Celestia was awoken by the sound of a door opening. She slowly opened her eyes to look over at Boba’s bedroom. The young boy had finally come out. It had been so long since she had seen him. He refused to talk to her, so she slept by the door in case he needed anything, if he was ready to talk. The look on his face gave her his answer.

She stood up and used a wing to gently nudge the boy toward the kitchen. She had already prepared his favorite meal, it just needed to be heated.

She awoke to the sound of the door opening again. This time, she was not waiting for Boba to come out to talk. The alicorn looked up at his face, it reminded her of the one she saw so long ago. It was sad, begging her to hear him out, and give her comfort. But she could not, for she was bound and gagged by that bounty hunter woman that dragged him along.

Celestia watched as he walked over, knelt down before her, and removed the gag from her mouth. She closed her mouth and moved her jaw around to get feeling in it again, and sucked in a large amount of air.

“This isn’t what I wanted.” He said, checking her over for any other injuries. When he found none, he stood up.

“You don’t have to, you’re not like them, Boba.” She said softly, in the same tone that had reassured him in the past. It didn’t seem to, this time.

“What would you know? I haven’t seen you since the Arena, where you rescued the man that murdered my Father!”

“He was my Father too, Boba. He is the reason I exist, just like you.”

“You are not like me!” He shouted, getting in her face. “I’m not a soldier, I’m not a normal clone, not like him!” Ponds grunted when a small finger was pointed at him. Celestia was about to speak again when the door opened and Aurra Sing entered the room.

“Boba.” She said, in a sort of caring voice. “What’s going on?” It made Celestia glare. She could hear the false sympathy, she heard it a thousand times from people who had said they cared about the clones, and the suffering they had to endure. Those same people are the ones that vote to keep the war going, rather than end it.

Boba quickly gagged Celestia and stepped away from the prisoners. “Nothing.” He snapped, not even looking at the bounty hunter. But he did turn around to ask her an important question.

“What’re you gonna do with them?” Aurra looked at him, then the three hostages bound before her. Admiral Kilrain, Commander Ponds, and Commander Celestia. Three very important Republic officers that the Jedi would do anything to save. She knelt down before Celestia and traced the alicorn’s face with a finger.

“I think these three are about to be of some use to us.” In an instant, her smooth finger turned into a clawed hand that scratched the side of Celestia’s face. It was followed by several hard punches to her jaw and kicks to her stomach. The alicorn refused to scream, but every hit was followed by a painful grunt. Boba could only watch helplessly as she was beaten senseless by the bounty hunter.

The two ate in silence, sitting across from each other. Celestia’s eyes never fell from Boba as he ate his favorite meal. There was one vacant seat, the one reserved for their Father, Jango Fett. Celestia bit her tongue to prevent herself from saying anything. She knew Boba could never deal with his feelings, choosing to lash out rather than discuss it. He was much like his father, and many of her brothers in that regard. Luna seemed to pick up that attitude as well, now that she thought about it.

“Did he have to go?” He was speaking. Good, that’s step one.

“He did, it was another important job.”

“It’s always important, but when am I going to be important?!” He slammed a fist on the table, but the alicorn did not flinch. Her resolve was as steel as her gaze.

“Boba, you must understand, Father is a bounty hunter. His job is to take jobs and complete them.”

“So like a soldier?” Celestia shook her head.

“A soldier follows orders without question, without hesitation, and without expectation of reward. Bounty hunters follow their own code, one where they demand reward and are able to refuse should their safety or honor be compromised.” It was drilled into her by the Training Instructors, time after time. Like many other things.

“Is that why you watch me, because it’s an order?” The alicorn blinked, then started to laugh. Boba watched in confusion as she did so.

“Boba, I don’t need to be ordered. You’re my brother, just as Luna and Cadence are my sisters. I care about you, and that can never change.”

Boba wondered if that statement was still true as he held a blaster in his hand, with the three hostages kneeling before him. It was a message for Windu and the Jedi. Aurra Sing’s idea.

“Mace Windu.” He wondered if his voice was shaking as much as his hand was. “You were lucky to escape.” He aimed at Ponds, who didn’t so much as flinch as the blaster was pointed at his head. “Your friends here were not so fortunate.”

“Until you face Boba, these men will be killed.” Aurra added, kicking Ponds for good measure. “One at a time.” She looked down at the clone. “What’s your name?” The clone said nothing. So she kicked him again. “Name!”

“CT-411.” He growled, raising his head to meet the barrel of the blaster.

Aurra scoffed. “Pathetic, Boba, do it.” She watched as the boy’s hand shook. Her eyes narrowed as he did nothing but stand there and shake. “Boba.” She said loudly. Still nothing. That little brat! Boba lowered his pistol. Aurra Sing would not be made a fool. She aimed her blaster and fired. The bolt went straight through the clone’s head, hitting the floor below him. His corpse dropped as Celestia cried out from within the gag. A smack to the back of the head silenced her.

“Only two to go, Windu. Come and find us, we’ll be waiting.” With that, the message was sent. No doubt Windu would come after them now.

--

Celestia watched in horror as Pond’s body was dumped out of the airlock into the void of space. Her brother in the 187th deserved a better death than this. He was a soldier, and she would remember him as such.

She had no time to mourn as Boba was suddenly shoved against the wall by Aurra. Her instincts made her jump up, but her bonds ensured she wouldn’t move.

“Next time I tell you to pull the trigger, you do it!” After that, she let him go. He clutched his shoulder in pain as he watched her head into the cockpit. Boba’s eyes widened when he saw Celestia try to move over to him. Her look was pleading, begging him to be okay.

She did still care. He said nothing as he left them alone and followed Aurra out of the hold. Celestia watched him go until the door closed.

Celestia closed the door behind her, thankful for the quiet hiss rather than the usual loud click that the door usually made. She had just placed a sleeping Boba Fett in the bed. He had finally let it all out, passing out in her hooves. The alicorn now sat in the common room and brushed up on her studies. It was almost time for her final exam, one where she would lead a small group of men in a simulation. If the mission was successful, she would become a Commander, and then placed in charge of an entire battalion of troops. Her excitement was quelled only by her concern for Boba. The young boy needed a father in his life, and they both knew it. She would just have to make sure Jango knew that as well.

--

“Ssssk Get up.” Celestia opened her eyes to see the Trandoshian Bounty Hunter standing above her. He already had Kilrain on his feet. No doubt the Generals were her for an exchange, or worse. He was going to kill them. Knowing Windu, she was probably going to be executed in a few minutes. She stood up, with some “help” from the hunter. He marched them out of Slave I, and had them kneel down in front of him.

The alicorn looked around to take in her new surroundings. It was barren, in a canyon. No defining features that could give away where she was. There were dozens of desert planets in the Galaxy. All the same no matter where you could go. So she really was stuck here til death or exchange. Perfect.

The Trandoshian checked his communicator, which buzzed with white noise, meaning whoever he was trying to contact was no longer transmitting. “Aurra? Aurra!” He hissed as he put away his communicator and readied his blaster.

“Bad news, boy and girl.” He licked his lips. “If I don’t hear from Aurra soon, I’m gone, and you’re both fried. Hssssk.” Celestia glared at the bounty hunter with enough rage to boil him alive. She had to get herself free, but how?

She looked around, taking note of everything in her surroundings. The quality of the ground, the temperature, and the yellow hue of the sunset. Wait. She flared her horn, activating the magic. She watched the bounty hunter look at her with no change in expression. He couldn’t see it. With as much subtly as she could. Her thoughts concentrated on the ropes, specifically the knots that held them together. She slowly began to move them, making as little noise as possible as the hunter continued to try and contact Aurra Sing.

She left him. How could she do that? Boba watched helplessly as Aurra abandoned him in favor of escaping. Now he was left at the mercy of the Jedi. He kept demanding to know where the hostages were. He didn’t say a word. Why would he help them? He was all alone, now. Nobody cared about him.

He was brought outside to see Hondo, one of his father’s old friends. “The boy refuses to tell me where the hostages are.” The Jedi explained. “I was hoping you would talk some sense into him.”

Hondo knelt before the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Boba.” He said in a caring voice. Not like Aurra’s, but Tia’s. The one that told him everything would be okay. That she would be there for him. “Tell the Jedi what he wants to know.” It wasn’t an order. Not like Aurra. She would make him do things, like one of her own little soldiers.

“It is not what your father would want. He believed in honor, as should you.” Hondo explained, making the distraught boy look at him. Honor, that was what Celestia had told him about. Bounty Hunters should have Honor. His Father was honorable, he had heard that from everyone time and time again.

It was time to be like his father.

Celestia felt the ropes loosen. She could move again. So long as she could move, she could fight. Now she just had to wait for the proper moment.

“Time’s up.” The hunter raised his blaster and prepared to fire. Celestia prepared a shield when the sound of a speeder echoed from the canyon. All eyes turned to the entrance, where a lone speeder bike appeared.

Celestia’s eyes widened in joy. It was Ahsoka, General Skywalker’s padawan. The bike’s blasters opened fire, forcing the Trandoshian to dodge. Celestia used the opportunity to jump up from her bindings and tackle him. He kicked her off and reached for his blaster. She grabbed it first and aimed at his head.

“Don’t move.” Ahsoka jumped from the speeder and cut open Kilrain’s binds. He stood next to the alicorn and glared at the bounty hunter.

The sound of a second speeder caught their attention. Celestia turned to see Aurra Sing come flying in on a speeder. She jumped clear at the last second, landing a few feet away. The bike slammed into Ahsoka’s and caused a massive explosion that sent everyone to the ground. Aurra ran right into Slave I and activated the engines.

The ship began to take off. Ahsoka jumped onto the wing, almost falling off when the ship dipped to the side. Celestia raised the blaster and fired several shots at the cockpit. The glass did not shatter or even break, but it still caused the huntress to flinch. This gave the padawan a chance to recover and cut the hydraulics that kept the wing attached.

Celestia did not relent. She continued to fire, increasing the power of each shot. She was going to kill that bitch The one who thought she could control Boba and turn him into a monster. No one touched her brother and escaped with their skin. She held down the trigger as the glass shattered into pieces. Slave I spun out of control, falling to the earth, and crashing just beyond the horizon. The large explosion that followed guaranteed Aurra Sing’s death.

For the first time in hours, Celestia could breathe. It was over. Now, she just had one more thing to take care of.

It was night on Kamino when Jango finally came home. He tiptoed into the common room, hoping not to awaken his son. What he didn’t account for was the alicorn who was still wide awake and sitting before him with her hooves crossed.

“So, another job complete.” Jango raised an eyebrow, he never expected Celestia to take such a dark tone with him. But that raised brow fell down with its twin upon the realization of what was bothering her.

“I know, it was last minute and I’m sorry-”

“That’s not the issue.” She snapped, then stood up and marched into his face. “This is the fifth time this month, Jango.” The bounty hunter flinched. Celestia never used his name unless she was extremely angry, which was not something he had encountered before.

“Boba needs you in his life. I had to hold him as he sobbed, each tear falling in the hopes it would bring you home! He did this until he finally passed out!” Celestia knocked his helmet away and marched toward him as he kept trying to move back.

“I will not let this happen again.” The alicorn’s eyes glowed with a bright yellow hue as her magic and wings flared. “I will not stand by and let my brother suffer because you can’t say no to bounty hunting. You don’t need to do jobs all the time, but Boba needs his father here and now!” Jango stood in silence as the light from her eyes dimmed and her wings folded against her sides. She took a deep breath and walked past him.

“I’m going to bed, and if I’m asked to watch Boba again within the next two weeks, your ship is going to be at the bottom of the ocean, do I make myself clear?” Jango nodded, giving her the answer she was looking for. Without another word, she stepped out and marched back to her barracks, leaving a stunned Jango Fett in his room.

Celestia walked alongside Boba as he was escorted to the Republic Prison on Coruscant. She hated the idea of Boba being forced to spend the rest of life with hundreds of other criminals and traitors. But it was out of her hooves. She placed a comforting wing around him, like she did when they were younger, and he melted right into it. The sibling moment ended when General Windu stepped forward

He knelt down in front of Boba, who bowed his head in shame. “I see now, I have done terrible things.” His head shot up with a glare. “But you started it when you murdered my father!” Windu didn’t flinch, nor did Celestia. He wasn’t going to fight, that was over.

“I’ll never forgive you.” Boba growled. Windu stood up and looked down at the boy.

“Well, you’re going to have to.” Celestia’s eyes widened at the cold statement given by her General. They then narrowed into a glare. How dare he?

Windu watched as Boba was taken away by Republic Guards, followed by Master Skywalker, Master Plo Koon, and Padawan Tano. Now it was just him and Celestia.

“How dare you?” He turned to see Celestia glaring at him with the burning hatred of a sun. “How dare you say such a thing to him?!” Her wings flared up, forcing the normally stoic Jedi to take a step back.

“He is a little boy who watched a ‘Keeper of the Peace’ cut off his Father’s head- My Father’s head!” She took a single step toward him, stomping hard on the metal floor. “He is just as much a victim of this war as anyone else, alone except for me in this Galaxy, and you tell him that he has to forgive you?!” She gave an empty laugh. “Typical Jedi, and people say us clones are the heartless ones.” With a brisk turn, she began to leave, ending with a single thought. “And here I thought the Jedi were supposed to be better.”

Windu glared at the alicorn as she walked away. He didn’t say a word, he knew better than to argue with her when she was angry, on the rare occasion she was. She did not understand, her emotions cloud her judgement. That boy had killed hundreds of brave and loyal troopers, and because he wanted to kill him. The first step to becoming a better person was to forgive and if Boba wanted to be better than his father, was going to have to.

With his resolve held firm, the Jedi made his way back to the shuttle to the Jedi Temple. He still had a war to fight.

Author's Note

Well, that was an ending. Even I didn't fully expect that, but hey, I'm glad with how it came out.

Seriously, F*** Mace Windu in this episode. I would never forgive him for killing My Father, nor should he expect it!

What did you think of Mace Windu in that moment?

Let me know in the comments.

And Thank You for Reading.