Ask Making it Fac-Fresh

[Kotru Eabrod]

Location // Sleek's Shinies, Nar Shaddaa
Participants // @Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder

About a week has passed since his repairs were done at a certain Fiani's garage. Her work was just as good as it looked, the drag on his controls completely mended thanks to their work and his missile launcher had received its fair share of work under the mercenary's contracts. While much of it was smaller time escorts, it had afforded him enough chits to restock, refuel both himself and his ship and a little bit to put away for a rainy day.

As fortune would have it, it was not rainy at all when he received a call back about the order he received from the store's proprietor when she had the item in stock he had asked about. Nor was it boiling. It was a little muggy, sure, but that was kind of unavoidable on a planet with more holoboards than plant life.

The bell held above the door to Sleek's store rang, this time not done with a Zabrak's casual palm as he closed the door behind him. This time he was dressed in a blue jacket and similar clothes to last time, the collar of his shirt tugged neatly under his jacket. A strap runs across his chest, no doubt a holster. How did that shanty go again...? 'Keep your hand at your hip on your blaster's grip, or you'll never get out alive.'. Yeah, that's the one.

The familiar Iridonian sauntered his way on over to the counter and looked around. After a moment, he would speak up.

"'Ello? Did I catch y'on your break..?"

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

— Image

Location: Nar Shaddaa, Sleek's Shinies — 17:37

___It had been a long, sleepless night. The restlessness was evident on Sleek's face as she worked, monotonously ticking off articles of inventory on a clipboard in her hands. The woman sighed and raised a hand, burying her face with a tired sigh. From his place on her back, Di-Gi peeked over her shoulder and chirred with concern.

___"I'm fine, Di-Gi," she murmured her reply. "'Sides, we gotta get this done sooner or later, en't we? Been a quiet enough day, may's well do it now," Sleek insisted. She returned to her clipboard, but before she could continue checking her stock, she heard the front doorbell ring, causing her to lower the clipboard to her side. "Sounds like Kotru. Must be here 'bout that BD unit," the woman theorised. She lifted her free hand to her face to rub at her cheeks and eyes and put on her best smile.

___"In the back!" Sleek yelled her response. "In the warehouse! Just doin' some inventory. C'mon back." It wasn't as hot as when they first met. The air conditioning pleasantly chilled her shop and warehouse, while dehumidifiers ensured the interior air stayed crisp and refreshing instead of damp and muggy. The Fiani returned to her shelves of items and lifted the clipboard again while she waited for Kotru.

___"I look all right?" Sleek asked Di-Gi. He blipped and chirped his answer. "Eh, good enough. Y'mind bringin' me some coffee? Might help," she requested. Her droid dismounted her back and hurried through the door leading to her residence in the building to retrieve the coffee.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru slipped his hands in his pockets as he waited at the counter for a moment, briefly looking back at the shelves before Sleek's shout drew his attention towards the small doorway that led into the back of the office. A slight roll of his shoulders is given, having gotten almost comfortable in front of the main room's air conditioner. A couple tugs of his collar to trap that crisp refreshing air first, then the Iridonian started towards the back room.

Very nearly tripping up on Di-Gi as he scuttled on by. He quickly put his foot down after the BD droid scuttled past him, regaining his footing after.

"Ay! careful there Mach-5. Nearly took me out," Kotru yelped down to the droid as it moved out of his sight. After the brief exchange, he moved further inward to the warehouse and leaned on a wall not too far from the Fiani.

"Whole lot nicer when the sun ain't 'bout to go nova," The Zabrak smirked in greeting, giving a small wave with his free hand. "Hey, Slick. Got your message. How's things 'round 'ere?"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Di-Gi ground to a halt to spin around and frantically beep an apology to Kotru. Once he finished, he resumed rushing away to fulfil his mistress's request. Sleek suppressed a chuckle of amusement.

___"Always eager t'help," she said. "S'a lot better when it en't so hot, yeah. Glad y'were able t'come by a time when it's more tolerable," Sleek continued, looking back up at the shelves again to resume taking stock. "Things been fine. En't nothin' too eventful happen," she murmured. It didn't feel appropriate to mention her impromptu, spur-of-the-moment "date" with a woman she had just met earlier that day. The Fiani ticked off a few more boxes on the supply list in her hands.

___"I s'pose y'got my message 'bout the BD unit I got ahold of?" she asked. "Li'l scuffed up, but en't nothin' what I en't able t'fix," Sleek continued. The woman set the clipboard on one of the shelves and reached out to remove a box, pulling it down to place it on the ground. She input a code onto a keypad, prompting it to chime and unlock. Sleek pushed open the box lid, revealing a lightly damaged blue-and-gold BD unit.

___"Missin' his scomp link," she said. "Prob'ly got nicked by some scavenger on the street, but easy t'replace. Still got his memory bank, but I can wipe that if y'want, and he needs a li'l bit-a maintenance on some-a his parts, but en't a bad unit."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"Relax! I ain't bustin' yer' bolts 'bout it!" Kotru called back at the mysterious speedy chirps, having no actual clue what Di-Gi called back behind the wall and the sheer speed at how quickly the droid gave his response before disappearing.

"Heh, yeah. Can't say I envy those ears 'n all, day like that," As he watched the Fiani work, he noticed the restless expression upon her features. Faint bags under the eyes were an all-too-familiar look, one that the Zabrak had seen plenty of upon his own icey orbs after a long patrol job. Usually dismissed with a generous fistful of caf or a rush of adrenaline. "S'good ta' hear. Don't really see the point in wakin' up so early for it, though."

As he spoke, the Iridonian kicked off of the wall into a full stand and nodded his head. "That I did. Unless y'missed me 'n that was a good 'nough reason, 'course," Kotru smirked his response, crouching down as the Fiani set the secure box on the ground. A curious blonde brow perked up as she opened the box to reveal the droid within. Blue and gold? Whoever owned him before sure did share the Iridonian's tastes...

"Don't really need any thoughts'a the old master lurkin' around. Probably best to start from a clean slate," Kotru advised, his arms folded as his index tapped his bicep thoughtfully. "Think we could fit a few tools in 'is chassis? Could use an extra hand or two when I'm runnin' patch jobs."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Yeah, she woke up early. That's what happened. Sleek didn't see a reason to correct him.

___ "A'ight, we'll get 'im wiped," she confirmed. "Depends on what kinda tools y'want. If yer lookin' fer somethin' like Di-Gi, aye, I could prob'ly fit in an arc welder in the other foot. S'pose it depends more on if yer lookin' fer ability t'patch ships, slice droids, what're y'wantin' out of 'im, exactly?" Sleek asked. Di-Gi came through the door again as she finished speaking, a mug of coffee balanced precariously on his head. With a smile, the Fiani kneeled to retrieve it.

___"Thanks, buddy," she said, giving the droid a gentle pat on his head. Sleek rose to her feet and took a drink, sighing afterwards. "Hittin' the spot," the woman murmured. "Anyway, gotta remember, BD units en't very big. If y'want sheer ship-fixin' utility, yer better off gettin' an R-series astromech. If yer heart's set on a BD-series, the more tools y'try and stuff into 'is chassis, the more stuff yer gonna have t'remove t'make room."[/abox]

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru nodded his head at the confirmation, an idle finger tapping against his thing when she asked about what kinds of tools the Iridonian wanted in the BD-droid. "Somethin' ta' help wit' pilottin'. Arr Fourty One's don't exactly get an Astromech socket, so I'm workin' wit' what lil' space I got. 'Sides, ain't like I'm gonna have 'im runnin' all the work for me."

As Di-Gi returned with the steaming mug atop his head, the Zabrak couldn't help but chortle. "Didn't know they came wit' in-built tables," He joked, standing up from his squat as the woman rose up from the box. "I know. I like doin' things on my own anyways, jus' could use the extra hand from time ta' time. Think a similar kit to Di's would be ideal."

"That, and I couldn't code a microwave. Could use someone ta' proofread," Kotru admitted with a short chuckle.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Y'wanna mod yer droid t'make pilotin' easier?" Sleek asked, scratching her head with her free hand. "Y'want it t'do stuff like monitor flight performance and perform power management? That's a lot t'ask of a li'l BD-series, Kotru," she said, lifting her mug to her lips to take another drink. The woman stood silently as she sipped, Di-Gi hopping onto the crate's edge and then the woman's back. Once she finished drinking, she held her mug in both hands.

___"I might be able t'kit it in such a way that it could prob'ly help with minor pilotin' adjustments, but it en't gonna be able t'do what an R-series or even a BB-series could do," Sleek explained. "It en't gonna be doin' no power management, but I might could set it up t'optimise shipboard systems, as well as pinpoint'n correct minor technical problems," she continued, glancing down at the BD unit laying still in the box. Sleek hummed thoughtfully, her lips pursing as she considered her options.

___"I'll add a new computer scomp link t'yers. I'll prob'ly leave out the arc welder unless y'really want it, and swap out things like the stim canister storage fer a fire extinguisher, maybe a circular saw, and some other components t'help keep yer bird afloat and make yer job easier. Y'gotta prioritise either repairin' yer ship, or helpin' ya fly easier. With a modded BD unit, ya en't really gonna get both."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru listened intently as Sleek explained, a curious icy orb following Di-Gi as he bounded up the shelves and onto his owner's shoulder. Droid design was something he was not used to by a long shot. His education let him take rough educated guesses, but the Fiani's own expertise pretty much blew all of that out of the water in a small handful of sentences.

He would dip his head in understanding.

"S'fine wit' me. I'd rather it do the smaller stuff anyways. Muscle memory 'n all would just bring us to arguin' over input," The Iridonian admitted, arms coming to a folded rest. "Those tools sound good. Have the lil' guy scuttlin' about while I work on the bigger things."

With a grin, Kotru's left hand emerged from the crook of his right arm and gave a thumbs up. "Sounds good ta' me, sister. We'll give the lil' guy a toolbox of his own 'n I'll have 'em workin' the smaller stuff. Y'might be out of a customer at this rate!" He gave a quick bit of jest, letting Sleek enjoy her caf before continuing.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Sleek scoffed at Kotru's suggestion that she would be out a customer.

___"Don't get me wrong, droids're great, but en't no droid gonna be better'n me, darlin'," Sleek replied confidently. She closed the crate with her foot and bent over to set her mug on top of it, Di-Gi balancing accordingly and staying mounted through the entire process. The Fiani hoisted the crate with a grunt and adjusted it, carefully keeping her drink on top. She gestured with her head towards the door.

___"I can do all-a the repairs up front," Sleek said as she walked past Kotru and through the door leading to her storefront. She navigated behind her counter and set the crate on top, opening it again after removing her drink as Di-Gi hopped from her shoulder. "Y'mind goin' t'get a loader t'pick up all-a the parts I'll need, buddy?" Sleek asked her droid, looking over at him. "I need... well, all-a the bits'n'bobs you got. En't sure I like the thought-a two-a you runnin' 'round, but it's what Kotru wants."

___Di-Gi chirped in affirmation and scuttled to the back to fulfil his mistress's request. Sleek reached inside to remove the lightly damaged BD unit and set it on the counter.

___"Y'should consider yerself lucky," she said over her shoulder to Kotru. "I cherish Di-Gi. I'm might proud-a my one-of-a-kind droid, and I'm sittin' here makin' one fer you. Part-a me wants t'be selfish. Say no, but I'm swallowin' m'pride here," Sleek finished as she started assembling a set of tools to begin plying her trade.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

The Iridonian smirked at her reaction, a small laugh escaping his lips.

"I know. S'why I run my works by ya' when I ain't able ta' do it m'self."

He followed the Fiani's lead, moving to Sleek's left as he rested his folded arms atop the counter with a relaxed lean to watch her work. The small droid bounding onto the table and down was followed by the Iridonian's eyes, flicking back to her with a small bob of his head as the inert explorer droid was set down on the counter, the hull and internals battered.

There is a slight purse of his lips as she spoke, watching each of the intricate tools before he spoke up in response. "Mhm, I'll be thankin' my lucky stars t'night. Don'chu worry 'bout that," He hummed back. "More importantly, I'll be thankin' you plenty."

"I'll save all that sappy stuff 'til you're done, though. Let'cha focus."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Y'better be doin' more'n just thankin' yer lucky stars. Y'better not go 'round tellin' no one else where t'get a modded BD unit like this, 'cause if I got a bunch-a folk showin' up, askin' fer one, and the corpos steal my idea t'make a profit off it, I'mma be mighty upset," Sleek grumbled, picking up an arc welder off the counter. She pulled her goggles over her eyes and began working, removing parts and pieces damaged beyond repair.

___"Y'can talk while I work. What, y'ferget we spent the entire time I fixed yer bird chattin'?" Sleek asked incredulously, scoffing at the absurdity of letting her focus. "Why y'got yer heart so dead set on a BD unit like mine, anyway? Sure, y'might not have a socket dedicated t'an astromech, but there's prob'ly half a dozen diff'rent models what'd do what y'want, but better."

___As she spoke, Di-Gi scrambled through the door and chimed his completion of his task.

___"Thanks, li'l guy. Y'know yer way 'round yer series, so start helpin' me get all-a these ruined pieces off," she instructed, and Di-Gi obliged immediately. He hopped onto the counter and ejected the arc welder from his foot, beginning to work on the side Sleek wasn't attending to.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"In that case, it's a good thing my eyes are shot," Kotru hummed back to the Fiani's grumble. "I didn't see nothin'. Hell, I ain't seein' anythin' right now," He continued, turning away as Sleek's work began to create those small flashes of light. As much as he'd like to watch, the last thing he needed was floaters in his eyes while on Nar Shaddaa of all places.

The scoff was quickly met with a short-lived chortle from the Zabrak. "Naw, but it seemed like more intricate work," As Sleek prodded at his reasoning, he responded with a shrug. "Probably. Rollies, R-Series, Cees, all'a that got one thing in common. Bulk. They got these big, rounded chassis. Makes 'em hard ta' keep around when you're tryin' ta' travel light. They could do his job better, sure-"

Di-Gi gives Kotru a narrowed photoreceptor at this slander, the Iridonian looking back with a raised palm.

"No offense. But, what the BD's got is subtlety. Sure they got caf tables for a skull, but they're slimmer. Light enough to be carried on a shoulder by the looks of it. I tend ta' move quick, don't need to be playin' catch-up fer' one'a them heavier models, y'know?"

His gaze towards Sleek's vague direction, looking behind the Fiani rather that directly at her and the mechanical lightshow that made up her skilled hands. "What 'bout you? How'd you get your mitts on our lil' friend there?"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"S'pose I can understand that logic," Sleek replied, following Kotru's explanation about his distaste for other series. "Yeah, BD units're great fer portability. Y'seen Di-Gi ridin' 'round on my back all the time. One-a his favourite places t'be is on someone's shoulder," she explained as she continued working, Di-Gi whirring his agreement with her statement. As she finished removing the broken pieces on the droid, the Fiani reached over to take one of the requested components and add it.

___"Y'find that café table they got fer a head's actually real handy," Sleek laughed. "As fer how I found Di-Gi, well, found him stalled out, abandoned in an alleyway," she illustrated their meeting. "Right here on Nar Shaddaa, actually, not too far 'way from one-a m'favourite bars." One of her favourite bars that still caused a pang of regret in her heart. "Some poor idjit got corpsified durin' a second story job. The enforcers smoked his droid, nicked the scratch from it, and chucked it in the alley."

___Di-Gi warbled sadly. Sleek paused her work long enough to reach a hand over to place it on his head.

___"I en't never wiped his memory. When I got him functionin' again, I told him I could, but he said no. Wanted t'remember all-a that, and when I asked why, he said it were so someone could remember his former master. Sounded like a right proper Fiani with that answer," Sleek recalled fondly with a smile. "Decided t'make him mine. Outfitted him with the tools t'help, and we been together ever since."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"I'd figure. Di' practically jumped up the shelves t'get at your shoulder," Kotru teased once the crackling hiss of the arc welders finally stopped. His gaze moved closer to the blue and gold chassis, watching as each part was carefully click the replacements circuitry and motors into the empty space made from the seared boards and the dislodged components.

When Sleek laughed in agreement, the Iridonian chuckled along. "Y'kiddin'? Di-Gi was balancin' it like a pro. Y'sure you didn't chip 'im wit' any soft from a C5?" As she would begin to recall the story of how they met, the Zabrak would nod his head and listen quietly as an idle hand drummed along his sleeve. There is a small purse of his lips as the BD's synthesized whine hung on the air, some degree of sympathy for the droid shown in his expression.

"Hell of a loyal piece'a work, y'are," Kotru remarked to the droid, looking down to his half-assembled counterpart as Sleek worked on it. "Sweet story. Any clue of where our blue-plated friend came from?"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Loyal's they come," Sleek confirmed Kotru's assessment of her droid companion. "En't got a ruttin' clue where he's from. S'pose we could power him on and ask him afore we go straight t'wipin' his memory, if y'fancy," she suggested as she reached over to grab the scomp link component. The scomp link was one of the essential tools a droid could have, especially when performing ship maintenance. Even if ship maintenance wasn't involved, a droid's ability to interface directly with computers and other systems allowed them to slide doors and access things typically unavailable to a droid without it.

___Behind the counter, the wall hissed as decompressed air released, and a section lurched forward. It crawled to the side and, through the opening, trundled a loader droid with all the parts Sleek would need to continue maintenance on the BD unit.

___"Up t'you, though. We can wipe it clean or try t'see where it came from first. That said, don't let the story I told ya 'bout me and Di-Gi influence yer choice. Sometimes it's better t'wipe 'em from the get-go," Sleek explained, glancing over her shoulder at Kotru. "Take some time t'think 'bout it if y'want. I got a few more things t'take care of, anyway."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru let the idea bounce around his head for a while, watching the Fiani's skilled hands attach the scomp link to the BD's left leg. Much of the wiring was still intact, so it only took a bit of soldering to reconnect the interface to the main board stored within the droid's wide head and secured in place with a handful of screws.

As for its memory banks, the Iridonian's lips pursed thoughtfully. On one hand, it would sate his curiosity as to the machine's origins. He wondered who the BD's previous master was, and what could have resulted in such a colorfully cased droid to be cast aside and left to rust. On the other, that could have been done for a reason. This droid was found in Nar Shaddaa, after all. For all Kotru knew, it could have had ties to the cartel or worse.

It took a few minutes of quiet, interrupted only by the heavy whines of the loader's motors and the tactile metal clicks of her work before he spoke up again. His caution had won out.

"Nawh, think it's best ta' jus' start 'im from scratch," The Zabrak looked up to Sleek as he spoke up again, meeting her amber gaze. "Y'need a hand wit' those other things at all? As entrancin' as it is watchin' you work, I ain't exactly the greatest at sittin' still."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"A'ight, fresh wipe it is," Sleek stated as the loader droid approached with the parts. "Di-Gi, go get my datapad so's I can wipe its memory afore we get it booted up," she requested. The droid obeyed, sealing the arc welder in its leg again before bounding off the counter to scuttle away. With Di-Gi gone and the other leg gutted, Sleek grabbed the arc welder the droid brought out to attach it to the BD unit.

___"If y'wanna help, can y'start trimmin' some electrical wires down t'size?" Sleek asked. "En't gotta be more'n a few inches. Gonna need some 1/0-gauge THHNW and 6-gauge XHN cables, assumin' y'know anything 'bout electrical wires," she chuckled. Once the arc welder was in place, Sleek moved to begin removing the stim canister container from the droid's head to insert a series of fire extinguishers.

___"If ya en't know nothin' 'bout electrical cables, go t'the back and find a crate what's labeled with spare BD-series parts. Gonna need some covers t'put on its legs and head once this is all finished," Sleek suggested, giving the man an out if her prattling about electrical wires fell on untrained ears.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru smirked as Sleek gave her quick spiel about the necessary wires.

"Sister, I used ta' need cable replacements all the time back when I was fiddlin' about wit' 'em," He replied, pushing off the counter into an upright position. "Didn't bring m'tools, so I'ma snatch some'a yours."

Yoinking a tape measure and wirecutter on his way past the Fiani, the Iridonian would begin to poke around her shelves for the specific wire types mentioned. It took him a bit of rummaging, but he soon had a coil of the two specified cables in each hand. Kotru would set them on the counter on the opposite side to Sleek, taking the cutters in one hand and the tape in the other to start creating strips of cabling no longer than a couple inches in length and creating two neat piles.

"Y'know, I actually used ta' be a spare hand back on Elrood," Kotru mused aloud as they worked, clamping down the cutters and setting aside a length of THHNW cable. "Trainee technician for some'a the refineries. Funny how things end up comin' back around like that."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"As long as y'put 'em back where y'got 'em. En't nothin' gets me all-fired more'n m'tools gettin' misplaced," Sleek grumbled, casting a sidelong glance over her shoulder towards Kotru. As he set to his task, Sleek returned to hers, adding the tools and features Kotru requested. Di-Gi came back through the door with her datapad balanced on his head, jumping onto the counter to present it to her.

___"Thanks," Sleek said, taking the datapad before patting the small droid on the head. The woman hooked the datapad up to the droid's brain, tapping some buttons afterwards to start a fresh wipe. As the reset progressed, Sleek added the remainder of the tools to re-equip the droid for astromech purposes.

___"Pass those wires whenever yer done," she stated. "Used t'be a trainee techie, huh? What'd make y'wanna give up that kinda life? Couldn't imagine doin' anything other'n what I do now," Sleek added, turning on her stool to see how the progress was on the wires. Seeing the two neatly organised piles, she expected him to turn them over soon.

@FreelanceGarbageMan