Private Aggressive Negotiations

[Cadere]

Onderon
(Well, above it)

​

Cas was beginning to miss going on missions with Sakadi - but yet again, he had been assigned by the Council on some routine mission, escorting and protecting a shuttle transporting important cargo to Onderon. Despite the 'importance' of it empathised to him by the Council, it was still boring to say the least, travelling at a snail's pace in his Phenex starfighter with little to no action. In fact, Cas doubted if the transport was even carrying important cargo in the first place and this was some kind of lesson on patience permitted by the Council.

Despite drawing ever so closer to Onderon, it felt that the shuttle flew slower every moment they got closer. Groaning loudly, Cas slumped in the seat of his cockpit which prompted a teasing beep from his astromech co-pilot. "No. I'm not dying, BB-5." he said, rolling his eyes "I'm just bored. I'd rather be out with my Master, on actual missions." he complained, placing his hands on his face. BB-5 replied with a beep and a chirp, raising an eyebrow, Cas' eyes narrowed to the astromech outside of his canopy "What do you mean, my comms are still transmitting to the tran-" as he was saying this, his eyes whipped over to his comm and they widened once he realised BB-5 was right "-sport? Oh kriff..." he muttered "Heeeeey, I was just kidding. Me and BB-5 wanted to mess with you! Figured you'd need a good laugh after such a long and bori--I mean, fun trip."

With that, Cas promptly shut off his comm that transmitted to the transport and then buried his head in his hands, prompting an impudent giggle from the astromech. "Shut up." he commanded, the Padawan then noticed something on the starfighter's scanner, another ship was nearby... could be pirates or worse. Cas quickly activated his comm, transmitting it to both BB-5 and the transport "Heads up, I'm picking up another ship on the scanner. Stay sharp, it could be anything... though, I doubt its an angel (much as I hope)." he said, preparing for whatever was coming.

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

Master Zul had sent her on another assignment - seek and seize a transport taking classified goods to Onderon. She was also notified that it would probably have some kind of escort. Lavria expected a heftier assignment, but at least she was being sent alone. With nothing more than a "Dark Side guide you" from Master Zul, she and Lars left Bastion with great speed.

Lavria enjoyed travelling through hyperspace - it was quiet, peaceful even, and she had her thoughts to herself. As the Fury was closing in on Onderon, she was lost in her own thoughts. If Lars' high-pitched beeping hadn't caught her attention, she probably wouldn't have seen the scans until it was too late. They had found the transport, and better yet, a small little speck was accompanying it.
"This looks like fun!" she sneered as she engaged her shields and readied her cannons for assault.

As they emerged from hyperspace, she already locked onto one of the transport's support thrusters and incapacitated it with a heavy cannon blast. She then immediately aimed another blast at the small escort fighter behind it.
"Lars, patch me through." she ordered the droid.
With a few clicks and beeps, Lars made contact with the Phenex escort.
"Well hello there! Care to join me on that transport? Or can I steal it away from under your nose?" she said with a sinister smile before cutting the comms again. She aimed another blast at the fighter before swooping down to dock with the transport.
"Be ready to leave when I tell you Lars. Just scan the transport. Where am I headed?" she asked the droid as they docked. After a quick scan, Lars beeped at her.
"Gotcha." she said before centering herself. She then pulled her sabers and headed through the door, deflecting the blasts aimed at her from two guards. With quite some Dark Sided Force, she pushed the two of them into the wall behind them, knocking them out cold.
"Now, how long until the silly little escort gets here to make things a bit more interesting?" she mused with a sneer.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas squinted as the ship drew closer and as it did, the Padawan felt a familiar coldness freeze over him - it was the presence of the Dark side, and it whirled around the pilot like a tornado. Before the Kiffar could even react, the enemy ship had shot off at the transport's support thrusters - "No!" he called out, before narrowly avoiding another shot aimed at him by performing an evasive barrel roll.

BB-5 then chirped through to Cas "What? They're trying to talk to us? Patch it through." a feminine voice then transmitted through the comms, she thought she was funny, "Ladies first, otherwise I'm not a gentleman." he retorted. He had no choice but to play on their terms, with a click on his console, Cas then began transmitting to the transport "Stay put. I'll distract whoever this pilot is." although he had an idea who she might be... The teen then began making his way to the transport.

"BB, shields! Shields!" he commanded as the enemy pilot had sent off another shot aimed for him. Banking left slightly, the shot skimmed his fighter with his shields taking most of the damage. Who the hell was this woman? As the Padawan docked with the transport, he would give his astromech one last command "See if you can do anything about those thrusters while I'm down there, yeah?" which prompted BB-5 to give an assuring beep in response.

As the canopy opened, Cas shot out of his seat with a leap of the Force before landing firmly on the ground. Entering the inner airlock, he saw the pilot who was a Zabrak and holding... two llightsabers. Well, he did say he wanted to have some fun. Instinctively, Cas reached for his lightsaber but he heeded his Master's words about raising his blade first. For now, he would get some answers "Look, before we lock lightsabers and fight to the death. I gotta ask, who are you and what do you want?" he asked very nonchalantly, watching for her to make any sudden movements.

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

She was just about to head to the bridge, when the inner airlock to the next docking port opened and a young Kiffar walked through. Lavria could sense the Light Side in him, but it was turbulent. Just maybe he wasn't as pure a Jedi as he believed he was.
"Finally made it, did you? For a second there I was scared that I actually did shoot you from the sky. That would have been to easy then." she said.

He asked her identity, trying to be nonchalant about it. A sinister grin spread on her face as she then walked towards him in a sultry motion, gathering the Force around her as she went.
She came to a stop in front of him and ran a finger down his chest, while the lightsabers were still in her hands.
"Look at you, wanting to be brave." she almost whispered, looking up at him through her lashes and then taking a step back, suddenly battle ready. "I thought you'd know a Sith if you saw one? You should get out more. Make some friends. Then, maybe, you will hear the name Lavria more. I don't know who you are, on the other hand." she said a bit more loudly with a smile, her golden eyes glowing with a sinister light. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to thwart your Jedi plans and seize this transport." she quipped. She drew the Force and pushed it with sudden speed towards the Kiffar, hopefully pushing him back a few paces.

With Force-induced, lightening-fast movements, she followed up with a guarded swing of one lightsaber aimed at his head while keeping the other saber ready for any movement he will make. All the while she kept her senses open, as her Master had taught her, fully aware of her surroundings. The Dark Side of the Force still surrounded her entirely and she was ready to use it. The smirk and sinister look in her eyes, never left her face. She enjoyed the thrill of danger.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas stood in place and listened, eyeing the woman's every move - she was indeed a Sith, a mouthy one too, trying to get under his skin... well, two can play at that game. "Oh, I know of the Sith. Just didn't think they'd stoop to taking you in." he retorted, grinning "Then again, they don't really have that many options nowadays, huh?" Cas continued, ending his sentence with a shrug.

"Thwart my Jedi plan? What is this, a cheesy holofilm?" he snorted, trying to get a rise out of her. After he had poked and prodded at her ego, he hovered his hand over his lightsaber hilt for when things inevitably got ugly. Aaaand he was right.

The Padawan's decision to watch Lavria's movements paid off as his awareness saved him from getting his head chopped off. Enhancing his own physicality, Cas swiftly threw his entire upper body backward to avoid the deadly attack - as he did this, the Kiffar pulled out his lightsaber and ignited it in preparation to counter attack. Heeding his own Master's advice, instead of primarily focusing on a single lightsaber form, he would blend it with others - Shien and Ataru in particular. Ignited from his hip, Cas would swing his lightsaber diagonally with both of his hands aimed at Lavria's torso. One foot was backward as he prepared to avoid any counter from the Sith.

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

Lavria grinned when the Jedi narrowly evaded getting his head lobbed off. With her senses wide open, she was ready when he made a swing for her torso. Her other lightsaber caught the blow in more than enough time. In the same movement, she made a downward stroke to his torso with the other saber that had just missed his head.

With a Force-induced movement, she spun around to his back and dropped low, aiming a swipe at his legs while her other lightsaber was at the ready. In a fluid movement, she was up again and threw a strong, heavily Dark Side induced Force push at him once more to throw him down the hallway. She then followed up immediately. On him once more, she aimed a downward stroke at his chest, to cut him from shoulder to hip, but she was still ready for any move he would make. Her other lightsaber was still at the ready to deflect any action he would take.

She slid away and dropped into a defensive position, lightsabers up and waiting for him to take action. Master Zul's "Don't waste time" ran through her head. She had to get this hunk of junk moving.
"I'm done playing games, Jedi baby. Time to end this." she sneered, her face almost dark with the power of the Dark Side swirling around her.
"Come and get me." she then grinned, beckoning at him. Completely anchored in the Force, Lavria's senses were brimming - she was aware of everything around her and ready to react to anything.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Anticipating her block, Cas quickly used his back foot to move backward once more and avoid her downward strike. As he moved back, Cas also swung his lightsaber horizontally to knock her second lightsaber out of the way of his torso. However, he didn't anticipate the Sith's second attack as she whipped behind him with lightening quick speed.

Cas spun around as fast as he could to see her crouch and swipe her blade at his legs, the Padawan aimed his lightsaber close to the ground in order to intercept and block the attack aimed at his legs. The force of her attack caused him to stagger however, opening him up to be knocked back a few feet with the Force. She was good. Really good. Landing on the floor with a pained grunt, he could feel the Dark side calling to him... to let it aid him in his duel... maybe just this once he'd let it in. As she followed up, opening herself up to attack - Cas removed one of his hands from his lightsaber and aimed it at Lavria pushing a wave of Force energy at her.

As she slid back from the push, he noticed her take up a defensive position. Standing back up, the Padawan could feel his negative emotions get the better of him, Cas called upon the Light once more to centre himself. Taking a deep exhale, he held his blade with both hands once more "I'm done messing around with you, Lavria." he stated coldly and confidently.

Using the Force, Cas formed a barrier around himself to protect himself from any potential telekinetic Force attacks from Lavria. Cas charged at her, raising his lightsaber above his head, as he drew close to her he would swing it down at her, forming a downward strike aiming to break her defence or at least weaken it. Quickly spinning his body around, he would advance with a swipe at her torso once more before swiftly pulling back his lightsaber and advancing with another attack aimed at her head.

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

Lavria smiled as the Padawan took the bait. She could also sense a sliver of the Dark Side in him. She laughed. "Dark Side is tempting, isn't it? Go ahead and use it. I won't tell."
She could feel the barrier around him, but she waited as he charged at her, watching his moves. Just before his saber came down, she moved out of the way in a Force-induced blur. While moving around him, she pulled a panel from the wall with the Force and threw it with vehemence at the Kiffar, weakening his barrier. Then, instead of moving away, she slid towards him while ducking low, aiming another swipe at his legs with one saber while the other was once again ready to deflect any motion from him. His swipe at her torso passed harmlessly over her head.

She slid past him and was up again in a flash, sabers at the ready. She was getting annoyed with his half-hearted swipes and she used these emotions to fuel her bond with the Dark Side even more. With a tremendous pull, she pulled the overhead panels and lights down on top of him, showering him in sparks and debris. Instead of leaving the debris to just fall on the weakened barrier, she then brought her hands together, crushing the debris with Dark Sided Force tightly around him. Time to see if his Force powers really are worth anything. She then used the debris coating to throw another strong Force push against, pushing the whole ball back against a wall.

She narrowed her golden eyes and was just about to rush in with her sabers and finish him off, when a few guards ran into the hallway, firing blasters at her. Deftly blocking the bolts, like her master had so diligently trained her, she then pulled a frag grenade from her belt and rolled it towards the fools. The explosion scattered them instantly, giving her a chance to slam them hard against a wall with the Force. She was still aware of the Jedi and was ready, should he have recovered from being in a ball of debris, while she was busy dealing with his sycophants. Bloated with Dark Side power, she ached to fully use it.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

His few attacks missed and then he was hit with a panel. Turning to see her ducking low and sliding towards him, Cas swiftly performed a backflip to avoid the attack at his legs while simultaneously swiping for her head with his lightsaber mid-backflip. Landing back on his feet, the damned Sith used the Force to crush the ceiling panels above him, the sparks burned him slightly as they fell on him, adding to his growing frustration and anger.

After Lavria had encased him in a ball of debris. Cas pressed his arms together, forming an X shape - summoning all of the Force around him, before expelling his arms and in-turn a small burst of Force energy, repulsing any of the debris that were near him. Fight to survive, not to win. He repeated in his mind, heeding his Master's advice.

After regaining his bearings, he saw the bodies of two guards on the floor. Saddened by this, his eyes turned to Lavria and he looked at her with complete disdain - "You monster!" he cried out in anger before igniting his lightsaber again he, outstretched his arm and pushed her back with the Force before charging at her ready to embrace his rage but before he could do anything, he sensed something else. Shortly following the other presence he sensed, something had hit the ship causing it to rumble.

Then the ship rumbled even more causing Cas to stagger slightly, leading him to deduce they were being pulled somewhere - most likely by a tractor beam. His gaze returned to Lavria once more "This got something to do with you, schutta?" he questioned, calming down but still feeling contempt toward her.

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

The Padawan cried out when he saw his comrades on the floor.
"Oh boohoo. Never seen a dead body before? Your master never told you that you draw your power from dead bodies? Probably not. You Jedi are too soft to deal with that kind of knowledge." she quipped with a grin. He tried throwing the Force at her in anger, but with her body so bloated in Dark Sided power, it barely nudged her. She regained the slight ground she lost and stood her ground and faced him as he charged at her, lightsabers at the ready.

Before she could lock sabers with him, though, the ship shuddered, shaking them both slightly. He asked her if it had anything to do with her.
"How sweet of you to want to give me that credit. But no - I don't need saving. Seems someone else joined the party." she sneered. She then pressed her commlink.
"Lars, what's going on out there?" she asked her droid.
Lars beeped back at her over the link. "Just sit tight for now." she answered him, before turning back to the Kiffar.
"We are heading into the clutches of an Interceptor frigate. My guess is, I am soon to be the least of your problems. Probably pirates or some other fun faction. Once they are in here, I'm going to see them off, because three is a crowd. You can either join me in getting rid of them or you can sit here in the corner and cry about your predicament." she told him.

Lavria shook back her hair and twirled her lightsabers before looking at the Jedi. She sensed a conflict within him that have been coming for a while. Suddenly she recognised herself a few years back. Her face softened slightly into a more sincere smile.
"You know, it is easier and much more peaceful if you just embrace what you are trying so hard to shut out. The power you feel then is much more immense than what you are currently wielding." she said almost softly.
The moment did not last long though, as the ship shuddered once more and she could feel it thudding on a solid platform. Her sneer was back instantaneously as she looked back at him.
"Have you made your choice? Help or cry?" she asked him as her eyes sparkled in anticipation of more destruction.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas rolled his eyes at her relentless teasing but he watched and listened as she spoke to someone else over her commlink, lightsaber still ignited in case this was some kind ploy or trap. Although, she revealed that wasn't the case - they were some other group, probably pirates, he didn't sense any deception from her so maybe this really was the real deal.

The Padawan's face scrunched up at yet another insult. Insults aside and general dislike for the Sith, if they were to survive and if he was to complete his mission, he'd have to work with her. For now at least. Loosening his attack stance and standing straight now, Cas turned his attention to Lavria - yep, of course she was going to try and get him to join her. The Padawan snickered, shaking his head, he then looked at her "You caught me on a bad day, I slipped up. The Dark side is the quick and easy path - I'm not weak willed enough to make that same mistake twice." he stated proudly, slightly turning his chin up to her.

"But..." Cas declared "I'm not stupid. I'll help, even though I'd rather them kill you." he stated coldly. readying his lightsaber for what was coming. Then as if right on queue, the ship came to a halt and shortly after the inner airlock's hinges began to spark as the attackers began to break their way inside. Speaking into the commlink inside his glove, he would inform the pilots "Just... hang tight. Things have gotten way worse." then the inner airlock door exploded open and the pirates began storming their way inside blasting at both the Jedi and the Sith.

As Cas quickly began deflecting the blaster bolts, he also pressed forward in order to take the fight to the pirates and as he did so he called out to Lavria "Name's Cas by the way!"

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

Of course the errand boy would try to downplay it as a bad day, but Lavria knew better. There was a reason why the Jedi had such fear for the Dark Side - not because of its power, but because of its allure and how easy it is to descend into it. She smirked but said nothing. The Kiffar then reluctantly agreed to help her. How predictable.

The inner airlock burst open and the pirates entered with fanfare.
"Weequay. Who could have guessed?" Lavria quipped as she deflected the blasterbolts. These pirates were quite sloppy and had no idea how to aim.
For some reason, the padawan was trying to make conversation by introducing himself in the middle of the firefight. Lavria rolled her eyes. This was going to be boring battle.
"I'd be lying if I said it was a pleasure. Maybe you should tell them - they'd probably care about it more." she said, waving her hand at the bundle of pirates, scattering them like pins with the Force. "Now, if you are done trying to be important, Cas, maybe we can eliminate the rest of them trying to get through the door?" she then added, emphasizing his name quite sarcastically. She then ran forward, her red sabers blurring, as she carved a way through the broken door and into airlock chamber. She did not leave much pirates for Cas to finish off as she barreled through them towards the frigate.

Pirates scattered in all directions as Lavria cleared a path well into the hallway of the frigate, the Dark Side feeding on their fear. Her eyes were glowing by the time she slowed down to wait for the Jedi, leaning against the wall as she did so.
"They really need to teach you Jedi how to move faster. Who taught you to move? The spirits of some old wookiees?" she asked him, examining her nails in boredom as she did so. She then looked up at him. "When you are done being a grandpa, you need to make a quick decision - either we kill the captain or we sever the boarding connection, blowing them all up in the process."
Running feet could be heard, coming closer - probably to try and finish them off. She raised an eyebrow at Cas.
"Might want to hurry with that decision. I'm not going to do all the work - this bunch is yours." she said, a smirk spreading on her face as she stood up straight.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas continued to deflect incoming blaster bolts - Lavria, of course, being the snarky Sith she was had to have something slick to say about his introduction. "No kiddin' - bet they'd have better conversational skills too and that's not saying much." he quickly fired back, he could be snarky too. Then with a wave of her hand, she simply scattered the pirates, the Padawan hated how Lavria made this skirmish look so easy, this wasn't at all difficult for him but the way she fought and moved made this look like a light workout for her.

The Kiffar's brow would furrow at her condescending tone, and before he could get out a response the Zabrak was already gone. The sound of lightsabers and blaster fire erupted through the airlock chamber, with a sigh, he re-gripped his lightsaber and followed after her. Not much of the Weequay pirates were left behind but as he ran passed and into the frigate, Cas redirected incoming blaster bolts back into the pirates - clearing out the last of them.

Cas had finally made it inside the frigate where Lavria was already waiting for him - "Fast isn't always best." he retorted, winking at her, hoping she got the joke. Staring at the floor in deep thought, Cas had to think hard about the ultimatum that was given to him - there had already been too much killing today, and if ending the pirate captain got rid of the rest that was something he'd be okay with. Lifting his head, he met Lavria's gaze with a stern expression "If we take out the captain, we don't kill anyone else on this frigate." he demanded, whether Lavria would agree or not - he had alternative methods if she chose the latter.

As the impending footsteps drew closer - Cas readied his lightsaber. Borrowing an idea from Lavria's playbook, he aimed his right hand and aiming it at the wall's metallic outer casing to his right side. Focusing on his connection to the Light Side, he envisioned the Force into tearing a piece off of it and with a clench of his fists, sparks flew out from the wall as Cas ripped out the outer casing - hovering it out in front of him, he waited for the pirates to arrive before promptly launching it at them. The pirates fell to the floor like a wave and were out cold. For a brief moment, the Padawan stared at his hand - surprised that even worked.

"Let's go, the Captain ain't going to wait forever." he quipped before pressing forward and leading the way in search of the captain.

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

Lavria rolled her eyes at his little joke, but had to fight back an annoyed smile all the same. She had to admit, silently of course, that if they weren't on opposing sides, she might enjoy is annoying-ass company from time to time. She would, of course, rather cut off her own head than admit it out loud. For now, she just folded her arms and waited for his very predictable decision. Of course he would try and minimize casualties. What was it with Jedi and their high ground?
"Oh no, the horror of any more killing! Just not that!" she exclaimed in faux appallment, her hand sarcastically going to her chest to show her feigned horror. She then laughed quite ominously. "You Jedi are always so predictable. It's quite boring, to be honest. At some point it's not even a challenge anymore to dispose of you. Poor babies." she said. "We'll play it your way first. If that fails, we do it my way." Her golden orbs sparkled at the thought of everyone going boom.

Lavria stood back as the pirates entered the hallway and watched with annoyance as Cas stole her move to knock the pirates out of the way with some panels. The Padawan looked quite surprised that he was able to do that though. Lavria snickered. "Fun, isn't it? You can do that and much more with the Dark Side. Just embrace it." she said with a knowing smile. They can fight it all they want, but in the end, of the Dark Side has touched you even remotely, there's no going back.

Cas moved forward, telling her that the captain was not going to wait forever.
"No?! Really?!" Lavria said sarcastically in mock disbelief, but she followed nonetheless. She was not going to let the Jedi have all the fun. She had to babysit the poor fool. Or to be there when he fails. Either way, she had to be present for this little rendezvous.
They moved along with no opposition. The ship was oddly quiet now - they had probably taken care of most of the pirate crew. Before long, they reached the closed door of the bridge.
"Well, Master Jedi, I'll leave him for you. I'm curious to see if you can really run someone through with a lightsaber in cold blood." Lavria said, her omnipresent smirk spreading on her face. "I'll be ready to do it, should you feel too sorry to remove the sleemo's head from his shoulders." She folded her arms once more and waited for Cas to make his move. If he could.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

"You mind backing off? You Sith all sound so desperate. It's like you get off to it or something" he quipped, albeit in annoyance at Lavria's attempt to get him to embrace the Dark side, also with the hopes of getting under Lavria's skin. Though, he had to admit the Dark side really had a seductive manner about it - but deep in his heart, he knew the Light side was the right and best path to follow.

Surprisingly, the entire journey to the bridge was satisfyingly uneventful - making him feel better that he wouldn't have to keep Lavria from taking anymore lives. Reaching the closed door of the bridge, Lavria tried to goad him again, clenching his fists and hanging his head low the Padawan's voice turned stern, erasing his usual lighthearted demeanour "It's not in cold blood, Lavria. I hate taking the life of another." he confessed "I wouldn't expect you to understand." he said accusingly, whipping his head around to meet Lavria's golden eyes with a scowl.

Expecting another snarky comment, he would ignore it as he raised his lightsaber and slashed it across a wall panel next to the locked bridge door, causing it to open instantly. Cas had a quip ready for use but what caught his notice stopped him in his tracks - there, the Weequay captain stood a few metres opposite of the Jedi and Sith, staring right at them with a Z-6 rotary cannon in hand - without hesitation, he immediately began shooting in the direction of the two Force-sensitives.

The Padawan quickly turned to his right and lunged in that direction, enhancing it with the Force, before rolling into a three-point landing "You've gotta work on your hospitality, this how you treat all your guests?" Cas quipped in hopes of deflating the tension. The Kiffar knew if he'd try to deflect the rotary cannon, it'd just shred him - he and Lavria would have to evasively manoeuvre their way to the captain. Shouldn't be too difficult if he and the Zabrak managed to stay on opposite ends of the room and work their way forward.

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

Lavria smirked as Cas shot back at her that he did not want to take a life. Her golden eyes glinted with malice as she enjoyed getting under his skin. The Jedi were all so predictable, it's as if they want and like the Sith ridiculing them. The Zabrak snickered but said nothing as she watched him slash the door panel.

With Cas blocking her view, Lavria could not see the Captain, but when the Kiffar lunged to the side of the door, she did not hesitate to flatten herself against her side of the wall as well. Blaster bolts flew past them at an alarming speed. This was the moment she wished her master had taught her how to summon Force Lightning, as she could have dispensed of the cannon-wielding pirate quite quickly then. Instead, she had to settle for less. She pulled a panel from the wall in the hallway with the Force. She maneuvered it in front of her before looking over at the Jedi.
"Ready to dance with our host?" she asked with a sneer as she ignited a lightsaber with her free hand. She was done playing. It was time to wrap up this party and finish what she came here to do.

She did not wait for Cas as she moved forward. She knew he would follow one way or another. Ducking low behind the panel in front of her to stay out of the firing line, she moved forward. When she got close enough, she launched the panel with great Force at the pirate to at least knock the cannon from his hands. She then launched herself through the air, igniting her other saber as she went. She landed in front of the Captain and crossed her sabers under his chin. All she had to do was close the gap between them and the Weequay's head would roll from his shoulders, but when she looked at the captain between her lightsabers, something changed. For the first time in her life, she couldn't do it. She could not slice her sabers through his neck. Her nose wrinkled and eyes narrowed as she struggled against herself before finally lowering her sabers, allowing the pirate to live. She stumbled backwards in shock of what she had done. Of all the times she could have hesitated to take a life, she had to choose a karking pirate to spare! She turned toward Cas.
"You! This is your doing, isn't it?" she snapped at him, still in shock that she could not finish off the sleemo.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Despite his ingenious plan, Lavria had the bright idea of using a panel from a nearby wall as cover against the rotary fire. He nodded in response to her question with a look of determination before following close behind her, making sure to stay at an appropriate speed and not lag too far behind. The Padawan feared that when Lavria hurled the panel at the Captain, she'd use it as an opportunity to end his life in some way but to his surprise, she only disarmed him.

After she landed, following her dramatic flip - Cas stopped behind her, lightsaber still ignited but now lowered. As her crimson lightsabers were crossed under the Weequay's chin, the Padawan had changed his mind on killing the captain and instead wanted to use this as an opportunity to just get them to back off and leave.

Raising his arm, Cas opened his mouth to tell her to stop only to be surprised at what happened next. She had lowered her lightsabers. Cas deactivated his own lightsaber and he stared at Lavria with a look of both shock and confusion. However, the look the Zabrak had as she turned to face him didn't bode well. Raising his arms in surrender, he argued back "Whoa, I didn't do anything." in his defence.

The Padawan walked passed the Sith Apprentice and behind the Weequay captain, raising his left arm to the side Cas used the Force to summon a small piece of discarded metal and bent it around the captain's wrists, turning them into makeshift binders. "I'm not going to lie though, I changed my mind on killing him... so thanks?" he said, addressing the golden-eyed Zabrak. Placing an arm on the Weequay's shoulder and a foot behind his calve, Cas forced the captain onto his knees "We've got two options for you, call all your men off and leave here - maybe rethink your life. Or, I take you in." he demanded, giving the captain an ultimatum.

Looking back up at Lavria, he grinned smugly "Maybe you aren't as bad and evil as you thought you were."

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

As she rounded on Cas, he vehemently denied that he had anything to do with her sudden weakness. She narrowed her eyes at him before he went to stand behind the captain. She rested her hands on her hips as she watched Cas bind the pirate's hands as he gave him a predictable ultimatum. While she listened with one ear, she was still thinking about her sudden growth of conscience - it had to go!

As she clenched her jaw in frustration, the damn Jedi went so far to accuse her of not being so bad. Her golden eyes flashed with anger and she could instantly feel the familiar presence of the Dark Side once more as she met his smug grin with a sneer.
"That would stroke your feeble ego, wouldn't it?" she snapped. It would seem that she was her old self again, but deep down she knew he was right. Not that he would ever find out. It was his fault that she was malfunctioning in any case. "I'm done karking around." She angled her one lightsaber in the pirate's face. "The only ultimatum I give you is this - call off the few men that are still alive, or you die. Not a hard choice, really."
The pirate nodded and Lavria pressed the comms button on the panel next to her and listened as the Weequay ordered his men to stand down.
"Good boy." she sneered.

She then looked at Cas. "Weak moment gone." she deadpanned before slicing her lightsaber through the captain's neck, beheading him instantly. "Want to cry about again? There's a corner for you!" she said before grabbing him with the Force and flinging him into a corner. She then hightailed it to the hull, knowing very well that she should have finished him off. But for some damn reason, she still couldn't. She knew the karking Jedi would be hot on her heels. She had to get to that transport and her ship. Then she could blow up the whole shebang and hopefully her damn conscience as well.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

He was finally getting under her skin, so to add to that Cas raised his hand near his head positioning his thumb an index fingers in an O shape but not letting the tips fully connect, squinting his eyes "Just a little bit." he retorted raising the pitch of his voice slightly to agitate her even more so.

Ignoring Lavria's 'done karking around' statement as nothing more than an intimidation tactic, he let her do her thing but what came next completely caught him off guard. Once the captain had called his men off, the Padawan saw her look at him with her chilling Sith eyes stating, in deadpan, that her 'weak moment' was gone. Confused, Cas was ready to ask what she meant but before he could, in a flash of red light the captain's head went flying off of his shoulders prompting Cas to shout "NO!"

Cas quickly ignited his blade before feeling an invisible force fling him into the corner following another dark quip from Lavria. Cas hit the wall with a grunt before sliding down onto the ground, shaking his head out of his daze, he glanced up to see Lavria had already made a run for it. Gritting his teeth, he growled as he stood up instantly and began rushing after her. He knew that if she quickly changed her tune on the fly like that, there was nothing stopping her from accomplishing her goal - he'd have to stop her before she could do that.

Enhancing his speed through the Force in order to close the distance between them, he called out to her "Lavria stop! We don't have to do this!" he pleaded in between breaths, after allying himself with her he wasn't sure if he wanted it to end the way an encounter with a Jedi and Sith normally would. Call it a weakness, if you will.

Extending an arm in her direction, he discharged a powerful blast of telekinetic energy in her direction with the hops of either knocking her off balance or off her feet entirely.

Lavria Xedrim

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

As Lavria ran, she grew more frantic with every stride. She could not believe that such a small thing could scare her like this. Most of her life she was conditioned to not have a conscience and it had worked fine up until now. Now, for the first time, she truly feared going back to Bastion. Not because of her failure, but because her master would sense this slight change in her. Her head was more in chaos than the garbage fields of Lotho Minor. She had to get out of this mess and just get to somewhere where she could settle her mind before she returned to her master.

It wasn't long before Cas had caught up with her. This guy just won't give up. She heard him call out for her to stop - that they didn't have to square off like this. A second later a wave of Force pushed her almost completely off balance. She stumbled forward to stop herself from falling before spinning around to face him. Yet she did not retaliate. What the hell was happening to her?
"I have no choice!" she cried in desperation, her arms held stiffly at her sides and her hands balled into fists. "I'll be punished if I don't." she continued, squeezing her eyes shut as she turned her face away. The memory of the pain that lightening caused was all too real. Master Zul was more benevolent than most Sith masters, but he was still a Sith Lord - failure was still met with punishment. A cold shudder ran through her body at these thoughts.

It never felt truly real before she actually voiced it just now - that she could really get punished for this. She had shown more weakness today than she ever did as a child. But there was no backtracking now - her secret was out. She sighed before looking back at Cas.
"If you have some brainwave as to how to solve this situation, then do share." she said. "I can't go back without stopping your transport at least."
She knew she would still be in trouble for this sudden wave of mushy caring mess, but if she could at least bring news of a successful mission regardless, it might soften the blow a bit. She had to admit that she did not want to blow up Cas along with the transport, but if he stood in her way, she'd have to remove him from the equation somehow.

Cadere