Chapter 71 - Two Parts of a Whole
"I told you I could see you," Lobot said.
The human neural interface of the man named Anakin, according to what servers he could access, stood in front of Lobot looking shocked and slightly confused. The man turned around to look behind him, then pointed to himself, giving the universal 'Who, Me?' gesture.
"Yes you. I've seen you in all of my personas, only if I were to break protocol to speak to you then, it would cause an error in the RAM file, and attract the attention of my prison keeper," Lobot eagerly told him. "This memory file is different. In this memory I was speaking gibberish, and their holo's are programmed to ignore me completely."
"You're not who I expected to find here." Anakin folded his arms. "But I guess this is good. Where's Han?"
"Han Solo, friend to Lando Calrissian, friend to Lobot?" Lobot asked. Anakin nodded impatiently. "I no longer have access to that information."
"Really," Anakin sounded like he didn't believe it. "You just kidnapped him."
"Oh." This shocked Lobot. "You must understand one thing. I didn't kidnap him."
Anakin's eyebrows rose.
"I didn't. The implants have. And the implants are, right now, under the control of an outside entity."
Anakin dropped his guard. He seemed to believe him.
"I used to have to fight the implants constantly to remain in control. Then one day I was forced to stop. I couldn't do two things at one time, you see. Couldn't save Lando and fight the implants, so I chose. I chose Lando. Still, even after that I retained some control. In moments of lesser power especially I could access the systems and implant some of my own ideas, if I was careful. And I was never blocked from seeing what was going on. I even worked a few weak points into the programming. Things to let me control even just a little of what goes on in the outer world. Only I never expected…" Lobot looked around him in worry. "This RAM file is ending soon. You can put it on repeat if you type a code into that computer: For open parenthesis..."
"A loop. I've got it." Anakin started typing right away.
"Good, good." Lobot was glad Anakin knew computer programming. This could have been very difficult otherwise. "I never expected the weak points I created to be accessed by another programmer. By the time I realized what was going on, he was in the network and already making changes. I tried to fight the hacker once, and he stuck me in here. Wrote a program, Prison Keeper dot exe, to keep me contained. I did see the hacker's signature first though, and I can give you what you need to reset the system and turn it's anti-pirating software on."
"If I reset the system, will it free you?" Anakin asked.
"No. My mind is saved off in an unbackuped file. If you reset the system, I will cease to be." Lobot knew he'd been stuck in a computer for too long, he didn't predict the man's reaction ahead of time.
Anakin's eyes went wide. "It'll kill you!"
"No. Lobot will continue to be. Only I will not be in Lobot."
Anakin shook his head. "I can't kill you. Not without trying to save you first. It's not the Jedi way." Anakin seemed to smirk, as if saying that last sentence gave him some personal enjoyment.
Anakin went back to the computer and typed a few codes into it. Streams of computer programming language came up across the device. He was looking for it, the program keeping Lobot imprisoned here. As soon as he found it, the man's eyes lit up and he began typing an alternate code. A prison keeper for the prison keeper. It was brilliant, Lobot thought. Too bad it was a waste of time.
"Um-hmm," Anakin hummed as he typed the last digits of his work.
Across the room, Lobot sighed.
"Alright, there we go. It should give us no more trouble here. Now, to get you out of that device." Lobot was still strapped to an upright surgery table.
"It won't work," said Lobot.
Anakin walked closer to give him an inquiring eye.
"My mind file is divided up into several parts. Right now my childhood self is experiencing the rigors of Imperial war. My dutiful, law-abiding self is watching my father break the law, and my intelligent mind is here, where nothing I see has any effect whatsoever."
"So we'll have to get them," Anakin said. "Without the prison keeper, it should be easy to set them free."
"That might be easier said than done. They aren't as amenable as I am." Lobot warned.
"Your childhood self, that should be easy. I am a father. We'll try there first." Anakin typed a command code into the computer and the room changed around him.
Anakin blinked. The dizzy feeling was less intense this time, but then he was expecting it. Beside him was the bald headed Lobot from the previous memory. He still wore the white clothes from the medical room, but was no longer strapped down.
They were on a hill overlooking a large field. In the distance Anakin could see a bunch of stormtroopers doing some type of drills with their commanders. "Which one of these stormtroopers are you?"
"That one there." Lobot pointed.
Anakin didn't know how he could recognize himself. It was still hard for Anakin to watch this. The men were all more similar than clones. 'Then you put anyone into a program that stripps you of your humanity and this is what you'd get.' He suddenly had more respect for Han. Going through it and surviving to fight back was an achievement.
As they watched the identified trooper stepped out of line slightly, and the commander blew his whistle. "L-B One, One, Zero, Three! Get back in formation!"
The trooper that was Lobot pulled off his helmet and kicked it with a loud moan.
Anakin could sense his irritation. 'Is there a faster way to strip a man's humanity? Take away his name.' Anakin could understand his old troopers coming with a call number, but once they chose a name for themselves, he used it. These were civilians who came with a perfectly good name. The fact that their commanders refused to use them made Anakin want to spit.
"Come, we have to get to him before the RAM resets," Lobot said beside him.
"What! It's going to reset?" Anakin asked.
"Effectively. He failed the lesson parameters. The Holo commanders will send him to the reprograming tent as discipline, until the RAM file ends. Then everything repeats. If we want to get him out of here, he'll need to complete the lesson within parameters on the next loop and return to the base with his unit. There is a portal there we can use to get him out of this file," Lobot explained.
Anakin looked down below and trooper LB-1103 was wailing. He was throwing a temper tantrum that any two year old would be proud of. "I'll admit, this is going to be harder than I thought."
Getting into the "reprogramming tent," as Lobot named it, was very easy for Anakin. None of the holos reacted to him, so he walked through the place like a ghost. The Inteli Lobot had to wait outside, because he did not have that benefit. The Holo's here would all react to seeing him, and the resulting glitch would break the whole system, or so the cyborg had said. Anakin wasn't going to test it.
Inside the tent there was a holo projector playing a recording and a chair, where LB-11… Lobot was strapped down. This version of him had very thick dark hair and no implants yet. He was shivering as if he were very cold and when Anakin touched him his arm felt like Ice.
'What did they do to you?' He wondered.
Lobot moaned.
"It's okay. I'm here to help," Anakin started. "Uh, my name is Anakin. I want to break you out of here, but I'm going to need your help. In the next loop I'm going to need you to do your best to follow the rules and finish the training.
Lobot moaned again. Anakin realized there was something in his mouth to prevent him from speaking. He pulled it out of the man's mouth, then looked down at it with disgust.
"Don't you think I haven't tried that," Lobot whined. "It's impossible."
Anakin realized then that this Lobot must be the emotive Lobot, not just the child lobot. "You know, I am a Jedi. I was brought to the Temple at the age of nine and I suddenly had to attend classes every day and big group meditations, with younglings who had been doing it all their lives. It was hard for me, but my Master. He was kind. He taught me something to help. When I'd get bored, or emotional. Whenever I wanted to scream. He told me to picture a Bantha in front of me. Then, one at a time, I would imagine throwing my negative emotions at the Bantha. When I threw them they would be gone, and wouldn't affect me anymore. Can you try that?"
Lobot groaned. "Alright I'll try it."
"Good." Anakin knew it was a Jedi method, to release emotions to the force, and he hoped it would work. He didn't know any non-Jedi methods of emotional control.
"Can you stay, until it happens? The switch back." Lobot asked in a scared, timid voice.
"Sure," Anakin stroked his fingers through Lobot's hair the way he used to through Luke's. Back when he would tolerate it. Lobot closed his eyes, clearly comforted by the gesture.
When the system reset, Anakin went back out to the field to find Inteli-Lobot.
"How did it go?" Lobot asked.
"Well, he's willing to try. I guess it depends on how well Jedi training translates for you non-Force sensitives," Anakin said.
"That is a subject I am unfamiliar with, I am afraid," Lobot responded.
"It's okay, I'll fill you in sometime, once we're out of this." Anakin tapped him on the shoulder and turned to find a place to watch the activities in the field below.
"I'm sure Lobot will find the information valuable," Lobot said. Anakin cocked him a funny eye, but he didn't say any more. He crouched next to Anakin watching.
The same stormtroopers from before were being marched around an arena. One at a time they would pull out a blaster and shoot a target. Then they'd march to the next set of obstacles. Everything seemed to be going well, and then the commander blew his whistle.
"LB-1103!" The commander shouted. Anakin was really starting to dislike this commander. Emotive-Lobot stood at attention. "Where is your place?"
There was a moment where Anakin took a deep breath. He could tell Lobot was struggling with his emotions. His hands formed a tight fist. Then a moment later he released his grip, and exhaled. "Behind my commander, sir."
Then get back in position!" He ordered.
Lobot lowered his helmeted head and stepped back, being careful to stay in line with his troop.
Anakin breathed a sigh of relief.
"It looks like your methods are working well after all." Inteli-Lobot said beside him.
"Yeah. I'm going to go down there and lend him my support. Let him know we're here," Anakin said. "You stay here and stay hidden."
Lobot nodded his compliance.
When the commander blew the final whistle, gathering all of the men to head back to camp, Anakin knew Lobot was as relieved as he felt. "Just a few more minutes now. One more march. You can do this," he said.
Lobot joined the crowd in the proper formation.
When they got back to the tents, a commander whistled, "One hour free time, then bunks and bed." The troopers all left formation and began to spread out throughout the camp.
"Alright, come this way. Anakin saw a familiar looking door and panel. He tried using the same numbers to open this one, but the door wouldn't open.
"What's wrong?" Emotive-Lobot asked.
"We need a code," Anakin answered.
"No we don't." It was the voice of Lobot answering, but the man beside him didn't speak. One of the nearby troopers then pulled off his helmet and revealed Inteli-Lobot. "The keypads are set by each of my personalities. Go ahead now." He nodded to his emotive-self.
The Lobot in question turned to the device and slammed his fist down on the panel, pressing numerous buttons at once. Anakin blinked in surprise but the door opened.
"Wait. Are we really bringing him?" Emotive-Lobot threw his arm up to stop his Inteli-self.
"Yes. That was the plan. Get you out of here. Then go after the hacker," Anakin stated.
"But, he'd rather reset the system. End our very existence," Emotive Lobot said.
"It would be the more efficient course of action, yes. You see what he's like, no logic at all. Just an emotional youngling," Intili Lobot complained.
"Whoa, whoa." Anakin put his arms up between the two. "I've already rejected his plan to reset everything. And I wouldn't have been able to get you out without him. Bringing you all together is a part of the big plan." Both Lobots bowed their heads.
Emotive-Lobot pulled back his arm, allowing the other through.
'They're worse than the twins.' Anakin muttered to himself as he followed them through.
Hi everyone,
I intended to have him free both parts of Lobot in the same chapter, but then I looked down after writing this and saw the word count. That will have to wait until the next chapter. It'll probably be a good thing, because the third part is in his childhood memories amongst the slavers, so I think it will be interesting.
I know this is all odd, considering these last few chapters don't have anyone except for Anakin in them, but I do have plans for the others once Anakin gets rid of a certain hacker. There will be another adventure after that, for everyone to participate in.