Nar Shaddaa

Layne popped her face into the cargo bay where Daz had been working on getting the killbot back to operational and non-murderous status.

"Hey," she said; assuming she'd find her new apprentice; "How's it coming along?"

"It works, kind of... I adjusted what I could of the programming and repaired what I could it won't be as deadly, but it's functional," Daz says honestly as he continues working on the droid.

"Greetings I am Layne-Bot. My current emotional state is anger. How are you?" the droid replies in an electronic but feminine like voice.,

"Layne-bot?" She crossed her arms. "Really? And what's with its voice? And what do you mean it won't be as deadly?"

Layne Hoshin wrote:"Layne-bot?" She crossed her arms. "Really? And what's with its voice? And what do you mean it won't be as deadly?"

"Umm you hit it with lightsabers, those tend to be pretty dangerous, and this was a custom build, so I had to improvise," he responds with a scowl.

"You want to repair it? What is wrong with the voice?"

"It sounds like a girl," she kept her arms crossed. "And doesn't it have a designation of its own? Calling it Layne-bot feels... weird."

"Weird? I thought you would like it, your a cool killing machine and now you have a killing machine just like you," Daz responds.

She sighed, wondering how best to make Daz be... less Daz.

"Did you manage to salvage any of its memory? Like, maybe there was some useful data in there?"

"Yeah I guess, it's not in the best condition, why?" Daz says standing as he moves to work on another part of the droid.

"I want to see it," she said. "There could be things in there we can use. Locations of hidden caches, plans, secret force rituals. Whatever. These droids were owned by a very important person after all."

"You mean the Emperor of the Sith?" he says cautiously. "You really want to get yourself in the middle of that?"

"I'm already in the middle of that," she said. "Might as well get something out of it."

"Is that all you care about, getting something out of it? You're a Sith," Daz asks turning to face her. "Like your badass and all you seem to care about is petty stuff. You could be saving the galaxy but whatever, what do I know."

"Do you see me living in the lap of luxury here? I've made thousands of credits since coming to Nar Shaddaa. You want to know what I spent all that money on? I've spent it on getting better. Buying stuff that helps me fight better. Stuff that keeps me alive longer. It's not about getting rich. It's about being practical."

She pointed a finger at him.

"Besides, who the fuck said I can't get something out of saving the galaxy?"

"I don't know just seems... lame. That's not what Vera Hawke does," he says with a shrug. "I binged the latest season, it was awesome.

"Vera Hawke is fiction."

She shrugged.

"Besides, would you rather these kinds of secrets be exclusive to someone who works directly for the Sith emperor as opposed to also being in the hands of someone who at least occasionally does good things?"

"Sure... whatever, but you have to help me finish my lightsaber," he counters.

"Getting your first lightsaber should be a personal trial. I can guide you, but the ordeal must be yours."

"What why?" Daz asks.

"When you build something, how does it make you feel? Does it hold more meaning to you than if someone just handed it to you?"

"Whatever works I say, I was slave till a few days ago so anything for free is good with me," he says in reply.

"If I just gave you a lightsaber, you would not value it the way you should. Acquiring your first lightsaber should be a test in itself, and if you pass then you are stronger because of it. And not just because you then have a lightsaber."

She looked at him more intently then. "Do you understand?"

Daz says, "Yeah I guess I get it."

"You don't," she said, "but you will."

She turned to look at Laynebot again. "So, about that data?"

"Yeah, yeah," he says.

"I will work on it, give me some time."

"Okay, that's all I'm asking." She turned from the room then. "I'm going to check on our guest."