Private Tracktion and Extraction

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Kayla Ordo-Shan ​

Dear Diary

It seems like Verse Melnau has successfully joined the Hidden Path! I'm still having trouble assembling good information packets - and getting them sent to a listening post isn't even on the map. But hey, at least I'm getting to know them better. Even though they're supposed to be all spread out and mysterious, I think we're forming a pretty good sense of community.

I'll see if I can make myself useful. Heard some chatter of a Hutt weapons shipment - and I might just know how to make it fall into the hands of the Rebellion. Maybe.

The message is set to delete in 2 hours. Christophsis awaits! Ciao!

Low heels made muffled clicks against the padded alley floor. Agent Pen-Ar-Lan carried a somewhat forced smile as she pushed the little cart in front of her. Her eyes went from passenger to passenger as she slowly made her way to the back of the bi-directional train. Some of the passengers where normal commuters and business travellers. Others were rather obviously cartel muscle. Still, she served them with beverages and light snacks.

She might just have pulled off what would be considered a most impressive feat in her circles. She was wearing her cover identity of Verse Melnau. Verse was, in turn, posing as a train stewardess. Her usually wild curls were now neatly arranged to hang over her shoulders elegantly. The velvet blue uniform was half a size too large but she made it work. The white shirt was tucked in, and the jacket didn't look all too bad on her, the skirt was tapered tightly to her waist with the help of a tight belt. Still, the beret hung just a little too loosely on her head. Her professional demeanour, however, compensated for the slight flaw in the disguise.

Eventually, the Agent made her way to the last passenger cart. Her gaze shifted between the two men guarding the entrance to the last two carts. With a polite nod, she leaned forth to push the 'open' button but soon found her wrist caught in an iron grip. Nervous doe-like eyes shot up at the guard "I was just going to park the cart. It's just around the corner."

Skeptical eyes met hers, but the man eventually relented. With a grunt, he nodded for her to pass through, then tilted his head—signaling for his companion to follow her in. Verse produced an appreciative nod and pressed the button as soon as he released her. "Thank you. I will be quick."

With a brisker pace to her steps, the girl entered the second-to-last train cart and parked her own vendor's cart in a snug, form-fitting space. Clearly she had studied the train before setting foot on it. The Agent threw a glance at the guard who had entered the cart with her before pulling out a stun projector (amped-up taser), turning it on with a flick of a switch. Swiftly, she pressed a hand against his mouth to muffle potential screams and pressed the weapon against his core. This was clean - but it was far from easy. The guard, despite being exposed to shocks from the stun projector, put up a valiant fight. Fortunately, Ines managed to maintain pressure on his mouth using her body weight for leverage and dodged the two kicks he threw during the struggle. After softening inevitable fall, she allowed her shoulders to fall: Hopefully, this had been the most challenging part.

With the press of a button, she locked the door to the passenger cabins from the inside and turned around. Crates going from the floor to the ceiling were - supposedly - all filled with weapons. Verse let out a determined breath. All she had to do now was make it to the very end of the train, detach the last two carts, and choo away using the rear-end locomotive.

 

[Kayla Ordo-Shan]

The name stitched on her jacket read ‘Conductor Myla Vance.’ It wasn't hers, but after last night's slicing session, it might as well have been. The train's personnel database now listed her as having been with the company for seven years, with glowing commendations for customer service and a spotless safety record. It was amazing what some moral flexibility and some silver tonguing could pull off. The system even had a scan of ‘her’ face; really just Kayla's features subtly blurred and tweaked until they passed facial ID checks, but wouldn't be recognized by anyone who actually knew Myla Vance.

Which of course, Kayla was constantly remaining on alert for.

The real Myla Vance, as far as Kayla knew, was currently in a rented storage container with a fresh stack of credits and a polite suggestion to ‘take the week off and forget what happened.’

In a perfect world, that would in fact be the outcome. Of course, Kayla still had the issue of deleting her image from the data base and not being tracked down….but that was a problem for later her.

Right now, clad in a crisp conductor's uniform tailored just enough to allow easy movement, Kayla strolled through the passenger cars with the perfect amount of professionalism; or at least what she believes to be professionalism. Not so friendly as to be suspicious, not so aloof as to draw complaint. Which of course, meant she was wavering between too much and not enough. Regardless, most people just wanted their tickets scanned; so scan she did. Her datapad chirped softly with each ticket scan, every VALID ping adding to her confidence.

Her target was simple: the last two cars. Intelligence said they were packed floor-to-ceiling with cartel bound weapons. Detach them from the main train, ride off in the rear locomotive, and deliver the haul to her employers. Clean, quick, and without a single blaster shot if all went well.

She passed a pair of cartel muscle lounging in a booth. Their eyes tracked her briefly, but the conductor's cap and badge did the work. She gave them the barest nod before moving on, cataloging their weapons and noting they hadn't touched their drinks in twenty minutes. Professionals, then, but not her problem unless they moved first.

A quick glance at her crono device: twelve minutes until the next scheduled stop. That was her window to get to the coupling controls; and make some rather important adjustments to them. She adjusted her cap, stepping into the service corridor that would lead toward the rear of the train.

"Too easy," She muttered to herself.

She didn't know that three cars back, another infiltrator in a stewardess' uniform had just dropped a guard with a stun projector. Both of them were here for the same crates, the same rear locomotive, and the same payday; but as far as Kayla was concerned, this was her solo job and it was going flawlessly.

Of course it was, she was Kayla freaking Shan.

Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Kayla Ordo-Shan ​

She had to act quickly now. Not only did the train come to a halt in 12 minutes, but it was also likely that the guard she'd left outside would start wondering where she and his colleague had gone sooner rather than later. Verse threw a glance down at the floor: What had been soft padding in the passenger aisles was now cold and metallic. Consequently, the shoes came off quickly: The clicking sound they would make here would be terribly inconvenient.

Through considerable effort, Agent Pen-Ar-Lan managed to lift the guard's torso by moving in behind him and squeezing her arms under his armpits. Silently, she proceeded to pull the man around the corner - just far enough that he wouldn't be immediately visible to someone entering the carriage. She then quickly moved back to her vendor's cart and pulled out a blanket to tuck him in with. Upon closer inspection it would be blatantly obvious that he had been knocked unconscious but hopefully, he would pass as someone taking a nap to those less inclined to pry.

Careful and silent steps could hardly be heard as the woman moved deeper into the second-to-last carriage with her shoes held by the right hand. Everything seemed to be working out smoothly until she saw a Rodian and a Twi'lek farther down the corridor. The girl instinctively stopped breathing for a few brief moments as she squeezed herself in between two stacks of crates. Her eyes quickly darted around in the cramped space, clearly searching for a way out of this new complication.

Before long, Verse started climbing the stack of crates in front of her, using the gaps between stacked containers and the crates behind her for support. The shoes she had been bringing along, however, had to be abandoned at the very end of the little narrow space she was in.

It was not spacious on top - but for the agent lying flat - there was enough room to crawl forward. Although she was close to being spotted on a couple of occasions, she ultimately managed to sneak past the alien guards. Emerging by the very end of the second cart, she waited for them to look away before slipping into the hallway leading to the first carriage. Once again, she locked the door behind her and moved towards the cockpit of the rear-end locomotive.

Here, she seemed to be move with more confidence. She passed by four chambers private crew: Three supposedly containing even more weapons and one which was supposedly empty. Casually, she interacted with each door panel to lock the four doors as she moved through the hallway until she reached her destination. Once more, she locked the door behind her.

The cockpit area was large. It was not just a seat and an infinite number of buttons, switches and levers squeezed into a tight control panel - although it had that too. The cockpit area extended a bit back with what appeared to be a lounge area. There was a curved couch and a couple of chairs centered around a sabacc table to the left of the door and a few more crates on the right of it. Looking around, the Agent quickly concluded that she was alone in there and promptly proceeded towards the controls to start hacking into the system.

 

[Kayla Ordo-Shan]

Kayla moved deliberately through second to last passenger car, her posture relaxed but alert. Every ticket scan was an exercise in blending in, though she filled the empty silence between each passenger with thinking of her next few steps. The hum of the train and the murmur of passengers filled the air, providing cover for her increasingly persistent silence.

She glanced down at her datapad, eyes scanning manifests and passenger lists. Though a small concern at the back of her mind lingered. There was no backup. No contact. She was the only one on this op.

How the hell am I supposed to unload this stuff afterwards? The thought flickered briefly, dismissed as unhelpful. There was no time for doubts.

Her gaze flicked upward, catching the wary eyes of a pair of cartel enforcers leaning against a wall. They said nothing, but their stares were a reminder: she needed to just keep looking mundane. One wrong move and the act would shatter.

Kayla adjusted her cap slightly, trying to keep herself anchored in the role of Conductor Myla Vance; veteran rail employee, punctual and unremarkable.

The floor beneath shifted from padded aisles to cold metal plating as she crossed into the last passenger car. She slipped off her gloves but kept her shoes firmly planted, knowing that if she faltered she could be found out.

Approaching the first row of passengers, she slowed her pace, letting the weight of the uniform and the situation settle. There was no need to rush. The key was confidence; moving like she belonged, looking like she fit in.

Her eyes scanned the corridor ahead. A durasteel locked door marked "Crew Only." She noted the timing; ten minutes to the scheduled stop. The guards would begin questioning her absence soon. Or eventually. She wasn’t sure how seriously they took their jobs.

Just keep moving. Keep looking the part.

She took a steady breath and allowed herself a faint, almost imperceptible smirk. In this little facade, the moment of victory would be hers alone.

Of course, she had to actually get the cargo before she could celebrate after all….

Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Kayla Ordo-Shan ​

The two last carriages contained Ines, three guards and a large amount of weapons. One of the guards had been knocked out and the other two, deeper in the aisle of the second carriage were probably still largely unaware of what was happening. The Agent seemed to have two thoughts in her head at once. On the one hand, she was trying to break into the system - on the other, she was thinking of how to get rid of the last guards. And then, there was the supposedly empty cabin: Locked - but still an unknown nontheless.

Verse eventually formed a victorious fist "Yes" she exclaimed with a voice so tiny that it would not be heard beyond the cockpit. The had finally cracked the system and now had full access to the train. Her gaze lingered at the AC controls for a few brief moments. She bit her lower lip - apparently tempted to fiddle with them. Fortunately, the Rebel managed to keep herself in check. Instead, she brought up the security feed to check for potential threats.

No cams were placed in the private cabin but she did have a good grasp of what was happening in the carriages leading up to hers. Concerned eyes quickly darted to the conductor approaching the second to last carriage. This was clearly not something she had taken into account during the schemeing phase of the week. Verse zoomed in on the nameplate and shook her head "Who is Myla Vance?" she asked herself.

Trouble was likely brewing. In the best case scenario, Myla would serve as a distraction just until the guard realised that his buddy had been missing for a little too long. In the worst case scenario, he would realise that something was awry immediately - or at least upon discovering that the door he was guarding had been locked from the inside. All sorts of trouble could follow. More specifically, a tonne of guard colleagues whom were all in the passenger section of the train.

Not wasting any time, Verse proceeded to access the coupling controlls and the remote access mechanisms for the rail tracks. Both systems essential in pulling the heist off. Accessing the rail tracks was easy enough - she now had the power to steer. But the coupling controlls weren't working with her at all. She was starting to reach a point where the hacking skills of Agent Ines Pen-Ar-Lan eclipsed what could plausibly be expected from Rebel Volunteer Verse Melnau. Brute forcing her way into the coupling controlls was simply not an option.

Verse stood up from her chair with the stun projector at the ready. Maybe this operation would not go as smoothly as she had hoped. But getting the carriage away before the guard outside discovered that something was awry was essential.

 

[Hawkbat]

Kayla paused as she looked to the passengers before her, and gave a polite smile, as she eyed the refresher to the side of her. She raised a finger, and motioned to the small space. The Rodian passenger looked confused at her expression, but said nothing as she ducked into the confines to start her final phase of the plan.

Removing the name tag, and her uniform. It gave way to a sleek black fiber suit, with a familiar yellow logo on the front. She unzipped the front section, and secured her utility belt to the front, before closing it back up, looking to the small viewpoint behind her and concluding it would be enough for the legendary Hawkbat.

Stowing the uniform into a bin, she begins to open the viewport of the refresher, and is blasted with the wind from the high speed rail. What she was about to do was probably suicidal, but, Kayla had survived similar antics on her homeworld before; why not here?

She pressed on, producing a small blade from her glove and cut away at the thin lining of the window, letting the wind destroy the last of its solid structure.

Satisfied with this, she would tug on the last remnant of her identity, as the mask comes down, concealing her beneath it. Slowly, she braces herself against the viewport, and begins to squeeze outside, her magnetic gloves already clinging onto the rail as she contorts her way out of the refresher viewport, and begins to crawl along the top of the rail.

Her paracape was snagged by the oncoming wind, deploying partly as it flapped against the torrent of wind. Yet Hawkbat held tightly on, working towards the final two cars.

She was starting to realize how much easier this was to do on Coruscant now.
Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Hawkbat ​

Perhaps she had more time than anticipated. Before leaving the room, Verse spotted the conductor step into the restroom. While it was still likely that she might cause a bit of a stirr later on, it meant that the guard outside would likely not realise what was going on right away.

As she observed the live-feed, a little yellow light started blinking. The Agent quickly turned and realised that it was on of the external sensors going off - typically used to warn train drivers of debris or other items having gotten stuck on the exterior. In those cases, it would always be wise to stop the train and investigate unless the debris could be spotted from the viewports. Without hesitation, the girl turned the system off. Hopefully, the train driver at the front of the train would either dismiss it as a minor glitch or maybe they wouldn't have noticed it at all.

The Agent, however, had seen the yellow light. With a couple of careful steps, she moved closer to the viewport. A gasp escaped her but she quickly brought her hands to cover her mouth up. Someone was approaching the cockpit she was in from the outside. Her hand instinctively fell to where her blaster would have hung if she had brought it. Once it noticed that there was no handle to grab, her hand turned into a small fist. A stressed sigh escaped her.

Not slowed down, the girl turned the console's screen off - in the best of worlds, whoever came into the cockpit next wouldn't notice that the equipment had been tampered with. She then moved with hasty steps to unlock the cockpit door and the door between her current carriage and the one next to it.

Every second counted now - for all she knew, the person approaching from the outside was just as much of a threat as if the guard who had let her in started growing suspicious. The Agent jammed a bit of plastic into the doorway and pushed the button for it to close. Naturally, it would bounce right back open upon swooshing into the piece of plastic. Half a second later, it would try to close again with the same result. Satisfied, she nodded and climbed up on top of the stacked crates on the opposite side of the sabacc table.

Just as expected, the two guards soon entered. One held a blaster and the other a dual-bladed vibrosword with blades long enough to almost cover the room from side to side. They certainly seemed to take their job seriously as they started to look around for the cause of the door's issues.

 

[Hawkbat]

The metal skin of the train thrummed under her palms, each bolt and seam vibrating with the steady grind of the wheels below. Wind clawed at her visor and tried to tear her from the handholds, but Hawkbat moved with the certainty of someone who'd done this more times than she cared to count.

One gloved hand hooked onto a narrow ridge, the other reaching for the next latch point along the maintenance line. The plating was slick from condensation, forcing her to dig her fingertips into the narrow grips. Below, the blur of rock and steel rails made it clear that any slip wouldn't end well.

She paused just long enough to check her path forward, a stretch of flat paneling before the rear car's coupling. Right where the weapons were supposed to be stashed. The sensor array from what she could tell, had not been responded to, no alerts pinging…which meant luck was on her side. Or someone up front had been kind enough to switch it off.

Hawkbat smirked under the visor.

Bracing her boots against the edge of the maintenance strut, she swung herself across a gap, landing against the plating with a metallic thud she hoped was lost in the roar of the wind. A quick glance at the car ahead told her she was close, just a few more meters and she'd be able to work her way inside without any of the interior guards catching on.

No one knew she was here. No one could know. And if all went to plan, she'd have that rear car cracked open before the train even hit its next stop.

Of course, as she worked her way towards the next car, struggling against the force of the train, she managed to drop down between the gap of the cars, only to find two guards awaiting her.

She wasn’t sure who was more surprised. Themselves, or her.

Needless to say, her body was tense as she took notice of the pair, who seemed to be only a few paces from her at the very door she sought to enter into.

Not that it would delay her of course, but as the man with the blaster raised his weapon, Kayla felt her body tense up.

This was going to a bit more involved than she had initially planned.
Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Hawkbat ​

The guards weren't prepared for her. They did not know that a mysterious figure was approaching from the outside. But the Agent knew. From her hiding spot on top of the crates. She was looking for the person appear and listening for every tiny little sound. Both were challenging for as much as she was hard for others to spot, it was just as hard for her to see what was going on without making her head visible. And while the same obstruction did not affect her hearing - the door swooshing back and forth made things harder.

Still, she seemed to hear something. A concerned gaze shifted to the direction of an odd metallic sound. The guards probably needed to be alerted: If they were allied to the stranger, it would not matter. If they were not, they needed to be able to put up a good fight. Verse needed to face a weakened opponent and while the guards were two, the approaching stranger was already showing off an impressive feat.

The girl produced a pebble she had picked up before entering the train and gave it a small look over before tossing it in the direction of the noise she had heard. A clear noise from the inside of the train seemed to draw the attention of the guards in a hurry as both turned away from the cockpit and moved to investigate with hurried yet somewhat careful steps.

Agent Pen-Ar-Lan hopped down from her hiding spot as they left and moved into the corridor with the private cabins where she found a simple hiding spot in a corner - it was good enough for now but should anyone pass her by they would most definitely notice her if they so much as looked in her direction.

That did not seem to be an issue now, however. For the guards had found who they thought they were searching for. Three blaster bolts went off - the man was pointing his blaster high, indicating that the threat was above him. He then fired four more shots, seemingly trying to track his target as it moved. Meanwhile, the Twi'lek with the dualbladed vibrosword entered a defensive position, apparently not too keen on exploring the outsides of the train.

Verse was still lying in wait: If one side emerged victorious, she was more than ready to pounce with her stun projector.

 

[Hawkbat]

Three bolts sizzled past her head, the heat warmed the cheek of her cowl. Hawkbat didn't hesitate, her fingers unclasped the micro-fiber cape from her shoulder, and with a sharp flick she hurled it up between them. The fabric snapped open, catching the rushing wind and swirling like a living shadow in front of their faces.

The blaster guard fired straight into it, tracking the ‘figure’ as it danced in the slipstream. He never saw her drop low, her other hand already thumbing a small disc from her belt.

She popped it against the floor.

A burst of searing white light filled the narrow space, bouncing off every crate and bulkhead. The guards recoiled, one swearing as he threw up an arm, the other's vibrosword wavering in his grip.

Hawkbat surged forward, wrist grapple firing with a snap-hiss. The hook caught on a rafter above their heads, yanking her in with brutal speed. She swung out a legs and smashed the man in the face, she the cut the grapple, pushed off of him from her kick, and flipped herself over towards the swords man. The blaster holder hit the deck hard, air leaving him from the initial impact.

The Twi'lek tried to swing blind, his vibrosword humming inches from her visor. But Hawkbat stepped inside the arc, her forearm smashing into his elbow, forcing the blade down. She followed with a sharp knee to his gut and a hooked punch to the side of his head. She grabbed him by the head tail, and yanked, sending him toppling to the floor.

The blaster-wielder tried to get back up, but she pivoted on one foot, driving her heel into his jaw. She felt something break against the armored sole. Regardless, he went limp instantly.

She collected her micro-fiber cape, and gave another glance around, unsure if her infiltration had gone array or if this was just had luck.

She engaged the stealth unit on her waist regardless, and vanished into the shadows, leaving the two badly better guards where they lay.

She just had a feeling they weren’t the only ones here.
Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Hawkbat ​

The girl had been observing what was happening whenever she had the chance. But as soon as she spotted the disc, she quickly turned away and shielded her eyes. She only dared peek at what was happening when the flashes seemed to have ended.

What she saw was a rather onesided display. The Guards did not look like they stood a chance against whom appeared to be a superior fighter. The Agent did not look very surprised at all. Her training would certainly have made her aware of how potent a good flashbang could be. On top of that, this mysterious stranger had just entered from the outside of a train: Expectations were high.

Before long, the first guard was out of comission. Verse shook her head. She had been ready to pounce but as things looked, she had remained in hiding for far too long already. Her eyes followed as the blaster wielding Rodian appeared to fall too. Her time was running out.

With silent steps, the girl, disgusied as a stewardess still, rushed forth. Her thumb pressed down against the 'on' button hard, causing electricity to sparkle as she swung it at the stranger in a wide arc. She would then make a shorter swing to bring her arm back down to her side before finally making a thrusting attack. This time, her goal was to maintain the potential stab for as long as possible in order to knock the mysterious stranger out completely. If any of the attacks landed, this could potentially be a brutal combination - if not, it was likely that the Agent was in big trouble.

 

[Hawkbat]

Kayla had just gotten herself settled into a post combat stance, her body shifting into a balanced position as she tried to get prepared for the next phase of her operation.

Then the sound of foot falls behind her sounded, giving only a moment of notice to react. The initial impact struck the armor along her neck, shorting out the cloaking device as it exploded at her waist. Kayla attempted to turn and face the oncoming threat; only to find a stun rod wielding stewardess coming at her. She staggered, the smoke from her belt wafting as she swiped out her left arm, feeling the sting of the shock weapon sting the skin of her neck, as she sought to smack the weapon aside as she strikes the wrist with the bladed edge of her gauntlet.

Her right hand went to the smoke pellets at her utility belt, as she would turn to face the charging woman, and detonate the pellets; trying to give herself time to gain an edge as the black and grey smoke would begin to fill the space between the two.

Kayla would withdraw within, letting the lenses of her cowl switch to infrared, preparing to go hand to hand with the stranger, unsure as to who they might be aligned with.

Either way, she wasn’t going down without a fight.


Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Hawkbat ​

It was all happening very fast now. The Agent's eyes remained focused as she tracked the opponent's movements. Perhaps her prowess exceeded what Verse was capable of - but then, adrenaline could explain many impressive feats. The first swing was a hit. The warm yellow tones of the ceiling lights intermigled with the cold blue electric sparks as the stun projector crackled with energy upon connecting with the mysterious stranger.

The hastily assembled plan to bring the stranger down went awry soon, however. Before the finishing blow could land, the stund projector was intercepted. A blade of some sort hit the Agent's weapon. With a large tear down its one side, cables and inner mechanisms were utterly destroyed. With a high pitched yelp, Verse let go of it as she took a step to the side in order to avoid immediate danger.

Then came the smoke. This, she seemed rather well prepared for. Verse quickly went low and swept up the blaster rifle the guard had dropped. An astute observer would note that she had likely held a rifle in the past. Her one hand found the trigger and the other the barrel to hold it steady. But it would be equally clear that she was no trained combatant. She hugged the weapon tight as if it would make her a little safer. She did not bring the weapon up for aim and instead held it as if prepared to hipfire it.

The Agent knew where the switch was but Stewardess Verse had to look for it before flipping it. She had set the blaster to stun as slowly backed away from the smoke filled section of the carriage. Soon, she was out in the narrow confines of the corridor of private cabins. Looking into the cloud, she fired off two stun blasts and let out a shaky "Are you okay? I want you to leave."

 

[Hawkbat]

Through the smoke, Hawkbat's visor display picked up Verse's silhouette; blaster held but she seemed unfamiliar with the function. Not a guard. Not a trained solider from what she could tell. A civilian?

She kept low, jumping back and planting herself against the wall, as the smoke enveloped the corridor.

Her cape swept against her back, draping around her legs. This had to be some Good Samaritan, but there was the stun weapon from before. Plain clothes guard? Why not just try to kill her outright?

It didn’t make sense.

Then the woman’s remarks came forth, and the confusion built.

"Put the rifle down," Hawkbat's voice cut through the haze, low and mechanical from her modulator. She hoped it would startle the woman. "And walk away."

She stepped forward just enough for the red gleam of her visor to pierce the drifting smoke. Two stun shots fired into the smoke, one of them brushed against the armored plate of her chest.

Why wasn’t she shooting to kill?

"Whatever they are paying you, isn’t worth the fight you’re walking into."

She would deactivate the boots, letting herself down to the floor as the smoke began to thin. Her right hand braced, preparing the grapple line if she needed to close in on the woman, but for now, she’d tried to deescalate.

Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Hawkbat ​

Her brows furrowed as the stun bolt dissipated as it hit the mysterious stranger's armour. As soon as she heard the voice commanding her to put the rifle down and walk away, her mind raced to figure out who the person might be. Her time with Imperial Intelligence had given her rather extensive knowledge of what figures might be found in the underworld. This one, however, still seemed unfamiliar to her.

Ines let out a shaky "I can't!" as she kept taking careful steps back. Her entire demeanour screamed of someone who was struggling to maintain her calm. Everything from posture to tone to her facial expression indicated the same thing - everything but where she pointed the blaster. For as she moved and shuffled to create some distance between them, the Agent made subtle movements to aim the blaster a little lower - where the armoured plates parted to allow for mobility.

"If I go out there I'll be in so much trouble with the-..." she trailed off. Her gaze fell for a moment - as it seemed, she was evaluating the risks. "Why are you here? This area is for staff only" It was utterly stupid. Here she was, holding a mysterious stranger at gun point and telling them that the area was restricted. Not to mention that the stranger was impervious to her stunbolt and Verse was barefoot.

Her brows then shot up high as she thought of something. Her eyes darted between the mysterious stranger and the knocked out guards "Wait. You're not with the Cartel?"

There were many parts of this ordeal that she very much hoped to keep out of her reports.

 

[Hawkbat]

Hawkbat's head tilted slightly, the dull glow of her visor sizing up Verse in place like a predator sizing up prey. The faint hiss of her modulator carried her words low, controlled, almost cold as she spoke.

"If I were with the Cartel, you'd be in trouble right now."

She advanced one step, cape brushing the smoke aside like a shadow moving of its own will. The grapple on her wrist gave a soft click as it locked back into place. She hoped it would at least be a warning if the woman heard it

"I’m removing these weapons and giving them to a better cause" Her visor tilted toward the downed guards, then back to Verse. "…so I’m going to assume you aren’t with these guys either?"

Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Hawkbat ​

A spark of hope lit up in her eyes as the mysterious stranger indicated that she was not part of the cartel. Verse remained silent, however. Her grip on the blaster tightened as the figure approached but she also took a careful step back. While Hawkbat was sending a warning, the Agent was doing what she could to indicate that she did not want a fight - aside from lowering her weapon.

The rebel's brows rose, asking a rhetorical Oh, really? without uttering a single word. The mysterious stranger had more in common with her than expected. They were both interested in getting the weapons into the possession of someone else - the only question that remained was who.

"No. No, I'm not with the Cartels" she said, her voice soft. It was clear that the young woman did not seek a fight. "Maybe we could help each other. If we keep this up, neither of us will have the time to steal the weapons. Time's running short, at least for my plan. If we work together, we'd still stand a chance though. Maybe we could find a decent way to split the weapons too? My cause is in really bad need of them." She spoke carefully, almost with a pleading tone. Then, came a careful "But first, may I ask what your cause is?"

 

[Hawkbat]

Hawkbat tilted her head to the side, frowning under her attire as she mused on the woman's words. She seemed surprised at this whole exchange, but her body language read that she was trying to process the situation before her. "Well, get to it then, if your cause needs weapons so badly." It was probably a bad idea, sure, but she knew damn well that she wasn't going to be able to remove all this cargo by herself.

She looked to the crates behind her, and back to the stranger before her. This woman certainly wasn't a damn cartel member....but why was she here then? "My cause? Is to help people....the weapons here are going to....just end up being sold, but...maybe if I sell some of these off, I can make something good come about."

That much was true, but whatever this woman was hoping to get out of her, she was going to be disappointed. Kayla was holding out. "Right, so, lets get to this."

Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan

 

[Ines Pen-Ar-Lan]

Tracktion and Extraction
Hawkbat ​

That was easy. Verse did not even try to hide her surprise upon hearing that her proposal was accepted. She offered an affimrative nod but remained silent as the mysterious stranger answered her question. It seemed like the stranger was some sort of well-meaning mercenary - possibly. Her desire to help people indicated as much but some interpreted 'help' very generously. Regardless, getting a portion of the weapons for the Hidden Path without a fight seemed preferable to all other alternatives. Whether she could trust the stranger or not was a different question.

After a few moments of silence, the Agent let out a final "Okay, deal." With that, she lowered the blaster and moved towards the mysterious stranger with increasingly careful steps as she got closer. She did not seem to have any hostile intents but was ready to defend herself if it had all just been a ruse.

Once she had passed the mercenary by, Verse immediately moved a little faster: The immediate danger had been passsed. She was making her way to the part where the second and third carriage connected. Whilst moving, she looked back to the other woman "If you really wanna help people and do some good, we might be on the same side. The people are suffering - someone needs to do something about it. And it seems to me like the major powers of the galaxy either aren't willing, or aren't capable." she was trying to squeeze a little more information from the stranger.

On their way, Verse slipped into the crevice she had been in previously and picked up the shoes she had dropped. With a bit of finesse, she put them back on and kept moving to the end of the carriage. "We'll need to undo the couplings manually. The system wouldn't let me do it from the rear-end cockpit."

 

[Hawkbat]

Hawkbat's steps were quiet, deliberate, shadowing Verse's movements without crowding her. The mask concealed any hint of approval or judgment, but her posture relaxed slightly; enough to suggest that the immediate tension had eased.

"People suffer whether we act or not," She said, voice calm, almost measured. "But I understand your point."

Her eyes flicked toward the gap between the carriages as Verse bent to adjust her shoes, noting the agent's careful pragmatism. "You have too much optimism to be doing stunts like this," Hawkbat continued, "but sure, we can decouple the train, if we act quick."

She tapped the side of her grapnel, a faint metallic click audible in the narrow corridor. "Couplings, manual override…I can handle the tricky parts that need more than muscle. Show me how you planned to get these things out of here then."

For a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of the train wheels over the rails. Hawkbat's gaze lingered on the corridor ahead. "Hopefully we get these weapons offboard without leaving a trail of bodies." She said flatly, following behind Ines as she started her walk.

Tags: Ines Pen-Ar-Lan