"Will do," Arannis replies to Juviest. "Do try not to get yourself blown up in the process though."
He then addresses Aristi again. "Good ear. Yes, I am originally from Coruscant. Although it has been quite a while since the last time I was there."
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"Yes, yes they are," Arannis replies as he follows Aristi's advice and straps in. "New ones to be sure, but they do have a habit of growing on you. Lovely people." There is not even a hint of sarcasm in his tone, only a soft chuckle.
As Arannis enters the freighter, the blaster fight finally over, he makes his way to the cockpit, eager to meet up with whoever let them aboard so he can properly thank them. "Hello? I am Arannis, though friends tend to call me Rann," he calls out. "Seeing as how you were kind enough to let us in, I am counting you as one as well. So Rann it is."
With only one Imperial left standing from the squad Juviet shot at, Arannis takes another shot, hoping to end this particular part of the fight so that they are able to finally make their escape. Firing at Squad 5: 1eB+3eA+2eD 2 successes, 1 advantage
Arannis gives Djebelle a sympathetic look and a smile before once again turning his attention to the remaining Imperials, specifically the ones menacing Kara, and firing a shot. "At least we seem to be doing well," he quips, "all things considered." Firing at TIE pilots: 1eB+3eA+2eD 2 successes, 2 threat
With almost all the others near the ship Rann makes a run for it, not wanting to become separated and seeing as how they are to leave as soon as possible.
Catching his breath for but a moment, Rann shoots at the officer indicated by Kara. "Sorry mate," he mutters under his breath as he pulls the trigger. Firing blaster pistol at Sergeant 2: 1eB+3eA+2eD 1 success, 1 advantage
Arannis follows suit, running behind Juviest and putting his blaster pistol to use against the first Imperial officer or trooper that he sees.
Firing blaster pistol: 1eB+3eA+2eD 2 successes
"Let me see if I can take care of that," Arannis says over his comlink. With a bit of effort -he has just been shot after all- he makes his way to the control.
Unlike Juviest, Arannis is unwilling to use lethal force, even though he is fairly certain the officer would have no such qualms if their roles were reversed. Unfortunately, it appears his compassion proves to be a mistake, his hesitation allowing his foe to turn and see the incoming attack and thus avoid it.
Action: Attack officer - Brawl [1 Advantage]
"Shall we then, Juviest? And no, I do not want a good luck kiss either," Arannis quips. "Just in case you were about to offer one to me as well." Stealth [5 Successes, 3 Threats, 1 Triumph]
"So, basically," Rann speaks up, "keep to the shadows and behind cover and make for the freighter?" He looks at his blaster and then at the men and vehicles in the hangar. "Sounds about right."
"It felt a bit...," Rann begins to answer Juviest, "...well, a bit too quiet. But nothing seems to be amiss." He winks at the Sullustan. "'Seems' being an important word." He shrugs then and moves to follow Kara to the freighter. He does not holster his pistol though; quiet or not, they are still inside an enemy base after all.
Once again, Arannis reaches into the Force to try and sense whether they are bing watched by persons hidden close by, but once again it is the Dark Side that answers his plea. And once again he chooses not to use it, though there is a hint of frustration in his expression, albeit brief. "I do not like this." Force Power - Sense (sense living things within short range) [1 Dark Side]
"Is that even an expression?" Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rann seems to retain his usual laid back demeanor as he follows the others, blaster pistol in hand and ready to be used at a moment's notice.
"By all means, Juviest," Arannis quips as they enter the room, "set away. I will be keeping watch in case rude people feel like interrupting us." "Kara? Thrask?"
"Now is about to get real? Because so far things have gone swimmingly I take it," Arannis remarks with a chuckle before pausing for a moment and thinking. "Well, actually, they have, have they not?" He nudges Thrask then. "You do know what this means, right? Our luck is about to give any time now."
'Ballsy,' Arannis thinks to himself with a smile.
"This may very well not require any... throat slitting, Thrask," Rann points out in a soft voice. Still, he keeps his pistol at the ready nevertheless.
As the others talk, Arannis reaches into the Force, allowing it to become his eyes and ears. But as he tries to sense for any life around them, he finds that he cannot, or more precisely he will not, as what he feels when he opens himself to the Force is a strange chill, a cold associated with the Dark Side. And though it does offer power, Rann is not willing to pay the price for it. Force Power - Sense (sense living things within short range) [1 Dark Side]
"That went well. Good job, Belle," Arannis says softly to the young woman as he moves alongside the rest of them, pistol back in its holster. "I could scout ahead a little if you want," he proposes, though he does wait for Kara's go ahead if he is to do so. She seems to be in her element more than any of them.
Arannis sighs as he remains hidden as best he can. The young woman can certainly talk. His light blaster pistol already in hand, he nevertheless hopes he does not have to use it, not with Djebelle where she is. Still, she does seem to be doing quite nicely indeed. Stealth [2 Successes, 1 Advantage]
"I may be good at moving about relatively unseen when I want to, Kara," Arannis replies with a soft chuckle, "but I am not that good. And, may I add, I am also not magic."
"It sounds like things are about to get a little more complicated," Rann says with a sigh.
"You know, I have spent most of my life running away from danger," Rann says to Djebelle, though his words are spoken loud enough for everyone to hear. "And now that I have met you, I seem to be running towards it time and again. It must be the universe's way of balancing things out."
Djebelle Torr:
Arannis' eyes widen for a brief moment as the young woman pulls away, but he quickly composes himself, his other reaction being a mere "Hmm..." And then the life boat starts shaking and it appears he does not have the luxury to dwell on it further, at least at this particular moment. Following Kara's example, his light blaster pistol is out of its holster and in his grasp quickly enough. "Now what? You know, next time I want to leave a planet, I will avoid doing so by finding a seat on a random ship through gambling."
"Lightning and using the Force to kill from afar," Arannis interjects, "are... tricks no Jedi would use, much less a young woman who discovered what she can do more or less on her own." "The Jedi are gone, Juviest," he continues, stressing the words. "But Force-users are still being born, quite possibly every day. It is just that many never find out, I supppose. While others... Well, bounty hunters and their ilk get to them." Moving a little closer to Djebelle, he adds with a shrug, "Although some times such a course of action proves to be unwise. For the bounty hunter. Or so I have heard." "Nothing to be ashamed of, Djebelle," he says to the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It is, after all, quite the ability, quite the gift."
"Well, I had my suspicions," Rann simply says with a shrug, "but your conversation with Salin left little room for doubt. You were very convincing indeed. Perhaps a little too convincing, yes?" He then turns to the Chiss soldier. "Kara, did you know?" The ex-Imperial has known Djebelle the longest out of those present, or so he believes. He is curious to see if the young woman trusted Kara enough to tell her her secret.
"You certainly seem to have led an interesting life so far, Admiral" Arannis remarks conversationally, changing the subject a little after noticing Kara's discomfort. The fact that he is impressed does show through his casual tone. "I do not believe I have ever been on Dac myself, though the way you speak of how things are on your homeworld, I am not sure I would like to." Knowing how that must sound, he quickly adds with an apologetic sort of half-smile, "Slavery does not agree with me."
Wasting no time, Arannis enters the life boat, finally holstering his blaster as soon as he is seated and strapped in. It seems as if he is about to say something optimistic like before, but one look at Kara's grimace and he stops himself. "Best not to tempt fate," he remarks instead, offering the Chiss woman a grin.
Staying somewhere between the middle and the front of the group, Arannis keeps his blaster pistol at the ready. "Well, all things considered, we are not doing so badly," he quips between glances behind him, where Kara and Juviest seem to be quite on top of things.
As the storm troopers get ever closer, Arannis takes the time he has to carefully aim at one of them. Even so, he misses, the anxiety of the situation probably getting to him. Still, his blaster shot manages to at least distract the troopers, perhaps making it easier for one of his companions to have better luck at hitting them.
Action: Fire at storm trooper - Ranged (Light) [0 Successes, 1 Advantage]
"Sounds like a plan," Arannis concurs, his blaster already in his hand. "With our more combat-oriented friends not here, I am sure the element of surprise that an ambush provides is definitely needed. Along with a lot of luck."
"No need to grip it so tightly," Rann says softly, taking care not to have anyone other than Djebelle hear him. "Relax your hand a little and the shaking will lessen." He has his own light blaster pistol in his hand; they may be running away from the fighting behind them, but there is always a chance of running into a fight in front of them.
Alongside Djebelle and Jospi, Arannis accompanies Ackbar to the life boat bay. "Let us leave the fighting to those that really like it, not to mention are pretty good at it," he quips on the way, "and just focus on getting you to relative safety."
"Well," Arannis concludes with a smile as he looks from Ackbar to Kara, hands tucked in his pockets, "that does make much more sense." Turning then to Djebelle and Jospi, he adds, "So, we escort the Admiral, meaning that basically we run. Now that? That I have done before, time and again in fact."
"My question may sound, oh, a little silly to those with a bit more military training than me," Rann quips, "so, to pretty much everyone present, but how are we supposed to do that from here?" Despite the apparent lightheartedness in his tone, he is somewhat worried that there is little they can do with an assault shuttle bombarding them from space. Thus, his question is a sincere one, even if it sounds a little flippant.
As Arannis moves to join Djebelle and do as Kara has instructed, he realizes he has just been given an order. And not only that, he is actually starting to follow it. "What just happened...?" The question is directed as much towards himself as it is towards Djebelle. Shaking his head with an amused expression on his face, he moves a little closer to the young woman, so that only she can hear his next words. "By all means, do what you do. And I will do what I can do. But keep in mind, a pebble such as this can cause quite the ripple." 'Well,' he thinks with the mental equivalent of a roll of his eyes, 'that was appropriately cryptic. Were he here to hear it, Jon would have certainly approved.' And then he notices the security screens. And more importantly that both Glek and their ship are missing. His response is a soft sigh. "Figures."
Arannis also takes a good long look at the newcomers, appraising them like Kara but in an entirely different way. 'Sullustan; nice hat, interesting moustache, nasty habit. Human; eh, human. Trandoshan; big guy, lots of teeth.' "Now, now," he says mainly to Thrask, hands held open in a placating manner, as he moves a little closer to Djebelle, "I am sure we are all friends here. And you should know, it is considered impolite to... smell people. I think." "My name is Arannis Crane, though Rann will also do nicely. I am...," he introduces himself before pausing, apparently trying to figure out what he is exactly. "I think I am a passenger, or rather I was up until... well, a few minutes ago."
Arannis' usual carefree attitude seems to vanish as Djebelle makes her intentions abundantly clear. His eyes widen slightly as it is not difficult for him to understand that the young woman uses more than just words and a serious attitude to get her point across. Even though he knows what to expect, he nevertheless turns his gaze from her to Salin, fully expecting him to change his tune, so to speak. 'Well, this is... surprising,' he ponders as he watches the interaction between the two. 'Surprising and risky.' There is a hint of worry in his expression and the clenching of his jaw is a clear enough sign of that, at least clear enough to anyone who might be paying attention to him. With a soft sigh, he composes himself, assuming his usual relaxed stance and demeanor. Still, one thing is certain; he is going to have a talk with Djebelle.
"You seem awfully desperate to get the disc off of my new friends' hands," Arannis remarks, making a simple enough observation. "Is something the matter?" The question is mostly rhetorical. Rann is fairly certain the answer to it is "yes".
"For being where you...," Rann starts to whisper to Kara before pausing and sighing softly, correcting himself and then continuing, "...where we are supposed to be, you would think the welcome could have been a little better. Maybe not hugs all around, but maybe a smile? Or what passes for a smile when one has tentacles instead of a mouth..."
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