Chapter 1: Hope
99 stood in the room where the Domino Squad had met before their majorities death. He held the training helmet of the newest edition to his collection. ARC Trooper Echo's helmet. He looked back over his shoulder at the other three helemts that had once belonged to Hevvy, Droidbait and Cutup.
Ninety-Nine looked down at the helmet in his hands that Fives had delivered to him just that morning. With careful reverance, he set it down next to the other three helmets and slowly sat down in front of them. Hevvy. He had been so strong, had placed all the pressures on himself rather than his brothers. He had died for his brothers Echo and Fives.
Droidbait. The one that was always fooling around with the droids, and always arguing with Droidbait. Getting rebuked for playing as "bait" in training. He had died by droids.
Cutup. The joker of the group. Bric had said that he could never take anything seriously. He had been eaten by some sort of strange space slug.
Ninety-Nine called himself Dominic, in honor of the Domino Squad, a Domino Squad that was the very best recruits. Yes, they had needed help to understand what they should be doing, and Ninety-Nine had helped them happily. Now they were gone.
"No." Ninety-Nine muttered calmly to himself. "The Domino Squad exists. They are separated, but alive. He had a feeling in his heart that the four missing Dominos still lived. Deserters, maybe. Disillusioned, maybe. Captured, maybe. But LIVING. Ninety-Nine was sure. And he was going to find out, one way or another. Before Fives could die witht he false thought that his comrades had perished. It was horrible to be the last one left. You had all the memories. You had all the grief and pressure. You started to make mistakes. No, Ninety-Nine had to find the other four of Domino Squad before they were lost forever. He would need help. He in his form couldn't do much, and would therefore need to enlist the aid of someone else. Someone who could do more than he could even think of doing. Someone who knew how clones would think. Someone who would respect them as clones and not as just another job. That's why Ninety-Nine had decided to enlist a clone. A rogue clone maybe, but an unaltered, intelligent clone. Trained
directly by the template Jango Fett. The clone he thought of was none other than the infamous Bounty Hunter Boba Fett.
He had sent his wish to the bounty hunter, but had no idea if Boba Fett would care enough to do it. All Ninety-Nine could do right now was wait. Wait and hope that the cloned Mandalorian would come to an old failed clone's aid.
Ninety-Nine looked at the four helmets on the table before him. Each one unique with scrapes and dents. Each one with different memories. Each one with a different owner, a different name, then down at the gradutation medal Hevvy had given him. Yes, Ninety-Nine thought. Boba Fett would come. He had to come.
"Please don't send me there, Fett! I'll do anything!" Boba Fett's most recent catch pleaded in vain as Boba Fett shut the cage door and headed up to the cockpit, lifting off of the planet of Dattooine and setting hyperspace coordinates for the planet of Tattooine where he would drop his most recent find off to Jabba the Hutt.
Slave I jolted as it entered hyperspace, and Boba Fett heard his bounty, Rish Nevan, squeal as he was smashed to the opposite end of the cage. Not that Boba felt any sympathy whatsoever.
Once Slave I was safely in orbit, Boba Fett unclasped his crash webbing and climbed down the ladder. He didn't give Rish a glance as he opened one of the lockers to remove medical supplies. Rish had scored a lucky hit with his blaster pistol to the Mandalorian's arm. Just a small burn, nothing that Boba Fett couldn't handle. He pulled out some bacta and applied the gel to the burn, never once letting his eyes leave the human that was watching him in fear from within the holding cage.
"Please, Fett! He'll kill me!" Rish tried again, pleading desperately.
Boba Fett looked at him but said nothing, instead packing up all of his medical supplies and replacing it in the medical locker. He turned and looked at Rish, who had opened his mouth to speak again. Rish shut his mouth and watched as he headed up the ladder.
"Please! He'll kill me!" He shouted.
"Then don't steal!" Boba shouted back. "May he kill you slowly." He muttered as he sat down in the pilot's chair again.
He stared out at the stars as they streaked past the viewport. Hyperspace travel had never grown old for Boba. He remembered watching it when he was little with his father... he had been in the co-pilot's seat then. Boba shook his head. Let the past stay in the past, so he just sat back and allowed himself to doze off.
The cockpit alarm beeped to let him know they were leaving hyperspace, and Boba Fett immediately fastened his crash webbing into place as he flipped the controls to manual.
Slave I jerked out of hyperspace and this time, Rish made no sound, wish made Boba smile grimly. Stupid enough to steal from a Hutt, but smart enough to not make the same mistake twice.
Boba Fett went through the usual landing procedures and headed down to the planet's surface, however he did not land and continued flying over the sandy ground toward Jabba's palace, landing where he usually did and climbing down from the cockpit.
"Please.." Rish began to speak, but the cold t-shaped visor caused his words to freeze in his mouth.
Boba Fett motioned with his gun. "Get out." He ordered. Rish's shoulders slumped and he slowly made his way out and down the boarding ramp. However, the second his feet touched the sand, he ran for it. Boba Fett watched for a moment, amused. He had expected as much, and, with a flick of his wrist, a wire wrapped around Rish's legs, causing him to stumble and fall.
Well, as long as it gets you inside. Boba muttered to himself, dragging the screaming Rish into the palace.
Boba Fett made his way to Jabba's throne, the occupants of the room stepping out of the way and staring down at the screaming human being dragged behind the bounty hunter.
Jabba watched delightedly as Boba Fett, with one jerk, dragged Rish to a stop between himself and Jabba.
"Ah, Fett! Always a pleasure!" Jabba announced loudly, staring down at Rish. "I cannot say the same for you, Nevan." He boomed.
Rish just stared up at the giant slug and shivered in fear.
Guards stepped forward, but Boba dragged Rish away from them. "Not until I'm paid." He growled to Jabba.
"You always were right to the point, Fett. Or rather, to the credit." Jabba laughed loudly, the other occupants joining in. "Watch your account and in a few moments, one million credits will be forwarded."
Boba watched and once the numbers were bumped up, Boba released Rish and watched indifferently as he was dragged away.
"Another great job, Fett!" Jabba hummed. "Will you be staying?"
"No." Boba answered, turning and heading off toward where he had left Slave I.
"A shame." Jabba said loudly.
Not really, Boba thought in annoyance. When he stayed at Jabba's Palace, there had to be an extremely good reason for it. Like the time when Slave I was almost reduced to scrap metal by pirates.
Boba Fett checked around Slave I for any tracking devices, checking twice since he was in no hurry, and finding nothing, climbed up into the cockpit, flying to Mos Eisley where he would stay until a job worth his while came up.
Boba hated having time. It gave a man too much time to think, and gave people a lot of time to find him for their useless jobs.
Landing, Boba began to head out when he noticed his holoprojector beeping. He sighed. If it was that good-for-nothing kid that kept calling, he was going to... His rant ceased as the form of the blue image of a handicapped clone appeared.
"I am sorry to bother you, Boba." He started softly, and Boba Fett slowly sat down. It was Ninety-Nine. The clone that had been so friendly to Boba whenever he was upset that his father was gone.
Ninety-Nine looked around him nervously. "Domino Squad is gone, Boba. At least, four of them. Echo, Hevvy, Droidbait and Cutup." Boba felt sorry for Ninety-Nine. He had loved the Domino Squad since he had first saw them. Boba, however, had only seen them a couple times when on one of his secret visits to Ninety-Nine. The old clone had told him about the five.
"But I'm not so sure that they are. Boba, I called you. I cannot pay, but I need someone good. Someone who would not think of this as another job, but as finding lost brothers." Ninety-Nine looked around again. "I cannot say more, but if you come, I can give you the details." And with that, the blue holo dissipated.
Boba climbed back into the cockpit and set coordinates for Kamino. Ninety-Nine had helped him, and Boba Fett would return the favour. Besides... he had nothing else to do.