"Oola's Tale: A Time to Mourn, a Time to Dance" is a brief narrative penned by Kathy Tyers. It appears within the Tales from Jabba's Palace collection, which was released by Bantam Spectra in December of 1995. The story elaborates on the past experiences of the Twi'lek dancer, Oola.
Bib Fortuna transports Oola and another dancer from their home world of Ryloth to Tatooine. Jabba's chief of staff assures them of a comfortable existence within the notorious Hutt's residence. Nevertheless, upon their arrival, Oola is disheartened to find Tatooine to be an excessively arid and scorching world, a realization only tempered by her visions of opulent splendor at Jabba's palace. During a short period when Fortuna is away from the two dancers, they come across Luke Skywalker, who cautions them about working for Jabba. Oola's fellow dancer escapes with Skywalker, but Oola opts to stay, fueled by a possessive belief that she alone can secure Jabba's favor. Yet, once she is within the palace walls, Oola realizes the error of her thinking. Luckily for her, her spirits are lifted when C-3PO informs her of Luke Skywalker's plan to liberate another captive held at the palace. Revitalized, Oola agrees to dance for Jabba, promising herself that this performance will be her most spectacular.