Hard Merchandise

 
By:  K. W. Jeter
Published By Bantam Books
July 1999

When Boba Fett stumbles across evidence implicating Prince Xizor in the murder of Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle, Fett makes himself an enemy even he fears:  the unknown mastermind behind a monstrous deception, who will kill to hide his tracks.  Fett also finds himself in possession of an amnesiac young woman named Neelah, who may be the key to the mystery--or a decoy leading Fett into a murderous ambush.  Fett's last hope is to run through the list of Xizor's hidden enemies.  And since Xizor's hidden enemies are almost as legion as Fett's, the chance of survival; is slim--even for someone as relentless and skilled Boba Fett.


The Bounty Hunter . . . Hunted . . .

    "Seal off the cockpit area."  Boba Fett spoke aloud.  He was already leaning over the control panel as Slave I's onboard computer executed the command; with a hiss, the hatchway door closed behind him.  With a few quick jabs at the controls, he silenced the alarm signals once again.
    Even from this distance, where the visible details of his enemy's ship were little more distinct than the stars behind it, he could recognize the vessel.
    It's Xizor.  The outlines of the Falleen prince's flagship were unmistakable--and intimidating.  The ship was known to be one of the deadliest and most thoroughly armored in the galaxy.  If Slave I had gotten into a full-pitched battle with it, there wouldn't even have been this much of Boba Fett's ship left hanging together.
    The mystery of why the Vendetta hadn't moved in for the kill was easy enough to determine.  He's holding back, decided Fett.  Just waiting to see if there's any sign of life.  Prince Xizor was known to be something of a trophy collector; it woul be entirely consistent for him to want the hard physical evidence--the corpses--of those he had set out to kill, rather than just blowing them into disconnected atoms drifting in space.

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