I haven’t yet mentioned my Jedi Master. Master Quimby-Gon Jinn has long brown
hair, which is now graying, and intense blue eyes. Though he and I were both a little
uncomfortable with my new additions, he was very supportive. He and Brenda, he told
me, had come up with a new plan to show the Jedi Council just how great this new droid
technology could be. He led me to a secluded laboratory hidden behind the tall buildings
of Coruscant.
“Here is your new counterpart,” he told me. “This robot was built from scratch,
unlike you. He does, however, have the same chip as you.” He gestured toward a
sheet-covered form. Brenda stepped into the room and removed the sheet. She inserted
the chip, and waited.
The robot sprang to life. I gasped. It looked exactly like Darth Maul! The
resemblance was uncanny! Then the robot opened his mouth, and I realized the
difference. His teeth were pearly white, not yellow and black like the real Maul. Still, I
was impressed.
“Robo-Maul is programmed to do good deeds wherever needed,” Brenda said,
grinning. “This will create much confusion around the Sith, and hopefully, help your case
as the first droid Jedi.”
My mouth hung open like a dead fish, so I clamped it shut. WHIRR, SNAP.
Dang those sound effects.
“Hello, my name is Robo-Maul,” sang the droid. “How may I serve you?”
His manners sickened even me.
“Great, huh?” Brenda asked. I wasn’t so sure. I nodded anyway.
“We will be sending him out to help in the streets of Coruscant shortly,”
Quimby-Gon said, nodding. “The two of you put together should convince the Council.”
I wanted to say, “yeah, right” but I held my tongue....synthetic tongue. Oh, how I hated
being a robot.
Brenda noticed the unhappy look on my face, and looked at me sympathetically.
Great, I thought. Now she feels sorry for me. She looked a little odd, as her face was
painted white, her lips red. She was preparing for another meeting with the Senate. Her
planet was in trouble with the Trade Federation. Still. The Senate still hadn’t done
anything to help Naboo.
I sighed. I hadn’t been training much since the operation. Mostly, my master and
I had been trying every way we could to win the Council’s approval. And, by the way, the
“assignment” they had given me was to free some sort of bird who had gotten itself stuck
between the tightly packed buildings of Coruscant. Now THAT burned. And, even
though I AM just a robot, I had to try very hard to control my anger.
I excused myself and headed home to check on my nephew.
* * *
“Ani?” I called as I opened the front door. “You home?”
“Hi, Uncle John-Wan!” Ani yelled as he rushed into the room. “What’s for
dinner?”
I laughed. “How’s pizza sound?” I asked, knowing what the answer would be.
“Wizards, yeah!”
“All right, I’ll order it. Set the table, okay?” Ani ran into the kitchen, nodding.
A holo-phone popped out of my right hand, and I called the local pizza place.
When it arrived (in thirty seconds or less), Ani and I sat down to our first family meal
since my “accident”. It was good seeing the sandy-brown haired boy again. His
medi-cholrian count was very high, and some day, I believed, he would be a great Jedi
Knight.
We talked, catching up, and Ani told me about the pod he built and how he hoped
to enter the Boonta Eve race on Tatooine. I told him about the Council, and about
Robo-Maul. When we finished, I sent Ani to bed and sat down to rest. I thought about
Brenda, Robo-Maul, and Quimby-Gon. But mostly, I kept trying to place who it had been
who caused the explosion. I just couldn’t remember, and it was driving me crazy.
I didn’t sleep for a LONG time.
*Submitted By Leara Sunrider*
I'd like to thank my good friends Kar Kar Mitch and Liz-o-Wan for the idea of Darth Claw.