The Hutt Gambit The Hutt Gambit is the second book in The Han Solo Trilogy by A . C . Crispin . It tells the story of how Han Solo and Chewbacca came to be partners , as well as how he got started in the smuggling business , how he met Lando Calrissian , and how he began working for Jabba the Hutt . It goes on to depict the Battle of Nar Shaddaa . The audio version was narrated by David Pittu . Publisher ' s summary . " Once one of the Academy ' s brightest stars , Han Solo is now a fugitive from the Imperial Navy . But he has made a valuable friend in a former Wookiee slave named Chewbacca , who has sworn Han a life debt . Han will need all the help he can get . For the Ylesian Hutts have dispatched the dreaded bounty hunter Boba Fett to track down the man who already outsmarted them once . But Han and Chewie find themselves in even bigger trouble when they agree to lend their services to crime lords Jiliac and Jabba the Hutts . Suddenly the two smugglers are thrust into the middle of a battle between the might of the Empire and the treachery of their outlaw allies … a battle where even victory means death ! Synopsis . Han Solo has been discharged from the Imperial Navy and is down on his luck . Not only has he failed in achieving his dream , he has a Wookiee claiming to have given him a life debt and won ' t stop following him , no matter how often he objects or attempts to flee . However , the Wookiee — whose name is Chewbacca — proves his worth to Solo when he saves him from an incensed Barabel after a game of sabacc . Chewbacca swore his life debt after Solo saved him from being mercilessly killed by Imperial slavers . Although Solo detests slavers more than anyone else in the galaxy — having seen in person what they do on Ylesia — he really wishes the Wookiee had left him alone . As far as Solo is concerned , he saved the Wookiee to repay Dewlanna for saving him nearly five years earlier , when Han Solo escaped Garris Shrike . Seeking work , Han Solo makes his way to Nar Shaddaa , the Smugglers ' Moon . He and Chewbacca meet a number of smugglers and begin working for one of Han ' s old classmates , Mako Spince , as transport pilots . Solo also meets Shug Ninx , a master mechanic and owner of his famous Spacebarn . With Spince ' s help , Solo finds an apartment in the Corellian sector and comes closest to " settling down " as he ever has , insofar as a smuggler can " settle down . " However , a bounty was placed on Solo by Teroenza after the events of " The Paradise Snare " , and several bounty hunters come to Nar Shaddaa trying to collect , leaving Han and Chewbacca dodging attacks . Within only a few months , and after extensive experience flying , Solo seeks greater opportunities and eventually seeks a career with Jabba the Hutt and Jiliac . Intrigue among the Hutts . Jabba and Jiliac are impressed with the young pilot ' s credentials and experience and hire him to smuggle spice around the Galaxy . Solo quickly proves his skill to the Hutts and is given tougher and more exciting assignments , such as the infamous Kessel Run . On his first Kessel Run , Solo ' s friend and old - time smuggler Roa accompanies him to avert any mishaps . Although the first Run was not terribly smooth , even Roa was impressed by Solo ' s natural piloting ability . Initially unbeknownst to the Solo , Jiliac and Jabba are preparing to make their bid for supremacy among Hutts by targeting the Besadii clan ' s spice refining operation on Ylesia . The smuggler narrowly escapes a brutal pirate attack , the blame for which is laid upon the Besadii clan . Aruk the Hutt , clan leader of Besadii , and his offspring , Durga , are outraged at such claims . A Council was convened on Nal Hutta to discuss recent events , but the Besadii clan was not found guilty of any transgressions . It was at this time when Jiliac and Jabba decided Aruk needed to die . New friends , new enemy . Han Solo had never been happier . By now , Chewbacca had proven himself a very capable and valuable partner in the smuggling trade . Solo established himself as one of the best smugglers in the galaxy , and became Jabba ' s favorite . However , the astronomical bounty offered for Solo from Teroenza was still available . In desperation , Teroenza contacted the most infamous bounty hunter in the galaxy : Boba Fett . In addition to smuggling and evading Imperial customs ships , Solo was living it up on Nar Shaddaa . He enjoyed two things above all : women and gambling . One such woman was an illusionist named Xaverri , who stunned audiences around the galaxy with her amazing magic acts . After seeing her perform , Solo became acquainted with her and their relationship became intimate . Taking a break from smuggling for several weeks , Solo and Chewbacca joined Xaverri , serving as stage hands and occasionally performing in her shows . Xaverri , who had strong sympathies to the smugglers , soon decided enough was enough and Solo and Chewbacca returned to their home on Nar Shaddaa . After a particularly enjoyable evening with Xaverri , Solo was returning to his apartment when he was stabbed by a toxic dart . The toxin , which was made at Rlyoth , was a blue liquid and prevented any willful action on smuggler ' s part and total obedience to whoever spoke . Terrified and unable to move , Solo knew that a bounty hunter had jumped him . That bounty hunter , unknown to him was , of course , Boba Fett , the most infamous bounty hunter in the galaxy . Although Solo would not have agreed , what happened next could only have been the will of the Force . A professional gambler and entrepreneur named Lando Calrissian had dire need of a professional pilot and understood that Han Solo was the best . While seeking out Solo , he witnessed his capture at the hands of Boba Fett . Not only did Calrissian not wish to see a potential associate harmed , he also hated anything to do with bounty hunters . While Fett was busy with Solo , Calrissian sneaked up on the bounty hunter and jammed a blaster into his neck . Unable to resist , Fett was humiliated when the gambler injected the same toxin he had used on Solo . Calrissian also secured the antidote for Solo and freed him . However , they ordered the bounty hunter to leave entirely . After Fett unarmed himself , he was saved because both Calrissian ' s and Solo ' s conscience would not allow them to kill even a bounty hunter in cold blood . Then , Fett was coerced to fly clean through Imperial Space . Once the effects of the toxin wore off , Fett would swear revenge against Solo and Calrissian , for " very " few people outsmarted him and lived to tell the tale . Having gained a new friend and valuable ally in Lando Calrissian , Han Solo was obliged to choose a ship as his own from the gambler ' s used ship lot on Nar Shaddaa in exchange for teaching Calrissian how to fly . Solo selected a worn , battered freighter that he christened the " Bria " , after his tragic first love , Bria Tharen . Calrissian kept the lot ' s prize for himself , however . It was that ship on which Solo taught Calrissian to fly , and the ship that stole Han Solo ' s heart : the " Millennium Falcon " . Hutt war . On Ylesia , business was booming and the Besadii clan was making unprecedented profits . However , not everyone was pleased . After the death of Zavval , Aruk dispatched his nephew , Kibbick the Hutt , to act as overlord to Teroenza and the t ' landa Til " priests . " Kibbick , however , was a bumbling idiot and completely inept . This further frustrated Teroenza , who entertained thoughts of seizing the Ylesian operation as his own . In addition to Aruk ' s refusal to fund Teroenza ' s exorbitant bounties on Han Solo and Bria Tharen , these factors prompted Teroenza to respond to an outstanding offer from Desilijic clan . Teroenza gave in to his frustration and contacted Jiliac . The two gangsters exchanged views and came to agree that the best course of action would be to eliminate Aruk . Months earlier , Teroenza discovered that Aruk had an insatiable appetite for nala tree frog s and began shipping them by the ton to Nal Hutta . Jiliac had obtained an ultra - secretive toxin that could not be detected . The toxin worked by creating an addiction and slowly , over many weeks , would rot the consumer ' s brain . Once the toxin was removed from the consumer ' s diet , he would die of shock from the loss of the addictive poison . By exposing the nala tree frogs to trace amounts of the poison , Teroenza would kill Aruk through his own gluttony . Jiliac and Teroenza agreed , and their plan worked . Teroenza ' s seemingly endless shipments of nala tree frogs to Nal Hutta were indeed exposed to the toxin and Aruk unknowingly became addicted to it . Even though he suffered a near - stroke and seizure as a result of the toxin , not even his son Durga suspected the cause . Aruk ' s physician advocated exercise and cautioned against uncontrolled gluttony . Aruk argued that a Hutt of his age and influence could do as he pleased . When Teroenza shipped one last case of nala tree frogs without the toxin , Aruk went into shock and soon died a most agonizing death as his brain hemorrhage d . Durga , unlike Kibbick , was very clever and understood immediately that Aruk ' s death had involved foul play , despite the fact that no physicians could locate any foreign substances . Even so , Durga seized control of Besadii despite misgivings about his unusual birthmark that , according to Hutt legend , was an evil omen . Durga was quick to establish himself as rightful clan leader and , with the aid of Black Sun , set up a number of fatal " accidents " for his naysayers . With Besadii firmly in his grasp , he had Aruk ' s corpse frozen and sent to Coruscant . Durga intended to hire the best forensics team in the entire Galactic Empire discover the true cause of death . The Battle of Nar Shaddaa . Throughout the galaxy , Rebel activity had reached an all - time high and Palpatine decided to put an end to it before it got any worse . One of the sectors targeted for Imperial retribution was the lawless expanse of Hutt Space , and Nar Shaddaa in particular . Moff Sarn Shild had been bribed by the Hutts for years but he denounced his corruption with the aim of rising through Imperial ranks . Despite the pleas of the Hutts , he was stalwart in his resolve to level Nar Shaddaa . Desperate to prevent such a disaster , the Hutts convened again on Nal Hutta and decided to offer " anything " to Shild to prevent the attack . Having superseded Besadii as supreme Hutt clan , Jiliac and Jabba selected Han to visit Shild on Coruscant because of his familiarity with Imperial military procedure . Reluctantly , Han Solo returned to Coruscant to meet with Shild . Upon his arrival , Solo was horrified upon discovering an old friend with Shild : Bria Tharen . To all anyone who was unaware of her mission — including Solo — Tharen appeared to be Shild ' s mistress . Shocked and devastated at seeing her that way after all those years , Solo left Shild both unsuccessful and emotionally distraught . Unbeknownst to Solo , however , Tharen was working undercover for the Corellian Resistance and spying on Shild . She , too , was devastated at Solo ' s reaction . It would be nearly three years until she could tell him the truth . The one thing that Han Solo was able to accomplish on Coruscant was learn that Admiral Winstel Greelanx would be commanding the attack force . Again , Solo was sent to meet Greelanx and offer any bribe he could . Greelanx accepted an exorbitant bribe in the form of precious gems in exchange for his battle plans , allowing the defenders of Nar Shaddaa a fighting chance . Solo returned to Nar Shaddaa with the plans . Along with Mako Spince , Shug Ninx , and the others , Han Solo developed a plan to defend Nar Shaddaa from the Empire . His friend Xaverri even returned to assist their effort . Unknown to the smugglers , however , was that the Admiral received a mysterious priority transmission commanding him to retreat at the first believable opportunity and allow the smugglers to " win . " Greelanx was puzzled , but followed through . When the Empire did attack Nar Shaddaa , the smugglers ' fleet was ready after numerous drills . Although the battle did not go as smoothly as practiced , the smugglers were able to defeat the Imperial forces decisively . Despite grievous casualties , the smugglers won the day and Nar Shaddaa survived the wrath of the Empire . Following the battle , Solo delivered the gems to Greelanx . Before Solo could return , however , he heard from inside an adjoining room Greelanx ' s execution at the hands of none other than Darth Vader . Solo hastily returned to Nar Shaddaa , happy but shaken . Having won the battle , Solo and Chewbacca returned to smuggling , as had everyone else . The " Bria " was little more than flying scrap now , and the smuggler decided it was time to replace her . Lando Calrissian let Solo know about an upcoming sabacc tournament on Cloud City he would be attending . Solo decided he would go too , and maybe he would win enough to buy a ship . Meanwhile , the Moff in charge of Hutt space is in the midst of the biggest , and last , decision of his life . Moff Shild knows that the imperial loss at the Battle of Nar Shaddaa will not go over too well with Palpatine . So falling back on an old childhood memory , he tries to decide his own death . By blaster or by poison ? Cover gallery . This is a gallery of the cover variations of " The Hutt Gambit " .