Chapter 5:

Rystall stood naked under a hydrospray in the harem shower, soaking down her red-orange hair with warm water and rubbing soapy lather over her lavender skin and breasts. She moaned softly as she brushed her hands over her sensitive purple nipples.

Lyn Me stood under an adjacent hydrospray, lifting one of her legs and sliding her hand up and down its slick wet smoothness with her own bar of soap in hand, washing away the sweat and sexual juices generated from their earlier performance.

"Hi Rys... hi Lyn," cooed a familiar Rodian voice from behind them.

Both women turned around to see their third dancing partner entering the shower.

"Hey Greeta," they both said in unison.

The bright-green skinned Rodian dancing girl turned on another hydrospray and squeaked from the momentary shock of cold water hitting her bumpy textured skin.

"I think that one's broken," said Lyn. "But the other one next to it works."

Greeta shut off the faulty hydrospray and moved over to the next, switching it on and humming softly as she felt the soothing warm water splash against her small pert breasts. She dipped her large head under the spray, running her long nimbly fingers through her tall spiky yellow hair.

"So Greeta, you spend the night with Beedo again?" Rystall spoke loudly over the noise of the hydrosprays.

"Yes," the Rodian giggled with her tiny protruding mouth. "And... I think I'm in love!"

Both Rystall and Lyn Me groaned, then laughed in amusement.

"That's what you said about Doda, and Barquin D'an, and that skiff mechanic, and..."

"No, this is diferent! You'll see."

"Whatever," the Twi'lek smirked.

"Hey Lyn, wash my back?" asked Rystall, looking over her shoulder and smiling suggestively.

"Fine." Lyn stepped closer to Rystall and began to rub her bar of soap over Rystall's backside, starting at the knape just above her ass and moving in circular motions upward along the curve.

"So anything interesting happen while I was gone this morning?" asked Greeta while washing her long green legs.

"Not much," replied Lyn, gently kneading and massaging Rystall's back. "But last night that new bounty hunter freed Han Solo from the big metal block. Jabba caught her and put her in his harem."

"Boushh was a woman?" Greeta's large black eyes widened.

"Sure was," Lyn smiled smugly. "And she got what she deserved."

Rystall shook her head and frowned, disgusted with Lyn Me's callous attitude. "Okay, that's enough Lyn. I'll wash you now."

"So what did they do with Han Solo?" asked Greeta, her head turned sideways while she rinsed her soaking wet mane of hair.

"They put him in the dungeon," Lyn answered, turning around for Rystall to soap her up. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," paused Greeta. "Maybe I should tell Beedo about this. I mean, he's always talking about Han Solo. Did you know Han Solo killed Beedo's cousin?"

"Big deal. I heard Han Solo killed a lot of people," Lyn responded.

"Those are just stories, Lyn. He's too good looking to be a cold-blooded killer," Rystall said dreamily.

Lyn rolled her eyes then motioned for Rystall to wash the two lekku tails on her head. "That's what you think about half the men in this place, Rys."

"Yeah, including your 'boyfriend' Boba Fett!" Rystall said with a sly smile, squeezing one of Lyn Me's sensitive lekku with her hand. "Still got a crush on him, Lyn?"

Lyn gasped from the stimuli and responded by reaching up to the hydrospray and twisting the spray head, causing water to hit Rystall in her face. She gasped, jumping backwards while Greeta and Lyn Me laughed.

"Very funny," grinned Rystall.

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Meanwhile, down the hall from Jabba's harem, Melina showed Leia around the training room for Jabba's dancers, which she called "The Dancer's Pit". Tall vertical mirrors lined the walls all around the room, embarassingly reflecting Leia in her harem costume no matter which direction she looked.

Two other dancing girls had been practicing when Leia, Melina, and Lando entered the room. Melina briefly introduced the other girls to Leia. The first was Jess and judging from her complexion, Leia guessed she might be from Chandrilla. She had long silvery white shoulder length hair with a single purple-blue streak dyed into it. She wore a dark silver and blue brassiere similar in style to Leia's, and a long blue skirt that loosely wrapped around her legs, covering them completely. Lucky her, Leia thought.

The second girl's name was Camie. Leia remembered seeing her in the harem earlier that morning. Her skin was tanned, her dark hair long like Leia's, but not braided in a ponytail. It hung loosely over her shoulders and down her back. She wore a light green dancer's thong with a matching top that hugged her breasts tightly. Both costume pieces were made from the skin of a Dewback and much more revealing than Leia's ornate costume.

Melina excused the two girls from the room and told Lando to escort them back to the harem down the hall. His eyes met Leia's for a moment and she nodded, indicating she would be safe in here for now. He left, following Jess and Camie from the room.

"Now, let's get started," Melina said to Leia.

"I'm not going to be here long enough for you to teach me anything," the Princess quickly retorted. "So don't waste your time."

Melina frowned. "With that attitude, you may be right. But nevertheless, it's my job to see that you're trained in the skills of a harem girl."

"First, I need to explain something to you, so I want you to listen carefully." Melina sat Leia down on a bench next to wall and stared into her eyes with cold intimidation. "As of now, you no longer have any control over what happens to you. You're not a royal princess anymore, and you can forget about that stupid rebellion of yours. From now on, you are the property of Jabba the Hutt, understand?"

Leia glared up at her with equally fierce brown eyes, her anger growing inside.

Melina continued, "If you want to stay alive, you will respect Jabba as your master. You will sit with him, dance for him, and if he so desires... you will perform whatever sexual needs he asks of you. When he issues a command, you are to obey it instantly and without objection. As the keeper of Jabba's harem, I expect you to give me that same respect."

Leia felt so enraged by Melina's words. The thought of being anyone's slave offended her more than anything. "Go to hell," she spat out.

Taken aback by Leia's outburst, Melina whipped her hand back and then slapped the younger woman across the face, knocking her against the mirrored wall. Leia looked back at Melina with wide watery eyes, rubbing her red cheek with one hand. She didn't expect Melina to react so violently.

"I had a feeling you'd be difficult to work with," said Melina in a stern voice. "But Jabba expects fast results, so let's get to work."

Melina grabbed the chain of Leia's gold collar and jerked her to her feet, pulling her over to the middle of the empty room. She unclipped the chain and carried it with her back to the bench where she sat down and crossed her legs. Leia stood in the center of the floor, watching Melina intently.

"Okay, let's see you dance. Show me what you can do," ordered the Harem Keeper.

"Are you kidding? I'm not a dancer," Leia scoffed.

"You can't dance at all?" Melina asked in disbelief.

"No! At least... not like those dancers from earlier."

"Then just show me what you can do," Melina was losing her patience with this one.

"Where's the music?" Leia asked.

"No music. Just dance," urged Melina.

Leia sighed in resignation, staring at the floor as she pondered what to do. She vaguely remembered a performance she once saw in a spaceport tavern she and Luke had visited during their mission to Mimban. Leia looked up, seeing herself in the mirror directly in front of her.

Bowing her head and crossing her arms, Leia took a step back and spun around on one foot, attempting to mimic the dance. It wasn't as sexy and provacative as what Jabba's dancers did, but it was the best Leia could come up with. The only other type of dancing she knew was formal dancing for royal galas and other social events she had attended as a teen on Alderaan; the kind of dancing a proper princess would be taught. Of course, here in Jabba's palace she would look silly trying to dance like that, especially with no partner to lead her.

Twirling around once more, Leia extended her arms and tilted her head back, trying to be as graceful as possible. She improvised as much as she could. She knew it must look more like an amateur ballet than what a spaceport tavern dancer would perform.

From the bench against the wall, Melina folded her arms and watched Leia, scrutinizing her athleticism and grace. In her opinion, Leia wasn't that bad. She had some potential to work with, but it would take time to train her to be as good as the other harem girls. Perhaps one of the dancers in Rebo's band could give her a hand. They were just hired performers, not slaves of Jabba, but they danced better than anyone else in the palace -- besides Melina.

When Leia finished her short dance routine she looked over at Melina, curious to see if she met the Keeper's approval.

"Where did you learn that?" Melina asked.

"Mimban."

"Never heard of it. I see potential in you, but you have a lot to learn."

At that moment, the door to the training room opened. Leia turned around to see Lando entering, having returned from the harem. He took position by the door and nodded to Melina. The Harem Keeper stood up from the bench and walked to the door, pausing to speak with Lando.

"I'll be right back. Keep an eye on her until I return." She paused, staring at Lando beneath his mask, skeptical of this new guard's trustworthiness. "I've seen you looking at her a lot," Melina continued. "But keep your hands off her. She's Jabba's property."

"Yes, Ma'am," Lando mumbled.

When they were finally alone in the room, Lando whispered to Leia, "How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing?" said Leia, going back over to the bench to take a seat. "I didn't exactly plan on becoming Jabba's slave. And now they expect me to dance for him. That woman Melina thinks she's going to teach me to dance like some kind of half-naked tavern girl. And can you believe this costume they've made me wear?"

"Well, let's hope that dancing is all you have to do," replied Lando. "But I suggest you just go with it for now and don't protest too much. Jabba has a short temper and we don't want you getting killed like his last dancer, before we can all get the hell out of here."

"All right, I'll try," Leia sighed. "What about Luke's plan? Have you contacted him?"

"Yes, I've told him everything that's happened so far. We're going with his backup plan. If all goes well, then he'll be here in a couple more days."

"A couple more days?" an upset Leia exclaimed.

"Yeah, remember I've got to change the guard rosters so that most of them will be assigned positions outside the palace when Luke arrives. It's not easy when there's guards and spies everywhere. It'll take time."

"Right, the fewer guards around here, the better," Leia responded. "What about Han and Chewie? Are they okay?"

"They're fine for now, safely locked in a dungeon cell together."

"I wish I could see Han," Leia said mournfully.

"I'll try to sneak down there tonight and check on them."

Lando leaned against the wall, both hands gripping his force-pike. Leia noticed Lando's eyes looking down at her chest, stealing quick glimpses of her revealing cleavage beneath the golden brassiere. Leia frowned, folding her arms over her breasts. "Hey Calrissian, up here!"

Lando caught his mistake, looking back up at Leia's face. "Sorry," he grinned behind the guard's mask. "Just got a little distracted for a moment. I'm a sucker for a beautiful lady."

"Well, keep your mind on the mission."

Lando didn't say another word, and Leia sat there in silence for a few minutes, mentally going over Luke's far-fetched rescue plan. Originally, her job was simple -- free Han, and if possible get him out of the palace. But that didn't work, so now they had to go with Luke's even crazier backup plan.

Disguised as one of many palace guards and going by the alias "Tamtel Skreej", Lando was the key person in Luke's plan. As Luke's eyes and ears inside the palace, Lando would pull all the strings and get everything just right for Luke to come in and do his Jedi magic when the time was right.

Jabba's palace was too well guarded from within. Who knew what dangerous foes could be hiding in the dark shadows. The only way Luke could save his friends would be to get them outside the palace, away from the majority of Jabba's men. Then Lando could smuggle the droids out by himself afterward, if necessary.

Leia didn't completely understand how it could work, but she had faith in Luke and his Jedi skills.

Suddenly the training room's door slid open, and in walked Melina, followed by Rystall, whom Melina had found in the shower room a short while ago. Lando and Leia both recognized the red-haired dancer.

"You can leave now," Melina ordered Lando. He exited the room, leaving the three women by themselves.

"This is Rystall," said Melina, introducing the dancer to Leia.

"We've already met," Rystall said, smiling at Leia. Leia blushed in embarassment.

"Oh? Well anyway, Rystall is going to help me teach you a few moves that should please Jabba," Melina explained. "So let's get started."

Leia begrudgingly stood up from the bench and walked over to the other two women.

"Watch what I do, and then do the same thing, okay?" said Rystall. Leia nodded and watched as Rystall began a slow series of sensual maneuvers. Rystall swayed her hips and bent forward, wiggling her ass, then took two steps to the left, placing both hands on her breasts as she eased her body down, bending her legs and wiggling her body some more.