Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
by: James Fehrenbacher

Cenas 71 a 80:

Scene 71.

Begin Scene 72.

[INT. Xizor’s sanctum.  Xizor has called his chief of security on a comlink.]

Xizor. Did the Wookie escape?

Chief. Yes, Prince Xizor.

Xizor. You didn’t allow him to think it was *too* easy, did you?

Chief. He took down five of our troops, and we singed him with a blaster bolt.  It wasn’t easy.

Xizor. Good.

[Xizor breaks the connection, then sits back in his chair, and sips at his drink.  Then, his private comlink buzzes.]

Xizor. Yes?

Agent. Prince Xizor, I have news concerning Luke Skywalker.

Xizor. And what is it?

Agent. Allegedly, he has been captured by a small group of rogue bounty hunters somewhere on Kothlis.  However, there is a small problem.

Xizor. What kind of problem?

Agent. Well, it seems that there is another bidder for Skywalker.  Someone with Imperial connections, and whose offer is much larger than ours.

Xizor. Tell them we’ll double the other offer.

Agent. Prince Xizor, we’re bidding against the Empire!  We don’t have that kind of money.

Xizor. I know that, you fool.  Once we find out precisely where he is, I’ll send in a jade ops team and collect him for free, so we’ll never even have to pay them.  We only need his body; he doesn’t need to be breathing.

Agent. Very well, Prince Xizor.  I’m getting a call from one of our operatives; it may be Skywalker’s location.

[Xizor waits for a moment, then the agent comes back on.]

Agent. Prince Xizor, it appears there has been a complication.

Xizor. What kind of complication?

Agent. Well, it seems that Skywalker has escaped custody, and that Darth Vader is now personally involved.  He was at the site of the escape mere hours after it took place.

[Xizor laughs.]

Xizor. Don’t worry about Skywalker’s escape.  I have that situation under control.

[Xizor shuts off the comlink.]

Xizor. Vader just missed Skywalker.  So as long as he’s free, and I have Princess Leia here, Skywalker will show up eventually.  That blasted Wookie will see to that.

End Scene 72.

Begin Scene 73.

[INT. The Millennium Falcon.]

Luke Skywalker. Lando, I trust the Force, and right now, it’s telling me that Leia is in danger.  Let’s just put in a call and check it out.

Lando Calrissian. Can’t it wait until we get to Tatooine?

Luke Skywalker. Unfortunately, no.

Lando Calrissian. All right, but remember that I did this.  You owe me one.

[Lando pulls the Falcon out of hyperspace, and puts the ship onto automatic pilot.  He then leads Luke to the aft cargo hold.]

Lando Calrissian. Come here, I want to show you something.  Han isn’t the only one who can rig the Falcon.

Luke Skywalker. What do you mean?

[Lando leads him over to a wall, and points at a small box mounted there.]

Luke Skywalker. That looks like a com unit.

Lando Calrissian. Bright boy.  Alright, go ahead and make your call.

[Luke punches in a number of codes, while Lando slips a thin override card into a slot, and fiddles with the controls, to make sure the communication isn’t tapped.  Dash doesn’t answer his call, but there is a recorded response.]

Luke Skywalker. Do we have a “play message” code?

[Lando gives it to him.  The image swirls into being, but rather than seeing Dash, they see a Wookie…with a bad haircut.]

Lando Calrissian. Chewie!

[Chewie begins moaning in Wookie.]

Lando Calrissian. Uh oh.

Luke Skywalker. “Uh oh” what?

Lando Calrissian. Leia is being held on Imperial Center by Black Sun.  They tried to kill Chewie, but he managed to escape.  It wasn’t his idea, though; Leia made him go.

[The transmission then shuts off, very suddenly.]

Luke Skywalker. What happened?

Lando Calrissian. I don’t know; my codes just went completely blank.  Someone must have reported the theft of the override.

[He pulls the card out of the com unit slot, and drops it on the floor.]

Luke Skywalker. Let’s go.

Lando Calrissian. To Tatooine, right?

Luke Skywalker. Wrong.

Lando Calrissian. Somehow, I knew you were going to say that.

End Scene 73.

Begin Scene 74.

[INT. The Millennium Falcon.]

Lando Calrissian. We’re a few minutes away from Imperial Center, which is one big building complex that covers the entire planet, and the space around it is filled with skyhooks, power sats, and a river of private and commercial traffic, not to mention a pretty big chunk of the Imperial Navy.  And the holes for ship entry are almost minute, and I’m betting that the Falcon is plastered onto “Wanted” screens all across the galaxy, as well as security scanners in the center of the Empire.  And I highly doubt a swiped security code would get us onto the planet.  And we can’t do Leia any good if we’re locked up in prison.  Got any ideas?

Luke Skywalker. Yeah, one.

Lando Calrissian. Let’s hear it.

Luke Skywalker. Well, it’s an old trick Han pulled before he went to Bespin, in which he attached the Falcon to a blind spot on a Star Destroyer.  Leia told me all about it.

Lando Calrissian. And you know where he learned it?

[Luke shakes his head “no.”  Lando then jabs his thumbs at himself.]

Lando Calrissian. I taught him that back when he first started smuggling, just after he won the Falcon.  Okay, let’s do it.  You ready?

Luke Skywalker. Are you?

[:Lando nods.]

C-3PO. We’re ready, too, in case anyone cares.

[Lando enters Imperial Center airspace, and after a few tense moments, is able to safely place the Falcon in the blind spot of a large cargo freighter.]

Lando Calrissian. This ought to be right in their sensor shadow.  I’m going to shut down the transponder and all of the nonessential systems.  This way, we won’t attract any unwanted attention.

Luke Skywalker. Have you thought about what we’re going to do when we land?

Lando Calrissian. Let’s worry about landing at all, first.  Then we can figure out our plan.

[After several minutes of waiting, the freighter drops its cargo, and Lando is able to keep the Falcon in the cargo’s shadow on the way down onto Imperial Center.  Past all of the security sensors, Lando finds a relatively unused warehouse to land the Falcon.  He and Luke then leave the ship, leaving R2 and C-3PO behind.]

C-3PO. Master Luke, I really don’t think this is a very good idea.  I would feel much safer going with you and Master Lando.

Luke Skywalker. 3PO, relax.  And besides, I think it’s a lot more dangerous out there than it is in here.

C-3PO. Well, in that case, perhaps we should stay behind.

[Luke chuckles.]

Luke Skywalker. If anything comes up, 3PO, I’ll call you on the comlink.

[R2 whistles something.]

C-3PO. R2, you heard Master Luke; he needs us here on the ship in case anything goes wrong.

Lando Calrissian. What could *possibly* go wrong, 3PO?  We’ve got rewards put out for us dead or alive, and we’ve just landed ourselves in the heart of the Empire.

Luke Skywalker. Yeah, but where’s the last place an Imperial officer or bounty hunter would look for a Rebel officer?

Lando Calrissian. Good point.  But I suppose the Empire doesn’t think anyone would be that stupid.  Luckily, they don’t know that we *are* that stupid.

Luke Skywalker. Don’t worry about a thing, 3PO.  Like I said, if anything comes up, I’ll call you.  But there is a possibility that we won’t make it back alive.  In case that happens, don’t call the Alliance for help.  There’s nothing to be gained by placing the fleet in jeopardy.

C-3PO. I understand, Master Luke.

[Luke pats 3PO on his metal back, as Lando lowers the boarding ramp.  R2 then whistles something to Luke.  Luke turns and kneels down next to the droid.]

Luke Skywalker. R2, just stand by the com.  If we get into trouble, you and 3PO can come get us.  You know the navigation systems, and 3PO can handle the controls.

Lando Calrissian. There’s a happy thought.  If Han knew that, it would thaw him out faster than a laser torch.  Come one, Luke, we need to hurry and get into our disguises.  We should be able to reach the Underground before sunlight.

[Luke stands up, and Lando, already in beggar’s robes, hands him another set of robes.  Luke puts on the duds, and covers the lower half of his face with a scarf.  Luke and Lando exit the ship, and weave their way through a sparsely populated area, to a friend of Lando’s who owes him a favor, and allows them to dock the Falcon in an abandoned warehouse.]

Luke Skywalker. Exactly how many people owe you favors?

Lando Calrissian. A lot of them who shouldn’t gamble.  Lucky for me they do.

Luke Skywalker. So what do we do now?

Lando Calrissian. We need to catch a ride into the Southern Underground.  Keep your lightsaber handy, but out of sight.  The area we’re heading to isn’t one you would want to take your grandmother for tea.

Luke Skywalker. Is it as bad as Mos Eisley?

Lando Calrissian. Parts of it are worse.

Luke Skywalker. Perfect.  Why are we going to such a “lovely” part of the planet, anyway?

Lando Calrissian. Did you ever hear of Evet Scy’rrep?

Luke Skywalker. The shipjacker?  Sure; they based a whole holographic series on him.  He knocked off about fifteen starliners and got away with millions of credits and jewels.  He was eventually caught, though.

Lando Calrissian. That’s right.  And at his trial, he said he robbed luxury cruisers because “that’s where the credits are.”  Along those same lines, that’s why we’re headed towards the Underground, because that’s where my contacts are.

End Scene 74.

Begin Scene 75.

[EXT. The Southern Underground on Imperial Center.  Luke and Lando have arrived, still dressed in their beggar’s robes.]

Lando Calrissian. I think it’s time we got some better disguises.

Luke Skywalker. What did you have in mind?

Lando Calrissian. Well, ideally, we want to look like someone no one would pay any attention to.

Luke Skywalker. Stormtroopers?

Lando Calrissian. Yeah.  Or maybe the Elite Stormtroopers would be better; their faces are covered.

[Luke looks around, and notices a trooper near a ticket droid.]

Luke Skywalker. I see one about my size over by that ticket droid.

Lando Calrissian. Yep, and there’s one about my height and weight standing over by the periodical dispenser.  Maybe we should do our duty to the Empire, and report a problem in one of the ‘fresher booths, do you think?

Luke Skywalker. Just as any loyal Imperial citizen would.

End Scene 75.

Begin Scene 76.

[INT.  The refresher booth.  The Luke-sized trooper has just entered one of the toilet stalls.]

Stormtrooper. What are you talking about?  I don’t’ see any…

[Using the Force, Luke takes control of the trooper’s mind.  He tells him to strip, and sit down for a long nap.  Luke then dresses in the trooper’s outfit, and exits the stall, just as Lando exits an adjacent stall, dressed in a similar outfit.  They square their shoulders, stick out their chests, and swagger out of the ‘fresher.]

[EXT. The Southern Underground.  Luke and Lando are standing in the circle of shops Leia and Chewie were at earlier.]

Luke Skywalker. Well, this neighborhood is certainly better than the one we just came from.  But where are we going?

[Lando points to Spero’s plant shop.]

Lando Calrissian. There.

Luke Skywalker. A plant store?

Lando Calrissian. Don’t let it fool you.  It’s run by an old Ho’Din named Spero.  He’s got a number of contacts, some Alliance, some Imperial, some criminal.

Luke Skywalker. Don’t tell me – he owes you a favor.

Lando Calrissian. Not exactly.  We’ve done business in the past, and he doesn’t mind making a few credits in exchange for information.

[Heading for the shop, Luke looks around, and notices that nearly everyone is looking at them.]

Luke Skywalker. We’re getting a lot of dirty looks.

Lando Calrissian. It’s the uniforms.  The Empire doesn’t have many friends down here.  Most of the citizens down here are on the run, only a step or two away from getting arrested.  As long as we keep ourselves out of their business, they won’t bother us.

[Entering the shop, Luke and Lando notice the shop is empty.  Suddenly, a Wookie growls behind them.]

Lando Calrissian. Turn around slowly.

[They do, and notice a large Wookie, with a bad haircut, pointing a blaster right at them.]

Lando Calrissian. Chewie!

[Chewie realizes who it is, and lowers the blaster.  As Luke and Lando walk over to him, Chewie begins moaning in Wookie.]

Lando Calrissian. Spero is tied up in back; in case anyone saw Chewie entering the building, they wouldn’t think Spero was helping.  Slow down, Chewie!  Leia thinks it’s Black Sun that wants you dead, Luke.  They’re behind the assassinations, not the Empire.  I don’t know how we’re going to get into the building; there are only three of us.

[Suddenly, a blaster bolt enters the building, and shatters a flower pot hanging nearby.  The three of them dive to the floor for cover.  Chewie raises his blaster and fires back several bolts.]

Luke Skywalker. Is there a way out of here?

[Chewie moans something in Wookie.]

Lando Calrissian. In the back.

[The three of them combat-crawl towards the back.  As they enter the back room, they notice Spero tied up, sitting in a corner.  As Lando passes him, he tells Spero to send the bill to the Alliance; they’ll pay for any damages.  Chewie slides the back door open, and another bolt zips in.]

Lando Calrissian. They’ve got us boxed in!

[While they’re thinking about what to do, someone outside the building screams [WILHELM SCREAM].  The sound of several blaster discharges is heard, and someone walks – no, swaggers – into view, swinging a blaster on his finger.]

Lando Calrissian. Dash!  What are you doing here?

Dash Rendar. Saving your butts, it looks like.  Come on, follow me; we can talk while we move.

[Luke, Lando, and Chewie follow Dash, who leads them through a crowded street to a series of twisted corridors and tunnels.]

Lando Calrissian. So how did you get here, Dash?

Dash Rendar. The usual way.  Sneaked in under a freighter’s sensor shadow.  How ‘bout you?

Lando Calrissian. Same thing.  We could have done it on autopilot, it was so easy.

Luke Skywalker. How did you manage to get here?

[Gestures to the ground.]

Dash Rendar. You mean Spero’s?  Everyone knows about Spero, don’t they?

Lando Calrissian. I guess so.  That explains how, but why?

Dash Rendar. Something to prove, I guess.  I felt pretty bad after Luke and I hit that freighter.  I’m not used to making mistakes, and I’m still not over it.  But when Chewie called, I decided it was time to pay the Empire back.  So here I am.

Luke Skywalker. I can understand completely.

Dash Rendar. Come on, I have a few contacts around here.

[He leads them off.]

End Scene 76.

Begin Scene 77.

[INT. Leia’s room in Xizor’s castle.]

Xizor. You must breakfast with me, Princess Organa.

Leia. I’ll pass, thanks.

Xizor. I insist.

Leia. Will Chewie be joining us?

Xizor. I’m afraid your friend has…taken his leave of us.

Leia. Lost him and can’t find him, eh?

Xizor. Please, don’t insult my intelligence, Princess Leia.  I *allowed* Chewbacca to escape.

Leia. Don’t insult *my* intelligence.  I know better than that.

Xizor. I want your friend Skywalker.  Skywalker wants you.  I *have* you.  Certainly I don’t need to draw you a diagram?  Skywalker will come eventually, and then I will kill him.

[Xizor exits.]

End Scene 77.

Begin Scene 78.

[INT. Xizor’s changing room.  He has stripped out of his breakfast clothes and is choosing a set of clothes for his business dealings.]

Guri. We have agents saying that a Corellian freighter matching the description of the Millennium Falcon is hidden somewhere in the warehouse district near the South Pole.

Xizor. There are hundreds of ships that match that description.

Guri. Not stored in any of the warehouses on Imperial Center.

Xizor. So what you’re saying is that Skywalker and the gambler have come here and have landed on Imperial Center undetected?

Guri. Any half-wit pilot who knows the freighter trick can manage it.  Our own smugglers do it all the time.

Xizor. Fine.  Send some of our agents to check it out.  If that is Skywalker’s ship, have it monitored.  When he shows up, allow our people to kill him.

[Guri nods, and exits.]

End Scene 78.

Begin Scene 79.

[INT. A local hotel on Imperial Center.  Luke is sitting in a Jedi meditating position.]

Luke Skywalker. Leia.

CUT TO: Leia’s room in Xizor’s castle, using the computer, trying to find blueprints of the castle.  She feels Luke calling to her.

CUT BACK TO: Luke.

Luke Skywalker. Leia.  I’m here.  I’m coming for you.

CUT BACK TO: Leia.

Leia. Luke, I’m here.

CUT BACK TO: Luke.

[Luke smiles.  He then exits the room, and walks into a restaurant, where Lando, Dash, and Chewie are sitting.]

Dash Rendar. Now, this is the center of the Empire.

Lando Calrissian. [With heavy irony] It is?  We shouldn’t be here; it could be dangerous.

Luke Skywalker. Cut it out, Lando.  What’s your point, Dash?

Dash Rendar. The Empire is very corrupt.  It’s run less on loyalty and honor and more on bribes and graft.

Lando Calrissian. So you think we’re going to be able to bribe a guard?  I doubt Black Sun would put someone like that in front of their door.

Dash Rendar. Not a guard, but an engineer.

Luke Skywalker. What am I missing here?

Dash Rendar. A building as big as this one generates a lot of waste.  The solids have to be broken down and pumped out, most likely as some kind of slurry.  So we’re talking about pipes.

[Luke gets the idea.]

Luke Skywalker. Big pipes.

[He sees the others get the idea.  Chewie then moans something in Wookie.]

Lando Calrissian. Chewie is right.  Even if those conduits are big enough to admit people, there are sure to be a large number of guards.

[Chewie moans something else.]

Dash Rendar. Chewie also points out that such pipes and conduits would be hard to locate, given that all of the buildings have similar systems.  It’s probably a big maze underground.

Luke Skywalker. Right.  And there will probably be fewer guards posted on a large sewer drain than the doors aboveground.  And they wouldn’t expect an assault this way.

Lando Calrissian. Assuming we can find a guide, you’re suggesting we wade through kilometers of *sewage* to get into this place?

Dash Rendar. Exactly what the guards would think.  Who would be that stupid?

Lando Calrissian. Us.  Who else?

Dash Rendar. And finding a guide is no problem.  I’ve got someone in mind.

Luke Skywalker. Everyone ready?

[Everyone acknowledges.]

Luke Skywalker. Okay, let’s do this.

[They stand up, and exit the restaurant.]

End Scene 79.

Begin Scene 80.

[INT. A large sewer pipe on Imperial Center.  Luke, Lando, Dash, and Chewie are standing around a holographic table with Dash’s guide, Benedict Vidkun.  Vidkun is a short, thin fish-belly pale man, with bulging brown eyes, a wispy beard and moustache, and a very prominent nose.]

Benedict Vidkun. This branch is the one we want.

[He gestures to the hologram.]

Benedict Vidkun. That pipe drains Xizor’s castle on a regular basis.  There’s a locked grate to keep out the vermin, but maintenance has the key codes.  Once we’re inside, it’s only about a half kilometer to the building pipes.

[He presses a button, and the hologram enlarges.]

Lando Calrissian. How big are these pipes?

Benedict Vidkun. They’re big enough for a couple of men to walk in side-by-side.  The Wook will have to hunch down some, though.

Lando Calrissian. And those lead into the building itself?

Benedict Vidkun. Yeah.  There’s going to be another rat grate, though.  Strictly speaking, we’re not supposed to have the codes for that, but it just so happens that my brother-in-law works for the firm that constructed the castle.  I can give those to you, for a consideration.

Lando Calrissian. What kind of consideration?

Benedict Vidkun. Two hundred and fifty credits?

Lando Calrissian. Try a hundred and twenty-five.

Benedict Vidkun. Save the trouble, I’ll get you the codes.

Lando Calrissian. Blaster fire is cheaper; we can blow the locks.  Alright, a hundred and fifty.

Benedict Vidkun. You don’t want to make too much noise, though.  One seventy-five.

Lando Calrissian. Deal.

Benedict Vidkun. After that, you want to watch out for a zap field.  You step into that, and bzzt, that thing would cook you faster than a high-amp microwave blast.  Luckily, my *other* brother-in-law installs zap fields, so I’ll be able to get the bypass codes.

Luke Skywalker. For a consideration.

Benedict Vidkun. Same as the other?

Dash Rendar. Fine.

Benedict Vidkun. After that, all you have to worry about is getting out of the gather chamber and past whatever guards may be there.  Unfortunately, Xizor uses his own guards, so I won’t know any of them.

Dash Rendar. Don’t worry; we’ll manage.

[Vidkun nods, then starts towards the exit.  Lando steps in front of him.]

Lando Calrissian. Where are you going?

Benedict Vidkun. I’m going home.

Lando Calrissian. I don’t think so.  I think you’ll stay here with us.

Benedict Vidkun. But you just said you weren’t ready to go until tomorrow.

Dash Rendar. We changed our minds.  We want to go right now.  And since we don’t want to find a squad of stormtroopers or Black Sun reps waiting for us when we enter the sewers, we’d appreciate it if you didn’t make any calls.

Benedict Vidkun. I wouldn’t turn you guys in!

Lando Calrissian. Not unless there was something in it for you.  And since you’re going to be leading us, if any shooting starts, guess who gets it first?

[Lando waves his blaster under Vidkun’s nose.]

Benedict Vidkun. Can I at least call my wife and tell her what’s going on?  She’ll get really mad if I don’t.

Lando Calrissian. So buy her something nice after we get into the building.  You’ll have plenty of credits.

Benedict Vidkun. I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?

[Luke pulls out his comlink.]

Luke Skywalker. 3PO?  Is everything going okay on the ship?

C-3PO. [Over comlink.] Yes, Master Luke.  Everything on the ship is fine.  But R2 overheard a communication on a shielded channel.  There are a number of search teams in the area, apparently looking for a Corellian freighter.

Luke Skywalker. Keep a look-out, 3PO.  If anyone suspicious comes snooping around, contact me.

C-3PO. I certainly shall, Master Luke.

[Luke sighs, then turns off his comlink.]

Luke Skywalker. Let’s go.

End Scene 80.  

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