War of the Bounty Hunters

The widespread conflict known as the War of the Bounty Hunters erupted across the criminal networks of the galaxy when Jabba Desilijic Tiure, a prominent crime lord, mistakenly believed that Boba Fett, the bounty hunter, had double-crossed him. Jabba believed Fett sold the carbon-frozen Han Solo to a rival organization, and as a result, Jabba put a bounty on Fett's head. However, the truth was that the Crimson Dawn syndicate, led by Qi'ra, Solo's former romantic partner, had actually seized the smuggler from Fett on Nar Shaddaa, the moon known for its criminal activity. Solo's capture was meant to draw major galactic powers together, as he had become a valuable asset to them, while simultaneously revealing the return of Crimson Dawn to the galactic stage. On Nar Shaddaa, Fett faced attacks from the bounty hunter duo of 4-LOM and Zuckuss, but he managed to defeat them both. He then extracted information about the bounty from 4-LOM's head. Qi'ra extended invitations to various influential factions to gather in the Jekara system aboard the Vermillion for an auction for Han Solo. The Galactic Empire, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and several criminal organizations all convened.

Fett pursued them and triumphed over Bossk'wassak'Cradossk, another bounty hunter, outside the Vermillion. During the auction, Jabba emerged as the victor with a bid of one million credits. However, the Sith Lord Darth Vader intervened, demanding Solo for himself. Vader's intention was to lure out his son, Commander Luke Skywalker of the Rebel Alliance. Qi'ra refused, leading to a brief duel with Vader. Ultimately, Vader ordered Solo to be taken to his flagship, the Executor. Jabba accepted his defeat and went back to his palace on Tatooine. Secretly following Qi'ra's instructions, Bokku, a Hutt leader, rallied the remaining members of the Grand Hutt Council to attack the Executor in an attempt to reclaim Solo. Amidst the chaos, rebel operatives led by Leia Organa, Solo's lover, tried to rescue him, along with Fett. With the assistance of fellow bounty hunter Beilert Valance, Fett succeeded in delivering Solo to Jabba on Tatooine. Meanwhile, Vader boarded the Hutt Council's war barge and massacred the council members, effectively ending their attack.

Valance, left behind by Fett, fought his way through the Imperial flagship and was nearly rescued by T'onga's crew, who had also rescued Zuckuss and Bossk. However, Vader stopped Valance from escaping, forcing him to return to Imperial service. Ultimately, the war brought Crimson Dawn back into the spotlight, enabling Qi'ra to initiate her war against the Sith. Although Jabba, now the sole leader of the Hutt Clan, believed that relations would normalize, Bokku's attack on the Executor strained the relationship between the Hutts and the Imperials. This allowed Qi'ra to launch the Syndicate War to divert the Empire's attention. Later, a repaired 4-LOM and Zuckuss reunited aboard a Hutt freighter, with 4-LOM joining T'onga's crew.