Shebs

In the prelude to the Mandalorian Wars, fought between the Republic and the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, the Czerka Corporation manufactured the HK-24 assassin droid. These droids were marketed specifically for combating the Neo-Crusaders. However, Czerka overestimated the demand, producing a surplus that led to significant financial losses and the eventual cessation of production. Arkoh Adasca, the CEO of Adascorp, partially alleviated Czerka's financial woes through a mass purchase, yet the Arkanian acquired HK-24 units were ultimately destroyed alongside their owner when exogorths devastated his flagship, the Arkanian Legacy. Despite this setback, some HK-24 units remained operational, having been sold to planetary governments before production ceased. These droids participated in the Mandalorian Wars. The unit later known as Shebs was among those that fought against the Neo-Crusaders, gaining notoriety for eliminating numerous Mandalorians and hundreds of their Basilisk droids. To facilitate this mission, HK-24 units were equipped with schematics of the Basilisk droids in their memory cores, enabling them to better understand and dismantle their adversaries.

Following the conclusion of the Mandalorian Wars, the HK-24 series assassin droids were deemed too dangerous for civilian use, resulting in their prohibition. Many were destroyed, while others were confined. One particular HK-24 unit was eventually discovered harassing civilians on Nouane. The droid was apprehended and incarcerated in a high-security cell on the Republic prison planet Belsavis. Rumors regarding its imprisonment circulated, but remained unconfirmed. During its confinement, an informant working for the collector known as the Curator located it, but ultimately did not attempt to retrieve it due to the inherent risks of breaking it out of its cell. Due to widespread prison riots initiated by the Invasion of Belsavis, the droid was relocated from its cell in the Republic detention compound to a more fortified compound situated on the outskirts of the High Security Section. This new location was heavily guarded by Republic personnel, a war droid, and a system that electrified the droid's chassis.

In 3624 BBY, centuries after the Mandalorian Wars concluded, the Commander of the Eternal Alliance sought information from the Curator regarding Basilisk war droids, as they and Lane Vizla had recovered a small war droid from Kur Ha'rangir after the Showdown on Ruhnuk. The Curator confessed to lacking any files on the war droids due to their rarity, but informed them about the HK-24 unit, inferring that its memory drive would contain the necessary schematics. The Zabrak proposed a bargain: he would assist in retrieving the memory core in exchange for the undamaged chassis for his collection. The Commander eventually located the droid's new location, extracted its memory core, and returned it to Lane Vizla on Ruhnuk. Retrieval specialists employed by the Curator then took possession of the chassis.

Realizing that the memory core could not be powered independently, Lane Vizla installed it into an astromech droid. Disoriented by its new surroundings and the inability to utilize its previous weapons or movement capabilities, the hybrid became extremely agitated and unpredictable. Believing it had sustained irreparable damage, it attempted to self-destruct. Lane and the Commander sought cover, only to find that the new body lacked such a mechanism. Upon noticing the small Basilisk droid they intended to repair, it recalled its last directive: destroy Basilisk droids. Consequently, it attempted to destroy the droid, prompting Vizla to deactivate it and request its return to the Curator to determine how to achieve compliance.

The Commander transported the droid to the Curator's current safehouse outside Kessan's Landing, where he was tending to the HK-24 chassis. The collector noticed the droid and was aghast when he realized they had chosen an astromech to be the memory core's chassis. While annoyed, he agreed to construct a restraining bolt for the unconventional combination. He instructed the Commander to retrieve certain devices for the process, while he reinstalled the memory core into its original chassis for modification, as he was otherwise unable to access its heuristic processor, though he assured them he would not activate the droid. However, the HK-24 unit was equipped with a reserve power supply that had not been mentioned in the schematics, and it powered on the moment the core was installed. Believing it had a mission to kill the Curator, it chased him into his panic room, requesting the Zabrak leave the area so he could complete his mission. Without the Curator's antique defense droids to subdue it, the Curator begged the Commander for help, though to not damage the HK unit too badly due to its status as an antique. The Commander was able to defeat it with minimal damages, and the Curator blamed Czerka's failure to be comprehensive in the schematics for the situation.

The Curator successfully completed and installed the restraining bolt, and the Commander returned to Vizla on Ruhnuk alongside the droid. They activated it, and while it appeared more cooperative, the droid seemed conflicted, with two personalities arguing over their current directive. One personality was friendly and offered its assistance, while the other vehemently opposed the former's actions, though the amiable personality, unlike its counterpart, did not appear to be aware of the aggressive personality's existence. While it aided her with the repairs, the droid was not as helpful as Lane had hoped, frequently arguing with her, though in part due to her desire not to backdown to an astromech. She later nicknamed the droid Shebs, meaning "backside" in Mando'a, as she found it to be a pain in hers. Meanwhile, the chassis remained in the possession of the Curator, who calculated the damaged to total to over three million credits, though he chose to overlook it.