Title: The Last of the Mandalorians
Author: Essie Aster
Rating: PG-13
Category: Star Wars
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure (sorta) leaning toward Drama
A/N: Ok, this is me giving in to my hopeless romantic side. I'm sorry, but I have to. shrug But hey, this is my first sappy romance, so it's ok. Just to set the stage a little, this story takes place seven years after AOTC. As you probably guess from the title, it's got Boba Fett in it. But he's not the main character. That honour goes to an OC of mine ;p. He disappears here and there, but he'll make a big come back in later chapters. :D This story is for all of you girls who fell in love with the man behind that really cool helmet in the original trilogy. If you don't love Fett like I do, well, I hope you still enjoy my story. Have fun!
Disclaimer: To clear things up, I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters. You probably could'a guessed that since I'm a girl and Star Wars was made before I was even born, but hey, I felt like adding a disclaimer to my story. The characters whose names you don't recognize as being from the movies, books, etc., are probably not from the movies, books, etc. They're my characters and, while I don't mind if you use them, ask me first, k? ;)
Chapter 1
-Conspiracy
A young female Human danced gracefully between two female Twi'leks on a dimly lit stage. The Human moved with the same grace as her two companions as they completed a choreographed battle told through the motions of dance. The Human was the same height and build as the two Twi'leks, a little over a meter and a half tall. As the trio spun the Twi'leks' bound lekku and the Human's fiery hair flew out behind them making for a dizzying spectacle and prompting cheers and catcalls from the male audience.
The two Twi'leks covered their violet skin in black leather clothes, fitted tight to their bodies. Their pants started at the hips and flared out around their bare ankles. The sides and inseams were slit to midway up their thighs and held together loosely by thin leather cording. They each wore short tops that left their stomach exposed with straps twisting down their arms. The Human wore a similar costume in blue, with the top overlaid with tiny netting.
At the end of the dancing battle the two Twi'leks stood on either side of the Human and gripped her arms, holding onto her shoulders with one hand and her wrists with another. Suddenly a fourth dancer appeared on the stage. The Twi'leks closed their eyes and turned their faces away, toward the audience. The fourth dancer, a Human male, stood to a full two meters with a shaved scalp covered in webbed tattoos. He wore black leather pants similar to the ones the Twi'leks wore, leaving his tattooed chest exposed. His entrance prompted a large response from the female fraction of the audience.
The man made a quick take to the audience, his youthful features stunningly attractive, before turning to the three unmoving dancers, his back to the audience. As he stared at the spread-eagled Human the audience stopped their cheering and began to murmur quietly. The male dancer's first movement silenced them completely.
He took one step that brought him within arm's reach of the other Human on the stage. Her face was expressionless but her pleading eyes betrayed fear. Her breath was heavy as the man circled her, running his finger tips lightly across her body. The two Twi'leks remained unmoving, and the woman's eyes were fixed straight forward. The music decrescendoed to an almost inaudible whisper in the silent room.
The man stopped behind the woman on his second circuit, running a finger under her chin and brushing his other hand against her thigh. Her eyes closed as her breathing grew heavier. When they opened again she was no longer looking straight forward, but up, where the back wall met the ceiling. The man pressed his body against her back, wrapping one arm under her outstretched arms and releasing one of the Twi'lek's hold on her shoulder with his hand and nuzzling his nose where the woman's shoulder joined her neck. As his other arm wrapped around her thin waist the two Twi'leks changed sides, still holding on to the woman's wrists, and stood slightly behind the man. The woman's arms were now crossed behind the man's neck and her face was turned to the side, away from the man.
The music started to crescendo as the man let go of the woman's waist and ran his hand up her body to take hold of one of her forearms. Once his grip was secure the Twi'leks let go and he dropped his other hand down to the woman's waist where it lingered until she pulled away. Someone in the crowd began to cheer and the noise level quickly reached the same place it had been before the long silence.
The two Twi'leks had disappeared as the two Human dancers continued their choreographed struggle. The woman freed herself and ran, only to be stopped at the other end of the stage when the two Twi'leks reappeared with metal rods as tall as they were. The Twi'leks spun the rods in unison, the dim lights sparkling on their reflective surfaces. They swirled in sync, slowly backing the Human across the stage until they stopped suddenly, dropping to their knees, their rods clashing together and forming an X above their heads.
The woman turned slowly and looked at the man, still in the same pose she had left him in. She took a deep, shaky breath as the man glided towards her, reaching out with both hands and cupping them around her cheeks. Her eyes closed and she bowed her head as he pushed his hands down her neck and shoulders and grabbed tightly onto her arms. She flinched as he spun her around violently, grabbing the back of her arms and pulling her into him at the same time the Twi'leks slammed their rods onto the stage floor. The impact created a loud clap and silenced both the audience and the music completely. All eyes were on the two Humans as the man crossed his arm over the woman's flat stomach. He held one arm out to his side, even with his shoulder, as he dragged his other hand up over her chest to grab hold of her jaw. With a jerk he pulled his hand across her, stretching his arms out to full span. The woman's head snapped in the same direction, as the Twi'leks again slammed their rods onto the stage floor. The woman's terrified gasp echoed in the completely silent room.
Every motion stopped and time seemed to stand still as the woman's body swayed, her legs buckling under her. Her muscles went slack and she collapsed gracefully at the man's feet. The audience roared as a sheer black curtain descended from the rafters and the lights on the small stage dimmed and went black.
A young Human about seventeen years of age sat close to a wall near the bar. He had been watching the dance with mild disinterest as he sipped at his drink, and was grateful when the crowd around the stage began to disperse.
The young man's dark eyes focused on a tall Falleen male who was seated close to the now vacant stage. The Falleen was flanked by two large Gamorreans, the only creatures in the club possessing visible weapons.
Bodyguards, the young man concluded.
Weapons were prohibited in clubs and bars by law, but, this far under the city, rules like that were habitually broken and never enforced. Most owners would ask that, if someone absolutely had to have a weapon on them, they keep in concealed and not use it until they were outside. The request was usually accepted since most beings went to clubs to relax and not to start a firefight. Owners would also refuse to serve beings who were known to start brawls. It was a risky policy, but it worked more often than not. This club was the same as most.
The Falleen that the young man's attention was focused on, the only Falleen in the entire club, was a Black Sun Vigo who had, unfortunately for him, fallen out of favour with the higher-ups. With the size of the bounty on his head and the number of Black Sun hunters after him the young man did not wonder why the Falleen had employed the hog-like bodyguards and denied the club owner's request, though he was surprised to have tracked a man with a death-mark to such a public place.
'The smart ones always hide in plain sight,' the young man's father had taught him.
The Human unconsciously fingered the hollowed frame of the blaster tucked into his jacket. Not a very discrete place to hide a blaster, he had to admit, but it was not as if he could just waltz in here, inconspicuously, wearing full body armour.
The young man's attention was diverted momentarily as the three dancers appeared to the side of the stage. The two Twi'leks had their arms around the Human's waist as they stumbled out of a hidden doorway. The trio received multiple cat-calls from the drunks who were still clinging to the front of the stage. The females ignored them, but the Human turned and flashed a dazzling smile at the Falleen. The young man noted the Falleen's pleased reaction as the female blew him a dramatic kiss before she turned to the bar and said something to her friends. The Twi'leks laughed and melted into the crowd as the Human approached the bar. She leaned over, kissed the bartender's cheek, and asked for a drink. She looked around, searching for a seat. The young man realized that he would soon be having company, since the only open seats were the ones nearest him. He momentarily considered moving, but the woman had already noticed him and his view of the Falleen would be disrupted anywhere else.
The young woman sat on the stool and gratefully downed half of her drink. As she set down the glass, she looked at the young man out of the corner of her eye.
'You're never gonna get through his bodyguards,' she said in a quiet voice.
The young man started, unsure of how to respond to her.
'Don't worry,' she laughed, still not looking directly at him. 'You're not that obvious.'
He narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch the Falleen.
'What makes you think I'm after someone?' he asked.
'You've been here all night watching him,' she stated, turning toward the young man. 'But like I said, you're never gonna get past his bodyguards.'
Frustrated, the young man turned and leveled his gaze at her. 'Are you some Jedi that you can see the future?' he asked angrily.
'No,' she said with smile, keeping her voice cheerful. 'But I can see about ten other bodyguards besides the two Gamorreans. By the way, they're just for show.'
The young man gritted his teeth and returned to watching the Falleen. Suddenly, he was able to pick out two more bodyguards within three meters of the Falleen. Whatever plans he had been formulating flew out the window as he found another one of the bodyguards.
'But,' the young woman continued, slipping off the stool and running a finger up the young man's arm. 'I'm willing to give you a hand if you'd like.' She rested her left hand on his shoulder, gently massaging his tight muscle.
The young man pushed her hand off his shoulder and turned to her, almost surprised to see her face just past his shoulder. 'I don't need your help.'
'Ah, yes,' she said, standing back up and tousling his thick black hair with her fingers. 'A boy is going to do what the Black Sun hunters have been trying to do for months. Right.' She started to walk away, running her index finger over the back of his neck.
In a lightning fast motion the young man grabbed her wrist and tugged on her arm, bringing her attention back to him. 'Touch me again,' he warned, 'and I'll kill you.'
The young woman laughed dismissively. 'I'm not so sure Boss-Thing would be very happy about that,' she said, referring to the owner of the club, Olimpiu.
As soon as he let go of her the young woman wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled him, pinning him to his chair. He grabbed her waist and tried to push her off, but, to his surprise, she was stronger than she looked.
'Sit still, and shut up,' she demanded.
Concerned about drawing too much attention to himself, the young man obeyed her. He consciously forced himself not to squirm in his discomfort.
The young woman smiled, playing with the hair on the back of his head.
'Stop that,' he ordered.
Still smiling, the woman ignored him. 'I know you want the bounty on Kre Kahn,' she said in little more than a whisper. 'I also know that you can't defeat all his bodyguards and still capture him. The bounty's been public for two months. You think the Black Sun hunters didn't try to get him before that? Now, I've got a plan that I'm willing to include you in. All you need to do is listen to me and the bounty's as good as yours.'
'What's in it for you,' he asked.
'I want out of this club, that's all.' She had stopped playing with his hair and leveled her blue eyes on him.
'And, if I can't get past his bodyguards, what makes you think you can?' he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
The young woman blinked and flashed her dazzling smile at him. 'Watch and learn, young bounty hunter.'
With that she got off him, downed the rest of her drink, and headed back toward the stage. As she approached the Falleen stood and greeted her. She flashed a grin at him as she fell into his embrace.
'I enjoyed watching you dance again, Indis,' Kahn said in his deep enchanting voice.
The young woman, Indis, looked up at him and smiled, waiting for him to kiss her. With a half smile the Falleen bent slightly and captured her mouth in his, pulling her close to him. Indis pressed her small body against him, feeling solid muscle underneath his soft clothes. As they kissed she let her hand rest on his chest, idly noting the rhythm of the cold heart beneath.
When they pulled apart, Indis was pleased to see that his usually dark green skin had paled somewhat.
'You've been away too long, Kahn,' she said in a girlish whine.
'I've been busy,' he explained as he returned to his seat. Indis glanced around for an empty chair before accepting Kahn's silent invitation to make use of his lap. He wrapped his long arms around her as she held on to the back of his head and bit at his neck playfully, at the same time looking up and seeing the young bounty hunter's shocked expression.
'Who's that boy you were with over there?' Kahn demanded to know, gesturing towards the bar.
'Beats me,' she answered. 'He looked bored, so I gave him a bit of fun, that's all.'
Kahn chuckled and nibbled at her ear in response. Indis leaned back against Kahn's chest as he talked with the other men seated at the round table. She pretended to ignore most of the conversation, politely laughing when Kahn made one of his lame jokes and squirming slightly when he poked his fingers into her side.
After an hour of sitting silently, Indis grew tired and rested her forehead on Kahn's shoulder, nuzzling into his neck. She fell asleep there as Kahn continued to caress her body gently. She woke up two hours later with Kahn's hand on her thigh. The other men at the table were preparing to leave, and Kahn was trying to wake her.
'I have to go, darling,' he whispered in her ear.
She moaned, her voice muffled against his skin. 'Do you have to?'
Kahn laughed slightly. 'Yes,' he said, pulling her away from him and standing her to her feet. He stood in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. She bowed her head and played with the waistline on his pants.
'When am I gonna see you again?' she asked, blinking sleepily and looking up at him.
Kahn caught her cheek in his hand and stooped to kiss her. She moaned slightly as he pulled her body into his and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Indis let his hands play over her body as he kissed her passionately. She knew it was his way of saying goodbye, and she knew to go along with it. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his long black hair until he pushed her away.
'I'll come for you tomorrow,' he promised. She smiled, noting again the change in his skin colour. He stooped to kiss her again, this time briefly, and squeezed her hand gently as he turned and followed the other men. One by one, seven of the ten bodyguards filed out after him.
'That girl will be the death of you,' one of the men, a Corellian, warned.
'Who, Indis?' Kahn asked. 'She's nothing to worry about,' he said casually. 'I have complete control of her. She's too afraid of me to do anything.'
'She's not as stupid as she acts,' another warned.
'Neither am I,' Kahn responded curtly.
After the party had gone, Indis yawned and stretched. The crowd of people was much thinner, although the club was still loud and quite full. She looked around blankly for a moment, trying to get her bearings when she saw the young bounty hunter watching her from the end of the bar.
Rubbing her eyes, Indis walked slowly back to the bar and leaned in between two Corellians.
'Wyatt,' she moaned, resting her head on her extended arm. 'Gimme something that'll wake me up.'
The bartender shuffled over to where Indis was stretched out on the bar. 'That Falleen make you sleepy, honey?' he asked in a gruff but loving voice.
'What do you think?' she asked rhetorically, yawning as she met Wyatt's beady eyes.
The bartender laughed and turned his back to her, preparing her drink. He turned back around after only a few seconds and handed her a glass that was filled with a blue liquid. Unsure of what it was, Indis sipped the drink gingerly and coughed.
'What are you trying to poison me with this time?' she asked.
Wyatt chuckled as he shuffled off to help another customer. 'Corellian ale.'
Indis let her head fall and hit the bar as she sighed.
'Hey honey,' the Corellian on her left said in a quiet, seductive voice as he stroked her arm. 'Aren't you a little young to be drinkin' that stuff.'
His companion laughed as Indis raised her head and smiled sweetly at the man. 'Aren't you a little old to be hitting on kids?'
The man's smile disappeared as Indis rolled her eyes and walked to the end of the bar with her drink, where she sat down and glared at the man until he looked away.
'He's right, you know,' the bounty hunter said, leaning against the back of his chair and sipping his own drink. 'You are too young to be drinking that stuff.'
Indis narrowed her eyes and turned her glare on the bounty hunter.
'You're no older than I am, so stuff it, bounty hunter,' she said, taking a long drink of the ale and grimacing.
'I'm drinking water,' he said, glancing at the dancer out of the corner of his eye.
Indis sighed and set her glass down on the bar. Spinning on her stool she leaned forward and stared into the bounty hunter's dark eyes. 'You try siting on Kre Kahn's lap for three hours and tell me you don't want a stiff drink.'
The bounty hunter chuckled. 'Ok, so you're close to him. Why should I trust you?'
'Because I can get him alone. Because you haven't got the foggiest idea how to capture him.'
'Point taken. But what makes you so sure you can trust me?'
'I don't trust you,' she answered, staring blankly at the bounty hunter. 'I can be alone with him and do just fine if you never show up. Thing is, you'd profit more from showing up, as opposed to leaving him to whatever other bounty hunter comes his way.'
The bounty hunter's lips curved in a half smile. 'You've got yourself a deal.'