[IC] A Galaxy in Twilight[Lord Gressh/Zarkun]

[Lord Greshh]

Omega Squad Leader

Holds up the portable shield, fathering my men behind it as we all fire at the droid together.

HJ Twilight

I holster by blaster and just use my lightsaber to deflect the shots as I run towards the droid at Force augmented speed. I jump over it's line of fire and bring my blade down, hoping to pierce the droid's brain and end it for good. "HI-YAAAH!!"

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

The blade passes easily through the droid's head, but it doesn't immediately shut down. A third Imperial takes a shot to the shin before it finally sputters to it's death. However, it's shield was still in the way. "Request: If you will, Master HJ."

[Lord Greshh]

HJ Twilight

With another slash, I open the droid's front compartment, exposing it's internal wiring and gears. After a few seconds of searching, I find it's shield generator. I grab the unit and easily tear it out of the chassis, causing the shield to sizzle away and die. "Onward we go!"

Omega Squad Leader

I kneel before the soldier shot in the shin. I don't have much medical training, and our med officer is currently dead further down the hall, so I apply a sloppy kolto patch to the wound and pull the soldier to his feet. When I realize he can't stand, I prop him up against the wall. "Stay here and protect the turbo lift. If more security teams of droids come after us, contact me via comms."

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

Following HJ past the droid, I stop a moment to consider before holstering my rifle. A moment of tinkering around with one of it's arm cannons had the heavy weapon free of it's holdings and in my hands, following which I stepped onto the lift. "Offhand comment: There is no such thing as too much fire power."

[Lord Greshh]

HJ Twilight

I smirk. "Good thinking, Hank."

Omega Squad Leader

As I and the remaining two soldiers in my squad enter the lift, I give the HK droid a look. "What a very unique model that his. I've heard that another HK droid was present during Darth Imperious' first visit to the Foundry, and gave her strike team quite a bit of trouble."

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

"Explanation: That unit was likely HK-47, who's master was the late Darth Revan. I have never found much information on how the unit was so well preserved over the years however. Likely someone kept it repaired and replaced dated parts with new ones when necessary." I face the Imperial squad leader. "Inquiry: Your thoughts on the droid we just faced? Clearly it's of a model not seen before." Zar'kun had programmed me with loyalty and lethal skill, some would say even competing with HK-47 and definitely outclassing the HK-50 model, but he had also given me a sense of curiosity and desire to understand those who would be my allies. As an assassin droid, the sense of curiosity gave me no end of annoyance, but sometimes it allowed me to better prepare for future fights, with and sometimes against them.

[Lord Greshh]

Omega Squad Leader

"You're right. Some sort of new model? Perhaps a variant of Sith Hunter?"

HJ Twilight

"If that was a Sith Hunter, it would have taken more to break it's shell. Sith Hunters are built with some rare material that is resistant to lightsabers. But... I imagine that also makes them increasingly expensive to manufacture. Maybe that droid back that is a derivative model. Weaker armor, but shielded and equip with top of the line weapons." I face Hank. "Did you get a chance to analyze it at all?"

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

"Answer: To some degree. It is most definitely a variant on the primary Sith Hunter model, much like you said. However, it's circuits were arrayed differently. Perhaps a byproduct of the redesign of the original Sith Hunter model." I look at the cannon in my hand and analyze it. "Realization: This isn't a standard model heavy blaster cannon. My preliminary analysis shows a new type of power source powering it. Suggestion: Perhaps we should procure more weapons like this for further study."

[Lord Greshh]

Omega Squad Leader

"Agreed."I give my two squad mates a knowing look. This was exactly the type of thing Darth Imperious would want us to take back. Once we wrench the Sith Hunter droids from the Republic's clutches, we may also make use of these smaller, high powered droids. These... Hyper Hunters, to coin a term.

HJ Twilight

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the Squad Leader motioning quietly to his men. They were plotting something, and I didn't like it. "Say, Hank. If HK-47 was controlling the Foundry's defenses, I wounder if you might be able to get into the security mainframe and take similar control. We could turn the base against it's own people."

Omega Squad Leader

"I doubt it would be that easy. HK-47 probably had access codes and administrative clearance. Your HK would have to slice itself in to even have the slightest chance o taking master control."

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

If I could grin, I would be. "Prideful Statement: I have sliced the security of the Empire's most secure locations, the Foundry will be nothing in comparison. Reminder: If you wish to use the droids of the Foundry, please wait until after Jorg Sucal is dealt with , as agreed." Of course, in the process of turning the facility on it's current occupants, I also planned to pull as many blueprints for new designs as possible and destroy the one for the original Sith Hunter. Not only was it far too dangerous to allow into anyone's hands, New Imperial or Republic, the fact that they had stolen the name of my master's guild, as Zar'kun called it, was insulting. Finally, the lift came to a stop, indicating they'd reached the right floor.

However, there was no welcoming committee waiting for them and it seemed awfully quiet except for the assembly lines below. "Statement: This feels wrong."

[Lord Greshh]

HJ Twilight

I take a few tentative steps off of the lift. We are on a cat walk overlooking the assembly line. Conveyors crisscross through the levels below, and machine arms move about at lightning speed to bring the massive droid parts together, slowly creating the iconic Sith Hunter Droids. On separate conveyors, other droids of various size are being assembled, including the one we'd just fought in the hallway. "They're making a whole droid army."

Omega Squad Leader

Peeks over the railing. "Not for long they aren't. Come along. The control room is just up ahead." I point to the center of the room, where all the catwalks lead to a central boxy chamber. Through the window, a couple of engineers can be seen working at the controls. One of them, an Arcona, is pacing with a very distressed look on his face.

I put my finger to my lips to signal silence, then I begin to sneak towards the control room. My squad mates to the same, staying low as they follow me stealthily across the catwalk.

Foreman Izal

I continue to pace in the Central Control Room. I try not to make eye contact with the imposing man staring at me. "I'm doing the best that I can! The Foundry can only mine so much from each asteroid we collect, and the 'special materials' the Chancellor insists we use aren't coming fast enough!"

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

I activate my cloaking tech and move past HJ and the Imperials, holding the cannon at the ready. Reaching the control room ahead of them. Putting two of my metal fingers to the door, I broadcast the conversation to everyone's comlink channels so as to avoid giving the group away.

[Lord Greshh]

TAURUS

A mechanical voice speaks next. “The Chancellor does not share your pessimistic appraisal of the situation, foreman. He is confident that you will find a way to fill his order on schedule. All you require... is a little incentive.”

Foreman Izel

“I don’t know what that means! I have the Foundry working at triple speed. If we go any faster, we’ll break the machinery! Then where will you be?” I pause for a few seconds, then quickly adds, “Look, I don’t mean to be ungrateful...”

TAURUS

“I must say, you certainly are being ungrateful.” The sound of mechanical feet walking can be heard. “The Chancellor has selected you for this assignment. You above all other candidates. I should think you would have kept that in mind. You don’t want him to feel he has made a error, do you? Because errors can be corrected, and you can be unselected.”

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

{Shall we move in or wait to hear a little more?} By now the others were ready to move into the control room as well, we simply needed to grab a good opportunity to breach and clear the room.

[Lord Greshh]

HJ Twilight

{Let's breach. If this keeps up, I have a feeling the foreman isn't going to last much longer.}

Omega Squad Leader

{We don't need him alive. We just need to take his master control codes.}

HJ Twilight

I roll my eyes. {Whatever. Let's just get in there before something bad happens. On three. One... two...} The door opens before I can finish, revealing a tall, humanoid droid. It's face is oddly expressive, with a working jaw and rd eyes that look almost organic as they flick between each of us.

TAURUS

"It appears the intruders have come to us. That shall cut back on time wasted hunting you throughout the facility."

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

Before the droid can make anymore comments, I drop my cloak, the barrel of the cannon in it's chest. "Violent request: Burn in hell." Squeezing the trigger, I unleash a volley of blaster bolts that forces the bot back, though I can't tell if any damage is being done. "Rushed command: Get the Foreman and his worker!"

[Lord Greshh]

TAURUS

Staggers back a few steps from the force of the blasts, but my metal chassis is unaffected by the bolts. In the same emotionless voice, it comments, "Ah, an HK Assassin unit. Such an obsolete model. How amusing."

HJ Twilight

I activate my lightsaber and hold it defensively across my chest. "Big talk from a walking coming from a soon to be pile of scraps metal!" As I prepare to help Hank fight the droid, the Imperials are grabbing the foreman and his two assistants, hopefully taking them to safety.

TAURUS

"You will find it quite difficult to achieve that goal. My armor plating has been upgraded to withstand your laser sword. It is the same material the SHK-1395 is constructed of." Two vibroblades extend from his arms. "However, it will be quite easy to open your flesh and remove your organs." Charges forward, swinging the blades at HJ and Hank.

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

I keep up the blaze of blaster fire for as long as I can before I have to block the slash from the droid with the cannon. It rendered the weapon useless, but left the mechanized man vulnerable briefly. I raise my drawn blaster pistol to one of it's eyes and fire. "Angered Statement: The only obsolete model I see here is you."

[Lord Greshh]

TAURUS

It's head snaps back from the shot to the eye, and for a moment, it looks as though it is actually damaged. But then, as it lowers it's head again to look at the two, the eye is quickly repairing itself.

HJ Twilight

While he is distracted, I slash at his chest, then come back around to take out his legs. Neither strike does much else but leave a black mark across it's chassis. "Oh, come on!"

TAURUS

Backhands HJ away, sending him sprawling against the wall. "My self repair programming is highly advanced. What few systems your pathetic attacks are able to damage, I can easily repair within seconds thanks to built in nano technology." Reaches out a hand and hits Hank with a sonic blast that sends flying out of the control room and onto the catwalk outside.

[Zarkun]

HK-49 "Hank"

The blast knocks me farther than I could initially control and when I stand back up, I see HJ and the droid fighting in Melee, his Force enhanced reflexes and strength allowing him to fight on par. Looking around, I begin to scan for a high powered weapon with better than a moderate rate of fire.