Loretta and her new Toy.
Sep and Daglobster
The dream was just like all the others, but different. They were always different in some horrible, incomprehensible way from the last. This time, SixOh was decapitated. In the last dream, he was lost in the explosion.
The explosion…
It had been so long, yet the feelings still reached him through his dream, the sensations still came back to him. The blindingly white light as the tank’s sealing ruptured, the screams of EightNine as his flesh was boiled and atomized by the roiling waves of plasma energy, the feeling of his own left side being cooked like a body left out in the deserts of Tattooine. Every nerve ending that was frayed, every ounce of muscle and sinew that was violently ripped from his body to join EightNine’s atoms in the air, and the darkness that replaced his eyesight then, and still did now. He woke up, and the only thing that let him know was the sudden end of his dream, and the return of his hearing. He could hear people talking, and the sounds of someone pressing buttons on a console.
He could hear the cooled bacta around him, circulating through his stasis tank, and the feeling of the freezing regenerative fluid on what little skin he had left jarred him back to full awakeness. He judged by the bubbling around him that he was being taken out of stasis, presumably for combat. Another day, another planet. After the tank was drained, the only thing that suspended him in the tank were the cables that were plugged into his spine and the back of his head. After a few seconds, a familiar clamping feeling around his neck and lower torso let him know that the pod’s claw had come down to take him out. As he was lifted out, the cables fell away from his back, dripping vital fluids.
He was lowered into an automated assembly chamber, and it went to work putting him together. First, came his eyes. The assembly machine placed them into his sockets, and the already built-in connections immediately came online. He could suddenly see again, and he was thankful for it, even if the world was always in a slight shade of red. Displays came on in his vision, which allowed him to interface with things using the processor in his brain. With a thought, he activated the radio receiver as it waited to be put into his ear, and listened intently to what came out.
He sifted through the channels as he was assembled, and eventually the radio was put into his ear, followed by the respirator unit and grate that replaced his mouth. The panels that protected his head came next, and after that it was his extremities and the cybernetic carapace that covered his cybernetics. From listening to the radio, he had gathered that he was on Belona, a world recently caught in the throes of rebellion. The situation was more or less even for now, so he made a note to inquire why exactly he was here. As he reacquainted himself with his limbs, he noticed that there were no other Dark Troopers here. Usually, he operated with a squad, but in no way could they replace his old one. He walked over to a large locker, and opened it, taking out his armor and weapons. He took the time to clean and polish everything, beating his old record of half an hour. After that, he put on his armor, attaching the plates directly to his cybernetics using specialized ports, and topped it all off by putting on his helmet.
The helmet’s HUD came online, and he pored over the many diagnostic readouts as he placed and checked his various weapons. The shoulder-mounted blaster cannon fit nicely into his shoulder plate and integrated well with his armor, having plates of its own. His blaster rifle went on his back, his pistol on his leg, and he topped it off by extending his wrist-mounted vibro-sword, giving it a few test swings before retracting it again. Normally, a two-foot blade would be considered impractical, but given how his height pushed almost 6’5 with his augmentations, it was necessary. He decided to stand there, and wait for someone to come in for him.
The door slid open to the left, and four black storm troopers marched through the door before taking up position at either side of the door. If observed closely it would have been noticeable that their actions were mirrored exactly., acting in unison no living life form could achieve. Then came a female voice, rich and elegant. “You won’t have noticed it yet. Though I’ve made some special modifications to your armour before you were brought online.” A woman dressed in Imperial uniform walked into the room, her blonde hair held in a practical fashion. “For one, you’re more loyal. I didn’t trust the kaminoan indoctrination or the chips you already had repressing your free will so I made some modifications. That nagging feeling you have in your temple is it recognising my voice as your boss. It’s conflicting with your Emperor before all else training however you’ll get used to it eventually.” She pressed a button on her wrist, forcing him to go rigid.
“Don’t worry, I’ll let you talk in a minute once I’m done. I just so rarely get a chance to talk to my subjects. Not many of them have all their free will removed.” She put a hand on his armour as she walked around him. “Though you, you’re the way forward. These armies the Empire is making, the schools they are using. They’re just not as good as your standard droid or cyborg. Now if we were allowed to chop them all up once they’ve signed the dotted line. Then that would work nicely. Though for now I’ll stick to perfecting you.” She pressed another button, as different readouts would have been activated in the hud of her new toy. “These four droids are now slaved to you, they will do what you want when you want as the perfect fighting team. However know that if any of these orders contradicts one I have given, they will not do it. If any of them will result in harming me in any way and they’ll turn against you.” She took a holotablet off her belt and then began working on it as she pressed another button activating the microphone.
“Now, tell me your designation. Rank and purpose.”
FourSev silently watched the woman talk. Even when she came in suddenly like she did, he made no motion, save for turning his head to look at her. Personally, he didn’t like this woman, or her slightly traitorous words. The Emperor Did come before all else, regardless of what anyone said. Still, it hadn’t been his worst assignment, so he supposed he could bear with it. It raised some concern in him to hear that she had made unwarranted modifications on his frame, but he decided not to voice this. It’s not like he could, anyways. It appeared this scientist believed it was worth keeping him on an exceptionally short leash. FourSev smiled to himself.
When the tactical readouts of his “squadmates” came up, he made a mental note to himself to inspect his squadmates later. His scanning equipment immediately picked up that they were droids. Perhaps other Dark Troopers, maybe even Phase Ones. The term “Slaved” was something he took a bit of exception too, but he recognized it as a technical term. They would answer his beck and call, and FourSev would have it no other way. When she asked him her questions, and activated his microphone, he cleared his throat slightly.
“Number 47-729. Elite Dark Trooper, Phase Zero. You have yet to give me a purpose.”
“You are quite right in the fact that I am yet to give you a purpose. However what is your purpose? What have you been programmed to do as far as can remember? What have you done time and time again? What is it that brought you to this state?” She had been monitoring some interesting readings while he was in stasis, readings that others would have ignored. While he was mostly cyborg part of the original being still survived and that was what interested her. What remained, she could use for her own purposes. Though she had to find out exactly how much remained and how strongly it affected him. All this could be important to any modifications she would make in the future, or any modifications she would have to refrain from making to his core programming.
All at the same time she was taking biometric readings, brain scans. Every reading his suit was capable of giving was being relayed through her tablet. She could even check on if he needed to use the refresher or not. Not that she would anyway. “So, 47. What is your purpose?”
The woman was curious, he had to give her that much. As she was scanning him, he was doing the same to her. Although his scans were relatively less complex than hers, he still got the general gist of her anatomy, speech patterns, and other things that could help identify her in any worst cast scenario. He hadn’t paid much attention to it earlier, but he realized that she had placed a hand on his chestplate. Whether it was a unique psychological quirk of hers or something else entirely was yet to be seen.
“I was built for the express purpose of destroying The Emperor’s enemies in a manner as merciless and efficient as possible. In short, Captain , I’m a killing machine.” he droned, his modulated voice coming through the grills in his helmet. He gave her a slight nod, to make up for the fact he couldn’t salute in his current state.
“Very good Four-Seven. Good response, well articulated as well.” She moved down her list doing final system checks. “Your job here is to do two things. You are too defend my research and lab from any intrusions, act as a guinea pig so I can advance my research and to perform any other duties I may give you. If you ever at any time feel as if you don’t want to do any of those things don’t worry the chip I added to your cybernetics will allow me to make sure you chose otherwise.” She began walking out of the room, turning her head with a simple command. “Follow.” Once outside the room there was a long corridor, well lighten and obviously sterile. There were various doors on either side of the corridor, at some of them pleas for help could be heard at others screaming and some maniacal laughter. She waved her hands to either side. “Early experiments. I keep them around as sometimes I still get useful data.”
She said so in such a matter of fact tone, no remorse though also no sinister tone. Just as if it was a boring fact similar to telling the weather. Eventually they reached a main control room, passing through it was manned completely by droid staff and eventually they came to a turbolift. “I have been informed of the arrival of a new test subject. Wait here, bring the subject and the bounty hunter to the main lab once they are down. Do not converse with the hunter other than your purpose. Once you have done so I will let you go do some exercise topside with the rebels.”