Saga - PT Twin Suns: The Tale of Cad Bane and Boba Fett (based on an unaired TCW arc)

Title: Twin Suns
Author: The Shadow Emperor (with one direct scene included from Matt Michnovetz's original story)
Timeframe: The Clone Wars
Characters: Cad Bane, Boba Fett, Bossk, Xasha, C-21 Highsinger, Embo, Todo 360, Camie Marstrap, Sand People shaman, Gardulla the Hutt
Genre: Action
Summary: Cad Bane and Boba Fett team up to rescue a girl who was kidnapped by the Tusken Raiders.
Notes: This story is loosely based on the unaired TCW bounty hunter arc, specifically the episode involving Cad Bane and Boba Fett on Tatooine. I've poured over all available material for this episode and wove together a story that I hope does some justice to what Michnovetz wrote, plus some surprises of my own along the way. I'll be breaking the story into sections and plan on releasing them over the next couple weeks. (edit: more like months)



Part One

The Mos Eisley Cantina was a remote watering hole crawling with all manner of unscrupulous individuals. From thieves to mercenaries to hit men, transactions of the illicit sort were made with frightening regularity within its sandblasted walls. Bounty hunters tended to frequent the bar in search of the next job, so basing himself here was a wise choice for an aspiring young bounty hunter and his associates.

Boba Fett, son of Jango Fett, sat in an alcove holding a murky glass filled with a substance that would have seen the young man ticketed for underage drinking in any civilized star system. Only Tatooine was anything but. Beside him was another hunter around his age, an armored young woman named Xasha with spiked purple hair. Across from the two was Bossk, a fierce Trandoshan with a penchant for killing Wookiees. The experienced hunter was visibly more at ease than his two companions, leaning back in his seat as he polished his Relby-v10 mortar blaster.

Whenever the door swooshed open all eyes—humanoid or otherwise—briefly turned to make sure the newcomers were friendly. Or, at the very least, not outwardly murderous. But one drew more attention than the rest and for good reason; this particular being was both renowned and feared across the galaxy for his success as a bounty hunter. Without breaking his stride he crossed the cantina and approached Fett’s booth.

“Boba Fett,” rasped the voice of Cad Bane. Boba looked at the Duros gunslinger, garbed in a sleek leather jacket with a pair of bulky wrist gauntlets, ankle jets, a pair of quick-draw blaster pistols and of course, his trademark wide-brimmed hat with breathing tubes to complete his silhouette. He had worn none of these during their first encounter, for it had taken place in the bowels of a Coruscant prison.

“What do you want?” responded Boba, taking a hearty swig from his beverage. Bossk was considerably less relaxed now and clutched his blaster tightly. It was clear from his body language alone that there was quite a bit of bad blood between the two but Bane showed zero indication of that fact. Strictly professional, as always. Xasha’s lips were furled, unsure what to make of the situation, and she was ready to draw her own weapons at a moment’s notice.

“I’m here to do a job on this dustball and I need a partner. Are you in?” replied Bane, standing almost in a slouched position with a hand on his hip.

Boba examined one of his blasters with a bored expression. “Well, it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do.” He slid out from the booth and looked toward Bossk. “You’re in charge of the Syndicate until I get back.”

“You can count on me, Boss,” answered the Trandoshan affirmatively before kicking back and placing his clawed, bare feet on the table. Boba picked up his helmet and wordlessly the two exited the cantina and made their way to the hangar where Bane’s ship awaited.

“We both know you weren’t telling the full story back there,” Boba muttered to the gunslinger once they were out of earshot. “Why come to me of all people?”

“You know what this is about, kid,” answered Bane whilst twirling a toothpick absentmindedly between his fingers. “After I met you in jail I’ve been wanting to find out for myself if Jango’s son is as skilled as the rumors say.”

Boba smirked confidently. “I’m in charge my own organization. Is that not proof enough of my talent?”

“I’d be more impressed if you didn’t have that lizard pal of yours holding your hand every step of the way. A true bounty hunter can function alone or in a group. I want to see you work without your bodyguards, just the clothes on your back and the blasters at your side.”

“I’m more than a mere ‘kid.’ I was trained by my father and I can handle myself well enough," retorted Boba indignantly.


Bane tossed the toothpick and grinned a crooked smile at Boba as they walked up the boarding ramp of the Justifier. “We’ll just have to see about that, now won’t we?”

 

Part Two

Setting down under blazing midday suns, the two new associates emerged from their ship at one of the many moisture farms that peppered Tatooine’s barren landscape. The first thing Boba Fett noticed were the scuff marks and telltale scorches of blaster bolts on the vaporators and the main structure, a squat hovel concealing the vast underground growing area and living space.

“We’re taking a job from farmers? What do they plan on paying us with, blue milk?” wondered Boba.

“The Marstraps promised to pay us well. I don’t care how they do it,” scoffed Cad Bane as he pressed the door buzzer. A haggard-looking man with bloodstained bandages on his arm and torso opened the door almost immediately and sighed with relief.

“Oh thank the heavens, you’re here! Come right this way and shut the door behind you in case they come back.”

The limping man led them down a stairwell and into the den, which was furnished by a simple table sandwiched between a pair of couches. A woman Boba assumed was the man’s wife was already seated on one of them, visibly fraught with worry much like her husband.

“Let’s cut right to the chase, Dereth. What’s the job?” inquired Bane, who remained standing with folded arms as Boba sat across from the two farmers.

“Our daughter, Camie, has been abducted by the Tusken Raiders,” said the man gravely. Using his uninjured arm he reached over and pressed a button on the holoprojector in the middle of the table to display the flickering blue image of a girl tinkering with one of the vaporators alongside her father. As the hunters watched, blaster bolts rang out around the two and Dereth went down, clutching his side as the Sand People appeared in the image, dragging the screaming child away and out of the field of view.

“I barely survived the attack myself, and we’re willing to give you everything we have in exchange for our daughter,” said Dereth as he wiped away tears. “Sera, if you will?”

Sera Marstrap reached underneath the table and pulled out a small, plain cubical box about five inches in length. Fiddling with the lock for a moment, she opened it and pulled out an effulgent blue orb that she cupped in her hands.

“A Krayt dragon pearl,” mumbled Boba.

“Actually, from a greater Krayt dragon. This is our most valuable heirloom. My grandfather’s to be precise—he killed one of the beasts once, or so he claims. We’ve been reluctant to part with it even when times are difficult, but with Camie’s life on the line we have no choice. Bring her back safely and it’s yours.”

“I generally only accept credits,” mused Bane.

Dereth nodded. “I’m well aware, sir. However, these pearls are worth well over a million credits on the market—you could probably get more if you sold it to Gardulla. I hear she has quite the collection.”

“That’s more than enough for this simple of a job. You’ve got a deal.”

Dereth and Sera smiled gratefully. “We’ll be watching for your return,” said the latter. With the deal struck, Bane and Fett left and returned to the main hold of the Justifier. Boba took a seat in the copilot’s chair and swivelled around as Bane opened a locker and pulled out a small, rusted droid that had clearly seen better days. He turned the droid on and Todo 360 activated once more and flew out of his slot with delight as Boba watched.

“A pleasure to work with you again, Mr. Bane! What’s the job this time? A hit? Maybe breaking into a highly guarded facility? Oooh, I certainly wouldn’t mind a wild bantha chase hunting down another Hutt slimeball!”

“Shut up for once and let me work,” snapped Bane, grabbing the droid and sliding something into Todo’s back compartment before slamming it shut.

“Ugh, I recall the last time you did that. I do hope we’re not going with that plan again,” sighed Todo, clinking his metal fingers together with apprehension.

Bane sat in the pilot’s seat and looked back at his droid. “If you behave, then no, no we’re not.”

“Alright, good to know. Who’s your friend?” inquired Todo, indicating the young hunter who sat wordlessly beside his master. Boba’s face contorted into a peeved expression but didn’t respond.

“We'll find out soon enough,” said Bane before the Justifier roared into the desert.

 

Cool introduction to a story, awesome to see these two work together, I can definitely see Bane wanting to know what Boba is made of, although if he proves too skilled I bet he won't want him around for long! Looking forward to reading more.

 

Yeah Bane better watch his back, you never know when you might get disintegrated. And thanks!

Part Three

“Where exactly are we going?” said Boba Fett, breaking the rapt silence as the ship soared above the endless desert.

“Where are we going indeed? Were you paying attention?” rebutted Cad Bane.

Boba scoffed. “Of course I was.”

“Either you’re able to analyze of a situation, take in all the necessary details, or you can’t. If you can’t, you have no business being in this line of work.” This statement was punctuated by a self-satisfied smirk of a man who firmly believed he had outsmarted his companion.

Boba mentally unwound the meeting with his employers until he found himself visualizing the hologram of the kidnapping. The Sand People attacking, the farmers at the moisture vaporator, the retreat away from the homestead...suddenly it hit him.

“The Tusken Raiders came from the north, didn't they?”

“North it is then.” Boba discovered that the Justifier was already heading in that direction as Todo 360, who had been silent up until that point, snickered mockingly behind him. Examining the planet more closely now, he saw the tracks of a sandcrawler etched across the desert, already half-obscured by the sandy winds.

“Jawas. We could ask them if they know of any Tusken settlements in the area,” suggested Boba.

“Sand People are rather territorial, so we’re likely to find the abductors’ tribe in this area,” agreed Bane. They followed the tracks which gradually became more and more fresh until they reached the source. A behemoth of a vehicle was parked at the edge of a small, ramshackle settlement in the middle of the desert with its entrance ramp yawning wide open. Brown robed figures ran to and fro around the site, peddling their overpriced, decrepit wares to the impoverished settlers in the area. A few heads turned as the Justifier made its landing nearby.

Boba and Bane swiftly exited the ship and walked to the makeshift marketplace with their droid following closely behind. One of the Jawas saw them approaching and gleefully ran toward them holding aloft a pit droid and some rusted cylindrical piece of machinery that was likely long since useless. The hunters stared at the figure as he bobbed back and forth excitedly, jabbering in high-pitched sounds that neither understood. Todo, equipped with his new language database, translated without prompting.

“He says he wants to trade that junk for me. Hilarious, right?” Todo let out a fake laugh and proceeded to make a rude gesture that was lost on the trader.

“I’m almost tempted,” said his owner.

“‘Almost?’ Aww, you really are more sentimental than you let on.”

Bane swatted the droid away and stepped forward as he adjusted his hat. “We’re in a hurry here. I need to know where the nearest Sand People settlement is.” The Jawa squealed in fear at the mention of the raiders, dropping his items, before responding animatedly as he gathered them back up.

“That information will come at a cost, sadly. Nothing’s free around here. What a shame,” translated Todo with boredom in his voice.

“Maybe we could give—” began Boba earnestly, but Bane interrupted.

“The cost will be your life if you don’t give me what I want,” said Bane, and before the Jawa knew it his glowing yellow eyes were staring down the barrel of a blaster pistol. The settlers, already wary, bolted and rushed back to their dwellings while the other Jawas cowered in fear.

Todo laughed again but this time it was genuine. “The nearest tribe is based in the the Great Mesra Plateau. We’re strongly advised to avoid that region. Oh, wait, that might have been sarcastic.”

“Get out of here before I change my mind about killing you.” The Jawa scurried away to huddle with his fellows while Bane holstered his blaster and walked toward the village. Boba followed and realized why: some dewbacks stood in an enclosure nearby.

“You'd really rob these people blind too?”

“When no one fights back you’re free to take what you want,” Bane answered with frustration. “Besides, we need mounts. Now let’s get going. We don’t have any more time to waste.” Sighing audibly, Boba acquiesced and led one of the reptilian beasts away for himself, but not before stealing one final glance at the terrified villagers.

 

Hey, man, love your story. When is the next update? Plus if you need help providing ideas if you were planning to to do any of the other unwritten content for The Clone Wars series, I would be happy to pitch in.

 

Did you ever write any more of this? I like your writing a lot! I've been looking for a story like this