Tolsa led them down through the palace through back tunnels, carefully avoiding the guards stationed everywhere. Ania didn't ask how she knew where she was going. Ben had said the crystal would guide her and only her. Luke didn't seem too curious about how they knew where they were going, thankfully.

The castle got darker the further down they went. At last, Tolsa paused beside a closed doorway. "We have to go out from here," Tolsa said. She looked back at Ania questioningly.

"You know the way," Ania said. Tolsa nodded and stepped out into the main hallway. There were no guards. Ania looked around suspiciously. "That's odd," she whispered.

"Yeah. There should have been guards out here somewhere," Tolsa replied.

Ania paused and cast out her senses, avoiding brushing them past Luke. She opened her eyes, realizing what would happen. "Luke, get back to the hallway," she hissed.

"Wait, but,"

"Now! Follow us in a moment but don't let anyone see you!" Ania ordered. Luke didn't question her again. He ran back to the hallway and kept the doorway cracked open.

"What is it?" Tolsa asked.

"Guards are merging from front and back. We'll be surrounded."

"They'll take us to Jabba," Tolsa realized.

"You needed to go down, right?"

Tolsa sighed. "Well, I guess that's one way to do it, assuming they don't kill us immediately."

"They won't. I know how Jabba does things." Ania cast out again. The guards were just beyond the doors, quickly whispering to one another.

"One of your targets?"

"A side mission. I was sent it track down someone identified as a Padawan. Jabba caught wind of it and wanted me to dispose of a few rogue bounty hunters for him."

"He'll recognize you then."

Ania laughed. "I'm counting on it."

Doors hissed open before and behind them. Several of the Gamorrean guards stormed in and circled them. Ania raised her arms as the guards took her blasters and commlink. Tolsa mimicked her, letting the guards search her as well. Satisfied that they didn't have any hidden weapons, the guards clamped wrist cuffs on them. Ania stifled a smirk. The guards had failed to find their plasma blades.

The Gamorreans led them down several flights of stairs. Ania cast her senses out again, spotting Luke following them. She drew herself back in as the guards led them into a large room. Various aliens and a few humans lounged about. Sy Snootles, a Pa'lowick singer, paused mid verse as they entered the room.

Ania gave Sy a deviloush smirk. Sy narrowed her eyes and huffed. The Gamorreans stopped them before a large dais. Jabba himself lay on it, a hookah pipe in hand. Ania scowled as she spotted the Hutt's annoying Kowakian monkey lizard, Salacious. She hated that little creature with a flying passion. Salacious must have noticed her look because he let out the shrill laugh of his. The green Twi'lek at his side, she hadn't seen before.

Jabba set his hookah down and gazed at them, disinterestedly. "Hi chuba du naga?" He asked.

A red protocol droid stepped forward. "Might Jabba asks what do you want?"

One of the Gamorreans let out a series of grunts and snorts, obviously explaining how they had caught Ania and Tolsa. Jabba turned his attention to Ania. Jabba sighed greatly. "Jee doo nobata alarrel Tanooh."

"Actually, it's Bonteri," Ania interrupted. "Yes, I speak Huttese," she said to the protocol droid.

Jabba laughed at her comment. "Hat wedd, Bonteree. Whooh uta-sha pateesa?" He waved a hand to Tolsa.

"Tolsa Lee," Ania replied. "She's a friend of mine."

"Haku doo uba come wata?"

"You have something we need. We're here to make a bargain," Tolsa said, catching on to what the Hutt had said.

Jabba shook his head and raised the hookah for a moment. "Uba doo put jeesh oifficult oolace, Bonteree." He waved a hand around the room. "Uba doo bountee nop uta-sha head. Most meekiyuna wata widd shulu eagah coddect nop lo."

Ania waved a hand disinterestedly. "Let them try. My money's on me. Now, rumor has it you've got a rare gem here. We'd like to get our hands on it."

Jabba laughed and stroked his chin. "Tagwa, I'd buttmalia nop uba tooh." He thought for a minute. "Hatt wedd. Jee widd give uba bu crystal."

"He said he'll give us the crystal," Ania whispered to Tolsa.

"What did he say before that?" Tolsa asked.

"He'd bet on me winning against these bounty hunters." Ania turned her attention back to Jabba. "Name your price."

"Ma che copah," Jabba stroked his chin, thinking. "Uba paaj survive beet an jee widd give lo uba." The crowd around shifted into more interested positions, several of them laughing.

"Now what did he say?"

"Something not good," Ania replied. "Survive this and I'll give it to you."

Tolsa gulped. "Survive what?"

"Trust me. You don't want to know." Ania desperately wished she didn't know.

"Goodde luck. Perhaps jee widd shulu seeing uba." Jabba laughed.

The floor opened up beneath them. Ania cried out as she fell. She managed to catch herself with the Force before she landed in the mud. Bones littered the floor, some half eaten bodies laying about. Tolsa stepped closer to her. "What is this place?"

"This is where most people die," Ania replied.

"Well, that's not helpful."

"Can you sense the crystal?"

"Yeah. It's really close. What about Luke?"

"He's staying hidden for now." Large footsteps thudded into the room. A hideous creature slammed into the cavern, bellowing angrily. Ania slipped a plasma blade into her palm. "If you can, try to slash its eyes. Those are the only things these blades will cut through."

"Jabba has no intention of letting us out, does he?"

"Nope. We have to find our own way out."

"Will he actually give us the crystal if we make it?"

"I doubt it and if he does, you can bet the Empire and those bounty hunters will be after us." Ania quick talking and ran. She ducked and rolled through the mud, between the Rancor's legs. It bellowed and bent over, slashing its claws at her. Tolsa took the opportunity and sank her plasma blade into the corner of its eye.

The Rancor bellowed with rage and swung its head into her body. Tolsa cried out and slammed into the wall of the cavern. The Rancor advanced towards her.

Ania let her senses unfold and connected with the Force. She quickly called up her lessons with Ben and charged towards the Rancor, roaring with rage. She leaped into the air and slammed her fist into the ground, letting a wave of the Force erupt. It shook through the Rancor, knocking it to one side of the cavern.

Ania darted between its legs again and pulled Tolsa to her feet. "Over there!" Tolsa exclaimed. She pointed to a crack beneath one of the rock walls. They sprinted for it. Tolsa slid through the mud and landed inside the small crack. The Rancor roared and ran towards them. Ania grabbed a large bone and hurled it at the Rancor, using the Force to guide the bone vertically into the Rancor's jaws.

She slid into the crack and cowered down beside Tolsa. The Rancor roared and a crack echoed as it snapped the bone in half. "Now what?" Tolsa asked.

"Do you see a way out of here?"

"There's a door clear in the back but a bunch of Gamorreans are waiting."

Ania looked around and cast her senses out again. She felt a draft of air brush across her senses. "Up there!" Ania pointed up, where a small hole gaped in the roof of the cavern. "We get up there and we can find our way back to the main room."

Tolsa nodded her agreement. "We should get on the Rancor's back and jump up to the hole. If I run out, can you hold it still so I can jump up?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Ania shimmied out, Tolsa right behind her. The Rancor roared and charged towards them. Ania lashed out with the Force, wrapping her grip around the Rancor. The beast roared but stopped moving. Ania screwed her eyes shut. "Hurry!" The Force rippled off of her, sending mud and rocks flying away.

Tolsa took a running leap and pushed herself off the ground. She let the Force carry her up to the Rancor's back. "All right! Come on!" Tolsa called.

Ania tried to withdraw her senses but felt something snap within her. She cried and shielded her eyes against the light that flared.

A-wings flew above a city. TIE's shot at them, sending several crashing to the ground. A wounded pilot ran to another ship, checking the pilot inside. Stormtroopers grabbed her. An interrogation chamber with a blue skinned man.

A Jedi Knight climbing to the window. Breaking the glass and pulling the pilot to safety. A fuel cell. A transport behind with others inside of it. A stormtrooper holding onto the pilot's arm, trying to pull her to the transport. The Jedi remained behind. The pilot and the stormtrooper flew backwards into the transport. The Jedi was engulfed in fire.

Ania gasped and slid through the mud beneath the Rancor. Tolsa called for her again. "Ania!"

"It's ok! I'm back!" Ania replied. she dodged the clawed hand that swung for her. Ania took a flying leap and pushed herself up with the Force. "Together," she said to Tolsa. They each placed a palm on the Rancor's head. Ania sent her thoughts speeding into the Rancor. She knew Tolsa was doing the same.

The Rancor roared but began to move towards the hole. Ania forced her grip around the Rancor further. It squealed and stopped beneath the hole. Tolsa climbed up and stuck a hand down to Ania. She grasped it, struggling to keep a hold through the mud. Tolsa quickly pulled her up. They both lay backwards in relief, beneath the twin suns of Tatooine. The Rancor screamed with rage beneath them.

Tolsa rolled over, mud covering most of her face. She subconsciously wiped it off. "What happened?"

Ania shook her head. "A vision. It doesn't matter now. Let's get what we came for."

A hatch opened up on the roof and a familiar blonde head poked through. "You guys are all right!" Luke exclaimed. He pulled himself up and ran towards them. "Did you get what you came for?"

"Not yet," Tolsa said.

"You did a good job of staying hidden," Ania replied. "Can you see if you can find our weapons?"

"Sure. I saw one of the Gamorreans take them into a room."

"Great. Grab them and meet us at the speeder. We'll go get the crystal," Ania replied. Luke nodded and held open the hatch while they jumped inside. He jumped down behind them and headed off to find their weapons.

Tolsa took the lead and headed back to the main room. "I can feel the crystal. It's like it's pulling me towards it."

"That's good," Ania replied.

They headed down a flight of stairs and entered the main room. Sy Snootles was mid song again. Ania stepped forward and pulled the microphone away from Sy, using the Force. Sy growled and crossed her arms. "And here I thought the Rancor would finish you for good," Sy taunted.

"Better luck next time, right?" Ania smirked. They stopped before Jabba's dais. "Well, Jabba? We survived. Hand it over."

Jabba waved another droid forward. It approached and opened the box in its hands. A blue kyber crystal gleamed at them. Tolsa reached a hand towards the crystal. The droid slammed the lid closed.

Ania narrowed her eyes. "Jabba, you know better than to taunt a merc." She tilted her head and let Ania Tano's predatory smile slide on her face.

"I'm not beke uba worthee of mah crystal," Jabba sneered.

"We survived your little pet. Hand it over or you'll see what it feels like to be down there," Ania growled.

"Uba bal not scare jeesh, bukee."

"Oh? Well, that's a mistake on your part." Ania grinned wickedly and slammed her arms out. Instantly, everyone in the room froze up, unable to move. "Get the crystal," she said to Tolsa.

Tolsa ran to the droid and grabbed the crystal from the box. She quickly pocketed it. "Pleasure doing business," Tolsa said, tipping two fingers to Jabba. She turned and ran down the hall towards the outside.

"Uba widd wamma beet!" Jabba snarled.

"Really? I think you'll be the one who pays for trying to double cross me. Have a good day, Jabba!" Ania turned and ran out of the room. She waited until she had almost reached the main gate before releasing her hold on them. Luke and Tolsa brought the speeder right up to the gate. Ania jumped in and took her blasters from Tolsa. "Let's get back to the ship before we have company!"

"Good idea!" Luke agreed. He urged the landspeeder ahead faster, letting Jabba's palace swiftly recede behind them.