When Boba entered the hotel room, he glanced towards Annbri's bed. It was
empty and perfectly made. For a moment, Boba wondered if he had only
imagined her; had Annbri not been there after all? Then he noticed a
movement on the balcony, and found her standing there, gazing at the city
below. He tightened his mind against a growing feeling of admiration, and
stepped up behind her, holding out a cinnamon roll. "Breakfast."
Annbri's hands, which had been pressed to the glass wall of the balcony, fell to her side suddenly, and she whirled around. "How long have you been there?" Her tone was accusing.
Boba flinched inwardly. "About seven seconds. Take it!" he insisted, thrusting the roll towards her again.
She took it, then collapsed onto the balcony couch to eat, ignoring him. When he did not leave, she twisted her head around to regard him over the back of the couch. "Something wrong?"
"We have a week to wait before I can access what I need to in the palace."
Annbri looked momentarily flustered, then shrugged. "Well, as long as it works...." She turned back to her food.
This time Boba did leave. He went to his suitcase, which lay next to his couch, and began to search it for his pocket blaster, modified to slip through security scans.
As soon as Boba had gone, Annbri peeked over the couch again. [i]Why was I so cold? she wondered, then mentally kicked herself, remembering her almost- wish the night before. And yet...she glanced at the cinnamon roll in her hand and smiled warmly. It wasn't a very Fett-like breakfast.
She curled up more tightly and turned her eyes towards the palace. The whole of Shanwhir was waiting, for they had seven days to waste. Annbri unrolled another strip of her cinnamon roll, popped it in her mouth, and allowed excitement to slip down her spine. Seven days alone with Boba Fett! She mentally kicked herself again.
~~~
Boba sat down to arrange his pocket blaster in a secret compartment within his clothes: easily accessible, but hard to detect. He noticed movement from the balcony couch, and out of the corner of his eye, saw Annbri peek over, then, with an almost fierce look on her face, withdraw again. Boba smiled a little. She was scared of him.
His blaster concealed, he stood silently and regarded the nineteen-year-old over the couch back. She was curled up in a ball, a contented expression on her face. No, Boba thought despairingly, she doesn't fear me. She trusts me. He clenched his hands at his sides, trying silently to tell her, Annbri! Don't trust me. I'm a killer, remember? A mercenary; a bounty hunter! I'm not doing this for you! I could kill you whenever I choose! I am cold, emotionless, unkind, and selfish! If you weren't good for a profit, I'd have let Stellar sell you to that hutt, where you would have become some sort of prostitute! Instead, I'm making you a queen! And yet--I didn't save you. I was only looking out for myself! Don't trust me; hate me!
Fett turned away, his hands twin fists. This was not going the way he had planned.
~~~~~~~~~
Senaver jumped to his feet as the doors hissed open. He could tell at once that something about his friend had changed. Kelrin walked right past him, and into their transport ship. When Senaver followed, he found his fellow padawan lying on his cot in a trance. With a shrug, Senaver turned his attention to the controls, allowing Kelrin time to adjust to reality again.
After an hour or so, Kelrin emerged and joined his friend in the cockpit. Senaver shot a questioning look at the younger padawan. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Kelrin smiled a little. "You were right, you know."
"Oh?" Senaver couldn't help but grin.
"I'm...I'm feeling better about...all of it now."
Senaver's face became serious. "All of it?"
"Well...no. There's still Danja...she's alive, Senaver!" Kelrin burst out when Senaver turned away with a snort.
"Look, Kelrin, I believe you, but hasn't it gone far enough? Get used to it; you'll never know your sister, okay? Maybe you don't want to. Maybe she's become something...awful. She probably doesn't even know who she is! Give it a rest; you're the last person in your family, and you're a Jedi. The Jedi don't marry, okay? It's the end of the Van Dessel line. Get used to it."
"The assassins did a real good job, didn't they?" Kelrin said quietly, his head bowed.
"Yeah." Senaver suddenly felt ashamed for his outburst. His friend had just revisited all the pain and cruelty of his family's death. Kelrin did not need to be subjected to it again. Senaver tried to change the subject. "Well, we should be there soon. It's on autopilot, so let's get some sleep."
"I'm all for that." Kelrin stood up and stretched, pulling his padawan's cloak more tightly around himself. "Space is cold," he remarked absently.
Yeah, Senaver smiled grimly down at his sleeping friend a few minutes later, remembering the silent stillness of the tomb, the impassive whiteness, the pockmarked ship, not nearly a suitable enough memorial for Kelrin's family. Yeah, he nodded slightly. Space is cold.
~~~~~~
"What are you doing?" Boba Fett's voice demanded over Annbri's shoulder.
Annbri looked up from her datapad. "Writing in my journal."
"What are you writing about?" Fett moved towards Annbri, trying to peer at the datapad.
Annbri pulled her journal tighter to herself. "Just thoughts and stuff." Seeing Fett's reason for alarm, she assured him, "Don't worry, it's not anything that compromises our scheme."
Fett contemplated her with expressionless eyes. "Fine. We're going to the Henberan library today, to do our research." He looked less than thrilled about their plans for the day. Annbri shrugged mentally; they were his plans, not hers.
"Okay, just a second." She quickly finished up her entry, signed, and password locked the journal, then turned her back to Boba and hung the journal around her neck, slipping the datapad beneath the top of her tunic. When she turned back, Boba Fett had gone back to his couch, where he was rummaging around in his bag. Seeing her ready to leave, he straightened and motioned towards the door.
Once they were outside the hotel, Annbri slipped her arm through his, in the typical Henberan way. As they walked past the hoverbus stop, Annbri shot a questioning look at Boba, but he shook his head.
"It's not far. We can walk. The bus stop is hard to get off at, because there are so many people headed there."
Annbri didn't ask how he knew this. There were some things that Boba Fett just knew, for absolutely no apparent reason. Very little about Boba, she was finding, was obvious.
Annbri's hands, which had been pressed to the glass wall of the balcony, fell to her side suddenly, and she whirled around. "How long have you been there?" Her tone was accusing.
Boba flinched inwardly. "About seven seconds. Take it!" he insisted, thrusting the roll towards her again.
She took it, then collapsed onto the balcony couch to eat, ignoring him. When he did not leave, she twisted her head around to regard him over the back of the couch. "Something wrong?"
"We have a week to wait before I can access what I need to in the palace."
Annbri looked momentarily flustered, then shrugged. "Well, as long as it works...." She turned back to her food.
This time Boba did leave. He went to his suitcase, which lay next to his couch, and began to search it for his pocket blaster, modified to slip through security scans.
As soon as Boba had gone, Annbri peeked over the couch again. [i]Why was I so cold? she wondered, then mentally kicked herself, remembering her almost- wish the night before. And yet...she glanced at the cinnamon roll in her hand and smiled warmly. It wasn't a very Fett-like breakfast.
She curled up more tightly and turned her eyes towards the palace. The whole of Shanwhir was waiting, for they had seven days to waste. Annbri unrolled another strip of her cinnamon roll, popped it in her mouth, and allowed excitement to slip down her spine. Seven days alone with Boba Fett! She mentally kicked herself again.
~~~
Boba sat down to arrange his pocket blaster in a secret compartment within his clothes: easily accessible, but hard to detect. He noticed movement from the balcony couch, and out of the corner of his eye, saw Annbri peek over, then, with an almost fierce look on her face, withdraw again. Boba smiled a little. She was scared of him.
His blaster concealed, he stood silently and regarded the nineteen-year-old over the couch back. She was curled up in a ball, a contented expression on her face. No, Boba thought despairingly, she doesn't fear me. She trusts me. He clenched his hands at his sides, trying silently to tell her, Annbri! Don't trust me. I'm a killer, remember? A mercenary; a bounty hunter! I'm not doing this for you! I could kill you whenever I choose! I am cold, emotionless, unkind, and selfish! If you weren't good for a profit, I'd have let Stellar sell you to that hutt, where you would have become some sort of prostitute! Instead, I'm making you a queen! And yet--I didn't save you. I was only looking out for myself! Don't trust me; hate me!
Fett turned away, his hands twin fists. This was not going the way he had planned.
~~~~~~~~~
Senaver jumped to his feet as the doors hissed open. He could tell at once that something about his friend had changed. Kelrin walked right past him, and into their transport ship. When Senaver followed, he found his fellow padawan lying on his cot in a trance. With a shrug, Senaver turned his attention to the controls, allowing Kelrin time to adjust to reality again.
After an hour or so, Kelrin emerged and joined his friend in the cockpit. Senaver shot a questioning look at the younger padawan. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Kelrin smiled a little. "You were right, you know."
"Oh?" Senaver couldn't help but grin.
"I'm...I'm feeling better about...all of it now."
Senaver's face became serious. "All of it?"
"Well...no. There's still Danja...she's alive, Senaver!" Kelrin burst out when Senaver turned away with a snort.
"Look, Kelrin, I believe you, but hasn't it gone far enough? Get used to it; you'll never know your sister, okay? Maybe you don't want to. Maybe she's become something...awful. She probably doesn't even know who she is! Give it a rest; you're the last person in your family, and you're a Jedi. The Jedi don't marry, okay? It's the end of the Van Dessel line. Get used to it."
"The assassins did a real good job, didn't they?" Kelrin said quietly, his head bowed.
"Yeah." Senaver suddenly felt ashamed for his outburst. His friend had just revisited all the pain and cruelty of his family's death. Kelrin did not need to be subjected to it again. Senaver tried to change the subject. "Well, we should be there soon. It's on autopilot, so let's get some sleep."
"I'm all for that." Kelrin stood up and stretched, pulling his padawan's cloak more tightly around himself. "Space is cold," he remarked absently.
Yeah, Senaver smiled grimly down at his sleeping friend a few minutes later, remembering the silent stillness of the tomb, the impassive whiteness, the pockmarked ship, not nearly a suitable enough memorial for Kelrin's family. Yeah, he nodded slightly. Space is cold.
~~~~~~
"What are you doing?" Boba Fett's voice demanded over Annbri's shoulder.
Annbri looked up from her datapad. "Writing in my journal."
"What are you writing about?" Fett moved towards Annbri, trying to peer at the datapad.
Annbri pulled her journal tighter to herself. "Just thoughts and stuff." Seeing Fett's reason for alarm, she assured him, "Don't worry, it's not anything that compromises our scheme."
Fett contemplated her with expressionless eyes. "Fine. We're going to the Henberan library today, to do our research." He looked less than thrilled about their plans for the day. Annbri shrugged mentally; they were his plans, not hers.
"Okay, just a second." She quickly finished up her entry, signed, and password locked the journal, then turned her back to Boba and hung the journal around her neck, slipping the datapad beneath the top of her tunic. When she turned back, Boba Fett had gone back to his couch, where he was rummaging around in his bag. Seeing her ready to leave, he straightened and motioned towards the door.
Once they were outside the hotel, Annbri slipped her arm through his, in the typical Henberan way. As they walked past the hoverbus stop, Annbri shot a questioning look at Boba, but he shook his head.
"It's not far. We can walk. The bus stop is hard to get off at, because there are so many people headed there."
Annbri didn't ask how he knew this. There were some things that Boba Fett just knew, for absolutely no apparent reason. Very little about Boba, she was finding, was obvious.