Confrontations

Luke bursts into the power station, waking The Fixer, a rugged mechanic and Camie, a sexy, disheveled girl who has been asleep in his lap. They grumbled as he races through the office, yelling wildly. "Did I hear a young noise blast through here" Fixer asked Camie. "It was just wormie on another rampage." Luke bounces into a small room behind the office where Deak and Windy, two tough boys about the same age as Luke, are playing a computer pool-like game with Biggs, a burly, handsome boy a few years older than the rest. His flashy city attire is a sharp contrast to the loose-fitting tunics of the farm boys. A robot repairs some equipment in the background. "Shape it up you guys!... Biggs" Luke looks at his old friend. Luke's surprise at the appearance of Biggs gives way to great joy and emotion. They give each other a great bear hug. "I didn't know you were back! When did you get in" said the young farm boy. "Just now. I wanted to surprise you, hot shot. I thought you'd be here...certainly didn't expect you to be out working." Biggs laughs out loud. "The Academy didn't change you much...but you're back so soon? Hey, what happened, didn't you get your commission?" Biggs has an air of cool that seems slightly phony. "Of course I got it. Signed aboard The Rand Ecliptic last week. First mate Biggs Darklighter at your service", he gives a salute, "I just came to say good-bye to all you unfortunate landlocked simpletons." Everyone laughs. "I almost forgot. There's a battle going on! Right here in our system. Come and look!"

"Not again! Forget it" says a man in the corner of the room. The group stumbles out into the stifling desert sun. Camie and The Fixer complain and are forced to shade their eyes. Luke has his binoculars out scanning the heavens. Luke points and says "There they are!" Biggs takes the binoculars from Luke as the others strain to see something with the naked eye. Through the binoculars Biggs sees two small silver specks. "That's no battle, hot shot...they're just sitting there! Probably a freighter-tanker refueling" responds Biggs. "But there was a lot of firing earlier..." Camie grabs the binoculars away banging them against the building in the process. Luke grabs them. "Hey, easy with those..."

"Don't worry about it, Wormie" says the beautiful women. The Fixer gives Luke a hard look and the young farm boy shrugs his shoulders in resignation. Fixer sighs and says "I keep telling you, the Rebellion is a long way from here. I doubt if the Empire would even fight to keep this system. Believe me Luke, this planet is a big hunk of nothing..." Luke agrees, although it's obvious he isn't sure why. The group stumbles back into the power station, grumbling about Luke's ineptitude.

Princess Leia is led down a low-ceilinged hallway by a squad of armored Stormtroopers. Her hands are bound and she is brutally shoved when she is unable to keep up with the briskly marching troops. They stop in a smoky hallway as Darth Vader and his apprentice Venus emerge from the shadows. The sinister Dark lords stare hard at the frail young senator, but she doesn't move. Leia looks at Vader and says "lord Vader, I should have known. Only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not stand for this, when they hear you've attacked a diplomatic..."

"Don't play games with me, Your Highness." Vader interrupts before Leia could finish. "You weren't on any mercy mission this time. You passed directly through a restricted system. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you." Leia defiantly tells the dark lord "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan..."

"You are a part of the Rebel Alliance...and a traitor. Take her away!" Leia is marched away down the hallway and into the smoldering hole blasted in the side of the ship. Darth Venus turns to her master "I can make her talk."

"That will not be necessary she will give in" responds the dark lord. An Imperial Commander turns to Vader. "Holding her is dangerous. If word of this gets out, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion in the senate."

"I have traced the Rebel spies to her. Now she is my only link to find their secret base" responds Vader. "She'll die before she tells you anything."

"Leave that to me." Vader walks off and Venus turns to the officer. "Send a distress signal and then inform the senate that all aboard were killed." An Imperial Officer approaches Vader. He stops to hear updates on the situation. "lord Vader, the battle station plans are not aboard this ship! And no transmissions were made. An escape pod was jettisoned during the fighting, but no life forms were aboard."

"She must have hidden the plans in the escape pod. Send a detachment down to retrieve them." Vader turns to the Commander behind him. "See to it personally, Commander. There'll be no one to stop us this time."

"Yes, sir."

The Imperial Stardestroyer comes over the surface of the planet Tatooine.

Jundland, or "No Man's Land", where the rugged desert mesas meet the foreboding dune sea. The two helpless astro-droids kick up clouds of sand as they leave the lifepod and clumsily work their way across the desert wasteland. The lifepod in the distance rests half buried in the sand. "How did I get into this mess? I really don't know how. We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life" said Threepio. Artoo answers with beeping sounds. "I've got to rest before I fall apart. My joints are almost frozen." Artoo continues to respond with beeping sounds. "What a desolate place this is." Suddenly Artoo whistles, makes a sharp right turn and starts off in the direction of the rocky desert mesas. Threepio stops and yells at him "Where are you going?" A stream of electronic noises pours forth from the small robot. "Well, I'm not going that way. It's much too rocky. This way is much easier." Artoo counters with a long whistle. "What makes you think there are settlements over there?" Artoo continues to make beeping sounds. "Don't get technical with me." Artoo continues to make beeping sounds. "What mission? What are you talking about? I've had just about enough of you! Go that way! You'll be malfunctioning within a day, you nearsighted scrap pile!" Threepio gives the little robot a kick and starts off in the direction of the vast dune sea. "And don't let me catch you following me begging for help, because you won't get it." Artoo's reply is a rather rude sound. He turns and trudges off in the direction of the towering mesas. "No more adventures. I'm not going that way." Artoo beeps to himself as he makes his way toward the distant mountains.

Threepio, hot and tired, struggles up over the ridge of a dune; only to find more dunes, which seem to go on for endless miles. He looks back in the direction of the now distant rock mesas. "That malfunctioning little twerp. This is all his fault! He tricked me into going this way, but he'll do no better." In a huff of anger and frustration, Threepio knocks the sand from his joints. His plight seems hopeless, when a glint of reflected light in the distance reveals an object moving towards him. "Wait, what's that? A transport! I'm saved!" The bronze android waves frantically and yells at the approaching transport. "Over here! Help! Please, help!"

Luke and Biggs are walking and drinking a malt brew. Fixer and the others can be heard working inside. "So I cut off my power, shut down the afterburners and came in low on Deak's trail. I was so close I thought I was going to fry my instruments. As it was I busted up the Skyhopper pretty bad. Uncle Owen was pretty upset. He grounded me for the rest of the season. You should have been there...it was fantastic" said the young farm boy. "You ought to take it easy Luke. You may be the hottest bushpilot this side of Mos Eisley, but those little Skyhoppers are dangerous. Keep it up, and one day, whammo, you're going to be nothing more than a dark spot on the down side of a canyon wall" said Luke's friend. "Look who's talking. Now that you've been around those giant starships you're beginning to sound like my uncle. You've gotten soft in the city."

"I've missed you kid."

"Well, things haven't been the same since you left, Biggs. It's been so...quiet." Biggs looks around then leans close to Luke. "Luke, I didn't come back just to say good-bye...I shouldn't tell you this, but you're the only one I can trust...and if I don't come back, I want somebody to know." Luke's eyes are wide with Biggs seriousness and loyalty. "What are you talking about?"

"I made some friends at the Academy. When our frigate goes to one of the central systems, we're going to jump ship and join the Alliance" Biggs whispers to Luke. Luke, amazed and stunned, is almost speechless. "Join the Rebellion?! Are you kidding! How" Luke yells. "Quiet down will ya! You got a mouth bigger than a meteor crater!"

"I'm sorry. I'm quiet. Listen how quiet I am. You can barely hear me." Biggs shakes his head angrily and then continues. "My friend has a friend on Bestine who might help us make contact."

"Your crazy! You could wander around forever trying to find them."

"I know it's a long shot, but if I don't find them I'll do what I can on my own...It's what we always talked about. Luke, I'm not going to wait for the Empire to draft me into service. The Rebellion is spreading and I want to be on the right side -- the side I believe in."

"And I'm stuck here..."

"I thought you were going to the Academy next term. You'll get your chance to get off this rock."

"Not likely! I had to cancel my application. There has been a lot of unrest among the Sandpeople since you left...they've even raided the outskirts of Anchorhead."

"Your uncle could hold off a whole colony of Sandpeople with one blaster."

"I know, but he's got enough vaporators going to make the place pay off. He needs me for just one more season. I can't leave him now."

"I feel for you, Luke, you're going to have to learn what seems to be important or what really is important. What good is all your uncle's work if it's taken over by the Empire?...You know they're starting to nationalize commerce in the central systems...it won't be long before your uncle is merely a tenant, slaving for the greater glory of the Empire."

"It couldn't happen here. You said it yourself. The Empire won't bother with this rock."

"Things change."

"I wish I was going...Are you going to be around long?"

"No, I'm leaving in the morning."

"Then I guess I won't see you."

"Maybe someday...I'll keep a lookout."

"Well, I'll be at the Academy next season...after that who knows. I won't be drafted into the Imperial Starfleet that's for sure...Take care of yourself, you'll always be the best friend I've got."

"So long, Luke." Biggs turns away from his old friend and heads towards the power station.