Mad Droid

[JollySailorBold]

---Location: Rodia---

​

"Alright Essix, you stay here and make sure no one takes the crate. I'm gonna go use the restroom at that fine establishment over there. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" "Wheeeer blip boop bloop." "You'll be fine, I doubt anyone knows we're here. If the contact gets here before I do, just stall or make the transaction. It's pretty simple." And with that, Gedro trotted off to relieve himself, leaving his droid to protect his latest delivery; the Elcarii Crystal. Valued at about 5,000 credits, Gedro was paying off a favor by delivering it to a less-than-legal collector of such gems. It was a simple job, really. Take the box to Rodia, meet up with the contact, make the transaction and walk away. He wasn't getting paid, but it was one less favor to worry about. So simple, so easy.

Or so he thought. On the way out, a nice looking Twi'lek girl called him over to the bar area. Gedro smiled and walked over to her, not unfamiliar with the situation. He had that affect on women. Sometimes. 'Essix will be fine waiting a few more minutes, he's plenty capable.' Gedro thought to himself as he flirted with the Twi'lek.

Outside, across the street, in a damp and dark alleyway filled with garbage and waste, R2-S6 was thinking of ways to get back at Gedro. The alleyway was leaving its mark on him, evident by the amount of mud and unidentified liquid on his chassis. He just wanted to leave and recharge, but his master was always ditching him for one reason or another. He was obedient though, and he diligently waited for this gem collector to show up.

 

[tdc25]

On any other day if TD asked to give her opinions on bounty hunters, she would say they were all scum. However, the group of people she nearly despised was often helpful to her, usually in more ways than one. Shortly before coming to the wide and diverse city, the protocol droid was at Rodia waiting patiently for her next ride. As she waited she over heard a conversation between two gentleman of the occupation, one a rather tall alien and the other stout, discussing the rumored Elcarii Crystal. A rare item, she heard, one worth a fair amount of credits. 5,000 of them. This lead the metal woman to research the treasure and track it, only to see it fall into the hands of someone else that has been similarly looking for it. This wouldn’t stop her from trying, though.

TD left her Bantha in the outskirts of the city as she hired a man to look after the creature, giving him what was left of her small amount of credits. The jewel had to be worth the trouble it was giving her, if it wasn’t then she would be in trouble financially for sometime. As the robot looked up at the metropolis she was about to enter, her mind was eased slightly. If this fell through, there was always a diner around the corner that would need a waitress.

The machine lurked in the shadows. Her gears could be softly heard from each subtle movement. She put up the hood of her rough looking cloak as she examined the man known as Gedro. He entered a bar with a fine woman, the robot suddenly became concerned. Was that the person that was looking for the crystal? If so, she had to work fast since the deal looked soon finished. Luckily for her she thought, the guard dog of the rare item was a small astromech droid.

The box sat in the alleyway along with the R2 unit, both equally stained by the filthy area. TD crept from behind, walking quietly as the carton came into view. She hunched herself and slowly started to reach towards it, attempting to be as sly as possible to not grab the dome shaped machine’s attention.

 

[JollySailorBold]

Essix was pondering the multiple ways he could mess with Gedro when he noticed a shadow reach across the crate beside him. Concerned and surprised he spun his head and shined a bright light at the newcomer in the alley. He was surprised when he noticed it was a protocol droid, of all things, and, even more incredulously, seemed to be a fembot. He was struck by her beauty. He'd only ever talked to one other droid, and that was just a gonk droid being sold in the area that he was. Essix then had the best idea he'd ever had; what would Gedro do?

"Bloooop beep zzzzzr baroop whirrrrr boop blip blip beep?" Or, in common, "What brings a pretty face like you to a dump like this?"

 

[tdc25]

The droid was startled slightly when the other spun its head around and looked directly at her. Her concentration was immediately broken by it also, having a brief stare off with the astromech. She slowly began to stand up straight as he began his chatter. Internally she thanked the maker that the R2 unit didn’t appear to notice that she was reaching for the box beside him.

She put her left hand on her chest, “I must’ve taken a wrong turn,” She looked away for a moment and then turned back to him, “I apologize if I was interrupting anything.” TD nodded her head in a respectful, elegant manner. The protocol fembot spoke in a collected tone.

 

[JollySailorBold]

Essix was temporarily shocked by the apparent disregard/shutting down of his advances. He didn't know that he would be rejected this blatantly and quickly. He rocked back and forth a little bit before calming down and collecting him self. Fully rotating his body to face the protocol droid, he looked up at her eyes and spoke again, trying to sound more proffessional.

"I assume you were sent by my con- err, my master's contact to collect the gem? I'm equipped to complete the transaction now, if that is what your master would prefer." After a small pause, he continued; "I apologize for my earlier behavior. I don't get to interact with many other droids...my master doesn't have enough to get another one."
(I'm just gonna have all his longer messages auto translated)

Inside the bar, Gedro just finished a make-out session with the pretty Twi'lek when he realized he had wasted more time than he meant to. Unfortunately, the girl was not prepared for him to leave just yet, and latched onto his arm when he tried to say his goodbyes and leave. He would prefer to not make a scene here, but he had a job to do. Then again, she was a good kisser..."Ahh, alright. Another drink or two couldn't hurt- but then I have to go. Really."

 

[tdc25]

Much like her 3PO brethren the droid didn’t appear to understand much about emotion, at least not the romantic kind. While ignorant, she had a slightly better understanding than other protocol droids. In other words, she wasn’t to keen on the little robot in front of her. She put her hand off of her chest, “Yes, my master has been looking forward to that item a while now.” She replied, glad that he opened a door to get the item safely.

While she did track and research the crystal for months, she did need to check if it was the item she was looking for in that box. It would be terrible if it was a supply of meat or Tauntaun fur.
“Um,” She purposely hesitated, “Would you mind if I looked at the crystal?” She requested as she played up a cute persona, “Not that I don’t trust you, but I’m sure it’s been a long ride and I don’t want it to be damaged in anyway.”
As she finished, a streetlight nearby flickered before turning itself back on. In the contrasting shadows and brief light, her facial features became more noticeable under her hood. She sensed this as she covered her damaged eye, as it was also bothering her color sensors.

 

[JollySailorBold]

"Well...I really shouldn't let you, but...I suppose I can trust you. Go ahead."
With that, Essix turned and used his mechanical arms to input a six digit code, opening the crate. As the lid slid open, a large, cool mist flowed forth from the top of the crate. Inside, the Elcarii Crystal sat perched on a golden pedestal. It's bright, orange glow eminated from within, spilling out into the alley. Essix himself was curious about the crystal. He'd been told that it gave off a large amount of heat, which is why it had to be cooled with mist and ice. He watched TD, curious about what she would do. If she reached in to take the crystal, he would quickly (and regrettably) zap her; if not, he would close the crate again and ask for the payment.

Gedro suddenly got an alert on his datapad, alarming him that the crate had been opened prematurely. He spit out his drink and quickly dove out of the bar. 'Damned droid, can't rely on him for anything. Now I gotta go- whoooooaaa, why is everything so...spinny?' Intoxicated and disoriented from his sudden rush to get out of the cantina, the world was blurring around him. Focusing his eyes slightly, he began to stumble towards the alleyway. His shuffling was loud and obvious; he would get back to Essix soon.

 

[tdc25]

The mist vaporized into the atmosphere, TD waved her arm to get some of it out of her direction. The crystal was revealed, shimmering slightly in what little light that was in the area. The droid crotched down and removed her hood, examining the jewel closely. It was in perfect condition, with no scuffs or scratches. While the fembot struggled to see its colors, she knew that it was beautiful.

As she looked at the item, she considered what she would do next. It was a tricky situation as the R2 unit was probably waiting on his master. She doubted that someone would trust that model of droid with deals or money. Even if he was in charge, she did not have the credits or something that looked like the currency to give him. TD knew that she had to be fast with her next move, irregardless that she seemed to have the astromech’s trust.

She waited a moment and leaned herself closer to the box. With speed she took the box and stood up. The robot looked at the machine in front of her and attempted to kick him to prevent the guard from chasing her. TD was rather confident with her choice in actions, but forgot the slippery feel of the pavement. After throwing her foot in the air trying to make an impact on the droid, she fell directly on her back. Some of her wires sparked as the electrical waves could be seen occasionally, as the crystal fell out of its box and near the fallen protocol fembot.

 

[JollySailorBold]

"Big mistake."
Essix had been pushed back a foot or two, but managed to keep himself upright. Turning to face her, Essix fired out his electric wires to zap TD for a few moments. Once she was dealt with, he would use roll over to the crystal, pick it up with his attachments and place it inside the box again. Gedro would be angry with him, but it seemed the only damage was some slush and mud on the surface. Essix couldn't see any further damage.

Meanwhile, Gedro saw everything from the protocol picking up the opened box to now. He cursed under his breath and unholstered his pistols. He walked over and looked at TD almost fell once, then pointed his guns in her face. "Who sent you, droid? I want names, lest you lose another eye." While Gedro appeared calm, he was swaying slightly- he was still a little buzzed. He wasn't actually going to shoot TD in the eye, but he hoped he sounded angry enough to be convincing.

 

[tdc25]

The woman had little time to respond to the shocks, the electrical currents only further aggravated her wires. She lay on the ground uncomfortably as many of her basic function began to reboot. She wouldn’t be able to reach for the crystal, even if she wanted to. She felt defeat as the R2 successfully grabbed the item.

A man approached, whom TD quickly assumed he was the master of the astromech, was wobbly and pointing his guns at the robot’s face. She stared back, though she didn’t evoke the feeling of fear or dread. Similarly to the man threatening her, she was also a little dazed, but from injuries rather than a night at the bar.

“P-please don’t damage me,” The fembot quivered, “I’m only a d-droid.” She was able to move her arms slightly, enough to show the universal sign of surrender. Another spark went off internally; the wound was in her right shoulder. Shortly after her movement the arm went limp; it threw itself onto the concrete ground.

 

[JollySailorBold]

"Why shouldn't I scrap you here and now and sell your parts to merchants all over the frackin' Galaxy? From what I just saw you tried to steal my crystal, then kicked my droid!" Gedro was yelling by the end of that sentence. He was angry; angry at himself for leaving Essix alone, angry at Essix for opening the crate and angry at this fembot for trying to steal his crystal. No doubt she worked for a rival collector. He stayed quiet for a moment and thought about this situation. He stared into this droid's eye, and looked at its damaged arm; it posed no threat. Gedro sighed and sat down on the ground next to her.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I've had a few too many drinks, and I need this deal to go well. I owe too many guys favors, and I was trying to get rid of one. I can't be at someone's beck and call forever, y'know? I'm a smuggler- I need to be free." Gedro put his guns back in his holsters and leaned over TD. "So who do you work for? Or is that confidential? Y'know what, never mind. I'll ask later. For now, I need to bring you to a repair station. Do you live here? Do you know any place I can take you?"

While Gedro was talking to the protocol droid, Essix was contacting the collector and requesting rendezvous as soon as possible. There was still a deal to be made, and a clumsy protocol droid wouldn't stop it from happening.

 

[tdc25]

Hearing the man yell did strike some fear in her, as he did seem to be legitimately angry. Not only at her, but his droid and himself. She stared at the gun hoping that he wouldn’t fire it, she could loose any other limb but the head was far too important. It worried her just thinking about that. The smuggler slowly began to calm himself, though that did not change the robot’s views on the situation. She did last comment about his occupation, the freedom of it, to be slightly relatable.

“I belong to a Neimodian merchant,” She spoke quickly but stopped as he appeared to be more concerned about her condition, ready to reveal all of her supposed past. She fell quiet for a moment as she thought about the city, “I am not from here, I entrust you with finding a repair bay.” She said with some honesty, as she clearly did not come to the area for sightseeing.

 

[JollySailorBold]

"You entrust me? Ha. Good one. No, you're gonna go and find your own repair bay, and I'm gonna make sure you get there. Then, your master is gonna pay for your repairs, I'm gonna deliver this box, then I'm gonna meet your master and teach him how I handle things. How does that sound?"
While he was talking, Gedro grabbed TD by the shoulders and pushed her up into a wall; to try and be threatening, but also so she didn't try to escape. He looked her dead in eye the entire time, patiently waiting for a response. He had little patience left, and he wanted to be done wit this droid. Or atleast teach her master a lesson.

 

[tdc25]

She stared blankly. The droid did not like his gestures and, if her arms would work with her, she would’ve tried to push him off. However, this did help to show an innocent side to her, albeit one that was exaggerated for the situation.

“I’m afraid that can’t be done,” She said calmly, “I’m afraid that my master is not in this city. I’m usually more capable by myself.”

The droid looked down at where her limb was and then went back to the threatening smuggler, “Now, would you be so kind to get my arm?” She requested softly as she cocked her head.

 

[JollySailorBold]

Gedro sighed at the Droid's words. He hung his head for a moment, steeled himself, then looked up again.
"You're gonna make it work. You will contact your master or I'll have the information extracted from you. And as for your arm, no, I would not be so kind. I don't take very kindly to thieves. So we're gonna go along with my plan, or I'll take your arm as a souvenir and leave you in this wretch-hole of a city. I'm not playing a game here. You and your master made a mistake, and one of you is gonna pay the price." With that, Gedro backed off of her. He told Essix to keep her arm until they got to a repair bay, picked up the box and turned to TD, waiting for her to do something.

 

[tdc25]

“I apologize, sir.” She said with a slight nod.

“But I must be fixed before I can do anything, that droid over there has quite the bite.” She was able to point at the R2 unit, though it was obvious of whom she was referring to. The robot walked with a limp as she moved towards the arm. She leaned towards it as she reached to pick it up, only to abruptly stop with the sound of grinding gears. She stood hunched over with her left hand carrying the fallen part.

“D-d-dolpee kikyuna!” Her voice stuttered and glitched, “Ushabia namba kee koolee?” Her internal knowledge of languages was being combined together as the fembot appeared to have a perplexing conversation with herself.

 

[JollySailorBold]

"You're useless. Completely, utterly, unbelievably useless. Just...just wait until my friend gets here, then I'll deal wth you and your...uh...problems."

Gedro and the Droid's would stand there, waiting for fifteen minutes before a skinny Rodian arrived with two armed droids. Gedro and the Rodian exchanged words, typed some numbers into his datapad and the Rodian left with the crate. He briefly considered asking about the damaged protocol droid, but decided it would be best if he just went on his way. Afterwards, Gedro turned back to TD and assessed the situation. After some thinking and consideration, he reached a solution.

"Alright, droid, seeing as you apparently can't pay for your repairs, and I definitely won't be, I'm gonna take you back to my ship and Essix is gonna do what he can to patch you up. Afterwards, I'll let you contact this Neimodian Master of yours and we'll talk about things. Follow me if you understand."

Gedro would then begin walking towards his ship. If TD followed them, Essix would stay behind her and make sure she didn't try to run. If she didn't, he would fire his grappling hook into her and drag her behind them.

 

[tdc25]

The droid’s voice slowed and lowered itself before stopping. She heard the man’s remarks as she turned her head to look at him; it was in a more competent manner than her previous movements. She quickly turned away and stood uncomfortably in her awkward position. The fifteen minutes feel like an eternity and has never before been so happy to see a Rodian, especially one that could lead her to a currency doom.

She suddenly stood up once she saw the reptilian man, “Danger! Danger!” She screeched, much similar to an old B holo-film robot. She attempted to hobble away from the duo, as the few bystanders backed away from the crazed machine. A few sparks flew from her open shoulder wound, bringing her some discomfort in her other arm. The elaborate persona may very well end her, especially since the jewel seemed out of reach by this point. TD hoped that the smuggler would view her as a lost cause, for once wanting to be abandoned like scrap.

 

[JollySailorBold]

Gedro watched as the droid screeched and yelled, clearly not ready for this development. As she stumbled away yelling and making nearby civilians uncomfortable, he weighed his options. Either try to find the Neimodian and have to continue dealing with this insane, malfunctioning droid, or he could just move on. He eventually decided that he was too tired to deal with her again and the effort and time was not worth it. After the deal was finished, he simply told Essix to follow him back to the ship. He was done with protocol droids and Rodia for a while. A very, very long while.

/End