Johannes Vermeer Girl with a Pearl Earring Painting

Gravel and fine sand formed a gritty fog beneath the landspeeder as it slid acrossthe rippling wasteland of Tatooine on humming repulsors. Occasionally the craftwould jog slightly as it encountered a dip or slight rise, to return to its smooth passageas its pilot compensated for the change in terrain. Luke leaned back in the seat, luxuriating in unaccustomed relaxation as Threepioskillfully directed the powerful landcraft around dunes and rocky outcrops. "Youhandle a landspeeder pretty well, for a machine," he noted admiringly. "Thank you, sir," a gratified Threepio responded, his eyes never moving from thelandscape ahead. "I was not lying to your uncle when I claimed versatility as mymiddle name. In fact, on occasion I have been called upon to perform unexpectedfunctions in circumstances which would have appalled my designers." Something pinged behind them, then pinged again. Luke frowned and popped the speeder canopy. A few moments of digging inthe motor casing eliminated the metallic bark. "How's that?" he yelled forward. Threepio signaled that the adjustment was satisfactory. Luke turned back intothe cockpit and closed the canopy over them again. Silently he brushed his wind-whipped hair back out of his eyes as his attention returned to the dry desert ahead ofthem. "Old Ben Kenobi is supposed to live out in this general direction. Even thoughnobody knows exactly where, I don't see how that Artoo unit could have come this farso quickly." His expression was downcast. "We must have missed him back in the