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| - Mos Eisley was still as much of a hive for the scum and villiany of the galaxy as it ever was. Regardless of the powershifts between the Hutts, the smugglers, the pirates and every other criminal, some things never changed. The planet was as familiar and unchanged sight to even those who swooped in once every few years. Such was the case with the hunter who prowls what shadows the this docking bay has to offer. The helmet and armor was just as familiar a sight as the rest of the planet to anyone who hasn't lived their entire life on some backwater planet that the rest of the galaxy hadn't yet heard of. All of his most trusted contacts had given Boba Fett enough information about Johanna to lead him to Tatooine and based on that information, she was indeed here. That meant Sabrina would be with her and Fett had business with them both. However, new information had reached him just as he was about to close in on Johanna. The ship Kreldin had shown him had touched down in 87, and that meant at least one of his newest marks would be here. Likely, more than one. The credits were piling up in his head as he set off for the docking bay, looking to stake out the ship and see what there was to see. The bounty hunter doesn't have to wait long. There is a sizeable scuffle taking place outside, but then, this IS Mos Eisley. Fresh from an unexpected encounter with Johanna at Rikh's Cafe, Enb'Zik and Snal'Fashtalli thought it wisest to work their way around the fight instead of plowing through it. The presence of Imperials on Tatooine, though, would be information NRI might find valuable. Johanna was more news. For a supply run, this was turning out to be rather important; Ikihsa would definitely be making a report as soon as he was on board the Forge of Hope and on the other side of hyperspace. Having successfully gone around the Imperial fracass outside by navigating some of Mos Eisley's back streets, the Sullustan and Horansi now stroll into the hangar unchecked. There is nothing to suspect, and no reason to be any more wary than visiting the hive of scum and villainy has already left them. Although the Imperial brawl was definately of interest to the massive Horansi, it just wasn't the right time to join in the fight. Perhaps next time. Feeling refreshed after her indulgance in fruit juices at the cafe, Snarl is almost cheerful despite the blankity-blank-blank sand that is /still/ caking onto her fur and making her itch a little. Maybe it's just as well that she's dyed golden anyway. This severe lack of humidity in the air is really wreaking havoc on her beautiful fur. Besides, with this coloration and the generous coating of sand, she practically disappears into the background despite her massive size and the neon fur between her ears. Snarl's guard is never down off the ship. Heck, sometimes it's not down while she's /on/ the ship. Just ask Brandis about that one time... Still, although the Horansi is as alert as usual, she isn't hyper or ridiculously nervous. Brandis seemed almost himself on his second return to Tatooine, more cheerful and relaxed certainly, enough so that he's been seen wandering on several occasions near the street market, renewing old contacts and checking on the myriad younglings he's taken under his figurative wings since he first discovered the shining jewel beneath the double suns. Strangely enough, though he's become more competent at taking care of himself, his self-appointed shadow in the form of Mayre, she of the dark hair and darker garb is usually with him when he's out, or nearby at the very least. It's now that he steps agilely down the ramp to meet the return of two of his crewmembers, having picked up a sense of some disturbance as he was meditating. "Is there anything amiss?" he asks, meeting them halfway, or somewhere thereabouts. The constant stream of beings entering and exiting the docking bay makes it easy to get lost but hard to locate anyone in particular. Of course, there were ways around that if one were so inclined to acquire them. It just so happened that Fett was indeed so inclined. Slinking back against the wall, he is lucky enough to put himself into a dark corner that gives him a somewhat clear view of the Forge's entry ramp. Once he's comfortable, the hunter gives a verbal command that goes unheard outside of the helmet. Immediately the antenna spins into action, sweeping the bay and searching his databanks. At first, nothing. So many beings would give even the highest-grade equipment a good workout. But eventually he hits gold as the Ikihsa is located. Bingo. Gloved hands twist on the rifle as he notes the Horansi accompanying the Sullustan before bringing his gaze back to the Forge in time to see the Jedi Brandis appear. When did he escape? Danik hadn't mentioned that. 'This just might get interesting', he thinks as a slight grin breaks the usually stony expression on his face. Catching sight of Brandis coming down the gangplank, Enb'Zik nods and motions over his shoulder with a thumb. Having broken away from the main throng, he stops about two meters from the bottom of the ramp and answers, "Yeah, Imperial something or other going on out there. Johanna's right in the middle of it, too. I thought I caught something about a blockade, so I'm thinking we'd better lay low and let this blow over, then get ourselves out of here. "Then again," Enb'Zik tips his head back and talks, apparently into thin air, "Muir, this is Ikihsa. Warm the engines but don't give them enough power to attract any attention." Looking back to Snarl and Brandis, he adds, "Just in case. Knowing their MO, I don't want to be here if they decide to just level the building from orbit." For some reason, catching sight of Brandis coming down the ramp and his asking that question combine to give the Horansi pause. The barest hint of a frown touches the feline's features as she stops just shy of the Jedi, allowing Enb'Zik to move forward a few paces alone. Not normally paranoid, the Sullustan's comments and command to the ship only serve to further her unease. Uttering a deep sigh, Snarl commands herself to relax. They're at the ship. Everyone else is already aboard and accounted for. This she knows for fact. Still, the big cat turns around and gazes back the way they've just come from, wondering if perhaps they really didn't escape Imperial notice as they had assumed. Large ears swivel this way and that as she sniffs at the extraordinarily dry air. Bad move. Sand lodges in the Horansi's already tender nose and she ends up nearly falling down with the strength of her sneezing fit. Brandis' mouth quirks into a wry smile as Snarl tests the moisture content of the local air and finds it lacking, "I realize it's a bit late for any sort of reasonable warning, but you might not want to breathe through your nose." he holds out a hand to clasp with Zik's, both a more formal welcome back to the ship, and an unspoken effort to get some sense of what the pair saw while they were out. "May I look?" he inquires softly, knowing full well his commander is within his rights to refuse the probing, no matter how light the requested scan might be. Fett watches as Zik and the Horansi approach Brandis and begin to converse. Upping the range of the helmet's receptors, he's able to pick up most of their conversation, though alot if it comes through broken up because of all the interference from the ships. Again, the grip on his rifle tightens. If he was going to move, it would need to be soon. If they decided to take off now, he would have to choose between his bounties, though as it stands now...there was more money on the Forge than in Joh's possession. Shifting in the shadows, Fett prepares for a grand entrance. Blinking as Brandis extends his hand, Enb'Zik's eyes travel from the gesture up to the Jedi's face, his own expression a bit surprised. It was only a week or two ago, after all, that the man seemed frightened of the possibility of -anyone- touching him. Ikihsa realizes suddenly that he really needs to do a better job of keeping up with his charges. A frown crosses his face suddenly. "Yes, Thero, I'm aware of the blockade. Tell Control we know, and we'll worry about that. We'll blast our way out if we have to. I'm sure there aren't enough Star Destroyers up there to cover every one of the infinite degrees of escape from this dustball. Even if they've set up a zone blockade, which isn't likely, I trust the Forge to be fast enough. Go ahead and get the jumps prepped, too, if you can." There's a pause as he listens, then nods, "Yes, correct. That's our destination." What timing. Zik looks to Brandis again, his expression turning from surprised to apologetic. He had hoped the man could come back into the squadron, learn to trust the others again, and them learn to trust him. Then there's this indication of that trust reaching out, perhaps tentatively, and a potential emergency has to threaten it? Ikihsa's mind is made up; he doesn't want to risk snubbing the doctor. "Of course," he answers the question, closing the gap between them and reaching out. He makes certain his grip is both firm and reassuring, then waits. Once she is done with her convulsive sneezing, poor Snarl ends up having to wipe her burning nose with the back of a sandy paw. All of a sudden, her mood isn't so good after all. Catching only a portion of the conversation through her nasal explosions, the Horansi casts a glance back toward the Jedi and the Sullustan, her expression such a hodgepodge that it's impossible to tell what she's thinking or feeling. However, her body is tense. Very tense. It looks as though the big cat is now ready to react to trouble in the mere blink of an eye. Fair to the Jedi? No... no, it's not. But she'll worry about that later. Defense of the Sullustan is foremost in her mind and instincts right now. Brandis' touch is light, the contact the barest minimum as his eyes go vague, turning his attention toward Zik. It feels much like a tickle in the back of the mind as he sorts through recent events to get a better grasp of what's been going on. It's almost as good as having been there himself, and he lets out a deep breath as he pulls away, neither party the worse for the newest trick in the Jedi's bag. He wants to be a better fighter, and so he's gone out of his way to push himself past the nerves constant contact brings with it. "Busy day out there, and Johanna? I'm not entirely certain what she's up to, but I wouldn't trust her." he can't quite hold back the shudder in memory of her voices. He hopes he never has to deal with that again. When jumps are mentioned, Fett sighs disappointedly. He knew he should've tried to break into their signal. Though that ran the risk of giving him away too soon. Perhaps he could get a chance to slip a tracker onto the ship. He'd rather rely on his own tracking skills, but the profit outweighed the pride for now. If they didn't take off now, he could easily get some lackey to attach the tracker. Perhaps he could make use of the mute. This all passes through the hunter's mind in mere moments; thoughts filing away as quickly as they register. But now he needs his full attention on the job. A whine comes from the rifle a half second before the jetpack flares to life, sending the hunter up and across the docking bay to where his quarry awaits. It seems he might have the element of surprise to his advantage while the Jedi and the Sullustan are holding hands. Though there was still the cat and they tended to be rather alert most of the time. Perhaps the weather would dumb her senses down some. Again, these thoughts pass quickly and are put away as booted feet touch the ground about six meters from the trio. "Ikihsa Enb'Zik, you have been declared an enemy of the Empire. I have a warrent for your arrest." The rifle is already trained on Zik, but anyone familiar with weaponry knows that it wouldn't take much for the experienced hunter to shift his aim quickly. The Sullustan had realized the very thing implied by Brandis's words only hours before - that he no longer did trust Johanna. That was hard, in fact. The two had known one another for years. Without her, he'd still be rotting on Kessel. They'd flown together over the third Death Star. She'd been his CO in Rogue Squadron. And it had only taken a few months for all of that to be superceded but a sudden, horrific downturn in her behavior. Anyone, anyone could go bad just that fast. It's a thought that would leave him shaken if he'd had more time to ruminate on it. The sound of the rockets on Boba Fett's jetpack catches Enb'Zik's ear, pulling his attention up as Brandis lets go. It's just not the same timbre as the low rumble made by a freighter's engines. A breath catches in his throat at the sight of the EE-3, his right arm tensing but not going after the Bi-Polar Carbine holstered to his right thigh. It's already too late for that. "I declared myself an enemy of the Empire years ago," he answers, hoping the adrenaline suddenly shoved into his veins doesn't reveal the spike of fight-or-flight instinct he's feeling. "You mean to tell me they're just figuring it out?" Vance ducks out of the boarding ramp of the Errant Knight, his eyes lifting skyward as he hears a rocket pack. He shakes his head and cringes inwardly, the sound hauntingly familiar. "Oh great.." he says. "Well.. here we go.." he says and starts walking through the starport landing area. He taps his right thigh, making sure he remembered to bring his blaster along.. oy.. things were so much simper back home.. Snarl's hearing is just as good as Enb'Zik's if not better. As a matter of fact, the big feline is already swearing extraordinarily colorful oaths in her native tongue below her breath as her golden eyes track the flight of the bounty hunter. When the weapon comes out, the Horansi calmly moves in front of the much smaller Sullustan, shielding him and to a lesser extent the Jedi. To judge from her expression, the Horansi is really steamed. Almost as though it itches, the cat's left ear flicks twice, the tiny comlink near the entrance all but hidden by her fur as it sends a silent signal. It isn't much, but it's enough. "Go find other prey, Hunter," snarls the massive huntress, her long prehensile tail flicking back and forth with what could be anticipation. Or nerves. Or pent up aggression. If you don't know cats very well, it would be difficult to tell. Brandis moves his hand nearly imperceptibly in a grab motion that...gets him absolutely no where. Oh well, it was worth a shot to attempt to diffuse the situation, since they have some better odds, this time around. Even as he fails to wrest the rifle from Fett's hands, he wracks his brain trying to come up with a way to turn the tables. Nothing is immediately forthcoming, and now Snarl has put herself in harm's way. The rifle remains locked on the target. If set to kill, it should have more than enough power to penetrate her armor, if not punch straight through her. "If you aren't a member of Enb'Zik's crew, Horansi, I suggest removing yourself from the area if you value your life." None of them should be close enough to see that his weapon is currently set for stun. "If you are, the warrent extends to you and I would advise you all come along peacefully." And then he feels it. The invisible hands tugging at his weapon; trying to wrench it free of his grasp. And its not until then that he turns his gaze to Brandis. "I would have thought you had learned your place during our time together, Jedi. I'm not sure how you managed to get away from the Empire, but I would be more than happy to return you. Perhaps the Emperor has more to talk to you about." Not that he knew anything that had transpired after the delivery. Whatever had happened, though, he was sure it was most unpleasant for the Jedi. His attention then returns to Snarl and the tiny Sullustan behind her. "I repeat, Ikihsa Enb'Zik. You," he pauses long enough to cast a glance to all three beings across from him, "and your crew are wanted by the Empire. Dead or alive." Vance looks over and from where he is can clearly see the scene unfolding. He knows Fett.. having seen him a few times before when he was around Ai'kani. He watches the people on the ground and is not really sure what they are going to do.. but he starts to hatch a plan in him mind.. a little way to help.. if it should come to that. A moment passes while Fett speaks in which Enb'Zik appears to be listening to something other than the bounty hunter. "Peachy," he mutters calmly, almost to himself, "Just wonderful. Happier than a Gamorrean sow with six piglets and a room full of warlords, Muir." In law enforcement circles, a ten-forty is a welfare request. The only acceptable answer is ten-four. Telling someone you're doing 'peachy' is not a positive answer. Snarl's ear flicks triggered her commlink's microphone, adjusting its gain so that it picked up Fett's voice, and not just her own. Enb'Zik hadn't actually turned his own headset off yet after giving instructions for Muir's crew to warm the engines. It takes a moment for anything to happen before the local area is filled with the whine of more than one laser cannons rotating toward the armored bounty hunter and the nearby group. "My crew?" the Sullustan asks, "All one-hundred thirty of them?" Snarl does know what happened to Brandis during and after the capture. She knows every single detail of it intimately. And to judge from the fire in those golden eyes, the Horansi is very obviously furious. There is no way in the nine hells that she is just going to /allow/ that to happen again to either of the beings standing behind her. What is taking them so damn long? Oh... nevermind. The cat's ears shift slightly to track the motion overhead as several of the laser cannons finally move to target the bounty hunter. For the moment, however, Snarl's solidly muscled mass remains planted firmly in front of her crewmates. She eyes Fett as she replies, "I am of the opinion that you undertook your mission without enough information." Those golden eyes narrow as she growls, "I repeat. Go find other prey, Hunter. I will not say it again." Brandis can't really see what he's doing behind Snarl's curvaceous mass, and so he steps slightly to the sidelike and balls up his fist. He owes Fett some payback, and in a very... un-Jedi-like maneuver, he delivers what appears to be a closed-fisted punch to the air. The hostility in his expression is carefully banked. He wants Fett to have some idea, if he was paying attention at all, just where the blow came from. Not that there'd be much mistake if he can actually deliver more than a force-tickle. Is he angry...yes, he is. The thought of being returned to the situation that Fett put him in the first time he handed him over to the Emperor is an untenable one. "I'm not going anywhere with the likes of you, Fett." he says harshly, after his attempt to at least knock the bounty hunter back a few steps. He's outgunned for the moment, and Brandis isn't above a little vindication, no matter how misplaced. The repositioning of the laser cannons gives Fett a slight pause. He would be hard pressed, if not completely unable, to get away from those if the decided to fire at him. Anyone else might buckle under the threat, opting to flee the scene now. Maybe even give up this hunt altogether. But this hunter wasn't just anyone else. He was Boba Fett. "I hope you're commited to the threat, Ikihsa. I'm sure the New Republic is already under enough pressure from the Empire. Would they think very highly of one of their own firing a capital ship's laser cannons into a starport filled with innocent civilians?" Sure, many of those that were here have opted to flee the scene once it became apparent what was going on. But this was Mos Eisley and these things weren't all that uncommon here. "And I will repeat this, also for the last time: You and your entire crew are wanted, dead or alive, by the Empire. I am offering you the opportunity to surrender to me now. Consider yourselves lucky I did not decide to request Imperial accompaniment." One might also think that, with the odds one-hundred thirty plus to one, even Boba Fett would reconsider this attempt. How could they know that he has faced, and survived, opponents much more dangerous than these rebels? The image of a very familiar armored Sith Lord flashes in the back of Fett's mind and the man actually allows himself a brief smile. Unfortunately for Fett, that flash, however brief, is enough to take him off his guard long enough for the invisible fist to batter the side of his helmet. The blow is enough to cause him to take a few steps back, but the armor is enough to cushion the blow so that his brain doesn't rattle itself loose in his head. "Blasted Jedi" he growls as he slaps the rifle back into kill. It was time to let them know just who they were dealing with. The rifle swings around to Brandis, who has taken himself out of cover and into the open. Lets see how his Jedi tricks worked after taking a shot in the knee. Oh, for all the Sith spawn of that Gamorrean sow! The bounty hunter's threats become moot as he reacts violently to Brandis's uncharacteristically vengeful behavior. As shooting erupts, Ikihsa grabs for the carbine at his hip, glad he'd thought earlier to have Snarl loan it to him. Pulling it up and discharging it, the Sullustan yells into his commlink, "Muir, where are those Marines? Get 'em down here now and get your crew ready to launch us!" Even as Enb'Zik's voice rises in frustration, booted footsteps and testosterone-laced tones of voice can be heard from inside the Forge of Hope's guts. As the armored bounty hunter shoots at Brandis, Snarl decides that all bets are now off. In that fraction of time that Fett is distracted and his weapon is pointed away, the Horansi becomes a 550 pound projectile of muscle, bone and sinew. She's quick on two legs, but even faster on four. Dropping to all fours, the golden furred feline flies toward the hunter like greased lightning. The fact that she does not utter a challenging roar means that her attack is simply one of silent fury. No further warning is given. If she can reach him quickly enough in the couple of bounds that it would take a cat of her size to cover the distance between the two, her muscular shoulder (at least somewhat protected by armor) will meet with the man's stomach with her trucking along at full speed. Her plan? To bodily smash Fett into the ship closest behind him, hopefully stunning him at worst and knocking him unconscious at best. Thankfully, Snarl is already low to the ground when Enb'Zik fires the huge carbine that she'd loaned him earlier. As the blast zings over her head, she ignores it completely and simply alters her last leap to accomodate the hunter's dodge. Good. That may distract the man even further. Vance hears the weapons fire and curses. "Here we go again.." he looks over Fett and shakes his head. "That man is a magnet for random weapons fire.." he says and reaches into his back pack for a medical kit he carries. He starts over in the direction of the fray in progress in the event that someone, as is usually the case with weapons fire, should be hurt and need the his help.. he is a doctor after all.. Brandis isn't quite sure how he ended up in the repulsor stirred sands beneath the boarding ramp of the Forge of Hope, but he quickly flips from the ground back to his feet, adrenaline pulsing through his body and pushing him to act, or react, not bothering to take the time to figure out when he fell. At least, that is the case until his leg buckles beneath him and he drops down in surprise, only now noticing the sizable burn through his thigh. "Oh....hell." he breathes, something cold and clinical ticking over in his head. Using his teeth, he rips a corner off the all-weather cloak he favors and begins to field-dress the injury, professionalism overriding the need to panic at the thought that he's been shot, and that Boba Fett meant to cause him some serious damage. It was a stun blaster last time, wasn't it? Wasn't it? When Boba Fett fires his weapon at someone, he rarely misses. Now he watches as the blaster bolt burns its way into Brandis' body. Perhaps that will teach the Jedi something. They all seemed to be very hard-headed, never taking the situation as seriously as they should. He completely understood why remaining calm in any situation was important, but they took it to insane levels sometimes. Zik's yelling brings Fett's attention back to the other two in time to let the hunter step out of the way of the Sullustan's blasterfire. Unfortunately, he steps right into the oncoming Horansi and has just enough time to be thankful that they didn't decide to go ahead and fire the laser cannons at him before the huge beast plows into him. The initial impact, while powerful, is absorbed by his armor; reducing it to the equivilant of only a sight-jarring crash. At least nothing was broken. Of course, thats the thought before he feels the impact of the ship behind as the Horansi's force carries them both into it. The hunter's grunt is loud enough to be heard outside of the armor, which is a feat in itself, and the man slumps to a heap, breathing heavily and blinking repeatedly to try and regain his vision. The man has just enough sense(and strength) left to pull a grenade from his belt and hold it in plain site. They might try to go ahead and finish the hunter here. If they try, they'll join him in a firey death. The entire battle erupts like a magnesium flare before Snarl's quick thinking and quicker reflexes snuffs it back into dark inactivity. The commandos that stomp down the ramp have missed the fighting almost entirely. "Holy..! Is that?" one of them squawks. "Snarl!" Zik starts to order his wife, and is himself then forced to gape at her sheer domination of the renowned hunter. His staring lasts as long as it takes him to see the grenade before reality comes roaring back into the moment, "Snarl, get back here and help Brandis onto the Forge!" He turns to the Marines. "You! You! Cover Fett!" Zik turns his own weapon on the downed hunter, "Everyone else on the ship. It's time we found our way to our next stop." When Ikihsa had entered the docking bay, he'd had two important pieces of information that needed transmission back to NRI. One, the Empire was on Tatooine. Two, so was Johanna, and she knew something important she wasn't telling anyone. Now, there's a three: his team's done enough hurt to the Empire that they sent Boba Fett - and who knows who else - to track them down. As people start to react to his commands, the Sullustan backs up to the ramp and prepares to get off this oversized sandbox. Contrary to Fett's reasoning, Snarl takes his threats and actions /very/ seriously. And a serious threat gets seriously taken out around this particular big cat if she gets the chance. The Horansi's ivory teeth gleam in the planet's harsh sunlight as she snarls upon impact with the bounty hunter. After she hits him, her powerful legs continue turning, launching them both at an insane speed toward the ship immediately behind him. Snarl hears the grunt upon impact with the unyielding hull of the ship over the ringing in her own ears, and is satisfied that she's accomplished the task that she set out to do. That had to be done. Unfortunately, she didn't quite manage to knock the cursed armored nightmare out. What does he run on, Energizers?? The deadly fangs gleam again as the Horansi backs off three paces, and then turns to dash back toward the Forge. She'd hit the ship with the hunter's body as hard as possible, and her own skull is aching with the impact - although it obviously hurt Fett more than it did her. Snarl's always been rather hard-headed after all. Enb'Zik's orders aren't really necessary and the Horansi barely even hears them due to the throbbing of her head. She'll rest when she's safely on the Forge or dead and not before. Her normally graceful movements are a little jerky, but when she skids up beside Brandis, Snarl picks him up in her arms as though he weighed nothing. Her golden eyes focus on him briefly, but she seems distant as she turns and quickly stalks up the ramp of the Forge with her charge. She's gentle and careful of his injured leg, but she wastes no time in getting the hell out of there. "Put me down, Snarl." Brandis says in a voice that is incredibly calm for the fact that he's just been shot, and self-diagnosis can't really tell him how badly, even. "I can walk, you know." of course, he thinks he can. He's still a bit jumped up on adrenaline, and not entirely reasonable at the moment. While being hoisted about like a sack of sand, he finishes ministering triage to the blaster burn, tucking the improvised wrap down underneath itself neatly. "Oh, are we going already?" he seems surprised that it's over so quickly. Pain throbs through Fett's body with each heartbeat. Near as he can tell, nothing is broken, but he's going to have some serious bruises soon. He just might have to take Korolov's offer to utilize the Empire's services. Bacta might be needed for this. But he's still alive, and that was enough. He'd been hurt alot worse than this before and recovered. Regardless, he is still alive and concious, albeit barely. His vision is still working on clearing itself up, so he can't see the crew dashing up the ramp as it takes off, with Zik backing onto it at the last minute, but his sensors let him know that he's in the clear. With the grenade still in his hand, Fett slowly fumbles with one of the pouches on his belt. Finally, he produces a tiny tracking device and attaches it to the launcher that fires his tangling cable; disabling the cable in the process. This would take a little reliance on his sensors and a lot of luck and he'd only have one shot. Raising his arm, he takes aim fires the tiny object at the ship. Its only a short-range tracker, but all he had on him at the moment. Still, if it hits, it'll be enough to let him know when he gets close. And rest assured, he would be coming for this crew again.
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