Author's Note: this is another short one, sorry! It was supposed to be finished before the weekend, but nothing went as planned! Haha! Thanks so much for the reviews and follows, and favorites. I hope you all continue to like it! Also, one week exactly between posts!

ofchaos, rest assured I have every intention of finishing this story. Honestly can't imagine not doing so.

So sometimes, I know my chapter titles are a little random. I am just not good with titles, haha!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my oc and her story.

Chapter 23

The Survivor

The Next Morning

Bib Fortuna had found himself studying Jiliac's Twi'lek serving girl appreciatively last night. It was so rare he found a female of his own race that he found truly attractive these days. He craved something more exotic and less easy to tame. This one was a rare exception, however. Her lilac skin didn't have the greyish tint most with the same hue did. An expert in the craft had done the tattoos on her leku, and Bib would bet the hand was one of their own. She had large, clear green eyes and lips with just the right amount of bow.

She possessed a tall willowy frame and moved with an inherent grace and refinement. Bib would keep her hidden and have her for himself when his plans bore fruit. One such as her could lend him the credibility he wouldn't otherwise have.

Bib Fortuna arrived at the vault, nodding to the guard. He waited as the protocols for opening it started.

Pity he couldn't take her now. Jiliac stood in the way. If Boba Fett hadn't thwarted his plans for Jiliacs death, Jabba would have already taken all that was Jiliacs, and Bib would already have this beauty hidden away where only he knew.

She or another like her would bear him beautiful children when the time came.

Alas, they were here to arrange another union. The female in question was highly desirable and even considered beautiful by her fellow Hutt's.

There was one glaring flaw in this plan they had. Orko the H'uun hated Jabba's nephew. He was foul-tempered and greedy even for a Hutt; his hatred for the entire Desilijic Clan was well known. The union between Gorga the Hutt and Orko's daughter, Anachro, was a fairytale, in Bib Fortuna's opinion. Even with the dowry offered, they planned to offer if Orko was stubborn. Orko the H'unn hated the Desilijic enough to turn them down. The rivalry between the opposing Hutt families went too deep.

There had been some discussion last night in private quarters about their plans, and the other members of the Grand Council had come around after some dissension. The facts were undeniable. None of them wanted Orko's daughter to marry a remnant of the Shell Hutt Clan, no matter how far removed.

He stepped inside as the door finally wooshed opened, his attention moving over the not inconsiderable stash of treasure. Jabba wanted the chest with the Icariin beads in it. Jiliac commented that it was too bad the head wasn't still attached to the hair. To that, Bib Fortuna could agree as long as he was the one who had them in their possession. None of that mattered; he hadn't planned the theft of the beads, but he wasn't about to look a gift orbak in the mouth. Fett had just returned sooner than he wanted, and Bib had had to speed up his own plans.

He was coming to find that Boba Fett wouldn't even cooperate with his plans when he didn't know Bib had them. In the end, Fett's return had cost him the one hundred thousand credits he had planned not to accept and earned him Jabba's ire. Jabba was angry over the mishap with the Krayt Dragon. Bib had assured Jabba it wasn't his fault. He said the ones he was working with assured him they were prepared.

To be clear, the only thing that worried Jabba was the loss of his own life and property. Jabba felt he was in personal danger and his sail barge was in trouble. He said he would have lost both if Boba Fett hadn't been present. If Boba Fett hadn't returned when he did, Bib never would have accelerated his plans. And all would have gone according to plan.

At least, in the end, Bib had been able to assure no one got the one hundred thousand credits. There were other Krayt Dragons on Tatooine, but Jabba had not renewed his offer.

Bib Fortuna stepped into Jabba's chambers, his attention moving to the young female who stood to Jabba's right.

She had potential as a servant, but her real value may lay elsewhere.

"The treasure you requested, Your Greatness, " Bib said with a low bow. He opened the box without standing up; he offered its contents to Jabba.

"These gooddé," Jabba said. The door swooshed open, and Bib straightened up, stepping to the side.

Fett stepped through the door, blaster rifle in hand, followed by Jiliac in her hoverchair. The lovely D'Naran walked through behind Her Ladyship; two Twi'lek guards followed closely on her heels.

"Nephew, " Jiliac said in Huttese as she approached.

"Aunt," Jabba replied.

Fett spoke to her guards, and they exited the room. He took up a place inside the door as Jiliac continued toward Jabba with her handmaiden following her. Despite the lovely D'Naran, Fortuna would be happy to return to Tatooine this time.

His attention turned to the slave girl, Kiya. He was very aware of how her attention was drawn to Fett whenever he was nearby. His intuition told him things might not all be quiet as they appeared between the two to others. He couldn't read Fett at all, but the girl was different. There was something there with her, something he planned to observe far more closely.

That was all just an extra incentive to keep her close and make use of her. Right now, he needed to remind Jabba that he was his Majordomo for a reason. The girl might not be beautiful like some of Jabba's other slave girls, but that could be better. He had needed some to come with them who didn't need constant direction.

XxX

Kiya smiled politely and nodded at D'Naran as she took her place behind the she Hutt. Today, the beautiful Twi wore a dark blue dress that seemed to float as she moved. Bib Fortuna stepped back, holding the case he had gone to fetch in his hands as the two Hutt's began to converse. Kiya had left her hair to fall free but for a braid running horizontally along her forehead today. It was easier than finding another female to help her. Though she supposed she could have found Lyn Me if she really wanted help. Kiya would be lying if she said, Jiliacs offer wasn't tempting, but Kiya couldn't. The chance to potentially be away from the ignominy and evils of Jabba's palace was tempting. But the idea of leaving Nola wasn't something she could even consider. There was no way.

As much as she didn't want it to be so, Kiya found her gaze drawn to Fett, where he stood by the door. If she were honest, that had become a common occurrence, and even before the night of Sarita's death. At present, she watched him from below her lashes. The male hidden beneath all of that chipped paint, armor, and weaponry surprised her again, and she found herself even more curious about who or what he really was. She saw him exiting the main hall last night and had felt this impulse to follow him. That part was a new development, however. He had the uncanny ability to throw her off-center. It was unexpected yesterday when he asked if she had had trouble. For one brief flash of a moment, Kiya had questioned if he cared but dismissed it entirely. There was absolutely no way he would. A being like him would never care about anyone's welfare any farther than where he felt his debt ended or their safety lined his pockets.

Kiya knew her surprise yesterday could have just been because she had been so— she didn't know what the right word was. Some part of her wanted to rattle him a little as he did her, even if the only way to do it was by filling some of that silence.

He…..

She fully understood how he could make even the staunchest spun of beings so uncomfortable.

Realizing she was still staring, Kiya pulled her attention away and lifted her chin. She brushed a stray hair from her face with her fingertips, then gathered the entirety of her hair, pulling it over her right shoulder. The ends hung down to the bottom of her rib cage. Boba Fett made her antsy when she didn't know where he was and need to fidget when he was close, especially if he wasn't in her direct line of sight. Kiya clasped her forearms behind her back to quell the urge right now, and she could see him. Their meeting yesterday flashed through her head again. Just the memory of that intensity she felt coming from behind that visor was unsettling. It reminded her of that day with the lightsaber. But that day, the intensity was different. It had felt personal in some way. Truthfully she was eager to scurry away when Rystáll appeared.

Kiya tried to tell herself that she might be more at ease if she could see his face and know what he looked like, but something warned her not to be so confident. She had no idea what was under that Beskar, she reminded herself. For some reason, she doubted it was a Zilkin, however. The edge of her mouth lifted in a wry smirk.

She did wish she had had a chance to find herself some coffee this morning. She had found sleeping by Jabba's bed last night to be a far more nerve-wracking experience than sleeping by Jiliac's. Kiya was here to be little more than Jabba's adornment, or so it seemed. She found the idea repulsive. As repulsive as his eating habits. Kiya's stomach turned with the image of him scarfing down his omelets this morning. Food had dribbled out of his mouth and down his chest along with spittle and slime. Sleeping so near Bib Fortuna had been even less appealing.

She had hoped he wouldn't come back when he disappeared last night after Jabba had fallen asleep. She couldn't be so lucky. However, when she woke early this morning and found the cyborg acting sentry inside the room, she had felt better. Not that she knew why. For all extents and purposes, the Cyborg should be the more intimidating of the two, and she knew nothing about him other than he had a connection of some sort of connection to Boba Fett. Maybe the real relief had come in it not being Fett himself that was present.

XxX

Boba Fett made his way along the same corridor leading to the entertainment dressing rooms and quarters. Their situation here was much cleaner and far more dignified than how they lived in Jabba's Palace. The dancers, entertainers, and acrobats stayed alive much longer as well.

Jabba was leaving in the morning for Tatooine, and Boba Fett was not. He was staying to oversee the safe transfer of Jabba's portion of the riches to the Winters Palace. The council decided that the Desilijic Clan leader would keep the dowry in her vault. She had as much as given Jabba a shove back to Tatooine. A bold move for someone in her position, but Jabba had given her little choice. Boba didn't know that he would have sent Jabba home in Jiliacs place, but if she had to do something. Jabba had inserted himself into the role of organizer and speaker and offered to speak with Orko himself. Such a role was Jiliac's. Jabba had said he was just trying to help his aunt with the heaviness of her position. She would not let anyone patronize her, however. Boba Fett had seen first hand that she would take a hard-handed approach if she had to. But ultimately, she was fighting a battle she wouldn't win. He knew she had manipulated things, so he was in charge of the dowry being moved to the Winter Palace because she wanted to speak with him privately again. While not impossible, that would be more difficult to achieve with Dengar around.

Right now, Boba Fett was making another security sweep per Bib Fortuna's instruction. He was certain Fortuna would hang onto his anger over the botched attempt to capture the Krayt for a long time. The fiasco had made Jabba angry. Jabba's anger always had a place and a focus. Bib Fortuna had always used that nature to his advantage, feeding it when he felt inclined. This time he couldn't shake the blame onto another, and Jabba had a long memory. Nearly as long as Boba Fett himself.

Boba rounded a turn in the tunnel.

"Boba Fett." A familiar voice said.

"Latts," he said, she leaned against the wall of the tunnel, arms folded over her narrow chest, the sole of one purple foot flat against the wall. He wasn't surprised despite it being so long since he had seen the Theelin last.

"I heard you were in town," she said conversationally, her glowing eyes on him. Her flame-orange hair stuck out in tufts on both sides of her head like it always had.

He said nothing in response. He really had no idea when others had decided to make small talk with him, but he preferred the days when they didn't.

"Dengar said you were more grumpy and less talkative in your old age," she said after a moment, her eyes narrowing.

"And he still doesn't know when to shut up," Boba said.

The Theelin's brows pulled upward, and she pushed away from the wall. "This is true."

She moved closer, extending her arm to him. He was a no bigger fan of being touched than he was of small talk, but he clasped arms with her anyway. Her much smaller hand just simply flattened out against the backside of his gauntlet.

"It's nice to see you, Boba, " she said, stepping back.

Not one for pleasantries, Boba Fett, spoke: "what do you need?"

Not offended by his abruptness at all, she went one. "Let's just say I need extra hands; I am a sentient short, and as I said, I heard you were in the area," she explained. "Or are exclusively in Jabba's employ?"

He could guess how she had ended up that man short. "There are lots of extra hands around here," Fett replied. "I'm a bounty hunter, not one of your enforcers." not that he hadn't played the role before or currently.

"And what is your role in Jabba's organization?" she questioned.

It was true he and Jabba had an arrangement, but if the credits were good enough, he might consider. But there were potential issues besides that and she knew that.

"What is it?"

"Nothing to do with spice," she offered first. She knew his views on the substance. "I'd say let's get a drink, but I know you don't take that thing off much these days, so you can join me while I have one," she said, nodding toward his helmet.

One half of a standard time unit later, Boba Fett found himself sitting at one of the corner tables in the great room. One of the many Twi' serving girls placed a cup of Galactic Shiny on the table in front of Latts.

Her attention returned to him, and she lifted the mug to her lips as the server made her way back around the edge of the room.

"What is it?" he asked, repeating the question that had brought him to this place. He didn't have much time for pleasantries.

"Someone broke into one of my warehouses a few rotations ago," she began, taking another long drink. "They stole something that belonged to a client of mine."

Boba Fett waited. When she didn't say more, he spoke: "what?" Boba had little use for games or suspense, and it showed in his voice.

"It's not a what. It's a who?" She went on when he didn't speak. "I was holding a-." Her words trailed off like she didn't know what to say. Wrapping both hands around her mug, Latts looked around then without moving her neck before she went on. "A rare creature."

Her reluctance piqued his curiosity. Boba Fett had learned the more reluctant the sharer, the more value the information was likely to have. Whatever she was unwilling to tell him could be useful information. "Who did they belong to?"

"Let's just say, a successful businessman from the corporate sector."

She knew him well enough to know she was going to have to share more.

"The family made a fortune playing both sides during the Clone Wars. Now the heir has– let's just say exotic tastes. The creature I was holding for him was most difficult to procure."

Boba remained silent, waiting.

"I'm hesitant to say anything here because it's a Ghostling."

His brows lifted. That was not what he had expected. "Would it even still be alive?" Ghostlings were incredibly fragile out of their native environment.

Latts looked almost sick for a moment. "I hope so. I had to go to great lengths and expense to keep it in a controlled environment."

The creature would have had to because the natural gravity here on Nal Hutta would be difficult for it to survive in. They were so delicate even the slightest touch of another from another race could kill them. "Do you have any idea who took it?"

XxX

Kiya had little to do but watch, keep Jabba's cup full, and run errands. That was why she saw Boba Fett as he sat down at one of the tables in the back of the room with the Theelin female. Kiya watched them closely. She didn't know who the female was, but she had stunning coloring. She had a tall lithe frame, with purple skin that nearly matched D'Naran's in tone. Her hair was a vibrant orange. To Kiya, her eyes seemed to glow. She wore a wide, long emerald green mantel that looked fashioned from some sort of feathers looped over her shoulders. There was a familiarity between them.

Fortuna spoke from just beside her. "Ah, Ms. Razzi. Quite lovely, isn't she?" He said, drawing her attention to him to find his on Boba Fett and his companion.

There was a genuine look of interest on his face; he watched them for a moment more through narrowed eyes. Kiya flushed slightly and said nothing.

"There is a chest in Jabba chambers: I want you to fetch it for me," Fortuna said, his gaze returning to her.

"Yes, Your Worship, " Kiya said as was expected. The words slipped from her tongue far more easily than she liked, despite the loathing they hid. Someday she reminded herself, he would pay.

"Have one of the guards carry it and wait by the door when you return."

"Yes, Your Worship," she said a second time.

Bib turned his back to her dismissively, leaving Kiya to do the same.

Kiya glanced at Fett and his companion one more time through the other patrons present as she stepped off the sloping ramp. Fortuna was right, Ms Razzi, as he referred to her, was lovely, but that wasn't what had her attention now. Her heart thumped harder in her chest and her stomach tightened.

The Weequay sat at one of the tables close to the dais. His eyes were one her. Kiya notched her chin higher and kept her gaze forward. She found him watching her several times since they arrived here, just as he did in Jabba's Palace.

She wouldn't let herself glance in Fett's direction either as she made her way to the tunnel to the left of the platform the Hutts used. She didn't like at all how much her attention sought Fett out. Nor how helpless the attention of the Weequay made her feel.

Kiya glanced over her shoulder as she stepped into the tunnel. The Quay wouldn't follow her. Not yet. Not now. Eventually, he would. Or he would just catch her alone somewhere.

Kiya ignored the shiver that slid down her spine, her thoughts turning to Jiliacs offer again.

"One's not good enough?" a familiar voice said, and Kiya's steps slowed.

"You have to whore yourself out to others?" Rystáll said, stepping into her path.

Kiya reminded herself she had known the other female would be here. "I have somewhere to be, Rystáll."

"Hmph," she snorted. "I'm sure. Prostitutes usually do."

"Rystáll!" Lyn Me, exclaimed.

"I am no one's prostitute?" Kiya said levelly. She hadn't even realized the other female was with them.

"Mmhmmm." Rystáll rolled her eyes. "First Fortuna, then Boba, and now the Cyborg. You certainly know how to butter your bread." Rystáll's gaze drifted down Kiya contemptuously.

"Rystáll," Lyn Me exclaimed again.

Rystáll ignored her companion. "Well, something got her to Nal Hutta," she explained. One slender brow arched, her gloved arms folded over her narrow chest.

Kiya's hands tightened into fists, anger boiling up inside her, but she still said nothing she really wanted to say. She was confident that the Theelin knew far more about buttering her bread as she put it than Kiya ever had. Kiya tried to step past her.

Rystáll moved into her path. "Someone like you will never keep his attention, you know." She said, her arms folded over her narrow chest.

Kiya wanted to say; it must bother you that I haven't tried to get it, let alone keep it. Or which who are we talking about now?

"So you've told me," Kiya said instead. Kiya tried to step around Rystáll again, the Theelin moved with Kiya, arms still folded over her chest.

"You know, all of those big-eyed stares and blushes won't keep him. Boba prefers someone far less ordinary."

Kiya just stopped herself from scoffing. "Well, you don't have to worry about me as you say, but maybe you should worry about the other Theelin he's talking to right now. She is stunning." With that, Kiya stepped around the other female.

XxX

Thank you all for reading!