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“Come with me,” the monk whispered urgently, “to the realm of the B’omarr below the palace grounds. We can teach you the way to peace and enlightenment.”

“But first you would cut my brains from my body?” Tessek asked. “Thank you for your offer, but no!” He whipped out his blaster and shot so quickly, the monk did not have time to move. The spiderlike body burst into blue sparks and spattered against the far wall, legs twisting in tortured spasms as it burned.

A green-skinned Gamorrean guard burst into the room, swinging a huge vibro-ax. Tessek recognized Ortugg by his massive yellowed tusks and his distinctive odor. Ortugg had been just outside his door. “What happened?” Ortugg grunted.

Tessek could not help but notice that Ortugg had been able to override the voice lock on his door. “I awoke and was strapping on my weapons when that creature stirred on the far side of my room,” Tessek answered, wondering if he should go ahead and shoot Ortugg, but deciding against it. “With all of the strange deaths in the palace lately, I decided not to take any chances. Go and tell Lord Jabba that I’ve disposed of the murderer in our midst.”

Tessek added this last bit impromptu. Certainly, there had been a number of disturbing murders in the palace, bodies turning up that had no physical signs of violation. But Tessek suspected they could all be attributed to that three-eyed lout Ree-Yees. Certainly the goat-headed creature spent more time drunk than sober, and as the lonely monster sank deeper and deeper into madness, he was becoming more and more violent. If Ree-Yees hadn’t been one of Tessek’s most valued henchmen (as untrustworthy as he was), Tessek would have fingered the creature for the murders some time ago. As it was, Tessek enjoyed the idea of diverting suspicion onto the monks. Certainly it would give Jabba something to ponder.

Ortugg scratched between two rolls of fat under his hairy jowl and considered Tessek’s explanation. If it had been any other Gamorrean, such as that fool Gartogg who had been dragging rotting corpses around thinking that they would be valuable “clues” to the murder, he would have taken Tessek’s charges at face value. As it was, Ortugg only continued scratching and said, “Hmmm …”

“Never mind, you fool!” Tessek snapped. “If you’re too stupid to see the truth, I’ll tell Jabba and collect his reward myself!”

Tessek hurried out into the hallway, down a flight of broad stone steps. He could hear the harried moans of droids being tortured down a side corridor, the roaring of beasts in the pits, captives in the dungeons. Jabba’s house was a house of pain and slaves and moans. When Tessek became lord of this fortress, things would change. These halls would be filled with the sounds of music, the convivial chatter of accountants. Tessek was a businessman, and did not fancy himself to be evil. Jabba wasted valuable resources—both droid and flesh—through his wanton acts of wickedness.

In only a moment, Ortugg ran from the room, his mail clanking, pushing past Tessek as he cried, “Wait! Wait! I tell Jabba for you!”

Tessek had known how the creature would react, of course. The hint of a possible reward was enough to cloud the judgment of even the smartest Gamorrean.

And so Tessek was free to make his daily rounds. It was a busy day ahead, so many plans to fulfill. His first stop was to Barada, the chief of Jabba’s repulsorlift pool.

Few of Jabba’s servants were allowed their own sleeping quarters. Such things were granted only to those, like Tessek, whose anatomy required special considerations. The rest of the cutthroats were confined to Jabba’s throne room, so that Jabba slept with ample guards and at the same time made it more difficult for his own henchmen to plot against him.

Still, there were some, like Barada, who had their own quarters. Barada was condemned to sleep in the motor pool, where he could guard the vehicles.

Tessek ambled down to the ground level of the palace, then scratched lightly at the door to