Faction [THP] Deafen Their Ears

[Aris Noble]

Acier was already going to look out for Jane with her interest? Aris had a similar mindset, but seeing the other pick it up had him smile just a bit. Just a bit. He squinted at his sister and her little eye roll. It was basically spring cleaning, wasn't it? No, don't focus on that right now. He could taunt her to the ends of the earth if he felt like it.

But probably not good to do here.

It wasn't a long walk till he crouched, his eyes scanning around. Heartbeats, movement. People. A guard, perhaps. "We're close. Be ready to fight."

Acier Moonbound | Vera Noble | Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Acier Moonbound Aris Noble Vera Noble

---

Jane's pitch black orbs lingered on Acier as he explained that the droids she wanted to destroy weren't mere toys. That much she understood, of course, but she wasn't aware that they were that dangerous. Not like she cared one way or the other, she'd thrown herself into the danger regardless. But at least she wasn't denied the opportunity, she was merely given help. Which meant that, if there were droids, Vera and Aris would handle the humanoids while she and Acier would handle the droids.

"Okay. That sounds like a good idea. If there aren't droids, I will help fighting the Imps instead." Jane finally replied, before she'd pick up her pace to keep up with the group. Short legs weren't ideal after all.

Catching Vera move her hand near her hilt, Jane studied her for a second before copying her movement; her own scarred hand rested on the modified training hilt on her belt. She wasn't entirely sure why, but it must've served a purpose.

When Aris crouched not long after, Jane too fell into line, hiding behind some bushes. She was so low to the ground that she didn't see anything, however she didn't need to; her strongest sense had always been the Force, and the melody it sang to her. And so she listened, closely, for any song that didn't fit the rebel and Jedi around her.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence until she heard a faint drumming noise in the distance. It was dim in the background, but steady and consistent, like a war machine. Above all, it was the same song she'd heard when they freed the civilians. Imps. There was no question about it. "I can hear somebody." Jane whispered. "It is... uhm." Jane perked her head above the bush she was hiding behind, peering through the foliage. She squinted twice, attempting to sharpen her vision. "You see those big trees in the distance? It is right behind there."

 

[Tigris Aphra]

Location: Giaca

Gear: Bodysuit, Bracelet, Twilight Lightsaber, Kunoichi Blades, Guardian Mantle, Utility belt, Mackie Class Droid

A band of merry...people, had seemed to gather, trailing behind Aris, Jane, Vera and Acier. They were a mixed bag of skills, which was suited for the operation. But while the others, and the noisy spherical droid, got acquainted, Tigris' eyes focused on the group ahead. She saw both Aris and Vera tense slightly. They expected to come across something soon.

Tigris took Ines lightly by the upper arm, leaning closer. "Keep an eye on Aris, the big handsome one up there, and try to keep the rest of them quiet." She wasn't sure why she chose Ines, a stranger, to address. Even though she was more cheery than one should be on a mission, Ines seemed to have a level head. Then, she caught Michael's eyes, pointed to him, then pointed two fingers at her own eyes, then one finger on Aris. The pilot should get the meaning.

With that, the black-clad Atrisian slipped off into the forest. She opened a private comm to Aris. "They are too noisy, I am approaching at an angle to you. I'll let you know if I see anything, you do the same? Oh, and stop harassing your sister." She teased. Tigris didn't have to hear them to know how the Noble siblings taunted each other...on a regular basis. "Any word from Lestra, Vess or Kayla?"

Tag: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan , Aris Noble Vera Noble Jane Acier Moonbound Michael Angellus Cartri Keswoll Kayla Ordo-Shan Vess Sadragen Lestra Thairk

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Deafen Their Ears
Tigris Aphra | Michael Angellus & Cartri Keswoll | Open​

A pilot, and a fellow hacker. Verse nodded to each of them with a gentle smile as they introduced themselves. "I'm Verse." Her curious gaze drifted to Michael as he started speaking of Connel Vanagor. Her attention would, however, soon seem to be drawn elsewhere as Tigris placed a hand on her arm.

An open expression spread across her features as she turned to the Jedi. "Aris" She repeated the name for herself as she looked in the direction where she had last seen him. While she may not have been acquainted with the man, the mention of someone big and handsome certainly seemed to ring a bell. She produced a small nod in his direction before looking back to Tigris "Alright, sure, I'll do what I can."

Verse studied the tattooed woman sending a similar message to Michael through hand gestures before proceeding to venture into the deeper parts of the forest on her own. For a little bit of time, the blonde looked a little surprised as she raised a hand - uncertain whether to wave the woman goodbye or to usher her back into the fold. Eventually, but far too late, she let out a small "Stay safe" whilst providing a little uncertain wave.

Turning back to Cartri and Michael, Verse picked up where her mind had been previously. She jested with a light chuckle "I'll take you up on that offer of protection. I suspect you and I will be operating on the same wavelength. At least as long as we can avoid turning the heat up too much." A warm smile was sent to the fellow techie, Cartri.

For a brief moment, Verse's attention shifted away from the conversation to throw a quick glance at the path ahead. Aris was still within line of sight and everything else appeared to be quiet for the time being.

"A pilot, huh? I take it you're the one to turn to if we need a hasty escape" She spoke with a lighthearted tone as her blue eyes glanced over at Michael. Curious brows then rose as she leaned her head to the side "So, what made you decide to join us on the ground?"

 

[Kayla Ordo-Shan]

Vess heard the footsteps long before the girl caught up. That was the first thing you learned in a place like Nar Shaddaa or Denon was that always be aware of your surroundings. Vess already had her terminal out and was actively scanning for any technology, meanwhile her eyes swept the forest floor ahead of them. In some ways the eyes of a Keshian were better than a scanner for any source of uv or infrared would light up like lifeday to her.

So when Kayla jogged up and waved with all the awkward energy of someone hoping not to get noticed, Vess slowly turned her head just enough to look at her. Not startled but quietly assessing.

"You always follow strangers into the woods?" she asked, voice quiet but dry, one brow arching ever so slightly. She studied the girl for a second just taking her in. She seemed green, not in the bad way. Just one who hadn't lived as much as she had. Vess recognized the type. Hell, she had been the type.

She turned her head back to the forest ahead of them before looking down at her terminal then looking back at Kayla.. She though back to brief introductions on the shuttle. "Kayla was it? You are welcome to come with me but if you are looking for action the other group will likely be more lively."

Her terminal beeped at her and a smile touched her lips. She got a hit on a power conduit, heading away from the listening post to what could be best described as as a utility shed in the forest and started towards in. She motioned with her free hand behind her signaling Kayla to come along.

"Got a hit on power conduit running out to a maintenance shed of some kind not too far away. If we're lucky it'll have a network node I can get into." she continued, keeping her voice level as she picked her way through the brush. "First we find out what they know of the hidden path, make some careful edits and send one last broadcast out before it gets blown sky high. Of course we can't just edit one piece of data, too obvious. Gotta make it look uniform."

​

TAG: Kayla Ordo-Shan + Open

"Only the cute ones, but yeah, Kayla" She said, a faint grin tugging at her lips as she adjusted the strap of her satchel. "Figured your little wave over was as good as an invitation."

She glanced toward the forest where Vess's scanner had led her, squinting as if she could somehow see what the other woman had already found. The words network node and data edits hung in her ears a little longer than the rest. Kayla wasn't exactly trained for slicing, but she'd run with enough crews to at least follow the gist.

"I'm flexible, but I do specialize in action," She admitted after a beat, her tone softer now. "Just…better at helping when I've got eyes on what's happening instead of waiting to hear about it later. If that makes sense." She hesitated, then added, "Besides, usually with big groups back there? Subtlety doesn't usually go hand in hand."

She stepped in behind Vess's signal, careful on the brush, letting the other woman set the pace. "So," She said, glancing at the terminal again with curiosity she couldn't quite keep in check, "You make this kind of edit job sound like second nature. Done it before?"

She had done some slicing as Hawkbat, but she was never directly doing the work...and most of those gadgets were no longer with her.

Tags: Vess Sadragen

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Giaca

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Tic

Ace caught Vera’s mutter, the corner of his mouth tugging faintly. His hand brushed his hilt again. The boredom wouldn’t last, not with the way he felt the Force stir around the area.​

​

When Aris crouched, Ace shadowed his movement, eyes narrowing as he scanned the treeline. His muscles settled into that all too familiar coil just before a fight. Ace could feel his heart thumping in his ears and breathing increase, eager to jump into the fight.​

​

Jane’s whisper had his head tilt her way. He followed the line of her gaze toward the massive trunks in the distance, lips pressing into a thin line. He didn’t doubt her, Jane was attuned to the Force in a way he'd never seen before.​

​

“Nice. When it kicks off, you stay with me. Don’t go charging off alone.” He said, reiterating his statement from earlier. His voice wasn’t sharp, but there was steel under it, the kind of tone that didn’t leave much room for argument.​

​

A soft chirrup sounded at his heel. Tic scrambled up onto a thick root, photoreceptor tilting as a thin cone of blue light flickered to life. The little droid projected a rough holomap of the treeline ahead: glowing outlines of humanoid shapes clustered around a larger mass, with distinct pulsing nodes where the metal signatures of droids gave them away.​

​

Ace gave a short nod. "Yeah. That lines up."​

​

Then his gaze tracked back to Aris, nodding once. "We can circle wide, use the trees for cover. Or we hit straight on and make it messy." He eased forward a pace, brushing a branch aside. "Either way, we're close enough. No more waiting."​

​

Aris Noble | Jane | Vera Noble ​

 

[Michael Angellus]

​

PERSONAL FLIGHT LOG – Entry # 1876
Location: – Giaca
Assigned Craft: a transport I didn’t have to fly
Astromech Partner: BRED (BB-30)
Current Mood: Nervous, but in a good way.
Background Noise: Background chatter.

When the hot blonde asked me why I was on the ground, I wanted to be a little offended at first, but it’s true. I could hold others down. Then again, I saw my lightsaber, and then up at her and patted on it.

“Wooo-beeep.” [Translation: Wow, he actually figured something out.]


Thanks for the vote of confidence there, buddy.

I’m a pilot, sure, but also learning to be a Jedi. We need to be capable on the ground too.

“Weeep-bwoo.” [Translation: Okay, first of all… plagiarist! Second of all… give her a transport ticket for the next time you need to get to the point!]


I just ignored him as I was looking at the hot tattooed chick who was trying to tell me she had eyes for me, but … wait what? Hold on, I thought she was trying to tell me to look at Noble’s butt, but I don’t swing that way…


“Chrrp.” [Translation: OH MY WORD!]

ssh…

“BoooEEEp.” [Translation: Finally!]


Do I come off as gay? Anyway, I needed to focus on what they were doing. Sorry if I went quiet.


“Chrrp.” [Translation: Real subtle.]


Shoot me. Shoot me now.

– Michael A.
Seriously! A BB droid! CHEAP!


TAG: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan | Tigris Aphra | Cartri Keswoll | Vera Noble

This is where he is speaking

 

[Vess Sadragen]

Vess glanced sideways at the 'only the cute ones' comment, her expression unchanged save for the faintest shift, not quite a smile, but something close, a flicker of amusement behind her eyes. "Careful," she said evenly, her tone dry but amused. "Say things like that and someone might get the wrong idea."

Turning her focus back to the mission she nodded. "Flexibility is good. Groups like that?" she paused "They're loud without meaning to be, draw too many eyes. You spend any amount of time on Nar Shaddaa or Denon you learn to blend in real fast." Her words weren't harsh, just observations made from experience. When they crested the rise and spotted the shed, she stopped and dropped low with the underbrush. It was half-covered in moss and brush, only parts of its durasteel frame visible. A single light blinked near the door, and the shape of a man leaned against the frame.

"That's our node," she confirmed. "Mid-tier relay hub. Probably forwards data from any new installations to a central archive. If we cut it right, the loss'll look like a wildlife event. Fried circuits, faulty backup."

She glanced to Kayla again, meeting her eyes with deliberate calm. "And yeah. I've done it before. Wasn't always a dashing jedi." a slight smirk touched her lips and she nodded toward the guard. "Unlucky day for him I suppose. I can get us in. Quiet. But I'll need two minutes inside, maybe three." Her voice lowered. "Can you distract him, or put him down without a sound?"

​

TAG: Kayla Ordo-Shan + OPEN

 

[Vera Noble]

​

Tag: Aris Noble Acier Moonbound Jane

Vera crouched low in the brush, her eyes narrowing as Jane's whisper carried through. She followed the younger girl's line of sight toward the trees, and sure enough, she could feel it too. The pressure in the air was shifting. Whatever waited for them was close enough that staying bunched up would only get messy.

She glanced at her brother, her voice steady but clear. "I'm splitting off. Aris, you and Jane take one side."

Her hand shot out, fingers catching Acier's shoulder before he could move another step. She gave him a small grin, sharp around the edges. "You're with me. I want a duelist at my back."

Letting go, she shifted her weight forward and checked the strap of her satchel, her other hand brushing the hilt at her side once again. She was ready to move, ready to carve her own path through whatever was waiting.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris glanced between Acier and Vera for a moment, brow raised. Acier had told Jane they were sticking together, and now Vera was saying that it was going to be her and Acier? Given the grin on her face, there wasn't an argument to be had. He shrugged, briefly, before turning his gaze ahead. "Sounds like a plan to me. I've got her, Acier." In terms of fighting balance, it only made sense that he'd stay with the youngest of the group. Keep her safe.

He didn't look to Jane, instead watching the tree line before he did finally move. "Stay close." Then he took off. A blur of movement before he descended on one of the droids. Sure enough, K Unit. It's head crumpled like paper under his grasp as he ripped the head off. Quick and silent as he moved to the next.

They had only a moment of surprise, so it was better to take advantage of it while they could.

Jane | Vera Noble | Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Giaca

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Tic

Ace stilled when Vera's hand caught his shoulder. Her grin had that Noble sharpness to it, the same one he'd seen on Valery a hundred times by now. He held her stare for a beat before huffing a laugh through his nose, a swell of pride stirring within him at her words.

"Bossy. But I got your back." He muttered, low and dry, though there was a flicker of steel behind the words.

He hadn't forgotten what he'd just told Jane, to stick with him and not go alone. For half a second it pulled at him. But then Aris's voice cut in, calm and certain. "I've got her, Acier." Ace's exhaled quietly, then he gave the faintest nod. If there was anyone he could trust with Jane, it was Aris.

His hand closed around the skeletal hilt, pulling his lightsaber free. He rolled his shoulders once, then fell in line with Vera. The forest seemed to hold its breath a second longer, then Aris moved. The sound of a K-unit's head crumpling under his grip broke the silence. Ace's grin sharpened.

"There's our signal."

His boots dug into the earth as he surged forward beside, lightsaber flashing to life in a streak of blue light. The brush tore away in their wake as he pushed toward the treeline, ready to meet their enemies head-on.

Blaster fire cracked through the brush as the Imperials reacted to the sudden strike. Ace didn't slow. He cut across Vera's flank, lightsaber flashing up to catch the first bolt and send it hissing back into a trooper's chestplate. A second was on him before the body hit the ground; Ace had barreled through the volley, shoulder-first, the impact dropping the man hard into the dirt.

Vera Noble | Aris Noble | Jane​

 

[Lestra Thairk]

Tags:

The sound of distant blastfire is what awoke Lestra from the nap he had been spending with the Brintak. At least that's what he assumed it was, as some of the creatures were seemingly started to get agitated. Of course, blaster fire meant he was going to have to put his plan to work. Well. Time to hop to it. Lestra hopped himself up onto big ol' one eye's back, making sure to get a comfortable position on it so that he wouldn't fall off on the rush towards the camp. This was going to be fun. Totally. He just had to hold onto that belief. Sacrifices were necessary. In any battle. Victory can not be achieved without sacrifice.

"Onwards! We shall reclaim your homes from the vile filth that is the Empire!"

Lestra thrusted his spear forward, to push the Brintak onwards, before holding onto the creature as they barreled through the jungle, the entire pack of creatures swinging through the trees towards the listening posts. Following the sounds of blaster fire echoing amongst the trees. Lestra was dreading this. The pit inside of his stomach that was only growing the closer and closer him and his new furry buddies got towards the listening post. He could cancel the mission, send the Brintak back towards their den...but they were needed. The alibi. They couldn't let it be tracked back to them.

It'd only be a matter of time before they arrived at the Listening Post. When even the finest laid plans could go belly up, and Lestra had never been good at making plans himself. The only thing he had planned was that he and the Brintaks were going to cause a mess...but at the same time, that was far too simple. Urgh. He hated this. He hated having to actually think about things...but he didn't have a choice. They were almost there.