Disclaimer: Nope sorry, none of this is mine, wait, Theron's mine, made I can trade him for Fett...
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Fett caught sight of a man out of the corner of his eye. He scanned back; the man in the dark clothing was still there. And if he was right had been there for some time. There was nothing overtly suspicious about him. He wore dark clothing that seemed almost military in nature. From the way he moved Fett knew he would be a formidable opponent.
He reached out, touching Syn's arm, making her glance at him. Dust from the cavern floor swirled around their feet. He gestured to her to step away. She hesitated a moment, but something about the tension in his stance made her unwilling to argue.
The man seemed to take in the fact that they were splitting back and ducked into a side corridor. Fett took advantage of his preoccupation to duck into one of the clefts in the cavern wall. The small spaces were frequent in this part of the cave city. Old homes, long since collapsed and old streets that had been built over made excellent passageways.
From his position he scanned the crowded thoroughfare for Syntas. He caught sight of her for a moment as she stepped into a shop three levels up. Fett breathed a sigh of relief; he wouldn't have put it past her to argue with him, something he could not afford to waste time on if the dark clothed man was indeed following him.
In the back of the darkened niche set of narrow stone stairs led into the gloom above. Fett glanced back at the shop into which Syntas had disappeared and began to climb.
Theron gritted his teeth, Fett had seen him. There was no other reason why they would have split up like that. Perhaps this would be more of a challenge than he had first thought. Theron hesitated a moment unsure whether to go after Fett or his partner. It was strange. All he had heard of Fett suggested he worked alone.
Which probably meant the partner was a bluff used to distract enemies. As he watched the copper colored helmet disappear among the haphazardly arranged shops and homes climbing the cavern's walls he couldn't help but think perhaps there was something more to this partner of Fett's.
But he brushed it aside; lengthening his stride as he made his way towards the spot he had last seen Fett. The crowds impeded his progress somewhat, but the sentients put all the effort they could into staying out of his way.
Fett wedged himself between two walls where he had a good view of his pursuer. He shifted slightly, resting his blaster rifle against the stone wall before him, keeping it trained on the man far below.
Somehow he doubted this one was here to talk. They never were, usually it was an up and comer looking to make a quick reputation or one of those on top, worried about just what he might do or angry that he was taking many of the high priced bounties.
His finger tightened on the trigger, the crosshairs resting on the man's head. It would be easier to take care of the problem from a distance. But at that moment the man looked up, his eyes meeting Fett's.
Fett's eyes widened in shock and he rolled out of sight, pulling back his blaster rifle. What the man had done was impossible unless he was a Jedi or so augmented he wasn't really human anymore. Fett swore under his breath, rolling to his feet and pulling back into the shadows.
Theron grinned, good, he had his attention. He shook his head slightly as he reached for one of the many ladders scattered about, there weren't many who would dare that trick. Years spent on this job had given him instincts that had saved his life many times, and augmented sight made it easy to scan for weapons aimed in his direction.
Across the street Syntas watched the man look up into the rising honeycomb of buildings. From the way he stood she knew he saw something and when he reached for a ladder she knew exactly who he had seen.
"Sithspawn!" Syntas swore, ducking out of the shop she had been concealed in.
The proprietress squealed, shaking her fist at the being she assumed was another of the bounty hunters who had come at the Empire's call. She hated the foul language they brought into her store.
"Sorry!" Syntas ducked the broom that swung her way, and stepped from the shop. With her helmet enhanced vision it didn't take her long to make out the dark clothed man, making his way up towards another, partially concealed by the buildings jutting from the rock.
It was easy to see this figure wasn't running. She saw his hands move, raising a blaster rifle. Syntas cursed again. Leave it to Fett to shoot first rather than looking for a more peaceful and probably safer alternative. She wanted to scream at him to get out of there, she could sense in the vague sort of way that was her only access to the Force now that this man was dangerous, very dangerous.
Theron looked up, seeing the barrel of the blaster, aimed his way again, this time from another location, better concealed but not well enough. He paused on the ladder he was climbing, reaching into the pouch at his waist.
He pulled out the seismic grenade, reaching back, threw it in a long slow arc, aimed at the barrel aimed in his direction. It swung up and over so slowly he wondered for a moment if it would even hit.
But as it reached its intended target he let loose his grip on the ladder, sliding down to the level he had just left. Theron flattened himself against the wall.
Above him, Fett lunged backwards as the grenade fell down onto the small ledge on which he knelt. It hit the ground, exploding with a flash and releasing a wave of energy that slammed the bounty hunter back against the rock wall. It smashed into the precariously perched buildings all around him.
A deep groan sounded within the structure as decades or even centuries old supports crumbled and an entire section of the cavern city came loose from the wall.
Fett felt the ground beneath him give way. He reached stiffly for a hold on the wall behind him, ignoring the pain as the movement pulled at the ribs which had been bruised in the initial explosion. But before he could get a hold the ground fell away and he plunged downward along with the stone buildings that had been so solid only a moment ago.
Syntas' breath caught in her throat as Fett plunged downwards, lost in the deluge of rock and dust. She slid down one ladder, nearly falling from the next in her hurry to reach the damaged area.
Theron simply smiled as he stood brushing the dust from his clothing. This was too easy. With all the armor the young hunter had been wearing he doubted he'd killed him, just incapacitated him. Maybe even knocking him out if he were lucky.
He reached the rubble filled area quickly, but there was no sign of Fett. Theron frowned, prodding the broken stone with one foot. Perhaps the bounty hunter had been buried in the slide. That would be irritating.
The stone shifted as he prodded it, revealing what looked like Fett's hand. Theron smiled, reaching down, but all he picked up was an empty glove. At that moment he heard a small stone fall behind him. He turned in time to take Fett's punch directly in the face.
Theron staggered back as the battered Fett followed it up with a kick to his chest. But Theron had not earned his place at Vader's side by going down easily. He caught Fett's next swing, following it with one of his own.
The bounty hunter ducked, kicking out, hoping to knock Theron's feet from under him. Theron though jumped, catching Fett's foot and spinning him over.
Fett caught himself on the stone wall, coming back swinging high, allowing himself to be blocked, and taking Theron's next swing in the shoulder, but swung back, catching Theron in the stomach while he was too far forward.
While the man gasped for breath Fett pulled back to hit him again, only to be knocked to the ground as the man's foot came out, catching Fett by the ankle. Theron straightened, a smile returning to his face as Fett struggled to get his breath back.
He put his foot on the bounty hunter's chest, "I thank you for the challenge but now you will be coming with me."
He pulled a blaster from his belt, carefully setting it to stun in full view, allowing Fett to see that he was about to be taken like any piece of merchandise.
At that moment though a shot took Theron in the shoulder, knocking him back, to the edge of the ledge. He wavered for a moment before tumbling back into the loose rubble and was lost from sight as the impact knocked loose enough rubble to start another slide down the cavern.
Fett looked back sharply. Syntas stood there, breathing hard, blaster in her hands. She smiled, shoving it into her holster and coming over, offering him her hand. Fett gripped it tightly, letting her pull him to his feet.
"We need to work on your aim." He informed her as they made they way carefully off the edge.
"And you had better not do anything so stupid again! Why did you wait for him like that? You knew he was dangerous!"
"That's why I did."
Syntas opened her mouth to argue, but the datapad on Fett's forearm began to blink, she stopped, contenting herself with folding her arms over her chest.
Fett didn't respond to that, only opened it and accessed his comlink; the voice was obscured with static.
"Fett...is Ahcnar...found the...is here...Mon Calamari....Payment?" There was no visual. Fett snapped it shut. He glanced back at the rubble, now spread nearly all the way down to the cavern floor before turning his back on it.
He looked to Syntas, she stared back, anger in her eyes, but only for a moment, "We're going to Mon Calamari."
Syntas paused, putting her hand on his arm, "Fett?"
He didn't speak, but stood facing her, waiting for her to continue.
Syntas took a breath as if to speak, but let it out, not knowing what to say, she hoped her eyes could speak for her.
Fett reached up, stopping just short of touching her hair, where it showed under the metallic helmet, "This is the way of the universe. I...would understand if this is not for you."
A long moment of silence passed between them, but when she spoke her voice held a conviction that could not be shaken, "This is my choice, you are my choice." Her hand tightened on his arm.
Fett nodded and two dusty figures made their way down from the cavern city's upper reaches, before the city officials could find ask their questions about what exactly had just happened.
Later a group the small sentients was digging in the rubble. One saw a bit of fabric showing between the rocks. He set down his shovel, brushing away the rock fragments. His eyes widened as he revealed a human hand, and they widened still further as it moved.
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Look! Look! I updated! And we haven't gotten rid of Theron quite yet.... Looks like it's just me and you, Infamous One but oh well, at least the two of us can enjoy this fic (which is my own fault for not updating it faster, oh well), now that I've come up with a plot for it...
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Fett caught sight of a man out of the corner of his eye. He scanned back; the man in the dark clothing was still there. And if he was right had been there for some time. There was nothing overtly suspicious about him. He wore dark clothing that seemed almost military in nature. From the way he moved Fett knew he would be a formidable opponent.
He reached out, touching Syn's arm, making her glance at him. Dust from the cavern floor swirled around their feet. He gestured to her to step away. She hesitated a moment, but something about the tension in his stance made her unwilling to argue.
The man seemed to take in the fact that they were splitting back and ducked into a side corridor. Fett took advantage of his preoccupation to duck into one of the clefts in the cavern wall. The small spaces were frequent in this part of the cave city. Old homes, long since collapsed and old streets that had been built over made excellent passageways.
From his position he scanned the crowded thoroughfare for Syntas. He caught sight of her for a moment as she stepped into a shop three levels up. Fett breathed a sigh of relief; he wouldn't have put it past her to argue with him, something he could not afford to waste time on if the dark clothed man was indeed following him.
In the back of the darkened niche set of narrow stone stairs led into the gloom above. Fett glanced back at the shop into which Syntas had disappeared and began to climb.
Theron gritted his teeth, Fett had seen him. There was no other reason why they would have split up like that. Perhaps this would be more of a challenge than he had first thought. Theron hesitated a moment unsure whether to go after Fett or his partner. It was strange. All he had heard of Fett suggested he worked alone.
Which probably meant the partner was a bluff used to distract enemies. As he watched the copper colored helmet disappear among the haphazardly arranged shops and homes climbing the cavern's walls he couldn't help but think perhaps there was something more to this partner of Fett's.
But he brushed it aside; lengthening his stride as he made his way towards the spot he had last seen Fett. The crowds impeded his progress somewhat, but the sentients put all the effort they could into staying out of his way.
Fett wedged himself between two walls where he had a good view of his pursuer. He shifted slightly, resting his blaster rifle against the stone wall before him, keeping it trained on the man far below.
Somehow he doubted this one was here to talk. They never were, usually it was an up and comer looking to make a quick reputation or one of those on top, worried about just what he might do or angry that he was taking many of the high priced bounties.
His finger tightened on the trigger, the crosshairs resting on the man's head. It would be easier to take care of the problem from a distance. But at that moment the man looked up, his eyes meeting Fett's.
Fett's eyes widened in shock and he rolled out of sight, pulling back his blaster rifle. What the man had done was impossible unless he was a Jedi or so augmented he wasn't really human anymore. Fett swore under his breath, rolling to his feet and pulling back into the shadows.
Theron grinned, good, he had his attention. He shook his head slightly as he reached for one of the many ladders scattered about, there weren't many who would dare that trick. Years spent on this job had given him instincts that had saved his life many times, and augmented sight made it easy to scan for weapons aimed in his direction.
Across the street Syntas watched the man look up into the rising honeycomb of buildings. From the way he stood she knew he saw something and when he reached for a ladder she knew exactly who he had seen.
"Sithspawn!" Syntas swore, ducking out of the shop she had been concealed in.
The proprietress squealed, shaking her fist at the being she assumed was another of the bounty hunters who had come at the Empire's call. She hated the foul language they brought into her store.
"Sorry!" Syntas ducked the broom that swung her way, and stepped from the shop. With her helmet enhanced vision it didn't take her long to make out the dark clothed man, making his way up towards another, partially concealed by the buildings jutting from the rock.
It was easy to see this figure wasn't running. She saw his hands move, raising a blaster rifle. Syntas cursed again. Leave it to Fett to shoot first rather than looking for a more peaceful and probably safer alternative. She wanted to scream at him to get out of there, she could sense in the vague sort of way that was her only access to the Force now that this man was dangerous, very dangerous.
Theron looked up, seeing the barrel of the blaster, aimed his way again, this time from another location, better concealed but not well enough. He paused on the ladder he was climbing, reaching into the pouch at his waist.
He pulled out the seismic grenade, reaching back, threw it in a long slow arc, aimed at the barrel aimed in his direction. It swung up and over so slowly he wondered for a moment if it would even hit.
But as it reached its intended target he let loose his grip on the ladder, sliding down to the level he had just left. Theron flattened himself against the wall.
Above him, Fett lunged backwards as the grenade fell down onto the small ledge on which he knelt. It hit the ground, exploding with a flash and releasing a wave of energy that slammed the bounty hunter back against the rock wall. It smashed into the precariously perched buildings all around him.
A deep groan sounded within the structure as decades or even centuries old supports crumbled and an entire section of the cavern city came loose from the wall.
Fett felt the ground beneath him give way. He reached stiffly for a hold on the wall behind him, ignoring the pain as the movement pulled at the ribs which had been bruised in the initial explosion. But before he could get a hold the ground fell away and he plunged downward along with the stone buildings that had been so solid only a moment ago.
Syntas' breath caught in her throat as Fett plunged downwards, lost in the deluge of rock and dust. She slid down one ladder, nearly falling from the next in her hurry to reach the damaged area.
Theron simply smiled as he stood brushing the dust from his clothing. This was too easy. With all the armor the young hunter had been wearing he doubted he'd killed him, just incapacitated him. Maybe even knocking him out if he were lucky.
He reached the rubble filled area quickly, but there was no sign of Fett. Theron frowned, prodding the broken stone with one foot. Perhaps the bounty hunter had been buried in the slide. That would be irritating.
The stone shifted as he prodded it, revealing what looked like Fett's hand. Theron smiled, reaching down, but all he picked up was an empty glove. At that moment he heard a small stone fall behind him. He turned in time to take Fett's punch directly in the face.
Theron staggered back as the battered Fett followed it up with a kick to his chest. But Theron had not earned his place at Vader's side by going down easily. He caught Fett's next swing, following it with one of his own.
The bounty hunter ducked, kicking out, hoping to knock Theron's feet from under him. Theron though jumped, catching Fett's foot and spinning him over.
Fett caught himself on the stone wall, coming back swinging high, allowing himself to be blocked, and taking Theron's next swing in the shoulder, but swung back, catching Theron in the stomach while he was too far forward.
While the man gasped for breath Fett pulled back to hit him again, only to be knocked to the ground as the man's foot came out, catching Fett by the ankle. Theron straightened, a smile returning to his face as Fett struggled to get his breath back.
He put his foot on the bounty hunter's chest, "I thank you for the challenge but now you will be coming with me."
He pulled a blaster from his belt, carefully setting it to stun in full view, allowing Fett to see that he was about to be taken like any piece of merchandise.
At that moment though a shot took Theron in the shoulder, knocking him back, to the edge of the ledge. He wavered for a moment before tumbling back into the loose rubble and was lost from sight as the impact knocked loose enough rubble to start another slide down the cavern.
Fett looked back sharply. Syntas stood there, breathing hard, blaster in her hands. She smiled, shoving it into her holster and coming over, offering him her hand. Fett gripped it tightly, letting her pull him to his feet.
"We need to work on your aim." He informed her as they made they way carefully off the edge.
"And you had better not do anything so stupid again! Why did you wait for him like that? You knew he was dangerous!"
"That's why I did."
Syntas opened her mouth to argue, but the datapad on Fett's forearm began to blink, she stopped, contenting herself with folding her arms over her chest.
Fett didn't respond to that, only opened it and accessed his comlink; the voice was obscured with static.
"Fett...is Ahcnar...found the...is here...Mon Calamari....Payment?" There was no visual. Fett snapped it shut. He glanced back at the rubble, now spread nearly all the way down to the cavern floor before turning his back on it.
He looked to Syntas, she stared back, anger in her eyes, but only for a moment, "We're going to Mon Calamari."
Syntas paused, putting her hand on his arm, "Fett?"
He didn't speak, but stood facing her, waiting for her to continue.
Syntas took a breath as if to speak, but let it out, not knowing what to say, she hoped her eyes could speak for her.
Fett reached up, stopping just short of touching her hair, where it showed under the metallic helmet, "This is the way of the universe. I...would understand if this is not for you."
A long moment of silence passed between them, but when she spoke her voice held a conviction that could not be shaken, "This is my choice, you are my choice." Her hand tightened on his arm.
Fett nodded and two dusty figures made their way down from the cavern city's upper reaches, before the city officials could find ask their questions about what exactly had just happened.
Later a group the small sentients was digging in the rubble. One saw a bit of fabric showing between the rocks. He set down his shovel, brushing away the rock fragments. His eyes widened as he revealed a human hand, and they widened still further as it moved.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Look! Look! I updated! And we haven't gotten rid of Theron quite yet.... Looks like it's just me and you, Infamous One but oh well, at least the two of us can enjoy this fic (which is my own fault for not updating it faster, oh well), now that I've come up with a plot for it...