Trilogy by George Lucas Page A

several companions. “No tapes, and no sign of habitation.”
    Powerful handguns lowered at the information that the pod was deserted. One of the armored men turned, calling out to an officer standing some distance away. “This is definitely the pod that cleared the rebel ship, sir, but there’s nothing on board.”
    â€œYet it set down intact,” the officer was murmuring to himself. “It
could
have done so on automatics, but if it was a true malfunction, then they shouldn’t have been engaged.” Something didn’t make sense.
    â€œHere’s why there’s nothing on board and no hint of life, sir,” a voice declared.
    The officer turned and strode several paces to where another trooper was kneeling in the sand. He held up an object for the officer’s inspection. It shone in the sun.
    â€œÂ â€™Droid plating,” the officer observed after a quick glance at the metal fragment. Superior and underling exchanged a significant glance. Then their eyes turned simultaneously to the high mesas off to the north.
    Gravel and fine sand formed a gritty fog beneath the landspeeder as it slid across the rippling wasteland of Tatooine on humming repulsors. Occasionally the craft would jog slightly as it encountered a dip or slight rise, to return to its smooth passage as its pilot compensated for the change in terrain.
    Luke leaned back in the seat, luxuriating in unaccustomed relaxation as Threepio skillfully directed the powerful landcraft around dunes and rocky outcrops. “Youhandle a landspeeder pretty well, for a machine,” he noted admiringly.
    â€œThank you, sir,” a gratified Threepio responded, his eyes never moving from the landscape ahead. “I was not lying to your uncle when I claimed versatility as my middle name. In fact, on occasion I have been called upon to perform unexpected functions in circumstances which would have appalled my designers.”
    Something pinged behind them, then pinged again.
    Luke frowned and popped the speeder canopy. A few moments of digging in the motor casing eliminated the metallic bark.
    â€œHow’s that?” he yelled forward.
    Threepio signaled that the adjustment was satisfactory. Luke turned back into the cockpit and closed the canopy over them again. Silently he brushed his wind-whipped hair back out of his eyes as his attention returned to the dry desert ahead of them.
    â€œOld Ben Kenobi is supposed to live out in this general direction. Even though nobody knows exactly where, I don’t see how that Artoo unit could have come this far so quickly.” His expression was downcast. “We must have missed him back in the dunes somewhere. He could be anywhere out here. And Uncle Owen must be wondering why I haven’t called in from the south ridge by now.”
    Threepio considered a moment, then ventured, “Would it help, sir, if you told him that it was my fault?”
    Luke appeared to brighten at the suggestion. “Sure … he needs you twice as much now. Probably he’ll only deactivate you for a day or so, or give you a partial memory flush.”
    Deactivate? Memory flush? Threepio added hastily,“On second thought, sir, Artoo would still be around if you hadn’t removed his restraining module.”
    But something more important than fixing responsibility for the little robot’s disappearance was on Luke’s mind at the moment. “Wait a minute,” he advised Threepio as he stared fixedly at the instrument panel. “There’s something dead ahead on the metal scanner. Can’t distinguish outlines at this distance, but judging by size alone, it
could
be our wandering ’droid. Hit it.”
    The landspeeder jumped forward as Threepio engaged the accelerator, but its occupants were totally unaware that other eyes were watching as the craft increased its speed.
    T hose eyes were not organic, but then, they weren’t wholly mechanical,