Leaving the booth, Solo flipped the bartender a handful of coins as he and Chewbacca moved off. "Sorry for the mess. I always was a rotten host." Heavily armed troopers hurried down the narrow alleyway, glowering from time to time at the darkly clad beings who hawked exotic goods from dingy little stalls. Here in Mos Eisley’s inner regions the walls were high and narrow, turning the passageway into tunnel. % f7 z9 s2 P; u
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No one stared angrily back at them; no one shouted imprecations or mouthed obscenities. These armored figures moved with the authority of the Empire, their sidearms boldly displayed and activated. All around, men, not-men, and mechanicals were crouched in waste-littered doorways. Among accumulations of garbage and filth they exchanged information and concluded transactions of dubious legality. / t3 T% Y0 B0 T" k( Q
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A hot wind moaned down the alleyway and the troopers closed their formation.
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Their precision and order masked a fear of such claustrophobic quarters. + w: [) X4 q- f; H
+ N1 {! C/ l8 b$ ] One paused to check a door, only to discover it tightly locked and bolted. A sand-encrusted human shambling nearby visited a half-mad harangue on the trooper.
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0 Q8 x. N# ], P/ v Shrugging inwardly, the soldier gave the crazy human a sour eye before moving on down the alley to join up again with his fellow. As soon as they were well past, the door slid open a crack and a metallic face peered out. Below Threepio’s leg, a squat barrel shape struggled for a view.
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"I would rather have gone with Master Luke than stay here with you. Still, orders are orders. I don’t quite know what all the trouble is about, but I’m sure it must be your fault." Artoo responded with a near impossibility: a sniggering beep.
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$ m0 Y" R: g6 c [) L "You watch your language," the taller machine warned. # c) M5 d6 i5 z) Q
9 M1 H/ K- E+ {) B3 N' Z9 C3 P The number of old landspeeders and other powered transports in the dusty lot which were still capable of motion could be counted on the fingers of one hand. But that was not the concern of Luke and Ben as they stood bargaining with the tall, slightly insectoid owner. They were here not to buy, but to sell.
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None of the passersby favored the hagglers with so much as a curious glance.
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# M" R0 ?$ e' l1 ~# W3 n/ [: W+ g Similar transactions which were no more pleas or threats to be exchanged. As though doling out vials of his own blood, the owner finalized the sale by passing a number of small metal shapes to Luke. Luke and the insectoid traded formal good- byes and then they parted, each convinced he had gotten the better of the deal. # g$ M& p* V7 I t
4 k& C5 K$ q2 }3 H9 l/ O' } "He says it’s the best he can do. Since the XP-38 came out, they just aren’t in demand anymore," Luke sighed. www.examw.com |
发表于 2012-8-15 00:26:22
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