Negotiations

In the morning, the battalion's pickup arrives.

All the tents are packed up in minutes, a flurry of activity, while the transports whir overhead and land on the outskirts of the camp. Dia and Boba stand close together, handcuffed and guarded by a couple clones, watching as the injured are loaded onto the transports first.

Boba's eyes follow Windu whenever he passes by, but the Jedi general is singularly focused on evacuating his troops.

Jango's Legacy will be taken care of, so say the Jedi. Dia can't help but worry – he worked hard to rebuild that ship, and he knows it's more precious to Boba than anything else.

Finally, Dia and Boba are lead onto the last transport, with Fisto and the last of the clones. They sit on crates as the pilot's voice crackles over the intercom:

"This is gunship five, heading to the Endurance. Is everyone ready for takeoff?"

"Thank you, Bonus," Fisto calls. "We're all ready."

The transport takes off unsteadily, with a loud rumble of the engines. Boba is silent, contemplating the cuffs around his wrists. Dia follows his example and stays quiet.

Boba hasn't said anything, but he must blame Dia. He was the one who freed the hostages – it's his fault they were caught and now are facing prison. Coruscant is impossibly far from Tatooine, from the Tuskens who have claimed Boba as their kin. Dia's chest aches as he thinks of Elan, of course, but Boba must be in so much pain, especially surrounded by the clones.

Dia hugs his knees to his chest with a quiet sigh, silenced by the engines.

The pilot speaks on the intercom a few minutes later: "Arriving at the Endurance now, prepare for docking."

The transport has no windows, but the ship seems to slow, and soon the engines cut out. The doors slide open with a hiss, revealing a massive docking bay filled with other transports and clones marching in formation.

"Come on, up you get," a clone beside Dia says, giving his shoulder a nudge.

The clones lead the children out of the transport. Dia looks around, his jaw dropping as he sees the sheer size of the star destroyer's hangar. If this part of the ship is so huge, how colossal must the entire thing be?

Hundreds of starships sit in the hangar, models Dia has never seen and those he has only seen scraps of. His worries briefly forgotten, he wishes he could inspect each and every one of them, talk to the pilots and the engineers, and maybe take a ship or two apart.

"Take them to the brig," Windu tells the clones on either side of Dia and Boba, and Dia's cheer evaporates. "We'll be returning to Coruscant immediately."

"Yes, General."

Boba holds his chin high as he follows the clones out of the hangar and through a dozen long hallways. Dia sticks close, glancing around nervously as more clones march or jog past them, calling orders or speaking over comms. Most cast a glance at Dia and Boba, and though their expressions are hidden behind their helmets, they occasionally miss a step or pause to stare.

They finally reach a room of cells in a quieter wing of the ship. Each cell is blocked by crackling, red ray shield. There must be another brig, where Aurra and Bossk are being held – or maybe they're being interrogated – because the cells are all empty.

One of the clones uncuffs Dia and Boba, while the other presses a button to the side of one of the cells, and gestures for Dia to step inside.

The cell is small, with only one cot against the far wall. Dia hesitates, then starts to shuffle forward.

"Wait," Boba says. "Let us share a cell."

Surprised, Dia looks back, and finally Boba is meeting his eyes. There is no anger there, like Dia expected, at least none directed at Dia himself.

The clones exchange a glance. One half-shrugs, and the other says, "Fine. In you go."

Boba steps past Dia into the cell, and Dia follows, relieved. Maybe Boba doesn't hate him completely. Or he just doesn't want to be alone. Either way, Dia is comforted.

The clone reactivates the ray shield, and both guards walk over to stand near the entrance to the brig. Boba sits on the cot, leaning his head back against the wall behind him with a deep sigh. Dia sits beside him, still leaving a handspan between them.

A moment passes, before a sudden weight on Dia's shoulder startles him. Boba is resting his head against Dia's shoulder, curling into him with another sigh.

Dia freezes, but Boba makes no move to draw away.

Gradually, Dia relaxes, and rests his cheek against the top of Boba's head. He manages to twine his fingers with Boba's and looks at the stickers still dotting their joined hands, peeling away in places.

They don't exchange any words. Boba must be exhausted, because after a few minutes, he's snoring softly against Dia's shoulder.

Dia stays there long enough for the guards to switch out with another pair. As he sits in silence, Dia thinks. How can he fix this horrible situation? How can he make sure Boba goes free, as quickly as possible?

Boba might not trust the Jedi, he thinks, but they seem reasonable. With everything Hondo taught me, surely I can negotiate something, right?

But how could he convince the Jedi generals to hear him out?

Another clone – this one's armour familiar – appears at the doorway. Dia perks up, tilting his head to see better past the ray shield.

"I've got a medical checkup scheduled for Din Diaro," Stickers says, holding out a datapad.

One of the guards looks over the screen, then nods. The guard brings Stickers over to Dia and Boba's cell and deactivates the ray shield. Stickers lifts a hand in a wave to Dia.

With great care, Dia slips away from Boba, lowering Boba's head to the tiny pillow on the cot. A small groan escapes Boba's mouth, and his forehead scrunches.

"It's okay," Dia murmurs, running a gentle hand through Boba's hair. "I'll be right back."

The other child's face relaxes, still asleep, and Dia steps out of the cell.

"How's your arm feeling?" Stickers asks as he and Dia walk through the hallways to the medbay.

"Not too bad," Dia says. "I think I'll be fine without the sling."

In the medbay, Stickers unbandages the wound – healing well, he says – and douses it with some sort of medical spray, before using fresh bandages. He has Dia try a few movements, before nodding.

"No need for a sling," he agrees. "But while you're here, do you mind if I run a general checkup?"

Shrugging, Dia agrees. Stickers uses an assortment of medical tools, shines lights into Dia's eyes, listens to his heart, and takes a sample of blood, then asks Dia about his eating habits and past injuries. Dia answers all his questions, admitting he was a slave but shying away from the details. Stickers listens, sympathetic but composed, then turns away to type something into his datapad.

Dia swings his feet, dangling off the ground as he sits on one of the only empty cots in the medbay. The others are filled with wounded clones. The conditions are much better than the medical tent on Dantooine, but more than a few patients' faces are covered with white sheets.

"Hey, Stickers? If… if it's possible…" Dia mumbles, glancing nervously at Stickers. He doesn't want to impose, especially when Stickers and the others are clearly grieving.

The medic tilts his head. "Yes?"

"Could I maybe speak with one of the generals?"

Stickers blinks. "Why do you want to speak to them?"

"I just want to make sure they have all the facts right." Dia wrings his hands, eyes darting nervously. "About… what Boba did."

"Oh." Stickers tilts his head thoughtfully, then sets aside his datapad and takes his comm from his belt. "Leave it with me." 

Minutes later, Windu sweeps into the medbay, Ponds at his heels. Dia doesn't miss the somber shadow to Windu's gaze as he surveys the state of the wounded clones. But his expression remains still as a boulder in the shifting sands of a desert, and he walks over to Dia's cot.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Windu clasps his arms behind his back.

Dia nods. "I- I was wondering what'll happen to Boba on Coruscant? We'll be put in prison, right?"

"You will," Windu confirms. "It was an attempted assassination on a Grand Army general. No matter the circumstances, that cannot be pardoned."

"I understand," Dia murmurs. "Do you know how long we'll be…?"

"It depends on a number of factors. But you will likely receive a lighter sentence, as you freed the hostages and were not directly responsible for the attack."

Dia winces. "Well… I mean…" He squares his shoulders, lifting his chin to meet Windu's gaze. "Boba helped to capture two notorious bounty hunters. Aurra and Bossk have been causing trouble for the Republic for years, I know they have."

Ponds, his helmet off and under his elbow, raises an eyebrow. Windu's expression remains impassive, but his gaze turns more intense, boring into Dia.

"I- I know the assassination attempt was bad," Dia continues, slightly unsettled, "but it didn't work. No one was even injured. So if anything, we're both equally to blame."

"Are you attempting to increase your prison sentence?" Windu asks, his tone even.

"To increase mine and lower Boba's," Dia says, gaining some confidence. "But wouldn't it be better if Boba joined the clone cadets on Kamino?"

Ponds' eyes widen.

Dia knows Boba would probably hate it, but at least he'd have a chance to thrive, not rot away in prison for stars know how long.

"Boba's an incredible fighter. He's clever, adaptable, and unbelievably stubborn." Dia has no need to exaggerate Boba's abilities, and he continues to describe Boba's impressive feats. "He would be a great asset to the Grand Army. If he could serve there instead of in prison – "

"And what of you?" Windu asks, cutting Dia off. 

Dia blinks. "Me? I would be fine with prison." And he would. As long as Boba is alright, Dia would be able to manage.

"Hm." Windu's expression is as unreadable as ever, but Ponds looks thoughtful. "I'll take your words into consideration."

That's better than Dia had expected. "Thank you."

"I'll bring you back to the brig," Windu decides. "Come with me."

Hopping down from the cot, Dia pauses to thank Stickers again before following after Windu. The Jedi brings Dia by a different path, past a window looking outside.

Dia freezes, staring out at the stars. Brilliant points of light, as many as there are grains of sand on Tatooine. An orange planet hovers below the ship, glowing warmly with the light of its nearby sun. Hardly realizing, Dia drifts closer to the window, until his nose is nearly pressed against the transparisteel.

After so long on Tatooine, Dia treasures any glimpse of the galaxy outside.

"We've stopped to collect other troops," Windu explains, stepping up beside Dia.

As if on cue, a starfighter shoots past the window. Two more follow, at the same impressive speed. Dia gasps and cranes his neck to watch the ships slow and glide into the open hangar.

"Are those ARC-170s?!" Dia demands, looking up at Windu in awe. "Hond- erm, I've heard about them, but I've never seen them in person!"

Windu's mouth twitches. "They are ARC-170 starfighters," he confirms.

"So cool," Dia whispers, looking back out the window. Sadly, the ships have already docked.

"Are you an apprentice mechanic?" Windu asks, stepping away from the window and continuing down the hall.

"I've learned from a few," Dia replies, reluctantly following after the Jedi. "I rebuilt a ship over the past few months."

"The starship on Dantooine was sabotaged." Windu raises an eyebrow. "Our engineers said it took an expert hand to disable the engines so discreetly."

"Well, I did rebuild that ship," Dia remarks, trying not to sound too braggy. "I know everything about it."

"You rebuilt it?" Windu repeats, with a rare expression of surprise.

Dia nods. "I had help from a mechanic on Tatooine, but she was mostly just supervising to make sure I didn't blow up myself or her workshop."

"I see."

They reach the brig, and the guards lead Dia back to the cell, where Boba is still slumped over the cot and snoring.

Dia looks over his shoulder to see Windu's pensive expression before the Jedi general turns on his heel and strides out of the room.