Star Wars_ X-Wing 05_ Wraith Squadron - Aaron Allston [15]
“Total. Your slave-driving habits have gotten us almost through the first phase of the evaluation process.” Janson consulted his datapad. “Next is Voort saBinring, a Gamorrean.”
“Very funny. You had me going the first time, Wes, but that joke won’t work twice.”
“He’s a Gamorrean.”
The green-skinned, pig-faced Gamorreans were found among untrained guard and police forces on many worlds. They were technologically primitive, disinterested in any of the advanced sciences required for technological professions. “It’s impossible to train Gamorrean males to something as complicated as fighter piloting. They have glandular balances that make them very violent and impatient.”
“He’s a Gamorrean.”
“Just keep up your little joke, then, and show him in.”
Janson spoke into his comlink. A moment later a Gamorrean—1.9 meters of glowering porcine presence, dressed in the standard New Republic pilot’s uniform, the bright orange of the jumpsuit clashing nauseatingly with the creature’s green skin—walked in and saluted.
Janson smiled ingratiatingly at Wedge. “Yub, yub, Commander.”
Whenever the Gamorrean spoke, his natural voice, grunts and squeals not pleasant to the human ear, emerged first. Then, below it, cutting through it, was his other voice, the mechanical one, emerging from the translator device implanted in his throat. “No, Commander. I have not lived among other Gamorreans since I was a child.”
Wedge cleared his throat. “I’m sure you understand that this is new to me. But I am curious, how you, well, overcame Gamorrean biology and learned to fly.”
“I did not overcome my biology. These were changes forced upon me. By Binring Biomedical Product.”
“I know that name. They provide food to the Empire’s armed forces. Nasty green nutrient pastes that take forever to go bad. Perfect for stormtroopers.”
The Gamorrean nodded. “They also engineer animals to adapt to different planetary environments. They have less wholesome experiments as well. I was one of them. For purposes of espionage, the Emperor wanted Gamorreans with humanlike methods of self-control. They made alterations to our biochemistries. My attention span surpasses human norm. My mathematical acumen registers at the genius level. I do not lose control of my anger.”
“This was an Imperial project?” Wedge thought that through. “How many like you are there?”
“None. I am the only success.”
“The other transformations were fatal?”
“In a sense. All the other subjects committed suicide.”
“Why?”
“If I knew, I would be among them. But I am certain it has something to do with isolation. How would you feel if you were the only thinking human in the galaxy, forced to live among Gamorreans, and all the other humans you met were bloodthirsty primitives?”
“A good point.” Wedge sat back and considered that unhappy prospect for a moment. “How did you come to join the Alliance?”
“One of my creators, who had watched his other … children … kill themselves one by one arranged to have me put through a variety of different simulator training programs to measure my capacity. Or so he said. In actuality, he was doing it to teach me to pilot many different Imperial and Alliance vehicles. Then he arranged for me to escape the Binring compound. Eventually I reached Obroa-skai.”
“The library world.”
“I learned much there, and eventually chose to come to the Alliance.”
“Your, uh, creator—he didn’t choose to escape?”
“He was sad because of the projects he had led. He chose to follow his other children.”
Wedge winced. “All right. To more immediate concerns. Your record states that you have temperament problems. You’re facing a court-martial for striking a superior officer, though that officer is willing to drop charges to get you transferred as far as possible from his command. What do you have to say?”
The Gamorrean took a few moments to respond. “There are two types of pilots in the New Republic. Those who have been Imperial pilots, and may carry with them an irrational dislike of nonhumans. And those who have had bad encounters with Gamorreans.”
“I tend to disagree.