Dance Me to the End of Love

Back in the gentry office Artoo Detoo beeped and whistled frantically asThreepio adjusted controls, fighting to clear the awkward transmission. "I said, allsystems have been alerted to your presence, sir. The main entry seems to be the onlyway in or out of the cell block." He pressed instruments, and the view on the nearbyreadouts changed steadily. "All other information on your section is restricted." Someone began banging on the locked door to the office—evenly at first andthen, 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 Soloand Chewbacca to pick their targets. That was fortunate inasmuch as they were nowbadly outnumbered and the smoke confused the Imperials' fire with equalthoroughness. Every so often one of the soldiers would attempt to move closer, only to standexposed 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 rampwayflooring. Energy bolts continued to ricochet wildly through the block as Luke moved closeto Solo. "There isn't other way out." he yelled over the deafening roar of concentratedfire.