Faction [THP] Haven In The Snow

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

The Haven in the Snow
Objective 2 - Kaleleon - Open ​

The medkit went back into the coat's inner pocket and she let out a breath accompanied by a small "Good." Verse's right hand hovered over the jacket zipper for a few moments before falling down to the side. It was warm enough inside the outpost to leave it halfway up - but not quite warm enough to pull it all the way down. Beneath it, multiple layers were visible: first a champagne coloured vest exposed by the open zipper, and then a thick colourful sweater that could be seen peeking out over the vest's collar.

The young rebel did not seem to have much input on the challenge the jedi was facing. Although an arm raised just slightly as she shuffled a little closer - as if thinking that she might be able to help him out - she soon seemed to give in to hesitation and simply offered a nod and a friendly "uh-huh"

Her features lit up as he introduced himself. She spoke enthusiastically - her voice young and eyes bright "Nice to meet you Kale. I'm Verse! I don't know how much help I'd be with the hardware stuff, but Bormodan, the Ithorian, seemed like he knew his way around these machines." She glanced around for a few moments before spotting the woman she was speaking of. The alien appeared to be locked in some technical discussion with a few colleagues across the room. "Maybe there's a queue" she mused as her eyes ventured back to the Jedi who was already going back to work.

Amused brows curved up and a sweet smile spread across her face as the Agent's gaze fell onto his extended tongue. Verse let out a silent chuckle as her head shifted and her eyes started to wander, looking around for things she could help out with.

She did not have look far - or look at all, really. "Sure thing!" she chirped whilst trying to identify the right device. Finally, she picked something with an omega symbol up and activated it. The girl quickly figured out how to set it to ohms - apparently, she felt way more at home with an interface.

"Does this thing scan or..." she trailed off, experimenting a bit with the buttons. "Nope, nono, I've got to plug these things in, right?" she approached him and the console with small distracted steps as she kept trying to figure everything out. Finally, she knelt down next to him and slipped her arms out of the thick winter jacket.

Verse brushed her ponytail away from the Jedi before trying to squeeze her arms into the console. She shifted closer, tucking one shoulder beneath his arm and angling her torso slightly to fit beside him without getting in his way. Delicate fingers guided the two cables with precision as she slid them into place. Her eyes flicked down to the interface as it made a few beeping noises. Maybe a little awkwardly, she twisted to look up at him with a bright smile. The enthusiasm in her voice overshadowed any uncertainty she might've had "Yes! That looks like a 24!"

 

[Jane]

Tag: Valery Noble Everest Vale Tigris Aphra l OPEN
Objective: 1 & 4

---

As more Jedi and rebels entered the gardens, Jane's desire to stroll around and outright leave grew stronger. But, despite not entirely understanding what was going on or why everyone was there, she decided it was important. At the very least, given how Everest was looking, it was important to her friend. And that was worth the discomfort of being surrounded by so many people.

A woman Jane didn't know, but perhaps one of the prettiest woman she'd ever seen, came to a stop near her and smiled towards her. But that wasn't what stuck out to her; the woman's song in the Force was unlike anything she'd ever heard. It was as if her soul was soaring, her heart skipping twenty beats per minute with joy. "Hello." Jane whispered to her, to not disturb anything, before her gaze drifted to the group again.

When Valery handed her the device, Jane gently held it in her hands. "Of course." She replied before raising the camera slightly to ensure it was correctly focused at Everest. As properly as she could with zero knowledge about holorecorders, anyway.

The sight of Gavin Restur and Acier Moonbound arriving made Jane turn her gaze towards them. She couldn't wave because she was holding a device in both hands, so she bent her head to greet them both, her cybernetic fluted ears dancing slightly at the sight of them.

Valery's words brought her attention back to the former Grandmaster and her Padawan in front of her. The request to kneel caused Jane to tilt her head to the right, when finally it dawned upon her.

She'd read about this before, one or two mooncycles after she joined on Coruscant, regarding the ranks.

This was a knighting.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Seer Stone, Wayfinder's Flare, Engagement Ring
Companion: Isari
Tag: Valery Noble Jane Tigris Aphra Acier Moonbound Connel Vanagor Gavin Restur OPEN

A quiet crowd had begun to gather now. Volunteers who had laid the first stones. Rebel operatives with frost still clinging to their jackets. Jedi from near and far, some friends, some strangers. All drawn by the moment. All watching her.

Eve felt the shift. The stillness. The way breath caught in the wind. She glanced around shyly, uncertain what to do with her hands, her posture, her presence. Then her eye found Tigris, just for a second, but it was enough. The warmth of that smile grounded her.

She bit her lip, subtle but noticeable, and in that brief meeting of their gaze, the bond between them stirred, silent, invisible, yet so achingly present. She didn't need to say anything. Tigris would feel it all: her nerves, her gratitude, her complete awe of the moment, the fierce swell of love blooming in her chest like spring thaw.

Her eye caught Acier standing near the back, quiet and watchful, and then to Connel and his team. A flicker of surprise, then appreciation passed through her. She glanced to Jane holding the communicator, her ears twitching slightly with every subtle movement. Her eye dropped to the hologram of her mother, respectfully quiet but her gaze ever loving. Eve gave the gentlest of smiles, cheeks pink not from the cold, but from the weight of so many eyes on her.

Eve took in a breath, slow and steady. Valery’s voice rose again.

"Now, please kneel."

The world narrowed. Her gaze lifted to meet her Masters. There, in Valery’s eyes, she found every answer she needed, not in words, but in the unshakable trust that had carried her through so much. She gave the tiniest nod, and then, with care and quiet reverence, she lowered herself to her knees.

The marble beneath her was cold, solid, grounding.

She exhaled.

Dipped her head.

And closed her eye.

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Winter clothes | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery's gaze stayed on Eve, as she took in this important moment. She let the silence hold for a breath, then stepped forward to address her student, "You have come far, Eve. When I first met you, I saw someone with great potential but also doubts that weighed heavily. You faced trials that would have broken many, yet you pushed through them with courage. You learned from every setback, and you never lost sight of who you wanted to be."

She circled slowly, her lightsaber now in hand but still inactive.

"Now you stand here, having built something lasting. This enclave is more than stone and walls. It is a home for the Jedi, a place where others can find hope and purpose. That takes so much more than just strength. You're patient, wise, and you have a strong and kind heart."

Valery's expression softened into a proud smile. "I am proud of the Jedi you have become, and of the leader you are now. No matter what comes next, remember this moment and what you have built."

Finally, Valery stepped closer and hit the ignition switch off her lightsaber. Its violet blade burst into existence and came to rest just in front of Everest. Then, with friends and family watching, Valery raised her lightsaber high above the ceremony, before carefully lowering the weapon to hover just above Eve's left shoulder.

"It's time, my Padawan," she said with one last smile. Valery then cleared her throat, focused her eyes, and began to recite the traditional Knighting speech, "By the right of the council..."

Slowly, she repositioned the blade to rest just above her head. "By the will of the Force..."

Finally, Valery lowered the blade again, hovering it over Everest's right shoulder. "I dub thee..."

"Knight of the Jedi Order."


Everest Vale Tigris Aphra Jane Acier Moonbound ​

 

[Tigris Aphra]

Location: Snowpeak Sanctuary
Time: Early day
Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet
Tag: Everest Vale Valery Noble Jane Acier Moonbound and Others Gathered

Others had gathered to see the impromtu even, but Tigris only noted them from the corner of her eye, or their presence in the Force. Her dark almond eyes, her full attention, remained fixed upon Valery Noble, and most specifically, upon Eve. While her fiancé deserved a knighting in a grand temple, before ranks of Jedi, Tigris knew this ceremony was much more suited to Everest. small, personal and intimate. Eve wasn't about grandiose gestures, she was about caring for people, for living things, and for the virtue of truth and right. There was no better place for the silver-haired padawan to be knighted than in the garden of the enclave she founded, with a small cloud of witnesses.

Valery's words were elegant but not embellished. Every word profoundly true, and deserved. Tigris greatly admired Valery, she and Everest mother two women she looked up to as role models. She truly did Everest right by her words.

Tigris' heart swelled, and she hid the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. Not that she was ashamed to show her pride, or love, for Everest. Anyone who ever saw them together would know that.

The final declaration was made with the glow of Master Noble's might saber. And it was done.

Tigris erupted in a cheer and began to clap her hands, waiting for the chance to embrace Eve and congratulate her.

 

[Colette]

Everest Vale

There stood a figure in the back with a rigid posture and deathly calm stare on her face. Her lips and eyes should have betrayed the joy she felt for this occasion but were instead staunchly, stoically muted as she watched her friend kneel. She kept her hands behind her back, her feet at near-perfect shoulder-width as she merely stared at the ceremony.

Colette's knighting had been one of the greatest days of her life, and yet when it came to her friend all she could truly feel was at a loss. Words failed her no matter how many times she ran them over in her head. She wanted to reach out to congratulate Everest and tell her that it was well-deserved, but didn't she already know that? Did it matter? Did any of this matter at all?

Of course it did. Colette's glance softened up a little when Valery proclaimed Everest a Jedi Knight. She tried to beam a small smile over, but the energy was just not there. Colette should have been out there looking for Reina, not here. She loved Everest dearly, but the fact that Colette had decided to be here in person instead of out in the field looking for Sith hideouts was a far greater courtesy than even Colette herself had anticipated that the young woman would be given.

At this point her desire to hunt had shifted gears into sheer tunnel vision. All she could hope was that Everest understood what that meant to Colette and just how significant her appearance today was.

As much as Colette wanted to say this wasn't about revenge, she also knew better than to lie to herself like that. She had tried to promise Reina that she would always be there, especially if she was captured, and right now Colette felt dangerously close to breaking that promise.

Everest would understand. She had to.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Eshan - Snowpeak Sanctuary
A few hours prior...

Equipment:
Winter Gear | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Commlink

As he watched everything unfold, he felt a familiar presence settle in next to him. Silently, he cast a side long glance to see Gavin Restur . He offered the bounty hunter a faint but genuine smile before returning his gaze to the ceremony at hand.

With a shrug, he went on to answer Gavin's question "No idea, pretty much just got here too." he whispered.

As he continued to observe what was happening, it finally hit him - this was a Knighting. While the freckle faced young man didn't know much about Jedi lore, he knew that when one became a Jedi Knight it was a huge achievement. His smile broaded as he watched Valery Noble evoke, what he assumed, was some traditional mantra one would say when Knighting a Padawan.

When the moment finally came, when Valery said the words...

"I dub thee..."

"Knight of the Jedi Order."​

A silence befell the garden. It was as if he'd witnessed something historical, that this moment would later be remembered centuries down the line. Then, the silence broke, Tigris Aphra erupted into cheer and applause. Ace let out a quiet snicker before joining Tigris in the applause.

He didn't know Everest Vale for long, and they were friends for even less. But words couldn't explain how happy he was for her, and how grateful he was able to witness such a huge turning point in her life. For now, Ace wouldn't bother her - he'd let her have her moment with her loved ones. After Elaris, he'd make sure to visit her and congratulate her privately.​

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Seer Stone, Wayfinder's Flare, Engagement Ring
Companion: Isari
Tag: Valery Noble Jane Tigris Aphra Acier Moonbound Connel Vanagor Gavin Restur Colette OPEN

The world felt impossibly still. She could hear the distant chatter of builders outside, the faint rustle of banners in the mountain wind, but everything else blurred into the space between Valery’s words.

When her Master spoke, each phrase seemed to land somewhere deep in her chest, like pebbles cast into water. Ripples spreading through her memories — her first halting days in the Temple, her stumbles, her doubts, every moment Valery had held the line for her until she could hold it herself. Every hug, every wiping of tears, every smile, every laugh.

The violet blade’s glow bled into the edge of her vision. She didn’t look at it, her eye remaining closed, but she felt it in the warmth across her skin, and in the weight of what it meant.

Valery's proclamation began. Her breath caught, but she held steady.

At her feet, Isari had lifted her head the moment Valery's voice shifted into the final words. The fox's silver eyes stayed fixed on her, ears flicking as if sensing the change in the air. Eve felt the familiar warmth brush against her through the bond they shared — calm, certain, and quietly proud.

And as the final declaration came, for a heartbeat, she couldn’t move, nor speak. When she rose, she did so with her shoulders squared. She raised her head fully to the woman standing before her who had given her everything, who had helped make her the woman she was today, and she finally let her breath go in a long, slow exhale. She didn't speak, but rather stepped forward once and wrapped her arms around her former Master.

It was a declaration of her own. A statement, a promise, and in many ways, a farewell, to who she was, and what she had shared with this woman.

"Thank you."

The wind carried the faint echo of clapping, the murmur of voices. The enclave — her enclave — seemed to breathe with her.

Her gaze flicked briefly across the gathered faces. Tigris, eyes bright with love, pride burning through the bond they shared. Jane, holding the holocommunicator steady so Mariana could see, her quiet focus a gift in itself. Acier and Connel near the back, their presence grounding her. Colette, rigid as stone, but here. That meant more than Eve could say.

And her mother, shimmering in blue light, watching from further south.

She rubbed away the moisture that clung to her eyelashes, and took in a sharp inhale, her gaze flitting across the applauding crowd. The pink of her cheeks deepened.

"Thank you... Everybody. Thank you for being here."

The words were raw, vulnerable and honest. Then she couldn't hold back anymore. Shifting through the front line of gathered souls, she flung herself at her fiancé, and held her tight, her smile blooming like morning sunlight.

 

[Kaleleon]

Objective 2: Building the Outposts
Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

After asking her to help me, Verse had attempted to illicit the help of the Ithorian to aid with the technological aspect of making the communications station work properly. However, others were already around him trying to get the aid of the man. For which she commented about a queue. I chuckled a little and motioned with my head to get over here to help me. She did so. Grabbing the scanner and finding out quickly how it worked.

Her shoulder came up underneath my arm so she could get in the right placement. Taking the two prongs to attach them to either side of the device for the fuze in which would read the resistance provided. It would read the voltage going in, and the voltage going out. If there was a drop in power, it would have been the wrong fuze. However, showing that it had not dropped, told me that it was the correct one. Her voice raised up as she read out the 24. I smiled and nodded my head before speaking.

“Good. That means its working properly this time. Go ahead and take it off so I can close this up.”

Once she had moved, I closed the little box around the fuzes to make sure they were protected. Closing up whatever else before standing up. Dusting myself off before looking over to her. A soft smile on my face as I spoke.

“Alright, now we try this again.”

I started setting up the console to its off settings. Then once more, a flick of my hand into the direction of the power lines. The hum of power came on line and the system was booting itself up once more. My hands moved over the console with practiced knowledge of its systems. Almost like starting up a speeder. Flicking a couple switches and then holding down a button to start the sequence. The monitor came on line and lights over the dash were flashing or holding solid for what was on line. As it settled and flashing lights started to solidify, I turned to her for a moment eyes wide to show surprise it was working before looking back.

“Well, I guess we should test it now. What do you think?”

 

[Gavin Restur]

TAGS: Acier Moonbound , Everest Vale , Jane , Valery Noble , Tigris Aphra
​

[ "No idea, pretty much just got here too."]

Great, so Ace also has no clue what's going on. There was a brief mumble under his breath, but fortunately for him, he would get his answer.

["I dub thee..."]

["Knight of the Jedi Order."]

Oh. Huh.

He didn't have a clue what that means. But it's probably something good. He took a moment to glance around to the others that in the garden, watching this go down. Do they clap and cheer? Do they stay quiet?

Fortunately, someone answered that dilemma for him, as he watched Tigris Aphra bust out in cheer and applause for the newly Knighted woman. To which, he decided to join in. Giving a few light claps with his gloved hands. Did he know the woman who was Knighted? Not at all. At the very most, they had given each other a nod while passing by as they did their work. But, that didn't mean he couldn't give his congratulations.

"How nice..." Before, leaning in next to Acier Moonbound once more. "This is a good thing, right?" While he could pick up on context clues and people's body language, he just wanted to make sure.

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

The Haven in the Snow
Objective 2 - Kaleleon - Open ​

She did as he asked and removed the cables from their slots before shuffling out of the console. The girl shuddered immediately - for while the tight confines and active console had provided a good amount of warmth, that could not be said about the open area right next to it. She let out a small "Too cold" as she placed the device on a ledge and took the thick winter coat back on with the jacket zipper drawn all the way to the top.

As the Jedi went about checking his work, Verse took the device he had used and placed it back into the toolbox. Although she worked on cleaning their workspace up, a number of glances would be thrown his way as if to study the way the console and its underlying machinery was supposed to be handled.

Eventually, the Agent returned to his side. She looked up to him and let out a bright "Of course!" upon being asked if they should test it. "It would be a shame if it didn't work, now after all of your hard work." Her voice was a little distracted - for she had finally found something she might actually be able to help with. Her gaze ventured from the access panel they had worked on to the console's display

"Alright, let's see what it picks up. There's a little village all the way to the west and one of the cunstruction speeders broke down not too far south of our location. Sooo, if the sensor picks up one cluster, us, and the broken vehicle, we should be good." There was an enthusiastic beat to her words. Apparently, this was something she enjoyed and had already done a few times with other sensors earlier this day. Her eyes lingered on the monitor for a while as the equipment booted up and got to work. Slowly, it started picking up faint signals that appeared to grow stronger by the minute. This was promising.

An open smile formed on her lips as she suddenly turned to look up to him - away from the console's monitor they were waiting for. "I'm Verse, by the way" she offer a hand for him to shake.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Eshan - Elaris

Equipment:
Winter Gear | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Commlink

Ace nodded, falling in step beside her again. The substation was only a few blocks away, buried behind a supply depot. Fresh snow hadn't gathered near the side entrance yet. Which could only mean someone had been through recently.

He crouched beside a maintenance hatch near the building's base, sweeping a gloved hand across its surface. There was no rust and it was warm to the touch. Ace noticed that the power was still running, but it wasn't coming from the city grid.

His eyes flicked up to a faint line of motion sensors nestled along the upper wall. To the average person, it appeared to be civillian grade - but the pulse frequency was tighter. He suspected military, maybe even Imperial custom tech. Tigris' hunch about the substation seemed to be sound.

"Yeah, someone's home." he looked back toward Tigris, lowering his voice. "You wanna go quiet? Or make some noise and see who scurries out?"

Normally, he'd be fine with storming the place. Kick in a door, slice the servers, smash whatever surveillance hub they had running. But Tigris was the Shadow, she'd been around the block more than once for sure. He trusted she knew the best way to handle this.

Tigris Aphra
​

​

 

[Tigris Aphra]

Location: Snowpeak Sanctuary
Time: Early day
Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet
Tag: Everest Vale Valery Noble Jane Acier Moonbound and Others Gathered

In Tigris' eyes, the knighting was far more than the bestowing of a well-earned title. It was a life milestone, a flag planted in the journey Everest Vale had begun a few short years ago. Tigris heart continued to hum with a pride that her chest could barely contain, and through the precious bond, given them by the Force, Tigris conveyed an intensity of emotion her words would not have been able to convey.

As Valery's beautiful blade rose, completing the rite, Tigris watched her fiance rise. A hitch in her breath was the only evidence of the profound love the sight instilled. Everest was no longer that girl she had been when the first met. She was a leader. And yet, Tigris could see, could feel, that the beautiful, strong woman facing Valery Noble was every bit still her Eve, her Angel.

Amid the applause and eager well-wishing, Tigris saw Eve come to her. Her arms welcomed Everest, wrapping tight around the woman in a warm, firm embrace. Her lips close to Eve's ear, Tigris whispered.

"I love you so much. I couldn't be more proud of anyone in my life. I hope you see now how amazing you are. They all see it. And, Angel, I am at your side, I won't let you fall. "

With one more big squeeze, Tigris' hold on Eve loosened. There was so much to be done, as Everest bore the duties of an enclave founder, and Tigris needed to slip away to ensure that enclave remained safe from their enemies.

 

[Tigris Aphra]

Location: Elaris
Time: Later day
Outfit Civilian clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, vibroblade, commlink
Tag: Acier Moonbound
Objective: 3

Once the pair reached the supply depot, Tigris fell behind Acier as he lead the way around to the sub-station. On the way, Tigris had reached out to get some basic info on the station that was gathered prior to their arrival. Surely, if the sub-station had been down for several weeks, someone would have been aware, investigated and fixed any issue.

Only a few pieces of information had been gathered for the city records. Supposedly, a crew had gone to the sub-station and determined that there were problems extensive enough to warrant shutting it down and rerouting power to another station. But the rebels would soon find that may not have been the truth.

Acier noted the recent movement by an entrance. As he knelt by the maintenance hatch, Tigris kept an eye out for observers. Her companion then informed her that the station did in fact seem to be operating, or at least has something going on inside. It seems perhaps someone had manipulated the city records, or faked the inspection.

Acier looked up, posing the question. What was their next move?

"I am more of the sneak in type." She replied, again looking around. "And if we draw them out, we risk drawing attention." She scowled and her face twisted a bit. "does it look like we can get into that panel?"

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Eshan - Elaris

Equipment:
Winter Gear | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Commlink

Ace ran his fingers along the edge of the panel, exhaling through his nose. Then he turned to Tigris, flashing her a lopsided smirk which bordered on cocky.

"Yeah, we can get in." he muttered.

From his belt pouch, he pulled a battered fusion cutter. It wasn't slicer tech, but it got the job done when one was patient and careful. He tapped it twice, coaxed the ignition back to life, and the thin beam sputtered on. The cutter hissed quietly as he traced a slow arc along the seam. After a few tense seconds, the casing finally gave. Then he slipped a flat-edged utility knife into the joint and pried it open carefully.

Behind the panel was a narrow crawlspace, definitely not on any public schematic. There was a dim light that pulsed from deeper within. No immediate alarms, but... the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Ace looked to Tigris again, brow raised.

"Ta-da." Ace said dryly.

Then, he slid in first. The crawlspace was narrow, metal closing in on both sides. Ace moved low and quiet, silence stretched between the pair - there was one thing he'd give Tigris credit for. He imagined the Shadow wanted nothing more than to spend time and celebrate with Everest but was able to center herself on focus on the mission. He respected that a lot.

Ten meters in, the crawlspace dipped into a short access shaft. Ace dropped into a crouch, he didn't signal for her to stop - trusting she understood the context clues. Below, through a narrow grate the duo would see it:

A makeshift command room, set up in the old service chamber. Minamlist, but it served its purpose. A single black ops technician sat hunched over a console, unaware. No armor, just dark grey fatigues. On the wall behind him, four holoscreens displayed encrypted datafeeds. One showed a live aerial feed of Snowpeak Sanctuary. Another monitored comms traffic in and out of the region. The other two displayed facial recognition sweeps, cycling through images of known Jedi, rebels... and refugees.

This wasn't just surveillance. Ace's gut twisted and he cast a glance over to Tigris, they needed to move. Fast.

Tigris Aphra​

 

[Jane]

Tag: Valery Noble Everest Vale Tigris Aphra l OPEN
Objective: 1 & 4

---

A knight of the Jedi Order. So that's what it was all about. This is what young Jedi like her were supposed to fight for: to train with their Master and help wherever possible until they could loosen their braid and become full-fledged Knights.

To be honest, Jane did not see the appeal. She only cared about helping others. Titles didn't matter to her. Yet as she looked around the garden, seeing the joy in everyone's eyes and the brightness of the collective song in the Force, she understood how much it meant to them. And above all, how much it meant for Everest, and no doubt, how much she deserved it.

Jane held the uncomfortable metal device in her hands, unmoving and focused. Whoever was watching through that device was important, she decided. If this knighting meant a lot to Everest, so did the lady in the hologram. She wouldn't make a mistake with this, but she couldn't help but lean her head to the right slightly, peering past the device and toward Everest.

Without knowing why, the happiness, the clapping and the sight of that pretty woman approaching Everest and whispering in her ear, combined with that joyful tone in the Force, made Jane want to dance. She didn't move; her body remained stiff in place, except for her metallic fluted ears, which danced up and down.

She'd wait with congrulations or with moving; she'd keep the holocamera in place to ensure that nothing was missed.

 

[Tigris Aphra]

Location: Elaris
Time: Later day
Outfit Civilian clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, vibroblade, commlink
Tag: Acier Moonbound
Objective: 3

Tigris watched as the teen forced open the small cover, her gaze darting up often to ensure they were unseen. Acier's glib 'ta da' was met with a flat expression. While she would have taken the lead, her companion entered first. She slid in after, reaching behind and pull the cover close enough to the opening that it, hopefully, didn't attract attention.

She remained silent. There were no needs for words. Well, not words that were worth risking discovery. She would have liked to instruct Acier on the finer points of stealth, but he was doing well so far, admittedly, and Tigris just hoped he would continue proving himself. The consequences could be significant.

Ahead, light in the duct work suggested an opening. Acier paused, indicating the room seen through the side shaft. He moved so she could peer in as well. A deep scowl darkened the Atrisian's face. This was bad. Good that they found it, but bad if it continued to operate. Seeing the spy vid of the enclave infuriated Tigris.

She glanced up at Acier. Tigris said all she needed to in her hardened features. She would enter the room and take the tech out. Acier would follow, and together they would find out what they could about the operation before taking it down.

Tigris would have preferred sneaking up on the tech, but the vent cover would not allow her to easily creep in. She have to be less subtle. removing her coat and scarf, she moved past Acier. Then Tigris took a moment to focus. The Force moved through her body, muscle and sinew and bone. Then, with a grunt, she shoved her shoulder against the grating.

The cover tore loose of the wall and flung across the room. Behind it burst forth Tigris. The lithe Shadow was a blur of motion. The tech had barely turned his head when Tigris was upon him. The chair toppled, the Atrisian wrapping around the man, flipping him and ending up behind him as he lay on the ground, leaning against her, her arm around his neck. The tech's eyes rolled up and he passed out.

It would have been easier to kill him, but she had been encouraged to do less of that. Besides, he was a source of information. Looking over at Acier, she let the unconsious man slide to the floor as she rose. "Can we find out where this info is going before we take this offline?" She turned to her companion to ask. This, she was told, was one of Acier's strong suits.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Eshan - Elaris

Equipment:
Winter Gear | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Commlink

Ace dropped in a second after she did, boots silent against the floor as he rose into a low crouch. He glanced toward the unconscious tech slumped at Tigris' feet, then at the dented grate still spinning on the ground.

"…Damn."

That was all he said. But his brow lifted, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward. It wasn't often he was genuinley impressed by another. There was precision in the way she'd moved. She was both fast and controlled, demonstrating fluid efficiency that didn't come from instinct. It came from experience and training. The kind Ace hadn't seen often outside of high-level Jedi… or people who used to kill for a living.

He gave her a short nod before moving to the console. Ace's fingers flickered across the interface, it was standard encryption at first glance. Imperial, but nothing crazy. He pulled a bypass key from his belt, just a portable drive with a patch of custom code and a cracked decryption matrix he'd pieced together a few missions back. It'd be enough to get through this.

After a few moments, Ace was able to recover the information they needed. Having checked the transmission history, he found the location - 'Site IV' in... Eshan's orbit? He blinked. It wasn't even on the surface? The relay sat in low orbit, positioned in geosynchronous alignment with Eshan's southern hemisphere. Off-grid. No beacon. Not part of any public satellite registry.

Without hesitation, his fingers tapped through a wipe command, initiating a full cache purge and logic bomb to melt the console after they were clear.

"They're not operating from the ground." he said, glancing toward Tigris. "There's a relay station in orbit called Site IV. Hidden. Close enough to monitor everything in real time."

Tigris Aphra ​

 

[Tigris Aphra]

Location: Elaris
Time: Later day
Outfit Civilian clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, vibroblade, commlink
Tag: Acier Moonbound
Objective: 3

With the imperial spy indisposed, Acier could take over. As he sat at the console, Tigris leaned over his shoulder, watching. While she could do minor slicing, the kind one would need to defeat security systems, Ace's fingers flew over the keyboard and controls, pulled out his own key and had bypassed their encryption in moments. The protocol was to get as much info as possible from the system before frying it. Ace was on it.

While the data was being downloaded, Acier noted something concerning. The information was being relayed to a ghost satellite in orbit. They could take out this station, but any others on the planet could still transmit their data via the satellite. If that was taken down, it would mute any other listening posts.

"Good work, Ace." She patted his shoulder. "Toast the system and lets get this info back to the enclave. We need to find and take out that satellite." She added. Looking at the unconscious imperial on the floor, she pondered his fate. She bound him hand and foot. They would inform the Elaris authorities that their power substation had been taken down and commandeered by spies. They could deal with him.

"Come on, lets get out of here." She encouraged as Aris finished up his task.