Dawn Eagle.
Mandalore.
A week before the assassination attempt on Satine Kryze.
HK-47 is a dutiful, goal-oriented, strong-willed, and extremely effective droid. If he goes after a target, then as long as the assassin droid remains functional, the target cannot escape. Wherever it is, wherever it hides, HK will find it and carry out the Master's order.
He had been like this since he became self-aware, when Revan assembled him at the base of one of the infiltration droids of the Czerka Corporation, which were perfectly disguised as ordinary protocol droids. The first years of operation were, from HK's point of view, the best in his entire existence. The meat bag liquidation protocols fully agreed with this opinion. How many targets were executed then, even the memory core could not tell. The latter was damaged at the end of the Jedi Civil War, around the same time when, by chance, the Master also lost his memories. But, studying ancient archives, HK easily recognized his methods and was even able to partially restore his records of this or that mission. And the number of his victims was impressive. Although what inspired more awe in the assassin droid was not the quantity, but the quality of the eliminated targets, among whom were high-ranking politicians and military officers, including those destroyed right on Coruscant under the supervision of the Republic Security Bureau, powerful heads of criminal organizations, and even Force-users. And the latter were almost more numerous than all the others.
Revan had created an almost perfect killer, investing in him knowledge and protocols sufficient to confidently confront any opponent.
And now this deadly machine, possessing a bad temper and calling organic beings around it nothing but "meat bags," was frankly bored. The droid had been stuck on the ship for too long... although, rather, he simply craved action. Almost four thousand years of idleness in a cave on Tatooine had not passed without a trace for his already... peculiar personality.
It wasn't enough for the droid to be a nanny and teacher for a young meat bag who tended to get into all sorts of trouble within three seconds if left unsupervised. Now, the duty of guarding a prisoner had been added. At the same time, her life and health must not be threatened... which made HK's job many times more difficult... at least from the perspective of his logical core, which was heavily influenced by killer protocols. But an order is an order.
The Master needed this female meat bag for some reason, so HK would guard her.
Moreover, the prisoner's status had begun to change in recent days. The Master visited her more often for conversations and, as HK could discern, a rather gentle recruitment, gradually changing the worldview of the younger of the Kryze sisters and instilling the necessary thoughts in her.
And all this led to the fact that in the mess hall, besides the assassin droid, Revan, Tyra Nomad, and Maul, Bo-Katan Kryze was also present. And in full armor with Death Watch insignia and without any devices restricting her freedom.
Trying not to delve into the intricacies of the Master's next idea, HK simply and unpretentiously calculated combat scenarios in which he could kill the Mandalorian with one shot.
"Why do we have to contact this Sidious?" Kryze asked in a displeased tone.
"Involving external forces in the already unstable political situation on the planet will create ideal conditions for implementing the plan to establish Mandalore's independence," Revan explained.
"We are already independent," Bo-Katan reminded him.
Nomad merely snorted contemptuously at these words, expressing her attitude towards the "independence" of the world that had become her home.
"The person you need to contact has great influence in the Republic Senate," the former Jedi continued, noticing out of the corner of his eye how Maul was frowning.
The Zabrak had great difficulty finding a way to contact his former teacher without leaving any trace of his involvement. He also provided information about influence in the Senate, recalling everything he had managed to learn and overhear while serving Darth Sidious. He would have preferred never to meet his former mentor again, but Revan considered the Sith's participation a necessary detail of the developed plan. Maul did not dare to object, even though he was against it.
"Moreover, he has been manipulating your sister for a long time," Revan added, continuing to explain the details to the younger Kryze.
"What?" Bo-Katan exclaimed indignantly, "So her decisions were dictated by external influence? She betrayed her people by falling for a Senate rat?"
"I don't think anyone has called that Sith that yet," Revan replied, barely suppressing a smirk, "And I don't think his influence is that great. However, yes, Satine often seeks his advice. This is confirmed by the holocommunicator recordings in the Duchess's private chambers."
"And how did you manage to get them?" the younger Kryze frowned.
Revan nodded towards his Zabrak apprentice.
"A disloyal guard in need of credits," Maul answered the question calmly.
"The information is verified. My clan vouches for it," Tyra added, who had been silent until then.
Bo-Katan gave the mercenary a scorching look but remained silent. The Nomad clan was famous for its ability to gather intelligence.
"So, if I understand correctly, involving this Sith of yours to help the Death Watch will simultaneously provide my brothers... or rather, perhaps former brothers, with the necessary funds for an open rebellion, and show my sister that she shouldn't believe every Senate lackey," Kryze guessed.
"Almost exactly," Revan nodded in agreement.
"What else?"
"Using the help of a third party, not belonging to the well-known political factions of Mandalore, will put the Death Watch in a bad light. Moreover, the Sith will use either mercenaries, most likely the Black Sun, or involve Senate resources, which will give a formal reason to declare Republic interference in Mandalore's affairs," the former Jedi stated.
"At the same time, the Council of Mandalorian clans will offer the Duchess their help so as not to let a civil war break out," Tyra added.
"Thereby provoking her," Kryze snorted, "My sister will never accept such help."
"She will, if it's presented correctly."
"She doesn't perceive the Death Watch as a serious threat," Bo-Katan shook her head.
"She will when Vizsla comes to demand the title and power over Mandalore," Nomad shrugged.
"Especially after the assassination attempt," Maul added.
"What assassination attempt?" Kryze frowned.
"The one you're organizing," Revan smiled.
"What?!"
HK missed the subsequent fiery speech of the indignant Mandalorian, entering a power-saving mode for a couple of minutes. The emotional outbursts of meat bags were too monotonous.
"So, you want to frame both the Death Watch and your Sith in one fell swoop?" the droid heard, having returned to normal operating mode.
"Without going into details, yes," Revan confirmed.
The younger Kryze fell into thought, and judging by her focused face, she had many questions.
Based on what HK knew about the Master's plan, as well as the tiny part that Kryze had voiced, the assassin droid concluded that his creator was very skillfully manipulating the Mandalorians, revealing only part of the truth, and even twisting it in such a way that the plan began to look like the only correct one. This was one of the Master's most effective and useful talents. He could convince almost any sentient being to take his side, follow him even into a black hole, and carry out any order... voluntarily.
"The Death Watch will not attack Satine directly. Not under current conditions, and even less so if they decide to act openly. Between a backstab or an explosive device, and victory in a fair fight in front of all of Mandalore, Pre Vizsla will choose the latter. Without a doubt," Bo-Katan concluded.
"Still have such a high opinion of him? Even after he took our families hostage?" Nomad almost roared.
The younger Kryze winced almost imperceptibly but turned a calm gaze to Tyra.
"I admit that the head of the Death Watch... turned out to be not the leader we wanted him to be. However, he values attention and highly regards the respect of his supporters. His ambition will not allow him to strike from the shadows. Only in public, with a demonstration of strength and power."
"You changed your opinion quickly..."
"I followed the idea, not the person. And nothing has changed in this regard. You claim that you will unite Mandalore, and, moreover, you can do it with little bloodshed."
"Dreamy assumption: Not so little," the analytical block in HK's personality suddenly stated.
The Master had not revealed the details of the plan, but the droid could calculate the options. And the most favorable for the Master's stated goals included... reducing the population of radical Death Watch members. And HK secretly hoped that the execution of this part of the plan would be entrusted to his durasteel shoulders. The mechanical killer eagerly awaited the opportunity to prove himself again. Although the level of training of the Mandalorians the droid had encountered on Concordia was significantly lower than that demonstrated by the Neo-Crusaders of the High Mandalorian or the restored clans under the leadership of Canderous Ordo, the task should still be interesting.
Lost in thought, which HK allowed his computational core to be distracted by, the killer almost missed the moment when the Master and the Mandalorians began to discuss the assassination attempt on the Duchess. He even had to quickly review the audio sensor logs.
"So, in the end, it's an outright setup?" Kryze concluded.
"No, it will be real. Except that under the guise of the Death Watch, there will be mercenaries from the clanless," Tyra countered.
"And for this, we will need Death Watch armor," Revan summarized.
"Master, any Mandalorian armor can be used, just repaint it and apply the necessary symbols," Maul decided to offer his suggestion.
Tyra and Bo-Katan snorted simultaneously, expressing their open contempt for such an idea.
"As you could guess from the indignation of the Mandalorian women present here, such a trick will not work," Revan calmly explained, preempting something angrily hissing Kryze.
"Any Mandalorian will easily recognize a fake. Beskar'gam is part of our culture, it is not made in a hurry and on the fly. Each element carries a meaning understandable only to those who grew up among the Mando'ade," Nomad added.
"Quite accurate for someone who was taken in only about ten years ago," Bo-Katan said haughtily.
The mercenary ignored the angry gaze of the crimson eyes and returned the conversation to a constructive track.
"You need one of our supply depots, which are waiting for their hour," the Duchess's sister concluded.
"Are there any armors in these depots?" Revan clarified.
"Of course. We planned to significantly increase our ranks before staging a coup. New recruits need something to wear. Not everyone was lucky enough to keep their beskar'gam due to my sister's policies," Kryze shrugged.
"Suggestion: Why don't we stage another preemptive strike on the Death Watch hideouts and collect armor from those... who no longer need it?" HK-47 suggested.
Revan barely managed to stop himself from hitting his forehead.
"Because the armor should not have traces of shots, blood, and other signs of violent death of the previous owner. Otherwise, suspicions may arise among those who will investigate the 'assassination attempt'," the droid's owner explained.
"Humble confirmation: Information received, Master," HK immediately responded.
"Please, at least this time, no improvisation," Revan demanded, not particularly hoping for a result.
The assassin droid had an unparalleled talent for carrying out orders, distorting conditions and turning the task inside out. However, the result was always... satisfactory. Orders were fulfilled, and Revan himself did not experience any particular trouble. So, morally, the former Sith was already prepared for the fact that this time HK would do everything his own way... but he would still do it.
"Enthusiastically: I am ready to carry out any order, Master!" the forty-seventh declared.
"That's what's frightening," Tyra snorted almost inaudibly, no stranger to the methods of the mechanical maniac.
"With sarcastic superiority: Don't be jealous," the droid replied just as quietly to the jab.
Revan's voice, which did not foreshadow anything good for those who dared to interrupt him with its intonation, interrupted the budding argument between the assassin droid and the meat bag... or rather, the Mandalorian.
The former Sith shook his head, noting that he should rest more and communicate less with HK.
"So, can we count on Death Watch armor?" Revan asked the necessary question.
"Yes," Kryze nodded.
"So, Tyra, you and Bo-Katan will pick up the armor and hand it over to the group of mercenaries that Maul has gathered," Revan began to give final instructions.
The Zabrak nodded, confirming his mentor's words.
"The attack should happen at the moment we meet with Qui-Gon. The place will be open, so there should be no problems with infiltration."
Tyra and Kryze synchronously confirmed the former Sith's words.
"Next... HK."
The droid eagerly moved closer.
"Your task will be to create the appearance of a threat to the lives of the Duchess and her protectors in case the mercenaries turn out to be... too ineffective. I don't expect them to be able to break through to Satine past Obi-Wan and her personal guard, but the Duchess shouldn't get off too easily either," Revan explained.
"Request for clarification: Am I allowed to open fire to kill?" the droid asked hopefully.
"Don't kill anyone!" his owner cut him off.
"Understood, Master," HK sadly confirmed the order.
"HK, listen to me carefully, Kryze and Kenobi must remain alive. Under no circumstances must they die."
"Understood, Master."
"But the attack shouldn't look too clumsy either," Tyra reminded him.
"Yes, the Death Watch wouldn't send novices on such a mission," Kryze agreed.
"Request for clarification: How great should the threat be?" HK asked with renewed hope.
Revan almost howled at this framing of the question. After all, no matter what he answered, the droid would twist it to his advantage... However, it would all end this way anyway.
"The Duchess and her guards should get the impression that they are being fired upon by a medium-skilled sniper," Revan said, carefully choosing his words.
"Disappointed suggestion: That is, I should act like a bag of meat and not use the full potential of the targeting system."
"In general terms," the former Sith agreed.
"Request for information: Will there be Jedi in the guard?"
"Yes. Obi-Wan Kenobi. The padawan is always nearby," Revan confirmed.
"Suggestion for plan optimization: To create a convincing impression of threat, I recommend eliminating..."
"He must live," the former Sith cut him off.
"Suggestion: Injure? Shoot?"
"Just not fatally!"
"Understood, Master."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Revan thought.
If only he knew that at that very moment, a certain padawan uttered the exact same words, strolling through a covered garden in the company of a Mandalorian Duchess.
A week later, having taken up an excellent position for long-range shooting in advance, HK-47 watched with interest as the scene unfolded a little more than a kilometer away. A group of Mandalorian mercenaries in Death Watch armor attacked Duchess Satine Kryze with the firm intention of taking the royal person's life. And at first, the attack was quite successful... for the meat bags. The mercenaries skillfully dealt with the Duchess's guard, demonstrating that they did have some combat and shooting experience.
But then the attack faltered, crashing against an impregnable rock named Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The mercenaries were apparently not told that the Duchess would be accompanied by a Jedi. The attackers were not prepared for such a turn of events. And, judging by the extremely ineffective attacks, the mercenaries had no experience fighting those who used lightsabers and the Force in combat... at all.
HK watched with irritation as, one by one, the fake Death Watch assassins died at the hands of the padawan. The droid himself fired only a few shots, purely for intimidation. Yes, the rounds flew an inch from the Duchess's head, but the effect was exactly what the Master expected. The surviving members of Kryze's guard quickly laid their charge on the floor and tried to cover her. The action was quite useless, considering that the target remained in the firing sector. Which HK demonstrated by shooting the guard closest to Satine in the shoulder. Purely to demonstrate an error in the security organization!
And so these fools tried to drag the Duchess away, which was not supposed to happen until the "show" was over. The Master had mentioned this at the final meeting before the operation. So the droid had to shoot another guard who was dragging Satine along, like a space tugboat pulling a damaged destroyer. The wounded Mandalorian fell onto Kryze, stopping the entire procession and giving the mercenaries a chance to bypass Kenobi and reach the Duchess. For good measure, it was necessary to destroy the door control terminal, which blocked the entrance to the nearest building, with a precise shot. What if Kryze had enough brains to crawl to cover?
But then the padawan reappeared, messing up all the plans. His desire to protect the ruler of Mandalore led to a sharp reduction in the number of mercenaries. More precisely, there were practically none left at all. So the padawan's face, caught in the crosshairs of the optics connected to the assassin droid's targeting systems, took on an expression of unacceptably confident victory. The situation needed to be corrected urgently.
The HK made a few test shots at Kenobi's ward, checking the speed of the Jedi meat bag and his ability to deflect shots with a lightsaber. The analytical modules quickly identified the fighting style and lightsaber form. Combat algorithms kicked in and calculated the trajectories of shots that could break through the gifted one's defense.
A few distracting shots at the feet, two at the Duchess, forcing her to turn her body and intercept the saber with her other hand, then a series of four charges that passed by the padawan's blade, but ricocheted towards Satine. Even if Kenobi hadn't managed it, the Duchess would have survived; the HK had foreseen this option. After all, he couldn't directly violate the Master's order. The meat bag didn't fail and successfully shielded his dear Satine from what he considered "stray" shots. Only, Kenobi couldn't block or dodge the last one, which hit the poor fellow right in the back of the knee.
"Satisfied confirmation: Task completed," the HK commented on its result, tossing the now unnecessary blaster rifle onto the passenger seat of the aerocar, at the controls of which sat an immobilized mercenary in Death Watch armor.
Activating the autopilot, the HK moved away from the transport, which a second later soared into the sky and began to move away towards the outskirts of the city. There was one small detail left.
The droid activated the detonator and watched with interest as the blown-up aerocar, whose passenger was undoubtedly already dead, plummeted rapidly. The Master had allowed the droid to devise its own escape plan and method for "covering its tracks." So, at that moment, not a single logic unit of the assassin droid conflicted with the elimination protocols.
The Death Watch dealt with the failed assassin of the Duchess in an effort to get rid of witnesses to their treacherous attack on the legitimate ruler of Mandalore. Nothing suspicious.
The HK was proud of the work done. It remained to find out the Master's opinion on the matter.