Clary regrets a lot of things in her life—jumping into a garbage chute of the Imperial space station is definitely one of them. She looks around, the putrid smell of trash stinging her senses as her eyes land on the only door that appears to be an exit. Chewbacca is already banging against the hatchway as Luke clambers his way as well. He inspects it for a moment before attempting to pull it open. When he ends up stumbling backwards Clary's heart sinks as she glances around. She hears a swift noise and Han giving a quick shout before plummeting into the large room, landing in the muck beside her. He shakes his head, lifting his arms as he glances around, nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Oh," he exclaims, sarcasm dripping off his words as he rises to his feet. "The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea." He glares pointedly at Princess Leia who meets his gaze with a scoff. "What a wonderful smell you've discovered," he comments, nose still wrinkled before his gaze rests on Clary. His gaze softens as he nods towards her. "Are you all right?"

Clary sighs in response—she was fine, of course, but she really wanted to get out of the chute. A bad feeling seems to be creeping on her thoughts as she glances around nervously. She's so engrossed she doesn't notice Han pushing past her, taking out his blaster until he's aiming it at the hatch, causing both Chewbacca and Luke to jump out of the way. Before anyone can react he's firing at it. Clary's pulse accelerates as the laser bolt ricochets wildly around the small metal room. She lets out a short scream, along with Leia, as they duck their heads, trying to avoid the red beam as it bounces off the walls. The beam nearly misses Clary as Han shoves her into the garbage, hiding them from the beam. There's a loud explosion that echoes in the small confinement the group is trapped in, signaling that the laser had hit the ceiling. Slowly, Clary rises to her feet, looking at her attire in disgust as something slimy rolls of her arm. Han is standing beside her and Clary spots Leia rising to her feet as well, a rather grim expression creasing her pretty face.

"Will you forget it?" Luke questions, glaring Han's way. "I already tried it—it's magnetically sealed."

Leia eyes Han's blaster warily. "Put that thing away, you're going to get us killed!"

"Absolutely, Your Worship," Han mutters sarcastically, yet hooks his blaster to the belt of the Stormtrooper uniform as he glances around the room. "Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here."

Clary tries not to argue with her brother—they definitely did not have everything under control before Leia blasted at the vent, providing them an escape route. She weighs the possibilities, though, knowing no matter what they may do, the Stormtroopers will find out where they are sooner or later.

Han seems to know what she's thinking as he voices her opinion out loud: "It's not going to take long for them to figure out what happened to us."

"It could have been worse," Leia points out. Clary glances the Princess' way, but doesn't say anything as she looks back at her brother. He's opening his mouth to retort but something cuts him off. A loud, horrible inhuman moan echoes through the murky depths of the garbage chute, causing Clary's spine to shudder. She exchanges confused and frightened looks with the others and is nearly startled by Chewbacca's terrified howl. She glances the Wookie's way as he stumbles backwards, running towards the hatch. He bangs against it, whining loudly. Han and Luke stand straighter as they draw their blasters. Clary holds onto hers tightly as she scans the area.

"It's worse," Han says, giving Leia a redundant look. Clary's gaze travels down to the murky water Han, Luke and herself are standing in. She blinks, staring with wide eyes, as something seems to slither in the dirty water. Her heart pounds loudly in her chest as she jumps suddenly as the thing swims past her leg, a sick, chilling feeling running up and down her spine.

"There's something alive in here," Luke exclaims. Han looks at him.

"It's just your imagination."

"It just moved past my leg!" Luke objects. He points with his blaster at the water as he adds, "Look, did you see that?"

"What?" Han squints at the water, unable to see a thing. Before Clary has the chance to breathe, the creature hiding within the dark depths of the water manages to latch onto her foot. She jumps up in alarm, colliding into Luke, causing them both to stumble backwards. Clary manages to regain her balance, however, as she and the young blond grip onto each other, steadying themselves. An almost eerie silence follows the loud skirmish and Luke glances at Clary, his sincere blue eyes meeting hers. Clary finds herself unable to say anything until Luke lets out a short cry, being pulled from underneath the garbage and water.

"Luke—!" Clary starts off, but is cut off as Han is by her side immediately, grabbing a hold of her arm.

"Luke?" he calls out, looking around warily. He pushes Clary closer towards Leia and Chewbacca, still glancing around at the water. "Luke!"

The blond resurfaces, gasping for air, thrashing about wildly. Clary spots a membrane-like tentacle wrapped around his throat, nearly choking him. She starts forward but Han stops her, attempting to make his way towards the young boy. Clary glances back as Leia nudges her with a pipe, nodding to Han. She grips onto it, helping to extend the long pipe.

"Luke, grab a hold of this," Leia says.

Luke attempts to reach forward but the tentacle tightens around him, causing him to gasp for breath once again. "Blast it, will you?" he manages to say. "My gun's jammed."

"Where?" Han questions. Before he has the chance to even raise his weapon, Clary is already aiming hers and shoots in the water near Luke. The tentacle recoils for a moment before tightening around Luke once again, pulling him back under the murky water.

"Luke!" Han exclaims. He glances around as Clary drops the metal pipe—it clangs against the garbage but before Clary even has the chance to consider the odds, the walls of the garbage receptacle give a loud shudder, moving forward a couple of inches. Startled, Clary steps back, eyes wide as she examines the room. An almost deathly quiet follows the loud groan and Clary looks up, exchanging a worried look with her brother and Leia. Chewbacca's frightened howls gain Clary's attention and she glances towards the Wookie as he begins to bang against the hatch.

A sudden splash from the corner causes her to divert her attention. From the bubbles in the muck, Luke suddenly bobs to the surface, gasping for breath.

"Grab him!" Clary exclaims, rushing forward. Han beats her to the young boy, however, grabbing him by the shoulders as the creature releases him. Leia stares.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Luke replies, "it just let go of me and disappeared."

Han glances back at Clary. "I've got a very bad feeling about this," he says. Clary opens her mouth to reply but she's cut off as the walls begin to rumble loudly. Instinctively, she steps closer to her brother and he grips onto her tightly. Nearly comforted by his familiarity, Clary's relief dissipates almost immediately as the walls inch forward, gaining speed rapidly.

"The walls are moving!" Luke exclaims. Clary feels her heart race as she looks around. Leia is also glimpsing around in the room, jumping from the different garbage piles as she shifts through them. She looks up when she notices the boys and Chewbacca haven't moved.

"Well, don't just stand there! Try to brace it with something."

Clary stumbles forward as she starts shifting through the trash. She retrieves two metal poles and lifts them up. The walls collide with it, and the metal barely withstands five seconds before bending them in half. They fall to the floor of the garbage chute with a loud splash. While standing in the middle of the garbage room, hope slowly dissipating, Clary wonders what she could have done differently to prevent this situation: perhaps if they didn't recklessly shoot at the Stormtroopers in the detention area the security would never have known they were present. She stares at the floor, mind racing. The only positive thing she can think of at this moment is at least the creature is gone.

"Wait a minute!" Luke's voice calls out in the metal room. Clary glances back at him as he retrieves a comlink. Pressing the button he hurriedly says: "3P0! Come in, 3P0!" When no voice answers he adds more urgently, "3P0!"

The walls continue to rumble and a heavy feeling sinks in Clary's chest. She glances towards Princess Leia, who is staring at the floor, a look of concern creasing her brow. The room continues to get smaller and smaller. Clary stands beside her brother, his presence familiar and calming. He glances her way, meeting her gaze. He doesn't have to say anything. He already knows what she's thinking.

Chewbacca is whining near one of the walls, attempting to hold it back with his giant paws. Clary glances back at the Wookie and nearly calls out to him as the room continues to grow smaller. She's pressed against one of the walls, the murky water no longer under her feet but the piles of trash as she sways uncertainly. She glances back at Luke as he's pushing against one of the walls, still attempting to contact the droids. Something about him has changed: he's assertive and determined, glittering eyes narrowed as he continues to yell into the comlink.

"3P0! Come in, 3P0!"

Leia lets out a short cry, gaining Clary's attention. She looks over just in time to see the pretty girl sink further into the trash, losing grip of the pole she had been clinging onto to brace the wall. Han glances at her.

"Get to the top!"

Leia meets his gaze. "I can't."

Clary kneels forward, holding out the pole she had been gripping onto near Leia. The Princess looks up, meeting her gaze before reaching forward. She nearly grasps onto the pole but the width the two girls stand from each other is too far. Clary attempts to slide forward a few inches but lets out a quick shriek as she sinks downwards. She grunts, attempting to kick around with her feet in attempts to loosen herself but her legs are stiff, held in place from the amount of trash in the room.

"Clary," Han says. He outstretches his hand, nodding to his younger sister as he's pressed against the wall. The space in the room is only a few feet apart and Leia lets out a groan as she's pressed tightly against the opposite wall. Clary nods in her direction as she manages to press her palms against the top of the trash pile. She attempts to push herself upwards, but Han doesn't move as he gestures again with his hand.

"Go help the princess," Clary grunts, feeling her body loosen in the garbage pile. As her brother nears in the princess' direction, she manages to hoist herself full out, gasping with relief. Her moment is ruined quickly, however, as the wall presses against her back, reminding her of the impending doom that awaits the group.

"One thing's for sure," Han is saying as he makes his way closer to Leia. "We're all going to be a lot thinner!"

"Han," Clary says warningly. In another time and moment, she would have been grateful for his bitter humor. Instead she feels dreary as she glances back at Luke. Chewbacca is yelping and barking loudly and Han is yelling at Leia to try and get to the top of the pile again (despite the fact that she had already said she couldn't the first time), but all Clary sees is Luke. His side is pressed against the wall as the rising ooze of the garbage begins to grow taller. Clary feels herself sinking again, and she doesn't try to fight staying on the top as her brother grabs a hold of Leia's hand, the terrified look on the princess' face slowly calming. Clary remains looking at Luke, however, and he turns to face her, glittering blue eyes meeting hers. He's silent, still gripping on tightly to the comlick, but he lowers his hand, as if giving up on the droids ever answering. He holds her gaze and Clary no longer feels the rush she would have felt before (given her circumstances, her heart was already fluttering). He doesn't say anything but he doesn't have to; his eyes say it all.

A loud buzzing noise suddenly emits from the comlink, causing Luke to tear his gaze away from the young girl. He presses the button as he calls into it: "3P0!"

He hesitates and Clary holds her breath, waiting for the droids to answer. As the walls press against her body uncomfortably, Clary winces, trying to push away the fact that they could possibly not make it out of the garbage room as she watches Luke impatiently. She hears C-3P0's familiar voice spill from the comlink:

"We've had some problems, sir—"

"Shut up and listen to me," Luke interrupts. "Shut down all garbage mashers on the detention level, will you? Do you copy?"

Clary lets out a short scream as she feels her leg get pressed tightly against the wall. The trash piles begin to rise as she finds it harder to keep her head above surface, along with the others. She can hear Han yelling and Leia screaming and Luke shouting into the comlink and her mind is racing. It doesn't stop thinking as the walls inch closer and closer together.

Clary wonders if this is where death gets her—in the garbage chute of the Imperial Death Star. Before she has the chance to ponder the thought any further, and just as the walls are a few inches apart, they creak to a stop. Clary lets out a loud gasp of relief as she looks around, exhaling the breath she had been holding in. She exchanges a relieved look with her brother as she looks towards Luke.

"3P0," he says, "we're all right!" As Clary manages to pull herself out of the trash again, followed by Leia, Han and Chewie, she races towards them, hugging them in joyous relief as Luke continues to report, "You did great."

Clary grips on tightly to her brother. She feels nothing but relief and it's all her mind can think of. Luke makes his way past them to the pressure-sensitive hatch, glancing around for a number. He lifts the comlink to his mouth again as he says, "Hey, open the pressure maintenance hatch on the unit number..." His voice trails off as he glances at the others. Clary spots a white number printed against one of the walls as she rushes towards the hatch. She grabs a hold of Luke's hand, holding the comlink close as she reports:

"Unit number 326827."

The hatch opens immediately and Clary removes her hand from Luke's. She tries to ignore the fluttering in her chest as she leads the way out of the chute, followed closely behind by Chewbacca, Luke, Leia and Han. A dusty, unused hallway greets them and Clary takes this moment to start removing the Stormtrooper uniform. Han and Luke follow in her actions and the white armor lies in the hallway. Clary fastens the blaster belt over her waist once more and she meets the gaze of Princess Leia. She gives an awkward smile, which Clary returns unsurely before Han walks past her, messing up her hair.

"If we can just avoid any more female advice," he says, shooting Leia a pointed look, "we ought to be able to get out of here."

Leia scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest as she shoves past him. Han glances back at Luke, and the blond gives a small, scratching the back of his head as he meets Clary's gaze. She holds it for a moment before Chewbacca lets out a growl, pointing towards the hatch when Clary's gaze lands on him. She frowns, starting towards him as she peers at the hatch. Before she has the chance to inspect it, the great Wookie warrior lets out a howl, running in the opposite direction, quieting down.

"Where are you going?" Han questions after him but Clary remains peering at the hatch. She frowns, but then jumps back in alarm as the tentacle from before bangs against the doorway, reaching forward. She barely misses getting grabbed and runs into Han, who grabs her by the arm and aims his blaster. Noticing this, Clary hits it out of his hand before he can fire.

"Han, don't—they'll hear!"

Instead of listening, he grabs Clary's blaster from her belt, aiming it at the tentacle as he shoots. The noise of the blast echoes throughout the empty passageway and Clary refrains from hitting her brother harshly on the shoulder. She hears Luke sigh loudly and Leia looks at Han as if he were one of the dumbest people she had ever met.

Han ignores their exasperated stares, however, turning in the direction Chewbacca had run in. "Come back here, you big coward!"

Clary watches as Chewbacca appears from the corner, shaking his head. She sighs.

"Chewie, it's all right."

The Wookie warrior meets her gaze before shaking his head 'no' again. Han starts towards him, warningly: "Chewie, come here—"

Before he can make his way towards the Wookie, Leia has approached him, grabbing a hold of his arm. He immediately jerks from her touch, looking back at the Princess as she meets his gaze sternly.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you. Okay?"

Han stares at her, dumbfounded by her statement. He manages to regain himself, though, as he sneers, "Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from one person—me!"

Leia scoffs. "It's a wonder you're still alive."

Clary casts the princess a look, eyes narrowed. Despite the fact Han may be extremely reckless and stubborn, he was still her brother—it was what made him, him, and Clary was not fond of the princess speaking so lowly to him. Leia starts down the hallway, but stops as she nears Chewbacca.

"Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?"

Chewbacca gives her a look, highly offended, but moves out of her way as she starts down the hallway. Clary bends down, picking up the blaster she had knocked out of Han's grasp as she watches the Princess continue down the hall. She is definitely not fond of her in the least, but if Luke had been telling the truth back in the control room, she will deal with anyone if it means saving her brother.

Her brother seems to be having second thoughts as well as he glances back at Luke. "No reward is worth this."

Luke gives a small shrug of his shoulders, blue eyes landing on Clary. She meets his gaze before starting after Leia. She hears Han and Luke following after her, along with Chewie, as the Wookie continues whimpering under his breath. Clary speeds up her pace when she sees Leia running down the empty hallway, and stop suddenly as they approach a bay window overlooking the pirateship. Han pushes past Clary as he stares down at the Falcon, grinning at the sight of it.

"There she is," he mutters. Clary peers through the glass to see Stormtroopers milling about the ship. She prays that none of them will conveniently glance up to see them residing up above.