Disclaimer: The Star Wars universe and characters belong to the fabulous George Lucas of course! I make no money from the writing of this.
Jabba's Dungeon
He was trapped, no way out! This couldn't be the end, his friends were counting on him. He looked around frantically as the huge beast lumbered slowly towards him, the thrill of the hunt, and anticipation of another kill gleaming in it's small dark eyes.
It lowered it's head to duck under the door leading back into the enclosure, at that moment Luke saw his way out. His boot had hit something on the ground just behind him. He quickly bent down and picked it up. It was a skull, from a previous meal most likely, though Luke had no intention of being the next. He had hoped it would be a rock, or something else just as heavy, but if he put enough weight behind his throw, and guided by the Force, it should work.
Without taking any real aim, relying on the Force to guide him, he hurled the skull across the cave to strike against the closing mechanism for the door under which his attacker was moving. The door came down suddenly and heavily. It struck the creature on the back of the neck. The rancor went down and gasps could be heard from the spectators above in Jabba's main audience chamber.
The rancor convulsed once, then lay still. Luke let out a sigh of relief, he'd done it, he was still alive! Before he could rejoice in this any further, one of Jabba's guards rushed up and grabbed him. Before Luke had any time to react to this, a bulky man shoved them apart shouting, and throwing Luke back against the wall.
Above them, Jabba was demanding that Han and Chewie should be brought from their cells to be punished along side Luke for the death of Jabba's rancor.
Meanwhile down in the cave, the fat man was crying over the death of his "pet". He had obviously been the one in charge of caring for the enormous creature. Another of Jabba's cronies came forward to comfort the distraught, overweight human.
Luke was man-handled into a pair of binders, keeping his hands clasped in front of him. He was roughly dragged out of the cave and into the cell area which they would have to pass through in order to reach Jabba.
The cells were divided into two separate dungeons, Luke idly wondered if Han was being held in the part he was being led through. As he thought about it he instantly knew that Han wasn't near by, he was over the other side. They would not meet until brought before Jabba.
Luke couldn't make a break for it once up there. If Han was still suffering from hibernation sickness, he would be a sitting target. If Luke was going to try anything it would have to be now. That or rely on his other plan, but that relied largely on what Jabba decided to do with them, although he was fairly predictable.
If Luke could free himself now, he might be able to get to Han and Chewie before they reached Jabba. That still left Leia, Lando and the droids in serious need of rescuing, but Luke decided to take care of one thing at a time.
He was trying to work out how he could get out of the binders he was in. They were nothing special, very strong, but a simple release mechanism. Luke feared that he didn't yet posses the ability to control something that small.
As he was thinking that Master Yoda's words seemed to float up out of his memory, "size matters not!" Luke should be able to flick a tiny switch or lift a star ship. In theory anyway.
He reached out to the Force, stretching out with his feelings, as he did so, he brushed against another presence. Unmistakably a Force user, and unmistakably close!
Luke stumbled in his tracks, this was a shock he hadn't been expecting. The pig-like guards shoved him roughly in the back, encouraging him to keep moving.
Luke was suddenly gripped with the need to find that other person like himself. Their presence called to him now pleading for help. Without thinking he released the binders and snatched a gun from the nearest guard, he fired on the ones who attacked him, he had not the time nor the want to peruse them.
He stood alone in a corridor full of cells. He had to concentrate hard to blot out the sounds of creatures moaning in pain or sheer desperation. The presence was ahead, not very far.
He moved forward stiffly at first, then quickening to a run. The guards who escaped would doubtless be returning with more soon. Luke wasn't sure how many he could handle at once.
As he approached the cell, he slowed instead of simply releasing the door, he looked inside cautiously. Although after meeting Vader, and his experiences on Dagobah he was fairly sure that he would be able to tell if this being had turned to the dark side or not, he wanted to look at them first, as if it would help him to decide.
When he first peered in he couldn't see anything. Then a figure emerged as if from the walls of the cell. Somehow this person had been able to use the Force to camouflage them self. Luke wanted to ask how they had done it, but as the figure approached, Luke could see inside the hood of the cloak which hid this powerful being.
Large, deep brown liquid eyes gazed back at him. Within them he could see and feel raw untrained power, it was not as strong as that of Obi-Wan or Vader, but it was there.
Luke released the door and stood back, allowing the occupant to leave. The young girl, for she was about Luke's age, seemed wary of him.
"Who are you?" She asked suspiciously.
"My name is Luke Skywalker." He identified. He did not use the title Jedi Knight. That was for Jabba's sake he had used it earlier. He wasn't even sure he was a Jedi yet, after all he hadn't yet completed his training had he?
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Luke questioned.
Her reply was just as vague as his. "Tessa, I'm a slave."
Luke desperately wanted to know more about her, find out where she was from, and if there were any more like her there. However, he could sense the guards returning.
By now Luke would not be able to get to Han in time, but he might be able to get this girl out. Right now that seemed important. If she could escape, perhaps Master Yoda would consider training her to become a Jedi. Luke didn't know how many Jedi were left, but he suspected it wasn't many.
He could now hear the grunting of the guards, they would be here in seconds. Luke thrust the blaster he had taken from one of the guards into Tessa's hands.
"Go!" He urged. He pointed back along the tunnel in the direction he had come. It was the only way, the guards were coming from the other direction. Luke would just have to hope that she could find a way out.
She hesitated, unsure whether or not to leave Luke.
"You have to go now, I'll hold them off for as long as I can." He said quickly wishing she would go.
"Come with me!" She demanded.
"I have friends here, I can't leave them, don't worry about me, I can manage. If you don't go now you won't stand a chance." He warned.
Tessa looked as if she were going to argue further, but decided against it. She gave Luke a "good-luck" smile, and took off down the corridor at a run.
Luke wondered if he would ever see her again, after all it was a big universe. Luke locked and sealed the door to Tessa's cell, with any luck they wouldn't check on it, and by the time they found that she was missing, it would be too late, she would be long gone. He reflected that he may never even know whether or not she had escaped from Jabba's palace.
Now his attention was on the oncoming guards, he moved forwards a little way past the empty cell. Luke wasn't prepared for the vast number of guards which came hurtling round the bend at break-neck speed. He managed to avoid them at first. They had large staffs and spears which they swung at him.
Luke jumped and dodged all their best efforts, making it look for all the world like he was trying to escape. Now all he had to do was figure out a way for them to catch him without it looking suspicious.
This actually proved surprisingly easy when he was caught off-guard by a blow to the back of the knees. It sent him down to the ground. The second he was down they all piled on top of him. He was overwhelmed by sheer force of numbers. His hands were re-shackled and he was hauled up onto his feet.
This time the guards kept hold of him as they marched him off to receive sentencing from their great leader.
Luke only hoped that Jabba stuck to his usual routine of public executions, if not there could be trouble, it also depended on R2 being close by. What he hadn't counted on was Jabba's liking to Leia. He had her on a chain which he kept hold of. When the fighting began, Leia would be on her own, and in the middle of it. Luke had every confidence in her that she would be all right.
Well that was what he kept trying to convince himself of anyway. In reality he was terrified that he might lose her.
As Luke was dragged into the audience chamber, Han and Chewie were also being brought in. Luke's mind flashed back to Tessa. He really hoped that her freedom was worth the price he had just paid.
"Han!" Luke greeted him. It was clear from the way he was walking he was completely blind.
"Luke?!" He responded. It felt good to hear the kid's voice again. Not as good as it was to hear Leia's but then the reasons for that were obvious!
"Together again." One jibed.
"Wouldn't miss it." Was the reply.
"How are things?" They continued their light banter, it seemed to help alleviate a small amount of the tension which was building up.
"Same as always."
"That bad huh?" Replied Han.
They were brought to a halt in front of Jabba with Leia chained around the neck to his side. Although scantily clad, she managed to affect an air of dignity which few others would have been capable of.
Luke nudged Han until he was facing in the right direction, then he held his breath, and wished with every ounce of strength that the Force would give him the guidance to get out of this alive and in one piece. After his last major battle with Vader, that last part seemed particularly relevant.
He released his breath, and prepared for his sentence to be announced...
Originally written in February 1999