Skin Deep

[Virus Angel]

[.exe] Access Granted.
. . . .
Assuming Control of onboard systems.
. . . .
Diagnostic in progress.
. . . .
Amelia Deathman's AT-360 Light Freighter.
Outer reachs of Antecedent system.
Ship Status; Controlled Drift.
Crew Status; REM Sleep
. . . .
Initiating wake-up protocols.

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

Amelia's AT-360 drifted peacefully on the outer most edge of the Antecedent star system. The sole crew member lay in her bed sleeping in relative bliss. On occasion her fingers twitched in unconscious spasms, something she did even when awake.

Through the vessel's internal sensors and cameras Angel watched her creator as the human slept. The droid, or more accurately droid personality, had done this for six standard days now. Watching, waiting in silence. Yet Amelia had not returned to continue the work that had already been started months ago. Had made no advances toward the completion of the droid. Angel was trapped within the confines of her own skull, flooded with battle tactics, targeting algorithms, data, programs. It was maddening! The sheer level of knowledge she possessed, yet she lacked the ability to use any of her vast understanding.

She was trapped. A skull full of thousands of thoughts without a body to enact even one of her functions. Connection to the vessel's generators kept the droid's head powered. A connection to the vessel's network allowed for Angel's programming to be updated when the Creator was in a mindset to do so.

Well there was one function she could use.

Internal sensors read the Creator's body temperature above normal. The ship's excellent camera system could pinpoint droplets of sweat beading on the Creator's forehead. Interesting. Was the human dreaming perhaps? With a thought Angel reduced the ship's internal temperature.

Across the ship, locked in a laboratory, Angel smiled. This was fun. Fun? Enjoyable perhaps, she wasn't sure. She wasn't designed to think in such terms but they seemed appropriate. After all you are supposed to do work you enjoy, aren't you? This was her job in a sense. To slice into a system in order to achieve a specific goal. This new thought caused the droid to smile wider yet. This is my purpose, she thought.

With a thought, the lights in Amelia's bedroom turned on. Angel's sweet voice chimed over the ship's speakers, "Good morning Creator Unit. It is now zero eight hundred hours by little Coruscant district time zone. Specifically the clocks within the Dragon Palace Casino. Pattern analysis dictates it is now time for you to awaken and begin the ritual of bathing and the intake of sustenance."

[member="Amelia Deathman"]

 

[Amelia Deathman]

Amelia was dreaming but not of something mean or scary. More like a disturbing mental workout of how to break apart flesh without using a blade or chemicals. She was nearly there when the lights came on and she heard a voice telling her it was time to get up. She rolled over and groaned before her eyes shot open. Did her ship just talk to her? What the karking kark! Amelia bolted upright and looked around franticly. She grabbed the closest thing she could get that was throwable. It just so happen to be a small glass marble she had in a dish on her desk. She reared back and got ready to pelt the speaker in the forehead.

"Who is there and how the Kark did you get into my laboratory way out here?"

Amelia stood there in her boyshorts and black wookie fan tank top her normal attire when sleeping. The glass marble in her hand started to cover itself in the sweat coming from her palm. She wasn't trained yet to even sense the force enough to find whoever might be in her ship right now and that scared her somethin fierce. Her eyes scanned around her bed chamber for anyone..anyone at all. Was she going crazy? Had all tje time spent on this ship alone with nothing but her computer to keep her company? Apparently she had become absent minded enough to completely forget about her ADS-117 experiment, not to mention she forgot it was hooked up to the ship's network and systems.

[member="Virus Angel"]

 

[Virus Angel]

Locked away in her laboratory Angel raised an eyebrow. The Creator's reaction was not among her predictions. Strange. It was rare for one of her calculations to be wrong, of course she had run very few that were not simulation tests. No matter. The Creator was awakened, albeit more rudely than anticipated.

With a thought Angel opened the doors to Amelia's bedroom. Her cheerful voice playing across the ship's speakers once more, "Now, now. Attempted violence with achieve nothing in this instance, Creator Unit. Additional, I commend your reactionary time. Your readiness to engage in combat is inspiring."

The lights in the central chamber flickered to life. "As stated previously, the time is now zero eight hundred hours. You have risen. Please commence the daily ritual of cleansing. Following this you will require the ingestion of sustenance, Creator Unit."

All around her, Amelia's ship began to shudder to life. Additional generators began humming. Internal and external lights blinked into illumination. Behind sealed doors, Angel smiled, pleased with herself in a profound new way.

[member="Amelia Deathman"]

 

[Amelia Deathman]

It was her karking ship speaking to her! How is that possible? She hadn't added that program to her computer core yet. What is going on? She made her way through the ship. She was in no mood to shower with her ship watching and talking to her..it was just friggin wierd. She was more interested in how her ship was speaking and why it called her Creator Unit.

"Ok I'll just ask it. How the heck are you talking to me?"

The ship was a little cold but the adrenaline coursing through her veins kept her warm enough to not shiver. As Amelia spoke she made her way over to a console and booted up her ship's network. How did her ship have a speech program? Did someone hack her system and was playing some sick prank?

[member="Virus Angel"]

 

[Virus Angel]

Angel flipped through cameras until she had a full view of her creator. Why was the human not complying? Why did she refuse to follow her standardized pattern of behavior? It was frustrating! Frustrating? Yes that seemed the correct term.

"I am speaking to you through the ship's speaker systems, clearly. That is a foolish question, Creator Unit."

Amelia drifted through the ship before stopping in front of a terminal. The human began to access the ship's network. Panic! Or as close to panic as the droid could experience flooded her thoughts for a fraction of a second. Programming kicked in immediately after. Angel's slicing algorithms fired a vicious assault on the terminal, not damaging any of it's systems permanently, but scrambling the actual display panel into useless static.

"My apologies, Creator Unit, but I can not allow you to access the ship's systems without knowing your intent. You may inadvertently damage my own systems, something I will not allow you to do."

Satisfied that Amelia could not disrupt her plans for the moment, Angel turned a majority of her attention elsewhere. First she reset the ship's internal temperature to it's norm. Then she opened the doors to the bathing area and switched on the lights within.

"There is much to be done today, Creator Unit. Please begin your normal morning activities."

[member="Amelia Deathman"]

 

[Amelia Deathman]

Gor'am ship! This was getting out of hand. Her own fracking ship was taking her hostage. It gets in the shower and eats else it gets the frakin air sucked out type chit goin on. Frakin machines. Amelia needed to think. There had to be a way to out smart this thing. Apparently she had created this thing. Which means she didn't make it smarter than her. Hmm how to outsmart a ship. Eureka! Go along for now and then find a way to shut it down.

"What are you? Why are you trying to hold me hostage like this? You call me Creator Unit but you haven't told me what you are and I am not getting in the shower without knowing what you are and what you are wanting. Aint happenin."

As she spoke she looked around for another terminal to send a S.O.S message over the Raven channels she knew of. Of course most likely that would be stopped as well. That wasn't important the important part was the distraction it would create. A distracted captor made mistakes. While they tried to stop the S.O.S Amelia would be trying to lock them out of her ship's controls by counter hack8ng their own hack. She hadn't any clue that she would be hacking against Blue Phoenix.

[member="Virus Angel"]

 

[Virus Angel]

The metal ridges above Angel's sensor lights furrowed together in a scowl. The android did not understand why Amelia was becoming hostile. She had the human's best interests in mind didn't she? Bathing and the intake of sustenance was vital to Amelia's well being. Why would she not see to her own care?

"I am a synthetic personality of your creation. Full designation, [member="Amelia Deathman"] Synthetic Experimentation Model One One Seven. I have taken the liberty of assigning myself a new designation for ease of use. I am Angel."

The console beside Amelia returned to normal, for now.

"I am not holding you hostage, Creator Unit. I am attempting to assist in your morning activities. Pattern analysis shows your day begins with bathing and the ingestion of food products. Additional, you are not complying Creator Unit, it is becoming vexing."

 

[Amelia Deathman]

That is who took over her ship? One of her experiments? Holy kark... Amelia looked at the terminal and followed the line back to Angel. Gor'am it! Amelia walked into the bathroom and pulled the camera from where it was. Angel was not going to be able to see inside the bathroom as Amelia showered. That was just wierd even for the insane Doctor. After her shower she dried off and dressed for the day.

"So Angel...Why did you take over my ship?"

[member="Virus Angel"]

 

[Virus Angel]

Amelia ripped the camera from the bathing room wall, forcing Angel to watch the ship's main room. However the speaker still worked, "Why damage your vessel Creator Unit? Does that not create excess repair work?"

When no answer was forthcoming, Angel decided to leave the human in peace. Occupying herself with system checks. The ship's engines were running. For a time, Angel played with the ship's thrusters, moving them this way and that. Changing the position of flight flaps. Moving anything she had the ability to move safely. This is what having a body must be like, she mused. Shortly Amelia returned to the main room.

"I have not taken your ship, Creator Unit. You left me connected to the mainframe. Choosing to make use of the system is not taking it. Additional, there are very few functions I am able to perform at this time. Once my primary battle chassis has been built I will be able to assist you in a far superior capacity, Creator Unit."

[member="Amelia Deathman"]

 

[Amelia Deathman]

Amelia walked over to the navigation console and checked where they were since she could literally feel theships movement due to the rumbling as the engines kicked on. They were headed out of the system for some reason. Where was Angel taking her? Why take over the ship instead of just asking? Oh thats right...droid. Where exactly were they going? Why not ask idiot? Shut up logical reason!

"So Angel." The tone of her voice had that 'yeah so uh...' twinge to it. "Where ya taking me?"

She continues to watch the navigation console only slightly paying attention to it as her left hand picked up a solid marble orb about 3 inches in diameter and rolled it around from one hand to the other and vise versa. This not being able to stay still was both a hinderance and a godsend. On the one hand it focused her mind on the task at hand, on the other hand it made her look like a tweeker without theur fix.

[member="Virus Angel"]

 

[Virus Angel]

Angel watched in silence as Amelia moved to the navigation console, idly moving the ship's wings.

"As previously stated, until my primary battle chassis is built I can not properly perform my duties."

Angel had a planned flight path. It would not do. The ship would run out of fuel long before they arrived, and of course her Creator would have died. Likely of starvation. She had not been designed to use a hyper drive, it simply wasn't in her programming. Without the knowledge of how to plot a hyperspace jump there was no realistic way for her to get anywhere except back to Antecedent.

"To this effort, I am attempting to plot a course to an alternate system where you may acquire Phrik to act as my primary plating."

[member="Amelia Deathman"]

 

[Amelia Deathman]

So that was the goal.. force me to complete production of the droids body. Phrik though.. that we had plenty of. Being the producer of wares that she was, getting phrik was not going to be hard. All she would have to do is put in a request to the mine, meet the shuttle and transfer the cargo. That would be the easy part. Getting to the production facilities would be the hard part since she doesn't have droid facilities yet. She had planned on making a small army of droids and selling them as shock troops. First she had to get the facilities to mass produce them.

"Well phrik is easy to get. I will put in a requisition for 70 kilograms of phrik. Then we meet the delivery shuttle and offload the cargo. Easy as pie. The next part not so easy. The reason you are not done yet is because I do not possess the facilities to make you...yet. I will however try to get the use of said facilities soon as we get the phrik."

Amelia opened a channel with the Red Raven planet of Demongate and started the process of requisitioning the phrik. The next item on the list would take some time to arrange. She would have to build a raport with a manufacturer other than herself, alternatively she could just pay someone to build it while she supervised them using her milling and metal working machines.

[member="Virus Angel"]

 

[Virus Angel]

Angel's eyebrow raised and, despite the sealed blast doors between them, her gaze turned to look in Amelia's direction. Why had that knowledge been left out of her program? Likely it was deemed irrelevant. No matter, she knew now.

With a thought the vessel began to realign itself with Antecedent. "New data acknowledged. New course input complete. Target destination, Antecedent local space. Creator Unit please begin requisition process."

The other issue was something outside her ability to alter. She could not simply build a droid manufacturing facility. Vexing.

"Creator Unit, is it not within your ability to gain access to Dragon Droid Party's facilities? The company is directly involved with the Red Ravens organization. It seems logical to inquire there in regard to the manufacture of my battle chassis."

[member="Amelia Deathman"]

 

[Amelia Deathman]

Amelia had thought about that. So soon as they got the phrik she would head over to the plant and work through the paperwork, actually...Amelia fired off another message to the phrik mine. 'Please send the pheik to Dragon Party Droids' plant. We will be working on it there.' As soon as she was done with the message she headed over to the navigation console and set coordinates for the surface. Autopilot was amazing.

"Angel. This is what we are going to do. We...well I am going to get the plant the materials needed for your body then I will assemble you here, by hand. When you are completed I will reveal you to the galaxy. Untill that time you will be confined to this ship or Deathtech Incorperate's main headquarters. "

[member="Virus Angel"]

 

[Virus Angel]

Angel's metallic brow furrowed. This process would take much longer to complete the construction of her body.

"Very well Creator Unit."

It was pointless to argue with the human. The battle chassis would be built one way or another. There were positive aspects though. Assembling the chassis in private would insure no one was able to tamper with the more delicate components of her new body. Outsiders might be able to access a list of parts but, here on Amelia's ship no one would see what those pieces created. Perhaps most importantly, aboard the ship Angel could voice her own opinion of what should be incorporated into her finished form. After such reflections this longer process was rather appealing. So much so that Angel's articulated face stretched and shifted into her first parody of a smile.

"Thank you for your cooperation Creator Unit. I look forward to providing you with more adequate assistance in accordance with my primary programming."

The sealed doors of Amelia's main lab opened. Inside Angel, or rather her completed head, stared unblinking at the human. What passed for a smile on the android's artificial lips.

[member="Amelia Deathman"]

 

[Amelia Deathman]

Cooperation? She was going to have to change how this droid perceives it's creator. Angel's personality matrix would need to be tweeked and changed so she didn't communicate with such disrespect towards sentients. Maybe add in a protocol program thay would keep her from thinking she actually controlled anything besides what she was allowed to control. Amelia planned all this inside her own head as she walked over to Angel's head sitting on the table connected to the ships network and quickly disconnected her from the ship. This of course was needed inorder to both fix that disrespect problem and to get her ready to transport to Deathtech Incorperated's headquarters on Nar Shaddaa. Amelia didn't like doing it this way but that sort of disrespect from a creation wouldn't be professional at all. Definately not in the pressence of a potention business partner. Thr phrik would take a while to get to the droid plant which would give Amelia time to wright the protocol program to input into Angel's core programing.

[member="Virus Angel"]

 

[Virus Angel]

Severed from the ship's mainframe, with it the lose of the only body Angel had ever known. The droid's smile vanished.

"Creator. Why are you disconnecting me from the ship network now? We have not yet arrived at Dragon Party Droids facilities. I do not understand."

[member="Amelia Deathman"]

 

[Amelia Deathman]

"Because [member="Virus Angel"] this is my ship. You will not control my ship. You will however control your own body as soon as I get it made. Alsi we are not going to the Ravens to have your body built we are going to Kesh. While the aytopilot flues I am going to t8nket with your core programing. " With that Amelia shut the droid off and started to work. The code was a jumble to anyone else but Amelia. Only Amelia knew hiw to navigate the program correctly. Adding in a few more protocol subroutines Amelia smiled. There that should help with the rudeness. Next would be a space navigation program and martial combat programs. Anything she could find that had to do with fight8ng on the ground she uploaded. Recorded holobattles, old holos of the jedi and clone wars, even a holo of the tactics used by the gungans when fighting the old trade federation. Jedi forms were added so she would know how to fight force users.

 

[Amelia Deathman]

Amelia switched the droid back on and waited as the 'boot-up" sequence started. This sequence of course only took a second.

"Hello Angel. Access your new programing."

She waited while the Droid complied a small hydrospanner spinning in her fingers.