The clatter of metal against metal, the constant whirring hum that filled the room of this rundown mechanic’s shop never seem to cease. The bigger figure of the two was hunched over a table, rays of sun dodging the leaves of the trees outside to give the room a bit of light through the window. The figure was a male, and looked to be in his late sixties, or perhaps seventies. His face was wrinkled with time, a pair of goggles against his forehead. In front of him, on the table, was laid down a droid, a binary-loadlifter.The man was focusing on removing its leg, tools scattered around him.
“This will fit you good- in time. Good to have strong legs, mhm, mhm… you will need to grow into it, will be just fine.”Next to him on a stool, sat another figure. A child, a girl, with messy black hair down to her chin. She peered forward at what the man was working on, she seemed to be perhaps twelve. Holding the stool with both hands, the girl kept swinging her legs back and forth,
though her left seemed to be missing from beneath the knee, instead, wrapped in bandages.
She shifts her head towards the table, revealing more of her face. Right eye, of a clunky old droid, its blue light in contrast to her green organic eye, dimly glowing. An audible few clicks, as the girl blinked up at the man.
“I don’t understand what was wrong with my own leg, Papa.”
There was no resemblance between him and the girl.
The man turned, lifting his grease and oil covered hand to pat the girl’s head.
“You will, some day, Kali. For now, I don’t need you to understand.”
Caraldo Darval. Ex-Czerka mechanic, was the man. Fired for stealing parts. Obsessed with droids, he had never been able to fullfill his dreams of creating his own line of them. His technical skills never lived up to it. Either the machines malfunctioned after a while, or never worked at all. He blamed his colleagues for getting him fired, paranoid, he never accepted that he was never a good mechanic, that humans kept meddling with his business to see him fail. He lived in his delusions, that Czerka was afraid of him becoming famous and rich, and even when he moved to Corellia and opened up his backwater mechanic shop, he kept thinking he was going to get hunted down by Czerka, to stop him from advancing. There was no advancing.
But he was good at repairs.
And he found, within his delusions, that humans need fixing the most.
Kali was the child of a man he used to buy raw ore from. She was born blind in one eye, and after having a few drinks with the man, Caraldo offered to fix the eye. There came his repair-job, and Kali’s first ever enhanced piece at the age of six, her salvaged droid eye. Surgery had went well, and she was able to see. Though the eye was not fit for her, and it would flicker, malfunction, and need constant repairs. Kali’s true father was arrested for smuggling during the same year, leaving her alone. Caraldo took the girl to live with him, as his obsessions with repairs grew.
She never could truly remember her father, taking Caraldo as one. With every enhancement, and living alone with this mad-man, she was starting to believe herself that humans are faulty. Her feelings and opinions on the matter were not important for long, when Caraldo managed to install a processor that was able to change her more than any limb could, at the age ot twelve. She listened to Caraldo, protected him when he asked, killed for him when he asked, cleaned the shop when he asked. Her emotions were taken out of the equation for the most part. She was a droid in need of fixing to Caraldo, and she also accepted this as the truth, calling this man that was meant to be a father to her, her ‘contractor’. The processor ensured she would. Her employer. Her memories of early childhood deteriorated fast. Doing as she was told, she didn’t question her existence, or Caraldo at all.
Caraldo was an old man. He was a hypocrite, too. He had never tried to enhance or fix himself, despite his age bringing many issues with it. He’d die soon, that he knew. He needed to expand his business before that occured, succeed. He wanted new projects, he needed credits, to get his hand on new materials, new parts. Within his contacts of smugglers, illegal droid markets, hired guns, there was one Chiss that was interested in hiring Kali, that he knew as an acquaintance. The Chiss was a man that brought many questions with him than answers, he was always exceptionally curious about Caraldo’s work with flesh and metal, but he also had funds.
Kali was his prized project, though the Chiss’ offer began to look more and more acceptable with each passing day. All the things he could do with the credits he’d get. He could make another Kali, another KL-84, but better with that amount of money.
So he accepted. Kali, was given last orders to meet her new employer on Viscara, and was sent off. The cyborg, never questioned why. It was business. One contractor, to the other. She’d protect and kill for the Chiss, as she did for Caraldo. Continue her efficiency. Humans were faulty, inefficient, and she was forbidden from becoming one again. Upgraded.
Human - Enhanced - Corellian