Foundling
Chapter 2
At the borhek pit-fighting arena, a raucous crowd cheered and jeered as two formidable borheks clashed within the pit. The red challenger, a ferocious and agile beast, battled against the standing yellow champion, its powerful exoskeleton glistening under the harsh lights. Their savage duel, a brutal display of strength and ferocity, was punctuated by the crunching of chitin and the roars of the frenzied crowd.
Perched high above the pit, Meeko, a Muttani, observed the battle alongside a Rodian and a Gran associate. The trio sat comfortably in the shadows of the rafters, their eyes trained on the fight unfolding below. Meeko manipulated a small remote control with a sly grin, sending commands to a neural implant embedded within the red borhek. The battle was rigged from the beginning, and Meeko reveled in the twisted satisfaction of bending the creature to his will.
As the red borhek delivered the final, devastating blow, Meeko erupted in triumphant cheers. Another easy victory, and the crowd was none the wiser.
Hidden in the shadows of the upper rafters, Jango Fett observed the scene with a predatory stillness. He lowered the wayfinder built into his helmet, scanning Meeko's features to confirm his identity. He drew his blasters, ready to strike.
The sudden, thunderous blasts from Jango's blasters echoed through the arena as he swiftly dispatched Meeko's two associates. Caught off guard, Meeko fumbled with the remote, losing his balance and tumbling into the pit below. With the ease and precision of a seasoned warrior who had done it a million times, Jango activated his jetpack and descended gracefully into the arena.
Meeko scrambled to his feet, nursing his injuries from the fall, and desperately reached for the remote. "Nice try, Fett," Meeko sneered, attempting to sound confident despite his trembling hands.
Jango fired a warning shot at Meeko's feet, causing the Muttani to freeze in place. "Dead or alive, Meeko?" Jango asked, his tone cold and unyielding.
In a desperate bid to escape, Meeko quickly used the remote to command his borhek to attack Jango from behind. The enormous creature swiped at the bounty hunter, striking his jetpack and sending it spiraling out of control. Jango stumbled to the ground, quickly recovering and adopting a defensive stance as the borhek lumbered towards him.
Meeko, seizing the opportunity to flee, dashed to the arena's edge and took cover. With a wicked grin, he smashed the remote, severing his control over the borhek and ensuring it would continue fighting Jango.
"You want me?" Meeko taunted, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and excitement. "You gotta go through him first!"
The borhek unleashed a guttural roar, reverberating off the arena's walls. With a terrifying charge, it lunged at Jango, who barely managed to roll out of the way. He retaliated with a swift volley of blaster fire, but the deadly bolts ricocheted off the creature's spiked shell. Panic surged through the crowd as the deflected blaster fire nearly bounced into them, a wave of screams and cries filling the air as the spectators scattered. Suddenly, an electric barrier materialized around the arena's edges, trapping Jango and the borhek inside. The border, he realized, was an automated precaution to keep the violence contained, and now he was trapped.
Dodging another aggressive charge from the beast, Jango rolled to safety. He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer – his stamina would only hold out for so long against such a beast. He needed a plan, and he needed it fast.
The borhek, still charging, collided headfirst with the electric barrier, its massive form recoiling from the sudden shock. The creature was momentarily stunned, buying Jango precious seconds. A plan started to form in Jango's mind. If he could somehow manipulate the borhek into short-circuiting the chip that controlled it, he might have a chance of surviving this fight. He knew it was a long shot, but at this point, it was the only shot he had.
Jango took a deep breath, steeling himself as the borhek shook off its stupor, its multifaceted eyes swiveling to lock onto him again. The bounty hunter squared his shoulders, positioning himself deliberately on the other side of the arena, his back to the thrumming energy barrier.
"Come on, you ugly beast," he muttered, his voice low but carrying enough to catch the creature's attention.
With a growl, the borhek charged again, its heavily spiked body barreling towards Jango with a single-minded purpose. At the last possible moment, Jango rolled out of the way, his body a blur of motion as the borhek crashed into the electric barrier. There was a flash of light, a crackle of electricity, and the beast recoiled, its body spasming with the sudden power surge.
Again and again, Jango lured the creature into his trap, each collision with the barrier weakening the control chip further. Sweat dripped down his face, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he pushed himself to the limit. But he couldn't afford to slow down until his plan had worked.
Finally, with a final, thunderous crash, the borhek rammed into the barrier again. This time, the chip short-circuited completely, the electric current too much for the delicate circuitry to handle. The beast collapsed onto its side, its body twitching and jerking as it struggled to regain control. The electric barrier around the arena flickered and died, and the emergency protocol was deactivated.
Jango stood panting in the sudden silence, his body aching but relief washing over him. The fight was over, and against all odds, he had won.
Jango's head whipped around as he scanned the arena, his eyes narrowing behind his helmet's visor when he found Meeko's hiding spot empty. The Muttani had slipped away during the chaos of the fight, leaving Jango with nothing but frustration and a pulsing headache.
He was about to curse when a familiar voice crackled over the comm in his helmet, the static doing nothing to hide Rozatta's concern. "Jango! Are you okay?"
"I've been better, Roz," Jango replied, his voice heavy with irritation. "It would have been nice of you to help before the borhek dislodged my jetpack."
"Well, it would've been nice if you'd caught Meeko before he beat my champion," Roz shot back, the hint of her annoyance seeping through. "Do you realize how many credits I lost?"
A sigh escaped Jango, and he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "We don't have time for this. Meeko's run off. Do you know where he's headed?"
"He's long gone from the arena," Roz informed him, and Jango could hear the faint tapping of her fingers against a console. "Probably making his way to a safe house. The security cameras spotted him leaving on the south end. You've got some catching up to do."
"Do you have any shortcuts for me?"
"I'm already on it," Roz responded. A faint rumble echoed through the arena as the central platform began to sink. Jango wasted no time, stepping onto the descending platform, his hand instinctively checking his gear as he was lowered into the depths.
"I assume your security won't be joining me this time?" Jango asked, his voice laced with dry humor.
"Sorry, Jango. You're on your own for this one." There was genuine regret in Roz's voice, but it did nothing to deter Jango.
"Better that way," he muttered as the platform descended.
The platform stopped in what appeared to be a borhek pen, the stench of the beasts heavy in the air. He glanced around, his eyes taking in the grimy surroundings. "You said this was a shortcut."
"It is," Roz responded, her tone matter-of-fact.
Jango's eyes flickered to a sewage pipe, the foul scent wafting from its opening. "Really?" he asked, his tone dry.
"Beggars can't be choosers."
Heaving another sigh, Jango trudged forward, his armored boots echoing against the wet stone. "You're lucky I'm not charging you double for this bounty," he grumbled, slipping into the dank pipeline.
The dimly lit space echoed with dripping water and the distant scurrying of unseen creatures. He trudged on, eventually emerging in the labyrinthine alleyways of Outland Station. The pungent smell of refuse intermingled with the tang of alien spices, creating an almost palpable scent of clandestine dealings and the harsh life of the outer rim.
A Gran stood sentry ahead of him, his three eyes turned away from Jango. It was clear that he was one of Meeko's men. With a predator's silent grace, Jango slipped behind the Gran, his blaster pressing into the base of the thug's skull.
"Freeze," Jango commanded in a low, menacing tone.
"Don't shoot!" The Gran blubbered, his hands raised in surrender.
"Where's Meeko?" Jango asked, his tone demanding swift cooperation.
"You're a bounty hunter, right? Meeko's holed up in his safehouse. For a little money, maybe I can take you to him," the Gran offered in a desperate bid for mercy.
Jango's response was swift and brutal. He cracked the hilt of his spare blaster against the Gran's skull. The alien grunted in pain but stayed on his feet.
"Take me, and maybe I won't blast you," Jango said, keeping his tone even.
"Okay, take it easy! I'll do it," the Gran agreed, a tremor in his voice. "But they'll kill me if they see me bringing you along. Maybe, if you follow behind, you know, keep your distance..."
A swift kick in the back from Jango set the Gran in motion. "Move it along," Jango ordered.
The Gran led the way through the winding alleyways. Jango followed, keeping his distance and remaining vigilant. Trailing the Gran through the dimly lit corridors, Jango finally arrived at what appeared to be Meeko's safe house. He watched from the shadows as Gran slipped inside, the alien looking over his shoulder nervously.
Taking a deep breath, Jango readied his twin blasters and followed. The dimly lit room was filled with thugs, their faces turning in unison as he entered. Among them, a figure stood out, Meeko. The Muttani's eyes widened at the sight of Jango.
"Triple pay for the one that kills that bounty hunter!" Meeko's voice echoed throughout the room.
Meeko scrambled away, ascending a platform to a second level as his thugs opened fire on Jango. As Meeko reached the second floor, he broke the controls behind him. Jango ducked and rolled, returning fire against the thugs with deadly accuracy. Each shot found its mark, leaving the room eerily silent in the aftermath.
As the echoes of the firefight died away, Jango noticed the Gran he had coerced into leading him here, attempting to crawl away. A swift kick from Jango flipped the Gran onto his back, his three eyes wide with terror.
"You live," Jango intoned, his voice a grim promise, "Tell your friends what you witnessed today."
With that, Jango released the Gran and resumed his pursuit. He leaped up to grapple onto the broken platform, pulling himself up just as a thug took a shot at him from the top. The blaster bolt struck Jango's helmet, sending him tumbling to the ground. The beskar had saved his life, but the impact had stunned him momentarily.
As he lay there, he managed to aim and fire at the thug, dispatching him with ruthless efficiency. Shaking off the daze, Jango rose and latched back onto the platform, resuming his pursuit. Jango continued his relentless chase through the winding alleyways of Outland Station, dispatching any of Meeko's hapless thugs that dared to stand in his way.
Meanwhile, Meeko had reached a speeder dealership and was in the process of hotwiring a used delivery speeder. Unbeknownst to the dealer and his customer, their negotiation was about to be cut short.
"No, no, I'll accept five hundred. No less," insisted the dealer, his hands firmly planted on his hips.
"Five-hundred credits for a used delivery speeder?" retorted the patron, incredulous at the asking price. "You're crazy! It's not worth more than two-fifty!"
"It's in great shape, runs like new. It's an SB3, for crying out loud! Think of how much you can haul with it," the dealer argued, attempting to justify his pricing.
"Alright, look, I can offer three hundred, but that's it!" the patron sighed, beginning to cave.
"Three-fifty," the dealer countered, sensing victory. The patron grumbled but eventually handed over the credits, a deal begrudgingly made.
Their transaction was interrupted by the sudden roar of a speeder engine firing up. They turned to see Meeko seated in the recently sold speeder, grinning like a loth-cat that had just caught a porg.
"Hey! Someone's stealing my speeder!" the patron exclaimed as Meeko sped away. Jango finally reached the scene, but too late.
"I want my money back!" the patron demanded.
"You bought it, pal. It's your problem now! Maybe you can go after him with this jetpack," the dealer offered.
"I don't have any money left!" the patron lamented.
Jango, who was about to resume his chase, halted in his tracks. The jetpack the dealer was offering was unmistakably his own, lost in the chaos of the arena. The dealer must have snatched it up in the confusion.
The dealer caught Jango's stare and immediately tried to make a sale. "How about you? Interested in a jetpack? Barely a scratch on it! It'll look great with that battle armor. Same color, even!"
"I'll take that off your hands," Jango said coolly.
"How much are you offering?" the dealer asked, oblivious to the impending threat.
Jango responded by drawing his blaster and aiming it squarely at the dealer. "Your life."
Taken aback, the dealer stuttered out, "Hey! I-I just found the thing! Don't shoot me! Take it!"
Jango swiftly reclaimed his jetpack and strapped it back onto his armor, feeling the familiar weight and balance returning to his gear. With a burst of flame, he took to the skies, continuing his pursuit of Meeko.
As he soared through the air, a tinge of regret crept into his mind for holding the dealer at gunpoint. Considering the dealer's reaction, it was quite possible he didn't know the jetpack belonged to Jango and had acquired it from someone else who'd taken it from the arena. And even if he had taken it, he was just a scavenger, a bottom feeder, trying to scrape together a living in the unforgiving environment of Outland Station. The blaster in his face was an overreaction, a step too far.
The sudden crackle of the comm in his helmet interrupted his contemplation. Roz's voice filtered through, a mixture of concern and reproach.
"Was that necessary, Jango?" she scolded, her disapproval clear.
"How much of that did you hear?" he replied, keeping his eyes on the moving speeder below.
"Enough to know that you're terrorizing my residence," she responded, her tone biting.
Jango sighed, acknowledging the truth in her words. He was a bounty hunter, not a thug. His quarrel was with Meeko, not the innocent residents of the station.
"Give me his information, and I'll send some credits his way," he conceded, already calculating the appropriate sum to make amends for his actions. It was a small way to right his wrong, but it was something.
Meeko's stolen speeder wove through the winding tunnels and corridors recklessly, Jango blasting from behind. Meeko returned fire sporadically, his aim not nearly as refined as Jango's. After a few precision shots, Jango hit the speeder's engine, sending the vehicle careening out of control and crashing into a dank corridor teeming with Meeko's hired muscle.
As the dust settled, Meeko limped away from the wreckage, shouting commands at his thugs as he fled. "Kill the bounty hunter! I'm going for my ship!" His desperation echoed off the grimy walls.
Jango landed gracefully near the wreckage, his boots thudding against the damp floor. He was greeted by a wave of blaster fire from Meeko's thugs, their weapons trained on him with lethal intent. But it was futile. Jango was a storm of armor and fire, a whirlwind of blaster bolts and resolve.
His mind raced as he deciphered Meeko's words—a hangar. Meeko was heading for a ship, an escape route. Jango's heart pounded in his chest as he pushed through the remaining thugs, his blasters never ceasing their deadly dance. His quarry was close, and Jango Fett would not be denied his bounty.
Jango stormed into the hangar, his senses heightened as he took in the scene before him. Meeko's ship was already revving, its engines humming with the promise of escape. It was a Tri-Mark VII Interceptor, a model known for its low-cost build and three Elsinore-Cordova Turbodyne engines - a ship prioritizing quantity over quality. Jango knew the ship's weakness: destroy the turrets, and the controls would short-circuit.
The moment his armored form crossed the threshold into the hangar, the Interceptor's turrets began spewing fiery death in his direction. With a quick, practiced maneuver, Jango ignited his jetpack and launched himself into the air, spiraling out of the incoming blaster fire.
His movements were fluid and masterful. Years of experience propelled him through the storm of blaster fire, his jetpack humming beneath him. Each shot from his blasters was a precise stroke of death, striking turret after turret with lethal accuracy.
The Interceptor was losing ground, its turrets falling one by one under Jango's relentless assault. As the last turret exploded in a ball of fiery debris, the ship's control system short-circuited. The once threatening vessel shuddered, then began a rapid descent, crashing back into the hangar floor below in a display of sparks and flames. Jango hovered above, watching the collapse of his prey.
Jango descended from his elevated position, the hum of his jetpack dissipating into the acrid scent of burning metal and scorched wiring. The sight that greeted him was that of Meeko limping painfully from the wreckage of his downed ship, a look of fear etched onto his face. With a swift, confident stride, Jango closed the distance between them, his twin blasters drawn and trained on the fugitive.
"Don't kill me," Meeko pleaded, his eyes darting between the lethal weapons in Jango's hands.
The bounty hunter let out a low chuckle, his tone icy. "I hate to admit it, but you're worth more alive."
Defiance sparked in Meeko's eyes, and he spat, "I'll get you for this, Fett! Payback! You hear me?"
Before Jango could respond, Roz's voice crackled over his comm. "Jango, you're the best! I'll call it in for you. Meeko will get another life sentence on Oovo Four, thanks to you!"
Jango didn't break his gaze from Meeko, a smug grin spreading under his helmet as he holstered his blasters. The hunt was finally over.
"Well done, Jango," Roz praised as she handed Jango the credits while in her office. "Meeko's bounty, courtesy of the Correctional Authority." The red-skinned Toydarian continued to smoke from her pipe, and an extravagant hat was fitted on her head, adding an air of eccentricity to her stubby tusks and pudgy trunk. Toydarian legs were ill-equipped to support the weight of their rotund bodies, so Roz flitted about on membranous wings, the rhythm of their flutter filling the office with a constant hum.
Still clad in his intimidating armor, Jango eyed the credits with an experienced gaze. "You're short, Roz," he accused casually, the playful undertone belying the severe accusation. "Not trying to swindle me, are you?"
Roz's wings fluttered indignantly. "Hey, you're forgetting my finder's fee!" she retorted, her countenance hardening. "I'm not even counting the damage to my station. I'm just glad to be rid of that scum." She produced a holo from her desk. "I've got something else for you, though. A transmission came personally for you. I didn't even peek."
Intrigued, Jango activated the holorecording. A figure draped in shadows, cloaked in enigma, appeared, addressing him directly. "Greetings, Jango Fett," his voice echoed around the room, "I am Tyrannus. I have a proposition for you. You are one of a select few to participate in a special hunt for a special prey. If you succeed, the reward will be in the amount of five million Republic credits."
Roz, taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the reward, choked on her customary smoke. Her wings flittered in agitation as she sputtered out, "Five million?! That could make you for life! Who's the poor sap with that kind of price on his head?"
The static-filled holographic image shifted, the shadowy figure giving way to a woman's appearance. Her features were refined, sharp as the blade of a vibroknife, and exuded an aura of deadly elegance.
"You mean her head," Jango responded matter-of-factly.
The holorecording continued to speak, the voice of the enigmatic Tyrannus cutting through the smoky air of Roz's office. "You are to locate and capture Komari Vosa, dead or alive. She is the deranged leader of the Bando Gora. I look forward to your efforts." With a final crackle, the hologram sputtered out, leaving only the remnants of the spectral message hanging in the air.
Recognition flickered in Roz's beady eyes as she registered the organization's name. "No, no, Jango. Not the Bando Gora. It's too dangerous, even for you." She cautioned, her wings fluttering nervously.
Jango's fingers traced the rim of his helmet before lifting it from his head, revealing a face that mirrored the hardened, focused determination he felt. "You said it yourself, this hunt can make me."
"Or break you!" Roz shot back, her voice fluttering with genuine concern. "No bounty hunter who's set out after the Bando Gora has ever returned!"
"Worried about losing your finder's fees?" Jango quipped, the corner of his mouth twitching into a hint of a smirk.
"Now, that's not fair. You know I worry about you!" Roz defended, her wings fluttering with exasperation.
Jango's gaze turned inquisitive. "What else do you know about this Bando Gora?"
"Only rumors. It's a very secretive organization. They're everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I hear they're behind the new death stick craze." Roz offered, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Death sticks are big in Coruscant's underworld." Jango mused, his mind already piecing together the beginnings of a plan.
Roz perked up, "Oh, that reminds me. There's a bounty for a death stick dealer on Coruscant. He's small-time, though. Probably not worth the effort."
"If he's in with the Bando Gora, it's a start."
Roz hesitated, her wings fluttering anxiously. "I don't know... I've got a bad feeling about this one, Jango."
Jango had probably heard that phrase from half a million people across the galaxy. "What else is new?" His tone was light, but his eyes were serious. "See you around, Roz. I may need your help, so keep in touch." He gathered his credits and slid his helmet back onto his head, his figure growing more imposing with the action.
As he turned to leave, Roz's voice echoed in the room. "Jango, just... please be careful."
Jango paused at the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder. "I always am." With those final words, he stepped out into the corridor, leaving behind the familiar comfort of Roz's office and stepping into his next mission.
The scorched sands of Arvala-7 stretched out in all directions, the relentless sun baking the desert landscape and casting long, dark shadows. Zac Nealphe, a man with a price on his head, had been running for what felt like an eternity, his breath ragged and his body slick with sweat. He reached the edge of a cliff face, his heart pounding as he stared down at the drop below. There was nowhere left to run, and he knew it.
Emerging from the golden light of the setting sun, a figure approached, his silhouette framed against the blazing orb. His cape rippled in the hot wind, his blaster already in hand. His hair was stark white, and his stare was merciless. He was a towering figure, his muscular frame encased in battered, unkept beskar armor.
As the man approached, Zac's legs buckled beneath him, and he fell to his knees in the sand, his hands shaking as he raised them in a desperate plea for mercy. "Montross... I can pay you double. Triple! Please don't kill me!" he begged, his voice quivering with terror. "I'm worth more alive!"
Ignoring the frantic plea, Montross pointed his blaster at Zac's face. The cold metal gleamed ominously under the harsh sunlight. When he finally spoke, his voice was as chilling as the grave. "You're worth enough dead."
The sound of the blaster's discharge echoed through the desolate wasteland.
As the sun sank below the horizon, the starship Hell's Anvil roared to life, its engines spewing fiery exhaust as it lifted from the desert floor. The ship was a KR-TB "Doomtreader," a vessel as rugged and formidable as its owner, its red hull gleaming menacingly in the dying light.
Inside the ship, Montross sat in the cockpit, his steely gaze fixed on the planet shrinking below him. The thrill of the hunt still pulsed through his veins, the satisfying memory of his most recent kill still fresh in his mind. Yes, Zac Nealphe had been telling the truth. The bounty would have been higher had he been brought in alive. But for Montross, the money was secondary to the exhilaration of the hunt. The thrill of the chase, the finality of the kill – these were the things that made him feel truly alive.
As Arvala-7 faded to a speck in the rear-view display, a chime sounded from the ship's console, followed by the flickering blue light of an incoming transmission. Montross moved to accept it, his curiosity piqued. The holographic projector whirred to life, casting an ethereal glow over the cockpit as it displayed the image of a cloaked figure, his face obscured by shadow.
"Greetings, Montross. I am Tyrannus. I have a proposition for you."
Author's Note
Well this took a while to complete. I was struggling to decide how much of the first three levels of the game I wanted to adapt, and opted to carry over very little. The beginning of the game is only split up into three parts because of the way the game is overall structured. It could all have easily been one level, and that's how I adapted it. Hopefully the next chapters won't take as long to complete.