The Perfect Warrior

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The Ge'hutuun was deathly silent as the Architects prepared the operating table. The room they currently occupied was pearly white and entirely sterilized. The possibility of infection was extremely low, and the subject would have little to fear in was of disease.

The young man was stripped down to his britches and strapped to a durasteel operating table. He stared up at the tall, spider like droids curiously.

"They're preparing to run the augmentations now." Stanley informed the Dreadguard commander.

Book gave a slight nod of his head, and ran a hand through his short blond hair.

"Let's hope they stick."

 

[Marcus Itera]

Miranda was afraid, or something close to that. Artificially intelligent beings tended to possess artificial feelings as well, and she would never be able to tell Marcus that she really did miss him. Even if he was already passed out on the table next to Book, or Commander Ontanas, she still missed that presence of his. His warm heart, those quirky jokes, and that devilish smile that only she had the pleasure of seeing. Nobody had seen his face in years, armor and a helmet was all that seemingly made this man who he was and whatever he was to become.

These so-called Architects had better know what they were doing, or they were going to have to go through her.

"Stay safe, Marcus."

[member="Book"]

 

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This was either going to be an amazing success, or a terrible tragedy. The Mark-III augmentations had been tested excessively on previous subjects, and were supposedly perfected by the Architects. That didn't mean the possibility of death wasn't there.

"They assigned you to him?" Stanley sputtered through the data feed of the holonet to Miranda. "Or did you choose him? I know they let some of us pick."

The holographic form of the AI, a handsome man with bright red hair and an aviator's jacket, motioned toward the Dreadguard commander who observed just beyond a pane of glass.

"I picked."

The Architects attached IV's to Pappy's arms, and activated the insertion drills on either side of his head. Slowly, they drilled tiny holes into either side of his head, and dug into his arms.

A bright blue liquid drained from the IV into DG-43's body.

Whether he rejected the artificial growth of his bone marrow and muscle mass was on the table.



[member="Pappy"]

 

[Marcus Itera]

Miranda shot a look at the red-clad, freckled man wearing glasses. Shades while indoors, how typical of a meatheaded jerk. The hologram of the young woman drew a strand of autumn hair behind her ear before peering back down at her warden's face.

"Yes," she breathed, "I picked him."

A light blue hand reached out for the hem of his helmet seated beside him. All of his armor was there, the OD green steel that he would be encompassed in for almost his entire life. It was so sad. Either the sentience programming within her was starting to make itself known or her artificial heart was breaking - she felt bad for Marcus. Once the pair had joined, she knew everything about him. From his first steps as a baby, to Uncle Ray's kicking parties, and then the Republic army.

"And he picked me. I will be with him wherever he goes." She turned to face Stanley, "He is mine. Forever."

[member="Book"]

 

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"Lower the dosage. He has a healing factor. Let his body sort out the drugs." Book ordered the Architects.

The sentient droids stared at him for a moment, before removing the stabilizing syringe from Pappy's shoulder. The man was going through seizures and they were worried he might hemorrhage, but the Commaner's orders were followed. On the upside, the growth agents had been accepted by Marcus's body.

"That's romantic." Stanley grunted. The AI turned about on his dais to stare at the operation. Marcus's eyes were being peeled open with tape - archaic but effective - and the Architects were leveling a microscopic laser over his eyes.

"You do realize you aren't organic, right?" Stanley lofted a brow as the droids began to artificially insert the cranial implants that would advance DG-43's vision. The seizures had stopped. "I mean, I like Alexander, but I'm not going to try and marry him."



[member="Pappy"]

 

[Marcus Itera]

"I know." She said softly. "I saw through his eyes as his family was taken from him. Everything he ever had, ever wanted, was stripped from him in minutes." Miranda recalled seeing through his own vision as his wife and daughter were slain by the Sith. Their crumpled and bloodied forms dropping against the cold, hard ground without a care in the world.

Her light blue form shuddered as she crossed her arms, glancing away each time Marcus violently jerked.

"I just... I want him to be human again. Maybe then he can teach me to be a human, even if I am just a sequence of coding."

The AI sighed, shrugging to herself before dropping to sit upon Pappy's helmet.

[member="Book"]

 

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Stanley imitated breathing a heavy sigh, and shook his head. Why the woman would want to be organic he would never know. In their state, the galaxy was entirely open, and death was an afterthought. They were immortal!

"Ah, you synced up then." Stanley replied with a slight hint of amusement in his voice. "I couldn't with Book. The Mark II's were all special cases. They were dead. We rebuilt them. Those memories would likely render me obsolete, I'm afraid."

The cranial implant was applied with remarkable dexterity by the Architects. It was little more than a contact lens in looks, but it had a much more serious application. It would dissolve into Marcus's eyes, and enhance his corneal capabilities.

"Apply the cardiac treatment." Book ordered.

This was the tricky part. A green drug of some sort was injected into Pappy's body through the IV. If this failed, DG-43 would experience extreme pain before suffering a fatal heart attack.

"Cross your fingers."


[member="Pappy"]

 

[Marcus Itera]

[member="Book"]

The glowing AI squeezed her eyes shut as Stanley spoke, as Book ordered the next phases of treatment, as Marcus seethed in pain. He would be fine, she just had to calm herself and do whatever she could to help him. Though her processing sequences told her that there literally was nothing to do for him, something within her completely staved off that other mindset.

"I don't believe in luck," she murmured. Luck was Marcus' thing. She was usually just a combat multiplier. "All I do is help keep him alive, and I can't even do that right now."

A somber expression took upon her features as she slid her right hand out of sight, crossing her fingers.

 

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"He is flatlining." The lead Architect monotoned.

Marcus was being subjected to a highly volatile treatment. It thinned the blood, and often caused internal Hemorrhaging before the heart attack came. Violent seizures overtook his inert form, and liquid fire poured through his veins.

"Oh, shab." Stanley whispered. This was looking bleak.

"Stabilize him." Book snapped.

The Architects electrified the tips of their mandibles, and pressed them to Marcus's chest. The shocks were violent and monstrously painful, but they forced his heart to beat once more.

"Subject is accepting the treatment....ready the shaper."


[member="Pappy"]

 

[Marcus Itera]

"No." She groaned in agony as her own warden was subjected to enormous amounts of nothing but pure pain. It seeped into his bloodstream, burned at his lungs, and corroded his skin in such a way that he was actually becoming something perfect.

No pain, no gain.

Whether she believed the saying or not, her eyes were still clamped shut and her hands were balled into fists. If she could've, those fists would have been smashing right into the Architects as Marcus was put through these tests. Miranda would have screamed, squealed, and charged at these things. If only she could...

"Be safe, my love."

[member="Book"]

 

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"Begin the shaping."

The Architects stepped aside as a massive Vong dressed in a lab coat approached. His eyes were deep set and unfocused. His hands - one of which being the characteristic hand of a shaper - swayed deftly with each step. The Shaper stopped at Marcus's side, and examined the man.

"Were you ever organic?" Stanley asked the female AI. "You act like it. Not that it's a bad thing."

Stanley felt things too of course, but he never fancied himself capable of love. Some AI were crafted from the brain material of deceased people. Stanley was not, but it was quite possible Miranda was.

The Shaper's hand lowered over Pappy's chest. It connected to his pale flesh, and glowed a faint shade of gold.

If this worked, the gene that helped connect Marcus to the midichlorians in his body would effectively cease to function.

[member="Pappy"]

 

[Marcus Itera]

[member="Book"]

The Artificial being shook her head. "I can't say that I have. Marcus has taught me quite a lot about being human," her brows furrowed at the Shaper's movements, "And hopefully I can really be one someday. I don't like being stuck on this other side of reality."

Her lips morphed into a pout. "So, is everything almost done? What's happening?"

For a near-genius AI who had access to almost everything on the HoloNet, she still asked questions. It was more so for comfort rather than gaining knowledge. She could do that any time, and now was to keep her mind off of Marcus and analyze this other "brother" of hers.

 

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The golden aura spread for a moment before the Shaper pulled its hand away. Marcus did not move, did not breath, did not react. The Shaper turned its aged head toward the Dreadguard commander.

"It is done."

The Shaper turned about, and took his leave. Stanley folded his holographic arms over his chest, and scowled. DG-43 did not look well.

"Give him a moment." Stanley mumbled.

"There." Book offered a small smile.

Dreadguard fourth five drew in a breath.

"Procedure was a success."

[member="Pappy"]

 

[Marcus Itera]

[member="Book"]

Miranda couldn't be any happier.

Once the Architects and their foul beasts of mechanics and programming stopped filling Marcus with pain, she unclenched her fists and rose to stand. It was a little ironic that she hated these seemingly automated creators of life, since she was actually one of their creations, but their demeanor regarded her with little interest. They merely moved as if they were eternally within thought, only focusing on their task at hand.

"Is... is everything okay?"

Her soft cobalt form hovered in the air for a moment before weightlessly landing next to Marcus. A hand rose before her face, and she slowly brought it towards the man's naked flesh. It phased through almost instantly but Miranda retracted it just enough so that it appeared as if she were touching him.

"Everything is over now, right?"

 

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"He'll need time to recover - but yes, it's over. Marcus is the first Dreadguard three. Congratulations."

Stanley appeared a pace or so away from Miranda, and watched curiously. The AI's actions intrigued him. She was entirely too human in her thought processes. That would get her soldier killed one day.

"I'll leave you two." Book snapped. Stanley disappeared as he finished his sentence, and without another word, Book strolled off toward his quarters.

The operation was a success.


[member="Pappy"]