Enter The Maekrix

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Aye, I had to use that" Josh would respond when [member="Scherezade deWinter"] would note that one could make their hair grow faster with the Force. "I cut my hair awhile back for an undercover mission. Cut it short even. Freaked everyone the keth out" He cracked, starting to laugh at the memory of the whole thing. "I was intending to just let it grow back naturally, but people weren't taking to the idea too well. Also kept mistaking me for this Aryn Teth or something someone somewhat."

The girls would reveal would atmo diving was, and the Jedi Master would quirk a hard brow as he stared at the two. Seriously? That sounded far too unnecessarily dangerous for what it was worth. He let out a sigh and shook his head. "Well, I certainly hope it's worth the injury" He pointed out, sinking a bit lower into the water which kept him from speaking further. He would close his eyes for a little while and let them talk, just listening in for a bit. Ra would actually speak. He smirked at her from below the water. Well, that meant he wouldn't exact his plans... For now.

She did point out in a way she was basically immortal though. Interesting. Not something he knew. It bothered him a bit the realization one day he and Jason may pass and leave her behind... But that was thoughts for another time.

Asaraa would ask about holograms and a butler, and he would rise a bit to chuckle lightly.

"The holos, I think I can do" He spoke. "As for butlers... What, and make you two even more spoiled than you already are?" He teased toward [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] and Madalena as he stuck his tongue at them both.

"HK wouldn't appreciate that. He's more or less a free droid, to a degree" He would admit, remembering his conversation with [member="Riamah"] before. "I can't really force him to do anything. He's in my service because he wants to be. I do have a droid on board who likes to serve drinks though. They do it of their own volition, when they feel like it. Usually when they're bored. A lot of their duties were passed down when I got the holo tech for the Maekrix, and they're not all that happy about being finished duties far more quickly."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Who?" Madalen asked as Josh mentioned Aryn Teth. The name did not sound familiar to her; she was pretty sure she'd never come across or seen a man by that name. Not that she knew, anyway. From her corner in the hot tub, she took a look at Josh. A good look. But nope, no one she remembered seeing looked anything like him.

"And yes, it was worth the injury," she beamed, "we were dealing with rabid droids that almost collapsed the entire production of the Confederacy. They turned around and started killing every organic, regardless of rank or belonging. I did the atmo-dip to get the anti-virus planet-side because it wasn't enough to run it from the SSD."

Which reminded her. She had to check if there was a nice bonus waiting for her in her account when she got back to Geonosis.

"Maybe put HK in a mankini instead of a butler outfit," she grinned wickedly to the rest.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] [member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

The name Josh said didn't mean Ra was unaware of the person. One she had never met personally though. Her position as intelligence at one time and now leader of her movement required her to remain informed of people. So she knew who Aryn Teth was by name and position only. Smaller governments were harder to follow, but he had been a part of the Galactic Alliance and the Hand had assisted them when the Sith attacked. He was just another person whose life they had helped destroy.

Their conversation moved past though and started treading into waters that could become turbulent. Ra was aware of what the Confederacy thought and felt about droids in general. At one point in her life, she had needed to make sure some of her droid friends made it to them safely. Almost all contact had been lost to them since that day and she wondered what had happened to them.

When Madalena went to explain why she had needed to perform the atmo-dive, she almost sneered a little. Having worked with droids now for several years and gotten over her own fear of them, to hear they had turned on their creators was something she liked the thought of. Josh had already pointed out the droids he used were free droids and stayed by their own choice. She had even researched this a little by interacting with them.

However, Madalena poked her in just the wrong way with something she said about his HK unit. The wicked grin did not help her cause at all.

"That is a problem with you Confederacy people, Madalena. You see droids as nothing more than tools or toys to be played with. Yet without them, your government would fail. Their freedom is promised within your sphere of influence, yet you continue to enslave them. Your government was built on the backs of these droids, yet you fail to see everything. They are so much more than tools and toys. Some I even consider friends."

Her tone was totally calm and collected, but there was an undertone of some irritation. Not directed at Madalena personally, but in her direction since she worked so closely with the Confederacy. The body language Ra showed was tense though and until this conversation came to a conclusion, it would remain that way. To the point that Ra was even showing a bit of fang to the other woman.

"Perhaps someday you can join my friends and me on a mission."

The offer was on the table and if one came up, she would certainly let Josh know and the invitation was extended to Madalena as well.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Asaraa Vaashe]

As [member="Riamah"] had been talking Asaraa had let herself drop down in the tub until her face and body were almost submerged under the water. just a pair of blue eyes and a small patch of pink hair visible as she blew bubbles under the water. However, as the older woman finished talking Asaraa pushed herself up, droplets of water tracking down her skin as her sodden hair stuck to the back of her head. "That's not entirely fair though Riamah. You're taking the droids you know and extrapolating their sentiments and capability to the rest of the galaxy." One hand came up, gesturing at the walls of the room around them, "I bet you anything that most of this ship was primarily built by droids, but not all droids have the level of sentience you're talking about. Some are little more than automatons, machines. Yeah, HK is more self-aware than most, and there are droids like him around, but they're the exception not the rule. Most droids are just focused on the job in front of them, they're incapable of developing friendships, not really. Some are, I don't deny that but the mechanic droids that keep my ship running have never so much as shown the smallest sign of the intelligence or friendship you're talking about." She offered the older red-haired woman a smile, "And trust me, on the long space flights I've tried talking to them." Asaraa suddenly glanced around at the others, her face flushing a slight shade of pink as she let herself slip slightly further down into the water, "I just mean, you can't say all droids are more than tools, and not all members of a government might use them as such." She could see droid rights was something Ra felt strongly about, but even in her travels she'd seen droids that crossed all levels of the spectrum, and to be honest, some organics who were the same, it was something she'd learned though, to never paint people with broad strokes, because you never knew about the real perrson, a lesson a certain Jedi Master had taught her.

[member="Riamah"] | [member="Scherezade deWinter"] | [member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh didn't expect them to get the Aryn Teth reference, seeing as the man was from the Galactic Alliance priorly. Though he was more surprised that Madalena didn't, seeing as the man he had named was the partner of one of Maddy's superiors in the CIS. But he rolled his eyes both at the atmo diving thing, and at the idea of putting HK in a mankini seeing as his point still stood. It was still forcing a droid with their own free will to do something they clearly would not want to do considering their personality. Droid or not, free will was free will. But while he knew Ra would likely speak out about it, as he knew her well, the amount of feistiness was not something he had come to expect. He had known Ra could be feisty, but this feisty? Darn. He opened his eyes then as he listened carefully, as she laid into poor naive Madalena about droid equality and stuff. Josh reached over and took Ra's hand under the cover of the bubbles that he'd remembered to turn on in the hot tub maybe about a minute before. Just to encourage calm in case she decided to escalate things.

"That mission sounds interesting" Josh spoke up but let them go on, as Asaraa would try and stick up for Madalena. After her theory, he spoke up again.

"I think it's a matter of respect" Josh would admit. "I understand where you're coming from, Asaraa. Even some of my droids haven't shown complete sentience like HK, R4 and others. But... Regardless of their level of sentience, they work just as hard as we do, and whether due to programming or because they want to, work with us on the same goal. I think Ra just wants to know they're being treated as more than just tools, or slaves. You could look at them like animals in a way, for the lesser sentient ones. You'd treat a pet or working animal with respect, even with only semi-sentence, correct?" He inquired calmly. "You also have to remember that the longer a droid's memory runs, the more likely they are to form something relating to sentience and form a personality. Which is why they tend to be memory wiped, as those of certain disposition feel that it could lead to them thinking for themselves with said personality and potentially deciding to do what they want to do instead of what their "master" wants them to do. You never know if a droid could develop increased levels of something akin to sentience over time.

Which is part of why I treat all my droids with respect. Even if they can't reciprocate said respect, there's always a chance they will. HK and R4 remember how I treated them before their personalities developed."

He would twirl a finger around a bit as a sign.

"Remember that bit, Asaraa. They always remember."

[member="Asaraa Vaashe"] - [member="Riamah"] - [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Excuse you?" came from Madalena as Ra went on about her That is a problem with you Confederacy people verbal dhairrea. Sure, Ra's tone remained calm and friendly, but Madalena saw it exactly for what it was, and she did not appreciate it. The words that came from Asaraa and Josh did nothing to take the edge off, even if they'd hoped it might.

"Us Confederacy people?" Madalena raised eyebrows, slowly, repeating the microwaved hot chit, "It would serve you well to truly become educated in the laws of my nation before you slander it. We provide a safe haven in the form of Zhar, in which, any droid with the sentience to ask for freedom is granted that right. No questions asked. We have not infringed on the deal that we made with Archim Calixis in the slightest. There's a difference between sharing amusement in a hot tub versus delving into a debate on slavery."

The glow of Madalena's eyes was focused entirely on Ra. In that second, Josh and Asaara did not exist. If someone had a problem with a little joke, it was their problem. If the same joke had been said about Josh, she was quite certain Ra would not have lost her marbles over it. And above all, even if Ra's words had been right (but they were factually wrong from the very core), there was a way to bring something up or point something out.

"Now, if you're done being a complete party ruining Schutta about matters you can't even begin to understand, I strongly suggest you bring the tip of your nose down from the sky where you put it, or I'm going to have to shovel bantha poodoo into your nostrils."

And with that, Madalena flashed Ra a big and charming smile.

"You can apologize now."



[member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Asaraa Vaashe"] [member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

What Asaraa said was true. Maybe Ra wasn't being entirely fair and it was something she needed to think on. However, she wanted to point something out to the young woman.

"Only drones do not have the potential to become Free Droids. You're right, most droids are just focused on their job. There are a few that gain the sentience needed to break free and become considered Free Droids. Perhaps you just haven't given your person droids enough time to develop or they are drones."

Even if she was slightly upset still, a small smile was given to Asaraa and she nodded at the correction given to her. Gripping Josh's hand probably helped keep her in check and kept her from strangling Madalena. That small friendly smile she had given Asaraa turned into some for more feral looking when she looked at the other woman.

"Who do you think got Archim to the Confederacy?! Do you think I don't understand, little girl? I have a far greater understanding than you ever will."

Her eyes looked away for just a moment and snapped back to Madalena. At the moment she was looking away a change came over her. While still not entirely calm, she had far greater control over herself. Not yet at all ready to say sorry or that she was mistaken, she chose her next few words carefully.

"I think you and I have different thoughts on certain matters. We can either put them aside for the moment or you can start digging because I'm not coming down."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Getting him to the Confederacy does not give you supreme understanding or knowledge," Madalena pointed out, "you were factually wrong, you were rude, and you continue to be rude. If you think getting farted out of your mother's womb before I was born gives you any sort of upper hand on either of those things, you're severely wrong."

Madalena shifted in the water, still appearing to sit comfortably. If Ra wanted to have a fight, she was going to get a fight. Although Madalena was a Sith (despite what Josh thought), she was well trained, and regularly adhered to the Confederate laws, one of them being to never deliver the first hit. But she was more than willing to play the patient one. So far Ra was placing herself in a situation that would end with her eating her shoe. Madalena hoped the shoe would step on bantha poodoo first.

"And since you did not get the memo the first time I said it," she continued, "bring the tip of your nose down, and apologize."

[member="Riamah"] [member="Josh Dragonsflame"] [member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh had remained calm and pensieve in all of this, but he'd just about had enough of the two ladies fighting. He'd hoped Asaraa would interject, but as the pink-haired Jedi did not appear interested in doing so, Josh decided it was time to do so himself. With his arms under the water, he reached over slightly beside him and pinched Ra's rump under the water, hoping to knock her off guard with a playful, subtle gesture that the others wouldn't see before gingerly rising out of the water a bit, while still remaining seated.

"That's enough" Josh spoke calmly, yet firmly. "You two can do some research on the fate of the mentioned droids later. You two are arguing based on pure guesswork, and it's getting annoying. You're two incredibly intelligent ladies, you're both mature enough, I'd hope, to work together and figure this out yourselves without insulting each other or making demands."

Rising a bit more to grab his datapad from nearby, he would page BL-86.

"BL, are you busy?" Josh would speak when the microphone came on, and a feminine protocol droid-like voice would sound in response. "No, Master. Actually, I have been going nearly mad looking for something to-"

Josh let out a sigh. He'd been hearing these complaints often since he'd upgraded his training equipment and BL hadn't been battered around as much in sparring as a result. He needed to find the droid another permanent role. Their workaholic streak was appreciated, yet also a problem.

"Do you mind bringing a few drinks? Something strong, I suppose. If you're alright with that, I me-"

"Of course, Master!" The droid sounded almost over-excitedly over the comm. "Please don't spill them" Josh commented dryly before turning off the comms. Letting out a breath he would sink back into the hot tub.

"That's the droid I was talking about. They used to help me with sparring and could simulate combat records I put into it's databanks, but when I gained access to the holographic sparring technology, I've been using that instead so as not to damage BL too much, and since it's more practical. They also work as a protocol droid, though when the situation doesn't merit it, they get like... This" He explained to the group. "Sometimes I assign them small tasks, just to try and keep them happy. At the moment it's mostly being a second pair of eyes on diagnostics in case R4 doesn't catch something, or if they're busy. They're also programmed to protect the ship, since HK has been moved to guarding myself and Jason, but that's a situational task also."

The main issue appeared to be that their main purpose had been replaced, and their alternate roles were all situational. For the other droids, this wasn't an issue, but for this one...

[member="Scherezade deWinter"] - [member="Riamah"] - [member="Asaraa Vaashe"]

 

[Riamah]

"How was I rude?"

In her opinion, she was not rude at all and the words picked by Madalena were more so than hers had been. There was not anything that was going to change her thoughts and opinions of the Confederacy. It was as simple as that. Ra did not like or approve of them as a whole. She had enemies involved with them and she left them alone. As the conversation continued, she realized and didn't care about it, but she had no friends within the Confederacy either. Madalena was a friend to Josh, not her. While she could run missions with her, she would never be friends with the other woman.

"I am not the one with my nose in the ai..."

And that was when Josh stepped in to stop this spat before it got any further, her mind was made up about Madalena though. It would now take a VERY long time for Ra to trust, like or work with her willingly or easily.

"I don't think there's much..."

Cutting herself off to prevent anything else from happening or being said, Ra just crossed her arms over her chest and rested back against the wall of the hot tub. Josh requested some drinks to be brought for them and she listened to what he had to say about his droid.

When she wasn't so upset, she would attempt to help him solve the issue of keeping his droids occupied and out of mischief.

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"] [member="Scherezade deWinter"] [member="Asaraa Vaashe"]