Chapter 7- Finding Luke and the Droids
A/N: Luke and Lena find out their relationship early in this. They still won't know that Leia is their sister and not Lena's cousin until "Return of the Jedi" or that Vader is their father. And I probably will have Lena's lightsaber color revealed soon. I would think at the bar in Mos Espa.
Lena wondered where the nearest settlement was. If this was Tatooine, there had to be settlements. Her father had told her that the Hutts lived here and General Ahsoka Tano had confirmed it as she had been to Tatooine with Lena's biological father, Anakin Skywalker, when they had rescued Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta and Ahsoka was a Padawan. Lena wiped her sweaty forehead with the sleeve of her Jedi robe, Her father and Ahsoka hadn't told her it was this hot. She felt as if she had been sent to Mustafar with all this heat.
Lena looked up as she crossed what geography referred to as the Dune Sea. What looked like a beat up speeder came racing along. Two young men which looked about Lena's age. One was blond with a young face and the other had a mustache and wearing what amounted to an Imperial uniform. The young blond was the one who appeared to be driving. Their mouths fell open as they saw Lena in the middle of the barren landscape, up to her Jedi boots in sand. The blond stopped the speeder. "Hi, are you okay?" He asked in a friendly manner. Lena instantly liked him.
"Um, I'm fine. I'm just a little turned around," Lena said, indicating the landscape. She was wondering how much she could tell. Her father had told her that the Force would warn her of danger, but at this time she couldn't sense any. But then again the dark side usually shielded anything.
"You're not from here, are you?" The mustached man asked.
"Am I that obvious?" Lena evaded the question. Her stepmother would have taken her to task for doing that, but her father would have said that discretion was the better part of valor for a Jedi.
"My name is Biggs Darklighter and this is my friend, Luke," Biggs said by way of introduction. On closer examination Biggs was a little older than Luke, but by about a year.
"My name is Lena Skywalker," Lena's feelings told her it was all right if she told these young men who she was. A look of surprise and shock entered Luke's face.
"Did you say "Skywalker?" Luke asked nervously as he got out of the speeder.
"Yes. Anakin Skywalker lived here. He was my father," Lena said, confused at the emotion Luke's face was conveying.
"But Anakin Skywalker was my... he's my father too," Luke whispered incredulously as he touched one of Lena's braids tenderly. Being Alderaanian, Lena had always worn elaborate hairdos as most of Alderaan's females let their hair grow out long.
"What day were you born, Luke?" Lena asked.
"Empire Day. You?" Luke asked.
"Yes. I was adopted after the emperor killed Anakin Skywalker and our mother. How old are you?" Lena asked, feeling an unJedi-like urge to be excited. If what she felt was true then Luke was her brother. Correction, her twin brother.
"I've reached 19 moon cycles," Luke said.
"So have I. Luke, if what I think is true, then you... you are my brother," Lena said.
"That is so wizard!" Luke exclaimed, hugging Lena tightly. Lena grinned briefly.
"So, what are you doing out here, Lena?" Biggs asked after she had gotten in the speeder behind them.
"Um, I'm looking for a friend who lives around these parts. My father told me about him when I was a girl on Alderaan," Lena said as Luke started up the speeder.
"What's his name? We may be able to help you," Luke offered.
"I think my father called him Obi-Wan. He was a general during the Clone Wars and a Jedi Knight," Lena said. as the speeder shot forward.
"I thought the Empire killed all the Jedi Knights," Biggs said.
"They didn't. They killed a massive number, but a few managed to slip through. Men like my father and General Tano who joined the Rebel Alliance along with my uncle and cousin. I need to find Obi-Wan. Do either of you know any Jedi knights named Obi-Wan who lives around here?" Lena asked., her blue eyes shot from one to the other of them.
"Afraid not. Maybe my uncle Owen knows him or my aunt Beru. Would you like to ask them?" Luke asked.
"If it's not too much trouble," Lena agreed as Luke drove them to first Biggs's home and then drove them to the farm where Luke lived.
A woman in her sixties was in front of a stove in the house, stirring a pot of something. "Luke, where have you been? Your uncle has been looking for you," the woman chided gently.
"I was with Biggs. He's leaving tomorrow for the Academy," Luke said. It was then the woman noticed Lena.
"Hello. Are you new here, dear?" the woman asked with a kind smile.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm Lena Orran. Luke was kind enough to offer me shelter," Lena said, not seeing any reason to admit that she was Luke's sister and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker to this woman. The woman wasn't a threat, but Lena had a strong feeling from the Force that she should be silent at this moment.
"Well, we don't have much, but we are happy to share it with you until you get to where you're going," the woman said.
Lena smiled. "Thank you, Ma'am. Do you need any help in here? I'd be glad to help," Lena offered, indicating the pot of food cooking.
"No, I am almost done," the woman said, ushering them out the door.
"My aunt doesn't like a lot of people in her kitchen. She's run me and Uncle Owen out more times than I can count. How come you didn't tell Aunt Beru your real name?" Luke asked.
"I don't think it's the right time, Luke. Let's just not say anything just yet," Lena said as a grizzled farmer joined them.
"Uncle Owen, this is Lena Orran. Me and Biggs found her," Luke explained.
The man scowled as he looked at her. "Well, are you some kind of Jedi dressed like that?" Owen asked, looking at her Jedi robes.
"Uh, no. Maybe I killed a Jedi and took his or her robes," Lena said non-committedly as a sand crawler rolled up to the farm.
"Hmpph. We'll discuss this later. Luke, we need to buy some new droids. Jawas are usually selling," Owen said grudgingly. Lena looked as the Jawas and their cargo was unloaded. Her heart nearly skipped as she looked at C-3P0 and R2-D2. Apparentlt the astromech hadn't made it to Obi-Wan.
"Luke! Luke!" Beru called Luke back.
Lena and Luke ran back to the house. "Tell Uncle that if he gets a translator be sure it speaks Bocce," Beru said.
"Doesn't look as if we have much of a choice, but I'll remind him," Luke said as he and Lena went back to Owen and the Jawas. Owen was walking down the line of five or six droids.
"Yeah, we'll take that red one. No, not that one," Owen, Luke, and Lena then stopped in front of C-3P0. Threepio looked at Lena, who indicated him to be silent about who she was. Thankfully the droid took the hint. "You, I suppose you're programmed for etiquette and protocol," Owen questioned.
"Protocol? Why, it's my primary function, Sir. I am well-versed in all the customs-" Threepio started to say in an in-droid-like brag before Owen interrupted.
"I have no need for a protocol droid," Owen said.
"Of course you haven't, Sir. Not in an environment such as this. That is why I have been programmed-" Threepio started to say again.
'What I really need is a droid who understands the binary language of moisture vaporators," Owen said. Being a Jedi that particular technology was beneath Lena. Her father had told her that overdependence on technology proved to be the downfall of the Jedi around the time she was born with Luke. But something told Lena that Owen wouldn't appreciate being told that.
"Vaporators? Sir, my first job was programming binary load lifters, very similar to your vaporators in most respects," Lena hid a smile. That was technically true after Threepio's memory had been wiped to keep her safe from the Empire. Before the wipe he had been her mother's droid and had been built by Anakin Skywalker.
"Can you speak Bocce?" Owen asked.
"Of course I can, Sir. It's like a second language to me-" Threepio started to say.
"All right. Shut up. I'll take this one," Owen said.
"Shutting up, Sir," Threepio conceded.
"Luke! You and Miss Orran take these tow over to the garage, will you? I want them cleaned up before dinner" Owen said, indicating a red droid and Threepio.
"But me and Lena were going into Tosche Station to pick up some power convertors," Luke protested.
"You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done. Come on. Get to it," Owen said with finality. Lena shot Threepio a look and then looked at Artoo, who was whistling and shaking it's small domed body. Luke looked at Threepio.
"All right. Come on. And the red one. Come on. Well, come on, red. Let's go," Luke ordered the red droid, amidst Artoo whining pitifully.
The red droids top then shorted. "Uh, Mr. Lars?" Lena called as she moved the damaged circuits on the droid. She may not have used droids, but she knew the basics and how to fix them.
"Yeah?" Owen asked, looking in her direction.
"This R2 unit has a bad motivator. Look," Lena said, indicating the droid.
"Hey, what are you trying to push on us?" Owen asked the Jawa in front of him irritably.
Artoo then beeped. "Excuse me, Sir, Mistress, that R2 unit is in prime condition. A real bargain," Threepio indicated R2.
"Uncle Owen?" Luke called.
"Yeah?" Owen asked.
"What about that one?" Luke indicated Artoo.
"What about that blue one? Yeah, we'll take that one," Owen indicated R2.
"Yeah, take this one away," Luke said as two Jawas came over and took what was left of the red one away.
"I assure you you'll be very pleased with that one, Sir. He really is in first-class condition. I've worked with him before. Here he comes," Threepio said as Artoo joined them.
"Okay. Let's go," Luke said as he and Lena walked to a repair station.
"Now don't you forget this. Why I should stick my neck out for you is quite beyond my capacity," Lena heard Threepio say haughtily as they followed Luke and Lena inside. Lena smiled in spite of herself. If she could pull Artoo aside then the both of them could find Obi-Wan. The hard part would be getting the droid away from the farm.