News of the destruction of both Alderaan and Yavin Four spread quickly.

The galaxy as a whole recoiled in terror from the Death Star. Many openly wondered which planet was going to be destroyed by the menacing superweapon next. Mon Calamari was rumored to be high on the list, due to the Rebel sympathies that a lot of the Mon Cal had. No one knew for certain which planet would go next, though. It was just a matter of waiting now.

What surprised everyone was the destruction of the remote world of Dantooine. Why the Empire would bother destroying such an insignificant little world mystified a lot of people, but eventually rumors spread that the Rebel Alliance once had a base there, and that the Emperor was destroying all worlds that had harbored or were known to harbor Rebels. However, until there was an official proclamation from the Emperor, no one knew for certain just what the true story behind Dantooine's destruction was.

* * *

On the tiny swamp planet of Dagobah, the aged Jedi Master called Yoda closed his eyes and lowered his head as he stood outside his hut. The glowing form of Ben Kenobi appeared behind him.

"Our last hope he and his sister were," Yoda said, his voice heavy with sadness. Ben looked at him sadly for a minute, then spoke.

"I am truly sorry," he said. "For everything."

Yoda looked back at Ben and shook his head.

"Yours alone the fault is not," he said. "Had Qui-Gon listened to the Council, had the Council listened to me, had Anakin not fallen to the Dark Side..."

"I understand," Ben said. "But now what do we do?"

In reply, Yoda raised his head and looked toward the sky, but he said nothing.  

* * *

"Solo," Jabba's voice boomed in Huttese.

Han and Chewbacca stood before Jabba in his palace on Tatooine. As usual, a huge group of pirates, cutthroats and other assorted dregs of the galaxy were gathered around him. Some of them pushed forward to see what was about to happen... a lot of times, Jabba's audiences ended with a rancor feeding, and some of the more easily amused or drunk characters here were undoubtedly hoping to witness yet another feeding.

After narrowly escaping the Empire at Yavin Four, Han and Chewie had come straight back to Tatooine, before anything else could go wrong. The blockade had been lifted - after all, what the Empire had been seeking was long gone - and they had landed without incident. From there, they had come straight to the palace.

Chewie had been extremely upset by what had happened back at Yavin Four. Han was too, but he didn't show it outwardly. Chewie had wanted to catch up to the Rebels that had escaped Yavin's destruction and join them, but Han had insisted on coming to Tatooine. After all, he reasoned, there was no point in having two bounties on his head.

Han indicated the antigrav sled that was floating next to Chewie. Strongboxes were stacked on it, each marked with a series of numbers.

"Ten thousand credits," Han said to Jabba. "It's all here. Feel free to count it."

"Ten thousand only?" Jabba rumbled. "I recall you and I making a deal for an additional fifteen percent."

"Look, Jabba - you have no idea what it took to complete the job I just had," Han said. "You're lucky I was able to get this." Chewie growled in agreement.

"Oh, I do," Jabba laughed. "I've heard all about your recent run-ins with the Empire. You're lucky I don't turn you in myself to collect the bounty they have on you now."

At the mention of bounty, Han glanced nervously around. Jabba always kept several bounty hunters in his employ, and several of them were here today. No doubt they'd love to get their hands on him and turn him over to the nearest Imperial governor.

Han spotted the masked bounty hunter Boba Fett watching him from across the room. Fett slowly looked him up and down, as if wondering how difficult it would be to catch him. With a brief shudder, he returned his attention to Jabba, forcing himself to stop thinking about the Empire and the bounty they had placed on his head.

"Since I like you, Han," Jabba continued, "I'm going to let you walk out of here without paying me my extra fifteen percent."

A look of surprise played over Han's face. Jabba was being unusually generous. He glanced over at Chewie, who seemed just as puzzled.

"After all," Jabba continued, "You've got a lot more to worry about now."

Chewie growled softly. Han nodded, but said nothing. Two Gamorrean guards stepped over to the sled and took it away. With a quick bow, Han backed towards the entrance to the throne room, Chewie right next to him. Jabba laughed again, but made no move to stop them. Neither did his men.

With one last glance around the throne room, Han and Chewie were gone.

Jabba laughed again... a long slow laugh. With that, he motioned Fett over to stand before him.

"I have kept you here based on your reputation," Jabba said. "So far you have proven to be worth what I pay you."

Fett bowed. It irked him to bow before Jabba, but still, the Hutt was paying him well.

"I have another job for you now. If you can successfully complete this job, I will have no doubt of your abilities," Jabba continued.

Fett listened, intrigued.

"Solo may have paid me what he owed me, but he's been getting a little too full of himself lately. The last time we met, he stepped on my tail, as I'm sure you remember," Jabba said.

Fett nodded, impatient for Jabba to get to the point, which he did in short order.

"You are to track down Solo and bring him back to me," Jabba said. "I will pay you half of the bounty that the Empire is currently offering for him."

Fett frowned behind his mask. "That's bad business," he said to Jabba, his flat, filtered voice sounding unusually toneless. "Why should I do that when I can just capture him, give him to the Empire myself and collect the full amount?" 

Jabba laughed again. "Because upon successfully completing this job, I will reward you with exclusive hunting contracts for the next five years. You are the best, and you will be given the contracts to hunt the bounties that will challenge you the most and pay the highest. Surely that will more than make up for losing half of the bounty that the Empire is offering for Solo?"

Fett nodded his approval. That was a good deal.

"Agreed," he said.

"Solo can be extremely clever," the Hutt rumbled. "You may have your work cut out for you this time."

Fett said nothing. He bowed again, then turned and left.

This would be a hunt he would enjoy, he decided.

* * *

"I don't like this at all," Han said. "Jabba never lets anyone just walk away that still owes him money." Chewie growled in agreement.

They were walking through the streets of Mos Eisley on the way to the docking bays. Even with the Imperial presence on Tatooine diminished since the last time they were there, Han still felt uneasy coming back to the place that they'd so recently left.

Without warning, his memories of that brief time rushed through his head. Why did I let the kid take on the battle station by himself? he thought. Why wasn't I brave enough to stay and fight with them?

Why did I let them die?

Han shook his head briefly to clear away the memories, then spoke again. "Let's just get to the Falcon and get the hell out of here," he said, glancing back in the direction they just came from. "I don't trust Jabba any farther than I can throw him... for all I know he is planning to have us turned over to the Empire as soon as he can arrange it."

Chewie growled again. Han rolled his eyes.

"Look, I said before we don't even know the first place to look for them. Besides, I think that was the majority of the Rebels on both Alderaan and Yavin Four. There may not even be a Rebel Alliance anymore, for all we know."

The entryway to docking bay 23 loomed before them. Without another word, Han entered the bay and unlocked the Falcon. When the gangplank had fully lowered, he and Chewie climbed on board, then quickly sealed the hatch behind them.

Upon receiving clearance from port control, the Falcon soared into the sky, its occupants hoping that they would never see this forsaken desert world again...

* * *

One figure watched the Falcon take off and head toward the stars. He had come too late to catch Solo, but that didn't matter to him. The thrill of the hunt was one of the very few pleasures that he allowed himself, and he was really looking forward to this one.

He watched the Falcon climb higher and higher, until even his helmet sensors couldn't pick it up. After the Falcon was gone, he turned his attention back toward the hangar bays, intent on reaching the bay where his ship, Slave I, was docked. Once he had Slave I in the air, it was just a matter of time before Solo would be his to bring before Jabba. He wouldn't lose this bounty.

Several minutes after Fett disappeared into one of the docking bays, Slave I rose into the Tatooine sky like a dark angel of death. Within seconds it was gone.