Private Scars in our Tally

[Ysennia Lee]

Location: Kiros
Tag: Nos Voros
Gear: Officer uniform w/o helmet | AT-SH4 Holdout Blaster

Hundreds of years ago, Kiros was a remote colony in the expansion region. Togrutans had settled on the planet to produce art and culture, to be away from the war, and to enjoy a peace that they hoped to create. During the Clone Wars, its colonists were kidnapped and forced into slavery. Thankfully, they were rescued and continued to foster. Now under the Galactic Alliance, the Kirosians have maintained their identity. They honor the memory of the abduction the togrutans faced and the pain that it caused, peace, freedom, and restoration have became the core values of the people of Kiros with more settlers moved to the world. In addition, there were lush green lands, soft breezes, and moderate weather year round. The synergy of stable political infrastructure and natural aesthetic endorsed further settlement efforts. Recently, the colony of Yona, one of the planet's settlements has been regarded for its high living standards. Within the main settlement, citizens access free healthcare to handle their physical and mental well-being. Clinics can also be seen near the rural settlements attached to Yona. Art festivals are held annually to showcase planetary and interplanetary artists. Access to other necessities such as food, water, housing, and education are also provided to ensure everyone has a high standard of living. Yona became a symbol of hope for those looking to start over.

But Kiros was on the border separating the Galactic Alliance and Dark Empire, facing threats of invasion so military presence increased on the planet. The regiment had split the planet into sectors assigned to adjutants to defend. Ysennia was designated the appropriately named Yona Sector. Her quarters was in the main settlement's security headquarters where she coordinated with local security forces. She had a direct line to the mayor of the settlement in case of an emergency in her office. Small outposts were littered across the sector running patrols between the rural settlements. Overall one of the best assignments to have in the Alliance. There wasn't a large predator population on the planet, no violent crime, and rarely any minor crimes. Even if there were minor crimes, it was usually handled by settlement security.

Ysennia was in her office going through the reports on her data pad. They were nothing to concern over which was annoying because the reports she were getting could be summed up to, "Nothing's happening." So the reports she sent to her CO were no different than what she was getting. She took a sip of her tea, locally grown and gifted from the settlement chief of security. Floral, sweet, and herbal. A very satisfying flavor profile. It took her out of the monotony of her routine, but was immediately startled by the holocommunicator beeping at her desk. She pressed the button to answer the call, one of the outposts was calling in.

"This is Outpost Resolute to Command. Come in command."

"This is Command, go ahead Resolute."

"A passenger liner was shot over the Neeran Valleys. Please advise."

She was shocked to her core, they'd been here for months on the same routine thinking nothing would go wrong. But today something did. "Is it the empire?"

"We're unsure ma'am, but the projectile's source came from the surface southeast of our position."

"Tell your squads to remain on high alert. I'll head over as soon as I can."

"Yes ma'am."

Just as the call ended, Ysennia made the call to other outpost commanders in the sector and informed them what happened. She set up a call between her commanding officer, a middle aged kel dor and the mayor of the settlement, an elderly togrutan.

"Major Lee. You have something to report?"

"Colonel Dorra, Mayor Yarish, one of my lieutenants reported that a passenger liner had just been shot down by surface-to-air weaponry in the Neeran Valleys. I've already put the sector on high alert"

"Is it the empire?" The mayor asked concerningly.

"Not sure, I'll be going to investigate so I need to make sure we keep the settlement locked down and ground all air transportation. Yona Sector is a no-fly zone."

"Very well, I'll send the news to the other sectors. Should you need support we can dispatch reinforcements to your location."

"Yes, and you shall have my full support major. If there's anything you need me to do. I'll be sure to help however I can."

"I'll leave my XO to assist in defense of the settlement, send out a PSA and tell your people to stay out of the sky and out of the Neeran Valleys. I'll head out and check the crashed ship."

"It will be done major, may the force be with us."

Ysennia was preparing to set out to Outpost Resolute while the mayor had sent out a live broadcast from his office.

"Citizens of Yona, the settlement and the surrounding area is on lockdown. Remain in your homes and please cooperate with security and Galactic Alliance military personnel. Do not wander alone, make sure your doors are locked, and make sure your loved ones and neighbors are safe. A curfew will be set between 19:00 and 06:00 hours, to not wander outside your settlement bounds. All air transportation and travel to the Neeran Valleys is shutdown until further notice. We will post with updates when possible, in the meantime, follow all safety protocols and may the force be with us."

​

 

[Nos Voros]

SCARS IN OUR TALLY

Outfit: Clothing/Armor
Weapons: Heavy Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | Too many more to count

Nos stopped his jog along the picturesque roadside in Yona. The sound of the Mayor’s broadcast played from unseen loudspeakers, the audio from distant sources bounced, echoed and collided, creating a dissonance in eery contrast to the idyllic hillside.

As civilians began to murmur and clear the street, Nos turned around and turned his jog into a sprint, accompanied by silently mouthed curse at his luck as he headed back to his accomodations.

So much for R&R the off-duty bodyguard thought to himself.

If the Madam senator hadn't insisted he take a vacation away from the stress of Alderaan he wouldn’t be here weaving past startled togrutans, artists, and other tourists.

Nost burst through the entrydoors of the resort he was staying at. He hurdled over a bellhop’s cart, nearly toppling the precariously stacked luggage. It wobbled dangerously close to toppling before the disgruntled employee steadied the stack of baggage, shouting in some dialect Nos was unfamiliar with. Nos called out an apology behind him without breaking his stride.

Upon reaching the elevator the Zeltron skidded to a stop. A crowd had gathered blocking the entryway - a family of at least two dozen Ortolans adorned with various souvenirs that muttered to themselves, completely oblivious to the Mayor’s broadcast.

“The stairs, then. It's only... nine flights.” Nos grumbled to himself. He turned a corridor and began his ascent of the hotel’s spiral staircase, three steps at a time.

Shortly after returning to his hotel room, Nos frantically tried to multitask as called the office of Lady Sylvia Organa , attempting to get Sylvia's secretary on the holocomunicator despite knowing the comm lines were constantly busy with the efforts of Coruscant's reconstruction.

While changing out his lightweight exercise gear and into his agent’s kit (that Sylvia insisted he wouldn't need) the secretary answered uncharacteristically quickly - precisely as Nos’s foot caught in the beltline of his pants.

“E-excuse me! Mr. Voros, I'm flattered but this is my work contact-”

Nos flinched upon hearing the voice, losing his balance and hitting his head upon the hotel’s kitchenette counter with a comically loud thud. The shame and embarrassment stung more that the black eye that had begun to form.

As he finally managed to fit his leg in the trousers, Nos tossed on a shirt and stood before the holocomunicator refusing to acknowledge the slip up just seconds prior.

In a serious tone, Nos addressed the secretary: “I need you to take a message to Lady Sylvia Organa: a situation has arisen on Kiros and ai may not be able to return in the expected timeframe. I'll send a report once I know more.”

Slowly, with a stony face that masked his realization, Nos zipped his fly closed.

“Message received, Mr. Voros” the secretary responded, politely ignoring both of the agent's blunders.

Nos closed the comm line and quickly fastened his his heavy Blaster Pistol to his belt, his shoulder holdout blaster harness, utility belt and various vibroknife sheathes on his boots, hip, and chest. It looked rather silly over a simple dark shirt, but he had not packed for active duty - it would have to do.

After lacing his boots and catching an elevator back down to the lobby, Nos initiated a call to the GADF comms line overseeing Yona.

“Greetings, this is Agent Nos Voros of GAS security” Nos sent his credentials, verifying his position as Senator Organa’s chief of security “I'm currently within the lockdown area surrounding Yona and I'd like to offer my assistance to the GADF in response to the Mayor’s broadcast.”

Fully adorned in his emergency field kit, Nos stepped out into the street, hailing for a ride to the settlement's security headquarters.

Ysennia Lee
​

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Location: Yona Security Center
Tag: Nos Voros
Gear: Officer uniform w/o helmet | AT-SH4 Holdout Blaster

Ysennia was rushing from her office into the halls where people were scrambling. Tensions were high and some in local security started to panic and who could blame them? The horrors of war had threatened the peace of Kiros numerous times and they were always sensitive to galactic conflicts. Every time they caught a break, something else always turned up. This is a good planet with a tragic history, the scars the residents inhabited run deep, and another would be added to its count. The command center was a flight of stairs down from her office. She had already informed her command staff and squad leaders to meet her there. The building itself took one block with only two floors, fitting for a remote colony on a sparsely populated planet. It wasn't as expansive as say Brentaal IV, but it was serviceable. The command center matched the standard of any remote settlement security center, an office space with terminals, screens, and desks organized in sections to handle different functions. There was a separate situation room within the larger command center so that the appropriate personnel can strategize their next move.

Ysennia was relieved to know everyone was present. A few officers with a couple in the standard GACA-14 Nemean Armor, their helmets with other equipment in storage.

"Good. You're all here. Now-"

She was interrupted by a beeping noise coming from her listening piece. "Ma'am, we have a transmission coming through. Senate Security."

"Patch it through."

“Greetings, this is Agent Nos Voros of GAS security. I'm currently within the lockdown area surrounding Yona and I'd like to offer my assistance to the GADF in response to the Mayor’s broadcast.”

Her heart jumped into her throat as she was concerned. Was a senator on that starship? They weren't told the exact type of passengerliner that was shot. The designation was general and could mean a wide array of ships from private luxury shuttles to large passenger cruisers. Given that the crashed vehicle was only identified by lookouts, the ship that crashed was most likely in the small to medium range of ships. Odds are Resolute didn't have time to properly identify the ship so they just gave their best guess of what they saw. She'd have to further inquire once they were there. But if it turned out to be a senator's private shuttle, then this was less of an isolated incident. Ysennia was worried of the implications of what this attack could mean.

"We verified his credentials ma'am, he's chief of Lady Sylvia Organa 's security detail."

Now she was puzzled. But we would've been told Lady Organa would be in the sector. She thought to herself, assuming that with her chief of security planetside, she would also be here. At least there was a lower chance of a senator being shot out of the sky, and Ysennia was willing to have extra hands for the mission.

"Give him high-tier security clearance for the sector and tell him to report to Major Lee in the security center as soon as possible. If he needs assistance, staff can direct him to the situation room."

"Aye ma'am."


​

 

[Nos Voros]

Outfit: Clothing/Armor
Weapons: Heavy Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | Too many more to count

“Come on through, report to Major Lee in the Security Center”

The guard spoke through the intercom, followed by a buzz and click of the building entrance unlocking.

Nos entered and nodded, pretending to know both the major and the location. Nos picked a corridor and looked for signs or movement that would guide him to the situation room.

“The other corridor, Mr. Voros”

Nos turned on his heel abruptly and began walking the opposite direction, silently relieved that a passing member of the staff motioned for him to follow.

Nos admitted to himself that he was more accustomed to the layout of diplomat’s meeting halls and arenas of legislature than those of actual security structures. The building was less symbolic and more utilitarian, but it also had more signs of life; signs that people lived and worked here everyday. It was comforting contrast to the pristine carpeted corridors and sigils of the Senate, even in a state of alarm.

“Major Lee will see you inside”
the staff said, walking further down the corridor to continue their duties as Nos thanked them genuinely.

Nos stepped through the door, realizing he didn't know how to properly address a Major. He entered, his paltry emergency field kit strapped over dark casual clothing making him stick more than a Wampa on Tatooine.

Nos only had one tactic to compensate. It might have even worked - if not for the bruise outlining his eye in a dark purple blotch.

You got this, Nos. Just nod your head at the most decorated looking person in the room, squint your eyes faintly, and look mysterious. That’ll work.

Instead of his intended confident first impression the result was anything but.

A disheveled and armed Zeltron entered the situation room looking like he was just assaulted and about to cry.

Ysennia Lee​

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Location: Yona Security Center
Tag: Nos Voros
Gear: Officer uniform w/o helmet | AT-SH4 Holdout Blaster

"-Before I left my office, I told Resolute to send a unit to investigate the crash and report back with their findings. Every soldier has a direct link to the settlement's emergency services in case they need assistance with civilians in an emergency situation."

Ysennia was doing her best to calm the nerves of her subordinates. Every second they waste in this room left risk of death for survivors in the crash. She knew that, but she had to trust her men on the ground could handle the situation long enough before she could come and assess.

"It's just one man, ma'am. Everyone's here and we're wasting time." Said one of the captains.

"He'll be here captain. I'm not going to pass up a valuable resource."

The room calmed for a bit as Ysennia and her human and humanoid staff were standing around the table, waiting for the newest temporal member of their unit.

"You've been around GAS Security before, ma'am?" One of the officers asked.

"Seen them before, lieutenant. Just never up close." She replied. "But protecting a senator is a serious job, they don't just recruit anyone."

"What do we know about the agent?" He asked.

"Name's Nos Voros. He's chief of Lady Organa's detail. That's all we got."

Her staff looked at each other confused.

"The man in charge of her security detail is here without her?"

Ysennia just shrugged, "Looks that way. Just found out he was here, don't know how he ended up here or why."


"Do you think it was wise to give him high security clearance in the sector?" The captain asked.

"What are you thinking captain?" Ysennia replied, turning her head to face her XO.

"All due respect ma'am, he isn't military. He probably has no familiarity with infantry based tactics or protocol. Giving him access to facilities restricted to most of the men seems a bit rash." He said.

"I'm aware of your concerns captain, but not all GAS agents are glorified bodyguards, some have been recruited from our own ranks. Some agents have a past that makes them suitable for the position of protecting our government's elected officials. Some are ex-mercenaries, bounty hunters, or just straight-up killers. Yet they still serve the Alliance." Ysennia paused to look at the room, to calm the nerves of anyone who seemed apprehensive about the new arrangements. "We don't know what kind of threat we're dealing with so I'm willing to take anyone who is entrusted with protecting the Alliance that has an expertise in killing."

Just as she finished, the door opened behind her.
​

A disheveled and armed Zeltron entered the situation room looking like he was just assaulted and about to cry.

The GADF officers did their best not to give a look that would give off any sort of offense, but they were all to some degree, confused. Everyone gave passing glances to Ysennia as if she had any idea of what the appropriate thing to say was. With Nos's black eye the first thing she assumed was that maybe there was an altercation before he arrived. But if there was an altercation involving GA personnel in her sector then she would've known about it. Also in her non-professional opinion, given the expression on his face, an altercation involving the agent seemed... unlikely.

It was probably best not to ask.

She had to give a straight glance to one of her officers who was doing a terrible job of holding back their laugh. Others were looking too and Ysennia was just embarrassed. It seemed best just to get this meeting out of the way. Especially considering that they just wasted a minute in silence.

"We appreciate your willingness to assist in our mission Agent Voros, I'm Major Ysennia Lee, currently assigned to the defense of Yona. We're just about to start the briefing." She said to the agent. The officers had stepped to the side to allow Nos some space by the table.

​

 

[Nos Voros]

Outfit: Clothing/Armor
Weapons: Heavy Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | Too many more to count

Nos nodded, sensing the urgency, impatience, and vicarious embarrassment from various members of the room. He also sensed unasked questions from Major Lee and several others. Abandoning ‘The Look’, Nos spoke candidly.

“I apologize for any delay - To my knowledge there is no senatorial presence on Kiros, rest easy in that regard, It is only by coincidence that I visited Yona for recreational leave. A threat in the sector is a threat to the alliance regardless, and a delay in my return to duty by some Imperial scum would inconvenience my charge.”

He spoke as if entering a conflict zone unarmored and bearing only small arms to neutralize a potential invasion was a sane action to take. To Nos, it was - the assaulting force was an inconvenience to his return to duty. If he died, he did so for the people of the Alliance just like any day in the Senatorial secret service.
Self preservation was secondary to threat elimination, tertiary to protection of one’s charge.

In this case, the squad would be his charge; Nos would see each return safely after neutralizing the threat to the best of his ability.

Nos stepped to the space provided by the table, his eyes flicking from one detail to another rapidly, skimming the basics with the efficiency befitting a decade of experience; he was much more accustomed to briefing rooms regardless of the organizational branch.

He skimmed the briefing; the intel drowned the intruding empathic emotional senses. Like a switch had flipped, the Zeltron’s demeanor shifted suddenly from his uncertain entrance to an operative of singular focus.​

• A downed passenger airliner in the Neeram Valleys
  
  • Not an obvious military target, with no clear VIPs on the flight list that would warrant a targeted strike, unless they were under alias. A crime lord would travel more cautiously.​
  • Nos suspected either bait or terrorism.​
• Judging by the ordinance - surface to air missiles - the assailants were well equipped and had time to set up an ambush.
  
  • Considering Kiros’ remote location on the border between the GA and DE, Nos could almost certainly rule out criminal influence.​
  • This was either a direct Imperial attack resulting from covert infiltration to set up an ambush from the ground, or traitors using existing defensive infrastructure.​
  • The trajectory of the missile indicated it was fired from southeast of the nearest squad. Unless a base had gone dark, this was likely fired by portable ordinance, thankfully making the traitor option seem less likely.​
  • The thought of an imperial strike team on Kiros still made for a poor consolation prize.​

A lure
Nos supposed from his initial glance at the briefing. He would wait to hear Major Lee’s briefing before making any further assumptions as there may be additional details yet to be revealed.

Nos spoke after his rapid assessment of Intel on the table. His mind was clearer now as he fed vicariously from the determination of the defenders present.

“By all means, let's begin”





Ysennia Lee​

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Location: Yona Security Center
Tag: Nos Voros
Gear: Officer uniform w/o helmet | AT-SH4 Holdout Blaster

Despite his lack of armament compared to most GA personnel, Nos seemed capable. To Ysennia that's all that mattered. As everyone was settled, she cleared her throat to begin the briefing. Using her hand she displayed a top-down holographic map of the sector. She then brought focus to where they were going to depart to.

"At around 11:00 hrs an unidentified passenger cruiser crashed in the Neeran Valleys, just about two kliks southeast of Outpost Resolute. Our job is to investigate the crash, locate survivors and get them to safety. Once that's done we locate the source of the weapon that took down the ship.”

She then looked up to everyone present she knew it was short but there wasn't a lot for her to work off of, "I'm not gonna lie to you people, I can't say for certain what we're up against. I know most of us are thinking the Dark Empire. We're on the frontier so I won't rule them out, but I don't want to jump to conclusions and say-"


"Sorry to interrupt ma'am but we have an emergency transmission coming through." The comms officer had patched through to the situation room on the emergency channel, announcing to the whole room.

"Patch it through."

A holodisplay of an armored GADF sergeant was on the table, there was some static but it could still be interpreted visually.

"THIS IS SERGEANT TASYL. WE'VE BEEN AMBUSHED BY UNKNOWN HOSTILES, HOSTAGES HAVE BEEN TAKEN AND WE'RE PINNED DOWN. REQUESTING-"

The transmission cut out. No one knew what to say, but now wasn't the time to contemplate.

"Varis, Jarkus! Take your squads and meet us on the launchpad, we're taking the gunship! The rest of you back to your stations and keep us updated with anything you know about what the hell's going on out there!"

"YES MA'AM!" Her officers projected simultaneously. Ysennia gave them time to leave the room to she could speak with Nos Voros . "Agent you have full access to the armory in case you need to stock on anything. Don't worry about logging out any equipment, the quartermaster will understand. I'm going to my quarters to get my weapon and armor and meet you on the roof. If you have questions you can ask them on the ship."

Considering the hostiles had anti-air weaponry, taking the gunship seemed haphazard, but it was the fastest craft they had and the sergeant was not only in danger but confirmed that there were survivors now turned hostages. They had no time to waste.
​

 

[Nos Voros]

Outfit: Clothing/Armor
Weapons: Heavy Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | Too many more to count

Nos bowed immediately,

“Yes Ma’am, thank you”​

Agent Voros headed directly to the quartermaster - he did at least notice that signage during his clumsy entrance to the briefing.

Within minutes Nos had restocked what would typically be in his active duty kit, adding smoke grenades and flares to the stun and HE grenades he typically carried. A few spare gas cartridges for his Heavy Blaster Pistol, protective vest, a basic comms earpiece, simple eye and ear protection for any dust, concussive debris, or sonic hazards.

Some armor was better than none. Nos preferred to supplement his senses with reading through empathic telepathy, feeling hostile’s anger, fear, or determination to vaguely sense proximity. A full set of armor would likely hamper both his senses and reaction time as he spent most of his days in covert protective gear.

As if I could even fit into a spare set of armor

Nos thought.​

He had a tendency to forget his size; Zeltrons packed on muscle mass easily. It was a primarily cosmetic function of his biology but he worked regularly to push his limits into functional territory.

Voros was back out of the armory promptly, once again taking stairs three at a time to the roof, aware that every second was vital.

Nos was relieved to see he was not the last to reach the rooftop landing pad. As he walked at a hurried pace to the gunship, he did a final check of his holsters and utility pouches.
Vibro-knives, holdout blaster, throwables, ammunition, a few comestibles, Garrote, Rider Ascension pistol all prepped and ready at a moments notice.

The Zeltron filed in with the others, strapping in between two armored troopers, unable to prevent his shoulders from intruding into their space. He tried to tuck them in regardless.

As others filed in, Nos spent the time planning how best to assist the operation. He had some experience with hostage situations, at least.

If we are able to get a foothold and turn this reactive situation proactive, I may be able to free the passengers if the primary focus of the hostiles is distracted.
​

This assumed they would be able to dig in sufficiently. He would propose this if the conditions were favorable on arrival, but no plan survives contact with the enemy.

“Does this gunship have flares, shielding, anything that will deflect another surface to air rocket if their firing position is concealed?”




Ysennia Lee​

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Location: Yona Security Center Launchpad → Neeran Valleys
Tag: Nos Voros
Gear: Officer uniform w/ helmet and chest plate | AT-SH4 Holdout Blaster | BHSR-1 Service Rifle

After getting her gear, Ysennia made it to the launchpad and was relieved to see everyone and amassing into the ship. All her men had dawned the nemean armor while she and Agent Voros stood out amongst the others. They all boarded the GALAAT-30 Ziio. Lieutenant Varis and Lieutenant Jarkus each had their own squads of 9. Plus her and Nos made for 20 men in total. She had taken note of Agent Voros's size in comparison to the other soldiers, the men on either side of him were aware that he was being considerate, especially since they were at max passenger capacity.

"Take us up, chief.” Ysennia said to her pilot and like clockwork, the gunship ascended and was on its way to its destination.​

“Does this gunship have flares, shielding, anything that will deflect another surface to air rocket if their firing position is concealed?”​

“Just more shielding than your average speeder. Which makes me think that the passenger liner that was shot down probably wasn't a starship, you'd need some high-grade military tech to bring down even a decent luxury liner from planetside. A lot of men in the regiment are on their first tour and haven't seen combat outside of simulators, that includes Lt. Yusani at Resolute. He probably panicked and said the first thing that came to mind. So if the hostiles are carrying surface-to-air weaponry, it's probably infantry grade which means we'll get a hell of a bump if we're hit, but we'd still make a landing."

Ysennia sighed, even though she was confident in her assessment they were still going on assumptions.

"We're approaching the crash site now ma'am." Said the pilot. Guess they could finally get their answer.

As the squads barked orders to each other, Ysennia stepped out to see the crash and noticed that it was a speeder bus, specifically it was a tour bus. Because it was tourist season, a lot of people came here just to see the sights. The right engine was gone and the speeder crashed in the middle of the valley range. Sadly no one could prepare for what just happened in the last hour. "Agent, stay with me." As they got closer what they saw was ugly, dead bodies, a lot. A whole squad of GA troops with their scout support platforms and what looked like a few civilians which included the driver and a few passengers. It was never easy to see. On first look, Ysennia noticed a lot of the seats were empty which meant that the survivors were taken and those that weren't seemed to have died from the crash. The troops however had blaster marks on their armor.

Her first instinct was to check the bodies and see if they were still alive. One of the squads were already checking for life signs as Ysennia walked over. "Ma'am! We have a live one." Said the medic who called Ysennia over to a soldier who was on the floor resting her back against the wreckage. Once the major close, she knelt down beside her. "Trooper, are you okay?"

"ambush..."

"What?" Ysennia couldn't hear with the wounded soldier's faint speech.

"AMBUSH!" One of Ysennia's soldiers yelled. Ysennia quickly turned and saw hostiles positioned on the hill and saw three rockets fly in their general direction. They didn't hit the squad directly but they did it one of the scout platforms and the ground around them. The troops couldn't find cover as they were in an exposed position. There were maybe a few rocks but most of the troops were in prone.

"CHIEF, GET IN THE AIR NOW!" Ysennia hollered on comms.

As the gunship ascended, it was preparing to do a strafing run on the hostiles, but they already had their anti-air prepped as the enemy fired their rockets at it. They all hit the ship and it seemed like they were preparing for another shot.

"WE HAVE TO PULL OUT MA'AM. SHIELDS ARE DOWN AND WE CAN'T TAKE ANOTHER HIT."

"ROGER THAT, GET OUT OF HERE!"

If they weren't caught off guard, the ziio could take out the ambush party in one strafe, but the rockets each had a direct hit on their shielding in quick succession. They didn't have the upper hand, it was best to cut losses when necessary. Ysennia took a position by a rock and tried to find the location of the rocketeers. She figured she found one of them and fired in their direction but took cover as blaster bolts flew towards her. They were outgunned and outmanned.
​

 

[Nos Voros]

CONTACT

Outfit: Clothing/Armor
Weapons: Heavy Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | Loadouts in bio

Agent Voros’s relief at Major Ysennia’s answer and speculation quickly faded when he saw the wreckage.

Nos sensed desperation, urgency, and fear from within.

As ordered, Nos followed close behind the Major as she investigated. He couldn't place the emotional trace as it was faint, carried only by the sheer desperation of it, consciousness fading.
A survivor was found - the source of the despair, witness to the previous ambush. As he stepped closer he could identify the injured Soldier’s state of mind.

"ambush..."

Nos couldn't hear the words but could read lips just well enough to place the emotion in context. Nos dove, loosed like an spring uncoiled, closing the distance between him and the survivor Ysennia was about to speak to right as the chaos erupted.

"AMBUSH!"​

Nos grabbed the Injured soldier by the collar in the same fluid movement, rolling over them to cover the witness as the explosions went off.

Sorry, Nos thought, this probably karking hurts.​

Shrapnel from the remnants of a scout platform wizzed by, a small chunk embedding itself in Voros’s protective chest piece.

A quick glance to confirm the injured soldier under him still lived was all Nos took the time for as he rolled off, pulling one of the smoke grenades he retrieved from the armory.

As he primed the grenade his eyes rapidly scanned the engagement zone through the falling dust of the explosions.

Wreckage from the blasted Scout platform
a pair of craters
a smoke trail from one of the rockets fired. ​

He didn't need to reach their position, just throw far enough to provide cover for the squad. Nos Voros rose to a kneel and hurled the first smoke grenades towards the hill the rockets were fired from. It landed, bouncing off of a rock slightly before spewing a steady stream of dense, grey, opaque gas.

Blaster fire echoed back and forth now, leaving little doubt where to throw the second smoke.

Once again Nos thanked the chest piece as it absorbed a shot; the force of superheated condensation rapidly expanding knocked the wind out of Voros's lungs and toppled him onto his back. From the ground he pulled and primed the second and final smoke from his belt, tossing it slightly offset from the first, hoping to buy Jarkus and Varis enough time to regroup their squads.

Nos and the witness were still exposed and blaster fire provided a constant threat.

“Hold tight, this might hurt” ​

Nos said to the witness as he pulled his Ascension Pistol from its holster. Nos wrapped his other arm to secure the torso of the injured soldier overtop his own.

Nos leaned his head back, spotting Ysennia taking cover near some sizable rocks. Reaching to Aim behind him, Voros fired the ascension pistol, successfulong hooking into one of the rocks. The sound of the gas cartridges powering the reel squealed and zipped as the grappling gun pulled Nos horizontally to cover. Debris, rocks, and pieces of things he didn't care to identify scraped along the back of his chestpiece as he skidded along the surface, sliding to a haphazard stop near the cover of the rocks.

Nos eased the witness down safely, freed the ascension pistol, and drew his heavy blaster.

“Witness secure, smoke cover from the fireteam on top of the hill” ​

Nos reported as he scanned the horizon opposite the smokescreen for other ambushing fireteams. Ysennia’s returning fire alerted him to the rocket team she had eyes on. From the other side of the rock, Nos leaned out to provide suppressive fire.

Ysennia Lee​

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Location: Neeran Valleys
Tag: Nos Voros
Gear: Officer uniform w/ helmet and chest plate | AT-SH4 Holdout Blaster | BHSR-1 Service Rifle

The suppressive fire on her position had died down and Ysennia looked around her and saw the battlefield shift. The wounded trooper was out of harm's way, presumably thanks to Agent Voros. A smoke screen had given the two squads enough time to form an offensive pattern. They knew they couldn't stay under the hostiles for long, but even though they reorganized, they didn't have the height advantage. Quickly, Ysennia went on comms.

"This is Major Lee to Outpost Resolute, come in Resolute!"

"I read you major! This is Resolute!"

"Yusani! I need mortar support 400 meters east of the crash site!"

"Roger that ma'am! Payload delivery scheduled at T minus 45 seconds. Have a nice day!"

Ysennia was relieved that Resolute had support on standby. But now she had to let everyone of her troops know. Given the smoke screen had started to dissipate, mortar rounds would hopefully hit the enemy by the time it was gone. "Once the smoke clears, mortar rounds are going to hit the enemy, I need everyone with their heads down. Once shells drop, storm them. If you can, take one alive." She said on comms. She then kept her head down, unfortunately the smoke was clearing faster than she predicted and the firefight started to pick up again. She had only hoped that the mortars would hit before the rockets could fire off. She wasn't looking for direct hits, just a shock to catch them off guard.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1.

As the shells whistled through the air, explosions could be heard in close proximity, Ysennia kept down behind the rock and her men braced their heads as four rounds hit the slope of the hill. The smoke cleared and the enemy was in disarray. Now was their chance.

"TAKE THE HILL!" Ysennia hollered on comms and the two squads were opening fire on the enemy's position. One of the medics was ordered to check on the wounded trooper and stabilize her. Meanwhile, the hostiles still maintained their composure, but it was clear that they took a loss in life. The rocketeers were caught off guard and found the closer the alliance soldiers got, the riskier it was firing heavy ordnance. The firefight became more intense as soldiers took cover behind rocks on the slope, Ysennia had also followed from behind, getting close to the action. She fired a few shots, taking out one hostile behind cover.

​

 

[Nos Voros]

QUICK AND DIRTY

Outfit: Clothing/Armor
Weapons: Heavy Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | Loadouts in bio

The smoke began to clear as the major contacted Outpost Resolute.

The whistling of Mortars approaching heralded the chaos to come.​

Nos hit the dirt.

"TAKE THE HILL!"

Nos ran. Despite ear protection he still heard ringing from the heavy ordinance. The imperials would be disoriented as well - at the very least.

What’s one hill compared to 9 flights of stairs? ​

Nos ran, acutely aware that his gear and training favored closer engagements than the back and forth potshots he had been able to fire to this point. He needed to be quick and capitalize on the confusion before him.

A primed stun grenade cooked in his grip before he tossed it over the hill at the last moment.

Nos dove prone as he heard the pulse and rumble from the throwable. With his left hand, he pulled his primary vibroknife in a reversed grip for stabbing, holstering his blaster with his right. Nos rose back into a sprint.

As he crested the hill, he saw inside the foxhole the ambusheing party had prepared. A grisly crater proved at least one of the mortar shells had stuck true enough - though it scattered much of the various supplies and munitions such that Nos couldn't make a snap assessment of the emplacement's intended duration or secondary purpose.

Nos dropped to a slide behind the first hostile trooper, an unfortunate soldier still covering their eyes from the stun.

The massive Zeltron grabbed the helmet from behind and plunged his knife just under the chin of the armor, silencing the ambusher before they could shout alarm. A quick twist of the helmet snapped the hostile limp, and Nos immediately moved to the next.

As the other troopers crested the hill and blaster fire brought dazed focus back to the imperial hostiles, Nos forced a blaster barrel away from him as it fired. Rather than disarming the imperial, Nos let the armored figure fire fruitlessly into the air as he wrapped his right arm around the weapon-bearing elbow, twisted the trooper over his hip to the ground, and sunk the vibroknife into the armpit of the imperial armor rapidly and repeatedly until the blaster ceased firing.

The rest of the imperial fireteam had their hands full with the squad firing from the edge of the emplacement, it provided ample distraction for a few hamstringing cuts and silencing stabs.

Soon, the hill was silent. This hill, at least. Nos wiped his blade clean and rejoined the friendly troopers, careful to do so slowly and when few were looking so as not to draw any anxious fire; the squads seemed experienced enough but an ambush like that could rattle anyone and he was not a regular presence amongst them.

Ysennia Lee​

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Location: Neeran Valleys
Tag: Nos Voros
Gear: Officer uniform w/ helmet and chest plate | AT-SH4 Holdout Blaster | BHSR-1 Service Rifle

The battle was shifting in their favor as the GA forces took the hill. The worst had been confirmed, imperial forces have infiltrated Kiros. There were stormtroopers but also non-imperial personnel among the enemy forces. There was something more going on here besides a simple raid. Were they mercenaries? They were wearing basic blast armor so they could've been anyone. The firefight had died down pretty quick all things considered. The Alliance troopers were checking the bodies as she ordered to take them alive if possible.

"Ma'am! We got two over here." One of the troopers said from on top of the hill.

That was more than what she was expecting. She walked up the hill, she saw the medic carry the injured trooper up the hill to rendezvous with the rest of the unit. They were now on exposed open ground with an elevated look over the valley range. She saw the two hostiles in binds, one stormtrooper without his helmet and one merc. Ysennia knelt down as the two men eyed the ground in shame and defeat.

"Just keep in mind that we can have you two charged for murder of or in collusion of murder with civilians. You can be locked away for quite a long time with no sunlight." Ysennia then looked at the stormtrooper. "If you're lucky your government can negotiate your release before you hit 45. But if you tell us what the Dark Empire is doing here we can have you out at 35 if the judge is generous." Ysennia then turned to the merc. "You on the other hand, I doubt you have a sovereign entity to negotiate your release. But if you tell us everything you know, the best you get is 5 years and you'd get put into witness protection. But if not, you're looking at 10 years minimum before being barred from entering Alliance space."

That deal was too good for the merc to pass up apparently as he spoke up, "Ok, look. I'm a slaver. But I'm just a grunt I don't know all the details but I can tell you why we're here."

"If you talk, the Dark empire will hunt down your family and the rest of your karkin gang."

"Keep talking imp, my family disowned me and you were gonna leave us to die anyway. Look we were told this was going to be a simple slave grab. Imps told us we could get onto the world undetected and grab a few tourists and sell them to some hutts or anyone who would take them. In exchange, we help scalp some GA troops and get off world."

"Where's your base and where are the people you kidnapped?"

"It's in a cave in a mountain somewhere. I didn't get the name of it. But it's not far from here. Just keep going east, we got here by speeder. That's where they're keeping the prisoners."

"Are there any other of you planetside?"

"No, as far as I know we were the only ones who snuck onto the planet with the Imps."

That's all Ysennia needed to hear. Now she had to make a few calls. First she pulled out her holocommunicator to call her CO.

"Yes Major Lee, do you have something to report?"

"Colonel, we've uncovered an imperial plot grab slaves on Kiros. They're currently operating out of a mountain base in the Yona sector.

"By the stars. Do you know the exact location? Do you need reinforcements?"

"I'll get my people to zero a location and call on my own troops to free the captives. But I'd appreciate a few squads on standby in case things get ugly, sir."

"Of course major, good luck and may the force be with you"

Now Ysennia had to make a call to her XO, "Captain Eulis, reporting in. How can we assist you, ma'am?"

"I need you to find a mountain cave east of my position. We've just learned that the empire is using slavers to kidnap and enslave tourists. Once you do, I need you to contact the outposts and get some squads to attack the enemy position to free the hostages."

A heavy sigh came form the captain's mouth. "We'll work as fast as we can ma'am."

"That's all I ask, thank you captain."

With her communiques done, Ysennia went to look for the zeltron agent who distinguished himself. He was quick, efficient, and a cold-blooded killer. She didn't expect anything less. When in sight, she walked up to him with a smile and nodded. "You did good work agent."

​

 

[Nos Voros]

A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE

Outfit: Clothing/Armor
Weapons: Heavy Blaster Pistol | Vibroknife | Loadouts in bio

After checking the surrounding area was clear with some of the other troopers, Nos approach close enough to eavesdrop on the Major’s field interrogations.

Nos could assist here. While he couldn't telepathically communicate anything other than emotion. He listened further;

"Ok, look. I'm a slaver. But I'm just a grunt I don't know all the details but I can tell you why we're here."

"If you talk, the Dark empire will hunt down your family and the rest of your karkin gang."

Nos focused on the disgust he felt for the slaver to project it. He was able to provide a strong hint to the captive that the Zeltron - wearing no GADF rank upon him, for that matter - might find a way to leave the merc in the dirt regardless.

Just the emotion, don't truly entertain the idea, but feel and convey the emotion,​

Nos reminded himself.

Major Lee continued her interrogation and the slaver proved to be cooperative, albeit a slightly more shaken.

That never gets old,​

Nos thought with satisfaction.

Soon, the Major was reporting in the details of the plot. Nos kept a close eye on the captives, occasionally masking and returning emotional signals to keep them on edge. Nothing cruel, but enough to keep them from getting any ideas.

. "You did good work agent."

Nos return the smile, though it was a bit terse and overtly professional. A side effect of feeding hatred into emotional telepathy, he found himself struggling to hide the internal seething at the slaver, moreso than the imperial captive.

It was over a decade ago, but even still he found himself bitter.
A blaster shot from scum like that struck his head as he escaped his own enslavement.
Fried the most ‘Zeltron’ part of his brain.
The scar was long since gone, but the wound is who he became.
The wound is all that remains.

Ruminating would not serve him now.​

Nos let out a breath.
“Thank you, Major. I suspect we’ll find more details on the imperial’s objective within their cave hideout, though this particular trooper hasn't been very talkative.”

Nos pondered how best to ask and imply without causing offense or directly implicating anything breaking GADF rules of engagement or code of conduct.

“Ma’am, with your permission I could question these captives further. I have some… history, I suppose, with Hutt slavers. Details on the mercenaries' employment could prove beneficial for a personal investigation.”​

Nos hesitated, he gambled on the truth. He trusted the Major’s command if she shut it down, but Nos had to offer anyway, speaking just loud enough so the two captives could hear as well:

“Additionally, I am trained in methods of questioning that are not officially endorsed by the Galactic Alliance Defence Force.”​

Nos let the implication set in. If Nos happened to employ such methods on the imperial trooper, we may get faster information, though coerced Intel was proven to be less accurate on average.

“The kind of methods the Senatorial Intelligence Agency does not ‘officially’ condone”
but frequently employs regardless.​

Nos did not attach a question or request to that statement. He merely informed the Major, leaving the door open to dismiss it as merely a stated fact or to be used as plausible deniability in the event of a court Marshall. He simply made the skill known as a tool in their arsenal.

Nos searched for Ysennia Lee 's emotions as he stated his implied request. She need not outwardly deny or even acknowledge it, a single hint of doubt or disdain and Nos would simply bow and step back, letting the matter drop without pressing the matter.

Ysennia Lee​

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Location: Neeran Valleys
Tag: Nos Voros
Gear: Officer uniform w/ helmet and chest plate | AT-SH4 Holdout Blaster | BHSR-1 Service Rifle

Ysennia had been in the field long enough to know that people would let their personal feelings get involved in the mission when something hit too close to him. Sometimes it made people reckless, other times careless. But in this instance Ysennia was in a precarious situation. Agent Voros had performed admirably like no one she'd ever seen. If she had her way she'd have him transferred to spec force. She didn't think the mission would strike a chord with him though.

It wasn't his fault. But she was worried about his request. She didn't think the agent had an experience with the Strategic Intelligence Agency or maybe the senate's security agents had their own way of extracting information. Which made sense. If something went wrong where they were separated from the senator they needed to protect, they need to be able to find them. Regardless of his training, Ysennia knew that these gentlemen were in for a rude awakening. Ysennia had worked with ex-slaves before, some knew to ride out the pain but sometimes the pain was too much to bear.

Ysennia pondered further. A huge positive could come from this interrogation. She was worried about the fallout that would come from such a decision. If she was being completely honest there wouldn't be much backlash. The enemy attacked civilians, so the GA had the right to retaliate as they saw fit. At best nothing would come of this and at worst Ysennia would be reprimanded and maybe demoted. It didn't matter much to her. Also Nos had some insight involving the slavers, and the galaxy would be all the better with one less slave trafficking ring.

"Permission granted agent. Although you should know something." Ysennia paused, her uneasiness was easy to pick up so she had to further explain. "To put it simply you're under military authorization, which means if you do perform any unendorsed interrogation methods, it could mean bad press." None of this was meant as a warning but just a disclaimer. Ysennia trusted that Nos knew what she was saying but wanted to provide a last bit of information. "All I'm saying is try not to break any bones and it'll be less of a headache for the both of us."

Ysennia knew Nos did not have to honor her request. They did just meet and she had no idea what it meant to be a slave and she could tell this was going to be personal for the agent. But she would appreciate not having an incident where the military gets on the senate's case about their security staff. The likelihood of that happening was unknown but she'd want to keep the chances as low as possible.

​