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This was really starting to get out of hand. The fact that I had been blamed for Korba's murder meant that both the Banking Clan & the Republic were looking for me, and all the while, the real culprit was out there somewhere, manipulating the situation from behind the scenes. I was running out of time.

"I can't thank you enough for sheltering me, Plo." I said, pulling off the helmet of the full-body clone armor that formed my disguise as I slipped inside Plo Koon's small room aboard his fleet's flagship. "Don't bother. I'm already taking a huge risk just by trusting you." he snapped. "But if you're right, & one of my men is involved in these crimes...Then it looks like I have no choice but to at least give you a chance. Do you have any idea of who it is?" "Actually, I do." I replied. "Captain Rex, leader of the 501st Legion & former boyfriend of Ahsoka Tano." "I do admit, he's an excellent candidate for the culprit...But what makes you certain it's him?" "The attacker who trapped me in the warehouse was wearing clone armor." I explained. "Rex's girlfriend Streena told me that he had been extremely agitated, sometimes to the point of violence, ever since I started my investigation. When I questioned Korba, he told me that someone within the Republic was involved. Add in the fact that Rex has practically disappeared off the face of Muunilist..."

"Listen, Cad-your theory sounds plausible to me, but the Republic Council is going to need a lot more than hunches & circumstancial evidence to get anything even resembling a case against Rex." Plo growled. "Without Korba or Streena to confirm your claims, you've got nothing in what you've already gathered." "Then I guess I need to find something more solid." I replied, pushing off the bed & striding towards the door. "Have your men keep an eye out for Streena. If Rex knows I talked to her, he'll know that her testimonial is essential to my case...Which makes her a possibility for his next target. Even worse, he could've gotten to her already." "I'll get every available man on this." he said. "Good luck, Bane. May the Force be with you."

Though I didn't have any hard evidence, I was still extremely satisfied with my work thus far. Rex's web of lies was crashing down around him. It was only a matter of time before his true face was revealed.

A few hours later, I found myself walking quickly through the streets of a bustling Muunilist town, a silent argument raging in my head over what I should do. If I took serious action to find Rex & collect info, I risked exposing myself to the Republic & dooming any chance of finding Ahsoka. On the other hand, if I waited for the right moment, it may never come, & Rex could get away with his crimes. For the first time in my career as a bounty hunter & P.I...I didn't know what to do.

My thoughts were interrupted as I bumped into a man at the outer edge of a large crowd quickly forming around a small building. Pushing my way to the front, I felt a certain sense of relief as I watched clone troopers an area of walkway with crime scene tape. Inside the perimeter of the boundary...Was Captain Rex, his dead, unblinking eyes staring skyward. Taking another step towards the scene, I carefully stepped over the boundary as another clone trooper waved me over. "Something you need, sir?" I asked, trying to imitate a clone's voice as best I could. Dropping his voice to a whisper, the soldier replied, "Yeah...You could tell me what you're doing here, Bane." "How did you know?" "Clones are right-handed. I noticed that you were holding your gun in your left hand." "Alright, you got me. You gonna haul me off to jail now?" I growled. "Actually, no." he said. "We found a confession on Rex in which he admitted to everything. Kidnapping Ahsoka & the rest of those girls you found in the warehouse, murdering Korba, framing you..." "I'd like to see this confession." "Wish I could, Bane, but..." "Now." I snapped, pressing my blaster subtly to his chest. Nodding slightly, the clone reached over onto a nearby table & picked up a small, folded piece of paper. "Don't know what you intend on doing with it...Now that we have it, it's an open-and-shut case." he whispered, walking off.

While it was true that in the letter Rex confessed everything, there was still no location given for Ahsoka, which seemed odd. Most abductors usually leave a location of their kidnappee in their confessions, if one is found on them. So why was Rex's different?

Then it clicked. Rex wasn't working alone. Snatching the confession back up off the table where I had put it, I squinted at the lettering. How could I have missed such a crucial piece of evidence? The handwriting was feminine, not masculine! Which meant...Streena had been working with Rex the entire time. I had to hurry if I was going to find her & stop her from leaving the planet.

"Streena Kolore!" I shouted, raising my blaster rifle & firing three shots into the air as I entered the shuttle station. "Come out with your hands up & whatever weapons you have dropped!" As the crowd parted, I spotted the volunteer pilot at the other end of the terminal, glaring back at me with hateful eyes. Without hesitating, I leveled my weapon & fired, hitting her dead-center in the chest. Fighting against the screaming crowd scrambling to get out of the terminal, I eventually made my way down to Streena's prone form. "You almost pulled it off." I said. "If anyone but me had been on this case, you probably would have too. The clones would've realized what had happened eventually, but you'd be long gone by then." "Yes...It was...The perfect crime..." she gasped. "Until you showed up...Started...Poking your nose where it didn't belong..." "So you framed Rex for all your crimes?" I snarled. "Because of you, a celebrated war hero, an innocent man, is dead!" "Oh, no, Rex is far from innocent..." she said. "He's the one who attacked you in the warehouse...And the one who murdered Korba..." "So you're not a murderer, just a sick bitch who gets her thrills off abducting girls & selling them to the highest bidder." I snapped. "There is probably...A more accurate description..." she wheezed. "But for now? I'd say...That one's pretty good."

I had to hurry if I wanted to find out where Ahsoka was. It was already obvious that Streena wouldn't live much longer.

"Last chance to make amends, Streena." I said. "Tell me where Ahsoka is." "And why...Would I do that?" she asked. "You're the star investigator now...Tell me where she is. Impress me...One last time." Closing my eyes & thinking back on all the sites I visited, I replied, "The warehouse." Nodding subtly, Streena's eyes fluttered shut &, with her dying breath, she said, "Go get her."

An hour later, I found myself standing in front of the warehouse where I had gone to investigate my first lead. Bits of crime scene tape & other signs of Republic presence were still strewn all over the place. Walking back to the hallway where I first found the 3 doors that led me to the imprisoned girls, I walked past the already-open first & tried the handle of the second. It opened, revealing a room full of empty boxes. Drawing my blaster & shooting the heavy padlock off the third door, I stepped carefully inside...To find Ahsoka Tano lying face-down on the ground, her wrists bound tightly behind her back. She looked worse for the wear...But she was alive. As my shadow encompassed the small bit of light streaming into the room, she stirred & said, "No more...Please...No more..." Pulling a vibroblade from its sheath, I cut the bindings & helped the young Togruta to her feet. "Who...Who are you?" she asked softly. "Someone you love." I replied, pulling off my helmet & meeting her momentarily in a brief, sweet, & passionate kiss.