Private Agent Discovered

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Outer Rim Regions.​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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After their initial business meeting, Valery had departed to continue her own duties while Amea's agents began their search for information on Sump. On the planet historically known to host many slavers, they found the now abandoned camp where Valery had rescued Iris Arani from. It was hidden deep within its toxic marshes, but the navigational data Valery had provided made the journey far easier. Inside the camp, several bodies of dead slavers were left behind but overall, it seemed most had gotten away alive, and this meant they had destroyed a great deal of evidence in their retreat.​

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Normally, Valery would have spent far more time there to tie up loose ends and ensure that they couldn't erase their own steps. But what was supposed to be a mission tracking down the suppliers of Dark Side artifacts, turned into a rescue mission that involved kids and a young Padawan. Valery's decision had been to prioritize them over her original task, and this is what led her to Amea. ​

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Her hopes were that someone so specialized in gathering information could find something in this camp that she could not. After several days of thorough investigation, it seemed that Valery's hopes were answered. The Agents had discovered enough evidence to trace this mysterious group to several planets nearby, most of which hosted other slave encampments, or business locations. ​

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But one location stood out from the group.​

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Among the planets that agents were sent to was a planet called Terminus, a shipping and trading hub located at the crossing of two major Galactic hyperlanes. Early reports from all Agents revealed there was a likelihood of an entire trading network being established for these precious artifacts, and Terminus was the location from which they were sent out into the Galaxy.​

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But several days into the investigation of this group on Terminus, the communications with the Agent operating there were suddenly silenced. With no message from the Agent and no reports of someone being captured and executed on the planet, the chance existed that they were captured.​

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While all Agents were likely trained to withstand questioning and torture, every person had a breaking point, and many methods existed to get information out of people against their will. So the chance existed that these slavers would become aware of Amea and her Agents, and perhaps even the person who hired them for the job. ​

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With much unclear, one thing at least was certain - this situation required a quick response.​

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[Amea Virou]

Valery Noble

Click. The cocked gun exposed the chambered round before it was hidden with a clack.

Someone had taken from her.

The pistol found the table and Amea reached out for the next piece of equipment, an old but trusty and heavily modified E-11 blaster rifle. She vented the plasma cartridge for little more than two seconds but no longer than four. The ammo conservator shut the hatch by itself and the cartridge was slotted right back in again.

It was not an item that they had taken. It was not anything that should have held any real value to her or the average information broker. But she was miles above the average broker. She operated with a small but tightly-knit crew. She had a high bar for entry and placed expectations on agents that never failed to deliver for her. They never failed and she would in turn never fail them.

She grabbed the knife from her table and ran a finger along its edge to test its sharpness.

"You are welcome to spare them if you want." Amea grunted at Valery. "But this is Terminus. Mercy is optional."

She threw the knife at the top of the table to let it pierce through its surface and then some.

"They took my agent. So, by now they should have seen the hexagonal tattoo that marks them as my agents." She scoffed, laughed almost. "Either they know that we are on our way already, or they have no clue that the grim-f-" The knife fell over and impacted against the metal floor. "-king reaper is on her way."

Her eyes met with Valery's.

"Any questions before we begin?"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Outer Rim Regions.​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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Valery strapped the two twin lightsabers to each attachment piece on her hips and reached up to make sure her ponytail was properly tied up. She didn't have much to prepare, so after this, she simply watched Amea ready her blasters and equipment. The woman seemed a bit different from the last time they met - she had been serious enough but now she really had the gravel in the gut and the spit in the eye.​

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They had taken from the wrong person, and Valery was more than willing to assist her.​

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"I'll do what I must." she then said in response to the comment about mercy. As a Jedi, she wasn't one to kill non-Force-sensitives quickly, but she was a realistic thinker. It was extremely likely that they were going to be taking lives.​

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"I also wouldn't be surprised if they believe someone is coming. From my experience, gangs and criminals typically eliminate spies and enemies to make examples out of them. But they must have realized that your Agent was part of a group they hadn't yet been introduced to." Valery said as her eyes were drawn to the falling knife and the sound of metal striking the cold floor.​

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But then her eyes turned to Amea and she'd smirk.​

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"From the info you gave me, there is one spaceport close enough that we could travel to. So I suppose my question is simple - who is flying?"​

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[Amea Virou]

Valery Noble

"Good." Amea smiled back at Valery before she continued her check. Alone this would have been a challenge, but with a Shadow in tow it would be a cakewalk. While she doubted Valery was quite as willing to cross some of the lines that Amea was willing to cross to get her people back, she knew well enough to play within the confines of her rules. More as a sign of respect than anything else.

"Well, that's a non-question." Amea said and began to walk over to the cockpit and took her seat as pilot. "Unless you have an unexpected mastery of instinctive astrogation, an almost invasive understanding of starships, and the butt to fill out the seat just right."

Amea leaned over just slightly to look at Valery.

"Well," She grinned and stood up straight again. "You have one of those at the very least."

This confidence came with work. A tough exterior to mask up the interior. Would Evelyn have appreciated this? She doubted it, but then it felt just as likely that she would understand enough of Amea's intentions to join in and agree. In the end it helped to grease the wheels that kept a group alive in the middle of combat. Even Valery could understand that much from the looks of the scars she carried. The importance of friendships and connections, that is. Not the flirts.

Amea cleared her throat as she staved off the remaining embers that had threatened to break through the mask and turn her face red. The rest disappeared as she began to get to work on their trajectory and shaved off at least an hour more of travel time.

"And hey, look, before we get there…" She said and gave an exasperated sigh. "I know that I can be… Intense sometimes."

"But I would never betray those who are brave enough to place their trust in me, okay?"

"You and me? This operation? I will see it through or basically die trying."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Outer Rim Regions.​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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"Oh?" Valery asked in response to the Non-question comment, as she followed the woman into the cockpit of the ship. The answer she got, which was followed by Amea leaning in and commenting on her butt, caused Valery to blink and straighten her posture. She had largely been raised in an environment where flirting or showing more romantic emotions was frowned upon. Only after awakening from stasis, she had been able to explore it more. ​

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So now caught off-guard a moment, she froze for just a second before she began to chuckle and her own confidence returned in her expression.​

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"Do I now? Well, I suppose I have two, actually. I know my way around a ship, but it seems it's more fitting for you to fly." Valery said in response before she slowly lowered herself into the co-pilot seat. She was more a dogfighter type of pilot anyway and felt no shame in admitting that Amea was the more capable of the two to get them there quickly, and in one piece either.​

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She then let out a soft sigh of her own and ran a hand up through one of her bangs, tugging it behind her ear before glancing to her side as Amea spoke. "You never struck me as someone to betray their partners or give up on them," Valery said with a nod of confidence in the woman. ​

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"We wouldn't be going on this mission if that were the case." She said this, feeling certain that they were going to get the Agent back not to cover their own asses. Sure, it added to the importance of it, but Amea had clearly shown she cared about those she worked with. Those who had placed their trust in her.​

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Valery then leaned back into her chair, pulled her shoulders back, and pushed her chest out slightly as if to stretch a little bit. She rolled her head from side-to-side and let out a soft breath. She was ready for this, both mentally and physically. Her head and body then turned to face Amea again.​

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"And I didn't come along to leave someone behind either. So let's make sure they know that they messed with the wrong people, hm?" she smirked and finally turned her orange eyes forward to stare off into the darkness of space. To her Keshian eyes, it was something extra beautiful to see and soon, they would jump into hyperspace.​

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Ahead of them, a trap was likely waiting, but one not built to handle the likes of the two that were coming for them.​

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[Amea Virou]

Valery Noble

Still, whether Evelyn approved or not — there was something incredibly rewarding in making a Jedi Master stutter for a moment.

"Well, of course." Amea agreed and sent them reeling into hyperspace. The ship's viewport was enveloped by streaks of light that danced across its surface. Empty space was beautiful and all, hyperspace too, but the gloss had certainly lost its charm. She swiveled in her chair for a moment and stood up to crank up the fuel consumption and fix the engine power.

"You know, I had a friend who was a Jedi." Amea said and glanced over at her co-pilot. "Retired. Haven't really heard from her since."

She exhaled a chuckle.

"Was big in the Alliance, though. A sort of… Really weird connection to have now that I think about it."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Outer Rim Regions.​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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For a moment, Valery's gaze turned to the windows as they jumped to hyperspace. There was no denying the beauty of space or this dimension of traveling, but it had sure lost its touch after so many years. So when Amea got up to her feet, she looked back at the woman to meet her gaze.​

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"At first glance, I wouldn't expect you to have Jedi friends either." Valery said with a chuckle of her own.​

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"But knowing you a bit better now, I'd say much of what you stand for is something Jedi can respect as well." the brunette said with a tone that clearly showed it applied to her as well. She looked forward to working alongside Amea. The woman had proven to be pretty interesting thus far.​

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"That, and I assume that on a more personal level, work aside, the two of you got along well." she smirked and began to idly rock back-and-forth in her chair as it turned back to face the windows. ​

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"I've made plenty of strange friends like that myself."​

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[Amea Virou]

Now that got a laugh out of Amea. Standing for something like a Jedi felt like too much of an overextension of their beliefs than she was really able to understand, unless the Jedi had suddenly adapted scorched earth doctrines and ultraviolence. Her forearm aligned along the side of the navcomputer for a moment as she laughed and turned to look at Valery who seemed to stare out into the light-streaked void.

"Yeah, it seems Jedi have a tendency to make weird friends lately — if the rumors that are running through the mill is anything to go by." Amea said and pushed off of the console to walk over and take her seat again. "Seeing mention of suspicious lightsaber incidents in Alliance territory."

Her brow rose to question Valery. "Suspicious as in, are the Jedi suddenly getting involved instead of remaining dormant in their spire and on the battlefield?"

And then she shrugged.

"Don't get me wrong. Love to see it, just feels weird to see them actually… You know…"

"Do something."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Outer Rim Regions.​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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Valery's gaze slowly turned to Amea as she laughed, and an eyebrow was raised. She didn't feel particularly defensive about the whole topic, but was the consensus of people these days really that Jedi didn't do anything? She was used to criticism from when she first served, in the days of the Old Republic, but these days it only seemed worse.​

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"Huh," Valery said as her expression seemed more serious for a moment.​

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"A long time ago, I felt that some Jedi were too separated from the Galaxy as well, but most were active in the field, both on battlefields and just among the people. I myself got a lot of chit from friends about not sitting still enough." she chuckled and looked at the stars for a moment​

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"I can't say much about Jedi these days, but from what I've seen recently, they are doing their best to make a difference. So I suppose that means they are making odd friends or allies."​

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She looked back at Amea and grinned.​

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"Just like I am."​

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[Amea Virou]

There was something in the way that she spoke. "A long time ago", "Jedi these days", "I suppose." Valery was speaking as someone who was sure of her faith but not necessarily sure of how others felt about it. Not in the sense that "Should I be doing this?" as much as "How should I be doing this?"

Amea looked at her for a moment before she raised both of her brows in defiance.

"You know, if you are talking about me, you should really wait and see how you feel about how I manage this whole situation." She said as the viewport cleared and plunged them back into realspace again. "You might wanna take that back in a few hours."

And not one to beat around the bush, so to speak, she opened her mouth again.

"So when did you defrost?" She asked and looked over at the controls to plan the flight pattern towards Terminus. "And perhaps more importantly when did you enter stasis?"

"When we met I mentioned your digital footprint. We figured out you were a shadow, but even those leave some form of trail. Yours however just sort of appeared one day, seemingly. It's a common pattern found in those who entered cryogenic freeze to sleep away the Gulag Plague, or others who were otherwise displaced in time."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Outer Rim Regions.​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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Seeing the woman's brows rise in defiance, Valery tilted her head lightly and shifted back to look out the cockpit's windows with a small roll of her eyes. "We'll see. I have a feeling it'll get ugly when we run into them, but I'm used to it." she flashed Amea a brief smirk.​

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At the question regarding her time in stasis that followed, she'd blink. Valery hadn't exactly been overly secretive about it with her earlier comments, but she briefly wondered why Amea cared to know.​

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"I entered stasis about... 4000 years ago, roughly anyway. I was originally a Jedi in the days of what's now called the Old Republic," she explained. "As for defrosting, I got out of stasis a few months before the battle on Coruscant. Which is what also prompted me to get back into action."​

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She had been rather busy since and built up a decent profile with whatever work was on-record. Amea likely understood perfectly well that much of her work as a Shadow was not in her footprint.​

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"What about you? I might be mistaken, but you don't seem like someone who just rolled into your current job from day 1." Valery inquired - she wanted to see how willing the woman was with sharing information about herself.​

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[Amea Virou]

Valery Noble

"I mean, no." Amea said and bobbed her head up and down in a half-nod and half-headshake. "Used to be a thief. Did a lot of other odd jobs. Before that, I was an explorer. Even went to a satellite galaxy with a good friend and a bunch of his friends."

Felt like ages ago. Hard to believe that it was just a few years since then. For a moment the mood dropped. There was more to it, but Valery did not get to know that one. She was a shadow which meant that she was a spy. The two of them were friends now, but for all Amea knew they could be enemies tomorrow.

"But hey," She said and exhaled a chuckle to bounce right back. "We all have those other moments."

The ship pierced atmo and the dockmaster hailed them with a ping for their credentials. Amea pinged them back and they were soon granted a space of their own to land on: Dock C3.

"Free of charge, too." She smiled and continued to monitor their approach. "Guess he received my package after all."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Outer Rim Regions.​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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The idea of traveling to a satellite Galaxy caused Valery's head to tilt - that was definitely new to her. But the adventurer within her quite liked the idea as well. "Quite the jobs you've had," she said with the faintest of smirks before a more somber aura followed moments later.​

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She studied the woman briefly, but they had only just met - it wasn't her place to question these things. So without making any kind of comment, she simply nodded and turned her eyes to the window as the ship broke through the atmosphere.​

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"Package?" she blinked - should she have asked?​

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"How nice of them." Valery grinned and remained seated as Amea went through the landing procedures. The ship would soon come to a halt on Dock C3 and the engines powered down. Getting up from her seat, Valery stretched her legs, arms, and body and sighed. It was finally time to act.​

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"If all the intel we have is correct, they are keeping your agent in a compound within the city outskirts. Not the best place to be, but we should be able to maneuver through easily enough. We just have to be careful and watch for guards and people they might have to alert them of our approach."​

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[Amea Virou]

Valery Noble

There was a wicked grin on Amea's lips as she noticed the remark on her jobs, but not one that lasted for very long. As the ship touched down she twirled in her seat to stand on her feet again. It was a short walk over to the cargo bay where she sheathed her knife, holstered the pistol and slung the strap of her slugthrower over her shoulder.

As she descended the loading ramp she let out a long exhale.

"I think you'll find that subtlety is a secondary concern of mine." Amea said and glanced back at Valery. "More often than not, when it comes to these people, questions are far less efficient than statements. A simple 'please, could you let my agent go?' is far less convincing than a 'that is what will happen to the rest of you unless you let my agent go.'"

"That said…" Amea shrugged and the loading ramp began to close. "Yes. If we get in and under their skin before we strike, we stand to gain more than if we just barge in."

Her eyes scanned a former home as if it was unknown to her as they walked. For one moment and the other she felt it all come back to her. The trips she had taken, the nights spent as she filled one void or the other with a mixture of companionship or alcohol, or both. Careless whether tomorrow was the last day or not. It was an unparalleled freedom accompanied by unfathomable loneliness.

It felt weird to realize that those days were gone as well.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Terminus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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As the two women made their way down the ramp of the ship, Valery began to take a look around. She wasn't expecting the group of thugs to have people set up around here already, but it never hurt to be extremely familiar with your surroundings. If they had to make an escape or retreat back to this point, she'd be better prepared.​

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"Agreed. A less subtle approach could endanger the captured Agent as well." Valery added as the ramp behind her closed. The two then began to move through the city, towards its outskirts where the target compound was located. But during their walk, Valery noticed Amea's eyes drifting to a home, and along with her gaze came a brief shift in how the woman felt through the Force.​

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While Valery was never going to forcefully read into someone else's emotions unless necessary, she caught a brief glimpse of Amea's history with this world. Or at least, the emotions tied to them.​

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But what stood out more to her as they walked, were the eyes drawn to them. Only one or two glances at first, but it seemed to grow more frequent. While some of it could be related to their appearances, she felt something more sinister behind the gaze of some.​

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"Perhaps subtlety is going to be difficult today." ​

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[Amea Virou]

Valery Noble

"Perhaps." Amea nodded and observed those who observed them back. "They are vultures circling a predator. They can see it in how we walk, how we talk, and how we carry ourselves. Not to mention I am carrying a shotgun over my shoulder for the world to see."

Not strange in itself, but when a woman with a big gun walked the streets with determination accompanied by another, it was only natural that people made note of it. She doubted enough that it would travel long enough for their quarry to be aware, but then, they had been aware enough to capture her agent. Perhaps they of all people would be keeping an ear to the ground for these things.

They turned a corner, swept through an alley and then another. This repeated for a few moments until finally they rounded a corner to a small alleyway. Where a lookout twitched at their arrival. His boots scratching the ground with a hiss before he fell over in silence, knife stuck to his neck.

"I think that answers that." Amea said and extended her hand to pull the knife back into her hand to wipe it off against her leather jacket. "Expect resistance."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Terminus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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Valery agreed with the analogy that Amea made and chuckled at the shotgun over the woman's back - subtlety really was a secondary concern. In the streets of Terminus, many were walking around with weapons displayed, but the two women looked like they were on a mission, and nothing was going to stop them.​

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That was bound to draw attention.​

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Their path continued through alleyways and junctions until they finally ran into the first lookout. A knife was launched and before the man had a chance to call for help, his body struck the floor.​

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"Yup," Valery replied as her eyes shifted up — there were more of them.​

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A moment later, a second man came crashing down from a balcony, hitting the cold floor in front of the two women after Valery had drawn on the Force to pull him down. He wasn't getting back up.​

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"They're on elevated positions as well," she said as she stepped over the body and continued the path forward with Amea at her side. Singled out like this, these thugs were hardly a threat, but the slower they progressed, the more time they had to converge on the two. ​

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Soon enough, they were about to reach the last labyrinth of alleyways leading up to the compound, when two thugs with heavy rifles appeared on the other end. ​

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"Kill those bitc-" the rest of his sentence was interrupted by the sound of his heavy repeating rifle sending bolts down the street. Valery quickly pressed herself against the side to present a smaller target and produced her lightsaber from her belt. The violet blade ignited and her eyes turned to Amea.​

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"Their aim is terrible."​

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"And time for subtlety really is over."​

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[Amea Virou]

Valery Noble

"Kill those-"

Well, Amea really did not need to hear more. She pulled the scattergun off her shoulder with its sling and raised it up to fire off a shot before she dove for cover. One blaster's fire was soon joined by several others. Purple blade against red plasma, the ultimate weapon that brought fear into any sane bandit's heart. Amea's own hand had been severed by one, but she had opted to see it more as a learning experience. Mostly for the sake of her pride.

"She brought a Jedi!" Came the exclaims from the guards put on defense. "A fucking Jedi!"

From behind the walls she could hear heavy footfalls. Amea levelled the shotgun at the wall in preparation for the assault, and as the brickworks came flying out into the alleyway she unleashed a salvo into whoever or whatever it was that had decided to make a grand entrance. The dust settled, and in it she could see the lifeless body of a big burly ithorian.

"We have an entrance!" Amea shouted over the chaotic scene and stormed into the hole.

"The idiot gave them an entrance!" The men quickly exclaimed as plasma began to pour from inside the hole.

"Thank you!" Amea laughed and jumped in and dove for cover.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Terminus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Amea Virou ​

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Valery couldn't help but grin when she heard them yapping about how Amea had brought a Jedi. Perhaps some of them would remember her, or the reports that had likely reached those at the top after she wiped their encampment on Sump mostly clean. But there was time to find out later — right now she focused largely on providing cover for Amea by returning as many of their bolts as possible.​

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In an alley like this, the combination of a Jedi able to shield against blaster fire and someone capable with a gun to return fire was hard to beat. They were figuring that out rather quickly, as even their added numbers had little effect.​

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Then she sensed movement behind a wall, but Amea was already on it. While she positioned herself with a shotgun, Valery stepped past her to protect her. So when the wall came down and the shotgun was fired, the two could go in through the created opening without a problem.​

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"I got you covered!" Valery called out equally as loud as Amea jumped in and got behind cover.​

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When Amea got situated, however, a group of 4 came sprinting down the alleyway, hoping to get inside after the two to strike from the back. Valery noticed them and turned her gaze to Amea.​

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"Four incoming, I'll give you a clear shot!"​

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She waited, her orange eyes focused as the footsteps were getting closer rapidly.​

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When they finally came around the corner, Valery lashed out telekinetically, sending debris their way from all directions to completely stun them in place, and cluster them together through the sheer force of her attack. ​

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An excellent target for someone with a shotgun.​

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[Amea Virou]

Valery Noble

There was no denying the efficiency when it came to a blaster put in a struggle against a lightsaber. Amea's grip paled against the barrel of her shotgun as she withdrew the blaster from her holster and fired a flurry of four shots with critical hits at center mass. Amea spun on her heel and began to focus on the gathering crowd on the inside, took a stride forward and raised the gun yet again.

They tried to shoot her.

Emphasis on tried.

Bullets had this tendency to just freeze in place for a moment before they passed her right by. One bolt, two, it was a spectacle of light as the men before her began to quiver at her approach. She threw the blaster to the ground and unsheathed the blade to dig it into the nearest leg she could find.

The thug knelt over in agony, her free hand latched onto his helmet with a growl.

"I never came here to slaughter your men, Tark. Only you." Her voice hissed over the soldier's intercom to his boss. "You have a minute to bring me my agent before I tear this whole building down."

He would know better than to doubt it. The intercom crackled for a moment before a voice responded…