Herding Nexu
By Andrew J Talon
As for Book of Boba Fett...
Barriss Pelaeon, Imperial Jedi, was walking out the main terminal doors of the Anchorhead Spaceport. Her son Mynar kept pace with her, wearing plain clothing under a black cloak like hers.
As they circled around the corner to the main doors out into Anchorhead proper, Bariss breathed in the harsh desert air. The twin suns burning overhead.
It was strange that this little world should be the birthplace of so many powerful Jedi and Sith... Yet she supposed that was the nature of the Force. The unexpected, the incomprehensible.
She and Mynar headed into the streets proper. Mynar almost bumped into two men carrying an elaborate painting-It seemed to be of Jabba the Hutt. While Bariss didn't like the subject, she had to admit, the workmanship was exquisite.
"Oh, sorry," Mynar said politely. The two workers politely excused themselves, moving on their way... Just before a flash in the Force made Mynar drop down. Bariss followed, using the Force to push the two workers down just as a bright pink speeder bike flew by.
'YEAH! HAHAHAHA!" The pilot of the vehicle, a young human girl in leather vest, pants, and with a cyborg arm, laughed as she flew about wildly. A few other such youths, riding the same model of speeder but in varying bright hues, joined her as they flew down the street wildly. Numerous people dodged out of the way in a panic. Militia members held up their blasters to fire stun blasts, but one of the youths used a sonic emitter in a cyborg arm, and they went down covering their ears.
Getting involved in local issues was not one of Bariss's goals... But this much fear and confusion...
"Mother?"
"Follow me!" Bariss ordered as she got to her feet.
She used Force Speed, and climbed up the side of a building to leap up onto the rooftops. She ran and jumped gracefully, to move ahead of the youths.
Her son kept pace, right behind her. She leaped forward to a clearing intersection, and stood in front of the youths. Mynar landed beside her, staring in baffled disgust at their speeders.
"Those scooters re for rich layabouts and their children on Coruscant," he muttered, "why are they using them here?"
The leader of the gang held up his hand, and his fellows all slowed. They began to circle Bariss and Mynar, like hungry razor sharks. The leader smirked.
"Well, well, well... What have we here? Hot school marm, and her little brother?" He asked.
"I am Bariss, this is my son Mynar," Bariss said calmly, "I would like you all to cease your activities now."
The youths laughed.
"I've got my dad's starship for the weekend, and we're gonna mess up this poodoo hole planet however we like!" He said mockingly, holding up a cybernetic hand, "what's some Chin-bret mom and her son gonna do to stop us?"
"Oh come on, Skad," the leather clad girl who had nearly run Mynar over simpered, "he's pretty cute. Let's not mess up his good looks, huh?"
"Shut up, Drash!" The ringleader huffed, adjusting his cybernetic eye, "like I said... You wanna stop us? You better have more than words!"
Mynar flushed a bit, but scowled at the young girl. Bariss shook her head, and shrugged.
"Well... I tried," she said. She ignited her lightsaber... And tried very hard not to enjoy the gobsmacked looks on the faces of the cyborg children.
The fight took about two minutes, at best. The cyborgs were tied up with rope one of the grateful shopkeepers gave to them, and their colorful speeders were lashed together. Bariss led them away, up to the local militia headquarters.
The man on duty, a Gran, rose up and nodded with a grin.
"Well done," he spoke happily in Huttese, "you caught them! Want the bounty?"
Bariss hesitated.
"Depends on the nature of the bounty," Bariss said, "it's not for them dead, is it?"
"No," the Gran stated, holding up a flimsy, "it's from their parents: 'Returned safely to be punished.'"
The youths all groaned. Skad grimaced.
"My dad's gonna kill me," he moaned.
"If you were my son," Bariss stated firmly, "I would do far worse."
Mynar nodded at the fearful looks on the cyborg's faces.
"She would. Trust me," Mynar said.
"We'll be good," Skad muttered.
Drash looked up at Mynar hopefully, batting her eyes.
"So uh... Can I get your holo number or...?"
"No," Mynar stated flatly. Bariss shook her head at the crestfallen look on the girl's face. Still, it was nice her son was so handsome.
She thought he was, of course... But then, she was his mother.
She turned back to the desk Gran, who had presented some flimsies to her.
"Now, I just need your Bounty Hunter's Guild license..."
"
Ah..." Bariss waved her hand, exerting her will with the Force, "you've seen my license and everything is in order."
"I have seen your license and everything is in order," the Gran reported. Bariss smiled.
"Also... Can you point me in the direction of the head of the Bounty Hunter's Guild? I need to talk..."
Yeah, I hated the Mod Gang. The concept of a gang terrorizing Mos Espa and Boba Fett having to take them over is very interesting... But their appearance and attitude didn't fit. They were like a bunch of rich kids slumming it for kicks. Tatooine is not southern California, it's FREAKING TATOOINE. It's a desert world, with a desert culture, that wouldn't have fucking Vespa gangs! Swoop bike gangs of rough and tough kids who actually have had a hard life, not these Power Ranger rejects! Fuck you Disney!
So in this universe, Boba had to fight like... The Black Sun and other gangsters to become daimyo of Mos Espa. Who had killer cyborgs. And he could have taken a young gang of actual kids under his wing to teach them honor and respect. But they'd be an actual street gang, not these losers.
