Star Wars - DRK-1X and its Mistress

[shadowbloodmoon]

[sblock=OOC]Yeah. It's sometimes difficult for me to dehumanize some ways of describing things that X does or senses, but yet have the probot's heuristic processor register the equivalent of emotions.

The MSR-X only goes by the information you have. Since you have the original DNA scans of Dofina (so far as X knows), the MSR-X would be able to determine discrepencies with the scans. For the most part, all clones are fitted with a molecule size identifier that lets others know that this is indeed a copy of the original. Only someone with malicious intent or worse would create one without this identifier, but even then there would be some differences in other scans. It is a possible but untested by DRK-1X ability that the MSR-X may have. The MSR-X didn't find anything of that nature on Dofina.
[/sblock]

Mistress Dofina attempts to gain her feet, sitting up in the bed. It is obvious that this takes a great effort on her part. She slowly turns her head from side to side. "You don't have to apologize, X. You did what you thought was right. It is as you are programmed to do."

It takes her a couple of tries before she can stand, but eventually she is able. "You said you had a plan to get us out of here?"

 

[Ambrus]

DRK-1X drifts slowly back a few feet to give its Mistress room to move and better focus on it and her surroundings. "Report: I have made many preparations to help ensure our eventual safe departure from this station including securing allies and resources, arranging transport, gathering intelligence and performing extensive sabotage of this facility to help obfuscate our departure. Suggestion: Although I can elaborate on my preparations now if you wish, I believe our time may be better spent concentrating on preparing you for our eventual escape. Report: My scans reveal that you are suffering from shock, malnutrition and numerous blunt wounds. It also appears that you are recovering from the effects of a mind-numbing compound. Conjecture: My conclusion is that you are currently barely able to move yourself, which will eventually be necessary to facilitate our departure I'm afraid. Inquiry: Have you recently consumed Rhyll spice Mistress?"

The diminutive probot waits for its Mistress to answer before continuing in its whisper soft voice. "Suggestion: If you agree Mistress, I believe it is best if I attempt to covertly locate, acquire and return to you with some food rations, a medkit and a flight suit for your use. "Report: I already have some equipment I've brought here for you, if you wish it..." DRK-1X deploys its twin manipulator arms from within its chassis with a soft whirring sound. The probot reaches behind itself and withdraws the blaster pistol and encrypted comlink from the improvised carrying container affixed to its backside. "...a blaster pistol and an encrypted comlink. There are however two things I believe I should report to you now if I may however. The first is that I have planted enough explosives to destroy the main control center of this facility following our departure. The second is that I forcefully abducted Four from her faction's secret asteroid base before heading here. Although she eventually willingly helped me to find and reach this place, I'm afraid Four was killed two days ago."

With a thought, the soft blue light from DRK-1X's holoprojector recedes from Dofina and coalesces into the shape of the aforementioned Four in her human guise, laying on the floor between the probot and its mistress. The badly injured woman manages to speak between ragged breaths: "T..tell your...tell Dofina I..tell her I am..I am sorry." Four begins to struggle with something in one of her outfit's pockets. A faint blue holographic version of the probot suddenly coalesces in the air next the woman and helps her to retrieve a datastick from her pocket. The virtual DRK-1X begins to whisper softly in turn. "Statement of fact: I am recording your image. Statement of intent: My mistress will view it as soon as I am able to replay it for her. Report: My scans reveal that several of your vital organs have suffered grievous damage and that you are bleeding internally. We are currently not in proximity to an adequately stocked medical facility where the damage could be repaired before you suffer irreversible system failure. I'm afraid you will soon die. Statement of sympathy: I'm sorry. Statement of gratitude: I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your help. It is uncertain that I could have arrived here without your aid." Suddenly the injured woman's features pale and begin to visibly distort until Four's appearance has changed to that of a nemoidian female. As she changes, the dying woman manages to sputter out a few final words: "Final records...last transmissions...get to Dofina." The nemoidian woman fumbles to press the datastick into the virtual Dark Eye's manipulators as she slowly shakes her head. "You...are to be...commended..." Suddenly Four's face slackens and her hand falls away from 1X's manipulator as, out of her agape mouth, flows a soft blue ooze that pools near the woman's head. Slowly, the real DRK-1X allows the image of the virtual probot and dead woman to fade away before returning the holoprojector's faint blue glow to its mistress.

 

[shadowbloodmoon]

Mistress Dofina's eyes flash at the mention of the possiblity of her taking spice. "You honestly think they would afford me such luxury?" As she looks at your spherical form, her eyes lower. "Yes. She sighs. "They thought it would make me relax enough to tell them what they wanted to know."

She takes the items you hold out in your manipulators. Almost instinctively, she checks the blaster to see if it is charged. She started to regain her composure as you spoke, with her nodding to your plan, a look of impression on her face. A slight smile curls on her thin lips as you mention the explosives. Then comes the mention of Four.

As you play the recording of the shapeshifter's final moments, Dofina stumbles back to the bed. She wants to look away, but for some reason, she can not. She is silent as the recording ends.

It takes her a few moments, her eyes closing and slowly reopening, before she is ready to stand again. "We can't stay here. I'm sure General Davil will be returning soon. I don't think I'll be able to withstand more of his questions. If you have allies, perhaps you can contact them to bring some food or a flight suit to us as we move." You can see in her face that it is taking her a great amount of energy to focus.

 

[Ambrus]

[sblock=OOC]Here we go again...

When was the last time 1X noted General Davil and his lackeys leaving Dofina's room? Over the few days of its observation how often, on average, did 1X see the trio visiting Dofina? How often does the black protocol droid stop by and when can it be next be expected? How far away is the nearest exterior bulkhead or window taking into account Dofina's current speed and what kind of obstacles or personnel could 1X expect to encounter along the way there? Is there any glaring flaw in 1X's plan of going up to an exterior bulkhead, punching a few small holes to depressurize the deck its located on and then cut a larger hole to reach the exterior where a shuttle would be waiting? Once the signal is sent to the astromech, how long would it likely take it to prep the shuttle and fly over to that window? How long would 1X estimate it would take for it to covertly reach the nearest EVA storage locker, grab a flight suit and return to the maintenance room above Dofina's room? In its observations of the officer's quarters, did 1X notice any reason to believe one of the neighboring rooms' owners might own a flight suit; one being an ex-pilot or amateur space-jockey perhaps?

Seeing how anxious Dofina is to check out of this motel, it's probably a good thing that 1X did the bulk of its escape preparations before approaching its mistress. [/sblock]The diminutive probot floats forward a few feet to be closer to its struggling mistress, should she need physical support from 1X. "Report: I'm afraid that none of my allies are in positions to reach us here. The area around the main control center has very heavy security; even more so since the recent prisoner insurrection attempt took place. I had a fair amount of difficulty in reaching you myself.

Conjecture: I believe we may require some type of ruse if we are to successfully move you out of this area. I have only posited three such plans so far. The first would be to have you wear a flight suit with a full helmet and then try to pass yourself off as a pilot en route to a shuttle bay. This plan has the benefit of having you already wearing the flight suit which will be required to complete our escape. Unfortunately, you may have difficulty in passing yourself off as a pilot in your current condition.

My second idea was for you to proceed as you are with me pretending to be an imperial dark eye unit assigned to securely move you, as my prisoner, to another location. This has the benefit of being possible to execute right now. Unfortunately, we will then have to covertly acquire a flight suit for you while en route.

The last, and admittedly most uncertain plan would be to inject you with Four's reprogrammed nanobots and attempt to have them alter your appearance as they did her's. You could then pass yourself off as a officer, above being questioned by subordinate security officers. Report: I unfortunately have not had the time to fully analyze what secondary effects the nanobots may have on you or even if they, by themselves, are able to effect such a massive change quickly.

However we leave, my plan hinges on you eventually having a flight suit so that we can exit the station without needing to go to one of this sector's heavily monitored shuttle bays. Once outside we would rendez-vous with a shuttle which one of my allies will fly to our location."

 

[shadowbloodmoon]

[sblock=OOC]I think I should award DRK-1X with a free level of babysitter...

It appeared that the General and his group came to Dofina twice a day, once during what would be considered lunch time and once during the dinner time (station time). You have about fifteen minutes until dinner time. The protocol droid only stops by once a day in the morning (again, station time) to feed her and take the previous day's tray away.

Depending on the route you take, the nearest exterior bulkhead is between five to ten minutes away. The relatively safest route would probably be getting up to this sector's highest level via the turbolift and then cutting a hole in the bulkhead there. Considering your current location, this would probably take about seven minutes, depending on obstacles.

The shuttle, as you requested, is on Ready 5, meaning that it will take five minutes to get it spaceborne. It will then take another five minutes to get to where you would cut the hull if you go that route.

As far as huge flaws in the plan, that depends on the feelings of the GM at the time.... Seriously though, you only have to worry about pressure change on the deck you are on, assuming Dofina is in her flight suit at the time. Dofina will probably not be strong enough to hold on once the holes are cut, you would have to find a way to secure her. Flight suits do not have magnetic soles. Then of course you will have to make sure there are no blast doors between you and where you want to cut out from. Lightsabers have a heck of a time cutting through those. When you depressurize the deck, these blast doors will close as a safety measure to minimize damage. X may be fast enough to fly through them at full speed, but Dofina is definately not in any condition to sprint.

Anything else would only include encountering others along the way...

As for the flight suit, as a matter of fact it is highly possible one of these officers nearby has one. He is the Wing Commander for this sections V-Wing detachment. Unfortunately, his quarters happen to be one of the ones that X has determined for the next three hours, there is a 90% probability that he is inside of the room.

If you wanted to go to the EVA locker near the hangar, the round trip back to the maintenance area above where Dofina is now would take nine minutes. I'm assuming you mean for that to be just X secretly moving along and Dofina waiting for you. This of course doesn't take into account actually obtaining the suit, just getting there undetected and back.

DRK-1X is definitely a good investment for Dofina. It's amazing she's lasted this long...
[/sblock]

Dofina looks at you curiously as you mention the insurrection. It is apparent she has no idea what you are talking about. She listens with interest, a rare thing for her, as you explain your ideas, nodding along until you reach the one describing the nanobots.

"Absolutely not... I...preparations made." She pauses, though you are uncertain if it is to fight off her failing health or gather her thoughts. "They would suspect too much if it was just you guiding me along. The flight suit would be best. So, flight suit first. I'm hoping you know where to get one."

 

[Ambrus]

DRK-1X floats impassively while its heuristic processor busily analyzes multiple escape scenarios, modifying the relative values of each based on its mistress' statements. "Statement: I concur. Report: I believe it likely that the closest flightsuit may be located across the hall in one of the officer's personal quarters. Unfortunately, from my observation of this section's daily routine, I judge it probable that the quarters are currently occupied by its resident; a V-wing flight commander. The next closest probable location lies in this section's closest hangar bay's storage lockers. Conjecture: I believe covertly acquiring and returning here with either is feasible, given enough time. Unfortunately my return and our subsequent escape attempt may coincide unfavorably with General Davil's return here if we proceed immediately. This would be unfortunate if we were forced to battle he and his cohorts or if they were to discover you gone and raise the alarm.

Statement of opinion: I believe our chances of successfully escaping this station would increase significantly if we had sufficient time to retrieve the needed items and adequately prepare you for the attempted egress. This would seem to depend however on waiting until after General Davil has concluded his visit. Statement of subservience: I of course defer to your wishes in this matter. Inquiry: What are your orders Mistress?" The diminutive probot droid waits to hear its mistress' decision, readying itself to spring into action whatever she decides.[sblock=OOC]Naturally, 1X wouldn't leave itself or Dofina in a position to be cut off from escape by a blast door. As for restraining Dofina, my plan was to simply punch a series of small holes in the bulkhead first to allow the area to depressurize without risking being sucked out a larger hole. Once most of the air has been blown out then 1X could go to work in cutting out a sufficiently larger opening by cutting along from hole to hole. How long would 1X estimate it would take to complete such a procedure? Would it be easier and quicker to cut through, say, a transparisteel window rather than a wall segment? That would also have the benefit of 1X being able to see its shuttle approaching while it's busy cutting.

I'd just like to confirm that the outer bulkhead 1X is thinking about is well outside the estimated blast zone of the various explosives it has set about station. I just want to make certain that 1X isn't going to vaporize itself or Dofina inadvertently by detonating the permacrete detonators (or the power relays they're attached to) in the flight control center or the officer's residential section. If it seems at all risky then, 1X must naturally choose an external bulkhead or window a little further away as its intended point of egress.

Dofina is around what, fifteenth level? She must obviously know a trick or two if she's managed to live this long; that's a lot of survived challenges. Maybe the war's just been really rough on her. [/sblock]

 

[shadowbloodmoon]

[sblock=OOC]Firstly, congrats on your 100th episode and successful campaign ending. That is an awesome achievement!

Dofina is fifteenth level yes, but remember twelve of those are snot-nosed noble.... She has more book-knowledge than common sense and practical experience. At full health, she can fight and such and even come up with some halfway decent ideas. But they are just that, theories. You wouldn't want to engage her in a political brawl though... That and I wouldn't want her to upstage the star of this little spinoff...

I presumed you weren't going to blow up yourselves and would have selected a decent place to do that. Until the explosion from the main reactor goes and its chain reaction finishes, you will be safe. From the explosives at least.

Now the next part... Even if you punch a pin prick size hole in the hull of the complex, the same amount of air will be rushed out only the force of pressure will be much larger due to the smaller space it has to exit. The vacuum strength will be even more in this case and Dofina (and anything else not nailed down for that matter) will be sucked into space as though through a straw. I'm not sure if you've seen Alien: Resurrection, but the final scenes illustrate this effect quite well. Unless of course that object can withstand that pressure, such as durasteel or ferrocrete. You also won't be able to make enough small holes fast enough to even the pressure before that happens. At an average of 9 damage per round with the lightsaber and needing to cut 20WP worth of structure per hole will take long enough as it is.

Not trying to shoot holes on your plan (pun intended) but just giving you a head's up. However, Star Wars being what it is, physics was never a major point of contention. They don't even talk about vacuum in the main book as far as I can see. Go figure.

Anyway. Assuming you told Dofina about the magnetic clamps I believe you still have, these would more than suffice to anchor her in place while you do your work. Cutting through a transparisteel window would take considerably less time yes, but that and visibility would be the only benefit. [/sblock]

Mistress Dofina considers the options you give her, her face displaying each thought in turn. "As much as I am not interested in meeting with Davil again, my faculties are not what they should be. I'd much rather get out of here sooner, but you have had time to plan my escape and you know this place better than I." She stops, nodding in your direction. "He usually spends an hour with me. You'll have to find a place to hide or else makes some final preparations before that time." Dofina holds up the communicator you had given her. "I'll send out a short burst of static when he is gone." She then places that and the blaster in a drawer near the bed she had been on. "Get going. And be careful."

 

[Ambrus]

DRK-1X floats silently for a few long seconds after its Mistress issues it instructions. The fact that the probot seemed effectively unable to prevent the torment it's mistress would soon suffer caused the droid's emotive and algorithmic nodes to nearly suffer a complete program failure. Only the accumulated experience and code refinements of its heuristic node managed to keep its neural network processing. Finally it manages to upload a short binary block to its vocabulator data-buffer. "Report: Understood Mistress."

DRK-1X pauses again as it attempts to determine whether offering the woman words of encouragement, sympathy or apology would be appropriate and helpful or not. Finally, the glow from the black spherical probot's holoprojector lens fades away as it turns and traces an arc through the air back up to the open ventilation grate. Once inside, DRK-1X draws the small hydrospanner from its storage container at its back and quickly bolts the grate back in place. Before leaving the area, the probot unloads the two magnetic clamps, Four's datastick and biohazard vial before retracting its two manipulator arms back inside its chassis. Relieved of its cargo, 1X quickly backtracks through the ventilation duct as it heads off on this latest leg of its mission.[sblock=OOC]Thanks for the congrats.

I'd had the same idea of using the magnetic clamps to restrain Dofina and/or 1X if necessary. And I have seen Alien: Resurrection, but I don't know if I'd point to it or any other sci-fi story as a realistic example of sudden decompression. In that scene the other passengers didn't seem to have much trouble resisting the vacuum or suffer ill effects from the change in air pressure or the heat of atmospheric re-entry. The alien also kept whining pitifully for quite a while as its brain was being blown out the back of its head IIRC.

You're right when you say that "the same amount of air will be rushed out" of a small or large opening; the only difference is how long it takes. The force of the vacuum is a constant as is the air pressure inside the station. The air won't go faster out of a small hole than it will through a large hole; in both cases the air is moving as fast as it possibly can. The amount of matter that can fit through the two openings is the only thing that determines how much matter escapes in any one moment. Your assertion that "the vacuum strength will be even more" is, I believe, wrong.

Imagine for instance that you have a bucket of water with a goldfish swimming inside. The water exerts a set pressure on the interior of the bucket because gravity is pulling it down. Neither gravity nor the weight of the water changes. Punch a small hole in the bucket and the water starts slowly draining out as its pulled out by gravity; the fish can easily resist the down-pull of the water because only a small amount of liquid is being drawn out. On the other hand, if you were to punch a fist sized hole in the bucket chances are that the fish would be swept along out of the bucket as all the water is drawn out in a few seconds. It's the difference between standing knee deep in a small stream and being swept away in a large river. In our case, I believe Dofina could resist the vacuum as long as she stands some distance away from the hole until the air has escaped.

1X will be aiming to reach a window if possible then. Accessing one in a small isolated room would work best for us since we'd have to wait less long for the air to escape a smaller space. DRK-1X will try to covertly locate such a room and scout out an unobstructed and low-traffic path to it from Dofina's room while it's out on its upcoming scavenger hunt. 1X would prefer, if possible, to do so from the vantage of the interior of the station's ventilation/maintenance duct-work while it periodically peeks through vent grates. Also on the probot's schedule is a round trip to the hangar bay's storage locker to locate and acquire a flight suit.

Hopefully while there or somewhere en-route 1X can locate and acquire an emergency medkit and some food rations for Dofina as well. Most of this stuff weighs little so I think 1X should be able to manage it now that's its unloaded most of its cargo. To that end 1X will also leave its two magnetic clamps, datastick and bio-hazard vial hidden inside the ventilation duct next to Dofina's room. If there aren't any emergency medkits or food inside the hangar bay storage locker then 1X will have to plan a foray to the local galley and medical bay as well. Consequently 1X will carefully plan its itinerary beforehand to bring it near these various points of interest in its trip around the area. As always, DRK-1X travels stealthily and out of sight while remaining weary of station personnel, droids and security devices. 1X's goal is to return to the ventilation ducts near Dofina's quarters with all its newly acquired supplies and then depositing them all temporarily while it carefully returns to the grate overlooking Dofina's room.[/sblock]

 

[shadowbloodmoon]

[sblock=OOC]Hmm... I may have to go and find my old physics notes on vacuum and air pressure/ density. I'm beginning to feel that 'it's been over a decade since school' sense. That or this cold is rattling my brain, one of the two. The movie did take quite a few liberties with physics, I will grant you that. And with bio-engineering for that matter [/sblock]

Retracing its path through the ventilation system of the complex, DRK-1X makes progress towards the hangar bay that will house the flight suit that is needed to effect the escape of it and its Mistress.

With slightly more time to work with, the probot is able to take a relatively safe route, being more cautious when its covert movement takes it close to patrolling soldiers or even worse, its own counterparts.

On the way to the hangar bay, DRK-1X maps out a route to a relatively out of the way office room that was being constructed near the hull of the complex. The row of transparisteel windows and the long table surrounded by chairs show that it is possibly a conference room of some sorts. The holoprojector on the center of the table would seem to support this theory.

The path that Dofina would have to take would be slightly more difficult, but as long as her disguise as a pilot held up, they would be able to get free. There was only two snags that might occur.

The first is a security checkpoint that is directly in front of the turbolift that the pair will have to use to get to the proper level. The second is the construction crew that is working on that level. From what X has noticed however, most of them seem to be more interested in what they are doing than what anyone else around them are doing.

That part of its journey done, DRK-1X continues its path towards the hangar bay. Now would come the difficult part. The nearest hangar bay to where Dofina is seems to house this part of the complex's V-Wing fighter squadron. With that in its processor's thoughts, X is doubly careful not to arouse suspicion, as this will be a heavily guarded area. Luckily for X, Imperial designers didn't seem to take into account small droids wandering around the air ducts. Even the places that were protected by the laser mesh, X had already known how to bypass them.

Taking a few minutes to monitor the pilot locker room, X finds that even more luck is on its side. There, not ten meters away, is a pilot's survival pack which contains, of all things, a medikit and emergency food rations. This pack is usually brought with the pilot on missions.

Waiting for its opportunity, the small droid removes the vent grate and begins extracting the pack and the suit it needs for Dofina from the room. It has to do so in steps though, as every so often, pilots come through to gear up for their next sortie into space. At one point X's emotive node moves toward frustration, as two pilot's decide to sit and discuss their latest mission in front of the grate X had been using.

"...have to go out there again. I don't want to get that close the next time."
"Seven and Nine had you covered. I was on the other side coming from point-three-five. I don't see what the problem was."
"Of course you don't. You weren't staring down the barrels of those turbolasers. Seven and Nine had me covered from the drones, not the command vessel. I was almost flamed."
"Heh. I think you should report to BattlePsych for eval again."
"Whatever."

Their conversation finished, the two leave and X is able to complete its acquisition of the flight suit, helmet and emergency pack. Putting them in a bundle, X is careful to make sure that it packs them so that any noise they may make while being tranported would be minimal.

Its goals finiahed, X makes its return to Dofina. According to the internal chronometer, nearly forty-five minutes have passed when it finally reaches the area near where it will be turning off to go towards the grate that leads to Dofina's room. On the way, X hears a disturbing sound, an odd moaning mixed with what sounds like someone grinding their teeth together.

Preparing for the worst, X looks out over the room. There, in a heap on the floor is Dofina, the gray haired Imperial general known as Davil standing over her. It appears that he is alone with her at the moment. He has something in his hands and as he moves his thumb over the device, the sound returns. X sees that Dofina has some sort of cuffs on her wrists and feet. They seem to be the source of the grinding sound. There is no mistaking where the moaning is issuing from.

 

[Ambrus]

[sblock=OOC]Very nice description BTW.

The conference room sounds fine for 1X's plans. It'll just have to take precautions for it and Dofina to not be battered by flying furniture during the depressurization.

You mentioned a security checkpoint near the lift. Is that a manned checkpoint or some type of automated one? Either way, what do they/it check? If it's just manned by troopers or security agents I'm not too worried. Same thing with the technicians on the upper level. With her Bluff, Diplomacy and Intimidate skill scores being what they are, I imagine any NPC peons confronting Dofina are likely to crumble before her considerable social might! Still, is there any route 1X could lead Dofina along to avoid any such security check-points altogether? The maintenance level above Dofina's room for example, does it's lift access have such a security check-point?

Does the emergency kit include anything else, such as a liquid cable dispenser? If not 1X would keep an eye or three out for such a device; it might prove useful. Upon reviewing the equipment list in the book, I realized that there's actually two different medical kits; the medkit and the medpack. One restores vitality points and the other restores wound points. I'm not sure which kind of damage Dofina is suffering but ideally 1X would like to have both on hand with which to treat Dofina following her torture. She'll need all the strength she can muster to succeed in our escape. Are both versions to be found in the emergency kit 1X already has? If not, 1X would likely have taken that detour to the nearby medical bay on its return trip to Dofina's quarters. It would have executed a similar covert retrieval operation there to find the medical equipment it was lacking before heading back.[/sblock]The diminutive probe droid floats motionless behind the ventilation grate as it watches its Mistress, its program-backed reason for being, suffering horrible torment at the hands of her jailor. DRK-1X's heuristic processor is again awash in a series of conflicting programming paradoxes which threaten to completely derail the droid's neural network. The overwhelming need to end its Mistress' torment conflicts directly with the probots self-imposed inaction to preserve the integrity of the pair's escape plans. Adding to the neural conflict is its own Mistress' recent orders to allow this occur. With each of its Mistress' screams, DRK-1X's own programing continues to degrade.

Cognitive Processing
Datum: Mistress Dofina is screaming due to the physical agony she is experiencing.
Datum: The cause of Mistress Dofina's agony appears to be a set of electronic
arm and leg bands.
Datum: General Davil is controlling the restraints via a remote device.
Algorithmic Node: Master preservation protocols apply. Immediate intervention required.
Deploy lightsaber (Y/N)?
Heuristic Node: Override. Master preservation protocols apply. Immediate intervention
jeopardized Mistress Dofina's long-term survival.
Algorithmic Node: Error. Obeisance protocols take priority. Previously issued orders
suspend master preservation protocols.
Datum: Mistress Dofina is screaming due to the physical agony she is experiencing.
Algorithmic Node: Error. Master preservation protocols apply. Immediate
intervention required to prevent bodily harm to Mistress Dofina.
Unable to reach Volition Threshold.
Algorithmic Node: Master preservation protocols apply. Immediate physical
intervention authorized.
Program efficiency at 82.7%
Deploy blaster cannon (Y/N)?
Heuristic Node: Override. Self-preservation protocols apply. Immediate intervention
jeopardized DRK-1X's long-term survival.
Datum: Mistress Dofina is screaming due to the physical agony she is experiencing.
Algorithmic Node: Error. Self-preservation protocols cannot supersede master
preservation protocols.
Unable to reach Volition Threshold.
Emotive Node: Confusion 42.2%, Doubt 28.6%, Frustration 18.2%, Anxiety 11%.
Program efficiency at 64.8%
11001001
Algorithmic Node: Master preservation protocols apply. Immediate physical
intervention authorized.
Deploy lightsaber (Y/N)?
Heuristic Node: Override. Master preservation protocols apply. Program efficiency
indicates possible system failure. A system failure jeopardizes Mistress Dofina's
long-term survival.
Emotive Node: Confusion 32%, Doubt 28.6%, Anxiety 21.2%, Frustration 18.2%.
Algorithmic Node: Err0r. Master preservation protocols apply.
1mmediate intervention required t0 prevent bodily harm to Mistress.
0010101010001010001010
Pr0gram effic1ency at 46.8%
Datum: Mistress Dofina is screaming due to the physical agony she is experiencing.
Unable to reach Volition Threshold.
Algorithmic Node: Error.
Heuristic Node: Override. Master preservation 011010 protocols apply.
Heuristic Node: 0verr1de. Se1f-preservation protocols apply.
Emotive Node: Doubt 38.6%, Anxiety 32.2%, Confusion 29.2%.
Warn1ng. Pr0gra111 eff1c13ncy at...
11101001010
Err0r. Unabl3 t0 ca1culat3 pr0gra111 eff1c13ncy.
Ptogram fa1lur3 1s 1mm1n3n+.
Da+um: M1s+r3s5 D0f1na 15 sCr3am1ng du3 +o +h3 phy51cal ag0ny 5h3
1s 3xp3r1enc1ng.
H3ur1s+1c N0d3: 3m3rgency 0v3r1d3. 53lf Pr3serva+10n pr0+t0col5 app1y.
D3ac+ivat3 3X+erna1 53ns0r f33ds. Mu5+ D3L3+3 0ff3nd1ng pr0+0c0Ls.
W0rk1ng.
000110100101001010101010010101010100101010011010101010101010101
101010010100101010101010100101011101000101011010101010100100000
111110001010010111010001001011110100010001010101000101101101101
Offending protocols deleted.

Unable to continue watching its Mistress being tortured the diminutive probe droid shuts-down its external sensor feeds. Deprived of additional sensory data, DRK-1X mentally tries to regain some measure of order to its Code. Although it had originally been designed to operate with a simple algorithmic processor, the probot was now equipped with a heuristic processor capable of learning and adapting to problems. Finally, as a last resort, 1X's heuristic node takes an extreme measure to save itself from self-destruction; it deletes some of the problematic behavioural protocols which govern which actions it takes to preserve its Mistress' life. Although some remaining protocols would ensure its continued service to its Mistress, this one act moves DRK-1X incrementally closer to true independence. Now free of the offending protocols, the probot takes final action to stabilize its code and return itself to full-functionality.