NdrShort ns = new NdrShort(0xABCD); // value & 0xFF => 0xCD
        buf.reset();
        int startIndex = buf.getIndex();
        ns.encode(buf);

        // Find where the actual data starts (after alignment)
        int alignmentBytes = 0;
        if (startIndex % 2 != 0) {
            alignmentBytes = 1; // Need 1 byte of padding for 2-byte alignment
        }