With Jedi agility, Luke grasps the wrist holding the pistol and yanks the helpless guard from the port opening and into the deadly pit. The guard claws desperately as a Sarlacc tentacle grabs him and pulls him screaming into the viscous mouth. The injured Chewie is reaching over the rail for the dangling Han, who is in turn blindly reaching down toward the desperate Lando. Lando has stopped his slippage down the sandy slope of the Sarlacc pit by lying very still.
HAN: Grab it! Almost... You almost got it!
Every time he tries to reach for Han, the loose sand moves him closer to his final reward. Another blast hits the front of the tilted skiff, causing Lando to let go of the spear.
LANDO: Hold it! Whoa!
Again Han extends the spear toward Lando.
HAN: Gently now. All... all right. Now easy, easy. Hold me, Chewie.
Lando screams. One of the Sarlacc's tentacles has wrapped tightly around his ankle, dragging him down the side of the pit.
HAN: Chewie! Chewie, give me the gun. Don't move, Lando.
LANDO: No, wait! I thought you were blind!
HAN: It's all right. Trust me. Don't move.
LANDO: All right! A little higher! Just a little higher!
Han adjusts his aim as Lando lowers his head, and the fuzzy-eyed pirate fires at the tentacle. Direct hit. The tentacle releases Lando, and Chewie starts to pull them on board the skiff.
HAN: Chewie, Pull us up! Come on! Okay... up, Chewie, up!
The deck gunners have Chewie and the desperate dangling human chain in their gun sights when something up on deck commands their attention: Luke, standing before them like a pirate king, ignites his lightsaber. The deck gunners have barely reached for their pistols before the young Jedi has demolished them. Immediately, Luke turns to see two more gunners (who have been uncovering a giant gun at the end of the barge) racing for him, firing their laser pistols.
Leia is struggling against her chains in desperation as Artoo zips through the tumult of confused monsters to the rescue; the stubby little droid extends a small laser gun and blasts the chain apart.
LEIA: Come on. We gotta get out of here quick.
Artoo and Leia race for the exit, passing Threepio, who is kicking and screaming as Salacious Crumb, the reptilian monkey-monster picks out one of the golden droid's eyes.
THREEPIO: Not my eyes! Artoo, help! Quickly, Artoo. Oh! Ohhh! You beast!
Artoo zips over and zaps Salacious, sending him skyward with a scream, crashing into the rafters as Artoo, Leia, and Threepio (with his eye dangling from a wire) hurry off. Luke is warding off laser blasts with his lightsaber, surrounded by guards and fighting like a demon. Leia emerges onto the deck as Luke turns to face another guard.
LUKE (to Leia): Get the gun! Point it at the deck!
Leia turns toward the barge cannon, climbs on the platform, and swivels the gun around.
LUKE: Point it at the deck!
A laser blast hits Luke's mechanical hand and he bends over in pain, but manages to swing his lightsaber upward and take out the last of the guards. He looks at the wounded hand, which reveals the mechanism. He flexes the hand; it still works. Near the rail of the upper deck, Artoo and Threepio steady themselves as Threepio gets ready to jump. Artoo beeps wildly.
THREEPIO: Artoo, where are we going? I couldn't possibly jump.
Artoo butts the golden droid over the edge and steps off himself, tumbling toward the sand. Luke runs along the empty deck toward Leia and the barge gun, which she has brought around to point down at the deck.
LUKE: Come on!
Luke has hold on one of the rigging ropes from the mast. He gathers Leia in his other arm and kicks the trigger of the deck gun. The gun explodes into the deck as Luke and Leia swing out toward the skiff. Han leans panting against the rail as Chewie helps Lando onto the deck. Luke and Leia land on the skiff with flair.
LUKE: Let's go! And don't forget the droids.
LANDO: We're on our way.
The Sail Barge is exploding in stages in the distance. Half of the huge craft is on fire. Threepio's legs stick straight up from the dune where he landed. Next to it, Artoo's periscope is the only thing above the sand. The skiff floats above them and two large electromagnets dangle down on a wire.
With a loud clang, both droids are pulled from the sand. The little skiff skips around the burning Sail Barge, which continues its chain of explosions.
As the skiff sails off across the desert, the barge settles to the sand and disappears in one final conflagration.
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