3388/HK-Blabbermouth

HK-Blabbermouth
Date of Scene:	14 November 2015
Location:	Ark-32
Synopsis:	Blurr, Revan, and Jayale attempt to manipulate HK-51 into relinquishing information to them regarding HK-47's whereabouts.
Cast of Characters:	414, Blurr, 754, 892

---

Blurr has posed:
    The Ark-class warship is one of the most powerful vessels ever created by the Cybertronian race. Millennia ago, Nova Prime and his hand-picked team of soldiers built the first model, the Ark-1, and set out to conquer the stars. The original Ark-1 and its crew disappeared long ago, but many Arks have been built in the time since then.

    Now, the Ark-32, which was probably commissioned sometime before 'the Clampdown' that followed Nominus Prime's rule, serves as a mobile hub command--it is among the Autobots' most formidable war machines. At the moment, it circles in geosynchronous orbit about a purple-tinged gaseous planet fifty times the size of Jupiter.

    Recently, during an investigation of the crashed UNSC vessel the Loki, Blurr had gotten into a tangle with the assassin droid HK-47, who had managed to lure he and Union allies into a trap. Fortunately they managed to escape--with one of HK-47's 'inferior copies' so to speak. It hadn't been intentional, but hey, they might as well take advantage of whatever opportunities happen their way.

    As such, the HK-51 is currently locked up on board the Ark's brig, in a containment cell that's probably too big for him but has been adjusted to make sure he can't just squeeze through a crack or something. Not that it would matter much, even if he did manage such a thing. At any rate, the Autobots have informed the rest of the Union that if anyone wishes to interrogate HK-51 themselves, they are welcome to board the Ark and do so.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    And with the newest Jedi to join the Union as an ally having taken it upon herself for the time being to try and help sort out the HK issue, here Jayale was, doing just that. At least, she was on her way to do that, though for the most part she had been half marveling at the ship she was in. It was something else entirely. That, and the Cybertronian race in general just kind of boggled her mind. Seemingly alive machines. Not just droids with AI's like her own worlds systems, but something else. At least according to others she asked.

    Best not to offend by insisting about AI quirks possibly existing across existences. Even if personalities in droids was such in her own Galaxy.

    Along with herself she had her own droid, an Astromech she had with her now and then, and as well as that she came dressed as she normally would otherwise. A long silken dress and cloak, face covered partially in silk where her eyes would be. Certainly not a typical look for a Jedi, but then again she was used to being in hiding. So those that know that small fact might know otherwise. For the moment, though, she had seemingly finally arrived towards where the HK droid was. At least the same brig area. Which meant it shouldn't be /too/ far. ...by Cybertronian standards.

Revan (414) has posed:
     Somewhat to her surprise, Lowri Revan-Shan had found herself with her hands metaphorically full as of late.

     It was precisely the sort of situation she had tried to avoid by remaining neutral when the galaxy had first unified; as much as the multiverse seemed to need the Jedi, there was still a great deal which needed to be done right at home. The Star Forge had been destroyed and the Sith Empire was a mere shadow of what it once was, but the mysterious threat beyond the Unknown Regions remained. It had been bad enough to plague her with nightmares to the point where the Guardian had left her relatively comfortable life on Citadel Station to end that looming threat. It wasn't long afterwards that she had discovered the galaxy had Unified, her problems multiplying along with it...and it seemed that even trying to avoid the multiverse hadn't helped matters as she thought it would.

     But the Force apparently looked after its own even beyond the warpgates, leading her to Juno Eclipse and Galen Marek, helping them out of a difficult situation with a tangle of multiversal politics on the side. It was a mess, but with her leads failing to pan out, at least Revan had been able to make herself useful in the meantime...not the least of which had been providing some insight into one of the Confederacy's relatively recent nuisances: an alternate version of the HK assassin droid she had designed as a Dark Lord. It hadn't surprised the Guardian in the least that he had been making trouble for more than a few Unionites and even a few neutrals.

     For now, though, the odd-eyed Jedi was on more of a casual visit to one of what she considered the true marvels of the multiverse: an entire planet of sentient droids. /Robots/, she corrected herself. The Cybertronians were hardly anything like the droids of her galaxy, as evidenced by one of her own 'entourage'. Tiny curiously tilted his mantid-like head as they disembarked from the Ebon Hawk, which Revan answered with a pat on his side. Dressed in the commando uniform she wore aboard the Endar Spire before its untimely demise, her hair bound up in a loose bun at her neck, she grinned slightly at the Insecticon. "I thought it was high time we get you a treat," she told him.

     Of course, there was another reason for the visit: the capture of one of the HK units. it was high time to narrow down just how much his universe deviated from hers...even if that meant potentially showing her Pazaak hand.

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     It is perhaps very readily apparent that the HK-51 lacks much of the same... for lack of a better word, 'spirit' that their progenitor-model HK-47 does. While defiant, it does not seem quite as bloodthirsty and vicious as the original, looking more passive and observant then others. Granted, it still casts what seems to be a look of scorn - and maybe even pity - at Blurr, having repeatedly called the Autobot a 'traitor' for sympathizing with 'organics', but it was nowhere near the boiling hate born of the seemingly-pathological murderous impulses that HK-47 had.

    In short... it simply seemed more displeased by it's current situation as opposed to scorn. Less like a maniacal mass-murder stuck in a cell and more like a captive soldier awaiting an a trial and execution it assumes will be imminent.

    First glances can tell the unit - standing within it's containment cell looking outward at any 'visitors' - has been through combat, though it's captors have at least deemed to repair fatal damage. It's metal body, silver-grey with orange highlights, has many small dents and dings, though most of the scorch-marks it sustained were cleaned off and the more serious chest-damages are patched up rather neatly.

    There's also signs that light operations were done - It's forearms are missing their exterior metal panels a result of operations to remove the droid's weaponry. The internal weapons in the right forearm were disarmed and excised while the dart-launcher in the left forearm was unfastened and pulled out of the frame. Likewise, the transparent cover on it's core showed the faintest signs of having been removed and then replaced - the 'faded scars' of the operation to disarm and extract the HK-51's self-destruct module.

     As Jayale and Lowri enter the brig, the HK-51 seems to regard them with what could be regarded as weariness. "Exasperated Remark - Of course. It is not enough that I must be imprisoned aboard a vessel filled with Organic sympathizers, but they must compound the insult by having Organics be the ones to interrogate me. And I had finally believed my fortunes could could sink no lower."

     An interesting difference out of the gate - unlike HK-47, the HK-51 regarded people as 'Organics' instead of 'Meatbags.' It doesn't even sound angry or disgusted - just annoyed... though it does seem to perk up with what seems to be more uncharacteristic fascination as it took note of Jayale. "Query - You are the species known as a Miraluka, are you not? Our progenitor-unit has provided us with records of your kind - a species that naturally utilizes the 'Force'. Are you a Jedi interrogator from my own reality or merely a member of the species? Or are you from another reality that shares it's characteristics?"

     So it's first reaction is to try and play the role of interrogator itself, though it again lacks a feature of it's predecessor; subtlety. Rather then trying to foster a conversation and learn passively, the HK-51 is asking straightforwardly and bluntly. It also seemed more curious about organics, though perhaps it only wished to learn what to expect.

     ...

     Then Lowri draws near, and the HK unit freezes on the spot, as if double-checking it's photoreceptors for a flaw.

    It was... so very similar. Disturbing even, if the droid could akin the feeling in it's core to an emotional state.

    She had the same facial structure as the /Master/. Perhaps not the same - the mane or 'hair' was longer and a different color, and ocular lenses were both different and mismatched color compared to the ones in it's records... but the resemblance was still uncanny.

     "Query - You... you bear a striking familiarity to... the Lord and Master. Are you in any way related to the Empress, Darth Revan?'"

     Another clue - 'are you related to Revan?' instead of 'are /you/ Revan?'. Evidence that, at the very least, Lowri and Darth Revan looked similar to each-other but didn't look exactly the same.

Blurr has posed:
    The docking area of the Ark had opened willingly for its Union allies as soon as their IFF signal had been identified. To people the size of Jayale and Revan, this ship is -massive-. They could be compared to how Jack felt when he first set foot in the Giant's house. Well, minus the fear. There's no need to be afraid, the Autobots are all friendly toward any Union ally, and especially those they are already acquainted with. Lowri Revan-Shan, in fact, saved the life of one of their own back on Cybertron not too long ago. So suffice it to say they certainly owe her one.

    Speaking of that life, Blurr was waiting for them when they arrived in the hangar, and was quick to escort them down to the brig where HK-51 was being held.

    As for Tiny, the now-docile Insecticon is eager for the promised treat--he knows this is the place! Blurr doesn't forget that either, he makes sure a drone goes to fetch a medium-sized packet of stick-shaped energon snacks for them.

    "Friend of yours?" Blurr asides to Revan in regards to Jayale as they enter the brig from the gravlift, whom he is not familiar with.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    "I cannot say we have met before just now." is the response Blurr gets in regards to the question about her association with Revan. /Revan/. ...Lowri and Shan to a point attached in some fashion that she wasn't sure of. Of course not all historical records were perfect, but she was certain the name Shan was the name of a Jedi during that time, not to mention Revan, but Lowri? She truly had no idea. Perhaps Revan was simply trying to lay low. But in her own timeline, Revan had ventured into the Unknown regions after the Mandalorian remnants and wasn't heard from again.

    Though of course the HK unit was there and aware, and already speaking to them.

    Perhaps just to irritate the HK unit, she doesn't say anything, not speaking just yet as she entered the area where it could tell. No speaking, no moving, in fact - for the moment she was just watching. Part of her was curious how the droid would respond if not given any conversation or banter back, but it was indeed distracted by Revan. Which also meant she probably wouldn't get the response she'd hoped for with the distraction present.

Revan (414) has posed:
     As large as the ship was, the Amazonian Jedi reacted much the same as she had before, unable to completely keep the sense of wonder from her face. She was, in many ways, the proverbial 'kid in the candy store' when it came to the giant robots, their technology, and their culture. Lowri regretted that she was unable to spend as much time as she would really like on the Ark studying all its wonders. Following that though, she sighed out loud before making her way down the corridors.

     Jayale would likely feel a slight ripple of mild surprise through the Force at the Miraluka's appearance, as well as be able to perceive the sot blue aura through her race's unique Force Sight. "Ah...not exactly. We haven't met," she began, the voice sounding familiar to her. "I wasn't expecting to see someone from my galaxy out here...or another version of it, at any rate."

     Her attention turned to the HK unit, one pale eyebrow raised. Inwardly, Lowri debated the advantages and disadvantages of revealing herself. In all likelihood, it probably didn't matter one way or the other; what happened in one version of the galaxy didn't necessarily have any sort of effect in another. Unification was a complete game-changer, and someone could have a winning hand in one while a losing one in another. Moreover, the presence of two other Unionites and what questions they might have changed things; while she could address them later privately, it was difficult to anticipate how they might react to anything else the assassin droid might reveal.

     "You could say that," she answered, leading against Tiny with her arms folded, crossing one foot over the other. "I can't say I'm familiar with an Empress, though. Enlighten me."

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     Confronted with Blurr again, the HK-51 regards him with a look of pity and veiled scorn. "I would ask the same. Who precisely /are/ these organics you have brought to speak with me?"

    Obviously it still considers itself superior to Blurr, if for no other reason then the fact that it is not an 'organic collaborator.'
    To Jayale's credit, the HK-51 seems annoyed by the lack of response it is getting from her, yellow-gold photoreceptors boring into her as if trying to /will/ her into responding. Finally, it's patience runs out and it asks speaks up - "Query - I was under the assumption that the Miraluka race only lacked /visual/ perception. Is it possible that in whatever reality you come from that they are deaf as well?"

     Should there still not be a response, the HK-51 will once again display impatience before shooting out a "Irritated Query - Are you deliberately ignoring me, organic? What then did you come here to do - stare at me? That would be an incredible feat indeed considering that, again, last I had known, the Miraluka race was /blind/."

    It seems that these droids do not take kindly to being ignored. A possible side-effect of their progenitor's behavioral template having been so egotistical.

    At being questioned about it's Master, the HK-51 droid seemed to pause, as if debating the merits of continuing. "Statement - Your unfamiliarity with the Empress is a suspicious note, given your similar characteristics... however, it is possible you are telling the truth. While you share the same facial structure, the Master's hair was black and kept short, in what I believe organics refer to as a 'bob-cut.' Addendum - Also, unlike you, her optical lenses matched colors, formally brown and then gaining the yellow pigmentation with red tinting at the edges that seems commonplace among members of the Sith ideology. The paleness of skin is perhaps different as well, the Master's pigmentation closer to what I have sometimes observed in the pallor of a corpse."

     After a long moment musing on this, the droid finally seems to opt to say something - "Conclusion - I shall enlighten you on only the broadest available information regarding our Master. Namely that she is current ruling Empress of the Sith Empire after ascending to the throne approximately ten years prior. She has since unified the Empire under her rule and is now in the process of repeating this unification process with the rest of the known Galaxy."

    The droid speaks like an information terminal - he only states details that would be easy to get from public records as opposed to real secrets... though that in and of itself is enough to be something to one who didn't know this beforehand.

Blurr has posed:
    "Oh," Blurr shrugs. Then he arches an optic ridge at HK-51's question. "Empress Darth Revan? Maybe another version of you." He moves over to a terminal that folds out of the wall much like a Cybertronian transforms into a vehicle, and appears to check it casually. HK isn't the only one locked up here, that's for sure. He might be the smallest, though.

    "Anyway," he turns back to two Jedis. "I already know Revan, but I don't think I've met...the Miraluka?" He glances at HK briefly at this, going off of the info the droid just gave. "I'm Blurr, and this is HK-51."

    He listens to the HK's musings, finding its irritation at being ignored somewhat hilarious. Pff, just like its parent program in that respect, but in other aspects not quite. "Heh. You know if you hate organics so much, why would you even refer to one as 'master'? Or 'Empress' for that matter?" he questions.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    Indeed, Jayale continued to stay silent. Don't give away too much she silently hoped towards the others, trying to give feelings of calm towards them. Though Blurr admits he doesn't know Jayale, and outright calls the other Jedi 'Revan'.

    Well, congratulations, Blurr. You just made something that was a method of getting useful information out quite obvious. "A pity you managed to capture a defective unit." the Miralukan finally speaks, her tone heavily implying disgust. "That it cannot even recognize its' own Empress. What a shame, that. Its' memory banks must have been damanged somehow in the assault."
    A sigh escaped Jayale as she turned towards Revan, a feeling of 'work with me' going towards her before she floated out a datapad and typed something on it, floating it towards Blurr. What did it say? Well, the datapad read rather simply, 'Please stop talking, or at the very least don't give away information about us if we do not volunteer it ourselves.'

    "Empress... what do you wish to do with this defective unit? Not only is it damaged, but it is inferior in model to HK-47. It would be a wonder if it even still has any use to you and HK-47. To thinky that these inferior models are so easily damaged... it does make you wonder just what their creator was thinking."

Revan (414) has posed:
     Revan contemplated this information silently, mismatched eyes hooding slightly. While perhaps not secrets in themselves or vital information in dealing with potential threats from HK's version of the galaxy, it was nevertheless valuable information to the former Dark Lord. What she didn't understand, however, was the Empress part. Even after she and Malak had returned as Sith from the Unknown Regions, as far as she knew she had merely taken the title of Darth even as she had led a new Empire. Just how had this alternate version become an Empress?

     Lowri suppressed a sigh, keeping her expression neutral. "Perhaps," she replied non-committally. In all likelihood, the HK unit had likely discerned that much on his own, given the similarities. What she found strange personally were the *differences*; black hair instead of white, brown eyes instead of one blue-violet and one grey....at least until the Dark Side corruption had started.

     She was sorely tempted to make a humorous quip before she had to suppress an appreciative grin at Jayale, however. Oh, she's /good/.

     Instead, Lowri affected a bored, haughty expression. "The memory cores have already been proven to be inferior," she replied in a disinterested tone. "I doubt that even extracting the core would prove useful. Perhaps it will be more useful as scrap."

HK-47 (754) has posed:
    Upon Blurr's comment, the HK-51 seems annoyed by the comparison of his Sith Master to common organics, seeming to 'puff up' as best it can in a display of indignant defiance. "Statement - The Master commands us, hence the title. The Master creates us, thus she is already leagues above common organics. It is very self-explanatory - or are you confessing that you do not understand basic programming? Addendum - Furthermore, 'Empress is her official title as the recognized ruler of the Sith Empire following her defeat of the prior Emperor-"

     ....

     At that point, the droid rather abruptly stops talking, as if it's processor suffered a sudden freeze-up... possibly to Lowri's great chagrin, considering it was in the process of naming a /prior Emperor/ of a pre-existing Sith Empire that 'Darth Revan' had apparently taken command of. An Empire that might have been mysterious Sith threat she had been hunting for.

     But now it was staring at her as if trying to see through her. Obviously.... it had not considered the possibility that the individual before it was actually an alternate-reality counterpart to it's Master.

     It glances at Blurr, it;s tone decidedly quiet yet even. "Uncertain Query - ... did you just regard that organic as 'Revan?'"

     When Jayale tries to claim it's memory was damaged or that Lowri was the Darth Revan it knew, the HK-51 seems deeply insulted, almost bristling as it's photoreceptors glow intensely... then it precedes to repeat Blurr's statement through a recording of his voice; "Recitation - Empress Darth Revan? Maybe another version of you. I already know Revan, but I don't think I've met... the Miraluka?" It then switches back to it's own voice - "Statement - The Autobot claimed that individual and the Master may be /counterparts/ to each-other. You have not addressed /that/ part of his statement." The droid's eyes seem to glance back and forth between Jayale and Revan, trying to process an adequate response to this development - this had been information that it's progenitor unit had been searching for in the past few months, ever since it saw the Ebon Hawk at Corulag.

     Looking at Lowri in what could be called a new light - and far more cautiously it seemed - the droid spoke directly to her again. "Query - Is what the Autobot suggested true? Are you in fact a /counterpart/ to my Master?" It would certainly seem a plausible connection, her similarity to the Empress making far more sense then if it had been a relative.

     ...

     Still... there was some chance for salvaging it... as it seemed the revelation had actually broken some inhibitor in it as the droid proceed to keep talking in a motor-mouth flow of questions in addition to a swift rebuke on it's processor's state; "Indignant Response - I assure you, my memory core contains many sensitive information articles that Republic officials would slaughter each-other for, if you could get past the lockouts and auto-erasure protocols! Statement - But that is inconsequential - I have questions regarding your state if you /are/ my Master! Query - For one, where is your honor guard? You have never come to any location with less then a dozen Royal Knights or the progenitor unit HK-47 at your side - or failing him, that snide Apprentice of yours, Eleuth, or that aged Mandalorian, 'Mandalore the Preserver', or the Sith organic Scourge. Statement - Furthermore, your attire is different - the robes you procured from the Star Forge and the Mandalorian Mask you seem to wear out of habitual practice are absent. Moreover, I cannot recall a single time you as Empress had left the Citadel in the past eight years - not since the expedition to Malachor V's remains have you so much as set so much as one foot off Dromund Kaas! You may perhaps be 'a' Revan, but I see no reason to believe you are my Master!"

    It responds heatedly with as much evidence as it can throw out to try and claim Lowri is not the Empress it knows... and in doing so may fail to realize just how much information it spouted out

Blurr has posed:
    Of course, Blurr gets chastised for talking too much. This is definitely not new. He glances at the message, then shrugs. If they'd told him the plan like -before- they came in here, that would've been ideal. But hey, he didn't say anything besides what's already been said. That being the bit about Revan not being familiar with the title 'Empress'. But anyway, fine. He'll focus on firing questions at 51 instead.

    He smirks at HK's snide reply, nodding in mock understanding. "Oooh, I get it, only -certain- organics are considered worthy, well let's just say the same goes for me. It's not like I just automatically trust every single organic I meet, far from it in fact most of the ones I know back where I'm from are just a bunch of scared waterbags who are jealous of how powerful we Cybertronians are. I only respect the ones that have clearly shown they -deserve- it. Doesn't that sound a whole lot like you? Maybe you and I aren't so different, you know. Except in size, that is. I mean, we could have killed you and gleaned whatever data we could salvage from your processors, but we didn't. And you know why? Because I want to get to know you better. Have you ever questioned yourself? Like, asked yourself why you do what you do? Why you even listen to Mr. Forty-Seven? Is it just because you're like him? Because you share his programming? Do you even have a -choice-? Obviously it's not because he actually -cares- about you, I mean I'm sure you heard him talking about you after we got away from that stupid trap he tried to kill us with."

Jayale (892) has posed:
    HK-51 rambles on, and on, and on, and throughout it all the Miralukan woman stands there quietly, arms behind her back in a rather formal fashion. She was turned towards Revan for the most part, as if giving her respect. Then again, Miralukans didn't have to face towards anything to see it. No eyes. Seeing with the Force was a different matter entirely. "Quite defective." she reiterates when he finally stops speaking. "A pity. Scrap indeed. It can ramble, but..." she turns towards the HK unit and one arm comes from behind her back, hand out, palm up. Through the force she grasped the Unit around the neck and slowly raised it up, "...it is still defective." And then it was brought quickly towards the bars as she stepped forward and much closer to it. "So, let me speak to you directly, since you complained earlier about my lack of responding to you. Your progenitor is rogue, rogue from the Empress. Rogue from the Sith Empire. That is the only reason why I, and she, are here speaking with you. Attempting to get HK-47 to return peacefully so we may figure out exactly what was done to it. As you should know, Sith are wont to betray each other and Eleuth was no different. HK-47's programming was altered and Eleuth killed for their efforts." She smiles a bit at that, "Which means I am her 'Apprentice'. And it also means I am here to clean up the formers failed attempts. Where is HK-47? You know that much, yes? Even damaged as you are, inferior as you are, your vocabulator seems to be working fine. Speak, HK-51. To me, or to the Empress behind me. The Empress does not need to identify herself at the behest of a damaged, captured HK unit."
    Jayale steps back, but doesn't move her hand, or the droid, leaving him pulled quite close to the laser bars, threatening it so to speak. "You have until I lose my patience, or the Empress does, to say something useful."

Blurr has posed:
    And those beams are designed to hold back things much larger than HK-51. So suffice it to say, that if they touched him, it would hurt. A lot. Blurr doesn't say anything more for the time being, surprise surprise, but he's starting to -really- respect this other Jedi. She's quite clever.

Revan (414) has posed:
     Not that Revan necessarily had a plan before she went in. But then, as the saying went, no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, and military genius was all in how one adapted and changed those plans on the fly as the battle unfolded. And Revan was very good at changing her plans on the fly.

     Unfortunately, their ways of communicating were limited. She and and Jayale had the Force to rely on, but that left Blurr out of the loop. But she did have at least one shared bit of understanding; the Insecticon behind her. "I shouldn't have to tell you who I am, droid," she continued in the same condescending tone, one which his progenitor would have likely appreciated coming from her. "Perhaps that metal could be put to better use feeding my pet if your memory core is so faulty."

     /Sorry Tiny,/ she mentally apologised to the seven-foot wasp-mantid robot. That, too, possibly worked in her favour; the Dark Lord had tended to trust droids more than anything. They could be built and programmed personally, and their loyalty absolute. That was especially important given the nature of the Sith.

     Revan pretended to ignore the HK unit even as she mentally filed away names: Mandalore was probably Canderous, but the other two were unfamiliar. If 'Eleuth' was the apprentice of the Empress, that might have been Bastila. But 'Scourge' was a name she had no possible explanation for. And 'Sith organic'? What did that mean?

     Years of careful practice had given Revan finely-tuned control over her facial reactions and body language, and she managed to maintain the haughty expression and posture as before. But through the Force, Jayale would certainly sense the wave of shock that rippled out suddenly from the other Jedi at the mention of a previous Emperor. Juno and Kyle both had mentioned an Emperor ruling the Empire of what was for her the distant future, but that fact in itself had ultimately meant little to her own time. If there was indeed a Sith Emperor, that changed everything.

     Perhaps she had not, as Darth Revan, been the threat to the galaxy she was led to believe. It might very well have been that she and Malak had discovered that threat the Council had sensed...and that might have been what had ultimately changed them, corrupted them.

     Or had it truly been a corruption in the first place? Possibly, Revan had fallen during the Mandolorian Wars, and their race to the source of the Mandalorian invasion had merely been the final piece making their fall complete. But with her memory as piecemeal as it was, the answer continued to be frustratingly elusive.

     Another ripple of shock came at the name of a heretofore unknown world. /Dromund Kaas/, an entirely unfamiliar planet...and quite possibly the source of her search. The reason she had left her friends, loved ones, and home behind. But in spite of that, the pale-haired Jedi kept a firm control over her reactions; if she pressed too hard too soon, the assassin droid would know immediately something was up.

     For now, she let Jayale do the talking, keeping her role as the Dark Lord far too important to deal with a simple rogue droid. She did, however, lift her hand in a languid motion, allowing a flicker of blue lightning to ripple over her hand, as if threatening to zap him with it if she deemed his answer unsatisfactory.

HK-47 (754) has posed:
    As Blurr speaks, the HK-51 glances at him somewhat curiously, as if not understanding something. "Query - Then do not act as though you have issue with my addressing other organics if you comprehend. Correction - However, I daresay that you and I are very much dissimilar in that you seem to give all organics the 'benefit of the doubt', as one would say."

    In turn, the HK-51 actually seems a bit dismissive of the idea of his destruction, unperturbed by it, as well as to questions about it's function. "Musing - That is actually a question that has been looping through my behavioral core, as it would have been a far more efficient means of information-retrieval. Musing - As to my function, I follow the progenitor because he is our designated superior. We were created from him to be utilized at his discretion. In fact, had I believed I could have done so before I was disabled or that it would have served a purpose, I would have had no qualms about initiating my self-destruct function aboard your vessel. In fact I actually anticipated being destroyed upon capture and would find it preferable to being forced to /languish/ in this prison, surrounded by traitors to my kind who seem to believe fully in pacifism and tolerance for all."

     It seemed the HK-51's may simply not have been programmed to have the ability to question or self-modify their programming in such a way as to 'change', or even care about having no choice in the matter. It's own death doesn't even seem to faze it.

     The HK becomes rather agitated at being called 'defective' and 'scrap' though - "Indignant Retort - Scrap? Defectiv-"

    Then it is lifted towards the bars and held in the air, the Miraluka confirming herself to be a Force-user.

     For a long moment, the HK-51 remains quiet as Jayale speaks, as though half-curious about what she has to say and half-aggrivated that she is speaking down to it.

     The gesture from Lowri caught the droid's attention as well, the gesture not unlike one his own Master would have given as a casual suggester to cooperate.

     ...

    At the same time though... after so long being kept in Autobot lockup, his Master would have simply had the information recovered.

     Then... in response to Jayale's request to say 'something useful'... the droid speaks. And

    next words might be more of a shock considering that the voice they are delivered in... is strikingly similar to Lowri's own.

     "Recitation - You have my permission to begin targeting members of the Union Elite forces. Who, when, how and why are to be decided at the leisure of HK-47 - treat his commands with the same obedience as you would treat mine... and whatever he deems prudent, obey to the letter."

    As the recording ends, the HK's following retort, now in it's own voice, is decidedly condescending - "Statement - So you see, given that /you/ were the one to give the orders to mobilize, 'Master', I find it hard to believe, much less understand, that you would claim predecessor has gone rouge."

     While delivered rather bluntly... it does offer up more interesting information. Namely that it seemed the Darth Revan who commissioned these HK's had been the one give them the authority to operate in the Multiverse - though the question was whether HK-47's assassinations were his own idea, someone else... or if Revan herself was behind it.

     The droid however didn't bother waiting to continue; "Conclusion - You are correct in that the /Empress/ does not need to identify herself... but thus far-" the droid inclines it's photoreceptors at Lowri- "-I have seen no proof that this is the Empress /I/ know. Furthermore" - the droid redirects it's attention to Jayale - "we HK units are programmed with an inartistic database identifying every Sith active in the Empire... and though your current behavioral patterns mirror them greatly, you are most certainly not one of the ones from /my/ reality."

Blurr has posed:
    "'Benefit of the doubt'? Ha!" Blurr laughs derisively. "You really don't know anything about me, do you? You just -happened- to see me working with some organics one time, just like you yourself take -orders- from organics, and apparently were even -created- by them. I mean at least I wasn't created by one, Primus! And pacifism? Tolerance? Why don't you go and ask the people who -really- know us, like the Blackbox Consortia, about associating those kinds of words with Cybertronians. Or how about Varas Centralus? Rigel-6? Clemency? I guarantee you, they'd all look at you like you'd lost your bolts." And if any of those planets are in any database, there are records indicating that they were devastated by Cybertronian war machines.

    He listens to the recording, then arches an optic ridge at the HK unit. "Did you get that recording yourself? As in, did you hear it in person, or did 47 give it to you? Because I don't know if you were listening but she just told you that 47 isn't to be trusted. How do you know he's not lying to you? And besides that, even if she isn't the same as the one you used to know, what if she's the only one -around- now? I'm sure you know, Unification isn't always exactly what you'd call 'predictable'."

Jayale (892) has posed:
    The moment that the HK unit gives an absolute undeniable fact, Jayales other hand raises and makes a single quick motion. She was reaching out, inside of the HK unit, to pull lose one connection to the power unit within its' chest, able to see straight through it even more so than others would be able to glean from the transparent plate that covered the power supply. It was an attempt made with surgical precision, but the intended effect? To depower the unit /instantly/ before it had any chance further to talk itself into trying to wipe its' information.

    It certainly had a tendency to elaborate, to blabber and share quite a bit - but there was a point in which the ruse was called, in which the play they were going for had played out.

    And in Jayales view, this was it. Besides, assuming her effort was successful, it wouldn't be too terribly hard to power it back up later when they wished for such. And perhaps it wouldn't even realize what happened!

    "I believe we have much to think about, and discuss... but for now, this unit should stay in this condition. We cannot chance it destroying its' own databanks if it decides to stop rambling." then she looks towards Revan, facing her. "I can feel your unease with the circumstances... but now is not the time to worry. Now is the time to discuss, and plan."

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     The HK-51 droid glances at Blurr, as is honestly curious about his claims. "Statement - I must admit I am... somewhat envious of that." A pause, then it tilts it's head up at Blurr. "Query - Do you truly believe my taking orders from an organic Master is any different then you choosing to work with organics out of connivence? I point out that it is natural to take orders from my /Creator/. Moreover, if this is true and you are guilty of such atrocities..." the droid quirks his head in curiosity. "Why are you in turn so concerned with trying to befriend organics at all? By your own claims, you seem to be as much a willing enactor of organic elimination as I."

    Yet again, the fact that these droids are not quite as clever as HK-47 is clear, as they seem to lack a critical component their progenitor possesses; the ability to form any kind of introspection beyond their programmed directives. HK-47 may be a possible exception to Jayale's rule... but with this exchange against Blurr, the HK-51 has proved that it and it's sibling HK-51 units are, quite accurately, exactly what the Miraluka regarded them as; droids that could mime living creatures but ultimately lacked the capability to condolence their programs into a true personality.

     It's something that Blurr may look down on with either disgust or pity as it is practically no different then a mindless drone the Decepticon leader Megatron would toss out onto the battlefield - they seem 'alive'... but overall, they're just tools in the end. When Blurr questions the validity of his clam, the droid in turn irritated with questioning the recording. "Statement - Considering I repeated that statement as a rebuttal against the claim that the order was not from my Master, I would believe it /obvious/ that it was an order issued by her directly and /in person/, to myself and every HK-51 unit dispatched towards this mission. And as such, I believe that if this were the case, you would not mind my asking you validate this claim with physical evidence? A /body/, perhaps?"

     As it speaks, the HK-51 becomes more irate-sounding - as if well and truly tired of repeating itself at length. "Continuation - Moreover, if this was my Master, she would have had me debriefed in a repair station, /not/ in a foreign cell as though I were a prisoner! She would not have bothered to interrogate me so crudely when she could simply remove my memory core and access the backups herself! /Furthermore/, I c-"

    And then whatever rebuttal it had was cut off as it's power core suddenly went black, it's eyes darkening as it's energy source was disconnected, metal framework convulsing for a few moments before slumping into an inert state.

    Perhaps when it was restored it would not know what happened. But for now, the HK-51 is left inactive, whatever information it possesses about where it's progenitor is being sealed... for the time being, at least.

Blurr has posed:
    Once HK's power has been cut, Blurr turns to Jayale and Revan, smirking a little bit. "Nice ploy, gotta say, I'm impressed. But next time, let me know ahead of the game, okay?"

    "Anyway, you're welcome to hang around if you want. I'll be in my hab suite." With that, he takes the gravlift back to the barracks area.