Slave Ship

Slave Ship is the second novel in The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy, written by K.W. Jeter and published in October 1998 by Bantam Spectra.

Editions

 * ISBN 055357888X; October 1998, Bantam Spectra, 324-page paperback
 * ISBN 345319912X; 2002, Heyne-Verlag, German paperback (Der Kopfgeldjägerkrieg - Band 2: Das Sklavenschiff)
 * ISBN 837245566X; 2001, Amber, 248-page Polish paperback (Wojny Łowców Nagród: Spisek Xizora)
 * ISBN 5699112200; June 2005, 384-page Russian book

Publisher's summary
''He's both feared and admired, respected and despised. Boba Fett is the galaxy's most successful bounty hunter. Now he finds himself hunted in the oldest game of all: survival of the fittest.''

''The once powerful Bounty Hunter's Guild has been shattered into warring factions. Now the posting of an enormous bounty on a renegade Imperial stormtrooper is about to start a frenzy of murderous greed. Hoping to fuel rumors of his death, Boba Fett abandons his ship, Slave I, and sets out to claim the prize. Yet his every move leads him closer to a trap set by the cunning Prince Xizor. Fett will die before becoming Xizor's pawn in the Emperor's war against the Rebels. And he may have to. For in order to gain his freedom he must outwit a sentient weapon that feeds on Human spirits. Then he must escape a galaxy of deadly enemies who want to make the rumors of his death a reality.''

Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Sue Rostoni for gaffe-wrangling, Michael Stackpole for hardware expertise, and Geri Jeter, Graduate Gemologist (GIA), for gemstone reference.

Plot Summary
In the present, Kuat of Kuat battles against treachery and opposition from the other ruling families of Kuat as they attempt to overthrow him and assume leadership of KDY. In the meantime, he contemplates the future of KDY and the galaxy, wondering what Boba Fett, having escaped the Sarlacc and the attempts on his life, will do next.

Meanwhile, Boba Fett plants a fake bomb on the Hound's Tooth, forcing Bossk to eject in an escape pod and strand himself on Tatooine. This enables Fett to maintain the rumors of his death by abandoning Slave I (for the time being) and using Bossk's ship after disabling its ID profile. As they travel toward a mysterious destination, Dengar relates to Neelah the events following the split in the Bounty Hunters' Guild.

After the death of Cradossk at the hands of his son Bossk, the Guild divided into two opposing factions: the True Guild (mainly comprised of the Guild elders and their supporters) and the Guild Reform Committee (mostly the younger bounty hunters, dominated by Bossk).

In an audience before Emperor Palpatine, Prince Xizor answers accusations from Darth Vader and convinces the Emperor to allow him to continue his plot to cull away the weaker bounty hunters, leaving the strong to be hired by the Empire. He atomizes the remaining Guild factions by placing an enormous bounty on the head of Trhin Voss'on't, a former Imperial stormtrooper wanted for the slaughter of his entire ship's company. Such a valuable bounty would use the most basic trait of the bounty hunters - greed - against them, and thus complete the destruction of the Guild.

Temporarily teaming up with Bossk and Zuckuss, Boba Fett succeeds in capturing Voss'on't, then turns on his partners (forcing them into an escape pod and jettisoning it) so that he may claim the bounty all for himself. His ship slightly damaged from a bomb Bossk tossed aboard at the last moment, Fett goes to deliver his captive to Ku'dar Mub'at, the arachnoid assembler and top middleman in the galactic criminal underworld.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the web, a treacherous alliance is formed. Prince Xizor is approached by Balancesheet, Mub'at's accountant, who has been gaining intelligence and concealing it from the Assembler. Intrigued by the now-independent subnode's offer, Xizor plots his next move...

Behind the scenes
In the book's description, the phrase "For in order to gain his freedom he must outwit a sentient weapon that feeds on Human spirits" describes a part of the book that does not exist. It is not known why this statement was made. It is possible it was a planned section, but was withdrawn before publication, but after the writing of the description, although it could also mean Xizor or the Assemblers.

Cover gallery
This is a gallery of the different cover variations of Slave Ship.