Cad Bane - The Concept of Trust

It comes back to bite you: Part II / VI

Bane keyed in the coordinates. It had been easy to track where his prey was going, she had been using common flights, and rented private ships with an easily solved alias. Hadn't even cared to change it frequently. What an amateur... Bane set his course to the last known coordinates to the large spaceport in Hosnian Prime, following the Corellian Trade Route. When he got there, the data showed the target had taken a flight to Devaron. When Bane arrived there the target had already left for Chardaan, and so on, and so forth. This chase went on for two days, Bane being always just a tad late to catch her. He grew irritated with this Loth-cat – Womp rat chase. The target was obviously on the move, but she was always leaving so hastily, that Bane wasn't able to catch her. He needed to get ahead of that elusive quarry...

Bane took out the holomaps, and tracked the whole route they had been going through. His prey had been hopping between different hyperspace lanes, but the direction she was heading was clearing up, and it was most probably on the Mid-Rim's Chommel sector, and the best option there was Naboo. Big enough planet if you wanted to disappear, lots of different species so you didn't stick out. Nice place to enjoy your credits.

He thought about the options. He could continue running after the target, or he could take his chances, and try to cut her tracks by getting to the possible destination in advance. It was gambling, but the odds were on his side. So, instead of following the prey's next step, Bane set the coordinates to Naboo. He had this uneasy feeling again. It was too systematic, that he was always just a little bit late, but always finding the next stop so easily. Like somebody was playing time. He chewed the stick in his mouth. Even more reason to break this pattern.

Bane arrived at Naboo, and checked the spaceports that were having arrivals from the possible stops the prey might be taking, and following her route. He was right. Even if she sidetracked a few times there were always connective routes to Naboo. Bane grinned. Now he just had to wait, and see if this played out as he wanted, and remove options to narrow down what spaceport she might be using on Naboo. One day more, and he tracked that the prey had gotten on the ship that was flying to Theed on Naboo. Bane arrived there, counting that if he had been following the quarry's tracks as before, he would have been here one day later. The thought made him grin crookedly. Got you now.

She was having Her shift the first night. Good. Everybody slept, there was less risk that anyone would notice what She was up to. She had been a bundle of nerves that whole day and evening, but hadn't seen any, any, signs of anyone tracking Her down, though Nevar had been keen to hear how She had fared, but it felt like just earnest common small talk. She hoped Her gut feeling served her right. Making sure that no one was watching, She checked that there were no cameras on the ship. I need to be very careful, I don't want to leave any traces of what I have done. She used time for the preparations before being confident She could open the controls, and get into the mainframe. Now... I just have to get the comms open just for a second, and send Bane the message to stay the hell out wherever he is supposed to be in less than four days.

She methodically tracked down the systems to be able to manipulate the jammed comms. Druk! She noticed that comm controls were rerouted from the system, and that the comms had been jammed externally. There is no way I can get these to work... Nevar probably has the pad controlling these with him, and I am not a good enough slicer to get through from here. Druk, druk druk... She felt desperate. What the hell am I going to do? I don't know where we are going yet, I don't know anything about this contact, I don't know who in the end wants Bane and why. I know nothing... She hit Her fist to the wall several times, causing hollow thumps to echo for a second, and leaving her knuckles pulsing with pain.