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Bobba Fett drummed his fingers on the control pannel of his father's
Headhunter and sighed dramatically. Since he was alone, the gesture was
pretty much wasted, but it made him feel better to keep in practice. And
practice, as Jango kept telling him, was as important as instinct.
His father, Jango Fett, was away from the ship wrapping up his latest
mission. He usually brought Bobba with him to give the boy experience with
the widest possible cultures and terrain for his training. Bobba knew that
when Jango returned, he would go over the details of this outing as well,
stopping at strategic points to ask what Bobba would do if this were his
mission, or use the experience as a teaching tool to make him a better bounty
hunter. Then they would spend at least a day on the planet scouting out a
sector, Jango picking random "targets" for Bobba to trail.
Bobba stared out the viewscreen at the Corusant cityscape and sighed
again, not as dramatic this time but much more heartfelt. He hated staying
in the ship as his father carried out the specifics of the mission they had
discussed on the way here. If only he would be allowed to accompany Jango,
he felt he could be of much more use than his father would acknowledge. It
was time for Bobba to have a real mission of his own, he felt. For crying
out loud, he was almost ten!
Absently, he watched a Jedi move down the slidewalk in front of the
ship, then straightened as a thought hit him. He would go on a mission of
his own, then Jango would have to realize how much help he would be. And not
just any mission, he would penetrate the great Jedi Temple itself! And as
for a mission objective, he would do something that not even the bravest
bounty hunter in the galaxy had considered before, he would steal Jedi Master
Yoda's glimmer stick, right out from under him. Excitement flooded him as he
began to consider and discard plans. Finally settling on simpler as better,
he locked down the control pannel and performed a sweep of the ship.
He hesitated a moment before leaving a message for his father, stating
only that he had gone to visit the Jedi Temple and the time he left. He was
professional enough, even now, to realize that no mission should be completed
without someone knowing where you, in case something drastic should happen.
As he secured the ship and left the hangar, he banished the unease at
disobeying his father by imagining the look on Jango's face when his pride
and joy handed him proof of his success.
The Temple was easy enough to find, it was one of the tallest
buildings in this sector, and the distinctive five tower shape was easily
identifiable. Bobba loitered across the street from one of the entrances,
watching people go up and down the entrance steps. Knowledge was always the
key, Jango said, and his young counterpart always found it to be true. As a
street singer began his routine on the opposite corner, Bobba shot him a look
of disgust and ran across the street to the temple entrance. He was getting
tired of waiting anyway. A plan began to rise to the forefront of his mind
as he descended the steps into the cool dimness.
He followed the main crowd until it thinned, most of the people
obviously Jedis returning to their quarters. What Bobba was looking for was
a laundry. He intended to blend in with the younger Jedi, and he needed to
look the part. Bobba knew the easiest way to get a set of clothes, without
anyone knowing they were missing, was to find where dirty clothes were kept
until they could become clean, and take a set. After all, who notices dirty
clothes missing?
After wandering the halls for what felt like hours, he was ready to
change plans. Didn't the stupid Jedi ever wash their clothes? Thinking dark
thoughts, he rounded a corner and almost ran into a boy much younger than he
was. As he sized the boy up his mind slipped into lightning speed, as he and
Jango had trained in countless scenarios. Bobba siezed his chance.
"I have to find Master Yoda." he told the younger boy, quickly
abandoning his earlier plan. It would look just a touch suspicious if he
asked for the location of the laundry. The other boy just looked at him.
Bobba was used to wide eyed stares, no one could "just look" at you like a
Kaminoan. He knew he had better keep the upper hand, though. Act as if you
not only belong where you are, but have an urgent need to be doing what
you're doing; another of Jango's maxims.
"Tell me where Master Yoda is, I have a message for him." he ordered
the youngster.
"I don't know," the boy shrugged, "try the Meditation Tower."
"Right." Bobba said, and turned to walk back the way he came. The
boy's voice stopped him.
"Third steps on the left, back this way."
His face burning, Bobba brushed past the boy and all but ran down the
corridor. Belatedly he realized he should have thanked the youngster. He
made a note to tell Jango he would need more work on his social skills.
Finding the right set of stairs, he climbed the Meditation Tower.
Then Bobba ran into the first piece of luck he'd had so far. All the
rooms were open to the corridor, apparently Jedi couldn't meditate behind
closed doors. As a matter of habit, Bobba scanned each room as he passed.
In the third one, he spotted a discarded Jedi cloak. He moved into the room
cautiously, senses alert. No one was there. He picked up the cloak and
tried it on to find it was too big for him. Of course. He carried the cloak
with him as he went back to the hall, at least it would make a convenient
excuse should anyone question him.
Bobba emerged at the top of the steps into a lush garden area. He was
immediately distracted and stared about him in wonder.
Most of his life was spent on Kamino. He was used to rain, he was
used to storms and he was used to living without plants. The sight and smell
of so many green growing things was a bit overwhelming. He moved dazedly
among the plants.
Again he was handed a piece of luck. As he was wandering among the
trees, off the paths, he saw his self-chosen objective in front of him. Yoda
sat on an uncomfortable looking bench, under a large, spreading tree his eyes
closed. Bobba smiled with glee. He was so close now! He flipped the
oversize cloak around his shoulders and moved behind the tree. His plan was
to climb onto the branch over Yoda and snag the glimmer stick from the bench
beside him, since he seemed to be napping anyway. Bobba started up the tree.
He quickly realized his mistakes. Having very little practice
climbing non-metalic objects, his hands seemed to find every sharp twig and
piece of bark, mercilessly tearing his skin. Cloaks were fine for keeping
you warm, and hiding things, but they were devil-take-all for climbing. It
kept catching on leaves and hidden twigs, tangling around his neck and
choking him. And trees were loud! The branches kept moving and rubbing
against the leaves. Bobba dropped out of the tree in disgust.
Yoda didn't seem to have noticed, however. The little Master was
still sitting on the bench, eyes closed. Bobba figured he must be a heavy
sleeper. All that making decisions about the fate of Jedi and stuff must be
draining. Bobba decided boldness was called for now, just....quiet boldness.
He snuck around the side of the tree and reached for the glimmer stick
beside Yoda.
Suddenly his hand got stuck in the air. At least that's what it felt
like to Bobba. He tried to pull it back, and discovered his hand was held
fast, seemingly in nothing. He was trained not to panic, and took a deep
breath. The first thing to do was evaluate the situation. He had just began
to look around when Yoda spoke, his eyes still closed.
"Need a stick, do you?" The Master said. "Then sticks you shall
have, hmmm?" Suddenly all the bushes and trees seemed to send at least one
branch flying through the air toward him. The foliage struck him in ever
increasing waves, hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to bruise his skin.
When it was over, Bobba Fett was encased in a cage made of large, leafy
sticks. He glared at Yoda, who slid off the bench and grabbed his own
glimmer stick. Yoda walked down the path a bit, then threw a last comment
over his round, green shoulder before exiting.
"Remember this, you should, next time you want something from another."
"I'll want something more than just your stick next time, you old
dried up midget." Bobba muttered under his breath. He broke out of the cage
in short order, it was obviously not meant to seriously hold him. Smarting
in spirit as well as in body, he retraced his steps back to the Slave I,
hoping he would arrive before his father. At least that much of his luck
held, the ship was deserted.
As Bobba looked out of the viewscreen, he saw Jango heading toward the
ship. With a feeling of relief he realized he was just in time, he never
needed to mention this little mission to his father. Then, with a sense of
panic, he realized he was still wearing that accursed Jedi cloak. He whipped
it off and looked around the cockpit frantically, searching for a place to
hide it. His father was the greatest bounty hunter in the world, what made
him think he could hope to hide his little indescretion from Jango? Finding
the cockpit devoid of hiding places, he ran to the sleeping quarters, and
smoothed it under the covers of his sleeping pallet. He stood back and eyed
it critically as he heard Jango enter the Headhunter. It looked like a
particularly lumpy blanket, but it couldn't be helped.
As he moved up to the cockpit to hear about his hero's adventure,
Bobba silently vowed that the next encounter he had with Yoda would end as
badly for him as it had for Bobba today. Even at nine years old, Bobba Fett
knew how to nurse the banked fires of a grudge.

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