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Durga dodged, but not quickly enough. The tail slapped his back, bruising him, almost knocking his wind out. With all his strength, Durga launched himself toward Jiliac, butting her as hard as he could with his chest.

Jiliac was nearly twice Durga’s size. She was a middle-aged Hutt who was reaching the corpulent stage. Durga had one advantage—his youth gave him speed. But if she caught him with her full weight, even once, the battle would be over, and he knew it.

Bellowing like two prehistoric leviathans, the two Hutts slammed at each other, sometimes hitting, often missing. They hurled themselves against each other’s chests, wrestling with their undersized arms, as they sent their tails slamming into everything nearby.

Dorzo had long ago taken to his heels and gotten well out of range.

Kill … kill … KILLKILLKILL!! Durga’s mind shrieked at him. He was consumed with rage. Jiliac slammed him with her tail, nearly sending him rolling over, then launched herself at him with a roar. Durga barely managed to wriggle out of the way before he could be crushed beneath her massive midsection.

The younger Hutt dealt her a hard slap across the side of her head that sent her reeling. She came back at him with a tail-slap that missed, making the entire room shake.

At first, Jiliac howled curses and threats, but within a few minutes, she began panting too heavily, and saved her breath for battle. The Desilijic’s sedentary lifestyle was catching up with her.…

If I can just outlast her … Durga thought, and realized that was a very big if …

Han Solo had been going over shipping manifests for the mines on Kessel with Jabba when he, Chewie and Jabba all heard a loud thud, followed by a bellow, then another series of thuds and muffled crashing sounds. Human, Wookiee and Hutt looked at each other, startled. “What’s that?” Han wondered.

“My aunt must be having one of her temper tantrums,” Jabba said.

Nearly a decade ago Han had witnessed one of Jiliac’s notorious tantrums, so he had no trouble believing that. He started to go back to work, when two bellows reached his ears. One right after another—in two different voices.

Jabba reared up in alarm. “Come on!”

Han and Chewie jogged beside the Hutt as Jabba led them toward the sounds. He was amazed at how quickly Hutts could move when motivated.

When they reached Jiliac’s audience chamber, a beautiful young blond woman was standing in the doorway. Han looked over her shoulder, and saw Jiliac locked in mortal combat with a much smaller Hutt. The newcomer had a disfiguring birthmark that spread over his eye and down his face. The two creatures were bellowing and straining as they butted their massive chests together.

As Han, Chewie and Jabba approached, the woman shook her head and put up a hand to halt their progress. “No,” she said. “Do not interfere. Durga has challenged Clan Leader to Clan Leader, under the Old Law.”

To Han’s surprise, Jabba did not bat the woman out of his way and go to his aunt’s aid. Instead he inclined his head in the Hutt equivalent of a bow. “You must be Guri,” he said.

“Yes, Your Excellency,” she replied.

Just then a group of guards came stampeding up the corridor, force-pikes ready. Jabba whirled to block their way. The Gamorreans blinked at him in dull surprise. “My aunt is having one of her temper fits,” he said. “You are not needed.”

The leader of the guards looked doubtful, but Jabba did not move, and he could not see for himself what was going on. He hesitated, his porcine snout quivering with the urge to fight.

“I said, you are dismissed!” Jabba bellowed, waving his arms at the guards. They turned, grunting and snorting, and went trotting back down the hall.

Han glanced into the audience chamber and saw Jiliac bring her tail down with stunning force. The smaller Hutt barely managed to dodge out of the way in time. The Corellian looked at Jabba. “You don’t want to stop it?”

Chewbacca echoed Han’s question.

Jabba blinked at them, his bulbous eyes full of cunning. “Durga is the leader of Besadii clan,” he said. “Whichever