#weequay bbq

[xinambercladx]

"Figment" Ch1: Credits and Copper

Rating: T Characters: Cad Bane, Darth Sidious, Darth Maul (mentioned). Summary: Cad Bane waits for a Sith Lord's holocall, and a possible job. Little does he know the rabbit hole it will send him down. -------------------------------------------------------------- The promise of fame and fortune often leads to infamy and misfortune.

22 BBY

First year of the Clone Wars.

It was a living night on the cold streets of Coruscant. The central hub of the galaxy creaked from the rust and the rot, greased by blood and sweat of the lower classes to churn the cream of society to the top. And down, down below the underbelly growled from hunger and greed and bloodlust and ambition. The city dwellers who had dreams of leaving never left, and those that did always returned. The hum of neon signs and whistling air speeders was a sick tune of narcissism playing nursery rhymes with hope. The sky of stars was choked out by the air pollution and lights of the city, and those that dared to look up only saw the crushing thousand levels of concrete and durasteel above ever looming.

Cad Bane stared out the window, rolling a toothpick in his mouth. From the darkly lit room he stared out to the neon lit city, the underbelly of Corucant. Speeders zipped by pedestrians. Between him and the next skyscraper was undoubtedly an endless chasm reaching down to the 500 level, only crossable by bridge. He wasn’t in the most depraved levels of the city-wide planet, but not in a nice level either. The Hole was a seedy hotel that rented out an apartment to him whenever he visited the planet. The Hole was a favorite of bounty hunters for its discretion, and was a carefully guarded secret among them for that very reason, as they themselves often bounties on their own heads. The walls were stained, but thankfully free of mold and mildew. He stayed here because amenities were available for cooking if needed, washing if needed, a bed for sleeping, if he could fall asleep at all. There was even a computer with full access to the holonet and holoprojector to boot. The projector had ceased communication with a client with a potential assignment, much to his chagrin. The mysterious client had somehow gotten his direct line of communication some months before and had sent him to kill Jedi, secure bases of operations like Bilbringi Depo once belonging to a Hutt. Killing a Hutt was an offense that would have put an even larger bounty on his head than Bane already had. The client had asked for no evidence left behind, for which he was somewhat thankful for not bringing more heat to himself, but also rued the fact his reputation wouldn’t grow from boasting about it.

“Bilbringi Depot is secured,” Bane said when the job was completed. He brushed off his hat from the short lived skirmish. His battle droids loaded into his ship, theSleight of Hand.

“You have done well, Bounty Hunter. I trust you left no evidence of your work,” the hooded man said, hands oddly hovering in front of him as if ready to grasp the air.

“I never leave a mess unless I’m paid to leave a mess. I’m a professional,” Bane assured, giving the Durosian equivalent to a wink.

The hooded man had seemed pleased, a wry grin curling over not quite perfect, human teeth. “Payment has been transferred to your account. I shall contact you when I next require your services.”

Bane had begun to make clients jump through several hoops little more than ten years ago. A new client, who went by the simple name “Maul”, had hired him to help kidnap a Jedi Padawan from an auction house on Nar Shadaa, another city planet with a less admirable reputation. Bane, Aurra Sing, and their teammate were hired for little more than being patsies, a distraction as this Maul snuck a peek at the asset. They all ended up being hunted by the very auctioneers their were steeling the Padawan from and in the end the job was barely worth saving the Zabrak’s hide, with the Jedi nowhere to be seen. “The Jedi has met her fate,” was all Maul uttered on the matter as they flew away from Nal Hutta’s moon.Dead, Bane assumed. Maul paid Bane’s crew their fees. Bane decided if he had to jump through hoops to get paid, his services were worth more and worth protecting from nonsensical clients. Clients now had to be referred by previous clients. Perhaps more hoops were needed.

Normally Bane didn’t care who the client was as long as he got paid. This hooded client had proven to be a lucrative one, with tasks of particularly tricky goals. He had to admit, they were rather fun. When this Darth Sidious contacted him again as promised Bane couldn’t help but be curious what the job would entail next. Before the hooded man could begin explaining, he said, “Just a moment” and the feed was cut short. Bane scoffed, his curiosity left hanging. A title like Darth meant he was a Sith Lord. The Jedi were obsessed with finding Dooku and his dark partner. Here Bane was simply minding his own business and the Sith had contacted him for help. He wondered what the job was. There was a familiarfeelto this man. It was a lurking sense of danger that got under the skin. Cad Bane lazily walked to the window. He adjusted the wide brimmed hat he was still wearing after returning. He leaned on the sill, staring off into the distance, waiting.

Bane fiddled with the toothpick, cleaning a bit of sinew that had gotten stuck between his fang and side incisor. The nerf kebabs had hit the spot. The meat had been perfectly grilled and drenched in a delicious, peppery sauce. He had gotten it in celebration of job he had completed not six hours ago. The Bengal Barbecue kiosk had opened recently and quickly developed a fan following. There had been a massive line, sometimes trailing around the street corner most days of the week. He had wanted to try it after smelling the sizzling meat stand several times on previous visits, but never had the time to wait in line. The comfortable weight in his stomach sac confirmed it was well worth it. Bane could see the stand across the street. The line was gone as the kiosk closed for the night. The lights flicked off and the Weequay pit master walked home. Bane silently wished the entrepreneur success. He liked the kebabs, and fully intended on giving the Weequay more of his credits.

Soon the pit master was lost in the distance and passing crowds. Bane’s large eyes focused on a new sign above where the pit master disappeared. The display, easily four times the size of a speeder, morphed between greens and blues, switching from trees to ocean. Words scrolled along the bottom, advertising Alderaan and several other vacation planets. It was subtle though. The footage replayed and he watched, wondering why he liked it. The shapes of trees waving in the wind somehow morphed into seaweed, which morphed into waves, which morphed into rolling clouds. The nature scenes starkly contrasted with the constructed buildings around it, so no wonder his red eyes seemed to be transfixed by it. Whoever had edited the footage was gifted. The footage replayed. Water pattered on rooftops, rivers swirled, and waves crashed on black cliffs. Trees stretched across a blue sky. Seaweed waved in shallow pools morphed into fields of grass waving in the wind. A stream of long hair shined in the sun, and there was a smile warmer than the sun could ever…

A dim blue light lit up behind him. The old voice of the hooded man croaked, “Excuse the interruption.” Bane was snapped out the daydream, the voice grating his ears. “As I was saying, Bounty Hunter, I am in need of your services.”

Bane returned to the here and now, the recurring client, potentialjob. “I’mlistenin’,” Bane spoke curtly, half thinking the job better be worth the wait like the kebabs had been. He flicked his toothpick into the corner rubbish bin.

“I need a Jedi… Holocron.”

“To get a Holocron I’ll need to break in to de Jedi Temple. It’s impossible… not to mention,deadly,” Bane explained, not missing a beat. He had considered breaking in before, but had always treated it like a puzzle to solve merely to pass the time between jobs. Over the decades, he had collected various diagrams, pass codes, and other intel some would deem useless about the fortress. Half of it had been simply from researching how to take down Jedi or better defend himself from them. The oldest records he had acquired were from a Jedi artifact collector while undercover for an unrelated heist. The records were over a millennia old, before the pyramid like walls had been erected to protect the inner sanctum. He had never thought a client would be daft enough to hire him for such a venture. Perhaps this silly pass time of his hadn’t been so outlandish after all. It would be a huge risk, but the reward would be-

“Perhaps your reputation has been exaggerated,” Darth Sidious sneered flatly, hitting the bounty hunter’s pride.

Bane leaned on the desk chair and pounced at the jab with a list of demands, “I want a Rogue class starfighter with elite weapons, cloaking device, dewerks.” It was everything he would need for the getaway if things went south. “Oh, and,” he sprinkled the sting of pocketbooks as he slipped into the chair and put his feet up, “triple my usual rate.”

The Sith Lord flicked the jab away as if it were a crumb on his plate, “Your price is of no concern. I will also provide you with the means to getinsidethe temple.” Sidious’ offer was so casual the bounty hunter could only be amused.

Bane smiled with pleasure, “You’ve gotta deal.”

“Excellent,” Darth Sidious replied. “I’ll see the item you requested is manufactured and delivered beforehand. In the meantime, there is a smaller task I have for you. There is a Jedi I need taken care of.”

“Another Jedi and another job? You know my fees, Sith. What more does dis entail?”

“Master Ord Enisence. I need him eliminated. Once he is dead, and the Holocron retrieved, you will need to recover a crystal from Jedi Master Bolla Ropal. The Holocron cannot be unlocked without the crystal he possesses. Collect the information inside the Holocron for me.” Darth Sidious said, then added, “You have proven yourself capable enough so far, bounty hunter. Continue to do so and I shall employ you further.”

“I’m at your service,” replied Bane, giving a mock bow while still seated. “I must admit, I’m enjoying dis tango, but I can’t help but wonder who gave you my contact? It wouldn’t have been your associate, Maul, now would it? You Sith types like your mystery and intrigue, so I can’t un-see the resemblance, with both of you havin’ a penchant for hooded cloaks and messin’ wit Jedi business.”

Darth Sidious didn’t answer immediately, impressed with the bounty hunter’s deduction. “The incident with the Padawan on Nar Shadaa was a necessary lesson for my... former apprentice to learn patience, a quality in which he lacked, unlike yourself.”

“An important virtue, dat one,” Bane said.

“Indeed.”

“Is that all den?”

“It is.” Sidious concluded their business and sent Cad Bane an encrypted file with instructions on where to pick up a data chip. The holoprojector shut off and the room was free of that unsettling feeling under the skin. The feeling was replaced with anticipation, and Cad Bane immediately got up to leave. He was tired, but sleep could wait until after he retrieved the chip. The Sith had complemented his patience compared to Maul, however there was nothing wrong with being proactive. Sidious wasn’t the only one eager to get the ball rolling. Curiosity on several thoughts had finally been sated. Maul had indeed been connected to Darth Sidious. Maul was his “former” apprentice, meaning he was dead, which meant Count Dooku was Maul’s replacement. The Galactic Republic believed Dooku was the mastermind behind the war, but Bane now believed it was the unseen Sidious pulling the strings.

Bane descended down the steps of The Hole, a façade bar and restaurant, in truth. He crossed the street and passed the Bengal Barbecue kiosk. The faint scent of charred meat and charcoal still lingered in the air. He walked for some ways, waking up from the post meal sleepiness. Bane watched as passers by step in puddles ahead of him. A leak spilled from an apartment's air conditioner line. Blue and green lights reflected on the rippled surface. His red eyes were drawn up to the Star Tours vacation advertisement on the large screen overhead. He stopped to admire the morphing landscapes. It truly was a masterful edit. The fields appeared and grass swayed, but something was missing. He watched the ad replay. Again, something was missing.

“You fancy a vacation to Alderaan, Duros? I can take you to the spaceport if you like,” a young voice asked. Cad Bane turned to find a young human taxi driver, bundled up in a fur collared leather jacket. “Nice new ad, though, huh? I wonder how they get the seafoam to turn into clouds like that?”

“Sure it is,” Bane replied. “I like de version with de woman.”

“Woman?”

“Yess. Long locks, smilin’ at you.”

The taxi driver shrugged, “I’d like to see that version! Maybe they’d sell more spots on the Tour with a pretty girl in it. I’ve been staring at this ad for the last hour though. No girl. When did they play that version?”

Bane hesitated. The conversation with Sidious had begun only twenty minutes earlier. He shook his head. “Doen't matter. Take me to dese coordinates. I gotta job to do.”

The night was hustling and so should he. ----------------------- Chapter Links: Next Chapter