Several hours later -- it was night, judging from the stars he could see out of the window and the city lights that hadn't been visible earlier -- Watson watched as Lestrade paced about the spacious rooms they had been given, as though searching for something. Cleaned and treated for the minor wounds she had received in the crash, she was dressed in a simple white tunic, belted at the waist, over light brown trousers. His own elasto-mask, bowler hat and cape had been taken also, leaving him looking like a simple 'droid.

Finally she sat down on the large sofa that was the most prominent piece of furniture in the room, and gave a sigh of defeat. "I guess he didn't believe me after all," she stated with a shake of her head, "I can't find my ionizer -- or my badge. But if he didn't believe me, then why the elaborate pretense of making us think he did?"

Watson couldn't answer that question, though he did have one of his own. "Lestrade, how did you know who he was? Or what the planet...Tatooine, I believe you said...was? Or that this was the capital of the Republic?" Okay, so it was more than one, but they were all related and one response would serve to answer them all.

Lestrade looked at him, amusement evident in her expression and tone as she answered, "From a movie."

"A movie?" This of course only confused him further.

"Yeah, a movie...six, actually...no, wait, let me finish. In the twentieth century a man named George Lucas came up with a trilogy and storyline that was an instant hit. At the beginning of the twenty-first century he put out the prequels -- three movies that showed what happened before the events of the original trilogy. Anyway, we are in the universe of those movies...and that man...is a very bad person. He uses the Dark Side of the...Of course! That's it! He must have known...but that still doesn't explain...Come on, Watson, we've got to get out of here."

Watson stared in puzzlement as Lestrade walked over to a large circular window and opened it. "What are you talking about, Lestrade? I really...." He stopped as she opened his chest compartment and pulled out the spare ionizer and his lariat. "Lestrade...."

"Listen, Watson, there's no time to talk. I'll try to explain everything once we're out of this room."

Without waiting for a response, she moved back over to the window and climbed out and out of sight. Seconds later he saw the lariat flying through the air and catching on something out of his field of vision. He slowly followed Lestrade's path to the window and looked down. She was standing on a ledge just below the window, the wind whipping her hair about her face, attaching the end of the rope she was holding to some sort of antenna. The other end was latched on to a similar structure on a building close by. He carefully lowered himself out of the window, and closed it behind him.

"Lestrade," he warned, her plan becoming apparent, "I do not think...."

Obviously ignoring him, she pulled herself up onto the taut rope and slowly stood up, balancing precariously with the natural wind and that created by vehicles speeding past, over and under the makeshift bridge. The drivers of said craft were of all sorts of species, though they all had the universal language of annoyance.

"Watson," Lestrade said through clenched teeth, "I'm going across. You wait here. When I'm across, you untie it and swing down to the next level. Then I'll pull you up." As she spoke, she was walking, with slow measured steps.

"Oh, very well, Lestrade, but surely there is an easier way...." His words were lost on the inspector, as she was now too far away. Watson watched with -- metaphorically speaking -- his breath held, as several times she lost her balance and nearly fell. Each time, however, she caught and righted herself, making him think back to when the nanites had been in control of her brain. She had shown an uncanny deal of luck then too.

Finally, she was on the other ledge and it was his turn. He untied the rope on his end and held it in both hands. Wishing he could shut his sensors off, he jumped off the ledge and plummeted downwards like a stone. Then he was jerked as the slack played out and he swung towards the ledge just under Lestrade. His relief was palpable as his feet touched solid ground.

Lestrade soon joined him, having slipped over the edge of the ledge above, carrying the rope with her. "I decided it would be better to go down a bit. Besides..." she showed him where the rope had frayed almost to the breaking point and smiled.

"Oh, my."

******

Holmes couldn't help but chuckle as a clear mental picture of the two in that last scene entered his thought. He no longer doubted that they were telling the truth, though he was curious as to what Lestrade had been thinking. Usually she blurted her theories out, whether she knew all the facts or not; he supposed it was her way of brainstorming.

"'Oh my' is right, Watson. Lestrade, I didn't know you had once been in the circus."

Lestrade looked up at him in shock. "Ho...never mind. Watson, get on with it."

"Hmm? Oh, right. As I was saying, Lestrade had just finished showing me what a close call I had had, when...."

******

"Really, Lestrade," Watson said severely, "You should know better than to..." he broke off as Lestrade's mouth opened in astonishment. He turned to see what she was gaping at, and had he still had his elasto-mask he would have been gaping as well.

A small, round, probe-like object was flying through the air with a man, wearing off-white clothing similar to that used in fighting dojos, hanging on for dear life. It disintegrated as it passed near the ledge they were on, and the man fell. Watson, who was still wondering what was going, was astonished to see the lasso loop around the man's waist and stop his descent. The robot looked over at Lestrade who was busy pulling the poor man up to where they were at.

When he was standing next to them, Watson took the time to study the man at a closer range. His face sported a beard, and on his belt hung a long metal cylinder. Other than that, he had no distinguishing features. Lestrade, however, appeared to know him as she had the other -- Palpatine. Only she seemed more happy to see this one.

"Are you all right, Master Kenobi?" she questioned.

Kenobi looked at her, at the ledge, and at Watson, then gave her an odd, puzzled smile. "Yes...and you are?"

"I'm..." Lestrade didn't get the chance to finish as a vehicle pulled up, with a young man sitting inside wearing similar garments to the man's. He didn't give the other two a second glance as he gazed at Kenobi. "Come on, Master, he's getting away."

Kenobi gave Lestrade another look, and then jumped into the two-seater, which took off shortly after.

"Well, that was interesting. Another person from the movies you were speaking of?"

Lestrade nodded, seeming subdued. "Yeah...and now I know what the time frame is." She heaved a sigh. "Anyway, it's a good idea we decided to stay on the bottom one...if we had done as originally planned they might have mistaken us for the perpetrators. They still might, if Palpatine hears of this..."