Disclaimer: Yay to George Lucas for creating Star Wars! (which as you all should know I do not own….dammit)
Sorry for the massive wait! Heehee I'm not dead and I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I've just been having major writer's block and that, along with a mixture of no internet and finals and moving back to my hometown, just sucked ass when it came to trying to write. Anyway hope you guys enjoy this first chapter to the second part of Iile!
Iile
Night had fallen over the Geonosian lands. The purple light of the planet's twin moons shone softly from above, casting long dark shadows between the rocky mountainsides. It glinted off the metal side of a sand skiff, which sat near the edge of an outcrop overlooking the Geonosian city. It lay silent in the dark, waiting for the boy who had brought it up along the winding path from below. The child was off to the side of the outcrop of the canyon near the soft earthy mound of a grave. It had taken Boba two hours to dig a burial place for his father using the small hand-held metal shovel he had found in the skiff. Now he sat, still as the stone around him, before the small boulder he had used as a grave marker, his tears had dried to his face by the hot air of the mountains and a mixture of dust and blood marred his clothing and skin.
He stared at the J.F he had carved into the rock to mark where his father would lay from now on. Below the initials he had added "Hunter" in Mandalorian script. It was crude and simple but told volumes to those that knew who lay under the rust coloured dirt. That number would remain at one for only the son of Jango Fett would hold this information.
His father's helmet lay beside him. He hadn't been able to bury it with Jango's body. The helmet that had represented so much to him through his young life would be a remembrance of Jango that he would carry with him into the future. His hand slid along the top of the metallic dome to the underside lip of the helmet. He lifted it off the ground and held it in front of him, looking into the black visor. He wiped at the tears and dust that had dried on his face, swallowing hard to keep from crying again. Boba climbed to his feet, unsteady as the blood flow caused tingling sensations from being locked in a kneeling position for so long and his gaze fell upon the stone words once more.
"Goodbye dad…" he whispered.
He turned and ascended the sand skiff, starting it up with a sputter and a cloud of black soot. The ride back down the mountain side passed uneventfully and he left the machine beside the tall iron gates of the palace's leftwing entrance. The passageways were silent as the Geonosians still had yet to come out from their hiding places, their fear of a returning squad of clones and Jedi keeping them concealed within the gaps of the palace walls. Boba knew better. The Jedi were long gone from Geonosis, probably back to Coresant where their center of operations stood. The clones on the other hand…had they gone back to Kamino? Were they still in the under the command of the Jedi?
Seeing the white armored troopers serving under the very people who had aided Mace Windu during the battle had been a reminder that the clones had in fact been created for that very reason. With them linked to the opposite side of this war, Boba decided it would be wisest to avoid them to the best of his abilities. He didn't want them reporting back to their commanders his whereabouts, for the Jedi might still be interesting in knowing that Jango's son still lived and possibly held information about their enemy, Count Dooku. That brought other questions to Boba's mind. He had figured that there were three options in his situation. The first was to find the Count, being his father's most recent employer; perhaps Dooku would be able to help him out. He didn't have any credits besides the small five chip ones his father had given him that he had in his bag, which was currently on the Slave 1. The second option was to return to Kamino and remain there with Taun We. His training would remain uncompleted however with that choice and besides, he didn't want to become a bother to the female alien that had been a close friend of his for all these years. The third and final choice that Boba could come up with was to find Kish.
Boba sighed. He hadn't heard from Kish in a long time and Dooku would be in hiding from the Jedi; both would be a challenge to locate. It seemed as if his father was already testing him against the unknown. Seeing what he would do, how he would survive his first moments alone in the galaxy and what critical decisions he would make.
First things first he decided was to go back to Kamino and to gather what he could from the apartment and tie up things with Taun We.
Slave 1 sat alone in the docking bay. All the other crafts that had been there previously had been swept up by the council members of Dooku's and their minions. Black marks scorched the packed dirt of the floor in the area surrounding the Slave 1 showing that some had tried to get aboard her but were quickly corrected in their mistakes by the defense turrets mounted within hidden panels on the ship's hull. One body lay sprawled where it had been hit by a blast, not having moved fast enough out of harm's way. Boba strode right up to the ship and into the surveillance perimeter. Immediately a beam of red light shot out and scanned over his body. The cannons locked on his position but then swiveled around on their base back into their compartments as the identity scan clicked with recognition.
The hatchway hissed open and Boba climbed up to the cockpit. He laid his father's helmet on what use to be his own chair and took a seat at the main controls. His throat tightened slightly but he shook it off and allowed his lessons to take over. Departure was smooth as he set course for Kamino and he slumped back in the chair, allowing the autopilot to take him into light speed.
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"Beep beep beep…"
The sharp sounds brought Boba out from a deep sleep. He rubbed his eyes from drossiness; going without much rest in the past few days was beginning to show itself from the dark circles forming under his eyes and the constant aching in his muscles. When had he fallen asleep? Boba remembered watching Geonosis fade into the star fields of hyperspace but couldn't pinpoint the time he had let his eyes shut. The beeping grew louder and he hit a control on the front panel to bring up Kamino in the view port.
A quick examination on the infrared spectrometer showed several large storms in effect over the main cloning factories of Kamino but that was nothing out of the ordinary. No military ships hovered in orbit around the planet, everything was quiet. Boba sent the Slave 1 down through the thin slips of stable atmosphere between the edges of two of the storms to land on the docking platform nearest to his old quarters. He quickly shut down all systems to standby and grabbed an empty sack from a locker before going out into the downpour. Jango's helmet remained behind since it was to be taken along anyway and would only hinder the amount he could carry in each trip. The plan was to be in and out quickly without any notice from the cloners except he would make a special detour to say farewell to Taun. The corridors were empty which was the usual during the early evening storms, with most of the Kaminians in the cloning bay areas overlooking the training and assessing growth development. However with all of the mature clones now under the control of the Republic Boba wondered just how long he had before someone came along and spotted him. Not that his presence would raise too much notice for he had been a common sight among the passageways before.
He rounded a bend in the corridor and stopped short as he caught sight of another craft out on a landing platform through a window. Boba ducked off to the side and peered out just enough so that he could see the brown robes of two Jedi knights through the storm. They were currently occupied with three cloners, handing data pads back and forth in business about the cloned army. Boba slipped around another turn and quickened his pace towards Taun We's quarters instead of his own, which were further away from the Jedi and would take time to empty of his possessions.
Her stateroom door was situated at the end of one of the halls and he glanced around before pressing the buzzer on the wall. The door slid open fluidly and a soft voice bid him enter. He stepped into the lavishly decorated apartment and the door shut after him. Silken drapes flowed down from the ceiling and a globe shed soft blue light over the plump furniture and wool rugs. Taun had always enjoyed such luxurious accommodations, making sure to keep her thin frame in as much comfort as possible since the delicate bone structure of her species made them prone to back aches and stiff joints. Being the assistant to the prime minister had allowed her to live in pretty much any way she wanted, having the respect of all other cloners as well as a high salary.
Boba moved into the center of the circular living area aware that he was dripping rainwater all over the fibers of the carpets. Taun appeared through a doorway off to his left and crossed over to him.
"Boba, I wasn't aware of your return," she said, a warm smile on her pale face.
"I just got back."
"I see. Was your trip productive?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "Not really…"
"Oh… May I ask what went wrong?"
"My father…" he stopped and cleared his throat. "My father is dead."
Her liquid eyes widened at his words and she brought her long fingers up to touch her face. "Oh… I'm so sorry."
He nodded at her soft words and looked down at the floor. "I've come to collect my belongings. I won't take long; I don't want to be a bother."
"Boba… Yes, yes you may have as much time as you need. Will you require any help? I will call for it if you so wish…"
"No thank you, I'll be fine. I don't want to call attention to myself right now."
"I understand. But why is it that you must leave? You know you are welcome to remain here."
Boba sighed and glanced out of the bay windows. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by the rolling boom of thunder. The easy choice of living on Kamino only appealed to him with its promises of an easy existence where he knew that he would be cared and provided for. That however was not for him. His life wasn't meant to be easy, far from it, instead he had been given a chance to go out into the galaxy and prove himself, both for his own reasons and for his father. He turned back to Taun and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I must continue on with my training and find my place out there among everyone else."
She smiled sadly at his words. "I'm sure you'll do fine in your decisions, Boba. But remember that you will always be welcome here on Kamino should you ever want to return and visit."
"I will. I won't forget the friendship that you have shown me over these years," Boba told her.
She laid one large hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him. "As I will also," she replied, her voice full of warmth.
He stood there with the weight of her palm resting on his shoulder until she stepped back and motioned towards the door. "Before you leave is there anything else that you require?" she asked.
"Yes actually. There are two Jedi here; I saw them on the platform outside."
"They are here about the payment and shipping of the clones. They have been here for an hour or so."
"Would it be possible for you to make sure that they stay away from the west wing where my ship it docked? I'm taking precautions to ensure that I don't have any troubles while trying to leave."
"Of course. I'll see to it right away, Boba," she replied.
"Thank you…"
Taun We moved over to one side and watched as he crossed back over to the doorway. "Take care of yourself, in both body and spirit," she told him in customary farewell. Boba glanced back and nodded before slipping quietly back out into the hall.
It only took him minutes to make his way through the maze of corridors before coming upon the lone door of his apartment. He pressed the code entry into the keypad and went inside. His home had been fairly bare to begin with, only a few odds and ends lay upon the white countertop near the food dispenser or on the table. Most of his and Jango's belongings had been kept in the compartments of their rooms or in storage. Boba rushed into his room first and quickly packed the sack he had brought along full of his clothing, data pads, and a few books. The bed held a fairly warm blanket which he could probably use aboard the ship since deep space was very cold. He moved to take it and stopped as his eyes fell on a small toy lying near his pillow. It was the stuffed bantha that his father had given him when he was just a baby. One of its curved horns was torn and the fur was matted and worn. No price value would be obtained from it besides a sentimental one. He picked up the familiar toy and held it in his hands, turning it over and feeling the reassuring softness against his skin. Boba remembered the stories his father use to tell him about the banthas. Strong, noble, and loyal creatures that formed life long partnerships with the Tusken Raiders of Tatooine.
The stories had enchanted him as a kid and he couldn't bring himself to leave the cherished toy. Boba placed it in the sack along with the rest swearing though to never let anyone else know about it.
It took five trips back and forth to Slave 1 before everything that he wanted was out of the apartment. All of his father's files and weapons were stored in the two holding safes on the ship and all everyday supplies were packed into its small sleeping quarters. As Boba checked the apartment one last time his stomach growled as he passed the fridge. It had been a long time since his last meal and the possibility of stopping somewhere out in the galaxy for a snack seemed out of the question since his destination was still hazy and the limited amount of credits to his name.
Boba grabbed another small bag and emptied the fridge and cupboards of all the nonperishable foodstuffs that he could find. He quickly grabbed a wafer bar on his way out the door for his immediate hunger.
There was no glancing back for one last look at his old life; he didn't trust himself to continue forward if he did.
Once the ship was safely far enough away from Kamino did Boba relax. The Jedi hadn't learned of his presence and as far as he could tell he wasn't being followed. He swung around in the cockpit over to the computer outlet and pressed a few keys hoping that he could begin a search for either Kish or Dooku. However a bar immediately popped up on the screen asking for the password. His father had always changed the codes for the ship every so often and had never told Boba any of them. It wasn't as if Jango hadn't trusted his son, it was just that Boba had never been old enough to use the Slave 1 in order to need them. He sighed and knew that punching in words that were familiar to his father, such as bounty, Kamino, and clones, would only be useless since any fool could figure those out. Also by randomly entering codes would only freeze the system and deactivate the Slave 1 rendering him totally helpless in space. There was only one extra chance of entering the correct code if you made a mistake the first time. He would need to somehow hack into the ship for those correct codes but didn't have the understanding or the tools to do it.
His hand slipped up to his neck to touch the thick thread of the gift Kish had given him. He knew that out of the choice of her or Dooku, she was the one who could help him the most with this problem. He didn't trust the Count not to meddle with the information that could be brought up once allowed access to the mainframe of his ship. His father had many secrets and Boba wasn't about to let them be known to others just because of a problem he was having.
So now he had to find Kish… But how would he go about doing it? Someone else might be able to aid him, an informer possibly. Someone with experience and the database needed to search the galaxy for one person. But who?
A thought clicked and Boba jumped up and moved over to the safe hidden in the corner back wall of the cockpit. He opened it with a fingerprint scan and rifled through the files he had brought from the apartment. He remembered his father telling him of an old friend of his that had helped him with some of his hunts, providing him with information about the bounty, locations, planetary data, and weapons systems.
His eyes scanned over the material before finally coming across a file with the records he was looking for. He moved back to the pilot's chair and punched in the coordinates from the file and the image of a planetary orbiting structure appeared on one of the screens. The Outland Station II was quite old but it still conducted vast amounts of business with the gambling population and species breeders; and it was where he would find Roz…