Private Target Acquired

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

When his hand gently touched her bruised back, Valery's breathing grew a little shaky. But after dropping her jacket back down, she composed herself and flashed him a weak smile. "A massage would be nice," she said, totally using his offer to make her feel better to get something good out of him.

With that said, they began to move quickly through the fairly dark sewers, hoping to find a way out of this mess while they continued to discuss the situation, as well as their options. "The Hutt wasn't sensitive, no," she confirmed with a nod. "So I think you're right, and someone has a darker grip over this whole thing."

For a moment, Valery then stopped, hoping he would as well before she gestured at the pin, "...I should probably take it." She clearly felt bad for asking, but it wasn't a matter of trust. Valery knew she could shield herself against the influences of the Dark Side, and the last thing she wanted was for him to be manipulated. "I can purge it once we're out of here and into a safe house. Until then, it's safer that way."

Valery then began to move, but stopped again not much later, as the light began to shine down into the sewers up ahead. A lid had been opened, and voices were echoing through the open sewer tunnels.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Massage, then," He nodded, still smirking. Something to look forward to when this was all said and done.

The trudged on through the sewers, and Valery agreed with his current running theory, which only lent more credence to it. If she thought there was some kind of darksider operating things, then Aldric was willing to bet that was in fact the case. "Think it's Sith or Maw related? Something independent?" He couldn't claim to be an expert, but their kind came in all different types.

Suddenly she stopped, and so did he. Aldric looked down at the pin, his gaze flicking between it and Valery for a few moments before he handed it over, "Sure. Yeah. Probably for the best." Another thing he trusted her with much more than himself. She was a Shadow. Rooting out Darkness wherever it festered was her whole thing.

They were stopped again, as rays of light soon poured into the sewer, and commotion overhead indicated someone might be on their trail, "Great," Aldric mumbled, looking around. There wasn't exactly much cover for them down here. He pulled out his pistol and stepped further back to stay out of the line of sight, "How do you wanna play this?" Going loud was going to make things a lot more complicated. But depending on these people, they may not have much of a choice…

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

The idea of a massage after all of this made the soreness of her back a lot more bearable, and him being so willing to give up the token brought some relief too. When she held it in her hand, she could feel its energy, and how it attempted to connect with her through the Force. It was faint, and wouldn't control someone just instantly, but the mere thought that it could cause harm to him was enough for her to want to purge it.

"Thanks, love," she said, which got her to shut up again for a second. She hadn't called him that before, and it's a term of endearment she didn't throw around easily. It brought a blush to her cheeks she hid by turning towards a new source of danger. Light from above, voices, and the sound of people climbing down a ladder echoed out to them.

"Stay hidden here and when they get close to you, I'll distract them. Trust me," she winked and without explaining much more, Valery suddenly disappeared instantly, as she turned invisible by cloaking herself through the Force. An old Shadow trick she could use now that it wouldn't stand out.

"You really think they're down here?"

"Could be, they disappeared without a trace in the streets."

"I don't know man, I wouldn't last very long down here."

The pair of goons were drawing closer and closer to Aldric with heavy rifles drawn and ready to be used. That tension continued to rise, threatening to expose the Senior Agent until suddenly Valery appeared behind them. "Looking for someone, boys?" They jumped up from the sudden voice behind them, and turned around, thereby exposing their backs to Aldric.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric smiled bashfully, and opened his mouth to try and think of something to say, but they were both turned away by new distractions. He nodded along to Valery's plan, only to blink in surprise as she disappeared completely, "V-Val?" The agent mumbled, then quickly shook his head and smirked. Jedi tricks went even deeper than he realized. He posted up behind the wall leading into a side tunnel, waiting for her cue.

A duo of thugs had dropped down, and were now headed in his direction groaning about the search as they unknowingly neared one of their targets. Close. Dangerously close. Risking exposure to the point that he very nearly turned around to face them himself, just hoping he would be able to react first. But his trust in Valery's plan was, as always, well placed. She reappeared further down the tunnel, and hearing the thugs shift, he spun out and fired two quick shots. They both crumpled down against the water line floor.

"I appreciate your flair for the dramatic," Aldric smirked, running a hand through his hair. Something else had caught his attention, though, during that little exchange. His face twisted in thought, before deciding to bring it up, "That goon said he didn't think he would last long down here… What do you think he meant by that?" Part of him hoped he was just referring to the unsanitary conditions. But could there be a chance that something worse was down here…?

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"I just like showing off for you a little," Valery said after he dropped the two thugs. She shot him a wink and moved over to the bodies, checking them for anything useful but all she found were similar pins to the one the auctioneer had. There was, however, one crucial difference. "These aren't tainted like the one we took from the auctioneer. They're manipulating leadership directly, but not every individual thug they have."

Valery sighed and looked at their bodies for a moment before his question drew her gaze back up quickly. She hadn't thought of that at all, but it was definitely worrying. "Well, I didn't read anything about scary sewer monsters..." she began with a slight smirk. "But some people do live in these sewers. Homeless people or criminals who can't even show their faces up on the surface of this planet."

She got up to her feet and rolled her shoulders, "I'd rather not figure it out the hard way, though. Do you think we can head up into the streets somewhere? Or... should we really lay low here?" The smell was starting to get frustrating, but up above it could still be quite hectic.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Mission accomplished," Aldric chuckled. Valery retrieved two more pins from the goons, and confirmed that the Dark Side influence was not universal. Practical enough, given most of them would be none the wiser to their big boss's ulterior motives anyway.

He gave the area around them a bit of a glance, almost feeling as if he had seen some shift in the water as soon as she mentioned sewer monsters. He shook it off as paranoia, and smirked back at Valery. "Not sure I wanna meet whoever these people consider to be undesirable."

Aldric pulled out a holodevice, which gave them a general layout of the area, "Nah. The sooner we can get out of here, the better, I think. Let's see… Maybe if-" Suddenly, his vision became murky, and Aldric disappeared, pulled under the water.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Not sure I wanna meet whoever these people consider to be undesirable."

Valery chuckles, "They could also be allies. Rebels who can't show their faces on the surface." It was a nice thought, that people would openly resist the Hutt regime, but she knew it wasn't very realistic. They had an immense grip on the people, and those who went against them were quickly disposed of, and sometimes their families as well.

Tactics to exploit fear.

"Yeah, I agree, let's get out of..." she trailed off and felt the hairs in her neck rise, as a warning tremored through the Force. But before she understood what was happening, Aldric was pulled under. "Aldric!" she screamed, pitch high and her voice filled with legitimate fear. Without wasting a second, she dived into the murky water and used those Keshian eyes to pierce through the darkness, only to see the heat of his body, as well as that of something much larger.

Valery then drew a pistol and placed a carefully aimed shot at the tentacle that had wrapped itself around Aldric, hoping it would set him free. A few weeks ago, she would have never dared to take this shot, but his training was paying off.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric thrashed helplessly against the weight anchoring him down, pulling him across the turbid waterway. There was hardly even a chance to process what was happening, his flicking gaze only able to confirm that there was something latched onto his leg.

Air supply was running short. A few bubbles escaped his nostrils, and he felt focus getting hazier. Then, the tension suddenly released, and both heard and felt an angry screech reverberate through the water. Aldric wasted no time pushing back to the surface, inhaling deeply and coughing out some excess liquid, "Gross." He looked around, "Val?!"

That was the least of their problems, though, as soon the creature burst out of the depths with flailing tentacles. Aldric grimaced at the sight, and quickly drew his pistol, firing a few shots at the dianoga, scorching its thick hide. It screeched again, louder now out of the water, and lashed out a tentacle, striking his hand and causing the pistol to clatter against the nearby walkway.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

The shot connected and the beast briefly released Aldric's leg, allowing him to rise up to the surface to catch his breath again. Valery, however, had been more prepared to draw in a deep breath before going under, so she fired a few more shots down into the depths before she came up and heard his voice calling out to her.

"I'm okay!" she assured him. "We really need to-" The loud splashing of the beast coming up to the surface silenced her, and Aldric was quick to pepper several shots into its thick hide as well. The Dianoga screeched and lashed out with its tentacles, disarming Aldric in the process, while Valery was knocked back against the wall.

Wanting to end this fast, her hand slipped inside her jacket to grab her lightsaber but before she could get a firm grip of the weapon, a tentacle wrapped around her neck and throat, cutting off all her air while lifting her up just a little to keep her controlled. The lightsaber fell into the water as a result and began to sink away from her grasp slowly.

"A-aldri..." she could barely mutter his name, but she needed his help, or else she'd be forced to really create a mess people up above would pick up on.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric found at least a moment of relief when Valery resurfaced, but celebrations were put on hold by the attacking creature. It quickly managed to disarm both of them, with the agent grasping at his now twice-injured hand when he saw Valery suddenly seized by a tentacle.

"Val!" He cried out in anger, pushing as swiftly through the water as he could. The hilt of the saber falling had not missing him, and he plunged his free hand into the depths to grasp it. Aldric found purchase of the metallic hilt, and fumbled with the button, causing a dull violent light to creep out of the murky waters. Bubbles rushed to surface as liquid was immediately evaporated by the superheated plasma.

With a war cry he swung upwards, cleaving through the dianoga's limb in a single swipe. The cauterized tentacle holding Valery went slack, dying nerves still making it twitch helplessly as it sank below. Aldric then thrust forward, impaling the blade through its center mass, and with a final bellow, the dianoga shook violently, before plopping back down into the water.

He pulled the weapon loose with a grunt, and turned to face Valery. He looked a bit feral and disheveled from the hectic series of events, not to mention soaking wet. The saber was still gripped tightly at his side, while his chest rose and fell with heavy pants, "...You okay?" Aldric asked, finally calming down now that the spike of adrenaline was fading.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Valery was seconds away from turning all her might in the Force against the creature, which she had been wanting to avoid when she heard him call out her name in anger. Her fiery eyes widened and faster than she ever thought possible of someone who couldn't tap into the Force, she watched him retrieve her lightsaber and come up with a powerful swing, so precise and calculated that it seemed as if he had been trained for years.

But training wasn't his driving force at all — he wanted to protect her. He had to.

The tentacle around her throat was severed, releasing Valery, who dropped back down in the water while Aldric continued his onslaught and impaled the beast to finish it off. As it began to sink to the bottom of the murky water, Valery was left to stare at her boyfriend, still with widened eyes. It was rare for her to see such emotions spark over her, and she felt her heart racing because of it. Both because she wanted him to be alright and not lose himself, but even more so because she felt his affection.

"I'm..." she shook her head and snapped out of her trance. "I'm okay!" she rushed towards him, helped him onto the small walkway at the side, and hugged him tightly. They both were soaking wet and incredibly smelly, but she didn't care and just held him for a moment. "I'd kiss you if you didn't stink this badly, but thanks babe," she chuckled playfully and pulled back from the hug.

"Let's get out of here, find a safe house and some new clothes too."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric’s shoulders relaxed noticeably with Valery’s assurance. They made it over to the walkway, still drenched and smelly, but they embraced anyway. When she pulled away he chuckled, “Probably for the best. Save it for later,” He tapped his nose, before reaching down to pick up his pistol.

“Yes please. Fighting sewer monsters was not what I signed up for.” Aldric walked over to the manhole ladder, and scaled the first few rungs, “We’re close to the edge of town, if that holomap was right. Should be somewhere we can lay low for a bit and get our bearings.” Once at the top, he tentatively peeked out, and upon seeing no immediate opposite, hopped out, reaching down to offer Valery a hand.

With a quick but careful pace, he led her into a more slummy looking area, where the populous was more dispersed. Eventually they came across a vacant building, and he led them around to the back, where a basement hatch in turn led to a small bunker for them to take shelter. Drab, spare for some basic necessities, but it wasn't like they were planning on sticking around for the long term anyway.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Mhmm, we will~" she teased despite the circumstances. It was almost funny how a lot of their adventures were full of unexpected trouble and near-death encounters, just because they always pulled through and enjoyed each other's company in the end. She just... hoped that their upcoming vacation would be a little less intense in the wrong ways.

At his proposal to get out and lay low, she nodded and followed, "Agreed, I could use some rest too, and before I forget... you're pretty good with a lightsaber when you're angry. Hot, too." She grinned and followed him up the ladder, where she waited for him to first take a look around. When it was safe, she took the offered hand and let him pull her out of the sewers. Now in the fresh air again, the bad smell really became apparent, so the priority after shelter would definitely be new clothing.

After some careful sneaking around and moving through the slums, they quickly found an abandoned building and took shelter in its bunker-like basement. It made Valery feel safe enough to ditch the blaster-proof jacket, but without any new clothing, she decided against stripping out of the rest for now. "When we passed by that row of smaller buildings on our left, I spotted some clothing hanging to dry outside. We could take some and leave behind credits." She didn't like stealing at all, but she had a ton of credits on her they could leave behind for compensation.

"Once we've changed, we could try to plan our next steps. Either get out of here to prevent more risk or continue the mission." She looked at him and wondered what he was thinking about it.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric flashed his brows at her comment, "Maybe I should get one of my own, then~" He joked. As cool as that sounded, he wasn't eager to risk losing his limbs trying to show off on a regular basis. Practically speaking, he wouldn't be able to make full use of its potential. Still, it was a fun little daydream to have.

Once in the bunker, they both shed their jackets to free themselves from at least a bit of the unpleasant stench. Aldric couldn't help but wonder how long it would be now before the rest of the room smelled like a sewer. Valery's suggestion was met with a shrug of resignation, "Seems our best bet, then." He similarly was not enthusiastic about stealing, but hopefully a nice sum of credits would make up for it well, "Sounds good, let's head out."

Following her directions, Aldric snuck around to where the clothesline had been set up, giving the area a brief glance for anyone watching. It was a strange experience, and felt unbecoming of secret agents such as themselves. Resorting to common theft for the sake of their mission. But he quickly pulled off a handful of men's clothes, and kept watch for Valery to grab her own share, "Can't really afford to be picky right now, so just grab what you can and let's go."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Hmm, I think blasters suit you better," she teased. Even though she knew he was joking, she gave the idea of him with a lightsaber some thought and was terrified almost immediately. Luckily, he didn't need lightsabers or fancy Force abilities to be effective in the field.

After agreeing with her plan, the two moved out, and much like Aldric, she couldn't exactly be picky. There was no way they'd have the type of gear she normally wore for missions, so she was left with a fairly cheap-looking dress of very thin material. It wouldn't stop a blaster bolt and didn't make fighting easy, but it would have to do. "I can burn our suits when we get back. Gives us some warmth and nobody will find them and trace us somehow," she said quietly before leaving some credits behind. Far more than these clothes were worth, but she hoped it would help them.

Soon after, the two agents made it back to the bunker, and Valery was very quick to get changed. Now, she looked like a regular citizen of the planet, which all things considered, wasn't a bad cover. "Well, at least it fits, somewhat..." she looked down at herself and smirked. "How are you holding up over there?"

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Sure, let's move," He said firmly, but couldn't hide the raised brow as he was already studying the clothes they had both grabbed.

Back in the bunker, they wasted little time getting changed. The cover was decent, spare a few key conveniences, "Speak for yourself," Aldric grumbled, straightening a shirt a bit too small for him, clinging tightly to his frame. The pants weren't much better, but at least the accentuation there wasn't egregious. He walked a bit stilted, still breaking in the clothing until it could be a bit more comfortable. Relatively speaking.

The agent then looked down at Valery's outfit, and smirked, "A bit tacky, for my taste."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

The second Valery could see him struggling in his new clothing, she began to snort and looked him up and down with the biggest, dumbest grin she had shown him since they first met. "Oh my, we're going to look like quite the pair, hm?" she asked as she waltzed around him to take a good look at him.

"Hmm, I'm sure it's not that comfortable but at least I can't complain~" she teased, as her hand slid over his back and then over his arms, feeling the tight fabric hug against his skin. "Be careful not to tear your pants though, that would be awkward." Yeah, she was definitely enjoying this.

At his comment about her dress, she tilted her head. "I can even make this dress look good, thank you very much." She rolled her eyes and playfully flicked some hair over her shoulder. "But let's get back to business, hm? This symbol on the token, I do think I've seen it before."

"While we were running through the slums, I saw advertisements for workers in the tibanna gas refineries, and they held the same symbol. These people probably all work there, but it might be our next bet. What do you think? Ready to infiltrate and cut the head off the snake?"

 

[Aldric Laurent]

“Quite,” Aldric concurred with a snort, looking back and seeing that dumb, cute grin on Valery’s face. It would be an interesting experience, if nothing else. He smirked as she circled him, feeling at the way his clothes hugged against his skin. Indeed, it wasn’t all that comfortable, but it did do nicely for showing off his muscle definition. If Val liked it, then he could find it within himself to have some appreciation as well.

The thought of tearing his pants did make his cheeks redden a bit. Hopefully that was something they could keep off the record.

“That you can,” Aldric said, still grinning as he looked her over. Quickly they snapped out of it though, and were right back to work. “Not so subtle after all, huh?” If there was one thing to be counted on, it was the hubris of people like them inevitably causing a slip up. They had a lead now. And a location. “Perfect. Let’s get this over with.” He cracked his knuckles, and looked around the room once more, “Starting to wish we’d taken that speeder after all. Any idea where one of these places is?” Aldric took out his datapad, and began a search of his own, “There’s quite a few, closest one is on the other end of town.”

“Shall we?”

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Operative Suit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Aldric Laurent

She always loved how tough and confident he was, and that muscle definition popping out could easily make her squirm, but there was also something incredibly cute to her about watching him blush or be nervous about the way she teased. It gave her just a little bit of hope that she could win one of those battles with him.

Probably not, though.

Focusing back on business, Valery hummed in thought. "It might be more subtle than we think. These refineries have been running for lifetimes, so the symbol being out there is probably not that strange. The subtlety is how some have been alchemically altered by the Dark Side to manipulate key figures." It was a sinister plan, and one they could not easily take down entirely. But the only cog in that machine they could take down without it being replaced was the one behind it all.

"But yeah, let's go, and I'm still glad we didn't take the speeders. Have you seen how many are out there looking for us?" She asked before she grinned. "It's almost exciting~"

---

Soon enough, they began closing in on the outskirts of the town, looking like ordinary citizens. Search parties were still everywhere, but none discovered the two, whose faces luckily hadn't been spotted. "Hmm, it goes into a small section of forest here, but the refinery is right in the middle of it all."

"Heavily guarded but lots of entry points. Through water, bridges, or just the front door..." she looked at him. "I'd rather not get wet again."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

“Fair enough,” Aldric relented. Speeders might have gotten them there quicker, but chances are they’d have been chased all the way to the refinery without any chance of a break. In the end, patience and planning always won out. An approach that, seemingly, their enemy had taken as well. The amount of scheming it must have taken to plant the seeds for their manipulation could only be undertaken by the most calculating of criminals, “Hopefully it doesn't get too exciting…”

Thankfully, nobody had ever gotten a good enough look at them to pick their faces out of the crowd, especially with a fresh set of clothes. The search was still in full swing, but they were able to remain undetected all the way to the facility. Valery gave a rundown of their options, and Aldric smirked, “Likewise. Let’s try the bridge then, hm?”

He led the way through the woods surrounding the refinery, posting up behind a tree to the bridge entry, which had a pair of security guards, and code-locked gates behind them. He turned to Valery, “We’ll need some kind of pass to get in. Not to mention getting these guys out of the way. Undetected. Any ideas?”

Valery Noble ​