Pursuit

by Elizabeth Hand

  BAM!

  Another hit for Asajj. Boba fired off two missiles, had the

  satisfaction of seeing one rip into the side of her starfighter. A

  starburst of plasma glowed gold and white, then faded.

  "No." Boba scowled. Asajj's defense shields had absorbed the blow. And

  Wat Tambor's transport remained unscathed.

  "Time for a new tactic," Boba muttered.

  He punched a series of commands into his console. A grid popped onto a

  monitor, displaying the coordinates of an asteroid belt not far off. If he

  could lure Asajj there, he might have a better chance of losing her. Then

  he could make a swift pass back toward Wat Tambor....

  He set Slave I's thrusters to maximum. The ship veered toward the

  asteroid field.

  And right into Asajj Ventress's line of fire!

  Boba retaliated, trying to dodge Ventress's attack. But the damage

  done to Slave I's starboard wing slowed him too much. As he made one last-

  ditch attempt to fire, a flaming burst from Ventress's ion cannon blazed

  toward him. Desperately, Boba tried to avoid the blast.

  BLLAAAAMM!

  With a cry Boba yanked at the thruster. But it was no good.

  Slave 1 was finished.

  CHAPTER SIX

  With a screaming roar, Boba's ship fell into a nosedive. He hit the

  backup thrusters, momentarily righting Slave then looked up.

  He expected to see Asajj's ship looming before him - or, worse,

  another blinding blast from her ion cannons..

  What he didn't expect to see was a Jedi star-fighter.

  "Whoa!" Boba let out a gasp of disbelief. "That's Anakin Skywalker!"

  He had seen the legendary Jedi apprentice twice now, both times from a

  distance. Most recently, Boba had watched as Skywalker successfully

  destroyed a Separatist ramship on Xagobah. Skywalker's combat skill was as

  keen as his defiance - and both were attributes Boba admired.

  "He's driving off Ventress!" Boba said in disbelief.

  Skywalker's starfighter took after Asajj's ship like a winged tumnor

  attacking its prey. As Boba watched, the young Jedi fired a volley of

  precision blasts, each one finding its target - Asajj Ventress!

  The battle was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Asajj's

  starship raced away from Skywalker. Boba shook his head in admiration and

  faint disappointment.

  She hardly put up a fight at all!

  He craned his neck, following her - and saw why she'd fled so quickly.

  Wat Tambor's transport vessel was glowing, radiant white as though

  consumed by a sun's heat. Boba only had time to groan, as the transport

  seemed to billow and burst...

  And made the jump into hyperspace.

  It was all a diversion! Boba fumed, furious at himself. Asajj wanted

  to distract me so that Wat Tambor could escape

  "And she succeeded!" he said angrily. "How could I have been so

  stupid? Well, it'll never happen again...."

  He'd be sure of that! Boba might make mistakes - but he never made the

  same one twice.

  Especially not with Jabba the Hutt wanting results.

  Boba's expression grew somber at the thought of the notorious

  gangster. Wat Tambor could be anywhere in the galaxy by now. Boba had no

  way of knowing where. And, with Slave I damaged, no way of following

  "IDENTIFY YOURSELF!"

  Boba started as a crackle of static came through Slave I's speakers.

  "IDENTIFY YOURSELF OR BE DESTROYED!" Boba stabbed at the console

  panel. "Identify yourself!" he countered.

  "ANAKIN SKYWALKER, OF THE REPUBLIC'S XAGOBAH PEACEKEEPING FORCE. I

  HAVE ORDERS TO DESTROY ALL SEPARATIST VESSELS WITHIN THIS AIRSPACE. YOU

  HAVE TEN SECONDS TO IDENTIFY YOURSELF OR RISK DESTRUCTION. TEN. NINE..."

  Gotta stall! Boba thought. Identifying himself as a mercenary bounty

  hunter wouldn't go over too well with Skywalker.

  But the young Jedi was part of the Republic force that had driven Wat

  Tambor from Xagobah. Maybe he would have some idea as to where the Techno

  Union foreman had fled - information that Boba could use to track Wat

  Tambor down himself, and still claim Jabba's bounty...

  ".. FOUR. THREE...."

  I better be fast, thought Boba. And I better be good!

  "Skywalker - this is a request for assistance!" he announced into the

  comm unit. Boba knew this was the Jedi's weak spot - they could never

  resist being the good guys. "My ship was damaged in a firefight with Asajj

  Ventress - repeat, request assistance immediately...."

  Silence. In front of him, Anakin's starship hovered like a silver

  flame. As he spoke, Boba punched in a set of coordinates. A navscreen

  flickered to life - and there was the information Boba needed.

  Just beyond the asteroid belt, a small moon orbited Xagobah. If I can

  get there, I can repair the starboard wing. And once I lose this Jedi, I

  can get back on Wat Tambor's trail....

  Anakin's voice once more boomed through the comm unit.

  "WE HAVE NO RECORD OF A SEPARATIST VESSEL FITTING YOUR DESCRIPTION,"

  he announced. He almost sounded disappointed. "NOR DO WE HAVE RECORDS

  INDICATING YOU ARE PART OF THE REPUBLIC'S PEACEKEEPING FORCE - "

  "I fought on the side of the Xamsters," Boba broke in quickly. That

  was true enough. "And now I'm heading for that moon to make repairs. So - "

  Keeping a close watch on the Jedi starfighter, Boba began to slowly

  bank Slave I toward the moon.

  " - if you'll just let me go, I can get my job done - and so can you."

  Boba knew he was taking a risk. There was no way he could outfly

  Skywalker now, not with Slave I's shattered wing - though once that was

  repaired, he'd give him a run for his credits!

  Plus, Skywalker must have better things to do than waste time with an

  injured mercenary! thought Boba. Then he looked up.

  Hmmm. Apparently not - Anakin's streamlined starfighter filled Slave

  I's viewscreen.

  "MY SHIP WILL ESCORT YOU," Anakin said. He made the simple statement

  sound like an order. "IF YOU CHANGE COURSE, YOUR SHIP WILL BE DESTROYED."

  "I'll try not to forget that," Boba snapped - after he'd switched off

  the comm unit.

  He reset Slave I's coordinates and headed for the moon. It looked

  barren and uninhabited, its surface pocked with craters. The atmosphere was

  thin, but it would sustain human life-forms - for a little while, anyway.

  Boba intended to be there only a short time. He scoped out a narrow

  valley between two craters and prepared Slave I for landing. Skywalker's

  ship trailed him, close enough that Boba couldn't have eluded him if he'd

  tried.

  Somehow, that didn't seem like a good idea at the moment.

  Boba throttled down, and Slave I began its final descent. Boba watched

  impassively as Skywalker's ship followed him like a shining shadow. Within

  minutes Slave I had touched down. Seconds later the starfighter did the

  same.

  "STAY WHERE YOU ARE," a voice crackled through the base comm unit.

  Boba snorted. No way he was going to stay here like a placid Khommite

  strider, just waiting to be picked off! He checked his weapons belt, making

  sure his blasters were well-concealed. Then he grabbed his helmet and

  started for
the door.

  And stopped.

  Boba's Mandalorian battle helmet had belonged to his father, Jango

  Fett, before he was killed by Mace Windu. For the last few years Boba had

  worn it, along with his father's body armor. Even after all this time, Boba

  missed his father terribly; the armor was one of the few legacies Jango had

  left to his son. Boba wore it with pride and skill. Jango's helmet and

  armor had become a dreaded sight to all whom Boba hunted down.

  But did Boba want to be recognized right now?

  For a moment he brooded. He was here now because a high-ranking member

  of the Republic had paid off Jabba, requesting that the Huttese gangster

  have one of his bounty hunters track down and kill Wat Tambor. The Republic

  wanted Wat Tambor's death to appear to be the work of a lone assassin. And

  Jabba had known that only his best bounty hunter - Boba Fett - would be

  able to kill the wily Techno Union foreman.

  But Boba had failed. So far, anyway.

  Anakin Skywalker was leading Republic troops in their continuing

  strife with the Separatists. What if he knew of Boba's mission? If word got

  back to Jabba the Hutt, Boba's reputation would be ruined!

  More than his reputation - his life.

  And I have kind of a sentimental attachment to that, Boba thought.

  He looked at the Mandalorian helmet, then glanced out the viewscreen.

  Anakin Skywalker was clambering down from his starfighter. Puffs of sand

  rose as his booted feet made contact with the moon's surface. He paused to

  give his starfighter a cursory damage inspection, then turned and headed

  for Slave I.

  Boba took a deep breath. Reluctantly he removed his helmet - for now.

  "This is only temporary," he said, catching a glimpse of himself in

  the dark viewscreen. He looked grim and determined, a younger, rangier

  version of his father. The superficial resemblance he bore to Jango Fett's

  clones had long since been etched away by strife and battle. A clone didn't

  survive long enough to wear his experiences upon his face.

  But years of hunting and killing had hardened Boba's expression. He

  smiled seldom these days. When he did, it was usually when he saw his

  friend Ygabba and her father, Gab'borah, back on Tatooine.

  But he wasn't on Tatooine now. And he wasn't going to return there

  until he could report Wat Tambor's death or capture to Jabba the Hutt.

  Inside the ship, a low, warning note signaled the arrival of an

  intruder. The young bounty hunter disengaged the alarm, then opened the

  exit bay.

  One hand resting lightly upon his weapons belt, the other poised above

  his blaster, Boba Fett strode out to meet Anakin Skywalker.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The surface of the moon was chill and stark - nearly as cold and

  relentless as the gaze of the young man who awaited Boba Fett. As the

  bounty hunter descended, he sized up the Jedi. Like Boba, much of Anakin

  Skywalker's youthfulness had been burned away by combat and hardship. He

  was taller than Boba, clad in a young Jedi's distinctive tunic, modified to

  suit his tastes, and knee-high boots, with unkempt hair down to his

  shoulders. He had a Jedi's bearing and discipline, a Jedi's skill, and a

  Jedi's lightsaber at his side.

  But the arrogance that Boba saw in Anakin's eyes was not the mark of a

  Jedi. Nor was Anakin's impatience. Boba kept his own dark eyes alert and

  mistrustful, and left one hand on his blaster as he walked down from his

  craft.

  The two were well-matched. Boba was strong and powerfully built, if

  lacking somewhat in Anakin's agility. Nor did the young bounty hunter have

  the Jedi's extreme pride. Pride took energy - energy better invested in

  concentration and cunning. In this matter, at least, Boba had the upper

  hand.

  "That was good flying you did back there," Boba said. His expression

  remained aloof, but he inclined his head slightly, acknowledging Anakin's

  skill. "You probably saved me."

  Anakin looked slightly taken aback. But he recovered quickly.

  "'Probably'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "More like definitely." He

  looked past Boba to Slave I's starboard wing. "You took quite a hit," he

  said, then added grudgingly, "but you put up a good fight, too. Asajj is a

  deadly enemy. Not many have survived an encounter with her. You were lucky

  - Boba Fett."

  Now it was Boba's turn to look surprised. His body tensed

  instinctively, ready to spring into action if he had to.

  But Anakin only continued to regard him with the same cool, appraising

  gaze. "Yes. I know who you are - and have for a long time. My Master, Obi-

  Wan Kenobi, has spoken of you."

  Boba felt his stomach clench. Obi-Wan Kenobi! Boba and his father had

  escaped from the hated Jedi back on their homeworld, Kamino. Could Kenobi

  have been the one to order Wat Tambor's assassination?

  Boba looked warily at Anakin. He half-expected to hear the young Jedi

  speak of Boba's failure to capture the Separatist mastermind.

  Instead, Anakin was looking at Boba thoughtfully, as though he were a

  chess piece on a playing board.

  "Yes, I have heard of you," Anakin went on at last. "And I have seen

  you, as well - back there on Xagobah, when you saved Glynn-Beti's

  apprentice. That was brave. And reckless." The slightest smile tugged at

  Anakin's mouth, and he released his hold on his lightsaber. "Nice work."

  "Thanks." Boba felt himself relax a little. He turned, glancing under

  Slave I to see what damage there was that he had missed.

  "It mostly seems to be the wing," said Anakin. He strode past Boba and

  crouched to inspect it more closely. "See here? Looks like the struts were

  weakened to begin with. And this - "

  Boba watched, amused, as Anakin crawled under his ship. The Jedi

  pulled a small toolkit from his tunic.

  " - this really should have been taken care of a long time ago. How

  long has it been since you've had this ship serviced?"

  Boba shrugged. He thought of Qinx, his mechanic back on Tatooine, and

  Boba's longstanding request to have Slave l's shield upgraded and his

  exterior weapons systems overhauled. "Too long, probably," he answered.

  "That's for sure." Anakin shook his head. He ran his hand along one of

  the ship's thruster nozzles. "You've done a lot of the work on this

  yourself, haven't you?"

  "I've made some improvements."

  "Quite a few, it looks like." Anakin flashed Boba a rare look of

  admiration. "This is good work. It's a good ship. And you're lucky the

  damage wasn't worse. I can probably get this wing straightened out without

  too much trouble."

  Anakin hesitated. Probably wondering what Obi-Wan would say of this.

  A Jedi should never let down his guard, Boba answered in his head. A

  Jedi's loyalty is to the Order first, then to the Republic....

  Abruptly, Anakin's keen blue gaze fixed on Boba. "Don't try anything,

  Fett. I've got full backup from Glynn-Beti." Anakin ran a hand along his

  lightsaber. "Not that I'd need her help."

  Boba ignored the implied threat. "I've got work to do myself," he said

  roughly. Grimacing, he touched his wounded shou
lder.

  "You better take care of that," said Anakin before turning his

  attention back to Slave I.

  "And my body armor," said Boba, more to himself than the Jedi. He

  started back up the gangway to his ship. Suddenly he halted, frowning. "Did

  you hear that?"

  "Huh?" Anakin's muffled voice drifted from behind the starboard wing.

  Boba stood on alert, listening. His keen eyes took in the barren

  moonscape: pale reddish sand carved into funnels and outcroppings like

  ruined towers or the remains of other, wasted spacecraft. Between large

  craters, smaller tunnels yawned, black as the star-scattered sky beyond.

  But there was no sign of life. No one but Boba Fett and Anakin

  Skywalker moved in this desolate place.

  "Nothing," Boba said. "Must've just been my imagination."

  He went back into Slave I. Inside, all was silent, save for the sound

  of Anakin hammering and working away at the battered wing. Gingerly, Boba

  tended to his injured shoulder, cleaning the wound and putting on fresh

  bandages.