Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.
Note: Doing good with my schedule! Thanks again to everyone who is reading/reviewing/subscribing, etc! It makes me super happy when I check my emails and see that people are enjoying this story. I'm also up for people suggesting things they'd like to see in this fic, as well, so get in touch if so. And once again, thanks to Liisiko for being an awesome beta.
CHAPTER 3 - Stealth
Location: Dantooine
The Slave I had executed its descent with masterful skill, tagging along with the mismatched convoy of ships and slipping away whilst they busied themselves with docking.
The thrill of the hunt was an addictive feeling that even after so long, Boba Fett never seemed to tire of. His line of work could be described as many things, but never boring.
Every day brought new challenges, new threats to battle and overcome. He faced death on a daily basis and prevailed each and every time. He did what no other could. That was how he had made his name and it was how he wanted to be remembered. If he put his mind to it, there was nothing that he could not achieve.
The bounty hunter was well aware that one day he would bite off more than he could chew. Aware that his lucky streak was doomed to run out at some point. But, so long as he kept that in mind, he could keep one step ahead of the game. Besides, being graced with a spectacular death during an impossible hunt was far better than retiring in old age.
He settled the ship amongst a copse of yellow-green trees and powered down the engines. From this distance it would be a good three hour trudge across country to reach the Rebel base. It would be dark before he got there; concealing his approach, but drawing suspicion if anyone spotted him. He'd have to be careful.
Casting a sidelong look at his 'companion', Boba took a moment to check over his armor and weapons. Satisfied that everything was still as it should be, the bounty hunter lowered the loading ramp and braced himself for the jolt as it connected with the ground. The grass softened the impact somewhat.
Behind him the clone rose to follow but Boba halted him with an outstretched hand. "Stay here. This task is mine."
The clone's eyes narrowed but Boba Fett was not one to be intimidated.
Saying nothing more, he stamped down the loading ramp and out into the afternoon sunshine. The trek was going to be laborious, but nothing that he hadn't done before. He couldn't risk bringing the Slave I any closer to the Rebel base. After all it was a distinctive ship and if anyone had the opportunity to get a good look at it, the alarm bells would certainly start ringing and it'd be game over.
He closed the loading ramp behind him, trapping the clone inside and took a moment to think on whether his decision had been sound. Leaving the clone unattended with the ship was probably not the best idea, but bringing him along would probably be a lot worse. There was something that struck Boba as being distinctly…unhinged about him. Even so, if Vader had given the cloned Sith orders to follow, they would certainly supersede his own orders to stay put.
He glanced over his shoulder at the half-concealed ship and wondered how long it would take before the clone made his move. He'd have to keep watch.
Turning back, he directed his thoughts to the task at hand. His objective was clear: assess the Rebel base for weaknesses that could be exploited and plant a number of listening devices within the cluster of buildings.
If everything went smoothly he could be in and out within a day. If trouble came his way, then…well, he might not make it out at all.
The Rogue Shadow was empty by the time Juno had showered and stopped by the med bay to get her shoulder seen to. Dressed in fresh clothes and with her shoulder wound newly cleaned and wrapped she felt reborn. All she needed now was a good, hot meal and a long night's sleep and she was certain she'd be ready to take on the galaxy again.
Now, her only worry was how to locate Galen.
Stepping back out onto the landing bay, she cast a look around, feeling slightly lost. There was sign of Galen or PROXY. She just hoped they hadn't gotten themselves into some sort of trouble.
"Captain Eclipse." One of the guards moved forwards to greet her. "Your droid asked me to let you know that your quarters have been prepared. East-sector, number 158."
"Thank you."
Well, that answered one question, at least.
Moving purposely along the narrow walkways, she navigated the sprawl of tunnels and doors, turning east towards the barracks where the temporary accommodations had been set up. Crude, compact and crowded, she pushed through the ranks with determination, watching for the numbers printed above the doorways.
Number 158 was situated close to the very end of the row and, on approach, she could hear PROXY's even tones emanating from within.
"It is good to have you back, Master. When you have time, I have a damage report I would like to share with you. I have sustained rather a lot but I'd like to assure you that most of it is superficial."
"Ought to do it sooner rather than later, then."
"Very well."
Juno pushed the door inwards and peered inside. The room within was small and stuffy despite the vents being opened as far as they would go. Galen looked up as she entered, pausing mid-bite. On the table in front of him was a good quantity of food that he seemed to be steadily working his way through. One benefit on living on a farming world was that good, fresh food was in abundance.
She felt his eyes on her as she closed the door behind her and dropped down into the seat in front of him.
"So, this is where you snuck off to." She teased.
"Sneaking is right."
"Where did you get the food from?"
Galen jabbed the utensil in the droid's direction. "PROXY."
"And they gave food to a droid?" She blinked, mildly surprised at that.
"Everyone knows that PROXY is your droid. He's one of a kind."
"Not entirely true, Master." The holodroid added, remembering the remnants of his destroyed 'brothers' back on Kamino.
"Which means he used my name to get this food? Wait…is that my meal you're eating?"
"Relax, Juno, there's plenty here." He shoved a plate towards her. "I'm almost finished, anyway."
She eyed his plate sceptically, thinking back to the first time they had met. He'd been even thinner then and his appetite had certainly been poor at best. He'd filled out a little since those early days but his desire for food was definitely not as hearty as one might expect.
Over dinner, she told him about her meeting with Leia; about the possibilities of a mission coming their way, the irritation she had sensed from Garm Bel Iblis and the fact that Leia suspected Juno had held back information from her.
"They're going to find out sooner or later." Galen shrugged. "If they do get Vader to talk, no doubt he'll mention my name. It won't take them long to jump to conclusions."
Juno bit at her lip. "And me covering it up isn't going to make it look any better…I hope Kota knows what he's doing."
"It's too late now. What's done is done."
A light tap sounded at the door and the pair froze.
"It's only me."
"Kota." Juno breathed. "Come in."
The door swung open and the elderly Jedi sauntered in, a square package balanced on one arm. "Hardly an officers quarters, I know, but I figured you two would want to stay together and this seemed the safer option."
"What's this? The General has a romantic side after all?" She jested, feeling in a good mood for the first time in so long.
The Jedi snorted. "Hardly."
Juno smiled, secretly touched by his thoughtfulness.
"Anyway, just dropped by to give you this." He threw the package at Galen. "Thought it might come in handy."
"What is it?"
"Something to help you blend in. Anyway, can't stop to chat. I wanted to speak with Leia before she left. Hopefully she's got time."
"All the time in the world, I'm sure."
He dipped his head and backed out of the room.
Stretching, Juno got to her feet and worked her way around the table, looping her arms around Galen's waist and pressing a kiss against his shoulder. "What is it?"
"Clothes." His mouth twisted with distaste as he held them up for Juno to see. Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she laughed at the look on his face.
"Very cute."
His 'low profile' clothing consisted of a pair of greasy overalls and a matching cap.
"You'll look very fetching as an engineer, I'm sure." Juno teased, snatching the cap and pulling it down over his head.
Rolling his eyes, he dropped the package onto the table and pulled her into his arms, holding her close, breathing in the scent of her freshly washed hair. He'd had a chance to scrub up on the Rogue Shadow and the pleasure at feeling the dirt and grime wash away had been totally revitalizing.
Now, all he wanted was to hold her close and sleep, knowing that she lay safe in his arms. Perhaps her presence would be enough to keep the nightmares away.
"About that report, Master?" PROXY interrupted.
"Later."
"I'll…just go and make myself useful elsewhere, then." The droid replied, moving around them and out through the door.
Galen reached down and pressed a kiss to the corner of Juno's mouth and, with a deep sigh, pulled them both down onto the bed. It was neither comfortable nor very big but at that moment, such details hardly seemed important.
He held her close, tucking one arm around her shoulders; her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. His other arm draped protectively over her waist. She purred contentedly in the back of her throat, settled her head against the curve of his shoulder and hugged him tight.
"Did I thank you?" She murmured; her breath warm against his skin.
"For what?"
"For coming back to rescue me."
His arms tightened about her. "You don't need to thank me."
"We've…got a lot of things to talk about, haven't we?" She felt him tense briefly and continued. "I love you, Galen. We've been given this second chance and I am not going to let it go. Not for anything."
"I…I love you, too."
Those words meant far more to her than she could ever describe.
Boba Fett hunkered down in the shadows, eying the sprawling complex of the Rebel base laid out before him. Shrouded in shadow, it looked rather ominous and the bounty hunter couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
He glanced back over his shoulder, wondering if the clone was far behind, and then set his sights on infiltrating the base.
During his approach, whilst on higher ground, he had gained a rough idea of the structure of the development. The interconnecting corridors spread out from the central dome. Larger and more secure in the middle, they became less defensible towards the outskirts. In time of crisis, Boba assumed they would lockdown the central units and use the narrow walkways to funnel off enemies into a manageable space.
A good and strategic build, to be sure.
A searchlight swept across the borders of the territory and Boba watched its sweeping path be joined by its twin. Looking up, he could just make out the darkened shapes of the sentries against the night sky. One of them stood, stretched and leaned over the railing to gaze out across the open expanse of the fields below.
The bounty hunter, ever patient, settled down into cover and waited for the inevitable shift change or – failing that – lapse in concentration which would give him time to slip by undetected.
The moment came just half an hour later when the pair of sentries challenged one another to a game of cards that drew their attention away from their surroundings. The searchlights continued to sweep in their wide arcs, but with a well-executed and timely path, Boba managed to maneuver around them, rolling at the last moment to avoid being bathed in light.
Pressing himself flat against the wall, he paused to listen in; not wanting to proceed if they'd caught a glimpse of him in the shadows.
A bark of laughter followed and then the rippling sound of cards being shuffled by an expert hand.
In a way, Boba didn't blame them for being less than studious in their work. After all, they had no reason to suspect anyone was out in the darkness. No alarms. No suspicions. They were stationed there 'just in case' and nothing had given them any reason to suspect any foul play.
Not yet, anyway.
Sidling up alongside the building he leaned forwards to peer around the corner. A guard was moving away from him, blaster in hand. It would have been an easy shot to take. Too easy. Sadly this was a stealth mission and shooting now would only draw unwanted attention. He waited patiently for the guard to turn back and, when the footsteps paused and started to head away again, he followed quietly behind, trying to ease open each door he came across. The first two were locked but the third slid open automatically with a faint hiss. He slipped inside, closed the door and turned to survey the empty corridor. He could hear voices somewhere close by and edged his way across to the shadows.
"…Expecting more ships tomorrow."
"I don't like it."
"What?"
"All this sudden movement."
"It can't be helped. Anyway, some of the larger freighters are taking their leave first thing, or so I heard."
"Where to?"
"Who knows? Everything's a secret nowadays."
"They're afraid we're being watched."
"I heard they managed to bring in an important Imperial spy."
"A spy? Really?"
Boba filed away that particular information. Clearly Darth Vader's presence here had not been confirmed to many of the soldiers stationed here. Those that knew must have been sworn -or bribed- into silence whilst everyone else was kept out of sight when they transferred the Dark Lord.
He supposed secrets were the only advantage the Rebels had.
The voices had now passed out of audibility and the bounty hunter pressed on, edging quietly up the corridor.
His finely tuned senses buzzed with warning and, sensing movement behind him, he swung to take out his follower. He brandished the blaster like a club, intending to ram the barrel across the head of his newly acquired shadow.
His swing was blocked by a strong hand and he only just managed to mask the surprise at seeing the silent apprentice standing there.
"I told you to stay." Fett's gravelly voice seemed oddly strange in the quiet corridor.
"I am needed."
This 'evil' clone certainly had the voice of the one who had pursued Vader but it was still strangely different. Flat and…emotionless. If Boba were a lesser man, it would have unnerved him.
"Not by me, you aren't."
The clone smiled; the flash of white teeth and twist of the mouth not at all pleasant. "I think you will come to appreciate my presence, in time."
"I've seen the way you clones operate." Boba Fett commented.
"No one will know I am here." The clone would not explain it to Boba Fett but he could mask his presence so that his power seemed far less. And, with his master's overwhelming aura, he would go overlooked so long as he made no direct move to attack.
The bounty hunter said nothing, turning on his heel to move towards the far end of the corridor. The clone fell into step behind him and Boba felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. He liked to work alone and having this clone tagging along with him had not been part of the deal.
The doors slid apart with ease and Boba Fett came face to face with a Rebel guard. The young man – in the middle of a yawn – paused in surprise before jerking to attention, going for the blaster in its holster.
"Agh, uh! Intruders!"
Before Boba could react, the Apprentice had stepped forwards, hand waving through the air as if discarding a frail thought. "We are not intruders."
The guard blinked, his hand faltering on his weapon. "No…you're not intruders."
"We're on patrol. You want to carry on with your business."
"You're on patrol. Uh, carry on, then." He released his weapon and stepped aside to let them pass, looking dazed even as the odd pair disappeared from view.
"Back to guard duty then, I guess."
To be continued...