An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
I'm sorry everyone. I forgot to post a link here yesterday when I updated my story. Oh well, problem fixed. Below is a short snippet, please click the links to read more.
Story Summary: Alternate Universe- What if Anakin's mother survived and Anakin never went dark side. Padme has the twins on Tatooine and survives. Anakin tries to help the surviving Jedi, while still keeping his family secret. Meanwhile Darth Sidious has been crowned emperor and is going after the remaining Jedi. Rumors have it he's looking for a new apprentice. Anakin gets to be a daddy.
Chapter 79 - Translation Error
“Thank you, sir. You’ve been most generous in hosting us during these exchanges,” says Coleman Kcaj, the Jedi Master.
The Yrashu elder he is talking to doesn’t give any signs of recognition to what is being said. R2-D2, their droid escort, steps up. It is again time for him to facilitate communication.
When R2’s Master left him, he was ordered to help Rebel Techs with their daily chores around the Base on Yavin. R2 was happy to do this, really. The techs were nice, if a little dumb, and they really needed his help. But that got boring. His servers were craving something new. An adventure. So when he found out that the techs were working on creating a droid translator to send with the Jedi Negotiation team to Beskarn, well, R2 just had the best idea ever!
Modifying his systems to translate the language was easy. There was already a program that did that on the Alderanean servers. Installing it on his servers was easy! Even a Toddler could do that. Devising a way to “speak” the translation took a little more planning. Unlike C3-PO, R2-D2 lacks a vocal processor, and he couldn’t trust the primitive natives to the planet they were on to be able to understand Binary. In the end, he went with another device, networked to his systems.
R2-D2 uses these systems to translate the words the Jedi just said. Of course, being a translator droid isn’t as easy as plug and play. The word for Sir, alone, has several different options in the Yrashu language. But R2 selects the one logic tells him is best, and he sends the message along.
The speaker device Master Coleman is holding activates “Moo-ma vlox wham. Agotta toga-ram jrap pama nomoclan.”
He was rewarded a few moments later, when Sahnmaro Voy, the chieftain’s brother who was their host for the past week, gave them a smile. His face then turned serious. “Yill ibba kenedaro? Mun-momu Vem o lom Ug ushko.”
R2 perks up. It is for translating sentences like this one that he was brought along, instead of a simple translation computer. The word “Mun-momu” for instance could mean flood, it could also mean proving grounds or a chance for success. R2 chooses this last definition. They are exchanging pleasantries. It’s unlikely to mean anything else.
R2 sends his translation and it comes out of the device. “Where is your youngling? She will find success in the jungle today.”
Coleman bowed his head in return to the kind words, and he answered the first question. “My Padawan went to deliver a message to our people. She will be back in a few days.”
R2-D2 translated the message and Sahnmaro looked at them in surprise. Then he bowed his head and mumbled something to one of his people. Something about praying for the young one’s successful completion of her “momu.” The word worried R2 for a second. It was not in the translator, but then he shook it off. He was not asked to translate that sentence afterall.
R2 beeped an unnecessary pleasantry to the native who didn’t understand it, and followed his Jedi. Internally, he praised himself for doing such a satisfactory job. “I don’t know what C3-PO complains about so often. This is the easiest job ever! And I did it without snark. Well, alright. Maybe a little snark, but only in the right places,” R2 beeped to himself.
