Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
The ramp of the shuttle hissed as it lowered, releasing the scent of the earth and the biting chill of endless rain into the hold. Valery stood at the threshold, cloaked in shadow and soaked wool. Her hood was drawn low, obscuring her face in a pocket of darkness, but her orange eyes were like a flame in the dark.
Soothing but dangerous.
The familiar weight of her lightsabers at her belt was the only comfort she could find. She had vanished for so long, that even the Galaxy no longer seemed familiar to her anymore.
After a moment and a long breath, she took a step down, her boot landing in a puddle with a soft splash. It felt like a lifetime ago she had emerged from stasis to a galaxy she no longer recognized, a stranger in her own home. This time, the irony was thicker. She had left willingly, pulled by whispers and dreams in the Force that beckoned her into the uncharted void. Now, she returned to find the galaxy had shifted once more in her absence.
The air itself felt different. It was heavy, saturated with a creeping darkness that coiled around the durasteel structures of the spaceport like a suffocating vine. She could feel it through the Force, a tremor of suffering and despair that resonated deep within her bones. The whispers that had led her away had gone silent, replaced by this oppressive silence of a galaxy drowning in shadow. She had left her family, her life, everything she held dear, to follow a call that promised answers. Now, she understood.
Valery lifted her head slightly, just enough for the faint glow of a distant landing beacon to catch the sharp line of her jaw. The rain plastered stray strands of hair to her cheeks, but she did not flinch from its cold touch. Her time in the quiet of the void was over. She had sought answers, and found only a greater threat looming. The galaxy had changed again, and it was time for her to change with it.
It was time to return.
