“Master Luke?” a voice inquired.

 

            “Yes, Threepio?” Jedi Master Luke Skywalker said as he looked up from the datapad he was reading.

 

            “Mistress Leia sent me with this rather unusual package for you.  She, ah, said it arrived in her office this morning.  She advices you use caution in opening it as there is no clear information on who the package is from.” Threepio said uncertainly.

 

            Luke took the package from Threepio’s outstretched hands.  It was triangular in shape and wrapped in a thick, lumpy brown material.  He gently probed it with the Force but found no hint of danger from the object lying within.  The Jedi Master ran his hands over the package until he found a seam.  Slowly and carefully, he began to peel the wrapping from the item inside.  Luke suddenly felt as if someone was looming over him; he nonchalantly turned his head and sighed when he saw it was only Threepio.

           

“Threepio?”

           

“Yes, Master Luke?”

           

“Could you back up a little?  There’s no need to stand over me like that.”

           

“My apologies, Master Luke.  I am merely interested to see what made Mistress Leia so concerned over the package.  She instructed me to stay here until you had examined its contents.”

           

“Leia was concerned.  What for?  It seems harmless enough so far…” Luke said under his breath.

           

“She seemed to think the package was very old.  If you look at the packaging more closely, I believe you will find that was marked classified and had the old Republic seal imprinted on it.”

           

Luke examined the half-removed wrapping.  Sure enough, on the bottom there was a faded old crest that appeared to be the same as the Old Republic crest.  The crest had blurred and was so faint that Luke, in his curiosity over what the package contained, missed it completely.  It took him longer to find the classified remark Threepio had mentioned.  Scrawled on one corner of the brown material was an almost illegible note.

 

            This package classified as it deals with materials related to A. S. and L. D. V.

            Not to be opened until either party is deceased.  To be handed over to the Jedi

Council at that time.

 

            Thoroughly confused, Luke resumed opening the package.  He tore the last piece of material from the object.  He turned it over in hands, examining it closely.  It appeared to be an old holoprojector, of a type Luke had not seen before.  He set it down on its three short little legs. Immediately, the little tripod projected a hazy image above it. 

 

The image was not perfectly clear, but Luke’s eyebrows shot up as he saw Tatooine’s familiar landscape in the background.  His eyes narrowed as he struggled to make out the figure in the foreground of the hologram.  It was a boy, of perhaps nine years of age.  He was dressed in an outfit very similar to what Luke had worn at home with the billowing off-white shirt and brown pants.   Something about the boy seemed painfully familiar, but Luke could not pinpoint it.  Luke sensed Threepio draw near once more, but ignored the droid as the figure began speaking.

           

“Esteemed council,” the boy began in a confident voice, “I am leaving this message in the hands of my mother.  Being set free earlier today as a result of my victory in the podrace, I wish to transfer my property to my mother.  The only real item of value I possess to give her is the droid I have been building to help her.  Please put the yet unfinished droid under her name.  His designation is C-3PO.”

           

“Oh, goodness gracious me,” Threepio said quietly.  “A child is my maker?”

           

Luke signaled for Threepio to be quiet.  The droid complied, but was fidgeting nonetheless.  The Jedi Master turned his attention back to the hologram.  The boy had paused after revealing the droid’s designation for a long moment.  He looked off camera briefly and returned speaking.  Now he spoke slowly as if the words pained him.

           

“My mother’s name is Shmi Skywalker, servant of one Toydarian merchant, Watto.  I, Anakin Skywalker, formally relinquish C-3P0 to her care.”  The image faded away as the message came to an end. 

 

“V-V-Vader was my maker?” Threepio sputtered in disbelief.  Neither Luke nor the tripod responded.

 

A large crash broke the ensuing silence.  Luke turned slowly toward the source of the sound and saw Threepio lying prostrate against the ground.  Apparently, the revelation of his maker was beyond the stress limit his circuits could effectively handle. 

 

Luke sat, his head bowed over his hands, for a long time pondering what he had learned from the message.  His father had grown up on the same desolate planet as he had and it seemed his father had left him more than just an inheritance to the Force, albeit indirectly.  He also now knew the name of his grandmother.  He clung to that as something too precious for words. 

 

The Jedi Master reached for the comlink on the desk in front of him.  He set it to Leia’s personal channel.  She didn’t answer, so he left her a message. 

“Leia, this is Luke.  That package had some very, uh, revealing news, but I think you better see it or you’ll never believe me.  Stop by tonight when you are done with work.  You better have Han come as well, it concerns all of us.  By the way, if you could convince Han to bring some tools, Threepio is in need of some assistance.”

 

THE END