By:  K. W. Jeter Published by Bantam Books June 1998 As the Rebellion gathers force, Prince Xizor proposes a cunning plan to the Emperor and Darth Vader:  smash the power of the Bounty Hunters Guild by turning its members against each other.  Only the strongest and most ruthless will survive, and they can be used against the Rebellion.  It's a job for the fiercely independent Boba Fett, who jumps at the chance to destroy his rivals.  But Fett soon realizes that the game is rigged, as he finds himself the target of murderous factions, criminal conspiracies, and the evil at the Empire's dark heart.  Boba Fett has always finished first.  And in this game, anything less is death.

    Xizor almost felt sorry for the bounty hunter.  Pity was not an emotion Xizor had ever experienced.  Whether he was operating on behalf of Emperor Palpatine or secretly advancing the Black Sun's criminal agenda, Xizor manipulated all who came into his reach with the same non-emotion he'd display for pieces on a gaming board.  They were to be positioned and used as necessity dictated, sacrificed, and discarded when strategy required.
    Still, thought Xizor, an entity such as Boba Fett . . .
    The bounty hunter merited his respect, at least.  To look into that helmet's concealing visor was to meet a gaze as ruthless and unsentimental as his own.  He'll fight to survive, and he'll fight well. . . .
    But that was part of the trap that had already seized hold of Boba Fett.  The cruel irony--and one that Xizor savored--was that Fett was now doomed by his own fierce nature.  All that had kept him alive before, in so many deadly situations, would now bring about his destruction.