A lanky, clumsy humanoid robot tripped his way down a corridor of the rebel ship. "Q! Wait where are you going?"
Q, a smaller, battered white hover-bot with a small digital face-like screen, rolled her digital green eyes and waited for him to catch up. She made a series of annoyed hums and beeps, "trying not to get blown to bits, F1NN hurry up."

Another blast shook the ship knocking F1NN to the ground with a metallic clatter adding yet another scratch to his bronze exterior.

"They destroyed the main reactor!" F1NN translated the garbled groaning of the ships computer. "This is crazy, I'm just a translator, I don't want to die here."

If Q was equipped with lasers, they definitely would have shot from her eyes. She shot out a sort of grappling hook and all but dragged F1NN down the smoking hallway avoiding the Rebel troopers. They ran passed them and positioned to aim at the door at the end of the main passageway.

As Q slowed and F1NN managed to stand up and detach her hook. The whole ship shook again causing F1NN to fall back to the ground.
"Oh what now?"

The imperial ship pulled their Rebel ship in with a tractor beam, preparing to dock.
Q beeped again,"I think we are being boarded." Something caught her attention and she floated down the hallway. Suddenly the door opened letting more steam and smoke into the hallway.

"We're doomed." F1NN said then frantically looked around for Q. In all of two seconds laser fire erupted from the Rebels and the door. F1NN freaked out and luckily ran down the hallway Q had just disappeared to.

"Q?!" F1NN screamed as he scrambled down the hallway.

Soon the hallway behind filled with more and more Stormtroopers as the Rebels fall. The smoke cleared to reveal a tall figure in all black donning a long cape that barely floated above the ground. To add more the the mystery and to the fear of the few Rebels alive, the figure also wore a full face mask and helmet, black as the rest of the outfit. Even the Stormtroopers backed away to make a path. The figure turned and and glared forward scaring a few Rebels enough for them to run down the hallway.

F1NN slowed his run once he realized the troopers cared not for him. He looked around and heard the familiar hum of Q's hovering. "Q? Is that you?"

And sure enough Q was hovering in a small hidden space in the wall. A young man dressed in white had one of Q's front compartments open so he could press the buttons. He looked around paranoid, pressed a last button and closed the compartment, sending Q on her way with the remnants of a blue glow.

"Where have you been? I think they're coming this way. We have to get out of here!" F1NN trailed after Q who's powering down the hallway like her robot life depended on it. "Hey wait! Q?!"

Q beeped at him. "The next time we are near a mechanic we are getting you equipped with faster feet." Without looking she hooked and dragged him, which was actually faster than his attempts at running.

The figure in black stood in the wake of the discharged bodies, floating the last Rebel by his neck. One of the stormtroopers addressed the figure in black. "Lady Corcoran, the plans are not on the ships computers."

Lady Corcoran turned her attention back to the Rebel she was slowly choking. In a calm and melodious yet mask-distorted voice Lady Corcoran stared at the Rebel. "where are the transmissions you intercepted?" when the Rebel did not respond she brought him closer with naught but a glare. "I'll ask again, where are those plans?"

The Rebel officer struggled in his floating choke hold. "Didn't...intercept...transmissions...we're a...diplomatic ship" he struggled out.

"Is that so? then where is your ambassador?

Tired of getting no answers Lady Corcoran barely tilted her head as the force strangled the life out of the poor Rebel. Once satisfied she flung him into the wall without a second glance and turned to her troops. They immediately fall in line at her gaze.

"Tear this ship apart. Do not rest until you've found those plans. Find the ambassador I want him alive." She turned and with a flick of her cape, was off down the hallway.

The young man in white peered out of his hidden space, now armed with a gun. He looked around frantically, there really was no escape. One of he troopers spotted him.

"There he is!"

The young man groaned, "Damn it" and stepped out of his hiding spot to blast them. Unfortunately there were more troopers waiting. In an attempt to run he was shot with a stun blast and fell to the ground.

A trooper clicked a com link,"Inform Lady Corcoran we found the ambassador."

Q finally stopped at an emergency lifepod, the momentum of their run continued on F1NN and he crashed into the wall.

"You know," he said as he brushed himself off. "I can walk just fine on my own without your...hook thing."

Q ignored him and pressed buttons to open the hatch to the pod. F1NN realized where they were and stopped in the middle of trying to get the hook off.
"Hey, this place is restricted, against the rules Q!? You're gonna get us deactivated!"

Q beeped at him in annoyance."We could very well die or get blown up and you're telling me about rules?"

"We are taught them for a reason right? I feel like this is against my programming..." F1NN clutched his head.

"Look we've got a mission to do now let's go." Q floats her way into the now open pod.

"Mission? what mission? I’m not going, besides There is no way I will fit in there." F1NN had a point. He was rather tall and the pod was extremely cramped, but none of that could stop Q.

"Is that a challenge?" Q beeped. The hook was still attached to him and before F1NN could react Q was yanking him into the pod. With F1NN's quite non existent grace, he collapsed into a clump of scraping metal on the floor.

"This is a bad idea I just know it." he mumbled as the pod was ejected from the ship towards the nearby planet.

One of the imperial troopers noticed the pod, "another escape pod has been deployed." he moved to activate the guns to blast it.

"Hold your fire." the captain said quickly and grabbed the troopers arm. "the scans show no life forms, must have malfunctioned."

From inside the pod, unaware of their luck F1NN stared out the window at the ship. "Damage doesn't look that bad from out here."

Q beeped,"Hate to burst your bubble but it is pretty bad. We're lucky to have made it out unscathed."

F1NN contorted his head, still a tangled lump on the floor. "unscathed?!" he tried to gesture to himself. "you dragged me all over the ship and crashed me onto this floor, how is that unscathed?"

Q rolled her eyes and turned off her audio receptors as F1NN continued to complain.

000000

A squad of Stormtroopers led Prince Blaine down one of the main hallways of his own ship. His hands are tightly bound and his short legs make it hard for him to keep up with the troopers. He stumbled and was shoved violently forward practically colliding with a tall someone in front of him. He looked up and met Lady Corcoran’s intense gaze. The prince’s courage gets the better of him and he stares right back.

“Lady Corcoran, of course. Only you would have the nerve to attack a diplomatic ship. The Senate will not stand for thi--”

Lady Corcoran advanced and cut him off. “Do not test me, your highness” she said like it left a bad taste in her mouth, “This is no mercy mission. You were in a restriction system, I know for a fact transmissions were beamed here. I do not take spying lightly.” She put her face directly in front of his. “Where are the plans?” She said forcefully but calmly.

Blaine made sure to show no change in emotion. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I am a member of the Imperial Senate, this is nothing but a diplomatic mission to Alderaan” He continued to hold Corcoran’s gaze and barely flinched when she snapped.

“Senate?! You are nothing but a traitor, you Rebel scum!” Corcoran turned to the troopers. “Take him away!”

With little protest from Blaine, held still high, the troopers take him to their ship. A rather chipper commander with a tag marked “St. James” turned to Corcoran. “Must we keep him? Having him with us is dangerous. If the senate finds out...”

“I assure you they will not. He is our only lead on the Rebel spies and thus our only way of finding their secret base.” Corcoran had calmed herself back down.

Commander St. James. turned away too look out a window as they walked towards their ship. “He’ll die before he tells you anything.” He shook his head.

If her mouth was uncovered, Corcoran would have shown off a smirk. “Leave that to me.”

St. James raised an eyebrow.

“Send a distress signal and inform them that no one survived.”

Another officer whispered to St. James as Corcoran walked away. “Lady Corcoran!” St. James ran after her.

She stopped.

“I’ve just been informed the plans are not on the ship. No transmissions were made, but an escape pod was ejected during the fight, no life forms on board.”

Lady Corcoran thought for a moment.”The plans must be on the pod. Send a unit to the planet” She paused and looked St. James in the eye. “See to it personally. I do not take kindly to failure.”

St. James nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

000000

F1NN somehow got out of the pod in one piece, but quickly lost his footing in the sand. “What did I do to deserve this? Will nothing ever go my way?” He managed to get to his feet, leaking sand from every crack in his metal exterior.

Q was sand free, as a hover-bot she rarely had to touch the ground. “You think your life is so hard.” Another digital eye roll and she took of towards some rocky mountains.

F1NN looked after the small sandstorm her hover jets created behind her. “Where are you going?”

Q beeped ambiguously at him.

“Whatever I’m going this way. Much less rocks and stuff to trip on.”

Q made a scanning noise and beeped at him. “We are better off this way, I think there’s settlements here.”

“What makes you think that?” F1NN still hadn’t decided to move. Sand was not an ideal walking surface.

“I happen to be equipped with a scanner, F1NN!” Several extra beeps included, her natural green light was shifting towards red.

F1NN knew angry Q was scary but he was angry too. “Well aren’t you fancy and technical.”

“You know what? Fine! I have a mission to accomplish and it doesn’t need to involve you.” Q quickened her pace, glowing red, and left a large dust of sand in her wake.

“What mission?!” He calls after her. “ UGH! FINE! I’m done with youl!” F1NN then preceded to trip, sink, tumble and fall his way towards the vast nothingness that was the desert of Tatooine.

00000

After what seemed like forever but in reality was only a couple hours, F1NN shlumped along nothing but sand silent regretting walking off on his own. “I. Hate. Sand.” He continued to repeat that very phrase in every language he knew, which was over 6 million. Eventually he lost count and noticed something shining in the distance. Suddenly optimistic F1NN ran forward, “Over here! I’m saved!”

00000

Q hovered around the rocky landscape scanning for lifeforms. There were several blips that went in and out of her range. She was extremely cautious. Despite that fact the F1NN annoyed her to no end, she kind of missed him, but she shook the thoughts away. No time for that she was on a mission. She pressed on quickly but something caused her to stop cold. He scanners were being jammed, which meant any number of things could be around her. Several stones fell from the mountain like cliffs above. She let out a whimper like beep as fear crept into her system. Out of nowhere a small creature jumped from the rocks behind her and shocked her with a blue electric ray. Her systems freaked letting out a complicated sequence of beeps and she shut down, effectively landing on the ground with a crash. The creature and her companions were all wearing matching dark green aprons. The leader, the one that shocked Q, yelled orders neurotically at the rest of them. They quickly did as she said and lifted Q and collectively carried her away to their ship.

00000

Q woke up in a dark and filthy place, not that she was ever perfectly clean, but it still bothered her. Her normally just smudged white was now covered in black dust, sand, and she had rocks and dirt jammed in every nook and cranny of her system. She shuddered and started hovering, blowing more dust and dirt from the ground everywhere. In a huff she switched to wheels and found her way around...where ever it is she was.

“Q?” She froze. She’d recognize that idiot’s voice anywhere. She beeped and flew towards it. “It is you!!” F1NN reached and pulled her into a mechanical hug. She sighed as well as a droid could and just let him get it out of his system.

“Where are we?”

“Not sure. There’s lots of droids here. Maybe it’s like a boot camp or something?” F1NN shrugged. “They put these weird pins on us” He gestured to the small metal circle attached to his chest.

Q examined it and recognized what it was, a restraining bolt. The creepy little creatures pretty much owned them. She turned on her scanning light and looked about the room. Sure enough there were tons of droids everywhere. They all looked in worse shape then Q and F1NN. She shined the light on the wall and found a sign: “Droids N Things”. They were to be sold. She quickly realized that she was the fanciest robot here. Luckily she was pretty gross looking and in her wheeled form.

“F1NN!”

“What?! What?” F1NN was startled out of his daze.

“I think...I think I’m going to stay wheeled while we're here. If they ask I am NOT a hover bot. I’m just a Q model Loo-C bot, Okay?” Her normal green glow had shifted to red.

F1NN stared at her. “Okay...” He had learned not to question her when she got like this. The green returned and she settled next to him, both awaiting their fate.

00000

St. James and his unit of Stormtroopers searched the broken escape pod. “Something was in here...maybe two...” He looked at the foot prints, erratic and messy, obviously F1NN’s. His eyes then turned to the faint line going of in the other direction, caused by Q’s hover jets. A stormtrooper who followed F1NN’s trail kneeled to pick something out of the sand.

He got St. James’s attention. “Look sir, Droids.”

St. James stared at him. “Well, obviously. What else has foot prints, but no life scan. Honestly was them being droids even a question?” He scoffed and walked back to their transport. “Let’s go.” The Stormtropper, a little defeated, followed solemnly behind them.

00000

The “Droids N Things” ship made its way around selling droids at each stop. After being ignored by their captors in the last five places F1NN finally settled down and went into sleep mode, while Q busied herself with formulating a plan to complete her mission.

They finally stopped moving.

“F1NN.”

Q broke out of her haze and tried scanning, but something was still interfering with her scanner, she blamed it on the bolt.

“F1NN!!” she beeped louder and whacked him with one of her retractable arms.

He made a weird sort of beeping noise as he came to. “What I do?”

The door to the ship opened revealing the orange glow of the desert. Q and F1NN exchanged a look, they were next.

“Maybe we’ll get sold to someone nice?”

Q beeped in annoyance as their captors came up to them still holding the electric guns. Their leader was barking out orders fast and furiously.

“Or maybe they’ll turn us into scrap metal...”

Q beeped. “That’s more plausible than nice new owners.”

They were led out into the desert and F1NN walked to slow for their liking. He was shoved forward, causing him to trip to the ground.

“Ugh. Will this ever end?”

They were lined up outside with a handful of the other droids, most of them seconds from falling apart. Q stayed in her place obediently as she silently changed her plans to fit the situation, while F1NN was focused on not screwing up and getting shocked by the restraining bolt. Both of them were startled out of their little bubbles as they watched two figures emerge from the nearby house. A tall dark skinned man walked towards them followed by a rather short teenage girl. The color palette of just about everything here was browns, khakis, and just plain sand colored. Her dress, leggings, and boots ensemble reflected such with a tiny flourish of pink in the ribbon holding her hair up.

“Rachel, my star!” A male voice called from the home.

Rachel stopped in her tracks and ran back towards the house. “Yes Uncle Hiram?”

“Make sure your Uncle Leroy gets a translator than can speak Bocce.”

Rachel looked towards the array of droids then back to her Uncle Hiram. “I still think it’s barbaric to own droids, but I’ll be sure to remind him.” Rachel skipped off to catch up with her Uncle Leroy who was already negotiating with the “Droids N Things” creatures. She inspected the Loo-C untis, stopping at an older model right next to Q.

“Uncle Leroy?” Rachel was now standing in front of Q. Q was nervous, she really did not want to be exposed as a hover bot, for it would interfere with her plan and she, for some reason, really wanted Rachel and her Uncle to buy them.

“Yes?’ He came over to inspect with her.

“I think this Loo-C unit is in great shape if I do say so myself.” She smiled brightly. Rachel was rather against buying and selling droids like slaves, but in her mind, if she bought them, she would treat them with respect and dignity. Q stared at her smiling face and wondered how she could be so happy living in a dead boring place such as this.

“You have exquisite taste as always my dear.” Leroy smiled. Q refrained from rolling her eyes.

Leroy walked over to pay and, of course, try to haggle the price.

“Oh and we need a translator that knows Bocce.” She looked around at the droids.

F1NN thought. Bocce. Bocce...”Oh I know Bocce!” he said a little too loudly. Rachel turned and looked up at him.

“What about vaporators? Can you understand them?”

“Yeah...I think so. Their language is similar to the grills I worked with on my first job.”

“Uncle Leroy! Can we get this translator too?”

“Yes, Rachel. Oh and I’ll need you to take them both to the garage and clean them up before dinner.”

“But...I was going to go Stix to pick up WMHS slush-ez for my next project.”

“You can work on all the project you want once you finish your chores, now come on.”

Rachel looked a little solemn as she led F1NN and Q to the garage.

“I was right.” F1NN told Q.

“About what?” she beeped.

“We got sold to someone nice.”

“How can you tell? We’ve barely just met her.”

F1NN shrugged. “I can just tell.”

00000

The garage was a bit messy, but despite it’s overal drab quality there was a certain flair that could only belong to Rachel. There were gold stars placed on the ceiling that accurately represent the constellations. There were also little bits of color, well as much color as she could find, decorating the musty room. Rachel had set up F1NN to get a bath of hot oil while she stared up at her stars, mapping out just a few more.

“Thank Cheesus! I thought I’d never get all this sand out.” F1NN was practically humming in his oil bath.

Rachel jumped down from the ledge she used to reach the ceiling. “One day I’ll make it out of here. I’ll be a star just like my mother...” She sighed. “I’d give anything to be out there.” She gestured to her stars.

“Is there anything I can do?” F1NN asked. He realized didn’t like seeing her sad.

“Well unless one of your many functions is time altering, or instantaneous teleportation, then no.” Rachel gathered the tools to begin cleaning Q.

F1NN thought for a moment. “I’m not sure if anyone can do that...not anyone on this planet...wait where are we again?”

“Let’s just say, if there was a great bright beautiful center of the universe,” Rachel was beginning to sound more optimistic. “It’s the planet farthest from it.” She deadpanned.

Q laughed internally. Maybe this Rachel wasn’t so bad.

“Oh...I’m sorry Miss Rachel.” F1NN’s etiquitte programming had suddenly resurfaced.

“Miss Rachel?” She smiled. “I do like the sound of that, but you can just call me Rachel.”

“Cool. I’m F1NN, translator and that’s Q.”

She gave him a glare with and a warning beep.

“A Q model Loo-C unit.”

Rachel did a sort of curtsy. “Very nice to meet you both.”

Q gave a half hearted beep in acknowledgement as Rachel began to clean her.

“Wow, you’ve got an awful lot of carbon scoring here.” Rachel traced some of Q’s scratches with her hand. “You must have some wonderful stories to tell.” She smiled.

F1NN got out of the oil bath and dried himself off. “I”m amazed we’ve lived to tell them. With all this Rebellion I can’t believe we’re not in pieces...”

“We?!” Q beeped, but F1NN ignored it especially since Rachel couldn’t understand her.

“The Rebellion?” She jumped in excitement. “You have knowledge of the Rebellion against the empire? Oh I used to put on shows for my uncles where I was a galactic hero winning my many battles.” She sighed. “Have you seen any?”

“Battles?”

Rachel nodded.

F1NN thought and turned to Q. “We just escaped one you hollow hunk of metal!”

“We were in one...near one...I think. I just translate stuff. I don’t usually know what’s going on.” F1NN shrugged.

One of Rachel’s cleaning tools got stuck whilst cleaning Q and she pushed and she pulled to try to make it budge. “Jeez Q, you’ve got something jammed in here pretty bad. Were you guys on a--”

Suddenly the tool came free and Rachel stumbled a bit from the force. Q’s “face” had turned into a projector and a small hologram of Prince Blaine was stuck repeating a message.

“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”

Rachel stared at the handsome young man. “What’s this?”

“Oh crap” Q thinks. ‘She was not supposed to see this. At least it’s not the whole message.” She had to alter her plans for her mission, again.

F1NN turned to her. “Q? What is this?”

“Nothing important. Some old data. Totally forgot it was on here.” She lied.

F1NN translated. “She says it’s just old data. Nothing important.”

Blaine’s hologram continued to repeat itself.

“Who is he?” Rachel sighed. “He’s gorgeous.”

“No idea.” F1NN shrugged. “I think he was on the ship with us-”

“Is there more to this message?”

If droids could scoff Q certainly did. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not important.”

“Hey she’s our master now. Be nice.” F1NN scolded.

“The message is obviously for Obi-Wan Kenobi, F1NN. Just get her to drop it. It’s none of her business.” Q beeped quickly.

“The message is for Obi-Wan Kenobi, only and that’s about all she knows.” F1NN thought of a quick lie. “I don’t really know what’s gotten into Q lately. We’ve been through quite a bit I think she might be cranky.

If Q’s “face” wasn’t projecting a hologram she would have givein F1NN a red death glare.

“Kenobi...” Rachel repeated. “I wonder if it’s any relation to Brad Kenobi?”

“Who?” F1NN asked and Q was actually interested too.

“Brad Kenobi? He lives past the Dune Sea. Strong, silent type I think. I haven’t been in his company long enough to ever hear him speak. He’s kind of a hermit.” Rachel gazed back to Blaine. In his short line of speech she could hear the sadness and urgency of his voice. “I wonder if he’s ok. He sounds like he needs help. We should find a way to play back the whole thing.” Rachel picked up her tool and leaned back towards Q.

Q quickly beeped to F1NN. “I think the restraining bolt is screwing with my memory circuits, if she takes it off maybe I can find the whole message.”

“Q says, the restraining bolt is messing with her data, if you take it off she can find the whole message.”

Rachel contemplates this for a moment. “I do hate the restraining bolts, but after last time my Uncles wont let me take them off, but I guess you’re too small to run away.”

Q laughs to herself.

“Here, I’ll take it off.” Rachel picks up a tool from her box and skillfully pops off the restraining bolt.

Q instantly cuts the message excited for her freedom.

“Hey! Where did he go? I thought you were going to find the message!”

Q beeps faux innocently “What message?”

F1NN stares at her in disbelief. “What message? But you were just...Q you were just playing one. With that guy in white.”

Before Rachel could respond one of her Uncles called from the other room. “Rachel, dinner’s ready!”

“Coming!” She yelled back then turned to the droids. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” Rachel put down her tools and left the room.

“Are you sure you don’t remember the message?” F1NN asked.

“Nope, sorry.” She lied.

F1NN sighed. “Do you think she likes us?”

“Who? Rachel?” Q beeped in disbelief.

“Yeah.”

Q rolls her eyes. “It doesn’t matter. We are droids. We are replaceable.”

“Rachel doesn’t think like that.” F1NN sits against the wall.

Q retracted her wheels and converted back into a hover bot. “And she won’t miss me.” Q took off out the door.

“Hey Q! Wait!” F1NN stared after her trail of dust. “I will...”

00000

Rachel’s Uncle Hiram emerged from the kitchen with a tray of food. Rachel quickly offered to help and brought it to their dining room where her Uncle Leroy had just sat down. Hiram went back to the kitchen, then joined them at the table, with another tray of food. Rachel does her routine of serving drinks before they eat. She pours a blue slush-like beverage into each of their cups wincing a bit, because she preferred purple. She settled and they began to eat.

“I think our Loo-C unit might have been stolen.” Rachel said confidently.

Her uncles paused. “What makes you say that?” Leroy set down his fork and clasped his hands.

“I was cleaning it, like you asked, and I found a recorded message. It was for someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

Both Uncles shared a look at the mention of this unexpected name.

Rachel continued, “The only Kenobi I’ve ever heard of around here is Brad. Maybe he knows this Obi-Wan. Maybe they’re related and I can help them reunite after years of separation!” Rachel clutched her hands to her chest dramatically.

Hiram let out a small laugh, but Leroy is unamused. “That Brad Kenobi is just a crazy old hermit. Tomorrow I want you to take the Loo-C unit to Stix and have its memory wiped. It belongs to us.”

“She...” Rachel muttered under her breath. “But what if Obi-Wan is trying to find her? I would feel terrible if I was the cause of their separation.”

Leroy spoke before thinking. “Obi-wan is long gone. He died around the same time as your mother.”

Rachel practically spit out her drink. “My mother? He knew my mother?”

Hiram looked to Leroy as if you say Well you have to talk about it now, but Leroy shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter. You need to worry about those droids. I want them memory wiped and ready to help me tomorrow.” His tone told Rachel that that was all he was going to say on the matter.

She sighed. “Alright. I will. I think they will work out fine, in fact, with the droids helping you, maybe I could apply to the Academy this year.” Rachel shrugged.

Leroy’s face softened, despite their farmer status, he and Hiram both wanted big things for Rachel. This time Hiram spoke.

“Rachel, honey” He put his hand over hers “We do want you to go to the Academy, we want you to be a star, but one more year here can’t hurt. The harvest is just around the corner and that’s when we need you the most.”

Rachel suppressed another sigh and pushed her uneaten food around her plate.

“Rachel, we need you and your talent here.” Rachel silently cursed how good she was at being a farmer. “It’s just one more year, I promise.”

“That’s what you said when all of my friends left last season.” Rachel stood up and cleaned up her plate.

“Where are you going?” Hiram turned in his chair to look at her.

“Nowhere, obviously.” She muttered to herself. “I’m just going to finish with the droids.” She walked back to the garage, feeling a little defeated.

Hiram turned to Leroy and took his hand. “She can’t stay here forever, Leroy. Everyone she knows has already left.”

“Next year. I promise. I mean it this time.”

Hiram shook his head. “She may be talented here, but her true gift is far greater and you know it. She takes after her mother.”

Leroy put his other hand on Hiram’s. “That’s what I’m afraid of.” They met each other’s eyes in a worried gaze.

00000

The garage was empty. Rachel quickly took her control box from her belt and pressed the button emitting a low hum. F1NN was startled awake and emerges from behind a small hovership.

“Wha? I’m awake! I’m awake!” F1NN stumbled over towards Rachel.

“Where’s Q?” Rachel glanced around the room and remembered taking of the bolt. “F1NN. Where is she?”

F1NN looked down at his feet. “I tried to stop her. Please don’t turn me into scrap metal.” he begged. “I can’t run very fast, but I tried! I did! She’s just really fast and she was talking about her mission and she was gone.”

“Oh F1NN I’m not going to melt you. It’s my fault I never should have taken the bolt off.” Rachel grabbed some electro-binoculars and ran out of the garage. F1NN trailed after her.

She scanned as much of the horizon as she could, but all that’s out there is sand.

“She’s never been great at following orders....” F1NN mumbled. “Except for this mission thing...I never really understood her.”

Rachel shut off the binoculars and stared at the sky. “I can’t believe I was so stupid! She could be anywhere! Who knows how far she got. My Uncles are going to kill me.” Rachel put her face in her hands.

“Hey you’re not stupid.” F1NN put his hand on Rachel’s shoulder “It’s ok. Q’s just...well determined I guess.” he shrugged. “We can go looking for her, I’ll help you.”

“Thanks F1NN, but it’s far to dangerous to go looking now especially with all the Sand-Titans around. It’s a good think I wake up early. We’ll look for her tomorrow.” Rachel looked up at the stars making a metal note to add more to her ceiling.

“Rachel, lights out in a few!” Uncle Hiram called from the house.

“Be right in!” Rachel sighed and led F1NN back towards the house. “Despite the trouble I could be in, I have to admit Q is very driven. I admire her determination.”

00000

Rachel woke up even earlier than usual and took F1NN on her hovership out to find Q. Leroy looked out their home and eventually went to help Hiram with breakfast.

“Have you seen Rachel?” He gave Hiram a good morning kiss.

“You know how early she wakes up.” Hiram laughed. “She’s taking the droids to Stix to wipe their memories.”

Leroy smiled. “Well as long as she’s back by midday.”

00000

Rachel floored it in her hovercraft, all the scanners set to their longest ranges. Finally a blip showed up on the scanner. “A droid! Oh I hope it’s Q.” Rachel sped up even faster maneuvering flawlessly through the rocky terrain towards Q’s signal.

Around them on the rocks, the large burly Sand-Titans signaled his friends and they all watched the hovership speed towards their land. They mounted their Banthas, large, furry, horned creatures, and took off.

Finally Rachel caught up with a frantic Q. Her scanners were picking up more life forms than she was expecting and she was hovering like crazy unsure where to go.

Rachel turned to F1NN. “Is that Q? I didn’t know she could fly.”

F1NN looked startled. “What? Fly? She...” he glanced over and sure enough Q was in hover mode. F1NN was confused. Q asked him not to say anything about it, but there she was hovering. He decided it would be best to just remain silent.

Rachel hopped out of the hovership, helped F1NN climb out and ran towards Q.

“Hey! Q! It’s ok. Come back with us.”

Q stopped. “Damn it.” She beeped.

“Hey, come one Rachel’s our master now. Be nice.”

“I’m not going back! I already disobeyed. They’ll just deactivate me and then I’ll never complete my mission.”

“She won’t deactivate you.” F1NN turned to Rachel. “Will you?”

“What? Of course not. I admire your determination.” Rachel slowly approached Q scared she would run again. “My Uncles probably think I’m in Stix getting your memories wiped.”

Both F1NN and Q froze. “What?” F1NN asked and Q beeped at the same time.

Rachel shook her head. “Oh don’t worry I’m not going to do it. I love your personalities and would never do such a thing. You may be droids, but I believe you have rights.”

F1NN and Q exchanged a weird look.

“Besides. I am curious about this Obi-Wan Kenobi. My Uncle’s reluctance to talk about it, has made me ten times more interested.” Rachel smiled. “Now it can be dangerous out here so we better head back. We can look for Mr. Kenobi later as long as we don’t mention him to my Uncles.”

Rachel gestured for Q to come with them.

Q let out a series of frantic and rushed beeps. “It might be a good time to tell you that there’s a ton of life forms all around us and they are getting closer.”

Rachel stared at her as if she was almost understanding.
“F1NN!!!” Q beeped. “Translate!”

“Oh right!” F1NN straightened up. “Q says there’s creatures closing in on us.”

“Sand-Titans!” Rachel hissed. “Come on.” They hid behind a ledge as Rachel scanned around them with her binoculars. “I don’t see any--wait.” She came across a couple of Banthas but no Sand-Titans. “There’s some Banthas by themselves...that’s weird Sand -Titans don’t usually--”

Q beeped in warning, but it was too late. A Sand-Titan was right in front of them with its staff held high. F1NN yelled and tripped backward and fell off their small ledge landing with a metallic crunch. Rachel pushed Q out of the way and grabbed for her small laser gun, but the Sand-Titan was faster and knocked it out of her hand.

Rachel dodged expertly with grace and agility, but a faulty step in the rocky terrain caused her to fall. She landed on her back and had to roll to the sides to avoid the deathly blows from the Sand-Titan. He let out a loud shriek signaling his friends as he towered over Rachel.

00000

Q flew and hid within the rocks, unequipped with weapons, feeling a bit useless. The Sand-Titans came into view, carrying Rachel, who was now unconscious. Q stared at her wondering why Rachel cared enough to try to protect a droid like her, especially since she had run away.

Before Q could decide to go out and help the Sand-Titans all stopped their movement, a high pitched ominous sound filled the area. They quickly ran away in terror and Q backed further into her crevice in the rocky wall.

“Oh great. Something that even they are afraid of.” Q thought to herself.

A tall figure in a dark brown hooded robe walked across the rocky hillside towards them. He spotted Rachel and quickly ran to her side and checked her pulse.

Q let out an involuntary noise of fear. The hooded man looked up and she froze. He took of his hood, to reveal a kind bearded face. He had graying strawberry blonde hair and rectangular glasses.

“It’s alright, my friend. You can come out I won’t hurt you.” He gestured for Q to come towards him.

She reluctantly hovered over to Rachel and the hooded man. She felt a twinge of guilt. Rachel wouldn’t have even been out here if she hadn’t run away.

“Don’t worry.” The hooded man said, as if reading her thoughts. “She’s be fine.” He placed a slender hand on her forehead and muttered something under his breath. Rachel gasped and took a sharp breath. She opened her eyes and rubbed her head.

“What...” She struggled to sit up. “What happened?”

“Careful there, you were in quite a little fight.” Brad helped her to her feet. “You’re lucky to still be in one piece. Sand-Titans are not very forgiving.”

“Brad?” Rachel stares at him. “Brad Kenobi! I knew you were still around here!” She hugged him.

At that name Q perks up staring at Brad. Her mission is not lost after all.

“You should know better than to travel past Lima Sands. What are you doing way out here?”

Rachel took a minute to think. “Oh right! This droid here, Q” She pointed at her, and Q hovered closer. Brad had a strange look in his eye as he looked at Q, but Rachel didn’t notice as she continued talking. “I’ve never seen anyone so determined. She’s been looking for someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi. I thought maybe you’d know him. What a coincidence finding you out here!” Rachel smiled. “Do you know who he is?”

Brad looked surprised. He put a hand to his mouth in thought. “Obi-Wan...” he practically whispered. “Wow. I haven’t heard that name in a very long time...”

“Does that mean you know him or knew him...My Uncle said he was dead.”

Brad let out a little laugh, “Dead? Of course not, though his presence is not one many notice.”

“So you do know him!” Rachel jumped excitedly.

Brad laughed again. “Of course, Rachel. I’m Obi-Wan.” Q beeped happily, her mission was a success. “I haven’t gone by that name since before you were born.”

Rachel turns to Q. “Then I guess Q belongs to you.”

“I’ve never owned a droid...” The low roar of the Banthas interrupted his train of thougtht. “Come on, back to my place, Sand-Titans will be everywhere soon.”

They followed Brad towards Rachel’s hovership, but Q stopped beeping rapidly.

“Oh right! F1NN!” Rachel seemed to understand Q’s beeping.

She peered over the ledge to find F1NN tangled in his own wires. His arm is hanging by a thread and one of his legs was completely detached. “Oh F1NN.” Rachel sighed. She and Brad climbed down to pick him up.

They set him down on the hovership and Rachel tried to get him to respond. Q beeped and reached towards F1NN with her retractable arm. Rachel moved out of the way as Q fiddled with some switches on his back. Suddenly he comes back to life.

“Ow...” F1NN groans. “Did I fall again?”

Q beeped at him and laughed.

Rachel and Brad piled F1NN and his pieces into the hovership, Q settled down next to him and began to repair him.

“We need to hurry. How fast can you drive?” Brad turned to Rachel.

Rachel just smiled and hopped in the drivers seat. “Oh don’t worry, Brad. Just direct me where to go.”

00000

Brad’s home was old, quaint and very clean with several musical instruments here and there. Q had let Rachel finish F1NN’s repairs while she hovered nervously near Brad.

“The wars?” Rachel exclaimed. “My mother was never in the wars. She was a famous singer, a star.”

“That’s what your uncles told you. They didn’t believe in what she was really doing. They thought she should have made a career with her voice, but she had a talent even greater. She used it in the wars.”

Rachel’s world was crumbling. She had based her dreams on trying to follow her mother’s footsteps, and now all of it was a lie. “Does that mean...did you fight in the wars?”

Brad nodded. “Your mother and I were once Jedi Knights.”

Rachel sighed, a Jedi, that was even more ambitious. “I wish I could have known her...”

“She was once of the best pilots in the entire galaxy, a graceful warrior. From what I saw to today you’re not a bad pilot yourself. You seem to take after her quite a bit, which reminds me...” Brad walked over to a large chest and he rummages through it.

Rachel turned back to F1NN who was fully fixed now. “Thanks.”

Rachel smiled and looked at the restraining bolt still on F1NN’s chest. “Here, I feel terrible making you wear this.” She quickly removed the bolt and set it on the table. Q looked at it in confusion. Rachel was a strange human.

“This,” Brad held a small cylindrical device, not much larger than the hilt of a sword. “Belonged to your mother. She would have wanted you to have it, but your uncles would never allow it. Probably thought you’d run away with me on a crazy crusade like your mother did.”

Rachel let the words sink in but F1NN interrupted her thoughts. “Is it alright if I shut down for a while? It’s been a long day.” Rachel nodded and F1NN powered down.

Brad walked over and handed the device to Rachel.

“What is it?” She stared at it in wonder. Strange as it might sound, it felt right, somehow, holding it. She felt closer to her mother.

“Your mother’s lightsaber.”

“Lightsaber?” Rachel looked up at him.

“A lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi. Much more effective than a blaster, if I do say so myself.” Brad smiled.

Rachel’s thumb found the single button on the hilt. A bright beam shot from it startling Rachel. Q even jumped back. Its golden yellow glow danced on their faces and the ceiling.

“Jedis protected the galaxy for thousands of generations before you. They were guardians of peace and justice, before the Empire took over.”

Rachel pushed the button again and the beam disappeared back into the hilt. “How did she die...my mother?”

Brad sat across from Rachel and sighed. “One of my students, a powerful Jedi, Darth Corcoran, turned evil and exterminates all Jedi. Because of her your mother is now gone. Us Jedi are now almost extinct. Corcoran was seduced by the dark side of the force.”

Rachel processed the information but one thing stuck, “The Force? What’s that?”

Brad smiles. “The Force is the source of a Jedi’s power. A sort of energy created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, binds the galaxy together.”

As interesting as Brad’s stories were, Q really did have a mission. She saw this pause as her moment and beeped at them a bit ticked off at F1NN, her only form of translation, for sleeping.

“Ah yes, Q. I hear you have a message for me.” Brad and Rachel turned their attention to her.

Q beeped and projected the hologram onto the table.

Prince Blaine stood facing Q as his full message was played. “General Kenobi, years ago you served my parents in the wars. Now we ask your help in our struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to talk with you in person, but my ship is currently under attack. I have placed vital information for the Rebellion in the memory of this Loo-C unit. My father will know how to access it. I humbling ask you to see this droid to Alderaan, I do hope to meet you in person. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” The prince looked around as a faint crash came through Q’s speakers and the message cuts out. Q returns to normal and finally allowed herself to power down.

Brad covered his mouth with his hands, his eyes unreadable. Rachel stared at the table were Blaine once stood, a little starstruck.

Brad made a decision in his head and turned to Rachel. “I will teach you the ways of the Force.”

“What?” Rachel broke out of her daydream.

“You can’t very well come to Alderaan unprepared.” Brad smiled.

“Alderaan...” Rachel would give anything to leave, but she shook her head. “I can’t. I have to get home.” Rachel stood up and began to pace.

“Rachel.” Brad put a hand on her shoulder. “I need you help. I cannot do this on my own.” he gestured to the table where Blaine’s hologram was. “He needs our help.”

Rachel seemed to have an internal battle and started pacing again. “I...I can’t! Don’t get me wrong I absolutely hate the Empire, but I can’t do anything about it! I have to help my Uncles.” She stopped short. “Oh my stars! My Uncles! What am I going to tell them?”

Brad looked her in the eyes. “Learn about the Force, Rachel.” It wasn’t a demand, more of a plea.

Rachel sighed. “I want to, I truly do, but my duty is here with my Uncles. I can take you as far as Stix and from there you can get to the Rhodes Canyon or where ever.”

Brad nodded a bit disappointed. “I’m not going to force you into anything. Do what you feel is right.”

Rachel nodded.

00000

Back in space, Lady Corcoran’s ship made it’s way towards the spherical space station, the Death Star. Within the station, various senators sat around a conference table and Stormtroopers stood guard at every entrance.

An anxious and nerdy man turned to the man next to him and spoke a little louder than needed, “This battle station is not even ready! The Rebels are too well equipped and far more dangerous than you’d expect.”

“Maybe to you, Commander Rumba, but not the station.” A taller, more handsome admiral stated arrogantly.

“But the Rebellion is gaining support in the senate...” Rumba stopped short as Lady Corcoran and another commander entered the room. He was balding and a bit stout and walked with a flourish. He adjusted his glasses as he sat at the head of the table.

“The senate is no longer our concern.” he smirked. “It has been dissolved permanently along with all the remnants of the Old Republic.”

Rumba turned his head to the side, to allow his good ear to hear them, he had an accident with a blaster malfunction a while back. “Did I hear you right? How will the Empire maintain control?”

“Fear. Fear is the greatest form of control and soon all will fear this battle station.” Ryerson answered.

“What about the Rebellion? They have the plans for this station. What if they find a weakness?” Rumba fidgeted in his chair.

“The plans,” Lady Corcoran hummed. “are being...” She let out a laugh. “taken care of.”

“Besides,” the handsome admiral said. “The Rebels would be fools to attack us. This station is the ultimate power and I suggest we take full advantage of it’s capabilities.”

“Calm yourself, Goolsby.” Lady Corcoran warned. “This stations power is nothing compared to the power of the Force.”

Admiral Goolsby had the audacity to scoff. “I’m not scared by your sorcery, Corcoran. That ancient religion has not helped us with the plans or the location of the Rebel’s...” Goolsby began to choke on his own words.

Lady Corcoran was staring directly at him. “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” She spat.

“Enough.” Ryerson turned to Corcoran. “I don’t want to clean up his mess, release him.”

Lady Corcoran shrugged. “Alright fine.” She turned her gaze away and Goolsby gasped for air, rubbing his throat.

“By the time this station is operational, we’ll be able to use the Rebel’s base as target practice, right?” He turned to Lady Corcoran and she nodded.

00000

Rachel, Brad, Q and F1NN stood by the hovership examining the remains of the Droids N Things’s transport.

“Looks like Sand-Titans got to them. Poor things, I didn’t think the Sand-Titans attacked like this.” Rachel looked through the rubble solemnly.

Brad stood up from where he was examining tracks. “That’s because they don’t. These aren’t Sand-Titan tracks.”

“What do you mean?” Rachel stared at the tracks trying to see what Brad saw.

“These tracks are side by side. Sand-Titans always travel single file, to hide their true numbers.”

“This...this is the same transport that brought Q and F1NN...” Rachel started to worry.

“Look,” Brad pointed to the blasts on the side. “These are the marks of Imperial weapons, Stormtroopers to be exact.”

“Why would they attack...” Rachel trailed off as realization. Q realized it too and a huge wave of guilt washed over her. “Oh no...if they traced the droids here...that would lead them...” She turned back to her hovership. “home.” She ran and hopped into the drivers seat and and the last second Q grappling hooked onto the side.

“Rachel! Q! Wait!” Brad called, but she and Q were gone.

00000

Rachel stopped the the hovership with a lurch and she practically fell when she saw what was left of her home. There was smoke everywhere.

“Uncle Hiram? Uncle Leroy?” Rachel scrambled towards one of the smoking holes to her house, but Q reached out and stopped her. The wind blew the smoke away to reveal the remains of her uncles. She collapsed into Q’s robotic grip and began to cry. Q hovered to the ground and supports Rachel silently as she sobbed.