Slave Ship constitutes the second book within The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy. K. W. Jeter is the author, and Bantam Spectra released it to the public in October of 1998.
- ISBN 055357888X ; Published in October of 1998 by Bantam Spectra, a 324-page paperback edition.
- ISBN 345319912X ; Released in 2002 by Heyne-Verlag , a paperback written in German ( Der Kopfgeldjägerkrieg - Band 2: Das Sklavenschiff )
- ISBN 837245566X ; Published in 2001 by Amber, a Polish paperback spanning 248 pages ( Wojny Łowców Nagród: Spisek Xizora )
- ISBN 5699112200 ; A Russian book, published in June of 2005, comprising 384 pages.
He garners both fear and admiration, respect and contempt. As the galaxy's most accomplished bounty hunter, Boba Fett now discovers that he is the prey in the ultimate contest: the survival of the strongest.
The once-mighty Bounty Hunter's Guild has disintegrated into feuding groups. The announcement of a massive reward for a rogue Imperial stormtrooper is poised to trigger a wave of lethal avarice. Boba Fett, aiming to bolster rumors surrounding his demise, relinquishes his vessel, Slave I, and embarks on a quest to secure the bounty. However, each action propels him closer to a snare devised by the astute Prince Xizor. Fett would rather die than be a mere piece in Xizor's scheme against the Rebels for the Emperor. And that might be the case. His liberation hinges on outsmarting a sentient weapon that consumes Human souls, followed by evading a host of perilous adversaries eager to transform the rumors of his death into reality.
In the current timeline, Kuat of Kuat struggles against betrayal and opposition from the other leading families of Kuat as they endeavor to depose him and seize control of Kuat Drive Yards (KDY). Simultaneously, he contemplates the destiny of KDY and the galaxy, pondering the future actions of Boba Fett, who has survived the sarlacc and attempts on his life.
Concurrently, Boba Fett fabricates a bomb threat on the Hound's Tooth, compelling Bossk to abandon ship in an escape pod, marooning himself on Tatooine. This allows Fett to perpetuate the rumors of his death by temporarily abandoning Slave I and commandeering Bossk's vessel after deactivating its identification profile. As they journey toward an undisclosed location, Dengar recounts to Neelah the events that transpired following the schism within the Bounty Hunters' Guild.
Following the demise of Cradossk at the hands of his son Bossk, the Guild fractured into two rival factions: the True Guild (primarily composed of the Guild elders and their adherents) and the Guild Reform Committee (largely consisting of the younger bounty hunters, led by Bossk).
During an audience with Emperor Palpatine, Prince Xizor refutes accusations from Darth Vader and persuades the Emperor to permit him to proceed with his scheme to eliminate the weaker bounty hunters, leaving only the strong to be employed by the Empire. He decimates the remaining Guild factions by offering a substantial bounty for Trhin Voss'on't, a former Imperial stormtrooper wanted for the slaughter of his entire ship's complement. This lucrative bounty would exploit the bounty hunters' inherent greed, thereby completing the Guild's annihilation.
In a temporary alliance with Bossk and Zuckuss, Boba Fett successfully captures Voss'on't, subsequently betraying his allies (forcing them into an escape pod and ejecting it) to claim the bounty exclusively. His ship sustaining minor damage from a bomb Bossk planted at the last moment, Fett proceeds to deliver his captive to Ku'dar Mub'at, the arachnoid assembler and prominent middleman within the galactic criminal network.
Meanwhile, within this intricate web, a treacherous pact emerges. Balancesheet, Mub'at's accountant, approaches Prince Xizor, having gathered intelligence and concealed it from the Assembler. Intrigued by the now-independent subnode's proposal, Xizor strategizes his subsequent action...