51. DUNE SEA - AQUILAE
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 he
came.
THREEPIO
You little
malfunctioning twerp. This is all your fault. You tricked me into
going this way,
but you'll do no better!
He sits in a
huff of anger and frustration, knocking the sand from his joints.
52. DESERT MESA - AQUILAE
Artwo stumbles
through a narrow canyon until he climbs over a small boulder
and sees before
him a sight he first thinks is a mirage. Nestled
in a rock
formation is a
deserted landspeeder. Once the little robot
is convinced that
he is alone, he
approaches the battered speeder and begins to analyze it.
He
climbs into the
pilot's seat, and attempts to start the unfamiliar transport.
He hears a
sound, and stops for a moment. He sees
nothing, so he continues to
fiddle with the
control panel until the speeder lurches forward with a start,
banging into a
large rock. The stubby android is shaken, but
neither he, nor
the speeder,
seems to be damaged.
Shivers run
down Artwo's metal spine, and again he has an eerie feeling that
he is being
watched. He slowly looks around, and sees a
large man, Captain
Starkiller,
standing directly behind him. He is startled,
then terrified.
STARKILLER
Where is your
master?
The little
robot clicks and rattles, but doesn't speak.
STARKILLER
(Con't)
Can't you
speak? How do you relate your data? You're of Karollian
manufacture...You
should be able to talk. Are you damaged?
Starkiller
pokes at the machine, but doesn't see any damage. Artwo
eyes him
suspiciously. The robot turns with a start and discovers a young
girl,
Princess Leia,
has been standing next to him for some time.
PRINCESS
(sarcastic)
Well, General,
who's your friend?
STARKILLER
I don't know. He doesn't seem to be able to talk. Damaged,
probably....Jettisoned
from a damaged ship...
PRINCESS
What do you
intend to do with it?
STARKILLER
We'll take it
with us. Could be a storehouse of valuable
information.
Starkiller
guides the android into the small luggage area behind the front
seat, then hops
into the driver's seat.
PRINCESS
I don't want to
ride with that hing. I order you to destroy
it immediately.
STARKILLER
Get in! We've got to hurry if we're going to get across
the "dunehedge" by
nightfall...You're
coming, one way or the other. Will you join
us peaceably?
The princess
reluctantly gets into the speeder, and it starts with a jolt.
53. LANDSPEEDER - DESERT MESAS - AQUILAE
The speeder
flies along, a foot or so above the landscape.
PRINCESS
You are such a
barbarian. I'll have my father cut you into
little pieces when
we get
back...and I'll take pleasure in feeding you to the Gonthas....a little
bit each day. I may save your eyes though. I'll have them petrified and made
into a
necklace.
STARKILLER
Your sweetness
is only surpassed by your beauty. Just try to
remember, I'm
only following
orders.
PRINCESS
... to beat me
and abuse me?
STARKILLER
I'm afraid I've
only learned one way to treat wild animals.
Artwo thrashes
about, trying to relieve the pressure on his crumped legs.
PRINCESS
You stay out of
this.
54. DUNE SEA
Threepio
struggles to the top of a large dune. He is
dirty and hot. His
plight seems
hopeless. He searches the horizon for any
sign of life. A glint
of reflected
light in the distance reveals an object speeding toward him. The
chrome android
waves frantically, and yells at the approaching speeder.
The
sleek
landspeeder races past him about a hundred yards away.
He runs after
it, screaming
in desperation, until he stumbles and falls head over heels down
an enormous
sand dune. Silently, the speeder sweeps
around in a circle and
stops behind
the immobile robot. Starkiller jumps out of
the landspeeder and
is quickly
followed by Artwo.
PRINCESS
We're in a
hurry, remember! If you're going to stop for
everyone unfortunate
along the way,
we'll never get back. We're lucky you got the
speeder running
as it is.
Artwo waddles
up to his fallen partner and starts pulling on his leg, then
runs up and
starts pulling on his arm.
ARTWO
Function! Function! It's
me. Come on, function.
STARKILLER
Well, my little
friend, you've found your tongue.
ARTWO
We must help
him... We've been lost.
STARKILLER
Where did you
come from?
The little
robot runs around his fallen partner giving him small electric
charges from
his claw hand. Threepio shudders from head to
toe, then regains
consciousness.
THREEPIO
What happened?
ARTWO
You're
overheated.
STARKILLER
Where did you
come from?
ARTWO
We were
jettisoned from six twenty-nine, P.R. one.
STARKILLER
I'm unfamiliar
with that ship. What type is it?
THREEPIO
It's a class M
station, not a conventional craft.
Threepio then
stands and shakes the young Jedi's hand.
THREEPIO
(Con't)
I'm
Seethreepio, Human-Cyborg Relations. Your
kindness is greatly
appreciated.
Starkiller and
the two robots walk back to the speeder.
55. Both Artwo and Threepio are stuffed into the tiny
luggage compartment.
It is late in
the day when the speeder rumbles to a stop in a small desert
canyon
surrounded by steep cliffs and broken boulders.
STARKILLER
We'll rest
here.
THREEPIO
At last. The transport is welcome but my joints are frozen.
Everyone climbs
out of the low-slung speeder. Starkiller
watches the two
androids as
they stretch their mechanical limbs.
ARTWO
I've got a bad
case of dust contamination. I can barely
move.
THREEPIO
What a
foresaken place this is. We seem to be made
to suffer. It's our lot
in life. Sir, could you tell....
Threepio turns
and notices that Starkiller and the princess have disappeared.
He looks all
around.
THREEPIO
Where did they
go? They've disappeared.
ARTWO
Maybe they were
attacked! I sense danger!
55. HIDDEN FORTRESS ENTRANCE - DESERT CANYON - AQUILAE
[scene number - sic]