Chapter 2: Why You Should Never Lie to Bounty Hunters
AN: There's a short tribute to another great movie in this chapter.if you spot it, you're a fanatic like me. (
All night long, Nuura's sleep was troubled by images from her past. She clutched the pouch around her neck and moaned, trying to escape the awful slideshow of "bygone days". At the first sign of daylight she rose and stared at her image in the mirror with a groan. "Nuura, old girl, you're a regular witch. Look at those dark circles under your eyes!" She smiled sadly at her own nonsense and walked into the fresher, stripping off her night shift as she went. Carefully she removed the sachet from around her neck, bracing herself for the old feelings of temptation to leave it off forever.
Move on.move on. She hung it on a hook and stepped into her shower, the water all ready set to her preference. It was just another day at the Moonbeat Café.
Suddenly the shower door was ripped back, and an armored man with a blaster filled the entrance. Nuura was so stunned she forgot all modesty and gaped at the bounty hunter who cradled his weapon in one hand and her sachet grasped tightly in the other.
"What-" She realized in a rush that she was standing naked in the shower, and Boba Fett was blocking her way out, his voice harsh beneath his helmet.
"You lied to me, Nuura."
In some semblance of sanity she shut off the water and shivered in the suddenly cold air as neither she nor the bounty hunter moved. Then he abruptly stepped back, motioning with his gun. "Get out."
Nuura stepped into the main area of the fresher, her cheeks flushed with helpless embarrassment. The cold metal of the blaster touched her naked back as Fett pushed her into bedroom and yanked a sheet off the bed, thrusting it at her. "Cover yourself, and follow me. No noise."
Hastily Nuura wrapped the sheet around herself and obeyed, eyes wide with trepidation. "Why are you taking my sachet with you?" She whispered, fearing the answer.
He turned swiftly at her, the fist that her pouch was clutched in raised as if he would hit her. Nuura flinched, her jaw tight and her body tensed for an attack.
"I said no noise." He reminded her, lowering his fist.
There was a speeder waiting for them outside, a fact which Nuura was very thankful for. Being dragged through the streets of Coruscant in a sheet was hardly good PR for the Café. Boba Fett was tense in the driver's seat beside her, moving fluidly past the morning traffic, breaking patterns to cut across lanes. Nuura was concentrating too hard to worry about their relative safety, however.
What does he know?
She sat in silent compliance until he landed at a docking bay and used his blaster to prod her up the ramp into his ship, Slave I . Once the door sealed behind them she turned to him, one six-fingered hand holding the sheet up and the other she placed firmly on her hip.
"What's this all about, Boba Fett? I hope you have a good explanation for this, and it better not have anything to do with the fact that you're a man."
He ignored her suggestive remark, tugging his helmet off his head. His eyes were dark and hard as they speared her with a single look. "You lied to me. Twice."
"You dragged me naked all the way down here to tell me that???"
Boba Fett laid his blaster and helmet aside, obviously feeling that he didn't need them around her. The sachet, however, he cradled in his gloved hand. "The first time you lied to me," He went on as if she hadn't spoken. "You said you'd lived your whole life in Coruscant, when in fact, you've lived in a lot of places. The second time you lied to me, you told me that you weren't afraid of me.because you'd done nothing wrong." He looked at her mockingly, fingering the pouch. "Or maybe that makes three lies."
Nuura looked very, very afraid of him now, she was pale as a moon of Yeago. Her eyes went longingly to the pouch. "Please, can I have that back? I n-need it."
"I might need it more." He replied. "To protect myself from you." He eyed her coldly. "Let's see, a live Ysalamiri can affect people up to 50 meters away, but what's the range on the dried blood and bones of one?"
"Only a few meters."
"That will have to be enough." Boba placed the pouch around his own neck and removed a holocube from his pocket. "The only person who might need an amulet of Ysalamiri is someone who's trying to ward off a Jedi or a Sith, since the Ysalamiri creates a bubble in the force that renders force-users harmless." He paused just long enough to give Nuura hope, then ruthlessly moved on. "Unless the person who's wearing it is a force-user themselves and trying to hide it from other force-users. In this reign of the 'New Republic', why would someone hide their Jedi ability? They wouldn't.unless they were a Sith."
He pressed the button on the holocube and an imposing, life-sized image came to life. The image was of a young woman, with sleek brown hair down to her shoulders and a square necked metallic black gown. Most arresting was the woman's face, it was beautiful and passionate, but cold and proud.
"Do you recognize this woman, Nuura?" Nuura recoiled from the image as it had the power to strike her dead.
"Why?" She hissed, her fear giving way to a cold fury. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're not Nuura Moonbeater, your name is Aruun.and you're a Sith Witch."
As the last syllable of his accusation died in the air around them, Nuura saw her worst fears realized. Stay calm. Her vision seemed to spin in dizzying circles and she concentrated on breathing, her eyes downcast to hide her struggles from Boba Fett.
"I-I'm not a witch." She protested feebly. "Not anymore." Her voice was so soft, so weak, that when she struck out, it took him by surprise. The open palm of her hand swiped the active holocube from his grasp, and she dove towards it, using her other arm to push him away and propel her towards her goal.
He swiftly grabbed her wrist, jerking her up, but her other hand now possessed the cube, and she purposely fell, putting all her weight into it. She smashed the cube viciously into the floor, obliterating the image it contained.
Boba was quickly gaining control of her, he twisted the arm he held and forced her against the wall, grasping her other wrist and making her release the shattered cube. The sheet was slipping on her struggling body, and she stopped fighting him, panting from spent adrenaline. He kept her hands pinned, but her eyes sought his with desperate passion. "I'm not that woman any longer. You have to believe me. You have to let me go."
"You shouldn't have lied to me." He replied, his voice getting tired from so much use.
"That's not me." She insisted. "I'm not Aruun any longer, I'm just Nuura!"
He remained unmoved and she wilted in his grasp, wet hair clinging to her flushed cheeks and her face contorted as if in pain. "What will you do with me?"
"There are those who would pay willingly for any Sith." He removed a pair of force-resistant restraints from one of his pockets and snapped one on her right hand. Nuura seemed to have worn herself out, she made no protest except to reach up with her manacled right hand and touch the pouch resting against the breastplate of his armor. "I thought I could hide from everyone with lies and Jedi mind tricks."
"Give me your other hand."
Nuura wound all six fingers of her right hand around the pouch of Ysalamiri and pulled steadily, her eyes locking into Boba's. Inexplicitly he let her pull his head down to hers. When their faces were centimeters apart, Nuura tipped her chin up and their mouths met in a aggressive kiss, tongues battling for dominance. Her hands caressed the back of his neck, sliding down over his shoulders and back and then up into his hair, sliding the leather cord with them.
She almost had it over his head, in fact she was mere fractions of a second away from it when he broke away, his eyes dark but also amused. Nuura had the infuriating sense that he'd known what she was doing all along and had simply gone along with it for his own enjoyment.
"Save your tricks, Lady Aruun." He firmly grasped her other wrist and then she was securely handcuffed.
"Please call me Nuura." The former Sith Witch said resignedly. "Formality seems a little obtuse when I'm naked."
"I have clothes for you." Boba Fett informed her, standing easily to his feet and lifting her passive form by the arms off the floor. "Clothes." His eyes swept over her hastily covered body. ".More fitting for a witch."
~~~~~~~~
Hours later the bounty hunter set the ship on auto-pilot and made his way back to his force-resistant cell, leaving the pouch of Ysalamiri behind. Nuura was still hugging the durasteal pole he'd manacled her to, and she was naked, the only thing she wore was a stubborn expression. Earlier, when he'd left her in the cell he'd exchanged the force-resistant handcuffs for regular ones, then he'd laid out the clothing he expected her to wear, stripped the sheet from her body and left.
His brows lifted slightly as he looked at her now, but otherwise his face showed no emotion. "You're out of the range of the Ysalamiri. Why didn't you free yourself and get dressed?"
Nuura's spoke through clenched teeth. "If you're through punishing me for lying to you, please unshackle me. I'll get dressed."
"Why didn't you free yourself?"
"I can't free myself, I can barely find my shoes from day to day. Please release me, I'll wear...that thing." She pointed at the long black dress he'd draped through the bars. It was made from an expensive black fabric that had metallic strands woven through it.
Boba Fett shrugged and removed the key from one of his pockets, releasing her wrists from the pole. "I thought all Sith wore black."
"My favorite color is blue." Nuura insisted stubbornly, her cheeks a dull red as she rose, keeping the pole between them. "Could you leave while I dress?"
"Hardly matters at this point." Fett observed dryly, but he turned and exited the cell, locking the door behind him. "I'll be back in a few minutes, and I expect to see you wearing clothes."
~~~~~~~~
Nuura could actually see her reflection in the shiny pole and it made her want to weep. The dress fit perfectly, hugged her in all the right places. The shimmering black material fell smoothly to the tops of her bare feet, the only decoration on it was the diamond shaped cutout above her breasts. She looked exactly like Aruun, the day she had come calling on Lord Vader.
Nuura touched her hair, it hung limply to her shoulders. If only she had a clip to put her hair up, then she would feel more like Nuura Moonbeater, the no-nonsense café owner. She didn't look exactly like Aruun, she told herself. Aruun had worn black kohl around her eyes and sparkling diamonds and flawless silver and smooth onyxes on all six fingers of both hands. Darth Vader had found her enchanting, the Emperor had found her promising. She closed her eyes against the memories, footsteps outside of her cell bringing her back to the present.
Boba Fett studied her through the bars of the cell, his sharp brown eyes taking in every detail. Nuura found herself holding her breath, hoping he wouldn't find any flaw in her appearance, or maybe get the bright idea of forcing her to wear make-up or jewelry. Whoever Fett was taking her to obviously wanted a Sith Witch who looked like a Sith Witch.
He nodded perfunctorily. "Good."
Nuura sought his eyes. "I miss my apron."
"Silence."
Her jaw tightened. "This is the thanks I get for letting you eat in my dining room?"
"The woman who let me eat in her dining room didn't exist." He told her flatly. "But it's only my regard for her, vapor that she was, that keeps me from killing you and collecting the bounty for a Sith head."
"Then you're taking me to Skywalker after all."
"Why wouldn't I?" He smiled, not a nice smile, but a mocking one.
"You hate Jedi."
His smile froze, and he withdrew from the bars, his eyes becoming ice. "Who told you that?"
"It was generally known in certain circles." Nuura tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled bitterly. "After all, you did work for Vader."
"I work for a lot of people."
"Still." She shrugged. "You hate them."
"Don't you?"
Her eyes met his soberly. "I fear them."
"It's not the same thing."
"It's all the same thing. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate." She trailed off, her eyes turned pleading. "Please let me go, Fett, I beg you."
His expression turned to stone. "Why should I? I can make a lot of money off you." "I'll give you anything you want, anything Nuura Moonbeater can give you. I'll even give you Moonbeat Café-"
"What would I want with a Café?" The idea obviously amused him.
"What about me?" She asked quietly, a strength in her voice born of desperation. "Would you want me?"
Boba studied her silently for a few agonizing moments. "You can't be serious." "I am serious. I'll do anything.please, let me go home and be Nuura." She held her breath as he seemed to consider this, his stony features softening somewhat. He was human after all, she considered. He had to have some shred of fallibility in him.
Then he looked up at her swiftly, a tight smile on his face. "No."
She felt as if she'd been sucker punched, and she realized with dismay that she was also embarrassed and angry. "Why not?" She demanded, wanting the truth, even if it hurt. The bounty hunter shrugged, his eyes cold. "You're worth more to me as hard merchandise."
TBC---
AN: There's a short tribute to another great movie in this chapter.if you spot it, you're a fanatic like me. (
All night long, Nuura's sleep was troubled by images from her past. She clutched the pouch around her neck and moaned, trying to escape the awful slideshow of "bygone days". At the first sign of daylight she rose and stared at her image in the mirror with a groan. "Nuura, old girl, you're a regular witch. Look at those dark circles under your eyes!" She smiled sadly at her own nonsense and walked into the fresher, stripping off her night shift as she went. Carefully she removed the sachet from around her neck, bracing herself for the old feelings of temptation to leave it off forever.
Move on.move on. She hung it on a hook and stepped into her shower, the water all ready set to her preference. It was just another day at the Moonbeat Café.
Suddenly the shower door was ripped back, and an armored man with a blaster filled the entrance. Nuura was so stunned she forgot all modesty and gaped at the bounty hunter who cradled his weapon in one hand and her sachet grasped tightly in the other.
"What-" She realized in a rush that she was standing naked in the shower, and Boba Fett was blocking her way out, his voice harsh beneath his helmet.
"You lied to me, Nuura."
In some semblance of sanity she shut off the water and shivered in the suddenly cold air as neither she nor the bounty hunter moved. Then he abruptly stepped back, motioning with his gun. "Get out."
Nuura stepped into the main area of the fresher, her cheeks flushed with helpless embarrassment. The cold metal of the blaster touched her naked back as Fett pushed her into bedroom and yanked a sheet off the bed, thrusting it at her. "Cover yourself, and follow me. No noise."
Hastily Nuura wrapped the sheet around herself and obeyed, eyes wide with trepidation. "Why are you taking my sachet with you?" She whispered, fearing the answer.
He turned swiftly at her, the fist that her pouch was clutched in raised as if he would hit her. Nuura flinched, her jaw tight and her body tensed for an attack.
"I said no noise." He reminded her, lowering his fist.
There was a speeder waiting for them outside, a fact which Nuura was very thankful for. Being dragged through the streets of Coruscant in a sheet was hardly good PR for the Café. Boba Fett was tense in the driver's seat beside her, moving fluidly past the morning traffic, breaking patterns to cut across lanes. Nuura was concentrating too hard to worry about their relative safety, however.
What does he know?
She sat in silent compliance until he landed at a docking bay and used his blaster to prod her up the ramp into his ship, Slave I . Once the door sealed behind them she turned to him, one six-fingered hand holding the sheet up and the other she placed firmly on her hip.
"What's this all about, Boba Fett? I hope you have a good explanation for this, and it better not have anything to do with the fact that you're a man."
He ignored her suggestive remark, tugging his helmet off his head. His eyes were dark and hard as they speared her with a single look. "You lied to me. Twice."
"You dragged me naked all the way down here to tell me that???"
Boba Fett laid his blaster and helmet aside, obviously feeling that he didn't need them around her. The sachet, however, he cradled in his gloved hand. "The first time you lied to me," He went on as if she hadn't spoken. "You said you'd lived your whole life in Coruscant, when in fact, you've lived in a lot of places. The second time you lied to me, you told me that you weren't afraid of me.because you'd done nothing wrong." He looked at her mockingly, fingering the pouch. "Or maybe that makes three lies."
Nuura looked very, very afraid of him now, she was pale as a moon of Yeago. Her eyes went longingly to the pouch. "Please, can I have that back? I n-need it."
"I might need it more." He replied. "To protect myself from you." He eyed her coldly. "Let's see, a live Ysalamiri can affect people up to 50 meters away, but what's the range on the dried blood and bones of one?"
"Only a few meters."
"That will have to be enough." Boba placed the pouch around his own neck and removed a holocube from his pocket. "The only person who might need an amulet of Ysalamiri is someone who's trying to ward off a Jedi or a Sith, since the Ysalamiri creates a bubble in the force that renders force-users harmless." He paused just long enough to give Nuura hope, then ruthlessly moved on. "Unless the person who's wearing it is a force-user themselves and trying to hide it from other force-users. In this reign of the 'New Republic', why would someone hide their Jedi ability? They wouldn't.unless they were a Sith."
He pressed the button on the holocube and an imposing, life-sized image came to life. The image was of a young woman, with sleek brown hair down to her shoulders and a square necked metallic black gown. Most arresting was the woman's face, it was beautiful and passionate, but cold and proud.
"Do you recognize this woman, Nuura?" Nuura recoiled from the image as it had the power to strike her dead.
"Why?" She hissed, her fear giving way to a cold fury. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're not Nuura Moonbeater, your name is Aruun.and you're a Sith Witch."
As the last syllable of his accusation died in the air around them, Nuura saw her worst fears realized. Stay calm. Her vision seemed to spin in dizzying circles and she concentrated on breathing, her eyes downcast to hide her struggles from Boba Fett.
"I-I'm not a witch." She protested feebly. "Not anymore." Her voice was so soft, so weak, that when she struck out, it took him by surprise. The open palm of her hand swiped the active holocube from his grasp, and she dove towards it, using her other arm to push him away and propel her towards her goal.
He swiftly grabbed her wrist, jerking her up, but her other hand now possessed the cube, and she purposely fell, putting all her weight into it. She smashed the cube viciously into the floor, obliterating the image it contained.
Boba was quickly gaining control of her, he twisted the arm he held and forced her against the wall, grasping her other wrist and making her release the shattered cube. The sheet was slipping on her struggling body, and she stopped fighting him, panting from spent adrenaline. He kept her hands pinned, but her eyes sought his with desperate passion. "I'm not that woman any longer. You have to believe me. You have to let me go."
"You shouldn't have lied to me." He replied, his voice getting tired from so much use.
"That's not me." She insisted. "I'm not Aruun any longer, I'm just Nuura!"
He remained unmoved and she wilted in his grasp, wet hair clinging to her flushed cheeks and her face contorted as if in pain. "What will you do with me?"
"There are those who would pay willingly for any Sith." He removed a pair of force-resistant restraints from one of his pockets and snapped one on her right hand. Nuura seemed to have worn herself out, she made no protest except to reach up with her manacled right hand and touch the pouch resting against the breastplate of his armor. "I thought I could hide from everyone with lies and Jedi mind tricks."
"Give me your other hand."
Nuura wound all six fingers of her right hand around the pouch of Ysalamiri and pulled steadily, her eyes locking into Boba's. Inexplicitly he let her pull his head down to hers. When their faces were centimeters apart, Nuura tipped her chin up and their mouths met in a aggressive kiss, tongues battling for dominance. Her hands caressed the back of his neck, sliding down over his shoulders and back and then up into his hair, sliding the leather cord with them.
She almost had it over his head, in fact she was mere fractions of a second away from it when he broke away, his eyes dark but also amused. Nuura had the infuriating sense that he'd known what she was doing all along and had simply gone along with it for his own enjoyment.
"Save your tricks, Lady Aruun." He firmly grasped her other wrist and then she was securely handcuffed.
"Please call me Nuura." The former Sith Witch said resignedly. "Formality seems a little obtuse when I'm naked."
"I have clothes for you." Boba Fett informed her, standing easily to his feet and lifting her passive form by the arms off the floor. "Clothes." His eyes swept over her hastily covered body. ".More fitting for a witch."
~~~~~~~~
Hours later the bounty hunter set the ship on auto-pilot and made his way back to his force-resistant cell, leaving the pouch of Ysalamiri behind. Nuura was still hugging the durasteal pole he'd manacled her to, and she was naked, the only thing she wore was a stubborn expression. Earlier, when he'd left her in the cell he'd exchanged the force-resistant handcuffs for regular ones, then he'd laid out the clothing he expected her to wear, stripped the sheet from her body and left.
His brows lifted slightly as he looked at her now, but otherwise his face showed no emotion. "You're out of the range of the Ysalamiri. Why didn't you free yourself and get dressed?"
Nuura's spoke through clenched teeth. "If you're through punishing me for lying to you, please unshackle me. I'll get dressed."
"Why didn't you free yourself?"
"I can't free myself, I can barely find my shoes from day to day. Please release me, I'll wear...that thing." She pointed at the long black dress he'd draped through the bars. It was made from an expensive black fabric that had metallic strands woven through it.
Boba Fett shrugged and removed the key from one of his pockets, releasing her wrists from the pole. "I thought all Sith wore black."
"My favorite color is blue." Nuura insisted stubbornly, her cheeks a dull red as she rose, keeping the pole between them. "Could you leave while I dress?"
"Hardly matters at this point." Fett observed dryly, but he turned and exited the cell, locking the door behind him. "I'll be back in a few minutes, and I expect to see you wearing clothes."
~~~~~~~~
Nuura could actually see her reflection in the shiny pole and it made her want to weep. The dress fit perfectly, hugged her in all the right places. The shimmering black material fell smoothly to the tops of her bare feet, the only decoration on it was the diamond shaped cutout above her breasts. She looked exactly like Aruun, the day she had come calling on Lord Vader.
Nuura touched her hair, it hung limply to her shoulders. If only she had a clip to put her hair up, then she would feel more like Nuura Moonbeater, the no-nonsense café owner. She didn't look exactly like Aruun, she told herself. Aruun had worn black kohl around her eyes and sparkling diamonds and flawless silver and smooth onyxes on all six fingers of both hands. Darth Vader had found her enchanting, the Emperor had found her promising. She closed her eyes against the memories, footsteps outside of her cell bringing her back to the present.
Boba Fett studied her through the bars of the cell, his sharp brown eyes taking in every detail. Nuura found herself holding her breath, hoping he wouldn't find any flaw in her appearance, or maybe get the bright idea of forcing her to wear make-up or jewelry. Whoever Fett was taking her to obviously wanted a Sith Witch who looked like a Sith Witch.
He nodded perfunctorily. "Good."
Nuura sought his eyes. "I miss my apron."
"Silence."
Her jaw tightened. "This is the thanks I get for letting you eat in my dining room?"
"The woman who let me eat in her dining room didn't exist." He told her flatly. "But it's only my regard for her, vapor that she was, that keeps me from killing you and collecting the bounty for a Sith head."
"Then you're taking me to Skywalker after all."
"Why wouldn't I?" He smiled, not a nice smile, but a mocking one.
"You hate Jedi."
His smile froze, and he withdrew from the bars, his eyes becoming ice. "Who told you that?"
"It was generally known in certain circles." Nuura tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled bitterly. "After all, you did work for Vader."
"I work for a lot of people."
"Still." She shrugged. "You hate them."
"Don't you?"
Her eyes met his soberly. "I fear them."
"It's not the same thing."
"It's all the same thing. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate." She trailed off, her eyes turned pleading. "Please let me go, Fett, I beg you."
His expression turned to stone. "Why should I? I can make a lot of money off you." "I'll give you anything you want, anything Nuura Moonbeater can give you. I'll even give you Moonbeat Café-"
"What would I want with a Café?" The idea obviously amused him.
"What about me?" She asked quietly, a strength in her voice born of desperation. "Would you want me?"
Boba studied her silently for a few agonizing moments. "You can't be serious." "I am serious. I'll do anything.please, let me go home and be Nuura." She held her breath as he seemed to consider this, his stony features softening somewhat. He was human after all, she considered. He had to have some shred of fallibility in him.
Then he looked up at her swiftly, a tight smile on his face. "No."
She felt as if she'd been sucker punched, and she realized with dismay that she was also embarrassed and angry. "Why not?" She demanded, wanting the truth, even if it hurt. The bounty hunter shrugged, his eyes cold. "You're worth more to me as hard merchandise."
TBC---