Dantooine

"You need to show us the magic caves," Leia said firmly. "I believe that's where we'll find the secret for returning Heyes and Curry to their planet, and getting back Han and Luke back here."

"I won't help you," X3 said stubbornly. "Those caves belong to me."

"They belong to Dantari," Seviss stated, annoyed. "Caves were there before Jedi. That is why Jedi built Enclave here."

X3 wagged his finger at Seviss. "Don't you dare show them those caves. It'll stir everything up."

"Stir what up?" Leia questioned.

"None of your business."

"Dantari," Seviss replied to the Princess. "My kind live in caves. Went down to escape bad Sith, and never come back up."

"How long have the Dantari lived in those caves?" Leia asked.

"Twenty growing seasons," Seviss said sadly. "Many never see light."

Leia pursed her lips in thought. "Twenty years? So they went underground about the time of the Clone Wars."

"Seviss take you down to the magic caves," the Dantari volunteered. "Seviss protect new friends from attack."

X3 gave a snort. "You won't make it halfway down before hundreds of Dantari will find you, and then you'll long for the days you were my prisoners."

"Why?" Heyes asked worriedly. "What do they do to their prisoners?"

"They'll have a big feast, and you'll be the guests of honor," X3 answered. "Hot and steaming, right in the center of the table."

Heyes gulped. "You mean they're cannibals?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you," X3 said.

"We're taking our weapons," Leia said, picking up the DL-44 from the floor. "We'll need both blasters, fully charged, and the lightsaber."

X3 hesitated for a moment, but when Heyes and Curry gave a threatening step in his direction, he took Luke's lightsaber out from under his robe and handed that to Leia, and the DL-22's charger along with Han's gun belt over to the men. "These weapons won't help. They'll be far too many of them, and they're hungry. They're always hungry."

"I have to admit, I'm having a bad feeling about this," Curry said.

Leia shot Curry a disgusted look. "A bad feeling? Don't you start talking like that, too."

"Like what?"

"Never mind," Leia said, turning to Seviss. "Lead the way."

Seviss escorted them to what once was a turbolift, but the mechanics had long ago failed. Inside the tubes were durasteel ladders, welded against the inner walls.

Curry leaned over, then dropped a pebble down the dark, damp hole. It was a very, very long time before the faint echo of the small object could be heard hitting the bottom. "Are these ladders stable?"

The Dantari nodded as he nimbly jumped onto the first rung, holding on with one hand and waving that his new friends should follow. "Hardly ever break."

"How reassuring," Curry said dryly.

"You first," Heyes said, pointing at the tube.

"Age before beauty," Curry shot back.

"Hey! I may be a few years older than you, but I'm also better looking," Heyes argued.

"So either way, you go first," Curry said, smirking.

"Uh, I.." Heyes stopped, trying to come up with an appropriate comeback.

"Oh, good stars," Leia snapped. "I'll go first, you big, brave cowboys." Without waiting for them to respond, the Princess jumped on the rung and climbed down the hole after Seviss, disappearing into the gloom.

Heyes gave a scowl at Curry. "Way to go, Kid. Now she thinks we're cowards."

The blond gunslinger shrugged. "I'm not too worried about it, Heyes. At least she knows I was willing to face X3 in a fight, unlike you." He then moved into the tube, carefully descending the rungs.

"But she kissed me!" Heyes argued, hurrying to follow his partner. "What do you say about that?"

Curry looked up, grinning. "So you won the first battle. The war isn't over yet, is it?"


Reno, Nevada, 1883

It was another full day of chugging along through the hot, dry Great Basin desert of northern Nevada, making short stops in the small towns of Battle Mountain and Winnemucca before finally starting a long climb up the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and entering the region of Reno, Nevada, a town nestled near the northern shore of the picturesque Lake Tahoe, and heavily forested with Ponderosa pines. The train was due for yet another half-day rest stop at this point, and by this time all the passengers were eager to wash the desert dust off their hands and faces, and feel the relatively cool mountain breezes.

Han stepped off the train onto the wooden platform, and tilted his face toward the blue sky. "It sure feels good to take a break from train riding." He gazed around the bustling town, which was, by far, larger than anything they'd been through since leaving Ogden, Utah. "Glad to be out of the desert, too."

"It wasn't so bad," Luke said, shrugging. "All that rock and sand reminded me of Tatooine."

"Once a dirt farmer, always a dirt farmer," Han responded blithely.

"What I don't understand is how someone can farm 'dirt'," Clem said. "Anyone can take a shovel and scoop up dirt."

"I wasn't a dirt farmer," Luke explained. "I was a moisture farmer."

"How can you farm moisture?"

"First, you put out moisture vaporators, and they collect atmospheric humidity that is condensed into water droplets –"

"I'm sorry I asked," Clem interrupted as she patted the dust from her dress. "We have a lot of time, so I'm going shopping for a new outfit. I want something fancier than this once we get to San Francisco."

"How much longer will it be until we get there?" Han asked, belatedly realizing he sounded like a whiney child on a long space trip.

"We're about to enter the great State of California," Clem informed him. "Another day and a half, and we'll be there."

"Yee haw," Han yelled, pumping his fists. "We're almost home, Kid."

"First, though, we'll have to locate Doctor Miguelito Loveless Junior," Luke pointed out. "We don't have any idea how much time that's going to take."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Clem said. "He's got a reputation."

Luke frowned in concern. "What kind of reputation?"

"I've already told you," Clem stated. "He's eccentric. But all geniuses are a bit off their rocker."

"Will we have to pay this crazy doctor money to help us?" Han questioned.

"I'm sure he'll want something for his efforts, I'm just not sure what that will be."

"That sort of concerns me," Luke commented. "I mean, if he's mentally unstable…"

"You worry too much," Han said. "Come on, Kid. Let's go find us some fun action while Clem shops."

"Maybe we should go shopping with Clem," Luke said. "It sounds safer than what you always consider 'fun action.'"

"Shop?" Han repeated, clutching his chest dramatically. "As in, going inside actual clothing stores?"

"Yes."

"Go right ahead," Han said, shaking his head. "That sounds about as appealing as going back inside another jail cell." Without waiting for Luke to respond, the Corellian headed off toward town.

Luke sighed. "I'd better go with him, or who knows what kind of trouble he's bound to get into without my help."

"As opposed to the type he will get into with your help?" Clem asked.

"Very funny," Luke groused as he moved to follow Han. "Be careful, Clem."

"I promise not to let any hat boxes drop on my head and knock me out cold," Clem said with a giggle.


Dantooine

By the time they reached the bottom rung of the dura-steel ladder, Heyes and Curry were panting from the exertion, and their legs trembled from fatigue. Yet neither Leia nor Seviss appeared to be overly strained. Seviss pulled out a glowrod from under his tunic, then flicked the switch, casting a yellowish light down a very narrow stone tunnel. Water ran in thin rivulets down the walls, pooling on the ground in black puddles.

"Which way?" Leia questioned the native, wincing slightly as her voice echoed down the corridor.

Seviss lowered the glowrod, and pointed at the puddles. "Follow water."

With the light source pointing down, Heyes noticed the water on the floor did indeed form a narrow, meandering stream. And since it was obvious that the laws of gravity worked the same on Dantooine as on Earth, they followed the direction the water took them, with Seviss in the lead, followed by Leia, then Curry, with Heyes the last in line.

"Brr," Curry complained, rubbing his arms. "It's cold down here."

"Caves usually are cold," Heyes pointed out. "Cold and dark." He looked up at the ceiling. "Can you imagine how many tons of rock are hanging over our heads, just waiting for the right moment to crash down, crushing us flatter than a pancake, and leaving our shattered bones to remain down here forever?"

"Shut up," Curry griped. "I really rather not think about it."

"Seviss?" Leia asked, keeping her voice lower. "What's considered magic about these caves, anyway?"

"Dantari say Jedi enter certain area, and never come out," Seviss whispered. "When other Dantari would go inside same place to find Jedi, no Jedi there. No other way out." He hesitated a bit, then added, "Then, later, another Jedi come out, when no Dantari ever see him go inside. Magic place to appear, disappear. Timewalkers, Dantari call them."

"Timewalkers?"

"Dantari say Jedi walk through stone walls, enter other places, other times," Seviss explained. "Jedi keep this place secret from Sith, or Sith use it and change past. Now no Jedi anymore, so Dantari must keep secret place from Sith."

"Are the Dantari going to allow us inside?" Leia questioned.

"Seviss try."

"Can I ask a question?" Heyes said. When no one responded, he continued, "If only a Jedi knows how to enter or exit and move between time and space, then how is this place going to help us? I mean, we're not Jedi."

"I'm guessing that in order to access this portal, you have to be a Force user," Leia explained.

"Again, how is this place going to help us?" Heyes repeated.

"Gatekeeper help," Seviss said. "Gatekeeper know more than Seviss."

"See?" Leia said with far more confidence than she felt. "The Gatekeeper will help us."


Reno, Nevada, 1883

Han grinned in delight upon seeing the myriad of gambling tables, which were filled up with intense men staring at their cards. Women, wearing scandalously short dresses and fishnet tights, and bright, feathery hats walked between the tables, handing out drinks to their customers. A large table with a centerpiece made up of a wooden wheel, with black and red alternating numbers encircling the wheel, sat on the left side of the room. Han watched intently as men stood around the checkered table, placing colored chips onto the numbered green surface as the wheel spun around, with a little ball clattering along the edge. After a few minutes, Han said, "I'm pretty sure I understand this game. If the number and color you put your chips on comes up on the little wheel, you win. Easy."

Luke frowned. "Easy? Do you see how many numbers and combinations there could possibly be? The odds your chips being placed on the number and color that the little ball lands on are astronomical."

"I'm sure if Threepio were here he could quote us the exact odds," Han said dryly, then grinned. "Hey, Kid. You could use the Force, and manipulate that little ball to end up in a certain slot, right?"

"I suppose," Luke surmised. "Sometimes I try to practice levitation skills by moving X-Wing parts around when I'm doing maintenance work. I have an easier time with the small pieces, though."

"Don't you see?" Han said excitedly. "I'll put down some chips on a number, then you use the Force to shove the ball into the corresponding slot on the wheel. We can't lose!"

"Han, that's cheating."

"So?" Han said indignantly. "I have a grand total of two dollars in my pocket, and you probably have the same. I don't know how much Clem still has, but once she's done shopping it won't be too much. How will we afford to eat or get a hotel room once we get to San Francisco? And besides, what if this crazy doctor demands payment to help us? We need some money, Kid."

"It's still immoral to cheat," Luke said, sounding far less certain.

"This is a casino!" Han argued. "They're loaded. And the way they get loaded is by making sure the House always has the odds stacked in its favor to win. That's not cheating? Of course it is! Besides, as soon as we have enough money to get by, we'll stop gambling." He tapped Luke's arm with the back of his fingers. "I'll need more than two dollars to buy in, so give me your money."

Luke sighed as he pulled out the two pieces of green flimsies. "Fine. I sometimes have to wonder though."

"About what?" Han asked, pocketing Luke's money.

"If Obi-Wan ever had to deal with arguing moral semantics with a Corellian."

"If he did, he'd have lost," Han said. "It might even be the reason he ended up living in a cave."

"I don't doubt that a bit," Luke remarked as Han moved toward the roulette wheel.


Dantooine

As the four moved ever deeper into the cave, that 'bad feeling' started to overwhelm the Princess. Seviss' glowrod cast its light over the stalactites and stalagmites, creating eerie shadows against the uneven cave walls, and giving the appearance of creatures lurking in the darkness. However, other than their own footsteps and labored breathing, Leia could hear nothing besides the dripping of water.

It continued this way for almost an hour as they wound their way down winding trails and through narrow passageways.

"How much further until we reach this magic cave?" Curry finally questioned.

"Seviss not sure," the Dantari replied.

"What do you mean, you're not sure?" Heyes asked, his voice rising in alarm. "Are we lost?"

Seviss shrugged. "Not lost, Seviss just never been to magic cave, so not sure where cave is, exactly. Seviss think cave this direction."

"If you've never been there, how do you know there is a gatekeeper?" Leia questioned.

"Other Dantari say so."

A loud wail echoed throughout the chambers, and that wail was rapidly joined by a multitude of other screams and shouts. It sounded like the gatekeeper had let loose all the denizens of Dantooine's hellish underground.

Curry put his hands over his ears to block out the echoing screams. "What in tarnation is that racket?"

"Dantari know Seviss bring outsiders," Seviss replied, his tone conveying concern. "Maybe we should run?"

"You're asking us?" Leia shot back in disbelief.

"Where are we supposed to run to?" Heyes asked, trying to peer through the murky darkness to locate their unseen enemy. "There's only two directions - back the way we came, or forward. I can't even tell which direction the screams are coming from!"

No sooner had those words left Heyes' lips than the glowrod illuminated dozens of sets of yellow eyes, blocking the corridor.

"That answers that," Curry shouted, turning around and pushing Heyes backwards. "Go back! Go back!"

The three humans and Seviss rushed back in the direction they'd just come, painfully aware of the thundering footsteps that were rapidly closing the gap.

"They're catching up!" Heyes screamed, not caring what Curry or Leia thought about him at this point. He was scared, and he wasn't above admitting that fact.

"Wait!" Curry shouted, grabbing Heyes by the shirt, and forcing him to come to a stop.

Leia and Seviss promptly crashed into the men.

"What are you doing?" Leia yelled. "We can't stop now!"

"Look!" Curry said, bending over and pointing at a small opening near the floor of the cave. "We can get inside there and hide."

"How do you know it's big enough for all of us?" Leia asked.

"We don't have time to discuss this in a committee!" Curry replied, getting down on his hands and knees and launching himself into the hole. "AHHHHhhhh!" This was followed by a muffled splash.

"Are you okay?" Heyes called into the dark hole.

"It's really dark in here!" Curry yelled from inside the hole. "But it seems to be big enough for everyone. Just watch that first step. It's a long one."

"How do we know something bad doesn't live inside there?" Heyes asked, looking at Leia.

"A better question would be, why does this feel so familiar?" Leia ground out as she pushed her body through the opening. Seviss quickly followed. Heyes, not wanting to face the Dantari mob on his own, joined them….and plummeted down about ten feet before landing in a small, very cold pond. The others had already pulled themselves out of the water, and were standing on a sloped, rocky outcrop. Seviss was already waving his glowrod around taking in their new surroundings.

Heyes slogged through the icy liquid and climbed onto the ledge. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"It seems we lost our pursuers," Leia pointed out. "That's one thing in our favor."

"Except now we're going to get hypothermia," Heyes grumbled. "It's fifty degrees inside this cave, and we're soaking wet."

Curry had already climbed further up the slope. "Hey! What's this?"

The other three struggled up the slippery rock, and found themselves looking at a large, rectangular durasteel bucket, about five feet high and eight feet long.

"It looks like a coal car," Heyes remarked. "Except it doesn't have wheels." He inspected the ground. "And no tracks, either."

"Coal car?" Leia questioned.

"Back on our planet, we had coal mines. Coal is used for heating and trains burn them for power. The miners would haul out the coal using almost exactly this type of thing."

Leia frowned. "How did they get it out of the mine? It seems like it would be too heavy to push."

"Mules, or men, would stand outside the mine and crank the box up and out with chains. The cars sat on metal tracks and used wheels to roll on. Hard, nasty work."

Leia leaned over and inspected the inside of the car. "This one seems to have some type of control panel, and a steering device. I'll bet if it has a power source, it would lift on replusors." She waved at Curry. "Give me the power pack from Han's blaster."

The gunslinger slipped out the cell and handed it to the Princess, then watched as she fiddled around with the control panel before finally finding a slot. She inserted the cell, and the control panel lit up with green blinking lights. Leia smiled. "See? It still works."

A strange clicking noise echoed from down another narrow tunnel. "Now what's that noise?" Heyes asked. "I thought we'd lost the Dantari."

"That not Dantari," Seviss said, sounding very worried. "That sound like hive kinrath."

Curry sighed. "I don't suppose this hive kinrath is a cuddly, friendly sort of creature."

"No," Seviss whispered. "Kinrath large bugs, have four legs. Very poisonous. Very mean."

"It sounds like they're getting closer, and coming fast," Heyes stated, backing up. Unfortunately, there wasn't anywhere he could actually go.

Leia pointed to the right. "That's the direction they're coming from. Quick, let's get inside the hoverbox." Without waiting for anyone to ask why, she jumped in the box, and started pressing buttons. Curry, Heyes and Seviss climbed in after her, just as the box lifted off the ground. "Point the glowrod forward, Seviss. Hang on, everyone. We're about to go on a wild ride." And the hoverbox shot off down the tunnel, squealing loudly as its sides scraped against the rock walls.


Reno, Nevada, 1883

Han wound his way back to Luke, holding a small stack of wooden chips. "Our money sure didn't buy us very much. I was thinking-."

"You can do that?" Luke interrupted. "What a surprise."

"Funny. Anyway, we probably should lose a little bit on the first try, just so we don't attract too much unwanted attention. This is my plan - I'll put down one chip, and lose it. Then, after a few more spins, I'll put down the rest of my chips, and you make sure that one wins. Then I'll put down another single chip, and lose that one, too. Then we can get serious, and start really winning … just remember when I only put down a few chips, let that spin lose. It would be way too suspicious if I win every time."

"What if I can't get the ball into the right slot?" Luke questioned. "I'm not very good at using the Force yet."

Han stroked his chin in thought. "You need to practice, first. That's a good idea, actually. Let someone else get on a hot streak, first. That way, we won't be the only ones getting lucky."

"Okay," Luke conceded. "Who do I have win?"

The Corellian pulled Luke closer to one of the roulette wheels, and watched the men gathered around the table. "Those two guys, over there. Practice on them."

"Which two?"

"See that big guy, with the huge white cowboy hat, tan vest? He's putting chips on the table, and that young kid with the green jacket is egging him on. The big guy seems to be really annoyed at the short kid."

"That so-called short kid isn't all that short," Luke said, annoyed. "He's not that young, either. He looks about my age."

"Well, he's younger and shorter than the big guy," Han pointed out, either unaware of Luke's irritation, or not caring.

"Alright," Luke huffed as Han pushed him toward the edge of the table. The young Jedi watched as the big man placed his chips on a red square with the number twelve. Luke shut his eyes, concentrating on the wheel, picturing the ball falling into a red slot with the correct number. Unfortunately, the ball slipped into the next slot, a black space with the number thirty-five.

"Black, thirty-five!" the dealer shouted, using a stick to pull all the chips on the table toward him.

"Kriff," Luke muttered.

"Why didn't you get it into the right slot?" Han questioned.

"I tried," Luke argued. "It was close!"

"Close doesn't count," Han grumbled. "It's a good thing you're practicing this before I bet all of our money." He poked Luke's arm. "The young guy is telling the big guy put down more chips. Try again, Kid."

Across the table, the big guy gave an exasperated grunt. "I'm telling' ya, Pa ain't gonna be happy if we lose all the timber profits."

The younger man pointed at the table. "Our luck's about to change. I'm feeling we're about to win everything back. Put it on black eight. Trust me."

"Trust you?" the big man repeated. "The only thing I'm trustin' right now is we're gonna have to spend the rest of our lives hiding from Pa and Adam. They're gonna skin us alive, Little Joe."

"Black eight! Black eight!" Joe said, patting the number.

The big man sighed, and placed more chips on black eight.

"Black eight, Kid," Han whispered.

"I heard them," Luke muttered, concentrating on the wheel. This time, the ball landed in black eight, and Joe could be heard letting out a triumphant yell from the other side of the table.

"See that, Hoss?" Joe said, grinning widely as he pointed at the now larger stack of chips, slapping the big man on the shoulder. "What did I tell you?"

"It was one spin," Hoss groused. Still he put the chips down again, this time on red nine.

Again, the ball landed in red nine, and the dealer shoved a large tower of chips at Hoss, who was now grinning. "Maybe we should quit while we're ahead," Hoss said. "We've just about got back all Pa's money."

"We can't quit now," Joe argued. "Put it on black two! I'm liking black two!"

Hoss gave a groan and put his chips on black two. "This is against my better judgment, little brother."

"Black, two!" the dealer yelled, to the whoops and hollers of Joe and Hoss.

Han grinned at Luke. "Remember, let me lose the first spin, and let those two win one more time. Then it will be our turn to win."

"I know, I know," Luke said, his jaw clenched.

To Luke's amazement, Han's plan worked. Using the Force, Luke carefully manipulated the ball to Han's number when he'd put down the majority of their chips, and allowed him to lose when he placed a short stack on the table. Luke also kept 'Hoss' and 'Joe' in the game by making sure they won the spins that Han 'lost'.

Although the dealer may have been suspicious, he could see nothing amiss, so he accepted the spins at face value. Everything was going along exactly as planned…until…

"Curry!"

Everyone stopped gambling, and the entire place grew quiet as they looked over at the two rough looking interlopers.

"Which one of you is Curry?" the first man demanded, waving a gun.

Hoss was the one that spoke up. "May we ask who's asking?"

"Yeah, why not?" the man scowled. "My name is Phin Clanton, and this here is my friend, Pony Diehl. Last week, Curry shot my brother, in Julesburg, Colorado. Then he hopped the train headed west with his loser friend Heyes, 'cuz they thought we were in Colorado, too, and they were afraid of us. But me an' Pony were in Virginia City, waiting for Ike to come here on the next train, but Ike couldn't because that lowlife Curry shot him in the back, and nearly kilt him. Ike sent us a telegram, and told us to head over to Reno and wait for those cowards to get here. Now, like I already once asked, which one of you is Curry?"

"He was shot in the back?" Han asked, astonished at the lie. "Really? How did he send a telegram if he was so gravely injured?"

"Ike's tough," Phin snarled. "Are you Kid Curry?"

"Nope. My name's Hank Solomon, and this is my friend Luke Skyler," Han quickly replied. He waved over toward Hoss and Joe. "Those two might be who you're looking for. I might've heard the big guy - that must be Heyes - calling the little one 'kid,' so that must be Kid Curry," Han explained.

"That's not true!" Joe said indignantly. "My name is Joe Cartwright, and this is my brother, Hoss."

Han shook his head. "Brothers? That's the biggest load of horse droppings I've heard today. You two don't look a bit alike."

"That's true," Pony Diehl agreed. "The little one looks like he could be a gunslinger."

"HE'S NOT LITTLE!" Luke yelled in fury, much to everyone's surprise.

Then all hell broke loose.


Dantooine

Both cowboys hung on for dear life as the boxy hovercar shot down the narrow stone passageways. How Leia managed to steer the thing without crashing into a wall was a mystery to them, since even with the glowrod they could only see a few feet in front of the car. As they were going downhill, the hovercar continually picked up momentum, gaining even greater speed.

"We're gonna die," Heyes moaned. "I'm never going to be able to gamble again."

"At least you got to kiss a real Princess before you died," Curry yelled back over the howling wind. "That's more than I got."

"Are you still gnawing on that old bone?" Heyes responded. "Let it go already, Kid."

"I'll let it go when - " Curry stopped talking, noticing the ceiling ahead was very, very low. "AHHH! Duck!"

"Down here?" Heyes questioned, looking around in confusion as the other three riders dropped to the car's floor.

Curry grabbed his partner and pulled him down, just as the low hanging rock ceiling went over the top edge of the car. "Oh… duck," Heyes said, nodding in understanding.

The Princess peered out of the edge, relived to see they were clear of the rock ceiling. "I'm pretty sure we've left those kinrath bugs far behind us."

"Good," Curry said. "Can we stop?"

Nodding, Leia pressed the brake button… and pressed it harder. The car kept up its insane speed.

"Why aren't we stopping?" Heyes asked.

"The brake isn't working," Leia yelled, frantically punching the unresponsive control.

"Now what do we do?"

"I don't have a clue!"


Reno, Nevada, 1883

All Luke wanted to do was to protect himself from the flying chairs and prevent innocent bystanders from getting shot by wayward, ricocheting bullets, but instead he found himself participating in one of the largest free-for-alls he could ever imagine.

Phin Clanton had launched himself at Joe Cartwright, and threw the first punch. For such a 'little' guy, Joe managed to handle himself quite well, sending Clanton careening over a card table with a well-aimed punch. The big guy, Hoss, was fighting with Pony Diehl, easily picking the man up and tossing him several yards through the air. The crashing of the tables had inspired the rest of the patrons to join in, and currently everyone – except for the fancy ladies, who had completely disappeared – was punching everyone else. Or smashing furniture over the next guy's head. Or firing their guns into the air. It was quite the chaotic scene.

As he backed up, Luke bumped into another guy and spun around to defend himself. He found himself face-to-face with Joe Cartwright. "Oh, it's you."

"Yeah, it's me," Joe replied. "I want to thank you for defending me."

"What?" Luke asked, straining to hear over the noise.

"You told them I wasn't 'little'," Joe explained, leaning close to Luke's ear to be heard. "I've been called 'Little Joe' my entire life, and to tell you the truth, it's getting old."

"That's understandable," Luke said. "I get teased because I grew up on a farm. Like that's my fault."

"Why did your friend tell those men I was Kid Curry?" Joe yelled over the din. "He heard my brother calling me 'Joe' all evening!"

"My friend is crazy," Luke replied. "I'm terribly sorry about the misunderstanding."

"I'm sorry, too!" Joe shouted, punching Luke in the nose, and sending him reeling back into the mob.

Luke took several more punches to the stomach by other cowboys before deciding it was time to leave the building. He dropped to his hands and knees, trying to weave his way between moving legs and overturned, broken furniture. It was there he found Han, groping around under the roulette table and stuffing money into his pockets. "Han? What are you doing?"

The Corellian paused and looked at Luke. He had several large bruises on his chin and cheek. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"That's stealing!"

Han groaned in exasperation. "No, it's not. This happens to be my winnings. I earned this money, so I'm taking it."

"You didn't earn it," Luke argued. "We earned it! Do you really believe you could have won even a tenth of that without my help?"

"You're right," Han said, shoving money at Luke. "Put this in your pockets. Mine are full, anyway."

"I can't believe I let you talk me into using the Force to cheat," Luke grumbled, stuffing the green flimsies into his pant pockets. "Obi-Wan would be so ashamed of me. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen would be ashamed of me. Leia will be ashamed of me!"

"The Perfect Princess will never need to know any of this," Han said, scowling. "Why would you even think about telling her? Are you crazy?"

"I'm not the one that's crazy," Luke shot back. "Except when I let myself get talked into doing bad things by you."

Han grinned, waving at Luke to follow him as he crept out from under the table. "Because you do bad things, does that make you a Sith?" he whispered, crawling as fast as he could toward the exit.

"Not yet," Luke replied. "When I decide to use the Force to choke you, that's how you'll know you've driven me to the darkside."

"I'll keep that in mind," Han said as he reached the relative safety of the door and stood up. "In the meantime, we have a train to catch and I'd really like to leave Clanton's revenge-minded gang in our afterburners."

Luke couldn't argue with Han's logic. But then, not being able to argue with his 'logic' is why I'm in this bar fight to begin with, Luke mused, hurrying out of the casino.


Dantooine

"We're going to crash if we can't stop," Leia yelled. "Eventually, this tunnel will have to end."

"And then our lives will end," Heyes said morosely.

"It was fun while it lasted," Curry commented. "It would have been more fun if I could have kissed the Princess, though."

"SHUT UP ALREADY ABOUT THE KISS!" Heyes yelled back at his friend.

"Seviss help," the burly Dantari stated firmly.

"How?" Leia asked desperately.

"Seviss strong," he replied, flinging his left leg out of the car. "Seviss use foot brake." With that, he placed his left sole down on the stone floor, and using his heavily calloused foot and his powerful thigh muscles, he dragged his heel, while his face screwed up in pain and concentration. Slowly but surely, the hovercar stopped, one foot in front of a solid stone wall. Seviss forced a smile on his hairy face. "See? Seviss strong." He jumped out of the hovercar, hopping around on his right foot, while holding his throbbing left foot.

Curry scrambled out of the car. "Now where are we?"

The Princess pulled out the power pack, then jumped out and pointed at the wall they had almost crashed into. "Look at this." In the very center was set a large, perfectly round stone slab, about ten feet in diameter. She ran her hand over an intricate carving of two clashing lightsabers. Directly over the crossed lightsabers was a symbol of an old fashioned lever key, and directly under the lightsabers was a carved symbol of a lock. In the center of the lock was a round hole, about two inches in diameter. "This is the doorway to the magic cave."

"Are you sure?" Heyes questioned. "Where's the Gatekeeper?"

"Maybe he saw us careening directly toward him, tinkled in his drawers, and ran off," Curry suggested dryly. "I know I would've."

Leia ignored Curry and looked over at Seviss. "Heyes is right. Shouldn't there be a Gatekeeper?"

"Seviss only know what Seviss hear or see," the Dantari replied, squinting as he tried to peer inside through the tiny opening. "Gatekeeper not here."

Leia sighed. "Without the Gatekeeper, how do we get inside?"

"Maybe there's a special chant or word we need to use," Heyes suggested. "Like abracadabra?"

"What does that mean?" Leia asked, becoming annoyed.

"I'm not sure, actually. I read somewhere it's supposed to open doors that are locked by a magic spell."

"I guess it can't hurt," Leia said, turning to face the stone slab. "Abra…abra…."

"Abracadabra," Heyes whispered.

"Abracadabra," Leia spoke firmly. Nothing happened. "ABRACADABRA!" Still nothing.

"You're missing the wand," Curry said snidely. "You can't expect the magic word to work without waving the magic wand at the same time."

"That's it!" Leia shouted, snapping her fingers. "The magic wand!"

"I was being sarcastic," Curry said.

"I'm not," Leia said, pulling out Luke's lightsaber and turning it on. "This just might be the key we need."

Heyes nodded. "The hole in the middle of the lock!"

The Princess placed the end of the glowing lightsaber against the hole, and slowly pushed the blue light inside.

The door shuddered, and began rotating.


Sacramento, California, 1883

"In less than a day we'll be at the Pacific Ocean. I've never seen an ocean. When we get to Oakland, the railroad company will put us on a ferryboat and take us across the bay to San Francisco. A real ferryboat! Do you know they put these entire cars on those ferryboats to move them over the water? They must be very big boats," Clem said, smiling as she babbled on. "I was born in Kansas, and the furthest from home I ever been before now was on a trip with my father when I was twelve. We went all the way to Memphis, and took a riverboat ride down the Mississippi to New Orleans. I suppose the Gulf of Mexico is like an ocean, but it's not really. That trip was so exciting."

Han was leaning back in the seat, the cowboy hat over his face. "You understand any of that, Kid?"

"I know what a boat is," Luke said, gingerly pressing his still-sore nose. "We'll figure out the rest when we get there."

"We'll have to be careful when we're on the docks," Clem said informatively. "I've heard those dockhands like to kidnap men to use as workers on the long ship voyages across the Pacific. You sure wouldn't want to end up in China."

"Probably not," Han said dryly, then sat up and removed the hat from his face. "Unless China has lots of gambling joints, booze and beautiful women."

"No!" Luke shouted. "No more gambling! This time I'm serious, Han! SERIOUS!"

Han leaned back, putting the hat back over his face. "You're about as much fun as a dusty old fossil."


Dantooine

Everyone watched in silent awe as the door swung out, sideways, leaving two entryways into the room, one on either side of the massive circular slab.

"I'm impressed," Heyes said solemnly. "Are we supposed to pick the right side or the left side of the doorway?"

"Don't you think both sides end up in the same place?" Curry asked, trying to see inside the pitch black room.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd have to agree with you," Heyes replied. "But we haven't experienced 'normal' for a few days now."

Leia pulled Luke's lightsaber from the key hole, and pointed. "We'll go in on the right side."

"You know this… how?"

"I don't know how I know," Leia admitted. "It's just a feeling."

"You have those a lot, don't you?"

Leia gave Heyes a strained look. "More often than I care to think about. It's probably the politician in me."

"And here I always thought the only thing politicians had feelings for was the inside of pocketbooks," Curry remarked.

Leia squared her shoulders. "I guess we should go inside and see what's there."

"Seviss not go," the Dantari said firmly. "Seviss stay here. Guard door."

The Princess smiled, and patted Seviss on the wrist. She could tell the large humanoid was frightened of the magic cave, and there was probably no need for him to enter, anyway. "That's a good idea, Seviss. You stay outside and guard us against those kinraths."

The man nodded, flexing his arm muscles. "Seviss strong. Seviss fight bugs."

"What about the glowrod?" Curry asked. "There's only one, and if Seviss stays here, he'll need it."

Leia held up the humming lightsaber. "We'll use this for a light source. Give Seviss the DL-22. If those bugs show up, he'll need protection." She handed Curry the power pack for the DL-44. "We might need a working blaster, too."

After Curry inserted the charge in Han's blaster, the Princess headed into the gloom, and Heyes and Curry reluctantly followed.


San Francisco, California, 1883

The Solano, a huge ferry steamer four hundred and twenty-four feet in length, was built five years ago to haul both passengers and railroad cars across the Straits of Carquinez. The ferry actually had train tracks built on her main deck, four sets placed side by side, which allowed entire trains of up to fourteen cars to be placed on the ferry, and then shuttled across the water. From there, the train continued on to Oakland, where three tired passengers disembarked for the last time.

Han, Luke and Clem took a second ferry, called the Antelope, across San Francisco Bay from Oakland to the bustling, booming city of San Francisco. Han had never been as happy in his life to have a journey come to an end.

"Where do you suppose we should start looking for Doctor Loveless?" Luke asked Clem.

"He used to work for the University of Berkeley, but they fired him for being too radical. The last letter my father received from Loveless said he was working as a science professor for Bay View Science and Technical School," Clem said. "Although that was a long time ago. He might not still be there, but if he's not, maybe some of his colleagues will know where he's staying. "

"He's working as a professor? I thought you said this guy was unstable," Han remarked.

"Yes, and I also said he was a genius," Clem replied. "Institutes of higher learning are always interested in hiring brilliant minds to teach and mold their students."

Luke scratched his chin in thought. "It sure makes you think of the possibilities, though. All those young minds…under the influence of a mad scientist. What if it turns out he could actually brainwash them to do his bidding? He could have hundreds of minions running around this city by now."

"You obviously read way too much pulp fiction, Luke," Clem stated. "Now pick up my travel bags and let's go find a taxi."


Dantooine

Leia and her two cowboy charges pressed past the entryway, and walked into a strangely dark and silent cave. The blue light from the saber illuminated the small area, allowing them to see all all sides of the room. Carefully they made their way further into the chamber, finally reaching the far wall.

"This isn't like a cave at all. It's a perfectly round room, like being inside a balloon," Leia said. She reached up and touched the shiny surface. "These walls are smooth, like polished dura-glass."

"The floor surface is different in here, too," Heyes commented, bending over to inspect the ground. "It's completely flat - not like rock at all."

"It's kind of creepy," Curry added. "It looks like we're standing on the surface of a lake. If you look real close, you can see what looks like silvery fish darting around under our feet."

"They're not just under our feet," Leia pointed out, peering intently at the wall. "If you look closer at the sides, you can see creatures floating around behind the dura-glass there, too. But it doesn't look like fish to me. They look like human shapes."

Curry leaned closer to the 'wall'. "You're right. This is starting to scare the living daylights out of me. Let's get outta here."

"I agree," Heyes said. "There isn't another way out besides the way we came in, and there isn't a gatekeeper in here, either. This place isn't going to help us get back home." He started to turn toward the exit, and then took a quick step backwards, bumping into Curry.

"Watch it," Curry muttered.

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

"The exit door has disappeared," Heyes pointed out. "It's gone."

Curry and Leia turned to see that Heyes was right – the round doorway had not only shut, it was entirely gone. Only the smooth, curved, black surface remained. The bubble effect was now complete.

"Great. Now what?"

"Maybe the lightsaber can cut through the wall," Leia suggested.

"That would cause a rift in the flow," a soft voice spoke from behind them. "It would collapse the portal for all time."


San Francisco, 1883

Bay View Science and Technical School was a small, dreary looking, two-story building about one block away from the bay. It didn't have a view of the bay, and it didn't appear to be much of a school, either. Directly across the street was a seedy looking bar, and sitting right next door to the school was a Victorian style house, painted bright pink. Even in the middle of the day, men could be seen furtively looking over their shoulder as they hurried down the path and disappeared into the ornate double doors of the garish house. A block to the north were the infamous wharfs, where rough hewn sailors unloaded their catch before heading off to find their nightly entertainment.

Ironically, only a block in the south direction, the area became rather upscale. Fancy homes of the wealthy perched on the hillsides, overlooking the blue waters of the bay and the majestic mountains to the east.

With Clem leading them past the unkempt lawn and up the front steps of the school, they walked into the musty-smelling building. A tiny, elderly lady with thinning gray hair tied up in a bun, and her eye glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, sat at a large desk, which was overrun with stacks of papers. The sign on her desk stated her name as 'Florence Mae Priddy'.

She looked them up and down, an expression of surprise on her face. It was apparent she wasn't accustomed to visitors. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Clem said politely. "Do you have a Professor Loveless working at this fine school?"

The other woman's expression clouded over, her face showing disapproval at the mere mention of the name. "Yes, we do. Are you interested in enrolling?" She shoved a brochure toward Clem. "We have four accredited teachers at this school, as well as Mr. Loveless. Our current student enrollment is thirty-eight students, up two from last semester. Although you appear to be a bit older than the other students, as long as you have the money, we aren't too fussy about admittance rules. You don't even have to attend the classes very often to get a passing grade."

"No, we're not interested in enrolling," Clem replied. "We just want to talk to Professor Loveless. Is he here?"

Florence Mae gave a weary sigh. "Go up those stairs, and turn left. It's the third door on your right, room two hundred sixty-three. Just be warned he's not the friendly type, and he has a nasty tendency to make the female students cry on the very first day of school."

"I'm not the crying sort," Clem said, giving a short nod toward Luke and Han. "Come along, boys. We're about to meet your rescuer."

"You've never met him?" Han questioned.

"Of course not," Clem said as she headed up the squeaky stairs. "He's my father's friend, not mine."

Luke put his hand on top of the rounded newel cap, and looked up. "I'm getting the same sensation I get when Vader's in the vicinity."

"Great," Han muttered. "So you're telling me we're about to meet Earth's one and only Sith Lord?"

"It's a distinct possibility," Luke admitted.


Dantooine

Leia, Heyes and Curry swung around again, and Curry quickly drew the blaster from the holster, pointing it in the direction of the voice.

A tall, elegant woman stood before them. She wore a long, brown robe, and her dark hair was braided, hanging in long loops over her shoulders. She smiled at her visitors, and with a small wave of her hand, soft light filled the chamber. "Welcome."

Leia quickly turned off the lightsaber and tucked it away under her belt, then reached over and pushed Curry's weapon down. She took a step closer to the woman, noting her resemblance to Mon Mothma. "Hello. My name is Leia Organa. These are my friends, Heyes and Curry. They aren't from our galaxy, and we've come here to find a way to return them to their own planet, and also to find my friends, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. I believe they somehow switched time and place with each other."

"I see," the woman said.

"What's your name?" Heyes demanded. "How did you get inside?"

The woman continued to address Leia as she replied, "My name is Vasha Billaba, an Adept of Chalacta, and sister of Depa Billaba. She was a powerful Jedi that fell to the darkside many years ago. This portal has been placed under my watch, so I may make atonement in the name of my family."

"Are you the Gatekeeper?" Curry asked.

The woman gave a nod. "Some native Dantari call me by that name."

"Can you help us?" Leia asked. "Seviss told us the Jedi of the Old Republic could walk through time by using this place. We're not Jedi, but Luke Skywalker is strong in the Force. I truly believe it's important that he returns to this galaxy to defeat Emperor Palpatine, and I'm sure Heyes and Curry would like to return to Earth, too."

"So it may be," Vasha said. "It is true that Jedi could use this place as a portal to timewalk, but they also understood the vast potential for misuse. That is why it was kept a secret from all others, and why I must continue to guard against entry by the Sith."

"I do understand that," Leia said. "Can non-Jedi timewalk?"

"Yes, it is possible."

"Can you tell us how?"

Vasha pointed at the glittering forms, floating behind the curved walls. "All that you see through these mirrors are beings, in other places, and in other times. A Jedi could simply use the Force to meditate for the proper place, then step through the portal walls and they would be wherever, whenever, they desired. A non-Jedi could step through, however he may end up in any place, or any time. Control through the Force was the key to a successful timewalk. I can help point the way, and open the portal for you to step through at the right moment. But if you wish to return to this place, and this time, you must go back to the exact place you stepped through on the other world, at exactly the same time, one complete time cycle later. I will be here, holding open the portal for you once again, but for only a minute. If you fail to step through, I will close the portal and you will be trapped on this place you call Earth forever. You must fully understand these risks before you go."

"We understand," Leia said, feeling a cold chill run up her spine.

"Good," Vasha said. "Hold hands, for you must precisely step through together."

Heyes, Curry and Leia held hands and stared at the swirling wall.

"This isn't going to hurt, is it?" Heyes asked. "I don't much care for pain."

"Concentrate on your missing friends, Leia," Vasha ordered softly. "Then, when you hear their voices, step forward, and go through the portal."

Leia concentrated. Then she could hear a man's voice, Luke's voice, saying, "It's a distinct possibility."

Tugging at Heyes' and Curry's hands, Leia stepped through the wall.