Project Boussh: Waking Dreams
by Josh Cochran

*This is not happening. Those aren't really a couple dozen X-wings.*

I closed my eyes like a disbelieving child. When I opened them again the
fighters were still sitting on the field in front of  me. 

*They shouldn't be able to fly in atmosphere* I thought randomly. *The
wings are too small and there's no rudder. They should  yaw all over the
place. And the laser cannons should rip right off in high-G turns.*

Another part of my brain screamed, *SHUT UP! Quit being an engineer for
ten seconds! You actually get to fly one! Who cares  how it works?*

The first part of my mind sighed. *Yeah, I guess you're right...
Besides, there's a lot about their technology I don't know.*

I was starting to feel like Runt.

"Josh, are you alright?" Ooryl asked, a look of mild concern on his
face.

"Huh? Yeah, sure. All this is just a lot for me to take in."

Ooryl chuckled. "You seem to have more trouble adapting than some of the
others. Josh adapted very quickly. The other Josh,  that is."

"Joshes on Earth are like Antilles in your galaxy. There are lots of us,
and we're everywhere," I teased.

"There are many Antilles, but there is only one Wedge," Ooryl said.
"Good luck, Josh."

I was too busy considering the profundity of Ooryl's comment to respond
as he walked off towards his X-wing. 

***

A short time later, I sat in the cockpit of a shiny, new, green-striped
X-wing, beginning the startup checklist. My knife was  once again
strapped to my right boot, and it felt comfortably familiar there with
all off the new flight gear I was wearing.  I had to admit that the
"stormie blood" had given me a start at first. It momentarily sent me
back to last night, and all  that blood in the palace. Then I realized
that blood dries flat, not in lumps. A quick sniff and a very small
taste told me  the knife was caked not in blood, but in ketchup. *I'll
get you, Alison. Just wait.*

I glanced over my shoulder at the astromech behind me and was surprised
to find the rounded top of an R2 unit with a  wedge-shaped optical
sensor in front. "Aren't you an R7!?" I exclaimed. The blue and white
droid whistled something short  at me that sounded vaguely positive.
"Well, don't you only work with E-wings? I don't need some droid who
doesn't work right  with my ship going into combat!" This time the
droid's response was a good bit longer and impossible for me to
decipher, so I  turned to the screen in the cockpit that translated his
speech, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was in English.

I AM A NEWER MODEL, REDESIGNED TO WORK WITH THE FULL RANGE OF NEW
REPUBLIC STARFIGHTERS. I HAVE THE FULL RANGE OF ONBOARD  TOOLS COMMON TO
PREVIOUS ASTROMECH DROIDS AND THE PROCESSING POWER OF AN R7. MY SERIES
IS THE BEST ASTROMECH LINE YET  PRODUCED.

*Great, my droid has an ego bigger than the ship,* I thought. Out loud,
I just said, "Oh." I turned back to the startup  checklist. Just as I
closed the canopy, I heard the droid whistle at me again.

ARE YOU READY TO START THE ENGINES?

I had to laugh out loud at the droid's impatience. "Man, you're hyper.
Are all you 'advanced models' this anxious to get your heads shot off?"

There was no response from the droid, but from the corner of my eye I
saw something change on the droid screen in the cockpit. I glanced at it
and saw that the designator in the upper left corner had changed from
R7-T9 to HYPER. I started to tell him that wasn't what I meant, but the
name did fit him. Might as well keep it.

With a smile I reached for the engine ignition switches. "Okay, Hyper,
I'm as ready as I'll ever be."