The Mereel Ignominy: “Part 2”

Han Solo awoke to find himself locked inside a small containment cell. Where was he? Han tried to remember what had happened. Then it all came back to him; Boba Fett had captured him. He was on the Slave I.

Looking around the cell, Han realized it was one of six identical cells. The cells were rectangular and cramp. There was no room to stand up in the cell; Han sat hunched over. Each cell had a pallet to sleep on. The cell had reinforced transparasteel walls and a small entrance hatch.

Han tried to pull his hands apart. Suddenly, searing pain tore through Han's hands and wrists. Letting out a cry of pain, Han stopped pulling and relaxed the muscles in his forearms. The pain ceased. Han looked at his wrists; they were bound with stuncuffs.

Han heard footsteps and he looked up to see his captor, clad in his infamous Mandalorian armor.

"It's useless to fight against the stuncuffs, they're set on maximum power." Fett advised in his raspy voice.

"Yeah," Han said, wincing "I know."

"Hungry?" Fett inquired.

"No." Han replied quickly.

Fett opened the hatch and placed a small bowl of food on the front of the sleeping pallet. "When you are, there's some food."

Han looked at the bowl questioningly. "What is it?" "Womprat stew." Answered Fett.

Han took another look at the stew, remarking sarcastically, "Mmm!"

Fett began to leave, but Han had one more question.

"Who are you delivering me to, Fett?" Han asked in a no-nonsense tone.

Fett stopped but did not turn around. "No one." Then Fett left the cellblock and went to his quarters.

In his quarters, Fett took of his helmet and placed it on the end of his bed. Fett sat down at the other end of the bed and began checking and repairing his weapons and armor.

The bounty hunter was content; he had caught Solo at last. Soon Solo will be gone, and I can live in peace, Fett thought. He took off his wrist gauntlets and a small tool, then began working on them.

Soon.

It was late at night, and Chewbacca had been searching for Han ever since he had wakened. There was still no sign of Han anywhere. Chewie felt horribly ashamed. He had failed to protect Han, and failed to repay his life-debt to him. Han could be on his way to the Outer Rim, for all Chewie knew.

Chewbacca wandered the dark, dingy streets of Dying Slowly. The name suited it well. There wasn't a clean or undamaged building in the entire city. Blaster scoring marked where past firefights had taken place. The only lights on the street Chewbacca was on came from a broken down bar by the name of Smuggler's Array.

Chewbacca wandered past the bar and down another street. At the end of the street, Chewie came to an extremely long building. It was about a kilometer long, and looked like it could house a several Carrack-class cruisers. By the main gates, there was a guardhouse with two officers on duty. Above the gates was a large sign that read: Starhovel Spaceport.

Obviously a private spaceport, Chewbacca started to walk away, when suddenly he had a revelation. This is just where Boba Fett would hide his ship. It is private property, so only a select few were allowed in. Fett knew this, so he landed here under an alias so as not to attract attention. Boba Fett was craftier than Chewbacca thought.


Laz Grund had been a guard for four years. Two of those four with Starhovel Inc. Grund wanted to work for a commercial company because it wouldn't be as dangerous as the Alliance, or Empire, but he would get a higher salary and more benefits.

Grund had just been assigned to the Starhovel Spaceport on Jubilar three months ago. He didn't enjoy the city of Dying Slowly very much. But he did like the spaceport. Starhovel Spaceport was a wonderful place, so calm and peaceful.

Grund was a young, athletic man of twenty-five. He was tall, lean, and muscular. He had brown hair, and brown eyes. His face was thin and skinny, and he had a small goatee.

His partner, Krath Vuroom, had been assigned to him two weeks ago. Vuroom was short, and strong. In fact, Grund was a full head taller than he was. Vuroom was bald and had no facial hair. Grund guessed that Vuroom was in his mid thirties.

Both Grund and Vuroom wore black jumpsuits and brown boots. Over their jumpsuits, they wore black body armor that covered their chest and back. The armor was made of the same materials that Imperial stormtroopers wore; the only difference was the color. They both carried Merr-Sonn "Power" 5 series blasters holstered to their sides and Crozo Industrial comlinks.

Grund and Vuroom's main job was to keep bums and other people from entering the spaceport without clearance, not necessarily to protect the spaceport; although, Grund and Vuroom did have six years of military training under their belts.

Tonight was extremely quite. Usually there was a drunkard from the Smuggler's Array down the street or a beggar trying to get into the spaceport. Not tonight, the only thing of interest that had happened tonight was when a group of drunk, joy-riding teenagers had crashed their speeder up the street.

Vuroom sighed. "Not much action tonight is there, Laz?"

"Nope." Replied Grund in a bored tone.

"Are they still cleaning up that mess those kids made?" Vuroom chuckled.

"Yep, hehe." Laughed Grund in return.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside.

"Did you here that?" asked Grund

"Sure did." Replied Vuroom. "I'll go check it out."

"I'll cover you." Said Grund as he pulled out his blaster.

Vuroom drew his blaster as well, and walked over to the door's lock panel. Grund stood off to the side of the door and aimed his blaster. Vuroom punched in the keycode and jumped back as the door slid open.

Both guards stood, aiming their guns into the dark, outside night. They waited. Nothing happened.

Vuroom pointed to himself, then outside, signaling he was going outside. Grund nodded in agreement, his eyes never straying from outside, his gun held up ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

Vuroom barely took one step outside when two, fur covered fists came crashing down onto his head, snapping his spinal cord and breaking his neck. Vuroom's lifeless body slumped to the ground. Then, over the dead Vuroom, leapt a huge and powerful brown wookie.

Grund took a step back and aimed at the wookie. The wookie threw a wide punch with his right arm. Grund ducked, not having enough time to get a shot of at the gigantic warrior. The punch missed.

Then the wookie swung the same hand back, fist clenched. Grund wasn't prepared and was caught in the jaw by the back of the wookie's fist. Grund flew across the room, crashing into the gate's controls.

Grund's jaw ached horrendously and he couldn't feel his legs. Judging by the pain, he assumed that his jaw was broken. Grund also figured his spine had snapped and he was paralyzed from the waist down.

Grund saw the wookie pick up his blaster and aim it at him. This is it, he thought, I'm about to die.

Suddenly there was a flash of blue rings, and Grund felt nothing. The pain was gone.

The wookie set it to stun. He thought.

The stun setting was so low, it left Grund conscious, but he could not move a muscle.

Grund had another thought, I just hope he did it on purpose…


The Starhovel Spaceport was like an oasis. Inside, there were expensive shops, posh restaurants, up-scale apartments, and the occasional cantina. It was like being on a different planet. There were a few glowlamps to light up the streets. All the buildings, houses, and apartments were light, smooth, cream colors. On and in front of every building were lush, green, tropical plants.

All the residents were at home. The streets were deserted. There were no drunks, beggars or troublemakers within this settlement. The guards did their job nicely.

Chewbacca walked around the East Side of the spaceport. He needed to find a list of all the ships docked in the spaceport.

As Chewbacca walked past a cantina, he found what he was looking for, a docking bay. Inside, he would find a Scomp link. Chewie could use the Scomp link to access the main computer. The main computer would have names of tenants, ships, and the ships' passengers and pilots. Chewie was no computer programmer or slicer, but he had picked up a thing or two about computers being Han Solo's co-pilot…


Chewie pointed his blaster at the silver and brown astronomic droid and Growled out commands. He knew the astro-droid would understand him. He ordered it to come with him. Fearing obliteration, the droid obeyed enthusiastically.

Chewie and the astro-droid walked out of the apartment where the droid was working, and they made their way back to the docking bay. Along the way, the little droid whistled and tooted pathetically.

With no one on the streets to stop and question them, the droid and the wookie were at the docking bay in a short time.

They entered the docking bay; it was empty, save a few bits and pieces of equipment. Chewie looked around, scanning the area for a Scomp link. The little astro-droid tooted and went towards a doorway.

Chewie followed, blaster aimed at the droid, in case he tried something funny. The droid found a Scomp link and popped open a compartment on his front. A cylindrical tube-like device flipped down and extended, hooking up to the Scomp link.

Chewbacca barked out instructions, and the droid followed them. The droid stood erect, his code cylinder spinning this way and that as he accessed more information. The two stood together in silence for a good amount of time before the droid showed any sign of finding the desired information. The droid bleeped and tooted in excitement, he had found something.

The droid projected the information with a HoloNet projector. There was Boba Fett's ship, registered as a Firespray-class patrol ship called The Enforcer. The owner was Officer Jettso Bennings of the Imperial Navy. Docking bay 1138. Officer Bennings' permit was about to expire, in thirty standard minutes.

Chewie had to hurry if he was ever to see Han Solo again. Chewbacca growled thanks to the droid. The little droid tooted and whistled ecstatically. Chewbacca then pointed the blaster at the droid and pulled the trigger.

The astro-droid's dome top exploded in a flash of hot metal and sparks. The droid's compartments all opened, bristling with blue electricity. Then the hulk of the droid fell over backwards, making a metallic, clanking noise as it did so. What was left of the droid lay on the floor, its systems shorting out one by one.

As Chewbacca dashed off towards docking bay 1138, he felt pity for the droid, but he could not have the astro-droid identify him. If it did, he and Han would not be permitted back on Jubilar, and Chewie would be charged for a number of felonies, including murder.

Chewie rounded a corner and came to docking bay 1138. Standing next to the door, Chewbacca checked his blaster; a full two rounds left of ammo. Then, Chewie set the blaster to its highest power setting, he had to have enough power to at least set Fett back, if not injure him. Fett's armor could block and an extremely large amount of fire. Not to mention that it could absorb most of the shock of a blast.

Chewbacca stood ready, then he opened the door. There in the middle of the docking bay was the most recognizable ship in the galaxy, the Slave I.