Title: The Jedi's Bounty
Author: Rainbowstitches
Author's note: I now know where the story is going because I do want it to run straight to Order 66 but how it's gonna end is a mystry.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than my Oc and any other Oc's I introduce in the future. I won't and never will profit from this. All rights are reserved to Lucas Films/Books/Arts and Disney.
Chapter 5: Stay or go
For Quinlan Vos to act morbid, in spite of himself, meant that something dangerously depressing had occurred in that moment that a smile could be wiped off the Kiffar's face. Bade Snare had finished her tale as both stood their looking down at the reflective floor. Despite herself Bade had slowly began to curl up and close off the world as the tale drew to its end, the hall in which they stood quiet and desolate. The force seemed to wrap them up and Quinlan could feel the dark side curling itself around Bade as he stared at her tan skin. They stood there and time passed round them, Quinlan's hand found itself on her shoulder. Her spine shuddered as she looked Quinlan in the eye and shook her head.
"I should go" Bade spoke slowly moving away from Quinlan's touch as she turned for the main door
"You could stay" Quinlan called after her, the wise ass grin on his face as he watched her move toward the doors
"Kriff of Quinlan, why don't you go to the council?" Bade called back as she pawed at the door
"Maybe I will with the juicy information of where you settle" Quinlan teased waving his fingertips at her back.
Looking at Bade at that point of time you could see her features physically twitch as she walked out those doors and down the steps. She had forgotten the Kiffar had his hidden talent that extended past his races normal ability limits. Bade swore very fluently in Huttese as she snuck out of the Temple's grounds and safely on to the streets. Her body was heaving from the sprint she had taken from a clone that had asked her to halt as she left the ground. She was now safely away from the Jedi and was hiding within the dense crowds of the streets as she searched for a public comm that was around here somewhere. Bade was not about to walk all the way back to the high apartment in the far off living district somewhere southwest of her position.
She neared the console of an empty comm in alley and she tapped in the code of her living quarters with her brother. The thing beeped repeatedly and she was about to drop the call and instead call up a taxi when the tired hung over voice of Lar purred over the line as the image of him flashed in front of her.
"You have reached the Snare twins' apartment, your speaking to Lar a friend of theirs. What can I help you with?" Lar seemed overly exhausted and another form popped into view but then tip toed and disappeared
"That better not be my bed Lar I swear to the force if it is..." Bade warned a cruel growl rising in her throat as she watched the male Twi'lek sit up
"Frang, Bade where have you been?" Lar had sat up quickly revealing the ripples of his chest and the blanket that covered his lower area
"Long story, Cade not about?" she asked in return as she leaned back slight against the opposite wall
"No, he's out looking for your kriffing rump" Lar replied as he stretched his muscles rippling in the low light of the apartment
"I just realised you evaded my question" Bade challenged as she looked dead into the holographic image of Lar
"It wasn't your bed I swear it was the guest room" he was panicked as usual as he answered reorganising one of his head tails "Anyway why you call?"
"I need a lift" she said solemnly as she looked at her nails
"Your gonna have to contact Cade, he told me not to leave the apartment plus he locked the garage to the other speeders" Lar looked apologetic as he stretched again and yawned reorganising the sheet round his waist
"Right, catch ya later banther brain" Bade ended the call there and looked in her pockets for anymore loose credit and came up with nothing.
Looking around she found a cantina that may spare her the change for the comm. The place was brimming with a good amount of people for such an early hour, in the corner was the machine all bounty hunters knew had a quick key to get anything from the Hutts. She leaned over the bar and ordered a quick shot of something sliding over the piece of plastic she had on her and asked for cash back. Knocking the shot back and taking her credits and card she headed back to the comm and called her brother.
Compared to Lar, Cade answered by the first ring despite his nature. Cade had the voice of a man stressed and irritated. "This is Cade Snare, what do you kriffing want?" he snarled through the comm
"A lift and for you to get a better attitude Caski" she snarled back using his given name as she awaited him to wake up a little
"You kath hound Eska Ask'ii, where have you been?" Cade sighed as he seemed to relax although she knew her brother was very annoyed indeed
"I'll explain to ya when you pick me up and take us back to our place" Bade explained soothingly as she sent him her coordinates.
Her brother soon arrived by the entrance to the alley, it had taken about half an hour to get to her position from where he was searching and the slight stubble that invaded his chin was an indicator to how long it had been since he started this search for her. Cade and Bade had stayed inseparable from the day they were reunited; one for them to be missing was heart wrenchingly tragic for the other. Bade jumped into the speeder and waited for Cade to drive back, there was a silence that seemed like it was screaming at the twins as they faced away from each other. It was the garage where they finally made eye contact.
Both journeyed back to their apartment where Lar sat only in boxers staring at some holofilm. Cade disappeared to the refresher while Bade left for her room. She changed quickly into the soft materials of a tight fit dress that allowed her to look appealing while maintaining the flexibility to fight. The film had finished by the time the two were ready and sitting next to Lar who had found someone's robe and put it on. Bade had a sneaky feeling it was hers but she was unsure.
Taking a glance at Cade after a long gulp of gin that remained in her palm, Bade spoke. "So the beard is staying then?" Bade asked casually as she leaned into Lar's side and touched the rough surface of her brother's face, Cade was quick to grab her hand.
His fingers dug into her flesh as he stared her down, it was a quick tug that got her free and she sunk back against Lar. "What happened out there, Bade?"
"I don't know why you are being so cruel Cade" she huffed to herself
"I hope you know you're acting like a kid" Cade had stood up now
"I hope you know you're treating me like a kid" Bade also stood up leaving Lar on the couch looking dumbfound at the two "You're not dad you don't have to worry about me left right and centre"
"Anything could have happened to you out there Bade" Cade snarled pacing slightly
"I wasn't in danger..." Bade sighed sitting back down next to a dormant Lar
"What happened, Esk?"Lar asked using her real name to soothe her
"Please don't call me that Lar" Bade replied before taking a deep breath "I landed at the temple, they looked after me and I walked out because I knew you were worried"
"They know you're here" Cade stopped his pacing and turned to her, there was a spark of terror reflected in the blue eyes
"Yea they do" Bade couldn't lie to him not when he was like this, she rolled her lightsaber hilts in her hands as she watched her brother march off in no particular direction but straight out the door.
"That could have gone better..." Lar said softly as his eyes stared at the door
"Yea I know" Bade flopped back and felt like she could scream at that moment as her hands moved through her hair pulling it out its clasp.
Silence lapsed over them as they sat there. Neither one wanted to start a conversation so they stared at the news; this was rare since all three had had enough of the endless cover on the clone wars. Bade began to lean into Lar delicately stroking the head tails and stroking the beaded string on the left, in turn Lar was plaiting her hair.
"An old friend made me realise something" Bade spoke suddenly as another image flashed up of some burnt up town
"And what was that?" Lar asked as he blinked away sadness as a few photo's from the scene popped up
"That maybe I should go back and help, I mean after that battle on Genosis a lot of Jedi died" Bade sat up and faced Lar "I mean I didn't just lose Jango Fett I lost some of the people I trained with when I was little"
"I understand" Lar spoke slowly as though he was trying to compare his situation to hers
"You do?" Bade asked her eye brow rising up as she looked him deep into the ruby pink eyes of his
"You want to go back don't you?"Lar asked openly as the news switched to a senate meeting with Duchess Satine
"I think... yes I do... I'm sure I do" Bade thought slowly as she traced the engravings in the whip hilt
"Then go" Lar said softly nuzzling her neck "I'll make up an excuse to Cade, you can go"
"You would let me?" Bade asked softly as her hands gripped Lar's
"It'll make you happy and I think you need to re-piece that part of you" Lar was sounding intelligent for once as he looked her in the eye smiling "Go, take my bike and go back there"
"What am I meant to tell them when I arrive back?" She asked softly
"Tell them you wanted to grab some things and say goodbye" he replied
Bade smiled at Lar and hugged him tight before she dashed quickly into her room and reappearing with a bag sometime later. A letter in her hand that she placed in Lar's hands, she kissed him lightly on the cheek before disappearing. It was by the bike she made her real decision and she decided to go. Her safety net was here she could come back whenever she needed to leave the temple.