Chapter 16- Cut off and the Garbage Chute
Lena, Luke, and Leia left the cell to see Han and Chewbacca running toward them. "Can't get out that way," Han said as Lena pulled out her lightsaber and with ignited it. It's blue light bathed her face and the hum was oddly reassuring.
"Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route," Leia said snidely. Lena wasn't sure if her cousin was right on that one. Surely the Force would present an alternate route, but Han was clearly not amused.
"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness," Han said rudely as he turned to look at Leia and a bolt came dangerously close to hitting them. Lena deflected the bolts as they went to doors and hid themselves. Lena stood behind Han, holding her lightsaber in one hand and Leia hid behind Luke.
"C-3PO, C-3PO," Luke said into his comlink.
"Yes, Sir?" Lena heard Threepio ask faintly over the comlink.
"Are there any other ways out of the cell bay? We've been cut off," Luke said. A loud blast kept Luke or Lena from hearing Threepio's response. "What was that? I didn't copy."
"I said all systems have been alerted to your presence, Sir. The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out. All other information on your level is restricted," Threepio said.
"Open up in there!" Lena heard and then the comlink went dead.
"There isn't any other way out!" Luke said as more blaster shots went down the corridor. Chewbacca growled.
"I can't hold them off forever! Now what?!" Han asked Luke.
"This some rescue! You came in here and you didn't have a plan for getting out?" Leia asked.
"They're the brains, Sweetheart," Han said, indicating Luke and Lena.
"Well, I didn't-" Luke started to say as Leia grabbed his blaster and shot at the garbage chute next to Lena.
"What are you doing?" Han asked in angry shock.
"Somebody has to save our skins!" Leia said, getting into the aisle and shooting the blaster. "Into the garbage chute, flyboy," Leia snapped, tossing the blaster back to Luke and jumping in. Chewbacca looked at the chute and growled.
"Get in there! Get in there, you big furry oaf! I don't care what you smell!" Han said to Chewbacca and kicked him into the chute. "Get in there and don't worry about it. Wonderful girl, your cousin. Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her. Get in there!" Han ordered Luke and Lena. Luke went first followed by Lena.
Lena landed feet first into a sludgy mess, her Jedi boots covered all the way up to her knees. She heard Han shout as he came down the chute and landed on his back. "The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you've discovered!" Han said.
"Yeah, the Force can't shield that smell," Lena said, wrinkling her nose as the smell hit her like a wallop in the face.
"Let's get out of here. Get away from there," Han said, aiming his blaster at the door.
"No, wait," Luke said belatedly. Han fired and the bolt ricocheted around the small space. everyone hit the trash piles to avoid being hit. Lena closed her eyes, calling on the Force to control her breathing.
"Will you forget it?! I already tried it! It's magnetically sealed," Luke said after the bolt hit the wall.
"Put that thing away! You're gonna get us all killed!" Leia shouted.
"Absolutely, Your Worship. Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here! Ya know, it's not gonna take 'em long to figure out what happened to us," Han said.
"It could be worse," Leia said and they heard an animal growl. Lena then got a sensation in the Force. Someone or something else was in here and it was hungry.
"It's worse, Cousin. There's something alive in here," Lena said, her danger sense spiking with each second.
"It's your imagination, Your Highness," Han said.
"Han, I'm a Jedi! I don't have an imagination," Lena said.
Luke gave a start. "Something just moved past my leg. Look! Did you see that?" Luke asked as something went past him and Lena.
"What?" Han asked and they all stared at the sludgy water. Lena started as a single eyestalk popped out of the water. With a loud growl the creature wrapped a tentacle around Luke and pulled him under.
"Kid!" Han shouted running to the spot.
"Luke!" Lena and Leia shouted. Han rifled his hand through the water. Leia screamed as Luke broke the surface, more tentacles wrapped around his throat and chest.
"Luke! Luke, grab hold of this!" Leia said, extending a metal pipe.
"Blast it! My gun's jammed!" Luke managed to ground out.
"Where?" Han asked, holding onto Luke's arm to prevent him going back into the water.
"Anywhere!" Luke shouted and Han fired his blaster. Luke got briefly to his feet and fell back into the water.
"Luke!" Han shouted. The water closed over Luke's head and a loud clanging sound filled the air. Luke then came back to the surface, all the tentacles gone.
"Help him!" Leia ordered Han.
"What happened?" Lena asked as Han helped Luke to his feet.
"I don't know. It just let go of me and disappeared," Luke said, coughing and sputtering.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Han said as something started grinding. Chewbacca growled as the room shook and the walls started to move.
"The walls are moving!" Luke shouted the obvious.
"Don't just stand there! Try and brace it with something," Leia ordered as she and Lena picked up a pipe that was longer than the room and Luke, Chewbacca, and Han looked around.
"Help us!" Lena ordered sharply and Han came to them and wedged the pipe between the shrinking walls to no avail.
"Wait a minute!" Luke said, pulling out his comlink.
Lena jerked it, with the Force, out of Luke's hand. "Threepio! Come in, Threepio! Oh, where could he be?" Lena asked no one in particular. Luke, Han, and Leia continued to try and brace the walls while Lena called periodically for Threepio.
"Get on top!" Han ordered, pushing Leia on top of the garbage.
"I can't," Leia said with a breathless sob.
"Where can he be? Threepio! Threepio, will you come in?" Lena screamed.
"One thing's for sure, we're all gonna be a lot thinner," Han said, looking at the shrinking walls as they got closer. "Get on top of it," Han said as Leia fell into the trash and he helped her up.
"I'm trying," Leia ground out.
"Are you there, Sir?" Threepio's voice came over the comlink.
"Threepio?" Lena asked incredulously.
"We've had some problems, Your Highness," Threepio said, sounding almost apologetic for a protocol droid.
"Will you shut up and listen to me? Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level, will ya? Do you copy? Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level! Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level!" Lena screamed as the wall got closer and she climbed up some of the trash.
"No! Shut them all down! Hurry!" Lena heard Threepio order Artoo.
The walls then stopped. Lena saw her and Leia's feet pressed against the opposite wall and before she could stop or consider that it didn't sound like a Jedi, she broke out in a wild scream of laughter with Han, Luke, and Leia.
"Listen to them. They're dying, Artoo! Curse my metal body! I wasn't fast enough. It's all my fault! My poor masters," Threepio said with very plaintive woe. Lena could have laughed, but she chose to correct the droid.
"Threepio, we're all right! We're all right! You did great! Hey! Open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number- Where are we?" Lena interrupted herself to ask Han.
"3263827!" Han exclaimed going over to the hatch door. Lena felt a small shiver of the Force's relief as the door opened.