He lowered the viewer from his eyes. They were filled with tears, at the same time that his fists were clenched with fury.
For the ship was one he knew well. It was his legacy from his father, and it had been stolen from him by Aurra Sing.
It was Slave I.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Hey, Teff, what’s up?”
“Not much, Garr.” Boba put down the viewer and turned to face his friend, who had just entered the ROB. Keep your emotions to yourself. “Just stargazing.”
“See anything interesting?”
“Nothing much,” said Boba. “Star dust, space trash, you know.”
“Well, come on, then,” said Garr. “Ulu Ulix has been looking for you. The Padawan wants us to help strap down the little ones for arrival.”
“Arrival?”
“We’re going into orbit around. Bespin. Trip’s over. Welcome to your new home!”
Home? Not if I can help it! thought Boba as he picked up his flight bag and followed his friend.
The forward observation blister was filled with crew members and orphans, gazing with wonder at the planet the ship was orbiting.
It was huge. It glowed orange in the light of its distant sun.
“Bespin is a gas giant, with its metallic surface so far under layers of atmosphere gunk that it’s hardly been reached, much less explored!” Garr said excitedly. “The main industry is mining Tibanna gas from the atmosphere. Nothing lives on the surface. All the cities and mines and factories float in the clouds, and… hey!”
“Huh?”
“You’re not listening, Teff!”
“Oh, sorry,” said Boba.
“Daydreaming?”
“I guess.”
Daydreaming? Not exactly. Boba’s mind was racing; he was thinking about the startling discovery he had just made in the rear observation blister.
Slave 1! He had seen it. The little starship he had inherited from his father, Jango Fett, was following the Candaserri - and being careful, Boba had noted, to stay in the shadow cone, where it would not be picked up by the assault ship’s approach sensors, which were probably tuned to pick up flotillas, not solitary craft.
Boba was pondering this information silently while he stood beside Garr in the crowded forward observation blister watching stormy Bespin spin below.
“There you are!”
Boba and Garr saw Ulu Ulix pushing through the crowd.
“You two are determined to get me into trouble, aren’t you! Don’t you know you’re supposed to stay near the Orphan Hall?”
“Sorry,” said Garr, hiding a grin. While Ulu had been busy, they had the run of the ship, and they had taken advantage of it.
Boba didn’t like Jedi, but Ulu was an exception. He decided to ask the Padawan about what he had seen - without, of course, revealing too much. “Ulu, have you ever heard of a bounty hunter called Aurra Sing?”
“Aurra Sing? Sure. She’s - “
“Why do you wish to know?” asked a harsh, high voice. Boba turned and saw Glynn-Beti looking at him suspiciously.
Boba groaned. If he had known she was around, he would have kept his mouth shut. “Uh…”
“Speak up, orphan. Teff, isn’t it? Why do you ask about Aurra Sing?”
“I was just wondering. I, uh, heard some crew members talking about her.”
“She is an enemy of civilization, of galactic order,” said the Bothan Jedi. “She is wanted for numerous crimes, high and low, including murder. That’s all you need to know. Ulu Ulix - ” Glynn Beti glared at her Padawan. “What are these two doing so far from the Orphan Hall? Are you forgetting your duties? Take them there immediately.”
Ulu bowed. “Yes, Master Glynn-Beti.”
“Gather the other orphans. And all of you, meet me in the docking bay as soon as you have packed your things. We’re being ferried down to Cloud City.”
“Yes, Master,” said Ulu, bowing again to the departing Bothan’s back.
“Whew!” said Garr, when Glynn-Beti had left. “What was that about?”
“Aurra Sing,” said Ulu Ulix. “Don’t mention her name around Glynn-Beti. Glynn-Beti condemns her, and for good reason. Aurra Sing kills Jedi for sport.”
“I thought bounty hunters only worked for money,” Boba said.
“Aurra Sing is different,” said Ulu Ulix. “It is said that she has some sorrow in her past that causes her to hate the Jedi. Whatever it is, she attacks us every chance she gets.”
“You mean, for fun?” asked Garr, shocked. “Sick fun,” said Ulu Ulix. “But come on, you two. Let’s get moving.”
That explains it, thought Boba, as he followed Garr and Ulix back toward the rear of the ship. Aurra Sing is trailing the ship to get a crack at a Jedi or two. Good luck to her!