4

THEY GAVE him his own prison cell in which to spend the night. Bane found it difficult to fall asleep when his mind was haunted by the mission he had been forced into doing. Who knew how long he would have to suffer through Obi-Wan's company?

Cad Bane lay in his bunk and stared at the ceiling, gritting his teeth. All he really wanted to do was exact his revenge on Kenobi for pulling the wool over his eyes – preferably by shooting the Jedi full of holes and then dumping his body in front of Count Dooku for a hefty reward payment.

He seriously considered doing that for real, but there were doubts, possible limitations he didn't yet know. I doubt they'll let me carry any arms, perhaps not even any of my equipment. And the blasted Jedi will have his lightsaber, not to mention the dratted Force... Cad Bane tossed and turned, growling in frustration. He was not liking his odds of getting out of this somehow at all. All I really have to do is ditch Kenobi and make a break for it. But it's no easy task running away from a Jedi... and odds are, they'll find a way to track me down. I don't need the Jedi Council having any extra grudges with me. Cad Bane groaned. But if I work with the Jedi, then the Separatists and the Hutts might find out about it and I'll lose some of my highest-paying employers--!!

As much as he didn't like any of it, Cad Bane knew with all the displeasure in the galaxy that there was nothing he could do about it. At least, when it was all said and done, he would have his freedom back and never have to look at Obi-Wan Kenobi or a revolting slug creature ever again.

But how can I even trust the Jedi? Cad Bane growled to himself again as this thought crossed his mind. They know that I'm going to go right back to doing business with the Separatists. What if when I find their lost Jedi, they just throw me right back in jail?!!

No, no, Bane tried to reassure himself, exhaling a long breath. You'll find a way to escape if that starts to happen. You have nothin' really to worry about. It's just another job. You're used to doing jobs. Doing jobs is your life.

The edges of Cad Bane's mouth slowly lifted in a silent snarl. A job with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Before long, it was morning. Eventually, Cad Bane had managed to fall asleep, but after all his years of bounty hunting, he had become a very light sleeper. As soon as the ray shield came down, Cad Bane cracked open one eye to discover, to his displeasure and complete unsurprise, that his visitor was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"What?" Cad Bane snarled, turning his head away. "You here to make a mockery of me again??"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Look, Bane, I'm sorry for that. It's not like it was my idea, and I certainly didn't enjoy it." He paused. "Well, not all of it. Getting under your skin all the time was actually pretty fun."

Cad Bane growled under his breath. "I knew I should've shooted you."

Obi-Wan chuckled lightly, then pressed his fingers together. "The reason I'm here is because we need to begin our investigation immediately. And to start our lovely mission together, I have someone here I'd like you to meet."

"You better hope for your sake it's a doctor," Bane muttered, but he turned over to look, his eyes narrowed. To his astonishment, no one else seemed to be there, albeit a couple of armed clones guarding the entrance.

"Excellent," Cad Bane deadpanned. "They're invisible."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "No, not invisible. She's behind me." Obi-Wan lifted one arm and tried to peer behind him. "It's all right, you know," he said gently. "You can come out. He isn't going to bite."

"I do," Cad Bane warned. "And I will."

Despite this unhelpful statement, as Cad Bane watched, a small figure slowly stepped out from behind Obi-Wan, her tiny alabaster hands clinging on to the Jedi's dark brown robes. Cad Bane's eyes widened in disbelief. It was a kid.

"You brought one of your little Jedi brats into my cell?!" he demanded, astounded and repulsed as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bunk. "You really are an idiot, Kenobi!! I'm the most dangerous bounty hunter in the galaxy!!"

"Cad Bane, this is Maela Press, the Padawan of the Jedi who went missing," Obi-Wan said patiently, ignoring the Duros' protest as he looked down and gently eased the child's hands off of his robes and held them in his. "Maela, this is Cad Bane. He's going to help us find your master."

"Unwittingly," muttered Cad Bane.

Slowly, Maela stepped forward again, and raised her head to stare towards Cad Bane. Cad Bane arched a brow as he studied her. Her face was pale, gentle, and, Cad Bane thought, perhaps just slightly cuter than your average anooba – which was saying something when it came to any human mug. The child's hair was wispy, mousy brown, and hung a couple inches above her shoulders, with sideswept bangs messily trimmed to fall just above her eyes. Her eyes – yes, those were the most striking thing about her, and Cad Bane couldn't help but stare at them. They were milky, like fogged glass. A mere hint of turquoise green was the only clue as to what color they would have been.

This little girl, Cad Bane realized, was blind.

"You call this a Padawan?" he asked gruffly, trying not to seem wavered by the child's blindness. He couldn't get it – How could she ever possibly be a Jedi if she can't see? "It looks more like the scruffiest, most underfed Jedi youngling I have ever seen."

Maela's pale face immediately gained a tinge of red. "I am not a youngling!!" she exclaimed hotly, her voice a high-pitched little squeak of anger. "I am a Jedi Padawan!!"

"I see," said Cad Bane skeptically, eyeing her for a moment more before looking back at Obi-Wan flatly. "This is a joke, isn't it."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips as he placed his hands lightly on Maela's shoulders, regarding Bane with disapproval. "No, Bane. It isn't. And if we're going to be working together, I would like for you to treat Maela with some more respect."

Cad Bane lurched forward slightly with a noise like a choke. "Working – you expect me to work with a little brat, let alone you?!!" The bounty hunter glowered at Obi-Wan and swiped his hand through the air. "No deal, Kenobi!! I'm not gonna have some pipsqueak biting my ankles while I watch my back from getting stabbed by you!!!"

"You don't have a choice," Obi-Wan said, his voice still sounding calm, but it was tightening. "And I trust you will find that Maela will be an asset to you. Not only did she know her master the best, she was the last person known to speak with her, and she may know several clues as to where her master may have gone."

Cad Bane scowled, leaning his elbow against the wall as he regarded Maela with narrowed eyes. The child was red-faced, obviously stung by his words, but her lips were pressed tightly together and she was silent. He had to admit that Kenobi had a point. Cad Bane was more than used to solving disappearance mysteries; he knew very well now that Maela could actually turn out to be quite useful after all. But he still wasn't going to be happy about it.

"Fine," he growled, as though he'd had a choice in the matter, and waved a hand. "She can come, but I expect you to keep a harness on her, Kenobi."

"Don't let what he says harm you, my dear," Obi-Wan murmured into Maela's ear. "He just has little experience with children... or politeness, or regular conversation."

Maela nodded slightly, took a breath, and then seemed to become a little less red in the face.

Cad Bane curled the edge of his mouth. "I can hear you, you know."

"Yes, I do," Obi-Wan said wryly. "I hope you will learn from it. Come now, Maela, Bane. We ought to be going."

"Going where?" Cad Bane was surprised to discover that the child's voice was a lot less annoying when she wasn't responding to an insult. It was soft and thoughtful.

"Why, Cad Bane's apartment, of course," Obi-Wan remarked, lifting his eyebrows at Bane. "After all, we can't have him going around in that loud outfit, can we, Bane?"

Cad Bane stared at Obi-Wan in shock. There were no words. In fact, he was so stunned, he didn't even hear Maela giggle.

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