“Five Minutes of Fett”

Boba Fett lifted his gloved hand to dilute the harsh rays of sunlight. His helmet was not functioning properly since the fight with the reluctant merchandise. His teeth ground as he thought of the trap the merchandise had laid for him. It was so simple that Fett felt humiliated for falling into it.

A mere pit covered with dead foliage had been missed in his observation of the area. He had dismissed it without thought and now he stood at its bottom, lucky not to have fallen on one of the vicious prongs that pointed towards the pale sky. Fett tested the retractable cord that was installed in his gauntlet. The opening from where it expelled was crushed closed from the fall. Fett pulled a vibroblade from a pocket at his shin and tried to pry the squashed ends apart. They didn't budge.

Next, Boba Fett checked the amount of fuel left in his jetpack. There was enough for a short burst but it wouldn't propel him over the high, dark walls of hard soil that confined him.

So Fett dug out his other vibroblade and held one in each hand. He used them as hand grips, digging them into the hard soil and dragged his sore body out of the pit. The prongs on his boots enabled him to move with more agility than he felt. As he reached the lip of the pit's mouth he stabbed the ground with a vicious jab and pulled his weary form away from the abyss below.

His eyes narrowed into a squint since his visor was not able to shade darker as it usually did. He rolled his body away from the pit and then launched himself to his feet, placed his blades back in his pockets and drew his blaster.

Fett quickly shook off his fatigue and studied the footprints in the dusty soil. The wind swirled grit and the tracks were fading rapidly. His pace was fast as he followed the remanence of the tracks. His gaze warily wandered to the surroundings, checking for any other booby traps. He paused mid stride as he glimpsed a trip wire that was attached to a pulley securing a log in place, ready to release and ram the tripper of the trap. Fett cautiously stepped over it and continued on.

As he followed a goat track worn into the jungle soil, Fett felt eyes on him. He turned his head and briefly studied his environment. He saw nothing but that didn't mean that he was alone. Fett clutched his blaster tighter and walked a little faster. Before long Fett found himself at the base of a huge temple, shaped like a pyramid with its peak chopped off. The tan coloured bricks gleamed in the bright sunlight, making Boba Fett's eyes water.

From nowhere the sound of a bow's string hummed, a deadly noise indicating the release of an arrow probably tipped with poison. Fett spun himself behind a tree and watched the arrow kiss dirt. The shaft vibrated from the power it had been forced into the ground with. Fett studied the possible trajectory and lined up his blaster for a few calculated shots.

A breathless grunt sounded from the curvy trees. Fett squatted down and circled around the base of the tree. He then scurried through the bushes scattered across the jungle floor until he found the wounded figure he had shot down.

His merchandise, Aber Trofin lay on his side with his arms wrapped around his belly hugging his wound. Fett shifted the blaster setting down to stun and put Trofin out like a light. He then threw the lithe figure over his shoulder and carried him back to Slave I.

As he reached his ship, Boba Fett found a platoon of stormtroopers waiting for him. "Boba Fett, Lord Vader wishes to take the prisoner off your hands now. He will pay you extra for the inconvenience of a late change in plan."

Fett nodded and pushed his burden off his shoulder, letting Trofin hit the ground hard. "As long as I'm getting paid." Fett commented as he waited for the stormtroopers to credit his account. Once it was done, Boba Fett climbed into his ship and flew away into the coolness of space.