Private Afterlife

[Mykel Dawson]

The Deep Core opened around them like a curtain of light.

They had dropped from hyperspace a few minutes ago, but Mykel was still mesmerized but what he saw. It wasn't like normal space after reversion, most stars distant glittering pinpricks against a black canvas. Here, he felt like he was in the middle of a forge, clusters of stars were stacked upon more clusters. Everything was presented neatly through polarized viewports, but with the naked eye such a sight could be eyewatering, blinding even.

"Alright," Mykel said, leaning forward in the copilot chair lowering his head back to the console and bringing his mind back to the mission. He ran a hand along the smooth edge of the console, eyes flicking over the holocharts. "We came through clean. Nav-link held with all slaved freighters. No drift, Pathfinder AI is running green."

The technopath gave the panel a small tap, like patting the back of a well behaved tooka.

"Impressive," Kaldor said, the Consular's tone understated but approving. "Very impressive. I did not have to intervene once during the flight." Mykel's master, capable of instinctive astrogation, had sat in the pilot's seat as backup to the AI navigation system. "The Artisans of Coruscul have outdone themselves."

Mykel's chest swelled with pride, having helped his father and other Jedi engineers of the Explorer Corps design the sleek craft back at the enclave. Originally, the navigation system had been crafted for deep space missions past the Galactic Rim to neighboring satellite galaxies, but with the Planeshift anomalies now occurring, the Coruscul Jedi had found much better purpose for the prototype in these trying times. Eventually, after testing they hoped to have a small fleet of such navigation ships available to guide large convoys in real time between ever shifting hyperlanes. The Deep Core, already dangerous with its maze of gravitic eddies and densely packed celestial bodies, was the perfect testing ground.

He turned to look back at the small party of passengers still buckled down, grinning. "Welcome to the center of the galaxy."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery unbuckled her harness with a soft click, rising to her feet with the easy balance of someone who had flown through far worse. She stepped forward, one hand braced lightly against the wall for balance as she moved toward the cockpit. The starlight beyond the viewport bathed her in gold and white, casting sharp highlights along her silhouette as she looked out over the Deep Core.

"Now that's a view you don't get every day," she murmured, voice low with quiet awe. Even after all her years among the stars, the galaxy still found ways to surprise her.

Her eyes flicked down to the console, then up to Mykel, one brow raised with a small, approving smirk. "Nice flying," she said, folding her arms as she looked out the viewport. She gave Kaldor a nod of respect as well, then turned her attention back to the stars outside — to the forge, as Mykel had called it. So much beauty. So much danger.

"But let's not get too comfortable," she added after a beat, her voice shifting from warm to focused. "The Planeshift has changed more than just star maps. Whole systems have gone dark. And if there's something out there waiting in this lightshow, I'd rather we find it first — and not the other way around."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Jedi Robes

Mykel beamed at Valery's compliment. Even though the Pathfinder AI had done most of the heavy lifting during flight, the technopath had been one of the chief programmers of the entire system. He was happy to see the theoretical shift into something useful for the Galactic Alliance during these especially troubling times.

He couldn't help but linger on her words for a moment longer. And then on her. The filtered starlight caught her silhouette, bathing her in a soft golden hue, and he found himself mesmerized by the warmth in her tawny eyes. There was a certain coiled strength in her, a barely contained intensity that seemed to hum just beneath the surface.

She reminded him of a lioness. Graceful, poised, but always ready to strike.

However, her next words of concern would snap him out of his current lull, reminding him that this wasn't a fun little excursion for exploration. This mission was just one step in many in keeping the Galactic Alliance stitched together as more systems were cut off amid the rising disturbances every day. If a solution wasn't found, then even such a powerful institution as the GA could find itself unraveled.

"Yes, Grandmaster," Mykel agreed softly. "We will do all that we can to secure the integrity of the Alliance."

Just as he spoke, the Pathfinder AI hummed quietly in his mind, drawing his attention to an errant transmission. A distress call.

Quickly, he pulled up the transmission up on the main holographic feed for Kaldor and Valery to see. It was an mapping team affiliated with Bureau of Ships and Services, currently stranded in somewhere in the Deep Core.

Kaldor narrowed his dark eyes at the readouts of the transmission. "Those coordinates...it's technically not far, but..." He was cyling through databases on his console's computer. "Based on current databases, there's nothing on record at that point. No planets or astronomical objects. That's not unusual in this case given the nature of their operations mapping new lanes, but we would still be jumping in blind after them. It would have been helpful if they had attached relevant metadata for analysis."

Normally, Mykel and Kaldor wouldn't have hesitated to investigate themselves, but this was hardly a normal situation, as they were hosting arguably the most important figure in the Galactic Alliance: The Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order.

Master and apprentice now looked back upon Valery, sharing hesitation.

Kaldor spoke again, addressing her directly, the Jedi Knight's tone firm but respectful. "I wish to proceed, Grandmaster, but we could dock with one of the freighters and allow you to return to Tython for safety as we continue."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery stared at the holographic transmission for a long moment, her arms folded and her expression unreadable — save for the flicker of light that sparked in her eyes. It wasn't the transmission that brought it out. Not entirely. It was the possibility of the unknown.

Even after everything — decades of battle, war, rebuilding — there was still something in her that stirred when the galaxy whispered of danger and uncharted stars. It wasn't recklessness. It wasn't arrogance. It was purpose and genuine excitement. Her gaze slowly shifted to Kaldor as he offered her a way out. A path back to safety. It was offered with respect, with caution — and even a touch of concern. She felt it in the bond between master and apprentice, and in the weight behind their words.

She smiled. Not a gentle, polite expression, but something sharper, more alive — full of teeth and fire and anticipation barely leashed behind her eyes, "You're sweet to offer," she said, voice smooth but carrying that familiar iron beneath. "But if you think I came all this way just to turn back when it gets interesting…" She trailed off, her smirk widening ever so slightly. "You don't know me that well yet."

Her eyes turned back to the swirling map of stars, to the empty void marked only by a set of lost coordinates. Something was out there. Something had changed. And someone needed help.

That was all she needed to know.

"Prep for a jump. We're not letting that signal go unanswered." She glanced over her shoulder, meeting Mykel's eyes for a brief, electric second. "Let's go take a look."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

"Yes, Grandmaster," Kaldor replied respectfully, though Mykel could sense that his master still disapproved taking the risk.

Kaldor and Valery couldn't be any more different. The Consular more cautious while the Jedi Shadow and Battlemaster was just about gung ho for anything and everything, just like the day he had first found her cleaving through Drengir on Tython. While he understood his master's trepidation, the hot blooded youth found Valery's approach more inspiring. A woman that led from the front, putting her neck on the line with everyone else. His fervor for her only grew.

"On it," he told them, trying to mask his excitement with a professional tone, telepathically communing with the AI to lock in on the coordinates.

Moments later, they blinked out of real space back into the blue waves of hyerspace, their slaved freighters still in tow.

---

Mykel wasn't sure what to expect on the other side of the micro-jump, but it certainly wasn't, well that:

Amid the indigo and purple haze of nebula clouds, the ship drifted before an absolutely gargantuan structure that made super star destroyers look like gnats. It dominated the front viewport with wide crescent like wings that were hundreds of kilometers in span. However, at its flared meridian was the most insane aspect - a fething dwarf star!

He didn't want to believe it at first, but the ship's AI confirmed it. Yet, the radiation output was miniscule for what it was. Somehow the structure was not only suspending the star but also channeling its output. He currently could not confirm how, but there had to be some sort of field holding it in place. There were no such signs - it was beyond the ship's sensors.

"Oh Ashla..." Mykel gasped in shock.

Just what had they stumbled upon?

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery didn't speak right away. She didn't have to. The sight before them — vast, impossible, ancient — filled the viewport like a vision pulled from myth. Her eyes widened, not in fear, but in wonder, the breath she drew slow and deliberate, as if savoring the weight of this moment. A structure that eclipsed the stars, a dwarf sun bound like a prisoner or a jewel at its heart. No Republic or Empire, no Sith or Jedi, no war she'd ever fought had prepared her for this. And that was exactly why she loved it.

Her hand drifted to the console, fingertips brushing the edge as if touching it might bring her closer to understanding.

"Well…" she exhaled, a low, excited hum in her throat. "This just got interesting." She leaned forward slightly, eyes dancing over the data flickering across the displays, her mind racing through possibilities — none of them quite fitting. It wasn't just size or power that made her pulse quicken. It was the mystery.

She glanced sideways at Mykel, catching the shock still fresh on his face, and smiled, wide and bright, alive with fire. "Looks like today's going to be a fun one." Then, standing tall, her voice gained that familiar edge of command, sharp but vibrant.

"Bring us in closer. Let's see just how far down this rabbit hole goes."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Mykel's initial shock quickly dissipated, especially in the presence of Valery. Her excitement was quite infectious, the Padawan letting her rising thrill wash over him like he was basking in the sun. She was so different than what he had expected a Grandmaster to be, but in all the best ways.

"Quite interesting," Kaldor agreed, his cool tone like a freezing bucket of water dropped Mykel's head, helping him regain his bearing. "The beacon is very strong from the port side."

Indeed, when Mykel studied the scanners more closely, a BoSS Code did finally show up along with the initial distress beacon as they were now in range. "It's called the Lambent, Consular-class," he informed them aloud.

"Switching to manual controls," Kaldor said, now manipulating the yoke. "Mykel, start mapping the structure as I make some passes."

"Right," he said with a nod, toggling the shipboard AI to use most of its processing power to render a 3D dimensional model of the megastructure as Kaldor began his orbit. With each pass, a holographic model he had set up became more detailed as more data was added. However, the sensors could not penetrate the hull. Hopefully that would change once they were inside. However, from what he could tell now, it was evident that the structure was made to host vehicles, covered in all sorts hangar bay openings and docking ports.

"Setting her down," Kaldor announced as he aimed for the bay containing the Lambent. To simply call it a bay was an understatement, though, the opening stretching at least a kilometer wide, greater than the length of most capital ships. And it was one of the smaller openings.

That wasn't even the most impressive thing. The hangar was filled to the brim with starships, ranging from snub fighters to corvettes. He quickly spotted the crimson Consular cruiser among the bunch, which stuck out as horribly dated amid neatly parked rows of sleek designs. They appeared so modern - futuristic even - yet he recognized none of the craft belonging to any current manufacturer catalogue.

Mykel's eyes widened again as he picked up on one particular starfighter parked near the Lambent. It was mean looking thing, a black fighter resembling a dagger with wings, but what really caught his attention was crest etched on one wing.

A golden starbird.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery stood beside the viewport, her arms folded, the glow from the hangar bay casting sharp shadows across her face. Her gaze swept the interior with a mix of awe and calculation — each vessel parked in perfect formation, each line of the structure's design speaking of engineering she didn't recognize.

Then her eyes caught it.

A sleek, obsidian starfighter near the hull of the Lambent. Dagger-shaped, its edges sharp enough to cut through the Force itself, it radiated something she couldn't quite name. But what made her straighten was the symbol — a golden starbird etched into the wing. Familiar. Resonant. And completely out of place.

Her brow furrowed. "The emblem..." she said, mostly to herself. "But the ship is not like any I've seen. Not in the old or current wars."

She glanced back at Mykel and Kaldor, her expression shifting into something sharper, more focused. "We need to find out what this place is. What all of this is about." Valery stepped toward the ramp, her body tense with the excitement of discovery and the wariness of something bigger than any of them.

"Come on, let's head further in."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

"Yes, the emblem," Mykel repeated as Kaldor continued to hover deeper into hangar making scans. "I mean it's exactly like the Galactic Alliance sigil, but I've never seen the GA field any ships like this before."

He clicked his tongue, thinking. The government they knew as the Galactic Alliance was technically the third iteration. The second, collapsing before he was born, when Kaldor had just been a youngling. The first, hundreds of years before at the start of the Dark Ages when the gulag plague ran rampant."

"I have a hypothesis..." he started, voice low. "We're barely a hundred years out of the Dark Ages. We're certainly on our way to redevelopment, but it's undeniable that we have regressed in so many ways. Perhaps what we're surrounded by is technology from the golden age? Obliviously, we should do some investigation of the structure to confirm, but I'm going with that hunch for now."

"Actually, that's quite sound," Kaldor agreed, "but let us not forget our original purpose. Inspecting the Lambent now, lifeform scanners are detecting three signs aboard."

"Only three?" Mykel questioned? "A ship that size could support a much larger crew...do you suspect a mass causality event."

"Death does not emanate from the ship," the Consular observed, "but it radiates with a strange energy none the less."

"I can go with Grandmaster Noble to check it out," Mykel offered, his tone innocent but he was burning with curiosity to finally get out there.

Kaldor weezed in amusement, his mouth tentacles fluttering. "I didn't need the Force to see that...I trust you with the Grandmaster, but you two should be prepared. I advise a full EVA loadout. Atmospheric checks are claiming the environment is breathable, but we can never be too sure. The onboard sensors aren't tuned for pathogen detection."

Mykel nodded, then rose from his seat to face Valery.

"So what do you say, Grandmaster? Ready to gear up?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery turned slightly, catching the excitement flickering in Mykel's eyes — and despite the weight of mystery surrounding this place, she couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at the corner of her lips. It was the same spark she'd seen in younger Jedi right before a mission. Eager and hungry to learn. But there was something steadier behind it in him now — less about proving himself, more about the truth.

"I'm ready," she said.

She nodded once, then turned on her heel, her stride confident as she gestured for him to follow. "Come on. Let's suit up — we'll grab the EVA gear from the ship." The walkway echoed with the soft thud of her boots as she moved toward the airlock, the golden light of the hangar still casting strange silhouettes behind them. "Three lifeforms, a ship that looks like it dropped out of another era, and a structure that shouldn't exist," she added over her shoulder with a wry tone. "Sounds like a fun mystery, hm?"

She paused only briefly at the supply locker, pulling it open and retrieving one of the suits, the practiced motion making it clear this wasn't her first EVA. She tossed a second one Mykel's way with a knowing glance.

"Hope you weren't planning on staying behind."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

"Ha ha, of course not." He chirped as he caught the suit.

There was no way that he was going to miss out on exploring the ship, excitement growing ever more despite the odd situation that had brought them there. But first came the matter of the Lambent.

His excitement became tempered by the concern that they may find something they wouldn't like. Kaldor had detected lifesigns aboard the consular ship, but no one had answered his hails.

---

With his Jedi robes now replaced by a fully sealed EVA suit, Mykel was ready to embark with Valery. His trusty lightwhip was stuck to his chest with a mango-clasp, a spare blaster holstered on his hip, and a backpack containing an advanced medkit for any possible survivors.

"We're ready," he told Kaldor over suit comms, standing by the exit. An osmotic barrier had been established around the exit area to seal of the rest of the ship from possible contamination.

"Very good, releasing the ramp."

There was an audible hiss as the seal of the exit was breached, followed by the low whine of the door ramp extending to the floor. Darkness awaited them at the end, the only light source coming from their own ship and the faint ambiance of the stars filtering in through the invisible force field of the hangar bay.

He activated his headlamps and strode down carefully, extending his senses to check his surroundings as they made the short trek to the Lambent. He felt nothing in the immediate vicinity, just the silent presence of the other parked vessels around them, all dead. They all appeared intact, though, which gave credence to his theory that these ships were actually centuries old. On the way, they passed by the dagger fighter with the Alliance seal, Using mechu-deru, his mind could pass through the dormant circuitry, mapping out the fighter innards like echo-location.

Mykel letting out a low whistle, impressed by its build quality.

"Grandmaster....there's a lot of things happening under the hood, but what's most interesting is the sign of an aeroelastic frame...this fighter could morph if it had power. Into what, I don't know yet."

There wasn't really anything like this in the current GA arsenal. Maybe Sasori, but the Jedi owned megacorp now literally existed in a whole other plane of existence working on Ashla knows what.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery moved in a slow, measured pace beside Mykel, the magnetic clamps of her boots giving off a faint click as they touched down against the hangar floor. The light from their suits cut through the dark, revealing the skeletal silhouettes of dormant ships — all intact, all impossibly quiet. She paused beside the dagger-shaped starfighter, casting a glance over the sharp design and the strange fusion of old and impossibly advanced tech. Mykel's voice came through the comms, and her gaze flicked toward him as he described what he was sensing.

"A morphing fighter," she echoed, her voice thoughtful. "That's... interesting." She crouched slightly to get a better look beneath the wing. Even without touching it, she could feel it humming beneath the surface. After a moment, she looked back at him through her visor, a faint smirk in her voice. "You want to take a closer look? We're not in a rush — not yet, at least." She straightened and turned slightly toward the looming shadow of the Lambent in the distance.

"Otherwise," she said, her tone shifting just a bit more serious, "We press forward and see who — or what — is still breathing on that ship."

A beat passed as her amber eyes met his through the visor, her voice quiet but steady.

"Your call, Mykel."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Valery suggested that they could hang around a bit longer and check out the novel fighter. It was certainly a tempting offer, especially checking it out with the Grandmaster, but Mykel would feel guilty wasting anymore time checking in on the Lambent. Even as they refused hails, the distress beacon was still transmitting.

"I'd rather investigate the Lambent first," he answered her, glancing toward the crimson consular ship. "This fighter will still be here when we finish. Perhaps the crew can help clue us in on this station?"

All these ships looked so incredibly advanced, but could also be ancient at the same time. He looked over Valery, thinking about how she wasn't so different from this fighter before them, a woman out of time. She was a living marvel in herself, and he could have spent hours picking her brain just like the starfighter if he could.

He started walking with her again toward the Lambent, taking their conversation into a different direction.

"Do you ever miss your home? I mean your own time?"

She had appeared to make the best out of the situation, the Ancient Jedi rising to the greatest heights as their champion. But he wondered if she even really liked this time period or would remain if she had a choice. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery nodded once, the visor of her helmet casting a soft glow against the crimson hue of the Lambent ahead. "You're right," she said into the comms, her voice carrying a note of approval. "If there are survivors waiting on that ship, they need to come first." She offered him a glance through her visor and began moving again, their boots thudding quietly in rhythm as they crossed the hangar.

His next question, though, caught her off guard.

She blinked once behind the visor, surprised not by the question itself, but by the fact that no one had ever really asked her that before — not like that. "My time..." she echoed, quietly. A pause followed, long enough that the only sound was the hiss of her suit's regulators and the distant hum of the derelict hangar around them.

"I miss people," she said finally. "Some old friends, mostly. There were faces I never got to say goodbye to. That part still stings." Her voice softened, threaded with a quiet kind of melancholy. "But... I don't miss the time itself. Not really." She glanced over at him again, and though her expression was hidden behind the faceplate, the warmth in her voice was unmistakable.

"My life didn't really begin until I woke up here. After I met Kahlil. After we started our family. Everything before that... it was purpose. Duty. War. But now?" Her head tilted just slightly. "Now it's living."

She let that hang in the air for a moment, then added more lightly, "Still figuring some things out, of course. But I'm where I need to be."

A beat passed.

"And I wouldn't trade it."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Mykel nodded, appreciating her candid answer. "I can hear and feel the love in your voice when you speak of your family. Mine is certainly what gets me going."

In the abstract it was nice to speak of protecting the galaxy at large, but for Mykel at least, he always felt more invested in the safety of said galaxy when he could put a face to it. His siblings, parents, enclave. Now as he was building connections in the NJO, there were even more people he wanted to protect.

That now Included the Grandmaster herself. It would have been almost a silly sentiment for the Padawan to voice aloud, but he felt closer to her than any of his other peers there save for his own master. It started when he was a youngling, watching her exploits on the holofeed. Now on the cusp of Knighthood, he now walked with her after she had warmly welcomed him into the NJO. Though the shock had died down, the person behind the idol revealed to him, he remained in awe of her. In fact he found it more impressive that she wore her heart on her sleeve, her vulnerability so sweetly juxtaposed with her fierceness.

"I like to think that there are no coincidences in matters that pertain to the Force, so you were always meant to be here in the end. If I'm allowed to be selfish for a moment, then I'd hate to see you make that trade."

A minute later, and they were finally at the foot of the Lambent. Unlike the other ships around them, he could clearly feel power running through the corvette. However, that was hardly all he felt. There were definitely people aboard the Lambent, but in the Force their minds convulsed with fear and frenzy, clearly distressed.

Frowning, Mykel attempted to force open the access ramp by using a maintenance panel along the underside of the ship. He heard the crank of internal gears and the outer door shuddering, but it would not budge. Examining it with technopathy, he discovered the ramp had been sealed by a powerful magnetic clasp - about as effective as fusing the metal with welding. Why would they do that?

He looked back at Valery, the earlier mirth from their conversation gone, replaced by a tone of grave concern.

"There's a magno clasp on the door that I can't slice." He brushed his fingers over the hilt of his saber. "And they're not answering Master Vexis' hails, so that only leaves us with a forceful entry."

They could could cut straight through the door, but he deferred to his senior and resident Jedi Shadow infiltrator.

"How do you want to do this?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery turned toward Mykel, the barest curve of a smile tugging at her lips behind the visor as he spoke. His words warmed something quiet inside her — not just for the faith he placed in her, but for the understanding he offered without judgment. That was rare. And more appreciated than he likely knew.

"I feel the same," she said softly, voice filtering through the comms with a note of warmth that didn't need to be seen to be felt. "In those last years before stasis... I didn't feel like I belonged anymore. The war changed everything. The Temple felt distant. I kept telling myself I was serving the Order, doing what was right." She paused. "But really, I had no idea anymore."

She took a breath, gaze drifting briefly toward the ship ahead.

"It wasn't until I met Kahlil that I understood why I always felt so out of place. I wasn't looking for a war. I was looking for home."

Another pause.

"And now I've got one." Her voice quieted then, and the moment settled between them — a beat of calm before the storm. Because as soon as her senses returned to the Lambent, her body tensed. Fear. Frenzy. People behind those walls trapped in something they couldn't control. Or maybe... wouldn't.

Valery stepped up beside Mykel and studied the sealed hatch. "They don't want us in," she murmured, "But I think they need us." She looked over her shoulder at him, that faint smile flickering again — now with a glint of mischief.

"I'll get it open from the inside. You hold position and be ready."

Then she turned back to the hull, rolled her shoulders, and exhaled slowly. The Force gathered around her in a pulse, and then—she vanished.

Not invisibility.

Phase.

She stepped forward and passed cleanly through the metal hull like smoke through a crack. No sound, no resistance — just the flicker of motion as Valery moved through solid matter like it was water.

A heartbeat later, she was gone from Mykel's sight, the hull silent once more — but the mission had begun.

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Valery took point on the infiltration, seemingly teleporting, but in actuality she had phased right through the hull. Mykel was left slacked jaw, having never witnessed such fine control of one's body. His mind swirled with all sorts of possibilities as he tried to break down her technique from his fleeting observation alone.

Such fawning analysis would be short lived, as the skin became prickly on the back of his neck.

Danger!

Allowing his instinct to guide him, Mykel side flipped away, just as turret popped down from the underside of the hull and started spitting out blaster cannon fire. Instead another idle ship was hit in his place, the floor below him rumbling as parts of that ships hull exploded from the particle bolts. He shielded himself from the resulting shockwaves and shrapnel with a protective barrier of solidified air at his back, while unclasping and igniting his lightwhip in a single smooth motion, an azure crescent unfurling before him.

This time, he would not dodge, but deflect if more shots came his way, trying to protect the precious collection of priceless ships all around him. Every single frame could be analyzed and be used to bolster the strength of the GADF against the ever present threat of the Sith.

However, no further shots came, the smoking barrels of the turret frozen in place.

Oh, what now? Was he dealing with a new threat, or just trigger happy idiots?

A new thought overrode the others. Valery was in there!

Oh no.

---

"It's another one!" A suited man screamed into his comlink to his partner as he unleashed his jerry rigged tractor cannon upon the invading prescence (Valery). Its shape was different from the other freaky thing trapped amid force fields at the head of the corvette, but it was phasing just like said freak, so that was enough earn a shot. Incorporeal or not, a connecting tractor beam could entrap this new intruder with a well placed shot. Except his first shot was so wildly off the mark that he would have missed the Death Star.

"Daryl! Wait!" a woman yelled back through the comms, currently strapped into the turret controls. "I think they're Jedi! One just brought a lightsaber and--"

"No! It's a lie! They're lying to us! Trying to trick us," Daryl screamed, sounding rabid. He made a new attempt to entrap the intruder with another stream of tractor beam energy, ripping away panels and wiring in the process with twitchy handling. The crazed man was as much a danger to himself as he was to Valery.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

The moment she stepped through the hull, Valery was already bracing herself for trouble. The inside of the Lambent was dim, lit only by flickering emergency strips that bathed the narrow corridors in a sickly red glow. But even before the blinking lights came into full focus, she felt it — the chaos, the fear, and the panicked mind already locked onto her like a weapon.

The shot from the tractor beam screamed through the corridor.

She shifted her stance and pivoted sharply, the beam tearing past her and ripping into the wall behind. Sparks rained down, a panel collapsed, and for a split second, she was moving again — fluid, precise — ducking under another wild pulse of energy that carved a fresh scar into the floor.

Then she saw him.

The man was soaked in sweat, teeth clenched around every breath, his eyes wide with a kind of paranoid frenzy that had clearly been festering for far too long. She didn't blame him — not yet. Fear made monsters of many, and in this storm of confusion, it was hard to know what shape danger wore.

Another beam began to charge — but before it could fire, Valery lifted her hand. The Force swelled around her, and in the next instant, Daryl was suspended in midair, frozen in place as if the weight of his own panic had locked every joint. The weapon dropped from his hand with a dull clang.

"Stop," she said calmly, her voice cutting through the chaos with unshakable authority. "You're not under attack." Her feet carried her forward slowly, her saber still unlit at her hip, the other hand lowered in a gesture of peace. "I'm a Jedi. The man outside, he's a Jedi too. We're here because we picked up on your presences" Her gaze locked on his, even as the telekinetic hold kept his limbs frozen, but gentle.

"You're not alone in here anymore. And no one's trying to trick you."

She paused for a beat.

"Let me help you. But you need to breathe. Can you do that for me?"

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Despite Valery's attempts to console the man, he only hollered louder as he was captured in her invisible vice. Underneath his suit, his veins popped against his skin as he threatened to break his own bones and tear tendons from contorting his body so hard to loosen her hold on him with adrenaline fueled strength.

"Witch! D-demon!" Daryl shrieked, mouth frothing under his helmet.

"Daryl, stop!" a second suit clad person skidded into the hall. The woman, Aubrey, had been manning the turret before she realized her mistake. She looked up at the howling Daryl, then at Valery.

"Master Jedi, please show mercy. He doesn't know any better - he's too far gone!"

Daryl had become nearly as rabid as Kieran, their third crewmate who was sedated and strapped down in the medical bay. Aubrey had been more stable than them both, but even her mind mind was starting to fray. It was three weeks ago. It is today. It will be seventeen minutes from now. Everywhere all at once. It was becoming harder to keep herself present.

She didn't even know if this Jedi was real, or rather when this Jedi was.

"Master J-jedi...please forgive us."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery's eyes never left Daryl — not when he screamed, not when his limbs thrashed with dangerous, erratic strength that threatened to tear his body apart from the inside out. Her hold on him remained firm but gentle, like hands trying to keep someone from drowning in their own panic. She didn't flinch at the venom in his words. She'd been called worse by people who were terrified and broken. This man wasn't evil.

He was unwell.

Valery exhaled slowly and nodded once, eyes softening as she shifted her stance — her hand drawing downward, calm and smooth. Not to her lightsaber, but to the blaster at her hip, "I won't hurt him," she said softly, more to the woman than to the man who was still twisting in midair. "But I can't let him hurt himself either." With a flick of her wrist, she brought the weapon up and fired.

Pshht.

The stun bolt struck Daryl square in the chest. Blue light flared, and his body convulsed once before going limp in the Force's hold. She gently lowered him to the floor, ensuring he didn't strike his head as he fell. His chest still rose and fell. He was breathing and most certainly alive.

Valery turned to the woman, holstering the blaster in one fluid motion.

"You did the right thing calling out. He's safe now," she said, her tone steady — warm, even, but commanding in a way that invited clarity back into the chaos. She took a step closer and tilted her head slightly. "My partner — the other Jedi — he's waiting outside. I need you to open the door for him. Can you do that for me?" She reached out, not with the Force this time, but with presence — grounding, calm, a lighthouse in the temporal storm still bleeding through the ship.

"Then we can talk. You can tell us what happened. And we'll get you all out of here."

Another beat. Then, gently, "One step at a time."

Mykel Dawson ​