Chapter 1:

Darkness surrounded the young Twi'lek as blinding blue-white light shone from above. The repugnant smell of smoke in the air filled her nostrils, making her nose twitch. Atop her head, two green lekku tails swung wildly as she struggled with the sturdy chain pulling her closer and closer to the slimy rotund slug.

"Na chuba negatorie!" the girl screamed, her words spoken in the native tongue of her new Huttese master. The great Jabba the Hutt rumbled with deep laughter, toying with his lovely pet as he playfully tugged on her leash.

Today was no different than any other for the Twi'lek slave dancer, having recently taken residence in this hellish house of pain. Her name was Oola and she had just finished performing for Jabba in the main audience chamber of his grand palace on Tatooine, entertaining him and his seedy minions with her sensual ballet. And now, Jabba wanted more from the young Twi'lek. He wanted to savor her delicious beauty for himself, and he wouldn't take "No" for an answer.

"Come to me," Jabba beckoned with another jerk of Oola's leash. "Na chuba negatorie!" she repeated in Huttese. It was one of the few phrases she had learned of his language and it clearly emphasized a refusal to obey her Master.

"Now!" the Hutt demanded in a deafening voice.

"Na! Na! Natoota!" the helpless girl screamed.

Other dancing girls in Jabba's palace had warned Oola of the unbelievable horrors the lustful Hutt thrust upon his women. She had already been subjected to some of these awful perversions already and wanted no more of it. Her defiance today would surely warrant painful punishment, but could a beating from the Gamorreans be any worse than being defiled by this disgusting beast again? At least she'd still keep her dignity.

With her last amount of strength and courage, Oola chose to resist Jabba's advances, failing to realize that it would be the last decision she'd ever make.

"Boscka!" the mighty Hutt boomed in anger, slamming his large pudgy fist down on the control switch next to him. A trapdoor in the floor fell open beneath Oola's feet, dropping the dancer into a pit of darkness below. Her screams of terror echoed loudly throughout the room, stirring awake some of the drunken vagrants sitting in the dark corners of the chamber. Releasing the chain that had kept her in his grasp, Jabba watched it follow his disobedient slave down into the Rancor's den.

The giant stone slab on which Jabba lounged slid forward to the grilled opening in the floor. Other people sitting around the throne room jumped up and ran forward to gather around the opening so they could watch the beast below come out of its cage and feed upon its newest meal.

This was always a sadistically entertaining highlight in Jabba's palace. Unfortunately, Oola didn't put up much of a fight with the Rancor and the entire event only lasted for a few brief minutes. The gargantuan beast scooped up the panic-stricken Oola with one of its clawed hands and tore her apart between its razor-sharp teeth, finishing her off with three quick bites. The crowd above hooted and hollered with wild enthusiasm.

A loud laser blast suddenly caught everyone's attention, their heads turning to the stairway entrance where a stranger appeared, knocking one of Jabba's clumsy guards out of his path.

"Boushh," whispered several pirates and smugglers throughout the room, recognizing the new visitor as the Ubese bounty hunter frequently employed by the Black Sun Corporation. Boushh entered and approached Jabba, leading a towering Wookiee prisoner by chain. Jabba's eyes widened as he looked upon them both with great interest.

The bounty hunter spoke in the Ubese language, "I have come for the bounty on this Wookiee." His voice was monotone and electronically-processed beneath a silver and yellow helmet that covered his entire head.

Jabba's thunderous voice rose above the whispers of the crowd. "At last, we have the mighty Chewbacca!" A deep rumbling laugh followed his enthusiastic announcement as he called forth his new golden translator droid.

"Oh, uh yes, uh, I am here Your Worshipfullness. Uh... yes?" C-3PO said nervously.

Jabba spoke in Huttese to the droid and then waited for C-3PO to translate to the bounty hunter.

"Oh, the illustrious Jabba bids you welcome and will gladly pay you the reward of twenty-five thousand," C-3PO translated to Boushh.

"I want fifty-thousand. No less," Boushh confidently replied.

Without hesitation, C-3PO dutifully turned to Jabba and repeated, "Fifty-thousand. No less."

Jabba immediately flew into another rage, knocking the droid off the back of his throne with his powerful arm. Jabba began ranting in Huttese to the shocked C-3PO who struggled to his feet and tottered around to the front of the throne, half his face now covered in Jabba's slimy green ooze.

"Oh... what did I say?" the disheveled droid muttered in confusion. Turning to Boushh he then translated Jabba's angry words. "Uh, the mighty Jabba asks why he must pay fifty-thousand."

The bounty hunter drew a small silver sphere from his belt and held it up for Jabba and the others in the room to see.

"Because he's holding a thermal detonator!" a shocked C-3PO announced to the room.

Several guards drew their firearms and many people immediately ran for cover. A silence filled the room for a moment until finally Jabba shook with laughter, breaking the tension.

"This bounty hunter is my kind of scum. Fearless and inventive," he said with a wide grin. He continued speaking to C-3PO who then translated to Boushh.

"Jabba offers the sum of thirty-five, and I do suggest you take it."

Everyone in the room waited in anticipation for Boushh's reply, fearing the worst. Finally Boushh muttered something in Ubese and depressed the switch on the thermal detonator.

"He agrees!" Threepio exclaimed in relief. The crowd applauded and the afternoon party quickly resumed, noisier than ever.

Chewbacca growled as two Gamorrean guards led him away to the dungeons. The band started playing again and three lovely dancing girls joined the lead singers Joh Yowza and Sy Snootles in a wild, jazzy performance.

When most of the eyes in the room had turned away from Boushh, the bounty hunter began scanning his surroundings passively. In the dark alcove to the left, he spotted Han Solo's frozen slab of carbonite hanging on the wall. Looking back at Jabba, Boushh noticed another bounty hunter staring directly at him. Boba Fett, unquestionably the most dangerous bounty hunter in Jabba's palace, gave the fellow hunter a respectful nod. The Ubese nodded in return, an uneasy sense of fear suddenly rushing through his body.