GENESIS

[VX-26]

THE FOREST

For fifty years it had lain there, a hive for those creatures so low as to drag their chests across the dirt.

For fifty years it had decayed, collapsing as each day wore away at its body, so carefully designed.

Today was the same. The forest was freezing cold, violent streaks of rain tearing through leaf-stripped branches, melting through cold soil with the swiftness of acid melting flesh, such was its unprecedented weakness. Greyness filled the skies, overwhelming darkness that left the monster shrouded in black shadow; embedded in the mud, its inhuman head ran wet with fresh rain. One hand protruded from the ground, vicious claws rising out from each fingertip. From a short distance it looked like little more than a group of dead flowers.

Truly it was a travesty- such beauty corroded by the harsh weathers of time.

Here lay murder personified, and yet it was entirely forgotten.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

It was truly a peculiar sight to see the regale and noble Sith Lord waltz through the forest, like a prancing bambee waltzing through the meadows. At least thats what I assume it looked like, but then again… from my perspective it’s fairly hard to judge how I looked like running around here. I had a small entourage with me, couple of operatives that I usually took with me these days. They probably would have had a better idea on how I looked like, but that’s the last thing I was gonna ask ‘em.

You can ask yourself why I am here now, travelling through some weird forest. But I wouldn’t be able to tell you, classified information you see? Well, not really classified, but the thing is. There were mentalists running around here, like me, and the last thing I wanted was to think a stray thought and have someone pick it up. So I kept it to the inner confines of my subconscious thoughts, trust me it’s better that way.

Oh don’t be that way, you will find out soon enough.

One of the soldiers had found something it seemed, at least that’s what I assumed had happened when he started signing with his hand towards his teammate. Like I said, they were pretty big on professionalism, so they didn’t even yell anymore. Had a whole dang sign language figured out or something.

One of them walked over to me, gave me a bow and then said with a lowered voice.

‘My Lord, we found a half-buried droid. It doesn’t seem to be active though.’

‘Show me.’

And that he did.

 

[VX-26]

Even as these defilers of beauty came close, the machine did not wake. It could not wake. Fifty years spent submerged in fecal matter had left its toll upon VX-26.

The machine remained still, and yet, it looked more alive than it had for the past fifty years- perhaps this was because the movements of the Sith had scared most of the creatures inhabiting its metal skull away.

It just kept staring up into space with its ghastly, fractured face, a face that still looked like death incarnate, even after having being crushed and smeared with excrement for half a century.

Deep within those ungodly workings, things were stirring, and not all of them were just insects.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

For a while I just looked at the droid, half buried in the manure and mud of the forest. The men around me were starting to get anxious, they didn’t like to stay in one position for a while, which was understandable to a degree. This location wasn’t fortified, there were several open fields which enabled sniper fire and… well you know all that other strategic mambo jambo.

They wanted to go on, we had a mission to fulfill and I understood the anxiety. Hell, I was feeling it myself, and yet… there was something that kept me here. A whisper of the Force, telling me that this was important.

That this inactive droid could prove to be useful to me. After so many years studying the Force and using it in a hundred and one appliances… I appreciated a simple thing, the Force was all knowing and once it whispered into your ear you better listen to what it has to say.

A gesture from my hand made a couple of the squad move in, starting to dig out the droid. It would have to be worked on, of course, cleaned up for that matter… even from here I could sense the odour coming off the droid. There was something about the design though, something inherently deadly, which made me interested.

One of the specialist in the group started to look it over, while the of the gang spread out and made sure the position was suitable secure. Wouldn’t do to get ambushed in the middle of a technical operation, now that the men had a job their unrest and anxiety evaporated into the air.

Give a man something to do and they will forget about everything, except the goal that you put in front of them.

First step was to try and see if the droid could be activated, the specialist had a few spare parts in his backpack. Perhaps he could switch around some things and make him work, just enough so he could carry his own weight. Last thing I wanted to do was order my men to carry a poodoo-stained droid all over the place, while we were going to our destination.

 

[VX-26]

Hands gripped the droid, hoisting it from its shallow grave. Mud shifted and slithered from its body, dribbling in serpentine trails across his off-white chestplate.
With a quiet shuffling sound, its steel talons drew great lines in the dirt as the Sith carried it away. More and more liquid dribbled out of its workings, leaving a disgusting trail behind the automaton. As the Sith walked, its head limply thudded off its shoulder plating, arms dangling by its side.

How the mighty had fallen.

The mechanic laid the droid down on the ground, looking to examine the machine further and perhaps repair it. Taking out a variety of tools, he began unscrewing the chestplate, so that he might see the total extent of the damage and--
Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.
The instant he began to remove the heavy piece of armour, a cloud of thick green gas erupted from tens of tiny cylinders nestled within the droid's workings, the mechanic immediately jumping backwards as the cloud grew thicker around the droid, a toxic stench filling the air. Whatever parasites were still living inside its casing, they were certainly dead. Having reached a radius of about three meters, the cloud stayed consistent. All the Sith backed away somewhat, fearing what might come from within- evidently this was no protocol droid.

Electronics fizzled and popped, sparks briefly surfacing and promptly vanishing back into the murk. After a few seconds, there was silence- the cloud began to thin, the hissing having stopped. Then came a horrific screech, loud enough to shake the trees. A synthesized scream, a blend of the dying calls of Acklay, Rancor and Krayt- the sky itself shook as the roar spiraled outwards. Bloody lights echoed the shriek, scarlet and red and crimson, horrible colour painting the grey forest into a massacre. Accompanied by death personified in sound, VX walked from the cloud, smeared in faeces and dripping with rainwater, red lights shining in all directions as he shook the earth itself with his screams.

"Date... ERROR. Location... ERROR."

"Designation... VX-26."

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

We had all been moving back, nobody was interested in getting acided by the cloud that surrounded the droid. Atleast I don’t think anyone was digging such a fate, looking at how the grassland reacted towards being touched by the cloud… it didn’t really look like a pleasant fate to be honest. All the noise the droid was making was starting to annoy me though, this was supposed to be a stealth mission, our targets shouldn’t know of our approach and all that jazz.

I looked at the technician and he just gave me a shrug, didn’t seem to know exactly what set off the machine which was annoying too. Heck did pay the guy for? For a moment I considered doing a dramatic Force Choke maneuver and parody Darth Vader, decided against that real quick though. Good personnel was hard to find these days and a mistake was a mistake.

It was pretty clear what the droid was built for, but a clarification was never out of the question.

‘VX-26, classification and parameters.’

In the distance I could faintly hear a man running towards us, he stopped at the commander of my squad and started to whisper something real damn hard. Something about an encampment and hostilities, well… that boded well.

 

[VX-26]

The sound shut off- these were not animals so easily frightened by loud sounds. The humanoid in the silliest costume began to speak- asking for classification, parameters. VX simply stood still, quickly running a full systems check to see what had and hadn't been destroyed. He was missing a fair few things, but the important functions seemed operational, for now.
"You." He pointed at the one who had asked a question. "State your designation, and our current date and location."
Thick sludge was squeezed out from his elbow joint as he raised his blaster.
"Failure to comply will result in torture, followed by subsequent death. Do you comprehend?" He padded forwards, pistons hissing and groaning as he walked.

The functionality of his blaster was doubtful, but they didn't know that.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

I blinked.

Did the droid really just try and give me a command? How peculiar, still it wasn’t that strange considering the amount of time it had been in the dirt and mud. Probably needed a mindwipe or two, which would have to be discussed after all this was done. Point is, I ain’t got the time for this spiel, part of me just wished to mentalwarp him into submission and get on with my life.

But that wasn’t subtle, not subtle at all. The blaster didn’t really seem in a working condition for that matter, and my squad was filled with Sith Knights and Masters of the kind. Just trained in different specialities, dream team and all that. So I wasn’t really worried, ain’t necessary to show off my powers just yet.

So I simply said with maybe just a slight raise in my eyebrow.

‘Alright. Torture and kill me.’ just don’t think it will be that easy, I thought silently.

 

[VX-26]

"As you wish."

Extending one arm, he marched forwards- as tall as the humanoid was, VX still rose above him, reverse-jointed legs locking stiff as he came to a halt, mere centimeters between the two. In an instant he analyzed the human's bone structure, body temperature and heart rate- all in peak condition, and surprisingly low given the circumstances. This was probably a trick- all the evidence pointed towards it. Humans were usually not so lax in the face of danger.

"Before we continue, my in built biological databanks have alerted me to a most concerning fact. You appear to suffer from some serious growth deficiencies in some unusual places, or so my sensors would show. I recommend seeking medical attention. Some parts of your body were certainly not designed to be that small."

He gave a false, preprogrammed shrug and continued. "My basic understanding of psychology would also inform me that this a trick of some form. Nonetheless, there are other things on this planet. They will be more cooperative."

All weapons systems were activated- at his estimation, the blaster should have been firing at a rate of eight-hundred bolts a minute, with near pinpoint accuracy. Unfortunately, there was evidently a calculation error. It wasn't firing at all. "Switching weapons preset to... CLOSE QUARTERS."

With enough force to disembowel a horse, a clawed hand swiped at the idiot- simultaneously, he struck out with one leg, five pistons firing with an audible thunk as every hydraulics system in his leg worked together to deliver a force that could shatter stone. Just to boot, he started screaming again.

Much louder.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

The moment the robot’s arm and… leg lashed out to attack the apathetic Sith Lord… he disappeared, that’s the whole annoying thing with mentalists and dealing with them. You never really know if what you are seeing… is actually the real thing, usually you are protected of such shenanigans when you are a droid or have robotic parts in your brain. No such luck with me though, Valik helped me out with that little pesky problem in the form of a chip in my brain.

Influencing droids wasn’t a problem anymore, truth to be told it had taken me a while to actually get a hang of it. But after a few months… well, let’s just say it was just a matter of reaching into the droid’s photoreceptors and planting my vision into it, while the real me was filtered out of it.

Moment the droid initiated his attack, lightning curled out of my hands and hit the droid. Said lightning was fine-tuned to a high degree, more of a droid stunning type of deal. I ain’t aiming at frying the damn thing, just a stun while I went to have a talk.

‘Round two, or you done?’

 

[VX-26]

Lightning shot through his metal workings; in an instant he lost control, shaking violently as he clumsily collapsed to the ground. Arms lashing out violently, he sent leaves and dirt flying left and right, locked in the spasm for a good few seconds until the electricity dissipated. An audible thunk sounded the realigning of his head with the rest of his mechanical spine, slowly regaining his faculties as he analysed this attacker in more detail.

"Species... MONGREL HYBRID. PRIMARILY EPICANTHIX/KIFFAR."

The last of the spasms came to an end as his right arm stopped jerking about and fell to the ground.

"Height... 6'9. Weight... 256 POUNDS." The droid mulled over these facts for a few seconds, running various calculations.

"According to my calculations, you are... OVERWEIGHT. How fascinating."

VX evidently needed a better strategy for 'round two.' His blaster was dead weight, his strength useless against an enemy that was evidently a Sith of some kind. Nonetheless, even Sith needed to breathe.

"Switching weapons preset to... TOXIC GAS." A great wave of sickly green poured out, cloaking him in shadow; grass literally melted away as it approached. For the third time, he started screaming- maybe he could alert animals, or even better. Unlike his built-in booby traps, he kept the cloud growing, and growing, and growing- he was willing to drain his gas tanks if it brought the overweight mongrel down.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

I tilted my head at the peculiar observation of the droid, it seemed that the lightning had not caused him to be stunned for longer than a few seconds. Which was… fairly annoying to say the least, but you couldn’t get everything. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow, which is what I did the moment the bastard started to throw out gas out of his system.

Looking at how it reacted with the plant life surrounding the forest… well… I didn’t want to breathe that in. Neither did I want my men to get toxicated, we still had a mission to do.

With the snap of my fingers a circular field created itself around the droid, holding back most of the gas. Sadly some of it had escaped still, and found it’s way into the breathing system of one of my men. The screams muffled out, but not quick enough to hold everything back.

We would probably be attacked by those guys I was telling ya about in a few posts.

I had to end this real quick, before we all would be attacked in the back, so I created a little hole in the field and started to pour more lightning through it. Had been guessing the gas was at least ionizable and I wasn’t disappointed, more lightning would pour over the droid.

Temporarily incapacitating him.

‘Really, would you stop already? I have ten rifles fixed right at you, I can bend you into a metal ball just with my mind. Give up and we will talk like civilized man to… civilized droid?’

 

[VX-26]

"Threats. Very human of you." He called back, falling to one knee as he locked up every system still within his control. Reduced to little more than a statue while the lightning coursed about the field, his vision was blurry mess of static- every sensor sparked and fizzled, wild anomalies appearing left and right. "Mongrel... ERROR."

"ERROR. ERROR. ERROR."

With a phut the gas ran out, leaving the droid visibly alone, stuck in place, with lightning shooting out in all directions.

"ERRO--" His vocabulator shot out a torrent of golden sparks, drowning out the last of his words.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

Moment his vocabulator died out, another hole opened itself in the shield and an ion grenade was thrown in. Never take any damn chances with these droids, you never know what you will get yourself into, if you do. After it went off and the droid was definitely KO for the time being, my men set to work while stealing nervous glances onto the horizon. We weren’t that close to the encampment, but close enough that this guy’s noise making might have attracted them, which… wouldn’t be all that pleasant.

A few minutes and modifications later the droid was ready to be restarted, the moment it got booted up my own mind set to work. There were always routines in the droid, things that made them loyal to certain masters, subroutines that sort of stuff.

I started working on them, changing his loyalties to me personally. Making sure he would always obey me, in spirit and not in concrete wordings. Too many folks were screwed over by that, I probably could have made him like me too. But… that was really the least of my concerns, as long as he killed for me, followed me and kept my secrets?

I was a content man.

Perks of being a Sith Lord, you ain’t expecting friendship.

‘VX-26. Function and Last Known Orders.’

 

[VX-26]

VX remembered nothing. The vast, impossibly complex digital maze of his central databanks was a scarred, corrupted mess. Essential systems were functioning. All corrupted and unrestorable data was deleted. In an instant, two hundred and fifty years of accumulated data had been mostly destroyed by an overweight mongrel and his magic tricks. VX would have run several mental checks and simulations and come out very confused, but he was none the wiser as to what had happened- he did not remember his first death, and nor had he remembered his second.

Rising with all the grace of a technically dead automaton, he looked to the mongrel- at least his sensors still functioned. Without a second of hesitation, he spoke.
"Factual response: Master, my function is to follow and kill. My last known orders were... ERROR."
He said the last word with a subtle twitch, the newly cleaned depths of his digital cortex one by one realigning themselves with motor functions, preinstalled decision-making guidelines, the general rules of robotics and various other uninteresting things.

"Question: Master... ERROR. Do you desire any service of me?"

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

It wasn’t entirely surprising that the droid lost most of his memories. Not that it really mattered at the end of the day, as long as the droid would serve and kill for him it would be acceptable, besides… it was always possible to go back and try to restore some core memories. With money a lot of things were possible perhaps not this, but one would never know if you ain’t trying it at the very least.

‘Yes. Follow me, if you will.’

All past transgressions forgotten my soldiers and me started to walk towards the encampment, it seemed to be pretty silent and peaceful, which was strange to say the least. With all the noise that fething droid had made… you would think they knew we were coming, didn’t look like it though. So either it was a trick or they were deaf, wasn’t sure which one of them it was yet.

‘VX, tell me. Do you possess magnifying capabilities?’

 

[VX-26]

With brown liquid trickling down the blackened pistons that drove his calves, VX padded softly behind his Master. Approximately a third of his processing power was dedicated to restoring and resolving all corruption in his admittedly vast storage banks- the other two were quite intently focused on calculating and rendering woefully detailed simulations of killing every single fleshsack in the nearby vicinity.

Old habits die hard.

Master asked a question- a rather mundane and obvious one at that, but it was a question nonetheless, and according to the painfully binding laws imposed upon him by his creators (men more sadistic than he could ever hope to be, no doubt) he was forced to answer.

"Condescending response: Of course I do, Master. I can provide magnification down to a microscopic level, or so I am informed."

As he had fulfilled his prescribed duties, he finished and rendered another simulation before running more idle calculations in his boredom- fleshsacks were appallingly slow. In the time it took his Master to ask another question, he could easily have worked out the total volume of blood held between the Sith, and how much spinal fluid they shared. In fact, he did just that.

The numbers were highly fascinating.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

‘ Tell me what the encampment looks like. Troop movements, garrison strength, turret placements. Things like that. ‘

I ignored the unnecessary addition to his explanation and simply waited for him to finish the command I had given him. It was a droid, I really didn’t care what he thought about me, as long as he obeyed orders.

We would have to take the base, regardless of his answer. I could already feel the man in the middle of the camp, he seemed to be alive and… relatively painless for now. Doesn’t mean that wouldn’t change though.

 

[VX-26]

"Factual response: Highly interesting, Master. It would seem they have an impressive arsenal. And... long range weapons, at that. Hmm." He let out a purely synthetic pause, perhaps to add effect, the soft mesh of his vocabulator flaring with each monotone syllable.

"One of them appears to be pointing at us." The ground before him exploded with a horrible gurgling roar, glistening snakes of mud leaping out in all directions; his already-dirtied duraplast faceplate dripped with diseased water.

"Sarcastic response: I suggest running. Or, in your case, consulting a heart surgeon first. Your readings are quite irregular."

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Carach]

[member="VX-26"]

Around us a shield appeared conjured by the might of my companions - there were gasps and groans as they stretched their power to hold against the cannons. It would hold, but not for long, if something would happen… it had to happen fast.

Which was why I snapped my fingers, in front of us another field appeared; this one green in nature and flickering just slightly. Whenever something hit it… well… as I moved my hand to push the field forward: everything in its wake disintegrated into nothingness.

The moment the field hit the wall… it was gone, with it the canon emplacements, the men holding the wall and everything else.

The Force… didn’t have a limit.

‘ Men. Attack. Droid, with me. ‘

And with that we marched into madness.