In a second section of the city, surrounded by bustling streets and flashing holoprojections, Reed rolled on. Passing by store fronts of weapons, exotic foods, and less virtuosic pleasures, whistling to himself as his upper dome swiveld back and forth searching for a ship parts store.
Rounding the corner Reed bumped into the rear of a stout Dug, his attention elsewhere as he swiveled his sensor unit around. The purplish tan creature stumbled a bit before righting itself, snarling at Reed as it slapped the upper appendages it used as its legs on the ground. "Chuba! watch where you roll, waste bin." The Dug inspected Reed for a second, looking around for any other persons that it might belong to. "An R3 unit? What are you up to here all alone. It's a dangerous city, don't want to get sold for parts do ya?" He said shrewdly, grasping Reed with his knobby toe-fingers.
Reed chirped several times before making a long grinding sound, a small piece of paper slipping out of a slot on his chassis. "Compressor, T-6?" It read. He chirped several more times, backing up from the plump form of the Dug.
"T-6?" The Dug said incredulously, waving the paper around. "What an old junker! If it's the stock hyperdrive you'll never get a replacement..." He trailed off and then whipped towards Reed angrily. "Look here you kriffing Astro!" The Dug shoved Reed with his knobby feet-hands. "I'm no droid shopping service! If you don't want to be made into a scrap pile then git!"
Reed beeped and whistled several times, his dome rotating around full circle before he quickly zoomed around the large alien. He emited another grinding noise as he passed, a note fluttering out of the slot once more. The note was blank. The droid quickly moved away from the scene continuing his fruitless search.
The city market district was filled with the raucous shouts of store owners and customers arguing for better prices. The distant sound of a blaster firing off echoed against the tall buildings, which nobody but Reed seemed to notice. He squeeled and turned down into a nearby alley, huddling next to a pile of old boxes.
He sat there by himself for a long moment, the rain finally settling down. From behind him a quiet voice called out. "Little one? Please, spare a credit or two." Reed's done swiveled around to come face to lens with an old looking Devaronian. One of his horns was chipped and broken, the other whittled down into a dull point, no doubt some terrible joke played on the old beggar by some thug or another. "Please, if you have any." He smiled a toothy, smile in an attempt to be less threatening.
Reed beeped before the grinding noise pushed yet another note out of his chassis. "Compressor, T-6?" The Devonian picked up the note as it slipped out and fluttered onto the wet ground.
"I may know a stall that could help, but first a chip or two." The beggar said, hand outstretched. Reed rumbled for a moment, shaking before a pair of credit chips popped out of the top of his dome. As they tumbled down him the beggar lurched forward, snatching the credits from the air. "Turn back out to the right, straight down. Find the wookie." He said quickly, slipping on the wet floor as he stood to rush away and buy what meager food he could.
Reed bounced slightly on his wheels, spinning around in a tight circle and whistling to himself. He rolled back out of the alley and turned back down the street, none the wiser to the fact that if he had just continued down he would have found the stall himself.
Rolling down the bustling street, nearby stalls continued to cry out their goods to the passerbys. As he hurried along, strangers on the street looked at him curiously as he continued to whistle to himself. Finally he saw the stall in question, a wet wookie standing behind the counter was pulling wires out of an old and broken Gonk droid. As he rolled up the large wookie looked at him and cried out a guttural roar and looked down at him. Reed chirped and spun, grinding out the same message as before.
"Compressor? T-6" the wookie took the note and shook it at the droid, turning around as a tall Kaminoan stepped out from the back of the stall.
"What Grudrel what do you want?" He said, his voice a lilting, almost lyrical tempo. "Oh? Ooooh. My my little one you are a ways in over your head here aren't you?" The Wookie handed the note over, growling out several words. "Ooooh I see. T-6? Oooold shuttle yes. Hmm. Difficult but! Hmmm..." He trailed off in thought, Reed whistled several times, shifting himself back and forth.
"Last one blew up you say? Dear oh dear yes that is the conundrum I see hmmm..." the Kaminoan ducked into the back of his stall, clattering around for a couple minutes. The wookie and the droid exchanged a look. The Wookie let out a low grunt and the droid chirped back in kind.
After a long moment the Kaminoan returned with several small bits and parts, along with an old compressor. He set them down on the counter and began tweaking the main body of the compressor with the wires and casing he brought from the back.
"T-6 shuttle parts haven't been in circulation since the end of the clone wars, a treasure you have there indeed, old but good yes old but gooood" his head bobbed from side to side as he talked, his fingers working deftly as he modified the compressor he had found. "Now not a T-6 but a Lambda compressor, some modifications aaaaaaaand" he dropped the whole unit into a housing case and slid it forward. "Here you are, 700 credits, a steal just for you little droid. Now would you by chance be in need of installation? For a flat 300 I can do this too, ensure it's correct you see." R3 chirpped at the tall alien, his dome spinning around several times. "Yes yes payment after installation and confirmation of function of course. One moment let me get my hat." He shuffled into the back room, the wookie shook himself, spraying water in every direction.