"I have the feeling he did that because he wouldn't count on Threepio holding the truth if he cracked from the pressure", Obi-Wan pointed out.
"Knowing him, I have to say it's possible", Anakin agreed with him.
...
The court of Jabba the Hutt roiled in malignant , the beautiful creature chained to Jabba, danced in the center of the floor, as the inebriated monsterscheered and heckled.
"I'm guessing things haven't improved a lot for the Twi'lieks", Rex uttered in pity, remembering how the Clones fought side by side with them at Ryloth.
"Master Secura wouldn't have allowed this if she is still around at this time", Kit Fisto added.
"And given that she wore a different uniform as a means to fight known stereotypes like this one, I have to say she would", Master Mundi agreed to that.
Threepio hovered warily near theback of the throne, trying to keep the lowest profile possible. Periodically he had to duck to avoid a fruithurled in his direction or to sidestep a rolling , he just laid low. What else was a protocol droid to do, in a place of so little protocol?
Jabba leered through the smoke of his hooka andbeckoned the creature Oola to come sit beside him. Shestopped dancing instantly, a fearful look in her eye, andbacked up, shaking her head.
Luminara kept her best to carry her stoic visage, recognizing the scenario before her. "It appears she had carried unfavorable memories between her and Jabba"
Master Bilaba recognized this too. "And I fear this would not end well for her. Especially if Jabba does not tolerate defiance in his palace"
Apparently she hadsuffered such invitations became angry. He pointed unmistakably to a spotbeside him on the dais. "Daeitha!" he growled.
Oola shook her head more violently, her face a mask ofterror. "Nachuba negatorie. Na! Na Natoota."Jabba became livid. Furiously he motioned to Oola. "Boscka!"
Jabba pushed a button as he released Oola's she could flee, a grating trap door in the floordropped open, and she tumbled into the pit below. Thedoor snapped shut instantly.
A moment of silence,followed by a low, rumbling roar, followed by a terrifiedshriek was followed once more by silence.
The audience bristled at the unfortunate fate that the dancer had suffered. Anakin's face grew into an ugly frown at the Crime Lord, having witnessed how many slaves were at Jabba's beck and call, yet could only do little against people like him.
Jabba laughed until he slobbered. A dozen revelers hurried over to peer through the grate, to observe thedemise ofthe nubile dancer. Threepio shrank even lower and looked for support to the carbonite form of Han Solo, suspended in bas relief above the floor. Now there was a human without asense of protocol, thought Threepio wistfully..
...
His reverie was interrupted by an unnatural quiet thatsuddenly fell over the room. He looked up to see Bib Fortuna making his way through the crowd,accompanied by two Gamorrean guards, and followedby a fierce-looking cloaked-and-helmeted bounty hunterwho led his captive prize on a leash: Chewbacca, the Wookiee.
"There's Chewie!", Caleb called out in relief.
"And Boba Fett", Mace added. "I suppose a rescue attempt by him was also apprehended"
Threepio gasped, stunned. "Oh, no! Chewbacca!" The future was looking very bleak muttered a few words into Jabba's ear, pointing tothe bounty hunter and his captive. Jabba listened intently.
The bounty hunter was humanoid, small and mean: a beltof cartridges was slung across his jerkin and an eye-slit inhis helmet-mask gave the impression of his being able tosee through things. He bowed low, then spoke in fluent Ubese.
"Greetings, Majestic One. I am Boushh."
It was a metallic language, well-adapted to the rarefied atmosphere of the home planet from which this nomadic species answered in the same tongue, though his Ubese was stilted and slow. "At last someone has brought me the mighty Chewbacca..." He tried to continue, but stuttered on the word he wanted.
Padme looked over at Anakin intently watching the newcomer before them. "Is there something wrong, Ani?"
"Nothing, but that Bounty Hunter felt to familiar all of a sudden"
With a roaring laugh,he turned toward Threepio. "Where's my talkdroid?" he boomed, motioning Threepio to come , the courtly robot ordered him congenially. "Welcome our mercenary friend and ask his price for the Wookiee."
Threepio translated the message to the bounty hunter. Boushh listened carefully, simultaneously studying theferal creatures around the room, possible exits, possible hostages, vulnerable points. He particularly noticed BobaFett—standing near the door—the steel-masked mercenary who had caught Han Solo.
Boushh assessed this all in a moment's moment, then spoke evenly in his native tongue to Threepio. "I will take fifty thousand, no less."
Threepio quietly translated for Jabba, who immediately became enraged and knocked the golden droid off the raised throne with a sweep of his massive tail. Threepio clattered in a heap on the floor, where he rested momentarily, uncertain of the correct protocol in this situation.
Jabba raved on in guttural Huttese, Boushh shifted his weapon to a more usable position. Threepio sighed, struggled back onto the throne, composed himself, and translated for Boushh—loosely-whatJabba was saying.
"Twenty-five thousand is all he'll pay..." Threepio instructed. Jabba motioned his pig guards to take Chewbacca, as two jawas covered Boushh. Boba Fett also raised his weapon. Jabba added, to Threepio's translation: "Twenty-fivethousand, plus his life."
Threepio translated. The room was silent, tense, uncertain. Finally Boushh spoke, softly, to Threepio. "Tell that swollen garbage bag he'll have to do better than that, or they'll be picking his smelly hide out of every crack in this room. I'm holding a thermal detonator."
The audience were surprised at this bold action, especially when dealing with the likes of Jabba the Hutt of all people in negotiating.
"Not the proposition I am expecting", Kit Fisto said, glancing at one of his fellow Jedi. "If anything we could expect this to come from Skywalker"
"I'd prefer to be subtle when it comes to that Master Fisto", Anakin defended himself. "But that doesn't mean that's off the table if it could work somehow"
Then, slowly, a satisfied grin crept over his vast, uglymouth. Fromthe bilious pit of his belly, a laugh rose like gas in a mire. "This bounty hunter is my kind ofscum. Fearless and inventive. Tell him thirty-five, no more—and warn him not to press his luck." Threepio felt greatly relieved by this turn of events.
He translated for Boushh. Everyone studied the bounty hunterclosely for his reaction; guns were readied. Then Boushh released a switch on the thermal detonator, and it went dead. "Zeebuss," he nodded. "He agrees," Threepio said to Jabba. The crowd cheered; Jabba relaxed.
"Come, my friend, join our celebration. I may find other work for you." Threepio translated, as the party resumed its depraved revelry.
...
Gamorrean guards led Chewbacca through the unlit dungeon corridor. A tentacle coiled out one of the doors to touch the brooding Wookiee. "Rheeaaahhr!" he screamed, and the tentacle shot back into itscell. The next door was open.
Before Chewie fully realized what was happening, he was hurled forcefully into thecell by all the guards. The door slammed shut, locking him in darkness. He raised his head and let out a long, pitiful howl that carried through the entire mountain ofiron and sand up to the infinitly patient sky.
The throne room was quiet, dark and empty, as night filled its littered corners. Blood, wine, and saliva stained the floor, shreds of tattered clothing hung from the fixtures, unconscious bodies curled under broken furniture. The party was over.
"Now is a good time for a rescue mission to begin", Obi-Wan mused, finding the situation to be advantageous for Luke and his friends to exploit.
"Only thing that would throw a wrench at that if luck was on Jabba's side", Mundi added.
A dark figure moved silently among the shadows, pausing behind a column here, a statue there. He made his way stealthily along the perimeter of the room, stepping once over a snoring Yak Face. He never made asound. This was Boushh, the bounty hunter.
"That explains why he had his designs for Jabba before", Master Tiin mused. "He took has business with Captain Solo"
"I guess it would mean he had to be affiliated with Luke and the others", Depa pointed out from earlier. "Given as to how he had directed the protocol droid with that to say to Jabba with confidence"
Boushh walked over to the case, studying Han, and then turns to the controls on the side of the coffin. Looking over, he activated a series of switches and, after one last look at Han, slid the de-carbonization lever.
The casing began to emit a high-pitched sound.
Anxiously Boushh peered all around again, making
certain no one heard. Slowly, the hard shell that was
covering the contours of Solo's face started to melt
away. Soon, the coating was gone from the entire front
of Solo's body, freeing his upraised hands—so long
frozen in protest—to fall slackly to his sides.
His face relaxed into what looked like nothing so much as a death-mask. Boushh extracted the lifeless body from its casing and lowered it gently to thefloor.
He leaned his gruesome helmet close to Solo's face,
listening closely for signs of life. No breath. No pulse. With a start, Han's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he
began to cough. Boushh steadied him, tried to quiet him —there were still guards who might hear.
"Being encased by Carbonite must've taken a toll of him", Padme spoke in concern for the smuggler. "Could we expect any severe sickness for him"
"Hibernation Sickness is a common ailment if the person is subjected to it from long periods of time", Luminara answered for her. "Apart from exhaustion, weakness, dehydration, dizziness, memory loss, and temporary blindness that would take place, I would say he would be fine after a short period of time"
"Guess we could say we're a bit lucky we didn't stay for long when we went to go to rescue Master Piel back at the Citadel", Ahsoka mused to Anakin, Obi Wan and Rex.
"Quiet!" he whispered. "Just relax."
Han squinted up at the dim form above him. "I can't see... What's happening?"
Boushh tried to reassure him. "You're free of the carbonite and have hibernation sickness. Your eyesight will return in time. Come, we must hurry if we're to leave this place."
Reflexively Han grabbed the bounty hunter, felt at the grated face-mask, then drew back. "I'm not going anywhere — don't even know where I am." He began sweating profusely as his heart once again churned blood, and his mind groped for answers.
"Tough luck, Solo. But he's the only person you could trust for now", Rex snarkily commented to the former smuggler.
For Anakin and Padme however, they watched closely as they felt a deeper connection to the Bounty Hunter in front of them.
"Who are you, anyway?" he demanded suspiciously. Perhaps it was Fett aftera ll.
The bounty hunter reached up and pulled the helmet away from his head revealing, underneath, the beautiful face of Princess Leia. "Someone who loves you," she whispered, taking his face tenderly in her still-gloved hands and kissing him long on thelips.
"Ah, that explains it", Kit Fisto mused with a smile. "No wonder 'he' personally went for Solo"
Anakin allowed a grin to spread on his face, having seen this woman that he grew to view fondly alongside Padme. Apart from her brash and determined nature, her care for her friends and loved ones equalled to that of Luke, traits that he inherited from his father and mother. And he had no qualms to admit that he was proud that the galaxy have welcomed someone so loving as her.
Even if the person she loved was Han Solo, a man whom Anakin still had issues he couldn't properly explain.
"With Solo rescued, all they need to do is rescue Chewbacca and the others before Jabba would know what was going on", Plo Koon pointed out.
Shaak Ti agreed with him, although she sensed something amiss. "Let us hope it goes that way..."
...
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