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Hey everyone! I'm back and here's the update! There are only six of you reading this, but that's fine, at least someone's enjoying it. I'll be updating again pretty soon, probably Saturday. And yes Roseblade22, this is a romance, I do usually avoid those, but my other fic needed clarification and it is Boba Fett, which makes it infinitely better than a Legomance. Also note to readers, if you like this fic, check out Everyone Dies or In Justice One they're part of the same story line. (a little self advertising there! :) ) Enjoy!
The Slave 1's hatch slid open after he entered his passwords. Fett dropped Narrisa in the specially prepared holding cage, one that could contain Force users. It was of course completely illegal, and as old as the ship itself. It had been one of the first improvements Fett's father had made.
The gleaming metal bars reflected the overhead lights ominously. Fett dropped Narissa inside before swinging the door shut and keying in the lock. He leaned against the cool metal wall of the Slave 1 and pulled a med-kit from the locker beside him.
Narrisa's eyes followed him as she began to regain the use of her limbs. Fett took a roll of silvery material from the kit. He sat across from her cage where he could see her as he proceeded to pull off his glove and roll up the sleeve. It revealed his swelling wrist. He wrapped the bacta infused material around it, sealing it by running his thumb over the edge. Fett's muscles tightened as it contracted, straightening the bone before it stiffened.
Fett cursed under his breath as he leaned his head back for a moment before getting to his feet. He could use his hand now and the pain was receding slowly. As long as he was careful it would heal in a few weeks. He couldn't afford for this to happen.
Narrisa's small smile as she used her stiff limbs to pull herself up onto the bench told him she knew that she had made her capture more expensive than Fett would have preferred. As the pain cleared so did Fett's mind. He made his way toward the cockpit and began preparing for lift off. Fett programmed the coordinates for one of the Empire's middlemen.
It didn't take long for the planet's security to clear him, reluctant as they were to deal with bounty hunters. Fett didn't leave the pilot's seat until the streaks of hyperspace filled the viewplate. The pain from his arm had faded, but a headache had taken its place.
He put his face in his hands, at a loss as to what he was to do next. Regardless of how good he may become someday, times certainly were difficult now. Fett occasionally wondered if he would fail his father. Now he seemed to be close. Soon he sat up with a wry smile. Thinking about possible failure was the best way to fail. Self-pity was not part of the training his father had given.
He stood up checking the cameras; Narrisa had shaken off the effects of the dart. Fett climbed down to the hold. She glanced up.
"Vader put out the bounty on me?" she carefully held her voice steady.
Fett nodded, cleaning his blaster. Working on his equipment was one way to pass the time in hyperspace.
"Since I probably won't be rejoining the galaxy again then I would like to employ you."
Fett looked up at her, setting the weapon aside, not showing any surprise. Narrisa shook her head in amazement at the young man watching her. He would do well in his chosen profession though her fellow Jedi may not enjoy it.
"Before the Empire declared open season on Jedi, I had a Padawan. Her name is Syntas." She checked to make sure Fett was listening.
"A bounty was placed on her head at the beginning of all this. A trigger-happy Rodian cornered her on Dantooine. Because of her injuries she was placed in a medical facility on Corellia." She pulled a data card from her pocket and tossed it through the bars. "The card has all the information I've gathered on the facility." Fett ignored it, and continued to watch her.
"She has remained there sedated despite the fact that she is completely healed. The doctor there fancies himself a scientist and believes a Jedi to be the ultimate experiment," The disgust obvious in her voice, "Therefore Vader's original bounty is still out there. I will pay you to retrieve her. Of course there may be others hoping to collect Vader's small bounty, but I will pay you more to release her, and give her the assistance she needs to complete a task afterward."
Narissa waited silently, her eyes on Fett. He considered it carefully. He had no other jobs available now, the only danger was angering Vader. Though as long as the new Dark Lord was unaware of the Padawan… Though there were still questions.
"What's the task?" Fett did not trust jobs that had hidden parts.
Narrisa shook her head, "Syntas will tell you after you release her. Don't worry, it should be well within your range."
"Why do you want me to do this?" Fett had known more than a few sentients who would go to amazing lengths to exact revenge, and after the lack of answer on his other question.
Narissa's smile was darker still as she answered, "I knew your father. And you proved yourself in your capture of me."
Her grin widened though as she added, "Though your methods left something to be desired." She nodded at his bandaged arm.
Fett's face flushed in embarrassment. Not for the first time he was glad that she could not see his face, though somehow he doubted that prevented her from knowing of his embarrassment. He had sat forward angrily before he got a grip on his emotions and himself.
Fett leaned back slowly, picking up the blaster he had set aside before answering, "I will still bring you to Vader."
"That was never in question." There was no emotion in her voice as she said this, "As I said, I knew your father, the Fetts do not make deals." The smile returned again, but this time her eyes showed it was a memory that brought it.
"Since I will no longer be needing my credits and I have a distinct lack of living friends…" She gave him a significant look. "My Padawan will be worth half a million credits. Plenty for someone as young as you."
Fett frowned; his surprise must have been visible, and nodded. He ignored the slight at the end of her statement. He found it hard to believe his luck, five hundred thousand credits for rescuing a mere Padawan! This could give him the credits he needed. Fett studied the Jedi carefully; for once it was hard to hold the hate that had made it possible for him to fight the galaxy for so long.
The Jedi's voice invaded his thoughts, "Then let it go." Pushing the Jedi from his mind Fett stormed out of his own cargo hold.
Narrisa watched him go with a sigh. She pulled her knees up under her chin, suddenly cold in the metal cage, watching the disappearing back of the young man who was going to deliver her into the hands of Vader, another man bound by hate. She had to smile at the young Fett who was trying so hard to be the man he thought his father had wanted. She had to admit he was succeeding. She had no doubt that Syntas would be able to handle him though. Narrisa had received few glimpses of the future during her years as a Jedi, but the meeting of this angry young man and her Padawan would be a beginning of a very interesting story.
Narrisa leaned back relaxing into a Jedi trance. It would not be long before they arrived, and it would take even less time for Vader to realize that she could not be turned. At least she knew something awaited her after its end. The only regret she had was that the number of Jedi left to preserve the teaching would be one less.
Fett checked their position. It would be some time before they dropped out of hyperspace. The fact that he knew the Jedi could not touch the Force was little comfort. At least he could hope the Padawan would be easier to deal with. Fett slipped the data disk Narrisa had given him into the ship's s computer.
He spent most of the long hours in hyperspace studying it. Occasionally he would drift into a light sleep, but never anything deeper while he held a Jedi in the holding cages. The disk contained a wealth of information about his next job. It would save a great deal of time. Narissa had known exactly where the girl was, but had not been able to release her as she had been on the run herself.
Fett shifted in the pilot's chair, watching the information as it scrolled by. A list of coordinates flashed onto the screen, followed by the statistics of a well off medical facility. The final information was a holo of a young girl, not quite his age. The name "Syntas" appeared below it. This must be the Padawan.
Her dark hair hung just above her shoulders framing a small face with burning dark eyes. Fett was startled. Without thinking he touched the screen with his gloved hand. Her skin was the deep tan of a dry world, though not of the deserts. He could see that from her dark hair.
He was distracted from his study of his next merchandise as the Slave 1 exited hyperspace smoothly, but with the sudden shift could be felt through the deck plates. The Slave 1 had never been built for luxury, only for speed. The floating wreck of salvaged ships that filled the viewscreen formed the domain of Crissc, trader of goods and information, completely loyal to the Empire, at least on the surface.
"Fett? Is that you, little Fett?" Crissc's grinning face appeared on the screen. Like most of his insect-like relatives his voice had a sibilant hiss to it.
"I have the Jedi. I will hand her over to you, and you will give me Vader's payment." Fett kept the disgust out of his voice. Emotion would not make dealing with Crissc any easier. He found it was easier to hide it than it had been in the past. Maybe with time he wouldn't even need to think about it.
The Slave 1 docked with the floating wreck as it continued its ponderous orbit around one of the larger asteroids. As it locked with it there was a sickening crunch. Crissc's floating junk had never been known to be in the best condition, though if the little insect had damaged the Slave 1 through his incompetence, then he and Fett would be forced to have a discussion about proper maintenance.
Fett dropped down into the hold, still holding his wrist carefully. He wasn't about to risk injuring it further; he couldn't afford it. Fett removed a set of binders from the locker as well as a chip, which he inserted into them. The archaic script covering it showed it was not an ordinary chip.
He held the binders up before Narrisa, "These cannot be manipulated through the Force, don't bother." Fett unlocked the cage door and pulled her hands tightly behind her, attaching the binders. He was not about to have another embarrassment such as in the alley.
The lock opened and he pushed Narrisa slightly to move her through it. The dark corridor they found themselves in was only partially visible due to the failing ancient lights. A musky sent pervaded the entire structure. Fett had never wished to know exactly what caused it.
A small form launched itself from the shadows. The flickering lights reflected off Crissc's dark shell. His mandibles were already parted in what he fondly thought of as a welcoming smile. A small hiss escaped the corners of his mouth as he spoke.
"Sso, here sshe iss. I'm ssure your father would have been proud, little Fett." His speech was slow and considering. "Your payment hass been transsferred." He handed Fett a datapad for confirmation. When Fett nodded he turned to leave. "Then, if our bussinesss iss complete I bid you farewell."
Fett gripped Crissc's arm as he turned to leave. "You will never mention my father again. And you will never call me that again." His grip tightened making Crissc hiss in fear. Then he released the insect before spinning around and striding back to the Slave 1. Crissc wasn't the only one who preferred to keep these meetings short.
"You had besst be careful, Fett! I do not take ssuch as that lightly!" Crissc called after him before shoving Narrisa away into the shadows. Fett had one glimpse of her set face before she disappeared into the darkness and he put her from his mind. She was still a Jedi, and had earned her fate on Geonosis and elsewhere.
The hatch whisked shut behind him, blocking out the insidious odor of Crissc's lair. A quick check of his hidden accounts confirmed that Crissc had indeed come through with the payment. He now had enough funds to finance his search for the Jedi's Padawan.
Narrisa was forced ahead of the short squat insect. Crissc chuckled to himself, rubbing his mandibles together to produce a sharp shriek of laughter. The Jedi winced making him laugh even harder as he herded her deeper into his labyrinth of decaying ships.
"Thought you could essscape the Dark Lord?" He whispered to her as they made they way in. Narissa's struggles ceased as she caught sight of what was waiting for her.
"He'ss not happy with you, naughty Jedi! Hiding what'ss hiss iss not a good idea." Crissc crept forward to crouch to the left of a man wearing a dark cape and helmet. Narissa stepped back involuntarily as he turned to face her, the mask looked like a black skull, the lenses for the eyes as wide and reflective as Crissc's, above a grill for the mouth.
"No, Jedi Knight Narrisa, I am not. Now you will give me the Record." His voice was harsh, as it had been burned.
She blinked, taking a breath to compose herself before smiling insolently, "No, Anakin. Master Yoda's Record is no longer in my hands. You're too late, again." The smile became grim as the Force threw her against the wall.
"We shall see if you can't rethink your words. You may find that the dark side of the Force can be very persuasive."
Crissc scuttled out of the room he saved for Lord Vader's conversations with his newly acquired Jedi. Even he had no desire to see what would happen to the Jedi Knight. He reassured himself by counting the credits he had received as his payment for standing as Lord Vader's emissary, and closing his ears to the sounds from the darkened room.