"Of course, failure was a possibility." Amir felt a lingering wave of fear.
When excision major organs—especially the heart—32's life force dissipated rapidly. Fortunately, Amir had maintained his focus on Force perception, gathering and sustaining this slipping vitality. Had he not, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
He had to admit, 32's life force was truly tenacious. After the organ replacement was complete, he always managed to claw his way back to life on his own.
Yet, Amir was on edge throughout the entire process, terrified that 32 might suddenly lose the will to live, causing his life force to cease its recovery and dispersal. After all, Amir could only delay the inevitable dissipation; he couldn't cure the underlying damage.
"Without your skills, no amount of luck would have mattered," Amir said, genuinely impressed by Kahalman.
"Haha, as long as it's a success! Next up is the main event. The torso and limbs are the true stage to showcase the charm of mechanics!" Kahalman seemed to have fully recovered his energy and stood up enthusiastically.
"Of course." Amir stood up as well.
"For the next phase, we don't need to use finished products. Come, look at my design blueprints!"
The two huddled together again, smiling for some unknown reason, looking as if they were conducting some sort of cult ritual.
. . .
Milisen ate her ice cream in large bites, glancing at Euphemia from time to time. Only after confirming that this big sister wasn't craving it did she continue to eat with peace of mind.
"Do you work here?" Milisen asked.
"Yes. Kahalman saved my life, so I protect his safety," Euphemia said. She likely didn't know that the four-armed doctor had already forgotten her name.
"Oh! Work? I used to have a job, too! In a lab!" Milisen chirped.
"Oh? Were you a little researcher, Milisen?" Euphemia joked.
"Hahaha, not really. I usually just gave blood, sat in the zappy-zappy chair for stimulation tests, and fought droids with a knife."
"..." Euphemia swallowed hard. What kind of job is that?! Are you sure that wasn't an execution?
"Was it Amir who made you do those jobs?" Euphemia thought of the easygoing, kind-looking boy. She hadn't expected him to be so cruel behind the scenes!
"No, no! I hated that job! It always hurt me! It was Amir who got us out of there. Life is so much better now. And there's so much good food!" Milisen looked down at her ice cream, her excitement slowly fading as her thoughts drifted.
Euphemia let out a breath of relief after hearing the truth. Noticing Milisen's mood shift, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"I have a good friend. Her name is Mona. After we left the lab, Amir found a new planet for us. It's really nice. Amir hoped we would live there, and Mona wanted to live there, too. But I was scared. I was scared to stay there. I wanted to follow Amir. And then... I left Mona all alone and ran away. Sister Euphemia, did I do something wrong?" Milisen's voice grew quieter.
"Of course not, Milisen." Euphemia stroked Milisen's blue head with her cold, mechanical arm. "You just chose the path you liked. Mona must have also chosen the place she liked. Friends don't have to be inseparable. Even the best of friends have to part ways eventually. The best thing we can do is send them our blessings."
"Do we have to separate..." Milisen pouted, but a smile quickly returned to her face. "You're right! I'm going to call Mona! Tell her... tell her... yes!"
"That's right, Milisen!" If Euphemia had facial muscles, she would definitely be smiling.
"I have to find Amir. He has a communicator," Milisen said, preparing to get up.
"They are in surgery right now. It will take a while. I'm sure Mona won't mind waiting a little for you."
"Mhm!"
"I know a lot of fun places. Let me take you to play." Euphemia had grown very fond of this Twi'lek girl.
. . .
Amir precisely installed 32's last arm.
"I have to say, you are far stronger than me in mechanics. I'm thinking of hiring you as my long-term assistant," Kahalman marveled, watching Amir's fluid installation process.
"Haha, thanks. After all, I've spent years studying mechanics." Amir wasn't modest about it.
"Good. Wait for the anesthesia to wear off. He should wake up soon." Kahalman lifted 32 out of the bacta supply fluid, washed his bloody hands, and began to tidy up.
Amir just felt extremely tired. He didn't know how Kahalman remained so energetic.
Kahalman summoned a medical droid to transport 32.
"Let your friend enjoy the medical tank one last time. In the future, he'll just be soaking in motor oil, hahaha," Kahalman laughed.
What a dark joke. But Amir couldn't help but laugh. When one is mentally exhausted, it is easy to be infected by the emotions of others.
Amir walked out of the treatment room, following the medical droid through the corridor toward the waiting hall. As soon as he emerged, he saw Milisen and Euphemia sitting there waiting.
"How is 32?" Milisen asked.
"He's fine." Amir accepted the food Milisen handed him.
"Good. Then give me the communicator! I want to talk to Mona!!" Milisen instantly changed the subject.
Ignoring Milisen's perfunctory concern for the patient, Amir pointed. "It's on BD-4."
"BD-4!? Why didn't you tell me? I've been waiting for hours and hours!" Milisen stared at the little droid beside her and shouted.
"Bleep-bloop-bloop!!"
"He said he did tell you," Amir translated.
"???? He did... no, wait! How do you understand what he's saying?!" Milisen was shocked.
Finally, Milisen connected the call. Sitting in the hall, BD-4 projected a holographic video from Planet Adrian. The call went to Gulina. The golden-haired little witch was resting, and upon hearing Milisen's request, she called Mona, who was nearby.
When Milisen saw her friend, from whom she had parted just a few days ago, she instantly forgot the speech she had prepared.
Instead, Mona spoke first. With the smile Milisen knew best, Mona asked, "How is it out there, Milisen?"
"It's great... How about you?" Milisen asked in a small voice.
"I'm great, too. I really like it here," Mona said with a smile.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have just left... I wanted to say, I'm really happy for you," Milisen said, her voice growing a little stronger.
"Hahaha." Mona suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at!!!" Milisen got angry.
"Haha, nothing. Sorry. I mean, I'm also very happy that you can do what you like," Mona said, suppressing her laughter. "We will always be friends, no matter where we are."
"Mhm~" Milisen turned her head away, but she couldn't hide the happiness in her eyes. "I found so much delicious food! So much better than nutrient paste! In the future..."
Watching the two children chatting, Amir smiled with relief.
"Thank you," Amir said, sitting down next to Euphemia. Due to the signal jammer built into his gear, he could only watch from a distance to avoid disrupting the transmission.
"Don't thank me. I really like Milisen, too."
Amir secretly regretted that Euphemia couldn't make facial expressions. Otherwise, it would surely be a beautiful smile to see.
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