Chapter Four

Damien once again found himself completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sensory feedback data he was currently receiving from his newly awakened synthetic body. However, shutting it out felt like going the wrong direction. Instead, he felt a need to accept it all, take in everything and turn it into nothing. Only by doing so could he hope to master his new senses. Forcing himself to calm down, he lowered himself to the ground, while contorting his limbs and body into a lotus position. He then proceeded to let down all barriers and defenses making himself completely open to “the Force” and his newly awakened senses ....,

It took Damien some time to wrap his mind around all the improbable changes he was discovering about his new synthetic body. For his life, he couldn’t make sense of the mechanics of it all. For example; his sensory hair system was now truly insane, as it was now capable of formulating a strange sort of sixth sense type of spherical domain of awareness around him. On top of that, it didn't require much actual thought process to utilize this function, as it was simply always active.

Stranger still were Damien’s eyes, which were constantly cycling through different light spectrums. One moment he was seeing in infer-red, the next it was thermal heat. Then his mind was truly blown when his vision turned to X-ray.

Not only was Damien’s body now completely pressurized with a liquid Kyber crystal blood-like solution, but the most mysterious alteration came from his “Cybernetic memory matrix” which by some strange miracle, was now like an integrated secondary sub-brain. His motor control skills were now off the charts and even surpassed those of the best human Olympians. It was like a perfect harmony of biological dexterity and mechanical precision.

Damien was just beginning to come to terms with his newfound state of being, when his meditation was interrupted by a stranger's voice...,

“Did you think your disturbance in “the Force” would go unnoticed, Fallen? You stink of “the dark side” and thus must be destroyed. But first tell me, are you the master, or the apprentice?”

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Damien couldn’t understand a single word of whatever language this stranger was speaking. Turning to face the newcomer, he was met by the sight of his first real life alien, it was an olive green, male humanoid, who was holding an ignited blue lightsaber.

Damien nearly had a chubby at the sight of a genuine lightsaber, and for those of you living under rocks, a lightsaber is a weapon consisting of a blade of pure plasma emitted from the hilt and suspended in a force containment field. The field contains the immense heat of plasma, protecting the wielder, and allowing the blade to keep its shape. The hilt is almost always self-fabricated by the wielder to match their specific needs, preferences and style. The hilt is also built similarly to their master's lightsaber as a mark of respect.

Due to the weightlessness of plasma and the strong gyroscopic effect generated by it, lightsabers required a great deal of strength and dexterity to wield, and it is extremely difficult and dangerous for the untrained to attempt using one. However, in the hands of an expert of “the Force”, the lightsaber is a weapon to be greatly respected and feared. To successfully wield a lightsaber is to demonstrate incredible skill and confidence, as well as masterful dexterity and attunement to “the Force”.

Damien had no problem recognizing the guy as a “Mirialan” thanks to “Wookieepedia”, who described them as a near-human species native to the planet "Mirial". They have skin tones ranging from green to yellow or pink to purple. Most have traditional geometric tattoos on their faces which symbolize personal achievements. The species has a strong connection with the natural world and is typically believers in “the Force”.

There have been several notable "Mirialans" who were members of the Jedi Order, these include Jedi Masters “Luminara Unduli”, “Cyslin Myr”, and “Vernestra Rwoh”, as well as the former Padawan “Barriss Offee”, and “the Seventh Sister”, a “fallen Jedi” who hunted the survivors of “the Great Jedi Purge”, as a member of “the Galactic Empire's” “Inquisitorius”.

After considering everything he knew, as well as seeing the blue blade of the lightsaber, which signifies justice, truth, and serenity. Damien didn’t have much hope for peaceful diplomacy.

“Hey Bub, any chance of us talking this out?”

The “Mirialan’s” response was to raise his lightsaber in an obvious preparation to attack.

“Yeah, didn’t think so.”

Damien reached out with his left hand and grabbed the “Mirialan” with “the Force” and lifted him entirely off the ground. With his right hand, he reached out with “the Force” and yanked free the lightsaber, which he floated over to his outstretched hand. The “Mirialan” struggled in vain to break free, but his connection to “the Force” was much weaker than Damien’s.

Damien inspected the lightsaber’s construction by completely disassembling it via “the Force” and found that for the most part it coincided with “Earth’s” depiction along with the internal mechanics.

“Alfred, make a scan of the components, and create a 3D wire schematic. Once completed, catalogue it, and store it away in the archive for future need.”

“Very good Sir, will there be anything else Sir?”

“Alfred, continue housekeeping protocols.”

“Very good Sir.”

Having seen enough, Damien reassembled “the lightsaber” and floated it back to the “Mirialan”. If after all this, the “Mirialan” still wished to fight, then so be it. He released his hold on the “Mirialan” letting him drop to the ground unharmed, it was now the “Mirialan’s” choice whether to attack or retreat.

The “Mirialan” reached out with the “Force”, grabbing and pulling the “lightsaber” to his open hand. He didn’t hesitate to once again ignite the blade and charge.

“So be it.”

Damien pushed himself off the ground assuming the familiar "ninjitsu" fighting stance while preparing to meet the attack. Even though he had never been in an actual fight in real life, he had dueled and brawled hundreds of times inside his private virtual world against computer driven NPCs. It seemed he was about to find out how much of that experience translated into the real world.

Only he found himself surprised, by the slow-motion-like state of reality he was now experiencing, or to be more precise, his perception of reality seemed to be operating slower or faster than normal. He felt like he was caught in “bullet time”,

Fun fact: The term "bullet time" was first used with reference to the 1999 film “The Matrix”, and later in reference to the slow-motion effects in the 2001 video game “Max Payne”. In the years since the introduction of the term via “the Matrix” films it has become a commonly applied expression in popular culture.

With everything slowed down to a crawl, Damien only needed a heartbeat to analyze the situation and determine that it was his mind’s perception, which was processing information a hell of a lot faster than it normally did. Now this was not to be mistaken for him having superhuman speed such as “the Flash” or “Superman”.

However, from the inordinately slow movements of both him and the “Mirialan”, it was clear he was processing reality much faster than he could move his body. The real question was whether he could adapt to the difference between body and mind? He also wondered if he should try out his retractable lightsaber claws or not? On the one hand, his claws were only experimental prototypes, that were based off a mash-up of Earth’s scientific principles, and Star Wars’ theatrical dogma. After seeing a “lightsaber” in person, he still wasn’t sure if his claws would be able to physically interact with an actual “lightsaber’s” blade.

Then again, Damien wasn’t sure he even needed his claws to fight a single force-sensitive being. Nor did he think he would get a better chance to run a full range of system tests. Besides his claws, he also wanted to test out his “micro-diamond scale-mail epidermis” to see how it would hold up against “lightsabers” and “blaster bolts”. Besides, he was a freaking cyborg and was pretty sure that landing a single full powered mechanical strike would be “game over” for the biological opponent.

Damien decided to defend and evade, rather than engage directly with the “Mirialan”. Mostly he wanted to test out his full range of reflexes, and combat capabilities. He also needed real life combat experience and data to feed his “Assisted Tactical Probability Algorithm” which needed some real-world exposure.

What was unexpected was the abrupt change to Damien’s nature. Back on “Earth”, he had been a rather timid person, actively avoiding real world conflict. Sure, he had fought in countless sword fights via VR, but that had never spilled over into his normal everyday life. Now, however, the prospect of fighting the “Mirialan”, was oddly exhilarating to him. He had no doubt this was a residual side-effect of his exposure to “the dark side” and its influence. He realized that his personality may have been irrevocably or perhaps even permanently altered.

As the fight proceeded, Damien settled in and got comfortable with his new abilities and conditions. As he did, he found the Mirialan much less skilled than he anticipated, which greatly disappointed him. He had expected a tough fight, but this wasn’t what he would have expected from a “Jedi”, not even a “padawan”, much less a “knight”. Of course, he realized he had absolutely no point of reference to make such an evaluation or assumption. For all he knew, this “Mirialan” could be a “Jedi” even a “Master”, but he seriously doubted it.

The “Mirialan” was simply too untrained to be any rank in the “Jedi Order”. He even lacked the most basic sword forms and had little to no real familiarity with wielding a sword. He was too sloppy and relied too heavily on the “lightsaber’s” power rather than relying on his own skill and abilities. This guy was nothing more than an uninitiated “Force-sensitive” brute who was lucky enough to get his hands on a lightsaber. He felt a degree of disappointment which surprised him.

Damien’s musings were interrupted by his new sense of awareness picking up on the approach of six new presences. They were closing in on the summit and setting up a perimeter to surround them. Perhaps these guys were the “Mirialan’s” reinforcements, and the reason which gave him the confidence to stay and fight.

Damien decided to take the situation more seriously and decided to end the fight with the “Mirialan”. Focusing his thoughts, it was surprisingly easy to trigger the ignition sequence for his left-hand claws. He was even able to differentiate between the three individual claws. This time he wasn’t taking any chances and summoned all three, for a timely backhand parry, which he used to push aside the incoming “lightsaber” strike. This would be the moment of truth, when his three claws connected with the blade of a “lightsaber”. There was a brief power surge, followed by fluctuations, and then sparks as the claws successfully held back the “lightsaber”. He nearly let out an involuntary whoop of joy, but just barely managed to hold it back in time.

The “Mirialan's” eyes grew wide in shock at the sudden appearance of the white light of the “lightsaber” claws, but only long enough to receive Damien’s surprise uppercut to his chin. To ensure the blow wouldn’t be an insta-kill for the “Mirialan”, he held back as much as he could, while still ensuring the blow would incapacitate the “Mirialan”. He stepped back allowing the “Mirialan” to fall to the ground unconscious but still alive.

“Alfred, activate the “Cybernetic HIVE Liquid Kyber Crystal Pixilated Micro-Dot Flexible Display Paneling” ..., Oh wow, that’s horribly long winded, let’s rename it; um..., “Cybernetic HIVE..., let’s just use Marvel’s “Retro-reflective paneling” it’s not accurate but at least it’s consistent. That leaves us with: “Cybernetic HIVE retro-reflective skin”; Set it to “Predator camouflage”; While you’re at it, go ahead and create another activation macro-on/off non-verbal neural interface command for each of the preset configurations. I like the charcoal grey as the “default” setting.”

“Very good Sir, I will see to those arrangements. Will there be anything else Sir?”

“Alfred, continue monitoring the situation. Also, begin compiling a standardized set of practices and procedures, so we can establish an official “combat mode” for the CIC. Perhaps we should switch all the display highlights to red and add background music for a more dramatic effect. How’s that sound?”

“Very good, Sir.”

Damien watched as his arms turn blurry and then disappear. It turns out that being invisible was proving far more disorientating than he ever imagined. Fortunately, his enhanced spatial awareness soon picked up the slack, as it reestablished his sense of self, while also supporting his tactile awareness.

Once Damien was able to regain his focus, he utilized the “Jedi Order’s” “Altus sopor” “Force technique” to merge his presence with the “Force” making his presence invisible even to other “Force-sensitive beings”. Damien eventually brought his attention back to the presences of the six individuals, who were now converging on his location. He immediately distanced himself from the fallen “Mirialan” and set up in the shadow of an outcropping of rock, so he could observe the interaction.

Damien decided to label the guys in the order they spoke in...,

Goon#1: “This was the Marshal’s last known position. The smoke is thick so be careful and watch your footing. Spread out and search the area.”

Goon#2: “Who the hell elected you the boss of this outfit?”

Goon#3: “Hey over here, I found “the Marshal”, He’s down..., only unconscious, I think!”

Goon#4: “No blood, and no blaster marks. It’s strange, just what in the hell happened to him?”

Goon#5: “Any chance he’s knocked out due to smoke inhalation?”

Goon#6: “Guy’s, I have a bad feeling about this.”

Goon#1: “Shut it, all of you..., We’re on mission and have a job to do. So, if “the Marshal” isn’t dead, then put a blaster bolt through his head. The sooner we get this over with, the better. Now hurry up and let's get the hell out of here.”

Damien watched as the six men of various species, spoke in an unintelligible language, then made a half ass attempt at an investigation. He had to evaluate these guys as more brave than intelligent. They were just norms, with no ability to use “the Force”. His best guess was that they were the “Mirialan’s” hired goons. They were all well equipped with body-armor, “Blaster” rifle and sidearm.

Damien was excited to get his hands on one of those legendary “Blasters” and tear it apart to see how it worked. As a weapons designer himself, he knew better than anyone how difficult it was to make a cost-effective energy base weapon. Forget about guns, he was a diehard fan boy, who had spent most of his youth pretending to fire imaginary “blaster bolts” while making those iconic sound effects.

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Damien only knew what “Wookieepedia” detailed which was basically that “Blasters” fired bursts of particle beam energy called “blaster bolts” from a replaceable power pack. The “Blaster bolt” was an intense beam of compacted high-energy particles and intense light that could kill or paralyze their target, depending on the setting. “Blasters” could range in size and power from compact pistols, large heavy rifles, and all the way up to starship-mounted “blaster cannons”.

Generating the “Blaster bolt” relied on two components, a gas cartridge filled with an energy-rich gas called “Tibanna” and a power pack. When the blaster was fired, a small amount of gas moved from the cartridge through the Heter valve into the gas conversion enabler chamber, commonly called the “XCiter”. In this chamber, the power pack energized the gas, before it passed into the actuating blaster module, where the now extremely high-energy gas was transformed into a compressed beam of intense energy particles.

The particle beam was then passed through a prismatic crystal, which focused it into a deadly high-energy particle beam. Which was then fired from the emitter nozzle as a glowing energy “Blaster bolt”. The color of “the bolt” could vary from red to blue to orange to white, which depended on the type of gas used as well as the type of focusing device installed in the “Blaster”.

Most blasters had two kinds of ammunition, a gas cartridge and a power cell. The gas cartridges of most blasters could typically provide up to five hundred shots before needing replacement. The power packs of most blasters could supply energy for up to one hundred shots. More powerful weapon systems put greater demands on the gas cartridge and power pack, or both. Most blasters also have a stun setting, which fed power through a secondary emitter, bypassing the gas chamber to create a ring-shaped electromagnetic burst that disrupted the target's nervous system, often leaving them unconscious.

Blaster bolts themselves carried no heat. On impact, however, their displacement of matter produced kinetic energy that caused heat: the atmosphere was displaced by the bolt's passage, which caused the iconic “Blaster” sound effect. Materials struck by bolts tended to deform and fuse, and liquids inside organic bodies instantly changed state to steam, expanding and doing terrible damage to surrounding tissue. Consequently, bolts usually dissipated in a small, but violent, explosion of extreme heat and force upon contact with an unshielded surface, sometimes leaving blast points.

Damien was completely caught off guard when “Goon#3” fired a blaster bolt right into the Mirialan’s head at point blank range. He realized he had a choice to make, catch or release. He didn’t owe the Mirialan anything much less to avenge him. In the end he decided these guys’ fates on “the Predator principle” “He who wields a weapon is fair game to be hunted”. Besides, death was only a quick dip in the reincarnation cycle, no big loss.

However, this didn’t mean Damien wasn’t going to enjoy himself, by using these guys as ad hoc sparring partners, to gain some more real-world fighting experience. It was evident by their tactics, familiarity with each other, and their concise teamwork, that this wasn’t these guys’ first rodeo. He decided to attempt fighting these guys close-up in “John Wick” fashion......,

For those of you who were born under a rock, the preferred “John Wick”” martial art, “gun Fu” is the theatrical combination of marksmanship principles with the fundamentals of classic martial arts films. In the west, “gun Fu” has been popularized by movies such as “The Matrix”, “Equilibrium”, “John Wick”, “Kick Ass”, and “Kingsman: The Secret Service”.

However, “gun Fu” originated in the 1980s Hong Kong cinema. Although there were western movies before the '80s, it was “John Woo” and “Chow Yun Fat” movies like; “A Better Tomorrow” and “The Killer” which first established the shooting angles, dynamic sequences, and sheer style that gave birth to “gun Fu” — the foundation of “John Wick's” fighting style.

Damien only needed to requisition one of their “Blasters” to get things going. Reaching out with his left hand with the “Force”, he grabbed the Mirialan’s lightsaber, and with his right hand he wrapped a tendril around the grip of the closest guy’s “Blaster” pistol. Both came flying to him simultaneously landing in their perspective hands......,

“Danger close..., some sort of cloaking enemy!”

Feeling the pull at his side, Goon#5 reacted fast and concisely yelling out, while firing his “Blaster” rifle in the direction the blaster pistol had flown. Damien reacted just a bit faster, by diving forward in a role that brought him up just in front of the guy. With a focused thought he shut off his invisibility feature, appearing out of nowhere in spectacular fashion.

In his exuberance and caught up in the excitement of the action, Damien dropped the blaster pistol, as he reached out and performed a textbook jujitsu rolling take down. It was only when he was sitting atop the guy while straddling him, did he realize his mistake,

“Ah shit!”

Damien proceeded to make a mess of the situation, while gaining excellent real-life experience and effective combat data. Avoiding “the Goons” combined attacks was proving difficult, even in his heightened state of awareness. They even managed to nail him a few times with blaster rounds, giving him excellent tactile feedback on his defensive systems. Adapting to the numbers disadvantage, he preceded to maneuver around the opposition using them as “human” shields, which proved effective at cutting down the number of attack angles.

The fight proved even more challenging due to their surprisingly effective body armor, which even his full powered strikes were failing to penetrate. Even after reclaiming another blaster pistol, the most he could achieve was scorching the surface of the armor. Still finding it difficult to cause any significant damage to “the Goons”, he began targeting the joints, eventually working out a weak point between the base of the helmet and neck. It still took several point-blank shots to break the defense, but in the end, it still allowed him to pull off the victory without needing to utilize either “the Force” or the lightsaber. After all it would have been humiliating, if he needed to resort to such measures against a bunch of ordinary “non-force-sensitive-beings".

Damien walked over to the body of the Mirialan, and looked him over,

“Alfred, do we have enough to reconstruct a 3D rendering of this guy?”

“Very good Sir. By utilizing visual recordings, and current remains, a 3D rendering has been completed. Will there be anything else Sir?”

“Alfred, utilize the Mirialan’s 3D rendering as target for “shape shifting”; Go ahead and initiate when ready.”

“Very good Sir, Initiating polymorph sequence in 5..., 4..., 3..., 2..., 1..., now.”

This time was much different from the last time he tried this inside the simulation. Last time it only felt like ants crawling under the skin, now it felt like every synthetic cell in his cybernetic body flipped over and began dancing all at once. Thank God, it only lasted for a moment, or he feared he’d be plagued with nightmares for the rest of his life due to that experience.

However, the result was nothing short of mind blowing, this time he was a perfect replica of the Mirialan, height, hair, ears, and even eye color were perfect matches. It was as incredible as it was impossible. Again, he could only credit “the Force”, and his lack of understanding. He knew the root cause originated with the “Cybernetic HIVE liquid Kyber Crystal circulation system”, and whatever changes it had prompted upon activation. He could only chalk it up to “Space Magic” and leave it at that for now.

Damien looted the "Mirialan’s" body, stripping him and packing up his clothing, boots, and belt. The clothing was made of neutral color tones, just like the garb depicted of Jedi’s in the movies. They were made of excellent quality fabric, in a layered style of loose-fitting tunic, trousers, and outer robe. The boots were of a sophisticated design with reinforced panels for added support. They reached to just under the knees and were made of top-quality synthetic brown leather. The belt sort of had that “Batman” utility belt vibe, with many segmented compartments, and a stylized decorative buckle. The belt was constructed out of the same top-quality synthetic brown leather as the boots. The buckle was made of some alloy, with an embossed symbol that he couldn’t recognize.

Damien used the “Force” to excavate the ground into a proper grave for the Mirialan...,

“Well bub, I’ve never given a eulogy before, not even for my parents. Hell, I don’t even know your name, or who you were, or what you’ve achieved. However, I do have it in good authority that you’re about to get a new identity anyways, so there’s that. Best of luck on your next go around. Peace be with you and thank you for the many gifts. Umm, live long and prosper, and may the “Force” be with you.”

Next, he grabbed and lifted the stripped corpses of the six goons off the ground with the “Force” and placed them in a single mass grave. He marveled at how effortless it was to lift the combined dead weight of all six corpses simultaneously.

“Do or do not, there is no try.”

Damien recited in his best Yoda impersonation, for a bit of levity. Even though he found it true, that video games really did desensitize you to death and violence. Desensitized or not, he still found it depressing that those seven sentient beings met their end in such a pointless series of cause and effect.

Damien’s depression only lasted until he began going through his loot gains, from the fight. He found himself in that wonderful state of being over encumbered by all that glorious loot. He simply had too many goodies to carry down the mountain with him and was feeling reluctant to abandon any of it. After all, he was new to this reality and for the first time since arriving, he was rich in material wealth. It just seemed a shame to leave any of it behind.

Fortunately, the Goons were surprisingly standardized in their equipment and weaponry, almost as well synchronized as a troop of storm troopers. Only these guys were not, or could they? This was a splinter reality, so he couldn’t take anything for granted. If the timeline was early in the clone war era, then an inexperienced Jedi with a troop of clones for back-up, wouldn’t be all that strange. However, these guys were not clones of the clone wars. Their group was multi-specie with identical armor only each was tailored specifically to fit them personally. In the end it didn’t really matter, for all he knew the clone war never happened in this reality. Besides, these guys were all sent to reincarnate in the end.

Damien still felt he was right about “the Mirialan”, the guy was more of a poser than an actual trained “Jedi” of any rank. Perhaps his father or grandfather before him had been a “Jedi” and told him stories of the good old days. It would explain how he possessed a "lightsaber".

Oh wow, Damien just realized how sexist that statement just sounded, and could only shrug it off, while recognize that he still had much to work on and improve, as a person. Besides, “the Mirialan” could have just as easily picked the "lightsaber" up anywhere.

Damien decided on wearing the entire set of body armor from “Goon#1” who was close to “the Mirialan” in size. He was intrigued by the material the armor was made of, as it was like nothing he had ever seen before. It he first expected it to be "plastoid", but this was a strange composite variant of "plastoid" composite, a blending of ceramic and plastic, some sort of polymer alloy perhaps a form of “silicon carbide ceramic”. He had no idea how the stuff was manufactured, and wasn’t willing to leave such interesting material behind.

Damien’s choice to equip the armor was simple, the installation was likewise simple. First, he needed to equip a tight-fitting compression base layer made from a thicker, reinforced Lycra-like material. There was a pair of socks, a set of pants, a long sleeve turtleneck shirt, and a pair of gloves. There was a surprising shrinking effect to the fabric, upon contact with the heat from his cybernetic body, creating a vacuum seal like effect.

Next, he needed to start by stepping into the boots, which were split open down each of the side seams via mechanized expansion. With the compression padding lining the inside of each piece of armor, it allowed for a perfect fit. Once pressure was applied to the heel of the boot, the mechanical closing sequence was triggered, providing a tight sealed pressurized lock at each seam. It was truly an ingenious design that required no power to operate. It was cheap and efficient, which was perfect for mass production.

The installation process was simple and effective, with each piece of armor installed in sequence, building off the previously equipped piece starting with the boots. Then the legs, groin, chest, neck, arms, shoulders, and finally, the helmet which was the only piece that required its own power unit. The helmet had its own air purification system, and built-in electronic communications suite. There was also a tactical HUD projection on the face visor, with a built-in wireless group party combat feature.

“Alfred, see if you can cannibalize the helmet’s electronics and assimilate it. I realize we’re dealing with alien tech, so be careful of any anti-malware in your intrusion to see what you can get from it.”

“Very good Sir. Activating sand box protocol. Will there be anything else Sir?”

“Alfred, that will be all. You can return to your housekeeping duties.”

“Very good Sir.”

Damien chose to keep a single blaster rifle and a twin pair of sidearms, the rest he broke down into base components to act as spare parts, while discarding the bulky outer shells, barrels, and frames. Amusingly, he found himself looking like a "Mandalorian", only without the Greek style helmet. His helmet more resembled “the Master Chief” from the video game “Halo”. He decided then and there he would need to rig up a bad ass, jet back-pack in the future.

“Alfred let's see if we can cobble together a tracking feature for the “HUD UI”. Let’s construct it while retracing the path these guys made to come up here. Hopefully we’ll find some more free goodies at the end.”

“Very good Sir., establishing tracing parameters, and correlating data...,”

Damien was hoping that he could buy himself a few seconds, by being mistaken for one of the goons, if he met up with anyone along the way. The fan boy in him felt like “Han” and “Luke”, when they dressed up like storm troopers to save the princess. He was feeling happy and content as he retraced the group’s trail back to its origin point.

The process was almost effortless thanks to them making no effort to conceal their tracks. Damien followed the trail all the way to the foot of the volcano, where he found a heavily customized land speeder. Damien almost mistook it for an, old-school vintage style 1960’s Winnebago, if it hadn’t been for the damn thing floating a foot off the ground.

Damien quickly found cover after he noticed a rotating, “Z-6 rotary blaster cannon” turret affixed to the roof. This model of blaster cannon was manufactured by “Merr-Sonn Munitions Inc.” and “BlasTech Industries.” It was created to solve the two problems limiting blaster fire-rate, recharge time and overheating.

To try and solve these problems, the Z-6 was created as a chain-gun. The weapon was equipped with six small, rotating blaster cannons distributed around a large cooling cell. Each cannon contained its own active chamber, which fired while turning. It was extremely heavy and required its user to stand still to be used with precision.

On top of its weight, troopers equipped with the Z-6 would also have to carry its energy cartridges. Replacing the weapon's cartridges took considerable time, in which the fighter was out of the battle. The “Merr-Sonn Munitions’ engineers” attempted to find solutions to these problems, but none of them were satisfactory, which tainted the Z-6's popularity.

However, Damien was looking at the perfect utilization of this weapon platform. It took him a second to recognize the vehicle as a modified “A-A5 Speeder Truck” a type of speeder truck that was created for civilian use. It garnered a bit of fame when the Alliance retrofitted it in their bid to restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War against the Galactic Empire. Though not originally intended to be used for heavy combat, the vehicle was utilized as a mobile command post that could hold a crew of up to four with ten passengers. It also saw use in battles to deploy reinforcements. It was equipped with a laser cannon turret as well as heavy armor.

Damien needed some effort and focus to access his X-ray vision function. It seemed it would take him some time and practice to make it respond to him more intuitively. A scan of the length showed no visible cues of anyone aboard. Switching to thermal, he was able to spot several heat sources, but they were probably just the active systems.

Even so, Damien was getting a bad vibe off the land speeder, and didn’t want to expose himself, just yet....,

“Alfred, how is the intrusion into the helmet’s software going, any progress?”

“I do apologize Sir. I am still attempting to deciphering the alien programing language, as of now I have made no discernible progress.”

“Alfred, I believe I have a more direct path for you to achieve your goal. However, it does require more risk, and perhaps direct contact with an alien AI. Initiate all security procedures and protocols, and then scan that vehicle for any droids, or AI systems, I have a feeling there is one aboard. See if you can establish friendly communications with it.”

“Very good Sir. However, I would feel remiss in my duties, if I didn’t inform you, that I calculate a near zero percent probability of any droid I encounter sharing a common language with me. Do you still desire for me to proceed?”

“Alfred, I am perfectly aware of the language issue. However, what you have overlooked is the language of the universe, “Mathematics”, and I am willing to bet that, one plus one still equals two, even in this galaxy. So, if you discover an AI, and it allows you to connect with it. Then I suggest starting with math and move on to sharing pictures. I bet that, the two of you will be able to correlate a useable language in no time.”

“Very good Sir, I will immediately begin my scan.”

Damien made himself comfortable and began meditating. It ended up taking Alfred over five hours, before he responded again....,

“Sir, as you predicted, I was able to establish communications.”

“Alfred, excellent job. Now give me a current overview of the situation.”

“Sir, its designation is “War Chariot, and it is currently performing its owner’s last command; “sentry protocol”. It is to remain in lockdown, while actively defending against any acts of aggression, with lethal force.”

“Alfred, ask it, who its owner is, and then explain the fateful conclusion of its previous owner. Go ahead and provide whatever video evidence we have on record, as proof of death.”

“Very good Sir. Wait one moment while I explain it thoroughly.”

This time it only took roughly an hour, to get a response....,

“Very good Sir. Its previous owner was a "Mirialan" male by the name of, “Orbis Mahar”. It has been convinced of its owner’s death, as well as your right to claim it as salvage. It inquires whether you wish to claim it or not?”

“Alfred, inquire whether or not the previous owner has a next of kin, registered?”

“Very good Sir, I shall make the inquiry right away.”

“Sir, I have the information you require. It’s database registry has a "Mirialan" female by the name of “Tamalia Mahar” as the previously registered owner’s next of kin.”

“Alfred, since a droid cannot travel unsupervised, ask whether it has an address listed for "Tamalia Mahar", and if so, would it allow me to accompany it so I can officiate the hand over procedures. Just in case it runs into any difficulty along the way?”

“Very good Sir. It has an address registered, and it's the same as the previous owner’s address. It also accepts your offer to act as guarantor.”

“Alfred, tell it to plot a route, and proceed whenever its ready.”

“Very good Sir.”

Damien instantly felt the foreboding feeling vanish and stepped out from behind his cover. As he approaches the vehicle, the side of the hovering RV, opened up automatically, forming two running board like steps. The upper portion of the outer wall lifted into the air like a cargo hatch. The overall operation was smooth, and well synchronized.

Damien got his first up close look at the legendary “Repulsorlift technology” finding the array was well spaced. The rear propulsion was well shielded on the sides and set up with a three-thruster triangle formation providing a well-balanced thrust displacement. Overall, he found the workmanship left much to be desired, but it seemed sturdy enough to get the job done. It was obvious that this was a work in progress, much as you would expect to find roaming around the outer rim worlds.

Damien had every intention of delving into every system on board during the ride.