Freewill

[Riamah]

In the time Ra'a'mah had been involved with the Metal Lords, she had learned several things. One was most droids did not stay in one place for long before moving on. It seemed to be part of their culture.

An invitation to witness the appointing of a Spark Lord, something that happened annually had been given to her. In that ceremony, she had noticed a few members she had never had the change to interact with.

As a short amount of time had passed since that day, she had extended an invitation to meet with one of those droids. In the past, this was not something Ra would have ever done, but time changed many things. Her view on droids was one of the many that had happened with her.

What she was unsure of was what his thoughts on organics were. She hoped AD-8 was not one of the droids that felt superior to organics or humans. That was not something Ra had ever felt, that she was superior to droids. Only that at one time she viewed them as tools to be used. Now the free droids she had worked with in the Metal Lords had proven to her beyond a shadow of a doubt they different than your typical droid. There were the ones she reached out to and AD was one of them.

Waiting now in her home on Vjun, she had invited him to join her.

[member="AD-8"]

 

[AD-8]

AD-8s ship exited hyperspace and started to head towards the planet of Vjun. He was not travelling in one of his usual big freedom classes but rather in a small inconspicuous ship. AD-8 head seen Ra at the recent meeting but didn't know much about her. He knew she headed the merchant fleet and was brought in by HK-36 before he disappeared. She seemed relatively nice but whether AD-8 could trust her was a different matter. AD-8 wondered why she had called him here as his ship started to descend into the atmosphere.

[member='Ra'a'mah']

 

[Riamah]

When the ship of AD-8 landed and he had exited it, an old organic man would greet him at the door. He would introduce himself as Vincent and entirely out of habit would offer food or drink to the droid. The thought never crossed his mind to not offer general plesantries to the guests of Ra.

"Please follow me."

AD-8 was treated​ no differently than what an organic would by Vincent. Provided AD followed him as he requested, he would be lead to the library which was clearly the favorite room of Ra.

When they entered, Ra was waiting and stood as they walked in. If he was able to sit, she would motion to the chair that was near to her. The placement of those chairs indicated she didn't feel either one was superior to the other. At one time, she would have thought differently, but her interaction with the Metal Lords and other free droids had changed her. What might be just a fraction of time to a droid, was a few years for her. Her thoughts and opinions on droids had changed and that is what mattered.

"Welcome to Bast Castle. We've not formally met before and I wanted to change that. I am Ra'a'mah Numare, but please just call me Ra."

[member="AD-8"]

 

[AD-8]

AD-8 disembarked his ship and looked at the castle that Ra called home. The imposing sith architecture made you feel small compared to the grandness of the building. He slowly walked towards the old human that was sent for him. He said he was called Vincent and offered him organic consumables, AD politely refused but was puzzled as to why he was making such offers to a droid.

AD followed him into the castle and was led into a grand library where he saw Ra. She introduced herself and offered him a seat which he kindly took.

"Greetings Ra, I am the metal lord AD-8," He said while taking the seat. "I hear HK roped you into running the merchant fleet, why did you do it?"

[member='Ra'a'mah']

 

[Riamah]

"It is nice to meet you, AD-8."

She gave him a real smile and not something she would have a business partner. Sentient people could pick up on emotions through the Force, a droid could not, so she would have to be more real with him and display how she felt. At least that is what she thought.
​
"Yes, HK approached me on running the Metal Lords merchant fleet. As to why I did it. Well, I was a small time merchant that provided currying of people or small amounts of goods. Just a single ship. When he offered me the position, it was a great step up in things and allowed me way more ability to conduct business. It brought me into contact with many people and governments."

Vincent returned with a drink for her and she sat back after taking it from him.

"What do you do with the Metal Lords?"

[member="AD-8"]

 

[AD-8]

AD-8 nodded to Ras response to his question and watched as the organic named Vincent delivered Ra a drink.
Ra was right AD was not force sensitive, he didn't have a shard or any force artefacts, as he did not believe in such nonsense. However, he had learnt to pick up on organic facial expressions and body language making him good at recognising emotions, for a droid at least.

"I do pretty much whatever I want, as long as I abide the code and don't cause any major incidents" He replied to Ras question. "I do have my own fleet of droids with numerous star destroyer city ships and a large navy but we haven't been up to much lately, what do you do?" he asked back.

[member='Ra'a'mah']

 

[Riamah]

Listening and nodding at his answer, it made total sense to Ra. She might have been an organic among so many droids, but even she needed to follow that same code. Now she was no longer with the Sith, that first tenet was much easier to follow. Luckily her connection to them had never been discovered by the Metal Lords. If it had, she was sure this conversation today would not be happening.

"The best way to explain what I do is more or less import or export. I'm the go between people, companies and governments."

She was a military person, never had been, but she understood the need for fleets at times. ​

"You are able to keep your ships in good upkeep?"

[member="AD-8"]

 

[AD-8]

"More or less" He replied to Ra " A bit of patching up here and there but generally they are in ok condition"

AD-8s fleet was one of the biggest out of the metal lords but when the hull needed repairing he often just used scrap as it was much cheaper than finding the materials to properly fix it.

AD-8 wondered what it would be like to live like Ra, peddling goods from one side of the galaxy to the other and not really knowing what to do next. He also wondered how Ra had acquired such a grand castle that was associated with the sith, as she was surely not one herself.

"How did you come to make this castle your home?"

[member='Ra'a'mah']

 

[Riamah]

She understood the need for upkeep on a fleet. The ship Ra travelled around in for work were quite large, too large that the Metal Lords themselves could no longer support them. So as time had passed, she had moved to another government and when a sith assault had taken its toll, she joined the Mandalorian Empire. Better them than the Sith.

Taking a drink, she nodded at his answer and listened to his question. It posed a situation for Ra on how to answer it. Telling him the whole truth might reveal some things from her past she had done everything in her power to keep hidden and secret. However, he had come here openly and unaware of why she had called him. Deciding to extend a form of trust to him, she set the glass down and looked at him.

"After I left Coruscant, I joined up with a government that went by the name of the Dominion."

That name, the vow she ​had given and what happened was a black mark on her history.

"With them I started off as a merchant and stayed that way for a while. After a few years, it was learned that as a merchant, people would speak freely around me. Thinking I wasn't paying attention to the various conversations. I learned some high profile secrets and a position with Intelligence was offered to me. In that role with them, this castle and planet was actually given to me. The perfect location to gather information and store. Nobody would think to look on an apparent dead and lifeless world for such a facility."

All her words were true, but she did omit her ability to use the Force. It was because she was a sith lord at the time that the position was offered to her. Additionally her contacts through being a merchant came in handy for gathering information.

@AD-8

 

[AD-8]

AD-8 Listened intently to Ras story of how she had acquired the castle. It made sense to him to keep a location shrouded in secrecy on a lifeless planet but what didn't make sense to him was why Ra had invited him to speak to her, before this he had only seen her at the sparklord vote and had only heard things about her from the other lords, but now she had invited him to speak to her in her castle used for spying. Something greater was going on here and AD was glad he had brought half a dozen drones in the ship with him, ready to rescue him if things took a turn for the worse, but for now, he decided to wait and see what the real reason was for his invitation is.

"Do you still do the spying work now?"
He asked, probing deeper into her intriguing past.

[member='Ra'a'mah']

 

[Riamah]

It may not have made sense to AD as to why she had requested to meet him, but it was difficult for droids to sometimes understand organics. So while he had that question, he didn't give voice to it. He did listen while she explained how she came to live in the castle and asked if she still did the spying work.

"No, not any more. Once I joined the Metal Lords I pretty much put those days behind me. I would rather focus on making a living than spying on others."

Being a merchant also kept her out of most danger and she didn't catch the attention of people. The only times she had ever been in danger was when she was a spy and assassin. That last part she kept even more secret than the intelligence bit.
​
Ra meant him no harm and had not done anything aggressive to him. He might be glad he brought his support, but he wasn't going to need it.

"I assume you're curious as to why I wanted to meet you. I'm going to straight with you. In my years with the Metal Lords, I only really interacted much with HK and WD. It is because of that, I wanted to meet you. And see if we could work together."

[member="AD-8"]

 

[AD-8]

So Ra didn't spy anymore, or at least that's what she said. AD-8 made sure to remember this, it could be a possibility that HK had made a misjudgment in appointing Ra as head of the merchant fleet, who knows what she could have learnt. But AD suppressed these doubts and decided to see where this would take him.

AD also suspected that Ra was not telling him everything; there was more to her story than met the eye.

He listened to her explanation as to why she had invited and wanted to understand what this work was.

"What work do you have in mind"

[member='Ra'a'mah']

 

[Riamah]

If he could read body language, then AD would be able to tell that Ra spoke the truth about her not being a spy anymore. They had no emotions and were unable to read them in organics, so she had to display them openly.

While it was true Ra didn't tell him everything, but even if he did know the whole truth, it wouldn't matter anymore. She was no longer Sith or allied with them in anyway. HK and the Metal Lords had never known they had hired a Sith and she hoped it would remain secret.

He asked what she had in mind and she nodded.

"Since the fall of power within the Core, I have slowly been building a government of my own. Right now we are small, but gaining influence. Thanks to my time as a merchant, I can come and go pretty much anywhere freely. I have established connections in most governments that are around. Now one of my friends needs help."

She went on to explain what was planned and how they would need the use of him and his ships for the endeavor.
​
[member="AD-8"]

 

[AD-8]

AD-8 listened intently to Ras proposal and found it very interesting. A rescue mission to literal hell would certainly tick one off the bucket list but AD was more interested in this government of Ras. It seems like it has been a long time in the making and he wondered why he was bieng brought into the fold, and why now? Was it for his fleet and army or a different reason. It again seemed that he would have to wait until a later date until he would get these answers.

"This rescue mission sounds very interesting, I will happily bring some cruisers to assist your friend"

[member='Ra'a'mah']