Chapter 20
A few days had passed since Cad Bane had returned into Tierra's life and was welcomed into Adena's. True to his word, he found the time to be with his daughter, but most of the time she just slept in his arms.
"I don't know if she can pass as a bounty hunter with her sleeping habit," Bane said to Tierra.
"She will grow out of it, someday," she replied, but then, she looked out of the window to see clone troopers marching through the street.
"Bane, stay down," Tierra ordered and Bane hid behind the bed.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Clone troopers and their Jedi generals," Tierra answered when she saw Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Won Kenobi.
In the square, Skywalker and Kenobi asked the town folk if they had seen Cad Bane. "Shit, they're looking for you!" Tierra exclaimed in a whisper.
"Just act like you haven't seen me," he replied and then, there was a knock at the door and Tierra ran down the stairs to answer before DOT did.
"Yes?" she asked through a crack in the door.
"Miss, we're looking for a dangerous fugitive, have you seen or heard anything of Cad Bane?" Skywalker asked and Tierra peeked her head out.
"No, I haven't," she quickly replied and hoped that the Jedi general and his clone troopers would leave and better yet that Skywalker didn't recognize her.
"Who lives here with you?" Skywalker asked.
"My service droid and my baby daughter, she's asleep," Tierra replied, but Skywalker sensed that someone else was in the house.
"Miss, can you please open this door and step out," Skywalker ordered, but Tierra refused to obey and slammed the door shut.
"Bane, hide!" Tierra said when she entered the bedroom.
"Not going to happen," he replied and prepared his blaster.
Skywalker used the Force to open the door and enter the house with his troops. "Skywalker!" Bane shouted at the top of the stairs, "It's me you want! Catch me if you can!"
"Don't shoot him! We need him alive!" Skywalker ordered his troops and lit up his lightsaber. Bane shot rounds at the Jedi, but Skywalker dodged or blocked them.
The commotion had awakened Adena and she started to cry and Bane heard her. He can't let Skywalker take his daughter and Tierra, they were more valuable to him than Republic credits.
Suddenly, Skywalker used a strong Force push and Bane was sent flying to the ground. He was not knocked out and he saw Skywalker enter the bedroom.
"Arrest Bane and remove the woman and child to a safe place," Skywalker ordered, but that made Bane tick.
In the bedroom, Skywalker found the baby, crying in the crib, and was about to take her, when Bane stormed in and shouts, "Skywalker! Get away from my daughter!"
Bane held up his blaster, with Tierra beside him. Skywalker stared at Bane and back at the baby, who showed her red eyes to him.
"Your daughter?" the Jedi asked and Bane nods. Just then, some of the troops grabbed Bane and disarmed him.
"Wait!" Skywalker said to the troops and they stopped. "Let them go," he ordered and the troops released Bane and Tierra. Both of them ran up to the crib, Bane held up his blaster at Skywalker, while Tierra held Adena in her arms.
"Easy now," Skywalker said to Bane, but he refused to let down his guard. "I'm sorry I didn't know," the Jedi added and holstered his lightsaber.
"Sir, we have to take Cad Bane into custody," one clone trooper said to his general.
"Skywalker, wait," Tierra stepped forward and moved the strains of hair that covered the left side of her face.
"Lady Kenina Daube?" Skywalker asked when he recognized her, but Tierra shook her head.
"I am not her ladyship, but I did take her place as she was a target of her half-brother's attempts on her life. Unfortunately, Tytus Daube left me scarred, but if it weren't for Cad Bane, I would not be here nor our daughter, Adena," Tierra explained to Skywalker.
The Jedi couldn't believe his ears; the bounty hunter had saved this woman's life and Skywalker knew that Bane did it out of love, something he did not expect of the Duro.
Skywalker had saved his wife, Padmé many times and it was out of love and he did not want to separate the three, but he had to follow orders and bring Bane into justice.
"Skywalker, I beg you," Tierra said, "Don't take Cad Bane away from us."
The Jedi decided to defy his orders and help them get out of the capital and away from Naboo. "Troops," he said, "As of now, you're sworn to secrecy. Don't utter a word of this."
The troops obeyed and Skywalker says to the three, "Grab whatever you can carry and follow me."
Both Bane and Tierra breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went to grab whatever was needed, but mostly of Adena's items. Tierra looked at DOT, the droid had powered down since the other night.
"It's best to forget it," Bane said to Tierra. She had to agree and hoped that DOT would find another master. Both of them followed Skywalker out the door, through the square and went into the jungle.
They located the Xanadu Blood II, but before Bane and Tierra, with Adena got in, they turned to face Skywalker. "I never do this, but I tip my hat to you, as a sign of my gratitude, Jedi," Bane said to Skywalker, tipping his hat to him.
"I'll let you off just this one time, bounty hunter, but if we meet, again, I will have you arrested, and I hope, for the sake of your daughter, it won't happen," the Jedi replied and Bane nodded.
The Duro and Tierra, with Adena in her arms, hurried inside the starfighter ship and Bane started it up. Just as the ship lifted up into the sky, blaster shots were heard.
Skywalker turned around to see his master, Kenobi and his troops shooting at the Xanadu Blood II. "Master, stop! Stop shooting!" the Jedi general ordered and his troops shouted at their comrades to stop shooting.
"Anakin, what is going on?!" Kenobi demanded.
"Bane has two hostages on broad, a mother and her baby, we can't risk shooting it down, or else they'll be killed," Skywalker lied and hoped that his master would buy it.
Bane maneuvered the ship and it flew away from the capital and from the planet of Naboo. Adena, who had been fussing and crying during the fight, was calming down and stared up at her mother.
"This whole mess was my fault," Bane said to Tierra.
"We didn't know, so there is no need to blame yourself," she replied and Bane released a sigh. "Where can we go? We can't go to Coruscant or Lowell will have a fit."
Bane checked on several coordinates, "We need to refuel and head to the Inner Rim, we'll discuss where when we land," he said.
"How far can this ship go?" Tierra asked, rocking Adena to sleeping.
"We can reach Ando and stop there for fuel and rest," Bane answered and sets the coordinates for the planet, Ando. He then reached his hand for Tierra's and held it tight, "We will make it through," he said to her.
The Xanadu Blood II flew towards the destination Bane had set for and he watched his partner, Tierra cradle their daughter to sleep. However, he thought of Skywalker's act of mercy towards them and Bane would never forget that, but he hoped that they will never meet, again, otherwise it will be a death sentence for Bane.
From the author: Sorry for not updating, it's been hectic with school and my personal life. I hope to find the time in completing this story, but it will be a long time I promise!