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As they neared the mob of assembled troglodytes Luke made what he hoped was a positive, confident gesture with the saber. The crowd, muttering uncertainly, parted. Twitching internally, Luke and the Princess marched between the ranks of intent natives toward the three captives. While they respected the power of the lightsaber, Luke had the distinct impression they were anything but panicked by it.

“They’re not sure what to do,” the Princess murmured, confirming his own thoughts. “They seem to admire your saber, but they’re not going to grant you godhood.”

“They’ll admire it more if they try and stop us,” Luke said grimly, with increasing confidence. He gestured sharply at one knot of Coways which were pressing a little close.

“Luke!” Halla yelped as the two drew near the captives. Both Yuzzem were chattering gleefully at Luke and to one another.

“Well, you met us,” he observed sardonically as he studied their bonds. “You were right about that too, Halla.”

“Not quite the way I intended, boy.” She shouted something to the three splendidly attired natives the wounded one had approached, then resumed whispering to Luke: “You realize we haven’t much chance of getting out of here?”

“She’s right, sir,” said Threepio. “Try to save yourselves.”

“I didn’t walk and row this far to end up sacrificed to some subterranean deity,” he shot back. Abruptly, he realized what had just happened. “You can talk to them,” he stated in surprise.

“A little. Their language is a variant of the one the greenies use. It’s not easy … sort of like talking under water. But I can make the chiefs understand me.”

“Chiefs?”

“It seems Coway tribes are ruled by a triumvirate,” she explained. “Those three laughing boys in the bonnets over there. I just made them a proposal. If they’re as noble, or sporting, as I think they are, we might have one chance.”

“Proposal? What proposal?” the Princess inquired suspiciously.

“I’ll get to that shortly,” Halla told her evasively. “We’d located the way down and were on our way to meet you when we were ambushed. It was in a narrow passageway, and in close quarters there were just too many of them. They used nets on your Yuzzem and ’droid friends, boy. We didn’t have a chance.”

“We might if I set you free now,” Luke theorized. “Where are your weapons?”

“Take it easy, Luke,” she admonished him. She jerked her head in the direction of the cluster of low-lying buildings, far off on the right side of the cavern. “You’d never make it over there. Besides, I didn’t see which house they put them in.

“Even if I knew exactly, you’d never be able to cut us free, get to them, and get back in time. You’re pretty good with that lightsaber, I expect, but you can’t fight a hundred spears all flying at you from different directions at once. Unless,” she brightened hopefully, “that toy of yours generates a screen as well as a blade.”

“No,” Luke confessed, “just the blade. How long have you been tied here?”

“About half a day, and my bladder’s killing me,” she informed him. “They’ve spent the time arguing about which way to go about killing us. They don’t have any personal grudge against us … they just don’t like humans generally. Not surprising, if they’ve been able to observe how the miners treat the greenies. I don’t think our Coway friends would be too upset if every human on Mimban suddenly picked up and left.”

“Tell them we’re not like the local humans,” Luke insisted, eying the circle of hostile faces. “Tell them that we don’t want anything to do with the local people either.”

“This isn’t a tribe of philosophers, Luke boy,” Halla explained patiently. “Their concept of government is damned simple. You can’t explain something like the Rebellion to the Coway. But I think,” she added, peering past Luke at the three chiefs who were still engaged in heated discussion among themselves, “they’ll give us one chance.”

“I don’t believe it,” the Princess countered, glowering at the old woman. “Would we give an enemy who’d already killed four of our