Private New Home, New Faces

[R-5 (Rathen Vex)]

R-5 patrolled the streets of Mandalore without rest. The very conflict he was built for, now generations behind him, a war he did not even get to participate in. His original purpose, robbed from him. He maintains his three commandments as he watches over various ranks of citizens, from foundlings to warriors. It was what he was programmed for.

His route took him towards a poorer district. Downtrodden Mandalorians, some veterans disabled from combat and broken down droids haggling prices for junk not even worth a quarter of its price.

Three foundling children yipped and screamed with laughter as they ran around him wearing helmets too big for their bodies, making small blaster noises and explosions with their mouths.

The innocence of children and the future they hold was something sacred to him. A commandment he made for himself. Commandment Zero: Protect the foundlings at all costs.

For what future would they have if no one watched after them.

His visor followed them as they ran through the streets, small street rodents scattered out of their way as the sounds of speeders from above zoomed past on their highways.

He remained silent as he just people watched. Paid attention to how each one lived their lives and just let the area around him breathe and exist. No cries for help beckoned for him, no orders barked for him to fall in line, he was simply present.

But that was the most haunting part to him.

Elian Abrantes​

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Mandalore
Objective: Meet R-5
Tags: R-5 (Rathen Vex) ​

Elian Abrantes stood halfway up a scaffold of temporary plating and exposed conduit while he adjusted the angle of a sensor array that refused to sit exactly where he wanted it. The laughter of foundlings somewhere below drifted easily through the district and he caught himself chuckling along with them while tightening the last fastening one handed with the kind of casual efficiency that only came after months of stubborn practice and refusal to slow down.

He had long since stopped noticing the imbalance in his movement except during moments like this when instinct still reached for a second hand that was not there yet, though the thought of the replacement waiting for him somewhere ahead in his future carried more anticipation than frustration. Elian had decided early on that losing an arm was not going to be the thing that decided who he was or what he could still build.

From his position above the street he spotted a mandalorian with quiet purpose through the district and although they had never crossed paths before there was something familiar in the steady vigilance of him that made Elian grin to himself. He lifted his remaining hand in an easy greeting toward R-5 as if they had already been working the same streets together for years because on Mandalore anyone who watched over the foundlings deserved at least that much respect.


"Good tidings my friend. How goes your day?"

 

[R-5 (Rathen Vex)]

R-5's visor looked towards the young man in the scaffolding. Though he was missing an arm, he was working vigilantly to keep things in order. A slow nod came from the cyborg before he spoke.

“Good tidings.”

His hand almost mimicked what the young man did, a small wave back before he then walked over towards him.

“May I offer assistance? Your position seems…suboptimal.”

His visor fell to the missing arm.

“I'm sure that if I lent you a couple more hands, your job would move quicker and more efficiently.”

His gaze fell to the small project he was working on, the sensor array that seemed to show a stubborn standoff against the young mechanic.

“Perhaps some brute force could hold it in place for you?”

Elian Abrantes​

 

[Elian Abrantes]

Mandalore
Objective: Meet R-5
R-5 (Rathen Vex) ​

"That would be great!" Elian responded easily enough, with a quick smile. "Well, I'm not keeping you from your, mandalorian duties am I?" Elian wasn't mandalorian himself. Just a young noble from Naboo. He was kind enough to have some friends, well not really friends, but just people who helped him out thanks to his sister Sibylla. Aside from his own revelations about being alone, the quiet time and being alone was a double edged sword. It was nice, but gods he hated it. So he put on a good face and smile and kept doing what he did best.

Work, tech, engineer, annoying younger brother. It was all the total package that was Elian Abrantes. Well that plus some wicked charm and good looks, or so he thought. Actually scratch that, he knew.

Elian laughed at his comment about more hands, and he nodded quickly. "You are quite right. I lost mine in a glorious batte. " Elian said with a solid expression on his face. "You should've seen it, it was me against two hundred warriors! I felled the first five and the rest ran in terror!" After a bit, and he realized that R-5 was more droid as he got closer.

"I'm just kidding, it got blown off because I was trying to prove myself and be cool." Elian took a small breath, a small smile that followed. "Probably more so being stupid and reckless. So I use this as a punishement until I feel i'm responsible enough to have my arm back."

"Luckily brute force won't be needed here, but if you could just hold this here, and blance that. I can get this screw in, and then retrace these wires and we should be in business!" Elian smiled as he had never dealt with a droid before, and he wanted to ask so many questions. And of course, his curiousity and not caring side, decided to ask the questions.

"So umm....are you a complete droid?"

 

[R-5 (Rathen Vex)]

R-5 walked up to him after he accepted his assistance, tipping up towards the scaffolding he looked at its structural integrity to see if it could hold him.

“My duties to Mandalore include helping its citizens.”

His visor looked at the young man.

“This would fall in line with my duties.”

After quickly judging the integrity of the supports he stepped up onto the scaffolding, a quiet creak could be heard throughout the supports as he settled.

The young man's story was quite entertaining he had to admit. Glorious combat, a battle wound but that was not the part he paid attention to. What he did notice of the young man was that he did not flee in the face of danger.

“You would make a fine warrior, and a wise individual. You identified your mistake, learned from consequence. The foundations of a great leader.”

Alliance next question caused R-5 to freeze for a moment. His visor looked down at his armored body before he slowly lifted his bracer.

A plate moved aside to reveal a screen measuring vitals. Heart rate, brain function and oxygen measurements monitoring what was left of him inside of a metal shell.

“I am not.”

His hands lightly held the sensor array in place, shifting it just to where it needed to be as his HUD measured the exact angle needed for the screw.

“It is ready.”

Elian Abrantes​

 

[Elian Abrantes]

R-5 (Rathen Vex)​

"I appreciate that more than you know, thanks a lot." Elian smiled as he looked over to R-5. When the droid removed the panel and revealed what was hidden within, Elian gave an impressed nod. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"That's actually pretty cool." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I don't mean to sound rude, but how did that happen?" Clearing his throat, he glanced back to his work. "Whatever happened, I'm glad you're still around."

As R-5 mentioned that the sensor array was now in place, Elian turned his attention back to the repairs. His hands moved with practiced confidence, tightening connections and making final adjustments with remarkable precision.

Mechanical work had always come naturally to him. When it came to repairs, diagnostics, and modifications, there were few on Naboo who could match his skill. Within moments, the last of the work was finished, every component functioning exactly as intended. Elian leaned back slightly and admired the completed job, satisfied with the results.

"Thank you." Elian said looking over to R-5. "What's next for you?"