Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, nor do I own HK-47, or ANYTHING Star Wars except for my collection of Hasbro merchandise. This story is a simple KOTOR fanfic, and I have/am/will not made/making/make a single penny from it. I'm not a rich man, either, so if you sue me, I won't have much to give. You'll be wasting your time, your money, and (if you have one) your lawyer's time. PLEASE, save us all the trouble.
3
Initializing...
Error...
This unit has sustained damage.
Assessing damage...
Left leg is non-functional due to an electrocuted motor.
Right photoreceptor is malfunctioning due to a broken light filter.
Right thumb, index finger, and middle finger are non-responsive.
Multiple fractures detected in body plating.
All other systems and components functioning normally...
I stand up, with great difficulty. I find myself leaning on a nearby rock so as not to topple over. My right photoreceptor only shows white, without a light filter to balance the amount of light let in. This is distracting, so I shut it off. Through my left photoreceptor, I can see that I am still on the same planet. I appear to be in the middle of a campsite of sorts, which is near the edge of a deep canyon. A tent, several supply boxes, and various other items are scattered for approximately three meters around.
I open one of my compartments and reach for a construction kit to repair myself. To my surprise and dismay, the compartment is empty. I check the rest. All empty. Whoever attacked me has robbed me as well. My construction kits, grenades, weapons, and the rest of my possessions are all gone. Whichever meatbag did this will definitely be blasted at some point or other.
I am pleased to see that my shield, utility device, and targeting computer slots automatically locked up when I was deactivated, as they are programed to do. This means I still have the devices inside, which will most likely come in handy in the battle that I know is coming soon.
A snap and a hiss sound behind me. I know that sound. A lightsaber. I spin around, and find myself face-to-face with Jedi Master Divalone Haray. He is definitely the Twi'lek Jedi I have been sent after. The tip of his sky blue lightsaber is not an inch away from my chassis.
"Freeze," he says in Huttese. "Do not move, or I will use your parts to repair our ship."
Oh, how frustrating, not to mention humiliating! I barely take one step onto this miserable world, and already I am captured by the Jedi whose lekku I should be handing to the Master now! And I call myself the best assassin droid in the Sith forces! I am not fit to polish the foot-plating of a true Sith assassin droid!
"Extremely reluctant compliance: very well," I say. "As I have no other current options, I will surrender."
"Smart little machine," Haray sneers. "Now, how many more of there are you?"
Oh, please. A long as I have a square micrometer of dignity left in my circuitry, I will never betray the Master.
"Statement: My programing restricts me from revealing such information," I lie.
Haray appears...unconvinced. "Do you think I am a fool?!" he shouts.
He lets his saber drift just a few degrees to the right for a moment. That moment is all I need.
"Answer: no, I think you are a dead organic meatbag," I say.
I activate my energy shield. Haray sees this, and attempts to slice through my chassis. The energy is mostly absorbed by my shield, but I am knocked to the right. As I roll, I grab Haray's lightsaber hilt. He is strong, but few creatures can match the strength of pure durasteel. I manage to wrestle it out of his grip, and throw it away.
I am gaining the advantage. I feel much better. All of a sudden, however, I feel worse again, as I am lifted up by no visible force, and hurled into a rock. Haray. I have seen Dark Jedi use such telekinesis many times. Jedi, apparently, can do exactly the same. I struggle to stand, and I-
WARNING!
SEV-SEV-SEVERE DAMAGE DE-DETECTED!
HIGH EL-EL-EL-ELECTRICITY LEV-LEVELS DETECTED!
ALL SYSTE-TE-TEMS UN-UNSTABLE!
Then, the pain that hit me suddenly is...gone, just as suddenly. And what pain it was! Every one of my circuits seemed ready to melt, explode, and disintegrate all at once. Haray, it seems, has demonstrated another of his powers for me. How kind. I am beginning to become annoyed, now.
Especially when he uses telekinesis to reacquire his lightsaber, and attack. I have had enough. He is thirty feet away, outside the camp. I see an open supply box, and by the best luck I have had on this miserable mission, I see my weapons inside. I reach in and grab the first thing I touch - my flamethrower. I load it into one of the secondary weapon slots, and blast Haray with a jet of flames. He jumps quickly, missing most of the blast, but his leg has caught fire. He lands, and stamps it out. I, meanwhile, rummage through the box until I find one of my pistols. But no sooner do I raise it then Haray pushes me to the ground and prepares to slice me in two. I grab his saber hand, and he grabs my pistol hand.
For almost a full minute, we lie there on the ground, each trying to turn both weapons against the other. Haray tries to break away, but I hold on. We roll to the edge of the canyon. My energy shield has worn out, and his lightsaber blade is so close to me that my left shoulder and forearm plating is actually starting to melt, but still, I will not surrender to a meatbag Jedi.
"Don't...you...ever...give...up?!" he growls.
"Determined answer," I say, "NEVER!"
I kick him in the stomach, and his grip loosens. I throw him into the canyon, and open fire, just for good measure.
I am impressed, I must say. Even while falling towards certain death, he blocks every shot with his lightsaber, and then-
WARNING!
SEV-SEVERE DAM-DAMAGE DETE-TE-TECTED!
HIGH EL-EL-ELECTRICI-CI-TY LEVELS DE-DE-TECTED!
ALL SYS-SYS-SYSTEMS UNSTA-STA-STABLE!
He has used his painful electric power again, but stopped for some reason. Looking down, I see that he has landed on a rock protruding from the canyon wall, and is temporarily stunned. I shoot him once, and he topples over completely, hits his head on another rock, and falls to his doom.
Combat mode deactivated.
Assassination target eliminated.
As I watch him fall, I think about him, briefly. He was a brave opponent, and definitely a worthy one. I have never seen anyone fight with such, such grace, such...artistry - except for the Master, of course. In a way, I will almost mourn Jedi Master Divalone Haray's passing. Almost.
Five minutes later, I have repaired myself completely, and retaken possession of my items. I use my comlink to send a transmission to the Master, telling him I have located the Jedi. Normally, when my Assassination Protocol is active, I do not contact the Master again until any and all of my targets are dead, but this is so special a case that I believe he would want me to contact him. Besides, the other two Jedi will return to the camp soon, and just one of them was almost a complete match for me. I have absolutely no intention of facing two of them at once. Not yet, at least.
I wait for almost a standard hour before the Master's shuttle lands about ten miles from the Jedi's campsite. While I wait, I investigate my own shuttle. It's engines have been destroyed. How surprising. And my pilot has been sliced neatly in two. I have seen better killings, but it still isn't that bad. Quite effective and efficient.
It's as I exit my shuttle that I see the Master landing. Normally I would have welcomed the help of the Master against these Jedi, but as soon as the ramp is lowered, I regret calling him at all, because who should be just behind the Master but Malak, that ugly, hairless, disrespectful meatbag.
"Angry query: what is that meatbag doing here?" I ask.
"He's here to help," says the Master. "He is my apprentice, after all."
I am rather bitter, but the Master is the Master. Besides, he cuts me off before I can reply.
"How far off is the camp?" he asks.
"Answer: ten miles," I say.
"All right, then, weapons out, and let's go!" As always, the Master is ready to fight, like me. I really do like him.
About fifty yards from the camp, the Master stops abruptly, and signals for us to do the same. He rises his lightsaber, not activating it just yet. Malak does the same. I make sure my pistols are set to "kill," and raise one on either side of me.
Focusing audio sensors...
Subjects "Malak" and "Master" detected...
Numerous unintelligent animals detected...
Targets undetected.
Focusing visual sensors...
Subjects "Malak" and "Master" detected...
Numerous unintelligent animals detected...
Suspicious movement detected!
I swing my head to the left. The three of us just saw a shadow dart through a small opening in the trees, but it is now gone. Beads of perspiration drip down Malak's hairless scalp. The Master's teeth are clenched, and he is calmly gripping his lightsaber.
Focusing visual sensors...
Subjects "Malak" and "Master" detected...
Numerous unintelligent animals detected...
Targets undetected.
Foc-
Snap-hisssss.
Target detected!
Combat mode active.
Vawo Jalaan suddenly leaps from behind a rock, activates her lightsaber in mid-air, and misses me by an inch.
Snap-hisssss.
Snap-hisssss.
The Master and Malak activate their lightsabers as well, and begin dueling with Jalaan.
Snap-hisssss.
I activate my energy shield a millisecond before Thunal Roak's blade hits my abdomen. I am still knocked to the side as usual, but I am used to this. I open fire, with a stream of blaster bolts that should have fried Roak like nerf meat. And yet, he blocks every shot. His skill is amazing! It's even better than that of the late Divalone Haray. He moves like lightning, so fast that my visual sensors can barely pick him up. I stop shooting, and raise my flamethrower, but Roak barely flicks his wrist, and I am hurled into the top branches of a nearby tree.
As I struggle to dislodge myself, the two Jedi and the two Sith continue dueling, and moving, as well. They are headed in the direction of the camp...and the canyon. That...is not good. Not at all. The Master and Malak do not know about the canyon. If the Jedi are very careful, and move the right way, Malak and the Master may suffer the same fate as Haray. Well, Malak, I could not care less about, but the Master is everything to me. I struggle harder against the mass of branches and leaves around me. I pause for a moment, just a moment, to watch the duel in fascination.
All four duelists are excellent. Each one is able to keep their balance, keep moving, and switch from one opponent to the other with amazing speed and ease, all at once.
With a snap, the last branch holding me breaks, and I land on the ground with a thud. I pick myself up and hurry after the others. They have almost reached the camp, and the Jedi are driving Malak and the Master backwards towards it.
"Urgent warning: Master, look out! They are leading you into a trap! There is a-"
The rest of my warning is unfinished, as I am once again hurled into the air. This time, I am heading towards the canyon. Oh, no. I will not go out like this. As I pass the duel, I reach out and grab Roak by the wrist. He trips, falls, and releases his hold on me. I raise my flamethrower, and blast him with it. Amazingly, he catches the fire in his hand! As I watch, the flames build up in his hand, and when I finally stop, he launches the ball of flames at me. I dodge it, and it strikes a tree. Within moments, the flames start spreading. We have started a forest fire. As the flames encircle the five of us, we keep fighting. Jalaan is holding her ground against Malak and the Master. Roak seems determined to get me out of the way. He throws his lightsaber at me. It barely misses me. To my shock, it changes its course, and flies back into Roak's waiting hand.
Suddenly, I see my chance. Before he can raise the blade back to a defensive position, I shoot at him with a single pistol blast. He moves to block it, and more or less succeeds. It hits the hilt of his weapon, which goes flying into the forest. He raises his hand, and unleashes the same electricity that Haray used. My energy shield blocks it, but is still not made to block so much energy at one time. The force of it pushes me backwards, and pins me to a rock. I struggle against it. As my shield groans, and begins to weaken, I concentrate all of my energy into the gears of my left arm. I struggle to lift it, pushing against the power of Roak's blast of electricity. I see that exerting such power is weakening him as well. Perspiration pours down his face, and he is breathing rapidly. I push harder. Finally, with one last burst of energy, I raise my left arm and fire my pistol. He takes the hit right in the arm, and the surge of electricity ceases. We both collapse, and take one moment to recover.
He suddenly stands up and runs off, clutching his wounded arm. At first, I do not understand what he is doing, but then, as he keeps peering at the ground in front of him, I realize that he is searching for his lightsaber. He is too weak to fight unarmed. Too bad.
I load my shield disruptor into a secondary weapon slot, and fire. Roak sinks to the ground, and no longer moves.
Assassination target eliminated.
I think I am finally getting the hang of this fighting a Jedi business.
I quickly run back towards the others, just in time to see Jalaan knock Malak's saber aside, and slice off his jaw.
Malak sinks to his knees, and lets out a howl that could scare a krayt dragon. The Master uses this moment to run his lightsaber through Jalaan's abdomen, finally ending this intense battle.
Combat Mode deactivated.
Assassination target eliminated.
Deactivating Assassination Protocol...
Assassination Protocol deactivated.
"Query: will he live, Master?" I ask, pointing to a whimpering Malak.
"Yes," says the Master, checking Malak's wounds. "He will have to live without a jaw, but he will live."
"Disappointment: oh, well," I say.
As the Master tends to Malak, and after I take a moment to admire the beautiful work of art that was once Malak's jaw, I replay the battle in my mind. It is the happiest time of my whole existence, even more so than that battle at Correllia. I wonder how long I have to wait for the next one...
Author's comments:
YAY! My first review, courtesy of 6tailedninja! In response to your review - the reason I didn't make him violent so far was because I needed to introducew the characters and the setting, and I felt that might be a distraction. Let me know how this is. :D
R&R! R&R! R&R!