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Chapter 9

Errands of a Different Nature

Kiya followed Lady Jiliac back up the stairs for the second time today. The sound of the Jizz Band playing in the throne room below followed them up the winding stairwell. In total, she had probably climbed up these stairs a dozen times today alone. That didn't count her trips up and down to the lower level. This time, however, Kiya hoped, was the last. The dancing slippers Melina Carniss gave her were not for someone who stood all day. She had a sneaking suspicion that was the point. Kiya was too tired even to care that Boba Fett followed them up the stairs, let alone why these slippers. Bib Fortuna had told Kiya she could eat after her Ladyship went to bed and before she rose in the morning. Kiya was so exhausted the idea of food wasn't even appealing. She might still have an appetite if she hadn't seen Sarita swaying and weaving about the throne room again tonight. Kiya reached up, brushing the hair from her face, and pushed the thought away. She couldn't worry about Sarita. Kiya had to worry about other things right now.

She had no idea what Her Huttness night time rituals entailed. Kiya hoped Nola knew what to expect. Kiya had been here long enough to know that Jabba slept and ate from the same spot every day. They reached the landing outside Lady Jiliacs door and waited as one of her near-human guards entered, appearing again a moment later.

Nola was waiting, just inside the doorway now as she was earlier. This time Jiliac didn't wait for Boba Fett to make his own security sweep. Instead, she propelled her chair directly to the dais that would act as her bed. Nola had turned on a series of low ambient lights around the room—shafts of moonlight shown in through the window slits along the top of the wall. The sheer silk curtains that hung around the bed hung loose except for in the front. Faint light caught on some of the silver threads, making the nook they created more inviting. The door wooshed closed behind them.

Nola moved off to the side, pressing a button on the wall that lowered the platform into the floor.

Jiliac stopped her chair a few feet away from the dais.

"Mah phana." She said as Kiya stepped up beside her. My crown, she'd said. Kiya reached up, carefully taking the ornate crown from her head. The red, purple, and blue stones that encrusted the gold circulate were worth more credits than Kiya ever thought to see in her lifetime. Just one of them was. The jeweled ornamental chains that hung from it tinkled softly. The gold was cool against Kiya's palms. Nola was waiting to take it.

Jiliac slid from her seat and slithered onto the platform. She settled in its center, somehow making it lift again.

"Would you like the curtains closed, Your Ladyship?" Kiya asked, watching Jiliac settle herself more comfortably.

"Yes," she said in Huttese, her large orange eyes already falling closed.

Kiya stepped forward, unclipping the curtains and letting them fall. She turned, taking the headdress from Nola, and headed for the chest behind the screen near the pool. Jiliac had insisted that Kiya and Kiya alone place in its chest and Boba Fett be the one who unlocked the boxes. The whole process appeared a tad eccentric to Kiya, but who was she to complain. It seemed that it would make more sense if one sentient handled the entire process or if Boba Fett were present when she placed the crown in the box like when she took it out. Not that she wanted to be anywhere near him any more than she needed to be.

Kiya lifted the headdress into the box. The ornamental chains jingled as she sat it inside; she closed the lid quietly.

Nola stepped around the edge of the screen. She moved to the stand, retrieving the soiled bath sheet they'd used to clean up the floor earlier. "Night, Kiya. I left you a sheet on the pillows," she said in a hushed voice.

"Goodnight, Nola," Kiya said, placing the box inside of the other one. "And thank you."

Nola smiled brightly and nodded, then turned and hurried off. Kiya listened to the woosh of the door opening and closing, wondering how Nola could smile living in a place like this. At least, right now, Nola seemed unaffected. That would change.

Kiya turned, her attention dropped to the spot on the floor that concealed the pool, wishing for just one moment it was water hidden within and not white slime. If it were water, it would be tempting to take these wretched dancer's slippers off and soak her feet. Not that she really would, but it would be compelling. So was going to the kitchen and retrieving her sandals from under her cot. Kiya placed her hand on the table, lifted her foot, and pulled off her slipper. She let out a hiss as she put her foot back on the cool stone floor. She pulled the other slipper off as well.

XxX

Boba Fett sat down in the chair by the door, rolling his neck muscles; he rested his blaster rifle over his knee. This was going to be just one of several long nights. It would make it easier to watch the slave girl hidden by the screen, however. He observed the subtle shifting of the shadows and listened to the faint noises behind them. If he listened hard enough, he might be able to hear her breathing. He knew he could hear the breathing of Hutt already asleep in her bed if he wanted, however.

Jiliac had come under the guise of discussing the rumored betrothal of two Hutt clans who were both rivals to their own. It was a valid reason for concern, such union shifted power balances. Jiliac had her own concern about shifting power within her own clan. He believed Jiliac was right. Someone was trying to kill her. Instinct told him it was Fortuna. Her handmaiden had met with her end on the trip here, but it wasn't an accident. Jiliac had begun to suspect the Mirialan girl of being a spy, so the Desilijic Hutt leader had used the trip to interrogate the female. Jiliac had shown him the holographic recording of the proceedings. The girl maintained her innocence right up until the very moment Jiliac spaced her. He wasn't there, but the female could have been telling the truth from what he had garnered. Physical torture wasn't always a reliable way to elicit information. That depended on the race, but Boba found, the threat of torture worked as well sometimes. Fear was a powerful motivator. Jiliac was growing paranoid. Again that wasn't without merit, however. A little paranoia wasn't bad. It actually could keep you sharp and alive, but there was such a thing as too much.

She was vulnerable. That made her paranoid. The paranoia and vulnerability made her weak. The one thing she strived the hardest to protect would be her downfall.

Fett didn't use those words exactly, but he told her what they both knew.

The child was a liability.

Jiliac didn't come here merely for his help so much as she wanted his promise he wouldn't kill her child. She hadn't said it yet, but he knew that's where this would lead. Everything came at a price—even him.

The faint sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention back to the screen. The slave girl stepped out from behind it. Her long hair was free of its braid and hanging about her face and shoulders. Her feet were bare, slippers hanging from her fingers. She continued across the room, unaware of his presence. For a moment, he wondered what she'd do if she were alone. Or what she would do if she saw him.

She looked in his direction, stopping short when she spotted him near the door as if she heard him. Maybe she'd run to her bed like a frightened animal. There was just enough light for him to see her lips fall open. After a moment, she pulled her attention away from him. She headed toward the large pillows scattered about at the end of Jiliacs bed. Boba Fett couldn't see her well, and he didn't adjust the screen in his helmet so he could either. He was confident when she turned her head; she looked at him out of the corner of the eye like she had done so many times today. She should get used to his presence now. They were going to be companions for a while.

Or, he thought a moment later, she could not. The more uncomfortable she was, the more likely she was to reveal herself. Unfortunately, for Jiliac, the same applied to her also.

Kiya was too exhausted to think about him staying in the room with them. She plopped down on the stack of pillows. She didn't contemplate the indignity of sleeping in the same manner as a pet at her master's feet either. Truthfully, she had slept in worse places in the last six years. Despite the exhaustion, Kiya peered into the shadows in his direction; as she unfolded the sheet, Nola left for her. Part of her wasn't too tired to hope he found his chair highly uncomfortable before the night was through. Kiya turned away from him, taking the sheet with her. She laid down, sinking further into the welcoming softness of pillows as she curled up on her side.

XxX

The Next Morning

Kiya finished the last bite of the breakfast porridge Porcellus gave her, her attention drifting to his back. The kitchen staff was already busy preparing the first meal of the day, including the chef. He was angry. Frankly, she didn't blame him. She didn't blame the others for being angry either.

She got from the table where the kitchen workers ate their meals, taking the empty bowl with her. Kiya placed it beside the sink and headed around the large work station toward the stove.

"I'm sorry," she said. And she was. It wasn't just that she would rather be anywhere besides close to Fett. Last night she'd felt like someone was watching her, and there he was, lurking in the shadows again. She has stupidly thought me would spend his night somewhere else. She would find a way to get used to that and him.

But she knew her sudden absence made things more difficult for Porcellus and the others.

Porcellus looked down at her as he stirred whatever he had cooking in the pot. "I know."

"Thank you for breakfast," she said.

"You should be careful with the dancers, Kiya," he warned. "They won't like this," he said, his blue eyes serious. "They can cause you trouble."

Kiya nodded. The warning might seem out of the blue, but she understood why he said it. "I know." She had received some pretty disgusted looks from a couple of the girls when she went there to use a mirror so she could braid her hair. Rystáll Sant had looked at her like she wanted to flay her this morning. That was the main reason Kiya had only bothered to braid the hair along the front of her face, leaving the rest to fall freely. She held Rystáll's gaze in the mirror for a moment. But ultimately, Kiya was smart enough not to engage the backup singer unless she had no choice.

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked, waiting for the cook to look up again.

He lifted his eyes to her again.

"Will you keep an eye out for Sarita?"

He stilled. He opened his mouth, then shook his head. "I can," he began, shaking his head again. "I don't know what I can do, but I will try."

"I..I just," Kiya started. Sarita had been- Kiya didn't know what to say. The younger girl was very obviously taking something again. Sarita stumbled around, nearly knocking Yarna down, this morning. She'd laughed when Kiya grabbed her arm and asked her what was wrong.

Kiya let out a deep sigh, shoving the memory away. "Just tell me if you see anything. I have to go. Thank you."

Kiya gave the cook a slight smile and hurried out of the kitchen. This hour was way too early for Jabba to be up, but Kiya had no idea what sort of schedule his great aunt kept.

Kiya hurried down the corridor and up the first leg of the stairs. She stepped carefully around the sleeping frog-dog and dashed up the rest of them. Her slippered feet were nearly silent against the steps. It was still early enough; the palace was just waking; she only met two others on her way up. She slowed before she came into sight of the landing. The two guards stood just outside of the door. The one standing to the right in front of the access panel opened the door.

Neither did more than glance at her as she passed.

Kiya's attention slid around the room. Nola was there waiting, but Fett was still absent, thankfully.

XxX

Boba Fett leaned forward in his chair, sliding his knee pad back up into place and tightened it. His helmet rested on the table between the empty consumables package and his blaster rifle. His jet pack sat leaning against the edge of the narrow cot just behind him. The rations pack was dry and flavorless but gave him all of the vitamins and nutrients he needed. He had never developed a taste for the fancy fare Jabba served daily.

Boba Fett grabbed the empty food packages, standing up, he threw them away. He approached the narrow cot he slept on, lifting his jetpack. He quickly reattached it. The room was small and sparsely furnished, with only a single chair, a small table, and a cot. A sheet lay neatly straightened on the bed, a thin pillow laid at its head. Unless they knew better, most sentients wouldn't even realize anyone used the space. They offered Boba Fett a far grander room hung with tapestries and a large bed. It reminded him of the one he was offered at the Guild once upon a time. He hadn't taken that one either.

He had left little evidence of him using the rock cell he had chosen at the Guild. Less really. He had eaten and slept on Slave 1. Unless they found the small crate of things he kept hidden behind a wall panel here, and if they did, all that was there were medical supplies and a few consumable packs, they never know he used this room either. That was unlikely. Boba Fett was never careless, no matter how trivial the details. Only the stupidest of sentients were. He was dead if he was.

Boba Fett had shaved his facial hair and cleaned up before eating. He could use a shower, but that wasn't going to happen soon. That was something else he only did in hyperspace on Slave 1 these days like soundly sleeping or even taking his armor entirely.

He picked up his helmet next, sliding it on.

He needed to eat this morning; he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. He also had to arrange for a land speeder in the motor pool. Jiliac was sending him to Mos Eisley this morning. That gave him a chance to take care of something he needed to do too. Boba Fett left his room, blaster rifle in hand.

His helmet gave him the next series of lock numbers for the exterior locking mechanism. He reached Jiliac's door just as it opened. The young girl called Nola was just stepping out. She looked up at him with dark eyes as she passed.

Jiliac still rested on her bed. Her large eyes lifted to him before they dropped back to her handmaiden.

He approached them silently; the girl rested on her knees, her loose hair gathered over one shoulder. She appeared to be untangling something.

XxX

"Pa uba nrom girl?" Jiliac asked.

Kiya looked up. She paused at her task as she tried to sort through what the female Hutt said.

"She's asking where you're from?" a voice said, from just behind her.

Kiya scrambled to her feet, heat slipping over her skin. She looked at him for a second. "Nar Shadda," Kiya said, remembering herself. She moved to the side a bit, so he wasn't so close, and gave him a sidelong look. He looked the same as he had yesterday, encased in all that armor, but that wasn't what made her jump. She hadn't known he was there, let alone so close. He must have entered as Nola exited.

"Whooh uta-sha people?" Jiliac said next.

Kiya tried to shake off the feeling that he watched her with an intense gaze behind that helmet. The idea did nothing to help with her translatory skills. Kiya opened her mouth, uncertain.

"She's asking who your people are?" he said in that rough voice.

Kiya looked at him a moment again before she replied.

"Smugglers and a mechanics."

"Either my questions are making her uncomfortable, dear Boba, or you are," she said in Huttese.

Boba made no reply.

"I think it's you, Boba Fett, that makes her uncomfortable and not me." Her large orange eyes narrowed assessingly.

Again Boba didn't reply. He wanted the girl uncomfortable.

Jiliac continued to assess him for a moment more." Are you ready to leave?" she inquired next.

Boba nodded. "Yes," he replied in Huttese.

"I've decided I will send our Kiya with you."

His attention moved to the girl. She recognized her name. She looked back and forth between them as she tried to piece the rest together. It did make sense for Jiliac to send someone with him; he'd said so last night. Hutts were pretentious and ostentatious. They were also greedy and vain and fatted on their own hubris. The greater honor was for Jiliac to send her personal maid to retrieve her package and him as her escort. The package they traveled to Mos Eisley for, coupled with the slave girl belonging to Jabba, denoted trust on Jiliacs part. Jabba would never question anything.

The door slid open, drawing his attention. The young Nautolan girl entered, a tray covered in silver bowls in her hands.

"Come here, girl," Jiliac said.

"Yes, Your Greatness." The girl hurried forward and placed the tray on the small table sitting by the dais.

Boba Fett's attention returned to the slave girl. She was looking at Jiliac; he studied her. She was not going to like this development. Contrary to what she might want to show, Jiliac was right.

He made her uncomfortable.

"Tell Kiya she is traveling to Mos Eisley with Boba Fett to retrieve something."

The girl looked at each of them in askance as Jiliac spoke, her gaze lingering on him, her brow furrowed. Understanding began dawning in her pale eyes. For the second time, he was hit by there being something familiar about them again.

Boba continued to watch her.

The Naulotan girl turned her big dark eyes to Kiya. "Her ladyship wants you to go to Mos Eisely with Boba Fett, to retrieve something."

She tensed, remaining silent for a moment. "As her Ladyship wishes," she said. "When do we leave?"

"Fett?" Jiliac said, drawing his attention.

"Now," he said. The girl turned, chin set. She glanced up at him. She certainly wasn't happy with this development, but she was resigned. She looked up at him again, nodding.

He said nothing, and she didn't look away. He turned and started for the door, and she followed.

XxX

"Kiya!" someone hollered. They both stopped, turning around to find Nola rushing toward them.

Kiya glanced at her escort as she spoke. "Nola."

The girl held something up. "I have something you need."

Kiya's attention shifted to Fett again. "You can go; I'll catch up in just a second."

She continued to look into his visor, unnerved like before but unwilling to show it. He nodded after a moment. "Wait here."

Kiya let out a deep sigh and bit her lip, watching him as he walked away. Her attention drifted down his jetpack, catching on the tattered green cape he wore thrown to one side. It hung down the left side of the jetpack, its dingy ends frayed. She continued to watch as he walked from one shaft of light into the shadows and back into the light again.

Kiya pulled her gaze away, looking back just as Nola reached her. The girl held up a dark bundle.

"What is it?" Kiya asked, taking it.

"A cloak. I told Lady Jiliac you needed something to wear."

Brow furrowed, Kiya let it fall open. "Where did you get it?"

"It is my father's. He wouldn't mind."

Kiya slipped the thin cloak on, clipping the clasp closed. "Thank you, Nola," she said, smiling at the child. Nola handed Kiya a flask next. "It's water," she explained, twirled, and hurried toward the stairs. Kiya turned as she heard a vehicle approaching. It was Fett, in a speeder as she knew it would be. The green craft was just a few shades darker than his armor. Kiya took a deep breath as he stopped beside her.

Kiya couldn't help but look at him as she climbed in, uncertainty washing through her again. She pulled her attention away, noting the jetpack sitting in the back seat. Kiya settled into the passenger's seat, pulling the hood of her cloak up as they started forward. His blaster rifle rested tucked between his leg and the console.

The light was blinding as they passed out of the darkened bowels of Jabba's palace into the waste beyond.

XxX

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