Chapter 3

2 years later 33BBy

Renn stood in the hanger bay, he was now seven years old and thanks to his training over the past two years he was taller and stronger than most children his age.

He had learned to shoot with both a pistol and a rifle and was deadly accurate with both, although he still couldn't beat Alpha. He'd also learned how to fight both unarmed and with a knife and he had also started learning how to wield a sword.

Like all members of House Dredd Renn was force sensitive and his lessons with sapphire had improved his control over the force greatly. While still in the early stages of learning about the force Renn could now lift objects up to 5kg with his mind and he could use the force to slightly strengthen his body. But the ability that he was most pleased with was one that allowed him to enter a meditative state that would help the force heal his body, this proved to be a great help in healing his battered body after difficult training sessions.

Sapphire had also started teaching him about leadership, piloting, navigation, first aid and engineering. As well as teaching him other things that might help him in life such as economics, art, politics, and management.

Renn had also spent lots of his free time with the repair droids and had started learning about maintenance and repair work from them.

But after spending his entire life in the asteroid base he was itching to explore the galaxy and experience new things and now that he was seven Sapphire and Alpha had finally agreed to it.

Which had led to him standing in the asteroid base's hanger at the bottom of the boarding ramp of a Defender class light corvette.

The corvette was painted dark grey as a base and had dark blue as a secondary colour. The ships armour and shields had been upgraded and several addition blaster turrets, that could be retracted back into the ships hull, had been installed both on the top and bottom of the ship. A cloaking drive had also been fitted into the ships systems.

Renn admired the corvette his eyes lingering on the white words emblazoned near the cockpit 'Speedy Vagabond', before he turned to look at the rest of the occupants of the hanger bay with a smile.

-

Not all the droids were able to come with Renn as some needed to stay behind to look after the base, so the hanger bay was filled with the droid equivalent of excitement and tearful goodbyes.

Bolt would be coming but Tinker would be staying behind to look after the base and Drillbit and the three droids were currently in a circle beeping their goodbyes to each other.

Sapphire had already transferred her system over to the Speed Vagabond, but she had left a fragment of herself behind to watch over the base. Both of their avatars were now floating nearby, the fragment looked identical to Sapphire except she was about half her height and a slightly different shade of blue.

Alpha was with the remaining droids and was in the middle of either arguing with, or explaining to, another droid about why he wasn't coming Renn wasn't sure.

While Alpha agreed with the decision to let Renn explore the galaxy he wasn't going to take chances with Renns safety, so he was coming along as well as bringing the four HK-50 series assassin droids that were part of the droid community living in the asteroid, but he wasn't able to justify bringing Clank the modified AR-34 enforcer droid along with them.

Which was why Alpha was in the middle of telling Clank for the hundredth time why he couldn't come.

"It has been years since I felt the scorch of return blaster fire or the screams of my enemies, you have to bring me, my circuits yearn for battle." Clank pleaded in his rumbling voice.

Alpha felt like facepalming when Spark one of the HK-50s cut in, "you're just too big buddy, how you gonna fit down a narrow passage."

"This is true, though unfortunate, your size may prove to be a detriment in certain situations," another of the HK-50s Earl added trying to be helpful.

"Its one of the many aspects that make the galaxy unfair" Crow another Hk-50 offered unhelpfully.

The final Hk-50 Scythe just watched with his arms crossed not offering anything to the conversation but listening intently.

"All of you shut it," Alpha snapped before turning to clank "look Clank we need you to stay here and protect the base, what will happen if someone were to break in."

Clank thought for a moment then accepted this as a reasonable point as long as he got to kill any intruders, to which Alpha sighed before reluctantly agreeing just so they could finally leave.

"Poor guy, maybe we should bring him back a present, like some spinal cords for him to turn into trophies," Spark happily suggested with a laugh.

"NO! and another word from you Spark and you'll be making the journey magnetically clamped to the outside of the ships hull" Alpha shot back, before stomping off towards the boarding ramp where Renn was.

-

After everything was ready and Renn had said his own tearful goodbyes to Tinker, Drillbit and Clank they all boarded the Speedy and the ship launched into the stars to begin its journey.