Private A Knight's Valor

[Ko Vuto]

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Location: Corucant, NJO Temple
Objective: Teach about Lightsabers
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

“That’s fine Valor, even if you’re familiar with the movement you’re out of practice. Efficacy can deteriorate with disuse after all.” Ko could sense the doubt moving into Valor. Ko lowered his saber and telekinetically summoned the datapad back to his hand. Turning off the rather annoying beeping. “The perfect velocity doesn’t exist, messing up is something of an inevitability. Sort of like an unattainable pursuit of perfection. Which is okay so long as you don’t let yourself get too hung up on that.” Ko explained, letting Valor know that it’s okay to strive for excellence but not to be too discouraged when you don’t achieve it.

“Let me share with you something that should prove useful no matter the circumstance as a force adapts. This is an important piece of wisdom for anyone like us be they Jedi or even those who have allowed darkness into their lives. Doubt is the poison for all those Adapt in the ways of The Force. Confidence and faith in themselves and The Force can allow the most dedicated to succeed. Where doubt can cripple the most talented.” Ko continued to elaborate. Hoping this lesson he was imparting on the teen would resonate. In Ko's mind this was something more important and fundamental then even the Jedi Code. Since it was relevant to the success of even a Sith lord and beyond. To hammer it home he would try to provide a bit of anecdotal evidence from his own experience.

“Let me use myself as an example. After I lost my eyes I was a wreck. I doubted myself and my place within the order. I could hardly see through The Force, my vision cloudy with confusion and second guessing everything. But through immersing myself more in The Force and trusting it. Perceiving the world through it has become second nature and I may even say that I can see things more clearly now than I could before.” He wondered too if this might offer the teen a bit more insight into how he has managed to perceive the world around him without his eyes. Like they were questioning him about earlier.​

​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

Valor raised a brow, his tone flat and edged with dry humor. "So, Braze is insane, then." It wasn’t hard to conclude, considering the kid’s obsessive tendencies and lack of social skills. Not that Valor was one to talk—but recognizing similar traits only made his loathing for Braze sharper.

"Kind of takes the wind out of the old adage, doesn’t it? ‘Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.’" He shrugged, a humorless smirk tugging at his lips. "But that’s the thing with sayings—they’re neat, clever, and entirely bendable. Someone like Braze twists them into something unrecognizable just to prove the rest of us wrong."

He exhaled sharply, gaze hardening as he crossed his arms. "Old sayings," he muttered. "Perfect for pretending the world makes sense."

"Yeah, sure," he said finally, his voice laced with sarcasm, though not quite as sharp as usual. "Doubt is a poison, confidence is the antidote. Real motivational stuff, Ko. Got any more Jedi wisdom, or should I start writing all this down?"

He glanced at Ko's datapad with a faint scowl, the thought of unattainable perfection making his stomach twist. "And let me guess—'failure is a stepping stone to success,' right? " His words were biting, but they carried less venom than usual, more like a defensive reflex than genuine malice.

Still, something about Ko's anecdote gave him pause. He studied the older man, the faintest flicker of respect creeping into his expression despite himself. "So, you're saying you doubted yourself too? That you were... useless, for a while?" He hesitated, the weight of the question hanging between them. "But you figured it out. Because of The Force."

His gaze dropped to the floor, conflicted. "Fine. I get it. Confidence matters. But what if it's not doubt holding you back?" he muttered, almost to himself. "What if it's just... you?"

 

[Ko Vuto]

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Location: Corucant, NJO Temple
Objective: Teach about Lightsabers
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

“I only believe that Braze is misguided by his own expectations. Perhaps even chasing a dragon, as some might call it. Old sayings can be useful for condensing complex ideas and sharing them. There’s always exceptions of course.” Ko replied rather plainly and listened to Valor’s continued sarcasm about what Ko was trying to communicate. His expressionless antiox mask didn’t allow the echani teen to get much of a read on the Kel Dor.

“Yes Valor, I harbored severe doubts about myself and my place within the order. I don’t know if I would go as far as to say I was useless, but it was certainly a struggle and I was unsure if being blind meant I couldn’t ever achieve the rank of knight. I couldn’t even make it to lessons on time and was frequently running late.” Hearing Valor’s other question Ko nodded softly. “More or less, having trust in The Force and myself allowed me to overcome my set back. Although it did take time.” To hammer home that point there was another training exercise that Ko wished to do with Valor.

The Kel Dor continued to listen to the teens' words. Expressing concerns not just over confidence about something else. “Are you speaking about something more innate? Like some sort of trait within yourself?” Ko asked, wishing for Valor to elaborate a bit more.​

​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

Valor sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping under the weight of his thoughts. He turned away, unable to meet Ko's gaze, and began pacing back and forth like a restless predator trapped in a cage. "What if it's more than a setback? More than just doubt?" His voice carried the raw edge of vulnerability.

He paused mid-stride, his hand brushing through his long snowy white hair in frustration; a self soothing gesture. "What if… I just don't have what it takes?" The words came tumbling out heavy and bitter. "The Force might be there, but what if it doesn't want me the way it wanted you? What if—" His voice cracked briefly as he spoke, feeling the tense tightening in his throat as he uttered the next few words."What if no amount of trust in the Force can fix... me?"

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida Temple
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

The Kel Dor knew that nothing was gonna make him step up to the plate as a jedi again. He was gonna need to do it himself. No wider order, no masters, much less accountability. To many that could mean freedom and independence. But to Ko it felt more like abandonment. He was gonna need to learn to be a little more self determined and sufficient in regards to upholding the light wherever he may find himself.

Ko was readying himself to leave the planet of Verida. He wasn’t quite sure yet where he’d be going or for what reason but he felt he had spent more than enough time on such a nice planet. Sometimes he may need Verida, but as of now Verida did not need him.

He’d heard rumors that the Black Sun Syndicate was crumbling. While that was one less villainous powerbase to worry about in the galaxy he knew such a collapse would likely not be bloodless. The vultures and opportunists that lay within and outwards would surely be looking to get a piece of the pie for themselves. That might be where he goes first.

With a single duffle bag slung over his good shoulder Ko packed it with his essentials, he didn’t need much beyond The Force as his ally. Rolling beside him was a humble astromech droid that was ready to slot into Ko’s Epo starfighter.​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

Valor had been unsettled since the incident with Jackie Rosso and Roten .

He approached it poorly. Pride first, reason second. He told himself he only meant to press, to assert, to remind them he was not someone to overlook. He did not expect it to escalate, yet escalation followed all the same.

He held back when it counted. That much he knew. He could have pressed further. He chose not to.

The aftermath lingered longer than the clash itself. His ribs bore the cost, cracked or near enough that each breath carried a dull reminder. The headmaster prescribed rest; Valor complied in the most minimal sense, as Kaito saw that he was to be confining himself to his quarters while bone knit slowly beneath bruised skin. Each morning he wrapped his torso tight, adjusting the binders with careful hands. The pressure steadied the pain, though it never erased it.

Weakness grated more than the injury.

The world outside remained indulgent and saturated with perfume, the air thick and clinging in the corridors. He found no comfort in its excess. Healing demanded patience; patience did not come easily to him.

Kaito Starfall had not come to enforce that patience as of late. The estranged father was not around.

Now word moved quietly through the halls that the Keldor intended to leave this perfumed rock.

No one left that instructed Valor to remain and no one barred his path.

He stood at the threshold of his quarters... Following would strain healing bone. Staying would strain something less visible and far less forgiving. Valor adjusted his cloak, straightened despite the ache, and stepped into the corridor after Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida Temple
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

Sensing the young echani’s presence behind himself Ko paused for a moment as the droid next to him continued to roll along forwards. “I Heard you got hurt, have you healed up already, Valor.” Ko commented, not yet even turning back to face the boy. Keeping himself facing forwards. “Or is prescribing yourself a bit of activity a better medicine?”

Ko finally turned around to face the cloaked teen. His upper body still swayed some with imbalance from its asymmetrical weight. Only when he did would the astromech notice and turn its head to look at the two of them before giving a beep and chirp before continuing on its path. At this moment Ko wanted to know what Valor was planning to do. ​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

“I don’t see what business that is of yours,” Valor stated, neither confirming nor denying anything.

Irritation sharpened the line of his jaw. The fact that the Keldor had sensed him from that distance unsettled him more than he wished to show. He had stepped lightly, measured his breathing, kept his presence drawn inward… and still Ko paused as if he had been announced aloud.

“And I don’t require supervision,” he added, voice cool. “Not from you.”

His hand shifted beneath the fall of his cloak, a subtle adjustment at his side where tight bindings pressed against healing ribs. The movement was small, quickly stilled. He refused to let it betray him.

Valor held Ko’s gaze without flinching.

“If I were unfit to walk a corridor, I would be in the medbay,” he continued. “I’m not.”

“You seem very interested in my condition,” he said at last. “Should I assume there’s a reason for that… or is curiosity your chosen pastime tonight?”
Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida Temple
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

“It wasn’t my intent to offend.” Ko stated, sensing some defensive agitation in their response, letting go of a gentle breath.

“I’m sure you’re sick of me having or showing any concern for you or your affairs. Sticking my nonexistent nose where it doesn't belong, except for, of course, when it did.” Ko said, referring to his previous retrieval of the teen. Stealing them from the sith over the risk of their capture. Threatening his order and friends. Now there was no order, and much less friends. In hindsight Ko wondered now if that might’ve been all for nothing.

Ko met Valors posture with one of ease, almost tiredness. As though Ko was becoming exhausted from taking it easy here on Verida.

“To be fair, I was trying to pursue a Jedi career as an investigator. Curiocity was becoming something of a speciality…” Ko justified. “I also heard you earned your injuries in a fight. One that you may have instigated with less tempered apprentices.”​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

Ko Vuto
“If you’re concerned, then say it plainly. Don’t dress it up as investigation. If you’re worried I’ll make another mistake… then say so...Yes. I started it.... I won’t apologize for testing people who posture. If they can’t handle pressure, that isn’t my failing.”

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida Temple
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

“That kind of contentious attitude towards apprentices here isn’t appropriate. That’s not the kind of environment Jedi try to cultivate. You may have no interest in becoming a Jedi but it’s bad manners to stir up trouble under someone else's roof.” As a Kel Dor Ko knew that for damn sure.

“And of course I’m concerned about Valor, that’s why I always encouraged you to go to lessons, and to try and get along with others. That’s why I’m talking to you know, or hell, why I’d put a bar of soap into your dirty mouth…” Ko answered back, his tone a bit more fresh now.

“Now maybe I didn’t always show that too well. You’ve been through a lot, I know, I can tell. I figured you’d wanna have your space, room to be yourself, and grow as you saw fit.” Ko didn’t exactly know what the echani needed, Ko himself wasn’t all that much older so it felt like the blind leading the blind, especially since he hadn’t had any eyes when they first met.​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

Ko Vuto

Valor rolled his eyes, the motion small and sharp, followed by a quiet snort.

“Spare me.”

The words were offered softly, though not gently.

“I don’t need a lecture about temple etiquette.”

His gaze shifted down the corridor for a moment, then returned to Ko.

“Everyone says they’re giving me space… but that space feels a lot like being left to figure everything out alone.”

His shoulders remained squared, pride still intact.

“I can handle myself,” he added, more measured now. “I just don’t need to be managed while I do it.”
He huffed before hurrying past

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida Temple
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

Ko knew that he could be a bit stubborn, but at least the impact of his was softened by some measure of respectfulness. As Valor began to hurry past him Ko made a move. Reaching out to Valor from behind and grabbing his shoulder firmly. The soft pads of his finger digging into Valor. A measured act as Ko was mindful of his claws not scratching him or his clothes.

“Valor I…” Ko paused only for a second. Not wanting to drag things out or waste the teen’s precious time. “I never thanked you… for saving me from the rubble of the temple. You didn’t have to, not like you did. You have my gratitude, and I can’t let myself see you run off before telling you that.” He saved him from being captured and most likely executed by The Empire. He also recognized that Valor had gone out of his way to bring him to his homeworld, where he would be most safe as a Kel Dor in recovery.

“I haven’t been very good at appreciating my own life lately, and the opportunity to keep living because of you.” Ko had been sulking too much and feeling like a failure. Believing that he should’ve die on Coruscant. Something he still hasn’t gotten over, and may not. But he can at least learn to recognize a good thing when he sees it.

Ko knew that nothing he said was really relevant to what he was saying, and not really in service to Valor. So his single hand would let go with an apology. “Sorry…”​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

Ko Vuto

Valor paused, unease settling into his posture before he could mask it.

He looked at Ko then, really looked at him this time feeling somewhat uncertain what he was meant to offer in response to something so bare.

“You mean…” His brow knit faintly. “You would have.”

The words came slower now mixed with a pang of guilt that stirred where he preferred there be nothing at all. It surprised him. So did the thread of empathy that rose with it coming unwelcome and unfamiliar, pressing against armor he had worn for years.

“You don’t get to throw your life away just because you’re tired,” he said, voice lower than before.

His gaze wavered as he looked up, searching Ko’s masked face as though trying to measure how serious he had been.

"That wasn’t why I pulled you out.” The admission came carefully spoken.
“I didn’t do it because it was good or noble. I did it because…” He exhaled slowly letting a sigh pass. “Because you’re not finished.”
He murmured.

“And if you’re not finished… then what am I...? If you’re leaving Verida,” he said more evenly, “then I’m not staying here to pace corridors.”

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida Temple
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

Ko wasn’t sure if Valor was even going to stay around after hearing him. They could’ve continued to walk away and Ko would’ve let that happen. “Perhaps you’re correct about me not being finished yet. Maybe ever since that day I’ve been living on borrowed time, and I’m a dead man walking and don’t truly know it yet. Only time will tell.” There was a kind of acceptance in his voice. Confessing to the teen some of how he felt about his current state within the universe.

“And that’s fair too, if I leave Verida who will be here to look after you? Starfall, Kyoteru?” Ko mused out loud. The two of them had plenty of problems as is, looking after a trouble maker like Valor wasn’t ideal.

“You could come with me, Valor…” Ko finally asked, letting the words hang in the air like a morning mist. “I’m not saying you have to be an apprentice, or a Jedi. But a friend can be a good start. If you’re willing?” The Kel Dor offered.​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

Valor frowned when Ko continued to be pessimistic about his own life. He huffed hearing Kyoteru mentioned. "I am certain none here will miss my presence. " He said assuredly. He warily looked back up at the jedi. "I'm afraid I haven't the understanding of what it means to have or be a friend. "

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida Temple
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

“Perhaps a certain other echani may, but I can’t really say.” Ko replied. “As for friends, well, this could be a good way to begin to figure out what it's like. Regardless, the choice is yours if you wanna come with me. I’m not quite sure where exactly to go, but we can figure that out.” He added, expressing how Ko didn’t quite know where planned to go.​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

Valor huffed looking away. " What use is leaving if you have no destination in mind?" He asked looking up warily at Ko.

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Verida Temple
Tag: Valor the Forsaken

“Well I predict some folks in The Slice might be needing protecting now that the syndicate has collapsed under its own weight. Power vacuums like that can be messy so that could be a good place to start. But when we trust in The Force as our compass we’ll never be lost.” That last part was a little rich coming from someone like Ko who has felt their connection to The Force weapon noticeably over the last year or so. “So are you interested?”​

 

[Valor the Forsaken]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

Valor looked away from the Keldor briefly as he considered that. He had a rocky connection with the Force, having been taught conflicting ways to reach for it… perhaps this would be a better way of reinventing what that looked like. Could it hurt to give it a try? Anything had to be better than spending his whole life caged, watching the time slip past him.

He looked back at Ko with a decisive expression. "Yes," he stated firmly. "You've my attention. Show me something worthy of my effort… You'll have to convince me this isn't a waste of my time."