Exposure Therapy

[Onrai]

Vanessa was not a fan of Mandalorians.

The Mandalorians had been responsible for what was quite possibly her most gruesome death - well, near-death. Yet here she was, having called a particular one aligned with the Sith to come and assist her with a project. Having failed to find a functioning original Dark Trooper to utilize the combat data of as a template for the new designs, Vanessa was now forced to try to find a capable fighter who could train the Dark Trooper prototype, Oppressor-14​, in a wide variety of combat forms.

Now she waited in the hangar bay of the ​Ablution​ for the trainer, a large human-sized crate sitting next to her.

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Lemon]

THE 'ABULATION'

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UNDETERMINED SECTOR, UNDETERMINED TIME

​Fett held a certain indifference to the Sith. It's what made them good employers, it was simple business. After his departure from the Mandalorian Empire, Koda found himself in the employ of the Sith Empire with a hefty contract- but a man such as himself never stopped seeking for more. Call it greed. The man was just glad he could take the fight to the Jedi and get paid for it, for oh how he loathed them.

​The Mandalorian stepped down the ramp of his vessel shortly after it's landing, his metallic boots clinging against flooring beneath his feet. Initially taking notice of his employer. Koda didn't speak once stopping within talking range of the woman. Yet instead stood firm with a blaster slung over his shoulder. Sith, whilst good employers, were often best kept at a distance. Everyone who knew the people had a bad run in at one point or another, and the Bounty Hunter was prone to blanket statements and generalisations.

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[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Koda Fett"]

“Koda Fett, I assume.” A chill ran down her spine. Here was a Mandalorian, wearing a full suit of armor, on board her ship. The smell of burning flesh hit her nose for but a moment, a ghost of a past life, a past body that she no longer inhabited. Thoughts ran through her mind, a double tame occurring as she rationalized the decision she had made. Was it really a wise option?

Well, she didn’t have much else of a choice.

A button was hit on the side of the crate, the front panel falling down to the metallic deck with a clang. It revealed a stormtrooper in modified armor who stood and stepped outside of the container. The first real difference was in the shape of the helmet, but the silvered coloration of the armor itself was a giveaway that this was no ordinary stormtrooper.

“This is Oppressor-14. The prototype Dark Trooper. I am hiring you for five hundred thousand credits to train this unit in advanced infantry fighting techniques, along with means of killing Jedi and functioning independently as well as part of a unit. This will be the ultimate droid soldier for the Sith Empire - his memory reserves will serve as a template for all Dark Troopers produced based on his platform.”

 

[Lemon]

THE 'ABULATION'

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UNDETERMINED SECTOR, UNDETERMINED TIME

The Bounty Hunter's eyes shifted about within the helmet, glancing up and down the impressive Dark Trooper- seemingly more machine than man, but then again, why does a machine need to be trained and not programmed? Something unethical surely, but as long as Fett got paid it wouldn't prove much of an issue.

"Flash, or literal?"

Koda's eyes continued to scan over the robotic individual that stood before him, inspecting every detail with his hands firmly planted on each hip. The training type mattered, of course. The latter being far more time consuming, and costly for a man that spends his days pursuing individuals across the known galaxy.

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[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

“Literal.” She said in response. “The adaptive learning capabilities of the verbobrain used in this unit will allow it to learn like an actual soldier.” He replied. “The plan is to use Oppressor-14 as a central template. It will constantly be learning and will, through the ships’ holonet transmissions, both update the Dark Troopers’ firmware and memories, thus increasing their combat effectiveness after each mission.”

She smiled. Hopefully this would provide to be beneficial.

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Lemon]

THE 'ABULATION'

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UNDETERMINED SECTOR, UNDETERMINED TIME

"Hmph." Fett huffed from beneath his helmet, the air sounding muffled and somewhat synthesised due to the helmet itself. A quick glance was shot back in the direction of the Sith as his query was given a response, a slow nod being handed off in reply. It was a more extended contract then, months maybe? It seemed such was likely, but how demanding was it going to be for a man that never wished to be tied down. A free bird if you will.

The Bounty Hunter removed his hands from his chest, allowing them to swing by his side as he walked around the side and ultimately behind the Dark Trooper Prototype. "Duration, consistency?" Truly a man of few words, wanting to know how long this would take and how often Fett was to train this 'thing'.

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[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

“Until you grow tired of being paid.” She said. “All I ask is a weekend teaching session with Oppressor-14. Feel free to bring any of your other Mandalorian associates into this.” She immediately regretted her words, having no idea if Koda’s associates were even associated with the Sith.

“Ten thousand credits a session. Five thousand if work calls you in and you have to use a holographic system to converse with and train Oppressor-14 at the session.” She thought for a bit before continuing. “If we can make this arrangement... perhaps the Dark Troopers can be created sooner than I had planned.” She thought for a moment about their destructive capabilities and how useful they would be.

“What do you say?”

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Lemon]

THE 'ABULATION'

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UNDETERMINED SECTOR, UNDETERMINED TIME

Unleashing a new terror upon the galaxy took time. Time to refine the beast, mould it like clay into the perfect killing machine. It was certainly a compliment to be offered such a duty, but Fett cared little for compliments- only the credits he was being rewarded, of which there were plenty. Fett's visor shifted from the droid and onto Vanessa once more. Concluding his inspection of the creation and instead finding a permanent placement upon the employer.

The Bounty Hunter already had a plan for training the droid. A training regime based off of his own, but far more demanding. Their time far limited, however. They didn't have ten years to create a soldier, as a result the learning curve was most definitely going to be steep.

"Hmph." Fett pondered for a brief moment, "I only need a simulation room." Much like those on Kamino. "If it doesn't get tired, it doesn't need to eat, or sleep, you run it until it wins." Teach it to never accept defeat. "I'll create the training regime," Rest assured it'll be of the highest quality, "Pay me in full when the job's done." A simple request, really. The best of it all being that the Mandalorian may never have to say so much of a word to it, or even be within it's presence. Capable of overseeing it's training from across the stars.

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[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Koda Fett"]

"A simulation room." She said, thinking. "With a series of simulations originally created by you. How interesting an idea." She considered the possibility of using such to get Oppressor-14​ trained in a shorter period of time. That said, it was a means of getting those damned droids off the ground faster, maybe even faster than the creation of the Phase Zero Dark Troopers. She shrugged. "It sounds good to me. How many credits can we agree upon as a payment?"

Once payment was made... all would proceed.

 

[Lemon]

THE 'ABULATION'

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UNDETERMINED SECTOR, UNDETERMINED TIME

The Hunter's eyebrow quirked, wondering whether or not she simply forgot or there was some sort of a test to fork out less credits. It mattered not, Fett knew the original payment. "The original five-hundred thousand." Nodding ever so slightly. "More, if the simulation is used for anything outside of Oppressor-14." It was only fair, wasn't it? Mapping a regime of his own, only to not be paid for it seemed a little... dare say unfair. Ironic considering how quickly the Mandalorian would of treated her unfairly if the shoe was on the other foot.

A final glance cast upon the Droid, inspecting it in all it's lethality. Koda was going to turn this heap of metal into a walking death machine. Perhaps the method to Fett's madness was going to be revealed through the machine, it might prove strange to see something similar in his movement, even.

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[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"Six hundred thousand." She replied. "I'm glad that we can make such an agreement." An agreement with a Mandalorian. And here Vanessa never thought she would actually end up doing such. She reached out a hand, offering a handshake to Koda in order to seal the deal - her spine felt as though it was frozen like ice, given that she had no idea as to whether or not he would try to crumple her hand with a crushgaunt or perhaps shoot her at point-blank range. This was the opportunity to do so, after all - Vanessa still needed to make herself a clone of this body for potential use in the event that this body was damaged or otherwise rendered defective.

"This machine will serve the Sith cause in a way like nno other."

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Lemon]

THE 'ABULATION'

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UNDETERMINED SECTOR, UNDETERMINED TIME

​Another glance was offered towards Vanessa, a final one if you may. Her words reached their mark, understood in their entirety whilst the Mandalorian listened with a blank face hidden beneath his helmet, the emotionless t-shaped visor conveying nothing. His helmet shifting to face the currently presented handshake, not extending a hand of his own and speaking instead, "You can shake my hand when the job's done." A promise of sorts.

It was immediately afterwards that Koda took a step away, facing the vessel that he landed within (assuming this is the hangar), moving towards it in an attempt to leave for there was nothing more to be said. Otherwise, the Bounty Hunter simply parades through the 'Abulation' until reaching his starship. There deal was done, and Oppressor-14 was to be unleashed upon the galaxy with time. What a sight to behold it would become.

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[member="Vanessa Vantai"]