"The New Rebellion (Kristine Rusch)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)And he put his hand heavily on R2's head for good measure. The clang of metal
against metal echoed in the hangar. They passed dozens of X-wings in various states of disrepair. Through open hangar doors were Y-wings and A-wings that had been disassembled. And in a final hangar, new craft glistened, cleaning droids polishing the luminescent metal. Finally they stopped. The Kloperian pointed to a battered and scarred X- wing in pieces on the hangar floor. R2 moaned. 3PO approached the pieces. "Oh, dear," he said. "Master Luke relies on this craft." "We'll have it reassembled for him in two days," the Kloperian said. R2 whistled and beeped. "My counterpart wants to know why it had to be dismantled in the first place." "Orders," the Kloperian said. "These old X-wings have too many problems to fly across the galaxy without an occasional overhaul." R2 cheebled. "My counterpart says the ship was in perfect condition." "Well, he's wrong," the Kloperian said. "Amateur upkeep is no substitute for a major revamp." R2 shrilled. "R2!" 3PO said. "I'm so sorry, sir. He was close to the X-wing. He's afraid you've damaged it permanently." "I haven't touched it," the Kloperian said. "And now that you've seen it, you can report on its condition to your master. The exit is through that door." 3PO nodded. "Come along, R2. We must talk with Master Luke." R2 gave a warbling sigh. He stopped beside the X-wing "R2!" 3PO said. "We've seen enough." "You might want to tell your master to purge that astromech unit's memory. The R2 unit is seriously dated as it is, and with the new changes in ship design it will be obsolete in a matter of months." A cylindrical arm extended from R2's left side, the side away from the Kloperian. "I will certainly inform Master Luke," 3PO said. "This little R2 unit has been trouble from the day he bought it." "They all have," the Kloperian said. "Now you two get out of here before I take you out myself." "Yes, sir! Come along, R2." R2's arm slid back into its compartment. He put his third wheel down and rolled toward the exit. "Thank you, sir, for showing us the X-wing," 3PO said as he scurried after R2. "I will most certainly speak to our master about you-" And then he stopped as the bay doors closed behind them. R2 let out a long, pitiful wail. "I think you're overreacting, R2. The X-wing isn't dead. It's merely disassembled." 3PO hurried down the corridor. R2 beeped as he kept up. "Erase its memory? But Master Luke gave specific instructions that the X- wing's memory shouldn't be touched." R2 bleeped an affirmative. "But that doesn't mean there's a conspiracy, R2. Organic beings are subject to error." R2 whistled and shrilled. "Very well, then," 3PO said. "You can believe what you want. But you'll tell Master Luke yourself. I'll have no part in such flights of fancy." R2 grunted. "Still," 3PO said as they left the hangar and entered the upper level of |
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