Chapter 5: In the Garage.

"Thank the maker," 3PO said happily as he was taking his oil bath. "This oil bath is going to feel so good. I've had such a bad case of dust contamination, I can barely move."

"It just isn't fair," Luke said after he was playing with his model sky hopper. "Biggs is right, I'm never gonna get out of here."

"Is there anything I might do to help?" 3PO asked.

"No," Luke replied. "Not unless you can alter time, speed up this harvest or teleport me off this rock."

"I don't think so, sir," 3PO responded. "I'm only a droid and not very knowledgeable about such things, not on this planet anyway. As a matter of 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," 3PO said responsively.

"You can call me Luke," he said.

"I see sir Luke," he replied.

"Ha ha," Luke laughed. "Its just Luke."

"Oh," 3PO replied. "And I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations and this is my counterpart, R2-D2."

"Hello," Luke said as R2 beeped back at him and Luke tried to clean him up. "You got a lot of carbon scoring here, looks like you boys have seen a lot of action."

"With all we've been through sometimes I'm amazed we're in as good condition as we are," 3PO said. "what with the Rebellion and all."

"You know of the Rebellion against the Empire?" Luke got up and asked, surprised.

"Thats how we came to be in your service, if you take my meaning, sir," 3PO told him as R2 beeped.

"Have you been in many battles?" Luke asked curiously.

"Several I think," 3PO responded. "Actually there's not much to tell. I'm not much more than an interpreter and not very good at telling stories. Well at least not at making them interesting anyway."

"Well my little friend," Luke said to R2. "You got something jammed in here real good. Were you on a Star cruiser or-"

Suddenly, a hologram appeared from R2. Luke fell backward on his butt and looked at it surprisingly. It was a hologram of a woman and started saying, "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, your my only hope."

"Whats this?" Luke asked. R2 beeped.

"What is what? He asked you a question. What is that?" 3PO asked as the woman said, "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, your my only hope," again. R2 beeped.

"Oh, he says its nothing sir," 3PO interpreted. "merely a malfunction. Old data. Pay it no mind."

"Who is she?" Luke asked as he looked at her. "She's beautiful."

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir," 3PO replied. "I think she was a passenger on our last voyage. A person of some importance, I believe. Our captain was attacked-"

"Is there anymore to this recording?" Luke asked as he pointed to the hologram. R2 beeped again.

"Behave yourself, R2," 3PO demanded. "You're going to get us into trouble. Its all right, you can trust him. He's our new master."

R2 beeped at him in response.

"He says he's the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi a resident of these parts," 3PO told Luke. "and its a private message for him. Quite frankly, sir, I don't know what he's talking about. Our last master was Captain Antilles. But with all we've been through this little R2 unit has become a bit eccentric."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke said. "I wonder if he means old Ben Kenobi."

"I beg your pardon, sir, but do you know what he's talking about?" 3PO asked.

"Well, I don't know anyone named Obi-Wan," Luke said. "but old Ben lives out beyond the Dune Sea. He's kind of a strange old hermit."

"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, your my only hope." the hologram said again after repeating that for a while.

"Wonder who she is?" Luke asked. "Sounds like she's in trouble, I better play back the whole thing." R2 beeped at 3PO.

"He said the restraining bolt has short-circuited his recording system," 3PO interpreted. "He suggests that if you remove the bolt he might be able play back the entire recording."

"Oh yeah. Well," Luke agreed. "I guess you're to small to run away on me if I take this off, OK, there you go."

As Luke removed the bolt, the hologram disappeared. Luke looked at where it was and didn't see it.

"Wait a minute. Where'd she go?" Luke asked demandingly. "Bring her back. Play back the entire message." R2 beeped as if he didn't know what Luke was talking about.

"What message?" 3PO interpreted as he slapped R2 on the head. "The one you've just been playing! The one you're carrying inside your rusty innards."

"Luke! Luke!" the woman who called earlier called again.

"All right I'll be right there, Aunt Beru!" Luke shouted.

"I'm sorry, sir," 3PO said. "but he appears to have picked up a slight flutter."

"Here," Luke said as he gave 3PO a tool. "See what you can do with him. I'll be right back." Luke left the garage and 3PO turned to R2.

"Just you reconsider playing that message for him," 3PO told R2. R2 beeped at him and asked him a question.

"No I don't think he likes you at all," 3PO said as R2 beeped again. "No, I don't like you either."

Back at the stardestroyer, Vader was speaking to a cloaked figure, but he wasn't the same one as he had spoken to before.

"Don't you fail me on this one, Obi-Wan," Vader told him. "That boy is of great importance."

"I understand," Obi-Wan said. "I will see to it that we meet with the smuggler at Mos Eisley."

"Good," Vader said. "I will trust you to take care of the rest. I will see you at the Death Star."

"Yes, Lord Vader," Obi-Wan said as he disappeared from the hologram.