Chapter 1
The imprisoned Princess Leia wakes up to hear a couple low voices. She is pleasantly surprised to see the majordomo Bib Fortuna standing next to a cloaked man. It was Luke! He's finally come! He's finally come to kill Jabba and save everyone!
The golden droid C3P0 is no less happy. "At last! Master Luke's come here to rescue me!" he yells from his place near the dais. How naive was he to believe that the Jedi would ever allow him to remain in the hands of this vile Hutt!
For her part, Leia sits up straight. She immediately registers, with much distaste, that the fatt Hutt behind her still has a firm grip on the leash around her neck. She does not dare look down; she has been forced to wear nothing but a golden bikini top and a brass bottom, the red silk skirts of the latter item doing nothing to conceal her legs. Even her hair has become a symbol of her enslavement; a single braid that leaves the rest of her body an easy sight. It is highly embarrassing for her to appear like this in front of her comrade, but no matter.
Fortuna walks over to Jabba and whispers in his ear, waking him with a start. Annoyed at his dream of debauchery being interrupted, Jabba listens to Fortuna identify the unwanted guest as "Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight." Meanwhile, Luke looks directly at the Hutt before him.
Despite his stoic facade, he has to resist the urge to retch when he sees the immense slug on the dais. The entire creature is entirely flabby, with layers of sweat-covered fat and an immense tail. Above a set of fleshy chins rests the Hutt's bulbous face, upon which was a set of bright orange eyes and a hideously misshapen mouth. All in all, Jabba was the second most disturbing creature Boushh ever had to look at.
"I told you not to admit him!" Jabba bellows at his majordomo as Luke removes his hood. The young Jedi looks squarely at Jabba with his flat blue eyes and calmly says, "I must be allowed to speak." At this, Fortuna turns to Jabba and repeats, "He must be allowed to speak."
Jabba grabs and yanks on Fortuna's robes and once again bellows, "You weak-minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mind trick!" If it wasn't for that incident with the freckers, the Hutt would've put this pale Twi'lek away long ago.
Luke looks at Jabba again and commands, "You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookie to me." Leia stares at Luke. No mention of her? Or the droids, for that matter? Jabba looks at Luke for a few seconds before chuckling. Leia feels her spirit droop a bit as Jabba declares, "Your mind powers do not work on me, boy?" How could they? he thinks. How could the powers of a hokey religion wielded by an arrogant puny Knight affect the mind of a 600-year old Hutt, a member of the master race, who can think three times faster than any human?
Concealing his disappointment, Luke takes a step forward. "Nevertheless," he says, "I am taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit from this...or be destroyed. It's your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my powers."
The boy has already wasted enough of Jabba's time. He moves his left arm to hover above the dais button that would send Luke tumbling into the Rancor's pit. Seeing this and ever faithful, C3P0 calls out, "Master Luke, you're standing on…"
"There will be no bargain, young Jedi," Jabba interrupts as he yanks on Leia's leash, asserting his dominance over them. "I shall enjoy watching you die." Luke is unfazed; he has already learned of the trapdoor from his friend Lando's insider information. He quickly extends his right hand to Force-summon a blaster pistol from the holster of Gamorrean guard Jubnuk.
At this, Jubnuk lunged to grapple with the impudent Jedi before he could shoot Jabba. They briefly struggle over the blaster pistol, which is knocked to the side of the trapdoor. Jabba slams his fist upon the armrest button, sending both Jubnuk and Luke down the long chute beneath the now-open trapdoor. A grille subsequently spreads across the trapdoor. The two combatants eventually fall into the den in the Rancor as Jabba moves his dais to the grille for a better look. Leia struggles to look into the newly opened pit. Everyone else begins shouting and cheering, gleeful for the death of the Jedi.
Below, Jubnuk and Luke watch as an iron gate in the pit rises, releasing the Rancor. The dinosaur-like monster towers over both the Jedi and the Gammorean as it shakes its claws and roars, exposing it's mouthful of fangs. Leia feels the sweat on her back. If nothing is done, Luke will be devoured by the monster! Is there anything she can do?
She looks to her side to see Lando, who has disguised himself as a guard, to see his worried eyes. He cannot blow his cover, so he cannot help Luke. Leia moves her head from side to side. There has to be something.
There! Her eyes fall upon Jubnuk's blaster pistol, still lying next to the pit. She has a good aim, but she had read that the Rancor's skin was at least as thick as a Hutt's; no blaster could pierce it. And Jabba still has her by the neck...
In a panic, Jubnuk attempts to claw his way up the chute, but it is pointless. The Rancor encircles him with a claw and forces him into his mouth with a crunch. Luke will be next. Leia has reached her breaking point.
The chained Princess springs to feet, spins around, and throws a punch. Jabba the Hutt manages to blink but Leia is still able to land her fist in his eye socket. He roars in pain, and his grip fails.
Everyone above the Rancor pit is too shocked to move. They can only stare as Leia springs forward and snatches up the blaster pistol. She quickly raises it and takes aim through a hole in the grille. The Rancor is still chomping on Jubnuk, it's head turned to the side. Leia fires at the Rancor's eye.
The shot lands true, piercing through the eye socket, through the Rancor's skull, and into its brain. After a moment, the monster falls to the side, sparing Luke's life. Meanwhile, the guards have gotten ahold of Leia and have disarmed her, dragging her back to the raging Hutt.
Once he is able to regain the leash, Jabba angrily begins choking Leia with her own collar. She manages to push her fingers into a space between her leash and her neck, but this only causes Jabba to pull even harder. Eventually, as Leia's face turns purple and she gives out several gasps, Jabba yanks her to him and down on her back, relenting.
It is at this moment that Luke, Han, and Chewbacca are lead to the throne room in restraints. Leia winces as she sees her lover Han muttering and stumbling; he has still not recovered from his stint in carbonite. She winces more as she feels her stomach and chest getting pawed at by Jabba, who has calmed down a bit and is looking directly at Luke. To his credit, Luke does not take the bait.
"Talk, droid…"the fat Hutt addresses C3P0, "Speak to them." Under normal circumstances, Jabba would have his guards shoot these three without ceremony or pomp. But after losing his pet Rancor and enduring a bout of impudence from his slave, he feels eager to punish.
"His High Exaltedness," C3P0 fretfully translates Jabba's declaration, "had decreed that you are to be terminated...immediately." Han shakes his head. With a hint of false humor, he grunts, "I hate long waits." Jabba continues speaking in Huttese, and C3P0 continues translating, "You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea, to the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc." Han considers this and quips, "Doesn't sound so bad."
C3P0 ignores Han and continues, "In his belly you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years." Leia can practically feel Han's smile droop. "On second thought," he says tersely, "let's pass on that, huh."
Leia looks at Han in a stony fashion. Stop talking, she thinks. You're only making this worse. For his part, Luke maintains his stoic demeanor towards the Hutt. With a cool tone, he declares "You should have bargained, Jabba." He continues to stare at his adversary in contempt as he, Han, and Chewbacca are led out of the room. "This is the last mistake you'll ever make."
Jabba laughs in response to the young Jedi's empty threat. Once they are gone, Jabba barks an order to his Gamorrean guards; they are to take his rebellious slave to suffer scientific torture.