Make It Twenty: The Gamblers' Tale

Make It Twenty: The Gamblers' Tale

Author:	Scott A. Matthews & Kevin Dourif
Series:	Tales from the Boonta Eve Classic
Length:	9,078 words
Source:	AO3
Publication Date:	October 29, 2024
Timeline Placement:	32 BBY

Preceding:	Following:
"Drive for Revenge: Elan Mak's Tale"	"The Scoop: Clegg Holdfast's Tale"

"Make It Twenty: The Gamblers' Tale" is a short story written by Scott A. Matthews and Kevin Dourif. It is the eighth story in the Tales from the Boonta Eve Classic anthology, and was first published on AO3 on October 29, 2024.

Plot summary

Weazel and Rushekk were arms dealers in service to Balmiri Hoot until an organized gang broke into Hoot's warehouse and stole his weapons cache. Hoot was fed to the Sarlacc in the Great Pit of Carkoon after reporting the loss to Jabba the Hutt; consequently, Weazel and Rushekk inherited his debt. They are given until the night of the Boonta Eve Classic to pay the debt in full, or suffer the same fate as their former employer.

Meanwhile, the Anx arms dealer Graxol Kelvyyn, on the cusp of an easy retirement, comes to Tatooine to bet on the podrace at the invitation of his former associate Watto. After making landfall, Kelvyyn and his entourage—consisting of one of his protocol droids and his Twi'lek servant, Shakka— check in at a local hostel before setting out to meet Watto at his shop. However, Watto is not there when they arrive. Miffed, Kelvyyn sets out for the Mos Espa Arena.

On the day of the race, Weazel discusses his predicament with another business partner, Niai Fieso, who divulges Watto's haphazard betting. Weazel meets with Watto in the hangar, and the pair haggle until Kelvyyn arrives. Watto, Kelvyyn and his entourage, and Weazel share a box with Jisk Barrer, who bet his entire life savings on Ratts Tyerell, and the raging Gran Ninopas Orocc. Over the course of the race, Weazel and Kelvyyn discuss the day-to-days of their business in the arms trade, and eventually come to an agreement. As Watto continues making impulsive bets with the others in the box, Kelvyyn places his own bet on Anakin Skywalker winning the race. After Skywalker does, in fact, win, Watto is forced to pay out. Kelvyyn, unknowingly, buys out Weazel and Rushekk's debt, and is able to retire while putting the latter two to work as his agents.

Months after the ordeal, Bib Fortuna reflects on Jabba's cunning ploy. It is revealed that Jabba orchestrated the whole affair with Hoot, including the raid on his warehouse and the subsequent "debt" incurred by his employees, with Fortuna and Mosep Binneed as his agents. In light of recent raids by the Tusken Raiders, Jabba came to realize his weapons stockpiles were outdated. Further inflaming the tensions between the raiders and the influx of settlers, Jabba set Fortuna and Binneed about procuring a new weapons stockpile. Binneed sold the existing stockpile to Balmiri Hoot; Fortuna was sent to buy it back. Meanwhile, Jabba sent a gang to steal the lot, then tortured Hoot for the names of his guards. While Fortuna sold the weapons, Jabba dispatched a Devaronian to inform the pair of guards that they were now responsible for their employer's nonexistent debt. Fortuna had also been responsible for luring Kelvyyn to Tatooine; when the old Anx went into business with Weazel and Rusheek, claiming responsibility for their debt, he too tithed to Jabba. By the time it came to cash out, after a new Tusken war leader launched an attack on the newly-armed settlers, Jabba had made a hefty profit. As Fortuna reflects on this turn of events, he contemplates one day surpassing Jabba's cunning.

Appearances

Characters

• Jisk Barrer
• Mosep Binneed (Mentioned only)
• Ebe E. Endocott (Mentioned only)
• Niai Fieso
• Bib Fortuna
• Vilmarh Grahrk (Implied) (Mentioned only)
• Balmiri Hoot (Mentioned only)
• Graxol Kelvyyn
• Graxol Kelvyyn's protocol droid
• Ninopas Orocc
• Weazel
• Ark Roose (Mentioned only)
• Rushekk
• Wan Sandage (Mentioned only)
• Sebulba (Mentioned only)
• Shakka
• Anakin Skywalker (Mentioned only)
• Jabba Desilijic Tiure
• Ratts Tyerell (Mentioned only)
• Unidentified Tusken war leader (Mentioned only)
• Watto

Locations

• Corellia (Mentioned only)
• Coruscant (Mentioned only)
• Gravlex Med (Mentioned only)
• Ord Cestus (Mentioned only)
• Ryloth (Mentioned only)
• Tatooine
  • Dune Sea
    • Jabba's Palace
    • Great Pit of Carkoon (Mentioned only)
  • Mos Espa
    • Dhuella's Delight
    • Espa Annex Inn
    • Mos Espa Arena

Species

• Anx
• Devaronian (Mentioned only)
• Gran
• Human
• Hutt
• Quarren
• Quermian
• Toydarian
• Trandoshan
• Twi'lek
• Xexto

Vehicles and vessels

• Celegian's Mind
• Khetanna (Implied) (Mentioned only)