by K. W. Jeter
"And useful," said Boba Fett." I've discovered that when dealing with Trandoshans, it's good to have another partner on hand."
"You slimy-" Words failed Bossk as his clawed hands squeezed into impotent fists. He didn't know which of the two figures in front of him he despised more." How could you do this?" He snarled at Zuckuss." We've worked together; we've been real partners-"
"Business is business." Zuckuss gave a slight shrug." And Boba Fett here made me an offer I just couldn't refuse. We're talking forty percent of the bounty for the hard merchandise in the cage."
"Forty! I would've given you a straight half!"
"Yeah, but. . ." Zuckuss regretfully shook his head." You're not exactly in a bargaining position right now."
Bossk fell silent, except for the grinding of his fangs and the pulse of blood hammering inside his head. The treachery of sentient creatures was infuriating.
"And you-" Bossk turned his red-tinged gaze toward Boba Fett." This is what you were planning all along. Isn't it?"
"Just as you were making your own plans." Boba Fett tucked into his belt the blaster pistol he had taken
from Bossk. He reached his empty hand over toward Zuckuss standing beside him." Give me your blaster."
"Huh?" Zuckuss's large eyes goggled at him in puzzlement." Why?"
"Just give it to me."
Zuckuss handed the weapon over.
"Thanks." Boba Fett did a quick check of the blaster's power cell, then raised and pointed it at Zuckuss." Now stand over there with him."
"What-what're you doing-"
Boba Fett motioned with the blaster's barrel." You can go over there with Bossk, or I can kill you right where you're standing. Your pick."
"I thought. . ." Zuckuss shook his head in dismay as he joined Bossk at the side of Slave I's cargo area." I thought we were partners. . ."
"You idiot." The disgust that rose inside Bossk was enough that he struck Zuckuss's head with the flat of his palm." You don't ever hand over a weapon to somebody like that."
"How was I supposed to know?" Zuckuss rubbed the side of his head." I trusted him. . ."
"That was your first mistake." Boba Fett kept both of them covered with the blaster pistol in his gloved hand. He turned his gaze toward Bossk." Your mistake was in thinking that I would trust you. I could figure out from the beginning that you were planning on eliminating me as soon as we had the hard merchandise safely in our possession."
"All right." Bossk nodded as he spread his hands apart." That's a fair assessment. You can't blame me for trying. And I did help you catch Voss'on't. So how about if we just forget this part of my plan, and we go ahead and turn him in to Kud'ar Mub'at and split the bounty fifty-fifty, just like we were originally going to do?"
"Hey!" Zuckuss's voice squeaked in protest." What about me? What do I get?"
"Neither one of you is getting anything," said Boba Fett," except a blaster bolt between the eyes. My patience is not unlimited."
"I think Zuckuss has got a point." Having a blaster pointed at him had sent Bossk's thoughts racing." Fair's fair, after all." Bossk stepped behind Zuckuss and placed both his clawed hands on the smaller bounty hunter's shoulders." After all, we weren't trying to do anything different from you. You know-just playing to win."
"You're right." The blaster didn't waver in Boba Fett's grip." You played to win, and I played to win. The difference is. . . I won."
Bossk didn't say anything more. Instead, in one quick move, he lifted Zuckuss bodily from the floor of the cargo area and threw him at Boba Fett. Even before Zuckuss's flailing, panicked form struck Fett, Bossk was heading in a crouched-over sprint for the other side of the ship. A blaster bolt scorched past his shoulder as he dove for his one chance of escape.
He had spotted the auxiliary escape pod's rounded hatch when he had previously checked out Slave I's fixtures. The escape pod must have been original equipment installed by the Kuat Drive Yards when the company had built the ship for Boba Fett-it was hard to believe that Boba Fett would have had much use for the device. Bossk wasn't even sure that the pod was in operational order; its external fascia seal had been unbolted and discarded, as though Boba Fett had already decided to strip out the pod and the connected launching mechanism. But it was still worth a try. Hot sparks lashed across his spine as another bolt hit the bulkhead above him; the escape pod's hatch popped open and he threw himself headfirst into its dark, cramped space.
"You're not going anywhere, Bossk-"
From inside the emergency pod, Bossk peered around the edge of its open hatch. He saw Zuckuss lying flat on the cargo area's floor, covering his head with both forearms. The helmeted figure of Boba Fett stood over him, blaster aimed toward the pod.
"I've already signaled the cockpit and overridden that pod's launch sequence." The blaster in Fett's hand was level with the exact center of the pod's hatch." That's a dead end for you. Literally."
"Maybe so-" Bossk called back out to Boba Fett. Drawing his head back, Bossk quickly searched through the pouches of his belt. He had no weapons, but there was something that could still be of use to him. He found the small object, one of the pieces of equipment that he had extracted from Slave I's circuits when he had disabled Fett's onboard defense systems. When he pushed a button on top of the small cylinder, a row of tiny red lights began flashing down its side. Keeping his thumb on the button, he held it out so that Boba Fett would be able to see it through the open hatch." Let's talk."
Outside the pod, in the center of the ship's cargo area, Zuckuss raised his head." Bossk-" He had spotted the device as well." What're you doing? You'll get us all killed!"
"That's the idea," said Bossk grimly." I'm not going unless I can take everybody else with me." He held the flashing cylinder a little higher." Fett-you know what this is, don't you? You should; it was part of your equipment here."
"Miniature thermal detonator," replied Boba Fett." It's no big deal; I've seen creatures try to cut a deal for themselves using full-sized ones. When they're that small, they're only useful for jettisoning sections of a ship's fuselage that might have gotten damaged in an exchange of laser-cannon fire; that's the only reason there were any aboard Slave I." Fett shook his head." You can blow yourself up with that thing, but it's not powerful enough to take out this entire ship."
"It doesn't have to." Bossk stayed prudently back from the edge of the escape pod's open hatch." All it has to do is blow out a big enough gap in the side of the hull, and you're going to have a hard time making it back to Kud'ar Mub'at's web without laying over for some lengthy repairs. And you and I both know that the word has already gotten out about our having captured Trhin Voss'on't. Do you really want to be sitting out in the middle of empty space in a crippled ship, while every bounty hunter in the galaxy heads this way to try and lift that valuable piece of hard merchandise off you?"
Boba Fett was silent for a few seconds, then he gave a single nod." All right," he said." I'll make a deal with you. I'll activate the pod's launch sequence, and you can go. But when we cross paths again-then you'd better be ready."
"Don't worry. I will be."
"Engage the safety on the detonator and toss it out here."
"You gotta be kidding." Bossk barked out a short laugh." I'll deactivate this thing when I'm safely on my way. And not a second earlier than that."
"As you wish." Boba Fett reached down with his free hand and grabbed Zuckuss under the arm." Come on-you're going traveling, too."
"What-what're you-" Zuckuss sputtered in confusion as Boba Fett dragged him toward the emergency escape pod." But-but you owe me. . ."
"And I'm paying off the debt." Holding the blaster by the side of his helmet, Boba Fett kicked Zuckuss inside the pod with a single boot thrust." I'm letting you live."
The pod's interior was barely big enough for both bounty hunters; Bossk's spine was crammed back against its curved wall, with one of Zuckuss's arms thrust across his face. He shoved Zuckuss aside as the hatch began to seal shut. He had
one last glimpse of Boba Fett's cold, visored gaze-then he threw the detonator outside just as the hatch clicked shut.
Launch had already commenced, as though the pod were an archaic metal bullet being fired from some primitive tribe's gunpowder musket. The violent shock wave of the detonator's explosion, back aboard Slave I, tumbled Bossk and Zuckuss inside the pod as it shot away from the ship.
"What did you do that for?" The pod's velocity had taken it past the concussive effects of the explosion. Bleeding from a scrape on his brow, Zuckuss hunched himself over to one side of the cramped space." If that thing had gone off a half second sooner, we wouldn't have gotten away!"
"We wouldn't have gotten away, either, if Boba Fett had been able to turn his ship around and blow us to bits with one of his laser cannons." Bossk leaned forward, wrapping his heavily muscled arms around his knees." I wanted to make sure that he was good and distracted, until we were safely out of firing range."
"Oh. Good thinking." Zuckuss shifted about, trying to make room for himself inside the escape pod." For a change," he said disgustedly," I think I'm going to scout around for a more dependable partner." His large insectoid eyes looked up, as though seeking some indication of the pod's flight through the vacuum of space." Where do you think this thing is going to wind up?"
"Who knows?" Choice of destination, Bossk was well aware, was not a feature of such devices; they were programmed to seek out and head for the nearest habitable planet." We'll find out when we get there."
The only thing he did know-a perfect certainty in the brooding silence that filled his heart and every other space inside him-was that one way or another, sooner or later, he would find his way back to Boba Fett.
And then, vowed Bossk, that scum is going to pay. . ."
Big time.
The damage wasn't extensive, and was easily contained. There had been a momentary drop in atmospheric pressure aboard Slave I as air had rushed out from the hole created by Bossk's parting gesture with the miniature thermal detonator. But the ship's own homeostatic defense systems had been activated by their sensors registering the explosion; the hull's structure and surface area near the escape pod's launch bay had sealed themselves off like a rapidly mending wound in a living creature's soft tissue.
Even before the ship's internal pressure had been stabilized, Boba Fett had also been at work, minimizing the explosion's effects. The helmet of his Mandalorian battle armor contained its own emergency air supply-only a few minutes worth, but enough for him to have reached another onboard source if necessary. He had been more concerned with the welfare of the hard merchandise inside the cargo area's holding cage; the ex-stormtrooper Trhin Voss'on't was only valuable if he stayed alive. Fett had grabbed an oxygen canister from one of the storage lockers, then reached into the cage and fastened its tethered mask over Voss'on't's gasping face. Voss'on't's eyelids had fluttered for a moment, as though the anoxic shock had been enough to rouse him into consciousness; a quick blow to the side of his head had put him safely under again.
Taking care of the merchandise had prevented Boba Fett from retaliating at the departed Bossk. By the time the damage to Slave I had been contained and all systems stabilized, Boba Fett had gone up to the ship's cockpit and had found no trace of the escape pod on any of the scanners. Just as well, thought Fett. Mere vengeance was rarely a priority with him, and certainly not worth any time pursuing now. If he ran across Bossk again, he could take care of the Trandoshan at that time.
Right now, though, he had business to wrap up. The sooner he had dropped off the hard merchandise he was carrying, and collected the bounty for it, the more at ease he would feel. Bossk had been right about one thing: the longer he stayed out here, the more attention he would attract from other bounty hunters. He could undoubtedly fight them all off, but why go to the effort if it wasn't necessary? Leaning over the cockpit's controls, reading out the damage-assessment gauges, Boba Fett started figuring out what kind of navigable condition Slave I was in.
Less than a Standard Time Part later, he had his answer. It'll make the trip, Boba Fett decided, but it'll be in bad shape when it gets there. He had returned to the cockpit after a thorough check of the damaged hull sections, scoping them with a structural diagnostics kit from the cargo area. The ship's main computer had crunched the numbers he had factored in, and the results were not good. Slave I was in no imminent danger of disintegration, and could even travel for an indeterminate distance-as long as he kept it at sub-light speeds. But the explosion had severely weakened the ship's tight-angle thruster ports and maneuvering capabilities; the stresses of a jump into hyperspace would rip some of the control surfaces completely loose from the hull. Slave I could make it to Kud'ar Mub'at's web, but the ship would be a limping cripple when it arrived.
He had no choice. Staying here in this sector, while making repairs, would make him a sitting target for everyone with an eye out for the hard merchandise he was carrying. The safety that would come with unloading his precious living cargo lay at the other side of the galaxy.
Safety. . . and an extremely large pile of credits.
No choice at all.
Carefully and precisely, he started punching the coordinates into the navicomputer, getting ready for the jump into hyperspace.
"The away scout just reported, sir." With a slight bow of the head, the Black Sun comm specialist reported the information." His message states that Boba Fett's ship has left the sector in which it was last seen."
"Very well." Prince Xizor turned away from the main viewport of his quarters aboard the Virago. At the moment, nothing but stars and emptiness showed beyond." Alert all personnel. It shouldn't be long before he arrives here."
"As you direct, sir."
"Be sure everyone understands." Xizor's gaze stayed for a moment on the underling before he resumed his contemplation of the galaxy's bright pieces." We must be ready to welcome him. In the manner" Xizor smiled to himself-" that he deserves. . ."
The comm specialist gave a quick nod of acknowledgment, then hurried away.
Prince Xizor folded his arms across his chest, letting his eyelids draw half-shut with the pleasure of his meditations.
A quick death, he thought, but a sure one. What could be more appropriate than that, for one such as Boba Fett?
16
NOW
"Did you find out everything?" Boba Fett glanced over his shoulder at the female standing in the cockpit's hatchway." Everything you wanted to know?"
Neelah shook her head." I decided to give Dengar a break," she said." We left it right at a good part." She smiled maliciously." You were about to get killed."
"Which time?"
"Does it matter?" The look on Neelah's face was almost one of admiration." Telling your history seems to be a long process."
"I've been around a bit." There was little present need for him to mind the Hound's Tooth's controls. The ship's course had already been set." If other creatures think that's so remarkable, it's not my fault. I'm just going about my business."
"Murderous business, from the sound of it."
Fett shrugged." It's a living."
"For you."
"That's all that matters."
Neelah gave him a disgusted look." I'm beginning
to wonder if hanging out with you is such a good idea."
"It all depends," said Fett calmly." You might be safer with me than anywhere else right now."
"What do you mean?"
"There's a lot going on in this galaxy." Boba Fett pointed toward the viewport." I've been going through the data traffic from the major comm bands. There's a major confrontation shaping up between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, somewhere near En-dor. There's a lot of Imperial resources going into that sector. From the sound of it, could be something big. And decisive."
"So?" Neelah didn't seem impressed." What's that got to do with us? The way I heard it from Dengar just now, you've always managed to survive no matter who was in charge."
"That
's possible," said Boba Fett," when there's more than one power dominating the galaxy. Much can be accomplished right under the nose of even a despot such as Emperor Palpatine when his attention is focused on enemies strong enough to challenge him. The Rebel Alliance has given him a great deal of trouble so far-but the Rebels' luck may be finally running out. Palpatine has had enough chances to figure out their weaknesses, and now he means to crush them once and for all."
"And you think that's what will happen?"
"I wouldn't bet against it." Boba Fett swiveled the pilot's chair back toward the cockpit controls." And it will be a lot colder, harder, and more murderous galaxy when it happens. Whatever you might think about me, I am at least an independent operator. Profit is all that motivates me. With Emperor Palpatine, it's something different."
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Neelah slowly nod, deep in her own thoughts. Fett knew she was assessing her own chances in a galaxy such as he had just described. She wasn't enough of a fool to think very much of them. But he also knew that that wasn't going to stop her.
Just as it wasn't going to stop him.
Without looking around, Boba Fett knew that he was alone once more. Neelah had returned to the ship's cargo area. He leaned back in the pilot's chair, hands laid flat on its arms. Soon enough, the Hound would arrive at its destination. In the meantime, there was just waiting and readiness; that was all. That, and the certainty of death-his own or another creature's.
As there had been before, when his own ship Slave I had brought him to the trap where he had been meant to die.
Behind the visor of his helmet, he closed his eyes, letting himself fall into the truer darkness of his past.
How many times, wondered Boba Fett, could he die-and yet not die? Someday it would all be over for him. . .