"Of course it could've failed." Amir still felt a chill thinking back on it. When they removed several vital organs—especially the heart—032's life-force signature had scattered in an instant. If Amir hadn't kept his focus locked on the Force, gathering what was dispersing and holding it together, the outcome would've been unthinkable.
He had to admit it: 032's vitality was terrifyingly strong. Each time the replacements were finished, 032 somehow managed to claw his way back on his own.
During the procedure Amir had been on edge the whole time, terrified that 032 would suddenly give up the will to live—that his life-force would stop returning, stop knitting itself back together. Amir could only stall disaster, not cure it.
"Without your skill, luck wouldn't mean a thing," Amir said sincerely, full of respect for Kaharman.
"Hah—well, we pulled it off." Kaharman looked as if he'd regained all his energy and pushed himself upright. "Now comes the main event. Torso and limbs—that's where the true allure of machinery shines!"
"Absolutely," Amir said, standing as well.
"Next we don't need off-the-shelf parts anymore. Come—look at my blueprints!" The two of them huddled together, grinning for no obvious reason, like they were about to conduct some kind of cult ritual.
Millisyn devoured her ice cream, occasionally glancing at Euphemia. Once she was sure this big-sis really wasn't tempted to steal a bite, she ate with complete peace of mind.
"Do you work here?" Millisyn asked.
"Yes. Kaharman saved my life, so I protect him," Euphemia said—apparently unaware the four-armed doctor had already forgotten her name.
"Oh! Work? I used to have a job too. In a lab!" Millisyn said.
"Oh?" Euphemia teased. "So you were a little researcher, Millisyn?"
"Hahaha, not really. Mostly I got my blood drawn, sat in a bzzt-bzzt chair for stimulation tests, and fought robots with a knife."
"..." Euphemia swallowed. What kind of job is that? That wasn't work—that was an execution schedule.
"Was it Amir who made you do that?" Euphemia blurted out, suddenly thinking of the boy who looked so easygoing and kind. No way he's secretly that awful…
"No, no! I hated that job—it always hurt!" Millisyn shook her head hard. "Amir took us out of there. Life now is way better… and there's so much tasty food!"
She looked down at her ice cream, and the excitement in her voice softened.
Euphemia exhaled in relief, then noticed the shift in Millisyn's mood. "What's wrong?"
"I have a really good friend… her name's Mona. After we left the lab, Amir found a new planet for us. It's nice there. Amir wants us to live there, and Mona wants to live there too… but I'm scared. I'm scared to stay there. I wanted to follow Amir, so I left Mona behind and ran out with him." Millisyn's voice got smaller and smaller. "Euphemia… did I do something wrong?"
"Of course not, Millisyn." Euphemia gently patted the blue Twi'lek girl's head with a cool metal hand. "You chose the path you wanted. Mona chose the place she wanted. Friends don't have to be inseparable. Even the closest friends will part sometimes. The best thing we can do is give them our blessing."
"Do we really have to be apart…" Millisyn puffed her cheeks, then quickly brightened. "You're right! I'm going to call Mona! Tell her—tell her… yes!"
"Exactly, Millisyn," Euphemia said. If she still had facial muscles, she would've been smiling.
"I'm going to find Amir. He has a comm," Millisyn said, starting to stand.
"They're in surgery. It'll take a while. I'm sure Mona won't mind waiting."
"Mm-hm!"
"I know a lot of fun places," Euphemia added. "I'll take you around."
She genuinely liked the Twi'lek girl.
Amir made the final, precise installation—032's last arm clicked into place cleanly.
"I have to say, you're far better at mechanics than I am," Kaharman marveled, watching Amir's smooth, practiced movements. "I'm half-tempted to hire you as my permanent assistant."
"Hah. Thanks," Amir said without false modesty. "I've spent years obsessing over this stuff."
"All right. Once the anesthesia wears off, he should wake up soon." Kaharman hauled 032 out of the power-fluid, washed the blood off his hands, and began clearing the workspace.
Amir felt wrecked—bone-deep tired. He had no idea how Kaharman could still look so energized.
Kaharman called in a medical droid to transfer 032.
"Let your friend enjoy a medpod one last time," he joked. "After this, he'll be soaking in machine oil. Hahaha."
A grim joke, but Amir still laughed—when your mind was exhausted, it was easy to get pulled along by someone else's mood.
He followed behind the medical droid down the corridor and back into the waiting hall. The moment he stepped out, he saw Millisyn and Euphemia sitting there.
"How's 032?" Millisyn asked.
"He's fine." Amir took the food she offered.
"Good. Now give me the comm—I'm calling Mona!!" Millisyn instantly switched topics.
Ignoring the very casual concern she'd shown for the patient, Amir said, "It's on BD-4."
"BD-4?! Why didn't you tell me? I waited so many hours!" Millisyn yelled at the little droid beside her.
"Beep-beep-beep!!"
"It says it did tell you," Amir translated.
"???? It didn't—wait, no—how can you even understand it?!" Millisyn stared at Amir, shocked.
In the end, she connected the call. Sitting in the hall, she had BD-4 patch through a holo-link to Gudrian. The feed routed to Guligena. The blonde young witch had been resting; at Millisyn's request, she called Mona over from nearby.
The moment Millisyn saw her friend—after only a few days apart—all her prepared words vanished. Mona spoke first.
Wearing the smile Millisyn knew best, Mona asked gently, "How is it out there, Millisyn?"
"Good…" Millisyn answered quietly. "And you?"
"I'm good too. I really like it here," Mona said with a smile.
"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have left like that." Millisyn forced her voice stronger. "I wanted to say… I'm happy for you."
"Ahahaha." Mona suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at?!" Millisyn flared up.
"Haha—nothing. Sorry." Mona reined it in. "I mean… I'm happy that you get to do what you like, too. We'll always be friends, no matter where we are."
"Mmm…" Millisyn turned her head away, but the happiness in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"I found so much good food—way better than nutrient paste! Later—"
Watching the two girls chat, Amir's expression softened into genuine relief.
"Thank you." Because of his signal jammer, Amir could only watch from a distance. He sat down beside Euphemia and spoke quietly.
"No need to thank me. I like Millisyn too."
Amir couldn't help feeling a little regret that Euphemia couldn't show expressions—because he was certain that, if she could, she'd be wearing a truly beautiful smile.
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🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past
📢 The Force Calls! 📢
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