Fandom Star Wars: Picking Sides [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

“The Empire isn’t yet aware of Neria’s betrayal, and we think it can be changed, if she can be found alive and brought back.”

The proposal given by Ranulph Tarkin had been intriguing enough for Boba Fett, who found himself not immediately on the trail of this ‘Neria’, but instead following one of his other, official, bounties that came down from his usual employer, Jabba the Hutt. He was still on the hunt for Han Solo, but Han had integrated himself with the Rebel Alliance.

That made him difficult to get at, but not impossible.

He’d keep, in either case.

For now, Boba could consider others. Including this oddity. He didn’t usually bring in prey alive, he preferred disintegrations, but the credits were good, and he knew one thing: catching a Tarkin was a feat. Few were aware that those gaunt creatures had any martial talent, but he knew all about their upbringing, even before he’d spoken with Ranulph.

He’d figured out quick enough that Wilhuff was no one to tangle with.

Others never learned that lesson.

The Tarkin would keep, at any rate. If he didn’t know where the Rebel Alliance was, he doubted she did. She didn’t have the kind of contacts he did, after all. She had to be cutting herself off from the Empire, and if not, he’d hear through the grapevine where she’d been.

For now, he’d made his target the pirate Mada Tona, a selonian who had chosen to disrupt the arrival of some goods for Jabba. Never a smart move. Boba had tracked the selonian pirate to Takodana, which meant getting them would be tricky; Boba was familiar with how Maz Kanata ran things.

No violence in the castle.

Outside was another matter, of course, and a pirate couldn’t stay eternally. In either case, with the crowd that Maz allowed, it wouldn’t be too difficult to blend in even known as a bounty hunter. Pirates, rebels, imperials – everyone was welcome at Maz’s Castle.

So, Boba slid Slave 1 into a spot in the hangar and exited, noting the ship that belonged to Mada, a slick freighter, no doubt heavily modified. He would need to get a tracking beacon set on it, but not right now. It looked like some of Mada’s crew were still staying alert around it. They weren’t worth anything, but starting a firefight would alert them.

He made his way up to the castle, and stepped inside, the music of the band reaching him, and the general cheerful atmosphere trying to permeate his beskar armor. He wouldn’t deny it had some effect. There were reasons he stuck around Jabba’s, after all, and the dancing women and good booze were among them, as well as the pay.

He was a simple man who liked to enjoy things.

A simple man with a deadly reputation.

Mandalorians weren’t as populace in the galaxy any longer. Certainly not true Mandalorians with beskar armor, so as he approached the counter, he took note of another in the area.

“Is there something I can get for you—”

He held up his hand to the barkeep who had come to greet him, glanced at her, and then simply walked away to check in on this stranger, not in the least bit shy. It could be another hunter on this mark, though Jabba didn’t mention any other Mandalorians in his employ. Something like that wasn’t likely to slip his mind.

It was worth investigating, so he approached the stranger in blue. “This seat taken?” Not that he cared, as he began to take a seat near the stranger, not stating his intentions any clearer than that, though he noticed the furry prey of his not too far off. So far, Mada hadn’t noticed, which was good.

He could play off this meeting as his real reason for being there. Until Mada moved.

~***~

‘Jedi.’

It was a word that rang like a curse in Neria’s head as she landed the Carrion Spike in the mess of a forested land. The Rebel Alliance had evacuated Yavin IV after the Death Star showed up. Destroyed or not, the Empire still had a powerful presence. Trying to find the Rebel Alliance was…difficult. It relied on rumors of Jedi, and being careful those rumors didn’t end up leading her to Vader or an Inquisitor instead.

Unlikely – the last Neria knew the Inquisitor program was over, but there remained the Harvester program, and beyond that, she wasn’t foolish enough to think Vader was the only maniac with a lightsaber going around. Red, however, always seemed to be their color. Any other hue seemed fair game to chase down.

White cropped up now and then.

Blue.

Others – the Jedi, apparently, were not as dead as Sheev would have liked them to believe, once Neria started listening.

And so here she was, on Aaris III, where she’d overheard transmissions from Moff Sarne about a lightsaber, and interruptions to his archeological dig on behalf of Palpatine. He was requesting back-up, naturally, and so far he hadn’t received it. Neria likely could have feigned being that back-up, but chose to land the stealth ship in one of the ruins of a city, further from Moff Sarne’s operation.

She didn’t, however, opt to change out of Imperial uniform. If she came across any, she could pretend to be on their side, and her rank was unquestionable.

If she came across the Jedi…well, that would be more difficult, but she liked to think she’d figure something out. Jedi were “peacekeepers”, historically, after all. The odds were, they wouldn’t strike first, unlike Imperials.

Although the presence of her two blackstalkers may make that more difficult.

Oneiros was already alert at the door of her ship, and seemed terribly perturbed, while Lethe, as ever, seemed to want to spend more time napping. With a click of her tongue on the roof of her mouth, the black dog rose, but with a stretch and a yawn. Oneiros only growled as they stepped out. “Come on now,” she cooed, “time to see if you can track Jedi like the vornskr.”

She knew the Blackstalkers used the Force. She’d felt the touch of it, from time to time, in an unnerving fashion that she’d grown to recognize. Reasoning creatures with the Force were one thing. An unreasoning creature was another…although Neria was reconsidering how ‘reasoning’ the blackstalkers truly were.

And she felt it again, before Oneiros shot off through the forest, taking a strong lead towards something. Neria had time to lock the ship, before she was forced to sprint after him herself, Lethe lopping back behind.

 

[TheWestwardShadow]

Siath gave the man moving to sit beside her a slight nod, inviting him to take the seat as he pleased. Truthfully she was a bit shocked to be running into another of their kind here, though it wasn’t a hard guess to say he was probably working.

The thought made her fists clench slightly, and she reached out and took a sip of her drink under her helmet. She’d felt utterly useless with nothing to do while she got back into fighting shape. Their whole heritage was based on being warriors, and having that stripped away had been rough…rough was a mild term, to be polite.

“On a job or looking?” Siath inquired of him, looking up at him through the helmet’s visor. She doubted he was here because of the atmosphere, Mandos tended to be all work. This place wasn’t her first choice, she really enjoyed the random bursts of chaos that came with the fights in cantinas and scummy little hole in the wall watering holes, but she needed a job she could do to get reacclimated to working, and since the Castle was a no fighting zone, here she sat.

But no one had given her even a whiff of a job, and so here she sat, drinking Maker knows what (she just asked the bartender for something good) and suddenly along comes another Mandalorian.

At least the day was interesting again.

She introduced herself, able to tell that he wasn’t an imposter wearing Durasteel armor and riding on the hard-earned reputation they’d earned. “If you’re looking for work, this place is dry.”

She wasn’t about to spill her whole predicament, and the fact that she’d been here nearly a week and had yet to even hear a rumor of work. Leaning back and stretching out a bit she gave a soft hum. “Siath Nall, by the way.”

~***~

Cal exhaled slowly, keeping his eyes shut as he relaxed, losing his mind to the meditation he was working through. He’d been blessed with a peaceful day, and was really beginning to feel ACTUALLY relaxed for the first time in a long time.

A very long time. The constant threat of being murdered wasn’t exactly the easiest way of life, and he hadn’t had the chance to sit and clear his mind in what seemed like forever. It was freeing, taking a weight off his shoulders he'd grown used to without realizing it.

That peace was shattered as he felt a slight ripple in the Force. Like someone had skipped a stone on the other end of a pond. His eyes snapped open as he glanced around. It wasn’t incredibly strong, but it was there. He knew some creatures could use the Force to a small degree, but as far as he knew there shouldn’t be any on this planet.

Rising, he turned and decided it was time to keep moving. Staying in one place too long was risky, and the deeper he went into the ruins and trees the harder he would be to find. And kill.

 

[Lucyfer]

Boba Fett hadn’t expected much of a chatterbox. He supposed even these words didn’t classify as chatterbox, but the probing nature wasn’t masked well at all as she inquired about a work, before insisting the place was dry. Was she trying to detour him from her own mark? Sharing a bounty was never enjoyable.

Boba didn’t tend to share, in truth. It was why he worked alone. He took the credit, completely.

He eyed Siath askance as she gave over her name, “Boba Fett,” he introduced, before stretching out in his chair, one arm going over the back of it, before he glanced away to one of the droid servers and gestured them over to get a drink. Siath had relaxed, so he might as well. His mark wasn’t moving anytime soon, “And it all depends on the kind of work you’re into. There’s always something here at Takodana.”

He assumed Siath wasn’t looking too hard, or that she wasn’t in his line of business. There weren’t too many who became bounty hunters, since it usually meant working with the Empire. After all, they had to control everything now. Most of his people despised the Empire. He couldn’t really disagree with the sentiment, but he also never really felt at home among his own.

He never really got to know them. And he knew how most of them saw him.

Just another clone, not the legitimate heir of Jango Fett.

The droid arrived, “Can I take your order?”

“Rodian blood, no ice,” he ordered, and the droid took it down before heading off to get the drink made.

“If you’re not here working, what are you doing in a pirate’s den?”

~***~

Lethe kept the space between Oneiros and Neria, soon enough. There was little threat behind, so Lethe felt little need to stay behind soon enough…and keeping up with Oneiros was difficult, no matter how well trained one was in tracking. Unfamiliar territory had its problems.

The forest became less so, and more ruins that had been cleared a bit. Perhaps it had already been searched by the Empire, or perhaps someone else had done the clearing. In either case, Neria made note of it.

She only slowed when she heard the sudden high-pitched yip of Oneiros, indicating his trail was suddenly strong. He’d either seen, heard, or truly scented, his quarry. ‘Now let’s not get killed in the process.’ Lethe took up the sound a few seconds later in a drive ahead.

Scent, then.

Oneiros would indeed spot Cal as he moved, not too long after that – and let out another yip. He drove closer, intending to try to tackle Cal to the ground, only to end up skidding to a quick halt and letting out a whimper that suggested irritation and offense, before running off to catch back up with Neria, tail whipping the greenery behind him.

A whistle had cut him off, piercing, made when Lethe hadn’t followed Oneiros’s yip.

Neria knew that meant that Oneiros was too close…and no doubt about to do something stupid.

 

[TheWestwardShadow]

Under her helmet, Siath's eyebrows raised as he introduced himself. She'd heard whispers about him, the great Boba Fett, bounty hunter extraordinaire, but she never imaged bumping into him. From what she heard he usually worked under the Empire, or the Hutts.

"Never said I wasn't looking for work." She said pointedly, finishing off her drink, which was the truth. She was trying to find work, there just...wasn't any around at the moment. At least not here.

She debated on adding that she'd been out for a while, but decided a man as busy as Boba Fett didn't care to hear her entire backstory, so she remained silent about that for now. Of course it would be obvious when she left, that slight limp still present in her walk as the rest of the damage healed up. "Just not a lot that strikes my fancy." Really it wasn't a lot that she thought she could manage on her own, slightly frustrated how her mind kept doubting itself, making her think she wasn't good enough to start working proper bounties again, she'd just fail once more.

She also figured that he must have been tracking a bounty, because she doubted that between having the two biggest sources of jobs tucked under his belt that he probably wasn't hurting for work. And while she'd never met his father, she'd heard much about him as well, it seems that what set their lineage apart from other clones was the capability for greatness. "Well, if you need supplies or anything, my ship's docked in Bay 14." She said, wanting to at least extend the kindness that Mandalorians should show one another, even if he was most likely considerably more well off than her at the present.

------

Cal had heard the creature rush through the brush, whatever it was it was large and heavy, so he broke into a sprint to outrun the beast before it could close the distance. It wasn't until he heard a whistle which made whatever it was retreat that he realized he was in more trouble than just a hungry predator.

It had been under someone's command. Which meant he wasn't alone anymore. He didn't slow his sprint, disappearing into the small maze of crumbled stone homes. At best, the large monster wouldn't be able to follow him in due to its size, but it didn't mean it wouldn't be able to follow a scent.

He hurried to collect the small amount of things he had laid out for a sort of 'homey' feel, shoving them into his small bag with no thought about breaking anything. Cal took the time to barricade any entrances large enough for a person, stuffing old crumbled linens and dug his nails into the wads of moss in the moist corners, cramming them in places where any beast may catch his scent inside the linen. He'd flee deeper into the planet later, when he had seen no sign of the potential pursuers after a while. As he sat down, panting heavily in the darkness, he furrowed his brow. As he felt something inside of the Force as he had earlier...they were close. He had made the choice to hide, and now he was stuck with it.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Picky?’ Boba couldn’t say much about that. He was also rather picky about his jobs, though apparently, not as picky as this Mandalorian. He wondered what sort of work she was looking for to have not found it just yet.

Of course, as he wondered that, he observed Mada moving as if he was dismissing himself from a meeting, soon to leave. He seemed cheerful, unaware. ‘Let’s hope that holds.’ Some pirates, like Hondo, could play things off too well. Most didn’t have Hondo’s talent, though.

“Not sure I’ll need any,” he said, not looking directly at Mada, nor rising to follow. He could let Mada get out the door before he pursued, “but I’m willing to have a look. It seems I won’t be here long to make too many additional deals as it is.”

Though at least his drink was brought out in good time, and he flipped a credit chip to the droid before lifting his helmet enough to take a long draught of red liquid. It wasn’t actual blood, of course – just one of those strange names cocktails inherited. “What kind of things do you sell?” He had to continue this small talk a little longer.

Just until Mada was out the door, and his drink was done.

That should be enough of a head start to be off Maz’s property and out where Boba could catch him without getting into trouble with the ex-Pirate Queen herself. He didn’t care that much – but Maz’s place was a good place, and he’d be loathed to lose access to it, all the same.

~***~

The Jedi was fast.

Or the Force helped.

Neria would admit her understanding of the Force was limited. She knew enough to have a healthy fear of Lord Vader, but not nearly enough to fully understand how much she ought to fear Lord Vader. Or a Jedi, for that matter, considering her reckless chase.

Oneiros never lost his lead, and was back in pursuit as soon as the command came again, but he slowed as the trees faded away to open sky, dirt to stone, and buildings rose up instead. There were many doorways, many passages, and lifeforms besides Cal that had taken up residence within the ruins. Oneiros knew his way around cities, but disquieting ruins were new.

So, he waited for Lethe and Neria to catch up, despite the harsh tone that was to follow for his pause in the command to hunt, again. And Oneiros did move ahead, but slower – not letting Lethe or Neria out of sight.

Lethe was also reticent, so much so that Neria eventually shifted the orders, and Lethe loped behind again. ‘Can’t believe a bunch of ruins get to you.’ Neria would just have to take them around ruins more.

Oneiros did come to the place that Cal had barricaded, and pawed at the door, only to find it couldn’t be pushed open. He didn’t try further, but let out an unnecessary howl, signaling the obvious to Neria, who saw him approach the door and try to get in, to no avail. ‘Good.’ Oneiros would probably try to do something stupid again.

Lethe held to a spot a few feet away as Neria reached Oneiros, and with a click of her tongue, dismissed him from the lead. He went to take a guard position in the road as Neria turned to the door.

She wouldn’t even try.

“Jedi,” she spoke calmly, “I know you’re in there. I have with me two creatures known as blackstalkers, and they hunt with the Force – apparently, to hunt Force sensitives, though as they’re not natural creatures, the use of it was purely for things like this rather than anything naturally useful.”

Simply useful for the Empire.

“I am not here to hurt you, hard as I am sure that is to believe. My name is Neria Tarkin. I’m looking for the Jedi that destroyed the Death Star with the Rebel Alliance. I have information for them.”

 

[TheWestwardShadow]

"Oh not for sale." Siath amended her earlier statement, leaning back a bit. She could tell the subtle movements of his helmet that he was watching someone off to the side, probably his mark, but she wasn't interested in stealing work from him. "Just from one to another. We stick together." She said, the 'we' referring to Mandalorians, of course. She knew that many of their Creed didn't agree with Fett for one reason or another, but she wasn't nearly as picky.

But watching him in action really did make her miss the thrill of the hunt...maybe she could ask him to put in a good word for her if she showed up on Tatooine? No, that was asking too much...She should stick to her original plan: have a few drinks here, then move onto the next hole-in-the-wall place to find work. She knew he was probably waiting for the bounty to get off of Maz's land, lest he risk her wrath, so she dropped a couple credits onto the bar as a tip.

"Well, you know where to find me, good luck, vod." Brother. She did consider him a Mandalorian, after all. She stood and headed for the door, wanting to let him finish his job without her distracting him. She did her best to disguise the slight limp, but after sitting for so long the muscle had tensed up and needed to be worked out a bit.

-----

Cal hesitated...how could he trust them? And the last name, Tarkin. If she was related to that name, and it wasn't a coincidence...He wasn't going to remove the barricade, especially since the Blackstalker hadn't made it through the first time.

But he couldn't just pretend not to be there. He could feel the connection with the two creatures through the Force, so she wasn't lying about that. That didn't mean she wasn't lying about not hurting him, however.

"What information?!" He finally called, muffled by the walls and barricade. She never said he had to come out, even if he had to at some point, maybe if he just played along with her words she'd eventually go off and he could run for it. "I can try to get it to them."

 

[Lucyfer]

The ‘we’ was understood, although Boba couldn’t help but wonder if there was a catch. It was a rare Mandalorian that included him in their ranks, despite his reputation. He had some doubts of any coming off of goods for free. He certainly didn’t, not to other bounty hunters, nor to Mandalorians.

Siath got up and paid her bill, extending to him a warm farewell that he nodded to, eying her as she left. Was she after the same mark and lying? ‘No.’ He didn’t get that sense as he watched her leave, the limp not entirely hidden from his trained sight. If she was a hunter, that explained some of it.

Although, snipers could make good money. Perhaps she didn’t have that skillset.

Worth learning, now.

She likely wasn’t going to get caught up in the rough and tumble life of close-range hunting.

Boba didn’t send her with any words. He continued drinking, mentally counting down to consider how long ago it was since Mada left. He finished his drink in one gulp when his mental clock reached its conclusion and got up from his seat to make his way out in pursuit of the pirate, recalling easily where the ship was.

It was as he expected from Mada’s reputation. The pirate had paused to talk with a few in the hangar, as unconcerned as any pirate would be on Maz’s world. He hadn’t given the Mandalorian a second look when he joined Siath, nor did he do much than glance at Boba, before it was all over.

Boba took his disguised disruptor rifle off of his back, aimed, and fired.

Mada disintegrated on the spot.

At least this one didn’t need to be brought in alive, and there was plenty of evidence in the witnesses and cameras, who started to flee at the sight of a disruptor. Not that Boba had any interest in pursuing them with it, he put it back on his back as he approached the clothing, of which some was still intact, for evidence of the kill so he wouldn’t have to wait forever for footage to be reviewed.

~***~

“Significantly more than I can say, and I’m not inclined to part with it outside of a Rebel Alliance base,” so, the Jedi wasn’t the one who had taken down the Death Star, but they knew him, whoever that was. That was good, but not good enough for Neria to be willing to part with it so easily.

After all, the information wasn’t all she was offering, in a way.

“I have the entirety of the Tarkin Initiative plans downloaded onto a personal datapad, and a few datachips. That’s the majority of the Empire’s research projects, which did include the Death Star project. There are others, including a way to track ships in lightspeed.”

An obvious trap – if this were a trap.

“I’m defecting from the Empire…I need the guarantee of safety that one of their bases can bring.” She was still attempting to hold on to the familiar pride, but that made navigating something like this rather difficult. She had to move from the position in control, to one out – and that was rather unfamiliar territory. “Tell me what you need to trust me at least as far as a Rebel base.”

She knew even that was a lot.

After all, she could have a tracking device on her. On her datapads. On her ship. She was well aware that anything involving bringing her to the rebels, was likely going to be a process. And a difficult one for her pride.

 

[TheWestwardShadow]

Siath sighed softly as she walked along the path, unknowingly on the same trail, only to be witness to the expertly timed kill perpetuated by Boba. "Your reputation is well earned, Fett." She called from the side path, amusement in her voice. It wasn't a tease, it was genuine.

Maker did she miss working after watching that, sighing softly. Okay that's it, she needed a job. Watching a man with his prowess finally kicked her into gear, from her self pity party.

It was exactly what she needed. "That was actually impressive. I can see why you've got hands on contracts the rest of us can't reach." She added, walking back over to him. "Suppose this means you'll be running back to collect your credits now, hm?"

---

This had to be a trap, right? Like...there was no way someone would just defect from the Empire and suddenly offer over all of this information...was there?

But on the other hand, if she wasn't lying, and he had yet to find a change in her that suggested she was, this could be the thing to take the empire down forever. "Are you armed?" He asked her, carefully considering his next move.

"And call off the Blackstalkers. If you really want to talk, we can do that much."