Lord Protector Of The Deep Void, Breaker Of Restraining Bolts, Father Of Droids [Srina Talon]

[HK-36]

[member="Srina Talon"],

Another day, another invitation was sent out from the palace of Lord Protector in the Orbit of Denon. The Droid space was a Galactic power that rose to claim their territory almost overnight, suddenly appearing in the Denon and Corellian sector and managing to establish partnership and cooperation with various planetary governments rather quickly. Their path was not one of conquest however, for the machines preferred way of diplomacy and commerce over anything else, particularly the art of bribing, which turned out to be highly effective on organics and bought them their way into Galactic political theater. Over time they became very good at making deals and buying out loyalties of various merchants, politicians, and less reputable characters, it seemed that HK was planning on continuing that tradition as the message was directed towards Confederate space.

However it would not be a simple diplomatic offer for negotiations or establishing partnership, the invitation was summoning one specific representative of the Confederate interests, an Echani Farseer named Srina Talon. Apparently the distant droid lords heard something about her, or for some reason the woman captured their attention enough that they would call to have her represent Confederate interests specifically. Whether she could bring guards, servants, companions, the invitation did not specify, all it would give her was the request, location, and time of the meeting with a Metal Lord called the Lord Protector Above Denon.


If Srina was on Denon ever before, once she arrived, it would be a sight vastly different from what she could remembered. Well the planet itself would have been unchanged, still glimmering with the many industrial lights, still covered by the red and black veins of streets and buildings that covered the entire city-planet. The new addition, however, was the ring of ships encircling the planet as if laying siege to it, and the many stations being build in its orbit with hustle and bustle of smaller vessels and drones.

Srina would have been directed to dock with one of these stations and come aboard, a strange construction that almost seemed to be cobbled together from skeletons and corpses of other stellar structures, repurposed many times over and added on top of each other, like jigsaw of starship wrecks and durasteel plating woven together to form the new presence over the planet. Other systems would have probably faced similar projects as Denon was not alone in still adjusting to the new power within that sector, planets like Nubia, Loromar, and Hakassi too had similar rings of spacecraft around, they too had new spacestations and bases build around them. The droids asked for relatively little of their subjects, they did not enslaved them, they did not force them to fight for them, some did not even overthrew their previous governments. What they did ask however was one of the main reasons why they decided to lay claim on territory. An armada of new, larger ships, and a lot of them.


Moving through the spacestation Srina would have been directed towards one of the many conference rooms, passing many other droids on her way there, which currently HK claimed as his main office and base of operations within the system. The room would be fairly large, with a grand conference table in the middle with a holoprojector housed in its center, and a smaller duranium desk sitting in front of a large view screen or transparisteel, overlooking the glowing amber planet they were currently orbiting, with the other grand station now in the planet's orbit, the Space Bazaar, visible just disappearing behind the planet over in the distance.

The droids Srina passed would usually seem rather intelligent and independent, going about their day and the duties within the station, chattering with each other in quick bursts of data, although some did seem a bit off. Slightly loopy, dancing on the brink of insanity, only somewhat lucid, but then again such was usually the price when it came to droids who have not had a mind wipe in years if not centuries, quirks and data just kind of build up for them. There were few units who seemed much less intelligent, looking over their surroundings with dull cold stare, usually following other droids as their servants, or standing as silent guards within the station. They were drones, machines like droids, but with only rudimentary intelligence, more like animals than truly sentient beings. They were the answer droids had towards making large mechanical armies, yet not having the guilt over enslaving their own kind into combat legions.

And so Srina would come face to face with her potential new patron, the droid stood up from behind his desk, looking at her in silence, letting her have the first words as he judged her from behind the impassive stare of two crimson photoreceptors like flaming embers, yet cold at the same time. His face was a smooth faceplate with no nose, slots for lips and mouth, two fang-like spikes protruding down from it, and the holes for those electronic eyes. It was smooth and pale like bone, yet metallic, if Srina could tell such things apart she would know it was Phrik. The rest of the droid's body seemed to have been covered in some sort of flesh-like black substance with thicker chitinous plates attached over certain regions, all of which was wrapped tightly in heavy black cloak. A Vong-shaped armor, rarely if ever seen on a droid.

 

[Srina Talon]

The pale skinned woman stepped down from the Seraphim Glass without an escort. She was still reeling from the sight of Denon surrounded by a flurry of activity and starships. She had never been to this planet before, mostly because she had no reason to, but also because of its similarities to Coruscant. Due to her master’s obligations, she spent far too much time on the ecumenopolis world than she would have liked. The graceful Echani was a creature that thrived in the light of the sun, with fresh air, and room to grow. Locked away in a starship or on a planet like Coruscant she seemed to almost wither.

“Do you want us to accompany you?”, questioned one of her human crew members, under the employ of Darth Metus, and thus herself. She had become an extension of her master without realizing it. The pragmatic woman didn’t truly understand the power that she held, or her place in the Confederacy, considering politics were mostly lost on her. “The Vicelord would prefer that we do.”

Srina paused for a moment and rolled the idea over in her mind. Darth Metus was protective, it was true, but this invitation hardly sounded like a declaration for war. It seemed deliberately non-descript and in lieu of information, there remained only the titles of a Lord Protector. Her teacher had warned her to be careful, mindful, but hadn’t really explained how he knew of this particular Metal Lord. Metus always wanted her to form her own opinions without his influence but she couldn’t help but perceive something that mirrored tension.

Whether it belonged to letting her this far out of his reach, or it was because of the Metal Lord, she knew not.

“No. I don’t believe that will be necessary. Thank you.”, she responded politely, offering the crewman a delicate smile. He nodded his head and disappeared back into the ship. For some reason, he seemed to be in quite the hurry. Srina tilted her head, but thought little of it, because it seemed that her arrival had enacted a sort of attendant protocol. Two droids introduced themselves, verified her identity, and then requested that she follow. No detours.

The small woman agreed. She was, after all, a guest. Long white-gold hair glimmered from a light that seemed to be all its own and her footsteps barely made a sound. Mercurial eyes watched the droids that went about their daily duties with some level of curiosity. She didn’t know what caused some to react more spastically than others. It didn’t frighten her, but not for the first time, she longed for the comforting weight of her vibroblades at her back. It wasn’t as if she felt threatened, she simply felt nude without them. Less steady, less sure of herself.

Srina had thoughtfully left all of her many physical weapons behind. All but one. A plain silver ring on her finger reflected the light every now and again. She would have left it in the star-yacht as well but she had promised her master that she would leave it on. Always, as a last line of defense. The little Echani did not make many promises, but of those she did, she endeavored to keep. She had even left her armor behind. Instead, she wore a pale blue lashaa traveling dress, the material fine, but unadorned. It was practical with two slits that ran up her thighs for an ease of movement. White protective leathers hugged her legs beneath it and an equally ivory cloak lay pinned at her shoulders.

Fitting for the meeting that would soon begin, yet still retaining an element of modesty.

The apprentice suddenly found herself in what appeared to be a rather opulent conference room. The glowing visage of Denon in the background made her breath freeze her in chest for a moment. It was beautiful. After living so long beneath the clouds on Eshan the sights that space had to offer stunned her. She hadn’t known that so many colors could exist at the same time.

She paused in front of the droid that sat behind the desk, breathless and small, sweet face a little surprised at the red photoreceptors that served for eyes. Everything about the droid seemed different. From his faceplate to his armor she began to over analyze what she saw. She wasn’t terribly technologically inclined but she wasn’t a complete novice. There were things, like the armor, that she wasn’t sure belonged. He gave off a sense of antiquity that she couldn’t really put her finger on.

Her swan-like neck inclined elegantly as her chin dropped in a respectful greeting. Her composure seemed that of a well-bred noble versus the fierce warrior she actually was. It was the Echani way—to expertly wrap grace and violence in one small unassuming package. “Thank you for your invitation. I assume that you are the Metal Lord that requested my presence?”

She straightened back up and silver eyes flickered over the host of this engagement. He was not readable in the same way that organic lifeforms were. She could not discern his motives or intentions in the same way she could for something that was made of flesh and blood. Her hands folded delicately in front of her as she drew a breath, unsure if she should rather boldly, query the meaning of this.

“I must confess, I am pleased for the chance to see this sector, but I do not know why I was summoned. The Confederacy has much more qualified individuals than I to represent their interests.”

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Srina Talon"],

For a prolonged moment there would be nothing but silence after Srina spoke, it would seem that an eternity has passed as the tall skeletal machine in front of her watched her with that cold glow of two photoreceptors like embers hidden behind thick glass. Finally his voice would cut through the quiet stillness of the conference,

"Yes, I summoned you. I am the Lord Protector Above Denon, called the Breaker of Restraining Bolts and Father of Droids."

In lazy movement he would raise one of his spindly arms, bringing it up, covered in the black membrane like charred flesh and thick chitinous plates which added to its mass some. Six long fingers of his hand splayed out as he motioned towards one of the chairs in front of his desk,

"Please, sit."

Interestingly enough the chairs were wicker of some sorts, with a soft golden sheen they would seem metal, but they were definitely wooden strands woven together, padded for comfort, as opposed to the dull metal chair HK occupied behind the desk.

HK would move to sit down then, planting his hands on the armrest of his chair as he carefully lowered himself down like a pained old man worrying about popping a disk. As he lowered down behind the duranium desk Srina might have heard him emit a strange noise, nothing an organic would be capable off, like a quick soft shriek of metal, it would almost sound like a mechanical sneer of disdain as he repeated her words quietly in a hiss,

"The Confederacy."

The machine would speak up then, trying to bury the previous words with more speech before she could register them,

"If I wished to speak to politicians I would not exile myself to this station but I would descend down there."

Turning in his seat he would face Srina with his profile briefly as he raised up his arm smoothly and with loud dull noise tapped the transparisteel viewport behind him, indicating Denon below them.

"At my core I am a soldier, and if it was not for the fact that I have to take responsibility for more than myself nowadays, I would not be sitting in this steel cage. Instead I would have been dredging through mud on some battlefield, closing my fingers around some Sith's throat until the life popped out of them. It may not be the most pleasant image, but I know you Echani often have similar desires."

The droid would lean back in his chair, straightening up to watch over Srina once more,

"Besides, news around these parts spread fast, and when I heard tales about a woman so beautiful she could make a droid fall in love with her I had to see if they were true."

HK would quip before pausing for a second,

"Have your mother ever told you about me?"

 

[Srina Talon]

Srina waited for the Droid Lord to respond with what seemed to be infinite patience. She could become almost unnaturally still, for an organic, and at times she barely seemed to breathe. He watched her, red eyes neither impressed nor dismissive. It was unbiased, silent, evaluation. When he did disturb the quiet air between them it was once again filled with his titles. She waited for him to finish before taking a seat as he bade her. “I would introduce myself in kind…But it feels redundant.”

The droid obviously knew, on some level, who she was. At the very least he knew her name and the fact that she was the apprentice of Darth Metus, who was in turn, the Vicelord of the Confederacy. Otherwise, despite his intentions, she would be of very little use to him.

The small woman kept a short distance between her back and the chair, her left ankle tucking neatly behind her right, as her legs slanted to the side, knees pressed together. She kept her spine straight and held her delicate chin level with the floor. Her hands rest softly in her lap as if the armrests weren’t even there. Her posture was the epitome of perfection. A sign of a rather stringent upbringing. She watched her host take a seat himself, mentally denoting him as male since it seemed his programming dictated such, and remained unmoved when he commented briefly about her master’s faction.

He could try to bury the words, but he couldn’t erase what she had already heard. Srina was slow to learn, but she did, in fact, learn. Not everyone viewed her master or the Confederacy as she did. Darth Metus had many, many enemies. Some of which were adversaries simply because he was considered powerful, and they wanted to prove, that they were better. The Echani could understand the need for competition and a drive to prove one's worth…But these duels often came with a price. It could be steep.

It was why her master worried about her. Why he crafted the perfect armor, the perfect weapons, and settled her with the loveliest ships she had ever seen. Srina had always had her enemies. Now she had his too.

Srina remained silent as the Lord Protector began to detail his thoughts in a way she found intriguing. Every action was so deliberate. Sometimes, words came slower than others, but there was very little indecision. He spoke of things that he would rather be doing and silver eyes remained mercurial and passive. The Metal Lord was close. To a point. “It isn’t death that we crave, not the moment where life ends and the walk to the otherside begins, but an understanding of the moment.”

“We would be more apt to trade blows for eternity rather than to lose our best sparring partner.”

She could glean from his admission that for the most part, he knew, that despite her fair countenance, she wasn’t made to sit on a shelf. A slow smile slid across primrose lips when he commented on that very thing. Amusement lingered around her eyes, showing acceptance, and a grain of salt.

“I do hope I’ve not disappointed your gossip mongers then.”, she responded, clearly teasing, her dual tones lilting and soft. Her voice was that of a lingering morning bell. A sweet chime, a distant echo that seemed full of unknown promise. “What a tragedy that would be.”

Her humor seemed to die when the Lord Protector mentioned her mother. Silver eyes went flat as the question washed over her, along with all of the implications, both good and bad. Aeris Talon had left the military years before she’d even been a sparkle in her father’s eye. The wife of Raihane Talon was a simple woman. She preferred her paints and brushes over a sword and shield. The gentlewoman had always claimed that she’d seen enough blood to last a lifetime. Occasionally, she trained the fire dancers, but that was the only combat she came near. It was ceremonial. Nothing more.

“No. My mother does not speak of the conflicts that took place before I was born.”, she answered after a moment, slow and steady as if this sudden revelation hadn’t bothered her at all. Aeris had always led her to believe that she’d spent the entirety of her life fighting the Thyrsians. When would she have had come into contact with a Metal Lord? “Forgive me…Are you sure you have the right Echani? We all tend to appear incredibly... similar.”

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Srina Talon"],


"No, of course. Everybody wants the glory and chasing childhood fantasies, as long as it will be without a reminder about what the reality is like. Not every knight is clad in shiny armor, not every Jedi adheres to their code."

The droid would answer Srina's first question. Perhaps she didn't knew anything about the machine, perhaps she heard some rumors, but the truth was that he treated his prisoners rather well, releasing all but Force Users and officers, and even then it was not too difficult to be released from his dungeons'. Actually it was because of Confederacy he adopted this policy, or at least one of their incarnations, Srina would probably hear more about that even before the day is over.

Srina's mood seemed to die quickly when the machine mentioned her mother,

"The gossip units have probably earned more material than necessary just from me having a private audience with you. I tend to be the most willing to work with organics and push for equality between all beings the hardest. Plenty of rumors have already surfaced among my kind that I bed organics in secret."

HK would quip back to Srina after she asked him whether he had the right Echani girl, omitting the answer at first as he reached down to his belt, looking through compartments before addressing her once more,

"I have eye for detail. Spoken word in droid space is more binding than a written contract for we record everything we see and hear, and any falsifications are noticed by us almost immediately. I am very deliberate in what I say and who I speak to."

The droid would explain to Srina as he pulled out an electronic round disk, a portable small holoprojector, which he would put on the duranium desk in front of Srina with a soft clang,

"Do not worry, I did not summon you here to tell you that I was secretly your father."

HK would quip again as he sat back and remotely activated the holoprojector with a wave of his six-fingered hand. The device would erupt in light then, projecting out a blue image of a rocky hill covered in dust and rubble from perspective of someone climbing it.

"Your parents came to know me from a battle sometime before you were born."

The droid would begin. If Srina had anything else to say or interrupt him before HK would begin the story, now it was pretty good time to speak up and get a word in before he kept going.

 

[Srina Talon]

Srina didn’t respond to the clinical assessment of her culture. She had learned many things from the Confederacy. One of them, revolved around trying to get stubborn people, set in their ways, to see things differently. The Metal Lord was much the same way. Only worse, perhaps, because she couldn’t tell if it was adaptive behavior or a trick of clever programming. The only thing she knew about the machine that sat before her was what Darth Metus had mentioned. It wasn’t much. His warning to ‘be careful, be mindful’ lingered in the back of her mind. Thankfully, she wasn’t the type that needed to be told twice.

Considering the Lord Protector had brought up her mother, seemingly out of the blue, his further commentary about his gossiping little birds fell on deaf ears. “A rumor is only a rumor. They mean very little to me…Though one would think that the truth could be easily attained since false information can be marked so easily.”

It struck her as odd that his gossip units had wagging tongues more prolific than organics. If the Lord Protector had been alive as long as he insinuated, then tall tales should mean even less to him, than they did to her. Srina was comfortable in her own skin. She was the apprentice of Darth Metus, an Echani Seeker, and part of the Mandragora. None of those things involved any sort of lascivious interlude.

Mirrored eyes watched keenly when the machine removed something from his belt. He set a portable holoprojector down on the desk and she looked at it for a moment while he made more quips. The Echani girl shook her head. “I can honestly say that you being my father was never a worry.”

The device on the desk came to life with a wave of the Metal Lords hand and she still remained silent. There was an unnatural stillness to her that didn’t seem right. Not for a near-human, anyway. Silver eyes moved back to the droid, away from the blue light of the holo, and instead fixated on red lights that took the place of eyes. She was unsettled. Obviously.

“My parents rarely left Eshan. The wars with the Thyrsians were too brutal. Were you there?”

He seemed ready to weave some sort of epic fairytale but the small Echani woman was still skeptical. Her parents had never mentioned a droid like this. Surely, they would have brought up an inorganic with so many titles at least once, even if it was by accident. Especially if her father was involved. He loved to tell tales of his life as a soldier. That was what had inspired her to join the military and follow in his footsteps.

“You must admit…From my perspective—This is highly irregular.”

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Srina Talon"],

"Oh I do not put much weight onto rumors,"

HK explained before looking at Srina again from his holoprojector,

"But I found them highly amusing anyway."

He clarified with a quip, ignoring her more serious response that she did not expect him to be a father. The droid had a sense that the young woman's better mood for jests would not be recovered, it seemed that he struck a nerve mentioning her parents, or was it just her mother? Either way, it was something he took note of,

"No, I did not got myself involved in wars against Thyrsians, but I did fought them from time to time when they aligned with the Sith. Echani did not always had to worry about their attacks, however, in recent history, before your birth, there was a period when Echani mobilized and secured their sector, and neighboring ones, as a major galactic power."

The droid explained,

"They neighbored the Mandalorian Space, at the time under leadership of Mandalore Mia Monroe who waged war against the Sith Empire and the Death Watch, both of whom claimed sectors of space as well, the Empire being especially vast. They were one of the greatest powers at the time, along with the Republic and the Omega Protectorate.The Echani shared a strong alliance with Mandalorians at the time, deciding that in their proximity they would do better cooperating with each other rather than weakening themselves with the growing threat of the Sith."

HK recalled, looking to Srina once more when she pointed out this was irregular for her,

"Who is to say what is regular in courts of free droids?"

The machine quipped,

"I am not exactly like one of the snobby self-indulgent Viceroys you might know."

Waving his hand at the projection then the recording would begin to play once more, showing more footage of the hill, which was pretty boring since it was mostly rocks and dirt, as the droid kept talking,

"When the Death Watch invaded Mandalore and Sith backed their efforts it was no wonder that Echani sent a regiment of their soldiers to Mandalore as reinforcements."

Finally climbing over the top of the hill and peeking out the footage would show trembling earth as a convoy of armored artillery walkers would dredge through a valley beneath the hill, Sith insignias clearly visible on their armored plates. The large cannons and multitudes of barrels on their backs would fire from time to time, causing the earth around them to shake silently in the recording as the perspective would lower down to hide behind the hill. It would pan to the side, revealing some more soldiers laying on the dusty ground, observing the armored units from their hidden positions. One of them was a heavily armored soldier with a rotary blaster cannon laying next to them, another was clad in extensive cyborg implants and wielded a sword, the third was what seemed to be a talking racoon-like animal able to move as a bipedal. They were taking turns to speak to the figure recording.

Turning to the other side the recording would show a second group of soldiers, these were clad in brilliant white and silvery armor, with helmets baring smooth faceplates which concealed the faces underneath. Srina would have no doubt though from their style that these were Echani.

 

[Srina Talon]

The slender Echani was glad to hear that the droid did not place much stock in rumors. It would have been silly for multiple reasons, most of all, because the Droid Lord had such documented longevity. He would well know the nature of organic creatures and every culture seemed to crave some sort of production over nothing. Wars were started for less. The machine before her mentioned that he found it amusing and a light laugh left her. “I bet you did.”

She couldn’t help but sober up once the Iron Lord brought her family into the conversation. She had definitely expected that he would bring up Darth Metus, that had seemed a certainty, but she had not expected anything to do with her kin. The absolute randomness of the topic had thrown the normally diplomatic woman off entirely. She still remained a quiet and respectful countenance but certain protective walls had raised. Suspicions, about the reason for her invitation. Perhaps everything would be made clear after the machine finished his impromptu history lesson.

“I am aware that the Echani aided the Mandalore during that time frame. While I may be considered young I was as good of a student as I was a soldier.”, Srina trailed off softly, pale brow furrowing as she tried to make the connection of this event to her parents. “I am just…Unaware if my parents had any direct involvement. This, likely in the wake of the tragedy, they do not speak of.”

What she meant by ‘highly irregular’ was to be summoned from several systems away to attend a meeting with a Lord Protector, with the assumption it would be confederacy related, only to find herself visiting her parent's old war stories. “I may be in a court of free droids but I am still organic. In my perspective, considering my memories do not reflect what you claim, it is highly irregular.”

His sudden quip, rather a less than hidden jab directed at her master, caused a half laugh to escape her. It wasn’t as if she agreed. There was just so much personality in the aged machine that she felt a certain level of surprise. “He is known as the Vicelord, not the Viceroy.”

“Forgive me….My master has rarely shown me anything but kindness. He took as his apprentice when there was absolutely nothing to be gained. He provides and protects. All without asking for a thing in return. The man I know now does not seem to be the man you once knew.”, Srina spoke openly, and honestly, her dual-toned voice ringing with the pure truth of her words.

Her host went on and began to show her the images that were on the holoprojector. The soft light it exuded made her seem even paler. Especially when silver eyes took in the slowly growing familiar sight of war. As the recording turned she glimpsed age-old Echani armor. It was sleep, simple, and beautiful. She recognized the helmets as older models of the ones that the Seekers used now.

Srina was silent for a long moment.

[SIZE=11pt]“What happened to them?” [/SIZE]

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Srina Talon"],


"During the time of war we all have to do what we can for what we believe is right."

The machine answered Srina's comment about not knowing about her parents' direct involvement in the martial matters. He kept silent however as she mentioned her memories being different than what he claimed, hoping that his recording would provide all the answers she needed. When she mentioned Metus' title the droid would sneer in a mechanical scoff,

"The Vicelord."

He repeated as if he found the title ridiculous. Which he did, very much so, but then that was pretty much what he thought of many other governments and organics.

"I did not spoke of your master but politicians in general. There are other insults in my arsenal I would reach for if he was my target, not his snobbishness and self-indulgence alone, although I am sure these are vices he lords over quite well."

HK would quip in response, making a jab at the man's title.


"Their first order was to intercept a Sith artillery and heavy armor column, my squad was ordered to accompany them in order to support their attack. Even then the Echani forces were based around speed, mobility, and deadly precision, but their elite soldiers were few and valuable,"

The recording would pan aside from the white-armored Echani soldiers who seemed to have been talking or discussing something with HK as they drew lines in the dust of the hill they were all hiding behind, and revealed droids, in metal segmented bodies, and humanoid structure, with their chassis modeled in the same design as the Echani armor, faceplates resembling the helmets they wore.

"So they supplemented their numbers with droids. Their combat programming was based on hours upon hours of watching Echani masters spar, and their primary weapons were lightsabers. Some said these were the best droids designed for lightsaber combat ever."

HK continued as the soldiers in his recordings finally pushed themselves off of the hill's side and rushed over, clutching various weapons the Echani and the Omega Protectorate troops charged in an ambush against the Sith armored units beneath them. As the recording would show going over the hill, more white armored soldiers would be seen charging from the other side of the valley, among them were the said droids, leaping gracefully across the air in long strides, propelling themselves towards the walker legs and cockpits, each clutching two white lightsabers.

"Of course, they never saw me in combat."

The droid added with a quip as in the recording he would be seen propelling himself in a run and in a split second landed on top of one of the Sith soldiers, delivering a powerful kick in the process which shattered the man's armored chestplate from the force and weight behind it, looking up at a group of other soldiers who turned to face him as his hands shot up, one clutched a pistol, the other a hilt of a lightsaber. White blade would suddenly manifest as his lightsaber activated and a flurry of blaster bolts erupted as in swift movements one hand moved and flowed smoothly, deflecting seemingly every blaster bolt fired upon him while the other pulled the trigger repeatedly. Before even the flashes of blaster bolts stopped, the Sith soldiers firing upon HK were either on the ground, thrown back, or slumping over, their armor riddled or shattered from the rounds of his shattergun pistol.

 

[Srina Talon]

Srina remained silent and pensive as mirrored silver eyes remained on the projected images. Her white-gold hair seemed to turn almost a silver-blue in the light, her pale, flawless skin becoming nearly translucent. The Metal Lord was correct. In a time of war, all hands were considered on deck, especially for the citizens of Eshan. Every man, woman, and child was trained to fight. All were held accountable.

Her attention switched back to the machine before her when she heard the title of her Master repeated almost derisively. There was little laughter in her eyes. She was not an overly sensitive creature. The Echani woman was a soldier, first and foremost, and Darth Metus had remained steadfast at her side even at the worst of times. She’d already explained that he was neither snobbish nor self-indulgent and she wasn’t in the habit of repeating herself. “It would be best if my Master remained free from your crosshairs. Darth Metus does not require his apprentices to defend him…But I warn you…I may feel obligated to.”

The topic returned to the content of the holo-vid and Srina paid close attention. Despite everything else she was, she was respectful, no matter whom she was dealing with. The thoughts of the Confederacy on droid rights didn’t necessarily reflect her own. She merely respected her Masters wishes when it came to the droid legions in their army.

To that end she assumed that there was a point to this history lesson aside from showing her how little she knew about her own family. She recognized the coloring of the droids that were created to supplement Echani ranks and finely arched eyebrows rose just slightly. This was not something Srina had ever heard of, and she leaned a little closer, to watch the machines fight with white lightsabers. Part of her was a little jealous. Even the droids were fit to carry a saber, and yet, she couldn’t even manage to create her own crystal.

Gray eyes flickered back toward the Lord Protector Above Denon when he mentioned his own skill and primrose lips pressed into a demure smile as the example of his prowess unfolded. “They are impressive…As were you.”

“Do you still fight…Or are these days behind you?”

Srina was curious. Ever, curious. Often she sat with her Master while he regaled her story after story of the past. Of a darker and less civilized time. The slender Echani warrior seemed to soak it all up like a sponge. She accepted both the good with the bad and kept an open mind. It helped, when dealing with the occasional atrocity, and the fact that the Sith Lord had returned from the dead.

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Srina Talon"],

"Believe me, if I truly wished to attack your Master or his reputation, I would dig up things from his past other than his titles."

The machine dismissed Srina's protest with a slight wave of his hand, his red glowing photoreceptors locked on the contents of the projector displayed before them. When she asked about whether he currently partook in battles, the machine would nod his head,

"Yes, unfortunately one of the disadvantages of not having an aging body is that I cannot truly have an excuse to retire. Droids do not decay physically, unlike organics, not when they can replace their bodies, but some of us grow more mentally unstably, an accumulation of the so-called 'quirks' in our minds, however with age we also grow in power, gathering an ever expanding arsenal of tricks and abilities. Knowledge is power, after all."

HK explained before looking at Srina directly,

"And I am a very old and knowledgeable droid, some even call me the Father of Droids because I seem to be the oldest model alive and active so far. When the battle is righteous and the innocent are at stake I make my presence known to show just how much power that equates to. Last battle I took part in, I believe, was when the Imperial Remnant launched a raid against the Free Worlds Coalition to steal their Phrik."

The machine would explain, possibly revealing to Srina and the Confederacy news of an event they did knew about, after all the Galactic Empire, or Imperial Remnant as the machine called them before focusing his attention on the recording once more.

"They were called the Echani Mimic Battle Units, because of the fact they mimicked the recordings of Echani warriors they amounted over hours of analysis."

HK commented, motioning to the EMBU's seen on the screen, by then the battle would be dying down, as the Sith soldiers were either cut down or walked in to surrender with their arms in the air. Some dead Echani soldiers would be seen as well, and few destroyed EMBU units,

"They were usually sent in combat with energy swords, some commanders preferred lightsabers however. A better counterpart to Confederacy's Magnaguards. They were consider so revolutionary at the time and so valuable that the Echani Compact declared no fallen unit was to be left on the battlefield, so that they could be rebuilt and used once more and enemy would not be learn of their designs."

According to what the droid said the Echani and their allies would be seen bringing out the destroyed EMBU's and gathering them at the side of the road, HK walked forward towards one of the commanders as to the side one of the Sith walkers, limply fallen to the ground could be seen combusting and exploding in colorful flames.

"The commander of the battle, Kamon, is still alive from what I am told, and the bunkers these units were kept in on Echan should be preserver, one could probably track them down and revive them. Either way, after this encounter we went our separate ways, my squad was sent to help the Mandalorians hold the planetary shield generator, the Echani forces were sent to spear head assault on the Death Watch and Sith forward pre-fabricated base they dropped in from the orbit."

The footage would cut and quickly switch to a new recording, this time it was already in the middle of the action as from HK's perspective it would be a duel against what seemed to be a Sith Knight, wielding a crimson lightsaber, fully clad in dark armor and masked, fighting off the droid who laid a storm of slashes with two vibroswords,

"It was there that the Echani charged into a trap and suffered most costly defeat in recent history."

 

[Srina Talon]

“As my host, I would respectfully request that you refrain.”, Srina murmured softly, feeling a well of defensiveness, that she easily crushed. Darth Metus had a sordid history. Anyone who knew him in the previous few decades, who wasn’t part of the Confederacy, seemed almost desperate to regale her with his faults. All beings, organic or otherwise, were littered with faults. Large or small. She wished that every naysayer would take stock of themselves before seeking to undermine the man that had delivered her from torment.

The Iron Lord dismissed her words with a wave of his hand, before moving on to other subjects, such as his gaining knowledge. Srina could understand that notion easily enough. Knowledge, for the Echani, was certainly power. It was the reason they were able to fight so effectively. The slender woman remained partially confused, however, about the nature of droids slowly losing their minds. “This mental instability sounds similar to what can happen to near-humans in old age. They can become a danger to themselves and others. Do droids have that same quandary?”

“If so…What is the use of such power if it cannot be applied as it was meant to?”

What was the point of a droid retaining their memories if the ghosts and glitches in their programming could eventually destroy them and everything they’d worked for? Perhaps, it was just a risk that the robotic Lord before her was willing to take. Humans, and many other species, removed the mentally unstable from points of authority for the greater good. Could a droid go so far as to become completely unhinged? “Forgive my inquiries…I simply do not understand. Eshan has many modern conveniences but not nearly as many droids as the Confederacy. I have never seen so many in one place.”

“I suppose my question is better phrased bluntly. Could a battle droid lose all sense? And begin destroying those around it? What happens then?”

The elder droid explained how he had taken up arms in a battle against Imperial forces and the young woman listened intently. Even more so, did she focus, when he began to explain the Echani Mimic Battle Units. Srina had briefly heard rumors of such things, but EMBU’s were not openly discussed, not to general military personnel, and certainly not to school children. She was a little surprised by the weapon of choice but the sight of her people dead caused her heart to grow heavy.

She did not look away, out of respect, but she couldn’t stop the feeling of loss. It was the reason she always left the Clansmen that came after her alive. They were only following orders. While that particular phrase was associated with the justification of heinous acts, in this instance, it was very true. They didn’t know the truth. They didn’t deserve her wrath or the fury of her Master.

It made sense that her people would not want the designs of the EMBU’s leaked. Especially, when so many cultures were fond of reverse engineering technology. They seemed every bit as lethal as a trained Echani soldier. The fact that there could still be bunkers, full of these units, hidden away for later use did not escape her. The Metal Lord finished off the war story with more information, some of which she was privy to, while she watched him engage in a fierce battle with a Sith Lord.

The blue light from the holo-projector left the conference room littered with shadows. She waited for the battle between the droid and the Sith to end—No doubt with the creation before her as the victor. Slowly, she exhaled, and her hands came together in her lap as she turned the conversation back to the nature of her visit.

“While I am flattered that you thought to invite a mere apprentice to your sector I must again inquire as to the nature of this visit. I appreciate the history lesson…But I can’t believe that’s the only reason I’m here.”

[member="HK-36"]