A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away…

STAR WARS
The Outer Rim

The Yuuzhan Vong war has ended and just earlier this year Coruscant was liberated from the Yuuzhan Vong and is once more the galactic capital. A peace accord has been forged between the Galactic Alliance and the Yuuzhan Vong after five years of battle but hundreds of worlds need to be re-built and the resulting death toll from the invasion has been set at 365 trillion sentients.

With mechanical technology seen as blasphemy by the Yuuzhan Vongs many industrial areas were ‘purged’ of impurities through blast and shell by the Yuuzhan Vongs as a religious act, such destruction left the galaxy crippled and caused rise to many new companies such as Kan Thofh Industries, which due to it’s location on Sullust and the demand, produces cheap Space Transports and Starfighters. Recently there designs for a new one and two sentient Jedi Starfighter won the approval of the New Jedi Order and they have produced three prototypes for testing.

The recent activity in the system threatens to put production in danger and KTIndustries are getting increasingly worried, as is Luke Skywalker.

The Planet Sullust

Ronan Bruel's Introduction
Sitting in your cabin in the old Firespray, one of the few remaining Firesprays left in the galaxy, your captain, an old Duro who revels in order and organisation, comes over the comm. His rough voice made worse by the old technology.
"This is your captain speaking. We are now approaching the city of Fulluusub. Destination for Jedi Ronan Bruel."
He then went on to repeat his message, typical military fashion, he had piloted this ship during the Yuuzhan Vong war.

A few minutes later you felt the ship touchdown, could couldn't see it because all the portholes and windows are blacked out. It had been done because this ship had been used to transport Vong captives and it was thought unwise to let the Vongs see military installments on their way to which ever prison it was that they were going to.

You descend the gangplank under the shine of lights off polished metal, it's not a soft glow, it's hard and cold but welcoming, this planet had survived the war well, and now it stood an example of what money can buy. At the foot of the gangplank a Sullustanian woman waits for you. She introduces herself as head of private investments and contracts for KTIndustries, her name is Beli.

The ship turns and leaves the private hanger in the crust of the planet as you follow Beli through a magnetised blast door, down 15 meters of corridor with numerous holocorders, through a security door and into your room. It's a luxury suite with programed sunstrips lighting it, they are currently set to Corusant daylight hours and so it's about dusk.

At the same time in a different part of the planet in the city of Piringiisi a small group of smugglers and would-be shipjackers have smuggled themselves into the cargo/munitions storage room of a demolition hanger belonging to KTIndustries. The room, about 15 by 10 meters, contains mainly concussion missiles, about 17, as well as boxes of comlinks, powerpacks, energy cells, datacards and oddly enough the arm off a battle droid.
Through the doors out of the room lies their prise, a prototype fighter, as well as one, possibly two guards, no problem.

Hanger Bay Map

Whistle beep bloop... Kate begins, high pitch beep, mid pitch, descending tone whistle...?*

Running a program to inventory Kate's current things in the background, Kate extends her third 'foot' and wanders over to the box containing the droid arm.

Disapproving whistle tone? Beep bleep beep?**

Of course, all this was said without the expectation of a response; Kate just preferred to talk to make sure that the others knew she was still there.

Kate moves over to the side, hopefully not in the way of anyone, and reads the result of her inventory program. All things accounted for. For the moment, Kate begins running simulations, trying to find a probable scenario which may occur with the stealing of the starship, while the others come up with their own plan that they could compare later... that is, if they could compare their plans without a binary-basic translator for them.

*"While we're here... would we like missiles to go with our ship, to go?"

**"Well, how's that supposed to help? Do you think they made it broken, or is it a spare?"

Whistle beep bloop... Kate begins, high pitch beep, mid pitch, descending tone whistle...?
No sooner after the 'words' are 'spoken' a metallic electronic voice is emitted from the box with the battle droid arm hanging out.
"While we're here... would we like missiles to go with our ship, to go?"
It says in toneless Sullustese.

Further investigation of the box and arm reveals that is has been broken off the droid inside the box, it's arms and legs have been removed but somehow it still has power and is able to translate. Why would a battle droid need to be able to translate?

Disapproving whistle tone? Beep bleep beep?
The question already answered is repeated in Sullustese by the broken droid, the last words tapering out as what 'life' remains in the droid drains away, literally. It seems to have a leak as some oil is pooling in the bottom of the box.

Immediately hearing that the droid is still active (albeit not for long), Kate quickly lists out a set of priorities.

1) Shut down the droid to prevent possible damage to its components, if the droid has locked internal components, then deactivate or bypass the lock in order to do so
2) Recover the translator unit, most likely within the droid's aesthetic head
3) Determine the condition of the unit
4) Provided enough time, install the unit

Kate then brings up her inventory program to find a suitable compartment, and decides that a vacant compartment within her 'dome' would be most suitable.

Extending from a slot upon the side of her body, an arm slides out. At its end is a claw-like shape. She reaches into the box and begins prying at the droid's armour plates which form almost a carapace around it.

((Disable Device check vs. Locked Access DC 25, if applicable, and will retry as needed))

Upon gaining access to the droid's interior, it is a simple matter for Kate to find and remove its link to its power supply and auxiliary power supply.

((Repair check vs. Shutdown DC 10, taking 10 => automatic success))

Kate finds the Translator Unit within the droid's torso area, and so adjusts her priority list slightly.

2) Recover Translator Unit from the droid's aesthetic torso and the Vocabulator within the droid's 'head'

It is a simple matter for Kate to remove the two components, and she places them upon another box temporarily.

((Repair check vs. Add/Remove/Switch component (correct model) DC 15, taking 10 => automatic success))

Next, she examines the two components, looking for potential damage or rust.

((assuming they're in good condition, as this droid was working until recently it appears))

Now comes the tricky part. A compartment at Kate's 'back' slides out, and is raised slightly. Within it is a number of mechanical tools. The arm Kate was using picks up the Vocabulator, and a new arm pops out of Kate's 'dome', appearing like the previous one, but smaller. This smaller arm picks up a tool about the size and shape of a screwdriver, but its metallic head is nothing more than a continuation of its shaft. A second large arm slides out, and gets handed this tool. A small wire extends from the 'claw' to the tool, providing electricity to it.

The vacant compartment next to the small arm pops open, and the attachment base extends out. Kate quickly designates the proper attachment points of the wires, coordinates the Vocabulator correctly upon the base, and attempts the attachment.

((Repair check vs Add component (different model) DC 25))

Quilia is a young black girl, currently with a blaster rifle slung across her back over a cloak that (obviously) conceals a pack. She had heard the droid and muffled her chuckle. She didn't speak any of the languages it spoke, but found it rather amusing. Still, she shushed the others. If they were here to break the law, there was no sense drawing anymore attention to themselves.

She was huddled against the walls keeping an eye out for what the guards were doing, and trying to ensure that no one had noticed them. She was playing the gunner role she had lived for a few years before being fired over stupid corporate policies.

Lelain stood in the little compartment they had stolen themselves into. In her hands she held a small gun. She hoped that she didn’t have to use it, that the gunner would do her job and keep Lelain from having to fire it, but she had it just in case things didn’t go according to plan.

Next to her the little robot, K8, was whirring and beeping and whistling away. Not very smart, Lelain thought to herself but just grunted slightly under her breath. The little droid was constantly making noise, she never stopped, and lord only knew what she was saying. Lelain had gathered little from all the bot-noise. Only that she had been working for KTI and like herself had been fired.

"While we're here... would we like missiles to go with our ship, to go?"
Suddenly from inside the box the droid was investigating came a computerized voice. Lelain heard in and jumped, not having expected to hear anything but each other moving about. She raised up her gun and pointed it at the box. K8 did not seem to notice though and went on investigating the box, then started to dismantle the dying droid inside it. The pounding in Lelain’s chest slowed, and her head began to think more rationally, as she put two and two together and realized that the droid inside the box had a translator unit in it and K8 was working to install it in herself.

It was strange watching this process, that almost seemed cannibalistic to Lelain. She shuddered slightly at seeing the droid taken apart and then it’s desired parts surgically inserted into K8. Turning her head she took a look over the little room again. It would be useful to have the translator installed in K8, maybe those bot-noises would finally make some sense. Running her hand over some of the discarded bits of war she thought again about how much she missed her old job. Pursing her lips together she kept her large eyes open, this wasn’t her old job, this was much more dangerous and much more disagreeable…

As R2K8 expertly cannibalises the droid Quilia shushes the group as she listens at the steel door, all that she can here is the drown of a generator, or several generators, and some human voices talking loudly, they seem to be playing a card game of some sorts.

With the vocabulator and translator installed R2K8 is closer to being able to talk to her crew, the one problem is she can now only bleep and simulate Sullustese, at least she'll be able to talk to her captives if they ever catch the group.

The group better act quickly if they are to get the ship and fly to Rife's hanger, he owned a hanger and it hasn't been claimed by anyone yet. Maybe they'll get some work once they get out of this.

Quilia was rather unhappy. One or two guards was their guess, but this sounded more like a group. Card games usually demand at least 3 players, often 4 or more.

She pulled a powerpack off of her hip and showed to to Lelain. Then she tapped her headset and pointed to the pile of junk. She whispered, her ear still pressed to the door. "We're going to need both of these as many as we can get."

She then properly drew her rifle. How she had ended up a shipjacker in this was still a mystery to her. Still, if these boys decided they wanted a fight, she felt no need to play nice. She ensured the gun was not set to stun.

Once the others had completed collecting as many power-packs and comlinks as they could find, working or not, she cracked open the door and peeked out. Worst case scenario one of the guards would see the door crack and come to investigate. Best case scenario, she would get a full view of the 'obstacles' between them and a free ship.

For once, Kate is standing still, and isn't talking. No, she's not dead, or shut herself off; she's just busy.

Quickly running through the algorithms within her mainframe, Kate is rapidly configuring her new hardware, the vocabulator in particular. Simulations indicate that the current, default tone of the device is monotone. That is unacceptable. In order to better facilitate her meaning to organics, Kate knows it is essential to display different tones for different meanings. Also, organics would likely associate such a voice to be connected to a being without a personality. Some silly droids may think personalities are redundant, but Kate knows better. Personality is part of what defines life, even in non-organics. Besides, she considers herself to have a personality, and it just would not do for her voice to be inadequate.

Increasing the frequency of the speaker would likely provide a more feminine tone, however, simulations indicate that there are a variety of tones that Kate could achieve. Which one is the most... 'Kate'? An illogical and unorthodox problem. She would decide that later, after a thorough analysis of the best way for organics to perceive her by voice. For the moment, Kate settles on a mid-pitch voice, and continues to fine-tune it via simulations because, undoubtedly, the other's wouldn't appreciate the noise of actual trials at the moment.

"We're going to need both of these as many as we can get."
Lelain nodded and started to rummage as quietly in the boxes for power packs as she could. Once collected she handed two to Quilia and shoved the rest into her belt. Pulling up her own gun to chest height she squinted her big eyes some and whispered.

“Let’s get this over with…”

She stood on the other side of the door, put her hand on it and pushed it open a little further. Looking out into the hallway she assessed what she could see, hated everything about it, readied her gun and her stomach and started to step toward the crack of light that would lead her to the hanger and hopefully a new plane.

As you open the door a crack you get a good look at the hanger, on its three landing grids stand three ships, two of them partially disassembled, the furthest ship however, the one your after, hasn't been touched. Behind it six droids stand shut down in parts bays and the entrance to the factory next to them, overhead a walkway runs right around the edge leading to the sides of the hanger door.

There is a problem, the blast doors are closed and the controls are most likely in the security booth, which is out of sight from your position, it is also where the voices are coming from, the seem to be human as there both talking in basic about their wives and children.

She paused and took in the situation. She could over hear the guards talking somewhere nearby. A pit formed in her stomach, she didn't want to kill anyone, that isn't what she was here for. The ship, that is what they wanted. It would provide them with stable transportation, a chance to get out of here, and on top of it, she wanted to see if there were more slave circuits, and maybe if there were she could figure out what they were for, since she would have ample time to look them over and investigate with out the company trying to fire her. Water and Fire, if she could find enough information on the ship she could possibly tear them down and get her reputation back...

She set her teeth firmly, then set her gun to stun, she wouldn't kill if she didn't have to, and then set her eyes on the little droid.

Whispering, "Can you get those blast doors open? If you can Quila, can you cover me while I get on the ship and get her running, then we can all jump aboard and get our tails out of here before they shoot them off..."

Quilia flipped her gun to stun. These guys weren't bad; there was no need to kill them. She slung it across her back again, and grabbed what comlinks she could find from the clutter in the room.

"They're coming with us. They'll get it just as bad as we did when KTI finds out that they screwed up. We'll pick up their families on our way off this rock and drop them off somewhere safe with whatever we can spare."

She was very upset with the situation.