𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓, unfurling the crush of indigo from the starlit field. off-shore winds perfumed by the salty tang of the pacific mingled with the ancient aromatics growing abundant on the island. lowing from nublar's verdant heart sang to the fading scatter of stars. the sauropods – a herd of the long-bodied apatosaurus and their towering cousins – beckoned the sun still slumbering before the horizon. an ancient tune that was not only heard but felt, deep in the hollow chambers of bone. few humans were conscious enough at this hour to bask in the primordial choir; but there was one who was already prepared to fight the coming day by the giants began their tune.
the sky was still drenched purple when boba fett traded the sleepy inside of his houseboat for brisk open atmosphere of a jeep. he kept his abode docked on the northern face of the island, mt. sibo and a broad swath of jungle between his privacy and the rest of the park. it’d been one of his father’s favorite spots. so much so, that jango built a stilted bungalow nearby after boba inherited his childhood home.
distance came at a price, one fett gladly paid every morning when he swung himself and his antiquated thermos behind the wheel of his unmarked jeep. the long winded drive to the opposite end of the island was more than a mere commute, it served as the contractor’s initial round across his territory. checking in on the health of his charges and spot any troubles that populated the landscape overnight.
no radio accompanied fett on his winding journey through the jungle. he listened to the soundtrack of the island while soaking up the deceptive simplicity of his surroundings. there was endless wonder in driving by a contemporary traveler’s palm and pitanga on either side of a squat cycad, seventy-three million years out of place. little anomalies like that, impossible anywhere beyond ingen’s property line, were the poster child of nublar’s idiosyncratic ecology.
time was at an impasse. while mankind might be pressured by schedules and dates, its passage went unmarked in the wilderness made for their enjoyment. nature’s commandments were confined to the world beyond the sea. here, archosaurs roamed the soil that once buried them. their avian descendants, once the primary fauna of the five deaths, cohabitated with their de-extinct kin. primeval laws that governed the boundaries of life and death need not apply.
tight webs of canopy cracked open as boba’s jeep jostled over the treeline and into the rolling hills of the valley. axels squeaked as he tipped and dove the off-road slopes. tires kicked up dew-coated grass, scenting the air with a crisp, watery sweetness. the lid of the sun spilled further into the heavens, washing away the residual midnight with the colors of tropical milkweed.
the unmarked jeep’s brakes ambled to a halt on the summit of a hillock. it fed into a gradual slope that flattened into an emerald savannah. boba hung out the side of his vehicle, an arm looped around the open-air frame. dark eyes squinted into the sunrise, rays of orange bathing him in the first pinpricks of daytime heat.
at the bottom of the slope, lumbering towards the sparkling waters of a manmade lake, were the singers of the crepuscular opera. giant grey bodies, individualized by markings of navy and flushed mauve, pressed towards the sparkling waters. apatosaurus bellows were deep bodied gurgles like peaceful thunder. the brachiosaurus were more enigmatic with their terrestrial whalesong.
boba spotted a brachi subadult sprinting towards the shore. on her rotunda legs, it was more of a majestic waddle, but for a beast her size it was enough to send shockwaves through the mantle. she splashed wholeheartedly into the lake, sending curtains of freshwater flailing to the sides. a pride of parasaurolophus balked, scampering away to avoid the aftermath of her joy. the subadult reared back on her haunches and sang to them, no doubt teasing her much smaller neighbors.
nearly every population that frequented the lake this hour was accounted for except one. the itch of murphy’s law crawled up boba’s chest, but his concerns were quickly put to rest. fett heard their drumming before he saw them. gallimimus, their gracile legs a blur, poured through the natural alley parallel to his perch. he counted them off in batches. exact numbers were impossible, but his instincts were never wrong when it came to how many of the ornithomimids there should be. during the last stormy season, the population took a hit. lightning strikes claimed three juveniles in the ensuing panic. heavy rains loosened the soil, leaving a sad tale of broken legs and necks for seven of the fragile beasts. with the herd in recovery, boba’s already scrupulous paranoia twice as attentive.
a mischievous honk drew his attention away from the watering hole to a pack of bipeds several meters from his jeep. a small group of juvenile gallimimus broke off from herd to romp the grasslands without adult fussing. they were on their way back to rejoin their elders, but one had taken an interest in fett's jeep. she was bold in her proximity, keeping the side of her face locked on his position as she plucked at a rear tire with her beak.
fett recognized her. what the ingen white coats called her, he had yet to learn. disposition was moniker enough. she wasn't as skittish as her sisters despite growing at a slower rate. he'd call her pluckiness a napoleon complex, but there was an unmistakable sweetness to her nosy larks. she was the first to spot humans approaching and the last to be shooed away. each morning, she spied on fett from the safety of her flock. it seemed today she decided to take advantage of the distance between her curiosity and the pernickety adults.
❝ hey! ❞ the man barked. the gallimimus bleated, taking several steps back. she kept a giant eye on fett as she circled around, stopping several feet in front of him. her head twitched like a birds as she considered him, as if daring the lone primate to challenge her again.
❝ you pop it and i’ll use your hide to patch it. ❞ the herbivorous theropod continued to angle her narrow face, opening and closing her beak with soft clicks.
with a thin lipped smirk, boba maintained eye contact as he reached for the horn. she squeaked, startled by the shrill sound, and sped towards her siblings. she paused midway to glance back at him before disappearing into her crowd.
the remainder of his patrol was mercifully routine. the park’s biomes were in good health, temperaments lackadaisical as dawn sipped its way through the sky. a group of styracosaurus foraged beside the service road. clods of dirt hung from the front of their nasal horns as they scrapped the topsoil for earthen delights beneath. further down was nublar’s largest river. in less than a handful of hours, the waterway would fill with the clap of paddles fighting the current as human voices chattered excitedly. for now it was a trickling melody, soft but keen enough to be heard over the rumble of his jeep’s torque. invisible fencing made the river’s carnivorous residents excellent neighbors.
lush banks were deceptively empty. the large piscivores, having caught their morning meals in the half-light, had retreated to shady undergrowth where they committed to the difficult task of lazing in the sun.
a baryonyx lounged on the edge of her perimeter. forearms tucked against her chest, the spinosaurid had her long narrow snout, so reminiscent of her crocodile contemporaries, thrown back to exposing her scaly neck to solar rays. her sealed lids didn’t flinch as the jeep wrangler puttered across her trajectory. the simian and his fossil guzzling steed were unremarkable to such a content creature.
main street was still rousing from its late night festivities when boba arrived at the backstage lot. fresh coffee grinds, industrial cleaners, and warming grills filtered over the high walls that separated guests from the park’s inner workings. a pungent concoction that sunk to the back of the throat and need to be scoured away by a slug of piping caffeine.
thick rubber soles worn by countless hours on the move only just touched asphalt when fett heard his name from across the empty lot. he replaced the drained cap of his thermos with a reluctant twist as poe dameron half-jogged from a sidedoor.
❝ can’t imagine what business you have with me, dameron. ❞
poe was undeterred by the deadpan greeting, ❝ good morning to you too. so, ❞ the experience manager clapped his hands together, ❝ i need a favor. ❞
❝ aren’t we all, ❞ poe’s eyes dropped to the thermos. his expression puckered into pity, ❝ fett, what are you gonna let that thing go. look at it, it’s older than you and me. combined. don’t you have a collection of company tumblers like the rest of us? ❞
❝ i give them back. this works just fine. ❞
❝ fett, c’mon, you’re drinking lockjaw. how ‘bout i give you one of mine? you know, for helping me out. or i’ll do you one better: i’ll get you that new one they just got in at jurassic traders. looks like something spat out of an army surplus. real camp, straight from the ‘90s. right up your alley. ❞
silence permeated. dameron sucked in his lips, waiting for at least something snide to breach the straight line of boba’s expression. nothing forthcoming, dameron mouthed a deferring okay and continued on.
❝ anyway, dillon, my, uh, new favorite trainee that i’m so glad claire gave to me, was supposed to help rey this morning. he, well, couldn’t make it. ❞ dameron ran his fingers through his hair, teeth gritted. ❝ kid took a sino to the family jewels yesterday and hasn’t been without an ice pack since. ❞
❝ and? your girl can handle younglings. ❞
❝ well, yeah, ❞ dameron agreed, twirling a hand, ❝ but the wannabe littlefoot has been going through this temper tantrum phase. one parasaur keeps yacking up breakfast. the aforementioned ceratops will not stop trying to punt people. and yesterday, little johnny got bucked into next sunday. his mom, not thrilled. lawyers were mentioned. i’d really, really, really like to avoid that today. ❞
❝ want me to beg? i’ll beg. in fact, i’ll get on my knees. make a whole damn scene. till everyone in the office has their nose to the windows. you want that, fett? some drama to go with your instant tetanus? ❞
poe started to descend, not breaking eye contact with the other man.
❝ dameron. ❞ boba warned. poe immediately sprung back and clapped his colleague on the back.
❝ good man! ❞ the manager abruptly sped back to the door he emerged from, shouting over his shoulder, ❝ just keep an eye out for jewels. we’re running low on ice packs. ❞
❝ jewels? ❞ dark brows furrowed, fearing the answer.
he wished he was surprised. ❝ you named her jewels. ❞
poe threw up a hapless shrug as he disappeared beyond the door.
the nursery that supplied the petting zoo with its attractions looked no different from the ones for bipedal children. white walls painted with colorful flowers and butterflies. puzzle piece floor mats in primary colors covered most of the floor. scattered plush of various sizes; some recognizable like a sorcerer mickey mouse whose blue wizard hat had seen better days. what betrayed the room’s intended toddlers were the kong brand dog toys made for the highest possible domesticated bite force and the safety measures tested to withstand 1360 kilos of prehistoric muscle.
as fett expected, rey was at the heart of the romp of tiny titans. he could see her clearly through the window of the security door, hear her too despite the thick plating. she had a way with the prehistoric few could hope to replicate. even boba, who grew up alongside ingen’s creations, struggled to breach the gap of eons with the same charismatic ease. if owen grady had half a mind to let the girl near his raptors, fett suffered no doubt she’d have them mewling like kittens in a matter of hours.
❝ hive’s queenright, ❞ the quip came on the heels of the entry hissing shut. boba placed his thermos on the flat top of a half wall, out of reach of any stray tails or crests. his arrival wasn’t deemed worthy of interrupting playtime. the younglings crashed around their specialized barrack, fawning over their caretaker instead. only a single sinoceratops spared him more than a cursory glance.
the ceratopsid was on the runt side. her footpads much too big in comparison to the rest of her growing bulk. proportions that made her gallop as graceful as a ragdoll. she bleated in boba’s direction and tripped over herself to face him. performing an imbalanced shiko, she lifted up a floppy foot and slapped it down in a warrior stance. the youngling lowered her head, kicked the royal blue foam several times, and charged — her trajectory, full speed into boba’s pelvic region.
fett reacted quickly. one hand grabbed her nasal horn, the other secured her crest. gently, the man guided her momentum in a circle around him. with a temperamental honk, the sino came to a pouty halt.
the ceratopsid retorted with a snort.
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