Private Some Nights

[Drifter]

[ Fine by me. ] he told her, trying not to focus too much on the faint thudding sound of the dead Squib hitting the end of the trash shoot. It served them best, he knew that. If another Squib found it, they would be found out. Then that would cause a chain reaction and perhaps, more people would be hurt.

No, time to focus. Get in. Get out.

[ We've two life forms up ahead. ] he would suddenly warn her, voice quiet, seeing two spots light up. [ I'll go ahead. ] he was taking responsibility.

 

[Rhea]

That hard look look lingered on him, the concern going beyond the personal. This was a mission. Their freedom and their lives were very much on the line. If he was going to have a moment-- if this was going to be be a problem...

She sensed it was best to keep this thought to herself. Biting her lip, she gestured for him to take the lead. She didn't drop her guard, her gun still cocked and held at the ready.


After a moments thought, she thumbed it to stun, a feeling brewing in her gut as she let him move forward. She watched him walk for a moment, then swept in, covering his back.

She better not regret this.

 

[Drifter]

Taking point, the man shut off the map. He didn’t draw a weapon though. Instead he continued forward, quiet. Predatory even.

He went crouching low, before pausing, coming along side some pile of salvage for cover. The Squib should be around here. Drifter drew his hand up, an indicative silent motion to stop and hold that for a solider like Rhea, would be familiar to the same fire team handsignals used during the time she served. A tell.

They heard footsteps. Tiny pitterpater of feet. The light was dim here,so when the Squib came into sight, they could only see his furry green outline. He had a dart at his right hip and a tensor blaster on his left.

That was not good.Tensor weapons had the ability to damage at the cellular level and eventually resulted in death. They were nasty weapons that reflected the ingenuity of the Squibs ability to take one mans trash and make it a treasure.

A glance around for the other Squib. Nothing yet. With thin lips, Drifter made his decision. This tile when he used the Force it was with specific focus. He jerked the Squib toward him, intending to case him in his grasp. The short furry alien gave a small startled cry before being caught in Drifter’s hand, the tiny jacket it wore in his grasp. What came next was another revelation; a sudden activation of his gauntlet sent a series of electronic shocks intended to stun and knock the Squib out. It gave a flail before flopping over unconscious. That was one.

So, nice to know that Drifter could have used that on Rhea during their fights. Yet he choice not to.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea's attention drew to the hand signal, lingering as the connection was made.

Her face betrayed no reaction, the familiar dance of two bodies pushing through foreign halls bringing her right back to her once-stony façade. She held, as he signed, her eyes alert and tense as she kept tabs between the hall they had pushed through and his crouched form. It just so happened her attention was tilted in the opposite direction when he forced the squib to him, but her head snapped his way in time to watch the creature spaz under electric shocks.

She watched it fall, then looked back to the cuffs. "..."

Movement behind her sent her twirling, two squibs tottering out a door and freezing at the sight of one very tall, hairless squibs. Two shoots rang out before they could utter a sound, the soft 'pew pew' less attention drawing then a squib screaming in distress.

She hoped.

She did not look over her shoulder, ears perked for the sign of movement on his end.

A single glance back would see her gesturing an 'all clear'.

 

[Drifter]

Drifter heard the blaster shots, but he also noticed that Rhea had taken the time to set her blaster to stun settings. Appreciation filled him, as did gratitude.

[ Thanks for that. ] he told her, referencing both a little of column a and b when it came to having his back and trying to keep the collateral damage down unless absolutely necessary.

With a nod, he set the unconscious Squib down, taking the tensor pistol from him. [ Here, keep this. Don't shoot it. It will liquify anyone's insides. ] he informed her, providing context towards the capability of the weapon. It was a terrible way to die.

[ Let me check them for weapons. Start setting up. ] He took the Squib, carrying him off under his arm towards a pile of salvage where he could hide him.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea merely nodded, brisk and formal as she pushed up to him, holstering her gun and the others as she made quick work of her tasks.

"Two around the corner," she informed, bending at the knees to heft the crate up and bring it into the center of the yard. It was an insanely vulnerable position to be in, several other corridors emptying into the square. She ignored the what ifs and focused on the task, unloading the fireworks into a messy pile that could quickly be lit.

"Some of these are damp," she commented upon his return, gesturing with her chin towards the small pile she had set to the side. It was to be expected, they HAD sludge through sewer. "These though-" were fine. She glanced up, skimming the halls around them. "Where are they."

She missed her old heat tech gear.

 

[Drifter]

[ Use the dry ones. Don't bother with the damp ones. ] he told her, moving quickly towards the two unconscious Squibs. He checked their pulses, was satisfied with the results, and also took their weapons. Two dart pipes. With a grunt, he rolled them over. noting that this would be soooo much more easier with two arms.

Feth it. He used the Force, sending a stream of telekinetic energy to pick them both up. It was a rather comedic sort of display as he did his best to hurry while focusing on not dropping the Squibs until he went back to the hiding place where he left the first.

Once he was done, he returned towards her, pulling up the map. No other lifeforms nearby. [ None for now. Let's hurry. ]

 

[Rhea]

Rhea stacked the last one, eyes skimming between her work and his map as if she didn’t quite trust him to deliver the news in time.

“Lighter,” came her response, the two moving fluidly around each other. It was a stark contrast to their previous dynamic, but just as he Found relief in her stun setting, she had a flash of relief as he came back to her side without improper comments.
Aka jokes.

She paused for a moment, then sat back, clearly allowing him the honor of the grand WOOOOOSH.

 

[Drifter]

[ Here, ] he gestured towards the map, indicating an entrance towards the far end of the bunker. [ We'll aim to go here, then start for this section. I think that is where the crown room might be. Expect more guards. Man, I should have brought a flashbang. ] the last bit was for himself.

Well, there were other things he could do.

[ We may need to slice into a few more doors. It depends on just how the Squibs react to the distraction. If one has a tensor pistol, odds are more do.] and that was a nasty piece of potential risk he didn't want Rhea to have to deal with.

Turning off the map, he plucked the lighter from his pocket. A roll of his thumb, a click, and a single flicker of flame would bath the pair in a small radius of light. The yellow-red flicker would reflect upon that polarized helm, hiding his contemplative expression but revealing hers.

[ Welp... here goes nothing. ] he said, a little bit more cheer to his voice. It was fireworks, after all, what person didn't like the thrill of setting off fireworks. Without further ado, he bent down towards the extended cord. A few seconds, then a spark of life as the end lit.

[ Run! ]

 

[Rhea]

A soft snort escaped her, the gleam of the fire reflecting in her eyes as she followed its path.

[ Run! ]

She flipped over backwards, a lithe backbend resulting in a kick of her feet as she kicked herself over with more grace than a scramble and stand. Was it necessary? No. Did it feel good... yes. She darted out the yard, stopping only to change course as she nearly hit the wrong corridor. Their feet pounded against the cement as they pushed themselves as fast as they could go.

It would be best to be out of sight when it went off.

She slid around the corner, her hand skimming the ground as the first whistle happened.

Pew pew!

And they were off.

A grin touched her lips as she ran, her hair whipping in her face.

"That outta do it," she gasped, turning into a secluded alcove two halls away. Not a beat later, the sound of feet hit the hall. She grabbed his arm and tried to tug him in with her.

There was no time to remove bodies now!

 

[Drifter]

Did she just do a backflip? Why did she do a backflip? Amusement grew over his face, but that was the time all hell broke loose.

Rhea grabbed his arm, jerking him along, prompting a [ Whoaa, there, I know I have a great body but no need to tug it round back and forth that hard.] a few more steps as they went down the hall.

[ Unless you're into that sort of thing? ] around them the fireworks were already starting to get the squibs attention. Dozens of them would pour out of their sections, glancing up at the bright lights. What was going on?!

"Whoaaa.. .Ahhhhh.... Loooooksie look look!" the murmurs would ensue.

​

 

[Rhea]

She shot him a hard look. Not the time~

But she quipped back anyway. "You're the one leaving me with bruises." She paid no heed to their closeness, peering around his body to catch view of the backs of the gaping squibs. This was ridiculous.

It was working.

She sliiiiiiiiiid around him, creeping carefully in the opposite direction. She gestured for him to follow up, a shared language found in the old alliance gestures.

 

[Drifter]

[ Does that mean you do like it rough or not? ] He wasn't letting up, but at least the banter was back, modulated voice a low hum by her shoulder. Of course, he was joking, but leave it to Rhea to present to him on a silver platter a way for him to make fun of.

They slowed, now crouching low, Drifter at Rhea's back. Her hair was in the way, fanning along the side of her neck. He paused then followed her forward, there were to Squib guards utterly distracted by the lights.

That was then Drifter gave a tap to Rhea's shoulder, trying to get her attention. When she turned, he'd see him happily hold up in his hand the two squib dart pipes.

[ Payback? ] he offered her, the very devil offering temptation with a cocksure grin and a mischievous shimmy of his head.

 

[Rhea]

[ Does that mean you do like it rough or not? ]

No response.

She crouched low, her hand drifting to her blaster as she tried to puzzle the odds of the sound being heard. With the fireworks going off rapidly in the distance, she thought not likely. Still--She turned to the tap on her shoulders, her brows furrowed quizzically.

[ Payback? ] he offered her, the very devil offering temptation with a cocksure grin and a mischievous shimmy of his head.

Said brows shot up, a moment consideration given before she tentatively reached out for a pipe. It was quieter. She rolled her eyes at the sign of his growing grin, the blow dart brought to her mouth as she gestured silently.

One.

Two

Pooft-thunk. The guard on the right dropped. She surged forward, following it up with a thunk to the head to keep him down. "Affective," she admitted unwillingly.

 

[Drifter]

While she didn't give a response, her body would. What he found there was enough to continue Drifter's amusement. It only grew when she took the bait and enacted her revenge. The paralytic would last longer on a Squib, so perhaps give them half an hour or so. But with Rhea going all she-besalik, odds were it would last longer.

A snicker was his reply, but he gave a nod for her to continue, as he had moved quickly to get the second guard. With the flash of the fireworks, the glow from his gauntlet when he used it blended into the surrounds.

Dragging the Squib away towards a dark area, he jutted his chin over to the blast door. This one would be more difficult to get in, but perhaps RHea had it.

 

[Rhea]

He snickered.

She considered shooting her last dart into his ass.

She didn't, letting him deal with the bodies as they moved to the, hopefully, final stage of their extraction. If it wasn't here, they were going to start experiencing trouble. Fireworks only lasted so long, and the trail of bodies was starting to mount.

No pressure.

She frowned as she approached the pad, her fingers grabbing around it to try and pry it open. Nothing. Nada. It was sealed with tec more advanced than a trash shoot, this would take more than a knife to fix. She took a deep breath in, keying into the screen.

And nearly a minute passed with no progress, her shoulders rising with which invisible tic of the clock.

 

[Drifter]

A minute felt like an hour. He hung alongside side her, pacing a few feet, searching to see if anyone came this direction. Turning towards her, he called over his shoulder in a low voice.

[ Hey... ahh... you know, I am sure you want to spend more time with me; learning my favorite color and food and all... whether I also like it rough. ] okay, he couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth. Thankfully, his devilish expression along his swarthy face was hidden away by his helm.

[ But we really need to get out of sight and past that door soon, Pittin. ] he informed her, frowning as he saw some movement up ahead. What was that? Crouching low, he activated his HUD, trying to get an idea of what was there.

[ Hey... keep low. I'll be right back. ]

 

[Rhea]

She gritted her teeth, the screen under her fingers flickering as a pulse of the force lashed out.

She said nothing, left alone to the coding she...

had forgotten.

Naturally, so. It was like he said-- so many different versions of tech, and the years between her service and now... She was rusty. Dammit. Her fists closed, squeezing tight as a wash of agitation floored through her. The screen flickered again as she imagined his face as he realized she had failed, the stress building into sudden mountains as she realized she might just be walking away empty handed.

"Gah!"" She banged on it, the motion more than unhelpful for hacking, but a release all the same. The shock of electricity ran across the buttons, hitting her fingertips and leaving her yelping as she pulled back.

"Ah!" She clutched her hand to herself, staring at the door in nothing short of confuddlement as it hissed open.

"...Drifter," she whispered sharply, not looking over her shoulder.

 

[Drifter]

Well, Drifter was busy - but there was no mistaking the slight surge of the Force he felt from her, even if it was aways a way. Those who were untrained didn't have the control to rein in what they could do, so it could manifest wildly, fueled by emotion.

Presently, a VERY large naked Squib with tattoos and piercings all over his body had caught sight of the man. Needless to say, a scuffle ensued; with Drifter and the Squib wrestling on the ground. All he had to do was get his hand right... on .... the Squib's chest.

Meanwhile, the fireworks were reaching a crescendo; and getting attention from several klicks surrounding the base. Sure it was a distraction, but also a way to get more attention from several sources than what it may be worth.

 

[Rhea]

"Drifter?" She repeated again, insistent as she finally looked over her shoulder. The hall was bare of the man's antics. ...It was unsettling, the woman left to chose between the dark crown room and...

She cursed, skirting her way down the hall as she tried to fuss him out. Exactly what had he gotten into? The crescendo echoed through the halls, pounding in her ears. The chaos was nerve-racking, the brunet peeking around each and every corner with growing concern. This wasn't the plan this wasn't the--

She turned in to find the blue, nude squib laying atop of Drifter, the two getting handsy.

--plan...

Pew. Her shot went unheard as it struck the squib square in the back, his muscles freezing up as the stun bolt did its task.

Rhea said nothing, the brow she rose speaking volumes.