[P17 - Farstine - FZ] A Brotherly Outing

On the planet Farstine...

Carm and his brother Gire had been picking their way through the web of underground passages. The rusted corridors, collapsed bulkheads, and forgotten access tunnels seemed to run on forever. They'd found the abandoned Industrial Automation facility, just as the intel promised, but had found no sign of the fabled datapad.

Every room told the same story: dead assembly lines, gutted control panels, and piles of decommissioned droids stripped for parts years ago.

"I've got a good feeling about this one," Gire said. His voice came out low and distorted through his helmet's synthesizer. Carm wondered if that intimidation technique had served him well back when he worked for the Hutts.

Carm swept his handlight across the room, looking for any sign of their prize. The beam caught jagged silhouettes- broken chassis, hanging cables, skeletal remains of machinery. A weak, warm glow spilled in from the corridor behind them, but the rest of the space felt like an endless blackness.

Industrial Automation had been hit hard during the Imperial years. Outer and Mid Rim facilities like this one were abandoned, written off, left to rot and be forgotten.

Gire turned toward him. "So... this Anja. You two seem close."

Carm hesitated. Even now talking to his brother felt strange, picking up a relationship that had been forgotten for years.

"We've been through a lot," he said finally. "We haven't had much time, but enough to know. I care about her."

"I'm glad." Carm could hear the smile under the helmet. "The Galaxy's dark enough as it is. Good to have something worth holding onto." A beat. "And it’s really good being back alongside my little brother."

Carm nodded, continuing his search. "What about you? Anyone special?" A mechanical chuckle echoed off the rusted walls.

"Not many lookers in Hutt space," Gire said. "Gamorreans, mercs, the usual crowd. But hey, now that we’re part of a galaxy-spanning crime syndicate? Maybe my luck is about to change!"

Carm smirked, then stopped. A human skeleton sat slumped in a chair, dressed in a muted factory uniform. The silence pressed in tighter. "What happened here...?" he muttered.

Gire called from across the room. "Weren't they researching issues with their LOM-series droids? Imagine being stuck in a box with a protocol droid that long. I'd die of boredom too."

Carm shook his head, letting out a quiet breath, and then his light caught something.

A datapad lay there on the table before him.

"Is that it?" Gire called out to him.

"I think so." Carm stepped closer, pulse quickening. A whole line of LOM droids under his control. With that kind of force, Drego and his pirates wouldn’t stand a chance.

"So remind me why we need these things," Gire said. "My mercs would be more than happy to lead the charge on Cinder Station."

There was something under his tone. He sounded a little hurt.

Carm didn't look back. "Because I trust you. All of you. And when I take that station, I need people- not just machines."

The moment shattered.

A violent screech of metal tore through the room as pipes behind Carm burst loose, whipping wildly.

"Carm, look out!" He turned just a beat too late.

One of the "dead" LOM droids surged to life, lunging at him. Its servos screamed as it crashed into him, durasteel hands snapping forward with terrifying precision.

A blaster crack split the air, and Gire dropped a second droid before it could leap at him. It hit the floor with a heavy, final clang.

"Get... this thing off... me!" Carm yelled, struggling as the droid forced him backwards.

"I don't have a clear shot!" Gire snapped, trying to focus his shot and not hit Carm.

The droid operated with a primal, efficient, brutal purpose. Even as he fought for his life, Carm felt a flicker of admiration. If he could control them...

The droid slammed him to the ground, rearing back for the killing strike. Carm fired a point blank shot, the bolt punching through its chassis. The droid jerked, spasmed, and then collapsed in a heap of sparking metal. A stillness filled the room.

Carm lay there for a moment, breathing hard, then pushed himself up. Smoke curled from the ruined machines.

"Well," Gire said after a beat, his voice unsteady despite the modulator, "let's hope those pirates are worse shots than we are."

Carm stared at the wreckage, heart still hammering. "If we can produce enough of these, it won’t matter how good they are."

"Assuming you can build them," Gire said. "Do you have droidsmiths? Slicers?"

Carm shrugged. "Not yet. But I know where to find them. Pirates don’t bother coming down to Farstine's surface. They figure the population is scared enough of them up in orbit to be kept in line." He picked up the datapad.

"We'll have all the time we need to prepare."

Gire studied him for a moment. "One more thing. Why did you just bring me on this little adventure?"

Carm glanced back, a faint grin breaking through the grime and tension. " I just figured it could be a good old-fashioned brotherly outing." Gire let out a hearty laugh at that.

Then he turned, and together they made their way out of the dead factory, leaving the silence behind them.

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This was a fun build for me- I wanted to work in some horror/adventure influences. Hoping everyone can just ignore the sudden change in lighting from the photos- just assume the lights went on in the factory hah.

As always, please share any and all comments and critiques!