Private Matching Metal

[Loomi]

Matching Metal
Alderaan
Tags: BB-610

Loomi set down her Epo-1 Delta-class Light Interceptor in a clearing on Alderaan, just outside of a cave system. Something within was calling out in the force, and the Council had deemed it a non-dangerous quest that was appropriate for her to go on. There was one caveat, however. Valery's astromech was to accompany her. That was... exciting? Nerve wracking? She liked droids, but this was Valery's friend. There was extra pressure to make sure the little guy came back without a scratch on him.

The Godoan hopped out of the cockpit and climbed up, poking her head up to look at the BB unit.

"We're here," she told him with a warm smile. "Are you ready lil guy?"

She wouldn't say this, at least not yet, but she was really nervous. Loomi had never been on a mission alone before, or at least not one without another Jedi. Bee had rather involuntarily become the comforting presence.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Alderaan |
| SHIP: Epo-1 Delta-class Light Interceptor |
| TAG: Loomi |


It felt weird to be with anybody but Valery on a mission. He seldom spent time without her to begin with, truthfully, so even the odd meet-up without her standing next to him was still a tad strange, but missions? Missions had felt like such an intimate practice between Jedi and droid; he'd never gone on one without her, and he'd never specifically requested to. If this were the BB-610 of old, then the notion of straying away from her would have stressed him out. He was once skittish, awfully wary of humanity and still healing from the scars people had left on him. Now, however, the astromech was proud to say that the idea of making new friends was terribly exciting!

So yes, while the lack of Valery certainly made itself aware as he sat in the astromech slot of this newcomer's starfighter, that wasn't at all to say that BB-610 wasn't willing to make the best first impression he possibly could. He'd earned something of a reputation among Galactic Alliance droids, being the loyal astromech of the famed Sword of the Jedi, and so it wasn't too surprising to find himself handpicked for assignments with others. If it had to be any astromech, it might as well be him, right?

The interceptor landed, the droid lowered himself to the ground, and he rolled up to the girl next to him, peering up to glance at her. She seemed nervous, and it was something he could totally understand - more than he'd like to admit. So with a nod and cheery 'yup!', BB-610 pressed forth, flashlight enabled as he strolled into the cave entrance. It reeked of damp, with water drip-dropping from the cave's roof into plentiful puddles, but as the rocky terrain stretched further, it was apparent that moss had claimed the remainder, with plucks of grass and fluorescent fungi sprouting from below.

Loomi was the one with the Force, so while the droid walked ahead of her, he made sure to make it clear that it was only to better light their way rather than lead them directly. Vivid blues lit up the cavern walls, and the distant stream of water echoed throughout, beckoning the duo forth. BB-610 rolled at a mild pace, never distancing himself too much, as he glanced back at her. With some chirpy binary, the droid told her that he was excited to make new friends, and that he was happy to assist her with whatever means necessary.

 

[Loomi]

Alderaan
Tags: BB-610

Loomi's face became a bright red, her smile becoming wider. He was exited to make friends with her and wanted to help. Cute and polite. Her little heart was practically melting. She had just met BB-610, but if anything happened to him she would no doubt be devastated. Now she was even more determined to ensure that nothing bad happened.

"Thank you~" Loomi hummed with a more cheery disposition. "That's very sweet of you."

The cave was... less dark than she had imagined. Of course her eye sight was not that great considering she was short an eye, but it was actually quite easy to navigate, especially with the aid of Bee's flashlight. A gentle stream ran through the center of the path, with bright bioluminescent mushrooms. and cave grasses lining either side. She was rather cautious with her steps, trying her best to maintain her balance. She was getting used to her mechanical legs, but they were still awkward compared to the rest of her proportions. Something skittered by, prompting Loomi to jump and give a faint squeak. Her face flushed with embarrassment as the critter that ran by was just a squirrel.

"Golly," she exhaled with relief. "It's... real hard to see in here."

The shadows were doing more than she had first realize to block her vision.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Alderaan |
| TAG: Loomi |


Loomi was nice! Despite his anxieties at times, BB-610 wasn't too difficult to get along with. He was a people pleasure through and through, in part because of his programming, and mostly because of his co-dependence. There existed no pressure or stress with her company, and that's all the droid could have asked for. Cooing softly at her remark, the astromech pressed forth, careful to not stray too far from his companion. He didn't find caves all too intimidating, surprisingly; perhaps the assurance that this was a low risk assignment had quelled his worries. but when it came to untouched nature, the droid found it awfully fascinating.

When Loomi jumped, so did he, hastily snapping his focus over to the sound of echoed skittering, training his flashlight on what was revealed to be a harmless rodent. Breathing a synthetic sigh of relief, BB-610 glanced back up at her, bweeping reassuringly as he told her that he could amp up his flashlight. And amp it up he did, with some processing power redirected to its power, shining much brighter and encompassing a broader area. Satisfied, the droid rolled onward, with the sound of water growing louder and louder, a gentle current breezing through a tranquil river.

As they navigated further into the depths of the cave, the astromech drifted his flashlight over to the array of crystals that had begun to protrude from its surface, poking out from floor, walls, and ceiling alike, all glistening a beautiful purple, the idle sway of nearby water reflecting off of them. Intrigued and enthralled, BB-610 inched over to a collection of them, optic narrowing for a zoom-in on their texture. Returning his attention back to Loomi, the droid chirped, wobbling excitedly as he marvelled at how pretty they were, beckoning her over.

Tool-bay disk sliding open, the astromech brought out his utility saw, pressing it up against the side of one of the crystals as it revved to life and began slicing through its surface. Soon after, the saw had severed the protruding quartz from its stand, falling to the ground with a tink. Swapping his utility saw out for his utility arm, BB-610 gingerly plucked it from the ground, before outstretching his arm skyward and offering Loomi the gemstone between his claws, bweeping happily.

 

[Loomi]

Alderaan
Tags: BB-610

Swapping his utility saw out for his utility arm, BB-610 gingerly plucked it from the ground, before outstretching his arm skyward and offering Loomi the gemstone between his claws, bweeping happily.

"Awe," Loomi sighed with a warm smile, her insides practically melting. He was such a good little guy. "Thank you, Bee. It's beautiful."

Already her head was spinning with what she could use the gemstone for. A necklace perhaps? She safely stowed it in her pocket on her sash before continuing, now able to see slightly better than before. Bee's light was making it far easier to see where she was going.

"Alright," she began, resting her chin on her hand. "We're looking for something that's giving off a force presence... Maybe I should see if I can feel them. Uh, give me a moment lil guy."

Loomi crouched down, placing a hand on the floor to feel the earth. Her natural tracking abilities were kicking in, enhanced by her sensory organs. She felt the movement of the water, the gentle growth of subterranean plants and fungi, and... something else. She just couldn't pinpoint where it was any more than just ahead. A soft frown came to her face as she let out a sigh.

"I feel something," she noted, "But... I can't pinpoint it. I-I think we need to go in deeper."

A rush of cold air came up from within the cave, sending chills down her spine. It was followed by a faint voice.

Who's there?

She could hardly make it out, and the sound didn't reverberate. In fact, it was not there at all, as BB-610 would not be capable of perceiving it. Loomi was... confused, maybe even a bit scared now. But she had come this far. She couldn't turn back with nothing, right?

"L-lets keep going," Loomi decided, trying to sound as confident as she could.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Alderaan |
| TAG: Loomi |


Nodding, BB-610 rolled to the side, giving Loomi more room as they pressed forth. The droid was, naturally, unable to assist in Force related manners, so he left it to the professional - which, to him, was anybody even vaguely Force sensitive - and simply kept his flashlight trained on where she looked, idly glancing around to see if, by some miracle, there was some Force-y thing of any kind that he would notice. He wasn't exactly sure what it would look like, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

Narrowing his optic to enhance his gaze down the dark stretches of the cave, BB-610 looked back, noticing the frown that Loomi's lips had shaped into. Well, while he couldn't strive to be a Jedi, he could at least strive to be a good supportive friend, so the astromech inched closer to the girl, bweeping softly to get her attention. The droid chirped, telling her that it was okay and that Valery always told him that no matter how long something might take, you'll always be making progress.

That being said, there was definitely something disturbing her. He studied her facial features, noting tell-tale signs of discomfort, and his immediate instinct was to follow her gaze to see if there was something - or someone - she was looking at. There was nobody, however, with not a single one of his photoreceptors detecting anything out the ordinary.

Loomi seemed keen on venturing forth, so BB-610 happily obliged, as distracted as he seemed for a moment, optic staring into the distance to try and see anything. Finally dismissing it as typical droidbrain overanalysis, the astromech teared his gaze away and returned it to his partner, lighting the way and following closely by her side. They were met with the usual: fungi, moss, crystals, water. BB-610 didn't mind, though he couldn't help but think Loomi was frustrated with herself.

Peering up at her, he whistled gently, asking her if she saw something.

 

[Loomi]

Alderaan
Tags: BB-610

Peering up at her, he whistled gently, asking her if she saw something.

"Huh?" Loomi began, snapping out of her daze. "Oh, no. I-I didn't see anything. There was just... a weird sound."

Yeah, that made sense. A weird sound.

Eventually they came up to a hole in the cave, one that the little stream spilled over. Large, sturdy roots hung down into it to the next level, forming a natural ladder. Seeing no other way down, Loomi removed her sash and tied it into a makeshift backpack, something that Bee could sit in while they descended. The little astromech had no way of propelling safely, even with a whip cord. She'd help him down, at least to make sure that he didn't fall and take damage.

"Looks like we gotta climb," she noted. "Are you ready?"

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Alderaan |
| TAG: Loomi |


BB-610 held his gaze on her, optic widening to appear friendlier, just in case she truly did want to say something but was holding back. As she pressed on however, the droid gave in, following close by as they progressed through the cave, growing darker in shade and bluer in hue, the bioluminescence engulfing the area in its comforting light. They approached their next roadblock, as the astromech rolled to the tip of the steep edge and glanced down into what felt like an unending abyss ready to swallow them whole.

It was rather intimidating, but BB-610 would rather face cliffs and rockclimbing over Sith and buzz droids any day. Even with how unideal an idea it would have been, the astromech was more than happy with propelling down with his liquid cables, until he saw Loomi repurpose her sash, crouched down and inviting him to hop inside. Cooing, he appreciated the idea, inching over to it as he hefted himself inside it and wiggled within to get comfortable. While certainly not the heaviest thing in the world, BB-610 was still nonetheless quite a sudden weight to carry. Valery had little problems with it though, so perhaps it was a Jedi thing?

Peering down at his companion, BB-610 bweeped, asking her if he was too heavy. He was perfectly fine with descending at his own pace if it meant less strain on the poor girl, but he wouldn't at all mind the help if she insisted. Regardless, the droid kept his flashlight enabled, angling it downward to give Loomi a better idea as to what to grab and where to lower herself.

With all that said and done, BB-610 nodded, chirping that he was ready.

 

[Loomi]

Alderaan
Tags: BB-610

With BB nice and secure, Loomi began her descent. It was dark, but at least the bottom of the next section was visible thanks to the glowing fungi that lined the walls of the cave below. As they climbed, more and more shimmering gemstones and other bright plants came into view, making the cave around them almost as vibrant as the night sky. It was, for lack of a better term in Loomi's mind, quite beautiful.

"Wow," she muttered with an exhale. "It's gorgeous. I-I've never seen anything as pretty as this."

She almost wished that she had a way to capture this moment, the way that the cave looked almost like the night sky. Ultimately she decided that a holopic would never be able to do this moment justice. She'd probably just leave it to her memory. Before long, her feet were on the ground, giving a bit of a splash as her prosthetics touched down on the stream. The entirety of the floor was covered in water.

"Oh, the floor's wet," she frowned.

She rotated the makeshift cradle to the front of her and picked up the little astromech, giving him a concerned from.

"That's not bad for you, is it?" the Godoan asked. "I don't wanna set you down and get your circuits all damp."

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Alderaan |
| TAG: Loomi |


As the pair descended into the shadowy depths, BB-610 illuminated their way with the aid of the cave's bioluminescence, with underground bugs drawn to the overgrown fungi and bright, exotic flowers. Ironically, as Loomi lowered them further and further down, the world around them almost seemed eager on circumventing the blinding darkness, with glowbugs dancing through the air and glistening water streaming down, painted gorgeous blues and purples by the surrounding light. BB-610 cooed, equally as mesmerized as his friend. The natural world was always so fascinating to him.

Finally, as they reached the ground, the splashing of Loomi's feet caught the droid's attention. Glancing over at the girl, BB-610 shook his head, bweeping softly that the water was perfectly fine for him. BB-units were designed for adventuring, after all, with the astromech's circuitry firmly protected from the elements within his dense spherical body. Peering down at the floor, BB-610 silently urged her to lower him from the backpack she'd generously carried him in.

Now touching the ground once more, BB-610 rolled ahead, briefly scanning their surroundings as he aimed his flashlight at the cave's split pathways. Returning his gaze back to Loomi, he chirped, asking her which direction she wanted them to go in.

 

[Loomi]

Alderaan
Tags: BB-610

Loomi gave the little astromech a warm smile as she set him down before re-tying her sash and continuing onwards. They came to a split path, one which BB had pointed out and asked her which way to go. An awkward frown came to her face as she assessed both paths. Which one was it? The Godoan opened her mind to the force and felt ahead.

"Let's see..." she muttered.

And there it was. The voice again.

I see you, child. It spoke. This way.

Loomi turned to the right, giving it a nervous look. Nothing seemed to indicate that there was any danger, not through the force or her other senses. But who was that voice? It seemed impossible to tell.

"This way," she finally decided. "Come on, BB."

And she was off, deeper into the cave.