Give the enemy what they want. Written by Klesk Vadrigaar "Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial troops have - ksssssshhhhh." The tannoy was promptly cut short but not a single soul in the rebel stronghold failed to hear its warning. All across the subterranean installation, the brave members of the Rebel Alliance did as they had been trained to do in such a dire emergency. Blasters were grabbed, doors were locked and secured, and sentries rushed to their appointed guard points. It was a situation all accepted as one they might not walk out of alive, but that acceptance came with the determination that they would still give the Galactic Empire one hell of a costly fight. "You stay at your stations and begin the boot-up sequence. I want it armed and ready on the double!" One of the rebel commanders ordered a group dressed in the uniform of rebel scientists. "But sir...we still haven't conducted the final system diagnostics. I can't guarantee it'll be able to perform at 100% combat effectiveness!" A researcher piped up while frantically scrolling through the data on her tablet. "Then make sure it can at least perform at some capacity." The commander stated stoically as he checked the power cell in his DH-17. "So long as it does what we programmed it to do, then our work here won't be in vain!" *** As the first platoon of stormtroopers wasted no time in cutting through the rebels guarding the front entrance, Darth Vader strode down the boarding ramp of his shuttle and calmly surveyed the scene. It was exactly as the intel from the probe droids had indicated: a concealed research facility in the wastelands of Geonosis, expertly protected from the Empire's sterilization of the planet after the Clone Wars by several hundred feet of rock. Though the terrain around the entrance bore all the signs of the flawlessly executed efforts to wipe out the native population, the massive blast doors illuminated at the far end of the cavern looked as intact and pristine as the day it was built. The contrast between that and the carnage that greeted the dark lord as he stepped into the vast entryway struck Vader as rather artistic. He paused to take in the bodies littering the floor, each one baring only one or two smoking holes in their chests. Once more the 501st legion had proven their merit in breaching the rebel's defenses, blasting their way in, and taking out the scum without a single casualty. A fitting demonstration of what hard work, discipline, courage, and devout loyalty to the Empire's cause could make possible. "I want everything in here captured. Every last detail will be of use for the Imperial Academy's new training holograms." He ordered a pair of probe droids as they hovered into the entranceway behind him. Both droids gave their electronic confirmation as they began rotating the many eyes on their spherical domes, committing all grisly aspects of the massacre to their memory drives. Vader unhooked his lightsaber from his belt and resumed his trek deeper into the rebel stronghold. He had purposely ordered the stormtroopers to focus their efforts on every other area besides the main lab, thereby ensuring that he would not be disturbed as he proceeded with his role in the assault. As far as his troops knew, the reason this particular installation was being treated as a high priority was that the rebels were harboring some manner of sensitive Clone War tech. Something they had stumbled upon during their efforts to see if there was any still salvageable weaponry or resource that the Empire had missed during their efforts to reduce Geonosis to a barren useless rock. That much was true, but, as was the ways of his master, Vader alone had been imparted with a few additional details from the Emperor with the request that he ensure no one else found out. A small motivation to see to it that he would have to face the true threat present in the stronghold on his own. Vader let an ambivalent exhale filter through his mask's respirator as he turned and strode down a dimly lit corridor, deliberately going in the opposite direction of where he heard the continued symphony of his stormtroopers killing everything in sight. Amid the warning klaxons wailing overhead, his suits amplified audio sensors picked up the welcome utterances of panicked, hushed whispers. "Footsteps. Heavy. Everyone come to your guard!" Behind his mask's lenses, Vader narrowed his eyes. "Quiet! Quiet! Listen..." An estimation of the source of the voice and its distance from his present location flashed across Vader's HUD. He stopped as he spied something on the wall...a large, boxy projection which his HUD identified as a power relay. He raised his hand and channeled the Force to rip the cover off, revealing, to his pleasure, a set of glowing cords that were no doubt instrumental in keeping the overhead lights on. Another quick application of the Force and the cords were violently ripped out of the box, triggering a blinding shower of sparks, then followed by the corridor being plunged into darkness. "They cut the power!" "Shhhh! Nobody move! Silas, you take point! Your kind has better night vision than the rest of us." Vader took another slow breath as his helmet recorded this brief exchange and played it back again for his analysis. So he wasn't dealing with just humans. Other races were filling up the rebel's ranks. Good. That meant he had an actual challenge on his hands. Something to warm him up for the true test that lay just beyond. "They're coming! Silas, tell us what you see!" The whispers issued from the darkness beyond. Vader thought to switch on his infra-red vision, then thought better of it. He wanted to savor the surprise. Grunting echoed through the abyss. A deep-throated, guttural dialect that Vader easily recognized. He followed it like a hunter following the scent of its prey, let out another ominous exhale through his respirator as he sensed a great many weapons being trained on him. The dark lord activated his lightsaber and treasured the scene as the darkness was burned away by blood-red illumination. "OPEN FIRE!" Came the cry from several of the humans as a wall of blaster bolts came rushing towards Vader. He calmly deflected them with his blade, striding without worry into the fray. Much like on other raids, Vader let his actions say all there was to state about how he felt towards those who had been led astray from the Empire's good intentions by the ambition of a few militant fanatics. He ripped weapons from grips, hurled bodies against walls with a mere wave of his hand, sent shots back to bid those that had fired them a warm and painful greeting. Vader's almost zen-like slaughter of the rebel troops was only interrupted when he sensed the presence of something other than a bolt of magnetized plasma being directed at him with great speed. He released his cathartic strangling of one poor soul with the Force, whirled around, and parried the descent of a large and extremely sharp battle-ax. The dark lord paused as he caught the visage of something he'd both expected yet not expected: a Gamorrean, the one who had been addressed as 'Silas', dressed not in the armor of a personal bodyguard to one of the vile Hutts, but the simple uniform and vest of a rebel trooper. Vader let his saber blade be forced down by Silas' strength. A great many questions flitted through his mind as to this most fascinating development. What could the rebels have possibly offered to turn such a being away from the life of a gangster's enforcer? Where had they acquired the amount of cortosis necessary to fashion an ax, and why? Were the rebels expecting Vader's presence? Did Silas intend to one day be given the honor that was now standing before him? The battle between Vader and his new rival lasted several seconds, mostly due to the dark lord wanting to savor such admirable ambition from a species that was known for typically favoring a less than honorable lifestyle. He still cut Silas down with little effort in the end, but the Gamorrean's death was not in vain. It fuelled Vader's anticipation of what lay immediately beyond the corpses that now lay at his feet, to see what else the rebels had whipped up. Vader's saber cut through the locking mechanism of the lab's main door. He flung it open and was beset by a sight that had truly been worth waiting for. "Gods save us, it's...it's him!" "Hit the switch! It's now or never!" Vader looked to the scientist throwing herself at the console before his target. He could've stopped her. Could've grabbed her out of the air and hurled her across the room before she even came close to achieving her goal... Instead, the dark lord merely stood where he was and stared at the behemoth as the scientist slammed her fist down on the blinking button, and woke it from its slumber. Eyes of the same red hue as Vader's lightsaber flashed awake from the chiseled facsimile of a very masculine looking head. Enormous mechanical arms rose to fling off the cloth covering the robotic titan's massive body. A terrible, harsh revving of servos and pistons made the room rumble as Vader's target got its legs working and rose to its full height of 12 feet. "It is true then. The Genosians did not share all of their secrets with Lord Tyranus after all." Vader commented as the titanic machine took a step towards him. "A prototype battle droid, designed to be General Grievous' bodyguard and armored suit during the Clone Wars." The droid let out a digitized grunt as it clenched its fists. - System boot complete. Prototype GR-3V10U5 is active.- It stated in blunt confirmation of Vader's accusation. - Reviewing programming directives...- Vader calmly raised his saber for combat as the droid's arms split open, allowing four massive blaster cannons to slide out and hum with the charging of energy. - Destroy target: Vader. - The droid started stoically, adding almost as an afterthought. - Target: Vader. Confirmed! - Vader exhaled with just a little more haste as the cannons were suddenly on him and hammering him with bolts, all while the droid charged him with unexpectedly swift speed. "So I am not only known but was expected. How flattering." The dark lord mused as he dove out of the way of the fist that thus sent the lab door flying down the corridor ahead. The droid turned as Vader brought his weapon down on its arm to sever it...and again met with a curious surprise as his saber blade merely bounced off the droid's casing. "More cortosis? No..." Vader got out before his thoughts were interrupted by a brutal backhanded strike. He went flying across the room, barely managed to gather his thoughts, and channel the Force into halting his body in midair, then lowering himself safely onto his feet again. He ignored the damage report from his helmet's HUD and resumed his study of the almost non-existent mark on the droid's arm as it was leveled to resume firing. "Beskar. Impressive." Vader concluded as he skillfully stepped back, deflecting blaster bolts in every direction. "You must have cost someone a great fortune to make. A pity it shall have all been a waste." The droid seemed to take offense to this as it raised its other arm to double up the hail of blaster fire. Vader reached out with the Force, grabbed every metallic object he could. Crates, spare droid parts, floor panels, computer components, and more were flung at the droid, paying it back for all the blaster fire with an avalanche of metal. Vader observed how the droid, rather than simply cease firing and bearing the brunt of the assault, instead leaped to the side and rolled across the floor in another unexpected show of nimbleness for its bulk. Granted it made some sense given it was mostly hollow on the inside (having been designed to be able to contain General Grievous' own abnormally tall body), but Vader hadn't been expecting it to also have the necessary programming to think of utilizing its unnaturally low weight as a combat tactic. "Most impressive." Vader complimented as the droid righted itself and took aim again. This time, Vader reached out to grab the blaster cannons, closing invisible fingers around the glowing hot barrels and forcing them to collapse in on themselves. The droid's arm shuddered violently as its weapon exploded due to the build-up of plasma. Vader went on the offensive, bringing his saber up as his eyes locked on the droid's exposed joints. Its housing may have been well armored, but he doubted whoever built it could've afforded to also waste time and credits on making its internal components out of beskar too. The sheer maintenance costs alone would have bankrupted the entire Separatist organization! The dark lord swung for his target. The droid deflected the blow with its other arm. Vader pressed his advantage. His saber blade flew in every direction, never giving the droid an opening to train its remaining weapons on him. He managed to drive it back, push it into a retreat. A hushed exhale of satisfaction issued from Vader's mask as his saber found its target, and the droid's damaged forearm crashed onto the ground with a deafening commotion. The droid turned to look at the smoking, sparking wires dangling from its severed stump. It turned back to Vader as the dark lord moved to fling his weapon at the exposed cables and poles connecting its head to its body. It seemed only proper for the droid to take the opportunity to thus remind Vader of one additional fact: even with its arm now reduced to half its original length, it still had enough reach to smash the dark lord into the floor. Vader grunted in pain, dropping his saber as his chest panel took the brunt of the blow. His breathing quickly became more rapid, the air feeling thinner as his respirator short-circuited. He registered the sparking stump being lifted off him, then brought down on him again with even more force. Vader fought against the pain, told himself to stay focused on the greater present threat...specifically the audible sound of the droid's remaining arm cannons charging to fire again. The dark lord knew he had mere seconds to react, and the droid was keeping him securely pinned to the floor. He would not be able to force its arm off him before being riddled with blaster fire. Instead, Vader would have to try something more sneaky. Again, he reached out with the Force. Again he felt something suitably huge and heavy be ensnared in his ethereal grasp. Vader's hand tightened into a fist, he ripped the object off its mounting and sent it on a collision course with the droid. The droid paused as it heard the faint wrenching of metal being ripped from metal then flying through the air. It turned to confirm that yes, there was a full tank of engine fuel about to take its head off. Vader growled as his rising anger was literally fed by fresh flames. The droid turned its canon on the fuel tank, fired, and enveloped both it and its opponent in a deafening inferno. Vader grabbed for the arm, braving the flames now hungrily licking at his armored body as he forced the droid's weight off him. He summoned his lightsaber and charged into the swirling hellish vortex. The droid had managed to avoid getting its head smashed in but at the expense of now being covered in burning fuel. It followed Vader's lead of trying to ignore its new state of immolation to resume the battle, turning to retrain its blaster cannons on the dark lord as he charged towards it. "Your will is strong...even for a basic droid." Vader commented. He threw his saber at the droid's neck and growled as the droid broke its aim to deflect the weapon with its arm. "There is more than just the basic CIS trooper program about you." Surprisingly, the droid nodded. - Prototype GR-3V10U5 carries the combined combat data of all known CIS enemies.- It stated flatly. Vader hmphed in disdain. "Then you do not know me." He snarled as the droid once more raised its arm to fire. The dark lord merely grabbed it with the Force, coaxing the droid to consider a re-prioritization of its targets. "I am no mere adversary of that pitiful alliance of disgruntled systems." The droid creaked audibly as it tried to fight against its arm's sudden desire to turn the cannons on itself. Amidst the flames spreading across its chassis and climbing up through its internal mechanisms, it found a present need to shake its head. -Negative...P-P-zzzzt-Prototype GR-3V10U5's pattern...ksssh...recognition software has analyzed your saber form and your tactics...- The arm paused midway towards blowing the droid's head off. -Your combat techniques are...kzzzt...are...an 77.4% match with that-that-that of j-j-jed...- And suddenly the droid was no longer trying to shoot itself. Instead, its entire flaming body was now creaking and rattling like crazy as it levitated up off the ground. - P-P-zzzzt-Prototype GR-3V10U5....estimates you...are...likely...BZZZZTT...likely...- Vader's channeling of the Force grew more intense. The fire licking out of every gap in the droid's beskar armor began to wildly flicker as if cowed by the presence of something far more powerful and steeped in malice now working its way through the mechanical guts. "9-9-9-9...KWZZZT...91.32% prob..." The droid paused as its body began tearing itself apart. Its rapidly blinking and sparking eyes calmly looked down at Vader. "Prob-a-bill-ee-tee...you...are...also...priority...target...An..." Vader's arm spasmed. Be it from the fire crawling its way across the fabric of his pressurized suit, or possibly the exertion of having to lift so much mass (regardless of whether that was meant to matter or not) the dark lord's arm gave a violent shake. He twisted it, and curled his hand into a fist again as if to still the twitching. The droid promptly burst apart in a second fiery bloom almost as an afterthought. "No..." Vader said calmly as burning scrap and robot bits rained down around him. "You do not know me at all." The dark lord lowered his hand, then immediately buckled as the adrenaline surge from his moment of sudden, unbridled rage wore off. He suddenly became aware of the fire fighting madly against the flame resistant chemicals his suit, armor and cape were treated with. He summoned his lightsaber, looked up and around the lab for a very specific item. "Lord Vader...MY LORD!" Vader barely registered the panicked voice or the mad clicking of armored boots rushing into the lab. He was more preoccupied with a specific pipe running along the ceiling, leading to several recognizable nozzle shaped implements. He hurled his saber at them and unleashed a welcome cascade of extinguishant all over himself. "My lord, are you..." The stormtrooper took a step back as Vader got to his feet, shaking the flames off his shoulders as they were snuffed out by the foam shower. "It is nothing. Report!" Vader demanded. The trooper promptly snapped to attention as his cohorts filed in behind. "We've routed out the last of the rebels. Most of them went down fighting but we've secured the research staff. They're ready to be brought back for interrogation." The trooper reported. "Good. There will be no interrogation. Kill everyone that's left, then report back to your assigned transport for evac. This entire base is to be bombarded until it is completely destroyed." Vader calmly ordered. "But...sir...don't you want to know why the rebels were here? And what else they've uncovered?" The stormtrooper protested, in a remarkable show of bravery against his superior officer. Vader made a mental note to check the trooper's file later. Such confidence and desire to question seemingly illogical orders could prove useful. "I have learned everything I need. The rebels gave us exactly what we wanted." Vader mused while looking at the droid's remains. He paused as the cessation of battle brought a curious silence to the lab, allowing him to pick up on a faint electronic whisper attempting to hide in the now still air. "As it seems, we did in turn..." Vader suddenly pointed at a seemingly random corner of the lab. "All of you, concentrate your fire there!" The troopers looked over at the innocuous pile of boxes and crates. Not wanting to further risk their superior's wrath they raised their blasters and commenced firing. The boxes and crates came tumbling down, not from the plasma fire, but from something bursting out of the cover they afforded. Vader narrowed his eyes behind his mask at the sight of a probe droid, one bearing a non-regulatory paint scheme of red and white. The reprogrammed machine rotated its head as if to give its audience a wink from its multiple eyes. It garbled something at them in its coded language. Then it self-destructed, sending the remains of its cover clattering across the lab towards Vader and his entourage, a final gesture of spite to let them know their massacre of the rebel base would come with its own price. "Was that..." One of the stormtroopers began to ask, before a low, deathly exhale from Vader shut them up. "Alert my star destroyer! Have them track all transmissions beamed from this world in the last few hours!" Vader ordered. "If the rebels wish to continue inviting our full might upon them, then we will continue to give them what they want!"