Private Black Box

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

With the sun shining brightly in the morning, Valery's eyes opened and she rolled around in bed until she was facing Aldric, "Good morning..." she muttered, her voice tired from a lack of sleep. She had been awake for much of the night, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about what had happened during the day. Her dreams had offered no comfort either and now that she looked at him, she still felt that something had changed between them, and not because of him. Their conversation and embrace had prevented the relationship from completely falling apart on the spot last night, but something was still missing.

That fire from before, as she remembered so vividly from their first dance and kiss, up until him moving in with her... it was either buried beneath discomfort and tension or gone completely, and she hoped it was the former. Either way, she expected the Imperial Black Box to have been processed, so their mission together here on Dantooine would give them the opportunity to figure things out.

Hopefully, the passion between them could burn brightly again.

"I'll get changed and make some breakfast. Can you take a look if the Black Box was processed?" She asked after sitting up in bed. It was a little straight to business after just waking up, but she wasn't quite sure what else to say or do. Keeping herself busy was the best distraction, and just maybe breaking the silence with action would get things going.

Finally, Valery got up to her feet and picked out her usual gear from the closet, got herself dressed, and retreated into the kitchen to make a simple breakfast while Aldric hopefully learned more about what was stored inside the black box.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

As the sun broke through the window, Aldric felt as if he had been transported through time. To younger days, where the light of Dantooine was all he knew. The man expected to be greeted by the sight of his childhood room, the chatter of his father, mother, and brother elsewhere in the house. But as his cognizance returned, memories of all that had transpired flooded back in. For better… and worse.

The return home had been far from what he expected. His mother, Trask, and Valery, all had taken him on quite the emotional rollercoaster. Valery's in particular, had stung him in a way he never would have imagined. A sense of betrayal and shaken faith. From her of all people, it once seemed impossible. But here they were.

Things were not all lost, however. Neither wanted it to end, despite the strife they now faced. They needed a second chance, a way to rebuild what they had. There was some part of Aldric that was afraid it had been lost entirely. That it couldn't be salvaged. Not to what it once was. But he shook off those worries for now. The only way to know would be to put in the effort.

He sighed, and glanced over at Val, "Morning." Despite their reforged commitment, it still felt somewhat stilted. Almost overly professional. They slept in the same bed, but last night was hardly spent in the warm embrace of lovers. Aldric wanted to break that barrier again, but it was easier said than done.

"Sounds good. I'll check out the box," He confirmed, standing up and getting changed himself, before heading to the cockpit. There, the drive they installed had seemingly extracted all the info they needed. He unplugged the device, and walked it over to the holotable. Plugging it in there, the device displayed a holographic model of some kind of base, and the surrounding area, "We got it," Aldric said with an air of confidence, before quickly turning less certain, "...Whatever it is. Some kind of facility."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"A facility, hm?" Valery asked as she joined him by his seat. She put a plate with eggs and bacon in front of his nose, as well as a cup of coffee with heart-shaped cream on top. A bit silly? Maybe, but she offered a genuine, somewhat playful smile and hoped he liked the small gesture. At the same time, she placed a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed as well. It was something that had always felt so natural between them, and more than anything, she wanted to feel that deep connection again.

"Our history with facilities is... not the best," she said, thinking back to the slaver facility on Sleheyron and others from when they first worked together. "You think Trask might know more about a place like this?" Valery sat down herself and turned to her own breakfast while she gave it some more thought. As far as she knew, Dantooine didn't have much that could interest the Imperials enough to have secret facilities.

Except for one thing, but hadn't they already gotten enough on Ilum?

"You think they might be trying to get more crystals? Much like Ilum, Dantooine has caves that contain them as well. But if they went after Ilum, I'd imagine they already tried here first..." she let out a soft sigh and stirred around her coffee a little with a spoon, now with her thoughts drifting to personal matters again.

"Maybe if we get some time, I can show you a place here on Dantooine later that I remember from my past. From before the stasis. It's quite beautiful and it'll be just us two..." she smiled in his direction and looked almost expectantly, hoping to feel excitement, joy... or something, at the idea to be close together.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric glanced down at the food, and more distinctly the heart-shaped cream resting on his coffee. Not what he had expected, but the gesture was still silently appreciated. He could always find it in him to appreciate a bit of sappyness, and offered her a soft, amused smile. In that moment at least, things felt a bit more normal.

"True. But at least we've got backup this time," He wryly quipped. The extra manpower would no doubt come in handy regardless, "Better than us, I'd wager," Aldric certainly had guesses, but going to Trask for confirmation would be best. He'd been deep in this fight even longer than Aldric now, and they'd have to bring it back to him anyway.

"Could be. Maybe they found a new deposit. Or maybe it's a refinery for the ore they've already gathered. Or something else entirely," He shrugged, "We'll just have to get a second opinion." A labor camp, a manufacturing plant, a military stockpile. The possibilities were far ranging with the Empire.

Valery's other offer got another soft smile, "Yeah. Maybe," Another step forward, perhaps, "Is this somewhere a secret, or…?" He asked lightly.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

The soft smile he showed in response to the little heart of cream sent a shiver through her body, and without realizing it, she squeezed his shoulder just a bit tighter. These little things helped her feel better, and especially visible signs from him gave her the hope to not just give up completely. There was, sadly, not enough time to linger on it, now that the black box was processed and its data was revealed.

It raised both questions and concerns, but as Aldric pointed out, they weren't alone this time. "I'm glad we have the back-up, especially from someone you trust," Valery said with a soft smile. This mission was dangerous enough, so the last thing she wanted was having to worry about who would be helping or even joining them. Trask had been through a lot together with Aldric, so they knew what to expect from each other. That gave her the trust that she needed to commit to the mission as well.

"Whatever it is, I have a bad feeling about them bringing it to Dantooine. We'll have to be careful..." She looked at him a tad nervously. The Empire was still a difficult fight for her because of what happened to Kahlil, and what they tried to do Vera twice now. If something happened to him as well, even now that things between them weren't quite the same, she'd be completely devastated.

But again, she couldn't linger on those thoughts for too long.

"It's not really a secret, just personal. At the time, I was struggling after I got this scar on my face, but going there at night to look at the stars alone gave me some comfort." Which possibly explained why she wanted to go back there right now, while she felt so conflicted in life. "I hope it might be nice, but we have a mission to focus on first and...yeah..." She smiled sheepishly and let out a soft sigh.

"You want to call Trask?" She quickly asked and offered the communicator she was given.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Hm," Aldric nodded in agreement, a faint smile forming on his lips. The thought of working with Trask again was a reassuring one. After all these years assuming the worst, it was good to know that not everything was lost. There were still people they could count on.

"Well, one all this is time, hopefully we'll have some time to unwind," He smirked, revealing a bit of himself from before the strange rift between them formed, "If we're not chased off the planet first." Which was entirely possible, depending on how things turned out. But Aldric didn't want to think about that.

He nodded again and grabbed the communicator, waiting a few moments for the connection to form. The Bothan's voice came through, "Aldric? Morning. Got some good news for me?"

Aldric glanced at the hologram again, "Depends on what you consider good," He quipped, "But we cracked the box. Gave us the outline and coordinates for some kind of facility. Can't tell what exactly it is though, I'm afraid. Nothing good I'm sure."

"Never is with the Imps. Well, bring the code back to us and we'll see if we can make heads or tails of it, eh? See ya soon."

"By-" Aldric hardly had a chance to speak further, before the line was cut. He looked at Val and shrugged. Brevity was obviously the name of the game with rebel communication, "Guess we ought to get a move on then. Back to Trask's…" He trailed off a bit, looking back at the house, where they would have to go first. Back to his mother. Aldric looked at Val again, more anxiously now, "...You ready?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

When he flashed her a smirk, Valery felt a shiver go down her entire body. It felt like one he'd have shown her before she messed up everything, and it took away some of the worries she had. Her greatest fear was that he'd no longer trust her and close himself off. That he wouldn't actively show or tell her how he felt about her anymore, and that she'd always be left guessing about how things were between them. This gave her some hope.

"I hope so too, I could really use the break," Valery said with a sheepish smile before she finally let go of his shoulder, so they could focus on calling back Trask, who was already waiting for their call. The interaction that followed was to be expected from a rebel cell — kept brief and without details, which meant they'd have to share everything in person.

Which also meant...

"I'm ready," she assured him, having noticed the more anxious look in his eyes. Valery was a bit nervous about going back there as well after what happened. But she had gotten a little bit of rest and plenty of time to think, so all of that anger and frustration was mostly gone, and what remained, she directed only at herself. All of the tension she felt, all of her personal problems... nobody was to blame for it.

"I uh, want to take a moment to apologize to Edeth as well. It's okay if she won't accept it or if she'd rather not see me again, but I won't feel better until I've gotten a chance to say something. I- have never snapped like that before, and it really bothers me that I did," she admitted with a frown. Telling Edeth would give her mind some relief, but there was a side to it that still made it difficult. The woman didn't know about what happened between her and Aldric, but what if she did?

"But yeah, I'm ready..."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric listened, and seemed to find some relief in Val's determination. Rather than let their relationship begin and end in a moment of uncharacteristic tension, she wanted to repair things between herself and his mother. It was a good step forward, one he hoped that Edeth would reciprocate.

He smiled faintly and nodded at her, before lowering the ramp so they could walk back out into the golden fields of Dantooine. The warmth of the sun touched their skin, balanced with a gentle breeze that rustled through the grass. The walk to the house was brief but pleasant, and after a moment's hesitation, Aldric knocked on that old front door once again.

A few seconds passed before they heard the lock unlatch, and the door slowly slid open to reveal Edeth's frame. She looked at the two of them with a relatively neutral, reserved expression, "Morning," Edeth offered, keeping a very professional distance in the way she spoke and acted, "Heading back down?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

The ramp lowered and for just a few seconds, Valery stood still in the grass outside and closed her eyes. A gentle breeze began to blow through her long hair to make it wave along its currents and she took the moment to calm herself, to rid her mind of nervousness, and to wonder just how everything in her life could have led up to this. What should have been an amazing journey for them both to his homeworld, was now almost the biggest nightmare it could be.

But steps forward were being taken, and she no longer felt as emotional. By the end of this day, there would be a lot more clarity about the future. It made her a little nervous, but it was important.

Valery then joined him again quickly and stood by his side as he knocked on the door. A few seconds passed, and the older woman opened up, clearly with a very different demeanor from yesterday. "Good morning," Valery said before nodding at her question. "We'll be going down there soon but..."

She frowned and drew in a deep breath, "I wanted to apologize, Edeth. What I said yesterday was..." It wasn't her, but she didn't want to make those excuses anymore. "It was unacceptable, and I've really let you both down with my behavior." She looked up at Aldric with a more apologetic look in her eyes again for a moment before she looked back at Edeth.

"You and your family deserve better after everything that happened." They deserved better than her if she couldn't be her normal self, and even though she was getting a grip on things again, there was still the chance that the damage would be irreversible.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Edeth stood there and listened, her expression unchanging, seemingly peering straight through Valery. After the Jedi gave her apology, there was an unbearable gap of silence. Then, Edeth finally spoke, a melancholic smile creeping across her lips, "Life hasn't been easy for you, has it?" It was a bit straightforward, and out of nowhere perhaps, but showed a deeper level of wisdom and understanding on her part.

"I can't imagine it has. So much strife, so much weight on one person's shoulders. It would break most," Edeth rested a hand on Valery's cheek as if she were the woman's own mother, "These are difficult times for us all. And I know I wouldn't want to be defined by my worst mistakes."

"Thank you, Valery. I accept your apology. And in turn, I apologize for not considering many of your own struggles in our first meeting," She lowered her hand, "Perhaps we could start fresh?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

The silence that followed after her apology made her more nervous than any of the recent battles she had been involved in. This was about her personal life — the few things that actually brought her joy. If all of this fell apart from one day to another again, she wouldn't know what to do. But when she expected a difficult response, Edeth offered words of assurance.

Valery's eyes widened briefly when the woman's hand rested against her cheek, and for the first time in her life, she felt like she understood what it was like to have a mother. "I..." She felt her lips tremble but kept her composure and offered the woman a warm smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Laurent, this means a lot to me." Valery looked at Aldric and there was an already noticeable change in the way she smiled.

"I'd very much love a fresh start."

She turned to Aldric and bumped her hip gently against him, "I can see where you got that softer side from~" she tried to tease, and of course, loud enough for his mother to hear as well.

"Once this mission is over, I hope we can find the time to talk a lot more," Valery finally told Edeth. It was going to depend on how things turned out between her and Aldric, but this was a good step that undoubtedly gave both of them some relief.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Edeth nodded, and smiled, "I'd like that, too." Aldric, who had been charmed by the interaction, was snapped out of it when Valery bumped into him. He chuckled sheepishly, "I get all the good from her." His mother just grinned knowingly, before ushering them inside.

"Guess you'd better get a move on kicking the Empire's ass then. So we can have some quality tea time, hm?" Edeth opened the hatch up for them, and stepped aside. "Good luck to you both."

Aldric gave his mother a quick hug before heading inside, "Don't do anything stupid while we're gone."

She chuckled this time, "You must be mistaking me for someone else, boy. I should be telling you that."

Once they were both in, Edeth rehid the hatch, leaving them in the darkness of the tunnel.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"We'll do our best, and I look forward to it," Valery told Edeth before she watched another cute moment between them as they hugged. It reminded her of her own relationship with Vera — pure, unconditional love and closeness that was cherished every second they were given. But of course, there was always a little bit of teasing as well.

"You must be mistaking me for someone else, boy. I should be telling you that."

Valery chuckled, "I'll keep an eye on him for you, Mrs. Laurent," she said before looking at Aldric with a gentle smile. "I promise." With that, the two climbed down into the tunnel and were left in darkness as the hatch above them closed again. This had been the spot where everything really went wrong yesterday, and it made her just a tad nervous about quietly walking all the way over to the rebels.

So she tried to open up some conversation instead.

"I hope that despite everything, it's been nice to see your mom again. She seems very loving," Valery began. "I'm still a bit worried for her, though... about being so deeply involved. But I can't blame her either." If someone took Vera from her the way she lost her boy, Valery would have done exactly the same thing.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric nodded as they began walking, "It has been. I spent a long time not knowing what she was up to. If she was even okay," He frowned for just a flicker of a moment, before returning to a soft smile, "I'm not so sure how I feel about her being involved, but, it's not like I can stop her…" He understood it, but it was only fair that he worry. Just as she did for him. Part of Aldric wanted to talk to Trask about it, considering Edeth had more or less confirmed he was the one that helped her out.

"For a long time she was against the whole thing. My little brother and I got involved with rebel activity when we were young. He couldn't have been much more than eighteen, I think. It's where we met Trask and a few others. Of course mom thought it was dangerous, suicidal. I suppose she was right, in a way. But when it took my brother, my mom didn't have an 'I told you so' ready. It proved her point, but it sure as hell wasn't a victory. In the end, it just brought her to the point I was already at."

Suddenly there wasn't anything left for her to lose. Suddenly, it was just a matter of making sure the Empire didn't get away free with murdering her youngset son. Aldric seemed to lose himself in thought as he dragged on, speaking on the matter more than he even intended to.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"I'm not so sure how I feel about her being involved, but, it's not like I can stop her…"

There was a brief frown on Valery's face when he said it, and she agreed with him. Without being a mother, it was impossible to truly understand what it would be like to lose a child. It hadn't happened to Valery, but it had gotten far too close for comfort, and her response to those situations had already been intense. Edeth had lost the most important thing in her life, so she was going to fight until the end.

While not exactly what a Jedi should do, Valery understood.

Aldric then continued and the more he said, the more she could feel how difficult the subject was. They had never talked about his own loss very much, but while difficult, it was for the best they were open about it. He had been her pillar of support after the loss of Kahlil, and she'd be there for him as well, even if it was something that happened a long time ago.

"We're going to make sure they are brought to justice, then... and kick their asses," Valery said with a faint smirk, choosing to use Edeth's words for a moment. She then stepped out in front of him and turned to face him in this brief moment they still had alone. Her fiery eyes shifted up to connect with his emeralds, but she said nothing and just pulled him into a much tighter embrace than before. Her head came to rest against his chest, just underneath his chin and she let out a soft sigh as she sought his comfort, and hoped to offer her own.

"I've never had this fighting the Maw or the Sith and Mandalorians before my time in stasis, but this... it almost scares me. I'm glad you're here with me," she said softly as she pulled back and looked up again. "Let's do this together." With that, she was ready to head out and meet Trask again.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric smirked a bit when Val echoes his mother's words. It was good to feel like they were all on the same page again. A bit more like normal. Then she suddenly stopped in front of him, and they both froze, their gazes locking. She pulled him into an embrace, and for a few moments Aldric just stood there, unsure of what to do. But he then softly laid his arms around her, and sighed, "I'm glad you're here," He said back.

Despite the shift in their dynamic, he still trusted Valery to have his back. Something he would very much be needing. And of course, it was his hope that the dynamic would shift back soon enough, "Let's go," He eventually broke the hug, and continued down the tunnel.

Soon enough they found another pair of flashlights pointed their direction, but one of the voices behind them was quick to recognize, "Aldric? Master Noble?" The lights lowered, and they were ushered back in. Trask came out of the makeshift barracks and exchanged a forearm shake with Aldric, "Sleep well?" He shot a toothy grin to them both.

Aldric's smile was a bit more subtle, mixed with a bit of humor at his own expense, "As well as one can, I suppose."

Trask just chuckled, "Whatever you say, Laurent. Well, show me what you all got, hm?" Aldric stuck the drive in Trask's holdable, giving him the display. The Bothan stroked his whiskers, "Mmm… Looks to me like some kind of weapons stockpile. Very good. Very good. We can cripple their supply line, and arm ourselves in one go." The beginnings of a plan were already taking shape in his mind, "Got much experience raiding Imperial facilities?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

During his moment of hesitation, Valery felt nervousness spike again and considered pulling back before it got too awkward. But before she could, his arms softly settled around her, and she decided to remain where she was. A soft sigh escaped her lips, and after he broke the embrace, Valery took a step back and just nodded in response, "Right, let's get to work," she said before she followed him through the rest of the tunnels quietly.

When they eventually reached the rebel base, they were first greeted by one of the rebels on guard duty, but unlike last time, they were recognized quickly and allowed inside. Trask was quick to appear as well and greeted his old friend with another shake of the arm. Both Valery and Aldric likely appeared to be doing much better already, and she tried to show that with a less pain-filled smile in the Bothan's direction. "I slept alright and I'm ready to get this going." She hadn't actually slept well, but she didn't want to talk about it anymore, and just focus on the mission and get out again.

So they gathered around the holo-table, inserted the drive with processed data, and watched the facility pop up. Trask quickly identified it as a weapons storage of some kind, and Valery saw no flaw in his logic. "We do, and it's no easy task," Valery pointed out while she looked between the two. "But we do have the advantage that we're deep in Empire territory, so they aren't expecting a strike like this." Especially not one with an SIA Agent and Jedi being involved.

"We could attempt to infiltrate and set charges to neutralize it. Unless you want to take the much more difficult route and try to take some of those weapons for yourself." She looked at Trask expectantly now. The Rebels could certainly make good use of better equipment, but was it worth the risk?

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"All the better," An experienced team. An unforeseen attack. These were the trappings of a promising plan in the making. Trask looked at the holomap hungrily. They were desperate for munitions, that much was clear just from a look around. "I want those weapons," He said firmly, "No- I want both."

"We can set charges, but first, I wanna raid the stockpile. Take what we can. Burn the rest." The other rebels seemed to find the idea agreeable. They were shifted around with pent-up energy. A desire to move, to act. Whatever the rebels could't have, the Empire couldn't have either. It was dangerous, but none of them seemed to be concerned, "We need the firepower. Imagine how it could help us down the line."

Aldric looked to Val for her reaction, playing along so far with Trask's ideas, "It's not gonna be easy…"

"Never is, Laurent. You know that more than most. A rebellion needs to look at the long game. Toward the future. It's what we fight for."

Aldric nodded solemnly, "So what are you thinking."

"…Maybe you and Val could scout? Find the rest of us a way in?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

It seemed that Valery's suspicions were correct — Trask wasn't just interested in crippling the enemy's weapon supply, he wanted to use those weapons against them as well. She could understand why that was so tempting, but it made the mission far more challenging. A quick glance in Aldric's direction and she noticed that he realized it as well.

"You do need to look at the long game and take risks, but there's no point in doing that if you're not prepared," Valery chimed in before she'd even address the question of scouting. "If it's just us without any special vehicles, we won't be able to take a lot with us, and even if we could, where will you store these weapons?" She asked, testing to see whether or not he had considered all of that already.

"If it turns out to be impossible to steal weapons, you'll also have to be ready to blow them up."

She then paused and briefly glanced at Aldric again, "But we can scout, find a way in and infiltrate to help you get in." They had done it before and now that she had a more professional mindset, this began to feel like a more normal mission again. "The difficult part is getting into the storage rooms, though. Usually, within a facility like this, they have reinforced rooms with huge blast doors for safety reasons."

Valery tapped the lightsaber on her hip, "But I'll deal with that if I can count on you all to have my back." Unless there was anything more to discuss, she felt ready to get going now that she had offered her thoughts. It was going to be a tough mission with an impact on both the rebel efforts, as well as her personal life, but she felt calm and ready.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"We are prepared," Trask quickly fired back, "This is exactly the kind of thing we've been preparing for." It was clear he found the cast doubt slightly bothersome, but it quickly dissipated. Valery was keen, and correct to point it out regardless. They hadn't survived this long by being stupid. No reason to switch that up now. The Bothan exhaled, before continuing, "We've got one cargo speeder. I can't imagine we'll be able to take the entire stockpile. But it's enough to make a difference." He nodded silently, as Val pointed out that destroying weapons might be the only option. It was unideal, but if they couldn't have the munitions, then he'd be happy to make sure the Empire couldn't either.

"Count on it," Trask affirmed confidently. He was all in, as were his troops, "I'll leave the details of the infiltration up to your expertise. If and when things get messy, we'll strut our stuff. Sound good?" He looked around the room, and clapped his hands, "Good. Let's mount up." The rebels dispersed, leaving Val and Aldric to themselves.

"How you feeling about this?"

Valery Noble​