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Absolutely 😈🤖🌵 “Rex King K and the Desert Droid Doctor” A Rex King K Story — Arizona Sector The Arizona sun hit different. It wasn’t like Tatooine—Tatooine was dry, harsh, and ancient… like the planet itself was angry. Arizona was dry too, but it had a cleaner heat, like the desert was wearing designer sunglasses and acting civilized. Rex King K stepped off his ship, The Horizon Mantis, as its landing thrusters settled into the sand behind a hidden mesa outside Phoenix. The hull shimmered with heat waves, the Rex Credit symbol ᖬ painted boldly on the side like a warning sign for broke people. Behind him, his personal astromech unit R-K3 rolled down the ramp. BEEP-WHHRRR… CHK-CHK. Rex squinted. “Yeah, yeah… I know you’re glitching. Don’t act dramatic.” R-K3’s dome spun twice and sparked slightly. Rex sighed. “Alright. We’re going to the shop.” ⸻ The Droid Repair Shop They drove into the outskirts of Phoenix where the city faded into desert lots, scrapyards, and strange little industrial buildings that looked like they hadn’t changed since 1996. There it was: DESERT DROID REPAIR & CYBERNETICS “If it sparks, we fix it.” The sign was crooked, but it had a charm. There were old droid parts stacked outside like a junkyard museum—protocol droid limbs, astromech shells, busted repulsor units, even a dusty old battle droid torso sitting in a lawn chair like it was on break. Rex stepped inside. The air smelled like solder, motor oil, and burnt circuits. The place was packed wall-to-wall with half-built machines. Some were humming. Some were sleeping. Some were probably spying. A bell dinged overhead. From behind the counter, an older man appeared. Gray beard, goggles on his head, and a stained work apron that said: “MIGUEL — DROID SURGEON” Miguel looked Rex up and down. “Nice jacket,” he said. “Either you’re a celebrity… or you owe people money.” Rex smiled like he owned the planet. “I don’t owe money,” Rex said. “Money owes me.” Miguel’s eyes narrowed. “…You’re that Rex guy.” Rex tilted his head. “Depends who’s asking.” Miguel laughed and leaned on the counter. “I’ve seen the HoloNet stories. Rex Credits. Astromech leases. Coruscant banking rumors. Some say you’re the richest man alive. Some say you’re a scam.” Rex leaned forward casually. “Scams don’t last this long. Legends do.” ⸻ R-K3’s Breakdown R-K3 rolled forward and let out a miserable sound: BEEEEP… WHOOO… KRRRZZZT. Miguel crouched down and popped open the droid’s side panel like he’d done it a thousand times. Immediately he whistled. “Oh yeah. This thing’s been through war.” Rex nodded. “He’s been through business deals.” Miguel pulled out a glowing circuit board. “This is your problem right here. Cheap Corellian memory chip. Someone tried to patch it with aftermarket code.” Rex blinked. “That’s impossible. This droid only gets the best.” Miguel smirked. “You’d be surprised what happens when you land in Vegas and let a Rodian ‘tech genius’ touch your systems.” Rex’s face went serious. “…I knew it. That Rodian was too confident.” R-K3 beeped defensively. Miguel stood up and wiped his hands. “I can fix him. But I’m not cheap.” Rex pulled a thin metal credit chip from his pocket and flicked it onto the counter. It spun like a coin, landing perfectly flat. Stamped into the chip was the symbol: ᖬ Miguel stared at it. “…That’s a Rex Credit.” Rex nodded. “Fresh minted. Not the fake ones. Real system-backed.” Miguel tapped it with his fingernail. “This is worth what, like… a car?” Rex smirked. “This is worth what I say it’s worth.” Miguel raised an eyebrow. “You’re dangerous.” Rex smiled wider. “That’s why I’m successful.” ⸻ The Hidden Droid in the Back Miguel walked into the back room, motioning Rex to follow. Rex stepped through the curtain and froze. In the back was a fully enclosed repair bay with one droid standing still in the corner. It was tall. Humanoid. Chrome-plated. Eyes black like empty space. Miguel noticed Rex staring. “Don’t worry,” Miguel said. “That’s just a custom unit I’m building for a private client.” Rex walked closer. The droid’s chest plate had faint engravings. Not English. Not Aurebesh. Something older. Rex’s instincts kicked in. He turned to Miguel. “What kind of client?” Miguel hesitated. “…Government.” Rex smiled slowly. “Oh. So you’re building spy machines.” Miguel threw his hands up. “I fix droids. I don’t ask questions.” Rex leaned in. “Questions are what keep you alive, Miguel.” The chrome droid’s head suddenly tilted slightly. Rex stopped. Miguel blinked. “That’s… not supposed to be on.” Rex stepped back, hand slowly drifting toward his belt blaster. The droid’s eyes flickered red for half a second. Then it shut down again. Miguel swallowed. “…Okay. That’s new.” Rex nodded calmly. “That’s not government tech.” Miguel whispered. “…Then what is it?” Rex stared at the droid like he could hear its thoughts. “That’s Outer Rim salvage.” Miguel looked pale now. Rex turned and walked back toward R-K3. “You’re fixing my astromech. And you’re going to forget you ever showed me that thing.” Miguel nodded quickly. “Yes. Absolutely. Forgetting right now.” ⸻ The Repair Miguel worked like a man possessed. He replaced R-K3’s memory core with a reinforced Rex-grade chip, welded new wiring, and installed a small protective firewall unit. Rex watched, impressed. Miguel was skilled. Not a Coruscant engineer… but good enough. Finally, Miguel snapped the panel shut. “Alright,” Miguel said. “Try him now.” Rex looked at R-K3. “Wake up.” R-K3’s lights blinked. BEEP-BEEP! WHIRRRR! The droid rolled forward smoothly, dome spinning with confidence. It projected a small hologram: A floating blue ᖬ symbol. Rex grinned. “That’s my boy.” Miguel wiped his forehead. “He’s clean now. But listen… whoever tampered with him? That wasn’t random.” Rex nodded. “I know.” Miguel leaned in. “Someone is trying to get into your network.” Rex smirked. “Let them try.” Miguel frowned. “That’s not funny.” Rex tapped the counter twice. “It is when you own the lock… and the key… and the whole bank.” ⸻ The Rex Exit Rex dropped another chip onto the counter. Miguel looked down. “That’s… too much.” Rex adjusted his jacket. “I don’t do small payments.” Miguel stared at him. “Why?” Rex walked toward the door with R-K3 rolling beside him. Without turning around, Rex said: “Because I don’t just buy repairs, Miguel…” He paused. “I buy loyalty.” Miguel watched him leave. Outside, the Arizona sun burned bright over the desert highway. Rex stepped onto his ship ramp. R-K3 beeped proudly. BEEP-BEEP. Rex looked down at the droid. “Alright. Now we go handle the Rodian.” The ship engines ignited. The Horizon Mantis rose into the sky, leaving a swirl of dust and heat behind. Miguel stood in the doorway, still holding the Rex Credit chip like it was radioactive. He whispered to himself: “…That man is either the future…” He glanced back at the chrome droid in the corner. “…or the reason the future is about to get very ugly.” ⸻ END