First Reply A Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

[Colette]

Your ears are ringing and the side of your head is throbbing with an intense pain that seems to slowly abate with each breath you take. As you try to recall where you are, there are three things that come to mind.

One. You recall something about Coruscant. It's underworld to be precise.
Two. There is a a tan girl, no older than twenty-one reaching out towards you before it all blurs.
Three. The wind is rustling your hair. Or helmet, if you are so inclined.

You are in a steep fall. Not by choice but because the ground beneath you gave way when the world was shaken by some kind of explosion. Not actually the whole world, of course, but rather your part of the world. A hyperlaser might have struck just a few floors above, or maybe it was a deliberate sabotage.

Because on this very day there are undoubtedly cruisers in the unseen sky. Because on this very day it was decided that the Empire strike back at Coruscant. You might have known this, or you might have been caught just as off-guard as the girl that now seemed to fall alongside you was.

Your train of thought and your efforts to recollect your memory is eventually interrupted by the unwelcome sensation of water, or at the very least something very similar to water, rushing past the back of your head, your ears, your chest, thighs, and finally feet in rapid succession.

You are however not in the water when you come back to it. The girl is kneeling down by your side, and she's clearly worried.

"Come on." She pleads as she tries to shake you awake. "Don't do this!"

It doesn't take long before she notices that you are awake again and she quickly helps you sit back up again.

"Oh, thank the heavens." She speaks through a very brief sigh of relief before she stands up on her feet again and motions for you to do the same. "Get up, we have to keep moving, we are not wanted here."

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris practically threw himself to his feet all at once. Unconsciousness, he didn't like that feeling. He knew it well enough, but.. Why was everything still so foggy? He didn't respond at first, looking around. Squinting as he tired to sort through the ringing in his ears. What happened? Where were they? Why was he wet? So many questions, not many answers. But the biggest question he wanted answered?

"Who are you?"

He glanced to his sister without a single thought on who she was, and paused.

".. Who am I?"

Colette

 

[Driver]

Coruscant
Tags: Colette , Aris Noble

​

"FUUUUUU-"

Just next to the two Noble children, having fallen through a break in the ceiling above, a man hits the ground back first. There's an audible crunch as his joints tense up, a heavy wheeze leaving his chest from within his helmet. Driver was, as he typically tended to be, in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was his luck if nothing else. That very same track record had seen him taken from his own time in the first place. The man reached up, pulling off his helmet with a groan.

"Bastards..." he muttered. "I'm too old for this... blasted degenerating..."

The one eyed man turned, his good eye landing on the pair of young Jedi. A sigh escaped his chest.

"Hey..." he greeted with a wince. "Lovely weather we're having, eh?"

 

[Colette]

Aris Noble / Driver

The pungent smell of the water told a story of death and sewage in equal parts. From where Colette and Aris and now this third soul stood there was no denying the fetid vista that towered above and before them as streams from the ceiling high above them crashed into the veritable shit-lake that had saved their lives.

But the putrid liquids were not the only thing to come from on high. A few flickering rays of artificial sunlight still managed to find its way all the way down to here. It was faint, but it was there and just bright enough for the trio to be able to see each other on the cliff where they caught their breaths.

Colette sucked in a deep breath to focus herself and immediately regretted it. She could taste the stench on her tongue and it was just about one of the worst things she had ever tasted. Her cheeks puffed, her tongue seemed to want to skip out of her mouth as she retched and coughed.

"Yeah, just lovely." She groaned at the soldier. "It's—"

"Who am I?"

Her brow rose. Aris must have taken a bad hit to his head. She immediately grabbed him by the cheek and began to pull his eyes wide open. She turned his head from side to side and then backed away. If he was going to forget about who he was, then rediscovery could come later. Now really, really wasn't the time to make him worry about this potential memory loss.

"Listen," She said. "Who you are does not matter, okay? You are in danger, we are all in danger, and we will have to work together if we want to get out of this one alive."

From the darkness around them came chittering noises and barks in equal measure. Not from just the one spot but all around them.

"Those are the sounds of some very angry, very deadly little caterpillars and other monsters that want nothing more than to devour us alive if they get the chance."

In reality they were remnants from invasions old and new. Rat invasions, Sith invasions, Jedi invasions, it didn't matter; the creatures that could survive or even thrive in this kind of environment weren't the kind to back down just because you asked them nicely.

"All I know is that they seem to fear light. We can use that to our advantage. Is everyone good to go?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris glanced between what amounted to strangers, frowning deeply. The scent of decay was just overwhelming for him. He really wanted to know where they were, but, the idea of deadly little caterpillars and other monsters had him to not ask such questions. They were in danger. That was enough for him to nod. He didn't know much, but he knew that danger wasn't good. His frown only worsened as she stared around them.

"Do we have light? .. There's a way to light, right? I don't- I'd rather not run through here without light."

Colette | Driver

 

[Driver]

Coruscant
Tags: Aris Noble , Colette

​

Driver picked himself off, putting his helmet back on after he cleaned up what he could on his coat. He wasn't as bothered by the muck as most people might have been. The Clone Wars had seen him sent to all kinds of nasty places to collect Intel. The youngest one, he reasoned, seemed to be struggling the most. A head injury? Whatever the case was, he seemed to not remember who he was. That had to be rough.

"Relax, kid," Driver assured, turning on the flashlight mounted to the side of his helmet. "We got light. Worst case scenerio, just stand behind me. I've got gear on me that can handle them."

A flamethrower mostly. If that didn't do the trick, Driver didn’t know what would.

"Let's get moving," the clone decided. "I'm not keen on waiting around for a pressure bomb to bury us. Been buried alive before. Can't say I recommend it."

It was for the best that they got moving.

 

[Colette]

Aris Noble / Driver

A second explosion rocked the ceiling right as the clone trooper mentioned pressure bombs almost as if to prove his point. More debris continued to fall into the pit accompanied by the residents who had at up until just then thought it to be structurally sound flooring. This was their sign to get a move on. Not only because of the chittering and barking, but because the dust and grime from the upper floors was slowly but steadily starting to rise in a plume that began to block out what little light that the trio had down here.

"We need to move." Colette said and gently pulled Aris along by the shoulder. "You have a lightsaber, use that. Trust your instinct and you will know how to use it."

Colette ignited her own saber to let its blue sheen engulf them all in an eerie glow that when mixed with the flashlight of their trooper seemed to stir up the shadows. The growls and hollers grew more intense like a pack of wolves calling out for the rest of their pack to announce one simple message: dinner was served.

And it wasn't just the big ones that seemed to take interest. The tiny critters by their feet began to disperse with each measure of light that fell upon them only to regroup once they were back in the shadow's cold embrace.

"Stick close to me, Aris." Colette said and carefully reached out to put a hand on his shoulder without really thinking. "Mother will kill me if I let anything happen to you."

And then her attention set on the one with the light they could throw around a little. "What can you see if you look around, trooper? See any exits?"

 

[Aris Noble]

They had gear that could handle this?

Aris brought his hands overhead as the crashing came down from above. Bombs? Explosions? He was warry, but.. He wasn't scared. If anything, he was oddly calm. He blinked at the mention of a lightsaber before reaching down to find it. This was- Right. He pressed the button, letting the blade ignite. He knew this. It was familiar. Very familiar. Though, who was Aris? He glanced to Colette, head tilted to the side in confusion.

"Mother?"

Not that he thought on it long. His gaze shifted to the shadows as they seemed to twist and move. No, something moved in them. The monsters were already zeroing in, huh? He lifted his blade, held it in both hands. It was instinct now, how to hold it, how to be ready for a fight. His eyes narrowed as a far too cold expression took over.

"If we kill them all, we'll be fine, right?"

Colette | Driver

 

[Driver]

Coruscant
Tags: Colette , Aris Noble

​

"About two clicks ahead, due west," Driver answered. "That's what my hud says based upon existing map data. Expect that to be-"

The clone paused as a segment of concrete fell from the cieling above to the left of them, landing in the water.

"Slightly innacurate. At the rate we're moving, eta twenty minutes."

Driver listened as the two Jedi spoke. The one who hit his head seemed to be the older one's sibling given the way that they spoke. Strange. They certainly didn't look alike. Then again, Driver was used to having thousands of brothers that looked the exact same as he did... same face, same voice. Perhaps he was just not the best at determining shared genetic traits. The younger one mentioned killing all of the beasts that lay ahead of them, to which the clone gave an exhale.

"If you have enough thermite to blow the senate building sky high, be my guest," the agent remarked, "Otherwise I think it would be wise to respect their space. Just keep steady..."

They were adverse to light... That reminded Driver of something that could be done in a pinch. The man withdrew three cylidrical objects from his coat, presenting them to the Jedi: Flash Grenades. Three was admittedly low, but it ment they all got one. It was better than nothing in a pinch.

"Flash bangs," he stated. "Might just save your skin. I advise you each keep hold of one."

 

[Colette]

Driver was right. Although there was just a slight chance that in twenty minutes said maps would more likely just be outdated by twenty minutes and nine hundred years. That was at least if Colette was to grant any sort of estimate, but given her already lackluster relationship with cities like this it was fair to assume she didn’t have any real grasp on just how old this place was.

As she was handed a flash grenade she gave the trooper a grave nod and attached it to her belt.

“We’ll be fine. Save the energy for the fights we can’t avoid.” She said, “We have Trooper for range, Aris and I for if they get close.”

A loud roar shook the foundation as the trio proceeded to carefully walk their way towards the exit that Driver had pointed out, but it was followed by another sound, something different like a quiet whir or a whine that didn’t stop and grew louder with each step that they took.

The metallic whine eventually came to a croaking halt and everything came to a silence. Colette could hear her own breath as it seeped in and out of her lungs and the way her heart beat eerily quiet despite the panic she could feel tugging at her nerves.

“That does not…” She muttered.

A final clang croaked from above before a significant chunk of duracreet and steel entered a freefall from on high. The lake that had once saved their lives was now the potential end of it all.

“Nonono- MOVE!” Colette shouted in horror and picked up the pace for the door that they could see from the tiny flickering lights within, off to the side. A staircase? Yes. Upwards? Yes!

Point of order, two issues:

• The door needs to be shut TIGHT once they make it through. It is currently wide open.
• Someone has to secure their immediate area once they get there.

 

[Aris Noble]

"It'd be easy, though."

At least, it felt like it'd be easy. Asides from the amnesia, Aris was unharmed. Unmarked, save for dirt and sewage from the collapse. Logically, removing the threats would be the quickest way to safety. .. No, not logically. The building was still collapsing. If they remained, they would be crushed, more likely than not. Or have their movements hindered. He nodded once. They would keep moving. He would keep moving with them.

He stared at the provided grenade though, and tilted his head. He had not actually learned how to use one of those yet. Or did he? There was no familiarity with it, not like when he'd taken up his lightsaber.

Then the ceiling started to cave in. He didn't need any motivation to run, he just did. Full on sprinting to the door. Water was going to rise. That wasn't good, right? Drowning. He knew what drowning was. He stood on the other side of the doorway, waiting for the other two to come rushing through before he slammed it shut with all his might. Excessive might, at that. What could go wrong?

Colette | Driver

 

[Driver]

Coruscant
Tags: Aris Noble , Colette

​

Driver didn't need to be told to move. He sprung into action, following behind the Jedi child as they made their way into the newly emerged doorway. The boy seemed to slam it close with rather impressive strength, no doubt Jedi enhancement. It's something he had seen in the Clone Wars serving alongside their kind. Rather quickly he primed his vambrace, lifting it towards the staircase.

"Clear!" he shouted.

He activated the flamethrower, shooting out a jet of fire to both light up the area and ward off whatever light-fearing creature was lurking up in the darkness. Form there they could keep moving.

Hopefully.

 

[Colette]

Aris Noble / Driver

Door, shut. Fire, thrown. Colette added her weight against the door and put her saber up to weld it close. A torrent of noise roared on the other side before it eventually struck the door with enough power to crack it just the slightest. Sewage quickly poured through the crack for just a moment before it disappeared along with the worst of the tidal wave, but it was enough to coat anyone next to the door with one last cover of shit before they left.

No doubt, if the creatures couldn't see them then they damned well could at the very least smell the trio. Luckily, that might just turn some of the more picky ones away, but bugs such as those that covered the walls up the stairs were not picky. The spread of the fire was almost instant as the larvae-like lifeforms helped bring fire from one body to the next until the whole staircase seemed to light up and shriek in pain.

For as terrifying as the sight seemed to be, the stillness it brought was actually quite peaceful. It was a brief respite from the danger, but not enough so for the trio to lower their guard yet.

"They are drawn to water." Colette noted and pointed at a nearby cracked pipe in the ceiling where most of the creatures had seemed to nest. "That's good to know."


After the brief pause, they would find out that what they had in fact just sought cover in was some sort of control room. The maggots on the floor would leave their feet alone as long as they pointed their light sources close to the floor, parting like a sea of caterpillars and other vermin. So far they seemed harmless, but given how aggressively they held themselves to the shadow there was always good reason to be wary.

Coming up on the big window at the very heart of the center offered an overview of where they had landed. What had seemed like a lake was in fact not a lake at all but rather the remnants of what was once a water recycling plant. The rocks that they had crawled up on? The last remnants of the container's walls. From where they stood it was both easy and terrifying to see just how bad the fallen ceiling piece had been to the old plant. A piece of it still poked up from beneath the surface, but not much of it. The vats of water that they had fallen into must have been massive and deep.

This must have been an important piece of Coruscant's infrastructure once.

"Have either of you found anything about where to go?" Colette asked. "Drawings, notes, maps?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris was uncomfortable.

Growing up in a vat as he had didn't prepare him for this. Insects everywhere, the burden of stench. His nose wrinkled at the putrid scent. Worse, his enhanced senses only made this that much worse. He activated his saber, letting it light up his environment to see the most disgusting of creatures scatter. No, he was not alright with this. Yes, it suddenly made sense why they said not to bother fighting.

There were countless of these vermin.

"The control panel is shot. But there's some information on the layout across the room. It looks faded, though."

Yes, even in this low light he could see across the room.

Colette | Driver

 

[Driver]

Coruscant
Tags: Colette , Aris Noble

​

"They don't like fire. Noted."

Driver stepped over to the staircase, shining his light up it to try and see where it led. It should, in theory, rise to a maintainance chamber. He had some experience with an older Coruscant after all given his age. Ignoring that whatever lay above them was a good 900 years older than the last time he saw it there was a pretty good chance that it might be similar.

Maybe.

"The control panel is shot. But there's some information on the layout across the room. It looks faded, though."

"If my memory serves me right there should be a maintainance room above us," Driver relayed. "If we can get info from that we should. Let me bring my light over."

The trooper stepped over to the pannel, shining the light of his helmet upon it in hopes of making the faded imagery appear more visible. The idea that would be enough to make whatever it was easier to see, but there was really no way of telling if that would be the case. A little trial and error couldn't hurt. All things considered, this was much lower stakes than the lake of sludge or the chittering bugs. At least a map couldn't kill them.

 

[Colette]

Aris Noble / Driver

He was her brother and she still wasn't used to just how keen his senses were. Colette's gaze wandered across the room until she noticed the small plaque. Fire safety instructions? She looked over at Driver who seemed to be just a slight bit familiar with the area. Her brow rose out of curiosity for a moment before she slowly began to wander over towards the plaque.

"Seems Aris is right." She said and turned to look at the others. "There should be a door…" She pointed back towards the window. "There."

Except it was covered by boxes and debris. Colette frowned. It wasn't ideal but it was manageable. Her hand extended towards the door to lift the items off the ground and move them over and away, and as it landed on the ground it was hard to tell whether the crunch was part of the crate or the bugs crushed beneath it.

Given the ichor-like substance on the floor however… Well, it was pretty obvious what it was.

Colette raised her hand towards the door as the others gathered around. She tapped at its interface to get it to open, and sure enough there was another hallway on the other end. Bugs scattered from the new crack into the shadows of the light and the tidal wave only got worse the wider the door opened. They shrieked louder for each moment in which they bathed in the pain of the light.

"It leads up." Colette muttered. "That's good."

Up meant that they were closer to safety. Up meant that Colette could finally get home and see to Aris properly.

"Trooper, can you recall anything else about this area?"
"Aris. What do you see?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"Lots of squirming and crawling."

From what he could see, anyway. He wasn't like their mother or their other siblings in being able to see in the darkest patches, but with the flashlight and the lightsabers he could see enough. This place was gross. No, this wasn't normal, was it? There shouldn't be this many things trying to just exist in here? Were they escaping all the destruction? Maybe. "They're panicked, I think. They won't hesitate to go through us if they have to."

Driver | Colette