The next day, Tatooine's twin suns were at their zenith, baking the lonely road to Jabba the Hutt's Palace once more. In the distance, slowly making their way towards the great palace gate, were three figures. The faint whistling and chattering of the two on the right carried faintly, becoming louder with each step.
"Of course I'm worried!" came the irritated voice of C-3po, turning his head to look down at R2-D2. "And you should be too. Lando Calrissian and poor Chewbacca never returned from this awful place."
In response, R2 gave a defiant whistle and a turn of his domed upper half.
"Don't be so sure," 3po said. "If I told you half the things I've heard about this Jabba the Hutt, you'd probably short-circuit," 3po said, and R2's whistle turned timid.
"Guys, I've already told you," Hobbes said, turning to look at them, upset at having to walk for miles under the hot, devastating desert with a fur coat on all fours. "Chewie and Lando are safe, so don't worry!"
"Well, I don't understand why I wasn't invited into the planning process," 3po said. "Perhaps if I were, you wouldn't have to tell me this, and rescuing Captain Solo could be a lot– Oh, my…" 3po stopped talking as they neared the gigantic, 40 foot tall rusted metal gate; the only direct way into the palace. There were no guards outside, no visible defenses.
"Hobbes, R2, are you two sure that this is the right place?" 3po asked. At his companions' affirmations, he said, "Well, I'd better knock, I suppose."
Walking up to the gigantic door, 3po placed a hesitant golden fist on it, and weakly tapped several times. Hobbes sighed as 3po immediately turned around and said, "There doesn't seem to be anyone here. Let's go and tell Master Luke."
"3po-" Hobbes began to say as the droid took a step back towards him and R2. Before he could go on, however, a concealed panel in the door opened, and a spidery robotic eye shot out, inspecting the three of them. "Ah'chu apenkee!?"
"Goodness gracious me!" 3po blurted out, startled. "Ehm," he fumbled for a second, before pointing to each of them. "R2…Detoah, bo Hobbes, un toocha bo Seethreepiowha ey toota… odd mischka… Jabba du Hutt?" The spidery eye sat still for a second, processing, before saying a few more lines of Hutteese, the Hutts' native language, and giving them a sharp, amused laugh. It quickly retracted back into the panel, which closed.
"I don't think they're going to let us in," 3po said. "We'd better go."
As 3po began walking past Hobbes and R2, a deafening screech shattered their ears. The door slowly opened, and they could see a giant cavern beyond the threshold. Rising a third of the way up, the door stopped, and Hobbes said, "Hey, guys. Listen." The droids turned around. "Remember: For here on out, I am not sentient, got it? You do not talk to me, you do not gesture to me, you do not look at me. If you do, this whole thing might fail. Got it?"
"Well, alright," 3po said, rattled, and looked around for R2. To his dismay, the astromech was already heading into the cavern. "R2, wait. Oh, dear! R2, I really don't think we should rush into all this!" Hobbes was quick to catch up, and the three of them entered the gloom as the massive metal door creaked shut behind them.
"Oh, R2! Wait for me!"
The door slammed shut entirely.
As they walked through the dim cavern, Gamorrean guards stepped out from the shadows, heading to intercept them. Each one carried a menacing durasteel halberd. They quickly surrounded the strange trio, examining them. Hobbes, playing into his role as a savage tiger, snapped at a green, smelly hand that got too close to him. The guard growled, brandishing his halberd, and Hobbes growled right back.
"Just you deliver Master Luke's message and get us out of here," 3po urged R2, and took a step back as one of the guards leveled his weapon at him. "Oh, oh no!"
Suddenly, a voice, like a whip crack, hissed through the cavern. "Dee Wanna Wanga!"
Unbeknownst to his companions, Hobbes secretly wore a little grain-sized device, just inside of his left ear, that could translate several languages, including Huttese.
Hobbes looked up, noticing how the guards stood straighter, backing up to let a new alien inspect them. He looked human, save for the sharp teeth, reddened, evil eyes, and several chest length tentacles protruding from his skull. Remembering a certain image he saw from the planning phase, he guessed that this was Bib Fortuna, Jabba the Hutt's majordomo.
"Oh, my!" 3po said. "Die Wanna Wauga. We- we bring a message to your master, Jabba the Hutt."
R2 added in a few quick beeps, correcting 3po.
"...and a gift," 3po continued, spreading his arms in a slightly grandiose gesture, before turning sharply to look at R2. "Gift? What gift?"
Bib Fortuna looked at them, curiously, and then shook his head. "Nee Jabba no badda. Me chaade su goodi." Jabba wishes not to be disturbed. Tell it to me. As he spoke, he extended a hand to R2, who backed up a few inches and beeped again.
"He says that our instructions are to give it only to Jabba himself," 3po said. Visibly surprised, Bib frowned, narrowing his eyes at them.
"I'm terribly sorry," 3po apologized. "I'm afraid he's ever so stubborn about these sorts of things."
"Bah. Nudd Chaa!" Bib barked, harsh, and gestured for them to follow him. The guards behind them approached, grunting, and leveled their weapons once more to get them to move. Suddenly, Hobbes felt a lot more trapped.
"R2, I have a bad feeling about this," 3po murmured quietly.
The path into the palace was dank and gloomy, with the occasional guard or droid passing them now and again. The walls seemed carved out of desert rock, dusty but more and more well-lit. Slowly, they zigzagged their way through corridors and hallways, and pastside rooms. He noticed that they were primarily heading downwards. Finally, they reached a large door where more guards checked the procession, allowing it entrance as soon as they saw Bib Fortuna. As the door opened, Hobbes could hear the lively sounds of Tatooine jazz, shrieking, and laughter.
They descended one last spiral staircase, and were met with a full-on party. The moderately-sized room was lively, Structured in a T-shape. One side was lined with ornate arches, behind which were crammed scores of grotesque creatures- Jabba's guests. Many were drunk on various elixirs and spices. The floor was cold and hard. Dusty but intricate tapestries hung from the walls, and a band was mixing up a tune in one spacious corner, led by an elephantine blue creature. Then, as they turned the corner, Hobbes had to stop himself from visibly gaping in surprise. Lazing on a center platform on one side of the room, a Twi'lek dancer performing in front of him, was the crime lord himself: Jabba the Hutt.
The Hutt looked like the rest of his species, slug-like and slimy. His large, fat body was immobile, wrinkles of skin replacing where a neck would usually be. His wide nose and mouth were crooked, lined with spit, and big enough to swallow a person whole. Intoxicated eyes followed the dancer's movements, and a nearby Hookah-like device confirmed that he was currently under influence. All of these features, if relayed, wouldn't give the normal person the impression of a mighty crime lord. But standing in front of him, in his presence, Hobbes could feel the utter confidence emanating from the gangster- the power that this slug wielded as he sat on his slab of stone, enjoying the fruits of his criminal empire.
Bib walked up to the throne, and whispered into Jabba's ear. The Hutt came alive as the Twi'lek's dance ended. He dismissed her, and with a laugh, beckoned 3po, R2, and Hobbes forward. Hobbes made sure to act as if he didn't understand what was going on, looking around with a neutral stare until 3po moved, then following him. He had to cultivate the image of a trained housecat… and he hated it.
Halting a few feet from the throne, 3po bowed politely. Around them, Hobbes could sense the occupants of the room simmer down, looking at the newcomers. The room became entirely quiet.
"Hello," 3po said, clearly nervous.
"Bo Shuda," Jabba grumbled, gesturing with one stubby arm similar to those of a T-Rex's or a walruss's, and leaned back. For a moment, both droids were silent, before 3po turned and hushedly exclaimed, "The message, R2! The message!"
With a whistle, R2 focused his projector eye, and activated it. A concentrated flood of holographic light appeared, forming into the cohesive figure of Luke Skywalker, clad in black robes. His form towered over much of the room's guests to look Jabba straight in the eye. The Hutt's eyes opened further in curiosity.
"Greetings, Exalted One," Luke began. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend to Captain Solo." At 'Jedi knight,' the crowd whispered hushedly.
"I know that you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and that your anger with Solo must be equally powerful," Luke continued. "I seek an audience with Your Greatness to bargain for Solo's life."
To Hobbes' surprise, the entire room exploded with laughter as if they had just heard the funniest joke in the galaxy. Jabba sat still, emotionless, as far as Hobbes could tell.
"With your wisdom, I'm sure that we can work out an arrangement which will be mutually beneficial and enable us to avoid any unpleasant confrontation," the hologram continued. "As a token of my goodwill, I present to you a gift: these two droids, and this Tiger."
"What did he say?" 3po asked, looking first at R2, then at Hobbes.
"Both droids are hardworking, and will serve you well," Luke said. "The tiger is a very rare and regal creature, only found in the rainforests of Canadia; an excellent pet for someone as powerful as yourself. He is already trained to serve you."
"This can't be!" 3po argued, stammering. "R2, you're playing the wrong message."
The hologram, however, disappeared, plunging the room into quiet conversation. Hobbes, with full-on hummingbirds in his stomach, waited for the Hutt's reaction. As he watched, Bib whispered in Jabba's ear, and he caught the words, "He's no Jedi…"
Jabba laughed; a loud, booming laugh that commanded the room. The party looked at him, silent. "There will be no bargain," he said. "I will not give up my favorite decoration… I like Captain Solo where he is!" He raised an arm towards somewhere to Hobbes' left, and, as much as he wished to look, he stood still. Still, he gave a small shudder despite himself, and understood that their chances of getting Han out without confrontation were now very slim.
"Look, R2!" 3po said. "Captain Solo, and he's still frozen in carbonite!"
Suddenly, Hobbes noticed that Jabba was staring at him, humming in deliberation. With one of his arms, he gestured for Hobbes to approach. Hobbes did so, dreading every step. He sat right in front of the slab of stone that the Hutt sat on.
"Tiger, come here," Jabba said, reaching out with one arm. Anticipating the move, Hobbes placed his front paws on the stone, and leaned forward to allow the hutt to stroke his head. The touch was disgusting, but he kept his desire to maul the hutt's face from showing, and made himself purr (growl friendly-like). Seemingly pleased, Jabba shouted a few orders at his guards. Human and Gamorrean guards surrounded him, and began to lead him out of the room. One tried to place a hand on his back, and with a whip-like movement, he turned and snarled. The hand retreated. Looking over, he could see 3po and R2 being led away as well, probably to be assigned tasks.
Eventually, he found himself in a circular room, with a sandy floor and a domed ceiling. To his anxiety, a few shock prods and a wall-length cage that resembled a prison cell sat on one side. The door closed behind him, and looking around, he saw a guard and a fat, shirtless man speaking. As soon as the door closed, the latter turned and his eyes widened. Hobbes recalled another image that he had seen during the planning; this was Jabba's beastmaster, the one who reportedly took care of a pet Rancor that Jabba had somewhere in his palace. The thought of the creature made him shudder. 14 to 20 feet tall, with excavator-like claws and a bulldog maw that could crush metal, they were the ultimate gladiator beasts. He had only ever once seen one, on Corellia, in a fighting ring. They were unstoppable.
"What a beautiful creature!" the man exclaimed in Huttese. "Is this one of his lordship's new possessions?" Hobbes growled softly at that. One of the guards spoke with him, explaining something, and the man nodded. "Well, if he's trained, let's see what he can do. Once I'm done with him, send him back up to the main audience chamber. I'll have a list of commands for his excellency once I figure them out."
As the man turned to inspect him, Hobbes already knew that this next part was going to test his tiger's pride to the limit.
Two hours later, Hobbes found himself back up in the throne room, sitting on his own slab of rock against the wall close to Jabba. The past two hours had been spent in embarrassing obedience as Hobbes allowed Jabba's beastmaster to order him to jump, sit, lay down, and do a myriad of other tricks that, were it not for the sake of Han, he wouldn't ever agree with performing. Once he was content with the extent of his 'training,' the beastmaster ordered the guards to send him back up to the throne room.
Well, it was for Han, he supposed.
3po had reappeared, assigned to be Jabba's translator droid, as they had expected. R2 would be given a vacant spot on Jabba's sail barge, due to a tragic 'accident' with one of the vessel's current droid staff, courtesy of Calvin. As he had been reintroduced to the throne room Hobbes had finally noticed the decoration that Jabba had referred to: Han's carbonite slab, hung on the far wall. A pang of sorrow struck him as he thought of what getting flash-frozen must have felt like.
Scanning the room, Hobbes found relief at spotting a certain masked guard on the other side of the room, wearing a unique helmet that allowed Hobbes to locate him easily. Looking back at him, Lando winked from behind his helmet, and Hobbes risked a wink back. Lando soon moved away. He knew that even though the situation seemed quite scary, especially to 3po, everything was still going according to plan.
It was a few hours later that the third phase began. Jabba and his crowd of degenerates were cheering as they watched several scantily clad dancers shimmy about, while Hobbes did his best to look the other way, pretending to nap while thinking about what would happen after this. Once they had Han back- if they got Han back- there was still the monumental task of getting the knowledge of the DART out of the Empire's hands. How would they, especially if the Empire already had it stored in multiple different locations or copied the information? And once the Empire built their first DART, how would they stop it from using it?
He remembered the talk that he had had with Calvin and Leia, just before they had embarked to Tatooine, and wondered if that held the answer. He had posed those exact questions to her, and her response intrigued him.
"There might be a way," she had said. "High command had been getting a lot of rumors that the Empire is spending an extreme amount of its resources on something. And if we can cripple whatever they're going into for good, then the Empire will be weak enough for us to break it apart."
"Huh. Wait, that's cool an' all, but how does that factor into the DART?" Calvin had asked.
"If we defeat the Empire somehow, then we can focus all of our assets on finding the DART's information and purging it from Imperial databases and systems," Leia explained. "I can't tell you what the Empire is focusing on- It's classified. But if the reports are correct, then we might be in the endgame of this whole thing… But right now, let's focus on getting Han back."
What had she meant when she had said all that? What could–
A ruckus pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked over to find one of the dancers, a green twi'lek, resisting Jabba's lecherous attempts to pull her close to him. Struggling to keep away from the crime lord, she yelped as Jabba suddenly jerked the chain hard, sending her to the ground in front of him, clearly upset at having been made a fool of. As she tried to get up, Hobbes noticed one of Jabba's hands pressing a button on his throne, at the same time that he noticed that the dancer was standing on a metal grate.
"Hiss!" The trapdoor opened under her feet, and the dancer screamed as she fell. The crowd, cheering, quickly swarmed around a larger metal grate, which allowed them to view something beneath the throne room. Curious, Hobbes stood up on fours and craned his neck. He spotted a flash of green, and heard a large mechanical noise, similar to the creak of the palace's main door opening. A few more seconds, and then he heard a stomping and a terrified scream. Realizing what was about to happen without seeing it, he watched as the spectators cheered as a sickening crunch filled his ears.
He suddenly had a pretty good idea of where Jabba kept his pet Rancor.
Doing everything he could to appear indifferent, he laid back down and gazed at nothing in particular. Inside, though, a fire was burning- one that urged him to rip the Hutt's face off, and escape from this vile dungeon in which he had trapped himself. He was, he felt, surrounded by death.
His thoughts were supported a second later, when he noticed a familiar armored figure, mingling among the other dancers who stood close to the staircase. A closer look, and the sight he saw chilled his marrow. A mandalorian, clad in green-and-red armor, with a carbine rifle and a rocket-armed jetpack– Boba Fett.
The bounty hunter had been hiding in the back, leaning against a wall as he observed the comings and goings. Had he recognized Hobbes? He knew he and Calvin were still wanted by the Empire, along with Calvin, but hadn't seen an image of himself so far on any wanted signs. Only a description. But it was Fett that had captured Calvin and Han, and for a moment, they had both seen each other as they exchanged blaster shots among Cloud City's corridors. The bounty hunter turned his head, and Hobbes smoothly shifted his gaze back to the cheering spectators to avoid staring at him.
Fett must have seen Hobbes by now. And if that was the case, then that meant one of two things: One, he didn't remember him, or two, he was waiting to see if somebody else would show up, like Calvin, and then nab them. Here was a major crack in the plan. Feeling as though Fett was looking right at him from behind his mask but not daring to look, he wished that something would happen to give him a distraction.
Suddenly, a blaster went off, and Hobbes got to his feet as a Gamorrean guard fell down the stairs leading into the throne room. Fett looked over, as did the rest of the room. Halberds was raised, weapons brandished, and then a familiar roar, agitated and angry, reached him. A moment later, Chewie stumbled into the room, followed by a masked bounty hunter. The hunter's orange masked helmet and armor were unique to only one specific person: Boushh, a legendary bounty hunter from the middle rim. Chewie was cuffed in durasteel.
Grabbing the Wookie by the arms, the bounty hunter approached Jabba as the room quieted down, and said, "Jio'to, Jio'to," in a raspy, thin voice. I have come for the bounty on this Wookie.
"Oh, no," he heard 3po murmur. "Chewbacca!"
The hutt grinned as he scanned Chewie, and said, "At last, we have the mighty Chewbacca!" He let out a laugh, and the entourage laughed with him. With a wave of his flabby arm, he beckoned 3po forward.
"Oh, um, yes, uh, I am here, your worshipfulness. Uh, yes!" 3po said.
Jabba began to speak, addressing the bounty hunter. When he finished, 3po said, "Oh. The illustrious Jabba bids you welcome and will gladly pay you the reward of twenty-five thousand."
Boushh responded immediately. "I want 50,000, no less."
3po translated, and Jabba immediately flew into a rage, knocking over a platter of treats and sending 3po sprawling to the ground. Hobbes noticed the bounty hunter adjusting his weapon, and wondered what trick he was going to use to get Jabba to like him enough to give him an overnight stay. So far, it wasn't looking good.
As Jabba ranted, 3po got up dazedly, and once the rant had subsided, told Boushh, "Uhh, the mighty Jabba asks why he must pay 50,000."
In response, Boushh reached into a pocket, and brought out a hand-sized silver ball. Confused and impatient, Jabba addressed 3po, who looked at the device, before taking a shocked step backwards. Then, with a push of his thumb, Boushh activated it, and it began to release a high-pitched whine as it flashed crimson. "Because he's holding a thermal detonator!" 3po wailed.
The room descended into a panic as the crowd pushed to get away from the explosive. In a snap, Boba Fett entered a defensive stance, pointing his blaster right at Boushh. Across the room, Hobbes could see that Lando was similarly shocked. Was Boushh crazy?
His malevolent stare turning into a sly grin, Jabba laughed, the cackle reverberating in Hobbes' chest. The confidence radiated from the gangster calmed the party guests, and once again, the only sound was the droning of the thermal detonator. "This bounty hunter is my kind of scum," Jabba declared. "Fearless and inventive."
A few more words, and 3po translated. "Jabba offers the sum of thirty-five. And I suggest you take it."
After a few moments of deliberation, Boushh pulled back his thumb, and the explosive went dead. "Zebuss."
"He agrees!" 3po cried out jubilantly, and the room gave a unified cheer. The band started up again, and equilibrium returned. Hobbes relaxed from his tense stance, not expecting the trick to be that brazen. But it definitely worked. The third phase was complete. The bounty hunter would be given an overnight stay as Jabba's guest, and Chewie would be locked up in the dungeons. Now came the final phase- the part where things could go all too wrong.
The palace slept. Even crime lords and guards needed rest, and so the throne room was filled with snoring creatures and blacked-out partygoers. The room, after the wild celebrations, looked as though the thermal detonator had been activated.
As they snored, a silhouette appeared at the top of the stairs and made its way in. The room was almost entirely dark. Without a sound, Leia, still wearing the mask of the famed bounty hunter, descended the stairs into the throne room like a shadow untethered. In front of her, bottles and trinkets and sprawled-out appendages threatened to wake the occupants sleeping mere feet away. As she reached the bottom, she made sure not to disturb the floor debris in the slightest, and so missed the hanging ornament that her shoulder was about to make contact with.
The thing noisily swung upon being struck. She froze, fully expecting the sleeping aliens around her to jump up and see her, but not one of them stirred, their snoring still consistent. Waiting a few seconds to make sure, Leia decided to keep going, and soon reached her goal, hanging on the far wall. Han…
Something was wrong, she thought, as she looked around. Hobbes should be here, or at least have gotten here by now… She could worry about that in a minute. Right now, she needed to get Han. Carefully looking around again, she hoped that the unfreezing process wouldn't be too loud. Pressing a button on the side of the slab, she took a step back as it fell to the ground with a loud bang!
Looking around again, she marveled at the sight before her. Every single alien was still asleep. Turning around again, she pressed the correct buttons, as Lando had said, and stepped back. Almost immediately, a rhythmic electronic warble began to sound, as the shape of Han began to change color. It turned yellow, then orange, then red-hot. Taking a step forward, Leia watched as the carbonite began to hiss and crack, before evaporating like ice thrown upon magma. Light burst from inside, briefly making the room glow, and then, Han, completely unsealed, slumped forward. Leia barely caught him, and lowered him to the ground.
He was already conscious and shivering, and his condition almost brought a tear to her eye.
"Just relax for a moment," she said, the mask scrambling her voice. "You are free of the carbonite."
Han felt his own face and groaned.
"Shh. You have hibernation sickness," Leia said.
"I can't see," Han said, quivering.
"Your eyesight will return in time."
"Where am I?"
"Jabba's Palace," Leia said. For a moment, Han recoiled in terror.
"Who are you?" he asked.
Feeling that it was time for the charade to be over, Leia took off the helmet and said, "Someone who loves you."
"Leia!" Han whispered.
"I gotta get you out of here," Leia said, when suddenly, she felt something was really, really wrong. Hearing a scraping sound, she turned just in time to see a familiar shape slam into her, bringing them both rolling to the ground. Hobbes?!
A ruckus of noise followed, and, suddenly, she was pinned to the ground, still confused, when she felt claws threaten to dig into her skin. Hobbes gave a growl, still apparently playing his role. What?
Suddenly, they all heard a low, vile laugh. Han stiffened. "I know that laugh…"
"They know," Hobbes whispered. "Plan B."
Suddenly, the curtain on the other side of an alcove opened, revealing Jabba, 3po, Boba Fett, and a dozen of his guards and guests, all laughing in despicable glee. Guards quickly rushed over to them, surrounding the trio. "Tiger, away!" Jabba ordered, and Hobbes complied, allowing Leia to get up, and walked back over to the Hutt's side.
"Hey, Jabba. Look, Jabba, I was just on my way to pay you back, but I got a little sidetracked," Han stammered. "It's not my fault."
"It's too late for that, Solo," Jabba said. "You may have been a good smuggler, but now you're Bantha fodder."
"Look…" Han tried to say.
"Take him away!"
The guards grabbed Han and hoisted him to his feet.
"Jabba... I'll pay you triple! You're throwing away a fortune here. Don't be a fool!" Han shouted, struggling against attempts to get him to move. Finally, he pulled out of the room and into the dungeons. Leia could only watch, and thought, We were so close…
Suddenly, Lando was there, trying to bring Leia to the dungeons as well, but it was too late. They all winced as Jabba said, "Bring her to me."
Jabba chuckled as Lando and a second guard dragged Leia towards him, despite her attempts to wrestle free. Threepio peeked from behind a monster and quickly turned away in disgust.
"We have powerful friends!" Leia threatened, staring malevolently into the Hutt's fishy eyes. "You're gonna regret this…"
"I'm sure," Jabba said, mockingly, captivated. Disgusted, Leia turned her head away. Well, Luke, you're up… she thought, as Jabba ordered the guards to take her away.
"Ohhh, I can't bear to watch!" 3po wailed.
Horrified at the turn of events, Hobbes tried to keep up his act, even as Jabba leered at Leia. They had expected that if he were to be discovered, she'd go to the doungeons along with Han and Chewie. But the Hutt had inadvertently thrown a wrench in their plans with his depravity. Now they were all trapped, except for one.
It was a good thing, he mused, that, unlike Calvin's rescue, they didn't have any sort of deadline to meet. They took as long as they needed to work out every detail, including having a backup plan. Hopefully, Luke wouldn't be late in getting to them.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Boba Fett staring at him, and realized that he might not have been as convincing as he thought in his act. Settling back down, he lowered his head, keeping one eye just a sliver open to monitor the bounty hunter. He wasn't going to catch him by surprise.
A few hours later, the main gate opened.
The guards, sleepy and disgruntled at having been awoken, trudged towards the new arrival, stopping in front of him to prevent him from going any further. The mysterious stranger, cloaked in black robes and a hood, waved a gloved hand, and all four guards suddenly found themselves unable to breathe, choking. They dropped their weapons out of fear and panic, and retreated.
Bib Fortuna was there to meet the stranger in an instant, and walked towards him as the man kept advancing at a steady pace. Planning to intercept him, Bib said, "No mishka du'onnat–"
But the stranger never stopped, continuing past Bib and forcing the majordomo to quicken his pace to catch up. More guards began to surround them, forcing the man to finally stop. As Bib walked in front of him, he realized with a start that this was the hologram. The Jedi.
With a calm movement about him, the mysterious stranger looked up and said, "I must speak with Jabba."
Bib shook his head, and tried to argue. "No mischka-!"
"You will take me to Jabba now."
Bib hesitated, all of a sudden confused, then nodded, and motioned for the stranger to follow him. The guards walked with them.
As they walked through tunnels and down staircases, the Jedi said, "You serve your master well."
Bib, happy to hear the praise, gave a vague reply.
"And you will be rewarded," the Jedi added.
The room had once more fallen asleep when the group entered, rousing a few. Leia sat next to the Hutt, still fully awake, now donned in overly crude metal undergarments and trapped by a long, gold chain linked to Jabba's hand. Hobbes, likewise, was still keeping an eye on Fett and the room. He looked up at seeing Luke, and smiled, relieved to see him. Bib, meanwhile, stepped up to Jabba, and woke him with a whispered word. Jabba opened his eyes, and 3po said, "At last! Master Luke's come to rescue me!"
Hobbes snarled at Luke to keep up his act, and heard Bib saying, "Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight…"
"I told you not to admit him!" Jabba growled. For a moment Bib seemed confused.
"I must be allowed to speak," Luke said, looking at Bib.
He must be allowed to speak-" Bib relayed, when, with a furious shout, Jabba pushed Bib to the ground and shouted, "You weak-minded fool! He's using a Jedi mind trick!"
Unnerved, Luke said, "You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookie to me."
For a second, Jabba hesitated, then laughed, and said, "Your powers will not work on me, boy."
"Nevertheless, I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this... or be destroyed. It's your choice. But I warn you not to underestimate my powers," Luke said, calm as ever.
Jabba laughed again, and 3po said, "Master Luke, you're standing on–"
"There will be no bargain, young Jedi. I shall enjoy watching you die." Jabba interrupted, just as Hobbes realized that Luke was standing exactly on the trapdoor. Suddenly, Luke went into action, force pulling a pistol out of a guard's holster. In the ensuing commotion, one of the Gamorrean guards grabbed at the Jedi, just as Jabba activated the trap.
The blaster went off, and both Luke and the guards disappeared into the pit below. Hobbes, acting curious but secretly horrified, muscled his way past the spectators to see what was going on. In the pit, Luke was slowly getting up, dazed, and the guard was already trying to get out, knowing what would now happen. Looking around, Hobbes realized that the other guards didn't seem to care, laughing and taunting their unfortunate comrade. Jabba's platform moved forward to give him a better view of the spectacle.
The ominous creaking of a metal gate and the growl of the rancor made Hobbes wince. Luke, apparently, saw the gigantic creature, and still stood his ground. The guard, on the other hand, was attempting to climb back up the chute leading into the pit. Then, a long, brown, scaled arm reached out, and yellowed claws wrapped around the Gamorrean and brought him to the beast's gaping maw.
A sickening crunch, followed by shrieking laughter from the audience. The rancor appeared in full now, and as Luke looked around for something to help him survive, it picked up the Jedi.
Hobbes, unable to watch, closed his eyes as the jaws wrapped around Luke, when suddenly, the creature howled in rage. Looking, Hobbes was elated to see that the Rancor had dropped Luke, instead focusing on the bone that was jammed between its jaws. The rancor raised its head, and bit through the bone, splintering it like an axe to firewood. Searching around, it found Luke, who had crawled into a crevice in the rock. As the rancor stuck a hand in to fish him out, it roared in pain as Luke smashed a heavy rock onto its thumb. Quickly, the Jedi sprinted past the rancor, and out of sight of the audience. The rancor, enraged, turned and slowly lumbered to the other side of the arena. Luke couldn't keep this cat and mouse thing up forever, Hobbes thought.
Then, a hiss. The gate! The gate had been activated!
The gate slammed down, and the Rancor fell to the ground as its neck and spine were crushed. Jabba's amusement immediately turned to a howl of rage, and Hobbes suddenly knew that they were going straight past the backup plan to Plan C.
On the bright side, that meant that he'd finally get a chance to rip the Hutt's face off.
"Bring me Solo and the Wookie!" Jabba shouted. "They will all suffer for this outrage!"
Suddenly, Boba Fett walked up to the Hutt, and Hobbes immediately knew that he'd been found out. Jabba looked at him, looking incredulous. Figuring this to be his chance, Hobbes jumped, knocking over one guard, and then pouncing straight for Jabba, claws extended and ready to dig into the Hutt. But before he could, Boba Fett raised his blaster, and a stun blast caught him on the side, making his head swim. He crashed to the ground, knocking his head against something.
Through the splitting headache, he felt himself being hoisted up by guards. Still dazed, he snarled at Jabba glaring at him with all the hatred he could muster. Jabba just gave a low chuckle. "Very close, tiger… I would kill you now, but you and your friends deserve a worse fate."
"Shut your fat mouth, space-slug!" Hobbes shouted, which earned him a clubbing to the back of his head.
Soon, he, Han, Chewie, and Luke were all lined up in front of Jabba, surrounded by guards.
"Han!" Luke said, as the smuggler entered the room.
"Luke!" Han said, still blind, and gave a grin.
"Are you all right?" Luke asked.
"Fine. Together again, huh?" Han asked.
"Wouldn't miss it," Luke joked dryly.
"How are we doing?"
"The same as always."
"That bad, huh?" Han asked. "Anyone else here?"
"To your right," Hobbes said.
"Hey, Hobbes," Han said. "Nice of you to come and get me. Where's Leia?"
"I'm here," Leia said from her spot by Jabba, causing the Hutt to jerk at the golden chain. He began to speak to them, still visibly outraged by the slaying of his favorite pet.
"Oh, dear," 3po exclaimed, translating. "His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately."
"Good, I hate long waits," Han muttered.
"You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc," 3po continued.
"Doesn't sound so bad," Han said, and Hobbes, already knowing Jabba's most extreme method of execution, said, "You sure?"
"In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a– thousand years…" 3po trailed off.
"On second thought, let's pass on that," Han said.
"You should have bargained, Jabba. That's the last mistake you'll ever make," Luke threatened as the guards dragged them all out of the room.
"What makes you so sure, kid?" Han asked.
"Don't worry, Han," Hobbes said. "We have a plan C."
"Wait, that was plan B?" Han asked. "What exactly was Plan A?, then?"
:D