Private End of the Line

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

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Tag: Danton

"Alright, time to sleep now, sweetie." Valery chuckled and made sure the blankets were wrapped around her little princess. Aurra just smiled back, closed her eyes when her Mother leaned in to kiss her cheek, and then started dozing off. With the triplets all in bed, Valery was now on her own. Kahlil and Vera were still on Ossus for their project, and Aris was with his Master to train and learn for a few days. It made the house a little quieter than she'd like, but now that she was home constantly because of her pregnancy, the triplets didn't need to go to babysitters.

They instead kept her company.

Valery opened up her comms, and looked at a few text messages sent by Kahlil Noble — some updates on how things were going with Vera. She smiled, and quickly took a picture of herself to send him. Just to let him know that she was doing great, and to let him see how far along she was. It had only been a few weeks, so the curve to her belly was small, but he loved to get those updates regardless.

Turning away, Valery put the comms device down and started walking towards her own bedroom. But before she reached the door, she felt a strange tremor in the Force. It drew her eyes to the large windows in the living room, and up towards the stars.

Someone was coming.

 

[Danton]

Danton was back, and he was out for blood.

Years had gone by, him stewing with his hatred, enjoying the return of his powers. Since torturing Valery for information that would allow him to mend his connection to the Force, he had secretly bathed in the pool on Spintir, falling back into the loving arms of the Dark Side, and became something of an Outer Rim warlord.

He stole, killed, tortured. He fell deeper and deeper into madness. Voices kept haunting him, and while he stayed in hiding out of fear Valery or Kahlil would come after him, eventually, that wasn't enough. He wanted more. He had let Valery live, and let her lead the Jedi, bringing the Sith even closer to destruction. She had killed Kyrel Ren.

She and her family deserved nothing but death.

So, he brought it right to her doorstep.

Danton came in the night with two more Sith. Just pawns, but useful all the same. He wasn't stupid enough to take on Valery alone, pregnant or not. He needed to be quick and careful, leaving no room for mistakes, so he landed well outside the settlement where she lived.

He would find her cozy little home and burn it to the ground.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Tag: Danton

"Vera, you stay here with the little ones. If anything happens, let me know. Call Colette to come home, and Dad will be here soon, too" She kissed her little star atop her head, but gave her no chance to respond before she left. Vera and the kids would be safe, or else Kahlil Noble would see to it that they were. Valery had meanwhile gotten changed from her night gown into her combat gear, but her hair was still a loose blanket around her shoulders. Messy and wild, like the fire burning inside her heart now that she felt him again.

The man who had caused her so much pain.

With her weapons clipped to her belt, Valery rushed out through the door and started moving towards the source of pure evil in the Force. He had landed just on the other side of the forest, so she wanted to meet him within its confines, or where he was now. The further away from the house, the better, for the sake of her family. Long hair whipped into the wind, as she drew closer and closer, her fiery gaze searching for any signs of his presence among the trees.

He wasn't alone, she could tell, but it didn't matter. This time, she wasn't wounded and even though she carried another child, her body was still fit, and her willpower had never been greater.

She was going to take him down.

 

[Danton]

After disembarking, Danton spent the next half-hour moving through the forest, another shadow in the dark. The night was heavy, starless, lit only by a single moon. Haunting, almost.

It was the perfect backdrop for a massacre.

The two Sith trailed behind him in their flowing robes as he checked his own gear—light armor, black-hilted lightsaber, a cursed Sith dagger. Nothing too crazy. It would be more than enough to deal with Valery and her little runts, and he could already imagine their screams, the warmth of the fire. He was practically bursting with excitement at the thought.

It wasn't long before he came upon a small clearing, a break between the trees. The grass stood up to his knees here, some patches even higher, and they rippled against the wind, almost like water. He cut a path through it, humming all the while, a touch of madness in his step.

That was when he felt it.

A ripple in the Force, almost like the sun was rising… but that wasn't possible. That didn't make sense. It was night. Sunset had been hours ago.

No, no, no, said a voice in his head. That isn't the sun. It's her.

Danton caught a glimpse of her through the tree line, then. Dark hair. Burnt-orange eyes. He blinked, if only to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him again, but there was not a shadow of doubt. Valery had come to say hello.

He shook his head, laughing. Just what were the odds?

"Valery, Valery, Valery—is that really you?" he called out, repeating her name like a mantra. A smile cracked across his face. "My, my... I didn't expect for you to come meet me yourself, but I'm glad! This makes things so much easier."

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Tag: Danton

Images were flashing through her mind.

Of crawling away after a brutal crash. Of that spear piercing through her hand, before he took away her most important possession. Then, of that cold, dark chamber where he broke her body and mind with endless torture. But also of being in Kahlil Noble 's arms, as he carried her way back into the light. Of the days and weeks after it, until she stood tall and strong again.

Nothing was every going to break her like that again.

"Are you really surprised?" Valery asked when she finally stopped within the clearing. Her hand already hovered close to her lightsaber, while her eyes observed her targets. Three in total, but the most dangerous of them all was still Danton. Not just because of sheer power, but because of his nature as well. Back in that cold cell, she had learned just how broken his mind already was, and that lack of stability made him unpredictable.

"This time, there's no walking away." They both knew that. This clash was going to end either with either all three of them dead, or Valery herself. There was no running, hiding or calling in last-minute reinforcements.

This was it.

"But you can still surrender. I'm giving you one chance, Danton. It doesn't have to be this way."

 

[Danton]

"Are you really surprised?"

"No, you're right. I shouldn't be surprised. The Force destined us to meet again, just as it destined you to be tortured by my hand. Tell me, do you remember those screams? The lash on your back? The electricity burning through every muscle in your body?"

His smile was all teeth. "I do."

Danton toyed with his lightsaber, the hilt spinning on his palm. "Now, you're sorely mistaken if you think I'm going to surrender, but I appreciate the offer. After all, who wouldn't love to spend a lifetime in a damp cell, stripped of the Force, left to rot in the dark?"

His fingers tightened around the hilt and suddenly, crimson lit up the swaying grass around him. His face cast in red light and shadow, eyes turning golden with the Dark Side, he watched Valery with an anger that could set the night ablaze.

"No, Master Noble. This is the end, for you or for me. Just know that once I split your pretty head open, I'm going to make sure I burn your cozy home to the ground with your children inside, and leave your husband to find what remains."

He cocked his head to the side. "What do you say to that?"

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Tag: Danton

"You're sick in the head," Valery hissed when he made mention of her torture. No, not just mention — he seemed to enjoy the memories of having caused her so much harm. Of breaking her. Valery gritted her teeth and met his gaze, now full of corruption again. That same, vile hatred and cold darkness it had before she severed him from the Force. Her actions that day had sparked something she could have never expected.

It almost made her regret that she moved on from her old beliefs as much as she had. The old Valery would have killed him in that cell, and never allowed him to cause harm again.

But she needed to be better than that.

Than him.

The mention of her home — her children and her husband — drew her eyes back to him. Like an inferno, they lit up and Valery gave him his response, as she moved. Her violet blade came up, ready for a swing with lethal intent, but rather than force her emotion into an attack to take him down, she suddenly changed directions. One of his goons, who she had hoped to expect her to attack Danton, now became her target.

Like a lightning bolt, and with immense strength, she slashed down in an attempt to diagonally bisect him.

 

[Danton]

There it was. That terrible, blinding light.

Without a moment's hesitation, Valery came at him like a storm. Danton fell into a defensive stance, lightsaber up, ready to cut her down as his taunts lured her in, but at the last second, she split into another direction and turned for one of his pawns.

Only by sheer luck, the Sith managed to catch her blow, locking blades, drawing sparks.

"Saving the best for last, are we?" Danton mocked, then laughed. "Think you can slice through my men before you get through me? A good idea, but not that good."

The other Sith accompanying him charged for Valery. While she was busy with the first, he swung out his lightsaber towards her back, trying to catch her in her blind spot. Danton, meanwhile, watched on with a smile. He should've jumped in too, maybe slashed out her pretty golden eyes, but he wanted to see how she fared against his men.

He wondered how long they'd last. Long enough to wear her down? One could only hope.

"Hm, you know what? Maybe instead of razing your family's home to the ground, I could drag out your little girl to watch and share a s'more. What was her name? Aurra? Oh, I do wonder if she'd make a good apprentice. What do you think, Valery?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Tag: Danton

Valery's eyes were fierce and full of fire as sparks ignited between their crossed blades. Behind her, she felt the other approaching and decided to push even more of her weight into her current enemy. Her feet dug in, her muscles tensed and her jaw clenched, right as the Sith drew closer and lashed out at her from behind to carve open her back.

She had them now.

Valery's body shimmered in the Force, and with a lunge forward, she phased right through the enemy whose blade had crossed her own. In an instant, all his resistance faded and the blade meant for her back now swept at him instead in a moment where all balance was lost. But Valery wasn't done with him yet. As soon as she appeared behind him, one blade was thrust back in an attempt to piece his heart from behind.

Her other lightsaber was sent flying straight for Danton 's face, who had dared mention the name of her daughter. "I think you might want to choose your words wisely." She didn't expect the sudden throw of her lightsaber to catch him off-guard, even with her unorthodox use of Phase. But she needed to set the tone of this fight and thin their numbers.

A hand came up to summon the weapon back and her gaze settled on the Sith who had tried to attack her from behind.

"They're going to be your last."

 

[Danton]

Danton's face was a dark mask, hiding his surprise. He hadn't expected Valery to so expertly outsmart one of his Sith, even if they were just a pawn, and when she phased through the man, she pierced him through the back and out his chest.

The Sith was dead before he even realized what had happened.

Before their useless corpse could fall into the grass, Danton felt Valery's vicious eye turn on him. A shudder climbed his back, and then a tingling sensation, an urge to laugh. He swatted aside her thrown lightsaber, and it bounced away from him before returning back to her hand.

"There she is!" Danton mocked with sick laughter. "There's the Valery I know. A cold-blooded killer, spewing threats and spitting venom. By Carnifex, does your children know you're like this? I wonder what their reactions would be once they realize their mommy is actually a murderer, and not the hero in their bedtime stories."

"Guess most of them won't live long enough to find out the truth, but still, it's worth a thought."

The last Sith, instead of trying to engage with Valery in close combat after seeing what she could de, raised his hand and unleashed a wave of Force lightning. Electricity cackled across the empty field, threatening to fry her into a pile of ash.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Tag: Danton

"Do not come to my home to destroy my family, and have the nerve to call me a murderer for defending it, you snake," Valery said as the first of the three Sith fell down into the grass without a shimmer of life left in his eyes. Valery felt no regret for what she had done. They were given the choice to disarm and surrender, but they never would. They came here not just to kill her, but to even harm her defenseless children as well.

They weren't people — they were mindless monsters.

Her eyes snapped to the other of the two companions, who raised his hands and sent currents of lightning towards her. With her blades already drawn, it would have been easy to deflect the attack, but she had an alternative plan. One hand shifted straight into the path of the lightning, and a blue funnel formed within her palm. The lethal currents were siphoned inside, though some arcs of his dark lightning jumped out and burned the skin of her hand and arm.

She bit herself through the pain and absorbed the attack.

Then, she returned it.

It wasn't her own energy, though it no longer felt dark as the Sith's own lightning burst from that blue funnel. She added her own power into the attack and clenched her jaw at the release of so much death and destruction.

 

[Danton]

"Oh, I'm not just talking about right now," Danton said. "I'm talking about all the other times you maimed and killed and destroyed. How many begged for mercy before you cut them down? How many did you leave to rot in isolation chambers, driving them to madness?"

"I know you have quite the body count, Val. That wall of light you helped create on Exegol? You killed thousands. People you've never even met, with loves and lives of their own, even if some of them did deserve death. Of course, you don't care. They're just a statistic to you, no?"

He slowly backed away as she attempted to absorb the blast of lightning from the other Sith. Shadows crept around him. "How am I the only villain here when I'm simply returning the favor that you've so generously given out to so many?"

"We're both monsters, Valery. At least I have the decency to admit it."

Lightning screamed across the field when Valery unleashed it towards the last Sith. The man was shocked—quite literally—and without anything to defend himself with, he was thrown into the grass, left a smoking heap, cooked in his own armor.

That left only Danton.

This was the part where she'd turn on him now, when Valery would throw all her rage towards him, but by the time she could turn around to face him, Danton wouldn't even be there to start. She would be greeted just by the empty field and the dark trees ahead.

He had gone into the forest. He had gone for her children.

Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Tag: Danton

"Nobody is a statistic to me, but I will be relieved when I'm done with you," Valery hissed with pure venom in her voice. She was getting angry, not just because of what he said, but because of what she felt. His hatred for her ran so deep that he was willing to hurt her family. Her husband, her babies. She gritted her teeth and unknowingly forced so much of her power into the release of the absorbed lightning, that barely anything remained that resembled the Sith who had attacked her.

But in her fury, she had missed something far more important.

Valery whipped around and moved through the forest like a lightning bolt, zigzagging between the trees. He was getting closer to her home — too close — and she wasn't sure if she could keep up.

A fire burned in her eyes, a hand extended and a path of flames ignited between her and the running Sith. It traveled along the ground, instantly incinerating grass, branches and other forest deposits alike. She sought to wrap the flames around him and cut off his path.

Force him in a ring of fire with her alone.

"Fight me, you coward!" Valery screamed.

 

[Danton]

Danton made for Valery's home, laughing all the while.

The voices were growing stronger. Kill, a chorus of them said. Kill! They screamed at him to fight, to burn, to set the entire forest ablaze along with Val's miserable little family. His fingers twitched, almost tempted to give in to the thought, but to his own surprise, the Jedi Master beat him to it first.

Flames roared to life just shy from where he stood. He'd been so close—almost to the clearing that led to her home—but no matter. Danton had expected Valery would chase him down before he could make it to her doorstep, and he was more than ready to meet the shouting fury in her eyes. She wanted to fight? Then he would happily oblige.

A dark silhouette against the firelight, Danton slowly turned to face her. With a sigh, he shook his head and tsked. "That bloodthirsty, are we? You sure are predictable."

Facing her down, Danton sloughed off his robes and switched on his saber again, bleeding red. Fire danced in his eyes. "I was hoping to get close enough to your family so that they could watch as I killed you, but I suppose that can wait. We don't need an audience. I just need you."

He aimed his lightsaber towards her, breaking out in another smile. "Your head, in particular. Now, why don't you be so kind as to give it to me, for old time's sake?"

Valery Noble​

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