SHFT-9 "Shaft"
Picture of SHFT-9 by Rob
Wakefield <crosfire@netcom.ca>
Type: Cargo Droid
Model: Sion Hwuidian Engineerings' Functional
Taskmaster
Age: 143 years Height: 2 meters
Weight 110 kg
Description: Tall, black, bulky, with no finesse or grace whatsoever.
Intelligent-sounding voice. Metal plating battered and scored.
Glowing yellow eyes.
DEX 2D
Blaster 5D+2, Brawling parry 4D, Dodge 5D, Running 5D+1
KNO 1D+2
Alien species 4D, Planetary systems 3D+2, Languages 2D,
Steetwise 4D+1
MECH 3D
Repulsorlift ops 4D, Sensors 4D+1
PER 2D
Search: sensor tracking 4D
STR 5D
Lifting 7D, Stamina 5D+2
TECH 3D+1
Blaster repair 4D, Computer programming/repair 5D, Droid
programming/repair 5D
Move: 8
Character Points: 16
Equipped with: personal blaster cannon (5D+1), two arms,
two legs, Glycol power generator (in chest cavity; four
outlets on torso), battered armor plating (+1D to all attacks),
omnidirectional sensors (motion-, heat-, life-detecting)
"Memory wipe? Who needs 'em?"
Capsule: SHFT-9 was one of a limited run of cargo droids designed
expressly to serve on luxury liners. The SHFT series was described
as "a protocol droid trapped in a cargo droid's body". Combining
power with intelligence, the series could be seen moving heavy cargo crates
around in the hold, but if a confused passenger came up to ask directions,
the droid could respond intelligently and politely. Shaft served faithfully
aboard the liner Corona's Fire for nearly fourteen years, until, during
a pirate attack, he was presumed dead.
SHFT-9 was not dead, however.
He had been captured by the pirates and served with them for almost thirty
years, eventually becoming their leader. The pirate group, under
SHFT-9's leadership, preyed on containers running the long Perlemian Trade
Route. Eventually Shaft's group attacked a fleet of Dreadnaught cruisers,
and, in the ensuing carnage, they were slaughtered. All except SHFT-9,
who ejected himself out of the airlock at the last instant and tumbled
away into space. By picking up stray hyperspace signals during his
sojourn in deep space, Shaft learned that the Dreadnaughts were actually
the Republic's fleet, sent to combat the insane clonemasters. In this way,
Shaft was drawn into the epic Clone Wars.
SHFT-9, after drifting through
space for two months, was picked up by a small Corellian freighter.
The droid had nearly expired from lack of power; only his redundant Glycol
unit kept him functioning. Repaying the old captain's kindness, Shaft
gave the man all the credits that were leftover from the pirate group's
storehouse. Then Shaft went on to become a ruthless war droid, hunting
down and eliminating the insane clonemasters as the Clone Wars dragged
on.
Then the Wars were over,
and peace returned to the Republic, and SHFT-9 dropped out of sight for
a while,
working as a protocol droid on a backwater planet called Diptha.
While working on Diptha, Shaft had the opportunity to meet Derrith, a young
man running an up-and-coming smuggling business. A totally independent
droid, Shaft suddenly found himself being claimed by the Empire.
In order to avoid working for them, he decided that he would be "owned"
by Derrith, and the young man agreed to be his "owner".
Over the years Derrith manipulated
Shaft, exerting more and more power over his "favorite droid". Now, Shaft
is nothing more than a protocol droid that has never had a memory wipe.
He is secretly searching for a way to get back at Derrith, but his time
is running out. . .
SHFT-9 was contributed by Patrick Rollens <rollens@YOUR-NET.COM>