Saga - OT Star Wars original trilogy redone

Foreword:
I've attempted more than one prequel rewrite, but here's my shot at rewriting the original trilogy. I have an old story rewriting ROTJ, but this version will portray the whole trilogy, and this time, with no context from the prequels. It may seem very similar to Lucas' films at first, but as my version progresses, you will see increasing deviation.

About my Boba Fett story, it was supposed to be canon-compliant and my plans for it were at odds with current canon, so I don't know if I'll finish it.

without further ado:


A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.....


Star Wars

It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.

During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.

Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy.....




Tosche Station, at this time of the late afternoon, was nearly empty, but Luke remained atop the observatory, gazing in mesmerized admiration at the action beyond the horizon through his macrobinoculars. He was witnessing what he felt certain was a space battle, between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. Yes, there was the large Star Destroyer, chasing a single consular ship, fire being exchanged between the two...

The blond haired young man dressed in a simple farmer's tunic remained fixed on the scene above him, which contrasted greatly from the vast and endless desert that surrounded both him and the small community that made up the Mos Eisley spaceport. Adventure was so close, just above him, yet so far beyond his reach.

"Hey, Luke!"

Luke turned to find his friend Biggs Darklighter emerging from the small adobe staircase onto the rooftop of Tosche Station. He smiled, glad for some company on the lonely observatory.

"Biggs!" the young man exclaimed, "I have something to show you, look!"

Taking Luke's macrobinoculars, Biggs glanced up at the late afternoon sky, the twin suns beginning to lower, the clouds overlooking the sea of sand and dune.

"What is it Luke?" Biggs asked, squinting as he tried to get a better look, "I don't see anything."

Luke's heart sank as he looked up and saw nothing but desert sky and burning sun.
"I could have sworn, there was a space battle up there, just now! It must be gone now." He looked down in embarrassment, now wondering if he had imagined the whole thing in his boredom.

"Hey kid, I know, this place gets boring," Biggs clapped his friend on the shoulder and gave him back the binoculars, "We're all bound to start seeing things. Speaking of which, I have some news."

"What is it?" asked Luke, looking up at his friend curiously.

"I'm getting shipped out today," Biggs replied sadly, "I'm going to the Academy to be a pilot."

Luke sighed and turned away to hide his seething, feeling more discouraged than ever. "You're leaving?"

"Sorry buddy, but how many chances do I have left?" Biggs replied.
The two young men started down the stairs into the little shop inside Tosche Station, then exited onto the street, which was mostly barren except for a few robots and lone junk traders still lurking about.

"No, I get it," Luke said, "It's just that I wish I was going with you."

"Hey, I'm sure you will soon," Biggs replied as the two headed towards the docking bay where the Imperial recruitment ship was waiting, "You're a great pilot."

"Piloting skyhoppers maybe," Luke replied, "and besides, my aunt and uncle won't let me."

"Come on, you're a man now, buddy," Biggs said, "They can't keep you forever. Sooner or later, you got to start deciding for yourself."

"Yeah, but Uncle Owen needs me for the harvest," Luke sighed, "I can't just leave."

The two passed several local shops, cantinas, and hangars, as well as some tenements, on the way to the checkpoint where Biggs was due to leave.

Finally, they passed through the archway leading into the docking bay, slightly below ground level. The Imperial shuttle was glaringly sleeker and more advanced than the local freighters and passenger carriers docked nearby. Standing by the open ramp of the shuttle were several white-armored Imperial stormtroopers, whose faces were kept anonymous by cold, glaring masks. Luke felt a chill run down his spine as he took in their sight, noticing the deadly blasters they carried.

Biggs turned to his friend and said, "Well, Luke, this is where I say goodbye. I'm sorry I can't do more to help you, but I promise you'll find your calling soon. I just know it."

Luke sadly smiled, knowing Biggs was trying to make him feel better.

He replied, "All right Biggs, look out for yourself, all right? And don't let them get to you over there."

"I won't, old buddy," Biggs replied as the two embraced, "And I'll see you again real soon, I promise."

Luke released his oldest friend as Biggs walked towards the shuttle where the soldiers of the Empire were waiting. Before stepping aboard, he turned back and gave Luke a salute, which Luke returned with a bittersweet feeling.

Then the stormtroopers joined Biggs, and the ramp closed with a hiss and a release of steam that fogged the landing facility.

Luke watched the shuttle rise towards the endless sky, then slowly began to walk away back into the alley. He was alone now; most of his friends had left. He watched Biggs and the shuttle disappear as the afternoon turned into evening. He needed to get home, Luke realized, or his aunt and uncle would worry.

As he reached the landspeeder parked just outside the outskirts of Mos Eisley, Luke gazed up once more at the night sky, searching with his binoculars for the battle he had seen. He knew what he saw, there had been a war in the stars....


The small cruiser Tantive IV raced across the empty distance of space, over the orbit of the large desert world of Tatooine. Indeed, it was exchanging laserfire with a large, bulky Star Destroyer in pursuit.

Aboard the Tantive IV, the soldiers of the Rebel Alliance raced down the corridor, weapons at the ready, as the ship was rocked by fire from the enemy attackers. The Rebels were far under-equipped, and they all knew that they could not avoid capture indefinitely. Yet they would defend their mission and their princess from any threat, no matter how deadly.

A creak rang throughout the ship as its direction changed. The Star Destroyer was pulling it inwards, the uniformed men realized.

Also walking along the hallways of the Tantive IV were two droids. One was tall, gold-plated, and humanoid, while the other was short, dome-shaped- and carried itself on wheels build into its two legs built along the side of its cylinder body.

 

The OT is where my heart resides, always. I will be following this avidly!

 

"Did you hear that?" asked the golden droid C-3PO anxiously as the floor beneath them shifted. His counterpart Artoo Deetoo let out a series of whistles and beeps in reply.
"There'll be no escape for the princess this time," 3PO fretted as fire from the Star Destroyer once more rocked the Tantive IV.

Suddenly, the movement of the ship came to a complete stop. Stationed throughout the corridor in front of the entrance, the Rebel soldiers stood with their blasters aimed at the door, the grizzled commander signaling for the men under his command to wait as they anxiously trained their weapons to fire.

"We're doomed," said 3PO as the door became illuminated by blaster fire from the outside.

As it came crashing down, stormtroopers dressed in white came barging in, and the Rebels immediately responded by opening fire.
The ammunition from the stormtroopers felled many of them right away, and those that survived the initial onslaught began retreating deeper into the ship.

Threepio turned around in confusion as he realized that Artoo had vanished. He stopped at the end of the trembling hallway and glanced to a distant room, where a figure dressed in white was installing a disc into a slot in Artoo's domed head. Artoo accepted the disk with a beep.

Princess Leia briefly turned around as the sound of crossfire grew louder, then disappeared down the parallel corridor as Artoo glided back towards Threepio.

Leia ducked into a small, empty white room with a holoscreen and a viewing window looking out at the seemingly bare planet of Tatooine. With no time to lose, the Rebel leader pressed a button just below the screen, which projected the image of her father, the king of Alderaan, back home waiting for his daughter.

"Leia," her father's face was stricken with concern, "What happened?"

"We have the plans to the Death Star, but my ship is under attack," Leia replied, "I put the plans in the Artoo unit and sent him away."

"You never should have been a part of the mission," the King said, "If the Empire catches you involved with the Rebellion, they will not show mercy."

"I knew the risks just as much as everyone else did, Father," Leia replied firmly, "I cannot stand by as the Empire takes away from the free galaxy."

The King's features softened as he realized that his daughter was right. "I will see what I can do to get you released," he said, concealing his intense fear for his daughter's own sake, "Until then, be careful." His face faded from the screen as Leia exited the room and kept running down the corridor.

She stopped as a group of stormtroopers rounded the corner and came upon her.
"There she is, get her!"

Leia reached into her cloak and produced a small pistol. She aimed it at the stormtroopers and hit the nearest one. Leia turned and ran the other way as he fell dead onto the floor. There was no turning back now, Leia realized, she had just revealed herself as an enemy of the Empire.

She felt a sudden, sharp pain as a shock hit her from behind, and she stumbled to the corridor floor, losing consciousness.

The stormtroopers approached her, studying the stunned princess. "She'll be all right," the leader said in the harsh voice produced by his helmet, "inform Lord Vader that we have a prisoner."

"Artoo, wait for me!" the droid Threepio wailed as he raced after his smaller, bulkier friend through the hail of red and green laserfire between the Rebels and stormtroopers. On both sides, bodies were scattered across the floor as the two robots fled the scene.

Eventually, a tall, caped man appeared from the smoke and ash, his presence indicated by loud, raspy breathing. He wore a suit of black armor and an obsidian mask that covered his entire head and radiated a scowl towards all that looked him in the face.

Darth Vader awaited as four stormtroopers came around the corridor, two of them gripping the arms of a Rebel officer dressed in an orange flight suit and the same visor helmet as the troopers under his command.

Darth Vader reached out with a strong gloved hand and seized the officer, Captain Antilles, by the throat.
"Where are the transmissions you intercepted? What have you done with the Death Star plans?"

Antilles gasped and struggled for breath as Vader lifted him into the air, holding him by the neck with one arm. "We intercepted.... no... transmissions....." Antilles choked, desperately fighting for air, "This is a....consular....ship....we're on....a diplomatic....mission...."

"If this is a consular ship, where is the ambassador?" Vader replied furiously, giving Antilles a firm squeeze until the air had totally left his lungs. He threw the man against the wall of the ship and heard the crack of Antilles' neck breaking.
Vader turned impatiently to his lead stormtrooper and said, "Commander, tear this ship apart until you've found those plans. And bring me the passengers, I want them alive!" He wanted to personally make them pay for their treachery against the Empire.

"Where are you going?" whined Threepio, "Artoo, you're not supposed to be back here, you'll be deactivated for sure!"

Artoo gave a fresh reply, to which Threepio responded, "Don't get technical with me, you overweight bucket of grease."

Artoo stopped in front of a small round hatch, and produced a screw from his domed head. The screw fit into the panel next to the hatch, which opened it and led into a small, simple escape pod.

"I'm not going in there," Threepio protested as Artoo indicated for him to follow him into the pod. A jet of laserfire hit the wall opposite Threepio.

"Oh, I'm going to regret this," Threepio groaned as he ducked and stepped into the pod, which automatically launched away from the Tantive IV just as it was pulled into the hangar of the Star Destroyer.

Aboard the Imperial craft, two officers observed the escaping pod from below the deck.

"There goes another one," one of them said.

"Hold your fire, there's no life forms aboard."

And so, with the two droids inside, the pod descended unnoticed from the Star Destroyer towards the surface of Tatooine.

With all the dignity and defiance she could muster, Princess Leia marched down the corridor escorted by the stormtroopers guarding her. It was all she could do not to react to the bodies of the Rebels under her command, killed because she had chosen to make the detour to Tatooine.

She could not help but cringe at the resonant, terrifying sound of artificial breathing that awaited her, nor at the tall, black, caped figure that stood at the entrance to her ship. Darth Vader, the evil servant of the Emperor and the commander of the Imperial Army, stood by the fallen Rebels with his cape billowing behind him. He gazed at the Princess with his blank, expressionless helmet as she was brought to him.

"Darth Vader," Leia spat, determined not to show fear or intimidation, "Only you could be so bold." She knew had the sympathy of the people, and she would use it to her advantage. "When word of this gets out..."

"Don't act so surprised, your Highness," Vader replied, placing sarcasm in the use of her title, "You weren't on any mercy mission this time. I want to know what happened to the plans the Rebels sent you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leia replied. She knew that Vader would not be fooled, but as long as she was there as a prisoner, she would not play his game. "I am a member of the Imperial Senate and I..."

"You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor!" Vader interrupted, raising his deep electronic voice. To the stormtroopers, he replied, "Take her away!"

With their blasters, the Imperials prodded Leia through the doorway off the Tantive IV. Vader walked broodingly through the ransacked ship, his signature breathing ringing throughout the blaster-scorched hallways.

HIs silent contemplation was interrupted by the arrival of a squad of stormtroopers .
"The Death Star plans are not in the main computer," the lead stormtrooper reported.

"Lord Vader!" a black shirted officer approached, "Our scouts have detected a single escape pod jettisoned from this ship. No life forms were aboard."

Vader reacted immediately, knowing Leia's style enough to figure out what she would do. "She must have hidden the plans inside the escape pod. Send a detachment to retrieve them. See to it personally, Commander, there'll be no one to stop us this time."


Down below, the escape pod had landed amid the Dune Sea on the desert planet of Tatooine. Artoo and Threepio walked side by side.

"How did we get into this mess?" Threepio wondered aloud, "I really don't know. We seem to be made to suffer, it's our lot in life."

Artoo did not reply, but continued along without complaint. He knew why they were on Tatooine, and he had a mission.

Threepio went on rambling: "I've got to rest before I fall apart. My joints are almost frozen." As the humanoid robot slowed down, Artoo Deetoo turned and started for a pathway in the sand leading into a rocky region filled with cliffs and gorges.

"Where are you going?" Threepio asked suspiciously. Artoo beeped a short response.

"What makes you think there are settlements over there?"

Artoo proceeded towards the sloped path, ignoring his counterpart's complaints.

"It's much too rocky," Threepio said, "This way is much easier."

Artoo beeped again.

"Don't get technical with me," Threepio replied, now annoyed, "What mission?"

Artoo gave another reply.

"I've just about had enough of you!" Threepio snapped, "Go that way! And don't let me catch you following me begging for help, because you won't get it!"

The protocol droid walked along the sandy dunes, away from Artoo and the gorge. Artoo waited until Threepio was far away, then let out a loud whistle.

Threepio turned around and cried out. "No more adventures! I'm not going that way!"

And Artoo turned his domed body and proceeded towards the slope up the cliff ahead.

 

OH! OH! Wonderful ANH feels! LOL on the 3PO and R2 snark and absolutely adore Leia in defiant mode!

 

Note: I realize that some of the dialogue and scenes are trimmed from what they were in the film, including the Biggs scene. I feel as though introducing both Luke and Biggs at the very start adds more weight to the latter's death, even if we only see them together briefly. Also, I am well aware that in the actual deleted scene, Biggs tells Luke that he is planning to defect. However, I think this should be a surprise as in the actual film, Luke actually wants to join the Academy before learning what happened to his father. I think more tension will be added to the surprise that Biggs has seen the evil of the Empire before reuniting with Luke.




As the sun fell over the Tatooine canyons, Artoo Deetoo strolled along the bumpy slope, past caverns, ledges, and gorges. He was having second thoughts about the path he'd taken; although he knew by his programming that Obi-Wan Kenobi lived beyond the Jundland Wastes, there seemed to be no end in sight to these treacherous rocks.

Artoo beeped in alarm as his sensors began to pick up on life-forms nearby. He was being watched, he knew, although his vision range could not detect any visible beings.

Between the rocks, several pairs of glowing eyes watched the little droid move along. Artoo stopped and turned his round head as he sensed danger. Several little creatures were watching him, with small brown cloaks covering their bodies and faces except for their yellow eyes.

With a childish squeak, one of the Jawas popped up from the cavern where he was hiding and fired his stun gun at Artoo.
The little droid squealed as he was hit, and toppled over onto the ground with a thud.

Chattering, the Jawa's companions emerged and surrounded the droid. Half a dozen of them lifted Artoo into the air and carried him off to their giant mobile droid carrier known as a sandcrawler.

Once inside the dark, sinister cargo hold, Artoo's mechanical senses returned. He peeked around the desolate room, activating his built-in light. He made out the limbs of several dismembered droids, and reacted in fright at the sight of a paralyzed humanoid robot glaring at him. The RA-7 protocol droid reminded Artoo of an evil-looking C-3PO.

Artoo prowled along, until he saw a familiar looking golden droid looking lost among the captives of the Jawas.

Threepio turned at the sound of his counterpart, having never been so happy to see his friend.

"Artoo Deetoo, it is you!" he exclaimed.

The sandcrawler mowed along the desert through the night, its Jawa passengers in search of settlements to sell their goods to.

It was just after noon the next day when a squad of specialized sandtroopers were scanning the area around the abandoned escape pod, which had been thoroughly ransacked in search of the Death Star plans.

Footsteps led in two directions; one set into the unknowns of the Dune Sea, and the other towards the gorges of the Jundland Wastes.

"Someone was in the pod," the lead stormtrooper commented.

One of the men bent down and picked up a small metal piece from the sand. "Look, sir, droids!"

The Jawa sandcrawler stopped just outside a lone, isolated property. This was one of many standalone farms that made a profit off of moisture, which was used from the air vapor to create and sell water, an invaluable and desperately-needed good in the heated Tatooine climate. The farm was made up of a network of vaporators and pipes to deliver the water. A garage and an adobe igloo that led into the homestead below ground were also present.

As soon as the large, rolling vehicle came to a stop, C-3PO jolted in alarm, and rapped Artoo on the head.

"We're doomed," he groaned as the ramp to the storage unit slid open, exposing a bright, blurry light into the shed. The Jawas came marching in, armed with zappers to prod their droids outside. Artoo and Threepio hastily followed the assembly line of droids out onto the sand.

Two figures emerged from the small, adobe igloo within the property. A large, burly man with stubble across his weatherbeaten face was followed by a young, blond-haired man, both dressed in the simple tunics of farmers.

Suddenly, a voice called from below; "Luke!"

The young man broke away and jogged over the opening in the ground overlooking the Lars family homestead, where his Aunt Beru was shouting to him.

"Tell Uncle if he gets a translator, be sure it speaks Bocce!"

Luke looked back over his shoulder to the Jawa sandcrawler and the visible selection of droids lined up outside.

"Doesn't look like we have much of a choice, but I'll tell him!"

As Luke caught up to his uncle, Owen Lars was surveying the droids. "No, not that one," he muttered to himself repeatedly, before stopping in front of a red colored astromech droid. Unlike Artoo, this R5 unit had a cylinder shaped head, but was similarly round in the middle.

"I'll take the red one," Owen said the the chief Jawa, then proceeded along the aisle of droids. Unseen, Artoo Deetoo unearthed his screwdriver from his midsection and slowly moved it towards ArFive.

"Hello, sir," Threepio said automatically, "I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations."

"I suppose you're programmed for etiquette and protocol," Owen replied absently, somewhat startled by the forwardness of this particular droid.

"I am fluent in over six million forms of communication and..."

"I have no use for a protocol droid," Owen interrupted, looking pointedly at Threepio as though daring him to change his mind. "What I need is a droid who understands the language of moisture vaporators. Can you speak Bocce?"

"Why, it's like a second language to me, sir," Threepio replied, "My first job was...."

"All right, shut up," Owen sighed in frustration. To the chief Jawa, the old moisture farmer said, "I'll take this one too." He turned towards his nephew and beckoned him over.
"Luke, take these two over to the garage, will you? I want them cleaned up before dinner."

Luke sighed. "But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters."

"You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done," Owen replied sternly, "Come on."

"All right," Luke said sullenly. He beckoned over Threepio and ArFive. As the two droids followed their new owner towards the homestead, ArFive suddenly stopped in his tracks. A fuse had blown and the droid's insides were steaming with smoke.

Artoo beeped mischievously as Luke said, "Uncle Owen, the ArFive's got a bad motivator!"

Owen turned angrily to the Jawa. "Hey, what are you trying to push on us?"

As the Jawa replied defensively in its vernacular, Threepio spoke up to Luke. "Excuse me," he said, pointing to Artoo, "That Artoo unit over there is in prime condition, a real bargain."

"Uncle Owen, what about the Artoo?"

"All right, we'll take the blue one," Owen said to the Jawa, eager to get the sale over with. Artoo eagerly trekked along the sand to join Threepio and Luke as they walked over towards the garage.

"Don't you forget this," Threepio said as Luke stepped out of earshot, "Why I should stick my neck out for you is quite beyond my capacity."



The massive, sphere-shaped Death Star loomed large among the planetary systems of the Galactic Empire. Imperial TIE Fighters travelled back and forth between the Death Star and the assembled Star Destroyers.

Within the main conference room within the east wing, a debate was breaking out between the chief officers.

"Until this battle station is fully operational, we are vulnerable," Commander Tagge said, "The Rebels are too well-equipped. They're more dangerous than you realize."

"Dangerous to your star fleet, Commander," Admiral Motti replied. He was younger and cockier than Tagge, and he scorned the elder officer's fear of that weak, petty band of freedom-fighters. "Not to this battle station."

"Holding the Princess here is dangerous," Tagge argued, "If word of this gets out, it could spread sympathy towards the Rebellion in the Senate."

The reply came not from Motti, but from the tall, thin, gray-haired man who entered the room. "The Imperial Senate will soon be of no concern to us," said Grand Moff Tarkin, chief architect of the Death Star and governor of all Outer Rim territories, "Once this station's might is ready to be unleashed, the Emperor intends to dissolve the council permanently." Tarkin was followed by Darth Vader, whose artificial breathing and fearsome presence proved intimidating to even the most daring of officers.

"That's impossible, how will he maintain control without the bureaucracy?" Tagge asked.

"Fear will keep the local systems in line," Tarkin replied, his ruthlessness reflected in his hungry glare and his sunken cheekbones, "Fear of this battle station."

Suddenly, the holoprojector in the middle of the conference table began blinking rapidly. Tarkin reached to press a button on the table's control panel, which activated the image of King Organa of Alderaan.

"Governor Tarkin, Lord Vader," Organa said, barely able to hide his desperation.

"Ah, your Majesty," Tarkin said, a smile of triumph upon his face, "I suppose you have made contact in hopes of getting your daughter released."

"I can assure you, Governor, that Leia has nothing to do with the Rebellion. She is a diplomat on behalf of the royal family and the Empire."

This time, Vader chimed in. "Spare us your groveling and your lies, Organa. She stole valuable Imperial property with soldiers and weaponry funded by Alderaan."

Organa flushed, anger seeping into him now. "I can promise you, I will go to the Emperor with this. You have allowed innocents to be caught in your misguided conquest for power."

Tarkin replied, "Grovel to the Emperor all you want. You'll wish you'd stopped with us."

Wasting no time, King Organa deactivated the communication, stationed within the confines of his palace on Alderaan. Beside him stood Mon Mothma, defected Imperial Senator and one of his fellow leaders of the Rebel Alliance.

"You must know that the Emperor will not see reason," Mothma said, "Everything he's done to the galaxy is proof of that."

"I can't let Leia get caught up in this war," the king lamented, "I can't lose her."

"The Empire will not stop until they have found the Rebel base," Mothma said, "Truly, I regret Leia's situation as much as you do, but the Rebellion must be ready for an attack. Even if we all perish, we cannot let any hope slip by."

The king sighed, knowing she was right. Even with his personal losses, the war still loomed. "Then go back to the base and prepare our troops. I must remain on Alderaan with my people. They need me more than ever now that Leia is captured. To many of them, she serves as a symbol of hope."

 

"This oil bath is going to feel so good," C-3PO sighed in relief as he sat down in the miniature spa in the garage, eager to rid his joints of all the rust it had acquired.
As he applied his tools to fix his damaged skyhopper, Luke was overtaken by a wave of bitterness, reflecting on the aimless passage of time he'd experienced.
"It just isn't fair," he grumbled, "Biggs was wrong, I'm never going to get out of here." He envisioned himself as an old man, working the moisture farm while his friends lived in glory as heroes, pilots, and the like.

Per his design as a protocol droid, Threepio spoke up. "Is there any way I might be of help?"

Luke moved on from the skyhopper to Artoo Deetoo, adjusting the droid's screws. "Not unless you can speed up time or teleport me off this rock."

"I'm only a droid and not very knowledgable about such things," Threepio lamented, "not on this planet anyway. In fact, I'm not even sure which planet I'm on."

"Well, if there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from," Luke said.

"I see, sir," replied Threepio humbly.

"You can call me Luke," the boy replied as he dug into the rust inside Artoo's domed head.

"I see, sir Luke," Threepio repeated.

Luke couldn't help but smile and chuckle despite himself. "Just Luke."

As was customary, Threepio replied, "And I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. And this is my counterpart, R2-D2."

"Hello," Luke said in amusement as Artoo gave a salutatory beep.


He dug deeper into Artoo as Threepio emerged from the spa.
"You've got a lot of carbon scoring," Luke remarked, "It looks like you boys have seen a lot of action."

"Sometimes I'm amazed we're in as good condition as we are," Threepio replied casually, "what with the Rebellion and all."

This suddenly caught Luke's attention. He turned quickly to Threepio, excited to learn all that he could. "You know of the Rebellion against the Empire?"

"Well, there's not much to tell," Threepio replied modestly, "I'm not much more than an interpreter and not very knowledgable of such things."

This went entirely over Luke's head. "Have you been in many battles?"

"Several, I think," Threepio replied, "I'm not good at making them interesting, though."

Luke turned his attention back to Artoo. "Well, my friend," he said, "you've got something jammed in here real good. Were you on a cruiser or..."

Luke was cut off as a hologram sprang from the projector in Artoo's head. He jumped back in surprise, dropping the tools he had been using and gazing up at the transparent image.

It was a woman, young and small, dressed in a white traveling cloak.

"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope," she said.

"What is this?" Luke asked in confusion, "Who is she?"

"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope," the hologram continued.

"I'm not quite sure, sir, a passenger on our last voyage, I believe," Threepio said in response to Luke's question.

"She's beautiful," Luke could not help but murmur as he studied her face, repeating the same phrase; "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

"Is there any more to this recording?" Luke asked.

Artoo beeped as Luke played around with his controls, trying to figure out how to rewind the message.

"He says he's the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a resident of these parts," Threepio translated, "quite frankly, I don't know what he's talking about. Our last master was Captain Antilles, but with all we've been through, this Artoo unit has become quite eccentric."

"I wonder if he means old Ben," Luke said contemplatively.

"I beg your pardon sir?"

"I don't know anyone named Obi-Wan, but Ben Kenobi lives out beyond the dune sea. He's kind of a strange old hermit."

The recording continued replaying. "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

"I wonder who she is," Luke said, continuing to analyze the holographic message as though he would find out more by looking hard enough, "It sounds like she's in trouble. I'd better play back the entire thing."

Artoo gave a long series of whistles and beeps, and Threepio immediately translated.

"He says the restraining bolt has short circuited his recording system.He suggests that if you remove the bolt, he might be able to play back the entire recording."

Luke grabbed his wrench and dug into Artoo's system, pulling out the bolt with vigor. He stumbled backwards as the bolt fell to the garage floor and the hologram disappeared.

"Hey, where'd she go," Luke exclaimed, anxious to know the whole story, "Bring her back, play back the entire message!"

Suddenly, a womanly voice called out from the homestead. "Luke, dinner!"

Luke sighed in irritation. "Be right there, Aunt Beru!" he shouted back.

"See what you can do with him," Luke ordered Threepio as he got up to exit the garage.

As soon as Luke was outside, Threepio bent low to angrily address Artoo. "Just you reconsider playing him that message."

Darth Vader stalked down the Death Star's detention level, followed by two prison guards and a round, black, hovering IT-O droid. They stopped in front of the deepest, most remote cell, Vader's breathing ominously ringing throughout. The cell door slid open to reveal the captured Leia.

"And now, we will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel base," Vader informed the Princess, who looked up at him trying to suppress her fear.

The IT-O withdrew a small needle from its' insides as the cell door closed with Leia and Vader inside. Leia's screams rang outside the cell, and the two guards exchanged uneasy looks.

 

When Luke entered the dining room adjacent to the piping system of the Lars homestead, Owen was already eating and Beru was setting a pitcher of blue milk onto the table.

"You know, I think that Artoo unit we bought might have been stolen," he remarked before delving into his soup, approaching the subject conversationally.

"What makes you think that?" Owen asked casually between mouthfuls.

"He said he belongs to someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke replied, "I wonder if he meant old Ben?"

Unseen by Luke, Owen and Beru immediately looked at each other in alarm across the table.

Thinking of a quick response, Owen said, "That wizard's just a crazy old man. Tomorrow I want you to take that Artoo unit out to Anchorhead and have its memory erased. That'll be the end of it, it belongs to us now."

"But what if this Obi-Wan goes looking for him?" Luke asked.

"He won't," Owen replied, anxious to shut the conversation down as soon as possible, "I don't think he exists anymore. He died about the same time as your father.

Owen immediately regretted his words as Luke gaped at him in shock. "He knew my father?"

"I told you to forget about it," Owen replied, injecting a hint of forcefulness in his voice, "Your only concern is to have those droids ready for tomorrow. In the morning I want them working on those condensers in the South Ridge."

"All right," Luke nodded and went on eating, deciding to allow the matter drop, at least for now. "I think those new droids are going to work out fine. In fact, I was thinking about our agreement, letting me stay on another season. If these two droids work out, I want to transmit my application to the Academy this year."

"You mean the semester before the harvest?" Owen questioned, "The harvest's when I need you most!"

"There's more than enough droids," replied Luke.

"Tell you what," Owen said, trying to be reasonable, "We'll make enough this year so I can hire more hands and you can go to the Academy next year."

Luke had expected this response, it was one he had heard many times. He looked down sullenly at his plate as Beru looked pointedly at her husband.

"You must know I need you here, Luke," Owen said.

"But it's a whole other year," Luke quietly protested, desperate for his uncle to see his side.

"Look, it's only one more season."

"Yeah, that's what you said when Tank left, and now Biggs is gone."

Luke stood up and pushed his chair back, starting out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Beru asked him.

Luke bitterly glanced back at the dining table. "Looks like I'm going nowhere," he grumbled, "I have to finish cleaning those droids."

He stepped out onto the property, onto a small slope. The sky had turned purple in the dusk and Tatooine's twin suns shone bright red and yellow. Forlornly, Luke gazed out into the horizon, peering into the sky beyond. This was all he knew, his whole world was farming and desert. He knew there was something out there for him, he had to hope that his life was bigger than this. But some days, he wasn't so sure. Some days, he wondered whether he would spend the rest of his days on the moisture farm, on Tatooine, missing the adventure that could have been his.

With a sigh, Luke went into the garage, activating the light. Immediately, Threepio popped up from behind Luke's landspeeder, where he'd been hiding.

"Please don't deactivate me," the golden protocol droid begged, "I warned him not to go, but he wouldn't listen."

Wondering what Threepio was talking about, Luke scanned around the garage until he realized that Artoo Deetoo was missing.

"Oh no," he groaned, racing outside the garage with Threepio on his heels.

Luke scanned the area with his macrobinoculars as Threepio spoke up, anxious to ward off any perceived blame on his part. "That Artoo unit is quite a problem. Even I can't understand the logic of these astromechs at times."

"How could I have been so stupid?" Luke bemoaned, failing to detect Artoo in any direction, "he's nowhere in sight, blast it!"

"Excuse me, Master Luke, but couldn't we go after them?"

"It's too dark, and dangerous with all the Sandpeople around," Luke replied, "We'll have to wait until morning."

Uncle Owen shouted to him from inside the adobe homestead, "Luke! I'm shutting the power down!"

"All right, I'll be in in a few minutes!" Luke called back. He muttered , "Boy, am I going to get it. You know, that little droid is going to cause me a lot of trouble."

"Oh, he excels at that, sir," Threepio assured him, as the two of them turned to go inside the garage.


It was during the black of night, just on the outskirts of the settlement Anchorhead, where the stormtrooper scouts spotted the Jawa sandcrawler prowling along the Dune Sea.

"Over there," the commander said, "Those creatures must have picked up the droids."

Mounted on a scaly green dewback, the stormtrooper commander beckoned for his men to follow. Two more Imperial troopers rode dewbacks, the rest marched on foot. All were armed with lethal, automatic rifles strapped to their armor.

The squad slowly approached the bulky, giant sandcrawler, moving in front of its path.

"Stop!" the commander called out from atop his dewback, raising a hand covered with black leather and white aluminum. The stormtroopers aimed their blasters to fire upon signal.

With a slow, excruciating screech, the sandcrawler came to a sudden halt.

 

Oh still absolutely! loving the ANH feels. A wonderful Luke vibe here. You can totally feel his restless frustration!

 

The area surrounding the Lars homestead was quiet just after dawn. Travelers rarely passed by, especially so early in the morning. The only sound was Owen's call of, "Luke!"

No reply from Luke's living quarters, so Owen turned towards the garage and called out again.
"Luke!"

He went into the kitchen, where Beru was already at work on their morning meal.

"Have you seen Luke this morning?" Owen asked his wife.

"He left early," Beru replied without turning around, "he said he had some things to do."

Owen grunted. "Did he take those two new droids with him?"

"I think so."

"Well," Owen said before leaving the kitchen, "He'd better have those units in the South Ridge repaired by midday or there'll be hell to pay."


The red-and-beige X-34 landspeeder sped across the Tatooine desert, Luke steering towards the rocky, cliff-ridden Jundland Wastes with Threepio sitting nervously in the passenger seat.

"Ben Kenobi lives in this direction, but I don't know how Artoo could have gotten this far," Luke remarked, "We must have missed him." Suddenly, a button on the controls of the landspeeder starting blinking and pointing towards the southeast.

"Wait..." Luke peered out onto the rocky ledge ahead of them, "There's something picking up on the scanner. Hit the accelerator."

Threepio hastily obeyed, and the speeder raced up the slope towards the trail where the small, dome-shaped white-and-blue droid was steadily climbling.

Below the cliff, two large banthas with long, curved horns and thick brown fur trudged along. Two masked men rode the banthas, communicating in what sounded like grunts. They spotted the landspeeder above them, with one Raider ordering the other to search the vehicle for possible valuables.


"Whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going?" Luke asked as the landspeeder pulled up alongside Artoo.

Artoo beeped a defiant reply as Luke and Threepio climbed out of the landspeeder.

"Master Luke is your rightful owner," Threepio snapped at his counterpart, "We'll have no more of this Obi-Wan Kenobi gibberish. You're lucky he doesn't blast you into a million pieces right here."

"No, no, it's all right," Luke said reasonably, relieved to have Artoo back in his care, "but I think we'd better go."

At that moment, Artoo's scanners activated, causing the little droid to beep several times in alarm as his round head rotated atop his cylinder body.

"What's wrong with him now?" Luke groaned in exasperation.

"It seems that his scanners are picking up on several creatures approaching from the southeast."

"Sandpeople!" Luke said, "or worse!" He glanced towards the long rifle sitting in the backseat of his landspeeder, his curiosity and thirst for adventure getting the better of his judgement. "Come on, let's go have a look!" He took the rifle from the seat and put his arm through the strap.

Slowly, Artoo and Threepio followed their master as he climbed over the rocks to spot the approaching enemies.




"Damn it, where is that kid?" Owen muttered, pacing the kitchen.

"I'm sure he's fine, Owen," Beru said, although she was clearly trying to convince herself as well, "he just took the droids to have their memories restarted."

"Something must have happened," Owen fretted, "He's been gone too long. I was too hard on him before."

"He could have decided to stop at one of his detour spots," Beru suggested, "You know how he gets."

"Yeah, I hope that's it," Owen sighed.

Just then, a loud knock rang out from the door. Grumpily, Owen hobbled over to the door and opened it.

He stopped and backed away in surprise as he was greeted by an Imperial stormtrooper armed with an E-11 blaster, the soldier's white helmet glaring straight at him. Automatically, Owen's hand reached into his robes, and he realized with dismay that he had no weapon.

"What do you want, Imperial?" he demanded angrily.

"Get outside," the stormtrooper commanded.

"This is my property," Owen replied, "You have no business here or anywhere else on Tatooine. We are independent of your tyranny."

"Owen?" Beru called from inside. She came over to the door, then gasped as she saw the stormtrooper holding a blaster aimed at her husband.

"Get back, Beru!" Owen said, but it was too late.

"Get out," the stormtrooper said, forcing Owen outside. One of his companions waiting on the farm homestead stormed through the doorway into the house, dragging Beru onto the sand. Beru squeaked with fear as she took in the sight of the masked men, armed and dangerous.

The lead stormtrooper spoke up. "We know you purchased two droids yesterday. Where are they?"

Owen glowered at the Imperial and replied, "We don't know what you're talking about."

"Search the house!" the officer shouted to his men, "Search everywhere until you've found those droids!"


Luke held up his macrobinoculars, gazing down at the banthas in the gorge below.
"There's two Banthas down there, but I don't see any Sandpeople. Wait a second," he said, watching a masked figure emerge from behind a bulky bantha, "There's one, but where's the..."

He dropped the binoculars as a huge object moved in front of his view. Luke looked up in horror to find a fully grown raider standing over him, carrying a large, metal gaffi stick. Artoo and Threepio immediately fled the scene, taking cover behind the rocks as their master beheld his attacker.

Luke immediately moved his head to the side as the pole came crashing to the ground. The raider bellowed, raising his weapon to strike again. Luke dodged the second blow, holding up his rifle to block it. The pole sliced through Luke's weapon, splitting it in two. Luke scooted backwards, his mind now in a total state of panic. Then the pole came down a third time, and the last thing Luke saw before blacking out was the metal swinging towards his face.