"There's got to be another way out," Luke muttered, pulling a small transmitter

unit from his belt and carefully adjusting the frequency: "See Threepio…See

Threepio!"

a familiar voice responded with gratifying speed. "Yes, sir?"

"We've been cut off here. Are there any other ways out of the detention area—

anything at all?"

Static crackled over the tiny grid as Solo and Chewbacca kept the imperial troops

bottled up at the other end of the walkway.

"What was that…? I didn't copy."

Back in the gentry office Artoo Detoo beeped and whistled frantically as

Threepio adjusted controls, fighting to clear the awkward transmission. "I said, all

systems have been alerted to your presence, sir. The main entry seems to be the only

way in or out of the cell block." He pressed instruments, and the view on the nearby

readouts changed steadily. "All other information on your section is restricted."

Someone began banging on the locked door to the office—evenly at first and

then, when no response was forthcoming from within, more insistently.

"Oh, no!" Threepio groaned.

The smoke in the cell corridor was now so intense that it was difficult for Solo

and Chewbacca to pick their targets. That was fortunate inasmuch as they were now

badly outnumbered and the smoke confused the Imperials' fire with equal

thoroughness.

Every so often one of the soldiers would attempt to move closer, only to stand

exposed as he penetrated the smoke. Under the accurate fire of the two smugglers,

he would rapidly join the accumulating mass of motionless figures on the rampway

flooring.

Energy bolts continued to ricochet wildly through the block as Luke moved close

to Solo.

"There isn't other way out." he yelled over the deafening roar of concentrated

fire.

"Well, they're closing in on us. What do we do now?"

"This is some rescue," an irritated voice complained from behind them. Both

men turned to see a thoroughly disgusted Princess eyeing them with regal disapproval.

"When you came in here, didn't you have a plan of getting out?"

Solo nodded toward Luke. "He's the brains, sweetheart."

Luke managed an embarrassed grin and shrugged helplessly. He turned to help

return fire, but before he could do so, the Princess had snatched the pistol from his

hand.

"Hey!"

Luke stared as she moved along the wall, finally locating a small grate nearby.

She pointed the pistol at it and fired.

Solo gazed at her in disbelief. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It looks like it's up to me to save our skins. Get into the garbage chute,

flyboy!"

While the others looked on in amazement, she jumped feet first into the opening

and disappeared. Chewbacca rumbled threateningly, but Solo slowly shook his head.

"No, Chewie, I don't want you to rip her apart. I'm not sure about her yet.

Either I'm beginning to like her, or I'm going to kill her myself." The Wookie

snorted something else, and Solo yelled back at him, "Go on in, you furry oaf! I

don't care what you smell. This is no time to go dainty on me."

Shoving the reluctant Wookie toward the tiny opening, Solo helped jam the

massive bulk through. As soon as he disappeared, the Corellian followed him in.

Luke fired off the last series of blasts, more in the hope of creating a covering smoke

than hitting anything, slid into the chute, and was gone.

Not wanting to incur further losses in such a confined space, the pursuing

soldiers had momentarily halted to await the arrival of reinforcements and heavier

weapons. Besides, they had their quarry trapped, and despite their dedication, none

of them were anxious to die needlessly.

The chamber Luke tumbled into was dimly lit. not that the light was needed to

discern its contents. He smelled the decay long before he was dumped into it.

Unadorned except for the concealed illuminants, the garbage room was at least a

quarter full of slimy muck, much of which had already achieved a state of

decomposition sufficient to wrinkle Luke's nose.

Solo was stumbling around the edge of the room, slipping and sinking up to his

knees in the uncertain footing in an attempt to locate an exit. Al he found was a

small, thick hatchway, which he grunted and heaved to pry open. The hatchcover

refused to budge.

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