Star Wars - 165 - The New Rebellion - Kristine Kathryn Rusch by Star Wars

Author:Star Wars
Format: mobi
Published: 2009-08-04T04:00:00+00:00

Night had fallen on Coruscant. The streetlights were on, but they cast a pale glow over the rubble that still marred the outside of the Senate Hall. 3PO stopped outside the restricted area, but R2 kept going, his headlamp making a circle of light through the gloom.

"I will not go any farther," 3PO said. "That blaster shot damaged your circuits. I'm going to report you to Mistress Leia."

R2 blasted a raspberry at him.

"R2, really, this is nonsense. Master Cole is quite an efficient technician, but he is not a droid repairman. He wouldn't know if your memory chips were damaged. You need to have someone professional go over your circuits. You're not acting like yourself." 3PO waited outside the lines marking off the restricted area. R2 cast his headlamp on some of the rubble, then continued forward.

"R2!"

R2 bleeped at him.

3PO gasped. "You malfunctioning little twerp! You have no right to call me names, not when I have your own best interest at heart."

R2 beeped three times.

"You do not have the Republic's interest at heart. You don't have a heart!" R2 disappeared into the ruined building.

"You can't go in there!" 3PO said. "It's not safe! The roof will cave in on you!" R2 whistled. The sound echoed from inside.

"Found something?" 3PO said. "How could R2 find something when the investigators didn't?" He stepped over the line and into the rubble. "I'm coming, R2!"

R2 did not respond. 3PO tilted his body and rested a golden hand against the rubble to brace himself.

"R2, wait for me!"

R2 whistled again, then beeped.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" 3PO said, and then added softly, "Slave driver." A huge pile of rubble blocked the door. The rubble was made up of parts of the ceiling, permacrete, and masonry that had broken off during the explosion. Much of it was covered with blood. A faint light shone through the dirt-strewn corridor. Pieces of droids—mostly protocol droids—littered the floor. Hands stuck through the broken masonry. Charred heads stared darkly at the gloom. R2 chirruped a caution.

"I am being careful of the wires," 3PO said, "although I can't believe they'd still be live. It would help if you came in here and cast a light on my path."

R2 beeped.

"No, I am not being unreasonable."

R2 beeped again.

"And no, I am not following you. I am keeping an eye on you. Someone has to. You sustained serious damage, and I'm still not certain if you're in your right circuitry."

R2 raspberried him again.

"I don't care what you call me. Most droids would need three days of maintenance just to get the carbon scoring off their plates. You go bustling off after a few moments, muttering something about having the solution to the bombing. I don't understand how getting hit with a blaster would give you any kind of solution at all."

3PO rounded the corner. R2 was standing near the rubble closest to the door of the Senate Hall. Most of the dirt had been cleared away, leaving electronic parts, broken metal, and ruined communications devices.

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