Planet Gand, Pef Empire

Medical lab.

24 BBY Seventh month

Wialu and Dora wanted to be present at the birth of my Avatar, and to declare it a national holiday, second only to the Dream being finished.

I don't see why they bother so much, but then again, organics. I'm starting to forget what I should feel.

I began organizing three partitions to use for the Avatar, one for full sleeve control, one for dual Sim connection with the Voices, and one for catching the soul back, once the body died. And unlock.

The large holocron pulsed with light, and the pain ended. The organocrystals became liquid again, and a baby Pef remained lying on his back on the medbay. Let's see...fingers...they move, toes...too. Good enough.

'Say Mama'

"Waaawaaa!"

Okay, not important for now.

Let's test the Force. Breathe. Tingling all over the skin, then a rush of energy, like I could lift mountains.

I held out a finger with my droid self, and the organic self grabbed it with his tiny hand, strong enough to make the servos creak.

Quite strong already, but perhaps too early for the shark pool.

Milk bottle then. With bota plants extracts added as supplements. Why not cheat harder?

Hmmm. Where is the gem?

I looked around a little, but it seemed to have melted too.

Oh well, I knew were a few more power gems will be. Iridium. And Vette loves hunting pirates.

In fact, let's send her now. Dooku had just made his press release, capturing a Republic holotransmiter and announcing the formation of CIS. The hyperlanes past Saleucami might become closed soon.

Huh, milk is gone already. Buy transport of milk, blue bantha milk worked great for Luke Skywalker.

Breathe again, test the connection. Maybe a millimeter better already.

Make a note, start dosing my maids with the largest non-toxic concentration.

Make a note, form Special force operations, begin testing the actual non-toxic limits. Gand and Sith subjects, all ages and genders. A few humans as control group.

Make a note, send Angie with a hundred bota crates to Corellia. Get in exchange technology for building our own planetary shields. Meet with the Diktat leaders and assure them of our stance regarding military intervention. Assure them we will follow their lead on galactic policy. She has to work too, for the billion credit chip.

Make a note, plant some bota on Sanctuary.

Make a note...

"Pef, your baby is strange and mutters things aloud, not intelligibly yet" Dora observed.

Gah. Wialu is mothering my Avatar, like it is a real child. Feels good though.

'I know. I like it too' she sent immediately through the bond.

Begin acceleration with organic self. 0.1 speed... It hurts! Damn it. Turn it off.

Postpone velocities training for 5 months.

Damn organics are so fragile...

A nanny droid came to take the baby away, and place him in his armored cradle droid. Insert milk dispenser. And done.

Time to begin sculpting the first 500 Meteors.

I floated towards the hangar docks, feeling much lighter now that Peffy was born and outside my armor.

Vette appeared in front of me, pointing a finger in outrage at the transparisteel cover of the cradle droid.

"Again! You gave birth without me. That's it. I'm not going to Iridium or wherever. I'm staying to..." she started yelling.

"Vette my love. Think it through. Why don't you have a Voice already?" I asked softly, and took her in my arms.

"Cause...I don't get it. Nothing I do is right." she muttered with a little despair.

"No, if that was the reason, I wouldn't still love you. Pirates and slavers and dictators and creepy cults. What do they stand for? What stands against them? Guns?" I asked in a mellow voice, carrying her in my arms towards my ship.

"Guns help, a lot. But...you mean schools and stuff. It's just too complicated for me." she complained, turning her head to stare down at the cradle.

"Yes. Exactly like that. Schools and hospitals and art and books. Pirates don't have them, do they?" I continued, and stopped just before embarking.

"Oh. I think I get it, almost. I'll go visit Celine and talk to her. Maybe Lira too. She explains this stuff better." Vette said resolutely, jumping off and running away.

Okay then...

'Pef, why does a Hypergem cost 10 billion credits?' Solana asked out of nowhere.

Don't care. Just offer your credit chip, keep the woman happy.

Planet Gand, Pef Empire

Celestial Throne

24 BBY Eighth month.

Our first batch of 20 kilometer long Meteors has started getting fitted with reactors and turrets and shields. Cost overruns may push this fleet costs towards 1 trillion credits. I'll pay for them from my pocket, since my empire cannot afford such spendings, yet.

I have ordered a thousand new Meteor hulls. And they have begun being melted in the unpopulated systems of my empire. I'll most likely pay for them too. Ah, the joy of being filthy rich. I barely feel it.

But still, no hints of working nano-droids. Guess I'll have to wait for their actual use in the clone wars.

Our Exploration corps have reached planet Targonn and have found a so called Dictator-Forever.

A contact Lucrehulk and a relief fleet (meaning light tanks and droid garrisons) is heading there to put a stop to forced child-labor and 99% taxation. Ventress has to blow off some steam somehow. Since the scorpion-sharks made her a little angry. At me.

Another fleet is engaged with multiple pirate groups in the Periphery. It seems some Hutts are sponsoring them for sport. Either way, they make great training exercises for our captains and their crew.

Our Dakka corvettes have began upgrading with an ion cannon battery at their prow, and two chainlasers in the back, to protect the engines.

Capturing ships is more profitable than destroying them, after all.

Although most ships used by pirates are 20 to 50 meters long, in large numbers they still pose problems.

Only frigates and corvettes are able to chase them efficiently. Damn it, I need more ships. Much more.

Make a note: open a thousand new small shipyards next to the Meteors. They could pump 10 corvettes each, by the time the next fleet is finished.

Make a note: New courses for Servants. Ship captains and adjuncts. Gunners too. We will take large loses, and soon.

Make a note: Recruit more Brubbs and Toongs and whatever servitor races. (I mean fresh citizens)

Make a note: start a neural chip corporation to provide new races with fast learning and computation.

Another Explorer has reached Dellalt, but he has succumbed to a number of familiar Crimson Condottiere. The droids have lifted his corvette back to orbit and are scanning the planet and awaiting reinforcements. Guess his genes weren't strong enough.

If they really are powered by Rakata tech, they might be worth a visit from yours truly. For now, a contact Lucrehulk and his heavy escort are en route to establish more concrete facts. Lira is also on board, since there seem to be cities planetside.

What else?

Jaybo is learning at the Imperial Academy, making friends and acing all his tests. As expected from a future Hand.

He seems very happy to postpone swimming with scorpion-sharks. Which he will if he doesn't ace a single test.

I can be merciful. Yes. As long as you don't disappoint me.

The Holocron operation has resulted in a hundred deaths, from bounty-hunters to padawans and dark padawans.

But no Miss Aurra Sing, yet.

The Hutts are very amused, and have added their own bounties, equal to mine.

They really are great neighbors.

The head Hutt on Boonta has even discreetly offered to sell me a few dozens hyper routes to some Tionese planets that had been rendered lifeless during The Devouring.

I think it's a polite threat, to let me know what happens to wanna be conquerors. Maybe a test, to see if I can really terraform them back. Or both. Possibly both.

Hah. They will beg me to come, soon enough.

For now, we're expanding elsewhere, taking Jomark and setting up searches for a direct route to Nam Chorios. Gotta defend my Tsil friends too.

Anyway, my Fifth Hand is returning with a few million changelings. Miss Fay.

I wonder if she knows Miss Zero?

My Celestial Throne will soon crawl with jedi. Kriff.

I wanted to avoid that...

Have to send Dora away. She knows too many secrets and has no mental defenses.

Hmmm. She can manage Sanctuary and keep Bendu company.

The gorilla is reading everything I have, ignoring protected or locked holocrons, and plays with ysalamiri by floating them around.

Proof their protection isn't actually perfect.

Gonna need another ideal administrator though.

'You have Solana. Forever and ever.' the water maid sent with a hint of promise. But of what?

Is she considering this or that?

'You bet. Just be gentle, you big hunky beast' Solana sent, entering the Throne Room.

Okay...be back soon...

Planet Gand, Pef Empire

Celestial Throne

A week later

A captain Findsman died again, trying to mediate a peace between two Krozurbian war parties.

It seems he was shot by both sides. Then again, Gands are insects and those guys are reptiles. They probably ate him.

Let's check. Open after action report. They didn't. Too bad.

His guard droids were immune to slug throwers and recovered the corpse.

Now what to do? Is it an act of war? Evolution at work? Or a recruiting ground for my armies?

Sending another organic might get him killed too...never mind then. There're 444 droids on board a Dakka class corvette.

Compose message to senior droid in orbit.

'You're promoted to Ambassador rank, upon reading this message. Convince both parties planetside of a dark jedi instigator of their conflict. Promise them revenge and river of blood. Promise them hulks of red juicy meat.

Establish MPT and start recruiting willing volunteers for ground army.

Also, showcase laser and maser weapons on the war criminals that slain our Captain. Promise them access to these weapons.

Send confirmation of success or pass this order to the next droid in the command chain, and then suicide in shame. Signed... Immortal Emperor Pef, droid chassis Justice #66888990/AI/cr, upon Celestial Throne. Today. Date.'

They might succeed...

And it's remotely possible a dark jedi was indeed involved. Perhaps not even a dark one.

Fay took this long because she caused a civil war with her extraction.

Planet Danos V is inhabited by huge insects. Establish Gand colony, attempt to tame and/or mount them. Or simply survive, depending on how huge those insects are...

My Gand friends will be happy to have their first colony. Actually, open another colony on Benwabula. Maybe one of the colonies will survive and I won't get blamed again.

Planet Baummu will probably be attacked again. Establish stronger defenses and ground to orbit lasers. Also tank and droid factories. We'll need more of those anyway.

Planet Maldra IV the same. Damn it. Is there any safe place in this sector?

Skeebo seems nice. Set defenses anyway, and also tourist and recreation complexes. We aren't just warmongers.

Just, sometimes.

"Pef, how is the little one?" Wialu wondered, leaning over me to look inside the cradle.

"Still sleeping and breathing. 77 centimeters long. Force connec..." I started responding.

"No, you dumb droid! How is he feeling?" She asked a little angry.

Hmmm. Lack of pain is pleasant. And boring. Begin electrical jolts at random intervals, no longer than 100 seconds.

Better master energy absorption as a child. Begin meditation forms I and II. The kid should have enough neurons.

Increase bota plant dose by 4%.

"He's feeling great. He was a little bored, but I got him meditating now" I answered with an adoring pulse. Women love that.

"I see. Let him rest at least 12 hours a day. Infants need a lot of sleep" Wialu answered with long sigh.

Make a note; sleep 12 hours per day.

I hugged my Voice and began focusing on next generation of battledroids.

Let's see. Quadrupedal locomotion was still safer and faster. Turreted chaingun for a head, retractable blades in frontal limbs, micromissile launchers from the torso. Now for the big question. A tail or not a tail?

And poisonous stinger, or plasma cutter?

Ah. Decisions. Why not both?

Yea, two tails though? Or a single tail with a hammer head with both weapons? Gah, this was so hard...

Close project.

Open mobile artillery project. Now heavy missiles or proton torpedoes?

Maybe a turbolaser? Indirect fire was better though. But what kind? Howitzers? Mortars? EMP trebuchets?

Kriff. I had no idea which one was better.

'Open new corporation, Land Warrior Systems. Salaries twice the galactic rates plus bonuses. Hiring specialists from all the galaxy. Innovative designs guarantee a position with our company and relocation costs to our brand-new laboratories on Hardex (planet)'.

Okay, now let's start building those laboratories. On second thought...tell Kikipi to do it. He is lazing around on his throne.

Incoming message from 18th droid in command of the Dakka corvette.

"Honored Droid Emperor. This unit has successfully negotiated the required terms. Approximately 10 thousands war criminals have been successfully demonstrated upon. Planet currently uniting in response to foreign threat. Request meat. Lots of meat"

Okay then. Not exactly as I ordered, but...

More soldiers are good. And they would have died anyway.

And if anyone complains, I'll have the droid executed for war crimes. That always works.