HK-47 was always an efficient and responsible droid, strictly following the Master's orders. How could it be otherwise? After all, responsibility and efficiency are what distinguish a good assassin droid from a mediocre one... Perhaps also neatness. Ultimately, what good is a droid if it leaves behind a scorched wasteland like an orbital bombardment?
Ruthlessness, bloodlust, hatred for all living things, and a certain imbalance in the personality matrix were non-mandatory qualities, but in HK's opinion, or rather, according to his assassin protocol parameters, they were desirable.
Despite the fact that a droid, being an artificially created existence, could not experience human emotions by definition (if any meatbag thinks otherwise, the forty-seventh will personally convince them otherwise), due to the presence of an adaptive, self-developing, and self-learning personality matrix, the assassin droid skillfully imitated the presence of feelings and sensations. So convincingly that emotions evolved into a separate software module, causing HK to experience perfectly genuine anger, hatred, and, optionally, joy.
Oh, yes. The voltage spikes in circuits and schematics as life faded in the eyes of another meatbag—HK could call that nothing else but pleasure.
Was this an error by the creator during the droid's personality formation, or was it due to the long years dedicated to eliminating sentient living beings? Service to Revan's Empire and the liquidation of gifted meatbags? Or did the deformation happen right at the beginning, after the killer protocols were uploaded? No one, not even Revan himself, could answer that question.
The fact remained: HK-47 was as he was. Efficient, deadly, methodical... and slightly insane.
And so, when he received an order from the Master to eliminate the stupidest and most absurd meatbag he had ever encountered in his long artificial life, the assassin droid experienced genuine happiness. Permission to empty! THE ENTIRE! magazine of a blaster carbine into the mindless pile of goo wrapped in skin that this mistake used as a head. A real celebration!
He should consider how to plot a route closer to Naboo? Or lure the target to the arrival point? There was no direct prohibition against it, was there?
"Negative," the analytical module perked up.
"Observation: Naboo is looking for a representative for the Gungan people in the Republic Senate," suggested one of the protocols responsible for strategic planning.
"Threat Assessment: Elimination on Coruscant, especially of a Senate member, is fraught with certain difficulties. However, it is quite feasible," the analytical module assessed.
HK was already calculating options for how to influence the Naboo government to push through the right candidate. In the past, he had repeatedly managed to lure targets to the desired location. The droid's talents included the ability to weave political intrigues. The metallic maniac possessed a rich imagination and excellent adaptability to any situation.
"Observation: The current Queen of Naboo harbors an unwarranted friendly affection for the target," the strategic module noted.
"Personality Assessment: Queen Padmé Amidala Naberrie is characterized by excessively democratic views on the political structure of the galactic community, she is an idealist, prone to rash actions and unwarranted risk," the analyst supplemented.
"Hypothesis: There is a possibility of using the current monarch of Naboo to move the target to the strike point."
"Probability Calculation: High chance of success. Drawbacks: long execution time."
"The Master did not set an execution time limit for the target."
"Accept plan for execution."
As soon as the decision was made, HK felt genuine euphoria! He was back in business! Hunting another meatbag for the Master!
Even the necessity of looking after the minor nuisance who dared to call himself the Master's apprentice could not dampen the droid's mood.
Where was he, by the way?
The assassin droid distracted himself from the twenty-four minutes he had spent tuning the ship's right-side blaster cannon. During that time, he had checked the security camera recordings every three minutes to ensure the ward was still where he had been for the last hour: meditating in his cabin.
Meditating...
The image blinked, and the boy's figure vanished for a fleeting moment, reappearing after a barely discernible interval. But to the assassin droid's optical sensors, everything was quite obvious.
Without wasting time, HK proceeded to Skywalker's cabin and, without bothering to knock or request permission to enter, flung the door open.
The cabin was empty.
"Irritated Query: Where is that little Kinrath pup?"
A datapad lay on the bunk with wires connected to it, trailing from the service panel on the wall directly level with the sleeping area.
The assassin droid appreciated the child's resourcefulness, noting that he had even taken into account HK's advice regarding the selection of the loop segment for the recording. The boy failed to account for the impulse voltage spikes in the ship's power grid, which caused the image to flicker.
"Action Assessment: Not bad for a meatbag."
The droid ripped the wires from the datapad and broke the tablet in half.
He had lost his protective target. The execution of the Master's order was compromised!
HK had never failed one of the Master's assignments! Or, at least, he didn't recall such instances.
There was no need to guess where the restless meatbag had gone. Straight after his Master. That is, to a planet with dangerous flora and fauna, and one that had a negative influence on the Force-sensitive.
HK was aware of Anakin's vulnerability to the influence of the Dark Side of the Force.
Just in case, the assassin droid checked the ship, scanning the internal rooms and service passages with the security system sensors. The ward was not aboard.
Well, the object of the hunt had just changed. HK felt no anxiety. After all, tracking prey on a swampy planet was nothing new for him. Especially since the boy did not yet possess the exceptional physical parameters characteristic of the Force-sensitive in terms of endurance.
Ascending to the command bridge, the assassin droid activated the ship's sensors, setting them to search for biosignatures.
Dromund Kaas created a lot of interference, hindering the search for the target. And there was no astromech droid available to improve the scanning performance. For the first time, HK acknowledged the undeniable utility of R2-D2. The main thing was that this little bucket of bolts never found out.
Biosignal readings, aside from the ubiquitous vegetation, were weakly registered in several directions, but it was impossible to determine the species of the living creature.
However, the boy's direction of movement was obvious. The Master had moved toward the Citadel, the most conspicuous structure near the ship. Skywalker had undoubtedly moved in the same direction.
And this could become a problem, as more and more unidentified marks, presumably local predators, accumulated along the route.
"Irritated Remark: Idiot," HK evaluated young Anakin.
Gathering a small (by HK-47's standards) supply of weapons and ammunition from the armory, the droid left the ship, intending to intercept the fugitive and, if possible, return him intact.
The boy was frankly a weak conspirator. There were more than enough tracks near the ship to determine the correct direction. As HK suspected, the boy had run toward the Citadel.
Grasping the carbine in a way that allowed for opening fire with minimal delay, the assassin droid began the pursuit. HK chose a moderate movement speed, optimal for the current terrain. A light jog allowed him to close the distance to the target without sacrificing combat readiness.
The very first five minutes demonstrated the effectiveness of the chosen tactic when three Mynocks swooped down on the droid from above. The winged creatures didn't even twitch when three precise shots burned neat holes in their repulsive heads. The carcasses of the killed animals thudded to the ground behind HK, who didn't even slow his run.
As he moved across the planet, HK considered whether gutting the little meatbag alive would violate the Master's order. He would be alive, wouldn't he? Not completely intact, but alive!
The analytical module rejected the idea as conflicting with the Master's instructions. After all, Skywalker was supposed to remain whole, alive, and healthy. This immediately ruled out quartering for educational purposes, as well as a session of instructional cauterization of the student-victim's backside with a hot iron.
Then the analyst produced an interesting thought. In many cultures of the galaxy, there is a practice of treatment by bloodletting. There are documented medical certifications and even permission for use within Republic space! Thus, the Master's order would not only not be violated but, formally, even overfulfilled. After all, the little meatbag would undergo a course of "treatment."
Also, it seems electroshock has a beneficial effect on cognitive processes. The Rodian Medical Academy's monthly journal has an excellent article on this topic. The differences in Human and Rodian physiology can be omitted.
The irritation gradually gave way to anticipation.
HK even allowed himself to spend three shots on a passing Vornskr instead of one. Front paw, spine, and heart. Audio sensors registered the predator's death rattles for almost eight seconds as it intended to follow the assassin droid's ward.
It took HK less than forty minutes to catch up with the child. And Skywalker's situation was extremely dire.
Though the boy was intact, it wouldn't be for long. He was being attacked by a whole pack of Mynocks, no less than twenty individuals. The creatures circled him, swooping down on their prey, trying to grab him or knock him off his feet. Skywalker had managed to take cover in nearby ruins and was trying to squeeze as deeply as possible into a gap between metal structures. The boy looked unwell. A pale face streaming with sweat, painful dark circles around his eyes, and irises tinged with yellow. The symptoms were well known to the droid, who had gone through the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War. The boy was being affected by the Dark Side but was still controlling himself. It was necessary to secure him from external influence. Radically.
Flying onto an open platform near Anakin's cover, HK threw one of his fragmentation grenades into the air, directly into the center of the Mynock pack. There was no need to worry about shrapnel casualties among allies upon detonation. Before the throw, HK ensured that the little meatbag was reliably covered along the expected trajectory of the shrapnel.
The resulting explosion immediately halved the number of opponents while disorienting the rest. Shooting down the mindless creatures was easy for a droid as efficient as HK-47. In the shooter's opinion, the entire event was even too boring.
"Why did you come?!" Skywalker shouted, carefully climbing out of his cover.
The space between the beams was quite narrow, hindering the boy's movement.
HK ignored the meatbag's exclamation, knowing he was holding onto the very edge. The Master had thoroughly instructed the droid on such a case.
"I don't need anyone's help!" Skywalker roared and turned to bolt further toward the Citadel.
HK-47 had other plans regarding this.
A shot aimed precisely at the boy's foot caused him to stumble. And before the boy could regain his balance, the buttstock of the blaster carbine descended onto the back of his head.
"Encouraged Observation: Not bloodletting, but acceptable," the droid said, almost chuckling, over Anakin's unconscious body, which had broken its nose on impact.
Lifting the boy by the scruff of his neck, HK dragged the protective target back to safe cover, namely, aboard the ship. However, he hadn't gone more than a couple of hundred meters when his sensors registered movement ahead. Optics failed to capture the objects, but tracks on the soil indicated the presence of humanoids. And more than one.
HK quickly determined that the presumed enemy was using effective optical camouflage. And, judging by the absence of radio-electronic interference, technical means were not being used, which indirectly pointed to the presumed enemy having a natural ability for camouflage, or being one of the Force-sensitive.
The target of the unknowns, HK counted three objects, was clearly Anakin. And the trail of footprints, heading at high speed precisely toward the manipulator clutching the collar of Skywalker's jacket, confirmed this.
But the enemy clearly hadn't expected a simple droid to be ready to counter Force-users.
Abruptly slowing down, HK-47 thrust his leg forward, striking the invisible opponent presumably in the stomach area. Two flash-bang grenades were sent toward the remaining enemies, who kept their distance.
The stranger who received the blow dropped his camouflage, doubled over on the ground with a hand outstretched toward Skywalker. The figure in the black robe desperately gasped for air. Indeed, a heavy metal foot slamming into a human's solar plexus, for it was a Human, at such speed caused quite unpleasant sensations. HK was not intending to give him time to recover his concentration. So, he emptied his blaster carbine into the head of the foolish meatbag.
Tossing aside the hindrance in the form of his ward, thereby also distracting the attackers, HK-47 dimmed the sensitivity of his optical sensors, preparing for the grenade detonation. But the opponents were not ready!
The flash caused disorientation among the unknowns, who were already preparing to attack, giving the droid a few moments for a countermove. Perfectly aware of the precognition capabilities of most Force-sensitives, HK chose the most effective tactic. Shots to the torso and head at this distance would be ineffective due to the opponents' use of lightsabers of this type. The attack needed to be aimed at the legs, under the feet, area effect, or utilizing the environment. The distance was too short for fragmentation grenades, which posed a danger to his charge. Therefore, the droid threw them far behind the attackers, simultaneously cutting off one direction for maneuver and provoking them to move.
Breaking into a run, HK sent several shots toward the enemy. As expected, they activated their lightsabers, deflecting the shots in arbitrary directions. Several bolts struck the ground near Skywalker. One of the attackers noticed this, sharply pulling his partner away, thereby giving HK an opportunity to act.
The grenades, rashly ignored, exploded behind the attackers, forcing them to focus on defense, which gave the assassin droid a chance to shoot the less experienced enemy, judging by his movements, in the leg.
His partner reacted almost instantly, attempting to grip the droid with the Force. But before he could raise his arm, he was forced to defend himself from a new stream of blaster fire. The wounded man tried to help his more experienced colleague, but his skills were clearly lacking. He couldn't focus on the moving target and so tried to strike HK with a lightsaber throw.
A big mistake.
The projectile, controlled by Telekinesis, was struck by a blaster bolt just as it left the owner's grasp. Deprived of its power cell, the plasma arc extinguished, turning the formidable weapon of Sith and Jedi into a useless piece of scrap metal.
However, the subsequent burst of Force Lightning noticeably shook the droid's circuits. Had HK not been specially constructed to counter Revan's enemies, he would have been in trouble. Thus, the sudden attack from the seemingly vanquished droid caught the unvigilant Force-sensitives off guard.
The more experienced one read HK's attacks well, which made him a difficult target for the shooter. The droid didn't risk moving closer, as one lightsaber was still operational.
But the opponent didn't account for the terrain. Which was his undoing.
One of the shots that seemed to miss the target actually hit exactly where it should. Namely, into a tangle of vines that wrapped around the ruins beneath the opponent's feet. The plant was extremely poisonous, and its sap, turned into gas by the detonation of the blaster bolt, could kill a Human or a similar humanoid in a matter of seconds.
Realizing his mistake, the more experienced opponent rushed to push his wounded partner away from the poisonous cloud, but inhaled the toxic fumes in the process.
Unforgivable sentimentality resulted in three burned holes in the unknown's robe, guaranteed to end his life.
The remaining lone opponent, wounded and unarmed, attempted to call upon the Force for help, but he was given no time. HK shot the poor creature's limbs, causing shock and a complete loss of concentration.
A blow to the temple ended the battle.
"Timely Observation: The Master will require an object for interrogation," HK noted, searching the stunned opponent. "Anticipatory: It has been a long time since I practiced methods of interrogating sentients."
The return journey to the Dawn's Eagle was uneventful. But HK still placed the ship in siege mode. The Master should be returning soon. And a prisoner pumped with sedatives would be a good gift as an apology for the nearly violated order.
However, perhaps it would be worthwhile to conduct a session of prophylactic "treatment" for Skywalker? The little meatbag has suffered enough, after all.
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