Private Compromise

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Objective: Protect the VIP
Attire: Gear
Tag: Yuri Maji

"How long left old timer, times ticking!"

Grumbled an annoyed Cartri as he leaned against the wall and watched the disgruntled scientist do his best to hasten the transmission of all his prized work "These things take time you insignificant fool! Are you really that dull to think my life work would be transmitted in a matter of minutes?!" replied the man with a grunt, his full focus on the terminal which showed a timer going painfully slow. Shaking his head slowly, the ginger teen could only grumble "If it wasn't for the reward you'd be motionless on the floor in a matter of seconds..." he said quietly to himself before lifting his datapad to look at the cameras.

The sole reason Cartri had even taken this job was the promise of some high quality gear he could use for future operations. He didn't care for this nerf herder one bit, as long as he got him to the client breathing his role would be fulfilled. Although, from how slow this clown was going it was going to take all night. All he could do now was keep an eye on the security systems around the building to make sure no one was coming to steal his package.

The last thing he wanted was more company, if more decided to join them he was concerned the old hermit was going to blow a fuse. Cartri himself didn't fancy coming up against some bounty hunter either. The last time he did almost resulted in the end of his life, along with the scars to prove it. He'd do anything to get out of that situation, even if it resulted in throwing the old fart under the speeder.

Whatever the result, he needed some kind of reward...​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri was still wrapped up in a little bit of a transitional phase. On the one hand, his desire to sink the Jedi order was still burning like hellfire in his heart. But on the other hand, a few people and interactions made him second-guess his choice of aligning himself with the Neo-Crusaders. Couple that with the realisation that, in his attempt to distance himself from the possibility of living in his mother's shadow, he had alienated himself not only from his people, but also from whatever potential friends he might have had.

Overall, he was not doing good. And this whirlwind of thoughts threw off his attention to detail for smuggling operations. Plus the wound he sustained on Umbara still needed time to sort itself out properly, so open warfare was out of the question. So he settled for his other pastime to help put him at ease: Bounty hunting. He got to shoot some poor fool in the face and he got paid to do it.

Which was exactly what brought him to Nar Shaddaa, one of his favourite planets as well as a good source for work. On top of that, he had an easy gig. Take out some stupid scientist who seemed to have made the wrong people angry. He didn't care much for the details, he was there to relax. At least he wasn't relaxing so hard that he forgot to reconnoitre the target building, it was riddled with security cameras and guards. So he held back and watched through his macrobinoculars on the roof of a nearby building for any sign of his target. Eventually two figures emerged on one of the floors. One matched the picture of his target, but the other was a mystery. Probably a bodyguard of some sorts. At least this mission wouldn't be boring.

With a satisfied sigh, Yuri flicked his cigarette away and slid his helmet on, packed away his macrobinoculars, and blasted towards the nearest window with the help of his jetpack.

The window shattered as the armoured Shistavanen smashed through and landed. Now it was just a matter of making his way to the correct room. He drew his two pistols and calmly waltzed through the empty office space with his helmet's thermal vision turned on. "Overtime snacks, anyone?" He spoke up with a smirk behind his visor.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Objective: Protect the VIP
Attire: Gear
Tag: Yuri Maji

Suddenly, a crash down the hallway snapped their heads to the doorway. Cartri hadn't picked up the intruder on any of the cameras beforehand, making him consider how on denon they managed to slip through undetected. Quickly running over to the nerd, he grabbed him by the scruff of his sweater and forcefully dragged him behind the workstation where they could both stay hidden "Sit tight and don't make a damn sound, got it?" the teen hissed, which he quickly nodded with no hesitation.

Cartri was no fool, by now he knew that every possibility had to be thought through to the smallest detail. While waiting for the clown to download his work, Cartri took the liberty of hacking into the laboratory's mainframe. Not only did he have control of the cameras, but everything within the building itself.

"Depends what they are!" Cartri shouted back from inside the room, urging him to come closer to their location "And who is selling them..."

There was no point trying to escape just yet when the intruder was literally only a few steps from the room. Cartri needed to get the jump on them when they least expected, like making them think that their backs were against the wall.​

 

[Yuri Maji]

A scoff escaped the Mandalorian as he confidently made his way towards the target and his bodyguard, uncaring of any potential traps they could have planted. He couldn't see or smell anything out of the ordinary, apart from the scent of the bodyguard. He smelled... different. "Look, buddy... I got paid a lot of money for this guy. Dead or alive. Judging from the fact that y'all are still here, I'm guessin' that he's busy gettin' his work. Which means that you just made my job easier." Yuri spoke calmly with a smile behind his T-visor.

The whine of a thermal detonator sounded off in the room as Yuri came to a halt, holding up the explosive with one hand while the other tapped his pistol against his leg. "So here's what I think. I really wanna get back to my vacation, preferably with a nice paycheque to go along with it. And I'm sure you wanna still be alive to do the same after this job. So if you wanna play hardball with me... I'll put money on it that I got the stronger arm in this room." Yuri continued as he shifted his weight to one leg and leaned against a nearby wall.

Not wanting to waste too much time, he raised his pistol and fired at the workstation. The particle bolts tore into the metal and the resulting explosions threw sparks and faint shrapnel all around the room, though hopefully not behind it. He just wanted to scare the fools into doing something. "Time's runnin' out on this detonator, so I'd suggest you do something. I don't wanna kill you for no reason, it makes me feel bad." He commented, carefully watching his opponent through the bench with his thermal vision.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Objective: Protect the VIP
Attire: Gear
Tag: Yuri Maji

"And he's made my job much harder..." he whispered to himself in response to the man taking forever to retrieve his work. If the scientists had got it sorted beforehand they wouldn't have been in this mess, but no they had to leave it last minute and make things awkward. Cartri at this point was tempted to hand him over and look elsewhere for better gear, it wasn't worth getting beaten up over if things got physical. However, deep down, the young hacker knew these kind of people were not willing to share.

The sound of a thermal detonator broke him out of his thoughts, an indication that the intruder had taken things up a level to get what they wanted. Cartri didn't fancy having that thing explode in a room of this size, chances are the explosion would evaporate them in a matter of moments. He needed to get that thing as far away from them as possible, one way or another...

"No, I want to die and have myself blown to kingdom come" the teen replied in a cocky manner at first "Of course I want to live, dumbass. If I was a betting man your skill of pointing out the obvious is quite strong too" Cartri goaded further, a response which was replied by the shooting of a blaster aimed at the desk. The former shadow runner covered himself instinctively, his hands going to his head for a few moments to try and cover himself from the blaster shot. Next to him, the scientist did the same but in a more extreme fashion. Instead of staying calm he was shaking and borderline close to crying.

"Considering this was your mess I don't blame you. Now, don't move a muscle for the love of Denon" he grunted to the man as he quickly opened up a holoscreen on his wrist. Cartri appeared to set a timer to something that had already been set up within the building. It would be useless without a bit of bravery and along with that a bit of luck, so with great hesitation Cartri slowly turned himself and put his hands in the air.

"Okay dude, just calm down alright?" he said with concern while slowly walking himself from behind the desk with nothing in his hands "Please, just turn that thing off before it spoils your holiday plans..."​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri scoffed at the merc's remark and leaned against a nearby wall as he waited to see their next move. Between the detonator and the pistol, he wouldn't be surprised if they were a little terrified. It certainly smelled like it. "You're gonna want to be more original if you wanna smack talk me, buddy." He remarked casually.

Finally the merc emerged with hands raised. Yuri was taken back by his appearance, he looked weathered, but still young. "Oh, don't worry. As long as I got this, my plans are safe." He shook the detonator around like a snow globe as he stood upright again. His T-visor glared coldly at the kid as his pistol sat at the ready. From the look of things, the kid was unarmed, which likely meant that he was either one hell of a fighter, or he had some other way to get his job done. Regardless, even rookies made sure to at least have some kind of gear. All Yuri could see on the kid was something mounted to his wrist.

"You got a name, kid?" Yuri asked calmly as he took a step closer. "Way I see it, this job's enough to split to a degree. How much is this schutta payin' you to protect him?" He began to negotiate, the ticking of the thermal detonator echoing through the relatively quiet room. "You hand him over to me, I'll wire you double of what he's payin'. I ain't in the mood to make this more difficult than it has to be." He continued as his pistol lowered. There was a fair amount of sincerity in his words that betrayed the cold visor and armour.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Objective: Protect the VIP
Attire: Gear
Tag: Yuri Maji

Cartri looked at the detonator as he shook it, his head slowly shaking from the fact he was using it as a scare tactic. He was unsure if the bounty hunter would use it, if anything he didn't really want to take that chance at all "I do, but I don't really feel like sharing it with a stranger I've only just met" the teen said cautiously while his hands were still raised up to shoulder length. Cartri didn't dare move just yet because he was getting closer.

It wasn't the right time just yet.

"I'm getting enough thank you, a heap of credits is not of my concern right now" Over the years Cartri had saved up enough credits to live a comfortable life, as well as build up a foundation that was only in its infancy. What he needed was high-quality gear for his suit, one of which he doubted the hunter could get him. And no, these kind of things could not be brought in most circumstances. They were very hard to come by, who knew how many years down the line they'd turn up again.

"I realise you're not in the mood but I'm afraid he's not coming with you if you're just offering me useless credits" the ginger said with a smirk, the timer in his head reaching the last few seconds "Maybe you should save them for a rainy day..." suddenly, the fire systems above them burst into life and began spraying water to the ground below. At the same time, Cartri used the force to throw the pistol and detonator on either side of the room so he could press the advantage with a spinning kick into the chest of the bounty hunter.

He needed to get this over with quick...​

 

[Yuri Maji]

The Mandalorian was about to retort to the kid's comments when the sprinklers burst above them. It served to surprise him enough for... his pistol and the detonator to fly out of his grasp? Several thoughts flew through his head, but they were all shoved aside as the detonator went from ticking to whining. Did the kid forget that it was a live thermal detonator Yuri was holding?

"Kriff."

The kid came in for a kick, but Yuri was ready for him. Aided by his jetpack, Yuri attempted to grab hold of the kid's leg and hurl him in the direction of the primed detonator before he ducked behind a nearby counter. The explosion tore through the room and burst just about every pane of glass on this side of the floor, not to mention the incredible shockwave that sent the counter into a wall along with Yuri.

In his daze he noticed the little wheels on the feet of the counter. With a shake of his head, he shakily got back on his feet. "Are you actually retarded?" Yuri spoke up in frustration, uncaring of whether or not the kid was still alive. "A live karkin' grenade? Does havin' the Force make you dumber?" He continued as he looked around. To his surprise, his pistol was also tossed nearby. Its livery and finish was horribly scuffed, but otherwise it looked operational.

That brought him onto his next subject. His target. "Okay, buddy. Up you... get." He stood over the old man, who appeared to be littered with shrapnel and glass shards. He was unmoving, but his chest still rose and fell. "Well... this is awkward." He remarked, still lightly swaying where he stood.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Objective: Protect the VIP
Attire: Gear
Tag: Yuri Maji

The distraction was enough to send both items out of his grasp and to leave him open for his kick. However, when Cartri rotated and attempted the counter the bounty hunter managed to grab his leg "Shit..." the teen muttered just before he was sent sliding towards the thermal detonator which began to beep faster and faster. Thinking fast, Cartri used the force to slide a metal workstation in front of him just before the grenade inevitably exploded, sending him and the workstation flying back to the wall.

Roughly sliding back first into the wall, Cartri groaned loudly and slowly checked himself. His back hurt like hell, but the rest of his body had been sparred thanks to the workstation absorbing the explosive energy that came with the grenade. In its wake, a large hole had taken the place of the window, bringing a cold breeze and drops of rain to pour into the building.

Cartri slowly limped to his feet and stared coldly at the bounty hunter checking on his target. Without the grenade, it seemed like he had evened the odds. Stumbling out a few steps, Cartri wrapped the force around the same workstation and had no hesitation in throwing it straight into his back to hopefully catch him by surprise.

"Believe it or not, no!" ​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri heard the commotion behind him, but he was too slow to get out of the way of a workstation being flung at him. The table slammed into him and pinned him to the floor for a moment before he shoved it aside. The kid was becoming an annoyance. With a low growl he shook his head and rolled his neck before finally standing up to face the kid fully with a snarl behind his T-visor. "Okay, kid." He remarked, hurling the table between them aside.

"Now you're gettin' it." He launched toward the kid with the help of his jetpack to swing an armoured fist at his head, immediately following up with a blast from his repulsor. "I karkin' asked ya nicely." He didn't stop, immediately charging at his opponent with fists raised to try and pummel him into submission. As satisfying as a simple bolt to the head would be, he was going to teach this kid a lesson.

"This job ain't worth it, the kriff you want from him?" He asked between swings, taking a quick step back to hurl a kick at his opponent's knee. He made another tool of his suit known as he fired his whipcord to try and ensnare him. "Ya can't tell me he's worth dyin' for." He snarled with hands at the ready.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Objective: Protect the VIP
Attire: Gear
Tag: Yuri Maji

Cartri looked at the pissed bounty hunter and gulped slightly "Fuck..." the teen mumbled just before he came barreling towards him with the help of his jetpack. Seeing the fist flying at his head, Cartri jumped to the right and looked to counter with an attack of his own. However, a repulsor soon changed that by making him slide backward back first into the wall once more. He grunted from the impact and barely had enough time to register his foe coming at him again, their fists flying at him from all directions.

"Gear that would make my life a wh- ARGH!"

Before he could finish his sentence a heavy fist found its mark on his stomach, instantly doubling him over and leaving him open for them to kick him hard in the knee. Cartri fell to one knee with a loud yell and desperately looked for anything he could use to at least even the playing field for just a moment, and thankfully he found just that.

Opening his hand, he swiftly slid a metal workstation leg into his grasp and suddenly swung upwards to rattle the bounty hunter's brain before he used the ripcord. Then, if he managed to force him backward he'd go on the offense and use his speed to swing at his body from different directions "You...feel...that...you...kark?!" Cartri grunted after each swing, slowly but surely pushing him to where the explosion happened. ​

 

[Yuri Maji]

A workstation smashed into Yuri, throwing him off balance for a few seconds, more than enough time for the kid to attack him in a flurry of punches. For the most part, his Beskar took the brunt of the attacks, though a number of hits impacted between the gaps. "My sister hits harder." Yuri growled before grabbing hold of the kid's arm. With a yank he pulled him closer while thrusting his elbow out in an attempt to drive into the kid's ribcage.

Riding with the momentum, Yuri would attempt to kick at the kid's shin with his durasteel-capped boot and hurl him over his shoulder into a wall. Pausing for a brief second, Yuri activated the stunners in his gloves and leapt at the kid to hurl a flurry of punches. In all of the chaos, however, Yuri didn't see more than a brief shadow in the corner of his eye.

His wrist shot out and the mounted blaster spewed a volley of bolts out in the direction of the strange figure. It was only when Yuri glanced up at the supposed new contact that he realized he had shot their target. The distraught scientist stood in shock, staring down at the smoking holes in his chest and gut before he finally toppled over. Yuri immediately ceased his onslaught of the kid to step back and study the now dead scientist. "Oh... crap." He muttered, watching the corpse for a few seconds. "So, uh... still wanna keep fightin'?" He asked the kid, seemingly unfazed over the brawl they were having just a few seconds ago.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Objective: Protect the VIP
Attire: Gear
Tag: Yuri Maji

Cartri's eyes widened slightly, surprised by how the figure had taken the brunt of the strikes with ease "H-ey wa- UGH!" Cartri wheezed out when a rough elbow landed into his ribcage. Leaning forward, a capped boot slammed into his foot, leaving him open to be thrown over the shoulder of the hunter with a bump. At the moment, he was being thrown around like a ragdoll. That however was what he wanted as his plan to surprise the attacker was slowly coming into play.

He only had to wait a few more moments for his fist to charge.

In the meantime, Cartri had to do his best to avoid the punches thrown at him on the floor. Moving his head from left to right, the teen was doing well in missing them up until something unexpected happened. The bounty hunter had stopped, instead firing something at a strange figure above them who made a quick escape. It was now or never, a golden opportunity to punch this kark out of the window to a miserable death. However, when looking back to the scientist that all soon went out the window too.

"You're fucking kidding me..." Cartri groaned with annoyance while painfully lifting himself into a sitting position "No, there's no point now" After being a punching bag for what seemed like forever, he wasn't going to be getting his gear at the end of it "Well, I hope you're very proud of yourself. Not only did you almost kill me but you also allowed us to get third partied like an amateur." Cartri put a hand to his ribs and slowly limped up to his feet.

"Not only that, you've probably woken up most of Shaddaa with your detonator."​

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri winced as he turned to look at the kid. With the fight over, he was coming down from his adrenaline rush and his body paid the price for it. His ribs ached and he could taste some blood in his mouth, not to mention the throbbing pain in his gut where the kid got through the gaps. Despite all of that, a chuckle escaped him when the kid practically scolded him.

"Hate to break it to ya, but my bounty was dead or alive. Alive was just a preferable alternative." He remarked with a chuckle still bleeding past his lips. For the most part, the kid's words didn't mean much to him, his payment was secure at the end of it all. It didn't matter how it went down, as long as he had a body to deliver. But he was right about one thing: The explosion would have drawn attention. If not from the police or security, then definitely from some of the gangs around the area. Yuri wasn't in the mood to deal with any of those.

With a groan he hoisted up the body and rested it over his shoulder before making his way toward the busted window. However, he paused for a moment and turned to look at the kid. His bleeding heart couldn't help but feel bad for screwing the kid over. He blamed it on everything that was happening recently in his life.

The least he could do was try and repay him. "Bay five, dock three. Two levels up. Your choice." He spoke up, before finally dropping out of the window. His jetpack sparked to life and blasted him through the air toward his destination.

Cartri Keswoll