Rain gazed up at the towering Senate building, lost in thought. Her mind kept replaying yesterday's events.

She had awoken to find herself entangled with Bane, the blankets scattered haphazardly around them. She didn't even remember how she'd gotten back into the bed. It was early afternoon when she woke, and she was greeted by a splitting headache. As soon as Bane had come around, he had simply told her to sleep it off before getting dressed and heading off to do whatever it was he did during the day.

Rain had taken his advice, sleeping well throughout the afternoon before waking during the early evening. She had wandered downstairs, feeling dehydrated, her headache only a ghost of what it was before.

"What'll it be?" the bartender had asked casually.

"Water, if you have any," Rain muttered.

"All-nighters are rough, huh?"

"Shut up."

We didn't do anything, she had thought, But I wanted to.

The tension of what had passed and what was to come weighed on her.

Dooku and Grievous both warned me against trusting bounty hunters, but I'm going to HAVE to trust Bane. I'm going to have to trust him with the life of my sister, as well as the other hostages.

Honestly, she didn't know if she could do it.

Just do your job, and he'll do his.

Rain had returned to the room, Bane arriving shortly afterward. Rain was completely caught off guard when he tossed her a wad of crumpled fabric. When she held it up and let the material unfurl, she could feel her cheeks redden.

"It might be a little inappropriate, but I figured you could find a use for it," Bane said.

The outfit was uncannily similar to Rain's old lingerie, right down to the black lace and interwoven jewels. Somehow it made her sad.

"Why would you waste your credits on me?"

Bane chuckled, "You should know better than to think I would ever spend my credits on something I thought was a waste, sweetie."

Rain clutched the lingerie tightly, her sadness deepening.

This is our last day in this hotel. Our last day together. At first, I was just wishing it would end quickly, but now...

Her thoughts pulled her back to that night on Geonosis.

What if I let it happen again? Would it be so wrong of me? Would it be worse if I kept pretending that I don't want it?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bounty hunter turn to leave. She lifted her head.

"Bane."

Cad paused, his hand on the doorknob.

"Hmm?"

"I-I..." She hesitated. "I want you to kiss me."

Her voice was strained. She was shaking. Bane turned slowly, letting go of the doorknob. Rain tried again.

"Kiss me. Please."

Bane took one step. Then two. Then his mouth was on hers, and she could feel his arms around her.

And he did a lot more than just kiss her.

Rain started across the massive concourse, the gigantesque dome of the Senate building looming over her. Reaching up, she activated her earcomm.

"I'm approaching the building."

"Good," Bane's voice came back, "Once you're inside, avoid talking unless you have to. We don't want to attract any unnecessary attention."

"Got it."

She hesitated, an unspoken question on the tip of her tongue.

Is Mira okay?

Do the job and she will be, her thoughts answered.

She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, quickening her pace.

She's not really a hostage, she told herself, And Bane wouldn't hurt her, would he? He said so.

Dooku's frowning face flashed before her mind's eye.

"Don't trust bounty hunters."

Rain pushed her thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand. Getting into the building was no problem, but once inside she found the place was crowded to the point of near suffocation.

Nothing like my last visit, huh?

She stopped a few times to ask where she might find Bail Organa before finally finding someone who could point her in the right direction. She was told she'd find him in his office preparing for his speech.

I should have thought of that, Rain thought sourly.

She asked for directions, then headed off. However, when she happened to spot a certain Pantoran Senator, she froze in her tracks. Riyo wasn't long in spying her back. She broke into a stunning smile. The reaction confused Rain. She racked her brain but for the life of her couldn't remember if she'd ever told Riyo about her twin.

Has she ever met Mira?

"Rain!" Riyo greeted her enthusiastically.

The assassin paled, glancing around quickly to see if anyone had taken particular notice in the name. No one had.

"I'm sorry," she explained hastily, "You have me confused. I'm Mira, Rain's twin sister."

"Oh," Riyo said, switching to a more relaxed smile, "I think I recall Rain mentioning you when we were younger, though I don't believe we've ever met. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Is Rain not planning on attending Senator Organa's speech?"

Rain's confusion didn't last long.

She doesn't know...

For a brief moment, Rain wished she could just say 'fooled you' in order to escape what came next. She wished Riyo could keep on living with the fantasy that she was a heroic Jedi knight. She wished she could talk to the pretty Pantoran as herself and not her sister. She wished she could finally tell Riyo how she felt.

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling her chest tightening, "You must not have heard. Rain is no longer a Jedi. She left the Order."

She left the rest unspoken.

She doesn't need to know that I'm a traitor.

Nevertheless, the shock on Riyo's face was like a knife twisting in her gut.

"No. Not Rain. Why would she do such a thing?"

"She...she changed. There were a lot of things weighing on her, and she realized she couldn't be the Jedi knight she wanted to be."

She couldn't be anything she wanted to be. One by one, her hopes were all torn away.

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know."

Riyo hesitated, then laid a hand on Rain's shoulder.

"I am terribly sorry for your loss."

Rain had to fight the urge not to cry. She drew a shuddering breath.

"Rain told me about you. She wanted you to know that she cared for you deeply, much more than she should have. She's sorry that she never had the opportunity to tell you herself, but she wishes you the best."

Riyo was silent for a long moment. She let her hand fall to her side.

"I see," she said quietly, taking a step back, "I wish you well, Mira, and if you ever see Rain again, tell her I always thought of her as a dear friend."

Yes. A friend. Never anything more.

But she just nodded, "I will."

Then Riyo vanished back into the crowd, and Rain was continuing on her way.

"Rain."

Bane's voice sounded in her ear. Rain ducked her head, keeping to the edge of the crowded hall.

"Yeah?"

"Have you located the Senator?"

"No."

"What's taking so long?" Bane asked impatiently.

"I was having a friendly conversation."

"Mira!"

Rain recognized the voice instantly.

Oh, please, no.

"Hold on," she hissed at Bane, turning to see Aayla Secura moving in her direction.

By the time the Twilek reached her, she seemed a little out of breath.

"Mira," she said, "I'm sorry. I know you don't like talking about it, but I was thinking about our conversation earlier. I did wrong by your sister. I was afraid of what would happen if I let her too close, so I held her at arm's length. I let the past hurt I suffered with my own master affect my judgement concerning Rain. I am the one to blame for what happened."

Rain was stunned. She tried to think of what Mira might've said in that situation, but she could only stand there, speechless.

All those years, she was pushing me away because she was scared. But...but that doesn't change what she did. It doesn't change what ANY of them did.

Aayla sighed deeply, "That's all I wished to say. I hope you find peace again, padawan."

Rain watched her go, the gears in her mind taking a moment to get back on track. She activated her earcomm.

"Okay. All clear."

"Another friendly conversation?"

"Yep."

"Well, you'd better find a way to shut down the next friendly conversation that presents itself. We're running short on time."

Rain took a deep breath.

"Don't worry. I'm on it."

She broke into a sprint, dodging through the crowds. When at last she reached Bail Organa's office, she found him seated at his desk, his head in his hands. At the sound of Rain's arrival, he lifted his gaze.

"Padawan Callyn." He sounded weary. "As thankful as I am for your support, I'm afraid I'm not in the mood to entertain anyone right now. I must address the Senate presently."

"About that." The door slid shut behind Rain and she moved across the room. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to throw a wrench in your plans." She reached for her earcomm. "Bane, I've located the Senator."

Bail got to his feet, a light of suspicion in his eyes.

"What is this?" he demanded.

"Nice to see you again, Senator. In case you don't remember my name, it's Rain."

Organa's eyes widened in alarm.

"Rain Callyn," he said, "I heard of your change in allegiance from your sister. Where is she?"

"She's fine. For now. But she's a hostage, one among others, and they're all going to die if you don't cooperate. Now believe me when I say I don't want them to get hurt any more than you do. All I need you to do is withdraw your address."

"Do you realize what that will do?"

"It'll save lives."

"At the cost of others!" Bail snapped, "The Republic is planning on withdrawing its protection from Christophsis. Have you forgotten how hard you fought to protect that planet, you and your sister?"

Rain's brows furrowed.

"Why would the Republic abandon Christophsis?"

"In an attempt to save resources."

"But there's refugees on Christophsis, and the Christophsians have been friends to the Republic for decades."

"Precisely! That's why I must deliver my speech! I am the only voice left defending Christophsis!"

What's so important about Christophsis that Sidious would want control of it?

Rain frowned.

"Unfortunately," she said, "I can't let you make that address. So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to accompany you to the Chancellor's office, and you're going to tell him that you're withdrawing your address. And then you and I are going to wait until the Senate is dispersed before going our own separate ways. Sound good?"

Bail clenched his jaw tightly but said nothing, navigating around the desk and heading for the door. Rain attached herself to his side as they stepped into the hall.

"Thank you," she said.

"You can't possibly be all right with this," Organa persisted.

"I have never been fond of politics, Senator, and I never will be. I am aware, however, that wars require sacrifice. A lot of it. And I'm afraid I really have nothing more to say on the matter, so if you were looking for someone to debate with, you picked the wrong assassin."

"Assassin? Is that what you are now? Little wonder life would seem cheap to you then."

Rain wanted to scream at him that he was being completely unfair, that the lives she had taken still haunted her, that if she were to try to run away from what she had become, the cost would be much greater than what she was willing to pay. But she said none of those things, just cast a wary glance around and warned the Senator to keep his voice down. They forged through the throng, slowly working their way toward the Chancellor's office. They didn't quite make it though before running into the Chancellor himself.

"Ah, Senator Organa," Palpatine greeted, "I was just about to convene the Senate for your address. I'm quite looking forward to hearing it."

"Unfortunately, Chancellor, something has come up," Organa said stiffly, "I must withdraw my address."

The Chancellor's friendly smile faded, his expression one of concern.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "This is the only chance you're going to get."

There was a silence and Rain turned her sharp gaze on Bail.

"I'm quite sure," he said finally.

"Are you unwell, Senator?"

"No, not at all. This is a...private matter."

"I understand," the Chancellor said slowly, "I will inform the Senate." His eyes fell on Rain, widening slightly. "Good heavens, I do believe I'm seeing a ghost."

"Forgive me, Chancellor," Bail spoke up, "This is Mira Callyn."

"Mira Callyn," Palpatine echoed, "You must be Rain's sister. I was terribly sorry to hear what happened."

"Thank you, Chancellor."

I'm tired of hearing this.

"She was an exceptionally talented girl. It was dreadful to lose her, but of course it always happens to the best ones. I'm sure you'll do your best to fill her shoes."

"Excuse me, Chancellor."

None other than Anakin Skywalker appeared at Palpatine's side. Rain had to stop herself from scowling.

"I was hoping Senator Organa had seen Senator Amidala. She informed me that she'd be coming to hear your speech, Senator. I was hoping to speak with her but it seems that she never arrived. I'm aware that the two of you are friends. Any ideas as to where she might be?"

Bail cast Rain a quick glance.

"I'm sorry to say it but I haven't seen her. I'm afraid she would've been disappointed anyway."

"Yes, the Senator has just informed me that he is withdrawing his address," the Chancellor said.

"Really? Why?"

Bail shot another split-second look at Rain.

What are you DOING, you fool? Stop it!

But Anakin had already noticed.

"Mira, you fought in the Battle of Christophsis, didn't you?"

"Yes," Rain answered, trying to hide her tension, "I worked with Senator Organa as a matter of fact. You helped our relief effort if you'll recall."

"Ah, right. I don't suppose you've seen Senator Amidala, have you?"

"No, I haven't."

"If you'll excuse me," the Chancellor cut in, "I must convey the unfortunate news to the Senate."

"Of course, Chancellor," Anakin replied, stepping out of the path of Palpatine's escort before promptly turning his attention back on Bail, "So why is it you're withdrawing your address, Senator?"

"I'm afraid something has come up."

Another sidelong look at Rain. Anakin followed Organa's gaze and Rain could've sworn she glimpsed a suspicious light in his eyes.

No, no, no, no, no...

She didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Skywalker said.

Then Rain felt it, his presence probing at the edges of her mind. Her walls shot up but it made no difference. The game was up. Rain could see it in Anakin's face.

"Mira, if I could talk to you privately," he said.

Rain's gaze flickered to Organa.

I can't risk even the slightest chance that he might still make his address.

In a snap, she had one of her lightsabers in her hand and was slamming the hilt against Organa's temple. He crashed to the floor, and as Rain saw the blood trickling down the side of Bail's head, she felt a rush of horror at the thought that she might have killed him. Then Skywalker was yelling, his lightsaber careening toward her. Rain ignited her saber, blue and red melding together as the screams broke out around them. She drew her dual saber, slashing at Anakin while he was exposed. He leapt back and she seized the opportunity to run.

"Out of the way!" she screamed at the crowd.

She didn't have to say it twice. She barrelled down the hall, reaching a hand to her earcomm.

"Bane, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Rain, I don't care. Just say it."

"Senator Organa won't be making his address, but Anakin Skywalker is in the building and he's pursuing me."

"Get to one of the landing platforms. I'll pick you up."

"What about the hostages?"

"Leave that to me, darling."

"Stop!" Anakin yelled.

He was hard on Rain's heels. She chanced a look over her shoulder.

Where's the nearest landing platform?

Her surroundings flew by, then she spotted an elevator. She skidded to a halt, the carpet burning her hand as she clawed at it in an attempt to slow her momentum. As she tried to scramble back to her feet, Skywalker collided with her, knocking the wind out of Rain before striking the floor face first. He was momentarily stunned, giving the assassin time to jump up and pound on the button for the elevator door. It slid open and Rain leapt in, hesitating as she caught sight of the control panel.

Do I go up or down?

But Anakin was already on his feet. Rain panicked, raising both hands and feeling the force flood through her. Skywalker was flung backward and Rain didn't give him the chance to rise again. She slammed the button to go down and the doors slid closed. She breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator began its descent.

I hate this building.

She stopped at the next floor, which was just as crowded as the last one. She sprinted down the hall, keeping her eyes peeled.

"Stop right there!"

Her head swivelled toward the sound and she saw a pair of Senate guards led by Ahsoka Tano standing at the end of the hall.

Of course. Wherever Skywalker goes, his padawan is never far.

She spun on her heel, running back the way she'd come.

I HATE this building!

She made a beeline for the elevator, the door closing seconds before a green lightsaber plunged through it mere inches from Rain's person. Then the elevator was moving again, depositing her on the next floor down.

This is taking too bloody long! I can't go to every single floor!

She emerged onto a floor surrounded by windows. Then, with a rush of relief, Rain saw a landing platform stretched out below her. She brought her gaze back to the elevator, contemplating it.

Forget that. It's time for a shortcut.

She whipped out her lightsaber, slashing the glass and leaping out the window. She struck the exterior of the dome, sliding rapidly downward until she reached the edge of the hemisphere. She launched off, landing on the dock and looking around. There were several speeders occupying the platform as well as a few Senate guards that spotted her almost right away. She dispatched them without too much trouble, but when she saw Anakin and Ahsoka glissading toward her down the side of the dome, her stomach twisted. Her hand flew to her earcomm.

"Bane, where are you?"

"I'm on route."

"Please hurry."

Two pairs of feet struck the landing platform and in no time at all they were closing in on Rain. She drew her twin sabers.

Let's do this.

Skywalker and his apprentice slowed as they neared her, their weapons at the ready.

"We don't have to do this the hard way," Anakin said, "Just tell us where you're keeping Senator Amidala."

"I'm afraid I'm not privy to that information."

Rain saw his grip tighten around his lightsaber.

"I'm not in the mood for games," he hissed, a dangerous light in his steely blue eyes, "I'll only ask this one more time. Where are you keeping her?"

Rain said nothing, just watched him closely.

"Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way after all," Skywalker said.

"Looks like it," Rain agreed.

They sprang at each other, Rain blocking Anakin's blow with one saber while she protected her exposed side from Ahsoka with the other. She leapt back, trying to put some distance between herself and them.

I can't fight them both at once.

Master and padawan closed in again, striking in unison. Rain parried again before connecting her boot with Skywalker's gut and slamming the Togruta backward with a thrust of her hand. She edged a little further back, trying not to think of what would happen when she ran out of ground to yield. Tapping into the force, she hurled one of the speeders at her opponents. Ahsoka ducked out of its path while Anakin lifted a hand to stop it.

Now!

Rain charged at him while he was distracted, but he managed to block her attack. She could see anger burning in his eyes.

"I think you're getting a little too emotional, chosen one," she said, "What would the Council say?"

Skywalker made no reply. He redirected the speeder, sending it flying toward Rain. She sprang upward, landing out of the vessel's path. Suddenly Ahsoka was right at her side, jabbing at her with her yellow Shoto saber. Rain's crimson blades slashed at her, knocking the Togruta's weapon aside. Ahsoka quickly swung at her again and Rain smashed against her, somersaulting backward and catching the padawan full in the face with both feet. Ahsoka stumbled back with a cry of pain, then Anakin was on her again.

Bane's voice sounded in her ear, "Which platform are you on?"

Rain stumbled away from Skywalker, fumbling for her comm.

"I don't know! I'm a little busy!"

"Wait. I see you."

Rain snapped her head around, frantically searching for the bounty hunter. She felt the heat as Anakin's blue saber arced downward, narrowly missing her. Her heart was pounding.

I can't take my eyes off him, or I'll be dead.

She raised one ruby blade, stepping back until she stood on the very edge of the platform.

"Bane," she said, "I'm going to jump. I need you to catch me."

Anakin hacked at her. She sidestepped him, watching as Ahsoka, now recovered, raced toward them.

"Jump."

She did. Gathering her legs under her, she pushed off, soaring upward. Then gravity caught her and she began to descend. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something streaking toward her, the sunlight rebounding off it and half blinding her. Then it was under her and she was clawing for a hold on it. Her hand caught on a ridge and she pulled herself up. The airspeeder had an open cockpit with two seats. She climbed into the unoccupied one and Bane pulled away, merging into the nearest skylane. As soon as Rain had caught her breath, she turned to the bounty hunter.

"Is this an XJ-2?"

"Yes."

"How did you get your hands on—nevermind. What did you do with the hostages?"

"They're safe and sound, little lady."

And as always it's like pulling teeth to get information out of you.

"Did you let them go?"

If Bane had been planning on responding, he never got the chance. Something smashed into them from behind, rocking the speeder violently. Rain turned her head quickly and saw another airspeeder hot on their trail. Anakin was piloting, Ahsoka at his side. Rain cursed.

"Skywalker's tailing us."

Bane uttered a wordless snarl, plunging the ship into a dive before drastically reducing their speed and pulling up behind their pursuers. He snagged one of his pistols, firing off several rounds. Anakin ducked down in his seat while Ahsoka leapt up and ignited her lightsabers, swinging into Form III flawlessly. The blaster shots rebounded off her blades, one of them striking the nose of the XJ-2. Rain gave Cad an incredulous look.

"You got any better ideas?" she shouted over the noise of the surrounding traffic.

Bane had no time to reply before the speeder snapped to a halt, throwing them violently forward. The vessel in front of them had slammed into reverse, forcing their own airspeeder to come to a grinding cessation, the engine screaming in protest. And all the sudden it wasn't Anakin piloting the speeder, it was Ahsoka, and Skywalker was coming straight at them, his lightsaber drawn. Bane switched into reverse, pulling away with the other airspeeder closely following. Skywalker was on the nose of their vessel, his saber raised to strike.

"Rain!" Cad shouted.

But she was already up, her dual blades raised to meet Skywalker's. She stumbled and almost lost her footing as Anakin crashed against her, her lightsabers cutting into the XJ-2's raised visor and shattering the glass. She could feel Bane's shoulder digging into her back, and for a split second she was paralyzed with fear.

He could kill us both in one stroke, Rain thought, staring unblinkingly into the face of her enemy.

Then she felt Bane shift under her. The movement was almost imperceptible but somehow it snapped her out of immobility. Thinking fast, she dropped one lightsaber, her hand snagging one of Cad's pistols and aiming it directly into Anakin's face.

"Get away!" she screamed.

Skywalker scrambled back, the first round catching him in the shoulder and the next two missing him by inches.

Rain's panicked brain almost didn't register Bane saying, "Take over."

But then she felt his hand on hers, gently removing the blaster from her grip. She didn't realize until that moment just how badly she was shaking. She summoned her lightsaber back into her hand, clipping it onto her belt before taking the wheel and allowing Bane to slip out from behind her. He faced off the wounded Anakin, who was still clutching his injured shoulder, his teeth gritted in pain. Rain snapped her head around, trying to divide her focus between keeping the XJ-2 from barrelling straight into oncoming traffic and watching the ensuing fight. She could see the stunned faces of passing drivers as they had to dodge out of the path of the rogue airspeeder. Then she glanced back for a split second to observe as Bane propelled Skywalker back with his flamethrower.

He has the upper hand. For now.

Upon her second glance, Anakin was on his back, his feet secured together by a long cable extending from Bane's gauntlets.

On her third glance, the Jedi had vanished all together, along with their pursuit. Rain slowed the airspeeder, confused. Then Bane pointed a long finger downward, clueing her in.

He dropped Skywalker over the side, and Ahsoka followed.

She had no chance to feel relief over this turn of events because at that moment something struck the back end of the XJ-2, causing Bane to stumble.

Shit!

The ship spun sideways, violently slamming Rain's head against the side of the speeder. Through blurry eyes, she watched as the ship that had plowed into them went spiralling into the path of other ships. One struck it head on, erupting in a cloud of flame and sending debris catapulting in all directions. Rain ducked her head, black edges still pressing along her line of vision. She felt the XJ-2 shudder as something heavy struck its nose. Then she lifted her head. Bane was nowhere to be seen.

Full on panic set in within seconds. Rain turned around and around in her seat, looking for any sign of him. Then it hit her.

The debris.

She leaned over the side of the airspeeder, her eyes seeking out the plummeting figure. Time seemed to slow, creating an almost nightmarish atmosphere as Rain clambered out of her chair, her breath caught, her heart stopped.

Come on, come on. Do something. Use your rocket boots. DO SOMETHING!

It didn't take her long to realize that he wasn't going to.

Rain grabbed the controls, wrenching hard to the right. Nothing happened. Rain stubbornly pulled harder. Still nothing.

Okay, she thought, an odd sense of calm descending on her as she realized what she had to do.

She climbed up onto the edge of the XJ-2, her eyes fixed on the increasingly distant bounty hunter.

Okay, she thought, and jumped.

Rain fell head first into the flow of traffic, her body straightening into a rigid line and picking up speed. Her heart clenched everytime a speeder passed too close to the rapidly descending Bane. Slowly but surely the space between them was closing, but Rain had no idea if she'd be able to reach him before he hit the ground. The wind from a passing speeder pulled at her, dragging her off course. She cursed, but her words were lost in the air currents. As she continued her descent, her eyes caught something rushing up at her. It took her a second to realize what it was, but when she did, she made a grab for it as it passed her. Her fingers snagged the wide-brimmed hat, clutching it close to her chest. She felt another pang of fear as a vessel veered away from Bane's form at the last second, grazing him. Rain felt an unconscious surge of energy as the force flowed through her, her hand extending before her in a desperate attempt to stop the bounty hunter's fall. Bane's descent slowed to a halt, his body hovering weightlessly. The distance between them disappeared in a blink and as soon as Rain had an arm around him, they were falling again. Bane was unconscious; that was clear enough in the way he had ragdolled a hundred feet through the air. So Rain was left wondering what the hell she was going to do with one arm locked around a deadweight and the imminent threat of getting hit by a speeder or getting squashed on the pavement far below.

My luck really can't get any worse.

With her free hand, Rain yanked at Bane's arm, studying the numerous buttons adorning his gauntlet.

Come on, Rain, you went over the functions with him how many times?

A sour thought countered the first.

Yeah, when I was bloody drunk.

Rain shook her head as if to rid herself of the disconcertion before running through the functions in her mind.

That one was to magnetize his boots, that one was for his stunners, that one activated his flamethrower, and—aha! His grappling hook! Or...no, was that for his flamethrower? Damn it!

There was only one way to find out. Rain glanced around for a target, taking a second to realize that the surrounding traffic was moving far too quickly for her to have any hope of striking an airspeeder. Nevertheless, she pressed the button. A jet of flame spilled into the air, causing Rain to utter an undignified shriek.

Definitely his flamethrower. Definitely.

She shifted her focus back to the previous button in question, pressing that one instead. The long cable snaked out, prompting a feeling of triumph in her.

Yes!

Her triumph instantly died however when the hook ricocheted off a speeder passing overhead.

Okay, she thought, trying to calm herself.

She risked a glance at the steadily approaching turf and gulped.

Let's see what this does.

She pressed the button for the grappling hook again and watched as it began to reel itself back in.

Perfect. Now for the second try.

She didn't press the button right away. Instead, she waited, her thumb hovering over the trigger. Her gaze flicked from one ship to the next. Her timing had to be exact.

Now!

She released the cable, letting the force flow through her once more. The grappling hook moved toward the passing speeder as though drawn by a magnet. It fastened onto the underside of the vessel, then immediately grew taut. Rain felt her stomach drop as she and Bane lurched forward, spinning wildly at the end of the long cable. She clung tighter to the unconscious form, quickly searching out the button again and reeling them in. Once they were close enough, she found something to grab onto and held tight. After making sure to affix his hat back on his head, she unhooked Bane from the vessel and used the force to lift him into the open cockpit before pulling herself up. The driver was completely unaware of their presence up until Rain tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump nearly a foot high in his seat. Rain caught the steering wheel, preventing them from winding up in a wreck.

"Excuse me," she said, "I am commandeering this vessel."

"Wha—oh no, no, no, no, please—"

Rain cut off his panicked babbling, "Calm down. You'll be fine. I just need you to move to the passenger seat and sit quietly."

The driver got up, arms raised, trembling as he did as he was told.

"B-b-but this speeder is my baby—"

Rain rolled her eyes.

Oi vay.

"Look, your baby will be returned to you without a scratch once I'm done with it."

Once I'm done with it. Only problem is I have no idea where to go or what to do.

She cast a glance at the unconscious figure slumped across the backseat.

You'd better wake up soon.

"Is-is that—" Rain turned her attention back to her agitated passenger. "You're bounty hunters," he said, his voice cracking.

"No." Rain jerked a thumb at Bane. "He's the bounty hunter. Unfortunately, I don't get paid for these escapades."

"What...what are you—"

The passenger shrieked as the ship suddenly shuddered.

"What the—" Rain turned her head to see a cloud of smoke trailing in their wake. "Oh no."

"What was that?" the passenger demanded.

"Look, you have no idea how bad a day I'm having right now. Do yourself a favor. Don't make it worse."

He took the hint.

As the speeder's alarm started its noisy beeping, Rain surveyed the damage report displayed on the dash. Then the ship shuddered again. Rain spun around just in time to see a silver blur race past them. She recognized the figure sitting astride the speeder bike immediately.

Master Aayla.

Her eyes flickered back to the damage report.

She knocked out one of our repulsorlifts. We're losing altitude.

She needed to find a place to land. She cranked the wheel to the right, pulling clear of the traffic lane. Her sweeping eyes soon found a building outcrop wide enough to fit two speeders. She headed straight for it, keeping a lookout for her old master.

"We're crashing!" her passenger wailed, "You've ruined my ship! You've ruined my baby and you're going to kill us all!"

"I'm not going to say it twice!" Rain screamed, "Shut up!"

The speeder tilted, gravity pulling at the backend of the ship where Aayla had destroyed their repulsorlift. Rain struggled to keep them on course, pulling back on the wheel to correct the angle of their descent. Just as they hit the outcrop, she saw another flash of silver.

"No, no!" the passenger cried, clambering out and circling his ruined vessel, "Do you have any idea how much this cost?"

Rain had moved to the backseat, hooking her arms under Bane's and hauling away.

"I'm sure you'll get over it," she muttered.

As the hum of an engine reached her ears, growing louder as it neared them, Rain turned, positioning herself in between Bane and the oncoming Jedi.

"Oh, thank goodness!" she heard the nuisance say as Aayla set foot on the outcrop, "A Jedi! I'm saved!"

Rain watched him race past her, making no move to stop him as he ran and cowered behind the Twilek. Aayla made no motion toward her lightsaber. Rain did the same.

"Happy now?" she asked, surprised at the resign in her own voice, "You've finally got me pinned."

"Rain."

Secura took a step forward.

"Did you mean it?" Rain heard herself ask, "Those things you said in the Senate building?"

Secura took another step.

"Yes," she said, "I'm sorry, Rain. For everything."

Rain let those words sink in, her eyes never leaving Aayla's.

"I'm sorry too. But that doesn't change anything."

"No!" Aayla took a third step. "It's not too late."

"Not too late for what?"

"For you to come back!"

Rain gave a bitter laugh, "Somehow I don't think your fellow Jedi would be so quick to agree with you."

Secura whipped out her lightsaber suddenly, prompting Rain to follow suit. Rain was quick to realize however that she herself was not Secura's target.

"Get away from her!" the Twilek snapped, her eyes fixated on something behind Rain.

The assassin lowered her weapons, turning to follow Aayla's gaze.

"It's about bloody time," she said, hooking her dual sabers back onto her belt.

"What did I miss?" Bane asked, reaching up to adjust his hat.

"Oh, you know, not much, just a whole lot of falling, crashing, near deaths, and bad luck."

Bane surveyed the nearby wreckage.

"So I see."

"You owe me bigtime for saving your skin again. Oh, and your hat. Can't forget that. You know, I had to jump out of a speeder—oh, the XJ-2 is wrecked by the way. I'll tell you about it later."

"You crashed my airspeeder?" Bane said sharply.

"Hey, someone crashed into me!" Rain paused. "Wait, your airspeeder? You mean you actually paid for that thing?"

"Yes!" Bane snapped, "It was brand new!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" Rain said defensively, "Those things are insanely expensive! I assumed you'd stolen it! Fine, we'll call it even then. I destroyed your priceless speeder and saved your priceless life. Fair enough?"

Bane frowned.

"Well, you know, it was more or less in one piece when I left it," Rain said, trying to salvage the situation, "It might still be floating around."

"Or more likely impounded."

"You had an XJ-2?" The owner of the wreckage peered out from behind Aayla.

"Who's that?" Bane asked.

"I don't know," Rain shrugged, "I stole his ship."

"And crashed that too."

"Force, what was I supposed to do?" She stabbed a finger at Secura. "She was shooting at me!"

"I hate to interrupt this lovely conversation," Secura spoke up, her eyes still fixed on Cad, "But I told you to get away from her."

"Oh, right. Bane, this is my old Jedi master Aayla Secura."

Bane tipped his hat, "Pleasure, I'm sure."

Aayla's grip tightened on her lightsaber.

"The feeling isn't mutual."

Her sentence was punctuated by the sound of an approaching speeder. Rain wasn't long in spotting the source of the noise.

"Oh, great," she muttered, watching Anakin and Ahsoka pull alongside the outcrop. Lifting her voice, she added in greeting, "So glad you could join the party. Oh, Skywalker, so sorry about the shoulder but I had to find someway to repay you for the scar you gave me back on Orondia." Her gaze moved to Ahsoka. "Hey, two-bit."

The Togruta's blue eyes flashed, "Traitor."

"Late as usual, I see," Rain taunted, "Doesn't it bother you to know that you're always behind me in everything? Though I guess all you have to do now is, well, leave the Jedi."

"That'll never happen," Ahsoka shot back, going for her lightsaber.

Master and padawan advanced, but they didn't get far.

"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," Bane said, poising a long finger over one of the buttons on his gauntlet, "Not if you want your Senator and Jedi friends to survive."

The two Jedi pulled up short. Aayla cast a worried glance over at them. Skywalker was seething.

"Bane. Figures you would be behind all of this."

The bounty hunter smirked. "If you would be so kind as to send my greetings to Kenobi when we've concluded our business, it would be much appreciated."

"You're already too late," Ahsoka snapped abruptly, "We found the hostages. They're way beyond your reach."

"Really?" Cad drawled, "Then you won't mind if I go ahead and trigger the explosives I set to keep your friends company."

"No!"

"Wait!"

Rain and Anakin exchanged a glance, each surprised by the other's fervor. Then the assassin's gaze fell to her own hand, now tightly clutching the material of Bane's coat. When she raised her eyes, she found herself staring into a pair of blood red eyes. And they didn't look at all happy with her reaction. She turned back to Anakin.

"Why the hell do you bring her anywhere?!"

She gestured at Ahsoka, who glared in return.

"What do you want?"

Skywalker directed the question at Bane.

"It's simple. All you have to do is give us your transport there and ensure that we make it off Coruscant without a hitch."

"What about the hostages?"

Bane pushed a hand into his pocket before withdrawing a communicator device and tossing it to Skywalker.

"Once we're safely off the planet, I'll send you the location."

Anakin stared at the communicator clutched tightly in his gloved hand, his jaw clenched. Then he stepped aside. Ahsoka stared at him in astonishment.

"You're really gonna let him get away? Again?"

The corner of Bane's mouth turned up in amusement.

"Sorry to disappoint you, little lady," he said, moving past her with an easy stride.

Rain followed a little more slowly, pausing to meet Aayla's gaze. She saw the silent plea there. She let her eyes fall.

"Rain."

At the sound of Cad beckoning to her, she quickened her pace, slipping into the passenger seat of the waiting speeder.

"Pleasure doing business with you folks, as always," Bane said, laughter dancing in his voice as he pulled away.

Rain turned in her seat to watch the figures slowly grow smaller and smaller in the distance until they were blocked from view by a passing building.

"Forget something?" Bane asked.

Rain slumped down in her seat.

"No. You know, things could have gone a lot worse if you didn't wake up when you did. Maybe next time you can tell me the whole plan?"

"Tell you what, sweetie, you can know the whole plan when you're the one making them."

Rain scoffed, "And when's that gonna happen? Besides, why would I want to steal your job? Wouldn't it defeat the purpose to have a top-notch bounty hunter around when you're not going to use his intellect or experience? That's dumb. And on top of that, I would never hire you. Your prices are ridiculous, and you don't deal in favors, remember?"

"You'll have to brush up on those skills of yours, doll, if you ever want to trade favors."

Rain blinked at him, "Does that mean you're considering it?"

"Maybe." The light dancing in the Duros' eyes betrayed the smile he was trying to disguise. "Don't let it go to your head, little lady."

The corner of Rain's mouth turned up, "Too late."

Though which skills am I supposed to be brushing up on?

She put her feet up on the dash, settling in for the ride. It didn't take her long however to recognize her surroundings.

"Why are we heading back to the lower levels?"

"I have a transport ship waiting for us. You didn't really expect us to leave in an airspeeder, did you?"

Bane gave her a scornful look. Rain slumped further in her chair, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

"Well, no, but..."

The excuse died in her throat. She chose to just stare ahead in silence, painfully aware of the blush creeping into her cheeks.

They pulled up to a docking bay several levels down. It was easy spotting Bane's ship, seeing as it was the only one there, but the lighting in that area must have been faulty, because it was so dark Rain could barely make it out. The ramp lowered as they approached and the lights on the transport flared to life, illuminating a small section of the dock.

"That went surprisingly well. I was expecting another half a dozen Jedi to be chasing us by now," Rain remarked.

"They're probably scrambling around trying to find where their friends are hidden. I knew they wouldn't come after me so long as I had hostages. Didn't I tell you? The Jedi are a pack of sentimental idiots."

They boarded the transport, the ramp closing behind them. Rain frowned.

"Yes, I remember that. I hope you're not planning on repeating what happened after your last hostage situation."

They made their way to the cockpit, Bane assuming the pilot's seat. With his back to her, he started powering up the ship.

"And damage your sweet little sister? 'Course not, darling."

Rain's blood boiled at his mocking tone but she held her temper.

"Did she say anything...about me?" she asked after a moment's hesitation.

"I think she found it a tad difficult to speak through her gag."

"You gagged her?"

"Oh, you know, those Jedi love to preach at you every opportunity they get."

Mira was never preachy...was she?

"Did she at least look okay?"

Bane turned slowly in his chair to aim a withering look at Rain.

"Forget it," she muttered, taking the hint.

Cad turned away again and the transport started to take off. Rain took the co-pilot's seat, staring blankly at the passing surroundings.

"Senator Organa said the Republic were planning on withdrawing their forces from Christophsis. His speech was meant to dissuade them from that course of action, so if it was so important that we stop his address, then the Separatists must have some interest in Christophsis. But what could be special about it?"

Bane sighed, "You really know how to take the fun out of everything..."

Rain blinked, somewhat confused as to what 'fun' she was spoiling.

"It's just a question."

"It hardly matters to me what interest the Separatists have in the planet. I just do my job."

The assassin scoffed, "Typical answer. I think the only one here being a bore is you."

To her surprise, Bane actually smiled.

Why does it even surprise me anymore? This is NORMAL for him.

"Careful," Rain warned, "People might think you like being insulted."

"Then I wouldn't want to be those people."

She didn't care to ask him what he meant by that.

Soon enough, they were leaving Coruscant's atmosphere, the vast expanse of space before them. Bane pulled up short, letting the ship idle as he started fiddling with the comms system.

"What are you doing?" Rain asked curiously, leaning forward in her seat.

"Can't forget to send Skywalker the location of his precious friends."

After setting the comms system to the right channel, Bane punched in some coordinates, waiting to confirm that the message was sent. Then he prepared the transport for the jump to hyperspace. Rain settled back in her seat, watching as the distance points of light funneled around them, signalling their entering hyperspeed. Bane set the ship to autopilot before getting up and shrugging off his coat. He draped it over the back of his chair, then began disconnecting his breathing tubes. When he started to discard his shirt, Rain straightened in a snap.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded.

Bane stopped what he was doing, giving Rain a sidelong look.

"What? Did you want to do this?"

"Uh..." The assassin blushed to her roots, speechless.

"Oh, that reminds me." Bane strode to the back of the transport, beckoning to Rain as he did so. "Come here."

Rain followed, her heart thudding in her chest. Bane moved over to the bed built into the sidewall, kneeling down and opening a compartment underneath it. There lay the lingerie he had bought her, folded in a neat pile.

"Thought I'd keep it safe for you since I figured we wouldn't be able to return for our things. High time you tried it on."

He held it up for her and Rain took it, clutching the material tightly in her hand.

Well, she thought, a sliver of excitement running through her, Time to brush up on those skills.