The Clone Wars [Hebi]

[Morishige]

"Please see her in."

As usual, the boss man himself was in his office of monitors, an array of keyboards and other devices near him should he have need for each. It was his job to remain informed about Titan's current missions and make decisions based on their status. But today, there was another meeting. A most intriguing one in fact. A puppet maker by the name of Hebi was coming to meet him, over a possible partnership between the companies.

However, he was at a disadvantage. Based on the reports of his employees, she wasn't like a regular person. She seemed detached from the regular human customs and lived to the beat of her own drum. This was going to make convincing her potentially difficult. But from Hato's report, the mysterious man knew they needed some kind of deal with this woman. She appeared to make some pretty useful contraptions, and he wanted them.

She had received a letter some time ago with the date and time for her arrival. Hopefully she had made the appointment, or else she would never be let into the complex itself. But, he believed her to be punctual and professional. After all, if things worked out, she would be coming into a heft amount of financial gains.

[Location: Titan HQ Underground Complex - Please read original Titan topic if you plan to invade somehow]

 

[Ryu Hime]

The invitation told her to come with some of her best and thus she comes in a very unique fashion. A giant cobra slithers towards the black windowed building. This puppet has a chest cavity upgrade and was custom built to be puppeteered from the inside. The puppet lacked any doors so the puppeteer would need to summon the puppet around them to use it. The immense puppet wraps around the mediocre building. The snake looks into the camera and speaks. “My name is Hebi. I believe I was expected.” When the doors open to let her in, the huge cobra vanishes leaving only Hebi standing there. Hebi truly was one that lived to the beat of her own drum. She enters the building and walks up to the main desk, hoping that they would give her directions.

 

[Morishige]

Hebi would find herself in the lobby speaking with the secretary. "Welcome, right on time. Down the hall, you find find two men. They will take you to where your meeting is." she said shortly and then went back to her accounting work.

Just like the woman said, when Hebi would venture down the rabbit hole, she was be greeted by two monotonous individuals who would lead her down some stairs, sealing the entrance behind them once they were through.

She would see various people around doing general jobs, nothing to fancy at first glance. She did see the ninjutsu testing room, and a chem lab, but nothing too excitied. Of course, she was only seeing about 20% of the facility itself before they moved into a hall.

Soon enough, a door was opened for her to step inside. Within the room, sat the CEO himself.

"Thank you for coming to meet with me, I hope your trip was decent." said the mysterious man. "I prefer we get straight to business, as we are both very busy I would assume."

And with that he stood up and pushed his chair aside, beckoning her forward to his desk. On which were several blueprints along with several neatly stacked bills of cash and other sorts of bits and bobs. "I would like to propose a partnership. It is my understanding that you sell a variety of creations that would be most beneficial to the Titan corporation. We would make use of puppets on a regular basis due to certain paramilitary actions we have in Kumogakure. It would help save lives and thousands of yen in training. My man Hato has informed me of the services you provide and how they are not cheap. If this partnership were to happen, we would be happy to provide you with payments on a regular basis, as well as this gift." he said, gesturing to the pile of cash.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Throwing big piles of money might convince a lot of people to join the organization, but Hebi would find in just insulting. This is not some simple hobby or job he is trying to buy; this is her life. One’s life cannot be bought with money alone. Hebi bore a very disapproving look on her face. “I’m afraid there has been a misunderstanding. My company is not for sale. For five generations this company has been passed down from master to apprentice and I will not break that tradition. I will gladly make and sale you puppets, but the storyteller remains MY company!” There is not enough money in the world to convince her to share ownership of her company and she would rather see the company burnt to the ground than in the hands of some big corporation. He should consider himself lucky for she would have normally walked out after such a request.

 

[Morishige]

He sighed with a hand moving to his face, and a shake of his head. There was a misunderstanding indeed. "Ms. Hebi, I have no intention of taking ownership from you in the slightest. When I say partnership, I am simply referring to an agreement between our companies themselves. A mutual pact so that there is a show of trust between us both. I mean to only puchase puppets and other supplies that are necessary to operate and repair them, that is all. You need not worry about the safety of your business." he explained in a sympathetic tone. The cash was there to simply be a benefit to her directly should she chose to work with them. There were no strings attached to it at all.

 

[Ryu Hime]

He should know that a partnership in business means to share ownership of a company between two people. Hebi lets out a sigh of relief, “Why did you not say that in the first place. You should choose your words more carefully.” It was quite obvious money would not be a problem with this costumer. However she does like to know a little bit about the individuals she deals with, but this would be different. This entity was not a person, but a corporation. “So tell me what is this Titan Corporation is about. What types of puppets do you require?” Hebi specializes in creating puppets for all sorts of uses from practical to erotic. Hebi has a sneaky feeling that this Titan would want puppets for all of those uses.

 

[Morishige]

If he wasn't in a position of asking for her assistance, their may or may not have been some lecturing that would have followed her words. However he was at her mercy in that regard and so he would press forward by answering her questions with rather direct answers. After all, they were both busy people and had lives and companies to return to once the meeting was concluded. "Titan is for the advancement of humanity through technological and philosophical design. We seek to better our species through various means and directives. So naturally, we would need a variety of puppets. First, my thoughts take me to the surveillance puppets. Those tiny little contraptions that can fit into hard to reach places so that we can scout out areas of danger and intrigue. Secondly, we need your high end drone. Everyone has their default product, and Titan needs basically a small army of these, but with much better specs. And thirdly, puppets of unique natures that are needed for specific missions only. I have seen in the report Hato brought to me that you make highly feminine puppets. We could use these as a useful distraction to infiltrate enemy fortifications so we can succeed in our operations much more effectively. You wouldn't have happen to brought a brochure with the complete products list you manufacture? Just in case Hato missed anything. He is a man, and may have been distracted by your showroom."

[Hope that's cool with you?]

 

[Ryu Hime]

A complete product list; what kind of business does he thinks she is running. “I sale in quality not quantity. This is not your run of the mill puppet shop that makes dozens of identical dolls to sale. I make custom-made puppets. There is no list.” Hebi was a little afraid that this Titan might reconsider hiring her due to a lack of speed. “However I do have a puppet making friend. Like I said before, this company has been passed down from master to apprentice but I wasn’t the only apprentice. She usual does more… exotic puppets, but between the two of us we should be able to handle any of your orders. I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of inviting her here. She should arrive in the hour.” Her friend is much like Hebi and will arrive in a similar style.

 

[Morishige]

"Hmmm troubling..." he said with a short look of concern. "Hopefully the puppets will serve longer than I predict them to." See, Azuma wanted to replace his standing forces with that of basic puppets. Basically units that were controlled by his real forces elsewhere. After fighting the main battle with a bunch of mannequins, those very same operators could swoop in and clean up for a nice victory. It was a simple plan really, but there was also another reason he wanted these more unique puppets. But that was for another time...

With the announcement of a friend being invited, the CEO looked at her with concern. "As you can assume, we like our privacy and only let certain people within our facility. If you assure me she is trustworthy then I will have the front desk let her in. But we will be running specific a few checks on their background to make sure of her identity in the mean time. Satisfactory?" he asked, looking a bit concerned with the forwardness of Hebi. But he likely would have done the same thing in her situation, so he understood...sort of. He however was pleased she wasn't the only creator of these contraptions; Azuma knew the size of the army he wished to create and knew it would require much time and dedication.

 

[Ryu Hime]

“I would trust her with my life and trust me there is very few I can say that about. Her name is Tsubaki Haruna.” Hebi and Haruna had been friends since their days at the academy; however it has been a few years since they have seen each other. Haruna had gone on a mission to take out a spider demon that was plaguing the caves of Monumentum Deo. Hebi had heard rumors that there were some complications, but was aware just how much Haruno had changed. She had no idea how inhuman she looks now. Haruna was on the edge of become an abomination. The only thing holding seal back from corrupting her further are Tsuihouton Tags placed around her body; however they are only a patch job. Eventually the curse seal will over power them.

As Hebi and the CEO talked Haruna arrives at the Titan build and of course she came in an interesting fashion. Unlike Hebi that slithered on the ground Haruna flew around in the air by using a puppet craft jutsu which gave her wings. She looked like an anthromorphic lunar moth. It took her a little while to find the place; she figured the building would be bigger. Haruna speaks to the camera, "Greetings, I am Haruna of the Tsubaki clan. Is this the Titan Cooperation building?"

[MFT]

 

[Morishige]

The secretary spoke into the microphone to Haruna to find out why she was snooping around. Thankfully she was cooperative and the secretary voiced down to the room to ask Masahiro whether she should be allowed in or not. "Her name is Tsubaki Haruna? Then yes, let her in. And have an agent bring her down to join the meeting with Hebi and I." he directed and turned back to Hebi."Well I suppose we shall see won't be. First impressions can be quite important." he tacked on with a small smile. Meanwhile above the underground complex, Haruna had been let in and an agent materialized before her to lead her through the maze of hallways and stairwells. Our enigmatic CEO couldn't help but wonder what this other puppet maker might be able to contribute to the cause.

 

[Ryu Hime]

When Haruna enters the room Hebi figured in was just one of Haruna's puppets. Though she must admit it looked unusually real even for her. Being a professional puppet maker she finds it a little unnerving to not be able to tell what is real or creation. “Here's a prime example of her work, though I must admit she must have improved her designs.” Hebi could not help but notice she does not see her old friend anywhere and there is no way something with this thin figure was a person in puppet armor. “So, where is Haruna.”

The anthropomorphic moth smiles brightly at Hebi's response. “Come now I didn't change that much,” she says in a laughing matter. Obviously she wasn't being serious.

Hebi's eyes widen, “Haru? What the hell happened to you?”

“Long story. Let's just say my one mission did not quite go as planned.”

 

[Morishige]

Masahiro was a bit out of the loop as to this conversation, so naturally he cleared his throat and bowed toward Haruna. "Ms. Tsubaki. Hebi has called you here on her own initiative. I would hope that you might be able to confirm your ability to assist her in a very lucrative venture for you both. I need high quality puppets for several reasons, I'm sure you can understand. Is there anything you need to know? Hebi might be able to fill you in with some details if you are wondering on your bargaining position." he explained with a smile. The man was ready to close the deal. It was right within his grasp and these two were the last piece of the puzzle. The puzzles name: Adam.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Spoiler

“I assure you that you won’t be disappointed with my work.” She had a plan for a special machine that she created that will definitely help; a puppets that creates other puppets. However first she would like to introduce a pet of hers. A creature that she breeds that Titan might be interested in. Haruna reaches into her pocket and pulls out a spider the size of a quarter. “It’s called a Chakra Spider. It is the natural predator of the Kikai. Instead of creating threads of silk, these little guys create threads of chakra. They make quite handy puppeteers. Interested?” Haruna trains these arachnids so they can puppeteer puppets and she controls them by using the demonic chakra within her. The reason she looks the way she does is because she is cursed by a spider demon.

 

[Morishige]

The man sent an interested glance over to what Haruna held in her hand. It was tiny, but brightly colored; probably signifying that it was indeed dangerous out in the animal kingdom. She explained that it was a predator of the Kikai bug; Masahiro wasn't a ninja but he was well informed enough to know that the Kikai were feeders of chakra, a type of parasite within the Aburame family. However, as Haruna continued to speak, it was inferred by Masahiro that she trained these little buggers into actually controlling puppets with their bi-product. "That's fascinating, and you can safely influence them with what I assume to be your own thoughts? I would be very interested if that is true. And...if my agents could learn how to train and influence these tiny arachnids. Could you explain how it works?" he explained. Having expendable insects that could do your own job through puppeteering would be a great asset, but there had to be some flaws. After all, they were pretty much brainless and acted on instinct to eat. How was she able to get them to obey?

 

[Ryu Hime]

Haruna liked his ideas even though he was thinking small. Haruna had bigger plans for these spiders with the help of her younger sister. “Yes I do influence the spiders with my thoughts and I can give such powers to others. As you can clearly see I do not look human anymore. This is because I was cursed by a spider demon and her chakra corrupted my body. I can use the spider demon’s chakra to control the spiders. But that was not the only thing she did to me; she also placed a curse seal on my body and now I am slowly become an Abomination. Do you have any idea what that is?” She waited for a reply. However either way she would continue the same. “The abomination has an ability called Corrupted Regeneration which allows them to not only drain a person’s life, but also infuse a person with their life-force. I currently possess a weaker version of this technique, which will allow me to infuse a person with my life-force. This life-force should give them the demonic energies to control the chakra spiders. However I do believe there is a better use for these little creatures. I could infuse my life-force directly into the puppet.”

“Hold on, you’re not suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.” Haruna nods. “But you would need a consciousness.”

“Anii can provide that.”

Hebi’s eyes widen as she realizes the possibility, “Oh my god that can actually work. In all my years I never thought we would accomplish such a feat. Have you tested it yet?” Haruna shakes her head and Masahiro is probably wondering what the hell they are going on about.

 

[Morishige]

Masahiro listened to Haruna speak about her encounter with a demon, and later being infected with a cursed seal that was slowly turning her into a creature that wasn't quite human anymore. Fortunately, he could look competant since one of their targets for recruitment was an abomination; one whom was adept at transforming her body seamlessly far beyond the expectations of the shinobi Transformation jutsu."Hai, I do know about the unfortunate few." he commented, confirming knowledge of her situation.

But then things became a bit wordy for the CEO until he finally caught onto what they were even theorizing. The very word consciousness meant they were trying to breath life into these mannequins, the very same quest he was contracting puppets from them to do."Ladies, if I have inferred correctly, you are postulating that you can, in a way, give a puppet life. Yes? If this is true, then our tasks aren't very different that I previously thought. Not that it matters. Do we have an accord? A private contract to fulfill my corporation with puppets, in exchange for clean, safe, and untraceable cash?"

 

[Ryu Hime]

Bring a puppet to life is he serious. This is so much more than that; they are creating a shinobi. Both Matsuka and Anii could bring puppets to life but each of them had flaws. Matsuka’s lacked chakra and thus could not preform jutsu and Anii’s living doll could not move. With Haruna’s trained spiders and Haruna’s infusion of life force, she could give Anii’s creations movement. The spider s would allow provide chakra needed to preform justu. “We aren’t planning to do more than just bring a puppet to life. We are going to make a human puppet from scratch. However what do you mean by untraceable? What exactly are planning on using these puppets for? I not support any efforts that will directly threaten the village.”

 

[Morishige]

Masahiro looked at Haruna with his eye brow raised. "A valid concern." he said shortly, almost smiling. "You are correct in thinking that my companies goals and ideals are not in tandem with the villages, but we do not seek it's downfall. However, in the different areas that my company does partake in, we tend to make enemies. When you do something that changes the status quo, you always make enemies. You, no doubt, will make enemies with bringing your puppet to life." He explained, though had to remind himself to stay on track. "I say untraceable, for your safety. If your puppets have as good enough as an impact as I believe they will in our hands, then my enemies will most likely seek to destroy my supplier, which would be you two. I make it untraceable so that when we do something horrible in another country, to better humanity, they don't come after you."he finished explaining, somewhat side stepping to whole village issue. At the moment, there was nothing that Masahiro had planned against the village.

 

[Ryu Hime]

With demon souls being the consciousness of the human puppets, the likelihood of creating enemies in such an endeavor is quite high. She will have to choose wisely which demon gets to be the first test subject. She was sure Anii would have some in storage that would fit Haruna’s qualifications. “Well Mr. Titan I believe we have a deal.” However, making a human puppet was only the tip of the iceberg if she had anything to say about it. Haruna and Hebi make puppets that replicate the biological systems within the human body. They could breath, bleed and even cry; they were basically human bodies without souls. With five of these puppets sharing her life-force she might replicate an even greater Kinjutsu than human puppet. “With the help of my little eight legged friends, I am also working on a puppet that can create other puppets.” From another one of her pockets she pulls out the blue prints to her idea. The blue print showed a giant spider looking puppet fit with molds and containers to hold molten clay. Most of the inner workings of the machine would be run by highly trained spiders. Obviously this mechanism would also need a consciousness to give the spiders the correct commands. In essence this contraption would work like a Rikudo Sennin’s Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. “I believe with Hebi’s aid in we can have it up in running by the end of the month; maybe sooner with the appropriate funding.”

[mft]
[OOC: It's probably unlikely I can get Rikudo Sennin like this but it is worth a shot.]