First Reply Crash Landing on Naboo

[Tae'l Vizsla]

"Wait Dank Farrik is...?" She didn't have time to process the idea that such a word was serious as the alternatives to be avoided. Before she could come up with new expletives, a gunshot rang out. And then another, and then another.

"Osik!"

The child began to deflect bullets faster than she could perceive, only seeing the sparks left in their wake and perhaps the muzzle flash of their assailant somewhere ahead. She was a combat clone, augmented for sprinting across battlefields or wearing heavy combat loads, not some mutated super soldier and definitely not some sorcerer. Her reflexes were honed by rigorous training and many battles, but they were quite natural.

She only had enough time to drop on one knee and fire a few shots in the rough direction of her query, suppressing the enemy just as she was taught even as a bullet bounced off her breastplate in a shower of sparks.

"You should come in peacefully. You're already hurt."

Tae'l couldn't afford to react right now but the kid had guts, she had to give him that. A part of her wanted to see how much of that confidence was inspired by that fancy sword and how much was his own ability, but this was no time to play games or take risks.

A low chittering sound echoed around them as she activated a scan-pulse via neural link just after the boy finished speaking. Their surroundings were quickly mapped on her visor display, and soon the pirate captain's figure was highlighted even through the brush, digitally tracked and position updated with each round of digital chittering. Echo location, like the great sea-beasts of Kamino, paired with a variety of scanners fine tuned to locate organic lifeforms.

"Found you!" She hissed, pointing the golden gun right at him. Had the contractor wanted him dead, the Weequay already would be, but instead she flicked the selector switch to stun. Sadly this gave the man time to duck behind the nearest tree before a targeting lock could be acquired.

Tae'l knew the boy had discovered him before she did, some kind of natural or perhaps force-based senses beyond her ability, but she saw no shame letting the boy shine just a little brighter than her today. She would be the one turning a profit anyway. But they'd have to work together if this played out the way she thought it would.

"Aris," she leaned a closer to whisper, though her eyes never left the tree where the enemy was hiding.

"Do you know what a pincer maneuver is? It'll be hard to disarm him with the force, but if we work together I think we can work something out"


Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

"You take one side, I take the other?"

Aris glanced to Tae'l just as Seszil seemed to wake and flashed through the air to batter away another shot sent towards the Padawan. He frowned as he glanced back towards where the man was hiding. He wasn't going to be able to run now, but he was determined to bring them down, wasn't he? That was an issue. He leveled out his saber, steadied his stance.

"We strike quick?"

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

Tae'l would simply nod in confirmation. It was good to see that Aruetii children- Jedi at least- were receiving a proper education.

As another shot tore through the air, she was quick to respond with another burst, though she was expending noticeably fewer rounds after suffering injuries, as the full-auto mechanism grafted onto this weapon required two hands unlike another she had encountered. Nevertheless they were accurate, nearly striking the pirate and forcing him back into cover.

"We strike quick?"

"Mhm-

On three.

Two... ​

One!"​

She ducked right and began firing into the tree with every step, almost running in a half circle around the tree. Even fighting left handed, the weathered gunslinger had steady hands, never at risk of flagging the boy and using weaker stun beams that could not pierce the tree. One on the other side, she would be able to identify and acquire the target fast enough to put a stun round into the Weequay or just back the kid up if need be.

She had a feeling the kid would be just fine after that last display, though she'd be have to be sure before acting.

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

Right on one Aris took off from behind the little cover he was using. His blade burned through the air as he knocked aside another shot sent his way. This was all to pull the attention of the pirate, naturally. He figured given the nature of a lightsaber he'd be the one looked at while Tae'l could sneak up from behind or at least find a clear shot.

They had their chance to surrender, so now they had to at least take them down.

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

They say that bounty hunting is a complicated profession, but today it seemed quite simple. It was never truly an easy thing, but the combined efforts of Gunslinging and Swordsmanship would pave the way. She had to admit, a Jedi distraction was enjoyable.

The target entered her line of sight and the boy was spotted in her peripheral in rapid succession, the blur of movement easy to recognize as an ally in this context. The Weequay had been forced to engage the rapidly approaching Jedi, turning his back just as she rounded the tree. She adjusted the position of her blaster by mere centimeters and show out a cone of blue energy that caused the man to freeze up as nervous system became overloaded, soon after which he dropped to the forest floor in a limp heap.

Tae'l took in heavy breaths as she lowered the gun, Nudging him with her boot and getting no response.

she let out a sigh of victorious relief, holstering the weapon and freeing her hand, which she held up to the young Jedi.
"High five little man!" One could almost see the toothy grin in the way she laughed then, even despite the beskar between them.

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris let out a breath as the man dropped before letting his saber disengage. Good. That was one threat handled, but there was still more that needed to be sorted. Mostly who Tae'l was, and if she was one of those Mandalorians that had ended up at war with the Alliance. Though- Oh. He blinked as she raised a hand, and with his own smile he did return the high five. Whether or not she was, it didn't matter. Not right now, at least.

"You are shorter than me, so I do not see how I am the little one."

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

"Force of habit-" A sharp pain cut her off mid laugh, drawing a pained wince from the Mandalorian following their victorious high five.

Glancing at her arm, she carefully traced the seemingly new tear in her sleeve. Once finished, her once lavender fingertips came our dark red, and a single drop hit the leaves below. Looking up at the boy, Tae'l realized the shot she took to the breastplate earlier may have shattered, and the spalling must have bounced and hit her arm. If she hadn't removed her bio-inhibitor chip, the adrenaline surge would have been weaker and she might have felt the shrapnel before now.

"Hey uh... since you're the tallest as you say, why don't you drag the guy" She chuckled nervously, holding the wound shut.

"How long do you think we have before medical finds the crash...?"

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

Blood. He blinked before glancing towards Tae'l, then to where she was holding her arm. She was hit, then? At least she'd remained calm. He wasn't surprised, warrior cultures like their own tended to be more used to pain or at least in how to manage it. That was good at least. He reached down, easily snatching the man to throw over his shoulder before looking back towards where the crash was.

"They should be there by now. After the last emergency, Naboo has been making sure to be on top of their game."

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

Tae'l watched as the boy easily threw the full grown man over his shoulder, something she would not have achieved at his age even despite her subtly augmented body's aptitude for muscle growth. A part of her wanted to ask Aris that was merely a natural trait of Epicanthix or if perhaps there was more to it than that, but given her own views on augmentation and cloning years ago, wondered if it might be rude to ask in case he was a strand-cast and had experienced similar events to herself.

Besides, the boy spoke of something else on his mind and now she had new questions.

"What kind of emergency? Crashing Mandalorians isn't a regular occurrence is it...?"

She asked with some concern in her voice despite the attempt at humor. She realized too little too late that it may have something to do with the Enclave's shift toward crusading sometime after her secret departure from their ranks. She was out of the loop ever since her time out west, but she heard stories. Some worse than others.

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

"Bombings and terrorism. And the fabric of reality ripping open a gate to hell." Something along those lines, from what he remembered Briana Sal-Soren telling him. A lot of people had died. And they were determined to make sure more didn't. He was quick to walk back towards the crash site, mostly to make sure this man on his shoulder was properly detained and that she got the medical attention she needed.

And her ship. He frowned slightly.

"I had to cut open your ship to get in. There's a lot of damage. It will not be cheap to repair."

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

"Gate to what...?" Tae'l stopped for moment, just trying to process that information while putting pressure on her wound. Her mentor and the other Children of The Watch had told her stories about all manner of supernatural things and places, one of which being a legend about Vizslas entering something called "The Nether", which she had also heard of from Darksiders such as Gravemind . Perhaps they and Aris spoke of the same thing?

In the end, that was a good enough answer for the time being, and so she continued to walk toward the smoldering ship. She frowned upon being reminded of what awaited them.

"Maybe after I cash this bounty in I can afford it...? Not sure, I have someone to look after and now medical bills so the budget is going to be tight... 'spose I can always take a public Starliner offworld though" She sighed in frustration.

It was going to be a long, stressful day.

 

[Aris Noble]

"That sounds more painful than the crash."

Jedi themselves didn't use public transportation when they could avoid it. And he at least had some reason to keep his lightsaber on him. For her though, where weapons were her religion? He didn't see that going well for her at all. "One step at a time, I guess? How much was this bounty worth anyway?"

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

"Aheh! yeah..." She chuckles through the pain, trying not to think it or the crash so much. While it was true that she was looked outwardly calm about it all, she would regularly flex the fingers at the end of her shot arm without rhythm. Blaster burns were one thing, but bullet shards beneath the skin were a new kind of pain.

"Maybe 10k? More to the trade league, but with the invasions going on, I had to take a detour. Was planning on taking him to alliance authorities for his other crimes but... well, you see why I stopped here"

Tae'l could see smoke over the hill, even if feinter than earlier. It wouldn't be long before they took her away for medical and perhaps to answer a few questions, she reckoned. She'd cooperate for now, there was no reason for them to recognize her yet. Besides, it'd get her back to Mirium faster.

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

"Are you okay? Is your hand going numb?"

He could hear her flexing her fingers. Which was abnormal of course. Not to him, but to everyone else. The tense sound of leather as she contorted and relaxed her hand, the sound of a grimace with it. Aris didn't know much about medical assistance, but it wasn't hard to figure that something was clearly going wrong. At least she hadn't collapsed yet.

"We should be back shortly. Let me know if you start to get dizzy. I should be able to carry you both if it comes to it."

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

Tae'l visibly glanced down at her free hand, realizing just how stiff they felt. The gesture had mostly been a nervous tick of sorts, but she couldn't rule out the possibility of blood loss. It was hard to get a feel for, Twi'lek biology saw a rise in body temperature beyond what was normal for humans, so the blood leaving her body stayed warm for much longer. If she was bleeding inside the armor, she couldn't feel the blood itself.

"Little bit..." she grimaced.

"Might be jitters too. Never felt quite right not using my hands for something" It used to be that the chip would keep her nerves in check at a time like this, but it was long gone and adrenaline wasn't something she could get used to just yet.

Then Aris offered to carry her, eliciting a slight chuckle from the Mandalorian once again. She was used to being the one who carried people, even if under less friendly circumstances, and the irony of being carried by a child was not lost on her. Still, she found it endearing in a way.

"Just focus on not dropping my money" She would lift her hand to pat his head, even if she had to reach up some.

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

"I wouldn't have to drop him to carry you both."

Which sounded ridiculous, to anyone but Aris. He just offered a brief smile, which quickly turned to a frown as she patted the top of his head. No, he wasn't too much a fan of such treatment, but given he was carrying a body he didn't end up doing much else but pout. He was young, he figured that was probably why. He still wasn't much a fan of the treatment.

Eventually he let out a sigh, then glanced to her arm again. Jitters wasn't a good excuse in his mind, considering the injury.

".. Just, follow my lead when we get there."

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

"Fine, fine. But only because you've been so helpful" She shrugged.

Despite her tone, she had taken a liking to Aris. Actually he reminded Tae'l a little of herself when she was younger, being so eager to help and leap into action, but almost unaware of her own capabilities compared to the other children. That was mostly because of her accelerated growth however, and even now she was only capable of mimicking Aris' capability with technology.

"Hmm. I've been meaning to ask... are all epicanthix strong as you are? I reckon I'm pretty strong, but even I need a crush gaunt to carry two people"

Tae'l would have jokingly flexed her bicep if not for the injury. Instead, she could only chuckled to herself. The standard augments of a clone trooper allowed her to stay fit with less exercise than other Twi'lek, but at the end of the day she was still limited to the performance of any other near-human woman.


Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

"No. I'm just built different from them."

In the most literal sense, but Aris didn't actually explain that much. In truth he was no different than another of his species, it was just how the Force interacted with him that made him so much stronger. He only gave a brief smile her way before they reached the crash. Or at least almost did. By the time they emerged from the woods there were already emergency personnel approaching them.

Aris raised a hand immediately. "I am Aris Noble, Padawan of Briana Sal-Soren. This is Bounty Hunter-" He paused, then blinked as he glanced to Tae'l. He hadn't actually gotten her name. But he let her fill that in before he glanced back to the approaching officers. "She needs medical attention. She was shot down by the pirates above, and thankfully the criminal she was transporting we had recaptured together."

They knew the name. There was little doubt they would. The pair of officers exchanged only a brief glance before looking towards Tae'l. One was quick to wave over a nearby medic.

"Sorry to say, but I don't think your ship will be flying any time soon."

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

"Fair enough!" She half winced, half laughed in surprise.

Her pace quickened as they came up to the Nabooian officers, the Mandalorian eager to see these stinging wounds dealt with once and for all. First however, came her least favorite part; Introductions. In Mandalorian lands, her beskar would have been identification enough, her word and her honor plenty for "law enforcement" to let her pass without ever needing to know a name. For Aruetii however, the practice of law and bureaucracy came first, and so she had to tell them something at least.

Aris raised a hand immediately. "I am Aris Noble, Padawan of Briana Sal-Soren. This is Bounty Hunter-"

"CC-117." She would state quickly, bringing up her guild codes and a basic profile on her holo-projector, leaving bloody prints as she had been holding her bleeding arm for awhile. There was more now than when they started.

A quick glance was exchanged with Aris, and she wondered if he understood the meaning behind her "Name" better than these officers would. Still, all the necessary legal information was on display, everything but a picture of her face of course. There were no other names listed however, just her Kaminoan designation which was legally recognized in lieu of her given name, which only appeared on Enclave documents kept by the Karjr. The difference being that she signed these alliance documents later in life, choosing to forgo her Mandalorian name on paper as to stay hidden.

"Sorry to say, but I don't think your ship will be flying any time soon."

"No... probably not" Tae'l sighed, giving the Fang-fighter one last lookover. It had served her well, from asteroid belts of Yhuzantaar to the many corners of Mandalorian space, she had flown to of these and back before officially coming of age. But perhaps the ship's legacy could continue in other ways.

"Hey, Aris? Maybe you could salvage those engines. Give that speeder of yours a little kick"

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris just raised a brow. She was a clone, then? He doubted Mandalorian's would go by a name that was basically a bar code, but he wasn't going to push anything with that. He had a feeling she might be uncomfortable here. Or in trouble. He probably shouldn't be covering for someone who might be an enemy, but he didn't see her as such.

She was someone who was hurt, though.

He blinked, glancing back towards her as one of the medics started to at least tend to her wound. As best they could given they seemed to know better than to ask a Mandalorian to pull of their armor.

".. I won't say no, you know. I will take apart that engine and use it."

Tae'l Vizsla