Private Darkness Beyond the Border

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

Vera looked at Aris right as he turned to her, then also looked at... well, she supposed their Mom. It felt weird of her to think that way, given her apparent age. In a way, Vera felt like she was looking in the mirror - there was a striking resemblance, even though her eyes were different.

"The Sith and imperial soldiers, of course." Valery smiled and turned around in the doorway, "Come on, we should go!" She exclaimed, almost excitedly. With a quick little hop, she moved out of the building and waited for the other Nobles to walk after her into town. Vera just perked a brow and softly whispered to her brother, "Mom wearing robes is weird, huh?" She chuckled and walked out after Valery.

To her surprise, the world was suddenly different.

The town was still in ruins, but they didn't look nearly as old as they did anymore. Some buildings even looked in good enough condition to live in. Vera seemed rather shocked to see it and looked between Aris and their Mother for answers.

"What's going on?" She asked.

Valery looked over her shoulder and grinned wide, exactly the way a Noble would, "I'm going to bring you to my Master. He'll know what to do," she said with a nod. "Can't have you two run into Sith out here alonr. They have advanced their positions and can be anywhere."

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris had no answers. He stared in disbelief as it was apparent they were in a different time. It was the only logical conclusion for this absurdity. The Force had brought them to when their mother was still young herself. A vision was his guess, since that's usually what these sorts of situations were. But he didn't have the ability to feel or see these kinds of things.

Or maybe he did?

So all he could do was shrug to Vera.

"You heard her. We stick together for now, find our way out eventually."

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

"We'll find our way out, but... why are we here?" Vera asked him while they followed after... it still felt weird to refer to her as Mom. She was about their own age and she didn't seem to look back at them as if they were her children either. Vera shuddered at that thought and picked up the pace a little.

"Do you think we're meant to be here to learn something useful for the Sith in our time attacking Onderon? Or are we seeing this because of our connection to Mom?" Vera was theorizing, and both options seemed reasonable. Mom saw glimpses of the past by touching things as well sometimes, and while that wasn't quite as complex as this, it proved that the Force was able to tie the past to the present in certain ways.

Just like how her visions tied the future to the present.

"We're almost there! Master Dawn will probably bring you two along." Valery smiled and spun around, so she could walk backwards and look at them, "Where are you two from?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"It could be both, it could be neither. You know visions way better than I do, and this is already something beyond that." He was actually in it, for one. All of this was an absolutely new experience for him. If Zaiya Ceti knew about it, it'd probably confuse her just as much as it confused him. The Force was just something he really couldn't wrap the logical side of his brain around.

For now though, he followed after their mother.

"Panatha. We're Epicanthix." Niv Hani wasn't real at this time, so he opted for at least what Niv Hani was based off of. Not quite a lie, but there would be less guess work needed.

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

"This doesn't feel like a vision..." Vera muttered, but he was right. This was more along the lines of what she usually dealt with, but this time he was there with her. They'd figure it out together and perhaps even learn a little more about Mom. She didn't shy away from talking about her past, but Vera didn't know that much about Mom's time as a Padawan.

What was she like?

"Epicanthix?" Valery chuckled, "That explains why you're both so tall." Valery wasn't quite their height, but she wasn't going to call herself small either. "Her eyes are a bit strange, though," Valery added and Vera immediately squinted.

"Well, at least my handwriting doesn't suck."

Valery blinked and puffed her cheeks, "Mine doesn't either!" How did she know? Was it a lucky guess or was something going on here? Valery glared back, and the two Nobles were locked in an all too familiar staring contest.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Yeah, I had a feeling." He frowned ever so faintly. This wasn't good news for either of them, if only because it meant they might have trouble finding their way back home. Despite that, he did find himself very, very curious. This was the past of course, but more importantly, it was the time their own mother was still a Padawan. And- He blinked. Her eyes were weird?

Kind of, he figured, but was that really something that their mother would just say to a stranger? As a kid? Maybe she was more rude than he thought.

".. So where is your master? We have the issue of the Sith, still."

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

"Right," Valery said, choosing to break the lock with Vera's eyes. She hadn't meant it in a mean way - Vera's eyes were very much strange, but also pretty. But maybe she should have worded it differently, since Vera had immediately thrown an insult at her for the comment.

Something to remember for later.

"He's close, I can already sense- ah!" She paused and pointed at an approaching Jedi. Master Dawn was quite tall, stood in traditional brown robes, and his hair was still black. He smiled warmly when he spotted Valery, but also extended that warmth to the others.

"What did I tell you about running off, Valery?" He asked, though not in a way to scold. "It isn't safe here."

"I know, Master," Valery said before glancing at the others. "I felt two others and wanted to warn them."

Adam nodded, "I see. Who are your friends here?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris straightened as Valery's master approached. At least Vera and her weren't fighting anymore, but now they had a totally different problem. Their names. It was easy to say they were from Panatha, but their names were going to be a whole different thing. So he glanced to Vera briefly before looking back to Master Dawn. "We're Padawans Aris and Vera Zambrano. We're siblings."

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

"Siblings?" Adam seemed even more surprised for a moment, then smiled. "That's unusual but I can feel that you're both strong in the Force. Just like my Padawan Valery here," he said, not having noticed the slow turn of Vera's head towards her brother. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips pushed together and she was very obviously grumpy. Not long ago, she had been very adamant about not recognizing Carnifex as her grandfather.

She didn't care about blood — he was not family and she'd never look at herself as a Zambrano. So her own brother using that name, as much sense as it made with the name originating from Panatha, struck a nerve.

Valery did notice and blinked at first, before looking at Aris. Only now, she was taking a moment to take a better look, "Aris, that's a pretty name," Valery said before she realized just how cheesy it sounded. Her whole face turned red, and Master Dawn looked at her with a raised brow.

Even he seemed shocked.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Padawans Zambrano. Would you perhaps join Padawan Noble and I for lunch? I'll catch you both up on what's happening here. I do have some more questions for you as well."

 

[Aris Noble]

Right, siblings were unusual for Jedi in this day and age. At least having them together. He glanced to Vera, giving an apologetic smile. Right. He knew of what had happened, but he himself wasn't really involved with the rest of the Zambrano family. It was the only name he could think of that wasn't technically a lie. "We would appreciate that. There's a lot we don't really know. We came here on a trip, unaware of the danger."

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

"I see," Master Dawn said, though Aris' comment only made his frown deepen, "Where is your Master? I hope you two weren't sent here alone?" He sounded awfully protective all of a sudden, and it was that concern that helped Vera snap out of it. That, and Aris giving her an apologetic smile.

She knew why he had said it, but she just hated hearing the name.

"...uhm, we were on a trip with other Jedi but we ended up getting lost." She didn't want him to ask more about their Master, so this seemed reasonable. There were a lot of Jedi at this point in time, so there was no way he'd know them all.

"Well, for now, stay with me, alright?" He asked, eyes shifting from Vera to Aris. Then he looked at Valery, who was unusually quiet, while she looked at Aris. Adam tilted his head and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Valery, focus please." He smiled warmly and nudged her along, but the young Noble still blushed.

"...Aris?" Vera whispered as they walked after the others. "I think Mom has a crush on you." She shuddered at the thought, but she supposed it made sense. Aris looked like Dad, and she was Mom at a point in time when she didn't know.

Didn't make it any less awkward.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris blinked slowly before glancing to Vera. That.. Wasn't at all something he expected. Did it make sense? Kind of? But he still didn't really want to think about it. He still didn't really understand what it meant to like someone or even hold a crush. There was a lot to sort out with where they were, so for now he just tried not to think much on that bit of information.

He'd only just get more confused.

"What exactly is happening, here? With the Sith?"

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

Vera did not want to think about it either. It was strange enough to be talking to a younger version of their Mother - seeing her look at Aris like that just made things so much worse. Luckily, Master Dawn was here and this era of Jedi wouldn't really try anything with their feelings. Especially not at this young age.

It would be fine.

"Our Seers saw visions of a Sith attack on Onderon. We responded and have been fighting them since. But during our time here, we learned of old ruins that seemed to predict this attack, despite being built hundreds of years ago," Master Dawn explained while they walked out of the ruins and towards a nesrby camp.

"But there are some differences between the predictions and what's really happening that we're still trying to explain. It could help us in this fight against the Sith."

 

[Aris Noble]

Visions, but they weren't the same?

Aris's expression thinned. Was this why they had come here? Was the Force trying to show them something further? Give them a clue on what they'd come here for to begin with? It would make some sense, he figured. Especially if this vision they saw wasn't of their now, but of Vera and Aris's time. That was the first jump to conclusions in his mind, anyway.

"We are fresh eyes. Perhaps we can help figure them out? Vera has been handling visions since she was much, much younger."

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

"Is that so?" Adam raised an eyebrow and looked at Vera for a moment. Very few Jedi had the aptitude to become a Jedi Seer, but this young Jedi had been dealing with them since she was young? Adam considered it for a moment - taking them to where they had found the markings was not without danger.

But he would be with them, and these Padawans seemed quite capable.

"Would you three accompany me? We will have to travel deeper into the Jungle, but maybe you two can give a fresh opinion." He smiled and Vera blinked, ss she looked between them.

Suddenly, she felt a lot of weight on her shoulders.

"We'll come, but uhm, I can't guarantee that I will see something useful." She looked at Aris, hoping she'd have his support with all of this.

"It'll be okay!" Valery chimed in. "Master Dawn will guide us." She smiled warmly at Vera and Aris, but she couldn't stop her gaze from lingering just a bit longer on Aris.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris glanced to Vera and offered a comforting smile. Even if she couldn't sense anything or have a vision, she did still have the knowledge of it. And knowledge was worth more than she likely figured. He followed with them, smiling ever so faintly. He was curious at least on how much of a connection this might have to Vera and Aris. If anything, with the shock slowly fading he was left with the fact that this was a tangible event of the Force. One he could see and interact with without the assistance of another.

He was excited.

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

"Are you two from Tython?"

All of a sudden, Valery was walking right beside Aris to ask him the question. She had never seen them on New Cov before, so they were either from the main Temple on Tython or another small Enclave. Vera narrowed her eyes a little and turned her gaze away while she walked on the opposite side of her brother.

Without really making it clear why.

"What's it like there? I've only been there once," she said with a happy smile. "Is it weird or difficult to train with your sister? I've never heard of that before."

Adam began to chuckle — leave it to Valery to bombard the obviously quiet kid with a lot of questions. Then again, she always had a thing for trying to make everybody feel involved.

"It's not weird." Vera sounded a little snappy and annoyed, but Valery didn't pick up on that and focused on Aris for his opinion on the matter.

 

[Aris Noble]

"We have been to Tython, yes. We're at a much smaller enclave in the outerrim."

He frowned slightly. Talking about where they came from would only make this more difficult to blend in. So he nodded to Vera, giving her a brief smile instead. "It's made us stronger, while also being more aware of what it means. It's true it's unusual, but the benefits outweigh the risks." Which in their time were non existent. That's what the Jedi had changed long ago. Family wasn't removed, not when Vera and Aris came from.

Vera Noble

 

[Vera Noble]

Niv Hani
​

Tag: Aris Noble

"You two do seem to be close," Adam remarked while they walked off path into the jungle. The comment made Vera smile a little - she was close to Aris and even though she often teased him, she cared a great deal about her brother. The Jedi of this time might not fully understand that, but she felt happy to know that things would change.

The Jedi of the future were far closer to what she believed an ideal Jedi to be, than whatever came before.

But, as they reached a pass into the mountain range, Vera's smile faded. She narrowed her eyes and looked at her brother, "I've seen this before," she said softly, hoping the others wouldn't hear.

<Mom has been here. Our Mom - not this younger one.> She glanced from Aris to Adam and wondered how she'd explain any of that.

"She looks like she has seen a ghost. Is she okay?"

 

[Aris Noble]

This was in her vision?

But with their mother as an adult?

Aris's expression thinned as he glanced to young Valery. He couldn't bring himself to fake a smile, so just spoke up something close enough to the truth to be believable. "She's had a flash of a vision of here. It startled her. Is this where your seers saw, Master Adam?" He glanced to the Jedi master. In all honesty, he expected that the man knew much more than he'd let on originally. There was no way he'd just let two unknown Padawan's accompany without some background knowledge he could look up. Not with his own Padawan at least.

Not in this time of war.

Vera Noble