Delusions of Grandeur

13

Mechis III was a black world, its surface blanketed with slag and industrial debris, its continents covered with factories, processing centers, and automated assembly lines. It had originally been a lifeless planet with a breathable atmosphere, but ugly and barren—a place where huge factories could be set up without local inhabitants complaining about environmental damage. Better here, everyone agreed, than on some world worth saving.

Mechis III served its purpose, as evidenced by the proliferation of droids throughout the galaxy. Other planets, such as Telti, produced high-quality droids as well, but for generations this had been the center of the industry.

During the last days of the Empire, though, Mechis III had undergone a turbulent upheaval, which was largely undocumented. The supervisors of the automated assembly lines had been killed, but the mechanized, self-sufficient systems had continued regular production, unsupervised, for some time. In fact, several years had passed before anyone even noticed that the human attendants were no longer alive!

In the meantime, the systems had fallen into disarray. Programming glitches and minor breakdowns went unrepaired and gradually compounded themselves into worse disasters.

Thus, by the time Raynar’s uncle took on the immense project of restoring Mechis Ill’s former glory, entire sections of the factory had been blackened, burnt out, or shut down from lack of power. Much of the machinery lay in disrepair or total ruin. But Tyko Thul had promised to bring the place to peak production levels and had succeeded admirably—at least until he was kidnapped by an assassin droid.

Now Raynar vowed he would not let all of his uncle’s work go to waste….

As the Rock Dragon approached Mechis III, Jaina looked out the front windowports at the landscape far below. The lights of a thousand factories glittered like bright embroidery across the slag-covered surface. Beside her, Raynar sat in Lowbacca’s accustomed copilot’s seat, though the young man did not venture to help with the actual flying. Jaina did it all with only Em Teedee’s assistance—which made her miss Lowie even more.

Jacen and Tenel Ka sat beside each other in the back, talking quietly. “Say,” Jacen said, “what does an Imperial Star Destroyer wear to a formal occasion?”

“Why would Imperial Star Destroyers wear anything?” Tenel Ka asked. The warrior girl from Dathomir seemed to enjoy frustrating him, and Jacen never failed to rise to the challenge.

“Still don’t quite have the hang of these jokes, do you?” he said in exasperation. “Come on, you know that’s not the right response.”

“Very well,” Tenel Ka said with the barest smile, “what does an Imperial Star Destroyer wear to a formal occasion?”

“A bow TIE!”

Jaina groaned. “That one’s bad even for you, Jacen. I think we may have to strand you here on Mechis III.”

Raynar leaned forward in the copilot’s seat to study the view, eager and nervous at the same time. “I’ve got coordinates for the administrative headquarters,” he said. “My mother sent them. If Uncle Tyko left any messages, that’s where they’ll be.”

“All right,” Jaina said, thankful to turn back to flying the ship, “key the coordinates into the navicomputer and we’ll be on our way.” The blond young man blinked in surprise that she would have him do the work. Jaina raised her eyebrows. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

With obvious pleasure, Raynar quickly punched in the data and changed course down to the industrial planet. After cruising through thick clouds of obscuring smoke, Jaina brought the Rock Dragon down on the roof of the administration towers.

Raynar was the first to the hatch. Jaina picked up Em Teedee, tucked the little droid under one arm, and opened the passenger shuttle. Gusts of smoky air drifted in, smelling of burnt chemicals and ozone.

The companions stepped out and gazed around at the skyline. Lightning rods spiked upward from the corners of the tallest buildings, drawing down static in discharge blasts. Towering factories spewed exhaust into the air, and black clouds simmered just above the tops of smokestacks.

Tenel Ka drew a deep breath, scowled, then took a more cautious sniff. “The air is … brooding.” She looked up at the blackness in the sky. In the distance lightning flickered. “Perhaps a storm is approaching.”

“I think that’s just the pollution, Tenel Ka,” Jacen said.

A roof doorway opened, ratcheting on tracks that had not been lubricated in a long time. A platinum-colored protocol droid emerged, an older model that still managed to move with well-oiled grace.

“You are not authorized to be here. No visitors allowed.” Its voice was harsher, less silken than See-Threepio’s. “You must depart immediately … or accept the consequences.”

Em Teedee made a disbelieving sound that was muffled slightly by Jaina’s arm. “Well, really! I am authorized translating droid Em Teedee, and my companions are students at the Jedi academy on Yavin 4. I can assure you we have every right to be here.”

“I am Threedee-Fourex, official protocol droid and welcoming committee—and you are not welcome,” the protocol droid snapped.

“Protocol droid, indeed!” Em Teedee scoffed. “I should say your programming requires significant adjustment, not to mention your manners.”

Threedee-Fourex continued to block their path. “Go away. If you were the Emperor himself you would not be wanted here.”

“The Emperor is dead,” Jaina said, “and we have business on Mechis III.” The protocol droid did not budge.

Finally Raynar stepped forward. “I am Raynar Thul, nephew of Tyko Thul, the administrator of this facility. In his absence, I have come to see that his business affairs run smoothly until he returns.”

“You are not essential to this operation,” Threedee-Fourex said. “Your presence will complicate matters unnecessarily.”

Raynar drew himself up with all the dignity and determination his noble upbringing had given him. “And a mere protocol droid is not authorized to make that decision. Now show me to my uncle’s offices. We have work to do.”

“I will do no such thing,” Threedee-Fourex said, then swiveled about. “It would violate my current priority programming—which is to keep guests away. Depart immediately, or I shall be forced to take extreme measures.”

Tenel Ka withdrew her lightsaber, but did not switch it on. “We are Jedi Knights, droid.” She held the rancor-tooth handle with studied nonchalance. “Your ‘extreme measures’ would be useless against the Force.”

After reconsidering the situation, the protocol droid scuttled away. The companions hurried after him, catching a lift platform that took them down several levels to the main administrative floors. But Threedee-Fourex had disappeared.

Raynar frowned. “Oh well, we don’t really need him anyway. We can use one of these wall diagrams to find my uncle’s office.”

Jaina activated the computerized map and plotted the shortest route to Tyko Thul’s suite of rooms. A few minutes later Raynar stood looking through the doorway in a heavy bulkhead that led into a spacious room. “Here’s the head office,” he said.

A desk, sitting area, and beverage center all sat carefully arranged in front of a wall of windows that provided a spectacular, if frightening, view of the grim industrial landscape. Computer screens lined a desktop piled high with old manifests, outdated production quotas, repair logs, and rebuilding plans. A set of holographic models shimmered on one corner of the desktop, showing projected upgrades to machinery and factory lines.

“My uncle told me he ran all of Mechis III from his office,” Raynar said. “We can use this as our command center. Luckily, the systems are pretty well automated, so I should only have to keep an eye on the most important functions.”

“Sounds like a big job, Raynar,” Jacen said.

The young man nodded gravely. “Yes, but it’s something I need to do … for my family. My mother would consider it great training.” I hope Uncle Tyko would be proud of me.” He sniffed. “One thing I intend to do is program certain droids to be more courteous!”

Raynar went to the desk console and checked the screens. He found a glowing icon that said “Current Operational Status,” and touched it. The screen lit up.

Suddenly loud alarms blared throughout the room. A harsh mechanized voice bellowed from the speakers. “Intruder alert! Security lockdown initiated.”

“Uh, wait!” Raynar said. “I didn’t mean—”

The heavy bulkhead door to Tyko’s office slammed shut with a thunderous clang, like an ore hauler crashing into a rock wall. Pneumatic locks hissed as the door sealed itself in place.

“Oh my!” Em Teedee wailed. “We’re trapped!”

Drawing her lightsaber, Tenel Ka sprang to a fighting stance.

“Oh, blaster bolts. Now we’re in for it,” Jacen groaned, looking frantically around. “I’ll bet Threedee-Fourex is laughing at us right now.”

Jaina ran over to the computer console and nudged Raynar aside to see if she could deactivate the alarm. Glancing up, she suddenly noticed targeting lasers at the four corners of the ceiling. The weapons began to move, using motion sensors to acquire their marks.

“Laser cannons! Get them before they get us,” she cried.

Jacen immediately saw the threat and drew his own lightsaber. Its emerald-green blade sprang out, ready for action. Needing neither explanation nor guidance, Tenel Ka streaked to the opposite side of the room, ready to do her part.

A brilliant laser danced out, leaving a black smoking crater in the floor at Raynar’s feet. He yelped and lunged out of the way.

Jaina ducked, still hunched over the computer but with senses alert for any other blasts. She scrambled at the controls, working to open the heavy door. “Run for cover, Raynar,” she called, and the blond-haired young man dove under the solid desk.

Feeling a warning through the Force, Jaina threw herself to one side as a laser bolt sizzled very close to where she had been standing. Then she leapt back to her work, trying to understand the ancient automated systems. “Come on,” she muttered, “how does this work?” She fervently wished Lowie were there—he could always figure out strange computer systems.

Tenel Ka held her lightsaber in her hand, its deep turquoise throbbing with power as she slashed upward. The glowing blade severed the nearest targeting laser, leaving a stump of smoldering plasteel that sizzled and sparked.

Jacen chopped another of the weapons to pieces. “Two down,” he said, “two to go.” Instinctively working as a team, he and the warrior girl streaked toward opposite corners of the room.

The remaining weapons fired a dizzying web of laser bolts, which the young Jedi easily managed to dodge by letting the Force guide them. Jaina wondered if the targeting sensors had malfunctioned or if they were merely inaccurate. It seemed unlikely the powerful weapons would miss so many times. Perhaps office security upgrades were not among the high-priority repairs Tyko Thul had completed. She was thankful for that at least.

Jacen swiped with his lightsaber blade again, trashing the third of the weapons. Lasers burned scars into the walls like black bullet holes.

Jaina punched a final sequence into the computer, hoping she had guessed the proper string of commands—and heard a hissing thunk as the door unsealed. It didn’t raise of its own accord, but at least the bulkhead was unlocked and they could lift it now. “To the door!”

Smashing the final laser cannon, Tenel Ka stood proudly under the rain of shrapnel. “We are safe,” she announced. But loud alarms continued to blare.

Jaina still felt uneasy. “We don’t know what other security forces might be coming,” she said. “Better get out of these offices until the clamor dies down.” She ran to the heavy metal bulkhead. “Help me with this. We’ll need to lift it ourselves.”

Together, the companions heaved, using their muscles and their Jedi strength. The heavy door reluctantly rolled up into its socket….

And there, looming in the doorway, was the towering assassin droid IG-88, just waiting for them. Blinking red lights flared like the eruptions of miniature volcanoes in its conical head.

“Look out!” Jaina cried.

The assassin droid moved smoothly, relentlessly, raising both of its powerful metallic arms. IG-88 spoke no threat, but it clearly meant to take deadly action. In one arm its built-in blaster cannon powered up; in the other, a concussion grenade levered into place, ready for launch. The droid aimed its weapons and prepared to fire on the young Jedi Knights.

“Wait!” a man’s voice shouted. “I command you to stop!”

A moment later, Tyko Thul himself appeared from the shadows! His face was flushed, and his eyes showed annoyance rather than fear. Raynar’s supposedly kidnapped uncle, dressed in the garishly colored robes of the house of Thul, glared at the young Jedi Knights, then scowled directly at Raynar.

“Well, what are you doing here, boy?” Tyko demanded with a tremendous sigh. “Now you’ve ruined everything!”