Clem arrived just as Han and Luke were about to step off the train, waving at them to stop. "What do you think you're doing?"
"We're going to try and reason with the Indians."
"Are you two crazy?"
Han jerked his thumb toward Luke. "He's the brains, sweetheart."
"I'm not crazy," Luke insisted. He took off his gun belt and handed it to Clem. "Give Clem your belt, too, Han."
"You want me to go out there with no protection?" Han asked, shocked.
"We have to show them we're coming out in good faith."
"We're gonna lose our heads," Han grumbled.
"No, probably just your scalps," Clem said, shaking her head in dismay. "Can I talk you out of this foolhardy venture?"
"You sure can talk me out of it," Han said, nodding eagerly.
"I was serious when I said you could stay here where it's safe," Luke grumbled as he climbed down the metal steps. He paused at the bottom, and looked up at Clem. "Do they speak Basic?"
"Basic?" Clem asked, confused.
"Our language," Luke clarified.
"Well, some of them do," Clem said, uncertainly. "Someone told me you have to greet them by saying 'how'."
"Why?" Han asked, frowning.
"No, not 'why', 'how.'"
Han tried again. "Why 'how'?
Clem clicked her tongue in exasperation. "HOW! Not WHY!"
"We don't have time for this," Luke said. "Take care of yourself, Han. If I don't make it back to Dantooine, take care of the Princess. I think she likes you, for some strange reason."
Han groaned, took off his belt and shoved it at Clem, then followed his friend. "Someday you're gonna be the death of me, Kid. I just hope I'm not around to see it."
Luke and Han approached the group of ten natives as they sat on horseback, observing their long hair entwined with feathers, and their muscular, painted torsos and faces. "Greetings!" Luke shouted. "We come forward in peace."
"Their skin isn't red, unless you count the color of the paint decorations," Han commented under his breath. "I wonder what that guy on the train was talking about."
One of the Indians rode forward on his spotted horse, stopping a short distance from the men. "White men must be very brave, or very foolish," the tanned man spoke calmly.
Han looked at the back of his hand. "White? I'm not white."
"My name is Luke Skywalker, and this is my friend, Han Solo, Captain of the starship Millennium Falcon."
"Your name is most interesting, Loo, Walker of the Sky," the man said. He looked at Han, seemingly impressed. "You command a falcon?"
"Yeah, it's my ship," Han bragged. "Big , silver and powerful. She can make the Kessel Run in under twelve parsecs."
"Let me do the talking," Luke ordered Han, seeing the native man's confused expression.
"My name is Grey Wolf, the only one of my group that speaks your language," the Indian said. "Why do you come out to us, and not carry weapons? We could destroy you in seconds, as you have destroyed my people."
"Actually, we understand you very well," Luke answered, somewhat relived the man was talking to them instead of commanding his group to kill them. "Han and I aren't actually from this galaxy." Luke pointed to the sky. "We're from the stars, and we've been brought here by mistake. We are trying to find our way back to the right star."
Grey Wolf nodded. "My people speak of star travelers. Stories of your kind have been told by our ancestors through many generations, and it was told that star travelers had great wisdom and someday would return to this world, so I will listen to your words."
"You believe us?"
"Yes. Englishmen would never have the bravery to face us on our terms. Have you come to help my people reclaim our land? If you travel the stars, you must have the power to drive them back across the big water in the east."
"No, Grey Wolf," Luke said sadly. "We can't do that. Even if we did, it wouldn't work for very long. Already I can see your planet is starting down the road to technological progress. Soon it will be possible to travel across the oceans and the continents in hours, rather than days or weeks. And the population of all people on your planet will continue to grow. Even if you drive the Englishmen back, others, from other faraway lands, will come and fill your land with their children, anyway."
"So my people are doomed, and soon we will fade away, as the buffalo have been destroyed and faded from the plains."
"The Force is telling me otherwise," Luke responded. "Somehow you will survive, and your great-grandchildren will know your name, and their heritage."
"How is that possible? More and more come from across the land, building more villages and putting down more of those noisy things they call 'trains', and bring death and wars along with their strange ways. That is why we continue to fight against the tide, and try to drive them out."
Han frowned. "Did all you different Indian groups get along with each other before the Englishmen got here?"
This question made Grey Wolf pause. "No, we fought."
"Yeah, not surprising. It's human nature to want more and more, even when there's enough for everyone in the first place.
"To give up is cowardly, and Grey Wolf and his tribe are not cowards," Grey Wolf said.
"No, you're not," Luke agreed. "We understand more than you think. Han and I are involved with fighting a war in the galaxy we come from."
"And are you winning this war?"
"Uh, no," Luke said. "But even if the rebellion fails, someone will eventually come along to take Palpatine's place when he dies. Maybe then justice will be served for all the non-humans, if not in my lifetime, then perhaps in the next decade, or the next."
"So we must wait for generations for our justice?"
"Perhaps," Luke admitted, reluctantly. "I wish I could be more specific, but I know I'm telling you the truth."
"Hey, Grey," Han said suddenly. "Get off your horse, and come take a little walk with me. I'm gonna tell you a big secret about how your people can come out on top in this situation."
"Han," Luke said worriedly as he watched Grey Wolf dismount. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."
"Trust me," Han said cheerfully. "Just wait here and let me handle the finer details of the deal." He walked up confidently to Grey Wolf, and both men walked off together, stopping several hundred yards away.
Luke could see Han animatedly waving his arms and pointing off toward the endless plains in the east, and Grey Wolf nodding as Han continued to talk. After about twenty minutes, both men walked back toward Luke, and Grey Wolf gave Han a hard slap on his back.
"Thank you. I understand your advice, and will take it back to my village, and spread the word to other tribes. You are truly a Wise One, Han of the Silver Falcon."
Luke gave a dubious glance over at his smug friend. "Can our train continue its journey, Grey Wolf?"
"You may continue," he said, pulling himself up on the pinto. "We will not stop the white men's trains again." He gave a quick nod toward the men, then galloped off toward his group, and then they all turned and faded over the horizon.
Luke and Han turned to head back to the train. "Okay. What great secret did you tell Grey Wolf."
"I just told him how he could beat the Englishmen at their own game," Han said, grinning. "Even out the odds, so to speak."
"And just how do they do that?"
"One word, Kid. Casinos."
Dantooine
"Seviss think Heyes very good at sabacc," Seviss informed the dark-haired man. "Too bad you can't beat Seviss, though."
Heyes and Leia exchanged knowing looks as they sat, cross-legged, on the floor next to the door. Seviss had a very low self-esteem, and allowing him to continue to win, long after Heyes understood and mastered the game, drew the native closer to them.
"Why hasn't X3 come around here lately?" Curry questioned, leaning his back against the bed, and unfolding his cramped legs.
"Master wait until Heyes ready to fight."
"I have a better idea, Seviss," Heyes said, looking down the dark corridor. "Will you give X3 a message for me?"
"Sure."
"Tell your Master I want to play a game of sabacc with him," Heyes said. "If he wins, then I'll fight him with a lightsaber. But if he loses, he's got to let us go."
"Master not lose," Seviss said with a furrowed brow. "Master always win against Seviss. Always. And Heyes not yet beat Seviss."
"Then he should be very happy to take me up on my offer," Heyes said. "He gets his fight, and all he has to do is humiliate me first in a card game."
"Seviss tell Master."
Heyes nodded as he passed the cards back to the hairy, child-like man. "You do that, friend."
After a short wait, Seviss returned, grinning widely. "Master X3 agree to play sabacc with Jedi Heyes. Master say Jedi will lose."
"The game or the lightsaber fight?" Curry asked.
"Both," Seviss said, "Now I take you to Master X3. You not live to see your friends again, Jedi Heyes. Say goodbye."
Heyes gave a half-hearted smile, and shook Curry's hand. "If I don't come back, take care of the Princess for me."
"I'll do that," Curry said solemnly, clasping Heyes' shoulder.
The man turned to Leia. "It's been a very interesting experience, Leia."
"I wish you wouldn't talk like you're going to lose," Leia said.
"Can I have a kiss for good luck?"
Leia smiled, thinking back to her daring escape on the Death Star. It had worked then, so why shouldn't she try it again. "I can't see why not."
Heyes took Leia into his arms, and gave her a long, lingering kiss. Then he drew back. "Thanks, Leia."
"You're welcome," Leia said, rather breathless.
Seviss waved Leia and Curry to step back, and opened to the cell to allow Heyes to leave, then slammed the heavy dura-steel door back and locked it. "We go have fun now," he said, ushering the concerned cowboy down the corridor.
"Poor Heyes," Leia said. "I hope he's as good a gambler as he claims to be."
Curry sat down on a bunk, and gave a side-ways glance at the Princess, thinking about the kiss. Poor Heyes, my backside.
Hours later, Heyes laid down his final hand, grinning. "Pure sabacc!" The game had been a close one, mainly due to the fact that Heyes was still having a hard time remembering all the rules. And the fact the cards could change value had a tendency to catch him off-guard - it wasn't natural. But in the end he had won, with his inborn talent guiding the way.
His opponent, X3 jumped off the chair, and pointed his index finger at Heyes. "You must be cheating! I never lose at sabacc!"
"That is true Master never lose," Seviss said, then he shook his head. "But I not see Jedi Heyes cheat."
"What do you know, you dim fool?" X3 roared at his servant. "If you had any independent thoughts, or a spine, you would probably help him cheat, just to get back at me. I'll have you know that Imperials are scouring the area right now, and if they find that you're protecting a Jedi, you'll be killed."
"Seviss scared of Imperials," the big native whimpered. "Please don't let bad Imperials hurt Seviss."
"I will never allow that, if you obey me."
"You said if I won, you'd set us free," Heyes informed X3.
"I lied," X3 stated, folding his arms across his chest and daring Heyes to dispute him.
"That's not fair," Heyes objected, standing and glaring at the imposing man. "You promised!"
"Promises are only empty words, echoing endlessly through the trajectory of time and space, only to curl around inside a black hole and dissipate. Are you angry, Jedi?"
"Yes!"
"Good," X3 said, pleased. "Then you'll fight me?"
"That wasn't the deal, and for the millionth time, I'm not a Jedi." Heyes sighed and then mumbled, "It's too bad you're not a fast draw, because Kid Curry would be more than willing to take up that kind of a challenge."
X3 considered this option. "Curry is a fast draw? With blasters?"
"I'm sure the Kid prefers his regular gun, but if I can adapt from poker to sabacc, he could adapt from guns to blasters. Not that any of this matters, since you're not willing to give the Kid a blaster, right?"
"I accept this alternate challenge," X3 decreed. "Curry shall die."
"Uh, no," Heyes said, trying to backtrack. "That's not what I meant, really. I was only speculating.."
"I will have Seviss bring all of you to the main chamber room. There you will witness my amazing lightning fast draw, and I shall use my father's glorious golden blaster."
"I thought your father had a glorious golden lightsaber?" Heyes asked.
"Everything my father owned was glorious and golden," X3 declared. "Now Seviss will take you back to your dungeon and you may inform your hapless padawan of his upcoming demise, which is coming at your direction."
"I really didn't mean for you to take me seriously," Heyes said. "Curry won't want to fight you."
"Too bad. The Jedi should consider the consequences to their words before speaking next time."
Utah Territory, 1883
The town of Ogden, Utah sat nestled in a flat, hot valley, surrounded by the red rock canyons of the Rocky Mountains. With a population of little over six thousand, it was a fairly large settlement, having more than doubled in size from a decade earlier. It was also the quite close to Promontory Summit, where the symbolic last spike was placed which connected the railroads from west to east.
The train made a scheduled stop at Ogden, needing to reload the coal car, restock food supplies, and change conductors. So the passengers had several hours to disembark and stretch their legs, as well. Getting off the train was a huge relief, and Clem, Luke and Han took the opportunity to walk around the town.
"Look," Clem pointed out. "That hotel has a nice restaurant. I sure could use a break from eating in the dining car."
"I agree," Han said. "All that swaying back and forth, and back and forth, makes me want to hurl."
"On that appetizing note, let's go eat," Luke said, holding the door open for Clem.
Clem gave a coy smile at Luke as she walked into the building. "Thank you, Luke. You're such a gentleman."
"How chivalrous of you," Han grumbled as Luke entered after Clem, forcing Han to stop the door from slamming him in the face. Luke had been in somewhat dour mood ever since Clem had declared he had to publicly pretend to be her brother. Of course, the Indian incident in Wyoming hadn't helped matters, since all the passengers assumed it was Han confronting Grey Wolf that had forced the Indians to leave. Not that he'd done anything to dissuade their adulation. Having men give him free drinks and women fawning over his bravery had helped pass the time. Han decided if Luke refused to see it that way, then it was too bad for Luke.
Han sat down while Luke pulled a chair out for Clem, then took his own seat. Opening the small menu, they inspected the offerings.
"What's a roasted quail?" Luke questioned.
"It's a bird," Clem replied. "Minus the feathers."
"What are oysters?"
Clem gave Luke an odd look. "They're a type of mollusk that lives in water. They have hard, outer shells, and a soft, gray formless body that people eat."
"So it's a type of seafood?"
"I suppose."
"Fried elk in onions and boiled potatoes with butter," Han read from the menu. "Elk are those big animals with horns we've seen out of the train window? That's what I'm having."
A young woman arrived, holding a piece of flimsy and a thin writing instrument. "Have you decided?"
"Yes, I will have the roasted quail," Clem replied. "My fiancé has decided on the fried elk."
Han leaned back in his seat, patting his stomach. "A real man's type of meal."
Luke glared at Han. "Well, I guess I'm going to order something regional, too. We're in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, right Clem?"
"The last I heard."
"So," Luke said, pointing at the menu. "I'm going to have these deep fried Rocky Mountain oysters."
"Thank you," the waitress replied, writing it down and walking away.
After she was gone, Luke asked, "I wonder where they get oysters so far away from the sea."
"Maybe that big, nearby salt lake that's south of this town has them," Han surmised. He looked at Clem, who was biting her lower lip. "What do you think, Clem?"
"I think I need to freshen up," Clem said, jumping out of her seat. "I'll be right back, boys."
"What was that all about?" Luke asked, watching her hurry off.
"Women," Han grumbled. "I'll never understand them. Clem is every bit as confusing as the Princess."
"Speaking of which," Luke said. "I wonder how Leia's getting along with the cowboys. I hope they're not taking advantage of her."
Han's face darkened at the thought. "They'd better not take advantage of her. I'll hunt them down and have Chewie rip their arms off."
"How chivalrous of you," Luke said, smirking.
Clem got back to the table at the same time the waitress brought out heaping platters of steaming food. Both Clem and Han eagerly dove into their meals, but Luke hesitated, poking at the crunchy objects. "This doesn't look very much like seafood."
"That's because it's got some type of coating," Han said. "Don't complain. This elk is so old and tough it probably had great-grand elks running around."
Luke put a piece in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "It sure doesn't taste like seafood, either."
"Does it taste manly?" Clem asked innocently,
"Manly?"
"Stout. Masculine."
"It's got a strange texture," Luke described, smacking his lips. "Like nothing I've ever tasted before."
A high, falsetto voice spoke up from behind Luke's shoulder. "I, Edward P. Mullins, as a duly appointed representative of the George Bannerman Detective Agency, supervised by Harry Briscoe, and as authorized by the Union Pacific Railroad, do hereby place under lawful arrest one Mr. Hannibal Heyes, alias Joshua Smith, alias Han Solo, and one, Mr. Jedidiah Curry, alias 'Kid' Curry, alias Thaddeus Jones, alias Luke Skywalker, for train robbery in the territory of Wyoming, and I also arrest one Miss Clementine Hale, alias - uh, no alias for her - for aiding and abetting the escape of said train robbers from lawful confinement in Julesburg, Colorado." The short, balding man pushed up his round spectacles, which gave him the appearance of a timid owl. He frowned, then belatedly pulled out a small handgun, which he pointed nervously at Luke. "Does anyone here object? Speak now, or forever hold your peace."
"Aren't you a bit mixed up?" Clem asked.
"No, I'm pretty sure you're the people I'm looking for. Briscoe sent me a telegram and said I should keep a sharp eye out for you."
"I was talking about the wedding vow at the end," Clem clarified.
"Wedding vows?!" Mullins repeated. "I'm not authorized to conduct a marriage ceremony, Miss Hale. Although I did hear a rumor that you and Heyes were engaged. Or are you engaged to Curry? I wasn't too clear about that."
Han stood up, and walked up to Mullins, glaring down at the much shorter man. "I object."
"I…I'm not sure you can do that," Mullins stuttered out.
"Then why did you ask?" Han roared, drawing out his own gun and shoving it under the man's nose.
Luke stood up, and calmly said, "You don't want to arrest us."
"I don't?"
"No. We're the wrong people. Move along, move along."
"You're the wrong people," Mullins said. "I'd better move along." Eyes glazed, he shuffled toward the door.
"How did you do that?" Clem asked, impressed.
"The Force," Luke said. "It can influence the weak-minded, but that's the first time I've ever actually tried using it like that."
Clem stood up and kissed Luke's cheek. "Thank you."
"We'd better get back to the train," Han grumbled, glaring at Luke for recapturing Clem's affections. "I wouldn't want to miss our ride, and Mullins might come back with reinforcements."
"What about the rest of our food?" Luke asked, waving at the mostly uneaten meals.
"Do you want to know what you were really eating?" Clem asked. She stood on her toes and whispered an explanation into Luke's ear.
"No," Luke gasped, eyes wide.
"Yes," Clem said, nodding.
Luke gave a hard swallow as he looked down at his plate of food. "Never mind. I'm not hungry anymore."
Dantooine
"You did what!?" Curry yelled as Heyes informed him of the latest development with X3. "I'd like to kill you myself."
Heyes backed away, holding up his hands in a defensive gesture. "How would I know he'd take me seriously?"
"If we agree to his terms, then at least we'll be out of our prison cell, and you'll have a weapon," Leia pointed out to Curry. "It would be an improvement over our current situation."
"Maybe for you," Curry shot back. "I'll be the one getting blasted."
"You can outdraw him," Heyes said encouragingly. "You're the fastest gunslinger alive."
"Maybe on our planet," Curry grumbled. "I'm not so sure about here. Besides, I don't trust the guy to not pull something fishy. He didn't exactly keep his word and let us go free after you won the card game."
Seviss had been quietly listening to this exchange outside the cell door. "Seviss afraid Curry right. Master not like to lose."
The Princess walked up to the bars, and looked imploringly at Seviss. "We need your help, Seviss."
"Seviss not understand."
"You have to let us go free," Leia said. "Please? You're our only hope."
"Master not be happy with Seviss then."
"Would you rather X3 kill us?" Leia questioned. "He doesn't intend to ever give us our freedom. I think his intentions are to use us as a bargaining chip if Darth Vader tracks us to this compound." When Seviss looked at the floor, Leia continued to press, "Somewhere in this compound is the answer for my friends to return home. You could help us, if you wanted to. And we could help you, too, Seviss. We'll keep you safe from Vader, and I'll make certain you never have to return to work as X3's servant again." Leia wasn't sure she could actually fulfill these promises, but she would make every effort to hold up her end of any bargain.
"Seviss know where Jedi passageways are," the Dantari mumbled. He looked up at Leia and whispered, "Master scared to go there. Master scared of Jedi, like Seviss scared of Master."
"I know." Leia could see how very close he was to agreeing to help them. "What do you say?"
The Dantari shook his head. "No. No. You go to main chamber room. Master want to fight Curry. Curry must fight." He opened the cell door and pointed his weapon at the trio. "Come now. Master waiting."
Curry sighed and headed out of the door, followed by Heyes. "Nice try, Princess."
Frustrated, Leia walked out of the cell. At least Solo isn't here to mock me for failing, she thought glumly.
Utah Territory, 1883
The train made it around the northern bend of the Great Salt Lake, and both Luke and Han were finally starting to relax from their run-in with the Bannerman detective when Luke felt a sharp poke on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a very red-faced Edward P. Mullins staring down at him, and pointing the little gun at his face. "Uh, Han? Clem?"
Han turned in his seat, and gave a groan. "Oh, for star's sake. Maybe the little guy is hungry, Kid. Feed him your leftover oysters, and he'll go away happy."
"How did you do that?" Mullins demanded in his annoyingly squeaky voice. "You put some Indian spell on me, didn't you? Or maybe a voodoo-type curse. That's it. You practice voodoo. That's against the law in these parts."
Luke honestly had no idea what the man was babbling about voodoo, but he decided to play along with him. He glanced around the car, and was relieved to see only two other passengers sitting in the back, and both appeared to be asleep. The less witnesses, the better. "Okay. So if I put a spell on you, why did you follow us?"
"It's my job!" Mullins shrilled, stomping his foot. "I put you under arrest! The spell wore off, I got myself a train ticket, and now I'm putting you under arrest again. This time you'd better listen to me, or else."
"Or else, what?" Han asked, curious.
"Or, or… you'll be sorry."
"Too late," Han said. "That train left the station a long time ago, pal."
Clem patted the empty seat next to her. "Sit down and tell us your problems."
"I…I …" he stuttered out. "YOU'RE my problem! Prisoners aren't supposed to ignore me."
"Since we're not your prisoners, then that makes it alright if we ignore you," Han said.
"You are so my prisoners," Mullins objected, plopping down on the seat next to Clem and turning his gun toward Han. "As soon as this train makes its next stop, we're all getting off and heading right back to Wyoming."
"The next stop isn't until tomorrow, and it's all the way to Elko, Nevada," Clem informed the nervous man. "That's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"What do you mean?"
Clem leaned closer to the Mullins. "Taking three desperate, dangerous prisoners back across the mountains and deserts of Nevada and Utah, all by yourself?"
"Especially considering we already escaped from that really fine jail, way back in..." Han paused and looked at Clem. "What was the name of that town, again?"
"Booneville."
"Oh, yeah. Booneville. That deputy was really sharp, too. If we outsmarted him, what makes you think we can't outsmart you?"
"I could shoot you first and take you back to Wyoming, deader than a doornail. The reward says dead or alive. You can't escape if you're a corpse."
"Wow," Luke said. "Can you imagine how a couple of dead bodies will be stinking by the time you get them back to Wyoming?"
"And you'd shoot little old me?" Clem questioned, batting her eyes at Mullins, flustering the pasty-faced man.
"I'd never harm you, Miss Hale."
"So you'd make her ride a horse all the way to Wyoming in broiling hot weather for weeks on end with bloated, rotting dead bodies?" Han yelled. "What kind of cad are you?"
"I, um, I'm not a cad," Mullins said, shaking his head. "I never thought about those details."
"That's what you say," Han muttered, sitting back in his seat and folding his arms across his chest, and stared menacingly at Mullins. "I say we tie him up and toss him out the door the next time we cross over a river."
"That's a bit harsh," Luke replied. "I say we give him a canteen of water and shove him out of the window. Hopefully, he'll land in some sand that will break his fall." Luke looked at Clem. "What's the name of the tribe around here?"
"Shoshone, I believe."
"Are they friendly?"
"Just as friendly as the rest of the Indian tribes."
"Good luck, Mullins," Han said, grinning.
"Wait a cotton-pickin' minute," Mullins yelled, outraged. "I'm still holding the gun, and you're still under arrest. You can't throw me outta the train!"
Using the Force, Luke tugged the cuff of Mullin's pant leg, causing the startled detective to bend over and look worriedly at the floor. Luke quickly snatched the weapon from Mullin's hand, turning the barrel to face the shocked man. "Now you're not holding a gun on us."
"Nice job," Han said. "I'm impressed. Now what do we do with him?"
"Good question," Luke replied.
"I have an idea," Clem said, giving a wicked grin at both men.
Dantooine
X3 was standing in the middle of the empty chamber room, his hands on his hips, as Seviss escorted Curry, Heyes and Leia into the room.
Leia wasted no time confronting the clone. "What, exactly, do you hope to accomplish by shooting Curry?"
"Since imprisonment has failed to impress Heyes, if I destroy his friend, he will finally have the nerve to face me with his lightsaber."
"What about Darth Vader, Master?" Seviss questioned nervously.
"What about him?" X3 snapped.
"Prisoners say he is coming."
"They lie!" X3 roared. "The Dark Lord would not dare to come to my enclave." Furious, he pushed Leia's smaller DL-22 blaster at Seviss and pushed his outer robe back to reveal he was wearing Han's gun belt with the DL-44. "Put the blaster in your belt, and then we shall have this contest and you will die, Curry! DIE!"
"Why do I get the little gun?" Curry complained.
Seviss handed the blaster to Curry, and whispered, "Sorry."
"I thought you said you had a golden blaster," Heyes pointed out. "That one isn't gold. It's not even silver."
X3 appeared briefly flustered. "My father's golden blaster is, um, too good to use on the likes of you."
With Heyes, Leia and Seviss standing off to one side of the room, Curry tucked the small blaster in his belt and took his place several yards away from X3, watching the man's expression. Without warning, X3 moved his hand down, and Curry quickly went for his own weapon, drawing it out far faster than X3. He squeezed the trigger… and nothing happened. The weapon wasn't even tingling, it was simply dead.
By this time, X3 had pulled the DL-44 belatedly out of the holster, and smugly pointed the larger blaster at Curry.
"This isn't fair," Curry objected. "My blaster isn't working!"
"Of course not. I removed the charge. Did you really believe I would take the chance you'd outdraw me?" X3 gave an evil cackle. "Now you will die." He pulled the trigger.
Seviss screamed, "NO!" then jumped forward just as the blaster discharged, and the bolt slammed into the Dantari's chest.
The Princess rushed over to Seviss as he collapsed onto the floor. "Hold on, Seviss. I'll contact Threepio and he can fly the Falcon over here, and we can get you medical attention."
"I think he's already dead," Heyes said, coming over and kneeling down beside Leia.
"Don't say that," Leia ordered, feeling her eyes welling up with tears.
Curry regarded the stunned clone, who had dropped the DL-44. "Why did you have to do that?"
"I.. I… ." To everyone's great surprise, X3 burst into tears, throwing himself on the ground and holding Seviss's lolling head. "Why did he have do that?"
"A better question might be, why do you want to kill us?" Curry asked.
"I wasn't trying to kill anyone!" X3 spluttered. "I only wanted to scare you, so you'd run away." He sniffed and looked up at Leia. "I thought you'd be able to easily escape from that cell, and leave the compound so I could keep the Dantari natives afraid of me, and the local humans away from this compound. Why didn't you leave?"
"It was locked," Leia pointed out, annoyed.
"So you're not really a Jedi?" X3 questioned Heyes.
"For the ten millionth time, no," Heyes said.
"But you had a lightsaber!"
"Didn't I already explain that?" Heyes asked. "The lightsaber doesn't belong to me."
"I'm confused," Leia said. "Why do you want the Dantari people to be afraid of you?"
X3 gave a weary sigh. "I'm a failure, a complete reject. After the Kaminoans created me, they found out I didn't have a single bit of Force-sensitivity, so they just abandoned me here on Dantooine to live out my life as a normal human being. But I didn't want to be normal. I wanted respect. So I told everyone I was a powerful Force-user like my father and my clone-brothers, and if they defied me they would feel my wrath."
"So your demand that I fight you with a lightsaber was all a big bluff?" Heyes spluttered out indignantly. "I'll bet you never had a golden lightsaber or a golden blaster, did you?"
"Yes, it was a bluff, and no I never had a golden lightsaber," X3 admitted. "I knew that a Jedi wouldn't accept my offer to fight. But when you refused to escape, I thought I'd raise the stakes by threatening your friend, and then you'd escape. But that didn't happen, either, and then here you all came, tromping into my chamber, pretending you weren't afraid of me."
"So you drained my blaster in case you lost?" Curry questioned.
"Of course," X3 replied. "Just because I'm a megalomaniac doesn't mean I have a death-wish."
"Why didn't you just let us leave when Heyes won the sabacc game?"
"That would require admitting defeat, and showing weakness." X3 shook his head. "And I wanted you to leave. If I let you go, you might very well continue poking around, and discover the magic caves under this compound." His eyes grew wide, and he slapped his hand over his mouth. "Oops. I said too much."
"Megalomaniacs usually do," Heyes said knowingly.
"Poor Seviss paid the ultimate price, thanks to your crazy plan," Leia snapped at the crestfallen clone.
Just then, Seviss gave a groan, and opened his eyes. "Seviss? You're alive!?"
"The blaster must have been set on stun," Leia said happily.
"It was set on stun?" X3 gave a quick glance over at the offending weapon. "I've never used one of those blasters. Someone needs to tell the manufacturer they have too many confusing controls."
"Seviss feel queasy," the Dantari mumbled, just before heaving up his dinner in X3's lap.
Nevada, 1883
Elko, Nevada, with a current population seven hundred and fifty-two, only existed because it was the east end of the Central Pacific Railroad, and was originally inhabited by the railroad crews in 1868, when it had a much larger population. Now it survived, serving as a supply center for local ranchers and miners.
When the train made a scheduled stop in this small, dusty town, Han, Luke and Clementine disembarked, dragging the bound and gagged Bannerman detective Edward P. Mullins along with them. Han gave a concerned look over at Clem as she headed for the front of the train. "Don't let this thing leave without us."
Luke gazed around the tiny town, which sat in the middle of an arid basin between mountain ranges. "This town is even smaller than Anchorhead, if that's possible. I'd hate to get stuck here."
"Oh, don't worry so much," Clem said. "When have I ever let you down?"
"Back in Colorado, when you told the posse where we were hiding," Han replied tersely. The idea of getting stuck in this burg wasn't sitting too well with him, either. "Come on," the Corellian snapped, tugging the arm of the trembling Mr. Mullins.
"Let me do the talking, Han," Luke said as they headed toward the Sheriff's building.
"Why do you always say that?"
"Because you have a tendency to talk too much," Luke replied. "It gets us into trouble."
"I helped with Grey Wolf!"
"Every now and then, even a blind womp rat stumbles onto a piece of old cheese."
"I resent that," Han groused. "Have you ever seen me eat moldy cheese? 'Sides, who forged all these nice, official looking flimsies we needed to pull this off?"
"Shh," Luke said, waving his hand at Han. "We're here." He squinted up at the worn sign. "Elko County, Sheriff J.B. Fitch."
"I wonder what the J.B stands for," Han mused. "All sorts of things come to mind. Jerky Bore. Justa Ba.-"
"QUIET!" Luke yelled, looking at Han and not noticing the door opening.
"Can I help you?" a man's deep voice inquired.
Luke spun around, seeing a tall gentleman with frizzy white hair and a large, bushy mustache standing in the doorway. Luke cleared his throat, and tried to recall all the things Clem had told him to say. "Uh, yes. My name is Luke Skyler, and this is my partner, Hank Solomon. We're Wells Fargo Detectives, and we've caught us a bad guy. A really important bad guy. He's wanted by the law in California for stage coach robbing, and we need you to keep him locked up for us until we can legally extradite him to California."
The Sheriff looked their prisoner up and down. "And he would be..?"
"Oh, yeah. Charles Boles. Otherwise known as Black Bart, the gentleman bandit that writes poetry."
"I've heard of him," Fitch stated, his expression becoming more interested. "Real polite robber, they say. Why do you have him gagged?"
"Uhh…" Luke stuttered, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.
Han piped up, "We caught him over two hundred miles back, and he never shuts up reciting bad poems. Listen to this one - 'I'm robbing this here Wells Fargo stagecoach, and someday soon you'll thank me, 'cuz under that seat lives a nasty big cockroach.' Awful, awful poems, and non-stop, too. You'd have put a gag on him, too, if you were in our boots."
"I suppose so," Fitch said agreeably, not noticing the glare Luke directed at Han. "I'll have to see your identification."
Luke quickly produced the papers Han had carefully forged, using Mullins own documents as a guide, and Clem's assistance with names and places. The Sheriff nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Well, things do seem to be in order."
"Can you put him up while we take care of all the details?" Luke questioned.
"Course I can," Fitch said. "Bring him inside."
The Sheriff untied the rope around Mullins' wrists and pushed the small man inside one of the two small cells. Mullins quickly removed his gag. "I'm Edward P. Mullins, of the Bannerman Detective Agency. That's Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry! Arrest them, and let me go!"
"What?" Fitch asked, taken aback.
"Black Bart told us he could play a small town sheriff like a rusty twiddle stick," Han stated. "He did manage to come up with a good story though, didn't he?"
"A rusty twiddle stick?" Fitch repeated, scratching the back of his neck.
"It's NOT a story!" Mullins screeched. "It's the truth!"
Luke shook his head and sighed. "We told you that kind of a scam wouldn't work, Bart. Sheriff Fitch wasn't born yesterday."
"No, I wasn't," Fitch stated. "They have their paperwork in order, Black Bart, so you just cool your heels. You're going to be in that cell for a while."
"Thanks, Sheriff," Luke said, feeling a trickle of sweat run down his back as he realized how close they were to getting away with this scheme. "Han and I will go send a telegram to Wells Fargo, and get the process going."
"Han? Don't you mean Hank?" the Sheriff questioned, suddenly wary.
"Han is short for Hannibal!" Mullins shouted. "I told you so!"
"Han is also short for Hank," Luke quickly pointed out, desperately trying to cover his misstep. "Just one letter short, as a matter of fact."
"I thought Hank was short for Henry," Fitch said.
"Henry?" Luke asked, shaking his head. "That doesn't make a bit of sense. Then Hank's name would be Hen, not Han."
"Are you calling me a chicken?" Han demanded, wagging his finger under Fitch's nose. "I don't appreciate people calling me a chicken!"
"Uh, no, of course not," Fitch said, totally confused by this point. "You gentlemen go send your telegram. Black Bart won't be going anywhere on my watch."
"You're going to be sorry," Mullins shouted at Luke and Han. "I heard that Ike Clanton has men waiting for you further west, Curry! Clanton doesn't take kindly to being shot!"
Both Han and Luke quickly exited the office, and hurried across the street toward the train station, listening as the whistle blew.
"That was close," Han commented. "For a while there, I thought he'd caught onto us."
"The train's pulling out!" Luke shouted, increasing his speed to catch up to the moving railroad cars. "Hurry!"
"I'm hurrying," Han shouted, watching as Luke gave a dramatic leap toward the caboose, barely grabbing onto the metal railing as he pulled himself onboard. The younger man turned and leaned over, grasping for Han's fingers. Their hands connected, and with great effort, Luke was finally able to hoist Han onto the small platform.
They stood there for a long moment, gasping to regain their breath. Then they moved carefully from the caboose car and through several passenger cars before finally getting to their own seats. Clem sat primly, and gave a nod that they should sit.
"You were supposed to have the conductor hold the train for us," Luke said accusingly.
"I tried," Clem said. "He wasn't too interested in getting off his schedule. All's well that ends well."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Han grumbled.
"You made it, didn't you?" Clem said with an unconcerned shrug.
