"Thank you, sir!" Ephant Mon bowed respectfully. Then the Chevin turned awkwardly and hurried out of the main hall of the B'omara monastery complex, located on Tatooine and owned by Jabba Desilijic Tiure for nearly five hundred years
The Hutt himself reclined lazily on a large pedestal opposite the entrance, atop a pile of pillows. Two new slave girls, blue-skinned Twi'lek females, reclined nearby. In the distance Salacious B. Crumb, a Kowakian ape-lizard, Jabba's favorite jester and hated by all the palace's inhabitants, snored among the pillows. This often amused the Hutt.
Efan just reported that another weapons deal-blasters looted from the battlefields between the Republic and the CIS-was successful. Jabba will receive his share of the full credits.
In truth, things couldn't have been better. Engrossed in war, both sides had little time for smugglers, pirates, and slavers, who, sensing weakness, took their activities to a new level. And where better than the Hutts could sell their wares-and no one would question their origins? Credits flowed like water
Among other things, Hutt Space managed to establish control over a dozen more minor planets, expanding its already considerable Zone of Influence; the Hutt Council was talking about establishing final control over Sakiei and conquering Riileb. And in the spice trade-rill and glitterstim-the Hutts, and Jabba personally, were able to carve out another small slice of the market, valued by those same Republic economists at hundreds of trillions of credits. So this "slice" was a very lucrative acquisition
Gesturing to his Twi'lek butler, Bib Fortuna, Jabba inquired - Is that allfor today? "Yes, great Jabba. This wretched one was the last one to desire an audience with you."
" Good. Prepare everything for the evening, " Jabba said, sliding off his pedestal and heading deeper into the palace, into the inner chambers..
Jabba Desilijic Tiure was born over five hundred and fifty years ago on Nal Hutta. His father was Zorba Desilijic Tiure, a crime lord and leader of the Desilijic clan. He was one of the few Hutts to have hair, the result of a genetic defect. Zorba was a poor leader, with few supporters due to his outlandish schemes and financial mismanagement. Nevertheless, he led the clan for over four hundred years and managed to raise his son well. When his time passed, Jabba became the clan's leader, raising it from obscurity. Once one of many clans, the Desilijic clan became one of the eight Hutt clans that comprised the Grand Hutt Council--the ruling political body of Nal Hutta, which governed the Hutt race.
Yes, Hutts were asocial, and two Hutts couldn't get along-especially those on the Council, However, everyone understood that their strength lay in their unity, so they met, conducted business, socialized, and participated in celebrations,
However, Jabba needed to prove his worth. His chance soon arrived. Thirty years before the Great Resynchronization-as the new galactic calendar now dictated--the Hutts turned their attention to Tatooine, an Outer Rim planet located south of Hutt Space. It had been uninhabited for many years, but seventy-eight years earlier, the ship Dowager Queen had crashed on the planet's surface--the very spot where Mos Eisley would later be built. The survivors turned out to be natives of Bestine IV, who founded the capital city of Bestine and made first contact with the Jawas, the local aborigines. Fort Tusken was soon founded, but its settlers were massacred by the Sand People a year later. It was after this incident that the Sand People-another strange species on Tatooine-became known as "Tusken Reavers" or simplv Tuskens. Seven vears later the fort was rebuilt and repopulated. Five years later, Mos Eisley was founded by humans and Rodians, and four years after that, the Mos Espa spaceport
At one point, there was an attempt to mine metals on the planet. but the venture failed Furthermore, all the equipment-machines, crawlers, prospecting tools-was abandoned. The planet's remoteness led to all sorts of riffraff congregating there. The smell of money was there.
The Hutts sent a representative there-one of the lesser families--but after six years, he was unable to establish control of the planet. Jabba offered to send him there. The Council, after some consideration, agreed. On the one hand, if he failed, his position would become vacant, anc someone else could take it. If he succeeded, the Hutts would gain a major source of income, increasing their influence. And in any case, one of the Great Hutts would be as far removed as possible, and the overall political tension would subside.
So, Jabba arrived on Tatooine and established his rule. Money-- and influence - allowed him to do much. He ruled boldly and without fear, seizing a luxurious and vast monastery and enslaving the servants of a cult he didn't understand. He made it his Palace. As a result, for twenty years now, his business-his empire-has been alive and well, generating enormous profits. And no wonder--the planet is at the crossroads of many hyperspace routes, so many traders use the Mos Eisley spaceport as a hub. Far from the watchful eyes of the Republic and the Jedi Order, Tatooine has become a haven for all sorts of adventurers-smugglers, mercenaries, bounty hunters
However, there was another reason that made Tatooine the ideal location. It was here that Jabba could safely raise the one who would later inherit his empire.,
Twenty years ago, he had a son. This might have seemed strange to others, but not to the Hutts: gender differences meant nothing to them. But these crazy little creatures built entire civilizations on them. The Hutts, on the other hand, determined their own gender, and no one stopped them from changing it as they pleased. However, most Hutts preferred constancy
Finally, Jabba reached the inner chambers reserved for his son. These luxuriously furnishec rooms, with precisely controlled temperature and humidity, were the most heavily guarded area in the palace. At the first signal, dozens of ferocious Gamorreans and other mercenaries stood ready to tear anyone to pieces.
Glancing at the sleeping, drooling, and bubbling Rotta and the pair of handmaidens frozen or the bench, Jabba nodded with satisfaction. All was well. The baby was healthy, under the care of loyal sentients-though Jabba didn't particularly trust anyone, and frequently changed his attendants.
"All is well. My son is growing. My wealth is growing. My influence. He will be able to inherit al of this in due time-after all, I will not live forever. But the Desilijic clan will be great and renowned and will not fall into oblivion. Never'
Satisfied that all was well, Jabba returned to the throne room. His retinue and guests hac already settled around the walls. Settling down on his own slab throne, the Hutt picked up the mouthpiece of his hookah and took a drag. The music began to play, and Twi'lek dancers |eaped onto the platform in front of the dais and began a mesmerizing dance