Jabba's Palace

Star Wars is copyright to Disney, Lucasfilm etc. I own nothing except my OCs

This story is the third in the Band of Heroes series, featuring my OCs Kali Marek and Juno Kosem. I'd recommend reading the first two stories in this series, Band of Heroes: A New Hope and Band of Heroes:; The Empire Strikes Back, first in order to get an introduction to Kali and Juno. Just a reminder to those returning from those stories, I picture Kali as looking like Nina Dobrev and Juno as looking like Phoebe Tonkin.

Luke Skywalker has returned to his home planet of Tatooine in an attempt to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt.

Little does Luke know that the Galactic Empire has secretly begun construction on a new armoured space station even more powerful than the first dreaded Death Star.

When completed, this ultimate weapon will spell certain doom for the small band of Rebels struggling to restore freedom to the galaxy...

The half-completed second Death Star hung in orbit of the small forest moon of Endor, it's massive superstructure curling away from the completed half like the arms of a giant sea creature. The Super Star Destroyer Executor flew nearby. A Lambda-class shuttle departed from the Executor's hangar and flew towards the Death Star.

"Command station, this is shuttle Revan. Code clearance blue. We're starting our approach, deactivate the security shield." the shuttle's pilot said into the radio.

"The security deflector shield will be deactivated when we have confirmation of your code transmission." a crew member aboard the Death Star answered. "Stand by." A few seconds passed, then, "You are clear to proceed."

"We're starting our approach." the pilot acknowledged, and the Revan commenced it's final approach to the Death Star. The shuttle folded it's wings up for landing and settled into land inside one of the Death Star's hangars.

A platoon of Stormtroopers entered the hangar and lined up smartly on guard as the Death Star's commander, Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod, nervously approached the Revan's boarding ramp to greet the shuttle's passenger. The ramp lowered and the unmistakable figure of Darth Vader disembarked from the shuttle. "Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. We're honoured by your presence." Jerjerrod began apprehensively.

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander." Vader told him briskly as he walked past him and strode across the hangar. "I'm here to put you back on schedule."

"I assure you, Lord Vader, my men are working as fast as they can." Jerjerrod said as he walked alongside Vader.

"Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them."

"I tell you this station will be operational as planned." Jerjerrod insisted.

Vader stopped and turned to Jerjerrod. "The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation." he told him bluntly.

"But he asks the impossible. I need more men." Jerjerrod admitted.

"Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives." Vader retorted.

Jerjerrod went as white as a sheet. "The Emperor's coming here?" he gulped.

"That is correct, Commander. And he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress."

"We shall double our efforts." Jerjerrod said nervously.

"I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am." Vader said ominously, then he turned on his heel and strode grimly away.

~8~

A lonely, windswept road meandered through the desolate sand wastes of Tatooine. A cloaked figure was making their way along the road, followed by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. R2 beeped something to his counterpart about their mission.

"Of course I'm worried," 3PO replied, "and you should be too. Lando Calrissian and poor Chewbacca never returned from this awful place."

R2 whistled his confidence that they would have better luck.

"Don't be so sure." 3PO told him. "If I told you half the things I've heard about this Jabba the Hutt, you'd probably short-circuit."

Presently, the trio arrived at an intimidating-looking fortress built into a rock face and approached the front door. The cloaked figure lowered their hood to reveal the face of Juno Kosem. "Well, this is it." she told the droids, and knocked on the heavy steel door.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone in." 3PO said nervously. "Let's go back and tell Master Luke." He turned to leave when a hatch in the door opened suddenly and the eyepiece of a sentry droid emerged and said something in Huttese. "Goodness gracious me!" 3PO jumped.

"Tee chuta hhat yudd!" the droid demanded.

"My name is Juno Kosem."Juno answered in Huttese. "These are my droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. We seek an audience with the mighty Jabba the Hutt to discuss a potential business arrangement."

The sentry droid laughed and disappeared back into it's hatch.

"I don't think they're going to let us in, Mistress." 3PO said, getting cold feet. "We'd better go." He turned to leave just as the steel door slowly rose open.

"Right, here goes." Juno said, and she and R2 ventured into the gloomy structure.

"Miss Juno, R2, wait!" 3PO hollered, but the others had already gone inside. "Oh, dear! I really don't think we should rush into all this." 3PO said as he nervously stepped inside after them. Then he saw an arachnid B'omarr Monk. "Oh, R2!" 3PO blustered, quickening his pace. "Miss Juno, wait for me!"

The door slammed shut with a loud crash that echoed throughout the dark passageway. Juno and R2 made their way further along the passage until they found their way blocked by two imposing green Gamorrean guards, who grunted at the visitors.

"Oh, my!" 3PO blustered as he caught up with them.

Then, out of the darkness came a pale-skinned Twi'lek. This was Bib Fortuna; Jabba the Hutt's major-domo. "Day wonna wonga?" Fortuna demanded.

"Dee wonna wygo." Juno answered. "We bring a message to your master, Jabba the Hutt. And a gift."

"Gift? What gift?" 3PO asked R2.

Fortuna shook his head negatively. "Ne Jabba no barta. Izzi kata o mohki?" He held out his hand towards R2 and the Astromech droid backed up a bit, letting out a protesting array of squeaks.

"He says that our instructions are to give it only to Jabba himself." 3PO translated.

Fortuna stood up again, an annoyed look on his face. "You will take us to Jabba immediately." Juno said, waving her hand and using the Force to influence Fortuna.

"Noht cha!" Fortuna ordered the Gamorreans, who returned to their guard posts, while Fortuna led the droids further into the fortress.

"I have a bad feeling about this." 3PO said nervously.

"Just stay calm, 3PO." Juno told him. "You're gonna be fine, I promise you."

Fortuna led Juno and the droids to a throne room full of the vilest, most grotesque creatures ever conceived in the universe. Amongst the crowd, Juno recognised the unmistakable figure of Boba Fett. Fortunately for the Jedi, Fett hadn't met her face-to-face on Cloud City, so he didn't recognise her. Sitting prominently on a huge platform was the repulsive form of Jabba Desilijic Tiure, better known as Jabba the Hutt: monarch of the galactic underworld. Chained to Jabba was was a green-skinned Twi'lek slave girl, while an obnoxious Kowakian monkey-lizard was sat beside the throne as Jabba's pet.

"Cata notayce, my Lord." Fortuna said to his master.

"Good morning." 3PO bowed.

"Greetings, mighty Jabba." Juno bowed as well, being polite.

"Ohnt bat chuay dehr attat." Fortuna said to Jabba.

"Ok, R2." Juno gave the nod to the Astromech droid.

"Bu shoodah." Jabba boomed.

R2 turned his dome around and projected a hologram of Luke Skywalker. "Greetings, exalted one." Luke's message said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend of Captain Solo. I know that you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and that your anger with Solo must be equally powerful. I seek an audience with Your Greatness to bargain for Solo's life." Jabba laughed at such an idea. "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." Luke's message continued. "As a token of my good will, I present to you a gift... these two droids."

"What did he say?!" 3PO spluttered, unable to believe what he'd just heard.

"Both are hardworking and will serve you well." Luke's message concluded

"This can't be." 3PO blustered. "R2, you're playing the wrong message!"

"Master, bargonay tua Knight? He's no Jedi." Fortuna said to Jabba

"There will be no bargain." Jabba announced in Huttese

"Oh well, it was worth a try." Juno muttered nonchalantly.

"I will not give up my favourite decoration." Jabba continued. "I like Captain Solo where he is." He looked towards an alcove beside the throne. Hanging high, flat against the wall, was the carbonised form of Han Solo.

"R2, look! Captain Solo, and he's still frozen in carbonite." 3PO said to R2.

"Well, at least he's still alive." Juno said to herself.

~8~

Juno was roughly shoved into a cell in the dungeons, having been stripped of her brown cloak. Unfazed by her imprisonment, she rolled up the sleeve of her stone-coloured tunic to reveal a small communications device on her wrist. She pressed a button on the device, sending a signal out.

~8~

"What possibly could've come over Master Luke?" 3PO moaned as he and R2 were escorted by the Gamorreans through the dungeon corridors, "Was it something I did? He never expressed any unhappiness with my work. "He then saw a repulsive creature inside a prison cell. "Oh, how horrid!" he squirmed, backing up against another door. A tentacle promptly wrapped itself around the droid. "Ohh!" A Gamorrean smacked the tentacle, causing it to let 3PO go, then they moved on to a door at the end of the corridor.

The door slid open to reveal a boiler room filled with steam and noisy machinery. The guards motioned the droids into the boiler room, where they were met by Supervisor droid. Behind the Supervisor, 3PO could see a torture rack pulling the legs off a screaming baby work droid, while nearby, a Gonk droid was being tortured by being held upside down as smoking hot branding irons were pressed down onto it's feet. Both R2 and 3PO cringed as one of the Gamorreans grunted to the Supervisor droid.

"Ah, good. New acquisitions." the droid said. "You are a Protocol droid, are you not?"

"I am C-3PO, Human-cy..." 3PO began.

"Yes or no will do." the droid interrupted.

"O., Well, yes.

"How many languages do you speak?"

"I am fluent in over six million forms of communication and can readily speak..."

"Splendid." the droid interrupted. "We have been without an interpreter since our master got angry with our last Protocol droid and disintegrated him."

"Disintegrated?!" 3PO stared, then he saw the remains of a Protocol droid dumped in a corner of the room.

"Guard, this Protocol droid will be useful. Fit him with a restraining bolt and take him back up to His Excellency's main audience chamber."

One of the guards shoved 3PO towards the door. "R2, don't leave me!" he wailed as he was led away.

R2 let out a plaintive cry as the door closed, then he beeped angrily to the Supervisor droid, telling it that it would take more than the threat of disintegration to break his will.

"You're a feisty little one, but you'll soon learn some respect." the droid retorted. "I have need for you on the master's sail barge and I think you'll fill in nicely."

~8~

The throne room of Jabba's palace was in the midst of a drunken, raucous party. The Max Rebo band played Lapti Nek, while sleazy creatures cheered and made rude noises as Jabba's Twi'lek slave performed in front of Jabba's throne. Jabba leered at the shapely girl and with a lustful gleam in his eye, beckoned her to come and sit with him, intending to have his way with her. The girl stopped dancing and backed away, shaking her head. Jabba became angry and pointed to a spot next to him. "Da eitha!" he demanded, pulling her towards him by tugging on her chain.

The Tw'lek was having none of it and pulled back on the chain, refusing to give in to him. "Na chuba negatorie na! Na!" she shouted defiantly.

Jabba was furious and slammed his slimly fist down on a button on his throne. Before the slave could flee, a trap door in the floor spring open and swallowed her up. As the door swung shut again, a muffled growl was followed by a terrified scream. Jabba and his entourage laughed hysterically and several revellers hurried over to watch the girl's fate through grating in the floor.

Suddenly, a blaster shot sounded from somewhere, silencing the revellers. One rushed up the stairs to see what was happening, only to be shoved aside by someone, then an Ubese bounty hunter strode down the stairs, escorting a very familiar Wookie prisoner. "I have come for the bounty on this Wookie." the bounty hunter said in Ubese

3PO peered through the crowd at the newcomers. "Oh, no. Chewbacca!" he exclaimed to himself.

Chewbacca gave a growl of annoyance at his apparent capture

"At last we have the mighty Chewbacca." Jabba crowed. "Kanji ta, droid."

"Yes, I am here, Your Worshipfulness." 3PO said as he shuffled obediently forward.

Jabba said something to 3PO in Huttese.

"The illustrious Jabba bids you welcome and will gladly pay you the reward of 25,000." 3PO translated to the Bounty Hunter.

"I want 50,000. No less." the bounty hunter growled.

"50,000,no less." 3PO told Jabba, who roared in rage and shoved 3PO over. "What... what did I say?" the droid blustered as he picked himself up

Jabba barked some commands in Huttese.

"The mighty Jabba asks why he must pay 50,000." 3PO translated to the bounty hunter, who responded by holding up a small spherical device with a timer on it. "Because he's holding a thermal detonator!" 3PO cried, and several of Jabba's minions all hit the deck, while Fett aimed his rifle at the bounty hunter.

Jabba was amused at the threat and gave a throaty laugh. "This bounty hunter is my kind of scum..." he said. "Fearless and inventive." He then gave more orders to 3PO.

"Jabba offers the sum of 35." 3PO translated to the bounty hunter. "And I do suggest you take it."
The bounty hunter considered this offer for a moment, then they disarmed their thermal detonator.
"He agrees!" 3PO sighed in relief, and Jabba's party resumed.

Two Gamorrean guards came over and led Chewbacca away, the Wookie howling and struggling in vain. Fett nodded at the two bounty hunters, impressed at their guts.

As the Gamorrean guards led Chewbacca away, they passed a Human guard on duty. After the Gamorreans had passed, the guard lowered the visor on his helmet to reveal the face of Lando Calrissian.

~8~

Chewbacca was roughly shoved into the same cell Juno was held in. "Ah, Chewie." the Jedi greeted. "You got my message, then."

~8~

Night had soon fallen on Tatooine and Jabba's palace was silent, with Jabba and his minions having all retired for the night. The Ubese bounty hunter crept into the deserted throne room, snuck past the aftermath of the party and approached the carbonite block on the wall. They then operated a control panel on the wall and the carbonite block was lowered to the floor, making a loud thud as it made contact with the concrete. The bounty hunter quickly looked around to see if the noise had attracted any attention. Seeing that the coast was clear, the bounty hunter then activated a series of switches on the side of the carbonite block to start the de-carbonisation process. Han's shell glowed red and the carbonite began to melt away until Han was completely clear and he fell forward, the bounty hunter managing to catch him before he hit the floor. Han's eyes snapped open and he shivered as he reoriented himself. "Just relax for a moment." the bounty hunter told him. "You're free of the carbonite. You have hibernation sickness."

Han touched his face, checking to see if his eyelids were open. "I can't see." he spoke up, his pupils contracted.

"Your eyesight will return in time." the bounty hunter told him.

"Where am I?" Han asked.

"Jabba's palace."

Han reached out and touched the bounty hunter's helmet. "Who are you?" he asked.

The bounty hunter then removed their helmet to reveal the face of Princess Leia Organa. "Someone who loves you." she said

"Leia!" Han cried, and Leia threw herself at him, kissing him passionately.

"I gotta get you outta here." Leia said when they broke apart.

Just as she was helping Han to stand, a throaty laugh sounded from somewhere. "What's that?" Han blindly turned his head around as the laugh sounded again. "I know that laugh..."
The curtain on the other side of the alcove opened to reveal Jabba and some of his cronies, who all laughed at the couple.
"Hey, Jabba..." Han said as Leia turned him around to face Jabba. "Look, Jabba... I was just on my way to pay you back, but I got a little side-tracked. It's not my fault."

"It's too late for that, Solo." Jabba boomed, "You may have been a good smuggler... but now you're Bantha fodder."

"Look..." Han began, knowing he wasn't going to get out of this one.

"Take him away!" Jabba ordered, and two of his guards grabbed Han and began to drag him away.

"Jabba, I'll pay ya triple." Han tried in vain. "You're throwin' away a fortune here. Don't be a fool!"

Lando then approached Leia, ready to take her away so they could confer in private, but Jabba had other ideas. "Bring her to me." he ordered, so Lando had no choice but to bring the Princess over to Jabba.

"We have powerful friends." Leia said defiantly. "You're gonna regret this."

"I'm sure." Jabba laughed, and began to lick Leia's face, causing her to squirm in disgust.

"Oh, I can't bear to watch." 3PO said, turning away.

~8~

Han was roughly shoved into a cell in the dungeons. As he blindly felt around the walls, he suddenly heard a familiar growling sound. "Chewie, is that you?" he asked.

Chewbacca growled in delight at the sight of his old friend and launched himself at Han, giving him a bone-crushing hug.

"Ch-Chewie! I can't see, pal. What's goin' on?" Han asked.

Juno then made her presence known. "Don't worry, Han, everything's in hand." she said.

"Juno?" Han stared.

"Hello, Hotshot." the Jedi acknowledged. "Gotta say, you've looked better. Now, listen, this is all part of the plan. Luke and Kali will arrive in the morning, and then we can get out of here."

"Luke? Luke's crazy. Can't even take of himself, much less rescue anybody." Han said pessimistically.

"A lot of things have changed in the past year, Han." Juno replied nonchalantly. "Just you wait and see..."

Author's notes: And I'm back with my first story of 2025. It took a bit of head scratching to figure out what to do with Juno and Kali during the Tatooine scenes, but I've come up with a solution. As you can see, Juno went to Jabba's palace with the droids, while Kali will arrive with Luke in the next chapter. Juno does let herself be captured here, but it's part of the masterplan. She'll be fighting at the Pit of Carkoon, no doubt about that. So, hope you like this new story and stay tuned for the next part.