by neetha Napew
That was an understatement. When the bounty had been posted, in an official wide-band relay from the Emperor's palace on Coruscant, the amount of credits offered had been thought to be some kind of transmission error, too many zeroes added on to whatever the real sum was. Bossk remembered thinking, I could buy a small, unindustrialized planet for that many credits-if the Empire was putting any up for sale. Both of the factions from the old Bounty Hunters Guild, the Reform Committee and those senile creatures that called themselves the True Guild, had contacted the Emperor's communications center and had asked for a clarification as to the actual amount of the bounty being offered.
And they had been told that there had been no transmission error. The amount given in the original message was for real.
The effect on bounty hunters throughout the galaxy, in every seedy spaceport dive and in the headquarters of the two Guild factions, had been electrifying. Greed worked miracles when it came to getting sentient creatures' attention. For Bossk, it had been like laying his bared claws straight upon an unshielded power generator, one big enough to drive an Imperial battleship through hyperspace; every scale on his body had seemed charged.
This would settle everything-that was the dominant thought that had sprung up inside Bossk's head.
To capture the renegade Imperial stormtrooper for which Emperor Palpatine had posted such a colossal bounty would determine once and for all, in Bossk's eyes and those of every other sentient creature in the galaxy, just who was the number-one bounty hunter. The Emperor wasn't putting up that kind of credits because it was going to be an easy job. This particular stormtrooper wasn't one of the trigger-happy rank-and-file, good for little more than simple terrorism and carrying out the orders of his commanders. Trhin Voss'on't was one of the commanders, right at the top level of the Imperial stormtrooper hierarchy, a strike-force leader in one of the elite Strategic Insertion battalions-or he had been right up until he had dumped the personnel of an Imperial Star Destroyer at blaster point, commandeering the vessel with a hand-picked skeleton crew of accomplices.
Initial speculation about what the motives of Voss'on't might have been centered around the possibility of his having defected to the Rebel Alliance, taking the Destroyer and its complement of weapons, code databases, and crypto-secured Imperial technology as an addition to the Alliance's growing arsenal. That theory had been largely abandoned when the destroyer had turned up drifting in an uninhabited navigational sector between star systems, with the corpses of Voss'on't's accomplices aboard. They had been efficiently executed in standard Imperial stormtrooper disciplinary fashion, a single laser hole at the back of each one's skull. The Destroyer had been stripped of whatever pieces were most easily and profitably salvaged; thruster engine parts with the appropriate molecular-level code numbers started turning up almost immediately in various black-market salvage operations, having filtered through an untraceable chain of scavengers and intersystem scrap dealers. Whatever credits had been paid out had enabled Voss'on't to pull off a complete disappearing act.
" What I think" -Bossk leaned forward from where he sat in Slave I's main hold-" is that this Voss'on't had been planning this move for a long time. And then when he had everything lined up just right, he jumped on it."
" That's obvious," replied Boba Fett." Nobody gets away with an entire Imperial Destroyer without making preparations."
" You gotta wonder, though, about why he did it." Bossk scratched his muzzle with one of his claws." Whatever credits he made from scrapping the ship, he's probably had to pour right into making his escape. There's a lotta bribes to be paid out, and a lot of creatures you gotta arrange to get killed, before you can just vanish like that. And Voss'on't had to get rid of the Destroyer at a rate of ten decicredits to the credit, actual value-it's not like he's making a profit on the whole deal and setting himself up in style for the rest of his life."
Boba Fett gave a dismissive shrug." What does it matter why he did it? Maybe he got tired of being under Palpatine's thumb. A lot of other creatures in this galaxy feel the same way. There wouldn't be a Rebellion going on, otherwise. The only thing that matters is that he did it-and that the Emperor will pay to get him back."
" Yeah, but you gotta get inside this trooper's head if you're going to have any chance of tracking him down." Bossk put the full force of his intellectual powers on the problem. He could feel his scale-covered brow corrugating with the effort." I mean, his motive has got to be an important factor."
" For you, maybe." Fett remained unimpressed." But not for me. The only thing that's important with hard merchandise is the price that's paid. Everything else, all the other factors-those always remain the same. The whole point is to track the merchandise down, then turn it over and collect the bounty. You start worrying about what the merchandise is thinking, then you're just handicapping yourself." The dark gaze of the other bounty hunter, the helmet visor that was such an unmistakable part of the Mandalorian armor, fell unwavering on Bossk." That's why you're at a certain level in the bounty hunter trade. . . and I'm at a different level."
Given Bossk's hair-trigger temper, it seemed odd even to him that Boba Fett's slighting remark didn't evoke an angry reaction. Maybe, he mused, I can learn something from this hunter. Maybe Fett was right; maybe he did think too much. All that ratiocination got in the way of being an effective hunter. That's my problem, thought Bossk. I'm too much of an intellectual.
" So-do we have a deal going?" Bossk leaned back against the bulkhead behind the seat." You wouldn't be talking to me, otherwise. Right?" He felt proud of himself for having figured out that much." You and me, we're forming a team, a partnership, to go after this renegade stormtrooper. What's his name. . . Trhin Voss'on't. That's the deal?" Bossk looked hopefully toward the other bounty hunter.
Boba Fett gave a single nod." Strictly a onetime operation. Don't anticipate anything permanent. I've had enough of hooking up with other creatures. That's why it didn't break my heart when the old Bounty Hunters Guild fell apart."
That was another whole issue; Bossk figured it would only blow the working relationship if he brought it up now. Besides-even if Boba Fett had deliberately set out to break up the Guild, did it matter what his reasons might have been? No more than what Voss'on't's reasons for bailing out of the Imperial stormtroopers were. I've already learned something, thought Bossk. This minimalist attitude he'd picked up from Boba Fett simplified things enormously, cutting them down to the essentials like a vibroblade through unprotected flesh.
" Wait a minute." A suspicion had formed inside Bossk's brain." You don't like going in with other bounty hunters-you just said so." He peered closer at Boba Fett." So why team up with me now? Are you that afraid of this Voss'on't barve?"
" Not at all," said Boba Fett." Fear is an emotion that I have a certain appreciation of; I can see it in other creatures. And it's a useful thing to use against them; it muddies their reasoning processes, so they fall prey to panic and random, chaotic behavior patterns. Then you can drive them before you like herd beasts." Fett's voice had lowered in tone, as though he were reading off the tomb inscriptions of his prey. He nodded slowly, then resumed speaking." But other than that, I have no personal awareness of such a thing; it does not exist inside me."
" You didn't answer the question." Bossk wasn't going to let himself be diverted by some elaborate speech." Why are you agreeing to team up with me?"
" The answer is simple." Fett pointed a single gloved finger toward him." You're useful to me right now. This job is at a whole new level; nothing like it has ever come up before. This is hard merchandise that can do much more than just run and hide; it can protect itself. Voss'on't has all the military skills that come with his having been a member of a Strategic Insertion team. He's got the resources-the training, the experience, the weapons-to put up a good fight. He's not some scared little bookkeeper cowering in a hole on some backwater world."
" So you need me." Bossk marveled at the concept- and that the notorious B
oba Fett, the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, would admit such a thing." Huh."
" I didn't say that; I said you're useful to me." Boba Fett drew his hand back, then folded his arms across the chest of his battle armor." I could bring in this Voss'on't by myself; that's not a problem. I might even enjoy it; I don't often get such a challenge presented to me. But it would be easier with a partner. A matter of strategy: wherever Voss'on't is hiding out, he's going to be expecting bounty hunters to be coming after him. He's undoubtedly aware of the price that Palpatine has set on his head. And he'll be expecting that the bounty hunters will form partnerships and teams for this operation." Boba Fett's voice turned quiet again." He'll be expecting that from all the bounty hunters-except one. And that's me."
" So you figure this is the only way to take Voss'on't by surprise?"
" No-" Boba Fett shook his head." There would be other ways. But none that will get him to lower his guard in the same way. He's got to be made to think that he's the one that is running the game, that he's calling the shots. That's his weak point: he's used to being in command. And authority in the Imperial stormtroopers is both an absolute and an addictive matter; the other stormtroopers that Voss'on't gave orders to were expected to give their lives, if necessary. That kind of loyalty from underlings has a corrosive effect on a sentient creature's thinking. It makes him believe-deep down-that the whole universe is his to command. When wise creatures say that absolute power corrupts, they mean more than just a moral issue. It interferes with your intelligence as well."
" Hold on." Bossk frowned, trying to incorporate the other's words into the workings inside his own skull." I thought you said you didn't believe in trying to figure out what went on in the heads of the merchandise you went after."
" I don't," replied Boba Fett." This isn't psychology; this is just hunting. That's all. I don't care why the merchandise does what it does; I just take note of its behavior, how it reacts and moves. I've spent a lot more time at the Imperial court, and at places like Jabba the Hurt's palace, than you have; my skills are appreciated and paid for there." The voice coming from the helmeted figure held a dark, ominous certainty in its tone." I've seen the same thing in the admirals of the Imperial Navy, and in Jabba the Hutt and Emperor Palpatine. What starts out as a tool, a weapon in their hands, winds up as a cancer in their minds. And then. . ." Fett slowly nodded." Then it takes them over. And they become easy prey."
Bossk drew back on the bench, keeping a wary eye on the other bounty hunter. Fear might have been an unknown emotion to Boba Fett, but his words had managed to evoke a disturbing unease inside Bossk.
" Maybe you're right," said Bossk." But I don't think anybody's going to be knocking over Emperor Palpatine anytime soon."
" Is that so?" Boba Fett's voice had returned to its normal inexpressive tone." It's not something I'd make any wagers about, one way or another. The Rebel Alliance has too many hopeless optimists in it to be much of a threat to Palpatine."
" Anyway-maybe that's why Voss'on't went renegade. So the same thing wouldn't happen to him."
" If that's the case," said Boba Fett," then he's smarter-and more dangerous-than I've given him credit for."
" So what's your plan?" All that weird talk had made Bossk nervous; for a moment it had felt as if the bare durasteel bulkheads of Boba Fett's Slave I had been closing in on him." I mean, other than forming a team when he's not expecting you to do that."
" Simple-as all the best plans are. We don't form a team."
" I don't get it." Now Bossk was genuinely confused." What've we been talking about, then?"
" What we're talking about," said Boba Fett," is what we want Voss'on't to think we're doing. Oh, we'll form a team, all right-we're going in together on this job, all right-but the first thing we'll have you do is betray me. When we make contact with Voss'on't, when we find out just where he's hiding, then you'll stab me in the back."
" You're joking." Bossk peered intently at the other bounty hunter." Aren't you?"
" I don't mean literally stab me in the back. I mean you'll communicate with Voss'on't on the sly. And you'll offer to go over to his side, to work for him. It's an old trick among criminal types: the best way to get past your target's defenses is to make him think you're betraying someone else."
Bossk shook his head." I can see some problems with this scheme right from the start." He had expected better; was this the limit of Fett's strategic thinking?" First, how am I going to convince him that I'd even want to work on his side? The last bunch that went along with him all wound up dead. Unless I'm feeling suicidal, I'd have to be an idiot to go in with somebody with a track record like that."
" I'm not saying that you'll tell Voss'on't that you trust him. Of course you don't trust him; why should you?" Boba Fett's voice remained level and patient-to the degree that was possible." He'll know that you'll be watching your back the whole time you're dealing with him. Just as he'll know that you should be able to take care of yourself; you're an experienced bounty hunter and you've been in dangerous situations before. Whereas the crew that helped Voss'on't steal the Imperial destroyer obviously did trust him; that's why he was able to get the drop on them, and they paid the price with their lives. So you and Voss'on't will know where you stand with each other; you'll be able to make deals like actual business creatures."
" Then that's the other problem," said Bossk." I can see what he'd want from me-mainly, that I'd set you up somehow so you wind up dead and he doesn't wind up as hard merchandise in one of your holding cages." Bossk pointed with his thumb-claw toward the metal-barred structures on the other side of the hold." Voss'on't doesn't want to wind up on his way back to the Emperor. But what's in it for me? What does Voss'on't have that makes it worthwhile for me to deal with him? Like you said, he's probably already spent most of the credits he got from the scavenger operations that he pieced out the Destroyer to."
" Voss'on't has got plenty left to deal with. Maybe not credits on hand, but in his own kind of merchandise. Do you really think that Emperor Palpatine wants him back-and has posted that kind of bounty for him-just out of wounded pride, or something like that? The Emperor doesn't have that kind of emotional involvement in his stormtroopers; they're just tools for him, and if one goes bad, it's no big deal. There's plenty more to fill in the gaps in their ranks. If Palpatine wants Voss'on't caught and brought back to Coruscant so badly, there's a good reason for it. Voss'on't stole more than an Imperial Star Destroyer. He stole the code databases for all of the Imperial stormtroopers' Strategic Insertion teams; that's what the Emperor wants to get back into his possession."
" Codes?" Bossk gazed back at Boba Fett in disbelief-and disappointment." That's the big deal? What's so important about operational codes? That's the sort of thing that can be changed almost instantaneously if they fall into the other side's hands. Security breaches happen all the time in the Empire." Bossk shook his head." For that level of code, all the Empire has to do is send out a cancel-and-nullify signal to its military units, then send out a secured-and-encrypted relay with the replacement codes. It may be a complicated procedure, but it's cheaper than the bounty Palpatine has set up for Voss'on't's return."
" That's the procedure, all right." Boba Fett leaned forward slightly." For all of the Empire's military units-except the Strategic Insertion teams. Those units, like the one Voss'on't was part of, are not in constant communication with the Empire's communications centers. The Strategic Insertion teams are in deep cover; that's what they were designed for. When they're on a mission, especially in some remote sector of the galaxy, they can go for a long time without being in touch with any part of the chain of command above them. They're virtually independent operatives; that's why they're so few of them in the Empire. So they can't receive a cancel-and-nullify signal from their superiors, at least not in time to do any good. They have to stay with the original codes that they were sent out with-and those were the ones that Trhin Voss'on't took with him. And that's what the
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Empire needs to get back, enough for Palpatine to have set up that kind of bounty."
" I got it now." The situation had started to become clearer for Bossk." Scrapping the destroyer was just to get the credits that Voss'on't needed to go into hiding; the real credits are in the code databases."
" Exactly," said Boba Fett." Voss'on't will try to cash in on those codes. He can either sell them back to the Empire, or he can see if the Rebel Alliance will pay him what he wants for them. He's under some pretty severe time pressure; the longer he goes without making a deal for the code databases, the less valuable they are. As the different Strategic Insertion teams finish their operations and return to their originating bases, then they can be fitted out with new operational codes. But in the meantime, Voss'on't has got some pretty valuable merchandise in his possession. If he can avoid getting picked off, and he can make the deal he's shooting for, he'll be set. With those kinds of credits, he can buy a lot of protection. But he still has to make the deal. He has to survive long enough to do that."
Bossk nodded, a little more excitedly." And that's where we come in."
" Exactly. I'm his main concern. I'm the only bounty hunter that Voss'on't is really worried about-"
" Wait a minute," protested Bossk indignantly." What about me?"
" Come on. Let's face reality." Boba Fett held up a gloved hand, as though trying to placate his partner." I've got the reputation, and I've got the skills to back it up. You don't."
Sullenly, Bossk grumbled a few Trandoshan words under his breath.
" You've got enough of a reputation," continued Fett," that it's just about plausible that I'd be willing to team up with you. We'll be able to convince Voss'on't about that. And once we've got him believing the setup, then we're on our way. If you're supposedly teamed up with me, then you're in the position to double-cross me. All these Imperial military types have a low opinion of bounty hunters; Voss'on't will fall for this story in a fraction of a Standard Time Part. For a cut of his eventual profits from selling the code databases, you can make sure that I won't be able to interfere with his plans. Or at least that's what you'll tell him. And that's what he'll believe."