The Banking Clans
The Banking Clans are a series of interconnected guilds that have a supreme amount of influence upon the politics of the galaxy merely by the use of their vast wealth and influence. Nearly all transactions can be traced towards the Banking Clans in some manner, baring those of illegality. For the duration of this war, the Banking Clans have agreed to be neutral, and thus all banking clan ships and personal are to be treated as neutral assets by all Republic forces as per Protocol NN-33
As Dictated from the Jedi Archive files on the Senate Military Committee Response on Neutrality of the IGBC.
Ahsoka watched in silent awe as Naruto did his light workout. A workout consisting of two hundred weighted press ups, two hundred weighted squats, and a ten-kilometer hard sprint. After doing three hours of katas, forms, and flexibility training. Only now, hefting over a hundred kilos of weight as he squatted, did he start to sweat. Ahsoka believed herself to be well conditioned. As she attempted to keep up with Knight Uzumaki's routine as ordered by her master Anakin as he got some much needed sleep, she realized that she wasn't conditioned at all.
She normally did a workout before Anakin and her trained, something he fully knew and endorsed. She always stopped when she felt her muscles were to the point of failure, and regulated healing Force use through her body during her cooldown meditation as instructed in the temple. Yet here, she couldn't even bring up enough energy to do that as she flopped to the ground, failing her hundredth and fourth squat. She didn't move even as Naruto pulled the weights from her hips, had her drink some water slowly, and sat her up to lean against the wall.
She must have fallen asleep because her next memory is Anakin yelling. She never opened her eyes, being too tired to even do that.
"What do you mean she will be fine Naruto?! She passed out from your routine!"
"Anakin, she will be fine. We will do a full scan, get her healed up-" Naruto's voice was calmer than her master's angry yell.
"I get that you have a method. I even get that she isn't in real danger Naruto. No, what angers me is that you left my padawan passed out on the side as you finished a workout!" She could see in her mind's eye her master pacing in front of her. "I don't know how you could be so irrespons-"
"Knight Skywalker." Naruto's voice was cold, and she subconsciously shivered. She felt as her master stopped moving, and with a force of will she wrenched open her eyes.
Naruto stood casually against one of the weight machines, his eyes cold and hard as he glared at Anakin. Her master was tense, with squared shoulders even though he was not in any armor, he looked ready to fight. Naruto continued," I will remind you that you pushed your padawan onto me, demanding that she train with me. I told Ahsoka before that she did not need to compete with me. That such an exercise was one of futility. She still, admirably, attempted to complete my workout. The fact that you have not taught your padawan the definition of bodily limitations, even when drawing upon the Force is a testament to your teaching, not my abilities. I finished my workout having already done a field-medical evaluation that determined no injuries, merely exhaustion. Exhaustion that you mimicked and instead of training like she did, slept off. I fail to see how your incompetence is my issue."
"Incompetence?! INCOMPETENCE?! How dare you! You, who has no padawan, dare to dictate to me how to teach mine?!"
"Can you two shut up!? Naruto, Anakin is many things, incompetent isn't one. Anakin, Naruto did warn me that this is likely too much, and I should have more rest. I said I could handle it, and was too stubborn to stop. You shouldn't be yelling at each other over something that was my faul-" Ahsoka forced out before a single glance from Naruto silenced her.
"I called you incompetent because you were acting incompetently. Master Kenobi stated to me upon your arrival here that you would need harsh truths. You agreed last night as we spoke. You said that you did not want me to treat you like a glass figure. Fine. You are acting like a spoiled child. Ahsoka is your responsibility, even when you fester her off to other things. Ahsoka, you do not have to take responsibility for a mistake your master made. The reality is you should not have been told to train with me. At all. Anakin is a Knight and can't do that workout." As she looked towards her master in shock and slights amount of betrayal, Naruto continued. "You don't want her to die in combat in this war. Fine. That is a valid emotional response to the bond you have created. Breaking her body, mind and spirit by training her into the ground, even if you have someone else do it, is not going to make her live!"
Anakin took a step back, as Naruto took one step forward. "This is war Anakin. It wont be over anytime soon. It wont be an easy victory. It will be bloody, hellish, and full of regrets. Do not make Ahsoka one."
Ahsoka looked at her master, misery on her face. "You ordered me to do something you couldn't. What. The Force, were you thinking?" Tears welled into her eyes as she forced herself up. "I need to go. We will talk later."
"Ahsoka." Naruto's voice made her pause at the entrance to the training wing. He wasn't looking at her, merely staring down her master to ensure he didn't follow. "Go to my quarters and hit the left button of the Holocom. Plo will gladly speak to you at any point. I'll knock before I enter." With a tear-streaked smile, she nodded before continuing on, ignoring her Master's demands that they talk now, that he was sorry.
Naruto grabbed Anakin by the shoulder after Ahsoka was away, and with a twist of his body flung him backwards. As he flipped through the air to land on his feet, Anakin looked at Naruto with shock and betrayal. Naruto merely hit a button by the door activating the intercom.
"Attention Impact. I would like an escort for Padawan Ahsoka to my quarters. Until she requests it, Knight Anakin is not to contact her. Command Protocol, 732Niner, OpCode Taicho." Anakin could feel when it happened, when the clones fell in to escort his padawan, forcing her away, felt as she entered Naruto's quarters, felt through the bond as Plo Koon immediately picked up the holocom, and the hurt and pain that he inflicted on her poured through her. All the instances where he thought he was doing his best and was merely hurting her. He could feel it through the bond they shared. Moments of doubt in her head; did he ever ask her to do things that he himself couldn't do other than this time? Was he just preparing himself for her death, knowing this war would be horrid?
Naruto frowned as he watched Anakin feel through the padawan bond. Striding forward he slapped Anakin across the face. "Get out of there Anakin. We need to talk."
Anakin looked at him, his eyes full of emotions. Naruto nodded. " I get it. You are feeling her emotions as she talks to Sensei. I put her in my quarters so that you didn't have to feel the full brunt of it as we talked about this. Look, Anakin. The Jedi Code says that attachments are the path to the Dark Side. What you are doing, is the perfect example." When Anakin looks at him in confusion, Naruto sighs and sits on the training mats. He doesn't speak until Anakin joins him.
"My people have a saying. Hellish acts come from the best of hearts. It means that people will do things that they believe are good, and look back on them in horror later. We know the truth here on why you are mad at me. You are mad at me because I trained Ahsoka to the point of passing out, just as you do often, and are horrified by what you saw. You are also mad at yourself because you feel how Ahsoka is feeling as she discusses this with my master. Finally, you are mad because Obi-wan fucked up." Naruto took a breath and looked Anakin in the eyes. "Obi-wan should have never told you that the council decided that you would be a good master for Ahsoka when their first choice said no."
Anakin's mind raced as he put the pieces together. He croaked out the only logical explanation on how Naruto could have known that. "You said no to having her."
He nodded, his face grave. "You have to understand two things. One, I am a unique and powerful asset to the Republic and the Order. There are downsides to that even if there are positives. Two, this is war Anakin. I did not, nor do I currently, feel comfortable attempting to teach another how to handle a Jedi's life and duties responsibly during a galactic conflict that I have no idea on its final scope. Yes, I was asked to be a Padawan's Master before Ahsoka's class went through their final tests. Of her class only three passed this year. Barriss was already assigned, Thu-nn also had a master in place for him, only Ahsoka did not. Originally, Plo Koon was tapped however after me, he has decided he will not take another student." Naruto smiled softly, "Says I aged him too much for him to risk another me. That left the council the option of myself. I decided to say no for my reasons."
"Even the Council thinks I would be second best to you." Anakin muttered as he held his head.
"No. They wanted to reward me for my deeds. I disagree with a reward being a sentient lifeform in any manner." Naruto was firm in that belief. Especially as all knights were instructed in things that the Order did not tolerate between Padawans and their masters. No Jedi was an idiot; they all knew that for there to be warnings against it, it had to have happened at one point. The Jedi as a cohort abhorred the concept of slavery, yet they offered lives as a reward for good behavior. It was even required to become a master of the Order; To be in or have completed the process of teaching a student to the rank of Knight. There were few exceptions to that.
Naruto looked at his fellow knight. "The Jedi Order is not without its flaws Anakin. If you are to teach Ahsoka, you need to understand that. Jedi are people; sentient beings that make mistakes and misjudgments. I would not be a good sensei; the way of Jedi comes to me easily. Often times, I can't explain how I connect with the Force or how I think through an issue, because my mentality is radically different from the mentality of a standard Jedi. I was raised as both a Shinobi and Jedi. I was raised to react in the most optimized manner without thinking about it." Naruto stood up fluidly, his grace standing out for the first time to Anakin's eyes. His fellow knight has always been graceful; Padme once said he was a tiger amongst cats and as he watched him pace the room, Anakin understood exactly what his lover meant.
Naruto continued to speak, his voice soft. "War comes easily to me, combat is like breathing. Diplomacy is merely a spar with words. Jedi claim that they are scholars forced to wield weapons." Naruto shook his head. "Jedi are warriors who use anything they can for peace. Be it words, lightsabers or their very existence." Naruto looked at Anakin, a sad smile on his face. "You know… you are better than me."
Anakin flinched, his mind on Ahsoka. "No. I am a terrible Master-"
"Shut up and listen." Naruto spat. "You messed up yes. And right now, Ahsoka needs to work through her emotions in a manner that is healthy. Something you can't teach because you don't know how to do it either. However, you are better than me. You can fix it. You could say how you want to teach your padawan. So. Buck up. Learn how to handle this, and then teach your damn padawan."
Naruto walked out of the exercise room, knowing Anakin would slip into some form of mediation and through that, the Force would lead him in the right direction. His mind however was on the conversation he had with Master Mace Windu when originally offered a padawan.
The Battle Master of the Order stood looking over the shuttles that entered the Temple. His face was stern, and his arms held behind his back. Naruto stood to the left of him, slightly behind, awaiting the Master to speak about what he had called him for.
"I know you haven't accepted or denied the opportunity for a padawan Uzumaki. I wish to make something clear before you make your decision. When we discussed your Oath to the Order, we agreed that you would not press that towards another, that when you took a student you would allow them the ability to choose their own path." Mace looked over his shoulder. "I am merely reminding you of that portion of our agreement."
Naruto nodded. He knew what that meant truly.
If you take a student… teach them how you should have been.
Naruto understood the position of the Battlemaster. After all, the Order was at war now; teaching a padawan that the Oath the Order took was optional, even when it truly was not, was not the method that Mace would support. However, to be stymied in a master's freedom to teach, is also not the Jedi Way. He was noticing a lot of those moments the more he thought about it.
He had seen masters command their clones to charge into droid fire so that they or their nonclone personal would survive. He had seen Masters and Knights ignore the plights of the races of the worlds they fought upon. Yet the Council did nothing; Plo Koon shoving his righteous anger into the Force, Yoda sitting with disappointed eyes whenever it is reported. Yet the excuse continued.
We are at war.
Naruto understood that however he firmly believed that if the Council did not keep to its Order's principles, the war would end in the Order's destruction.
But he was just a lowly Knight. What did he know?
Malikai sat in a small infamous bar on the planet of Nal Hutta. This planet was many things, but the most important to Malikai was that it was the current location of Jabba Desilijic Tiure and his family. Jabba was the crimelord to speak to about utilizing hyperlanes into the Outer Rim. He was also the crime lord that had pledged to allow the Republic to utilize said hyperlanes; a fact that his master Dooku claims is the only reason that the Republic was winning the front in the Outer Rim. Malikai secretly thought that Dooku's commanders on the front were merely inferior to Grievious and Ventress, but he kept such thoughts to himself.
It would not do to show how frustrated the lack of ability in the standard army made him after all. A true Sith did not allow their emotions to control them. They used them to gain power, and through power, freedom.
Malikai took a deep drink as he lifted his saucer full of spirit oasis water to his lips. The perpetually cool water was one of the few delicacies of the planet that he could enjoy as a humanoid. It was said in ancient times, the Hutts of old would seal deals and treats with such saucers of the liquid. As it slid down Malikai's throat, filling his joints with a cool fire, and making his mouth tingle from the frosty temperature, he could understand why the slugs loved it.
He placed the saucer gently on the table, just as he was joined by someone in a black trench coat and wide brim hat. His guest's skin was blue like his own, yet his eyes were a deep dark red like wine. A toothpick sat in the corner of his mouth, wiggling slightly as the bounty hunter looked at the young Chiss male.
"When someone orders my services, they normally do not send children to meet me." Cad Bane spoke elegantly, as he reached for a saucer of his own.
"I am aware of the custom to meet with you in person. Hence why I am here." Malikai smiled tightly, as Cad tilted his head.
"Oh, and what would a boy like you have with a deplorable man such as me?"
"That is simple. I want you to be my personal bodyguard." Cad began to stand up, his saucer forgotten as a look of irritation flashed in his eyes.
"I do not tolerate-"
"You owe me. Sev'rance saved your life two years ago, and as her kin, such a debt extends to me."
"Tann is dead boy. The debt is void… However, I will listen just this once." Bane growled as he slowly sat back down, his left-hand twitching towards his belt.
"All I am asking is for you to listen. You can deny the offer if you desire, but only after I am done." Malikai fixed a soft glare at the Duros. "I want you to be my right-hand man. I want you to be my bodyguard, trainer, and loyal companion for the time of a full Galactic Year. With a renewal option." The stress on the word loyal was palpable even to the normally taciturn Cad Bane. "Of course, money is not an issue, especially after we perform our first task together."
"Before I hear about any tasks or agree to anything, boy, my price." Cad Bane sat back as he thought of what taking a contract for an entire year would cost him. He normally took over a dozen jobs in a year.
Cad Bane looked over the boy in front of him. A Krayt Dragon leather jacket, and not a fake one at that, with a white nundu fur collar. The jacket alone would cost half million credits easily. The jeans were faded with a few stylized rips that were clearly under armored, yet still stylish. Another twenty thousand credits alone. The boy clearly had the funds to afford him…
"Three million credits to sign the contract."
"Okay. Though in the spirit of good companionship," Malikai smirked at the Duros mercenary. Bane was reminded slightly of a feline stalking its prey before the boy continued. "How does one million credits sound, and twenty-five percent of the income from the first task I have planned?"
"What task could a boy like you have in mind that would make me give up two million credits?" Bane laughs hard, as he slams a fist on the table.
"We will be robbing the Banking Clans of course." Bane froze, the laughter dying in his throat as he looked at the Chiss in front of him. Flicking his hand to his gauntlet, he slid a listening interference pod onto the table, activating it with a press of a button.
"Are you mad boy? Talkin about robbing them in the middle of a crowded bar?! Do you want us both killed?" Cad Bane hissed as he looked around the bar. Each person was still drinking or eating, showing no sign at all that they heard what the idiot who was trying to employ him was saying.
"Mad? No. Driven? Definitely. I will be robbing the Banking Clans, with or without you. The question is… will you be joining in, or will you bow out?" Malikai leaned forward, placing his chin on the knuckles of his left hand.
"What's stopping me from leaving right now, letting the Clan know you are going to try, and getting a fat reward?" Cad Bane asked as he noticed for the first time how many of the bars participants weren't speaking at all. The silence in the bar was unusual. He watched as another bounty hunter he was aware of take a bite from an empty spoon, the bowl he was eating out of completely empty. Glancing around he noticed small things such as that everywhere; people drinking from empty cups, eating from empty plates, or chowing the same bite but never swallowing. Each saying the same things as if a record was being on repeat every five minutes.
"Noticed finally? I had hoped you couldn't smell well with those breathing tubes. You see Cad, you aren't the first person I asked for this job. As you can see… the others thought the same thing." Malikai snapped his fingers, releasing the tendrils of Force power he was wielding to manipulate the denizens of the bar. At once, the other five patrons slumped, their eyes glazed over. The bar became silent, the only sound being the Hutt barman washing glasses and grunting slightly.
Cad Bane flung himself backwards from the chair, his blasters in his hands before he even landed. As he aimed at the boy, no monster in front of him, he noticed the smile and the orange eyes for the first time. In a blink, he felt as the blasters were twisted to the side, the bolts he just fired slamming into the walls.
"Jed-"
"You want to be one of the richest men in the Galaxy Bane? If so, I implore you… do not finish that sentence." Malikai growled as he stood from his chair for the first time. Stalking around the table, he flicked his hand up, forcing Cad into the air with the Force.
"Now. You can say yes to my deal, or I just call the next bounty hunter in, and you forget you ever saw me."
Cad smiled as he was let go and landed on his feet. "If you bring that to the job… it's a deal."
Naruto frowned as he reread the report from a scout crew. Glancing at the map projected in the air by the holodrive in the central computer in the bridge his brow furrowed in thought. Beside him, Ahsoka fiddled with a few circuits to fix a wrist-mounted blaster. As the door opened to the bridge, her shoulders tensed.
"Hey Naru- oh. H-hi Snips." Anakin stood within the same room as his padawan for the first time in two days. He had apologized and as per Ahsoka's request, had avoided her since.
Honestly, if Naruto was less disciplined, he would be angry about the situation. Acting like children in a war.
Ahsoka stayed silent, steadily ignoring the Knight as she continued to tinker with the circuit.
Anakin flinched before taking a deep breath and focusing on Naruto. "Can we spar please?"
"Sure. In a bit. I want you to look at something really quick." Naruto replied as he rapidly started to type commands into the holodrive. Glancing between the two screens, in a few moments, several red triangles appeared on the map of the region of space that they were currently in, along with what they presumed was their ship in a green circle, surrounded by several green circles.
Moving through space in a vague triangle formation, the Republic ships were clearly unopposed by any Confederate ships. Yet, there seemed to be several red triangles clustered around the ships, but not close enough to engage.
"Looking at this image, what would you state was the intent?" Naruto asked after he leaned away from the image. Looking closely, the other two Jedi could see that the image was from several days previously, approximately when they first arrived.
"It looks like they are just watching us. But why?" Anakin said as Naruto fiddled with the controls slightly.
"That was my first thought until I strung together our info for the last several weeks. This is a time-lapse of the last three weeks." Pressing a button, the holo-map shifted and showed the red triangles shift into their current locations, all while keeping the same distance from the Republic forces. Occasionally, a red triangle would jump in front of the republic ships engage, then break off, retreating, and pulling the whole formation forwards.
"They are leading us somewhere…." Ahsoka whispered. Looking upwards towards the planets mapped out, there were several options that were tantalizing targets for an ambush.
"Yes, they are. But I think you are thinking the wrong direction." Anakin pointed back towards a planet that Naruto knew would be important in the war.
Mira, one of the headquarters of the Banking Clan's major banks. The capital itself was, for all intents and purposes, an extension of the Banking Clan. While the Trade Federation had put their backing to the Separatists, the Banking Clan had claimed neutrality. They dealt with both sides equally, at least as far as both sides were aware.
Why then was a separatist legion leading them away from the planet?
"Why do you think that is the case?" Naruto asked as he tried to piece together what was going through the enemy's head. Jiraiya's lessons in warfare were clear on that front. If you knew what your opponent wanted, you knew how to beat them.
Pointing to the number of ships in the area, Anakin spoke." Look at the amount of firepower here. Realistically, the confederacy has enough ships and droids to at least force us to retreat or call for reinforcements. The question is, why aren't they pressing that? The only answer is that they can't for whatever reason. The only reason they couldn't is that this here," Anakin traced a line from a hyperspace jump point to Mira, which intersected the entirety of the Republic's force.
"A shipping lane master? Really?" Ahsoka's doubt was obvious, even if Anakin looked smug that she talked to him at all.
Naruto's brow furrowed. "Not a shipping lane… the only lane. That hyperspace jump point is the closest to Mira you can get without having to deal with asteroid belts and Mira's moons." The planet in question was interesting in that its three moons were in orbit around each other as well as the planet. This, along with Mira's own rotation, allowed for a day that had approximately eighteen hours of natural light. In the city, such as thing was a boon as the trading day for the Banking clan was longer.
"So… the Separatists want us away from Mira why?" Ahsoka asked. She shrugged not seeing the importance of a planet that effectively had neutrality granted to them. The Republic could not afford to annoy the banking clans along with everything else, and the Separatists need the neutrality so that they could afford the war. Attacking Mira was suicide for the warfront of whomever did so.
"Mira is the banking clan headquarters in this sector yes. But Mira is also a planet with its own government and peoples. If that government decides to join the Separatists, then the planet is theirs without any issue from the Clans." Anakin spoke quickly as Naruto swiftly started to dial Plo Koon and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As both came up, the three jedi bowed, "Masters, we may have discovered something terrible. I would like your opinions. Here is our information." In a moment the two masters were looking at the same timelapse of the last several weeks as the three did.
"They are leading you. Where to, or where from my student?" Plo Koon spoke first. Obi-wan was silent as he wished to see Naruto's thought process.
"They are likely leading us from Mira. It's the only planet that makes any strategic sense, especially with this number of ships in the area."
"Number of ships?" Obi-wan asked, wanting clarification.
"I don't know if you got a count Masters… But it's the exact amount for an Honor Guard. Also in the ships are the Dedication, Goru-Blad and Havok. All known ships of Dooku's Honor Guard. We maybe in the way of Count Dooku himself." The looks on both Master's faces told the three Jedi exactly what they needed to know.
"I will have my regiment deploy immediately. You are to land on the planet Mira and find out if Dooku is present. We end this war now." Plo Koon spoke firmly, as Obi-Wan began to fiddle with some controls.
"As of now, until Master Plo Koon lands, Knight Uzumaki is in command of all field operations within the area. Knight Uzumaki, if you have a path to kill Dooku, take it." Obi-wan spoke firmly, his eyes holding Naruto in place.
"Yes Masters." Naruto ended the transmission, immediately pulling the ship's intercom system forward.
"All command personal to the bridge, I repeat, all command personal to the bridge. All hands, prepare for Stormforth Protocol. I repeat, all hands prepare for Stormforth Protocol."
Anakin felt his blood boil as the logical deduction of who was present on that planet flooded through his mind. His forearm, where it bonded with mechanical prosthetic itched. He still remembered waking up in the arms of Clause, as a medic spread bacta on his newly created stump, his master unconscious across from him. The pain of a missing limb nearly eclipsed by the fact that his failure to kill Dooku resulted in this bloodbath.
He, as all Jedi, grew up knowing what war was. He studied the history of the Republic, bloody that it was. He had studied the activities of the various other powers of the Galaxy, and several of them were comparable to the wars that the Republic and the Jedi occasionally participated. But it wasn't until the casualty reports came in from the first several battles, that he realized how horrible his failure was.
The Order tried to downplay the numbers, thinking that the Clones weren't important. Yet millions were dying. Nearly to the point that the Kaminoans would have difficulty keeping up with the demand. It was the entire reason the Jedi Order was ordered to enter the conflict. The order, of course were prepared to enter, merely waiting for a Senate Approval, however Anakin still clenched his fists in anger, the servos in his mechanical hand lightly hissing.
Taking a deep breath, Anakin let his frustration and anger drift into the Force. He tuned back into Naruto, Ahsoka and Taps' conversation about how they would go about attacking Dooku.
"Boss, I don't know how much use our troops are going to be in this situation. I mean, we got Squad 7 but even they have issues keeping up with you. Dooku is gonna be better than even that." Taps voiced the concern that they had been skirting for the last ten minutes.
Naruto looked down at the holomap of the ship, mentally counting the odds and results of several different scenarios. "You're right Taps. The standard crews won't work here." He glanced up to Ahsoka and Anakin as he stepped into the conversation.
"Here's the plan. Squad 7 will be run with Ahsoka as Point Commander. Taps, you are runnin' with Anakin and I. Anakin, Taps, our mission is simple, we will hunt down Dooku. Ahsoka, you will be above board, posing as Commander of this ship and the crew. You will open dialogue with the planet, and most importantly the Banking Clan. Whatever you do, do not allow them to know we are there. If necessary, say you are the advance party for Plo Koon."
Cad Bane was not a happy man by nature. Only a few things made him happy in the short term. The first was money. He loved money for the same reason he loved the second thing that made him happy; freedom. His past made freedom something he cherished. Yet when he signed the contract for the right hand man position, he had as Sing said, "You gave up your freedom for a brat and a paycheck. How's that feel Bane?"
His anger hadn't abated when he held his pistol to her forehead and a knife to her throat, but it did make it easier to not pull the trigger when he thought of the amount of money he was going to make from this job.
That's all it was, after all, a job. At least that is what he told himself as he lowered the ship onto the landing pad that his contacts had discreetly arranged for them on Mira. In the ship were his employer, and his crew for this mission. Aurra Sing, a Palliduvan former initiate of the Jedi Order who held a hatred for the Jedi and Republic, Embo the silent but deadly mercenary who leaned against the wall taking in all the other members of their party. Also attending were Twazzi and Todo 360, both standards of Bane's crews. As the Miran people started to refuel the ship, Cad turned around in his chair. He gestured towards his employer, who nodded.
Malikai looked around this dusty, musty and in some cases rusty, crew. He smiled slightly before speaking. "I know none of you care about the war that is plaguing the Galaxy. I know most of you don't even care who I am. That's good, because after this, I won't care about any of you baring Bane. But during this, you are mine. And as long as you do as you are instructed, so long as you live through this, you will become so filthy rich that you won't care about who you are either. But if you run, if you fail, if you attempt to leave before I say so…"His face hardened and his stance shifted slightly, causing every single living being to tense."I will kill you myself. So, with that said… the last chance to pull out, with no hard feelings. You will be allowed to leave the planet tomorrow after it is too late to stop the rest." No one moved and Malikai nodded. "Good. I suppose it's time to rob the Banking Clan."
A pin could drop in the room until the silence was broken by Aurra laughing. "You want to rob the Banking Clan?! Bane, are you insane?" Bane was silent as he watched Malikai, who simply twitched his fingers. Aurra who was about to speak more suddenly grabbed her throat.
"Sing, I respect your body of work. I respect my underlings' capabilities. But for the love of the Force, shut up before you ruin that respect." Another twitch, Aurra's throat was released, and her pistol rose to point at Malikai.
"Never. Do that again. Or the next thing you will find is a bolt in the brain." She hissed before slowly lowering the weapon as Malikai glanced to the left. Cad had a single blaster aimed at her head, an empty expression on his face.
"Do not threaten Lord Malikai. We are professionals Aurra, so act like it." As soon as she agreed, he motioned for Malikai to continue.
"Thank you Bane. Now, here is the plan. We are going to rob the Banking clan… and Frame the Jedi while doing it." Every single being in the room smiled.
AN: That moment when you meant to publish this on Christmas but you forgot to actually do it. Sorry folks. Here is the beginning of the next arc... The Malikai arc. We got some ambition going here, and we are seeing some cracks form in Anakin. But how strong is Malikai? What is his plot to frame the Jedi? Find out next time!
-Zero
