Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Private ❝ No Droids. ❞

ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


BB-610 was no stranger to melancholy, but very rarely was it fused with anger. The droid prided himself on seldom losing his temper, and while he may be one to act on emotions, he had nonetheless resisted the temptation to give in to anger more than a fair share of times. He had a family now, after all, with friends and loved ones that cherished his company and recognized his efforts in keeping the galaxy safe; what could he possibly have to be angry about? BB-610 was in a much better place now, so through all the trials and tribulations that tested his patience and wormed their way under his skin, the astromech couldn't help but appreciate the life he'd been given as of late, as no punishment he suffered as a Noble was worse than the years he'd lived prior to meeting Valery. He considered himself lucky, and it was an unwavering sentiment he'd held on to for quite some time.

So when he had happily joined his family in their expedition to Ilum for the eldest children to acquire their kyber crystals, BB-610 expected him to actually get to see it. Not only would it have enriched his ever expanding library of experiences, but he wanted to ensure that Vera and Aris were safe. Moreover, however, he wanted to be there with them, to record such a large stepping stone in their lives so they could recall the moment in future. A momentous occasion to serve as fond memories, so BB-610 could look back on their journey when they had grown old. It was a selfless gesture, he had thought, and to his knowledge no kyber excursions had specifically ruled out the presence of those not Force sensitive. For all of the danger he'd put himself over the years, for all of the efforts he'd made to protect the people around him despite just being an astromech, he'd figured the least he had earned was to be there with his family.

Apparently not, and BB-610's plans had come crashing down before he'd even known it. His journey had ended before it had even started, and never had he truly experienced such a sinking sensation as the moment he was barred from entering the caves of Ilum. BB-610 took denial very poorly, but to have his efforts discarded in such a nonchalant manner? No apology, no reasoning? He hadn't even been addressed directly. The Jedi that had prohibited him from accompanying his family hadn't even bothered to tell him. The droid simply stood behind the two siblings, a backseat listener to somebody casually dismissing him. He remembered the words vividly, those sickly little words that were so grossly common throughout the galaxy.

'No droids.'

It angered him to no end. When cantinas would prevent him from entering, when people looked down on him for simply being a servant, when people thought less of him because he had no blaster or lightsaber to swing around and be a hero. Restraining bolts, memory wipes, these frequent bans on his kind for arbitrary reasons that painted him as some kind of second-class citizen and not a person that had risked his life hundreds of times over to protect the very same people that denied him privileges afforded to the rest of the galaxy; his owners, as people would so kindly put it. It left him stirred, bitter, and falling back on what Blackout Blackout had said all those years ago. BB-610 narrowed his optic. It hurt. It hurt a lot.

So he had come to experience Ilum for himself, with no prissy Jedi to tell him what he can or can't experience. The Delta-7B sat dormant at the cave's entrance, with BB-610 staring directly into its hollow depths. He'd felt guilty about leaving his home without notice, especially because he was supposed to attend dinner with his family, but the nagging feeling of frustration had soured his mood considerably. He loved Valery, he loved Kahlil and he loved their kids, but none of them would understand. To the galaxy, he was just a droid.


GADividerBlue.png

 
Last edited:

Gabriel-yeganyan-glacial-wall-ideation-sketch-3.png

Ilum Temple
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610

Ever since Ilum, Bee had just felt off.

Valery had talked to both Vera and Aris, so she understood why he was feeling the way he was. But she wasn't going to pressure him into talking unless he wanted to, and Vera had also tried to cheer him up after the cave adventure by taking him out for a fun day at Niv Hani. Still, it seemed her little buddy was needing some more support from his family, so she had planned to have a conversation with him after dinner. Just a chance to talk things over between the two of them.

Bee never showed up at dinner.

Being late was already a weird thing for him, but not showing up without saying a word... it had her extremely worried. Luckily, it wasn't impossible for her to track where he had gone, so Valery had taken her X-wing and followed him to Ilum. From there, she lucked out a little — Ilum wasn't exactly densely populated by droids, so her scanners found him rather quickly. Especially because she knew where to look, too.

He'd be heading to some of the caves, though not the ones at the Temple it seemed. Likely because the Temple's caves were behind a door of ice that required the Force to be opened. No, he had found himself a set of open caves with crystals somewhere further out into Ilum's cold plains.

Soon enough, the X-wing made it down close to where he had parked his own ship, and Valery climbed outside to look in his direction, "Bee?" She asked over the cold winds. "Hey buddy, you okay?" she asked, clearly with concern in her voice. "This isn't really a safe place to be alone. Can I join you?"



 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


Well, it was only a matter of time.

BB-610 hadn't even needed to verify the source of the approaching roar of a starfighter, growing increasingly louder before whirring to a halt as it landed near his. A part of him knew that Valery would have come looking for him, but a larger part had silently prayed she'd leave him alone. Through no fault of her own, the droid simply deemed his headspace too unhealthy for him to be worth the conversation, but he supposed that if anybody were to warrant some alone time with him, it was her. The astromech didn't bother to face her, nor were the Jedi's words met with a response. Silence fell upon the snowy winds of Ilum, and for once, BB-610 withheld his reply not from the unknowing of what to say, but simply because he hadn't the energy to say much at all.

She wouldn't leave, he knew that. Valery was far too stubborn a woman for that to happen, and a proud mother of five would sooner die than leave him here. Fittingly, BB-610 lacked the energy to argue, so he simply nodded, sluggish and half-heartedly, silently inviting her over. His gaze remained locked on the entrance, a mocking ghost of the Jedi that dismissed him painted so viscerally before his photoreceptors, right where he stood on that same day. He knew it to be counterintuitive to recount those events, replaying them in his head ad nauseum as he conjured up hypothetical realities in which things had gone differently. Maybe Vera or Aris had put up a fight, maybe BB-610 had gained the courage to tell him off, maybe he recognized the droid as a player in Exegol's annihilation and allowed him the simple joy of tagging along with his loved ones.

Just a droid. Just a droid. 'No pets, no droids'. As though he were at all comparable to a simple loth cat.


BB-610 scoffed. He waited for Valery to join him, to salvage whatever solace he could in a moment otherwise used for bitterness. The Jedi wasn't met with a look as she often was, as though the astromech were barely aware of her presence beside him. He simply stared, his chassis collecting snow, freezing on the outside but warmed by his internal heating system.

«No droids.» He parroted, his droidspeak biting. It was such a rarity for him to talk with such a tone that it felt perverse to speak it out loud.

«I'm glad he thought so highly of me.»

GADividerBlue.png

 

Gabriel-yeganyan-glacial-wall-ideation-sketch-3.png

Ilum Temple
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610

Nothing like this had ever happened before.

Usually, her presence provoked nothing but joy in him, and Bee had always been able to find comfort in her as well. But now, as she made her approach, he didn't even turn to face her. It deepened the frown she already had, and made her realize just how much it had hurt him. His family meant everything to him, and not only was he forced to be separated from them during an adventure he'd have loved to share with the kids; it happened in a way he hadn't expected.

It was just because of who he was — a droid.

"Bee, I'm so sorry," Valery said as she crouched down with her knees into the snow, and gently reached over to remove some of it from his head. Her arms, if allowed, then wrapped around him and pulled him closer for a hug. She knew that an embrace like this wasn't going to fix what happened, but she needed him to know just how much she loved him. Above all else, it was important he always felt like he was part of the family.

"The Padawan didn't explain it well, but traditionally the Gathering is something the younglings must go through alone. That said, not all Jedi traditions were ones worth retaining. I definitely don't want you to feel treated differently because you're a droid." She shifted back a little and looked at him with a somber smile.


"Do you want to go into the caves with me, Bee?"


 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


Motionless, his gaze never wandered, it never left the cave's entrance even as the photoreceptors dotting his body informed him that the Jedi was approaching for a hug. The gesture wasn't dismissed, and she was allowed to keep her arms looped around his chassis for as long as she desired, but the astromech made no effort in returning her affection, simply standing there, utterly unresponsive. As expected, her words had done little to comfort him, and they'd only fuelled his bubbling frustration even more. BB-610 knew she shouldn't have come here, because while the rational part of his droidbrain understood that it was in no way Valery's fault, his irrational side, guided entirely on emotion, wanted so badly to direct his anger to her out of pure convenience, because she was present and the only person to lash out at.

No such thing happened, however. Even at his worst, BB-610 couldn't find it in him to shout at her. His chassis trembled, head shaking slowly as he broke away from her embrace to roll a few feet forward and shriek, a metallic cry piercing the air as it echoed loudly throughout Ilum. The astromech's tool-bay disc slid open, his electro-shock prod emerging as it whirred with electricity, unleashing a discharge of static aimed directly at the ground in front of him. Its current spread across the snow, his anger festering as the stream of electricity grew stronger, wilder, a flashing strobe of blue meeting the air as the astromech screamed a synthetic scream, until the snow before him exploded in a powdery cloud of white.

Immediately, BB-610 whipped his head around to face Valery, his optic wide.
«Then why didn't he tell me he cried, binary raised far higher than it ever was, voice warbling with welling anguish. «He didn't apologize, he didn't even look at me. He told the children, like I was unneeded luggage, while I just had to listen to him and feel humiliated BB-610 continued, electro-shock prod retracting back into his chassis as he rolled back to her. «That is all I am to the galaxy. Your droid. Like I'm an accessory, or your property.»

A silence fell soon after, as though artificial fatigue had caught up with him, having finally voiced what had been bottled up for years. BB-610's gaze drooped to the floor, head lowered in a mix of shame and anger. «I don't know, Valery. I don't even know if I deserve the crystal anymore.» He murmured, droidspeak defeated as he gave a passing glance back to the entrance in response to her question. «Sometimes I wish I were memory wiped again, so I could forget how to feel like this.»

GADividerBlue.png

 

Gabriel-yeganyan-glacial-wall-ideation-sketch-3.png

Ilum Temple
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610

Valery's arms fell back down by her sides after Bee rolled forward, and with the same frown on her face, she watched his shock prod blow up the snow around him. She had never seen him this angry, not without being taken over by First Order programming, and that didn't happen anymore. Seeing it like this was so much worse, and the pain she felt in her heart couldn't really be described with words.

He was family, and he was hurt.

"I don't know, Bee," Valery said when he turned back to face her. "I don't know why he chose to handle it the way he did, but I don't think he meant to hurt you so much. He just didn't approach it how he should have, and I'm really sorry that it happened. Maybe I shouldn't have left it all to just the Padawans," Valery said with a frown. It was tradition for Padawans to guide the younger Jedi into the caves, so that's what she had done.

But how would things have gone if she had still been there?

Valery then crouched forward and gently placed her fingers underneath his head to tug it up. She wanted to look him in the eyes, and do whatever she could to offer her comfort, "I can't change the way some people think, but to me and to the people who matter most, you'll never be my property or just an accessory. You're a part of the family and we can't ever replace you, Bee."


"We love you."


 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


Once more, the droid remained limp, not fighting against her motions. A pang of guilt welled at his core at Valery's mention of being there, a sadness within him swelling increasingly thicker as he felt as though he'd burdened her with his problems. BB-610 whined in protest, announcing his disapproval but far too exhausted to protest further - at this stage, anyway. His head was lifted effortlessly by her fingers, a sunken optic darting its attention to the corner of his vision before reluctantly rising to meet Valery's goldenrod eyes. He was sad, but begrudgingly willing to listen.

BB-610 remained silent, a part of him too stubborn to accept her praise. He felt as though he no longer deserved it, wishing to instead wallow in self-pity until his energy expired and deactivated, but the reasonable side of him knew that that wouldn't help. The droid kept his gaze fixed on Valery, nodding slowly, her words eliciting a warmth from his chassis, reminiscent of fluster. She always knew how to make him feel better, and it was something he detested right now-- he should just be left alone to scream to himself, not feel loved and cherished. She was making him feel things again, and he hadn't wanted that. He wanted to let the galaxy know just how angry he was at it.

Not even he could stay mad forever, though, as the astromech finally gave in to her advances. BB-610 nuzzled into her palm, his motions still sluggish, as a low chuckle rumbled at his core.
«I love you too.»

The droid let those words linger, before pulling away from her grasp, some sense finally beginning to creep back into him.
«I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you.» He admitted. «I never really feel like this, it's just... sometimes it seems unfair. Like the galaxy wants me to suffer.»

BB-610 glanced back at the entrance to Ilum's depths, staring daggers at it. He'd let his negativity fester for far too long; he wanted to conquer his anger, whether it be through spite or otherwise. The astromech turned back to Valery, gazing up at her.
«Do you really think I can get a crystal? If we went inside, together?»

GADividerBlue.png

 

Gabriel-yeganyan-glacial-wall-ideation-sketch-3.png

Ilum Temple
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610


«I love you too.»

Valery couldn't stop a warm smile from spreading across her lips, and leaned in closer to rest her forehead against the top of his head. Right now, there were a lot of things that she could say, and she was sure that Bee had a lot on his mind as well. But a peaceful silence felt like the strongest message after saying those three words to him. Three words that some took for granted or used very casually, but they meant everything to her.

She wanted him to know just how much she cared about him.

"It's okay to feel this way, and I'll always be a bit worried if you do. You're family, Bee, so unless you're happy and safe at home with me, my husband, and the kids... I'll be worried about you." She chuckled softly and let him move away from her for now. "It also means that I'll come after you, no matter where you go." Not that she wouldn't respect it if he really wanted to be alone, but in a situation like this, she'd always be there.

"I think so, yeah. A part of the Gathering is that we can't just go inside and take the first crystal we find. Jedi who enter the caves will feel only one reaching out to them, and it's their task to confront their fears and find the one to connect with." She looked at the caves for a moment, then down at her best little buddy.


"I can help you find yours if you'd like?"


 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


BB-610 took his time in pulling away. He'd missed that feeling of comfort, finally bleeding rays of sunshine over his gloomy façade. For however angry he was, and he was still angry, the droid knew that dwelling on it dealt more damage than good. So he nodded, making a mental note to try and cheer himself up more - it was the least Valery deserved after coming all of this way for him. BB-610 released a long withheld sigh, and with it left a lot of his tension. There were stepping stones in self-improvement, and he had taken the first step already, no matter how little it may have been.

He nodded, inching slowly towards the entrance with a speck of hesitation, before committing with a much bolder roll over to it. BB-610 was unsure of what Valery's help entailed, as it seemed particularly unorthodox for somebody to retrieve a kyber crystal without aid from the Force. He knew that it had always been synonymous with the Jedi, but the droid couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for somebody not Force sensitive to become a Jedi themselves. BB-610 couldn't recall any such thing, so he assumed it was simply out of the question.

BB-610 stood at the entrance, the cold winds and falling snow muffled by the cave's depths. The droid was unsure of just how far to progress, as though he were afraid of somehow disrupting Ilum's entire foundation just because he didn't wield the Force. He stared, contemplating on turning back. It felt strange to seek the same thing as a Jedi-- he certainly didn't feel like he deserved it.

But the astromech refused to turn back, shaking the intrusive thoughts away. BB-610 bweeped, asking Valery what his first step was.


GADividerBlue.png

 

Crystal_Caves_of_Ilum_AtG.png

Crystal Caves
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610

Much like Bee, Valery felt some relief after their embrace, and after sharing some important words with each other. Now, it was time for the next step. The caves on Ilum were a tradition for Jedi to go through, and finding a crystal to bond with may have required one to be Force-sensitive, but Bee also had a bond with Valery. She knew she could tap into it, and she knew she'd be able to find one meant for him that way.

He'd have a crystal that represented his bond with his family.

"First, we just walk," Valery smiled and gently nudged him along to follow her inside. Trials awaited them, but she first wanted him to just enjoy the beauty of the caves. Away from the light, it was dark inside, yet thousands of little crystals illuminated the way forward. It was a spectacle, no matter how many times one went inside to see it.

She wondered what Bee thought of it all.

"I'm going to use my bond to you, to find the crystal that calls out to us," Valery then explained with a smile. "But it's not as easy as just following that feeling. The caves test us, and because I'll be focusing on you, it's going to test us with something for you to overcome. Are you ready?"



 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


Upon Valery's question, BB-610 nodded with an affirmative bweep, venturing deeper into the cave. It felt somewhat strange to take the lead for once, especially in an environment tailored specifically for the Jedi, but he deemed it his obligation to press onward for his own sake. Valery may be the one that can actively commune with the crystals, but that didn't mean the droid couldn't take in his surroundings and focus on his own feelings. Clouded judgement supposedly led to the Dark Side, and while he couldn't succumb to its grasp in the traditional sense, BB-610 wanted to clear his head as best as possible all the same.

«It's so pretty,» he cooed, marvelling at the myriad of crystals protruding from the walls. They glimmered beautifully, each one a sparkling shade of bright color, and each one seemed to beckon him over. Despite that, he hadn't felt anything when studying them; BB-610 considered them all positively gorgeous, but none stood out to him, nor did one seem like him. He proceeded forward, flashlight enabled to see past the particularly dark corners of the cave.

Truthfully, he was unaware of the Gathering's exact details, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. It provided a much more authentic experience, at least, almost as if he truly was a youngling being guided by their Jedi Master. How Valery would communicate to the crystal he wasn't certain on, but BB-610 was determined to see the trial through to its end. He had proven time and time again that he was much more than just an astromech, and he wasn't about to back down from this challenge either.

He wanted to make Valery proud, and he wanted to prove to the galaxy that he was worthy of respect.

«I'm ready. Whatever I need to do, I'll do it.»

GADividerBlue.png

 

Crystal_Caves_of_Ilum_AtG.png

Crystal Caves
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610

"Right? I was mesmerized the first time I saw it. Maybe my eyes helped a little with it, but I'm sure it's beautiful to everybody," Valery said with a chuckle. Her Keshian eyes were far more sensitive than human eyes, but not necessarily as complex as a droid's receptor. Right now though, she was just happy to be sharing this little moment with Bee, and she felt great joy to see him enjoy it himself.

Even though she knew that the caves would also be testing him. The gathering wasn't just entering the caves and finding a crystal that resonated with you. The caves were confrontational, and even Bee wasn't going to escape that. Just... Valery wasn't actually sure how it'd manifest for him.

The Nexus in the caves couldn't connect with him, so whatever they projected, came through her.

"I'm not sure if you know this, but Aris can't sense the Force, or really use it outside his own body. So he can augment his speed, his strength and things like that, but he'll never be able to use Telekinesis. His senses also can't pick up on the Force, so he struggled in the caves. Vera found a way to act as his guide, and I intend to do the same for you," Valery said with an encouraging smile.

"What it means, is that you're going to be confronted by something through me. But it is something that you'll have to overcome, or we won't find the crystal that's meant to be yours." With that explained, Valery began to connect with the caves, and focused her mind on Bee. The Crystal Caves typically confronted one with their fears, so that they would have to push themselves through in order to accomplish their task.

What would Bee see?



 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


BB-610 began to circle, examining the cavern is excruciating detail, listening idly as Valery explained. The droid knew that Aris had struggled, but despite his difficulties, the boy was still magically entuned - and most importantly, he was still organic. Aris was considered alive, so for however faded his skills were, the Force still existed inside him. BB-610 was not quite so lucky; comprised of metal and wires, there were no midichlorians present for the Force to latch onto.

Could a droid become a Jedi? Could a droid wield a lightsaber? BB-610 was well aware of the tales of General Grievous, insidious cyborg warrior, but even he had once been a being of flesh and bone.


"But it is something that you'll have to overcome, or we won't find the crystal that's meant to be yours."

The astromech paused, musing on that. BB-61- pondered on what trials and tribulations one would expect for him; after all, he considered his life much easier than that of Valery or Kahlil. The galaxy had little expectations for him, and he wasn't exactly the shining beacon of hope that the Jedi were. His duties came second-nature to him, and so his problems mostly consisted of fretting over a broken starfighter or stressing on what bedtime story to tell the Noble triplets. As far as he was concerned, BB-610's life was relatively simple.

And then, for the briefest of moments, his thoughts fell upon the First Order, followed by the Eternal Empire.

BB-610's optic narrowed, servos freezing. He recalled that visceral fear of abandonment, the long-lasting press of never being good enough that had been instilled in his core. He thought of not living up to Valery's expectations, of seeing her outwardly disappointed in what he had done. He felt that crushing feeling of knowing droids were made to be tools, and that his family could simply get a new one should he no longer be needed. Discarded, easily replaced...

He thought of the children growing bored of him, tossing him out like a broken toy. They had an astromech before they got him-- would BB-610 be the last? He thought on what Blackout Blackout said, on how Valery could just as easily swap him out for the newest model. Was that all he was to people?

He thought of the mess he made on Ukatis, and the guilt of having ruined Cora's coronation. He thought of how bitter the galaxy sometimes made him feel, and how tempting the path of violence had been. All the people he hurt when he'd lashed out at them the second his original programming had emerged.

BB-610 whimpered, plagued by intrusive thoughts.

He really wanted to be good enough for the people around him-- was that not what this was all for? To prove to everybody that he was worth taking seriously? Or was he just acting on impulse; irrational and judgemental, perhaps the astromech should give in and stop pretending to be something he isn't.

Those two words came biting back, sinking their teeth into his core.

No droids.



GADividerBlue.png

 

Crystal_Caves_of_Ilum_AtG.png

Crystal Caves
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610

"We're heading to the market soon, so be ready," Valery suddenly said, and if Bee were to look up, there would be something different about her. Valery's expression towards him was cold and lacking all affection she usually shared in abundance. This time, her eyes betrayed the fears he felt deep inside — she did not want him anymore. "I need a functional droid who won't cause me anymore trouble."

"I'm sure I can sell you to some emotional kid, and maybe it'll be enough to get me something new"
Valery added with a bitter voice.

The cold wind of Ilum blew through her hair, while the Force swirled around them. Intrusive thoughts had revealed his fears, and through the one person who would always understand them, they were made a reality before his eyes now. Valery then turned around and gestured with her head for him to follow.


"Come on, we're already late."



 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


Snapped out of his delusion, BB-610's head perked up, twirling around - confused - at Valery's words. His optic met her gaze, and the droid was forced to double take, having noticed the absence of the motherly warmth behind her eyes. Dumbfounded, a creeping sensation told him that something didn't feel right, staring directly at her with a look of bubbling horror. BB-610 flinched at the bite in her tone, so cruelly dismissive of him. Even throughout all their years together, through all his mistakes, Valery had never once shouted at him, nor had she spoken so... robotically.

The irony was lost on him. This wasn't like Valery at all, and the astromech could only gawk - terrified now - as she continued.

«Valery?» He chirped, his binary quiet, as though he would get told off should he speak any louder.

"I'm sure I can sell you to some emotional kid, and maybe it'll be enough to get me something new."

He recoiled, wheeling back. BB-610's optic widened, an ache welling at his core, spreading across his circuits as his internal fans whirred. The droid was speechless, body beginning to heat up as he hyperventilated, head shaking in sheer disbelief; he couldn't bare to hear more, to see her look at him like that. BB-610 cried out, inching closer to her. «Is it because I got upset?» He asked, droidspeak high and frantic.

His world had slowed to a crawl.
«I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I just wanted to be there for them!» BB-610 whined, every word more warbled than the last. The astromech was growing desperate, his droidbrain clouded with fear - he couldn't think, only try his best to change her mind, to win back her approval. «I haven't even switched to my old programming! I've been good, you know that, Valery, I've been trying!»

BB-610's reality was shattering, cracked and splintering as he struggled to grasp the situation. She had ordered him over, just as coldly as she had spoken to him prior, but the droid never budged, far too interwoven in layers of unbridled fear. Why was this happening? Valery had come to look for him, to make sure he was safe. Nothing made sense anymore, he knew that he wasn't perfect, but she'd been so insistent on saying that that didn't matter. It didn't compute, it didn't register, it--

The astromech tensed, and as he studied Valery's features, he recoiled once more, rolling away from her as he shook his head.

«This isn't real.»

The cave, Ilum, it was testing him. A spark of hope had been ignited, but the droid was still plagued by the whiplash to fully take advantage of it. BB-610 narrowed his optic, refusing to follow her.
«This isn't happening.»

He was trembling. His world of gray had gained some color, but they were just as quick to resume muting. BB-610 bit through his anxieties, however. A part of him didn't quite believe what he was saying, convinced that Valery's words were genuine; whether reality had bent to have her utter them or not, that part of him agreed with her.

«You're not my Valery. She would never say that. She would never give me away!»

GADividerBlue.png

 

Crystal_Caves_of_Ilum_AtG.png

Crystal Caves
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610


«Is it because I got upset?»

"It's because of who you are," Valery said, still with that same distant cold in her voice and body language. Valery had always been quite expressive, and it was easy to tell whenever she wanted someone to feel welcome and loved, or when she'd give her enemy a signal that could potentially be their last. But this time, there was nothing warm about the way she looked at him. She didn't want him anymore, and perhaps even felt disgusted that he still was.

She didn't just want him gone, she needed him gone.

"You haven't done good enough, and I'm tired of it. So shut your circuits, and get back here," Valery ordered him, but Bee didn't get closer, and only rolled further back. The fear in him and his loss of hope hadn't escaped her at all, but Valery no longer seemed to care about how he felt.

He was to be replaced.


«This isn't real.»

Valery stopped, her eyes intently focused on his photoreceptors, and for just a moment, there was a flash of anger in her eyes. The kind she had perhaps only showed to those who harmed her family. Her hand shifted up, almost as if she was about to strike down against him, but as soon as Bee spoke again, there was a shift.

Like the blink of an eye, Bee would suddenly see Valery's face again, only a few inches away and with that smile he had seen a million times before, "Hey buddy... you okay?" She asked with a worried tone, while her right hand gently moved along the top of his head. "I was worried I'd lost you there for a moment."



 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


BB-610 reeled backwards, his vision blurring for the faintest of seconds, almost as though his optic had been poorly adjusted before blinking back in place. Valery stood before him, as she had done mere seconds ago, but the color had returned to her face; cheek-kissed warmth, the motherly glow of orange in soft eyes, signs of normalcy that he'd missed so much in such a short amount of time.

The droid was weary still, with his better judgement halting the urge to throw himself to her in joy. BB-610's photoreceptor studied her gaze, gentle as it ever was, but he scrutinized her all the same. No words were exchanged, simply the stare of someone whose reality had just given them tonal whiplash, and so the astromech froze as Valery ran her fingers along the flat of his head.

The cave had pulled a trick on him, tried to drown him in his biggest worries. BB-610 was trembling from synthetic adrenaline, and with an incredulous look, slowly retrieved his electro-shock prod from within his chassis. With an inward apology to Valery in advance, the weapon crackled with electricity.

Zap!

It was a harmless transaction, especially for somebody as battle scarred as the Jedi, but a shock was administered all the same - it was felt, and while no damage would be done, Valery would be met with a sharp tingle against her skin and a lingering buzz after he'd pulled away.

Seeing the aftermath of his experiment, BB-610 exclaimed in overjoyed binary, retracting the shock prod and rolling closer to his friend to press his face to her front for an affectionate nuzzle, wobbling excitedly with strings of relieved droidspeak.

«It's you! It's you!» He sang, pulling away to return his gaze to her eyes, now much more willing to soak in her embrace. «You were different. You said you would give me away, that you didn't want me anymore. I saw through it! I knew you would never leave me!» BB-610 continued, a touch of pride in his tone, as he bweeped and chirped ever so happily.

GADividerBlue.png

 

Crystal_Caves_of_Ilum_AtG.png

Crystal Caves
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610

"Bee?" Valery looked a little worried, as he seemed to have snapped out of something. He was merely staring at her now, where he'd usually be overjoyed to be around her. Something had made him extremely cautious, and she wasn't sure what caused it. Her hand reached his head, and with her fingers gently going over the chassis, she hoped that he'd be able to-

"Ow!" Valery pulled her hand back and blinked — did he just zap her?

She was about to ask him what that was for when those overjoyed tones of binary returned. Valery immediately smiled and opened up her arms to invite him into a hug. She held his little head against her chest and rested the side of her face on top of him, even if the temperature made that surface just a tad cold.

It was his affection that kept her warm now.

"Yeah, it's me. What happened?" She asked, a smile tugging on her lips while he seemed just so excited for her to be there with him again. A stark contrast to how this day had started for them both. It made Valery so happy, that she wrapped her arms around his body, pulled him tightly against her torso, and lifted him off the ground. Her muscles flexed, and even if she needed to use the Force to carry his weight up, she would.

"Of course, I'd never leave you, Bee. You're family," she said with a smile while she held him close. "I love you with all my heart, and I'm so very proud of you." So proud, in fact, that she didn't notice the particular glow of a crystal behind her calling out to the two of them.




 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

bb610.png





GADividerBlue.png

| LOCATION: Ilum |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble |


Bursting into a fit of loving, mechanical giggles, BB-610 furthered his nuzzles as Valery scooped him up, his chassis rumbling excitedly within her embrace. Hugging was always difficult for him to pull off, but to feel a loved one's arms loop around him felt so right - he felt secure, comforted, with every worry he had promptly washed away by the Jedi's soothing company. BB-610 eventually found himself placed back onto the ground, his excitement having reached its crescendo.

With some normalcy restored, the astromech was afforded the time to let his situation sink in. BB-610 gave a passing glance to the walls of Ilum's cave, the radiant crystals surrounding them seeming to throb with brief hums of color, almost as though the Crystal Cave's heart drummed in pride of his efforts.
«The cave tested me. Like I was a Padawan. Like I was... alive.»

His optic widened, ever so slightly, and the twinkle of teal green finally caught his attention. BB-610 marvelled, staring as a crystal thrummed brighter than the rest, beckoning him closer. Aghast, the droid pulling away from Valery as he inched closer and closer to it.

Protruding from a small cluster, the crystal seemed smaller than most, yet its energy was felt tenfold as BB-610 approached. All this time, he'd been searching for the crystal that looked the prettiest, curved and glistening and flawless in its facets. It was when the droid stood before it did he feel a kindred connection.

Small yet lively, eager to show its worth amongst its overshadowing piers. BB-610 saw a piece of him inside its glow, and he wondered if this was at all what feeling the Force was like.

Finally, he peered back at Valery, bewildered, as he looked for her approval.


GADividerBlue.png

 

Crystal_Caves_of_Ilum_AtG.png

Crystal Caves
div-orange.png
Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons:
Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610 BB-610

She was almost reluctant to set him down, purely because she needed this embrace as well. He sounded so happy again, and that warmth within her family was important. Still, she couldn't hold onto him forever, and the brightness of the caves did catch her attention too. It was a signal, she knew, but not meant for her. This was his moment, and she wanted him to enjoy it, while she offered her support.

"The caves test us all, and you've withstood your trial, Bee," Valery said with a dip of her head. She let him move away then, and watched as he rolled around and looked at the crystals. Each one was bright and felt alive, but among that sea of light, there was one that stood out to him the most.

One that called for him.

"Go ahead," she said with a chuckle. "A Kyber crystal takes on its color when it bonds with its owner. We believe the color is related to the nature of the person it's bonded to. Let's see what yours will be, hm?" she gestured with her head towards the crystal right in front of him, and eagerly waited to see.



 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom