Kedalbe, Mandalore…

Boba Fett sat in a corner booth in the center-of-government/cantina in the center of the Mandalorian capital, sipping Mandalorian ale and dealing with the not-as-copious amounts of paperwork before him. He was then approached by one of his guards.

"Mand'alor, you have visitors." The guard said. Fett nodded and motioned for his papers to be cleared off, which they were, expediently, by a black plated protocol droid. As soon as the droid had left, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker were shown in and seated right in front of him, four armed guards standing on either side of them.

"They surrendered their weapons without question, Mand'alor." One of the guards said motioning to a nearby transparasteel box containing Luke and Mara's Lightsabers and Mara's blaster.

"I had no doubt." Fett said as he leaned back in his seat and crossing his arms.

"We aren't here to cause trouble Mand'alor." Luke said but Fett wasn't convinced.

"So says every fool who usually ends up making trouble by the end of the day. However, considering my recent deal with the Republic, I was a little surprised you showed up here this late in the day. I expected you earlier. It seems my expectations of you Jedi are already mistaken." Fett said as Luke nodded.

"I do apologize for our delay Mand'alor. I won't make excuses as to our tardiness." Luke said as Mara groaned softly.

"Cloud City was attacked and we were debating whether or not to lend assistance. The Republic was already responding to the matter and so we had leave to go on and come here." Mara said as Fett gave her a blank stare. He then looked at Luke who was rubbing his forehead in slight annoyance.

"Not surprised. I heard about Cloud City. But I'm not interested in Tibanna Gas or how many women Calrissian has taken to bed in the last twenty-four hours. I'm curious as to what brings two Jedi and one of them being one of my oldest rivals before me." Boba said as he looked at Luke.

"We're here to follow up on your request of the Jedi. Locating Ailyn Vel? We were hoping you could supply us with some information about her. Being an experienced Bounty Hunter you would know how important it is to know your target as it were." Luke said as Fett took a sip of ale.

"Knowing your target is a trait more commonly associated with assassins. You sound as if you seek to kill my daughter." Fett said, but Luke and Mara both held their ground before Fett continued, "However, I've been an assassin too, and knowing your target does help with capturing them. So I'll provide you with what information I have."

"Much appreciated, Mand'alor." Luke said as Fett leaned forward and glared at Luke straight in the eyes.

"I have no useful information on her. All of my information on her is outdated. Has been for decades. The last time I actually saw her, was when she was two. That was about thirteen years before Yavin if I remember correctly. I walked out on her and her mother so I imagine Ailyn's not too eager to see me if she knows I'm even her father. I will say that, by now, she's…forty-three standard years old." Fett explained.

"And you're sure that it's Ailyn impersonating you?" Mara asked.

"Positive. Her late husband, was a loyal Mandalorian before his death and in one of his final messages to me, he informed me that she had a hologram of me and my ex-wife holding an infant child. He sent me a copy of the hologram and I knew immediately it was her." Fett explained.

"Ex-wife? Oh, you mean, Sintas Vel." Mara muttered, earning a curious look from Fett.

"I see Lord Vader's mind is still as sharp as ever. I gather he's read my file from the old Imperial records?" Fett asked as Luke nodded.

"Do you think your ex-wife might know more on Vel's whereabouts?" Luke asked but Fett leaned back in his seat again, his arms crossed once more.

"I highly doubt it. She's been missing or dead for almost thirty years." Fett replied, causing Luke to backpedal slightly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to-…" Luke said but was interrupted.

"Skywalker, remember I walked out on her. I'm not sorry." Fett said before giving a nod to the guards. "These men will escort you wherever you want to in Kedalbe. As long as your boots touch Mandalorian soil, they'll stay with you. Your ship is the only area you can go without being followed. On that you have my promise."

The Skywalkers stood up, humbly bowed, and were shown out of the cantina. A few minutes later, Luke and Mara, their weapons returned to them, walked into the main hold of the Jade Shadow.

"Well that could have gone better." Luke muttered.

"Actually, I think it went pretty well." Mara replied as she leaned against a bulkhead.

"It doesn't help Galen and my father's search for Ailyn at all though." Luke said as he sat down atop a supply crate.

"But it does give us some insight as to why Fett wants to find his daughter." Mara said, earning a curious look from Luke.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"Whenever he spoke of or heard of Ailyn or Sintas, there was the slightest change in his attitude. I also could sense there was some deception from him when he mentioned that he walked out on them and that he wasn't sorry about it." Mara said as Luke pondered.

"You think there's more to this than he's letting on?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. But what can we do? We're kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. As a bounty hunter, which the entire Jedi Order technically is for him at the moment, you don't investigate your clients unless you're just dying to be killed…or unless you get a better offer from a third party and you're unscrupulous enough to change contracts." Mara said as Luke nodded in agreement.

"Plus, Fett's willing to negotiate with the Republic. We've got to give him the benefit of the doubt." Luke said as Mara nodded.

"Agreed…but I can't shake this gnawing feeling, that there's something else going on behind our back." Mara said as Luke glanced around the hold.

"You sense it too? The dark side is growing stronger, but the strange thing is that here, on Mandalore, of all the places in the galaxy, I get the strangest feeling of…" Luke said, his sentence dropping off.

"Feeling of what?" Mara asked as Luke looked her in the eyes.

"Peace."


On Nar Shaddaa…

The turbolift doors opened into a dimly lit round chamber. There were no windows, only a single skylight surrounded by lights for use when the sun was down. The chamber had the five columns like the casino floor below only here the columns continued past where the turbolift shafts ended and narrowed out to end nearly at a point near the skylight. The center of the room had a large fur rug in the center with the symbol for the Hutt clan, Desilijic, knitted into it. The edges of the room had chairs, tables, and benches, most of which were occupied by several shady looking people of varying species, most of them however being Weequay, Trandoshans, Rodians, and Gran. On one end of the room however, was a single large slab of duracrete with cushions on it. Sitting on said cushions, however, was an aptly sized Hutt sitting and eating from a veritable buffet of food…some of it, still living. In the center of the room also danced a scantily clad Rutian Twi'lek Dancer, which was apparently more for the patron's enjoyment than the Hutt's. A hologram of a Bith band played in the corner, providing music to the patrons.

"Well this is certainly not what I expected." Kento said as Jaina nodded in agreement.

"You can say that again." She muttered as the three made a quick survey of the room and spotted Ailyn, still in her Fett disguise, talking to a protocol droid near the Hutt with red paint and white arrow-like stripes.

"There's Fett, over there." Jacen said as Kento took notice of the Desilijic clan insignia on the rug.

"Uh, wasn't Jabba the Hutt a member of the Desilijic Clan?" Kento whispered to his companions. It was about this time that memories of the stories told to them of how Jabba the Hutt had died by the hands of their respective parents came flooding back to them.

"If we get caught, we're as good as spaced." Jaina muttered. But before they could make a move the music stopped and dancer stopped dancing, bowing to the patrons and their applause. The protocol droid then moved to the Hutt's side and whispered something to it as Fett waited patiently in the shadows of the room. The Hutt paused for a moment and then laughed a deep booming laugh. The Hutt then said something in Huttese with another laugh.

"The mighty, Rotta, bids the Bounty Hunter, Boba Fett, approach." The Protocol droid said with a feminine voice. This inspired awe filled whispers from the gallery of patrons. "Fett" then approached the center of the room and stood facing the Hutt.

"Rotta?" Kento said to himself. He had heard the name before somewhere. Rotta then spoke again and the droid translated.

"The mighty, Rotta asks why you are here." The droid said.

"I recently lost my ship and am in need of a new one. Your father, the late Jabba Desilijic Tiure, owed me a ship as a reward for a Bounty I collected for him some years back. I'm here to cash in on the reward." "Fett" said. Rotta looked away from "Fett" for a moment, biting the head off some form of frog and mulling the thought over while eating it. A Twi'lek aid then approached and whispered something to the Hutt who seemed startled for a moment then glanced at Fett for a moment before looking away.

"I have a very bad feeling about this." Kento said as Jaina and Jacen both nodded.

"I agree. We better be ready for trouble." Jacen said as the aid backed away from the Hutt, giving off a laugh that could only be rivaled by Jabba himself. The Hutt then linked his fingers together while smiling at the bounty hunter before him. He then said something and the droid translated.

"The mighty, Rotta, wishes to see the face of the man who proved himself an asset to his late-father. He says, there will be no deals until then." The droid translated. "Fett" didn't react, just standing in the middle of the room as if contemplating his options. Jacen, Jaina, and Kento each had their hands near their lightsabers. They noticed "Fett's" hand was hovering near the DC-15S that was clipped to her right thigh. Some of the gallery members were starting to pull out blasters and aim them at the Bounty Hunter.

"And what makes you think I'll remove my helmet?" "Fett" asked, daring Rotta to make the next move. Rotta and "Fett" stared at each other for what seemed like forever until finally Rotta laughed again and said something in Huttese while waving a Rodian aid over.

"The mighty, Rotta, says you are definitely the real Boba Fett. Your new ship will be waiting for you at this location." The protocol droid translated as the aid produced a datapad which "Fett" took. The three Jedi each silently sighed in relief…along with most of the gallery members. Trying to kill someone they thought was Boba Fett apparently was not on their to-do list.

"This will do." "Fett" said as he handed the datapad back to the aid who walked away. Rotta then said something and the droid translated.

"The mighty, Rotta, says that he also has a more lucrative business opportunity for you, if you are interested." The droid said.

"I'm listening." "Fett" said as an R2 series astromech rolled up. The droid then began to speak again.

"Target: Anakin Skywalker. Age: Sixty-Nine standard years. Species: Human-Cyborg. Wanted: Dead. Profession: Jedi. Last known location: Yavin IV. Reward: five million Republic credits." The protocol droid said as a hologram of the Jedi Master appeared.

"Uh-oh." Jacen and Jaina both whispered to each other. "Fett" glared at the hologram for a moment before looking back up at the Hutt.

"Not even for five billion credits." "Fett" replied. The Solo twins and Kento each silently sighed with relief. Rotta then laughed and spoke again and the hologram disappeared.

"The mighty, Rotta, understands your hesitance to accept this particular bounty. He instead offers you an alternative bounty." The droid said as a hologram appeared, this time of the most unexpected person. The three Jedi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No way." Kento said. It was a hologram of Ailyn Vel.

"What…are the details on this bounty?" "Fett asked, not taking her eyes off the hologram.

"Target: Ailyn Vel. Age: Forty-three standard years. Species: Near-human. Fifty percent human and fifty percent Kiffar. Wanted: Dead. Profession: Bounty Hunter. Last known location: Concord Dawn. Reward: One Million Republic Credits." The droid said with "Fett" continuing to stare at the hologram. Though she did seem to stiffen slightly when the droid mentioned she was wanted dead.

"Who would want her dead?" Jacen asked as he and the other two Jedi stared at the hologram.

"It could be anyone. She is a bounty hunter you know." Jaina replied.

"Who posted this bounty?" "Fett" asked. Only the three Jedi could sense her anger building. Rotta began to speak again and the droid translated.

"The bounty was posted by a trusted friend to the mighty, Rotta, who wishes to remain anonymous." The droid said. "Fett" looked up at the Hutt curiously.

"I don't work for someone I don't know. Who posted the bounty?" "Fett" asked, crossing "his" arms. Rotta spoke again and again the droid translated.

"The mighty Rotta insists that his client remain anonymous. The mighty Rotta, is willing to pay an extra five hundred thousand credits as down payment and an additional five hundred thousand for any inconvenience for the client's anonymity may provide. There is also, one additional stipulation." The droid said as "Fett" looked curious.

"What stipulation?" "Fett" asked. Almost instantly, a hatch on the astromech's dome opened up and a white cylinder shaped object rose out of the top. "Fett" pulled the object out of the droid and carefully examined it in her hand. She held it in one hand and pressed a button on the side, causing a blade of green laser energy to emit from one end with a hiss. It was a lightsaber.

"The mighty Rotta's client insists that the target be killed with this weapon and the body brought back as proof of the kill. The weapon is yours if you choose to accept." The droid explained as "Fett" looked the lightsaber over for a while. The three Jedi, each speechless, watching anxiously to hear what "Fett's" answer would be.

"Raise the bounty to one point five million and add an extra five hundred thousand to the down payment and we have a deal." "Fett" said, startling the three Jedi. Rotta laughed before cheerfully saying something, which the droid translated.

"It is a deal, Boba Fett. Your payment will be transferred to your ship." The droid said as "Fett" gave a single nod of appreciation as she backed away while the holographic Bith band returned and the Twi'lek dancer retook the center of the room as well.

"I'll keep in touch." "Fett" said as she turned and headed for the turbolift nearest the Jedi. As she stood waiting, the three Jedi attempted to sneak past only for a blaster to be shoved in Jacen's face.

"What are you doing here?" Vel asked.

"Making sure you were alright." Kento replied as Vel shook her head.

"You're a bunch of di'kuts for following me in here. You're lucky I didn't take the bounty on Skywalker." Vel replied as she and the three Jedi stepped into the turbolift, riding it down towards the main floor.

"Well forgive us for wanting to make sure things went alright." Jaina said as Vel sighed heavily.

"Save your concern Jedi. I don't need it." Vel said as she turned and stared out the turbolift window into the casino mezzanine.

"We saw the hologram. We know someone's trying to kill you." Jacen said.

"And with a Lightsaber too." Jaina added, earning another heavy sigh from Vel.

"That's none of your concern. Besides I have an idea of who wants to kill me." Vel replied as the turbolift doors opened and they headed for the exit.

"Who, besides yourself?" Kento asked.

"My father." Vel replied as she stormed out the doors, leaving the three Jedi behind and clearly confused. They looked at each other in disbelief for a moment before catching up to her.

"Whoa, hold up, you mean your own father is trying to kill you?" Kento asked. Vel only shoved her blaster into his face.

"What did I tell you about keeping your distance?" Vel asked. Kento raised his hands and backed off along with Jaina and Jacen before Vel holstered her blaster and walked towards where they had landed the Mynock. Not noticing a figure in a black cloak and hood following from a distance.


On the Mynock…

"Alright! That's it! try it!" Anakin, standing atop the Mynock with a welding torch in hand, shouted down to R2 down inside the cockpit. R2 gave an acknowledging series of beeps. The sound of machinery powering up could be heard before the part of the Mynock Anakin was working on suddenly caught fire with a burst of smoke and a shower of sparks. Anakin jumped slightly as he grabbed a handheld fire suppressor as he shouted "WOAH-TURN-IT-OFF! TURN-IT-OFF! OFF! TURN-IT-OFF!"

Finally the machinery powered down and the fire extinguished.

"Okay, so apparently the power converter does not go into that socket." Anakin muttered as he caught his breath.

"Suggestion: Perhaps if you referred to the owner's manual, Master." HK suggested from his post outside the boarding ramp.

"Thanks for the suggestion. Only this ship didn't come with an owner's manual." Anakin replied as he leapt down from atop the ship.

"Statement: Only trying to be of service, Master." HK replied.

"Well that's a first." Anakin mumbled under his breath as Ailyn, Jacen, Jaina, and Kento approached the ship.

"Hey bro. Did anything happen while we were gone?" Jacen asked as Ailyn walked straight into the ship.

"Nothing really. I've mostly been engrossed in repairs. I can't get the communications back online without some replacement parts. Tahiri and Mirta are somewhere inside doing Force knows what. I'm pretty sure I heard someone screaming in there...of course that could have been when I got the wires crossed on the shower unit's temperature regulator." Anakin explained.

"Well aside from the communications being down, no news is good news I suppose." Jaina said but Kento wasn't convinced.

"But be mindful, I sense a disturbance in the Force." Kento said as Anakin looked at him with a worried expression.

"So it's not just me. I haven't had a chance to ask Tahiri about it so I didn't know if my senses were tricking me or not." Anakin said as he and the others boarded the ship.

"Say, you haven't seen Master K'Kruhk anywhere have you?" Jaina asked but Anakin shook his head.

"Not since he left with you guys." Anakin replied.

"Uh-oh." Jacen said as he peaked back out the boarding ramp.

"I don't sense he's in any danger at the moment. Perhaps we should let him be." Kento said as Jaina sighed.

"If you insist." She said.

"Come along HK." Anakin said, calling the assassin droid back inside the ship. From around a nearby corner at the opposite end of the platform, the hooded figure pulled out a small device and instantly a hologram of a figure in matching black robes appeared.

"Master, I have located the Bounty Hunter and the assassin droid on Nar Shaddaa. It seems our informant was correct." The figure said.

"Excellent. The force is with us, my apprentice. You must make sure the Bounty Hunter dies before she boards her ship." The figure said as the other nodded slowly.

"And with her death, forming our allegiance with the Mandalorians will be easy. But what of the Jedi?" the figure asked.

"The Jedi will die soon enough, but for now we need them to act as our...messengers. Kill only the Bounty Hunter and make sure the Jedi are alive enough to deliver her body." The figure said as the other bowed.

"It shall be done, my master."


End Chapter 9.

PLEASE REVIEW!

Rotta the Hutt is indeed the son of Jabba the Hutt. I'm aware that there's no mention of him after his appearances in The Clone Wars series but I wanted to fill in that blank.