Private Get off my Lawn

[Cadere]

Milagro
Vanta City

​

Milagro, a prosperous trade and manufacturing world that was the confluence of both the Corellian Run and the Harrin Trade Corridor. Because of this, Milagro, on the border of CIS territory, extremists from the faction, believing that Milagro is in their territory demands to recruit the planet to its cause through aggressive means despite Milagro wanting to remain completely independent and neutral. Milagro calls upon the Order of Silver Jedi for aid and now, the Order has dispatched Jedi Knight Cas Tynen and his Padawan Yenna to put a stop to this.

Cas and Yenna were en route to a coalition of the planet's noble houses in Vanta City, Milagro's capital. Inside a transport speeder, Cas sat in the backseat with his Padawan and simply sat in silence - it had been some time since Yenna was assigned to him but the two had barely been on any missions together, and he could sense she had some resentment held towards him because of it. His feelings toward Yenna weren't all that positive either.

Unfortunately, the two were in it for the long haul so he had no choice but to suck it up and attempt to bond with the green creature. Cas rested his elbow on the door frame with his cheek laying in the palm of his hand, glancing over at Yenna, he asked "How're you feeling?" curious to know of her thoughts on their first big mission together - "Couple of years ago, I was in your boots when Sakadi and I were on a mission on Ojom." Cas revealed, reflecting on the mess of events where he met Sam and E-ka for the first time.

Eventually their transport would come to a stop outside of the city's skyscrapers and in front of a large palace that was the location of where all the Lords and Ladies of the ruling Houses would come together and served as the planet's governing body. Cas and Yenna would be met by a servant waiting for them, after a formal greeting, the Jedi would be led inside the palace.

Inside, the golden palace halls glistened everywhere which even caused Cas to close one eye and squint for a moment before he adjusted to the area. "Master Tynen, we are so pleased to see you." a man with short black hair dressed in long white and gold robes would call out to the two, Cas pressed his lips as he stifled a laugh at how utterly ridiculous the man looked. The black haired man shook Cas' gloved hand, making a funny face when he felt how dense his hand was, "My name is Barlo Kiles - Lord of House Kiles. If you'd please follow me, the others are waiting for you." he introduced himself, friendly expression quickly returning.

Smiling awkwardly at Barlo's overly cheerful nature, he matched Barlo's speed as they were led down a long corridor with a larger than life golden door at the end of it. This was all way too pretentious for the young Knight.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Yenna had mixed feelings about this operation. On one end, she was happy to go on an actual mission with her master and not simply do stupid training stuff at the temple. On the other end, she was annoyed with this. It had probably been a month since they were assigned to each other and they barely saw each other. Some of it was actual Jedi work which she understood, but what she really wanted to know about were these unmentioned visits or prolonged periods where he just stays away. If he just came clean, maybe she would have been more chilled with it all. But she wasn't going to keep prodding now, with the both of them having a rather awkward tension between them.

Yenna turned her head to glance at him as she sat beside him, clearly bothered by something. "Empty, my flask is...and, to bring extra, I forgot." she answered with a hint of annoyance. Sure enough she tried to tip her flask over for a few extra drops but nothing came out of it. "Good liquor, I hope these people have." she commented as she sat back and slumped down in the seat slightly with outstretched legs. She looked out the window at the skyscrapers around them but looked back at Cas when he spoke up again. She stared blankly at him, but she could tell that he was trying to break the ice between them. "Doubt, withdrawal symptoms on that mission, you had." she quipped lightly with a small smile to try and lighten the tension between them. He still didn't know about just what kind of issues she had and she wasn't going to tell him just like that. Not with how disconnected he is now.

Her smile faded and she looked around a little before back to him. "...Master..." she started with a sincere look. "Why do..." she was interrupted as the speeder came to a halt in front of the massive palace. She dropped her topic and instead stared with massive eyes at the beautiful building. She hopped out and waited for Cas before continuing to the servant waiting by the entrance for them. Her hopes of communicating without the worry of them being stubborn aristocrats were now dwindling quickly.

Once inside they were met by a man that drew a snort from Yenna. Though her struggle to keep her comments to herself faded immediately when he just greeted Cas and completely ignored her. A frown spread on her face as she folded her arms. "Oi, Kyle! Here too, I am." she spoke up with annoyance as she glared at him. "The name's Yenna. Pleasure to meet you." she spoke rather harshly before falling in beside Cas. Though with the speed they were walking she was quickly falling behind, so instead she hitched a ride on her master's shoulder. She gave him a look that clearly indicated her thoughts on this situation. If she could communicate telepathically she would be roasting this dude all the way to the meeting.

By the large golden door she hopped off, patted down her raggedy robes and got ready to meet whoever it was they were supposed to meet. Hopefully they actually noticed the tiny green freakazoid next to Cas unlike the other dude.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Yenna's drinking problem drew concern from Cas, as he lifted his head from his hand slightly and postured his body more toward Yenna "Guess I got lucky, I'm gonna need you sober for this." Cas stated, hoping her drinking habits wouldn't make her more of a liability than an asset and interfere with any future missions - the Kiffar wanted to ask her if she had ever tried to quit or what the origins of her alcoholism was but, it seemed she wanted to ask him something first and judging by her disappearing smile, it was important. Fortunately or unfortunately for him, they had arrived at their destination before she could ask.

Cas didn't comment on Yenna's annoyance at being ignored by Lord Kiles, she had a point in being irritated. As they were led to the large golden door, Cas felt his Padawan's weight collapse onto his shoulder - at this point, he just learned to deal with it now, what she really needed was one of those hover chairs so she could keep up pace with others.

Finally reaching the door, Yenna freed his shoulder at the perfect time as they were beginning to ache. Lord Kiles, using both arms placed his palms on each side of the door before pushing them open - inside the room, was of course golden filled with various art and golden statues of Milagro's settlers and founding members of the ruling houses, in the centre of it all was a wide table with three women and two men sat at it, however there were three empty seats ready for Cas, Yenna and Kiles.

"Master Tynen, Padawan Yenna-" Kiles emphasised, making sure not to forget her name outstretched an arm in the direction of the three Ladies and two Lords "I'd like to introduce you to Lords Rikil and Syko, and Ladies Orum, Tanau and Kordall - the matriarchs and patriarchs of their respective Houses" lightly tapping Yenna with his foot to follow his lead, Cas bowed respectfully to the rulers of Milagro and in-turn, they nodded cordially at him and Yenna. With that, Cas took his seat opposite Kiles and next to Lady Kordell.

"So, you're all being pressured by the Confederacy to join their faction?" Cas asked, face stern and putting on a professional voice. "Simply put, yes. However, these are extremists going against the wishes of the Confederacy's leaders. The issue is, we can't actively inform them - our communications to them have been blocked somehow by the extremists, the rest of the Confederacy have no idea they're doing this." Kiles revealed which earned him a nod of acknowledgement from the Jedi Knight "The CIS extremists demand that we join their ranks or they will send a militia as well as hired mercs to attack the planet..." Kiles continued sorrowfully.

Exchanging a brief concerned glance with Yenna, Cas quickly returned to Kiles and the others. Resting his arm on the table, Cas tapped away at its solid surface "I'm guessing you want my Padawan and I to devise a strategy to ward them off, right?" he asked which was confirmed by the Lords and Ladies all nodding. Cas exhaled deeply before smirking at Yenna, then at the rest "Alright, give my Padawan and I a couple of hours, we'll figure something out." Cas affirmed.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Yenna smirked as the man gave in and introduced the both of them this time. The lords and ladies were introduced however Yenna forgot their names by the time he was done. Why did aristocrats always need these weird names? Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a tap from Cas' foot and quickly followed suit. She walked over to her chair and hopped on, though she quickly realized that sitting down would be problematic. So instead she stood on her seat, peering over the edge of the table at the people as they spoke. Cas did the talking and soon enough they had their plan set...that plan being to make a plan.

Once they were excused Yenna waited until outside to clear her throat. "So...our job is...to stop an invasion?" she asked him just to make sure she was on the same level. "And to do so, stop these terrorists we must?" she continued, walking beside him at a calm pace. "Not going to lie, a very big job this is." she finished as she stared wide-eyed at the floor ahead of her. This was probably the first time in her life she actually thought that the floor was pretty. "Though, on the extremist group, no info we have. Stop them, how will we?" she asked him as she looked up at him, before looking ahead of them. She was already starting to feel the nag in the back of her head and an itch on her hand. "Get out of here, can we?" she asked him seriously before turning for the door without even waiting for his answer.

Once outside she patted down her robes, pulled her hood more over her head and then looked around for their speeder. "A drink I need." she stated to Cas as she walked to the speeder. "Want one? I'll pay." she offered with a smile as she looked up at him. "Without it, can't think clearly." she admitted simply as she reached the speeder. She waited for Cas to open the door then hopped in to grab a seat. "So, master? Go about planning, how are we?" she asked him with a smile.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Once Cas informed the rulers that they needed time to plan, they agreed willingly, bowing at them and excusing the Knight and Padawan. Outside, Cas rested his hands on his waist and took a deep breath, he opened a single eye and glanced in Yenna's direction when she cleared her throat. Eventually, he opened both eyes and matched her speed as they began making their way out of the palace.

Listening to what she had to say, and when she was done he opened both eyes and facing her, he confirmed "Basically." matter-of-factly. Yenna seemed unsure of this mission, he didn't blame her in all honesty, all of this was a very tall order and a lot for a Padawan that was still green. Folding his arms, his eyes remained locked on her and he simply smirked displaying genuine confidence that they would succeed, while he didn't explain to her how they'd do it - he just knew that they would.

Cas could sense the discomfort in his Padawan, an itchy feeling radiated off of her but before he could ask if she was alright she explained that she needed a drink. Maybe this problem was worse than he'd initially thought. Cas followed her to the speeder, shaking his head at her offer, he needed to set a good example - as the Knight passed the driver who was outside the speeder waiting for them, Cas flipped a credit chip toward him "Let me fly, I won't tell your bosses." he winked, flying helped get the creative juices flowing. Cas opened the door for Yenna on the passenger's side while he trailed over to the driver's seat.

Shutting the door, he leaned out of the open window with his hands still placed on the steering wheel "Don't stress! I'll bring it back in one piece. Promise." Cas assured the driver whose nervousness about the situation he could sense through the currents of the Force. "Well, you look like a hot mess - I guess we can go to a cantina, get you a drink or something. The plan? I'll think of something on the drive there." he said in referral to her question as he booted up the speeder. Feeling the speeder lift off the ground in its hovering state, Cas pressed a few buttons before tilting the steering wheel upward and in-turn causing the speeder to ascend higher into the skylanes above.

Performing a sleek and swift U-turn, Cas flew in the direction of a cantina he saw on the way to the palace. During the drive there, Cas was silent and descended deep into his thoughts - what were they going to do about these extremists? A series of fleeting thoughts left his mind as quickly as they came. After a few discarded plans, he finally came up with a semblance of one - one he would tell Yenna and hope to expand upon with her once they got to the cantina.

About ten minutes passed before the cantina came into view, Cas gently thrust the wheel downward and descended toward a parking spot outside the cantina. Finally parking, Cas exited the speeder and waited for Yenna to do the same before they would enter inside.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Yenna watched with a massive grin as Cas bribed the worried driver to take the speeder for a spin. Once he opened the door she hopped into the passenger seat and made herself comfortable. She looked like a kid, with her legs outstretched on the oversized seat and her hands in her lap. "About the drinks, don't worry. I'll pay." she said reassuringly as she got comfortable in her seat.

"Like one, I feel too." she quipped with a guilty chuckle before falling quiet. An awkward silence set in between the two on the way to the cantina. She did try to think of something to talk about, but she couldn't think of anything. She couldn't talk about Sakadi because she didn't want to blow a secret without her knowing. She also wasn't sure how to ask Cas about this 'Tess' she saw on his datapad without him going on the defensive about it. And they still haven't spent enough free time together to actually learn about each other...safe to say, this relationship of theirs was in jeopardy. Not that she didn't want to do something about it, she really wanted something to come of it. Sadly, the more she pondered on this situation of theirs, the more it bothered her inside. Probably enough for Cas to even notice.

They arrived at the cantina and Yenna hopped out of the speeder. She walked in with Cas and hopped onto his shoulder once they entered to avoid getting trampled. Once she bought a glass of very powerful whiskey for herself and whatever he wanted, she pointed out an empty booth in a corner for them to sit by. Once she got seated she immediately took a large swig of the whiskey and sat back against the seat with a satisfied grin. She helped herself to another smaller sip then looked back to him. "So? Got a plan yet?" she asked him cheerfully, feeling like she could actually think again.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

"You sure? I mean, I've got the credits..." he asked, feeling slightly bad about it. Though his gaze was focused on the skylane, Yenna would see his expression of genuine sympathy and concern before he angled his head slightly toward her while he was still watching the skylane "Why don't I pay for the second round?" he suggested with a small smile.

With her finally out, he allowed her to hitch a ride on his shoulder as he headed toward the cantina's entrance - upon entry, he realised this was one of the more fancier ones he'd had been to in recent years, if not the fanciest. With Yenna still on his shoulder, he approached the bar and ordered something non-alcoholic, not long prior he had decided he'd quit drinking or at the very least minimise it. He wasn't an alcoholic but Cas had realised he didn't really like drinking nor did he see any point in it.

Yenna pointed out an empty booth for them to sit at and with an affirming nod and smile, he wandered over toward it. Sitting at a seat opposite of his Padawan, he took a swig of his fizzy drink before placing it on the table "Boy, that's the stuff." he joked - Yenna asked him what his plan was but before he'd give her his answer, he would ask her a question of his own. A look of concern returned to his face as he stared into her golden eyes "How're you feeling now?" he asked with a worried tone, reflecting on how her withdrawal seemed to affect her.

After she answered, the Jedi Knight leaned back into the comfortable leather seat and took another sip of his drink. Still holding it near his mouth, he finally would answer her question "So, the plan..." he opened before drinking again and putting the glass back on the table. "Just a fair warning, my methods are sometimes, sorta unorthodox and crazy." he chuckled "It's... pretty straightforward actually. My plan was to simply stand our ground and push back against the invasion." Cas would reveal to Yenna, before interlacing his fingers together on the table "We gather a militia, train them up and have them act as support, y'know." he added.

Another idea seemed to pop into his head as he hooked his thumb and index finger to his chin "If you want... you can lead your own ground team while I provide air support? What do you think?" he suggested, sounding rather over-enthusiastic about this.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

She gave a sly smirk at his sincerity, holding up a handful of credits. "Quite sure. Your credits too, I got." she quipped before reaching over and slipping them back into his pocket again with a snicker. "In all seriousness, pay I will. My bad habit, my credits." she reassured him with sincerity.

By the cantina she grinned at his question. "Think now again, I can. she answered brightly. With her now back in high gear she could pay attention and think for herself again. She held har glass in her hands as her eyes were glued onto him. Once he mentioned giving her her own command she shook her head with wide eyes. "Too much faith, you have in me. Of this sort of thing, know nothing I do. Besides, putting the people in danger, we will be." she answered before running one hand through her hair while tapping with a nail against her glass. She sat deep in thought before finally looking up at him with bright eyes.

"What if...go in, just us two? Me and you lure them in, behind their lines we get in, then sabotage them?" she suggested with confidence. "Small, I am. Easy to miss. Good with blending in, you are. Get in unnoticed, we just have to. Then boom. Their means of invading, ruin we can." she continued before taking a big sip of her drink. She felt so chuffed with herself she downed her whole glass and tried to wave the bartender over.

Naturally her attempt went unnoticed through the crowd. She stood up and waved with more enthusiasm but to no avail. She sighed with frustration and looked to Cas with an awkward smile. Her expression probably said enough as to what she wanted him to do for her...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas turned to Yenna and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw her holding a handful of his credits, instinctively he slapped a hand on his now lighter pocket before turning to focus on the skylane again. Cas shook his head and pouted "We really gotta work on personal boundaries... but, fair enough." he said, finishing off his sentence with a shrug.

In the cantina, Cas was eager to hear any concerns or counter-ideas his Padawan would have. He visibly frowned at Yenna's apparent lack of confidence in herself - while they both shared a knack for trouble making, he was surprised to see that she didn't share the confidence, or overconfidence, he had when he was a Padawan.

His frown deepened after she finished with what she needed to say, leaning further back into his seat he folded his arms and glanced away for a moment. "I see your point about putting others in danger..." he confessed "I was looking forward to some action though." he pouted again "But, your plan is less destructive of mine." unfolding his arms, he glanced back at Yenna and chuckled "Maybe you'll have a few things to teach me during this partnership."

Finishing off his drink, Cas placed the glass back on the table before placing a closed hand over his mouth and letting out a quiet burp. Patting his chest to get any remnants out he glanced around the cantina "Okay, kid (relatively speaking). We'll go with your plan... though, we've still got until tomorrow to inform them of our plan, so..." he said looking back at Yenna "How do you wanna kill time before going to sleep?" he asked with a mischievous smirk.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

She could see the disappointment on his face when he went over her plan. Sure enough, he admitted his disappointment. She gave him a big smile and downed her glass. "Don't worry. According to plan, no plan ever goes. Likely, some action there will be." she assured him with a wink. If she learned anything in her life, it's that one should always prepare for the worst. A mission like this was likely going to turn into quite an action-filled debacle pretty quickly.

He continued on, asking what they should do to kill time. She nodded to the bartender before clearing her throat. "First, round two." she stated before sliding in underneath the table and hopping up next to him on the seat by the booth. Once Cas ordered a next round for them she'd pour the liquor over into her flask and slip it into her pocket. She then looked up to him and her smile faded somewhat. "Also...hoping, I was...that we could talk." she started carefully. "Who is Tess? Obviously, from your reaction, more than a partner she is. What, to you, is she?" she asked him calmly and gently. She sat down next to him and shifted to look up at him with her golden eyes. Her tone wasn't aggressive or confrontational. She was calm and tried to show Cas that she could be trusted. "Understand, I do, if hesitant you are to talk. Tell you what. Any questions about me, to ask away, feel free. In our closets, skeletons we both have." she offered him as she crossed her legs and turned to face him.

Her hands were in her lap as she looked up at him, waiting with a curious look to see what his answer was going to be...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

"Now you're speaking my language." he said excitedly with a smile in referral to Yen's comments about plans never going accordingly. Now that the two were in agreement, they would move on to the next part of their night - killing time.

Another round was to be had first which the Knight agreed with, he waited a moment before realising it would be easier for him to get the drinks "Oh, right. My bad." he apologised before sliding out from his side of the booth and heading to the bar, ordering what they had previously he returned and slid back into the booth. With one hand holding his glass, he drank away as he used his free hand to tap the table in a rhythmic tune. Seeing Yenna's smile fade worried him slightly, he had a feeling he knew what was coming next and he was definitely not ready for this conversation.

She finally asked it, Cas downed his whole drink of fizzy in hopes of stalling long enough for him to figure out how to say. Putting his glass on the table, he turned his head away and let out another burp, patting his chest as well. "What skeletons could you have?" he asked, not in a harsh way but in a curious and surprised manner. Then again, her drinking issues must have had a story behind it.

Scratching the back of his neck with a single finger, Cas was hesitant, and his long sigh showed that. Laying his hands out on the table "I wouldn't call it a skeleton in my closet. I'm not ashamed of it. It's... just something I'm not ready to share yet... with anyone." he stated sympathetically, averting Yenna's gaze feeling guilty at his secrecy. Cas raised his hand, palms facing Yenna, "You especially don't have to share anything with me that you don't feel comfortable with yet." he assured his Padawan. Tapping his foot at on the floor, he interlaced his fingers together and bit his lower lip "But... I'll tell you this. Tess; is someone special to me, just like Sakadi is." he confessed, hoping she would understand slightly.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Yenna chuckled at his question, looking away for a moment. "Hundred-and-fifty years old, I am. Some stories, I have." she answered him gently. Unfortunately he didn't want to talk about who Tess was just yet with her. But he gave her an answer that made her give him a knowing smile. "The picture, I think I get." she said simply as she looked at him.

"Share some stuff with you, I want to." she said after a few moments of silence between them. He might not want to talk, but Yenna was confident that some talking from her end might help ease the tension between them. "My drinking, you wondered about, I know." she started, looking at him again. "Old, I am, compared to others. Many people close to me, I lost. To age. To accidents. A loved one, including." she spoke calmly. "Probably sixty years ago, I started. For me, to deal with the grief, the only way it was. By the time I came to terms...too late for me, it was." she explained to him calmly.

She pulled her flask free and took a sip before staring at it. "One day, to drop it I hope." she said as she offered him the flask for a sip. After that, she slipped the flask back into a pocket and looked up at him. "My...sticky fingers, same with." she added with a giggle. Almost as if to emphasize her point, she pulled a datapad from a pocket and held it out to him. "A sort of...outlived usefulness, they are, with me a Jedi now." she admitted as she handed him back his datapad. "Not a good master yet, you are. Not a good Jedi yet, I am. But I think, work together if we, help each other, we can." she finished as she got up, giving his shoulder a light punch.

With a deep breath she made sure they had all their belongings and then looked to him. "Something else, wanna do? Training? A movie? Lessons at pickpocketing?" she suggested with a snicker.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Yenna mentioned her age which earned her a light chuckle from her Master, using his index finger to scratch at his temple "Yeah, I still can't get over how someone a century older than me was apprenticed to me, of all people." he jested. Cas smiled back at Yenna, pleased that she respected his wishes and was patient enough to wait for him to reveal everything in due time "Thanks for understanding." he said gently.

However, Yenna was confident enough to share some things about her past - when she finally began revealing the nature and origins of her drinking problems. His neutral expression slowly descended into an expression of sadness and sympathy, Cas' otherwise bright and chirpy brown eyes faltered and his shoulders gradually slumped lower and lower after every sentence. Truth be told, he never considered the hardships and the burdens of what it would be like to live a long life, establishing bonds and losing them over and over again. It seemed... so exhausting. It made Cas wonder if that was why Sakadi herself acted the way she did.

"I'm sorry..." he gently muttered, averting his gaze from the small Padawan "I couldn't even imagine..." he quickly stopped himself not wanting to upset her. Placing a reassuring hand on her tiny green shoulder, he assured her "If you need any help with that, I'm here for you." he promised with a genuine smile.

His sympathy quickly switched to surprise when he notice she swiped his datapad yet again, with a smirk and a playful eye roll he took it back "You know, that got old five pickpockets ago." he joked, chuckling at his own joke. His expression was serious after Yenna's statement about helping each other - he nodded in agreement before making another joke "I don't even think I'm a good Jedi yet, you got the short end of the Master/Padawan stick there. Sorry." with a smile.

The Kiffar yawned loudly and stretched his arm out, although the former was drowned out by loud music and overlapping conversations. "Those all sound great, but... sleep sounds way better - plus we gotta be up early tomorrow and I don't know about you, but I am not a morning person. I need my full eight hours." he remarked before sliding out of the booth and extending an arm for Yenna to climb up his shoulder.

********
​

After a great night's sleep thanks to the luxurious bed and rooms provided to them by the Lords and Ladies of Milagro, Cas was well-rested and ready to meet up and relay the plan he and, mainly, Yenna concocted the night prior. After showering and brushing his teeth, Cas got dressed into his black and grey Jedi robes, gathered his equipment and left his room. Just opposite of his room, Cas approached Yenna's and knocked hard on the door with his cybernetic arm "Rise 'n shine, Greenie! We got a big day ahead of us!" he yelled out lightheartedly, much to the dismay of the staff and other patrons staying at the hotel they were in.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

She chuckled at his comment on her pickpocketing but shook her head lightly when he continued on about his capability as a Jedi. "No, you are. The best, certainly not. But not bad, you are. Just some kinks to iron out." she assured him calmly. "Our differences, we have. But, make it work, I think we can." she continued with a hopeful glimmer in her eyes. As much of a pain in the ass as he was, she still believed in him. They were both still new and learning the ropes. They both just needed time.

Cas decided on retiring early and she gave a nod. "Neither am I. Go good together, mornings and me do not." she admitted as she hopped onto his shoulders. But she'd try to sleep early. The last thing she wanted to happen was her being hungover or something on a mission this important...

**********​

A loud groan and incoherent mumbling answered Cas from inside the room. The sound of bottles rolling on the marble floor echoed from inside and after a few moments a tiny Yenna opened the door with an average sized loth-cat hugged against her with one arm. In her other hand was a bottle of brandy still half full. She gave him a miserable look that bore into his soul and took a sip of her bottle, the look on the cat's face mirroring hers. "Stop screaming like a Starweird on spice, if you could, appreciate it, I would." she grumbled to him as she adjusted an oversized tank top that served as a sleeping dress. Another noticeable feature was the lack of bandages and other items covering her from head to toe. "And stop staring. Polite, it is not. Sleep, I could not." was the only explanation she gave as she walked back into the dark room.

She placed the bottle down on the ground by the comparatively massive bed and held the cat properly. She hopped back onto the bed and sat down with the cat still in her arms. "What time is it?" she asked him groggily as she hugged the cat, rubbing a cheek against it lightly.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Grinning, Cas hung his head low and shook it as he heard her muffled incoherent groans from beside the door. Resting his hands on his hips, the Jedi Knight tapped his feet as he waited for his Padawan to unlock the door amidst the rolling of glass bottles - sounded like she had a good time last night.

Once she opened the door, his attention was immediately drawn on the Loth-cat she was clinging to and completely missed the miserable look she had given him. With an eyebrow raised, he pointed his fleshed hand toward it and queried "Wha-- uh... where'd that come from?" with his gaze solely focused on the Loth-cat. When she told him to stop screaming, he looked to his left and right before looking back at Yenna, leaning close he whispered "Was I really that loud?" he asked, concerned.

"I was staring at the cat." he argued as he followed her into her room "What's the deal with bandages anyway? I've been meaning to ask." he added before stopping short in the middle of the room. "The time?" Cas lifted his wrist to his eye-level staring at an imaginary watch "Oh, look at that, it's time to get dressed." he quipped "We're meeting them in ten." Cas stated in referral to the Lords and Ladies, while turning back around and heading outside of Yenna's room to give her space to change.

​

Waiting outside with his arms folded, once Yenna exited her room and was ready to go he let her jump on his shoulder before making his way to the meeting room where he and Yenna were briefed the day prior. Greeting them, Cas walked to his and Yenna's seat and waited for her to hop off his shoulder before taking his own seat.

With everyone seated, Kiles was the first to speak - with his fingers interlaced, he addressed both Cas and Yenna with a concerned expression "We are eager to hear what you two have come up with, Masters Tynen and Yenna." Cas smirked and relaxed his elbow on the back of the chair, glancing toward his Padawan "Oh yeah we do. But I'll let my Padawan explain it, seeing as she came up with the plan." he said giving her an assuring nod,

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Understandably Cas was taken back by the cat, but Yenna was unfazed. "Still, impolite it is. Sleeping in my luggage bags, Frumpy was. When we got here, let him out." she continued. She kept hugging her cat but looked up when he asked about the bandages. "What the kark I am, keeps people from asking." she stated bluntly before pressing her face into the lazy cat's fur. She grumbled more incoherent words at his answer of the time but managed to look up at him. "Give me twenty." she stated as she let go of the cat and waddled her way towards the refresher. Luckily she got finished quickly and emerged, cat in hand, from her room after five minutes.

Back in her usual attire, she hopped onto his shoulder and cradled her cat in her arms. In the big room she got seated but slowly started to doze off again. However her eyes shot open and looked up at Cas with shock as she heard him leave the explaining to her. "Hold up...serious?" she asked him in a hushed, but frantic, voice. Glancing around, she cleared her throat and hugged Frumpy tighter as she stood up and hopped onto the table to look at the lords and ladies around her.

"Um...well...initially, of a militia or something, we thought. However...um...we-we..." she took a deep breath, cleared her throat and reached over to her flask to take a large swig of that. She put it away and took another deep breath to try and clear her mind. One glance at Cas and Frumpy was all she needed to get her thoughts cleared. "Basically, the lives of your people, we did not want to risk." she managed to speak loudly and clearly. Rubbing her cat's side with her thumb, she started to pace along the table. "So, a surprise, we thought was in order. Lure them in, we can, with your help, perhaps. Then, sneak in behind them, Master Cas and I can, to sabotage them." she continued, glancing around her to the lords and ladies. The nervousness in her voice was still quite clear. Even her cheeks were turning a deeper shade of green under her bandages. "From there, jeopardize their operations, we can. Without backup or a way off the planet, no choice but to surrender, they will have." she finally concluded with a big and toothy smile. "Hopefully" was probably the biggest unspoken word at the moment. She had no clue how these thugs would react, but so far it was the only plan she could think of.

"Quick and quiet, it will be. With no live lost on your end, hopefully." she added afterwards, dropping back into her seat and adjusting Frumpy in her lap. She released a hard sigh and looked back to Cas, hoping she didn't screw it up...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas allowing Yenna to take credit for her idea surprised her apparently, that, or she was scared of public speaking which he quickly found out was the latter. She began explaining as Cas watched with a smile but it quickly faded as she reached to grab her flask - he watched in anticipation, hoping she wouldn't do it. To his relief, she didn't and he started smiling again, nodding enthusiastically at her whenever she glanced in his direction.

He could still hear and sense the nervousness within her but he continued to watch her with the pride of an older brother as she fought through it. Once she concluded and sat back in her seat, Cas gave her a sly thumbs up while mouthing "Good job!" to her. Swivelling in his chair, back in the direction of the lords and ladies - he watched them expectantly as the rulers of Milagro exchanged approving looks with each other.

With a smile, they all faced Cas and Yenna "Well, that sounds like an excellent plan. If you really think you can pull it off, we can contact the extremists - feigning negotiations to join the Confederacy while you two sneak on board one of their vessels." Kiles added. Glancing at Yenna for a split second, he returned his attention to Kiles and smiled awkwardly through gritted teeth "Great, that's exactly what we had in mind." in actuality, he'd hoped they wouldn't get involved in this out of fear for their safety should this plan go awry... but they had every right to want to help in defending their home.

When further smoothing out of the plan concluded, Cas and Yenna accompanied the rulers of Milagro as they headed off to the communication centre in order to contact the Confederacy extremists. Inside, the Knight and Padawan would remain out of view but witness the exchange between Lord Kiles and the apparent leader of the extremists - Jido Val, a pale gruff looking man who, from the way he spoke to Kiles, seemed to have a superiority complex and revel in it. Cas was looking forward to taking this nerfherder down a peg.

After the transmission ceased, Val informed Kiles that he and his men will arrive on Milagro for negotiations within a few hours - as he shamelessly revealed they were on their way to force the Lords and Ladies to join the Confederacy. "Let's go over the plan one more time, Val and a squad of his men will be arriving to negotiate. They have no idea we're here, making infiltrating their transport easier. While you 'negotiate' Yenna and I will sneak on board, deactivate their transmissions, take out Val's men and force him to negotiate for real." Cas addressed the room with his arms folded, glancing between everyone that was in there.

If they would agree, Cas and Yenna would go on and make final preparations.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

It felt good to have Cas reassure her. But her heart sank just a little bit more when the people agreed to her plan. This wasn't supposed to go down like this. She was good at breaking into places, not formulating plans to stop a war! Regardless, she hugged Frumpy tighter and stuck close to Cas through the entire meeting. He went over the plan with them and all the while her heart was pounding away in her little chest.

The meeting concluded and Yenna walked with Cas out of the meeting room. Once they were out, however, she voiced her concerns. She hopped onto his chest and grabbed hold of his shirt collar to hold her steady while her other arm hugged a poor Frumpy against her side. The misery on the cat's face was quite evident. "WHAT THE KARK, CAS?!" she shouted with panic in her voice. She hopped down again and readjusted Frumpy. "Not how it works, this is! A criminal, I am! Places, I break into. Some military genius, I am not!" she voiced her issues rather loudly as she looked up at him. "Agreeing to this, why is everyone?!" she continued, walking off towards her room. Once she reached it, she gently placed Frumpy on her bed and picked up her bottle of brandy from earlier. She chugged a few swigs of that and sat on the ground next to her bed, pushing her head against it. "Not good, this is." she muttered to herself, taking another sip. Never before had she carried this much responsibility. She was a petty criminal...now they were trusting her with the fate of an entire planet.

"A petty criminal, I am. Not this." she kept muttering, drowning her worries with brandy. She felt awful. Her heart was pounding and it felt like she was carrying an entire bantha on her shoulders. She ran a tiny hand through her hair and ruffled it a bit as she tried to process what was about to happen. She felt close to tears, if she had to be honest with herself.

All in all, she was rather nervous...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Yenna startled Cas when she jumped on his chest, causing him to grunt slightly. He closed an eye and glanced away with his open one as she yelled at him in a panicked state - what did he do? Before he could even ask, she had already hopped off of his chest and onto the ground. Looking down at her, he listened to the concerns she had.

He was surprised to here that she wasn't pleased that everyone agreed with her plan - she was having confidence issues. Chuckling, Cas placed his hands in front of him to halt Yenna's panicked rambling.

"Yenna, listen. It was a good plan, you came up with a good plan. What did you expect? People to not go along with a good plan?" he queried, laughing as he did so. He crouched down to meet her, gently taking her flask out of her hands "You're not a petty criminal, you're a Jedi. A light in this dark galaxy." he assured her, Cas then handed her back her flask and stood up and turned round to make his way outside "Come on, let's save Milagro." he said as he turned his head to meet her gaze.

Cas waited outside, soaking up the planet's sun while he waited for Yenna to gain her confidence back. Once she had and had met him outside, he'd crouch down and let her hop onto his shoulder once more before walking in the direction of Vanta City. "Alright, so, we'll probably need some of your 'petty criminal' skills to get inside Val's transport ship, you any good at slicing? If you are, you'd be able to disable any transmissions from his transport." Cas proposed before stopping in the middle of the palace grounds. Scanning the area, he was hoping to find a vantage point somewhere as he did so, he would fill Yenna in some more "Val's transport should be arriving directly at the palace, probably with a military escort too. We'll have to be stealthy taking those guards out." Cas theorised pointing at the palace's landing pad.

He continued scanning the area, before turning his attention to Yenna once more "As a former thief, is there anywhere around that'd be a good vantage point?" he queried.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

As much as she appreciated Cas' reassurance, it still wasn't enough. For several minutes she sat in her room, chugging her leftover liquor and trying to get herself ready. Though as she took a sip, something clicked. She glanced at the bottle then at Frumpy. "He needs me. Do it alone, he can't. But...out there drunk, I can not go. This is hard, Frumpy. Something like this, done before, I have never." she spoke with her cat who merely stared at her whilst trying to sleep.

She looked at the bottle again and placed it on the ground beside her. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She tried focus on the Force as she was taught to. but as she focused, she felt the effects of the alcohol slipping away. Her mind calmed and she managed to gain a sliver of confidence. Enough to get her to say "Kriff it." and jump to her feet. She took a deep breath, checked her effects to make sure everything was on her and made her way to the door. Outside she looked up at him and took a deep breath. "Let's do it." she said before jumping onto his shoulder.

Outside Cas thought about their situation and asked about her slicing skills. A small smile crept onto her lips as she nodded. "Slice, I can. Pilot as well. In there, get us, I can." she said with confidence. He asked about a vantage point and Yenna looked around for several seconds. "There, the landing pad is. So...by those barrels, we can hide. After that...their routine, we can watch. From there, easy sailing." she explained as she pointed out the nearby crates and barrels by the landing zone for the palace grounds. It looked big enough for them to hid behind and close enough to reach the ship without much issues. Perfect, in her opinion. "How's that?" she asked him, curious to hear his input.

Cadere