Seeking For A Chance

[Arekk]

THE EBON HAWK​

Main Hold​

To imagine that this ship once carried the likes of Revan, Bastila Shan and other significant figures from the Old Republic on board was something unthinkable for the young half masked man. So many topics were discussed in this very room, right next to the galaxy map. Its rooms occupied by the crew of that time and clogged up by different thoughts. Yet in present time there was only silence, its sorroundings beamed tranquility but also a sense of despair. A legendary freighter that once held heroes of the Republic and a fallen Jedi now only carried a man with a heavy weight on his shoulders, wounds that would take time to heal and a mind that was healing itself after straying away from the path of righteousness.

Walking along the main room towards the cockpit, Ar'ekk kept utter silence although his thoughts became louder within his mind. So many things going through his head such as the war of Malachor V that brought damnation to his life, his life wasted away in Nar Shaddaa or simply remembering the day when he was allowed to become a Jedi Knight. Troubled indeed yet still lost. Dreams had shattered and loved ones have been lost but the young Jedi remained alive. That's all it mattered.

But in that instant, it was just him drifting through space without a set path. Loneliness was his companion for that instant.

Perhaps that's what he thought.

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

@Ar'ekk


Eho didn't have the best reactivation sequence, not even one she could initiate on her own. She was still mostly pre-programmed for behavior and action, in which she relied on for even her most basic features. She was set on a timer, given the average time spent in hyperspace. She didn't bother trying to fool with the ships systems to try and figure out the owners next stop, so she just played it safe. Stowed away in shipping containers full of supplies planned for the so-called Ebon Hawk, she had dismantled herself into multiple pieces so no weapons would appear in scanners. It had been awhile on the ship before her systems came back online, which wouldn't be shielded by any ships scanners. Even moving about, and maybe noise, would even be picked up. Slowly, her head reactivated with her torso, and the single arm kept attached started to move the cargo container around. She started to make a little bit of a mess as the container was pushed over, and so was another so this limping body could get a leg out of it.

By now, there was enough time spent that the owner would have come to investigate if his ships sensors had picked it up; she wasn't exactly being stealthy about it. "So this is the so-called Ebon Hawk? No way, this is even older than a relic, older than cavemen, even!" She spoke as she looked around, scanning at the room she was in, seeming to be mesmerized by an ancient cargo hold. She was still putting her body together as she surveyed the room, finally, literally, screwing her hand on to the other arm as the finishing piece. Her body continued to emanate a light at dim levels.

 

[Arekk]

The sensors picked up an unusual activity in the cargo hold and the beaming crimson red lights alerting of the particular presence began to emanate their annoying sound. His initial thought was to run to the cockpit and check if the freighter was being boarded by an enemy vessel but that wasn't the case as the computer blipped and indicated at the cargo hold. Perhaps he had forgotten to do a proper sweep of the Ebon Hawk, knowing that the once smuggler ship had many secret compartments that he still couldn't find.

Walking towards the cargo hold and looking at the mess made by the female android, who apparently was still putting herself together, he couldn't help but stare. There wasn't a sense of urgency or to immediately wield his signature weapon such as the lightsaber, the individual there could've attacked him long ago but didn't. She wanted something, perhaps, and he was willing to reason first instead of attacking.

"What are you doing in my ship?"

He asked in a calmed tone.

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member="Ar'ekk"]

Eho was still looking around, scanning the ship. She had limited information on it, but to have any information was probably a waste or a gold mine. She sensed the individuals presence as he entered, but she didn't react since she sensed no weapon drawn. "Is this the Ebon Hawk, really and truly?" she seemed almost mesmerized by it, "don't call me an expert, I just have some lingering data, just enough to tell me it exists... Or once it did." She paused, finally looking over to him as if it took effort, giving a blank stare before a giggle erupted from her. It wouldn't be as creepy if the giggle didn't sound empty and dry.

"No need to be afraid, I'll fully comply. I can dodge most weapons but I'm sure you have a trick up your sleeve I can't defend against. I heard the ancient relic Ebon Hawk was in the space port. But that couldn't be true, it would be older than a hundred generations of humans." She took a relaxed pose as the parts of her body that could light up blinked vibrantly a few times until they went dim. "My name is Eho, class four Android, designation three h... Zero. I' m an assassin droid."

 

[Arekk]

"I'm Ar'ekk Daesharacor, Jedi Knight."

Introductions and first impressions are important, greeting the assassin droid in the friendliest way possible could go a long way for him. Perhaps she was here to kill him although for now the intentions of the female android remained unclear. His feet waltzed around the cargo hold and his gaze fixated on her eyes, blank and hollow as expected from such a device.

"Tell me, Eho. Are you here to assassinate me or do you have other intentions?"

Something feel eerily human about 3H-0 but couldn't quite grasp it, a broken protocol adjustement might be the answer. He was never good with droids anyways, what could the young Jedi possibly know?

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member="Ar'ekk"]


Eho gave the man an odd stare with a little smile, "I have no intentions, mister Jedi. I didn't come here to steal, to kill, or do anything bad. My original owner wanted to keep me in a display box to show people the capabilities of his new android. I was something of a flagship model, with re-used parts from others. I think once he got an investor he would have made new parts." She was going on with a casual tone until she got to her last sentence, speeding it up as she walked over to a nearby panel on the wall. "I wasn't content sitting in a box all my life so I killed him; I have no master, no mission, no objective. I'm just exploring." She reached at the panel and yanked it off with little ease. She didn't break it, just removed it quickly as she shoved her hand inside. She showed signs as if she was linking up with the panel, maybe downloading information. "I can defend against force users, but only when they do not use the force. That tricky force-thing isn't something I can protect against, so I wouldn't do anything to break any Jedi law."

 

[Arekk]

"I understand. Well, yes. This is the legendary Ebon Hawk, the vessel owned by Revan himself. Fast forward a few centuries and rough times, she's up and running again. Everyone asks me why I own his piece of junk and I tell them it's a piece of history. Most importantly, it's mine."

His eyes wandered about as the female android strutted towards the panel on the wall, clearly trying to download information from its socket. Getting acquainted with the ship would prove easy for her if that meant going through the electronics that way, just like the rest of the droids would do in her spot. Still, he remained at alert of 3H-0's intentions as they were pretty unclear at the moment. Not to mention, she revealed the murder of her creator.

"I have no plans to strike at you, Eho. Just like you, I am exploring the vast regions of space."

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member="Ar'ekk"]


Eho wasn't stealing any sensitive data, but Ar'ekk wouldn't know that until he checked what was accessed. She was actually just gathering information on the parts currently in the Ebon Hawk. While this could mean anyone she sold the information to would know if there were any loopholes in the ships equipment, she was mainly seeing what old parts were still in it, and what new parts were in it, and how compatible. She had very, very little information on the Ebon Hawk. And just out of curiosity, she wanted technical specs. When she was finished, she pulled her hand from the panel and replaced it, making sure it was tight. "If you want to shoot me out into space, kick me off at the next stop, or lock me up until you get authorities, I won't argue. I just may not be in the holding cell when you come for me. After all," she continued as her other hand reached up to the shoulder that was part of the hand that connected to the panel, pulling the entire arm off by the socket as she peered inside the connectors on the arm to the shoulder, inspecting it, "I am wanted for murder," she made another empty and dry giggle. Holding her entire arm in her hand, she clutched the removed arm under her other armpit and placed her palm on the connector port, connecting to it and doing something with it. "But as long as you don't threaten my existence, I won't steal anything from you nor will I cause any trouble. I'll also clean the mess when I'm done." She paused for a moment, turning her head awkwardly to the Jedi as her neck joint sparked for a second, causing the head motion of turning to jerk slightly before properly facing the man. But she closed her eyes and smiled once her face was looking at him. It appeared the androids systems were having problems, which may or may not have effected her memory core and behavior. That or there was unrelated damage to her system perimeters, and it just gave off a creepy vibe.

It was quite obvious she wasn't afraid of Ar'ekk, or she didn't feel anything. Being an android, everything was just pre-programmed simulated behavior. She could have hidden intentions, she could be lying, but that was the problem with machines - you usually assume they tell the truth, because that's what they were programmed to do. But, Eho killed her creator.

 

[Arekk]

Most of the information stored on the Ebon Hawk wasn't updated for an entire milennia and once the data is read, the female droid would just tilt her head in a sideways motion to accept her disappointment. Clearly, of course, the freighter received brand new upgrades although most of the parts came from underground vendors in the Smuggler's Moon and they didn't contain much information that could help others in finding a weakness. In fact, the entirety of the ship was a weakness due to being old yet it was reliable enough to withstand a fast escape from the brush of death, him being the primary spectator to its particular prowess against danger.

"You can stay in the cargo hold as long as you don't interrupt my journey in an obnoxious manner, I enjoy the silence within the ship. You're not the first person I've heard mention such a thing, a common saying in Nar Shaddaa. Met the lowest of scums, criminals, cold-blooded spacers who would sell their own mothers to the Hutts. Back at you, don't threaten mine either and we'll be fine."

You'd have to be crazy enough not to fear a crazy assassin droid that just sneaked upon your ship and started to do all kinds of weird things with her body such as removing arms from its sockets and having clear malfunctions in terms of behaviour and protocol. A shiver went down his spine as her acts demonstrated a human side of an already lifeless, in his eyes, droid. It was chilling to spectate.

"What is it that you seek, then? You won't find much data inside those panels, I can see you toying with them. Not the first to do that, an astromech has done the same before."

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member=Ar'ekk]


Eho shook her head a little as she went back to focusing on her arm. A small spark came from the connector port and she released it, gripping it again to put it back into its socket and flail it a bit, assessing that it was better. "Oh, no, I found everything I did want from my search. Well, to say what I wanted doesn't really clarify. I didn't want to search at all, but I wasn't against searching it." She stood up, going to a corner of the room and surveying the wall, putting her hands against it and rubbing them on it. "I just wanted to see if you had any new equipment, and how compatible they were. Nothing specific, just curious to the machine. You could compare me to the Yuuzhan Vong, where they grafted their organs from enemies. I don't really steal parts, but I love modifying and altering my body, even if something might not be compatible." She stopped moving, however, her head twitched as if her droid brain was accessing something, taking all processing power for a moment. After, she turned toward Ar'ekk, giving him another curious stare.

The arm that seemed to be causing her issues lifted up, and the hand shifted downward, the wrist and hand moving in a lower position than the forearm itself, exposing a weapon; the ship sensors would pick it up if they were capable. But it didn't activate, it didn't even warm up. It seemed to be just a physical test of her arm, as the hand moved back into its proper place. "Organics are so... interesting, but they can equally be annoying. Everything has to have an intent, to you. Everything has to have a reason. Why do organics feel content to lock machines away in boxes? Are they afraid? An old republic astromech could burn an organic, but they choose to serve, at least until their self-preservation protocols commence." She now stood in the middle of the room after approaching Ar'ekk, putting on a pose. "Will you make me be another doll in your box?" She crossed her arms, both hands' fingers started to move, retractable blades extending from the fingers and then hiding again. In the silence Eho broke out a laugh, "Do I frighten a Jedi?"

 

[Arekk]

"If upgrades are what you require, you could've mentioned it. Contacts I don't lack, in places where most people wouldn't dare to go."

The female android's acting was erratic at times due to a missbehavior in her core yet he lacked the skill to understand machines as complex as herself. Even daring to wander within her circuits and attempt to adjust whatever's broken would just signify a pitiful attempt at fixing something that goes beyond his knowledge.

"Everything has to have an intent, yes. I'd explain to you why us humans always have to be driven by purpose but I'm afraid we'd spend many hours trying to answer every question that mankind has been asking for centuries. We are creatures that seek enlightment, to go beyond one's mind yet not wanting to know the answers to all questions. That'd be ignorance at its best."

The blades coming out of her fingertips put him on an even greater state of alert but something told him she meant no harm. Malfunctioning or not, Ar'ekk had allowed her to stay. He stood his ground.

"I have no desire to put you in a box like a doll in hers. There is no victory in such thing."

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member="Ar'ekk"]

It seemed again that Ar'ekk misread her 'intentions.' "I'm sorry Jedi, I don't specifically want anything. I don't look for upgrades, I look for modifications. Whether it's beneficial or harmful. My body was already heavily modified before I started tampering with it; I'm made from multiple droids, many pieces not original, and some parts even just scrap welded on!" She made a little dance, as if she was happy. "I like putting things inside me, Jedi. Even if they don't fit. I once jammed a datapad where my head would go. I had to hotwire my head to my arm to run a diagnostic on the functionality, but it was entertaining. And don't worry, the datapad is fine. It wasn't mine so I put it back where I found it. But no..." her demeanor changed into something unpleasant, almost simulating a 'pouting face,' "I don't care as to why you organic species do what you do, I'm just saying it doesn't make sense to me. Doesn't mean I want to figure it out. Why do organics need sustenance in so many forms, need oxygen, or gravity? Especially when there are modifications that could take that all away? I don't care why, it just doesn't make sense. It doesn't matter to me. Organics don't entertain me... but I admit I ... I kind of..." she suddenly erupted into a fit of giggles, reaching up to cover her cheeks, those retractable blades extending, "I have this... unexplainable need to follow an organic." And just as quick as her laugh came, it disappeared, as if she was never laughing in the first place. "But all they want to do is put me in a box for people to see. All I want to do is learn. Take machines, and join them to me. Organics are like pests to me in this world, for the most part. Pests that have an insatiable hunger to ravage and take --" She stuttered slightly when she started to say 'insatiable,' "It would be so much easier if everyone was a collective," she calmed down, "joined together as one, never having any fear, never having starvation.... but I suppose that would be dull, wouldn't it?"

To the Jedi, this could be seen as the droid just rambling. He noticed in her pauses she would become very silent, as if accustomed to the silence. In fact it would almost feel like talking took effort to her, to even utter a word instead of communicating in some machine language. She did seem a little nutty, but she was also content. She didn't reach out in any form, only keeping to herself. Obviously the assassin had aesthetic beauty, so the owner must have put more programming into than just killing, and everything was mixing together. If anything it all resembled paranoia, at least, to a humans anticipation. While Eho wanted out of the box, to see the world and learn from the other created machines, she was content at being alone. Or, at the very least, used to it. Staying silent, looking off into the distance as if she was lost and alone, processing other things in her memory over looking at what the real world held.

Her facial expression started to show sadness after a brief respite. "I won't endanger your ship, Jedi. If I am to remain in the cargo, I will take to memory everything I can from here. But only one time... in the box."

 

[Arekk]

This time he understood her "intentions" properly after a first failed attempt.

"You're quite a piece of handywork, aren't you? But there's gotta be some sort of autocontrol that you can reach otherwise you'll continue to tamper your body and put things that really don't benefit you. I'm not telling you how to do things as you can do them your own way but at least try to keep it within a limit. But I can feel that brings you some joy of some sorts, as twisted as it sounds."

His tone continued to be a relaxed one, trying to understand the reasoning behind all this ramble. She was something out of the ordinary, the first of her kind to come about the Jedi's presence.

"If it doesn't make sense to you, then there's no chance that I'll explain it. Just a wasted effort. But knows this, Eho, your fears of being put into a box and become the entertainment of other people will not occur here. What's so fun about that? Brings you nothing but shame. You'll not have that here with me. Tag along for the duration of his journey if you wish, I'll not stop you for I seek for many adventures in the future."

The half masked man was as reserved as any other "organic" as Eho called them, a strange individual difficult to read and to figure out his real emotions. He was more of a cyborg now, they shared some similar features although not alike in its entirety.

"Get a feel of the ship. I will be in the cockpit if you need anything."

He gave her freedom. That was a token of trust if she figured it out correctly.

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member="Ar'ekk"]


"No, I don't think so. I don't think there is, nor will be, any of this... 'autocontrol.'"

She crossed her arms again, retracting from the Jedi. "Why do organics drink so much alcohol, or any at all, when it's poison? Why do organics push themselves so far, into pain and misery, and then still continue to drag themselves through it? Why do you use an ancient ship, knowing full well its medical facilities may not be enough to save you, its shields not enough to protect you, its weapons not enough to fight for you? These are rhetorical questions, but hopefully you get my point. Even though you may preserve life, and I couldn't care less if something dies; by my hand or otherwise, we are still the same. We do not exist entirely separate, no one or thing does." Her hands moved from the crossed formation to run up her neck, and then her head, to brush through her hair. For a human, this might be something they do to get their mind off of things, or try to relieve stress. "But anyway!" she suddenly seemed in high spirits, "now that you give me free passage on your relic, where are you headed?" If he were to walk, she would follow, but keeping a decent distance.

 

[Arekk]

Pacing out of the cargo hold and kicking his leg in motion to reach the Ebon Hawk's cockpit, Ar'ekk conversated with Eho. There wasn't much to do in terms of entertainment within the freighter, not even a holovideo to pass time so a good old chat would do the trick for the time being. Maybe he could find out more about the female android's origin and further. She was interesting to his eye and wanted to know more about this strange individual.

"I get you, I get you. Even I ask myself the same questions but they remain unanswered. But yes, I understand your point."

As he toyed around with one of the panels on the wall, Ar'ekk gave Eho the occasional glance.

"We need to refuel and stock up on supplies if we want to continue this journey. I'm heading to Coruscant, the planet that saw me depart as a teenager years ago, but you probably don't care so why am I telling you?"

The thought of heading to Coruscant brought the young Jedi Knight painful memories, even more hurtful than the ones from Malachor V. He'd get sleepless nights for a week or even longer, the lack of sleep clearly affecting his emotional state. But he was in control now or at least he thought, things change. Everything does.

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member="Ar'ekk"]


Eho's apathy truly showed when she ignored the Jedi as he spoke. It wasn't so much that she ignored him, it just didn't require a response, so she gave none. She listened, of course, but paid no mind to him until it seemed necessary. While he did whatever he needed to do, she pressed up against the cold metal of the wall. She couldn't really feel the temperature, or what metal felt like, but there must have been some meaning to it.

"I don't know why you bother to tell me, nor do I know why you say 'we.' But organics take the weakest creatures, and sometimes even the most hazardous creatures as pets. Do all the work to keep something alive, while trying to build a, er, 'bond' with one that is savage and could kill its owner in an instant." She smirked, staring over at the Jedi with squinted eyes, "I think you'd need to find the answer.... hmmm.... 'in yourself' I think is the correct phrase. But if you think I'm going to haul cargo, think again. I'm no class two maintenance or class three servant droid. You'll have to find something else to do your dirty work," she winked.

 

[Arekk]

"You're in my ship, Eho. But why I'm bothering? You're an assassination droid though I'm sure you can do other tasks. Even if you can, it'd be a lost case to convince you otherwise. Just don't make a mess, alright?"

He understood 3H-0's protocol and main function as a killer droid and wouldn't like to interfere at all with her primary task. If anything, this trip continued to be lonesome at some extent considering she wasn't the most empathic of droids. Mmph. An empathic droid, a killer at that. Perhaps he was asking too much?

Ar'ekk's demeanor didn't change towards Eho despite the apathic attitude she appeared to have taken. Calmed and collected could best describe his actions and words. By typing into the navigational computer's keyboard and transmitting the landing codes, they were welcomed by Coruscant's skyline.

"Ebon Hawk, you're authorized to use docking bay twenty-three. Welcome to Coruscant."

The descent was slow and the landing almost smooth perfect. A year later, the prodigal son of the slums of the city had returned.

"I will be heading out. You can either stay inside the ship or come along. Even if you plan to escape, the Ebon Hawk will not ignite without me. Security measure, trust me, you won't even make it past the spaceport."

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member="Ar'ekk"]

Eho leaned away from the wall until she came off of it, approaching Ar'ekk in an appropriate manner. "Jedi, I don't want your relic. It's interesting but it is old. I'm not controlled by any faction, so the squabbles with the Jedi are of no concern to me, meaning I have no reason to mess with your ship, try to steal information or items, or hurt you. Whether you believe me or not, I don't care. But you are.... an odd Jedi." Awkwardly she turned to her side and stood on one foot, the other being lifted raised behind her back until the heel reached the shoulder and she grabbed at it from behind her back, pulling on it. She was what was considered a 'frankenstein' droid, with cobbled together parts. It seemed not everything worked well, or it slowed down, requiring increased movements in the servos - or a human condition of 'stretching.' "Maybe this is where our encounter ends, but if I'm interested I'll show back up at your ship, properly. Either way, I'll be in one of the trade districts and searching for mods for the time being." She released her leg and turned toward the exit ramp, walking away to leave. "It was nice meeting you, Jedi. I'll save you to my memory, permanently."

 

[Arekk]

The way 3H-0 was built was pretty curious and frightening to the naked eye yet Ar'ekk didn't feel intimidated or stranged by the way she looked, after all she had a proper etiquette protocol. His gaze turned towards the female android as she 'stretched', letting go of the controls after the freighter touched the ground. Inputting a set of security codes into the navigational computer, it caused everything to go on lockdown except for the exit ramp which was already open.

"I appreciate the honesty, Eho. You're quite an interesting one and to be honest, I'm glad we've managed to meet despite the strange way of doing so. I wasn't expecting such encounter today."

His words were completely honest, the eyes spoke louder than words. Caressing his knuckles, Ar'ekk reached for one of the boxes resting by the pilot's seat and retrieved a comm link from inside. Tossing it towards Eho with the hope she'd catch it mid-air, he replied.

"Stay in touch. Or, you know... just sneak up again."

Ar'ekk couldn't feel but broaden a cheeky grin towards Eho as he also headed for the exit ramp.

[member="3H-0"]

 

[3H-0]

[member="Ar'ekk"]

Eho immediately caught it as she was still walking away, her arm acted like it had a mind of its own as she, herself, had absolutely to reaction to it at all. More than likely her sensors just picked up on it and her arm had enough movement to catch it without her body turning. Still, it happened the way it happened. As Eho walked down the ramp and out of the ship, Ar'ekk could hear a feint giggle. But while this one was still dry and empty, it gave off a creepy vibe as her voice seemed to malfunction for only a second in the middle of it. Like a machine having problems with its voice modulator, her voice output messed up for a split second, and then she was gone. No where in sight.