Some Kind Of Freedom

Boba stares at Dia, astonished.

How can he… ? I completely rejected him, but he still wants to stay? Bane said he was only using me. But he's already freed, or nearly. He doesn't need me anymore, and…

"You don't need anyone."

Well… he can still be useful to me. The life debt…

"Another trick."

I don't think it is.

Dia's expression is open and earnest. He really means it; he really does want to stay with Boba. And, damn it all, Boba doesn't want to see Dia leave.

He sniffs, schooling his expression into something more dignified. "Fine, I accept. You can stay."

With the elated smile that spills over Dia's face, one would think Boba had handed him the universe. He can't bring himself to regret it.

_______

The landspeeder arrives at their destination soon after, pulling to a stop on the edge of a moisture farm. A domed building crests out of the sand, beside a deep well dug into the ground, surrounded by towering vaporators.

The guard climbs out of the landspeeder and begins trudging towards the domed building. Dia and Boba follow. Dia watches Boba closely, but Boba stubbornly looks straight ahead. As they get closer to the building, the door swings open and someone ducks out – a very familiar someone.

With a gasp, Dia suddenly breaks into a sprint. "ELAN!" he yells.

Looking up, Elan squints at the child, running full-tilt towards him, then jolts in surprise as he recognizes him. "DIA!"

Dia reaches Elan and throws his arms around his waist, tearing up. Elan's arms wrap around Dia's shoulders, and his stomach shakes with a sob.

"Are you alright?" he asks. "I've been so worried!"

"I'm fine." Dia pulls back, wiping at his tears with a smile. "Better now I know you're alright, Elan."

Elan smiles tearily.

Another person steps out of the building: a young human woman with blonde hair in a bun. She smiles kindly at Dia.

"Hello. I'm Beru. You must be Dia – Elan's told us all about you."

Dia returns her smile. "Nice to meet you."

Boba and the guard arrive at the doorway. Beru and the guard meet each other's eyes and nod in silent understanding.

"I'll be off, then," the guard says. They offer a tiny smile to Dia. "Good luck, little one."

"Thank you!" Dia calls as the guard returns to the landspeeder.

"Let's get you inside, alright?" Beru prompts. "I'm sure you want the chip removed as quickly as possible."

"We'll wait out here," Elan says. "See you in a minute."

Dia follows Beru into the domed building. He looks over his shoulder and catches Boba's worried expression as the door closes.

"Please have a seat," Beru says, gesturing to the examination table in the center of the room. She fishes out a scanner device from a drawer on the wall as Dia lifts himself onto the table. "I'll use this scanner to find where the chip is. Could you remove your shirt, please?"

Dia tugs his shirt over his head, and Beru begins moving the scanner over his arms and back. It beeps loudly at the base of his neck, and Beru sets the scanner aside, reaching for other tools. "Lie on your stomach, please."

Tying his hair out of the way, Beru numbs the back of his neck, and advises him to breathe steadily and count backwards from one hundred.

For a few moments, there is silence, and the back of his neck feels strange. Then Beru steps back and drops a small piece of metal into a tray with a clatter.

Dia stares at it. "Is that the chip?" he whispers.

"Yes. It's out now," Beru tells him warmly.

Relief courses through Dia. Every muscle relaxes, and a laugh bubbles up from his chest.

Beru patches up the cut, and brings Dia outside.

Elan and Boba are waiting in the kitchen, inside the deep well. As Dia steps inside, Boba sighs in relief, but quickly turns his expression neutral again and crosses his arms. Elan steps forward and hugs Dia again.

"How do you feel?" he asks.

"Like I'm floating," Dia says with a laugh. "I can't believe it."

"Come sit down, we've got food," Beru urges.

She serves them blue milk, haroun bread, and bantha jerky. Dia hadn't realized how hungry he was, and happily devours the food.

"So what happened, Elan?" he asks through a bite of jerky. "After we were separated?"

"Ah, yes." Elan winces. "I'm so sorry about that, Dia. I should've – "

"No, please don't apologize," Dia hurries to reassure him. "It's not your fault."

"If that damned motion sensor hadn't kept malfunctioning, we might've been warned in time." Elan sighs. "But to answer your question: I was taken to a slave market, and the White Suns bought and freed me. Mr. Owen – Miss Beru's fiancé – was generous enough to hire me as a farmhand."

"That's great!"

Elan nods. "I thought I'd die in slavery," he admits. "I couldn't be more thankful."

Beru pats the back of his hand with a warm smile. "Of course, you're welcome to stay as well, Dia," she adds.

"That – " Dia cuts himself off, and looks at Boba. The other boy is watching him closely. "I have to talk to Boba about it," he amends. "But thank you."

After they've finished eating, Dia and Boba step outside to talk.

"So what's your next move?" Dia asks.

"I'm going to search for my father's armour," Boba reveals, crossing his arms.

______

Five and a Half Months Earlier

"One more thing – those Jawas, what did they do with the armour that was in the ship?"

"Oh, yeah, they mentioned the armour," Peli recalled. "They sold it to a traveller near Mos Espa."

Boba frowned. "That's all they said?"

"Yeah. I can get them back in here if you want to ask 'em yourself."

"No, that's fine. I don't have time to look for the armour yet."

"What's the deal with the armour?" Dia asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later."

______

"You never did tell me what the armour was about," Dia reminds him. "It was your father's?"

"Yes," Boba says curtly. "I have time to look for it now."

"I'll go with you, then," Dia suggests.

Boba shakes his head. "You need to fix the ship, so we can leave once I'm back, and I can find that osik'la Jedi."

"…Alright." Dia hides his disappointment quickly. "When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible."

Beru and Elan step out of the kitchen behind them.

"My fiancé will be back soon. He could find you a speederbike," Beru offers.

"That would be great, thank you," Dia says for Boba. "I'll be heading to Mos Eisley tomorrow."

Elan frowns. "So soon?"

"I'll be back to visit, I promise." Dia smiles reassuringly.

Owen Lars, a gruff human, returns to the farm that afternoon, and Beru convinces him to help Dia and Boba. They sit at the table and Owen produces a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

"Here, this is a map of Tatooine." He spreads the yellowed paper over the table and points to a small, labelled dot on the far right. "We're here, southwest of Anchorhead. The Jawas say they sold your armour near Mos Espa, which is way up here, in the Xelric Draw."

Boba sighs. "That's a long way…"

"This is the route I'd suggest," Owen continues, tracing the red lined inked onto the map. "It's quicker and safer to avoid the Northern Dune Sea, so after Bestine, you should go north-west, hugging the Jundland Wastes, then cross over to the Pika Oasis and into the Xelric Draw."

Boba nods, studying the map. "Makes sense. How long do you think the trip will take?"

"On speederbike, you could be in Mos Espa within a couple days. But to find the armour…" Owen clicks his tongue pensively. "Hard to say. Could be anywhere, honestly. Give it a month, maybe two?"

"That long?" Boba exclaims.

"Well, whoever has the armour's not just gonna give it to you, kid. You'll probably have to work a bit for it. And who knows how long that'll take. So, yeah. Unless you're very lucky, at least a month."

Boba sighs sharply, but doesn't argue.

"Oh, and that close to the Jundland Wastes, you've got to watch out for the Tuskens."

"Right."

"Just remember," Dia interjects, "be polite, and you'll have a higher chance of survival." He offers a leather bag to Boba. "Take this. There's rations, water, and some more valuable scrap pieces. Give the Tuskens some of it as tribute, if they give you a chance to negotiate."

While Owen goes to prepare the landspeeder, Boba takes the bag, peering inside. It's neatly organized, with several packs of rations, three canteens of water, and a tied-up bag, presumably holding the offerings. He adds the folded map into a side pocket.

"You know, I really think I should go with you, just in case…" Dia says, wringing his hands in worry.

"No, I need you to fix the ship."

You're the only one I trust to do it, he almost says, but the words die on his lips.

"Hey, kid!" Owen calls. "You ready to go?"

"One second!" Boba yells back.

Dia's brows are drawn in worry. "Be safe, Boba."

"You don't need anyone."

"Make sure the ship is fixed," Boba says, turning on his heel and walking to the landspeeder. He forces himself to not look back.

________

Owen takes Boba to Bestine, as agreed, and rents him a speederbike from a shop. He leaves, wishing Boba luck. Boba reviews the map one more time, makes sure he knows where he's going, and sets off.

The trip is a boring one. All the sand dunes and rock outcroppings look the same. The Jundland Wastes are a rocky expanse of canyons and cliffs, which Boba keeps to his left as he travels north-west.

"At the Roiya Rift, start going north-east," Owen had told him. "But be careful. The Tuskens like hiding out there."

An hour and a half into his trip, Boba spots the Rift, marked by a rocky circle of jagged stones. He pauses, getting his bearings.

Something shoots past his ear with a whistle.

Reacting instinctively, he drops to the ground, stuffing the map back in his bag and hiding behind the speeder as more near-miss shots rattle the bike.

"Tuskens," he mutters, scanning his surroundings for shelter. There – a crevice in a rock wall a few meters away.

The bike won't hold up to a direct hit. Grabbing his bag, Boba darts away, sprinting for the rock.

He's barely gone two paces when the speeder explodes with a defeaning roar. Heat burns his back before he hurtles through the air. He lands hard on the sand and gasps for breath, the wind knocked out of him. His vision spins, then goes black.