STAR WARS
Artoo Detoo: Droid of a Kind (Volume 1)
Mark A.J. Cristobal
Copyright 2012 Mark A.J. Cristobal
Acknowledgements
To the Aunt Berus of my life, Luisa G. Cristobal (1927-2003) and Narcissa G. Cristobal (1930-2011) who took it upon them to care for me and help their youngest brother, my father, Cipriano, to raise me after my mother left us before I even turned one.
To Arthur M. Gerna, Jr. who introduced me to the Expanded Universe of Star Wars by letting me borrow and read his book collection. To Frederick V. Caspe, who allowed me to share my passion for reading with him and are now collaborating with me for a new Star Wars trilogy fan-fiction project.
To my Star Wars community friends from Facebook particularly from my friends from the Ossus and Enclave groups who opened a vast world of Star Wars fan networks through their respective Star Wars Facebook Pages. To Jimmy and Lenka who first saw my potential, to Jen who took me further, to Dwayne and fellow author David Gremillion (Author of fan-fiction Star Wars Awakening) for helping me out in many ways regarding my writing and page administering, to Yvonne, Vinny, Dan and tons of others for their relentless support and assistance on managing my pages. To my new friends from the Geek group, you know who you are. To everyone who has supported my three novel’s pre-released chapters since day one. Much of this hard work I took inspiration from all of you.
To Kevin J. Anderson, Timothy Zahn, Alan Dean Foster and the rest of the Star Wars Expanded Universe authors for providing us, fans and aspiring writers, inspirations and writing techniques and for making this wonderful literary masterpiece space opera called Star Wars grow.
And of course, to the Maker himself, Mr. George Lucas, for creating this iconic piece of work that has become part of film, cultural and even social history, thank you sir for creating Star Wars.
Artoo Detoo: Droid of a Kind (Volume 1) is just the beginning of a number of my Star Wars fan-fiction novels. I hope to see you all throughout this journey and of course…
May the Force be with us all, always!
Preface
In the late 1980s a young kid from the Philippines first saw the classic Star Wars films, one each Sunday night on local television. The memories were vague but three particular scenes have gotten stuck in his young mind.
The first was Luke Skywalker swinging from one ledge to another as he carries Princess Leia Organa inside the Deathstar, second was Han Solo being frozen in carbonite as Leia says “I love you” with him answering “I know.”, and the last was Luke Skywalker standing on a plank of a sailbarge in the middle of the Dune Sea with the mighty Sarlacc below, waiting to devour him.
That image was relived in full in 1997, the interest deepened in 1998 as he began reading the books around those three classic episodes and by 1999, that boy realized that Star Wars had become and will always be a part of him.
Table of Contents
Part One: The Origin
Prologue – Malfunction
01 – Eve of Coronation
02 – Unveiled Plot
03 – Behind the Queen
04 – Countdown to Chaos
05 – The Moon Mountain
06 – Morning Fireworks
07 – A Clone’s Fate, an Animal’s Hate
08 – The Chancellor’s Decree
09 – Naberrie Fields
10 – Courtesy Calls and the Coronation
11 – Multiple Encounters
12 – The Chase to Negotta
13 – The Battle of Jafanara
14 – The Countess and the Handmaiden
15 – A Costly Rescue
16 – The Staff of Vision
17 – The Order of the Sanctuary
18 – Return to Rori
19 – Everything Falls Apart
20 – The Kardara Truce
21 – The Mines of Kardara
22 – Hath Monchar
23 – The Calm before the Storm
24 – The Raltosan Enterprise
Part Two: Royal Service
25 – First Move
26 – The Chancellor’s Ambassadors
27 – United Against a Common Threat
28 – Naboo Underground
29 – The Outcast of Otoh Gunga
30 – The Battle of Spinnaker
31 – Silent Takeover
32 – The Flight to the Capital
33 – Desert Heat
34 – A Person named Anakin
35 – Lunch with the Skywalkers
36 – Intruders in the Sandstorm
37 – The Eve of Boonta Eve
38 – Race to Death
39 – Farewell Tatooine
40 – The Galactic Capital
41 – Vergence in the Force
42 – The Queen, the Boss and the Viceroy
43 – The Governor’s Rescue
44 – Ouch Time
45 – The Battle of the Solleu
46 – The Fateful Choice
47 – Duel of Fates
48 – Young Heroes
49 – Specters of the Force
50 – Requiem to a Jedi
Epilogue: Malfunctions
PART ONE - THE ORIGIN
Prologue: Malfunction
The conveyors thrummed with power, a myriad of mechanical parts began to drop from a series of containers, dumping them all on a wide rotating platform. Foundry Droids detached themselves from their individual storage capsules and activated their repulsorlifts. They began to converge on the rotating platform and proceeded on a seemingly chaotic task of picking up their respective assigned objects to collect from the pile of metal scraps. Once the container attached to them is full they hover onto their designated conveyors and unload the mechanical parts and will then again resume their picking on the platform. The various parts in turn will be taken along a maze of assembly machines with different functions. It was like a large lake splitting into a number of rivers passing through almost endless caves and emerging and merging until there are only three conveyors left bearing segregated types of metals to be melted down and reshaped.
This is a typical day in Industrial Automaton in Nubia, one of the largest Droid Manufacturing Company in the Galactic Republic while the other competitor is Cybot Galactica in Etti IV. Among the other contending companies were the Techno Union, Arakyd Industries, Genetech Laboratories, SoroSuub Corporation and Veril Line Systems. Since the merger of Industrial Intellect and Automata Galactica some eight hundred forty years ago and became the Industrial Automaton, the company has risen to match the galaxy’s once sole leading droid foundry, the Cybot Galactica.
This particular batch has been ordered in bulk by the Royal Palace of Naboo in preparation for the crowning ceremony of their new Queen, a young top graduate from the Naboo Legislative Youth Program and a well known Princess of Theed elected by a landslide succeeding King Ars Veruna.
Human technicians waited at the end of the conveyors of almost finished products of R2 unit models of astromechanic droids. One by one they were installed with a memory chip and an AI programming module by a machine before reaching the human techs wherein those chips and AI will be scanned and tested for efficiency. Afterwards the products will be hauled by droid workers and put them on another conveyor belt in which the R2 units will be boxed for shipment.
The last leg in the production ended in the rear foundry exit wherein a pair of massive Nubian X90a Cargo Ships is awaiting their load for delivery. These two freighters will make the four hour jump into hyperspace towards the Chommell Sector and will revert to sublightspeed upon entering Naboo space. After a brief interaction with Spaceport C
ontrol, the Industrial Automaton Delivery Freighters Steadfast and Dutiful landed on Theed Spaceport were they will be met by Naboo Royal Engineers.
* * *
Lienn Entarrie, a former NRE was recently fired from work due to his constant rule breaking and radical AI programs that were deemed non-conforming to NRE standards. His latest creation was an AI chip which he called Entarrie-1, a chip that in his design and theory should provide astounding sentient traits to a droid including that of loyalty, devotion and creativity that is beyond any standard droid programming. Having been fired has further limited his access within the NRE compound. This shipment though, is his only chance to test his Entarrie-1. Disguised as one of the NRE crew, he deftly went to blend with the others and join the long ride back into NRE compound.
Inside, he slipped off from the rest of the crew and stealthily made his way up to the Programming Department. It was just a few minutes past day shift and the nightshift programmers are still down by the lobby having casual chats with the dayshift. The room was relatively empty and Lienn quickly opened the main server. Punching a stolen access code he began uploading his Entarrie-1 chip programming into the preset program upgrade that will overwrite the Industrial Automaton R2 programming.
Outside the NRE compound, a small T-13 Skyhopper suddenly crashed into the power generators causing the alarms to go wild and the power in the entire compound to go off. Emergency power back-ups automatically kicked in as people outside scrambled to do what they can to extinguish the fire.
The entire room was engulfed with darkness which startled Lienn, then after a few seconds power returned and the computer began to reboot. Then a guard came in and saw Leinn Entarrie, he was new and did not know who Lienn is so he raised his blaster at him, “Put your hands in your head and step away from the computer!” the guard barked.
“Relax, I’m an employee here. I am Engineer Entarrie…” Leinn cautiously said but he continues to re-install his Entarrie-1.
“I said put your hands in your head and step away from the computer! This is your final warning!” the guard growled and his finger dangerously hovered on the trigger.
The monitor beeped and Lienn saw that the upload began and started to reach 5%. In a desperate attempt to give his chip the time to be uploaded he moved with surprising agility and wrestled the blaster from the guard.
Lienn underestimated the strength of his would be captor. The guard was smaller than him but younger and unbelievably far too strong. In their struggle the blaster fired, hitting and scorching walls, the chairs, the panels and worse the computer. He saw that the uploading was completed and the installation on the droids was not. In a surge of frustration, rage and madness he began punching the guard. The struggle then became a brawl and more guards came in to see what was causing the noise.
The newly arrived guards recognized Lienn and rushed to stop the two. But the first guard was now equally enraged and was using his fully pumped adrenaline strength to beat the life out of the now defenseless former employee and by the time the guard stopped, Lien was already gone. The other guards cuffed the first guard and then called for Naboo Security to take him while they took Lienn’s body to the medical wing.
Lienn Entarrie died under the knowledge that his Entarrie-1 has failed to be installed. He never saw the 2% installation progress in the monitor before it got blown. The NRE had ordered two hundred astromech droids. Only one of them has been successfully programmed by the Entarrie-1 chip. But with no one alive aware of what Lienn has done, no one could ever know what has just happened, and which of those two hundred R2 units were secretly modified.
Chapter 1: Eve of Coronation
Thirty-four year old Riggs Fenn adjusted the holoframe of his parents and siblings on the left corner of his office table. His father Terus Fenn was the former Master of Sciences and Royal Advisor in the Royal Advisory Council, he retired when Riggs was at his second year in Coruscant Science Academy seven years ago. His mother Salle Fenn was a pilot of Keren Squadron. His parents became Transport Pilots on Keren spaceport, flying massive cargo freighters throughout the Chommell Sector and sometimes even to the Core Worlds.
His oldest brother Roiy Fenn was diplomatic aide for the late Senator Vidar Kim who was assassinated two decades ago and was succeeded by Senator Palpatine. Riggs, despite his natural talent for electronics and technologies was also a history buff like his brother. He was most fascinated with the life of the late great Senator Consinga Palpatine, mentor and predecessor of Senator Vidar Kim, which in some playful twist of fate has become the mentor and friend of Consinga’s eldest son and now senator, Palpatine.
Roiy Fenn was personally curious about the real events that caused the murder of the entire House Palpatine and the seemingly odd survival of the current Naboo Senator. There was a certain aversion from the legal and academic society of Naboo whenever they try to veer onto that subject. Because of that he could not share to anyone about his interest on the supposed to be long closed case and trusted only his brother who after Senator Kim’s death has relocated to Corellia and became one of the Corellian Senator’s staff. He also shared his secret investigation with his younger sister Rhona Fenn who has married a Jedi Archivist on the mobile Jedi Academy Chu’unthor II. Although he wanted to pursue his last lead, something about a connection on Duros, many things that happened in his life prevented him from doing so.
Six years ago his parents died from a pirate raid led by the so called Chommell Patriots. Included in the casualties were Roiy and Rhona who were at that time visiting their parents.
Riggs has never married yet, the only family he got left was Rhona’s husband Master Teetan Obas, a Twi’lek, and their children named after their parents and her brothers, Terus, Selle, Roiy and Riggs Fenn-Obas.
Since Riggs has been promoted to Supervising Technician, he can now save enough credits in a year to get off Naboo and visit his brother-in-law, nephews and niece on Coruscant.
Shaking off his daydreaming he focused on the last batch of the astromech units and rechecking their updated programming from NRE.
“I heard there was another terrorist attack down on the NRE compound, can you tell me about that?” Riggs asked the blue astromech units. The single empty powerless photoreceptor stared in cold silence at his outspoken inquiry.
He was about to turn on the droid to engage it on a casual conversation when his boss’ unmistakable approaching boot echoes alerted him.
* * *
Graf Zapalo, Master of Sciences and member of the Royal Advisory Council strode on the receiving bay to inspect the astromech droids from Nubia. Graf’s subordinates could have easily done the job but as a loyal servant to the Crowned King of Naboo, and to his successor the next monarch, he preferred to do the inspection himself to make absolutely sure that there will be no problem during the coronation and no threat at all whatsoever.
There were two hundred R2 units and he was inspecting the last of them when Hugo Eckener, Chief Architect and also a member of the Royal Advisory Council strode to his side and whispered at him.
“Graf, the Governor is ordering an emergency meeting in ten minutes.” Hugo said in his ear.
“He’s doing that in the eve of coronation? What’s wrong?” Graf frowned in annoyance. He had much to do, as are the rest of the council and staff. Representatives from the Galactic Senate and the Jedi Order would be coming tomorrow and there are tons to be arranged and prepared.
“He wouldn’t say. But Hela said Senator Palpatine, Chancellor Valorum and Master Yoda will attend this meeting via holonet.” Hugo explained.
Graf stiffened in alarm and alertness. “It’s that serious? Well then let’s go.”
Graf grabbed Hugo’s arm and hurriedly walked out of the compound but Hugo stopped him shortly.
“Wait, take one of these new droids, we’ll have need of it.” Hugo said nodding at the last R2 unit.
“Very well then, Fenn activate that one, we’re taking it.” Graf ordered.
The technici
an nodded and went to activate the indicated droid.
The blue and white astromech droid surged with mechanical activities as its internal power cell was turned on. Lights blinked from its semi-transparent dome and rotated to take in on the surrounding. Recognition protocols took over followed by imprinting. The droid’s consciousness awakened and saw the technician first. Its lens zoomed in on his chest plate, read the I.D. and marked him as Riggs Fenn, Supervising Technician.
“Droid! Come with us.” Graf called out.
The droid whirled around its domed head to look at the one who gave the command. Recognition program identified him as Graf Zapalo, Master of Sciences and Royal Advisory Council. The older man beside him was Hugo Eckener, Chief Architect and Royal Advisory Council. The droid then did as told. He extracted his central foot and started to roll towards them.
“What is his number?” Hugo asked Fenn before they leave.
Fenn checked his datapad and answered, “R2-D2 milord.”
“Hello R2-D2. I assume you already know us.” Hugo smiled at the droid. Graf merely scoffed, to him, the idea of treating a droid as sentient is absurd but he tolerated the older man’s indulgence. There’s much work to do to waste time for such trivialities.
Artoo beeped in affirmation and gave a series of hoots and shrills.
Hugo laughed. “Hardly an hour here and you are already as well informed as the next person!”
“He’s been programmed to know, Hugo.” Graf snapped.
They turned on the stairs Hugo slowed to wait for R2. Artoo extracted his central foot and began to use his servomotors to use his wheeled legs to take the steps. Graf stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at Hugo and the droid and rolled his eyes.
“Droid, just fly, we are in a hurry.” Graf said gruffly.
Hugo looked at the droid and shrugs.
Artoo beeped something sarcastic that made Hugo muffle his chuckles. Graf had already resumed walking and hadn’t heard the droid’s remark. Hugo nodded at R2 and started after the other. Artoo extracted his pair of flight boosters at the side of each of his legs and flew after them.
* * *
The Throne room was magnificent with all the tall columns on each side supporting the high dome above which in itself has an intricate painting from the ancient greatest artists of Naboo. The entire room was vast, both side have tall windows, at one side was the City of Theed and the Grassy Plains at the other.
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