Senza Ciatu

[Caulder Dune]

ORD CESTUS
MC-CES-392

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

Upgrades were requested and upgrades were subsequently granted. Gerion Ardik was generally a cowardly man with no sense of honor, but he did make at least some effort to keep his word. Perhaps he had dragged his feat in securing the time and resources necessary to allocate to Ms. Redeaux (his referring to the droid like it was a person would help safeguard it against accusations of being as such, he imagined). The dragging of his feet had apparent consequences, he had later found out. It was about the third stimcaff that was spilled on his desk that he decided his Chief of Security was annoyed with him.

Mostly because he didn't even drink stimcaff.

And she knew that.

After dropping off the stained suits at the most competent dry cleaner he could locate, Gerion and Morgan set out with great haste from Lianna to the planet of Ord Cestus. While learning the fundamentals of Hegemonic Automaton as a corporation on Lianna, she would be well acquainted with the world. It was here, and only here, that Hegemonic Automaton's products were manufactured. Allegedly, anyway. The Panatha manufacturing plants were kept a closely guarded secret. She would be filled in on that later, naturally. Post-netherworld, Ord Cestus had fallen back into its old ways- aristocratic oligarchy. Five noble families held power now, mostly the ones that owned the infrastructure and mines and grew fat off of Hegemonic Automaton's business.

None of that was important, however. What was important was that both the Umbaran and the Human Replica Droid made their way to Manufacturing Center 392 in order for Morgan's requested (and some unrequested) upgrades to be made. Once that was over, Gerion would explain to her the security procedures and see what she thought. They stepped into the facility's workshop, which was crowded with what appeared to be an operating table. Human Replica Droids probably needed human arrangements when undergoing these sorts of procedures. The rest of the space was filled with mainframes, storage cabinets, and workbenches. There were a few X'Ting technicians milling about, as well as a Verpine overseer in the room as well. None of them paid any note to the duo when they entered, more focused on prepping things.

"I don't imagine droids sleep or dream, but you'll be in an inactive state while this goes on." Gerion explained. "When you 'regain consciousness' so to speak, you'll be aware of the changes made, I imagine. Really, I have no idea how it will feel to you."

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

Morgan had been treating Mr. Ardik with quite a bit of disrespect lately so to make it up to him she researched what kind of gift may appeal to him. Umbarans were a shadowy, warring race she so she struggled finding something he would like on that level, but he was a man after all and would probably appreciate a nice tie. Especially since she ruined one of them with the stimcaf spills.

I mean, what man didn’t love a paisley green bow tie?!?

“So dapper! I can’t wait to see how it looks on you,” she said to Mr. Ardik after he opened the gift. He was stunned into silence which means he must really, really like it, she thought.

Anyway, Morgan was pleased when Mr. Ardik brought her to the subterranean manufacturing planet of Hegemonic so she could be further upgraded. She knew that her employer wasn’t one for small talk or idle chit chat so she stayed silent during the trip and focused on the sites of Ord Cestus. It was always nice to see a planet with her own artificial retinas rather than just envision from the description in her databank.

Once they were in the workshop, the HRD hung up her coat and made her way over to the operating table. She never minded being worked on while she was alert, but Morgan didn’t like being disabled. Like organic beings under anesthesia she had an irrational anxiety that she may not wake back up.

But it wouldn’t do well for the Chief of Security to show any fear, so she obediently hopped up on the table and sat there waiting for the droid engineers to begin. After Mr. Ardik spoke she replied, “No I won’t dream and I can’t imagine I will feel anything, but I suppose it depends on the type of enchancements you are making.”

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

Upon receiving the bow tie, Gerion slid it into his breast pocket. Then when Redeaux wasn't looking, he rolled his eyes. The severity of this gesture was enough that for a moment Gerion was worried his eyes were going to be stuck there. He would have to wander around for the rest of his natural life with his eyes in the upward position. Or maybe he would just purchase sun glasses and wear them everywhere. It was a moot point- his eyes returned to where they were supposed to be shortly afterward. Later on, once their business here was concluded, Gerion would toss the bow tie into a trash can. Or a desk drawer. Whatever he was closer to when he remembered he was carrying around a bow tie despite having no desire to wear such an accessory.

"Nothing physical, I assure you. Just some maintenance to your programming." Gerion clarified, though he also wanted to add an elimination of whatever subroutines were causing her to spill stimcaf on him and give him presents. Bad presents.

Once she was situated on the "operating" table, Gerion gestured to the technicians. "Very well, then. Shut her down and let's get this over with."

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

“Well I should hope you aren’t going to do anything physical, although again, I wouldn’t feel it. Mr. Ardik, I don’t have nerves. Do you know the human brain has 100 billion nerve cells? I have zero. I mean I understand. After all, why would my maker go to great lengths to implant nerve cells when the synthskin covering is convincing enough. Although sometimes I should very much like to experience human sensations like touch or smell or even taste. I’m glad I don’t feel pain of course… wouldn’t want to feel that. So I feel very lucky in that respect.”

Morgan was a little nervous now and when she got nervous, she would occasionally over-communicate.

“But to be able to feel pleasure. I would very much like to feel that. I have no idea for example what a kitten feels like or how soft your white hair is. I bet it’s really soft you know…”

And just like that Morgan was suddenly quiet. Apparently one of the technicians shut her down mid-sentence. “We don’t get paid by the hour you know,” he said under his breath. The room was filled with a quiet calm conducive to working and just the soft hum of computers could be heard as the technicians began installing the HRDs programming update.

“Is she always that talkative? If so, it would appear to be an anomaly or could be based on her original specifications. Want me to fix it?” the technician asked the Umbaran.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

Gerion huffed in amusement when the technician intervened. Just in time, too- his eyes had already started to gloss over. Someone was after a pay raise. "Unfortunately, yes. As for repairing it, I'm afraid not. Annoying though it is, it's rather vital she maintains a somewhat organic demeanor. A flaw like her blabbermouth will do good in that regard."

He contemplated removing the bow tie from his pocket at that moment and flicking it into the temptingly close-by trash can. It would have been a simple enough action, but it was also rather rude and pointlessly cruel. Besides, if she remembered giving him the blasted thing when she was reactivated, asked about it, and he had to rifle through garbage to retrieve it... Well, it would likely equate to more spilled stimcaffs. Or some other toxic beverage he didn't partake in. The sooner she was done with probation and no longer shadowing him, the better. Clearly.

"Stick with the prepackaged updates for now. Combat routines, knowledge of the Hegemonic Automaton defense network, the anti-virus software, et cetera. If there are any conflicts, be sure to let me know."

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

The technician shrugged and said, “Suit yourself.” He attached the console unit to the port in the back of Morgan’s neck so the updates would be downloaded directly into her system. The protocol droid was in repose the entire time through the re-programming and did not move.

“Combat routine installation complete,” he said after ten minutes. “She will now be fairly proficient in hand to hand combat and a few other weapons like blasters, rifles, knives, swords, grenades, etc. Now keep in mind, even though her target accuracy is set at 100% there are always various environmental factors which will place that at 80 – 85%.”

What the technician was saying was that as a machine, Morgan may have infallible characteristics, but the world around her was surely fallible and therefore she would be prone to occasional mistakes, mishaps and missed targets.

The Hegemonic employee tapped on the keyboard console again. “The HRD now has all of the relevant information related to security procedures, every facility and installation including outposts and supply lines.”

There was one update left and that was the anti-virus software. After examining the console again, the technician said, “This isn't necessarily a conflict, but she already has a management circuitry subsystem installed. It kind of looks like a hack job to be honest. Would you like for me to replace that and what are your exact specifications for anti-slicing?”

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

Gerion folded his arms. His exact specifications for anti-virus software? He was a businessman- hence why he wasn't handling this little project himself. Sure, he had engaged in a bit of slicing back in his heyday... But his heyday was so far gone that people were probably turning up scraps of it on archaeological digs. There were no "exact" specifications he could name. His specifications for "anti-slicing" were that they prevent people from hacking his employee. The Umbaran rubbed his brow, now heavily reconsidering any pay raises.

As for the management circuitry, Gerion had little to no idea what that was either. It sounded fairly important. There was a dawning realization that, despite being the owner of a droid manufacturing company, Gerion was rather ignorant when it came to the finer bits of droid engineering. This had never interfered with his job performance before now, so he remained unconcerned.

"As long as it doesn't disrupt any memory units, replace what you will." Gerion replied. "The antivirus software should already be ready for implementation. The programmers in the department below yours drew it up. I don't have the expertise nor the audacity to make any additional specifications."

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

“You got it, Chief,” the technician said, shooting the Verpine a look. Of course the Verpine couldn’t really give this type of sophisticated facial response back. He had an insect head which had only a genae, compound eyes and antennae after all. The antennae twitched a little bit though.

The technician then inspected his console for the specifications. “Got it right here. Advanced encryption and lockout systems. Socketguards for her ports which will electrocute any organic beings who try to access those without her permission.”

He pressed a couple of buttons and the final piece of software was installed. “Went in, no problem,” commented the Hegemonic engineer. “There is a special access code I installed only for you, Mr. Ardik. I had it sent to your encrypted Hegemonic account. If you ever need to circumvent her encryption all you have to do is enter the access code and she’s all yours.” With another touch of a button, Morgan's eyes opened up, although like a human waking, she appeared sleepy and rubbed at her eyes before slowly sitting up.

The human male technician gave a low whistle. “She’s a looker this one,” he continued and in a conspiratorial voice as if he were on familiar terms with the Umbaran businessman, he asked, “Are you using her for anything special... if you catch my drift?”

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

Gerion blinked, and when he opened his eyes they were boring into the human technician with a very particular sort of distaste. For several moments Gerion said nothing, instead letting his unflinching glare do the talking and generate no shortage of discomfort for the gauche technician. This man wasn't even supposed to be here. He had specifically ordered a Verpine overseer and X'Ting technicians, no humans. Humans left Ord Cestus regularly and talked a lot among themselves. Verpine and X'Ting were far less inclined to talk and spread rumors, or even leave this facility. Nor would they probably recognize Morgan if she somehow rose to publicity during her tenure with Hegemonic Automaton.

And he sincerely hoped that wouldn't be the case.

"I hope you enjoyed your time working for Hegemonic Automaton." The Umbaran said flatly to the human. "Really, I do."

He was probably going to have to die. Or at least have his communications monitored and an assortment of black speeder-shuttles with tinted windows parked outside of his home for the next few years. Then again, that was rather time consuming, and this man was clearly too churlish and unprofessional to warrant keeping around if it necessitated such complicated arrangements. Gerion finally looked away when Morgan began to stir, acting like she had just woken up from a long nap. He checked his chronometer, which indicated the passage of around fifteen minutes.

A sigh escaped his lips, as he really didn't want to wait around in this room for very much longer. "When you're done adjusting, Morgan, we'll need to leave. We have a schedule to keep."

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

As the Umbaran gave the technician a withering gaze, he firmly tapped a few more buttons on the console, trying to look immediately busy. It was clear he had overstepped the line between employer and employee, made even abundantly clearer by Gerion Ardik’s statement of “enjoying his time working for Hegemonic Automaton.” The technician began to protest but Morgan soft voice interrupted:

“I don’t feel any different. Although I do have a sudden desire to practice some k'Jtari moves.”

But there was no time to test out any martial arts here in the workstation as Mr. Ardik seemed extremely impatient to leave. Both his words and his actions confirmed this.

“We're all done here, and Mr. Ardik can I say it was an honor to help you today with your companion… I mean droid,” the technican finally stuttered. He looked at the Verpine and then grabbed a crate, presumably to go throw his belongings in and to be escorted out by security. He took Hegemonic Automaton mug off of the workstation, threw it in the crate and left the room.

Morgan stretched her lithe arms once more and then set her feet down back onto the floor. Rising and retrieving her coat from the coat hook, as she passed the Umbaran businessman, she said, “That was certainly a nice engineer, don’t you think?”

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

"I'd find the words unprofessional and revolting to be more apt." He said, making sure his voice was just loud enough to be heard by the technician as he scuttled out. "I doubt he will be employed here much longer."

There were several things to go over with Morgan now that she had been upgraded with the necessary materials. First would be her tour of the general layout of Hegemonic Automaton's manufacturing facilities. After that she would need to be introduced to the security garrison and other assorted defenses. Finally, he had it in his mind to run some live combat simulations. Having the knowledge was all fine and dandy, but to fine tune and perfect whatever combat skills had been implanted would require at least some sort of practice. Especially where the sapient sort of Human Replica Droid were concerned.

The Umbaran input something into the keypad, and the door leading out of the workshop slid open once again. "Unless you have any questions, we should begin familiarizing you with this factory."

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

As they walked together, Morgan tried to figure out if her new software upgrades made her feel any different but so far they didn’t. She did like the fact that she could not be sliced into, although she was unaware of the override code that was given to her employer. The anti-slicing, anti-virus protection gave her a stronger sense of security. Its not as if she wanted to be more reckless, but it was reassuring to not have to be on guard all the time. Besides Mr. Ardik was always reminding her to keep her HRD status a secret. This would be easier now that she could come and go as she pleased like a normal human female.

As they passed two X’Ting technicians in the hallway, Morgan did have some questions for her boss. “As Chief of Security will I have my own team of droids to command? To keep me safe from any type of material attack not related to slicing?” she asked.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

"When you're not conducting your duties anywhere else, you'll be stationed at Hegemon Towers on Lianna." Gerion explained, guiding Morgan through the subterranean halls of the manufacturing plant. "There, you will be overseeing the entire security garrison. Around four-hundred droids will be answering directly to you."

Soon enough, the hallway opened up into a large, spacious room. Normally the room would have been jam-packed with crates of varying sizes. This particular facility produced Z3 Labor Droids as its mainstay, and so were the crates here, they would have been around the same size as most humans. Finished products were brought here by delivery speeders, which came in through a special entrance on the opposite side of the room. They were then loaded into crates, shoved on to the ridiculously large turbolift the Umbaran was guiding her towards, and brought to the surface.

That would not be the turbolift they rode. That would be overkill. Instead they would be taking the one intended for the workers, rather than the products. It was an innocuous little chute to the right of the larger turbolift. Gerion produced an ID-card, swiped it across the sensor, and the doors slid open to admit the both of them.

"Naturally, I can give you a personal security detachment to shadow you wherever you go if you feel the need for it." Though he personally couldn't see why. His security chief shouldn't be doing anything dangerous any time soon.

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

All of this sounded just wonderful to MR-X97. To oversee the security garrison and have 400 droids at her command was such a far cry from what she did for Mr. Redeaux not too long ago which amounted to little more than rearranging his meeting schedule and handing him his golf clubs on Saturdays.

And so far, despite his irritable countenance, Mr. Ardik was turning out to be a perfectly respectful Master. I mean employer, she thought. Employer. She had to keep remembering that. As the Umbaran would sometimes find it difficult to think of the HRD as a droid and not a human, Morgan struggled with the fact that an employer was different from a Master and that she did have a choice in the matter. Little choice but a choice nonetheless in her job status. Either way, Mr. Ardik was not nearly as temperamental, neglectful and downright abusive as Mr. Redeaux had been. And for this she was also very thankful. And with these two things – a purpose and a fair employer, her loyalty to the Umbaran would begin to firmly take root.

After her employer swiped his ID card and they entered the turbolift, he granted her wish for protection. “I think that’s a prudent idea, Mr. Ardik. And I have been meaning to ask you... do you have any enemies I should be aware of?”

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

Jacen Cavill. Jacen Cavill. Ja. Cen. Ca. Vill. Jacencavill.

Gerion bit his tongue for a moment, as saying that out loud would have opened a can of worms he really did not care to explain in great detail. Perhaps some other time, when Morgan understood more about Tionese affairs beyond the businessmen's alliance facade. This was a rather interesting question, come to think of it. Who were his enemies? The Jedi, Silver or otherwise, weren't really his enemies. He just didn't like them. The same for the Mandalorians. The Selectivists, definitely, as were that assortment of oafs calling themselves the Vitriol Alliance or something. But they weren't his real enemies, were they? Listing them to Morgan would imply they posed a significant threat towards him. They weren't his enemies. No more than a fly buzzing in the ear of an elephant was the enemy of that elephant. Just a nuisance.

Perhaps that was an exaggeration.

But who were his enemies? Not just those vague concepts, governments, large swathes of people floating out in the void. No, he was talking about his real nemesis here. Who was his antagonist? There wasn't a single one with a name he could think of. There was that bounty hunting woman who broke into his Coruscanti office, but that was hardly recurring enough to fit the bill. Gerion was faced with the sudden realization he had no recurring enemy. No arch-rival. What a terribly dull life he must have been leading! How utterly embarrassing. Where in the galaxy was the Ashin Varanin to his Darth Moridin? ...Those two had been rivals, hadn't they? He was a bit murky on the details- both of them had been far, far above him in the pecking order so he hadn't been able to pay close attention. Something about hyperspace events.

Gerion now realized he had paused after that question for longer than he should have. "...I... Don't think I do."

He was genuinely befuddled by his own answer. Gerion would have mused silently further if that hadn't been the awkward thing to do for the next three minutes of this turbolift ride.

"Well, there are those who oppose the overarching goals of my colleagues and I, but... They've actually done very little to actually stop us. Strange, now that I think about it."

Maybe this was all foreshadowing for a coming assault that would reduce everything the Hegemony ever worked for to ashes. Or, more likely, the Hegemony was more unrivaled in its affairs than it should have been. Gerion wasn't complaining, but he did suddenly find it suspicious.

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

Morgan found it odd that Gerion Ardik has no enemies either. Her experience to date with Bartho Redeaux had firmly cemented the idea that a powerful businessman or woman had many adversaries which could be dangerous to the financial livelihood of a company or could be dangerous to personal health as in the case of Mr. Redeaux who was summarily executed in his own home by a rival criminal gang.

Perhaps the Umbaran wasn't looking at his enemies trhough the proper lens.

"I would like that list of your competitors so I can do some research on them," Morgan said. "Also, do you have any ex-lovers, girlfriends or even estranged wives who would like to do you harm?"
She reasoned that it didn't wouldn't hurt to pry deeper into his background on a personal level. She knew from working at the law firm Rumor, Wolf & Funk that crimes of passion were prevalent in most cultures, probably more so than many other unlawful acts. Therefore the HRD didn't think of her question as crossing any line between employer and employee. She genuinely wanted to know if she needed to be aware of a potential threat by a thwarted lover or even a jealous rival.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

Gerion had plenty of competitors. None he found particularly threatening to his company's standing, aside from Nastass-Tech. That was a comparatively small operation, however, so it wasn't of any immediate concern. Perhaps it was a bit egotistical to assume he had no worthy competitors in the realm of droid manufacturing. He had probably allowed his judgement to become clouded by the security he felt the Tion Hegemony gave him. Security from everyone except Cavill, it seemed. As for former lovers, that list was just as short as his list of regular, recurring enemies. That was a product of a business-oriented lifestyle. Some people could run all of their businesses and still have time to shag everything that moved. Others preferred to keep things focused, simple, and professional.

None of this meant he wasn't perturbed by Morgan's questioning. He gave her a puzzling look for a few moments before deciding her etiquette matrices were the blame and not any particular rudeness on her part. Someone was going to have to fix that. A pity this facility just had its head technician laid off.

"I'll send you a list of competing companies. As for ex-lovers, no, there are none worth mentioning."

There was a brief jingle once the turbolift reached the surface, doors sliding open. Another wide, spacious warehouse, albeit this one had a large open entrance. Past the entrance was the rest of Hegemonic Automaton's little isolated manufacturing facilities. Housing, recreation, more storage, landing pads... Everything required to sustain a fair amount of laboring X'Ting out in the middle of Ord Cestus' badlands. It was all very expensive, but Gerion preferred the security of the hostile desert. It acted as more than effective insulation against would-be saboteurs.

"After you." He said, gesturing for her to exit the lift first.

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

“Very well,” Morgan said, and after he gave her one of those dismissive looks he was so good at, she dropped the subject of competition and lovers. The HRD gazed forward again, trying to focus on the task at hand and not wanting to offend him anymore than she already had. But how sad it was that he had no ex-lovers, Morgan thought, misinterpreting his statement as “Gerion Ardik has never had a lover in his life." Being a mechanical, her programmatic thoughts were very much subject to this type of confusion. And wasn’t love the backbone of what made all of these organics tick? Didn’t passion, love and the urge to breed drive the decision-making of these complicated, yet so fallible creatures? Perhaps he just hadn’t found someone of his right caste yet. Or perhaps he couldn’t attract anyone and in that case, she put a sympathetic hand on his arm, lightly because she knew from what he could tell, body contact made him uncomfortable. She stored that piece of information into her memory chip the first time she hugged him during her job interview and he stiffened up like a fresh slab of carbonite as she squeezed his body tightly.

“Mr. Ardik, I can recommend some highly-rated dating holosites if you are interested. I’m sure there is one specifically for Umbarans and I can pick out a few ladies from your caste. I can help you find a mate that’s suitable,” she said. She didn’t push the issue any longer not wanting to further embarrass the poor man who never had been with a woman in his entire life. But now it made sense as to why he was so irascible all the time.

Now quite pleased with herself after being so resourceful, she withdrew her hand and smiled at him when he said, “After you.” Morgan inspected the warehouse and the desert surrounding and waited for her next instructions.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Morgan Redeaux"]

Overly affectionate body contact tended to make the Umbaran uncomfortable, but only where people he specifically determined to be nothing more than a professional accomplice were concerned. Morgan, of course, was not only an employee, but a droid. If that odious technician bore witness to either this conversation or Morgan or her gesture, it would have only exacerbated the rumors he no-doubt intended to spread. Why was it of such great difficulty to maintain professional appearances? As if Sasha Santhe trying to suck his face off in front of a Hutt's palace wasn't enough, now he had to suffer through a touchy-feely human replica droid that was suggesting dating holosites for Umbarans.

Oh, the humanity. Or Umbarananity, as it stood to apply to Gerion.

"That is unnecessary. I am currently courting someone, not that this is a topic either of us should be discussing, Ms. Redeaux." Gerion chose to keep it vague, as saying anything along the lines of "I am currently attempting to seduce the acting CEO of Kuat Drive Yards, who also happens to be the Queen of one of the most influential Core Worlds" would have probably seen Morgan strap a straight-jacket on him and wheel him off to the nearest psych ward.

"The security center is this way." He continued, walking forward.

 

[Morgan Redeaux]

And just like that, Mr. Ardik had the ability to make the HRD feel quite insignificant. Here she was trying to be helpful and he just dismissed her as he continued to do with her advice. Perhaps he was cut from the same cloth as her former Master Bartho Redeaux after all. And if so, then Morgan had skills with which to manage as she was used to cruelty and neglect. But she was hoping that whoever she served after Mr. Redeaux’s sudden execution was going to be different. It was a pity that so far that the Umbaran had a similar coldness.

Morgan didn’t say anything else and only looked straight ahead. She had heard the message loud and clear as she had heard so many times before. Her meta-programming was savvy like that and eventually once she heard repeated orders of “don’t do this, don’t say that, take that squall back to the pet store, Hegemonic Automaton doesn’t need a mascot” she was able to do so and effectively at that.

Mr. Ardik was right - his personal life was none of her business. She made no more conversation. You are a droid, she told herself. Not a woman. Stop behaving like an organic with your hurt feelings and wounded pride. Suddenly she felt nostalgic for those first few months of her existence when she had less of these human emotions. And perhaps her problem was not necessarily with the Umbaran but with MR-X97 herself.

For a very long time she walked alongside Gerion Ardik and was oddly quiet. When her silence would almost become uncomfortable she finally asked, “Mr. Ardik, do you think I need a memory wipe?”

[member="Gerion Ardik"]