Core Four Fun | Location : Earth | TMC |

|07| Lightsabers vs droids

Stomach satisfied, Alex leaned back in her padded seat, sipping on her lemonade with a content sigh. Jordan was still munching through his meal but Dix and Bear had already finished and were bickering lightly over their next destination in Galaxy's Edge. Grimacing at the sour lasting taste on her tongue, Alex leant over the phone screen to see what all the arguing was about.

"Lightsabers."

"Droids!"

"But lightsabers!"

"But droids!"

"All right, all right calm down." Alex interrupted the argument, cleaving the tension in half. "Heads to make lightsabers, tails for droids."

Satisfied, Bear and Dix leant back as Alex pulled out her phone to place it on the table for everyone to see.

"Hey Siri, flip a coin."

The phone hummed and paused, before responding: "It's tails."

"Yes!" shrieked Dix, gaining the attention of other diners. The princess shrunk into her seat with a laugh that infected the others instantly. Jordan paused from vigorous chewing to laugh along.

"You guys are such nerds." he commented indifferently.

Bear and Alex scoffed, when Dix grinned, "Says the one who wanted me to dress up as Darth Vader so we could, and I quote 'have an epic fight on top of Gen-Sec'."

"I just look like Luke!" he protested, squawking indignance. Unfazed from the teasing, he asked "Uh, what are we doing again?"

"We are visiting Droid Depot to make our droids cause we don't have time to finish everything here tonight." Bear explained patiently, Jordan nodding along. "Also, Siri is biased to royalty."

Dix snorted and got up to pay the bill. "Siri just knows."

Alex took the opportunity to give Jordan some further insight into their plans as he'd been eating for the greater part of that evening. She dropped the oddly shaped plantain she'd been using to lightsaber battle with Jordan's fry to read aloud.

"Visit a workshop stocked with parts, chips, manuals and other tech items useful for constructing your very own droid, one of the galaxy's most indispensable sidekicks. First, register your choice of the BB-series unit or R-series unit with the clerk, who'll provide a basket and blueprint for parts. Next, proceed to the following stations and begin your droid-building experience."

Alex whistled the tune of Darth Vader's epic entrance when she saw the photos. "There's two different astromech series, the BB line and the R line."

The droids were pricey, but with backing of Alex's money and what her friends had converted, there was plenty for all of them. Dix came back from paying the bill and the Core Four left Ronto Roasters with full stomachs ready to build their own droid companions.

They descended some steps and rounded a topiary to reach Droid Depot, which in turn was crammed full of noises, from beeps to squeals and the gradual shushing of staff members as the next slot loitered outside with bountiful, food endorsed energy. Out of another entrance came the flow of previous droid makers chattering in excitement, holding carrier boxes that occasionally beeped.

Alex was standing at the front of the line on her tippy toes so she could make out ten stations ready for building. Staff were sweeping around the area and preparing for the next ten customers when Alex took a quick glance back. There were nearly twenty people in line, so it was lucky that she and her friends were at the front.

"Come in, come in!" grinned a male worker who vaguely reminded her of Zain - except a Zain that smiled a lot more, and who wore a scruffy blue neck cloth over a black top. The rest of the workers were dressed similarly, black on black with a uniquely coloured neck cloths and a utility belt strapped around their waist.