Cad Bane

Legendary Bounty Hunter Overview= "I'm in control. I make the rules now."

Twenty years of darkness and fading legend has seen a figure of myth return once more to the forefront of a new battlefield. Cad Bane, a Bounty Hunter infamous for spitting in the very face of the Bounty Hunter's Guild for trying to regulate him, holds allegiance to only one thing -- credits. He is best known during the Clone Wars for his brazen assault on the Senate to free Ziro, managing to infiltrate, acquire, unlock and escape with a Holocron from the Jedi Temple, and the successful kidnapping of then-Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, if only for a short period. It is said he somehow crossed Darth Vader early in his rise to power and was banished to the Outer Rim to rot. Having outlived all his enemies, he is now prepared to rekindle his legend a final time, in fire, blood, and a stylish hat.

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Advantages

Reputation: Cad Bane was for many years the undisputed greatest bounty hunter to live across the galaxy between the fall of Jango Fett and the rise of his son Boba Fett. Such was not based on his raw strength, but his meticulous cunning and ruthless determination. However, even at his prime, the weight of such a mantle brought with it as many pretenders as intimidated and required maintenance in blood and lives. Although it has been nearly twenty years since he was last active, the name Cad Bane is still known as a legend who feared nothing. It may have grown sufficiently out of proportion that Cad Bane cannot even fill the massive shoes of his mythos anymore... but he will make sure none doubt who he is, and assuredly that none doubt who he /was./

Safehouses: A good Bounty Hunter always has places to crash. Although many of them might be derelict after so many years, broken down, or infested by squatters, he still has a few dozen quiet areas around key hotspots in the galaxy. Although many of them need to be re-maintained, even if only ash sits where they once were, they were picked due to a perfect location, just as much as for what was housed there.

Contacts: Cad Bane knew a lot of people. A lot of those people are dead. Some aren't, and although many may have fallen from grace, others have perhaps risen in value. The progeny of his old allies and mercenary co-workers might also very well be favourably inclined to him. Lastly, many in the Empire highly valued and praised Cad Bane, and were not entirely happy when he was banished as a criminal. Now that he has returned, they might find great use in his abilities again, and be more than happy to pay handsomely for that right...

Flaws

Old: Cad Bane is well past his prime physically. When he ran out of both credits and a method of getting more, his longevity treatments were the first thing to go. He has gone from a Duros in his peak to well into middle age. His body is slower, his stamina is weaker, and even if his longevity treatments resume, there's no getting back the fact he's now over the hill. Although it can be mitigated, he is only going to further atrophy physically in the future.

Legend: A bad thing about being a living legend is that you are a living legend. In 20 years, a lot of upshots can get out of line, a literal generation of new bounty hunters, mercenaries and independents who came into their prime never knowing or seeing Cad Bane. Many of them might find that taking him down is a grand way to get a shot at the 'greatest alive' bit. Although he hopes that in time this particular flaw will go away, regaining the respect -- and more importantly, the fear -- is going to be a long road.

Pride: More than anything, Cad Bane is a man who lives on his pride and ego. It is the one weakness that can be exploited, both to enrage him or get him to do what one wants. Generally credits act as an intermediary. As he claims that he can and will do anything for money, even if he's given what should be an impossible task, a sufficient price and proof of the ability to provide it makes it almost literally impossible to turn someone down. Although hardly cheap, enough weight in currency can cause him to easily defeat himself rather than admit something is beyond his league, or that he has lost his edge.

Bounty: Technically, Cad Bane has an active bounty worth 2,500,000 credits on his head. Technically, it's a lot harder to claim than it seems. In practice, whoever stumbled across him would try to cash in on it, making life more than a little aggravating. The Empire was the one who was going to pay it, so one can only fathom if it's still valid. Of course, he's worth 500,000 to the Republic also, so his head's worth a lot of something either way.

Languages: Basic, Binary, Durese, Huttese, and Jawaese

Background=

Born one of countless faceless Duros in New Teyana, orbiting the waste of his home-world amidst the Descent Ghetto, Cad Bane was not content with such a squalid lot in life. Abused and betrayed in his early years with parents who considered him only a liability and mouth to feed, he numbed his mind to the idea of friendship outside a fellow Duros named Soopan, coming to worship credits as the only means to escape the noose of his heritage.

She was a kind goddess, and by 24 BBY he was notable as a small-time bounty hunter in New Teyana, in his early twenties. He was deathly serious about a keen mind, believing it the true weapon, and years of practice with an old LL-30 made him best known as a marksman. After a sufficient pile of captured bail jumpers and small-time crooks, he acquired a small ship and left New Teyana, swearing to leave his roots forever behind.

Keenly cunning and intelligent, he realized that what he needed to wield was the power of a reputation, sensing the coming storm over the horizon. He worked across the Outer Rim, focusing on his distinctive look and technique that grew the sparks of his legend, dual LL-30s and raw competence making up for his lack of raw firepower and athletic blessings. With both blasters and mind, perfect technique was his motto, credits continuing to pave the road to his irrevocable ascension.

It became clear to Cad Bane that the key to gaining a reputation would be killing a Jedi. Conscripted by Akris Ur'etu of the Skar'kla Consortium, he slipped off from the main bodyguards, managing to locate and observe the supposed Jedi. As they worked, he saw they used jetboots and technology to pretend to function as one with disturbing accuracy, enough to fool all those who had survived battles before.

He allowed Ur'etu and his chief enforcer to die to confront the man alone, managing to defeat him by seeing through each trick one step ahead and confirming him to be an operative of the Hutts, masquerading as a Jedi to hide his true alliance. As killing a false Jedi would not bolster his reputation as he desired, he traded the engineering marvels of miniaturizing technology for the enforcer's life.

After doing a complete rehaul of his equipment and mastering it's usage alongside his dual LL-30's, Cad Bane's fame began to sky-rocket in the following years, crafting countless bases across popular planets. He had numerous conflicts with the Jedi Order, but was immune to their mental tricks and not scared of either their might or their reputation, able to counter many of them with his own tech-copies.

This culminated in a massive confrontation with the Bounty Hunter's Guild, which did not condone a free agent stealing bounties promised to his guild. Cadossk and Cad Bane had a meeting on Ord Mantell. The specifics depend on who you ask, but both walked away alive, and Cad Bane was allowed his unsanctioned activities as one of the sole exceptions to the Guild's law.

In 22 BBY, Cad Bane was compared only to Jango Fett as the top mercenary and bounty hunter credits could buy, although one with no morals or compunctions beyond the demand for a particular amount of credits. With Jango's death, he enjoyed a golden era as the penultimate neutral party that could be bought. Although he had his own professional style and etiquette, ultimately he cared only about getting the job done. Many contacts and associates were made at this time, establishing a required network in the industry as the Clone Wars began in earnest.

Countless activities earned him a 500,000 bounty against the Republic and being captured once in a high-level Coruscant facility, which he managed to escape, and making as many powerful enemies as allies. Darth Sidious took note of him at this point, which would result in the exploits that would stand to legend for years to come.

Early in the first year, Bane was contracted to pursue Jedi Master Ring-Sol Ambase, bypassing the Trade Federation Blockade and weaving an intricate plot to get close to Ambase's padawan Nuru Kungurama, manipulating them under the guise of mutual interest. Breaking into a prison compound playing the puppet strings in the background, Bane caused and took advantage of a chaotic firefight to slip away and acquire Ambase, putting them within a stasis pod. Kungurama was handed his master's lightsaber as a parting gift, before he escaped the planet.

Meeting with Asaji Ventress on Bogden, Ambasse was delivered successfully, and continued to operate for Sidious and further his goals in manipulating the Breakout Squad for his own ends. This included acquiring Bilbringi Depot from Drixo the Hutt. Attempts at peaceful diplomacy failed, and Cad's fallback plan of prepared battle droids ended in him executing Drixo and delivering on his contract. Now with a steady stream of income, Cad began to use the majority of his credits on longevity treatments, intent on remaining in his prime as long as possible.

Simple maintenance of the Breakout Squad continued, although Cad Bane was exasperated by Lalo Gunn in the Catina of Vaced Spaceport, as they tried to piece together the machinations of Bane and Sidious. When things didn't go down as wanted, including the sub-contracting of little respected Bossk, discussions with one of the Black Hole pirates revealed Gunn eavesdropping. Unable to find her, he was distracted by a new urgent mission from Sidious, once more involving Ambose.

Intercepting Ambose as they were attempting to acquire the exotic Chiss escape pod for their own devices along with the droid known as Sharp, Bane assisted them despite suspicions through the compounds. After 'temporarily' transporting the pod to his transport, the Sleight of Hand, Ambose's padawan and the Breakout Squad entered the scene. Cad Bane launched a missile before fleeing, provoking Kungurama to believe Ambase responsible for the attack, allowing him to escape with his prize in the forthcoming duel.

He had his first meeting with young Anakin and his padawan after acquiring a Gravitic Core from an angry rival named Teska and manipulating a couple Clone soldiers into defending it, with Anakin intending to rescue the captives. Separatist attacks forced a temporary union. At an opportune moment, Bane attempted to backstab the pair. But he was defeated, and held at saberpoint as the explosives on the clones forcing their obedience were nullified. However, he still had the advantage of his ship, the Sleight of Hand, being the only way off the planet and the sustained Separatist attack...

Bane's lack of athletics defeated him during the journey, forced to rest often as the jedi defended him with crate in tow. Once arriving at his ship and loading the crate, Teska assaulted heavily before he could attack and make his getaway. Teska stole the Sleight of Hand and the crate, resulting in one of Cad Bane's few failures... although one they would live to regret, as he sabotaged Teska's getaway in the midst of his own schemes, causing his defeat and death. He returned the favor to Dooku and Asaji by similarly disabling their shuttle as it fled Bahpour, before slipping away in his reclaimed ship.

Despite such, he was still hired by Dooku once more to spread a virus, after informing a Jedi Knight correctly on the likely fact Asaji was going after a bounty on Padme. Another Hutt hired him to deal with a conflict, and in the end Bane was captured. Failing to bargain with the Jedi Knight he had helped before, he still managed to escape with a hidden pistol along with Ziro the Hutt, who he deposited offworld. Although he managed to poison the healing tanks with Dooku's agent, Jedi Healers stopped the spread. Such culminated in a battle including Grevious and Dooku upon a moon of Vassek with the still-pursuing Jedi Knight. Ziro was captured once more, and placed in a much more secure facility.

Darth Sidious finally offered him a chance at his first legendary mission. Proving his mettle by killing the Jedi Master Ord Enisence, he was instructed to infiltrate the Jedi Temple itself and acquire the Holocron with information of every Force-sensitive child in the galaxy. Despite the incredible danger and near suicidal nature of it, Bane relented when his reputation was questioned and enough credits offered, gaining his second ship in the bargain, a top of the line Rogue-class starfighter, nicknamed Xanadu Blood. Such marked the first time he modified his techno-service droid Todo 360 to assist him with a mission, before he proved his capability to lead and plan in spades arranging the attack.

BG6: Hiring on a shapeshifter, Cato Parasitti, she copied the body of the Jedi that Bane had murdered earlier. Conferring with her on the inside, he managed to break into the Jedi Temple and begin bypassing the vault holding the holocron. However, Cato was caught by Ahsoka, and he was forced to brute force his way in while sending Todo to the communications room to 'distract' them, unaware that he was housing a bomb. After exploding, Bane managed to escape in the confusion with a Jedi robe, Holocron in his pocket and cashing in a million from the separatists on Enisence's corpse.

Given command of a fleet of frigates, he mounted an assault on Devaron with fellow hunter Aurra Sing, intent on getting to Jedi Master Bolla Ropal. Yet the arrival of a republic Star Destroyer 'Resolute' showed that Parasitti had betrayed him to the Jedi. Finding Ropal distracted, an ambush of cortosis ore took out his lightsaber, and he was captured. Escaping with Ropal, he tried to coerce the Jedi into unlocking the Holocron unsuccessfully. Ropal died amidst interrogation, a mild setback as the Star Destroyer Resolute continued it's attack.

His second encounter with Anakin began, ambushing invading forces and manipulating gravity to his advantage. Separating from the group, Ahsoka chased after him, getting cut off by Bane sealing the doors. She lost a one on one duel, and after throwing her into an airlock, Bane forced Anakin to trade her life for unlocking the Holocron. When Skywalker retrieved his weapons and destroyed his droids, Bane attempted to eject Ahsoka through the airlock, escaping during the distraction. Hiding as a Clone soldier and shooting someone falsely dressed as him to drop their guard, Bane returned with the others to the Resolute. Uncovered trying to weasel away by Anakin's padawan, he disabled Ahsoka and managed to get within a starfighter and flee, despite Anakin's near success in stopping him. Once escaping to Hyperspace, he turned in Ropal's body for another million to the separatists, and returned to one of his bases, the Black Stall Station, to inform Sidious of his success.

Hired to further kidnap 4 youngsters, Bane was intercepted and caught by Ahsoka and Anakin. After barely resisting a three-Master Force compelling, he brought them to the Black Stall Station to turn the holocron and children over. Tricking the Jedi masters into triggering his station's defenses getting the Holocron, he escaped and self-destructed the station. But it marked his second failure in a mission to acquire all four children, and a bitter hatred of Anakin Skywalker began that was fully returned. The Jedi then managed to foil the plan of Sidious, although this mattered little to Bane.

Such segued into his second legendary success, a much more smooth and simple operation. After retrieving his Rogue-class ship the Xanadu Blood and a rebuilt Todo, he acquired the plans for the Galactic Senate in a bid to free Ziro the Hutt once more from R2-D2 and C-3PO, although wiping their knowledge of the events in the process. Jabba was impressed enough to hire him to retrieve Ziro.

Rather than attempt to take on a prison, he assembled and vetted a team of mercenaries and bounty hunters himself, with heavy droids as backup. Managing to enter with sniper support, Bane took out the majority of the Senate security by bombing the barracks in the midst of a shift change. Taking the entire present senate hostage, he proved his ruthlessness by killing Senator Philo for resisting. Demanding Ziro for the hostages and being rebuked, he once more clashed with Anakin. With Skywalker captured by his men, he finally forced Palpatine to pardon Ziro. Setting up explosives around the senators, when he got with his team and Ziro, Palpatine intercepted him with heavy units... but the revelation of his readied bombs allowed him to escape. He ended up triggering the explosives anyway on a whim, although Anakin had succeeded in freeing the hostages by that time.

Conferring with his team, the pay was split and he managed to escape with Ziro. This audacious and successful display is the crown jewel of Cad Bane's missions, an absolute victory over both the Senate and the Jedi Order that would ensure his reputation survived centuries.

After delivering Ziro, Bane hung around to see if they needed him further. When Ziro managed to escape his cell, he was hired to bring him back once more. Although he arrived upon the corpse of the Hutt too late, holodiary gone, where he first met Obi-Wan on Teth alongside Vos. When he attempted to depart, Kenobi stated that he would take him in for his crimes against the Senate. After a brief and violent exchange, Bane managed to escape both Jedi Masters back to the Xanadu Blood and get off the planet. He decided to make some money stealing spices worth two million, inadvertently falling into the trap of a rival headhunter named Cyander seeking to replace him as #1 in the galaxy. Although captured, he broke out alongside his Jawa associate Ttekket. With his blasters retrieved, he managed to single-handedly destroy seven elite droid commandos. Although Cyander captured the duo once more, Ttekket again freed the pair, and at his partner's request spared Cyander's life, blaming the spice theft on his rival to Dooku and leaving him behind with nothing but an air mask. Eagerly taking an offer to bring in Obi-Wan and Anakin, a brief engagement lead to him being outwitted after his elite starfighter disabled the main gun of their own and they made a jump into Hyperspace. His ship was badly damaged in the gambit by mynocks as a result, although he later had it rebuilt.

Ending the Bounty Hunting season as #1, the price on Bane's head was 2,500,000 credits, although none attempted to cash in on it due to his deadly reputation. After later being captured, he negotiated with freeing Moralo Eval with the end result of hopefully kidnapping Palpatine himself. Although he was unwantedly partnered with a new bounty hunter, an incognito Obi-Wan masquerading as Rako Hardeen, who had pretended to kill himself with a sniper blast. Instant hatred formed, to the delight of Moralo.

The plan to escape began in earnest with Boba Fett providing a distraction, although Eval's demand for the undercover Kenobi to come along was heavily resisted. Despite his prior route being changed, with Kenobi's aid they managed to break free and acquire a freighter to escape. To Bane's chagrin, Kenobi crashed the ship on Nal Hutta to get the republic off their trail. Acquiring new gear from the black market, a momentary split-up and plan to abandon Kenobi after he found a ship -- for both business and personal reasons -- lead to the marketeer's aide reporting them. Knocking out Kenobi, he then fled with the bought freighter. Chasing Starhoppers, following Kenobi's unknown tracking beacon, forced them to turn around. Confronting Kenobi, he leveraged himself and became a full partner in the escape attempt, to Bane's intense aggravation.

Piloting a Luxury Yacht 3000 to be refueled, Anakin and Ahsoka managed to intercept them in a brief battle. An inadvertent wreck ended with Anakin defeated by Kenobi, although Ahsoka prevented him from being killed as Eval notified them their ship still worked. He left the pair behind with the others, finally arriving with Dooku to deliver Eval as promised.

The last of his great exploits came to pass then. After an extensive competition in a box in which only 5 of 11 survived, Eval lost grace in Dooku's eyes. When Eval set up Kenobi to lose no matter what, Bane saved him and demanded Eval to kill the man in person and not with a button, to which Dooku agreed. After being defeated, the five remaining mercenaries were set up to kidnap Palpatine and demand the release of all separatist forces. Bane was put in charge of the entire operation.

After arriving at the Festival of Light, Bane quickly acquired a base of operations and set out his plan to kidnap Palpatine through holographic devices. Taking place in the crowd amidst Anakin, Mace Windu, and numerous others, one of the team members detonated the shield on the stage, knocking Palpatine unconscious. Holographic shuffling disguised Palpatine as a soldier and another taking on Palpatine's disguise. Embo and Twazzi, having faked being elite guards, distracted the defenders long enough to escape with the supreme chancellor. Once more Kenobi arrived with those remaining. Yet it turned out to be a setup, as Dooku had not intended for Bane to succeed. Left with Palpatine and no mission, Kenobi's long-term infiltration paid off, as he attacked Bane and distracted him long enough for reinforcements to arrive and apprehend the lot. Bane swore vengeance on Kenobi when carted off, and received no credits for his actions from Dooku, although his fame still grew massively yet again as a result.

After a long incarceration, Bane managed to escape once more, only to find his childhood friend pretending to be him on his homeworld. Setting things straight with Soopan, he spared his friend's life all the same. With a new mercenary team, he once more prowled through the remainder of the Clone Wars to great success. When Palpatine became Emperor, Bane was one of the few freelancers used to great effect in the following years. Up to 15 BBY, he remained active and successful, working with and then competing against Boba Fett, finally having a rival in the galaxy almost a decade later.

All of this changed, however, when Darth Vader denounced Bane and declared him an enemy of the Empire. His 2,500,000 bounty was once more opened, and with the military fury of the Galactic Empire on his heels, he barely managed to escape to the Outer Rim. What credits he had left went into further longevity treatments, but he was unable to find reliable work, now hunted like an animal by the Empire, aspiring Bounty Hunters, and anyone who wanted a name for themselves. He retreated into the shadows in an unwanted 'retirement', although he endlessly kept his skills sharp in private. For fifteen years he aged, bitter, his wish for vengeance on Vader, Palpatine and Kenobi tempered by him no longer having the resources to accomplish such. When he offered his services to the Rebels, he was completely rebuked, considered untrustworthy and too dangerous, especially when his reputation had become a liability rather than a boon.

To Bane's mixed blessing, the Rebels managed to deal a crippling blow to the Galactic Empire. He had kept close watch of the events in question, and Vader's successful defeat of Kenobi stole him a name from his list. Bane was on the Outer Rim, and working through the outlying war in the Sleight of Hand was slow work. By the time he got near, the second Death Star had been destroyed, and both Vader and Palpatine were killed. To say that fifteen years of living like a worm resulted in no ability for vengeance infuriated the aging Duros is an understatement.

However, such was not all bad. The Galactic Empire was in pieces, and the Rebels were pressing hard. Boba Fett seems to have fallen in battle, leaving an opening once more for the former greatest mercenary in the world to step into the main stage. He has a new list of names to rekindle his legend -- Luke Skywalker and Han Solo should be suitable marks on his belt.

The galaxy is primed for a final war, one where men of his service are needed. His goals are simple and straightforward. To let the universe know he has returned from his exile as deadly as ever, and regain his legend by any means necessary. And to once more rekindle the flow of credits. He's the body of a Duros well into middle age... although longevity treatments will not reverse the damage that was done, they will stop the decline, and allow him to make one final, burning mark in the history books to make sure 'Cad Bane' overshadows every Bounty Hunter who has ever lived, and any new ones born into the future, as his final legacy to the galaxy...

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