SHADOW BOUNTY
by: Jeremy Shelton

Disclaimer: This story is not an attempt to plagiarize George Lucas or LucasArts Inc. All characters, events and technologies are the soul intellectual properties of LucasArts Inc. I am not receiving any monetary compensation for this story.

CHAPTER 2

In orbit above Corrusant onboard the Super Star Destroyer Executer; Darth Vader meditated over his master’s decision to hire the bounty hunter Bobba Fett to track down the Jedi master Yoda. Such an important task was surely the duty of Vader himself. Inside his isolated metabolic chamber Vader’s thoughts raced. “Has my master’s faith in me waned?” he wondered. Did the Emperor truly believe that a bounty hunter was more capable than a dark lord of the Sith. Vader’s intuition told him this could not be true. Vader’s belief in his master was resolute. His master never thinks in the here and now, he always thinks ahead. This must be a part of a much larger plan.

Vader reached out with the force. His senses in perfect tune with the energy around him, he searched for his master. From the capitol planet below among all the life there Vader was able to sense his master. The Emperor could easily be felt through the force if he so wished. At times he could completely isolate his life force rendering him undetectable to his apprentice. But, today the Emperor let his presence be known to Vader. It was reassuring to Vader to know his Master was allowing him to detect him through the force.

The Emperor’s voice filled Darth Vader’s head “Let your mind rest Lord Vader. Do not doubt my intentions my apprentice. Your reliance must be strong. We must deal with the charge at hand. This rebellion will fail just as the Republic did. Purge your thoughts of Skywalker. Without Yoda’s help he will not learn the ways of the Jedi. This is our course of action. For now.”
“ Yes my Master.” Vader replied.

Vader felt at ease. His Master’s reassurance helped to still his thoughts. But, even with his Master’s assertion Vader still did not trust the Mandalorian. The comm. link inside his isolation chamber alerted him that he was wanted by the one of the ships officers. With his respirator in place he gestured with the force to open his chamber. 

“ Lieutenant Needa, what excuse do you have for disturbing me?” Vader inquired.
“Lord Vader, a ship has hailed us. The pilot has sent a message but it is written in a script we are not familiar with. Should we scan it through the idiom directive?” Needa replied.
“I am fully aware of this approaching ship Lieutenant Needa. Have the message sent to my classified comm. system.”
The captain answered “ Yes Lord Vader.”
“And Lieutenant, do not interrupt me again. Your insolence tries my patience.” Vader said.

Lieutenant Needa hurriedly exited the chamber. As he walked down the corridor he had to wonder what he ever did to deserve this assignment. The Executor class destroyers were the pride of the Imperial fleet and he was proud of his new assignment. Until he learned that this ship was the personal flagship of Darth Vader himself. 
“This duty will be the death of me.” He muttered to himself.

Vader read the onscreen message from the small craft. The message was written in Mandalorian text. The message simply read.
“Target acquired.”
Behind his respirator Darth Vader allowed a smile to come to his scarred face.

Bobba Fett had eluded his howlrunners on many occasions. They were predictable. The runners always stayed together as a pack and would attempt to ambush him full force. This tactic had failed them every time. Bobba was pleased to see they had adapted their technique. The first two had evidently followed his ship until it landed and then attacked. One of them had even attacked him from a tree branch. That was surprising considering their home planet was a desert planet. Howlrunners were not well noted for their climbing ability. The second runner had waited for the right moment to attack when Bobba was at his most vulnerable. The two had chased him to his bunker were the other three had been waiting for him. They had learned from the last encounters that this was his destination. The holwrunners were adapting better than he could have hoped for.

But now was not the time for admiration. Bobba Fett had quite a task at hand. Three of his runners were pacing in front of the main entrance to the bunker. The other two were closing in behind him. The first runner to break from behind him was the one he had shot with his sidearm blaster. The runner’s face was scorched and it seems that it was even more ferocious than before. It charged Bobba head on. Fett fired his containment net at the runner. Its feet became entangled in the webbing and it fell to the ground. The second runner leapt over his fallen pack mate and roared as it charged at Bobba. Fett stood stoically and faced the runner head on. The howlrunner was in mid air as it lunged at Bobba. Fett let himself fall backwards as the beast landed on top of him. Bobba kicked hard at the runner’s abdomen with both feet. This attack had been used hundreds of times by Bobba and many other beings caught in a fight. But Bobba Fett had his own variation of it. The force of the kick sent the runner flying over Bobba’s head. Bobba grabbed the animal’s front legs, letting the runner’s momentum carry him over with it. The howlrunner landed on it’s back with Bobba’s feet landing solidly on it’s underbelly. Bobba felt all the air being pushed out of the runner’s lungs.

Bobba turned just in time to see another howlrunner charging from his left side. The animal hit Bobba full force and knocked him onto his side. Bobba extended the blades from his right gauntlet and sliced along the belly of the beast. It was a superficial wound that he would probably heal from. The animal lay on the ground screeching in pain. 

This infuriated the other three. They abandoned their post and charged at Bobba Fett. Bobba used his jet pack to lift him above the attacking runners. He watched as they passed beneath him. He entered a sequence of commands on his wrist comm. The hidden entrance to his lair slid open. Bobba landed just in front of the door and stepped inside. The door was on an automated timer that prevented it from being open longer than two full seconds. The door slammed shut in time enough for Bobba to hear the howlrunners slam against the outside of it.

Bobba did not bother to check his lair for intruders. There were no alarms or traps to speak of. The only defense his stronghold was equipped with was the five howlrunners outside, and a deadly toxin that was released inside. When Bobba inherited Slave I he had found the records onboard the ship contained many valuable resources. One such resource was an extensive file on rare poisons. One such poison was a plant that could only be found on the destroyed planet of Alderan. The plant was called the rhythmus flowering shrub, a highly toxic bush that was all but eradicated on Alderan due to its deadly air born toxin. Bobba had found one in the wild before the planets destruction. He had spent the last eight years of his life developing immunity to the toxin. Since the planet no longer existed Bobba had the only remaining specimen in the known galaxy. There was also a small canister onboard the Slave I.

Bobba Fett ran diagnostics on his personal equipment. He had all the necessary parts and equipment to repair and maintain his trade tools. He had witnessed many beings skilled in combat fall. Betrayed by their faulty gear. Bobba Fett had no intention of matching their fate.

The Slave I by most standards was in perfect operational condition, but Bobba knew his vessel very well. Some of the system components onboard had not been running at full potential. Bobba had no intention of embarking on this next job without having every tool at his disposal in perfect condition. Bobba located the proper implements for Slave I. For this bounty Bobba was not willing to take any chance. He anticipated needing additional armaments. His extensive collection of weaponry was most impressive. Bobba chose his extra weaponry well. Each weapon complimented the others. Combined with Bobba Fett’s uncanny skills the weapons performed almost as one.

Bobba loaded the parts for Slave I into leather packs and slung them over his shoulder. With the combined weight of the parts and his additional weaponry he easily carried an extra two hundred pounds of weight. This would be an excellent exercise. It was almost four kilometers back to were he had landed the Slave I and he could still hear the five Howlrunners outside the door. With one final breath Bobba entered the command to open the door. Bobba’s legs exploded his body out the door at full speed just as two of the runners turned to see him coming. The cartilage on their faces gave the look of bare skull. They were a sinister looking bread of animal that struck fear into all that gazed upon them. But, Bobba smiled inwardly as he charged headlong into the fray.

Hidden among the asteroid ring surrounding Kedar 5 a lone ship sat secreted in the shadows. All power systems were down. The loan being within breathed slowly through the sealed suit and watched as the Slave I left the unknown planets atmosphere. Once Slave I was beyond the planet’s gravity well it made the jump into hyperspace. The hidden ship powered up its systems and the pilot entered the coordinates into the navicomputer. The ship slowly left the asteroid field. The sub light engines glowed a bright blue against the darkness of space as the pilot onboard made the jump into hyperspace.



“Concentrate Bobba.” Jango said to his son. 
“You know the blaster will recoil. Don’t anticipate it. Concentrate on the shot. Your target is all that is important Bobba.” He instructed.
Bobba and his father spent a lot of time working on Bobba’s marksmanship. There time together out here was precious to both Bobba and his father. Jango took great pride in his son’s abilities. He was smart and deadly accurate with most forms of weaponry. He was not even ten yet but he was already far ahead of what he was at that age.

Bobba stared down the sight of the long-range sniper blaster. He had shot this weapon before but never at such a range. The shot was slightly up hill and he was prone on the ground behind cover. His father lay on the ground beside him. Bobba listened to his father’s instructions. His voice was flat and stern but held no malice. Bobba gazed beyond his target to the spot he has designated to compensate for the downward descent of the shot. Even a blaster shot would hit short of its mark at this distance if you did not adjust for the range. Bobba took all this into account as he made his final decision to fire. At the exact moment he was about to release the shot Jango moved his arm slightly. This caught Bobba’s attention and caused him to pull to the left. His shot went wide and did not ignite the targets indicator.

Bobba looked at his father with disappointment in his eyes. Jango gazed upon his son with a small degree of pride. His son had missed the target but he noticed Jango’s movement. As focused as he was on his target he was still acutely aware of his surroundings. This was a skill that could not be taught. It was born into the genetic code.
“Bobba, always be conscious of what is around you but, do not let it prevent you from accomplishing your job. In combat or in the best of situations you will be presented with many obstacles. The ones who overcome the obstacles succeed, the ones who don’t die. Never forget that Bobba.” His father said as he helped Bobba re pack the sniper blaster.

The early lessons that Jango had taught him had served him well through the years. It was not in Bobba Fett’s nature to fell regret or remorse. In his line of work that was a weakness. But, at times like this when he reached back into his memories farthest recesses he could not help but regret not having more time with Jango. If he had survived the battle with Mace Windu on Geonosis then together they would have owned the bounty hunting trade. Bobba had done well enough without his mentor all these years but the thought of having him here was agreeable.

The elongated light gave way to a familiar star field as Slave I reverted from hyperspace. Bobba was in wild space. He checked his instruments and made an adjustment to his ships identification signature. He aimed the Slave I towards a dense asteroid field that had no formal name except to those who frequented this area it was known as Kotor. Wealthy investors had once attempted to mine this field back during the days of the Old Republic but had found the field to be mostly worthless chunks of ore. But there was one asteroid in that field that was excessively rich with valuable commodities and that was Bobba’s destination.

Braise Kyoto served as an advisor to the military brigade on Alderaan as well as serving as a personal bodyguard to the house of Organa. He was a brilliant weapons designer and an accomplished combatant. When the Royal Houses of Alderaan agreed to demilitarize the planet Braise had objected adamantly. They felt that by eliminating there military the Empire would not view them as any kind of threat. And, if they had no armed services then there people might not be called on to serve in the Imperial Military. Braise felt this was obtuse thinking that would only lead to the planets demise. A planet that could not defend itself was viewed to be subservient and week. Braise felt strongly that this was how the Empire would view the people of Alderaan. Upon the completion of Alderaan’s demilitarization Braise enlisted twelve like-minded soldiers formerly in the Brigades service and left Alderaan. They had traveled to many systems in search of a sanctuary in which to establish themselves. After finding a remote asteroid field that held no interest to anyone they set up shop within one of the larger asteroids and started making weapons that of which had never been seen before. It took several years to gain a clientele but it was well worth it. They now dealt with the most lucrative and best paying patrons of the bounty hunters, assassins and mercenaries. Braise left his name behind on Alderaan and went for a long time without one until a high-ranking War Chief in the Black Sun Syndicate gave him a new moniker. At first Braise resented the name but soon he came to appreciate it. And that is was Bobba Fett’s reason for being in the middle of the Kotor asteroid field. Buried deep within this field of floating ore was a man known only as the Death Dealer.

“Hey, did you pick up the thermal dissipaters for the 3-cg’s while you were on Tatooine?” he shouted over the mayhem in the heavy equipment shop. His turbo laser specialist Garn had just returned from Jabba’s palace on Tatooine the day before and the Dealer was checking his inventory.
“Yeah I got everything we ordered.” Garn shouted back.
“Then tell me where the blazes you stashed them.” He said.
“They are in the bin with the S.T.S.’s.”
“Why would you put them there?” The Dealer asked.
Garn had known the Dealer since they were both guards in the House of Organa. He was one of the Dealers closest friends.
“So I wouldn’t forget where I put them.” Garn answered as he laughed to himself.
“That makes perfect sense now doesn’t it.” The Dealer shook his head as he went to the parts bin to look for the dissipaters.

As he was reaching into the bin his comm. unit began to signal the approach of a ship that was all too familiar to him. The Death Dealer had augmented his body with cybernetic advancements over time. He was still more human than machine but years of military duty and the line of work he was in led him to make necessary changes through the years. But, he looked totally normal. He was taller than most humans and built extremely powerful but none of his body modifications were visible. He had a built in onboard comm. unit that was attuned to a designated ship beacon for each of his customers. He immediately recognized the signal from the Slave I.





Bobba maneuvered the ship through the asteroid field on his approach. The asteroids around him were scared from eons of drifting through space. Some of the scars were from other asteroids and others from not so capable pilots attempting to navigate the treacherous maze. Bobba had came through this field on many occasions but the tumbling asteroids never stayed the same there for the path was never set. Bobba delighted in this test of his abilities as a pilot. With maybe the exception of Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon, Bobba Fett and Slave I were the quite possibly the best paring of a pilot and a ship. Bobba inched the controls port and starboard, fore and aft, increasing forward thrust decreasing velocity all with barley a conscious thought as to what he was doing or why. He and his ship melded together in a deadly dance that to another pilot would be more beautiful than the Helix Ballet group at Imperial Center.

The Death Dealer watched as Slave I passed the remote cameras located on specific asteroids. He always enjoyed watching the bounty hunter maneuver his modified Fire Spray Blast Boat through that asteroid field. Looping and rolling the ship flew towards the large asteroid that housed the Dealer’s shop. The Death Dealer leaned and ducked as he watched Bobba on the monitors come ever closer to the huge chunks of ore. He had to laugh at himself he was so caught up in watching Slave I he forgot he was not the one piloting the ship. He received the final coded transmission that identified the pilot as Bobba Fett although after watching that display of piloting ability there was no doubt who was at the helm of that ship. He sent the message that he was all clear for descent into the asteroid. 

Bobba increased the ships forward thrust as he approached the large asteroid. His ship was inverted in relation to it and he began a tight loop that brought him straight down into a large cavern inside the asteroid. Hiding in an asteroid was an old smugglers trick. Bobba had never been much into the smuggler’s trade but they were a resourceful lot and Bobba was never one to discriminate knowledge because of its source. The death Dealer had done more than hide out in this asteroid he had built a large infrastructure within it that housed his shops and crew. There was also a moderate sized hanger capable of holding multiple star fighters and light freighters. The redoubt was an excellent place for a person to go unnoticed but still have the amenities that one required. He approached the solid blast door that housed the hanger bay. He brought the ships maneuvered the ship onto its backside and engaged the repulsor lifts as the landing pylons descended. He could feel the change in the atmosphere around the hull as the hanger doors opened. The gravity compensators within began to pull at the ship lightly. Bobba maneuvered the ship inside the hanger. He lowered it down to the deck and felt the landing gear make contact. He powered the ships main systems down and began engaging its security protocols. Bobba exited the ship through the rear cargo hatch.

Nib was a young apprentice training at the Dealers facility. He watched as the Slave I entered the hanger bay. His friend and mentor Defray Nexus approached him and asked him a simple question.
“Have you ever seen a full blown legend Nib?”
Nib shook his head as he watched the ship land. 
“A legend? No I can’t say I have.”
Defray laughed and told him.
“Well you keep watching and you will. That ship is the Slave I. Personal vessel to the king of the bounty hunters.”
“You mean.”
“Yep Bobba Fett.” Defray said as he nudged Nib and went back to his work.

Nib stared at the ship as he heard its systems power down. This ship was the one they all talked about. All of the older men that lived and worked here each had a story to tell about Bobba Fett and Salve I. He didn’t believe a lot of them. They were too far fetched even for Nib. He always figured they were just playing with him since he was young and new to the shop. Nib jumped as the rear hatch of the ship began to lower. The figure standing at the top of the hatch was completely cloaked in some type of armor that Nib had never seen before. It wasn’t Stormtrooper armor but it did remind him of just that. 

Nib had watched a platoon of Stormtroopers annihilate almost every inhabitant of his settlement on Dantooine only a year ago. That was when he had met Defray and some of the others here in the shop. They had been on Dantooine delivering surplus to a spice smuggler who was evidently wanted by the Empire. The smuggler was well known by everyone in his village. He was sort of a hero to them. While most smugglers spent there earnings in gambling halls and cantinas this one spent his on developing the community. He had bought a hydro purifier to supply the settlement with fresh water and had always been willing to lend a few credits to those in need. But, supposedly he had ties to the rebellion and that was as good as a death sentence. The Imperials had tracked him to Nibs settlement and questioned all those who lived there. When no one gave them any information they had begun executing people in the streets. Defray and his men showed up not knowing what was happening. They attacked the Stormtroopers and helped some of the people to escape. Nib and the others were loaded onto a light freighter and they left Dantooine. Most of the survivors were here on the asteroid. Nib had always been adept at repairing machinery and was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship under Defray.

Nib watched Bobba walk down the ramp. He tried to see inside the hold of the ship. He caught a glimpse of a cage on the deck of the hold. This sent a shiver down his spine. Maybe the stories were true. He had heard that the bounty hunter would lock people inside cages and drug with so that he could deliver them unharmed. Nib could not imagine being locked inside a cage. The bounty hunter stepped off the ramp and strode across the hanger bay. Some people stared at the bounty hunter but most kept there attention diverted elsewhere. Defray walked up to meet Bobba Fett. 
“Where is he?” Bobba asked flatly.
“He should be along.” Defray replied.

Nib found it odd that no pleasantries were exchanged between them. Most of the customers that came here were treated like royalty. Handshakes and backslaps were given out freely. But then again if half the stories about the bounty hunter were true then Nib figured he didn’t want to get that close to Bobba Fett either. Defray and Bobba walked up the steps that led to the upper deck of the hanger bay. Bobba never turned his head to either side or looked up and down, just straight forward. Nib found this to be odd as well.
“Hmm, not very observant is he.” He said to himself.

The cameras concealed on the hull of Slave I where transmitting to the micro monitor inside Bobba’s helmet. They showed him all there was to see inside the hanger bay. Views from above the ship and below as well as three hundred and sixty degrees around the ship were being relayed to his visor. Bobba took note of the young human male who had been talking with Defray. He did not appear to be a threat, just a curious kid.

“I was expecting you sooner.” The Dealer said to Bobba as he and Defray entered the room.
“I had a detour to make in the inner core.” Bobba responded.
“Hmm, Imperial business is none of mine Fett. I don’t need any more grief from them.” The Death Dealer sat down behind a modestly sized but impressively crafted wooden desk. Lithographs of wild beasts native to Alderaan were hand carved into the desks frame and panel work. It was probably a souvenir taken from the planet prior to its demise.
“Is my order filled?” Bobba inquired. 
“I told you it would be didn’t I.” He replied.
“Everything you requested is complete and I have your order packed and ready for you but I am sure you will want to inspect it as always. You would think as much business as we have done together you would trust me to at least that extent. I did pack you gear myself you know.”
“It’s not in my nature.” Bobba said.

In all actuality Bobba did trust him. He entrusted him enough to let him craft some of Bobba’s weaponry and to Bobba Fett that was more trust than he showed anyone else in this galaxy. Bobba left them inside the Death Dealer’s private office and made his way back to the hanger bay. His equipment would be waiting there for him to inspect.

Nib was standing dangerously close to the Slave I when Bobba entered the hanger. He was holding what appeared to be a scanner of some type. Bobba walked stealthily up to his backside and spoke lowly.
“What is your interest in my ship?”
Nib jumped at the sound of his voice. He turned to see the bounty hunter standing over him, the reflection of himself staring back from the narrow visor of Fett’s helmet.
Nib stammered, “Sir I wasn’t trying to, ah you know get too close or nothing. I just, well you see I designed and built this scanner myself and I wanted to see just how capable it was and, you, I mean your ship seemed like a good test subject and I was just, you know taking readings. Sir.”
Bobba tilted his head slightly to his left and inquired “And, what did you find while spying on my ship?”
“Oh, ah nothing sir. I mean your ship has a very complex sensory detection system. It knew it was being scanned. I could tell from the secondary weapon systems coming on line.” He answered.
“And, you were not frightened by the ship being aware of you and arming itself?” Bobba asked.
“Well, no sir. I figured your ship must get scanned a lot as many places as you go and as well known as you are. You couldn’t just let it disintegrate every one who looked at it.”
“Yes I could, and I have before.” Bobba corrected.
Nib felt suddenly sick to his stomach. But, he managed to remark. “Sir I am sure you are well aware of the tracking unit on your hull. But, can I ask why it is there? I was just curious.”
“What tracking unit?” Bobba said. Slave I was equipped with both active and passive self-monitoring sensors. It would have alerted him to the presence of a tracker as soon as it was attached to the hull.
Feeling somewhat better at this point Nib stated, “On the underside of the hull between the main engines thrust ports. I had a slight reading of it before the self-defense systems armed but when they powered up its signal spiked on the meter for just a moment. I figure it is somehow connected to your ships power systems. When the ship is powered down and on standby it emits the low power radio signal but when the ship comes on-line it sends out a more advanced signal. But, with it between the thrust ports the heat and vibration would mask it from your ships sensory array. Well, at least that’s what I think.”

The Death Dealer had been alerted that Nib was pestering Bobba Fett in the hanger bay. He made his way to the bay quickly as to keep Nib from agitating the Mandalorian. When he got there he was grateful to see Bobba had not shot the kid as of yet. 

“Nib.” He shouted from the top of the stairs.
“Get back to work and stop bothering the man.”
The Dealer descended the steps hopping that Bobba would not be perturbed. He stood beside Nib and the bounty hunter.
“Tell me something Dealer. Who is your best sensory technician?” Bobba asked.
The Dealer was taken off by the question. He replied, “That would be Batina. Why?”
“From now on any sensor work done on my account gets done by the kid. Got it?” Bobba stated.
“Sure, but why?” He asked.
Bobba said to the Dealer, “Ask me later, and Kid have a sensor system for me that can be installed on the ship and a small portable one for my wrist comm. by this time next month. And Dealer, you might want to get ready you could have company soon.”

Bobba boarded Slave I and started his pre flight check. When all systems were powered up he let the ship rise from the hangar floor. He pivoted the ship towards the opening and let the ship glide through. He knew the Empire wanted the Death Dealer, but no offer had been made for a bounty and even if there was he entrusted him for too much. It was hard to find a merchant of his ability willing to keep his mouth shut about his clients. Most vendors would advertise whom their most important customers where in an attempt to gain new ones. If the tracker had been placed there by Imperial spies hoping to track his movements then there was little doubt they would be here to find out why Bobba would stop in such a remote area. When they arrived to find the long sot after Death Dealer they would quickly claim his head for a trophy. Bobba felt no pity for any one who attempted to enter this asteroid field uninvited. The Death Dealer had not earned his name by chance. Death was his trade and he plied his trade well.