Cad Bane - The Concept of Trust

Going Undercover: Part VII

Okay, this was really _supposed_ to be the final chapter for this story, but Ziiba's situation, Grakkus, and the palace itself are too enticing that I could have just cut it short. So, #sorrynotsorry the chapter VIII will be the last of this particular story. Pinky swear.

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The day passed by uneventfully. She, Bane and Aurra were taking their turns monitoring the feed. Ziiba wasn't allowed in the office, and Brella was cuffed in a chair so that he was all the time in the vicinity of at least one of the bounty hunters in a shift. All was calm, like it always was before the storm. Then, on the small hours of the second day Aurra shouted Her and Bane to wake up;

"Movement outside the apartment!"

Ziiba bounced up with the bounty hunters. The Rodian glanced at Brella, who seemed all too excited about what was happening, and all too closely watching the female bounty hunter who ran into the office after Bane, giving the Chagrian a brief glance. What is going on? Ziiba wondered. Has She sold us out? Made a deal with Brella? The Rodian's like a fist was clenching her innards. That would be like Dal; Offer enough credits to buy anyone or anything he wanted. Ziiba ran to the office, looking at the feed in the monitors over the bounty hunters' shoulders, fearing to see this facility surrounded. There were heavily armored and armed mercenaries or bounty hunters showing in the feeds outside of a building, preparing to enter. A lot of them. Then Brella shouted behind them, fighting against his cuffs in the chair, and the Chagrian's eyes were fixed on Her and full of fear;

"Free me, before they enter, you hear me! I need to get to safety!"

She turned around, glancing at Brella sharply and bolted at him, as Bane and Aurra both turned their eyes on them.

She released him from the chair, dragging the puzzled man into the office, Bane and Aurra making them some room.

"By all means, look at your saviours getting in," She hissed at the man's ear. "I left some presents for them."

Ziiba looked at the feed, as did Brella, whose expression turned sour the moment he understood things were not going as he had expected. It was the very apartment in the monitors Ziiba had been in earlier with Her. She saw the team of mercenaries barging in, and when they were all there, sweeping the apartment, Ziiba and Dal saw Bane brushing his thumb over a detonator device, a menacing grin on his face. Then the button was pressed down, and all the camera feeds showed momentarily a bright explosion before the feeds went offline.

"You fucking whore! We had a deal!" Brella lost it completely, yanking himself out of her grip when turning around. Bane's hand grabbed the Chagrian's collar when he tried to barge at her, stopping the raging man inches away from her face. She didn't even budge, and Her stare was as cold as her voice.

"Save your wind. You karking idiot really thought that I would go for that deal? Hell no. But as you gave me the code I should contact, and tell where we are was the best way to make sure your family's forces coming after you would go right where we wanted." She smirked at the Chagrian whose eyes were blazing.

"I told you I'd keep your secret! That was the deal topping the credits! Guess you want everybody to know, then?" Now the Chagrian's expression turned baleful, and his mouth curved into a nasty smirk.

She moved uneasily. "You put too much weight on the value of that knowledge."

"Do I? Then why have you cleaned all the information of your name over the years, bitch?"

"Because it's past, that's why!" Now she was getting riled up, and was clenching her fists.

"You can be sure I will tell everybody I can that one of the Crymorah Syndicate's crime lords, Ferron Danric's daughter, is trying to lay low. I'm sure there are a lot of people who'd appreciate that information. Your syndicate and team worked for the Empire, right? Maybe your old employers would also like to kno-" The sentence was cut short by Her fist hitting Brella's mouth, and She was ready to silence the Chagrian there and then, but was caught by Bane's guttural growl.