Star Wars_ MedStar 02_ Jedi Healer - Michael Reaves [36]
It was no less than he deserved.
The beings who had gathered in the cantina were a motley bunch. Jos, unable to find anything remotely resembling a coat, had found a blanket and cut a hole through which he’d put his head—it was makeshift, but it worked reasonably well to keep the cold out. Uli had, of all things, a paraglider jacket, with full seals and gloves. He was the subject of many envious glares. Den Dhur, who had spaced long enough to be prepared for any weather, had a shiny thermal polyfab windbreaker that kept much of his body heat in, and he received his share of glares as well. Barriss wore her usual Jedi robes and looked as if she was enjoying the change from tropical to frigid. I-Five, was, of course, unaffected by the chilly air, which was cold enough even in the cantina to allow breath-fog, but still considerably warmer than it was outside.
The cantina was the warmest public building in the camp, due to the place having been double-walled to contain the sounds a typical cantina would produce on a crowded night. That, combined with the body heat the warm-blooded species within gave off, made the temperature within survivable, if not comfortable.
Many members of the traveling show had also found their way here, and, while they mostly kept to themselves, they seemed friendly enough, particularly after the first few rounds of drinks.
“What did Vaetes say?” Den asked Jos. He took another gulp of some fiery red liquor that he claimed was guaranteed to kick an imbiber’s internal thermostat up a notch. Jos was tempted, but the liquid gave off a rank odor that reminded him of a full and long-forgotten laundry hamper.
“He said there should be spare parts on MedStar, and as soon as somebody up there can find them—they seem to have been misplaced—they’ll get the regulator reharmonized and things will go back to normal. Or whatever passes for normal around here.”
“Never thought I’d say it, but the heat wasn’t so bad,” Uli said.
“Me, I prefer caves,” Den said. “Constant eighteen to twenty degrees, plenty of mushrooms, no loud noises. Don’t see why everyone doesn’t live in ’em.”
“Words like dark, gloomy, and depressing come to mind,” Jos said.
Teedle rolled silently up. “How ya doin’, sentients? Everybody okay on libations? Anything little old me can do for you?”
Everyone in the small group allowed as how they were fine, and Teedle wheeled away to check on the show people.
“Another funny droid. Place is getting thick with them,” Den mused.
I-Five said, “I’ll let you in on a little secret. All droids have a sense of humor. Which is more than I can say for a lot of bio-sentients.”
“The snow was kind of pretty when it first started falling,” Den said, looking out the window and ignoring I-Five. “But once it got waist-deep—that’s knee-deep for you overgrown breeds—it stopped being fun. I never heard of this kind of dome malfunction happening before.”
“Of course not,” Jos said. “When it comes to original disasters, we set the bar.”
“I understand somebody in Central Supply has figured out a way to make battery-powered heaters out of food zip-paks. They produce enough heat to keep a kiosk relatively warm.” This from Uli.
“ ‘Relatively warm’?” Den said.
“Might keep you from freezing solid in your sleep,” Barriss said.
“Of course, without food you’ll eventually starve,” I-Five said.
“Let me guess,” Jos said. “And afterward you and Teedle repopulate the planet.”
Den shook his head. “Won’t be easy.”
“E chu ta,” I-Five muttered.
“Whoa,” Uli said. “Touched a circuit, did he?”
The droid was about to reply, when he suddenly stiffened and cocked his head somewhat. It was a posture Jos had seen before.