Boba regarded the nervous security man in front of him coolly. The twitching of the man's hands was starting to annoy him. Who hired this guy? Even the Hutt guards were less twitchy when he was around. Kriff, even Altharya shook less than any of the men in this room. His fist clenched when he thought about her. A servant had practically thrown her out of bed and issued the demands of Lorena Arion. Without him.

He should have gone with them, but then again he wanted that assassin out of the way fast more. Then he and Altharya would be out of this circus of pretentiousness. Why Monts had chosen this specific system was beyond him. Semantics? That old bounty hunter had been eccentric back then; retirement had not changed it.

Darth Vader better accept his rate rise… Who would have known that Altharya would plunge them both headfirst into an intra-solar conflict?! He was not paid enough for this. He should have cuffed her, left her in that room, grabbed some pads from the shelves and they might have avoided all of it. Maybe they would have spent a few days trapped in the city on lockdown with Monts. All in all, not the worst situation to be in.

But nooo, his leniency got them into this mess, and now Altharya was Mandalore-knew-where. He shouldn't have forgotten that she had been a Jedi once. It had been easy, though, with the way she looked at him sometimes. That apology… and her treating him. A mess, an utter stinking pile of akk dog poodoo. She was with Lorena Arion, but who knew what that little politician was up to. Not that the collar would be less obvious.

Fine. He would play along. An extra bag of money couldn't hurt them with the rate Altharya was proving to be a trouble seeker. He looked at the guard again, who was now shooting fearful glances to the others scattered around, doing their own tasks.

"Do you have anything of use to say?" Boba said lowly and the man, more or less still a boy, blanched snow white and stuttered.

"No."

"Then why are you bothering me?"

The boy swallowed and rushed off to another officer, who turned around, surprised to see the other practically hiding behind him now.

Great. This was just great. They had lost a lead, the one lead he had gotten them. How did one corrupt a blood sample?! Did he have to do everything here? He expected a pay raise. He turned around to Kiani, who stuck her nose up as soon as he leveled his stare on her. She was arrogant; even Altharya had found it amusing. Altharya, of all people! Hopefully Lorena had more competent security that would also look out for her, considering he had been taken out of the equation.

Why did he always have to keep his hands on this girl to keep her from either bolting or getting yanked? Jetii…. As flighty as water or air.

"Anything of use?" He asked Kiani, keeping his tone cold. No taunting, for now….

"The blood sample was in our custody before it was corrupted," she replied, sounding almost bored.

Hm. A mole. This might be fun. It must be someone who was in this house right now, given it was on lockdown. How had this assassin managed to go from the city, to their hotel room, and then to a highly secured mansion? The only explanation was either a highly prepared and connected assassin, or an entire network that was set up at key positions. It would explain how the blood sample had gotten corrupted with a DNA-destroying solution. Security cameras had also been scrambled and the door locks had their history of identification cards wiped. He could deal with it.

If they let him near the computers, the only thing they gave him, grudgingly, was a layout of the place. At least that meant he could monitor Altharya's movement from inside his helmet. From what he could see, she hadn't moved far from the family quarters. Good. No trouble so far except for her getting roped further into this mess, which he didn't quite put past her.

"So you are admitting one of your own people is trying to murder the Arions?"

"Yes," her lips twisted in disgust at the admission, as if it tasted bitter. He counted it as a victory.

"And you are not letting me do my job... why, again?"

Kiani sighed and explained for the fifth time in the span of a morning that he was an outside and that giving him access was a bigger breach of security protocol for the future than they could afford. But having an assassin running around in their home was acceptable? Why did some people think that making his job more difficult was going to help?

"What am I supposed to do then?" He asked. Hopefully they could point out something for him to do, other than standing around in a room with security guards flitting to and fro. The most trusted ones were allowed in here. Though, Boba snorted, much good it did with the blood sample. The assassin knew how to scramble the locks. No amount of restrictions in access was going to do much. Any comment on his part would only get him a lower pay out, though.

"You are to watch the videos of the cameras that we can salvage, which-" Kiani glowered at the backs of a few men and women whose hands were flying across keys. Slicers, he assumed. "-should not take long."

"Right…" he drawled, turning to watch the stiff shoulders of their slicers.

Not long? They'd been at it for the entire morning, wasting his time and potentially endangering Altharya further. He could still grab her and hide somewhere with this confusing girl. That was what she was: confusing. One moment she was the bounty and then suddenly… she wasn't. Not with the way her skin felt underneath his touches; it hadn't gotten any better when she had apologized to him.

Distance was good for now.

Who would have thought that a bounty would mess around with the memories he'd so carefully tucked away? No matter; after a few months he could take up bounties again and she'd be a long-gone memory. If only Darth Vader hadn't attached an order to train her in some basics of combat. Basics it would be, nothing more and nothing less.

He had to wait an hour longer, while the spot that was Altharya moved suddenly. Where was she off to now? Frowning, he watched as the spot moved to the… oh kriff. The med center. Why rub it in her face more? Everyone knew that little Senya was practically dead. Just kept alive to keep up hope for her family…. Her family that ran half the system.

When Altharya had asked if this might plunge them into war, he hadn't really wanted to tell her that the war was already brewing, given her tendency to run headfirst into trouble. They had to be out of here before Senya died, before all-out war broke out. Preferably with Monts. If not, they had to hide somewhere on one of the planets. The chaos would also cover their trail, in case any of that emperor's lackeys were getting too close.

"We have scrambled together something," one of the slicers suddenly said, and Kiani immediately stormed over with Boba on her heels.

Somehow he doubted how useful those videos were to begin with. He leaned over one of the seated slicers, who cowered away from him. Good- he needed to a clear view.

On the screens a grainy film started playing. He had to squint his eyes to see clearly. It showed the corridor in front of the labs. There were the guards who'd been posted that day. Now… who had slipped up? Who was the mole?

They watched nothing happen for a while, the time on the screens ticking away, until it blacked out and then returned to a time ten standard minutes after.

"Is this the time when the sample was contaminated?" He asked, looking at Kiani for confirmation.

"Yes, when the lab technician came back fifteen minutes later the sample was contaminated."

And no one noticed anything? During that time only two guards had remained at the door. Two guards he had been assured of having unwavering loyalty, at least according to Kiani. Not that he trusted her that much. Anyone could be bought. There was always a price tag on a person's morals. But he couldn't interrogate those two, nor was he allowed into the room at the moment. They were still doing their forensics. He had to scoff; given how much time they already wasted on flimsy leads, he doubted they'd find anything substantial now.

Kiani looked defeated when the screens flickered when the recording was stopped, no haughtiness in the air around her. What a miracle! It was grating most of the time. Right, now they'd all stand here and throw ideas on the table and try and see what happened? If he could just be let into that room he'd be able to make his own assessment! If they complained about him not finding the assassin fast enough, they could go and suck their own-

"It must have been one of ours," Kiani sighed, sounding smaller than she was. He quirked an eyebrow under his helmet. Was she trying to convince herself? It was so obvious. Had she been holding hope that it couldn't be true? That the people here were unquestionably loyal to the Arions?

How naïve.

Now what? She turned to look at him, her eyes hooded and blank as she stared at him for a moment.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"I know someone is preparing for something."

"How?"

"He scrambled the video, but left enough to be restored so you can sit here for a while to see nothing of use," he explained.

Distraction tactics. Now what was that assassin trying to distract them from? The question to answer all questions. Were they sure the security detail for that Arion girl and Altharya was enough, given how there was an assassin either in disguise somewhere or sneaking through vents?

"He is toying with us," Kiani gritted out, her teeth gnashing audibly. Hm, her teeth were going to thank her later.

"No. Distraction tactics. If an assassin was toying with you, the primary objective would be distraction. Now what he is distracting you all from is the real question," he fired back, causing them all tense up.

How had they gotten their jobs and how were the Arions still alive?

"I know, bounty hunter," Kiani hissed through her gritted teeth while taking out her data pad and beginning to type. Hurt pride was a bitter sting. He might have been sympathetic, but she had made the call to separate him from Altharya. She should stew in whatever wounded pride was stinging her.

"We can only speculate what he wants," Kiani sighed once she was finally done typing.

"Speculation? That assassin will want to finish the job, if he is already here," he retorted. They were wasting valuable time chasing after lost holo recordings. And the longer they stood around here, the more likely it would be for the assassin to reach Altharya.

"Lorena has been assigned the best security detail…" Kiani started and then stopped. Good, he did not need another lecture about how good and loyal they all were. A load of nerfshit, that was.

"The forensics have finished with the lab," she said bitterly now, "you have permission to see it."

"Right. Take me there," he answered absentmindedly.

Hah. Good. Whoever wrote that message had some sense. Somehow he knew it must have come from the big boss himself. Who else could overturn the security chief's word on that matter? He wanted to gloat, really. But he had a job to do, one that would pay well enough for him to have considered it, even without a pay raise.

If only Altharya could just sit still and not mess around with the lines he had drawn. What had father said about the Jetii? They will twist you until you follow them. And he was falling for it. Sighing, he looked at the dot that was Altharya. Still in the medical centre? He had to frown. What were they doing there?

Kiani turned on her heels and stormed straight out of the room and he had to jog to keep up with her. He had to admit she had fire. Not as much fire as Altharya had, with how adamant she was being with his treatment, but he would not step in either woman's way for now. For now. Altharya was planning something, trying to make him less suspicious. Though, she was in the perfect position to convince the Arions to protect her. With all the 'gratitude' they had been subject to, it would not surprise him.

Whatever Altharya decided to do, he could only hope he could get them both out without too many dying. If she decided to. She was confusing. Too confusing.

They reached a blast door with five guards in front of it. So their answer to a breach in security was to post more guards…. What?

"One of our lab technicians disappeared and we have posted his info around," Kiani informed him and he had to sigh.

"Why am I only told this now?"

"The information was just relayed," Kiani bit back. The guards stood stiffly at attention when they breezed past them, the doors whooshing open to the clean white lab.

"And?" Now what did they think that meant?

"We suppose he is the guy we are looking for," Kiani explained. Not the only option, but he could play along for now. Let's see how far he could humiliate her in front of everyone.

He looked around the room with a few people scuttling around in the background. So what had they overseen? A missing technician? Too obvious about identity, and they were falling for it. Now what could have happened? What did he know?

His target would be either Altharya or Lorena or the boss.

He had destroyed the DNA sample.

A missing technician.

What had he done in the jobs such as this? Cleaning up behind him should there have been a witness. A missing person meant an unwanted witness. Or… a disguise. A disguise he would have to kill for. If there had been an accomplice, the accomplice would be dead by now too. No one was left alive on that level. Two bodies. They were looking for two already.

There had been a ten minute window between the lab technician arriving with his guard and the check up after, when the sample had been discovered to be tampered with. Was the guard the mole?

"Who was the guard with the lab technician?"

Kiani frowned at him. What was there to be confused about?

Where could someone dump two bodies without either seeing or smelling them? Air vents... not possible. The smell would be everywhere by now, unless he left them alive. Did they have big enough air vents to allow bodies crawling through them?

He looked up and saw the grates on the ceiling. It would be big enough to squeeze a medium sized body through. Right. Pointing upwards he drew the eyes of everyone in the room.

"Have you looked inside the vents?" He only earned himself blank stares. They hadn't, then.

"Those vents are welded shut. There's no way someone can go through there."

Fair enough. Though he zoomed in with his vision. No obvious cutting marks. Well, that was out of the question as an option, unless he had planned ahead for witnesses and had thought of getting a metal cutter. Especially in that short amount of time. Unless the assassin had been planning on hitting more than one Arion.

Feasible?

No. He would have shot Morion as well, back in the market. The opportunity had been there. With Altharya being a witness to clean up after and then coming to the manor they might have decided to take more Arions down while they were there. Made sense. But still stupid to do something like that without proper planning.

Not that most assassins he had run across could boast that much. Only the good ones, but even then they always made mistakes. One tiny mistake was all that was needed. Unless they ultimately didn't care if someone found out who did it. This one was taking care not leave any trails.

To even think that this idiot was willing to go that far to clean up after his hit on Senya... Why did someone running to help the girl automatically make them a target? Was it all politics? Hit the morale of the other family's people? Stank too much like a Brent having connections right to the inner circles of the Arions. Why then try and blur the lines of who did it? This was the corporate sector. Any company large enough might have a syndicate backing them, and the sector had thousands of systems and as many companies grasping for power. Arion's competitors could have done the hit and were trying to make it seem like a Brent was behind it all.

Hm. That was an option. But then again, he had no concrete hints either. Right now he needed to see where the lab technician was. Definitely dead, body shoved somewhere to be destroyed… Destroyed? He looked around. They were in a lab- a lab that had a furnace and a chute where all the garbage was compressed.

Why hadn't he thought about this earlier?

"Where is the garbage chute?" He asked and Kiani startled slightly, her brows furrowing at his question. Then she pointed towards his right.

"There?" She sounded unsure, more saying it like a question than pointing him in a direction. It was close to the fume cupboards.

The fume cupboards that were not in operation. Still, he would need to have a look. He opened the lid to it and… he knew it. Blood stains were all over the shredding knives. Lab technician. Now he only needed something to prove to them that it was the unfortunate guy. He looked to the bottom of the heckler. Nope. Nothing.

Right. Furnace. The smell of a body would still be around at this time. Or something was still around. Like metal.

Like the buttons on the officer's shoulders.

He stomped past a clueless Kiani towards the furnace latch. The interface still blinked from a recent use- a recent command to burn something.

How interesting…

He unlatched the hatch and Kiani made a strangled noise, to stop him maybe, but he had already opened it.

Yep. He knew it. The small metal buttons glinted in the ashes. In between there was a piece of bone that hadn't burned up yet.

"I guess there you have your unfortunate lab technician," he said and Kiani's mouth pressed into a thin line. A body, and no real trail, either.

Now. Could they move on? They said that the technician had left the lab an hour after arriving. How did the assassin manage to get in and then leave undetected until now? The vents were not breached.

He paused while Kiani turned around to talk to someone. Why was Altharya still in the medical center?

Was she okay? Sighing, he wanted to punch someone or something. But if she was not okay, then what else could he do? How had he not seen it yesterday?

"… has the security detail been diverted from glass house yet?" Kiani was talking as he tuned in on her again. Garden? Why?

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. Have they reached the medical…"

Her com-link started beeping in short and long intervals. The most well-known emergency signal there was in the whole galaxy. His neck prickled. Not good.

Altharya was still in the medical center, so …

"That was the gardener," Kiani had gone white. More beeping filled the tense air now. She pressed the answer button and a frantic voice screeched into life.

"Lorena is not in her rooms, nor is Miss Struhn!"

KRIFF IT ALL!

He was out of the door before any of the others could react.

She whirled around and tackled Lorena who shrieked in surprise when they toppled over the large pot behind it, as a red flash impacted where their heads had just been. Landing on their backs, they rolled a bit before coming to a stop. The clinking of flying glass and clay shards raining around them deafened her. Mud fell onto them and she threw her hands up to ward off the shards cutting into her and Lorena's face, squeezing her eyes shut.

The assassin. She couldn't move, her body frozen in place, the Force screaming around her. Lorena had stopped screaming and deathly silence fell over them. Was this death?

No. Her hip and back hurt. They hurt badly, as if a hot iron was pressed to them. This was not death.

A horrified gasp could be heard and slowly she opened her eyes to see…

Oh no. This was not supposed to happen. She wasn't strong enough for that!

Shards were hanging in the air around them, glittering in the sunlight. Some were rotating in place, others were wobbling. But they stayed in place.

Was she doing this? How? This was… more shards wobbled and she had to bite her lip to keep her focus on them. The wobbling did not stop, but it grew even. They had to get out from there.

"Scoot," she hissed to Lorena, who complied with a rustling of skirts. She dropped her hands to her face, letting the shards rain around her. A few landed on the back of her hands. Right- how was she supposed to get them off?

Lift her hands up? No. Too risky. Roll around? Sounded better. Slowly she rolled onto her side, feeling sharp edges skidding down along her skin until they shattered on the stone ground. Hands were on her fingers now, prying them away. What? Lorena? What was she doing?

"Altharya? Was that you?" Lorena's voice squeaked, gone the even tone from before.

Dumbly, Altharya stared at Lorena. They were safe. She had prevented someone dying! Her heart jumped into her throat and she… wanted to cry. What could she really say? Yes, she could use the Force? She tried to speak, but a heavy lump choked the words in her throat. Hopefully that was enough of an answer. How could she ever explain the accidental use of the Force, when she knew next to nothing about it?

Lorena's eyes softened and started to pull her to stand. Wobbling on her knees, she stood up and leaned on Lorena who clung to her, trembling like a leaf.

Now what? Shaking, she looked to the destroyed pot at their backs. It was shattered and the plant was smoking a bit further away. Then she saw the huge jagged hole in the wall of the greenhouse, glass shards littering the ground around it.

The hair on her neck rose and she pushed forcibly against Lorena, who stumbled along with her.

"We have to keep moving," she mumbled an explanation. Lorena only shook her head vividly, her brown eyes ripped wide open. Her left hand went into her hair, messing it up.

"Is that the assassin?" Lorena whispered weakly as they stumbled around a bend.

Altharya closed her eyes to concentrate. If the Force had intervened back then, then surely she could sense the assassin. Wherever that bastard was. Bright spots blinked across her vision and … damn.

That was a plant!

A spot… that was the one! She pinched the bridge of her nose. Focus! It had been fleeting, but it was moving. Moving where? Towards or away from them? Opening her eyes, she forced them both to their knees, hiding them in a group of bushes. They couldn't easily be seen unless the bastard had an infrared camera.

As soon as the spot flickered out of her vision a brighter spot flung itself into its field. A familiar rapidly blinking spot, she stretched to feel it and… warmth and… anxiety? What…. Who?

Boba….

"Had you called security?" She asked finally, dropping her hand to look at Lorena who had curled up into a ball next to her.

Tentatively she put an arm around Lorena's shoulders. They were safe for now, if Boba was rushing towards them. He would not let them come to harm, she knew that. Lorena did not answer, only a whimper escaped her. Poor girl. Probably never had to fear for her life or escape something so unexpected. What could she even say to make her feel safe?

Heavy boot stomps were heard first and… those were the steps of Boba! They were alright now! Thank the Force! Her heart soared as she felt him and so many other presences crashing into the greenhouse. She had to withdraw her mind to not be faced with the onslaught of thoughts.

"They are here," she murmured to the still trembling Lorena and waited for a reaction.

None. Sighing she looked up hearing muffled voices. The faster they were with them the better. She looked back to Lorena and bit her lower lip. Leave her and get others to get her? Or help her like she did with her back then? But Boba was there and… he could wait. Lorena was more important. Gently she pushed her hands underneath her armpits and lifted her up, unfolding Lorena like a piece of paper her limbs flailing everywhere. Oh Force… this was like lifting an unconscious patient. Damn.

"We are safe," she pressed through gritted teeth as she hauled the catatonic Lorena through a bush.

Right, now where was… Her foot got stuck somewhere and Lorena's weight suddenly shifted as she finally moved… She opened her mouth to curse, but all air rushed out of her as they toppled over and onto the path. Her shoulder impacted hard with the stone slaps and she groaned as her hand flew to the hurting spot. Ouch… Of course it had to happen to her….

"Lorena!" someone shouted, Lorena's weight finally being lifted off her and she could breathe freely finally.

Coughing she rolled to her side. What a day. Comforting warmth rushed over her before an armoured hand settled on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Boba's face hovering above her. A smile spread on her face and she could not stop it, not that she wanted to. He was here now and all would be fine, that feeling of safety settling deep in her bones making her all hazy. Her head lolled to the side where many boots were shuffling around. An arm shifted underneath her head and another slung around her waist, sitting her up. Boba was propping her up and her face was so close to his now. There was a crease in his forehead, his lips were pinched… his eyes shone with something she could not discern.

Anger? Uncertainty? Worry? For her? Her hands gripped the edge of his chest plate. How was this all possible? She kept looking at him as he looked her over as if he was looking for injuries. Suddenly the palm of his hand was on her cheek and she felt herself being pressed into the nook of his neck, blocking her view of everything around them.

"Are you alright?" His mouth was close to her ear and she would have nearly missed the whisper amongst the chattering of the guards and whoever was prattling with Lorena. But she heard it and her stomach fluttered at the concern. They were safe, that was all that mattered.

Why did he need to be so close? Her nose was brushing the cloth on his neck and she could practically smell the fear he must have had running to them. Her other arm slung around his shoulders, pressing herself closer.

She nodded slightly, feeling him deflate underneath her fingers. The arm around her waist tightened and relaxed briefly. Had she just imagined it? Yeah, probably. But for now… she let her face stay where it was. To just breathe... So close to the warmth of another person that somehow cared in his own way.

How could a hug feel so intimate?

AN: This chapter is out a day or two after the last one. Honestly I wanted it out before it gathered more dust in Google docs than it already was doing. I have no more chapters done or ready after this one. So please please bear with me. I will try to stick with a 2 week schedule (allows me time to write and my beta SapphiraBlue to get to it).

Beta: SapphiraBlue (on AO3).

FistMist: Thank you for the review and I hope you liked the Boba POV in this chapter! The reason why I made this chapter was to primarily set up a major conflict/story arc for later down the road (waaaay later down the road). I am really glad you liked the background and the explanations though! Hopefully I will see you around in later chapters.