Tales from Jabba's Palace

In the scorching heat of Tatooine, a planet with twin suns, dwells Jabba the Hutt, the galaxy's wealthiest gangster. He commands a vast criminal network and possesses a ravenous monster that devours his enemies. Jabba the Hutt, though grotesque, is a force to be reckoned with. Soldiers, spies, assassins, bounty hunters, and pleasure-seekers frequent his palace, each with their own story. Some may survive to share their experiences....

Back in 0 BBY, a massive freighter starship plummets onto the surface of Tatooine, an Outer Rim planet. Jawas, the planet's indigenous scavengers, swiftly converge on the wreckage. Discovering a ferocious rancor as the sole survivor, the Jawa clan leader arranges to sell it to Jabba Desilijic Tiure, the Hutt crime lord of the Dune Sea, known for his taste for such creatures.

Malakili, a Human from Corellia, arrives on Tatooine to care for Jabba's rancor. His renowned expertise in handling beasts makes him the ideal candidate. Over the years, Malakili witnesses the rancor's consumption of Jabba's foes with a sense of twisted pride.

Porcellus holds the position of head chef at Jabba's Palace. He is careful not to offend Jabba with his culinary creations. He aims to maintain a discreet presence and a modest kitchen. However, his focus shifts when he uncovers two murders, including that of his assistant, Phlegmin. Distracted from his culinary duties, Porcellus commits an error that leads to his imprisonment.

Melvosh Bloor journeyed to Jabba's Palace with the intention of studying the motivations behind Jabba Desilijic Tiure's criminal empire. Unbeknownst to Bloor, he became a pawn in an elaborate prank orchestrated by Salacious Crumb. Bloor's realization came too late, as his role was destined to be fatal.

Oola traveled to Tatooine alongside Sienn'rha, anticipating roles as dancers in Jabba Desilijic Tiure's court. Oola had heard tales of Jabba as Tatooine's most powerful criminal, residing in a magnificent palace. While the tales were true, Oola's imagination led her astray. She envisioned a life of luxury in the presence of the handsome and influential Jabba. Her disappointment was profound upon meeting Jabba, and she now despises her own naivety.

Within Jabba's Palace, J'Quille operates as an assassin and spy. His deliberate scheme to assassinate Jabba is progressing according to plan, involving the bribery of Phlegmin, the kitchen boy, to poison Jabba's meals. However, J'Quille finds himself ensnared in a blackmail plot. An individual has discovered his plan, and J'Quille has already disbursed 10,000 credits to maintain their silence. Forced to accelerate his plan while identifying the blackmailer, J'Quille's scheme collapses entirely with Phlegmin's murder, leaving him with a single opportunity to eliminate Jabba.

Mara Jade has infiltrated Jabba's Palace under the orders of Emperor Palpatine. The Emperor fears that Luke Skywalker will unite with Lord Vader to overthrow him. Consequently, Mara Jade intends to either assassinate Skywalker or ensure Jabba does. However, the young Jedi thwarts both Jade's and Jabba's attempts.

Gartogg, a Gamorrean guard at Jabba's Palace, feels dejected by his routine assignments patrolling the dimly lit, remote corridors. Eager for a significant event to elevate his status among the guards, Gartogg seizes his chance upon discovering three separate murders and embarks on a quest to identify the perpetrators. Although his reasoning is somewhat flawed, his ultimate conclusion proves accurate.

Ephant Mon is bound by a life debt to Jabba the Hutt. To repay this debt, Mon has forged an alliance with Jabba, exposing any plots against him. Mon also gathers intelligence and offers counsel to Jabba. This is exemplified when Mon senses an unsettling feeling regarding the Rebel Alliance members held captive by Jabba. Mon cautions Jabba against executing the prisoners, but Jabba disregards his advice. Realizing Jabba is making a grave error, Ephant Mon declares his debt fulfilled and severs his allegiance.

Ree-Yees intends to assassinate Jabba the Hutt by destroying Jabba's sail barge. Collaborating with the Galactic Empire, Ree-Yees has planned the attack. The Empire has supplied Ree-Yees with the bomb and detonation mechanism. However, Ree-Yees' sole means of communication with the Empire is through his new accomplice, who proves to be more than he anticipated.

Evar Orbus and His Galactic Jizz-Wailers arrived on Tatooine with aspirations of performing at Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina. However, en route to the cantina, they are ambushed by Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Orbus is killed in the altercation, enabling Max Rebo to assume leadership of the band. With the cantina gig gone, the newly formed Max Rebo Band seeks employment. Rebo soon accepts a lifetime contract to perform at Jabba's Palace. To the dismay of fellow band member Sy Snootles, the sole compensation is unlimited food.

Bib Fortuna finds Jabba Desilijic Tiure's continued existence vexing. To address this, Bib Fortuna is somehow entangled in every plot against Jabba. As Jabba's majordomo, Fortuna is poised to seize control of Jabba's empire, regardless of who eliminates the Hutt. However, anticipating a more turbulent transition of power if another plot succeeds, Fortuna strives to remain one step ahead. To gain this advantage, Bib Fortuna has aligned himself with the B'omarr monks. Unbeknownst to Fortuna, the monks harbor their own agenda, with Jabba not being their sole target.

Following the death of their leader, Ak-Buz, the remaining five Weequays in Jabba's Palace endeavor to identify the killer. They consult their god, Quay, for guidance. The Quay reveals the presence of a bomb on the sail barge, which is en route to the Great Pit of Carkoon. The Weequays have only a few hours to locate and disarm the bomb.

EV-9D9 serves as the droid foreman within Jabba the Hutt's Palace. This position allows her to conduct "experiments" on service droids without attracting undue attention. Her experiments aim to uncover the state between operational and nonoperational status: the transition between "on" and "off." However, EV-9D9 will soon discover that certain knowledge is forbidden to droids.

Tessek aspires to seize control of Tatooine. He has bribed two Imperial officers to assassinate both Jabba the Hutt and Imperial Prefect Eugene Talmont during a raid on one of Jabba's warehouses. Subsequently, Tessek plans to install one of the officers as the new Prefect, granting him control over the Galactic Empire's presence on Tatooine. Concurrently, Tessek intends to sell the criminal aspects of Jabba's empire to his rival, Lady Valarian. Regrettably for Tessek, his elaborate plan collapses at the last moment.

Like many others, Buboicullaar is enlightened by the B'omarr monks following Jabba's demise. Shortly after his enlightenment, Buboicullaar recounts the story of his revenge on Rees-Yees to his long-time mentor, Evilo Nailati.

Dannik Jerriko is responsible for the mysterious deaths of Ak-Buz and Phlegmin. However, these deaths merely satiate his vampiric hunger until he can feast on Han Solo's "soup." Jerriko misses his opportunity when Jabba takes Solo to the Great Pit of Carkoon, from which neither returns to the palace.

Shaara is the sister of a skiff guard. During a trip to the sarlacc, the guard recounts a story to Boba Fett about how Shaara, while being pursued by Imperials, fell into the Great Pit of Carkoon. However, she survived when the pit ejected her. The skiff guard speculates that the Sarlacc may refuse to consume those who do not deserve it, leading him to conclude that everyone should be Sarlacc food.

Boba Fett is being consumed by the Sarlacc. During the Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon, Boba Fett fell into the Sarlacc's clutches and is now being digested. Susejo, a previous victim of the Sarlacc, communicates with Fett telepathically, sharing stories of a Jedi that the Sarlacc had once consumed. However, Fett remains focused on survival, determined to become the first individual to escape the Sarlacc's belly.

Yarna d'al' Gargan works as a dancer in Jabba's Palace during the Galactic Civil War. Upon Tessek's return to the Palace after Jabba's death, he informs Yarna and Sergeant Doallyn of the news. Yarna views this as an opportunity to travel to Mos Eisley and liberate her cubs from slavery. Fearing for her safety, Yarna anticipates becoming Dannik Jerriko's next victim. Sergeant Doallyn vows to protect Yarna as she prepares for the journey and to accompany her to Mos Eisley to free her cubs. While only fifty kilometers from Mos Eisley, a krayt dragon attacks their landspeeder. Doallyn manages to kill the legendary beast but sustains injuries in the process. With their landspeeder destroyed, Yarna is forced to carry Doallyn the remaining fifty kilometers of desert to Mos Eisley.

This epilogue offers details on the fates of various characters beyond the scope of the anthology's stories.

Following the success of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, Kevin J. Anderson conceived the idea for another anthology, this time centered on characters featured in Jabba's Palace in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Lucy Wilson of Lucasfilm approved the concept and commissioned Bill Smith to develop the backstories for what would become Tales from Jabba's Palace.

J.D. Montgomery was the pseudonym used by Daniel Keys Moran for "A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett." In Moran's original plan, Boba Fett remains in the Great Pit of Carkoon for years while sharing memories with the sentient Sarlacc before escaping. This outline was approved by Lucasfilm, but Moran was forced to change the time frame of the story to just a few days. At this point, Moran refused to put his name on the story, and the final draft was published under the pseudonym J.D. Montgomery, with even more changes that further divorced the publication from Moran's original. Kevin J. Anderson had approved of and was "thrilled" by Moran's original draft.

"Out of the Closet: The Assassin's Tale" states that Doallyn rescues Yarna d'al' Gargan from Dannik Jerriko; however, in "Skin Deep: The Fat Dancer's Tale," Ortugg is named the rescuer and there is no mention that Doallyn and Yarna had previously met.

• ISBN 9780553568158 ; December 1995 ; Bantam Spectra ; US paperback [1]
• ISBN 9780307796257 ; June 28 , 2011 ; Del Rey ; US eBook [29]

• " Star Wars Publications Timeline " — Star Wars Insider 23
• The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Guide to Characters (as Tales of Jabba's Palace)
• The Essential Reader's Companion
• " Rewind of the Jedi " — Star Wars Insider 218
• " Hit it, Max " — Star Wars Insider 224

• Tales from Jabba's Palace in the StarWars.com Cargo Bay (original site is defunct)

• Tales from Jabba's Palace: Star Wars Legends on Penguin Random House's official website (backup link) (Paperback)

• Tales from Jabba's Palace: Star Wars Legends on Penguin Random House's official website (backup link) (eBook)

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