Acier Moonbound
Son of None
The midday sun on Ord Mantell was a dull smear behind clouds and industrial haze, casting everything in a faint amber tint. The repair shop sat wedged between a run-down droid broker and a half-shuttered noodle stand, its sign flickering with a faulty backlight that buzzed when the wind hit right.
Inside, the air smelled of solder, dust, and oil baked into the walls. Sparking wires dangled from ceiling fixtures like metal vines, and half-gutted speeders and droids cluttered the space in various states of disassembly. It wasn't glamorous, but it was steady. Ace was right at home.
Ace was crouched beside the sparking repulsor plate, hydrospanner in one hand, elbow deep in carbon buildup. He squinted under the dim shop light, voice dry.
"Dotty, I need the torque clamp. Not the fusion cutter. The torque clamp."
A metallic clink came from behind him, followed by a high-pitched warble of protest as D4-TY waddled up, dragging a completely different tool. Again.
"No, that's a power coupler. Why do you even have that? Put it down. Gently--Dotty, no--"
The tool hit the floor with enough force to rattle the crate Ace was working on. He sighed, shaking his head and wiping his hand on his pants, looking at her with half a grin.
"You realize you're just making up for personality with chaos, right?"
Dotty emitted a series of beeps that sounded far too smug for a machine without a mouth. Ace chuckled despite himself and finally reached around to grab the clamp manually.
"If I get electrocuted because you wanted to be funny, you're paying my medical."
Dotty gave a chirp that might've been agreement, or a laugh. Honestly, Ace couldn't tell anymore. Dotty meant well but more often than not, had no idea what she was doing. Other times, he was unsure if she was just intentionally trying to make his life difficult out of some misplaced sense of entertainment.
Either way, she was the closest thing Ace had to a friend while on Ord Mantell. She was a pit droid belonging to the shop owner and Ace's boss - an Anzellan named Gribbo Tekk. Yes, the irony wasn't lost on him that he was taking orders from someone he dwarfed several times over.
Valery Noble
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