Star Wars - The Adventures of Lando Calrissian Trilogy
Page 47
There was a long pause. “No, not precisely. I told them I would not be their Elder and if they wanted my advice, they wouldn't appoint a new one. I don't think they listened to me. I wish neither to give nor receive orders - something I learned from you, Lando, my friend.”
Lando scratched his head, a gesture he'd never had habitually until he'd picked it up from Vuffi Raa. “I'm glad to hear it. What are you going to do with yourself, then?”
“Explore, discover the answers to questions. Probably get in trouble again. But tell me, I am very confused on one point. The Millennium Falcon is not really a person, is that correct? Nor the cruiser Wennis?”
“The late, unlamented cruiser Wennis. I don't know what that life-destroying stuff was Gepta spewed around, but I'm glad it was destroyed with her. No, friend Lehesu, much as we may love her, the Falcon is a machine.” He puffed on his cigar, anticipating the Oswaft's next bewildered question. “And before you ask, yes, the One, the Other, and the Rest are indeed persons, of the mechanical persuasion. They think for themselves, the Falcon doesn't. In a sense, they are to you what Vuffi Raa is to me: you both live in free space; it's your natural environment. Vuffi Raa and I are arms-and-legs types, born and bred in a gravity well and most comfortable where there's light and heat and atmosphere.”
“But Lando what is Vuffi Raa?”
“A larval starship, if you believe him. The organic people who invented his ancestors looked like him, built machines that looked like him - the same idea as a humanoid robot. Today his people use 'extensors' – manipulators - that still look like him. If he's a good little bot and eats all his spinach, he'll grow up to be a starship, too. If he wants to.”
Concern tinged the vacuum-breather's transmission. “I'm told that he was nearly killed while I was gone. I feel somewhat guilty for-”
“Forget it, old jellyfish, his daddy repaired him in just a few hours. What counts is the memory, the experiences, the character, and they were all intact, protected in googolicate at the deepest levels of his being. No little blaster was going to do more than freeze him up mechanically.”
“What will you do now, Lando?”
“Well, I think it's time I gave up this wandering life, if only for a while. I need to do something responsible, own something, have some obligations. I'll think about it. I've learned a lot, and I have plenty to get started on. The Falcon's holds are full of gigantic gemstones - every variety I've ever seen or heard of, and a few I'm going to have to consult experts on. I could buy an entire city.”
“And Vuffi Raa?”
“I don't know, old manta, I don't know.”
The Millennium Falcon's engines thrummed with pent up energy. She was eager to go back into intergalactic space, eager for another adventure. In her cockpit, Vuffi Raa was finishing up a lecture: “And be sure to back the engines off at least three percent when initiating the deflector shields, otherwise the surge will overload her, and-”
“I know, I know, I know,” her captain replied patiently while trying to suppress tears. “The only thing I don't understand is why you're going back this very minute. Why can't you-”
“Master, it is a bargain I have made. I would much prefer, like you and Lehesu, to continue exploring the universe, to have adventure and savor life. I will again, someday. But I was constructed for the purpose of recording those experiences and relaying them to my people. I feel the need to do this, as you feel the need to breathe. Do you understand, Master?”
“I understand.” He patted the little droid's shiny torso. The rest of the blast damage had healed, and the robot looked as new and perfect as the day they'd met. “Well, if you ever get back to this arm of the galaxy, you know how to find me, don't you? I haven't much in the way of a permanent address.”
There was an electronic chuckle. “I'll just go where there's the most trouble and noise, and there'll you be, Master.”
“Not on your life! I'm going to settle down, be responsible. And Vuffi Raa?”
“Yes, Master?”
“Don't you think, now that you know exactly who and what you are, that you could stop calling me master?”
“Why, I suppose so, Lando. Why didn't you ask me before?”