Pursuit

by Elizabeth Hand

  dream of selling you something! Especially not something highly illegal and

  fatally toxic, like a saberdart."

  "A saberdart?" Boba held tight to his seat, as the airspeeder narrowly

  avoided slamming into a building. "You have a saberdart?"

  "I never said that," Elan replied. The airspeeder shot past another

  speeder full of willowy young Dathomir witches. Elan waved at them. "Girls!

  Hell00000!"

  The witches stared back in ill-disguised disgust. The red airspeeder

  rocketed upward, as Elan continued.

  "I never said that, because to possess a saber-dart is a criminal

  offense. And I, of course, am a respected member of Coruscant's business

  community. But yes, I do have one."

  Elan took one hand from the controls. The air-speeder wobbled

  dangerously as he seemed to pluck something from thin air. The object

  glittered, as Elan turned and handed it to Boba.

  "One saberdart, no waiting. No payment, either-consider it a gift, a

  token of my great admiration for your bounty-hunting skills. Oh, you might

  mention it to Jabba, if you feel inclined," said Elan. "Put in a good word

  for me. A word to the wise, as they say."

  Boba took the saberdart. He looked at it suspiciously, but it seemed

  to be genuine.

  "How did you - " he began, but Elan cut him off. "I'd tell you," he

  said, "but then you'd have to kill me. Trust me, it's real."

  In the near distance, the Jedi Temple's towers loomed. The airspeeder

  began to slow. Quickly Boba shoved the dart onto his utility belt.

  The speeder came to a stop on the docking platform. Boba climbed out.

  "Thanks," he said grudgingly.

  "Anytime!" said Elan. He looked up at Boba and wiggled his antennae.

  "Just remember - tell your friends! Tell your enemies! I stand behind all

  my products! One-hundred-percent pure, satisfaction guaranteed!"

  With a farewell wave of his antennae, Elan powered up his vehicle. The

  bright-red airspeeder shot into reverse. Then it rocketed off into the

  haze.

  Boba watched it go. Then he turned and hurried toward the Temple

  entrance.

  Got to find Mace Windu, he thought with iron determination. His hands

  traced over his flechette pistol and his concealed daggers. Last of all he

  checked that the saberdart was where it could be easily deployed. Got to

  finish something that Mace Windu started, a long time ago.

  And then - then it will be time to start on a new life.

  Because once he had avenged his father's death, Boba knew he would be

  ready to take Jango's place in the world. Not as a boy, but as a man.

  He saw Slave I waiting in its docking bay.

  "I'll be back soon," he said, smiling slightly at sight of his ship.

  As he passed, he reached to touch the wing that Anakin Skywalker had fixed.

  "When I return, the sky's the limit."

  Then, silent and unseen, Boba Fett entered the Jedi Temple.

  The final hunt for Mace Windu had begun.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  It was early evening now. Most of the Jedi were at meals, or tending

  to private weapons practice, or research in the Archives library. Boba made

  his way quickly and stealthily through the Temple's winding passages.

  Word must have passed among the Jedi that Boba was here on official

  business and was not to be detained. The few Jedi he passed scarcely gave

  him a look.

  "Typical Jedi arrogance," Boba murmured.

  He felt almost disappointed that no one confronted him. He'd like to

  take out a few Jedi on their own turf!

  Still, Boba knew he had no time to waste on anyone but Mace Windu.

  I'll have plenty of other chances to take out Jedi scum, he thought.

  First things first!

  It didn't take him long to figure out where the members of the Jedi

  Council had their quarters. It took him even less time to find an alcove

  housing a worn door. He opened the door carefully and peeked inside.

  "A service corridor!" said Boba under his breath. "Just what I needed!

  "

  He checked to make sure no one saw him, and slipped inside. The

  passage was completely empty and smelled of dust. A few dead Coruscant

  botflies were scattered on the floor, but nothing else. Boba checked the

  walls, then took a few scans using one of his handheld nav aids.

  "Yes!" gloated Boba.

  The tiny computer showed a grid of red and green lines: a map of the

  Council Members level. The secondary passage he stood inside was a disused

  corridor that ran parallel to the central hallway.

  If I follow this passage, it will lead me straight to Mace Windu's

  chambers. I just have to get there before he leaves for his meeting with

  Palpatine!

  Boba shoved the nav aid back into his utility belt. Then he stealthily

  began to run, his feet making no sound in the narrow passage. In a few

  minutes he had reached the next level, then the next.

  Finally he saw another door in the shadows. His footsteps slowed.

  "Got to be careful here," he whispered.

  This door led to the corridor that went directly to Mace Windu's

  chambers.

  But Boba certainly didn't want to meet Windu where others might see

  them and come to the Jedi's aid. Very slowly he cracked the door open and

  peered out.

  The corridor was empty. Ruby-colored light slanted down from

  viewscreens high overhead. Outside, it was sunset on Coruscant.

  Boba looked around carefully. Then he quickly slipped into the central

  passage. He ran without a sound to where the hallway ended. There, a single

  black doorway loomed.

  The door to Mace Windu's chambers. The door to Mace Windu's death!

  Boba slid his hand over the flechette pistol. He looked over his

  shoulder to see if anyone had spotted him.

  No one was there.

  Slowly Boba drew the pistol. He cocked its safety, then crept toward

  the door. Moments from now, he would confront his enemy.

  Mace would be deep in thought, preparing himself for his meeting with

  the Supreme Chancellor. He would be stunned to see Boba burst into his

  room. He would have no chance to defend himself. Not even a lightsaber

  could deflect hundreds of flechettes!

  And not even a Jedi could withstand the deadly toxins released by a

  saberdart.

  Boba's hand was on the door. His heart pounded as he took a deep

  breath.

  He thought of his father, Jango, lying decapitated in the arena. He

  thought of Mace Windu lying dead. He recalled Jango's face breaking into a

  rare smile as he read to his son in their home on Geonosis

  "This is for you, Father," whispered Boba. He raised the flechette

  pistol.

  Then, with all his strength he pushed the door open. Weapon ready to

  fire, Boba Fett lunged inside the Jedi's chamber, and found himself face-

  to-face with

  Nothing.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  It can't be!

  Boba looked around in frustrated rage. The chamber was empty. He

  swiveled, his pistol ready to fire, and looked around.

  There was no one. Even without checking the rest of the room, Boba's

  hyper alert senses registered the truth.

  The Jedi Master was gon
e.

  Boba quickly sheathed his weapon. He strode to a round, low cushion of

  the type favored by high-ranking Jedi, stooped, and laid a hand upon it.

  It was still warm. Windu must have left just minutes before.

  Boba fought a surge of fury. He'd been so close!

  But he wasn't going to let Mace get away so easily. Boba knew where he

  was bound - to his private meeting with Palpatine in the Senate Building.

  Boba had no idea where in that vast building he might track down Windu.

  But Boba had no doubt that he would succeed in finding him. He turned

  and started for the door, then stopped.

  Too dangerous to go back out there now. Someone might see me and alert

  Windu....

  He drew the door closed. He began a quick search of the chamber,

  looking for something that might be useful.

  A minute later he found it - a small monitor tucked into the wall.

  Boba activated it, then brought up the most recently viewed screen.

  "Got it!" he crowed.

  The screen showed an itinerary, generated by the Supreme Chancellor's

  office. There was a reminder of the time for Mace Windu's private meeting,

  just fifteen minutes from now. There was a memo regarding the meeting's

  topic.

  EXTREMELY URGENT was all that Boba bothered to read before scrolling

  down.

  And there was a map of the Senate Building, showing the exact location

  of Palpatine's antechamber, where the meeting would be held!

  "Perfect," said Boba. He memorized the data and shut the monitor off.

  Then he hurried across the room. One wall was covered by a long curtain.

  Boba grabbed the curtain and yanked it back.

  Crimson sunset light flooded the chamber. A floor-to-ceiling shuttered

  window looked down onto the gleaming towers and chasms of Galactic City.

  "Nice view," said Boba. "Hate to ruin it, but - "

  His booted foot smashed through the transparent material. Cool air

  flowed inside, along with the sounds of the night city - airspeeders,

  distant voices. Boba stepped to the very edge of the sill. He looked down,

  adjusting his helmet for night vision.

  "There it is," he said.

  In the distance, he could see the immense dome of the Senate Building

  shining in the twilight. Boba tensed. Wind rushed past him through the

  shattered window. Somewhere in the Jedi Temple, someone would be looking

  for the mysterious envoy in Mandalorian armor.

  No one could find him here.

  Boba stared at the vast expanse of Galactic City, its lowest depths

  more than a kilometer below him.

  He took a step forward.

  He jumped.

  For a second he was in free fall. Then his jet pack roared to life.

  Boba angled the controls so that he flew swiftly from the Jedi Temple.

  Seconds later it was safely behind him, hidden by other towering

  skyscrapers.

  He flew toward the Senate. If anyone had wanted to, they could have

  looked up and seen him - a tall figure in dark-green body armor, his head

  hidden by a Mandalorian battle helmet.

  But no one knew to look for Boba Fett. He flew swiftly and unseen

  through the great city's high rise canyons, past shining buildings and

  domes, past bright clubs teeming with nightlife. He saw air-speeders and

  swoop bikes, air limos, taxis, freighters. Once he even thought he glimpsed

  Elan's bright-red speeder, darting down to the lowest levels of the city.

  But Boba had no time for any of that now. He had only one thought in

  mind: Find Mace and destroy him. Even meeting with Palpatine paled beside

  that.

  Nothing was going to keep Boba Fett from his destination.

  Nothing was going to keep him from his destiny.

  The map he'd seen in Windu's room had shown that the Supreme

  Cancellor's official chambers were on the northeast side of the dome. As

  Boba drew nearer, he could see lights shining from the dome's upper

  windows. Inside, figures moved.

  The Senators. Palpatine wouldn't be with them, though. He'd be

  preparing for his meeting with Mace Windu - and then his meeting with Baba

  Fett.

  "Palpatine's expecting me, but not this soon," Boba muttered as his

  jet pack brought him closer to the building. "And I doubt he's expecting me

  to land on his windowsill!"

  But Boba had no desire to confront Palpatine's security guards. And

  Boba especially didn't want Mace Windu to have the advantage of seeing him

  first. He powered down his jet pack, aiming for a wide ledge two levels

  above Palpatine's chambers.

  In a moment he landed smoothly on the ledge. A quick look around

  reassured him that he'd gone undetected.

  "Made it!" he exclaimed.

  He grabbed the rappelling line on his utility belt and stooped. He

  fastened the hook to the ledge, yanking at it to test that it would hold.

  Then he slowly let himself down, his gloved hands tight around the rope.

  This was the risky part. If someone happened to pass by inside, Boba

  would be seen.

  And that wouldn't be good. At best, he'd be detained and questioned

  before being released to Palpatine.

  At worst

  That's not gonna happen!

  Boba pushed the thought away.

  Down, down, down. He braced himself against the dome's wall. The dome

  was curved and smooth. Sometimes his boots slid off, despite their

  magnatomic soles.

  Uh-oh!

  In his hands, the rope suddenly grew slack. Boba looked up and saw the

  hook wobbling slightly. Gotta hurry!

  He was level with Palpatine's chamber now. There was no one there - no

  one he could see, anyway.

  It was now or never!

  He kicked out, swinging back, then forward. His boots grazed the

  ledge. He kicked again, propelling himself farther back. Then he began to

  swoop in toward the ledge again.

  Oh no!

  A twist of rope looped around his hands. Boba looked up quickly.

  Two levels above him, the grappling hook tore away. The rope began to

  fall.

  But Boba's feet had already found purchase on the ledge outside

  Palpatine's chamber. For an instant he swayed, perilously close to plunging

  off.

  Then he caught his balance.

  That was close!

  Boba straightened. In front of him, black transparisteel showed his

  reflection. He replaced the rappelling line and withdrew a small laser

  blade. Its ruby tip glowed as he began to cut a hole in the window, just

  big enough for his hand to pass through. When the hole was completed, he

  carefully removed the transparisteel. He slid his hand inside, expertly

  finding the alarm system, then disabling it. His hand slipped down and

  pulled the latch.

  The window swung open.

  He was in!

  Now to find Mace...

  The room was small and dim. It smelled faintly of expensive spices.

  Thick carpet was underfoot, and small lights cast a soft glow over a door

  and sculptures at one end.

  That's the antechamber, he thought. That's where Mace is.

  Silently he stepped to the door. He put his hand on the latch. It was

  unlocked. He listened, adjusting his helmet's aural enhancers so he could


  hear the faintest sound from the other side.

  And yes, he could hear breathing. The breathing was slow, measured,

  calm...

  Boba drew his flechette pistol. He took a deep breath then shoved the

  door open.

  And there he was. Boba's greatest enemy - Mace Windu.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The tall Jedi stood pensively at the far end of the room. His hands

  were in his robes. His head was down. As Boba entered he looked up, eyes

  widening slightly.

  "Who - ?"

  Boba stared at him without remorse.

  "You killed my father," he said.

  Boba's heart was racing. But his voice was cold and utterly calm.

  And his pistol was aimed directly at Mace's chest.

  "I've waited a long time for this, Jedi Windu - but I'm not waiting