and i won't keep what i can't catch (mini-mission, OTA)

[concord_dawned]

Who: Boba Fett and YOU!
What: Clearing out the invasive monster fish introduced by the Sylphid to the lake near the Witch's Camp.
When: Mid-January
Where: The lake near the Witch's Camp
Content Warnings: Animal death



[ Since arriving on this world and taking part in his first mission, Boba has done his best to keep himself busy. He doesn’t like having too much downtime, doesn’t like letting his mind wander or his skills degrade. Restlessness comes easily to him. Thus, he is a frequent visitor to the missions’ board at Central Command, always looking to see what work there is to be done.

This month, there’s plenty. He scans through them, rapidly noticing a theme. The assortment of various animal control missions are something of a novelty to him—he may be a hunter, but his prey is usually of the more sapient variety. Still, it’s work and, in the case of the mutant predatory fish in the lake, work that he has some particular expertise in.

And so, later that week, he can be found at the lake on the edge of the Witch’s Camp, practicing with his newly purchased weapon-slash-fishing-implement. As a kid, he would’ve called something like this a “pocker.” Here, they just call such things atlatls or fishing spears. Yet, despite the difference in name, it functions almost identically to the one his father had taught him to use as a boy: aim, throw, and twist the handle to lock the line and reel the spear back in. It even features a similar missile accelerator system to generate extra forward momentum behind each throw, though this one is pneumatic rather than ion-powered. He refines his aim at the water’s edge, taking out floating clumps of algae as he waits for the engine of the borrowed watercraft to warm up a few meters away. His father had always demanded perfection on the hunt, even when their prey was fish. Yet, the last time they went fishing together had been an exception to the rule. That time, Jango Fett had said nothing at all and Boba had wasted the afternoon taking potshots at shadows. And a few days later...

Boba isn’t expecting company. When someone approaches, he’ll stop what he’s doing and watch them with narrowed eyes. ]

Didn’t know this was a group mission.

Comments

[nouskaiananki]

[ How long had it been since he'd needed to hunt for food? The stray night or handful of days during the Clone Wars but that was about comfort more than need. They had ration cubes, energy capsules, and the Force.

He'd been a boy. Hunting vermin for him and his mother when Watto gambled away the money.

A sour time that left sour memories. Fett's comment drew him from thought. ]

For some. But I have a family to ensure its properly fed.

[ Despite them all being grown. Never let it be said he didn't take his duties and responsibilities as father and husband seriously. ]

[concord_dawned]

[ It's odd thinking of Vader as a family man. A few months ago, he'd been practically a myth, a nightmare to frighten the would-be enemies of the Empire. Picturing him fishing to put food on the table feels discordantly mundane.

Still, Boba won't argue with his motivations. He motions to the boat off to the side with a jerk of his head. ]

Should be ready to go in another minute or two.

[ As much as Boba had been expecting this to be a solo job, there's worse company than Vader to have along. He supposes he has his older self to thank for making a good first impression—if Vader is still somewhat of an intimidating presence, it helps to know that the man has, at the very least, a favorable disposition towards Boba's continued existence.

Plus, Boba would be lying if he said he wasn't a little curious about how the right hand of the Emperor might go about catching fish. He doesn't have a helmet concealing his eyes now, so it's clear from the direction of his glance that he's checking if Vader brought a lightsaber. ]

I take it you've brought something suitable for the job.

[nouskaiananki]

[ That Vader is, in so many ways, a nightmare to frighten the would-be enemies of the Empire. But he's also a deeply grieving widower and a father if newly discovered. Here, however, he is a husband, not a widower, and a father and grandfather and he was deeply enjoying being the latter instead of the former. ]

[ He nodded at Boba's comment. ]
I hear some patience is required for this endeavor.

[ Vader moved his surcoat to the side a little, showing his hip and the hilt hanging from it. But he also shifted his arm to reveal a miniature speargun concealed under the netting laying over his shoulder, marking with blazing orange floats across the top. ]

It should be sufficient, it's similar to something Tarkin has used.

[concord_dawned]

[ The speargun at Vader's side looks more than adequate. In all honesty, it was probably a better choice than the atlatl Boba had brought; it'll make the fish just as dead without as much expenditure of effort. The realization brings with it a brief jolt of embarrassment. Boba had assumed he be completing the job alone and thus had made the rare choice of nostalgia over efficiency. Now, he has a vague sense that he's been caught being unprofessional. ]

Should do fine, [ Boba says, turning towards the boat. He wishes he'd had his armor on before Vader arrived. Summoning it now would feel like a needless hostility, but he misses having something to cover his face. He steps onto the boat and feels the ground turn weightless beneath his boots.

The boat itself is a fairly basic motored design. Its one distinguishing feature is that its base is made of a transparent material that allows passengers to see into the waters below. Right now, there's not much to see besides the lake's muddy shore. Boba takes position at the steering console and waits for Vader to get onboard. ]

I'll take us out to the middle of the lake. Central Command already supplied bait— [ a jerk of his head toward a cooler tucked against one side of the deck, ] so it'll just be a matter of drawing the creatures somewhere with good visibility.

[nouskaiananki]

[ Vader had made a choice of ease and familiarity over a device needing skill. And was going on someone else's experience - of the two, he showing his own inexperience with the trask. ]

I would never turn down the advice of someone with clear expertise.

[concord_dawned]

[ Boba only nods in response. Most of his clients before now have been Jabba and his associates; if they ever acknowledged his skill or expertise, it was always with a mocking edge—and usually an excuse to deny him something he needed for a job. Vader might not be acting as his client right now, but it's still the role Boba has mentally slotted him into ever since he learned about their future dealings. And so he says nothing—Vader might mean it earnestly or his esteem might be bait itself. Best not to find out.

In silence, he turns on the engine and begins to pilot the boat towards the center of the lake. Occasionally, he looks down at the transparent deck beneath his feet, surveying the water for clarity and any dark shapes swimming below. He only stops when the waters are both clear and active enough to show promise.

At that point, Boba rises up from the steering console, heads towards the bait cooler, and pulls out one of several buckets of chum. He's never actually done this on a boat before; when he and his father had gone spear-fishing on Kamino, it had always been on the shore. Still, he figures the general principles are the same. He takes the bait to the bow of the boat, observes the tide for a moment, then begins to throw chunks of fish meat into the water. That done, he glances at Vader.

You never wanted to give a Hutt advice. But Vader was no Hutt and he had, at least ostensibly, been open to instruction. Boba hesitates for just a moment, weighing his odds—and then: ]

When the fish come, you'll need to aim a few inches lower than their position to make up for the water's refraction. They also tend to be deeper than they look.

[ Which shouldn't be much of a problem for Vader given he won't need to adjust the force of his throw like Boba will need to do, but Boba figures it's better to err on the side of more information than less. ]

[nouskaiananki]

[ Vader has, understandably, a low opinion of Jabba and his ilk. In fact it had been his fondness for the Clones that had made him fond of Fett. Not respectful - the younger man's work spoke for itself there - but fond. Something Fett himself hadn't been pleased about.

But for all Vader was a heavy, awkward figure, there was something to his posture that was almost relaxing as they got over the water. Something about it he seemed to enjoy - which he did really. And he listened to Fett speak on how to best hunt their prey. In response, Vader slightly bowed his head. He was looking at the water, studying. The movements of the fish as they fed and fought over the chum in the water. ]

Good to know, thank you.

[ He was very much studying = he did know that taking the largest made fish tend towards smaller, but these were invasive. Larger was better yes? ]

[concord_dawned]

Boba spends a few moments letting Vader study the movement in the water below them. So far, the man seems quite easy to work with—a far cry from the fearsome stories Boba has heard of him even in his own time. Were the stories exaggerated, he wonders? Or is Vader simply more respectful towards Boba for the service he will render to him in the future?

Either way, Boba isn't complaining. A few seconds more and he takes up his atlatl and approaches the edge of the boat, staying a healthy distance from Vader to avoid either of them interfering with one another's shots.

"We don't want to wait too long after baiting the water to strike," he says, eyes following the flicker of fins and tails in the murk. "Or the bait will sink too low to be useful to us."

His eyes zero in on a particularly bold fish, its teeth flashing in the dark waters as it snaps up chunks of bait. Boba takes aim with his spear-thrower, lifting it to his shoulder. There's a brief pause as he exhales—and then his arm snaps forward, launching the spear into the water. The projectile buries itself in the fishes side to a fury of thrashing and Boba immediately twists the atlatl to begin reeling the creature in. It struggles all the way onto the deck of the boat, the spear lodged solidly in its side doing little to abate its furor.

In an instant, Boba summons his armor, deploys the retractable vibroblade from his wrist, and drives the tip through the creature's spine. It takes more force than he expected, but finally, the fish lies still.

"They're tough," he mutters, still crouching over the carcass and using the blade to probe for any weak spots. He finds one just behind the eye and steps aside so Vader can see. "Here," he says, pointing with the blade. "Might be a good spot to aim for."

[nouskaiananki]

To be fair: How easy Vader was to work with had much to do not only with his mood but also the competence of the people he was working with. People who were incompetent or careless with the lives of the stormtroopers? Were the ones most likely to find out how fearsome he could be.

Thinking of the bait sinking, Vader focused on it and used the Force to keep it near the surface where it would be useful. He almost - almost - dropped it when the fish hit the boat, but managed to hold it. Even still he watched Fett closely, but also their prey - reading it for signs of attack or life.

"They do seem to be." Time to try to moat them off for defense he thinks.

With Boba's prey dead, Vader turned toward the water, and followed a few tails until he picked one of the larger fish, lifted the spear gun, aimed, and fired. It didn't quite hit the shot Fett had suggested and Vader reeled it in hard, using his knee to pin it down and shoved the spear in deeper to completely sever the spine. Good thing about metal legs - he hadn't even considered the jaws of the fish. Hadn't needed to.

However there were now some rips in the fabric and no hiding the dull dark grey and shiny lighter grey metals that made up his legs.