Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
by: James Fehrenbacher

Cenas 41 a 50:

Begin Scene 41.

[INT. The Outrider.  Koth Melan holds the secured computer easily in his palms.]

Luke Skywalker. Can you access the programs?

Koth Melan. Unfortunately, no.  It’s likely to be encrypted, as well as equipped with a self-destruct mechanism.  Our best chance to access the files is to send it over to Kothlis, a Bothan colony a few light-years away.

Luke Skywalker. I’d like to tag along, if it’s not too much trouble.

Koth Melan. No trouble at all.  You can reach it easily in your X-Wing.  I’ll give you the proper coordinates.

[Luke turns to Dash, who’s still rattled that he screwed up.]

Luke Skywalker. Dash.

Dash Rendar. There’s no way I could have missed!  No way!

Luke Skywalker. Dash!

[Dash starts, and turns around.]

Dash Rendar. Huh?  You say something?

[Luke pulls Melan aside.]

Luke Skywalker. Are we apt to run into any Imperial trouble en route to Kothlis?

Koth Melan. I can’t say for sure.  But it certainly is possible.

Luke Skywalker. Would it be possible for the Bothan spynet to locate Princess Leia?

Koth Melan. As of yesterday, she was on Rodia, at Avaro Sookcool’s casino in the gambling complex.

Luke Skywalker. I must say, you guys are good.  I can’t take Dash along; he’s too rattled.  His mind’s not where it should be.  [Luke turns back to Dash.] Dash.

Dash Rendar. It was in my sights.  No way I could have missed.

Luke Skywalker. Dash!

Dash Rendar. What?

Luke Skywalker. Go to Rodia and find Leia.  Tell her about the computer and the secret plans.  Got it?

Dash Rendar. I should go with you.

Luke Skywalker. No, it’s much more important that you find Leia.

Dash Rendar. All right.  Rodia.  Plans.  Got it.

[Luke and Melan exit.]

End Scene 41.

Begin Scene 42.

[INT. Leia’s room at the Next Chance hotel.  Guri has arrived, and she and Leia are sitting on opposite sides of a long table.]

Guri. It is my understanding you wanted to hold a meeting with a high-ranking member of Black Sun.  How may we serve you, Princess Leia?

Leia. I understand that Black Sun has one of the largest intelligence-gathering capabilities.

Guri. We hear things from time to time.

[Leia smiles.]

Leia. Would you like some refreshment?

Guri. Tea, if it’s not too much trouble.  Hot.

Leia. And the same for me, 3PO, with lots of cream and lots of sugar.

[As 3PO leaves, Leia smiles at Guri.]

Leia. I hope your flight was pleasant?

Guri. Quite.  And I hope that your stay here has been equally pleasant?

[Leia nods, and the conversations stay very bland and dull.  Then…]

Guri. Black Sun is always willing to accommodate the Alliance.  We would not be unhappy if the Empire was to lose this war against the Rebellion, and the Alliance rises to power.

Leia. Well, the Alliance might be a little stricter than the Empire is in regards to criminal activities.

Guri. Black Sun is becoming less and less interested in illicit activities.  Most of our revenue comes from more or less legit operations.  And as I have said before, Black Sun is in sympathy to the Alliance.  We have provided valuable information a number of times.  In fact, we recently aided the Alliance in obtaining plans for a large construction project of the Empire’s, by way of the Bothan spynet.

Leia. Really?  I hadn’t heard that.

Guri. It was very recent.  I doubt the news would have time to reach you here.

[Leia sits back, and tries to copy Guri’s relaxed pose, thinking about what she has just said.]

Guri. I must ask if we can continue this conversation at a later date.  I have pressing matters to deal with on one of the local moons.

Leia. Certainly.  How long will you be away?

Guri. Three or four days, at the most.

[Leia nods, and she and Guri stand up, and Leia shows Guri the way out.  After she leaves, Lando comes in from the refresher, and Chewbacca enters from the hall.]

Leia. So, what did you think?

Lando Calrissian. Man, she’s a smooth piece of work.  You could stack ice cubes on her head and they wouldn’t melt.

C-3PO. I was unable to place her accent, which is decidedly odd, considering I am fluent in over six million forms of communication.

[Chewbacca says something in Wookie.]

C-3PO. Chewbacca says that the woman made her very nervous.

Lando Calrissian. He didn’t say “very.”  Just nervous.

C-3PO. I inferred the modifier from his tone.

Lando Calrissian. So you’re saying my Wookiespeak is bad?

C-3PO. Of course not, Master Lando.

Leia. Don’t start a row, Lando.  Very or not, few things make Wookies nervous.  I think the next time she shows up, we should prepare our reception a little bit more carefully.

End Scene 42.

Begin Scene 43.

[INT. Xizor’s office on Imperial Center.]

Xizor. So what did you think of her?

Guri. She’s very adept at meaningless small talk.  She revealed nothing of what she really wanted, except that it has to do with our intelligence gathering.  She is physically attracted to one of her species and related species, and she is intelligent.

Xizor. Your suggestions?

Guri. Kill her.  Kill the Wookie and the gambler.  Wipe the protocol droid’s memory and melt it down.  And to be safe, eliminate Avaro as well.

Xizor. I think not.  Go back and meet with her again.  Let’s try to find out what she’s really after, how much she knows, and who she’s told.  And then bring her to me.  She could be instrumental in finding out where Skywalker is.  Once I determine that, you may dispose of her.

[Guri nods, and exits.]

End Scene 43.

Being Scene 44.

[INT. The Next Chance hotel.  Lando and Chewie are installing a surveillance system.]

Leia. Are you sure this thing is going to work?

[Chewie says something in Wookie.]

C-3PO. He says if it doesn’t, it was because it was improperly installed.

[Leia turns to look at Lando.]

Lando Calrissian. What are you looking at me for?  The guy who sold it to me said it was top of the line.  The power supply is good for a whole year.  It should work; it sure cost me enough.

Leia. Hardly a dent in your winnings, I’m sure.

Lando Calrissian. Oh, it was a dent.  It had better work, too.

[Chewie says something in Wookie.]

C-3PO. Chewbacca says the system is ready for testing.

[Leia walks over to the desk, and sits down.

Lando Calrissian. The unit is under the file “Bioscan.”

[Leia opens the file, turns the holographic mode off and the bioscanner on.]

Leia. Okay, let’s test it out.  Everybody out.

[Lando, Chewie, and 3PO exit the room.  One by one, Leia calls them in, and the scanner scans them and displays the results to Leia.]

Leia. It seems to be working.

[Lando’s com beeps, and he takes his comlink off his belt.]

Lando Calrissian. Yeah.

Contact. A ship has just arrived; the Outrider, piloted by…

Leia. Dash Rendar?  What’s he doing here?  He’s supposed to be watching Luke!

Lando Calrissian. Let’s go find out.

[They exit, and walk along a number of hallways.  After several minutes, they meet up with Dash, who looks worse for the wear.]

Leia. Is Luke okay?

Dash Rendar. He’s fine.  He doesn’t need my help.

Lando Calrissian. You don’t look so good.  Trouble?

Dash Rendar. It’s a long story.

Lando Calrissian. Come on back to the room.  You can explain on the way.

[They walk off, and Dash begins explaining about the battle with the freighter.]

Lando Calrissian. Any idea what these secret plans are?

Dash Rendar. Nope.  But the Bothans sent the computer over to Kothlis, and Luke went with them.

Lando Calrissian. Don’t worry about it, Dash.  Everybody misses sometimes.

Dash Rendar. Not me.  I never miss.  Bothans are dead because of me, do I have to spell it out for you?

Leia. Let’s just finish this business with Black Sun.  Then we can worry about Luke.

End Scene 44.

Begin Scene 45.

[INT. A lounge on Kothlis, where Luke meets up with Koth Melan.]

Koth Melan. Any troubles?

Luke Skywalker. Nope.  Now what do we do?

Koth Melan. We have a safe house a few kilometers away, and the extraction of the computer’s information is already underway.  We can go and wait until they’re done.

Luke Skywalker. How long will that take?

Koth Melan. Who can say?  Could be days.  But only a few hours if we’re lucky.  I have a speeder waiting outside.

Luke Skywalker. Lead on.  Let’s go try and find out what the Empire thinks is so valuable.

[They exit the lounge, and climb into Melan’s speeder.  An eagle-eye view shows the speeder zooming towards the safe house.  After several minutes, the speeder stops, and Luke and Melan climb out, and enter the safe house.]

Koth Melan. Over this way.

[He leads Luke down a hallway to a secure door.  Melan shows the guard an ID, and they are allowed to enter.  A number of Bothan technicians are sitting at terminals connected to the hijacked computer, and information dances in the air.]

Koth Melan. Not much to see, I’m afraid.  Unless you’re an expert in this kind of thing, all of this just looks like mumbo jumbo.

Luke Skywalker. What does all of this mean?

Koth Melan. You’ve got me.  The Bothans are spies, not programmers.  What I know about programming, you could inscribe in durasteel with a dull sword.

Bothan #1. Hey, hey, hey!  Look at this!

Bothan #2. Oh, sister!

[Luke and Melan run over.]

Luke Skywalker. What is it?

[Before the tech can reply, the wall implodes, and a number of people enter through the hole, and begin firing their blasters.]

End Scene 45.

Begin Scene 46.

[INT. Leia’s room in the Next Chance hotel.  Sitting opposite her is Guri, who has returned from Imperial Center.  Glancing at the computer screen inset into the desk, Leia sees that the information reveals Guri isn’t human.]

Leia. Would you care for some refreshments?

Guri. Tea would be fine.

Leia. 3PO, can you fix two cups of the special tea blend?

[3PO nods, and exits.  Leia again glances at the scanner, and reads that Guri’s skin is ten years old.]

Leia. I trust your business went well?

Guri. It did.

CUT TO: 3PO, fixing the tea.  Into one of the cups he pours a liquid, which turns out to be sleeping potion.

CUT BACK TO: Leia and Guri.  3PO brings the tea.  After giving Guri one of the cups, he turns to Leia.  She sees his left illuminator blink off, and then back on.  Leia smiles.]

End Scene 46.

Begin Scene 47.

[INT. The safe house on Bothawui.  The unknown assailants are still firing their blasters.  Luke unhooks his lightsaber from his belt, and ignites it, blocking a bolt that is shot his way.  Koth Melan pulls out a small blaster of his own, and fires back at the attackers, putting a bolt right between one of the attacker’s eyes.  Luke jumps in front of Melan, and blocks a number of bolts with his saber.  Melan fires his own bolts, but more attackers crowd into the room.]

Koth Melan. There are too many of them!  This way!

[Melan runs to his right, and Luke follows.]

End Scene 47.

Begin Scene 48.

[INT. Leia’s room at the Next Chance hotel.  Twenty minutes have passed, and Leia realizes the sleeping potion isn’t working.]

Guri. All right, Leia Organa.  This has gone on long enough.

Leia. Excuse me?

[Guri raises her tea cup in one hand and squeezes.  Her hand begins to tremble, and then the cup shatters, sending porcelain everywhere.]

Guri. I can do that to your head.  You probably have a weapon hidden somewhere.  But I must warn you that I am much quicker than you, and I can get to you before you can get to it.

Leia. Suppose I believe you.  What exactly do you want?

Guri. You are going to accompany me to Imperial Center.  You will tell the Wookie in the hall to stay here while we leave.  Otherwise, he dies.

Leia. I don’t think so.  Whoever – or whatever – you are, I bet you aren’t faster than a blaster bolt.  Lando?  Dash?

[Lando and Dash enter from the refresher, their blasters leveled at Guri.  Chewbacca enters from the hall, his bowcaster targeted at Guri’s back.  Guri glances at the three of them, then back at Leia.]

Guri. You have the advantage, it would seem.  What do you propose?

End Scene 48.

Begin Scene 49.

[INT. The warehouse on Bothawui.  One of the Bothan technicians grabs the computer, and pulls out the connectors.]

Koth Melan. Run!  We’ll cover you!

[The technician runs towards the back of the room, where a section of wall slides back, revealing a hidden passageway.  Melan empties his blaster charge at a number of incoming attackers.  The weapon clicks empty, and he tosses it away.]

Koth Melan. Let’s go!

[Luke nods, and runs towards the passageway, Melan behind him.  After several steps, a blaster bolt hits Melan, and he falls to the ground.  Luke stops, and runs back to him.]

Koth Melan. Go!  It’s too late for me.  Get yourself out!

Luke Skywalker. I can’t leave you here.

Koth Melan. It’s too late!

[As a number of attackers rush towards them, Luke deflects a number of blaster bolts with his lightsaber.]

Koth Melan. Luke – thanks.  I…

[Melan goes limp, obviously dead, and lets out a death rattle.  The number of attackers grows, and soon, about fifteen of them stand around Luke.]

Barabel. Turn off your saber.  You can’t win, Skywalker.

[Luke clicks his lightsaber off.]

Barabel. Wise move.  Take his weapon.

[Another Barabel steps in, and takes Luke’s lightsaber.]

Luke Skywalker. What do you want?

Barabel. Sorry, but we want you, Skywalker.

End Scene 49.

Begin Scene 50.

[INT. Leia’s room at the Next Chance hotel.  She, Chewie, Lando, and Dash are surrounding Guri, who has been tied to a chair with a steel cable.  Dash is leaning against a wall, with his blaster aimed at Guri.]

Dash Rendar. You’re going to dance into the heart of the Empire, just like that?

Leia. I have connections on Imperial Center.  This…person who represents Black Sun is our only link to them.

Dash Rendar. How are you going to get there?  Book a compartment on a liner?

Leia. I’ll contact the Alliance and have them supply us with a small ship with security clearance.

Guri. Excuse me, but there is an easier way.

Leia. What are you talking about?

Guri. You want to go to Imperial Center and meet with the head of Black Sun, do you not?  I was sent to provide you escort for such a trip.

Leia. Then why the threats?

Guri. It was the fastest way.  It would be very risky for you to try and sneak onto Imperial Center with no escort.  I would be able to greatly lessen that risk.

Leia. And why should we trust you?

Guri. Because I work for Prince Xizor.

[Leia turns to look at Lando and Dash.]

Dash Rendar. Xizor is the head of Black Sun.

Lando Calrissian. I don’t like this much, Leia.

Leia. Neither do I, Lando.  But we’ve got no other choices.  Dash, untie her.

Guri. There is no need.

[Guri stands up, and for several seconds, strains against the cables.  The bonds then snap like rubber bands.

End Scene 50.  

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