Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Boba didn't actually see the statue at first. 

He moved into Jaba's old palace. That was step one. Step two was throwing out or shooting anyone who wasn't willing to deal with him among the staff. That took longer than he'd predicted. Half of them were slaves. They either didn't care who owned them or hated any master on general principal, sometimes both. Often both. Others swore to him, then disappeared in the night or tried to kill him in his bacta tank. So far none of them had succeeded, but that didn't stop the rest of them from trying.

The housecleaning and internal reorganizing took four days, so it wasn't until the fifth day, when he and Fennec ventured out in the morning to start surveying the rest of his new holdings that he saw the monument.

The statue stood on an overturned cart that had been there long enough to sink into the hard packed dirt of the square. At a glance, the figure was human, female, larger than life and shapely. The statue had been made out of scrap metal and spare bits of fabric. Shards of bright blue pottery took the place of eyes. A braid of fabric and batha hair formed a long braid down the woman's back. Wires had been carefully twisted to form a raised fist, from which a length of broken chain hung in a declaration of defiance.

Boba mostly recognized the figure because of the brass bikini it was wearing.

Boba stopped, letting the metrics in his helmet pan over the statue. Beside him Fennec stepped to one side so she could watch their back. Her own helmet was under one arm so Boba was able to catch the raised eyebrow and quiet smile she let slip.

"What? Bikinis not to your taste?"

Boba hummed. 8D8 the palace droid who had been showing them the way, stopped and dipped into a small bow.

"Ah, yes. That is a tribute to Leia the huttslayer. It was erected by the local rabble. Bib Fortuna ordered it removed several times, but it was replaced. You need not worry. I will have a group of slaves sent to cart it away and smelt it down as soon as we return to the palace."

Boba spent a moment to look at the droid before returning his gaze to the statue. "No need." In his opinion sending slaves to destroy something that symbolized freedom from one of their greatest oppressors' was a torture in itself. Besides... "I was there. It was an impressive act." He hadn't really seen it. He'd already been falling by that point, but he'd seen enough of Leia Organa-Solo to respect her.  

8B8 seemed confused, or maybe it was trying to compute an answer that wouldn't get it scrapped. "Sir?" It ended up asking."

By then they were being watched. Not in a bad way. Boba's instincts weren't screaming at him yet. Most of the locals still didn't recognize him on sight. That would change. Still, there was no one else standing in the middle of the crossroad, openly looking at a work of art that was formerly forbidden. 

He casually scanned the area, taking note of the people nearby. An old man was buffing rust off a bit of scrap metal. A Weakway woman was looking after two small children, with another looking over her shoulder from a pack. An R2 unit hooked up to a hover cart was being led by a pair of jawas. A trandosian was counting out boxes and comparing the contents to a tablet. Others watched him as they made their way into or out of town. Moisture farmers on Eopies. Slaves running errands. They had enough of a crowd that news of anything he did or said would travel.

Boba raised his voice, not enough to shout, but enough so that he could easily be heard. "Let it stand. And let it be known that anyone who tries to dismantle it will answer to me."

The droid shifted, gears whirring in the heat.

"Problem?" Fennec asked.

"Ah, no ma'am," The droid processed things for a moment longer, then dipped again. "Would you like to continue?"

"Yes, lead on," Boba said. He waved a hand, his mind already on the next issue, and the problems he would face trying to pull together this unruly population.

He would remember that day in the years to come and marvel at the oddity of the galaxy. 

<><><>

Boba removed his helmet as they entered the cantina. It was the end of the day and the end of their circuit. His armor's internal cooling was starting to fail and his injuries' were starting to ache. He needed another bacta treatment, but not yet. First a drink.

"No we're not here for drinks. We have business with Garsa Fwip," Fennec said, when a droid greeted them. It was true, but there was also a steel in her tone that drew his attention. Had she seen something he hadn't?

"It looks like business is good," Boba commented, using that as an excuse to scan the area. The crowd at the nearest gaming table was cheering over a win. Service slaves and working girls, leaned in to praise the winner. A group of off world investors in red robes leaned over a table. The band lifted their instruments in the climax of a modern jizz adaptation to a classic song, something Boba could almost place.

A pair of Twi'leks, male and female, green and yellow, wearing nothing but loin wraps and a metal chest piece for the female approached. 

"Would you like your helmets serviced and cleaned while you wait for Madam Garsa?" The male Twi'lek asked. His voice what to the point but the way he dropped his eyes made it clear that wasn't the only thing they were offering. 

"No," Fennec answered almost before he got the question out. She was still scanning the room for threats. Boba didn't see anything and in this instance he was inclined to trust his instincts. They had been to far more dangerous places today. If they were going to be attacked, the middle of a crowded cantina wasn't the place for it. 

"Sure. Here, take both of ours." What state he got the helmet back in would tell him what kind of business arrangement Madam Garsa wanted. The two Twi'leks nodded and offered up willing smiles as they slipped away.

Then the Madam approached with open arms. "Welcome to the Sanctuary," She said, guesting to the whole of the cantina as if to a work of art or a fine performance. "Would you care to partake of our sundry offerings?" She glanced between them, and her tone shifted from hostess to a woman who was sizing up a customer. Her Leku curled over her shoulders, distracting the eye down to her modest but finely decorated cleavage.

"Another time. I'm here to talk business."

Her Leku slid  to her back at his words and she nodded, her posture changing to something less overtly enticing, more straightforward, at least at a glance. "Ah, then business it is. And who might I have the honor of doing business with?"

"I am Boba Fett, and this is Master assassin Fennec Shand. I have replaced Bib Fortuna."

Garsa leaned back, her hands coming up in front of her, fingertips just touching. "Apologies I didn't see your litter."

"I wasn't carried on a litter. I walk on my own two feet." He looked her in the eye. Start off as you mean to go on.

The madam nodded, "Of course. Well I expect you'd like to see the books. Our little paradise may not be much compared to other worlds but I assure you we do good business for Tattooine." Her flirtations' attitude was back. She leaned in, resting a hand on his arm. "There is also the matter of policy. I understand that things can be strained when power changes hands and I wouldn't want to serve someone you had cast out for instance." This time her gesture was smaller but just as graceful.

Boba hesitated. He hadn't planned to strongarm her but she had a point. many of Bib Fortuna's policies were going to be thrown out on the heap and as a local business leader the Madam could enforce those changes faster and more effectively than he could from the castle.

Fennec was waiting for his choice, eyes still scanning the room at intervals.

"Very well. Lead on."

Madam Garsa led them to a back room, whispering to her two Twi'lek companions along the way. The room had several chairs built for the comforts of several different species. and a central desk made of wood - a rarity on a desert planet. Garsa let them choose their seats and a moment latter her companions briefly joined them. One of them brought in a jug of water cold enough that condensation was rolling down the sides, the other offered a tray of glasses, and a sealed bottle of something stronger. 

"Guard the door," Boba instructed the Gamorians. Then the door was closed and the battlefield stretched before him.

Boba had discussed and negotiated his own contracts since he was younger than most children knew what contracts were. He was not going to underestimate the woman across from him. She was a professional and this was her field. 

He sat straight and laid out an offer of friendship with his opening gambit. "I want to assure you that your business will continue to thrive under my watchful eye."

Garsa leaned forward over the table, her leku curling, "That is a relief to hear. I'm sure we can work together to our mutual benefit. Of course there are just a few details that I'd like to sort out here at the start to make sure that relationship goes as smoothly as possible."

And there was the opening salvo. Fennec grabbed the sealed bottle and leaned back in her chair, clearly yielding the floor to him.

Boba studied Madam Garsa, the elegance with witch she held herself, even here at the ass end of the galaxy. She had a strength in her. The strength of a willow tree, able to bend without breaking at the core.  

"Ask, I will answer as I may." No promises, not while there were cards left to be played. 

Garsa pursed her lips, choosing her words with care. "Over the past few days word has come out of the palace that paints an... interesting picture." She leaned in and put a hand on his arm again, speaking in a low confiding tone. "Is it true you fed Bib Fortuna to his own rancor?"

"He was already dead when I threw him in that pit, and the rancor was gone. Sold off I assume. So no." Boba settled back in his seat, taking his arm out of her reach. "Is that all you are interested in? The fate of the dead?"

Garsa straightened her Leku in a gesture that might have been offence. "Lord Fett. How you go about dispatching your enemies can deliver all kinds of messages to the right people, and I as the local Matron will be expected to tell the story in as much or as little detail as is known to anyone. How am I supposed to spread word of your might conquest if all I have is hearsay and rumor."

Boba shook his head, "Fortuna was no conquest. He was just a parasite who crawled out of Jaba's shadow. And everyone knows who killed the Hutt."

"Yes. They call her Leia the hutt slayer. Though who knows the truth really. Why would a rebellion General come all the way out here, take out a major player on a back water planet and then not stake her claim. But people will believe what they want. You've seen the statue I'm sure. You know half the people, half the people in the lower districts, serfs and slaves and such are still spreading stories about how she's going to come out of the desert and free them all. Give water to the masses and all that."

She was watching him again, or rather she had never stopped but now there was a point to it. Fennec shifted in her seat, making her presence known and letting her hand drift closer to the blade she had strapped to her thigh. No. They didn't need threats here. They needed to win Garsa over and clearly she was fishing for some kind of information.

"It was Leia Organa. I was there. In fact she stayed with me while she was on planet."

"Ah, I had no idea you were so close."

"Intimately close." True it had only been one night and he hadn't actually known who she was at the time but Garsa didn't know that. "If she does decide to return, I'm the one she will find here. I'm the one who will show her a prosperous world, grateful for the freedom she provided."

Madam Garsa nodded slowly. "I see. Well... I'm will gladly confirm that story to my patrons, assuming you don't want it kept secret?" She was still slightly tense, but her Leku were curling again, showing some emotion he couldn't read.

"No. Tell anyone you like." She seemed pleased with that. Good. Hopefully they cold move on to the real business of the night. "Now, how much tribute were you sending to Jaba?"

She retrieved a small datapad and listed a number that was likely far below what she had paid to the others. He wasn't offended, that was just good business. Still, it did take the rest of the night to haggle for a proper tribute, and for the knowledge of her spy network - which she absolutely denied having.

Boba's bones were aching when he finally stepped into the night. He stopped to take a breath of the clear night air. That was the only reason he happed to spot movement on the rooftop.

"Fennec?"

She paused, then slid her helmet over her head. "Could be nothing."

"There was plenty of time for our location to spread." With one hand Boba drew a bag from his belt and started tipping the coins Madam Garsa's aid had filled his helmet with, into it. He never took his eyes off the buildings. "Can you tell how many?"

"Two groups. Maybe three per group. Maybe more in the buildings." Fennec wasn't using her external speakers. No one more that a few feet away would be able to hear her.

Boba didn't like it but... He wasn't in any condition for this fight. He already needed to get back to his bacta tank. Outnumbered as they were... "This is not a smart fight."

Fennec tipped her head in his direction. "Go. I'll see what I can learn."

"You'll be alright on your own?"

"Better than with you slowing me down, old man." He could hear the tease in her voice.

Boba scanned the rooftops again. "Alright. I'll see you back at the fortress." A flick of his wrist activated his jet pack and soon he was in the cold, air of a desert night. As much as his body complained, it was still a beautiful sight to end his day.

<><><>

Boba turned the Melurun over in his hands, slicing off bits as he watched the second sun lift off the horizon from one of the sniper's nests on the upper floors. For all that Jaba had terrible taste in nearly everything he had at least be practical when it came to his defenses.

He'd dreamt of the desert again. Of the sand people. The first people to take him in and treat him as one of their own in... He couldn't count the years. Bounty hunters generally had a code, guild hunters especially. Non-guild hunters didn't lest all that long. But the comradery he'd felt there was always edged. The Mandalorian weren't any different. When he'd been young, he hadn't been one of them because of how he'd been born, and now... Now there weren't enough Mandalorians left to form a real community.

Tattooine wasn't what he might have chosen, but these deserts were his now, and he would do right by these people.

"So this is where you were," Fennec climbed the last of the steps, coming to lean against a balustrade just out of arms reach. 

"Good morning. I expected you to still be in bed." Boba cared off a piece of fruit and offered it to her on the tip of his blade.

"Haven't made it there yet." She took the fruit, looked it over then started chewing on one end. "I've got news."

Boba turned to mirror her leaning against his own pillar. She wouldn't have come to find him if it wasn't important.  HE crosses his arms and waits.

"I was able to get ahold of one of the men from last night. He's in the basement." She swallowed the last bit of fruit, licking a bit of juice off her fingers.

"Dangerous?" She wasn't acting like it had been difficult, but that didn't mean it had been easy. She was a master of her craft after all.

"Marginally. But I actually wanted to talk to you about something I heard on the way back."

Boba waved her on.

"Apparently word has spread that you're here as the hand of the huttslayer." She lifted an eyebrow inviting his reaction.

Boba frowned, giving that some thought. "Madam Garsa?"

"One can only assume. I tried to tell you she'd be trouble."

Boba turned his gaze back to the desert and the city spread out below the rim of the canyon. 

"Perhaps," Bob considered things for a minute longer. "The hand of the huttslayer... Those were the exact words?"

"That was the gist of it. There were a couple of versions. Some said you were here to bring Tattooine into the republic. Some said Leia Organa herself had sent you here. Word is, you've been working for the rebellion since you disappeared, and no one knew about it because Leia wanted it kept quiet."

"Well, could be worse I suppose. I'd much rather be an agent of the Republic than someone else..."

Fennec turned to face him. in the morning light he could see the start of circles under her eyes. The exhaustion she was keeping at bay.

"That's it?" She waited until he met her eyes. "I didn't join you to be some unwitting puppet. I may owe you but not enough to tie myself to some--" She showed her teeth, "Burecratic circus."

Boba gave her a minute to breath. "You're not. Like before you are free to go whenever like. Whenever this life does not suit you. But this, ruling a people will not be glorious battles and cheering public. That would be true weather the Republic was involved or not."

It was her turn to think. "Do you really know her? Was that story about the sand people all pudu or what?"

Boba sliced off another piece of fruit, stuck it in the corner of his mouth then started on a slice for her. His voice came out muffled but understandable. "A little of both. I did know her but she was using another name. I also considered hunting her at one time. I did my homework. If it comes down to it I can claim loyalty to her as a warrior, not the republic as a whole."

"I'll admit, that bounty was an attractive one. Only one higher that I can remember is the one on the Skywalker kid." she took the slice of fruit when he offered it. 

"For now, I can shape the laws here so that the Republic will not be offended. The lower classes will appreciate that, and a leader must always take the will of the people into account. I was not planning on supporting the slavers in any case. Once you have been a slave you can never forgive that kind of man."

Fennec glanced at him then away. "I didn't know you had been a slave."

Boba nodded and hummed. "In any case. The republic is one front I'd rather not pick a fight with. The Pikes and the Hutts will already be preparing to settle things. That's enough enemies for me."

"At least for the moment," she agreed. "She swallowed the last of her fruit, took a breath and yawned. "Well, I'm off to bed. Do me a favor and don't declare any more alliances before I wake up huh?"

He didn't try to stop the smile, "no promises."

<><><>

"You haven't heard?" Madam Garsa asked less then a week later.

Boba tilted his head. They both knew where all the information circulated in this town and it wasn't the palace. She frowned. That meant it was serious, normally she would have played along. 

"The twins are on their way. They have Jaba's son with them."

Boba frowned. That was serious. Not many people knew that Jaba had a son. Boba had heard a rumor once that the little slug had been taken, or possibly traded off, to be a hostage against Jaba's loyalty. He'd heard other rumors that said Jaba's son had failed some test and been sent away in shame. When the youngling failed to appear and the years started to stretch, the rumors had mostly faded away. 

"I didn't realize the child was still alive."

Garsa shrugged and flicked her leku. "While Jaba was alive it didn't matter and Fortuna was still paying tribute to the hutts. Since we're part of the republic now, they won't be getting their expected tribute."

"So a show of force," Boba said. That wasn't the worst outcome. He could handle a pair of hutts on his own ground it was their hirelings that he was concerned with. He'd need information on who they had working for them, and how loyal they were. 

"Perhaps," Madam Garsa refilled his cup. Her eyes were flitting around the cantina, landing lightly on the gaming tables, the serving droids, the band, the girls entertaining a group in the back. It was noisy enough that they probably weren't being eaves dropped upon, but they were also two of the most influential people in the city. People would pay attention. 

"The Hutts are not well loved here, that's true, but you are stull untested, at least in this arena. However things fall out, it will certainly be entertaining."

Entertaining. Boba didn't particularly like the sound of that. Around here entertainment meant betting and he was at the end of a stack of long odds. 

"When will they arrive?" He asked, looking into his drink.

"Tomorrow, in the morning." Garsa smiled as a human in a wide brimmed hat and a shirt covered in feathers, came to order another drink. She served the stranger.

Boba swirled the last of his spatchca around the bottom of his glass before tossing it back. "If anything changes send word," he said, picking up his helmet and turning towards the door. She offered up her professional smile and waved him off.

Trouble. He'd known something like this was coming. The Hutts wouldn't just let him walk in and take over. He needed some form of leverage on them. The republic wasn't a valid threat since he couldn't actually call them in for backup. And in any case like Garsa had said, he hadn't been tested yet. 

Boba stepped out into the sun, letting the filters in his helmet shield him from the glare. 

The two Hutts would arrive tomorrow. They would try to surprise him. They would likely make a show of it. Beating down this would be upstart who didn't know his place. He still didn't know how many fighter's they'd have with them. 

Boba popped his neck, and rolled his shoulders. He'd need to be prepared for a fight, but that was fine. He was always prepared for a fight. 

<><><>

The Hutts arrived in a shuttle that stank both of wealth and of the ooze they secreted. Boba watched it land in front of the palace. It was too large to land in most of the approved shuttle docking pads and if he had to guess the Hutts would scorn any docking fees people tried to charge them. 

Boba had instructed the local tower to let them land wherever they wanted. He would still be the one to choose the battlefield. 

He wasn't the only one to notice their arrival. Around him, people whispered and gossiped. They watched him, clearly wondering what he was going to do, how he was going to react. Boba let them talk, let a crowd gather as he waited. He had his helmet and armor on, he had his gaderffii in his hand, and his blaster on his hip. Behind him the statue of Leia stood, a pillar against the sky. She end of the chain swung loose from her fist, creaking in the wind.

The Hutts came down the hill on palanquins carried by slaves. They had gold and latinum bracelets and collars. Pleasure slaves waved silk fans in their direction. Between the twins, sitting on a golden cushion was the little huttling. He'd been painted to look his best, but was ruining the effect by eating slugs out of a bucket, the slime dribbling down his front. 

With a waved command the procession came to a stop. The bodyguards, at least ten of them, spread out, growling and hissing at the crowd, threatening them until the people retreated. 

A kiffar man with a stripe across his nose didn't move fast enough for them and was kicked to the ground. The dark haired Wookie bellowed at him until the man scrambled to his feet and into the protective shelter of a doorway. 

"Is this how you would treat my people?" Boba said before anything could start in earnest. He had the volume on his helmet turned up so that everyone in the square could hear, despite the fact that he spoke in his normal tones. 

Half the crowd had been moving to clear the area, sensible fear getting the better of curiosity. Now they paused. Slaves, beggars, shopkeepers, and traders, and jack-of-fortunes, turned to watch, huddled in doorways and leaning against walls. A pair of children had climbed up on a stack of crates and were whispering to each other. The fighters he'd hired to stand around and look intimidating put their hands on their weapons, frills coming up, claws unsheathed. 

"I have let you land in my town. I have let you come onto my streets. Speak now or I will deny your petition without consideration."

Murmurs went up from the crowd. No one spoke to a Hutt that way and got away with it. For their part the Hutts scoffed and gestured with their fans making a show of scorn and incredulity. 

"You let us? You? Let us?! Who do you think you are?" The first twin said.

"Look around you, little human. Do you think you can stop up from doing as we please?" The second twin said a beat later. 

Boba turned and looked at the gathering around them. The mercenaries with their arms, the people waiting for a fight to break out, the Hutts on their palanquins, and the sweating, panting slaves who held them up. The rooftop where Fennec was hidden with her sniper rifle.

"Yes," Boba said. He waited until the Hutts started to protest before cranking the volume on his helmet and speaking over them. Jaba the Hutt is gone. I, Boba Fett, am Daimio here." 

They sneered. Clearly this was closer to what they had expected. "You are a false king. You have no right to the throne you sit upon. You took it from a pretender. This one is Jaba's true heir." One of the twins gestured at the huttlet between them. The little one had gotten his hand stuck in the bucket that held his slugs and had half rolled over in an effort to get it off.

"A kingly figure," Boba muttered. He had planned for this, and had his counter ready.  "If you would claim this place by right of inheritance then my right is older and deeper then any Hutt could lay claim to.

"This land has been claimed and stolen, inch by inch from the vast desert. Every seed that finds root, every mouthful of water, has been fought for. Before there was a palace on the hill, before there was a city carved into this crater, before the first settlers came with their vaperators, there was the desert.

"I was captured by the desert people. I dug in the sand with chains on my wrists. I earned my freedom through sweat and blood. I learned from them, and earned my place. I have tamed the wild bantha. I have eaten the lizard, I proved myself a warrior in combat." He lifted his gaderffii in both hands like the sand people did, before slamming the end into the dirt. 

The twins didn't seem to know what to do with this. They looked around. The toughs Boba'd hired were making a show of things. They'd run if it came to a fight, but for now it looked like the Hutts were facing even odds. Worse in their minds, they were in the middle of the battlefield and in potential danger because of it. A child king was no good if he ended up dead. 

"no one recognizes the sand people," one of the twins spat out. The other said something low in huttese. The first nodded. smoother out their blubber and continued in a smoother tone. "It was Jaba and Jaba's people who conquered this planet. They dug the water out of the sand and forged this place of power."

"More like his slaves," Boba said, and this time his murmur was echoed by the people watching. Everyone knew a Hutt never got off their ass when a slave could do the work. 

"You claim right of conquest?" Boba asked when the mutterings had started to die down but before the twins could say anything.

"This little one was Jaba's only son and heir. He has rightful claim to this territory. We are merely his guardians. We will act as overseers until he comes of age," One of them said. 

"The right of conquest is his alone," the other added.

Boba narrowed his eyes behind his helmet. Throwing a youngling under the bus, that was cold, even for a hutt. Still he could work with this.

"Leia Organa of the New Republic, defeated Jaba in combat." He turned and motioned to the statue. "If you recognize the right of conquest then she is ruler here, and I am her hand." He let the words echo slowly around the square, until all eyes were on the trio of Hutts, waiting for the next move. 

The huttling had managed to drop the bucket, and pointed imperiously until a slave picked it up and returned it to him. On either side of him, the twins exchanged looks and a few quiet words.

"In the name of Leia the huttslayer, I will take on any challenger in single combat," Boba let his words roll over the crowd. He took up a fighting stance, his gaderffii ready in his hands.

There. That was his last card played. If they decided to fight, he would still be outnumbered and outgunned. He only had to hope that he had set things up to make a fight not worth the cost. Bluff and bravado, but real enough for what he needed. 

At the edges of things, the crowd was shifting. Boba saw a battered human pick up a rock. The Kiffar from before had found a metal pole as long as his arm and looked ready to bludgeon someone over the head with it.  An overseer who stood behind the Hutts cracked a whip, and a number of slaves whimpered. 

Boba waited. 

"Enough," One of the twins said at long last. They turned to their retinue and said something in huttese, before turning back to Boba. "The hutt syndicate has recognized the New Republic. We have an accord." 

Boba wasn't sure if they were hiding behind that fact or trying to use it as a reason not to get into something here and now. Either way, Boba let out a quiet breath behind his helmet. 

One of the twins waved their fan and the palanquins were slowly turned until the Hutts could be carried away.

Someone in the crowd yelled, "Boba and the Huttslayer!" A moment later the crowd had flooded into the square. Boba let himself be swept away by the joy and relief.

Chapter Text

To: Leia Organa <[email protected]

From: Mon Mothma <[email protected]

Leia, 

Wanted to check in since I haven't heard from you in a few weeks. Are things going well? Any luck on finding a new planet to call home? I trust the messages my office has been sending your way have all gotten to the right people.

By the way you haven't taken any detours recently have you? I know your itinerary still has you on Naboo, but my information network has turned up a few rumors over on Tattooine.  I'd like to remind you that any action outside republic space has to be approved by the proper channels now. I would, at the very least, like a heads up before you go off on another plot.

Your friend  Mon.

---

To: Mon Mothma <[email protected]

From: Leia Organa <[email protected]

Mon,

As always it's good to hear from you.

The relocation is going slow as expected. The Naboo people are willing to assist for the moment but can only support a fraction of our population, to say nothing of the tension with the Gungans. 

As for your other question, No. I have not gone off galivanting across the galaxy. That type of rule flaunting is General Solo's mode of operations and I will have nothing to do with that ass until I receive a formal apology. 

That said Tattooine isn't that far away and apparently I had family there at one time. Send me what your people dug up and I'd be happy, grateful even, for the distraction.

- Leia.

<><><>

When the Rebellion was at it's height Leia had had a dozen aliases. She had impersonated her own secretary, selling false information. She had been the arm candy of rich traders, and a young niece heiress out of her depth and looking for thrills that were likely to get her killed. Jaba's palace wasn't the first time she'd pretended to be a pleasure slave, but it had been the first time she'd pretended to be a bounty hunter.

She'd kept up the identity since then, occasionally appearing in bars or shuttle ports. Dressing up in the layers of fabric and pulling the helmet over her tightly braided hair felt... not natural, not yet, but comfortable. 

Leia slipped away while her aid was out and C3P0 was charging. There were emergency protocols in place, in case something happened, but deniability was too useful a tool to give it up entirely. 

The spare Y-wing in a back corner of the Republic hanger didn't have an official designation. Her departure was locked under level seven clearance. Four hours in hyperspace and Boushh was cleared to land on Tattooine.

Boushh had a certain reputation so Leia made a quiet circuit of the landing ground, and checked the notice boards before locating the out of the way watering hole where Mon's contact would meet her. 

The building was half-sunken into the ground the way most older structures were on desert planets. Leia slowly looked around the room as the door slid closed behind her. There was a bar along the back being tended by an old woman with thick enough to rival a Wookie. Locals occupied half the tables, leaving the space near the doors open. Her visor identified four people with criminal records in the republic database, and two more with small bounties. No one tried to meet her eye.

Leia claimed a back table where she could put her back to the wall. She deposited the credits for a recharge port and access to the holonet. She dropped her pack on the table while she was making herself comfortable. The blue diamond patch sewn into the leather told her contact exactly who she was. When a serving droid came over, she ordered a glass of metallic tasting water. With her position set, Leia settled in to wait.

<><><>

"You busy?"

Leia glanced up. Across the table stood an older Kiffar man. He had a yellow stripe tattooed across his nose and dreadlocks that remained stubbornly dark despite the lines on his face. He had a bottle in one hand. She'd been waiting for an hour already. He could be her contact or he could be just another drunk, looking for someone to pay for his next round.

"I'm waiting for someone." The helmet distorted her voice. She turned back to her datapad, expecting him to slink away.

"Oh come now. No harm in a bit of friendly conversation while you wait. The light's rising, you could be waiting for a while."

Leia took a second look at the man. His bottle was empty and while there was a scent of unwashed body and alcohol surrounding him, his eyes were clear.

"The light may be rising but there's still a lot to do," she answered his code phrase. A nod of her head and he slumped into the seat across from her.

"You new in town?" He put the bottle on the table, rolling it back and forth over the surface. It was a tic that would become annoying if he kept it up. He was wearing gloves. She had to wonder how he could stand it in this heat. 

"Passing through. Looking for work. If you had any ideas I'd show my gratitude," She reached forward and caught the bottle, holding it in front of him to illustrate her point before passing it off to a nearby droid. The contact or not, Leia knew better than to break character in enemy territory.

He smiled and tipped his head. "I may have heard a few things here and there. What kind of work are you looking for?"

Translation: What are you interested in?

"I heard there's a new boss in town," Leia considered adding more, considered mentioning her own name, but that wasn't a card she needed to play just yet. 

The kiffar waved down a droid, and ordered two drinks before leaning over the table like he had a hot tip on the next race. "Boba Fett."

 Leia cursed internally, grateful for the helmet. That Bastard was still alive? He was still alive and ruling a desert city known for it's scum and villainy? She wasn't sure what she had expected but this was about as bad as it could get.

He went on. "You being a bounty hunter I'm sure you've heard of him. Used to be he'd work for the Hutts or the Empire, whoever was paying. Don't get me wrong, he had as much honor as any of them. Point is he disappeared a few years back. Actually he disappeared on the same day that the Huttslayer killed Jaba."

"Huttslayer?" Leia couldn't help but ask. She remembered that day just fine. It was among the most heart wrenching days in her whole career, and that was saying something.  Between Luke nearly dyeing and nearly loosing Han all over again Killing Jaba had been a spur of the moment improvisation. She certainly didn't regret it. Not for a moment. That said, she didn't think about it that often either. 

"Leia Organa," The kiffar said with a reverence in his tone that she only heard from the traditionalists that has escaped Alderan's destruction. "The story is that the Hutt had captured her and was holding her as a slave, ready to sell her to the highest bidder, when the Jedi came to the palace. In the middle of the fight, with blaster bolts singing in the air, she took the only weapon she had on hand - the very chains that bound her - and used them to strangle the murderous Hutt." He paused in his telling, settling back and breathing deep. 

"A lot changed that day. not only was a warlord toppled, but every slave and serf on this planet was given proof that freedom can be stolen from even the cruelest masters and even our chains can be out freedom."

"Poetic," Leia said. The helmet helped keep the emotion out of her voice. Had she really done that? It wasn't easy to believe. After they'd left, who had been there to tell the story? The other slaves of course, figures neither side had seen as a threat. being who cowered at the end of chains, and hid behind any shelter they could find. Yes, to them it probably had seemed life changing. 

"Not my words, but I'll thank you in any case." The man looked down at the drink that had been delivered. He lifted the glass in a toast, and spoke a little too loudly, "To the huttslayer," 

Leia pressed her spine against the hard back of her chair to keep from flinching. but instead of drawing attention the other patrons either ignored him or lifted their glasses in agreement. The kiffar swallowed his mouthful and set the glass down slightly too hard. 

"Fett," she pulled the conversation back to the present. "He was supposed to be dead."

"That was the safe bet," he agreed, "But word on the street is that he was actually working undercover for the princess." He lifted a hand and let it wave back and forth in the air. "I've seen a lot, but I can't say if I believe it. Doesn't really mater either way, seeing as he's here now."

Leia frowned. If he was claiming he'd been working for her that could have easily led to the rumors she was chasing. On the one hand it was a relief that it wasn't anything worse. On the other hand, having that bounty hunter scum, using her name like that? How dare he.

The kiffar was still talking, "He's her right hand, all out in the open and everything, ruling in her name. Word is that he's going to bring Tattooine into the new republic. I wouldn't mind that much myself, but there's plenty around here who would like to cut that idea short. The Hutts have already tried once and the Pikes are sticking their noses into everything these days."

"Where is he?" No amount of filtering could hide the cold anger in her voice. How dare he? How dare-- Not only using her name but calming to be her right hand? Trading off a reputation made from the hopes of the desperate? Did he honestly think she wouldn't find out?

"Ah-- Up at the palace. He's taken over up there. He has people come to him with petitions and everything."

Leia barely registered the shock on the Kiffar's face as she tossed a handful of credits on the table, snatched up her pack and stormed out. 

How dare he?!

One night years ago and now he claimed to know her? She would make him regret every lie that escaped through those snake-bitten lips.  Granted, it had been a very good night, but that wasn't the point. If he thought he was going to deal spice in her name... If he thought he was going to set up some kind of protection racquet in her name, taking what little these people had to line his own pockets... If he thought he could sell slaves - in her name and using a legend built up around freedom and hope... 

Well, She would have to rip those thoughts out of his head. Violently if necessary.

She stormed through the streets, projecting her fury ahead of her and letting the rabble get out of her way. He would be armed. There would be guards, but that was fine. She had her blaster and a stun baton, and had been trained in both, not to mention the force.She spent a moment regretting the fact that she hadn't brought her lightsaber, but it was still an uncertain weapon in her hands. The force would be enough. If it came down to it she could choke Fett the same way she had choked that slimo of a hutt. 

A flash of blue and green caught her eye. It was startling. So far this planet had seemed determined to bleach everything down to shades of tan and gray. It was a flag, or just a strip of cloth really, but there were dozens of them.

Leia looked up through the visor of her helmet at a statue. The bronze bikini was familiar. The rest of the statue was clearly feminine, but it had also been put together from scraps of metal and broken ceramic. It might have been called abstract if it had been set up in a core world museum. That was probably a good thing. No one could get her nose right. 

It was the chain that had caught her eye. Starting at a collar that matched the rest of the slave outfit, It was drawn up to a fist held in the air  The end of the chain hung free, swaying at it was caught by the breeze. Ribbons had been tied to the chain. Dozens of brightly colored scraps of fabric, blue and green and red, all waving against the sky. 

As Leia watched an old woman came up and placed a wilting flower at the statue's feet. There were other flowers there, and bundles of reeds, A few shiny stones and pieces of desert glass, offerings from people who had little enough to give.

Behind her helmet, Leia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The anger was still there if she needed it, but for the moment her mind was clear. Kill Fett... Yes, she could if she needed to, but was that what these people needed? An angel of death who came down and killed their leaders one by one? These people needed hope, and that was one thing she knew how to cultivate. 

She took another slower breath, centering herself. She had stormed out the cantina too fast. The kiffar could be gone already, and setting up another contact would take time. No, for the moment she would do a bit of recon on her own. 

Fett's Palace was overdone, but she couldn't really blame him for that. Jaba was the one who had built it. The front gate would have been formidable, tall and broad enough for a whole hover-barge to pass through with room to spare, and doors made of layers of pressed metal. Except they were wide open. A short line of sentients were being tended to by a set of droids, and overseen by a pair of gramorians. Leia considered the situation for a minute, then joined the line.

If Lord Fett was taking petitions and tribute, who was she to deny an easy way in. 

After an hour and a half scrolling through messages on her helmet's HUD, Leia was directed to enter the main audience chamber. Boba Fett sat on an oversized throne. A woman with long dark hair perched on the arm, not as if she was there to provide pretty scenery, but like she was ready to shoot someone if Fett gave the word. Not that she didn't have a cutting kind of beauty, but that wasn't the point. 

Other than the throne the room was strangely bare. Fett hadn't bothered to hang up any trophies like Jaba had and he was dressed in his armor, helmet off, rather than anything that might have looked impressive or imposing. Not that the armor wasn't imposing...

"How may I introduce you?" The droid asked.

"Boushh," she said, trying to find her footing again.

The droid stepped forward as the previous petitioners moved to one side. They were still in the room. Several of the petitioners were actually. As far as Leia could tell they were waiting for Fett. Did he not have any aids to assist with carrying out his rulings? Even slaves would have been... but then maybe not having slaves was the point...

"Boushh, of the bounty hunter's guild," the droid said, dipping it's head and stepping aside. 

Leia lifted her head. She had a vague idea about looking for work, but she hadn't actually decided what to say.

"Boushh," Fett said, then slowly stood. "I think you mean Huttslayer." A murmur went around the gathered crowd, and Leia suddenly had the attention of everyone in the room. Even the droid turned to face her, it's eye-lights flashing. Boba stepped down off hit pedestal and cam to a stop just beyond arm's reach. 

Well she wasn't about to blink first. 

Leia reached up, and released the seal on her helmet. In the same movement she pulled a pair of pins from her hair, petting her long braid fall down her back. Fett's woman muttered something unpleasant under her breath. Leia met Fett's eyes for a handful of seconds. Then he ducked his head and...

With a stiff grace he went to one knee, bowing his head, helmet planted on the ground at her feet. 

A thrill went through her. Having a competent and confidant older man submit to her-- She wanted to squeeze her thighs together. What would it feel like trace the scars on his scalp, cup the back of his head and pull him in? There was a rushing in her ears blocking out all the whispered voices from their audience. 

Oh. Krif. 

That was his plan. 

The cleaver bastard. If she accepted him, gave in to everything that she wanted it would be as good as a seal of approval for everything he'd done. Worse, if she snarled at him, if she threatened, and accused, he'd play the martyr. She might be a folk hero, but he was the one who had been here, standing for these people when no one else would fight for them. She couldn't depose him without taking his place, and staying here for good. 

Competent and confident and clever, and he was still kneeling at her feet.

"We should talk," Leia managed to keep her voice even. Luckily she didn't need to project everyone in the room was already hanging on her every word. "Privately."

Fett got to his feet and nodded, "of course." He offered her his arm as if they were at some high, inner world function. "Fennec, take over here." He waved at the woman on the arm of his throne. The woman gave him a speaking look, then nodded and stepped forward to face the audience chamber properly. 

Fett brought her to a smaller room with windows that looked out over the desert. It was comfortably furnished, including a wet bar and several long couches that looked perfect for falling asleep on. An open door at the back revealed a large bed and an armor stand. He'd brought her to his own rooms.

"A drink?" Fett offered. He slipped behind the bar, leaving his helmet on the counter. 

Leia was caught flat footed all over again. Was this a trick, of was he genuinely playing the gentleman?

Fett pulled a bottle from under the bar, tossed a few ice cubes into a glass and added a shot of pale gold. He took a sip, and studied her. "I figured you'd learn about this sooner or later. Didn't figure you coming in as Boushh. Guess I should be grateful it's someone I know is dead, someone I know you've played before."

"What are you doing here?" Leia couldn't help asking.

"At the moment. I'm enjoying a drink, the company of a beautiful woman and the fact that I won't have to listen to any more ridiculous complaints thanks to you." He lifted her glass and toasted her. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"I-- No. Thank you."

Fett came around the bar and made himself comfortable in one of the chairs. Leia pulled on all her knowledge and experience, and sat facing him.

"You have been using my name and reputation. I have not given verbal or written permission for you or any previous being in this position to do so. Seeing as your people are now expecting you to join the republic, I could bring you to the courts on multiple charges."

Fett took another swallow of his drink. "You could. but what then?"

"Excuse me?"

He tipped his glass at the room around them and the planet beyond it. "You could bankrupt me and this office if you wanted to. If you were the kind of politician who only looked out for yourself I might be in trouble. But that's not you. You'll fight tooth and claw, but not at the expense of innocent bystanders."

"Do I need to remind you that we don't actually have a relationship? I dearly hope you haven't started buying into your own stories." she leaned forward, and the force swirled around her, "you have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of."

His face was unmoved but the tendons in his neck stood out and he put down his drink with more care then was needed. "I was there when you killed Jaba. I do not intend to underestimate you. This isn't that."

"You say I wont take down a known outlaw who has set himself up as a crime lord, and say I'm not a coward or corrupt. There doesn't seem to be many options left," Leia smiled, showing just a bit too much teeth. Gods it was nice to face someone who didn't treat her like glass.

"Perhaps if I really was an outlaw or crime lord. As it stands, until the last few years I was lawfully employed as a member of the bounty hunter guild. I even paid my taxes. I haven't been in prison since I was a eleven." He paused to let that sink in. "As for being a crime lord. Please, show me a crime I am committing that is not part of any other government." He turned his hands palms up, and met her eyes.

Krif. She had let her anger get the better of her and now she was here without any proper research. Without the proof she would need to win this argument. So... Answer a question with a question. "Are you saying you won't allow slaves to be sold or purchased in your territory, as the dictates of the New republic command?"

Fett tilted his head. "For one who has been a slave, even for a moment, the act is abhorrent. I would free every slave this minute, if it would not ruin my city." He waved a hand inviting her next strike.

"Spice. It's common knowledge that Kessle is on this hyperspace lane. Multiple syndicates use Tattooine as a way-point. Are you saying that you would go to war with both the Hutts and the Pikes, maybe even Red Sun? Just to keep me happy?" There were plenty of laws against refining spice, but the raw crystals were used in medical practices and as a reagent for other ores. The New Republic couldn't outlaw it altogether, but if he was going to use her name she was going to draw that line. 

He picked up his glass again, and Leia internally cursed. He shouldn't be growing more relaxed from her accusations.

"You don't know my history with the pikes." It was a statement not a question so she leaned back, lifted her chin and waited. Fett nodded to himself. "After my encounter with the sarlac, I was taken in by the sand people. I earned their trust, proved myself as a valued member of the tribe." He sagged a bit, and his eyes were distant as he looked into his glass. "The pikes were carting spice through my tribe's territory. I thought I could help them, stop the incursion, reclaim their territory... It went well at first. We stopped them, made our demands known." He knocked back the drink, leaving a shard of ice to circle the bottom as he set it down. "A tenday later my tribe was killed. Their tents were marked with the symbol of a local speeder gang, but I know how the Pikes work. Either they hired the gang or were using them as scapegoats." He looked up and met her eyes. "Any Pike who tries to sell or move spice through my territory will die. by my own hand if need be."

Leia didn't have an answer to that. True he hadn't mentioned the other gangs but that kind of anger wasn't the sort to stop at one person. She knew that all too well.

"Why are you really here? Just to clear your name?"

So it was his turn to attack? Fine. She stretched one arm out along the back of her couch. Maybe she should have accepted that drink after all, It would give her something to do with her hands. 

"That is certainly a part of it, but you invoked more than my person when you said you worked for me. In order to join the new republic a representative must be must be satisfied that the local laws adhere to New Republic standards. The Citizens must be given certain rights, and those rights need to be enforced. Everything from Galactic taxes to trade commissions to local military outposts must be reviewed. Then there are the mining and exploration rights for the local celestial bodies that are not habitable to humans and human adjacent populations. The holonet waystations and hyperspace relay points must be audited by New Republic personnel. I can go on. My arrival is only the first step in the process."

With every word Fett sank a little deeper into his chair. His expression was still stoic, but Leia didn't doubt she's scored a point.

"Then there is the matter that you do not rule all of Tattooine. Since you have an adoptive connection to the sand people that can be put aside for now, and Mos Espa seems to accept you even if you were not formally elected by popular vote. Mos Eisley is still an independent city state with it's own mayor and since it's territory covers over 30% of the planet it can not be discounted." There, now his only choices were to fold or go all in. That would teach him to push her into a corner.

Fett waited for a long ten count, then stood. Leia didn't speak as he picked up his glass and moved back to the bar. He got out the bottle, then glanced up at her. He lifted a second clean glass and this time she nodded. He added ice and golden liquid to both glasses. His posture spoke of resignation when he took his seat again.

"Your conditions are... to be expected, but I have two conditions."

Leia sat up, surprised, then remembered herself and turned the move into a reach for her glass. "Those are?"

"First, any citizen who wishes to remain unaffiliated with the New Republic is allowed to retain their status as a free sentient." He looked at her and waited.

After a minute Leia nodded. "That is reasonable. But any new births are to be recorded as republic citizens with full rights." She knew there were people on Tattooine who had fled here after the Clone war, or during the Empire's expansion. if those people wanted to stay hidden that was their choice.

"Your second condition?"

Fett met her eyes. He might not be force sensitive but she could feel his will curling in the air around him. "You stay here as the New Republic representative until we are fully established."

So, he wasn't willing to back down any more than she was. This was going to be interesting.

Leia took a drink, forcing herself to fully consider his terms. Most of her senatorial duties could be done over holo, though that was considered a bit rude. Her duties to her people... Those would be more complex. A large population was waiting for her to find them a new home. If she gave herself to another planet...

No, maybe this wasn't an either or situation. Her people were educated. They had skills that the people of Tattooine could likely use. There were plenty of teachers and engineers and medics among the remaining Alderanian people. She'd have to check but there were likely people who specialized in terraforming as well. Tattooine wouldn't have been her first choice, but there was plenty of open land that could be put to use. 

Leia looked up and met Fett's gaze, matching his will with her own.

"Agreed. Pending senate approval, I will stay."

<><><>

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Supreme Chancellor,

On behalf of myself and the Alderan refugee population and in coordination with Galactic Defense [documentation attached] I would like to request a squad of fighters be deployed to the Tattooine galactic sphere for the foreseeable future. Tattooine has been approved by myself, on site, and a comity of five other senators as a high risk, high reward sector. [documentation attached] In addition I would like to request documentation and upgrades for a bookkeeping and auditing droid for the purpose of bringing the local government up to New Republic Standard. [documentation attached] The current ruler, one Boba Fett formerly of Mandalor, Has agreed to full cooperation provided I, Leia Organa formerly of Alderan, act as the Galactic representative in this matter. [documentation attached]

I hope and foresee a great benefit in Tattooine joining the New Galactic Republic as the outer border of the Chomell Sector and outer rim territories.

Formally yours, Leia Organa, Formerly princess of Alderan,  Elected Queen of the Alderan refugee population, General of the alliance to restore the republic, and Huttslayer of Tattooine.

----

To: Leia Organa <[email protected]

From: Mon Mothma <[email protected]

What the Fuck Leia?!

CALL ME.

- Mon.

Chapter Text

“Your filing system is atrocious,” Leia said, not for the first time.

“Blame my predecessor,” Boba responded, also not for the first time. 

They were in a small audience chamber which had the singular advantage over the thrown room of having a conference table and multiple data-stations. Fennec had excused herself after about ten minutes, leaving him alone with Leia and the droids she had brought in. Balancing his personal finances had not prepared him for balancing the finances of a not inconsiderable city-state. 

“You’re lucky your predecessors were greedy bastards and hoarded everything they got. At least you have the money to pay for all these infrastructure repairs.”

“Frankly I would have preferred that they did their job, and left me destitute,” Boba grumbled.

“Silver linings,” Leia said offhand without even looking in his direction. 

Boba grunted. She wasn’t wrong. Moreover she was a godsend when it came to this kind of paperwork. Political experience running a planetary government, a galactic senate seat, a rebellion, and now whatever the new republic was, clearly had a few advantages, even if she had a more extensive vocabulary of curses than he did. If he was honest, he was impressed. Beauty and confidence and talent all in one package. How in the hyperlanes had a scrapper like Solo managed to win her?

A polite knock came from the door, and the 8B8 entered a moment later. "Sir, a messenger has arrived from Madam Garsa. She is waiting in the main hall. Should I tell her you are otherwise occupied?" 

"No, I'll see her," Boba might have answered slightly to quickly. Leia looked up and raised an eyebrow. First Fennec and now Leia. If he wasn't careful he'd end up surrounded by beautiful women who scoffed at the idea of coming to his bed.

"Madam Garsa knows everything that goes on in this town. If she sent a messenger it's important," he explained.

Leia considered that, then nodded, stretching as she stood. 

The green Twi'lek who waited for them smiled and curled her leku as they entered the throne room. Leia got to the throne first and sat down like it was her right. Boba wasn't sure if he should be irritated or impressed. Shaking off the thought, he stepped forward and gestured to the messenger.

"Lady Huttslayer. Lord Fett. My mistress, Madam Garsa whishes to inquire as to when the formal announcement and celebration of the start of your reign will be held." She dipped her head, looking up at them coyly. 

"Celebration..." Boba said slowly. He hadn't been planning any celebration. In his experience people were cautious rather than excited for new rulers. 

The Twi'lek pursed her lips. "If you don't mind me saying. There are quite a few people who have been quite exuberant since the Lady huttslayer has returned."

Leia leaned forward and spoke in a 'just us girls' tone. "Is the madam hoping to let them blow off some steam so everyone can get back to business?"

The Twi'lek brushed a hand down her skirt. "Well, I don't think she'd say as much in so many words, but that would ease things a bit, and confirm your intentions of course."

"Of course," Leia nodded. "Well we'll have to consider the logistics but I think something can be arranged in the next week or two." 

Boba turned and sent Leia a look that he hoped conveyed what he thought of that idea. He'd been a bodyguard at enough events to know how much chaos and how frivolously expensive they could be.

Leia ignored him. "I trust Madam Garsa would be willing to assist with the preparations?"

"Of course, my Lady." The Twi'lek bowed.

"Then tell her to please attend-- No, tell her we will visit her fine establishment tomorrow evening, to work out the details."

"I'm sure she will be honored to receive you," The messenger bowed again and took her leave.

Boba crossed his arms and turned to face Leia. "A celebration? Is that really the best choice right now?"

Leia stood, stepping down to where he stood. "Little piece of advice, following the will of the people isn't only about legislation. Sometimes, the people are going to party and the only way to manage things is to set a time and place." She patted his shoulder then let her hand trail down his arm as she headed back to the conference room.

<><><>

Two weeks seemed far to short a time to manage the amount of things that Leia seemed to have in mind. For his part, he signed the forms she put in front of him, nodded at the appropriate times and tried to keep everything else running as smooth as it ever did. 

At one point the Hutts showed up with the gift of a baby rancor. At one point the Pikes tried to poison him - or he assumed it was the pikes. As usual he couldn't prove anything. Din arrived at one point and got drunk at one of the cantinas before Fennec dragged him back to the palace, and dumped him in one of the spare bedrooms. Krrsantan ripped a man's arm off at the Sanctuary. 

Each of these things individually would have topped the events of a normal week, and yet they all paled in comparison with what Leia managed to accomplish. 

She had a full squad of New Republic fighters patrolling the planet within two days. Boba couldn't even complain about it because they brought most of their own supplies, paid the locals to service their ships and spent all their wages at the local cantinas. Two days after that Leia had managed to get ahold of a full ground troupe as well. Boba spent the day quietly terrified that a riot would break out. It didn't but a lot of people ended up drunk and the troopers were just as likely as the locals to end up in the drunk tank. 

Leia cleared out several former government buildings that Boba technically owned and bought any slave that anyone would sell her in order to bring them up to what she called "modern living standards." She freed the slaves before even asking for their help, and ended up with twice as many helpers as she needed. Somewhere in the middle of the renovation her reputation had gone from legendary to mythical.  

If that wasn't enough ships started arriving in the dozens during the second week preceding the new holiday. Full families moved into the new houses before they were even finished, bringing with them terraforming grade humidifiers, full containers full of seed grain and other rations, and wonder of wonders - medical equipment. 

 Each night Leia came back to the palace after at least one if not both of the suns had set. Boba had insisted that he at least be kept up on the preparations even if she was taking the lead. That led to Leia lounging on one of the couches in his outer room, drink in one hand as he sat near her, listening to her elegantly cultured voice spit out insults at whatever pig-headed person who had tried to get in her way that day. 

She was beautiful like that. He wanted to move over to her couch, lift her small feet into his lap and rub them until she purred.  He wanted to pick her up, carry her to his bed, lay her out, and show her exactly what he thought of her strength. He wanted to pull her into his lap, whisper "gar shuk meh kyrayc," into her hair and force her to rest. He might even go through with it once this whole celebration was done.

 It wasn't that he wanted a good lay. He had taken advantage of Madam Garsa's services a few times, but sex was... Maybe it was part of being Mandalorian. The connection of Clan binding and gifting more than any purely physical relationship, at least for him. Leia was... copyc. 

Boba shook his head. If he was using Mandoa he really was getting sentimental. 

If Leia had just backed down, turned away from his challenge he would have been able to write her off. Instead... Instead he was all but ruling a nation with her at his side. The princess - no, the Queen of Tattooine. 

Boba shook off the thought as Leia stood and swayed towards the door.

"You'll be there tomorrow?" She asked, leaning on the doorframe.

"Seeing as I'm scheduled to introduce your speech. I'm sure you'd kill me if I tried to escape."

Leia's face was pink from the drink. She smiled, and there were wisps of hair that had escaped, curling over her forehead. He needed to get a grip on himself.

"Yeah, I would," she yawned. "See you in the morning." Then she was gone, slipping into the night like a dream.

<><><>

Leia was up before the first sun, meeting with her teem leads.

"The water carts?"

"We have twenty carts ready to open at the edges of the festival area. Another five are ready with refill supplies."

"Good, the stage?"

"Full audio-visual, to be projected on the local holonet and to the New Republic network ma'am."

"And after the speech?"

"We have four local bands recommended by Madam Garsa, to play in shifts until sunset."

"Good. Medical?"

"Well the tents are up, and we're prepared for the general small injuries this kind of event generates, but I have to reiterate that this population needs a considerable amount of long term care--"

"And I'll review your report when this is done. Security?"

"Ground or air?"

"Let's start with ground."

"Technically I've got half my crew on shift in the morning and the other half in the evening, but I've made it clear to all of them that if anything starts they need to end it fast. There's also the gang Fennec brought in, and the group of enforcers. I have them guarding the stage and water carts in case of riots."

"That will have to do. And air?"

"The squad is set to do the fancy flying at the end of your speech. After that we've got double patrols on the inner orbit and two extra men on the outer orbit. Let me say those flyboys weren't happy to be missing the party."

"Yes well, that's what we pay them for. Remind them of the bonus if they start complaining."

"Yes ma'am"

"The children?"

"Have you added children to this circus?" Boba asked stepping into Leia's circle. He was already in his armor, with his helmet under his arm. In his free hand he had a bag of grilled cato beans. He pushed the bag into her hands. "Take a moment to eat after you've deployed your forces."

Leia blushed, turning the bag over in her hands. "They're hardly my forces. I'm just a benefactor--" She glanced from Boba to her teem leaders who were politely looking away or reading datapads while glancing back at her sidelong. 

"So all of this would have come together without your direction?" His voice was low, right next to her. She almost wanted him to slip his arm around her waist. He had every right to listen to these reports... 

Instead Boba stepped back, falling into a military posture. "Permission to do a final security sweep before the main event?"

Leia's face was never going to return to it's normal color. "You don't need to. We do have a security team."

"Yeah, well, I prefer to see to this personally," Boba said. Then he stepped out from under the awning and lifted into the air. Damn the man for getting the last word and for making her want to drag him back, and sit on him, in more ways than one. 

One of her team leads cleared their throat. 

"Yes. Yes, where were we? Oh yes, childcare?"

<><><>

Leia had had a stage constructed in front of her statue. Boba wasn't sure if it was simply the most central and convenient spot, or if it had some deeper message.  At the moment he was mostly concerned with the fact that there wasn't a proper backstage to provide cover. The whole situation was a bodyguard's nightmare. He couldn't help thinking that way despite the fact that Leia wasn't actually his charge. 

There was an awning at least even if the only thing it would protect her from was the suns. 

Boba Rose to a reasonable height, and made a wide circuit before coming back around. Nothing yet, but that wasn't an excuse to stop looking. He landed on the rooftop closest to the stage, next to the sniper's blind where Fennec was already tucked away.

"You realize that if anyone tried anything the whole city would gut them alive and leave them out for the rats," Fennec said instead of a greeting.

"That doesn't mean someone wont try," Boba responded in the same tone. Between the two of them, he and Leia had enough enemies to split the galaxy.

Fennec shrugged. "With all this watching have you bothered to look at the stage?"

Boba frowned, then turned his helmet in the appropriate direction. There was... Someone had splashed paint over the stage, forming a pattern that was almost familiar. His hand rose to touch Jaster Mereel's symbol on his chest almost without conscious thought. The paint was a single stripe, crossing several broken circles. It could have been the symbol of his adopted grandfather or it could have been a stylized chain, sliced in half. 

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Fennec said. There was a smile in her voice. Apparently she could read him even with his helmet on. "You make a cute couple."

"We're not."

"Not what? Dating? Sleeping together? Pining after each other like a pair of lovesick teenagers? The palace staff haven't missed that she spends every evening in your quarters, and neither have I."

Boba shuffled his feet, hooking his thumbs in his belt and setting his HUD to do a passive scan. "It's not like that. She's got someone else."

"Since when has that stopped anyone?" Fennec scoffed. She glanced up at him, then shook her head. "Look it's none of my business, but if you're both going to continue like this, there will be expectations. If you don't want people to assume then it'll be easier to draw a clear line sooner rather than later."

Boba sighed. It sounded like a rattle through his vocoder. "This is all a bit more complicated then my original idea." 

"You're telling me," Fennec muttered. She went still and he reacted automatically falling still as well. Slowly Fennec leaned forward, her gaze following a Dug who was getting a little too close to the staging area. Boba drew his blaster, keeping it pointed down for the moment. The dug used one of his back hands to wave to someone across the square, and a minute later two other dugs came into view. The three of them headed away towards the city center. Boba and Fennec both breathed out slowly.

"You never minded when people thought the two of us were together," Boba said, picking up the thread of their conversation as he holstered his blaster.

"Sure but no one's going to put me in a dress and call me your majesty. I could still go to a brothel and no one would think worse of either of us. You think people wont talk if you stop by Madam Garsa's next week, or next month if she's still around?"

Boba made a low sound. She was right. Worse, even if Leia didn't mind, he would. 

Leia stepped out from under the awning, and held a hand up to squint against the sun. When she spotted him, she waved, calling him down. He knew he shouldn't be so eager to go to her. 

Tomorrow, he promised himself. Tomorrow he would sit down and get his head on straight. tomorrow he would take a long hard look at his options and decide which way he wanted his life to go. Tomorrow...

For today he would stand by her side and treat her like she was the most important person on his world.

Boba put on his helmet, triggered his jetpack and went to her, ignoring the knowing hum that followed him from Fennec's position. 

<><><>

Leia had a speech ready that stir hearts and win even the most stoic to her side, and yet...

She stepped onto the stage and smiled at the people. Her people. The people who had praised her and lifted her up all without knowing more than her name and one thing she had done. She  met the eyes of hopeful children, smiled at those worn down by years, and nodded regally to people who were sneaking glances while still trying to guard or sell or manage things. And yet...

She felt the steady presence of Boba just behind her right shoulder. A pillar supporting her as solidly as the trunk of a tree that had stood for over a century. Weathered but whole, scarred but not broken. And yet...

Leia lifted her hands. She smiled and called on the people to celebrate. She offered free water, and entertainment, and declared the day a planetary holiday on behalf of the occasion. She kept her mask up, even though the force was tugging at her attention. 

Leia wasn't as attuned to the force as Luke was. Or to be more accurate she was tuned to it in different ways. She would never be able to just let herself go and give into it like he did. She would never be able to dance with a blade like a leaf on the wind. From a young age she'd been taught to hone and protect her core self. To shield herself. To stay aware of intentions and not let herself be moved by them. 

There was joy in the crowd. There was excitement and hope, and a hunger for everything she promised. There was also skepticism, derision, hints of pity and scorn. Under all that. There was a single flame of anger and duty. A cold hard knowledge that what was happening needed to be done. 

Leia paused in her speech, taking a breath as the crowd cheered.  There was someone here. Someone who's intention clashed with the rest of the environment. But... she couldn't find them. She considered signaling to Boba. She knew he had security stationed around the plaza. If he was force sensitive he'd likely already be searching them out. She couldn't risk it. The moment she said something the enemy would know. 

Leia bent her knees slightly, lowering her center of gravity and brought her arms up to a relaxed circle as if embracing her audience. She took a breath, ready to continue when the spark of danger exploded. 

<><><>

Boba could tell something was wrong. Leia had paused. Her stance had changed. Nothing extravagant, Nothing a casual glance would notice, but it was there. He wanted his helmet, and the extra sensors in his HUD. Since that wasn't an option he lifted his chin towards Fennec's position. She was a professional, she would get the message. 

The blaster bolt came from his right. A blue line that cut across his vision, and --

Boba's mind identified that Leia was the target before realizing what had happened. The bolt had stopped, sparking in mid-air a foot from Leia's outstretched palm. He couldn't' see her face but her posture remained ready. 

"Leia?"

"Go."

That was all he needed. Boba launched himself into the air, snatching his helmet from his belt and snapping out the commands to trace back the trajectory of the shot.  His emotions caught up a second later - rage laced with fear tried to push through the numb clarity. Later, he shoved it down. He could process how close he'd come to loosing her later, when she was safe. 

There. A wide hat and broad coat in an upper window. The shot would have been a difficult one but he knew that silhouette. He knew the man who could make it. 

"All points, Cad Bane just tried to take out Leia. I'm going after him." 

A swarm of replies and confirmations echoed back to him. Only one made it through the din. 

"I've got Leia," Fennec said. "Falling back to the sanctuary."

Good. They would keep each other safe. Now he could focus.

Bane saw him coming, and slipped back into the building. 

Boba didn't have time to pull up the schematics. He cut power to his jetpack, twisted and ducked his head. Through the open window. The floor and wall came up to meet him. Why did everything here have to be made of stone? His armor took most of the impact. Training kicked in and Boba pushed himself up. Bane was only a few seconds ahead of him, but he'd already cleared the room. 

Two blinks brought up the sensors in his helmet and Boba was after him. 

<><><>

Leia lost track of Boba as he moved farther away. She knew it had only been a minute or so since the shot was fired, but the adrenalin in her system was already pushing her.

Fennec was beside her, putting herself between Leia and the crowd. She had her helmet on, and was issuing orders into it. Below them the crowd was murmuring, praying, cursing, the level of sound muffled by the ringing in Leia's ears.

"The bolt,"

Leia pulled her focus back in enough to turn to Fennec, "What?"

"Can you release the bolt safely?"

That... was a good question. She'd stopped the bold almost instinctively. it was still hovering just beyond her hand. Leia frowned and set her will against it.

_Up_

The bolt twitched, trying to escape her hold. She pushed again.

_UP_

This time when it tried to escape she let it rocket into the sky. Leia let out a breath. She had to lock her knees before she fell over. Fennec was there, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

"We have to get you to safety."

Leia nodded, then shook hear head. "Give me a minute."

Fennec wasn't happy, but she let Leia turn back to the crowd.

"My apologies, but it seems this talk will be cut short." she offered up a look that said 'this is why we can't have nice things' and invited them to laugh with her. "I would like to thank all of you for attending and I encourage you enjoy yourselves for the rest of the day. A full release of all our plans and intentions will be distributed tomorrow." She lifted her hands in a gesture of victory, "For the future of Tattooine, may it be as bright as the desert suns!"

The crowd cheered and Leia let Fennec hustle her away. 

She didn't let herself think again until Fennec pushed her into a seat and put a drink into her hands. She took a sip.

"Water?"

Fennec nodded, "water first, Once you can convince me you're not in shock the drinks will start coming."

Leia nodded and drank. She took a few deep breaths, and focused on slowing her racing heart before she asked. "Boba?"

"He's still chasing Bane. They're headed for the ship yard. A squad of your people, and ten of mine are trying to circle in and back him up.

Leia nodded. If her got hurt... If something forced that rock of a man to crumble... "Who else can we send? The pilots maybe, they should already be set up for the air show--" 

"Huttslayer," Fennec put a hand on her arm. "Your head of security is on it. They'll catch him. Giving extra orders now is only going to complicate the chain of command."

Leia wanted to protest, but Fennec was right. She nodded. She sipped at her water, careful not to swallow it too fast. 

It wasn't like she'd never been shot at before. It wasn't like she hadn't had friends in danger before. But in some ways every time was like the first. Ackbar had once confided that if she ever grew numb to battle then she should step down, because she wouldn't be able to weigh the true damage of lives lost. 

Today she had been the one in danger, but she wasn't the one fighting now. 

Leia slumped down until her forehead hit the table in front of her. "He tried to tell me this would happen." Her voice came out muffled.

Fennec hummed. "He wouldn't have respected you if you backed down from one warning and it's not like you didn't take precautions." She waved a hand over Leia's head and a minute later a bottle was set down on the table. Leia turned her head until she could read the label.

"That stuff will kill you."

Fennec shrugged. "Not with my insides. You want a taste?"

Leia managed to push herself upright again. She bit her lip. "It's just. None of this needed to happen. I didn't want to put either of us in danger. I just didn't know, and then I heard what you were doing here and I -- Thanks." She accepted a bottle of her usual wine from a server, then poured herself a glass when Fennec didn't protest. "I was angry and he knelt in front of me!"

Fennec nodded, "Yeah, I was there."

"Exactly!" Leia rubbed a hand over her head, smoothing stray locks of hair out of her face. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with this--" She swallowed a gulp of wine and winced. The next sip she took slower, letting the fruity flavor coat her tongue.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Leia looked at Fennec. She'd spent some time with the other woman, but most of that had been for business. Still, here in a back room of the Sanctuary with layers of guards between them and the outside, they were as private as things were going to get.

"Alright."

"You were with Han Solo for a while right? That serious?"

Leia leaned back surprised. "What? I guess... I was, but... Han is... complicated. He doesn't like attachment. Doesn't like staying in one place or belonging to any one group. Getting him to accept the title of General was like pulling teeth and that was back when the only thing he had to do was show up and cart supplies around. There's no way he'd take a role in government, and I wouldn't want him to if I was honest. It would strangle him." She bit her lip, and looked down into her glass. 

"I think... I mean we never formally ended things, but the circles we exist in are only getting further apart."

Fennec stole her bottle of wine and mixed a splash with her rotgut. "Tough, but not impossible to overcome if you wanted to. "And the boss?"

"Boba? Well. He's--" Leia looked at Fennec. She was serious. The question wasn't mocking or searching. It was just girl talk. The kind Leia hadn't had since... Since the last time she'd seen winter if she was honest, and that had been over a year ago.  

"He's nice. I... Okay I like him. God when he knelt to me, and I just know that he'd never do that for anyone else. Even through all this. I keep pushing and he's never blinked. All those evenings... He told me about the sand people. He's not like Han. He wants a place that's his. His to protect and watch over and care for. He wants to take pride in what his people accomplish, and that's..."

"You like him." Fennec echoed her earlier words, using her glass to hide a smile.

"Oh like you don't."

"I'm not the one he consistently clears his evenings for."

Leia waved a hand, brushing that away, "He's never invited me to bed, doesn't count."

Fennec put down her glass, "Never? I thought you two had a thing back when..."

"That's... complicated."

"Are any of your relationships not complicated?"

Leia hesitated, then let out a breath, "Okay, fair."

"So, spill."

Leia took another sip of her wine, "okay you know the rumor that we were together back before Jaba?" Fennec nodded. "Okay so it's sort of true, but not all the way. I was playing Boushh in order to scope out Jaba's organization. Except the original Boushh was male. When Boba offered to let me share his room, he thought it was just, two guys you know? Not that I had a lot of choice. So I took him up on the offer and..." Leia took another drink of liquid courage. 

"Oh this is going to be good," Fennec leaned back, tossed her braid over one shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"I may have threatened him."

Fennec laughed, head tipped back, expression open.

Leia couldn't help smiling in return. "So we were both in his rooms and I knew there was no way I was going to be able to hide I was a woman. I waited until he had most of his armor off and was sitting on the bed and then I pulled my blaster. I said I wouldn't hesitate to blast him. I said that if he told anyone I was a woman, I'd hunt him down no mater what it cost. I said if he even tried to touch me I'd make sure he couldn't use his dick ever again. I went on for a while like that."

"How did he react?" Fennec asked smile still in her eyes and voice.

"Well he slowly raised his hands and then said that he'd never risk leaving a child behind him and I didn't need to worry."

Fennec blinked a few times then sputtered out, "What?"

"That was basically my reaction too. At that point he told me about the Mandalorian code, or at least the version he follows. Children are a big deal, blood or foundling. He said that abandoning a child of his blood would be the same as chopping off a hand, it meant that much. He hadn't even seen my face and he was going on about kids, I honestly didn't know what to do at that point."

"Naturally," Fennec refilled both their glasses. "So did you stay?"

"I actually did. He offered to stay in the fresher until I was settled if I wasn't comfortable without my armor and then he slept on the floor. I spent the whole night with the privacy curtain closed. He never even knew who I was until the big reveal the next day."

Fennec considered her story. "That, is actually really sweet. Sometimes I have no idea how Boba has managed to survive this long."

"Yes! Right? And now I don't know if he's even interested in Sex at all let alone, attracted to human females."

Fennec leaned across the table and squeezed Leia's hand. "Hey, I don't know about human females in general, but I can tell he's interested in you."

Leia bit her lip. "You think so?"

Fennec nodded. "The next time you're alone together, try putting him on his knees again. I have a feeling he'd appreciate the direct approach." 

<><><>

Boba growled behind his helmet. If the chase had been a nice simple direct hunt... Well, Cad Bane was a professional, he couldn't say what would have happened for certain, but it wouldn't have been this mess. 

Bane had headed for the ship yards. Boba had chased after him. Bane had a ship ready and used his ship's guns to pin down Boba, and apparently his backup, until he was prepared to launch. 

Once Boba had realized what Bane was trying to do, he'd cut over to where Din's ship was parked two hangers away. 

Bane was in the air by the time he got to the ship, and was in a dogfight with the New Republic fighters by the time Boba got into the air. By the time Boba got into orbit, Bane had tried to micro jump across the system and ended up caught in the gravity of one of the moons - throwing off where he would come out of hyperspace.

At that point Boba had broken off the chase. He didn't like it, but he didn't have much of a choice. The New Republic fighters were stonewalling him, not because he didn't have access, but because as a planetary leader, they wanted to keep him out of a dangerous situation. Boba had needed to cut his comms at that point. 

He'd done two circuits of the city before he landed. Then he'd had to fend off Din's mechanic friend and her droids. Then he'd had to fend off Din himself, who had come fully armed. Boba appreciated the enthusiasm, even he did have to send him back to the castle without any quarry.

At that point the head of Leia's security had tracked him down and demanded answers. Boba did his best to point the man in the right direction but apparently in going after the shooter he'd put himself in danger. At that point Boba decided he'd had enough.

The air over the city was thick with cooking smoke and the fumes of hundreds of machines. His coms were set to only ping him if Fennec, Garsa or 8B8 called him, which meant there was no sound but the wind ringing in his ears. 

Boba considered circling the city again, but the fighters were flying low and even if they knew who he was, that was dangerous. Instead he checked the fuel levels in his jet pack then turned out over the desert. 

Boba had been living on Tattoine for some time now, but somehow he'd never seen it from this angle. The sand dunes seemed to churn like the waves from his childhood. The rocky outcroppings that looked so jagged and imposing from the ground seemed to have rounded edges from this angle, as if they were frozen fountains of stone that the wind had toyed with. And the color. Far from blending together, the colors of the desert stood out in stripes of red and yellow, the tracks of banthas and wild eyopi dotted the landscape like stitching on a quilt. 

Then he saw it. Not just tracks but a trail of banthas plodding along one by one over the sand. A caravan of tuskens was traveling from one watering hole to the next. His soul lifted to see how they were thriving, how many banthas were in their herd, how deep their tracks were, weighed down with their huts and possessions. His former tribe had not been so numerous.

A thought tickled the back of his mind. The tribes usually traveled at night when they had to travel at all. They would only travel during the day when there weren't suitable stopping points along the way, and since the Tusken tribes had mapped out every water source the desert offered, that was rare indeed. 

Either this tribe had been forced out of their normal territory or...

His com beeped, breaking into his speculation.

"Fett here."

"Oh good, you're alive. Did you know the hew guard is going frantic looking for you?" Fennec said casually. 

"Tell them I went flying. I'll come back before nightfall."

"Yeah about that," There was a smile in Fennec's voice. "Leia needs to get back to the castle and I don't think she'd feel safe with anyone else escorting her."

The comment was just as distracting as Fennec probably intended.

"I'll head back now. Stay with her."

"Will do boss."

Boba twisted in the air, checked the compass on his helmet and turned back towards his city.

<><><>

The Tatooine evening was comfortably warm, and Leia was comfortably buzzed. She hadn't kept track of how much she'd drank, but this was a celebration and Fennec had said she'd get her home safe. Fennec had caught the eye of a well muscled Twi'lek so Leia wasn't 100% on what Fennec had meant but it was fine. She was perfectly capable.

Leia stepped out of the Sanctuary, and squinted at the buildings around her.  She wasn't the only one who'd had a few drinks. A few passing men cheered and waved at her as they held each other up. There was music coming from somewhere. 

Leia tried to remember how to get back to the palace. That was one downside to spending all her time organizing things. She knew the city on a map better then she did in real life. 

A couple with Alderani features, waved and shouted thanks in her direction. Leia was glad she had found them a place to belong. Maybe they weren't the only ones. Maybe she could belong here too. Maybe this time Boba would let her into his bed.

"Leia."

She turned and there he was, her rock, her knight, her warlord. She stepped up to Boba and leaned against him. The metal of his armor was cool to the touch, and she gladly pressed her cheek to it. 

"You're here."

"Yes, I--" Boba was hesitating. His arms had come up but he didn't seem to know what to do with them. "Are you okay?"

"Just a few drinks. No one wanted to let me out of there, but I finally escaped. Fennec said she'd get me back to the castle but she'd busy."

"Yeah, I bet she is." There was a sigh through Boba's vocoder. Leia wanted to see his face. 

"So come on then. You can take me home." Leia held up one finger, not allowing any argument.

"Home..."

"Yes. The castle, and quick. I have to write a press release in the morning and you know how much I love those. Plus I'm probably going to be hung over for it." She leaned in and spoke the last bit in a whisper. His shoulders shook with a soundless laugh.

"Well, if that's what my lady wants." 

He bent and for a moment Leia thought he was going to kneel to her agian. Instead he caught the back of her knees and scooped her into a bridal carry.  Leia barely had time to gasp out a quick "what?" before they were in the air. 

The air whipped at her hair, bringing goosebumps to her skin. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his neck, tucking her face into his neck. A scream escaped her throat, ending in a laugh as they came to the top of their curve. Boba's arm wrapped around her waist tightened fractionally, and she heard his voice in a growling whisper.

"Look up."

Her breath caught as she turned her gaze away from the ground. The first sun was just below the horizon and the second was sinking low. The heat haze coming off the desert had tinted the sky creating a brilliant shade of red, like a tropical flower, shading into a pale gold and finally a deep blue. Leia had seen the stars from a spaceship, without any atmosphere to cloud them but that was always through a small window. Now, she felt like she was swimming in them.

"Boba," Leia exhaled. 

He tipped his head, pressing his helmet against her hair. 

Leia didn't know how long they were in the air, but it felt too short. 

He landed on a balcony of her room in the castle. She slid down his chest until her toes touched the ground. 

"Thank you," Leia said. Her thoughts were scattered. She wasn't sure if she should blame the alcohol or the thin air. She really wanted him to take off his helmet. She wanted to try kissing him. 

"Will you come inside?"

Boba looked down at her, silent for a long minute. "You've been drinking."

"I'm sober enough for this."

He made a low sound. Looking to one side, he stepped back. She wanted to stop him. Wanted to keep him here with her. Wanted to see what he looked like under the armor. Wanted to wake up with him beside her. 

Then he took off his helmet and clipped it to his belt. He looked down at her and there was something in his eyes, a brightness that she hadn't seen there before. 

"I told myself I'd look at the future tomorrow."

"And live today?" She asked. Was that a yes? With the light behind him his expression she couldn't tell.

He reached for her, pulling her close, flush against his armor. He was slow and careful when he tipped his head down. She went up on her toes to meet him, heart thudding in her ears. She was the one to deepen the kiss, tugging at his shoulder pauldruns. 

Force, the things she wanted to do to this man.

"There's something I should take care of first," Boba said in a low voice.

Leia blinked. She tried to catch her breath. He stepped back. Where was he going? What did he need to take care of? She didn't understand.

"Good night," Boba said, and with another step he was in the air, slipping away into the star-filled night.

<><><>

Boba didn't know if he'd made the choice or if Leia had made it for him, but he wanted her. He wanted to stand beside her and rule beside her, live and die beside her. 

What he didn't want was for a quick fuck, or a fling where she left in a month or a year. He didn't want to give her any way out. It was selfish of him, but that was what it was. 

So, he needed to plan. He needed to offer her something no one else could. He needed to make a statement. 

Boba returned to his rooms, and packed a bag. He took his gaderfii off the armor stand and slung it over his shoulder. He recharged his armor, refilling the fuel for the jetpack and making sure he had water and rations to spare. 

Satisfied, he made his way down to the hangers. There were plenty of old speeders left over from his predecessors. He chose one that seemed in decent shape, and turned toward the desert. 

His helmet had recorded the coordinates where he'd seen the tuskens. If he was right they were headed for a meeting of the tribes. He could stand for his tribe at such a meeting. He could request things of the elders. He could propose the truce that Leia needed. 

The night air was cold, and it had already been a long day, but the tuskens would have moved on from where he'd seen them. He didn't have time to spare. 

<><><>

Leia slept fitfully and woke late. Her prediction about the hangover was thankfully false, but she ached enough to make up for it.

Her memory was - for good or ill - perfectly clear. 

He has kissed her. She had kissed him. Then he had flown away. 

Well. That couldn't be allowed. She wasn't going to let him just walk away from her. When in their relationship had she ever given him that impression. Force if he was in the thrown room listening to someone blather on about the price of water... Well she was going probably going to sit down beside him and nod along, but she wouldn't like it. 

He wasn't in the throne room. 

He also wasn't in the bacta room or his outer chambers or the dining room or the secondary conference room. She did eventually find Fennec, caff in hand, leaning against a counter at the edge of the kitchens. 

"Have you seen Boba?" She asked in leu of a hello.

"Nope," Fennec winced, closed her eyes and took another sip of caff.

"Odd, I can't find him anywhere." She crossed her arms, and pursed her lips.

"Have you checked his ship?" Fennec muttered into her cup.

"I have it's still in the hanger, and empty."

"Then go talk to 8B8, he'll know if Boba left the castle." It was clearly a dismissal. Leia left her to her caff.

8B8 informed Leia in a toneless mechanical voice that "Lord Fett left last night and has not left any message as to when he will return."

Leia couldn't say much to that. She clenched her jaw, breathed for a minute or two, then turned and went to draft the press release she'd promised at the end of her speech. 

He hadn't returned by the time she had finished.

He hadn't returned by the time she had finished meeting with her teem leads and dealing with the aftermath of the festival. 

He hadn't returned by the time she had sent off her report to Mon, and told 8B8 that she was retiring for the night and wouldn't be accepting any more visitors unless it was an absolute emergency and someone was dying... or if Boba returned.

Boba hadn't returned when Leia came out for breakfast. At that point she couldn't ignore the question that had been hovering in the back of her mind any longer.

What if Boba didn't return?

There was a chance he was dead. Not a high chance, he knew how to survive the desert, but it still existed. There could have been other assassins' that hadn't made themselves known. Accidents happened. But even beyond that. Maybe he had gone back to the Tuscans. Maybe she'd pushed too far, and he'd finally decided to back down, give in, show his throat. Maybe he'd decided to get out of her way.

But if that was the case why had he kissed her? She kept coming back to that. He hadn't needed to, not if he was just going to leave. Was it for her sake, or his own?

She might never know the answer.

What if Boba didn't return?

Could she do this? Could she rule this scared, traumatized, population? Could she bring this planet to prominence? Make it the jewel it could be without the corruption and the slavery and the gangs? Yes she probably could. She had all the training, all the support, all the connections. She could argue that this hyperlane nexus was not only important, but given the proper antistructure, it could be quite profitable. 

Did she want to do this?

Leia wasn't sure. If she settled here... The Alderanian refugees would either have to come with her or she would have to step down from leading them. Tattooine was far from the fertile seed planet she'd tried to find for them. It was nothing like the high mountains and lakes that she'd enjoyed growing up. Would her people still be Alderanian if they had to adapt enough to come here?

On the other hand, could she leave these people now that she knew them? Now that they had seen her and put their hopes in her? Could she turn her back on them like so many had before and prove to them and to herself, that they weren't worth the hardship they would bring?

Could she do this... Did she want to do this... alone?

Leia didn't have an answer.

<><><>

Boba had found the tracks easily enough. He rode through the night and caught up with them an hour or so before dawn. The head of the tribe didn't know him but did know of his tribe and their massacre. Boba was eventually allowed to join them as they traveled. 

He had been right. They were going to a meeting of the clans. The sand people had noticed the change spreading out from Mos Espa. Boba did not say he was the cause of that change. He was, after all, only the right hand of the Huttslayer. 

The tribe traveled through the day and into the following night, until at last they reached the place of secret waters. They entered the canyons of red stone, and used the ancient glyphs to weave their way through the maze, under arches of stone, through passages that closed in above them, and finally into the caldera of an ancient extinct volcano.  Ash still lingered in corners, and water seeped from the walls. The white pumas stone nearly glowed in the thin strip of light that had managed to make in into the depths. 

They were not the first to arrive, and not the last. Boba waited for another full day, keeping his helmet on and all skin covered in respect. 

They began when the first moon rose. The tribes spoke several dialects, but all knew the hand language, so at least when the elders gathered he wasn't the only one who needed a translator. The elders laid out the troubles the tribes had been facing, and asked for all information to be shared. 

When it was his turn, Boba stood and spoke of his tribe. He spoke of the masacure and his vengeance. He spoke of his fear that his tribe would not be the only one and his desire to return the desert to those who walked the sands and knew its ways. 

The elders listened. Some seemed to agree. Some seemed to see him as an outsider, despite his staff, despite the lizard and the bantha. 

He went on. He told them of the Huttslayer - a story which the escaped slaves had already whispered to willing ears. He spoke of the daughter of the Skywalker who now lived and ruled in Mos Espa. 

He told them a story of the future.

"Walk this path with me. Let the farmers keep their vaporators. Let the cities stand. Let them tend their land as you tend yours. They will bring water and spread the green places, but the heart of the desert is deep and strong and the tribes will be here to protect and defend it."

The elders and the leaders of the tribes spoke long though the night. More than one warrior called Boba a liar and he fought them one by one on the white sand.

When the first sun peaked over the horizon, the meeting was over. Boba had 12 votes. 8 votes against, and 3 abstaining. Boba had one year before the matter could be brought up again. 

Boba thanked the elders and the clan leaders, before finding a corner and letting himself fall into unconsciousness. When he woke, it was late in the afternoon, and most of the tribes had started back to their territory.

Boba checked his speeder, refilled his canteens, and checked the maps he'd loaded into his armor. He was far from any proper settlement, but that was to be expected. He set off as the first sun dipped to the horizon. 

The first hurdle was done. One left, and if he was honest, he thought the tribes would be the harder of the two.  

The desert swept out around him, the light of the moons turning the sand to salt and silver. He let the wind paint a silence around him, and pushed the speeder towards Mos Eisley.

<><><>

Seven days. 

Leia had promised herself a tenday. If Boba returned inside a tenday... If he returned and explained himself...

Leia wasn't sure she could last another three days. She was angry, and she was worried and she couldn't help remembering him every time the suns glinted off the rocks and turned the sand into a rainbow. She felt like she had missed a step every time she turned and there wasn't anyone standing behind her right shoulder. She kept pausing in meetings, waiting for Boba to speak up, adding some fact about the desert or challenging her plan for the planet as being too far from what the people here knew. 

Fennec tried to help. She did her job and did it well, but she wasn't Boba. Fennec had never wanted to be a king. She was far better suited to the role of head of security, or maybe lead enforcer as the locals would put it. The trusted lutenin who spoke for Boba or herself. Fennec could walk among the people, joke with the guards, and flirt with the servers, in a way she and Boba couldn't.

Leia spread the skirts of the local-style robe she'd taken to wearing most days and settled onto the throne. It needed some kind of cushion. The stone might have been worn smooth but that didn't mean it was comfortable.  

Her face was pleasantly neutral as she nodded to 8B8. He made a little bow and announced the first petitioner: a moisture farmer with a land dispute with on of his neighbors. 

The hours passed in tedium. The problems were important but that didn't stop her mind from drifting. She felt untethered, but since she didn't have a home or a people there was no where else she could go. 

"Is that agreeable to all parties?" Leia asked the merchant with the current issue. He dropped into a bow and muttered agreement, not that she'd left him much choice. 

She turned and nodded to 8B8 to bring in the next petitioner. Unlike when she'd first arrived, there were now secretaries to take charge of the merchant and get her dictates set in writing.  

A clamor started up in the antechamber. Leia blinked a few times, then stood when she heard 8B8 say something in surprise. Drawing her lightsaber from her belt, Leia stepped off the throne, just as Boba stumbled through the doors and came to a stop in front of her. 

Her breath caught in her throat. Boba's armor was dusty and scratched. When he removed his helmet there were circles under his eyes and stubble on his chin. Where had he been that he hadn't or couldn't take care of himself?

"Boba," She gasped, anger and fear giving way to relief.

Boba sank to one knee with his usual stiffness. Was he purposefully mirroring their first meeting? The effect was certainly similar, even if the emotions behind it were different.

"Lady Huttslayer, as representative of the collective Tusken tribes I wish to bring a petition before you. Will you hear me?"

Leia took a breath, brushed down her skirt and nodded. "I will hear you."

Boba lifted his head until he could meet her eyes. "I have walked the sands. I have spoken to the tribes. I have come to you with water and blood. In order to join our tribes, and so that there is peace between our peoples, I offer the strength of my arm and the sweat of my brow. I show you my face and so, yield all, into your hands. Will you accept? Will you offer the same and bind our fates?"

Leia's hands came up to her mouth. After seven days of wondering if he was even alive, and now... Was he asking what she thought he was? Was he offering what she thought he was? There was a lump in her throat, she could barely breath, let alone speak. Damn the man for razing the stakes yet again. Bless him for going all in and daring her to do the same.

"If," He paused, cleared his throat. "If it matters I do wish to marry you in the Mandalorian traditions well. But I would not dare to offer you anything less then a planet a dowry."

A sound escaped her throat. There were tears in her eyes and she hated that that was her reaction, but composing herself would take too much time.

Boba dipped his head. His expression faltered, "I also have an agreement from the mayor of Mos Eisley so--"

"Yes," Leia finally managed to say. She fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing their foreheads together. "Yes. Do you hear me? Yes, I'll marry you. I'll rule this planet with you. Yes."

"Oh," he let out a breath. "Good." His smile was full of relief. His hand found her cheek. They leaned into the kiss together, as if they'd both been waiting years for it. From the door to the antechamber someone cheered. Someone else wolf whistled. Then 8B8's lifted above the noise, ushering the petitioners away.

Leia let the tears fall past her smile as she pulled back enough to look Boba, her fiancé, in his eyes. "You do realize we'll have to have another celebration now right?"

He growled. "Yes, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Today, I will be the only one celebrating you."

Heat rose in Leia's cheeks, "Such promises. Are you sure you can back them up?"

Boba's grin was almost feral. "I am a man of my word Lady Huttslayer, and I would never offer you anything less."

Leia laughed at Boba wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. As far as she was concerned, that was a damn fine start.