"Why are you going down there? We're not permitted down there!"
Artoo let out a shriek, his own form of insult against Threepio.
Threepio looked on in droid horror as Artoo went over to one of the escape pods.
"What are you doing? We can't use one of the escape pods!"
Artoo replied again, letting Threepio know of his annoyance.
"Mission? What mission?"
The escape pod door opened. Artoo began to get inside.
"Of course I'm not going in there! We're not permitted!" Threepio said in reply to Artoo's beeps.
Then, a laser blast hit the wall millimeters from Threepio's arm. That was all the coaxing he needed. A second later, he stepped into the pod. Artoo closed the door behind him, and seconds later, they were away.
Threepio looked out of the pod's solitary window as the stars swirled around him, as they plummeted to the desert planet below.
On the bridge of the ship, an Imperial commander looked down at a display panel, before relaying news to Vader.
"Another pod has just gone sir... no life signs aboard... probably a malfunction."
Vader paid no attention to this as the ship's most important passenger was brought before him. It was a prize worthy of his efforts - Leia Organa.
"You have no right to do this!" she protested. "We are on a diplomatic mission! When the Emperor hears of this..."
"The Emperor personally organized this mission, Princess!" Vader boomed. "I want the plans you stole from Wayland!"
"Plans? What plans? We were at Wayland to attend that conference of yours!"
Underneath his mask, Vader huffed. He knew that he couldn't get what he wanted straight away. Raising his hand, two Jem'Hadar warriors approached, and took Leia away.
The senior officers of the fleet gathered in the observation lounge of the Valkyrie. A crude computerized map of Tattooine was on the screen before them. Duncan MacCleod pointed to a spot on the map.
"The small party, consisting of myself, Captain Watt, Sutek and Lieutenant Worf will beam down here, two miles from Mos Eisley. From there we'll trek to the port, and try to make contact with Captain Kurn."
"What about the Imperials?" asked Koenig. "What should we do about them?"
"Nothing," said Watt. "Just keep an eye on them. If anything changes, contact us as soon as possible!"
The search was fruitless. His soldiers had searched every inch of the Tantive IV, gone through every computer bank, questioned everyone, and still found nothing. The plans from the Death Star were not on the ship.
The Imperial commanders gathered on the bridge of the ship to give any information they had gathered.
"Have you managed to locate all the escape pods?" Vader asked.
"We've located the beacons from all the pods. It should be easy to locate them on the planet's surface."
"Good. I want teams sent down, and a Jem'Hadar squad sent to Mos Eisley as a garrison. I want those plans, no matter what the cost!"
With the temperature at its highest, Ben Kenobi sat outside his home, gazing out across the desert. If anyone had spoken to him at that moment, he wouldn't have heard them. His thoughts were elsewhere, across the Dune Sea.
"So, they have arrived," he said to himself. "And the battle above has come to its conclusion. Now is the time to prepare."
Kenobi went inside, and opened an old trunk. After pushing aside a few blankets, he found what he was looking for - a small, cylindrical object, with several buttons on it. Kenobi held it up to the light.
"You will see some use again, soon. Very soon."
Night fell as the away team arrived in the Dune Sea on Tattooine. As soon as they arrived, Sutek scanned the area with his tri-corder.
"You should be careful with that thing," said MacCleod. "If any of the natives see we're from Starfleet, they'll skin us alive!"
"Agreed," said Watt. "And I should know."
"We are exactly two miles away from the Mos Eisley spaceport," said Sutek.
Watt began to feel around his collar. The garb of a space smuggler did not suit him. It did not make him feel comfortable.
"Having trouble?" MacCleod asked. "You'll get used to the clothes."
MacCleod began to look around the area, and then took his bag from his shoulder.
"I suggest we make our camp here, and then set out for Mos Eisley at first light."
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