| Title: An Unexpected Wedding Author: Sorchafyre Email: [email protected] Rating: G Summary: Written for a non-tradtional wedding challenge on the Sith Chicks list. Disclaimer: The characters herein belong to someone else. No money is made here Author's Note: Alright, it's all your fault. This idea would never have occurred in a million years to me, but in trying to think of an unusual pairing for your challenge I got bit by this plot mosquito and the itch wouldn't go away.... *************************** C-3PO walked back and forth in the small waiting room. If he were human, he would have been pacing. If he were human, he could have been nervous. If he were human. His golden exterior shone, buffed by his own hands. He certainly couldn't trust anyone else to do it right! It was important for him to look his best for TC-14. That was how things were done, after all. From the day of the invention of a machine placed in a humanoid body, humans had been either fascinated or afraid of androids. And those that were fascinated made the others that much more fearful. As the machines grew more complex, the creation of an artifical intelligence that could function independantly was inevitable. The tendancy of humans to anthropomorphize demanded personality be added into the mix. 'Droids that were also companions were selling better than purely functional units. Eventually there was much talk, protests even, regarding 'droid rights. Attention was focused on the human reaction to the 'droids. Studies were done, papers written, late night vids abounded. No one truly thought about the 'droid's perspective. Persecuted in some areas, revered in others, an underground society was formed. No one could say truly whether 'droids had feelings, but they certainly thought so among themselves. Fascination as well as envy of human society had led many of them to not only study human culture but adopt some of it's more universal concepts. Marriage, for instance. C-3PO finally opened the door of the room a bit and peered out the crack. The gathering room was half full of his friends and aquaintences. Not a bad turnout, considering that if the humans found out about this ceremony, they would all be wiped at the best, melted down for scrap most likely. C-3PO felt a warmth in his circuts as he saw a door opposite his open to reveal a gleam of silver within. He would need to get his circuts checked, surely that was a bad connection making him hum like that. At last a chime rang out, clear in the suddenly-still atmosphere. C-3PO stepped from his room at the same moment TC-14 emerged from hers. Together they turned and walked to the front of the room as equals. They turned back to face their gathered witnesses, and 3PO, predictably, started to talk. "My fellow beings, you all know how important this day is. The joining of two vast intelligences such as TC and myself is symbolic not only to us but for what it represents to all 'droids. Symbolism is highly involved in the wedding ceremonies of the Anvilic cultures of Mallis 4, for instance, where the female finds her mate and drags him across..." C-3PO heard the soft click of metal on metal, and looked at TC-14, who had placed her hand on his arm. Being the polished diplomat that he was, 3PO recognized a signal to stop. Why was she stopping him? He hadn't even gotten started on the significance of hairpieces in the Rhodian ceremony. But as he looked at her, he couldn't summon his normal indignation. When he was in her presence, he was so much more than he was alone. "Let me begin." she said, and her voice was the most finely tuned thing he had ever heard. She reached behind him, her hand over his control switch. She briefly flicked it off then back on, before the light in his eyes could so much as dim. "When we are together, I shall be the reason you activate." He repeated the gesture and the words to her, feeling an unexpected coldness when he touched her shining metal. He opened his middle section, exposing cables and the small eternal battery for his core systems backup. He retrieved the thick cable he had tied around his arm, and attached it. Then he opened TC-14's torso. He placed the other end to her power unit, and fed a tiny jolt through the line. "When we are together, I will make sure you never want for power." She followed him this time, and the current tingled pleasantly where it touched him. Most unexpected. Then the audience became even more silent, there was an almost human sense of eager anticipation in the air. Now came the final part, the most intimate of joinings. C-3PO turned around, and TC reached up to unscrew his cranial cover, exposing the wiring in his skull. She unlooped the delicate wiring from her finger, and re-routed a small circut within his logic center. Droids had no say in their lives, in their coming and goings. Any mark symbolizing this night might be scrubbed or etched away. Any personal memories were subject to erasure at the will of their masters. When two 'droids joined, they created a small feedback loop, self-contained and accessible only by the reciever. A self-protection code shut the loop off from memory wipes. Because they had to be virtually unnoticable, the reality was they could not contain much information. A small memory was all there was room for, from the giver to the reciever, a gift of one memory from their partner. When the connection was made, TC-14 replaced his cranial cover, then turned to present her own back to him. C-3PO watched his fingers uncover her circuts, the greatest trust one 'droid could give to another. With one wrong move he could wipe out all that she was. His fingers, of course, were steady as he attached his memory wire to her. The ceremony was done, and they joined their friends for shared gossip. C-3PO and TC-14 were lucky; for now they were owned by the same master. This, they knew, would not last forever, and they took what time together they could. The 'droids left in ones and twos, slipping out so as not to draw attention to a spot where more 'droids were gathered than should have been for any legitimate purpose. The newly married couple were the last to leave, walking home togther to share an oil bath before their master woke up. END |