The trip from Yakusant to Cireddalbryrlir and on to Mothessh doesn't take long, and passes without incident (something which has Jalt wondering, somewhat amusingly, what is about to go wrong).

Nothing does.

When Kourene walks down the ramp he is greeted by cheers from the rebels present in the hangar (which seems to be the majority of the base personnel, with more arriving a11 the time).

The Colonel clambers up onto a cargo case, where he can be clearly seen. and spreads his hands before him, gesturing for everybody to quieten down.

"Yes, I'm back.  And that is all due to a lot of hard work by a small group of people."

More cheering...  Followed by a short speech about how the rebellion against the Empire will continue, and how everybody in the base has a part to play in that.

"We do not do this for material rewards.  We do not do this for fame or glory.  We do this  to bring about the lessening of tyranny and oppression in this, our Galaxy.  THAT will be our reward, and our legacy!"

Kourene steps down from his pedestal and beckons over the group from the Bantha.

"Keep the prisoner aboard for now." he says, loud enough to be heard over the noise of the cheering, "Keep an eye on him and make sure You-Why hasn't harmed him.  I'm going to arrange for his new accommodation."

Juragga rumbled an assent.  He didn't know about You-Why sometimes, but he'd keep an eye on things in case a mountain of Wookiee muscle was needed.

Rhijans had been about to make himself scarce when Kourene started talking about hard work from a small group...thankfully, the Colonel didn't highlight them any further (although, Rhijans was fairly certain, everyone in the base had some idea of who they were, by now...too many high-profile successes to remain comfortably anonymous...)

He looked almost bored during the rest of the speech...his experience with governments was that nobody was truly free under any type of government, and personally, he considered them a necessary evil...his career, pre-Rebellion, had been built around the existence of the kinds of individuals that made 'no government at all' an implausible concept.  But he did know the, as governments went, the Empire was a bad one, and he'd be happy to see it fall.

He gave Kourene a nod at the directions about their guest, and headed back into the ship.

You-Why, for all that he is a protocol droid isn't being very talkative or polite when the team go in to check on the prisoner.  In fact the droid is merely standing near the door, staring at the prisoner, who is seated on the opposite side of a small table.

As the door opens, the Imperial tech stands up, hands pressed flat on the surface of the table.

"Please!  Take me out of here.  Don't make me stay alone with him any longer!  There's something... not right about him."

You-Why stirs and turns to face his team mates.  "Welcome back." he says, pleasantly enough, "I hope that, in future, you have something interesting for me to do."

"Stick with us and I'm sure we'll find interesting things for you to do.  Just don't expect everything to be interesting," Rhijans responded.  "I get stuck with plenty of uninteresting tasks.  So does everyone else.  And a lot of the interesting stuff we get to do involves a very high probability of termination," he continued, with a "be careful what you wish for" tone.

He turned to the tech.  "They're not quite ready for you yet.  Sit tight."  His voice was cold and detached, promising no relief from the droid's presence...and not really presenting a more appealing alternative in the form of his presence.

You-Why emits a surprisingly life-like sigh.

"Your talents are, at least, being utilised.  I am left to guard prisoners who cannot, in any case, escape their confinement.  So all I can do is stand around and watch them, while they, and I, do nothing.  It is most frustrating.  Is this what boredom feels like?"

"He doesn't do nothing though.  He makes noises all the time!  And when I ask him to stop, he claims that he didn't realise he was doing it."  The tech shakes his head angrily.  "And five minutes later he's doing it again."

"I'd rather be shut in with an interrogation droid.  At least then I'd know what was going to happen."

Rhijans almost grinned.  Ignoring the prisoner for the moment, he turned to the droid.  "We weren't worried about him escaping, we were worried about him sabotaging part of the ship while we were busy.  We needed someone who would stay on task, never sleep, never need to take a break for a meal or to visit the head, who couldn't be lulled into complacency with small-talk.  You might think it was just busy-work...but there was literally nobody in the crew better suited for the task than you...and it was crucial.  If he'd been able to rig up even a rudimentary transmitter, that Star Destroyer would have found us.  It was a team effort...and you were a critical part of that team."

He reached out to give the droid's shoulder a comradely clap, the same as he would to Jalt or Juragga, or any other crew member.

Then he turned back to their prisoner.  "You may yet get your wish...I don't know what they have in mind for you, but once you're off this ship, you're not our problem anymore, and they may have a lot of questions.  I mean, yeah, you're just a tech...but you were serving on the Moff's flagship, so who knows what you may have seen or heard?"

Shard keeps silent when Kourene speaks; she’s never been big on cheers or even taking credit.  Job is done, move to the next; the big payoff is that everyone came home.  She does agree with the colonel with regards to the prisoner…and You-Why…and prods Juragga in the ribs.  “Good plan, eh?  Haarmon, you going to keep watching the kid?”

Then it’s back in the ship to help make arrangements for the Imperial.

When You-Why speaks, Shard eyes the droid carefully.  She can’t actually deny the prisoner’s words; there’s something different about the mechanical being, in her eyes.  Tormenting a prisoner seemed to start as a fun game for You-Why, a way to include itself into the group by assisting with interrogation.  Then it continued without need.  And now…is it possible the droid has grown a taste for such things?

“There’s going to be a cell for you,” she expands on Rhijans’ explanation to the prisoner.  “It’ll be comfortable enough, if dull, and you’ll be fed.  Better than what the Empire gives to its own prisoners.  That’s all I can say – the rest isn’t up to me, other than the fact that you won’t be harmed.”  Her eyes flick to the droid, next.  “I guess watching a prisoner is maybe a little dull...Rhijans is correct about the needs to watch this fellow, but let's be fair.  Do you have any ideas on what you want to do next, You-Why?”

The protocol droid looks from Rhijans to Shard, and back again.  And something about him seems to change.  A Human would stand straighter and square his shoulders, but the transformation in You-Why is not so easy to quantify.

When he speaks, though, he sounds happier.  And there is, perhaps, a little pride in his voice.

"So my task was of vital importance, and one that I was uniquely suited to perform?  That is good to know.  Though I should point out that I really was unaware that I was making noises until the prisoner mentioned it.  Even now I am uncertain what those noises were, since he will not provide details."

"Oh, he knows.  He's just a liar."

You-Why ignores the prisoner.  "I have a number of ideas for things to do, though I am afraid that many of them would be impractical in these turbulent times."

That's...different.  Perhaps You-Why hasn't had a short in its programming; perhaps, instead, it was simply taking its task seriously.  As for the noises, an already-spooked prisoner might end up with an overactive imagination.  Regardless, something for another time, another observation; the prisoner is now outside of You-Why's jurisdiction.

"The impractical stuff might need to become long-term projects of yours," she muses to the droid.  "I think it would be good to go over your ideas, though, figure out which ones you might want to focus on.  Short term?  Why not pick one of them that seems like you can manage it in our time here on-base, before our next outing?"

She pauses in thought, before continuing.  "You...are coming with us on the next time we head out, right?  I should ask, rather than assume.  You've been extremely helpful, and are part of the team, but maybe you have a different idea."  All true, that, and better to give him the choice.

Everyone deserves that.

"I could... " You-Why starts, and then pauses before beginning again, "That is, I believe I could be of assistance in raising the child.  I am fluent in over six million forms of communication, and can tell stories and describe events in all of them.  I would like the opportunity to use my abilities regularly."

"And, to be perfectly honest, I do not enjoy being put in constant danger, and asked to do things that I am not suited for.  Organics can be highly unreasonable much of the time.  No offence intended."

Rhijans actually almost cracked a grin at that.  Almost.  "None taken.  Your observation is entirely correct...we can be.  That's not always a bad thing, though...I mean, it was pretty unreasonable to liberate you from that Imperial mining outpost.  But it might be good for you to take a break.  Dangerous situations seem to find us with amazing regularity...not everyone handles it well, and those who do still have their off-days."  Luckily, thus far, nobody's off days had compounded each other and compromised the group, although they'd come freakishly close on at least a couple of occasions.

Shard's eyebrows shoot up even higher.  "Constant...danger.  Void, You-Why, I'm sorry."  While Rhijans speaks, she paces in a narrow circle, a sick feeling in her stomach. "You-Why, if you don't want to do something, I'm not going to press," she carefully begins.  The whole 'you should have said something' idea sounds just a tad too accusative for her tastes.  "I think that if you want to help raise the child, that's a good thing."  Pressing her lips firmly together, she steps up and touches the droid lightly on the shoulder.  "You're part of the team, always will be.  And what you want to do, you should get the opportunity to do.  I'm going to miss you out there, but..."

Even the recent oddness -- which Shard considers misconstrued, now -- can't change that.

The droid stands quietly for a moment, and then, "I suppose I shall miss the variety of situations that I have found myself in.  But my programming does not adapt easily to violence and excitement, and my attempts to join in feel less than successful.  On the whole, I believe I will be happier at the base, even with the extremely unpleasant external environment, an the imminent danger of orbital bombardment and sudden death."

"Thank you for understanding,"

"WAAAAAAAAAArrrrrmmmmmph," Juragga commented.  Wishing U-Y well and expressing his understanding.