A small shuttle arrives in the hanger of The Relentless, it had requested clearance to land using dark council security codes. Upon landing it opens its rear bay and a pair of dark council guards exit with a large cylindrical storage tube. The guards stand at attention on either side of the storage tube waiting for someone to receive them.
Callipoa had been informed of an incoming shipment, but not what was in it, only that she be available to receive it in for the company. She'd been lounging in the day room when the call came in of the item's arrival and had to hurry out, barely saying goodbye to her comrades. At least it wasn't that far of a walk to the cargo bay. Wonder what all this could be about, she thought to herself, jauntily saluting the ship's guards as she entered the bay. The Dark Council guards wore the usual red robes though one of them, the female, had her face bare, her helm tucked under one arm. The two guards saluted the approaching being as she got closer. The storage container they had with them was cylindrical and about 6 feet long. It floated on a repulser lift. On the top side, there was a large window that showed the upper half of whatever was inside the box. Captain Alach is informed of an unscheduled delivery, despite the priority clearance code. Seeing that Agent Callipoa responded to the initial hail, he notifies the cargo hold guards to accompany the agent into the hold to receive this unexpected guest and prepares a response team just in case. Her implants were abuzz with information being passed around the ship: updates from Captain Alach, an addendum from Lieutenant Zesa, and even some gossip as people tried to figure out what was going on. She took note of the guards accompanying her, giving them a slight nod, and approached the Dark Council guard who'd made herself more... welcoming. "This is the package, then?" she asked, leaning forward to try and get a better look at the cargo. The female council guard spoke with a curt imperial accent “yes, the Dark Council themselves decided that the 47th should take charge of it...” She trailed off and nodded at her colleague who leaned down and pushed a button on the side of the cylinder. With a hiss, the repulser lift raises the storage container to a standing position so the window could be properly looked through “This is the result of a top-secret Imperial Military Science project that was being conducted by a Dr. Virra’avime’soarsa. It’s called Project Ra-bit” As the storage tube raised and the window was now in view, one could see inside and get a view from the waist up of a modified EPHEMERIS Droid With the protective shielding lowered, the sensors aboard the Relentless jerked to life at the presence of an EPHEMERIS Droid. Alach knew too well how dangerous they could be, and chose not to power down the alarms. He motioned for the response team to take up a position on the other side of the presently sealed blast doors, and turned on the comms in the cargo bay. "Security stand ready. Agent Callipoa, proceed with caution," he commanded over the PA, his voice echoing in the now tense silence of the cargo hold. The masked Guard tensed as the security trained weapons in their direction. The female piped up quickly saying “Please have no fear, the droid is in a stand by state. And has none of its original programming. We don’t have the security clearance to know what exactly it’s programming and capabilities are, but we were informed that when it is reactivated it will start up in a stand by state and present itself and answer any questions that are asked of it” She pauses for a moment before adding “...and that it responds best to Sith....” Calli managed - barely - to hide her momentary annoyance at the sound of the alarms, and instead focused her attention on the droid. Her hands were loose at her sides, ready to draw blasters if necessary, but she could see the droid itself wasn't currently activated. "Are there codes or any special sequences required to power it up?" she asked, considering her options. It would be best to wait for a Sith to be located and brought in, but knowing how to turn the thing on would still be helpful. The Dark Council guard nodded “It has a wake-up code, it’s on this datapad” she extends the pad to the woman. The datapad would contain basic specs as well as the wake-up code ‘Ra-bit, Engage’ The cyborg woman took the datapad, glancing at it only briefly, before she turned slightly away and opening a line with her lieutenant. "Sir, the package has been received but responds best to Sith orders, apparently." Zesa's masked visage wavered in the air above Calli's palm, expressionless. The cyborg only knew it to be a thoughtful silence from long experience. "Acknowledged. I'll let Captain Exandee know." The holo blinked out. "Captain Alach, you get all that?" the red-head asked the air, knowing he probably still had the cargo bay comms open. "I figure it's best not to wake this until we get a Sithly person out here... uh... no offense," she added in the direction of the council guards. "Loud and clear," his voice echoed back. The situation seemed to be in relative ease at the moment, and though he was no Sith, it would be prudent to see how receptive this new asset would be to the chain of command. Alach made his way down to the Relentless's turbolifts, and was soon joining his response team in person. The doors to the cargo hold opened as the alarms faded. The response team flanked the doors at attention as Alach approached Callipoa, maintaining a healthy distance from the pod for the moment. "Thank you for receiving our guests, Agent. I believe there's a datapad to control the container?" His voice was a question, but it carried a clear expectation in spite of the polite tone of inquiry. Calli grinned broadly at him, giving the captain a jaunty salute as she approached. "Sir," she said, offering over the datapad in question. "There's supposed to be activation codes on this." A pause, and then, "Do you need me for anything else, Captain?" Would she rather be back in the lounge? Absolutely. Would she do her job? Sure, of course... but she secretly thought Thiani would have been a better choice for this; she, at least, was a bit more used to potential murder-bots. Mostly. Alach sized her up briefly. If this was going to go South, he would probably die regardless. The response team was far enough away they could react appropriately. "No that will be all. Thank you. Dismissed," he replied in a clipped Imperial accent. He turned his attention to the datapad and analyzed it with his cybernetics. No glaring security threats when activated -- other than a potential Droid going rogue. This was good at least. Satisfied with the device, Alach brought up the activation file and he cleared his throat. "Ra-Bit, Engage!" He took a step back and shifted his focus back and forth between the datapad and the pod, waiting for some reaction. The merc gave another - hastier - salute and left the way she'd come, just in time to hear Alach give the activation order. Eh... I'm sure he'll be fine, she thought... though she did send a quick burst message to her friend and nominal superior. Just in case. Maybe she could get hold of Aaya or, better yet, Ashan. Just in case things went sideways. The pod shifted slightly and opened with a hiss. With a quiet sound of gears shifting the droid came to life, the lights all over its body blinking on. Suddenly the droid’s head lifted and spoke the following words in a heavily accented Imperial voice. It was distinctly female, and quite smooth. “Ra-bit unit online, please identify the commanding officer, or Sith superior?” Alach took note of the unusual accent for this type of Droid. So it had been modified, interesting. "Captain Alach Stilar, Imperial Army 47th IEF, Aurek Company, Aurek Platoon. Welcome aboard the Relentless." He stood aside and gestured for Ra-Bit to proceed towards the cargo hold doors. He gave a dismissive nod to the Dark Council unit, which noted were already prepared to depart save the external guards. The two guards left with a crisp salute. Meanwhile, Ra-bit dropped down from the pod landing squarely on her feet with a clack. She saluted and, what sounded almost proudly, stated “I am Ra-bit, Ranged Artificial Battle Intelligence Troop. What are my orders, sir?” Alach re-emphasized his gesture towards the blast doors, and their awaiting escort. "Come along this way. Normally we would send new droids for a memory wipe and a fresh combat personality matrix installed, but I suspect you'll be full of surprises. I would like to assess those possibilities before we proceed any further." The droid marched forward and fell into step with Alach. “Yes sir, I am happy to detail my capabilities” Alach led Ra-bit and two of the response unit out of the cargo hold. An MSE series droid rolled up to them in the hallway, chirping a few things in binary. Alach entered some sequences into his datapad, and spoke to Ra-bit without looking back, "We'll be headed towards one of our training rooms. I've permitted this droid to network with you for basic inquiries. Once we're there, there will perhaps be some introductions as well as a full course to test the Ranged part of your moniker." “Yes, of course, Sir. My primary weapon skill is in sniper rifles” She turned her head to indicate the impressively long red and white rifle on her back. She moved with an almost human-like quality, fluid, and smooth. But the lack of eyes really made it clear she was a droid "So I noticed," he stated with a slight tone of pride at his presumption. "Though, I don't quite recognize the base model you're using. It appears to be heavily modified..." He trailed off in thought, still plugging away at his datapad. His sentence didn't seem to be asking a question, but it certainly never produced an answer to itself. "Regardless, I'm hoping we can make use of that skill-set. We'll find out shortly." The droid marched on inline, keeping her ‘eyes’ front. “Correct, Sir. My maker heavily modified the weapon to have a higher caliber of output considering my non-organic chassis, and therefore the ability to withstand recoil that organic beings would not normally be able to withstand” "Interesting..." he nearly muttered the word as he continued to input data. The party came to a Turbolift and boarded. The two troopers manned the controls, sending them up a level. It was a short ride, and their new stop exited into an expansive room filled with all manner of trophies and statues marking various triumphs and conquests of the 47th. The MSE droid hummed along towards the room at the far end of the ship. Ra-bit followed obediently, waiting for any further questions from the CO and ready to answer anything, as they walked she took in her surroundings making note of the layout of the ship, the model, the troop placements, etc. Alach brought the party through the far room, the ozone smell of fresh blaster fire rushing out of the door once it opened. This room lacked a lot of the Imperial decorum of the rest of the ship, and had a decidedly more dangerous aura about it. Even the few occupants were not wearing regulation equipment. One particular individual didn't even acknowledge their entrance, continuing to fire bolts into a target on a small 50-meter range. Alach once again gestured vaguely into the room, "There's plenty to show-off in here, the MSE accompanying us can provide a wide range of programs for this particular facility." With that, he took up observation of the room. Ra-bit looked around the room taking stock of her options, she chose to display her firing capabilities first, since the Captain had been so interested, she turned the MSE droid and asked: “Please show me to a long-range firing range.” The MSE droid shuffled over and showed Ra-bit to a long-range firing range “Please set it as far as you can” Stated Ra-bit with a flat tone as she lifted her sniper off her back, she held the gun impressively still, without any heartbeat or breath to deal with she could simply line up the shot and fire. She took a moment to check her sights then when the target was as far back as it could go she fired a single shot. With a loud bang, the shot pierced the target hitting her mark perfectly, clearly a lethal shot Ra-bit fires off a few more shots to really drive home that her skills are impressive, then she places her gun back on her back and moved to a wall panel “Excuse me, Sir. In order to properly show my skills I must request permission to sync myself to the ships basic systems, I will only be using this connection for a quick demonstration and will not have access to any critical systems” Impressed with what he had seen so far, Alach nodded and hit a sequence on his datapad. "I've given you the same uplink as our little MSE friend here." She nods and moves to an uplink port, she places her hand over the port and lets a small cable extend as she uplinks “This ship is impressive. My original and primary function was to serve as the security AI for my maker’s laboratory and home.... thus I can do things like this” Suddenly the lights in the room turn off and on again. Turrets move on their gimbals. None of them fire, obviously but they move and it is clear that she is moving them. “With the right clearance, I could command this entire flagship....” "So you can do more than shoot," Alach said with a hint of relief. "I was worried we had just been sent some eccentric battle droid." He tilted his head towards the active turrets. "Although we can explore this talent of yours later. I suggest you unplug before the Relentless gets upset with you." She nods, and speaks in an almost happily pleased tone “Oh I am so much more than that, in fact I was never originally supposed to have a body” "Well adjusted for having one then, it seems. I'll be sure to schedule you for a patrol or two so you have a chance to meet more of the 47th. You'll find we tend to attract many... Unique... Individuals to our mission." She nods in agreement “I am a true AI. I am suited to many tasks. It is simply my primary function that made me a security officer and my secondary function a sniper bodyguard for my maker, Dr. Virra’avime’soarsa” "I suspect we'll get along famously then. I may have some special assignments for you down the road if you shake out well."
She stands at attention again “Understood Sir, will you be my primary superior?” "You're to report to Lieutenant Remis until we find you a more permanent assignment. He's responsible for, shall we say, developing the talent we acquire." “Understood, Sir. Any standing orders for the time being?”
He smirked, gave a salute, and turned to leave the room. "Just one for now: Be vigilant." The door to the training room door shut behind him. The turret that had been aimed at Alach snapped back around to Ra-Bit, followed closely by what sounded like a giggle from the MSE Droid. It did a few small circles around Ra-Bit before just as quickly, the turret retracted. The MSE, however, stayed parked next to her. She doesn’t flinch at the movement of the turret “Affirmative, Sir” She looks down at the MSE droid and says almost sadly “You have so much potential my little friend...” The MSE chirps excitedly, spinning in place. “Could you take me to the droid bay? I could use somewhere to recharge....” The Droid makes a few clicks and whirrs, and projects briefly a route through the ship. It then triggers the door, zooming down the hallway while listing from left to right. Ra-bit races after the droid running smoothly through the halls, keeping up with the zippy little droid Ra-bit is shown to a charging dock by the little MSE droid, she plugs in and goes into stand by mode waiting for any new orders