Quintessence

[Tionne Thanewulf]

A decrepit sigh left Tionne's mouth as she watched yet another sunset dome over the jagged rooftops of Coruscant. Her grass colored irises were set to gaze somewhere in the distance, over the horizon where first stars emerged onto the velvet canvas of the darknening sky, as she got lost in her own maze of thoughts; neverending and intertwined into a marvelous web of logic and cognition. She crossed arms over her chest, the fabric of her white labsuit creasing around her features, enveloping her like a sterile gauze covers an open wound. The androgenity of her outfit was the hallmark of her appearance, as she cared little about attire as such, programmed to ignore the carnal right down into her genome. Nevertheless, she was as human as humans could be.

''If only he was here... He would know what I am doing wrong.'' the woman uttered lowly, shifting her eyes to her table where an electronic microscoped towered over the rest of apparatus. In a series of soft steps, she resumed her seat on, making herself comfortable on the stool and leaned over, setting her eyes on the eyepieces of the complex machine.
Her left hand searched for a nearby pippete filled with green liquid, its contents soon administered onto the watchglass, the change monitored with great interest and care.

''But he is gone. From a statistical point of view, there is a great chance he is dead. Nobody walks away from the Imperial Lab, at least not with their head still attached to their bodies....'' the scientist mused for a moment, as she waited for desired structural changes in cells to occur. Genetics as a branch of biology required patience, but this was something the redhead had in abundance. To her, time was not of the essence, but to others...

[Sanya Tagge]

There were perks to being Minister of Truth. Along with the satisfaction of delivering high-quality news and public relations on behalf of the Empress – and receiving, as thanks, gratitude both sentimental and economical – there was the feeling of omniscience. To say that Sanya Tagge knew everything that was happening within the Galactic Empire would have been arrogant and absurd, but within her own sphere of influence she was working steadily towards a wider awareness and understanding.

It was in through this endeavor to educate herself more fully that she had become aware of an individual whose scientific practices had attracted the attention of the Empire. The field of genetics was one which whilst not specifically relevant to the Minister of Truth's post, it was nonetheless a personal curiosity for Sanya. Regretably, her time was not so freely available that she could justify indulging in too many personal curiosities – especially not since she had earned the ire of both her Empress and the Inquisitoriate (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19023) – but what she lacked in this regard she made up for by having command of an entire department of workers whose sole job it was to obey her word as Imperial law.

Thus, an apprentice artisan - one of the lower-ranking employees of the Ministry - had been dispatched to the laboratory of Tionne Thanewulf. The journey from Tower Aletheia, headquarters of the Ministry, took roughly an hour and when the artisan arrived at the co-ordinates he had been given he gave a firm, authoritative knock on the door.

[Tionne Thanewulf]

Green eyes narrowed slightly, observing the cells as they morphed under the influence of chemicals, nuclei changing hues as their molecular structure changed. Repetition was the mother of all knowledge, the success of an experiment often depending on luck rather than on scientific expertise solely.
Tionne pressed her lips in dissatisfaction, the result not being quite what she had hoped for, but progression was evident. Adding another dab of the green fluid to the watchglass, the redhead let one hand float away to the top of her head, nails digging into the bundle of copper locks to scratch the vertex.

''Mmmmh....'' she mumbled loudly, adjusting the magnification of the microscope, her face disclosed mild puzzlement. Every day in her life was yet another step in the methodical oddysey that would hopefully bear fruit in the near future. Midichlorians were, by their definition and nature, a secret that yet remained to be unraveled.

Systematic and undistractable as she was, the scientist did not even turn to see who had knocked on her door, but merely extended her hand backwards, motioning the person or persons to come in.

[Sanya Tagge]

Through the glass paneling of the door, he saw that she appeared to be beckoning him in. Hesitating for only a moment, he entered. The air had a sterile taste to it; it made his nose wrinkle. Clearing his throat, the apprentice took another step forwards, aware that he seemed to be interrupting something.

“Madame... Thanewulf?”

Her eye was fixed to the lens of a telescope. The wave to enter had been the only acknowledging gesture she had given.

“My name is Sarith Bardak... I'm here on behalf of Minister Sanya Tagge.”