Chapter 3
Naboo was a small planet, from what Jango saw. He had been all over the galaxy, seen so many planets, so many different cultures, and killed so many who got in his way. Fine life he was giving his clone son, Boba.
He glided Slave 1 down onto a small landing pad near the Royal Palace. He slipped the blast helmet on and clambered out. Night had fallen over Theed, and the lights of the distant homes glittered on the hillsides like million campfires. It was poetic, almost romantic. Jango shook the thought away from his mind. He didn't have anyone to share this feeling with, nor was he ever likely to. He gritted his teeth and buckled down on his job.
The cover of night gave him the perfect opportunity for him to focus on his stealth skills, which had rusted over considerably. His first victim stood a few meters away from him, on the roof Jango recognized the stench of Death Sticks about him. He would be doing the poor nerf-herder a favor. Jango crept up behind him and grabbed his right arm. Before he could call for help, Jango deftly brought a gloved hand to his mouth and pressed. The guard sank in Jango's grip, landing silently. Jango looked quickly to see if anyone had seen him and dragged the unconscious body off behind a large pillar, where it had virtually no chance of being detected. It only took one guard to sound the alarm and it would be all over. Jango was taking no chances.
He crept down a pipe to enter a small room through an open window. A bead of sweat trickled down to sting his right eye. It was kriffing hot out here! And his armor helped matters none. He entered silently so as not to disturb the sleeping figure on the bed, curled up. Jango opened the door with the utmost care, so as not to emit a sound. He exited, noting the brass sign on the ornate wooden door for future reference for his escape route.
"Senator P. Amidala"
Senator? The word brought up the memory of Senator Trell of Ryloth, whom Jango had sent plummeting to his death on his last trip to Coruscant. The Coruscant Security Police's armored hovercraft he engaged had met a similar fate.
Jango gave his head another shake. No time for memories now, another guard was making his rounds. Jango crept up behind him and gave him a fierce chop to the back of his neck. Obviously his hand wasn't enough for he grunted, and got out a "Hey!" before Jango kicked out his right leg below the knee. The guard's leg buckled and he lurched forward. Jango grabbed the man's jaw and chopped his collarbone.
The guard keeled over and slumped. Footsteps began to sound down the hallway. The man's call was obviously heard. Jango crept into the shadows as the new guard knelt down beside his fallen comrade. And in questionable camaraderie, he said with a sneer, "Ah, never liked him anyway."
Jango rewarded his hospitality by drawing his right Westar and brought the butt of it down on the man's neck. He slumped soundlessly and Jango dragged both men off to a storage closet where both would wake up in at least a couple of hours.
The corridors were wide and marble, terrible for Jango's purposes. Everything took him longer than it had to, for he could not make a sound, and the wide windows lit him up like a common Coruscant brothel. But, soon enough, he reached a smaller corridor where he only had one man in his way. He grabbed him from behind, in a tight sleeper hold and brought him down. The body was hidden as Jango entered the door that read "Capt. Panaka".
The quarters were small, almost cramped, making Amidala's quarters look roomy. After five minutes of quiet rustling, Jango recovered a saucer-sized bronzium disc with an impressive etching of a star system on the front. He put it inside the hidden compartment in his jetpack, grinning underneath his helmet. All too easy.
…
The sounds of playtime could be heard up and down the stark white corridor. Shouts, grunts and other assortments of sound effects came out of the apartment, by-products of young Boba Fett's playtime. The few, yet precious toys Boba owned were out in a relatively orderly fashion, with one small battle droid in his right hand, a Mandalorian warrior clad in blue armor, with a rocketpack on his back and twin blaster pistols in each hand in his left.
"Zap! Boom! Pow!" He threw the droid into the air and retrieved another just as quickly. "Nothing stops a Mandalorian warrior! Trade federation droids are no match for him!" The new droid was dispatched in a similar manner when a tall, slender Kaminoean entered.
"Master Boba," She said. "It is time to eat."
"Awwww," Boba said. "Do I have to, Taun We? I want to keep playing… nothing stops a Mandalorian warrior."
"Lunch does." Taun We reasoned.
"Ohhhh, OK." Boba set his toys down and came up to the table. A question came to his mind just now. "Do you know when my dad will be back?"
"It's the same answer each time, Master Boba." Taun We said. "He'll be back when he's finished working."
…
On his way back, Jango ran into another guard. This time, he turned the man around by grabbing his shoulder. He saw fear flood into the young man's face as Jango brought the butt of his right Westar down on his collarbone. As the guard staggered, clutching the impact point, Jango kicked his leg out from under him. The guard toppled over, losing consciousness. Jango hid the body in another closet and made his way back to the room to make his escape. He was ten feet away from the window, Slave 1, and his pay, five feet, three feet…
When the light came on. Jango froze as he heard the sound of a blaster's priming lever being pulled back. He turned slowly to see who it was that had him in his sights.
Or her sights, as it turned out to be. A woman, with tousled curly brown hair that reached down to below her shoulders held a Naboo Target pistol at him. She looked neither scared nor anxious, nor as if she were enjoying this. She was without a doubt the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Possibly even lovelier then Zam, but Jango was in no position to try to compare now, while he was staring down the barrel of her pistol, which almost seemed to contribute to the almost erotic nature of the situation. Jango couldn't explain how, maybe he just had a blaster fetish. But there was no denying her beauty. She couldn't be that old, her brown eyes containing a sort of life Jango had never seen before. She was wearing a white silk nightgown, which did little to conceal her cleavage. Her breasts were not particularly large, but in Jango's mind, they were perfectly adequate handfuls.
"I've got a clean shot at your head." She said. Her voice was soft and tender, but her tone was somewhat less benign. "Why are you here?"
"I'm on a job." Jango said simply.
"Yes, you Mandalorians have a reputation of sorts." The woman said. "Who is it you've come to capture or kill?"
"I'll have you know that I've not killed one of your staff." Jango said. "I've only knocked out a few of them. Besides, I'm only here to retrieve. One of your guards has something of value to some Coruscant senator. I'm here to take it."
"Do you have it already?" The woman asked, the blaster wavering ever so slightly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jango sneered under his helmet. "Why?"
"Because if you give it to me, I can arrange for it to be handed over peacefully." The woman said. "And I would offer you shelter and my hospitality while the transfer process goes through. Would it not be a waste if this little misunderstanding couldn't be resolved peacefully?"
"I've learned not to argue with a blaster." Jango agreed. "But are you sure it is wise to allow me to stay here?"
"Would you rather sleep in the gardens?" The woman smiled, allowing Jango to fully appreciate her beauty.
Jango nodded, appreciatively. "Thank you." He said.
"May I know the name of the Mandalorian who graces us with his presence?" The woman said.
What was she getting at? Gracing? That's one word Jango never heard with Mandalorian in the same sentence. But still, who said Mandalorians were rude?
"Name's Jango Fett, sweetheart." He said, roguishly, removing his blast helmet.
"Please to meet you, Mr. Fett." The woman lowered her blaster. "I am Senator Padmé Amidala."
"Pleasure." Jango said. "Well, if it is all the same with you, Senator, I don't wish to keep you from your bed any longer."
"You're right." Padmé said. She pushed button on her bedside table.
"Yes, milady?" A younger woman came out, rubbing her eyes.
"Sabé, could you be a dear and escort our guest to the spare room?" Padmé gestured to Jango.
Sabé's eyes went wider than the medallion when she saw Jango. But she still managed a brave "Y-yes, milady."
"Goodnight, Jango." Padmé said.
"Goodnight, Senator," Jango tossed her the medallion as he followed Sabé out.
Then trip to the guest room was very silent, as Sabé always cast nervous glances at Jango. Jango sighed. Granted, she may have heard stories of the Mandalorians, or even him personally, but even he had morals.
"It's all right." Jango said. "I don't hurt unarmed women and there's no price on your head."
"Oh, thank gods." Sabé let out a long sigh of relief and the atmosphere became more relaxed.
After they reached the room, Jango bid Sabé goodnight, (Who ever said Mandalorians were rude?) and undressed to his underclothes and clambered into bed. What in blazes was this? He was caught, captured, and now being treated like a kriffing guest of honor! Before he relaxed into the blissful state of sleep, he voiced his worry to no one in particular.
"I have a bad feeling about this…"
…
Padmé Amidala lay awake in her bed. What had she just done! She let a bounty hunter into her palace. And not just any bounty hunter, but Jango Fett! She had heard stories of him, of course. And none of them she really wanted to think of right now. What in blazes had she done?
A small part of her however, refused to admit that he was a cold, ruthless killer at heart. How had he built that reputation? How had he become so ruthless? Was it an ex-lover, who had betrayed him, or left him, wither willingly or unwillingly? He seemed to do his best to conceal this, but she could see it in his cold eyes, a part of him that was hurting deep inside. Padmé was determined to find out, for she couldn't stand to see anyone in pain of suffering.
That wasn't the only reason. Padmé had been somewhat lonely as well. She never really had someone who had loved her, apart from her family. She wanted someone to… well, love. The fact that she and Sabé had experimented with each other was in the past, but both were still the best of friends. Sabé had found someone in the Diplomatic Corps and couldn't be with Padmé. But perhaps, Jango Fett was someone who Padmé was meant for? This was definitely something she had to find out.
Padmé turned over onto her side, closed her eyes and waited for tomorrow eagerly.
End of Chapter.
Well, another update. Thank you all for being so patient with me! Just keep in mind I won't leave any fic unfinished, so stay tuned. Also, I have made a sort of cover for this story, (Taking a leaf out of one of my fav authors, Ticklesivory's book. You can check out her artwork at her homepage as well.) If you want a peek at my cover, ask and I shall e-mail it to you. I shall also do this with all my other fics. Ciao and don't forget to review!
