Local tradition says Jabba's palace was originally a monastery. 
I believe it, who but a bunch of ascetic monks would choose to live 
on the edge of the Dune Sea? But for the last couple of hundred 
years it's served as the headquarters of one gangster chieftain 
or another. Jabba's just the latest in a long ignoble line.

   I got out of the speeder, and stood for a moment considering 
the sandblasted portcullis guarding the entrance to the Hutt's stronghold.

   'Guess we don't have time for a plan.'

   I smiled involuntarily remembering Lando's disgruntled comment at our last meeting.

   'There's no point in making plans,' I'd replied patiently, 'there's 
no telling what Jabba'll do. Don't worry, the Force will guide us.'

   'You sound just like Jinn!' he'd grumbled. And then he'd gone 
back to the palace like I'd asked him too.

   I was getting used to that. To people doing what I wanted even 
when they didn't like it. They all did now, Lando, Chewy, even Leia. 
Nobody tried to boss the 'kid' anymore. It was one of the things 
I missed most about Han. I wondered what he'd make of the change in me.

   I'd stood out here long enough, if nobody saw fit to open the 
door I'd open it for myself. I reached out with the Force, found 
the opening mechanism and gave it the necessary nudge. Slowly, grudgingly it creaked upward.

   I knew what I wanted to accomplish, all I had to do was keep 
my eyes open and the means would present themselves. But I didn't 
quite have my Master's faith, not yet.

   I'd taken care to plant a few allies; Lando and the droids, (poor 
Threepio! I hoped he'd forgive me. Artoo'd insisted it was better 
he not be told and he knew his counterpart better than anybody). 
And yesterday I'd sent Chewy and Leia in to look after Han. By now 
they should all be together in one of Jabba's cells.

   Finally the door finished grinding open and I entered. Cool, 
damp air rushed out flapping my long cloak as I headed down the wide, dimly lit tunnel. 

   It was possible all my precautions would prove unnecessary, Jabba 
might be willing to deal. Yeah, and there might be rainstorms in 
the Jundland Wastes. Odds were I'd have to kill him to get Han out. 
The prospect did not displease me.

   A pair of bulky Gammorean guards tried to block my path. A gesture 
closed their throats, sent them reeling back fighting for air before lapsing into unconsciousness. 

   I continued on. A pudgy, unhealthy looking yellow Twi'lek male 
came bustling out of the cavernous room below babbling indignantly in Huttese.

   "I must speak to Jabba." I told him. 

   It seemed Jabba didn't want to see me. Too bad. The Twi'lek was 
no challenge at all. "You will take me to Jabba now."

   "//I will take you to Jabba now.//" he echoed obediently, still 
in Huttese, turned and led the way into Jabba's throne room. 

   It must have been quite a party. Empty cups and bottles, and 
trampled remains of food littered the floor. Dozens of unconscious 
or sleeping bodies huddled in the dim corners of the big chamber. 

   "You serve your master well." I told the Twi'lek, no compliment 
that! "and you will be rewarded." As he deserved.

   He repeated the words with smug pleasure as he went to wake his master.

   Leia wasn't in any cell, she was right there with a chain around 
her neck dressed in a skimpy slave-girl costume. Stupid of me, I 
should have remembered Jabba's taste for humanoid females. I should 
never have sent her into this place. Force only knew what she'd 
been subjected to, certainly *she'd* never tell me. I carefully 
stifled the first stirrings of anger as I came to stand before the Hutt's throne.

   There was no blame in her eyes, only apology and fear she'd somehow 
ruined my plans. I returned her look for an instant projecting reassurance: 
Everything would be all right, I'd see to that.

   Threepio was there too. "At last Master Luke's come to rescue me!"

   Good old Threepio. I looked at Jabba. I'd heard of him all my 
life, he controls practically everthing on Tatooine, but I'd never 
seen him before. It wasn't a pleasant sight. Hutts are unlovely 
anyway by human standards but Jabba was a particularly repulsive 
specimen with an ugliness that went well beyond the physical, all 
the way to the rotting distortion that was his soul. No, I wouldn't mind killing him one bit.

   The Hutt woke with a start and the Twi'lek Major-Domo presented 
me. "//Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight.//"

   "//I told you not to admit him.//" Jabba snarled.

   "I must be allowed to speak." I responded. Was echoed by the 
Twi'lek. Jabba was gross and evil but not stupid, he immediately 
realized what I'd done. Knocked his Major-Domo backward off the dais with an angry blow. 

   "//You weak minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mindtrick!//"

   I put back my hood and stepped closer. "You will bring Captain 
Solo and the Wookiee to me." the suggestion rolled off him like oil off metal plate.

   He laughed. "//Your mind powers will not work on me, boy!//"

   It'd been worth a try but Master'd warned me the mindtrick probably 
wouldn't work. Hutts tend to be resistant anyway and a powerful, 
soul dead specimen like Jabba would almost certainly be immune.

   But I sensed the Hutt was not as confident as he seemed. There 
was a definite undercurrent of fear. Good. Fear leads to anger and 
I wanted Jabba angry with me - and my friends.

   "Nevertheless, I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends." I told 
him quietly but with all the certainty I could project. "You can 
either profit by this or...be destroyed! The choice is yours but 
I warn you not to underestimate my powers." 

   I know, real diplomatic. Han once said attitude and arrogance 
were the only line to take with a Hutt - and Jabba's sense told 
me he was right. Anything less confrontational would be taken as weakness.

   I was rewarded by a flare of fear from the Hutt, ill concealed by his forced laughter.

   "Master Luke," Threepio began, "you're standing on-"

   Jabba interupted him. "//There will be no bargain, young jedi, 
shall enjoy watching you die.//"

   Extending a hand and the Force I called a blaster to me. A Gammorean 
seized my arm wrestling for it. It went off powdering us both with 
stone dust from the ceiling then the floor dropped out from under us.

   I disintangled myself from the Gammorean as we slid down a shute 
and shot out into a dank pit carved into the living rock beneath 
Jabba's throne room. I rolled to my feet discarding my cloak. 

   I felt like a fool. I'd fallen, literally, for one of the oldest 
traps in the book. Whatever was down here with us it was going to 
be nasty - the Guard's hysterical terror made that much clear.

   A toothed metal portcullis, not unlike the front door, rumbled 
upward. I didn't need Threepio's faintly heard, "Oh no, the rancor!" 
to recognize the monster facing me.

   Yoda can say what he likes but there are some advantages to spending 
your whole childhood looking foreward to leaving home. I'm a real 
expert on xeno-zoology. Not only did I recognize the rancor I knew 
what planet it came from and what it ate; anything that moved. 

   I eased back, trying not to be noticed. The Gammorean guard panicked, 
tried to climb back into the shute squealing with terror, catching 
the creature's attention. In an instant it'd caught him up and devoured him, armor and all.

   The crowd above cheered. I felt sick. The reverberations of the 
guard's death and the bloodthirst of Jabba's courtiers roiled the 
Force around me. I tried to block the disturbance out as the rancor 
slowly swung towards me. I spotted a long bone, remains of some 
previous victim, and snatched it up holding it instictively in the usual two handed sabre grip. 

   The rancor reached for me. Another cheer from above as its massive 
paw nearly crushing my ribcage. I struggled to breath and found 
myself looking straight into the dripping cavern of the monster's 
mouth. I shoved in the bone, wedging it tight, and the rancor gagged, dropping me. 

   I quickly rolled into the cover of a convenient crevice. Peering 
up at the creature as it flailed around in angry pain. I didn't 
want to kill it if I didn't have to. It wasn't evil, just a poor 
mistreated animal, half starved to make it vicious. I would have 
loved to give it a good square meal - say Jabba and his hangers 
on, but that seemed impractical.

    The bone snapped, and it chewed up the fragments casting around 
for me. Rancors are petty bright it quickly figured out where I'd 
vanished to and tried to reach in after me. Dodging scrabbling claws 
I caught a glimpse of the cavern behind it, its den, and of a door leading out.

    I smashed a rock down on a groping digit and it was snatched 
back with a roar of pain. Then took advantage of the brief distraction 
to make a run for the door. It opened but the way was blocked by 
a metal grate. I gave it one good heave but it was solid, turned back to face the monster.

    Maybe a quick death would be kinder than leaving it here to 
suffer. Not that I had a choice. I looked around for a way.

    And there it was - the control panel for the big door seperating 
the den from the feeding pit. The rancor lumbered towards me. I 
picked up a skull and hurled it, with a little help from the Force, 
right into the panel just as the creature stepped beneath the portcullis. 
The controls exploded and down came the gate full on the rancor's 
skull. It died almost instantly.

    There was a stunned silence from above, then Jabba began roaring 
orders right and left as his court exploded into excited comment.

    The grate opened but the guards were thrown aside by a bulky 
man draped in an animal skin making a beeline for the rancor's body. 
The guards grabbed me and I was careful not to resist as they dragged 
me out. A second beast keeper passed us, glaring pure murder at 
me. Looking over my shoulder I saw him trying to comfort the first 
keeper who was sobbing openly over the dead monster. 
 
    I guess he'd been fond of his charge. I felt bad too. The rancor 
had been the cleanest thing in this hellhole.

    I was dragged up a spiral ramp and back into the throne room. 
Han and Chewy were being hustled in through another door. Good, 
all together now except for Artoo, and I knew where he'd be.

   "Han!"

   "Luke?" He looked around blindly. Master'd warned me the long 
hibernation would affect his sight.

   "Are you all right?" Not that he'd admit it if he wasn't.

   "Fine." he answered, predictably. "Together again, huh?"

   "Wouldn't miss it." I grinned. Just being with Han made me feel 
like a wide eyed farm boy again.

   "How are we doing?" he asked as we arrived in front of Jabba.

   "Same as always." I admitted.
 
    "That bad, huh?" with genuine concern. "Where's Leia?"

    "I'm here!" she piped up from her place on the dais. It was 
just as well Han couldn't see Jabba fondling her as he made a brief 
speech in a Huttese dialect I couldn't follow.

    "Oh dear." said Threepio. Began to translate. "His High Exaltedness, 
the Great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed you are to be terminated immediately."

   "Good." Han said promptly. "I hate long waits."

   Yeah, he was okay.

   Threepio continued unhappily. "You will therefore be taken to 
the Dune Sea and cast into the Pit of Carkoon, nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc."

    Perfect! even better than the Arena or the Shivering Sands.

    "That doesn't sound so bad." Han commented, ever the smart aleck.

    "There you will find a new definition of pain and suffering 
as you are slowly digested over a thousand years." Threepio shuddered.

    I wondered idly how on Tatooine Jabba could know that. Somebody 
climb out once after only a century or two of digestion?

    Chewy barked a comment lost on anybody who didn't speak Kasshyk-ka. 
Han translated freely. "On second thought let's pass on that, huh?" he sounded a little worried.

    I wasn't. This was exactly what I'd been playing for. "You should 
have bargained, Jabba." the guards began to drag me away and I had 
to call the final words over my shoulder. "It's the last mistake you'll ever make!"

   He took it for bravado of course, which was just fine. Leia looked upset though.

   "So, what'd you do to piss off his exaltedness?" Han asked me 
after they'd thrown us into a holding cell.

   "Killed his pet." I admitted.

   "His what?" incredulously. "You mean the rancor?"

   "It was just a little one." I told him. True enough, they can 
grow to twice that size back on their homeworld - or so the books said.

   "//I told you, he's a Jedi Knight.//" Chewy growled.

   "Yeah." Han said, unconvinced. "No offense, kid, but I'll believe 
it when I see it - if you'll excuse the expression."

   The door creaked open. Didn't anybody in this place have a can 
of lubricant? A squad of guards entered, Lando at their head.

   He went straight to Han, grabbing him in a way that looked rough 
but wasn't. "Okay, you, time to go."

   Han pulled away. "What's your hurry, got a hot date?"

   "Yeah, but not as hot as yours!"

   I sensed the exchange meant more than it seemed. That Lando had 
just apologized - and been forgiven.

    Good. I'd been afraid Han might hold a grudge, be unwilling 
to trust Lando. I should have remembered they'd been friends for 
a long time - and this wasn't the first time one had done the other a dirty trick.


  I actually enjoyed the trip out to the Pit. We, Han and Chewy 
and I, rode in an open sand skiff with Lando and three other guards. 
There was a second skiff for escort and Jabba's sail barge, a lumbering red sailed thing. 

   We skimmed over the slow moving, wind blown waves of the Dune 
Sea with the hot dry air of Tatooine rushing over us and the light 
of the double suns reflecting blindingly off the golden sand. 

   It was beautiful in its harsh, sun scoured way. I'd learned to 
appreciate Tatooine during the two weeks I'd been living in Ben's 
hut. Maybe I was somehow tuning in to the presence he'd left behind 
and seeing my homeworld through his eyes.

   I'd hated the planet as a kid, lived to get off it but I didn't 
feel that way now. Actually Tatooine wasn't half bad compared to 
say, Dagobah or Had Abbadon or Kessel. And it was my home. If I 
lived I'd be coming back here. Chani wouldn't mind. It was her home too.

   "I think my eyes are getting better." Han announced suddenly, 
before I had to ask myself just when Chani'd begun to figure in 
my future. "Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur."

   I almost laughed. "There's nothing to see. I used to live here, you know."

   "Your'e gonna die here, you know. Convenient."

   No, not here. "Just stay close to Chewy and Lando." I told him, 
"I've taken care of everything."

   "Oh....great." He wasn't buying it. I didn't blame him. I knew 
he was remembering the feckless kid without sense enough to come 
in out of the snow. I'd changed but he couldn't know that - yet.

   The Pit of Carkoon was something else I'd heard about but never 
seen. A whirlpool of sand with a gaping, toothlined maw and predatory 
beak at the bottom. I grimaced, this was no innocent, misused animal. 
There was sentience there, of a sort, and malice. A guard unfastened 
my bonds and shoved me onto a sort of plank extending over the Pit.

   Threepio's voice floated to us from the barge. "Victims of the 
almighty Sarlacc: His Excellency hopes that you will die honorably." 

   Sure he did.

   "But should any of you wish to beg for mercy the Great Jabba 
the Hutt will now listen to your pleas."

   I bet he would. The sadistic slug.

   Han agreed. "Threepio! You tell that slimy piece of worm ridden 
filth he'll get no such pleasure from us! Right?"

   There was a distinct pause before Chewy growled "//Right!//".

   I saw Artoo emerge onto the barge's deck and roll to the rail. 
Now everything was in place. "Jabba! this is your last chance. Free 
us or die." Not a threat, a simple statement of fact.

   Of course he didn't take me seriously, the barge fairly rocked with laughter. Well I'd tried.

    "//Move him into position!//" 

   The guard nudged me with his vibro-axe. I walked out to the end 
to the plank and looked down. Nasty. Then back over my shoulder to give Lando the nod.

   He returned it. Completely confident I knew what I was doing 
and ready to back me to the hilt.

   Han on the other hand looked desperate, casting around for a 
way out. But Chewy was right next to him. He'd keep him from doing anything crazy. 

   I hoped.

   I looked up at the barge. Smiled reassuringly at Leia, tense 
and anxious beside Jabba, then threw my faithful little droid a 
salute. I saw his head dome open.

   "//Put him in!//" Jabba ordered.

   I jumped. Twisted in mid-air to catch the end of the plank as 
I fell. It rebounded catapulting me upward, over the heads of the 
guards to land on the deck. I put out a hand and my lightsabre fell 
right into it. Igniting it I cleared the skiff with a few swipes 
of my blade. I got no style but I'm effective.

   Han was demanding to know what was going on and Chewy growling 
reassurances. Lando was wrestling with the helmsman but seemed to 
have matters in hand so I took a second to cut Han and Chewy's bonds. 
Then a blast from the sail barge rocked us, sending Lando and his 
opponent over the side. I saw the guard roll into the Sarlacc's 
maw but Lando managed to grab a dangling rope. 

   I moved to help him and Boba Fett landed directly in front of 
me laser rifle aimed. I cut it in half. This guy's a slow learner, 
you'd think after Had Abbadon he'd know better than to pull a gun on a Jedi.

   The skiff shied under a second volley. Chewy knocked Han flat 
with a roar of alarm or maybe pain.

   "Chewy you hit?" Han demanded frantically, "Where is it?"

   I spared them a quick glance. Chewy was okay, hanging on to Han 
trying to shield him from the incoming fire.

   A cable wrapped itself around me. Another bounty hunter gadget. 
I gave Fett a scornful look. Was this the best he could do? a flick 
of my sabre and I was free. Then a well timed if ill-aimed blast 
from the barge knocked Fett on his face and right out of the fight.

   Lando's voice came from over the side, close to panic. "Han! Chewy!"

   And another fullisade of fire, this time from the second skiff, 
detonated around me. I decided I'd better take care of that and 
made a Force jump into its bow landing right in front of  the astonished guards.

   They had good reaction time, I'll give them that. I deflected 
their volley with my sabre and waded into them. Jabba didn't keep 
a very high class of mercenary. In minutes I had the second skiff 
to myself. I turned in time to see the first skiff heel over under 
fire from the barge. My heart stopped as Han nearly went overboard. 
Started again as Chewy caught him just in time. I had to do something about that gun.

   Another leap to the side of the barge. A guard popped out of 
a hatch and I grabbed his gun arm pulling him all the way out. He 
tumbled down the slope into the Sarlacc's gullet. I was going to 
give the creature a bad case of indigestion if I kept this up. 

   A finger breaking scrabble up the hull then over the rail and 
onto the deck. I ignited my sabre and took out both gun and gunner 
then turned to face the guards converging on me, deflecting their 
fire. I was getting better at placing my returns - but not much. 
I struck down anybody that got within blade length and they soon 
learned to keep their distance. 

   Suddenly Leia emerged from below followed by Threepio and Artoo. 
She started to go for a fallen hand laser.
 
   "Get the gun!" I shouted, meaning the deck cannon. "Point it at the deck!"

   She obeyed instantly while I did my best to cover her. "Point it at the deck!" 

   A laser bolt caught me on the hand, the prosthetic one luckily. 
Not that synthetic nerve endings don't hurt just as much as the 
real thing for a second or two before the safeties cut in. I recovered 
and downed a guard who'd gotten to close. The others backed off.

   I saw Threepio and Artoo tumble over the side. Right, time to 
go. Jumped up on the afterdeck gun mount, grabbed a convenient bit 
of rigging and held an arm out to Leia. "Come on."

   She put both her feet onto the one I'd hooked in the rope and 
wrapped her arms around my neck. I kicked the trigger with my free 
foot sending a full volley straight into the deck and launched us towards the skiff.

   The others were safe aboard with Lando at the helm.

   "Let's go!" I ordered. "And don't forget the droids."

   He grinned. "We're on our way!"

   Behind us the barge disintigrated in a chain reaction of explosions. 
A final blast sending a rain of firery debris after us as we skimmed away.

   Then Leia threw herself at Han - and Lando, Chewy and I hastily 
found ourselves things to do: Steer the skiff; clear the deck of 
debris; brush sand off of the droids. Every one of us wearing a big silly grin.

   Evenutally the muffled endearments became a little more coherent. When 
Han demanded to know what Leia was wearing I knew it was safe to turn around.

   "Practically nothing." she replied grinning up at him.

   He grinned too, lasciviously, hands running over her bare back 
and shoulders. "Wish I could see that."

   "I'm glad I can." Lando piped up from the stern.

   She did look good. I thought how much the troops would appreciate 
a picture in this outfit and grinned to myself.

   "Watch it 'old friend'." Han warned.

   He didn't sound serious but still.. "Lando's been a great help 
to us. Without his recce work we wouldn't have had a chance of getting 
you out." I thought Han should know just how much Lando had done for us - and him.

   "I know." he answered, glancing over his shoulder. "Chewy explained 
things." turned back to his old friend. "So what happened? Vader 
just march in and make you an offer you couldn't refuse?"

   "Something like that." the former Baron shrugged, "He said he 
needed you and the others as bait for Luke. Once he had what he 
wanted he'd go. You were supposed to stay on Cloud City with me."

   "You believed that?" Han asked incredulously.

   Another helpless shrug. "Like I had a choice? I had my people 
to think of - and Vader has a reputation for keeping his bargains."

   Leia frowned. "That's right, he's never broken his word before."

   "Aw come on!" Han protested.

   "No it's true! I know how he operates, Han, I've been fighting him for years."

   "He's always kept his word?" the question came out a bit more forcefully than I'd intended.

   She turned to me, "Yes, always. Frankly I couldn't believe my 
ears when I heard him tell Lando he was altering the bargain. It just wasn't like him."

   Wasn't like him? So Vader had a sense of honor did he...oddly 
I believed it. It fit with what I had sensed during our contact. 
He wasn't all dark, there were still a few sparks of light.

   "He must want me very badly." I said, mostly to myself. Like a father wants his son?

   A distinct Force touch brushed my mind questingly. Automatically 
I shut it out, like it was one of Yoda's exercises, then looked 
up and saw Han's blind eyes fixed on me with a little frown. I stared 
at him in disbelief, he'd just tried to Force probe me!

   "Maybe because you're a Jedi?" Leia was still worrying about Vader.

   "Maybe." I answered absently, my attention on Han.

   "Look, kid," he said sharply, "you can't go around calling yourself a Jedi Knight."

   "I did kind of overstate." I admitted, ruefully. "Actually I'm 
only a Padawan." But that wouldn't have impressed Jabba.

   Han's face went still with a kind of shock. "What did you say?"

   "A Padawan," I explained, watching him intently. "it's the Jedi 
term for an apprentice or student."

   "Whose student?" he exploded, "the old man's dead, Luke, and 
one sabre lesson doesn't make you a Jedi or a Padawan or anything!"

   "I found another Teacher." I couldn't help smiling, remembering 
my first encounter with Yoda. "And a Padawan Master found me."

   "The Jedi were all destroyed by the Empire." he argued. "Whoever 
these guys are they *can't* be the real thing!"

   "Trust me, Han," from Lando, "they are. I've seen Jinn fight, he's a Jedi all right."

   "Jinn?" A flash of bewildered, near recognition.

   "That's his name, Dai-Men Jinn." I explained. There was something 
there all right, long buried, almost forgotten. But what connection 
could there be betweeen Han and my Master?

   "Dai-Men Jinn." he repeated softly. I sensed confusion, conflict.

   "Han?" Leia snuggled into his side, trying to get his attention. She succeeded.

   He looked down at her, preoccupied frown clearing a little. Admitted. 
"I feel like I've heard that name before somewhere."

   "Not likely." I said. "He told me he hasn't gone by his real 
name in years." Master wouldn't tell a direct lie - but it was possible 
Han'd known him under an alias. Could he have picked Master's image 
out of my mind and recognized it?

   "Yeah, well, maybe that carbonite's still playing tricks with 
my head." he said uncomfortably. Obviously wanting to drop the subject. 
I decided not to press him. He was still recovering. It wouldn't 
be fair or kind. Besides Leia'd kill me.

   "Master said hibernation was very disorienting." I soothed. "The 
confusion, like your blindness, will pass."

   "Soon, I hope." Han muttered. He wrapped his arms around Leia 
and I felt his confusion vanish, put aside and sealed off as he 
focused determinedly on the moment "What about my ship, how's the Falcon?"

   I barely heard the banter that followed. It took discipline to 
clear the mind like that, Jedi type discipline. Somewhere, sometime 
Han had gotten some rudimentary training.

   Master'd never so much as hinted he knew Han, which meant precisely 
nothing where Dai-Men was concerned. Had we shared a teacher? 

   If Han was a trained Force user why did he pretend not to believe 
in It? I could understand him hiding it at first, but after all 
these years? Surely he knew he could trust us by now.

   He must have used Force powers to find me on Hoth, and maybe 
to keep us both alive over that long freezing night. And there'd 
been other things too over the years.. those hunches of his and 
what he liked to call his Corellian Luck. Untrained myself I'd missed the signs... until now.

   But why this conflict, this resistance at any mention of the 
Jedi? There was something very strange here....I looked at my friend 
and wondered: Who are you, Han Solo?