summary: during death trap, Boba has a hard time trying to focus on his mission when he's distracted by his feelings for a certain jedi


Boba strolled behind the other clones as they entered this new, fancy ship. Even though the surroundings were pretty sterile and werent much to see, the others still seemed curious and interested, unlike himself. Maybe he was too concentrated on his little mission- to kill the jedi who murdered his father. Or maybe he simply didnt care. He had seen the insides of many ships before. Having a bounty hunting father meant alot of traveling, so it wasnt something new to him. As they were lead further into the ship, their 'guide' was chattering on about something, but Boba wasnt paying any attention to him or what he was talking about. Instead, he watched the guards lined up along the walls.

Some of them didnt seem to really notice the young clones, while others curiously watched them passing by. However, Boba had to tear his eyes away and keep his gaze on the floor as they walked on, not wanting to see any more copies of his deceased father. It just hurt too much. But his eyes eventually rose again to glance at the group of kids before him. They all seemed so excited and so oblivious to things. It made him feel even more grumpy at the moment, but all the thoughts that had been occupying his mind for the last few minutes were like washed away when the group suddenly came to a stop. And so did he.

The other clones were blocking his vision slightly, so leaning a little to the side, he could spot two men up ahead in the corridor. When realizing that he recognized one of them, his features darkened a little, almost turning into a frown at the sight. It was the jedi who had killed his father. Taken the only person Boba had ever loved and needed, away from him. But he was going to pay. He could never let him get away with this. When the jedi greeted them, Boba forced his features to soften again, to hide his anger and dismay from everyone. He couldnt let those emotions cloud his mind when he was supposed to concentrate on something more important.

"Welcome aboard the jedi cruiser Endurance", Windu started. "I am Mace Windu, and this is-" he made a gesture towards his colleague, but was immediately cut off.

"Anakin Skywalker", the man presented himself, almost sounding excited as he took a step closer to the clones. Boba leaned over again, trying to get a better view of him. He seemed pretty cool for a jedi, not as boring and stiff as he had imagined most of them to be. Like the murderer over there. His eyes narrow and momentarily go to Windu, but as Anakin speaks again, Boba's gaze goes back to him quickly and he curiously pays attention to what he's saying.

"Welcome aboard. Today you'll see how a real working jedi cruiser operates. You'll have the chance to serve right alongside two jedi knights", there's a small smile following Anakin's speech as he looks out over the excited clones. But Boba remains silent and still, with his calm gaze focused on the man, but when the jedi's eyes momentarily meet with his, his whole body stiffens and he turns his gaze somewhere else, realizing that he'd been staring. However, Anakin doesnt get to say anything else before another man comes to inform him that there's a call waiting for him. And with a more serious look on his face, Anakin turns back to the group again.

"Later then..", he says and takes a step back, before both he and Windu turn to walk away. The clones around Boba start to chatter, but he doesnt hear them, or see them. The only thing that his eyes are plastered on is the retreating back of Anakin. That was an interesting jedi. But as their guide interrupts the chattering and they're on their way again, Boba snaps out of his trance like state, realizing that he'd been staring yet again. How embarrassing. Against his will, a small blush spreads over his cheeks as he watches the jedi disappear behind a corner further up ahead. He just couldnt understand where this shyness had come from so suddenly. But he forces those thoughts aside and focuses his mind on the mission. He couldnt allow himself to get distracted. It was just too important. So he follows the others and the calm expression on his face is already replaced by a bitter frown.

Minutes later, they arrived to a new room, which appeared to be a shooting range. That tiny bit of curiosity returned to Boba again as they all lined up along the wall in silence, patiently waiting for instructions from their guide. This might not be so bad after all.

"Alright then", the man passed them to come to stand by the end of the line. "As you can see, this is where you will learn how to handle a gun", he then makes a gesture with his hand, showing them the shooting tracks. Some of the boys looked excited, and others a little nervous, but Boba kept his cool facade, feeling as confident as ever. "There is no need to worry", the guide added when seeing the look on their faces. "I will be here to help you and make sure that you-

"That wont be necessary", a familiar voice interrupted all of a sudden and they all turned their heads towards the entrance of the room. Boba's heart skipped a beat when he spotted the young jedi from before and as the man crossed the room towards them, the footsteps echoed like drums in his head, matching his now very strong heartbeats. But where was Windu? A suspicious frown appeared on his face.

"I will take it from here", Anakin said as he came to a stop next to the guide.

"Yes, general", the man replied quickly and turned again to the young clones. "I will see you later troops. Good luck" and with that said, he left the room.

"Are you ready for your first lesson in becoming real soldier?" Anakin asked the group and they all cheered in response, well, except for Boba, who discreetly glanced at the others, slightly annoyed with their excitement. It was just a shooting range, nothing to get excited about.

"Good", a small smile formed on Anakin's face. "Today I will teach each and everyone of you how to be an excellent marksman. But first of all, lets go through some rules", his face turns a little more severe at this, and he scans the group of clones with serious eyes. "No playing around with the guns. They are not toys, but weapons, and we dont want anyone to get hurt." The boys all watched him back silently, in understanding before he continued. "But dont worry. I will give you clear instructions", he ensured them. There was silence for a short moment.

"Any questions?" Anakin wondered then and the clones glanced at each other as if expecting someone else to come up with a good question. But not Boba, he knew everything he needed to know, so he remained quiet, confident that he would probably do better than any of these guys. A voice broke the silence suddenly and he tore his eyes from Anakin as one of the more cocky clones stepped forward and Boba wrinkled his nose at him.

"Can you kill someone with one single shot?" he wanted to know with a slightly mischievous grin, making a poor attempt at hiding the excitement in his voice, and Anakin was slightly taken aback by the question.

"Yes", he answered truthfully. "It is possible, if you're a good shot", he didnt reveal anything more than that for now. It would be unnecessary information at a time like this. "Anything else you want to ask?" but the clones were quiet and after a few seconds, they all shook their heads no.

"Ok then. Let us begin", Anakin waited for each of them to choose a track. Boba ended up with one of the middle most lanes, and as he picked up the gun to study it, he carefully listened to what Anakin was saying in the background. Not that he thought he needed any instructions. The guns were simple and seemed easy to handle. Perfect weapons for beginners. But still, he followed them like the other clones, taking the safety off and aimed at the old fashioned target by the far wall way ahead of him.

"Everyone ready?" Anakin asked and Boba's eyes moved slightly to glance at the man, but his body remained frozen. He could hear some of the clones replying. "Good. Just aim and do your best", Anakin continued as he slowly walked across the room behind the boys, checking everyone of them. "Take all the time you need." His words were followed by the sound of firing guns as they all tried their luck at shooting. Several cheers and chattering filled the room for a short moment but Boba ignored them, simply watching the hole in the middle of his target as it rolled off and was replaced by a new one.

He doubted any of the others could have had a more perfect result than himself. They had after all, no experience since earlier. While he waited for the new target to place itself where the previous one had been, Boba turned his head to see Anakin helping one of the other boys. In silence, he watched as the jedi tried to change the position of the clone's arms and lowering the gun a little. He couldnt really hear what they were saying but he saw Anakin's lips moving, probably giving the guy some advice.

Boba had been so far up in the clouds that he didnt notice Anakin's eyes meeting with his until it was too late. Damnit. He turned away, pretending that he was busy aiming with his gun, but the jedi eventually came over to him.

"Do you need help?" came that deep, kind voice but Boba didnt break his position.

"Uh...I..", he started, sounding more uncomfortable than he had wanted to show. "I dont.." but before he had the chance to explain himself further, two hands came to grab his arms from behind and he kind of froze and lost his focus as a deep blush started spreading over his cheeks.

"Hold it more like this", Anakin suggested, as he lowered Boba's arms and the weapon a little bit, but Boba had a difficult time doing anything when he felt the jedi's warm breath on his neck and he had to force back a shudder. Eventually, he managed to hold the weapon in place and keep his position. It made him really frustrated that he knew perfectly well how to handle a gun, but couldnt help but screwing up in the presence of this man. However, when Anakin finally retreated a bit, Boba forced himself to relax and to focus on the target in front of him. And just like last time, he managed to hit the middle of it. He wasnt impressed by his own ability to do so, but was very satisfied to know that Anakin had watched him do it.

"That was a very good shot", Anakin had to admit, apparently both impressed and surprised by what he had just seen. But then it could be beginners luck or maybe this boy was a natural. "keep on practicing for a while", he added and gave Boba's shoulder a friendly pat before going away to check on the other clones. Boba wanted to smile but stopped himself from doing so when he noticed one of the clones giving him a mean glance before going back to shooting more aggressively. It didnt intimidate Boba but he frowned at the blond boy, before tearing his eyes off him to aim at his new target. Only moments later, Anakin told them to put their guns aside and follow him to another part of the room. They stopped at a big table where another kind of gun was displayed in a glass container before them, and Anakin turned to them again.

"I'm going to teach you guys how to put together a disassembled gun", he made a gesture to show all the parts lying divided into piles on the table. "I will show you how it's done, and then you get to try", he rounded the corner to the other side so that everyone would have the chance to see what was going on. They all watched in silence as the jedi put different parts together smoothly, like if he hadnt done anything else his whole life.

"It's actually pretty easy", Anakin informed when he was done and he showed them the now finished gun. "As soon as you learn where all the parts go." he put the weapon down on the table again. "Alright then. Lets see what you can do." He stepped aside to allow the clones to access the table and the gun parts. Most of them hurried to get a pile, as if there wasnt enough for everyone, but Boba calmly grabbed what was left for him and started studying the different pieces with great concentration.

This shouldnt be hard, as long as he figured out where all the parts were supposed to be, before he started. If he made a mistake along the way, he might end up with having to take it all apart again and start over. And that wasnt something he had planned on doing.

"I'm stuck, sir", came a miserable voice and it made Boba momentarily raise his gaze from his work to watch one of the clones showing an assembly of a few gun parts, to Anakin. It didnt look very good but the jedi kindly took the object, starting to remove parts. There was a hint of mockery in Boba's eyes as he turned them down again to keep working on his own gun.

"This part goes here", Anakin showed the clone before handing the half finished gun back to the boy. "Now you try." A smug look was plastered on Boba's face as he managed to attach the last part to his gun. Perfect. But his features changed to a neutral expression when looking up at their teacher.

"I'm done, sir", he said simply, as if it wasnt a big deal. And he held it out for Anakin to examine it, while the other clones just stared at him. Some curious and wondering. Others with jealous looks on their faces.

"That's..impressive", Anakin said as he turned the weapon over in his hands. But there was suspicion lingering far back in his mind. How could this boy possibly have the knowledge to do this? However, he didnt let it show. "Very well done", he congratulated then and held the gun up for the others to see. "This is how it's done. I hope you'll all learn from it." He put the weapon aside and Boba felt his chest growing warm of pride and especially from the positive comments he'd received from the jedi. A small smile slowly appeared on his face before he even realized it, but he quickly went back to looking blank again when Anakin turned to face the rest of the group.

"Everyone has done well today", he said. "We are going to move on to your next lesson now, so please put the guns aside and follow me", with this said, he turned to walk back across the room. They all started following him and Boba lingered a little behind as always. Suddenly, someone bumped into his right shoulder while passing him by and a frown appeared on his face when another one did the same thing on his other side. The two clones smirked at Boba as they looked back at him. One of them had been the blond boy who gave him a mean look before. But Boba decided to ignore the two for now and fell into the last place in the line as they exited the room and proceeded out into the hallways again.

They walked in silence all the way to their new destination and a moment later, Anakin stopped them outside yet another room. That's when Boba realized that he should have contacted Aurra and he desperately started going through different options in his mind. He needed to leave for a while, but Anakin would surely notice if he disappeared. Slowly, before the jedi started speaking, Boba reached his hand up, feeling slightly awkward. Luckily, Anakin noticed his try at making contact with him.

"Yes?" those bright blue eyes pierced Boba's and he felt himself almost drowning in the intensive stare. The clones turned as well to look back at him with curious brown eyes.

"Uhm", why did he find it so hard to speak normally when talking to the jedi? He slowly put his arm down again, ignoring the staring eyes of the other boys as his gaze was only on Anakin. "I need to go to the bathroom...sir", he patiently waited as the man seemed to be considering this.

"Just follow that corridor", Anakin pointed down a new hallway. "turn left twice and you should find what you're looking for", a short smile was added but Boba wasnt sure if he should return it or not.

"Thank you, sir", he replied with a quiet voice before turning to walk down the hallway pointed out to him. He looked back every now and then, seeing the group entering the new room with Anakin in the lead. A moment later, he rounded the corner to the left just like he'd been instructed to do, but stopped there, letting his suspicious eyes scan the surroundings. It looked like the coast was clear. Leaning against the wall casually, but still on the watch for possible guards or jedi, he brought his communicator up from deep inside his pocket and contacted Aurra. There was a slight crackling sound before her voice made it through to him.

"Boba, is that you?" he looked around once more before answering.

"It is", he whispered. You could never be too careful.

"I'm sending you the data now", was all that she said and he waited patiently as the device in his hand started sending out low beeping noises. When it finally stopped, he brought it up closer to his mouth.

"Received transmission, Boba out", he whispered before putting the device back into his pocket again. But he remained still for a while as many new thoughts entered his otherwise focused mind. Thoughts of Anakin and how he was taking a big risk by trying to blow Windu up. It would damage the ship and of course, Boba had an escape plan, but he didnt want Anakin to get hurt or to get in trouble because of him. There was a slight hint of regret and angst filling his hard pounding heart. No! He couldnt let those emotions cloud his judgment or distract him one little bit. That was a later problem. Right now, what he needed was to avenge his father and doing so by killing the snobbish jedi who had deprived him of him in the first place.

Boba straightened up a little as he started his way back down the long corridor he came from, trying to look normal and not so out of place. But should anyone wonder why he was out strolling around on his own, he had a good excuse, especially since Anakin had allowed him to go. Anakin...there was no doubt about it...he had definitely fallen in love with the jedi. He didnt need this right now, but what could he do. Suppressing his feelings as much as he could manage to, he continued down the hallway with only the mission in mind.


I really like how this first chapter came out. I can definitely see this happening. Please let me know what you thought about it? So I'll know if I should continue this story or not