Hylas and the Nymphs

The garbage chute was a wonderful idea," he told the Princess sardonically,wiping the sweat from his forehead. "What an incredible smell you've discovered.Unfortunately, we can't ride out here on a drifting odor, and there doesn't seem to beany other exit. Unless I can get this hatch open." Stepping back, he pulled his pistol and fired at the cover. The bolt promptlywent howling around the room as everyone sought cover in the garbage. A lastglance and the bolt detonated almost on top of them. Looking less dignified by the moment, Leia was the first to emerge from thepungent cover. "Put that thing away," she told Solo grimly, "or you're going to getus all killed." "Yes, Your Worship," Solo muttered in snide supplication. He made no moveto reholster his weapon as he glanced back up toward the open chute above. "Itwon't take long for them to figure out what happened to us. We had things wellunder control—until you led us down here." "Sure you did," she shot back, brushing refuse from her hair and shoulders."Oh, well, it could be worse…" As if in reply, a piercing, horrible moaning filled the room. It seemed to comefrom somewhere beneath them. Chewbacca let out a terrified yowl of his own andtried to flatten himself against a wall. Luke drew his own pistol and peered hard atvarious clumps of debris, but saw nothing. "What was that?" Solo asked. "I'm not too sure." Luke suddenly jumped, looking down and behind him."Something just moved past me, I think. Watch out—" With shocking suddenness Luke disappeared straight down into the garbage. "It's got Luke!" the Princess shouted. "It took him under!" Solo lookedaround frantically for something to shoot at.

Madonna Litta

As abruptly as he had vanished, Luke reappeared—and so did part of somethingelse. A thick whitish tentacle was wrapped tight around his throat. "Shoot it, kill it!" Luke screamed. "Shoot it! I can't even see it," Solo protested. Once again Luke was sucked under by whatever that gruesome appendage wasattached to. Solo stared helplessly around the multicolored surface. There was a distant rumble of heavy machinery, and two opposing walls of thechamber moved inward several centimeters. The rumble ceased and then it wasquiet again. Luke appeared unexpectedly close to Solo, scrabbling his way clear ofthe suffocating mess and rubbing at the welt on his neck. "What happened to it?" Leia wondered, eyeing the quiescent garbage warily. Luke looked genuinely puzzled. "I don't know. It had me—and then I wasfree. It just let me go and disappeared. Maybe I didn't smell bad enough for it." "I've got a very bad feeling about this," Solo murmured. Again the distant rumble filled the room; again the walls began their inwardmarch. Only this time neither sound nor movement showed any sign of stopping. "Don't just stand there gaping at each other!" the Princess urged them. "Try tobrace them with something. Even with the thick poles and old metal beams Chewbacca could handle, theywere unable to find anything capable of slowing the walls' advance. It seemed as ifthe stronger the object was that they placed against the walls, the easier it wassnapped. Luke pulled out his comlink, simultaneously trying to talk and will thewalls to retreat. "Threepio…come in, Threepio!" A decent paused produced noresponse, causing Luke to look worriedly at his companions. "I don't know why he doesn't answer." He tried again. "See Threepio, comein. Do you read?"

Naiade oil painting

"See Threepio," the muted voice continued to call, "come in, See Threepio." Itwas Luke's voice and it issued softly in between buzzings from the small handcomlink resting on the deserted computer console. Save for the intermittent pleading,the gantry office was silent. A tremendous explosion drowned out the muffled pleadings. It blew the officedoor clean across the room, sending metal fragments flying in all directions. Severalof them struck the comlink, sending it flying to the floor and cutting off Luke's voicein midtransmission. In the wake of the minor cataclysm four armed and ready troopers enteredthrough the blown portal. Initial study indicated the office was deserted—until adim, frightened voice was heard coming from one of the tall supply cabinets near theback of the room. "Help, help! Let us out!" Several of the troopers bent to inspect the immobile bodies of the gantry officerand his aide while others opened the noisy cabinet. Two robots, one tall andhumanoid, the other purely mechanical and three-legged, stepped out into the office.The taller one gave the impression of being half unbalanced with fear. "They're madmen, I tell you, madmen!" He gestured urgently toward thedoorway. "I think they said something about heading for the prison level. Theyjust left. If you hurry, you might catch them. That way, that way!" Two of the troopers inside joined those waiting in the hallway in hustling offdown the corridor. That left two guards to watch over the office. They totallyignored the robots as they discussed what might have taken place.

precious time

All the excitement has overloaded the circuitry in my companion here,"Threepio explained carefully. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take him down toMaintenance." "Hmmm?" One of the guards looked up indifferently and nodded to the robot.Threepio and Artoo hurried out the door without looking back. As they departed itoccurred to the guard that the taller of the two 'droids was of a type he had never seenbefore. He shrugged. That was not surprising on a station of this size. "That was too close," Threepio muttered as they scurried down an emptycorridor. "Now we'll have to find another information-control console and plug youback in, or everything is lost." The garbage chamber grew remorselessly smaller, the smoothly fitting metalwalls moving toward one another with stolid precision. Larger pieces of refuseperformed a concerto of snapping and popping that was rising toward a finalshuddering crescendo. Chewbacca whined pitifully as he fought with all his incredible strength andweight to hold back one of the walls, looking like a hirsute Tantalus approaching hisfinal summit. "One thing's for sure," Solo noted unhappily. "We're all going to be muchthinner. This could prove popular for slimming . The only trouble is itspermanence." Luke paused for breath, shaking the innocent comlink angrily. "What couldhave happened to Threepio?" "Try the hatch again," advised Leia. "It's our only hope." Solo shielded his eyes and did so. The ineffectual blast echoed mockinglythrough the narrowing chamber.

Rembrandt Biblical Scene

The service bay was unoccupied, everyone apparently having been drawn awayby the commotion elsewhere. After a cautious survey of the room Threepiobeckoned for Artoo to follow. Together they commenced a hurried search of themany service panels. Artoo let out a beep, and Threepio rushed to him. He waitedimpatiently as the smaller unit plugged the receptive arm carefully into the opensocket. A superfast flurry of electronics spewed in undisciplined fashion from the grid ofthe little 'droid. Threepio made cautioning motions. "Wait a minute, slow down!" The sounds dropped to a crawl. "That's better.They're where? They what? Oh, no! They'll only come out of there as liquid!" Less than a meter of life was left to the trapped occupants of the garbage room.Leia and Solo had been forced to turn sideways, had ended up facing each other. Forthe first time the haughtiness was gone from the Princess's face. Reaching out, shetook Solo's hand, clutching it convulsively as she felt the first touch of the closingwalls. Luke had fallen and was lying on his side, fighting to keep his head above therising ooze. He nearly choked on a mouthful of compressed sludge when hiscomlink began buzzing for attention. "Threepio!" "Are you there, sir?" the 'droid replied. "We've had some minor problems.You would not believe—" "Shut up, Threepio!" Luke screamed into the unit. "And shut down all therefuse units on the detention level or immediately below it. Do you copy? Shutdown the refuse—"

leonardo da vinci self portrait

"This is Chewbacca," he explained when the anthropoid had joined them at thebar. "He's first mate on a ship that might suit our needs. He'll take us to hercaptain-owner now." "This way," the Wookie grunted—at least, it sounded something like that to Luke.In any case, the huge creature's follow-me gesture was unmistakable. They startedto wend their way deeper into the bar, the Wookie parting the crowd like a gravelstorm cutting canyonettes. Out in front of the cantina, Threepio paced nervously next to the landspeeder.Apparently unconcerned, Artoo Detoo was engaged in animated electronicconversation with a bright red R-2 unit be longing to another of the cantina's patrons. "What could be taking them so long? They went to hire one ship—not a fleet." Abruptly Threepio paused, beckoning silently for Artoo to be quiet. TwoImperial troopers had appeared on the scene. They were met by an unkempt humanwho had emerged almost simultaneously from the depths of the cantina. "I do not like the looks of this," the tall 'droid murmured.
Luke had appropriated someone else's drink from a waiter's tray as they madetheir way to the rear of the cantina. He gulped at it with the giddy air of one whofeels himself under diving protection. That safe he was not, but in the company ofKenobi and the giant Wookie he began to feel confident that no one in the bar wouldassault him with so much as a dirty look. In a rear booth they encountered a sharp-featured young man perhaps five yearsolder than Luke, perhaps a dozen—it was difficult to tell. He displayed the opennessof the utterly confident—or the insanely reckless. At their approach the man sent thehumanoid wench who had been wriggling on his lap on her way with a whisperedsomething which left a wide, if inhuman, grin on her face.

leonardo da vinci self portrait

The Wookie Chewbacca rumbled something at the man, and he nodded inresponse, glancing up at the newcomers pleasantly. "You're pretty handy with that saber, old man. Not often does one see that kindof swordplay in this part of the Empire anymore." He downed a prodigious portionof whatever filled his mug. "I'm Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon."Suddenly he became all business. "Chewie tells me you're looking for passage tothe Alderaan system?" "That's right, son. If it's on a fast ship," Kenobi told him. Solo didn't bridleat the "son." "Fast ship? You mean you've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?" Kenobi appeared amused. "Should I?" "It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve standard timeparts!"Solo told him indignantly. "I've outrun Imperial starships and Corellian cruisers. Ithink she's fast enough for you, old man." His outrage subsided rapidly. "What'syour cargo?" "Only passengers. Myself, the boy, and two 'droids—no questions asked." "No questions." Solo regarded his mug, finally looked up. "Is it local trouble?" "Let's just say we'd like to avoid any Imperial entanglements," Kenobi repliedeasily.