He had spotted the auxiliary escape pod's rounded hatch when he had previously checked out Slave I's fixtures. The escape pod must have been original equipment installed by the Kuat Drive Yards when the company had built the ship for Boba Fett-it was hard to believe that Boba Fett would have had much use for the device. Bossk wasn't even sure that the pod was in operational order; its external fascia seal had been unbolted and discarded, as though Boba Fett had already decided to strip out the pod and the connected launching mechanism. But it was still worth a try. Hot sparks lashed across his spine as another bolt hit the bulkhead above him; the escape pod's hatch popped open and he threw himself headfirst into its dark, cramped space.
"You're not going anywhere, Bossk-"
From inside the emergency pod, Bossk peered around the edge of its open hatch. He saw Zuckuss lying flat on the cargo area's floor, covering his head with both forearms. The helmeted figure of Boba Fett stood over him, blaster aimed toward the pod.
"I've already signaled the cockpit and overridden that pod's launch sequence." The blaster in Fett's hand was level with the exact center of the pod's hatch." That's a dead end for you. Literally."
"Maybe so-" Bossk called back out to Boba Fett. Drawing his head back, Bossk quickly searched through the pouches of his belt. He had no weapons, but there was something that could still be of use to him. He found the small object, one of the pieces of equipment that he had extracted from Slave I's circuits when he had disabled Fett's onboard defense systems. When he pushed a button on top of the small cylinder, a row of tiny red lights began flashing down its side. Keeping his thumb on the button, he held it out so that Boba Fett would be able to see it through the open hatch." Let's talk."
Outside the pod, in the center of the ship's cargo area, Zuckuss raised his head." Bossk-" He had spotted the device as well." What're you doing? You'll get us all killed!"
"That's the idea," said Bossk grimly." I'm not going unless I can take everybody else with me." He held the flashing cylinder a little higher." Fett-you know what this is, don't you? You should; it was part of your equipment here."
"Miniature thermal detonator," replied Boba Fett." It's no big deal; I've seen creatures try to cut a deal for themselves using full-sized ones. When they're that small, they're only useful for jettisoning sections of a ship's fuselage that might have gotten damaged in an exchange of laser-cannon fire; that's the only reason there were any aboard Slave I." Fett shook his head." You can blow yourself up with that thing, but it's not powerful enough to take out this entire ship."
"It doesn't have to." Bossk stayed prudently back from the edge of the escape pod's open hatch." All it has to do is blow out a big enough gap in the side of the hull, and you're going to have a hard time making it back to Kud'ar Mub'at's web without laying over for some lengthy repairs. And you and I both know that the word has already gotten out about our having captured Trhin Voss'on't. Do you really want to be sitting out in the middle of empty space in a crippled ship, while every bounty hunter in the galaxy heads this way to try and lift that valuable piece of hard merchandise off you?"
Boba Fett was silent for a few seconds, then he gave a single nod." All right," he said." I'll make a deal with you. I'll activate the pod's launch sequence, and you can go. But when we cross paths again-then you'd better be ready."
"Don't worry. I will be."
"Engage the safety on the detonator and toss it out here."
"You gotta be kidding." Bossk barked out a short laugh." I'll deactivate this thing when I'm safely on my way. And not a second earlier than that."
"As you wish." Boba Fett reached down with his free hand and grabbed Zuckuss under the arm." Come on-you're going traveling, too."
"What-what're you-" Zuckuss sputtered in confusion as Boba Fett dragged him toward the emergency escape pod." But-but you owe me. . ."
"And I'm paying off the debt." Holding the blaster by the side of his helmet, Boba Fett kicked Zuckuss inside the pod with a single boot thrust." I'm letting you live."
The pod's interior was barely big enough for both bounty hunters; Bossk's spine was crammed back against its curved wall, with one of Zuckuss's arms thrust across his face. He shoved Zuckuss aside as the hatch began to seal shut. He had one last glimpse of Boba Fett's cold, visored gaze-then he threw the detonator outside just as the hatch clicked shut.
Launch had already commenced, as though the pod were an archaic metal bullet being fired from some primitive tribe's gunpowder musket. The violent shock wave of the detonator's explosion, back aboard Slave I, tumbled Bossk and Zuckuss inside the pod as it shot away from the ship.
"What did you do that for?" The pod's velocity had taken it past the concussive effects of the explosion. Bleeding from a scrape on his brow, Zuckuss hunched himself over to one side of the cramped space." If that thing had gone off a half second sooner, we wouldn't have gotten away!"
"We wouldn't have gotten away, either, if Boba Fett had been able to turn his ship around and blow us to bits with one of his laser cannons." Bossk leaned forward, wrapping his heavily muscled arms around his knees." I wanted to make sure that he was good and distracted, until we were safely out of firing range."
"Oh. Good thinking." Zuckuss shifted about, trying to make room for himself inside the escape pod." For a change," he said disgustedly," I think I'm going to scout around for a more dependable partner." His large insectoid eyes looked up, as though seeking some indication of the pod's flight through the vacuum of space." Where do you think this thing is going to wind up?"
"Who knows?" Choice of destination, Bossk was well aware, was not a feature of such devices; they were programmed to seek out and head for the nearest habitable planet." We'll find out when we get there."
The only thing he did know-a perfect certainty in the brooding silence that filled his heart and every other space inside him-was that one way or another, sooner or later, he would find his way back to Boba Fett.
And then, vowed Bossk, that scum is going to pay. . ."
Big time.
The damage wasn't extensive, and was easily contained. There had been a momentary drop in atmospheric pressure aboard Slave I as air had rushed out from the hole created by Bossk's parting gesture with the miniature thermal detonator. But the ship's own homeostatic defense systems had been activated by their sensors registering the explosion; the hull's structure and surface area near the escape pod's launch bay had sealed themselves off like a rapidly mending wound in a living creature's soft tissue.
Even before the ship's internal pressure had been stabilized, Boba Fett had also been at work, minimizing the explosion's effects. The helmet of his Mandalorian battle armor contained its own emergency air supply-only a few minutes worth, but enough for him to have reached another onboard source if necessary. He had been more concerned with the welfare of the hard merchandise inside the cargo area's holding cage; the ex-stormtrooper Trhin Voss'on't was only valuable if he stayed alive. Fett had grabbed an oxygen canister from one of the storage lockers, then reached into the cage and fastened its tethered mask over Voss'on't's gasping face. Voss'on't's eyelids had fluttered for a moment, as though the anoxic shock had been enough to rouse him into consciousness; a quick blow to the side of his head had put him safely under again.
Taking care of the merchandise had prevented Boba Fett from retaliating at the departed Bossk. By the time the damage to Slave I had been contained and all systems stabilized, Boba Fett had gone up to the ship's cockpit and had found no trace of the escape pod on any of the scanners. Just as well, thought Fett. Mere vengeance was rarely a priority with him, and certainly not worth any time pursuing now. If he ran across Bossk again, he could take care of the Trandoshan at that time.