Private A walk in the snow

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Follow the Light

Valery's reminder of their friendship brought a smile to her lips. For all of the troubles that came with befriending a Jedi (much less the Grandmaster of the Order herself), there was something pure and uplifting about the honesty they shared between them. Truth exchanged for truth, and respect held for one another - but such attributes did not a friend make. No, Valery was looking out for her, and Jenn could only hope that she would find herself able to return the favor one day. Hopefully before the war ruined her chance to do so. No words came to her before such a simple, yet meaningful reminder that she was, in the end, far from alone. Merely a nod, and a hand brought to rest over her heart, before extending towards the Jedi. A gesture she had shown her before on Wielu: a sign of peace, and gratitude.

Inhaling deeply through her gills, Jenn set about the difficult task of emptying her mind. Had she been underwater, the proposition would have been far more accessible to her: in the embrace of the sea, her worries seemed to ebb away with ease! And although the crystal caverns of Ilum were a beautiful place to find herself in, to be sure... it was not her home. Meditation and enlightenment came with great difficulty, when burdened by fear and hate, and letting go of those emotions proved to be difficult under the circumstances she found herself in. Battle fatigue would catch up with her eventually, she knew that much.

So, Jenn thought of a tranquil ocean, and still waters. And for each ripple falling against the surface, another element was discarded, allowing her a measure of calm as she let go of her doubts. It took some time, of course, but eventually? There was nothing but that stillness as her mind opened itself to the Force.

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

Valery watched quietly while Jenn did her best to clear her mind and connect with the Force. It wasn't something Valery could help her with, and even if she could, she wouldn't. The gathering was something a Jedi did alone. Jenn was no Jedi, but the journey would still be far more meaningful if she followed in the footsteps of others, and overcame the challenges of the Crystal Caves herself.

The Jedi Master was merely here as support, and as protection on fairly dangerous world. Especially in the more unstable caves away from the Temple.

Eventually, Jenn would find her peace, and all the chaos from before seemed to fade away. The call of the crystals became quieter, but one voice felt louder. Deeper within the caves, something was urging her to come closer.

"Very good, Jenn," Valery said once she realized Jenn had connected. "Follow the Force's guidance, and you'll find the crystal meant for you." There was still a challenge up ahead, but as long as she remained focused, Valery felt confident that she would succeed.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Follow the Light

Jenn was no Jedi, and yet, for all of her misgivings about the Order, there was no denying the respect she held for them and their ways, different as they may be to those of her people. Why else would she seek to walk in their footsteps, and reverently so? The thought had come to her more than once after all... yes, perhaps she might have been a Jedi, in another life, just as Valery might have been a fierce Mandalorian. Never would she walk alongside the ancient enemies of her people if it meant standing against her own, that much was certain. Why, then, did she feel so compelled to learn about their ways, and to emulate them when she found them to be wise?

There was wisdom to be found among the Jedi. By following Valery's advice, she achieved a certain sense of peace - different from the one that came to her when she swam within the waters of Scarif, and yet so very soothing nonetheless. Being called by something through the Force was, admittedly, something that should have brought her a certain measure of concern: but even the scars left on her psyche from her time held in captivity at the cruel hands of a Sith Lord could do little to deter her.

After all, Valery would not let her follow something that could hurt her.

There was some confusion at first, her first few steps lacking much in the way of direction. Keeping her mind aware of her surroundings while also open to the faint song leading her on through the Force was... difficult. After all, Jenn lacked anything in the way of training. And yet, she soldiered on, moving one small step after another, letting herself be guided.

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

The deeper Jenn went into the caves, the more distant Valery seemed to be. She didn't want to intrude on the gathering, both because it was meant to be a journey alone, and because Jenn would soon reach her challenge. The Nexus within the caves was a powerful thing, capable of showing those inside things that weren't really there. Illusions, almost, created by the most secure and deepest aspects of people's minds.

But the caves did not draw on pleasant memories.

To obtain a crystal, one would be confronted with their fears, and through their willpower and trust in the Force, they would have to push through, overcome, and complete the task they set out for themselves.

Which fear would be exposed to Jenn? Valery thought about the question, and she had her guesses — the woman's history with the Sith came to mind. Would Jenn be able to set aside her feelings and move on? Or was the illusion drawing on her fears going to overwhelm her?

For now, Valery remained quiet and watched to find out.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

| Location | Ilum Jenn's Mind
| Objective | Follow the Light Face your fears!

When exactly did Jenn find herself lost in time and space?

She could not quite tell. One moment, she was walking through the caverns of Ilum with a dear friend at her side... and the next, she was well and truly alone, progressing through a place somewhere between reality and the beyond.

It began as indistinct whispers, unsettling in their faint sense of familiarity... but, uneasy as she was, the Mandalorian pushed deeper, arming herself with the resolve she had shown time and time again. Then, at the edge of her vision, Jenn found herself cursed with the unmistakable sight of a crimson blade stalking her, its baleful light illuminating the crystals around them. Her hand flew to her pistols immediately - but even her remarkably quick draw could do little for her. Not here, and not against this particular foe. Turning this way and that in an effort not to let herself be surprised, the proud warrior slowly found herself surrounded by-

Blaster bolts whizzing through the air. Lightsabers crashing against Beskar. Ships howling as they flew overhead. The screams of the wounded, the croaks of the dying.

"No", uttered the siren under her breath, memories flooding in as she realized just when and where she was. A time that haunted her people as a whole, even now, so many years later... a fight they could not win. A battle that destroyed them as a people, scattered them across the stars, as seeds on the wind.

The Fall of Mandalore.

All she could do was stare in abject horror as the events of the fall of her home played out before her once more, down to the last minute and excruciating detail. The warriors of her Clan, her family, were fighting and dying all around her, overwhelmed by an enemy bent on their destruction. Everything seemed to fade out of focus as her attention was brought over to one warrior in particular as she fought off a pair of Sith Knights, decapitating the first with her vibroblade and incinerating the second with her bracer's flamethrower- before turning to look to someone else.

"Run, ner'ad!" called the indomitable warrior that had once been her mother, calling out to...

To who Jenn had once been. A young boy, barely in his teens, and desperate to fight for his home. Trained since his adoption to fight, and yet filled with fear now that he faced the end of everything he knew. Looking at herself was a completely surreal experience, but seeing the terror in his eyes as he found herself rooted in place made her want to scream, to tell her past self to listen, to run while he still could... but nothing left her lips. She, too, was frozen in fear.

"Get out of here, ad'ika! Go!"

Those words shook her out of the torpor she had found herself in. The last words her mother had ever told her, before she faced her match, beaten by a Dark Lord of the Sith, forced to kneel as he crushed her legs, and decapitated before her very eyes. But Jenn knew this was about to happen, and, with no small effort of will, she ran faster than ever before towards her mother as she turned to fire her blaster at a figure she knew all too well. The one who had taken her last living parent from her. Clad in heavy armor and shrouded in dark robes, they were a vengeful shade, their every motion betraying contempt.

This was the single most formidable foe she had ever faced, but together, mother and daughter were beating them back. She could see it in how they were forced on the defensive, unlike how things had gone down in the past. No amount of lightning nor crushing could stop the duo as they unleashed blade, blaster, fire and explosives on the figure- until it finally fell down on one knee, and Jenn abandoned herself to the visceral hatred she felt for them, all but leaping against them, bodies crashing together as she joined them in the mud of a dying world, letting her fists crash against their helmet, if only to see it crack with each punch.

"You took her from me once, but you will never have her again!"

But then, the mask finally broke, and Jenn found herself frozen in place once more, confusion giving way to abject horror.

The person beneath the mask was... herself? Those eyes of amber looking into her own with nothing but disgust, and a smug sense of superiority. It was only then that Jenn realized she had not won, because she could not win. Nobody could reach out and change the past.

"Buir died a long time ago, Jenn. She died because we snapped her focus from her fight. Because we were too weak to help her. Look at you now, choosing to be weak, getting your hand held by a Jedi... I choose to be strong. Just look at what I have achieved!"

Everything hurt as her world exploded into a million shards, and she found herself all alone once more, weak and helpless, surrounded by the darkness she feared so much, even many years later. But what banished the darkness was so much worse. A crimson blade illuminated the great void she found herself in, revealing the sight of... so, so many warriors of her Clan. Doubt festered in her heart as she watched them all looking down at her from behind their visors, kneeling down as she was. Judging her for... failures yet to come.

"Great sacrifice leads to great power. Under my rule, the Clan prospers. We thrive. We conquer."

It was only then that Jenn realized just what her counterpart held in her hand. And it was no lightsaber.

"No! I am not her! I am not ruled by symbols!"

"Oh, but you are", answered the Sith as she lifted the blade up high. "Why else would there be a statue of our ancestor in B'yaaim Haar Cabur, brandishing the Darksaber?"

"This is not the Darksaber!" spat the Nite Owl angrily, pointing an accusing finger at the weapon rapidly approaching her. "This is an abomination! A perversion of everything we are as a people!"

"IT IS POWER! POWER YOU WILL TAKE FOR YOURSELF WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE BURDEN OF LEADERSHIP!"

Standing over her, Jenn's future struck her head with the accursed blade, sending her helmet flying and forcing her down to the ground, left to crawl on the ground desperately... and only now realizing just what surrounded the both of them.

Sam.

Nelliel.

Valery.

And so many more besides.

Her beloved, her family, her friends... all dead.

"They were weak", came her own voice from behind her, just as damnably melodious as her own could be when she gave in to her nature as Ersansyr. "An Alor must be strong."

For a moment, Jenn resigned herself to her fate, closing her eyes and bowing her head in shame. Perhaps this was who she was meant to become. She lost her cool too often to be a good leader, and for all of her talk of being a Protector, she knew that the inevitable Alliance assault on her home would leave her with guilt, loss, and a hunger for vengeance.

And yet, as the blade swung down, she raised her forearms, blocking it with her bracers - even as the pressure and heat made it all too painful for her to do so. Slowly, with great effort, Jenn rose from the ground, gritting her teeth as she pushed back against the force applied against her.

"There's a difference between us", proclaimed the siren as she slowly mustered the sheer will to stand up. "We lost everything, you and I. But you let your fear rule you. Let yourself become everything you hated, because you believed in the poison of necessity."

Her counterpart pulled her blade back, snarling as she prepared to hit her again- only for Jenn to pull her knuckle plate vibroblade with a SHUK, slicing off the Sith's fingers and catching the saber as it fell.

"Loss does not define me. Fear does not define me. And anger does not rule me!"

Jenn crushed the weapon with the Force, the Sith's scream fading away as she found herself yanked back to the present, to reality-

To the beauty of the crystal caverns.

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"Jenn, are you alright?"

The caves had offered Jenn her trial, but Valery had not been a part of it beyond the terrible illusion Jenn had seen. She had no idea what Jenn had gone through, or whether or not she overcame the troubles she was shown. Jenn, meanwhile, would likely hear the voice of her friend after snapping out of her trial, but something else called out to her as well. A whisper along the currents of the Force, louder than her friend could hope to be.

It was a close, and if her gaze were to follow its call, she'd finally see something stand out among the crystals.

A shimmer of a colorless Kyber beckoned her to come closer, where other crystals did not. It wasn't yet bonded to her, but every part of her being would tell her that it was supposed to be. Jenn Kryze had confronted an important part of herself, and now she was deemed ready to be bonded to the heart of a blade.

"What are you feeling, Jenn?"

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum
| Objective | Follow the call

"Never better", answered the Mandalorian calmly, if wearily. Although she truly felt stronger for it, Jenn found the trial to be far more exhausting than anything else she had faced over the past few months. Fighting against her own fear and self-loathing was far easier a task when these attributes were not personified into a figure of what she might just turn into, should she fail to keep on treading the righteous past! Still catching her breath and trying to ground herself in the moment, the Ersansyr's gaze was drawn over to the source of the gentle whispers caressing her mind.

As if in a dream, she walked towards the crystal ever-so slowly. To do so felt... right. It belong with her, that much, she understood. It was certainly peculiar, for a Mandalorian to walk in the steps of the Jedi earnestly enough to seek out a kyber crystal of her own in such a place. Perhaps even more peculiar for her to understand that such a moment was just as important as when she had passed her Verd'goten and become an adult in the eyes of her Clan.

"I'm not quite sure", admitted the Nite Owl to her friend as her fingers finally touched the crystal.

"But this feels right."

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

Valery could tell that the trial had left Jenn at least emotionally exhausted, but that was all part of it. Every Jedi experienced their own journey, but the overarching challenge was the same — to confront a fear or a part of yourself. Such an obstacle was demanding to overcome, even if the caves only provided an illusion. But now that all was over, Jenn finally felt the pull she couldn't feel earlier, and Valery watched with a soft smile.

"Very good," Valery continued, as Jenn reached out to touch the crystal. In that same instant, the light shimmered and a connection began to form between the crystal and its owner.

"The crystal is the heart of the blade.
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi.
The Jedi is the crystal of the Force.
The Force is the blade of the heart.
All are intertwined.
The crystal, the blade, the Jedi.
You are one."​

Valery paused after reciting this code, and looked over at Jenn, "This is the crystal Code that we learn as Jedi, and while you aren't a Jedi, this still applies to you as well. Try to remember these words, and honor what you've done here today."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Listen, and learn

Although she would protest if anyone ever told her so, Jenn was... far more spiritual a person than she cared to admit. Although often ill-equipped to approach the philosophical approach to life embraced by the Jedi and the Mandokarla, the Mandalorian showed a willingness to step out of her comfort zone and learn most would find admirable. A proud member of the Kayatr'ade she may be, the smith understood the value of a different perspective nonetheless - one detached from the world around her, what she could reach out and feel against her fingers!

And now, more than ever, Jenn gloried in the feeling coursing through her as her fingers closed around the crystal. This, she realized, must be what apotheosis was like, or a step leading to it: more than ever before, she felt lucid, clear-headed, towering over all of her fears and worries, as if they were now beneath her. The knowledge that such a grand feeling would pass failed to bring her any melancholy, not when she found her very being forming a bond with what some might dismiss as an inanimate object, no different from a nugget of ore or a crystal.

Slowly, carefully, the Mandalorian turned to look at Valery, holding the crystal in both of her hands as she did so.

"I am no Jedi", admitted the Mandalorian thoughtfully. "And the creed I follow is... too different from your own for me to ever become one. But I promise you, Valery Noble, I will not forget this. Neither the wisdom of the Crystal Code, nor what you have done for me today. I... thank you."

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"It was my pleasure," Valery said with a soft smile. To trust someone outside the Order into the caves wasn't a decision to take lightly. The weapon she'd build could easily end up being used against her fellow Jedi, after all. But there were other caves far beyond Alliance space as well, so to deny a single crystal ultimately wouldn't have mattered much. Instead, Valery had now been given a chance to guide her.

An act of kindness that she felt was important during these times of conflict. Perhaps, one day, this and other efforts to show kindness and compassion could lead to an end of the war.

"Using the cystal to construct a lightsaber or other weapons is possible now, but be careful. The process of making one is not easy the first time, and a mistake could be quite catastrophic. But... you Mandalorians are pretty good at crafting things, so I'm sure you'll make it work." Valery flashed Jenn a smirk, then turned around to look over her shoulder.

"For now, why don't we head back and get to some place warmer, hm?"

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | End of the path

"Maybe one of these days I'll get to return the favor", remarked the Mandalorian with a tired, but no less earnest smile - "shown" to her friend with a little nod. "Can't have you making a habit of getting me out of trouble and then helping me, right? That makes, what, three times now?" Light-hearted as she may be about the whole situation, there was no mistaking the fact that Jenn felt... a little self-conscious about it all. Here was the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order herself, a woman of immeasurable will tempered by compassion, rescuing her time and time again in spite of the war raging between their people! How was she even supposed to start repaying this brilliant soul, who just kept on proving to be such a steadfast friend?

And then, her smile grew... a little less tired, as if the very thought of creating something stirred the fire within her heart. In the end, she was a proud smith of her people, a driven member of the Kayatr'ade! "I am no Forgemistress, but... perhaps one day, I can use my talents to help repay that debt." Her words were followed by a thoughtful hum: clealry, Jenn's mind was already hard at work figuring out what she could provide for the Noble household to repay her debt to Valery... a line of thought interrupted by the offer to get on out of the caves.

"Let's. I prefer the frost to the fury of the sun, but let's not push my limits any further than I already have today."

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Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

Valery snickered at the offer and shook her head, "Friends never owe each other anything, and I certainly won't keep count." She said this with a genuine smile, and she'd never hold any of the things she has done for Jenn above her head. But she also knew that, as a friend, Jenn likely wanted to do something in return one day as a king gesture for her friend. That was something Valery felt a lot happier about.

She just wanted her to not feel any pressure.

"As long as you don't feel like you're in debt to me, I'd happily accept any offer of kindness." Valery dipped her head, and left it there for now. Mostly because she wanted to get the hell out of this cold. It had always bothered her to be in these temperatures, which was ironic, given her role as the Watchman of Ilum.

But most of her time here was spent at the Temple, with the heating at max.

"Well, that might be the first thing where we truly differ. I grew up in a jungle, so I'm used to heat. Not... this."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

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| Location | Ilum's Crystal Caverns
| Objective | Reconcile

Jenn remained quiet as her friend spoke. Valery would accept no debt: every act of kindness made was done without any expectation of reciprocation, something that the Mandalorian understood all too well and agreed with, and yet... she could not quit shake off the feeling of being indebted to someone who kept on helping her, each and every single time. Slowly, the Mandalorian looked around, clutching the crycstal close in her hands as she drank in the beauty of her surroundings.

The Light had blinded her earlier, her senses all but assaulted by so many echoes in the Manda, but now... with this fragment within her grasp, bonded to her? The Ersansyr found herself well and truly basking in it all. "My kind tends to suffer in dry, arid climates", explained the siren as her gaze fell back onto her friend, blinking rapidly behind her helmet. "We need water. To drink, to be sure, but to bathe in regularly as well. Foregoing that tends to make us... irritable."

Although she knew that her friend wanted them to leave and get somewhere a little warmer, the proud heir seemed all but rooted in place, lost in contemplation as she looked into Valery's fiery eyes. In spite of their intensity, she had found them to be a... comforting sight. A reminder of the genuine nature behind the Grandmaster's actions. Although the two had met after the declaration of war from the Galactic Alliance, their every meeting had remained cordial, and their respect for one another remained true. Just as Jenn had made the choice to trust her, so too had Valery.

And she struggled to find the words to thank her. Visibly so.

"I... I'm..."

There was a short, awkward pause, and then, the Mandalorian rapidly closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around her friend in a firm embrace.

"You are the truest friend I've ever had the privilege of knowing", spoke the Mandalorian with a tremble to her voice even her helmet could not mask. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, Valery, thank you. For... being my friend."

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Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"We'll have to find a middle ground, then," Valery said with quite a smirk, "Somewhere I don't freeze my tits off, and somewhere you feel comfortable too." She smiled at first, then blinked at the profanity she used. That was definitely new, but it just showed how comfortable she felt around Jenn.

A sign that not all hope between Jedi and Mandalorians was lost.

Valery then snapped out of her embarrassing moment when Jenn suddenly closed the distance, and wrapped her arms around her body. She blinked again, though this time she smiled much brighter, and returned the hug, "You don't have to thank me, Jenn," Valery said with a soft chuckle, as she leaned into their embrace.

"You're my friend because you have good in your heart, and I respect who you are and want to be." She pulled back this time, just to make sure Jenn could see her smile.

"I'm very glad to be able to call you friend as well."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum's Crystal Caverns
| Objective | Enduring Friendship

"Scarif sounds about perfect for us both", reminded the Mandalorian with a good-natured smirk, very much amused by her friends little slip-up. Not that she cared too much: she had heard far more colorful language before, in Mando'a and Basic alike! The Tusken, for their part, were not quite keen on swearing - not quite as much as her own people were, at any rate, and Melodese was too graceful a language to be stained by something as brutish as an insult so crude and unmusical as the ever-popular utterance of "fuck". A Mandalorian without much patience for profanity would be quite the rare find indeed!

All of that, of course, was forgotten as soon as their arms wrapped around one another, and the two friends enjoyed their embrace... and the kind words that came with it. The fierce warrior did not care to argue with the Jedi over the kindness of her words. Just this once, she allowed herself to bask in it, to relish in the feeling of being well and truly appreciated by another. In spite of the fire and fury, the clashing of blades and the hateful rhetoric, these two had forged an enduring bond between them.

As the two of them pulled away from one another, she was treated to the sight of a smiling Valery: perhaps one of the most comforting things for her, in the harsh times they both lived in. No matter the challenges before her, Valery Noble remained a steadfast friend, and that was more than one could ask for.

"Come on. Let's not let sentimentality get in the way of finding somewhere warm, mh? I would rather not have to explain to your family that you caught a cold because of me."

​

Valery Noble ​