Boba Fett settled back into the cockpit of Slave I and warmed up the
engines. As soon as he was cleared to leave the landing platform, he headed
out into the star specked space. Less then four minutes after leaving the
platform, he felt the cold metal of a blaster pressed against his neck,
just under the rim of his helmet.
"I'm baaack." Said a breathy female voice. It was only Boba's iron control that kept him from starting, and he made no sudden movements, furiously wondering how this had happened. The blaster remained steady while a woman's arm encircled his neck and removed his helmet. It wasn't just the blaster that kept him still, the entire cockpit was filled with a powerful, overwhelming presence. Lady Aruun moved soundlessly into his peripheral vision, smiling like a satisfied cat.
"Put it on autopilot, Fett. We're going into the back and you're going to remove that armor for me, then you're going to take me home." With the last syllable uttered, he glimpsed a hint of Nuura's longing. It was Nuura's strength that was driving Lady Aruun now, or was it Lady Aruun's strength in Nuura?
"How did you escape?" He carefully put the ship on autopilot, keeping his hands in plain sight. He had to stay calm, and most of all, he had to keep her powerful presence out of his mind.
"Stand up, but don't try anything funny." She warned him. "I'll know."
How was she able to know? He had always been able to hide his thoughts for Darth Vader, but Vader had never seen his face. He suddenly understood that it was important to Aruun's power that she could see his face. Any attempt to undermine that power, and she'd shoot him, he had no doubt she would. The Ysalamiri was in a bin in the back of the ship, he had little hope of getting it.
Compliance was his best defense. For now.
After relieving him of his weapons and armor, Aruun instructed him back to the cockpit. "Time to make the return journey." She said quietly. "Ironic, isn't it?" He didn't reply, but she smiled anyway. "I know you're not happy with me right now."
He stared stonily ahead and tried to construct a mental wall to block her out.
"Don't do that." She said softly. "You'll only make yourself tired." In a rueful voice that sounded more like Nuura she added: "You awoke the sleeping dragon, Fett."
They landed in Coruscant at 0400 hours. The city was just beginning to waken, and very few sentients wandered the streets.
I'll take a shuttle from here." Aruun told him, her voice quick with impatience. She stood in the open doorway of Slave I, the dawn's faint light reflected in all the smog around her. For a second she looked tired and drawn in the muted light, but the second passed and the infatigable Aruun remained, the blaster still aimed dead at him.
"Thanks so much for the ride.' She said airly, then raised her weapon slightly. "Do you still think you're no good to me dead? How do I know you won't come after me again?"
Boba Fett considered this. "You don't."
"So I should shoot you now."
"If you can."
Aruun lowered her weapon slightly, her eyes narrowed. "'If I can'? You wanted me to escape."
He didn't answer.
"And yet you still managed to get paid.very clever Fett. If that's true, I should be able to toss this blaster and walk away."
There was a tense silence, betraying the mental battle between them. Aruun studied his face carefully, her eyes wide but unseeing. Boba Fett was as still as stone, his jaw clenched tight. Aruun brushed his mind, but could only sense his fierce concentration. Was he hiding something? She couldn't sense a shadow of deceit, she couldn't sense anything at all.
How could he do that?
Aruun tilted her head to one side and broke the silence. "Stalemate, Boba Fett. You can't move and I can't checkmate you. I resign." She began to back away, her blaster still steady. Boba smiled once, tightly at her, then turned his back and went back into his ship. The battle was over.
1 Year Later
It was tourist season again and the Moonbeat Café was hopping. Nuura was busily adding up a customer's bill and keeping an eye on her new waitress when she felt someone breathing on her neck. Startled, she stepped quickly to one side and turned, expecting to see a rude alien tourist or maybe the city cop that was always coming around to hit on her. Instead she looked into a pair of cold dark eyes and felt a cold shiver run all the way down her spine. It took her a few long seconds to comprehend what she was seeing.
He was here. In her Café. Without his armor and helmet.
There had been no hush when he walked in the door, no one even noticed him. He had one the best disguise possible, his own face. Nuura became aware that she was staring and snapped out of it, her professional poise coming to her rescue. "Can I help you sir?"
He had been watching her reaction closely, and now he smiled slightly. "Hello, Nuura."
Her stomach fluttered in spite of her resolve. "What can I get for you?"
He jerked his head toward the kitchen door, and she meekly led him through the double swinging doors, past the kitchen, into her dining room. She had new curtains with green leaves on them, and she saw that he noticed. He noticed everything.
Standing near her, his fingers brushed her neck, and dipped below the modest neckline of her tunic, bringing up a slender chain with a little metal ball on the end. He recognized the scent immediately. "Classy."
"Thank you." She stood stock still for his inspection. hair messily pulled back, six-fingered hands deep in the pockets of her apron.
"So you're Nuura again."
"Don't think that Nuura can't fight you." She replied quietly.
He nodded at that. "I'm not here on business."
"Why are you here?"
"To get something to eat."
Nuura shook her head, and turned with a rueful smile toward the kitchen. "You'll like the special. I'll get-"
Quick as lightening he grabbed her wrist, holding it lightly. "No, not that." He paused for a few beats, then pushed on. "I was hoping.you might go.I mean, you might agree to have dinner with me."
The End
(Author's Note: Finally completed! Sorry it took so long, real life gets in the way sometimes. ( Thanks to all of you who took the time to read and review. BTW, the tribute to another move that was in Chapter 2 was Gone With the Wind, in case you didn't figure it out. I was thinking of the jail scene where Scarlett offers mortgage on Tara and then her own body to Rhett. Good movie.)
"I'm baaack." Said a breathy female voice. It was only Boba's iron control that kept him from starting, and he made no sudden movements, furiously wondering how this had happened. The blaster remained steady while a woman's arm encircled his neck and removed his helmet. It wasn't just the blaster that kept him still, the entire cockpit was filled with a powerful, overwhelming presence. Lady Aruun moved soundlessly into his peripheral vision, smiling like a satisfied cat.
"Put it on autopilot, Fett. We're going into the back and you're going to remove that armor for me, then you're going to take me home." With the last syllable uttered, he glimpsed a hint of Nuura's longing. It was Nuura's strength that was driving Lady Aruun now, or was it Lady Aruun's strength in Nuura?
"How did you escape?" He carefully put the ship on autopilot, keeping his hands in plain sight. He had to stay calm, and most of all, he had to keep her powerful presence out of his mind.
"Stand up, but don't try anything funny." She warned him. "I'll know."
How was she able to know? He had always been able to hide his thoughts for Darth Vader, but Vader had never seen his face. He suddenly understood that it was important to Aruun's power that she could see his face. Any attempt to undermine that power, and she'd shoot him, he had no doubt she would. The Ysalamiri was in a bin in the back of the ship, he had little hope of getting it.
Compliance was his best defense. For now.
After relieving him of his weapons and armor, Aruun instructed him back to the cockpit. "Time to make the return journey." She said quietly. "Ironic, isn't it?" He didn't reply, but she smiled anyway. "I know you're not happy with me right now."
He stared stonily ahead and tried to construct a mental wall to block her out.
"Don't do that." She said softly. "You'll only make yourself tired." In a rueful voice that sounded more like Nuura she added: "You awoke the sleeping dragon, Fett."
They landed in Coruscant at 0400 hours. The city was just beginning to waken, and very few sentients wandered the streets.
I'll take a shuttle from here." Aruun told him, her voice quick with impatience. She stood in the open doorway of Slave I, the dawn's faint light reflected in all the smog around her. For a second she looked tired and drawn in the muted light, but the second passed and the infatigable Aruun remained, the blaster still aimed dead at him.
"Thanks so much for the ride.' She said airly, then raised her weapon slightly. "Do you still think you're no good to me dead? How do I know you won't come after me again?"
Boba Fett considered this. "You don't."
"So I should shoot you now."
"If you can."
Aruun lowered her weapon slightly, her eyes narrowed. "'If I can'? You wanted me to escape."
He didn't answer.
"And yet you still managed to get paid.very clever Fett. If that's true, I should be able to toss this blaster and walk away."
There was a tense silence, betraying the mental battle between them. Aruun studied his face carefully, her eyes wide but unseeing. Boba Fett was as still as stone, his jaw clenched tight. Aruun brushed his mind, but could only sense his fierce concentration. Was he hiding something? She couldn't sense a shadow of deceit, she couldn't sense anything at all.
How could he do that?
Aruun tilted her head to one side and broke the silence. "Stalemate, Boba Fett. You can't move and I can't checkmate you. I resign." She began to back away, her blaster still steady. Boba smiled once, tightly at her, then turned his back and went back into his ship. The battle was over.
1 Year Later
It was tourist season again and the Moonbeat Café was hopping. Nuura was busily adding up a customer's bill and keeping an eye on her new waitress when she felt someone breathing on her neck. Startled, she stepped quickly to one side and turned, expecting to see a rude alien tourist or maybe the city cop that was always coming around to hit on her. Instead she looked into a pair of cold dark eyes and felt a cold shiver run all the way down her spine. It took her a few long seconds to comprehend what she was seeing.
He was here. In her Café. Without his armor and helmet.
There had been no hush when he walked in the door, no one even noticed him. He had one the best disguise possible, his own face. Nuura became aware that she was staring and snapped out of it, her professional poise coming to her rescue. "Can I help you sir?"
He had been watching her reaction closely, and now he smiled slightly. "Hello, Nuura."
Her stomach fluttered in spite of her resolve. "What can I get for you?"
He jerked his head toward the kitchen door, and she meekly led him through the double swinging doors, past the kitchen, into her dining room. She had new curtains with green leaves on them, and she saw that he noticed. He noticed everything.
Standing near her, his fingers brushed her neck, and dipped below the modest neckline of her tunic, bringing up a slender chain with a little metal ball on the end. He recognized the scent immediately. "Classy."
"Thank you." She stood stock still for his inspection. hair messily pulled back, six-fingered hands deep in the pockets of her apron.
"So you're Nuura again."
"Don't think that Nuura can't fight you." She replied quietly.
He nodded at that. "I'm not here on business."
"Why are you here?"
"To get something to eat."
Nuura shook her head, and turned with a rueful smile toward the kitchen. "You'll like the special. I'll get-"
Quick as lightening he grabbed her wrist, holding it lightly. "No, not that." He paused for a few beats, then pushed on. "I was hoping.you might go.I mean, you might agree to have dinner with me."
The End
(Author's Note: Finally completed! Sorry it took so long, real life gets in the way sometimes. ( Thanks to all of you who took the time to read and review. BTW, the tribute to another move that was in Chapter 2 was Gone With the Wind, in case you didn't figure it out. I was thinking of the jail scene where Scarlett offers mortgage on Tara and then her own body to Rhett. Good movie.)