Boba Fett has always struck me as one of the more complex Star Wars characters, the novels about him in the EU only adding to this. For all the jobs he has taken, there's a sort of warriors nobility in his dealings. I've always compared him to characters such as Deathstroke or The Punisher.

He's a man making a living and trying to survive in a ruthless and unforgiving galaxy. Living by his blaster and his code of honor he forges his own path all the while sticking to his Mandalorian heritage. As this story goes on, there will be times where the original cast learns more about the mysterious bounty hunter, and sees a side of him very few in his own universe have ever seen. After all he's in uncharted territory, that been said he's still the calculating killer we all know and love, but sometimes even the most steadfast of people have to make compromises.

Chapter 2: New World, New Opportunities

"When you find yourself surrounded by those who don't know or care what you are. Comfort yourself with the knowledge that you are part of something far greater more powerful than they will ever have the privledge of knowing."

Mandalore the Ultimate.

Boba Fett, the galaxy's most successful bounty hunter, knocked out by a tree. The thought of it was enough to make Boba's head spin, thankfully a quick scan of the surrounding area put his mind at ease. His reputation was secure, no one had witnessed his blunder. Slowly sitting upright, Boba looked around at his surroundings. After a few moments, he began to realize that his reputation was the least of his current concerns.

Boba was no stranger to the wonders of the galaxy, from Jedi's to beasts of all sizes, he had fought the best and on many a strange planet. Never in all his years had he ever stepped into a portal however, or at least what he believed to be a portal. For him to be fighting on Tatooine one minute, and then be in a forest the next? There simply wasn't any better explanation.

That been said, Boba looked back towards the tunnel he emerged from. Or rather where the tunnel was supposed to be, all that remained was empty air and endless forest. He clenched his fists, his only way to get back home had just given him the slip. Standing up, he dusted himself off and unslung his carbine and grabbed his kit bag off the ground. Thankfully the grenade launcher hadn't fallen too far either, picking it up and depositing it into the bag, he began to scan his surroundings.

No sense in sticking around, I need answers and fast.

Issuing a series of commands to his helmet, he tried to get a bearing on his whereabouts. After a few moments of waiting, the answers he was looking for were anything but satisfactory. His nav systems were utterly confused, in fact, they had no idea what planet this was, even if it was a planet. No starport signatures, no signals from any major hubs, not even access to the Holo-Net. Hell, even his helmet's date and time systems were on the fritz.

For all intents and purposes, Boba was on an undiscovered backwater. Ordinarily this wouldn't be so bad if he had Slave-1 or any form of transportation for that matter, but right now he was running blind. That needed to change immediately, reaching into his duffle bag he pulled out a small silver sphere.

Depressing a small button atop it, he watched as the ball clicked open and slowly began to hover above his palm, a singular red orb adorning its center.

When all else fails and nav systems are on the fritz? A good scout droid is more than enough to find one's bearing, thankfully Boba never went anywhere without one. He watched as the droid began to hover around, beeping as it began to look every which way. Boba readied his blaster as he looked up at the droid.

"Alright, find me some humanoid class life signs."

The droid's red eye regarded him for a few moments and beeped as it began to gain altitude, after a few moments of spinning in place, it finally stopped and began to glide away. Boba locked the droid's signal to his helmet and began to cautiously follow after it through the brush. Every so often he'd take up position behind a tree or next to a nearby bush. Aiming his blaster and scanning from left to right, he checked every angle and potential ambush spot. He still had no idea if there were any hostile flora or fauna. Even with his helmet's proximity sensors, there was no telling if something could spook the sensors and give a false reading, or none at all.

This went on for half an hour until finally the signal halted in place. Lowering his helmet's range finder Boba quickened his pace, making sure as not to make too much noise. As he got closer, he finally got eyes on the droid. Hovering a few meters off the ground, it looked off into the distance and glided between a few trees, trying its best not to be seen.

As Boba got closer to the droid, his non-firing hand reached out and the droid quickly flew into his palm. Depressing its top button and returning the droid to his bag, Boba placed both hands on his blaster and aimed out past the trees. He was greeted by a welcoming sight, the first signs of human habitation.

In a forest clearing, a young blue haired girl and an elderly man fussed with some luggage as they set it atop a carriage. Clad in strange robes they looked about as backwater as people with no access to technology could get. Their carriage certainly was ancient, as was the strange looking beast of burden that was about to pull it along.

Next to them a small rickety cottage stood tall and proud as they went to and from dropping off luggage and going back inside to retrieve more. Boba activated his helmet's zoom feature and tried to listen in on their conversation, what he heard next had quickly dampened his previous mood.

They began to babble and go back and forth in a language Boba had never heard before, he sighed as he thought to himself.

Great, backwater planet with a language that doesn't match up to any standard galactic tongue. Now I have to play charades.

Boba continued to watch as the older man began to laugh and blather on in their strange language, meanwhile, the girl looked anything but amused. In fact she looked absolutely devoid of any emotion, her blue eyes gave her a sort of permanent thousand-yard stare. Meanwhile, her robes had a sort of ancient scholarly feel about them. The green, blue, and white underlying robes formed a collage of color, a sense of purpose to her appearance. Something about that look, it reminded him of something.

Suddenly the scene's mood had drastically changed, the older man suddenly began to be pelted by strange sparks of some sort. He covered himself and tried to swat at them every which way as the barrage continued. The sparks didn't appear to be harmful, but Boba had seen all he needed to see. Tensing, he aimed his blaster with his right hand and slowly brought up his left gauntlet.

Murmuring a series of commands he watched his helmet feed data to his wrist mounted missile launcher. Only an order of select individuals could perform the feats he was seeing, the very same order that had killed his father. One he hated to the very last member.

Jedi.

Boba was just about to let loose a barrage of hatred at the two when he suddenly stayed his hand. Lowering his gauntlet and resuming his hold on his blaster, he began to think.

If they were Jedi, they would've already sensed my presence, sensed my killing intent. Whoever these people are must be some sort of offshoot order. Perhaps local shamans tampering with a power beyond their understanding?

Boba took a moment and assessed the situation, Jedi or not he needed answers, he needed to find a larger settlement. With larger settlements came people in charge, and with people in charge came order. Right now Boba needed that more than anything else, a Mandalorian was never without purpose in his deeds. So with that Boba came to a decision, a decision that would change the balance of everything in that world and beyond forever. Lowering his blaster, Boba emerged from the trees and made his way over towards the two.

For a few moments they didn't notice him, finally the young girl looked off to her right and her blue eyes went wide. Not with fear, but with astonishment. She watched as a faceless warrior emerged from the trees. Clad in a grey suit of some sort and adorned with parts of battered armor and strange other contraptions, she regarded him with curious eyes.

Boba watched as the elderly man made his way out of the house, a word that caught his attention was "Lelei". The man had said it quite a few times before and said it again many more as he approached the girl.

Well then, her name must be Lelei. Now there's a healthy head start.

The elderly man approached the girl and talked to her for a few moments, it took him a while to notice that she had been staring off into the distance, but when he did, he mirrored her facial expression. Stopping just a few feet away from the two, Boba slung his blaster and reached into his kit bag. Sorting around through it, he found a nutrient bar and reached it out towards the girl. Pointing to himself, the bar, and the sky, Boba Fett made first contact.

"My name is Boba Fett...I come from the sky...friend."

The young girl cocked her head to the side in curiosity as she slowly disembarked from the carriage against the protests from the man. She made her way over to Boba and looked up into his T-shaped visor. Boba could feel her eyes pierce through his helmet and into his own like an overcharged blaster shot. She was young, practically a child.

For a moment she looked at him and back at the bar, finally she gently took it from his hands and unwrapped it. She eyed it with curious eyes and took a bite and chewed on it for a moment, Boba was never a fan of them, but this girl looked like she absolutely enjoyed it after a few mouthfuls. Gulping it down as quickly as she had unwrapped it, she returned to staring at him as she whispered.

"Boba Fett...friend?"

Boba nodded as he knelt down, in another galaxy, another universe, what he was doing was so outside the scope of his behavior. He was known as a ruthless killer, a hound who never gave an inch once he began his hunt, but behind the mask was a warrior of honor. He never killed the innocent, never took on jobs that went against his code, and never went against his Mandalorian heritage. His was a path he had been destined to take from the moment he was born, a path he could never turn away from. But here, in this moment, he wasn't a killer, he was a lost man who needed to find his way.

Realizing the strange warrior in front of her wasn't an immediate threat, the girl turned to face the older man and began to speak in their native tongue. When the two had finished, she turned to face Boba and pointed at herself.

"Lelei...friend."

Boba smiled beneath his helmet, now he was getting somewhere. Standing up, he offered his hand out in a handshake, no matter the world or species. A handshake was almost a universal term for cooperation and mutual understanding. Lelei looked at his hand for a moment then slowly she extended her own and held his. Boba was careful not to squeeze too hard as he shook her hand, the girl felt fragile to say the least, thinking to himself he began the next part of his plan.

Right now that we're on the same page here, let's see if we can't find some sort of settlement or city.

Before Boba could act out an explanation for a settlement, Lelei began to tug at his hand a look of concern in her eyes. She looked back at the older man and began saying Boba's name a few times along with some words in their language. Whatever the problem was it was big enough to scare both of them. Unbeknownst to them, Boba was in the business of problem solving, as long as the price and job were good, however.

"What is it? I'm not understanding you, do...not...understand."

Lelei let go of Boba's hand and began to act out some sort of scene, she put her hands together and made the motions of a large flying creature. Occasionally she would point down the forest road and back at the cart. Boba didn't need to be a linguist to know what she had meant, there was some sort of creature, and they had to leave lest it find them.

Boba stood proudly and unslung his blaster, pressing a series of buttons on his gauntlet, his various weapon systems began to hum to life as he slammed a fist against his chest plate.

Pointing to his blaster, Lelei, the old man, and finally himself he made a fearsome warriors stance, "Warrior...protect."

Boba only fought for money and self defense in both himself and his ideals, but if he was going to make any headway with the locals, he'd need to earn their trust. Of course, he'd ask for compensation later, well whatever they had of worth.

Lelei and the old man looked at Boba and smiled. Whoever this mysterious warrior was, he certainly seemed confident enough in his abilities to fight the beast that plagued their land. Lelei made her way back to the wagon and took her place next to the old man in a bench behind the reigns, she beckoned to Boba and pointed down the road as she pantomimed the image of a settlement.

Boba merely chuckled and nodded, "As you wish..."

Making his way towards the carriage, he placed his kit bag atop the heap of various items in the carriage's storage. Finding a spot where he could comfortably sit, he sat atop it and readied his blaster. For a few moments, he sat there and listened as Lelei tried to spur the beast of burden on, Boba merely shook his head as he began to understand the situation. They were bearing way too much weight, before he could turn around and say anything, he felt the carriage begin to slightly lift up off the ground as a blue tint began to cover it.

Lelei had muttered some words to her now brandished staff and the carriage had become weightless, allowing the beast to carry it effortlessly. Boba promptly turned back around and went back to watching the road behind them as they began their journey.

Definitely the force, definitely some sort of Jedi or shaman.

Boba shook his head, taking on jobs without immediate compensation, making friends with Jedi, it was all way outside of his M.O.

Forgive me, father.

And with that, the trio began their journey to whatever settlement lay ahead.

Sometime later...

Boba watched as the trees and the dense forest began to be replaced with lush fields of green. Checking his surroundings, he began to take note of the land, for all but a moment he felt like he was on Naboo. He had frequently traveled to the peaceful planet a number of times, even a bounty hunter such as himself could appreciate the beauty of its geography. Well at least when he wasn't working.

Setting his scanners for max range, he continued to keep his guard up, even the most beautiful rose had its thorns after all. So far he had learned this one's thorns were made up of pseudo-Jedi and large flying beasts, he listened inventively as Lelei and what he assumed to be her master continued to chat. Occasionally her master would laugh and make wild noises, only to be slapped by Lelei.

For pseudo-Jedi, these two sure like to break the mold and live by their emotions.

Boba continued to watch as the ever expanding fields of green slowly passed them. Occasionally they'd cross a small stone bridge, over a low-lying river, or take a turn at a fork in the road. This went on for a while until finally he felt Lelei's small hand tap his jetpack.

"Boba...Coda."

Boba tensed slightly, she had almost tapped an emergency control switch. The same one that the smuggler Han Solo had hit, the same one that had knocked him into a Sarlaac. A mishap he would never forget.

Child, please do not touch the jet pack. The last thing we need is the carriage and you two going ablaze as I fly off into nowhere.

During the trip, Boba had taken the necessary precautions to ensure both his safety and the safety of his two newest clients. Making sure both his jet pack and gear were all functional and filled he was armed and ready for anything or anyone. So when he turned around, he was just about to chastise Lelei. That is until he saw what she was trying to get his attention about.

As they journeyed down the road, Boba began to see the image of a small village began to take shape. Like the cottage he had seen before, the buildings here were similarly designed. Simple wood and stone structures jutted up in small intervals, occasionally a small farm plot could be seen taking place in said intervals. Boba surmised that whatever this world was, agriculture had to be one of its chief forms of commerce.

As the trio got closer and closer to the village, Lelei halted the carriage and quickly disembarked against the protests of her master. Turning around Boba could see that various villagers ran to and fro between buildings. Whatever the problem was, they too were prepping to leave their homes. Boba was quick to see a bad situation as an opportunity.

Whatever this beast is, taking it down is going to win me major praise with the locals...a lot of money too.

Of course, there was still one other problem. Lelei had just ran off into the village, a lost client meant lost money, and Boba wasn't one for lost money. Disembarking the carriage he ran past the front of it and looked behind his shoulder at Lelei's master as he passed.

"Stay here old man!"

Making his way past the hustle and bustle of evacuating villagers, Boba continued down the street Lelei had taken. Along the way he had ignored the stunned looks on each of their faces, he had a job to do.

"Lelei! Lelei! Utreekov, where did you go?!"

Making his way past some crowded carriages along the street, he heard Lelei cry out in terror and the sound of a beast whining in protest. Boba had to act and fast.

"Activate Jetpack!"

Boba ran and tensed as he felt himself lift up and soar through the air. In moments, his helmet's targeter got a lock on a scared beast about to trample Lelei. As his range finder slid down, he aimed through the scope for his blaster, this was a kill that demanded precision. Something he had in spades, letting off an accurate burst of blaster bolts, he hit the beast in the head, his blaster shrieking as it let loose a volley of death.

The beast's head snapped back with a series of scorching impacts as it topped back over, Boba promptly shifted his stance and landed between Lelei and the beast, a dust cloud kicking up around him. Checking to make sure the beast was dead, he sighed and turned around to look at Lelei. The young girl looked at her savior with wide eyes, she obviously hadn't expected the mysterious warrior to be capable of flight as well.

Before Boba could chastise her, Lelei wrapped her arms around his torso as she mimicked a phrase he had used earlier, "Boba...protect."

Boba stood there for a few moments as he felt her grip tighten, using his free hand he broke her grip and ran a hand through her hair. His T-shaped visor regarding her with concern.

"Next time don't go running off, you're no good to me dead got it?"

Suddenly another female's voice broke through the chaos and confusion, "Y-you can speak English?"

Searching for the source of the voice, Boba looked past Lelei and spotted a young woman crouched next to an obviously injured younger girl. Unlike the villagers, this woman was certainly not dressed like a civilian. If her slug thrower didn't convince him, the dark green camouflage pattern that adorned her helmet, armor, and uniform most certainly did.

Military, finally the order he was looking for and even better, the kind that spoke Basic. Boba walked past Lelei as he cradled his blaster, "I'm not sure what English is, but I speak Basic just fine. What military are you with?"

The female stood up and ran a hand through her dark black hair as she regarded Boba with her blue eyes, "Basic? R-right, Sergeant First Class Kurokawa, JSDF. Who...or what are you?"

Boba stood there puzzled for a moment, JSDF? He had certainly never heard of any sort of organization with that name before, but, more importantly, it was time for his introduction. He was most certainly not a what, he stood there and hefted his blaster into the air with one hand.

"You look upon a who, I am Boba Fett,bounty hunter, gun for hire, and the best at what I do. Who's in charge here?"

Before the woman could respond a man's voice came from further away, as Boba looked down the street he saw a similarly dressed male soldier leading a small team of his fellows. Unlike the woman, the soldier, and the others had their slug throwers raised. Big mistake.

"I am, Lieutenant Itami Youji of the JSDF, Recon Team Three. While I'm thankful for your intervention, you mind explaining to me why you're armed with...whatever the hell you're armed with?"

In seconds, Boba's helmet had already slaved each and every one of the soldiers to his weapon systems. At a moment's notice, he could be flying through the air and landing atop a pile of bodies, but right now he needed information and cooperation. Something a shootout wouldn't allow, cradling his blaster but keeping alert, Boba responded to the brazen leader's question.

"I'm armed because I am Lieutenant, a man can never be too safe after all. These weapons are but a taste of the game I bring to the playing table, should I need to fight. Whilst I applaud your caution, you'd best lower your weapons. I'm not an enemy unless you make me one, besides you and your men would be dead in moments if you even tried to take me down. So how's about we talk this out like civilized people?"

Itami's men were certainly intimidated, they had never seen a warrior dressed in such a way. His face and body concealed behind battered armor and unknown weapons, his voice broadcasted his killing capabilities through an external speaker. If that wasn't enough, they had most certainly never seen an armored man fly through the air, let alone use a weapon that certainly didn't fire solid projectiles.

Things were tense for a few moments, both sides seemed ready to fight. Just when Itami was about to talk, Lelei came between the two groups her arms outstretched.

"Boba Fett...friend...protect!"

Itami cocked his head to the side in puzzlement as he listened to the broken English being muttered by the girl, he slowly lowered his rifle and reached into one of his uniform's leg mounted cargo pockets. In seconds, he had produced a small red book and began to speak the language Lelei and her master had been speaking earlier.

For a while the two went back and forth, communicating all the while and occasionally saying Boba's name. Meanwhile, Boba came to a realization, Itami had a language book. Boba needed that book and fast.

"Itami, I'm not sure what you two are talking about, but if you could please toss me that book, things can go a lot smoother for everyone."

Itami looked at him with suspicious eyes until he finally tossed the book. Catching it deftly with one hand, Boba began to flip through the pages, scanning every word and translation within them. In moments he had downloaded the entire book and transcribed the language into his helmet's speaker. Quickly tossing the book back to an eagerly awaiting Itami, Boba looked at Lelei and gave the new found language his best shot.

"Lelei...can you understand me?"

Lelei promptly turned around and looked at him with wide eyes, a small smile forming on her lips as she spoke. As she did so, her words translated themselves on his visor's internal screen.

"Yes...yes I can Boba."

Meanwhile Itami watched with his mouth agape, "H-how did you do that?" Looking at Itami and back at Lelei, Boba scoffed as a smug smile began to form underneath his visor. "You don't become the best by only working for humans."

Before Itami could respond, Boba patted a now smiling Lelei's head as he spoke to the young girl. "Lelei, Tell the Lieutenant here how we met. Certainly wouldn't want the situation to be anymore confusing now would we?"

Lelei nodded as she turned to face Itami and the others, meanwhile, a large crowd of villagers gathered on either side of the street as they watched the scene unfold.

"Itami, Boba Fett is my friend. He came to my master and I at our cottage. He says that he comes from the sky, he has also stated that he can fight the flame dragon."

Boba listened intentively and thought to himself as she went on further.

So the beast is a "flame dragon" huh? Some sort of offshoot Krayt? Nothing a few well-placed blaster shots and some explosives can't handle. Of course, there's always the Disruptor and the Saber...if it goes that far.

After Lelei was done talking, Boba looked at Itami and shrugged. "Well, good enough for you...Lieutenant?"

Itami stood there for a moment and finally motioned to his fellow soldiers to stand down, as he did so he sighed and took his helmet off. Revealing a matted mess of brown bushy hair.

"Well that's all well and good, but what exactly is a bounty hunter doing here? And can you actually fight this dragon if it shows up?"

Boba chuckled as he stood confidently, "Well, there's a story for that if you have some time. As for the dragon? There's nothing that walks, talks, or breathes that I can't kill...for the right price that it is..."

Itami rolled his eyes, "How's about we just start with how you got here?"

Boba chuckled and cradled his blaster, "Well it all started with a job, and it ended with some sort of...gate."

Mandalorian words used and their translations:

Adiik-A child generally ranging between three to thirteen (Lelei's 15, but hey Boba doesn't know that yet)

Utreekov-Fool or idiot