There it was again! Every so often, Asajj would get a flash of Ahsoka's presence, stronger than it had been. The lost Jedi still had her connection to the Force- she wasn't exactly hiding it. Flicking her visor down over her face, Asajj hoped her quarry didn't realize they were coming. Alone she was sure she could sneak up on Ahsoka easily, but Boba didn't have the luxury of the Force to mask his footsteps. He knew how to move quietly, but only if he was taking his time, and Asajj had set off at a run the second she had felt Ahsoka probing the area with her mind. Boba kept up admirably, but his heavy armor and the uneven jungle terrain was slowing him down. Asajj barely noticed it, surging forward with the Force pushing her onward, faster, faster.

She looked over as Boba fired his jetpack for a half second, leaping onto a tree branch eight meters above the forest floor as gracefully as any Jedi. Unfortunately, Jedi didn't make the shrill sound of jet engines every time they jumped. She shot him a poisonous glance for making so much noise, but he had pulled his helmet on and was perched on the branch, focusing down the sights of his blaster rifle. He waved two fingers at Asajj, then ahead of him to the left. She suppressed a laugh- some clone habits were bred in. Boba used some type of hand signals to communicate silently during missions, but Asajj had never bothered to learn the specifics- she could usually make out their general meaning just by probing Boba's thoughts. When she couldn't, she improvised. She slid to a halt behind a thick, gnarled tree, closing her eyes and reaching out with the Force. Ahsoka was close.

Boba tossed a small bundle out of the tree, and Asajj caught it with the Force before it hit the ground, then unravelled it and laid the tangled wires in the leaves, where they would be easily missed. They were some kind of stun-cords that Boba had dreamed up, essentially an electrified net that temporarily shut down the nerves and muscles when someone touched them. It wouldn't kill most beingsl- that's why they were using it, as Ahsoka was strictly to be taken in alive- but Asajj had seen Boba use it before. They hurt worse than energy bindings if you touched even a few, and gave you paralyzing seizures if you were unlucky enough to fall into the entire net. She was surprised to find that she hoped Ahsoka would only touch a few. Strange.

Asajj unclasped her holster and twin vibroblade sheaths, then unslung the long rifle from her shoulder and loaded a tibanna cartridge as quietly as she could. She knew Ahsoka could most likely deflect or evade any blaster bolts; the rifles were just a way to lure her in close, where she could fall into the net. If she knew anything about the brash young Jedi, taking a few potshots at her would be a sure way to get her close. Even so, Asajj was going to aim for the knee if she got a clear shot. Better than having to deal with her in close quarters with no lightsabers. Blast it, she missed them so much. The twin scarlet blades had been a gift from Dooku, but they had fit her far better than the painfully ordinary saber she had built under Ky Narec. She would have given an eye to have them back again. Maybe two.

Above her, Boba sprang into motion, raising his rifle to his eye and scanning along the treeline ahead. The bead swayed, bobbed up and down, then stopped. Even through his helmet, through the muted chorus of the jungle, she almost heard him draw a half breath and let it out before squeezing the trigger. Pure soldier, to the bone, as always. A red bolt of plasma disappeared into the foliage, but Asajj heard no cry of pain, no lightsaber ignition… nothing. She turned to glare at Boba, but he was still looking, searching again with his rifle. She sighed, noting his failure so she could bring up after the mission, and synced her scope to the lenses of her helmet. Asajj searched the trees for movement, almost firing when a small blue bird hopped in and out of view. She continued scanning, but saw nothing. Boba took a second shot, and she followed the bolt with her scope… there! There was a blurry humanoid shape that had just disappeared behind a tree trunk. Could it be her? Asajj reached out with the Force and met the Ahsoka's mind. Staring down the scope, Asajj waited for the Jedi to move out from behind the tree so she could blast her leg and haul her off to Vader. She and Boba had agreed that whoever took Ahsoka down got an extra five percent of the bounty, and she was not about to lose seventeen thousand credits by being slow on the draw. She wrapped a pale finger gently around the trigger.

Boba fired again, and suddenly she realized what he was doing. He was missing on purpose. With his green armor and his high position in the trees, Ahsoka wouldn't be able to see him, and the Jedi would assume the shooter had terrible aim… and would be far more likely to come out into the open. Not only that, but Boba was angling the shots enough to give Ahsoka a completely wrong idea of where he was hiding. Asajj was quietly impressed, but resolved not to say anything. Boba was already full of himself, and complimenting him would only make it worse. She kept her rifle trained on last spot she had seen Ahsoka and switched it to infrared. The jungle lit up like a bonfire as the scope picked up a thousand tiny heat sources, but she saw the one she was looking for. Crouched nearly to the ground, the sleight humanoid form was creeping ever closer to their hiding spot. Asajj grinned savagely and pulled the trigger, aiming for Ahsoka's leg.

A white-hot arc appeared in the bloody red light of the scope, burning lines into both her retinas. Blinking furiously against the afterimage, she heard the distinct hum and clash as her bolt ricocheted wildly into the jungle. She heard more as Boba opened fire, five shots in quick succession followed by a flurry of crackling energy as they were dodged or deflected by the Jedi. The jungle came back into focus as her lenses adjusted to the sudden light, and Asajj saw a streak of light as her quarry leapt into the branches of a massive, gnarled tree. The glow disappeared again with a signature hiss. She wrenched her facemask open and bit back a curse. Her lenses were acting up again; better ones would have filtered the sudden brightness of a lightsaber, but lately she had only been making enough credits to eat and keep Slave 1 fueled. The Empire had a hand in everyone's pocket.

"Pay up, I told you she still had a lightsaber!" Boba shouted from his perch, lining up another shot. The voice modulator in his helmet couldn't completely remove the smugness from his voice. Asajj rolled her eyes. Everything was a competition with Boba. Maybe that's why he was the best hunter in the Outer Rim.

"Shut up and keep shooting!" Asajj snarled back. "Besides, we never agreed on-"

She cut off, noticing a flash of movement to their right. Boba fired again, but this time the Jedi had found him. She was running along a low branch, vaulting high in the air, blurring as she spun and slapped the bolt into the ground. Finally seeing her washed away any doubts Asajj may have had about her target's identity. The red skin, the acrobatics, the lightsaber held in a Shien reverse grip- it couldn't be anyone else.

Boba tracked Ahsoka's path with his long rifle, but he was running out of range. Ahsoka landed on the forest floor and rolled behind an outcrop of stone, blocking another shot. Asajj slung her rifle on her back and drew her blaster, aiming at the stone, but the Jedi was already moving, sprinting through a tall cluster of ferns and running a wide arc toward the tree where Boba was set up. Asajj got off three shots, but one went wide, and the second came right back at her, deflected by Ahsoka's blade. Asajj silently thanked her Force reflexes as it hummed past her face. The third shot grazed Ahsoka's hip. She stumbled, but kept running. Asajj watched her, hoping she would fall into the net, but she cleared the edge of it without noticing. Boba fired as Ahsoka jumped a fallen tree next to his perch, his shot ripping through her cloak. Then the yellow blade whirled through the air, slicing through the barrel of his rifle before circling back to Ahsoka's hand.

Most impressive. Dooku had hated the idea of throwing a lightsaber, calling it a flashy, stupid risk, but Asajj had always thought it looked dramatic- though she never practiced it herself. She wondered where Ahsoka had picked the trick up. Unruffled, Boba dropped the rifle and jumped out of the tree, drawing his EE-3 in midair and lighting up his jetpack. He hovered, spraying bolts at Ahsoka, but she was already running the other way, deflecting his shots. Asajj saw Ahsoka turn away and seized the opportunity, firing twice at her back. One flew over her shoulder, and she whirled, blocking the other. Her right foot came forward in a reverse parry stance, but as it came down, Asajj saw Ahsoka twitch hard and yank her leg back, her face contorted with pain and shock. The stun cords had done their job. Ahsoka would be numb all the way to her hip.

Boba circled in the air and a ten-meter flame bloomed from his wrist. Pieces of foliage caught around her, but Ahsoka dove away from the net and under the fire, deflecting another blast from Asajj as she lay on her back. Asajj pulled the trigger again, but got a metallic crunching sound from inside her blaster. Blasted cheap thing, it was jammed again! She wished she'd paid to have it fixed before getting scammed by some wannabe smuggler kid. If she ever saw Calrissian again, his head was going to roll. She slammed the useless blaster into its holster and drew her vibroblades. The grips buzzed in her hands as they switched on. Cortosis would stop a lightsaber, and vibroblades cut nearly as fast, but her twin blades were only half a meter long. At least they weren't falling apart like the rest of her gear. Asajj swore she would get herself shiny new equipment after this job. She deserved it.

The jet of fire sputtered out and Asajj leapt into its place, giving Boba a few seconds to retreat and prepare his next trick. Asajj was on Ahsoka before she was halfway off the ground, but the golden blade flashed out at the last second, catching the twin knives and turning them aside. Asajj spun and pressed the attack again, but now Ahsoka was upright, her lightsaber weaving a tight defensive pattern, countering one vibroblade just long enough to kick Asajj in the hip and force her to step back on the defensive. Soresu? Ahsoka had always favored the reverse-grip Shien, but now she held her saber forward, redirecting and misleading attacks… just like Kenobi. Kenobi, who Asajj had never quite bested, in duels or fleet combat. A clever and unconventional general, not to mention that he was once Skywalker's master. As much as Asajj had hated the Jedi, she couldn't deny he was one of the best defensive fighters she had ever gone up against. Small wonder there was still a bounty waiting to be claimed on Kenobi's head- even if anyone could find him, Asajj doubted most bounty hunters were up to the challenge. Ahsoka's technique wasn't nearly as refined, but she was more than capable, and her quick transition between forms made Asajj nervous. Who knew what else the little Jedi had picked up on the run?

Asajj felt a prickle of danger and sidestepped. A swarm of blue darts zoomed past her shoulder towards Ahsoka, who flicked her lightsaber in a quick double circle, cutting them out of the air. Several darts made it through the blade, but most missed her entirely. Two hung from the arm of Ahsoka's cloak, but it was clear they hadn't found anything vital. Asajj twisted to face the new attack, only to find Boba fiddling with some kind of launcher on his wrist.

"At least warn me when you're about to shoot me full of needles," she said venomously.

"Why?" Boba shrugged, closing his gauntlet. "I know you can dodge them."

Asajj fixed him with her frostiest look, then turned around. She saw a blue feather buried deep in Ahsoka's thigh. Ahsoka followed her eyes, then noticed the dart and ripped it out with her free hand.

"Next time, remind me to put barbs on those," Boba grumbled through his voice filter.

Asajj took a step back, then another, until she brushed her shoulder against Boba's armored one. He was exactly where she thought he would be. His military efficiency did have its uses. She was breathing harder than she would have liked, but fighting Ahsoka brought back all the right memories, and the years spent drilling Jar'Kai katas were still fresh in her mind. She grinned and hissed out a breath, all sharp white teeth and adrenaline. Boba began moving right, and she mirrored him, circling like pack animals. Ahsoka fell into a low parry stance as they came closer, her saber held backward across her body. She had pulled the dart out quickly, but Boba knew his poisons. One needle wouldn't do the job quickly, but it would slow her down, blur her vision, dull her Force senses. Then they could throw her in binders and fly straight to Vader to claim their reward. Or, rather, Boba would do the last part. Asajj wanted nothing to do with the Empire, least of all with a powerful Sith Lord who had spent half a decade slaughtering Force users. These days, she would rather take a running jump into a Rancor's mouth then get anywhere near the Core Worlds.

Boba tucked the carbine into his shoulder and started firing, circling Ahsoka, but she deflected the first shot with a flourish and then jumped straight up, out of the trap they were setting. Her hand caught a branch, and she scrambled up onto it. Asajj took off running, following Ahsoka's path above her. The yellow blade sparked and angled Boba's shots back, missing narrowly as he rolled into the underbrush. Ahsoka grabbed a vine, swung and somersaulted. She landed on a twisted tree limb, then planted her feet to parry.

Why did she stop? Asajj frowned. If she didn't know better she would think the Jedi was luring them into a trap, but there was no time to set one. Asajj ran another 10 meters, almost underneath Ahsoka, then slid to a stumbling halt, wide-eyed. The net. Ahsoka hadn't set a trap, but Asajj and Boba had… the little schutta was trying to lure them onto their own net! She smiled menacingly up at Ahsoka, and was surprised by her quarry's smug grin. That was one thing they had in common- they loved a challenge.

Boba nearly tripped headlong over Asajj, but he would have ran straight into the stun cords if she hadn't thrown a shoulder hard into his chestplate. He regained his balance and rounded on her furiously.

"Boba, she's over your net!" she hissed, before he could speak.

Boba regained his balance and started his jetpack wordlessly, jumping into the air after Ahsoka. It was great working with professionals. Half the bounty hunters Asajj knew would have gotten their shorts all in a knot and forgotten completely about the target for ten minutes if she tried something like that. Twenty minutes if they realized she was right.

Ahsoka was moving the second Boba got to her eye level, jumping a wide arc over his head. He shot another gout of fire after her, but she was too fast for even his trooper reflexes. She landed standing on his shoulders, sliced down at his back with her lightsaber as he twisted and clutched at her, trying to throw her off. Asajj's breath caught in her throat as she watched the blade fall, but it didn't pierce the armor. It bounced off? No, it wasn't aimed at him at all… Ahsoka had shoved the lightsaber into Boba's jetpack and twisted it free. She kicked off Boba, launching herself into the air. The jets choked black smoke. He hung in the air for a maddening second, then began to fall.

Straight into the net.

Boba screamed in his helmet, the sound grating and inhuman through the filter of his breath mask. He thrashed manically as the threads discharged, snapping up over him like a monstrous mouth. Smoke trickled from the cracks between his armor plates as they burned his flight suit. Asajj felt her stomach drop, looked up furiously at Ahsoka to find her wearing the same mask of horror. The crackling stopped, the cords locked solidly together over him, still twitching weakly. Asajj knew the cords were nonlethal- but they were usually nowhere near this bad. Boba must have upped the charge, to make sure Ahsoka wouldn't escape.

For a long moment she was frozen still, the jungle eerily quiet. Then a drexl roared in the distance, and Asajj snapped back into action, staring down Ahsoka, waiting for her to move first. She also probed at Boba with the Force, but she wasn't trained to heal; all she could tell was that he was still alive, but unconscious and badly hurt. She suddenly realized Ahsoka could leap in and finish the job, and ran to stand over him, daring the Jedi to try it.

Instead, Ahsoka suddenly sat cross-legged on her branch. The shock on her face disappeared as she closed her eyes, deactivating her lightsaber with a metallic hiss.

Another trick? Asajj gripped her vibroblades nervously. Boba was vulnerable, and she was starting to tire, but Ahsoka still looked fresh as ever. Asajj braced herself for an attack as she felt Ahsoka stretching out with the Force. It never came. On her branch, Ahsoka opened her eyes, smiling a faint, sad smile that almost wasn't there at all.

"I think he'll be alright," she said in a quiet voice.

Ahsoka hung her lightsaber on her belt. She raised her empty hands, the picture of innocence. Asajj narrowed her eyes. The Ahsoka she knew would never surrender, least of all to her. More likely she was planning something. One red hand slowly lowered the grey hood, and Asajj looked at the little Jedi's face for the first time in five years. It was undeniably Ahsoka, but there were differences… she wasn't much taller, but she was leaner, more muscular. A few lines around the mouth and eyes, a small razor-straight scar crossing both lips. Her montrals were a few inches taller, and trailed nearly to her waist. Her wide blue eyes looked twenty years older than they should have. Asajj knew the marks of hard living, but she was surprised at how much older Ahsoka looked. No, not old… experienced. She looked every bit the Jedi she was.

Except she isn't. Asajj fought the urge to laugh. How lucky could Ahsoka be? Kicked out of the Order mere months before the Empire started massacring them? Somehow remaining hidden for years, when thousands of Jedi Knights failed? Not to mention the spectacular fight she had put up when someone finally discovered her. Asajj felt her grudging admiration growing and scowled inwardly as she pushed it down. She stood with Boba at her back as Ahsoka dropped lightly onto the forest floor, hands still raised.

"Back away from him, Asajj," said Ahsoka, taking a step forward.

There was no threat in her voice, but the Jedi could mask their feelings. Asajj bared her teeth and crouched lower over Boba's body, watching for any sign of trickery. Ahsoka's eyes never left Asajj, but she took another step closer.

"I'm not going to kill him. I want to help." Ahsoka was within range of the vibroblades. Asajj could take her hand off before she could even draw her saber. She wouldn't die, but she'd be defenseless, and Vader would pay a fortune for her…

"The net… I didn't know…" Ahsoka trailed off, and Asajj was surprised by the regret in her voice. "I didn't want to hurt him."

Her mind screamed danger, liar, kill her now, but something made Asajj move her foot back over Boba. Then the other. She took another step. Boba lay unconscious between them, wrapped tightly in the metal cords. Ahsoka kept her eyes on Asajj, but she kneeled down and put her hand on the T-shaped visor of Boba's helmet. She frowned.

"He's burned pretty bad, but if you get him out of his armor and into a bacta tank quickly, he won't scar. He'll wake up in an hour or two, but he's going to be in a lot of pain." Ahsoka swallowed visibly. "Can you get him to your ship?"

Asajj gave a slow nod. Slave I was too small for a proper bacta tank, but Boba had a secondhand medical droid crammed into a storage compartment, and there were plenty of bacta packs and bandages onboard. Any respectable bounty hunter knew enough to prepare for jobs that inevitably went sour. It wasn't perfect, but it would be enough until she could get him in a real tank.

Asajj watched her stand up and step away from Boba, pulling her hood back over her horns. It shadowed her face, but Asajj could see her lips curl slightly, her eyes crinkle at the edges.

Without warning, Ahsoka spun on her heel. "Come find me on Dxun," she called over her shoulder, and then she was running, her cloak snapping like a flag behind her, before she disappeared into a thicket of blue-green stalks.

Asajj felt herself tense, ready to spring after her… then she looked down at Boba, limp and tangled in the cords. She screamed in frustration. It felt like she was being torn in half. If Ahsoka escaped, Boba would never forgive her, but if she left him to the jungle… she would never forgive herself. Even though Boba would have left her there without a second thought, if he were in her place. No, he wouldn't. He could have left me in the gutter on Tatooine, but he didn't. He could have sold me to Vader, but he didn't. She owed him too much. Asajj lifted Boba over her shoulder, bending under the weight of his armor, and took off toward Slave 1. Now, at least, her debt to Boba would be paid.