Private Second Meetings

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lohopa II
Eastern Mountains
Combat Outpost Esk-4
Lily Decoria

Junior sighed as he pinched the bridge of his and rubbed in as he looked over the datapad in his hand, reading over the reports from his squad leaders and formulating his own to submit to his company commander who’d probably do the same to the battalion commander.

His father had warned him of this before he had decided to join up, that life as an officer in a military was going to be a lot of paperwork but he had taken it as another way of his father trying to dissuade him but it appears his father had been telling the truth.

The current report he was reading had been from his second squad leader and was typical of the Zabrak, short and to the point being her go to style of speech, and writing apparently.

For the last month he and his company had been detached from the 82nd and sent to Lohopa II to help quell a growing insurgency in the planet's eastern mountain range due to the planet's proximity to both the Hydian Way and the Alliance-Sith Order border.

Thankfully, or unfortunately according to some members of Esk Company, they had yet to participate in any sizable fighting, instead being assigned to train the local defense force and garrisoning platoon sized outposts.

Just recently he’d gotten an update from Captain Cho, the stern and experienced Pantorian company commander, and she had informed him that a Jedi was going to be assigned to his platoon for the foreseeable future. He had internally groaned at this, not that he disliked Jedi, quite the opposite in a few cases, but he was of the opinion along with his father that them and the military shouldn’t mix. But he had swallowed his tongue and sat in his makeshift office and waited for the Jedi to arrive.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

Lily had been assigned to help out with a Galactic Alliance group of soldiers on a mission. It was a chance for some more practical experience and she was keen on giving her all as a way to demonstrate to her Master as well as the Order on how far she had come as a Padawan. Lily was always keen to demonstrate how much progress she was making, that she was representing the Jedi Order as best as she could.

Looking over the reports that she had been given access to, she recognised the name of Noah Corek Jr. on the list of soldiers assigned to the company that she would be working with. Lily hadn't crossed paths, nor had she reached out to Noah since their last crossing of paths on Coruscant. She had been focusing her time to training, working on missions and making sure that she was the most prepared she could be for the wars that were inevitably going to come.

She wondered why the former mercenary was now working as a soldier of the army, it was a surprising change in career for him and there was undoubtedly a cause for it. Lily continued to scan over the report diligently as she stepped off the ramp of the starship that brought her to the world. Making her own way to the location of the company. There was some sort of insurgency that required a military presence on the world, Lily hoped that something could be resolved peacefully with the locals. A way to ensure that violence was not the solution to the current problem.

Arriving at the base, Lily looked around and smiled politely the the soldiers and civilians around. Seeking out the person in charge so she could report in, unsure who would be in charge of this particular company since there were different reports done with differing names from people with different ranks, she doubted they were all here currently.

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria ​

Junior continued his readings until he was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Enter!” He called through the door, well what he called a door that was really just a thin sheet of plastoid separating him and the outside world. Hearing the clanking on standard issue boots let him know that his audience was a fellow soldier.

Letting them wait as he finished reading the report currently occupying him he looked up and saw that the entrant was Lana Sarad, the same Zabrak who’s report he had been reading earlier and who was currently standing at attention before him. The two had gone through basic together and had become good friends before Junior had been siphoned off for officer training due to his combination of education and prior combat experience.

“At ease.” The command fell from his lips with a little hesitancy, much more uncomfortable in the formal setting of the military than the more chaotic setting of the battlefield. “What can I do for you Corporal?” Her being a Corporal and a squad leader were born out of necessity as the unit had taken a beating at Tython and promotions had yet to go through for those currently filling billets higher than their rank typically filled.

“The Jedi that Captain Cho told us to expect just arrived, figured you’d wanna meet her.” Junior nodded his affirmative and quickly locked and shut down his electronics before stepping outside. Looking out over the expanse of mountains that the platoon outpost was at the base of Junior grimaced. He would have preferred the outpost to be set into one of the main plateaus on the mountains but Captain Cho had said the local government had nixed that idea as too provocative towards the opposition who mostly inhabited those plateaus. Ceding the high ground to even potential enemies left a bad taste in his mouth.

Him and Lana walked for a few minutes before he stopped dead in his tracks as he spotted the familiar face, chuckled and shook his head. “Well now ain’t this a surprise…you don’t call, you don’t text and then just show up here…”

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

She had been informed that someone had been contacted and that the current person in charge would meet with her promptly. It was good to hear since Lily was eager to get the mission underway and she was intrigued to see what the focus of the next steps for the mission. As well as learning where she would be needed next to help them achieve the success. Lily wanted to make sure that she could get to work as soon as possible since that meant she could help people the most efficiently that she could.

When a voice that was somewhat familiar called out, Lily tilted her head, "I believe you stated that I should call or text if I wanted to meet up, I have been busy with my training and work. Hence my being here..." Lily was not sure how she felt about the fact Noah had been expecting her to reach out when they were in the middle of a very serious conflict with multiple enemies on all fronts. "I can remove myself if you do not believe that my presence here will help the Alliance." Lily stated in a serious, stoic tone.

This was a mission and Lily was here to work, idle small chatter was not something she was keen on covering. Not here in public and not over a minor issue of never texting someone she met once back. "I am surprised you have changed paths and now a soldier in the Alliance. What is the situation here? Is there a plan for the next move?" Lily asked as she placed her hands behind her, waiting for an update on the situation and figure out where she would be suited in helping the mission on Lohopa II. It was crucial to ensure that things were sorted with minimal casualty in Lily's mind.

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria ​

While her response had been less than enthused, Junior wasn’t exactly surprised at it. There were two types of soldiers he’d encountered most during his time in the Army, those who used humor to lighten the load per se and those who were all mission all the time, he was the first and it seemed Lily was the later. Still he shrugged. “I thought we had a connection…”

He snickered before shaking his head. “I’m joking, I wasn’t holding my breath to hear from you again. I knew you’d most likely be absorbed in your training, besides most of the time I wouldn’t have been reachable anyways due to being in basic.” He shook his head at her offer to remove herself from the situation. “No need for that. To be honest there is not much to be doing right now anyway."

When she mentioned her surprise at his career change he shrugged. “As much as I’ve tried to prove myself different from my father I’ve fallen to the same sensibilities as him. Besides, joining the army and fighting against the Sith is kinda a Corek family tradition to be honest, we’ve been doing it since the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War.”

He raised an eyebrow when she all but asked for a situation report and he indicated to the various soldiers milling about around them, performing seemingly mundane and everyday tasks. “As of right now there’s not much. A whole lot of standing by to standby. Our company commander, Captain Cho, is currently in the capital along with the rest of the headquarters platoon overseeing negotiations between the insurgent faction and the local government.”

He turned toward Lana and nodded his head over his shoulder. “Corporal Sarad will show you to your quarters.” He turned to the aforementioned corporal. “Get her set up in the XO quarters across from me.” He turned to Lily. “Get settled and meet me at the ops center.”

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

Lily tilted her head, she knew some like to joke while on mission but she was tore between knowing whether Noah was joking or if he was covering hurt with humour. She leaned into the former to give some credit to the man, only because she did not know him and she did not to impose a negative stereotype onto him. Instead, she took his words at face value, he was joking around and she would make note that he was the type to make jokes while on mission. It was important to note since she didn't want to come across as rude when he made silly or joke comments in the future.

"Well, hopefully you find your path doing this and become the person you wish to be." Her comment highlighting the fact she had not forgotten their talk on Coruscant. "Though, since I have been called to be here, I do not intend to sit around and do nothing. There are places that Jedi are needed and unless there is a job for me here now, I cannot afford to wait around till one comes available. There are lots of battles going on and the Order is spread thin doing their best to help out soldiers such as yourself."

Lily was not a higher rank than Noah and she knew that she was not someone who could call the shots, however, when there were battles that she could turn the tide on or save lives in, that was going to be where she would jump to be. From what she had heard, this mission seemed close to the ending if the insurgents were willing to sit down and discuss negotiation terms.

She was not sure what she was given the XO quarters but Lily did not argue over it. She followed the path led by the corporal and when she arrived at the tent, she took a look inside, noting the bed and where things were. Nodding her head, she closed the flap and looked back to the corporal. "Lead the way to the ops centre." Lily stated, wasting no time and not really feeling a need to settle too much in the tent. There would be time to rest later, now, she needed to learn as much as she could.

Entering the ops centre, she stood with her arms behind her and waited on Noah.

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria​

Corporal Sarad motioned for Lily to follow her and quickly led her to the XO tent. “So you uh know the Lieutenant? Know anything about him you can share? He’s been our platoon commander for about four months and I trust him but he’s not really shared anything about his time before the army, all we really know is he’s Mandalorian, his family lives on Alderaan and they’re rather well off.” She’d give the Jedi time to answer before they finally made it to the ops center.

Junior rubbed the back of his neck as he eyed the holoprojector table in front of him. On it was the topography of the region their outpost currently inhabited, said outpost and its companion outposts being identified by a blue square. Contrasting these squares were red ones that could be deduced to be insurgent outposts, some normal and some with question marks above them.

Sipping on a canteen cup filled with caf before setting it back down on the edge of the table before his eyes looked toward Lily. “Ah good, you’re here. While you were getting settled I got a message from Captain Cho. Negotiations have stalled, apparently one of the insurgent leaders got insulted by one of them government officials. They’re trying to smooth stuff over but we’ve been told there’s a good chance of an attack.”

He turned towards the Zabrak corporal accompanying Lily before speaking. “Sarad, get with the other squad leaders, we need to get patrols set up befo-” Junior stopped mid sentence, one of his pointed ears twitching, face swiveling towards one of the many plateaus as his eyes narrowed looking at the distant feature before they suddenly widened.

He quickly sprinted to the entrance of the ops center before shouting. “Mortars inbound! Take cover!” It would only be a couple more seconds before said mortars impacted, throwing dirt and debris high into the air once they impacted and detonated.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

Lily shrugged her shoulders when she was asked about Noah. It seemed strange to be pried for information on another person, especially while on mission. "Sounds like you know as much as I do." Lily mentioned, she not hear to talk gossip or talk about other people. That was how she focused on the mission and prioritised things in her own mind.

Looking around, she noted the maps and the positions were already established as she examined the many different avenues that they could explore if that was indeed their mission. Noah appeared, studying the maps before he gave the news about what was going on. It seemed that the meetings were not going as well as they had hoped. It was unfortunate and Lily wondered what would be going on in the discussions that could have caused a disrespect and break down of the peace talks.

When the call of incoming mortar was made, Lily rushed outside, feeling the earth rumble with the impacts and the dirt flying everywhere. Lily splayed her hands out in the air and used the Force to create a barrier. The other mortars coming in hit the barrier, exploding harmlessly high in the air. A slow, deep breath was released as she maintained a strong barrier. "Get a triage formed and check out the injured. Also triangulate the trajectory of those mortars. That should get us an idea of where they came from to counter attack."

Lily's voice was calm, level headed and prepared to take charge in the situation where they were.

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria ​

Lana’s brow furrowed a bit in frustration but she shrugged off the lack of information she was able to glean. “Sorry, I know it seems strange to ask but like I said he’s been with us for four months and the troops know very little about him. Don’t get me wrong, we trust the man with our life but sometimes it helps to humanize the man behind the rank.”

After the first round landed Lily was quick to act and barked out orders. In the back of his mind he was a little perturbed; she had basically taken over command but at the same time he praised her quick thinking in using the Force to protect them.

His soldiers looked at him and he snapped towards them. “What the hell are you waiting for? She has good ideas! Move your asses!” As if kicked in the rear end the troops quickly moved to follow the commands before Junior added in. “And get that damn mobile shield generator up so Lily can take a break!”

As they quickly scrambled to follow his orders Junior turned to Lana. “I want 2nd squad kitted up and ready to move as soon as we get that triangulation data-oh and have somebody get my rifle bag out of my quarters…I think I’ll need that for this.”

Lana quickly nodded and rushed off to follow the orders Junior had given. He turned to Lily and bowed his head. “Thanks for your assistance however in the future please leave giving orders to the appointed officer of the platoon. Now I’m assuming you’ll want to come with us when we go after those mortar crews?”

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

"Likely will get that when you complete the mission and share a few drinks with him then. People lower their walls when not on mission." Lily stated, figuring that if they truly wished to know him better then they would either need to stalk him on the holonet or simply ask him when the mission was over. Lily was not there to gossip on people she met once. Nor did she know anything significant about Noah to really feel was important to share since it would not be something that impacted their mission.

Once she lowered the barrier she had made in the Force, she felt her body was more fatigued than it normally was. Using the Force like this was not something that Lily was used to and it was not a power that Lily was especially skilled in but she was still pretty fresh and it would take a lot more to tire her out to a noticeable level. This was something she made a note of in expectations of where her training was.

When Noah approached her and mentioned letting him give the orders to the squad, Lily nodded her head and gave a small apologetic bow. There was a reason that the NJO were not in charge of any naval or military force. She had let that slip in the moment, "apologies. I should have know better and I overstepped. I will do better to let you give the orders." Lily stated politely.

Lily shrugged her shoulders, "my mission was to assist your team with the ongoing conflict. So, makes sense to assist in preventing the mortar crews from continuing their attacks."

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria ​

Armor: GACA-14 Nemean
Gear: Carbine - 2x Pistols - Knife

Lana made a humming noise in the back of her throat upon the Jedi’s statement but decided not to pursue the conversations any further as they now had something much more important things to take care of as she rushed out of the ops center to get what Junior had requested.

Junior eyed Lily a bit once she lowered the barrier, being a force user himself he knew that tricks like the one she had just used often drained you pretty well but knowing she was well rested at least put him at somewhat ease. Reaching for his belt he withdrew a ration bar, one of the ones specifically designed to give you energy before combat. “Here, take one of these. Don’t gotta eat it now but it’s always good to have one on hand.”

“Sir!” Junior turned, all but shoving the ration bar into Lily’s hand as he turned towards the voice, one of the troopers manning the small outposts radar. “Got a bearing on those mortars!” Upon those words reaching his ears Junior hurried over to the display screen, peering over the troopers shoulder. “Hmmm, five and a half clicks north? That far of a shot, and the size of those blasts, means we are dealing with at least something in the eighty to ninety millimeter range…” Thank the Force for his father's passing on of encyclopedic knowledge of all things weaponry.

He turned to speak to Lily again and heard her apology and frowned a little bit, while admittedly her summation of what had happened was accurate he still found that she was perhaps being a little harsh on herself. Walking over to her he hesitated before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, you’ve got good instincts and your orders were spot on, probably saved a few lives with that barrier too.” He smiled and winked at her, his hand quickly being removed from her shoulder when Lana returned, a tan rifle bag slung over her shoulder.

The Zabrak raised an eyebrow at the interaction he caught the tail end of but decided to say nothing about it. Tossing the bag to Junior who deftly caught it before flinging it over his back. “Second squad ready to move?” Lana gave a nod that Noah returned, moving to exit the ops center and gesturing to Lily to follow. It didn’t take long for them to make it to the front gate of the outpost, where the eight other members of second squad waited.

“Alright listen up! We’ve got mortars about five and a half clicks out, we’re gonna hoof it about four and half clicks out and then get a probe droid out to scope it out. I want a staggered column with five meter spacing between troopers. Honiger you’re on point, I’ll be behind you with my Jedi friend on my hip. Sarad brings up the rear. Any questions? No? Then let's move.” Without waiting for any aforementioned questions the ten of them would set out.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

Shaking her head, she initially refused the ration bar. "I have my own, didn't come unequipped." Lily stated, she was not looking to be coddled right now, she knew what she needed on missions and what would help. Right now, there were bigger issues to deal with and she was keen on making sure that she got to deal with them.

Hearing the distance for the mortar locations, Lily knew it was going to be a hike and double checked her supplies. She had everything she needed in the moment and everything seemed to be in order. Her Lightsabers were clipped to her body and were at the ready for any attacks that she needed to use them for. Lily also listened to Noah mentioned she didn't need to be hard on herself. "I wasn't being hard on myself. I was simply acknowledging your correction and apologising. Acknowledging our errors and learning from them is important, is it not?"

She knew that allowing herself to be humbled by others was important. There would nothing worse than having a big head funded by ego and ignorance.

Listening to the plan, it seemed to make sense having to trek the journey on foot most of the way, then throwing out a probe droid to get a better idea of what the situation was closer to the areas where the mortar teams were meant to be holed up. One thing that Lily was unsure about was the comments made on her being on Noah's hip. That was confusing to her, what did it mean? Was he literally going to attach her to his hip? That idea was not something that she was comfortable about.

Not mentioning something in front of the full group, she waited till they were walking. "What did you mean, on your hip?" Lily asked, puzzled on the meaning behind the statement.

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria ​

Armor: GACA-14 Nemean
Gear: Carbine - 2x Pistols - Knife

Junior internally sighed and internally rubbed a hand over his face, not wanting Lily to see the exasperation that he had thought he didn’t doubt if she was attuned enough to the emotions of others around her she’d sense it. “I’m not saying you’re under equipped just…trying to help out.”

When she mentioned that she didn’t see what she had said as being hard on herself he once again sighed internally. “Sorry, I just guess I was misunderstood. From my perspective I thought you were being hard on yourself, maybe I was wrong. Still, mistakes can happen and you should learn from them so you’re right in your way of thinking from that perspective.”

Once they left the perimeter of the outpost everyone was eyes up, scanning their sectors, checking on the readouts of their HUD’s as you never knew what exactly could happen in a combat zone. His head turned to Lily when she mentioned the parlance he had used. Letting out a chuckle as he shook his head he understood her misinterpretation of the phrase. “I’m not literally strapping you to my hip, just keeping an eye on you, I’d hate to bring down the wrath of Aunt Val if you got hurt.”

They trudge along for a few more minutes before someone finally decided to break the silence. “Soooo LT…it seems you and our Jedi companion are acquainted…where did you guys meet?” It was Honiger, their pointman, who had asked the question. He was a blue skinned Mirialan who often had a habit of speaking his mind whenever it came to him. Junior would have booted him from his platoon if he weren’t such a hard fighter.

“Met on Coruscant when I was a freelancer. Any other questions Private?” The stress he put on the other man's rank was made to convey that Junior didn’t actually want any more questions asked but as was his nature Honiger continued. “Well yeah I’ve-” “Honiger, shut your mouth before I have you scrubbing the latrines with YOUR toothbrush.” Sarad piped up from the rear, anger evident in her voice.

“Oh come on Lana…we’re all just curious about the LT.” Noah sighed externally now before looking at Honiger. “You’ve got five questions you can ask me between now and by the time we get to our OP…think wisely.”

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

"Hm." Lily pondered if she needed to inform Noah that she was not some damsel that needed to be protected from harm, she was a Jedi and Echani warrior, fighting and knowing how to keep herself and others safe was second nature to her. In some regards, it was first nature. Lily, however, decided against saying anything, bar, "it is not Valery who would attack you first. Master Briana would hurt you every way I was harmed." Lily then walked forward, pressing forward faster.

Hearing the one soldier asking Noah how they met, Lily wondered why they cared so much. It was not uncommon for Jedi and GA soldiers to work together and get to know one another. She was curious what made these soldiers so desperate to know more about Noah. Lily listened silently to the conversation as Noah informed them of where they met, then a conversation shifted to five questions to be asked of Noah. Apparently a way to keep the conversation flowing while they worked.

Lily was curious what the questions asked would be and how personal would they get with it. It was a dangerous game to play to allow any question be asked of you. However, it might be the soldiers way of bonding and building trust since they would be working closely together for long periods of time. She knew that was something soldiers prioritised.

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria ​

Armor: GACA-14 Nemean
Gear: Carbine - 2x Pistols - Knife

He could almost feel the questioning going on in her head, whether that was his own intuition or the result of two force sensitive beings being within close proximity to one another was up for debate but at the end of the day he assumed it didn’t really matter as he chuckled at her words. “Master Briana? Would that be Briana Sal-Soren? If she’s your master then that would make Aunt Val your grand-master eh?” He smiled at her, seemingly no-plussed by the threat and picking up the pace to keep in step with her.

Unbeknownst to Lily there was currently a heated discussion going on over the internal squad comms in their helmets about the questions they should ask him. “Alright…” Honiger spoke. “We know that you were born on Alderaan-” Junior shook his head. “Never said I was born on Alderaan, I said I grew up there, an important distinction.” Heads turned toward their commander briefly at this revelation. “Alright, so then where were you born?” “Carida, my parents were working there at the time and moved after they got a job change. Down to four.”

More than one of the ten soldiers swore at their wasted question before getting back to their internal comms. “Alright, going off that, what do your parents do for work?” Admittedly Noah had to think on what he would reveal about his and his family’s personal lives. “My father runs a defense manufacturing and private military company, my mothers run a planetary restoration company and is a part-owner in a trade conglomerate. Down to three.”

There were mutterings amongst the squad at these bits of information before Klinken, a female Wroonian in the middle of their formation, spoke. “Wait…your last name is Corek? As in Noah Corek? CEO of Hekler’Kok Defense Industries and the Galactic Foreign Legion?” Junior reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, surprised and yet at the same time not surprised someone recognized the name of his father. “...yeah that would be my father…I was named after him”

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

Tilting her head, "not sure if that is how it works, but I suppose?" Lily did train with Valery on occasion and she did admire the Jedi Master a great deal. However, grand-master seemed a corny term and ironically was the title one assumed when leader of the Jedi Order. So, it was not one that Lily would adopt to avoid confusion with the current term already in use.

The questions from the squad had Lily confused, they seemed very surface level and something that could be figured out with background checks on a person. Given that nothing that Noah was revealing could be scrubbed from the holonet without also removing all mention of his family and their connections. It seemed strange to be asking such questions but she assumed that either this group was not used to being able to interrogate someone like Noah or she would have to think they were not the smartest people around.

When it was mentioned that Noah's father was someone in charge of a weapons company, it reminded Lily that her own aunt was in a similar work and the reason why her family had the money they had. When Noah confirmed that was his father and he was named after him, Lily looked to the group, "down to two already. Better make them a good two questions."

She figured she would give them a poke to try an approach that would be more interesting or get Noah blushing. It was what she figured they would do in the first place.

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria ​

Armor: GACA-14 Nemean
Gear: Carbine - 2x Pistols - Knife

“What in the Hells is Hekler’Kok Defense Industries and the Galactic Foreign Legion?” Asked Honiger from the head of the group as they traversed up a somewhat steep hill up the plateau. Klinken let out a snort and shook her head. “What do you live under a rock? They’re one of the largest privately owned defense manufacturing and private military companies in the galaxy…damn LT I think you meant to say your family is loaded…not just ‘well off’.”

Junior sighed internally and shook his head, if there was one thing he couldn’t stand it was being put on a pedestal close to his father, it was one of the main reasons he had joined the army to get away from it. “Alright, new rule, no more questions about my family and only questions about me, I’ll give you guys another question as compensation for switching up the rules.”

A few of the soldiers grumbled at this turn of events, wanting to delve deeper into his family life but instead took the extra question as a consolation prize. Flurries of thought passed into the brains of the soldiers before Sarad grinned under her helmet, finally deciding to give up on decorum and prod her CO. “Ever been in love LT?”

The question nearly left Junior sputtering under his helmet, not expecting to hear a question like this but decided to answer head on as he did with the other questions. “In love? Hmmmm. Well once…nothing came of it though, two people on two different paths. Not lookin for anything like that soon anyways. Alright, two more questions, like Lily said, better make em good...been kinda of boring so far." Was he deliberately teasing them? Maybe.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

Further discussions on the company that Noah's father ran seemed to go on since one was not familiar with it. It seemed a big deal to another member of the squad. For Lily, she was not that interested in the whole defence and weapon manufacturing, her aunt had attempted to explain the importance of finding a weapons company to ensure that her weapons were of the highest quality. That a warrior was only as good as the weapons they have. However, Lily countered that she trusted her aunt and the Decoria Industries would be all she needed in terms of trusting weapons that she used. Beside the two Lightsabers she always had on her. One a gift and one she created herself.

The shift from questions on his family to a deeply personal one was a drastic change in pace. It made sense, since he focused their attention on himself more, but to be curious if he ever fell in love was a curious one. Was the person asking the question interested in him in that manner? That would be sweet but dangerous game to play. His answer was vague in a way, not exploring much but mentioning that they drifted apart which made sense. It was what had happened to Lily.

Breathing in deeply, she was curious what the last two questions would be. Since they were given a bonus question now which meant that they had some more room to explore their leader that they deeply curious about.

 

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Lily Decoria ​

Armor: GACA-14 Nemean
Gear: Carbine - 2x Pistols - Knife

The conversation about his father and the companies that he ran petered out as the continued their trek up the side of the plateau, Junior being able to tell that the members of the squad were formulating questions to ask. Every now and then his helmet would swivel towards Lily as they walked, something that definitely had not gone unnoticed by the squad members behind them and they began formulating questions in their minds.

It was Sarad who spoke next, deciding to pry a little further in the man's love life. “What are your preferred qualities in a partner?” Junior could tell from her tone of voice she was teasing him but decided to take the question in stride. “Preferred qualities eh? Hmmmm.” He gave a mocking thinking scratch to the top of his helmet before answering.

“Well first and foremost is independence, I don’t want to have to be with them day in and day out. Physically fit, intelligent, classy, able to handle themself in a fight. Just a few, haven’t really thought too much about it recently, I work too much for that kind of stuff.”

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Lohopa II
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Noah Corek Jr.

Lily could feel the eyes from Noah turning on her several times but she didn't call him out on it. If they had been alone, perhaps, but it seemed unfair to do so in front of the squad that he was in charge of. Especially since they were already probing and fully aware of where Noah's gaze continually turned to. Instead she continued to just listen and hike silently since there was nothing she had to really say.

Then she heard the next question, and the answers from Noah. It was interesting, she was wondering if this was a list of a particular person's qualities or if he was being vague/generic for a reason.

"Sounds like the most generic Mandalorian answers for a partner I could think of. I think it is only fair you offer something a little more personal, Noah." Lily stated with a giggle, teasing the leader as she continued to hike forward. Figuring that they had to be close to where she assumed the destination was. It would be good to get into the action soon.