Cad Bane - The Concept of Trust

Your own worst enemy: Part V

In the cockpit of a Flarestar-class attack shuttle an older Weequay pirate-captain led her fleet of ships, monitoring her crew. Krie Sundoonk might have been well past her prime, but what the years had taken away in reflexes or keen sight had paid back in full in tactical understanding, and reading the situations with extreme accuracy. She wasn't too tall, but the aura surrounding her made even the Weequay pirates, so well-known for their habit to betray each other in a jiff, to stand by her side year after year, battle after battle. Most stayed for lucrative shares or glory, some for sheer respect, some for fear. She didn't care. What mattered was that they stayed and did her bidding, and she had never led them in turmoil. But, now, as she stood and watched the shards of light passing them in the hyperspace through the viewport, something bothered her. Something was amiss with that distress call they had picked up; A hail from a cargo ship that had made an emergency landing in Bracca, saying they would give anything if someone would answer their call and get them out.

The ship's ID matched with one of the Bazos -Union's trade ships, and every pirate knew Bazos family. Even after losing their patriarch and head of the family over two years ago, they were still doing credit-spinning business, and their ships were lucrative targets no self-respecting pirate wanted to miss. Such luck that her contacts picked up that stress beacon and message so fast, and even more lucky that the ship had landed at Bracca, conveniently near Mid-Rim's trade routes for speedy travel, but on such a planet most avoided it like the Candorian plague. The beacon had ceased to work almost immediately after they had caught it. It could mean that someone had already found them, in the worst case the scrappers, but would also prevent others picking up the call and meddling with their prey.

No matter. We will go and see if there's anything worth our effort to ...save. She chuckled, shrugging off the unpleasant, ominous feeling she had. Bazos's ships are well worth the risks. They would be in Bracca in less than a third of a day. Then we'll have our payday.

Many, many parsecs away Bane and She were in the hyperspace. All the wares they had gotten from "The Bounty Blaster" were divided to both ships as needed. All was prepared. Well, almost. She was still concentrating on the last repairs and adjustments with the Dalcassian.

I should have listened to Bane and let that Dug go... Who in their right mind flies in the asteroid field with an YT when the other is flying a much more agile scout ship? She scolded Herself. That arrogance had caused serious damage on Her ship, and Bane hadn't been shy with his words when She had refused to give up the chase;

"You karking crazy, Eopie-headed koochoo! You're gonna get us both killed for nothing! Have you completely lost your mind!?"

What the hell was wrong with Her? She had never been this reckless. Yeah, Bane had unintentionally driven Her out of Her comfortable insignificance all those years back with one misunderstood sentence, but it had gotten worse during the years. First, Dal Brella. She had talked Bane into attempting to kidnap the Chagrian again. Then, the heist to steal things back from the Empire, the cargo that revealed to be cyber crystals. Something She was still worried of, and then as last on the list, the Dug. And, that prey had been next to nothing in value. A small fish in the pond with a diminutive bounty on his head. Bane had shrugged his shoulders when the Dug had escaped into the asteroid field, and had not anticipated She'd really follow. Because it had been stupid. Ludicrous. She seemed to be willing to take bigger risks all the time. Even stupid risks. Hell, fixing the Dalcassian had cost Her twenty times of what they got from that Dug. What is wrong with me? She groaned when trying to wrench one extremely stubborn bolt open.