"Oh, my master, you're brilliant. You understood in an instant what those people never figured out before they died." Zero Three immediately applauded, offering his master heartfelt praise.
"Beep beep!"
BT began circling Aphra too, spraying firework-like sparks from the little mechanical arm extending from his chest.
"Oh, it was nothing. Let's keep it low-key. The fact that I'm the greatest archaeologist in the universe can stay between us."
Aphra was floating on their praise, grinning so widely she could barely close her mouth, but she gave a show of modesty as she continued:
"Those people must have lost their supplies early on, so they survived by eating the fruit here. Malnutrition and lack of sleep left their brains sluggish. Things that seem simple to ordinary people can be hard to grasp when you're starving."
"So, Master, you're ready to dive down and investigate?" Zero Three made as if to go upstairs for the protective suit. Playing the part of a butler, he added, "Don't forget a light when you go down, and tug the rope if you run into trouble."
"No. I'm sending you down."
Aphra's smile faded. She pointed out the window toward a water-supply well platform not far from camp, half-hidden by jungle shrubs and vines.
The room fell silent. Only the sound of Harley blowing and popping bubbles remained, and even the green sunlight outside seemed to turn colder.
The silence lasted more than ten seconds before Wo Long, looking as though he had short-circuited, finally came to his senses.
"Huh? Me?" Zero Three shook his head like a rattle and waved his hands in frantic refusal. "My body isn't waterproof. Protocol droids were never built for fieldwork. The humidity in this rainforest is already close to shorting out my wiring. I can't go underwater."
The