Bounty of a Lifetime
Chapter 1: Easy Credits
Boba stared out the front windshield of the Slave I, lost in aimless thought and observing the way that the stars streaked around him whilst in hyperspace. They reminded him of rain, coming down in endless amounts, never ending in their wet and dreary onslaught. Kamino was his home, it always had been and always will be, but he couldn't go back, not with all the clones there, taking his father's face and genetics and twisting them into something different. The Jedi had taken his father's genetics to make an army to do their fighting, then killed his father; they had killed him like he was nothing, Windu had taken his head off his body without remorse, Windu had taken away the one thing that mattered in Boba's life, and he would pay.
A soft red light broke Boba away from his thinking, as it began blinking, alerting him to an incoming transmission. He reached over and picked up his father's refitted helmet, then turned on the holoprojector; he always wore his helmet, it kept his employers intimidated of him, and kept them from knowing his true age. Few people knew that Boba Fett was a fourteen year-old kid; all they knew was that he was cold, effective and expensive.
The blue hologram faded and blurred as it formed the image of Boba's contact, someone who Boba immediately recognized. He was one of Boba's best clients, one of the best paying as well, and he was an old "friend" of his father's.
Count Dooku.
"Fett." Dooku greeted, blunt as always with Boba.
Boba only nodded in return, hoping that whatever contract Dooku was offering was worth the inherent risk of taking a job for an enemy of the Republic.
Dooku knew that Boba only wanted to know the info, and hated when contractors beat around the bush, so he continued. "The separatists have received word of a certain person of value that has information we need. I want you to bring her to us. There are five million credits waiting for you if you succeed."
Boba mused over the idea of having five million credits, it wasn't a massive bounty, but it wasn't pitiful either. "I'll need more info first." He deadpanned, hoping that it was going to be an easy contract that was just overpriced.
"Very well." Dooku replied, "The target is a teenage female Togruta. She used to be a Jedi padawan, but is no longer so. She has information we need desperately, and we are unable to get to her and extract her while keeping a covert cover, so I am asking you to get her for us."
A former Jedi, that fact alone was enough to make Boba want to take the job, but also made him question the pay. Was five million credits enough to make him go up against a Jedi, even a padawan?
"Make the pay fifteen million and you've got a deal." No, five million was not enough for the job.
"I will raise the pay to ten million and no higher, I will remind you Boba." Dooku's face scowled as he used the bounty hunters first name, in order to separate his identity from his father's. "That we can simply hire another bounty hunter willing to take the pay."
"Fine, what's the target's name and where can I find her." Boba snapped back.
"Her name is Ahsoka Tano, and you can find her on Coruscant."
Ahsoka was sweating just enough to make her, originally white, outfit stick to her skin, making every sleazy man who walked into the Diner to stare at her through the small window in the kitchen wall. She hated being looked at like that, she hated the immoral ideas these men had, and would have preferred to be a Jedi so these men wouldn't dare look at her out of pure fear. But she also couldn't go back to the Jedi now, and never could have knowing how corruptible they were, her best friend had betrayed her and all Jedi, and any of them could have done the same.
Ahsoka finished frying the "mystery meat" as she called it, because every day the meat looked different, though every day the same kind of meat was ordered. The customers at Dexter's Diner could care less though; Ahsoka thought they probably had more diseases on their hands than were in the burgers. The robotic waitress came in and took the tray of greasy food out to the filthy patrons and Ahsoka got a rare moment of relaxation.
She had taken this job two months ago after having met Dexter while on a shuttle heading for a spaceport. He had recognized her from one of the few times she had visited his diner with Obi-wan and Anakin. He had also been kind enough to offer her a job at his Diner to help her out after hearing about her expulsion from the order. The job was low-paying and required almost constant work, but it kept her occupied, fed and off the streets.
She snapped out of her reminiscing as Dexter called out, "I need a soup of the day and one Bantha burger!" Dex always yelled, it seemed more a habit than an actual need or want to. His voice was scratchy from the constant yelling and was hard to miss even above the commotion of the Diner. She got back to the "slavery of the stove," it was actually more of a grill, but stove fit better in her mind.
She slapped the hunk of hideous meat down on the menacingly hot grill, and then shuffled over to pour out some soup into a bowl. She could have used the force under normal circumstances, but seeing a kitchen preparing food while the cook stood in the middle with her arms outstretched attracted too much attention. Ahsoka didn't need or want attention; she wanted to be left alone and allowed to make a life for herself, not treated like a Jedi when she wasn't one.
She moved back over to the grill then flipped the sizzling meat over and got out buns and toppings. The room was stuffy, hot and generally smelled bad, which would have made her sweat a ton even if she could use the force, but here she was doing everything by hand, making her sweat even more. And so she was back to her earlier thought, and would inevitably go through the cycle again and again, then the day would finish and she would go to her small apartment and sleep so she could do it again tomorrow. It was a tiring and drab process, but eventually it would lead her somewhere, Ahsoka could feel it.
After hours…
Ahsoka walked out of the diner, wearing her old Jedi cloak to hide her body from the prying eyes of the filthy men who stared at her while she worked in the kitchen. The walk to her apartment wasn't long, and took only ten minutes at a leisurely pace. Her apartment wasn't glamorous, nor was it a sleazy place; it resembled her room in the Jedi temple closely, with the plain walls, floor and ceiling, the standard gray bed sheets, and a small bathroom with the bare necessities. It had very little personalization, mainly because she had very little money, but also she was comforted by the plainness of it.
She opened the door to reveal the room, exactly as she had left it that morning. Having no maid or cleaning droid had disgruntled her at first, but it truly made little impact on her life, she just had to make her bed every morning and wash her clothes once a week. She had gotten into a new routine shortly after moving in; get up, wash up, walk to work, work all day, walk home, wash up, go to sleep. It was simple, and organized unlike her schedule while as a Jedi, where she did nothing when she wasn't on a mission.
Ahsoka slipped out of her work attire and put on her old Jedi armor. The armor was comfortable and more importantly, held her lightsaber, which was a security blanket for her. She buckled her lightsaber to her side and slid under her sheets, ready for a good night's sleep.
Boba watched as Ahsoka's breathing slowed down and evened out, signaling that she was asleep. He flew his rented speeder slowly up to the balcony outside her room, and made sure it was quietly idling, in case he needed to make a fast get away. He stepped down over the railing, onto her patio and got out the lock override, a small EMP emitting device that was best used for taking out locks or blasters.
It worked quickly and he was in moments later, creeping across the carpeted floor which easily muffled his footsteps. He was at her bedside quickly and quietly pulling out a rag soaked in chloroform, and quickly put it over her mouth and nose while holding the back of her head to ensure it stayed put. She began thrashing, punching and kicking, but he kept a tight hold on her head, and slowly her resistance became less and less, until she fell unconscious from the drug.
Boba put the rag back away, as an uneasy feeling set in. He hated being up close and personal like that, but this was a kidnapping, not an assassination, which meant that he had to be present at the scene, not at a different building with a sniper rifle at hand. He pulled the bed sheets off of her and looked her over, checking for weapons. He continued looking, stating, studying her for nearly a minute before he realized what he was doing, 'Stupid teenage hormones.' He thought to himself. He reached down and took her lightsaber, latching it onto his own belt. Then he bound her hands and feet, making sure that she wouldn't cause trouble while he was taking her to Dooku.
Gently, he slid his arms underneath her and picked her up, bridal style. As he stood up and shifted her weight, she leaned her head against his shoulder. This, of course, set off his hormones again, that was something he hated about being so young, it made it so… uncomfortable… when his hormones went crazy. He awkwardly walked to his speeder, then jumped in, setting her in the passenger's seat and buckled her, then sat in the driver's seat and got comfortable, buckled up and sped off. He was flying to a distant shipping port that was rarely used, due to the owners being bankrupt and now no longer a company.
He flew through the multi-leveled flying traffic, completely ignoring traffic laws in order to cause a distraction, one that would allow him to escape the planet unnoticed. Then it happened, a speeder swerved to avoid him and crashed into a garbage barge, taking out one of its engines. The barge began to descend into traffic, hitting and being hit by multiple vehicles of all kinds, then another engine went down and the barge began a free-fall, heading straight through traffic and towards a complex of buildings. Boba laughed at the irony of the situation, he had come above traffic levels to get to the spaceport, and the first speeder had been the one being reckless. He heard a sickening crash, followed by the dull roar of the screaming pedestrian crowd; then the blast of another barge engine going up in flames.
Boba slowed the speeder as he approached his ship, and quickly hopped out, wanting to leave the planet as soon as possible. He gently picked up Ahsoka and once again, her head found its place on his shoulder, and his groin area became quickly uncomfortable. He shifted himself as he walked until he found a comfortable position, and then strode up to the Slave I, as its access hatch opened for him. He made his way through the ship, heading to the single prisoner cell he kept, for jobs like this. He set her on the cot in the room, then backed out and closed the particle field door.
Boba hurried back to the speeder, and planned on how to ditch it best. He decided on moving to face out towards the large industry area outside the city, then set it to full speed and jumped out as it shot off. Boba fell to the ground, and rolled so he could see the speeder disappear into the darkness of the night. Boba got up and dusted himself off, then casually walked back into the Slave I and initiated take-off. As the ship began to ascend and align with the coordinates entered into the navigation system, Boba stripped off his armor, and under suit, and then changed into a pair of casual pants and a skintight shirt that he felt comfortable sleeping in.
When he was done changing, Boba leaned back in the pilot's seat, set his feet on the dashboard, turned off the lights and drifted to sleep watching the stars whiz around him in hyperspace. He was content with how easily the contract went, and how many credit's he would get for so little trouble.