--Chapter 17--
Hunter-Killer
“Quarry: How do you wish to die meatbag?” A voice rang from the com link.
“D-Die?” Twilight said in a shaky voice. She slowly turned her head in a direction where Rainbow flew. “Rainbow!” She immediately run forward, and ignoring Falcon calling her to come back, disappeared in the bushes. Shaw reacted first, quickly running after her, but Falcon grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled back.
“Wait!” He said. “You stay here and keep the others safe.” He pointed at the ponies behind them, all of whom were absolutely terrified and shaking in place. “Me and Trucker will get them back.” Shaw nodded hesitantly and turned back towards the ponies. Blast it, I know you like her but… I hope you won’t do anything stupid. He motioned Trucker to follow him and disappeared in bushes, going after Twilight.
They switched their weapon’s safety off as they started to run towards Rainbow’s last known position. Whatever attacked her, has already destroyed or deactivated her com link, but luckily, she was likely already near it’s hideout - the legendary ship, the Ebon Hawk. Twilight was also moving in that direction, likely sensing her friend’s presence. Ponies were naturally faster than humans, though lacked in endurance department. At this rate, Twilight was going to get there before them, and since she was also teleporting along the way, this was going to take her even less time.
There was one good thing about it though.
If Twilight was able to sense Rainbow’s presence, that meant that she’s still alive. Whatever has attacked her, did not kill her, but only incapacitated. Still, thinking back to what they found in the villages along the way, that wasn’t all that good news.
And as for the attacker’s identity, the only thing that came to his mind was a droid. The metallic sounds and voice coming from the com link more or less confirmed it. And the way it spoke didn’t seem like a living being at all. Not to mention that he has never heard about a species that would live for 4000 years. But still, for a droid to continue to function after that time is pretty unlikely itself.
But everything pointed to it being truth. And Twilight was running right into its claws. “Trucker, climb up there and see if you can knock her out from here!” Falcon said, pointing at a giant rock they were approaching. The commando nodded and immediately shot a grappling hook towards the rock. Falcon meanwhile called out to the unicorn through com link. “Twilight, stop! Now!”
“NO! I won’t let her die!” Her voice sounded like she was crying.
“If you just go there you’ll just die yourself! Think about it. You’re running towards something that killed entire villages with no problem. If you just go there and try to attack it, you’re just going to end like everyone who has ever tried! Do you really want to leave your friends and Shaw? How do you think they will react when they find out that you’re dead!?”
“I don’t care! I have to save her, I can’t lose anyone else! If I-“ *POW*
“Got her.” Tracker said
“Ugh…” Rainbow groaned as she woke up. Her groans however, quickly were filled with pain, as she begun to feel the burning wound on her hind leg, as well as broken ribs and wings. She could also feel that her nose was broken and big bruise that was on her face. It took her a while before she was able to look at her surroundings.
Everything was dark, but there was a faint light coming from a lamp hanging above her. She could see few beds on her right as well as metal floor and walls around her. Everything seemed broken, metal peaces hung from the walls, everything was bent in several places and wires hung from the walls. There was also a hole in the wall on the right that was covered by a rock. She felt that her front hooves were tied in front of her, as well her back hooves which also had another rope attached to it that went up to the ceiling, but she couldn’t tell where it went. The rope around her back hooves was tightly wrapped around the burning spot on her leg, bringing her more pain.
“Observation: Ah, I see my guest has awoken.” She heard a voice from the room. Suddenly everything came back to her. She has just found the ship they came here for, and then she was suddenly hit by something and fell. She’s heard this voice then. ‘How do you wish to die, meatbag?’ – these words rang in her head.
She immediately realized the situation she was in, and with heart suddenly pumping blood twice as fast she screamed in fear. “S-Stay away from me!!!” Suddenly the rope that was attached to her back legs was pulled up, and with it, she was pulled up into the air as well. She screamed as pain filled her wounded leg again. It felt as if her leg was about to be torn off. She managed to open her eyes despite the pain, only to spot two red lights approaching her.
Soon a gigantic red creature appeared in the light. It looked like human but was taller than the clones and its midsection was unnaturally slim. It looked like it was made out of metal that was bent in several places and started to rust. On its back was what looked like one of blaster rifles that clones carry around all the time, but larger and damaged by age. “Offended statement: My, how rude! I go out of my way to not leave your half dead body to be eaten by wild animals and you thank me like that. Well, I think I may forgive you if you answer some of my questions before I kill you.”
By now Rainbow was a trembling mess, shaking without control in fear for her life, barely able to make a word leave her mouth. “Request: Please don't pee on the floor, meatbag. I just cleaned it from your blood.”
“W-Wh-What a-are you?” She managed to say in barely hearable voice.
“Introduction: I am Hunter-Killer model 47, HK-47 for short. I am a primary mean through which my masters get rid of problematic meatbags from the galaxy, and I am proud of my craft.
Statement: Unfortunately, I was unable to perform my primary function for the past few years due to a directive given to me by one of my previous masters. So I guess will have to unload the stress put on my killing protocols on you, meatbag. It’s also a bit personal. Because you see, I really hate your kind. I hope you understand.”
“K-Killer?” Her body went numb. “D-Don't get any closer! M-M-My friends are on a way you know! They won't forgive you if something happens to me!” She attempted to talk her way out of this, but the desperate tone of her voice only made it sound pathetic in droid's electronic mind. She kept trying to free her hooves, but the ropes that held them were too strong.
"Observation: Ah, your friends. That brings us to the main reason behind why are you here, and why are you no dead yet." Droid's arm suddenly shot forward with such speed that for the first moment, Rainbow wasn't even aware that something has happened. Only the pain burning in her already wounded leg made her realize that the droid was crushing the bone in her leg. She screamed in agony as the droid asked his question. "Quarry: Who are the meatbags who gave you this, and where can I find them?" He said, holding her com link in his robotic hand.
"Alright, now what do we do with her?" Tracker said, kneeling over Twilight's unconscious body.
Falcon looked back at where they came from. "We're too far away from others, there's no time to go back. With every second we wait Rainbow might be in greater danger. She has to come with us. Besides, she can sense if Rainbow is still alive or not.” He said. “Wake her up and go after me. There’s no time to waste.” Falcon stepped forward, leaving Tracker behind with Twilight.
He continued to run towards Rainbow’s last known location. It wasn’t very far away, and he was running with all his strength, so it wasn’t long before he arrived in place. He immediately saw blood that stood out on the green pallet of the forest like a Bantha on Coruscant. Looking up he saw broken branches hanging from the trees above, also covered in blood.
Looking at the amount if it on both branches and the floor, he could tell that she was bleeding a lot. Commander looked around, quickly spotting one more thing. Marks on the ground, shaped like human foot. The marks came from the east towards the puddle of blood and then came back the same way.
He was about to keep moving, but Twilight and Tracker have suddenly teleported in front of him. Before he got to say anything, Twilight stood up on her back legs and attempted to grab him by the shoulders, only to have him grab her extended hooves. “Why did you stop me!? I-” Tracker suddenly hit her with a fist.
She fell on the ground, now with a bleeding wound on her forehead. “Blast it, get a hold on yourself you idiot!” The commando screamed at her. He was about to continue, but Falcon has stopped him, extending his arm in front of him and looking back, as if saying ‘leave this to me’. He then turned towards the unicorn who was just about to get up from the ground.
“Twilight, listen to me.” He said calmly. “You can still feel Rainbow’s presence, right? As long as you do, she’s alive and we have a chance to save her, but we won’t do it by just running in with no plan. So please, get a hold on yourself and stay back while me and Tracker take care of this.” He stood up. “I am almost positive that the thing that attacked her was a droid. And if it didn’t kill her immediately, that means it has other objectives. Are you calm now?”
She didn’t answer immediately, but after a while she nodded her head. “Great.” Falcon said and pointed at the prints on the ground. “That thing took her in that direction.”
“I know… I-I can feel that she’s close.” Twilight said.
“How close?”
“If not for those trees we would be able to see it from here. It’s only about 50 meters from here.”
“Alright, Tracker, climb up there.” He pointed at a cave in the cliff that they stood next to. He would have perfect view from there. Commando nodded and quickly shot a grappling hook towards the cave. Falcon watched as the clone climbs into the cave and not even a second after he got there, started to shot. “Tracker, what was it?” He asked through com link.
“Just some bird that flew towards me. Don’t know what it was but I don’t care.”
“Whatever. Better tell me if you can see that ship.”
“I see it. Its side is smashed against the cliff, but it looks surprisingly good for it’s age. There’s an open entrance on the top, looks like there was a turret there at some point but was removed. No sight of enemy so far, but I think I can see a wall built around the thing.”
He turned back to Twilight. She was looking towards the place where she was sensing Rainbow from, barely keeping herself in place. “Let’s go.” Immediately after hearing that, she shot out like a rocket. Still, she was already tired from the running as well as teleportation spells she’s been using and on top of that was stunned recently, so Falcon was able to keep up and run ahead.
Like she said before, the ship wasn’t far away. They quickly saw it between the trees and doubled their speed. Tracker was right when he said he can see a wall around the ship. It was a rough job, and clearly bitten by the time, but it still stood despite few big or small holes here and there. The thing wasn’t very high, probably meant only to serve as a cover. Falcon has stopped in front of it, stopping Twilight as well and kneeling behind the wall. “What are you-!?” She tried to speak up, bit he just forced her to hide.
“Stay quiet while I talk.” He pointed his weapon towards the ship, where he could already see a red figure emerging from the ship.
“I’ve told you everything! Please stop!” Rainbow begged. Tears were running down her face and falling down on the floor where a small puddle of her blood was already forming.
“Disappointed Statement: Oh, you want to quit already? But it’s only been few minutes. Well, I guess that’s about everything I can gather from you anyways. Hopefully those bits of information will help me in some way.
Quarry: Now that you are useless for me, could you answer my first question to you? How do you wish to die, meatbag?”
No response came from Rainbow. She couldn’t force her body that quivered in pain to do anything. “Suggestion: If I were you, I would choose something myself. Leaving a choice to me when I’m giving you a chance to choose your fate is-” HK stopped in a middle of sentence. “Observation: Hmm, it appears that your friends did arrive. And before your death too. Well, let’s see if they prove to be at least mildly entertaining. In the meantime, you can think about how would you rather die. Personally, I suggest an option where I break your legs then let you go and give you 10 minutes before I start chasing you. If you manage to escape, you’re free. If you won’t, you’re dead.”
The droid left the room, leaving Rainbow hanging from the ceiling. He started to walk through the dark corridors of the ship that he has to wait in only because of an old order left in his memory core. HK would have sighed now if he was a meatbag, but he was beyond things like that. He’s waited four thousand years for an opportunity to free himself from that order, and he can wait twice that if he has to.
And when he’ll be free, history will remember the day of his return.
He approached the lift that used to lead to a turret on top of the ship. He has removed it, since it was damaged to a point where he couldn’t fix it, and he needed a way out of the ship since the entrance was blocked under ship’s mass.
The energy both in him and what was still working on the ship was here thanks to the meatbags he has ‘asked’ for help after the ship crushed. They have informed him about a way to salvage a previously unknown energy source they insisted to call ‘magic’. And from there it was easy for the droid who didn’t need to rest and eat to figure out how to transfer the energy he salvaged into a form he could use. He had years to work on it after all.
The lift took him to the top of the ship. He already had a blaster rifle waiting in his grasp. Surprisingly, the droid hoped not to use it. After all, if his sensors were correct, at least one of the human meatbags that crushed on the planet’s moon is approaching the ship. And he’s going to make sure to get that meatbag to help him override his order. And if he won’t… well, that’s why he has a blaster. And several traps set up around the parameter.
HK reached the top of the ship and looked down at the wall he had made years ago. The wall was only a trap though, and was never even meant to be used as a cover. He has placed explosives within it, in case some stupid meatbags decided to attack him.
And the trap did work. Long time ago a group of pony meatbags hid behind it, holding spears and pointing them towards him to keep him away while archers tried to destroy him with their puny pony weapons. They thought that the wall will give them a protection from his blaster bolts, and while they might have been mostly right, their weapons wouldn’t stop him no matter how much they tried and he could just run up to them and shot them all down.
He could have done that, but he used the explosives instead. He still has images of the event saved in his memory core. For him, the way shrapnel ripped their bodies apart, the screams of agony of those who survived but lost their limbs, and the terrified faces of those who were not hit by the blast just before they were shot right in those furry faces were the most amusing images possible.
And now yet another meatbag was hiding behind his trap. But that meatbag wasn’t a pony with spear. It was human with a blaster. In response to having a blaster pointed at him, HK did the same. “Greeting: …”
“Greeting: Welcome meatbag. It’s been a while since I have met one of your kind, and only now I realize how I missed killing members of your species. Ponies were not bad, but nothing can beat an upper-class human begging for life. Well maybe an upper-class pony would, but I have yet to meet one.” Falcon listened to the droid saying, not taking his finger off the trigger. The droid was in remarkably good condition. Considering its age, it didn’t rust quite as much as one would expect, and it appeared to still be in top shape when it comes to functionality. He didn’t recognize the model, but that wasn’t his area of expertise. Not to mention that the thing was four thousand years old.
“What are you?”
“Introduction: I am HK-47, a protocol droid. Task with ending hostilities between races and meatbags all over the galaxy.”
“First time I’ve seen a protocol droid pointing a blaster at me and kidnapping one of my companions.” He activated the com link with eye movement command. “Tracker, be ready to shoot it.” He said silently.
“Explanation: That is probably because while most protocol droids end hostilities via negotiation, I do it in more efficient way, by killing off the side of conflict that my master’s will points me to. Though, I wouldn’t hesitate, nor would I mind to eliminate both sides. Just to make sure they won’t start another conflicts in the future.”
Just great, I have an Assassin Droid in front of me. HK series on less… Falcon sighed mentally. “Why did you kidnap one of my companions?”
“Statement: Ah, yes. I almost forgot that you are here to retrieve that meatbag that's bleeding out in the back of the ship."
Twilight's eyes went wide as she heard that, and soon after that a fire lit within them. Ignoring Falcon's words, she rose her head over the wall. "What have you done with-!?" Falcon pushed her head back to the ground.
“Statement: Please, don’t bother hiding that female pony down there. My sensors have detected the two of you when you approached the ship.” Falcon didn’t let Twilight up as the droid said. He’s smart enough to know this would just give it an easy target to shot at.
“Answer the question, why did you take her?”
“Quarry: Isn’t that obvious?
Answer: She came into my weapon’s range, therefore I shot her down. I must admit that my first thought was to just get rid of her, but the communication device in her ear changed my mind. You see, I’ve been on this planet for a very long time, but not nearly long enough for inhabitants of this planet to develop that level of technology. This led me to a conclusion that they must have come in contact with one of galaxy’s more advanced races, meaning that I am finally given a chance to get rid of an order that binds me to this place.
Explanation: You see, I have served many masters over many years. I’ve seen the beginning of Jedi Civil Wars, and its aftermath. I server under Sith and Jedi alike. Killed everything from a Gizka to Rancor, from a fat Hutt to enslaved Twi’lek. And one of my many maters who was also one of multiple owner of the ship you see before you, gave me a command that I have to fulfill. I was ordered to stay on board and defend the ship until my master’s return. The problem is, she never did. I am aware of the fact that she’s dead by now. But that doesn’t override the command. As long as my master doesn’t return to the ship, and change that very command, I am stuck to the area around the ship, and I can only leave it in case of danger approaching.”
Falcon narrowed his eyes behind the helmet. “So in other words, you need to assign yourself to a new master in order to leave.” He said. “And since you’re telling me this without shooting, I’m guessing you want me to be your master.”
“Agreement: Indeed. Not bad for a meatbag.”
“If all you need is a new master, why didn’t you just make one of the ponies you have killed into your master?”
“Annoyed Quarry: Do you really think a droid like me would assign myself to some peace loving pretty pony from land of friendship and rainbows?
Answer: I don’t think so. Not only would it force me to a life of hideous pacifism for the duration of my master’s life, but I would also be passed down through generations, as the tradition of planet’s inhabitants at the time of my arrival says. Making me go through it over and over again with no defined end. I also wouldn’t be able to just kill my new master to free myself because of my programming forbidding that. So, as you can see, I’m stuck in this place unless some meatbag frees me. Luckily, there’s one meatbag in front of me, who not only seems to not me a pacifist, but a complete opposite of it as well.”
“And if I agreed to become your master, how would I know you’re not lying about anything?”
Twilight’s eyes widened as she almost choked upon hearing that. “Don’t tell me you’re actually considering that!? That thing kidnapped Rainbow Dash and did god knows what to her!” She shouted.
“I know Twilight, but understand that I’m looking at the situation from a different angle then you.” He said. “I am used to droids. I am used to an idea of artificially made personality, and I know it’s just that. It’s all artificial. This droid isn’t like that because it just came out that way. Someone made it like that. And just as someone made this droid like that, it can also be changed.”
“Reassurance: The pony inside of that ship has not been severally damaged. Making her talk required only minimal pressure.” Twilight’s blood was almost boiling from anger. “I only inflicted damage that will make it hurt. I was surprised that she broke so easily though. It was only few minutes of torture.”
Falcon was still keeping her pinned to the ground, but not with much force. And with anger leading her body, she quickly stood back up. “You monster!” Before Falcon reacted, she grabbed the pistol in her magic and pointed it at the droid. She was however too slow. Before she even begun pressing the trigger, HK-47 has already managed to point his rifle at her, target her head and fire one shot.
She would have been dead if Falcon didn’t react even faster than the droid. The clone grabbed her head again and pushed both of them at the ground as the blaster bolt flew past them, hitting a tree. Blast it… “Tracker, now!” He shouted into the com link. Immediately, they heard as the droid gets hit by the bolt from a sniper rifle. “Don’t move out of here.” He said harshly to the unicorn.
Falcon quickly pointed his rifle at the droid who was shooting towards Tracker’s position. He fired few shots at the droid, who quickly started change his position. It hid in the elevator, lowering it a bit to give himself cover. One bolt from Falcon’s rifle managed to hit the droid and one from Tracker as well. Neither have done anything though. A red aura appeared around droid’s body, absorbing the energy from the bolts. It was an energy shield.
Still, it was four thousand years old. Something that old won’t be able to withstand long under fire from their weapons. Especially since weapons clones possessed fired shots that carried additional electrical discharge. Very effective against droids and all kinds of machines.
HK completely ignored him however, focusing his attention solely on Tracker. As if Falcon wasn’t a danger at all.
He was about to shrug off that thought and keep shooting, but he felt something. A very faint feeling of danger approaching on the back of his mind. The world around him seemed to slow down as he lowered his head towards the stone wall. And then he saw it. A little red light lit up between the rocks, quickly making him realize the real purpose of that wall.
Falcon’s reaction was immediate. Still feeling as if everything around him was happening slower, he grabbed Twilight and started to sprint away from the wall. The explosion came quickly, but he managed to escape from the blast’s range. Not from shrapnel though. He heard Twilight’s scream as her leg was pierced by a piece of metal, following by another one hitting her midsection. Falcon wasn’t spared either. Even though his armor protected him from most of metal pieces that have hit him, the fact that he was trying to shield Twilight resulted in much more pieces hitting him.
He felt as he’s being pierced through his back and left leg in places where armor didn’t cover him. Another piece has flown against side of his neck. One more got stuck in his shoulder, and finally his left hand got pierced through as well.
There was barely any reaction from him though. He kept running towards trees, the closest cover. No, they’re traps too… Noticing a hole in a tree he was running towards, he instinctively turned left to get away from it. And he was right. The tree has exploded seconds after he turned away. This time there was no shrapnel, but the tree had fallen down. It was a big one, clearly, it’s been growing here for a long time.
Falcon took cover behind the fallen tree, placing Twilight against it. She was still in pain, bleeding from her leg and her side. “Can you do anything about it?” She looked at him and nodded slowly, enveloping her wounds in her magic. While she stopped the bleeding, Falcon pulled out a piece of metal that got stuck in his shoulder. “Stay here and don’t move.” He said, lifting his rifle and pointing it at the droid.
He fired at it, but didn’t hit it with any of his bolts. HK meanwhile, quickly turned towards him and started to shoot. “Tracker, can you keep it busy for a while? I have a plan.”
“I don’t know sir. This thing may be old, but it still has some serious firepower.” Tracker responded. “I’ll do my best though.”
Falcon immediately moved to the opposite side of the tree, keeping his head low. Tracker did as he was told, firing a grenade from his weapon at the droid. At that distance, it wasn’t a direct hit, but HK’s shield still suffered some damage and so did the ship. After that, Tracker unloaded an entire battery worth of blaster bolts towards the droid, keeping it hidden in its cover.
That’s when Falcon decided to run forward. He left the safe zone behind the tree, charging towards the ship with a grenade in one hand. He threw it at the droid, while taking a cover next the ship itself. As soon as he heard an explosion, Falcon started to climb up until he got on top of the wreckage.
There, he saw as HK gets up from the cover after the explosion as if nothing happened, and deciding to allow few bolts to hit their target, fired one precise shot at Tracker. Falcon saw as the commando got hit with red blaster bolt and hid back in the cave. Not letting that bother him, Falcon reached to his belt, grabbing a lightsaber and igniting it, while he rushed towards the droid, firing from his blaster.
HK was hit several times before it turned around and opened fire at Falcon. The commander was however able to dodge by flying up with his jetpack. He fired his blaster again, hitting and destroying HK’s weapon and then dropping his rifle on the ground as he used both hands to swing the lightsaber down at the droid that didn’t manage to get away in time.
Falcon was sure that it was over. Droid’s shield wouldn’t be able to withstand a hit from a lightsaber after the punishment it already took.
Unfortunately, HK had more tricks up its sleeve.
Just before green blade of the lightsaber hit its target, HK activated another, fully powered energy shield. The plasma blade did hit droid’s arm, and even though it was impossible for it to avoid all damage, the shield held off the strike for long enough to allow HK to punch Falcon in the stomach with his other hand. The clone was immediately forced to fall back as he saw another strike incoming. “Observation: Interesting. You posses a weapon of a Jedi, yet your behavior doesn’t suit into what I know about the order, and neither have you as much as attempted to utilize any combative force abilities. Likely because you are in fact not a Jedi, but simply someone who came into possession of one through other means. Hopefully by killing one of those fools.
Statement: That indicates you having no real experience with the weapon. A fact additionally supported by your stance and the way you hold the weapon, which while not entirely amateurish, are hardly that of a lightsaber master.”
“Shut up already.” Falcon grabbed his blaster pistol and quickly fired it at the droid. Tracker have also returned to shooting at the droid from his position. HK also pulled his weapons out. Two small blaster pistols he had hidden inside of his legs. The droid attempted to create more distance between lightsaber welding Falcon and himself, all the while looking for a cover from Tracker’s sniper fire.
It was of no use though. Falcon might not have been skilled with a lightsaber, but just the fact that he was able to swing it without killing himself made him dangerous in close range. Not to mention that he was under a constant fire from two blasters. This quickly proved to be too much for the droid’s shield and once it was down it was it was all over. HK did manage to avoid being cut down by a lightsaber, but there was no way for him to dodge simultaneous fire from two trained soldiers. One of whom had a sniper rifle.
It was only a matter of time before the multiple shots taken by droid’s armor made the Assassin Droid fall down, defeated.