"The New Rebellion (Kristine Rusch)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

with the twins, Jacen and Jaina, and their brother, Anakin. This morning had
been particularly difficult for 3PO. The children had planned their assault
the night before. They had not done their homework on the origins of the Old
Republic, and to distract 3PO, they had staged a small food fight.
The distraction had succeeded. 3PO, covered with salthia beans and
curdled milk, tried to discover how the food fight had started. He kept asking
how food got into the nursery, although as the fight progressed, he bemoaned
the children's lack of discipline.
The lack of discipline became most evident when Mistress Leia and Master
Solo left. They were indulgent parents. Winter, who had helped raise all three
children from infancy, at least understood the value of discipline.
Fortunately, she had arrived before Anakin located his slingshot.
She had eased 3PO out the door and told him to rest. He had tried to
inform her that droids did not need rest, but she had smiled at him knowingly.
Long after she had shut the nursery door, he still stood outside it, perhaps
confused by the order to rest, or perhaps unwilling to leave the scene of the
latest disaster.
The entry to the nursery belied the chaos within. The room was octagonal,
with chairs resting against each small wall. It had once been a listening
chamber off an important meeting room. The room was rarely used as more than a
hallway. No one sat in the chairs, and the children did little more than skate
across the marble in their stocking feet. The cleaning droid assigned to this
wing had complained of streak marks more than once.
A clatter in the hallway made 3PO look up. The clatter resolved itself
into whirring footsteps. The door slid up, and a nanny droid glided in. Her
four hands were clasped over her aproned stomach. Her silver eyes glowed and
her mouth turned upward in a permanent look of good humor.
"C-3PO?" Her voice was modulated for warmth. "I am TD-L3.5. I am here to
replace you as the children's nanny." "Oh, dear." 3PO looked over his shoulder
at the nursery door. "I was not informed of this." "It is," the nanny droid
said, "an unusual situation, after all. A protocol droid caring for children?
You have no synthetic flesh, no hug circuitry, and, quite frankly, my dear,
you are out-of-date. A few upgraded protocol droids have the programming to
handle such a difficult assignment, but-" "I assure you," 3PO said. "I have
served these children well." "I am sure you have." The nanny droid was clearly
humoring him. "And I am sure you will be well rewarded for your service. But I
am here to replace you." "I have heard nothing of this replacement," 3PO said.
"Droids are never informed-" "I have a special place in this family. I
cannot be dismissed like a-a-" "A rusting sanitation droid?" The nanny droid
clucked at him. "Certainly we overrate our importance, don't we?" "I do not
overrate my importance!" 3PO said. "I daresay I am the most humble droid I
know." "As you have told me quite often." Winter leaned against the doorjamb,
her tall frame filling it.
Jaina peeked out of Winter's skirts. "How can he be humble if that's all
he talks about?" Jaina asked.
"Hush, child," Winter said.
"Mistress Winter," 3PO said. "I do believe protocol demands that if
you're to replace me, you inform me first." "You're getting rid of 3PO?" Jacen
asked. He came to the door, his seven-year-old face a replica of Master
Solo's. "Really, Winter, you should know better. We pick on him, but that's