Boba Fett's ship was falling. Towards some stupid green planet, where they were all humanoids, far back in technology. He turned the fall into a controlled dive, and was headed right for the middle of Bettendorf, Iowa, in Alice Clearwater's backyard crick.
"Ruth! Abby! Want some popsicles?"
"Sure!" the two girls replied in unison.
"I call pineapple mango!" Abby said.
"I want mango orange!" Ruth cried.
"Yes! I get the strawberry banana!" Alice said.
The trio licked their popsicles, and Alice, unknowingly, was experiencing her last moments of "normal" life.
"Let's head out back, its cooler there," Ruth suggested.
So the girls headed to Alice's foster parent's backyard.
"Hey look, an airplane," Abby said, bored.
"Yeah, it's really close…. And it's getting closer" Alice said.
"It's going to land… in the creek?" Ruth asked.
"I guess…"
"Weird…"
"That looks like what it is doing…"
"Maybe the engines blew?"
The ship landed.
Alice felt… strange… looking at the ship. An old hatred flamed inside her, hatred she had never known… something in her blood. She felt a need to show off, a need to impress…
"I bet I can lift up the plane" she said, not believing what she was saying.
"No way."
"Yes way."
Alice extended her hand to the small gray green ship, and lifted up. It shot into the air, then fell again.
Abby and Ruth couldn't speak, only sputter.
Boba Fett saw the girl. The girl seemed… familiar somehow… he thought he might have a bounty on her, somewhere. He had so many. Whatever. She was lifting up his ship somehow, and he felt angry. The ship splashed back into the water, and Boba Fett set his gun on stun, and climbed out of his ship…
A man climbed out of the ship. He wore gray green armor, a cape, a mask with a dark visor, and so many weapons. Alice knew this man was bad news. She managed to call to her friends "Run! Run! "And the man shot something out of his left wrist, and Alice's world went black.
What she did not see, hear or feel was this.
The man dragged her to his cargo hold, and opened one of the cells, and making sure the cell had food pellets and water, locked the girl in. He strode into the helm of the ship, knowing in less than three minutes she would wake, knowing he must take off. He had picked her up because Jabba still owed him after he had dropped off Solo. And everyone knew you had to present a Hutt with a gift or threaten them to get his attention. The wiser choice would probably be to present Jabba with a gift. Jabba always paid up well, and it would be wise to stay on good terms with him.
Alice awoke in a tiny cell, and momentarily forgot what had happened. She realized the cell was moving, and everything came rushing back to her, and she wished she could go back almost immediately. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought, along with some stronger words. She glanced around, and something seemed familiar with this place, like something she had seen and lived in when she was very small. But that was impossible. She glanced at the door, and remembered how to get out. She removed one of the bobby pins from her overly trussed up gold curls, and proceeded to pick the lock through the pinprick hole in the side of the cell. She worked for several minutes, and finally there was a definitive click, and the door swung open. Perfect she thought. Now what?
Boba Fett remembered how ridiculously far from his galaxy this worthless little planet had been. He would have to make the jump to hyperspace. He made the proper calculations, and he punched the button, and the ship rocketed off just in time for Alice's terrified friends to see the ship with their best friend on it, take off into the sky.
The green gray ship lurched, and Alice flew back into the far wall. They were going so fast, so very fast. She had to do something, and she slammed her open cell door shut, and saw a pile of crates in the far corner. It took awhile for her to find an empty one, and there were some really scary things in others, but she finally found one, and the ship lurched again. A loud "OUCH!" came from the cell next to hers. It sounded like a kid a little older than her, a boy. She crept over and said,"Anyone there?" cautiously. She heard muttering from the inside,"&^% bounty hunter!" but the voice was not talking to her. "Wait what? Can you get me out of this *&^# hole?" The boy was cursing, but, she herself saw a reason to. She picked the lock through the outside, which was much easier, and the door swung open. A freckle – faced brunette boy tumbled out. He looked thirteen or fourteen, and she helped him up. "Listen, I found a place to hide, follow me, I'll explain later," she said quickly, and half dragged him to the crate and told him to climb in. He did, and she followed, putting the lid on as she went down. "You look familiar," the boy said as he stared at Alice by the dim light. "You too. Here I'll explain," and she quickly related how she had been kidnapped by the man.
"Weird. This guy's name is Boba Fett, and he is the most famous bounty hunter to ever cross the galaxies. What he wanted with you, who knows, but I was kidnapped in the same fashion. I am from a different planet, but have foster parents as well. You look nothing like me, we can't be related. And I'm really sorry to tell you this, but he is headed for a place called Tatoonie, and a beast named Jabba the Hutt lives there. Jabba has… erm… dancing… girls. And you are really pretty… so I think you might be…"
"Oh."
"Yes, sorry, but I can't figure out what he wants with me. I mean, I don't have any reason to have a bounty on me, so it must be personal. "
"What is a bounty hunter, anyway?"
"It's a guy or girl that is paid credits to hunt down people in the galaxy and either kill them, get information from them, or take them prisoner. "
"Sounds like a wonderful guy. Absolutely wonderful"
"Yep."
"I'm Alice. Who are you?"
"Koi."
The ship started landing, and the pair glanced at each other nervously.
The crates all slid to the side as they hit the ground, and the boy pressed a finger to his lips as they heard footsteps. Alice was glad she had shut the doors behind her. The man- or Boba Fett- unlocked Alice's cell. "What the #*&?" he said. "How the %$# did she get out of there?" More footsteps. "My… the boy, he's gone too!"
"You're his what?" Alice whispered.
The boy only shrugged, but he looked stricken.
"Where are they?" Boba Fett wondered.
Boba Fett glanced around. That little girl was the only way to get Jabba's attention. Stupid Hutt laws. But the boy, I finally found him, and they escape on a sealed ship! He thought. But… a sealed ship? They have to be on here somewhere. He commanded his droids to unload his ship for Jabba's palace, hoping to scare them out of hiding. But he noticed that the crates had already been opened, and realized where the brats must be. He checked every one, and finally he opened the last crate, the biggest one, and saw the boy and the little girl in the bottom. The girl had made herself so small it was hard to tell how she had done it, but the boy drew himself up and tried to put on a brave face. He held up one of Boba's own spare wrist cuffs, and threatened to shoot. Boba Fett knew that the boy couldn't hit, but wait, that was his RIGHT wrist cuff, and the right one held the poison darts. Before he could think, he slapped it out of the boy's hand before someone got killed, and knocked over the crate in the process. The two kids ran, straight off the loading ramp on the cargo hold.
I can't believe he had the guts to do that!Alice thought as she ran faster than ever before. Her feet skidded on the sand, scuffing up her black boots. She glanced up and saw a huge palace looming before her. The boy pulled ahead of her, and she just followed him. Something whizzed past her head, and she ducked. More shots fired, and finally something hit her in the back of the head. She crumpled to the ground. One hit the boy, and he was soon unconscious as well.
Too easy Boba Fett thought. I would have expected more from- never mind must get the girl to Jabba's palace before she wakes. He shot both kids again to make sure they stayed out long enough and he locked the boy back in his cell. Then he ordered his droids to present the girl to Jabba. After all, Jabba was still indebted to him after he had delivered Solo, and presenting a Hutt with a gift was probably the only safe way to get his attention.
The droids carried the girl to Jabba's palace. They bowed before the massive Hutt, and said," The humble bounty hunter Boba Fett wishes to present your greatness with a gift." And then the droids handed Alice He began examining the girl. "She should do fine. I hope she can dance." He croaked maliciously. Alice started to stir. Jabba called to one of the other dancing girls. "Put her in the costume," and the Twi'lek rushed off carrying poor Alice.
