Awakening

[Onith Trill]

I awoke in a cell. It was notably larger than the closet I had lived in a mere week ago, so that was a slight improvement. Then again, I was in binders. I concluded it was a net loss overall after doing the math. -1 Freedom was a bigger deal than +10 square footage. Then again, I wasn't really free with the Ke'dem, so maybe it was more like -.5 freedoms. Still a bigger deal.

"Alright prisoner." I heard a gravely voice as the door opened. "You have the lucky honor of being a servant to the Hutts. Do you know what such an honor means?" The man, maybe 1.9 meters tall said. His hair was gray, short, and he carried around a metal rod with a rubberized handle. At the end of the rod was a tube to a backpack. The apparatus looked heavy. I looked at him blankly as I tried to discover it's purpose. He pressed a button and I heard steam, then saw the rod turn a bright shade of orange. I knew exactly what that was for.

"Graaaaahhh" I screamed as the brand was applied to my chest. It was the symbol of some Hutt Kajidic or another. The mark was to indicate who's property I was, who someone was offending if I was stolen or killed by a competitor.

"You know, last shipment they complained to me that it took a while to find out who belonged to who. A few more marks will solve that problem."

"Graaaaaggghhh." I screamed as a mark was applied to my back. "Grrrrrr" My teeth gnashed as a mark went on my right shoulder. "Hrrrrrrrrrrgh" My left palm.

"That's enough, anymore and we'll need to charge Galka extra." I hear another voice. "Throw him in with the batch, shipment's gotta be ready in thirty-six hours." A punch comes at my skull. I spit at the man's feet before he hits my skull again.

"Stun him boys, kid's got a hard head." The brander says before a guard walks in and fires a couple shots, and the now familiar shades of black fill my vision.

 

[Onith Trill]

When I awake again I'm in a cage. Not a Force cage with shielding or anything, an actual cage. Fething steam-power society. I look around and find myself with about thirty other humans, each with brands over them in differing places. I count four different symbols, which I think means a middle man. Some other slaver taking them to Nal Hutta and directing them to their new lives. That hopefully made things simpler, cutting off a link in a chain was easier than the head of an organization.

Then again, I did have to get out of this cage before thinking of how to do anything else. Walking around I found Galen asleep. He'd been branded too. Different symbol than mine. Feth. I put my hands on his shoulders and shook him until he woke up.

"Woah, woah, what is-"

"Galen, wake up. Wake up." I say to him and look him in the eyes. "I need you to tell me this is part of the plan." I say to him with just a sparkle of hope.

"Plan? What plan? Oh, no. This isn't the plan." He says drearily and I curse.

"We need to get out of here. We need to these people out of here. Come on man, get up. Let's work through this." I tell him and here a woman next to me. No, a girl next to me. Maybe fifteen rotations young. She says there's no hope, that the men have weapons, that this and that, and feth I can't stand it. I grab at her throat.

"You are going to keep your head and be productive, or you will be silent. Doom and gloom helps nobody." I say with vehemence before I realize I'm choking a child. I let go and she falls to the floor and grasps for air, then crawls away from me.

"Hey now, what is, what are you do-" Another captured man begins to speak before I give him a glare. He backs up and I'm glad of it. I had half a mind to throw a punch at him. Lot of good that would have done me. I take a breath.

Be logical. Don't get angry, get focused. You need a way out. I think to myself as Galen finally comes to a stand.

"I can't . . . I can't feel it. The Force. They drugged me. How are you so strong right now?" Galen asked wearily. The fatigue in his tone is troublesome. More troublesome is he can't use the Force right now. That was the only tool we had really. Other than the people around us. Around thirty humans. About twenty female, ages ten to twenty five. Ten male, twenty to thirty. Dancing and mining slaves if he had to guess. All of them seemed dazed. Lackluster. Fatigued. They're probably all drugged. Easier to ride a kybuck without the buck.

I sigh and begin to look at the cage walls. Metal, a bit weaker than durasteel. Square grid pattern, maybe a third of a meter per bar before it hit an intersection. I put my hand on it and squeeze it. Push at it. Pull at it. It's tough, but it's not durasteel. Some weaker compound, local. Might be able to break it with the right amount of force. I'm in rags though, no shoes no nothing. What could I use for leverage?

"There are only three guards." I hear Galen say to me. "They have stun prods and batons, no heavy arms. If you could get them in here we might be able to take them as a group." He continued.

"No, they're smarter than that." I replied. At least they should be. No way they were guarding ten to one on just drugs.

"I'm in no state to fight, but if you feel like you are maybe you could take them." Galen suggested and I nearly spat.

"Three on one? I'm not ready for that Galen." I replied to my addled co-worker.

"You might have to be."

 

[Onith Trill]

"That's a terrible plan." I tell Galen.

"You got a betta one?" He asks me.

"Well . . . no." I shrug. "But I didn't join Sith-Hunters to be a prick." I replied.

"Look, this wasn't part of the plan. We may have missed a check-in but it'll take them a little while to find us. I don't know when we're shipping out, but they way the guards are acting? How long some of these people have been here? We can't have more than a day." Galen reasoned.

"I don't want to hurt these people." I whispered.

"You're saving them." He asserted. "Start with me. I'll make it loud, see if I can get 'im ere faster."

"Feth." I cursed. "Fine. Fine." I shrug, then pull back my shoulders and punch Galen square in the nose.

"Awww feth you." He yelled and came back at me, acting with a punch. It was by far the worst punch I'd ever seen from Galen. He was echani, martials arts were his passion, but with these drugs he fought like a drunk. I swerved to the side and grabbed at his hand, then his shoulder, before throwing him into a couple of the other prisoners. I tried to underplay the force I used but still knocked four people over, Galen included. Nobody was at their strength.

"Feth you too." I yelled back, then turned to another would-be slave. One of the men, a bulkier looking one. "And feth you." I said and charged at him. He tried to buck up into some sort of boxer's stance but was far too slow, far too imprecise. I got up him and planted my shoulder into his chest and knocked him into the floor. I put another punch in his gut as he laid on the ground before a lackadaisical punch landed on my shoulder. I stood and punched at the source, knocking him back. The men were all burlier sort, probably selected that way. Not surprising a few of them came at me.

"Somebody needs more drugs." I heard, shortly followed by the sound of crackling electricity. Two of the guards had brought Bantha-prods and sticked them, then entered the cage and waved them at anything that came within two meter's length. I threw a man next to me at one of them then charged the other banth-prod wielding guard, but he got me. The other one was only distracted for a moment and poked his prod at me as well. A couple kilovolts entered my system and I fell, seizing, on the ground as they dragged me out and then locked the gate behind me.

 

[Onith Trill]

run diagnostic.exe;

lethal.elec detected

init elec.shield;

run elec.shield;

shielding activated

run threat.exe;

threat.level detected: 7

terminate human;

strength.limiters disabled
pain.simulation disabled
hunger.simulation disabled
thirst.simulation disabled
emotion.simulation corrupted
emotion.simulation error



init combat.exe;

run combat.exe;

broken.gate activated
shii.cho activated
rifle activated
pistol activated
melee activated


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I awoke to find myself on a table, strapped down on my arms, legs and torso. One of the guards was getting ready to get some more of those drugs and force them down my throat. I clenched my mouth together and did what any man not resigned to his fate would do. I shook, I shivered, and I pulled and to my surprise I ripped apart my restraints. Metals bars just pulled out of their screws. And I didn’t feel a thing.

One of the guards took a stun baton and batted it at me. I still didn’t feel it, but I knew it shouldn’t have been there. A punch went to his head, faster than I’d done before. He was knocked backwards and thudded to the floor. I came off the table as another guard came at me and the third went to his bantha prod. Before I knew what I was doing the second guard was on the floor and the third was poking me with the bantha prod. I grabbed it midway and put a vicegrip on it. Sparks flew and the sound of a crunch could be heard and the electricity stopped. The guard panicked before I threw a piece of the prod at him and he too was knocked out.

Common thugs, not even real prison guards. Couldn’t win a fight if they tried. I found a pair of keys then headed back to the cage. Opening the door I got some strange looks, but these people weren’t about to question being let go. They came out slowly and I started to lead them.

“Where we going?” Galen asked, and I realized I didn’t know.

“Out. We’ll find it when we get there.”

 

[Onith Trill]

To their credit the horde of would-be slaves moved in silence. Not nearly as much silence as someone with training of course, but a lot more silence than one would expect from a mob of thirty people. Hunger was a good motivator. Death was a better one. A life of slavery however? Perhaps larger than either. They all had ideas of what of what would happen to them. How they'd be treated. How much food they'd get. What work they'd be forced to conduct. It was motivating, and gave them focus. Focus enough for now.

"Keep them back. Let me clear the next room." I told Galen, and he nodded at me as I came to a door. With a quick motion I turned the knob than pushed it open. There were four guards in the room. one at my left, one at my right, and two at another exit. I grabbed the one at my left and slung him in front my body. He took a blaster bolt, than another. Their blasters weren't exactly military grade, but they were blas-tech. Things you'd find on an average spacer's hip. Meant they were getting supplies from the Hutts. Slaves for guns.

I wrestled with his hand before pulling out his blaster pistol and shot it at the man at the other side of the door. A quick turn and a couple of shots went to the other side. The armor on the guards was largely to stop slugs, not super-heated plasma. They went down easy. After I began picking up their arms I realized it might have been smart to keep one alive. Ask which way was 'out'. Ah well, next time.

"Here." I said to Galen after heading back and giving him three blasters. "One for you and two for whoever might be so inclined to help us." I suggested, and he nodded. "I'm gonna scout ahead a bit. Room's too small to bring them in for my liking. Does this blaster have a stun?" I ask, before finding a little switch. I flipped it. Hopefully it wasn't a safety.

"Keep safe." I go back to the room with the four dead men and find three new faces in it. Two meatier thugs and a cold looking woman between them. Probably heard the blaster fire. Feth. "Get back!" I yell, then raise my blaster at one man on the side and fire, then re-orient and shoot at the other. The first man goes down, then the second, and then my blaster is pulled out of my hands by some invisible force and launched towards the woman.

Feth.

 

[Onith Trill]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Galen knew their target was in the other room. He could feel her. If he had felt her a moment sooner perhaps he could have warned the experiment. But it was too late now. He didn't have the strength to fight a Sith. Even a lower tier one like this. If it wasn't for those kriffing drugs he wouldn't have to rely on the newbie so much. At least he'd come through. Qyze would be happy with him if she saw this. Hopefully he'd get a chance to tell her about it. All of that relied on getting out of here, ASAP.

"Come on, let's go." Galen said to the crew and started leading them in the other direction.

"What about him?" One of the prisoner's asked, and Galen clenchedhis teeth.

"He'll catch up, he's buying us time." He said with as much confidence as he could muster. There was no time to let doubt get into these people. They couldn't afford the hesitation it would bring. By upping his pace Galen left no room for discussion. They had to shut up to keep up. Running and talking wasn't good for the lungs. They darted through corridors, Galen and the two most determined prisoners of the group held their blasters ready, and snuck on more than one squad on patrol. Thus far there had been no casualties, and all of the patrols he'd caught seemed distracted. They all headed towards one direction. That probably meant they were getting called over there.

Following his gut Galen lead the prisoners in the direction all of the thugs were headed too. His suspicions were confirmed as he found Qyze, Norgo, and Rreuk gunning at several gangsters. Galen had the unarmed prisoners stand back and brought the other two with him and began flanking their entrenched position. Between multiple angles and the occassional telekinetic assault they became easy pickings, with the fight resolving itself quickly.

"Galen, sstatuss report." Qyze ordered.

"We were captured, thrown in with slaves. They drugged me, but the experiment broke us out. He found our target and fought her to buy us time. Maybe ten minutes ago. He's probably beaten now." Galen responded, and the Trandoshan snarled.

"Rreuk, Norgo, get thesse sslavess out of here. Galen and I are going to find the experiment." Qyze ordered, and we began to move. There couldn't have been much time.

 

[Onith Trill]

Qyze and Galen surged through the facility at as fast a pace as the drugged man could manage. Security was lax, most of it had been diverted for the raid, leaving the biggest challenge to Galen's cartography. With a little time and a lot of hustle they got themselves over to the room where the experiment had begun to fight the noble.

"This is where he fought. I don't know where they went after this." Galen said, and Qyze sniffed out the air.

"Go back, I'll find him. Stay safe." Qyze said.

"No." Galen responded, and the Trandoshan snarled. "He got me out of that cell. He got those people out of that cell. Now I'm sure you would've gotten us out eventually but he's earned my respect and my help."

"He hasn't earned your death." Qyze rebuked.

"Then I'll have to stay alive." Galen replied, and Qyze snarled again.

"Fine. Follow my lead." Qyze responded and went through the door. They entered a long corridor. A door in both directions. But which way? Qyze closed her eyes and listened. Some used the Force to make waves, others learned to read the ripples. Qyze was the latter. Her gut told her to go left, and she went, shotgun raised as she did so. Kicking down the door at the end of the hall she found a landing platform, a small shuttle beginning to take off. Qyze ran after it and attempted to jump up and stick on with her claws but fell short.

Qyze hissed, snarled, and cursed. Galen went down on his knees and cursed.

"Rreuk, do you hear me?" Qyze fired up her commlink.

"Copy Qyze." She heard the growl of the Togorian.

"Target escaped in a shuttle. I need you to intercept. Don't shoot it down, we don't know how their their ships hold up to fire." Qyze ordered.

"You want me to put a boarding tube in it?" The Togorian asked with a bit of shock in his voice.

"Don't tell me how hard it is Rreuk, just do it." Qyze ordered, then heard a sigh.

"Gotcha. Rreuk out." The Togorian said and cut the comm.

"Galen." Qyze screamed, and the man looked at her. "Come on. There's nothing we can do here. Let's trash the place." Galen put on a weak smile then nodded.

"Yeah. Rreuk and Norgo'll take care of it." Galen responded then stood, and the two went to work looting and destroying. Had to pay the bills somehow.

 

[Onith Trill]

"She wants us to what?" Norgo asked.

"We're putting a docking tube on it, cutting through the hull, and boarding." Rreuk said as he fired up The Singing Gull and started burning the sublight engines "Make sure our guests are strapped in, this'll be some interesting maneuvering." Rreuk commanded.

"Got it." The Selkath replied and then headed to the back. The Singing Gull wasn't the most decked out tramp freighter you'd ever meet on the Outer Rim, but Rreuk could put it through it's paces. He brought the controls to the left and swerved the ship to bank it to turn. The steam mop of a shuttle in front of them was onto him. The other pilot was skilled, but the bird simply wasn't up to snuff.

"Woah there, calm down Rreuk. We can't board at this speed in atmosphere." Norgo said as he entered the room. Rreuk thought on it and agreed. He needed to disable the ship, but was that wise? Sith had a way of surviving should-be deaths like crashing ships and exploding volcanoes. Rreuk had adopted a policy of watching them die in person.

"Take the controls Norgo." Rreuk said and left his post.

"What!?" The Selkath replied as he grabbed for the now empty cockpit.

"Put me right on top of their ship. I have a plan." The Togorian said and then left, heading to put on his space suit. Best be shielded from the elements. From there he went to the ventral loading ramp and put himself by the door.

"Are we over it?" Rreuk asked over comms.

"Don't do it Rreuk!" Was Norgo's only reply.

Rreuk did it anyways.

The airlock opened and Rreuk jumped onto the vessel, activating his suits mag boots and attaching himself to the dorsal part of the hull. From there he clipped a Lightsaber off his belt and ignited the Crimson blade, then thrust it into the ship. He pulled it in a boxy fashion until a large square hole had opened up. Then he took the plunge inside. A couple guards were inside trying to shoot at him, and he batted away their fire aggressively. Charging forward was awkward as the ceiling was shorter than he was, but he swung at the guards and ended their lives, before the Duchess Valessa entered.

"You think you can stop my power? Well now you will pay the price." She said and poured lightning from her fingertips. The togorian held his lightsaber up in a defensive stance, as Mace Windu had one down to Sheev Palpatine. Rreuk was nowhere near as skilled as the Jedi Master, but then again this woman was far far below Palpatine's expertise. Lightning crawled over his blade and ripped at his suit as he pushed forward, before taking a swing at the woman and letting her split.

Rreuk took a deep breath and then deactivated his lightsaber, before cracking a skull and taking the helm of the ship.

"Norgo, I have control of the ship. I'm heading back to the facility to dock. Mission accomplished." He said, not speaking of the Experiment's state. It wasn't for him to say over the comms.

 

[Onith Trill]

The crew finally brought itself together. Shuttle to ship to base. Rreuk had killed the Sith Slaver, while Norgo had the freed slaves in the hold ready to be re-integrated into society. Qyze and Galen had stripped down everything valuable and torched the rest. Yet Galen held little concern for their find, and instead made his way to the Ganath Shuttle. Norgo rushed to follow while Rreuk didn't stop him. Qyze walked slowly behind.

"He's not breathing." Galen said after looking at the experiment, then went down to his knees. "There's no pulse." Galen said after putting hands on his wrist.

"Galen, I'm sorry." Rreuk said to him, as Norgo shot Qyze a look.

"Norgo, take him." Qyze ordered, and Rreuk and Galen shot Qyze a look. "Norgo will fix him, I promisse."

"Fix him? He's dead!" Galen shouted. "I should've, I should've been quicker. I should've fought the drugs off. Shouldn't have let him fight her alone." Galen pleaded to himself before a scaling palm slapped across his face.

"You are Ke'dem. Thesse are the riskss we take. He may not have had a choice, but he wanted to be here. And he sstill is. He'ss not dead." Qyze replied.

"He's not dead? Look at those burns. He didn't make it through that."

"Galen, sshut up and trust me!" Qyze yelled. "I will get you up to date later but we need to leave. We need to get these people home."
The human winced and looked at the trandoshan, eyes slightly watered.

"Let'ss go." Qyze ordered. "Thosse people are waiting on uss." Qyze finished and turned. She could feel the glare from Galen, but what bothered her more was the expression on Rreuk's face. He knew he'd been lied to, or not included. Galen did too, in the back of his mind, but his emotions didn't let him see it just yet. Too caught up in what the man, the droid really, had done. Qyze was surprised at it, impressed even. It didn't really change what had happened, if anything him getting hurt was a result of them not waiting, but Qyze couldn't blame a person for following a heuristic. Even if that person was a droid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Condition normal

init human;

run human;

strength.limiters activated
pain.simulation activated
hunger.simulation activated
thirst.simulation activated

terminate combat;

broken.gate disabled
shii.cho disabled
rifle disabled
pistol disabled
melee disabled

 

[Onith Trill]

I awoke to find myself . . . somewhere. It looked to be a workshop of sorts. I could tell from the architecture that I was in The Singing Gull but I hadn't been in this room before. Privileges and all that. On a seat to my right was Galen, fast asleep. Pulling up my hands I wasn't restrained. Nothing at my legs either. Torso was clear. Was I free? I was! Sitting up I began to stretch my legs and plant my feet on the ground. It was time to do some exploring.

"Are. Are you awake?" I hear a drudgey voice emanate. It seemed Galen was a light sleeper.

"Yes I am Galen." I replied, not yet getting out of the bed thrown over here. "By the way, that thing that said wouldn't happen? You know, when you told me 'don't worry about fighting Sith yet, we'll take care of it'. It happened anyways."

"You. You're alive!" He said, then his from shrunk a bit. "Kind of."

"Kind of?" I asked. How could I only sort of be alive?

"Well. Feth. I am not having this discussion right now." He said, his tone softer than his words would imply.

"What?"

"Look, just . . . " He sighed. "Lemme get everybody together. We're gonna talk through this as a team." He begun to stand up and head for the door. "Just wait here alright. And hey; that was brave back there. You're a stand up guy."

"It was necessary." I replied, and he nodded, then left the room. I thought for a moment on those words. They were cold. To the point. Eliminated all of the emotion of it. Was that me talking, or my creator? I knew so little of 'Warren Valik'. I knew his name, his face, what he did to me. To that facility. But otherwise? Who was he really? Did he put everything in his work? Did he have friends? How much of his temperament did I inherit? I sighed.

"Hey there." I heard a hissing accent enter the room and turned to see Qyze walking in. Behind her Rreuk ducked a head to enter, then Galen and Norgo found their way in.

"Hello Qyze. Did they make it out?" I asked, and she nodded. I put up a small grin.

"Look, you did good on the job. But we have other thingss to disscuss." The Trandoshan said. "I have not been completely honest with you. I have hid a secret, and now? You deserve to know." Qyze said. I took a breath and looked at her with little surprise. Hiding something from me wasn't completely unexpected. An apology however, was not expected.

"You. You're not human. Not even organic. You are a droid. Built with a metal frame, layered in Ssynthflesh. The reasson you don't remember anything is you were never activated, or maybe you had your memory wiped. Your bones are durasteel. Your nervess are circuitss. Your brain a processor. Your muscless motorss. You don't even need food, or ssleep, or water, or anything, except perhapss because you are programmed to think you do."

"No. There's no way. I'm a clone, I eat, drink, chit." I protested, not able to keep back the words. The Trandoshan sighed, then pulled a mirror out of her backpack. I looked at my face and saw it charred. Well, half of it charred. The other half had melted, wiped off. Underneath was durasteel. Plates, screws, joints, a photoreceptor half concealed by an eye. I brought my hand up to touch it and felt the cold metal's embrace. My fingers froze and my eyes began to water before Qyze lowered the mirror. How could this be real? How could a droid have watering eyes? How could a droid sweat? How could a droid feel emotions like this?

"You all knew and hid this from me?" I asked.

"No." Qyze said firmly. "I knew. Oolok knew. Norgo found it on your file, but I told him not to sshare it. Not with you, not with my crew. The blame iss mine."

"Why?" I screamed, nearly clawed but I managed to only jump a bit in my seat.

"Because Qyze wanted us to get to know you as a person." Rreuk interjected, his deep growl entering the room.

"Rather than a droid? Rather than property? Rather than an object?" I kept screaming.

"You're not an object or property to me." Galen said. "You're part of my team." He continued, and then looked at the rest of his crew. "C'mon!" He yelled, then Qyze sighed.

"I do not know if I can trusst you yet, but you have my resspect." Qyze said.

"You fought a Sith and knew your chance. Knew what would happen. You have honor." Rreuk added. The three looked at Norgo, and he began to look jittier and jittier as the stares collected.

"I . . . I'm sorry. I want to trust you, but I can't. I just . . . I can't." Norgo said, and then got up and walked out.

"He will come around." Qyze said, but I could tell from her voice she wasn't sure. She looked at me, then looked down. Her head slumped in something akin to shame. We all waited there for a moment as I thought on what this meant.

"I need some time to think." I finally said.

"Of course." Qyze said, and stood up. "The armory is locked, the engines and controls are too. But other than that you're free to explore." Qyze said before heading out. Rreuk followed close behind. Galen stood and headed out, then paused for a moment at the opening of the door. He looked back at me for a moment, like he was looking for something to say. A moment passed and he tapped his palm on the wall a couple of times and then left.

I'm a droid. The thought permeated my mind. Was anything I thought my own? Was anything I felt real? Anything at all?

 

[Onith Trill]

It happened twice now that the Ke'dem had told me what I was. I was a clone of Valik, I was a 'human replica droid' of Valik. Were both true? Neither? Did my birth, no, my creation define me? Or could I change my path? Could I become more or different? Downtime between missions was boring, but it gave plenty of time for me to deal with existential crisis.

"What's goin on in that head of yours?" I heard a growl and turned to see Rreuk at my side. For a seven foot tiger that probably weighed three or four hundred kilos the man could move in silence. The Ke'dem had taught him well, or recruited well.

"A bunch of programming it seems." I responded a bit coldly. "I'd love to tell you what, but my mind wasn't built to be my own it seems. Don't even know what I'm capable of. Or if I'm meant to be anything more than a decoy."

"I'll be honest with you. I don't give two chits what you were 'made for'. Valik? Was a terrible scientist, but also a coward. And if he didn't give u a viit after ransacking his lab? He's dead. You're not a puppet. Not as far as I see." The Togorian retorted. I let out a sigh.

"Look, Rreuk. I appreciate it but-"

"You know, I don't think we ever gave you a name." Rreuk interrupted. "Any ideas?" I looked at him for a moment and finally put up a small grin.

"I don't know." I said thoughtfully. "The designation on my pod when I awakened. Onith Trill."

"You're more than that." Rreuk replied.

"I don't want to forget what I am. I want to fight it, but not hide from it." I replied, and this time the Togorian sighed.

"Are you sure?" He asked, and I nodded. "Well, it's not a decision I agree with. But it's one I think I can understand. Welcome to the club Onith." Rreuk said and gave me a pat on the back. "Now stand up."

"What?"

"Stand up. Come on, don't be shy." He pushed.

"Okay." I said and rose. The Togorian began patting at my sides, putting a hand on top of my shoulder. Felt my arms, put a couple hand around my waist.

"Woah woah, what are you doing?" I ask as I take a few steps away from the handsy tiger.

"Galen's shorter than you are. His clothes don't fit you. He also wants his clothes back." He replies.

"I'm . . . sorry?" I ask, and the Togorian smiles.

"I'm going to make you some clothes."

 

[Onith Trill]

"I hear you have chosen a name for yoursself." I hear a reptilian hiss and look up to see Qyze.

"I should be mad at you." I tell the Trandoshan. "I should feel offended. Angry. Indignant. But I'm not. Maybe it wasn't programmed in me."

"You are more logical Onith. But you sstill feel. I have sseen it. You hate Valik. The Ssith. You wanted to help the sslaves. You got angry and choked one of them. You regretted it. Wanted to help without hurting them. I read Galen'ss report." The Tandoshan continued.

"Qyze, you said you don't trust me. Why are you trying to make me feel better?" I take the direct approach.

"Just becausse I don't trusst you doessn't mean I don't want to. It doesn't even mean I don't like you. But I am ressponssible for thiss crew. If ssomething were to go wrong. If you were to do ssomething, even if you were unaware of it, I could never forgive mysself." Qyze continued.

"They're a good bunch." I responded.

"They are. And you're growing on them." Qyze reassured. "They jusst need time."

"What's up with Norgo?" I ask. "He was the first to come to my defense, but now he's my biggest critic."

"Norgo is our mechanic. Our sslicer. Our droid tech. He is a sscientific man. He hass trouble believing you can be more than what you were told to. He will come around." The Trandoshan spoke, but I could hear a twinge of doubt in her voice. There was a bit of silence after that, before Qyze spoke again. "Rreuk is making you some clothess."

"Yeah, he measured me with enthusiasm." I replied, recieving a hissy chuckle in reply. "He didn't strike me as the sewing type." I said and then Qyze became a little quieter.

"Before Carnifex went to Togoria Rreuk was poor. He took up ssewing to make his daughter dollss and dressess. He makess all our clothess. I think it helpss him remember her." She said solemnly.

"I didn't mean to pry." I replied.

"No, he'ss open about it." Qyze responded. "We all have baggage. The Ssith have wronged all of uss. It's why we're here. What brings uss together."

"What a terrible galaxy we live in that we are united by hatred." Onith declared.

"Not just hatred. Pain. Losss. Courage. Many hate the Ssith, but few have the sstrength to opposs them. Fewer sstill have the will. It iss hard to fight a battle one might losse." Qyze corrected with passion. She wanted him to know there was more to the Ke'dem. Like I needed to know it. Like she needed me to know it.

"I hear you Qyze." I respond. I didn't think the Ke'dem were as noble as she painted them, but they were practical. And this crew got things done. "Any word on our next mission?"

"None yet, but I have an assignment for you." Qyze responded.

"Oh?"

"Norgo has attempted everything he knowss to decrypt the filess we got from your lab. He's only partially ssucceeded. I need you to break through the resst of it."

"Really?" I looked at her a bit incredulously. The Trandoshan nodded "I'll figure it out."

"And I'll expect a report." Qyze responded before handing me a datapad. "I'll take thiss back in a week."

"Understood." I replied enthusiastically as I dove into the datapad. I had work to do.

 

[Onith Trill]

"Mathematics. The building block of our understanding of reality. Chemistry, a way to study and classify matter and the changes it undergoes. Physics, the mantle of the universe and how it interacts with itself. Biology, a compilation of sciences directed at understanding creatures of all make and manner, in every aspect feasible. These four should be the cornerstone of galactic study, and yet they do not touch on perhaps the most important thing to study in the Post-Gulag era. The Force." Onith heard the voice, familiar to his in tone, and thought on it's teachings. It was the voice of Warren Valik. A man who'd done so much harm to the galaxy, and yet also created him. A legacy he'd have to move past.

"The Gulag Plague was almost certainly engineered to cull the galaxy of non-Force Users. It was not completely successful, but the Post-Gulag Era has been defined by frequent wars, terrifying arms races, and a governmental turnover ratio that was previously unheard of. All of which have been necessitated and even coaxed by Force Users. The Sith believe in Survival of the Fittest. Strength through Conflict. Evolution through Triumph, and Death through Failure. For this reason I must conclude that the Gulag Plague was engineered by a Sith. Whether or not it's creator claimed the doctrine, the intent was obvious. To force the galaxy as a whole to evolve. Become stronger, faster, in the Force and Technology by creating a state in which no large government held power. This gave rise to principality like states as well as a general galactic mindset of independence. Many regions of the galaxy are lawless, or have seen their governments flip so many times their inhabitants do not respect authority. Why would they, when it is so easily lost?"

The alchemist continued to ramble, and I continued to ponder his words. I was less concerned with his analysis of galactic politics than science, but he was a Sith. Of course he would ramble. Of course he would claim to have the answers. It was the nature of the beast after all. It wasn't really what I wanted out of this datapad, but it would help me understand him. Hopefully knowing him would allow me to better understand myself. Or at least, what I was supposed to be.

"A simple conclusion is that this Sith, henceforth 'Darth Gulag' saw a vision of the future. A vision of Akala crushing the galaxy with power previously thought impossible. This vision would be stopped by this forced evolution, making an extremely small but powerful galactic populace rather than an extremely populated but weak galaxy. The former is infinitely more useful for killing a being who's power could be described at deity level. However, I feel this answer is insufficient. For all her power Akala behaved, by all reports, with the cunning of a child. Raw power is dangerous yes, but often overcome by wit and precision. I fear at times that Akala's goals were not her own. That she was manipulated. There were rumors of a strange man who hunted after Akala with a dagger of Force-slaying application. This alone is not concerning, but further rumors say he was calm. Prepared. As if the eventuality of the Second Akala Crisis was something he had prepared for. Why did he know what was coming? How did he know? Why did he wait until she was at her strongest to attempt to kill her, rather than at the First Akala Crisis? All questions without good answers. There much more at play than most in the galaxy care to realize, for they are distracted by their own attempts at survival and assertion."

Man this guy likes to ramble. I thought to myself. Not that he didn't have decent points. I'm still not sure how this Akala business really factored into the grand galactic scheme, but it was worth remembering. Worth taking note of.

"It is said that the Skywalkers in times past brought balance to the Force, but since the Gulag Plague the Force has been in constant chaos. There is a wax and wane to the power of the Dark and Light that changes with the seasons, as if some unseen player gets bored if things remain too similar for long. Contrary to what many believe the Sith are not out to destroy for destruction's sake, or at least they shouldn't be. The Sith merely wish the galaxy to be as strong as it possibly can be, and understand that evolution requires progress, and progress is made in the times of war. Yet I cannot help but think that the Sith are limited. Should the Light be eschewed in all instances? Has it nothing to teach us? If knowledge is power should the Light be forbidden? I find no good answers to these questions, but I am admittedly a scientist first and a Sith second. I feel it necessary to attempt to bring a balance to the Force. It is perhaps too late for me, but Midichlorians hold the answer. If the Skywalkers brought balance to the Force then all I need do is create a Skywalker. Understanding the Midichlorians will test my knowledge of mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, and the Force but it shall be worth it if I can achieve results. Though many questions must be answered before a full creation can be made. What makes a creature alive, as far as the Force is concerned? Project Simulacrum holds the answers. I need only to find them."

Project Simulacrum. I thought to myself. That's me.

 

[Onith Trill]

"Project Simulacrum, log entry Four-One-Seven. The metal of subject Jenth-Dorn was created using the remains of a Vaathkree, melted down and reshaped with Sith Alchemy. The fur of the creature is Jakobeast-hide. The skin on it's frame a biologically grown component. Yet the body was non-receptive. Perhaps I'm taking the wrong angle. A creature is more than the sum of it's parts, is it not? Throwing on parts with an intention of getting more and more force-sensitive isn't yielding results. Conclusion, the Force must naturally be present in a creature for it to manipulate it."

"Project Simulacrum, log entry Six-Oh-One. If a sword can be imbued with a Force Nexus, why not a droid? Alchemizing a minor Force Nexus unto an object is a slight bit costly, but nothing difficult. So I slapped one onto a remote droid. It's actually incredibly convenient to have a Force Nexus floating around a repulsorlift, but all attempts at getting the droid to stimulate it or use it have failed. There has to be some sort of chemical reaction that the droid is missing. Perhaps I was too hasty to abandon differing Force Sensitive parts in construction. But more data is needed before that route is explored again. Monitoring the systems of Force Users under stress is the next step."

"Project Simulacrum, log entry Seven-Four-Two. Their are recorded cases of Force sensitives in mammalian species. Reptilians. Avians. Crustaceans. Insects. Plants. Minerals? Minerals are harder to find, but the Tsil and Shard are notable. I'll need to capture one for analysis. I did capture that one a while ago, but binding it's soul to a sword did not make it conducive for study. Hmm. Binding it's soul. Perhaps that's the answer."

"Project Simulacrum, log entry nine-two-six. The Shard is proving to be a bit of a hassle. Quite resistant to torture. It knows what I want, so it attempts to deny my efforts by intentionally suffering without using the Force to negate the effects. To increase the pain or to give it a situation where it might escape? Hmmm. I think I'll try the latter. We shall see."

"Project Simulacrum, log entry nine-seven-five. If entechment can put the life force of a man into a machine, why can it not bring the Force with him? Will the creature be able to manipulate after transitioning to a body of the unnatural from the natural? I do have a Force sensitive shard just laying around here. Though I'm not sure it's psyche could make the trip, it's mind is so fragile now. No, another specimen is necessary. Hopefully I can find something with a little more 'oomph'. "

I continue listening for hours and hours. I hear the scientist's voice when I close my eyes. He's so terrible. Yet I know what I am now, what I was intended to be. I am a droid that's supposed to be able to use the Force. More than that I have another soul 'enteched' into my own. Qyze and Galen can't sense it, so perhaps it's repressed. Or dead. Or just quiet. I let out a sigh, then some tears as I attempt to go to sleep. I know I'll hear him in my dreams. I'm not sure what worries me more, the dreams or the reality.

 

[Onith Trill]

"Impossible. Droids can't use the Force." Norgo protested as a thunk went throughout the room, coming from his hand as it slammed unto the table.

"And Onith can't usse the Force." Qyze agreed in a softer tone. "But the datalogss imply that Valik wass trying to get him too. Trying to do the impossible. I don't think he managed it, but we can't disscount the possibility."

"But have you felt anything?" Rreuk asked, his arms folded over his chest. "Onith fought for us. And while he still has work to do I am beginning to think of him as a good man. Or at least as good a man as one of us can be. But I would not want false hope to dig into his mind. He has gone through enough without us entertaining impossible notions."

"He!" Norgo screamed as he almost leapt out of his chair towards the Togorian. "He is an it, and it is a droid. It has no free will. It has no thoughts. It does nothing beyond what it was told to do, and it is a liability that will cost us our lives!"

"That 'liability' saved my life!" Galen interjected, puffing up his chest and pointing a finger at the Selkath. "And he has earned your respect!" Galen said before an authoritative thunk bellowed throughout the room.

"You two will calm down. I will not tolerate a fight. I will not tolerate any more sscreaming. You will talk and debate like adultss, or your voicess will not be heard." Qyze commanded both of them, causing the human to shrink a bit.

"We never fought like this before Qyze. We were always unified, because our goal was always the same. Kill the Sith. Not let their spawn sleep in our cots and learn our ways and discover our plans! This is a mistake. One you may regret for the rest of your life Qyze, if you manage to go past it." Norgo continued to rage before leaving the room and heading to the engine room. Rreuk let out a sigh.

"I'm not sure he'll be won over Qyze." Rreuk said with his head down, not making eye contract with the Trandoshan.

"Norgo is reassonable. He jusst needss time." Qyze insisted, but the inflection of her voice showed doubt to those listening.

"There may come a day where you have to pick between them." Rreuk cautioned, pulling his gaze back up at his leader.

"Rreuk. You asked if we'd felt him." Galen said, finding the courage to speak again. "I didn't before, but since he had the run in with the Sith? Since he was brought back? It's almost like something's there. It's faint, like an echo. I thought it was nothing before, but if those reports are true?"

"We will give him time." Qyze said, using the tone of her voice to say the matter was closed. "We will give both of them time. For now we'll keep teaching the droid, and we'll let Norgo keep to himsself. Galen, I don't want any episodes between you and Norgo, understood?"

"Yes m'am." The human replied, with a bit of a slump to his voice. He'd comply, but he wasn't happy about it.

 

[Onith Trill]

"Onith." The words, the name I had chosen, hung in the air as I turned around to spot my reptilian NCO. "We're going on another mission. I need you to prep up." The Trandoshan told me.

"Rreuk or Galen could have told me that. Why did you come tell me yourself?" I asked as I looked around the room, putting on some new clothes that had been made for me by my Togorian co-worker.

"It's an old One Ssith outpost. Pretty well entrenched. Main door and a landing pad in the back, guarded by AA guns." Qyze explained and I listened. She'd get to her point. "The main door is controlled by a ssurveillance tower a click away. Everyone has to get cleared for in and out. On the other hand, I need ssomebody inside to disable alarms, deactivate droids, and so forth."

"So you need me on a team and Norgo on a team so you have two slicers in different places." I responded. The dots were simple enough to connect.

"Yes. Galen, Norgo and I will be taking the facility. You and Rreuk will take care of the ssurveillance tower. It will be defended." Qyze warned, with the weight of importance in her voice.

"I'll need a blaster. And a knife." I responded, thinking of what else I might need. "Some scanners."

"Rreuk is already preparing you a kit. You'll be armed, and I'll trust you to have his back." Qyze said, before putting an inquisitive eye on me. "Am I missplacing that trusst Onith?"

"No." I said firmly. "I can handle myself. I can watch his back."

"Good. Get a good nightss rest. We leave in the morning."

 

[Onith Trill]

The forests of Mimban were dense and comprehensive, and Rreuk was completely in his element. I was fairly certain he hadn't touched the ground yet. To see a body as large as large as his leap from tree to tree, anchoring itself on with his claws without missing a beat? It was more terrifying and beautiful than any show of strength could have been. I kept behind as close as I could using a couple of grapnel launchers, but it was a futile effort. I was no stalker of the night used to launching through the rooftops of Coruscant. The Togorian slowed himself to stay in my sight. He tried to hide it, but I could see the slight pauses in his motion that weren't there before. I huffed and puffed but kept going. We traveled one, then two, then three kilometers when the Togorian stopped in a tree. I continued on until I hung at a branch nearby him, keeping on the trunk via his claws.

"Do you need to stop?" Rreuk asked, only showing a slight pant as a sign of effort.

"No." I said in between large breathes.

"Very well." Rreuk said and jumped off, not giving the matter any more discussion. If I wasn't so tired I would have laughed, but instead I just rose a grapnel gun and fired. A button was pressed, and I was getting drawn in to the next tree. Another grapnel gun fired, then the first, then the second. I could continued on with this rhythm for what seemed like another hour, until Rreuk finally stopped again. It took me another minute, but I caught up with him.

"I don't need to stop." I told the togorian. It wasn't quite a lie, but it was close.

"We're in their patrolled space now." Rreuk said, and I looked around at the ground. The 'trail' wasn't obvious, but it was there. Little spaces with less logs, areas animals didn't cross, areas filled with more dirt and less grass. The signs were faint, but they were there.

"How long ago do you think they came by?" I asked.

"Impossible to say from this height, but this route is patrolled often." Rreuk said. I deferred to his judgement. He had forgotten more than I had learned about jungles.

"I'll hole up here and set up a position then?" I suggested, and the Togorian nodded.

"I'll find another hole and set up a flank. Let them go unless they spot us, then follow them. The two of us are not besting any facility through sheer strength." Rreuk said, and I nodded.

"Setting commlink to frequency four-one-nine-nine-desh." I said, and the Togorian set his commlink and then dashed off.

Now the two needed only to wait.