"Wake the Ashes"
Chapter Ten: Reunion
"Faster than the post train
Burning like a slow flame on
I'll send a storm
To capture your heart
And bring you home"
-Phidel, "Storm Song"
The figure emerged from the shadows, taking slow, precautions steps. As he stepped into the light flooding from the house, he lifted his head to look up.
Bane watched him coldly, his whole body tensed with a sudden rush of adrenaline. There was no doubt in his mind. It was Embo, all right. Although Bane immediately recognized him as soon as he saw his face and his gait, the shield-hat ultimately gave it away more than anything. It now had numerous cracks and scratches and dents Bane did not recall seeing there before.
The Kyuzo help up his hands, both of which were empty.
"Are you going to lay down your weapons, now?" Embo asked in a quiet tone.
Bane laughed curtly.
"Why don't you tell me what the hell you're doing here first?"
"I came alone. And I am unarmed." Embo hesitated. "I was not sent here to kill you, if that is what you were wondering."
"Thanks for the clarification. You still haven't told me what the hell you're doing here. I'm pretty damn sure it wasn't just to talk."
Embo took a step closer, and Bane aimed the blasters at his head.
"Take another step and it'll be your last. Don't test me."
Much to Bane's surprise, Embo began to scratch his chin and let out a healthy, hearty laugh. Bane had rarely recalled hearing the sound of Embo's laugh in all the years they had known each other, and it did not sound anything like he had expected it to. But as Bane looked him over a second, third, and fourth time, he got a pretty good idea of what nine years had done to the Kyuzo bounty hunter. First of all, save for the shield-hat, Embo's outfit had changed drastically. He now wore a black vest over a plate of armor which covered the top half of his chest. Two thick belts were wrapped around his stomach. Scabbards as long as Embo's arms hung from either hip. Embo's neck was protected with a blood-orange and bright-yellow scarf that wound around three times before tying together at the back. He wore gloves that begun just below the elbow and ended at his knuckles. His black boots were metal-toed and covered in scratches of various hues, and the knees of his pants were stained with dried mud and differing colors of blood. Bane could also not help but notice an oddly shaped burn severely disfiguring the underside of Embo's left forearm.
"I told you...I'm unarmed and alone," Embo repeated.
Bane decided there was only one way to find out if he was speaking the truth. Without looking away from the Kyuzo standing near his doorstep, Bane whistled for one of the security droids inside to come on out. Once it did, Bane sent a few instructions to him quietly enough so that the Kyuzo would not catch them. The droid promptly followed Bane's orders and checked the security system to see if there were any life forms in the vicinity besides the three of them and Embo's dewback. In addition, the droid checked for any jammed sensors or security breaches on the house, just to be certain that no immediate threat had been set in place. When the droid replied back that everything cleared out, Bane felt a bit calmer, but not by much.
"Tell me how you found this place," Bane said coldly.
"If it helps you feel better, it took me almost an entire year to find you," Embo replied. "You cover your trail very well. The only lead I had was by tracing the history of fuel purchases in the town. I discovered that someone was buying fuel less often but in larger quantities than the other farmers who only live a few miles away. After I had used enough variables to deduce that someone was you, all I had to do was calculate the distance and rough estimate of your location." When Embo had finished his explanation, he seemed a bit smug in spite of himself, and he crossed his arms over his chest.
Bane was less than amused.
"And how did you know I was on Tatooine?"
"That took most of the year. I had to trace back every job you've taken for the past few years, and connect back to which system you were most likely to be at. I also cross-referenced all of the known systems where I knew you had a hideout already in place. You have a lot. Like I said, you cover your tracks well."
"I'm very interested," said Bane, "in knowing why you would take a year of your time just to find me. Somehow I'm not getting the feeling it was for a happy reunion."
"No. It wasn't. Not exactly." Embo took a step closer, opening his vest to further prove he was not armed. He even doffed his shield-hat and laid it on the ground, letting it spin in a few circles as it spiraled toward the front porch of the house. Bane noticed a large scar on the top of Embo's head, and it looked as if it had been there for several years. "I come with a business proposition for you."
"So you did come just to talk. I stand corrected," he said dryly.
"It's been a long time since we have last seen each other. How long has it been, now?"
"Nine years, I reckon."
"Nine years."
Bane slowly backed away. He put away both blasters but decided to keep them at his sides just in case. As he opened the door to the house, he beckoned inside, focusing on every single one of Embo's movements all the while. Every second that passed lessened Bane's thoughts that Embo posed as an actual danger to them, but only slightly. Unless Embo had changed beyond recognition in nine years, he was still the type of man who would be all right with betraying an old friend if it brought him great benefit. And that meant Bane had to be extra careful, ready to kill at a moment's notice.
"Come in," Bane said quietly.
"Thank you." Embo walked in first and had to lower his head to walk through the doorway.
Bane followed him and gestured to the kitchen table. All at once Bane was suddenly aware, on a new heightened level, of everything in the house Embo may take note of. Everything from the handmade items Takira had made, to the boots and polish he left on the floor, to the large box of holobooks in the corner. This aside from all the regular supplies and unsorted junk that collected in the corners, on top of the couch and chairs, and the walls littered with notes and charts. Long loops of thick string hung from the ceiling, from which Bane liked to tie small tools or items he might find useful from time to time and did not want to lose. They varied from nuts and bolts and old holochips to small hammers and empty disks. Some disappeared over time, but most preferred to stay and collect dust. But Bane had learned more than ever in nine years that it was better to save money than physical space, and to save everything you could because you just never knew. He watched Embo as he glanced around the house.
"Go right ahead. Sit down," Bane said.
Embo leaned his shield-hat against the wall and sat down in one of the chairs at the table. Bane poured some hot water from the sink into the caf maker and flipped the switch on. Then he, too, took off his hat and pulled up the chair across from Embo. Meanwhile, the Kyuzo had taken off his gloves for more comfort. Under the bright indoor lights, Bane could see that Embo's hands were full of dry cracks and scars. The tips had been sliced off of a few of his fingers as well, as if by a sharp tool. Embo's eyes also seemed a bit weaker, although it could easily just be the desert that had done so. But for what it was worth, and considering all that could have happened in nine years' time, Embo did not look so bad.
"Where's your anooba, by the way? Marrok, was it?" Bane asked as he listened to the hot water brewing. He stood up and searched around one of the shelves. He found two cups and a small box containing the tea bags, and he set all three in the middle of the table.
Embo absently fished through the box and selected a green tea mix. Then he glanced away.
"Marrok has been dead for almost one year, now."
"Aw. Too bad."
Embo glared up at him for a fleeting moment. Bane had never been a, so-called, 'animal lover', in fact sometimes he wondered if he actually hated them. Hence his repulsion every time Takira had begged for another pet or something she could look after until it was healed again. That was also why Bane stuck with droids. They were less messy, easier to fix when they were broken, and didn't bite your hand. Not to mention engine oil smelled far better than animal slobber. Embo, on the other hand, had always seemed to have the reverse point of view, at least he did around Bane. Bane also remembered when Embo, just for fun, had used Bane's distaste of animal fur and slobber to his own advantage by way of the anooba Marrok. These were antics which Bane had never forgiven.
Embo sighed and said distantly,
"Marrok was shot by an Imperial stormtrooper on Naboo. I was on Naboo to discuss weapons supplies with a politician who was helping fund the enlistment of our new rebel recruits. A simple meeting, no direct anti-Imperial activity. A squad of troopers was just arriving as we left. I suppose they were too young to have seen any action at that point in time, because they began shooting at Marrok for fun. I could hear them challenging and daring each other to see who would hit him first. Before I could interfere, Marrok was dead."
"How many of those stormtroopers did you kill in return?" Bane asked as he put a random tea bag in his cup.
"None. I could not risk exposing my connections to the rebel cause. I wanted to kill them, but I had no choice. So I waited until the troopers had left before I carried Marrok to a safe place where I could bury him and say goodbye."
"Ever thought about getting a new one?"
"He was not a droid, Bane. Not like your little techno-service counterpart, whatever his name was," Embo snapped. "You cannot simply replace them."
"Whatever. They're all the same to me, anyway."
The water was boiling. Bane stood up and walked over to the pot. He brought it back to the table and poured the water into both their cups. Embo watched him with a somewhat peculiar look on his face, but did not speak again until Bane had sat back down.
"I notice you have a limp."
Bane used a spoon to stir around his tea as he handed another spoon to Embo.
"Yeah. Had an injury that never healed quite right," Bane muttered.
"Unless you're convinced that limp makes you look tougher, you could just save yourself the trouble and get it surgically replaced."
"Of course! That wouldn't cost a credit, surgical replacements are so cheap these days. I can afford it any day. Fuck, why didn't I think of that?"
Embo snorted as he stirred his cup of tea, still watching Bane, who watched him right back.
"If I may be honest with my personal opinion..."
"Might as well if it took you a year to get here," Bane said bitterly.
"...you look more than nine years older. More like eighteen."
"Well, fuck, thanks a lot. It's been an easy nine years, too. Been living the simple and happy way."
"I can tell," Embo retorted. "You chose a decent enough place to live."
"Exactly the type of place no one would want to take the time to come looking for me. That was my reasoning. At least it worked up until a few hours ago."
"So you enjoy it here, then? It is lots of room to yourself, is it not?"
As if right on cue, Bane saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He tried not to glance back at who he knew was Takira emerging from the garage, but it was too late. His eyes flickered in her direction, and Embo noticed, and Embo, being as cautious as Bane, turned around in his chair.
The room fell silent for several moments. Then Bane spoke.
"It's all right," he said to Takira. "He just came to talk. Go back downstairs and come up when I tell you."
Takira nodded, eyes glued on Embo. She backed away to the door when she closed it behind her and went downstairs to the garage.
Embo faced Bane again. His eyes had widened and his shoulders were tensed.
"That's her, isn't it? The little girl I found on Ryloth."
Bane leaned back in his chair, lighting up a cigar.
"Yeah. It's her."
"What's her name?"
"None of your business. You didn't come to check on her."
"Maybe I did. You know, I had no choice but to leave her in your care all those years ago. I thought you were going to find a family to raise her, somewhere she could live safely. Then you could be on your own way."
"Bullshit. Why would I do that? I don't trust anybody to do anything remotely decent, I never did. You know that much."
"How is she?
"I said it's none of your goddamn business, but yes, she's just fine." Bane tried to decide how much he could tell Embo. He was certain there was more to Embo's visit than he knew of. And at any given second, Embo could be upon him with that shield-hat against Bane's neck and he had to be ready for that. After all, why would Embo disappear with no contact whatsoever for nine whole years, and then show up on Bane's doorstep like a prodigal son with his whole, 'hello old friend, how is every little thing? Let's catch up!' It didn't add up. Embo was not the type for idle small talk. Everything that had happened tonight and everything about to happen was for a specific purpose only one person in the house knew about, and unfortunately, that person was not Bane.
On the other hand, Embo was the only one besides Bane who knew about Tee's survival and the fact that Bane had taken her under his care. The doctor who briefly cared for Tee after they left had known that too, but he was killed by an Imperial squad a couple years after the war under suspicions that he had been harboring rogue Jedi.
Perhaps that fact alone was enough to give Embo the right to at least know how Tee was. After all, were it not for Embo, Tee would not have survived that day.
"She's safe here. That's all that matters to me."
"I just want to know if she's all right." Embo leaned forward in the chair, his elbows on the table. "Ever since that day, I had to ask myself if I made the right choice by putting her in your care. I had to wonder if that was a mistake. If I should have done it myself. Or if she would have been better off if she had not lived past that day."
Bane wanted to strangle him. Comes back nine years later and the first stuff out of his mouth is his commentary at all that happened since. Not even asking first, basing his beliefs off stuff that wasn't true. But if he did strangle Embo, he would never find out what Embo came for in the first place, a fact which Bane felt oddly intrigued to know about. If Embo went to so much trouble just to find Bane's hiding place, it must be pretty damn important business. So he could just let Embo die of asphyxiation afterward.
"Listen up. When I brought Tee here, I decided that as long as she was under my care, nothing was going to happen to her. I've taught her everything I could so she can protect herself. She's studied, she's smart, she's healthy. I've done all I know how to do."
"I never considered you trustworthy, Bane. Not for a minute. Nobody who is ever the best at his profession is a trustworthy person. At least that has been my experience."
"Let's change the subject."
"All right. Then tell me, what did you do after the war, besides look after Tee?"
"I disappeared for a while," Bane said. Embo continued sipping from his tea, but Bane did not drink his yet. He cradled the cup in his hands instead. "For about one year I didn't take any jobs. We just lived out here, staying low and fixing up the place. When my accounts began running dry I picked up work again. Though I've only been taking jobs either on this system or in the region."
"That would cut your savings considerably, I imagine."
"Guess you could say that."
Embo nodded, glancing around the house. That was when Bane presumed it was beginning to dawn on Embo as to why the house had so much clutter and was not in the best of shape. Big surprise.
"I see...so you haven't been taking any work too far away from here so the girl is safer?"
Bane rubbed one eye and held back a sigh.
"We're doing all right. Getting by just fine. If that is what you were so concerned about. And now that we're discussing income, I'm curious to know how you've been for the past nine years. Anything exciting happen to you?"
"I kept quiet for some time after the war, too. I needed a bit of peace. But I couldn't stay that way for long, and soon I was back in the business. I get along all right, too."
"It doesn't feel like nine years, does it? Twenty, maybe."
"I remember how things used to be for bounty hunters like us," Embo said quietly, sipping his tea between sentences. "Things were a lot less complicated. There were some at the top of the pile during the war, fellows like you and me. And the rest found work where we didn't bother treading. A lot of work to be found in wartime. But now our kind are just treated like a bunch of retirees. The old breed, they like to call us. All these new kids who don't know war are popping up from all over the place."
"Yeah, that's all cute, but I'm not as sentimental as you. You want to write poetry, keep it to yourself. You still haven't told me what this business proposition of yours is about."
"Of course, my business proposition. I just thought it couldn't hurt to catch up a little before I get down to the point."
Bane stared at Embo for a little while before letting out a small laugh.
Embo gave him a funny look.
"What did I say?" Embo asked.
"It's just, you've grown rather soft since I last saw you. You're more sentimental, with your small talk and all. You've changed. I think you've lost your edge."
At that, Embo seemed to back away. He had been about to take another sip from his tea, but instead he set it down and rose from his chair. Instinctively, Bane rose as well. Finally, he had found a small crack in Embo's armor that he could poke and prod at, something to get Embo worked up so Bane would be another step closer to finding out what was going on.
"I understand. That's how you see it," Embo said simply, clenching his fists.
Bane curled his upper lip.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? 'That's how I see it'?"
"What I mean is, you're right, Bane. I have changed. But not in the way you think. I am not the same man you used to know, but I have not lost my edge. Perhaps if I began to explain myself, you would better understand."
Bane slowly sat back down and held up his hands, which made Embo appear more comfortable and allow him to take a seat again as well.
"All right, Embo. Why don't you start explaining yourself, in that case."
In the garage, Takira tried to busy herself by working on the hydrospanner of the landspeeder. Even what few skills she had about mechanics wouldn't get her very far. Not to mention that she never liked the feel, smell, or texture of grease. She pushed herself out from under the speeder and headed to the sink to wash the grease off her hands.
She could hear voices from upstairs. One was Bane's and the other belonged to the stranger who walked in that night. Takira slapped the towel against the inside of the sink and decided to look for a holobook to occupy herself. She began to search through the holobooks she had brought down to the garage over the past few years, books she liked to read while Bane was working on repairing something and she wanted to read aloud to him or just keep him company. Most of the time they had in the garage together was spent on the long afternoons when he wasn't working. And in those times they did all their catching up and long conversations on any sort of topic. Those were the times Takira liked to do her reading, and he liked to tinker in the garage, and that was what they would do for entire afternoons sometimes. But now, as Takira browsed through the small collection of holobooks that had piled up down here, she could not find anything that grabbed her attention.
It wasn't working. There was no way she could keep herself distracted now.
What else could she even think about? Someone had found their hiding place after all these years of nobody coming even remotely close. Someone had known they were here and walked right up to their doorstop, knowing all along how Bane was going to respond.
But that wasn't all. Takira had seen something in the way the stranger looked at her when she went upstairs, before Bane sent her back down to the garage. It had been a very strange way to look at a person you had never met before. The stranger had looked at her as if he had been holding his breath near to the point of suffocation, and the moment their eyes met was his breath of fresh air. It was as if he had been waiting restlessly to get a glimpse of her, which did not make any sense at all.
Unless they had met before.
The realization was a blow to Takira. She sat down on the bottom step and cradled the tips of her lekku. Surely there was a memory in there somewhere. She knew.
The glowing amber eyes. The green complexion, the mask covering his mouth. The gloved hands that...
Hands that pulled her out of burning wreckage and wrapped a poncho over her head, telling her that she was safe now, and that he had to go back inside but he would be back for her. The air tasted of smoke and ashes. It was just beginning to rain.
That was when she finally remembered. They had seen each other, nine years ago, and it was on that day on Ryloth when she met Bane for the first time and he told her he was going to take her to a new home.
"Oh, my god. It's him. He was there that day. What was his name?" Of course she would not remember his name. But now she knew. The stranger upstairs was the same man who was there on that day. What could he want now, almost a decade later? What could he want from them?
A/N: Sorry this chapter was posted a little late -_- Things happened this week that kept me away.
But yay for old friends reuniting, right? Right! :)