Dogfight over Tatooine

The Dogfight over Tatooine was a short confrontation between Boba Fett and IG-88D en route to Jabba the Hutt for Han Solo's carbonite block above Tatooine. It took place in 3 ABY.
==Background==
In his pursuit, he followed the Millennium Falcon to Bespin where he informed Darth Vader of their destination. In response, Vader then sent a detachment of stormtroopers to infiltrate the city. Fett was followed by IG-88B, who he easily destroyed by setting a deadly trap. When Vader arrived, he forced the city's leader, Lando Calrissian, into a twisted agreement that left him no other choice but to betray Solo and his friends, including selling him out to Fett. After the capture of Solo and his companions, Lord Vader used Solo as a test subject for carbon-freezing—which, if successful, he hoped to use on Luke Skywalker in order to transport him to Emperor Palpatine. After finding that Solo survived the freezing process, Vader gave him to Boba Fett, who in turn, planned to hand him to Jabba for a hefty bounty. However, it would be several months before Fett delivered Solo to Jabba's palace on Tatooine, and his whereabouts during that time where unknown to Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca, who scoured the galaxy for leads that would lead them to the bounty hunter.
==The skirmish==
On his way to the Tatoo system, Fett, after mockingly asking Solo if he enjoyed his trip and the next stop is Jabba the Hutt, mentions that he is going to pay well for Solo, as now Solo is more than a prisoner, as he is a work of art: Frozen in a man of time, -Man in Carbonite- a masterpiece by Darth Vader. However, the Slave I's computer warning system blares as a signal beacon has been activated. Boba then realizes that someone must have planted the device on his ship while he was on Cloud City with the intention of activating as soon as he entered Tatooine space. He is then forced to set the whole lower hold on fire, as he has absolutely no time to search for it.
After neutralizing it, he then has his targeting computer calculate the trajectory for return to hyperspace. He then mentions to Solo that they probably knew they were there, but he doesn't know where. The targeting computer then identifies a blip, and he recognizes from the outline that it is the IG-2000, the property of the assassin droid IG-88, a bounty hunter who fancies himself to be Fett's equal. He then blows the ship up, but realizes shortly thereafter that it was most likely a decoy, as it went down too easily. The real IG-2000 then comes out of hyperspace behind Slave I, and manages to shoot off one of his wings, causing Fett to mention that it was a neat trick. IG-88 then tells Boba Fett that he can surrender his prisoner and thus have a 30% probability chance of surviving their encounter. Boba then points out that IG-88 has a bit of a problem: If he destroys Fett, he'll also lose Solo. IG-88 points out that "he" is far more capable of withstanding gravometric pressures than Boba, and thus Boba's tactic has a zero probability curve for success. Boba then initiates the Slave I's Inertia Dampers. After some difficulty evading, he manages to evade the IG-2000, and points out that the Inertial Dampers cut velocity 90%, and he only has to drag IG-2000 into his sights. He then gets a lock and shoots down the IG-2000, killing the droid as well, telling him the better man wins.
Boba then requests a damage report. Turns out the Slave 1 has lost 60% of its function and rear deflectors. Also, the implosion of the Inertial Dampers caused attendant meltdown in the hyperdrive core. The hyperdrive was also rendered nonfunctional and the sublight engines are operational at 30%. Boba notes that this means the IG-88 has done serious damage to them, which means he must put the Slave 1 for repairs. He can't do so on Tatooine due there being other Bounty Hunters waiting for him and will most likely take advantage of Slave 1's weakened state. He then decides for Gall as there is a safe dock in the Imperial Enclave. He then tells Solo that they might be keeping each other company for a while longer, and not hope that it is too much longer.
==Aftermath==
Thinking that it is destroyed, Fett retreats to planet Gall for repairs; but the droid also managed to survive and limps off to Ord Mantell to search for spare parts for the ship in the planet's scrapyard.
==Appearances==
*Shadows of the Empire 1 
*Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire video game 
==Sources==
*The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
*Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook
*The New Essential Chronology
==Notes and references==
Category:Battles of Tatooine
Category:Events of the Galactic Civil War