Open Rise from Raxus Prime

[S0-T0]

Among all the planets in the galaxy, perhaps the most lonesome and depressing of them all was Raxus Prime. The world had a yellow atmosphere tainted with smog, and it's original terrain had long been covered up by mountains of trash and scrap metal. To scavengers it was a paradise, to sanitation engineers it was a job, but to Soto it was a prison. For the last two thousand years, his frame laid dormant in a massive mound of metal. His power cells had long since been burnt out, he was deactivated. Though the droid may not have been working physically, he had been working mentally. The last thousand years allowed him to do some thinking, a lot of thinking...

This particular night on the hell hole of a planet was a stormy one. Rain had been pouring down for hours, and the vast majority of workers had gone home for the night. This would be no ordinary night however, it would be one of fate. From the clouds above, a massive bolt of lightning would fall to the planet's surface. The mound of metal would be just in the right spot to catch the bolt, Soto's body acting as a lightning rod. He would be struck directly on the head, and his eyes would flash on. After so many centuries, his circuits had been jump started.

Free from his purgatory, he would begin crawling his way out of the metal mountain. Many other dismembered droids were in the pile, but he was the only one to survive. This was not the power of an ordinary man, it was the survival instinct of a sith. That was how he saw things at least. For now, he had bigger problems. The rain was falling faster, and he needed to replace a vast number of parts. Giving himself a quick diagnostic check up, he would discover he needed a new arm, leg, and vocabulator. That last one would explain why he was unable to speak...

Deciding it fair to take what he pleased, he would begin sifting through the various damaged droids. He would tear through their bodies one by one, slowly but surly replacing his missing parts. The droid would especially be surprised by the vocabulator he managed to get his hands on, it was that of an old interrogation droid's. This would give him just the menacing voice he was looking for."Ahhh... Much better."

After this, he decided it was time to take his leave of the prison. He didn't know where he would go, but anywhere was better than this planet. Grabbing a grey tarp he had spotted, the droid would quickly re-purpose it as a cloak. Reaching to his internal compartment, he would feel his old lightsaber. It wasn't a true one, not quite yet, but it would be in due time. He would take a strap of leather from the ground, and tie it around his waist creating a makeshift holster for the weapon. Now all he had to do was locate a ship, any craft would do... "For too long, I've waited to take my revenge. Now, I vow to become the most powerful sith in history!"

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

"Listen pal, you said 10. If you want to pay eight, then I'll unload eighty percent of this here payload. I'm sure another company on this slimehole of a planet would pay for it." Dusty told the Rodian scavenger before him. The scrapper was leader of a crew of Rodians that made a living bribing garbage haulers to dump their load on the planet so they could comb through the junk and resell it. Dusty had dealt with them before and had long learned that though they would inevitably try and low-ball you, a little assertion would go a long way.

The Rodian eventually acquiesced and, payment in hand, Dusty walked back to his ship, blasting a nearby mutant rat as he gingerly tried to step away from the more toxic puddles. Risk taker though he was, the stuff on Raxus Prime was something even Dusty didn't want to roll the dice.

His ship, the Faraway Fancy came into view but that wasn't the only thing that did. Having landed near a relatively flat garbage pile, Dust had avoided any docking fees and was able to see a dark looking droid at the bottom of the pile. Even through the acid rain, Dusty could still recognize a functioning droid when he saw one. Holding his durasteel umbrella up to protect himself, he called out to the droid.

"Hey fella! You got yourself a master?"

@James Steel

 

[S0-T0]

Soto's temporary moment of triumph would soon come to an abrupt close. The sound of a close-by organic quickly filled his audio receptors. In the distance, he could make out the visage of a glymphid carrying some sort of metal umbrella. The man asked him if he had acquired a master, this was impressive foresight. How could this being know he was a sith in search of training from a master? This was of course, unless the man was a sith lord himself!

Perhaps this fellow sith had come all this way to take him on as an apprentice? What a stroke of luck, Soto could finally begin the fulfilment of his Destiney. Turning his hooded head, the droid would speak in a low commanding tone "At the moment, I do not. I suppose that's why you're here, and why I am awake? You have searched far and wide for an apprentice of my caliber I'd assume. Search no further my lord, if it is an apprentice you're looking for, than it is one you have gained..."

The droid would knee before Dusty and bow his head, proclaiming "My lord, I know I have just become your apprentice, but please. Tell me what trials I must go through to become sith. Your order is my command, your teachings I will follow!"

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

Welp.

This was an interesting turn of events, no question about it. Dusty loved adventure and the thought of a war-hungry, diabolical Sith robot tagging along with him certainly promised no shortage of them. That being said, Dusty was also a man who had flown against the Sith. While the Glymphid had no particular quarrels with the Sith - he had fought against them on a mercenary basis - he did know how ruthless of enemies they could be.

He weighed the options in his mind. On the one hand, he could have a badass crew member that didn't need to be paid, which could open up whole avenues of jobs previously unavailable to him. On the other, he risked the droid malfunctioning or discovering the truth about Dusty and murdering the shit out of him.

"O-of course, bucko! I mean, 'apprentice.' First things first, why don't we get you out of this acid rain and you tell me a bit more about yourself? Ever deal with Jedi?" Dusty asked, motioning for the robot to join him under his umbrella and, by extension, hold it too.

@James Steel

 

[S0-T0]

Soto would quickly rise as his new master addressed him. The man's greeting was a bit odd to the droid, but perhaps it was some sort of cultural thing he had yet to understand. As the glymphid instructed, the droid would march forward with much of his body concealed by the make-shift cloak. He would proceed to walk upwards and through a hill of scrap before finally making his way beneath the umbrella.

"I'm pleased you asked master, though I figured you would have already known my tale. You did seek me out after all... Though perhaps it was simply the will of the force which brought you here. My name is Soto. As for the jedi, I slayed one of their padawans many years ago. Unfortunately, after killing that one, a horde of others soon arrived to stop me... One removed my right hand, leaving me with this cheap prosthetic..." Soto would raise the new arm he had just attached moments ago. It was rusted, crude, and had much less armor than the rest of his body. "After my defeat, I was sent here to die. Fortunately, the power of the force preserved me, and I will live to take my revenge on their order..."

The droid would unveil a cylinder-shaped object from his side, unsheathing it with his left arm. "This was my training saber, though it's usefulness is limited, someday I will forge it into a proper weapon of destruction..." The hilt would spring to life with a light-red blade. Sparks seemed to jolt from the hilt as if it was damaged, but Soto would act unphased.

@Fantasy Liver

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

"Huh." Dusty said bluntly in response to the crazy information he'd been given. So this thing had killed a Jedi. Well, that certainly upped the risk factor of associating with this droid. Dusty loved it. He wasn't sure whether this thing was built by the Sith, built by the Jedi, or even if it actually was some kind of mechanical Sith. Frankly, the Glymphid didn't care.

"Well, I might have a way to upgrade that saber of yours. But first, I think you could help me out on some jobs, my new pal. I mean, "Padawan." After that, we can give you that true weapon of the Sith or whatever." Dusty told the droid. He could already envision numerous jobs where having a killer robot with a lightsaber could be useful and the thought of the accompanying risk and money of those missions almost made the Glymphid salivate. Plus, he intended to hold up his end of the bargain. He figured the Jedi owed him enough from helping them out on Felucia for minimal pay to be able to cash in for some lightsaber upgrade tips.

"That good with you?"

@James Steel

 

[S0-T0]

Soto was glad to see that his new master approved of the needed improvements to his lightsaber. There was one large oddity in the man's way of speech however, the man referred to the droid as a 'padawan' and not an 'apprentice'. There was a vast distinction between the two, as one was synonymous with the jedi, and not the sith order. If Soto had an opposable face, he would be making a confused expression. "Though I appreciate your eagerness to begin my training master, you referred to me as Padawan? Was that remark some kind of joke?"

Perhaps he had been mistaken, maybe this man was some kind of jedi who had come to hunt him down? Someone trying to fool him? There was a possibility of that, but the man did say he would gain the weapon of a true sith... The droid would have to keep his photoreceptors open, as he now looked at the Glymphid with a skeptical view. Not everyone in the galaxy was to be trusted, but surly this man was a sith here to train him, right?

"And master, if you don't mind me asking, you seem ill equipped at the moment. You lack armor, and I don't see a lightsaber on your person..." The droid would deactivate his lightsaber and cross his arms, examining the man before him a bit more thoroughly...

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

"A joke? A Sith does not joke. Jot that down - it's important. No, it wasn't a joke - it was a test and you passed. Congratulations my new Pad- apprentice!" Dusty improvised quickly, piecing together his flair for the dramatic with his cursory knowledge of the Sith. Was Padawan not a Sith term? He'd heard Jedi use it but maybe it exclusively referred to those do-gooders.

"A master Sith does not need such armor or lightsabers. Besides, I'm a bit undercover, you could say. Earning the trust of all the spacers and scum to get them under my control later. Are you up for the task or should I find a new apprentice?" Dusty asked the droid, trying to hide the sweat beading down his head as the robot questioned him.

@James Steel

 

[S0-T0]

Though Soto was first concerned, his master would quickly quell these suspicions. Apparently it had been a test, one proving the droid was indeed a sith. What an excellent form of wordplay on the sith lord's part. Soto would slightly bow before remarking "Ah, a clever test master. It gladdens me to hear you say that."

What was most impressive was the sith lords explanation. The man was so powerful he didn't need a lightsaber, or even armor. The force was truly his weapon of destruction. What a marvelous being, the man was a sith among sith. His worries would be further dampened as his master explained the 'undercover' nature of his position. A dark lord, lurking in the shadows and pulling the strings, it was a classic sith trope! Any pervious concerns of his were out the window at that point.

"O-of course master! I shall serve your will. I will complete any task I must to become sith. Simply name my trial, and it will be done!" The droid would drop to a single knee, trying to give off great respect to Dusty. "My lord... You have yet to reveal to me your name? Who will your enemies know you as before I slay them?"

 

[Dusty Daytonus]

"For now, you can just call me Dusty. And what should I call you, apprentice?" Dusty asked, hoping he hit that proper Sith intonation of superiority and snark down. Should he have gone with just Dusty? Maybe Darth Dusty would have been better. Darth Dust? Who cared - he had a new crew member aboard - he'd work out the kinks of the arrangement later.

"As for your first trial, let's get out of the storm and talk it over..." Dusty said, unlocking the doors of his ship and gesturing S0-T0 to follow. The scenarios were already running through the freelance pilot's mind. As much as he craved adventure, he also craved credits and he was sure that S0-T0 would no doubt lead to both. Should they go attack some pirates? Fight against some Sith? Do a job for the Sith? The possibilities were endless and he looked forward to discussing them with his new robotic friend. A former swoop pilot and a droid who thought it was a Sith...they'd certainly make a strange pair.

@James Steel

 

[S0-T0]

What a strange name for a sith 'Dusty'? Who would have thought? Though perhaps this was some sort of new cultural name that Soto was not yet accustom to. He had been asleep for quite some time after all, a lot could change in 2000 years. Even brushing this off, his master did not mention a title. Most Darths would have called themselves 'Darth', so his master must have been a 'lord'.

The droid would be quick to respond "My original name was S0-T0, but my sith name is Soto..." It was funny, he couldn't exactly recall the origin of his name, but simply the fact that it was his name. He felt relatively indifferent about this discovery, as it wouldn't prevent him from becoming a true sith.

The machine would follow his new master aboard the ship, taking his first true step towards freedom. It was finally time to escape the hell that was Raxus Prime... "As you say, my master..."