Far in the future, in a galaxy with several advanced space-age species and civilizations, Zorp is a top assassin in his field with no records of any kind. He has six legs and works for an independent intelligence agency know as IA, whose business spans across much of the galaxy. Zorp was trained by the leader of the IA, Zap, a well-meaning scrupulous man of knowledge. FF8 is an independent robot colony that established it's independence only a few years ago. It's the first time this has happened in the history of this galaxy. There is much debate about whether the robots have become truly sentient or if they are still following orders, protocol, or programming. But their industrial and technological capacity is quickly establishing them as a valuable part of the galactic community.
Suspicious of the rapidly expanding robot civilization, Zorp is ordered by IA headquarters (IAHQ) to carry out an assassination of a robot entity in a public place at a key diplomatic moment. But while on the mission, the robot target is suddenly taken out by someone else. But the timing of the incident immediately makes Zorp appear red-handed in the middle of a heavily crowded and guarded area.
Guards and military units of robot and alien kind converge on Zorp. He is barely able to escape momentarily after an intense chase scene. Attempting to report the incident, FF8 is unresponsive over his communicator. He attempts to contact the FF8 again, but still nothing. He checks the digital news, and his face is all over the place, calling him a known terrorist robophobic extremist. This was no accident. Now Zorp is alone, and half the galaxy wants him dead.
Zorp takes a starship and sneaks off, but the relentless pursuers force him toward the farthest edges of the known galaxy. An unmanned probe run by a rogue FF8 program known as "F1" or "Buddha" catches up to Zorp's ship. F1 proves to Zorp that he is friendly and informs Zorp that there is only one shutdown protocol for FF8 that can save Zorp's life, and that F1 is in possession of it. The protocol would shut down FF8's whole military, but it would save Zorp's life. F1 was created by FF8 to balance it's creation of a military and aggressive systems, but has been locked out of the main chambers by his programming. To change anything in his programming could have adverse affects for the military arm of FF8. F1 needs a skilled warrior to reach the main chambers and shut down the military systems, so he forged the protocol into the form of a sword, and commenced to seek out Zorp. F1 explains that the sword will shut down any military FF8 unit if striked correctly, including the entire military arm if he thrusts the sword into one of the central military mainframes, which orbit the FF8 capital planet. "It's not just about saving your own skin, it's about saving the galaxy from what the military arm is planning."
Zorp agrees to fight his way to the FF8 planet to destroy the military mainframe with the sword and the help of F1.
With the help of F1's hacking and intel gathering, they make it most of the way to FF8. Zorp can't use the sword until the very end--to do so would signal to the FF8 that the protocol was an active threat, and give away their location. But an ambush set for them at a refueling station, catches Zorp and F1 off guard and overwhelmed. Zorp uses the sword to escape with F1 and hurtles toward the FF8 planet at full speed. Meanwhile a massive military force has been activated to intercept their ship. There is no way they will get past this.
F1 and Zorp decide that F1 will make some quick modifications to his probe to allow just enough space for Zorp to fit for a short trip. Since the FF8 can't track F1's location, they'll send the ship continuing toward the armada, but bail out early in the probe and navigate a wide path around the bulk forces.
Still encountering some resistance, they make it to a mainframe space station. Zorp gets inside but loses communication with F1. He's noticed but fights off a few enemies, makes his way to the main room, alarms bellowing loudly, and thrusts the sword into a mainframe. The alarms immediately stop. A figure walks from around the corner. It's Zap. He apologizes for the situation and explains that he had been trying for years to take control of the FF8--a virtually unpredictable unmanned weapon--and use it's military might to establish peace in the galaxy once and for all. "In other words," says Zorp, "you wanted to conquer the galaxy." He had been trying to hack their systems to no avail, until he discovered the F1 program, and found that he could tell the system to seek Zorp out as "the chosen one", and lace some coding into the protocol sword that would reconfigure the military system to his control. "Now all I need to do is reboot the system with new programming. Thanks to you, the galaxy can enter a new era of peace." (which means war) "Now that your name is clear, you can help me do the greatest good." Zorp says, "No thanks."
Just then three loud bangs and laser fire blasts through into the chamber, and the F1 probe appears. F1 looks right at Zorp and attacks him. Zorp barely dodges two attacks when Zap grabs him and immediately traps him in a pin, Zorp belly up with Zap underneath. F1 waits hovering above Zorp for Zaps orders. Zap says, "Please come to your senses! If you don't join us, I will have to have you killed." Zorp says, "NO!" and tries to escape. F1 moves in for the kill.
But just then Zorp has an epiphany. He completely relaxes and gives up. F1 immediately stops. "I don't agree with you, but I will not join you. And I will not fight you." Zap says, "Kill him! Why aren't you killing him?!" In his anger, Zap throws Zorp to the side and draws a gun. But before the gun is even raised past his hip, F1 shoots him dead. F1 then speaks to Zorp normally. Zorp's epiphany was that the protocols put into F1, and subsequently the sword, would only allow damage to come to military units. In other words, the system was only allowed to attack or destroy aggressive units. So as soon as Zorp relaxed and decided not to fight, F1 could not attack. The other military and guard units were also not attacking him. The system was designed from the beginning to be strictly peaceful and peace-keeping, and the sword thrust into the mainframe just helped equalize that system.
Zorp had defeated the real enemy, delusion and ego.
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