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Post by Taaru Masako on Aug 3, 2009 21:31:31 GMT -5
"What ees amusing?" he wondered aloud, watching Aaron study the suit's ligature.
Receiving Aaron's question as an answer, Taaru shrugged, his facial expression suggesting mild curiosity. "Ees up to you. I don't know vy you would want to. The biofoam is mint flavored. Ees wonderful feeling...very soothing for blaster burn and shrapnel wound."
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Post by Aaron Starkiller on Aug 3, 2009 21:54:24 GMT -5
"Let's just say I work through pain," Aaron said with a glint in his eye. "I'll leave the biofoam though. Bad breath on a ship with women can be very harmful."
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Post by Taaru Masako on Aug 4, 2009 7:23:12 GMT -5
That impressed him somewhat. It was rare that he met someone who shared some facet of his Gesamt-philosophy, or, at least, someone as young as Aaron. Being one of the longer-lived species of Near-human, most Thruvarans generally had a leg up when it came to making sense of the world, compared to their more transient cousins.
"Forever vorking through, but never overcoming, eh Aaron?" He had positioned himself next to the suit's crate to lean against it with an elbow.
"There is a Thruvaran word for it: 'Befassen.' Essentially, it means 'to be engaged with.' It doesn't get the whole meaning across, but you get the idea."
Taaru grinned wryly, more to himself, as he pondered that crucial lesson he'd learned long ago.
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Post by Jet Almeara on Aug 4, 2009 16:19:43 GMT -5
Jet wasn't sure how long she'd been watching the hanger and it's activity, but somewhere along the way it had begun to waver out of focus - and not long afterwards it wasn't the hanger she was viewing at all.
It was in fact quite the opposite - a grassy knoll overlooked what had once been a rather beautiful plain, she said once because it was now littered with smoking craters and the far flung remains of soldiers, burning ruins in the distance foretold the direction the battle had progressed.
"It was rather scenic once" came a familiar and long missed voice, punctuated by the equily famliar smell of Cigars rolled from plants which no longer existed - their world after all was dead. To Jet's knowledge only two cases of said cigars still existed - and they were locked securely away in the vault, save for one. Glancing sideways she took in the profile of her long dead mentor - it was a bittersweet sight for while she could speak with him and see him - she couldn't feel him, not in the force - that ever comforting presence had been gone for a long time - but the hole it had left behind had never really closed and guilt festered at its edges. Grifter had never blamed her..but that hardly mattered when she blamed herself.
"Where are we?" She asked him, this was not a battle from her own memories - but that was hardly unusual "I've seen it somewhere before.." she continued mostly to herself, and she had - though she couldn't quite place it at the moment.
"There's a painting of it in the hall - or at least there was"
"It's still there" Jet replied - most things were, she hadn't changed much in The Gate's decor over the years and the painting his words made her recall was indeed still hanging in its assigned locale, of course it depicted the landscape before the battle - which she reflected is probably why she hadn't recognized it in the first place."Trozen then" she deduced and a flicker of movement let her know that Grif had placed a hand on her shoulder - Jet glanced at the hand for a moment and then looked away, like everything else in these visits it was bittersweet - it was a phantom touch - she could see it but nothing else.
"You spend to much time in the past Jet, It's not healthy."
"and what force tell me in my life IS healthy"Grif let out a bark of laughter and flicked the rest of his cigar away, but he didn't argue with her - of course she knew why - he'd felt much the same in his later years. Such was the price of their lifestyle. "What are you doing here anyways? I didn't call you". Not that she wasn't pleased of course.
"Yes you did, you've been sub-consciously calling for me for a while now. Today's just the first day you've had the saber with you" Grif responded with a quirked brow and Jet shrugged slightly - there was that mystery solved.
"I'm worried about this trip" She admitted after a few moments silence.
"You should be, not everything's going to go as planned"
"When does it?"
"never - but think beyond your temper when the time comes, sometimes betrayals are not really betrayals and not having is wiser then having."
"Lovely..cryptic advice just what I always need. And the team?."
"Will do what they are supposed to do. You have a message coming in."
"What?"
"Good-bye Jet"
A blink and the battle marred plain with its remnants of waving grass was gone - in its place a bustling hanger, filled partly with strangers, partly with employees and only very slimly with friends. Yes a definite change from the old days and Jet was filled with the always present sorrow a vision walk with Grifter left behind.
Further musings were interrupted as Ice suddenly beeped at her glancing down the little droid informed her an encrypted message was incoming. Jet had to smile a little.
"Patch it through to The Chaser Ice"
She answered before pushing herself off the Hull and leaping up onto the ramp from the side and proceeding into the interior of the ship. Ice as promised had the message on the screen already where it was swiftly being decrypted, more then a lone message the transmission seemed to be a secure call.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
CONNECTION ESTABLISHED....
'Nothing new to report'
'same here'
'your leaving soon'
'yes.'
'how long will you be gone?'
'not sure, transmissions may be spotty. Keep looking'
'good luck'
CONNECTION LOST
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sighing at the screen Jet drummed her fingers on the Chasers console - Mercy's check-ins were never scheduled - but always went the same way. Neither of them had a clue or a lead or even a hunch to follow. Mercy's inquires were hampered by the Jedi who would probably throw fits should they find out the two of them were talking and hers by the unknown Sith whose threats had tied her hands more securely then any constraints could have. A fine search party they made Jet thought with and irritated flick of the screen toggle.
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Post by Aaron Starkiller on Aug 5, 2009 19:06:42 GMT -5
"Befassen," Aaron mimicked Taaru. He repeated the word a few more times in an attempt to replicate the inflection with which Taaru had pronounced it.
Aaron was scratching his chin in thought when a sudden flash went off in the back of his mind. He whipped himself around, his arms falling to his sides, and his eyes narrowed as they focused on Jet. He had sense some kind of disturbance coming from her direction. The color of his eyes seemed to shift from the intense blue they typically were to a more sinister and fiery yellow. He had felt something. Something that somehow remind him of...flow-walking.
After a moment Aaron realized he had been staring. He blinked his eyes a few times as they took on their former blue hue. He unclenched his fists, allowing the blood to flow through his fingers again, and turned back to Taaru. "So," he began, having now returned to his normal self. "Anything else you should be showing me?"
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Post by Taaru Masako on Aug 5, 2009 19:31:15 GMT -5
He blinks, and answers him with one eyebrow a bit higher than the other.
"Perhaps a nice round of sedatives? You are a jumpy fellow today, my friend."
And he waves it off just like that: Who knows with these DJO? I barely know any of them aside from Jet as it stands.
"What I really wanted to do today was get you used to the suit. I don't suppose you've ever piloted one before?"
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Post by Aaron Starkiller on Aug 5, 2009 19:44:42 GMT -5
He replied with a shake of his head while he inwardly scolded himself. He needed to keep a better hold of his emotional center. The Force always seemed to test you in the ways you're certain you control. He removed his black flight jacket, throwing it off to the side of the crate, and started to stretch out his arms. "So how do we do this?"
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Post by Taaru Masako on Aug 5, 2009 19:53:45 GMT -5
Taaru shows Aaron his back, and he reaches into the crate to retrieve Aaron's plug suit.
"First, you put this on" he quips, tossing Aaron the overalls. "They are baggy, but adjust to your size when you hit the collar button on the left wrist."
"And Second...." he sets his lower teeth to his lips and whistles. A few paces away, Jorunn pops her head out from around the suit she is working on, her stiff braid bobbing behind her with the movement."
Taaru mouths a few words to her in Thruvaran, and she nods.
He finishes with a grin: "...we find you a sparring partner."
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Post by Aaron Starkiller on Aug 5, 2009 20:23:10 GMT -5
Aaron caught the plug suit as it hit his chest and eyed Taaru as he spoke briefly with Joruun. He smirked when the thruvaran turned back to him and shook his head, having guessed what was going on. "If I had known I'd be facing her I'd have thought twice about checking her out so obviously."
Aaron shook his head again and stripped down to his undergarments right there in the hangar. After all he wasn't the most bashful member of the DJO. He wasn't a fan of standing around nearly naked either so he swiftly redressed himself in the plug suit and tapped the button on the wrist. The suit made a slight slipping sound as it adjusted to Aaron's body. "Whoa," he remarked while adjusting various parts of himself. "That was a little strange."
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Post by Taaru Masako on Aug 5, 2009 20:36:32 GMT -5
Rather than let his protectiveness take a hold of him, Taaru brushed it off with a chuckle. Jorunn could take care of herself: She was, after all, very mature for her age.
"She is a smart girl. She doesn't hold grudges for small things. But make no mistake, Aaron, she is as harsh a teacher as I am."
Taaru left Aaron to change, conversing quickly with Jorunn before stripping out of his own overalls and down to his own plug suit.
Meanwhile, Jorunn, who had stripped down to her own plug suit, sat perched atop a shipping crate, unashamedly watching Aaron undress with an air of curiosity.
Taaru returned, carrying two metallic bands of sorts, and waited for Aaron to adjust his suit before handing him one.
"Strange, but very comfortable, as you'll see. It has to be, considering how long Corellian Marines are expected to spend in these suits during campaigns..."
Indicating the band, he set his own atop his head and adjusted it to fit.
"Neural interface. The headband may pinch a little, but it's better than getting implant," he indicated precisely what kind of implant by tapping his skull."
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Post by Aaron Starkiller on Aug 5, 2009 20:45:23 GMT -5
Aaron watched Taaru put on his own band before repeating the process himself. He replied to Taaru's implant statement with a grimace before turning his attention up to Joruun. "Promise to go easy on me sweetheart," he asked with a wink.
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Post by Taaru Masako on Aug 5, 2009 21:01:16 GMT -5
This elicts only a smile from Jorunn, a kind of smile a gurrcat seems to have before it sinks its jaws around an eopie's windpipe and crushes it, so that it may die a slow death of asphyxiation.
Of course, this amuses Taaru a great deal.
"Just so you know. She wasn't watching you undress for your...ahem...qualities. She was watching to see how you hold your weight and center of balance. She also knows what hand you write with, I'm sure."
This, of course, outside of hearing distance for the younger Thruvaran female....but if she had heard, she would probably be flattered. After all, she was putting her liege's lessons to good use.
"Alright then," so Taaru, "suit up."
Taaru strides to his own suit, sitting next to Jorunn's, and climbs into it backwards from the front. The second his neural implant, paired with this specific suit, is recognized, the magnetic locks on his plug suit snap into place. The suit comes alive, straightening briefly from its slumped position. Taaru fits his arms into that of the suits, his fingers meshing with the digit controls, and he experimentally flexes one hand. The suit responds by doing the same with one massive gauntlet.
With a thought, Taaru initiates the shelling procedure. Interlocking and concatenated plates on the suit spring into motion, magnetic locks and drive bolts screwing the various pieces into place. It is a symphony of industrial movement, beautiful in its synchronicity, and with the final result that Taaru is fully embraced by starship grade duranium armor. Only his head is visible, as he has not slid down his reflective visor.
He gestures for Aaron to do the same, the suit effortlessly mimicking natural human movement.
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Post by Jet Almeara on Aug 5, 2009 21:01:41 GMT -5
Jet despite her inner musings couldn't help but notice what was happening in the hanger, watching Aaron and he others put on suits she knew quite capable of making large holes in well built walls she keyed the link between the ShadowChaser and the hanger's intercom and could be seen shaking a warning finger at the three of them from within the Chaser's cockpit
"Don't you break my hanger..."
Keying the comm off she sat back to watch whatever unfolded next from the ShadowChaser's cockpit. The Corellian's suddenly tipped off that something interesting was about to transpire began finding decent out of the way vantage points from which to watch.
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Post by Rothk Freeborn on Aug 5, 2009 21:08:35 GMT -5
Rothk had been wandering around the hanger looking for something to help with, though most of the people were too busy to pay him any attention he did offer to help the odd person but they had declined the offer telling him that the cargo wasn't something to be handled by children. Although somewhat disappointed by this he didn't let it get to him too much, he had came across Aaron and Taaru while they were discussing the ins and outs of the suits, he watched the two as they began to put on the suits and then heard Jet over the hangars comm. Seeing that others had stopped work to find a safe place to watch the upcoming event he began to search for a safe place to hide and yet still be able to watch.
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Post by Aaron Starkiller on Aug 5, 2009 21:14:20 GMT -5
Aaron laughed at why Joruun had been watching him. "Well it doesn't take an analyst to realize what I can do for her with my writing hand," he remarked loudly enough for her to hear.
After watching Taaru suit himself up Aaron tried his best to do the same with his own suit. It took him considerably longer of course, but after a few minutes of trial and error Aaron was at the same stage as Taaru. It was at this moment that Aaron heard Jet's voice come over the comm. He smiled and saluted, the suit following his movements perfectly. "Yes mother."
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