Private Dark Echoes

[Shan Pavond]

Shan blinked at Kahlil's response. He hadn't seen this side of his Master, at least not yet. There was no way he was going to say anything in response to that. It was better for him to just aid in whatever way he could. He had plenty of ideas already in his mind but they would go unspoken for now as he turned his attention and focus to preparing the pyre, making sure everything was set. He hadn't even know the Jedi had been missing, but that didn't mean it was any less of his fault. Shan just needed to focus on doing as much as he could right now...

He did plan on mentioning however once the pyre had been set, how he believed it would be best for him and Kahlil to stick together, if they were going to question the couple. And that it might be best for Valery to stay behind in case the survivors don't take kindly to seeing her, which he couldn't exactly blame them for if that was how they felt.

Kahlil Noble Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Aruza

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Outfit: Epicanthix Outfit | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond

"You're right," Valery told her husband, not with a smile but a more serious expression. She didn't like the idea that this Jedi had been forgotten, so as he rested on the firewood, she stepped closer and searched his pockets until she came across some form of identification. "When we get back to Coruscant, I'm going to make sure that he is not forgotten." This time, she smiled faintly and raised a hand.

The wood underneath him caught fire, and she let it spread naturally.

"I wonder if he had a family or a Padawan, or just friends who have been worried. Hopefully, we can give them some closure too."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I didn't know much about him. .. There are many I don't know much about, unfortunately." Many who had died before he could even learn anything else. He stood by the pyre, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes focused on the flames. "We will search for them when we return. I doubt he had anyone, less they would've already put in a request. Or at least, I hope that's the case. To learn that such a request was ignored or lost would truly be a terrible thing."

Shan Pavond | Valery Noble

 

[Shan Pavond]

Location: Aruza
Objective: Find out more about Nyaeli and her history
Equipment: Lightsaber - Blaster
Tags: Kahlil Noble Valery Noble
​

Shan stayed silent during the conversation about the Jedi. His mind was trailing onto other thoughts right now as he stared off into space. What happened with Nyaeli? What happened with the Jedi? Was it Nyaeli's fault? He stared down at the second saber at his hip, frowning in thought. So many secrets were held inside of this weapon yet he couldn't figure out how to get access to them whatsoever. It would have been so much easier...but sometimes the best things required hard work.

"Perhaps he came out to do this mission, because he didn't have anyone. He sensed some kind disturbance here and thought it was best to go by himself...I still wonder what he was doing here...but I don't think we'll be getting any simple answers right now. Any information we get isn't going to be easy." He sighed to himself at that, before glancing towards the two Jedi Masters, giving them a half hearted smile. "I think...Master Kahlil and I should go speak to that couple. I doubt they'll be able to give us any answers as to what happened to him, but it might help us understand what happened a bit more precisely."

 

[Valery Noble]

Aruza

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Outfit | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond

While the body burned, Valery remained quiet and looked at the Jedi she had never gotten to know either. Valery always made the effort to know as many of the Jedi in the Order as possible, but it's hard to know them all. In this case, there is also the chance he wasn't affiliated with the NJO at all. He could have been a Silver or just a lone Jedi wanting to do the right thing.

As soon as they'd get back to Coruscant, they would find out.

Soon enough, the fire was done burning and Shan proposed their next steps to unravel the mysteries of this place. Valery smiled faintly and nodded, but especially Kahlil would be able to tell that this hurt a little. For the first time, she felt that her presence was a problem to the mission, which as a Jedi felt like the worst possible thing that could happen.

"Yeah, I agree. If you two head into town, I'll clean up here and maybe try some psychometry where I feel it's safe enough." She smiled again, but was quicker to turn away to hide how she really felt. This was important, so she wasn't going to get in the way of it, but she'd need some time to think about it.

Maybe being alone for a bit would help with that.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"We'll find out why he was here when we leave, yes. But for now, it is important to find out why and how he died. And now Nyelia got his lightsaber." It was not an easy thing, to face death like this. He wanted to put more of a focus on what it meant to the Padawan, but that's not what they were here for. They'd talk later, for certain, about it. For now, he glanced to Valery. Reached out to squeeze her shoulder.

It was hard, and he certainly didn't like it himself. But.. It made sense. They were still Jedi. If the people had reached out to them, it would've made more sense for them all to be involved. But they had come unannounced after so many had died.

"We won't be long. Promise."

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Location: Aruza
Objective: Find out more about Nyaeli and her history
Equipment: Lightsaber - Blaster
Tags: Kahlil Noble Valery Noble
​

The reaction from Valery actually caught Shan off guard. It would sound ridiculous, but he never believed she could actually get hurt over something like this. In his eyes, Kahlil and Valery seemed invincible, and that they wouldn't let anything affect them, but now? Valery at least seemed more human to him. So the Padawan hurried over towards Valery, giving her a quick hug to try and at least comfort her slightly. He didn't really know what else to do before stepping back away from her, giving a smaller smile.

"Stay safe Valery. We'll be back before you know it. Then when we head back, I'll happily babysit the kids so you and Master Kahlil can do something together."

That was his attempt at trying to cheer Valery up. Not using the master title for once as well, to try and be more...casual with it, instead of formal. It was the best thing in his mind right now. There was a part of him that wondered if he should leave Nyaeli's lightsaber with Valery incase she'd be able to get more out of it...but at the same time, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea whilst she was alone. So for now, he planned on keeping it.

 

[Valery Noble]

Aruza

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Outfit | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond

Valery offered her husband a quick smile when his hand settled on her shoulder, then blinked when Shan stepped closer to hug her. For just a moment, she stood frozen before her arms moved around him to return the hug. Despite feeling a bit down over being a problem to this mission, she was able to move on and still focus on the parts where she could help out.

Their support just made it a bit easier.

"Thank you, Shan. That would be very nice." She looked up at Kahlil and smiled much warmer. The idea of even just an evening together with the two of them sounded great. But for now, she had to be focused too and nodded.

"I'll see you two soon."

With the two of them heading out, they'd quickly find their way back into town. People were going about their day as normal, and most paid little attention to the newcomers. The Aruzans were generally very peaceful and they accepted the visitors without any problems. Just the couple they were approaching now were more hesitant about the Jedi.

The pair were around the same age as Valery and Kahlil, though it showed a lot more because their species didn't age slower, and neither of them had the Force slowing down their aging either. Despite it, they seemed happy and healthy, as they say outside on the porch with some local drink.

But their eyes were quick to shift to the approaching Jedi.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Babysitting huh? Kahlil bit back a chuckle at just what Shan was offering, but didn't make a big deal over it. It'd be good, for all of them. Probably. Definitely for Valery and him anyway. "See you soon." He gave one last smile before turning to leave with Shan to go find the people in question. "I'll follow your lead with this. Don't push them to reveal anything, but be aware they probably do have secrets."

Shan Pavond | Valery Noble

 

[Shan Pavond]

Location: Aruza
Objective: Find out more about Nyaeli and her history
Equipment: Lightsaber - Blaster
Tags: Kahlil Noble Valery Noble
​

"Don't worry Master. I can respect their privacy. Any information they give us will be invaluable, no matter how detailed it might be...or lack of details now that I think about it..."

Shan frowned in thought at that. Obviously more details would be better than no details but there was no guarantee that they'd be able to get anything that would be helpful for their situation. They had two main things to try and figure out, at least in Shan's head. What happened to their fellow Jedi, and then what h happened when Nyaeli snapped and had the people attack each other. Shan would be lying to himself if he said the second thing wasn't more important to him but finding out about the Jedi was also quite important. Either way, once they arrived to meet the pair of Aruzans, Shan gave them a small bow of his head, breaking out into a small smile.

"Hello Sir, Ma'am. I'm Shan Pavond. A padawan of the New Jedi Order. I have some questions about the next town over and I was informed that you might be able to help answer some of them. No worries if you can't however."

 

[Valery Noble]

Aruza

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Outfit | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond

The two Aruzans looked at each other after the question was asked, but it was the woman who shifted forward to speak to the two Jedi. She seemed hesitant, perhaps fearful, but she was also curious herself. "You were with her, weren't you? The one who brought doom to our town? We saw her walk with you earlier" She said and it was more than likely that the Jedi's expressions already betrayed the truth.

But that wasn't most important to her.

"But yes, we know what happened. What questions do you have that weren't already answered? One of our own killed our people because a Jedi invited trouble."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil frowned, just briefly. It was still his wife they were talking about. He understood why, but still. His wife. It wasn't her fault in the slightest. But, they were here to work with them. Help, where they could. So he closed his eyes and took a breath before looking to Shan.

This was his mystery to solve. If the boy needed help, he would.

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Location: Aruza
Objective: Find out more about Nyaeli and her history
Equipment: Lightsaber - Blaster
Tags: Kahlil Noble Valery Noble
​

It made sense as to why the couple was reacting to Kahlil and Shan like this. He didn't necessarily like them saying that Valery brought doom to their town, but it was how they saw things. And he knew that if he tried to argue against it, it would just make them start to lock up more and shut down instead of answering Shan's question. The Mirialan glanced over towards Kahlil to see if his master had anything to say before looking back over towards the pair, keeping a small smile on his face.

They reminded him of what some of the people on Nar Shaddaa were like. Afraid, perhaps of punishment or being hurt again. Shan just wanted to reassure him that it wasn't going to happen. Crouching down slightly to try and at least be a little bit less...threatening in his stance perhaps, as he nodded slightly at what the woman had said.

"That's it. I have questions about the Aruzan who killed your people. Nyaeli, I think I was told her name was? I've fought against her. She's tried to kill me. And I want to know more about her. Know your enemy, so you can defeat them. I don't want something that happened to your town to happen again. So anything you can tell me about her, or the actual events of what happened would be appreciated, but if it's too painful to remember, please don't worry."

 

[Valery Noble]

Aruza

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Outfit | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond

"It is painful, but if you plan to stop her, I will tell you," the woman said, and any Jedi paying attention could tell her voice was laced with hatred. She didn't want justice for what happened - she wanted revenge and that is the only reason why she was sharing something with these Jedi to begin with.

"She weaponized her Attani implant. Our people can use them to communicate and convey emotion, and somehow, she used that connection against all of us. Our minds were filled with whispers at first, but the voice became stronger and stronger." She frowned as she recalled the events of that day.

"The young and elderly were the first to fall. We saw them turn against each other and..." she stopped when tears filled her eyes, and for the first time, her husband leaned forward to speak.

"That witch made our people brutally kill each other. We are a pacifistic people and she turned them all into monsters. My wife and I watched, and decided to lock ourselves up in the basement, separated from each other in animal cages. I remember wanting to kill her because of her..." he said with his own anger. "But the cages kept us away from each other, and only after she left, others from this town freed us."

"Please," the woman began again, as she turned to Kahlil in particular. "Do not let him go alone." She looked at Shan and frowned. "The young are too easily corrupted."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

So that was the story.

Kahlil kept a passive expression to avoid insulting anyone, but it was clearly not Nyelia. Not that he had anything against his Padawan, but if she could manipulate the cybernetically enhanced minds of the locals here at such a large group, how had Shan not been overwhelmed and controlled? Keeping balanced no matter what a Jedi felt was how they got strong, but mentalism and disruption was possibly their greatest weakness.

It's why Kahlil was thankful of his heritage. And warry of other substances that could still change his emotions.

"Even if he might be, I won't. I'll keep him safe." He offered a reassuring smile. "But, how did the other Jedi factor in on this? According to the elder, he died some time much later."

Shan Pavond | Valery Noble

 

[Shan Pavond]

Location: Aruza
Objective: Find out more about Nyaeli and her history
Equipment: Lightsaber - Blaster
Tags: Kahlil Noble Valery Noble
​

It was obvious to Shan the amount of hatred this woman had for Nyaeli. It also meant his question of asking how she was before this incident would probably be pointless. Hatred would blind the woman's view and opinion of the Sith and so he wouldn't be able to get a truthful answer out of the woman. Though now that he thought about it...She had adapted an implant? Now that was particularly interesting. Hm...

"Was there any...trigger for the act? Anything in specific? I know she tried to do something similar to myself...alongside a woman I was trying to protect."

Though then the husband spoke, and his sentence made Shan frown. He linked his hands together for a moment, standing himself up. They were meant to be non-violent? A pacifist species? Shan would never have thought of that from his encounter with Nyaeli. It was...strange. He supposed he shouldn't judge a book by its cover. How ironic that this also spread to his opinions of the Mandalorians, but that was a task for another time.

"She blames the Jedi for what happened. She said she was fighting to kill the likes of me. That I caused her to be the way she was. She...hates us."

Shan hesitated for a moment. He almost said that she hated him, but that wasn't the case. She just hated all of the Jedi altogether. But this made him more concerned. Though now he was unsure of the woman's words, especially when she told Kahlil to not let him go alone. He had faced Nyaeli alone before...but he had nearly given into anger. But at the same time, there was also something that he wanted to tell Nyaeli alone. Drats.

 

[Valery Noble]

Aruza

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Outfit | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond

"I don't know what happened to the other two Jedi that came here," the woman said with a nonchalant shrug. "But I think they were both killed and the bodies are still there," she said, unknowing that Shan and Kahlil had found only one body there. To her, it hardly mattered though — her people were slaughtered and she had survived. There had been no desire to return to a place with such traumatic memories.

The couple then looked at Shan and shrugged in unison, "We didn't really get the chance to ask her," the man said a bit too sarcastically. "She killed our people and all we thought about was surviving. She wasn't captured so nobody knows for sure why she did it. But her hatred for Jedi does explain it."

"Your kind brought trouble to our peaceful village."

His wife placed a hand on her husband's arm to get him to take a step back and looked at Shan, "I can tell you really want to help her, but this might just not be possible anymore. She became pure evil."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Two Jedi?

Kahlil's expression thinned just a bit as he glanced to Shan. This wasn't information they were given prior. Which meant there was going to be things going on they weren't going to figure out just through asking people. The fact that that meant there was yet another Jedi that was missing was more stressful, though.

"We appreciate the help you've given us, regardless."

Shan Pavond | Valery Noble

 

[Shan Pavond]

Location: Aruza
Objective: Find out more about Nyaeli and her history
Equipment: Lightsaber - Blaster
Tags: Kahlil Noble Valery Noble
​

"I can understand why you think it might not be possible to help her...I have no clue what you've experienced. The pain she's caused you. But at the same time, I believe everyone is deserving of a chance to try and be better. Please, I don't mean any offence." Shan held a hand to his chest, trying his best to be as sympathetic as he could be. There was a small part of him that was debating if the people were right. If Nyaeli's own people didn't believe in her, why should Shan? Kahlil and Valery had told him before not everyone can be redeemed, so why was he so determined to help her? He couldn't even come up with an answer himself, but he wasn't the kind of person to quit on his path.

It seemed clear from the husband's words however that there was a clear dislike towards the Jedi for what happened at the village...but the more he thought about it, the more he realised he didn't actually know the full details of what happened to the village before Nyaeli's attack. It was clearly concerning him but what was more concerning was the fact that there was apparently a second Jedi. His eyes glanced over towards Kahlil, a small frown spreading across his face. It might be best for them to go back to Valery to try and investigate the towns once again.

"I would like to thank the both of you for your time and for answering our questions. It will most definitely help us."

 

[Valery Noble]

Aruza

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Outfit | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond

"Of course, I'm glad we could help," the woman said politely while the husband just looked as if he was hoping for the two Jedi to leave already. He blamed them for what happened, as irrational as it was, and just wanted to be left alone. He didn't want more trouble to come to him or his people over Jedi being here.

"Good luck if you do decide to find and help her." She offered a weak smile and watched the Jedi leave, perhaps with even more questions than they had initially.

Another Jedi had been here, together with the one whose body they found. But what happened and where was this Jedi now?

Valery sat down on the porch outside one of the burned down homes in the village. Her skin looked a tad pale, her breathing was heavier and she felt a cold sweat all over her body. It wasn't the first time psychometry had sparked a reaction like this, but she was feeling particularly weak this time.

Hopefully, the others would come back soon.