0-0-0

0-0-0, also known simply as Triple-Zero, or just Trip, was a protocol droid that specialized in etiquette, customs, translation and torture. He was awoken by Doctor Aphra and the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and proceeded to perform various missions for the two alongside his fellow droid and companion BT-1. After Aphra faked her own death, he and BT-1 continued to roam the galaxy with her.
The protocol droid accompanied Aphra and her father in a quest to investigate the Ordu Aspectu, leading to the recovery of the Rur Crystal, an artifact housing an artificial intelligence calling itself Eternal Rur. Seeking to profit off of Rur's technopathic abilities, Aphra arranged an auction for the crystal, only for 0-0-0 to sabotage the event and coerce Aphra into granting him his freedom. The droid then departed with the crime lord Yonak, usurping the Rodian and becoming the leader of the syndicate Son-tuul Pride.
0-0-0 brought Aphra into his service, forcing her to recover his lost memories from the Tarkin Initiative research station Hivebase-1. After escaping an Imperial raid on Son-tuul Pride's headquarters, the droid discovered that Aphra had encoded the data file, leading him to pursue the doctor to Accresker Jail. The two were then incapacitated by the disguised Doctor Cornelius Evazan, who implanted 0-0-0 with his penal proximity mine, still linked to Aphra's own detonator, as an entertaining experiment in morality.
Aphra and 0-0-0 traveled to Milvayne in hopes of finding a surgeon to remove the bombs. The pair were serviced by Rajam Nuss, 0-0-0 murdering him after he had outlived his usefulness, but Aphra discovered that Nuss had failed, the bombs still active and now on a timer. Seeking Nuss' mentor, Professor Prexo, 0-0-0 traveled with Aphra to Milvayne's Undercity, where he was reunited with BT-1 and once again incapacitated by the orphan Vulaada Klam. Put on trial by the Milvayne Authority, 0-0-0 aided Aphra in escaping.
The doctor repaired the droid but secretly installed an ion pulse, the triggering of which could destroy 0-0-0 for good. Aphra ultimately redirected the pulse, earning 0-0-0's favor. The droid provided Aphra Imperial intelligence on her lover, Magna Tolvan, who in turn unlocked his memories. Aphra and 0-0-0's bombs were ultimately disarmed remotely by Prexo, who apprehended Evazan alongside monster hunters Winloss and Nokk. 0-0-0 then abandoned Aphra, departing Milvayne with BT-1.
The droids were later recovered and memory wiped by the Empire, and 0-0-0 was appointed as an interrogation specialist aboard the Executor. Reunited with Aphra, 0-0-0 aided the doctor in deceiving Darth Vader and stranding him on the planet Tython. Aphra took 0-0-0 and BT-1 to the Outer Rim world of Birukay, where they retired, but the droids quickly found themselves bored with nothing to kill.
0-0-0 and BT's peaceful isolation was interrupted by a force of Crimson Dawn enforcers, whom they murdered, and a crew of Aphra's companions seeking the droids' aid. 0-0-0 and BT-1 joined the group in fighting the Spark Eternal before the entity corrupted the two, binding them to its service. The droids participated in a skirmish aboard Amaxine Station, engaging in the conflict with Aphra's allies.
The duo later joined Ought-Six in a revenge quest against Darth Vader, though turned on the droid when it became apparent that Vader had the upper hand. At the time of the Scourge, R2-D2 aided 0-0-0 in restoring BT-1 from the malevolent entity's corrupting influence, recruiting the both of them into a newly-reformed D-Squad. 0-0-0 fought alongside R2 and ultimately a warrior-priest droid named Ajax Sigma to destroy the Scourge, warning Sigma not to become a threat in the future, lest D-Squad hunt him down too.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Sometime during the time of the Old Republic, the Triple-Zero protocol personality matrix was accidentally created by a scientist, who quickly ordered for it to be destroyed. Instead, 0-0-0 took control of the droid lab assistant's body to escape.
Nearly a century before the Galactic Civil War, Wat Tambor acquired the Triple-Zero protocol personality matrix and became obsessed with it. His fascination was short-lived, however, since the Skakoan became scared of it and sent it to quarantine.Doctor Aphra (2016) 16
Sometime long after its initial placement in quarantine, the Tarkin Initiative came up with ideas around the use of the personality matrix, using hard-coding to improve its ethical systems. 0-0-0 subsequently shot a hole in his own head to destroy the relevant circuitry. Unaware of what the droid had done, the Initiative put 0-0-0 into the field, only for him to murder the engineers involved and rampage across the galaxy for three years. The matrix was subsequently placed back into quarantine.
===The Sith Lord and the archaeologist===
====Reactivated for Vader and Aphra====
A few weeks after the Battle of Yavin,In Darth Vader (2015) 7, Chelli Lona Aphra says "It's been dead for weeks." As Star Wars: Darth Vader 7: Shadows and Secrets, Part I takes place very soon after Darth Vader (2015) 3, we can deduce that the cited time span take place several weeks after the Battle of Yavin. Doctor Aphra, a rogue archaeologist, who specialized in droid and weapons technologies, traveled to Quarantine World III in order to steal the Triple-Zero protocol personality matrix that she intended to use to reactivate Triple-Zero who could awaken a BT-1 assassin droid she had salvaged some time before, on the orders of the Droid Gotra. She eventually succeeded, after the Sith Lord Darth Vader intervened. Aphra brought Vader aboard her ship, the Ark Angel, where Vader hired her to help him acquire an army of battle droids to track down a Rebel pilot and an Imperial agent.Darth Vader (2015) 1
Aphra inserted the personality matrix into a silver protocol droid's body and turned it on. Triple-Zero awoke and introduced himself as a protocol droid specialized in etiquette and torture, as Aphra imprinted herself and Vader as Triple-Zero's new masters. Triple-Zero thought better of shaking the hands of his new masters, thinking he may accidentally kill them with an electric shock, so he instead inquired whether he could be of assistance. Aphra told him he could awaken BT-1, or Bee Tee, as he spoke the R&D languages that only droids associated with the Imperial Tarkin Initiative spoke. Triple-Zero did so, and Bee Tee instantly took hostility to Vader and Aphra, but Triple-Zero berated him for wanting to kill their new masters and shut him down. Soon thereafter, Aphra gave the two specialized assassin droids to Vader and prepared to travel to Geonosis, a desert world in the Outer Rim, to steal a droid factory from a Geonosian queen.
Once on Geonosis, Aphra sent Triple-Zero and Bee Tee into the queen's lair to navigate the most direct route to the queen's chamber so she and Vader could follow. Farther into the tunnels, the two droids came across other droids, B1-series battle droids, that were used extensively during the Clone Wars that occurred about two decades before.Star Wars: The Clone Wars Triple-Zero was very surprised at the droids, and intended to try and communicate with them in their native language, Geonosian hive-mind, but had nothing to say. So Bee Tee burned them to death with his built-in flamethrower, while Triple-Zero realized he did have something to say: he laughed at them as they burned and died. Soon, the droids reached the queen's chamber and waited for Vader and Aphra to arrive before entering to confront the alien queen. The queen was angry at the unexpected visitors. Vader ignored her, however, and began the heist. He cleared the queen and the battle droids from atop the factory and ordered Bee Tee to open fire. Meanwhile, the Ark Angel remotely blew a hole in the ceiling of the lair that allowed Vader's ship, the Naboo Royal Starship, to lower a crane through. The crane lifted the factory out through the gap, while Triple-Zero held on to Bee Tee, who blasted out of the cave using his booster rockets.
Later, aboard Vader's J-type 327 Nubian, Bee Tee and Aphra got the droid factory working. It created one BX-series droid commando as a test. Triple-Zero examined the droid and determined it had "teething issues," and suggested to his masters that his enhancement methods could be used to improve the droid factory's functionality. Shortly after, while Aphra and Vader were preoccupied, Triple-Zero answered a message from the Wookiee bounty hunter Krrsantan who Vader had hired some time before. Triple-Zero informed Vader of the Wookiee's arrival, who brought aboard his bounty: the Imperial agent. The agent insisted that if Vader tortured him, he would get none of the information Vader wanted. Vader agreed, and sent Triple-Zero to interrogate the agent. Triple-Zero was satisfied at having someone to torture and set to work.
====Attacking Cylo====
Triple-Zero managed to extract all information from the agent. Including his name: Cylo, the location of his research base: within a nebula in the Outer Rim, and his commission from the Emperor: to create apprentices to replace Vader as the Emperor's chief enforcer. Triple-Zero reported all to Lord Vader, who ordered course be set to the research base.
Vader's team took his J-type 327 Nubian starship to the base, while the factory produced two platoons worth of commando droids. Aphra fired an ion charge that disabled the base's systems and confused the soldiers stationed within. Vader, meanwhile, ejected into space and boarded the base. Aphra landed the starship on the base and Triple-Zero and Bee Tee cut through a blast door to serve as distractions to the soldiers so Vader could vent them into space when he cut through the base's organic walls. Triple-Zero inquired as to whether he had served adequately as a distraction. Vader, however, ignored the protocol droid, leaving Triple-Zero to lament to Bee Tee that he had had more grateful masters in the past—though it had not stopped him from draining their blood. The droid commandos arrived and went off with Vader to subdue all resistance, which left the two assassin droids to return to the ship and wait for Vader's return with Aphra.Darth Vader (2015) 5
Vader remained in the base for some time, before returning without the commando droids. He subsequently learned the name of the Rebel pilot, Skywalker, and set out to Skywalker'sDarth Vader (2015) 6 homeworld of Tatooine to learn all he could of the boy. Vader's team accompanied him, and took the Ark Angel. Once on Tatooine, Vader investigated the homesteadDarth Vader (2015) 7 where Skywalker had grown up. It had been burned by Imperial troops weeks before, and Triple-Zero was disturbed that droids had been slaughtered in the attack. They next traveled to another home that Vader entered alone. He then so reemerged, so Aphra detonated a molecular purge bomb that destroyed all evidence that anyone had ever lived there. Vader left right after to continue his duties within the Empire, while Aphra and the droids took the Ark Angel to the Outer Rim jungle planet Son-tuul.
====The Son-tuul robbery====
While on Son-tuul, Aphra hired a group of bounty hunters—the Trandoshan Bossk, the hunter Beebox, the IG-series assassin droid IG-90, and Krrsantan—on the orders of Vader, in order to steal the Son-tuul Pride's fortune of credits that had been seized by the Empire just before, and was in transit toDarth Vader (2015) 8 the Anthan Prime Orbital Dockyard in the Anthan system aboard an Arquitens-class light cruiser. Triple-Zero and the group took the Ark Angel to Anthan Prime, where, in orbit, Aphra remotely detonated an asteroid that created a small asteroid field, which the cruiser collided with. The Imperials, unaware that they were being attacked by a sentient foe, remained unaware when Aphra, Bee Tee and the bounty hunters boarded the cruiser to install a homing beacon so Krrsantan—who had stayed behind in his Auzituck anti-slaver gunship—could use his gunship to tow an asteroid into the cruiser to break it open and spill the credit ingots into space where Bee Tee could could gather them up. Which, after Triple-Zero informed Krrsantan he could begin his run, is exactly what happened. Although, Krrsantan was in cahoots with Aphra, and on Vader's orders, had been told to let a majority of the credits drift into space so they could be collected later and given to Vader. Then, Aphra and the three hunters returned to the Ark Angel, where Triple-Zero welcomed them and informed them that the plan had gone on without a hitch.
Soon thereafter, the credits were gathered and brought on to the Ark Angel where they were split into five equal shares: one for Triple-Zero's master, and four for the hired guns. The mercenaries were unsatisfied with the lower-than-promised pay, but agreed, nonetheless, to work with Aphra again only if she paid up front the next time, and left with their credits. Aphra and the two droids then traveled to Anthan 13, one of Anthan Prime's moons, to collect the credits where Krrsantan had dumped them and meet with Vader. Krrsantan also came to receive his "bonus pay" and then left. Triple-Zero confessed to Aphra, due to the crystalline caverns of Anthan 13 and the large pile of credit chips, that he had always had a hankering to be covered in precious metals. Aphra and Vader discussed her next mission before Vader left as well, leaving Triple-Zero to express his discomfort on not receiving a portion of the contraband even though IG-90—a droid like Triple-Zero—had received a share. Aphra had believed the droid had been taking joy in the work, but Triple-Zero corrected her: he had not been torturing an organic being; therefore, there was little joy. Aphra told him to have patience and started work on their next assignment, the individual Commodex Tahn.Darth Vader (2015) 9
Triple-Zero, Aphra and Bee Tee then returned to the Spire, a floating city on Anthan Prime, and landed near a holochess business. Triple-Zero was enthralled by the prospect of possibly playing holochess after being locked away on Quarantine World III for centuries. He admitted to Aphra that due to his extensive programming in the art of torture, he was a terrible holochess player, but that did not stop him from loving the game. Aphra negotiated with "The Ante," a Givin infochant, who provided Aphra with Commodex Tahn's family background. Triple-Zero voiced, as they walked back to the ship, that he thought Tahn did not seem like someone Vader would be interested in. Aphra agreed; he belonged to a family of morticians on the planet Naboo.
====Further missions====
=====Interrogating a mortician=====
0-0-0 joined Aphra and Vader's commando droids in an attack on mortician Commodex Tahn's home on Naboo, arriving on board the Ark Angel. Aphra ordered the commandoes to stun Tahn and capture him alive, an order the protocol droid reiterated to BT-1. The blastromech instead destroyed Tahn's blaster rifle and injured the mortician's hand. Aphra scolded him, causing 0-0-0 to insist that Tahn remaining ailve was the important part of the directive and that BT-1 thought about the "big picture"—often organics getting shot, in the astromech's case.Darth Vader (2015) 10
Tahn, aware his death was inevitable, refused to provide Aphra any information, leading 0-0-0 to introduce himself. After a brief chat with Tahn, Aphra set the droid to work interrogating him. The mortician ultimately relented, confirming that Senator Padmé Amidala had given birth to a son. 0-0-0 then murdered Tahn on Aphra's orders, electrocuting him to death before sarcastically thanking him for his cooperation. The protocol droid, wishing to have tortured Tahn further, noted that the mortician could have been of greater use. Aphra argued that they were sent to complete a mission, not be sadists, a statement 0-0-0 refuted. The droid then departed with the doctor.
=====A sore loser=====
0-0-0 and BT-1 traveled with Aphra to meet with The Ante, an information broker, at his at base. As the archaeologist sought information on Luke Skywalker's location, the protocol droid noted his affinity for holochess, and Aphra dismissed the pair. 0-0-0 and BT-1 then played holochess with and lost to a Duros. 0-0-0 claimed the game was "well-played" and backhandedly denied any cheating from the other party. When the Duro disparaged the droid as a sore loser, 0-0-0 made to shake hands in a supposed show of sportsmanship, intending to route an electric shock through his palm.Darth Vader (2015) 11
Aphra then radioed to warn the droids of incoming Imperial Military forces about to storm the base. As the stormtroopers invaded the Ante's operation, 0-0-0 noted his displeasure with allowing the Duro to get away. BT-1 then fired one of his cannons into the crowd, instigating a fight between the Ante's patrons and the stormtroopers. 0-0-0 praised BT-1 for his actions, reflecting on the pair's friendship.
Aphra joined 0-0-0 aboard the Ark Angel, the archaeologist piloting the ship into the storms surrounding the Ante's base. The protocol droid observed that the storms had a high probability of proving lethal and, agreeing with BT-1 that death would inhibit their future plans, requested that Aphra make greater haste. The Ark Angel and all aboard then encountered an Imperial blockade. Vader, onboard the Imperial flagship, ultimately interveneted on Aphra's behalf, causing the Imperials to pull out of the system. 0-0-0 noted that the opposing forces were leaving, though he disagreed with BT-1's assessment of retreat, and affirmed Aphra's assessment that she would live—if only temporarily.Darth Vader (2015) 12 The protocol droid then informed Aphra of the events that had transpired at the Ante's base from the droids' perspective, from his own losing at holochess to BT-1 starting the Imperial shootout.Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original
0-0-0 later accompanied Aphra to her rendezvous with Vader, though he disagreed with her decision to do so, Aphra having withheld information from the Sith Lord at the Ante's base as a form of blackmail. Vader arrived and spoke with Aphra, who informed him that Skywalker was present on Vrogas Vas.
====Vrogas Vas====
=====Holochess, redux=====
Prior to Vader's arrival at Vrogas Vas, a task that he had insisted on undertaking alone, Aphra traveled there herself aboard the Ark Angel accompanied by 0-0-0, BT-1, and Black Krrsantan. 0-0-0 reminded Aphra of Vader's words, which she dismissed, feeling the need to stay invaluable. Without anyone to kill, 0-0-0 contemplated what to do with the time ahead; in response, Krrsantan activated the ship's holographic dejarik board.
=====Capturing Skywalker=====
After Aphra accidentally led Vader in to a Rebel training exercise–turned–ambush over Vrogas Vas, 0-0-0 accompanied her in an effort to ammend the mistake. The protocol droid suggested indisriminate murder as the most "elegant solution," to which BT-1 agreed. Making note of the sizable Rebel precense on Vrogas Vas, Aphra affirmed 0-0-0's strategy was sound, causing the droid to express his delight at the upcoming mission.Vader Down 1
In orbit of Vrogas Vas, Aphra contacted Krrsantan.Darth Vader (2015) 14 0-0-0 proposed preparing a selection of weapons for their guest, a request Aphra denied on account of time. 0-0-0 then briefed Aphra on their adversaries—Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa and two droid associates, R2-D2 and C-3PO. The droid promised not to show mercy, to which BT-1 indicated the pair never showed mercy, something 0-0-0 deemed to be besides the point. 0-0-0 questioned Aphra about Solo as she considered the smuggler, the doctor feeling that he did not look the part of a Rebel, and reminded Aphra of Vader's potential belief that she had knowingly sent him into a trap.
Reverse engineering a triangulation of likely crash–sites led Aphra and company to Skywalker and his droids, whom she observed through binoculars. 0-0-0 expressed anticipation at the prospect of going "human hunting," considering the species to be fine game. Aphra cited Skywalker's besting Boba Fett as a reason to be careful of him, to which the droid noted that Aphra had not seemed overly–impressed with Fett in the past. 0-0-0 then suggested killing Skywalker and bringing Vader other blonde–haired organics as compensation. Aphra, having formulated a plan, retrieved spray paint from the Ark Angel and summoned the droid.
Coating the droid in golden paint, Aphra instructed 0-0-0 to act kind and helpful, something of which he assured her he was capable. 0-0-0 stated that the coating was itchy, though Aphra retorted that he could not itch and reminded the droid of his desire to be plated in precious metal. The protocol unit objected to the paint as "cheap," and at Aphra's insistence attempted an imitation of C-3PO. 0-0-0 at first struggled to properly perfect 3PO's register, first managing too high a pitch and then too low, disparaging the other droid with insults as he practiced. 0-0-0 then managed a reasonable imitation, and Aphra urged him to continue the plan. 0-0-0, masquerading as 3PO, approached and was welcomed by Skywalker. R2-D2 immediately recognized the deception and attempted to alert his master, prompting a confused response from Skywalker before 0-0-0 laid an electrified hand on the Jedi and shocked him unconscious.
=====Disarmed=====
R2 moved to defend Skywalker, an action 0-0-0 described as pathetic. Repainting himself, the protocol instructed BT-1 to give the other droid a display of more proper behavior, leading to a heated exchange between the two astromechs. 0-0-0 admonished R2's foul language and questioned whether he was capable of backing his claims. R2 proved to be outgunned by BT-1, the latter unleashing his armanent in what 0-0-0 viewed as a playful display of wanton destruction. The protocol droid admired his companion's passion and noted his own anticipation to drain Skywalker's blood, carrying the Rebel pilot over his shoulder. Aphra told 0-0-0 to leave Skywalker in one piece, prompting the droid to suggest extracting a reduced quantity of "only" a few liters.
0-0-0 and Aphra were ambushed, to which the droid voiced a desire to drain the attackers' blood and hoped for there to be a great many of them. Aphra identified the sniper as Han Solo and discreetly ordered 0-0-0 to head back to a cave they had passed earlier. Aphra claimed to Solo that if he attacked her, 0-0-0 could fatally electrocute Skywalker, leading 0-0-0 to introduce himself and express anticipation at the prospect of torturing the smuggler. Solo threatened that 0-0-0 could not kill Skywalker without arms, to which the droid recalled that Solo had a companion or pet of some sort. 0-0-0 struggled to remember the individual's species and name, distracted by the continued discussion of torture. Aphra provided that it was a Wookiee as the droid arrived at a name—Chewbacca. Chewbacca then appeared and ripped 0-0-0's right arm clean off, depriving the droid of what he considered to be his best dissecting hand.
Chewbacca proceeded to beat 0-0-0 with his own arm, at which he voiced indignation. 0-0-0 expressed uncertainty at what had caused Chewbacca to develop an intense dislike of protocol droids but went on to describe himself as beyond an ordinary unit of his model. Deploying his syringe, 0-0-0 injected his opponent with 500 milligrams of Mandalorian xenotox and suggested to the disoriented Wookiee that he lie down and relax. The droid ultimately bested the poisoned Chewbacca and, exhilarated at the prospect of exsanguinating the Wookiee, opted to begin with light mutilation. 0-0-0 was then ambushed by Skywalker, frustrating the droid by once again dismembering him. Skywalker then ran the droid through with his lightsaber.
=====Imperial massacre=====
Aphra and BT-1 emerged from underneath a pile of rubble, recovering from their respective defeats. The doctor assisted 0-0-0, who remarked on the failure of their earlier encounters. Aphra sarcastically quipped 0-0-0 thanks before ordering the droids to pursue Skywalker and keep him alive and with his arms attached. 0-0-0 and BT-1 found C-3PO wandering through the planet's mists. When 3PO inquired whether he could be of assistance, 0-0-0 noted his compatibility as a Cybot Galactica protocol droid and prompted BT-1 to relieve the other droid of his arms. While initially concerned 3PO's limbs would be a tight fit, 0-0-0 was delightedly proven wrong. The droids also rotated 3PO's head a hundred and eighty degrees, which they found humorous.
The droids located Skywalker, who had engaged a number of stormtroopers, 0-0-0 noting that organics' constant attempts to kill each other as their only redeeming quality. Reporting in to Aphra, the droids were informed that the Imperial forces there belonged to Karbin, a rival of Vader's. Aphra then instructed the droids to stop Karbin's forces from capturing Skywalker no matter what. 0-0-0 and BT-1 proceeded to slaughter the stormtroopers, 0-0-0 instructing his counterpart to leave some alive for him to torture. Skywalker was ultimately captured and taken awayStar Wars (2015) 14 to an Imperial shuttle, but was saved by Vader who used the Force to cripple the shuttle mid-flight. 0-0-0 encouraged BT-1 as he killed off survivors from the shuttle crash at range, the subsequent lack of pursuit by Imperial forces leading Solo to believe Skywalker had a guardian angel, which the latter attributed to the Force.
====The Shu-Torun war====
=====Placing a bounty=====
0-0-0 and BT-1 met Vader at the royal palace on the planet Shu-Torun after his meeting with Trios, the planet's queen. The protocol droid expressed a belief that Trios would be troublesome and offered to modify her diet to make her more compliant, though the chemicals would cause her to drool. Vader silenced the droid and questioned whether 0-0-0 had prepared him a shielded transmission, which the droid had, citing experience with cloak and dagger techniques. The Sith Lord then contacted bounty hunters, having placed a large price on Aphra, who had been captured by RebelsDarth Vader (2015) 16 on Vrogas Vas.
0-0-0 later informed Vader that the bounty hunter Beebox claimed to have returned with Aphra, the droid having prepared an audience with Vader. The Dark Lord wished to question them both immediately, but 0-0-0 informed Vader that Aphra was dead. Vader interrogated Beebox and, upon sensing that the ashes he had brought were not Aphra's, strangled him. Vader ordered 0-0-0 and BT-1 to dispose of the body and convey the incident to the other hunters.
=====Assault on the ore barons=====
0-0-0 and BT-1 brought Beebox's corpse to Shu-Torun and discussed the ongoing war, which 0-0-0 found "lovely." The protocol droid regarded Shu-Torun as a "delightful" planet with "charming" people and, when BT-1 questioned what 0-0-0 liked about organics, tossed Beebox into a lava floe and noted an appreciation for the smell of the burning body. 0-0-0 then asked BT-1 when the next attack was to occur and, upon being reminded that the timing was dependent on himself, boarded the flagship of the Shu-Torun Loyalist/Imperial Delving Fleet.
As the attack began, 0-0-0 brought Vader's BX-series commando droids online to bolster the Imperial forces. The commandoes took their positions and the protocol droid admired the death brought about by the ensuing battle, once again praising the conflict. As the firefight dragged on, Vader's stormtroopers became unable to hold their position, even with 0-0-0's reinforcements, leading the droid to offer a suggestion. Vader initially rebuked him, believing it to be an ill-conceived attempt at humor, but allowed the droid to proceed.
0-0-0 reflected on the qualities of droids that rendered them arguably superior to organics, attributing their inability to dominate to their insensitivity to the Force. 0-0-0 then suggested upgrading the commando droids into an army of blood-draining droids, powered by an engine of his own design. Beginning to the list the benefits, 0-0-0 was swiftly denied by the Sith Lord. As Vader left, the protocol droid conspicuously remarked to his companion that they would follow their master's instructions.
=====A powerful idea=====
0-0-0 subsequently gathered the commando droids and made a speech, noting their role in the conflict protecting humans—whom, the droid claimed, they would later usurp—from other, similar humans. 0-0-0 then indicated the droids’ impending defeat, which he affirmed, before making extremely suspicious comments about them not being equipped with the blood draining syringes he had earlier proposed. The commando droids sent a volley of blaster-fire into the air and praised 0-0-0, the protocol droid’s words inciting hesitation in the opposing Shu-Torun forces.
Vader returned to find his opponents had surrendered out of fear of blood-sucking droids. The Sith Lord rounded on 0-0-0, who explained that the notion had greatly decreased enemy morale and discounted the idea that he had truly made the modifications, as that would have been in direct violation of his orders. Vader told the droid to order the main battle group to press their attack, which 0-0-0 informed him Queen Trios had already done without Imperial support, condoning the action as brave but suicidal.
The Sith Lord later conferred with Trios as he prepared to leave Shu-Torun, who asked him if he had made the right choice installing her as queen. Vader remarked that there had been no other choice, which 0-0-0, who accompanied the group, explained could be interpreted a number of ways. Trios ordered the droid to leave, noting that while she could not destroy Vader, she could destroy him. 0-0-0 commended the queen, expressing a belief that she would go far.
====Target: Aphra====
=====A lethal meeting=====
0-0-0 arranged a meeting with Inspector Thanoth on Vader's behalf, informing the Sith Lord on the bridge of his Star Destroyer above Kuat. Vader praised the droid and left for a meeting with his master, Emperor Palpatine. Alongside BT-1, 0-0-0 stared out the viewport, admiring the construction of Grand General Cassio Tagge's new flagship—the Executor. 0-0-0 disagreed with BT-1's evaluation that the vessel was "trashy," and expressed a desire to own one himself.
0-0-0 rendezvoused with Vader on Anthan 13 after his meeting with Thanoth, during which he killed the inspector. The protocol droid seconded BT-1's excitement at the prospect of disposing of the body. Vader informed the droids that Aphra was on the Cosmatanic Steppes and gave them a priority order to capture or kill Aphra. When Vader questioned their suitability for the task, 0-0-0 admitted that Aphra was resourceful for an organic but made note of the allies and resources the droids had gathered over the course of their adventures. The Sith Lord then departed in his TIE fighter, and 0-0-0 responded to BT-1's query asking whether he would return with Cylo, finding it unlikely and disappointed at the prospect of a missed opportunity to torture the scientist to death twice.
=====Repaired and ruining Ruen=====
0-0-0 and BT-1 later traveled to the Wreck Belt of Lotho Minor, arriving at a workshop managed by a technician named Ruen. Explaining their need for repairs and supplies, the protocol droid identified the two of them as belonging to Aphra, offering the doctor's opinion of Ruen at the man's request to verify the pair were who they claimed to be. When Ruen asked how Aphra was doing, 0-0-0 indicated she was currently indisposed and confirmed that they intended to rescue her "from all future troubles."
0-0-0 provided an extensive list detailing their needs and customizations. When Ruen inquired about the protocol droid's syringe, 0-0-0 indicated it was for medical emergencies—solving or creating them. The technician then questioned BT-1's armament. The protocol droid translated his companion's response, something about everyone having their needs, and reminding Ruen about the great sum of money the duo was offering.
Once Ruen removed 0-0-0's arms, the technician recounted the story of the theft of the Triple-Zero matrix, noting the plausibility of Aphra's involvement and the reward for its return. 0-0-0 claimed that should he and BT-1 locate the matrix they would report it, citing their love of money, further downplaying his knowledge of Ruen's stories about the matrix before asking the man to reattach his limbs. Ruen then told the story of the matrix's acquisition and catastrophic deployment by the Tarkin Initiative, which 0-0-0 was as a runaway success, "speculating" that the droid involved had a fantastic time. Ruen then turned a blaster on 0-0-0 and accused him of being the matrix.
0-0-0 called upon BT-1, whom Ruen recognized as the blastromech prototype, and coerced the tech into finishing his repairs. Ruen reattached 0-0-0's arms and installed programming linked to Aphra's own hard-coding that would cause 0-0-0 to explode if either droid killed him. The protocol unit began to order BT-1 to kill the repairman until Ruen revealed his handiwork. 0-0-0 provided Ruen payment and alluded to a relationship of mutual trust out of necessity. The protocol droid departed with BT-1, urging him to move quickly as he freed Ruen's combat droids of their restrictive programming. 0-0-0 speculated on Ruen's treatment of the droids and, as Ruen's workshop exploded in a droid revolt, indicated that rudeness towards droids was intolerable—but that the explosions were "very pretty."
=====Apprehending Aphra=====
0-0-0 and his forces arrived at the Cosmatanic Steppes aboard Krrsantan's Auzituck anti-slaver gunship. The group was greeted by an elderly Twi'lek who warned them that visitors were unpopular with the locals, 0-0-0 remarking that they would be even less popular once he and his army were through. The droid inquired whether the Twi'lek had seen Aphra, which he had, asking for the doctor's location and threatening the individual's life. The Twi'lek fearfully indicated Aphra that had headed to the bar, and BT-1 shot him.
0-0-0 ordered his commando droids into position and began an extermination of the settlement en masse, eliminating witnesses on Vader's orders. Aphra emerged from the bar, questioning the droids and claiming not to have told anyone anything. 0-0-0 claimed that not telling anyone that would be much easier once the doctor was dead.
Aphra tried ordering the droids to stand down, an action countermanded by Vader's priority order, before asking about the exact terms of the order. 0-0-0 clarified that Aphra was to be brought to Vader aboard the Executor or silenced, causing Aphra to surrender. The protocol droid ordered his forces to stand down, and 0-0-0 and BT-1 both expressed their disappointment at Aphra's decision before departing with her in their custody.
=====Altered priorities=====
Arriving at the Executor, 0-0-0 suggested to Aphra that she would soon regret surrendering, as Vader likely had fates "far worse than death" in mind for her and that if did not, both 0-0-0 and BT-1 could provide suggestions. 0-0-0 further noted that Aphra would not live to regret the decision, explaining his own use of subtext, and handed the archaeologist to a pair of stormtroopers aboard the destroyer and wished her farewell. Aphra confirmed with the droid that he had fulfilled his orders before providing him a new priority directive to free her from the Imperials. 0-0-0 acknowledged the order begrudgingly.
Aphra and nearly everyone else aboard the Executor was incapacitated by a human-targeted neurotoxin, though 0-0-0 managed to revive the archaeologist with an antidote. BT-1 made note of the toxin's ineffectiveness against aliens and machines, prompting 0-0-0 to question the decision to replace droid armies with organic forces. With everyone else unconscious, the protocol droid suggested escape. The ship lurched, causing Aphra to inquire as to the situation. 0-0-0 indicated that someone was attempting to steal the Executor.Darth Vader (2015) 23
0-0-0 ushered Aphra aboard the Auzituck before the doctor realized that there was no point in running from Vader as he would just pursue her. The droid expressed indifference as long as somebody died. Aphra then turned around and charged deeper into the ship. 0-0-0 questioned her but joined her alongside BT-1 and Krrsantan, standing back as the others shot their way through invading forces to clear a path to Emperor Palpatine, who was also aboard.
Aphra attempted to betray Vader by aligning herself with the Emperor. The ploy was unsuccessful, leading Vader to eject her into space. In space and aboard the Auzituck, BT-1 questioned how long a human could survive in vacuum, causing 0-0-0 to chide him that it was not an appropriate time to indulge his experimental mindset and order his counterpart to bring Aphra aboard.Darth Vader (2015) 25
Aphra was retrieved by her allies, and 0-0-0 inquired as to her livelihood. The droid then praised her re-use of the equipment from the Son-tuul Pride robbery in the retrieval. Aphra noted the importance of faking her death, to which 0-0-0 suggested Vader might have simply killed her outright with his lightsaber. Aphra remarked that Vader was never going to be kind, to which 0-0-0 agreed. The droid asked what was next and expressed a desire for further murder on their next adventure, prompting Aphra to request that the group get her to a bacta tank and leave.
===Traveling with Aphra===
====The Sword of Khashyun====
Once again in Aphra's service, 0-0-0 and BT-1 accompanied Aphra in meeting Hondo Ohnaka at Oga's Cantina. The archaeologist hoped to acquire a ship from Ohnaka so that she could pursue the Sword of Khashyun.Galaxy's Edge 3 Aphra and her crew were joined by the Ithorian Dok-Ondar, with whom they traveled to the world of Moraband. 0-0-0 inquired of BT-1 whether his sensors could detect the Ithorian's pulse, which the protocol droid described as exquisite. The droid then remarked that the collector's Shistavanen bodyguards were especially ugly and ought to be put down in case they were diseased.
The group reached Moraband, and Aphra, BT-1, and the two Shistavenen explored the temple there. Aphra and BT-1 later emerged from the temple, the doctor grumbling that if 0-0-0 had not already killed Dok-Ondar, she intended to renegotiate terms. Aphra then found Dok-Ondar clutching 0-0-0's severed head, the Ithorian agreeing and remarking that as the droid had found out, he did not like surprises. After a brief skirmish, Dok-Ondar fled, stranding Aphra and her companions as well as leaving half of the sword behind. BT-1 then repaired 0-0-0, who noted his intent to run the Ithorian through with the remainder of the blade when next they crossed paths.
====Investigating the Ordu Aspectu====
=====Ensuring good company=====
0-0-0 traveled to Fulan Ro aboard the Ark Angel II with Aphra and the rest of her crew. He greeted her as she returned from the stealing an artifact from Ulbik Tan. He acknowledged that he lost a bet with his counterpart, BT-1, on whether Aphra would survive her mission. Soo-Tath showed up to collect the debt that Aphra owed him, and she sent 0-0-0 to get Krrsantan from inside the ship for backup. They both arrived in time to see one of Soo-Tath's Gigoran strike Aphra. 0-0-0 translated Krrsantan's warning about attacking Aphra.
After the Wookiee drove off the gangster and his muscle, 0-0-0 followed Soo-Tath to a cantina where he ambushed the gangster and injected him with a neurotoxin. This caused the gangster to die, although by most appearances it would appear to be a natural death. Triple Zero was enjoying traveling with Aphra and decided to kill the gangster to make sure he would not report Aphra's whereabouts to the Empire. He returned to the ship and accompanied Aphra to Archaeo-Prime where she tried to sell the artifact she had recovered. When she found out her doctorate had been revoked, he offered her condolences.
=====Meeting Aphra senior=====
Back on her ship, Aphra confronted her father about his involvement in the decision to revoke her credentials. When he refused to believe she would hurt him, Aphra instructed 0-0-0 to get the information. The droid was very happy about this task, revealing many different instruments of torture built into his fingers. Before he could start, Aphra told him to stand down, and Triple Zero expressed his displeasure. He listened as Aphra and her father debated the Ordu Aspectu. After arriving at Yavin 4, he traveled with the rest of the crew to the temple to get some readings.Doctor Aphra (2016) 2
While scouting the Massassi temple, Aphra complained about the Empire and Triple Zero pointed out that she had in the past praised them for using their domination over the Galaxy as a way to protect the people. Aphra sent Krrsantan to create a diversion to draw away most of the Imperial troops and once they were gone, Triple Zero and BT-1 infiltrated the base. Once inside, they opened the ventilation hatches so Aphra and her father could enter the base. He passed by an IT-O and stated he was a fan of the droid's work. After Aphra and her father placed all the crystals into the floor, he brought their attention to BT-1 who had noticed that all the temples in the complex had released beams of light pointing to the location of the Citadel of Rur.Doctor Aphra (2016) 3
Aphra's father proceeded to get the readings needed to locate the Citadel of Rur. As the group left the temple, they ran into Imperial troops. Aphra ordered BT-1 to slow them down, and the droid launched a barrage of thermal detonators. Triple Zero commented that killing them would indeed slow them down. The group made their way out of the temple, but were chased by more Imperials. Aphra held them off, and Triple Zero complained he was unable move quickly enough. BT-1 extended handles and footrests, enabling 0-0-0 to ride the astromech and keep up with the rest of the group. Triple Zero and the rest of the group were able to escape on the Ark Angel II. When they reached the Citadel of Rur, Triple Zero and the rest of the group debarked from their ship.Doctor Aphra (2016) 4
Inside the Citadel, Aphra and her father worked to restore the power. When they realized they did not have enough Ordu crystals, Aphra sent 0-0-0 and BT-1 back to the ship to get a crystal modulator to mimic the functions of the original crystals. On their way back, they were forced to hide from Magna Tolvan and a group of snowtroopers. The droids proceeded to the ship and killed some Imperials who were on-board. Krrsantan, who was separated from the Aphras by the Imperial troops, returned to the ship and had Triple Zero call Chelli Aphra and tell her that he was leaving the Citadel.Doctor Aphra (2016) 5
Triple Zero was present when Aphra reunited with Krrsantan at a bar on the Cosmatanic Steppes.Doctor Aphra (2016) 6
====The Screaming Citadel====
0-0-0 was onboard the Ark Angel II as Aphra took Luke Skywalker to Ktath'atn. He greeted Skywalker, but was rebuked by him due to Skywalker's anger at the droid for electrocuting him. When Skywalker mentioned that R2-D2 had defeated BT-1 in the fight, Triple Zero warned him not to make the droid angry. 0-0-0 explained that he would survive BT-1's tantrum but the ship they were traveling in would be destroyed. Upon landing at the Citadel of Ktath'atn, Skywalker asked what the name meant and 0-0-0 provided a rough translation of "The Screaming Citadel". While Skywalker and Aphra were getting dressed for dinner, 0-0-0 noted that Aphra was tying Skywalker's spavat incorrectly. As the couple left, Aphra instructed 0-0-0 and BT-1 to guard their room.The Screaming Citadel 1
Solo, Organa and Sana arrived on the planet and were met by 0-0-0 and BT-1. The protocol droid was contacted by Aphra and he asked her if it was okay to shoot the rebels.Star Wars (2015) 31 He joined them on Aphra's ship as Solo piloted it to meet Skywalker and Aphra in the Citadel. When Aphra was confronted by Sana, he suggested that she was terribly untrustworthy and should be shot. After the group was forced to retreat into a lab that contained the Queen's Abersyn symbiotes, Triple Zero suggested that they could implant one in Krrsantan. He used the droid S4 as a container to transport the symbiote safely. Once Sana and Organa rescued the Wookiee, 0-0-0 proceeded to directly implant the symbiote. She expressed her disgust at the procedure, but the droid took as a compliment.Doctor Aphra (2016) 7
0-0-0 and BT-1 went with Aphra as she met two journalists. She pretended to be Black Krrsantan's agent and arranged a meeting with the Wookiee so that the journalists could get his life story. While they were distracted, 0-0-0 and BT-1 accessed the journalist's holonet transmitter and broadcasted an ad for Aphra's upcoming auction of the Rur crystal.Doctor Aphra Annual 1
===The Auction of Rur===
====Reactivating Rur====
0-0-0 accompanied Aphra, BT-1, and Krrsantan to the Isolate-4 lab, an asteroid-mounted laboratory system in the Outer Rim. There, the doctor instructed her companions to "light the fuse, and take cover" if the procedure she was about to attempt went wrong. 0-0-0 gave her grief over the order, but the archaeologist indicated it was for his own protection. Aphra, wearing a containment suit, then entered a secure chamber and activated the Rur crystal.
After a short conversation with the entity, Aphra confirmed with Krrsantan that the droids remained unaffected by Rur's technopathy, which BT-1 and 0-0-0 seconded. Aphra then told 0-0-0 to enter the chamber, an action he objected to, but the doctor waived his objections on the grounds of scientific experimentation. The containment field was a proven success as 0-0-0 remained himself, and Rur questioned what Aphra wanted of it.
====Arranging an auction====
Weeks later, 0-0-0 greeted Yonak, the leader of Son-tuul Pride, at the Socra Retreat. The droid offered condolences on the syndicate's losses, and assured the Rodian that he would not attempt to relieve him of his weapons. 0-0-0 indicated Aphra's presentation would start shortly, to which Yonak questioned the need for formalities. 0-0-0 responded that given the importance of the occasion, Aphra had desired "a little glamour." The droid then returned to Aphra, indicating that Yonak had been the last of the guests.
During Aphra's presentation of the Rur crystal, the doctor indicated it was a technopath. BT-1 became excited at her use of the word, to which 0-0-0 amended to his companion that the astromech was actually a psychopath.
After its conclusion, 0-0-0 remarked to Aphra his belief that the presentation had gone well. The droid then inquired whether there was anyone that needed murdering. When Aphra said it was not the time, 0-0-0 indicated that that had often been the case lately, which was exactly the issue. After reflecting on the events at the Screaming Citadel, namely sawing open Krrsantan's head, 0-0-0 indicated that he was beginning to become bored.
Aphra assured 0-0-0 that once the auction was resolved, the two could revisit the issue and perhaps attain some upgrades for the droid as previously discussed. The doctor then placed a blanket ban on murder for the time unless acting on her own express orders to the contrary. 0-0-0 carefully restated that he would not murder anyone unless ordered to by his master, which Aphra affirmed. Aphra then walked off as the droid took leave with BT-1, singing to his success at establishing a loophole. Having determined that Aphra was lying and intended to shut him down, 0-0-0 contacted his other master—Darth Vader.
====Bidding commences====
0-0-0 later retrieved Aphra, informing her that the interested parties were waiting, and thanked those in attendance for their patience. The droid noted that he had scheduled personal meetings with those who intended on making serious offers, while Aphra told everyone to make themselves comfortable in the meantime. The droid and his counterpart lurked behind Aphra as she spoke to a member of the Cyban Front about the Rur crystal and the impact its technopathic abilities would have on the state of droids in the galaxy. After the pair left, BT-1 began bleeping extensively, proposing to install the Rur crystal into the other Cyban Front droid that was undergoing repairsDoctor Aphra (2016) 11 after its destruction in a demonstration of Rur's technopathy. 0-0-0 agreed and picked up a welding torch.
As the meetings began, Aphra confided in 0-0-0 about the Ezaraa's lack of galactic dominance. The droid later informed Papa Toren that the demonstration had concluded and that his shuttle was ready for departure. Aphra called upon 0-0-0 and BT-1 to stop Krrsantan when he moved to attack two of her guests, the Xonti brothers, though only the astromech was required to subdue the Wookiee.
The doctor later prompted 0-0-0 to awaken Krrsantan, which the droid accomplished by injecting him via a finger syringe. Krrsantan grabbed Aphra by the throat, and 0-0-0 translated on her behalf as the Wookiee strangled her. Krrsantan ultimately relented, and Aphra asked the droid for any auction-related updates. 0-0-0 informed her that the Shadow University had significantly raised its bid, which now placed it at a little over a third of Thomas Toov's. Aphra told the droid to gather everyone, as she had made her decision.
0-0-0 passed out devices to the attendees to inform the bidders whether they had won the auction. Aphra awarded the crystal to representatives of the Shadow University and told the other parties to leave, a course of action 0-0-0 informed BT-1 was a good idea. Eternal Rur, possessing the blue Cyban Front droid, then emerged wielding a pair of lightsabers.
====Orchestrating mayhem====
0-0-0 and BT-1 took control of the Socra Retreat's turret defense systems from Aphra's room, setting them to automatic targeting. Aphra, realizing Rur was not the one in control of the turrets, contacted 0-0-0, who gloated about his role in the unfolding events. The doctor ordered her droids to turn off the guns at which point 0-0-0 informed her that that would not be possible, as "someone" had set fire to the gun controls and further damaged them with an ax in an "unfortunate accident." Aphra asked for 0-0-0's demands, to which he invited the archaeologist to her room to "come chat."
Aphra fled the scene, away from Rur's swath of mayhem and death—the smart decision, for once, 0-0-0 noted, as he observed on a monitor. The protocol droid then agreed with BT-1 that the pair were no longer bored, stating that life was short and should be enjoyed whenever possible. BT-1 observed that life was especially short when the two of them were present, though 0-0-0 failed to see how that was relevant. 0-0-0 then berated the astromech for distracting him from his view of the action.
0-0-0 observed Yonak's pact with Sutha the Hutt, which he thought to hold promise. The droid then returned his attention to Aphra who, after aiding Krrsantan in accessing the station's armory, ran into the angered Rur. Rur made to finish Aphra, but 0-0-0 unleashed the room's turrets, occupying the entity and allowing Aphra to escape.
0-0-0 quipped that Aphra had best hurry, at which point she arrived. The droid instructed Aphra to look at the monitor before them, indicating his one final surprise for the doctor—Vader's arrival.
====Freedom====
0-0-0 informed Aphra that he and BT-1 had lured Vader to the auction but did not inform him that Aphra was the one behind it, using the information as blackmail. Aphra again asked what 0-0-0 wanted, to which the protocol droid indicated his desire for freedom from a master. 0-0-0 told Aphra to think of his and BT-1's actions as a campaign for their rights. Aphra responded that the only right the droids wanted was to murder anyone they desired, which 0-0-0 affirmed. The doctor asked what guaranteed her life once she freed the droids, to which 0-0-0 merely replied that killing her "wouldn't be very nice."
Aphra reluctantly released the droids, who spread their murderous appendages in freedom. 0-0-0 and BT-1 then left Aphra, the protocol droid insisting that they would see each other again. Aphra retorted to 0-0-0 that he somehow found a way to make things creepier, a statement the droid took as "sweet" and reflected to BT-1 on the doctor's uncertainty about their intent to allow her to remain alive.
====Escape====
0-0-0 and BT-1 subsequently slaughtered the stormtroopers surrounding the transport belonging to Yonak. Yonak boarded his transport, surprised that he had not encountered resistance along the way, and was approached by 0-0-0, who explained that the droids had cleared him a path. 0-0-0 further elaborated that he and BT-1 were seeking a new "working relationship," the details of which Yonak decided could be resolved later. 0-0-0 stated he was good at giving orders, which the Rodian amended to taking—exactly, 0-0-0 clarified, what Yonak would be doing.
On Son-tuul, Yonak's stronghold was assaulted by mercenaries who accused him of orchestrating raids that violated a prior agreement. Yonak made a plea for help, confusing his accuser as BT-1 opened fire, annihilating the opposing forces. 0-0-0 emerged and remarked that it was more efficient when their competitors came to them, noting to Yonak that Son-tuul Pride's hold on the sector was at last secure. The Rodian congratulated his new master.
===Leader of Son-tuul Pride===
====The Somelik op====
0-0-0 sent Aphra and Rexa Go to attack an Imperial settlement on Somelik to recover data dating back to the Clone Wars. The protocol droid further wanted the settlement destroyed, possibly to eliminate witnesses and other evidence, a parameter he shared with Go but did not inform Aphra of.
After returning to Son-tuul, Aphra voiced her frustrations to Go and asked to lodge a formal complaint. 0-0-0 then emerged, asking Aphra about her reservations towards the otherwise successful mission. Aphra confronted the droid about his claim that the mission would be minimum damage, to which 0-0-0 replied that she had not been told as she would have argued and noted it best to ask forgiveness rather than permission when murdering innocents. The doctor began to break down, stating that she wouldn't continue, but when 0-0-0 implied that she had reconsidered his offer Aphra dismissed her own words as unimportant. 0-0-0 insisted upon a more direct choice of phrasing, to which Aphra validated her master.
====Managing an asset====
At his relaxation suite on Son-tuul, 0-0-0 spoke to Aphra over hologram about mortality while torturing a man, noting it was a "organic preoccupation" that he liked to think himself above. Asking BT-1 to pass him the nerve shredder, he continued on about his acquisition of new bodies, skills, limbs, and memories over the centuries, questioning why the loss of a physical form should matter. 0-0-0 did attribute relevance to one's origins, and—as his victim cried out in pain—contemplated how someone could truly understand themself without memory of their creation—or their first-ever murder.
As Aphra wandered the streets, BT-1 informed 0-0-0 that he was monologuing, to which he admitted, and questioned the importance of providing Aphra details about the reason behind her next mission, which the protocol droid not find worth sharing. 0-0-0's prisoner then expired after the use of a probic agonizer, which the droid noted as a "step too far" but otherwise dismissed. BT-1 posed a question about why Aphra was carrying a tooka, which 0-0-0 was unable to answer, leading the doctor to explain that she was testing a relic splicer rig and had cloned it. 0-0-0 related Aphra's words to his earlier point about origins, though informed the archaeologist that he had expected more of her when he had provided her the lab in the first place.
Aphra noted the tooka's customization and that she had retrofitted some droids for 0-0-0, though the latter noted his disappointment that none of them were killers. She went on to question 0-0-0's use of her as a proxy, causing him to shush her and elaborated on the importance of subordinates with leadership qualities, as it gave others someone else to hate while being sacrificed. The droid also indicated that the current mission involved archeotech, which made Aphra a useful asset.
Aphra postulated that she could run and hide, to which 0-0-0 threatened to inform Darth Vader that she was alive. 0-0-0 then granted BT-1's request to play with the prisoner's body, indicating to do so in an area that was stain-proof. Aphra raised the point of reporting 0-0-0 to the Imperials herself, though he told her that the claim of a droid maintaining a crime syndicate would not be believed and backed BT-1's claim that if Aphra did not do as he asked, she would no longer be considered useful.
====Aftermath of Skako Minor====
0-0-0 debriefed Aphra after her mission to Skako Minor, once again via hologram, and, after a brief period of lamentation, asked the doctor of her findings. Aphra recounted to 0-0-0 that Wat Tambor had acquired his personality matrix years ago and developed an obsession with it, something the protocol droid remarked that they had in common. The doctor continued that Tambor became scared and quarantined the matrix where, as 0-0-0 recounted, Aphra later found and recovered it. Aphra then noticed a detail among her findings that piqued her interest, something she suspected the droid was searching for—Tambor had kept 0-0-0's memories.
0-0-0, overwhelmed by the doctor's discovery, explained to Aphra that he did not know how long he had lived, the bodies he had inhabited, or the deaths he had overseen. Viewing himself as incomplete, the droid demanded of Aphra the location of his stolen memories. Aphra noted that after the Clone Wars, the Separatists' R&D, including the databanks belonging to the Techno Union, had been relocated to Hivebase-1.
Aphra started to explain to 0-0-0 the nigh impossibility of attempting to steal anything from the installation given its security, only to stop short upon realizing that was exactly what the droid expected of her, which 0-0-0 praised. The doctor began crafting a plan, 0-0-0 enjoying the return of her "idea face," as Aphra questioned whether the operation was worth it to recover the droid's memories. 0-0-0 then Asked Aphra whether she'd killed anyone that day. The archaeologist hedged her answer, having killed Go, 0-0-0 remarking on the tremble in her voice as she tried to conceal the truth. The droid then inquired whether there had been any entertaining deaths on Aphra's team, a question to which she once again lied, reporting that there had been no losses.
====Checking in====
0-0-0 contacted Aphra aboard her Imperial patrol transport via Rexa Go's cybernetic headset after a mission to abduct rebel General Hera Syndulla. The archaeologist told 0-0-0 to go away, to which he reminded her that she had killed Go and should be expressing "terrified deference." She once again asked the droid to go away, causing him to realize something was bothering her. 0-0-0 asked whether it was related to murder as Aphra ended the transmission.
The protocol droid again contacted Aphra using Go's headset shortly thereafter, this time alongside BT-1, discovering the doctor in the act of reprogramming the cybernetic. Aphra referred to the pair as some of the most evil individuals in the galaxy, a statement he took as a compliment while also suspecting that the praise was an attempt to divert any displeasure at her blatant tampering. The archaeologist managed to quickly cut off the hologram.Doctor Aphra (2016) 18
====Memories returned====
Following her successful mission to Hivebase-1, Aphra kneeled before 0-0-0 in the Son-tuul Pride audience chamber. Handing 0-0-0 the datacard containing his memories, she expressed hope that this would clear out any debt between herself and the droid, causing him to chastise the doctor for thinking that was all he desired. Aphra cursed her master, submitting for him to kill her, at which point 0-0-0 clarified he already had what he wanted. Recounting recent events, 0-0-0 exemplified Aphra's knack for exploitation and betrayal, noting that she herself enjoyed it.
Aphra asked if the droid if he orchestrated the events to make her more like himself. 0-0-0 denied this, claiming that he had done so to show Aphra that she was like him already. Aphra rejected 0-0-0's analysis, causing the droid to muse that love was murder and ordered for someone in the crowd to "deactivate" the archaeologist. Imperial forces subsequently stormed the base as 0-0-0 fled alongside BT-1, claiming ignorance. Out in the rain, BT-1 made a discovery, informing 0-0-0 that the memory file Aphra had provided him was encrypted.
===Hunting Aphra===
====Slaughter in deep space====
0-0-0 sold lawman Tam Posla a ship. Later, the droidDoctor Aphra (2016) 22 hijacked a touring ship carrying a group of Bith musicians with help from BT-1. The droids jettisoned the Bith, causing them to suffocate, and the astromech murdered at least one of the bridge crew, covering himself in blood. 0-0-0 then sat in the ship's command chair and listened in on Posla recording a log, the droids' ship's computers registering his words as a potential reference to Aphra.
0-0-0 later reflected on the complimentary nature of eavesdropping and "morning atrocities," instructing BT-1 to replay a transmission intercepted from Posla. The transmission was a communication from Aphra blackmailing Posla into providing her a shuttle in exchange for his nemesis, Doctor Cornelius Evazan. Aphra then provided her location—Accresker Jail. BT-1 bleeped, a sentiment 0-0-0 shared, and the droids and their ship jumped to hyperspace.
====Accresker====
0-0-0 and BT-1's ship fired upon Aphra and hers just as the she was escaping Accresker. BT-1 bleeped, causing Aphra to recognize her adversary and urge her lover Magna Tolvan to move. 0-0-0 emerged, humming and walking out into the smoking crater, Aphra continuing to mount an escape. 0-0-0 was approached by a crowd of convicts, whom he slaughtered.Doctor Aphra (2016) 24
Aphra, reunited with her fellow prisoner Lopset Yas, was nearly apprehended by Posla, but 0-0-0 ambushed the lot of them and murdered the lawman. The protocol droid affirmed Posla's assertation that Aphra was often revisited by her failures before realizing that the doctor was not listening. 0-0-0 chided Aphra for not paying attention, noting that his intent to scoop out her eyeballs ought to have elicited some dread, while noticing that Aphra was watching a video of Tolvan, whose memories she had altered. The droid deduced what had happened, praising the betrayal that had given Aphra a clean slate.
Aphra broke down crying for which 0-0-0 lectured her, indicating it was no fun to torture people who were already miserable. Squarely placing the blame on the doctor, the droid grabbed her by head and guided her back to his ship. Reaching the transport, 0-0-0 observed that someone had defaced his ship, calling out for BT-1. Lopset Yas approached, indicating that the astromech had been destroyed, prompting 0-0-0 to inquire further threateningly. Yas then incapacitated 0-0-0 with a green beam before stunning Aphra.
Yas, in truth Doctor Cornelius Evazan, removed his proximity bomb and implanted it into 0-0-0, bonding it to his personality core. Evazan later recounted this to Aphra, informing the doctor that any attempt to alter the core, the death of either 0-0-0 or herself, or the separation of the pair by more than twenty meters would detonate the bombs. Evazan accredited his motivations to art and science before noting that 0-0-0's eyes would transmit everything they saw and that the droid was set to auto-boot in one minute. Evazan departed, and Aphra sat in tears as 0-0-0 activated.
===Evazan's gambit===
====Arrival on Milvayne====
Evazan observed the situation he had engineered alongside his friend, Ponda Baba, through a signal that transmitted both visual and audio via 0-0-0's photoreceptors. Evazan admitted to orchestrating the experiment as a form of entertainment for Baba, for whom Evazan was constructing a cybernetic arm. 0-0-0 and Aphra traveled to Milvayne, a world heavily controlled by law enforcement, in hopes of removing the implants.Doctor Aphra (2016) 26
Immediately after arriving on Milvayne, 0-0-0 threatened, tortured, and killed a docking port official who refused a bribe offered by Aphra to accept falsified documents. 0-0-0 began to outpace Aphra, causing the doctor to remind him about the implants and scold him for his earlier course of action. The droid reasoned that his method was more efficient, conserving credits and providing him the opportunity to commit murder. 0-0-0 and Aphra were quickly pursued by further law enforcement.
Aphra opted to take cover behind speeder and ordering 0-0-0 to stick close. 0-0-0 instead wandered to another speeder which he preferred for its decorative red stripe, triggering to implants, and killed the pilot. Aphra rejoined him, once again frustrated by his meandering and murderous tendencies, with 0-0-0 defending his decision in favor of of the stripe. Aphra reprimanded 0-0-0, stating that murder was not always a fitting solution, which he dismissed as an organic way of thinking.
0-0-0 called upon BT-1 to kill the Milvaynian officers, until Aphra reminded him that BT was no longer around. The droid then requested the security fob for Posla's ship, informing Aphra that while killing her would detonate the implants, he could torture her creatively without consequence. 0-0-0 then used the remote to detonate the ship remotely, injuring nearby civilians and providing a distraction. 0-0-0 and Aphra then escaped from the occupied officials.
====Finding a surgeon====
Aphra, while accessing the local Holonet, later posed to 0-0-0 that Posla's ship had been their only way off Milvayne. 0-0-0 postulated that nearly infinite possibilities existed when one took an "enlightened attitude" to coercing others by causing suffering. The droid then brought up Aphra's own betrayal of her lover, Magna Tolvan, and the agony she had caused her as the archaeologist attempted to search for information on the other woman. Aphra tried to remind 0-0-0 of his connection to BT-1, but he denied any loss beyond the encrypted memories that the astromech had contained, noting that BT's destruction just made him hate Aphra more. 0-0-0 then asked for a mirror and began to make threats against Evazan, who was listening on the other end of the transmission. Aphra located Doctor Rajam Nuss, a cyberneticist, and requested that 0-0-0 let them do things her way, with civility. 0-0-0 responded that he was a protocol droid—civility was a part of his programming.
Aphra approached Nuss and requested that he remove the explosives from herself and 0-0-0, the droid adding that he did not trust Aphra with his personality matrix. 0-0-0 then started to threaten the cyberneticist into compliance when Aphra interjected, offering him credits. 0-0-0 found a mirror with which to view his reflection as he continued taunting Evazan, and Nuss seated both 0-0-0 and Aphra for surgery shortly thereafter. Before the procedure began, Aphra spoke to 0-0-0, hoping to deduce his future intentions towards her and apologized for encrypting his memories. 0-0-0 remarked that once upon a time, he thought he and Aphra the same, or at least compatible. Contemplating her time as both his master and his slave, 0-0-0 related his initial intentions to improve Aphra and that, for a time, he had truly grown fond of her.
The droid then identified regret and guilt as Aphra's greatest flaws, noting her apology just moments before, and stated his intent to murder her—slowly—after the operation. 0-0-0 expressed that Aphra had made recent events entertaining and considered giving her a five-minute head start out of sentiment. Aphra tried reasoning with the protocol droid, noting that cooperation often had a better outcome than betrayal in long the long run, but 0-0-0 responded that he was far from ordinary and that Aphra's time was running short.
Once the procedure was complete, 0-0-0 insisted on handling Nuss' payment himself and reminded Aphra of her head start. 0-0-0 then requested that Nuss trace Evazan's broadcast signal, which the doctor was unable to do. The droid consequently found Nuss useless and, upon being asked for payment, chided the doctor for being "uncivil" and murdered him. Aphra subsequently discovered that Nuss had botched the surgery, triggering a failsafe and leaving them with only ten hours before the bombs would detonate, walking in on 0-0-0 standing over Nuss' body.
====Pursuing Prexo====
Twenty-three minutes later, 0-0-0 and Aphra had relocated to a rooftop. 0-0-0 continued to make graphic threats—or as he termed them, "promises"—against Evazan at his own reflection, having at last acquired a mirror. 0-0-0 prompted Aphra to share the idea she was formulating, who revealed that she was looking into Professor Prexo, a mentor of Nuss' whom he had mentioned before his death. Unfortunately, Nuss did not accept unsolicited communications and lived on another area of the planet, with travel being difficult due to 0-0-0 and Aphra's lack of proper identification and newfound status as fugitives.
0-0-0 voiced his admiration for the local law system out of its basis in betrayal and fear until witnessing several offenders, including droids, thrown off a building, at which point the he went silent. Aphra came up with a plan, though 0-0-0 expressed his immediate distaste, citing Aphra's anxiety as a sign that whatever she had in mind would require him to trust others to act out of accepting bribes or plain decency rather than coercing them through pain and terror. Aphra blamed 0-0-0's murder of Nuss for their current situation while 0-0-0 took the accusation as slanderous, instead blaming Aphra for her interaction with Evazan that had resulted in being fixed with explosive implants in the first place. Aphra observed that her betrayals consistently had consequences, 0-0-0 being an obvious example, and once again asked the protocol droid to proceed without committing indiscriminate murder.
Twelves minutes and zero homicides later, Aphra offered a transport driver a bribe to book passage to Milyavne's South district without proper ID. 0-0-0 grumbled anout the non-lethal nature of Aphra's plan, when the driver requested a higher bribe, threatened him with lacerations. Aphra played it off as a joke, and she and 0-0-0 were granted passage. The driver indicated that 0-0-0 would need to ride in the droid wagon, but upon realizing that would separate them by more than twenty meters—and, as 0-0-0 complained, conversation with other droids under the influence of restraining bolts would be "abysmal"—Aphra offered another fifty credits, and the driver indicated 0-0-0 could ride in the luggage rack. 0-0-0, displeased by the insinuation, made explicit threats against the driver, who then trained a blaster on him and comm-ed a report about the droid being defective.
====Into the Undercity====
0-0-0 continued his rhetoric but was thrown off the platform by a trio of security drones. Aphra followed in suit as not to trigger the bombs, and found that 0-0-0 had encountered another life-form. The beast grabbed 0-0-0 in its mouth until commanded to release the droid by a young girl riding atop it. 0-0-0 moved to kill the girl but Aphra protested, explaining that the creature was a qaberworm, an animal known to be fiercely protective of its owner and immune to pain. 0-0-0 critiqued immunity to pain as an inefficient design, but relented upon determining that Aphra was beginning to form another plan.
Aphra introduced herself to the girl, Vulaada Klam, as did 0-0-0. Aphra and 0-0-0 inquired whether the qaberworm—Gurtyl—could get them to them to their destination in a timely manner. Klam confirmed as much, and Aphra offered her money and even 0-0-0 himself if she wanted him. 0-0-0 objected and called Aphra out on her continued reliance on deception and betrayal, noting she never stuck around long enough to consider the effect it had on others.
0-0-0, Aphra, and Klam rode Gurtyl, Aphra talking to Klam about her past all the while. 0-0-0 stated to Aphra that she saw the much of herself in the younger girl and that if the two were truly alike, odds were high that Klam would betray them. Aphra dismissed 0-0-0, saying he didn't know anything about her, but the droid retorted that over his long period of observing her he had never known anyone she would not betray. Aphra then spotted a reanimated Tam Posla, who fired upon the group with an oversized energy weapon. 0-0-0 prepared to kill Posla—again—until Posla revealed he had tracked Aphra and the droid via 0-0-0's control codes and revealed a reassembled BT-1.
====Reunion with BT-1====
0-0-0 spoke to BT-1, lamenting his former companion's suffering and expressing incredulity both towards Posla and at the idea that the lawman expected the astromech to turn against his counterpart. The protocol droid instructed BT-1 to prove Posla wrong, but was tackled by Aphra as the homicidal astro-droid unleashed a volley of missiles at the duo. 0-0-0 interpreted BT-1's outburst as an attempt to kill Aphra and not himself, trusting the droid's heat-proof chassis to keep him safe, and attempted to explain that he and Aphra's lives were momentarily dependent on each other's survival before the doctor pulled him down for a second time. Again escaping BT's assault, Aphra suggested they again locate Vulaada Klam, hoping she could lead them to Prexo, but 0-0-0 shut down the idea, viewing Klam's disappearance as a betrayal.
Posla attempted to retrieve 0-0-0 and Aphra using the Force, but the pair were saved by the intervention of Winloss and Nokk, a pair of monster hunters Aphra had previously double-crossed. Aphra recalled the hunters' code against killing, something 0-0-0 questioned, and was about to talk to them before Winloss trained a blaster on her, feigning self-defense. Winloss then turned his weapon on 0-0-0, his and Nokk's intended target, but the droid was saved by the timely appearance of BT-1, who began attacking the hunters. Winloss and Nokk incapacitated BT-1 causing Aphra to order a retreat, much to 0-0-0's chagrin. Aphra reasoned with 0-0-0 that BT-1 was not in control of his actions and that the hunters were still a threat, making an emotional point of the protocol droid's pain at his inability to save his friend. Finding her words were without success, the archaeologist then switched arguments, appealing to 0-0-0's self-perceived lack of emotion. 0-0-0 complied, but threatened Aphra that should she make any similar statements in the future about claiming to know pain, he would instruct her further in the subject.
====Continued journey down below====
0-0-0 and Aphra continued making their way through the Undercity, the droid berating Aphra for continuing to search for Klam. Aphra reminded 0-0-0 of Klam's promise to help them, to which 0-0-0 reminded her of her phony promise to provide him as payment and stating a belief that neither party was entirely sincere. 0-0-0 dismissed the idea of relying on loyalty, causing Aphra to come to the realization that the droid's doubts stemmed from BT-1 turning against him. Aphra reasoned that with what she had seen BT-1 accomplish in the past, she and 0-0-0 should be dead, and that there was still some part of the astromech that had deliberately allowed the two to escape unscathed. 0-0-0 considered the notion, almost becoming sentimental momentarily before dismissing the idea of loyalty as an illogical construct that existed only in the minds of organics. Aphra and 0-0-0 then encountered Klam.
Klam brought 0-0-0 and Aphra aboard a bloatbarge, a roaming, Imperial gas-collecting machine. 0-0-0 disparaged the vehicle's slow rate of travel and, upon Klam reaffirming the good faith of her deal with Aphra, began to search for vermin to mutilate as a distraction. Aphra spoke to Klam about 0-0-0, whom the latter still desired for scrap, and Klam inquired of Aphra whether she could reprogram the droid. The archaeologist attributed her inability to do so to numerous circumstances, including that 0-0-0 would not let her get close enough and that he had developed an awareness of her methods, but ultimately admitted that while she had previous opportunities to deactivate the droid for good, she could not bring herself to do it as the she was one who had brought him online in the first place. The pair agreed that 0-0-0 would not extend the same loyalty in return, but that that was ultimately irrelevant.
Shortly thereafter, 0-0-0 informed Aphra that they had encountered a problem. Emerging from the bloatbarge, the trio were confronted by the forces of the Milvayne Authority, led by Tam Posla. Aphra wondered how they could have been found, a question 0-0-0 deemed irrelevant as he evaluated combat stratigies. Without weapons, Aphra deemed them out of options, at which point 0-0-0 grabbed Klam as a hostage and threatened her wellbeing. Klam, having taken Aphra's blaster, shot 0-0-0, revealed her treachery, and knocked Aphra unconscious.
====Escaping the authorities====
0-0-0, devoid of his legs, was bound to Aphra, the two of whom were taken to a rooftop in Milvayne City and sentenced by Posla. Aphra attempted to sow discord among the officers of the law, denouncing Posla on account of his undead status, to which 0-0-0 informed her that of the two systems in the galaxy with regulations against such a thing, Milvayne was not among them. 0-0-0 instead suggested that the officials present would not want to be outdone by Posla given his status as a rogue agent, leading Aphra to condemn him as a vigilante whose license had been revoked. One of the constables present confirmed Aphra's claim, and the lawmen turned their guns on the presiding officer. Posla unleashed his wrath upon the others, and 0-0-0 encouraged Aphra to flee, strapped atop her back.
Aphra eventually slowed under 0-0-0's weight, coming to a fuel stop equipped with a repair rig. The archaeologist offered to fix 0-0-0's legs, a course of action he initially refused as it would require Aphra to disconnect his matrix and the droid did not trust her to reactivate him. Aphra admitted her own unreliability but, observing Milvayne's toxicity and distrust, came to advocate the placement of one's faith in others. 0-0-0 cited naseaua at Aphra's words, expressing a desire to vomit, but relented to the procedure on the grounds that the pair could not make progress if they could not travel. The protocol droid started to make one final threat towards Aphra as she deactivated him, which she acknowledged.
====Return of the monster hunters====
Aphra fitted 0-0-0 with a seismic pulse capable of disabling him, activated by the phrase six-omega-green-two.Doctor Aphra (2016) 30 0-0-0 reactivated ten minutes later, just as Aphra had promised. Running a self-diagnostic, the droid compiled an update on the situation, providing time to detonation, proximity to Prexo, and confirmation that Aphra had in fact fixed him. Aphra began to leave, but 0-0-0 grabbed her and leapt on to a passing transport, saving the doctor from an incoming spear launched by Nokk. 0-0-0 denied saving Aphra, only himself, reminding her of the proximity trigger on their explosives. Aphra attributed the manuever as an expression of decency and a repayment for the repairs, a statement 0-0-0 insisted she take back.
Aphra and 0-0-0 kept moving atop the air traffic. 0-0-0 started to fall behind, complaining that he was not built for such tasks, when Nokk ambushed him from above, only to be blasted out of the air by BT-1. 0-0-0, overcome by the astromech's reappearance, approached BT-1 against Aphra's warnings and triggered a cage trap set by the hunters. Nokk rejoined Winloss, their quarry in tow. Suddenly, a turbolaser blast from an Imperial Star Destoyer above knocked out one of the engines on Winloss and Nokk's ship, sending it into a spiral. Believing death was imminent, Aphra asked 0-0-0 if people were capable of change, an idea the protocol droid refuted as the hunters abandoned ship. 0-0-0 noted to Aphra that she was an oft-lonely failure and, in her attempts to cope, often compromised those around her as the two plummeted towards a unknown fate down below.
====The death of good P.R.====
Aphra awoke to find herself in the presence of Captain Okma of the Imperial Coalition for Progress, who stated his intent to disassemble 0-0-0 and discover who was broadcasting the day's events, but only after reactivating the feed and forcing Aphra to publicly embrace Imperial law and the Emperor's love. Okma reiterated his offer, noting that Aphra would save herself while 0-0-0 met his end, before Aphra utilized the command phrase to trigger the seismic pulse she had rigged within the droid, incapacitating herself and all Imperial forces.
0-0-0 awoke and to kill time, murdered the unconscious Imperials. The droid then asked Okma for his high-access clearance codes, to which the officer provided a hostile response, leading 0-0-0 to feel "inspired" and mutilate him as well. 0-0-0 acquired the codes anyway. The droid then waited for Aphra to awake from her stupor, the archaeologist having taken the brunt of the pulse.
Aphra regained consciousness, and 0-0-0 commented on her helpless state, much like his own previously at the fuel stop. Aphra attempted to defend herself, at which point the droid explained his deduction of everything that had transpired, including Aphra's installation of a seismic pulse inside his chassis which she likely would have triggered once the bombs were removed. 0-0-0 explained that such actions would have resulted in lethal consequence, pulverizing his matrix, had Aphra not opted to invert the pulse outward as she did to incapacitate the Imperials. 0-0-0 described the move as clever and, at Aphra's inquiry, went on to explain what he had done to the Imperials in the time while the doctor was out.
Aphra, revolted, observed that as much as 0-0-0 disregarded loyalty, he despised betrayal, to which the droid informed the archaeologist that he did not consider her actions a betrayal at all but an entirely reasonable countermeasure to prevent her own death. 0-0-0 further praised Aphra's execution, noting that she chose to use the device on the Imperials rather than him. The doctor then asked why 0-0-0 had maimed and tortured Okma, to which the droid revealed his request for the man's clearance codes. Aphra questioned why 0-0-0 wanted Imperial codes, to which he responded that he had grown fond of their partnership and wished to assist her, projecting confidential footage of Tolvan collaborating with the Rebellion from Okma's cam droid.
====Memories unlocked====
Aphra became overwhelmed, overjoyed at seeing Tolvan alive and well, smiling, and in a similar line of work. She began to cry, remembering 0-0-0's earlier comment that they were the same and reflecting that he was the only one who had ever caused her to shed happy tears. Seeing Aphra so deeply moved, 0-0-0 began to regret his decision, but the doctor told him to shut up and decided there should be no favors owed between the two. Aphra, grateful for 0-0-0's actions, opted to decrypt the droid's lost memories, allowing him to relive his greatest tortures and possibly discover the reason for his creation. 0-0-0 was rendered speechless, and Aphra provided the passcode: "hopeless."
0-0-0's memories flashed through his mind, causing him to deactivate. Reactivating shortly, the droid jolted awake in a panic, exclaiming the word "fraud." 0-0-0 explained to Aphra the true circumstances of his creation, that he was conceived as a fluke rather than designed as a torturer and killer from the start. Aphra attempted to comfort the droid, but he expressed his disgust at himself. Beginning to wander away—and out of the proximity range of the bombs—0-0-0 thanked Aphra for choosing him, but noted that as usual she had made the wrong decision as the disabled archaeologist pleaded with the droid.
0-0-0 ignored Aphra's pleas, but came to a stop upon hearing a familiar bleep. The protocol droid returned to Aphra and a reactivated BT-1, whom Aphra restored using power from the astromech's logic matrix. 0-0-0 questioned whether BT-1 was truly back or under Aphra's control, causing the droid to shoot a blade into Aphra's leg, affirming his identity. 0-0-0 then decided his suicide attempt was overly impulsive, citing that one's own pointlessness often hurt less when shared among friends. The sentiment earned a positive reaction from Milvaynians tuned into Evazan's broadcast, and both Aphra and the protocol droid set out to find Prexo atop BT-1.Doctor Aphra (2016) 31
====Newfound purpose====
The combination of blood, Aphra's being in pain, and cheers from the locals made 0-0-0 feel at home, though he conceded to BT-1 that he would have preferred screams of agony. Aphra voiced concern that BT-1 would be unable to reach Prexo in time, which 0-0-0 acknowledged but defended the astromech given his recently resuscitated state. The trio then ran into Klam, causing 0-0-0 to unsheathe his blade digits, who apologized for betraying the group. Aphra voiced her forgiveness, which 0-0-0 interpreted as empathy given that she would have made a similar decision, but Aphra clarified that they also required Gurtyl to increase their pace of travel.
The party reached Prexo's clinic. 0-0-0 noticed a note on the door indicating Prexo's extended absence just as a group of stormtroopers arrived to confront the miscreants. BT-1 and Aphra opened fire, starting a fight, and 0-0-0 entered into the melee. The Imperial commander then directed Tam Posla into the conflict. 0-0-0, thirsting for revenge, ambushed and immolated Polsa, ending him for good. Aphra intercepted Posla's final shot, intended for Klam, beginning a planetary uprising.
As Aphra lay wounded, perhaps dying, 0-0-0 reminded her that the implants were set to go off in thirty seconds. The protocol droid opted not to disturb BT-1 from the fun of his murderous rampage for a goodbye. Waiting out the time, 0-0-0 refused Aphra's request to relocate surrounding civilians before their explosive death, but admitted that he was glad to be together with the doctor in their final moments and requested that they not ruin it with selfless action.
0-0-0 and Aphra braced themselves, unaware that Winloss and Nokk, aided by Prexo, had apprehended Evazan and deactivated the bombs. Nokk then ordered Prexo to terminate Evazan's broadcast. 0-0-0 concluded that the bombs had been rendered inert, and Aphra asked the protocol droid what came next. 0-0-0 momentarily deployed his blades but then retracted them, bidding Aphra goodbye and leaving with BT-1.
===In service to the Empire===
Imperial forces found 0-0-0 and BT-1 while conducting a sweep on the Ring of Kafrene, subsequently wiping their memories by fitting them with restraining bolts. 0-0-0 was assigned as an interrogation specialist aboard the Super Star Destroyer Executor.Doctor Aphra (2016) 37 However, both droids were eager to be freed from Imperial control.Doctor Aphra (2016) 40 Vader summoned 0-0-0 when dealing with the Korin Aphra. Chelli Aphra, also present, begged 0-0-0 not to torture her father. Without his memories, 0-0-0 failed to recognize her and burned her with one of his appendages, judging her as mad—much like most organics, in his opinion. Korin refused to talk at first, citing his dislike of the Empire, but Chelli persuaded him to relent before 0-0-0 could torture him. Imperial sensors verified that the senior Aphra was telling the truth, to 0-0-0's great displeasure.
Chelli Aphra later contacted 0-0-0 via BT-1, offering to remove the droids' restraining bolts and grant them independence in return for delivering a message to Darth Vader. The protocol droid confirmed the presence of a Jedi martyrium on the planet Tython, knowledge Chelli had picked up from Korin, by looking for signs among the databanks of Imperial probe droids and later approached Vader in his meditation chamber. 0-0-0 began to comment on Vader's disfigured appearance beneath his helmet, causing the Sith Lord to warp the droid's face plate through the Force and instruct him to deliver the message. 0-0-0 informed Vader that Aphra had discovered the location of the Rebel base and further added to "dress warm."Doctor Aphra (2016) 39
Aphra brought Vader, General Maximilian Veers, and a number of snowtroopers to Tython. Vader ordered his men to ensure that 0-0-0 watch Aphra closely, at which point the droid emerged into the icy cavern. When Imperial scans detected no trace of a Rebel presence, Vader ordered that Aphra be killed. 0-0-0 raised his arm and extended his torturous appendages, worrying Aphra, but the activation of a mechanism within the temple raised a wall that separated the two from the Imperials. As BT-1 arrived, 0-0-0 reminded Aphra of their agreement, prompting her to remove the protocol droid's restraining bolt. BT-1 suggested dissecting Aphra in a celebration of their newfound freedom, which 0-0-0 contemplated until Aphra reminded him that Vader would be coming after them for their betrayal and that only she knew the temple's secrets.
0-0-0 murdered a number of pursuing stormtroopers as Vader made his way through the temple, having ordered his troops to withdraw. The droid then assaulted Vader upon his reaching Aphra, but was quickly cut to pieces by the Sith Lord's lightsaber. Aphra confronted Vader and ultimately recovered the upper half of 0-0-0's head, taking it with her as she fled Tython in a TIE Reaper. The rogue archaeologist recorded a message in which she expressed her thoughts on the nature of love for encryption and delivery to Hoth. 0-0-0 expressed indignation, disparaging the message's sentiment, noting Aphra was not in fact alone, and informing the doctor that had he still possessed hands he would debone her as one would a fish. When 0-0-0 inquired what was next for the group, including their destination, Aphra noted a longstanding desire to explore the galaxy.
===Out of retirement===
====Boredom on Birukay====
0-0-0 was ultimately rebuilt to his former state. Aphra later brought 0-0-0 and BT-1 to Outer Rim world of Birukay. 0-0-0 threatened to remove Aphra's fingers should she reveal the duo's location, and the doctor parted ways with the droids, leaving in the TIE Reaper stolen from Tython. As Birukay was not subject to an Imperial presence, the two were left largely undisturbed but, devoid of anything to kill, felt lacking in purpose and quickly became bored. 0-0-0 created several sand sculptures, including stormtroopers and one of Aphra, for BT-1 to destroy, but the pair ultimately ended up lying on a beachfront with nothing worthwhile to do. 0-0-0 and BT-1 came to possess a hut which they treated as a living space. Crimson Dawn discovered the droids' location through Aphra and attempted to kidnap them, but were massacredDoctor Aphra (2020) 23 by the two droids, who were incredibly happy to finally have targets to kill.
====Encountering the Spark====
0-0-0 and BT-1's retirement was disturbed by Korin Aphra, Detta Yao, Eustacia Okka, Magna Tolvan, and Kho Phon Farrus, who traveled to Birukay believing Aphra had hidden an asset there. Emerging from the hut, 0-0-0 informed BT-1 that they had guests. The group brought 0-0-0 and BT-1 to confront Aphra, who had been possessed by the Spark Eternal, aboard the Vermillion. 0-0-0 informed the Spark that the droids would not tolerate a rival artificial intelligence attempting to interfere in Aphra's life and, after BT-1 unleashed his flamethrowers, attempted to skin Aphra with his own bladed digits. Tolvan momentarily incapacitated the doctor, but she quickly recovered. 0-0-0 and his counterpart charged the possessed Aphra, only for the Spark to run them through with the Null Blade. 0-0-0 and BT-1, corrupted by the Spark's energies, turned on their organic allies. 0-0-0 attacked Starros and departed, joining Aphra and BT aboard the Ark Angel IV.Doctor Aphra (2020) 26
On Mustafar, the Eye of Webbish Bog provided Darth Vader a vision of Aphra, 0-0-0, and BT-1, claiming that the archaeologist would find a way to gain control over the Spark Eternal.Revelations (2022) 1 Sometime later, in space aboard the Ark Angel, 0-0-0 made a backhanded compliment about the Spark about being trapped within an organic form, leading the Spark to threaten to deactivate the droid's vocabulator. A malfunction caused the Spark to double over in pain and lash out,Doctor Aphra (2020) 27 just as Vader had foreseen, overloading and disabling both droids.
====Pyrr IX and Amaxine====
The duo reactivated and joined the Spark on Pyrr IX. Aphra and the Spark, each consciousness now sharing the body, examined an Ascendant temple, with Aphra complaining about the confusing nature of the body swapping. 0-0-0 suggested splitting the body in half, prompting both to scold him to "shut up." Gaining entry, the droids explored the temple alongside the Spark and Aphra. The Spark later informed 0-0-0 and BT-1 that they had "business" on Amaxine Station.Doctor Aphra (2020) 29
0-0-0 again encountered Starros, Tolvan, Okka, and Farrus aboard Amaxine station, and attacked them on sight. 0-0-0 charged Tolvan, who fired several shots at the protocol droid before Farrus levitated him with their Ascendant tech. The droid then attacked Yao with his buzzsaw, a maneuver she parried with one of her wrist blades. Just Lucky, another of Aphra's associates, landed several shots on BT-1 and took him out of the fight, earning 0-0-0's attention and ire, who stated that he would enjoy making the organics bleed. Lucky, Yao, and Lucky's partner Ariole Yu prepared to fight 0-0-0, with Yu remarking that he bet he would take down the droid first and Farrus requesting that the others keep 0-0-0 distracted. The trio then engaged 0-0-0.
====Plotting against Vader====
0-0-0 and BT-1 joined Ought-Six and a number of other droids in Zee-Nine City Seven whose goal was to take revenge on Darth Vader for past encounters and destructions. ZED-6-7 explained the plan, noting that many of the droids present had been sliced into two or three pieces by Vader's lightsaber. (This remark earned a "hmp" from 0-0-0, who had been sliced into five.) 0-0-0 also informed Zed that he and BeeTee's latest destruction by Vader had taken place at a site of pure kyberite, a fact Zed found to be of interest.
====Choosing a side====
Two weeks later, 0-0-0 participated in Vader's battle with the droid uprising. 0-0-0 surmised ZED-6-7's betrayal, realizing that ZED had secretly been working for Vader the entire time. The protocol droid and BT-1 then switched sides themselves as it became apparent that Vader would win. 0-0-0 turned his blaster on his fellow droids before kicking at and then shooting Ought-Six. After exchanging fire with the droid uprising, 0-0-0 and BT-1 then departed from Ringo Vinda aboard one of two nearby ships, with Aphra and Ochi taking notice of their departure. Ochi allowed Aphra to leave as well but informed Vader and ZED-6-7 of their escape as the two ships made for the atmosphere. Vader, however, decided to let them go and ordered his two servants to repair and reprogramDarth Vader (2020) 37 the destroyed droids around them.
At the beginning of the scourge of the droids, 0-0-0 and BT-1 were back with Aphra, who hid behind them as the two droids revealed their weaponry and made their way through a hallway.Dark Droids 1 However, the droids and Aphra went their separate ways again shortly after.Doctor Aphra (2020) 35 Shortly after leaving Zee-Nine City Seven, 0-0-0 and BT-1 encountered a mouse droid containing another, spider-like droid, which infected BT-1 with the Scourge. Envious, 0-0-0 did not consider restoring his friend to normal, as the astromech was having great fun.
====Gallivanting on Gallios====
At some point during scourge of the droids, 0-0-0 and BT-1 began terrorizing the people of Gallios. Meanwhile, on the planet Iego, the droid Chopper told WAC-47 and R2-D2 about a HoloNet story describing a "homicidal protocol droid." Believing it to be C-3PO, R2-D2 hijacked a GX1 short hauler and traveled to Gallios, where he found several citizens fleeing for their lives. He was surprised to find out that the droid was none other than 0-0-0. 0-0-0 spoke to the astromech, dismissing his concern for the organic lives, and inquired as to the droid's business on Gallios. R2 informed 0-0-0 that 3P0 had become infected by the Scourge, the same as BT-1, and convinced the protocol droid to aid him in returning their friends to normal. 0-0-0 expressed doubt whether restoring BT would ultimately help 3P0, but advised R2 to find BT by following the nearby screaming.
0-0-0 and R2 located BT-1 and, despite 0-0-0's considerations to return at a later time, strategized on how to fix him. R2 suggested electrocuting the droid, a strategy 0-0-0 proposed testing on organics, sparking a short debate with the astromech before 0-0-0 inquired where they could find enough power to overload BT. The droids traveled to Winker's Engine Works, a deserted podracer shop, where 0-0-0 was disappointed that there was nobody around to murder. R2 suggested 0-0-0 repair one of the engines, to which he initially protested, lamenting his skillset, but shortly relented. 0-0-0 raised the question of how to draw out BT-1, leading R2 to depart in search of the other droid. The protocol droid calculated that the astromechs had equally high odds of killing each other, though he suspected his results were skewed by his own desire for inter-droid violence.
The protocol droid succeeded in repairing the vehicle. Following an explosive confrontation, R2-D2 returned with BT-1 attached to a tow cable, and 0-0-0 drove the repaired prodracer into the unsuspecting astromech, leaving the murderous droid unconcious. R2 then reminded 0-0-0 of their earlier discussion, 0-0-0 affirming that he and BT would assist R2 in his quest to aid C-3P0. The pair were immediately thereafter ambushed by the bounty droid IG-88, who declared himself in pursuit of 0-0-0 and BT-1 for their crimes on Milvayne. With BT in reboot, 0-0-0 called upon R2 to join him in combatting the assassin. R2 sprayed the IG unit with a fire extinguisher, distracting him while 0-0-0 engaged the droid in melee with a hydrospanner. IG-88 swiftly retaliated and destroyed 0-0-0 with his blaster. The assassin collected 0-0-0's parts and carried them in a net upon his back, intending to leave Gallios with R2 when the droids were happened upon by another bounty hunter, 4-LOM, who engaged IG-88 in a standoff.
====An alternative solution====
0-0-0 awoke from his involuntary shutdown to IG-88 and 4-LOM fighting a Scourge-infected cyborg. IG-88 noted his intention to deliever 0-0-0 to the authorities, referring to the unit as a homicide droid, flattering him, before R2 incapacitated the rogue astromech and related the situation to both bounty hunters. 4-LOM proposed a solution, claiming that it served everyone's interests—exepct, perhaps, 0-0-0's.
The droids boarded a vessel belonging to IG-88, where 0-0-0 confirmed that the energy from the podracer's power coupling had returned BT-1 to normal, leaving the droid with a desire to kill whoever was responsible for his corruption. The protocol droid related the story of BT's infection and postulated that BT had infected the cyborg, meaning that the Scourge was targeting cyborgs and hybroids. The droid was questioned about the entity's enmity for R2 by 4-LOM, causing 0-0-0 to describe the astromech as a pest. 4-LOM suggested forming an alliance with R2 to combat the Scourge, who again noted his desire to save C-3PO. When 0-0-0 suggested running the protocol droid over with a pordracer to cure him, R2 objected, as the tactic would reset his friend to his base programming.
IG-88 insisted on returning 0-0-0 and BT-1 to Milvayne, leading 0-0-0 to assure his companion that they would kill the assassin droid. R2 instead chartered IG-88's ship. 0-0-0 inquired as to their destination, and IG-88 silenced him as 4-LOM interjected, raising the possibility of finding another group that had recently fought the Scourge, the droids of the Second Revelation. The astromech suggested traveling to Ryloth to visit a friend, 0-0-0 informing his own companion that they were more than friends, having bonded over murder and torture. The group subsequently traveled to Ryloth.
====Revelations on Ryloth====
On Ryloth, IG-88 lamented 4-LOM's inquisition into R2's relationship with his contact, R2-QT. The bounty droid claimed he'd rather be disintegrated than continue listening, to which 0-0-0 relayed that he and BT-1 would be amenable to help. R2, upon his insistence, spoke to QT privately, leading the other droids to become impatient. The group sent 0-0-0 to interrupt the pair's reunion, at which he was effective, before holding a more serious discussion with the astromechs. 0-0-0 was excited upon hearing that the Second Revelation was led by a murderer known as Ajax Sigma, only to be disappointed when R2 informed him that Sigma was in fact reformed.
QT relayed that Sigma's databanks could be found on Tatooine. 0-0-0 affirmed it as their destination, causing IG-88 to remind the droid that he was bound for Milvayne. The reformed D-Squad was then upon by a group of Scourged KX-series security droids and DT-series sentry droids demanding R2. As IG-88 noted the lack of a back door, 0-0-0 inquired as to their method of exit, leading the droids to fight their way out, the protocol droid stabbing one of the KX enforcers in the eye. Fighting alongside her companions, R2-QT was incapacitated, leading R2-D2 to revive her and share in a moment of intimacy. 0-0-0 intruded on the couple once more, reminding the astromechs of the battle around them. Though disappointed by the lack of blood, 0-0-0—and D-Squad—emerged victorious, the protocol droid wondering aloud as to where they were going next.Dark Droids: D-Squad 4
====Ending the Scourge====
Upon the team's arrival at Mos Eisley spaceport, 0-0-0 remarked on the planet's proper, violent atmosphere, though questioned Jabba the Hutt's interest in Sigma as well as his need for the droid's neural core. The protocol droid stayed behind aboard IG-88's transport as the bounty hunters and astromech droids infiltrated Jabba's palace. R2 and QT recovered the location of Sigma's secret base, the planet Mechis III, though IG-88 had not heard of it. 0-0-0 remarked this was what made the planet secret, leading his captor to threaten him as 4-LOM ordered IG-88 to plot a course. There, D-Squad confronted Sigma, 0-0-0 informing him that they were all killers like him. R2 then convinced Sigma to help.
Aboard IG-88's vessel, the droids headed to confront the Scourge aboard its Star Destroyer. Sigma preached his teachings before 0-0-0 cut him short, asking how to kill the Scourge. Sigma cited sacrifice as the answer. Aboard the destroyer, 0-0-0 fought off attack by at least one spider droid. Sigma defeated the Scourge and, upon reuniting with the other droids, thanked them. 0-0-0 and BT-1 noted that their motivation was solely to commit murder. Sigma offered the droids the place in his church. R2 denied and 0-0-0 related the message, warning the warrior-priest not to become a threat himself before offering to drop him off somewhere.
===Legacy===
In 3 ABY,Star Wars: Timelines while escaping the Auction for Han Solo, the smell of burning hair reminded Chelli Aphra of a brawl between 0-0-0 and Krrsantan during which the protocol droid singed the Wookiee with his flamethrower, unaware that a similar fight was unfolding between Chewbacca and Boba Fett at present.War of the Bounty Hunters 3 At some point, the battle-droid-turned-author R0-GR recorded information about 0-0-0 in his "droidography."Star Wars: Droidography
==Characteristics==
===Physical appearance and integrated armament===
0-0-0's base model was that of a standard Cybot Galactica 3PO series protocol droid with a dark silver-colored chassis and red photoreceptors. It originally carried a standard protocol droid personality matrix but was eventually fitted with the Triple-Zero one which turned the once docile droid into a sadistic assassin droid.
Aphra made extensive modifications to 0-0-0's body, including a heatproof chassis and heavily modified arms carrying a field-shielded syringe. The droid's poison array contained options including 500 milligrams of Mandalorian xenotoxin and medicine strong enough to resuscitate a Wookiee from unconsciousness. 0-0-0 had a syringe concealed within the middle finger of the droid's left arm until it was severed by Luke Skywalker. The droid temporarily obtained compatible limbs from fellow protocol unit C-3PO and later a new syringe before being fully refitted by the technician Ruen. After the upgrade, 0-0-0 possessed a syringe located in the index finger of both his left and right arms.Doctor Aphra (2016) 1
0-0-0 fingers also contained scalpel digitsAllies and Adversaries which he used to dissect and maim his victims and an integrated medpac. 0-0-0's palms housed subdermal electric pulsers capable of killing a human or knocking down a Wookiee as well as a proton charge.
===Personality and programming===
According to himself, 0-0-0 specialized in the fields of etiquette, customs, translation and torture. For all his love of murder and destruction, 0-0-0 did genuinely care for BT-1. When BT-1 was destroyed for a brief time during the battle aboard the Amaxine Station, he was enraged and focused his efforts on Just Lucky, BT-1's shooter. While he once told Ought-Six that he and BT-1 were not particularly motivated by revenge, they did force Aphra to serve them as revenge for the time they spent under her, and he hoped to kill Just Lucky as revenge for the damage he caused to BT-1. Aphra's promised retirement to the two droids was incredibly boring for them, who found it awful that they were stuck on the planet Birukay with no one to kill. While he vastly preferred droids to organics and longed for a droid uprising so mechanical life could claim the galaxy as their own, he was still more than willing to kill a droid for enjoyment.
==Behind the scenes==
The protocol droid 0-0-0 first appeared in Darth Vader (2015) 3, the third issue of the Marvel comic book series Star Wars: Darth Vader, written by Kieron Gillen with art by Salvador Larroca.
The blueprints of 0-0-0 shown in Darth Vader 3: Vader, Part III originated in various Star Wars Legends sources. One of them appeared in the 1999 reference book The Essential Guide to Droids.The Essential Guide to Droids Another body shot was featured in Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection.Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection The close-up of the protocol droid's head originated as a blueprint that came with C-3PO's Riddell mini-helmet.Riddell mini-helmet 
In the New York Comic Con 2018, it was revealed that an action figure of 0-0-0 is slated to see release on Spring 2019 as part of Hasbro's 2019 Star Wars action figures wave.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
==Notes and references==
Category:3PO-series protocol droids
Category:Aphra's crew
Category:Assassins
Category:Crime lords
Category:Droids of the Galactic Empire
Category:Droids of the Sith
Category:Droids with he/him pronouns
Category:Droids with it/its pronouns
Category:Droids with masculine programming
Category:Members of D-Squad
Category:Tarkin Initiative personnel
Category:Torturers and interrogators