The Story of R2-AL

or How an Imperial Droid Became a Rebel Hero

R2-AL, aka AL, started as R2-X8, an Imperial droid serving on a spy ship stationed in the Outer Rim. He was modified to oversee the ship's onboard computers and make quick repairs. He was also retrofitted with long-range scanners as part of an advance detection radar system. It was also up to Exate to boost the rockets for quick getaways.

During the Battle of Yavin, Exate's ship hid on the opposite side of Tatooine to avoid detection. Unfortunately, a rebel cruiser was also stationed there to protect that side of the planet. The cruiser immediately recognized the spy ship and, before Exate could activate the booster rockets, obliterated it. Exate was the only one to survive, crashing into the sands of Tatooine.

Tatooine is full of scavenging creatures called Jawas. Misunderstood and underated, they collect and repair the junk that falls into their territory. Jawas are family-oriented social creatures that live in Sandcrawlers, giant mobile collection/repair stations with living quarters. Several families can live in a single Sandcrawler. But even Jawas have "black sheep" in their families. Jawa Jaka is a loner who prefers to live in tents and small shelters. Unsocial, unhappy, and unjustifiably lonely, he wonders the sands eeking out a living selling any junk he finds. So, when Jaka happened upon Exate half-buried and barely alive, all Jaka could think of was no one would buy this piece of junk. About to leave Exate buried in the sand, Jaka had a change of heart when he heard a faint cry from Exate.

Taking pity on the little droid, Jaka unburied him and took him to Mos Espa, where he rented a small shop with tools in exchange for janitorial duties for the owner's other shop rentals. Scraping off the black Imperial paint, he noticed that Exate was really make of shiny aluminum. Jaka renamed him R2-AL.

During the two years it took to rebuild AL, Jaka began to transform himself, becoming more social and taking pride in his work. Jaka had never refurbished a droid before, so he got a lot of local help. He became fond of AL, referring to him as "son". Jaka also became somewhat sympathetic to the rebel cause, as did AL. Jaka fitted AL with a chip to give AL a personality, although no one could figure out what exactly that personality was. That is, until Jaka and AL overheard a conversation between two stormtroopers about another Death Star in the works.

While Jaka preferred to stay out of the whole Imperial/Rebel affair, and staying out of politics altogether, AL insisted he had to join the fight. The two came to an agreement; Jaka would stay behind as a rebel spy and AL would go to Hoth to help with the tracking system. It took a lot of convincing the rebel army, but with AL's highly sophisticated computer systems array and tracking devices, knowledge of Imperial systems, and his strong determination, AL was finally allowed to serve at Hoth. It was AL that alerted the rebel army of the arrival of Imperial troops, thus setting off a chain of events that led to the evacuation of Echo Base on Hoth, saving countless of rebel lives.

AL and Jawa Jaka have both been decorated for their bravery during the Battle of Hoth. A new paint job has given AL a hammered-iron and bronze look, giving him the nickname Hammerin' AL. He is still devoted to Jawa Jaka, whom he calls Dad, and to the rebel cause. What started as an impersonal Imperial droid has now become a loyal rebel hero.