Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Mirage of Metal (Maelion)

[member="Valiens Nantaris"], [member="Maelion Liates"]


Thakwaash had been subjugated by the First Order. During the course of the battle, Archangel's forces had sacked a city and and brought the unpredictable, native xenos to heel. As strong, brave and wily as they were, they could not withstand the iron fist of the droid. Or relentless bombardment with shells filled with gas. Hundreds of aliens were herded for study, experimentation and processing. Their ability to incorporate multiple personalities and skills within one organic mind would be broken down and assimilated. It was all for the greater good. A camp had been set up for research purposes.


An Archangel vessel drifted through the blue tunnel of hyperspace. Its destination was the shadowy machine cult's secret base, where day and night the droids toiled and laboured to create a better future. Deep inside the small, sleek ship, one of Archangel's most valuable prizes was getting a well-deserved rest after helping tame unruly aliens.


Still recovering from injuries sustained whilst battling a Thakwaash warrior, Enyo had stripped down to her tanks and shorts. She was currently reading a novel about a grumpy Cor-Sec detective called Rebus investigating homicide crimes on Corellia. As everyone knew, corruption was endemic on that planet, which was why so many of its sons and daughters became smugglers. A popular history of the Battle of Endor lay on her bedside table. Quite understandably, she'd felt little desire to read about war after just participating in one, hence the novel. It was a rather riveting read.


However, her break was about to end. "All personnel, prepare for reversion...now," the bland voice of the ship's computer informed her. Enyo sighed slightly, marked the page she'd been reading, then stuffed the book into her rucksack. Then she quickly began to dress herself since she was rather underdressed.


The ship jerked and emerged in real space, orbiting the bland, inhospitable planetoid SV33649684. This was a remarkably boring name and so Elysium was used more commonly by those in the know. Unless they were annoyingly precise robots. "We have arrived. Enyo Typhos, report to the hangar bay for transport to Elysium base." As always, the computer was her friend.


Will you also remind me to put on thermal undies? The clone wondered with an air of sarcasm. Having dressed herself appropriately since the husk of a planet was freezing cold, she picked up her duffel bag and headed out of her room after turning off the lights. Due to her injuries, the young clone walked with a bit of a limp. Her arm had been broken, but taken well to bacta, though she still wore a sling. But despite the pain, she'd enjoyed her independence back on Thakwaash - and the fact that she'd been in command. It had been...something different, even liberating in a sense. A shuttle would transport her to Archangel's secret base, which had been built into a vast mountainside.
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Waiting for the young clone in the base’s hanger was none other than Maelion.
The blast of icy air did not trouble her at all, and as the ramp lowered she walked forward.

“Welcome back, Enyo. You have done well. Your injury is recovering well?”
She knew the answer, but organics liked questions where both sides knew the answers.
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


Unlike the HRD, Enyo was obviously affected by the cold. Hence why she'd wrapped up warmly. You could not even leave the base without wearing sealed armour with integrated heating systems. "Thank you. I'm recovering well, " she replied. Of course, both knew the answer. "We captured a couple dozen of the Thakwaash for study after sacking a town. Unit Callisto is overseeing things. The First Order invested a lot into conquering them, so I think Archangel's efficiency should impress them."


There was a pause before she spoke again. "I also met a former business partner of the company. Darth Veles. He seems to be associating with the First Order and their Ren." Based on their conversation, she surmised he wanted to use them for his own agenda. She did not feel an urge to bow to the 'Supreme Leader' either. She did not trust the Mon Cal, but kind of liked him so far.
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“The First Order and the Ren are more tolerable than most,” Maelion commented. They were the only organic group which Archangel could appreciate the effectiveness and efficiency of. Still, they were not perfect, but they would form a useful ally for now.

She led Enyo inside whilst the captives were being offloaded for study and eventually processing.
“It will work well for you to continue to build relations with the First Order in the future. They may become useful allies.”

They entered the upper levels via turbolift. “Rest and recover, Unit Vess will assist you. Tomorrow we have some matters to discuss with you.”
A few minutes the HRD she had partnered with on Nar Shaddaa would appear.
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


Enyo nodded curtly. "I believe it would be advantageous if we affiliated with them and I 'joined' the Ren. They're still a new group, but I could learn from them and we'd have an eye in their order. They're not chaotic like the Sith."


That was one reason. The other was that she felt lonely and it would mean Archangel would have to let her off the leash, a little bit at least. Enyo did not feel an attachment to the First Order right now, though she approved of some of their goals. So far she had not encountered any whiny Kylos having temper tantrums or Snoke holograms.


The turbolift took them to the base's upper levels. She frowned slightly when Maelion mentioned over matters, then nodded. "Ok, thanks. Good night...well, I know you don't sleep, but you know what I mean." For a space fascist Enyo could be quite cute.
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Maelion cracked a smile. “I do. Good night, Enyo.”
The smile faded when the clone was out of sight as Maelion sent some commands wirelessly to the central processing centre.

A few moments later Vess appeared at Enyo’s door. The HRD was dressed quite informally and had really amped up the human personality. Archangel understood that now Enyo had been outside the bubble she needed to indulged with personal experiences beyond what droids might expect.

“Hi Enyo! Maelion sent me to see if you needed anything. Did you need help with your arm?” Vess asked in a friendly tone.
If one didn’t know, one would never guess there was a droid before Enyo…not without close examination anyway!
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


Organics had a phenomenal capacity for self-delusion. It intersected with their inherent desire to be proven right, which meant that they all too often ignored or smoothed over the facts that were right before their eyes. Perception acted as a filter to confirm a preconceived worldview.


Enyo had been outside of the bubble for a while. While she had not formed any friendships beyond it, she'd experienced human contact. Ergo this was something the machine cult had to indulge in. Intellectually Enyo knew that Vess was an emotionless droid, but she liked the attention.


"Uh, thanks," she was a bit taken aback by the friendly, almost bubbly tone, but then smiled. "My arm's getting better. The painkillers are keeping the pain down. Just difficult to dress with one hand. Come in. Been reading." She stepped aside to let the HRD enter her Spartan room. Having a private room in the first place was a concession from Archangel because until the clone's birth the base's only organic occupants had been prisoners. However, it was devoid of luxuries and creature comforts. Enyo did not mind though.
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Oh, did you want a hand with dressing? It’s no problem.” Vess asked with a smile. It could be guaranteed that she wouldn’t be copping feels like other maids in other households!

“Anything good?” she asked, looking curiously at the holopad.

Perhaps this was Archangel’s way of also testing new behaviour and imitation algorithms. If it was it seemed to be working well so far!

“I’ve been thinking about the Nar Shaddaa mission, and I was hoping you could answer some questions I had about organic behaviour,” Vess added.
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


Yay, Enyo had a new friend! Well, she was a genocidal droid who was only pretending to be more human, but nonetheless. It sort of counted. Little Enyo's life and upbringing was probably more than a little messed up.


"Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks," Enyo affirmed in response. Suffice to say there were no naughty maidens in Elysium. "The Rebus book is fun. Dead Souls. I'm half-way through the Endor book. Not bad, but the writer could really cut down on the yammering about how everything everything would've been magically better with Thrawn in command," she added snarkily.


She sat down back on the bed. Needless to say it was not a mistress sized bed that could accommodate several grown-up females. No, it was meant for one person alone. Nor were the sheets made of silk. "Uh, sure, ask away," she said warmly. Hopefully Vess would not be asking anything too embarrassing!
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Ah yes, Thrawn. I’ve heard about him. His strategies were creative, but he allowed himself to become too obsessed with tricks and clever strategies. He failed because he placed too much faith in the actions of things he could not control. Would the galaxy have been better? Perhaps, until he died.”

The droid had a pretty basic and unsentimental view on the matter of course. ‘Better’ for a droid was hardly the same as for a human.

Vess looked at her, affecting a look of curiosity. “Did you find it hard to play your template? Was it hard to imitate her personality and methods?”
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


Unfortunately, the irony of Vess' statement about was completely lost on Enyo, for now at least. Who knew, maybe one day she would undo Archangel, like Rukh undid Thrawn. At some point, the dog tends to bite back. "I agree. His Noghri and C'baoth. One got understandably pissed after finding out he deceived and used them, the other was, well, a certifiable lunatic," Enyo commented. Irony did not exist in her dictionary so far.


Vess' query gave her pause though. It almost looked like she was a bit ashamed. "It was...hard and easy at the same time. Too easy. Strutting around like a pompous queen who thinks everyone should worship her and flaunts her power at every opportunity. Hurting people just because I felt slighted. It was...frightening when I lost control at the end. Kind of like a rush."
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“I believe the Force is meant to heighten organic emotions,” Vess commented. “Organics however are not pre-programmed for a certain role, no matter their genetic makeup. It is useful to imitate her, but you are not the same as Siobhan Kerrigan.”
A commentary on HRDs in general.

“Would you like me to prepare you a meal?” Vess asked.
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


Enyo tilted her head slightly. It was a verbal tick she'd picked up from the HRDs. "No, I'm not. Different upbringing, different life, different everything except the genes and the face. People are more than their genetic makeup."


She gave Vess a nod. Unlike Siobhan, Enyo was alright at cooking, but she appreciated the attention. "A meal would be nice, thank you," she said politely. Perhaps deep down, in her heart of hearts, she found Vess' suddenly very human behaviour peculiar. However, the more dominant part of Enyo simply did not want to doubt.


"The Force does heighten emotion. It's the easiest to use when you harness them. Keeping control is where the struggle is. I mean, Talsir taught me well, but I'm still learning." The clone was more introspective and less certain of herself than her sister, whose confidence reached the point of self-aggrandising narcissism.
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Cooking was one of the hardest things for a droid to learn. Following a recipe was easy, but taste…that was almost impossible to quantify.

So Vess followed a very simple recipe with the ingredients available, and within twenty minutes she had a meal prepared for Enyo which was pleasing to 96% of organic humanoid palates.

Sitting down opposite Enyo, Vess sipped from a glass of water and lounged back in her chair.

“Good?” she asked.
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


Fortunately for Vess, Enyo was not particularly demanding. Siobhan had been pampered by Tegaea's cooking and thus had rather high expectations. But the clone considered anything with more taste than the dull pastry she'd gotten on Gehenna an improvement.


So she picked up a fork and soon swallowed some of the food, then took a sip from a glass of blue milk. Unlike her counterpart, Enyo did not drink. Well, she'd never even touched a bottle of alcohol so far. "Yeah, it's very good. Thanks," she gave Vess a smile. "You're being very nice to me." Was she feeling a little bit suspicious? Who knew.
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“I am trying, yes,” Vess said. “It was decided that you needed some more interactions so that you could better understand and relate to organics when you encounter them. Organics are illogical, deceitful, driven by impulses, and if you unwittingly go into a mission unprepared they can take advantage of you.”

The droid laid a gentle hand on Enyo’s leg. “Would you like for me to show you some of my more advanced programming?” she asked softly.
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


"I guess that makes sense," Enyo said. Did she sound a bit disappointed about Vess being nicer because her bosses had decided she needed more human contact? Perhaps a little bit. "They are deceitful and impulsive." But what did this say about her? After all, she was an organic. But she could be better than the masses. She had to.


An expression of surprise crossed her features when Vess suddenly touched her leg. "I'm, uh, not sure what you mean." Her cheeks coloured slightly, acquiring a faint pink hue. Surely the droid could not mean what she thought she did! However, she didn't pull away.
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Come now, Enyo, you can be the perfect mix of organic and droid, but you are still human. You still have needs, and this unit is more than able to…assist.”

She gently stroked her hand up the Clone’s leg. “I can make you feel very good if you want. You know that feeling inside you which is like a fire? I can make it take flight….”

Her perfect lips moved in for a gentle kiss, hot breath on Enyo’s cheek. No one could guess she was a killer robot in disguise.
 
[member="Maelion Liates"]


'But you're a robot'! The obvious and somewhat stereotypical counter was on Enyo's lips, but died on them and remained unvoiced. Organics were messy, impulsive and deceitful. Machines were not. There was a beauty to their rational, sleek perfection. Some of what Vess said resonated with the confused, increasingly hormonal clone. She'd enjoyed the smuggler's attention more than she was comfortable with admitting.


She unconsciously leaned into the touch when the droid stroked across her leg. It felt..good. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. "You're very beautiful. But I don't think this is right...," then caution died on her when Vess' hot breath brushed against her cheek like a gentle caress. The HRD's lips were so perfect, she had the sculpted body of a goddess. Blushing all the way and probably being rather clumsy, Elpsis gave her a hesitant kiss.
 
[member="Enyo Typhos"]
The kiss was returned passionately. It felt so real. It felt right. If Enyo touched Vess’ chest she would feel it was warm and had a heartbeat.

“Do you want this?” Vess whispered in her ear softly. She paused, waiting for a reply before continuing.

The curtain of PG-13 loomed large over them. Would Enyo give in to the mechanical tongue? Find out next post!
 

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