#14 - Unlikely Saviors

AN: To Ayy Kaim: Thank you for your helpful reviews. You could very easily have turned them into rants and I appreciate your tact. I have taken your advice into account and have gone back and edited a few things. I am trying very hard not to make Phalla a Mary Sue and to stay true to Boba's character. However, I feel I must explain my frequent reminders of eye color. Reading other fanfics, I notice that eye color often changes either in shade or into a new color completely as the story progresses. It's like the author just forgets this stuff and doesn't care. This is one my biggest fic-peeves. I know it's not really a big deal, but it is to me.

And do be patient; I haven't forgotten about Dengar.

By the way, it seems that you all are under the impression that Davin is a character that I have created. Do check his name in some Star Wars wiki (preferably in your handy copy of "Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Characters" by Andy Mangels). He is indeed canon and not mine.

As for the rest of you, thank you for all your encouraging reviews and enjoy this chapter!

In the days that passed, Boba's condition worsened. He grew very sick, but still refused to eat the ration bar that Phalla had saved. However, when she threatened to feed it to Crumb, Boba grudgingly accepted it. It did hardly anything to improve his health, but at least it had not been wasted on the stupid lizard monkey. Crumb was forced to gnaw on the bones of the victims of the barge explosion.

The next day, no one was feeling any better. Phalla had sat up in a sleepless night, watching over Fett and Crumb. Scavengers were beginning to get the idea that the sarlaac was dead and that there was easy food available. Someone needed to stand guard constantly. Fett had stubbornly tried, but collapsed. Phalla had dragged him back into the tent and stolen his rifle. She had no idea how to use it, but that did not stop her from trying.

She sighed as the suns came up. Creatures generally did not come out until nightfall so she could relax. She entered the tent and remembered that she was far from being able to relax. Boba was drenched in sweat that he could not afford to lose. She gasped and fell at his side. "Mr. Fett," she rasped, her voice dry from lack of water. "Can you hear me?"

He did not reply for a long time and she feared he was unconscious. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell lightly... "I'm still here, kid." His own voice was raspier than it had been when filtered through his helmet and very quiet.

Phalla laid the back of her hand on his fore head. He was burning up with a fever. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the emergency kit and rummaged around until she found a tiny booklet with several treatment instructions inside. She had treated his acid burns with bacta patches already, but they must have gotten infected if he was coming down with a fever. Finding what she was looking for, she set to work. "Hold still," she instructed while pealing off the sanitary casing from an antibiotic injector. "This might pinch a bit."

Fett had treated himself countless times before and was used to needles. He was impressed that Phalla was working so hard even though he had pretty much lost hope. No one was coming to rescue them and they could not travel anywhere. Right now, death seemed like a welcome option. Though dying this way was less than desired in Fett's opinion...

Phalla sighed as she watched him fall into a rather listless sleep. She hoped that he would make it until Princess Leia came for them. However, by that evening, things were going from bad to worse.

She was keeping watch while Fett was still sleeping. She was beginning to nod off until she would remember the threat of sand people or other deadly dessert creatures. Then she would be scared awake for about a standard hour. The cycle continued until the moon was high. Phalla finally closed her eyes out of pure exhaustion. She slouched where she sat and Boba's specialized rifle fell against the sand with a muted thud.

Crumb peeked out of the tent at hearing the noise. He observed his mistress fast asleep and the rifle that lie on the sand. He chirped quietly to himself and silently skittered off into the night.

-x-

Crumb soon found out that sneaking out into the dessert in the middle of the night was not exactly a good idea.

He came screeching back to the tent, waking up both Phalla and Boba in the process. Phalla heard Fett hoarsely growl several choice curses in various languages that she did not know. It was not long until she discovered the reason for Crumb's hurried and unexpected return.

Over the farthest sand dune, she spotted about a dozen moving shadows. Her heart nearly froze. She had no idea what the creatures were, but she did not like the looks of them. Worse, they were coming this way.

She scrambled for Fett's blaster and steadied the sawed-off barrel at the group of beasts. At the head of the pack was the largest of them. He was a big brute, bristling with spikes along his hackles. With large, black eyes, he easily picked out Phalla and the tent. He gave a wild howl, echoed by his fellow hunters, and continued the chase anew with the prey sighted.

Phalla's wide eyes grew wider with pure fear. Her slim fingers clutched the blaster with such force that her knuckles turned white. She began to hear the many paws thundering through the sand as the creatures approached. Remembering herself, she held up the weapon and aimed. She hoped beyond hope that this would work. She applied pressure to the trigger...

She was shaken with the recoil and a bright light soared through the air. One of the beasts faltered and tumbled down the dune then lie still. The others did not stop to see what happened. They kept coming. Closer, closer.

Her courage aroused somewhat, Phalla continued firing at the animals. A few more fell by her shots, but there were at least half a dozen left, including the leader, by the time they reached the camp. They surrounded her and the tent, growling and barking and salivating. Phalla dared not move now lest she cause them to jump. Perhaps she could lure them away from Fett if she tried hard enough...

Too late.

The leader was sniffing around the flap of the tent and growled hungrily at the scent of sickness. Phalla slowly brought up the rifle. The leader snapped his gaze upon her, fangs bared. Two others came up at her sides, snarling. She held still, the sights trained on the huge leader. She felt cold sweat dripping down her face and her hands trembled. She knew that they were going to die.

They were all surprised when they heard a loud cry ring out and the tent seemed to explode. Crumb was nowhere to be seen. Phalla caught a flash of metal in the moonlight before she saw the form of Boba Fett. Her eyes widened as he was standing upright, dagger drawn in one hand and a pistol in the other. The leader of the pack howled in surprised fury and agony. Dark blood spattered in the sand. It leaped on Fett, causing the two to topple over, but the dagger buried itself deeply into the beast's chest and he slumped.

Shoving the body aside with a growl, Fett stood again. He glared down at the remaining mas'iffs, the dagger now dripping with their leader's blood. They glanced and whined at one another before fleeing into the night.

With the danger gone, Fett dropped the dagger before collapsing to his knees, exhausted. Phalla in turn dropped the rifle and rushed to his side.

"M-m-mr. Fett, are y-you alright?" she asked shakily, breathless.

He was breathing hard, his body drenched in sweat and the blood of the massif. He did not answer her question. "Save yourself," he said very quietly. "Leave me."

She shook her head. "N-no, I-"

"I said 'leave me'! Run... ad'ika..." he growled before his dark eyes rolled to the back of his head and he sank to the ground, unconscious. Phalla would have screamed if she had had the energy. Instead, a rattling moan escaped her dry mouth as the adrenaline began to ware off and exhaustion took over in a wave. She too hit the ground, her heart pounding in her ears and the cool sand sticking to her moist skin.

She had no idea how long before she actually slipped into darkness before she thought she saw a shadow coming towards them. She dismissed it as a dream seeing as she was about to die. First one, then two figures approached them. She felt a sensation of being lifted as darkness engulfed her and she knew no more.