Son of Mandalore (Bounty: Book One)

Alleys and Enemies

Fett stopped on the street and stared down that alleyway again. He slid a pistol out of the holster on his leg and creeped down the alley, the walls bathing him in shadow. Every one of his nerves were wired.

"May I ask what your fascination with this alleyway is?" Jariok asked as he followed Boba in.

"I mean, it's beautiful and all, but-" Jariok's sentence was cut short as Fett shoved him into a nearby wall. A hooded figure dropped down right where the detective had been standing. The figure swung a staff at Silj. He ducked just in time.

The attacker came around and whacked Fett right in the helmet. There was a crunch of metal as his head was flung painfully to the side. The assailant attempted a second swing, but Fett grabbed the staff.

The two men struggled over it for a moment. Jariok stepped forward and punched the man in the back of the head. He released the staff and stumbled to the side. He shook his head.

"Who are you?" Jariok asked. The figure, who by his size seemed to be a man, didn't respond. He instead yanked a pistol out of his sleeve, quick as a flash. However, it was too late. A shot from Fett had him dropping to the ground.

"Fett!" Jariok yelled, horrified. "You can't just go around shooting people!" The bounty hunter flicked back the hood. It was a Twi'Lek male with orange skin and plenty of scars. He had a pair of engineer goggles on his forehead. Fett stood up and left the alley, merging in with citizens on the street. Jariok was right on his heels.

"You're just gonna leave the body there?" Silj inquired. Fett huffed.

"You are incredibly annoying, I hope you know that." Fett replied, ducking around a Rodian. He watched as a group of stormtroopers trotted past him, presumably to check out what the commotion in the alleyway was. "You don't even know who he is or why he attacked you."

"Says who?" Jariok gave him a surprised look.

"You know him then?" "Yep." As the hanger came into view, Jariok waited for Fett to continue speaking. He didn't.

"Well, who is he?" the detective asked again. Fett hesitated for a second before speaking. "Diruni Kyialo."

"Who is..." Fett turned into the hanger as a response. Jariok got so frustrated he kicked a nearby trash can. "I give up. You win Fett. I officially give up."

They walked across the hanger in tense silence to Slave I. Two stormtroopers gave them a look, but said nothing.

"I would ask why we're here, but I've given up on asking completely normal and relevant questions for you to ignore." Jariok spat as they walked up the docking ramp.

"It's about damn time." Fett replied, inciting an irritated grunt from his partner.

When they entered, instead of going straight to the cockpit, Fett made a right to the cargo hold.

He sat down in a chair and took off his helmet. He examined the spot where Diruni had hit him. It was cracked. Fett wouldn't have time to fix it now, but he could patch it.

Jariok filed in a moment later, looking both peeved and awkward at the same time. He was looking around at the cargo hold.

There were crates and boxes around the interior. There was a holding cell his father had added in when Slave I was in his possession. There were also a few dark stains on the walls and floor that forced a disgusted look onto Silj's face.

Fett flipped open a tool box and took out a plastic tube. He squeezed the liquid out, filling the crack with a clear polyhedrant bonding agent. That should keep it intact until he could properly repair it. The color became darker as the agent hardened.

"Let's go." he said, examining the helmet to make sure he didn't miss a spot.

"I would ask where, but I'd rather not waste my breath." Jariok replied, his voice full of malice. Fett gave him a devilish grin before yanking his helmet back on.

"We're heading to the Underworld." Jariok gave him a surprised look that morphed into one of disappointment. "Not exactly the change of scenery I was hoping for."