Private Ruins Of A Durasteel Kingdom

[Lord Mettallum]

Alarms were blearing and droids were rushing around trying their hardest to take control of a most dire situation aboard a Refitted Lucre-hulk. Within the bridge sitting on a rather large ornate throne was the droid in command of this vessel who was known to his subordinates as Lord Mettallum. This droid was a hulking piece of machinery dwarfing nearly every other droid save for his elite guard. Once he ruled with other droids a great empire where even organics knelt before him to a landless lord whose legacy was hurtling to an end.
Before this moment The Metal Throne had been traveling within unknown space searching for untapped resources within the cosmos yet this time the vessel was ambushed by an ancient enemy of the Metal Lords. Back in height of his power Lord Mettallum would have easily been able to to repel this assault but now he no longer had the resources to have kept his ship at full operating capacity and now it had plenty of weak spots where weapon systems were no longer functioning or where the hull had not been maintained. The damage the ship was taking was far too much and so an emergency blind jump had to be made.

While they had been able to escape the ambush The Metal Throne had lost large sections of outer rings, none of the engines were operating, most forms of communications were down and to make make matters worse where ever the ship jumped to it had gotten stuck in the gravitational pull of a nearby planet. So now Lord Mettallum sat in his throne feeling something he didn't even know he was programmed to feel Fear. "DAM IT THIS CAN NOT BE HOW I LORD METTALLUM END. WHAT EVER FORM OF COMMUNCIATIONS ARE STILL OPERATIONAL USE THEM TO SEND A SOS, I LORD METTALLUM DO NO CARE IF IT WILL TAKE YEARS FOR IT TO REACH ANY OTHER METAL LORD". In truth Lord Mettallum figured this to be futile as he had few contact with any other Metal Lord in years and wasn't sure if there was anyone else in the galaxy who had access to their communications channel but then again he was the Holy Prophet of the Maker and so if any being was deserving of a miracle it would be him.

Lord Mettallum didn't have long to ponder too long on if there was even a chance he would be saved as the Lucre-hulk entered the planets atmosphere and crashed into its surface causing immense damage all across the vessel. Lord Mettallum himself would find himself suddenly shutting down as he went into emergency power saving mode as most of his hardware got wrecked by the crash.

Decades latter the planet had become a hotspot of salvagers who were willing to risk the dangers of the crashed Lucre-hulk including the many droids that are barely functional but still armed forever stuck defending the remains of their lord who sleeps waiting for someone to respond to his SOS.
Ra'a'mah​

 

[Ra'a'mah]

About once a week, Ra would check on some of her old communication devices. One never knew when something new would come in. Picking up the one belonging to the Dominion, she noticed the one from the Metal Lords was vibrating. She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't hallucinating this. Once the pain reached her brain, she picked up the item and flipped on the volume.

It had been close to 30 years since this had last gone off, and to say Ra was floored was putting it mildly. It was, unfortunately, an SOS, and she didn't know how long that had been transmitting before it reached her. Running through her mind, the names of the droids she thought it might be, she knew it wasn't HK. That would be too good. Thinking about their different personalities, she zeroed in on it most likely being Lord Mettallum.

Just her luck...one of them that did not really appreciate organics. They had come to an agreement over their years of working together. His droid companions probably weren't going to be as nice as he would be. Knowing exactly what she needed, she had saved this for a rainy day.

As she was trying on the suit to make sure it still fit, she ran a triangulating program to locate where the SOS was coming from. When that was completed, she left a message for Vincent and Vulpesen where she was going and her expected ETA. She was going to rescue an old friend and hope he didn't try to blast her head off.

Lord Mettallum

 

[Lord Mettallum]

A small shanty town had been built at the edge of the crash site by the more stubborn salvagers and explorers who understood that the loot found within a lucre-hulk could make multiple generations live like royalty. One of the more thrifty residents was a Trandoshan by the name of Snar who had multiple clearings and setup landing pads for other salvagers should they be willing to pay the hefty fee. To his luck most who end up paying him don't end up surviving the dangers of the crash site meaning not only did they pay Snar a nice chunk of credits but that Snar also got himself a new free ship.

Not all those who lived in the shanty town were predatory and some would be considered quite helpful like the Twi'lek archologist Jon who had came to this place to study what he originally thought was one of the many different iterations of the CIS' shipwreck. Soon Jon had became an expert on the different droid threats one could find at the crash site and had even claimed to have befriended a few droid patrols that were patrolling the outer edges of the crash site.

Those who did venture to the outer edges of the crash site normally reported that the droids normally had at least one holding a banner with the face of some other droid woven into it and some even claimed that the droids sung hymns while patrolling which most assumed was some kind of programming error caused by the crash.

Ra'a'mah​

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Landing her ship on one of the many empty landing pads, Ra was quickly verbally assaulted by a Trandoshan demanding payment. Without much argument, she paid the enormous fee and began checking out the shantytown. Once in a while, she would stop to chat with the various inhabitants. Eventually, she was directed to a Twi'lek named Jon.

For now, she was not wearing her armor and appeared human. Or as human as one can look when they have a bright red fox's tail, glowing golden eyes, and elfin ears.

"Hello, the house!"

She didn't see anyone sitting outside and wasn't sure if anyone was inside. Keeping her distance, she didn't think there would be any violence, but she was always prepared.

Lord Mettallum

 

[Lord Mettallum]

Jon was busy tinkering with the head of a droid he had gotten a few days ago before he swore he just heard someone yelling hello to his humble shack. having glimpse though one of the many small holes and cracks of his abode he saw what looked like a human. It seemed he would have to take a break from trying to uncover the hidden secrets of the droid head for now.

From a speaker above the door of the shack came the sound of Jon's voice though a bit staticky, "My home isn't sentient or atleast I hope it isnt. If you are here to sell a D1 droid's part well I am no longer buying them. If you are here to sell me a different relic or are actually intrested in my studies then you may enter but understand my assistance isn't free". Jon would then proceed to unlock the door and take a seat at a table full of scrap and relics from the crashsite.

Should Ra'a'mah enter the shack she would see alot of ornaments and trinkets bearing the mark of Lord Mettallum and the Maker most of which were in bad condition or in pieces and the head of the droid that Jon was tinkering with was one of the engineering droids that served the Metal Lord before its obvious demise.​

 

[Ra'a'mah]

When the speaker came to life above the door of the shack, Ra stopped to listen to what was said.

"I didn't mean to imply your house was alive. May I come..."

Hearing the door unlock, she didn't finish asking the question, and she accepted the invitation to enter. Noticing the clear marks of Mettallum, she had been correct in her guess that it was him, outside of the other obvious signs to her.

"I wouldn't dream of trying to sell you droid parts. Whatever the cost, we can work something out. I'm Ra'a'mah Numare. Thank you for letting me in."

Looking across the various artifacts, she wondered what had happened to bring Lord Mettallum down to the ground.

Lord Mettallum

 

[Lord Mettallum]

Jon wondered what this person was after if not simply trying to sell some of the smaller bits of salvage off. The fact Ra'a'mah mentioned the words whatever the cost filled Jon with excitement but also fear for unless Jon was mistaken it sounded like whoever this person was that they were planning something big or dangerous or both. Suddenly a thought came to Jon's mind what if this person he is speaking to actually knows what this crashed ship is beyond it being a lucre-hulk with strange droids.

Jon straightened up now with a serious look on his face "Tell me Miss Numare do you know what this crash site is or at least what this crashed ship is to you" Jon secretly silently prayed whoever this person was that they were no simply salvager but instead someone who might help his quest to find out the history and secrets of this ship​

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Giving him both a bit of a devilish smile, it was also friendly. Excitement filled Ra, and she didn't keep that hidden. This was going to be an adventure, and it became clear Jon might be of help.

"I can tell you both. No charge."

Lifting one of the items that had a picture of Mettallum, she pointed at the face.

"This is Lord Mettallum, and this is the Maker."

Pointing to the image, she lowered her hands but kept hold of the items.

"We were allies and friends. However, he might not agree to either of those statements. He is a Prophet and Priest for the Maker, who is one of the droid gods.

"This ship is his domain."

With a broad gesture, she indicated the ruins they were near.

Lord Mettallum

 

[Lord Mettallum]

So this crashed ship wasn't a confederate vessel but instead owned by what Jon can only assume from the clear evidence was a religious droid. However more surprisingly this person who just got here knows far more about the ship than Jon had expected and if what she says is true which Jon did not doubt then she has personally met this droid.

"So I guess you plan on meeting your old friend. I can offer safe passage through the outer regions of his domain but the droids further closer to the core ship section of the ruins are a bit more aggressive. A few explorers have reported that the droids there even have fire fights with each other so I can't promise your droid friend will still be your friend if we find him"

Despite the risks that Jon just stated he couldn't help and smile for the chance of finding more interesting relics. Collectors should hopefully pay handsomely should the relics deeper within the ruin are as valuable as some salvagers say they are and this lady might be the best chance he has at surviving the journey

Ra'a'mah​

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Listening to what Jon had to say, she nodded. In her arm, she had been carrying a helmet. Not yet putting it on, she held it up next to her head. It clearly looked like a droid, and she gave him a bit of a smile.

"Take me as far as you can and I'll keep you safe further in. Do you mind if I borrow this?"

Holding up the Maker emblem, she knew it would assist in getting them closer.

"Are you wanting to go further?"

She had assumed he did, but hadn't asked. Better to get that out of the way before they start. Chuckling a little at his statement, she nodded in agreement.

"As an organic, I wouldn't exactly say he liked me. However, he sent out a call for aid, and I'm the first one to answer. Do you have any idea how long this vessel has been here?"

Lord Mettallum

 

[Lord Mettallum]

Jon looked at the thing Ra'a'mah had in her arm. Some strange looking droid head and since she had only recently got here Jon figured this was not the head of any of the droids from the crash site or at least any of the droids he had seen. Honestly Jon thought it was really strange she was holding onto it but decided against mentioning it so not to risk insulting his guest.

"Take me as far as you can and I'll keep you safe further in. Do you mind if I borrow this?"

Normally Jon would never be fooled by such words and most salvagers had unproven egos and folded the moment they tried getting deeper in the ruins yet something about this lady told Jon that she was most likely the best bet of surviving the deepest parts of the ruins and with her somehow personal knowledge of this ship what ever her plan was Jon would not stop her. In fact Jon's gut was telling him that even if she asked for the rarest relic in his possession he should let her use it with no if buts or maybe so if her help only costed a simple emblem which he would find plenty of in the future then that would be a bargain, so Jon simple nodded when she asked and nodded again when she simply wanted confirmation that he wanted to further into the ruins.

Do you have any idea how long this vessel has been here?"

Jon quickly scrambled for one of his holopads and scrolled through hundreds of pages in quick secession. This question had been bugging him ever since he first got here 10 years ago and trying to get an answer from the droids that didn't shoot him involving anything related to time was pretty much impossible. For now his best bet at figuring out how old this shipwreck is was by comparing it to other models of Lucre-hulks.

"Well from what I can gather this Lucre-hulk has a lot of personal customization with technology that wasn't invented during the time of the original Separatist movement so it would have been operational sometime in the ABY Epoch However going by aerial surveillance comparing its presumed size to the more recent Lucre-hulk models used within the last 50 years the ship was at least built before that time but that doesn't mean it crashed before those models were manufactured. The town here is at least 15 years old and to my knowledge it was created 5 years after the first group of explorers found the wreckage so I am guessing at least older than 20 years." Jon would then look back at Ra and confusion would fill his mind. "I do not mean to sound rude but were you a child when you interacted with the droids of this place before well they crashed."​

​

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Gently folding the Maker emblem and placing it in a pocket, she nodded her thanks to Jon.

"You might want to bring one as well and maybe one of Lord Mettallum for grins. That should stroke his ego a little."

Jon now had a name to put to the leader droid on this ship. The one at the center of this shantytown that had grown up around his Lucre-hulk. Listening to his answer, Ra ran the numbers through her head and agreed with him: at least twenty years but not much more than that. The last time she had seen any of the Metal Lords, she had been thirty. So no more than twenty-three.

Giving Jon a large smile when he asked about her age, she showed him her ID.

"Call it good genetics. I'm not human. So I age a lot slower than they do. Twenty-three years is probably a good estimate for this. The last time I saw him was around then. Then all the Metal Lords went silent."

Taking the communicator out of her pocket, she held it out to Jon. It continued to indicate an incoming message, and if he could understand it, it would be a plea for help.

"That is what brought me here. I don't know how long it's been since he sent it. So your guess is as good as it gets."

Lord Mettallum

 

[Lord Mettallum]

Jon quickly grabbed one of the small emblems at the advice of Ra. It seemed whomever this droid was they were programmed with an ego which might explain why they had their face pictured on a lot of things. So not only did he has proper information about the droid that owned the lucre-hulk he also had a time frame as long as Ra was speaking to truth and for now he had no reason to doubt her words.

Lucky for Jon he had made sure to learn binary considering it was just a just as common as basic for his line of work alongside a bit of pak-pak but that was only useful for old trade federation wrecks. Considering the message wasn't in basic and instead in binary meant that the SOS was clearly sent out to droids or at least people who understood Binary like Ra clearly did.

"Well from my guess he has been waiting for some time, I suggest we stop wasting time and say hello"

Jon grabbed a backpack filled with basic supplies, a simple blaster that looked like it had seen better times and lastly a rebreather. "Best be careful. We have had some people lost to the ruins due to toxic fumes produced from waste and barely functioning machines around the crash"

Jon would then proceed to exit his shack and head into the direction of the crash site or well the outer most sections of the crash site. Debris of the lucre-hulk had spread in large radius with at least a a kilometre between the start of the debris field and where the actual torus of the lucre-hulk begins. Despite the large size of the crash site vegetation had seemed to begin to grow back at least in the outskirts of the crash site

Ra'a'mah​

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Since technically the emblem belongs to Jon, she did hand it back to him willingly. Their walk began after he took the lead and left his ramshackle home. Who was she to judge? Ra did not comment on locking up and twisted the helmet in her hands for a few moments.

"My suit should protect me from the worst of it."

She didn't mention that she was able to use the Force to keep herself protected. None of the Metal Lords had ever learned that about her either, and she planned to keep it that way. At the time HK had hired her, she was still with the Sith, and one of their rules was not to make deals with Sith. She had long since cast that part of her life behind her; she had still never revealed her Force ability.

"I thank you for the warning and advice."

Not yet putting the machine-looking helmet on, they weren't close enough for it to matter yet.

"Lord Mettallum is a follower of the Maker. He could be considered a priest and prophet. So keep that in mind."

Giving him half a smile might explain some of the symbolism he had seen around the ruins of the crash.

Lord Mettallum

 

[Lord Mettallum]

For now the the trip had been uneventful. At least now he properly understood what he was dealing with which was some droid that claimed to be the prophet of the Maker. Sure nearly everyone had heard a droid thank the Maker for something at least once in their life but still to think there were droids that fully worshiped a being called the Maker was just strange let alone a droid claim to be a prophet for said being.

Currently all the scavengeable loot one could have gotten from the outskirts had been grabbed and all that remained was rusted metal scrap. at least it was looking a lot more green than when Jon had first came to this place. "Miss Numare How did you first meet this droid and since he is a lord is there some droid king that he and maybe you serve" Jon wasn't sure if said question would be considered rude but he was really curious now. Surely there was an interesting story to this or maybe what if this was not the only fancy powerful droid she knew after all she called the droid Lord and above lords there sits a King. Sure the idea of a droid king sound stupid but his time on his planet has shown him that his understanding of droids was limited and that not all of them served organics.

As they reached the end of the outskirts and what could be officially considered the actual ring of the crash site blaster fire could be heard between two groups. It seemed a group of scavengers where stuck in battle with a patrol of D1s, both groups seemed in rough shape. Jon ducked for cover behind a rusted chunk of metal that seemed to have fused with the ground hoping not to get spotted by either group "Kark I can normally talk my way past the droids but that requires them not to be shooting first, any ideas"

Ra'a'mah


​

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Walking together, she noticed many of the salvageable items had already been carted away and probably sold. There were people like Jon who collected some of the harder-to-find things, and she didn't know what he did with them. Not having seen anything that looked like a museum, she assumed he also sold them for credits to the highest bidder. She didn't hold that against him, though. Everybody needed to make a living.

"Well, when I was in my 20s, I worked for one named HK-36, and I was the director of the merchant fleet for a group of them called the Metal Lords. Lord Mettallum was a member of this group along with a few others. A Council of Droids leads them. I'm one of the few organics they allowed in to watch the elections of the Council.

"I first met him on Denon when I was having a party. That was fun."

A chance for organics and droids to be social. She smiled at the memory before returning to the present conversation and the situation at hand. Ducking when he did, he was familiar with the situation and location more than she was. Ra poked her head out from behind the shelter when he was speaking.

"I'm sure there are other avenues of approach. We can go around."

It would allow the two groups to continue their firefight, and the two of them could get past the first ring without confrontation.

Lord Mettallum