星球大战 第三章(4)

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　　No, sir—versatility is my middle name. See Vee Threepio—Vee for versatility—at your service. I’ve been programmed for over thirty secondary functions that require only…" "I need," the farmer broke in, demonstrating imperious disregard for Threepio’s as yet unenumerated secondary functions, "a ’droid that knows something about binary language of independently programmable moisture vaporators." "Vaporators! We are both in luck," Threepio countered. "My first post- primary assignment was in programming binary load lifters. Very similar in construction and memory-function to your vaporators. You could almost say…" Luke tapped his uncle on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear.
　　His uncle nodded, then looked back at the attentive Threepio again.
" v* p5 y* _. S5 @　　"Do you speak Bocce?" "Of course, sir," Threepio replied, confident for a change with a wholly honest answer. "It’s like a second language to me. "I’m as fluent in Bocce as—" the farmer appeared determined never to allow him to conclude a sentence.
"Shut up." Owen Lars looked down at the jawa. "I’ll take this one, too." "Shutting up, sir," responded Threepio quickly, hard put to conceal his glee at being selected.
　　"Take them down to the garage, Luke," his uncle instructed him. "I want you to have both of them cleaned up by suppertime." Luke looked askance at his uncle. "But I was going into Tosche station to pick up some new power converters and…" "Don’t lie to me, Luke," his uncle warned him sternly. "I don’t mind you wasting time with your idle friends, but only after you’ve finished your chores. Now hop to it—and before supper, mind." Downcast, Luke directed his words irritably to Threepio and the small agricultural robot. He knew better than to argue with his uncle.
! P4 j5 `+ M  x　　"Follow me, you two." They started for the garage as Owen entered into price negotiations with the jawa.
1 A. G& `2 [6 p/ z1 }% xOther jawas were leading the three remaining machines back into the sandcrawler when something let out an almost pathetic beep. Luke turned to see a Artoo unit breaking formation and starting toward him. It was immediately restrained by a jawa wielding a control device that activated the disk sealed on the machine’s front plate.

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Owen Lars glared down at the nervous jawa. "What kind of junk are you trying to push on us?" The jawa responded loudly, indignantly, while simultaneously taking a couple of precautionary steps away from the big human. He was distressed that the man was between him and the soothing safely of the sandcrawler.
' t0 Y/ v% `6 F6 K! L　　Meanwhile, Artoo Detoo had scuttled out of the group of machines being led back toward the mobile fortress. Doing so turned out to be simple enough, since all the jawas had their attention focused on the argument between their leader and Luke’s uncle.
　　Lacking sufficient armature for wild gesticulation, the Artoo unit suddenly let out a high whistle, then broke it off when it was apparent he had gained Threepio’s attention.
　　Tapping Luke gently on the shoulder, the tall ’droid whispered conspiratorially into his ear. "If I might say so, young sir, that Artoo unit is a real bargain. In top condition. I don’t believe these creatures have any idea what good shape he’s really in. Don’t let all the sand and dust deceive you." Luke was in the habit of making instant decisions—for good or bad—anyway.
  L' }8 I8 u4 [7 c4 e8 i7 h/ f; J# `　　"Uncle Owen!" he called.
　　Breaking off the argument without taking his attention from the jawa, his uncle glanced quickly at him. Luke gestured toward Artoo Detoo. "We don’t want any trouble. What about swapping this—" he indicated the burned-out agricultural ’droid—"for that one?" The older man studied the Artoo unit professionally, then considered the jawas.
　　Though inherently cowards, the tiny desert scavengers could be pushed too far. The sandcrawler could flatten the homestead—at the risk of inciting the human community to lethal vengeance.
　　Faced with a no-win situation for wither side if he pressed too hard, Owen resumed the argument for show’s sake before gruffly assenting. The head jawa consented reluctantly to the trade, and both sides breathed a mental sigh of relief that hostilities had been avoided. While the jawa bowed and whined with impatient greed, Owen paid him off.
9 X$ y% D% n& Q6 `  w* V　　Meanwhile, Luke had led the two robots toward an opening in the dry ground.
　　A few seconds later they were striding down a ramp kept clear of drifting sand by electrostatic repellers.

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　　"Don’t you ever forget this," Threepio muttered to Artoo, leaning over the smaller machine. "Why I stick my neck out for you, when all you ever bring me is trouble, is beyond my capacity to comprehend." The passage widened into garage proper, which was cluttered with tools and sections of farming machinery. Many looked heavily used, some to the point of collapse. But the lights were comforting to both ’droid, and there was a hominess to the chamber which hinted at a tranquillity not experienced by either machine for a long time. Near the center of the garage was a large tub, and the aroma drifting from it made Threepio’s principal olfactory sensors twitch.