Obi-Wan kept his eyes opens as everyone else seemed to either leave or drift off to sleep. Sleep would not come to him so easily, between the howls of beast and screaming prisoners, he would have probably found more peace on the battlefield. the B'omarr monks and their Spider Droids also didn't help in terms of the uneasiness How this place could even be called a palace by any stretch of the imagination was beyond Obi-Wan's guess.

Dengar had long left the premises, something about seeing if there were any juicy bounties on Canto Bite. Once it was clear that everyone had left the premise, Byathla unchained herself and leapt off of Jabba's throne.

"We're in the clear. ready to go big guy?" The fat dancer whispered.

"I'll follow your lead whenever you are ready." Obi-Wan whispered back.

Byathla put a finger to her lips and directed him to a secret passageway into the wall. Much to Obi-Wan's shock, the room was the nicest in the palace by far, a large hot pool, at the center of the room complete with a waterfall, nice seating tables. Beautiful multi-colored lights, if the rest of the palace was like this Kenobi might have seen the appeal.

"Nice hidden room." Obi-Wan said.

"Yeah, this is Jabba's private party room. It's uses are well, self-explanatory. The nice thing is this room is completely soundproof so we can be as loud and as wild as we want and still won't disturb anyone. Now, I hope you brought an appetite. you don't get a body like mine by being temperate with food."

Byathla directed Obi-Wan to a table spread with a feast worthy of a Hutt. Oddly enough all of the fatty salty delicacies didn't repulse Obi-Wan as it might a normal person. For one he had eaten far fewer edible things during the war, and two this type of food was common at Dexter's Diner. Still, he could only watch in shock and awe as she tore into the feast with about as much grace as a feral beast.

He himself was only match her appetite by a small fraction. Something she quickly noticed.

"What, not very hungry?" Byathla asked as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I'm afraid your appetite far surpasses mine." Obi-Wan said with a chuckle.

"Lightweight." she teased.

Once they both finished, Obi-Wan pushed away his chair only to feel himself get tackled to the floor. Byathla's fleshy knees pressed against his own. The jedi let out a strained groan as he used his legs to push her off of him. While she was sent fly across the room, she landed on all fours before even touching the ground. While his hands hovered over his lightsaber, he didn't draw it. He didn't sense any form of malice from her. It was almost as if she was just trying to wrestle with him, almost like a jungle cat.

Playing along, he tackled her only for her to pull reversal and pin him under her massive girth.

"How, can someone so obese be so fast and agile."

"For my kind. Extra bulk is an asset. more weight means more strength, it's easier to pin down our pray."

"Last I checked, you promised you wouldn't eat me."

"I'm not." She assured. "I'm just having a little fun.

Obi-Wan blushed as she removed his armor leaving him in the equivalent of bathing trucks. He then let out a yelp as she flipped him head over into the hot pool. upon lifting his head up to get air, he opened his mouth to protest only to fall silent as he watched Byathla remove her skirt revealing a swimsuit. She tossed her dancing skirt to the side and jumped into the pool.

"I must admit, it's been a while since someone was able to causally overpower me."

"Just go with it and relax."

Byathla pulled Kenobi into her bosom and started to massage his back. Obi-Wan let out a sigh. This was the first time in three months he felt relaxed.

"Hey," Byathla whispered. "Want to play a game?"

"Depends, what's the game?"

"Truth or dare."

Obi-Wan put a finger to his chin. "Sure, hit me."

"Alright, who are you really?"

Obi-Wan's face quickly turned into that of alarm.

"Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you are suppose to ask me truth or dare first."

Byathla gave a slight grin. "Look I know for a fact that you're not Rako Hardeen. The real Rako Hardeen was shived in the back three months ago on a Republic Prison Barge after he was sentenced ten years for the attempted murder of General Obi-Wan Kenobi. I can also smell the force radiating from you. Based on your skills with that laser sword of yours. I'm going to guess that your a jedi. So, I'll ask again. Who are you?"

Obi-Wan began to mouth words but no sound came out. Three months of preparation was all undone in a second. his lightsaber far from him he realized he was trap. Accepting defeat he let out a sigh.

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am or was a jedi, but I am a jedi no more."

Byathla had a shock look of her own. "You're one of the most prominent warriors in the galaxy. Of all the planets in the galaxy, why choose to be in its armpit?"

Obi-Wan began to open his mouth, but the girthy Maelibus raised a hand to cut him off.

"Don't say anything, I think it would be easiest if I just did this. hold still."

Byathla firmly grasped his skull with both her hands. both of their eyes widened as Kenobi's entire life flashed before thier eyes. Every memory and experience Kenobi had until that moment was being fed directly into Byathla's brain as if it were her own. Once the experience was over, she quickly let go, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.

"Forgive me, I wasn't thinking." She said softly.

"What...what did you do to me?"

"I essentially assimilated your memories. It's an ability that Maelibi have to better know each other. You've been through so much."

Kenobi shrugged. "Sometimes you suffer what you must. Now my turn. "Why are you here? I mean you are a Maelibus, an apex predator on top of the galactic food chain. How did you end being a dancer for a Hutt?"

Byathla gave a dejected chuckle. "I don't like to kill other sentience. Because of that, my people banished me."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why would they banish you? couldn't they just do that...thing you did to me so they could understand why you don't like killing people?"

"As far as they were concerned, I would be taiting them with my weakness. So, they sold me into slavery. I was bounced from ownership. Mostly, I was used as a gladiatorial beast in the blood arenas in the cog hive system. I went on a rampage trying to escape, killed a bunch of people, then I got kidnapped and was sold off to Jabba the Hutt. He discovered my shapeshifting abilities when I tried to use it to sway one of the guards to help me escape, and he decided I'd be better use to him as a dancer. turned out I was good at it. It also turns out Jabba treats his most favorite dancer like a prized hog, but hey the extra bulk is a boon."

Obi-wan gave a sympathetic look. "You don't like it here though."

Byathla sighs. "No, Jabba maybe better than my other owners, but he's still a slimeball. You saw how he just sat there and laughed as a patron was about to assault me."

She then let out a sigh.

"What I wish is I belonged to someone who'd actually care about me."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Why not seek freedom?"

Byathla grinned. "And what? I'm a belly dancer Kenobi. That kind of thing isn't looked at kindly in the higher parts of core world society. Even if I'm free the best I could ever hope for is dancing at a seedy nightclub under an exploitive contract or worse I'm tossed back into a gladiatorial pit. Besides...I don't want to be alone. She then chuckled. "It's too bad you're not some rich business owner or senator that could buy me. I'd do what you ask any day."

Obi-Wan wasn't sure how to react to that. "I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help. Jedi were forbidden to have any attachments including property."

Byathla cocked her head to the side. "Did the jedi really kidnap children?"

Again Obi-Wan was caught off guard. "That's...complicated."

"Ha! Well, that answers that question."

"No, I mean. When the Jedi discovered a force sensitive child, we would go to the parents and offer to teach them how to use the force."

"Were the parents ever made aware about the no attachments thing and how they would never see thier kids again?

"Well...no." Obi-Wan said softly.

"Uh huh, so it wasn't blatant kidnapping, just kidnapping by omission and half-truths. That's much better."

"Look, the jedi believe that by getting attached to things you become fearful of losing it. Fear leads to anger, anger leads, to hate, hate leads to suffering and suffering leads to the dark side. Once someone falls to the dark side, they become a monster like Count Dooku

Byathla gave a look of utter confusion. "So let me make sure I'm understanding this correctly. Jedi aren't allowed to get attached to things or people because that causes them to experience fear anger and hate, all basic emotion felt by sentient beings, and if they feel these things, they fall to the dark side and become crazy psychotic warlords. So, if you are capable of using the force you have to choose between being a sociopath or a psychopath. Way to make the force sound like a disease.

"I'm not a sociopath!" Obi-Wan protested.

"Oh, is that anger I sense?" Byathla teased. "I thought anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering. Careful not to fall to the Dark side. You may decide to slaughter everyone in the palace in their sleep."

"Don't be ridiculous. " Obi-Wan mumbled.

"I didn't make that philosophy."

"And I didn't say I agreed with it. You were in my mind you know that."

"And I'm trying to point out how ridiculous it sounds when drawn to its natural conclusion."

Obi-Wan sighed. "It's not like it matters now. The jedi are gone.

Byathla gave a comforting touch to Obi-Wan's shoulder. "My kind have a saying. Du wahza see wogha, wa ahe bkhoh doth phee. In forges of fire, a golden road is created. Maybe the jedi are gone but perhaps something better can take its place."

"Maybe, but I can't forget what was lost."

Byathla pulled Obi-Wan into her bosom again and then pressed her lips against his. Obi-Wan's eyes widened once she pulled away. he opened his mouth to say something but again no words came out.

"It's ok." Byathla whispered. "Just embrace it."

The two squeezed each other tightly and embraced for what felt like it stretched on to eternity. for just one brief moment, all of Obi-Wan's griefs and fears melted away.