[Boba Fett] - 6(18)

“Hat Lo,” Boba said. He glanced disdainfully at the bodyguards. “I need to talk to you - alone.”

The crook’s round face shone with sweat. He maneuvered awkwardly in his body shielding.

“Make room for Boba Fett,” he ordered, gesturing impatiently for the bodyguards to move. “Boba, please - sit.”

Boba stood his ground. “Not until they leave.” His hand moved threateningly toward where his blaster should be. He was unarmed, but in the darkness, it would be difficult for anyone to know that.

Hat Lo regarded the bounty hunter uneasily. Finally he commanded his bodyguards, “Go! Wait for me by the door!”

The pack of Codru-Ji stood. They strode across the room, the young wyrwulfs casting hungry looks back at Boba.

“Sit, sit,” repeated Hat Lo. As if by magic, the slender Twi’lek appeared at his shoulder. She carried two beakers of fizzing liquid. Hat Lo took one. The Twi’lek offered the other to Boba.

“Drink with me!” exclaimed Hat Lo. He raised his beaker and waited for Boba to do the same. “To friendship!”

“No thanks,” said Boba. He dumped the beaker’s contents onto the floor. An acrid smell rose from the ground, followed by a puff of greenish flame and a sizzling noise. “Dozoisian Snark Venom. Deadly if it passes your lips. Nice try, Hat Lo.”

Hat Lo feigned surprise.

“I’m shocked, shocked,” he said. “It’s poisonous?”

He shoved his still-full beaker back at the Twi’lek, glaring at her as she beat a hasty retreat.

Then he turned back to Boba, shrugging as if to say, You can’t blame a crook for trying!

“Well then,” the two-bit gangster continued. “Now that we’ve gotten the preliminaries out of the way, what can I do for you?”

“I need to upgrade my armaments,” said Boba. He sat opposite Hat Lo, keeping a careful eye out for the bodyguards.

“Of course. And for some reason you can’t go through legal channels.” Hat Lo leered. “Well, you’ve come to the right person! May I ask what brings you to Coruscant?”

Boba hesitated. He was reluctant to share the truth with Hat Lo. But his minions could probably find out any information Hat Lo needed to know.

And Boba didn’t want any unnecessary attention being drawn to him in the next few hours….

If he told Hat Lo himself, Boba could control the situation. And Boba liked being in control.

“I have business with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine,” he said.

Boba was rewarded by Hat Lo’s look of stunned dismay. “Palpatine? But that’s - well, that’s extremely interesting.” Hat Lo’s beady little eyes narrowed. “And you’re looking for weapons? Why? Not even Jabba the Hutt can be thinking of assassinating the Supreme Chancellor!”

Boba shook his head. “Jabba’s plans are no business of yours, Hat Lo. Not unless you want to be implicated in them…”

He let the words hang in the air as a threat. Hat Lo raised his hands defensively. “No, no! Such important matters are far too big for a mere hardworking businessman like myself! I ask only because one hears rumors. Unpleasant rumors. Great changes are afoot, Boba Fett. You should be careful what side you’re on, when the changes come.”

“I’m on no one’s side,” said Boba sharply. “I trust no one but myself. And I certainly don’t trust you, Hat Lo! So don’t try to cheat me, or sell me substandard weapons.”

“The thought never crossed my mind,” replied Hat Lo. Still, he looked disappointed. “Now, what exactly do you need?”

Boba rolled off his requests. “A Westar blaster, some missiles, and pulse grenades, to start with.”

Hat Lo shook his head. “I have none of those at the moment. If I’d known in advance, perhaps. But at such short notice? No. You understand, my business is supply-driven. Here on Coruscant, we try to settle things more, shall I say, quietly.”

“More underhandedly, you mean?” sneered Boba.

“I mean we try not to draw unwanted attention to ourselves by frivolous use of weapons. Not that your weapons could ever be deemed frivolous,” Hat Lo added quickly. “Now, what I do have at the moment is a flechette pistol - very nice, never been used, fully loaded. Also some cryo-ban grenades, if you’d like.”

Boba looked impressed. “A flechette? Those are hard to come by!”

“I know,” Hat Lo said with pride. “Are you familiar with their use?”

Boba snorted. A good bounty hunter made use of whatever weapons came his way and Boba wasn’t just a good bounty hunter. He was the best!

“Of course I know how to use it!” The pistol released canisters holding hundreds of tiny, razor-edged blades flechettes. “I’ll take them all, and whatever else you have.”