Han draws his laser pistol and fires at the hatch. The laserbolt ricochets wildly around the small metal room. Everyone dives for cover in the garbage as the bolt explodes almost on top of them. Leia climbs out of the garbage with a rather grim look on her face.
LUKE: Will you forget it? I already tried it. It's magnetically sealed!
LEIA: Put that thing away! You're going to get us all killed.
HAN: Absolutely, Your Worship. Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here. You know, it's not going to take them long to figure out what happened to us.
LEIA: It could be worse. . .
A loud, horrible, inhuman moan works its way up from the murky depths. Chewbacca lets out a terrified howl and begins to back away. Han and Luke stand fast with their laser pistols drawn. The Wookiee is cowering near one of the walls.
HAN: It's worse.
LUKE (o.s.): There's something alive in here!
HAN (o.s.): That's your imagination.
LUKE: Something just moved past my leg!
LUKE: Look! Did you see that?
HAN: What?
A bizarre creature pops out of the sludge, looks around, and dives back in.
Suddenly Luke is yanked under the garbage.
HAN: Luke! Luke! Luke!
Solo tries to get to Luke. Luke surfaces with a gasp of air and thrashing of limbs. A membrane tentacle is wrapped around his throat.
LEIA: Luke!
Leia extends a long pipe toward him.
LEIA: Luke, Luke, grab a hold of this.
LUKE: Blast it, will you! My gun's jammed.
HAN: Where?
LUKE: Anywhere! Oh!!
Solo fires his gun downward. Luke is pulled back into the muck by the slimy tentacle.
HAN: Luke! Luke!
Suddenly the walls of the garbage receptacle shudder and move in a couple of inches. Then everything is deathly quiet. Han and Leia give each other a worried look as Chewbacca howls in the corner. With a rush of bubbles and muck.
LEIA: Grab him!
Luke suddenly bobs to the surface, he seems to be released by the thing.
LEIA: What happened?
LUKE: I don't know, it just let go of me and disappeared...
HAN: I've got a very bad feeling about this.
Before anyone can say anything the walls begin to rumble and edge toward the Rebels.
LUKE: The walls are moving!
LEIA: Don't just stand there. Try to brace it with something.
They place poles and long metal beams between the closing walls, but they are simply snapped and bent as the giant trashmasher rumbles on. The situation doesn't look too good.
LUKE: Wait a minute!
Luke pulls out his comlink.
LUKE: Threepio! Come in Threepio! Threepio! Where could he be?
MAIN GANTRY - COMMAND OFFICE: A soft buzzer and the muted voice of Luke calling out for See-Threepio can be heard on Threepio's hand comlink, which is sitting on the deserted computer console. Artoo and Threepio are nowhere in sight.
Suddenly there is an explosion and the door of the control tower opens.
Six armed stormtroopers enter the chamber.
FIRST TROOPER: Take over! (pointing to the dead officer) See to him! . . . . . Look there!
A trooper pushes a button and the supply cabinet door slides open. See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo are inside. Artoo follows his bronze companion out into the office.
THREEPIO: They're madmen! They're heading for the prison level. If you hurry, you might catch them.
FIRST OFFICER: (to his troops) Follow me! You stand guard.
The troops hustle off down the hallway, leaving a guard to watch over the command office.
THREEPIO: (to Artoo) Come on!
The guard aims a blaster at them.
THREEPIO: Oh! All this excitement has overrun the circuits of my counterpart here. If you don't mind, I'd like to take him down to maintenance.
TROOPER: All right.
The guard nods and Threepio, with little Artoo in tow, hurries out the door.
GARBAGE ROOM: As the walls rumble closed, the room gets smaller and smaller. Chewie is whining and trying to hold a wall back with his giant paws. Garbage is snapping and popping. Luke is trying to reach Threepio.
LUKE: Threepio! Come in, Threepio! Threepio!
Han and Leia try to brace the contracting walls with a pole. Leia begins to sink into the trash.
HAN: Get to the top!
LEIA: I can't
LUKE: Where could he be? Threepio! Threepio, will you come in?
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