Jedi Temple, Coruscant
"She's just gone in," Vexla's voice was quiet as she stared intently at the Temple's main entrance through the binoculars she carried, "Shouldn't be too long now."
The two hunters and the Droid were camped out on the top of a luxury apartment building just a short distance away from their target. It was early in the morning and the city was starting to come to life, species of all kinds heading to schools or jobs. The congestion and noise would serve better to aid their entry into the temple... at least that was the hope. Both knew it was a slim chance to get in completely undetected.
"Are ya ready?" Bane's voice was gruff as he approached the woman from behind while straightening out his jacket.
"Yes." It was a blatant lie. Breaking into a building full of Jedi was something Vexla never thought she would be ready for. Her nerves were eating at her from the inside out. It was enough to make her feel sick to her stomach. She was afraid, that much was certain. Still, she promised to do this job for him and she was going to have to swallow her emotions and get it done.
Just as she made to jump from the building with her rocket boots, a cold hand gripped her upper arm. Cad Bane spun her around so that she was face to face with him. His expression was hard and calculating. Now that the job was at hand, it was all business. He released his hold on her arm and grabbed her jaw firmly, forcefully tilting her head up so he could look her in the eyes.
"Yer out of yer element here, darlin'. That bein' said, I need ya to swear that yer gonna obey me in there without question. I give ya an order, ya follow it. Understand?" He asked. Vexla gave a miniscule nod of her head and the Duros continued. "Now listen. Don't ya use any of yer Force abilities unless yer life depends on it. I don't think for one momen' that they ain't gonna sense intruders, but ya use them and it's gonna be like us sendin' out a damn beacon."
"I understand," Vexla murmured as her gaze shifted away from him to look at the cityscape behind them. Cad Bane's eyes narrowed and he tightened his grip, his rough fingerpads digging into her face. "Look at me, woman." Vexla did, lightly biting her lower lip out of nervousness. "Ain't nothing gonna happen to ya as long as ya follow my lead."
Vexla opened her mouth to respond but no words made it out as Todo-360 suddenly floated up, encroaching on their conversation. "Mister Bane, I believe it is time for us to go. By my calculations, Cato- AHH!" Todo went tumbling away through the air as Bane had pushed him aside, pointed teeth bared in a silent snarl. He activated his rocket boots without a word and after ensuring Todo was fine, Vexla followed.
They touched down on a ledge near the top of the building and while Bane spoke into his wrist communicator to Cato, Vexla's eyes scanned the area for any indication of security, whether it be cameras or Temple Guards.
"Alright, I've pinpointed the weak spot in their shields... beaming the coordinates to Todo now," Cato murmured over their shared comm.link, "I will jam the temples scanners briefly too." "Okay, I've got it!" Todo chirped and he boldly floated forward to the perceived weak point and opened up a hole just large enough for a being to get through. Bane went first, his red eyes doing a quick once over of the new surrounding. Vexla followed in after, a slight grimace forming on her face.
"You're welcome!" Todo said aloud, breaking the silence as he floated in, but was ignored by both bounty hunters. "Through here," Bane then said as he stopped in front of a circular panel on the wall, souning almost as though he was talking to himself. Together, he and Vexla pried the ventilation panel from the wall and set it down quietly.
"Stay behind me," Bane then ordered before entering the cylindrical pathway that was part of the main ventilation system. Again, Vexla followed with Todo floating directly behind her. As they neared the opening at the end of their current tunnel, a sense of dread began gnawing at the woman. The Force was warning her of danger once again, but she wasn't sure yet in what capacity as they were already deep in enemy territory.
Vexla was taken from her thoughts when she watched Bane activate his rocket boots and lower himself into the next area of the vent system, which was marked by huge fans.
"The control board for the fans should be on your left," Cato's voice sounded in their earpieces. Vexla activated her own boots and began the decent as well, reaching Bane's level and watching as Todo deactivated the first of two fans. "All clear, sir... miss," the little Droid announced proudly.
Vexla and Bane briefly locked eyes before continuing their decent through the first fan and towards the second fan. Todo, prehaps elated from his success, moved faster downwards as Cato's voice sounded once more. "Not quite clear. The fan you're passing through has a security switch." "Where? I don't see anything. Besides we've already gotten past-" Todo's prattle was drowned out as a proximity alarm began to go off when he unknowingly went past it. To their horror, the fan they'd just come through re-activated and was sucking them back up towards its sharp blades.
She did it without thinking, instinct kicking in to save herself... and him. Vexla reached out with the Force towards the fan below them, focusing on pulling herself towards it, out-stretching one arm in its direction. Her other had simultaneously reached out for Cad Bane. She could feel him through the Force and was, in turn, pulling him towards her. Bane felt his ascent halt and his eyes widened when he realized what was happening and what she was doing. Part of him was angry, the Jedi were going to sense her, but the another part of him felt something else. She was trying to save him. He took note of the look of concentration in her eyes and could tell she wasn't going to he able to hold it long with the suction fighting against them. "Cato, do something! Turn it off!" He hissed into his communicator. "I've got it," The changling responded and a moment later the fan abruptly halted. Vexla hadn't expected it so soon and began plummeting rapidly towards the lower fan before catching herself at the last moment. She closed her eyes, her breathing coming out labored as a much stronger warning from the Force filled her senses, but this time she knew what it meant.
Her eyes fluttered opened as the Duros reached her level. "They know we're in the vent system. They're coming," Vexla murmured, worried about how he was going to react. Bane's expression gave no hint of what he was thinking, however. He simply took the woman by the wrist and guided her with him further down until they reached the next ventilation shaft, the one that would take them over the Holocron vault.
Bane never let go of her wrist as they walked briskly through the pathway, getting closer and closer to their destination. "Can ya still sense them?" he asked lowly and Vexla nodded, her eyes slipping closed again. "Yes... they're... they're not too far behind. But I- I don't think they realize what we're after yet. There's... so much confusion," she murmured, her eyebrows contracting as they reached the grate. The two hunters looked down into the area below them. It was filled with hundreds of laser sensors going in every direction.
"This is it," Bane's gravelly voice noted. Todo, seeming to try to make up for the fan fiasco, floated forward. "Perfect! Let's go in!" He exclaimed before huffing as Bane's hand shot out to block him. "No. Cato, come in. We're over the vault."
"Give me a minute to check out the security system."
The two bounty hunters shared a quick look. Cato no longer had Enisence's voice, but a female one that sounded old.
"What's wrong with yer voice?" Bane growled into the communicator.
"Hmm... change of plans," Cato replied simply, "I'm the librarian now."
Bane's lips pulled back in a snarl. "Hurry it up, Cato. We can't stay hidden much longer."
"I'll try to deactivate the entire system from here," she assured them, almost sounding at ease with how she spoke. Then again, she wasn't in the apparent danger that the other two hunters were.
Vexla clenched her teeth, starting to become annoyed with the changling and she lifted her wrist communicator to her face. "Kriffin' hurry! They're in the vent system... they're getting close to us!"
It felt like an eternity but finally the changling gave confirmation and Bane and Vexla watched in relief as the laser grids flickered once before going completely offline. The Duros removed the grate then dropped down, the human and Droid following close behind.
"It's a Force lock," Vexla noted as she approached the door that seperated them from the Holocron they seeked. "I could-" "No," Bane growled as his red eyes narrowed at her. "I got this... ain't gonna risk using that Force kark with them Jedi so close." The woman made a face but knew better than to argue, so she turned to keep watch instead.
"Todo, I need ya to start cutting a hole in that wall." "What? Why? I don't-" "Just do it!" Bane snarled at the Droid as he set to work on trying to crack open the lock before him.
"Bane, Vexla... the Jedi have turned around and have started making their way towards you," Cato warned suddenly as the former continued working at the lock.
"Shit," Vexla felt her pulse quicken as adrenaline began pumping through her. She could sense them getting nearer and nearer and now she could hear them too. "Bane?" "I've almost got it," was the growled response.
Vexla's fingers itched towards the lightsaber hilt holstered on her back, her stance becoming offensive. They weren't far now. If he didn't get this lock open soon, they were kriffed.
"Todo, are ya almost done with that hole?" Bane snapped as he turned to glare at the Droid, the tension of the situation slowly starting to get to him.
"These things take time, Mister Bane," was the Droid's snippy response, which of course irked the Duros.
A loud curse suddenly left Bane's lips, drawing both Vexla and Todo's attention. "I'm not gonna be able to do this without a diagram. Cato, come in!" He growled into his communicator. This time it was met with silence. "Cato, come in!" He tried again. Still silence. "What's happened?" Todo asked and Bane shook his head, the long fingers on one of his hands clenching into a fist. "Somethin's gone wrong."
Vexla's face paled while her adrenaline spiked again. They were almost out of time.
"Todo! Is the kriffin' hole finished?!" Bane turned to glare at the Droid. "Ah, yes, but-" "Then go to the communications center!"
Vexla's eyes widened. "Bane, why-" He silenced her with a look, then turned his attention back to the protesting Droid. "But the communication center is going to be crawling with Jedi-" "Go now!" He cut Todo off, his tone menacing and leaving no room for further argument.
Vexla watched the Droid disappear through the cut out doorway. "Why did- what are you doing?" She asked as he placed a detonator on the lock. The Duros didn't answer, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the pathway until they reached a crevice in the wall that looked barely big enough for a normal sized person to fit. They could both hear the Jedi now, much louder than before. The Duros moved in first, then before the woman could say a word in protest, one of his lanky arms wrapped around her and pulled her in with him, holding her flush against his chest.
The concept of personal space was out the window. They were crammed together to the point it was almost difficult for Vexla to breathe. She was pressed up so tightly to him that she could feel every gadget, belt and piece of ammo that he had on his person. His scent was also almost overwhelming in the confined space. Leather and blaster smoke among other things, all of which she liked. She found it intoxicating. Despite the present situation, it made her feel warm and strangely comforted.
The silence was eerie and the tension was thick. Bane could feel the woman's heart beating erratically in her chest. When the blast finally detonated, he felt her fingers dig into the sides of his jacket and a brief smirk graced his lips before falling away again as he heard one of the Jedi speak. "...come on... communications center!" They had fallen for it.
The two maneuvered out of the crevice and quietly but quickly made their way back down the hall. The sight that greeted their eyes made Bane actually smile, albeit a twisted one that extruded smugness. The door into the Holocon Vault had been partially opened by the blast. He gestured for the woman to follow and together they pulled the door open wide enough to allow them entry.
The vault was lined with various glowing Holocrons along the walls and in the middle of the room stood another structure covered in the glowing blue objects. In a way, it was quite the beautiful sight to see. Bane traversed forward, his gaze shifting from one Holocron to the next until he found their prize. He reached forward and slid it from it's slot then slipped it into one of his satchels.
"Great, we have it. Now-" Vexla's voice was drowned out by a second blast that made her jump, having not been expecting it. At first she didn't realize where it had come from, but then it dawned on her. "Todo?! Bane, was that really-?" She was silenced as one of his rough blue hands pressed over her mouth. "It was necessary, woman. Buyin' us enough time to escape." "Oh? And just how are we going to do that? We cannot go back the way we came!" She demanded after she'd removed his hand.
Rather than seem annoyed, Bane smirked. "Oh we're just gonna walk out, darlin'," He said it confidently, but Vexla stared at him in disbelief as he pulled a brown cloak from his satchel and threw it over himself after removing his hat. "Quit yer starin', Izrin," He told her, though he now sounded amused, "Did ya bring yer cloak like I asked?"
Vexla cursed under her breath. The audacity of this Duros to escape by just walking out after stealing from Jedi was something else entirely. The woman put on her own black cloak and drew the hood up like he had done. For good measure, since they were going to pretend to be Jedi, she pulled the lightsaber staff from its holster on her back and detached the two hilts from one another before attaching each to either side of her belt.
"Look at ya. Definitely the sexiest Jedi I've seen," the Duros was joking, at least that's what she thought, but nevertheless her cheeks turned red from the comment which was exactly what he was after.
Bane didn't know what made him do it, but he reached up to brush some strands of hair from her face and caress her cheek in the process. The woman seemed bewildered by the unexpected contact but it didn't escape his notice that she'd leaned into his touch.
The moment was brief, then it was right back to the situation at hand. He took her by the wrist and the two made their way out into the main library. Vexla's heart rate quickened once again, her eyes darting around the room checking for any presence. They hadn't gone too far before they heard voices. Cato had indeed been captured, being led towards a Jedi by what looked like a padawan. A new wave of nerves and adrenaline flowed through her at the sight as the thought that it could easily be them in Cato's place before long if they were caught during their escape.
Vexla pulled her wrist out of his hold and instead took his hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. Bane glanced at her out of the corner of his eye but said nothing, simply giving her hand a squeeze in return. They set off again, making their way quietly through the library and out into the cavernous hallway.
With every Jedi or Sentinel they passed, her senses seemed to heighten. It was less about being nervous now and more about the rush she was feeling. Any moment they could be caught or forced to to fight their way out and the thought had become exhilarating. No job she'd ever been on before had made her feel so much and part of her wondered why she didn't take of Bane's offer of Jedi involved jobs sooner.
The feeling didn't disapate even after they'd made it out of the temple itself. They walked briskly through the crowded streets, barely noticing how people parted out of their way without asking, believing the duo were Jedi. They didn't stop once or speak until they had finally reached the safehouse. Bane unlocked the door and went in first, the woman right behind him.
Vexla barely had time to form a thought before she found herself shoved up against the wall next to the door. Within a second, the Duros' lips were on her's, the kiss rough and full of primal aggression and lust. The woman grabbed fistfulls of his cloak and held him to her, responding by slipping her tongue into his mouth and flicking it against his own. The low growl that resonated from his throat flooded her with excitement but before she could act further, he had abruptly pulled away. The whine that passed her lips was immediate and needy. He was teasing her again and it crossed her mind to force push him into the opposite wall and take control of the situation for once. If he was going to play dirty, so could she.
Bane brought his hand up to caress her cheek once more with his thumb brushing over her lips, effectively breaking her train of thought. "We're not done yet, Izrin. There's still more moves to this dance." He pulled the holocron from his satchel with his other hand and held it up between them. Vexla reached out, meaning to touch it, but paused centimeters away. She could feel the strength of the Force surrounding the holocron and something about it was unnerving.
"Our next target, Ropal, is in the Devaron system. The cilent said he'd provide us with a fleet to capture him and get the crystal that goes along with this thing," His eyes moved from the Holocron to her face. "This is gonna put us both face to face with Jedi this time... ain't gonna be no sneakin' around. Ya think ya can handle it, darlin'?"
The look of anger coupled with determination in her eyes nearly made the Duros want to rip her clothes off then and there. Sometimes his amount of self-control impressed himself and this was definitely one of those instances. He replaced the holocron in his satchel and gestured almost lazily around the hideout, the smirk returning to his face. "Then grab what ya need, Vexla, we've got ourselves a Jedi to catch."