Disclaimer: Nothing here is mine, not even Agen, the oh so mighty Jedi, I actually did research to find a real Jedi, I feel so proud...
Oh and Infamous One I think I'm going to surprise you with the plot this time around. It's not going to be hurt/comfort this time around. Fett's not getting off completely free in battle, that wouldn't be very convincing even for him, but the fic's going to be a long one, according to my outline of it, it'll be about 34 chapters. It's more fun if it's got surprises in it!
Oh, and sorry for being late, I've been playing Knights of the Old Republic, not bad except you have to be a Jedi. There's even a mention of a Fett in it...
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The Slave 1 shuddered as they entered hyperspace, leaving the dusty world behind them. As the stars streaked into long white bands as they raced by Fett reached over, calling up the holonet.
Syntas watched him quietly from her seat, for a moment, but found that she couldn't quite bring herself to help. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into a deep trance. Hoping beyond hope the Force would come to her and that it would come bearing answers.
Fett glanced back as he heard her breathing deepen. He felt a pang as he saw her again attempting to reach for the Force, which she had not been able to reach since the battle to destroy the Record.
Of course what could he do? He knew the Jedi had a power, but did not put as much in store with it as many. It failed them, it had failed Syntas. And it certainly did not guide them to good, his hands clenched at the memory of one Jedi, now crumbling to dust on a small unnamed world.
He caught his anger again, turning back to his research. It had been sometime since Agen had been seen in the Core. Then it had been sometime since any Jedi had been seen in the Core. That of course did not save them; Lord Vader's reach was long, longer than they could escape.
Fett opened an applet, scanning through his list of contacts. No one had reported anything while he had been gone. He scanned through the channels. The empire was unusually quiet as it had been for several weeks, a state that wasn't good for business. He sent a general statement out to his more reliable contacts telling them to look for a Zabrack on the Rim.
Fett selected a few of the more remote planets and called up their security records. If nothing was presenting itself he might as well do some research of his own. There were lists of protests regarding grain prices, even a few brawls to add interest.
Though essential to the abilities of any bounty hunter was patience and that Boba Fett had. After scanning through a dozen or so uneventful worlds he came to a small one on the edge of the Rim. Sullust was unremarkable; a hot world that had driven its natives underground, its surface was covered in vicious predators.
But its imperial report mentioned something very interesting. A week ago there had been a cave in. But a stranger had risked his life to rescue a small child. The stranger had vanished before officers had arrived on the scene. The reporting officer had questioned the child. The small boy would only say that a 'dragon-man' had saved him.
Zebracks were not overly known for altruism and moreover it was unlikely one would be on Sullust without good reason such as the need to avoid attention. Fett smiled under his helmet, he had a start on the Jedi's trail.
He punched in the coordinates allowing the Slave 1 to adjust its course, heading for the fiery world of Sullust.
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Theron slipped a few coins to the dusty beggar crouched on the street corner. Fett had come this way. But where had he gone? He paused for a moment in the cantina's entryway. If this was where the hunter spent his time it didn't give him any points in Theron's book. He hoped Fett was worth his time. But then he couldn't exactly argue with Vader one way or the other, best to just find Fett and be done with it.
A few patrons looked up, but looked away quickly, unsure whether the man who entered was dangerous or crazy or both. Something about him made the hair stand up on those of mammalian descent stand up and a cold chill run through the others.
Theron smiled politely at the bar keeper who eyed him uneasily, taking a seat at the bar. He put a few coins on the scarred and battered countertop. The bar tender, as scarred as his bar reached a hand out to scoop them up, but Theron caught his hand.
"I want information."
"About what?" the bar tender tried hard to keep the fear from his voice, but the smile that pulled at Theron's face told him he'd failed.
"About someone who was in here not too long ago."
"Many sentiments come here, they don't tell me their names or businesses and I don't ask!" The barkeep pulled at his hand, hoping to dislodge the smaller man's grasp.
Theron's smile merely widened, "Oh I think you'll remember him. Don't you know of Boba Fett."
The quick intake of breath was all Theron needed for his answer.
"Now I want to know where Fett would be going."
Sweat ran down the bar keep's face, he glanced around, hoping for help, but all others kept their eyes on their drinks, he gulped, "I don't know anything about that one."
"But I have it on good authority he was here." A drunken beggar may not be good authority, but this one knew better than to lie to Theron, he didn't want to lose his other hand.
The bar keep swallowed again, "But Fett would kill me."
Theron sighed, "He may, but if you do not speak, I will kill you and you'll have nothing further to worry about."
The barkeep looked into Theron's face, believing every word the man spoke, and all resistance drained from him.
"Fett was here. He'd come here between jobs sometimes. I heard he's after a Jedi now, but then he usually is. Maybe he's got something against them; maybe he's the only one good enough for those jobs." He shrugged awkwardly, "When he left he headed for the docking bay."
Theron released the man's hand, and stood, turning to the door. The barkeep's face flushed with rage and humiliation. He swung a blaster rifle up from beneath the bar training it on the retreating back.
How he knew no one there could determine, but the strange man spun, holdout blasters dropping into his hands, one shot dropped the barkeep, the rifle spun from his hands as he crashed backwards, shattering the glass bottles lining the wall behind him.
The other scanned the crowd, half on their feet, a few with their hands edging towards their own holsters. Theron's crazed smile gave them pause, something he knew well as he slipped away his blasters and continued making his way to the door.
Behind the bar the barkeep could feel his strength draining away, but it was almost with relief that he accepted this slow quiet end. At least this way no Sith-spawn would call him a coward and he wouldn't have to explain himself to Fett. Not a bad arrangement he thought as he slipped from the galaxy.
Outside Theron made his way through the streets, accessing the ports records with his datapad. The Slave1 had left the planet several hours ago; no destination had been logged into the port controller. But if he hurried he might be able to detect their ion trail and calculate their trajectory and destination.
Few looked up as a small fighter lifted off, rising through the atmosphere and disappearing into the sky, except of course for one Jawa, the same Jawa who had been crouched in the corner of the cantina, who completed his message and sent it out on the Holonet.
The Slave1 touched down on Sullust hot winds racing across the surface buffeted the small craft. Syntas gripped the chair's armrests tightly, her face set as the ship groaned and shuddered as Boba set it down. There were times when she suspected that if he were any less of a pilot the ancient ship would not survive one of these landings.
Fett un-strapped himself, pulling his shutting down systems and turning on the security systems. It would be a brave thief who tried to steal from the Slave 1 and afterwards it would be a dead thief they would find on their return.
Syntas sighed, belting a blaster about her waist. Sometimes her hand ached for a lightsaber, but that was not an option even if she could use it well without the Force. Sometimes she wasn't sure and wasn't interested in risking it. That and lightsabers attracted the wrong kind of attention.
She paused, watching the sun scorched earth through the shimmering heat waves visible as the thick blast doors closed behind the Slave 1. As the last of the light disappeared she hurried from the cockpit.
Fett was waiting at hatch, already hidden beneath his armor. He handed her a helmet that covered the upper half of her face. She accepted it, turning the coppery colored helmet over in her hands.
"Why?"
"Agen would recognize you. There's still a bounty on your head, we can't afford for other hunters to be after."
Then perhaps realizing the harsh tone in his voice, his shoulder's relaxed slightly and he gently took the helmet from her hands, turning it over to show her the electronics attached to the visor.
"It will allow you to see in the dark, the caverns here are seldom well lighted. They have few visitors."
She took it back from him, her fingers brushing his gloved hands and slipped it over her head. The hold of the Slave1 popped into sharp relief. Syntas smiled, experimenting with the settings, as she pulled on gloves of her own.
"You give such romantic gifts."
"Your welcome."
Fett punched the release and the hatch opened slowly and he walked down the ramp, Syntas a step behind him, well out of any of his lines. She had learned how to stay out of his way, taking up with a bounty hunter was far from the safest of choices. She well knew her Jedi masters would have been far from pleased.
Short stocky forms scurried about, busy with unknown errands and plans and dreams. A few taller forms dotted the sea of people who moved about the floor of the cavern and about its walls and even across its ceilings.
The dark veined rock almost seemed to pulse with activity. Yet even here a path opened before Fett, a small parting of the waves of sentients who would give no concession to any other. This was their world, they controlled it, but Fett's reputation still brought its own advantages.
Fett ducked into one of the small alcolves cut into the rock that made the walls of the cavern. He had to be careful not to hit his head on the low ceiling. A shadowy figure moved in the small room it led to. Fett's helmet revealed the figure as Neit Met, his contact on Sullust.
Neit shuffled forward, a strange gleam in his eyes. He looked Fett up and down.
"Been awhile."
"I need information."
The small creature chuckled, rubbing its hands one over the other, "What does the fearsome Boba Fett need with one such as me?"
"Where is the Zabrack?"
"What Zabrack?" The creature peaked out at him from behind one of the piles of rusted parts piled on his table.
"The one who saved the child in the cave-in."
"That one? I always get them confused. Well that one's gone, heard he was heading out of here, brought a hyperspace route map from Meinen Nub."
Fett dropped a small pile of credits on the cluttered table, but the wizened creature caught at his arm.
"He's a Jedi that one, crazy too."
"I am aware of that." Fett pulled his arm free.
"But it's not the Jedi you should fear Boba Fett."
Fett glanced back, "I fear no one."
"True, true," the creature muttered to itself, rubbing its hands as Fett and the woman who followed him slipped from its hovel, "And therein lies the danger for you Boba Fett." It chuckled, sweeping up the credits humming, a strange off key tune.
Theron smiled as Fett made his way deeper into the cavern. It was time to introduce himself. Perhaps when he returned the Dark Lord would give him something more interesting to do, bounty hunters were a waste of his skills. As he strode forward, the small sentients scurried out of his way.
Author's Note:
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Hey everyone! I've gotten a lot of comments about short chapters, so this one's twice as long as usual and I'll try to keep them about this length.