Private The Pursuit

[UBD-028]

The midnight sky among the planet, clouds plagued the sky, soon going to burst with rain to paint the ground with water. It was a cold night for anyone traveling alone among their own travels. A cold that would nip at your skin and signal you that you should be at home enjoying a warm cup of coffee. The cold grass was covered with morning dew. Such a peaceful night to take a stroll and get to know the planet. Though, that's if a certain someone hadn't been cowering from the CIS, trying to escape from its grasp. There had been some droids showered among st the border to try and catch her. Though, one droid in particular was sent to bring her back. The ultra-battle droid blended among-st the grass as it stomped against the wet grass. Making footprints in the grass, its red sensor dimmed a bit as it looked around. Its online based hud scanning for heat signatures around the border. The photographical lens taking a few snapshot pictures around the area he was in before stomping back into the shadows. The hiss of hydraulics following it as it moved, the powerful beast ready to 'rescue' Kera from the clutches of a corrupted mind at a moments notice. From a moral standpoint, it was clearly her choice to leave. Though, after all she did hold secrets that were well-..meant to stay with the CIS. Something that couldn't be leaked, could the droid really kill his superior though? Maybe she had some trick up her sleeve, she had programmed a few new things into the droid. Who knew?

The clouds began to open up and let down a ocean of rain. The rain began to pelt against the Ultra Battle Droids plating, smearing him with water as he walked. Mud covering his lower legs as it walked. The light slosh of mud and rain mixing together as the nigh six ton beast walked along the muddy patches. It was determined to find its commanding officer. Though..not apart of his orders, something had clicked inside him. He wanted to know why, but his programming held him against it. His mission was to take her back at any costs, even if that meant death. Kaz was programmed to kill sith and jedi both alike. Though could the droid hold up too it? Shaking the confusing thoughts away from his memory core, the droid crouched low amongst the rain and bushes. Looking at the border as his photographic sensor dimmed even more so. Clearly waiting for his target to make a appearance.

The squeal of the droids limbs sounded every time as the droid moved. Trying to cease the sound every time he moved himself, the droid stuffed itself up against a large tree. Peering out as mud now covered his torso and head piece. Would she give him a battle worthy of his time, or would it not be worth his time? Placing its palm against the tree bark, he waited along the tree line.

[member="Keva"]

 

[Keva]

Keva always did enjoy the cold, it reminded her of home. Such a distantly irrelevant feelings of nostalgia she had all but entirely tossed aside in her grand quest for peace. For safety. To finally bring this Galaxy to heel and have it's most vile elements purged like the malignant tumors they were.

But this quest had proved tumultuous, and few had the capabilities to actually bring about the change needed. To finally take the stride and bring about the end of corruption with the cleansing flame, the Confederacy didn't truly have this ability. She had grown disillusioned with the Legions of machines, they were soft. A legion of steel held back the mercies of those without the mind to truly comprehend the necessary, bound by mercy, by petty emotions. Pathetic.

And so she left. She went to the Northlands, where there were those with hearts rotted black. And it would take a Black Heart (she had been growing incredibly fond of the term during her brief time in Sith Space) to bring about the change needed, they were emotional creatures, but so ruthlessly heartless that she knew the Imperials could cleanse a whole sector of life if the necessity proved itself. And so, she had a found a home for this brief period of time. And now the Confederacy had come for their Wayward Daughter.

It did not take a master of precognition to know what would be done here today, the Confederacy would come to remove her, detain her, or something inbetween. Shame, but an expect-able shame. Letting the rain fall onto her uniform: the same she had worn since her days in the CEDF, that horrendously sharp dark gray now with the bold insignia of the Sith emblazoned on her arm over that of the Confederacy and the Ascendancy that had preceded it. She approached the forest, watchful and wary but showing none of her true worry. She would be strong, and the Sith would reward her for her strength.

Stopping before the thickest of the trees, she clasped her hands behind her back and shouted: quite unlike her when it wasn't the roaring tides of war.

"Show yourself Kaz! I know you're there!'

And it didn't take a Master to know who they'd send.

[member="UBD-028"]

 

[UBD-028]

The dead of night collapsed among-st the robot as it stood against the tree. Did he think of Keva as a challenge? A sith acolyte? Surely not, his main reason for existence were to purge sith and Jedi alike that opposed the confederacy. Kaz had faced warriors that proved challenges, wrestled Esoomians to the ground without much of a thought. Though, could he really kill his former commander? Someone he had gone so far to protect, only to turn his back on them and have to kill them. Shaking its large torso it looked over towards where Keva was shouting. Though he came from the legion of steel known as the CIS, he might be willing to waver. Grinding his heels into the earth below him, he looked among-st the area. Though she may be attuned through the powers of the force, UBD-028 was meant to counter that at all costs. Though when he heard his name being called out, he couldn't do much, stay in the darkness and act like he wasn't there? Or engage her? Either way it wouldn't end well.

His cortosis plating gleamed with beads of rain, pelting against his armor. Wiping its hand amongst the plating, the droid trudged forward, throwing mud up against his ankles. The giant of a droid made his way into the open, its photographic lens growing with a bright light. It sticking out like a sore thumb, letting his arms sit at his side. The squeal of hydraulics and metal pressing against metal could be heard as the droid slowly lumbered forward. If he could produce a disgruntled sigh he would. Though his programming didn't support that. Though he didn't know why his superior would flee like a dog with its tail between its legs. Perhaps it was something more internal? Kaz didn't know all the details, he was just briefed and dropped off at the planet. Either kill the target or bring them in alive.

"-..Colonel Keva."

The droid hissed out, addressing her with his voicebox now as he placed his metallic hands up against a rock nearby, dragging his slick hands against it. Smearing some mud against the rock as he pressed his palm against it, the large cracking amongst the surface without much force from the droid. His voicebox gave off a light static as he began to choose the best path for speaking to the traitor. Though he was coming up with his blanks. Moving forward he stopped a few feet away. Deciding to stay a few good feet away, who knew what tricks she knew now!

Tilting his torso towards her, he examined her. His lens going up and down her body, analyzing her with his advanced processor. If a droid could be angry with such disloyalty Kaz sure would be the very first one up there, he almost felt disappointment in the disconnected blue sith acolyte. Shaking his torso he spoke out to her once more.

"You-..have deserted the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Allocated to such systems of the faction of war." Raising his wrist the large missiles showed on his wrist. "Lay-..down your armament." The robotic voice shot out, though somehow the robot twitched for a single second its tone changing, from stoic to-..tender almost. "You deserted the CIS. This--unit wishes to know why." UBD-028 said as he slammed a hand down on his extended arm, trying to shove it down back at his side. Almost as if he wasn't trying to blow her to smithereens instantly. Maybe he wanted to reason with her, with his erratic and stiff like movement, someone was most likely trying to override his current actions.

[member="Keva"]

 

[Keva]

The rain annoyed her, it ruined the pristine image she so meticulously created. But this time, she would allow it to. This was the first of her tests: even if both her superiors and the droid itself didn’t realize this. She needed power, and this little renegade hunts would provide it.

[SIZE=11pt]Colonel. Yes. She had been a colonel, such a pitiful little position. A mere handful of the droids she would’ve needed to finally begin the cleansing: but alas, their hearts remained too pure for such things.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She prepared herself, making the subtlest of movements to prepare herself for when the battle would finally begin: she knew the droid would attack, eventually. The force flared to tell her of the danger, but like most warnings she ignored. She let out the slightest smirk at the notion of laying down her armament and surrendering: that was a submission to accept her death. And her work was far from done.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]And he asked that ever important question of why.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“My heart has rotted to black long before I met you, Kaz. I realized this in the fires of war. The Confederacy is [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]weak[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]. Their hearts haven’t made the sacrifice to finally bring peace. They can number a hundred sectors and billions of droids, but until they accept the Rot they’ll be weak.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She never did consider herself the philosophical sort.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“The Sith are as rotten as me. I know that the Imperials will do what is right when the time comes: don’t you see it?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She thought little of Droids, but she knew Kaz was different. He could think beyond simple programming: so she would do what she was so horribly unqualified to do, reason with the machine.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="UBD-028"][/SIZE]

 

[UBD-028]

The squealing hydraulics of the droid continued, forever showing the age of the 'simple' minded droid everyone thought of. Pressing his palm against the rock, the droid let out a audible sigh, its voicebox recording it. Almost as if it was breathing, trying to replicate a humans texture of voice. His plating showed years of age, his name that was etched in the corner caked with mud and dust. Kaz could have thought just yesterday the two were out marching, defending the Confederacies honor. Though, through the weeks the colonel had showed her true whereabouts on where her loyalty lie. The rain only continued to sprinkle amongst them, coating them in water as he walked in a fine line. Almost showing his displeased stance on her becoming a sith, sure he had served the count way back when in the clone wars, all the ultra battle droids d.

"Every carbon-..based being believes that in them there heart will turn black over the deeds and actions they have committed.." Kaz croaked out, standing a few feet away from her, facing her now. "The fires of war is what breeds the toughest and most valiant fighters. You are but one of them, tell me-..what do you think my purpose was?" It asked, was it referring to itself as a being now? Something that wasn't programming it slightly twitching now. "This units purpose was to fight-..kill, and conquer." The high pitched sound of his voice box reached her ears. "Us droids-..cannot accept the rot you classify as weak of mind." It lumbered forward placing its hand among-st a along and tearing ​it from the ground as if it was a feather. "For what you say is a advantage against most, is a weakness to all. You will find this rot to take over your mind and body over the numerous years, and it will finally COLLAPSE your being like a mold of dirt. It's a corrupting essence, not something to bare as a vigil." The unit commented as he crushed the tree trunk, it raining down on the earth beneath them.

"I have served amongst sith for all my live, the one they call-..Dooku is now long deceased. He had accepted his rot, though he may have gotten far, he soon succumbed to the plague of the Jedi." lumbering forward, now four feet away from her he looked down at her. "You are joining a cause which its only reason is to kill, shred the living population. You are wasting the intelligence you were gifted as a child, when you can become much more then sith, you could one day rise to the top of the confederacy and make a difference." UBD-028 commented to her, for a droid he spoke-..wisdom some how. He was convincing as most come, though should she believe him? The droid was already processing her next outcome of response it seemed.

"You will most likely, disengage your own likely hood of intelligence and try to brag for your own bloodlust. You will not fit as a sith, the mind is mightier then the sword." The droid spat out, his mechanized voice still as intimidating as the first day they met. "Your feats among battles as a officer are more impressive as what you will achieve in the sith empire." Looking down at her he almost felt sorry, the droid couldn't harbor feelings but, he wanted to help her. "You do not have to turn to a life of blood and killing, use what you are gifted with." The droids LED grew brighter as it watched her, too trusting of her it seems.

[member="Keva"]

 

[Keva]

Where did her loyalties truly lay? To Keva. And only Keva. The banners she stood under only were a means to an end, she was a selfish zealot. As cold and heartless as any could expect from her race.

[SIZE=11pt]“Don’t be daft, you have expanded beyond your programming. To say otherwise is a lie both of us know isn’t true, I set you on the course: nothing more.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She sneered it out, there would be no more masquerading now. No need for a facade here.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“I will collapse, I am ready to make the sacrifice. There is nothing to be proud about what I must do, but that is why I know it is right. I will take the strides to finally bring peace to this Galaxy, with the Imperials at my back! And when the Jedi deny what must be done with their moronic hearts of gold, they will die, the Hutts will die, all those who will stand in the way of true and final [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]peace [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]will feel my wrath!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She scoffed at the notion of being wasted, that she had a future in the Confederacy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“The Confederacy is a bloated mass ruled by nepotism and unworthy incompetents, I would do little more than slaughter so they could swell the coffers. And what I have achieved will be achieved again, I will stand among the ruins of the Sith advance, I will take the power the Confederacy denied me. They are weak. Don’t you see it, don’t you understand? They were only using us. We were fodder, nothing more!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She let her anger swell, finally. She had only truly let loose on Yag’dhul, wildly killing whatever came in her way. The force, the dark side, swelled within her. Such raw passion, raw emotion, all what she was denied in youth.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="UBD-028"][/SIZE]

 

[UBD-028]

Leaning the forward, the droid couldn't believe how incredibly naive the former officer was being. For what he thought was a great officer, turned out to be meddled and have her thoughts be corrupted by the hold of the sith. It was disappointing in the end, bringing his hand amongst the rock that was cracked he shook his torso. Bringing a hand to swipe off some collective areas of mud on his torso. His voicebox croaking as he circled her, his feet stomping against the ground and creating footprints. A simple tactic so she didn't have any way to jump from his hold. Though he may have been such a large droid, she had never seen the droid actually fight in combat against a well-..force user. The ultra battle droids were famed through the CIS history to have expelled them as fast as they came. With strength that rivaled multiple wookies. Who knew who would win if it got physical?

"For you don't understand, as throughout the ages I've aged as a fine wine through this units programming. You forget what the confederacies real purpose is, you are so intelligent yet closed mind, you have a mind worthy of leadership, but decided to use such for mindless killing." UBD-028 said to her. Kaz shook his torso at her, almost taunting her. "For as much as your mind yearns for knowledge, you crave little of what history offered. The confederacy ideology was to be free of the Republic's regulations on trade, and other perceived oppression from it, you know little of the history it harbors." The droid let out, his voicebox crackling with the electric current of power. "You were-..being used?" Kaz asked almost confused, how could she speak about being used when he was a droid bound by programming and commands, she had dug around in him to further his programming.

"You-..know nothing of being fodder or a slave to anyone. I served beings of carbon for years-..command after command, against my own processing. You had a will, yet you complain about being controlled when you had as much free will as any being in this star system." UBD-028 shot out his LED glowing even brighter, almost to the point where it was hard to look at. "Your species, any species with sentience complains for they value what they think matters nothing to them. You should be thanking your fake beliefs for the mind you were gifted." The tall mechanic beast let out,

"You KNOW nothing of being a pawn, you are a disappointment to ones who donned the sith name. You think the confederacy evil? Wait till you see what the sith have to offer, wait till you have to purge a world of its life for your masters. You won't survive long with that mindset. Little blue one you hold the mindset of every acolyte new to the sith, you think you will gain and gain and rain your new power down on your former allies, though you are but a cog in the machine. If you were to die tomorrow, what would they think? They would give nothing but a glance to your corpse and loot it. You mean nothing to them." The mechanic golem was really tearing into her, though it was of good heart. He wanted to serve her still, though her being bound by the sith wasn't such a pleasant idea. Deciding to push it even further he leaned back.

"If you are so powerful now, show me what you have learned." Kaz added, clearly wanting to put her in her place, with a droid who has seen battle throughout his life. The unit was prepared, simply standing there a few feet away from her.

[member="Keva"]

 

[Keva]

Her calm was breaking, a rare sight indeed. Maybe she had dug in rather thoroughly in this whole Sith thing, or maybe she had finally let herself finally show the crazed zealot to her own genocidal ideals that she truly was.

[SIZE=11pt]“History is sadly only so useful. Times have changed. The name remains but the times have changed.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]It was a quick dismissive toss of his history, it was empty notion to her. History was gone, those dark ages had left it lost for so long. She’d scoff at the mere notion of it truly mattering to the pursuit of true peace. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Quite the contrary, droid. For my existence was to be the pawn to the machinations of politics and self interest. I learned, and grew, to lead: but only for those who had birthed me to reap the true bounty of my abilities. And I broke these chains, and as I stood within that iron legion of the confederacy, I saw it again. [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]We [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]were but pawns again! Don’t you understand!? Every world we take, every person we kill, every war we wage: who reaps the benefit and who must walk among the scrap? I am no different from you in their eyes. We are [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]expendable[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]. Even you, the day you finally fall they will slice open your remains and remake you a dozen times over. And no tears will be shed, because a droid can be replaced. A measly officer can be replaced!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She was a seathing mess, years and years of hatred for so many things bubbling to the fold once more. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“The Sith will see. The Sith will understand, the Confederacy and it’s iron heart is far from evil: it is weak. I will bring the Legions to bare! And then the Galaxy will see that I was right! That this evil will finally bring peace!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She grew silent, deciding that there had been enough shouting for today.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“I had hoped you would be able to see my reason…”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]There was her own disappointment now, those rare emotions had now boiled and overflowed. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“But it seems not. I will not allow either of us to die here today, and maybe you’ll be able to finally see that I’m right.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]She waited briefly, and then did as he asked: she unleashed the mightiest trick of all. She threw mud. Using her telekinesis she grabbed a ball of the funk from the ground, sending it flying at the Droid’s photoreceptor. And after that, she tried to put as much distance between them as possible. Slippery little rat she was.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="UBD-028"][/SIZE]

 

[UBD-028]

The mechanic beast stood as he heard what she had to say, if a droid could experience annoyance, UBD-028 was experiencing that as of currently, just digging its forged heels into the earth below him. The dirt turning up to show what was beneath, the roots showing as he looked up to her shaking its entire torso. Should he try to reason with these fleshy little blue person or let her fall to her own perils. The super battle droid had been commanded by the one and only Count Dooku, well the entire droid army had with some tactical droids littered within. The rain slapped against the metallic paint the droid had been given; the factory paintnearly looking as good as new the first day it had been made.

"Your reasoning is little, shown through rose tinted glasses, you see the galaxy through such a small point of view. For the Jedi and even clones I had slaughtered on the daily, I knew that I was not the driving force in the galaxy, my unit is but only a speck compared to the rest of the galaxy." It commented

Moving its large mechanical slabs called arms he moved a log with his arm as if it was a cardboard box. "I know I am disposable; renewable and expendable, though that does not mean this unit should not complete its task it was given. Or even go as far as to betray its makers." The robotic monotone voice rang out, a deep one too. "This unit has had too many run ins with sith and jedi alike and does not trust them." moving forward its powerful legs creaked, hydraulics being heard as it moved.

Though what was the most percevied mightest mind trick of them all could easily be pulled off by a padawan or a youngling. Raising his arm, a plate of cortosis moved revealing the wrist blaster, a duo of two red blaster bolts shooting from the wrist blaster displaying its signature sound as it shot into the dirt ball exploding it, steam rising from the wrist blaster as the droid moved forward.

The large hulking fist snapped back to conceal the blaster as it moved forward, taking a fallen tree near him, curling its metallic fingers into the large tree, lifting it up and over his head, and hoisting it up into the air, now this was a bit harder to lift. Far from his limit but the droid did have to put some effort into it. Spinning it threw it towards the former officer, the tree landing behind her and cratering the ground cutting off her exit, the large tree vibrating the ground.

Slowly stomping over it photoceptor lens glared at the officer, it trying to identify what little threat it presented, despite its hulking stature it knew how to fight, afterall it had been tasked with hunting down both Jedi and Sith alike. The hydraulics in its upper legs began to cry out as the droid ducked down deep, almost deleting half of its size, sweeping its legs towards hers, the droid wanted to trip her. Just standing over her as the hydraulics relaxed releasing some steam from his upper legs.

The components that hadn't been used in such a long time had finally come to use. Despite his late service in the clone wars, it clearly was ready to combat her and was outfitted with what it needed to do so. A sith acolyte was easy enough, though did it really want too? Something the droid had learned to trust in the coming days? Maybe there was a way to resolve this she could always take the droid with her..

Such a droid of his caliber could be useful in the line of work she might be deployed, most of the sith world was filled with dangerous figures ready to lunge at your for there own opportunity.

[member="Keva"]