Gadgets and Gizmos a Plenty

[kick_astromech]

WHO: R2-D2 & C-3PO
WHERE: The Junk Pile
WHEN: Uh. Now?
WHAT: While pretending to be a Jawa, Artoo comes across an interesting find during his scavenging.
WARNINGS: N/A


     Between the deserts of Tatooine and the vast stretches of rock and space here, Artoo had to prefer the latter, if only because there was no constant source of sand getting into his circuitry. He never complained about that as much as Threepio, but no droid liked feeling gritty, especially if it impeded their functions.

     Yet as much as this was a planet intended for robots, oddly enough, it wasn't practical scale for droids such as themselves. It took forever just to get between temples, but staying around the Hub had proved most convenient for beings of their size. Still, Artoo thought that alternative modes of transportation wouldn't hurt. After all, he couldn't expect to be toted around by Cybertronians all the time, now could he?

     Such is why he'd dragged Threepio along to the Junk Pile to scavenge parts, not that he felt the protocol droid would be much help in that department, but he thought it would be a good idea to keep an eye on him considering that one day the droid had shown up with an odd new insignia tattooed on him. And Threepio always said that he was the one that got into trouble!

Comments

[we_re_doomed]

Between the choices given, Threepio would have to agree with Artoo on that. He would never admit it, of course, but anything was better than traveling vast, near endless oceans of sand. They wouldn't have survived out there if they weren't droids; even here on Cybertron, their chances of staying in one piece were far greater than most places they have already been to.

Then again, this pertained to the gold one more often than not.

"I really don't see why you had to bring me here," C-3PO huffed, trying to pick his way around the odds and ends strewn about. "I was fine staying indoors, safe and sound. It was stable. Unlike this area." He jumped as a pile shifted, backing up as quickly as his stiff leg joints could take him.

Because it was true. R2-D2 had a tendency to bring about trouble, that's why. He was a mere bystander who just got pulled into things.

[kick_astromech]

     Artoo beeped flatly at the other droid- as if he needed to explain! He trundled along, running his scanners in hopes of finding anything of interest. There were some decent pieces of scrap metal, but they were fairly large. If he didn't come across anything more manageable, he might have to try cutting them down to size.

     Finding a bit of a slope that looked like it had been previously flattened by someone's steps, the droid, twittered and then shifted course, starting down the awkward hill of junk.

[we_re_doomed]

The taller droid paused from his careful stepping to look at the shorter. "Well, you could have warned me before going off like that. This mess is highly impractical. And dangerous! You never know what you might run into– oh!"

Unlike Artoo, his next attempt at finding a solid foothold led to his downfall. A pitiful yelp followed as C-3PO slid after, still in an angled prone position after the short trip ended. "...The nerve of this place!"

[kick_astromech]

     The faint hooting mimicked enough of a laugh as the droid came up beside the golden protocol droid. At least he wasn't going to leave the other where he was.

     Artoo remained nearby, assessing the situation before he turned and rolled up a ways, then back down to come up behind Threepio. Since he had no hands, nudging the droid upright was going to have to do, especially knowing how flexible the protocol droid was. Or, wasn't.

[we_re_doomed]

"Oh, hush." He sounded resigned, even a bit annoyed at the other's amusement. It was expected, after all. And he would have expected the R2 unit to leave him stranded in the junk. He would have been out of the way of all the scrounging and scavenging.

But no – C-3PO was helped. Saved. Just as expected. A wave of relief came over him as he was propped up with each nudge, maintaining his balance once he was upright. "That could have been handled better," he commented despite the gratitude he was feeling for the assistance.

[kick_astromech]

     Twittering an idle response, the astromech gave him another push- although to his credit, he was being fairly careful about it. As careful as a meter high cylinder of metal on wheels could be, anyway.

     Something pinged his scanners, causing Artoo to pause. He made a curious beep as his domed head swiveled, and abruptly he scooted back to redirect himself as he moved forward to investigate. Hopefully Threepio was at least somewhat balanced by then, otherwise he might fall over again.

[we_re_doomed]

"We've made good time. I'm impressed." His footing was better now, distributing his weight evenly on the level ground he stood on. "This did not take as long as it could have..." Threepio's eyes flickered, watching his little friend wheel off before he even finished the sentence. "Where are you going?"

A pause.

Well. There needed to be more effort put into getting the little droid's attention again. "R2-D2, you come back here this instant!" He shook his head, trailing behind. "What can possibly be picked up on your scanner in this mess?"

[kick_astromech]

     Naturally, Artoo showed no signs of slowing nor stopping. He continued right along until he came up beside another pile of junk, save that the end of something jutted out, half buried amongst various other things.

     Beeping pensively, the droid rolled as close as he was able to before one of the panels on his front swung open to deploy his manipulator arm. He angled it towards the object, and once he had a firm grasp, he began to tug it from its place. Surprisingly, it slid out rather easily with only a mild displacement of debris.

     ...and once he had it in his possession, he fell silent, the only movement from him being the subtle twitch of his main lens as he studied the object in question. He sounded a low, thoughtful hoot as his arm rotated to hold the device right-side up.

     Now what was something like this doing here??

[we_re_doomed]

"Artoo? Artoo...!"

The protocol droid's voice carried over the silence, barely breaking the ambiance that settled during the thoughtful moments. "The nerve, ignoring me like I'm not even here," C-3PO thought aloud. The rhythmic whirring behind each stilted step drew closer from behind, rigid and hurried, only slowing when the distance between droids diminished.

"What is it?" He sounded a bit more concerned. Curious. "What did you find?" Leaning in closer, the golden droid observed the found object within R2-D2's metal grasp. He immediately brightened. "Oh, my stars! It's a light saber. And not just any light saber – it's Master Luke's!" His arms raised slightly as he leaned back, head and neck quirking with a note of inquiry. He glanced around the junk heap. "But where is Master Luke? And why would it show up here? By itself?"

[kick_astromech]

     Not just Master Luke's, but Threepio wouldn't know that. Artoo knew the weapon's design from well before, even though he had made no such indication when the old Jedi Knight had presented it to Luke Skywalker.

     Whistling lowly, the droid held it outward, the arm twitching slightly as it nudged the activation switch. The blade thrummed to life, a vibrant blue that reflected off the nearby metallic surfaces, both droid and junk.

[we_re_doomed]

C-3PO, startled by the saber, stared in awe at the light emitted.

"Artoo. You shouldn't just turn it on like that." While he chided, the tone took on worry and slight confusion. "It isn't yours, you know."

[kick_astromech]

     The smattering of beeps plaintively informed Threepio that he just wanted to be sure, though he didn't specify exactly what. Perhaps just to see that it turned on and off. Twitching the blade left and right a few times, the droid finally switched it off again.

     His head swiveled to glance in the other droid's direction again as he beeped. His or not, it wasn't something that could just be left in this pile of junk, now could it?

[we_re_doomed]

"Just to be sure. Well, it is working. Nothing looks damaged, thankfully."

Joints whirred softly as he oversaw the last of the experimental swishes, looking down at the astromech with faceless concern. Artoo's bout of solemnity was worrying. And over a light saber.

"...No, it wouldn't be right to leave it here. Something of Master Luke's does not deserve to be sullied in the likes of a junkyard."

[kick_astromech]

     Master Luke's. Of course. Artoo refrained from saying anything further on that matter. It wasn't Threepio's fault that he didn't remember. The final memories of their former masters weren't the most pleasant, but they were not anything to be forgotten. So long as no one thought to try wiping his memory core, the astromech would guard the past as well as he could.

     Whistles and beeps left no room for being told otherwise as he carefully retracted his arm, lightsaber and all.

[we_re_doomed]

Had the memory wipe never happened, he would be on the same page as the R2 unit. But it would make no difference if everything was explained to him on the spot. While Threepio's reaction would be priceless, it wouldn't help at all.

A metal hand tapped the smaller droid atop his domed head. "All the more reason to take it with us. If he was ever to come here, I am certain he would be grateful that we kept it safe." Even if Artoo was the one who found it initially on his own, of course.

[kick_astromech]

     It wasn't something that Artoo felt the need to correct Threepio on, so he merely chirped agreement on the matter as his panel swung closed once the lightsaber was safely stowed. Time didn't seem to matter in this place, just as much as the boundaries of worlds and galaxies. If it were to be so, who would arrive to claim it first; Luke or Anakin?

     He wasn't so much in the mood to continue scavenging for the day, what with this finding. The astromech beeped inquiringly at Threepio to see if he wanted to head back.

[we_re_doomed]

C-3PO canted his head. "Already?" They had not even been among the junk for half an hour. Something was very wrong if his counterpart cut their little misadventure short. But it also worked in his favor. Heading back had been a priority, being away from all of this, being on leveled ground.

"Oh, I don't mind returning. It's probably for the better."

[kick_astromech]

     Having anticipated Threepio's agreement on the matter, Artoo turned about to begin the trek back up the slope. The less questions asked, the better, and at least the protocol droid never seemed inclined to look too deeply into things. Under the current circumstances, Artoo wasn't going to complain, at least.