Star Wars: Remix version
Chapter Forty-Four: Plan C
Noisily, the main gate lifted to flood the blackness with blinding light and reveal two silhouetted figures. Luke Skywalker and Princess Anna Organa. Luke was clad in a robe similar to Ben's and wore neither pistol nor laser sword. Anna was dressed in black slacks, boots and black top that showed her stomach. The two of them strode purposefully into the hallway. Two giant guards moved to block thier path. Luke raised his hand and pointed at the puzzled guards, who immediately lowered their spears and fell back. The young Jedi lowered his hand and moved on down the hallway. Anna pressed against the shadows to avoid being seen as Fortuna appeared out of the gloom. He didn't see her, but he spoke to Luke. The Jedi didn't stop and Bib must reverse his direction and hurry alongside the young Jedi in order to carry on the conversation. Several other guards fell in behind them in the darkness. Anna crept along the wall, staying in the shadows.
"I must speak with Jabba" Luke said.
Bib answered in Huttese, shaking his head in denial. Luke stopped and stared at Bib; he raised his hand slightly.
"You will take me to Jabba now!" He commanded. Bib turned in hypnotic response to Luke's command, and Luke followed him into the gloom. "You serve your master well" Bib responded. "And you will be rewarded"
Jabba was asleep on his throne, with Leia lying in front of him. Salacious sat by Jabba's tail, watching it wriggle. Leia was now dressed in the skimpy costume of a dancing girl; a chain ran from a manacle/necklace at her throat to her new master, Jabba the Hutt. Threepio stood behind Jabba as Bib came up to the gangster slug.
"At last! Master Luke's come to rescue me" Threepio said happily. If Luke was angered at the treatment of his sister, he didn't show it.
"Master" Bib said quietly. Jabba awoke with a start and Bib continued, in Huttese. "...Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight"
"I told you not to admit him" Jabba replied, furiously.
"I must be allowed to speak" Luke replied.
"He must be allowed to speak" Bib repeated. Jabba, furious, clobbered Bib and shoved him away.
"You weak-minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mind trick" Jabba snapped. Luke stared hard at Jabba.
"You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to me" He said.
"Your mind powers will not work on me, boy" Jabba snapped. Luke was not agraid.
"Nevertheless, I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this... or be destroyed! It's your choice. But I warn you not to underestimate my powers" Luke replied. Jabba's laugh was mean and loud.
"There will be no bargain, young Jedi. I shall enjoy watching you die" Jabba said. Luke reached out, and a pistol jumped out of a guard's holster and flew into Luke's hand. The bewildered guard grabbed for it as Jabba raised his hand. "Bascka!"
The floor suddenly dropped away, sending Luke and the hapless guard into the pit. The pistol went off, blasting a hole in the ceiling. Jabba laughed and his courtiers joined in. Leia started forward but was restrained by a human guard- Lando, recognizable behind his mask. She looked at him and he shook his head "no." Anna peaked around the corner and locked eyes with Lando. unnoticed he walked over to the archway and followed her into the hall.
"Luke will survive the pit" Lando whispered. "There is a Twi'lek girl who was Jabba slave before Leia. He nearly killed her, but Leia rescued her unknowingly. She locked up in cell 80. rescue her and get back to the Falcon. Luke and I have everything under control" Anna nodded and took off towards the cell block.
Oola sat in her cell, wondering when Jabba was going to kill her. She wanted to return home to her family. She was foolish not to accept the young Jedi's help when he tried to rescue her before she entered Jabba's palace. Suddenly she heard a noise, like a key sliding into a lock. The door swung open and a very pretty girl with dark hair stood in the door way.
"Come, we must hurry while Jabba is preoccupied" The girl said. Oola, having been well learned in several languages understood. The girl grabbed her hand and they hurried out of the cell. When they reached the giant door, Anna noted that it was still open and realized that Luke must have done that so that they could escape. The two girls ran along the desert road, unnoticed by anyone, since they were all watching Luke's battle with the rancor.
Back in the palace, Luke had managed to crush the Rancor's head underneath a door, which angered Jabba.
"Bring me Solo and the Wookiee" He ordered. "They will all suffer for this outrage"
Several guards rush into the holding tunnel and took Luke away to be executed for the murder of the beast.
The crowd of creepy courtiers parted as Han and Chewie were brought into the throne room, and other guards dragged Luke up the steps.
"Han!" Luke cried.
"Luke!" Han said back.
"Are you all right?" Luke asked.
"Fine. Together again, huh?" Han asked, dryly.
"Wouldn't miss it" Luke replied.
"How are we doing?" Han questioned.
"The same as always" Luke said.
"That bad, huh? Where's Leia?" Han asked, as if the thought had just occured to him. Luke looked to Leia.
"I'm here" Leia replied. Threepio was standing behind the grotesque gangster as he stroked Leia like a pet cat. Several of the guards, including Lando, brought Luke from the other side of the room. Boba was standing behind Jabba. Threepio stepped forward and translated for the captives.
"Oh, dear" He said quietly. "His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately"
"Good, I hate long waits" Han said, trying to relieve some of the tension.
"You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc" Threepio continued.
"Doesn't sound so bad" Han whispered to Luke.
"In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a thousand years" Han gaped.
"On second thought, let's pass on that, huh?" He said. Chewie barked his agreement.
"You should have bargained, Jabba. That's the last mistake you'll ever make" Luke warned. Jabba cackled evilly at this. As the guards dragged the prisoners from the throne room, a loud cheer rose from the crowd. Leia and Lando exchanged concerned looks, but Luke Skywalker, Jedi warrior, could not suppress a smile.
Jabba's huge sail barge moved above the desert surface accompanied by two smaller Skiffs. One of the skiffs glided close, revealing Luke, Han, and Chewie - all in bonds - surrounded by guards, one of whom was Lando in disguise.
"I think my eyes are getting better. Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur" Han muttered.
"There's nothing to see. I used to live here, you know" Luke reminded the space pilot.
"You're gonna die here, you know. Convenient" Han retorted.
"Just stick close to Chewie and Lando. I've taken care of everything" Han blinked.
"Lando's here?" He whispered.
"Yeah. He's the one who organized this rescue mission" Luke whispered back. Han raised his hands to reveal his chains.
"Good job" Luke rolled his eyes, but didn't respond.
Jabba the Hutt rode like a sultan in the massive antigravity ship. His entire retinue was with him, drinking, eating, and having a good time. Leia was watching her friends in the skiff when the chain attached to her neck was pulled tight and Jabba tugged the scantily clad girl to him.
"Soon you will learn to appreciate me" He said. Leia looked away, disgusted. Threepio wandered among the Sail Barge aliens, bumping into a smaller droid serving drinks, spilling them all over the place. The stubby droid let out an angry series of beeps and whistles.
"Oh, I'm terribly sor... Artoo! What are you doing here?" Threepio asked. Artoo beeped a quick reply.
"Well, I can see you're serving drinks, but this place is dangerous. They're going to execute Master Luke and, if we're not careful, us too!" Artoo whistled a singsong response.
"Hmm. I wish I had your confidence" Threepio replied.
The convoy moved up over a huge sand pit. The Sail Barge stopped to one side of the depression, as did the escort skiff. But the prisoner's skiff moved out directly over the center and hovers. At the bottom of the deep cone of sand was a repulsive, mucous-lined hole, surrounded by thousands of needle-sharp teeth. This was the Sarlacc. A plank was extended from the edge of the prisoner's skiff. Guards released Luke's bonds and shoved him out onto the plank above the Sarlacc's mouth.
Jabba and Leia were now by the rail, watching. Threepio leaned forward and the slobbering villain mumbled something to him. As Threepio stepped up to a comlink, Jabba raised his arm and the motley array of intergalactic pirates fall silent. Threepio's voice was amplified across loudspeakers.
"Victims of the almighty Sarlacc: His Excellency hopes that you will die honorably. But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Jabba the Hutt will now listen to your pleas" Threepio said. Han stepped forward and began to speak.
"Threepio, you tell that slimy piece of... worm-ridden filth he'll get no such pleasure from us" Han shouted. Chewie growled his agreement.
"Jabba!" Luke called out. "This is your last chance. Free us or die" Lando moved unobtrusively along the skiff as Luke shot a quick look of conspiracy to him.
The assembled monsters rocked with mocking laughter as Artoo zipped unnoticed up the ramp to the upper deck. Jabba's laughter subsided as he spoke into the comlink.
"Move him into position" Jabba made a thumbs-down gesture. Leia was worried about her brother.
Artoo appeared from below and zipped over to the rail facing the pit. Below, in the skiff, Luke was prodded by a guard to the edge of the plank over the gaping Sarlacc. Luke looked up at Artoo, then gave a jaunty salute: the signal the little droid has been waiting for. A flap opened in Artoo's domed head.
"Put him in" Jabba commanded.
Luke was prodded and jumped off the plank to the cheers of the bloodthirsty spectators. But, before anyone could even perceive what was happening, he spun around and grabbed the end of the plank by his fingertips. The plank bent wildly from his weight and catapulted him skyward. In midair he did a complete flip and dropped down on the end of the plank in the same spot he just vacated, but facing the skiff. He casually extended an open palm and - his lightsaber, which Artoo had sent arcing toward him, dropped into his hand.
With samurai speed, Luke ignited it and attacked the guard who prodded him off the plank, sending the hapless monster screaming overboard. The other guards swarmed toward Luke. He waded into them, lightsaber flashing. Lando struggled with another guard at the back of the skiff.
A bewildered guard landed in the soft, sandy slope of the pit, and began sliding. He clawed desperately as a Sarlacc tentacle grabbed him and pulled him screaming into the viscous mouth.
Jabba watched this and exploded in rage. He barked commands, and the guards around him rushed off to do his bidding. The scuzzy creatures watching the action from the window were in an uproar.
Luke knocked another guard off the skiff and into the waiting mouth of the Sarlacc. He started to untie Chewie's bonds.
"Easy, Chewie" He said slowly. At that moment, the deck gunmen on the barge unleashed a series of blasts from a big cannon on the upper deck. Lando was tossed from the deck of the rocking skiff. He managed to grab a rope, and dangled desperately above the Sarlacc pit.
"Whoa! Whoa! Help!" Lando cried.
With two swift strides, the dangerous Boba Fett ignited his rocket pack, leapt into the air, and flew from the barge down to the skiff. Boba landed on the skiff and started to aim his laser gun at Luke, who had freed Han and Chewie from their bonds. But before Boba could fire, the young Jedi spun on him, lightsaber sweeping, and hacked the bounty hunter's gun in half. Immediately, the skiff took another direct hit from the barge's deck gun. Shards of skiff deck flew. Chewie and Han were thrown against the rail.
"Chewie, you okay? Where is he?" Han asked. The Wookiee was wounded and he howled in pain. "I'm okay, pal"
For a moment, Luke was distracted, and in that moment, Boba fired a cable out of his armored sleeve. Instantly, Luke was wrapped in a strong cable, his arms pinned against his side, his sword arm free only from the wrist down. Luke bent his wrist so the lightsaber pointed straight up to reach the wire lasso and cut through. Luke shrugged away the cable and stood free.
Another blast from the Barge's deck gun hit near Boba and he was knocked unconscious to the deck, next to where Lando was hanging.
"Han! Chewie?" Lando called.
"Lando!" Han shouted.
Luke was a little shaken but remained standing. The second skiff, loaded with guards firing their weapons, moved in on Luke fast. Luke leapt toward the incoming second skiff. The young Jedi leapt into the middle of the second skiff and began decimating the guards from their midst.
Chewie, wounded, tried to lift himself as he barked directions to Han, guiding him toward a spear which had been dropped by one of the guards. Han searched the deck as Chewie barks directions; finally he grabbed hold of the spear.
Boba Fett, badly shaken, rose from the deck. He looked over at the other skiff, where Luke was whipping a mass of guards. Boba raised his arm, and aimed his lethal appendage. Chewie barked desperately at Han.
"Boba Fett? Boba Fett? Where?" Han asked. The space pirate turned around blindly, and the long spear in his hand whacked squarely in the middle of Boba's rocket pack. The impact of the swing caused the rocket pack to ignite. Boba blasted off, flying over the second skiff like a missile, smashing against the side of the huge Sail Barge and sliding away into the pit. He screamed as his armored body made its last flight past Lando and directly into the mucous mouth of the Sarlacc. The Sarlacc burped. Chewie growled a weak congratulations to Han.
Leia turned from the spectacle outside, leapt onto Jabba's throne, and threw the chain that enslaved her over his head around his bulbous neck. Then she dived off the other side of the throne, pulling the chain violently in her grasp. Jabba's flaccid neck contracted beneath the tightening chain. His huge eyes bulged from their sockets and his scum-coated tongue flopped out. The Exalted Hutt's huge tail spasmed through its death throes and then slammed down into final stillness. Leia struggled to free herself of her bondage.
Luke continued to destroy the aliens on the guards' skiff, as Han extended his spear downward to Lando, who was still dangling precariously from a rope on the prisoner's skiff.
"Lando, grab it!" Han shouted.
"Lower it!" Lando replied.
"I'm trying!" Han protested. A major hit from the barge deck gun knocked the skiff on its side. Han and almost everything else on board slid overboard. The rope broke, and Lando fell to the side of the Sarlacc pit. Luckily, Han's foot caught on the skiff railing and he dangled above Lando and the pit.
The wounded Wookiee held onto the skiff for dear life as another hit from the deck gun rocked the skiff violently.
"Whoa! Whoa! Grab me, Chewie! I'm slipping" Han said. Chewie immediately grabbed hold of Han's feet, holding him upside down, as Han extended the spear toward Lando, who was clutching to the side of the pit. "Grab it! L-Lando. Grab!"
Luke finished off the last guard on the second skiff. He saw the deck gun blasting away at his helpless companions. Luke leapt from the skiff, across a chasm of air, to the sheer metallic side of the Sail Barge. Barely able to get a fingerhold, he began a painful climb up the hull, when suddenly an ax smashed through a window an inch from his head. With Jedi agility, Luke grasped the wrist holding the ax and yanked the helpless guard through the broken window and into the deadly pit.
The injured Chewie was reaching over the rail for the dangling Han, who was in turn blindly reaching down toward the desperate Lando. The Baron had stopped his slippage down the sandy slope of the Sarlacc pit by lying very still. Every time he tried to reach for Han, the loose sand moved him closer to his final reward.
"Grab it! Almost... You almost got it!" Han urged. Another blast hit the front of the tilted skiff, causing Lando to let go of the spear.
"Hold it! Whoa!" Lando shouted. Again Han extended the spear toward Lando.
"Gently now. All... all right. Now easy, easy. Hold me, Chewie" Han said. Lando screamed. One of the Sarlacc's tentacles had wrapped tightly around his ankle, dragging him down the side of the pit. "Chewie! Chewie, give me the gun" Chewie handed him the blaster. "Don't move, Lando"
"No, wait! I thought you were blind!" Lando said, freaking out.
"It's all right. Trust me. Don't move" Han said calmly.
"All right! A little higher! Just a little higher!" Lando said, panicked. Han adjusted his aim as Lando lowered his head, and the fuzzy-eyed pirate fired at the tentacle. Direct hit. The tentacle released Lando, and Chewie started to pull them on board the skiff.
"Chewie, Pull us up! Come on! Okay... up, Chewie, up!" Han said.
The deck gunners had Chewie and the desperate dangling human chain in their gun sights when something up on deck commanded their attention: Luke, standing before them like a pirate king, igniting his lightsaber. The deck gunners had barely reached for their pistols before the young Jedi demolished them. Immediately, Luke turned to see two more gunners racing for him, firing their laser pistols.
Leia was struggling against her chains in desperation as Artoo zipped through the tumult of confused monsters to the rescue; the stubby little droid extends a small laser gun and blasted the chain apart.
"Come on. We gotta get out of here quick" Leia told the droid. Artoo and Leia raced for the exit, passing Threepio, who was kicking and screaming as Salacious Crumb, the reptilian monkey- monster picked out one of the golden droid's eyes.
"Not my eyes! Artoo, help! Quickly, Artoo. Oh! Ohhh! You beast!" Threepio wailed. Artoo zipped over and zapped Salacious, sending him skyward with a scream, crashing into the rafters as Artoo, Leia, and Threepio (with his eye dangling from a wire) hurried off.
Luke was warding off laser blasts with his lightsaber, surrounded by guards and fighting like a demon. Leia emerged onto the deck as Luke turned to face another guard.
"Get the gun! Point it at the deck!" Luke instructed his sister. Leia turned toward the barge cannon, climbed on the platform, and swiveled the gun around. "Point it at the deck!" Luke said again.
A laser blast hit Luke's mechanical hand and he bent over in pain, but managed to swing his lightsaber upward and take out the last of the guards. He looked at the wounded hand, which revealed the mechanism. He flexed the hand; it still worked.
Near the rail of the upper deck, Artoo and Threepio steadied themselves as Threepio got ready to jump. Artoo beeped wildly.
"Artoo, where are we going? I couldn't possibly jump" Threepio complained.
Artoo butted the golden droid over the edge and stepped off himself, tumbling toward the sand.
Luke ran along the empty deck toward Leia and the barge gun, which she had brought around to point down at the deck.
"Come on!" He shouted. Luke had hold on one of the rigging ropes from the mast. He gathered Leia in his other arm and kicked the trigger of the deck gun. The gun exploded into the deck as Luke and Leia swung out toward the skiff.
Han leaned panting against the rail as Chewie helpped Lando onto the deck. Luke and Leia landed on the skiff with flair.
"Let's go! And don't forget the droids" Luke said.
"We're on our way" Lando said, grinning. The Sail Barge was exploding in stages in the distance. Half of the huge craft is on fire.
As they headed back to the falcon, a ferocious sandstorm blocked thier view. They emerged slowly from the veil of sand, pressing on against the wind. First come Artoo and Threepio, followed by Leia guiding Han, then Luke and Lando came into view, each supporting one side of the towering Chewbacca, who hobbled from his wound.
Soon, they could make out some large vague shapes in the blowing sand. It was the Millennium Falcon and, parked beside it, Luke's trusty X-wing and a two-seated Y-wing. They must shout to be heard.
"I don't know. All I can see is a lot of blowing sand!" Han shouted.
"That's all any of us can see" Leia replied.
"Then I guess I'm getting better" Han replied. When they boarded the ship, Padme rushed to Han and gave him a hug.
"I am so glad you're okay" She said. Anna and Oola were seated at a table and Oola stood up, bowing to Luke.
"Thank you Master Luke. I am forever in your debt" Luke smiled slightly. When he had rescued Sienna, he had been surprised that Oola had opted to go with Fortuna, but he knew that she would be mistreated.
"I promised I'd save you and I always keep my promises" He said. (A/N: in case any one is wondering, I researched Oola on Wookiepedia and apparently while Luke was in Mos Eisley planning his rescue of Han, he ran across Oola and Sienna two dancers tricked into being slaves for Jabba)
"I've got to hand it to you, kid, you were pretty good out there" Han said, turning to Luke. His eyesight was much better and he could actually see the young jesi.
"I had a lot of help. Think nothing of it" Luke said shrugging. Han shook his head and clamped a hand on his shoulder.
"No, I'm thinking a lot about it. That carbon freeze was the closest thing to dead there is. And it wasn't just sleepin'. It was a big wide awake nothing" He exlaimed. Luke nodded, as Chewie growled affectionately at the young Jedi warrior, mussing his hair like a proud uncle. And Leia warmly hugged him.
"I'll see you back at the fleet" Luke said, heading for his ship.
"Why don't you leave that crate and come with us?" Han asked.
"I have a promise I have to keep first... to an old friend" Luke replied. Luke and Artoo took off in their spacecraft. Han turned to Lando.
"I heard you speaking to me" He said. "You told me to never lose hope. That I'd be free again" Lando smiled.
"I wasn't sure if you could, but I wanted you to know we were doing out best" He replied. Han hugged his friend.
"Thank you" He said. Lando turned to Oola.
"If you like, we can make a detour to your home planet and drop you off, or you can join the rebellion and come with us to the rendevous"
Oola thought about this.
"I owe you guys my life" She said. "I will help you bring the Empire down" (FYI, I know that Oola is an alien, but she is a human type alien, so having her and Lando together won't be too awkward I hope. Let me know if you think it is a good or bad idea)
"I'll meet you back at the fleet" Luke radioed the falcon.
"Hurry. The Alliance should be assembled by now" Padme replied.
"I will" Luke said.
"Hey, Luke, thanks. Thanks for comin' after me. Now I owe you one" Han said. Luke smiled and cut the transmision.
A message from Artoo appeared on the small monitor screen in front of Luke. He smiled at the monitor and spoke to Artoo, as he pulled a black glove on to cover his wounded mechanical hand.
"That's right, Artoo. We're going to the Dagobah system" He said, as the X-wing soared through space.