"We have two days before Senator Organa delivers his speech to the Senate. Our job is to persuade him not to speak."

Rain, sitting cross-legged on the bed, propped her chin on her fist.

"Why did we arrive here so early?"

"On the day of Organa's address, any incoming traffic will be more closely monitored. And I had business to conduct here."

"So what's the plan?"

"We'll want to do this without attracting too much attention, so I've devised a way to get you into the Senate building undetected. Meanwhile I'll be in an undisclosed location, with a few friends of the good Senator's to keep me company."

"Hold on. Back up. How am I getting into the Senate building?"

"Simple, darling. You're walking in."

Rain arched an eyebrow in confusion. Then the realization hit her.

"You mean to have me pretend to be Mira. But that won't work. There might be other Jedi in the building, or Mira herself might be there. If the two of us are walking around in the same place, or even if Mira's supposed to be elsewhere, people will notice."

"Luckily for us, your look-alike was planning on attending the Senate for Organa's speech."

"How do you even know that?" Rain demanded.

"Even the Jedi Temple isn't immune to spies, sweetie. All I need to do is snatch up your little sister and send you in her place. From there we'll be able to communicate via ear comlinks. You'll find Senator Organa and tell him to withdraw his address. If he tries to put up a fuss, then I'll start killing hostages."

"Who are these hostages?"

"You don't need to know that, pet."

Rain's eyes shone coldly.

"I guess I don't need to ask why your location will be undisclosed."

"It's better you don't know, just in case things go south." At the look on Rain's face, Bane added, "Relax, sweetie. As long as our Senator friend cooperates, no one has to die."

"And what about Mira?"

"Don't worry. I have no intention of hurting her."

Good, because if you did, I'd take your damn head off.

"Any idea why it's so important that we prevent Organa from speaking?" Rain queried.

"I have a vague idea."

"Care to share?"

"Does it matter?"

Rain uncrossed her legs, flopping back onto the bed and uttering a gusty sigh.

"Obviously not to you."

The bed shifted beneath her, indicating Bane getting to his feet. Rain lifted her head, watching him make his way over to the door.

"Where are you going? You'd better not be planning on taking off and leaving me here by myself again."

Bane paused, his hand on the doorknob.

"Not just yet, no."

Rain sprang upright, opening her mouth to ask if she could come with but Bane cut her off as she began to speak.

"No, you can't come, sweetie."

Rain vaulted off the bed, sprinting after Bane as he made his way out the door and down the stairs.

"We're going to be here for two days! What am I supposed to do?"

"Are you at all interested in drinking, gambling or philandering?"

Rain just groaned.

"I'll take that as a no."

Bane headed straight for the bar, calling for a scotch. Rain climbed onto one of the barstools, laying her head down on the counter, a black look on her face.

Guess I'll just stay here and rot then.

"You ever played sabacc, little lady?"

Rain straightened slowly.

"Isn't that a high stakes game?"

"It can be." Bane turned to the bartender. "You got a sabacc deck?"

"Think so. One sec."

The bartender ducked behind his counter, reemerging momentarily with a stack of cards in his hand. He handed them over to Bane, who quickly shuffled through the deck before turning back to Rain.

"Well, doll, what'll it be? You up for a couple rounds?"

Rain slid off the stool.

"If you'll teach me."

They picked a table and sat across from each other, Bane laying out the cards in a long row.

"There're seventy-six cards, sixty of which are divided into four suits consisting of fifteen cards each. The remaining sixteen are two sets of eight cards with negative values."

Bane gathered one suit into a separate pile before spreading it out and arranging it in order of value. The cards counted one to eleven, with the residual cards labelled Commander, Mistress, Master, and Ace.

"Each player starts with two cards. They announce their total, then they draw a card from the deck. After that, they can either trade a card from their hand for one from the deck, or stand. The aim is for your final hand to be as close to twenty-three without exceeding that number. If you get exactly twenty-three, that's a Pure Sabacc."

He went on to explain some of the finer details of the game, then they jumped right into it. Rain bombed out on the first two rounds.

"Obviously I haven't struck on my beginner's luck yet," she muttered, "So I take it you gamble often?"

"Not typically. In houses the odds are rigged against you, and other than that it's hard to find a good group to play with. Though I can't say I'm used to playing without stakes."

"You want stakes? If I win the majority of our rounds, I get your hat."

Bane frowned, "I'm not agreeing to that."

"Then how about we say..." Rain thought a moment, a mischievous grin on her face. "If I win, you're not allowed to use pet names on me. Or better yet, I get to use them on you. What do you say?"

Rain saw the corner of Bane's mouth turn up.

"All right."

Rain layed out her final hand, savoring the moment as she revealed a Pure Sabacc. Naturally Bane turned up an Idiot's Array, the only hand that could beat a Pure Sabacc. Rain slammed a fist on the table.

"Come on."

Bane chuckled, "Close, but no cigar." He swept her cards back into the deck, propping his feet up on the table and precariously balancing his chair on two legs while he redealt. "You know your sister called me darling when we first met."

Rain looked at him sharply.

"What? On Geonosis?"

"Yeah. She was pretending to be you and seemed rather confused at the nature of our relationship."

Can't say I don't relate to that.

Rain's brows furrowed.

"You didn't mention anything about our bet, did you?" she asked slowly, fearing the answer.

Bane kept his focus on his cards.

"I may have let it slip."

Rain grimaced, running a hand over her face.

"Oh, force."

"Fortunately her acting skills were even worse than yours. It didn't take me long to catch on."

"Well, as it happens, my little sister is blessed with being everything I'm not, so it doesn't surprise me that she couldn't quite fit into my shoes."

"You might be more alike than you think."

Rain drew a card from the deck.

"You'll have to try harder to convince me of that."

"You're certainly both stubborn enough."

The assassin snorted, "Mira, stubborn?"

"The little lady abandoned her own safety to single-handedly take me on, and even after getting stranded refused to give up her mission. Sounds stubborn to me."

"Usually she's the cautious one," Rain said, surprised.

"Not from what I saw, pet. So what have you got?"

Rain revealed a sixteen, Bane a twenty-two. Rain glared at him accusingly.

"I swear, if you're cheating..."

Cad just laughed.

As they ran through round after round, handfuls of people began to drift into the bar and their game of Sabacc started generating some interest. At one point, two guys actually started placing bets. Eventually their audience lost interest and began to dwindle, until the only observer left was a pretty, red-skinned Twilek. Though judging by her long lingering looks at Bane, it wasn't the game she was interested in.

After winning all but a few rounds, Bane pushed back his chair, signalling the end of the game.

"Much as I'm enjoying this very challenging match, I'm afraid it's time for me to take my leave," he said, his amusement evident in his voice.

Rain began to gather up the cards, a gloomy expression on her face.

"Don't mock me. Just go away."

Bane tipped his hat and left, but the Twilek remained by the table a moment longer. Rain finished stacking the deck and was about to ask her if she needed something when the Twilek flitted away. Rain watched her, frowning, before getting up and returning the cards to the bartender. He set down the glass he was cleaning to take them.

"You both enjoy your room last night?" he asked passingly.

"Is your job so boring that this is what you resort to in order to amuse yourself?" Rain shot back, feeling defensive.

She saw a sly look in the bartender's eyes as he reemerged from behind the counter.

"One might argue that this is part of my job, and it's the part I enjoy the most."

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Rain just extended her hand.

"Keys, please."

She retreated to the hotel room, deciding to bide her time there until Bane returned. She would've waited in the bar if it hadn't been for a nosy bartender, a lurking Twilek, and yesterday's events. Rain tried to preoccupy herself by going over the details of Bane's plan in her head. When that failed, she resorted to counting out the bounty hunter's credits. She lost count multiple times before giving up. Minutes soon turned to hours, and finally Rain left the room in fear of going stir crazy. Only, when she ventured downstairs, she found Bane at the bar, a drink in his hand. The red-skinned Twilek stood next to him, conversing quietly with him. Rain clenched her jaw, crossing the room in a few strides.

"Bane."

The Duros turned his crimson eyes on her. Her voice was cold.

"I didn't know you were back."

Her eyes flickered to the Twilek.

"I haven't been here long."

"Planning on heading out again?"

"No, doll."

"Well, I'm going to just stretch my legs for a bit."

Cad nodded in acknowledgement before turning back to his pretty Twilek companion. Rain moved past them, heading for the exit. The streets were already dark, the artificial lighting of the lower levels having been sufficiently dimmed to coincide with the time of day on the surface. Rain took the path she and Bane had ventured on the day before, her thoughts strangely silent as she walked. The buildings swept by her, the light from their windows spilling out onto the street. Rain forged on, eventually passing the lingerie shop. She just kept walking, right up until she reached the nightclub where they'd found Phob. She heard the music blaring above the noise of the enthusiastic dancers, and when she stopped in the doorway and leaned up against the frame, she could feel it reverberating through the walls. She stayed there, watching the throng dancing, dancing, dancing away the night.

So this is what people do to forget their worries? They pack themselves into this room and dance until they suffocate?

She slipped back into the night, fixing her sights in the direction of the hotel.

Does it really help, I wonder?

This time as she passed the window displaying the lingerie, she slowed.

Sometimes, just sometimes, she missed those outfits.

But a Sith would probably have as much use for lingerie as a Jedi would. She laughed to herself. Maybe I SHOULD get some then. It proved handy before.

She continued on her way, her mood slightly improved. When she arrived back at the hotel, the bar was slightly more crowded than it had been when she'd left, but there was no sign of Bane. She made a quick sweep of the room before deciding he must have gone upstairs.

That little red-skinned creature is gone too, she noted with some satisfaction, navigating her way up the staircase, What a creep. Just standing there, not saying anything, but smiling at him. Geez, I exist too you know. You want to state your intentions or just keep on leering at him like a dummy? She frowned. Then again, with that kind of behavior in common, they might be well-suited to each other. Not that it's any of my business...

Rain strolled down the hall, slowing as she neared the room.

What's that sound?

It was soft but gradually grew in volume. Rain paused at the door to the King Room, her hand hovering over the doorknob. The sounds were much louder now, and upon leaning in a little closer to listen, there was no doubt in Rain's mind that they were coming from the other side of the woodwork.

Realization clicked, and Rain stumbled back as though she had been stung.

She's in there, with him...

She blushed to her roots, her heart rate quickening. For a split second she was back on Geonosis, and she could hear his voice, and feel his touch.

He was so gentle.

And then, for a fraction of a moment, her mind carried her beyond the door and into the bed. It scared her to realize just how much she wanted it, to the point where she couldn't breathe.

Next thing Rain knew she was running back the way she'd come, down the stairs, through the bar, and out into the street. She paused to catch her breath, but her heart wouldn't stop pounding. For the briefest moment, she thought she was going to cry.

I wanted to cry during that night on Geonosis too, but I didn't. I didn't, because I couldn't stand to let him see me in tears.

That night, that one night had changed everything. Everytime she looked at the bounty hunter, the memory pressed on the edges of her mind, threatening to surface.

"What am I to you, Cad Bane?" she had wondered silently, when she should have been asking herself, "What is he to me?"

Kenobi's voice echoed in her mind, challenging her, "Is he worth it?"

"I don't know," she had answered.

She still didn't know.

I don't like him, she thought, Not all that much. He was a distraction when I needed one, that's all. I shouldn't care who he sleeps with, as long as it's not me, NOT me, NOT ME! It should NEVER have been me.

Then why did it feel so good? her thoughts chimed back.

It's not fair, she complained, feeling painfully helpless, It's not fair that he can screw with my head so EASILY.

Someone pushed past Rain, startling her. She looked up and down the street in the hope that she might spot a quiet corner to tuck herself into, but nothing caught her eye. Her already heavy heart sank into her toes. More than anything, she just wanted to be alone.

A thought struck her, and she lifted her head, gazing upward. She crouched, then sprang, catching the edge of the sloped roof of the hotel and pulling herself up. She curled up, tucking her knees under her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs. From there, she could see a considerable distance, but in the darkness she could only make out the vague shapes of buildings. She sat there, gazing blankly, her perception of time completely lost. Even when she began to grow cold and stiff, she stayed where she was, staring endlessly.

She heard Bane coming before she saw him. He crested the rooftop, suspended in midair by his rocket boots.

"There you are," he growled, "Took me bloody long enough to find you."

Rain gave him a sour look. Tapping into the force, she waved a hand at him.

"You want to go away and leave me alone."

Bane arched a brow at her, stepping onto the roof.

"That doesn't work on me, pet."

Rain shrugged, "Well, it was worth a shot."

The bounty hunter took a seat next to her. She kept her eyes pinned to the roof. Silence stretched between them, causing Rain to quickly grow tense. The fact that he could make her so uneasy just by sitting there was making her increasingly angry with herself and him.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm on the roof?" she blurted, casting him a furtive glance.

"No."

Bane produced a toothpick seemingly out of thin air and started chewing on it. Rain had the sudden urge to break his teeth.

"Why not?"

"No point in asking a question you already know the answer to, sweetie. The bartender mentioned you went upstairs while I was...entertaining the other little lady. He said you came running back pretty quick."

Rain could feel the heat rushing to her face all over again. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, staring harder at the rooftop.

I don't know if it's worse that he realizes what he did or not. But why hunt me down at all if he's just going to sit there and not say anything? Doesn't he even have the decency to apologize? SAY something, damn you!

"Just to be clear," she snapped, "It doesn't bother me."

"'Course not, darling. That's why you're sitting on the roof wanting to be left alone."

Rain jumped to her feet, fury pulsing through her veins.

"So you came up here just to screw with me?"

A smile stole across Bane's face.

"Interesting choice of words."

Rain snapped a leg out, catching the brim of Bane's hat and sending it fluttering upward. The bounty hunter caught it and returned it to its perch without a word before getting to his feet.

"You know I didn't sleep with you because I liked you," Rain hissed, "That had nothing to do with it."

Bane seemed utterly unfazed.

"I know."

Rain could feel her heart beating a mile a minute. She was almost blind with rage.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"What, sweetie?"

"Stop acting like you know me better than I do! Stop looking at me like you know everything that's going on in my head! You don't! You don't, no more than I know what you're thinking!"

I should never have stuck my neck out for him. He treated me horribly on Nal Hutta, even after I saved his life in the crash! I was just a nuisance to him, a distraction.

There were times when you were just as distracted as he was, the voice in the back of her mind whispered.

I saved him TWICE on Orondia! Skywalker would have killed him otherwise! Since when was HE so noble?

He saved Kenobi on Serenno, even if he didn't know it then. And he rescued you from Grievous' wrath, the voice answered.

He could've had his own reasons for doing those things. How am I supposed to know? Rain silently argued, I never understand ANYTHING he does! All I know is that if I hadn't defended him, I would never have been on Geonosis in the first place! I never would've had to face Mira, I never would have had to face the truth that we could NEVER be together until the war was ended.

But you would've met Mira on the battlefield eventually, and who would've comforted you then?

I DON'T CARE!

But you do. You said it yourself. You'd protect him in a heartbeat.

"I hate you."

The words tumbled out of her mouth and hung in the air, punctuated by a painful silence. In an instant, Rain's anger was gone, leaving her feeling strangely cold and numb. Bane still seemed unconcerned. He took the pick out of his mouth, examining it briefly before tossing it aside. Rain watched it arc upward, then disappear beyond the edge of the rooftop.

"I need a drink," the Duros said suddenly.

"Same," Rain said wearily.

The bounty hunter gave her a sidelong look but said nothing. He vaulted off the roof, hitting the pavement a split second before Rain. They entered the bar, moving as one. It was empty, the bartender being the only living thing in sight. He seemed almost amused to see them.

"What can I get you?" he asked as the pair seated themselves at the counter.

"Brandy," Bane replied.

"I'll have the same as him," Rain said, gesturing to Cad.

The Duros turned his scarlet orbs on her.

"You ever drank, little lady?"

"Last time was on Nal Hutta. Hardeen, or rather Kenobi, bought me a martini. The only other occasion was years prior and completely accidental. After that, my old master made sure to keep me far, far away from alcohol. So there's a lot of drinks I'll be needing to try, I suppose."

"Then we'd better get started," Bane said, adding for the bartender's benefit, "I'm paying for hers."

Rain downed her brandy in a few gulps, prompting a surprised look from the bounty hunter.

"Easy, little lady," he warned.

"I don't have time to take it easy. I have too many drinks to try." She pulled the bartender's attention to her empty glass. "Get me a margarita." She turned back to Bane. "Are you going to be able to keep up or what?"

Cad's mouth turned up in a smile, his dark eyes gleaming. He had his glass empty in a flash. He pushed it toward the bartender.

"Same as hers," he ordered.

Rain grinned, "Now we're talking."

By the time she finished her margarita, she could feel the effects of the alcohol setting in. She descended into a dreamy haze, her speech becoming slurred. She ordered a mimosa for her next round before breaking into the shots. She soon regretted her choice of whiskey. It burned her throat and almost choked her.

"Nope, nope, not for me," she said hastily, pushing the glass away while Bane doubled over with hysterics. "You could've warned me," she growled at him, "Izz not funny!" She groaned, leaning forward to rest her head on the counter. "I'm done."

Bane clearly wasn't, though he appeared nearly as drunk as Rain.

"Get me a sidecar," he instructed the bartender.

"How're you ssstill going?" Rain said thickly.

"I'm not a lightweight like you, pet."

"Well, gimme a sip then."

She reached for the glass in Bane's hand but he pulled away.

"You said you were done."

"No, no, thizz is more cost-effective."

Cad eventually relented, and as Rain pulled away, surrendering his glass back to him, she was struck by a thought.

What better time to interrogate someone than when they're drunk?

She rested an elbow on the counter, propping her chin in her upturned palm.

"Ssso I finally got to meet the man at the top. Gotta say I was disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Bane echoed.

"Yeah. You ever met him in person?"

Rain went in for another sip of his drink.

"Once or twice," Cad replied.

"Strange old geezer, don't you think? Why do you sssuppose he wears that hood?"

Bane frowned, "Thought that was obvious."

Rain pursed her lips.

"Well, why do you wear that hat?"

"Cuzz I like it."

Rain nodded in agreement, "I like it too. Bet I would look pretty good in it though."

"I have no doubt about that, doll."

"Tell you what," Rain said, falling completely off track, "You buy me a matching one and then we can be twins."

"You already have a look-alike, little lady, and I'm not terribly fond of the idea of having one for myself. I've already had to deal with sssomeone running around pretending to be me."

"You had an imposter?" Rain asked interestedly.

"Yeah, an old friend of mine back on New Tayana."

"You had friends?"

"They're not around anymore."

Bane lapsed into a moody silence but Rain didn't feel like staying quiet for very long.

"I dunno a lot about Duro, other than izz uninhabitable. New Tayana was one of izz ssspace cities, wasn't it?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Izz that where you got your tech?"

"No. That was thanks to sssome fool who thought he could pass himself off as a Jedi."

"How many buttons do you have on these things anyway?" Rain queried, leaning over to peer closely at Bane's gauntlets and almost falling off her stool in the process, "I know you have a grappling hook, a communicator, a flamethrower, aaaaand, oh, yeah, one for your boots." She hovered her finger over one of the buttons. "Whazz this one for?"

Bane jerked his arm away.

"Watch it! You're gonna kill someone!"

"Why, what does it do?"

Bane held up his arm to reveal a dart hidden on the underside of the gauntlet.

"Wow. You come prepared."

"That's the idea, darling."

"Ssso what do all the other buttons do?"

Bane briefly ran through the functions for each button adorning his gauntlets, then Rain tried to recite them back. By the third attempt even Bane was starting to get mixed up so they decided to quit while they were behind.

"We should head on up to the room," the bounty hunter said, having emptied his glass, "It'sss late."

Rain hopped off the stool, clutching at the counter for support as the floor rocked beneath her feet. She stayed there for a minute, swaying unsteadily while Bane paid for the drinks. Then she chanced a step away from the counter. She immediately tipped off balance, plummeting toward the tiles. Bane caught her around the waist, nearly losing his own footing as a result. He took a second to recover before setting Rain back on her feet.

"Careful, little lady."

He kept his arm wound tightly around her as they headed for the stairs.

"You know I've been thinking about what I'm gonna do after the war," Rain declared abruptly, "Izz occurred to me that I didn't make a great Jedi, but I don't make a terribly good Sssith either. So what d'you suggest?"

"Can't say bounty hunting would suit you very well, sssweetie," Bane slurred.

Rain pursed her lips but said nothing. They made it to the room without too many mishaps, and Rain promptly broke away from Cad to throw herself across the bed. She sighed satisfactorily as the sheets billowed around her, her arms outspread and her eyes closed. She heard Bane shuffling around and a smile touched her lips.

"Wanna know a secret?" she asked softly.

"Sure, doll."

"You weren't my firzz kiss. You might not recall, but on the day we met, you held a pretty Pantoran Senator hostage. Riyo Chuchi. We were only like nine years old when the kiss happened ssso it waz completely innocent, but it seemed to get lezz so over time. Least for me. Anyway, she was visiting Coruscant for the firzz time and sssomeone thought it would be a good idea if she could spend that time with sssomeone her own age. Somehow they picked me. Ssso Riyo and I did everything together thoze few days. I dunno if she remembers the kiss though. Prob'ly not. Well, it wouldn'ta worked out anyway."

The bed shifted under her as Bane climbed onto the mattress. He slipped an arm under her and next thing Rain knew she could feel his solid form pressing up against hers. Then his mouth was on her skin, biting her neck. Rain put her hand out, her fingers brushing up against Bane's bare chest.

"Bane," she murmured, "We shouldn't."

"Why not?"

Why not? her mind echoed.

She almost couldn't think of an answer. Everything felt hazy, and the sensation of Bane's hot breath hitting her neck was proving very distracting.

"We're drunk. It doesn't count."

"All the better, darling."

Don't argue. Just kiss him. It's what you want, isn't it?

Rain hesitated. Her eyes fluttered open, her hand trailing upward till it found the contour of Bane's face.

"I want it to count," she said softly, "Please."

There was a pause, then Cad pulled away slowly. In the darkness, Rain caught a glimpse of the Duros' blood red eyes. Then a wave of nausea hit her.

"Bane," she whispered, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Without waiting for an answer, she leapt up from the bed and ran.