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The Fett Dynasty II: Siege of Orri Prime	By : WLTDNFADED Category: Star Wars (All) > General Views: 3810 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Episode II

Chapter 10

Bad Company
Company, always on the run

Destiny is a rising sun

I was born, six gun in my hand

Behind a gun, I make my final stand

That�s why they call me

Bad Company

I can�t deny

Bad Company

Till the day I die.
Bad Company

�Admiral!� shouted the voice of the Imprimatur�s communication officer from the nav pit. Crackles and pops dotted the horrific din of the music. �Fett is descending into the atmosphere! The signal seems to be diminishing!�

Pellaeon�s sigh of relief mimicked that of every other officer on the bridge. Putting a hand on Captain Rhys�s shoulder, he ordered loudly, �Good. Get communications back on line!�

The com officer�s head peeked slightly over the pit�s edge, revealing a pair of large eyes brimming with contrition. �And now the bad news, sir.�

Pellaeon raised a worried brow. �What?�

Gritting his teeth, the com officer replied, �He�s downloaded a virus.�

In an instant, the images on every screen and monitor on the bridge fizzed and pixed. The holopics of the frenzied action and carnage outside all melted together into an image of Boba Fett�s personal symbol, the horned alien animal skull that had been embellished on his former armor. The skull�s jaws opened, and the cacophonic music was replaced by a low, hearty demonic laugh that rang throughout the bridge, the speakers on every deck, and the earpieces of every stormtrooper and tech on the ship.

�Sir!� cried another pit officer, �the virus has infiltrated every holo and com system! All systems are down!�

Pellaeon spun around toward a nearby monitor. The skull morphed again, this time forming the image of a glove hand balled into a fist�with the middle finger extended straight up.

The Admiral�s heart pound fiercely in his chest as adrenaline surged from his core. His firm demeanor evaporated into all out rage, as he found himself capable of nothing more than standing in his place, his fists shaking �

�Admiral!� Captain Rhys shouted from the tactical console, �Ionic sensors are still online, and we�re picking up a reading!�

Pellaeon spun furiously and marched to the console. �AND?�

Rhys�s ashen skin paled even more as he turned over his shoulder and rasped, �Rebels.�

* * *

�Admiral!� the Defiance�s navigation officer cried out, �The Slave I is heading into the atmosphere!�

�Damn it!� Ackbar barked, pounding his finny fist once on the arm of his command chair. �We haven�t even reached the blockades yet! Rogue Leader!�

�Yes, Admiral!� Luke instantly replied.

�Forgo earlier orders! Take Rogue Squadron planet-side��

�And cut a hole in the northern blockade!� Luke excitedly finished for him.

�Exactly, General,� Ackbar affirmed, still focused but just a tad annoyed that the young Jedi pilot had read his thoughts before he spoke them�again.

�Aye Admiral! Rogues, flank me! We�re backing Fett up!�

�Aye, Luke!� came the Rogues� collective response. In unison, the squad of X-wings gracefully banked to their port sides and hurled themselves toward the Kuat Firespray racing toward the planet�s surface�

The corner of Fett�s mouth crooked up just slightly as the explosion of the TIE fighter he had just blasted bloomed across his visor. His pleasure, however, was short-lived when the alarm of the rearview monitor began to bleep. He cast his eyes up over the viewport to see the blips of incoming X-wings dot the screen. �What the hell are you doing, Skywalker?� he snarled into the com.

Luke dipped the nose of his X-wing and banked the throttle hard, spinning his ship into a dazzling spiral under the Slave I. �Just lending a hand, Fett!� he chirped as he came up from under him.

�I don�t need your help!�

�Oh no?� Once clearing the Slave, Luke arced the X-wing up and over Fett�s ship and fired at the TIE catapulting directly at them. As the Imperial fighter exploded into pieces in a brilliant flash, Luke added, �I�m pretty sure that guy thought you did.�

Before Fett had the chance to bite off a Mandelorian affront concerning Luke�s ancestry, the rest of Rogue Squadron swarmed all about and in front of the Slave. Blaster bolts of red and green blurred across Fett�s viewport as he watched the crack Republic pilots peel the blockading TIEs up and away from their defensive line drawn in space. �FETT!� Luke�s voice crackled through the com, �You�re clear! GO! Wedge and I will hold your back!�

Without a single utterance of gratitude, Fett plunged his booted boot against the thruster ped and sent the Slave I spiraling into the billowy swath of Orri Prime�s upper atmosphere. Luke and Wedge�s X-wings flanked him in perfect sync, leaving the frenzy and chaos of the space battle behind them�

��

�ADMIRAL! ROGUE SQUADRON HAS ENGAGED THE NORTHERN BLOCKADE!�

Ackbar leapt to his feet as he bellowed, �Tantive Armada, GO!�

�WOOOOOO! Excellent work, kid!� Han Solo yelped. �Chewie, let�s go hunt this dog!�

With her thrusters flaring, The Millennium Falcon exploded forward, leading the array of five Tantive blockade-runners toward the battling flurry of Imp and Republic fighters�

�Blue Squadron, ENGAGE!�

Ackbar�s call prompted the squad of A-wing fighters to tear forth toward the hulk of the Imperial Destroyer Imprimatur, cannons blasting as what was left of the Imperial Sword Squadron hurled at them head on�

�Blue Leader!�

�Yes, Admiral!�

�Inform your pilots, no heavy fire around the bridge tower! Pull all TIEs away, and cut a hole for the troop transports! I want whoever is commanding that Destroyer taken alive��

��
Orri Prime�s mountainous surface streaked in a kaleidoscope of greens and blues under the speeding Kuat Firespray and the two X-wings hurled out of the stratosphere.

�Luke, incoming Interceptors! Southwest!�

�I see �em, Wedge! Fall back, and keep on Fett! I�m going in and pull them out!�

�You�re going to get yourself killed, Skywalker!� Fett bit over the com.

�Why Fett,� Luke replied, with a snigger to his tone as he launched his X-wing over the Slave I and hurled forward, �You almost sound as if you gave a damn.�

Fett drew a breath as if to snarl a retort, but then abruptly stopped as Luke�s words sunk in�

�Don�t worry about me! Just fall back some and cover me!� With that, Luke�s X-wing sped up and ahead toward the number of TIE Interceptors hastily approaching.

With a grunt and harsh jerk of the throttle, the bounty hunter banked his ship a hard port and sped after Luke, with Wedge Antilles bringing up the rear.

Luke himself banked hard and pulled the throttle down and around, making a neat loop down, under, and up toward the approaching TIEs, but his thumb remained still and poised just beside the trigger of his blasters. No, he wasn�t targeting them right now; at least, not with his guns. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply and called to the Force, seeking something, someone, out in particular�

Watching Luke through his viewport, his own gloved finger itching on the trigger of his cannons, Fett narrowed his eyes through his visor. �What the hell is he doing? Why isn�t he firing?�

�Settle down, Fett,� Wedge admonished through the com. He smiled slightly as he added, �I think he�s taking a different approach.�

A smirk played across Fett�s lip at the sheer boldness of the Rebel pilot�s scold. Muting his com, he again spoke to Slave�s computer. �Ee�ui taa.�

�Cu�nata."

�Oi-cun Rebe ik- dottaa� ee�ui prebare t cua ke. (Find Rebel X-wing communication frequency and lock on)��

The psyche of the Imperial Squadron Commander bloomed across Luke�s closed eyes, and he smiled softly as he spoke to him through his own mind�

*You will abandon your mission now.*

�X-wing directly underneath us! Six, Seven, break off and�� The commander of the Imperial TIE Interceptor Havoc Squadron abruptly halted his order as new words formed in his mind� �Abandon mission.�

�Abandon??? But sir��

*He dare question your orders?*

�You DARE question my orders?�

�Uh�no, no sir,� the young Imperial pilot stammered.

*Your sensors are malfunctioning.*

�Our sensors are malfunctioning.�

*The ships we see are a mirage.*

�The ships we see are a mirage.�

�A MIRAGE?! But sir��

With sweat beading lightly on his forehead, Luke pushed the Jedi mind trick further, broadening its scope�

The protesting Imperial pilot instantly stopped, his eyes blurring as he viewed his monitors. �Yes�yes sir. They are a mirage.� The dumbfounded voices of the rest of the squadron agreed in monotonic drone.

*Turn about. NOW.*

�Turn about. NOW. Head back to the township.�

�Aye aye, sir.� And in unison, the six TIE Interceptors turned up and over in the azure Orri Prime sky and headed away from the lone X-wing circling beneath them.

With the Force still pulsing all around him, Luke simpered dreamily as he murmured, �You have your ways, Fett�and I have mine.�

�That�s right, Skywalker,� Fett rumbled softly, his eyes locking on one particular line of data dotting his screen, his finger easing toward the PLAY button of his music device, �I have mine�� And then he pressed the button.

Just as it did with the Imperial pilots out in space, Fett�s atrocious music shrieked with deafening volume not only through the cockpits of the Luke�s and Wedge�s X-wings, but through the public speakers of the Defiance�s bridge and those of the Millennium Falcon as well�

Welcome to the Jungle! We got fun and games!

We got everything you want, honey we know the names!

The cacophonic din was enough to shake Luke completely out of his Force trance as he slapped the sides of his helmet. Aboard the Falcon, Chewbacca roared brutally, his massive paws flying to his highly sensitive ears. Han ripped the headset out of his ear just as the troop of Pathfinders in his hold all bellowed and griped. Leia�s face twisted into a disgusted grimace as she covered her own ears while Admiral Ackbar shouted orders at the poor Sullustan communications officer to somehow override the awful racket�the only one who seemed undaunted by the clamor was Wedge Antilles, who merely bobbed his head to the tune�s barbaric rhythm and remarked, �Catchy��

But just as abruptly as the music started, it suddenly stopped, replaced by the cold, gravelly, and all-around irritated voice of Boba Fett. �We had a deal, President Organa, that I take the palace ALONE. So tell your people here to back off until I give them the signal! If you don�t, I�ll do the same thing to your communications as I did to the Imps�and what you heard was just a sample.�

Ackbar immediately stepped forward to protest, but was stopped by Leia�s abrupt halting gesture. Huffing in frustration, Leia announced, �Fine, Fett. Luke, Wedge, fall back. Let him go.�

�Your Excellency�� Ackbar began.

�Admiral,� Leia retorted, snapping around, �we have enough to worry about with overtaking that Destroyer and the ground battle! A deal is a deal. Let him go!�

Ackbar merely threw up his fins and stomped back to his captain�s chair. In his X-wing, Luke sighed and replied, �Aye, your Excellency. Wedge, let�s reconnoiter with Rogue Squadron.�

�Aye Luke.� Wedge banked his X-wing and followed his commander back out of the atmosphere, throwing one last look at the ill-tempered bounty hunter now speeding furiously away toward the south�

��

Seated at the cutting table in the palace kitchen, his bowl of untouched stew still steaming in his hand, Czethros gawked at the old woman who calmly stood before him, with her arms folded across her chest. The red blip of his visor sputtered back and forth, indicating that the Supreme Vigo of Black Sun was attempting to comprehend everything he had just been told. �She�s�she�s that important? That powerful?�

�At this present moment, you couldn�t even begin to comprehend her significance, Czethros,� Nikoa replied simply. A soft, strange smile crept over her serene countenance. �The Empire that you knew is a relic, the clumsy manifestation of an old man�s lunacy, and will soon be nothing more than a trivial blink in the immense span of time and space. What will replace it, ah�� The smile grew. �What will replace it will be a dynasty this galaxy has never seen, ruled by living, breathing GODS.� She came toward him, cupping a soft, withered hand just under his jaw. �And those who prove their devotion to my Master and his Queen will rule at their side, and be their outstretched Hands, and will show no mercy.� She leaned in close to him and repeated, �NO MERCY.�

�To whom, old mother?� he asked softly.

Gingerly, almost seductively, Nikoa slid a fingertip over his lip and answered in a hushed, sultry whisper, �To ANYONE.�

Czethros exhaled deeply, as though the words were more narcotic than any ryll he had ever ingested. Power, absolute power, all HIS, by HIS hand, no longer wallowing in the shadow of the Xizor, the Falleen prince�Slowly, his hand went to the comlink at his belt and, picking it off, he raised it to his lips. �Jober.�

�Yeah, Boss?� his second�s voice crickled through the tiny speaker.

He smiled lazily as he gazed into Nikoa�s smoldering eyes. �Listen up. There�s been a change of plan��

��

His plan was simple enough. With the stealth system jamming any sensor fields put out, Fett could program the Slave to easily drop him on the eastern roof of the courtyard. He�d cut through the glassine skylight in the library ceiling and make his way through the palace, silently disposing of any Black Sun henchman he found (a dart through the throat usually worked well) until he came upon I�Lai�s office. From there, he would hail the Slave to the outside garden, get I�Lai and Kai safely on board (after killing her guards, of course), and then find Czethros. Covert, quiet, and efficient.

�I�Lai,� he whispered, staring intently through the viewport at the white granite palace ascending over the horizon, �I�m almost there�Hold on��

��

*I�m almost there�Hold on�*

Slowly, almost dreamily, I�Lai lifted her chin from her baby�s head and turned toward the large glass doors leading to her garden. Her lover�s name formed upon her lips, but she dared not speak it, for fear that her Bothan captor would hear it or, even worse, the hushed voice that played through her mind was just another cruel trick from�him�

But the gentle brush of gruff tenderness and familiarity a call to the Force provided her hushed those fears. She could feel his strength, his resolve, and his bravery through the very essence of existence itself. His presence grew stronger by every passing second, and she could no longer resist the urge to go to the doors, to see for herself�

She turned again toward the Bothan standing a few meters away from her, and saw that he was in what seemed to be a confusing conversation with Czethros over his comlink�

She slowly rose from the chair, cradling Kai in her arms, and walked toward the garden doors. Through the glass she could see a ship on the horizon, growing closer and larger with every excited breath she took. The ship became her entire world, its very existence consuming all of her focus and drowning out everything else-- even Jober�s furious demands that she come back and sit down were nothing more than a drone, discarded in her ears. She turned the latch and stepped out onto the cobblestone terrace�

*Boba�?*

I�Lai? He answered through his mind as the Slave encroached upon the palace. He saw her, standing in the distance, holding their son, the wind blowing gently through her ebon hair�

She smiled through tears of elation that swelled from her eyes. *Boba, I�m here! I�m here!*

Fett�s breath rushed from his lungs as a relieved smile stretched his lips underneath his visor. �Binocs,� he murmured, �One hundred percent.� The vision of I�Lai immediately zoomed across his visor, and the smile across his lips slowly disintegrated into a scowl. She was dirty and disheveled, her tunic and trousers had been torn, her arms sported gashes and cuts. But most prominently, her right eye and cheekbone were swollen and bruised, explaining the sharp sting he had felt across his own face while traveling through hyperspace�

It was only then he realized how close he had taken the Slave toward the palace, when he noticed a bulking shape move within the garden door � *I�Lai, no, go back inside! Go back! Before�*

Too late. From his ship, Fett watched the large Bothan storm through the doors. He saw him stop and gawk at him before curling his lips over his fangs. He watched the furred alien grab I�Lai by the hair and savagely throw her across the garden, back through the doors. As I�Lai stumbled to her knees and desperately tried not to drop Kai, the Bothan hurled himself back around, eyes slit, fangs bared�

A strange calm came over Fett, even as his heart thumped ferociously behind his armored vest. Even as the adrenaline raged through his veins, his emotions simply shut down, replaced by nothing less than razor-keen focus and pitiless will. �So much for covert, quiet, and efficient,� he murmured softly. �New plan.�

He hit the stabilizers and halted the Slave�s speed, hovered the craft before the armor-clad Bothan, wrapped his gloved finger around the trigger of the Slave�s cannon�and fired.

The green bolt of energy blasted a duracrete bench into flying chunks of stone just a meter from the Bothan, sending the alien careening against the stone terrace.

Fett�s lip curled into a satisfied snarl. Setting the controls to autopilot, he tore himself from the console and stormed into the hold.

�Ee�ui taa,�

�Cu�nata.�

�Pre�cu�nai ee�ui oo�ta niiki ocu�aea (Fly to the palace front entrance).�

�Cu�nata.�

The Slave lurched up and forward, tearing over the rooftop of the palace, leaving a dazed and fuming Jober scrambling to his feet and pulling the comlink to his mouth�

��

�Jober!� Czethros barked into the comlink, fiercely pacing the length of the kitchen. �What the hell is happening up there?� What came through the comlink speaker sounded to be blaster fire, followed by a high-pitched explosion and debris hitting the ground. �JOBER!�

Even Nikoa knit her brow�

A scream of engines roared, followed by Jober shrieking into the comlink, �FETT! FETT IS HERE!�

�WHAT!�

�FEHHHTT!�

�NO!� Nikoa yelped. Her hand flew to her head, as though she was suddenly dizzy, or in terrible pain. �He�s�not supposed to�! No, this isn�t right��

Every single head of Czethros� three-dozen men, who up until that moment were still docilely slurping over their bowls, instantly snapped to attention. Czethros spun furiously to face his men. �WHERE IS HE??� he barked into the com.

�He�s flying toward the front entrance! He�s in the front!�

It seemed whatever power had held Czethros� mercs in line had been broken. Bowls, spoons, chairs and stew flew in all directions as the armored men exploded from their positions, grabbing their blasters and rifles, and began racing in a frenzy through the kitchen door.

Czethros began to sprint after them, shouting into the com, �Stay there, and guard the girl! Don�t let her out of your sight!� until he felt a sharp pull on his arm. He spun around to glare at the old woman holding him in a fierce grip.

�No, Czethros, not that way!� she whispered sharply, cutting him off before he could protest. �This way!� She quickly pulled him through the kitchen, past the stove and cooler units, until they had reached the back wall laden with shelves. With effort, Nikoa pushed against an end of a shelving unit, and it rotated to one side, revealing a darkened, narrow staircase. �Up there. Keep following the stairs and wall. It will take you to the second floor, back to I�Lai�s office chamber.� She suddenly thrust her hand at his face and grabbed his jaw, jerking his head toward her smoldering eyes. �Do you remember where I told you to take her, Czethros?� she demanded in a low growl, in that voice that wasn�t quite hers�

�Yes,� he rasped.

�Good. Go!� With that she shoved him through the door and slammed the wall shut. Hurriedly, Nikoa shuffled toward the kitchen door and planted herself against the jam, turning an ear out the door, listening to the mercenaries� armored boots scrambling out to the foyer�

��

Once in the hold, Fett continued his orders as he ripped open several compartments built into the bulkhead and began pulling out an arsenal of weapons. �Di cu aei�ke saat Impri tu�nat oi ni saastna cu echee (Run a scan of Imperial fighters within fifty kilometer radius and report).�

The computer ran the scan, and Fett armed himself. His Blastech EE-3 was slung across his chest and shoulder. After adjusting their settings for enclosed combat, he snapped several thermo detonators onto his belt. Spare darts for both his bracers and knee guards were slapped onto his chest plate by magnets. As he peered at the test data running across the optical screen of his visor, testing the systems within his helmet, the computer announced, �Saastna ooi-ti nwa (Scan complete).�

�Echee (Report)� he replied, jerking his wrist and releasing the twenty-centimeter serrated blade from his bracer with a resounding SNAP.

�Eu�ca Impri TIE di naa ritii (Six Imperial TIE Interceptors), Fu�ca Impri TIE di naa ei�ko wadi (Four Imperial TIE bombers), aa Di�ca Impri TIE di naa waku de (and Five Imperial TIE fighters).�

He snapped the blade back into the housing. �Pre na au�tane (Stand by for further instructions).� Shoving the nozzle end of a small cartridge into the tiny intake valve of his flamethrower, Fett peered back into the weapons locker. The low light of the hold glinted off something metallic tucked all the way in the back. He took a long, deep breath through his nose as he recognized the object, and slowly, in a manner of reverence, reached in and pulled out Jango Fett�s pistol and holster.

He stared at the pistol for a brief moment, turning it in his hand, before sliding his hand along the length of the gunbelt, circling it around his waist and clasping it shut.

On a brace directly beside the weapons cabinet hung his newly built jetpack. Backing into it, he crouched down and slid it up into the housing on the back of his armor. Once it was secured, he made his way to the hatch-tube at the back of the hold and stepped in. The lift immediately began to ascend, and the hatch at the top of the bulkhead opened.

The bluish sunlight of Orri Prime sparked off his helm as Fett rose out of the Slave. Kneeling for support, he rode atop the cockpit as the ship looped around the palace, coming toward the front entrance�he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and, for a very, VERY short moment, gave plea to the Slayer that the untested jetpack wouldn�t blow him or his ship into a flying fireball as he tensed his shoulders and ignited the neuro-trigger�

The pack detonated perfectly, launching him up and over the Slave in a high arc. But there was no time for celebration�immediately, he steered himself south toward the palace while the Slave veered north, turning itself to slow just before the palace doors�

��

Hosh the Correllian was the first to burst through the front entrance, followed by at least another dozen mercs. Vibro-blades and blasters brandished, they raced toward the hovering Slave I, splitting off to surround the ship.

�FETT!� hollered the Correllian, hoisting his enormous blaster up in front of him, �Come on out, bounty hunter!� He stepped in closer. �You ain�t got no where to run now��

Boba Fett smirked as he watched from where he perched. �That�s it�just a little closer��

Hosh began to laugh, swaggering toward the ship and spreading his arms wide. �Whassa matter, Fett? Got a case of the bashfuls? What, big bad Boba Fett can�t take us ALL on�?� Hosh�s mirth, juiced by the rush of the ryll in his system, grew louder, and his steps grew wider and ever closer to the Slave. �Remember the Outer Rim, Fett? Hah, not so tough now that I got some FRIENDS wit� me, huh�?�

One more step�

�Ke�wai (NOW).�

Fett�s command crackled through the air, was caught by the Slave�s antenna, and immediately dispatched to the ship�s Perimeter Defense System, which in turn spit the four spherical turret pods out of their housings in the hull. Before they even had a chance to aim at the lethal spheres that sped around them, four of the mercs lay face down on the ground, blood and brains seeping from large holes blasted in the back of their skulls.

The thugs, in their clumsy armor, aimed their heavy blasters and tried to pick them off, but the spheres were far too fast, slicing and cutting between them, shooting three more in the heads and throats. As he saw body after armored body fall around him, Hosh screamed, �RETREAT!� and, running, led the four remaining mercs back toward the front entrance�

Until the reptilian Tradoshan and the humanoid Fellenetian flanking him on either side suddenly�and rather sloppily�slumped to the ground. Hosh stopped and was about to furiously admonish his comrades�until he saw the ends of the sleek assassin�s darts sticking straight out between their gaping dead eyes. Before he could fully comprehend, THUDS from behind him clapped his ears, and he spun around in time to see his two other comrades fall as well, this time the darts stuck in their throats�

Very slowly, Hosh turned his anxious eyes toward the front entrance�to see Boba Fett crouched upon the entrance roof, the blue Orri Prime sun glinting off the gray sheen of his new armor, t-shaped visor glaring down at him, the light wisps of smoke still trailing from the dart housings of his knee-guards.

Hosh scrambled to raise his heavy blaster rifle at the bounty hunter, but Fett was too fast. Leaping off the roof, he ignited his jetpack to fly him over to the now lone, panicked mercenary, where he hovered just long enough to kick him soundly in the head. Hosh had barely hit the ground when Fett landed and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him to his knees and plowing his armored-plated gloved fist straight into his nose. Blood gushed out of Hosh�s nostrils as Fett pulled his face to his mask and growled through his vocoder, �Now what was that about your �friends�, Hosh?�

�F�Fett�� was all Hosh could choke through the blood pouring down his throat.

�You�re lucky the price on your head doesn�t mean shit to me right now.� Fett yanked him even harder toward his mask. His tone was calm, quiet, and lethal when he asked, �Where�s Czethros?�

The world spun behind the t-shaped visor filling Hosh�s vision as he felt his consciousness wane. He gurgled, �In�side��

�Good boy. Pleasant dreams.� With that, Fett slammed his helmet right into the bridge of Hosh�s nose and, releasing his hair, let him thump to the ground.

Whether or not the head-butt had killed the mercenary was little concern of Fett�s. Organa may have wanted Czethros alive, he thought to himself, but she never said anything about his men. �Antenna,� he ordered. As the antenna on the side of his helm lowered itself into position, he commanded, �Ee�ui taa,�

�Cu�nata.�

Through his amplified sound system, Fett could hear the running boots of the rest of Czethros� small army through the open doors, racing down the palace corridors. Turning and striding determinedly toward the entrance, he picked two thermo detonators off his belt, stopped just outside the doorway�and smiled under his helm.

�Impri tu�nat oi ni saastna cu�ikku�at ni pwainai (All Imperial fighters within fifty kilometer range�search and destroy).�

�Cu�nata.� The Slave I immediately lifted from its position and, turning itself, shot forward into the sky, arcing to the east to take on whatever the Imps were to throw its way.

A sea of clamoring black-clad bodies of all sizes surged toward him, weapons and voices raised for combat�In one swift move, he flicked his thumbs over the detonators� ignitions, flung them forward into the corridor, and swung his Blastech off his shoulder into his arm while slinging Jango�s pistol out of its holster...

FROOM! The corridor blazed blistering scarlet for a spilt second as the thermo detonators, while programmed for minimum damage, ripped through the first row of Czethros� mercs. Blood spattered across the patterns of char and soot on the white granite walls, and plaster, dust, and chunks of meat and limbs rained down upon the rest. Dense smoke filled the corridor as the mercs ducked, weaved, and coughed.

�Infrared,� Fett ordered his helm. Images shaped like humans and aliens replaced the dim smoke within his visor. Raising his Blastech in one hand and Jango�s pistol in the other, he stepped through the doors into the haze-laden corridor and proceeded to effortlessly�and mercilessly�blast every last red-orange hued being that showed within his visor screen.

Czethros� men tried to shoot back but, disoriented by the explosion and the smoke and not having the advantage of Fett�s infrared system, their attempts were futile against the bounty hunter�s controlled and unforgiving onslaught. Laser shots pitted the walls and ceilings and the few that did make it Fett�s way deflected harmlessly off the TYI-plasteel finish of his armor. As far as their armor was concerned, Nikoa�s earlier observation was proving devastatingly true�what the Empire had provided them was utterly worthless. Fett�s blasterfire sliced through the flimsteel plating.

Trodeccu the one-eyed Wookiee towered in the rear, snorting wildly to clear the dust and smoke from his nostrils, and wiped a paw across his eyes so he could see Fett coming forward. With his armored form silhouetted against the day sky of the open doors, the Wookiee could see little more than Fett�s visor through the smoke and gunfire as he pressed forward efficiently and lethally. He watched as Fett would shoot down a comrade, and then calmly step over him as he took out another. Feeling his Wookiee rage consume him, he was about to hoist his huge laser cannon upon his shoulder to take aim when he suddenly felt a tug on his massive arm, and looked down. Splitter the Snivvian gestured wildly toward the foyer staircase, gibbering away in his native tongue. Although he didn�t understand the words, Trodeccu knew the gist, and the two broke off from the rest to tear through the foyer and up the stairs.

A half-breed human tried to rush him, brandishing his rifle over his head as if to club him. Fett dodged him, crouching low, spinning around and, as the merc fell to the floor, flexed his foot within his boot. A ten-centimeter shiv sprung from the boot�s toe and, with a short forceful kick, Fett soundly sank it into the merc�s trachea while turning back and taking out three more with his outstretched Blastech�

The detonators� smoke had risen to the heights of the high vaulted ceiling, and Boba Fett found himself standing in the middle of a collection of two dozen dead and dying. At the entrance of the sumptuous foyer beyond stood the last gunman, a Fellenetian male, barely out of puberty.

The boy merc stayed frozen, lips quivering, holding his blaster down low in front of him. Eyes huge and terrified gawked at the sight of the Devil standing just meters before him, his Mandelore armor charred, scarred, and bloody, the detonators� smoke hazing around him, rising from a field of silent corpses and groaning wounded. Different hues of human and alien blood pooled and mixed with shards of useless black armor on the white marble floors, forming rivulets that ran toward the young merc�s feet, and the walls were veined and pocked with cracks and blaster holes. Wires slung from the broken light fixtures, and the moans of the dying were accentuated by the intermittent pops of plaster falling amongst them.

They remained still, unmoving, eyes locked for what seemed like hours�until Fett heard a tiny trickle. He glanced to the boy�s feet, where a small puddle of urine began to collect and swirl with the blood of his comrades.

Raising Jango�s pistol slowly, deliberately, to aim at the youth�s head, Fett rasped in a low simple tone, �Drop your weapon and get out.�

The youth didn�t need to be told twice. He slipped in his self-made puddle, landing hard on one of the bodies, before scrambling to all fours and racing over the dead, past the stoic bounty hunter, and out the front door.

He watched the youth run, wailing, across the vast lawn, before turning and casually stepping over his toll. He tapped the comlink on the side of his helm. �Ackbar.�

Aboard the Defiance, Ackbar�s large head snapped toward the comlink mic. �Fett? What�s happening down there?�

�I�m in. You can send in the maid service now.�

The Admiral�s mouth twitched slightly before he said, �General Reeikan, move in!�

�Aye Admiral! Solo, you there?�

�Ready when you are, General!�

Uninterested in the conversation, Fett slapped the comlink off. Having reached the entrance to the foyer, he stopped, and turned a slow gaze back toward his kills. The pile had stilled somewhat. The moaning had ceased considerably. Quietness permeated the last haze of smoke, filtering the sunbeams into shafts of aqua. His eye followed the beams back out the door, where twelve more men lay dead outside.

Three dozen dead. By his hand. In a matter of minutes. He wasn�t even out of breath.

It was a new pinnacle for him, a new personal best of carnage and death. Not even the raid upon the slavers of Ryloth had resulted in this number. And there had been a purse for that one. But this time, there was no bounty, no reward, no credits waiting to be claimed. This slaughter had resulted from�something that, according to the holo-novels and the romance-vids and the seemingly endless drivel of sentimental poetry and foolish lyrics, did not manifest itself in a pile of smoldering dead mercenaries.

Slowly, Fett turned his helm away from the dead to stare blankly ahead. It was hopeless, there was no denying it any longer. He had felt himself, the brutal cold identity he had carved over the decades, chip away with every passing day since that night on the Executor. Although his face and form remained, the emotionless, ruthless bounty hunter was being replaced with another man inside, a man who�laughed. Joked. Bought gifts. Cared. Made love. Slept. Dreamt at night. Got angry.

And methodically killed three dozen men because they hurt the woman he loved.

And they would keep coming. The news of the battle would undoubtedly hit the holonet in a matter of hours. His name would be mentioned. And they would come. Come for him. Come for them. Come to I�Lai�s home.

Come to their home.

As he glanced back at the display of bodies before him, the bare reality of it all hit him. I�Lai and Kai would never be safe. Not as long as� Boba Fett was still alive. It was, really, just as simple as that. A strange serenity washed over him, as though every muscle, sinew, and fiber of his body exhaled with release, as though every second of every day of his life had led up to that very moment, when he made his decision right there, and right then.

But�that decision later would be sealed later, when I�Lai gave him the answer to the question now decisively locked in his heart. His work here was not yet done.

With his Blastech raised, he moved smoothly yet cautiously through the foyer, scanning the area visibly and audibly, coming to the staircase and taking the stairs two at a time�

��

Troop transport Gilardi pressed forward into the atmosphere just as the Falcon shrieked above and in front of it, firing off several laser rounds to down two TIE Interceptors hurling their way.

�General Solo,� came General Rieekan�s voice over the com, �Go ahead! We�ll be all right.�

�I don�t want to leave you open, General��

�We can handle whatever comes our way! Go get Lando Calrissian!�

Setting his jaw, Han nodded. �Affirmative. Chewie, let�s go get him.� The Falcon�s thrusters spark iridescent blue, and heaved up an over the mountainous landscape of Orri Prime.

As the Gilardi hurtled forward, General Reeikan grabbed his combat helmet off the pilot�s console and strode confidently to the troop hold, where twenty of the Republic�s finest Pathfinders, the Urban Guerilla SpecForces, awaited him�

The Gilardi descended as the palace appeared through the charcoal haze of the surrounding forest fires. The pilot slowed her to a hover just within the palace walls, lowering her slowly and carefully when he looked out the Gilardi�s viewport��General! There�s someone down there, right below us!�

Rieekan turned to look back through the hatch into the bridge. �How many?�

�Just one that I can see, sir. Wait�� The pilot leaned closer toward the glassine window, then checked out the security monitor to his right. �General, he�s surrendering!�

Rieekan acknowledged the warning, nodding curtly and turning to his men. �Blasters on maximum stun.� The iris of the ship�s belly hatch they were surrounding began to dilate, and Rieekan shouted over the blast of air and thrusters coming in, �But keep alert! Any sign of trouble, switch to kill!�

The troops jumped through the hatch, one at a time, igniting the small repulsor packs on their belts to cushion their fall. They hit the earth beneath them, blasters raised, and slowly moved forward toward the bloodied, terrified Fellenetian youth in black armor. As they encroached upon him, the youth fell to his knees and placed both hands on the back of his neck. Rieekan hit the ground last and came up the middle of the squad, keeping the youth within his blaster�s scope. Through his scope, he could see the boy was crying, and through his helmet�s audio preceptors he heard the boy pleading, �Don�t kill me! Please, I�ll tell you everything! I�ll tell you ANYTHING you want!�

Lowering his blaster, Rieekan gestured to the other troops to lower theirs. He stood over the boy. �We�re not going to kill you, son,� he stated. �Where�s Czethros?�

�In�Inside�with�him.�

�Who? Fett?�

The boy started to cry harder at the mention of the bounty hunter�s name. Rieekan threw a puzzled look toward his troops, who returned it with equal uncertainty. �Move out.� He tapped his helmet�s comlink. �Send a medic down here, and take him aboard. Follow us.�

As the med-berth was lowered by cable with the medic riding atop of it, Rieekan and his troops moved forward, blasters raised, toward the palace entrance. They came upon the dozen bodies of Czethros� men scattered across the lawn, with several of the troops crouching over them, checking pulses, verifying that they were indeed dead. As they drew upon the palace�s smoldering entrance, Rieekan motioned to his troops, signaling them to come to either side of the door. Leaning against the jamb, Rieekan cautiously bent in, surveying the foyer through his scope, and muttering under his breath, �Gods and hells��

Slowly, he stepped through the door and over the first body, then the second, his men following closely behind. Halfway through the carnage, Rieekan lowered his blaster to stare vacantly at the corpses around him. He tapped his comlink again. �Fett, come in.�

�What?� came the gravelly, irritated reply.

�General Rieekan here. Where are you?�

�Second floor.�

�Do you need assistance?�

�Does it look like I need assistance?�

The General�s eye twitched just slightly. �Affirmative. We�ll canvass this level. Rieekan out.� He tapped the link off when a young SpecForce sergeant approached him.

The young man�s eyes were wide with disbelief, and he was shaking his head when he asked, �General�one man did all this�?�

Rieekan solemnly regarded the young soldier for a second before commanding, �Search this and the lower levels for survivors.�

�Yes sir! Troops, spread out! Search the levels!�

In the kitchen, Nikoa�s breath caught in her throat as the sound of bootsteps hitting the hard floors came closer and louder. She ran across the kitchen to the back, where she slipped through the secret passage and shoved it closed just as several Pathfinders stormed the kitchen�

* * *

The Falcon sailed up and over the crest of the final mountain peak bordering the clearing of Southern Hem Headquarters, just as a swarm of Imperial stormtroopers ran across the clearing toward the mangled cannon platform sheltering the injured Lando.

Han stood from his pilot�s chair. �Oh goody, range maggots,� he muttered as he tore into the hold. �OK, boys, we got company!� He grabbed a combat vest off the wall and donned it over his silk and brocade wedding clothes. �Nake and Prinik, take the guns and keep �em off us!�

�Yes, General!� Two Pathfinders rushed to the back of the hold and climbed the ladders leading to the Falcon�s cannons.

Han punched the ramp control in the bulkhead, his heavy blaster crooked in his arm. �Chewie!� he yelled over the din of the ramp, �Keep her low and close! We�re goin� in!�

As daylight slit through the dim hold of the Falcon, outside the air already crackled and shrieked with laser fire. As soon as the ramp cleared him, Han immediately fired, taking out the Imp squad leader. With the assistance of their two gunners, the General and his troops were able to move quickly off the ramp onto the earth, blasting every white-plated trooper that came across their range of vision.

�Medic! This way! The rest of you, cover me!� Rifle raised and staying low, Han broke into a sprint across the clearing, the medic right at his heel, toward the fallen cannon. The earth around his feet exploded and erupted with stormtrooper fire, pelting him with shrapnel of dirt and rock until he dove and rolled out of the line of fire and under the platform. As he rolled up onto his knees, he found himself bending over the bloody, broken crumple of flesh and uniform that was Lando Calrissian.

�Lando!� Han shouted over the din of combat, grabbing his jacket and shaking him. �Lando, come on, wake up! Wake up! We�re here, buddy!� The medic came up along side them and immediately engaged the bio-scanner. Han shook him again. �Come on, Lando! COME ON!� His agitation instantly turned into relief as Lando moaned and stirred under his grip. �That�s it, buddy, wake up��

Lando�s eyes slit open and rolled slightly as he attempted to focus on the face in front of him. Suddenly, an odd, disoriented, happy smile stretched Calrissian�s bloodied face, and he croaked, �Well, hello there, sweetcheeks. We still on for tonight�?�

The medic�s snort didn�t escape Han�s notice, and he glanced briefly in his direction before lightly patting Lando�s face and replying, �You bet, sugar britches.� He turned again. �Well?�

They both ducked and covered as laser fire exploded just a meter from them. The medic brushed the dirt off his scanner and shook his head. �We got to get him out of here now, General, or he�ll never make it! He�s lost too much blood.�

Han instantly hit his helm link. �Chewie, bring her in! NOW!�

The Falcon�s shadow cast over them, her engines shaking the very air around them as the ramp inched ever closer. The rest of the Pathfinders swarmed around the ramp, holding off what was left of the Imperial squad as Han and the medic lifted Lando out from under the cannon platform and carried him up. Once their General and the wounded Security Chief had cleared the ramp, one by one they boarded as well until all were safely aboard. Chewbacca�s massive paws danced across the controls with amazing speed and grace, and the Falcon ascended into the sky, leaving the few breathing stormtroopers remaining to fire feebly into her fumes.

Onboard, Han and the medic scrambled to get Lando hooked up to the medical berth. As the medic was wrapping a splint around Lando�s broken arm and Han was pulling IV�s and monitor cables from the berth under-compartment, he heard a thin, weak voice. �Han�?�

He looked up to see Lando, wide-eyed and awake, staring at him. He forced a lop-sided grin. �Well, g� morning, sunshine.�

Lando smiled weakly. �I�m not dead?�

�Well, if you are, I�m gonna charge two creds a gander for the galaxy�s only talking corpse.�

Lando started to laugh, but only ended up coughing bits of blood over the front of his uniform. The medic glared harshly at Han. �Sir, with all due respect, don�t make him laugh.�

�General!� barked a young Pathfinder as he charged into the hold from the cockpit, �General Dodonna is on the com. They need us at the Atimbora Township! He�s demanding that we comply!�

�We have to get General Calrissian to the medical frigate!� Han replied just as harshly.

�Wait,� Lando rasped, grabbing Han�s arm. He glanced up at the medic. �Can you stabilize me here?�

�Lando, no way��

�Shut up, Han. Can you?�

The medic glanced at his supplies of synthe-blood and bacta products, then turned back to Han. �I think I can, but I can�t make any promises.�

�Good enough for me,� replied Lando. �Han, go!�

�Lando��

�Dammit Han, they need you! GO!�

Han drew his lips in a thin line and exhaled sharply. He jumped to his feet. �All right. Chewie, head for the Atimbora Township, shields up!�

As Han raced back into the cockpit, Lando turned to the medic dressing his bloody stump and whispered, �What the hell is he wearing�?�

* * *

Explosions bloomed all across the Imprimatur�s top decks, igniting space�s blackness around them in magnificent display. Republic and Imperial fighters alike swarmed around the Destroyer as flies around carrion. The bridge tower quaked from a TIE fighter crashing into the massive mounting struts below. Toxic steam burst from the bulkhead of the bridge, enveloping most of the Navigation Station, sending the technicians running and screaming from their posts.

Pellaeon struggled to his feet after having been thrown to the deck by the explosion. Gripping a nearby console and pulling himself up, his gaze turned to the bridge�s viewports, where he saw a Republic Troop Transport lurching forward and under them, escorted by a Tantive Blockade Runner with ion cannons readied directly at them and a score of B-wing fighters.

�Admiral!� cried Captain Rhys from the com center. �We have reports from Docking Bays Alpha and Theta! The Rebels have infiltrated, and are storming the ship!�

�Captain!� Pellaeon bellowed over the dissonance of steam and screams on the bridge, �What about the ground battle! Can we establish ANY communications with ground forces at all?!�

�Negative, sir! Com techs have tried everything! We can�t eliminate Fett�s virus!�

�Admiral!� came another panicked cry from the Tactical Pit. �Below us! We can hear cutters!� The tech stopped, putting a hand to his ear as he listened to the soft shrieking of metal being hacked. �They�re cutting into the release shaft! They�re boarding the bridge directly!�

Pellaeon stood perfectly motionless as he stared blankly at the young officer until�a slow, strange smile crept across his face. And then�he chuckled, very softly. He took a long, slow look around the bridge, meeting every frightened, anxious eye of his men, before glancing at the ceiling, closing his eyes, and sighing heavily. He then clasped his hands behind his back and, despite the deafening hiss of the steam all around him and the alarmed shouts of the techs trying to contain it, very calmly paced to the bridge�s hatch and stopped just shy of the doors. �Captain, a word with you.�

Rhys tore from his position at the com center to quickly side with his Admiral. �Sir?� he replied, snapping to attention.

�At ease, Captain.� Pellaeon noticed the fear spread across Rhys�s face as he forced himself to relax, and put a hand on his shoulder. �I�m sorry, Rhys. I�m sorry for not having been a better mentor to you. I�m sorry that�your first command will not end in victory.�

�Sir,� Rhys rasped, �we can still fight��

�For what? For an Empire run by gangsters and warlords? For shattered honor?� He sighed again, and weary older eyes met the younger man�s. �It�s over.�

Sounds of blasters and chaos thumped against the other side of the bridge hatch, becoming louder as they came closer. Rhys threw a nervous glance at the door. �What�what will they do to us, sir? Will they�torture us? Kill us?�

�I honestly don�t know, Ander. But�I get the odd feeling that no, they won�t.� Just then, the sound of a laser cutter squealed through the door control panel. Calmly, Pellaeon reached over and palmed the lock. The door slid open, revealing at least a dozen armed�and somewhat confused�Republic Pathfinder troops on the other side, including the one kneeling before the door, holding the cutter.

�I thought I�d save you the trouble,� Pellaeon replied to their suspicious looks, the strange smile still donning his lips. �Who is in command here?�

�I am,� came a voice from the back. The troops parted to either side of the thin corridor to allow a blonde and bearded middle-aged human male through. �I am General Madine.�

�Madine,� Pellaeon repeated. He lifted an eyebrow. �The Imperial defector? That would explain how you knew the best way to board my bridge.�

Madine furrowed his brow. �And you are?�

�Admiral Gilad Pellaeon of the Imperial Navy. And I hereby surrender.�

* * *

�Admiral!� yelped Oebe, the Defiance�s communications officer, �General Madine on com!�

Ackbar jumped from his seat. �Put him through!�

Leia, who had been standing on the bridge�s observation deck watching the siege of the Imperial Destroyer, suddenly snapped her attention to the com speakers, as did the rest of the bridge�s personnel.

�Ackbar, Madine here. I�m standing with the commanding officer of Imperial vessel Imprimatur. He has surrendered.�

A cheer that shook the very bulkhead exploded through the bridge. Every officer and tech leapt up from their seats and ran around the bridge, hugging and slapping each other on the back. Leia exhaled as though she hadn�t in weeks, wrapping her arms around her belly, hugging her unborn twins.

Ackbar�s wide amphibian mouth pulled even wider in a victorious smile. �General Madine, give order to your troops to round up all crew and hold them. Have the commanding officers shuttled here for interrogation. Lieutenant, call ground forces and inform them of the Imprimatur�s surrender!�

Oebe happily complied. �Calling all Republic forces! The Imperial vessel has surrendered! Repeat, the Imperial vessel has surrendered�!�

The Pathfinders all broke out in a rousing cheer as Oebe�s cheerful Sullastan-accented news spread through the Falcon�s speakers. The only ones not cheering were Han and Chewbacca, who were too busy navigating the ship through a storm of cannon fire from the swarm of Imperial TIEs around them �Wish someone would tell these guys that!� Han snapped under his breath. �LUKE!�

�I�m here, Han!�

�You busy up there? Cuz we could sure use your help down here!�

�On our way! Rogues, move in! Atimbora Township, point oh-three!�

�Dodonna!� Han barked into the com. �I�m going to draw these flies away from you! Get those transports to the town!�

�Affirmed, General!�

The Falcon tore ahead, looping to the west. The three Troop Transports and their A-wing escort lurched forward, the Imperial-occupied Atimbora Township just ahead and below them, surrounded by a half dozen lumbering AT-ST Scout Walkers and scores of storm troopers�

Inside the city walls, the town square had been turned into a makeshift infirmary, where several dozen wounded Orrians lay on the ground, waiting and moaning in agony for the Imperial medics to treat them. As they lay, thousands more were being forcibly escorted out of the mines and into columns along the streets, where they were to be laser-tagged as Imperial property and sent back to their homes at blaster-point.

One group, about two hundred strong, were being roughly lead by a squad of thirty troopers. In the front of the group was a large, bulky man, with sandy hair, deep-set eyes, and a long, broad nose who went by the name of Gadd Thutchen.

As they were lead out into the late Orri Prime afternoon sun, he looked back behind him, and gave a nod to an Ishi Tib, its large hammer-like head ascending over the crowd. The Ishi Tib nodded back just once, his large, opaque eyes scanning the masses and, more importantly, the troops leading them. He leaned down and whispered something to the Rodian beside him, who in turn whispered to his side�and the hushed direction went through the entire crowd.

Gadd had just been pushed to the front of his column, where a trooper stood ready for him, the laser-marker spitting and sparking red. �Lift your sleeve!� barked the trooper, raising the marker�

When a sudden blast seemed to quake the gates of the town. All heads turned over and up to see the Republic Transports looming in the distance, their A-wing escorts streaking over the town, engaging the TIE Interceptors right above their heads.

When the trooper before him snapped his helmet toward the commotion above, Gadd roared, �NOW!�

The entire crowd of prisoners suddenly burst forward, overcoming the distracted stormtroopers. From their clothing they pulled out hammers, spanners, laser-cutters, sonic rock splitters�all the tools available to them in the mines that their stormtrooper captives foolishly forgot to confiscate. One thrust a snic splitter directly into the chest of one trooper, sending a pulse of energy through him and stopping his heart. Another plunged the end of her spanner into a troopers eyeshield. White-armored limbs flew through the air as miners wielding the cutters hacked them off. Gadd lunged himself under one trooper, lifting him over his head and hurling him at five more, sending them sprawling to the earth, where they were attacked by two dozen more miners.

The violence spread through the town square like wildfire. As other stormtroopers and their officers sprang toward the rioting column, the other imprisoned miners took their cue from their brethren and immediately attacked them. It was only a matter of seconds before one miner, a human female, actually wrestled a blaster away from a fallen trooper and began firing into the squads coming at her column. As each trooper shot fell to the ground, other miners confiscated their blasters quickly, firing wildly at anything Imperial coming at them. Several others broke away toward the wounded to surround and protect them from the violence ensuing.

�General Dodonna!� cried the Transport pilot. �Look, in the square! The miners are revolting!�

Dodonna raced to the viewport to observe the Orrians overcoming their Imperial captors. He spun to the pilot. �Get over the square, now! Troops, armed and ready! We�re going in!�

As the Transport hovered over the square, its belly hatch opened and scores of Republic Pathfinders rappelled out on their cables, blasting stormtroopers even before they hit the ground. As they began to spread through the cheering, shrieking crowd, Luke Skywalker�s Rogue Squadron screamed over the mass, hurling toward the AT-ST Scout Walkers guarding the township�s gates.

�Remember, Rogues,� Luke reminded his fellow pilots, �go for the legs! Ackbar wants as many Imperials alive as we can take them!�

�Aye, Luke!�

The other two Troop Transports had already accomplished their primary objective. Having hovered short of a kilometer outside the township walls, they unloaded their squads of Pathfinder troops, who pressed forward and drew the lumbering Imperial war machines away from the town�s gates, giving the incoming Rogues a clear shot at them. Although the AT-STs� weapons had exemplary horizontal firing range, they were not designed to fire above a forty-five degree angle�and were no match for the swarm of X-wings suddenly bearing down on them. When the Rogues weren�t shooting the legs out from underneath them, they shot two-meter wide holes in the earth directly in their path, causing the Walkers to stumble and crash to the ground, as scores of Republic soldiers surrounded the fallen machines and took their Imperial pilots hostage.

�Han!� barked Luke, looping up and over one of the township walls, �what are you doing right now?�

A small explosion burst over the com, immediately followed by Han gruffing, �Oh, just knitting some baby booties�WHAD�YA THINK I�M DOING!? I�m keeping a whole squadron of Imps off your backs!�

�Well,� laughed Tycho, wrapping his thumbs around his cannon triggers, �bring �em on!�

�Right, Celchu! Coming your way!�

Luke shot his focus ahead of him, just as the Millennium Falcon came up and spiraled over a near mountain crest, immediately followed by a dozen or more Imperial Interceptors. Hitting the thrusters, his X-wing tore ahead, the Rogues closely behind and around him, as they sped toward the enemy head on�

* * *

Save for the pounding thumps of the Republic soldiers� footsteps below, the glistening corridors of the palace�s second floor were eerily quiet. Fett walked slowly through the sun-drenched hall, his Blastech cradled in the crook of his arm. Although he would turn his helm from side to side, looking for any hidden enemies, it seemed to outside eyes he was unaware that he was being watched.

As he passed under the enormous chandelier hanging in the corridor�s center, Splitter, perched high within it, grinned as he raised his blaster and waited for Fett to step right into his aim�

And Fett did, clearing the chandelier�and then spinning up and around and blasting off a direct hit into the chandelier�s bracing struts. Plaster exploded in all directions, and the chandelier fell smashing to the marble floor�but not before Splitter, with his Snivvian agilty and quick reflexes, leapt off the fixture to hurl up and over the bounty hunter and soundly land on top of his jetpack.

Fett dropped his Blastech as he tried to grab at the Snivvian. Clamping his legs around Fett�s waist, Splitter reached over his helm and grabbed its bottom edge with one hand, forcing Fett�s head back while driving the point of a vibroblade toward his throat with the other�

Fett suddenly spun a half-turn and, using all of his weight for momentum, hurled himself and the Snivvian backwards against the wall. A nauseating wheeze broke from Splitter as the jetpack cracked all of his ribs into his lungs�but Fett wasn�t done. He bashed Splitter into the wall three more times until he saw a spurt of blood spray over his shoulder. Then, in one swift move, Fett turned around, slid his arm to lodge against Splitter�s throat, snapped the serrated blade from his bracer, and drove it through Splitter�s shoulder, literally pinning the small alien to the wall. As he watched the Snivvian�s eyes roll back into his head and a new spray of blood squirt, Fett pressed his mask against his snub-nosed face and hissed, �Going for something like that, Splitter?�

Setting his eyes back into place and glaring directly into Fett�s visor, Splitter�smiled. In very broken Basic, he croaked through bloody spittle, �Nyo, Vett�suntin like DIS�� Fett felt Splitter�s hand move to his belt�

And suddenly, a slicing pain seared through Fett�s abdomen, just under the lip of his armored vest. Growling, Fett staggered back, clutching his side as he released the blade from his bracer, and looked back at the Snivvian hanging from the wall. In spite of his mortal injuries, Splitter giggled�and held up a small, laser-illuminated blade in front of his nose.

Fett ground his teeth as he glared at the weapon. With pained effort, he straightened himself up. Splitter�s laughter instantly stopped when he saw Fett raise his bracer at him. �Splitter�� he rumbled, �Now you just made me mad��

And ignited the flamethrower.

A stripe of fire shot straight out of Fett�s arm to engulf the squealing Snivvian. Splitter�s screams ricocheted off the walls and ceilings as he twisted and kicked against the wall, his clothing and skin crackling off his body, the smoke billowing through the hall�But just as swiftly as Fett had ignited the flame, he extinguished it by turning his bracer over and spraying forth flame retardant from another compartment. A spray of fine powder swallowed up the burning alien, and his charred, blackened body slumped gruesomely against the wall.

The smoking corridor whirled within his visor, and Fett slumped his knees. He drew his hand across the gash again, and glared at the profusion of blood smeared across his glove. He looked down to see the blood stain his underweave suit all the way down to his thigh. He was having trouble catching his breath, and he drooped forward, bracing himself on one hand while clutching his side with the other.

A thunderous roar bellowed through the smoke-filled hall, and Fett�s helm snapped around. At the far end, two and a half meters of charcoal-colored, one-eyed, very pissed off Wookiee careened toward the fallen bounty hunter, his turbo cannon raised over his head like a club�Fett forced himself erect, furiously grasping for Jango�s pistol�

Trodeccu�s massive furred chest exploded forward, blood and innards spewing forth in a display of gore and smoke. But Fett knit his brow under his helm. He hadn�t fired the shot. He hadn�t even gotten the pistol out of its holster.

Trodeccu�s eyes bulged and rolled, and his jaw slacked. He dropped his arms and the turbo cannon he held and fell hard forward, impaling himself on the smashed chandelier. And behind him, still holding the smoldering blaster, stood a panting, disheveled, and very dirty Dr. Him�bron.

Fett slumped back to sit on his feet. �What the hell are YOU doing here?�

Lowering the blaster, Him�bron pursed his lips. �You�re welcome,� he replied dryly. However, when the bounty hunter growled in pain and doubled over, he immediately rushed to Fett�s side. �Where�s the injury?�

�Left side, the ribs,� Fett panted.

�The ribs I just knitted. Some of my best work, too.� Him�bron placed a spread palm across the wound. �How did he get through this armor?�

�Monofilament blade, one molecule thick. Cuts through anything.� Another sharp breath when Him�bron applied pressure. �No vitals, just muscle and bone.�

Him�bron slid the medical bag off his shoulder and began rifling through it. �We won�t know that until I get you in the med center. It�s deep.�

�No. Patch me. Now. Syn-skin and stims. It�ll get me through.�

�I can�t let you go like this��

Him�bron stopped when Fett grabbed his lab coat and jerked him. �I�m going, old man, whether you like it or not, so patch� me� up.�

The old doctor sighed in frustration. �Fine. Lie back.�

Fett complied, shifting his legs and lying back on his jetpack. Him�bron pulled the sliced underweave open and, pulling a small canister from his med bag, sprayed a thin layer of synthetic skin over the twenty-centimeter gash along Fett�s ribs. Fett remained still. �What are you doing here?� he asked in a rasp.

�Some of Czethros� men came into the med center with a wounded Rodian,� Him�bron explained as he opened a bacta patch. �I told them I had to get supplies, and that they should wait in the exam room.� Sliding the patch under Fett�s undersuit, he smoothed it on. �Once I was in the lab, I pumped the room full of anesthesia through the air vents.� He heard Fett actually chuckle. �When they were out, I grabbed one of their blasters and crawled through the air vents, looking for any wounded.� He cocked an eyebrow and smirked. He pulled two syringes out of his bag.

Fett glanced down at the doctor�s work so far. �Good field dressing. And you handle a blaster well.� He glanced up. �You were military.�

The old doctor gave the bounty hunter a look from under his brow as he prepared the first syringe. �Very perceptive, Master Fett. I was a medic during the Clone Wars.� He tapped the syringe. �This is for the pain��

�It better not put me out��

�It won�t�I�ll follow it with a stim.� He sunk the needle into Fett�s skin just below the wound. Fett felt the effect immediately, as the pain dissipated throughout the torso. Him�bron picked up the second syringe, then knit his brow. �I need your arm for this.�

�Stick me in the same place.�

�Fett��

�HIT ME.�

�You�re going to be a mess later on,� Him�bron grumbled as he jabbed him with the stimulant. Fett grunted. �All right, go!�

Fett quickly yet unsteadily rose to his feet and picked his Blastech off the floor. Before leaving, he turned to Him�bron and murmured, �Thank you,� before breaking into a stiff trot down the hall and around the corner.

Him�bron smirked. �You�re welcome,� he said under his breath.

* * *

It took three solid shoves, but on the third try Czethros managed to push the heavy hidden door open. Stumbling through the wall into the corridor, he raised his hand to shield his bionic visor from the onslaught of the late afternoon sun beaming through the wall-sized windows, waiting for the microchip in his brain to adjust his retinal nerves accordingly. He shot a glance down one end of the corridor, then the other. He saw no one. Not one of his men was anywhere to be found.

He grit his teeth as his guts seized. Although the palace walls were thick, he had heard the muffled explosions and the ensuing screams of his men. And then�silence. Like the silence he was hearing now, save for the low thumps of bootsteps hitting the marble floors, accompanied by the soft clinking of armor that emanated just meters around the far corner�

Czethros broke into a sprint�as well as a cold sweat�down the opposite direction, racing around the corner and straight to the large, old-fashioned glassine doors of I�Lai�s office. Gripping the knobs, he flung the doors open, revealing a pacing and very agitated Bothan on the other side.

�Fuck, Boss!� Jober yelped as he stepped toward his superior. �What the hell is happening down there��

Czethros abruptly interrupted Jober�s tirade by shoving his furred bulk aside. He strode fiercely toward I�Lai sitting in her chair, with Kai wrapped in his baby sling around her body. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up. �You�re coming with me.�

I�Lai struggled in his grip. �I�m not going anywhere with you��

Czethros cut her off by grabbing the back of her plush hair and jerking her still... but it was his words that made her eyes widen and her blood freeze. �Majesty,� he whispered more desperately than ominously, his face pressed close to hers, �It is his will that I take you to him. Do not fight me, do not make me hurt you.�

I�Lai gawked into his bionic visor, frozen and speechless. Roughly, he pulled her by the arm toward the door. �Jober, let�s go.�

�Boss, will you tell me what the fuck is going on��

With sudden blurring speed, Czethros released I�Lai and lunged at Jober, grabbing the open neck of the Bothan�s armor and slamming him against the nearest wall. �I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR QUESTIONS!� he raged. �And your insolence is growing tiresome, mutant! You will obey me without question or argument! Follow me! NOW!� He released Jober, grabbed I�Lai, and brutally yanked her through the door.

Jober stood for a brief moment, panting and holding his throat. Slowly, his lip curled over his fangs as the rage seethed quietly through his body. �Sure, Boss, I�ll follow you�� he growled deep within his throat as he marched after them through the door�and he wrapped a furred digit around the trigger of his sidearm�

��

I�Lai�s office remained deathly silent, save for the scant, rapid heartbeat that no naked ear could possibly pick up�but emanated clearly through Fett�s audio receptors. He braced himself against the doorjamb, listening to the barely perceptible rhythm before sliding around the jamb, raising his Blastech, and quietly demanding, �Come out.�

Very slowly, the arcs of two lavender lekku poked up from under I�Lai�s desk, followed by a pair of huge, terrified violet eyes. The alien eyes became even wider when they recognized the infamous bounty hunter standing there at the door. Fett heard a slight gasp, then watched as the Czethros� forgotten Twi�leki concubine rose slowly from under the desk, her hands raised to her shoulders. In a voice that was rarely ever used anymore, the lithe alien girl breathed, �Doja Vett,� in a tone of utter respect and hero worship.

Fett felt a quiet glimmer of relief�since his raid on the slavers of a Twi�lek village on Ryloth years earlier, he had always had friends amongst the Twi�leks throughout the galaxy. Lowering his blaster just slightly, he asked, �Where did they go?�

A slow, satisfied smirk played across the Twi�lek�s mouth, and her eyes slit as she raised her hand and pointed in the direction of Czethros� escape. �Jat ray!�

With a curt yet appreciative nod of his helm, Fett tore from the room to race down the corridor. The Twi�leki girl pranced across the room, catching the doorjamb and leaning out to watch him go. But her head suddenly snapped around toward the direction of heavy footfalls and shouts coming from the Pathfinder SpecForces squad, who had just made their way to the second floor�

��

I�Lai had struggled, kicked, and pulled with all of her natural strength the entire time they had sprinted through the palace halls, but it was no use. The Bothan was far too large and strong, and had endured her attacks with little notice as he dragged her, following Czethros all the way to the entrance of the docking bay�s skywalk. She tried one last kick to the Bothan�s legs, but lost her footing and stumbled. �DAMN IT, WOMAN!� Jober barked, hoisting I�Lai back to her feet. She cried out as his claws dug into her soft underarm, and tightened her hold around her wailing baby to keep from dropping him.

Czethros, leading them, stopped his frenetic pace and spun around. �Jober! I swear, if I hear one more shriek come out of her because of you��

�You�ll what?� Jober growled as he whirled around, baring his fangs and hunkering his broad shoulders.

Czethros� own snarl instantly melted as he saw the glint of murder suddenly spark in his second�s narrowed eyes. �What did you say to me?�

�You heard me. You�ll what? Kill me?� Still clutching I�Lai by the arm, he stepped menacingly toward the Vigo. �I�ve been your attack dog for years, running your dirty little errands, burying your bodies! You think you�re just gonna get rid of me?�

�You DARE talk to me like that, you filthy mongrel!� Czethros roared, his hand going to his sidearm. �Without me, you�d be performing tricks in a sideshow on the Outer Rim! I made you! And I can erase you just as easily!�

�Erase me?� He let out a shrill, jackal-like laugh. �You need me! You needed me for this, and you still fucked it up! You can�t do anything on your own, Czethros! You couldn�t find your own ass without me, you blind crazy FUCK!�

With Czethros and Jober distracted with each other, I�Lai took the opportunity. She closed her eyes. *Boba, here! We�re here! The skywalk!*

�I�ve had enough of your sloppy seconds and hand-me-downs!� Jober growled as he encroached upon Czethros. With a jerk, he pulled I�Lai to his side, wrapping his arm around her waist. �But not anymore, Czethros. Now, I take what I want!�

�Over my dead body, Jober,� Czethros snarled quietly as he raised his pistol directly at the Bothan�s head.

Again, Jober softly cackled. �Wanna take that chance, Czethros? Because before you could even pull that trigger, I�ll already have snapped your neck in three places��

For a brief second it seemed that Czethros might have flinched, for he jerked his aim from Jober�s face to over his shoulder. Jober was about to pounce on the Vigo until he heard I�Lai scream, �BOBA, WATCH OUT!�

The Bothan spun around just in time to see Boba Fett duck as Czethros fired. The wall plaster exploded right above the bounty hunter�s helm just as Fett raised his Blastech and fired back, his shot detonating just beside Jober�s boot and searing the carpet.

�RUN!� Czethros bellowed, grabbing Jober by the shoulder and shoving him into the skywalk. �GO, GO! GET TO THE LIFT!� As Jober picked I�Lai up from the waist and started running down the skywalk, Czethros brought up the rear, firing relentlessly at the bounty hunter.

Fett continued to move toward him, his t-shaped visor focused directly at Czethros, his strides long, clean, quick and strong. But, try as he might, he couldn�t get a clear shot through Czethros at the Bothan dragging I�Lai.

Czethros fired off a flurry of shots, only to have them deflect off Fett�s armor as his step remained incessant. A sudden sense of panic gripped the Vigo, and he turned to run after Jober and I�Lai�

Until Fett raised his left bracer and triggered the duralloy whipcord cable.

The snare hissed through the air until it caught and spun around Czethros� ankle. With one hard wrench, Fett yanked the cord up and sent Czethros splaying to the floor.

He landed with a rich THUD, smashing his face into the floor. Roaring unintelligibly, Czethros tried to rise but, with every attempt, Fett violently yanked the cord again as he came closer. He lifted his head toward Jober, who had just made it to the lift at the end of the skywalk, and screamed, �Jober! Help!�

The Bothan stopped and turned, still holding I�Lai in his arm, who thrashed and kicked against him. With a slow, malicious grin, he punched the door control open and heaved himself and I�Lai inside.

�JOBER!� Czethros shrieked, pounding the floor with his fist. �GODS DAMN YOU, YOU DOUBLE-CROSSING SON OF A WHORE! JOOOOOOOBER!�

Still grinning, Jober tapped his head in a mock salute. I�Lai tried one more desperate escape, hurling herself toward the doors�

�BOBAAaaaaa��

But her cries faded to silence as the lift doors slid closed.

Fett broke into a sprint, racing toward the lift�until Czethros reached out and caught him by the ankle. Suddenly airborne, Fett crashed to the floor, landing on his bracer hard, sinking it into his injured side. A growl of agony filled his helm just as the pain exploded throughout his body. With great difficulty, he pushed himself to his hands and knees trying to get up�only to have Czethros, having scrambled back to his feet, come around and brutally kick him in his wound.

Fett roared again. The kick sent him careening onto his back, landing hard on his jetpack, sending new streaks of pain through his kidneys. Miniscule points of light swam across his doubled vision as he battled to breathe through the intense pain in his ribs. His helm lolled from side to side as he fought to raise his head and see Czethros standing over him, feet planted on each side, aiming his pistol directly at Fett�s visor. A soft, almost maniacal giggle bubbled from Czethros� throat as his bionic red eye blipped erratically across its liquid display�

��

Jober heaved I�Lai off him. She hit the lift wall, bracing Kai against the impact, then shrank into it when the Bothan leaned into her. �Which way is the docking bay?� he growled

In short, frightened pants, I�Lai whispered, �If I tell you, will you let us go?� Jober narrowed his eyes and knit his brow. �Jober, it�s over. You�ll never get out of here unless you listen to me. If I tell you how to get to your ship, will you let me and my son go?�

Jober paused for a brief moment, pondering the request�and then nodded once.

The lift came to an abrupt stop. The doors slid open into the underground transit tunnel, dimly lit by recessed lamps sunk into the ceiling of an earthen corridor that split several meters ahead of them.

I�Lai pointed. �Go to the end, and go right. Keep following the lights until you come onto a ramp and a blast door. There�s a lock panel to the left. The access code is 81-741-2692.�

Jober grinned. �Much obliged,� he rasped as he lurched out of the lift�and grabbed I�Lai�s arm and dragged her out with him.

�Wait, WAIT!� she cried, thrashing in his grip. �You said you would let us go!�

Jober grabbed her lush hair, jerking her forward and leaning into her ear. �I lied,� he growled softly before bolting down the hall, hauling her and Kai with him. Her screams pealed off the hard earthen walls�

��

�Fett,� Czethros laughed through gritted teeth as he stood straddled over the wounded, panting bounty hunter, his pistol pointed directly at his throat, �you have no idea how long I have waited for this��

Blinking hard behind his visor, mentally forcing his vision to clear, Fett tilted his helm up slightly as he croaked, �Wrong, Czethros. I have some idea.�

And pulling every shred of strength and will he had, Fett snapped his knee to his chest�and, with unrestrained force, kicked Czethros firmly in the groin.

The screech that leapt from Czethros� throat would have made any schoolgirl proud. He dropped his pistol as both hands flew to his crotch and his legs buckled beneath him. Rolling to his side, Fett pushed himself to his feet and staggered to Czethros. Grabbing Czethros by the front of his flak suit, he slammed his armored fist across his jaw, then backhanded him with equal force. Czethros flew backwards, landing hard on his back before Fett grabbed him once again, forced him to his feet, and, with enraged and impossible strength, threw him into the skywalk�s glass walls. The crash ricocheted throughout the walk as the window spidered magnificently behind Czethros� skull. He released the Vigo, letting him fall battered and dazed to his knees, before grabbing his hair and snapping his head back. Fett leaned in close as he hissed, �Where is he taking them, Czethros?�

Suddenly, Czethros began to laugh again through bloodied teeth as he answered, �To where you�ll never find them, Fett.� His laughter grew louder. �But�maybe you could still catch them, hmm? Or you can stay here and kill me? Your choice, Fett? Me or your woman?� Czethros� laughter erupted into uncontrolled guffaws.

Fett stood frozen for a moment, still clutching Czethros by the hair, until�he started to laugh quietly. Czethros� laughter slowly subsided as Fett�s low, grating chuckles crackled through his vocoder. �Who says,� Fett breathed with a calm that froze Czethros to his core, �that I can�t have both�?�

And in one swift, even, and lethally precise move, Fett grabbed Czethros� visor, clawed his fingers over the rim, and mercilessly ripped it off and out of Czethros� eyes.

The scream that permeated the skywalk was brutal, shrill, and inhuman. It recoiled against the walls and ricocheted throughout the adjoining corridors until its blood-chilling resonance made it to the ears of General Reeikan and his fellow Pathfinders, who were standing outside of I�Lai�s office, questioning the frightened Twi�leki girl.

�General, did you hear that?�

�How could I not! Troops, move out!�

But the Pathfinders were not the only ones who heard Czethros� shrieks�

With the bionic visor in hand, Fett stood up. He watched Czethros grab at the naked, sunken orifices in his face, coldly observed the blood leak from them, watched Czethros twist, flail, and writhe on the floor. His screams were relentless, the only pauses being an intermittent, ragged breath. �That should keep you put for a while,� Fett panted as he stumbled over to his fallen Blastech, picked it up, and shot through the broken skywalk window. As shattered shards of glass fell over the thrashing, screaming Vigo on the floor, Fett ignited his jet pack and flew out.

He steered himself mid-air and headed toward the palace docking bay just a half-kilometer from him. As he flew over a grove of smoldering trees, Fett cocked his arm and tossed Czethros� visor into the burning woods.

Doubled over and cradling his bloody cavities, Czethros� screams had petered into nothing more than whimpering keening. He reached out and patted the floor with one hand, trying desperately to find his visor, but yelped when he slashed his palm across a sizable shard of glass�

And yelped again when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

�Who�who�s there! Who is it?�

�Ssshhh,� came the voice in his ear. He felt a hand take his wrist and guide it around a thin set of shoulders. The voice spoke again. �Be quiet, and come with me.�

Despite his excrutiating pain, Czethros furrowed his brow as he was hoisted to his feet. Reaching up, he touched his rescuer�s face. �Old woman? Is that you? How did you get here?�

�Never mind that!� Nikoa�s head snapped over her shoulder as she heard the heavy steps of the Pathfinders approaching. �Lean on me! Hurry!�

Wrapping her arm around his waist, she half-led, half-carried him to the lift, where she hit the control panel. As the doors slid open she heaved him inside, and the doors closed just as the Republic troops had turned the corner of the skywalk�

The lift descended to a halt. As the doors slid open, Nikoa assisted Czethros through the short corridor and turned left.

�Is�� Czethros panted, trying to keep his legs under him, �Is this the way to my ship?�

�No. It�s the way to his.�

They ascended a narrow earthen staircase, and Czethros could hear Nikoa tapping controls. He heard the screech of metal against metal and, although he could not see it, he felt the warmth of the Orri Prime sun hit his face. Nikoa hurriedly assisted him again, moving out the door, and he felt and heard the soft crunch of grass under his feet as they came closer to the Sith Infiltrator docked in the middle of the field.

Nikoa led Czethros just as far as the end of the boarding ramp. �Get in, and rest.�

Czethros grappled for the ramp railing, stepping onto the ramp. �How the hell do you expect me to pilot this?�

�You won�t have to. When you enter the hold, go straight ahead. You�ll find a stasis bed. Get in it and lie down.�

�Stasis bed?� Czethros rasped, panting heavily and shaking his head. �Where the hell am I going that I need a stasis bed?�

�Your questions are growing tedious, Czethros!� Nikoa snapped, gripping his jaw. Suddenly, she grasped his hand, laying the palm on her cheek. �Now, hit me.�

�Wh-what?�

�With your fist, as hard as you can. Knock me out.�

�I-I don�t understand��

�Czethros,� Nikoa whispered irritably, as though she was admonishing a child, �If I am caught helping you, then everything promised you will be forfeit. You will also be captured, and undoubtedly executed. If I am to continue my Master�s work here, it must look as though you took me hostage. Now HIT ME.�

Conceding, Czethros placed one hand on Nikoa�s shoulder to steady his blow, drew his other back, and slammed his fist directly into Nikoa�s temple. Because of his currently injuries and loss of blood, his blow was weaker than usual, but enough to send Nikoa spinning around and falling to the ground, unconscious.

The effort caused his head to spin, and he fell back slightly, catching himself on the rail of the ramp before pulling himself up and hobbling into the Infiltrator. Before he had even taken his first step inside, the ramp began to ascend, tossing him into the hold, and its engines sparked a demonic red as it lifted off the ground and shot into the sky.

��

I�Lai�s legs shook and bent beneath her, and her forearm had been rubbed raw by the Bothan�s vice-like grip. A sharp pain shot from her neck all the way down her left leg, as carrying the weight of Kai in his sling around her neck and shoulders had, undoubtedly, pinched a nerve. She tried to stop, just for a moment, to catch her breath, but the Bothan would have none of it. He cruelly grabbed her by the back of her neck and shoved her up the open ramp of the Dama Fortuna. As she stumbled up the ramp, Jober came up beside her and grabbed her arm again, brutally pulling her up and into the Dama�s hold.

�Take the brat up to the bridge and put him somewhere,� Jober growled as he began peeling off his armor.

She obeyed, climbing the spiral staircase in the middle of the hold. When she reached the top, she stared blankly at the bridge, her breaths short and erratic. She looked down at Kai, who simply stared back at her, perfectly content, as though he had just woken from a nap. She furrowed her brow as she felt a strange, almost ominous glimmer of the Force emanate from the baby boy, as if he knew something she didn�t at that moment�

Gently stroking his head, she moved toward the large leather captain�s seat. Bending over the seat, she gingerly pulled the sling up and over her head as she laid him down to rest. She tucked the sling around him, attempting to coo and soothe him, even as her own heart beat wildly in her breast. �A weapon,� she whispered, �that�s what I need, a weapon��

+You are a weapon.+

She bit her lip and twisted her face into an anguished grimace as the voice flowed through her head�

+Kill the Bothan.+

*No.*

+He is useless to us. Kill him.+

*No, NO! I won�t, I won�t kill.*

+Yes, beloved�you will. You�ll have no choice.+

�NO!� She rose swiftly and turned�but found Jober looming behind her instead, bare-chested, his pelt rippling wildly over his frame, lips curled over his fangs, a thin thread of saliva dropping from a tooth.

Her heart beat even faster, and her lip quivered. She started to back away. �Wh�what do you want?�

�I think,� Jober purred coarsely, mirroring every step she took back, �I�ve made it very clear what I want, Pretty.�

Her eyes scanned the bridge wildly as she urgently sought some way to escape. �Don�t you want to get away?�

He chuckled dimly, low in his throat. �Didn�t see no one chasing us, did you, Pretty? I say we got some time��

�No�please, Jober, you don�t want to do this�� I�Lai panted breathlessly as she realized she was about to be backed onto the console. �NO!� She tried to dash past him, but it was no use. Jober caught her around the waist, hoisted her off the floor, and slammed her back against the pilot�s console. All of her breath rushed out of her lungs, the hard buttons and switched digging into her back as he threw himself on her, pinning her with his entire weight. She tried to scream, tried to claw at his face and kick at his legs, but he ignored her attacks, too obsessed by his dark, ancient, deep-seeded animal lust. With both paws, he grabbed the neckline of her tunic and shredded it off her body all the way to her waist, then ripped the straps of her undergarment. She felt his teeth graze her neck�and then, driven wild by her scent, Jober sank his fangs into her shoulder.

I�Lai screamed again, thrashing as hard as she could, sobbing, begging him to stop. He answered her screams by roughly kneading her exposed breasts with one paw while he slid his other paw between their bodies and began ripping at her waistband of her trousers�

Suddenly, Kai began to cry. At first, his squeals were the short, erratic, hiccuppy type of cry all human babies do�but then, he got louder. And louder. His cries became a horrible keening, long, forceful, and deafening. They reverbed off the very bulkhead, and began to shake the looser components and equipment on the bridge. I�Lai could literally feel the force of the sound compress against her ears.

And, obviously, so could Jober. He pushed himself off I�Lai, his paws flying to his highly sensitive Bothan ears, and doubled over. �Shut up!� he shrieked, wincing and writhing. He whirled around, and screamed directly at the baby. �Shut the fuck up! SHUT UP!� He began lurching toward Kai�

I�Lai stared after the Bothan, slowly sliding off the console back to her feet. Her terror quickly boiled to rage, hatred as she watched Jober lumber menacingly toward her infant son. The dark fire began to smolder again, starting in her chest�

+That�s it, Archae�el�+

Spreading through her back, her limbs, her soul�

+Unleash�+

Her jaw set as she bared her teeth�

+NOW.+

Jober stood over Kai, raising a fist to smash down on the boy�when he suddenly shot into the air. He hovered there, weightless and helpless and unable to breath, as though he were hanging by a noose. He was abruptly spun around to face I�Lai, who stood just meters from him, her hand raised before her, her fingers gnarling into a fist, and he felt his throat constrict even tighter. With her teeth clenched and her eyes slit, I�Lai brought her hand to the side and heaved it forward�and Jober was thrown across the bridge against the bulkhead, where he stuck.

He felt his sternum crack, as if a compacter was crushing him. He opened his eyes to see I�Lai, bare-breasted, the tatters of her tunic hanging off her, blood trickling over one breast from the tooth wounds in her shoulder, slowly stalk toward him. It seemed a gale was blowing through the bridge, because her hair whipped up around her shoulders and head, but he could feel no wind. And then�he watched as her black hair blanched, from root to end, into an iridescent white. Her skin faded, leeching into a pearlescent ash. All color seeped from her eyes, morphing from teal to white-hot silver and, all around her, sparks and streaks of red energy crackled, bouncing and striking against the bulkhead of the bridge, and Jober could swear she actually grew taller before him�

With one final breath, Jober, his eyes bulging from his head, gasped, �What the FUCK are you???�

A slow, serene smile crept over I�Lai�s lip. �I am,� she murmured, almost tenderly as she raised her hands in front of her, ��your mother.�

And then she unleashed hell.

Thick, blinding pillars of red lightning exploded from her fingers to swallow up the dying Bothan. The energy sank into his armor, his body, and as the crimson streaks passed through him, frying his innards, they shot out again through every orifice, his mouth, his nostrils, the pads of his paws. He thrashed and screamed, the stench of burning hair and flesh filling the bridge. His armor, melting, beaded into his fur, his pelt peeled from his skin, his skin from his bones, as he was roasted from the inside out�

��

Luke banked his X-wing hard to port, just before the TIE Interceptor�s wing he blew off crashed through his viewshield. A small smile of victory started to pull his mouth, but suddenly stopped�

�I�Lai�?� he whispered hoarsely. His eyes glazed, and a horrible, ill feeling grabbed his chest as the menacing disturbance in the Force broke over him like a tidal wave�

��

Leia suddenly gasped and stumbled back against the holo-cartographic table in the center of the Defiance�s bridge, her eyes widening, her hand pressing against her stomach. Although the rest of the bridge�s crew were busy coordinating the final stages of the Imprimatur�s surrender and the ground battle, Leia�s sudden spell did not escape Winter�s notice.

She rushed to her long-time friend, bracing her arm around Leia�s shoulders. �Leia, what is it? Is it the babies?� she asked quietly yet anxiously.

�No�no Winter, it�s�� Quite suddenly, Leia started to cry softly. �Oh Winter� I can feel it�something terrible has happened��

��

As he just breached the docking bay�s perimeter wall, Fett flexed his shoulders just slightly, shutting the jet-pack off. He landed too hard on his feet, sending him over to his knees. The impact jarred his wound, shooting new pain through his torso. He grunted sharply, doubling over, then reached into a slim pocket just under his thigh guard. He pulled out a small syringe of stims, flicked the cap off with his thumb, and stabbed it into his wound. He forced the howl of pain back into his throat, just as he forced the vomit coming up his esophagus back into his gullet�

But suddenly�he stopped. A strange, horrific feeling came over him. Slowly, he raised his visor toward the lone ship in the bay, Czethros� ship, the Dama Fortuna. She was in there. She and Kai both. And something was�very wrong�

He staggered to his feet, Blastech tucked into his arm, and lurched toward the open ramp�why was the ramp open�toward the light wisp of smoke floating out of the hatch�Blastech raised, he cautiously stepped up the ramp and into the hold�

The smoke was thicker, and the smell was rancid. The smell of burnt hair and flesh. Fett activated the infrared, scanning the hold. It was still, deathly quiet. Moving quickly and silently, he hugged the bulkhead, scanning around every corner�

When Kai�s sudden cries wailed from above him, up the spiral staircase to the bridge. Fett tore into a sprint, hauling himself up the stairs, into the bridge�and stopped in the doorway when he saw Kai lying on the seat of the captain�s chair, kicking and bawling hysterically.

He rushed to the baby boy, falling on his knees and, as gently as he could, gathered him into his arms. �Kai,� he breathed, holding the baby close to his armored chest and blinking back the utterly unfamiliar moisture forming in his eyes. �Ssshh, it�s all right, it�s Papa�Papa�s here��

It was only then he discovered the source of the smoke and smell. Slowly, he turned his helm to his right toward the smoldering heap of flesh, fur, and bones against the wall. He rose to his feet and walked toward it�and only when he saw a small, unsinged patch of sable brown fur did he recognize the pile as the Jober, Czethros� Bothan second in command.

�I�Lai,� he whispered at first, followed by a shout. �I�LAI!� He spun, his eyes furiously scanning the bridge�

And landing on a suede booted foot sticking out from under the ship�s helm.

With Kai in his arms, he raced to the helm and fell on his knees. I�Lai had crawled under the helm. Her arms were crossed over her bare breasts, her knees tucked up against her chin. Her eyes were bulged, glassy, and catatonic. She didn�t look up, she didn�t acknowledge him�she did nothing but stare at the floor, and rock back and forth, and shake violently.

Fett could see that her tunic had been ripped from her body, and saw the bite wounds on her shoulder, the dried blood flaked on her skin, as well as the bruises on her face and arms. But the most troubling thing was her hair�an iridescent streak of white exploded from the front of her raven black hair.

As softly as he could, he reached for her. �I�Lai?� He touched her face. �It�s me, it�s Boba�I�Lai, look at me�please�� Very slowly, her eyes crept from the floor, up to his mask. Her lip quivered, and she began to shake even more. �Come out, you�re safe now. I�m here�I have Kai�� He slid his gloved hand up her arm to take her hand. He pulled her out from under the console and helped her to her feet. �I�Lai, take the baby�there he is, hold him�� He slid Kai into I�Lai�s arms. She took him, but registered no reaction whatsoever, just continued to stare, unblinking.

His arm wrapped around her waist, he helped her down the staircase but, once they had reached the landing, she collapsed against him, her eyes rolling back into her head, her trembling becoming full-blown convulsions.

Ignoring his own wound, he caught her and lifted both her and Kai in his arms. He felt as though someone had just reached into his chest and crushed his heart. His breathing became fast, erratic as adrenaline burst through his frame�and, for the first time in his life, Boba Fett knew what it was to be afraid�

Just as he heard the roar of the Gilardi as it approached, and the hard boot steps of the Pathfinders coming up the underground ramp to the entrance, he ran out the hatch and down the ramp, shouting in a panicked roar, �Medic! MEDIC! MEDIC�!�
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The Fett Dynasty II: Siege of Orri Prime