Nout was a mercenary serving aboard the fast cruiser Ariel during the Tau Verde Ring war as part of the Oseran Mercenaries. The crew of the Ariel defected en masse to the then-fictional Dendarii Free Mercenaries after being captured by Miles Naismith, and Nout received the rank of trainee. After the Dendarii payroll arrived in Felician millifenigs, he was assigned to guard it. A few years later, Nout led a patrol to recover deep-cover operatives Elli Quinn and Elena Bothari-Jesek during the Dendarii liberation of the Dagoola IV prison camp.