Chapter 51- A Party and Rescuing Han
If anything Jabba the Hutt knew how to throw a party Talon stood in the shadows as Jabba and his guests partied. Oola, the Twi'lek slave was dancing, because Jabba made her, but the girl didn't seem to be enjoying it as she fought the chain that was on her neck. Talon nearly went to her rescue when Jabba pulled at the chain. Oola fought it. Apparently she had decided that she had had enough of Jabba as she was screaming to be let go in the Twi'lek language. Talon wasn't fluent in Twi'lek as he was huttese, but it didn't take a hidden Jedi like himself to figure what the girl was screaming and how she was fighting the chain.
Talon heard Jabba order her in huttese to stop fighting, but then his temper ran out and he pushed the button that released the trap door under Oola. She went screaming into the rancor's lair. Talon and Lando had to move the dais forward and Talon grimaced as he saw the door slide open, revealing the rancor. Oola screamed as the behemoth lifted her up and ate her. Talon felt a great grief in the Force as Oola passed.
"You couldn't have saved her, Your Highness," Lando whispered as he passed him.
"I know, but she was Lena and Leia's age. If Jabba would have bargained I would have saved her from this as if she was my own daughter," Talon said in a broken whisper. The sound of a blaster echoed through the throne room and Talon looked up. A palace guard got thrown back by a huge, hairy being and a helmeted bounty hunter came in leading a Wookie. Talon felt a grin cross his lips. It was his niece Leia, dressed like Boushh the Ubese bounty hunter and leading Chewbacca, like they had all planned.
"I have come for the bounty on this Wookie," Leia said in flawless Ubese. Her voice came out mechanical through the vocoder in her helmet and Chewbacca moaned pitifully.
"Oh, no, Chewbacca!" Talon heard Threepio exclaim.
"At last we have the mighty Chewbacca. Kanji ta, droid," Jabba roared in triumph before calling Threepio.
"Yes, I am here, Your Worhipfulness. Yes?" Threepio asked, coming around the dais to face Jabba.
Jabba roared something in huttese and Threepio turned to face Leia. "The illustrious Jabba bids you welcome and will gladly pay you the reward of 25,000," Threepio said.
"I want 50,00. No less," Leia said in Ubese.
"50,000. No less," Threepio said which earned him a roar and a hit. "Oh. Oh, dear. What did I say?" Threepio asked as he got to his feet, covered in slime.
"Why must I pay 50,000?" Jabba asked indignantly.
"The mighty Jabba asks why he must pay 50,000," Threepio asked.
"Because of this," Leia said, holding a ball-like object in her hand.
"Because he is holding a thermal detonator!" Threepio exclaimed in fear and all the creatures, minus Jabba screamed. Jabba laughed loudly.
"This bounty hunter is my kind of scum; fearless and inventive. Offer him 35,000," Jabba roared at Threepio.
"Jabba offers the sum of 35 and I do suggest you take it," Threepio pleaded.
"Very well, " Leia said as she stopped the detonator.
"He agrees!" Threepio said with relief in his voice and the Gamorrean guards led Chewbacca away.
"Well, that's in place, Your Highness," Lando said in a side whisper to Talon.
"Yes. It is. I'd better go advise Leia as to which time she wants to wake Han. And we have to be ready to leave when Luke and Lena arrive," Talon said as the party resumed.
Leia made her way silently through the throne room. Her uncle had told her to wait until everyone was asleep. Sadly that had taken hours, but finally the drinks and food had put everyone but her uncle and Lando in a stupor. Uncle Cail had also warned her to be careful. If Jabba found out that Boushh was the Princess Leia, she would be taking Oola's place as a slave girl. The look of pain on Uncle Cail's face when he mentioned the deceased slave girl was enough to break Leia's heart for him. Uncle Cail could never bear to see someone else in pain.
Leia's heart nearly stopped as she hit a pair of windchimes. The last thing she needed to do was wake up everyone. Leia stopped in front of the slab that was Han. Leia felt tears come to her eyes as she looked at the man she loved. Leia lowered the slab with a loud reverberating thud. She held her breath, hoping to the Force that her uncle, cousins, and friend believed in that everyone would stay asleep. Leia reached up and turned the knobs and pressed the buttons that would thaw out the slab and free Han. Leia stood back as a reddish light melted the carbonite, Han moved his hands and lips, and fell in an unceremonious heap to the floor.
Leia went to him and gently lifted him up in her arms. "Just relax for a moment. You're free of the carbonite," Leia said, her voice masked by the vocoder in her helmet.
Han was shaking uncontrollably as he opened his eyes. "Shh. You have hibernation sickness," Leia said as he raised his hand to his head.
"I can't see," Han said.
"Your eyesight will return in time," Leia said.
"Where am I?" Han asked.
"Jabba's palace," Leia said.
Han touched her mask briefly. "Who are you?" Han asked.
Leia then removed her mask. "Someone who loves you," Leia said softly.
"Leia," Han groaned and Leia kissed him gently.
"I got to get you out of here," Leia said and she helped him up. A loud booming laugh froze Leia's blood.
"What's that?" Han asked. The laugh continued. "I know that laugh," Han said as the curtains hiding Jabba's throne opened and Jabba and his cronies laughed.
"Hey, Jabba...Look, Jabba, I was just on my way to pay you back and I got a little sidetracked. It's not my fault," Han said to the Hutt.
"It's too late for that, Solo. You may have been a good smuggler, but now you're Bantha fodder," Jabba said in huttese that Leia understood perfectly, thanks to her father and uncle making sure she and Lena knew languages.
"Look-" Han started to say.
"Take him away," Jabba ordered and the guards separated him from Leia.
"Jabba, I'll pay you triple. You're throwing away a fortune here! Don't be a fool!" Han shouted as the guards carried him away. Leia looked after him with concern in her eyes.
"Bring her to me," Jabba ordered and Leia realized Jabba meant her. Lando and a Gamorrean guard grabbed her and half-dragged her to Jabba. Leia looked out of the corner of her eye at Uncle Cail, who stood there with pain in his blue eyes as he looked on.
"We have powerful friends. You're going to regret this," Leia said, with barely disguised disgust.
"I'm sure," Jabba said as he stuck out his tongue. Leia groaned in disgust and looked away and Jabba's annoying little pet cackled.
Han nearly lost his balance as the guards shoved him into a dungeon. It didn't take Han being able to see to know where he was. A dungeon had its own smell from the water on the floor and the general unwashed prisoners. A low growl got Han's attention. Whatever it was, Han hoped it didn't eat humans. Han then realized the sound was that of a Wookie, a language he understood well and the only Wookie Jabba might imprison would be his friend, Chewbacca. "Chewie?" Han asked tentatively.
"Yes?" The Wookie asked.
"Chewie, is that you?" Han asked.
"Han!" Chewbacca roared and ran to him, hugging his friend tight in those rib-cracking hugs Wookies were known for.
"Ch-Chewie! I can't see, pal. What's going on?" Han asked.
""Luke and Lena are planning to rescue you. Lando and Prince Cail infiltrated Jabba's palace and told us you were here," Chewbacca said in a barely contained voice of excitement.
"Luke and Lena? Luke and Lena's crazy. They can't even take care of themselves, much less rescue anybody," Han said with barely concealed irritation.
"But Luke's been training to be a Jedi knight and he and Lena are coming here to rescue us," Chewbacca protested.
"A Jedi knight? Like his sister and the Prince? I'm out of it for a little while, everybody gets delusions of grandeur. But I'm all right, pal. I'm all right," Han said as Chewbacca asked if the freezing had made him sick. Han was feeling better, but he worried about Leia and deep down he hoped that Luke and Lena were really coming to rescue them.