HK is a riot.
Will we get to see Septima's reaction to that? I have a feeling it would be... amusing.
Will we get to see Septima's reaction to that? I have a feeling it would be... amusing.
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Where Droids Dare, Part 4
"Where Droids Dare, Part 4"
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
HK-47b
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
HK-47b
I lose track of time in this maze of a ship.
Stalking through it's endless corridors.
Lay waste to the seemingly endless Sirzuzians. They are the most pitiable of Meatbags. Their attempts to resist my advance are almost poetic in their tragedies, matched only by the sorry tale of woe inflicted on them by their Olinbari masters.
Their flailing limbs, desperate attempts at strategy, and the abject terror in their eyes as they face inevitable defeat...
It feels like a mercy to release them.
Most unsettling.
The Olinbari provide some sport, their Praetorians the finest meatbags to have earned their departures from the plane of mortality at my actuators.
They cannot stop me.
Eventually, I breach the bridge.
Find the prize.
She stands.
This woman dares to stand against me in nothing but a dress.
"Declaration: Oh Septima. It is my unhappy duty to take you into custody. Please surrender rather than risking me give in to my desire to make art out of your hideous pulsating flesh."
She laughs.
She has the audacity to laugh, at me.
At me?
AT ME?
I shoot her. She advances towards me.
Shoot her again.
And again.
She opens into a sprint. Must have some good armour under that dress.
She's fast, and reaches out to grab me. But, I'm quicker, and I switch my wrist blades out just as I block her arm.
And instead of cutting through her arm, I see the sparks of metal on metal.
Oh...
Nuts.
She's augmented.
This is where the fun begins. Septima has levelled the playing field with augments, but I think HK-47 is still the harder target.
Where Droids Dare, Part 5
"Where Droids Dare, Part 5"
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
HK-47b
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
HK-47b
In that moment, that brief passing moment as our arms block, her eyes blaze red.
Then she punches me, and as she throws me across the room, I realise where the Eater Of Worlds is.
It is in her.
She is on me immediately, leaping clear across the bridge.
I may find this tricky.
Still, Amothetet will deal with the beast, and then I can deal with Septima, which leaves the logical route - stall for time.
Cycling my reactor to maximum power, I begin to evade, knowing meatbag emotions will take over as her fury drives her into desperation. They can't help the limitations of their biology.
Console to console, wall to wall I jump, jet and sprint, my arms firing my weapons as and when opportunity strikes.
But...
She is relentless. And feels no pain; a grenade launcher to the face just leaves her on fire and dress melting onto her skin.
Of course, we are on the enemy bridge; if I don't keep her focus, she'll return to leading her engagement. I have the bridge officers distracted.
Is this just the desire to perfect my art that makes me want to risk my own distraction?
I switch to shooting her bridge officers, and I get three just as she begins to press her attack; a split second is all it takes for her to put me through a wall.
Diagnostics are going haywire. She's good. I scramble to get out of the debris, but she has my leg.
Shrieks and groans roar from the actuators as she tries, almost successfully, to rip off a foot. But my other leg puts all my reactor power through the actuators into kicking her as hard in the crotch as I possibly can, and she lets go just long enough for me to get free off the recoil. Spinning myself around as I fly, I volley both arm guns at her as she recovers and starts to pursue.
She takes the hits. Point blank 12 gauge with depleted uranium pellets. Any other meatbag would be shredded, but she...
Doesn't stop. Tears off what remains of her dress after it nearly trips her, her eyes still blazing at me. Then she leaps with an inhuman rage towards me.
I twist away, leaving a present of a gravity mine, blasting my jets as it activates.
She strains to escape, her body deforming around her skeleton beneath her own weight, but even the Eater Of Worlds can't get her up. I've won. I stand at the edge of the field. "Declaration: Sepitma Severus, you're under arrest."
Her twisted mouth forms an evil smile, then her head twitches.
Her Titan explodes beneath me.
I get back on my feet after the floor blows out and take in my surroundings. Venting plasma fumes suspiciously close to where the gravity bomb was tells me I may have just caused it by ripping the pipes apart. Septima is gone. Sirzuzians are coming.
I make for the bridge, I need to use internal sensors to find out where Septima has fled to. A brief firefight, then a slightly longer firefight as the Sirzuzians catch up, leaves me looking at the display of Septima's departing escape pod.
I call Naomi. "Admission: I have failed to capture Septima, Mistress. She has made it to an escape pod."
"I'm just glad you're still here."
"Analysis: The Eater Of Worlds was in her. Nothing was damaging her. She is also augmented, the full extent of which I don't know. "
"Copy all."
I look around. "Supplement: There's no one else alive in here."
She laughs. "Blow the bridge then bail out, get a homing beacon and we'll pick you up as soon as we find you. Don't launch on the starboard side, Appia's battleships are pounding away at the Titan while you have the bridge distracted, the Titan has completely stopped firing without their commander telling them to shoot."
"Acknowledgement: See you soon, Mistress."
I reactivate my grenade launcher - anything with a screen, goes boom.
Of course, I should have made a note of where the other escape pods were before doing that.
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That conclusion is ominous.
Why wasn't HK suspicious of Septima's nonchalance? Was it just an assumption that it was simple pride?
That was a great duel.
Why wasn't HK suspicious of Septima's nonchalance? Was it just an assumption that it was simple pride?
That was a great duel.
Kyaese To Rescue
"Kyaese To Rescue"
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
Marcus Aurelius
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
Marcus Aurelius
I groan after feeling the floor beside me. "Where have the screws gone, they were right here."
Someone shouts. "Sorry, I needed them for this bed."
I sigh. "Fine. Tape please!"
Someone else passes me some tape. Not ideal, but when you're trying to improvise medical beds for treating millions of patients and you've only been on these freighters we're using as improvised hospitals for a few days...
We're doing what we can.
Tape the rest of one bed together, then I stand, and move through the bustle to the next bed kit. Then we all stop for the comm system.
"Admiral Veres to all. On fallen Terra, the ancient laws and customs of maritime conduct had one of the most important being about ships responding to the maydays of their fellow travellers on the high seas. We have the most important task of this battle - saving the lives of millions of Kyaese that our enemy chose to use as hostages and shields. I know you are all tired from converting these freighters, but we cannot stop now; our time has come! All ships, advance to your target freighters."
He closes the comms, and our ship jerks away with the distant roar of engines.
I clap my hands together. "Righto people, we've got a few minutes left! Let's get these beds done!"
Bed is... a fairly crude word for these flatpack medical bays. Still... No time to waste.
I get another four done by the time the proximity alarm sounds. I stand. "How many beds are we on?" A rush of counting and callouts start, but the essence is... Not enough yet. "Ok, we'll split - half join me for unloading Kyaese, the rest carry on with beds, hopefully we have enough."
I walk out of this converted storage bay and head for the main cargo processing hold. We ditched the shipping containers for passenger shuttles naturally, so at the moment it looks like a flight deck with shuttles everywhere doing pre-launch checks as the hangar bay forcefields activate. The doors will open soon. I take a moment to look around. I'm surrounded by dozens of races working together.
Atalyah would have loved to see this, this cooperation against the odds.
My mind sees my wife - well, not legal wife, MSI law prevented that, but in every way that matttered - again. I stare into her bright blue eyes, so rare among her phenotype. Her wry smile, her cascading braids, her rich brown skin... I find myself whispering softly. "This is all for you, Atalyah."
I get stuck in on helping a shuttle do pre-launch checks.
Yes.
HK knows meatbags often try to act tough when they really aren't.
And he was just getting started...
Where Droids Dare, Part 6
"Where Droids Dare, Part 6"
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
HK-47b
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
HK-47b
There's a very simple solution to my predicament:
Find a meatbag who knows where the escape pods are.
Persuade them to lead me to an escape pod.
Get to the escape pod.
Shoot the meatbag.
Escape.
Naturally, I set to.
No point asking a Sirzuzian, they don't know and can't say. Which leaves finding an Olinbari. But they are more cowardly.
But, my droid patience, perseverance and focus means the hunter will claim his prize. Some Olinbari try to stand and fight of course, but most soon learn the hard way.
I must confess however, it does take longer than planned.
And after using all my ammunition, I'm forced to concede that I am... Somewhat lost.
I trace back through my mind, and return to the bridge. The ship feels abandoned now...
The bridge has taken a few impacts.
I can get comm signal here. I call my mistress.
She picks up. "HK, you are showing as out of ammo. And still aboard the Titan."
"Admission: No local meatbags have been willing to show me to the escape pods."
"I see. Well, we picked up Septima's pod. She hasn't left the ship."
"Statement: Oh."
I'm blasted over.
A woman's voice drips with venom. "Now then, little droid. You threaten my crew, shoot my slaves, and have the insolence to assault me." Her gun makes a thunk-thunk as I push myself up. "Prepare to meet your maker. In the afterlife."
I jump.
It is the right decision, where I was explodes beneath me. Thunk-thunk again as I land. I get a look at her, and the tables are pretty turned. Beyond-Praetorian spec armour, a gun as big as her, swords and a really pissed face.
I smile. "Statement: You too, meatbag." Not reusing the previous move, I flick left. All I have left are mines, but they're all I need. She blasts where I landed, putting another hole in the ship, but I've already carried on into a roll. I start preping a mini-nuke mine as her gun thunk-thunks, then flip backwards towards her as soon as the roll ends.
She's blasts at me, but my shield takes it.
The impact stops me activating the mine after it escapes my grip however - I rotate to see where it lands, and it...
Goes through a hole in the bridge.
Thunk-thunk.
Change plan; I throw a piece of debris at her gun and dive right. Straight through the hole she makes trying to shoot ahead of me. I sail through it.
The deck below is even more blown out; I scrabble to cling to a jutting out under-deck strut. She follows behind me, her RCS on full propellant tanks. Mine... aren't.
And with the deck destroyed, there's no artifical gravity.
She lifts the gun.
The recoil will spin her around. But...
I push off as hard as I possibly can towards her. She fires. I burn all my remaining RCS to push myself down, but it's only just enough to avoid the worst of the blast.
But, I hit her and get her off balance, and I scramble for her suit release; she realises that, and we wrestle until we smash into a bulkhead. Unfortunately, she uses me as the cushion.
Where Droids Dare, Part 7
"Where Droids Dare, Part 7"
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
Naomi Of Unity
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
Naomi Of Unity
Oh. Nuts.
My assassin droid has a big gun pointed at his head.
Septima is breathing heavily, catching herself as she stares at me. Seething.
I look at my droid. "HK?"
She scowls. "Naomi, if you ever want to see this droid again, you will stop your fleet firing, and allow me to withdraw."
"HK?"
He stirs. "Ad... mi... shun: faileed, mis... tress..."
My options are...
Not ideal. I could tell him to emergency upload, but he doesn't trust the eventual download to still be him. To be fair, neither would I. Telling him to self-destruct would warn Septima. The rest of the fleet isn't going to stop firing for the sake of one droid. And Septima will probably shoot him anyway.
But, I don't want to lose the old family friend.
I sigh.
I check his damage.
Ah. She's blown his legs and arms off.
Hmm. He can still jet in an atmosphere...
"HK, you're showing a coolant leak."
He looks at me. I hope he figures out the play.
Septima frowns. "Don't try and bluff me, girl. Otherwise he really will have a coolant leak."
I frown. "Septima, it is only because he's been ordered to take you alive that he hasn't activated his self-destruct."
She rams the gun into his face. "Try to bluff me again, and there will be consequences. Now let me leave."
I sigh. "Septima, the only reason this has any chance of working for you is because you think I wouldn't spend HK to win, and would therefore let you go. Which means you can't shoot him."
She scowls. "Keep arguing and I'll shoot him just to take him from you. You should be grateful that I'm willing to consider alternatives to purging you."
"So should you. Do you know how many millions of people would be delighted if I order HK to blow himself up right now? You can't even shoot him without blowing yourself up."
She glares at me, and walks towards the viewer. "You whore. You worthless, good for nothing whore. Jumped up and suffering delusions of adequacy, you're the bastard daughter of a freak and a traitor. How dare pond scum like you think you can dictate terms to me."
I zone her tirade out. HK looks at me from the floor. He glares at Septima. Gathering himself as Septima continues. "Statement: from hell's heart, I stab at thee."
The viewer disappears in a blinding flash.
My inner Trekkie was very happy with this update.
Georgi La Forge would be proud. Or panicked.
Magnificent. Truly magnificent. Straight outta Melville. (and the Mutara Nebula)
Panicked definitely, as HK-47b - being a weapon system - uses a reactor that is designed to fail-deadly rather than fail-safe. And in several ways at that.
Magnificent. Truly magnificent. Straight outta Melville. (and the Mutara Nebula)
The question is, which is he quoting?
Where Droids Dare, Part 8
"Where Droids Dare, Part 8"
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
Buri Of Unity
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
Buri Of Unity
She nestles her head in my arms as I hold her. He wasn't supposed to go like that.
HK-47b?
Yeah. He... Got captured.
What did he do?
His reactor has compression restraints that hold the control rods into his core connected to explosive bolts. Blow the bolts and the control rods eject, allowing the reactor to go supercritical.
Several kilotons at point blank range. At least Septima is dealt with then.
She frowns. He deserved better than blowing himself up.
I dry out her cheeks and eyes. Yes.
He's been a part for the family for so long... She laughs. Do you know how many times that assassin droid has been a midwife? Technically, he's delivered more babies than the number of targets he's assassinated. She cries. And now he'll not do either again.
No backup?
He didn't believe in them. That you could never duplicate the immaterial ghost in the machine. And besides, he would be obliged to hunt down and destroy any HK-51. The Iriphubliki never made another sophont battle droid after him.
I imagine an army of HK-47bs. They would have been potent.
Very. But one HK-47b is a... unique artisan. A million HK-47bs... You don't have to think about their welfare, you don't think about how they feel. Just send them in, without thought or regard.
Slave armies.
She nods. And slaves do not fight like freemen.
Nor die like them.
She sighs. He died free though. Septima could kill him, but not defeat him.
I dry her tears. A fine warrior.
She is quiet for a while. And Rivkah's ship being blown apart... We don't know if she's alive.
She'll be fine. She's tough.
Tough doesn't matter in space...
I'm sure she's organising some sort of getting home measure.
She sobs. We've paid a high price for today.
How do sheep kill a lion?
She sighs. By drowning it in blood.
So, we can be grateful we have out-fought sheep.
She stares at me. She sighs again, and nestles her head back in my elbow.
I wrap my arms around her. Want to... Make another daughter?
She bursts into laughter alongside the tears. Buri?
Yes?
She turns away in front of me, then kneels. Shut up and drive.
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Septima is dead! It's a great day, but one helluva price to pay for it.
But HK went out like a hero. That counts for something.
Very reminiscent of that Star Trek episode "Measure of a Man" where Data had to go to court to figure out if he was a sentient being.
But HK went out like a hero. That counts for something.
Of course; that episode is required viewing if you want to understand the relationship of AI and Humanity within the Iriphubliki on Earth, and therefore, the Iriphubliki-In-Exile and our protagonist factions for Mandate Of Heaven.
He did not go silently into the night, for sure.
- 1
Hyacinths
"Hyacinths"
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
Elizabeth Herminton
28th Daas, 10 (2189)
Elizabeth Herminton
Naomi said that she was just going to be a few minutes talking to Buri about HK-47b and Rivkah.
But, her and Buri return an hour late.
We all have been stood at attention waiting for her to come back as she forgot to say 'at ease'. So, when she walks in quite flushed, and he has that swagger of a man who knows he has done a good job, well... There's only one thing to do. We all wolf-whistle at them - she blushes. He grins.
Then, just as she gets to us, me, Bjarnhildur, Megan and Ghodsi all step forward. "Naomi Of Unity, for the indiscretion of abandoning your post to indulge in sexual behaviour unbecoming of an officer, we hereby sentence you to fifty push-ups. Armour switched off."
She looks at us. Then Buri. He smiles. She rolls her eyes. He points at the floor. Her suit deactivates, the low hum of the zero point reactors ceasing, and she drops to the floor and gives us fifty push-ups. He watches her without blinking once.
A few minutes later she gets back up. Not even slightly out of breath. "Ok ladies, having demonstrated the importance of discipline and that no officer is above the rules-" her eyes sparkle "-we will get to the reason we have assembled here today. These four ladies have demonstrated a willingness to not just give orders, but to command and lead, taking initiative and accepting responsibility for the lives and welfare of others. These are the traits we look for in future officers, and having given each of them the opportunity to reflect and evaluate their own decision, they have chosen to commit themselves to training to become officers. A lot of training and study awaits them, and in recognition of the beginning of this part of their journey, it is my pleasure to formally give you these."
She holds out her hand to Buri.
He passes her four replicas of flowers.
" Hyacinths?"
She nods. "As said, you guys know that I view our process as ex-Companionship Assets as beginning in Diplomatic White, and ending in Command Crimson. Hyacinths are one flower that has varieties in shades of all three, and these Probational Lieutenant hyacinths are pink, representing the recognition of your achievements and progression." She smiles to each of us, then holds out her other hand to Buri. He places four more hyacinth in her hand. Blood red ones. She smiles. "Ladies, I am looking forward to giving you these."
