Private Tension Release

[Jaryg Syn]

Jakku/Don't Care​

Afternoon, probably/Hot as Hell​

"Listen, all I'm sayin' is you were an unnecessarily karking pain in the ass with that situation. I could have folded him like a camping chair but you decided that you wanted to have a go at him as well!" Jag ranted as they walked through the sands of the pathetic planet. He hated everything about this mission, this planet, this partner... the last one was probably the biggest annoyance. Trying to coerce her into a hotel room seemed like a very bad idea with each passing minute. Right now he just wanted to plant a couple satchel charges and get the mission over with. Why did the Empire have to lose the Death Star all those years ago? It would have made this situation so much more pleasant.

He shoved a local aside as he adjusted his aviators, glancing at Zoraya. "And then you forget hats. Of all things, hats! On a desert planet!" he continued to rant as he marched towards their ship. A simple freighter meant to be inconspicuous. Their mission was simple. Apparently a Maw crew was causing trouble on NIO borders and harassing ships. Their job was to take them out. They had managed to track the crew to Jakku... though it was amazing how finding them proved to be such a pain given the low population of Jakku.

Jaryg finally relaxed when he got underneath the roof of the pathetic marketplace and looked to Zoraya. "Alright, let me have it. What kind of snide or witty comment do you have for me?" he asked with a defeated voice as he stared blankly at her.

Zoraya Ives-Ayres

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

Why she had to be partnered with Jaryg again she didn't know. Their relationship had begun as colleagues but quickly descended into her harbouring a disliking for him on account of his behaviour and attitude. She typically held an arrogant stance towards most people, though she was usually willing to show respect to other people of a similar ranking position. Jaryg, however, had fallen from her favour and as such received a noticeable lack of respect from the agent.

She walked alongside him, seemingly irked either by the content of his words or his mere presence. He was right about one thing however, it was remarkably hot with little to no relief from the hot rays, not helped by the lack of protection they had brought with them aside from shades.

Once they stopped, she lifted the shades and rested them on top of her head, revealing her less than amused expression. "Are you just about finished complaining?" She asked. Even if she was just as uncomfortable with the heat, she wasn't about to be caught complaining about it and she was even less likely to admit she was wrong at their last encounter - not that she was.

"Don't make this more difficult than it has to be." She warned him before sliding her shades back down and continuing towards the ship. Upon identifying the rather pathetic looking freighter, she boarded the vessel and took the co-pilot seat. She had experience flying starfighters but freighters were almost a completely foreign entity, as suggested by her hesitation to flip some of the switches - not that she would ask for help.

Jaryg Syn​

 

[Jaryg Syn]

Jag's features contorted into a smug smirk at her short question. "I don't do good in heat. There. no I'm done." he quipped as they pressed on. She gave him a warning as they made their way to the freighter but he didn't say anything just yet. She could win this round. He had done his homework. He knew just what to do to press her buttons.

They took their seats and he watched her hesitate for a bit with the controls. He decided to be a gentleman and start up the ship for her with a few flips of switches and pressing of buttons. "There we go. All yours." he commented as he sat back with his hands behind his head. He rested his feet up on an open area of the dashboard as he watched her control the ship. "Oh, I wanted to ask." he started calmly. "Is your cousin single by any chance? I know she's a Jedi and all... but she don't look half bad, I must say." he started with a smirk as he lowered his aviators to get a good look at her reaction.

"Where do you want to take the ship anyway? They'll spot us in no time if we get too close." he asked as he sat upright, looking serious for once.

Zoraya Ives-Ayres

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

She only gave him a sideways glance and no thanks as he started the ship for them. Even if she was struggling, she didn't appreciate being pitied enough to be given help but she said nothing on the matter, not wanting to draw attention to it nor pick unnecessary fights, and began the process of setting the ship into motion.

It was in the name of not picking unnecessary fights that she also didn't mention her distaste for his unprofessional attitude of placing his feet on the dashboard. He must've already known it irked her based on their last encounter and she wouldn't put it past him to do it to purposely irritate her. She had thought she wouldn't let him get a rise out of her by letting that too slide but his following comment struck her like a slap.

"Are you serious?" She asked, her expression contorting almost into a look of disgust. "I don't know and I don't care and even if I did, I certainly wouldn't tell you." Her expression shifted into a frown at the thought of her cousin and she shook her head incredulously. In a single sentence she had managed to express her distaste for both Jaryg and Kiara.

Her outburst made her realise she was playing into his hand, giving him what he wanted - a reaction. If she were to deter him then she knew she would need to remain calm and collected but something told her that even if she did he wouldn't give up. There was nothing she could do but tolerate him and occasionally berate him.

"Then we don't get too close." She answered plainly. Despite the animosity she held towards him, if there was one thing she could do it was get her job done despite others around her. This would be no different. "We land far enough away to not be heard and then we walk in." She told him as a matter-of-factly.

Jaryg Syn​

 

[Jaryg Syn]

He snickered away at her outburst. She was doing a wonderful job of giving him no satisfaction with his teasing... but this completely broke that streak. He fell quiet after that, not wanting to irk her to the point of her trying to kill him. Not that she would get very far, in all honesty. She suggested parking the ship far enough away from the graveyard of ancient star destroyers and he gave a nod. "Cool. In the meantime..." he rose from his seat and made his way to his personal quarters.

He quickly returned to the co-pilot's seat with a guitar in hand and rested it in his lap. He fiddled with it for a few moments as he let the uncomfortable silence between them linger for a little while longer. Finally he started to play a calm tune as he watched her fly the ship to their destination. He threw her a few occasional glances but apart from that he left her alone as he played for them. Eventually he cleared his throat as he looked to her. "I'd suggest we wait for nightfall. Will give us plenty of time to recon and ready up." spoke up, still playing the guitar as he turned his seat slightly to face towards her.

Once the ship was set down, he stopped playing and set the guitar aside to go ready up in his armour. Luckily it had its own temp control which made the desert infinitely more bearable. He went outside and scaled a dune, making sure to keep low and out of sight. With a pair of binoculars he looked around for their target. For the most part, it was just a bunch of stripped and rusted husks that dotted the landscapes. However there was one wreck that seemed odd. A few cloths and nets put up, as if someone was using it. Digging more into the sand, he hid himself in the dune and watched carefully until he saw some movement. "Target located." he muttered over the comms to Zoraya.

Zoraya Ives-Ayres

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

For a moment, with his departure she thought she might get a brief moment of respite as he moved to a different part of the ship but it wasn't to last as she heard him return a few moments later and looked over her shoulder to watch him enter the cockpit with a guitar. She knew of his musical background which he had divulged to her in their last meeting but she hadn't expected for him to show her. Still, if it stopped him talking then that was good enough for her.

She could see him looking over to her occasionally out of the corner of her eye but said nothing, not wanting to provoke him into talking again. "Agreed." She replied, thankful that he was finally showing some professionalism. Soldiers had a tendency to be brash and unruly when given the opportunity and her first encounter with Jaryg proved him to be no exception, though he had his moments.

Landing the freighter proved to be a little different to landing a starfighter and as such it took her a few extra moments than usual to complete landing but by the time she did her companion was ready to disembark and went on ahead while she got changed into her ISB field uniform, complete with chest armour. She placed the earpiece into her ear before placing over the helmet, just in time to hear her ally's message. "On my way." She replied.

She walked down the ship's ramp but didn't join the Commander, instead taking a different route to take advantage of the blind spot provided by the structure. Using the night-vision function of her visor, she kept track of any further movements while she approached the location Jaryg had scouted. She didn't inform him of what she was doing, assuming he would see her. Besides, she didn't need him to get the job done, though no doubt he would get there once he realised what was happening.

Jaryg Syn​

 

[Jaryg Syn]

She spoke over the comms and he resumed with his observing. There wasn't much going on in the camp as far as he could see. If anything, he'd guess that they were either being lazy or they were getting to move out again. Either way, he was confident that the two of them could take the psycho freaks out without much effort.

That was until he noticed Zoraya closing in on the camp all by herself. He stared at her with a raised eyebrow, unsure on how to react to her choice of leaving him behind. There were a couple of options he could execute on. Option one was to take the freighter and simply fly off, maybe destroy the other ships back at the little town. That would teach her a lesson on leaving him behind, but it would also destroy any chances of achieving his goal. Option two was to simply follow after her and catch up, invite himself to the party as it were. That option will make him look bad, though.

Option three was the best option in his opinion. He was cozy in the dune, the sand and winds didn't bother him in his air-conditioned suit of armour. He had some binoculars, a canteen of water, and all the time in the world for her to call him in. She obviously felt more than capable to take on that entire base filled with murderous cutthroats on her own, so he would let her take the lead and call for backup if she wanted to. The last thing he wanted to do was meddle in ISB affairs by helping out a fellow imperial against overwhelming odds. He was such a gentleman.

With a smirk he removed his helmet and took a sip of his canteen as he continued to watch Zoraya move in. She was doing well in the cover of darkness and she would likely do well with a few of them. But one slip-up was all it took for her to bring an entire crew down on her, maybe even extra hands if this was more than just a random crew. He slipped his helmet back on and opened their comms. "Still standing by." he quipped, trying not to let his smile shine through his voice.

Zoraya Ives-Ayres

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

Zoraya stayed with her back pressed against the outside of the makeshift den, the sound sensors of her helmet filtering through the layers of voices from within. She waited for a few minutes, content that she was remaining unnoticed, and she identified the voices of seven individuals. Accounting for several people who weren't talking, she estimated there to be around a dozen or so. At those odds it would be a challenge but it was nothing she hadn't been trained for.

Her companion's reply confirmed that he was nearby but she wouldn't need him so didn't reply. She would clean up the den and they would be out of there before long.

She reached into her belt and pulled out a smoke grenade which she activated and launched into the den to provide some cover for when she entered the confused fray moments later. With a stun baton in one hand and a blaster in the other, she marched in with conviction, hitting one man across the face with the electrified weapon and shooting the other opposite him, her vision aided by the HUD.

The others fired into the grey mist, aiming for the agent through what little glimpses of her they could catch. The restrictive armour prevented her from performing any manoeuvres that were too acrobatic in nature in order to evade the bolts but she managed to evade them nonetheless, taking out three more adversaries in the process through a combination of her her stun baton, dropping down to sweep one of them off of his feet and indirectly allowing one to get shot by his ally.

It seemed the fight was in her favour as by the time the smoke began to clear there were only five left, which wasn't overly concerning. She continued to strike them down with relative ease but was surprised when she was launched against the wall after a staff connected with her back from behind. She grunted and slid down the wall to land flat on her back moments later, dazed.

Above her, a man towered over her with a dozen more people or so accumulating behind him. She hurriedly reached for her fallen blaster but the man stood on her wrist to prevent her from reaching it. She still held the stun baton for the moment before it was snatched from her grasp.

::I need back up:: She spoke quietly into the earpiece.

Jaryg Syn​

 

[Jaryg Syn]

A couple seconds passed after her transmission as the man above Zoraya let out a dark chuckle. "What do we have here, boys? A little girl lost her way?" he teased as he proceeded to twist his foot on Zoraya's hand. The men behind him all had their attention on the woman, ready to fire if she tried anything stupid. His electrostaff came to life with a loud electric crackle as he gripped it with both hands. "Guess we'll have to show her what-" his sentence was cut short when his head simply ceased to exist, his body falling flat on Zoraya.

A few more bright yellow bolts rained down from above, gunning down a few more raiders. "Where's that coming from? Spread out!" another shouted as the rest spread out and looked around. A number of them equipped flashlights and illuminated the roofline of the long-looted ship, but they found nothing. More shots rang out and bolts sailed towards them, but this time from the ground level and completely off to their left flank. The shots landed and sent a few more flying off their feet as they lost a limb or a chunk of their torso. The rest immediately opened fire in the direction of the shots, but there was no luck. They moved to some cover and set up a perimeter, with a few moving out to search for their foe. "Anyone got a visual? How many are there?" one cried out over the shouting of their wounded. "Nothing so far!" one shouted back.

A few metallic thuds sounded off around them and before they could react, the chamber was lit up with several deafeningly loud explosions. Dazed and confused, they stumbled around and tried to get their bearings. From the shadows came the armoured form of Jaryg, with his twin pistols in hand and his red visor lighting up. Without a word he let loose, his movements sharp and direct as his blasters moved from one enemy to another. A few of the raiders got their wits together and opened fire, but the shots barely did anything as they bounced off his armour. Soon they were running away from him, but the last of them were cut down by claymores placed by every exit. The wounded raiders tried to cry for help or beg for mercy. Jaryg calmly went through them, one by one, with a pistol shot to the chest to end their suffering.

Soon the only sound in the chamber was his boots thudding against the durasteel floor as he holstered his weapons and walked towards Zoraya. With a quick yank he hurled the corpse off her and held a hand out to help her up. "You called?" he muttered.

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

It pained her to call for back-up but it had quickly become apparent that she had underestimated the situation, as suggested by her rather pathetic standing, lying on the floor, unarmed with her hand pinned under someone's boot. She writhed and tried to pull her hand away when he applied pressure and made a pained grunt but otherwise did nothing else, aware of the weapons trained on her.

She exclaimed in disgust as the body fell on top of her and tried to lift it off of her but with her already weakened hand it was proving to be difficult. She never expected to be thankful to have Jaryg nearby and she would never tell him so but he had just saved her skin. He would know it already and if he had any sense then he would know not to brag.

She couldn't help but feel rather pathetic as everywhere around her lit up with the exchange of blasterfire while she was stuck on the floor. With her free hand, she reached for her fallen blaster to do something but it was just out of reach of her fingertips. It wouldn't be long, though it was long enough for her, before her colleague returned and freed her.

Beneath her helmet, her gaze shifted from his face to his hand and then back again. Even if she didn't like him, she had some manners so she accepted his hand to help her to get to her feet. A verbal thanks was still not on the cards so she offered a brief, formal nod of the head which he could assume was a sign of gratitude.

"Is that all of them?" Was the first thing she said.

Jaryg Syn​

 

[Jaryg Syn]

Jag had a ton of insults, jokes and comments to make about her particular situation. She knew that and he knew that she knew that. But not one snarky word left his mouth as he helped her to her feet. With one hand on her back to lead her out, he guided her towards an exit as he glanced around them. Her question earned a shrug as he glanced to her. "Not yet." he quipped before pressing a button on his vambrace. The ship parked in the hideout went up in flames, lighting up the chamber for them. "Now they are. Locked a few into the ship before they could join the fight." he explained with a snicker as they made their way back to their ship.

Once there, he gestured to the couch. "Let me check that hand out. And it's not a suggestion." he spoke up as he tossed his helmet aside and carefully took hold of her hand to assess the damage. After a few moments of careful prodding, squeezing and touching, he waved it off and opened a medpack. "Not serious, just slap some bacta on." He helped her to apply the miracle ointment and bandage up her hand before he gave her a tap on the shoulder. "All fixed up. I swear that's just the treatment for literally anything. Just slap some bacta on." he snickered to himself as he got the crappy freighter airborne and flew it out of atmosphere.

He turned the autopilot on when they jumped into hyperspace and turned his attention back to Zoraya. "Saying 'thank you' doesn't hurt, you know." he quipped with a smirk as he made his way to the mess room. "I'm hungry. You want anything?" he called out to her from the kitchen.

Zoraya Ives-Ayres

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

Her gaze remained on him in a scowl expecting some witty remark as he helped her to her feet but when no words left his mouth, she glanced around the room to confirm those with them were incapacitated and her angry expression began to soften as he confirmed that he had finished the job, completed by the offending ship becoming ablaze. "Good." She replied, almost a compliment.

Zoraya accompanied him back to the ship and followed his gesture to the couch where she took off her helmet and set it aside. While she was under no obligation to obey him, she had no reason to argue with him this time and so offered her hand where a deep purple bruise was forming on the back of it. She nodded in agreement with his prognosis and waited until he had secured the bandage but she still didn't thank him.

She was under the belief that as allies, they didn't need to show gratitude towards one another. It was their duty to complete the job to the best of their ability and doing so meant keeping your partner alive and in the best form possible. There was nothing to stop her from bandaging her own hand and she hadn't asked him to do so. Still, he didn't seem too hung up on it, or anything really. He seemed a lot more tolerable than their last meeting.

"No." She called back. She had been particularly quiet since Jaryg had pulled her from the floor. Anyone would've thought she was embarrassed. She had such high standards of herself and yet time and time again she let herself down. It was frustrating, to say the least, but at least this time her companion didn't seem to gloat about it which would make the process a lot easier. He might not have known it yet but at least he had elevated himself to a tolerable level.

Jaryg Syn​

 

[Jaryg Syn]

Jaryg was silent after she gave her answer, only the occasional sounds coming from the kitchen as he made lunch. A few minutes later he emerged with a plate of sandwiches in each hend. "Shame." he quipped as he set a plate down in front of her and slid into the pilot's seat. "I'll be honest, going back to base now is just gonna suck. Let's go do something." he spoke up as he fiddled with the ship's switches.

"You ever been to Zeltros?!" he called out to her as the ship dropped out of hyperspace and turned into a completely different direction. A moment later they were in hyperspace once more. He returned to the mess room and dropped into an open seat. "You need to relax. Honestly, being so uppity isn't gonna get you very far. I'm taking you to Zeltros." he quipped before munching on his sandwiches. "Get a drink, relax... hopefully get into a fight with some thugs. That planet is a blast. Just don't accept any 'private places' or 'good stuff' if they offer you. Come to think of it... just don't accept anything the Zeltrons offer you." he thought aloud as he scratched his chin.

He studied her for a moment before a smirk crept on his face. "Just be sure to ditch the armour. We don't need people ID'ing us and starting a war with the Jedi because we beat a dude up." he suggested. The last sandwich disappeared into his mouth and he leaned back into his seat.

Zoraya Ives-Ayres

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

When he returned, her gaze fell on the plate with an unimpressed look but... she could eat, so she did. As she took a bite of the sandwich, her companion made another suggestion which immediately peaked her curiosity. She quickly swallowed the bite of sandwich to answer. "What do you mea-" She frowned as his next question came on almost as quickly as the last.

"No, I haven't." She replied as she pushed herself to her feet in anticipation of what she knew was coming next which was soon confirmed as the ship shuddered back into hyperspace. She looked at Jaryg, who was now sitting, seemingly pleased with himself. "No, you are not. I'm not going to that God-forsaken planet." She told him.

Even if she hadn't been to the pink planet, it had a reputation that preceded it and she had no desire to experience it for herself. She was far too proud for that. "We've done our job. Let's go back. We haven't been cleared for any time off." Zoraya glared at him. She was playing by the rule book.

With that, she marched towards the cockpit and began fiddling with the buttons to try and get them out of hyperspace and back onto their correct course.

Jaryg Syn​

 

[Jaryg Syn]

Jaryg was on his feet the moment she went for the cockpit. ”Hay, wait up!” he called after her. ”Okay, Zeltros is off the table. What about... Scariff?” he suggested as he knelt beside her.

”Lovely beaches, warm water, perfect place to relax for a day or two. Besides, since when do you follow the rules. Last time it was the other way around.” he spoke casually, giving her a friendly smile.

”Come on, Zoraya... think about that planet. Not a rush or care in the galaxy, just peaceful beaches and clear water as far as the eye can see. Some people will give everything for a trip like that.” he continued, his features warm and friendly as he spoke to her.

Zoraya Ives-Ayres

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

"Scarif?" She repeated, still sounding displeased but not to the level of abhorrence of when Zeltros was suggested. She had scarcely had any time off in her whole life. There was always some form of education to be had, even in spare time. To sit around and do nothing was unthinkable.

"That's different. That's when acting on behalf of COMPNOR. This isn't the same." She told him, her tone growing irritated. Soldiers truly were a different breed. It was no wonder they sent agents among their ranks to weed out the disloyal.

She shook her head. "I am not taking unauthorised leave and if you do I'll make sure you get disciplined." She threatened him. He was being friendly and much more tolerable than the last time they met but it would not excuse his lack of professionalism. His attempt at building rapport was met with coldness. "Then some people need to get their priorities in order."

Jaryg Syn​