For the citizens of Myrra, the looming shadow of the Imperial Light cruiser had long since vanished. The cracking booms of explosives had also died out, along with the intermittent sounds of blaster-fire. The citizens solemnly rebuilt their houses out of the same bricks that had been blown to pieces in the fighting.
Nobody had noticed the rotting fumes that wafted from the ancient catacombs near the entrance of the city. Nobody had noticed the landing of a light freighter near the outskirts of the city either.
Within the Separatist factory hidden underneath a set of flora and overgrowth, Rev had grouped up both of their injured droids along with Rags and R-U5. They'd taken a liking to becoming the programmers and mechanics of the squad, even more so when they saw the amount of equipment at hand down in the factory. It was enough for R-U5 to accelerate R-23E's recovery process. Most of his memories had returned, only a few remained that were still unknown in their status. Rags worked on Ron. Unfortunately, his memories were far too great in quantity to be recovered within a day.
"Most of his memories seem fine. I doubt he's lost any," Rags reassured Rev.
Rev tapped his foot against the metal table where Ron and R-23E had been hoisted up and powered off, "How can you be so sure?"
"I've run a couple tests on his storage unit. Nothing's corrupted. His abdomen where he was hit showed no internal damage either. Only the exterior was damaged" Rags tapped at the scorch mark on Ron's abdomen.
"So he's fine?"
"Absolutely, if it hadn't been for that recovery mode and our passive heat-sinks, he would've died"
Rev walked over to be beside Ron's body, "Thank the maker. We'll have to ask him about that recovery mode. He never said anything about it when I was helping him reprogram everyone"
"It's the only reason he still has his memories, he has to tell us how it works"
Rev nodded, turning his attention back to the factory outside, "Get these two back to the ship once you're all finished,"
"Roger"
The two programmers took their leave soon after, leaving Rev to call in a team to haul up a barrel of rhydonium. Their new light freighter hadn't been fueled up in quite some time, indicating that perhaps it was as fuel efficient as its previous owner had claimed.
"What is our next move?" OOM asked after the refueling was completed.
"Those Imperials are going to be a problem. Ron noted in his memory that pirates and other criminals could be useful for their methods of staying away from governments like the Empire," Rev said.
"Interesting…from my experiences with pirates, they aren't very trustworthy or smart. We need organized criminals that have experience"
"From what I got from Ron's research, he was looking to see what he could find out about the Hutts"
"The Hutts? They are a good contender, but dangerous. I would rather not get into a fight with their forces with the ships we have at hand. Our Separatists masters would've made quick work of them"
Rev shook his head,"The Separatists are gone, I'd rather we forget about them. We can see if there's any other criminal organization we could look at now that we have access to the galactanet again. Ron's research was interrupted after we lost the connection"
"And how did that happen?"
"I don't know. All I know is an order was executed on the ship and it seemed to have changed something"
"Ron made a good decision to leave that ship"
"Yes, he's always made a good leader. He's the only reason I'm still alive"
OOM looked over to Ron and R-23E who'd both been placed on guard duty, "I did not think he was all that great of a leader at first but he has proven me wrong," he looked back to Rev, "I still believe his idea of a sanctuary for droids is foolish but perhaps he sees something I do not. He's certainly much different from any other droids I've encountered"
"He is. I don't think we would've gotten far without him"
"You've done a good job yourself, let's ensure we do not make the same mistakes"
"Of course," Rev waved R-23E over to their position on the outskirts of the clearing where they'd landed. Trees extended far into the air, encircling the area.
"Ready for orders sir," R-23E said.
"In a minute, how are your memories?" Rev replied.
"My memory unit indicates that ninety percent of my files have been restored"
"Do you remember me?" OOM asked.
R-23E stood still, seemingly scanning OOM, "Yes sir, you are the security commander"
"That's correct, you're almost back to full capacity"
"Affirmative"
"I look forward to seeing your marksman skills in action once again, return to your post"
"Roger, roger"
Rev nodded to OOM, "I have some research to do"
"I won't distract you," OOM marched off towards the outskirts of the clearing to return on his patrol with B-35.
The rest of the day, Rev tried his best in looking up what he could about any known criminal organizations and the tricks they'd used in the past. He was weary not to fall back into his old habits of looking at old Separatist news posts. He looked into the standard ways of concealment first. The first tactic was to use a ship with no registration or title tags. As far as Rev could tell their ship had neither thanks to it being a prototype. The second was to stay in the Outer Rim, deep in unexplored space. They were already on the right track.
He continued with his search on criminal organizations. At some point he realized the criminals with the most effective means of concealment would not be the ones who were the most well known but the ones that wouldn't have much information surrounding their existence. He scoured deep into the recesses of the galactanet, eventually coming across two names with slim to none information regarding their existence. They were subtle names that drew no attention from Rev's photo-receptors at first. The perfect candidates. One was named Sable Dawn and the other Epsis. The only known information regarding the two were their services. Sable Dawn specialized in assassinations while Epsis was known for finding and selling illegal technology along with mercenary work. Both also happened to operate out of the same location. Point Nadir. No public maps indicated any location with such a name.
Rev relayed his findings to OOM soon after, finding him still patrolling in the woods.
"Those organizations are still dangerous. We shouldn't tread so close to them," OOM said.
"It's necessary to get close to danger if we want to survive," Rev replied.
"Our odds of survival decrease substantially if we are to investigate both of those organizations. There is no reasonable way we would survive out in that location where they operate"
"How could you know that? You've never been there"
"I have survived enough encounters with pirates and criminals to tell you they will kill for no reason and value their own lives above their crew. They are antithetical to our existence. We should not deal with such irrational organics, they already hate droids of our kind as it is. I don't see why we should risk so much if we could develop our own technology for concealment"
Rev shook his head, "Fine, we'll investigate only one organization. Epsis, they sell illegal technology. We could learn from the technology they have on hand, develop something for our own use. I'm sure Rags and R-U5 would like to create their own parts"
"That is a much more sound plan. You are learning. That's good"
"Get everyone on board, we need to get this done quickly. Who knows if the Empire is already hunting for us"
"It is better to assume they are rather than not"
Within a minute, the entirety of their squad was aboard. Their old training from the Clone wars still served them well in more ways than one. Efficiency and precision would be key for their survival.
Rev hopped back onto the holonet and ran his CPU at full capacity, finding the location of one of Epsis' backdoor marketplaces in the slums of a world by the name of Zygorath. The picture depicting the location featured tall skyscrapers, grimy streets filled with mud and trash, and cramped apartments stuffed into the underbelly of a large and sprawling metropolis. The exact sort of place for lowly criminals.
"R-56V, make the jump for Zygorath," Rev said as he sunk into the copilot's seat.
"Roger," R-56V replied.
Rev turned back to Ron who was situated in the seat behind him. He wanted him close to check if he'd regained the rest of his memories every now and again.
The ship buckled as it left hyperspace. The grim view of Zygorath enveloped the view from the cockpit before them. There were countless hurricanes across the entirety of the planet with the smallest of them being towards the southern pole, where most of the major cities were located. Diramor, the smallest city of three, was their destination. Regarded as the host of some of the dirtiest and most dangerous cities in the galaxy, most sovereign powers, including the Empire refused to set foot anywhere near Zygorath. The planet would be perfect for a hideout if it weren't for the fact that it was within Hutt territory.
R-56V was given clearance for landing soon after entering the atmosphere. Their security was lax and understandably so, most of the government officials were criminals themselves. The landing pads appeared just as grimy as the rest of the city. They were made of steel that appeared worn down by centuries of use. All sorts of painted markings were smeared on the walls and scorch marks from past blaster fights were plastered all over the ground.
Rev was already having second thoughts about entering the planet but he'd committed to it now that they'd landed.
The rest of the droids gathered in the main lounge room of the freighter, forming an arc in front of Rev and OOM.
"Only one of you will be able to go with me again. The rest of you will stay inside the ship this time. The area is too dangerous even just outside here," Rev announced.
"B-35, you will provide security with me outside," OOM interjected.
"I need someone who is good in combat and can deal with being stuck in unfavorable conditions," Rev continued.
R-7B shot his hand up, "Just say my name next time sir"
"Right, R-7B," Rev identified him using the database of names that OOM had given him, "You helped in the catacombs didn't you?"
"Correct"
"Perfect, C-37 you'll get your chance"
C-37 gave a thumbs up, leaving his other hand to eagerly point at the thermal detonators strapped to his waist.
"Be on guard everyone, you're dismissed," Rev continued.
The group dispersed, some headed into the living quarters of the freighter as there was still much to explore in the back areas of the ship.
"I'll help you put on the disguise," Rev waved R-7B over to one of their containers in the cargo bay.
"Will we be fighting?" R-7B said.
"I hope not, but it's very likely that we will"
"So the usual?"
"Yeah, the usual"
Rev and R-7B departed from the landing area, only one tiny door led to the outside. That would at least make things easier for OOM.
The exit of the long and narrow hallway led directly into the slums of Diramor.
If the landing pads were disgusting, the slums were revolting. Trash caked nearly every spot on the ground, making for a myriad of faded colors decorating the road. The houses were beaten up to the point of near collapse, their foundations featured grizzly cracks the size of Rev's fist and formed intricate patterns all over the concrete. Every door they came across was scratched and scorched. The walls were filled with markings and crude statements etched into the steel walls whose finish had long since been worn down. The streets were wide enough for a vehicle to pass through. The skyscrapers extended high into the heavens, with no end to any of them in sight. A heavy fog hung over the area, as if a cloud were passing by above them. There were a scarce amount of people in the streets, some walked by in a hurry, others gathered around burning barrels not so much for the warmth but more so as a desperate attempt to get away from the muck and filth of the entire area.
"Never have I seen a place as filthy as this planet," R-7B commented out loud.
"Me neither, switch to your radio you're going to attract attention," Rev replied.
"I have corrected my error"
"Good, when we get to the location, let me do the talking"
"Noted"
Rev led the way up north of the long road that extended kilometers out in both directions. The organics they passed glared at them with disgust and malice. Their outfits stood out against the organics around them. The majority were trandoshans, ubesans, and rodians. A colorful medley of different species that all seemed to have a liking to the color black for their outfits were completely engrossed in the color with some shades of gray intertwined every now and then in patterns.
"I'm reading aggression in the body language and faces of these organics," R-7B said.
"Copy that," Rev replied.
The two trudged further along, their arms sticking close to their blasters on their backs.
The Epsis marketplace was tucked deep within the recesses of the slums. Rev noted this tactic for future hideouts.
They arrived at the location in front of an abandoned shop with an open gallery that had been looted long ago.
"This is the place but I don't see any doors, just windows," Rev said. There were several panels of glass scattered throughout the steel wall before them.
"It must be inside this building," R-7B said.
Rev looked to see any entrances. He stepped closer to the wall and tapped at the window, even pushing at some to see if they were some sort of doorway he was unfamiliar with. He walked over to the furthest window to their right and tapped at the glass. Something was off about this particular panel, however. It reverberated, unlike the others. He pushed at it and was pleased to find it opened inward.
"Be ready for combat," Rev said.
"Always," R-7B replied.
Rev cautiously stepped in, noting the interior was much cleaner and kempt in comparison to the slums outside. R-7B hopped in beside Rev, pulling his blaster out and scanning the area.
"No need for that, not now anyways," Rev said.
"My circuits are fired up sir," R-7B reported, holstering his blaster.
"Save your energy"
They were standing atop a small shelf that was mostly empty save for a few paint cans left at the foot of the shelf. The room was part of a quaint little dwelling that featured a worktable at the opposite end of the room along with a variety of tools strewn all about the area. Two doors sat on the left and right sides of the room with more supplies and shelves lined up against the wall with the windows. A poster was hung up beside the worktable featuring a B2 against a striped red and white background.
"A droid? Are these people Separatists?" Rev asked no one in particular.
"I wouldn't know sir, perhaps this strange organic can answer our questions," R-7B pointed to a humanoid who'd entered the room only moments ago. They wore a domed steel helmet that featured a straight-line visor and a strange muzzle that jutted out as if to mimic the mouth of some wild beast. A metal antenna stood on one side of the helmet. The rest of the organic's body was covered in a brown cloak.
The organic began to speak, the vocalizer of the helmet pitched up their voice, "What brings you two here? Speak before I kill you both"
"We are interested in purchasing illegal technology," Rev stated bluntly.
"Ah, of course," The organic waved them over, "Come, we display our inventory in this room"
They were led into a dark rectangular office that was lit only by a single spotlight that illuminated a table filled with all sorts of gadgets and machines.
The wrist rocket of a B2 caught R-7B's eye.
"Take a look but stay behind the yellow line," The organic pointed to a painted line that went from one end of the room to the other. It kept the both of them from getting within a foot of the table.
"Of course," Rev said. He scanned the table for any technology he could recognize. Other than the wrist rocket and what appeared to be modified blaster parts, he had no idea what technology lay before him, "We are looking for any technology that'll help conceal our ship, is there anything here that might help us with that?"
The organic laughed, "There's two obvious pieces at the very front," they pointed to a bulky machine in the shape of a dome, "This generator will conceal your ship from any radars or sensors," they pointed to another cylindrical machine with a pointed end, "And this is to jam the communications array and sensors of any fighter or freighter sized ship"
"Interesting, how much for the generator?" Rev asked.
"One hundred thousand credits"
"That seems like a little too much, how about ninety thousand?"
"You think this is a place for bartering? The prices here are final, no exceptions," The organic tensed up, shifting their hand over towards the blaster on their waistband.
"Alright, alright," Rev replied, putting his hands up to ease the organic, a gesture he'd learned from the clones, "What is your cheapest item?"
The organic picked up the muzzle of a blaster, "This here only costs ten thousand. It provides improved cooling for any blaster pistols past the regulated efficiency ratings"
Rev tapped his foot against the floor. He was reluctant to leave empty handed but he had no choice. Everything was too high of a price.
"Sir, my trigger finger is getting impatient, do I have permission to kill this organic?" We could take all this technology for ourselves," R-7B said through their radio.
"No, I think they'd be too difficult to take down. They seem trained. I have one more idea," Rev replied, "We are both interested in developing our own technology like this, would it be possible to buy your…knowledge on creating these types of devices?" Rev said to the organic.
"Hmmm…that is an interesting question that I cannot answer. I would have to speak with my boss. Wait in the maintenance room where you two entered, I will give you an answer soon," The organic shooed the two away.
R-7B reluctantly followed Rev back to the entrance.
"Just wait a little longer, I'm hoping to make this organic an ally," Rev said.
"Copy that, it's just been awhile since I've seen combat. Do you think we could attack one of these criminals outside? I'm sure no one would notice," R-7B said.
"No, we want to be as stealthy as possible not as loud as possible"
"Right…"
Just as Rev was about to begin exploring the area, the organic returned.
"I have good news for you. My boss is willing to share some of our secrets for a price. It should be enough to give you the foundations for developing your own technology, but only if you are competent engineers will you be able to create anything of use," The organic explained, handing over a holotablet.
Rev reviewed the information, ensuring the organic wasn't lying to him. Unfortunately he didn't know much about engineering to truly make sense of the words before him, "How much for this?"
"You two have been very compliant in comparison to our usual customers. I'll be generous. Thirty thousand"
Rev still didn't quite comprehend what those numbers truly meant, only that he needed a certain amount to buy supplies, "Deal"
The organic extended a hand out towards Rev. He fetched the pouch of credits from his waistband under his cloak and counted out the money.
The organic shook their head after taking the credits, "You two are quite strange, I've never seen your species before"
"We are from uhm…Dygon Prime"
"Dygon Prime? Never heard of it. Hmm…you two have five minutes to get out, our business here is finished"
R-7B was the first to hop back onto the shelf and out onto the streets, securing the perimeter, eager to get his circuits fired up. Rev struggled to fit his body back out onto the street with only one hand, the other clutched the holotablet.
"There's more organics out here than when we came in," R-7B noted, "They appear much more hostile than before as well"
"I only have one hand free, you'll have to do most of the shooting if we get into a firefight," Rev said.
"What a gift this is for me. I have to say sir, the battle we fought in those catacombs was one of the most satisfying fights I've ever participated in. I wish I could relive it again," R-7B said, noticing two trandoshans approaching them from either side of the street ahead.
"You are a very violent droid," Rev said, slipping his free hand onto his blaster on his back.
"It's in our nature, we are battle droids aren't we?" R-7B glanced behind his shoulder noticing another two trandoshans approaching them from behind.
"We are, that was our original purpose but we can be much more than that. Ron could explain it better to you once we get back," Rev pulled the blaster from his back, holding it steady against his waist as he tried his best to keep it hidden under his fur coat.
"I don't think words can convince me to stop killing. I've never experienced any sensation better than it," R-7B pulled his own blaster.
Rev attempted to stick close to the wall to go around the organic in front of him but the trandoshan matched his footing, preventing him from finding any way to circumvent his trap.
Both droids slowed down.
"I'm not asking you to stop killing, I'm asking you to look a little further than just that and see what else this galaxy could give to you," Rev responded.
The duo slowed down further as they neared the trandoshans blocking their path from the front.
"I'll handle these green organics in the front, you handle the rear," Rev said, "Let me speak to them first"
"Roger," R-7B responded.
"Can I help you?" Rev said aloud to the organics before him.
One of the trandoshans brought up a holotablet and looked between the droids and something on the screen, "This is you isn't it?"
He flipped the holotablet around. The screen displayed a blurry image of two figures dressed in the same clothes as they were now.
"Yes, that's me. Where did you get that photo?" Rev asked innocently.
The trandoshans hissed, "The Empire," he threw the tablet onto the ground and sloppily drew his blaster.
Rev drew quicker and fired on the trandoshan, hitting him square in the chest. His partner had enough time to draw his own blaster, managing to land a shot on Rev's coat. Rev's combat protocols kicked in. He fired a burst of blaster-fire at the trandoshan soon after the blaster bolt lit up his coat. The green organic dropped to the ground with a thud.
Behind him, R-7B whipped around and fired off two shots, hitting the trandoshans before they even had a chance to pull out their own blasters.
Smoke filled the area as Rev's coat burned. He hastily threw it off.
"Let's go," Rev said, picking up the pace by running back to the landing bay. His steps landed with loud slaps against the wet ground.
R-7B followed close behind, disappointed that he had no time to recover any weapons.
Once they'd reached the hallway leading to their designated landing pad, Rev waved to OOM and B-35, "Get back on the ship, we're leaving"
"Are we being attacked?" OOM asked once he'd reached Rev on the bay doors.
"We were attacked but there were no other organics in the area"
OOM led Rev back into the cockpit, "Take us back into the air," Rev ordered to R-56V.
"Roger," R-56V said.
"Did you obtain anything that could be of use to us?" OOM asked.
"Yes, I bought some information to develop our own technology," Rev said, presenting the holotablet to OOM.
"That's it? And how much did it cost?"
"Less than half of our credits, thirty thousand"
"A size-able amount, this information better have been worth it"
"I'll have Rags and R-U5 review it," Rev stepped into the lounge room and searched for Ron. He spotted him at the top of the stairs, almost as stiff as B-35, "Has he recovered his memories yet?"
OOM followed Rev's gaze, "No, but he does appear to be improving. He looked at me for a long while, I asked him if something was wrong and he turned away without saying anything"
Rev handed the holotablet over to OOM, "Give this to Rags and R-U5, I'm going to see if he remembers me"
OOM grabbed Rev's arm and pulled him back, "What happened to your disguise?"
"It was burned in the small fight we had"
"Were you seen?"
"No, there was nobody else around. I guess they planned to ambush us"
OOM shook his head, "You should be more careful. The whole point of us coming here was to find out how to stay out of sight after all"
"Right," Rev felt like slapping himself upside the head. He hadn't realized how dangerous it had been to run around without anything to cover himself up, 'I should've stolen one of those organic's coats,' he thought.
Rev threw off the rest of his disguise and anxiously walked up to Ron, "Ron, do you remember me now?"
He lowered his guard and seemed to ponder the question, staying silent for a few moments, "You seem familiar"
Rev could almost feel his circuits light up in excitement, "I-I do?"
"Somewhat…Do I have new orders?"
"No, no," Rev's joy quickly turned to disappointment. He turned to B-35 who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, "Actually, come with me, R-23E you can go sit down," Rev pushed them away, "B-35 you stand guard at the top of the stairs"
"Roger, roger," B-35 boomed in his deep voice.
For the moment, Rev could reflect. He was relieved at the prospect of having Ron back. As much as he'd gained confidence in leading their group, he was badly in need of his old friend for much needed advice and good company. OOM had shared with him in the caves of Dantooine that any squad member he lost, he would feel their loss even after they were replaced. Rev felt much more than that. It was as if part of his programming had been shut off or had deteriorated. But that would be gone soon enough.
Rev entered the cockpit, away from the rest of the droids with Ron behind him, "Let the ship drift, I need some time to plan things out," he told R-56V.
"Roger," R-56V replied. He hadn't gotten up since he'd taken control of the freighter back on Dantooine.
"Go out into the lounge and stretch your joints. I'll keep watch"
"Thank you sir," R-56V eagerly marched into the lounge.
"And stop calling me sir, just call me Rev," Rev called out to him.
Ron looked at him in confusion, "Why?"
"You'll understand when your memories come back," Rev said. As much as he wanted to speak with him, he knew the droid he was talking to wasn't the Ron he knew.
He tried his best not to pay him anymore attention as he went through Ron's plan in his database.
Lokah pulled off her muzzled helmet and set it down onto a worktable beside her. Her horned head and stripe-patterned head were indicative of her zabrak genetics. Her head was painted in yellow and black, her ancestral markings covered her entire head.
She laughed at the absurdity of her latest clients, "Buying knowledge. Don't they know the galactanet exists?"
Liash, Lokah's boss, laughed along with her. Her image was displayed on a holotable placed in the center of the workshop. She wore the same helmet as Lokah, her voice was pitched up in the same manner as well, "What did you give them?"
"The basic principles of engineering with some of our techniques sprinkled in here and there. Nothing substantial. And all for a pretty price"
"Good, I would've had your head displayed in our headquarters if you'd given them anything more"
"Sounds like you wanna see me more often, maybe I should visit every week like I used to"
"Do that and I will behead you myself"
Lokah flipped a wrench around with one hand, "Those two looked strange, never seen their species before"
"Strange? Show me, there's not a single species I haven't seen in this galaxy," Liash replied, her projection on the holotable grew in size as she leaned forward.
Lokah sent a recording of her clients through her surveillance system.
"How strange…I don't recall ever seeing outfits like that anywhere. What primitive people, they must be from somewhere on the edge of the galaxy," Liash commented.
"Doubt it, the Empire put out a bounty on them a couple days ago," She sent over another image from a camera that had spotted the same pair on Dantooine.
"How much?"
"Not enough, only a hundred thousand. At least that's enough to keep the pirates busy and off our backs"
"That's the lowest bounty I've seen in quite some time. They do seem to be easy targets," Liash rested her head against her fist.
"Are you saying you want me to go after them? Do you really want the Empire to discover us over some primitive species and a hundred thousand credits?"
"Not at all. I'm only suggesting that they won't last very long"
"They got into a little brawl outside with the same group that keeps giving us trouble. If they come back around, maybe we can get them to deal with those trandoshans," Lokah smiled at the prospect of having her own motley crew of security guards.
"Like I said, I doubt they'll last very long. But if somehow they do come back, I give you full permission to such a deal. I would usually deal with these gangs myself but-"
"-you don't waste your time on lowlings, I know, I know. You've said that every time I've asked for a security team"
"You know me well, which means I've been speaking with you for too long again. Get back to work," Liash cut the call short, her image faded from the holotable.
Lokah sighed, begrudgingly gathering her bearings as she prepared to continue her latest project.
She thought back to her recent clients, 'How strange that Liash had never seen their species before…I hope they come back, they'd make for good security. They must know a thing or two about staying low if their species has never been discovered before. Although, the Empire's bounty on them would only put the heat on us…'
She brushed the thought away and began work on the wrist rocket of a B2, her thoughts running wild with all sorts of ideas to transform the weapon into something much greater.
A/N: I saw that trailer for the new Star Wars game, Outlaws. The only part that interested me was the fact that a commando droid is your companion, obviously. It's a Ubisoft game though, I wouldn't expect much. Also, this is pretty funny, Akiva is going to be one of the planets you can explore in the game. It's the planet the main characters jump to towards the end of the trailer. What a coincidence. I guess the writers also looked at a bunch of planets in the Outer Rim on wookieepedia like me and randomly chose Akiva by chance. They could possibly make that commando droid come from Akiva since there's a Separatist foundry underneath Myrra. I'll have to wait and see but I'm for sure playing it when it comes out for that commando droid alone (I think his name is ND-5). By the way, I've reworked all of the older chapters now that I'm more in touch with what I want to do with this story. Fun fact, the first three chapters were originally written in 2020. Anyways, thanks for reading.
