DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games CFH: A Call For Heroes CFH3c: Turret (2BB-2)

GM

There's a thin guy with a long face and mop of dark hair, next to an un-thin guy with a round face and blond beard. They're both covered in grime, oil and sand blown in from the desert, and look stymied.

It is cooler in the interior of the wreck. Sunlight lances in through rents in the ceiling.

The two scavengers are wearing ragged tunics with multiple toolbelts and have a glow lamp set up next to a stripped electrical panel at the base of the turret ring. Techies.

"You know, I don't know." Says the thin guy, shrugging.

"I know that, we wouldn't be stood here for the past week if you did know." Says the bearded guy, cleaning the dirt out of his correctives.

"It is not a week. Don't exaggerate. A few days at most."

"It's a week. What calendar are you on?"

"What calendar are you on?"

"I'm on Lothal, I don't go in for any of that After Yavin poodoo."

"Well this is your problem, man, you avoid every Galactic standard. You find something niche, it's like you invented it yourself."

"Do you mind, I have fond memories of Lothal---"

"Before the Evil Empire stole the family farm, I know."

"Oh you know something then. So tell me, laser brain, why can't we get this bog standard Corellian turbolaser working?"

"I don't know," says the thin techie, adding before his work-mate can groan, "but know what I do know? We should have a smoke and think about it."

"Good idea, yeah." Agrees the bearded techie and they sit down next to a large water-pipe they'd built.

2BB-2 jounces over a cable and rolls up to them, his status lights shining in the deep shadow.

The two technies have their heads together, stuffing the water-pipe and don't notice the droid at first.

2BB-2

Now, protocol was very far from 2BB-2's directives, but turning up unannounced tended to spook organics, especially given everyone here was still reeling from the recent violence, everyone's plans collapsing. The remit was clear: Get things back on track as best could be managed, and if that meant a little creative jiggery-pokery, the Droid slicer certainly wasn't above it.

First things first, then. A short, friendly burble, not too loud but in frequencies organics found relatively pleasant, to announce his presence and ask if he could help. Grappling up to start tweaking with the device immediately would be more his forte if this was a combat situation, but respecting the locals and deferring to their authority was, if somewhat chagrining, necessary if they were going to restore the mission. That said, when in a starship, even a wrecked one, and trying to get something to function, few things were more useful to have than a top of the line Astromech droid.

GM

The two techies look up from where they're crumbling kush into their pipe.

"Wow! Is that an astromech droid?" Says the bearded one, laughing like a Wookiee.

The thin one crouches next to 2BB-2.

"Hey little guy, you lost?" He asks, before answering his work-mate, "This is one of those new R0-series, hardwired for tactical starfighter combat."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's shaped like an 'O', right, so obviously it's an R0-series."

"Well where'd it come from? There's no tactical starfighter combat around here."

They both look at 2BB-2.

2BB-2

Ugh, organics. No ability to focus. Ah well, time for a little show and tell. 2BB-2 scanned the Turbolaser emplacement, then used his holoprojector to display a simple schematic for it, complete with representations of Himself and the two organics beside it. A quick animation of him trundling up to the open panel, poking around with His multi tool, then of the turbolaser firing. Flicking off the holoprojector, he unfurled his multitool and slowly trundled towards the open panel, seeing if they got the message.

GM

The techies stare at the projected schematic, then at each other, nonplussed. Meanwhile, their hands work skillfully at preparing the pipe even without them looking.

"Does that look like tactical starfighter stuff to you?" Says bearded.

"No, I gotta say that looks like repair turbolaser stuff." Says thin.

"You think he's gonna repair it for us?"

"I think he might."

"This is the best droid ever!"

"We should keep him."

"Oh no doubt, no doubt."

"Do we have a restraining bolt?"

"Um, we like used the last one to make the pipe."

They both look at the small cup on their pipe that holds the kush. An inverted restraining bolt.

"We could break the pipe?"

This takes the conversation to a dark and unwelcome place.

"Nooo."

"Absolutely not."

"Bad idea."

"The worst. Forget I said it."

By this time, 2BB-2 has surveyed the techies' work and isolated the fault.

They've done a remarkably good job of putting it back together. But to these scavengers, repairing broken machinery is like putting a puzzle toy back together. They look at each piece, compare it to the other pieces, and see what fits with what.

The problem with a job like this is without the big picture, they don't know when a crucial piece is missing.

2BB-2 determines that the turret is assembled correctly and has power to the primary systems. However, the cooling sleeves for the Galven coils need their own power supply, despite the Galven coils running off primary.

If the scavengers had the original wiring harness, they would might have seen the extra coupling and figured out it needed connecting. But the cables running across the floor are all botched together.

Since the wreck only has sufficient power for two or three shots of the turbolaser anyway, it's never going to overheat so the BB-unit just over-rides the interrupt in the chipware.

Suddenly the meters light up and arrays of status lights starting flashing, accompanied by the sound of traverse motors.

The two techies stagger backwards, spilling the water pipe.

"Wow!" Says the bearded one, adjusting his correctives for a closer look.

"What did he do!?" Wonders the thin one.

"He fixed it."

"I can see that. How?"

"Who cares. It's fixed, right. You got any more turbolaser repair jobs lined up?"

"I guess not."

"Now we definitely need a smoke to celebrate."

"Roger roger! Hey, sorry little buddy, this isn't for droids."

The two two techies look apologetically at 2BB-2 whilst rearranging their pipe.

2BB-2

Given the remains of the restraining bolt as an integral part of the organic lifeform intoxication device, not getting anywhere near it was entirely fine for the spherical droid. Leave the organics to their... happiness? Desensitisation? Whatever their purpose or intent was.

2BB-2 dipped his sensor array to them in acknowledgement, and rolled off to report to the rest of the team.

GM

The BB-unit rolls away at top speed and will undoubtedly run into Jelly Bean first.

But the turbolaster turret is powered up and operational, capable of two, three shots at most. Any attacking skimmers are going to have a very nasty surprise.

Puffs of smoke rise from the two techies and they sit back.

"Good job." Says one to the other.

"Thanks. You too."

[Go to CFH4: The Secure Vault]