Colorado, 1883
Sitting morosely in the tiny hot jail cell, Han cupped his chin against his palm. "This place has got to be the dumpiest jail cell I've ever been locked up in, and I've been locked up in quite a few, too."
"I could get us out in no time flat if I had my lightsaber," Luke commented, inspecting the metal lock.
"A lightsaber?" Han asked, incredulous. "Give me a decent toothpick and I could have us out."
Luke sank slowly to the hard floor, a look of despair on his face. "We don't have either a toothpick or my lightsaber."
"And what if we did? Then what? Do you have the remotest idea of how to get us back where we belong?"
"No," Luke admitted. "I thought maybe we could go back to the pond and see if the whirlpool would reappear."
"Then jump back in, hold our breath and hope we come out on Datooine?" Han questioned. "If it is some type of portal, we could just be trading this planet for some even worse planet. Maybe even a planet that doesn't support human life."
"I guess. Maybe we're stuck here forever."
"That's certainly a cheery thought," Han said. "Or, as Threepio would say, 'we're doomed.'"
"What do you think about Clementine?"
"Besides the fact that she's a dirty double-crosser?"
"Yeah, besides that."
Han chewed his lip in thought. "Well, she is cute. And she's got a lot of spunk. Do you suppose a guy like me and – ."
"NO!" Luke shouted in disgust. "Is that the only thing you ever think about?"
"Sure. That, and having lots of credits and good whiskey. What do you think about all the time?"
"The Force, and how to defeat the Empire."
"That figures," Han said. "Sounds like my thoughts are way more fun than yours."
Luke sighed. It was going to be a very long night indeed.
Much later that night...
"Psst!"
Luke sat up on his hard cot, instantly awake. "Han, did you hear that?"
The Corellian let out a loud snort, then turned over on his side. "Sorry. Didn't mean to snore."
"PSSST!"
Han opened one eye. "Now that, I heard."
"What do you suppose it could be?"
"It's me, you dumb billy-goats," Clem's voice whispered loudly through the small barred window.
The young Jedi jumped up and, standing on the cot, he peered out through the bars and into the narrow alley. Although Clem was standing on a barrel, her chin barely reached the lower window sill. "Are you two alright?" she asked.
"What do you care?" Han groused, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "You're the reason we're the honored guests in this pleasant establishment, in case you've forgotten."
"It wasn't my fault," Clem argued.
"Why does that line sound so familiar?" Luke asked, glancing toward Han.
"It wasn't my fault," Clem insisted. "Your horses' tracks led right up to my house, and although Fred and Wally aren't the sharpest tacks in the toolbox, even I couldn't fool them into thinking you weren't hiding inside the barn."
"You're the one that TOLD us to hide in the barn in the first place!" Han yelled indignantly.
"Quiet," Clem hissed. "So I made a little mistake. At least I'm trying to make things right, unless you two aren't interested in my help."
"Help?" Han repeated in disbelief. "Is that what you call it on this planet when you stab someone in the back?"
Clem sighed. "Fine. Have fun in Wyoming territory. I hear the scenery is pretty up that way." She started to get down off the box.
"No, wait!" Luke called out. "We want your help, Clem. What are you suggesting?"
She stopped and smiled sweetly at Luke. "It's a good thing you boys are such fine-looking gentlemen. Alright, I'll help you – just tell Solo to stop his caterwauling before he wakes up the deputy. Now, this is my plan - I'll go bat my eyes at Deputy Riggins, and when he's all flustered and distracted I'll steal the jail keys. I hope you appreciate the fact that Riggins isn't a bit fine-looking, and his breath smells like ten day old socks that have been soaking in sour milk, so I'm making a mighty big sacrifice for you boys. Then I'll come back here and pass you the keys, and after that I'll go set the hotel's outhouse on fire. After that's busy shooting flames sky high, I'll ring the fire alarm, which will cause Riggins to come running out to check out why the bell is ringing. Then all three of us will get on our horses - which I already have saddled up and waiting - and go find Heyes and Curry, just like you said you would. Agreed?"
"You lost me at 'steal the jail keys'," Han said.
"Agreed," Luke reassured Clem. He glared at Han, daring him to dispute his promise. To his relief, the Corellian actually remained silent for a change.
"Good," Clem said, getting down off the box. "Now wait here while I go get those keys. Just remember to hang them back on the hook behind the desk when you're sneaking out, or Riggins will figure out it was me that took them in the first place."
"Wait here, she says," Luke grumbled as he jumped off the cot. "Where does she think we can go?"
"How are you gonna convince her that her friends are currently lost in a different galaxy, and we have no idea how to get them back?" Han asked.
"I haven't got a clue," Luke replied. "I'm still trying to decide if we should trust her again."
"What's your all-powerful Force telling you?"
"It's being rather ambiguous."
"Yeah? My butt's ambiguous about getting back up on a horse, so I guess that makes us even."
Dantooine
They had driven for several hours without stopping. Only when exhaustion overwhelmed them, and the risk of traveling through unknown territory in the inky blackness became more of a risk than it was worth, did the Princess finally slow and turn off the engines.
From their campsite, Leia scanned the dark and forbidding horizon, looking for signs they were being tracked. So far, the only thing she had seen were the tiny lights blinking on the Imperial shuttles as they landed far off in the distance, where the Falcon had been originally parked.
The Princess had done her best to explain the confusing situation to the technologically challenged newcomers, even telling them about the Rebellion, the Death Star and what had happened to Alderaan, but she wasn't certain they believed her that an entire planet could be destroyed by a machine in a single heartbeat.
A loud, eerie wail sounded from the night. "What kind of creature is that, ma'am?" Curry questioned worriedly. "It sure don't sound like a wolf or a coyote."
"First thing, you have to stop calling me 'ma'am'. My name is Leia. The animal is probably a graul. Or possibly a wild kath hound. I hope they don't get our scent, or we could be in trouble."
"Is this Lord Vader considered the Law in this Empire?"
"He believes he is," Leia replied bitterly.
Heyes leaned back against a rock, considering her words. "So working against him in this rebellion makes you an outlaw?"
"Yes," Leia admitted.
"Then we have something in common," Curry joked, ignoring Heyes' nearly imperceptible shake of his head.
"Now that I've told you about me, you've got to tell me all about your life on Colorado," Leia said.
"Well, it's not 'on' Colorado, it's 'in' Colorado," Heyes said. "That's part of a country called the United States, which is on a planet we call 'Earth'. I have no idea where Earth is in relation to Dantooine, ma'am. I mean, Leia."
"We used to rob trains and banks for a living," Curry continued explaining as Heyes gave a huge sigh at Curry's admission. "That's how we came up with those names - 'Smith and Jones' - so quick-like after you asked us. But don't worry – we've given up the life of crime and we're trying to go straight."
"It sure isn't easy, though," Heyes said, deciding there was no point in trying to cover up their dubious history at this point, since Curry seemed so willing to tell Leia all the details. And if they weren't even on Earth anymore, telling her those same details they were supposed to keep a secret hardly mattered. "Because we've never killed anyone during our holdups, the Governor of Wyoming said he'd give us amnesty if we stay out of trouble, but trouble seems to find us constantly."
"I'd have to say being hunted by Darth Vader qualifies as 'trouble'," Leia agreed.
"Do you have any idea how we can get home?" Curry questioned. "Or how we can find Solo and Skywalker?"
"Not really," Leia admitted sadly. "But there is a former Jedi enclave on Dantooine. It's nothing but ruins now, but I'm hoping there might be some clue hidden in the rubble that will help us."
Curry scratched his chin. "That doesn't sound too overly hopeful."
"It's the best thing I can come up with right now," Leia said, knowing Curry was saying aloud what she was already thinking. "I'm not leaving my friends behind."
"Can't say we blame you," Heyes said.
A low growl sounded from just beyond the small ring of the campfire illumination, and several sets of yellow pupils' reflected the light of the flame.
"Oh, great," Leia said, jumping up and grabbing her blaster. "We're surrounded by kath hounds."
"I suppose that's a bad thing?" Curry moaned as he climbed to his feet, jerking Han's blaster from the holster.
"Only if they're hungry." Another howl sounded, this time from quite nearby. "They sure sound hungry."
"I don't have a weapon," Heyes pointed out, patting his shirt and pants.
Leia pulled the silver tube out from under her jacket and pushed it at the cowboy. "You can use Luke's lightsaber. Just be careful not to touch the blade or swing it in our direction. I like my head where it's located, thank you very much."
"Me, too," Curry concurred.
Swallowing down his nervousness, Heyes flicked on the glowing blue rod, which seemed to instantly cause the kath hounds to become enraged and attack.
Colorado, 1883
"Are you sure you hung that key back where it belonged?" Clem asked Luke as the three galloped along the dusty road as the nocturnal sky lightened slowly to purple in the early morning hours.
"I put it on the hook, behind the desk," Luke told her, for the fourth or fifth time. "Quit worrying."
"I'll quit worrying when Heyes and Curry are back home. Now where are they?"
"Yeah, Luke," Han said. "Explain to the nice lady where Heyes and Curry are."
Luke glared over at Han, then prodded his bay horse to pull alongside Clem's palomino mare. He noticed she was wearing dark colored pants under her long dress, which was probably a good plan considering how long they'd already been riding. "Clementine, you're not going to believe me, but here it goes. Somehow Han and I got pulled into your galaxy from a place far, far away. Where we come from ships do fly, and we travel between planets. I know that sounds hard to believe, but I'm telling you the truth."
"Prove it."
"That's sorta hard to do, since we arrived here naked as the day we were born," Han said. "Now if I had my blaster with me, you'd be plenty impressed." He glanced over at the antique slug throwers resting in the holsters that were flung over Clem's saddle horn. "You might want to consider sharing those weapons with us, Clem. I'm pretty impressive with a gun, among other things."
She smiled flirtatiously over at Han. "I'll take your word for that, but you might have to prove those 'other things' later."
"I know how I can prove we're from a different galaxy," Luke said suddenly, pulling his horse to a stop. He pointed up at a rock-strewn cliff over their heads, barely visible in the dim morning light. "Do you see that flat boulder up there? The big one, resting at an angle, on the left?"
"Yes," Clem said, tugging her horse to a halt as well.
"I think if I concentrated hard enough, I can make that boulder shift over a little bit."
"How?"
"With the Force," Luke explained. "Ben told me the Force surrounds everything, and nothing is impossible if you trust the Force."
Han groaned. "That rock is mighty big, Kid."
"And the exhaust port was mighty small," Luke argued. "I did it then, and I'm pretty sure I can do it now." Luke shut his eyes, and concentrated intently on the large rock. And concentrated, and concentrated...
"How long is this going to take?" Clem asked impatiently after long minutes of watching the rock do nothing.
"Could be days," Han told her. "Maybe even years before a big enough wind comes along to shove that rock over."
Luke opened his eyes and glared at his companions. "You're a big enough wind that you shouldn't need the Force at all to make that rock move, Han. Now be quiet, because I've got to have complete silence to concentrate."
"The Kid's getting snippy in his old age," Han whispered toward Clem.
"I can see that," Clem said.
"Quiet!" Luke shouted in exasperation.
"Well, excuse me," Clem griped. "I wasn't talking to you."
Luke tried again, his lips set in a tight line as he imagined the rock shifting... and then it shifted. Unfortunately, in causing the rock to move, smaller rocks started sliding as well, and began cascading down the face of the cliff. Then the larger rocks started sliding...
"Oh my goodness!" Clem shouted. "You've started an avalanche!"
Luke opened his eyes in time to see what he'd accomplished. "But it worked! I told you I could do it!"
"If we don't get out of the way, we're going to be crushed to death!"
"Aw, Sith-spit," Han muttered, giving his horse a hard kick in the ribs.
Dantooine
"Aieeyyyee!" Heyes screamed, swinging the strange glowing stick around in a wide arc. When it failed to connect to any of the ravenous beasts, he swung it in the opposite direction, with the same result. The beasts simply jumped away from the humming weapon, and formed a circle around the harried cowboy. "I could use some help here!" he yelled back at Curry and Leia.
"Sure thing, Heyes," Curry shouted, firing the DL-44 at the snapping, horned creatures. "Those are just about the ugliest animals I've ever seen."
"It would have to be horned kath hounds," Leia grumbled as she joined in the battle. "They're suppose to be more aggressive than the regular type hounds."
"Lucky us," Curry commented.
Leia and Curry quickly dispatched several of the kath hounds. However, more seemed to instantly appear and join their pack, snarling and snapping at the outnumbered humans.
"My blaster is starting to lose its charge," Leia informed Curry after the battle had continued for several long minutes.
He spared a glance back at the young woman. "You mean to say the fire inside this thing can die out?"
"Eventually."
"How can you tell if that's about to happen?"
"The blaster starts to tingle, as a warning," Leia explained, shooting yet another hound.
"Great. This blaster is doing that, too."
She looked over at Heyes, who was still swinging the lightsaber, although he had yet to actually singe a single hair on any of the creatures. "At least lightsabers don't need recharging very often."
"I'm sure that will come in real handy," Curry grumbled sarcastically. "Heyes is doing such an outstanding job using it."
"I'm trying!" Heyes yelled. "I'd like to see you use this thing."
"Couldn't do any worse that you," Curry shot back.
As the fight dragged on, it was looking as though the animals would soon get past their defenses by using sheer numbers
Then one of the animals suddenly let loose with a loud yelp and skittered a short distance away, where it gave howl. The rest of the pack backed up, and still snarling, turned to slink away. All became quiet - far too quiet for Leia's liking.
"Now what do you suppose made them all leave at once?" Heyes asked, lowering the lightsaber.
Leia peered nervously into the night. "About the only thing that could make them leave would be a graul. If that's the case, we're in trouble."
The three humans continued to stand back-to-back, trying to determine when and where the next threat would appear. It didn't take long.
"Humans!" Leia whispered as outlines emerged from the darkness. "It could be Imperials." As the humans stepped closer Leia was relieved to see they weren't stormtroopers, but a group of local settlers, carrying both older style blasters as well as homemade spears. "We're certainly glad to see you." Leia told the group. "You saved our lives." When the local humans remained silent, Leia stepped closer, and tried again, "Thank you for helping us by chasing off the kath hounds. My name is Leia, and this is Curry," she waved toward the Kid, "and Heyes."
An older man took a single step closer, and pointed at Heyes. "He's a Jedi."
The Princess smiled at their confusion. "No, he's not a Jedi. I can understand why you might think - ."
"Put down your lightsaber, Jedi," the man interrupted, raising his blaster and pointing it directly at Leia. The rest of the group followed his lead, pointing their weapons at Leia and Curry. "We will kill your companions if you do not obey."
"Out of the frying pan," Curry said wearily, tossing his blaster on the ground.
"He's not a Jedi," Leia insisted. "Didn't you see how terrible he was at handling that weapon?"
"Hey! I was trying!" Heyes objected.
"Put down your lightsaber," the man repeated his order. "This is the last time I'm asking nice."
Heyes turned off the weapon, and handed it over to one of the locals, who seemed rather frightened to be holding the lightsaber, since he quickly passed it over to his leader, who looked down at the weapon in his hand with disdain. "Jedi are no longer welcome on Dantooine. Where there are Jedi, evil will soon follow."
"We understand," Leia said, considering the fact that Vader was undoubtedly already on Dantooine and hot on their trail. "Two members of our party have gotten separated from us, and as soon as we locate them, we'll leave."
The man shook his head negatively. "This is not acceptable. You will come with us, and the High Priest will decide your fate."
The local humans poked their weapons in Heye's general direction. "Why are they so focused on me?" Heyes complained. "What have I done?"
"They think you're a Jedi, and it seems they don't care for Jedi," Leia explained.
"What in tarnation is a Jedi?"
"Maybe it means being a safecracker on this planet," Curry mused.
"Or their name for a gambler," Heyes conjectured. "Or possibly a gunslinger?"
"That's not what being a Jedi means," Leia interrupted. "It's someone with special powers."
"Oh, so it's like a judge or a politician," Heyes said, nodding. "Now I understand perfectly why they don't care for Jedi."
"I resent that," Leia snapped out.
"QUIET!" the group's leader roared. "Do not attempt to sidetrack us with your mystical mind tricks, Jedi," he warned them as the other men tied up all three tired travelers. "We have learned to resist having our minds altered."
"I'm needing my mind altered right about now," Curry griped. "A case of Old Jake Beam would do the trick."
"If I could do that kind of magic trick, I'd conjure up two cases, because one's not gonna be nearly enough," Heyes muttered as he was shoved forward.
Colorado, 1883
"Faster!" Clem shouted, urging her pony forward as the dust from the landslide threatened to overtake the riders. "Faster!"
"These horse things should come equipped with afterburners," Han yelled as his chestnut-colored horse galloped along. He gave a quick look over at a wide-eyed Luke. "This time, it's all your fault, Kid."
"I didn't mean for that to happen," Luke replied, coughing on the cloud of fine particles. "I was only trying to show Clem how the Force works."
"Good job."
After a few heart-pounding minutes of riding, Clem finally pulled her horse to a stop, and turned around to inspect the rock-covered trail where they'd just been moments earlier. "We're safe, for now."
"I'm really sorry, Clem," Luke said, abashed. "That wasn't supposed to happen."
Clem regarded the young man skeptically. "It may have been a mighty big coincidence, but there is no way you made those rocks fall just by thinking about it."
Luke was annoyed by her comment. "I did so cause that rock slide!"
"That's impossible," Clem argued. "Still, it was a good thing it happened, anyway."
"Why is that?" Han questioned. "We needed the adrenalin rush 'cuz our lives have gotten too dull lately?"
She pointed at the large debris pile. "All those rocks have blocked the trail, and any posse following us will have to take a big detour now. By the time they get back on this road, we'll have a huge lead on them. With any luck, they should never catch us now."
"See?" Luke added, trying not be sound smug. "You might first think that causing an avalanche is a bad thing, but the Force always knows what it's doing."
"Great," Han said. "My only question is – where are we going?"
"We're heading to Julesburg," Clem stated. "From there, we'll take the train to San Francisco." She puckered her lips in thought. "Of course, that will take us through Wyoming Territory for a bit, but hopefully no one will assume you're Heyes and Curry anymore. Unless…"
"Unless what?" Luke asked.
"Unless Wally sends a telegram to Briscoe, and he figures out we're heading north. Then Briscoe might send a telegram to the railroad detectives in Wyoming to keep a look-out for you."
"But we're NOT Heyes and Curry!" Han roared in disgust. "When are those Hutt-heads gonna figure that out?"
"When someone that knows Heyes and Curry personally says so," Clem stated. "And since I've already told Wally and Fred that you are Heyes and Curry, they're certainly not going to believe me anymore."
"Especially since you helped us escape," Luke said.
"You told me you put the keys back!"
"I did!" Luke said. "But I'm not sure if they catch you riding with us they're not going to make that connection, anyway. Is there any way we can avoid going through Wyoming?"
"We could take a stagecoach," Clem said. "Then we'd have to go through more mountains, and it would take a lot longer."
Han rubbed his eyes. "How far away is this place called San Francisco?"
Clem considered his question. "Probably about fourteen hundred miles. That's why we should go by train, because that way it will only take about ten days of traveling. Unless the train's attacked by Indians or outlaws. That always tends to slow things down for a while."
"TEN DAYS?!" Han yelled. "I can't wear these scratchy, stinky clothes for another ten days!"
"What are Indians?" Luke questioned.
"The people that lived here before the settlers arrived," Clem explained. "They didn't much appreciate having their land stolen by all these newcomers."
"I can't say that I'd blame them," Luke said. "But what happens when we get to San Francisco?"
"We'll go visit an old friend of my father's, Doctor Miguelito Loveless Junior," Clem explained. "If anyone can help you get back to this place you call Dantooine, he can." She leaned forward in her saddle and whispered, "Junior is a genius, but he can be somewhat unstable."
"What does that mean?" Han asked.
"He's a few ears shy of a full silo. But you can hardly blame the poor man. His father, bless his soul, was even more brilliant than Junior, but both men were harassed by government agents until their wagon was driven around the bend, if you get my meaning."
"Not really," Han muttered.
"So you believe us?" Luke asked, surprised. "About being from a different galaxy?"
Clem smiled coyly at the younger man. "Maybe that rock slide really did impress me, Luke."
"Ten days," Han grumbled.
Clem nudged her horse forward, and into the lead. "We should get moving. Let's not give that posse time to catch up."
Luke's horse headed after Clem's, and Han followed. A few moments later, Luke's horse raised its tail and emitted a loud, gassy expulsion.
"Oh, sure," Han gagged, covering his nose. "Now he turns on his afterburners."
Dantooine
The locals pushed their captives into a small, heavily modified Ministry-class shuttle that had seen much better days, and by late morning the group had arrived at their destination, and Curry and Heyes gazed at the ancient stone and metal compound. "What is this place?" Curry asked.
"They've brought us to the old Jedi Enclave," Leia whispered.
"Isn't that where we were heading before we were so rudely interrupted?" Heyes questioned.
"Yes."
"Nice of them to give us a free ride."
"What are you whispering about?" the leader asked, standing up from his seat. He shoved his blaster under Heyes' nose. "Are you trying to make trouble, Jedi?"
"Nope, not me. I'm the last person that would ever make trouble for anyone."
Curry gave a snort of laughter before he could stop himself, which earned him a glare from his partner.
"You won't be laughing in a few minutes," the local man stated. "Now get up and move. Our Glorious High Priest and Timeless Transferor is waiting for you."
"That's sure a big mouthful," Curry commented as they carefully picked their way down crumbled staircases, and through rust-streaked corridors. Soon, the only light source came from small glowing rods placed intermittently on the floor. The temperature became noticeably cooler, and water dripped on their heads. After nearly twenty minutes they finally entered a dimly lit, large chamber, which was nearly empty except for a single, occupied chair sitting in the center of the room. The local men forced their captives to their knees, then dropped to kneel as well.
"We have brought you the Jedi and his companions, Oh Glorious High Priest and Timeless Transferor," the group's leader called out, head bowed, his voice echoing against the high ceiling. "We believe they are being followed by the White Suits."
"Bring me the Jedi, Elder Bancus," a deep voice boomed from beneath his cowl.
Even in the nearly dark room, Leia could see the older man was actually trembling as he rose from his bent position and grabbed Heyes by the shirt, then pulled him toward their Ruler.
"Here is the Jedi's lightsaber, Master, as well as their other weapons," Elder Bancus said, passing the silver tube and the two blasters over to his Leader. "They made the claim they are searching for two missing companions."
A thick hand reached out, taking the weapons and inspected the silver hilt of the lightsaber. "Leave us."
Bancus frowned in confusion. "I do not understand, Master. Do you wish me to take the prisoners down to the dungeon?"
"They've got a dungeon?" Heyes asked in concern. "This is getting better and better. I think we got the short end of this planet exchange, Kid."
The High Priest ignored Heyes, and focused on Bancus. "Leave the prisoners, and go back topside. I will deal with them, myself."
"Yes, Master," Bancus replied, sounding relieved that he was being dismissed so quickly. "Do you wish for us to search for these companions?"
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," the Priest said dryly.
Nodding, Bancus signaled for his men to follow, and the group quickly left the room.
Leia immediately rose to her feet. "My name is Princess Leia Organa, and I demand to know why you took us prisoners, and for what reason."
"What was that?" Curry questioned in surprise. Since he was still tied up, he climbed awkwardly to his feet as well. "You never told us you were an actual princess."
"I told you about my home planet, Alderaan," she replied.
"When you said 'my planet', we never thought you meant it literally," Curry argued.
"Can this wait?" Leia asked, exasperated. "I believe we're in the middle of something more important." She looked back at the tall man holding the lightsaber. "As I was saying, before I was interrupted, I would appreciate it if you would tell us your name, and why we've been brought here."
"It appears to me that you are in no position to ask anything, Princess," the High Priest said. "You are the ones trussed and tied, not I."
"Yeah," Heyes grumbled. "It's easy to act like the big man when you're the one holding all the cards."
Slowly, the man rose from his chair, pushing back his hood to reveal his cragged face and his light red-hued hair, streaked with gray. His jaw was covered with a long red beard, and his grey eyes were flinty and hard. He flicked on the confiscated lightsaber. "My designation is X3, and it would not be wise to defy me, Jedi."
Colorado 1883
After arriving at Julesburg, Clem took the horses to a local stable and sold them. With some of that money, they purchased three train tickets, and found out they had to wait in the local hotel for another two long days for a west-bound train to arrive. After the first day, Han found himself growing restless.
"Hey, Kid," Han said as he stretched his lanky frame across the narrow bed. "Why don't we head down to the saloon and see if we can find us some action."
Luke turned to face his friend. He'd been sitting on a hard chair, watching the steady flow of horses, wagons and people from their second floor window. "Action? With you, action usually involves the local law, and several fights. I'd rather just stay in our room and stay out of trouble."
"You're no fun at all," Han griped. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "You know where I was so late last night?"
Luke frowned at Han. Last night he'd been in his own bed for quite a few hours before Han had finally come back from wherever he'd been, flopped down in the other bed and promptly gone to sleep. "No."
"I was with Clem."
"I don't believe I'm interested in hearing anymore details."
"We weren't doing that. Well, she did kiss me, once." Han grinned at the confession. "She said I was a better kisser than either Heyes or Curry. The best kisser ever, even. So what do you think about that?"
"Information I could have gone to my grave not knowing. Or caring."
"That's beside the point, anyway," Han continued, unfazed by Luke's sarcasm. "She was teaching me how to play the local favorite card game. It's called poker, and every saloon in every town has a game going just about every night."
"More information I don't care about," Luke grumbled. "Although I can surmise where this is leading."
Han jumped off the bed. "This game is a piece of ryshcake, Kid. It's way, way easier than sabacc. The cards don't even change values during the game, if you can believe that."
"That is thrilling beyond my wildest dreams."
"After I kissed her, Clem told me I could use the money we have left from selling the horses to buy into tonight's game."
"I thought you said she kissed you," Luke pointed out.
"Oh, what does it matter who kissed who," Han said, taking out green pieces of flimsy from his pocket. "I got the money, and that's what counts." He waved the money under Luke's nose. "Care to join me for some fun?"
"Not a chance," Luke stated firmly. "And I don't think this is something you should do, either. All it's going to do is draw unwanted attention to us, and since half of Colorado thinks we're Heyes and Curry, drawing attention is not a good idea."
"You are a regular party-hard Bith," Han griped as he pulled on his boots and strapped the gun belt around his waist. "Fine, stay here and be bored. I'm going to the saloon."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Luke yelled as he watched the Corellian stomp away.
Dantooine
Leia stepped closer to the man. "X3? I believe I know your brother, X2."
"X2? X-3?" Heyes questioned. "What kind of stupid names are those?"
"I am the Son of Falon Grey, a great Jedi Knight who was murdered by my clone-brother, X1. I am the Gatekeeper to the secrets of the Enclave, and the Spiritual Leader to the Tribe of Banir."
Curry looked at his partner. "How much of that sentence made sense to you, Heyes?"
"I caught the word 'murdered', but the rest lost me."
The Princess turned excitedly toward the cowboys. "He's a clone of the Jedi Knight Grey. His brother is working for the rebellion."
"Clown?" Curry asked, confused. "Is there a circus around these parts?"
"My brother, X2, is a fool," X3 declared solemnly. "He will perish by Sword, just as my father did."
"I wasn't aware Jedi Grey had more than two clones," Leia said.
"I was the last one created, the unknown Lost clone-son. I am greatest of all my predecessors."
"Nothing wrong with his self-esteem, is there?" Heyes said.
The red-head focused his stare at Heyes. "Do you wish to fight me, Jedi?"
"Uh, no. How about a game of wild card poker, instead?"
X3 gave a derisive snort. "Pacifist. The Jedi were all pacifist fools, and that was why they were so easily defeated. It does not surprise me that you refuse to fight for your freedom. Therefore, you will suffer the fate of all Jedi fools." He pointed the tip of the lightsaber at the bound trio. "To the dungeon with all of you, then, until you grow a spine."
Colorado, 1883
Hours later, Luke heard a soft tap on his door. Walking quietly, he put his ear against the wood frame. "Yes?"
"Luke? It's Clem."
The young Jedi opened his door. "What's the matter?"
Clem smiled. "Nothing, I was just lonely. Can I come in?"
"Sure," Luke said, taking a step back to allow her to enter.
"Where's Han?" she asked, looking around the tiny room.
"He went out gambling," Luke replied with a sigh. "Thanks for showing him how to play picker."
"Poker."
"Yeah. Whatever. I'm sure he'll get into a worm-hole of trouble tonight."
"Oh, Han's a big boy," Clem said, leaning up against Luke. "He can take care of himself."
"Uh, okay." Luke tried taking a step back, only to find Clementine moving along with him. "Did you need something?"
"Yes," Clem whispered, pushing Luke backwards and sending him thudding down on the bed. She immediately sat down next to him, and flung her arms around his neck. "This." She planted her lips firmly against Luke's, kissing him deeply. She drew back, and batted her eyes at the blushing young man. "You kiss real nice, Luke. Better than Heyes or Curry, even."
"What about Han?"
"What about him?" she asked, exasperated.
"Han said you kissed him earlier, and told him that he was the best kisser you've ever had."
"I didn't know you were so competitive, Luke," Clem said with a giggle. "Okay, you're the best kisser, ever. Does that make you happy?"
"Sure," Luke said, as he suddenly remembered Leia and wondered how she would feel about both him and Han kissing Clementine. But Leia wasn't here, and Clem most certainly was. Luke leaned in closer, taking Clem into his arms…. when suddenly there was a huge commotion outside, with loud shouting and cursing.
Clem jumped off the bed and ran over to the window, pointing at two men facing each other from several yards apart. "It looks like there's going to be a gunfight."
Luke looked past Clem's shoulder, and to the scene on the dirt street below. Although he couldn't make out the faces of the men, the Force was screaming out a warning, and his heart sank. "The man with his back to us? I'm almost positive that's Han."
Dantooine
"How long are we supposed to rot in this dungeon?" Curry yelled, shaking the rusty bars in an attempt to get attention. "No food, only water! I'm starving to death!"
"It's been one day," Heyes commented, walking up to stand beside his friend. "It takes a lot longer to starve to death than a single day."
"If you would've agreed to fight X3, we wouldn't be here at all," Curry argued, glaring back at his partner.
"I'm not the fighter, you are," Heyes countered. "Besides, this really isn't the worst jail cell we've ever been locked up inside. It's got a separate room with the fanciest commode I've ever seen." He waved over at the two sets of bunk beds. "And mighty soft mattresses, too."
"I'll be sure to remind you how soft the bed was right before we die of hunger."
Leia had been sitting on one of the lower bunks, listening to the two men argue. "I'm pretty sure this wasn't a jail cell, originally. Or that this location was ever intended to be used as a real dungeon."
"What do you think it used to be?"
"My guess is that it was part of an underground dormitory area, probably for young Force-sensitive beings training as Jedi," Leia explained. "It would explain the refresher, which has obviously been restored by the locals, and I would guess that X3 is the one that instructed them to remove the original doors and put in those dura-steel bars."
"How does this Force you keep talking about work?" Curry questioned, curious.
"Well," Leia said, "I'm not sure, exactly. First you shut your eyes," and at this point she shut her eyes to demonstrate, "then concentrate on what you want to happen." She frowned as she focused on the door. Unexpectedly, the door rattled, and Leia opened her eyes, startled. "What just happened?"
"Was that your Force working?" Curry asked.
"No, no," Leia said, shaking her head. "I'm not Force-sensitive. It must have been a ground quake."
"Could be," Curry said dubiously. "But I sure didn't feel anything."
"We could use that light stick about now," Heyes said. "I'll bet it would cut right through these bars."
"Yes, it would," a deep voice said from down the dimly lit corridor. "But you are not in possession of the lightsaber. I am."
"Yeah, you have our weapons, and we're all locked up in your prison," Curry agreed as their captor approached. "Are you gonna feed us sometime?"
"My loyal servant, Seviss, will bring you food shortly," X3 replied. "Has the Jedi worked up his courage to do battle with me yet?"
"I'm NOT a Jedi," Heyes shouted in frustration. "Leia gave me the light stick to use to fight off the hounds because that was the only weapon left." He reached through the bars, trying to grab X3, but the man stood just beyond his grasp. "I'm more than willing to pound you into the dirt with my fists, though."
"Worthless threats," X3 said, sounding bored. "The fight will be a fair one, cowardly Jedi Heyes. I have my father's glorious golden lightsaber, and you will be able to fight with your inferior blue one."
Heyes rubbed his brow, frustrated. "It's not my weapon."
Leia approached the barred door and said, "If Heyes were truly a Jedi, he'd be able to open this door by using the Force. The weapon belongs to Luke Skywalker. His father was considered one of the most powerful of the Jedi Knights, before he was murdered by Darth Vader."
"NO!" X3 shouted, his eyes wild with sudden rage. "MY father was the greatest! No one can come close to Falon Grey! He survived Order 66, and how many Jedi were able to do that, I ask you? HE WAS THE GREATEST! Do you hear me? DO YOU HEAR ME!?"
By this time, the three prisoners had backed away from the bars. "Loud and clear," Curry muttered. As the robed man spun on his toe and stomped off, Curry yelled after him, "This hasn't made you change your mind about feeding us, has it?"
"The man is demented," Heyes said in concern. "I don't think he intends to let us ever leave."
"I agree," Leia said. "So we need to come up with a really good escape plan."
Heyes nodded eagerly. "Escapes are my specialty."
"I thought safecracking was your specialty," Leia said.
"One you break into, the other you break out of, so it's close enough."
"Go and plan away," Curry said unhappily. "I'll just sit over in the corner and think about how good a big juicy steak would taste."
Colorado, 1883
"Han's going to get himself killed!" Clem told Luke, tugging on his hand.
"I just knew he'd get himself into trouble if he went down to that saloon to gamble." Luke glared at Clem. "Why did you have to give him money? Han, plus money and gambling is never a good combination."
"He kissed good," Clem replied blithely. "I can never seem to say 'no' to a good kisser."
"I'll try to remember that," Luke said dryly. He focused his attention back to the street, and watched as both Han and his unknown opponent stared at each other.
"We need to hurry down there, and stop that fight," Clem said.
"We'll never make it in time," Luke said, unable to take his eyes off the crowd of bystanders that had gathered on the wooden sidewalks.
"We should yell down at him not to do it."
"All that would accomplish is -."
Luke got no further, as Clem yelled loudly out of the window, "HAN! STOP!"
Han turned to look up, and his opponent took that opportunity to draw. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Han twisted his body, drawing his own gun and firing it in one fluid action. The other man fired almost at the same instant.
" - distracting him," Luke finished. For a few seconds, Luke wasn't certain if either man had hit their mark. Then Han's opponent dropped his gun and clutched his side, staggering a bit before falling down.
"Han won!" Clem said happily. No sooner had the words left her mouth than the Corellian dropped to his knees, holding his left arm. "Oh, no… he's hurt." Clem turned and rushed out of the hotel room, not waiting to see if Luke was following.
They both arrived on the street at the same time the local Sheriff, a big man named Pike, was walking casually up to Han, who had gotten back to his feet, but was still clutching his bicep. "What just happened here?" he asked, sounding bored.
"That man over there," Han said, nodding in the direction of his opponent, "accused me of cheating at five card stud, just because I was winning. Claimed I had an ace up my sleeve, which I didn't."
"So you up an' shot him?"
Han shook his head negatively. "He drew his gun inside the bar and threatened me! The bartender told us we had to take the fight outside, since he didn't like blood spilled all over his establishment. I tried to get Clanton to cool off, but he wouldn't back down. I swear I didn't have a choice in the matter."
"Clanton you say?" Pike questioned. "Ike Clanton?"
"Yeah, I believe that's what he said his first name was."
The Sheriff picked up his ten-gallon hat and scratched the top of his balding head. "Clanton's got a mean temper when he's been drinkin'." He glanced over at the small crowd gathered around Clanton as they helped the burly man to his feet. "It sure don't look like you gone and finished him off though, and that may come back and bite you like a mangy old dog, later on. What's your name, son?"
"Han Solo."
"Mighty odd name, but I suppose it ain't your fault that your parents had a funny sense of humor."
"No, I suppose not."
Clem pushed her way through the crowd, and threw her arms around the Corellian. "Han, my darling! You've been hurt."
"The slug just grazed me," Han said, then glared pointedly at Clem. "I could have won hands down if someone wouldn't have screamed at me right before the draw."
"Is this man your husband?" Pike asked Clem.
Clem smiled sweetly at the Sheriff. "He's my fiancé. We're heading to San Francisco to get married."
Luke came over and looked at Pike. "Is my friend in trouble with the law?"
"Now who would you be?" Pike questioned with a sigh. "Ever since that train track got laid, all we get through these parts are those soft eastern boys that think they want to play at being a cowboy."
"This is my brother, Luke," Clem said, quickly moving to Luke's side. "He's my chaperone."
"I'm glad to hear that," Pike said, nodding in approval. "Women don't need to be traveling through the west with men they ain't married to, even if they are intended."
"Oh, I agree," Clem cooed.
Pike regarded Luke for a moment before saying, "You take your future brother-in-law to the doc, and get that arm checked, although you might want to wait until Doc's through pullin' the bullet from ornery Clanton, first." He started to move away, then turned back to the trio. "You're takin' tomorrow's train?"
"Yes, sir," Clem replied. "Bright and early."
"Good. I don't need any more trouble in my town. Don't let your man near the saloon again before you take your leave, young lady."
"Oh, no problem!" Clem said, waving goodbye to the Sheriff.
Han looked at Clem. "Fiancé?"
"I don't know why I said that."
"At least you didn't get stuck in the role of brother," Luke grumbled in disgust. "And she comes up with this scenario right after we kissed, too."
"You were kissing your sister?" Han asked, feigning shock. "That's disgusting!"
"No more disgusting than the idea that you could ever become my brother-in-law," Luke shot back.
Clem looped one arm through Luke's, and the other through Han's uninjured arm as she ushered them back to the hotel. "Let's not fight, boys. We've got a long trip ahead of us, and we need to get along."
"One day down, nine to go," Han muttered as he allowed himself to be led from the street.
Dantooine
The Dantari native, a big burly humanoid who resembled strange cross between Human and Wookiee, came loping over to the jail cell, and carefully placed a large tray on the floor. He pointed at the object with a large, hairy index finger. "Food. Eat."
"Thank you," Leia said politely, noting that Heyes and Curry had backed away from this bizarre looking newcomer. She briefly wondered how they would have reacted to seeing Chewbacca. Leia bent over and pulled the tray through the narrow opening at the bottom of the door. "We truly appreciate the meal, Seviss."
Seviss seemed surprised at Leia's kind words. "Welcome." He turned and shuffled off, giving a quick glance back at the prisoners.
"That man is even scarier than X3," Curry commented as he gratefully stuffed the dull-tasting but stomach-filling food into his mouth.
Leia pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I'm not so sure. He may be our way out of here."
"What makes you think that?" Heyes asked.
"It's just a feeling," Leia said, her voice taking on a far-away tone. "Call it woman's intuition."
Colorado, 1883
It was through good fortune that not only was the train on time, but Ike Clanton was still in the infirmary because he was still weak from blood loss. The hotel clerk was only too eager to see his three guests check out, mentioning the fact Ike Clanton had survived a huge showdown at a place called 'Tombstone' and he'd heard rumors that Ike's nasty brother, Phin Clanton, and his equally venomous friend, Pony Diehl, were on their way to Julesburg, to 'take care of the varmint that had shot poor old Ike'.
Han, his arm in a sling, and Luke kept a sharp lookout as the trio hurriedly made their way from the hotel to the station. Luke was very relieved when the train finally pulled out of town, and left the trouble behind.
"How will we know when we cross over into Wyoming?" Luke questioned, still concerned that they might be mistaken for Heyes and Curry.
"How would I know?" Clem replied blithely as she sat facing Luke, with Han next to the window. "It's not like there's a big ol' sign saying, 'Welcome to Wyoming' next to the tracks." Seeing Luke's crestfallen expression, she patted his wrist in a conciliatory gesture. "The first stop in Wyoming is a town called Cheyenne. It's not too likely Briscoe's employees will be waiting for us at the first stop." She glared pointedly over at Han. "It's more likely, however, that Clanton's friends are going to be hot on our heels, though."
"Thanks a lot, Han," Luke added sarcastically. "We needed more angry men following us, and wanting to shoot us dead."
"You're welcome," Han mumbled, staring out of the window.
"What's the matter?" Clem asked Han. "Does your arm hurt?"
"No, it's fine," Han replied. "I'm just thinking that we're stuck on this train for another eight days, and I'm gonna go crazy with nothing to do. I wonder if there's a poker game onboard."
"NO!" Luke shouted, appalled that Han would dare mention poker after last night's disaster. "No more poker! Do you understand me? NO MORE POKER! We're staying out of trouble on this trip."
"There'll be plenty of opportunity to get into trouble in San Francisco," Clem informed them, trying to ignore the stares of the other passengers. "The town is known for its high stakes gambling establishments and houses of ill repute."
"What's a house of ill repute?" Luke questioned.
Clem leaned forward, indicating Luke should lean forward as well. Then she whispered in the younger man's ear, and was amused to see Luke flush red as he mumbled, "Oh."
Han sighed, then asked, "What about these locals that you call Indians causing us trouble?"
"Oh, that's not too likely," Clem said. "Most of the problems occurred twenty years ago, and the Indians have pretty much given up. It's only the occasional rogue gang of either Cheyenne or Sioux that causes the most trouble now."
"That's good to know," Luke commented.
"What am I supposed to do for this entire trip if I can't gamble?" Han complained.
"Look out of the window and watch the scenery," Luke informed him. "It's very pretty."
Han rolled his eyes.
Dantooine
Two days later, Seviss stopped at their prison door, putting down yet another tray. He'd been given instructions to feed the prisoners once a day, and he was very good at obeying the orders of his Master, X3.
"Master want to know if Jedi ready to fight yet?"
"I'm NOT A JEDI!" Heyes yelled, causing the Dantari to back away from the cell in concern.
"Seviss just asking," he whispered, blinking back tears.
"That's alright, Seviss," Leia said soothingly. "Heyes didn't mean to yell at you. Our nerves are just frayed. It's boring sitting here all day, with nothing to do."
"Seviss not bored," the man said, giving her a toothless grin. "Seviss play sabacc."
"You know how to play sabacc?" Leia asked, surprised.
"Master X3 teach me," Seviss bragged, nodding eagerly. "But he not want to play much. So Seviss play all by himself. Seviss sit at a table, and put all cards face down. Then Seviss look at one hand, then get up and go to next chair and look at next hand…"
Heyes' scratched his head in confusion. "You play this game with yourself?"
Seviss nodded happily. "Seviss never lose game against Seviss."
"I'll bet not."
"I know how to play sabacc, Leia told the men. "Solo taught me, and he even admitted that I was pretty good at it. In fact, if you can bring your cards next time, we can teach Heyes and Curry how to play, too."
The native jumped up and down in excitement. "Seviss have cards right here." He reached under his tunic and pulled out a ragged stack of cards. "We play now." He sat down outside the cell door and began shuffling the deck.
Leia smiled and sat across from him, waving at Heyes and Curry to follow her lead. Reluctantly, both men sat on the floor and took the cards that Seviss handed them through the bars, and tried to pay close attention to the constant flow of complicated instructions that both the Princess and the Dantari provided.
Wyoming, 1883
They made it safely through Cheyenne without getting waylaid by either Clanton's gang or a Bannerman detective.
As train chugged slowly through Wyoming territory, it came to a lurching halt halfway between Laramie and Rock Springs, nearly sending Luke careening out of his seat. Han had been sound asleep, his head tilted back and snoring, while Clem had gone to the dining car for a snack. The Corellian woke with a start, blinking his eyes against the sunlight streaming through the window. "Now what?"
"We've come to a stop."
Han raised his eyebrow. "No kidding."
Several men came rushing past, guns drawn, eyes wide. "What's happening?" Luke said, grabbing one of the men by the arm.
"Indians! They blocked the tracks with rocks!" The frightened man shook off Luke's grasp, and hurried away.
"I thought Clem said this probably wouldn't happen," Han moaned.
"The key word is 'probably'," Luke replied. "We should see if we can help."
"Help? How can we help? We don't know a darn thing about Indians, and from what I've heard it sounds like they've got a legitimate gripe. I'd rather just stay out of it."
Luke stood up, his face incredulous. "What? You've been complaining non-stop about being bored for two days. Now something is finally happening, and you want to stay out of it?!"
"I have not been complaining non-stop," Han argued. "There've been plenty of hours I've been sleeping, instead. I can't complain when I'm asleep, unless I talk in my sleep." Han frowned in sudden concern. "I don't talk in my sleep, do I?"
Luke gave an exasperated hiss. "If we don't interfere, innocent people could get hurt."
"If we interfere, we could get hurt."
"Fine," Luke said in disgust. "You sit here and be safe, and I'll go help."
Han sighed and stood up. "What's with you, Kid? Do you always have to play the Jedi game, no matter what?"
"It's not a game," Luke replied, noticing that Han was following behind as he headed toward the front of the train. "It's what I am."
"And what does that make me?" Han grumbled.
"The Jedi sidekick," Luke replied, trying not to laugh.
"Not a chance," Han muttered in disgust. "Sidekicks are funny-looking."
Luke's retort was cut short as both men arrived near the front of the train, taking in the situation. All the men on the train were pointing their guns out of windows, and the Indians were sitting on their horses, just out of the range of the bullets. "What are they waiting for?" Luke questioned.
The nearest man gave Luke a brief glance, then said, "They're waiting for some of us to get out of the train to remove the rocks those savages have put on the tracks. Then they'll attack."
"Maybe someone should go talk to them, and try to diffuse the situation."
Another older man gave a snort of laughter. "Outside with them redskins? What are you, Greenhorn? A politician?"
"If he is, then I say send him out," the first man said. "One less politician will be a blessing."
"No, I'm serious," Luke insisted. "Sometimes it takes an outsider to see both sides, and help everyone reach a fair and equitable settlement."
"How much do you like your scalp, boy?" the older man asked. "If you're not feeling too attached to it, then go ahead and give it a try. Oh, and take the rocks off the tracks on your way back, if it's not too much trouble."
Luke nodded. "Okay, it's a deal. Come on, Han. Let's go have a talk with these Indians."
Han's eyes bugged out. "Are you joking, Kid?" He waved at the window. "Those guys have guns, too, in case you haven't noticed."
"I've noticed," Luke said calmly as he headed toward the exit. "They won't use them."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Han asked, following his crazy friend.
Luke stopped and turned to Han and smiled. "The Force."
"Of course," Han grumbled, hitting his own forehead with the palm of his hand.
