Chapter Text
When Cassian stripped out K-2SO’s Imperial obedience algorithms, replacing them with learning protocols, he did not create K-2. Instead, he freed him. Without the forced obedience, the datamining, the memory wipes, K-2 slowly began to learn who he was.
He learned to enjoy dry, needling humour. He learned sarcasm. He learned about lying (though never really developed the skill). He learned that he enjoyed piloting ships almost as much as he enjoyed fighting. He learned that he could enjoy things.
He learned that Cassian did not sleep enough, or eat enough. That he hated being wet but didn’t mind the cold. That he enjoyed playing sabacc but not dejarik. That he liked jogan-flavoured boiled sweets. That when he slept with his back against a wall his nightmares decreased by fourteen percent. In Cassian’s company K-2 learned exasperation, worry, and fear, but also something that might have been affection. Ensuring Cassian’s well-being became his primary directive.
Droids did not have a limbic system, and so did not have an amygdala. They should not, by rights, experience emotions in the way organic beings did. There must be another explanation for why being in Cassian’s presence gave K-2 a sense of warmth and contentment. Why joy surged through his circuits when he made Cassian smile. Why he tried to find excuses for Cassian to touch him, and carefully stored the memories away for later review.
When he researched these sensations, the holonet mostly seemed to suggest that in an organic they might be symptoms of being in love.
A preposterous notion. Droids did not fall in love.