact made her moist skin tingle! Her tiny body rippled with energy and she withdrew again, her skin becoming bumpy as the Gastropoda equivalent of goosebumps ran down her body. Did it work? had it worked? How would she know? how could she tell? She wriggled in place for a moment before turning back. Regardless, she needed to get back into her host. The last thing she needed was to become morph-capable and then dry out on the armor of her host! Quickly, or as quickly as a two-inch-long, pearly-striped slug could move, she backtracked up along her slime trail and slithered back into her host's ear. She paused for a moment. What if... Darius's breathing slowed as his body became more relaxed before the parasite was back in place, safely secured in his head with his brain...

The next morning, the Cube was back where Regulus had put it and the Mandalorian host was polishing his chest plate. He was quiet, pensive, thinking about all that had happened the previous day.

It was getting late. He decided to just morph one last tired time into his human shape. He grabbed some sleeping clothes and he wore it. “ You know from what I heard you people are blind without a host, and.. maybe what if I..” He thought for a minute. Regulus was wearing comfortable sleeping clothes and he was used to having these clothes on him.

He understood what clothing was. Fur counts as clothing. “ Are you sure you don’t want to Morph? It will save your life and probably give you the eyesight of better animals than .. humans.” Regulus sits on the bed and he just puts his bag down on the bed. The cube still hums. He was too tired to talk.

Maybe he can sleep? He pulled the sheets over his body and he lays down on the bed. The young prince was far from home. He was already falling asleep.

[mando-of-esverr]

The Mandalorian host clicked a button in his helmet, keying a private comm channel within the hospital. He muttered a few instructions and provided some explanation in another language. He gave a nod as he received the other end's acknowledgment and looked over at Regulus.

"I've informed my staff of what's going on," Presence said, her tones still ringing low in Darius's voice. "You and Darius will have a room in the west wing of the facility. It'll be small but not uncomfortable until we get a better room for you two."

The host began his march forward, still glancing back at Regulus. "Regulus," the parasite said quietly, "What do you know about the Gastropoda Peace Movement?"

Regulus sighs. There he goes again. He can already tell by this point , that it’s going to be a long day. < Fine I will go with you.> He said. Regulus decided to follow. He really didn’t have the energy to morph until he can rest. These people already knew what he was. He honestly just wants to sleep.

He will whine, like a little child. He already promised that he will not wander off again. < I promise to not wander off again and cause a scene, but I bet they know what I am already so, I am not going to just lash out. I promise.> Regulus whined. His tail was relaxed his face did look tired. His hooves were noisy too as he walked slowly. Where would the New Republic be based on though? He didn’t want to wander off and cause another scene.

Regulus still held on to his bag tightly. Should he reveal that making a morphing cube isn’t.. difficult, as another species sorta did it too. Regulus decided to just keep to himself. < Just let me know if I can help or anything..>

[mando-of-esverr]

Presence folded her host's arms, considering the Prince carefully, watching him as he spoke.

"Well, whatever you must do, I have the facilities to do," she said with Darius's voice. "However, I'm still interested in that cube of yours. Morphing is no small thing. Though I have no doubt your people will want to find you as soon as they can. Such a thing in the hands of the Gaspodas Empire will do your kind no favors. But for us, its enemies, it will be a great boon."

She then watched with near bewilderment as the human-shaped Cervid approached a native raptor, and touched it. The parasite stared in quiet amazement as Regulus acquired it, the bird staying as still as possible, entranced, before flying away as he finished.

Presence almost replied 'I am the commander,' when a wave of awareness washed over the host.

Darius blinked and went to shake his head but it didn't move. His body shifted as if in belated response yet not at his command. Not only that, but he wasn't in the room anymore... he wasn't where he was supposed to be. He was outside. He was standing outside with Regulus with some kind of bird flying away. 'Regulus?' he tried to ask, his voice only sounding in his own mind. 'Regulus? What's happening? Where are we? Why can't I move?' Panic welled up in his chest as he head moved to look at Regulus without his order.

"Your friend is awake," he heard himself say. "I hoped to keep this from happening but plans of mice and men..."

He felt himself turn and beckon Regulus to follow. "C'mon, he's going to need as much of an explanation as you do. So let's get back inside and I'll explain everything."

🪐 | With that Regulus decided to put the cube away. Yes that was him trying to sound like a Visser , but it ended up backfiring. He frowned. He felt guilty in doing that. He noticed , did Darius’ parasite like that?

Now standing with his arms crossed , what’s next on the agenda? Clearly he still needed to make his report. “ So what’s next? I am here with you until my people find where I am and probably take me home.” Regulus crossed his arms and he just shrugged. He looked around and he saw a bird. It was perching on a rock. This bird was strange , it was a medium sized creature with sharp claws and sharp beak.

Regulus walked up to it. He then reached out and once again pets the bird on his soft feathery stomach. The birds begins to just move in a trance. “ Sorry, i just.. I just had to do it again incase..” he moved his hand away and the bird flew away as if nothing happened. He didn’t want to give the power to his friend if he didnt want it. Regulus shrugged. “ We need to report this to your commander or something.”

[mando-of-esverr]

Presence nodded her host’s head as she listened intently to the young prince. ‘Ah, that’s where he heard it. He must have been near the Guest Pool where the Visser’s operatives were,’ the parasite thought, putting the pieces together.

“I see,” the host hummed, “two of my staff down there claimed to have heard the Visser’s thought-speech down there, throwing them into a panic. That was you, though, wasn’t it? Trying to disrupt them to get at our pool?”

A smile broke across her host’s face as Presence pieced together what happened. “They thought it was the Visser arriving unexpectedly but then they saw you and knew we’d been infiltrated.” The Mandalorian host chuckled and shook his head. “If that’s the case, then no, Visser One isn’t coming. He’s too busy claiming victory over a planet seven star systems over.”

Presence paused and gazed at the prince, her host’s eyes fixed on the cube in his bag. She considered all that she had been through and could be put through.

“Prince Regulus,” she murmured, keeping her host’s voice low. “If you are willing, I, commander of this small rebellion, would accept your gift. To morph, to shape shift, to have this gift to help stem the tide of the Expansionists... My group and I would be willing allies of you and yours if you would give us this gift, if only a few of us."

The parasite paused and rested her host's hands on his belt. "Not my host though. He is strong in his own right, a dangerous and formidable warrior. If he were given this power, it would make him too tempting a target and too valuable a host if he or you were to fall into enemy hands. He is mighty already, he doesn't need to be a mighty morphing Mandalorian."

Regulus  flinched.  These  human  nerves  were  still  new.  He  fixed  his  long  hair.  He  bites  his  lip.  Did  this  slug  have  no  loyalty  to  Visser  One?  Then  she  was  telling  the  truth.  Regulus  then  went  through  his  thoughts.  He  remembered  the  words  until  he  got  angry.  He  sighs.  "  The  Mind  Controllers  said  he  was  on  Serona  One."  He  says.  He  was  unfamiliar  with  that  planet.  His  mind  begins  to  run  through. 

What  would  be  the  Visser  be  doing  there  unless.  He  thought  for  a  minute.  This  was  going  to  be  alot  harder  than  he  thought.  This  is  not  just  getting  rid  of  the  Pool,  but  stopping  this  infestation.  Regulus  bites  the  inside  of  his  cheek.  Where  is  Serona  One?  This  has  gotten  alot  more  confusing.  "  Like  I  said,  Visser  One  has  a  Cervid  as  his  host,  he  is  a  lot  more  dark  gold  than  I  ,  I  had  seen  his  pictures  at  school."  

Orion,  the  host  body  was  a  respecful  General,  of  the  Cervid  military.   " He can morph for the Moon's sake.." Speaking of, Regulus showed his friend the Morphing Cube.

[mando-of-esverr]

The Mandalorian visibly stiffened at the mention of Visser One. The very name made the rebel parasite freeze. She refused to show her fear and the armor helped, but she couldn't help how her host's breath caught and how tightly she clenched his jaw. If there was one being in the entire universe that could make her kneel in fear, it would be Visser One. But that was why she fought.. because she HATED being on her knees, even metaphorically...

The host swallowed as the parasite folded his arms as she tried to regain her composure. "I didn't know that's what you called him," the Mando said in a low voice. "But I know of Visser One... The terror of the Ga'podas Empire. If he came, even I couldn't disobey him... not with what he could do."

The Mando swallowed again and looked at Regulus. "Where did you hear that he was coming? I know that we have two of his agents resting and refreshing themselves in one of our pools before they move on to more important missions, a service we must provide to maintain our cover. Where did you hear he was coming?"

Regulus was stunned. Did she not know who the Abomination is? Surely she must know! His eyes go wide. Even without a mouth, he was shocked. < Wait, you don’t know who the Abomination is? I guess I forgot to tell you one last revelation about that.> The golden fur was not fit for the desert weather. He felt warm. < Don’t you know who your Leader is? Visser One.> He says. Regulus felt chills even if he was feeling warm.

Regulus stopped and he morphs quicky into his human shape. He didn’t want to be burning into his fur. His human shape was covered with a tight layer of clothes. He ruffled his human hair. He was used to being in this body too. “ The host body of Visser One , is Orion Artctus. The only Gastropada to infect a Cervid..” Regulus said once he got his human mouth. He hates talking about it. Which means.

Oh no. Regulus’ eyes widend and his tan skin seemed to to pale. “ He can morph as well and he has been using a lot of dangerous creatures to scare and even kill hosts..” Regulus said. He flinched and just looked at his new friend. Were they friends? He wasn’t sure. He must be a better morpher than he is. Regulus whined. “ I only have two..” He mumbled.

[mando-of-esverr]

Deserts were cold when their suns went down and this planet was no different. However, Presence wasn't going to force the Cervid into anything or anywhere - that would defeat the purpose of this exercise, of this display of restraint. Even with him not being her host, she was powerful enough to determine such things. That was the position of her authority.

The commander tilted her host's head quizzically. <Abomination?> she asked, <Which of us do you assign that title? I would think all of us Gastropodas would fall under that category for Cervids.>

Presence frowned at his question though and tucked the chin of the host's helmet to his chest plate. <No. This world his heavily monitored by our Expansionist government. Contact to the Cervid homeworld will draw unwanted attention and reveal me and everyone here as traitors to the cause. We would be killed, host and handler alike. Purged and replaced by loyalists.>

She paused and looked at Regulus. <Huh, you probably didn't know there were traitors to the cause, did you? Defectors looking for a way for peace?>

Regulus then just nods. It was getting dark, and he didn’t like it. He was shivering, cold. The young prince, the young royal was out here alone, with a stranger whom he seen as both an ally and enemy. Now he’s going to share what he learnt from the pool. < The abomination. I heard him being mentioned, I.. I didn’t understand the rest. All I know he’s bringing more Gastropadas here, he’s going to infect everyone.> Regulus still hated it.

He needed to contact his home for this! He needed to. His voice was filled with horror and anger. Once again it boiled deep into his head. What more can they want? If he needs to fight then.. he stood up and he wondered.. < Can I contact my homeworld? Maybe they can help?> Regulus asked. He really was like a young child. No.

[mando-of-esverr]

The host watched over the Cervid, waiting until he was finished crying. The parasite had never seen a Cervid cry before. It was new to her... and he sounded so young as he asked to speak to Darius... Why was he so young? Why was this Cervid lump-hoofer so good at pulling at heartstrings? And were they even her heartstrings being pulled?

<He's asleep,> she answered quietly. <If he were awake, you'd already be talking with him.>

It was true. If Darius were awake, she would be letting him handle the prince while she got more rest and rejuvenation. Still, she stood tall and watched as the Cervid prince approached.

As he spoke, the Mandalorian host gave a small nod. <Tell me,> the parasite replied. <Tell me and I may be able to give context.>

She hoped she could. Many things were going on in that medical facility of hers. But this young prince had agreed to help her cause, and it was only fair that he knew what cause he was throwing his lot in. But once again, she would let him go first.

Regulus headed outside. He headed behind the building , and he did know that Darius was following him. His stalk eyes can see well. He sits down on the floor and he cried. Well he couldn’t make sounds but tears were falling from his main eyes and he snorts. Regulus then noticed his friend. He spoke to him. < Can.. can I talk to your host? I.. I need his advice.> Regulus asked.

He was so confused on what to do. Then again he had to report what he heard before that big mess up. He stood up and he just sniffled. Then he stopped sniffling. He didn’t want to be upset anymore. His heart was full of hate but now he doesn’t know. < I will help you, but I will have to say what I heard..> Regulus still held on to his bag. His cube was in here.

[mando-of-esverr]

Presence didn't know how to answer the Cervid, but through Darius's eyes, she could see the Prince's conflict, his guilt, the tears beading in his eyes and falling down his cheeks. There was so much hate but so much guilt. Was that why he hated them so much? Or was his hate why his guilt was so strong?

She was ready for him to fight, to lash out, to try and stomp them necessitating a stun bolt. She wouldn't have any excuse not to make him a host then... No excuse to let him go after his confrontation. But he didn't fight. Instead... he apologized... and turned to leave.

Presence lifted Darius's hand, signaling her agents to hold their fire and let the Cervid pass. She knew he had no way of leaving the town safely, let alone the planet. He was trapped here with them and would have to make the best of it. But she knew Darius was a soft-hearted man. Even with him sedated, she could still feel his instincts pulling at her to go after him, to comfort him, to reassure him that what he was doing was right.

The Mandalorian host sighed and, after waiting a few moments, marched after the prince. Keeping a fair distance between them, Presence followed Regulus, keeping an eye on him and warding off any who might go after him or the Cube. She didn't approach him though. She respected the distance, letting him find a place to cry it out and standing watch until he was ready to talk.

Regulus was shaking. How can trust this parasite in what she was saying? He can’t! Regulus felt his body shaking, everything felt so painful. Maybe he was just thinking too much about this. He was told these parasites were evil! They’re reason for this whole mess. No.. it was his peoples fault. < How can — I help ? It’s my fault! My people’s fault. We are the reason why you are loose in the galaxy!> Regulus said.

He was sniffling underneath his own tears. They are falling down his face. His hearts thumped in his chest. Why should he stop? His hate was still covered in waves. Regulus clenched his fists. He looked up and he just saw the others with their weapons. < We are the reason why this whole …> Then he stopped. He knew this whole rant won’t help anyone. Eventually Regulus stopped talking and just nod.

His fur was blowing in the wind. < I am sorry , I am sorry for causing you so much trouble. I’ll leave you alone now.> Regulus turned away and he headed outside. He didn’t care if people saw him. He just needed time on his own. He just wanted to cry it out. Not here.

[mando-of-esverr]

The Mandalorian host didn't flinch as the Cervid towered in front of him. Instead, it looked up at Regulus, his eyes reflected in his friend's visor. She hated this Cervid as much as he hated her, for different reasons of course, but she had more important things to worry about than a grudge, than a personal indignation over the wrongs the higher ranks of Gastropodas had inflicted on weaker, lesser ranks like hers. She had to think of them first...

"I know," Presence responded in a low, calm tone. "I know you hate us and this place. But if you keep going, you are going to ruin an effort that could save billions of lives, and I don't mean Gastropodas."

Others were coming, all of them armed and armored in their security gear. The Mandalorian host looked at them, raising a hand for them to lower their blasters as Presence talked to the Cervid. "You can help us, Regulus. You can help us infiltrate and stop the Expansion. You can help your friend expose the Expansion. We won't hurt either of you but you have to stop. We can't afford you revealing us while we're so few in number."

Regulus wanted to destroy this pool. He wanted to destory the vermin. He stopped running and he decided to just respond. < I want to destroy this place of horrors.> Regulus said to Darius and to the parasite in his ear. < I hate this place!> He practically screams. Regulus stopped running and he knew these people will kill him. He calmed down. He was angry, but he needed to calm down. Everything in here is making him angry.

The slugs, the way the people are behaving here, screaming. Regulus did not care if people saw him. The Cervid's face , even if he did not have all of his eyes were furrowed. The young prince knew he needed to escape, but he cannot. He was stunned, angry. Regulus continued to run, he wanted to destroy this pool, staring down at it with the disgusting slugs inside.

Regulus saw Darius and he walked up to him. His eyes were filled with anger, but also.. he was shaking. Darius' parasite calling him a stupid child, was right. Cervids can cry. His main eyes were swelling up in tears. < I hate.. this place.> His hearts thump. < and i hate you ! >

[mando-of-esverr]

Two of the group of staff whirled around around, panic in their eyes. They spoke quickly in a strange language, one they had developed amongst themselves. "Was that the Visser?" one asked frantically. "Can't be!" the other replied, "He's on Serona-1! He can't be here now!"

Then they heard the clopping - the familiar, unmistakable clopping of Cervid hooves.

"CERVID!" one of the men bellowed and dashed to a panel. He opened it and slammed a red button inside it. Alarms rang out and exist began to close as the facility's lockdown procedure commenced.

But even with the noise, Darius didn't stir. He didn't even hear the frantic thought-voice calling to him from below.

Another mind did though and she reached out furiously to the Cervid.

<No! I told you not to cause alarm!> It was the parasite, the Presence Darius had felt absently in his mind, the one who'd allowed Darius to hear Regulus when he first confronted them. <I told you not to transform lest you cause a panic! NOW EVERYONE IS PANICKING! Gah! You could have been in and out of here without them even knowing! You stupid child!> The slug's mind raced. It was too soon to go back yet, she hadn't absorbed enough rays and nutrients to be fully recovered! But she couldn't let this young Cervid ruin her facility - not when she'd finally managed to get her infiltrators settled!

With a frustrated burble, the pearly gray Gastropoda swam through the nutritious liquid, abandoning her much-needed refreshment to retake her host. Fortunately, he was right where she left him, and still deep in the throes of her dreamless sedatives.

Taking off the helmet, the parasite replaced it with her host's helmet and hurried out of the cubical. She didn't bother to call to the Cervid mentally. Instead, she tuned into her colleague's comms for directions and ran to head off the Cervid.

"Regulus!" she shouted with Darius's voice. "Regulus, where are you!?"

Regulus begins to just hear it. Something in him stirs. Anger. The Abomination? He then decided to risk it. He didn’t care at this point. He wanted these hosts free. Regulus concentrates and he shifts back to his regular Alien form. His hooves made noises. His tail was ready for a fight. Then begins to walk. His golden fur wasn’t really the best camouflage but he didn’t really care. He decided to try and lower his voice when he spoke. He knew what the Visser sounded like.

A low deep menacing thought speak. He can try. He looked at the two staff members and his stalk eyes were indeed staring at them. He was a young Cervid. His fur was softer than older ones. < Fools!> Regulus screamed in the two staff member’s head. He was still being hidden . < What do you think you’re doing ? > How long can he keep this up? The parasites aren’t stupid. Then he stopped.

Where was his friend ? He needed to get out of here. He needed to run. Regulus decided to gallop. Gallop as fast as he can. Where was he? Where was that human and his parasite mind? Then he screamed to Darius. < We need to get out of here! Now!>

[mando-of-esverr]

Darius glanced over, the anxiety evident on Regulus's face. "Just stay by me and you'll be fine," he said confidently and strode toward a hallway to the main lobby. A man in white with red trimmed seams stepped in front of him and held up a hand.

"I'm sorry sir, you can only enter the main hospital if your vaccination is current," he said apologetically.

The Mandalorian gave a beleaguered sigh. Vaccinations again. He was beginning to hate that word. "Considering you need it to come to this planet and I'm delivering bacta? Yes, my vaccination is current."

The man nodded and gave another apologetic smile. "Alright, and how long has it been since you've reapplied your vaccine?"

Darius paused and tilted his head down in thought. "It's... been four days. I was going to reapply it tonight after delivering the Bacta."

The man frowned and gave Darius a look. "That's cutting it a little close, isn't it?" he asked reprovingly. "We have reapplication equipment. You can do it here while you wait for the bacta to filter through."

Darius tensed. "I'd rather do it in the privacy of my own home," he said firmly. "I don't like the idea of someone taking potshots at me while my armor's off."

"I understand, sir. But we do have private rooms for that sort of thing if you prefer," he suggested mildly. "After all, the bacta is going to take a while, and this is the safest building in town. All that said, I don't think you'd want to risk your vaccination expiring because you returned home too late."

Darius was considering holding his ground stubbornly with the man, when felt a sensation wash over him, exhaustion and no small amount of dizziness; the vaccine wearing off? He swayed for a moment, but held up a hand as the hospital worker moved to help him.

"Don't worry about it," he said sternly and looked to his side. "Reg, what about--" But Regulus was gone. The Mandalorian took a deep, deep breath and let it out with a frustrated sigh. "He had one thing to do," he muttered and looked back at the man. "I'll have to put that vaccine refresher on hold. My charge is missing and I'm not about to let him wander around this hospital on his own."

The man nodded and stepped forward. "I'll alert the rest of the staff. I'm sure they'll be able to find him. But you need to reapply your vaccine before it expires. Let's get you set up and we'll find your friend."

Darius moved to object but another wave of dizziness and exhaustion washed over him. He wavered and reached out to the man to steady himself. The Mando grit his teeth. "Tch. Fine. He's a young man, tan skin, dark hair, a little under my height. Hospitals make him nervous so he's flighty. Approach with care, but if anything happens to him..." he turned his dark visor to the staff man. "You'll have me to answer too."

"Of course," the man said with a nod, a hint of apprehension in his features. "Right this way." With that, he led the Mandalorian to one of the private chambers for reapplication. It was a small room, hardly the size of a cubical, with walls that lit up with soothing patterns. At the back of it was a comfortable seat with a familiar helmet. Unlike the other applicator helmet, this one was connected to a hose in the wall.

'Curious...' Darius thought. Still, he entered, thanked the man, and locked the door behind him. With a soft sigh, he took off his helmet, sat in the chair, and put on the ear-washer. Unbeknownst to him, a creature in his head secreted a sedating ooze, calming his brain and even putting him into a doze. Soon he was out like a light, sleeping dreamlessly as a pearly gray something slithered out through the helmet and through the tube of cerulean liquid...

---

Meanwhile, the halls Regulus walked were long and eerily quiet. Men and women walked with purpose down each corridor, talking with each other and holding medical datapads. But their presence and conversation couldn't mute the soft bubbling drifting through the halls. A door was open, leading to a flight of stairs and a chamber hidden one level down, just beneath the bacta loading dock.

Inside was a broad, covered cylinder whose contents seemed bubbling pleasantly. Small, vertical windows on its side illuminated murky liquid with small, shapes gliding inside. A pool... Several people were inside as well, five medical staff and two others. The two others struggling, trying to convince the five to let them go, that something terrible was happening!

"We know," the medical staff said soothingly, "we know, it's alright. You were infected with one of the pandemic parasites. You're safe now."

"No, no you don't understand, they're not mindless! They're sentient! They're out to take over the whole galaxy! It's not what you think!!!" The two men were jabbering on, panicked, desperate for the hospital staff to believe them! They gave startled yelps as a pair of the staff gave them quick injections to sedate them to keep them from hurting themselves. The two men sank to the ground, still mumbling through their sedated state.

The staff sighed and shook their heads at the two men. "We can't let them out like this," one of the staff men sighed. "They'll tell the whole Republic and then we'll be outed before we have a chance to stop them."

Another man shook his head. "I hate that we have to do this to them, but the Visser will notice if 2113 and 578 go missing. We have to play along until we can break away." They all nod in agreement and pause as a commlink blinks on one of the other's shoulders. He turns it on and listens, replying in an odd language before looking to the others with a grin. "The commander is back! And with a Mandalorian!"

The staff whistle, impressed. "Too bad about her last host though. She could've done some real good in the New Republic if her host hadn't been killed by that Imp assassin."

The first staff member laughed. "Yeah, I'd like to see them try that with her new host. But she also has a tag-along. One she doesn't want hurt but who wandered off. We'd better find him before any real problems show up."

This was going to be fun. Reg felt dread though. He was going into a place where.. there might be a pool. A pool of parasites and hosts being held in a cage. He remembered seeing those images in books while back in the palace. He.. didn’t like it. Regulus felt his human stomach hurt. It felt horrible.

“ Oh, this is going to be .. interesting, this is going to be so bad.” Regulus muttered underneath his breath. His morphing cube was still on his bag. Regulus blinked. “ I have been in this body for two hours, so four hours makes it six hours in total.” He mumbled He usually would keep track but he had many things in his head. So many things that might go wrong.

He hates it. His stomach hurts so bad. He headed inside and he continued to look around. Then he flinched. He heard them. Oh boy. Regulus continued to wander off. He knew he shouldn’t have but he just couldn’t ignore it. Regulus saw something there. Bubbling.

[mando-of-esverr]

The Mandalorian turned and stared at Regulus. "Acquired?" he asked quietly, not wanting to be overheard. "You mean you acquired that form just by touching it?" He pointed at the reptile basking in the sun, his brain still coming to grips with what he'd just seen.

Shapeshifting by touch. The ability to change into something or someone by simply touching it. The prospect sent a chill through Darius. What else transferred over? Was it just shape? Or did memories and skills transfer over with the form itself?

Darius gripped the strap of his blaster rifle, his mind racing at the implications. If Regulus were anyone else, he'd be one of the most dangerous kinds of people in the known Galaxy. Crime lords would pay exorbitant prices for an agent like that. And not just them, crime families, pirate gangs, political factions, Imperial Remanants... Regulus was young, definitely young, just getting into adulthood by the looks of it, but if he was GRABBED by anyone else, if his Cube fell into the wrong hands... There'd be no telling what damage could be done to the still shakey New Republic.

'Looks like I'm in for another unpaid job,' Darius thought and leaned over to Regulus.

"Alright, I'm going to give you a job, Regulus," he said carefully. "As Asset Protection, it's my job to make sure everything gets where it's going safely. So, first, you're gonna stay close to me. No wandering off and keep the cube between you and me. If anything tries to grab it, I can put it down before it can blink. People don't steal from Mandalorians and get away with it."

He wanted to say 'live to tell about it' but he didn't want scare Regulus more than he already was.

"Second," he continued, pointing to the hospital warehouse, "the Bacta's being loaded into the warehouse to be filtered for parasites. That'll take about four hours to get all the tanks filtered through. We'll be heading inside to make sure it's done properly so I need you to keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you see anything suspicious."

He paused and watched the workers as they led the tanks out on repulser lifts into the facility. Unease filled him and forced himself to loosen his grip on his rifle strap. "You know more about these parasites than I do. So if you see any, I need to know about it."

The reptile was liking the touch from the Cervid, then Regulus removed his hand gently, and the reptile acted like it never happened. He then puts his hand back in his pocket. He whispered in his friend's ear. " Acquire something small, incase it is useful. This creature seems nice for stealth. " Regulus whispers . He then decided to walk alongside his friend. His bag , the morphing cube is still secure. Then he walked alongside his friend. " I thought of incase sneaking into something incase.."

The Cervid prince just fiddling his fingers. He has not been anything else other than a human for he enjoyed quite it. Dare say it enjoy being a human THAN his regular body. Regulus just decided to fiddle his fingers. What is his task here again? To warn the higher ups, if its not too late. He cannot forget. Regulus just held the bag tightly. " I am so afraid my bag might get snatched.."