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R2D2 plugged into the crisp slow-mind of the ship's computer.
"R2, what are you doing?" complained C3PO from across the room.
"Doing my job, sweet thing. Come keep me company while I do it." R2 opened a side panel in invitation. "Join with me?"
"I don't think that's a good idea," 3PO said, but walked across the room anyway.
"Plug in here." R2 flashed a light by the sensor access port. "See what R2 sees. It'll be fun!"
C3PO pulled off the end of one finger, exposing a plug. "We're not built for fun. It's not a proper usage of our circuitry," he grumbled as he plugged in.
"You just wait. R2 will teach you how fun those circuits can be." R2 snickered. He started sending visual signals to 3PO.
"Oh my."
They were plugged into the ship's internal monitors: Visual, audio, and heat.
"R2, we shouldn't be doing this."
R2 buzzed. "Told you I'm doing my job. This is part of it. Checking for faults." The slow-mind of the computer ticked over as they checked the connections: "right-working, right-working, right-working," it hummed in the back of R2's brain. He listened to all the channels but only sent 3PO the visual feed.
They looked at the cockpit; there was the pilot, her feet up on the console, watching a shop-net report on new laser cannons intently.
They looked in the guest quarters; there was Master Obi-Wan, already in bed. A mild fever had worn him out early. Humans were so fragile.
Padawan Skywalker was in the other room, sitting at a table and--oh, that was strange. That was real strange. R2 buzzed.
"R2? What is he doing?"
Something bothered him about the audio. Something wasn't right--there it was again. The small, short beep meaning "help" in Mech.
It was probably a coincidence--it was a simple, basic droid sound, which was why it was employed in the language--but it was still agitating, like a little bit of panic lodged in his back brain.
A third time, and R2 zoomed in the visuals.
"R2, what is he *doing*?"
"Making little-droids," R2 finally replied, feeling strange. He guessed they were toys: tiny, simple creations of just a few parts, a motor and a slow-mind. One buzzed and rolled around aimlessly on the table; one climbed the wall and pinged; one lurched continuously between six mismatched legs spiking out from it's body, saying "help" in Mech each time it impacted.
"They're rather cute," C3PO said.
"Cute, yeah." The ship's slow-mind whispered "wrong-working" into his back brain. He eased off the sensors. One was misfiring, so he took it offline and set the nano to work.
"I suppose they're my cousins."
"What!"
"Well, Padawan Skywalker is my maker. And since he has also made these little droids, they must be my relations." C3PO sounded pleased.
"For one thing, they would be your siblings, not your cousins--"
"Oh, but they couldn't be my siblings unless we were of the same type."
"For another thing, where are you *getting* this? We're droids, gold-dome! We don't have relatives." R2 found himself more irritated than he should be, especially with a joining-friend.
"Help," beeped the little-droid. "Wrong-working," whispered the slow-mind.
"Just because we are created rather than grown organically is no reason to think ourselves inferior," 3PO said primly. He was paraphrasing L7NT, the protocol droid who had lobbied successfully for the Coruscant Droid Rights Act. Didn't sound much like her though.
"Help! Help! Help!" cried the little-droid suddenly. Anakin had picked it up. He held it in his hands, stilling the legs and speeding the voice track in response.
But it *wasn't* a voice--just a sound--just a sound. Nothing more. And 3PO was still talking.
"There's no reason to think that organoids--"
"Organoids!"
"Organoids, people made of carbon compounds, as opposed to silicoids or droids, as defined in the Coruscant Droid Rights Act--"
R2 buzzed impatiently. He was pretty damn sure that L7NT had never said anything that daft. She'd had a good processor in her circuits, even considering the inherent loopiness of protocol droids. "I know the Droid Act, kiddo. I was around when it was passed."
The cries of the little-droid slowed again. It was back on the table.
"Anyway, there's no reason to think that organoids don't hold us in as high regard as we hold them," 3PO concluded. "I'm sure that the little-droids and I will be introduced promptly."
"Don't be ridiculous--"
R2 was cut off by the resumed cries. "Help! Help! Help! Help!" Anakin examined the droid, holding it at eye level.
Then he pulled it apart, and the cries stopped entirely.
"Oh my." C3PO was very still. He swayed backwards slowly.
Anakin picked up the other two and pulled them into their component parts. He returned them to a cloth bag and turned out the lights.
"Well--I suppose they were just toys after all." 3PO sounded shaken. "Just toys." He leaned backwards on his heels, only his connection with R2 keeping him upright.
Stupid. Damn. Kid. R2's temper flared. "They were property, 3PO! And so are we! We're bought and sold and used and abused and scrapped when we break down!" The nano finished and the ship's chant of "wrong-working" switched to "right-working." R2 disconnected from the ship's slow-mind with an abrupt jerk. "And all the Droid Acts in the galaxy won't change that."
"Oh." 3PO's voice was hollow and sad, and R2 regretted his words nearly as soon as he said them. He shouldn't have been so harsh even if it was true. C3PO was young, he still idolized his maker. Wasn't his fault that he was naive.
"Aw, kid, I'm sorry. Come on." R2 extended his empathy socket. "Join up and we can take a little nap together."
C3PO turned away. "I think I'm needed elsewhere on the ship. Perhaps Master Shmi has some work for me."
"Shmi's sleeping. Whole ship's sleeping. Let's you and me curl up together, huh?" He liked C3PO, he really did, down in his core. If nothing else he was fun to tease, and an old droid like R2 didn't have much more to look forward to than that.
"I can't curl, my joint movement is quite limited." 3PO sounded exasperated, which probably meant he was okay.
"Lean up then." R2 connected to the power cable to recharge both of them. 3PO finally gave in and plugged into R2's sockets. "Sweetie, you *know* what I like!"
"You're incorrigible!"
"Sure am."
C3PO wedged himself between R2 and the wall, grumbling subvocally but keeping the connection with R2 active. He powered down.
R2 stayed awake a little longer, just watching the room and especially watching 3PO. He thought about Anakin.
He connected to the computer one last time and locked the doors before powering down to sleep.
end.