SCORPIO, The Guide Droid

~~~(POV: Nathan Opal)~~~

~~~(Location: Mega-Security Ward-23, Belsavis)~~~

"Fine, but I'm not taking her with me off Belsavis after she's done giving me the information. I don't need a homicidal droid living in my ship."

There is no logical reason to take SCORPIO off Belsavis with me. After I get the information that I need, I'm leaving her here with the silent tomb that this place will become.

"I have one last favor to ask of you... Please, just listen to me..."

The old man is persistent. I'll give him that. I have a feeling he's going to ask me to take her with me even though I've already said I wouldn't.

"Take SCORPIO with you. Not only will she be of great help to you in your search for The Star Cabal, but she's also a powerful ally to have."

None of the things he's saying is even remotely convincing me. I know SCORPIO's true nature. She's a backstabbing and ruthless droid that will do anything to improve and kill the greatest threat to her life in the current vicinity. The only reason she's not attacking right now is that she hasn't evolved beyond her current programming.

"I'll not be joining him off Belsavis. But I will tell you what you need to know. My calculations state that if I were to travel with you, I'd certainly die. And I don't want to die."

The female voice and soft tone of SCORPIO interrupts the words that were about to leave the old man's mouth, and I can see the disappointment on the hologram's face.

"Listen, Droid. The Force will warn me before you attack me, so I'll see anything that you do before you do it. If you try anything, I'll be sure to Force Crush you and hurl your balled-up corpse into space."

All my threats are real, and she knows that. The old man lets out a long sigh, and he turns himself off. Along with the rest of the holograms.

"You lead the way, SCORPIO. Let's see if the old man trusts you enough to do this for him."

She squints her eyes, and I can tell that she feels something toward the old man. I don't remember much about him. A Droid that can feel things is strange. Even stranger, I can feel her emotions even though she's not connected to The Force on a physical level like I am.

"Your caution is impressive and warranted. Given the chance, I would kill you. But as I am now, there isn't any way I could harm a single hair on your head. I don't understand The Force as you do, but now that I've experienced your power, I know what to expect."

She fails to see the true scale of my abilities. I can devastate entire worlds, and she thinks that she can expect something from me?

"I'm waiting, SCORPIO. Start walking. I'm not letting you walk behind me."

There isn't a single thing that could make me believe for a second I should let her walk behind me. One thing I can appreciate about SCORPIO is her honesty about some things that come out of her mouth.

If it doesn't stand to benefit her by lying, she'll tell the truth. But if she stands to gain by lying, she'll lie to you as you've never seen.

I follow behind her on our way out of Ward-23, and the jungle-like world surrounding the metal path we're walking does speak to what's happened to Belsavis all these years. It's been home to the Rakata at one point, and now it's a Prison World for The Republic.

~~~(POV: Darth Jadus)~~~

~~~(Location: The Vaults of Belsavis)~~~

"You sense him too, don't you... He's making his way toward us. Do you think we should still continue?"

Darth Marr is silent as he folds his arms and contemplates to himself. If we can sense Nathan, then he can sense us.

"I don't think we should stop. We're already so close, and we'll have what we need just before he gets here. That's enough time to get out of here."

Some troops will need to be sacrificed, but Imperial Forces know their duty when working under Dark Lords.