Private Drawn by the Force

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

The Outer Rim was rarely quiet, but this part of it felt different. There had been whispers, scattered reports from scouting parties and intelligence contacts, each one vague enough to be dismissed on its own. But together, they formed a pattern. A powerful Force user, unaligned with any known group, had been seen on a half-forgotten world at the edge of mapped space. No name or affiliation. Just stories of unnatural presence and unexplained events.

Valery stepped off her ship with a purpose in her stride. She wore a black tactical jumpsuit, fitted to her form and reinforced in the right places without sacrificing mobility. Her hair, auburn and loosely tied back, shifted with the breeze as she moved across the rocky terrain. A lightsaber hung at her hip, but her hands remained free for now.

The planet was rugged and unwelcoming. No major settlements, no wide-open transmissions. Just a stretch of land that felt like it had been forgotten by the galaxy, but not untouched. Something had been here recently.

She paused at the ridge that overlooked an outpost ahead and narrowed her eyes. Her senses reached outward, probing the air, brushing against something that she hoped would push back.

Valery took a breath and began her descent, each step measured, each sense tuned. She had not come to fight. But she had not come unprepared either. If the rumors were true, whoever she was about to find would not be ordinary.

And she needed to know why they had chosen to emerge now.

Scherezade deWinter ​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

The Outer Rim was practically home to the Sithling. She knew how to manage on every planet she'd ever stepped foot on there, and since her more chaotic days, she was surprisingly welcome on quite a few of them. The inner rim might have thought of her as a terrorist, but people here knew better. She'd been a liberator to many of them. She knew that if she ever chose to put roots down anywhere but her home planet, it would be somewhere here.

Here, she had found a tiny settlement, not even big enough to be called a village, and had remained there for the past few days as she tried to put her thoughts together and figure out what the next step in her Schematics[tm] plan was. The locals didn't know her name though. They'd taken to call her Feyre as that was how she'd introduced herself.

She didn't even look like her typical self while with them; instead of armor, her body wore the local garb, and it was as form fitting as a giant hot air balloon wrapped around a little cactus plant. Still, the Sithling didn't mind, as long as she wasn't required to put her hair up. She hated the feeling of it up.

"Now remember our agreement," she explained, her voice fact-of-the-matter as she bent down to feed a few stray feline creatures that had already known to gather near her ship at the bottom of the ravine, "You don't bite me, I don't bite you. Unless you try. Then I bite back harder."

The felines knew she'd meant every word. Their first day of trying to obtain food from the woman had ended in three ears ripped off and one tail broken, but after that she had sat down, collected them all on her lap, and told them tales from their kitten-days which she'd seen when their blood had entered her mouth.

All it took now though, was for one of them to move in a way that was so slightly different than usual, as though it had sensed something.

Scherezade blinked and perked up. She could sense something, but what? A stranger, that much she knew. Even here? On one hand, she had evaded the holonets to avoid detection, but Lady Luck was a biatch and it seemed people were finding her everywhere. Not people from the past though; people from the present.

A few more steps. That person wasn't trying to hide. That was good, it gave them a strong basis upon which they could communicate before the daggers came flying.

And… There. Just as Valery Noble came into view, she could tell that was a Jedi.

There were firsts for everything, she guessed.

"You're not the meals on ships I ordered," the Sith said, raising an eyebrow, "but if you're here for the creatures, you have to get through me first."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery came to a slow stop, one foot planted just ahead of the other as her eyes settled on the woman before her. She took in the local garb first, then the relaxed stance, then the tone. Unbothered and bold. Not the kind of reception a Jedi usually got when stepping into the middle of nowhere.

Her brow lifted just slightly. "Apologies for the disappointment," Valery said, her tone dry but clearly amused. "I'll try to work on being a more appealing snack next time."

She glanced down at the gathering of creatures and then back up. "Not here for them, though. They seem to have their protector already."

The wind shifted, but it was not the breeze that tugged at her senses. It was something deeper, just beneath the surface of the woman's presence. Something darker that drew Valery's attention.

"I've been hearing things. Whispers from the Rim. A Force user appearing in places where no one should be." She tilted her head, keeping her gaze steady. "And now I find you."

Valery let that hang for a moment, her stance still calm.

Scherezade deWinter ​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

As the wind shifted for Valery Noble , Scherezade used the moment to send thoughts to the creatures, encouraging them to leave the area and find food somewhere far away. The woman might've been a Jedi and might've been truthful about not being there for them, but she didn't want to risk it. Fed kittens made fat felines that produced a lot of meat, and she wasn't going to let all that potential food go to waste. She'd find them later.

"And now I find you."

Scherezade shrugged. Well, the Jedi had found her. Frankly, Scherezade would've thought more and more people would be able to as time progressed. Sure, she stayed off the 'nets, but it wasn't really like she was one who could easily blend in, even when she wanted to. When she was younger, it had been easier, but now she just drew attention.

Or rather, trapped the attention, just for by being herself.

It was almost how people thought moths were attracted to light. They weren't. Not really.

"I'd offer you tea, but I hate tea, and the creatures pissed in the pot again," she said lightly, "Besides, you didn't come here thirsty. You came here curious," and a pause, and then her tone turned serious, "That's actually worse."

The problem with the moths was, that they actually tried to avoid the light. Because once caught in it, the light would drag them towards its source. All that frenzied flying? A moth's attempt to escape. And escape they did, eventually, if they were strong enough to last until the light had gone out or daylight broke in.

"I can separate your head from your body," the Sith continued, her tone lightful again despite the gleeful image in her mind of getting to decapitate someone, "or you could... just say what you're curious about? That would be a lot less bloody. Wanna play twenty questions? You can keep your weapons, I've got worse stuff in case of need."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery let out a short breath of laughter. Her head tilted slightly as she studied the woman in front of her, arms still at her sides, stance unthreatening. "You're welcome to try. Plenty have." The words weren't arrogant, but there was no hesitation behind them either.

She was always ready to defend herself.

She shifted her weight and let her gaze wander briefly over the clearing before returning to the other woman. "But I'm not here to draw sabers, and I don't play games unless there's a reason to." Her tone lost some of the sharpness then, settling into something softer.

"I've seen war. I've fought Sith and worse. So when rumors start spreading through Rim space about someone powerful showing up where no one should be, I take it seriously. You've been noticed, whether you intended to be or not."

Valery's gaze locked more firmly onto her now, not with suspicion, but with curiosity edged in caution.

"So help me understand what's happening here. Why are people talking so much?" She wanted to know if there was a reason to worry or not.

Scherezade deWinter ​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

So… No sabers. That was fine. Scherezade could handle something that wasn't inherently non-violent, despite what some assumed about her. Sure, kicking butt was fun, but it wasn't the only type of fun to be had.

As Valery Noble spoke, the Sithling walked to the side of her ship, the Giggledust, and opened a small external cargo space. With the flicker of her wrist, a few items moved from there before opening up between the two women. A picnic table, two chairs, two glasses, a pitcher of water, and a pitcher of pure, cold, full fat cream.

She motioned for the Jedi lady to have a seat while she took one as well, and sighed.

"People talk," she shrugged, "That's what they do. Someone farts too loud in hyperspace and three planets call it a galactic threat."

Scherezade snickered, remembering that time. It had been one of those few very extraordinary moments where starting a war hadn't been her goal, and it hadn't even been her that had farted at the wrong moment, but she still somehow got the blame for that.

"But seriously?" she asked, pouring the cream into her glass, "I show up, feed some creatures, don't kill anybody yet and suddenly I'm a 'someone powerful'? The bar's gotten seriously low. Whoever the barkeepers are, they should really be ashamed of themselves."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery blinked as the table unfolded between them, complete with glasses and cream, and a setup that looked far too deliberate to be a coincidence. She arched a brow and let a small smile break through the neutral expression she had worn until now.

"For someone who claims to hate tea, you look awfully ready for a tea party." She stepped forward, eased into the offered chair, and glanced at the pitcher of water before pouring herself a glass.

Her gaze flicked back up, clearly amused now. "Also, Giggledust? That's the name of your ship?" She leaned forward slightly, resting her arms on the table. "You had me thinking I was about to face something dangerous. I imagined at least a name like Nightrazor or Soulrender."

Yeah, she loved to tease a little.

Valery paused for a short moment, then continued, "Why are you feeding these creatures?" She gestured toward the spot the creatures had been and then toward the horizon beyond them. "Seems strange for someone with your potential to be out here just to feed some animals. Maybe that's why rumors began spreading."

Scherezade deWinter ​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade frowned. It wasn't a tea party. It was a cream party. It was a cream party. But you couldn't just toss around terms like 'cream party' because people got the wrong idea. She just liked drinking cream. Or water. Anything else felt like a waste of time. Alcohol? Not a chance. Never again.

And as for her ship… "My maternal grandparents gifted each of their children with a ship like this," she explained. Yes, the Jedi had tried to make a quip at her expense. But Scherezade had no interest in biting back. She was going to give her a story time instead. "Five in total. Each of their children named the ship they'd received. My aunt called hers Giggledust after one of her favorite drugs. Still addicted to it, by the way."

In all truth, that aunt shouldn't even be alive. Something was keeping her ticking. But that wasn't for now.

"I made her think I was my mother and took it off her hands a while ago," she smiled before taking a sip. The while back was over fourty years ago, likely before the Jedi was even born, but she didn't need to know that just yet.

Though the Jedi had said she wasn't much into games, Scherezade was still keeping count. Three questions had been asked so far. She took another sip from her drink, enjoying the velvety coolness of it.

"They spread before I got here," she admitted, "I've only been here two days. I believe the whispers have been happening for at least a few weeks." But that didn't answer the question, did it? Besides, the Jedi wasn't far from learning that there were two Sith making a reappearance and not just one. But the other one was currently far away from them anyway. "There are many ways to fell an animal," she said casually, as though telling her sister about her day. "You can use the Force. Traps. Weapons. But gaining its trust? Letting it come to you, take your food, even cuddle a little… And when it's fat enough, when it's content, then you end it and make food. That's a real challenge."

And she knew what she was speaking about. For too long in her early years, she had needed to spend every cred earned on gas. Buying food was hard. So she'd taken to hunting, and preserving. The only thing she lacked was the lumberjacker's shirt, but they typically didn't look right when they came in pink instead of red.

"Hey, I've got some Porg burgers stashed on the ship," she offered. "I can pull out the mobile BBQ if you're game. I might even have a bottle of ketchup with an expiry date from 864 ABY if you're feeling brave."

---

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery stared at her for a moment after the explanation, one brow lifting just slightly.

"So you're telling me all this chaos and rumor is just because you're out here hunting... for food?" She let out a slow exhale and leaned back in her chair, eyes still fixed on the woman across from her. "I was ready to walk into something far worse."

She took another sip of her water and shook her head faintly. It was not disappointment in her expression, just the kind of disbelief that came from someone expecting fire and finding smoke instead. Her senses still told her there was something darker behind it all, but maybe that didn't always mean war or violence.

The corners of her mouth pulled up into a smirk.

"Alright. Porg burgers actually sound pretty good," she said, tone lighter now. "As long as that ketchup hasn't developed sentience by now, I think I can handle it."

She set her glass down and glanced back toward the horizon, then returned her attention to the woman.

"But just so I'm clear, you really expect people not to talk when you show up with that much presence and start playing survivalist with wild animals?" A slight smirk tugged at the corners of her lips again.

Scherezade deWinter ​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade didn't hold her laughter back when Valery Noble said she'd expected much worse, not some rando girl hunting for food. Either this Jedi was the most unjudgmental person in the galaxy, or she had a concussion. Scherezade decided she liked her. Her questions were honest, open, and without any attempt for that silly small talk stuff that Scherezade always felt that she was really bad it. It was especially refreshingly so considering the one sitting across her was a Jedi. Though it was true that Scherezade's best friend had been one too, most of the others she'd met were stuffy and a lot less fun.

But when Valery shook her head, Scherezade stopped laughing. She was absolutely reading the misbelief as disappointment and it almost felt like she'd failed some sort of test. It wasn't a feeling she particularly enjoyed. A pause, and then things were light again. Okay. Scherezade felt like she could handle that. Grin!

"C'mon," she motioned as she stood up. The Jedi was going to get a look at the inside of her ship, something that no other Jedi had done for over four decades. And with good reason.

"I was invisible for the first part in my life that mattered," she explained as she began to walk up the rank, "people didn't notice me, or not like me, even when I tried my very best." It had been a hard time. She had tried everything she could at the time, from being creative, to being friendly, to even infiltrating enemy locations well in advance to make sure their drinking water had been spiked with extreme laxatives for when the cavalry showed up. But none of her achievements had gotten her affirmations, or a single friend.

"And like, it's been a while," she admitted, "but when I'm alone, the old sense of self surfaces again, even if everything is totally different today. I like it better today."

The two stepped into the ship.

Scherezade turned around, her glowing green eyes falling on the Jedi, wanting to take in her every tiny reaction.

Because the inside of the ship looked perfectly normal to the eye. The walls had nice paint on them, a bunch of memorabilia was thrown around, there was even a plush carpet in the central area. But that was just for the eyes. So it ship looked clean. But beneath the surface, something ancient and wounded pulsed. If Valery didn't shield herself, the whisper of old blood magic might just reach her bones.

Because fourty years ago, that was not what the walls or floor had looked like. They had been covered in writings from floor to ceiling. Writings made in blood. Scherezade's blood, from when she cast the spell that had done away with her and instilled a new personality in her body, hoping it would somehow lead to a better result. Because Scherezade had a mirror, so she knew she was pretty. She also knew where she came from and the power that came with it. But nobody liked her. Something about her was broken. So she tried to mend it.

Of course, it had, eventually, failed. But those were stories for another time, if the Jedi didn't run away screaming.

While the blood was no longer visible, the power of it still beat in the ship. Strong, overbearing, ready to rip and resow with chaos. One could almost taste the pits of despair the Sith had been in when it happened.

Over the years, Scherezade had chosen to keep the ship, even renovate it. This was part of her past, and therefore, a part of her. If a day would come in which she wanted to release the ship to someone else or destroy it, she would. Instead, she had taken to the remnants of the blood ritual, and learned how to shield herself from it. To walk around her ship and feel like it was a beachside condo.

Trauma had scarred her on many occasions, but this was was one scar that she chose to keep. And control.