Sorry about the mess....

Inquirer

"Shit!" the patron (a human) curses. "They spiked the liquor in this place with something and I’m NOT coming back after THIS if they do THAT to paying customers, d*mnit!"

I hear that last comment before I depart with the others, leaving Chewie and Han to their own device in getting to their own ship. Hopefully we can actually regroup and get the blazed out of here in a few minutes withHan and his friend. Don't fancy the idea of having to mount some sort of rescue attempt if those two should get captured or detained (at best) from roving headhunters or Stormtroopers. IF trouble should come our way I hope it would be that kind. Do not fancy having to attempt to get the Falcon to our destination by our lonesome in case Han and Chewie get killed by either Stormtroopers and headhunting bounty hunters...

But not only would it be better to split up, lessoning the chances of ALL of us getting captured (the invisibility spell won't last forever here), it would almost insulting to the smugglers if I and the others "mother hen" them. They'd lasted this long without my and my friends help, and I . . . hope they can last a bit longer at least for US now.

Best we part ways now for the moment.

. . .

I do hope that nobody notices all these tracks in the sands out here being formed by invisible feet. Oh, not exactly LIKELY, given that it's still VERY much night time here, but . . .you never know with the run of luck that got us stuck here in the first place.

. . .

Well, so far so good . . .nobody's looking for us. At least not a very coordinated search with all the bells and whistles! This is good, just the kind of thing I'd hoped for when we'd had to do a quick invisibility spell! Wouldn't do to have the Stormtroopers try dragging out whatever sensor equipment to start tracking us non-visible types right now . . . the spell isn't the best in our arsenal so we'd gotten lucky there...

That is of course (the non-visibility part) does not last. The spell was never meant to last long (amazed it lasted THIS long). Such said, I cannot say I'm surprised that we suddenly snap back into view. Well, that now means we hustle it along in the more traditional manner.

And so we ARE doing that, but . . . some slower than others.

Sigh, do wish that when Anakin made C3-PO he'd not skimped on the mobility factor! At least we'd been smart enough to stick to the alleyways and whatnot and deep shadows. Even in the dim light of the moon, in the dark of night, we need all the help we can get after that close call in the cantina back there.

"How did you do that?" Ben Kenobi asks, staring at our group.

Yeah, what we managed back there does rather trump the little "These are not the droids you are looking for." mindtrick his movie counterpart managed with that weak minded Stormtrooper. Bet you good money that it might even trump some of the stuff that Master Yoda managed . . . but I'll not go and bet the farm on that.

Little guy's past is still something of an unknown quantity. . . . and I'll not discount what an actual Jedi MASTER can accomplish.

"When we studied . . . certain things we share in common our . . . profession took a different track than the Jedi a LONG time ago," I concede.

That's putting it mildly. The mages of Terra Prime approach this more like a science (for want of a better term) than anything else (for the most part, have a few "die hards" out there who approach it from an "artistic" point of view . . . but their a vanishing breed).

"Sometime in the future when and IF we can we could discuss the commonalities and differences," I go on. "Maybe in transit on the Falcon but for now . . . just trust us it was . . . an involved process."

"Yes . . . the use of the Force for Jedi can be . . . 'involved' as well," Kenobi concedes. "Yes, I think that . . . perhaps some kind of discussion--when we are at an appropriately safer local--would be . . . enlightening."

"Excuse me, could we discuss this shit later?" Elrondir, my brother, hisses softly in frustration. "This isn't time for '20 Questions', you know!"

Too true, that!

Hm, it occurs to me that maybe in ALL of this mess we might have done we'd managed to actually save a life here: Greedo's. Originally, he'd gotten shot for his troubles in weighlaying Solo.

Looks like Han didn't shoot first this time around. Didn't shoot at all, really . . .unless of course Greedo is stupid enough to try to ambush Solo AND Chewie together?

. . .

Even HE couldn't be that stupid, right?

Moments later . . .

Docking Bay 94

"Where are they?" Han mutters, nervously scanning the way they'd just came.

It had been hairy in few spots for him and Chewbacca, there. If his benefactors should get themselves captured or killed . . . he's up the creek without a paddle, as the old Earth saying goes. Not to say that Han's ever HEARD that phrase, much less of a place called "Earth"...

Jabba must have been more angry with me than I figured on, the smuggler sighs to himself.

Why else would creeps like Greedo (who'll not be a problem for ol' Han and Chewie any more) out and about? It can't be the strangers because...

Well, maybe it could but Greedo had pretty much stated he'd been after Han back at that ONE corner...

"I have a bad feeling about . . . ," Han mutters yet again, only to stop short in surprised bemusement when . . .after a MIGHTY roar of some large beast outside the hanger doorway . . .

"YAAAAAH!!" a armor clad figures screams as he flies through the air, cut short as he comes to a violent stop against the Falcon's hull!

"Boba Fett," Chewbacca rumbles softly, recognizing armor clad man now sprawled out and unconscious at their very FEET!

"Sorry about the mess," a large rumbling voice says behind them.

Looking back, the smugglers freeze in their tracks like birds caught before the gaze of a serpent. Natural thing to do when one gets caught up in the lock of Dragon Fear (a magical feature all dragons of Wyrm status have), you know. Even veterans of so many struggles like Han and Chewie, being they've never faced off against a REAL dragon before...

The Fear drops away as Sigin morphs back into his human seeming. He seems to be smiling at something he'd just said (as if it was more amusing than it should have been).

Anyone who'd seen the movie Star Wars: A New Hope might understand why, but that's not important right now!

"We had an annoying encounter of the first kind," Sigin smirks, gesturing to the unconscious bounty hunter. "When someone like that is in the neighborhood it cannot bode well for people with prices on their head, you know!"

"Uh . . . thanks?" Han manages, blankly.

He exchanges a dismayed look with Chewbacca, who's looking back at him with the same expression. All the while their passengers board the awaiting spaceship.

Oh, but this could prove to be an INTERESTING little job, Han thinks to himself somewhat in dismay, but dare he back out of it now? Not really . . .

Just HOW big of reward does Han have on his head now if Fett is now in the picture and just WHAT are these people, really?

Aliens morphing into other shapes wasn't unheard of, but Sigin's display was well beyond even what HE was familiar with by FAR!! That might have been enough for Han and Chewie to consider backing out . . . but the other question stops such thoughts cold.

He'd better get this money he'd earn to Hutt and quick! Boba Fett was a TOP notch bounty hunter who goes after LARGE bounties. Large bounties that Han had THOUGHT he'd not been, but now?

"We are in SO much trouble," he mutters, shaking his head as he hurries in.

Smart money would have been to just KILL Fett where he lay, but . . . that was just too . . .cold blooded for Han Solo, alas. Cursing himself a fool, he head in and HOPES to gods and goddesses he doesn't believe in that he'll not live to regret this!

As it was . . . Han and the others had made a slight mistake. Fett HAD been on the hunt for a big bounty, but NOT Han Solo. It was some other poor SOB in his ship, nearby who Fett had been on the way to . . . collect when he had the unfortunate run in with Sigin and friends. Fett hadn't even said "boo" and suddenly here goes Sigin and the others jumping to conclusions.

Groaning, he staggers to his knees and watches as the Falcon roars away.

"What the #$%@ was that?" he whispers to himself.

Maybe . . . he'd look into that bounty on Solo after all. He'd recognized the ship and . . . somehow it seemed that that smuggler was involved in that THING that he'd encountered, maybe. A bit of revenge was so unprofessional but . . . feelings had been hurt now, we shall say.

First, though, he had a job to finish up here...

Elrondir

"Hey, look at this," I chuckle, holding up the tricorder to show Kenobi and the rest of the gang.

"Great . . . he looks just like his father," Ben mutters, staring at the image of Boba Fett's face (courtesy of the tricorder being able, though a bit of MY skills) having stripped away and looked through to the inside of that shell he wears.

1. A little bit of bragging rights at the Star Wars bulletin board may be in order once we get back home, me thinks!

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree