"I"m sorry, Jedi Solo. I thought you would know."
Like all droids aboard the Rockhound, Rockhound, BY2B"s voice was female and sultry. "I"m removing this laser cannon." BY2B"s voice was female and sultry. "I"m removing this laser cannon."
"I can see that," Jaina replied. "Why?"
"So I can take it to the maintenance shop," BY2B replied. "Captain Calrissian requested it. Since your starfighter is unflyable anyway, he thought it would be a good time to rebuild the weapon systems."
Jaina"s heart sank, but she wasted no time trying to convince BY2B she had been fooled. "When Lando issued this order, did you actually see see him?" him?"
"Oh, I rarely see see the captain. I"m not one of his favorites." BY2B swung her photoreceptors toward the hangar entrance, and a trio of red beams shot out to il-luminate a grimy speaker hanging next to the hatchway. the captain. I"m not one of his favorites." BY2B swung her photoreceptors toward the hangar entrance, and a trio of red beams shot out to il-luminate a grimy speaker hanging next to the hatchway.
"The order came over the intercom."
"Of course it did." Jaina pointed her lightsaber at the nearly dismounted laser cannon. "Any chance you can reattach that and get it working in the next minute- anda- half?"
"No chance at all, Jedi Solo. Reattaching the power-feeds alone would take ten times that long."
"How"d I know you were going to say that?" Jaina growled. She turned away and hopped down onto the deck. "All right-finish removing it and prep the craft for launch."
"I"m sorry, that"s impossible," BY2B replied. "Even if we had the necessary parts, I"m not qualified to make repairs. The specifications for this craft weren"t included in my last service update."
"I flew it in in here, didn"t I?" Jaina retorted. "Just tell me you haven"t been mucking around with the torpedo launchers, too." here, didn"t I?" Jaina retorted. "Just tell me you haven"t been mucking around with the torpedo launchers, too."
"This craft has torpedo launchers torpedo launchers?" BY2B asked.
Jaina rolled her eyes, wondering exactly when the droid"s last service update had been, then rushed over to a small locker area at the edge of the hangar. She activated the lighting, flipped the toggle switch on the ancient intercom unit in the wall, and stepped into the StealthX flightsuit she had left hanging at launch- ready.
A moment later, Lando"s voice crackled out of the tiny speaker. "Yes, Jaina Jaina? What can I I do for do for you? you? " "
Jaina frowned. The voice certainly sounded sounded like Lando"s. "How about a status report?" she asked, pushing her arms through the like Lando"s. "How about a status report?" she asked, pushing her arms through the suit sleeves. "My StealthX is really messed up. No use taking it out."
"My, that is that is too too bad," Lando"s voice said. "But don"t be bad," Lando"s voice said. "But don"t be con con cerned. Ar- en- eight has cerned. Ar- en- eight has near near ly sorted out the sys- ly sorted out the sys- tem problems." problems."
"Great." Jaina sealed the flightsuit"s front closure and stepped into her boots. "I"ll head aft and check out the hyperdrive."
"Oh." Lando"s voice seemed surprised. "That won"t be nec nec essary. Ar- en- eight is running diag essary. Ar- en- eight is running diag nos nos tics now. tics now.
I"m sure the Em- Nine- O and his crew can han han dle any dle any nec nec essary re essary re pairs. pairs. " "
And his his crew. If there had been any doubt before, now Jaina crew. If there had been any doubt before, now Jaina knew knew she was talking to an imposter. Not long ago, Lando had confided to Jaina that the only way he had survived all those solitary prospecting trips early in his career was to close his eyes whenever one of the she was talking to an imposter. Not long ago, Lando had confided to Jaina that the only way he had survived all those solitary prospecting trips early in his career was to close his eyes whenever one of the Rockhound Rockhound droids spoke and imagine she was a beautiful woman. He would never have referred to M9EO as a male. droids spoke and imagine she was a beautiful woman. He would never have referred to M9EO as a male.
Jaina grabbed her helmet and gloves out of the locker, then said, "Okay. If you"ve got everything under control, I"m going to stop by my bunk and grab some shut-eye before my shift comes up."
"Yes, why don"t you you do that?" The voice sounded al-most relieved. "I"ll do that?" The voice sounded al-most relieved. "I"ll wake wake you if anything comes you if anything comes up. up. " "
"Sounds good. See you in four hours."
Jaina flicked off the intercom switch, then started back toward her StealthX, securing her helmet and glove seals as she walked. Gullible, no Force- presence, and a terrible liar- the Voice definitely belonged to a stowaway droid, probably one sent by the Sith. That made enough sense that Jaina felt vaguely guilty for not antic.i.p.ating the tactic in time to prevent the sabotage.
The only thing she didn"t didn"t understand was why the Sith hadn"t just rigged the fusion core to blow. A understand was why the Sith hadn"t just rigged the fusion core to blow. A living living stowaway they might have valued enough to work out an escape plan- but a stowaway they might have valued enough to work out an escape plan- but a droid droid ? She could not imagine that any Sith deserving of the name would give a second thought to sacrificing a droid. ? She could not imagine that any Sith deserving of the name would give a second thought to sacrificing a droid.
Jaina reached her StealthX and found BY2B standing behind the far wing, holding the last laser- cannon in her heavy cargo arms. Jaina did a quick visual inspection of the bedraggled starfighter, then asked, "Is she ready to fly?"
"Ready would be an overstatement," BY2B answered. "But the craft is capable of launching. I would be an overstatement," BY2B answered. "But the craft is capable of launching. I do do hope you checked your flightsuit for vacuum hardiness." hope you checked your flightsuit for vacuum hardiness."
"No need- it"s not me me that will be going EV." Jaina ascended the short access ladder and climbed into the c.o.c.kpit. As she buckled herself in, she asked, "ByTwoBee, have you seen any new droids around here lately?" that will be going EV." Jaina ascended the short access ladder and climbed into the c.o.c.kpit. As she buckled herself in, she asked, "ByTwoBee, have you seen any new droids around here lately?"
"No," the droid said. "Not since departing Klatooine."
"Klatooine?" Jaina"s stomach began to grow cold and heavy. "Then you Jaina"s stomach began to grow cold and heavy. "Then you did did see a new droid before we left for the Maw?" see a new droid before we left for the Maw?"
"Indeed, I did," BY2B replied. "A Rebaxan MSE-6."
"A mouse mouse droid?" Jaina gasped. "And you didn"t report it?" droid?" Jaina gasped. "And you didn"t report it?"
"Of course not," BY2B said. "Captain Calrissian had warned me just a few minutes earlier to expect a courier shuttle delivering a new utility droid."
Jaina groaned and hit the pre- ignition engine heaters, then asked, "And I suppose he told you this over your internal comlink?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact," BY2B replied. "How did you know?"
"Because that wasn"t wasn"t Lando you heard," Jaina said, speaking through clenched teeth. "It was a sabotage droid programmed with an impersonation protocol." Lando you heard," Jaina said, speaking through clenched teeth. "It was a sabotage droid programmed with an impersonation protocol."
"Sabotage?"
STAR WARS:.
FATE OF THE JEDI: VORTEX.
By Troy Denning On Sale November 30, 2010
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