Unbidden, the great iron door of Jabba's palace slowly creaked open. A shaft of light pierced the darkened entryway, interrupted only by the silhouette of a figure in a hooded cloak. Without waiting for any invitation, the mysterious person entered.
Still squinting their eyes against the bright morning sunlight spilling through the door, a pair of Gamorreans approached the intruder with polearms raised. They crossed them to stop the intruder's passage. The intruder narrowed his eyes and extended a mechanical hand of blued steel.
One of the Gamorreans suddenly dropped his polearm and his hands flew to his neck. He staggered backwards, unsure of why his throat felt so tight. The intruder moved his hand towards the other guard who was subjected to the same treatment. Once free of whatever unseen force the intruder had used on them, the Gamorreans ran for the door, squealing in fear.
Jabba snoozed on his throne, hungover from the revelry and excitement of the night before. The tip of his tail stroked the outer thigh of Princess Leia, who lay at the foot of the Hutt's throne dressed in a scanty loincloth and top, as much about titillation as it was about humiliation. Jabba's monkey-lizard watched his master's tail swish, hypnotized.
Bib Fortuna heard the squealing of the Gamorreans and snapped awake. He rushed to the steps, mentally preparing the tongue lashing he would give them for squabbling again. The sight of a man in a black cloak startled the majordomo badly.
Bib raised his hand and pointed a pale finger at the intruder. It was the man from the message that the nautomaton had played. "Yo macka chipowan Skywalker. Jabba mo botowa tu."
"I must speak with Jabba," replied Luke.
"Es tosit. Jabba no tusen di hunka bi. No bargain."
Luke made an arcane gesture in front of Fortuna's face. "You will take me to Jabba now," he said.
Bib nodded and relaxed. "Ataka bu Jabba now."
Luke followed the majordomo the rest of the way down the steps. He did another gesture. "You serve your master well."
"Ay soya vanlocha..."
"And you will be rewarded."
Bib Fortuna grinned. "A chunoh ayo ahtot."
Luke went to the center of the room and faced Jabba while Bib ascended the throne's steps. Threepio perked up upon recognizing who stood before the throne. "At last! Master Luke's come to rescue me!"
The various guards and guests scattered around the throne room began to stir, interested to see what was going on. Leia perked up upon seeing her friend.
Bib Fortuna tapped Jabba and whispered to him. "Master." Jabba awakened with a violent start. "Gabba nopez Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight."
Jabba glared. "(I told thee not to admit him!)"
"I must be allowed to speak," Luke said, directing his words towards Bib Fortuna.
Bib leaned and whispered to Jabba. "(He must be allowed to speak.)"
Jabba grabbed the front of Bib's robe. "(Thee are a weak minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mind trick!)" He flung his majordomo away.
Luke pulled his hood back. "You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to me."
Jabba laughed. "(Thee enchantments will not work on me, boy.)"
Luke slowly stepped forward, keeping his eyes fixed on the Hutt. "Nevertheless, I'm 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."
Jabba growled.
"Oh, no," cried Threepio, realizing where Luke was. "Master Luke, you're standing on-"
"(There will be no bargain, young Jedi!)" Jabba yanked Leia's collar chain, eliciting a grunt of discomfort from her. "(I shall enjoy watching thee die.)"
Luke glanced to the side, seeing Lando standing at the front of a group of guards. The Jedi extended his hand and the pistol in Lando's unfastened holster flew into Luke's hand. A Gamorrean lunged and grabbed at Luke's arm while Jabba yelled in alarm. The Hutt reflexively slammed his fist onto the rune that opened the trapdoor.
Luke and the Gamorrean fell down the chute into the grotto below. The Jedi rolled upon hitting the floor and sprang to his feet. The Gamorrean was far less lithe in his attempt to stand but he did grab one of the many bones that littered the floor of the grotto.
Above, under the guise of ensuring that Jabba's new favorite slave was unharmed, Lando put a reassuring hand on Leia's shoulder. Jabba's throne slid forward as the Hutt clapped with glee. "Tibi Jedi! Tibi Jedi!"
The iron door on the far end of the grotto shrieked in protest as it began to rise. Luke saw a pair of very large russet four fingered hands clench and unclench impatiently as their owner roared.
Threepio remembered what had happened to Oola the night before. "Oh, no! The rancor!"
Rancors are towering reptiles native to Dathomir that have a reputation the world over for being mindlessly violent beasts. This is due in large part to their use in arena bloodsport where their keepers underfeed them to bring out a ruthless nature. In truth, rancors are intelligent social creatures that form deep emotional bonds with their packmates and will do near anything for them. Sadly, the rancor that Jabba kept had become neurotic due to isolation and a meager diet of live prey.
Luke observed the rancor carefully as it emerged from its den. Its beady eyes locked on Luke and the Gamorrean and it roared with a primal hunger at the sight of two more potential meals. The Gamorrean squealed in terror and scrambled for the chute. The Jedi strafed around the rancor while the reptile went for the easier prey.
Repeatedly, the Gamorrean climbed partly up the chute only to slide back down again. One last time he slid back and felt an enormous clawed hand wrap around him. He squealed and pounded his meaty fists against the rancor's thumb. If the rancor even noticed, it didn't care as it opened its toothy, drooling maw.
With a stomach-churning wet crunch, the rancor bit into the helpless Gamorrean and tore him in half. Cheers and jeers from the spectators above filled the grotto. Leia did her best to ignore the sickening sounds that rose out in return.
Luke had been watching how the rancor moved since it was released and had devised what he hoped was a plausible strategy. Jabba laughed as his pet turned on the insolent Jedi.
Luke kept his eyes on the beast's dominant hand and held out his own towards a pile of dried bones. A large femur flew into his grip and he slowly stepped backwards, though not fast enough to escape the rancor. This was by design and he let the creature grab him.
Luke winced as the air was squeezed from his lungs, but he steeled himself. The raucous cheers of Jabba's guests became nothing but a dull hum in Luke's ears as he focused. The rancor's mouth opened wide and its foul humid breath washed over Luke.
Luke chose the moment his head and upper body were inside the mouth to act. With a swift movement, he jammed the femur in his hand vertically behind the rancor's top and bottom teeth. It roared in surprise and pain at the unexpected intrusion and dropped Luke to paw at its mouth.
Between the rancor's stubby legs, Luke saw the door through which its handler would enter on the far side of the rancor's holding pen. The bone in the beast's mouth held long enough for Luke to work on the next stage of his plan. When it finally snapped, the rancor reached for Luke again.
Luke flung a sizeable stone at the rancor's hand with the Force, splitting the scaly skin on one of its knuckles. It reeled back and roared in pain as deep red blood oozed slowly from the wound. With the rancor distracted for the moment, Luke made a break and sprinted past the creature and into the holding pen.
Luke mashed his hand against the door rune and the thick iron door slid open. What greeted him on the other side was another door made from sturdy wrought iron bars. The thudding footsteps and roaring behind him along with the door guard and rancor keeper in front of him led Luke to abandon any plans of forcing the door.
Luke turned to face the rancor again and scanned his surroundings. Whups and hollers encouraging the beast to kill rose to a fever pitch as it closed in. It roared and flexed its fingers.
Realization hit Luke about his surroundings. He was in the rancor's pen which was separated from the grotto by an extremely heavy metal door. If he could find the door winch release and throw it just as the beast was under the door, it would crush the rancor. Not an ideal solution, but Luke was out of alternative options.
Luke spied the release lever nestled in a shallow crevice in the wall. He scooped up a human skull and paused a moment, waiting until the rancor was directly below the door. With all his might, Luke hurled the skull at the lever.
The skull broke upon impact, but it still had the desired effect. The winch whirred as the weight was released and the door slammed down on the rancor with a loud wet crack.
Everything went silent. Above, the spectators stared in shock at the slain beast and the rancor keeper stood in cold disbelief. The silence was broken by Jabba furiously shouting a litany of swears.
Luke turned his head at the sound of the wrought iron door squeaking open. A guard rushed in and grabbed him but was thrown aside by the rancor keeper. He slowly approached his fallen pet.
Jabba was beside himself with blind fury. He gripped Leia's chain tightly, inadvertently choking her, but only enough to be uncomfortable. "(Bring me Solo and the Wookiee! They will all suffer for this outrage!)"
Lando pushed his way through the crowd, heading to the level below to retrieve Luke.
The rancor keeper reached out a shaky hand and put it on his pet's scaly head before falling to his knees and sobbing. A door guard laid down his pike and knelt next to the keeper. He put an arm around his friend and pulled him in for a hug.
As Luke was led through the halls back to the throne room, he saw Han and Chewbacca being led up by a cadre of Gamorreans. He smiled at the sight of his friend. "Han!"
"Luke," exclaimed Han, hoping that he was looking the correct way.
"Are you all right?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Together again, huh?"
"Wouldn't miss it."
"How're we doing?"
"Same as always," Luke replied.
"Mm, that bad, huh?" Han grunted as his Gamorrean escort shoved him forward. "So, where's Leia?"
"I'm here," Leia replied, her voice coming from directly in front of Han.
Jabba glared with unbridled hatred at the three prisoners before him. "Tok ottomeeton oo nee tong."
Threepio stepped forward. "Oh, dear... His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba Desilijic Tiure, has decreed that you are to be executed immediately."
"Good," snarked Han. "I hate long waits."
Jabba's monkey-lizard cackled.
Threepio continued. "You will therefore be taken across the Dune Sea and cast into the Pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Han muttered.
"In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are incorporated into his stomach lining and slowly digested over a thousand years."
Chewbacca roared in horror.
Han grimaced. "On second thought, let's pass on that."
Luke sneered at Jabba. "You should have bargained."
"Ya cha neechoo."
The guards - Gamorrean, human, and Weequay - forced the three prisoners to start walking.
Luke side eyed Jabba as he and his friends were led away. "That's the last mistake you'll ever make."
Jabba laughed at the hollow threat and pulled Leia closer.