Chapter 3: Interlude
A special thanks to readers who reviewed. Here we go again.
Nuura was a model prisoner, no escape efforts, no blubbering or fits of temper. This made Boba Fett very suspicious, but then Nuura positively radiated the aura of calmness force users were famous for. It was almost as if she was afraid of feeling anything. She kept herself so tightly contained, refusing to rely on her powers in any way, that Boba felt at ease descending into the holding cages without the Ysalamiri.but he never did.
"You won't take me to Skywalker." She announced when he entered with her rationed dinner. "You can't."
"Why can't I?" He asked patiently, sliding the tray through the slot.
"I've seen your face." Nuura was sitting on the floor of the cell holding her knees, staring at the opposite wall. "You can't afford to turn me loose anywhere. I know too much."
"If that was true, why wouldn't I just kill you?"
"I don't know, why don't you?"
He paused, looming over her on the other side of the bars. "Is that what you want? Death?"
A ghost of smile flickered across her weary face. "Rather then face my past? Rather then face what I've done, who I was?" She finally raised her eyes and looked at him. "Death is preferable to some fates."
"You can't escape the past."
"Can't you? I did a pretty good job of it until you came along." Nuura stood slowly, bracing herself on the wall with one hand. Her eyes went to the ever-present pouch around his neck, and she moved towards him steadily. "Is there nothing I can say or do to entice you to take me home?"
"You'd rather live a lie."
Her guard dropped for a second and her green eyes flashed anger. "Nuura is true..from a certain point of view. I certainly never felt any pangs of guilt about living a wholesome life, working my fingers to the bone and serving every sentient who walked in my door." She gripped the bars that separated them, her knuckles white. "Do you know what evil is, Fett? Evil is a woman who walks into a room and sees her lover hard at work, selecting planets for the Empire to colonize. Her lover turns and says 'here's this pretty little planet with a tribe of primitive life-forms on it, what should we do with the inhabitants?', and the woman laughs lightly and says 'round them up and send them to the spice mines, that planet would make a lovely retreat for the two of us.'."
Boba Fett listened to all this, wondering if the rumors that Aruun had had a liaison with Darth Vader were true and wondering I she'd just admitted to it. Even with the Ysalamiri between them, Nuura could guess at his thoughts.
"That's evil, Fett." She whispered harshly, pressing her forehead to the bars.
Her pain was palpable, it hung in the air like an anguished cry. Boba Fett stayed where he was, only inches from her, only the bars and the Ysalamiri between them. He had some sense of wanting to offer her some human comfort, to somehow ease her suffering.
Carefully he reached through the bars and cupped the back of her head, bringing her head up. She watched him with fearless eyes as he moved closer, anticipating his move, but doing nothing to prevent it.
They kissed through the bars, the cold durasteele in sharp contrast to warm skin. He dropped his hands to her hips and pulled her body against the bars, closer to his own. The kiss ended by mutual agreement, both parties stepped back at the same time. Nuura's expression said quite plainly that she was willing to accept what had just happened without question.
"You won't reveal to anyone that you've seen my face." He said, breaking the silence. "I'm no good to you dead."
"You're not much good to me alive either." She returned, her eyes narrowed.
"That may change." The bounty hunter replied, then turned and left the cell area.
Luke Skywalker maintained a calm and professional air as he watched Slave I land a few yards away. It was credited to them both how Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker ignored the fact that they had once fought it out on Jabba's sail barge, it was as if that day had never happened. And as long as Han Solo didn't find out that Luke had. contracted the famous bounty hunter to bring him possibly the last remaining Sith, it would stay that way.
Boba Fett exited the ship, a short dark haired woman in a black dress following him. Luke watched her as she came closer, her eyes were on the ground, and her wrists bound in front of her. She looked striking and beautiful in the elegant black gown, her hair hanging freely around her face. Her neck and wrists were bare, and so were her feet, and somehow it only accented her exquisiteness.
Boba Fett nodded his head to Luke, and Luke did the same. "This is her." The bounty hunter said shortly.
Luke stepped forward and peered into the woman's downcast face. He could sense no presence of the force in her. "Darth Aruun?"
"My name," She said, lifting her face and giving him a good look into her sharp green eyes. "is Nuura."
Luke brushed her mind, but he could sense nothing. No presence in the force, no powerful dark feelers trying to pry into his brain. Could Boba Fett have been mistaken?
Thinking the force-resistant manacles could be hindering her, he had Boba Fett remove them. But he still felt nothing.
"I sense nothing." He told the bounty hunter.
Boba was surprised at first, then looked at Nuura's clenched fists and tense shoulders and understood what was happening. "Stop it." He hissed at her, the sound harsh through his helmet. "Stop blocking him."
She gave him a rebellious look, and her hands stayed knotted at her sides. She was using her power at last.and she using it well, Skywalker's puzzled face said as much. Boba Fett turned away from her, then spun back around and fired two blaster bolts at her less then two meters away.
In a movement so smooth and quick it had to be super-instinctive, Nuura held up the bare palm of her hand.and blocked both bolts.
An unearthly silence fell over the landing platform. Nuura gasped, half from realization, half from spent adrenaline. Her shields dropped and her powerful presence was revealed to Luke, who actually shrank back, repulsed by the dark side. Boba Fett stepped forward and snapped the force-resistant cuffs on her again. Her face was drawn and pale, she made no protest.
"Well?" He said to Skywalker.
Luke paid him quickly, then motioned some guards forward. "Take her away."
The End? Hardly.
A special thanks to readers who reviewed. Here we go again.
Nuura was a model prisoner, no escape efforts, no blubbering or fits of temper. This made Boba Fett very suspicious, but then Nuura positively radiated the aura of calmness force users were famous for. It was almost as if she was afraid of feeling anything. She kept herself so tightly contained, refusing to rely on her powers in any way, that Boba felt at ease descending into the holding cages without the Ysalamiri.but he never did.
"You won't take me to Skywalker." She announced when he entered with her rationed dinner. "You can't."
"Why can't I?" He asked patiently, sliding the tray through the slot.
"I've seen your face." Nuura was sitting on the floor of the cell holding her knees, staring at the opposite wall. "You can't afford to turn me loose anywhere. I know too much."
"If that was true, why wouldn't I just kill you?"
"I don't know, why don't you?"
He paused, looming over her on the other side of the bars. "Is that what you want? Death?"
A ghost of smile flickered across her weary face. "Rather then face my past? Rather then face what I've done, who I was?" She finally raised her eyes and looked at him. "Death is preferable to some fates."
"You can't escape the past."
"Can't you? I did a pretty good job of it until you came along." Nuura stood slowly, bracing herself on the wall with one hand. Her eyes went to the ever-present pouch around his neck, and she moved towards him steadily. "Is there nothing I can say or do to entice you to take me home?"
"You'd rather live a lie."
Her guard dropped for a second and her green eyes flashed anger. "Nuura is true..from a certain point of view. I certainly never felt any pangs of guilt about living a wholesome life, working my fingers to the bone and serving every sentient who walked in my door." She gripped the bars that separated them, her knuckles white. "Do you know what evil is, Fett? Evil is a woman who walks into a room and sees her lover hard at work, selecting planets for the Empire to colonize. Her lover turns and says 'here's this pretty little planet with a tribe of primitive life-forms on it, what should we do with the inhabitants?', and the woman laughs lightly and says 'round them up and send them to the spice mines, that planet would make a lovely retreat for the two of us.'."
Boba Fett listened to all this, wondering if the rumors that Aruun had had a liaison with Darth Vader were true and wondering I she'd just admitted to it. Even with the Ysalamiri between them, Nuura could guess at his thoughts.
"That's evil, Fett." She whispered harshly, pressing her forehead to the bars.
Her pain was palpable, it hung in the air like an anguished cry. Boba Fett stayed where he was, only inches from her, only the bars and the Ysalamiri between them. He had some sense of wanting to offer her some human comfort, to somehow ease her suffering.
Carefully he reached through the bars and cupped the back of her head, bringing her head up. She watched him with fearless eyes as he moved closer, anticipating his move, but doing nothing to prevent it.
They kissed through the bars, the cold durasteele in sharp contrast to warm skin. He dropped his hands to her hips and pulled her body against the bars, closer to his own. The kiss ended by mutual agreement, both parties stepped back at the same time. Nuura's expression said quite plainly that she was willing to accept what had just happened without question.
"You won't reveal to anyone that you've seen my face." He said, breaking the silence. "I'm no good to you dead."
"You're not much good to me alive either." She returned, her eyes narrowed.
"That may change." The bounty hunter replied, then turned and left the cell area.
Luke Skywalker maintained a calm and professional air as he watched Slave I land a few yards away. It was credited to them both how Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker ignored the fact that they had once fought it out on Jabba's sail barge, it was as if that day had never happened. And as long as Han Solo didn't find out that Luke had. contracted the famous bounty hunter to bring him possibly the last remaining Sith, it would stay that way.
Boba Fett exited the ship, a short dark haired woman in a black dress following him. Luke watched her as she came closer, her eyes were on the ground, and her wrists bound in front of her. She looked striking and beautiful in the elegant black gown, her hair hanging freely around her face. Her neck and wrists were bare, and so were her feet, and somehow it only accented her exquisiteness.
Boba Fett nodded his head to Luke, and Luke did the same. "This is her." The bounty hunter said shortly.
Luke stepped forward and peered into the woman's downcast face. He could sense no presence of the force in her. "Darth Aruun?"
"My name," She said, lifting her face and giving him a good look into her sharp green eyes. "is Nuura."
Luke brushed her mind, but he could sense nothing. No presence in the force, no powerful dark feelers trying to pry into his brain. Could Boba Fett have been mistaken?
Thinking the force-resistant manacles could be hindering her, he had Boba Fett remove them. But he still felt nothing.
"I sense nothing." He told the bounty hunter.
Boba was surprised at first, then looked at Nuura's clenched fists and tense shoulders and understood what was happening. "Stop it." He hissed at her, the sound harsh through his helmet. "Stop blocking him."
She gave him a rebellious look, and her hands stayed knotted at her sides. She was using her power at last.and she using it well, Skywalker's puzzled face said as much. Boba Fett turned away from her, then spun back around and fired two blaster bolts at her less then two meters away.
In a movement so smooth and quick it had to be super-instinctive, Nuura held up the bare palm of her hand.and blocked both bolts.
An unearthly silence fell over the landing platform. Nuura gasped, half from realization, half from spent adrenaline. Her shields dropped and her powerful presence was revealed to Luke, who actually shrank back, repulsed by the dark side. Boba Fett stepped forward and snapped the force-resistant cuffs on her again. Her face was drawn and pale, she made no protest.
"Well?" He said to Skywalker.
Luke paid him quickly, then motioned some guards forward. "Take her away."
The End? Hardly.