Private Deception in the Deep

[Yuri Maji]

True to her word, Korra didn't waste a second to complete her half of the job and scramble back to Yuri's location on the train. The Basilisk slowly closed in to make boarding easier for the two, however Yuri froze up as he spared a glance at the cargo just a stone's throw away from them. He glanced back to Korra as a mischievous grin took hold. Normal people wouldn't be able to notice it beneath his helmet, but any Mandalorian worth their salt would be able to see the gears in his head turning through his T-visor.

His plan was made public when he pulled a thermal detonator from his belt and quickly ran over to the car filled with weaponry. He set the timer to max and tossed the device inside before running back to the Basilisk. He let her climb into the passenger seat first then followed with his jetpack, landing in the pilot's seat to close up the cockpit.

"Come on, Baby! Let's move." He spoke up as he took the controls. The Basilisk groaned in response and blasted away from the train. With only the quiet hum of the engines, Yuri tapped a few buttons and opened a holographic image of their rear for the two to view. "Check this." He snickered. A few moments later, the train was torn apart by a massive explosion. Yuri said nothing, simply nodding along with the incendiary spectacle behind them. He remained quiet as he flew them up to the surface and touched down in the alley behind two nearby buildings. A few beggars and scoundrels noticed the enormous droid and scrambled away for their lives.

Yuri opened the cockpit and hopped out, finally taking the time to remove his helmet. "Finally some peace and quiet." He remarked with a deep breath.

Korra Kast

 

[Korra Kast]

Korra climbed out of the Basilisk, with a sharp glare aimed straight at Yuri. She pulled her own helmet off, her brow furrowed and jaw tight as she stepped closer to him, voice low and tense, the kind that carried more danger than outright yelling.

"Mutt," she started, voice sharp enough to cut durasteel, "did you seriously just blow up the entire train?"

She took a step closer, gesturing behind her to the distant plume of smoke still rising into the air. "You do realize subtlety is a thing, right? What possessed you to think that was a remotely good idea? We dealt with the security, and we have the cargo, we could have simply left."

Her voice dropped into a growl as she jabbed a finger into his chest plate. "And don't even try to tell me it was necessary. I saw that stupid grin through your visor, you just wanted to show off."

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

The Shistavanen was rather taken by surprise by Korra's features. Somehow she managed to look more intimidating without a helmet than with it... especially with the harsh scowl she seemed to possess. She approached him and poked him on the chest, chastising him for his admittedly excessive decision to blow up the train.

Yuri didn't seem too phased by her justifiable reaction. He met her glare with a smug grin as he leaned in dangerously close to her face. "It's a message, sis." He muttered with a low growl in his throat. He backed off and lit a cigarette as he looked up at his Basilisk. "I don't care who has what to say, the kriffers think they can smuggle Iron under our noses and simply get away with it." He laid a hand on the nose of the droid and gave a few gentle taps before looking back at her. "I dunno 'bout you... but I ain't really a fan of people who think we'll just take that lyin' down." He glared back at her with a daring grin.

"I'll hunt those kriffers down to the source. If they got this much already, there's a good chance they got more somewhere else." He continued with a puff. "If you don't wanna come along, that's fine by me. All I'm sayin' is... this kinda behaviour is simply gonna spread if we don't do something. This is how the galaxy loses its fear of us. How skugs like these think they won't suffer consequences simply 'cause our people are scattered to the stars. Quick and quiet don't send much of a message." His voice was beginning to raise ever so slightly.

His mother was beginning to bleed through a little.

With a huff he leaned against his droid and rested a hand on his hip as he simply stared at her, waiting for her reaction.

Korra Kast

 

[Korra Kast]

Korra's scowl deepened as Yuri leaned in, his smugness practically radiating off him. Her sharp green eyes didn't waver, even as his low growl rumbled in her ears. She stood her ground, arms crossed, her stance unyielding.

"Message or not, Yuri," she said coldly, her voice steady but edged with steel, "you're not thinking. What happens when the wrong people get wind of this? The galaxy's not afraid of loud, reckless idiots... they're afraid of smart predators. Calculated. Precise."

She jabbed a finger into his chest again, this time harder. "And blowing up a kriffing train because you got pissed isn't precision."
Korra stepped back, shaking her head in frustration. "You wanna hunt them down? Fine. But now whoever is running this operation will know someone's onto them. You've made it ten times harder to track the source."

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

As much as he wanted to argue against her scolding, defend his actions and choices, he couldn't deny that there was a degree of truth. Regardless, he wasn't going to simply roll over and admit that he was wrong and she was right. That would simply be too easy, he didn't know who she was. And even if he did, he still wouldn't concede.

"Makin' sure there ain't any witnesses is precision." He argued back with a snarl. "Galaxy don't care about any of that crap. These kriffers think we lost our teeth." He finally poked her back before walking towards his Basilisk. "Even if they somehow think there's Mandos after them, they still don't see us as a threat. Not this deep in Alliance space. They see us as useful idiots or lapdogs to the Jedi." He turned to look back at her.

"And I don't know 'bout you, but I prefer when the galaxy knows not to kark with us. Also, we got a location already. We just go and knock on my employer's door." He finally climbed up to the cockpit and made himself comfortable before extending a hand out to her. Baby even knelt down for easier access. "So are you comin' or not?" He asked with a smile and a daring glimmer in his eyes.

Korra Kast

 

[Korra Kast]

Korra folded her arms, one booted foot tapping the ground as she narrowed her eyes at him. His bravado and snarl didn't intimidate her. Her eyes followed him as he moved toward the Basilisk, her lips pressing into a thin line. "And you're wrong if you think I give a damn about what the galaxy thinks of us. Fear doesn't equal respect, and I'd rather be underestimated than some blaster-happy fool they can predict. You wanna prove Mandos aren't to be messed with? Try showing some control. That's what makes people remember us, not whatever carnage you think counts as a calling card."

Despite her scolding, she didn't move to leave. Her gaze flicked to the extended hand and then back up to his face, the daring glimmer in his eyes met with a flicker of irritation...and maybe just a hint of amusement. She sighed, clearly annoyed with herself as she stepped forward and grabbed his hand, hauling herself up. "I'm in."

Yuri Maji

 

[Yuri Maji]

Sat inside the cockpit of his Basilisk, Yuri simply stared at Korra with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk along his maw. It was evident that their philosophies were as opposite as it could get when it came to matters such as these. as well as the methods to reach their goals. He was the product of a people that just emerged from decades of war and immediately getting ready for another. He was raised to make his presence known with roaring fury, not with smart and calculated decisions.

He'd wager that her upbringing was either completely opposite to his... or so strikingly similar that she tried her hardest to steer away from that way of thinking.

Regardless, she didn't walk away as he half expected her to, she instead took hold of his hand. He hoisted her up and leaned over for her to clamber over and into the passenger seat. "Just sayin'... I've never met someone who can't remember a big explosion." He quipped. He wasn't going to let her have the last say...

The cockpit sealed up and Baby rose into the air with a splitting howl from his ion engines. The first stop was his own employer, the people responsible for shipping the Beskar in the first place. A logical course of action, and depending on how quickly they could wrap it up, they could pursue her own employers as well.

Which meant a deeper trip into Underworld.

For the most part Yuri was quiet as he steered them down the levels, each one rougher than the last. The reputation of Underworld was infamous across the galaxy, and even through the filters and artificial atmosphere of his Basilisk, he swore that he could still smell the stench of it all. "Where are you from, by the way? You ain't Enclave." He commented idly with a brief glance over his shoulder.

Korra Kast

 

[Korra Kast]

Korra let him have the last word, as it wasn't worth an argument over. She took an empty seat in the cockpit of his ship, where she removed her helmet. The question of where she's from confused her, as the signet on her pauldrons should be a dead giveaway.

However, she answered anyway. "House Kast of Mandalore." There was a short pause before she spoke up again. "Where are you from?"

Yuri Maji