[Boba Fett] - 6(12)
Anakin frowned.
Got him there! thought Boba triumphantly. Before the Jedi could say more, Boba quickly went on.
“I need to go to Coruscant.” The words were out almost before he knew what he was saying. But as soon as he did, he realized that they were right. “What I know can only be shared with the highest authority. If you try to stop me, you will be accused of treason.”
“Coruscant?” For a second, Boba had the satisfaction of seeing Anakin’s confidence falter. But only for an instant. “There’s no place on Coruscant for a bounty hunter like you! No one will meet with you. No one important, anyway.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” said Boba. Even as he spoke, he could feel his mouth go dry. He was taking a gamble, maybe the most perilous risk he had taken in his entire life. “Someone will meet me there. Someone important. Someone powerful…”
“Who?” demanded Anakin angrily.
Boba took a deep breath. He knew he was taking more than his luck in his hands.
He was taking his life.
Anakin took a step closer to Boba. “Tell me!” Boba put his hand on his blaster, defying Anakin to come nearer.
“Supreme Chancellor Palpatine,” he said. Anakin froze. His eyes widened.
“The Chancellor?!”
Boba nodded. “That’s right.”
“But - “
Abruptly the world around them seemed to shatter. Rocks and waves of sand rained down. Boba shouted and dropped, scrambling for his blaster. Anakin fell, too. He rolled toward Boba, one arm raised protectively above the two of them.
“It’s a space slug!” Anakin yelled. “Stay down!”
From a crater behind the Jedi starfighter, a vast shape emerged, blotting out the sky above them. Its huge, snakelike body shot through the air, boulders and great rocks flying everywhere in its wake. Its huge mouth yawned open, showing rows of teethlike blades as it twisted and lunged
Straight toward Boba and Anakin!
Boba ducked, just in time, as a displaced boulder hurtled past him. The space slug roared.
“This’ll slow it!” shouted Anakin. He stood and grabbed for his lightsaber. But before he could draw it, a man-sized rock came hurtling toward him.
The rock smashed against Anakin. With a strangled cry, the young Jedi fell.
“Skywalker!” Boba shouted.
But he had no time to help the wounded Jedi. The space slug was upon them!
Boba hefted his powerful DC-15 blaster. It lacked the scope of his bigger weapons, but he was in close range to his target now
Very close!
“WHHHOOOORAAAAAGGGH!” the space slug roared. It was close enough that Boba could feel its hot breath, stinking of scorched rock and sand. And it was heading right toward Slave I!
“Get away from my ship!” Boba yelled furiously. He darted to one side of Slave I, stooping to pick up a rock. He hurled it at the predator.
THUNK!
The rock struck the predatory monster on its most vulnerable part - its eye. “RRRUAAAGHRRRR!”
With a thunderous growl of pain and rage, the space slug changed its course in midair. It veered away from Boba’s ship - and the fallen Anakin - and surged in full pursuit of the bounty hunter!
Boba ran toward a small crater. It was way too small to hide Boba for more than a moment or two.
But that was all the time Boba needed to take aim. He crouched, his blaster leveled. He got a fix on the space slug’s head - which was rapidly approaching!
“Can’t miss!” Boba muttered through gritted teeth. From the corner of his eye he could see Anakin turn, groaning, and stumble to his feet. “Otherwise we’re both dead - and I’ve got a score to settle with another Jedi!”
Once again the space slug’s deafening roar rang out. Fragments of rock fell around Boba as the serpentine creature reared above him.
BAAMMMM!
Boba fired a direct hit - right between the eyes!
“GLOOORB!” The gigantic slug’s roar rose to a bubbling shriek of pain. Its head swayed back and forth, giving Boba another chance to fire - and another!
“Yes!” Boba crowed.
Two more hits! The space slug writhed in agony.
Its knife-edged teeth clashed as it recoiled from the bounty hunter. Greenish blood spattered Boba as the space slug retreated with a long, bubbling cry, sliding back into its hole.
“Yuck!” exclaimed Boba, wiping slug goo from his body armor. “Just after I got it all cleaned up, too!” He sheathed his weapon then removed his helmet, checking it for damage. Then he hurried toward his ship.
“That was pretty good.”
Boba froze in his tracks. A few feet away Anakin stood, staring at him intently. Boba knew the Jedi was deciding what to do about him.
But he couldn’t know what was going on in Skywalker’s head. Did it matter that he’d just saved the Jedi’s life? That this was the second time he’d saved a Jedi since he’d started the hunt for Wat Tambor?