Chapter 2

Fourteen and a half months. That's how long Princess Leia had spent on the desolate world of Tatooine, trapped inside the ancient B'Omarr citadel which had served as Jabba the Hutt's grand palace. More than a year as his harem slave.

Leia never expected she would remain on the dustball of a planet for longer than a week when she and Luke Skywalker originally arrived there. After all they had gone through with the pursuit of Boba Fett and their entanglement with the Black Sun organization, the final stage of Han Solo's rescue should have been an easy one for the princess and her young Jedi hero. If only Luke could have foreseen how terribly wrong his plan would go, and the price they would all pay for his failure.

Staring out the observation window of the passenger lounge aboard Jabba's Orvani-class star cruiser, Leia watched the sand-swept globe of Tatooine shrink in the distance as they left orbit. An infinite number of stars streaked by in the blackness of space, soon dissolving into a blue cloud once the ship entered hyperspace.

She wondered if this would only be a temporary departure from her captivity on the desert planet. Was escape really possible, considering that Jabba still held her by a virtual leash? Leia rubbed the edge of the golden restraint collar around her neck. With a simple press of Jabba's remote button, the hutt could paralyze or even kill her if she attempted to escape. For this reason she had no choice but to remain subservient to her master.

Ever the optimist, Leia hoped this offworld journey might present a new chance for freedom despite the obstacles of slavery that stood in her way. Leaning against the ship's observation portal, she sighed as she continued to ponder what her life might have been like if Luke had succeeded in rescuing them from Jabba's clutches a year ago. Would they have had better luck vanquishing the Imperial forces at Endor? Could they have destroyed the Death Star a second time? All Leia could do now was wonder "what if" and imagine a life that would never be.

Shifting her stance, Leia adjusted her elaborate costume as she continued to stare wistfully at the blue and white blur of the hyperspace tunnel. All three of the slave girls accompanying Jabba on his trip had been dressed in ornamental costumes that appropriately decorated the hutt's beautiful living trophies so that others could gaze upon them in envy when they arrived at Talanc City.

The princess' new ensemble was not quite as revealing as the tassels and blue fishnet leggings she had worn as a dancer in the palace, instead more closely resembling her original harem garb. A polished magenta brassiere tightly cupped her breasts, combined with a plum-colored bustier draped across her upper abdomen. Matching thong panties barely covered her shaven pussy, tracing the outline of her vaginal lips through the thin silky fabric. Semi-transparent lavender veils wrapped around her arms and legs, completing the ornate costume.

Her body was adorned with gaudy jewelry – large gold earrings, a string of silver pendants across her belly, and an imitation krayt pearl suspended from a purple dicky around her neck, engraved with the crest representing Jabba's Desilijic Tiure clan. As always, her former royal status was mocked by an elegant bronze and silver tiara, topped with a large decorative amethyst crystal of little value.

Behind the princess, Camie made herself comfortable in the sunken sofa pit of the passenger lounge where some of Jabba's entourage could relax on cushioned seats during the flight. Similarly dressed, Camie's costume comprised of deep bronze ornamentation mixed with shades of rich green silk and a tight little thong cut from the scaly hide of a dewback.

Close to Leia's slave sister sat Melina Carniss, the keeper of Jabba's harem and dance coordinator, dressed modestly compared to the half-naked slave girls, wearing a red bodysuit that covered her completely. A former dancing girl herself, Melina had managed to move up in the ranks after many years of loyal service to Jabba and now held a special position as one of his underlings. She had requested to come along, not only to enjoy this brief vacation away from the palace, but also to keep an eye on Jabba's lovely ladies and ensure that they didn't stray too far from their master while he conducted his business.

Leia turned away from the observation portal when she heard the cackles of the kowakian lizard-monkey nearby. Salacious Crumb, the constant annoyance, scurried about the passenger lounge in search of his own entertainment. Melina promptly swatted him away when he poked his beak into her small mug of corellian ale perched on the top edge of the sofa next to her shoulder. Crumb gibbered sharply and then ran under the thick stubby legs of five gamorrean guards sitting in one corner playing a game with a pair of chance cubes to pass the time.

Off the other side of the sofa pit, Jabba indulged in his own perverse interests atop his floating mobile dais. The massive hutt fondled Cha'Nema's small tits as she moaned softly. One of her delicate hands slipped under the silky blue skirt covering her slender legs, rubbing her teenage pussy in response to Jabba's stimulations. His attention was divided between her and his majordomo who proceeded to brief Jabba on some new information concerning the conference he was attending. Leia returned to her seat next to Camie as she focused her ears on what Bib Fortuna was saying.

"Reelo Baruk has invited you for dinner," Bib continued. "I informed him you had already made previous reservations elsewhere. Also, an emissary from the Mustafar Syndicate wishes to offer tribute to you tomorrow night in payment for some recent favors."

"Good ... and what of Tyber Zann? He's not to be trusted at this meeting, even if he did swear to honor the truce," Jabba responded.

"Security is going to be very tight, I assure you. Everything has been arranged and the conference will go smoothly."

"Hmmm," Jabba mused, running his pudgy hand over Cha'Nema's smooth round ass under her skirt. "Contact Pazda. I need to speak with him at once."

"As you wish," Bib nodded, leaving the side of the dais for the communication console to establish a holonet uplink with Nal Hutta.

"You want some of this?" came a voice next to Leia, interrupting her eavesdropping on Jabba's business. She looked over at Camie and noticed the ryll spice lying on the small table between the two sofa cushions. "Don't ask me what I had to do to get it," Camie half-smiled, glancing over at some of the gamorreans in the corner.

"No thanks," Leia frowned, watching her companion lean over and lower her face to the table, snorting a line of purple powder into her nostrils.

Suddenly throwing her head back and closing her eyes, Camie shuddered slightly as the potent drug took its mind-altering and pleasurable effects. "Mmmm," she purred. "Helps the time go by."

"You shouldn't use that stuff," Leia whispered. "I've seen what it does to the other slave girls that got hooked on it."

"Why do you think so many use it?" Camie argued. "Makes everything ... you know ... easier to deal with."

"Yeah, I guess so." Leia ran a hand across the back of her neck and through her loose hair as she stretched against the back of the sofa. "I dreamt of Luke last night," she said, changing the subject.

"Again?" Camie replied with a wavering voice, still a bit lightheaded from the ryll. "You've been doing that a lot lately."

"I can't help it. The dreams just come to me," Leia responded, pondering the visions. "They seem so vivid ... so real. Sometimes they are just memories of the past, moments we spent together, but at other times they feel like more than just a dream."

"What does Luke do in them?"

"It's like he's right there with me, reaching out to me. I can almost sense his presence, but when he tries to speak to me I can't hear him. Then the image fades away and I wake up."

The two slave girls sat in silence for a minute as Camie stared at Leia. "I wish I could have known him the way you did," she suddenly spoke. "I still can't believe half the stories you've told me about Luke as this great hero, becoming a Jedi Knight. All I can remember is the boy with wild dreams of going off to the academy to be a pilot. We always teased him about that," she admitted solemnly. "Then he disappeared when his family was killed, and I thought he was dead ... until he showed up at Jabba's Palace that day."

"Yes, I know," Leia responded, a single tear rolling down her cheek from the painful reminder. Many times she had heard Camie's old stories of growing up with Luke as a couple of farm kids on Tatooine before Camie was captured by the wild swoop gang and sold to Jabba. It was this shared knowledge of Skywalker that helped them bond together in the palace harem and become such close intimate friends.

Leia sighed in resignation, sitting back against the sofa with one leg propped up on the cushion as she turned and watched Jabba some more. Camie's attention was already lost as she inhaled a second dose of intoxicating ryll, replacing the sadness with wonderful spice-induced euphoria.

"Ahh ... Koth ari, Jabba ma buki," came the static-filled holo transmission of Pazda the Hutt, greeting Jabba in a thick Huttese accent. Still somewhat new to the language, Leia concentrated on comprehending everything he was saying.

"Kanuta e galu enki jor uba, Pazda," Jabba graciously replied, his bulbous face stretching to form a smile as he gazed upon the image of his closest relative. Pazda Desilijic Tiure was the sibling to Jabba's parent, and what some cultures would recognize as his uncle. The elder hutt was one of the few respected allies of Jabba.

"We'll be arriving at Talanc City in two hours, and just in case any unfriendly locals have been informed of my arrival plans," Jabba paused, his copper-red eyes briefly glancing over at Fortuna, "I am changing the landing procedures. We'll be arriving at a different docking bay than originally scheduled. I shall transmit further information once we reach orbit."

"Of course," Pazda's fuzzy image flickered. "I will have additional security meet you upon arrival to escort you to the conference. This is an important meeting for our clan. The future of the Desilijic Tiure depends on this alliance with the other syndicates."

"We shall see," Jabba mused skeptically. "Two hours, Pazda." The hutt signaled Fortuna to cut the transmission as he returned his attention to Cha'Nema, opening his huge elongated mouth and extending his slobbering tongue. Pulling her blue costume brassiere aside, he playfully licked the dark red nipples exposed on his lovely young pet as she squirmed submissively.

While Leia wondered what this "alliance" was all about, Melina Carniss took a final swig of ale from her mug and stared lustfully across the sofa pit at the Alderaani slave. Setting her empty mug down, the dark-haired vixen stood from her seat and walked over to Leia. "You," she said coldly. "Come with me, Princess."

Leia looked up at her, already suspecting what Melina had in mind. "Where?"

"Someplace a little more private," Melina suggested, forming a wicked smile. The two women stepped up out of the pit and headed outside the passenger lounge down one of the ship's corridors. Walking behind Leia, Melina admired the shapely curves of the young woman's toned body under the skimpy costume she wore, licking her soft red lips.

"Stop here," she said, leading the princess into a dark alcove next to the hyperdrive engine room. The slave girl turned around, suddenly embraced by the harem keeper who forced her lips against Leia's, kissing them aggressively. The taste of Corellian ale lingered in Melina's mouth as their tongues intertwined.

Leia mewed softly, wanting to push this woman away, but dared not to, instead submitting to the harem keeper's amorous advances. Releasing her from the kiss, Melina ordered, "Get down on your knees," as she began unzipping her tight red bodysuit, quickly skinning out of it until it lay rumpled around her smooth bare legs.

"Yes, Mistress," Leia responded, kneeling before the dominant female. The harem keeper enjoyed abusing her authority over Jabba's other slave girls like this.

Ten years older than Leia, Melina Carniss still had a flawless dancer's body of her own beneath the bodysuit. With full luscious breasts pierced with two nipple rings and a smooth bare pussy already dripping with arousal, Melina could still please the eyes of her hutt master and many other men if need be.

Looking down at Leia, she gently caressed the younger woman's cheek as she leaned against the wall of the narrow alcove. Without instruction, the enslaved princess leaned forward and began lapping at the delicate folds of Melina's pussy with her tongue, having performed this particular service on the harem keeper before. Her skilled mouth licked and sucked on the labia, lavishing over it with a growing hunger as she parted the pouty lips and burrowed her pink tongue inside to taste the sweet nectar of Melina's dripping wet cunny.

"Ohhh, that's it you little bitch," Melina hissed cruelly. "Eat my pussy, you spoiled royal cunt."

Roused by her harsh words, Leia found the hidden nub of Melina's clit with the tip of her tongue and pinched it between her teeth just enough to elicit a loud gasp from the harem keeper's mouth. "Oh, more of that," Melina cooed. "Keep going, you poolo sulta. Keep going, keep going..."

Leia flicked her tongue rapidly across the swollen clit, teasing it with her mouth as she nibbled gingerly on the delicious mound. Melina bucked her hips against Leia's face as her palpitating pussy soon climaxed, sending a river of cuntal juices flowing past Leia's lips and down her chin. The princess continued lapping at the flavorful flow, burying her tongue deep into Melina's snatch to savor every last drop.

The harem keeper gritted her teeth to keep from crying out too loudly, grabbing hold of Leia's head and pulling it into her as another orgasm followed. The princess continued to obediently pleasure the mistress of the harem, though she would have preferred going down on Camie instead.

"Stand up," Melina heaved through long panting breaths. Pulling Leia close to her, she kissed the slave girl again and tasted her own pussy on Leia's lips. "Mmm, you're much better at this than you realize," she whispered teasingly. "Jabba's other girls don't have half your skills."

"Thank you, Mistress," Leia cringed. "May I go now?"

"No, not yet. Jabba said we have two more hours. Plenty of time for you and I to have some fun," Melina smiled. "Now turn around."

Leia closed her eyes and cursed to herself, turning to face the other side of the alcove. Melina sensually rubbed her naked body against Leia's as one hand snaked its way around front down Leia's flat stomach to the plum-colored panties covering the princess' pussy. Slipping three fingers under the silky fabric, Melina could feel the moistness that indicated Leia's growing arousal. With two quick maneuvers she slipped the straps of the thong off the metallic magenta frame which wrapped around Leia's hips and held up the bottom portion of her costume.

Dropping to her knees on the riveted steel floor of the ship's dark corridor, Melina made Leia widen her stance as she leaned in between the princess' smooth legs and tasted the slave's wet pussy. Leia shivered and gasped in response, knowing her shameful body had been craving this but not expecting the sensation to hit her with such sudden pleasure. Melina's tongue ran across Leia's dripping cunt just long enough to lick up the stream of nectar seeping between its delicious lips, and then continued upward toward Leia's puckered pink asshole, grazing it ever so slightly.

Leia opened her legs even wider and bent forward against the alcove wall as Melina giggled with naughty delight. She slipped two fingers into Leia's velvety-smooth cunt and burrowed her tongue into the tangy pink asshole, rimming it and completely coating it in saliva as she added a third finger, and then a fourth, into Leia's wet vaginal hole.

"Keep going, Mistress," the defeated princess whimpered. In response, the harem keeper forced the rest of her hand inside Leia's creamy cunt, and then began fisting her slowly, keeping in rhythm with each of Leia's moans and pleas for more.

"Ohhh, yes! D-don't stop!" Leia gasped as her first of several orgasms coated Melina's hand. She closed her eyes, completely submitting to Melina's ministrations. There were certainly worse ways to spend the next two hours, so she might as well enjoy this.

Arriving at Talanc City, Jabba and his entourage rode aboard two transports from the spacedock, escorted by Pazda the Hutt's additional security to the casino where the conference was being held. Along the way, Camie and Leia marveled at the sights around them from their seats on the first airspeeder.

This vast city on Nal Hutta's fourth moon reminded Leia of the seedy lower levels of Coruscant which she had seen years ago when visiting the Imperial homeworld as a young senator. Talanc City's flamboyant style attracted offworld tourists and gamblers with its numerous dazzling lights and colorful floating billboards illuminating the dark purple night sky above, as well as the series of night clubs, drinking establishments, and smaller gambling outlets that surrounded the more luxurious high-rise hotels and casinos.

The two aerial transports soared past a multitude of towering structures, entering a private docking port in one of the largest and most extravagant complexes. Leia recalled Melina Carniss mentioning upon their arrival that this casino was partly owned by Jabba himself.

Inside the docking port, the group exited the transports and headed for the guarded lifts that would take them up to the private conference at the top of the tower.

"Keep close," Melina whispered to the slave girls. "Don't stray too far from Jabba."

"Yes, Mistress," Camie and Leia both responded. Cha'Nema remained next to Jabba's belly, riding on his floating dais as the rest of the entourage followed behind them.

Within an hour, the last of the conference attendees had arrived and settled into their seats in the sunken concave of the casino tower's penthouse to begin their meeting. Like Jabba, each of them kept a small group of guards, assistants, or courtesans close by. The circular gathering reminded Leia of a session in the Imperial Senate, and she noticed that some of the more despicable crime lords flaunted their own beautiful concubines dressed as revealingly as Jabba's own slave girls.

More than a dozen different leaders in the galactic underworld had come together from throughout Hutt space and the Outer Rim territories to discuss the Empire's growing focus on their criminal activities.

After the death of Prince Xizor and the subsequent Vigo Ascension in which several of his lieutenants had fought over control of the Black Sun organization, one particular blue-skinned humanoid by the name of Ursil Toomar managed to seize power and earn a reputation among the other lieutenants over the last few months, unifying them once again as a syndicate to be reckoned with.

Gaining equal attention and respect from his rivals, Toomar surprised everyone when he proposed an alliance of the various cartels throughout the sector. Negotiating with Jabba and other key leaders in advance, he successfully organized this conference for the mutual benefit of protecting their business interests.

"Gentlemen," Toomar spoke in a soft but confident tone, standing before the circle of criminal associates. "In the last several months, Imperial forces have been interfering more and more with our businesses now that the rebellion is no longer their primary concern. As you know, many of our smuggling lanes have been intercepted by the Imperial fleet. Slave markets and prostitution rings have been shut down throughout the Outer Rim, and most importantly the Empire has managed to destroy several key spice mines throughout our territories."

A growing murmur filled the conference chamber. Jabba remained passive, smoking his hookah pipe as he listened to the charismatic vigo.

"How much more do we stand to lose?" Toomar continued. "And with this new battle station of theirs, what's to stop the Empire from one day aiming their weapon at Nal Hutta or another of our worlds, wiping us out completely?"

"Nonsense!" Reelo Baruk, the corpulent rodian gangster from Nar Shaada, interjected. "The Empire would never go to that extreme."

"Oh no? Consider what they've done to the rebels," Toomar responded. "The rebellion's forces have been considerably diminished since the slaughter at Endor, leaving only small cells scattered throughout the outer worlds."

"Dosa rebels be nothin' more dan terrorists," the notorious gunrunner Meenosh the Intolerable spoke with a slight gungan accent, gnawing on a hunk of fambaa meat as he spat out his words. "Desa gotten what desa deserve."

Leia quietly fumed, summoning every ounce of strength to resist speaking her mind. Jabba would silence her in an instant with his remote if she uttered a single word.

"The rebellion defied the tyrannical laws of the Empire and rose up against it in an effort to re-establish the old democratic ideals of the Republic," Toomar retorted. "Many of our business operations including slavery, spice production, and weapons smuggling also defy Imperial law. Times are changing, my friends, and with this increased attention on our activities, it is now clear that the Empire will not stop with the rebellion as it exercises absolute authority over the rest of the galaxy."

"So you propose us rebelling against the Empire too?" Baruk scoffed.

"I suggest we combine our various resources within the underworld in order to protect our interests against the Empire. Together we will prove more difficult for them to eliminate, while at the same time increasing our profits across the board through mutual cooperation."

"Dosa separatists in da olden Republic, desa attempt da same t'ing and looken whasa happen to dem," Meenosh was quick to point out, rousing some uneasy laughter from others in the room.

Another hour passed as the debate and discussion continued, most vocally by Meenosh and other small-time criminals who potentially could lose more than gain if their organizations were absorbed by the greater criminal alliance.

More than once, Leia noticed Ursil Toomar glancing over at her when someone else was speaking, as if he was studying her. Did he recognize who she really was? This, along with his affiliation with the Black Sun, made her a bit uncomfortable.

Toomar paused for a moment, considering the words of his fellow associates, and finally turned his attention toward the mighty hutt. "Lord Jabba, you've been quiet during our discussion, yet you expressed interest in this alliance when we last communicated. Are you still in favor of it?"

Jabba inhaled another puff of his pipe and spoke, his deep voice echoing throughout the room. "I will go along with your proposal for now, Toomar. You, like your predecessor, have proven to be a valuable ally. However, I have certain stipulations that must be addressed before the Desilijic Tiure will join..."

"No," interrupted a grizzled human with long white hair and a scarred face. "I will have no part of this alliance if the hutts are involved," Tyber Zann, a long-time rival of Jabba, stood up and declared. "They can't be trusted."

"The same could be said for you, Zann," Jabba glared menacingly at the human. "But I'm willing to overlook our past dealings for now in the greater interest of protecting our investments."

"Not me, Jabba," Tyber sneered. "I know you all too well, and I suspect you'll worm your way into running this alliance soon enough. You'll use the rest of us for your own gain and cheat us out of millions."

Walking up the steps of the concave, accompanied by his personal guards, Zann turned once again and looked upon the gathering of crime lords. "My apologies, Toomar, but I'd rather take my chances alone than work with hutt slime."

After Zann and his men exited the penthouse, Ursil uncomfortably looked around the room and suggested, "Perhaps we should break for the evening and continue tomorrow."

"We will continue this now," Jabba insisted. "Tyber Zann is a worthless coward and a thief. This alliance is better off without him." Several other leaders agreed to move on with the discussions despite Zann's sudden departure.

"Very well," Toomar relented. "Now you were saying something about some ... stipulations, Lord Jabba?"

As the hutt was about to speak, a whirring noise from high above them caught everyone's attention, growing louder and louder. Leia suddenly felt an uneasy sense of danger prompting her to peer behind Jabba's massive form where she noticed Bib Fortuna suspiciously heading for the nearby lift. Several of the personal guards and casino security throughout the room stood ready with hands on blaster pistols as they looked all around in confusion.

At that moment the ceiling of the penthouse exploded from laser fire as shards of glass and metal showered down into the concave. "It's an ambush!" someone shouted as others screamed and panicked. Quick on his feet, Meenosh dove for cover under some nearby furniture while other crime lords called for protection from their guards. Everyone then looked up in horror as a large airspeeder dove down through the open roof, filled with a dozen armed mercenaries. A firefight immediately erupted between the attackers and casino security as the rest of the helpless lot rushed for safety.

"It's Zann! Zann is behind this!" Jabba bellowed, his giant bloated mass twisting around in search of Fortuna and his gamorrean guards. The majordomo's absence immediately confirmed Jabba's suspicions of the twi'lek conspiring with his rival to bring about this assassination attempt. Before he could react further, a stray laser blast hit his floating dais, causing it to tip over. The giant slug rolled down into the spherical pit along with Cha'Nema and Melina Carniss. The twi'lek slave girl screamed helplessly as Jabba frantically slithered around, crushing her with his immense weight.

Horrified by Cha'Nema's death, Leia acted quickly, grabbing Camie's arm. "Come on, we have to get out of here!" Stepping out of the concave, they dashed for one of the express lifts and crammed inside with a few other frightened underlings, turning around just in time to see the airspeeder hovering above the pit as the mercenaries filled Jabba with a torrent of laser blasts.

The lift shuttled vertically to the main casino floor as everyone inside caught their breaths. As soon as the doors opened, they all rushed out, pushing and shoving each other in a panic. Leia and Camie managed to squeeze through the crowd as local security closed in. Reports were already hitting the floor about the attack on the roof, and security would be quick to round up suspects.

"What about our slave collars? If we run, we'll be killed!" Camie stated.

"I don't think we have to worry about that anymore," Leia responded, realizing that Jabba's remote was probably lost or destroyed in the attack. "This way," she said, pulling Camie with her as they ran through the crowded aisles past gaming tables and the blur of sparkling lights all around them.

Bumping into a drunken three-eyed gran blocking their path, the two girls looked up at him as the slovenly gambler hiccupped and laughed. Judging by how they were dressed, the gran asked if they were a couple of showgirls and then offered them a good time up in his hotel room. Leia looked at Camie for a moment in disbelief and then slammed her knee up into the revolting gran's crotch, causing him to stagger and fall forward out of their way.

"You two! Hold it right there!" shouted a nearby security guard, rushing toward the escaped slave girls.

Leia and Camie ran through the bustling horde of gamers and tourists, ducking down a spiraling staircase to the next floor below. They quickly darted outside the casino across an elevated walkway that connected the various structures, then up to another platform that led into a crowded plaza.

The princess immediately realized how much she and Camie stood out, dressed in such revealing and elaborate costumes compared to the multitude of people that passed them by. Obviously the drunken gran wasn't the only one to take notice of them in this decadent environment as she sensed the lustful stares from many men walking by. Looking up in the sky, Leia could see a dark cloud of smoke coming from the roof of the nearby casino tower from which they had escaped. The noisy sirens and flashing lights of a security patrol speeder zipped by overhead, catching her attention.

"We have to find someplace to hide for a while until security stops looking for people involved in the attack," she said.

"And then figure out how to get off this planet?" Camie asked with a renewed sense of hope.

Leia nodded, a troubled expression evident as she wondered how a pair of lost slave girls without any money would escape from Nal Hutta's fourth moon. "Let's go in there," she said, leading her companion into another casino. The bright lights and noise would distract people around them enough to help the two maintain a low profile.