Delusions of Grandeur

18

Steam hissed on the primary droid assembly line. The pungent smells of molten plasteel, lubricants, and hot machinery filled the air.

“Best droid enhancements anywhere in the galaxy,” Tyko Thul said with obvious pride, gesturing toward the rows of conveyor belts. “Manufactured right here and subjected to the most rigorous quality control you’ll find anywhere. I’m sure you can find anything you need.”

Flustered, Jaina continued to tinker with Em Teedee, wondering what parts she might “need.” She turned the little droid around in her hands so he could better view the dozens of assembly lines that stretched for kilometers down the length of the utilitarian facility.

“Why, it’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Em Teedee said in a reverent voice. “I am dreadfully sorry to be so much trouble. I never meant to impose. I m certain you all have more urgent matters to attend to.”

Jaina raised the silvery oval to her eye level and looked earnestly into his yellow optical sensors. “It’s all right. You’re important to us too, you know.”

“Come now, my dear little droid,” Tyko said. “You must allow me to give you a gift as thanks for all you’ve done to help protect the Thul family. Besides, I’m delighted at the opportunity to demonstrate our workmanship in such a practical way. Go ahead, feel free to select any enhancements that interest you.”

“That’s a terribly gracious offer,” Em Teedee said in a warbling voice. “I can’t help but think that if I’d had a few more enhancements—if I were a bit more useful—Master Lowbacca might not have left me behind.”

“Take your pick, Em Teedee,” Jacen said. “Plenty to choose from.”

“Do you not wish to be enhanced?” Tenel Ka asked. “Consider the question well.” After the warrior girl’s arm had been severed in a lightsaber training accident, Tenel Ka had struggled with whether or not to use a synthetic arm. In the end, she had decided against it.

“Perhaps I should start by showing you what’s available?” Tyko suggested with a broad gesture.

For the next two hours Em Teedee was as happy as a child in a plaything emporium. Jaina could understand the feeling, since she was almost as fascinated by the endless possibilities as the little droid was. They considered enhanced optical sensors, motion detectors, new remote analysis routines.

“Dear me! I’ve always been a simple translating droid,” Em Teedee said. “Whatever would I do with so many capabilities?”

“Ah, then you might be interested in our linguistic upgrades.” Tyko held up a new traced-circuit crystal. “Here on Mechis III we produce a variety of modules containing anywhere from ten languages to ten million, depending on what a particular droid is required to know.”

“I’m afraid Em Teedee’s processor wasn’t designed to handle a million languages,” Jaina said. “He just doesn’t have that kind of capacity.”

“No,” Tyko agreed. “But a few—say, ten— additional languages shouldn’t strain his capacity.”

Unaccustomed to being the center of attention, Em Teedee listened to each opinion before making his choice. In the end, he selected a secondary protocol module that added ten of the most frequently used languages in the galaxy to those he already had.

When the installation process was finished, Jaina closed the silvery casing. “Well, Em Teedee, how does it feel?”

Why, it reels absolutely … ops’nyzh! That is an expression that means ‘approaching euphoric’ in the Bothan language. Oh—I didn’t know that word before. Now I am fluent in over sixteen forms of communication!”

Em Teedee decided against adding an obscure idiom analysis chip, but at the next assembly line, he discovered an unexpected enhancement opportunity that was too enticing to turn down: his own repulsor unit. “Just think of it,” the droid said, “complete mobility for the first time since I was activated!”

“Hey, yeah. We wouldn’t have to carry you around all the time when Lowie’s not here,” Jacen said.

That clinched it. The companions needed to offer no further encouragement for Em Teedee to accept the enhancement.

Jaina brought out her multitool and commandeered a set of specialized instruments from one of the assembly lines. She fitted a narrow circular collar with a hundred mircorepulsorjets to the base of Em Teedee’s oblong head.

“There,” she said, tightening the last tiny bolt into place. Em Teedee’s optical sensors gleamed with curiosity. “The controls are wired directly into your processor. By selecting the number, strength, and location of the repulsors operating at a given time, you should be able to maneuver in any direction.”

“Oh, thank you, Mistress Jaina. This is even more exciting than the waterproofing gaskets you outfitted me with.”

“Well, try it out,” Raynar said. “Let’s see you move.”

The repulsorjets whispered, and the ovular miniaturized droid lifted from the table like a levitating ball. “This seems simple enough,” Em Teedee said. “I think I’ll try going a little higher.”

The little droid rocketed toward the far distant ceiling like a projectile fired from a cannon. His speaker grille sounded in alarm, and the next thing Jaina heard was a metallic clang as Em Teedee struck one of the overhead support girders.

“Em Teedee, be careful up there!” she called.

Next the silvery oval came down, only to streak past them, moving sideways down the long corridor, out of control. “Help! Please help! Dear me!”

“The lateral thrusters seem to be working well,” Tyko said calmly.

“Dampen the output!” Jaina cried. “Use your collision-avoidance routines.”

Em Teedee managed to reverse himself and shot back toward them. Flying upside down, the translating droid circled the table where Jaina had performed her modifications. “How very odd! Everything seems to have changed. What have I done? Were my optical sensors damaged when I hit the ceiling? I’m doomed! Now I shall be dismantled for scrap metal—”

Jaina reached out and twisted the little droid in the air, righting him. “There. Now take a look around.”

Em Teedee hovered, wobbling as he adjusted repulsors to maintain his balance. “Oh my, this is quite disorienting. I never realized how challenging mobility could be.”

“Just think of it as your baby steps.” Jacen grinned as they gathered around the upgraded droid. “You just need a little more practice.”

Em Teedee’s golden optical sensors flickered. “Ah, that’s better. My gyroscopes and coordinate sensors needed to be recalibrated. I’m certain I’ll be much more stable now—so long as I proceed with caution. Just let me get my bearings and—oh! Look out behind you!” he wailed.

Suddenly a compelling voice rang out through the echoing lower levels. “Stop right there! I’ve got blasters aimed at you. No one moves—no one gets hurt.”

Raynar knew the voice, though he couldn’t place it in the flash of adrenaline that surged through his bloodstream. Surprisingly, his Jedi senses told him that this voice brought no threat, no danger, despite the words.

“No fast moves now. Everyone, raise your hands and turn toward me.”

Raynar turned to face a pair of blasters pointing at their little group, but the intruder lurked in shadow behind the assembly line machinery. Then a young man stepped forward, emerald-green eyes wide with amazement. His long dark hair had come loose from the thong at the base of his neck.

“Why, Master Zekk, what a great pleasure it is to see you again!” Em Teedee caroled from somewhere over Raynar’s head.

“Zekk!” Jaina cried out, her face suddenly turning a flattering shade of pink.

The young bounty hunter looked tired. Smudges of filthy lubricants stained his cheeks and forehead, and one sleeve of his tight-fitting uniform was scorched through. “Jaina! Jacen!” He gaped at the others around him. “What are you all doing here?”

“Hey, Zekk,” Jacen replied with a welcoming grin. “Kind of a rough way to say hello, isn’t it?”

“Greetings,” Tenel Ka said.

As Zekk lowered his weapons, Jaina launched herself into his arms and twirled him in a happy hug. “It’s so good to see you again! Did you get my holomessages? Hey, how did you make it past the targeted lasers?”

Zekk indicated the singed place on his arm. “It wasn’t easy.”

Tyko chose this moment to break up the reunion. “More to the point, my young hoodlum, what are you doing here? What business do you have threatening us? You’re lucky IG-88 didn’t blast you to cinders.”

Zekk took a moment to holster his weapons and give Jaina a real hug before looking directly into Tyko’s eyes. “I take it you’re Tyko Thul? I was hired to rescue you. But it looks like I’m a bit late for that.”

Tyko stared skeptically at Zekk. “Do you really expect me to believe you were hired to help me? A scruffy-looking bounty hunter like you? Aryn Dro Thul would hardly have contracted with some disreputable juvenile to come to my rescue. She could afford the most famous names in the business.”

Raynar considered this with surprise. Would his mother have hired Zekk? Remembering how the dark-haired young man had dumped him into the river mud during the Second Imperium’s attack, he still felt some resentment toward Zekk.

“First of all,” Zekk answered in a stern tone, “the ‘most famous names in the business’ are already out hunting for your brother. Second, it was Bornan Thul himself, not Aryn Dro, who hired me. He wore a disguise, but still risked his life to enlist my help. Just to find you. He attempted to remain anonymous, but I discovered his identity anyway.”

This news changed everything. Raynar’s face lit up. “You saw my father? Is he all right? Where is he? Can I go to him?”

Compassion showed in Zekk’s emerald eyes when he looked at the blond-haired boy. “He’s alive and healthy, at least—but he had to go back into hiding. Everyone is after him.”

“Why didn’t you simply bring him in, you fool?” Tyko snapped. “Aren’t you a bounty hunter? Our family would have rewarded you with more than enough credits to make it worth your while.”

“It was tempting,” Zekk admitted. “But that wouldn’t have been honorable. I can’t betray my employer.”

“Honor,” Tyko sneered. “Who ever heard of a bounty hunter concerned with his honor? Besides, Bornan left his entire family to think him kidnapped or dead, for who knows what reason. How honorable is that?”

Raynar rounded on his uncle. “All right, let’s discuss honor. Aren’t you the one who arranged to have yourself kidnapped, Uncle Tyko? You let Mi-believe you were in great danger. How honorable is that?”

“I had only the best of intentions, my dear boy,” Tyko blustered. “I just wanted to help my brother to—”

“Help? You tried to trick my father into revealing himself, without even knowing what he was hiding from. And you succeeded! If someone other than Zekk had found him, my father could be dead right now.”

“He’s right,” Zekk said. “I believe Bornan Thul is in hiding for a good reason. I can tell you for certain that his life is in danger. There were only two things he hired me for: to locate you”—this with an accusing glance at Tyko—“and to send a message to his family.”

Zekk reached into a pocket of his vest and pulled out a message packet. He tossed it to Raynar, who, though surprised, easily caught it. “Now I’ve fulfilled both parts of my job for him. If he’s smart, Bornan Thul won’t come out of hiding again without expert protection.”

“At least we know my father’s not hurt,” Raynar said. “Yet.”

“It is also fortunate no one was hurt by coming to Mechis III,” Tenel Ka said pointedly.

“Not hurt much, at least,” Jaina said, examining the burn on Zekk’s arm. She grinned at him and gave him another hug. “I’m glad you’re here. At least this time you didn’t show up in the middle of a bounty hunter attack, like you did at Alderaan!”