Chapter Text
“Ah, Kenobi. We have got to stop meeting like this my friend, people are bound to get the wrong idea.”
“This after all your heartfelt declarations of friendship? Hondo, I’m absolutely crushed.”
Giving a smile that had more than enough teeth to get the point across the pirate swaggered over to the former Jedi. “You are right, as usual. I was thinking to myself just this morning, ‘Self, things are really getting far to predictable around here’”.
“Yes, well, I’m glad I could be of service in alleviating your boredom.” Obi-Wan Kenobi responded, dryer than the dust that surrounded them.
Surveying the crash site and nearby area Hondo whistled approvingly. “Never do things by half, do you Kenobi.” Sidling closer to where the former Jedi stood he mock whispered, “Part of the reason we get along so well, I think.”
Rolling his eyes at the Pirate, Obi-Wan pointedly held up his bound hands, “Any chance you would be willing to help out such a close friend, then?”
Again taking in the scene around them, the crashed ship, the out flung Stormtroopers, what looks like a pair of Inquisitors, and in the epicenter, Kenobi. Standing bold as if he still didn’t have his hands bound and anchored to what looked like a table.
Shaking his head slightly, Hondo pulled out his favorite vibroblade, liberated from a rather sloppy Grand Moff, and started working on removing the cuffs. “I find myself most curious, Kenobi. How did you acquire the table?”
A heavy sigh precluded the answer, “The cuffs are Force resistant, and I couldn’t act on them directly, the table was the closest thing to them I could manipulate.”
Standing back up, holding the aforementioned cuffs and lead in his hands, Hondo gave the furniture another look. “Did you find it in this sorry state?”
Giving the table a thoughtful look the former Jedi replied, “No, that sort of wear and tears comes with its use as an offensive weapon.”
Hondo started howling with laughter, causing some of his crew, snooping around the wreckage to look back with concern. “Back to the ship! Kenobi is not a boring man, and we do not want to be here when it gets interesting.”
Several crew members nod at this and make a sign to ward off evil in the direction of the Inquisitors, others quickly grab what’s around them and stuffing it into their clothing for later evaluation. Hondo himself isn’t too worried about taking additional loot from the wreckage.
It isn’t until they are safely in hyperspace with coordinates placed for a meandering route to their new base that Hondo takes Kenobi back to his quarters for a drink. “You sure?” The pirate wheedles, “You certainly look like you could use one.”
“While I have no doubt of that, I have filled my capture quota for the day and you and I have a questionable drinking history.” The line is delivered without inflection, but a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.
Hondo snorts but does not dispute the veracity of what Kenobi said, instead he rummages around for a while under the unimpressed gaze of the former Jedi. Eventually, hidden in the last space even he thought to look, he pulls out an unopened bottle of Corrilean brandy. Holding it up to Kenobi for inspection he is gratified to see the impressed look the other gives him. This time, when Hondo brandishes the two drinking glasses Obi-Wan takes them, deftly breaks the seal on the brandy and pours the drinks.
Of course, before the former Jedi can enjoy the drink he has to first daintily but unabashedly wipe one of the chairs of its accumulated treasure, plopping it all on the floor before taking his new throne. Hondo makes sure that Kenobi can see the smirk on his face before he turns to his own seat, allowing them to enter into companionable silence as they enjoy the alcohol.
“So.” Hondo begins, breaking into the now pensive atmosphere, “Was your hunt successful?” He eyes the former General over his drinking glass.
Said General gives him a disapproving look, “They are hardly hunts. More of a sporadic reengagement with the Galaxy at large.”
The smirk Hondo returns isn’t even humoring, “Yes, yes, sporadic conquests that you partake in to try and reclaim a part of your former code without being taken by the very beasts you are hunting.” Kenobi wonders at the challenge he can see in the pirates gaze. But before he can get to truly formulating a way to stop what will no doubt be a plan most foolhardy and profitable the pirate beats him to it. “There is a trick to bringing down bigger game, Kenobi.”
Knowing that he’s now never going to derail Hondo from this extended metaphor he humors the Weequay and replies, “And what is that?”
Something near predatory crosses the pirates face, and for a moment Obi-Wan is duly concerned that there really is something, somehow, in his drink before Hondo says in his usual bombastic flare, “Why! You get more hunters!”
Obi-Wan looks at Hondo, nonplussed, before he manages to cobble together a cohesive sentence, “Is this you volunteering? I can’t say that there are applicants aplenty that are lined up.”
Now leaning forward he gets a wink to go along with his answer, “I certainly don’t share my secret brandy stash with just anyone now, Kenobi! Besides, you always seem to find the most…profitable places, and if we join you we might even be able to liberate some of the more valuable items before you manage to blow whatever it is up!”
Unable to help himself, while carefully making sure his brandy glass isn’t going to spill, he brings up his left hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “You would propose.” A heavy sigh, “You would propose to join me on these…hunts, so that I can distract the Empire and you would have first chance at whatever goods they might contain, and in return…?
Settling back into his chair, crossing his left leg onto his right knee in a satire of the man opposite him, Hondo says, “A little extra fire power, and of course,” And here he leans over to fondly pat the side of his room and ship wall, “A most speedy and reliable get-away!”
Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow, “Even with my acting as a distraction during your quests for greater wealth, you will still attract Imperial attention.” While unsaid, both understood what was implied, ‘Would you turn me in at the first sign of trouble?’
With exaggerated stretching, Hondo gets up from his chair, places his glass on a nearby table and swaggers over to where Obi-Wan is still sitting. Giving the man a friendly slap in the back the pirate grabs his brandy during the momentary distraction. He downs the drink under the former Jedi’s baleful eye before giving him a blinding smile and answering, “My dear Kenobi. There is no Temple or Republic to ransom you back to anymore. No, no, it would be much more profitable to keep you in my employ.”
Jerking his head up at that last remark, Obi-Wan retorts, “I do believe we had discussed before, my dear Ohnaka, you can’t afford my rates.”
With a wave he leaves the Republic General in his cabin, “This is true, then partners we shall be!”
Feeling like he may have missed something in that conversation, Obi-Wan sighs to himself as he gets up, grabs the bottle of brandy and refills the glass Hondo had handed back to him empty.