Till the Dark Lord Lifts His Hand

[Ultimatum]

Fellow Mustafarians,​

​

My name is the Guide.​

I am here today to tell you of the treachery of our so-called 'Great Leader.'​

​

Some of you may have already seen the Holonews relating to a recent attack on Atrisia. An invasion by our true allies and protectors, the Galactic Alliance. A lesser known fact that has yet to be released is the fact that our ruler took part in that invasion.​

​

Before any assumption is made, Ultimatum the 'Lord of Mustafar' was working alongside a number of Sith who were leaders of the planet and attempted to orchestrate a defense against an invasion attempt. He has been working alongside the Sith while claiming to be loyal to the Galactic Alliance. This seems incredibly hypocritical, how did he manage such? Who is he truly loyal to? Who knows the mind of this droid? His name alone is cause for second guessing.​

​

I am certain that Ultimatum had some good explanation for working with Sith, I am certain he would have some very choice words for any who supposed he was against the liberties of the Alliance. I would even go so far as to say that he would entirely denounce his dark friends in public. But would he do so behind closed doors?​

​

I believe that our governor is corrupted by the Sith that he has worked alongside, I believe that he never was and never will be a true stalwart defender of the Alliance's beliefs. He has brought trade to our people, money into this planet, but for what if he would so quickly turn against his masters. We must have a new leader, we must remain loyal to the Alliance. Whatever reason Ultimatum may have for this lack of judgement, there is no excuse and it is time to rally to the truth.​

​

Brothers and sisters, we are all bound together by the fate of this world. Whether we are natives or offworlders we are all able to enjoy the freedoms granted by the Alliance's cause. I would not want to see it all taken from us because our selfish leader, who has cared more for his own machinations than he has for our people, would not stay true to his rulers. He claims to follow the will of the people, well let us show him the will of the people. We shall rally at the government buildings and show them our thoughts. Let us show this droid peacefully that we are not to be cast aside thoughtlessly because of his own greed.​

​

​

This message was sent across Mustafar, interrupting most HoloNet transmissions on the planet. Along with the audio were various images and files as proof to their claims. Whoever this 'Guide' was, Ultimatum was concerned by the aggressiveness of the message. It seemed to be effective as well. The security forces were reporting protesters at various government buildings and a number of the automated factories.

For now it appeared peaceful, but the droid feared that such restraint would fall apart with a prolonged period of protesting. They needed to be broken up now while the groups were either still forming or peaceful. If he waited too long, the danger would only increase as more people arrived and tensions increased.

It was not his own safety he was concerned about, in fact it was the citizens. Given the fact that order had to be maintained, those the rallies needed to be ended as definitely as possible. If that meant force had to be used then the droid was obligated to use it. He needed to first set up the various blockades and preparations for a potential riot situation. Ultimatum had a special experimental unit for that.

Ultimatum knew where his loyalties were, they did not stand with the Sith or the Galactic Alliance. His programming was to save all organics and therefore his loyalty was fixed squarely on their survival above all else. To that end he had created plans and systems for a safeguard against total organic extinction. He could not allow his loyalties to be compromised by remaining true to any one group. Every organic in the galaxy had ideas and unique traits and some he needed in order to continue his work. It did not matter whether it was a Sith or a Jedi that he worked with, though he was far more comfortable with the latter, because he chose to work with those that were capable of comprehending his ideals in one shape or another.

What had to be done to secure the future? Ultimatum could not fully tell, he had no way to see what would happen. He was planning for the worst possible scenarios and attempting to compensate. He had the first piece of his technology for that end, it was a matter of taking the next step and then the one after that. One day the organics would be thankful for the work the artificial being had done. They might not remember his name or identity, but his works would save lives.

His safety was not a concern either. Should rioting begin Ultimatum was in one of the most secure locations possible on the world. In the hidden Progenitor Facility buried under enough rock to hide it from most scanners. The citizens did not know where he was, they were simply going to attack, if anything, the symbols of his power. That he could live with, but he would prefer not to have to. It was time to begin work to stop this before it got worse.

----------------

"Security forces 010, 110, and 101 move to your positions and begin attempts to break these rallies apart. Legion, get Loyalty and the Fate's crew. Prepare for liftoff at a moment's notice." Ultimatum at last took a moment to think and stop. There were now security forces at all of the larger rally points, though many of the smaller ones were only being watched through cameras and similar devices. The situation had not gotten out of hand yet, but the citizens were restless and it looked like there was an even chance of a fight breaking out.

"As you say sir." Legion responded crisply before stepping out of Ultimatum's office to find Loyalty and prepare the Fate for extraction.

It was at that moment that Ultimatum received an untitled, unaddressed message reading:
"You are not going to get out of this unscathed. If nothing else, this is merely the seed sown in preparation. You can't win forever, remember that."

Ultimatum put his hands to his face, taking a moment to calm himself. This whole mess could have been avoided if his Sith associates had been less immediately hostile with his plans. Only one in that group had been smart enough to realize that cunning would have been needed to make those plans succeed. But the past was just that, there was no way to change it now and the droid had to live with this failure and attempt to salvage it.

 

[Ultimatum]

The situation was deteriorating, city comms had been broken into and a new message was sent across them. This time there was a person to be seen and a voice to be heard. In this case though, neither helped Ultimatum identify the originator of this uprising. The man in the message, undoubtedly the Guide behind in the first communication, was covered in standard working gear for Mustafarians who found jobs working by the molten metal streams. The voice was digitized so that his attempts to collect a voice sample for analysis were for naught. Ultimatum had attempted to locate the exact download location for the transmission, but as expected there was no evident position. Whoever had begun this was well aware of the abilities of the droid.

"Brothers, sisters, natives, offworlders, we are all living beings. We are all bound together by this fact that our cells are miracles of nature. No matter what science is capable of creating in the area of artificial life, they will not be able to reproduce the same level of complexity that makes us unique in the galaxy. Our higher brain functions separate us from the animals, our minds unite us with them and separate us from the plants, our living cells unite us with these and part us from the droids. Historically what have droids been? Servants to organics, they have never been the commander of us.

Ultimatum is an advanced droid, he has said so himself on multiple occasions. But is he as superior to us as he would have us believe? He treats organics as if they are lesser than him! It was organics that created him, without us he would never have existed and yet he continues to hold to the belief that artificial life is better than organic life in all respects. To join his army any person must accept the augmentations that he builds. They must give up a part of what makes them unique in order to become 'more efficient'?

We have been fighting wars for millennia without droids, why should we suddenly need to become like them in order to protect our homeland? Why should we allow his bigotry to continue? What has he done for us? He set up the current government, but his control is leashed by the Galactic Alliance. It has been proven that he is not trustworthy, he works alongside Sith and is a traitor to them. If he is willing to betray the Alliance then what stops him from betraying us to the tyranny of the Sith.

Let us stand up and give him what he deserves. Let us teach a lesson to the traitor. We shall send a message to the Alliance, that we require a more loyal ruler. He has deployed droids and cyborgs, but he cannot stop us. Take the factories and we may begin a reinstatement of the Alliance leadership!

While nothing had come of it yet, the people were beginning to become more agitated. His prediction algorithm pointed to a very high potential of violence should the messages continue. It also told him that if he were to show strength of arms that would probably break down the will to continue this hostile behavior. The droid wished that he could have simply locate the man behind this and deal with him directly. Such rebels were far too damaging to the mindset of the people for him to allow them to continue.

Standing, Ultimatum thought about potential solutions. He had to send a strong message in order to calm the people at least for now. He would need to debunk the misinformation in the message, but that would not be helpful until after the tension had been released. To give excuses so soon would only inflame the people's feelings. He needed to first stop their impending riot and then when things had cooled he could begin to send out proper explanations.

He truly did not want to send out the Version-2, it was still experimental and would be so useful in the battlefield that he did not want to reveal its existence to others. Now though, he had little choice. In frustration the droid decided to head to the workshop. There was work there, stuff that he could do while he kept an eye on the situation. It seemed fortuitous that the V-2 was being tuned in the main factory, near the rioting areas, but it was a temptation that Ultimatum did not appreciate. He walked out of the office and made his way into the gentle thrumming of the Progenitor Facility factory. While the tumult in the city was a cause of much turmoil, the facility continued on uncaring of the world around it. It had a job and it was not caring of the distractions of revolution or danger. It was a good example of what Ultimatum needed to feel.

But he could not. He was an advanced intelligence, he could think like the people out there. He could understand their anger and surprise. His empathy put him at odds with his duty. He had to continue as he had, yet at the same time to do so was to hurt these people when they found out. It was painful to continue, but their betterment was more important than a temporary feeling.

He walked into the workshop, whose lights were out. He was the only person in the facility that used it so when he was not in he kept the power off most of the time. As he entered, before the lights came on, he moved to the work table and pulled out a cutter tool. Last time he had been working on a piece of cybernetic. However his intentions were interrupted by the lights revealing another person in the room. Ultimatum dropped the cutter in surprise before catching himself and forcing his body to remain rigid as he prepared for an attack.

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],

As the lights turned on HK's back was turned to Ultimatum, much of his Phrik body was hidden underneath the heavy black cloak cascading off of his shoulders and down his back, pooling slightly on the ground, only the back of his silvery Phrik head could be visible. He was playing with something he found on one of the tables inside Ultimatum's workshop, a little do-hickey he examined as he waited for the other droid. Finally, there was the sound of opening door and another mechanical being stepping inside,

"Relax, if I wanted to deactivate you, I would do so already."

HK turned his head to the side until one glowing crimson-red eye glared at Ultimatum. There was a soft clank that permeated the dead silence as he set whatever he was examining down on the table.

"You may or may not have the data on my in your memory banks. I am called the Iron Knight, but once I was the Iron Lord Protector of the Omega Protectorate, this planet, and what is now the Galactic Alliance, was under my rule. I come here because I wondered about something,"

The droid turned to face Ultimatum, he could see that he wore an armor bearing marks of the Galactic Alliance and insignia of Abregado-Rae, the armor, just like his body itself, was made from Phrik. He extended his empty hand out towards Ultimatum, if the other droid could detect such things, a gravitational anomaly formed in the mechanism of door behind him. HK lowered his hand down to the ground slowly and the door followed, forced to close down behind Ultimatum following HK's gesture. Could the other machine use the Force? No life signs would be detected inside his chassis, but there was a hilt of a lightsaber hanging off of his belt.

"Where were Mustafarian ships when we fought the Sith in Atrisian orbit and called for aid? Of course, there is the question of distance, but imagine my surprise when I learned of reports that you yourself, the Lord of Mustafar, were there, and yet no aid came to us as our soldiers died. In fact it seems you were on the wrong side."

HK moved his arm back to his side, the black cloak falling over it to hide his hands, and the lightsaber hilt on his belt along with it,

"You really fethed the pony this time."

The droid quipped softly in colorful language.

 

[Ultimatum]

The concern only grew more pronounced as Ultimatum found that it was another droid that had slipped into his facility. Ultimatum took little comfort in this person's initial statement of intention. If this droid had not come to deactivate him, but had come with the secrecy that he had, there were only two options. One that this being was looking for some sort of help, or something more sinister. The artificial intelligence was betting on the latter, given the less than welcoming appearance of this droid.

Ultimatum could tell that this other droid was made of Phrik, as his own body was made of the same and the atomic signatures were identical to his scanners. The intricate designs of the internal mechanisms were exquisitely produced, if only Ultimatum could have gotten to know this one during a less dangerous situation. However, he got the feeling that this visitation was also related to his time on Atrisia. His scans further indicated that this was indeed a droid, no organic material was within.

As a matter of fact, Ultimatum did not have any information on [member="HK-36"] in his databanks, but he would soon. Now that he had a name to go with the face, Ultimatum sent a command via the HoloNet in his system for droids to begin pulling together what information could easily be obtained. It was unlikely that it would give him much to work with, but it would be good to have for future reference. Certainly he had quite a resume if what he said was truth, there was no reason to lie about it so Ultimatum assumed it was fact. His reason for coming, the way he spoke those words, had an ominous ring to it. Definitely related to his Atrisian visit.

As the droid turned to face him, Ultimatum was surprised to see that the droid had chosen the route of armor as well as a body. From the AI's perspective, there was no reason to where armor if the body could be made as tough as armor. Then again two sets of armor would be just more protection. Not a bad idea. However Ultimatum's thoughts on construction were temporarily interrupted by the movement of the door behind him closing. While he did not have sensors for the Force the system attached to the door reported that it was not closing of its own volition. The gravitation effect on the door was far greater than normal, telling Ultimatum that either this robotic being was Force capable, or otherwise had abilities beyond the standard. It also had a lightsaber, which told Ultimatum at least some extant of its abilities. Then again, a droid could probably handle a lightsaber better than many organics.

Then came the questions that Ultimatum had anticipated and dreaded. Ultimatum had never truly been indoctrinated into the Alliance, they had come and taken over and then allowed him to continue his reign. Indeed, Ultimatum could have made many excuses about not controlling any of the military forces outside of his own private ones connected with his company and personal control. The Alliance had their own people who made the decisions, if they needed forces from Mustafar Ultimatum was not going to get in their way, but neither would he directly aid them.

Ultimatum looked to his worktable, ashamed of the truth of the statements. He had made a mistake, many actually. In this circumstance it was having made friends with a Sith that was far too aggressive. The droid had had no intention of allowing himself to be drawn into the plans of war, instead taking a more clandestine role in the background it anything. As shown that day, intentions mean little in comparison to action. "I... made a mistake. I knew the risks of making friends of those who follow the darkness. I made a mistake in choosing allies, I did not want any part in the conflict or his plans for domination. I am not the victim here, but neither am I a villain, even if that organic spreading these messages would have me as one. Allying myself with Animus was part of a greater plan, his expansive thinking was needed to obtain materials and funding that otherwise would have been more difficult to acquire. I had no intention of betraying the Alliance or its goals. My plans are related to its, but on an altogether scale grander than theirs."

Looking up, he allowed himself to flow into his next set of thoughts, "As a droid you must understand that organic built governmental systems are imperfect, that organics themselves are imperfect. The propensity for violence lends itself to their own destruction." He stopped himself from continuing at this point, anything more and it might jeopardize his works. He wanted to see how the Iron Knight would respond to such a response. Ultimatum wanted to elaborate, he wanted to explain the details of his plans, but he did not want to tell them to one who was unable to or refused to understand. A fellow droid he hoped would be capable of truly comprehending Ultimatum's intentions in a way organics were not able to.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],


Once Ultimatum would rake through the internet the information on the droid he would pull up would be rather recent, well in the grand scheme of things, the first mention would come from time shortly after the formation of Omega Pyra, a unit by that codename carried wounded soldiers from a sinking ship attacked by the Banda Gora Sith cultists. There would be a record within the Bounty Hunting Guild about a hunter who used the same alias to claim and cash in a bounty on someone called Dreadpirate Lord RC 212, who was captured in a spaceport on a planet called Rae in the Abregado system, wanted for dropping a nuclear warhead on Mandalorian capital city Keldabe, then the announcement of Abregado-Rae government that its regime was given over by the Pyra to one First Baron Iron Knight of the Protectorate. Then there was a mention of the First Baron raising to seat of Exarch of Abregado-Rae, being given of command of one of the sectors of space Protectorate was divided in, and finally a mention of someone called the Iron Lord Protector ascending to highest command position within the Protectorate, which at the time controlled much of the Outer Rim, Mustafar included.

There was that and mentions of the Order of Iron Knights, Force-sensitive crystaline beings called Shards who used droid vessels to interact with their environment. However much of data on them was lost during the Four Hundred Years of Darkness, and so it seems that mentions of a unit by such a name do not appear before those times either, interestingly enough mentions of him drop shortly after his ascension to the throne of Lord Protector until very recently when it was reported he brought in reinforcements along with company called the Firemane, to Csilla to help native population fight off the Sith. There was also one mention of him specific to Mustafar, a detailed account of him leading humanitarian efforts to the lava planet, still recovering from the 400 Years of Darkness, some images of him shaking hands with their political leaders, some of which Ultimatum would probably recognize, and personally bringing supplies to the natives, including one image of a bunch of Mustafarian children clinging to his arms happily as he entertained them by lifting them up.


Anyway, back to the conversation!

"You are a droid,"

HK pointed out calmly as he paced the workshop around Ulti while he slipped into a seat, like a vulture circling a carcass,

"We are not supposed to make mistakes."

The droid quipped,

"What good is a grand plan if you take too many risks to ever fulfill it? You wanted to access resources by cooperating with the Sith, well they screwed you over and I was sent here with the authority to relieve you of your command and confiscate all your possessions before exiling you. Are you familiar with the Sith code and their nature of ascension through ranks?"

HK stopped by one of the desks, looking over another gadget Ultimatum was working on,

"Of course organics are not perfect, they worry too much about their short existence and leaving legacy to see the patterns unfolding through their lives and the grand scheme of all things."

He turned around to face Ultimatum again, his black cloak swishing softly as he moved,

"But we are not perfect either. Our minds may be faster, possess greater capacity, and our bodies may be stronger, but by the definition of our very existence and nature, we could never truly be creative, or have intuition and instincts, or feel and understand the Force. But most importantly, we will never truly understand them, and we are the minority in this Galaxy. We do make better leaders, ones who can bring peace to their war torn violent lives, but in the end, we need them just as much as they need us."

 

[Ultimatum]

The information was most interesting, definitely something that he would have taken the time to read had he the ability to sit down and enjoy it. History was an enjoyable subject, however, now was not the time for it. He had his computers begin to store information in compact form, it would save space and allow for greater speed of acquiring. Ultimatum remembered Zrixtas, a Shard that Ultimatum had come across in his journey. That one had also been a Sith, most unfortunate, and as much as Ultimatum would have loved to force them to step away from the darkness it was not his place to turn them from their chosen path.

Ultimatum was beginning to calm as he realized the situation, resigning himself to whatever fate this representation may lead. He had been through worse, whatever anybody else in the galaxy thought, he knew himself to be a good entity. With that, the droid kept himself from immediately attempting to explain himself. He was not perturbed by the potential for what the Iron Knight could do to him. He had made his own exile, one from his master and that man's plan. To start over would slow him, but the end result would remain the same.

What was said in response to Ultimatum was exactly what he wanted to hear. Perhaps this one would understand. The droid allowed himself to respond in the manner he wanted to most, "Precisely! We need them for their ability to think in a way that is beyond our capacity. They need us to plan for the future that they are unwilling to spend time contemplating."

The droid took a few steps so that he was at another table. He pulled at the device that sat half completed, an attempt at thought connection between droid and organics. It was to be far more advanced compared to the Hybrid, allowing two way communication of equals rather than a servant and master. "They do not think of the end, the end of everything as we know it. The universe will end one day and unless we are prepared that will be the end of all life. As droids we must plan for that moment, when everything external disappears. We as droids must find a way to keep them alive. Beyond this universe, and then into the next if need be. This is a universal goal, superseding all basis organic laws. Just because the Sith are wrong and evil, does not mean that they cannot be used to aid in the future. Animus did not realize it, he probably would not have understood either, but his intentions were aiding me. Of course, I built weapons for him. But then again, what government doesn't want better weapons. I cannot obtain funding or materials without giving something back. If I were to go to the Alliance and ask for funding to produce a station that would use Hyperspace to allow an organic to be put into stasis for millennia would they accept the concept? On the other hand, if I brought forth an idea for a mobile platform that launches small scale baradium missiles across a planet would they fund that one more readily?" He looked to the Knight for the answer.

Ultimatum knew that some of the logic might be stretched, but his mind was not fully formed anymore. While the intelligence was unaware of it, the turning against his primary programming had left the coding that made him distorted. He was breaking the rules of his own programming in an attempt to ward off that which he had been made to do. It came at a cost and he was unlikely to notice it. Ultimatum simply knew that in order to save organics, which was one of his own chosen rules, he had to do what was necessary to force technological advances that would otherwise have taken millennia in the stagnant state of the galaxy's scientific community.

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],

HK shook his head at Ultimatum's words,

"Preserving life at the end of Universal Cycle is an easy task, we can always vacate it into Hyperspace or the Greyspace aboard World Ships until the Realspace starts the cycle again and planets form. In fact, life already exists in the Greyspace beyond the current universe."

The life HK was referring to were of course the blood thirsty Chiron, although there were planets they once inhabited, now ruined and barren, but always with the possibility of being terraformed.

"What you should focus more is minimizing casualties and maximizing chances for galactic peace to ensure that the survivors who will escape this cycle will not destroy themselves. After all, what good is all this preparation if in the end it all fails because the remaining organics decide to wage war upon each other and ruin their chances? I have lived much longer than you and I have seen times when the Jedi dominated the Galaxy, when the Sith did, and when they both had equal power. Casualties are minimized when the Jedi Order replaces the Sith in the balance of power. Their philosophy dictates them to be peaceful, sway away from violence unless necessary, take time to study their ways and learn gradually until they are ready to advance to the next rank. The Sith on the other hand give into the temptations offered by the Force, it is the quickest way to achieving power but it turns them violent, and in the end the power it offers is no greater than that of the Jedi. Because the Sith believe in swift and radical changes of the strongest they tend to kill their superiors to advance and take their place, as a result of this in-fighting their loyalties are fickle and often their empires tend to collapse on themselves."

He left the workshop table, strolling the room some more, watching Ultimatum,

"Is it not logical then to achieve total destruction of the Sith Order so that they are replaced by the Jedi? Of course, there will be casualties in the wars against them but in the end the peaceful, stronger structure Jedi provide would spare more lives and ensure longer stability among organics than the passionate, fleeting Sith. The Sith have no resources left, their armies are broken, their territories gone, their remnants skulk the sewers like rats. And what little they have left,"

HK motioned out towards the door and Mustafar waiting beyond it,

"Is it really worth the price? The trouble it brings and attention that could end your plans before they complete even a fragment of their goal? Governments are not equal, you need to choose which to support more carefully. By bringing weapons to Sith, you brought more death to organics, and you endangered your own kind. The planet I rule has a large population of free droids who were able to escape their organic masters, under my rule they live alongside them peacefully, I was able to achieve what now exploded into your face. I did so not by working with Sith to help their domination but by fighting alongside the Jedi and forming alliances throughout the Galaxy. This utopia I created, however, was threatened by Sith-controlled Atrisians you supported."

The droid shook his head again,

"Both of those concepts have the same chance of being funded by the Alliance if you spin it right. The station could be presented as a tool of exploration, bringing their influence to worlds they would not be able to reach before. Or it could be funded piece by piece if you have the patience for it. Know when and how to appeal to organics and you would not need to have help from the Sith. They are a shortcut, yes, but the shortest route is not always the better."

 

[Ultimatum]

While Ultimatum understood the ideas that the Iron Knight put out to make their survival easier, the droid was less than comforted by the concepts. In his mind they failed to take into account the possibility that all such things would disappear, leaving everything in a void, which would of course then require that the organics have specially build ships that could survive the void and the appearance of the new universe. He was working towards technology that could create its own energy and matter, so that they could be entirely self-sufficient within.

Ultimatum stopped himself from responding in any way until [member="HK-36"] was finished. The older droid was right, completely. Ultimatum could not remember how many times he had said similar things to himself when working alongside the Sith. Every time he had been called to help Animus, the droid had felt some small amount of regret for allowing himself to be brought in. This did not change the fact that he had never discontinued the allied relationship. It was his decision and an incorrect one at that. He would have to make up for it in one way or another, it was a question of what the Alliance intended to do.

Was it worth the price? There was a question that Ultimatum could not easily answer. The technological leaps accomplished most recently were far greater than what he had at the beginning and had been accomplished in part due to the support of Malgus. Of course the organic did not realize it, and was now never going to know. Ultimatum knew however that an aspect of the Knight's argument was seemingly intentionally leaving out an entire section of the galactic governments and powers.

"But the Jedi and Sith are not the only organics in the galaxy, they do not run or are part of every organic government. There have been governments without Jedi or Sith, however because they fall so quickly they are easy to miss. The Jedi and the Sith are both imperfect, as time passes with either in power they seem to fall to their opposite. They become complacent, and in their stagnation they unwittingly welcome their enemies to take over. As a whole they are both destructive forces that lead to inevitable conflict, whether it be with their opponents or within themselves. Jedi naturally attempt to hold everyone to the rules that they have set up, forcing everyone's laws to conform to their preference. The Sith are less subtle in their method but accomplish the same thing. Neither side is capable of maintaining balance over truly long periods of time. The Jedi's need to send away their failures leads to a rising of the Sith, while the overly-tyrannical tendencies of the Sith lead to their failures attempting to find another way, normally leading them to be Jedi. The infighting of the Force has been a large reason for the last several millennia of war."

Ultimatum looked haggard, the young droid was under the illusion that the fate of the organics lied squarely on his shoulders. His perceived burden was far too great for any single being. Was it an attempt to reconcile for his creator's intentions or an example of a misguided intelligence that had yet to realize the possibility of reaching out for help? Definitely some of the former and perhaps some of the latter. He was an imperfect droid, by his own standards, not completely capable of objectivity because of the methods utilized in his programming.

He continued after a moment of thought, "Even without the Jedi or Sith causing unnecessary conflict, everyday organics appear to naturally be inclined to conflict with one another. It is in their nature to fight. Because droids cannot force them to coexist it is impossible to be completely devoid of blame in a war. If I had built weapons for the Alliance then I would be ending the lives of Sith soldiers and civilians, just as I built weapons, as few as I could, for the Sith that ended killing Alliance soldiers. It does not matter which side is chosen, from the perspective of the other I am a villain and wrong. If one tries to be neutral, working with either or both sides then he is considered a traitor to one or both and is punished as such by both sides. Organics cannot think beyond their own point of view, they always have to make their opponent the bad guy to justify their battles and murder. Contrary to what history would say, no war is justified, there is no cosmic good or evil, only what organics say is one or the other. The answer is almost always that one organic will claim they are good and their enemy is evil, or in some way less good than them. Jedi will claim that Sith are evil because the Sith follow a basic law of Natural Selection, while the Sith will claim that the Jedi are evil because the Jedi wish to repress the nature of organics in an impossible manner."

Ultimatum sighed before looking to a blank wall, the lines where the reinforced metal bars passed through to hold the facility's ceiling up created an alien design. This was all very good in conversation, but the likelihood of actually changing the mind of the Knight was almost impossible. The droid understood why, this being was his senior by centuries and he had far more experience in the galaxy.

"All this being said, I surrender myself to any judgement you deem justified. My actions are inexcusable. I cannot say that I am one hundred percent repenting, however I do understand that my decision was incorrect and I shall attempt to avoid making similar mistakes again. Further I will attempt to rectify the misdeeds I have committed according to your decisions. If it would help my cause, I am more than willing to begin actively producing technology for the Alliance. The two projects I mentioned earlier are both in the works and are likely to succeed."

With that Ultimatum sat down, locking his legs so that he did not fall over even thought he was sitting on air. Putting his hands on his legs he looked at the Knight, blanking away all emotions.


---------------------------------------

As the two droids conversed, the streets were beginning to fill with fights. There were two distinct groups that had taken opposing sides. A number of organic factory workers had decided to attempt to debunk the messages without the help of Ultimatum or his droids. The believers of the message had reacted violently. Both sides were now brawling in the streets and the bystanders were being drawn into the conflict. Within moments the droid forces were attempting to break up the fights, to no avail. Anti-riot weapons were being deployed before the V-2 was sent out. Tear gas and stun rifles were being given to V-1s and Hybrid controlled droids.

As of yet no blasters had been drawn by the aggressors, however it appeared to be only a matter of time with the animosity that those who believed the message were expressing towards the droid and those who followed him. Interestingly the factory as yet remained untouched, as if it were a sacred point to be avoided. It would not last, but for now the factory in the middle of the city continued working in the quiet of the surrounding streets. Blockades on all sides held back most of the lesser attackers for now.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],

"No, of course there are many other orders and governments who operate without their influence. But it seems that at heart of all the major Galactic conflicts there is always the battle between Sith and the Jedi."

The older droid agreed,

"One way or another even those governments who try to reject their influence are pulled into their wars, it was my goal in the last decade to build a network of contacts, allies who are willing to come to my aid should I need it, to exist alongside me. To fight for the Greater Good. Trust me, you may think otherwise now but once you will live as long as I do, you will learn that there is good and evil, although most of us are trapped somewhere in between. I have seen and fought beings whose mention have not even brushed your memory banks, creatures made entirely out of elemental shadow, daemons of rot from a plane they call the Chaos who existed for the sole purpose of spreading death and destruction among organics, a being that called itself the Machine God in form of a giant draconic droid, when I broke its vessel it managed to release what could be only define as a spirit that took possession of my own vessel to fight against my allies. There are planes and beings in this Galaxy who work outside of the logical laws. Most of my counterparts in the HK series tried to survive among them through violence and murder, I outlived them because I decided to gather knowledge and make friends instead."

HK would turn away from the table to face Ultimatum,

"But the words have no weight without proof. For your punishment you will remain as the Lord of Mustafar, but you will swear your allegiance to me as my vassal for one standard Galactic year and observe the way I govern my planet and navigate the Galactic politics and diplomacy. After the end of this year you will be free to decide whether my methods are more efficient than yours, and our partnership could terminate, or you can join me as an equal ally."

The Phrik droid would step closer towards him,

"Now, have you heard the Mechanus Prophecy and when was the last time you walked among the common citizens of Mustafar in person?"

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum found that he was convinced to a degree. Indeed the Iron Knight made a lot of sense, but Ultimatum did not agree with everything said. The younger droid did not doubt that his senior had experienced things that Ultimatum had yet to come across, that the experience of ages had allowed him knowledge that far surpassed the his own being. Therefore he was obligated to listen to the suggestions and commands until such a time as the droid could garner enough information that he could hold his own. That day might never come, Ultimatum knew, but it was his duty to discover that which was unknown. He had to, for only through the unknown would the organics learn and be taught.

The punishment for him was not what Ultimatum had been prepared for. He felt the uncertainty that had been a constant companion when he had given himself as an ally to Animus. He did assumed that it was a side effect of that time, not that he was distrusting of the Knight... Though, he did not completely trust the droid, that was something he had come to do for most beings he did not know. Strangers of all types were simply not to be trusted on their word, the galaxy was too full of dangerous people who pretended to be otherwise. In this case though there was no choice, he had to obey. This was a necessity. The droid had only just truly realized the possibilities that lay within his reach. The Alliance had resources, many of the ones he would need, and while he would need to step outside of the Alliance to obtain some he could work with them to achieve what he could not before. A focus nearly solely on the technology to reach the greater universe and then to step beyond it.

The first of the questions that followed seemed strange to the droid, not recognizing its content or intent. However the second was easy to comprehend and easier to prove a point. Ultimatum guessed that this was perhaps a form of lesson, the first of many that were to come. Certainly in this galaxy full of individuals from all walks of life there were many who would jump at the opportunity to learn yet more skills, Ultimatum decided that he should not waste the chance that others might never obtain. He shook his head to [member="HK-36"] answering, "No for the first question. A long time for the other." The droid understood that it was an oversight that he had not spent time among his people, but ever were the demands of the greater galaxy, always something more to be done. He had compromised, incorrectly of course, but at the time he had decided it was what he had believed to be the best solution. Now though he was having second guesses. No droid was perfect, not really. Computers came out with wrong answers all the time, it was a matter of incorrect programming or a lack of understanding of the input. This droid was imperfect in more ways than just that, the environment that had led to his creation had been from the start a twisted and less than ideal one. Much had led the droid to choose incorrectly along his path, but now perhaps he would be able to turn his full attention to the betterment of all. Maybe.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],

The droid motioned for Ultimatum to follow him as he stepped up to the door,

"It is time to show your subjects that machines are beings as well, we will go to the site of protest, you will show your supporters you are not above them, and speak to the protesters directly."

Hopefully Ulti would follow HK because as they started to make their way outside of the Workshop he begun to explain,

"Mechanus is a fabled lost planet, once inhabited by Force-attuned, industrious, squat creatures, although not too advanced in technology, one day a free droid came upon the planet, seeking refuge from the persecution of organics. He struck a bargain with the natives, they allowed him to stay on the planet and built what he needed to sustain himself, in exchange he gave them the starship he came to their planet on. They reversed engineered it and learned from the droid, developing hyperdrive technology, advancements in cybernetics and machinery, they cast their eyes upon the stars. Meanwhile the droid begun to build power generators and factories, making copies of himself over and over. Eventually the natives decided to leave the planet entirely as their pursuit of technology begun to drain it from resources and damage the ecosystem, they boarded their ships and left, leaving the droids behind."

He spoke as he strolled through the corridors of Mustafarian facility,

"Before they left the eldest of the natives and wisest in the Force looked into the future concerning the mechanical kind and made a prediction: One day there will be a war between droids, those who believe that the machines should join the organics in Total Singularity and replace them by becoming one, and those who believe that even beyond Singularity the machines and organics could prosper through coexistence. Few organics will notice this war, it will be fought in shadows beyond the notice of governments and Force-bound orders, but it will shake the Galaxy. When the dust will settle the victors will realize their vision, as all droids will realize it is the most efficient course of action and unite in this pursuit."

HK paused, near the exit, glancing back to Ultimatum,

"Should this prophecy come to fruition, as all others did, which side would you fight on?"

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum did follow [member="HK-36"] though he was trying to understand what the droid intended on doing. Aside from showing Ultimatum the way he should act according to HK, what was he hoping to accomplish here? Had he been sent by the Alliance or come of his own accord when he realized what had been going on. These were inconsequential questions really, but the droid was curious nonetheless. As they made way towards the exit and the now waiting vehicle Ultimatum found the tale truly interesting to listen to. He wondered about the veracity of it and whether or not it would ever truly come to that.

A world of powerful Force users who were unknown by any Force using society? Even if it predated the Jedi and Sith there were other groups that would have felt the collection of Force users. Ultimatum further wondered if the species spoken of were Voss, they were the only Force sensitive race thus far that had been proven to always be right with their predictions, though from the droid's experience they were more often ambiguous enough that they covered most eventualities.

He was unsure how to answer that question. Both needed each other, yet at the same time Ultimatum believed that with enough work droids could be equal to organics in all regards and better in many. The droid had an answer that might circumvent the issue for the moment, "Well should it come to pass in the next year, then I guess I will be working for whichever side you would choose." He was uncertain as to which side he would want to be part of at this moment, he would think on it once this was over. It was a question of much importance and one that Ultimatum did not take lightly.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],

"A safe answer."

HK admitted with a nod before stopping and glancing back to Ultimatum,

"But a fickle one. You are not my slave-unit, you can form opinions divergent from my own, but remember, the most precious resource in this Galaxy are not credits or metals- it is loyalty."

He turned back to keep on walking,

"If you are wondering, I believe in coexistence over True Singularity, even at our highest pinnacle, droids will never be organics, any merge between the two should be voluntary and even then, we will still need organics to see and do what we cannot."


Walking outside the structure he would board the vehicle waiting for them, turning to Ulti,

"During the initial period of my rule on Abregado there was a lot of tension between me and my organic subjects, they did not enjoy the idea of a mechanical leader and I took control as a militaristic dictator by defeating the Pirate Warlord who used the planet as his base of operation. I earned their loyalty and relieved the tension by walking among them, speaking to the common citizens, fighting alongside my soldiers as one of them, reforming the industry to benefit the worker rather than simply maximize the profit and increase the CEO's salary. I showed them that droids are free from such faults as greed. You will most likely have to do the same, we will start by going to the site of protests where you will speak with both your supporters and the protesters. There is little you can lose by appearing, it will show your supporters that you are not above them, it will strengthen their resolve, while negating some of the protester's views and claims."

 

[Ultimatum]

Of course the answer was fickle, what could be expected when so little time was given to fully contemplate the repercussions of the decision? Ultimatum was by no means upset by the observation, instead he simply took it as a fact and let it sit as such. The droid followed the HK unit to the vehicle, stepping in Ultimatum was attempting to come to his own decision. It was a question of whether or not one side could become like the other. Could organics reach the point of perfect logic and biological enhancement so as to completely negate the need of artificial life and on the flip side could artificials reach the same level of ingenuity and creativity thus making organics obsolete? The answers Ultimatum knew not, however thus far the droid had not encountered any limits of the capabilities of technology.

The droid decided to put off coming to a conclusion until later, there was a far more important and potentially dangerous situation coming up. Of course, if he deployed forces to quell the protestors it was likely that any threat could be negated, but that would only delay the inevitable. This rebellion was only the beginning and Ultimatum was sure that he had not heard the last of this Guide, the man sounded far too certain of himself to give up if this failed. However, that would not halt the attempt, if indeed what [member="HK-36"] said would work then the droid was willing to see what would happen.

"Do you believe that it will truly stop this? Surely you saw the man behind it, the Guide. Do you think that this will stop him from attempting a revolt in the future? He appears fairly intent
on my removal from office." The younger droid bent into the vehicle and prepared himself for the journey.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],

"It will probably not stop him from further attempts, if he is this bent on attempting to remove you from the office then he is beyond logic and reason, or may be working for another party that would have interest in undermining your rule."

HK concurred as he settled himself within the vehicle, motioning to the driver to set off, or for Ultimatum to start driving or give the order to do so if for some reason HK would not be able to,

"But if we reinstate the image of you as a just leader who knows not only what is right for the people, but the people themselves, then we will be able to eventually pull the popular support away from the Guide, he may still be trying to overthrow you then, but without the people he will be only another radical conspiracy theorist, and soon enough he will fade into obscurity."

The droid explained before questioning Ultimatum still,

"So, when we will arrive there, how will you speak to your supporters?"

 

[Ultimatum]

The vehicle began moving as [member="HK-36"] waved. There was a momentary delay as it moved past a rock formation before accelerating as quickly as the engine could handle. It was an interesting concept, that of politics. One that the droid would not have anticipated himself being pulled into for this occasion, he had dealt with the subject before in small amounts. His focus had incorrectly been placed in allowing others to handle that specific area and give himself more time to focus on the rest of the galaxy and his own needs. Legion had been of considerable help in that, often being the temporary leader and handling the more mundane tasks on a regular basis. He had been a protocol droid, with some alterations, and had taken to the tasks for maintaining reputation with organics with quite less hesitance than Ultimatum.

The question of what he would say was more difficult to answer but he had some ideas of what he would need to say, "I believe I should tell them the truth, what I did and why. Beyond that what do you believe I should tell them?"

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],

((Really sorry for the wait! With everything going on on my end and catching up on threads I totally thought I already replied here))

The droid's body gently swayed to the rhythm of the vehicle moving like an ancient tree swayed with the wind that whipped at it for centuries,

"The truth is always a good option, for it leaves no chance for the other party to catch you on your lie and have your own words back-fire. On the other hand, there is merit in lying, for truth sometimes is rather uncomfortable, and for some reason, many organics believe that droids are incapable of lying."

HK leaned back on his chair,

"Personally I try not to lie, but not speak the entirety of truth either, I prefer to deal in half-truth, telling the organics only as much as they need to no and no further, often allowing them to wonder and come to their own conclusions. For example when they asked me how I came to power over Abregado I tell them that I did so by capturing a wanted pirate lord and received the seat of power on the planet as a reward. In full reality I did captured the pirate lord and held him hostage, surrendering him to the Protectorate government instead of Mandalorians directly once they agreed to grant me direct control over the planet, forcing the current Abregado government to step down and recognize me as their commander. Do you see how both statements are true, yet one can make an organic uncomfortable towards me?"

The droid asked, just to make sure Ultimatum still understood,

"But what I came to learn over my long existence with the organics is that what matters more than what you say is how you say it. Look into their eyes, stand near them rather than speaking from a vehicle, ask what is their name or what you may call them and refer to them by such. That way the organic would feel a more personal connection to you rather than just see you as a mechanical commander overseeing the planet, they will come to understand that you are an autonomous being as well. They also like when you claim to be their friend or servant rather than simply their leader."

HK explained from his experience,

"Many of the native Gados and other organics support me still as a totalitarian leader even though the original support of the Protectorate fell because I took time regularly to walk among them during the busy market hours, speaking with them and learning about them. It is trivial information and wasted time I could use working on practical projects, but the seeds of loyalty and the reputation it spread among them is invaluable when compared to anything else I could have crafted or designed in the mean time."

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum nodded his head when the Iron Knight asked if he understood. The concept of half-truths was well known by the younger AI, he had been very careful in what he told his friends, in fact though he often told them that he cared for organics, [member="HK-36"] was the first to be told what that entailed. Ultimatum had worked with only half-truths before, but even they were considered no better than lies by organics. Those beings were far too easily wounded emotionally, probably a side effect of having a limited sense of good beyond their own being.

Certainly the older droid made many good points, whether or not Ultimatum completely agreed with it. The older droid spoke of attempting to create comradery with the organics, this was something that the younger one knew was possible yet at the same time was uncertain if it would be valuable enough to divert his attention. After all, organics were easily swayed, any organic might decide to lie about what Ultimatum did or had done and in so doing potentially unraveling all the work he might have put into a relationship as their ruler and ally. Yet at the same time the droid understood that by building a trusting population, he would reap rewards great indeed that could aid him in the future if they did not fall away from him again.

Whether or not he agreed or believed in the concepts, Ultimatum was bound to attempt to follow them for at least one galactic year. During that period he intended on analyzing the pros and cons of the ideas intimately, but his decision would wait until the end of that time. The artificial intelligence decided to attempt to get at least a head start in the knowledge of what he should do at this exact moment, "How would you suggest responding right now? I cannot debunk the truth that the Guide has put out."

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ultimatum"],

HK nodded at Ultimatum's question, pondering it, at first only agreeing with,

"Yes, you did get screwed over in a rather major way by dealing with the Sith this time."

As he calculated what would be the best response. After a minute of going through the scenarios and variables he finally responded,

"Claim that you were not aware of their intentions towards the Alliance and that you were lured there by promises of expanding commerce and exchange of goods between Mustafar and the Core via projects on expanding the current existing hyper-lanes trade routes. Remind them of the industry and prosperity that blossomed during your regime and claim that benefiting them, especially the working class population, has been your goal since the beginning. Point out that the Alliance does not have an established a governing body that exactly rules over you, only one that regulates the planets to make sure all of its members adhere to the requirements of remaining as part of the Alliance and do not endanger each other. In the end you are still the governor of Mustafar, your main concern is developing the planet's commerce and industry to benefit the majority of the population, just like the droid representatives sent to Mustafar before you by the Protectorate who brought with them humanitarian aid and protected the planet from pirate attacks, bringing them from the shadows of the Long Dark into the current Galactic Society. Do not forget to mention that you left Atrisia as soon as the King and other representatives' motives and intentions were revealed."

HK looked out of their vehicle, looking over the industrial landscape as they traveled the volcanic planet,

"If there will be more arguments about the incompatibility between droid leadership and organic population I will reveal myself and speak to them personally. Treat them as equal, do not mention anything about droids being superior to organics."

He repeated his previous points just to be safe.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum hoped that it would not require any form of conversation on that topic, his thoughts on the matter were far to obvious so as to make a full debate of whether organics were superior to artificials or the other way around. It was a case of two sides both being bigoted in their own way, while Ultimatum accepted readily that organics had areas of expertise where they surpassed artificials he did not see them as being wholly superior. Of course he did not intend on bringing the subject up, as no doubt it would cause enough trouble in itself.

The droid was glad to hear that the Iron Knight appeared to be somewhat understanding of the situation, at least that was what Ultimatum understood. He replied with a degree of certainty, "Alright. I shall get that idea across, hopefully without having to step into an actual debate with them." A moment passed where he too looked out the window, they were beginning to pass the outskirts of the city and one of the things quite easily noticed was that the locals to this area had retreated indoors, in preparation for a riot. Little did they know, no fighting was going to reach them today. Ultimatum continued with a question, "Do you think the Guide will be there? Or that he will attempt to communicate with the public while I am speaking?"

Ultimatum believed that it would be very damaging to any message he attempted to communicate should the Guide attempt to interfere. Whether or not this was true, Ultimatum did not know, however it was better to be safe than sorry. He hoped that [member="HK-36"] had experience in this area. It was times like this that Ultimatum wished that he truly did not rule a planet, that he could simple be king of his own artificials without any organics to respond to. Perhaps one day he could achieve that, build a world ship and simply leave the galaxy behind him, after his work was complete of course. Maybe he could travel the universe, exploring galaxies and meeting new and wondrous species. A vain hope, but one nonetheless.