User:AdmirableAckbar/Cad Bane

"I'm in control. I make the rules now!"

- Cad Bane to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine

Cad Bane was a Duros bounty hunter in operation during the Clone Wars. In it for the credits, he would work for the highest bidder.

Bounty hunter
"Master Cad Bane, I presume. I've heard much about you. Who hasn't? The greatest hunter since Jango lost his head&hellip;"

- Davtokk, speaking of Cad Bane

Cad Bane was a Duros male born on the planet Duro during the last decades of the Galactic Republic. He became a bounty hunter, earning a reputation as a ruthless mercenary who worked solely for the reward of his missions. Bane worked for the highest bidder, caring little who was employing him or what faction they belonged to as long as the credits kept flowing; he had no qualms with turning on his original employer if his quarry offered him a better fee.

By the time Jango Fett, the bounty hunter considered to be the galaxy's best, perished in 22 BBY, Bane was something of a veteran in his line of work. With Fett out of the picture, he was also among the galaxy's most notorious bounty hunter, thought to be cruel and fearsome. He had enemies, though, and a considerable price was on Bane's head.

Recruitment
"Such fighting spirit, Davtokk. Almost commendable, if you were successful. But you know what they say about ' almost.'" "This&hellip;this was a test?" "Yes. But not yours. A test of my colleagues. They're solitary types and I need a team. I am happy to say they passed&hellip;by ensuring that you failed."

- Cad Bane, and Davtokk

During the Clone Wars, Coruscant-based Hutt crime lord Ziro Desilijic Tiure was incarcerated by the Republic in the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center. Desperate to escape, Ziro promised Bane handsome payment to free him. Bane did not opt for a straightforward rescue, instead deciding to force the Republic into freeing him by taking hostages. To do so, the Duros would need a team of skilled bounty hunters, and he began assembling a posse, consisting of notorious bounty hunter and Jedi killer Aurra Sing; Weequay mercenary Shahan Alama; and Robonino, a diminutive, piscine technician, backed up by two Separatist droid commandos and a number of IG-86 sentinel droids, including one designated 3D.

Bane's team was assembled, but, with its organic members all usually working alone, he wanted to ensure they would gel as a unit. Before putting his plan into motion, he arranged a final test for his colleagues. Bane lured fellow bounty hunter Davtokk to the planet Keyorin, where the Duros had a safehouse, under the pretense that Bane was holding a recruitment drive. Bane knew Davtokk intended to execute the bounty on his head, so assembled a lifesize mannequin resembling himself, created from a scrapped battle droid. After entering the safehouse, Davtokk fired upon the mannequin, assuming it to be Bane; Robonino then detonated explosives set inside the safehouse and caught Davtokk in a razor net.

The other bounty hunter quickly escaped the net, though, managing to evade the onrushing Shahan Alama with a flash grenade. From a distant perch, though, Aurra Sing fired her sniper upon Davtokk's legs, preventing him from making any further progress. Bane, having watched the entire affair unfold, then made himself known to Davtokk, explaining that it had all been arranged so as to test his new team, before killing the crippled mercenary.

Raid on the Senate
"I've got business with the Senate. How 'bout you fellas step aside?"

- Cad Bane to several Senate Commandos



He then took his "posse" on a raid on the Galactic Senate to free crime lord Ziro the Hutt. Though he had planned the raid himself, and directed the actions of the others, he wasn't afraid to confront threats himself. He killed one guard personally, tackling him and snapping his neck with his bare hands, later killing an entire group with a thermal detonator,killing Senater Philo, and attacking Anakin Skywalker. He ordered the Commando droids with him to don the Senate Guards' armor, and had his posse follow him into the Senate Hall, where they quickly surrounded and captured a group of Senators including Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa.

Though Chancellor Palpatine told Bane that he wouldn't negotiate with him, after Bane threatened to kill all the Senators, Palpatine relented and ordered the release of Ziro. When Anakin Skywalker attempted to free the Senators, Cad attacked him, then sent Aurra Sing and the others to capture him, which they succeeded in doing. Cad then left the Senate Hall, having placed explosives around the Senators as insurance of his escape. After picking up Ziro and fleeing the scene, Bane decided to kill the Senators anyway, and detonated the explosives. Skywalker, however, used his lightsaber to cut through the floor, saving himself and the others. Bane then left Coruscant with Ziro, demanding his payment from the whining Hutt.

Mission accomplished
Later during the Clone Wars, Cad Bane was hired by Count Dooku and his Confederacy of Independent Systems to work against the Republic, though the Duros was only loyal to Dooku as long as the Count continued to pay. Bane brought his experience, equipment and skill to bear against the Republic, fighting them directly during the conflict. On one mission for Dooku, Bane stole a holocron containing a list of potentially Force-sensitive infants, before capturing each of the infants himself. Bane took them to remote Mustafar and handed them over to Dooku's Sith Master, Darth Sidious, who planned to use them for his own means.

Personality and traits
"Time to pay up, Hutt. I don't work for free."

- Cad Bane, to Ziro

Bane was at the "top of his game" during the Clone Wars, as fellow bounty hunter Jango Fett was no longer around, having died in the Battle of Geonosis. Bane had much less moral content than Fett, and would often turn upon the very people who hired him unless he was given money. He was much more ruthless, and also unlike Fett, he did not take prisoners, for he intended his Senator hostages to be destroyed even after negotiations with the Chancellor.

Equipment
Bane carried custom-made twin blaster pistols built from BlasTech LL-30 pistols. His breathing tubes were directly connected to his lungs, allowing him to hunt and do business freely in different types of atmospheres without additional protection. Bane was also equipped with rocket boots and wrist gauntlets, which had a variety of built-in tools and weapons, including a cable launcher, comlink, data uplink, and non-lethal stunners.

Behind the scenes
Early versions of the character were based on Durge, but the final design, at the request of George Lucas, took inspiration from Lee Van Cleef's characters from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. His model was made after sketches of a character from the original Star Wars films.

Appearances

 * The Clone Wars: Invitation Only