Oola and Boba stories

By Julia

Setting: Jabba's Palace on Tatooine
Timeperiod: Right before Return of the Jedi

Characters: Oola, Boba Fett, Bib Fortuna, Jabba the Hutt

Non-Canon Characters: none

Authors note: I wrote this for fun, but it's kinda boring…

Bib Fortuna yanked on the chain around Oola's neck and she stumbled forward a few steps. Using his arm as an anchor she reestablish her footing.

"Beast," she snapped in their native tongue.

"Bridle your tongue, scum," he said with a sneer. "Jabba prefers silent women."

"Then perhaps you should kidnap another Twi'lek female, because I've never been able to keep my mouth shut," she said.

Oola defiantly returned his cold stare and didn't even cower when he raised his hand to strike her. For some reason he stopped himself, then lowered his fist and explained, "If his slaves displease him, Oola, they aren't sold. Jabba is a very rich Hutt and can afford to dispose of anyone at anytime. If he knew you escaped again, you'd be dead already. Be glad I am showing you mercy."

Icy fear shot through her at the thought. Oola considered herself brave, but death was the one vice that held her in it's grasp. Bib Fortuna gloated at the effect of his words. "You will behave then?"

She nodded, then reached up and grabbed hold of the tight neck cuff and followed the beige Twi'lek male through the palace. When they came to a doorway, Bib began whispering in Basic to the boar-ish guards. She didn't catch everything, but she understood that she was to be watched carefully.

Bib walked up to her and unfastened the large metal cuff, replacing it with a more decorative and less bulky one. "Boba Fett has been busy otherwise he would have come after you as usual. It's good I found you when I did. You are expected to dance solo this evening in celebration of a fulfilled bounty."

"I won't," she said. "I'm too tired from running. I haven't slept in days."

"Then you will die," Bib said.

Oola bit her bottom lip and his quick smile revealed his belief that she wouldn't have the nerve to disobey. He handed the end of her rope to one of the guards and nodded at her. "Stay here, I don't trust you in your quarters anymore. I'll find something more suitable for you on the lower levels."

She watched him walk away and was overcome with disdain that her species had sunk so low as to sell and trade one another for profit. She crossed her arms and took a seat next to the cold stone wall. The guard looked down at her and grunted, pulling the rope tight.

"What? I'm tired and if I'm to dance tonight I need rest, don't I?" she said in heavily accented basic. He took the excuse as valid and loosened his hold slightly. In her own tongue she mumbled, "Stupid pig."

Oblivious to the insult, he glanced down at her only briefly.

************

Several hours later…

Oola heard the telltale sounds of the guards snoring and ever so gently worked the rope out of his sleepy fist. As light-footed as a mouse, she crept backwards away from him, being careful to stay in the shadows. Once down the hall from him she carefully looked around each corner she came to, hoping to find the bright slit of light indicating the exit to the Tatooine desert.

But as she began to hear the sounds of a band rehearsing and noisy chatter, the festivity peaked her curiosity and she tiptoed closer to take a look. In Jabba's throne room the band seemed to have a few new members. The other female dancers were stretching in the corner.

Suddenly she heard a loud boom and her eyes found the source of the noise. When the light cloud of dust settled, she saw four figures working to lift a large slab of metal. When they pushed it up and against the wall she thought it looked to be a relief sculpture of some sort and guessed they were attempting to hang it. Standing with his hands on his hips was an unhappy someone who looked to be in charge of the situation. It was Boba.

He was speaking with quick gestures and short to the point sentences. She knew that despite his quiet tone, he was very angry. She strained in the dim light to see the image on the sculpture and was disappointed to see such an ugly likeness of a man looking to be in pain.

'Typical', she thought. The Hutt's enjoyed torture as much as every other scum and it didn't surprise her that Jabba would hang such a piece in his throne room. The look of pain on the man's face reminded her of the danger that she was in and she questioned her shortsightedness in making this detour.

She slowly backed out of the throne room and to her chagrin stepped on a tiny rat like creature that squealed in protest. Making haste, she padded as quickly as she could out of the direct corridor to the throne room and kept going deeper into the dark side halls until she had to stop and catch her breath. Squatting down to remain inconspicuous to anyone who would look down the hall she closed her eyes and tried to calm her heart.

Each intake of air seemed to echo in the darkness and she struggled to take shallow quieter breaths. After feeling refreshed enough to continue, she renewed her resolve to find her way out and stood. But just as she attempted to take a step, a hand covered her mouth and an arm wrapped around her chest pulling her back into a hard armor shell.

"Quiet and stop struggling," a familiar voice said in perfect basic. Only Boba could have followed her such a distance without her knowing. Despite her instinct to fight him, she was compelled to obey and ceased resisting. His arm relaxed around her and he slowly removed his gloved hand from her mouth.

"What do you want, Boba?" she whispered.

"You'll answer my questions," he said, dropping his arms completely away from her. She turned towards him and looked up at his mask.

"So ask then," she said indignantly.

He hesitated slightly and then put his hands on his hips. She eyed him carefully and crossed her arms. Finally he said, "Where were you going?"

"I was trying to find my way back to my quarters," she said.

He reached towards her and with two fingers lifted the rope hanging from her choker. "Not likely," he said. He dropped the rope and returned his hand to his hip.

"I was!" she insisted.

"I think you were trying to escape again," he suggested.

"Then why waste your breath and my time asking such an obvious question?" she pointed out.

She knew from past experience that if she was creative enough he might be persuaded to distraction. Gracefully lifting her hand to his shoulder she stepped closer. Knowing he couldn't understand Twi'lek very well, but that he loved to hear her speak it, she said in her native tongue, "Boba, I know you are a man under that armor." She smiled up at his mask. "And I know what kind of a man you are."

"It's not going to work today, Oola. I'm too busy," he answered in basic. Then he took her arm and removed it from around his neck. He quickly twisted it behind her and began leading her down the hall. "And Bib is going to miss you if you're gone too long. It's not worth the risk."

"Bastard," she said in Twi'lek.

"Now that is a word I'm familiar with in many languages," he said.

When they reached the palace throne room, the boar who had been told to watch her was there and frantically came up yanking her choker in a downward motion. She was sent crashing to the floor and caught herself with her hands just before her face hit the ground. She glared up at him about ready to curse, but before she had a chance she saw Boba push the guard and heard him say, "It's your fault she ran away, not hers. Be thankful I don't tell Fortuna or Jabba about your incompetence."

Then he extended his hand down to her. Oola took it and stared in thankfully as she let him help her up.

The boar snorted and gently took her rope again. Just as he did so, Bib Fortuna came in.

"Ah, Boba Fett, our guest of honor. I see we've finally successfully installed Solo," he said.

Boba nodded and the two of them walked over to the wall and looked at the sculpture.

"I want to see," Oola told the guard. She pointed towards the relief sculpture and said, "Take me over there."

The guard snorted a laugh at her and started to lead her out of the room. She looked back and saw Boba's helmet turn in her direction. He didn't say a word as she was led out.

*****************

That evening…

The costume was ordinary and rather insulting, Oola thought. It was sexy enough and showed plenty of her green skin, but it was made of plain material and the only jewels were small semi-precious stones on her headpiece. If Jabba was so rich, she wondered why he couldn't afford better attire for his favorite dancer. The other girls were surprisingly cordial this evening and almost too much so. It wasn't until she was ready to be presented that Oola realized their sentiment was pity for her.

As she was led into the now populated throne room, she thought that Jabba looked even more grotesque than usual. Even from across the room his stench repulsed her. She felt the cool hand of the beige Twi'lek on her neck as he pushed her in front of his master.

Oola cringed as the gray tongue slid in and out of his mouth in front of her. He spoke in Hutteeze, one of the many languages she hadn't bothered to learn. Bib translated for her.

"Oola he desires you to dance for his guest of honor," he said.

She looked around and saw the masked Boba Fett sitting down on a large chair at the foot of the Hutt's platform. The distractions of the evening had taken all of her attention before and she hadn't even noticed Boba sitting there. Involuntarily she smiled at him. She tilted her head and set her charms in motion. She couldn't even count how many times she had danced for him in private. Running away was always a gamble for her. If Boba took the job of hunting her down, as more often than not he did, he would find her more quickly than any other Bounty Hunter. But no one knew that because he would bring her back in the same amount of time as any other. What they did in the days and hours in between was for only the two of them to know.

In that time, she had learned how to get to him and now, in front of all of these people, he was forced to watch her dance. She felt the hand on her neck let go and the musicians caught their cue and began to play.

Suddenly, the lights in the throne room faded, casting everyone except Oola and Boba into the shadows. With one foot she took a quick step to the side and then slowly followed with first the rest of her leg and then her body, moving her arms up in the air as she did so. She turned in place, her head first, looking at Boba and focused on the fact that there was a man behind the mask.

The music followed her steps, never a beat behind her and skillfully matched her movements as she danced floated around the room. Fully stretching her limbs out, she sauntered towards Boba and flung her head tales at once this way and then that. Returning to Boba again and again, she kept her eyes on him as much as possible. Then she moved towards him one last time, letting each step send a cascade of movement up her body to her hands above her until she stood before him.

She backed up and put her bare right foot on his left knee and ran her hands from her toes up her legs to her thigh and let her foot fall to one side of his chair, repeating the movements with the other foot. She then stood, straddling him and his chair. Slowly she moved with the pulsating music until she rested on his lap with her hands on his shoulders.

The musicians stopped, the room was silent, and Boba was motionless. His helmet tilted up towards her as she stood and backed away, breathing heavily.

For a moment she just stared at him until Jabba's laughter startled her and the lights in the entire hall came on. In Hutteze, Jabba called out something to his guest. Bobba's only response was to nod slightly in Jabba's direction. Oola looked back at her subject and felt an odd sense of dejection at his coolness. Bib quickly glided in and led her out of the room.

"You have done well, Oola," Bib said. "I fear you may have done far too well for your own good."

"What do you mean?" she asked in a distant voice.

"Tonight you dance for that bounty hunter, but tomorrow you dance for Jabba. He will expect the same and much more for his pleasure," Bib said. "And if you refuse…"

"What if I refuse?" she asked, frantically giving him her full attention.

"I shouldn't like to have to find a replacement," Bib said. He handed her rope to the guard and glanced back at her. "Consider your options, Oola."

Oola rubbed her hands over her bare arms and fought back the tears. Dancing for Jabba was loathsome to her and in the past she had always downplayed her abilities. For some reason it hadn't even occurred to her that her dance for Boba would reveal to Jabba she had been holding back. She could hear the sounds of the festivities down the corridor and wondered where she would be staying this evening. It probably wouldn't be until after the party that she would be taken there and her guess was that wherever it was it wasn't going to be pleasant.

Just as she was resigning herself to a dreadful rest of the evening, a shadow of a figure approached. From the shape of the silhouette, she guessed it was Boba.

He approached slowly and then said, in very choppy Twi'lek, "Would you like see my gift to Jabba?"

"I don't care for art," she said.

His helmet tilted slightly and then he repeated the Twi'lek word, "Art?"

She said it again, but in Basic, "Art."

He replied in basic, "It not art. At least, not exactly."

"What then?" she asked in basic, self-conscious of her accent.

"Come," he said, extending his hand.

Realizing he was offering her escape from her boredom, she agreed and took his hand. The guard walked with them as Bobba led her back into the throne room. The sculpture had been unveiled already and Jabba looked to be sleepily discussing something with Bib and a few others of his guests.

She followed Boba in front of the sculpture and said with distaste in Twi'lek, "I don't like art and in my ignorance I can see that it's not even good art."

The helmet turned to her and tilted slightly. "It's Han Solo, frozen in carbonate," Boba said in basic. "Won by me from Lord Vader himself. And donated by me to Jabba for a modest collection fee. But the money is far less important than the pride of the capture."

"Han Solo?" she said again trying Basic. "Is that name supposed to mean something to me?"

"I suppose not to you. But it means a great deal to me," he said, looking up at the eerie sculpture.

Oola swallowed and realized she was being a bit rude. Ordinarily it wouldn't bother her, but for some reason she thought it might benefit her to be kind. "I'm only guessing, but this Solo must have been fairly important to Jabba as well. For him to honor you so tonight."

"Yes," Boba said quickly. "He is very grateful."

"Indeed, he threw you a party," she said. "But a Hutt will use any excuse for a party."

Then she heard Jabba call out something in hutteeze. Boba didn't answer, though Oola was sure it was meant for him. The guard standing next to her chuckled and dropped her rope. Then he slapped Boba on the back and walked away.

"What did he say?" she asked Boba in Twi'lek.

He didn't answer her so she asked again in Basic, "You know I don't speak Hutteeze, what did he say?"

"He's drunk," Boba said finally.

"He said, 'I'm drunk'?" she asked, letting the frustration into her voice.

Boba turned to her slightly and said, "You are a strong headed woman."

"Bib says having a strong head may cost me my head," she answered.

"Unfortunately he's right," Boba said.

"Unfortunately?" she asked. "What do you care if I lose my head?"

To this he gave no answer but turned to Jabba and said in Basic, "I do not wish to take your gift for this evening."

"Wha?" Jabba said, utterly amazed, even in his drunken stupor.

Oola listened intensely.

"Give her to me completely or not at all," Boba said. "I don't want her for just one night."

Oola was outraged. However many times she had been with Boba, it had always been on her terms and behind Jabba's back. Now that he was ordering her, it made the mere thought detestable to her. "I am not a whore!" she yelled at Jabba in Twi'lek. "You can't just give my body to whomever you choose. I won't go with-"

"Silence!" Jabba said in basic. Then he focused on Boba and said something in Hutteeze.

Boba nodded and said, "I accept the terms of your offer."

"What offer? I see I don't have any say in this." Oola said.

Boba took her arm, ignoring her protests and led her out of the throne room.

**************

"So now what, no, let me guess," she said in accented basic as he led her through the palace. "I'm supposed to fulfill all of your fantasies. Incoming message, I refuse."

"Calm down," he said pushing her into his quarters and shutting and sealing the door behind him.

She looked around the sparse room and stood watching the bounty hunter. He took the strap off his shoulder and set down his weapons. Then he unfastened his pack and set it down on the floor. After checking on his com unit for any messages he turned towards her and folded his arms in front of him.

"What are you going to do with me, Boba?" she asked, looking up at him with her dark green eyes.

"I've always said that you are a very good dancer," he said. "Very good. The best I've seen and I've seen quite a few."

The flattery was hard to resist and she smiled at him despite herself. "Would you like another dance perhaps?"

He shook his head.

"Then what?" she said in frustration.

"I'm the best at what I do too," he said. He then reached out for the chair next to him and sat down, straddling it. He crossed his arms over the back of the chair and looked at her. "And now nobody will doubt it. "

"Han Solo must have been a big achievement then?" she asked.

He nodded. "My finest," he said. "Especially since his new friends are some of the most powerful people in the rebellion. Including a Jedi."

She laughed, "Don't tell me you believe in Jedi."

"Oh, they exist, and the Empire has had a very high price on the head of any Jedi for decades," he said casually. "But that doesn't interest me any longer. I'm going to retire, now. While I'm still the best."

"Retire?" she asked. "When so much money is left to be made."

"As I said, money means less to me than reputation," he said. Then without warning even leading into it he said, "I've set you free, Oola. You need only dance one time for Jabba and then you are free to leave with me. I'd like it if you stayed with me for a while. I could use the company. But I'll take you wherever you'd like to go if you'd rather."

His words hung in the air in front of her like a sick joke. Freedom wasn't something she ever thought she'd hear in the same sentence as her name. She had begged him to let her escape hundreds of times, and he had always made it perfectly clear it wasn't on his agenda. Perhaps this was a new idea of foreplay. Well, she wasn't going to fall for it.

"I'll believe it when I'm out of this palace," she said.

"Alright," he said. "That will come in two days. First you must dance for Jabba tomorrow night and then you will belong to me. I can't set you free until we leave Tatooine, but I will. I promise."

She suddenly felt strange standing in the middle of his room, so she went to the table next to him and sat down on it, crossing her legs up under her. "Why?" she asked.

"Why not?" he said.

She just stared at his helmet and then clenched her jaw.

"Perhaps," he said, "I've decided to turn over a new leaf. Instead of capturing people, in my new life I will set them free."

"Unlikely," she said, "People don't change that easily. No matter what we show to others, we are always the same in our core. You will go back to Bounty Hunting. It is in your blood you and won't be able to escape it."

He didn't answer her for a long while and she rolled her eyes at him and looked away. She was never good at seeing the truth in his eyes, but when he wore his helmet, she didn't stand a chance. As if he could read her mind, he reached underneath his chin and hit a release button. The hiss of air escaping accompanied the snapping and clicking of the helmet connections unsealing from his armor. Slowly, he lifted the green shield over his head and set it down on the table beside her.

He looked up at her with his bright blue eyes and ran a hand through his dark, wavy hair. He flashed a bright smile at her and her heart leapt. He was only in his middle years, fairly young for a human with his record of accomplishments. She tilted her head and sighed at him.

"You aren't nearly as afraid of me now as you were when you first met me," he commented.

"I was never afraid of you," she said. "I'm afraid of no one."

In a quiet voice he said, "I know that's not true. But don't be ashamed, we are all afraid of something."

She felt herself becoming vulnerable with him again. The concern displayed in his eyes was like a shield disrupter to her. "What are you afraid of, Boba?" she asked.

He looked into her eyes and said, "Being seen." As she read the sincerity on his face she understood a new that he used the helmet not as protection from enemy fire as much as to hide his expressions and vulnerabilities. She felt tenderness for him, but also was uncomfortable with the level of intimacy they were sharing.

"You have been wise to hide such a handsome face, for though it may disarm young women," she said coyly, "I suppose it would be reason enough for most men to blast you."

"You flatter me," he said rubbing his chin.

"I still won't sleep with you," she said soberly, "not until I'm free, at least."

He laughed lightly and looked away from her. "Freedom is a state of mind," he said. Then he looked at her again, his blue eyes catching the dim light of the lamp. "It's too bad the Empire is still in power, with your talent you could have made a substantial living as a dancer on a free world. Now you'll have no one to protect you from falling back into slavery."

"You're only trying to convince me to stay with you," she pointed out.

"Is it working?" he asked.

She flushed and looked away. "Maybe. But if it's all the same I'll take my chances. Maybe I'll join the Rebellion."

"Maybe I'll join you. The Rebels stand a very good chance at succeeding now," he said.

"I thought you were working against the rebels?" she asked.

"Correction," he said. "As a Bounty Hunter I work against no one. I work for myself. Only myself. But as a free man, I don't know what my future may hold."

"Well I wasn't serious about the Rebellion," she said, studying his face.

"Neither was I," he said casually.

"You're a liar," she said.

His smile caught her off guard again. "Oola, I hope you'll choose to stay with me."

Then he got up and took off his armor. He sat down on his bunk in light cotton garments and said, "If you don't want to sleep on the floor, you're more than welcome to join me."

"The floor is fine," she said. But four hours of tossing and turning on it's cold, hard stone convinced her to change her mind. She crawled into his warm bunk and snuggled up next to him. When he turned to her, she tried to turn away but he quickly held her against him. She closed her eyes and as he kissed her gently she felt herself gladly giving in.

****************

The next night…

As the guard led Oola to the throne room, Boba came towards her.

"Hello," she said with a huge smile. "Missed me already?"

"Things aren't going as planned," he said stiffly through his helmet, "There may be a delay in us getting out of here."

"What? Why?" she said. "Oh, I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."

"Listen," Boba said, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the guard. He whispered in her ear, "Jabba doesn't know it, but one of Solo's friends is here. A man named Calrissian. He'd never come alone, he's too big of a coward. I think there must be more of them and that means only one thing: They're going to attempt to rescue Han."

"Tell Jabba!" she said. "He'll reward you, I'm sure. We could buy a new ship with the money!"

The helmet shook slightly from side to side, "No, it's out of the question. Jabba would have them killed and if the others here happen to be the Princess or the Jedi, I'd be ensuring the death of the rebellion."

Frantically confused she said, "Boba, what are you talking about? You were serious about the rebellion weren't you?"

"If I'm going to be a civilian, I want to be one in a free galaxy. The rebellion is the only chance for that," he said. "Trust me on this, Oola, please."

"If that's true, why do you have to stay? Why not just let them take the statue?"

"That statue isn't just Solo's grave. He's still alive," he said. "And if they set him free, the name Boba Fett will be a laughing stock to all bounty hunters… I won't retire with that kink in my reputation."

"Pride," she mumbled. "It kills kings and slaves alike."

"All the same, I'm going to stay until they're either gone, or Solo is dead." Then he said very seriously, "Just do me one favor, dance for Jabba. Do whatever he asks. Stay alive…"

"What do you care?" she asked through tears. "I'm beginning to think you've made this entire thing up just so I would give in to you!" She pulled away from him and went into the throne room.

She looked around and was instantly seized by Bib Fortuna who led her to Jabba and attached her rope to his platform. She sat there in front of the Hutt, trying to keep her eyes off of Boba and scouring the room for any sign of someone who looked to be from the rebellion. But she didn't know what she was looking for. She then chastised herself for falling so easily prey to someone offering her impossibilities, even if the someone was Boba Fett. Here she was tethered to Jabba and here she would probably stay for the rest of her life.

Then the music began to play and she realized the time had come. She got up and threw herself into the dance, trying to forget everything. But thoughts of the rebellion and their tireless fight against the empire filled her mind. She kicked her legs up and fell gracefully, dancing her passion to the music. The dance was not the seductive number she had done the night before, but rather a communication of her desire for freedom. Then just as her heart filled with hope that by some chance, Boba wasn't crazy, she felt a yank on her neck.

She looked up in horror at the disgusting face in front of her. His green-gray tongue oozed thick saliva as he pulled her towards him. Desperately she fought against his tugging. She knew what he wanted from her, and the thought of him touching her made her stomach turn.

In Twi'lek she cried out, begging him to let her finish the dance. But she saw the flash of anger in his eyes as he realized she was refusing him. The decision was swiftly carried out. Beneath her feet the floor dropped out and she screamed.

She rolled to a stop and heard the distinctive sound of a hungry rancor growling. She called out in horror and pleaded for her life, hearing not mercy, but ruckus laughter at her inevitable demise. The last thing that went through her mind as she felt the hot breath of the rancor was how desperately she wished she had trusted that Boba was sincere.

Above the scene, Boba cursed himself for agreeing to Jabba's terms. The Hutt turned to him and with a laugh, offered him one of the other dancers. Boba shook his head and silently declined.

*************

"Boba Fett, Boba Fett? Where?" Han yelled and swung around blindly.

Boba heard the activation of his jet pack and felt the thrust shoot him across the cavern against Jabba's Hover craft. As he slid down and landed with a thud on the sand, he realized the slant to the pit was too strong for him to climb out. Then he felt something grab his leg and the transmission from his helmets sensor cut out. He was in darkness in the belly of a pit monster. In his own stomach he felt the gnarled anger and frustration at Han's escape transform into panic and terror at his own situation. Only vaguely in the back of his mind did he consider the humiliating press on the death of the great Bounty Hunter Boba Fett. This was not how he pictured the end of his career.

The End

Forward

As the second sun headed for the Tatooine horizon, an unusual sound came from deep within a pit in the sand. Unafraid of the coming darkness, the Sand people startled at the sound, but continued to pick over remains of Jabba's Palace Cruiser. What was once the proud Jabba's luxurious caravan now served as his grave and the smoldering heap of twisted metal appropriately cast eerie shadows across the dunes. Again the troublesome sound came from the pit. One of the Huskin Raiders either from curiosity or natural fear, looked over the edge of the monstrous open mouth to see what was making the noise.

Within seconds he let out a whooping cry of warning and the alarm sounded, the rest of his tribe quickly evacuated the area. What he had seen was impossible as far as any of his people would have believed. Nobody had ever escaped from the pit so whoever or whatever shot out of it's mouth must have either been a ghost or far worse.

The armored figure collapsed as soon as his feet hit the sand. His suit was covered with rips and goo oozed off of his helmet. Grabbing the strap under his chin, Boba unfastened and threw the mask aside, gasping for breaths in the cooling night air. His eyes were agape in an expression somewhere between terror and shock.

"I did it," he said between breaths. "I'm alive."

***********

On a Rebel Medical Cruiser…

"Is she the only one in its stomach?" one of the Rebel nurses asked pointing to the bacca tank.

"No, but she's all we could salvage," the other said. "If that Twi'lek male hadn't put her right in stasis after they cut it's belly open she wouldn't have made it either. It's really a miracle."

"What's going to happen to her?" the first asked. "I thought I saw Bib Fortuna's shuttle leave our station already. Isn't he taking her with him?"

"Well, Bib's only source of income after the Hutt's demise was his inheritance of all of Jabba's slave dancers. Unfortunately for him, after it was learned Jabba had died, most of them escaped. So he went through great lengths to get this Twi'lek to us to save her. Unfortunately for him Mon Mothma won't hear of returning her as a slave, not after what she's been through. The Twi'lek almost had a conniption, until one of his aids told him Jabba had already given her to a bounty hunter named Boba Fett. So Fortuna had no claim to her anyway." She shook her head and sat down at the station across the way. "As it turns out Boba died too, and without a will so she's legally free."

The other nurse looked thoughtfully at the bacca tank and nodded her head slowly, "As free as any of us are as long as the Empire is still in control of the galaxy."

***********

A year later, months after the battle at Endor….

Since her 'reincarnation' from the belly of a rancor, Oola had gained considerable attention in the medical field. There were many doctors who wanted to use her celebrity to boost their practice and offered her receptionist positions and even an honorable nurses aid with full training.

But the Calmari Admiral's offer to use her as an entertainer for his military functions still sounded like the best offer she was going to get.

As she walked through the walkways of Coruscant, the thought of dancing again made Oola's insides tense. But now that the rebel's no longer needed her service as a cadet in the cargo bays of their large cruisers, she couldn't think of anything else that she might do for a living. When Bib had kidnapped her she never imagined that she wouldn't return home if ever given the chance. But the back world she came from was so foreign to her now. To try to start over as a Twi'lek farm girl after seeing the things she had seen and doing the things she had done seemed ridiculous. She wondered if dancing was still her best talent even. In any case it was a good fall back career even if it didn't work out with Ackbar. Dancing was still in great demand in pubs throughout the galaxy, especially now that there was so much less of a threat of the Empire turning over the joint.

Reaching the Admiral's newly established home, she was greeted by what must have been his butler.

"Come in, Oola. Admiral Ackbar is waiting for you in the parlor," he said.

She followed him in and noticed the aquatic designs throughout the home. When she walked into his parlor, she noticed that both the humidity and the temperature were higher than normal for the planet.

"Oola, I hope you have decided to take me up on my offer of employment. If not, you must let me know immediately. There is a celebration in a few days to honor some of the lower officers who were killed in combat. We will also be handing out awards for bravery to a few hundred civilians who joined the rebel force and helped overthrow the Imperial powers that still held Coruscant."

"I came here to accept your offer, Admiral Ackbar," she said. "I need only to familiarize myself with the musicians and I will have an acceptable dance prepared…"

"Dance?" he said with a laugh. "I'm hiring you for your organizational abilities! I need someone to help arrange the seating for this function and you came highly recommended for your work as ships facility coordinator on the Cranium Battle Cruiser."

"But you asked if I had entertainment experience and that you had a position that would suit a dancer," she said breathlessly.

"Because you may be asked to dance by some of the attendees to the formal functions we throw," he said. His eyes rolled about a bit in a gesture of amusement. "I was being a bit facetious, but my offer is genuine."

"Oh, I guess I can help you then. It's not very much time though," she said.

He picked up a data pad from his desk and held it up for her to take, "Here's, everything you'll need."

************

As Oola looked around the crowded room she was surprised to see General Han Solo. Checking her list of attendees she confirmed what she already knew, he was not on the list. Scurrying about, she found a proper seat for someone of his rank and walked over to him and his guest. It was Princess Leia, and she looked beautiful in her white gown. Oola reasoned if she could squeeze one seat at the table she had set, she could squeeze two.

She smiled at them and the lost look in Han's eyes disappeared. "I was told to see a green Twi'lek about a seat," he said.

"Yes, General," she said. She nodded to Leia and said, "Greetings, Princess."

"Thank you for the accommodation…" Leia started, but was interrupted.

"Yeah, so sorry to drop in on you like this," Han said, "I told them I'd get us here in time, but some people still don't believe how fast I am."

Leia rolled her eyes and to Oola's chagrin, a Wookie and a small framed blond man walked up behind Han and Leia.

"There'll be four of us," he said.

"Four," she said, trying not to stare at Han. She still had the tortured expression in carbonite imprinted on her brain and it was hard to look at him without feeling pity for what he must have gone through. She knew that anyone who knew about what had happened to her probably felt the same way when looking at her. "I will see what I can do. I'm sorry to make you wait, but it may take a few minutes."

"No hurry," Han said, placing his hands on his hips and looking around casually.

Oola worked at the data pad and tried to find four empty seats anywhere in the room together. But it looked as though she was going to have to move some other people. Her thoughts were interrupted by a question from General Solo's blond companion.

"Aren't you Oola?" he asked. "The Twi'lek rescued from the Rancor at Jabba's palace?"

She looked up at him and felt the eyes of all four of them scrutinizing her with curiosity. She nodded and continued to work on the arrangement. Unfazed by her silence, the man continued to question her.

"I almost joined you that day," he said solemnly. "Thank the Force that you were able to be retrieved after I killed it."

Oola looked up in disbelief. This small man was the Jedi Luke Skywalker who had killed the Rancer. "Then I owe you my life," she said. She had always pictured him larger than life, but he was actually only a little bit taller than her.

"I never thought of it that way," he said a bit more humbly than she could imagine a hero like him being. "It was the medical teams who did most of the miracle."

"What are you talking about?" Leia asked.

"Yeah," Han said.

Luke looked at her with compassion and said, "You go on and do your work, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Oola smiled a bit relieved, and moved away as she heard him begin to tell her story to his friends.

Within minutes she had the situation squared away and placed the four unexpected, but honorable guests in a decent place while managing to prevent any disrespect anyone else would have felt for being moved.

After she had them seated, Leia touched her arm gently and said, "I'm so pleased that Admiral Ackbar has found you a position. But if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Princess," she said and quickly moved away. In her new position she was going to have to get used to royalty and prestige, but right now she just wanted to be busy with her work and not be bothered with being uncomfortable with their notice of her.

*************

As the civilians lined up for their turn to receive the reward the New Republic was giving them, Oola ran her eyes over the men and women in gratitude. Admiral Ackbar had just explained how the Rebels destroyed the second death star. He was now describing how the battle on Coruscant had happened quickly and without hesitation by a handful of civilians who believed in the rebel cause and were willing to sacrifice their lives to ensure the Empire was ousted from the center point of power in the galaxy.

Suddenly her eyes stopped as a surge of recognition flooded through her. She stepped out from behind the shadow's to get a closer look at the man's face and immediately whipped out her data pad, scanning for a name she knew was not there. Then she calculated where this man had been sitting and looked up his name.

She read it out loud, "Samuel Sumner." She then looked back up at him as the procession was beginning. He took a step, as did all the others in line and was acting as if it was perfectly natural for him to be there.

Then a voice in her head reminded her of her past, who she was and where she had come from. She remembered that night two years ago and that Jabba had released her into this man's possession. Obviously he must know she was here, she had been walking around the room in full view of everyone. As her disbelief and uncertainty continued, he casually glanced over in her direction. If she wasn't sure before, his smile confirmed it for her. She felt herself flush and watched as he returned his attention to Ackbar and where he was headed on the stage.

Feeling her stomach tighten, Oola saw an empty seat and took it, for the first time that evening, not even caring whom it belonged to.

************

Standing outside in the cool air of the balcony, Oola heard footsteps behind her. Boba had caught her eye again and had motioned for the door, she supposed he hoped for a chance to speak with her alone. She decided it wouldn't hurt to simply see what he wanted. Now that he was here, her stomach began doing flips again. She closed her eyes and said to the man behind her, "Boba Fett, what right have you to still be alive? I thought you were dead and here you are accepting an award like any self-respecting citizen."

"What?" the voice behind her said; a voice that was clearly not Boba's. "Boba Fett? He's alive?"

She turned to see Han Solo standing there. Unable to speak, Oola's eyes followed a figure moving past the doorway back into the hall. It must have registered on her face because Han spun around and shouted, "Stop that man, he's a criminal!"

Oola's heart pounded in her chest and she ran in after Han and watched as a room full of people became suddenly in an upheaval. It wasn't two minutes when Jedi Skywalker had the man in cuffs and was leading him into the center of the room.

Boba's face was downcast in a stern, emotionless expression. Oola moved past the other on lookers to the circle surrounding him.

"Who is it, Han?" Luke asked.

"Boba Fett," Han said, "I think."

Han looked at Oola for confirmation. She didn't look back at him, but continued to look at Boba. Boba Fett was the name of a despised bounty hunter known by just about everyone in the room. Waves of discord and chatter surged through the people there.

Ackbar came forward and stood in front of Boba. "You were one of the civilians who helped lead the revolt against the Emperors Palace?"

Boba raised his gaze to the Calamari and nodded.

"That doesn't matter," Han said, "He worked with the Empire before Endor. Whatever he did on Coruscant, it doesn't get him immunity from all the other slime he committed."

Boba raised an eyebrow, slowly turned to Han and said, "I agree, General. But then shouldn't we all pay for the crimes we committed before the New Republic?"

Han put his hands on his hips and stared angrily in the eyes of the man he had only known up to this point as a masked antagonist to his smuggling life style.

"Who will testify for this man?" Ackbar asked. "Did anyone fight with him against the Empire? Can anyone attest to his reformation?"

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Boba looked around the room. There were obviously several men and women who must have known him, at least fought with him in the battle. Since he was honored with a special atonement, he had to have been nominated by at least twelve separate people and Oola wondered where they all were right now.

Oola was angered that nobody would stand up for him; that they were more afraid of General Solo's then the fate of this man. Just when she thought Ackbar was going to say something, she spoke up.

"I can attest for him," Oola said.

Boba looked up at her with a bit of confusion and she turned her eyes to Admiral Ackbar and said, "He told me two years ago he was giving up Bounty Hunting. In fact he knew there was a rescue team in Jabba's palace come to get General Solo and he didn't tell Jabba. He said he wanted the rebellion to succeed and that he might even join it if he found an opportunity. I didn't believe him then, but I see now that he was being truthful."

Ackbar looked around the room and caught the eyes of a few men who, under the pressure of the Admiral's eyes, stepped forward. They conspicuously did not look at the frustrated General Solo. When there were two dozen or so lined up, Ackbar gave the silent command to release Boba Fett and Luke obliged.

"I guess I don't have a say in this then," Solo said.

"No, you don't," Ackbar commented as he raised his hands and urged people back to their seats.

Oola stayed with the small group and joined Leia in listening to the conversation of the old rivals.

"Han," Luke coaxed, "He's obviously proved himself. Why do you insist on holding a grudge?"

"I don't blame him," Boba said, gently rubbing his wrists, "I made his life hell for years. I'd hate me too if I was him."

With attitude Han said, "Oh, so now you're the good guy putting the past behind us. Well you didn't get stuck in carbon freezing for half a year."

"No, but I did almost die a thousand year death," Boba said with a smirk. "And besides, Vader did that to you, not me. I would have been just as happy to blast you."

"Do you believe this guy?" Han asked, incredulous.

Luke gave Boba a look that said he wasn't helping things and Boba turned his eyes on Oola. She looked away and took a step behind Leia.

"How did you get out of that pit?" Leia asked. "Nobody's ever escaped one of those creatures. At least not on any record I've seen."

"Luckily I fell in with my backpack levitation unit on. Once I was able to blast the tentacles from around me, I easily, well… not so easily, flew out," he said. "But I actually came closer to death on the walk back to Jabba's palace. Tatooine isn't a very friendly planet to get stranded on out in the middle of nowhere."

"I can testify to that," Luke said.

Han stared at the man with frustration and then stuck out his hand. Cautious, Boba took it and then gave it a firm shake.

"Thanks for your help on Coruscant," Han said with a slight air of patronization.

"And thank all of you for your fight against the Empire," Boba said sincerely.

"You're welcome," Han said with a smirk. Then he said to Leia, "C'mon, I think they're serving the food soon."

Leia and Luke followed Han away from Boba and Oola and Boba turned to her again.

"You're much more quiet than I remember," he said.

"I've learned to respect those in authority," she said.

"No," he said, stepping closer, "There's something else that's different."

Oola backed up into a pillar and looked down and away from him.

"Oola. You're acting so skittish. Whatever happened to that proud, brazen slave girl I once knew?" he asked.

"A lot of things change when you almost die," she said. "I'm sure you've changed quite a bit yourself."

He nodded, "Yes, I suppose." He looked around the room some and said, "But aren't we really still the same at our core, whatever we end up presenting to others?"

Uncomfortable, Oola said, "I have some more work to do. I'm not here as a guest, I'm working."

She started to walk away and he asked, "Do you still dance?"

She stopped herself and looked at her data pad. "Not in a long while," she said.

"I didn't think so," he said sadly.

"It's not been easy," she said softly.

"You know," Boba said sauntering over to her. "Technically, you still belong to me."

Oola's eyes bore into him in her anger at his presumption. Her response didn't seem to bother him at all.

"But we can talk about that later," he said casually. "When you're off the time clock."

Without a word, Oola walked away. And throughout the evening she found herself watching the former bounty hunter, wondering why she was looking forward to their conversation after the dinner.

****************

"Did you forget?" Boba said, following the Green Twi'lek out of the hall. "I wanted to speak with you."

"You can't order me around because you don't own me, Boba. I'm a free woman now. If you'd like to take it up with Admiral Ackbar, be my guest," she said, walking away from him faster. The words floated off of her lips, just as she had rehearsed them in her mind a hundred times.

Boba kept up with her pace quite easily. "I'm not coming to reclaim you," he said innocently. "I only wanted to give you something."

Oola slowed down, but kept walking and turned her ear towards him. "What," she asked, intentionally trying not to sound too anxious.

"Hold on," he said, gently holding her arm so that she would stop moving.

The two of them stood there in the dimly lit corridor and though it was deserted, Boba spoke in hushed tones.

"Over the years I've kept an account with your name on it. I was able to transfer it to Republican Credits and now it's nearly 400,000 CR. I wanted you to have it," he said.

"400,00 CR?" she gasped.

"I know! But I really owe it to you. It's the payments and interest on what I earned from Jabba for capturing you," he said. "All forty-two times you were bountied."

A smirk came to her lips and she tried to suppress it.

"Jabba kept paying me to find you because you were his favorite. I suppose that once you didn't belong to him anymore, it was easy for him to just…" He looked away, the pain showing in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I should have pleased him that night."

He gingerly raised his left hand to her shoulder and caressed it. She tilted her head and stepped into his arms. Tightly he squeezed her and breathed out a breath of relief that sounded as though it had been held for a very long time.

"I had nightmares for months," he said. "Reliving that unbearable moment over and over again."

Oola wrapped her slender green arms around him and held him in return. She could feel her eyes stinging with tears and pressed her wet face into his chest. "Stop," she said. "I don't like to think about it."

"It wasn't until I heard about the miracle Twi'lek/Rancer story that I had any shred of motivation to do anything with myself. When I confirmed that it was in fact you who had survived the impossible, I was in my ship ready to leave Courascant to find you. But news of the Second Death Star explosion provided me a detour I felt I had to take. I knew I'd find you eventually."

Oola cranked her neck up to look at him. "I had no idea you cared so much for me," she said.

Putting his finger under her chin, he leaned down and gently kissed her mouth. When he pulled back she still had her eyes closed. He kissed her forehead and said, "But now I have to go. I have a lot to do, which will be made more dangerous now that everyone knows that Samuel Sumner is Boba Fett."

"Sorry about that," she said. Then her face showed concern, "When will I see you again?"

"I don't know," he said. "I'm going to have to keep a low profile. I might not come back to Coruscant for a very long time."

"Then I want to go with you," she said.

"I couldn't…" he started.

"Why not? What is it you're going to do?" she said. Then with a touch of anger she said, "Are you returning to Bounty Hunting?"

With a small smile he said, "Not exactly."

"Boba!" she said. "I stood up for you in front of Admiral Ackbar…"

"Take it easy," he said. Then he seemed to get a bit embarrassed and sighed. "Okay, Oola, I'll tell you. But you can't go saying anything to anyone."

"I've kept your secrets in the past," she said.

He nodded and said, "Okay, well… You aren't the only one I plan on reimbursing. I intend to hunt down every innocent still alive that I helped capture and free them if need be. But any reward money I won for their capture will be theirs as repayment."

Pushing herself away from him she looked at him stunned. "You spent your entire life earning money for capturing people just to turn around and give it back to them? I don't understand, why?"

"It just gives me something to do," he said, looking away.

"No, I think you've really had a heart change," she said. "Oh, Boba. I have to come with you now. Don't you see?" She reached her arms around him and kissed him again.

"Oola," he said, holding her shoulders, " General Solo isn't going to be the only one not thrilled to see I'm alive. It's going to be a lot of work finding people, and very dangerous once I do."

"I remember you told me once that the only thing you didn't like about Bounty Hunting was that it was always so lonely," she said.

"I'm sure I can find someone to keep me company," he said. "I'll probably need a co-pilot anyway…"

"Fine," she said, angry again. "Have a nice destiny." She turned and strutted off in a huff.

"Oola!" he said. "Let's not leave it like this."

"I'm not, you are," she called out, still walking away.

He ran up to her and said, "Please, I thought we could just… One more night together."

"Oh, I'm sure you can find someone else to keep you company," she said. "I'm not interested."

"I don't just want someone, Oola," he said. "I want you."

"I always was just a consort to you, wasn't I?" she said.

"You were always my friend," he said a bit hurt. She stopped and looked up at his sad eyes. He continued, "And my lover, and so much more. I never felt more alive than when I was with you."

"And I never felt more free," she said.

"I'd love to see you dance again," he said. "Come with me tonight."

Raising a brow she said, "I'll come with you, on one condition."

"Anything!" he said. "within reason."

"Let me stay with you," she said. When he looked away she insisted, "You could teach me to do what you do. Teach me to fly a ship, to find lost people, to shoot a blaster."

"You really want to risk your life with me?" he asked. "

"Do you doubt I could handle it?" she asked.

His grin widened and he nodded. "Alright, you've got a deal, Oola. But I'm probably a crazy man for agreeing to this."

And they sealed the agreement with an embrace.

The End

Part 3: Mysterious Deposit

Half a year after ROJ

"Hey," Han said as he looked over his personal accounts, "Leia, you wouldn't approve another bonus without telling me, would you?"

"For what?" she asked, "You haven't done anything heroic lately as far as I know."

"Nice," he said sarcastically. "But here look. I've got some strange new deposit in my account without a reference."

Leia walked over to his station and standing over his shoulder looked at his account readings.

"You've got quite a sum in there, hotshot," she said.

"Never mind that," Han said and pointed to the mysterious new sum.

"150,000 credits," she read. "And no contributor listed. Maybe one of the more humble governments or an individual felt especially appreciative for your work against the Empire. Or someone afraid the New Republic isn't going to last and doesn't want their generosity to be traced."

"Eh, I don't know. That's an awful lot of money," he said.

"To you," Leia said with a smirk and sauntered away from him. "It would be pocket change to some."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, "Like who? You? Luke said you were rich, but…"

"Don't get any big ideas, flyboy," she warned with a half smile.

***********

As soon as his ship landed on Coruscant, Bib Fortuna exited and walked directly to the military headquarters for the New Republic. He tried to control his anger and concentrated on the task at hand, locating the illusive Boba Fett. For the last year he thought the Bounty Hunter was dead and the money he was owed, lost forever. But with gossip and news traveling fast through the galaxy he had heard all the way on Tatooine of the appearance of this 'ghost' at a party just weeks ago.

Reaching the entrance to the personnel office, Bib Fortuna showed his ID and made his request.

"There's no one in our records by the name of Samuel Sumner, Mr. Fortuna. Are you certain he served in the Rebel military? I could check the Imperial records."

"Do it," he said. Bib wasn't sure exactly why Boba had been at the Military function, but his being in the military was a first guess.

"Nothing registers there either," he said.

"Try Boba Fett," Bib reluctantly suggested.

"The Bounty Hunter?" the Ensign asked with a laugh. "I can tell you right now he's never served in either military. Besides, wasn't he killed by Han Solo at Jabba's palace?"

"That's how the story goes," Bib hissed as he left the office. He had no interest in setting straight ill-informed clerks, he had to find Boba one way or another. He had wanted to avoid speaking directly with General Solo, but his time was short and his options were few.

Upon reaching the Emperors Palace, Bib again showed his ID, but got a less than welcome response from the guard.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fortuna, but you're ID doesn't grant you access to the New Republic Palace any longer. You'll have to submit a request…"

Not letting the guard finish his sentence, Bib said, "How do I get a message to General Solo?"

*********

Luke walked into his sister's apartment in the New Republic Palace and smiled to see that Han had beat him there.

"You're late, kid," Han said glancing at him from his seat on Leia's couch. His feet were up and his hands were behind his head, obviously having made himself comfortable.

"No actually, you're both early," Leia corrected as she came in from the other room with a plate of appetizers. "But it's just as well, you can help with the table. I didn't invite you two hear to serve you."

"I don't cook," Han said, not budging an inch.

Luke shook his head and graciously took on the tasks Leia gave him. When they were all seated and well into the second course, Leia began.

"I'm considering a permanent position on the New Republic Counsel," she said. "I wanted your input."

"Leia, that's a great responsibility," Luke said, "But I can't think of anyone more suited for the job."

"If you like politicians," Han said.

"Han, I was a Senate spokes person for Alderaan before…" she started. Her words faded into silence.

"Yeah, well," Han said. "I've already resigned from the military. I've done my duty for the New Republic."

Leia shook her head and looked at Luke. "What will you be doing now?"

"I'm going to start looking for other Force-sensitives," he said. "I want to rebuild the Jedi Order."

"Ha!" Han said.

"What is with you tonight?" Leia asked.

Han looked away slightly and then, knowing he wasn't going to hide anything from his friends sighed in resignation. "I got word today that Bib Fortuna is looking to talk to me about none-other than Boba Fett. He wants to meet me tomorrow at a certain Cantina. Seems Boba has some outstanding debts to pay. Normally it wouldn't bother me, but for some reason, I just don't want to have to deal with it right now."

Luke looked at him with understanding, "Your past keeps coming back to haunt you."

"No," Han said sardonically. "I just don't like being expected to know where criminals are."

"He's not a criminal anymore," Leia reminded him.

"Whatever," Han said rolling his eyes.

"Do you?" Luke asked.

"Do I what?" Han asked.

"Know where Boba is?" Luke said.

"He left Coruscant, that's all I know," Han said. "Oh, and he bought a new ship with his reward money."

"When did he leave?" Leia asked.

"A week ago," Han said. "Why?"

"Admiral Ackbar mentioned that Oola quit her job and disappeared off-planet, just about a week ago. I'll bet you anything she took off with him Boba," she said with a faint smile.

"I thought I noticed something between them," Luke said, rubbing his chin.

"Not a chance," Han said. "Boba works alone. Always has, always will."

Leia looked at Luke who shrugged. Then she turned to Han and asked, "Are you going to meet with Fortuna, tell him what you know?"

"Maybe," Han said. "Part of me still wants to get back at Boba. But sending that half-brained Twi-lek on his trail hardly feels adequate. He'll never find him, even if I knew exactly where Boba was. Fortuna just isn't qualified to track someone like Boba.." Han paused a moment and then continued, "Unless Boba doesn't know he's being hunted."

"Revenge is of the dark side," Luke warned.

"It's not revenge, it's more like," Han seemed to search for the perfect answer, "a joke, a prank, if you will, between old enemies. If Fortuna was a real threat to Boba, he wouldn't need my help."

*********

"I'm only after what's mine," Fortuna insisted. "Thank you for the information, and I assure you, General Solo, once I have received my payment in full, I will let bygones be bygones."

"It must be an awesome amount of money for you to risk your life going after a former Bounty Hunter," Han said leaning across the cantina table towards the Twi'lek. "I mean, after all, Boba hasn't lost his potential to be dangerous, just because he's received a pardon from an Admiral."

With beady eyes, the pasty Twi'lek stared across the table at the human. Baring his pointy teeth just momentarily, he then said, "150,000 credits is worth risking my life over."

Han startled at the amount, affording Fortuna pleasure at having gotten such a response. "I told you it was a great amount," he said.

Regaining his composure Han replied casually, "Mere pocket change to some."

*********

"I don't get it," Leia said as she walked down the corridor with Luke and Han, "Why do you automatically assume there's a connection?"

"It's too big a coincidence," Han said.

"I agree," Luke said with a nod.

"So what," Leia said in frustration. "What do you care what Boba owes Fortuna?"

"Is your new job getting to you, sweet heart? You seem awful uptight," Han said condescendingly.

Leia sighed heavily and sped up her pace ahead of them. "I'll see you both after the counsel session."

"Geesh," Han said, slowing his gate to a stop, "What's eating her?"

"She's under a lot of pressure right now," Luke said. He stopped walking too and gazed after his sister with concern. Then he refocused on his friend and asked, "Did you ask Bib why Boba owed him so much money?"

"Yeah," Han said. "All he would say was that Jabba had left it to him when he died. Lando checked out the validity of that for me this afternoon. All Jabba was supposed to leave Bib was his Twi'lek slave dancers."

"Like Oola?" Luke asked.

Han looked down at his friend in thought and said. "Yeah, there's another piece to the puzzle. But it still doesn't tell me where I fit in."

Luke looked down the hall at the closed senate chamber doors where Leia had disappeared. "You know," he said. "She has a point. This is an interesting mystery, but there's a lot else that needs to be done in the New Republic. Spending time wondering about this might just be idol thought."

"What if someone had put 150,000 credits in your account and then you find out that an arch enemy of yours owed that exact amount to someone? What would you do?" Han said.

Luke looked down and laughed lightly and said, "You don't want to know."

"Yes, yes I do," Han said.

With a steady tone and dead pan face Luke said, "Pay Fortuna the money."

"Your right, I didn't want to know," Han said. He turned and stormed off calling out, "That slime ridden Bounty Hunter can just pay off his OWN debts. I'm taking Leia's advice and forgetting the entire thing."

**************

C3-PO shuffled into the docking bay and up to the Millenium Falcon. Chewbacca growled a warm Wookie greeting and waved at the gold droid.

"Hello, Chewbacca, it is good to see you again too. I've found myself rather busy of late, helping Princess Leia with protocol. She's found herself in greater need of my services than ever before, if I do say so myself. I'm so grateful to be of assistance too. In fact, oh dear, I must stop chattering, I'm due back in the counsel room in less than an hour and I must speak with Master Solo before then. It's of dire importance. Do you know where he is?"

Chewie, who had stopped listening to the droid after the first sentence, barked a question.

"I say, do you know where Master Solo is? It's very important that I speak to him as…" turning to the human descending from the ship, the droid continued, "… ah, Master Solo, there you are."

"What is it, goldenrod?" Han said impatiently.

"I've spoken to Princess Leia about your concern over the credits in your account. And if I may say, it is a substantial amount of money, relatively speaking…"

"Oh, so her highness is confiding in you now? Beautiful," Han said sarcastically.

"It's just that Master Luke told her of Bib Fortuna's Twi'lek dancers inheritance and I thought it interesting to note that Oola was one of the dancers on the list of whom he should have received."

"Yeah, that is very interesting, but we've already gone over this and it doesn't help any," Han said impatiently. He turned around to go back into the ship as C3-PO kept speaking.

"But she shouldn't have been on the list at all, she was a gift to Boba Fett for your capture," the droid explained.

Han stopped walking and turned slowly around. Insult dripping from his tone, Han said, "You're telling me that Jabba set the reward for my capture was one Twi'lek slave dancer?"

C3-PO backed away from the angry human and held his hands up, "No, no, not at all, Master Solo. The reward was a substantial amount. So high that when Boba Fett agreed to substitute Oola as payment, most of those in Jabba's palace thought he had gone mad. But as fate would have it, Oola was tragically killed by a Rancer and Boba ended up with the credits after all."

Hans was now standing almost nose to golden nose with the droid. Nervously he asked, "How much?"

"I believe the amount was 20,560,000, which in current exchange rates is equal to 150,000 credits," C3-PO said. "The very amount in your account, I might add."

Turning away slowly, Han said proudly, "Chewie, did you hear that? Jabba thought I was worth 150,000 credits."

The Wookie roared in aggravation.

"Calm down, you're my co-pilot. Co-pilot's are never worth as much as the actual bounty," Han said, obviously very pleased with himself.

"Sir, if I might say, it is not irrational for Bib Fortuna to believe Boba owes him some retribution since, in effect, Boba received both rewards for your capture," C3-PO said.

"Yeah," Han said.

"And I might also add that you did escape, so the reward money shouldn't have been his in any case," C3-PO said. "According to Hutt tradition a bounty that has been paid may be required to be returned if it is found that the prisoner was never secured completely in the first place. Since Jabba wanted you alive, so that he may have the pleasure to kill you himself, it could be construed that since your death never took place the Bounty is null and void. But only in the strictest Hutt law of course."

Han lifted his brows at the droid, "I don't care."

"You're missing something important, Han," Luke's voice said from behind the Falcon.

"Ah geeze, kid, what is it now?" Han asked.

"I think you know now who put the money in your account," Luke said as he rounded the Falcon, his black cape flowing about him.

Han looked at him and then at Chewie, who laughed. "No," Han said.

"Master Luke, I agree, it was Boba Fett himself who deposited the money into Master Solo's account," C3-PO said.

In sardonic disbelief Han said, "But why? Why would he do that?"

Chewbacca, still finding the entire thing amusing, barked a possible answer.

"No," Luke said, "I don't think that he's trying to get back at Han, and I don't think that he's aware Fortuna wants the money. In fact, he probably believes he's even with Jabba."

Just then Leia walked into the room, looking for C3-PO. She walked up to them, listening to their conversation.

"But you forget, he's got Oola. He's gotta know he can't keep both the money and the Twi'lek," Han said. "Even if Jabba's dead, the other Hutt's would see to it that he was even."

"She's not his slave, Han," Leia piped in. "She went with him as a free woman."

"Yeah right," Han said. "The guys a scoundrel."

"Some women like scoundrel's," Leia said with a smirk. Keeping eye contact with Han, she said, "C3-PO, I need you to come with me now. We're running late."

"Yes, Princess Leia," C3-PO said as he followed her out of the hanger.

Han kept his eyes on the princess as she walked out.

"So your mystery is solved," Luke said. "Do you feel better?"

"No," Han said, breaking his eyes from the door to look at his friend. "I don't like the idea of Boba Fett dropping money in my account out of the blue. I'm going to get my account security beefed up."

"Han," Luke said carefully, "I think what you don't like is that he's really reformed."

"No," Han said. "I don't believe it. Not until I have more proof than this. I think Chewie's right. He put that money in my account to mess with me. He knew about Fortuna and he wanted to rub it in my face. Well… I'll show him," Han said walking towards the hanger door.

"What are you going to do?" Luke asked.

Just before he exited, Han said, "I'm going to contact Fortuna, transfer the money from my account and tell him it's from Boba Fett."

Chewbacca let out an angry howl.

Under his breath, Luke said with amusement, "That'll teach him."

The End

Part 4: Singg for your supper

Oola carried her tray to the table and gave the patrons their drinks. Staring the old man in the eye, she made change from the money belt she wore around her waist.

"You owe me two more dinari, worm head," he said with a sneer.

Brushing the insult off, Oola quickly recounted in her mind and realized he was right. She handed over the two dinari to him and said sweetly, "I like a man who knows how to count."

He didn't soften, but took the change and deposited it into his deep vest pocket. "Garsher, Your new waitress here is trying to skim from the customers."

"Huh?" Garsher said unenthusiastically from behind the bar.

Oola turned quickly away from the table and made her way back to the bar, saying under her breath, "It was a simple mistake, I'm not used to calculating the exchange rate without a datapad."

"Right, but my customers won't believe that unless the error is in their favor," the man said. Then with a wink he said, "And it better never be in their favor either."

Oola gave him a small smirk and pushed aside her embarrassment at the mathematical error. This was her third night and there was still no sign of who they were looking for. She was beginning to wonder if Boba had made a miscalculation himself.

"You have a new customer, at seat four, Oola," the pale hostess instructed. Then sarcastically the large woman added, "A real cutie too, lucky you."

Oola glanced over and saw that it was Boba. She smiled at him and walked over.

"Hello, sir, how may I serve you this evening?" she said coyly.

Folding his hands on the table, he leaned forward on his elbows and looked up at her. "That depends," he said with a grin.

"That depends on what?" she asked, giving him the knowing look she knew he liked.

He glanced at the man sitting at the table next to him and then looked down at his hands. "I'll have a glass of Noobian ale and whatever the house soup is."

Oola looked at her other customer and noticed he was glaring at Boba with malice. Since the old man was out of earshot in the noisy pub, she asked Boba, "Do you know that guy?"

"No," Boba said, "But I know his type. He hates non-humans and anyone who associates with non-humans."

She looked at the old man who turned his glare on her as he took a swig of his drink.

"Normally I'd mop the floor up with his ugly face just for looking at you like that," Boba said turning his eyes briefly at the larger man. "But we're on a mission, so I hope you'll understand if I exercise restraint."

Turning on her heels, Oola let her head tales swing behind her at Boba and walked off to place his order. Boba moved out of the way and smiled after her. He turned to the older man and nodded. The man sneered again and looked away.

*************

"I was surprised to see you in the pub this evening," Oola said climbing on Boba's bare back. "I thought you were going to let me do this one on my own?"

"I couldn't understand what was taking you so long," Boba said putting down his reading and laying his head on the pillow in relaxation. "And… I wanted to see you at work in that cute little barmaid skirt. I was impressed at how efficient you can really be if you're working for tips."

She stopped the massage she had started and stared down at the back of his head. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he laughed. He sighed in agreement to her fingers movements.

"Well, you're lucky you left me a big one," Oola said. "And I'll agree, seeing you there made the work less tedious. Seeing you mop the floor with that old man would have been even more entertaining. Too bad we're on a mission."

"Right," Boba said sleepily. "Mmmm," he said as she worked on his neck muscles. Then without opening his eyes he said, "She's the hostess, by the way."

"No, she's not," Oola said with confusion, "The hostess name is Reba and she doesn't have a head antennae…"

"Aurra has changed her name, gotten heavier and grown hair since you've last seen her, Oola," he said casually. "It's a common mistake for a beginner to go on visual description… Ow!"

"Oh sorry," Oola said innocently. With difficulty she restrained herself from pinching his shoulder too hard again as she continued the massage. She was unable to hide that she was insulted when she said, "I was going by what you said, that she was hiding out there. You never said she would be working at the pub…"

"I told you my sources indicated it was her hide out. That could mean anything from her being a patron, to her working there, to her simply living in an upstairs closet," he said. "It was your job to figure out which it was."

"Why didn't you just say that?" Oola asked exasperated. She stopped massaging and said, throwing her hands in the air, "How am I supposed to know what to do unless you tell me!"

Boba turned around under her and faced her. He took her hands as he spoke, trying to calm her down. "Because, you've got to start thinking more deductively. You've already proven your strength in sorting and filing information. All I'm trying to do is help you learn to gather it as well."

She looked down at him, clenched her jaw and sighed.

"It's nothing to feel bad about," he said. "Just remember, don't mention me when you confront her."

"Right," Oola said and she hopped off of him and the bed and grabbed her robe from a chair.

"Where are you going?" he asked, the disappointment clear in his voice.

"To bed," she said as she walked out of the room, "I'm suddenly dreadfully tired."

"You're taking this too personal," he called out.

"Shut up!" she yelled back from the other side of the ship.

******************

"So, Reba, Garsher says you’ve been working here for years. What about this planet makes you stay?" Oola asked.

The pale-faced hostess looked up at her slowly and said, "Let's keep it professional, shall we?"

"I'm just trying to be friendly," Oola said.

"You may need friends, but I don't," she answered. "Leave me alone and I'll leave you alone. Bug me again, and…" as she walked by she said, "I'll slit your throat before you can finish your sentence."

Oola's eyes gaped open as the black haired woman passed her by. She knew that Aurra used to be deadly with many weapons and didn't doubt that the former Bounty Hunter could still hold her own. Her heart stopped when Aurra turned and fixed her black eyes on her. From half way across the room she snapped, "And the same goes if I find you asking anyone else questions about me."

Oola nodded and went to the kitchen to pick up a meal of one of her customers.

**************

"I blew it again," Oola said, slumping into a chair on the main lobby of Bobba's ship. "And I almost got myself killed."

"What did you say?" he asked, restraining a smile as he set down a tool and took a seat across from her.

"I just tried some idle conversation and she blew up on me," Oola grumbled. "Now she says if I ask anymore questions of her or about her, she'll kill me."

"Did you find out anything from Garsher before she made the threat?" he asked carefully.

"Only that she's been there for years, but I don't know how many," she said. "I got the impression that he doesn't consider her a very good hostess and that she hates her job."

"Then why is she still there?" Boba asked.

"How should I know?" Oola asked.

"Why would Garsher still have her as a hostess if she was so bad?" he asked.

"I don't know that either," Oola said, as she bore her eyes into him.

"Guess, Oola," he said.

Her words dripping with sarcasm she said, "Maybe he's got a thing for her."

"Is that what it looks like when they interact?" Boba asked patiently.

Oola glared at him and then calmed down some and thought a little. "No, she appears to hate him just as much as everyone else."

"And how does he act towards her?" Boba asked. "Is he mean, kind, flirty, condescending?"

"Sometimes he's condescending, but mostly I guess he's as kind to her as he is to me," she said.

"And how does she respond when he's condescending?" he asked. "Does she get angry, or step out of character and take it?"

Oola's eyes shot open wide, "She takes it!"

"Why?" he said, leaning towards her. "Why would she behave with Garsher so radically different from her personality?"

"Either she needs her job, or she afraid of him," Oola said. Then she thought some and said, "No, Aurra could do almost anything, including kill Garsher at the drop of a hat. Maybe she's…in debt to him somehow?"

"Right!" Boba said excitedly. "Very good. Now we just have to figure out what she owes him."

"How do we do that?" she asked. "I can't ask any more questions."

"We already know all we need in order to figure this out," he reassured. "Think about the possibilities. Maybe she owes him money. Maybe he saved her life. Or maybe, he's helping to hide her from someone." He raised a brow at the last suggestion.

"Wait a stinkin minute!" Oola said standing. "You already know don't you? "

"Uh," he said hesitantly. "What's important is for you to figure it out on your own."

"You PIG!" she yelled and punched him in the arm. "You knew ever since you saw her in the pub that night you came to visit."

"Calm down, Oola," he said.

"I will NOT calm down. You've let me continue working as a stupid waitress for weeks now when we could have been out of her on day four." She went to hit him again and he grabbed her wrist.

"Listen, Oola," he said sternly, "you're the one who said you wanted to learn what I do. I can't teach you if I don't let you figure things out for yourself."

She yanked her arm away and sat down with a pout. After a few moments she said with self-pity, "Why did you even let me come with you? I'm just slowing you down."

"You wanted to come, remember," he said. "I let you, out of the kindness of my heart."

Slowly she looked up at him with suspicion. "Really?" she asked. "So you didn't actually want me to come, but I talked you into it."

"That's how I remember it," he said smugly.

"I don't think that's how it happened though," she said. "I think you wanted me to come, but you didn't want to ask me."

"Oh really, now?" he said with a smile.

"Yes," she said. She pointed her finger at him and said, "You used the excuse of it being too dangerous so that I would believe that you didn't want me to come. But you knew when you told me what you were going to do that I would want to come anyway."

"Ah," he said. "So you've got it all figured out, do you?"

"Do I?" she asked hopefully.

Boba folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking at her with a cock-eyed smile. "Very good deduction, Oola," he said.

She jumped out of her chair and climbed onto his lap, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. Between kisses she said, "Lucky for you I fell for it then…because if I'd known then…I would have made you ask me…and you might have been too proud…and missed out on all this fun…"

As she started kissing his neck, he whispered in her ear, "I would have begged you to come if I had to… but only as a last resort."

She pulled back slightly and said, "Boba Fett doesn't beg, you liar."

He smiled at her and said, "You're getting good at this deduction thing." Then he pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

******************

Oola dropped her New Republic credit file on the floor, as inconspicuously as Boba had trained her. Then she walked away from it as though she didn't know she had done it. Taking a moment longer at the bar than she would have normally, she finally turned around and watched out of the corner of her eye to see how Aurra would respond. The pale woman had moved to the other side of the room and Oola casually made her way back to the dropped file, to ensure no patrons would find it. To her surprise and delight, it was gone.

Just before closing time, when the waitresses added their tips to their personal files, Aurra approached Oola.

"You dropped something earlier," Aurra said, throwing the file at Oola.

Oola remembered what Boba had said and nodded at Aurra, putting the file away in her pocket. "Thank you, Reba," she said.

Aurra looked as if she would say something, but instead, backed away and returned to closing down her station.

Oola allowed her credits to be added into her file and, saying her good bye's to Garsher, headed out of the door. Once outside, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey," came the familiar voice.

Oola turned to see Aurra approaching.

"You didn't count it before they added in your credits," Aurra said. "You have no way of knowing if we had a lousy tipping night or if I took something from you."

"I'd know if you took enough to matter to me," Oola said. "But one night's pay isn't going to make or break me."

Aurra switched her weight from one foot to the other and said, "You're that apathetic as to who steals from you?"

"If you need credits bad enough to steal such a small amount, you can have them," Oola said.

"You know, I was wrong about you," Aurra said. "And that surprises me because I'm generally right on about people; used to make a living at it actually."

Oola slightly smiled, again, following Boba's advice and letting Aurra do the talking.

"Alright, then," Aurra said. "I give. Why are you here? What do you want with me?"

Oola suddenly felt transparent and flushed. Aurra smiled and waited for an answer.

"We're just interested in why…"

"We?" Aurra said, suddenly in excitement. "Who's we? Who are you working for?" She looked around the alley exit and back at Oola.

Oola knew she had breached protocol and didn't know what to do to fix it. Her objective was to figure out why Aurra was in hiding. Quickly she thought of an alibi.

"You and I actually met years ago at Jabba the Hutt's palace, where I used to dance. I know you used to be a bounty hunter for Jabba and that you disappeared over a decade ago."

"I remember you," Aurra said. "You were Bobba Fett's lover."

The comment shocked Oola and visibly so.

"Don't worry, nobody else knew. You were actually pretty good at hiding it. I thought at times you hated him as much as the rest of us did," she said amused. "When I heard of his death my last ounce of hope for revenge on him died. No offense to your past relationship, but he double crossed me one too many times."

Oola tried to compose herself and swallowed hard. Then she hoped the lie wouldn't register on her face as she said, "Bib Fortuna sent me here to give you what Jabba owed you."

"Jabba doesn't owe me anything," she said, suddenly turning cold. "And Bib would have kept it before hunting me down."

Oola felt panicked, but kept quiet and just stared at the dark eyed woman. She would not offer anymore information than she had already.

"How much?" Aurra said. "If you want to give me credits, and if it's enough, I don't care who it's from really."

"How much do you need?" Oola asked.

More quickly than she could react, Aurra had Oola pinned in a death pinch against the wall.

"Who are you working for?" Aurra hissed. "All I can tell is that it isn't anyone with half a brain."

The pressure on her throat increased and Oola blinked as she tried to suck in air. Then, it was over as quickly as it had begun. Aurra was flat on her back, pinned beneath a rifle, held by a masked man in armor. Boba had kept his suit after all this time.

"You Bantha fodder!" Aurra cursed at him.

"Give her the credits, Oola. It's over," he said.

Oola carefully kneeled down next to Aurra and unhooked her credit file from her belt. Taking a hidden credit file from within her uniform, Oola hooked it together with Aurra's and transferred the credits.

"I wanted to do this in a more pleasant way," he said to the angry woman under his boot. "But you've got your 19,000 credits and I hope you'll not waste them like you did the rest of your life."

Oola clipped Aurra's file back to her belt and stood. A soon as Boba lifted his weight off of her, Aurra leapt to her feet and only stopped her lunge at him when he cocked his gun. At his signal, Oola stepped up to Boba and placed one foot on his and her arms around his neck, holding on for all she was worth. He hit the ignition and the two of them sailed into the night air. A few rocks were thrown with fury in their direction from the ground, but they were out of range quickly.

Part 4: Mysterious Deposit

Half a year after ROJ

"Hey," Han said as he looked over his personal accounts, "Leia, you wouldn't approve another bonus without telling me, would you?"

"For what?" she asked, "You haven't done anything heroic lately as far as I know."

"Nice," he said sarcastically. "But here look. I've got some strange new deposit in my account without a reference."

Leia walked over to his station and standing over his shoulder looked at his account readings.

"You've got quite a sum in there, hotshot," she said.

"Never mind that," Han said and pointed to the mysterious new sum.

"98,500 credits," she read. "And no contributor listed. Maybe one of the more humble governments or an individuals felt especially appreciative for your work against the Empire. Or someone afraid the New Republic isn't going to last and doesn't want their generosity to be traced."

"Eh, I don't know. That's an awful lot of money," he said.

"To you," Leia said with a smirk and sauntered away from him. "It would be pocket change to some."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, "Like who? You? Luke said you were rich, but…"

"Don't get any big ideas, flyboy," she warned with a half smile.

***********

As soon as his ship landed on Coruscant, Bib Fortuna exited and walked directly to the military headquarters for the New Republic. He tried to control his anger and concentrated on the task at hand, locating the illusive Boba Fett. For the last year he thought the Bounty Hunter was dead and the money he was owed, lost forever. But with gossip and news traveling fast through the galaxy he had heard all the way on Tatooine of the appearance of this 'ghost' at a party just weeks ago.

Reaching the entrance to the personnel office, Bib Fortuna showed his ID and made his request.

"There's no one in our records by the name of Samuel Sumner, Mr. Fortuna. Are you certain he served in the Rebel military? I could check the Imperial records."

"Do it," he said. Bib wasn't sure exactly why Boba had been at the Military function, but his being in the military was a first guess.

"Nothing registers there either," he said.

"Try Boba Fett," Bib reluctantly suggested.

"The Bounty Hunter?" the Ensign asked with a laugh. "I can tell you right now he's never served in either military. Besides, wasn't he killed by Han Solo at Jabba's palace?"

"That's how the story goes," Bib hissed as he left the office. He had no interest in setting straight ill-informed clerks, he had to find Boba one way or another. He had wanted to avoid speaking directly with General Solo, but his time was short and his options were few.

Upon reaching the Emperors Palace, Bib again showed his ID, but got a less than welcome response from the guard.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fortuna, but you're ID doesn't grant you access to the New Republic Palace any longer. You'll have to submit a request…"

Not letting the guard finish his sentence, Bib said, "How do I get a message to General Solo?"

*********

Luke walked into his sisters apartment in the New Republic Palace and smiled to see that Han had beat him there.

"You're late, kid," Han said glancing at him from his seat on Leia's couch. His feet were up and his hands were behind his head, obviously having made himself comfortable.

"No actually, you're both early," Leia corrected as she came in from the other room with a plate of appetizers. "But it's just as well, you can help with the table. I didn't invite you two hear to serve you."

"I don't cook," Han said, not budging an inch.

Luke shook his head and graciously took on the tasks Leia gave him. When they were all seated and well into the second course, Leia began.

"I'm considering a permanent position on the New Republic Counsel," she said. "I wanted your input."

"Leia, that's a great responsibility," Luke said, "But I can't think of anyone more suited for the job."

"If you like politicians," Han said.

"Han, I was a Senate spokes person for Alderaan before…" she started. Her words faded into silence.

"Yeah, well," Han said. "I've already resigned from the military. I've done my duty for the New Republic."

Leia shook her head and looked at Luke. "What will you be doing now?"

"I'm going to start looking for other Force-sensitives," he said. "I want to rebuild the Jedi Order."

"Ha!" Han said.

"What is with you tonight?" Leia asked.

Han looked away slightly and then, knowing he wasn't going to hide anything from his friends sighed in resignation. "I got word today that Bib Fortuna is looking to talk to me about none-other than Boba Fett. He wants to meet me tomorrow at a certain Cantina. Seems Boba has some outstanding debts to pay. Normally it wouldn't bother me, but for some reason, I just don't want to have to deal with it right now."

Luke looked at him with understanding, "Your past keeps coming back to haunt you."

"No," Han said sardonically. "I just don't like being expected to know where criminals are."

"He's not a criminal anymore," Leia reminded him.

"Whatever," Han said rolling his eyes.

"Do you?" Luke asked.

"Do I what?" Han asked.

"Know where Boba is?" Luke said.

"He left Coruscant, that's all I know," Han said. "Oh, and he bought a new ship with his reward money."

"When did he leave?" Leia asked.

"A week ago," Han said. "Why?"

"Admiral Ackbar mentioned that Oola quit her job and disappeared off-planet, just about a week ago. I'll bet you anything she took off with him Boba," she said with a faint smile.

"I thought I noticed something between them," Luke said, rubbing his chin.

"Not a chance," Han said. "Boba works alone. Always has, always will."

Leia looked at Luke who shrugged. Then she turned to Han and asked, "Are you going to meet with Fortuna, tell him what you know?"

"Maybe," Han said. "Part of me still wants to get back at Boba. But sending that half-brained Twi-lek on his trail hardly feels adequate. He'll never find him, even if I knew exactly where Boba was. Fortuna just isn't qualified to track someone like Boba.." Han paused a moment and then continued, "Unless Boba doesn't know he's being hunted."

"Revenge is of the dark side," Luke warned.

"It's not revenge, it's more like," Han seemed to search for the perfect answer, "a joke, a prank, if you will, between old enemies. If Fortuna was a real threat to Boba, he wouldn't need my help."

*********

"I'm only after what's mine," Fortuna insisted. "Thank you for the information, and I assure you, General Solo, once I have received my payment in full, I will let bygones be bygones."

"It must be an awesome amount of money for you to risk your life going after a former Bounty Hunter," Han said leaning across the cantina table towards the Twi'lek. "I mean, after all, Boba hasn't lost his potential to be dangerous, just because he's received a pardon from an Admiral."

With beady eyes, the pasty Twi'lek stared across the table at the human. Baring his pointy teeth just momentarily, he then said, "98,500 credits is worth risking my life over."

Han startled at the amount, affording Fortuna pleasure at having gotten such a response. "I told you it was a great amount," he said.

Regaining his composure Han replied casually, "Mere pocket change to some."

*********

"I don't get it," Leia said as she walked down the corridor with Luke and Han, "Why do you automatically assume there's a connection?"

"It's too big a coincidence," Han said.

"I agree," Luke said with a nod.

"So what," Leia said in frustration. "What do you care what Boba owes Fortuna?"

"Is your new job getting to you, sweet heart? You seem awful uptight," Han said condescendingly.

Leia sighed heavily and sped up her pace ahead of them. "I'll see you both after the counsel session."

"Geesh," Han said, slowing his gate to a stop, "What's eating her?"

"She's under a lot of pressure right now," Luke said. He stopped walking too and gazed after his sister with concern. Then he refocused on his friend and asked, "Did you ask Bib why Boba owed him so much money?"

"Yeah," Han said. "All he would say was that Jabba had left it to him when he died. Lando checked out the validity of that for me this afternoon. All Jabba was supposed to leave Bib was his Twi'lek slave dancers."

"Like Oola?" Luke asked.

Han looked down at his friend in thought and said. "Yeah, there's another piece to the puzzle. But it still doesn't tell me where I fit in."

Luke looked down the hall at the closed senate chamber doors where Leia had disappeared. "You know," he said. "She has a point. This is an interesting mystery, but there's a lot else that needs to be done in the New Republic. Spending time wondering about this might just be idol thought."

"What if someone had put 98,500 credits in your account and then you find out that an arch enemy of yours owed that exact amount to someone? What would you do?" Han said.

Luke looked down and laughed lightly and said, "You don't want to know."

"Yes, yes I do," Han said.

With a steady tone and dead pan face Luke said, "Pay Fortuna the money."

"Your right, I didn't want to know," Han said. He turned and stormed off calling out, "That slime ridden Bounty Hunter can just pay off his OWN debts. I'm taking Leia's advice and forgetting the entire thing."

**************

C3-PO shuffled into the docking bay and up to the Millenium Falcon. Chewbacca growled a warm Wookie greeting and waved at the gold droid.

"Hello, Chewbacca, it is good to see you again too. I've found myself rather busy of late, helping Princess Leia with protocol. She's found herself in greater need of my services than ever before, if I do say so myself. I'm so grateful to be of assistance too. In fact, oh dear, I must stop chattering, I'm due back in the counsel room in less than an hour and I must speak with Master Solo before then. It's of dire importance. Do you know where he is?"

Chewie, who had stopped listening to the droid after the first sentence, barked a question.

"I say, do you know where Master Solo is? It's very important that I speak to him as…" turning to the human descending from the ship, the droid continued, "… ah, Master Solo, there you are."

"What is it, goldenrod?" Han said impatiently.

"I've spoken to Princess Leia about your concern over the credits in your account. And if I may say, it is a substantial amount of money, relatively speaking…"

"Oh, so her highness is confiding in you now? Beautiful," Han said sarcastically.

"It's just that Master Luke told her of Bib Fortuna's Twi'lek dancers inheritance and I thought it interesting to note that Oola was one of the dancers on the list of whom he should have received."

"Yeah, that is very interesting, but we've already gone over this and it doesn't help any," Han said impatiently. He turned around to go back into the ship as C3-PO kept speaking.

"But she shouldn't have been on the list at all, she was a gift to Boba Fett for your capture," the droid explained.

Han stopped walking and turned slowly around. Insult dripping from his tone, Han said, "You're telling me that Jabba set the reward for my capture was one Twi'lek slave dancer?"

C3-PO backed away from the angry human and held his hands up, "No, no, not at all, Master Solo. The reward was much more than that. In fact it was so high that when Boba Fett agreed to substitute Oola as payment, most of those in Jabba's palace thought he had gone mad. But as fate would have it, Oola was tragically killed by a Rancer and Boba ended up with the credits after all."

Hans was now standing almost nose to golden nose with the droid. Nervously he asked, "How much?"

"I believe the amount was 66,560,000, which in current exchange rates is equal to 98,500 credits," C3-PO said. "The very amount in your account, I might add."

Turning away slowly, Han said proudly, "Chewie, did you hear that? Jabba thought I was worth 98,500 credits."

The Wookie roared in aggravation.

"Calm down, you're my co-pilot. Co-pilot's are never worth as much as the actual bounty," Han said, obviously very pleased with himself.

"Sir, if I might say, it is not irrational for Bib Fortuna to believe Boba owes him some retribution since, in effect, Boba received both rewards for your capture," C3-PO said.

"Yeah," Han said.

"And I might also add that you did escape, so the reward money shouldn't have been his in any case," C3-PO said. "According to Hutt tradition a bounty that has been paid may be required to be returned if it is found that the prisoner was never secured completely in the first place. Since Jabba wanted you alive, so that he may have the pleasure to kill you himself, it could be construed that since your death never took place the Bounty is null and void. But only in the strictest Hutt law of course."

Han lifted his brows at the droid, "I don't care."

"You're missing something important, Han," Luke's voice said from behind the Falcon.

"Ah geeze, kid, what is it now?" Han asked.

"I think you know now who put the money in your account," Luke said as he rounded the Falcon, his black cape flowing about him.

Han looked at him and then at Chewie, who laughed. "No," Han said.

"Master Luke, I agree, it was Boba Fett himself who deposited the money into Master Solo's account," C3-PO said.

In sardonic disbelief Han said, "But why? Why would he do that?"

Chewbacca, still finding the entire thing amusing, barked a possible answer.

"No," Luke said, "I don't think that he's trying to get back at Han, and I don't think that he's aware Fortuna wants the money. In fact, he probably believes he's even with Jabba."

Just then Leia walked into the room, looking for C3-PO. She walked up to them, listening to their conversation.

"But you forget, he's got Oola. He's gotta know he can't keep both the money and the Twi'lek," Han said. "Even if Jabba's dead, the other Hutt's would see to it that he was even."

"She's not his slave, Han," Leia piped in. "She went with him as a free woman."

"Yeah right," Han said. "The guys a scoundrel."

"Some women like scoundrel's," Leia said with a smirk. Keeping eye contact with Han, she said, "C3-PO, I need you to come with me now. We're running late."

"Yes, Princess Leia," C3-PO said as he followed her out of the hanger.

Han kept his eyes on the princess as she walked out.

"So your mystery is solved," Luke said. "Do you feel better?"

"No," Han said, breaking his eyes from the door to look at his friend. "I don't like the idea of Boba Fett dropping money in my account out of the blue. I'm going to get my account security beefed up."

"Han," Luke said carefully, "I think what you don't like is that he's really reformed."

"No," Han said. "I don't believe it. Not until I have more proof than this. I think Chewie's right. He put that money in my account to mess with me. He knew about Fortuna and he wanted to rub it in my face. Well… I'll show him," Han said walking towards the hanger door.

"What are you going to do?" Luke asked.

Just before he exited, Han said, "I'm going to contact Fortuna, transfer the money from my account and tell him it's from Boba Fett."

Chewbacca let out an angry howl.

Under his breath, Luke said with amusement, "That'll teach him."

The End