The Perfect Catch

8-24-09

Disclaimer: Not mine ... wish it was, though. Please review if you liked it! I have an idea in mind for a sequel, but if I don't get any reviews, I'm not going to write it. So PLEASE review!

Summary: Boba Fett is chasing a bounty on Abragado-rae when he saves a girl from falling to her death. She then hires him to kill the man who slew her mother and sold her into slavery. But she has only one condition: he must bring her along with him.

Chapter one: The Chase

Boba Fett jetted a few feet higher into the clear air above the capitol city of Abregado-rae. It was a beautiful day, with warm temperatures and a fine breeze, and the occupants of the Spaceport were clearly enjoying it. But Boba had eyes for only one of the many scurrying figures: a lanky Gado who was darting from ledge to ledge with alacrity.

Frankly, Boba didn't blame him for wanting to hurry. Having a bounty hunter with a jetpack and a blaster pistol, among other things, on your tail would inspire you to move quickly. Boba just wished that this particular Gado wasn't moving quite so quickly.

The Gado darted into a cleft between two tall buildings, and Boba quickly jetted after him, landing smoothly and running along the catwalk. He could see his target's leg as the creature disappeared on the other side. Boba jumped after him, and just barely managed to stop himself from falling fifty feet to the city streets below.

He looked up to see the Gado leaping from windowsill to windowsill, headed towards the top of the building. Activating his Mitrinomon Z-6 jetpack, he launched upwards and landed silently on the edge of the roof. He pointed his blaster pistol at the back of the Gado's head and said, "Freeze! I will shoot you."

The Gado froze, holding its furry hands above its strange wormlike head. "What do you want, bounty hunter?" it whined.

"You are Djioe Korma, the smuggler, aren't you," Boba said, even though he already knew the answer.

"Never heard of him," the creature lied. "You want someone else, bounty hunter."

Oh, I don't think so, Boba thought. He said, "If you're innocent, why did you run?"

"You drew a gun!" the Gado moaned. Boba imagined that the creature was sweating under its fur. "What was I supposed to do: stand there and let you shoot me?"

So … another idiot. "Nobody else ran," Boba reasoned. "You obviously know I'm a bounty hunter. An innocent man would have known I wouldn't shoot."

Djioe knew he was trapped. Boba could see his sly eyes rolling in his head, trying desperately to seek a way out. The bounty hunter stepped forward, moving his gun to his left hand and lifting his right in preparation to use his whipcord. But before he could fire, a door slammed on his left, and a girl ran out onto the rooftop.

Immediately, Djioe grabbed the girl and dragged her over to the edge of the roof, keeping her still with a knifeblade pressed against her neck.

"Now what are you going to do, bounty hunter?" the Gado hissed. "If you try to shoot me, the girl dies."

Boba looked between his quarry and the hostage. She was young – about 19, he guessed – and human, with black hair and pale skin. Her blue eyes were wide and scared. Judging by her appearance, and the fact that she'd been carrying a pail of dirty water when she came onto the roof, Boba decided that she was a waitress at one of the Spaceport's restaurants.

Well, it was her unlucky day. He couldn't afford to throw away his chance at getting this bounty just because a random girl interfered and got herself taken as a hostage.

Then again … if he timed it right, he could tie up Djioe and the girl with one move, and then sedate his target and release the hostage. It could work.

"Very well," he sighed. "You've got me this time, Djioe." He dropped his blaster pistol and raised both hands, as if surrendering. But just as his right hand was passing his shoulder level, he extended it, shooting out 20 meters of whipcord.

He could never quite believe what happened next. While his cord was still in the air, right before it struck its target, Djioe actually pushed the girl off the roof. She screamed as she fell, spiraling, through the fifty-odd feet of air between her and her death.

Without hesitating, Boba leapt after her. He angled his body in a steep dive, catching the girl when she was about halfway down. Djioe, who was still connected to the bounty hunter by the whipcord, shrieked as he was dragged along for the ride.

As soon as Boba felt the girl's body in his arms, he pulled out of the dive and activated his jetpack, shooting upwards. He could feel his equipment straining under the added weight of a human girl and a roped Gado.

Just before he reached the rooftop, his jetpack gave out, leaving him suspended in the air for a single second before he plummeted downward. It was long enough. Heaving the girl the last few feet to safety, he managed to catch onto the crenelated edge of the building with one hand. He reached out with his boot and wrapped the whipcord around his leg a couple of times to take the strain off of his wrist. It would be a sad end to the day's hard work if his cord were to snap and drop his target onto to the unforgiving street below.

He started and almost fell himself moments later, when a small hand reached down and grasped his. "Here," the girl said. "Let me pull you up."

"No thanks; I can manage," he grunted, unwilling to trust his life into the hands of a nineteen-year-old waitress.

"I doubt it," the girl said. Moving slowly, she braced herself against the building's edge and hung on to Boba's wrist with both hands. "Now, climb up."

Boba gave an experimental tug; the girl seemed solid enough. Now that he had leverage, he could actually get somewhere. He placed his left foot against the rough wall and pushed upwards. So far so good.

He took another cautious step up and then hooked his leg over the building's edge, rolling to safety. He stood up slowly, staring down at the uselessly dangling Gado below.

"Now, my dodging little friend," he called. "I think we are on better negotiating terms. Do you agree? Or should I just push the release button …" He trailed off menacingly.

"No, no! Spare me, bounty hunter," the wretched creature wailed, looking up at him with dismal eyes. "I'll accept my punishment."

"Very well," Boba said, and hauled him up.

He was just about to lead his now-meek target away when the same quiet voice spoke behind him.

"Thank you."

He turned around. The girl was still standing there, her hands clasped together.

"It was no problem," Boba said, thinking this is probably the most exciting day she's ever had. Of course she's a little shell-shocked.

The girl's next words took him by complete surprise. "You're a bounty hunter, aren't you?"

Frowning, he nodded. "I'm Boba Fett."

"My name is U-ra," the girl said. "I'm not from this planet. I was brought here as a slave ten years ago, and freed, but I was born on Baramorra. My father was killed by a bounty hunter before I was three, and my mother was killed when I was nine."

Boba didn't respond. He'd heard enough tragic stories in his time that they had ceased to have any effect on him. The only thought running through his mind now was: what does this girl want from me?

"I want to hire you," the girl said.

"To do what?" Boba asked.

"I heard that you're the best. That's why I came up here … to have a chance to talk to you myself. I want you to hunt someone down for me … no "catch them alive" stuff: I want him dead. I'll pay you 500 credits … not a lot, I know, but it's all that I've managed to save up. Oh, and there's one other condition … I want to come along with you."

"Sorry," Boba said, turning away. "I'm only doing big jobs these days. 1500 credits or higher. You should go for a lesser time bounty hunter."

"But I want someone I can rely on!" the girl exclaimed. "You showed that today when you saved me, even though you didn't have to. You're not some cold-blooded bastard who just works for money."

Boba couldn't help but laugh. That's exactly what I am, little girl. But all he said was, "Why do you think I would be inclined to put up with dragging you around, not to mention accepting a bounty for such a low price?"

The girl took a deep breath. "Because you too knows how it feels to have your parent killed right in front of you, and to be helpless to prevent it."

Boba froze. Memories flashed before him as though he was reliving them.

A tall man in armor – his father, Jango – jumping down into the field where bullets were flying. The great beast that trampled him, sealing his doom even though it didn't leave a scratch. The robed Jedi with his purple lightsaber that struck his father down, decapitating him before he could escape. Jango's headless body falling to the ground, the damaged and useless jetpack still strapped to his back. Boba the child, crouching on the ruined ground, holding his father's still helmeted head in his arms. At that moment, he knows that his mentor, his protector … his hero … is dead.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to banish the painful memories from his mind. When he looked again, the girl was still standing there, hugging her arms to her chest.

"Who is this man you want me to kill?" he asked, his voice raw. No one had stirred up his emotions since that day …

"He's a slaver from Coruscant named Jooren Ven. I don't know where he is now."

"Helpful," Boba muttered. "Well, why don't you come back to my ship with me, and I'll look through the network and see what I can find."

"Okay," the girl said. She smiled at him and skipped forward. Boba shook his head, thinking – not for the last time – that he was probably going to regret this.

Pronounciation guide:

Djioe Korma - JEE-oh KORE-muh

U-ra - YOO-rah

Jooren Ven - JOO-ren VEN

If you have to ask how Boba Fett is pronounced, then you should not be reading this story : )