Redamancy - Han Solo [3]

Chapter 4: Luke's Rubbish Plan Phase 2

The Tatooine sun was hot. Like, really hot. Like, scorching any of your skin that wasn't covered by clothing hot. Now, this wasn't a problem for Luke and Han in their long-sleeved ensembles that looked far too effortlessly cool for them to actually be effortless. But for Tasha, in her tight performer's costume . . . well, she was going to have some interesting tan lines later, she could tell.

"I think my eyes are getting better." Said Han, "instead of a big dark blur I see a big light blur." Tasha scoffed as Luke smiled slightly.

"There's nothing to see." The jedi replied, "I used to live here you know." Han made an unimpressed expression.

"You're gonna die here, you know. Convenient." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Just stick close to Tasha and Lando. I've taken care of everything." Now it was Han's turn to roll his eyes, raising his eyebrows sceptically.

"Oh . . . great!"

"I can't honestly say that fills me with a tonne of confidence either, Farm Boy." Tasha said, leaning closer to Luke so only he could hear. Luke just looked annoyed now.

"Just, have a little faith, will you?" he muttered back irritably.

The ride on the open-air skiff was a lot smoother than one would've thought from looking at it, with its flat deck and angrily pointed railings, sharp nose cutting through the thick air. Jabba's sail barge, his obnoxious, sultan-like carrier, followed behind them, passing them to swerve gracefully and stop on top of one of the smaller sand dunes, glaring down at them. The other escort skiff stopped next to the barge, and the one with the rebel heroes stopping close to a pit in between two dunes of sand. Now, what differentiated this pit was the mass of concentric teeth that circled it, and the horrible scaled tongue that poked out menacingly every so often, just to remind people that it was a living creature and not a fossilised feature of the landscape. The pit of Carkoon, the resting place of the Almighty Sarlacc.

Tasha snorted as the plank extended from the skiff over the monster's mouth. Really?

Threepio's tinny voice came over the sail barge's speakers, filling the desert.

"Victims of the almighty Sarlacc: His Excellency hopes that you will die

honourably. But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Jabba

the Hutt will now listen to your pleas." Tasha glared up at the sail barge, not sure where Jabba was but hoping he could see her defiantly-pissed-off expression as the laughter from the court reached her ears. Han seemed to be on a similar train of thought. The smuggler took a solid step forward, closer to Tasha, shoulders back firmly before shouting up at the ship.

"Threepio! You tell that slimy piece of . . ." he paused as he searched for the right insult, "worm-ridden filth, he'll get no such pleasure from us." He leaned back slightly, unable to see everyone's reaction to his statement. "right?" Chewie growled an angry affirmative. Jabba's soldiers had moved Luke closer to the plank, undoing the bonds that held his hands together, and the Jedi stood there confidently, arms by his sides and head up high.

"Jabba, this is your last chance. Free us, or die!"

"I think we're giving him far too many chances here," muttered Tasha, making a small smirk flash across Han's face. The bleached blonde girl noticed Lando moving slightly closer to them, Luke looking at him briefly, just a tiny glance. If you hadn't been watching closely you would've missed it. Tasha's jedi reflexes didn't though, her body tensing for a fight on instinct. It was now or never.

The guard prodded Luke towards the plank as mocking laughter filled the air once more. The jedi cast a quick look at Tasha, the girl nodded to him slightly, not knowing what the hell was about to happen, and she followed his gaze to the upper deck of the sail barge, Artoo's small silver shape catching her eye. Ahhhhh. Luke gave the droid a jaunty salute, and Tasha's heart sped up.