Private Model Citizen

[Sam Sheridan]

Coruscant/Upper levels​

11:53 local time​

While Matt had taken off again, Sam was still on Coruscant. she wanted to get off the planet as well, but there was something keeping her there in the back of her mind. Their little trip together and the subsequent incident had opened her eyes properly. She wanted an apartment like that and a peaceful life, preferably with him. But she would never be able to have that with the amount of skeletons in her closet.

So she came to the conclusion that yanking those skeletons out one by one and shooting them was the only way of getting rid of them for good.

She had her plans and she had her list of names. The only problem was her accomplices. She wanted to ask Matt to help her out, but she couldn't do it. Dragging him in this mess was something she tried to avoid as much as possible. So that left her with a very tiny list of people she could trust on a mission like this...who were also capable. In fact there were only two names on that list at this point. And one of which she was hesitant to contact. The other, though, seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Staring at herself in the mirror of her ship's refresher, she checked for any new markings or issues. She was pleasantly surprised that she started to look a little better overall after smoking only once every week at most. She couldn't help but give herself a smile before her usual hard and neutral expression returned. Finishing up, she decided to make herself some coffee while she waited for Cas to reach her. She sat in the cockpit, watching the rain clatter against her viewport. "Been raining for two days straight now. I swear if it doesn't stop, I'm gonna blow my brains out." she said to her droid who giggled in response. "You keep laughing and I'll install a thermostat on you." she threatened but that only made the droid laugh louder. She shook her head with a snicker and relaxed in her seat, kicking up her feet on the dashboard while sipping at her coffee.

She had to admit that it was pleasant to watch though. Especially on this planet. She just hoped Cas would find her ship without much trouble...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas was surprised to actually hear from Sam again, yeah, she said "don't be a stranger" but he honestly thought that was in the moment. But... now, her requesting his help truly confirmed they were friends now. Funny enough, he was more than happy to help out and was pleased she contacted him - more so due to the fact that he was currently heartbroken and needed some sort of distraction. Sakadi and Adrian were busy, Yen was backed up with studies - he was lucky she called.

Shortly after docking his fighter in one of the hangars, he began traversing the streets of the rainy Upper Levels - luckily for him, he'd brought his dark brown cloak with him on the trip to Coruscant which would keep him at least warm enough and dry enough to get to Sam's ship... assuming he was going the right way and following the coordinates correctly. He really needed this distraction. On his way to Sam's location, all he could think about was what had transpired a few days ago as he replayed the events in his head over and over again.

After arriving in two wrong hangar bays, the Jedi Knight hoped that this third one was the correct hangar that Sam's ship was docked in - if not, he may just turn to the Dark side. Luckily, he could sense her presence nearby and then saw her through the window of her cockpit. Standing a few metres outside her window, he'd wave at her before heading toward her loading ramp. As the ship's loading ramp lowered, Cas took a deep breath and prepared himself before putting on a fake smile.

Whether she met him at the loading ramp, or he met her in the cockpit Cas would greet her with a quip "Bit early for a booty call ain't it?" before lowering his hood and extending his arm out to her in a fist "How've you been?" he asked seriously.

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

Sam spotted him in the rain and waved back at him with a smirk. She got up and left her mug on the mess room's counter before sliding down the ladder to get to the cargo hold. She opened up the blast door and extended the loading ramp, a light smile on her face. "If you think this is early, you'd be a horrible booty call." she fired back with a laugh in her voice as she bumped her fist with his. Though her smile faded as she looked him in the eye. "...Probably as bad as you, if that grin of yours is any indication." she answered. She looked him up and down then nodded to the inside of her ship. "Come in, before you freeze out here." she spoke as she walked back into her ship.

She led the way to the mess room and leaned against the counter, taking a sip of her caf again. "Okay, what's going on. That smile is more fake than the leather of that glove of yours...by the way, the kark's with the glove?" she asked him, a frown forming on her brow as she looked at it then up into his eyes. "...What the kark have you been up to?" she asked him with a hint of worry in her voice. It also did a good job of dodging his question about how she's been...

She turned and started to prepare a mug for him as well, placing it and the sugar in front of him on the booth's table. "You look like you need more than caf, though. You want something stronger?" she asked as she opened a cabinet filled with all sorts of hard liquor. "Take your pick." she commented, walking over to sink into the couch by the booth.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

With a toothy smile, he snickered at her come back before pulling his fist back after she bumped it. His smile quickly faded once Sam realised it was fake with no effort, he hovered a hand over his mouth before letting it fall back to his side. Pulling his head down, he followed Sam inside her ship and into the mess room.

He noticed her drinking some coffee which brought an actual genuine smile to his face, for a moment he wondered if she'd calmed down with the drinks. But she returned the topic back to him once more, smile falling once again. Although he had quit drinking, he really needed one and so - he awkwardly rubbed his neck, averting his gaze "Something stronger. Whatever you got." he admitted shamefully.

After receiving his drink, he quickly took a swig of it before getting down to answering her questions. Leaning on a counter opposite her, he placed his glass to the side before taking off his leather glove and wriggling around his cybernetic fingers in front of her "I got bored of having a regular arm, so I cut it off." he jested before slipping his glove back on. Picking up his glass again, he took another sip of his drink "I uh... earned my Knighthood, even have my own Padawan now." he said with a weak smile, before it quickly faded and he felt a pit forming in his stomach.

His organic hand holding the glass started to shake as he relived the memory, it took a moment to get a hold of himself "Just been having girl problems." he confessed, albeit vaguely as he stared at the rim of the glass. His head remained lowered but his eyes lifted to meet Sam "Your turn. You must be going through it if you had to dodge my question." he stated with a sly smirk.

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

With a nod Sam pulled a bottle of brandy out along with a shot glass and placed it in front of him. He started to explain his story, earning a huff from Sam for his little joke. Though she smiled when he mentioned getting apaddie. "That's dope. You teaching him properly at least?" she quipped as she took a sip of her caf. With hers done she got to work on his caf as well, seeing as he wasn't going to touch that anytime soon.

Though she wasn't an idiot. She could see he was bothered deeply. He admitted to not only having a girl but also having problems with said girl. In typical fashion Sam decided to side with her buddy. "Oh? What did the queen do? She cheating on you?" she asked with a frown, eyeing him hard with a raised eyebrow. However her gaze turned away for a moment as he turned the question on her once more. She grumbled a bit and looked back to him. "Same stuff. I accidentally shot Matt the other night." she bluntly laid out for him. "I swear being back on this planet is kriffing with me. I had a nightmare thinking he was a guy from downstairs trying to force me down, so I freaked out. Accidentally hit him in the side while killing the wall and ceiling. He's okay, though. I got him to the hospital quickly enough. Though I feel like I'll have to step up my girlfriend game, 'cause I'm sure he's still messed up about it. Despite what he's saying." she explained to him.

She sighed and looked him in the eye again. "Your turn again. The kark this skank do to you? You want me to kick her ass for you?" she asked, flashing him a smirk before taking another sip of the caf.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

As he poured some brandy into the shot glass, he glanced over at Sam, smirking, "She is the one teaching teaching me, if anything." he partially joked, complementing his Padawan on her capabilities "You'd like her, she's like a smaller, toned down version of you." Cas added while hovering his hand below his knee to give Sam a reference of how small.

Shaking his head and his cybernetic hand, he chuckled slightly "Naw, although... cheating would have hurt less." he commented with a frown, averting his gaze before taking a shot. Cas eyes widened in surprise and he almost choked on his drink when Sam told him she almost shot Matt - Cas coughed hard as he practically punched his chest, of all the things, he didn't expect to hear that. Playing it off, he examined the rim of the glass rotating it with his wrist "At least he's okay." he said before looking up at her with a toothy grin "You'd better let him do all the stuff he's asked you to do in bed that you've said no to. That includes the weird stuff." he suggested while pointing his glass at her before laughing "I'm kidding."

He threw his head back, laughing "No way! If anything, she'd kick your ass." he argued before meeting her gaze "I'm not fond of my pals getting hurt for my sake." he teased smiling at her. Surprisingly, talking it over with a friend was helping. A lot. Enough to make him feel comfortable confessing to Sam, enough that didn't violate his promise to Tess "Let's just say... she wasn't who I thought she was." Cas revealed, sorrow plaguing his voice.

Waving it off, figuratively and literally with his hand "I'll get over it." he assured Sam before leaning against the counter. "So... I'm sure you didn't call me down here just to catch up, what do you need?" he asked with a serious expression.

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

Sam raised an eyebrow and smiled warmly as he described his padawan. "She sounds like a treat. I hope you two are getting along at least." she commented with a chuckle as she looked at him again. Though when he made a comment about being extra nice with Matt, she scoffed. "You're talking to an Underworld gutter rat who's got 'prostitute' and 'stripper' on her list of past occupations. You think weird stuff wouldn't be happening already?" she commented as she smirked. "Nah, I got it. There's nothing wrong in the love department. It's more just...the deep down stuff, ya dig?" she tried to explain, though she couldn't find the right words for it.

When he mentioned she'd be the one who's would be getting kicked, she huffed. Though she kept quiet until he finished. "Is that so, huh? What? She some sort of...spy or some bantha crap like that? I'll have you know I'm a lot tougher than I look." she voiced her thoughts. It appeared he struck a nerve somewhere...

Then came the question. Why did she call him? Sam scratched the back of her head and reached over to take hold of his bottle, chugging a sip of that with a twitch of her eye. "I wanna come clean, Cas. I've been working on trying to get my name clean. I've been working on closing off some old debts and got rid of those who couldn't let old grudges go. I'm still far from done but I'm getting there." she explained to him before taking another sip and handing the bottle back to him. "I want a normal life, have a kid or something, start up a mechanic shop. I want a future and I'm trying my damn hardest to make it happen." she continued with sincerity in her eyes.

She breathed deeply and looked away for a second. Her hands came up to hug herself as she looked off into the distance. "My biggest issue...is downstairs. My old gang, there's a lot of bad blood between me and them. They try and get back at me for splitting on them whenever they catch wind of me. They...they need to go." she spoke softly and cautiously, her voice shaky. "A-and I can't do it alone." she finished, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "It's just...going back...Cas, you got no clue what kind of shit I saw and went through down there. What I had to endure...." she spoke as she looked at him with an empty stare. "I can't go in alone." she finished, slowly shaking her head as she bit her lower lip.

She stared at him with fear in her eyes for several moments before a sound erupted from behind her. A pistol was drawn in a flash and levelled in the sound's direction...and a scared Beebee beeped in surprise before quickly rolling away. Sam's hand was shaking as she held her gun, but she quickly relaxed and holstered it as she looked back at him. "Kark off, don't look at me like that." she grumbled coldly as she looked away, embarrassment creeping onto her features as she avoided eye contact.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

"Wait, I am?" he asked, wide-eyed and completely clueless - the Jedi Knight didn't know much about Sam's past or her activites and hearing her state it so casually was jarring to say the least. "I guess... well, I hope you figure it out." he shrugged, unintentionally displaying a hint of envy - envy of Sam and Matt's relationship.

Cas appeared to have offended her with his comment although it came from a place of genuine concern. When she accurately guessed that Tess was a spy, the Kiffar avoided the question by nervously taking a sip of his drink. Out of respect for Tess, he'd keep quiet.

He watched as she reached over to take the bottle and explained the situation, he listened with an expression of concern before it formed into a genuine smile as he took the bottle back from her - he was pleased that she was taking the steps to go straight. Taking a swig of it, he continued listening but as she hugged herself and showed a hint of fear, in response Cas kicked off the counter and closed the gap between them. Placing a comforting hand on her arm, he looked her deeply in the eyes and smiled softly "Don't worry about it, I've got your back alright?" he said "You won't be going through this on you own." he reassured her, rubbing her arm before pulling away.

A sound that came from behind Sam startled them both, but she took it to another level when she pulled out her pistol. Cas hovered his hand over his lightsaber in case it was some kind of intruder but, fortunately it was just Sam's BB unit. Once she relaxed and turned back round to face him, he tilted his head upward slightly and a smirk formed on his face "You're jumpy today." he teased.

Cas backed away from her slightly, giving her her space before resting his hands on his hips. "Okay, I'm pretty much ready when you are." he said confidently. Helping out a friend was the exact pick me up he needed.

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

She couldn't deny that having Cas there was helping her a ton already. She glanced down then back to him, a small smile etching onto her lips at his joke. He confirmed that he was ready and she gave a nod. "Let's do it." she said with a deep breath. She motioned for him to follow and led the way back to the cargo hold. A simple airspeeder sat in the hold, ready to be flown. Sam grabbed a jacket on the way to it and pulled it on, fussing a little as she made sure her holsters were unobstructed.

With everything set she hopped into the driver's seat and motioned for Beebee to open up the hold. "I hope you understand what I'm gonna be doing." she said as she started the speeder up. "I can't let them stay alive." she continued as she looked at Cas. The speeder slowly floated down the ramp and blasted off as soon as she was cleared. She pushed the speeder to its full speed and sailed past traffic. Despite it seeming like they were about to crash every few seconds, Sam was completely relaxed. Her mind was worrying about more pressing matters as she took them to the entrance to Underworld. She slowed and descended the pit. They reached the lower levels, the ones probably every person in the galaxy know about...and then went deeper. The sunlight started to fade and was replaced with spotlights that allowed people to see where they were going. Sam released a shaky breath and flew the speeder over to an open landing pad. The smell of the stale air, or at least the memories connected to it, made her sick. But she pushed her thoughts aside and got out.

A dockworker approached them but she merely shoved some credits into his hands. "If this thing's gone or damaged when we get back, I'm driving a thermal detonator up your ass." she spoke coldly as she glared at him. He merely nodded and walked back to his little office. She glanced back to Cas and nodded for him to follow. "He's new. The other dude that I knew would usually be asking for more." she quipped as she led the way.

Her hands were in her pockets as she wandered along the walkways, her eyes looking all around them. "Just keep an eye on your pockets. The kids around here learn from a young age to lighten them up for you." she explained to him. The neon signs and street lights lit the way for them and a bunch of other people going about their business. Some eyes were on them but for the most part they were not bothered one bit.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

"That's the spirit." he winked, playfully punching her arm before following her into the cargo hold. Electing to keep his cloak, Cas was hopeful it'd hide his identity as a Jedi it would conceal his lightaber at the very least. In his unsurprising flamboyant fashion, Cas performed a somersault landing perfectly in the passenger seat and he got comfortable by hanging his arm out window.

Watching the hold's doors lift open, he glanced in Sam's direction as she informed the Jedi Knight that she couldn't let her former crew members live. Staring at the skylane ahead as they zoomed passed various airspeeders, his face was expressionless, almost cold even "I understand." he stated plainly - he wasn't the same idealistic kid anymore, Cas knew that when the time came and for the sake of the greater good, he was willing to do what had to be done.

Sam's flying reminded him of his own, fast, reckless... but controlled - he could tell she knew what she was doing by the way he could sense her relaxation despite what they were about to face. Because of this, Cas also allowed himself to relax as he relaxed his head on the seat, closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh as the wind blew across his face as they flew through the skylanes. Coruscant's sun's red hue from behind his closed eyes began to fade and grow darker as he felt them descend into the lower levels - eventually reaching the point where all he could see was black with brief periodic bright spots passing over his shut eyes.

Opening them, he observed his surroundings before glancing at Sam - they were in the Under Levels now and coupled with the stale air, he sensed Sam's tenseness. Cas' features softened and he placed his gloved hand on her shoulder "It's gonna be alright." he assured her before opening the door and stepping out of it. Pulling his hood up, he followed her and stood next to her as she handed a dockworker some credits, staying completely silent he simply watched as she informed him to keep the airspeeder safe. "Lucky, we're off to a good start." he quipped, hoping to ease Sam's nerves.

As the Jedi and former merc wandered under the neon lit streets, he turned his head slightly in her direction as she explained about pickpockets in the area but instead of a joke, he looked forward "Not surprised, you're forgotten about down here - practically non-existent. You do what you gotta do to survive." Cas stated, also underlying that whatever Sam had to down here - he understood.

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

Sam's eyes kept looking around them as Cas spoke. She gave him a light shake of her head as he finished. "Even that doesn't feel like it fully describes it. These levels...they're not like the upper ones. 1313 and those ones, they're still tame. These are the ones nobody remembers. Down here...it's a world on its own." she explained to him as they walked. As they walked, a kid with scrappy clothes walked past them, bumping through the two of them. Not even a second later, he was thrown into the wall of a building by Sam who was holding a handful of credits.

"You're too slow, kid." she spoke coldly, though she still tossed the handful of credits by his feet. "Try harder next time...and go buy something to eat with that." she finished before nodding to Cas to continue on. "Almost made off with some credits. He's getting there, though. Just a little too slow with getting away." she quipped with a small smirk. "I was like that once. Didn't last long, though. Lots of creeps are always on the lookout for an easy target. Had to learn quickly how to survive." she spoke calmly. She stopped by a stall and bought the two of them a chocolate bar before continuing. Though she quickly stopped when she spotted a bunch of guys hanging around their swoops in the distance. "There." she said softly as she looked at the small group. "I...I don't know them. But they're part of the group." she explained softly to him. She tugged at his arm and made her way into an alleyway to avoid contact with the group.

In the alley she took a deep, shaky breath and slowly let it out. "Okay...I don't recognize them. They're new. You think...you think going over and asking to talk with their boss would be a good idea?" she asked him nervously as she anxiously glanced around. Though her mood soured over completely as she realized just how pathetic she looked. "Oh kark me, I'm a wreck. Look at me! I'm a cold, ruthless killer shaking in my boots over some teenagers on swoops!" she said with a laugh, more to herself than to him. "Okey...come on...let's find out where the HQ is these days." she said with more confidence, but Cas would easily be able to tell just how nervous she still was.

She emerged from the alley and squared her shoulders, psyching herself up for what was completely not a problematic question at all...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas gave Sam an uneasy glance as she explained what life was like down here. His head tilted upwards and he looked upon the neon lights that they were passing, sympathy overtook him... and gratitude - sympathy that Sam was forced to live out some of her life here and gratitude that, while he had his own hardships growing up, it was nowhere near as bad living in the Under Levels.

While they walked, a kid passed them and bumped into them as they did so. Sighing, Cas thought to himself "Already?" so soon after Sam had mentioned little pickpockets in the area. The Jedi Knight clutched at his pockets but before he could even react, Sam was already on it, with inhuman speed he watched as she turned and slammed the kid into the wall. Unsure of what she was about to do, he raised his arm slightly to stop her but lowered it as he knew she was better than that.

The Jedi Knight watched, smiling, as Sam simply gave the little pickpocket some constructive criticism, a few credits and then let him on his way. Before he left however, Cas managed to fit in one last quip "You're lucky she's in a good mood. Any other day she would have eaten you alive for less." he joked while smiling at the kid who glanced at him and Sam before scurrying off into the night. As they continued walking, Sam revealed that she used to be in the boy's shoes once upon a time which wasn't at all surprising - "I bet. What else are those quick hands good for?" he quipped, shooting off a wink at her.

After stopping by a stall for some snacks, Cas barely got a bite out of his chocolate bar before Sam noticed a bunch of guys huddled around their swoop bikes, claiming they were part of the group. As she dragged him into the alley way, he dropped his bar and tutted in response. Inside the alley way, he gazed at the alley's exit "What is it with you and making me drop my--?" he was about to joke again but once he met her eyes and sensed the fear emanating from her, he shut his mouth. "I mean, yeah, I could go over but how do you know they're part of the group?" Cas wondered, it wasn't a pleasant thing to see the otherwise fearless woman so nervous.

Eventually, she gained the confidence to accompany him which earned her a reassuring smile from Cas. "Alright, don't fret too much - you've got a Jedi in case kriff goes wrong." he stated with a confident smile before accompanying her out of the alley way and in the direction of the teenagers at their swoops.

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

Understandably he asked how she knew. She looked at him then at the entrance of the alley. "The tattoos, the jackets, the bikes...we used markings and outfit choices to distinguish ourselves." she explained to him. She looked him in the eye with sincerity. "Trust me on this." she said softly.

She took a few moments, getting herself together before emerging from the alley. She squared her shoulders and kept a stoic expression as she approached the bikers. The thugs glanced at them as they approached, two around their age and one clearly still in his teenage years. "The kark you want?" the oldest one quipped, glaring at them. Sam's nervousness was building up but she kept her stance. "I want a word with the general. Where is he?" she asked them coldly. They merely chuckled amongst themselves before looking at them again. "Kark of, sweetheart. If you know what's good for you." he threatened with a wink, glancing at Cas then to his friends. "Or you can ditch your boyfriends. We'll take you to the general...and show you a good time." he continued, earning laughter from his buddies. He was clearly putting on a face. She understood that quite well.

But she wasn't in the mood for their games.

She sighed and drew her blaster, blowing a hole in the two oldest members before anyone could even make a move. A rush flowed through her as her lips curled into a menacing smile. "At least you die easily enough." she muttered as she aimed at the kid. He sat frozen with wide eyes, glancing between Cas and her. "Um...I-" he started, but Sam took a step closer and pressed the barrel against his forehead. "Shut it. If you were really a 24, you'd have shot me already. You're pathetic. Now unless you give me an answer, I'll blow your head off." she spoke slowly and coldly, her brown eyes glaring into his soul. "Where's the general?" she asked him again.

He looked to Cas and then back to her. "Industrial district, old warehouse with a red roof. Flames coming out the exhausts on top of it. You can't miss it." he explained to them frantically. "Glad to know he's as arrogant as ever. Thanks." she said as she holstered her blaster and pointed to the landing pads where they came from. "Now do yourself a favour and get out of this dump. Otherwise I'll burn you alive with the rest." she ordered him. He nodded and drove off immediately. Sam looked to Cas and her smile returned. "I almost feel disappointed. Softies like him wouldn't survive one heist when I was still here." she quipped as she looked back to the others on the ground. "I feel better already." she said to him as she looked at the bodies.

She got on a swoop and motioned for Cas to get on. "Get on, loser. I got a gang to kill." she ordered him as she started it up. With a twist of her wrist she pushed the revs up and got ready to drive.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas stared at Sam intently as she explained with one eyebrow raised, when she concluded he simply shrugged. She knew more about this than he did, he'd just have to trust her. "Alright, I trust you."

Accompanying her out of the alley and toward the swoop gang, Cas relaxed his facial muscles and put on his best stoic face as possible. The thugs seemed pretty young, with the youngest and probably newest member feeling like he had something to prove by being smart with Sam Cas had to bite his cheeks to stop himself from both laughing and unloading a series of digs back. And the Jedi Knight had a lot, come backs relating to his inexperience in intimacy, how long he'd last, if he was even old enough to know what a 'good time' was - he had so many avenues to chip away at the kid's obviously fragile confidence.

Cas was quickly caught off-guard when Sam quickly took out the two older members, eyes widening because of it although he managed to keep a straight face. It didn't take long for the kid to fold and tell them everything, he was pretty sure if she pressed on he'd have told her what age he was when he stopped wetting the bed. Once she ordered the kid to get outta there, Cas glanced at Sam while holding a straight face, her confidence seemed to return after killing those two thugs "I could have just mind tricked them, y'know?" he informed her, while Cas wasn't opposed to killing unless absolutely necessary he didn't agree to senseless killing.

While Sam made her way to one of the swoops, Cas crouched down in between the two corpses and with both arms, reached out to both of their lifeless eyes before closing their stiff eyelids shut. Even the dead deserved respect. A small, teasing smirk befell his face as he glanced up at her "Yeah, no thanks. I'll take my chances with my own reckless driving." he teased before getting up to his feet and getting on one of the empty seated swoops near them. Revving the engine himself, he fiddled around with the controls as he asked her "Anything I need to know about 'the General'? You said he was 'as arrogant as ever', what did you mean?"

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

Cas' comment made her frown. She looked over to him and raised an eyebrow. "I'm here to kill them, Cas. I'm here to put a bolt into all of them and burn their base to the ground. You knew this when you agreed to come with me. Don't pull that kriffing 'holier than thou' card on me now." she stated coldly. As she got situated on her swoop, he started to talk. She glanced at him and listened to his questions.

"Ulrich Daugherty is his real name. He's the leader of the gang. Beneath him is the captains who organise the soldiers. He's ruthless, built like a house, morally kriffed in the head, and he knows it. He knows how to plan a heist or attack, but he loves letting people know who he is. This place we're going to, it's his own little castle. He wants to let everyone know where he is and who he is. Back when I rolled with him, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before his ego got us killed. We would move hideouts but he'd always bring us back to that one." she explained to him as she gently caressed the swoop. "His arrogant streak cost me someone dear to me." she admitted as she looked back to Cas. "If there's one person in that compound to look out for, it's him. The sooner we can get him out of the way, the better. I don't care if he suffers or not. He's gotta go." she finished as she looked around them.

"I want us to go in quick. Use the element of surprise to take out as many of them as we can. We're looking at about fifty or so goons in there. If we're lucky, they'll all be stoned or drunk." she continued before getting ready to move out. "Try to keep up, kiddo." she quipped as she flashed him a wink. Her swoop revved up and she blasted off into the streets, dodging people and speeders as she kept up a ludicrous speed towards their destination.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas raised his arms slightly, palms facing the mercenary, in surrender "Alright, alright. I got it." he relented "I'll just let you do it." he added in snark but in a completely lighthearted manner. He continued fiddling around with the controls as Sam gave him a run down of who the General was, or Ulrich Daughtery. With a name like that of course he had to let everyone know he was the baddest man in the area.

His eyes lifted and his attention completely focused on her when she mentioned that Daughtery had cost someone important to her, who? There was no use asking now but he'd have to definitely make a mental note to ask her when this all blew over. He pulled down his hood and his expression showed sympathy, he wanted to say he was sorry for her but what use was it.

She expressed her desire to make this as quick as possible, which he had no problem with - he hated stealth. At the mention of the amount of men they had to deal with, interlacing his fingers together, Cas stretched his arms out forward and let out a relaxed sigh "A light workout." he quipped, referring to the amount they'd be contesting. "You're not that much older than me, grandma." he quipped in return before revving the engine once more and zooming into the streets closely behind Sam.

As the adrenaline coursed through his scarlet blood, the Kiffar whooped and let out a howl of laughter as he propelled the swoop bike through the streets - narrowly avoiding and swerving the other speeders in front of him. For the first time in a while, he really felt alive again and even though it was brief, he really needed this. The freedom of driving or piloting, there was nothing better. Wrapping his hands tight around the throttle, the Kiffar accelerated even further and picked up enough speed to nearly overtake Sam.

Turning toward his head toward her, he gave her a lazy salute with his gloved hand while grinning at her "What's shakin' good lookin'?" he said confidently. Turning his head to look forward again, the rear lights of a speeder truck shined on the Kiffar's bronze features - Cas quickly steered the swoop's handles to his right, banking hard as to avoid crashing into the back of the speeder truck. Steering the swoop out of harms way, Cas quickly overtook the truck before returning to drive alongside Sam with a mortified expression but within seconds he quickly fell out into hard laughter.

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

While he said nothing, she noticed it in his face. The mention of someone close to her definitely sparked some questions in him. She wasn't going to tell him out of her own...but the thought of him enquiring didn't seem to bother her all that much. As far as she was concerned, he could be trusted. But that wasn't important now. She smirked as he teased back but remained quiet. Instead she let her driving do the talking.

He might be a Jedi, but she knew these streets. They blew forward, narrowly missing the passers-by and traffic as they had something of a race going on. The adrenaline and sensation got her heart pumping. Memories came flooding back, surprisingly good ones for once. She spotted the speeder coming at them and turned sharply to catch a ramp against some trash on the side. She pushed the swoop to its max and flew into the air, over the traffic. With a grin she carefully maneuvered and descended down next to him. She laughed heartily with him as she led the way.

When they got close, she motioned for him to slow down and took the lead to direct him to a safe position. In the distance was the facility. She brought her swoop to a stop and breathed deeply. She was nervous...but she felt confident. She had Cas with her and she knew she could kill them. She got off and moved to Cas' swoop. "Okay. We got the element of surprise. All we need is to keep them confused and disoriented." she commented, looking at the facility. She took a moment to glance around, spotting a speeder truck parked nearby. It was old and almost literally a piece of junk. But it definitely still ran. A violent grin formed on her lips as she motioned towards it. "That will work nicely." she quipped.

She glanced at the swoops then at the truck. "How big a boom do you think that thing will make with these on the back of it?" she asked Cas, smirking at him.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

After narrowly avoiding becoming white, orange and black street art, Cas trailed slightly behind the mercenary in order to follow her the rest of the way and followed Sam's directions to slow down as they neared the destination. Eventually stopping, he remained seated on the swoop which he had grown accustomed to in their short time together, keeping himself and it stable Cas placed one foot to the ground.

The Jedi Knight sensed the nervousness as well as the confidence in her, he hoped this wouldn't affect her decision making going forward. "Okay?" he replied, unsure of what she had in mind while following her gaze toward the facility. He watched her glance around the area before pinning her sights on a speeder truck, her grin made him feel uneasy as his eyebrows raised in worry and when she mentioned it'd work nicely before asking him how big the explosion would be with the swoops behind it his eyes darted between her, the truck and the facility.

"You're completely insane y'know that?" he stated with a smile and a chuckle "Why don't we ever hang out properly?" he asked rhetorically, clearly just messing with her. However, he looked down at the swoop he was on with visible disappointment as he ran a finger across the swoop's control panel. Looking up at Sam, he pouted ever so slightly "I really bonded with my swoop. Can I keep it? I promise to take care of it and take it for walks every day!" he jokingly pleaded before finally getting off "Alright, alright." he relented, getting serious again.

Cas took his cloak off and dropped it on the floor before scanning between the swoop bikes and the trucks. Folding his arms, he then watched the facility with laser focus "Honestly? Pretty damn big." he said, answering her previous question "How do you wanna do this? You load up the swoops and I'll drive the truck into the facility before jumping out like a holovid action hero?" he suggested, turning back to her.

Sam Sheridan

 

[Sam Sheridan]

Sam smirked at his comment, giving him a scoff as he continued. "Because the more time I spend with you, the more I can't decide whether to shoot you or share a drink with you." she fired back as she gave him a light slap on the shoulder. He protested about blowing up the swoop, earning a raised eyebrow and a threatening glare from Sam. She gave a huff as he relented and pulled the swoop closer to the speeder truck.

He asked about how they were going to do it and Sam thought for a second. "Honestly, I wanted to drive in there myself, but having you go in might make more sense. You can get out of there a lot quicker than I can." she commented. "Alright...let's get this party started." she said with a heavy voice, dropping her jacket by his cloak. She checked her pistols and made sure her holsters were unobstructed. This was going to be a slaughter and she didn't want her gear failing on her in the middle of a gunfight.

She hot-wired the speeder truck and moved it in position before helping Cas to get the two swoops on the back. "Keep your commlink close. I'll radio for you to get moving once I'm in position." she said before walking off into the darkness. She sneaked around and got to the back entrance. One gangster stumbled past, drunk as a skunk. She had no trouble snapping his neck before resuming her position once more. "Do it." she muttered coldly into the commlink, then waited patiently for the chaos to ensue. Once she heard the truck crash into the facility, she hid and covered her ears. An overwhelming boom sounded off and shook the building. Screams erupted and flames engulfed the building. Sam took a deep breath, drew her pistols, then kicked the back door open.

Some people were on fire, most of them were screaming and trying to figure out what happened, others simply tried to get away. She didn't care. Her blasters came to life as she calmly walked through the facility, shooting everything and everyone she saw. Once her pistols ran dry, she calmly dropped the spent cells and slotted in fresh reloads with a cold face. She noticed some recognize her but she gave them no chance to react. Smoke drifted from her aged blasters as they were pushed into overtime. She looked around the place and found what she was looking for.

The general.

He was patting down a flame on his jacket sleeve, oblivious to her approaching. She raised her blaster and planted a bolt into both his knees, making sure he was going nowhere. Flames roared around her with the heat working up quite a sweat on her brow as she walked towards him. She hadn't seen Cas yet but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything right now. "Remember me?" she muttered as she raised a blaster at him. The shock on his face was one of the most satisfying things she witnessed in her life...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

"That's an understatement." he chuckled at Sam's statement about him being able to get out a lot quicker. With that said and done, while Sam hot-wired the speeder truck Cas started hauling the swoops to the back. When she was done, she helped him load them both onto the back of the speeder truck. After that, the Jedi Knight walked over to the driver seat but before he got in, he nodded at Sam's command before hopping inside. It didn't take long before she gave the signal.

Revving the truck's engine, Cas accelerated toward the facility and when he was close enough - the Jedi Knight flung the door open and leapt out, performing a graceful somersault before landing in a crouched position, stabilising himself by planting his fist into the ground. Cas spun his head round a split second before the truck crashed into the facility, just in time he placed his hands on his ears as the explosion ensued, nearly deafening him.

The shock wave from the blast knocked him a few feet backward. Grunting as he hit the floor, Cas laid there for a few seconds simply muttering a quiet "Ow." before sighing and getting to his feet. Taking his lightsaber out and igniting it, his ringing ears muffled out the snap-hiss of the lightsaber's ignition. Though, it didn't stop him from leaping into action to aid his friend.

As he entered the chaos, he couldn't find Sam but he could sense her presence nearby - she was okay. Blaster bolts flew everywhere, the ones that came in his direction he quickly deflected but when he saw all the damage, all those suffering, he felt immense guilt. Despite them being criminals, they were still people. Gritting his teeth, Cas growled... he couldn't kill them. As he wrestled with his conscience, one of Daughtery's men tried to sneak up on the Jedi Knight which he quickly countered with a faster than light sweeping kick before knocking them out with a kick to the face.

Cas ran into the middle of the facility deflecting and redirecting stray bolts before stopping and crossing his hands over his chest into an X symbol. The Jedi Knight concentrated the Force all around him, summoning as much as he could muster before expelling it into a powerful wave. Pushing away anyone in the immediate vicinity, falling to one knee Cas groaned slightly as releasing that Force wave took a lot out of him physically. Amidst the burning facility, he just needed things to be calm. Panting, he couldn't help but think of how much he was not okay... this breakup was really affecting his performance.

Sam Sheridan