A Small Mercy

Jabba's party endured throughout the early hours of the morning, waning very slowly as the dawn approached. Between fatigue and the effects of drink, the audience chamber grew quiet as more and more guests retired for the evening. Eventually the band played their last song, the chamber grew still, and the closing of Jabba's eyes indicated a conclusion to the celebration.

Long had it been since Leia could rest. Having been awake for nearly a day and a half, she was drowsy, but couldn't quite find the relief of sleep until after the rhythmic sound of Jabba's snoring echoed in her ears. Only then did she removed her bare back from his enormous hide and curl herself upon the cushion in front. Although Jabba's body was quite warm, she much preferred the cold air then his flesh.

After being forced into that wretched metal bikini, Leia spent the rest of the event seated on the throne in front of Jabba. Although he had deeply humiliated her only hours before, Leia was glad to have it over with. Having feared worse fates than simply sitting on the throne with Jabba, Leia took solace in knowing Luke would soon come to rescue everyone. And then it would be all over. She and Han would be together again.

The thought comforted her as Leia curled up on the pillow and whispered to herself. "Don't worry, Han. If this is what it takes to save you, it's worth it." Then after taking a moment to wonder what exactly her capture and all that humiliation actually amounted to, it seemed to just lower her spirit that much further. Whatever could such a sick display by Jabba POSSIBLY have contributed to their rescue mission? If she hadn't let her heart get in the way of her better judgment, Leia wouldn't have ended up in that mess. She just gently shook her head and whispered again, as if to remind herself of why she was there. "It's worth it."

However quickly it took to find solace in the bliss of unconsciousness, Leia merely passed from one hellish world into another. Wishing to escape her nightmare, Leia only entered into another. In a dream that seemed to reflect her situation quite perfectly, Leia found herself standing on the platform of the carbon freezing chamber on Cloud City. As she had wanted, their positions were reversed. Only Han could have saved her.

"If that's how you want it, Sweetheart, I'll gladly come to rescue you." As he said his goodbyes, Han pressed the control panel which began the carbon freezing process.

As the platform under Leia's feet began sinking below the deck, Han twisted himself around and leaned over the side to talk down on her. "Oh, I almost forgot that I still need to deliver that spice to Nar Kreeda before the end of the week, and I'm already behind with those disruptors to Anoat. I've got a huge debt to pay off and I'm barely able to pay off just the interest, so I hope you can appreciate I've got a busy schedule ahead of me. It may be some time, but I'll squeeze you in, but I'll get to you eventually."

Dreams often didn't make sense, which probably was why she didn't wake up at that point. Instead of being blasted by Tibana gas, as what happened to Han, the elements of the dream became completely incoherent. It wasn't quick and painful, but rather a mix of subtle sensations from a long, slow freezing process. Then she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. "Give Jabba my best." It couldn't have been Han she felt.

One of the strange things about dreams was how one's physical sensations often influenced events which took place within the subconscious mind. She felt cold because so much of her skin was left exposed. The enclosed sensation of being trapped within carbonite was due to the rigid nature of the bikini which seemed confining. It was only the sensation at the end which was genuine.

Lightly rubbing Leia's naked shoulder, Lyn Me didn't expect her to awaken in such a startled manner. The noise Leia made in panic wasn't particularly loud, but Lyn pressed a hand over Leia's mouth, muffling her voice.

Still not fully conscious, Leia resisted, and Lyn had to hold her by the collar to keep the princess from backing into Jabba. The last thing she wanted was to awaken her master. Lyn shushed her, putting her face centimeters from leia's. Softly she spoke in an effort to ease her panic. "Shh... No one's going to hurt you. Please be calm. Calm."

As Leia finally came to, she closed her eyes and inhaled a slow, deep breath, indicating that Lyn could withdraw her hand. When she did, the twi'lek leaned forward and whispered into Leia's ear. "I'm sorry that if I startled you. The Master doesn't like to be disturbed when he's sleeping."

Leia might have complained that she didn't much like being awoken either, but she was more interested in what the servant had to say. "What time is it?"

"It's still night."

"But do you know what time it is?"

Lyn apologetically stared at Leia. "The Master doesn't keep clocks around the palace. 0200 hours would be my be my best guess."

Leia didn't seem confident in that answer. It was only at about midnight that she set out to rescue Han and failed. The party which followed couldn't have endured for only lasted two hours. Four in the morning seemed more likely.

Whatever time it was, Lyn made an offer she knew the princess wouldn't reject. "I was thinking you might want a bath. I might be able to get you out and back without anyone noticing."

Before Leia could so much as answer one way or another, Lyn had already detached the leash which bound her to the throne. Held on by a powerful magnet, an electric charge to the magnet weakened its hold. And although the collar remained locked around her neck, at least she was free of the chain which bound her to the throne. Leia sighed in relief and sat herself up. After having Jabba's saliva all over her body, she was eager to rinse it away. "A bath does sound good just about now."

Lyn smiled and then gestured her to follow. "Come."

Leia slid herself off the throne, nearly losing the lower piece of her outfit in the process. Pulling it back above her waist, she didn't mention the problem to Lyn. Just the thought of submerging her body in a tub of hot water was so tempting that she closed her eyes from the anticipation. "Thank-you, I really needed this."

"It's only a small mercy; I wish there were more I could offer."

Leia shook her head. "I'm grateful, but I wouldn't want to see you get in trouble..."

"It's alright. As long as I get you back before the Master awakes, no one will notice you were ever gone. Even then, he'll probably appreciate having you clean." Leading the way out of the throne room, Lyn turned around once they were out of sight. "Please don't abuse my trust. If you try to escape, you won't succeed. Your collar has both a locator device and an explosive charge in it. If you try to remove it by force, it will explode."

As she heard Lyn describe the features of her slaving collar, Leia couldn't help examining it with her fingers. Using only her sense of touch, Leia did notice that the collar wasn't just solid metal. There were two cavities along the back of which she believed were the power cell and the device's shock mechanism. Very possible was it that a detonator could be housed in such a space as well.

Lyn saw Leia's reaction and tried easing her concern. "It's only triggered if you try to remove it by force, otherwise it's almost impossible to set off accidentally. If you did try to escape, the collar would merely shock you once you got outside the palace walls. Otherwise the Master almost never sees a need to activate the charge." Almost with jocularity, Lyn smiled and patted her shoulder. "Now I'm still trusting you. I can still get in trouble if you were to try and escape. Please don't abuse that trust."

Leia probably wouldn't have given Lyn's feelings a second thought if she saw an opportunity to escape, but she did make a very good point about the collar. And given as there seemed little chance in actually pulling off an escape without help, she genuinely promised not to abuse the twi'lek's act of mercy. "Don't worry; I won't."

After following Lyn to a private wash room, Leia was asked what temperature she wanted for her bath. "Thirty five." Leia answered.

Lyn nodded and set the specified temperature into the control panel near the edge of the tub. The spa was absolutely luxurious in both its size and construction. Except for the rim of the tub, elevated slightly above the floor, the majority of the basin was carved into the floor. It was the centerpiece of the entire room, and large enough to comfortably support six occupants.

Despite its antiquated appearance, the spa came with all the functions of a modern jacuzzi. As the system engaged, several jets of water shot out from the sides. At the sight of so much water pouring into the basin, Leia eagerly stripped away her slave bikini, kicked off the boots, and threw herself into the water. With the Hutt's saliva all over her body, she only wanted it washed away as quickly as possible. She hadn't even removed the gold adornments which decorated her body or hair.

What had surprised Lyn was that Leia didn't wait for the basin to completely fill before leaping in. It only took a minute to fill such a large spa... but raising the temperature to the desired level took a little longer. "Wait, it's not...!"

Gasping from the shock of finding herself in cold water, Leia knew she had only herself to blame. Lyn did try to stop her. "What the...?"

After removing her hand from her face and shaking her head, Lyn pointed to a gauge which read only 18 Celsius. Then 19... and 20. "It takes a little while to get the water up to temperature."

Leia kept gasping, only able to nod her head at the comment. She did feel jets of hot water shooting out from the sides. Apparently the water temperature was controlled from heaters situated outside the tub itself and then cycled back in through the water jets. The drawbacks were quite obvious, as Leia just discovered; but it allowed for the user to quickly raise the temperature without using dangerous heating elements in the spa itself.

Leia might not have enjoyed diving into the vat of cold water, but it only seemed to make her bath that much more soothing after it came to temperature. Only then did she finally remove the clips from her hair and dove her head below the surface. Last things off were the bracelet and the snakelike armband. The collar around her neck was all she wore.

Lyn had left her alone for a few minutes, but soon returned bearing a tray with an assortment of fruits, a pitcher of water, some fragranted soaps, and a towel around her arm. Upon setting the towel near the rim of the tub and placing the tray neatly upon it, Leia twisted herself around and caught sight of the fruit. "Oh thank-you." Although they all looked scrumptious, Leia snatched the only one she recognized. Sitting with her back against the side, she took a greedy bite. Leia was starving, and certainly appreciated what Lyn had offered. "I certainly like you much more than your master."

Lyn didn't seem to acknowledge the gratitude... she just turned her attention to the pieces of Leia's slave bikini, which were scattered across the floor.

After taking another bite of the fruit in her hands, Leia waved at her. "Don't worry about that. You don't have to clean up after me as well."

Of course Lyn wasn't doing it as to further serve Leia. Lashaa silk and Jerva Leather were quite prone to water damage, which was why she moved those particular pieces out of harm's way. "You should treat these with greater respect. This is a majestic outfit that Master Jabba has given you. Such an opulent gift is not to be ruined."

Leia rolled her head around and stared at the twi'lek as though Lyn thought she gave a damn what Jabba wanted. She certainly didn't appreciate the gift. Leia certainly would have preferred something more comfortable. "If you want it, you can have it. I won't miss it."

Lyn had picked up the lower piece last. Taking it by the loops, she took a moment to appreciate what Leia was given. Such an outfit was enough to make any servant envious. Strangely it had nothing to do with its design, or even what it was made out of. Jabba only gave the most elaborate and expensive outfits to servants he most favored. Lyn didn't want the bikini... she wanted Jabba's favor, and politely declined. "Thank-you, but it was never mine to have. Master Jabba would never give me something like this... I was born a slave. You were a princess. I've tried as hard as I could to earn his favor, so that maybe one day..."

It saddened Leia to hear of Lyn's misfortune. As the twi'lek fell silent, she genuinely wanted to hear more. "Yes? Please go on."

Lyn sighed and set the last piece of the outfit with the rest of it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

Leia leaned upon the rim of the tub and rested her arms along the sides, raising herself just high enough to keep her breasts obscured. "Lyn if you know anything about me, then you'd know I have a greater respect for people like you than your master. I'd really like to hear what's on your mind... maybe I can help you."

Lyn kept staring at the pieces of Leia's outfit as she spoke, somewhat symbolizing the nature of her frustration. "Princess, you've endured so much humiliation today... that's the only reason I'm doing this. I don't wish to make you feel any worse."

"Lyn..." Leia waited for her to turn around before continuing. "I'm alright. I thank you for your concern, but your feelings are just as important as mine. And I can't help getting the sense that you've got a problem with me. If you don't tell me about it..."

Lyn tried her best not to cry, but Leia's words seemed to tear into her soul. No one like Leia had ever said her feelings mattered as much as a lowly servant's. Tears came, but Lyn forced them back. "Princess, you have no idea just how lucky your kind really are."

"My kind? Humans?"

"No... well that too." Lyn turned about and stared at Leia in the bath tub. "Royalty. Those of you born to be rich, powerful, privileged... you are always just so lucky."

Leia got a sense that Lyn was going off in a different direction than just the difference in social class. Although she thought it absurd that Lyn would call her a spoiled girl, she kept her silence.

"Your kind always have it so much better than we do. We who were born to serve you... no one appreciates what we have made of ourselves. Never are our feelings spared." As she spoke, Lyn approached Leia in a threatening manner. Leia withdrew, intimidated by the approaching twi'lek... as Lyn had intended. "We're not so different, are we? My master gave you orders and you obeyed, just like the rest of us. And yet you're still so lucky."

Leia almost felt ashamed, yet saddened that Lyn didn't see her for what she was. Despite everything Leia had done in helping the Rebels, Lyn still thought of her like a spoiled brat, ordering slaves around like their lives meant nothing. "Lyn, I stopped being a princess when Alderaan was destroyed. Since that time, I've devoted my life to fighting for the freedom of everyone in the galaxy. It was in pursuing the rights of people like you that I ended up where I am now..." Leia pealed a little more by telling a half truth. "...now a fellow slave who answers to Master Jabba. I know exactly how you feel."

"No, you don't. It's not like that at all. Not at all!" Lyn shrieked. She kneeled beside the tub and expressed such repressed anger that she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "Even now, you're still treated like a princess! Some of us have served Master Jabba all our lives, and yet...!" Lyn couldn't quite finish her train of thought. A part of her knew that it wasn't Leia's fault, yet she had been given permission to express herself... and it felt so good to express herself. "People such as you never give as much of themselves to their master as I have. I would die to protect him, yet you would just as easily kill Master Jabba if you had the chance. You obey him only because you're afraid. I obey him out of gratitude... because I'm grateful to have such a generous master."

Leia knew that Lyn only believed such nonsense because she wasn't allowed to believe anything other than what Jabba imposed on her. Despite her every urge to counter the Twi'lek's flawed sense of loyalty to her master, Leia knew enough that years of mental conditioning couldn't be changed by just a casual conversation. And she really couldn't afford to alienate a potential friend, so she kept silent.

"Princess, to become the Master's first servant is a great honor. It's an honor that I have wanted for many years; but Master Jabba would never consider. An inbred, white twi'lek, like myself could never hope for such an honor. I don't know if you're aware of this, but twi'leks like me are almost regarded as vermin... but I was determined not to allow my flesh to dominate my destiny. I wanted to show my master that there was more to me than just my inbred flesh. And after all my years of loyalty and dedicated service, Master Jabba told me how much he enjoyed my presence. He said he was proud to have me. He wanted me to sit with him on the throne. He had wanted to show me off proudly."

"What happened?"

She sighed and then shook her head. "The Master's attention was drawn to someone even better."

It didn't take much intelligence on her part to realize exactly what she meant. "Me."

"You." Lyn let out another breath and nodded. "Despite offering both my flesh and soul, Master Jabba... desired you so much more. It was the first time I ever questioned my master's decision."

"What happened?"

Lyn turned and stared at herself in a mirror. Very much as Leia's reflection tore into the soul did Lyn's leave her with a sense of impotence. Although Leia did not know it, the twi'lek wished she had not been cursed by such pale skin. Although her kind were fairly rare, twi'leks without skin color were among the least desired in the galaxy. Lyn knew that if she were ever to sit on the throne beside Jabba, her presence would only have reflected very poorly upon her master.

As she drifted off, Leia grew concerned. "Lyn?"

The pale twi'lek sighed and turned her attention back to Leia. "Princess... you have no idea just how lucky you are compared to one like me." Lyn slowly approached and kneeled beside the edge of the tub to look Leia in the eye. "Even in this low existence, I envy you. I had to devote myself just to earn my Master's acceptance. You have his unconditional affection... and you hate him. Life can be so damned cruel."

Leia reached out and pulled Lyn's forehead against hers, as if to express friendship. "Lyn... Jabba only wants me because he sees me like a trophy... a way to display his power to others. Don't think that because he'd chosen me for this honor... that he doesn't love you any less. He wanted me because I'm a princess... and the last thing I would have wanted was to deprive something very important to you." Lyn tried to pull her head away, but Leia was insistent that she not withdraw until she's heard an apology. "I am sorry that my presence is a torment to you. I do genuinely wish I were somewhere else."

As Leia withdrew, Lyn took one of her hands and held it against the side of her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I know." she whispered. "And I don't blame you for any of this. The last thing I'd want is to make you feel even more uncomfortable here than you already are. Forgive me if I made it seem that way."

"There's nothing to forgive. In fact, I can't help wondering why you're doing so much to make me feel more comfortable here. I'd have thought you'd be more than a little resentful of me."

Lyn reluctantly nodded and then stood up. "I guess I still do to a certain extent, but then I realized something. For however much I would have wanted to be Master Jabba's first servant... you probably feel so much worse now than I do right now."

Leia knew exactly what she meant. Lyn didn't grow up with an appreciate for either freedom and personal choice, but she did know how much beings like Leia cherished being their own master. And although she was touched that someone appreciated her feelings enough to mention it, Leia still felt guilty that a poor soul like Lyn would extend mercy to one who didn't deserve it.

Lyn slowly withdrew, making her way for the door. "Take as much time in here as you need, but please be sure to return to the Master's throne before he awakes. If he learns someone removed without his permission... he'll be most upset with me. Can I trust you to do that?"

"Thank-you." Leia answered.

Before leaving, Lyn and Leia shared a very tender moment. It just seemed so strange that a slave would reach out and risk so much in an act of mercy towards one she believed wouldn't have done the same for her. And Leia couldn't help feeling guilty that her presence had deprived Lyn of something she genuinely wanted. Leia certainly didn't like being Jabba's first slave in the first place, she hated it even more because she couldn't pass on the honor to someone who deserved it more.

As those words went through her head, Leia realized how repugnant it sounded. No one 'deserved' being Jabba's first slave, yet that was exactly how she thought about Lyn. The white twi'lek wanted it. Surly even Jabba would have liked having such a loyal servant as Lyn on the throne with him. Leia would have preferred it. Why couldn't she and Lyn just switch places? Then everyone would have been happy.

An almost pleasant fantasy, but one of which didn't last long. Leia was finally allowed a few moments alone with nothing but her thoughts. And although her mind was overburdened enough as it was, much more weighed down upon her than she had time to consider.

What really concerned her more than anything else was facing the possibility that Luke might not be able to save everyone. If the situation was so bad that he'd have to free everyone by force... there was the real possibility Luke would die. She didn't want to consider that fate, nor to think she would be condemned to spend the rest of her life as Jabba's slave girl; but that was a distinct possibility. But that was an outcome that she had considered before ever coming to Tattooine. Everything now depended on Luke, and there was no escape if he died.

Unfortunately there was one dreadful outcome which scared her more than anything. While at the party, Jabba spoke to a guest about what he intended to do with Han. He had expressed interest in buying the technology that allowed for people to be frozen alive in carbonite, so that he could freeze Han again. Leia imagined a future where she might find herself staring at Han's face etched into another piece of carbonite while she sat on Jabba's throne, still wearing that gold bikini. Leia couldn't imagine a more terrible fate, yet it loomed over her mind like an angel of death. Unlike so many other times when three of them entered danger, Leia feared that she would live through this hell. She genuinely feared the possibility that Luke would die while she and Han were doomed to live.

Such a fate seemed too dreadful even to comprehend. What if Han were to be refrozen in the carbonite? Could she possibly consider killing herself at that point, knowingly abandoning Han to the carbonite forever?