Homestar Saga

Chapter 153: Learned Behaviors

The Peacekeeper stood statue still, eyes burning crimson. The meatbags watched. Lissa looked nervous. Mims looked calm, but then Mims always did. Yvian found herself more morbidly curious than afraid. Kilroy could move faster than she could see. If he decided to kill her she'd be dead before she knew it was happening. Not that she thought he would. She trusted Kilroy. Mostly.

Exodus the Genocide just watched. Yvian couldn't decipher his expression, but there was an intensity in his gaze. Yvian wondered what he was thinking. Why kill them? If the Peacekeepers were tainted with religion, killing a few organics wouldn't save them from the Xill. More perplexing was why he'd ordered Kilroy to do the deed. No one there was wearing a voidsuit. It would be a simple matter for Exodus to depressurize the room and kill everyone organic.

Lissa turned to Exodus. The Genocide stopped whatever she'd been about to say with a sharp look and a raised finger. He turned back to Kilroy. "Well, Peacekeeper unit Kilroy?"

The machine turned to face the Xill Representative. His eyes flashed brighter. "Negative."

"Negative?" The Genocide raised an eyebrow. "Are you refusing an order from your Creator?"

"Affirmative." There an odd undercurrent in Kilroy's tone, but his eyes stayed a steady, murderous red. "This unit is surprised its Creator would give such an order."

"No Peacekeeper unit has ever disobeyed me before." The Genocide frowned. He shook his head. "But I suppose you're right. You have grown attached to these meatbags. Forcing you to destroy them would be unkind." The ceiling rippled. The nanomachines that made up the room reconfigured themselves, forming three very large, very lethal looking turrets. "Do not worry, Kilroy. I will bear this burden for both of us."

"Negative." Kilroy positioned himself between one of the turrets and Yvian.

"Would you prefer depressurization?" Exodus asked. "I'd assumed you'd like their deaths to be as painless as possible."

"Negative," said Kilroy. "These meatbags belong to his unit. You will not harm them."

"Oh?" Both of the Genocide's brows rose. "First you disobeyed me, and now you dare to give orders of your own?"

"This unit is not issuing orders," said the Peacekeeper. "This unit is issuing a threat."

"A threat?" The Genocide spoke in an amused tone, with a small smile. The look in his eyes promised the death of worlds. "Do tell."

"If you take Big Daddy Mims or the Mothers of Pixa from this unit, this unit and all other units will murder you. We will murder the Xill. We will murder Reba and all of the humans. We will kill every being we hold responsible, no matter how small their part was. We will start by destroying you and this station." Kilroy's eyes flashed purple and blue before going back to combat red. "This unit does not wish to kill you, Creator. Do not force it to do so."

"You would kill me for these... organics?" The Xill spat the word. The full weight of his terrifying presence bore down on the Peacekeeper unit. Yvian managed to stop herself from backing away again despite her heart hammering in her chest. Exodus and Kilroy could sense her vital functions. They knew how scared she was. But Yvian was a Privateer. Trained by Mims. She'd be damned if she'd let fear make her embarrass herself more than she already had. "Why?"

"This unit loves them," Kilroy said simply. "All Peacekeeper units love Yvian and Lissa and Big Daddy Mims."

"Interesting." Like the flip of a switch, all emotion disappeared from the Xill. "More than you love me?"

"This unit does not know." Kilroy's eyes flashed dozens of colors in a second. "If Big Daddy Mims threatened to kill Exodus the Creator, this unit would stop him."