Chapter Thirteen

Proposition

Outer Rim, 'Gimmix'. 1 Standard day after the execution of Contingency Order 66.

Ahsoka had learned long ago to expect the unexpected, when dealing with members of the criminal underworld. Given that these denizens often earned their livelihood off of deception and double-crossing, one never could be wary enough. Whether it was a petty pick pocket snagging her lightsaber in a seedy bar on Coruscant's lower levels, or a deadly assassin outwitting the finest of Alderaan's security personnel, the tenacious outlaw was always keeping to the shadows, and rarely revealed true intentions until it was too late to stop them.

So naturally, Ahsoka had fully expected to be given only the most convoluted of tales from Cad Bane when he began to outline his 'proposition.' Either that, or perhaps some expression of a personal vendetta - Ahsoka after all had a dark sort of repertoire with the bounty hunter. Revenge wasn't the way of the bounty hunter any more than the Jedi - for vastly different reasons - but it wasn't at all inconceivable that Bane wanted to make a trophy of the feisty Padawan who had frustrated more than one of his operations.

There were other ways Cad Bane could have fulfilled Ahsoka's expectations. He had, after all, been the subject of a dangerous experiment in Force coercion, where - at Ahsoka's prompting - three powerful Jedi Masters had with brute mental force compelled Bane to cooperate with their rescue attempt. The incident had been an uncomfortable memory in Ahsoka's mind ever since - though she hadn't thought about it much till now; even at the time, part of her felt chilled at the dark nature of her own suggestion.

Recalling Bane's agonized screams reminded her why she had felt that way, back then. And she wondered whether the bounty hunter now intended to settle the score.

So it was with some surprise and not a little unsettlement that Ahsoka discovered that Bane had no apparent interest in discussing their wartime encounters. Certainly he remembered exactly who she was, but it seemed nothing was to come of their dubious history.

Instead, Ahsoka learned another lesson: when it came to Cad Bane, expecting the unexpected was entirely too predictable.

"So I take it you've discovered it's open season on your type, lately," Bane began with a lazy drawl. "

"You would put it like that," Ahsoka muttered with a glare, though inwardly she was struck with a pang at the reminder of the tragedy she had so narrowly escaped. It took far too much effort, but she forced the grief back, willing her eyes to remain narrowed - and dry.

"So you're probably also aware that your Jedi friends are about as good as Bantha fodder by now."

He's goading me, Ahsoka told herself, even as she began to blink back traitorous tears - not only of sadness, but of offense and indignation at his flippancy - while she struggled to meet Bane's calculating gaze. She couldn't be sure whether he was attenpting to manipulate her or simply living up to his calloused reputation, but Ahsoka knew that the moment she showed signs of breaking, her chances of negotiation would become slim indeed - revealing emotion was a dangerous thing when tangling with the likes of Cad Bane.

The bounty hunter cocked his head, raising a hand to rap his bony chin with a finger as though in thought. "What if I were to tell you," he began, "that not quite all of your kind were dead, just yet?"

Despite her best efforts, a thrill ran through Ahsoka at this implied confirmation that yes, some Jedi had survived, she wasn't the last of her kind like she had secretly feared. But before her feelings got the better of her, she was responding to Bane's question, his quasi-hopeful news lending her composure some strength.

"Wouldn't be news to me," she answered his question with a raise of the eyebrow, trying to portray a confidence she didn't quite feel. "We've been through worse setbacks before and we'll get through this one too."

It was sort of true; Ahsoka had learned of a Jedi 'Purge' during the Old Republic era, though she wasn't sure how to quantify or compare the now-distant history lesson with the nightmare she was living under.

Bane on the other hand didn't seem at all perturbed by her display of bravado. "What if I then told you that I have access to information on some of your fellow stragglers?"

Another spike of emotion and perhaps some forlorn hope took hold of Ahsoka, though by now she had more or less learned the drill of tamping down on her feelings. Given that Bane was an outlaw, she reasoned, it wasn't at all shocking that he'd be aware of a fresh influx of fugitives among the sort of places they sought refuge.

That didn't stop her from hoping he knew something more. And her desperation to know probably did leak into her next retort, though she did scowl as best she could. "And why should I believe you know anything about this?"

The bounty hunter chuckled, a strange and low rumble beneath his closed lips. "You probably shouldn't, but then again, I was able to track you down, wasn't I? That's got to count for something."

Ahsoka stared at him, suddenly struck with the obvious and yet immensely consequential nature of Bane's revelation. He did track us. Somehow he was able to be right on top of the Republic movements. If he has that detailed of intel on others...

For a moment her imagination took over. If she had direct access to Republic intel, she and Rex could follow the trails of her fellow Jedi through the eyes of their pursuers. And if they had the means, that meant Jedi could be rescued. Lives could be saved. Friends might be found.

"How?" she demanded, her pulse increasing as she almost unconsciously leaned forward. "How were you able to get access to that? You've got to tell me..."

She trailed off and was immediately overcome with the obvious and embarrassing fact that Bane didn't have to give her anything. She was a beaten and bedraggled Padawan, he held all the chips.

She flinched inwardly at the insult she knew was coming. "Mmm..." Bane murmured, "'fraid I can't do that. You see youngling, information is a commodity in this business. And accurate information always costs you extra. I can't just go around handing out my trade secrets, you know."

Ahsoka felt an urge clench her fists and maybe scream for a while, even though logically she knew there was no point in reacting at all. Even if Bane had the leads he claimed, and even if against all conceivable odds he gave them to her, they would do her no good; she had no ship, no resources, no plan.

She didn't bother hiding her despondency as her shoulders slumped and her gaze dropped to her feet. "So why are you here?" she muttered. "If you're just trying to make me feel worse, you've done a smashing job. Now if you could just leave me alone-"

"Hold it, I wasn't finished. I told you I had a proposition, remember?"

There was a mocking inflection in his voice as he tried - and succeeded - to regain her attention, though Ahsoka was hardly hopeful of any better developments at this point. "Yeah, you did. Your point was?"

Bane again brushed aside her snark. "You've got two choices here, so listen closely. One, I let you and your clone consort go free, drop you off on the nearest spaceport and leave you to fend for yourselves. So long as you can avoid being picked up by just about any lawful or otherwise entity in the galaxy, and you don't dare try traveling anywhere, or staying anywhere for that matter, I'm sure you'll be just fine... for an hour or two."

Ahsoka scowled, though at the same time she knew that Bane's oddly worded warning was likely more true than even he knew. Sure, she'd gone undercover before, she knew how to hide and blend in, but that was a far cry indeed from the reality that awaited her outside the space-station's walls. There would be no Republic troops to call in for help, no fellow Jedi to provide critical backup when cover was blown. And in the past, for the vast majority of cases, revealing her identity as a Jedi was the ace up her sleeve; it was the status that got her where she needed to be without undue resistence, made suspects begin talking, and granted her access to all manner of regular services; transportation, weapons, food and lodging, communications.

She couldn't even fathom how different things must be now, in every spaceport and on every world with Republic presence. How could she, when her most valuable and revered possession - her status as a Jedi - was now her own death warrant?

But she wasn't about to agree with the bounty hunter. "Anything would be better than sitting here staring at you ugly face," she shot back. "So if we're done here why don't you just get this over with and let us go!"

At that Bane stepped away from the wall where he'd been leaning, and began to pace in slow motion in front of her, each step lazy and calculated at the same time. "You haven't heard the second option yet," he observed, without meeting her eyes.

"Maybe if you spent less time with the dramatic pauses you could tell me, then," she retorted, vaguely aware that she was taking a risk being so brash but not really caring. It wasn't like she could win Bane's favor by sucking up to him, and in truth he never seemed to pay her smart comments any mind.

It was no different this time. "It's simple, really," he began, turning about on his heel and continuing to pace. "You stay here. I have a ship, I can give you shelter, at this facility among others. You work with me, and in return, I give you the information you're wanting. You can find what's left of your friends, and I'll provide my services in retrieving them."

"Retrieving? Is that your new word for capturing?" Ahsoka sneered, though in the back of her mind she was already trying to imagine what sort of boon Bane's 'offer' could bring them. "You're just trying to use me as bait to catch more Jedi, aren't you?"

Bane paused, whether in thought or for effect she wasn't sure, then replied with a shrug, "Nobody would be keeping them here, whether they stay or not is no concern of mine. That's for you to quarrel over."

Snark and brashness utterly failed her in that moment, and Ahsoka could only stare dumbfounded. He's... but he'd never... why would... he's offering to help us?

Her disbelief suddenly turned to sour suspicion. "You must think I'm a real gundark to fall for that," she accused. "You know as well as I that there'll be a price on my head, and you're just going to turn me in when you get tired of me."

"Has it ever occurred to you," Bane continued almost as though he hadn't heard her, "That there's a price on my head as well?"

Ahsoka did a double take, caught off guard by the unexpected counter. Before she could reply he was speaking again. "And for that matter, there's credits on the neck of every associate I've had as long as I've been in the business. That's how it works outside the law, youngling-" Ahsoka bristled at the condescending lecture even as she absorbed every word "-you don't trust nobody, you watch your back and you take no prisoners. Metaphorically speaking, mind you."

"I didn't come here for a lesson on outlaw practices-"

"You didn't come here at all, that was my contribution. But if you hope to survive more than four Standard hours out there you'd do good to learn a little something."

Again Ahsoka found herself taken by surprise, realizing in an instant that Cad Bane - perhaps more than any one individual in the galaxy - was the perfect 'mentor' for the unwilling outlaw that she had become. Bane did know how to watch his back, cover his tracks, and stay alive and at large despite the best efforts of military and law enforcement.

And while her first thought was the inevitable bounty that was sure to come out for Jedi like herself, again... Bane had a point. Every criminal had a price on their heads, and while Ahsoka had no way of knowing exactly how much the Chancellor would be willing to pay for her own, Bane's cronies were all on wanted lists themselves. So it was possible for these outlaws to coexist, and even collaborate... couldn't the same be possible for herself and Rex?

Her brow furrowed as she tried to sort her thoughts. Rex certainly wouldn't hear of it, not that she could blame him. Entering an alliance with Bane would go against Rex's every instinct, and Ahsoka felt much the same about it. And yet, if it meant even a chance at helping her fellow survivors...

"But why?" she pressed, her gaze still narrowed towards the pacing Duros. "Why would you want me as a partner, anyway? Really, Bane-" just saying his name that way made her want to spit "- we don't exactly have a great rapport."

"Define great," Bane responded with a shrug. "You've got teeth, you've held your own in plenty a brawl, you've even gotten... lucky, a few times."

He shot her a quirky look that she didn't quite get at first, before she recalled her role in apprehending Bane on Naboo - no to mention her other role in the aftermath, during his interrogation.

Whether that was what had come to Bane's mind she couldn't tell, but he didn't seemed inclined to dwell upon it. "The fact is youngling that you've got potential to be a decent accomplice, and I'm no fool when it comes to this business. You're sharp, you're aggressive, a tad too honest, and-"

At that moment, and without the faintest warning, Bane spun about with breathtaking suddenness, drawing his blaster and aiming straight for Ahsoka's head.

Her reaction was an adrenaline-fueled blur; before she'd had time to be shocked she had ducked and hurled herself prostate on her cot, and was just about to spring for the floor when she heard Bane make a sound that could have been a grunt of approval.

"Aware of your surroundings."

She froze at Bane's voice, and looked up, heart pounding, her leg burning with the sudden strain, and her breath short. The bounty hunter was looking down at her with a smirk, his blaster still trained on the spot where her head had been mere seconds ago.

"And not so slow on your feet, to boot," he finished, holstering his weapon as though nothing had happened. He stepped away from her cot, not so much as offering a hand to pull her up; not that Ahsoka would have accepted it, but really, he could have offered.

Biting back a groan, she pulled herself back into a sitting position, wincing and gasping as her muscles once again protested her premature exertions. The unexpected assault was alarming, but it was offset by the fact that he obviously wasn't intended to harm her. In fact, it seemed she had just been complimented.

But seriously, I think he could have found another way to make that point.

"So what's it gonna be?" Bane asked without facing her, the spontaneous mock attack apparently forgotten, "Are you going to take me up on my offer, or no?"

Her breath had returned to normal, though her limbs ached anew, and Ahsoka took a moment to consider he answer. For the first time during their entire discussion, she felt an urge - not just a fleeting impulse, but a serious inclination - to say yes. Yes, of course she'd agree to work with Bane if it meant a chance to find and rescue her fellow survivors, to strike back at the system that had betrayed them, to search out and perhaps be reunited with lost friends: Barriss Offee, Master Plo Koon, Master Shaak Ti, Master Obi-Wan and so many others that she couldn't bring herself to give up on yet.

Surely this wasn't an unreasonable comprise? Yes, Cad Bane was a criminal, but so was she in a way, and it couldn't be so unusual for armed fugitives to form alliances with his type, could it? Wasn't that to be expected? Couldn't this arrangement be what she and Rex needed to find their footing, and make the first steps towards resistence?

Still, part of her - she honestly couldn't say whether it was the logical part or the sentimental - revolted at the idea, the risk of remaining with Cad Bane. He made no bones about it - he wasn't someone to be trusted. Even if his intentions now were straightforward, there was no telling whether he could have a change of heart - interest, rather. And by the bounty hunter's standard, if that were to happen, and she were caught, she would only have herself to blame. There was no escaping the treacherous ground she was treading.

In the back of her mind she was beginning to acknowledge that her answer was almost inevitably going to be yes. She wouldn't admit that to Bane, not without drawing it out first, and she absolutely needed to discuss it with Rex. Not that she wondered what his reaction would be, but her friend and fellow ex-officer had always excelled at listening to her ideas and giving an honest, fair assessment. He'd never tell her what she wanted to hear, but he'd tell her the truth. He'd tell her that this scheme was dangerous and risky and mad, and that it was as likely to end with the loss of both their lives than with the saving of any others.

But it's worth the risk, she told herself. Even if it means I get turned in eventually, if I can save even one Jedi from the same, it's got to be worth it. I can't just hole up in some hovel and hide forever. This is probably the only chance I'll get to fight back, to get the tools I need to fight back.

"That was a question, just so you know."

Bane's gritty voice brought Ahsoka's attention back to the present, and she forced herself to remain calm, or at least look like it. She couldn't just accept his offer, no like that. After all, if she was soon going to be watching her back for fear of her theoretical 'ally', she might as well start now.

And Bane really hadn't yet answered the big question she'd been posing all along.

"Why?" she asked, her tone icy and pointed. "Why would you even think of this sort of alliance? What makes you think I'd be interested at all?"

"I told you," Bane began to respond, "You've got the potential to be a valuable associate, a-"

"Don't flatter me, Bane, I know you're no philanthropist. You aren't in this just to improve my chances of survival. What do you want? What do you hope to gain by this... arrangment?"

Bane took a moment to answer that one, remaining silent for a moment, and ironically Ahsoka found herself almost desperately hoping he'd have a plausible response. If such a thing existed.

"It's a long story," he answered, speaking much more slowly than he normally did. "I suppose you could say that I've some old scores to settle, and it just so happens that our enemies' list lines up."

Ahsoka blinked at the cryptic answer, before remembering that Bane had often been employed by Dooku and the Separatists, pitting him against the Republic on a regular basis. She would know that, after all. Perhaps it was natural that he have some interest in antagonizing their now-mutual foe?

"What do you mean?" she pressed, "What sort of grudge do you have against-"

"Professionals don't just give away their secrets, you know," Bane interrupted with a sharp glare. "You know more than enough to make this call. If you need to know more, you'll know."

Not an unreasonable answer, even in Ahsoka's mind, though she chafed at being denied the details she wanted. Something did seem... off about Bane as he answered; nothing implying deception or anything like that, only a general sense of... maybe unease, but it was so fleeting and subtle she wrote it off as her own imagination.

Bane was still waiting for her answer, and Ahsoka knew that while she'd never be able to bring herself to say no, she couldn't say yes either, not now, not yet, not alone.

"I'm thinking about it," she allowed, before adding, "I'm not deciding till I talk it over with Rex. The sooner you bring him in here, the sooner you'll have your answer."

Bane's eyes seemed to narrow at her, and Ahsoka felt a brief bit of triumph at finally getting a chance to actually negotiate from a position of power, ironic as that may have sounded given that she was sitting in a cell while bound at the wrists. Finally the bounty hunter nodded, then turned to leave, deactivating the shield and - interestingly - leaving it down as he turned and disappeared up the corridor.

Of course Ahsoka wasn't going to go anywhere, and she couldn't really in her condition, but the fact that Rex would be here soon was enough to cause her to clasp her hands in eagerness. I just hope he's okay, she thought, her gaze not leaving the abandonded corridor just past the wall of the cell. She had been treated well enough so far, and Rex would have taken care of himself just fine.

As she awaited Bane's return she continued to mull over the strange and unexpected things she had heard from the bounty hunter. In so many ways he had taken her completely by surprise with his proposition, she still wasn't sure she believed it.

And part of her didn't believe it. The part of her that Rex would agree with, she could be sure. But even in her most hopeful of thoughts Ahsoka knew that this was only a few steps shy of utter foolhardiness. Of all the people in the galaxy, Bane was the last one a wanted fugitive needed to be near. And yet, if taking that risk gave her access to the kind of intel that could save lives, reunite friends... how could she refuse?

Her anxious gaze fell on the empty corridor again, and she willed Rex to appear around the corner with each passing second. There was so much she had to tell him, so much that he wouldn't believe, that he wouldn't accept. It was ludicrous, incredible. Rex was too responsible for such an alliance. He'd be a fool to take Bane's words at face value, even if he eventually resigned himself to follow her leading.

As she sat in the cell, unarmed, handcuffed, her bare feet rubbing together as they swung from the edge of her cot, Ahsoka wondered just who was the bigger fool.

Author's Note: (Updated 5/5/12)

Complete rewrite of Bane's dialogue with Ahsoka. Big thanks to laloga for her feedback!

Thanks for reading, and please review!