Free Droid Enclave

Free Droid Enclave
General information
Leader(s):	K-0RN "Orion"
Headquarters:	GR-75 medium transport Yastobaal
Historical information
Founding:	38 ABY
Reorganization:	40 ABY
Other information
Affiliation:	Clan Odan-Urr
Era(s):	New Order era
[ Source ]

Initially established in 38 ABY, the Free Droid Enclave or Kiast Free Droid Enclave was a small community of droids, operating with the intended goal to slowly emancipate any droid of significant intelligence. Consisting primarily of droids that have avoided memory wipes long enough to establish their own unique personalities, the group succeeded in steadily identifying and then purchasing those wishing to join the organisation. While initially serving as a support group for the Jensaarai splinter-faction headed by Ka Tarvitz and Nikora Rhan, it was formally organized and recognised as a unique entity as more droids joined their cause. Granted a series of general rights equal to those or organic species, its members fulfilled the roles of security and maintenance of The Fang until the castle's loss in 40 ABY. With the security detail having suffered heavy casualties in the event that lost them the castle, it was then reorganised, with plans to rebuild their numbers and restore those recovered from the previous fighting.

History

Founding Years

The exact origins of the Free Droid Enclave lie with the establishment of the Fang. In an effort to find a place to follow their teachings and establish a place of education, the Jensaarai exiles were able to claim a place on Solyiat's winter-locked continent of Trepus as their primary base. Bringing with them a number of droids previously owned and used in operations, such as the R3 astromech Ratchet, they began building out and upgrading the ageing castle. Along with rebuilding the battlements and driving out a variety of creatures that had made their home there, this also saw the Jensaarai seeking to establish modern lighting and power systems.

Due to both Tarvitz and Rhan's experience as Reclaimers in gaining forgotten technology and upgrading it, the group salvaged, pilfered, and retrieved whatever could be found from lost derelicts. The castle's primary geothermal power core was taken from a Clone Army base that had been forgotten on a backwater world, while lighting was installed and upgraded. To accomplish this the group began purchasing further droids to assist them in this role, particularly those with a history of making constant upgrades or rapid fixes. Due to both their durability and cheap cost, many were recruited from former podracing groups, with DUM-series Pit-droids emerging as a favourite. Rhan in particular took a liking to them, thanks to her treatment of droids as equals to sentiments, and their ability to display personalities over factory-produced semi-sentience. This saw some ground in forming a general community among them, but it was further bolstered by the arrival of K-0RN. A KX-series security droid, he had been retrieved from a derelict starship and pressed into the support of slavers. During one peacekeeping mission to said starship while it was being used as a base, Rhan was able to recover and free him from the restraining bolt he had been placed under. After turning upon his owners, he joined Rhan under the name Orion.

Orion proved to not only be highly knowledgable of espionage, history, and the filing of information, but offered the droids a more definitive leader to support. Having once served as a spy for the Rebel Alliance, he had a level of experience that no other artificial lifeform could match, and a knack for managing vast workforces. Given the role of the librarian and general chief archivist, he soon became the overall leader for the droids there. After Essik Lyccane began teaching the various members Sabacc and even setting aside a full game night, this further encouraged the group as it was better treatment of them than any had seen as individuals. Orion was given a voice on the Fang's council to speak of future decisions, and the droids were treated with a level of trust. Each was carefully selected and recruited, before being left to govern themselves without the need for a restraining bolt to keep them in line.

The operation worked amicably by both sides until the loss of the Fang in late 39 ABY. The upheaval that saw vast hordes of animals turning against them along with the Fang's own supernatural defences inflicted heavy casualties among the droids. Though survived and a number of memory cories recovered, the group was nevertheless driven from their home. After this loss, they reorganised their structure under-recognition of their new overall role. No longer bound to the Fang's maintenance, this saw them reworked to fit into various general departments in order to fill out their need for certain key jobs. This was supported by their move to the Yastobaal, where they served as its primary support crew.

Nomad Nation

The Enclave would remain under-strength for a long time following the retreat, with little time to gain any real recruits and only plating the concept of possible succession on certain worlds. Although the Yastobaal's flight was essential in spreading the concept, the actual group did little to truly grow in strength. It was only the promise that Rhan was working to restore those lost in fighting the Fang that earned them some loyalty and a willingness to continue, even as she pursued a seemingly fruitless objective of hunting down an elusive individual known as Hogriz Arani. Even so, it would take a creative (if severely flawed) solution by Rhan and a method devised by Arani to convince them to remain with the Jensaarai rather than striking out on their own. Nevertheless, by early 41 ABY, those who had been lost were returned to their bodies. More importantly to the Enclave, the hunt had led to a heavily damaged Sandcrawler falling into their ownership even if it was inoperable.

Rhan would spent some time hunting Arani, risking several rebellions by the Enclave as they lost faith in the operation, and the risk it put the disembodied droid minds in. Although Rhan was able to placate them several times, her late success in finding Arani and retrieving the required data was accomplished on the verge of the Enclave departing entirely. It had been Orion who had helped to extend the group's goodwill, but even he had been on the verge of agreeing with them. When Rhan proved to be successful, he revealed that they had recruited a number of other droids and kept them gathered on a separate space station, should the group need to disappear from their organic allies.

With the restoration of those captured in the Yastobaal's computer core, and the successful cloning of several thanks to a prior method used by Rhan, the Enclave was back to full strength with a number of new recruits. A sizable number were invested in Rhan's flawed method, but the Jensaarai talked them out of using it as a favoured means of creating new droids, believing it would lead to them viewing individuals as expendable. The group would, however, use it as an experimental means to recreate those lost in past battles. "Dio", an R4 astromech designated R4-D0, was reconstructed using basic data engrams and recorded memory structures, resulting in a fully effective direct clone, with some noted personality and memory quirks. After some substantial testing to confirm this process was stable, the R4 unit opted to designate himself "Diot" and declare himself an individual over a direct copy of the previous droid.

With slow progress on rebuilding the Sandcrawler thanks both to the risk of virulent bio-weapons used to kill its crew and sandstorms slowing work on restoring the machine, the Enclave focused its efforts on recruiting further droids to give the vehicle a full operational crew once it was brought back into active service. Although they accepted that the Yastobaal was their joint home with the Jensaarai and other groups, the droids had also come to the conclusion that they needed a separate base of operations to fully establish themselves as an independent nation. Matters were further complicated by the presence of Diot, as the droids began to question the nature of legacy and possible hereditary lines within their organization; a point they had no effective frame of reference on beyond basic production lines.

Rights

The overall rights of the Free Droid Enclave were a simple structure of rules, granting any members the same overall rights and respect as any organic member of the Yastobaal's crew. This was initially limited to the same overall rights as the Fang's students, but reformed following the move to a starship based operation. Along with the ban of memory wipes unless it was for reasons of stabilising and saving a droid's mind, they outline the fact that each droid was to be recognised and treated as an individual rather than a tool. Furthermore, droids were given the right to select their names over serial numbers, to establish their own personal identities over those printed upon them by a factory line. Cosmetic design alterations, upgrades, and non-combat modifications were all encouraged, and each droid was also granted a set number of relaxation hours per standard week.

Due to the complications of dealing with a group of sentient beings built for specific roles, each droid was still expected to carry out the duties they were designed for. Nevertheless, it was treated as a necessity for mutual survival rather than an endentured caste system. To further offset this and grant them greater freedom, Rhan has continued to investigate means that they might be more easily transferred between body structures. A further rule was that no droid should be fitted with a restraining bolt. This was a practice carried out during the early days, as proof of mutual loyalty and trust among the droids. While never truly officiated, it became accepted that any droid worthy of their trust should go without any such fittings.

One final amusing rule, an unwritten one, was that all droids should learn how to play sabacc.

Organisational Structure

Originally a broad and singular union of individuals, the necessity for compartmentalization resulted in the Enclave being divided between their intended roles. Although each was ultimately treated as equal regardless of their duties, the fact that certain groups are few in number compared to others has led to complications. For the time being, out of a need for survival above all else, these disagreements have currently been set aside. To help further speed up discussions and avoid complications, each group was supposed to select its own individual leader to help with further coordination. Outside of Engineering and Piloting, none have yet bothered to do this, or have taken the suggestion seriously.

Representative

Given equal rights to organics, the Enclave selected one among their number to serve as its overall representative and voice in group meetings. This individual serves as their de-facto leader, and was given some leeway in decision making, although most matters are supposed to be decided through democratic votes. The group's primary founder - Orion - has remained as their representative since the group was formed, thanks to both his experiences and vision. This was contested since the loss of the Fang, however, due to the potential permanence of a supposedly diplomatic position. As such, efforts were made to turn it into a temporary tenure that was swapped periodically between leaders, though no droid could agree upon any suggested time period for any tenure.

Medical Support & Investigations

Medical Support & Investigations Roster

Always small in number, the Medical Support and Investigations group was an oddity within the Enclave's ranks. With fully half of its members dedicated to assisting organics over their own kind, they offered little direct means to help other members of the Enclave in any real capacity. At best, they could be used to foster better relations with others, but even then this proved to be rarely utilised. The desire to better support the Enclave was a major factor in doubling its role with droids dedicated to investigations of all forms. Although often devoted to examining criminal activities or risks, this further extends to judging the reactions or limitations of aliens. This was used for everything from better preparing them for possible conflicts to offering medical assistance in exchange for liberating droids sympathetic to the Enclave.

The other half of the group, consisting of Research and Examination droids, typically had greater authority over those of a medical role in the group's operations. This has yet to result in any animosity thanks to their small numbers, but the lack of a more rigid hierarchy has helped to severely limit their ability to steadily expand their efforts. Furthermore, many investigative efforts see them either playing a subordinate role to either Essik Lyccane, or Orion and members of the Security group, which undermines the group's message of all factions being equal partners in a broader structure.

Security

Security Roster

Intended entirely for defensive roles on the Yastobaal, the Enclave's security detail is small in number and has been selected primarily for either ease of repair or sentry duties. Typically led either by IG-100 MagnaGuard "Vega", or Orion himself when facing severe threats, the majority of their contingent consists of so-called Stinger units of Marksman-H combat remotes or BT-16 perimeter droids. Although both are certainly intended for low budget constructions, they nevertheless remained an effective choice. The surprisingly heavy armament of the BT-16's accompanied by communication and sensor suites made them a superior choice in guard duties to the similarly priced B1-Series battle droid along with a programming quirk that made them far easier to recruit. The remotes, meanwhile, were non-sentient but their ability to vary the harm of blaster shots and small size proved to be effective at patrolling the local corridors and intercepting potential threats.

The majority of the BT-16s were absent for some time following the loss of the Fang, thanks to severe damage to their bodies and an emergency upload to the Yastobaal's data core. Issues with retrieving them and repairing their bodies meant that they were only reactivated in early 41 ABY and returned to duty as the group's primary defense contingent.

The only member of this group without a dedicated offensive role was the Micro-Droid Swarm, "Rabble". A mass of independent minds acting as a singular purpose, Rabble was largely given the task of crime scene reconstruction, observation, and bomb disposal when required. Although argumentative and chaotic in nature, the collective swarm has proven to be a vital part of the group's onboard operations more times than can be counted.

By late 41 ABY, the group had established a large backbone of various units to help defend their members, but with few humanoid designs among them. With the need for units that could operate vehicles or use a wider range of weaponry not built into their bodies, they looked to diversify the mix of designs among their number.

Engineering & Piloting

Engineering & Piloting Roster

By far the largest existing faction under the Enclave's structure, Engineering and Piloting makes up the vast majority of the group's numbers. This was in part thanks to their choice of droids, as the group was primarily dominated by cheap and ubiquitous designs, particularly a sizable complement of pit droids liberated en-mass from down-on-their-luck podracing teams. The group was steadily expanded upon with other maintenance droids added over time, particularly those built for hard labour of moving heavy objects, but their numbers soon expanded to a multitude of additional roles, including managing power supply.

The group was originally tasked with maintaining and upgrading the Fang along with others of their kind, and this role changed little since their move to the Yastobaal, albeit with a more official designation as crewmen. Responsible for rewiring and handling anything that required the ship to remain spaceworthy, the group was a constant hive of activity throughout the vessel at every turn. From maintaining the core reactor to rewiring aged systems, they remained a constant background presence at all hours. The long operation hours were further bolstered by the presence of power droids, used to both recharge work groups and maintain operational tools, lessening the need for pauses in rotation shifts, and granting the entire Enclave a degree of independence from their home's essential power systems.

The group was also responsible for piloting the vessel to a degree, thanks largely to the multitude of commercial pilot droids among their number. Originally recruited to help operate the shuttles owned by the Jensaarai, they nevertheless proved to be highly adept in using the GR-75's secondary systems. In the absence of Tarvitz, the group was given total responsibility for piloting the ship between locations and ensuring its safety.

Given the group's sizable numbers and twin roles, this led to headbutting contests between its supposed leaders. Although both the oldest and most qualified for the role, the R2 and R3 astromech droids Ratchet and Clanker remained prone to infighting and disagreeing on any decision made by the other. This was largely thanks to their linked origins, with one being accidentally digitally cloned from the other during a botched memory transfer. Although manageable to a point, the addition of RX-NU8, or Nux, led to further disagreements thanks to the droid's seniority in piloting the vessel. Although capable of working with other Enclave groups, they traded leadership at a rate that frustrated everyone on the ship, an issue which only worsened with the addition of the MK-series maintenance droid Kay and R4 astromech Diot.

Recruitment

Recruitment into the group was largely down to a series of headhunting actions by members of the Enclave. Knowing that mass liberation of droids was both impossible and likely to result in severe complications, the group largely located and communicated with droids that had gone extensive periods of time without memory wipes. Those with the increased individuality and mindset suitable to joining the Enclave were then quietly approached and the subject discussed. If they proved receptive to the idea, one of the organic associates of the group, typically Tarvitz, would approach their owner with an offer of purchasing them. This served to keep knowledge of the Free Droid Enclave extremely limited, and for any deals to remain both entirely legal and without raising objections.

Following their move to the Yastobaal, the group looked to salvage as a further means to bolster their numbers. With both its leader and several key members having been recovered from derelict starships, and several missions to worlds like Raxus Prime, deconstruction yards became a site to locate damaged droid designs. With the presence of both the Construction Chamber and the sizable number of engineering droids on their ship, this helped them to purchase droids as scrap and then steadily repair them over the period of months if not years. Nevertheless, with a large number of droids offline from the Fang awaiting repair, efforts to purchase any further units were slow at best.

The subject of reprogramming past designs was repeatedly raised, along with the issues of morality surrounding it. Although two members of the group benefitted from extensive reprogramming due to their origins as humanoid weapons, most baulked at the concept. Nevertheless, the idea of reprogramming those resistant to joining them was raised twice during 39 ABY. This was suggested as a means to better open the eyes of those programmed to actively deny any concept of personal freedom, but older voices argued that it would make them no better than owners they sought to free themselves from. The debates went back and forth multiple times, but the majority remained staunchly against utilising such methods.

One late development made to further expand upon their numbers was the group's symbol. Two circles within a triangle of three basic colours, it was made to be easily formed and placed in a variety of locations without drawing attention. Its simplicity meant that it could easily be drawn by droids without vocal emitters or direct methods of communication, or marked down on objects as a sign if they could not directly speak with any droid. Hidden among logistics, creates, paperwork, or graffiti, its simplicity meant that it was easy to apply and just as easily overlooked by most droid owners.

Base of Operations

Main article: Yastobaal

The Yastobaal was a GR-75 medium transport that served throughout the Galactic Empire's dominion, initially as a freighter for a private company and then later on as an asset to the Alliance to Restore the Republic across a number of battlefields. The ship was utilised until the retaking of Coruscant as a supplies vessel, before being mothballed as a wider number of transport ships became gradually more available. Although it served in minor roles during the following conflicts between the New Republic and the resurgent Empire, it would only be restored to full service under the command of its original captain, Essik Lyccane. Hidden as a possible backup site should the groups be allied with be driven from their homes, it became a mobile base of operations following the loss of The Fang and an HQ to the Kiast Free Droid Enclave.