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]

"Hey, Wheeljack, they have Transformers!" says a cheerful voice, sounding a little excited, and a tall yellow mech looks down at Kia and Random with a grin.

His friend doesn't glance up from where he's looking at the organic who had told Kia to shut up. "Find out what they can do."

"Sure, buddy." Still grinning, the yellow mech turns back to Random. "So what can you do?"

[astrotechmech]

Ugh. And the mech was okay with the fact that these creatures were selling off members of their own race? And why the heck didn't the slavers just snatch them up too?

The scowl he had quickly turns into a somewhat neutral expression, as he shifts his stance in a more protective position by Kia. "I'm good with fixing things: Mechanical, electrical, and I even have programming to deal with computers and computer programming problems." Just don't ask me to do anything medical.

[random_xtras]

"You're an astrotech?" The mech's optics brighten. "Sweet!"

He turns and walks over to the Quintesson in charge and asks him the price of the pair of Transformers, his face falling when the other mechanoid answers.

"Hey, Wheeljack, can I borrow some credit?"

"No. You already have most of mine."

"But I don't have enough for both of these guys!"

"So leave the femme. She doesn't look like she'd hold up anyway."

[astrotechmech]

Well, the mech didn't seem to be too bad of a character.

. . .

He shifts his position closer to Kia, if that's even possible. "If the femme's staying with the likes of them"--he tilts his head in the direction of one of the slavers--", I'm staying. I came too far with her to leave her behind."

Going over his bounds as a "slave" be blasted! He was sentient and he wasn't going to leave her!

Though he was still wondering why.

[random_xtras]

"Whoa!" The yellow mech catches the shock prod that the nearest Sharkticon swings at the blue slave. "Don't do that."

Then he looks at the other mech, his expression sober and quizzical. "Is she your bonded?"

[astrotechmech]

Random visibly flinches, fighting between the instinct to run and the one to remain as he is to protect the younger femme. His voice isn't as steady as it was when he first voiced his protest. "N-not quite."

[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]

"Hmm." Hot Shot frowns as he unfastens the cuffs. "Looks like you could use a little maintenance yourself, Random. Will you take Kia's cuffs off? I don't wanna scare her. Don't worry, we'll get the two of you fixed up as good as new... hey, Wheeljack, you need a hand there?"

"I got it," grunts his friend as he slugs the organic back for attacking him.

"Okay. Just lemme know." Hot Shot watches the fight for a moment, and then turns back to his own purchases.

[astrotechmech]

Heh. 'In need of maintenance.' More like 'underfulled, overstressed, and exhausted. Please rectify.'

He merely nods at the request, already moving to take her cuffs off, softly telling her, "I won't be missing these things!" as he removes the cuffs with slightly shaking fingers.

As soon as the cuffs are off, the puts an arm around her, brings her close, and begins rubbing her arm.

The fight gets a slightly worried look out of Random. Though the organic in question was a "bit of a jerk" on the slaver, so he's not as worried as he could be.

[random_xtras]

The little femme's smile lights her face, and then her arms are around her mentor as she cuddles close, offering and receiving comfort as is her way. She peeks toward the altercation with a frown, and then notices Hot Shot smiling at her and hides again with a tiny squeak.

The yellow mech's expression is thoughtful as he turns and toward the dwelling unit, indicating that Random and Kia should come with him. "You guys want some energy? We don't have anything fancy, but we've got a lot of what we do have."

[astrotechmech]

"I think we do," he says, smiling a bit down at Kia. "I don't quite remember the last time I refueled." But man, did he just want to keep standing there with her.

[random_xtras]

"Doesn't Alpha Q even feed you guys?" Hot Shot shakes his head.

Kia watches him for a moment, but then reluctantly lets go of Random to follow, the shifting sand under her feet soon attracting her attention and gaining a soft laugh of wonder and delight.

[astrotechmech]

"You mean the ugly tentacled guy? No, he didn't."

When she lets go and starts turning away, Random starts to reach his hand out but changes his mind at the last minute. Instead he follows her and becomes something of a living shadow without really thinking about it. Her delight with the sand gets another bit of smile out of him.