Waiting for Bad News (Invite)

[Santoro]

Caden pulled the Phoenix from the nothingness of hyperspace, sitting back, quiet. He looked out at the bright, twinkling orb called Coruscant. He patted Hoppy on the dome, and stood, turning.

"Put us on a drift course around the planet. If we're questioned, say we're only waiting for a friend." He walked out of the cockpit, and into the waiting room, where Adriana should be.

"Uh.. Hey. Are you alright?"

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana glared up at him and pulled her knees to her chest. She looked back down. Her body was full of pain from Zamiel's knife, but she was too concerned about Santoro to care.

 

[Santoro]

Caden stood awkwardly for a moment, before unlocking a soft chair and rolling it over, locking it back closer to her. He sat down, and sighed, putting his head in his hands. After a moment, he sat up.

"I know you didn't enjoy leaving him. To be honest, I didn't either, but it was his plan. He made me promise to go through with it, no matter what. He said he'd escape, and if he's half as skillful as I hear he can be, then he's probably already beaten us here." He leaned in front of her, trying to get her to look at him.

"And if not, we'll figure something out."

 

[Emma Lou]

She pulled further away from him and stood. Her shirt was cut and blood stained. She walked over to the doorway and turned to look at Caden.

"He's your Uncle"

She walked out of the room toward the cockpit.

 

[Santoro]

"Yes, which is why I trust him. He's your boyfriend, you should trust him too." Caden stood, and followed, ready to intercept the inevitable thrown object he found associated with angry women.

"Look, sweetheart, unless you have any better ideas we wait here for twelve more hours. If we haven't gotten any sign of him, we're to go back to the Midnight Men base. If we haven't heard from him in a month, we assume the worst, but not before, alright?"

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana turned on him.

"I cannot just wait around here! Go back now! I want to help!"

 

[Santoro]

"Sure! There's a plan! Let's jump back into territory it took Dan and I quite a while to sneak into, and especially to coordinates I don't know. Then, when we get there, we can get shot at by turbolasers, and if we're lucky some starfighters to spice things up. Who knows, maybe we'll be hit by a couple of assassins beforehand? All part of the game, right babe? Because, it is a game to you." Caden rolled his eyes, and let out a frustrated sigh.

"You don't get it. Santoro gave up his freedom just so you had a chance at yours, he'd give up a lot more if he could. Accept the gift, and wait. If you want to help him, then let's try to console him. He said something about communicating through the Force, reach out. Comfort him, or something, don't go chasing him back into the deathtrap we just got out of."

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana was right in front of him now, silent. Her anger was building in her with his every word and she really wanted to kill him. Zamiel had been right, she did have potential. She smiled to herself at that thought. She would not kill Caden though, because she could not pilot the ship. Instead she punched him hard right in the nose.

 

[Santoro]

Caden simply took the hit like a champ. He turned back to Adriana, and raised an eyebrow, his eye twitching and blood starting to come down. He let out one little laugh, and shook his head.

"Santoro would have hated to see you like this."

Deciding that was enough, Caden turned his back to Adriana, and headed to the refresher to clean himself off.

 

[Emma Lou]

He was right, of course, but Adriana did not have time to dwell on it. She was fine one minute and the next she felt as though she had been shot. She reached out through the Force and frantically searched for Santoro. He was alive, but he was down and now they would surely kill him.

"They shot him!"

 

[Santoro]

Caden poked his head out of the refresher, and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh.. What? Who shot him, and how do you know? Is he alright?" He disappeared around the corner again, and came out, drying his face off. He was already swelling a little, but it didn't look like there was a break. He stopped about a meter away from her, and stood anxiously.

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana shrugged, but she knew he was okay.

"He is unconscious, but is on the ship and headed back home"

 

[Santoro]

Caden simply shrugged, and rolled his eyes. He stepped past Adriana, and sat in the pilot's seat, putting in a few coordinates, plotting a route.

In a couple of minutes, they were off, headed towards the base.