I - Testing Honor
To find redemption one must go alone, only then can you face the soul that lingers behind the visor. The words lingered within the mind of the aging Mandalorian as he climbed along the cobble path of Thustra's mountains towards a remote farming village that was built into the steppes. Not even the gentle rain that pinged and plopped against his horned helmet could distract him from his thoughts of uncertainty that wrestled within his mind. Years had come and gone and yet there was little he had to show for it. Any glory or renown he and his people had vanished years prior -- and he was responsible. Rynn felt the weight of the bag which swooped to and fro from the side of his belt. Something about it felt heavier now, perhaps it was fatigue. You're growing soft, the Mandalorian thought to himself as he entered through the archway that lead into the farming village.
Val Sestus was nothing to write home about, it was a farming settlement that consisted of around a dozen or so homes and a few small shops. Along the ridge steps were thick stocks of Thustra rice which grew and were maintained by the local Sephi farmers. It was quaint, remote, and mostly undisturbed from the larger likes of the galaxy, hardly a traveler had ever passed through this area in the decades prior. But, with the subtle changes to the galaxy and the rise of the Sith Empire, more and more foreign ships could be seen idling off into the horizon of Thustra's atmosphere. By all means the planet was neutral to the galaxy at large, but even Rynn would be left to wonder if for how long that was possible.
The Mandalorian passed through a small marketplace, catching glances from the Sephi children who played and leapt between the stalls. Mothers hushed and motioned their children away and the few men that lingered within the stores turned and focused their attention on the red and blacked figure. From the jagged horns and lifeless visor gave off what appeared to be some sort of demonic robotic appearance -- cold and distant.
Past the Keltani candle broker was a small dilapidated building, tarps and mismatch durasteel was suspended against parts of the building, as the narrow flat roof seemed to sink on itself. It was more of a glorified shed than any fine establishment that should have been worth his time, yet he had no choice but to trust that the man inside had what he needed. Rynn took one step into the decaying droid shop, the sensors on his visor adapted and brightened within his HUD, accounting for the low light.
Not one droid appeared to be moving, instead it looked as if it was a morgue for fallen droids of the old republic era. B2 Battle Droids sat broken and stacked in a sloppy rushed fashion. No astromechs rolled out from a corner to beep a subtle greeting towards the man. Had anyone entered this building in nearly a decade? Rynn had begun to lose hope that this was truly going to be worth while.
The Mandalorian removed the large bag and placed it down against the table, allowing the large circular object to roll within the bag. "You were looking for this?" The Mandalorian opened up the bag and removed an old droid processing unit, rusted and encrusted in a thick layer of thick brown mud. The technology was too old for Rynn, nor did it seem like it had seen any functionality in over a thousand years.
A small figure crept up from behind the counter, it's small alien head popping up as it babbled out and took the much larger object into its hands. It studied the object and tapped it against the counter with a gentle thud. Rynn's lifeless amber visor looked down without a word spoken. He instead opened up the rest of the bag to reveal the severed head of a Sephi bandit, still fresh. "My apologies," his grizzled voice stated towards the Alien which had taken to looking at the head. "He refused to come alive."
The Alien placed the ancient processing unit down and went over the Sephi's head and stepped onto it. It couldn't have been bigger than a foot, surely it was less. Rynn's arms folded along the front of his chest as he looked downwards at the Droid-Maker. "The way-finder, you said you knew where to find it."
The Alien bustled along the head for a moment, babbling in its strange tongue. The head was tucked away by the creature and the bag was tied up and rolled back towards Rynn's lower abdomen. The Mandalorian felt the gentle bump of the Sephi's nose from beneath the bag and looked down towards it and then the maker. "That wasn't the deal." His statement cut short through the helmet.
"You will find your way-finder within the uncharted rims of the galaxy, nestled within the confines of the Nishmar system...that's all I know." the eyes of a C3PO unit lit up along the back wall, it's electronic voice took several moments to charge up and chitter the words to the man. Rynn looked to the droid and then to the Alien and gave a subtle nod. He picked up the bag and turned from the store, ready to head off.
@LadyRen
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