x1 | video.

[t65]

[Hey, it's Luke Skywalker, sitting at his pastel desk. There's plenty of junk littered on it, mostly scraps of droid parts and tools, but the inquisitive observer will notice a few mystery vials of colorful chemicals, and a hypo of fast-penta scattered among the rubble.]

I noticed there aren't any service droids on the ship-- when I mentioned that to the captains, they said I should... make some? [Luke has a distinct look of 'what have I gotten myself into' on his face.] We definitely need some mouse droids and basic repair droids-- we already have good engineers, but this would help them out in a pinch. Do you think we need gonk droids?

[Well? Do you?]

Have you noticed any droids we could use? A 1B prototype couldn't hurt...

[That's right, request a droid, Luke might be able to make it for you eventually. He's serious. Though they probably won't have much in the way of lively personalities, who doesn't want a robot?]

Oh- and Doctor Yewll? Mr Banner? Ed? I know we discussed some kind of prosthetic... if I'm going to be making droids, I might need that sooner than later. [He kind of cringe smiles before cutting the feed.]

Comments

[knaval]

[he can't help but laugh.]

The reason I'm so big is because I was meant to be able to transport other Cybertronians!

[t65]

[Luke puts his head in his hand.] What's a cybertronian.

[knaval]

That's what we are. We come from Cybertron, so we're Cybertronians.

[his tone is deliberatley patient.]

It'll be better received than droid or robot.

[t65]

Sideswipe said he was an autobot! [Why is he yelling!]

[knaval]

That's a faction. Our race was split into two factions following a civil war; Autobots and Decepticons.

So he's an Autobot but also a Cybertronian. Like you're a human and an engineer, yeah?

[t65]

Like I'm with the Alliance. That makes sense.

My galaxy is in a civil war, too. [Well, it's more of a rebellion, but Luke's never really been great at political nuance.] What is yours over?

[knaval]

Supposedly. It's been four million years, though. People don't let go that easily.

[he shakes his head.]

It was more solely... our race, than the galaxy.

[t65]

Four million years? How- how long-lived are your people?

[knaval]

As long as you're not actively murdered I think around seven, eight million is when people kinda start to get... gross. Too old. That war cut a lot of people's lives sh--

[he stops.]

This got a bit dark, didn't it. I'll bring Stumpy down now, if you're free?

[t65]

[Gently:] I don't mind, if you want to talk about it. [But, if he doesn't,] Sure. I'm in Moro Sixteen.

[knaval]

Maybe take me out for dinner first, huh?

[he just doesn't want this First Conversation to be about their respective wars, woops.]

I'll be right there.

[t65]

[Luke nearly makes an 'I don't think they serve droids here' joke before he thinks better of it. He just smiles.]

I'll be... outside Moro Sixteen. [If this guy's really that big, wow.]

action??

[knaval]

[yeah, he really is that big. riptide can't really help that his feet make a clomping noise when he walks. he can't really help that it's a bit loud. he tries to be quiet and non-threatening as best he can, but sometimes it just doesn't work out.

he waves at luke from a little down the hall, even when he's not quite there yet. riptide is so huge it would be a bit awkward, he feels, to not acknowledge luke until he's right up in front of him.]

Hey! Hope I'm living up to expectations.

[stumpy beeps.]

action figures tbh

[t65]

[Luke is sitting outside with the half-finished hull of a gonk droid when he hears it. If he was drinking water, he could recreate that scene from Jurrasic Park, not that Luke knows what a dinosaur is. He just kind of stares.]

Oh- wow. You- you weren't kidding! [He yells, because how could anyone hear him from up there?]

thumbs up

[knaval]

You don't have to shout.

[riptide looks behind himself briefly, then pops a squat. he holds out one hand, in which stumpy is... laying on his side in the palm of.]

I don't think he likes being carried... super glad he doesn't have a mouth.

[t65]

[He will never get used to giant droid... autobot... things. Luke just kind of stares at Stumpy, and idly gives a command. He falls back into the motions of speaking to droids very easily: kind, amused, fond, and vaguely condescending.] Here, here, c'mon, it's safe. Shh.

[And then, back to Riptide.] Sorry for shouting, but... how can you hear me up there?

[knaval]

Yeah. I'm getting more used to interacting with you little guys.

[he watches luke talk to stumpy, then puts him down and lets him roll forward, beeping. riptide retracts his hand and curls it under his chin.]

I wonder if he knows he's not in danger of being stepped on right now. [he looks back up at luke.] I only ask that you don't remove the Autobrand on him. Everything else is fair game.

[t65]

[Luke considers the negligable wisdom of being a 'little guy'. Well, he can't wait for these guys to meet Han... He reaches out to Stumpy and pets his head.] The Autobrand? What's that?

[knaval]

[riptide points to the red symbol on his own chest, then at the one on stumpy's back.]

That. He's an Autobot for putting up with our mess after we blew up the wall, it was decided.

[t65]

You're- branded? [Luke says it in a whisper, somewhere between shock and a sudden desire for secrecy. After all the conversations he's had today on droids and their nescient rights, this is just eerie.]

[knaval]

I-- I wouldn't say brand-- hm.

[he supposes, in a round about way, it is a bit of a brand. riptide was never given a choice whether or not he wanted to wear it, he was just forced into existence far too early and told to stay on the battlefield until he was either killed or the mission was over.

he puts a hand on his chin.]

...Nah. It's not a brand, it's just a name for it. What's the other one... insignia? That works. I mean, the Decepticon one is apparently made out of part of your spark case and stuff, so that's unnecessarily spooky. This is just part of my armour. Stumpy's is a sticker.

[t65]

You- you would know. [The thing about being sensitive to other species' cultures is to trust what they say about themselves, even if if gives Luke pause. Like, a lot of pause. He sighs.]

Sorry. I guess it means something different to you.

[knaval]

It's okay. It means a lot of things to a lot of people. Mostly the ones who live in the areas of space we've been black listed from.

[no point hidin' it.]

Um. Anyway. I don't know if he's programmed to automatically try to come back to me but if he is then I give you... permission to deactivate that pathfinding, I guess?

[t65]

[Luke opts not to ask, because, really, today's had enough discussion of intergalactic atrocities.]

[Luke laughs.] You know, he just might like you.

[knaval]

Impossible. I threw him at Sideswipe on three separate occasions.