WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #13 by Ethan Sacks, Paolo Villanelli, Travis Lanham and Arif Prianto, on sale now.
With Han Solo trapped in carbonite, Chewbacca is traversing the galaxy trying to recover his stolen friend, as the War of the Bounty Hunters event fills in more details in the gap between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Chewbacca was seen traveling to Nar Shaddaa with Luke and C-3PO in an effort to find Solo in Charles Soule and Ramon Rosanas Star Wars #13, and Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #13 just expanded on Chewbacca's time on the Smuggler's Moon.
After escaping a crime syndicate on Nar Shaddaa, Chewbacca and C-3PO decided to return to the Smuggler's Moon to see if they could collect any more information about Solo's location. At the same time, Dengar and Beilert Valance were nearby and started a firefight in their own search for Han Solo. Chewie and Threepio headed closer to the sounds of the fight when Chewbacca picked up a familiar smell. Before Chewie could even think about it, Valance ran into the Wookiee. The sight of Valance sends Chewie into an aggressive flashback that causes him to attack the cyborg.
Chewbacca has only had one previous encounter with Valance, and it was not a fond memory. Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #12 depicts Valance's memories of the encounter. Valance had picked up a job with a new crew to take out a smuggler that just happened to be Han Solo. Remembering his debt to Solo, Valance botched the operation and took out the rest of his crew. This led to Han seeing and recognizing Valance, but Solo mistook Valance's actions as an attempt on his life. Chewbacca had to carry Han away from Valance to escape which did not give him time to explain his actions.
As the fight continued in Bounty Hunters #13, Chewie tossed Valance aside. This allowed Chewbacca to take first sight of Valance's partner Dengar, with whom Chewbacca also shares some history. This causes Chewie to have yet another aggressive flashback, this time remembering his previous encounter with Dengar on Nar Shaddaa as seen in 2015's Star Wars #11 by Jason Aaron and Stuart Immonen. Chewbacca had come to the Smuggler's Moon in search of Luke but was electrocuted in the back by Dengar while deciding his next move. Dengar pulled many cheap moves during this fight including exploding a thermal detonator on Chewie's back. Before Dengar could make a final move on Chewie, he was shot in the back by Solo and thrown from the roof of a building by Chewie.
As Chewie came out of this flashback in Bounty Hunters, Dengar attempted to pull another cheap move on the Wookiee. Dengar attempted to shoot Chewbacca which caused Chewie's rage to grow. This prompted Valance to jump in and save his newest partner. Chewie prepared to continue his battle with Valance, but the bounty hunter had no interest in fighting Solo's partner. Instead, he explained his situation with Han from his perspective and told Chewie he was not trying to kill Han during their last interaction. He continued on by stating that he was going to continue to try and save Han with or without Chewie's help.
Chewbacca recognized the truth behind Valance's words and eased up some. Still, the Wookie informed Valance that he would not need Valance's help to save Solo, and the best thing that Valance could do to assist would be to stay out of his way. While it might seem odd that Chewie did not welcome Valance's help, he is not in the most trusting position. Solo had just been given to the Empire by one of his supposed friends in Lando. Chewie would not be ready to trust someone else who claims to want to help Han, especially considering Chewie had a much stronger relationship with Lando than he does Valance. As expected, Valance and Dengar do not take Chewie's advice and resume their investigation as soon as the Wookiee is out of eyesight.
Chewbacca, Valance, and Dengar have all become aware of the group that is in true possession of Han's carbonite slab. While the Rebellion has received a formal invitation to meet with Crimson Dawn and discuss the conditions surrounding Han's release, Valance and Dengar have no such thing. Their hunt for Han is far from over, and they've inadvertently attracted the attention of Crimson Dawn to themselves. If they're able to escape the Dawn and continue their hunt for Solo, Valance and Dengar are bound to run into Chewbacca again. However, Chewie is not likely to show any restraint if he learns they ignored his direction.
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