by K. W. Jeter
The latter was the only thing that mattered to Kuat; he cared nothing for his own life. Machines break and rust, he mused, and beings die. Only those greater entities that built machines and that beings served and died for had a chance of surviving in this universe. The thought that his own hands and mind would be the instruments that brought about the destruction of his beloved Kuat Drive Yards-that set a raging spirit loose inside him. Kuat of Kuat had already vowed that, one way or another, he would make sure that Emperor Palpatine never held this corporation in his foul clutches.
"You have a most excellent understanding of my situation," said Kuat aloud." I congratulate you,
Kodir of Kuhlvult. Your information sources-and your clever brain-have served you well." Carefully, so that his movements would not be discerned, Kuat reached one hand down into a small storage pocket at the side of the personal transport's passenger seat." You do indeed have much to bargain with, to insure my assistance in tracking down this sister of yours who has strayed so mysteriously from her home-world." The puzzle of how a daughter of one of the planet Kuat's ruling households could have wound up a dancing girl in Jabba the Hutt's palace was one that intrigued him. Kuat imagined he might look into it someday. But he had other business to take care of right now; his hand closed around a grip of cold metal." But as you say, I need to eliminate any evidence that would damn me in the eyes of Emperor Palpatine; even evidence that I was responsible for creating." He pulled the blaster pistol from the seat's storage pocket, brought it up, and aimed it straight between the eyes of the female sitting next to him." Consider yourself honored that you'll be the first evidence that I'll have taken care of. Really-you know too much for me to let you go on living."
She moved faster than Kuat could ever have expected. Faster, and smarter. Kodir didn't try to make a grab for the weapon, or duck out of the way of its lethal beam; caught in the confines of her passenger seat, she would have had no chance of accomplishing either before a laser bolt had scorched its path through her skull. Instead, she slammed the butt of one hand against the thin structural panel just ahead of the seats that divided the passenger area from the transport's cockpit. That motion was just enough to instinctively draw Kuat's sight for a microsecond, and away from her. Before he could snap his gaze back to
Kodir, her other hand had grabbed the front of the torn, bloodstained formal robes that he was still wearing. She didn't try to thrust him away or knock the blaster out of his hand; she pulled Kuat toward herself. The press of their bodies together forced his pinioned arm upward; the hand holding the blaster jerked toward the ceiling of the passenger area. He managed to get off one shot before her other forearm clubbed him across the neck and the side of his jaw. The blow was strong enough to lift him partway out of the seat; dazed, Kuat barely managed to keep himself from toppling into the passenger area's narrow aisle.
The personal transport's alarm sirens wailed as Kuat shook his eyesight back into focus. When his vision cleared, he saw Kodir holding the blaster pistol and a charred, ragged-edged hole drilled through the ceiling panel.
"What's going on?" The pilot's urgent voice came over the transport's internal communications system." Technician, are you all right? Answer and confirm-"
"I'm fine," Kuat responded. He pulled himself back the rest of the way into his passenger seat and flopped down into its padding." We just had a little accident. Nothing to worry about." The bolt from the blaster, though lethal, hadn't been powerful enough to pierce the transport's hull. With one hand, Kuat tentatively rubbed his bruised jaw." Carry on."
"We're just approaching the docking area. We'll be down and secured in a minute." The pilot's voice clicked off.
From where she sat, Kodir didn't bother holding the blaster on Kuat. The weapon sat loosely in her palm as she regarded him.
"I think," said Kodir," we understand each other better now."
"Yes. . ." Kuat slowly nodded. The whole side of his jaw ached." We certainly do. . ."
The personal transport docked. Summoned by Kuat, a pair of administrators from the corporation's security division accompanied their new head of operations to her offices. Kodir's duties were to begin immediately.
Even before he had returned to his private quarters and was alone again, his thoughts had returned to the same track as before. In the diminished light of the stars beyond Kuat Drive Yards, Kuat of Kuat returned the heavy formal robes to their stand and thought of the bounty hunter Boba Fett.
The key, mused Kuat of Kuat. He is still the key. . .
To the present and the future-if there was going to be one-of Kuat Drive Yards. And to that past that now seemed more mysterious than it had before.
Kuat sat down in the chair by his lab bench. The felinx jumped into his lap, and he stroked its silken fur, his musings distant in both space and time.
In darkness, he thought about the bounty hunter and the past.
15
THEN
"So how do you think the job went?"
The Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk stood at the rear of Slave I's cockpit, watching its owner and pilot make adjustments to its course and waiting for an answer. The cockpit's space was so cramped that the upper curve of its bulkheads pressed against Bossk's scale-covered shoulders.
Boba Fett's visored gaze turned round from the ship's controls." I see no need," he said evenly," for any kind of postmortem analysis on this operation. And 'postmortem' is an inaccurate figure of speech. We got the hard merchandise we came for, and" - even hidden by the helmet of the Mandalorian battle armor, Fett's glance seemed to sharpen-" nobody died in the process."
That's a judgment call, thought Bossk grumpily. If neither he nor Boba Fett had been killed while capturing the renegade Imperial stormtrooper Trhin Voss'on't, they had come as close to it as possible without actually winding up as blank-eyed corpses on that crummy mining planet they had just left. After Voss'on't's unconscious body had been dumped in one of the hold
ing cages aboard Slave I's main cargo area, Bossk had gone straight to the ship's medical supplies locker and had started patching himself up. Right now, as he stood there in the cockpit, his breath was a little short, due to the transparent compression bandage he had wrapped around his torso, immobilizing the ribs he had cracked when he had fallen from the crust-piercer machinery. That whole sudden eruption of chaos from beneath the abandoned mining colony's dismal watering hole was going down in Bossk's memory as one of the least pleasant episodes in his bounty hunter career.
While he had been tending to his wounds, Boba Fett had ignored the visibly worse condition he himself had been in-the crust-piercer's immense mass had, after all, landed directly on top of him-and had readied Slave I for takeoff. Bossk had grudgingly admitted to himself that that had been the smart thing to do; there had been no telling what other defensive measures Voss'on't might have had wired into place, any of which could already have been triggered by his capture. Better to get the ship and its merchandise out past the planet's orbit, just to be safe.
Once that had been taken care of, Boba Fett had taken the time to sort himself out, replacing the torn and broken pieces of his armor and operating gear from the stock of spares he kept aboard Slave I. Even his helmet-its dark visor had been cracked by the weight of the crust-piercer, but Fett had restored the optical component, along with the side-mounted comm antenna that had been broken off in the struggle. As Bossk looked at him, the other bounty hunter appeared just as experience-scarred as before, with the colors of the ancient Mandalorian warriors scraped and faded on the dented metal of the helmet-but he didn't look any worse than before.
Bossk wished he could say the same for himself. As far as he was concerned, the only creatures aboard Slave I in worse shape were the battered ex-stormtrooper in the holding cage below, and the dead bounty hunter Zuckuss stretched out in one of the ship's storage lockers. Even if it had been necessary, the unemotional manner in which Boba Fett had put Zuckuss permanently out of the way still struck Bossk as cold. Though
that's what you get, he supposed, when you hook up with someone like Fett. It was a lesson he had already taken to heart.
"So that's it?" Bossk watched as Boba Fett turned back toward the cockpit controls." Nothing else?"
"There's no more to be discussed." Boba Fett's shoulders lifted in a slight shrug." All that's left is payday." He leaned forward, the forefinger of one gloved hand punching some new numbers into the navicomputer." If it's important to you, then you could say our partnership-our temporary partnership-has been a success."
"I'm glad you think so." Bossk drew something from his belt and set its point, with a sharp metallic click, against the back of Boba Fett's helmet." Because I'm ending that partnership right now."
Boba Fett turned his head and found himself gazing into the muzzle of Bossk's blaster pistol. The thought of whatever surprised expression might be on his face, behind the helmet's visor, amused Bossk.
"What's this supposed to mean?" Fett's voice betrayed no sign of emotion.
"I'd give you three guesses, if I thought you needed them." Bossk kept the weapon aimed straight into the top-center of the helmet's visor." But you don't. You might have been fool enough to trust me and take me on as a partner, but I'm sure you can figure out what's happening now." One side of Bossk's muzzle curled into a snarling smile." As I said, this partnership's over." He stepped back into the doorway of the cockpit and gestured with the blaster pistol." Stand up."
"Very well." Boba Fett swiveled the pilot's chair around." But as an ex-partner, let me give you a bit of advice. This is not a good idea."
"Shut up. Turn around and face the viewport." Bossk had kept a careful eye on the other bounty hunter as he had stood up." Don't try anything. This blaster's got a hair trigger-and so do I." With his free hand, he reached out and grabbed the various larger weapons from where they were slung at Boba Fett's back. He tossed them into the far corner of the cockpit, safely out of reach. Bracing the muzzle of the blaster between the other's shoulder blades, Bossk snapped the control lines for Fett's wrist-and forearm-mounted weapons. All the time he had been aboard Slave I, he had been carefully observing Fett for indications of any hidden gadgets. Now, as he stepped back again from him, Bossk was sure that he was completely disarmed." All right," said Bossk. He drew back into the space outside the cockpit's hatchway, still aiming the blaster at Boba Fett." Time to head below."
Fett was halfway down the ladder's metal treads when he stopped and looked up at Bossk holding the blaster on him." Of course you realize," said Boba Fett mildly," that you're taking some pretty big chances here. This is my ship; it's as much a part of me as any of those weapons you just took from me. Do you really think that I don't have other means of defense close at hand?"
"Not now, you don't." Crouching at the side of the ladder portal, Bossk reached with his free hand into one of his belt pouches. He brought out a fistful of miniaturized power sources, trigger mechanisms, and sensor relays. They glittered brightly and ominously in his grasp." I've kept myself busy while I've been here on Slave I. I've had a good look around, and I came prepared to make a few little changes of my own. Let me tell ya, pal-you don't have any tricks left up your sleeve." Bossk motioned with the barrel of the blaster." Keep going."
When Boba Fett reached the bottom of the ladder and stepped away from it, Bossk didn't bother climbing down after him. He jumped, landing bent-kneed and immediately snapping the blaster's aim at the center of Fett's visored helmet." You see?" He straightened up, smiling." You're not the only person capable of a few surprises."
"Apparently not." Boba Fett folded his arms across his chest." I congratulate you. You must have been planning this for some time."
"You got that right. I was planning it even before I came and had my little talk with you, when you agreed to go in with me on this job." Bossk pointed with a thumb-claw toward the ex-stormtrooper Voss'on't, still lying unconscious on the floor of the holding cage behind Fett." As nice as getting half the bounty for this particular piece of merchandise might've been, there won't be anything nicer than getting all the credits."
"Which is what you wanted from the beginning." Boba Fett slowly shook his head." Not much of a partnership."
"Yeah, right." Bossk sneered at him." It's breaking my heart just to think of betraying your trust and all. But you want to know a couple of things? One, I don't give a womp-rat's hindquarters what you think about it. And two-turnabout's fair play. You trusted me as your partner, the same way the old Bounty Hunters Guild trusted you when you came around
and applied for membership. When all along you were planning on sinking a vibroblade in our collective back."
"Who told you that?"
"Nobody had to tell me, Fett; I could figure it out on my own." Bossk tightened his grip on the blaster pistol." All I needed was some confirmation of my suspicions. And I got that through some contacts inside Black Sun. To make a few credits, they were happy to give me some interesting tidbits about what their boss Prince Xizor was hoping to do to the Guild."
Boba Fett's helmet turned to one side, as if the eyes behind the dark visor were peering harder at Bossk." What's Xizor got to do with all this?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Fett. I don't have time for it." Bossk raised the blaster, bringing it level with the other bounty hunter's helmet." And as a matter of fact-neither do you. You don't have any time left at all."
"What are you planning on doing?"
"The same thing I've wanted to do for a long time. Since the day we first crossed paths, I knew that this moment would come, Fett. And that one of us would be alive afterward, and one of us wouldn't. Guess which one you get to be."
Boba Fett radiated the same eerie calm as before." That's a great deal of talk for someone intent on murder."
"I didn't," said Bossk," want to miss my chance to say exactly what I thought of you. But you're right. So I've just run out of words. And now the fun starts." Bossk kept the blaster aimed at the other bounty hunter, and used his free hand to gesture toward the cargo area's exterior airlock." I don't want to hear any more words from you, either. So you're going out
where things don't make any sound. We're surrounded by vacuum now, Fett. Take a deep breath, because it'll be your last." Bossk's fang-lined smile grew wider." I'm going to enjoy turning this ship around to take a look at what's left of you, after your blood's boiled away and your body's exploded from depressurization. I've heard that the process takes just long enough for you to feel it; maybe a second or two. I bet they won't go by fast, either." This time, he motioned with the weapon." Get moving. You know the way out."
"Your thoroughness is commendable." Boba Fett took a step toward the hatchway." I've been cornered inside my own ship before-some of the hard merchandise I've carried has been very resourceful-but I've never had Slave I's internal defense systems disabled before. That's a new one." He stopped and brought his visored helmet's level gaze straight toward Bossk." It's just a shame that you didn't think of everything."
"Yeah? Like what?"
"All it takes is to overlook one small detail." Boba Fett reached up and tapped the side of his helmet." You left my comm system functioning."
Careful, Bossk warned himself. The scum's playing mind games with you." Big deal," he said aloud." Who're you going to call for help? We're alone here, and there's no other ship in this sector of the galaxy. Believe me-I checked that out as well." He pointed over his shoulder with a thumb-claw." And a knocked-out stormtrooper locked in a cage isn't going to come to your rescue anytime soon. So go on. Have enough guts to get into the airlock on your own power. You don't have any other option."
Boba Fett made no reply. Bossk thought he heard a muffled whisper, as though Fett had spoken into the comm mike concealed inside his helmet. A few seconds passed, then Bossk knew for sure that he had heard something. One of the storage lockers behind him had opened, its metal door unsealing and lifting upward.
"Nice try." Bossk didn't bother to turn around and look." If you think a simplem
inded trick like that is going to get me to take my eyes and this blaster off you, then I'm really disappointed. I expected better from you than just trying to divert my attention with a little comm-triggered noise."
"Okay. Is this better?"
He was surprised to hear another voice speaking, and from right behind himself. Bossk was even more surprised when he felt the unmistakable cold pressure of a blaster pistol's muzzle placed against the back of his head.
That was when Bossk recognized the other voice." Zuckuss!"
The blaster muzzle didn't move from the base of his skull." That's right," said Zuckuss, still behind him." Now why don't you lower your weapon. I really don't like you pointing it at my partner."
"I'll take it." Boba Fett stepped forward and removed the blaster from Bossk's slackened grip. He gestured with it toward the holding cage." Stand over there."
Bossk muttered a string of guttural Trandoshan curses as he backed toward the vertical durasteel bars." Talk about dirty tricks-" His eyes narrowed into slits as he gazed at Zuckuss." You weren't dead at all."
"I try to avoid it, when I can." The blaster in Zuckuss's hand was reflected in his large, insectlike
eyes." Though for one of my species, it's pretty easy to imitate." He pulled two miniature cylinders of compressed ammonia from the dangling tubes of his breathing apparatus." When you come from a planet like Gand, where we've got both ammonia-breathers and oxygen-breathers, you have to be adaptable. In an oxygen-rich environment, I can shut down all respiration and external vital signs-usually just for a couple of minutes. But with a couple of these" -Zuckuss held up the air units-" I can go for days like that. It's actually kind of relaxing."