Private Failed Pursuit

[Mavo Cortuga]

Mavo listened intently to his story. She suspected that what he was telling her wasn't the full truth, but she didn't press. If anything, she was slightly concerned about whom he had escaped. They sounded like bad news—and she knew bad news. The biggest worry in her mind was whether or not they were still pursuing him. Obviously it had been plenty of time since he was five, but some people just don't forget. "Shit," Mavo said simply. She wasn't sure what else to say. Condolences sounded cheap, she always thought. Best she could do was sit in silence for a second while Saul pondered.

When he didn't return to the refresher, she retorted, "You think shampoo's a luxury? Get a job, man." She waved him away. She rolled her eyes when he attempted flexing before pinching his bicep. "Gun show? Those are slingshots!" Mavo whacked him over the head with a nearby wrench, shooing him off.

Afterwards, she returned to her research. She turned her focus from Sith droids to other alternatives. Obviously, the guy would avoid Sith like the plague. She looked through some shipyard footage. Finally, she found what she was looking for. A man with hooked legs walked onto a privately owned passenger freighter—not affiliated to the Sith, so he was unlikely to be ratted out. She looked through the logs: who was on the freighter, where it was going. Only one name didn't contain a first and last, only referred to as one word—Badger. The transport was headed to Mirial. Easy, Mavo thought.

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul was in the lounge fully clothed as she worked, nursing the bump to his head by putting a bag of ice on it. Her sense of humor needs improving... He sighed, that part about him getting a job had hurt a little. It's not like he didn't work for a living. Just not ways she probably thought of. He flexed his hands and got up. It was time to get to work.

He didn't know how much time he would have before the Mando was done with whatever she was doing so he decided to work on the most important part of the ship, dragging what parts the Mando had squirreled away for any repairs or improvements towards the engine bay. She probably wouldn't mind if he did a good job. If he did a bad one... well, he wouldn't be surprised if she had body bags laying around somewhere in the clutter. Still, no vessel he was on ever suffered while he was around. He always made sure of that. Slowly, he went to work, pulling out a cord and his data pad, he plugged into one of the ship's terminal's. It was time to get the know this gal personally.

He quickly typed into the pad, doing a basic diagnostic of the ship system's out of practice from his work on other ships and running his own personal programs throughout the ship, running off any viruses or malware that may have been stuck in the ship's systems over the years, taking special care not to invade Mavo's private programs and files. He certainly would end up in a body bag if he did that. Still, it was nice to get to another lady and while she was old and little rundown, maybe she would prove she had more to show in the end. Absentmindly, he spoke to the ship's computer as they were a real person as he finished up his Dianostic. "Maybe you can prove to her I'm not just a victim or some refugee she has to take babysit. I'll take care of you with all of my heart if she keeps me around." Maybe it was just his imagination, but he heard the power plant hum in agreement, making him smile. Now it was time to get this gal tailored up right.

Doing everything short of pulling the whole engine out and giving it an overhaul, he went through the thorough inspection list, making sure every part was in order and if any item seemed out of date, he replaced it with what parts they had on hand. If they didn't have a specific one, he looked through Mavo's mess and retrofitted what he could, listing the specific part for later replacement. He mainly focused on making sure the liquid fuel mixture was right, trying to make this gals' engine spark just a little bit brighter by improving the mixture and the sublight engine's performance. Next, he tested every exposed wire, patching together the ship's electrical system that Mavo had been too busy to get too and finding or buying off the shipyard workers new panels replace the ones that had blown off and lost. Mavo would most likely find him cleaning up after repairing this lovely gal up to his specs, what remained of her parts stacked in neat piles marked off by tape, designating the type of parts and their use. He had done his best to make sure this lovely lady had her dress tailored right for the great ballroom of space. All he hoped was that Mavo was too self-absorbed in her work to notice all the noise he had been making and that seeing her ship in its true glory would be a needed surprise after the day's events.

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

Mavo eventually entered the lounge area with her data pad held up.
"Hey, I figured it out. He's on Mir—" she saw him surrounded by her ship's parts. In a flash, she drew her blaster and pointed it at his head, implants locking her sights on his skull and shocking her arm into perfect aim. At first glance, it looked to her like he was stripping the Fluke for parts. That was reason enough to put him in the ground. Why had she let a stranger out of her sights on her ship? Why did she let a stranger onto her ship in the first place? "Get up!" she snapped. Mavo took a look at what he was doing. Wires reconnected, unused parts sectioned off with tape. He was trying to repair things. Her implants hummed with electricity, as if urging her to take the shot. She clamped her eyes shut and forced her finger away from the trigger. "You don't need to do that," she said while putting the gun back in its holster.

"The guy's on Mirial. It'll take a couple days, so I set up a cot in the brig." Mavo rubbed the back of her neck, slightly ashamed at her outburst. Setting him up in her holding cell didn't seem very polite either, she realized. "Not locked, obviously. It's just the cleanest room." That much was true; she kept it spotless so anyone there couldn't get their hands on so much as a loose screw. She didn't want him in her cargo hold, where there were undelivered items like spice or carbon-frozen prisoners.

Even though Mavo was embarrassed, she'd realized at this point that she needed to keep a better eye on him. He seemed alright, but that shouldn't have been enough to gain her trust. Mavo'd gotten her shit rocked plenty of times by people who seemed 'alright.' It was time she actually learned from her mistakes. She sat down nearby and leaned back, exhaling with a furrowed brow. A migraine formed on either temple, perhaps her implants protesting the fact that she hadn't shot him dead.

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul looked up at Mavo's voice, raising his hand up to wave hello as he finished up replacing the last missing panel, he started to say "Thats..." only to be met with a blaster in his face. His eyes opened wide in shock and then seemed to dim, as his face twisted in hurt as she screamed at him. He did get up to his feet without a word however, stopping his whole-body from wanting to run over and at least attempt to kick the blaster out of her hand. What bothered him the most that she had no explanation or excuse to her actions or even a "I'm sorry". The android had a hard time finding his voice even after she put her gun away, his whole-body primed like a cornered animal with nothing else to do but fight. Finally, his mouth started coughing up words, saying them in a low growl. "Just... was trying to show you some of my talents as a nice surprise... But you're right, I guess I shouldn't have bothered..."

When Mavo said where he would be staying during the trip, Saul went up front to grab his duffel bag of gear without another word. He had half a mind just to leave to the ship and take his chances with the Sith Authorities. At least he would know who was gunning for him then. The only thing that stopped him was he would be proving her point, that you couldn't trust anyone in her line of work. Saul wanted to prove her wrong, if only to spite her. Hauling his gear with him, he would let her guide him to where he was staying, his playful personality from earlier nowhere to be seen. When they got to his cell, he only handed her the datapad that contained the complete log of the repairs he had made so she could check his work before closing the "cell doors" behind him. He wasn't in the mood to talk after almost getting his head shot off.

The first thing Saul did was look around, seeing if she had set up any cameras inside the space. Is she did have any out in the open, he dove into his bag, pulling out some spare dew rags and tape, wrapping them around the cameras so she couldn't see inside. Not like she would after her reaction to him coming out of the shower, but he didn't want to feel like he was in that dreaded lab he had been "birthed from". Next, he used some of the rings hanging off the wall as points to hang his canopy from. Mavo must use these rings to shackle prisoners too... Thankfully today, he wasn't one of them.

Quietly he got ready for bed, avoiding Mavo when possible as he went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He didn't have the strength for small talk right now, looking totally exhausted. As he climbed into his canopy though, he knew he would not sleep well.

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

Mavo didn’t go to bed for a while. From afar, she watched Saul with a narrow gaze. She didn’t understand why he was so offended. If he walked in on her going through his duffel bag, he’d probably be upset, too. She thought about the way he stared at her, like she was some sort of monster. Didn’t matter to her; as soon as they got to Mirial he could stay or go as he pleased. Wasn’t any skin off her back. She listened to the steady electrical hum that echoed throughout her otherwise silent ship. He and everyone else had withdrawn from her. Or she was the one who’d withdrawn. Whatever the case, she was on her own. The thought made her head throb and she covered her eyes, trying to block out the light.

Staying static would just make things worse, she figured. She stood up and walked to the cockpit, flopping down in her seat and punching in the coordinates to Mirial. She clicked through some false transponder codes, disguising the Fluke as a Sith vessel. Shortly after, she took off and they started to soar into the atmosphere. The comms on her dashboard beeped urgently, and she picked up. “Good evening,” she said smoothly. “This is Freighter 749 requesting takeoff.”
”I’m sorry, but this sector is currently on—“
”Listen, I got a package for a Sith Lord back here. It‘s anonymous and urgent. I’m gonna have to override your permissions with code 1A8, paragraph seven.” Mavo spoke quickly and with expertly feigned authority. While they spoke, she booted up the hyperdrive.
”Ma’am, I don’t think—“
”Do you not have this memorized?”
”U-um—”
”What’s your name, officer?”
“Comms Officer Porgon.”
”Officer Porgon, I’m going to ask you once to stand aside while I leave Terminus. Otherwise, I’m going to have to report you to Darth Tetris.” She didn’t know a Darth Tetris, but any name with “Darth” in front of it usually scared Sith officers enough to give her what she wanted. There was a strained silence from the other line as Porgon pondered.
”Freighter 749, you are clear for takeoff.”

Not long after he gave the OK, the Fluke shot off into space. Mavo exhaled deeply and rested her head on the cold metal dashboard. A couple hours after Saul did, she brushed her teeth and shortly after went off to bed.

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul opened his eyes, right into another blaster muzzle with a very angry Guard behind it. "Get up Boy! I won't ask you twice!" No, no he couldn't be back here, it was impossible. And yet here he was, in the padded cell that used to be in prison. "No... No, I wouldn't be experimented on... not again...!" He reached forward, trying to grab the guard's blaster. Even with his fast reflexes though, he couldn't beat the guard's finger as it pulled the gun's trigger and a blue light made him fall to the floor, seizing. Saul kept conscious long to hear the guard say as he dragged the android from his cell. "If only you weren't so useless you make actually be able to try and escape but you never will... You are too weak... Face it, we will break you and make you serve, tied to us till the day you finally die..."

The android let out a scream as his eyes shot open wide, his body flailing around in his cloth cocoon. He frantically looked around the room till he remembered where he was, breathing heavily as he thought to himself. "I'm... safe... I'm still safe..." He pulled his legs in, rocking back and forth till he finally calmed down. His hands wiping his face, making him think about how today had went and letting out a long sigh. Yeah... he had fucked up big time... Now it was time to face the music. Wait... He unzipped his tent and hopped out, searching through his bag. Yes... this would do... Well, if nothing else, he would have a good present to ask forgiveness with.

When Mavo woke up, she would find a large plastic cup of mechanical flowers outside, their petals extended and then pulled back in again, colorful lights built in the center of the flowers that were shinning against the ceiling. A piece of tape was slapped on the front of the cup with one-word written on it. "Sorry" She would also smell something pretty good coming from the kitchen. It would be up to her to find out what it is.

When she did come in, she would see Saul with an apron on, gently sliding something onto a plate. He would turn to see her walk in and offered a tired smile. The bags around his eyes signaled that he clearly had not slept well at all over the last night. "Morning... Don't worry, I haven't poisoned these..." He handed her what looked like an Omelette, filled with cheese, veggies and herbs. "Eat up!" He sat down at one of the tables, rubbing his eyes as he let her eat her food, only saying quietly after she had nearly finished. "I'm sorry for last night... I shouldn't have tried to repair to the ship without asking first... But I've been on and helped enough of these old gals to know they are massive time and credit pits. With the way this 720 was starting to come apart, I knew you were struggling to keep up with her... I don't know... I guess I heard it call out to me for help and so I did... I also thought it would make up for the... incident..." He coughed, trying not laugh in the middle of his apology as he remembered her face trying everything it could not to look at his naked chest. "Anyways... How are we going to move past this? Because I think we both can agreed we don't want you drawing on me again. If you want, we can go through the repairs I did bit by bit. Then I'll change them back if you want me too." He looked into her eyes as he finally said. "You don't need you to trust me but if we are going to work together, you are going to have to give me the benefit of the doubt that I'm trying to help you. If you don't, you might as well drop me off right now. If we are going to collect this bounty, we are both going to have to believe we aren't going to screw each over."

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

While he spoke, Mavo kept a neutral yet guarded expression. Finally, she held up a hand to silence him. “I went through the repairs on that data pad you gave me. You did good. We’re past it.” She looked down at her food. Uncertainty tugged at the back of her mind. She didn’t really know what else to say on that subject, so she continued with what she did know. “The guy‘s name is Badger. I know the sector the passenger freighter landed in, but that’s about it. I’d be willing to guess the bounty is around there. The bounty’s a higher-up, someone who wanted to stay anonymous. My employer’s the same way.” She took a bite before continuing. ”I’ll figure out where he is by the time we get there.”

Mavo leaned back in her seat. She felt like she might’ve skimmed by the conversation a bit too quickly, but she really did want to move past it. Perhaps part of her was afraid it’d turn into an argument. That’s just how things tended to go. And if they needed to spend the next two days in the same ship, then Mavo needed to steer clear of any more conflict. Most of all, she needed to keep her wits about her. Not just to be cautious, but because she was dangerously close to pulling the trigger last night. If she hadn’t taken a moment to think about what was happening, just let her programming do the work, then… Mavo turned the knobs on her implants, her brow furrowing as she tried to force the stink of burning flesh out of her mind. Though, the thought wasn’t enough to kill her appetite. She kept eating.

”You can fight, right? I assume you can, what with the arrows and all,” she said with her mouth full.

Saul Whesai

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul only gave a small smile and a nod of appreciation, not saying another word about the "incident". It would be better for them to just forget about that specific moment from yesterday though it would have to be addressed down the line if they planned on working together beyond this mission. Whatever the devil's bargain she had with those knobs; it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on if last night was the result.

His grin widened as he watched her utterly destroy his omelet. At least she really did like his food, and he was glad he had someone to appreciate it. "Should I tell the Excavator Droids that they are out of a job? Because you certainly are shoveling that omelet in. In fact, having a career change to an eating contestant would probably be great for you." It was only when he saw her fiddle with her knobs that he got up, coming back with a glass of Jawa Juice to help her wash the omelet down.

He only started thinking and talking about the mission when she asked what his abilities were. "Well, I'm certainly not the walking arsenal you are in your armor, but I can handle myself as long as I don't have to face a Walker or a Jedi. I mostly work by stealth though; unfair fights make it easier on me." He considered any potential problems they would have, considering both of their armaments. He finally decided the only real problems they would have if they were isolated from each other and overwhelmed by sheer firepower alone. Even then, it would take a lot of thugs to bring them both down. A smirk came to his face though as he figured out what she really wanted. "Is this you asking for permission to beat me to a pulp?"

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

"I don't remember the last time I had a hot meal," Mavo said before she downed the Jawa juice. Come to think of it, all she usually had in her cupboards were bags of freeze-dried snacks, spice, and alcohol. Anyone who knew Mavo knew her cooking was more deadly than her blaster. "Where did all this fresh stuff even come from? Who got all this?" She looked at her empty plate with a raised eyebrow, trying to remember the last time she got fresh produce. The culprit could've been her last visitor, who... Her eyes widened with recognition and she coughed into her cup. "Never mind."

"I'm asking because we might get into a fight with the target. Ideally, we'll just be able to follow him to the real bounty, but we need to be ready for everything. He's tough, but between the both of us we should be able to take him down," she said. "Depending, of course, on your skill level."

For the remaining time of their trip (assuming not much else happened), Mavo spent the entirety of her time working. She reopened the panels that had previously been closed up, rewiring and welding the machinery without breaks for hours at a time. Surrounding her was multiple screens with security cam footage on Mirial. The only semblance of a hiatus she took was when a call came in on her comms and she spent ten minutes listening to someone scolding her in Huttese. If Saul didn't interrupt her, that would be all she'd do for two days straight.

Saul Whesai

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul wasn't surprised that Mavo didn't cook. He had only picked it up because he often didn't want to deal with what his crewmates thought of as "meals". She probably didn't have the time to dedicate to learning how to. Only shrugging at her wanting to know where he had got the fresh food, he only told her the fridge had been full when he had looked and that he carried the apron around so he could cook when he got the chance. The Android raised an eyebrow at the cough but didn't comment on it, letting her keep what was in her head for everyone's benefit.

As he got his own food and sat down, he nodded at why she wanted to know his combat experience. "We are probably going to have to deal with more than just them. Let's just hope we don't have to deal with them all at once." For their sake's, he hoped that it was only the two targets but if hoping for something actually helped, he would be a Billionaire by now. Who knew if the target belonged to a larger criminal group that would put up more of a fight, then they both could handle.

Saul mostly helped along with the ship's repairs and while he did offer activities like sabacc or sparing to help release some of her stress, he never forced them on her. He also managed to bake some treats for them both with Mavo finding a sweetroll outside her door after her scolding by who he assumed to be who posted the bounty or was her bounty broker. Beyond that, he took what time he could to improve his gear, using what scrap materials that were left over from the repairs in making new weapons for himself to use till the pink and green marble of Mirial came into view

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

The Fluke flew through the Mirialan atmosphere with some slight turbulence due to the environment's cold winds. Initially coming in over a freezing desert, the ship made its way to a nearby city on the edge of a sector–a college town. From above, the city infrastructure looked relatively uncomplicated. At least, it was compared to Nar Shaddaa. Still, for someone like Badger, it was easy to lose someone in. It looked quiet, not the typical place for trouble to lie. In many ways, Mavo was not at home in this place. Though not on terrible terms, Mandalorians and Mirialans tended to have relatively different opinions on violence. Mirialans were very peaceful, and they liked to keep their peace. “We need to be careful not to stir things up. We’re sticking out as is,” she told Saul as she settled the Fluke into a shipyard.

Mavo wasted no time as soon as she landed. She put on her armor and checked all of her gear, making sure everything was functioning properly. In the background, she flipped rapidly through more security cam footage. Her cybernetics worked overtime as she scanned through crowds of people. The trouble was that the guy wore a green mask, which did not stand out against hundreds of faces of the same color. Finally, she found him walking near a classroom alongside another human with brown hair. The two walked into a nearby building. “Saul, we gotta go. Right now.” Mavo uploaded the coordinates to her gauntlet and hurried out of the ship, tossing a bagful of credits to the nearest worker.

Mavo immediately took off into an alleyway, beginning to weave through buildings on the fastest route to their target. Ideally she would take off with her jetpack and take a look from above, but that would be too noticeable in a quiet college town such as this one. Plus, she didn’t want to leave her companion behind without direction. She made sure to stay as inconspicuous as possible, avoiding crowds of people where she could. When they had to face civilians, they were usually met with strange looks. A Mando in this town was an unusual sight, and not a particularly welcome one. Given this, Mavo knew to keep her distance and stay nondisruptive. They continued running for a few minutes before Mavo held up her arm to stop Saul. She inched towards the edge of a building, peeking her head out to look. “They should be in that building just across the street. When we get there, there should be a fight, so be ready.”

Saul Whesai

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul nodded as he did his final checks. It was clear that Saul's weapons and equipment were much more concealable than her armor was. Hiding his weapons under a ragged clock after one last check, he decided not to wear the mask in order to fit in more, clipping it to his belt. While he didn't totally fit in among the city's college student's population, he fit in a hundred times more than the armored Mandalorian Warrior. As they jogged out of the ship, he trailed behind her far enough that none of the people around them would think they are together but close enough to keep Mavo in view, not like that was hard. As they traveled, he took one long look at Mavo, trying to figure out what she would wear if she actually was a college student here.

The Android didn't respond as he jogged alongside, his powerful legs more than enough to keep up with her. Taking long strides, he didn't look like he was breaking a sweat, only digging his heels into the duracrete as she asked him to stop. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out an ear commlink and clipped it to his ear. He tapped her shoulder, asking her nonverbally to sync up with him. The local authorities probably going to be aware of them soon just with Mavo's appreance so they needed to get through this fast.

While the Mandalorian comically peeked around the corner, the Android quietly walked over to a folded-up ladder attached to the building they were hiding behind, its end pulled up from the ground. It might be far enough away to deter any "normal" person, but he wasn't normal. After bending down and testing his legs, he bounced up, grabbing hold of the ladder's last rung and managing to hoist himself up, extending the ladder down for her. Climbing up to the building's roof, it gave them a vantage point into the building across the way. As she slowly made her way up to roof, he had formulated a plan that wouldn't need to use her jetpack. She would see the gears moving in his head as some plans ran through his head that would be risky but would be only way to get inside the building across from them relatively undetected, leading him to ask. "Do you want a distraction or do want me to come in with you?"

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

When Saul put the commlink in his ear and tapped her shoulder, Mavo understood wordlessly and synced up with it. She followed behind and climbed up the ladder, now thankful that she hadn’t left him on Terminus. Not that she would’ve, but she was glad to know that he would be of help. His prosthetics seemed to give him improvements with his speed and jumping height. At this point she didn’t doubt that he would be helpful in a fight. When she reached the top, Mavo leaned down and looked over the edge. She turned on her rangefinder. There only seemed to be only two heat signatures in the building. She scanned the crowd for any non-Mirialans or anyone who seemed to be watching them, but to no avail. That wasn’t a guarantee of safety, though. Considering the lengths she had to take to get here, she doubted her bounty would be so obvious.

In response to Saul’s question, Mavo pondered for a minute on the best play. She didn’t want to disrupt anything, but if she was to cross the street some attention would be inevitable. “Yeah,” she said. “But listen: don’t seem dangerous. If someone on their side even gets a whiff that something’s a threat, they’re gonna bolt and make this ten times harder.” She clasped a hand on his shoulder. “Good luck. Be loud. Don’t get hurt.”

As soon as the distraction started, Mavo would wait for the chaos to reach its peak before she activated her jetpack. From so far above the jetpack didn’t make much sound to the civilians, but she didn’t want to risk anything. She landed on the opposite roof and watched the rest of the ordeal from above with a playful grin before making her way inside of the building. “I’m in. Come around when you’re able to,” she said through the comms. The building was almost completely dead, but when she checked the rangefinder, there was still only two heat signatures. As she approached them, she could hear speaking. They spoke in a completely indiscernible language. Mavo could usually pick up on what certain dialects were—not that she knew many languages, but they usually had a pattern she could make out. Whatever they were speaking, it was completely foreign.

Saul Whesai

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul nodded, taking in her comments as he thought with her about how best to get this. It was true that if they spooked the target, likely to be gone forever. Masterminds didn't come up for air often if ever and this might be the only time for them to catch whoever this bounty was. As she put her hand on his shoulder, he gave her hand a squeeze as a way of wishing her luck. At the mention of "Be Loud", he grinned manically, like he was about to do something crazy. "Good luck to you too. I'll see you in there." He was as rusty on his Mando as she was on everyone other language, but he gave it his best try, leaving her with. "Be safe Bur... Burc'ya..." That was friend, right? Or at least he hoped that word meant. An old Mandalorian translating book that had been throw in the garbage only got you so far. As Mavo fly away, he prepped his bow and arrows for what would be an amazing show.
As Mavo went inside the building on the other side of the street, The Android had put on his mask and was carefully aiming with his bow, sending an arrow with a rope attached across the building, making it get stuck in the building's exterior wall. He sent more arrows across, combining them all into one strand and tying it around one of the roof's cooling units. Once he had tested the line and felt it was safe, he climbed on venturing across the line. It only took a little time for the mix of species down below to notice someone seemingly walking on air above them, making everyone stop in their tracks to gape at the young man being crazier than anyone else alive on this world.

Bridging the gap, he hoped his change of clothes and the new coloring of his mask
would be enough to leave the man with the springboards for legs clueless to who he really was, or at least long enough for Mavo to get position. Now it was time to put on the show he had dreamed up on the fly, facing his audience and shouted for the crowd below "Hello Mirialians! Welcome one, welcome all to the high wire act of the Rainbow Warrior! Witness as I do the unthinkable!" And with that, he took a step back, dropping of the high wire as music from a speaker on his belt blared circus music for the whole street to hear. He reached out, grabbing the line at the last minute and spinning himself around so he went flying above the wire, managing to land right on his feet again to the crowd's great applause. He was sitting down on the line, waving to the crowd as they clapped and cheered when Mavo radioed in that she was in position. He glanced over to where the two figures they were hunting for were looking at him with their mouths open, too stunned to move away from the building's window below him. It was what he had been hoping for. Taking a crude dagger out of his belt, he quietly whispered over the comm as he made calculations in his head, "Get ready to go weapons hot in 3... 2... 1... NOW!" Bringing the dagger down through the rope in one particular spot, he gripped the end tight as he swung down, only letting go in order crash through the window and have his metal feet thrust straight in too both men's guts. Such a maneuver had its own risks and if he hadn't been working with ropes for as long as he had, there would be a body falling from the sky after it impacted the building. Thankfully, that was a risk he with his experience could more than afford to take.

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

"Ha!" she exclaimed when he spoke in Mando'a. "I'll see you soon, burc'ya."

As Saul did his tricks, he could indeed see the two men leaning out of a window. One was Badger, the other was the human man from before. The man smiled and said something to Badger, who nodded his head like he was laughing. When Saul launched himself through the window, the two only stepped to the side and allowed him to roll on the floor and crash into the opposite wall. Outside, there were some exclamations and applause, like the crowd thought his stunt was a part of the routine. "Very nice!" said the man, clapping politely. His voice was low and with an indecipherable accent. Young, not much older than Mavo. His defining feature was a line tattooed down the middle of his face, with half spectacles sitting on the edge of his nose. "Hey, I've got a trick, too." He tossed a spherical object to the ground beside Saul—an ion grenade. As soon as it hit the ground, the grenade burst and sent shockwaves in a ten foot radius, short circuiting any electronic devices. That included Saul's cybernetic arms, legs, and eyes, as well as the commlink in his ear.

Mavo inched through the halls, keeping her eyes on the rangefinder. ‘Weapons hot in 3… 2… 1…’ she heard over the comms. "What the kriff? Saul, this wasn't p—" ‘NOW!’ Suddenly, another heat signature shot into the building and slammed into the room. Eyes widening, she started sprinting, drawing her slug-thrower rifle. No way did he just do what she thought he did. As she rounded the corner, the finger on her trigger loosened. Badger stood above Saul with his rifle's barrel trained on the back of her friend's skull. A human man with spectacles and a facial tattoo held his arms up and spoke calmly. "His death would be of no consequence to us. I suggest you lower your weapon."
"I ought to let you," growled Mavo. She lifted the slugthrower strap over her head and let the rifle fall onto the floor. "You have some wealthy enemies. And now that I've seen your face, it won't be hard to track you from now on."
"I understand that," he answered smoothly. "Though, I should tell you that there is no bounty on my head."
"Yes, there is."
"No, there isn't." He nodded to Badger and he stepped forward, turning on a holoprojector. An Ithorian man in fancy garments lays in a pool of blood, limbs broken and bent in strange directions. "Any old circuit disruption can do wonders to a flying podium. Splatted like a tomato."

Saul Whesai

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul's plan and Mavo's weren't exactly different. He had just come in from a different angle, hoping to take all the attention while Mavo burst in from behind, catching them both completely by surprise. Saul had thought though her call meant she was ready to breach when she was the only one who that was surprised by his move.

Saul had a lot of questions as he slid to a stop, his legs and arms sparking and even his eyes shutting down, leaving him blind. Like how they knew EMP's were effective against them and how did they know what his plan was. These people were either force users or something else entirely. If he had access to his eyes, he would even say he and Mavo looked like brother and sister with their same eyes and hair. Despite his blindless though, he could hear the legless man from before aiming his weapon at the back of his head. He also heard Mavo burst into the room and listened to the conversation, figuring out where everyone was by their voices. She could see his face drop as he heard her pretty much disavow him to their targets, but he didn't comment on it. In fact, he stayed silent while they talked, letting her figure out the details. Him saying or doing anything at this point would just get him into even more trouble.

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

Mavo stared at the gruesome image of her deceased employer. Her face paled. How he even knew who he was in the first place baffled her. The man also seemed to have no regret whatsoever. He looked at it as well, expression unchanging. He turned it off.
"This isn't over. I'm still down by a pretty sizable payday.”
"You're still free to pursue me, but I assure you do not know the extent of my protection."
The man nodded to Badger, who promptly lifted his rifle away from Saul. Mavo ran over and knelt down beside him, putting herself between him and the others whilst checking for injury. Her implants hummed and her hand twitched for the gun at her hip, but she resisted. She might be able to take one or even both of them out, but she didn't know how many others lurked in the shadows, waiting for the chance to strike. "Are you okay?"

"I did want to talk to you, though, about another employment opportunity. For the both of you."
"Under you?"
"Correct."
"Hard pass."
"It doesn't seem like 'payday' is all that important to you, then."
Mavo ignored him and started working on rebooting Saul's cybernetics. The disruption didn't seem to cause very much damage, thanks to the quality of the make. He might need some repairs back on the Fluke, but for now she could get him up and walking. She was still mad about the whole ordeal, but she also knew that she should have specified the plan further.
"It's a shame, too. Badger had a good feeling about the two of you. So did I."
"A good feeling? You don't even know me."
"Mavo Cortuga-Eldar. I most likely know you better than he does," he said, nodding to Saul. "I know you have a knack for getting involved with the disreputable kind." At that, Mavo turned away from him with a grimace and focused more on the work at hand. "You're unpopular, but you're savvy. That's what I'm looking for."
"How kind," she grumbled. Still, her stomach turned at the amount he knew. Not to mention what sort of connections he had, what else he could be aware of. It was all too complicated for her. Someone like him was bound to get her into a mess, and she had to deal with enough messes as it was.
"And everyone needs job security. Something you've never had. I can provide that."
Eventually, Saul's eyes came back online and were able to focus on the two figures. The man narrowed his eyes at Saul—calculating, but not cold.
"I don't know you very well," he said. "But I have the feeling that you'd be sympathetic to my cause. A valuable ally."

Saul Whesai

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul didn't see the image of her deceased employer, but he heard the sucking of air
through her helmet that what their target was showing wasn't anything good. When he heard Mavo still wanting to go after their new acquaintance though, he looked at her like she was insane. They probably had informants everywhere in this city that had notified him as soon as they landed. These people were on another level, like a criminal cartel near the scale of the Hutts. Despite the situation though, he managed put a sickly smile towards where she was as she kneeled in front of him. "I've been... better... I didn't know you cared so much though. It's really precious."

If Saul could roll his eyes, he would have when he heard the words "another employment opportunity", he would have. This is why he didn't bounty hunt or at least didn't do it regularly. There were always more strings attached to these targets then it was worth to deal with. It was also clear that Mavo was over this even more than he was. As he started to passively aggressively press Mavo about her seedy connections, The Android has decided he had had enough. "Look if you are trying to scare me away from her by telling me she's a seedy person, that's not going to be enough. People do terrible things to get by and it's not for me to judge her on what her job entails. Its why I haven't asked. Besides I have more reason to trust her than I do you right now since I at least know her name." He wasn't exactly innocent either, taking merc mission's contracts to help get him by. His systems had been slowly rebooting during this time with Mavo's help. As his eyes flickered on, he gently pushed Mavo away so he could stand up, looking at their verbal enemy in the eye. Sizing him up, he wondered why they looked so much like Mavo. A long-lost brother perhaps? It was clear Mavo would need to answer a lot of questions when they got out of here.

Saul's chuckle then filled the room as he heard the "You're unpopular, but your savvy." part of his speech. He wasn't' exactly wrong though. "Instead of unpopular, I think the word you're looking for is surly" That was the better word for how she acted day to day or atleast what his experience was so far. Sorry Mavo but it's the truth.

Eventually, Saul's eyes came back online and were able to focus on the two figures. The man narrowed his eyes at Saul—calculating, but not cold.
"I don't know you very well," he said. "But I have the feeling that you'd be sympathetic to my cause. A valuable ally."

"You talk a lot without actually saying anything. Just tell me what job you got for us." He looked apologetically at Mavo, knowing she didn't want to entertain whatever this man had to offer out of hand. Truthfully, he didn't either, but he knew that they would have trouble making it back to the ship if this man wasn't happy, let alone get out of this building. It was better to keep him happy and hear him out then try to battle their way out of here.

Mavo Cortuga

 

[Mavo Cortuga]

"If you were wiser, you'd judge her slightly more than you're doing now. Same for her to you, but I suspect she's ahead of me there." His presence seemed almost oppressively interrogative. Even without his eyes, Saul could feel his gaze boring into him. Not to mention his companion, who although he didn't speak for a very long time, had a palpable presence. It wasn't in anything one could see or touch, but an emanation just from their being in the room. "It's not just about what she's done, but what she could do. What she would take advantage of, if the reward outweighed the cost." Mavo glared at the man, but she couldn't disagree. She had no intentions of betraying Saul, but everyone acts a little different than they'd think when they're faced with a better option. "I mean not to drive a wedge between the two of you; I only provide a word of caution. You can follow her as long as you'd like, but that will not mean that she will do the same."

"Would you tell us your name already?" questioned Mavo icily. "I'll figure it out anyway, now that I've seen you."
"My name is Iothen Dolvesya. I'm sure you know my friend Badger." Badger didn't even nod. He seemed almost deathly still--one could mistake him for such, if not for his slightly audible breathing apparatus. "Badger, say hello. Don't be rude."
Badger just said something in the same indecipherable foreign language. It almost sounded like a complaint, like he didn't want to bother conversing with the two of them. Saul and Mavo's callous talk against Iothen seemed to rub him the wrong way, like he was offended on his friend's behalf. Iothen, though, seemed to pay no mind.

"You talk a lot without actually saying anything. Just tell me what job you got for us."

"It's called discretion," said Iothen sternly. "If I went around telling everyone what I aim to do, I wouldn't be very successful, would I?" He raised an eyebrow. "Now, I'm not too worried at the amount you know at this instant. There's not a lot of people you'd tell, at least, people with any standing. Also, although you have a knife at my throat just having seen my face, I have a knife at yours with my friends at hand waiting to disintegrate you no matter where you go." He waved his hand, rolling his eyes at his own ramblings. "The point is, if I told you what my intentions were, you'd be upgraded from a knife to a gun. Tell it to the proper authorities, and although I'll kill you, I'll be in trouble. I don't like being in trouble."
Badger said something else, most likely to the tune of 'get to the point.'
"I'm offering a longer-term contract of employment, kicked off by a higher-grade mission. Handsome payment, I assure you. All for a cause I think a Mandalorian such as yourself wouldn't be opposed to. Even if you think you don't have morals, the last daughter of Eldar might."
Mavo's blood turned to ice. She didn't use her second surname often, and not many knew much about the House Eldar. Most of the doctrine had been lost to time. He used it like a knife.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"I'd know more than you'd think. Both of us would," he responded, referring to both himself and Badger. "To waste the last of such a well-respected clan on bounties and petty theft would be harrowing." The most shocking thing was that he said so with complete earnestness. "I couldn't stand to see it."

 

[Saul Whesai]

Man, this guy is a piece of work... Saul didn't get intimated easily, but this man was putting him on edge. Lothen had an energy around him that made his hair stand on end and he knew Mavo probably was feeling the same way. As Lothen went on about the dangers of trusting her, Saul just looked at her, analyzing what her body motions to see if this was the truth or not. To be honest, he didn't mind if she did betray him. He just hoped that is she did, that she cleanly killed the Android and didn't let him suffer.


Saul sighed, starting to have a headache of massive proportions. He would have rather just make a deal with Badger at this point rather than suffer as he was treated like a child. Not reacting to her house name but filing it away for later, the Android wish he could reach over and grip her hand, telling her everything was going to be alright. But he even that would only make things worse for both of them. He could only turn to her with his usual smirk and say. "It's your ship, your choice. If you do say yes, I'll go with you."

Mavo Cortuga