Dark Bounty--A STAR WARS STORY Part 1

Mending the Falcon

"Well, that is somethin' to look at," the Trandoshan whistled as he stood in the open cavern, gazing at the Falcon. "Never thought you would let me see it."

"Neither did I," Boba said to himself, his helmet under his arm.

"I can't say I was too thrilled with the hood and strip search, though," Donal replied.

Next to Donal was his small work crew—a grey-skinned Dug with a sour grin on his face and a repair droid—scratched and dented from wear.

PZ-85 hobbled up to join Boba Fett.

"Its core housing needs repair, and I'm still working on the motivator," Boba stated.

Donal looked to Boba, "Why don't you let me tell you what she needs?"

"Cause, she only needs you for the core and its housing." Boba stared Donal down.

Donal stepped back, the coward that he was, and then remarked. "Sure, but I bet the hyperdrive needs some work--these Corellian freighters always need work on that."

"Just get on that core; I'll worry about the rest," Boba ordered.

"Yes," Donal hissed and averted his gaze from Boba's piercing glare. "Let's go, Timcamca."

The Dug looked to PZ-85 and barked some obviously harsh language at it in his native Dug language.

PZ-85 tilted his head and replied, "I'm sorry, sir, but I do not speak Dug."

Donal laughed, "Leave it to Boba to have a protocol droid with no protocol programming!"

"I am sorry to disappoint you, sir," PZ-85 replied. "But my language programming has been removed to make room for--"

"Enough, Peezee," Boba interrupted. "He's just saying he isn't fond of protocol droids."

"Well, I'm not fond of him, Master," PZ-85 replied.

Boba smiled, "You and I agree on that."

Boba oversaw the repair with diligence. Within two days the core was replaced, and its housing mended. Donal's crew was skillful and made quick work with the rehabilitation, faster than Boba had anticipated.

Boba sat in the pilot chair with an ambivalent sentiment, satisfied but disappointed as he ran his hands over the controls.

Donal called from the back. "Are you going to start it or what! I need to listen to the engine back here, so whenever you want to. . . but I'll charge extra if you want to daydream."

Boba Fett did not respond to Donal's delusion that he could add to the charges and reached under the console for the toggle switch that Patch had installed. He flipped the switch on and off in an ordered pattern before punching the ignition. The engines came to life as they quickened with a healthy tone. Donal whooped from the back with elation.

"No reflux to the motivator," Donal commented. "The housing is holding." He came up to the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot's seat. "Now, all that is left is for you to just take her out and see what she can do."

The Millennium Falcon began to rise from the cave floor and hovered there, four meters in the air as if hanging from the cave ceiling. Boba lowered his hand to the sublight drive accelerator and gripped it. However, Boba sat immovable, staring out the cockpit window at the cave entrance. The Falcon did not move, either.

"What are you doing? Let's go," Donal goaded.

Boba removed his hand from the accelerator and lowered the Falcon back to the ground. It's landing gear caused a hollow echo throughout the cave as it came down.

Timcamca, the Dug strutted into the cockpit on his forelimbs and joined them; his angry comments coming with him.

Donal was baffled. "You must be as broken as this ship was. Not even going to test her out?" He shook his head, disappointed. "A waste," Donal hissed and got up. "Fixin' this treasure, so you can cage it up in here. Even put an ion pulse generator in so it wipes out anything electrical and shuts the whole ship down. That'll stop anyone from flyin' it. Unless you deactivate it, that is. Don't think I didn't notice that."

Timcamca made another harsh remark in Dug speech. "Etchoota, oda!"

"It will fly," Boba said. "Right to the Keeper."

Donal's eyes widened. "Well, that's just fine. The only thing worse than caging this girl in a cave is caging her in the Keeper's hangar! At least he'll be happy with that, and I'm sure your pocketbook will be, too!"

"I'm not caging her, Donal," Boba said darkly. "And the Keeper isn't going to be happy about it."

Donal squinted his eyes at the implication.

Boba turned and faced Donal, his eyes almost looking through the Trandoshan. "How would you and your crew like to pad your pockets a little more? 'Cause I've got one more job for you."