Created in 3,952 BBY, HK 49.5, better known as HK, started out as a standard HK-50 assassain droid and planted in Arkanis government. During his original programming, a large plasma storm interrupted the progress and corrupted other files, giving him a unique personality, and an over developed self preservation protocol. While seeking ways to insure his continued survival, he completed a number of modifications to his build, and acquired a sense of self awareness generally unknown in droids.
History[]
Spending time within the government complex on Arkanis, with specific orders from his creator, G0-T0, he was damaged severely and discarded by his owner at the time. Salvaged from the scrap pile by a hermit, he was rebuilt, several of his systems and parts being replaced by a variety of HK-24 parts that had been salvaged elsewhere. After being re-activated, he felt he was less then he was, and deemed himself HK-49.5. Over time, he continued to upgrade his parts and programming, including a secondary memory module to use as a back up to protect against the common memory wipe (which successfully restored him on a number of occasions).
Over the next 4,000 years, HK spent time making his way through the galaxy on his own, often finding himself in less then legal occupations. However, the majority of this time was spent being inactive due to a variety of perils. The longest of these inactive times was after a last minute ditch of a pirate ship just before it was destroyed. His escape pod floated dead in space for over 3,000 years until it was discovered by a cargo freighter. The captain of the freighter picked him up and took him on as a personal protocol droid (HK would continue to give his primary function as protocol). After his first attempt to escape the ship, he was fitted with a restraining bolt. It took another 5 years for him to be sold and the bolt removed before he could take another run for freedom, this time successful. HK quickly made some modifications to insure that any future restraining bold would be nullified when fitted to him.
His last time of inactivity was after Darth Maul was ordered to destroy the criminal syndicate known as the Black Sun. During the attack, the Sith saber blade pierced HK's power core, sending him once more to the scrap heap. It would be more then 80 years before someone would take the time to place a new power core in the droid to bring him back to life.
Current history[]
After reactivation in 52 ABY, HK quickly went underground and began his life as he best knew it, doing the dirty work of the galaxy. Never gaining the sadistic twist of the usual HK units, he never sought out to harm anyone, only to preserve himself in the best way possible. Learning long ago that the galaxy revolves around credits, this became his pursuit. As such, he created as many connections in the movement of rare goods and contraband, and set himself up as a self styled purveyor of goods.
Finding himself wanted throughout most of the galaxy by authorities, it was decided he needed a place to do business more quitely for a time, and settled on the desert world of Tatooine. While working towards building local contacts for his goods, HK took up employment at the Gardulla Hotel and Casino serving drinks, and moving the occasional bit of goods for the owner, Orno. A few months after his arrival, the hotel was bombed, forcing HK into finding another pursuit. At this time, the recently reformed Black Sun had arrived on Tatooine, led by a Hutt that had an infinity for HK units (though most, if not all, in his collection were recent remakes of the old units). HK joined the syndicate and began moving goods on and off of the planet. Soon, he was asked to start up operations on Coruscant. Never daunted by a challenge, HK accepted and was made an executive of the group.
With the Exchange in control of the lower city, it was agreed that the reimerging Black Sun would stay to the upper city. This created a need for HK to have a more refined look then that of an old, beat up droid. He quickly worked to get his coverings up to par. Sending out requests for a specific alloy to be formed for his frame, he spent a heavy amount getting it made. The alloy was made similar to durasteel, which is common on droids, but with some primary ores replaced with Phrik, and a small fortune worth of Meleenium, giving the coverings a very high resistance to blaster fire, and lightsabers. The coverings where then polished to a glossy black finish, and the Black Sun emblem emblazzened on his left shoulder in white.