ANH 'verse. Slaver's transport on Tatooine. Start the story.

[random_xtras]

Restless, weary drones and organics rustled in the darkness of the hold, many of them uncomfortable in the heat of the world they'd landed on a few hours earlier. Over in one corner of the stinking, sweltering space two pair of glowing optics shone. The ones that were further from the floor held fear, the lower set, large and pale blue, held only patient exhaustion.

The silver femme frowned as an organic tentacle brushed against her leg, then moved her wrists in the restraining cuffs and looked up at her mentor as her soft voice broke the noisy silence.

"Random, I'm hungry."

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[astrotechmech]

This place stunk so much, he wasn't sure his olfactory sensors would ever be clear of the memory of the sheer filth and stink of the place. Worse was knowing where he and the young femme had landed up. Slave ship. Where strangers bartered, sold, and traded you like you were a piece of lifeless machinery to anyone that treated you like anything. And in this universe, they would neither be friendly or nice. If you didn't burn out from the sheer amount of hard labor, you burned out when they terminated your life--often painfully and mercilessly--when you couldn't meet their ridiculously high labor outputs.

But did she realize that? That one word could mean their doom? There was no way that she could. She barely had enough programming to function, let alone to understand as complex as situation as this one!

She was hungry?

When was the last time he refueled? It felt like ages ago! They had to give her fuel when they brought her in. There was barely enough in her tank to keep her spark alive without burning itself out. If she was running low on fuel--low but probably not critical given what her programming should be like, it especially did not bode well for Random. He had just hoped--. . . Hoping that they'd be able to refuel before she got hungry and he die of starvation had been a stupid thing to hope for!

He sighed. "I know, Kia. I'm hungry too." And tired. But he wasn't going to go into that. He needed to fear for the both of them . . .

[random_xtras]

She leans against him, her attempt to pat pat him comfortingly thwarted by the cuffs.

Then she frowns slightly. "Random? That big sound we heard when the escape pod started spinning... is... is the ship gone?"

"Shut up!" A massive organic snarls at the little femme.

[astrotechmech]

He smiled a small smile at her attempt despite himself. Stupid cuffs. He'd hold her close if they weren't there.

The brute interrupts him before he can get himself to reply. When the brute does, he settles for a Look in the organic's direction.

"Yes, it's gone."

[random_xtras]

She cringes slightly away from the harsh voice, looking confused, but then looks up at Random trustingly though with concern. "But what about the Princess? And Sneaker?"

"I said to shut...." The organic pauses, his expression going from anger to fearfulness as he registers a change in the movement of the carrier. Then he slips back into the darkest shadows. "We're stopping."

[astrotechmech]

He shifted awkwardly, and his face took on a worried kind of look. " . . . I'm not sure."

. . . Stopping . . .

[random_xtras]

Burning sunlight chases away the darkness around them, and rough hands drag and shove them roughly out of the carrier and force them to stand in a row. Kia, blinded and confused, stays as close to her mentor's side as she's able, and then hides her face against him to avoid both the light of the twin suns and the gazes of strangers.

[astrotechmech]

He had been dreading this moment, and now it was finally here.

As much as he was able, he tried to stay close to her as they made their way out even slowing his pace. They were not gonna take her away from him . . . Man, that sun--those suns were bright . . .

[random_xtras]

"Well, then what?" The yellow mech puts his hands on his hips, his brow plates lifting.

[astrotechmech]

"Well, then what?" indeed. He can't say he gave her her programming, that would be too suggestive, especially with the Empire the way it was. What was he to her? He found her. He brought her back to the ship. He tried to hand her over to the medics to give her the programming, but she was much too insistent with what little programming she did have to have the one giving her the programming to be anyone but him. Curse those big blue eyes! She would barely leave him alone either. She would watched him in the limited time they did have on the ship, repairing some odd thing or another, and asked him ques--

That was it.

"I-I'm her mentor. She's got some basic repair programming right now"--how she got that knowledge he would never know--"give me time, and I'll be able to teach her how to fix things like I can. She'll be well worth the extra cost."

[random_xtras]

"Ohh." Compassion shows in the young mech's optics, along with a calculating look. Frowning slightly, he turns and talks to the Quintesson again, and then turns and runs toward the dwelling unit a short distance away. When he returns he's accompanied by three souped up drones.

[astrotechmech]

Random watches the proceedings warily, not quite sure what the other mech is doing. When the mech runs off, Random glances down at Kia, to see how she's doing. The other mech's return gets an raised optic ridge out of Random.

[random_xtras]

Kia peeks up at him, her expression quizzical, but trusting as ever. Something is bugging Random, and she doesn't like that. But all she can think to do to make it better is snuggle him the best she can with her wrists in the cuffs.

The Quintesson, meanwhile, looks the drones over and then orders a Sharkticon to herd them onto the carrier. The yellow mech downloads some credit to the tentacled mechanoid, who then receives payment from Wheeljack for the big organic.

And then the other slaves are loaded again and the carrier is trundling off across the sand, leaving Kia and Random standing under the burning twin suns.

"Let's get those cuffs off of you," says their new master genially as he reaches to do so. "Oh. I'm Hot Shot, what're your names?"

[astrotechmech]

A ghost of a smile crosses his face again at the attempt, but he is too focused on everything else to do much more.

Random doesn't even begin to start thinking about breathing easily again until the vessel is some distance away, and then he remembers that first impressions can't always be trusted and the hopeful thought goes almost completely out of his mind again, despite some easier breathing.

Not getting the somewhat expected turnaround of attitude, Random holds out his slightly trembling arms for the other mech to free as a sort of indicator to Kia that things were probably going to get better now. Where did that desire to want her's to come off first come from?

"My name's Random. Hers is Kia," he replies once the cuffs are off and he's rubbing his wrists and arms as if making sure they're still there.

[random_xtras]

Ever obedient, the little femme lets herself be steered. And she somehow manages, by weight shift or just innocent intuition, to take a bit of Random's weight onto her own slight shoulders as she passes into the cheerfully cluttered interior.

The dwelling is all one room, and looks like a combination home and repair bay. There are bits and scraps and tools everywhere. Several posters of famous heroes dot the curving wall space.

[astrotechmech]

If he had realized that he had allowed Kia to take on some of his weight, he would have quickly taken his hand off her shoulder and tried to continue walking on his own but he has yet to notice.

The room gets a better look at than the fight outside did. For obvious safety reasons. He notices the double-function of the room but doesn't comment on it. He also notices the posters and somewhat distractedly tries to see if he recognizes any of them.

[random_xtras]

He probably does recognize some of them, if he ever watches the holo-vids. Some are famous real mechs, others are holo-vid femmes.

Hot Shot's gone over to a wide bench and is throwing things aside with blithe disregard for what they may be and where they're going. "Here, Random. This can be your berth. I'll see what we have for Kia."

Kia looks at the bench, and then leads her weary mentor over there.

[astrotechmech]

Random doesn't watch too much of them, not really understanding the point of some of them, but he does recognize some from times when he's been curious enough to watch what some others are watching or when he's been kidnapped into watching some holo-vids.

The noise coming from Hot Shot's clearing off of the table grabs Random's attention. A few items tossed get a thought of, He probably didn't want to do that, in his mind.

"Thanks."

It's as Kia's leading him over to the berth that he realizes what he's been doing and lets go of her shoulder, managing not to fall over as he walks the rest of the way there and sits down on it.

[random_xtras]

Kia frowns with concern and follows him closely after he's let go of her, then scrambles up to sit and lean against him as Hot Shot turns away to get a cube of energon from the pile over in a corner of crates.

[astrotechmech]

He had noticed her following but had tried not appear concerned as he had focused on getting over to where he now was. When she makes it on the bench, he puts his arm around her again and starts his usual rubbing run along her arm, not really noticing what Hot Shot's doing.

[random_xtras]

Hot Shot's voice can now be heard, raised in semi-defensive amusement. It sounds like the two young mechs are busy deriding and retorting at each other in that way that only old friends can achieve.

Kia ignores them as she contemplates the flavor of the energy she's drinking. They're not here, so she doesn't need to pay attention to them.

[astrotechmech]

It sounded like the other two mechs were off in their own world. Away from the Empire. The Rebellion. Random's life had been affected by it to completely forget it or the friends he may never see again.

But Kia was here. He prevented her from being lost among all the others. That would be enough . . . for the moment.

He pulls himself out of his thoughts with drinking the remains of his energon.

He needs to recharge. Absorb everything that has happened since the last time he slept. Hopefully, it will be more clear once his processor has had enough time to organize it without more data being poured out in streams on top of it.

But he'll wait until Kia's done refueling . . .

[random_xtras]

Slowly and steadily she finishes most of the cube, then offers him the last of it, her optics intent and concerned as she looks up at him. And then they flicker with surprise as a tiny air bubble escapes her fuel lines.

She wriggles a bit, amused by the strange sensation, then sobers. "Now I'm tired."

[astrotechmech]

"Are you full?" he asks, accepting the cube.

"Excuse you."

Random chuckles at her comment, rubbing her arm. "Then we should both get some recharge then. . . . Hot Shot never did clear something off for you, did he . . . ?"

[random_xtras]

"Yes." She leans against him, looking around the room with absent curiosity. "I can recharge with you."

[astrotechmech]

"That's good," he says, getting up with one last rub and finding a place off of the berth to put the cube before returning. "That'll be fine. Which side do you want?"