"Can you believe the nerve of this lie-peddling wretch? Give me leave, my lord, and I will track him down and..."
Cythor went on and on and on about the increasingly-grotesque punishments he intended to heap upon the man. Helix rolled his photoreceptor-nests in their sockets. The Ranger Droid was always a little too bloodthirsty for his own good, and this sort of thing was hardly worth shedding blood and spending resources over.
"You'll track him down, certainly, but only to leave him a gift basket." Said the entity, playing the recording through again.
If Cythor had a mouth, Helix had no doubt it would have been gaping open in astonishment just then. He approximated a sigh, switched off the recording, and nudged the projector off to one side of his desk.
"You've a great deal to learn about how the galaxy works, Cythor. This fellow
Reggie Rau
is at worst, a harmless and amusing diversion. There's precious little worth laughing about in the galaxy at present, wouldn't you agree? Isn't this a welcome reprieve from an otherwise dismal and mirthless status quo?""But-"
"And at best, he might even be useful. Disinformation can only be good for my designs. Send him a little money anonymously, maybe he'll invest it into producing more such material. Maybe next week we'll be hearing about a secret marriage between Lady Velvet and a Hutt crime baron."
"But-"
At times, Helix questioned the wisdom of making his machines so independent. The Ranger was clearly far more outraged than he was, but that was the way of things. To a hammer, everything else looked like a nail.
"I think my ego and reputation are both stout enough to handle a little mockery, Captain. If they aren't, then I don't deserve my position." He said, emphasizing the droid's rank as if to call into question his judgement. "Far worse things have been said about me, and likely will continue to be. Mr. Rau is as free as any other to say whatever he pleases, and such audacity is both commendable and entertaining. Besides, I have no doubt Darth Strosius is absolutely fuming right now, and that's worth a few credits to me any day."
Still clearly not buying it, Cythor bowed at the waist and exited the office. Helix shook his head, switched on the recording again, and split his soulless metal visage into a reptilian smile.
