𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐌 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓 ▹ KYLO REN [1]

𝘹𝘪𝘪. 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘵𝘵

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CASSUS'S FINGERS TIGHTENED AROUND THE HOLOPAD. The thought of selling her services to a Hutt made her nauseous. "And if I kill this man for you, you'll put me in contact with the hacker?"

The Hutt drew a deep breath through the pipe and let out a putrid puff of smoke straight in Cassus's face. This time, she could not hide her disgust, squinting against the tainted air before it faded.

"Yes," Borga said gruffly, "As soon as I hear of this man's death, I'll set up a meeting for you."

When Cassus trudged back to the card table, Meri gave her an incredulous look. "I'm surprised you were allowed to walk out of there, Mandalore."

Cassus frowned, eliciting a scoff from the Twi'lek.

"I could see how much you hated that Hutt from across the Pen," Meri berated, "You're gonna have to learn how to hide that better."

"Sorry," Cassus spoke in a tone that said otherwise before placing the holopad on the table, "Borga wants me to kill this guy for him."

Meri looked up from the holopad with a smirk. "Her."

Cassus's brow furrowed and she motioned to the screen. "Um, I'm pretty sure that's a male."

"It is," Meri retorted and pointed back toward Borga, "That is not."

"What? There's no way--" Cassus turned back and narrowed her eyes, regarding the giant slug. "Oh. Oh."

She looked at the amused Meri and Greer with wide eyes. Cassus raised her hands in mock defense; a smirk slowly crept onto her face. "In my defense," she said, "it's hard to tell."

After her sector's resting time, Cassus found herself cleaning the glass walls, looking up whenever the sound of footsteps neared. One of Borga's men had walked by earlier to inform her that her target would be passing on his way to the Pen soon.

With no one else in the hall, she unwrapped the rag in her hand for what felt like the hundredth time, checking the makeshift blade hidden in it. She had made it out of an eating utensil within her first three days on being onboard The Hold. But she was hesitant to use it.

"Never show all of your cards unless absolutely necessary," Boba told her, carefully wrapping a bandage around her arm as she watched a planet grow smaller in the window of Slave I, "You always want to be underestimated."

A small chuckle escaped Cassus; Kylo Ren never understood that rule.

They both ducked through a door as blaster-bolts bounced off of the walls around them. Kylo Ren breathed heavily as he deflected a shot back at an assailant before pressing his back to the wall. He looked across the doorway to where Fett was also taking cover.

"Now would be maybe be a good time to use--"

"No," Cassus interrupted firmly. But, her fingers still grazed over the weapon holstered on her hip, a weapon that her father had saved for her and given to her as an inheritance of sorts. A symbol of her family's pride.

"Using it now would ruin any element of surprise," she called over the blasterfire.

Kylo Ren's mask looked at her blankly and she could feel his frustration practically rolling off of him. "We're a little past that point, Cassus."

The bounty hunter sighed and glanced around her, searching for anything that would help them. Suddenly, her head snapped up and her hand shot for a pocket on her pants. She held up a spare fuel cell for her jetpack in triumph for Ren to see.

The weapon that her father gave to her was an honor to be used for special occasions and dire moments. And she was not going to waste it on a bunch of insurgents.

Tossing the fuel cell back toward the rebels, she waited for a beat. Their shots faltered as they looked at the canister in confusion, and Cassus leaned out from behind her cover at the doorway and fired.

Hearing a set of footsteps, Cassus immediately snapped to attention. She would not be able to blow up her target this time. Looking up, she had to hide her smile upon recognizing the approaching prisoner: her target.

As he neared, she tucked the shiv into her shoe. Another time, she thought.

She spritzed the glass with the cleaning spray and wiped the spot down with her rag, listening to the man draw closer. As soon as he passed her, Cassus jumped to her feet and threw the towel around his neck. Gripping both ends of the cloth, Fett tightened it around his throat. The man tipped back, and using the angle, Cassus twisted the rag, and the man's neck with it, violently. A crackling and the instant limpness of the body confirmed her success.

Releasing the cloth, she let the rag and the body fall to the ground. Cassus picked up her spray bottle and stepped over the body, making her way to the maintenance closet. She could hardly clean with a murder weapon.

As she opened the lid to one of the maintenance storage compartments, Cassus heard the whir of a peacekeeper droid rushing past. She poked her head out into the hall and caught sight of the black droid disappearing around a corner.

The signature sound of the buzzer signaled the transition to the next time section; for Fett, it was recreation time. Joining the other prisoners from her sector in making their way to the Pen, Cassus was surrounded by low murmurs and quiet questions. News was spreading about the fatality.

Hopefully, it would reach Borga before Cassus reached the Pen.

The looming figure approaching Cassus as soon as she stepped foot in the Pen confirmed this. Without a word, the bodyguard led her back to the Hutt's favorite corner.

"Ah," Borga opened her tiny arms when she saw Fett, "My favorite bounty hunter."

Cassus internally cringed at the unwanted title. Nevertheless, she stepped forward when Borga motioned her in.

"Closer," the Hutt implored, waving her pipe.

Borga held out a single strand of beads and bestowed them on Cassus's neck. The bounty hunter strove to ignore the slime dripping down the collar of her shirt.

"Now." Borga somehow leaned back even more in her place. "We have an agreement, and I will honor it."

She motioned again, and one member of the surrounding people stepped forward. "DJ is the best slicer onboard this ship. He can cut through any computer system."

The tall man's eyes shifted about the room before landing on Cassus, regarding her lazily. He reached to shake Fett's hesitant hand. "Pleasure t-t-to make your acquaintance."

"Welcome to my circle, Mando." Borga's welcoming voice drew Cassus's gaze back, but the Hutt's demeanor turned dark. "Those beads don't come for free. I will call on you if your services are required."