"Let's cut to the point, which might be a bit challenging for you. What's your real name?"

"Now, when did that become important? Not like I have living family."

Not the family they wanted to hear about anyway.

Also, watching them be annoyed was perfect.

Let them think he was confident. Let them think he knew what he was doing. Let them think he was unafraid. Let them think he was uncaring.

Rule Number One of Being a Decent Manipulator: Lie more than you tell the truth, even—no, especially— when unnecessary.

The Jedi shared a look.

Anakin Skywalker began, "You grew up on the streets, right? Among criminals." Smart. Jean-Luc had told him it was obvious, but he never imagined it would actually be important to be unobvious. Today, it was even less important. He was normal. Easy to read.

Exactly what he wanted them to think.

"We couldn't help you then, but you have a chance to start over. We just need you to answer a few questions, and we could consider releasing you. You've had a rough life, Gambit, but you have the chance to change that. You'd be a hero if we could get you cleared of your other crimes, you saved Ahsoka and I, along with a young girl.

"You'd have everything. We just need you to answer a few questions, then we can work it out. You can have your redemption, your escape from the life you were forced in."

This had to be a joke.

No idiot thought it was an interrogation tactic. This was desperation.

They thought of him so little… it was almost sad.

"Heartwarming, Jedi, but I have no need for you' empty words."

"I'm a Jedi. Do you really think they're empty?"

He shrugged, holding back a "desperate, certainly." "Beside', I prefer the deepest cell of the Republic to you offer."

If that happened, someone was sure to find out. Not a lie.

"That's ridiculous. Who doesn't want that sort of—"

"Master," Ahsoka interrupted.

The clone took over. "I can understand that." He had the wrong idea, but Gambit was not going to correct him. He thought Gambit did not want recognition, did not want empty appreciation. "You still have to be interested in not spending the rest of your life in a Republic cell. Because that's what you're en route to doing."

"I know."

"Have you ever been hired by the Separatist Alliance?" the Knight asked.

Gambit was amused. If he knew it would be this entertaining, who knows? He might have got arrested earlier intentionally. It would have done wonders to lift his mood.

"I' be a bad mercenary if I reveal' my clients the moment some Jedi asked." Obviously, he had, but this was just a transition question. Go for easy stuff, stuff they did not care about, then work their way up to the important stuff. Possibly the most cliche interrogation technique to ever exist.

"You'd be a free one."

"Also a dead one." He already had Jabba the Hutt with a death warrant for him. Even if this was just to warm him up; he needed to end this conversation for his skin's sake. "Don't pretend the Separatists are the only ones hiring my services." I tell you Separatists and I'll tell you every Republic official on record , was implied.

It shut that conversation up.

The Republic really should have outlawed hiring guys like him years ago.

Not that anyone would listen, but it might make the Senate a little more blatant in their corruption.

Give a nice reason to arrest them and overthrow the government.

As it was, the law required it to be revealed to the voters. A death sentence for anyone's political career—unless it was a dictatorship, of course.

It was against another law, too.

One far more important than the Republic.

The Thieves' Guild never reveals their clients.

His past self would have delighted in breaking it. His past self was not in a world he barely knew. He was a failure of an X-Man. One thing had to stay intact: he was a thief.

The Anakin looked irritated, then his face flashed into one of agreement. "Well—alright. How did you come up in the debt of the Yuki Pirates?"

Oh, this. He could give this away. They thought it was important.

Lying would be so easy, but they expected a lie.

Like Gambit always said, keep 'em guessing.

"They hold grudges. Suspected me o' cheating in a gambling game once." He was cheating, but it was beside the point. There was no way they had actually caught him. They were just sore losers. "Got outta' there just before they killed me."

Anakin might have rolled his eyes. "I told you it was nothing."

Rex's eyes narrowed. Probably. He had a helmet on. "Their security is nothing to laugh at. You said you couldn't get out without the Republic's help."

"Not when 'dey knew I was coming. I' always dealt in stealth… above average." He spread a deck of cards out in his hand for the effect. They were fools to take his lockpicks yet not his best weapons. "So, mon ami , what else do you think I'm going to tell you?"

Ahsoka stepped forward. "Are you Force-sensitive?"

He made no effort to disguise his laugh. Yes, that conclusion was understandable. He had certain skills no ordinary human could hope to achieve. However, it was hilarious.

Hilarious they thought he was going to tell them the truth… oh.

That was clever.

Corner him.

It was not the answer they wanted. They wanted his reply. They wanted his reaction. They expected a lie.

Huh.

Challenging.

This had a chance to get exciting. They might suspect he knew they wanted a lie. Not flashy: yes. Over the top: yes. Utter confusion: yes. Too normal: yes.

Too long of hesitation: yes.

He needed to hurry this up.

He was telling the truth. He should simply tell the truth.

This was one of those times he could not lie.

He wanted to.

Three priorities, his only three priorities were too important.

One: defend Rogue.

Two: find other mutants.

Three: live his life.

The Jedi needed to underestimate him for every piece of that.

"I do appreciate the compliment, petite. " No one knew what he meant anyway, but Rogue's point was going to bother him unless he changed it. She was right, a Padawan was the exact opposite of a chevalier. "However, if I had the Force, would I be here? No, no Force power gave me my talents."

He cursed internally.

He had let the accent slip.

Keeping a faint one had been his priority. Enough that he felt right in using it, but not too strong that it would be impossible to be understood.

He rarely made allowances like that, but for a job, he would.

Also, his past and future self were both ashamed of how awkward the response came out.

The delivery was terrible.

However, as long as they could not prove he could escape a Republic prison, Gambit was safe from the Temple. Probably.

Time to do this his way.

Be an annoying cun until they thought he was nothing more than just that.

He began to sort his cards.

"Gambit." He ignored Anakin. Ten of diamonds. "Gambit." Ace of spades. "Gambit." Hm. The king of hearts. "Gambit!"

He continued to sort the cards.

"Yes?"

"What planet did you grow up on?"

Looks like their friendly conversation was over.

"Ever played twenty questions, Hero Without Fear?"

"...No."

"Neither have I. Never seen the appeal."

"What was the point of that?"

"Not one."

The captain was definitely rolling his eyes this time. "What's New Orleans?" He must have caught his little argument with Rogue. Hopefully, he missed the repeated mentions of the X-Men and the ten-second philosophical discussion.

Eh. Knowing what he knew of Jedi, probably so.

Wait, they thought it was a planet?

Now he had to set them straight.

"A city. It won't be helping you find ma planet. Too small geographically. Biggest spirit—"

"What's your connection to the girl?"

Rude.

"We alike is all." He shuffled the cards again.

Something was going to happen. He knew it.

"How so?"

"Life just deal-t us similar hands in the same game. The hands just different enough to put her down a different path than my own." He paused before placing the queen of hearts down. He had the order memorized, no thief worth his spades could not count their own cards.

Then he looked down,

It was on the ground.

He left it there.

She was there for a reason, he was sure. Luck seemed to be on his side this time. For once.

Or…

No. It was luck.

Definitely luck.

"That's not an answer."

"Of course it's not. What did you expect from him?" Rex commented, making Gambit's life easier. "You know, Rogue hasn't told us anything about you either. You're impressively loyal to each other."

"She not affiliated with me. This lifestyle not one for the good. Faith in any'ding and mercenary work don' get along." Specifically humanity.

"That wasn't my question."

"I know."

"What's her story?"

"She had her rough times."

"She's from your planet?"

"You might say that."

"Is that why you risked not getting out for her?"

It would have been gentler if Anakin simply punched him in the stomach.

Not that he let it show.

They never realized.

They never realized why he was captured in the first place. They thought...

They thought he saved his friend, his fellow mutant, the person who held a hand out to him those years ago, because it was convenient.

He reached down for his queen, picking it up from the floor as gently as possible. He mentally counted how many cards he would need to get out. Even with all his decks, every card counted.

Gambit would want his queen.

Someone else needed it more.

My lucky lady. She's gotten me out of a whole load of jams.

Then I need a deck of those, she had said.

"That's a bad omen," he remarked, walking over to the slot they would put his food in later. At least they had the intelligence to not open the ray shield at any point. "Give this to her, will you?"

Charging a small amount of kinetic energy into his hand, Gambit launched her all the way to the other end. It was loud enough for Ahsoka to open the flap almost immediately. "A… red qek vev face card? I've never seen this one before." What were those letters anyway? Space was weird.

"It a planet special. Came from the continent across the sea, quite a nice place." He had never been to Eastern Asia, excluding one odd mission involving a tiger, panda, and fire-breathing street performer. "The language is quite the challenge, but it's worth it." He did not know Mandarin or any other language from Asia. "And, it no' a red qe'g and beb."

"What is it?" the naive girl asked.

"The queen of hearts."

"That code?"

"Just my favorite card. No tricks involved."

A few minutes of this failure of an interrogation later, all three interrogators left.

They should take some tips from… well, any of the X-Men.

The Professor never taught strategies, but everyone had their own method.

Or, better yet, keep with their current skill level. Better for Gambit and Rogue.

Gambit mapped out a good escape route. His least-used skill, the one even Rogue and the X-Men only had suspicions he possessed—except for the Professor, but he knew everything—was going to come in handy soon.

Only Plan A, of course, but Plan J required using it on the Coruscant guards..

May as well figure out how not to die of boredom until then.