3

THE CHAMBER was high-roofed and circular, with many huge windows Cad Bane doubted he'd be able to get to without a Jedi stopping him first. The room was also ringed with seats – some of them occupied by holograms, but a few of them resident to actual Jedi Masters. He could identify them all: Master Yoda, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi…

Cad Bane's eyes widened.

"KENOBI!" he snarled in rage, jerking forward. Immediately, a clone seized him in a headlock with his blaster stretched out in front of his neck, but still Cad Bane thrashed, blinded by sheer wrath. "You'll pay for what you pulled on me!"

Obi-Wan regarded Bane with his crystal blue eyes, slowly stroking his chin with one hand. His eyebrows were arched. "On the contrary, Bane, I think you'll thank me. Nice to see you again, by the way."

Cad Bane let out a choked noise that was somewhere between a scoff and a harsh laugh. "Thank you?! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Take it easy, Bane," Obi-Wan said calmly, one hand raised. The slight smirk of amusement that tugged at the corner of the Jedi's lips infuriated Cad Bane even more. "We only wish to talk, and I think you might like what we have to say."

Cad Bane growled faintly, trying to settle down, his crimson eyes narrowed. His insides burned for revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi – it was his fault Bane had been in jail, but more than that, Obi-Wan, disguised as another bounty hunter, had tricked Cad Bane into giving him his trust. Bane had even saved his life out of sheer respect for the other man – that is, a man that had been nothing but a guise. There was nothing Cad Bane hated more than blatant dishonor, and if anyone had ever showed that in his presence, Obi-Wan had. And after that betrayal, there was no one Bane despised greater than Kenobi.

At the same time, however, it wasn't every day a prisoner of the Republic was called to have a conference of some sort with the Jedi Council. Cad Bane figured whatever they had to say to him was worth hearing.

"So say it then," he spat, glowering at Obi-Wan. "I have no desire to waste any more time even looking at the likes of you longer than I got to."

For some reason, that made Obi-Wan hide a smile behind his closed hand. It looked like he was trying hard not to laugh.

Before Cad Bane could explode again, Mace Windu spoke up, resting his chin on one fist as he studied Bane with careful dark eyes. "We have a… proposition for you."

Cad Bane eyed him back silently, waiting to hear more. He was already interested.

"A grave problem, we are facing," remarked Master Yoda solemnly. "Gone missing, one of our own has."

Missing? A Jedi? Cad Bane thought, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening, what they were doing. They were offering him… a job.

"Go on," he said quietly, staring back at them with intrigue.

"A rather new Jedi Master, Iona Dyse," Mace continued with a frown. "She went missing over a month ago. We've sent search parties out already, but so far, nobody's managed to find any sign of her."

Obi-Wan spoke again, his fingers now steepled in front of his face. "And we figured, Bane, that there is no one more skillful at finding people than you."

"Flattery ain't gonna get you nowhere, Kenobi," Bane snarled at him, then turned his narrowed eyes back on Mace Windu. "So what you're sayin' is, you want me to find this Jedi girl for you?" Cad Bane scoffed. "After you've thrown me in prison? I know you Jedi are smarter than that." He lifted a would-be brow. "What's in it for me?"

Mace Windu's brow was raised as well as he continued to regard Cad Bane carefully. "Your freedom."

The two words fell like a mallet across the surface of a bell. Cad Bane stared at the Jedi in silence, brooding over that statement. That was certainly a worthy payment – and Cad Bane intended to collect.

However, it was obvious they wouldn't just let him go running off. They knew as well as Bane did that he would just go on his way with no interest in tracking down their lost Jedi friend.

"Okay," Bane said slowly. "Wha's the catch?"

"The catch is that you are going to have to be chaperoned by one of us." Cad Bane grimaced in displeasure. "Namely…" Mace hesitated, and then Bane saw the Jedi's eyes slide over to glance towards the right-hand side of the room…

"OH NO!" Cad Bane shouted. "NO WAY! FORGET IT! I WOULD RATHER ROT IN THAT CELL THAN GO ANYWHERE WITH OBI-WAN KENOBI!"

"Ouch," Kenobi remarked. He seemed more amused than anything about all of this, which Cad Bane resented.

"Well, that's fine," Mace Windu said, folding his arms across his chest. "I guess we have no choice but to put you right back in prison." He raised a brow. "But I'm afraid we will no longer be dividing your cell with a ray shield."

Cad Bane froze. "What?"

"If you refuse to help us, we will be deactivating the ray shield in your cell," Mace restated, the ghost of a smile tracing his lips. "And I've heard you're not particularly fond of your cell mate."

As Cad Bane processed this numbly in horror, Obi-Wan glanced over at Mace. "To say the least. I heard after only five hours together, Bane attempted to kill him," he remarked.

Mace looked vaguely amused. "All right, why? I have happened to have to deal with Cad Bane before, and I know that he's far from unstable. Let me guess… he liked his hat?"

Obi-Wan let out a startled snort, then started chuckling. "No, I believe what he told the guards after they got him unstuck was that his cell mate was simply annoying." He looked at Bane not-so-innocently. "What was it you said – you couldn't stand him for even a second longer without going insane?"

Cad Bane was silent, still lost in the sheer horror of having to share a cell with that repulsive nitwit again.

Yoda just listened to the whole conversation with amusement, then gazed at Cad Bane and remarked wryly, "Changed your mind, have you, hmm?"

Cad Bane just stared at them, realizing with a sinking feeling that they had left him with absolutely no choice.