Nothing exciting ever seemed to happen on the barren fields of Maridun. A typical work day would usually consist of getting up, going to work, eating, sleeping, and repeating the process. There were no cities to explore, no shops to spend a salary-worth of credits on, only thousands and thousands of miles of grasslands and prairies.
For some, that was no bother. Old man McGill saw it as a respite from the turmoil the war had brought about to the galaxy.
"For me, this is time off," He would explain to the rest of the team, "I lived in Coruscant my whole life, all I wanted is to get out of the city"
"Yeah, well, I lived on a mining station before this so go figure," replied Allyn. He was a short but wide man who was almost always coughing up a lung.
"Not saying it was terrible, I was just sick of it, like you were of the mines," McGill replied.
"The point is, there's nothing to do here," Brydo said, a younger Rodian man of the group.
"At least the last team left us a ton of food," Jedha, a young woman from Tatooine piped in.
Most teams working the oil rigs on Maridun could only stomach a month of work on the dull planet. By the end of the couple of months, they were ready to forever wipe any memories of the planet and get back to civilization.
"We have that old holotable don't we? We can play a game of pazaak on there or some other game," McGill said.
They were stationed in a small village that once belonged to a band of refugees from Mygeeto. It was packed with old fashioned huts and straw chests. A more modern building was erected at the far end of the village, hooked up with the latest technology the Republic could provide. But that was back towards the beginning of the war.
"Pazaak? That ancient card game nobody plays anymore? Right, I'd rather shoot at the mountains as target practice for five hours straight," Kano, another human from the outer rim replied. His face seemed to be set in a permanent scowl and his eyebrows were about as bushy as that of a Wookie's.
"Knock yourself out, I'm going to get some water," McGill said, stomping out of the room.
"I'll be upstairs trying to sleep again if anyone needs me," Allyn said.
"Maybe we should use that old holotable. At this rate, Kano's gonna shoot his brains out," Jedha whispered over to Brydo.
The Rodian made a strange tisk noise with his mouth, "And that's supposed to be a bad thing?"
"I know you guys don't like each other but you've got to get along. I'd rather not have to deal with two idiots constantly fighting each other for the next three months," Jedha moved over to the table, dusting off the seats.
"Never in my life have I met a human so arrogant and self-centered. I would rather work the whole day on the rig than speak to that thing"
Thankfully Kano was on the other side of the room, messing with a broken receiver he'd found buried within one of the abandoned huts from the village. Otherwise, the two would've gotten into yet another fight.
"Just try"
Jedha tinkered with the table, messing with the various buttons on the sides.
Outside, McGill had wandered outside to the very edge of the village. There, an old water pipe was set up for the workers' use. Around the pipe the grass had grown an unusual green, a rare sight for the brown planet. McGill took a moment to soak in the vibrant colors, a much needed breath of fresh air from the mind-numbing shades of brown and yellow Maridun was bathed in.
A strong wave of air washed over his face, bringing his attention out to the land beyond. Every so often he would take a break from the rest of the crew, taking comfort in the solitude that the unending grasslands brought him.
Far off in the distance, McGill swore he could see two tall figures moving about in the fields. He dismissed it when the wind passed over the area once more, instead taking a drink from the water pipe below. He looked out to the same spot again and noticed the figures still moving, getting much closer this time.
'So they aren't my imagination,' McGill thought. He brought his commlink up to his mouth.
"Hey fellas, looks like we've got some company on the north side of the village. Can I get some help over here?" McGill said over the radio.
"Company? Are you sure it isn't just some animals?" Brydo replied.
"Oh I'm sure. I can't make out what species they are though"
"We're coming over," Kano replied.
"I won't lie to you Ron, I'm scared," Rev said through their commlink.
"Relax, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm right here behind you. My hand will always be on my blaster. If the situation falls apart, so be it. We have the superiority of technology on our side, anyhow," Ron replied
"What if I say something offensive? Neither of us know much about dealing with organics"
"We will make the excuse that we're foreign to the ways of other species. We are posing as a rare alien race anyhow. Just follow my instructions, remind yourself of the plan"
"I have it memorized"
"Good"
Neither said another word as they edged up on the outskirts of the village, slowly approaching one of the workers overlooking the prairies they were currently crossing. Another gust of wind blew from behind the duo, slapping the tall stalks of grass against their straw pants. Ron had made an effort to bulk up their frame's a bit by stuffing clusters of grass in between their outfit and shell. Otherwise, the workers might look upon their appearance as off-putting. That would only serve to start them off on the wrong foot.
As the two neared within a hundred feet of the worker, Rev began having second thoughts. Quickly, he tried turning around but Ron came to his side and put a hand on his shoulder, redirecting him back towards the village.
"I'm right here. Whether you like it or not, we are going to have to start speaking with organics and figuring out how they cooperate and speak with one another. Stick to the plan," Ron gave one last reassuring pat on the back before returning to his position, offset from Rev's side. He'd already set up a good angle to pull his blaster if the need were to arise.
Their long and heavy black fur robes swung slightly with the wind. Hung together by several strands of rope was a long plastic mask with two eye holes covering the entire length of their faces. Ron had hastily made them from two leftover containers they'd found in one of the crates aboard their ship along with the cloth Rags had used to tie himself to the door of the cockpit. Their straw pants bulged out from against their legs, unchanging with the wind.
"Hello there!" Rev yelled out, waving an arm above his head.
McGill was joined by three of his partners.
"Hello!" McGill yelled back. Carefully, he strode forward, leading the group towards Ron and Rev. One hand rested on his belt angled towards his blaster, "What brings you two out here"
They were within a couple feet of each other. McGill took a moment to study their outfits, noting the strange craftsmanship of the two foreigners.
"You see, we run a small shop on Cybloc and were looking to refuel our generators with oil," Rev said.
"How'd you hear about us?" McGill continued, ignoring what Rev had said.
"Through the galactanet"
"Hmm...," McGill looked back to Brydo, "Did the others set that up?"
"I think so, I do remember hearing Lutha saying something about advertising on the net when we broke off from the Empire," Brydo said.
McGill turned back to the foreigners, "Well, how much ya' need?"
Rev stood silent for a moment, "Just three gallons. Our generator is quite efficient"
"Right, we charge fifty credits per gallon," McGill looked over his shoulder to confirm the price.
"Uh, w-we don't exactly have credits at the moment. We were looking to trade some military grade equipment for the fuel," Rev looked back to Ron who gave him a silent nod.
"We don't do trading," McGill said.
"Hold on," Kano said, stepping in ahead of McGill, "What type of military equipment are we talking about here?"
"They're E-5 blasters straight from the Separatists," Rev responded plainly.
"E-5 blasters? Those things don't go for too much in terms of blasters. But they're still worth quite a bit," Brydo commented from behind.
"Bring us a sample, then we'll talk," Kano said.
"Kano, we have to speak on this as a group," McGill said in a more authoritative tone.
"Well, do you object? I don't think the Empire's gonna be happy when they find out we broke off," Kano said, shifting his attention over to the old man, "Better we be prepared than they take us off guard"
"Right, as if we can take on the whole Empire ourselves," Jedha said, butting in.
"What do you think the Empire's gonna do? Send a star destroyer over our way?" Kano said with a chuckle.
"Now don't jinx us," McGill said.
"Do you really think they'd do that?" Kano said, an incredulous look overtaking the smile on his face.
"I don't know and I don't want to find out"
"Well it's too late to back out. We've already cut the chains with the Empire. Eventually they'll come," Kano turned back towards their headquarters, "I don't think they'll bother sending anything larger than a small transport ship our way"
The rest of the group stayed silent as they mulled it over.
"So do we have a deal?" Rev hesitantly asked.
"Show us the goods, then we'll talk," Kano said one last time before walking back to the main building.
With that, the groups separated, Ron still keeping a keen eye on the workers as they headed back to their ship.
Once they'd returned after a short walk, Ron gave Rev a small pat on the back.
"You did good. Remember, this is all for them," Ron said pointing to the B1's still hung up on the ship's chains, "As long as you remember that, the fear should go away"
Rev nodded silently.
"Now let's get back. You'll have to continue speaking them"
"I'll do my best," Rev said. He looked out beyond the never-ending fields, finding the winds that flowed through the area a much needed respite. It was then he realized, their new life didn't have to be so exhausting. He only needed to look at it from a different angle. Where droids like him could serve a meaningful purpose worth fighting for.
"Are you sure about this?" Jedha questioned. McGill had called for a small meeting between those present. Allyn excluded. He'd finally fallen asleep in the upstairs quarters after having spent a week coughing the entire day and night. No one knew at the time that he would never wake up.
"Look, I have some military experience, we should at least think about upgrading our firearms. These flimsy Westar-34s overheat too quick to deal with a small crowd," Kano explained.
"A small crowd?" Brydo said, his eyes scrunching up.
"I'm talking about a small squadron of troopers. Most likely they would send maybe a ship-full over our way. No doubt they want to use their fancy new toys," Kano said.
"The boss wants profits not weapons," McGill said, silently assessing the situation.
"But if he doesn't secure these locations, he'll lose all his profits to the Empire. Besides, we can always sell them. There are plenty in circulation from the Separatists but I'm sure they still go for a lot," Kano said. Every time he moved to talk it seemed as if the scowl on his face grew in ferocity.
Brydo sighed, "He's not wrong. The Empire will come here eventually and these blasters won't do," he said, feeling disgusted to agree with Kano of all people.
McGill stroked his long white beard, "Not our call to make. I've heard the boss is ordering new equipment for us soon anyhow. Said profits have increased greatly since we've stopped paying taxes"
"Is that what he told you? Do you think that idiot even cares about us down here?" Kano said, "I'm making this deal, if it backfires I'll take the blame," he walked out.
Jedha sighed, "How many months do we have left?"
Nobody answered.
Kano stood at the edge of the village, eagerly awaiting the foreigners' return. The rest of the crew trudged along behind him.
Rev cautiously approached Kano, the blaster presented in front of him and held with the barrel pointed away from any person.
"Looks like the real deal. Now let me see it up close," Kano said, reaching out to Rev's arms.
Just as he was about to hand it away, Ron pulled him back and stepped as close to his shoulder, giving the illusion that he was whispering in his ear.
"Don't give it to him, we don't trust him that well just yet. Just say you can take a shot at the fields so he can see it works," Ron said through their comms link.
"How about I take a shot at the fields just so you can see that it works?" Rev said out loud.
Kano's bushy brow furrowed, "Fine," he readied a hand on his belt.
Rev took that as a sign to be cautious. He slowly turned towards the fields on their right, aimed the blaster and shot out a single bolt before turning back just as cautiously towards the workers. A small tremble ran through his body. For a moment he fumbled with the blaster in his hand nearly dropping it out of nervousness.
"Now that's the real deal," A wide smile formed on Kano's face, "I think we can work something out"
"Now hold on Kano, we-"
Before McGill could finish his sentence, Kano had already whipped around with his blaster out and shot the old man in the stomach.
Brydo made a move for his blaster but was shot in the head before he could pull the trigger.
Jedha managed to get a single hit on Kano, injuring his leg, but was cut down by a flurry of blaster bolts from Kano soon after.
His time as a bounty hunter had made his hands quick and his shots accurate. It also made lying all that much easier.
Ron had stepped in front of Rev with his blaster out.
Kano turned back to face the two, his hands set out to his sides as a show of neutrality, "Is the deal still on? Or does this bother you?" He said with a small chuckle, the smile still wide on his face.
"The deal is still on," Ron replied.
"Good, good. I'll get you that fuel and you give me the blasters. Just help me hide the bodies," Kano waved them over.
Ron still held the blaster up, "That's not our problem. We'll be getting back to our ship to get the rest of the blasters. By the time we get back, you should have the fuel ready"
Kano scoffed, "Fine, fine. I was the one who made the mess after all, right?"
"Right. We'll be back in, say, thirty minutes"
Kano was already pulling one of the bodies over his back, struggling to maintain his balance with an injured leg, "You got it"
Ron walked backwards, still facing Kano, until he came shoulder to shoulder with Rev, "Start walking back, I'll keep my eyes on him," he said through their comms line.
Rev, still shaken up by the encounter, shakily replied with a short, "O-ok"
After a couple of hundred feet of distance was put between them, Ron finally turned around, heading off back towards the ship.
"That was a strange encounter," Rev said, once inside the ship.
"What do you mean?"
Ron was hastily packing the rest of the blasters into the crate. He didn't want to waste anymore time dealing with Kano.
"I've never seen an organic act like that before. If only the clones had been like that, we would've won the war. What are these types of organics called again? Criminals right? Why are we helping this guy out, he could betray us like he did with his own squad mates"
Ron stopped in his tracks, "Rev, we're criminals too"
"I know, but that person, he's different"
"How so?"
"I don't know. It just...feels wrong to help him. My logic circuits are telling me not to go near him"
Ron began wheeling out the crate, "Look, what other choice do we have? Do you think anyone else will want to bother dealing with a droid?"
Rev felt a strange heat form in his processors, "I don't know. We've never tried"
"For now, we will have to deal with other criminals. All that matters is that we get our brothers to safety and secure a spot for us to live for the rest of our lives," he rolled out the crate, struggling to get it across the wide patches of grass on the ground.
"I know that already but we should've tried somewhere else where we don't have to deal with people like him," Rev said, helping Ron push the crate along.
"It's too late for that. Let's just get done with this and be on our way," Ron said, "Then we'll see what those droids buried underground are all about"
"I nearly forgot about that," Rev said, looking back towards the clearing where their ship had landed.
"I doubt any of them survived whatever attack they endured but we can check the area and be done with our search by the end of the day"
They pedaled the crate in silence the rest of the way, until Kano came into view again. He stood resting on one of the arches that was erected at the entrance of the village.
Ron took hold of the crates and pushed it over to Kano, taking a step back with Rev.
Kano said nothing as he pulled the top off and inspected the weapons inside.
All the batteries had been taken out and placed on one side of the container with the weapons lying on the opposite end.
"Smart," Kano commented, pulling one of the blasters for a closer inspection. He strode over to four red containers of oil and set them down at Ron and Rev's feet.
"I felt charitable today and decided to give you two an extra gallon. Just remember this, you don't know me and you never came here," Kano said, the big creeping smile once again forming on his face.
"Right," Ron said, taking one of the containers in one hand while Rev took the rest.
"You have a strange voice, where'd you say you came from again?" Kano said.
"That's none of your business," Ron replied.
Kano nodded, "That's alright, we all have our secrets, don't we?"
"Yes, we'll be leaving now," Ron said. He waited for Kano to start heading back towards his base but he never did. Instead, he stood there silently watching them. Plumes of smoke arose from the top of the building behind him. At that, Ron understood.
"Start heading back. I'll watch him like before," Ron said through their comms-line.
Still, as they walked back, Kano stood unmoving, watching their every movement. Right up until they were nearly back at the ship did he turn away.
The rest of the day Ron and Rev silently dug up the rest of the droids they could find. Working with haste as they sought to escape before Kano could stir up any more trouble.
"Six B1's. But some of them look like they were only recently deactivated," Rev noted.
"You're right. These three B1's don't have any burn marks or damage," Ron said.
The droids were all set up in a row just outside the cargo hold. Off in the distance, they kept a vigil eye on the smoking building. A warm glow had already settled over the lands as the sun began dipping down past the horizon.
"And one B2, also in good condition," Rev continued.
"Looks like we'll only be able to take the three B1's and the B2, the rest are too damaged. Not sure if they will fit in the cargo bay but we can certainly try getting them in. I find it strange that only these four have no battle scars"
"Let's get going. I don't wanna stay here any longer," Rev said, his head constantly scanning the surrounding area.
The two rushed the droids into the ship, having to carry the B2 with their combined strength.
They just about fit, albeit in the middle of the cargo hold with no chains to keep them in place.
Ron hopped into the cockpit, closing the doors and set course back to Dygon Prime. Their ship groaned the whole way up. At this rate, it certainly wouldn't last much longer.
"What's next?" Rev said. The vast twinkling sea of burning stars and empty space always seemed to bring out a great deal of joy in his circuits. It nearly made him forget what had happened.
"Now, we can finally power on our brothers. We'll use Dygon Prime for the time being. It seems secluded enough"
Streaks of blue filled the skies as they finally returned to hyperspace.
Out in the space above Maridun, a recon ship stood at bay, surveying the area around the planet.
A man clad in a well-maintained gray and white outfit marched on-wards to his superior in the command bridge.
"Sir," the man said with a salute.
The officer turned and lazily saluted back.
"We detected a ship tagged as a Separatist transport but we could not pursue since it entered hyperspace soon after"
The officer's face hardened with a scowl, "Which recon ship in the area tagged it?"
He turned to a holotablet in his hands, "It was recon ship N-5B sir"
"Notify them of the encounter. That ship should still be in this sector," The officer moved to turn back towards the glass windows of the bridge.
"Should we send fighters out?"
The officer sighed, "No, I was not given the authority to pursue any ships just yet. We are still awaiting our new Tie Fighters to replace those old piles of junk in the hangar. Besides, we have more pressing matters on Maridun anyhow"
"If I may ask sir, how is the operation going?"
"Swell, the first rig just fell," the officer said with a smile, "I just received the first report from our agent down in sector 5D"
The operator nodded, giving another salute before returning to his post.
'On a good day, that ship would've already been destroyed,' The officer thought. He returned to his inspection of the space beyond, finding comfort in the abyss.
A/N: I know the last chapter wasn't the most profound or original thing you've ever read but bear with me, I'm just dipping my toe in the water so to speak. I recently re-watched WALL-E after many many years and, man, it's a really good movie. It also gave me inspiration for the last chapter. I'd say that movie is part of the reason why I'm so infatuated with robots. Anyways, on to the next one.
