Private Enemy Within

[Marigold]

Crime, a word that descibes many activities. A word that many are well aware of, crime is a rot. And the galaxy is full of it, like gnawing cancer it spreads across the surface, taking over the entire planets and turning them into miserable, shallow remnants of themselves. Becoming a realm for degenerative activities, smuggling, spice mining, trading, and of course, slavery. And although many people banded together into groups, teams, squads, organizations, and even entire nations to combat the rot, it was like fighting a force of nature, no, it was like attempting to fight the nature of sentient species, greed, selfishness, megalomania. No matter how well equipped these seekers of justice were, no matter how many times they stopped slave auctions or cracked down on black markets and crime syndicates running illegal spice trading. They all would be replaced in an instant.

And yet, that is not a reason to give up, in fact. Many use it as a reason to keep going, in spite of inconveivable odds put against them, their anger becomes a focused tool to spread justice, free slaves, and help those in need, every victory, no matter how small it is. Can save lives, and if lives it does save. Then it's a duty worth doing.

And yet, path to deepest pits of abyss, both metaphysical and real alike, is paved with good intentions. What is a noble goal can quickly turn into a loop, yearning to get the revenge over those that have wronged you. And yet what is the gain from all of this, closure? Certainly not, bitter truth to the question is that there is no end goal.

It is a suicidal task, one where a person keeps marching on in spite of everything has happened to them, so hellbent on trying to catch up with their past, that they forget how to live in the present. Festering that pain into their worst enemy.

An enemy within.

Coruscant did have illegal activities, no matter how many reforms were passed, no matter of tight security. Criminals were devious, always able to find a bypass that allowed them to run their activities unsupervised. The Red Scar, a bounty hunter and a mercenary most well known for her recent spree of terrorist attacks starting from the outer rim, spanning all the way to the mid rim, involving violent executions of members of syndicates as well as wiping out buildings and even entire sections with explosives, it's only natural that in the mountains of corpses, innocents would be caught in the crossfire, as well as battling authorities.

It was, a matter of time until they would step into alliance space, except, Galactic Alliance could already foresee this happening. The terrorist had to be quelled down one way or another before they cause much of civil unrest, and it had to be done before the casualties rocked up. The tricky thing was to find the location of the perpetrator. But considering the mess she tended to leave behind, one probably wouldn't have to be looking for them for too long.

Neon signs and somber atmosphere fill the streets, the underworld of Coruscant is a twisted maze, filled with rodents. A place where people from low walks of life thrive, away from the iron grip of the law and order reaching them. It stretches near infinitely to a naked eye, she could be just anywhere, but like with any maze..

There is bound to be a dead end.

Valery Noble
Kahlil Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Marigold Kahlil Noble

"This is a bit different from handling the Mandalorians or the Senate, hm?" Valery asked to make some idle conversation. People had lost their lives to a terrorist, and this one seemed awfully tricky to hunt down. The SIA was working on it, but to speed up the process, the Jedi were asked to conduct their own investigation. It was the type of assignment meant for Jedi Knights or Masters, but in this particular instance, Valery chose to handle it with her husband to mix up their typical duties a bit.

It would be good for them to be among the people in the lower levels, even if they'd have to watch their steps.

"I just wonder who we're really dealing with. They've been able to get away each time, so likely someone with a pretty good set of skills surrounding stealth." She hummed in thought then turned to her husband with a soft smile, as they walked down a mostly empty street of neon-lights.

And for just a moment, she seemed lost in thought while she stared at him.

"Hmm..." she muttered, her gaze now shifting back forward. "I think we should go that way." She pointed down another street, but one busier than the one they were on.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Better than you?"

Kahlil flashed a teasing grin as he glanced down to his wife. It was a better case than dealing with the drama of the senate. A breath of fresh air, all things considered. Not that a terrorist was really a breath of fresh air. If anything it just showed how much he really didn't like the Senate when he'd rather be out trying to find someone who could very well have a trap ready to blow him up.

"I'll follow your lead. You're the Shadow here. Where would you try to hide? Strike from?"

Valery Noble | Marigold

 

[Marigold]

Decisions, decisions. So hard to make! The casual conversation continued, two Jedi masters blending within the more busier streets of the underworld, it was easier that way to not draw suspicion from the onlookers, after all, their robes did betray their allegiance. For better or worse, many Jedi Knights chose to help local law-enforcements, aiding them with their apt usage of the force to catch criminals and wrongdoers, so it's not like it was terribly uncommon to see one or a few down in these slums, as such, not many paid attention to them, becoming part of the crowd.

The terrorist was in hiding, that much they were aware of, the duo is aware of a certain fact too: the targets she picks are often scouted ahead of time. There's a good chance that as they are speaking, The Red Scar might be heading towards the criminal hideout that she'll be targetting. However, taking any stray path would be easily noticeable. Even among the more busier streets. So, what's the best way to stay hidden?

That is, to hide in plain sight. And yet, perhaps a miscalculation on the terrorist's part is, that they thought they were going against common investigators. It is however, up to the duo assigned to the case to choose how they will approach the investigation. Although, they likely had to think with haste, as the clock was ticking.

Valery Noble
Kahlil Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Marigold Kahlil Noble

Valery paused for a moment and slowly turned her gaze to her husband to catch the teasing grin, "Love, I can turn invisible. Nobody is better than me." She flicked her long bangs over her shoulder in the most obviously sassy way and flashed him a grin. Her eyes then settled back on her surroundings, and what stood out among the neon lights was just how easily they could move through the crowd here. They were both very recognizable faces everywhere in the Alliance, but people were far too busy with their own lives to notice.

Act the part, and nobody will ever know you weren't really supposed to be there.

"Trying to hide out here just draws a lot of attention. It's easier to just blend in and go with the flow, before striking at your target. Though it does matter what you're going after." She paused and looked around for another moment before focusing on him. "This terrorist seems to go after other criminals or highly dangerous people, so I suggest we follow our senses and head right into the worst part of these levels." She doubted that their target was just going after an ordinary thief, after all.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"A vigilante with a bomb, then." Which was worse. The pull to justice, the belief they were truly helping, it was a more dangerous emotion than just wanting to hurt others. Scarier, even, to the common folk. Still, Kahlil nodded once to Valery to follow her lead, his gaze drifting to the lower levels of Coruscant sprawling out before them. "Then down we go. I'm sure there are all manner of criminals that still think they can do business here down there. We should really get that handled."

Valery Noble | Marigold

 

[Marigold]

Thoughts went through their heads about what kind of terrorist it was, a deluded maniac with a bomb, a so-called vigilantee. While in the vast galaxy, the need and intent to hurt others was common, there was something utterly uncanny about a self-righteous person. Hellbent on delivering their justice no matter the cost. Besides.

Even if what they did was right, one cannot ignore the destruction they left behind.

And so, with steeled resolve, two Jedi ventured deeper, and deeper into the sprawling maze that is the underworld of Coruscant, the trip wasn't long by any stretch, but it sure did feel like an eternity. Venturing out into random paths and twisted turns. It all made them feel an illusion that they weren't getting anywhere, or were walking in circles. But sooner or later. What little light pierced through unfathomable darkness of this place became so utterly small and insignificant, that the surrounding area became engulfed in a shade, with only muted, dim lights in the distance helping their journey.

Sounds of people talking stopped entirely at one point, and all that the duo could hear, was their own footsteps. Echoing across the gloomy streets. Despite the fact that they couldn't exactly see many people around, their keen senses, and connection to the Force hinted that they were getting closer. But as they were getting closer, so was the terrorist, getting closer to their target.

They could step up with their pacing, and chase them down through the streets, or, choose to stay hidden and watch what happens next. Or, come up with any other plan, as it'd be about time for it's execution.


Valery Noble
Kahlil Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Marigold Kahlil Noble

The longer they walked, the more distant civilization seemed to get. Fewer and fewer neon lights illuminated the path ahead, and encountering other people on the main roads became increasingly more rare. They were out there she knew, hidden in alleys or dealing in old buildings, but none were going to get in their way. It made the trip almost an eerie thing, though Valery still felt relief that they weren't hunting down Mandalorians or going up against another army.

Just a vigilante who was up to no good, at least from their perspective.

"Well, I prefer our walks in the forest at home, but this isn't too bad." She chuckled and briefly reached for his hand to squeeze it. But that little tender moment did not last very long, as she felt a surge in the Force and started running.

"We're getting close! But I'm not sure if we can catch them before they strike!"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Panatha, for all it's darkness, still had clean air." Which, he preferred. More than anything that's what he preferred. The hustle and bustle of the city just wasn't his vibe. Likely because of him growing up on a Sith controlled Bastion, but that was a different story all together. Right now though? Kahlil still smiled, squeezed Valery's hand in return. It didn't matter where they were, anywhere was a perfect place so long as he was beside her.

Not that there was long for that kind of moment. He broke out into a run beside her, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the Force.

"Then we'd best hurry to at least minimize the damage, mm?"

Valery Noble | Marigold

 

[Marigold]

And so they broke into a rush, their strong connection to the force guiding them along the alleyways, becoming like a strong link which carried them throughout the sharp twists and turns, but, something felt wrong, ever so slightly.

Marigold walked through the street. It was nearly the last one before she'd reach a large, old building. Now decommissioned, but never bought. That didn't mean no one was there, though. Judging by the fact that a single red hooded girl was walking towards it with a lethal intent - a satchel by her side.

Although, a sharp headache caves into her skull. Ringing every single alarm bell possible. It felt like dragging her back, as if showing her the threat that was about to arrive, and that, for one reason or another. She couldn't hide, knowing that the other choice was to either run forward to her objective, which was less than desireable, she made a split-second decision-

With lighting reflexes, as if guided by unseen hand, she drew a light blaster from a holster on her hip, firing several blaster bolts about as soon as the duo of Jedi emerged, giving them all but a few moments to react to the shot, oddly enough though, she shot in stun setting, rather than lethal mode, in the whiles? She took a few steps back, taken aback in surprise. It seems like the duo made it just in time, clearly due to the fact they took little to no time in starting the investigation, and proceeding with their instinct and acute senses.

"And who the fark are you?!" She groaned, while gaining distance by pacing back, her voice and body betraying strain and stress, soul, mind, and body tired from the crusade she took upon.

Valery Noble
Kahlil Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Marigold Kahlil Noble

The squeeze of her hand made her smile even though they were in a place she heavily disliked. Valery had grown up within the jungles of New Cov, surrounded by nothing but nature at its finest - a stark contrast to the underworld of a city planet. From the way the air felt as it passed through her lungs, to the constant feeling of having to check her back.

This place looked and felt awful.

Valery's mind did not linger long on that, however, as her sensed warned her of something imminent about to happen. She sprinted, crossed through several streets and suddenly felt a flash of danger. She summoned her lightsaber into her hand in response, and right she entered the next street, her violet blade came to life to deflect the stun round away.

She had been concerned that catching the terrorist before committing a crime would have made it hard to link them to other crimes, but it seemed they had caught the woman in the act, "Give up! There is nowhere to run or hide!" She called back before glancing at her husband.

"Seems we caught her in the act. Maybe nobody has to get hurt today."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil left the defense to Valery as the shots came at them. Instead he raised a hand, pulling on the various cords of the Force to reach out and try to wrench the blaster from the woman's hand. Already he could see there were more layers to all this than what they were told before, but he couldn't just leave the woman armed.

"We did, but we're not out of the clear yet. I assume you already have a bomb, correct stranger?" He stepped forward, keeping his hands in the open regardless. Trying to disarm the conflict some at least before they'd be forced to take a life. Not that he'd hesitate, but everyone still deserved a chance to surrender. Survive. "Just don't try anything foolish, alright?"

Valery Noble | Marigold

 

[Marigold]

It was clear that the girl, seemingly too young to be doing such things, was now cornered. Kahlil found little to no trouble in pulling her blaster away, this experience pulled the terrorist into primal dread, it appeared it was their first encounter with the force. "What kind of sorcery is this..." She mumbled to herself, her voice shaken a little bit, but there was no time to linger on these thoughts. Her eyes looking up and sharply staring at the both of them, each pace that the duo took, she responded with by walking back. Clearly trying to keep her distance. Although, the more she did, the closer she was to putting her back to a wall. Hands clutching, desperation prompted a lot more aggressive comment to escape her lips.

"Yes I do! And you are stopping me from delivering justice! I'm going to blow up these low-life sub-sentient monsters that think they 'own' others!" Despite how aggressive the sound of her voice was with pure unrelenting conviction behind her words, she kept taking a few paces back, not entirely sure who she was dealing with, they weren't just normal officials, were they? "If you stop me, then you... You're not any better than them!" She hurled an insult, but along with that? Her hand reached out to grab her grappling hook, with haste, as if moving in tandem with the ripple, effective sleight of hand led her to shooting the hook all the way up to some windowless, abandoned building, seemingly unfinished too.

Terrorist attempted to pull themselves upward, holding onto what appeared to be a large satchel by their side, tightly clutching as to resist the attempt for it to be stolen like her blaster, and dive into the window frame, she still had a job to do after all, and for whatever reason, it seemed liked even authority itself, the 'law' was against her. But how well would just one seemingly normal girl fare against two forces of nature?

Valery Noble
Kahlil Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Marigold Kahlil Noble

When Valery realized that Marigold was being backed up into a corner, she stopped. If there was one way to ignite the woman's fight or flight instincts, it was to corner her and leave her with seemingly no alternative. The dread in her and the way she spoke already suggested that the situation was getting close to it, and Valery would much rather have her surrender or at least give up her attempt to plant a bomb.

"I understand what you're trying to do. I've once been captured by slavers, too. But... this is not the way," Valery tried with a more gentle tone, hoping that it would get through to the other woman. She didn't want to draw a lightsaber to fight her or do anything that would cause more harm, so perhaps this approach would work.

But in the heat of the moment, Marigold used her grappling device to try and make her escape instead, and Valery knew it was time to move quicker. "Stop!" Valery called out, "Don't do this! Don't throw away your life!" She summoned the Force at that moment and launched herself into the air, not to directly tackle or engage the other woman, but to make her way up to the building she was heading into.

Kahlil could easily take an alternative route, but they'd hopefully be trapping her inside.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil didn't immediately give chase. Instead, he raised his hands, pointed them towards the building. Valery was already giving chase, and with their bond he'd be able to tell where Marigold was running so long as Valery knew. Instead he'd act as the counter from her escaping, letting the Force flow free. Runes formed midair as he started to block off the girls escape routes with walls made of pure ice.

<I'll keep her from escaping.>

Marigold | Valery Noble

 

[Marigold]

The girl made a sharp turn to the left, attempting. to weave past Valery, it took every fiber of her own body attended to attempting to flee from her pursuers! The pillars of unfinished building made it like a maze, allowing her to be out of Noble's line of sight for a little bit, it looked like she was about to escape but!- Kahlil Noble could figure out which way she dashed through the bond with Valery, and with his skills in the Force...

...A giant ice wall appears in front of the terrorist "You've got to be kidding me!" She blurted out in frustration, realizing that she had to be fast on her feet! Starting to rush the best she could, just barely sliding in before some of the runes could finish forming up into an ice wall, or, switching up her running pattern, using cunning tricks as such to fool the duo. Noticing that breaking contact lead to less ice walls being formed. The Red Scar also took advantage of that, although hiding wasn't her primary weapon, it was only temporary until she'd be found, and being boxed in by the walls looked less than desirable.

Although after a while, she started to tire out, and in a single moment of weakness, a misjudged attempt to escape was made, and the walls trapped the last of her escape routes, also trapping her within the room as all but one exit was frozen, right before she could jump out, her objective so, so desperately close... And yet, only one way remained. "C-chit..."

Though she had a problem getting through it, that problem was...

Valery Noble

The girl was out of breath, standing with a satchel by her side, cupped in her hands as she held onto it tightly. "I... Huff, I don't understand." She looked up to Valery, and although her visage was mostly hidden by the oversized hood she was wearing, one could read a confused, desperate expression on her face. "You know what they do to them, right? So, huff.. Why?! Why protect them, huh?!!" She shouted at the Jedi. "The Galaxy is full of them! It reeks of them- and, and... Not even Galactic Alliance is safe from them, they're EVERYWHERE! And they take EVERYTHING, they took... Everything from me. It doesn't make any sense, just... Why?" The last few words were quiet, as if in complete loss and defeat, practically crying out to Valery for an answer, to her, she was in the right, defeating slavers. Spilling justice, judgement on what's practically the lowest of low in the galaxy. Though that grief, sadness and anger was practically boiling to a hurting point, that much one could sense from her, as it subtly caused minor ripples to echo across invisible space.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Marigold

<Thank you, love.>

With Kahlil's runes blocking her way out, Valery knew it was best for her to sit tight. She trusted her husband more than anybody, and he wasn't going to let this woman get away. So when the walls had finally closed in on her, Valery appeared seemingly out of nowhere and looked the younger woman in the eyes. Her pain was one she recognized as someone who had been captured by Hutt slavers in the past.

She despised them as much as Marigold did, but she had learned to control her emotions. Not alone, but with help from friends, and especially her partner.

"I know how much pain they cause," Valery began while she lowered the hilt of her lightsaber and cautiously stepped closer. "I've been through that suffering myself." The blade disengaged entirely now, and Valery even brought the hilt back to her belt. She didn't want to fight or hurt this woman, and well, she felt confident she could still protect herself if necessary. Or else she'd have her husband ready to shield her instantly.

"But there are better ways to fight them. Ways where you don't become a killer yourself."

While she talked to the woman, she also reached out to Kahlil again, <Babe, can you make your way up here? I want to try and talk her down, but I could use your help.>

 

[Kahlil Noble]

At the call, Kahlil stepped forward outside the building, and stepped in beside Valery. A ripple of space really, born from their bond alone as he glanced towards the girl in the distance. Brought his hands up calmly to keep a brief smile on his face. "You're right, kid. Not even the Alliance is safe from that type of people. We do what we can as Jedi, but we can't save everyone. But this isn't the way to help people. Setting bombs, that can kill more than just the slavers your targeting. Just put it down. We can talk still. It's not too late."

Valery Noble | Marigold

 

[Marigold]

Her fist clutched, seemingly giving in to her emotions, her tone shaky and flabbergasted. "You know it, the pain, right?" She started off, her voice quiet. But gradually increasing in it's desperation, with equal measure of anger.

"You know how it feels, when you have no one to go to?"
"You know how it feels, when you don't have anyone to tell you that it's going to be alright?"
"No one, to pick you up in their arms?"
"No one that'd calm you down when you're stressed or sad?"
"Anyone to say 'you're not alone'?"

Her breath was shaky, it looked like she was just about to break down in ugly tears, her voice sounding broken. But she'd keep talking, for she didn't know what else to do, her eyes watering.

"My childhood. STOLEN FROM ME!" Her shaky breaths filled the room, ripples of space echoing across the room at the sound of her words alone. "And you- Jedi?" She paused for a second, looking at Kahlil, remembering what she was told about them, they were the heroes though, weren't they not? They protected the Galaxy, did they not??

"After all of this you say there's a better way than just killing them, huh?! Should I just stop, curl up and fething DIE, because it's not the 'right way'!?" Now irrational, her hands shook. "...Step... ASIDE!"

However, as she moved her hands, something felt very wrong for the two masters, the ripples echoed and mirrored one another, like a ball bouncing off the wall, but it was gaining speed rapidly, turning into chaotic, unrelenting tidal wave filled with raw grief, anger, hatred, loss, pain, and many other feelings. Cacaphonic torrent swept across the entire room, the Force itself bending to her will as the velocity at which the wave flew would be enough to topple several speeders, the walls and old pillars cracking under the pressure, and perhaps, the duo, flinged away.

That was it, her chance to escape! A single step was taken, but it was followed by a loud yelp, as every inch, and fiber of her body was put through excrutiating pain, her muscles tired, her body, exhausted from such display of power and talent. Tripping, the satchel was sent sliding from her hands, spilling out it's contents, haphazardly cobbed together, raw Baradium.

A hand reached out, as Marigold attempted to crawl through the exit, but this time, ceiling zapped with sounds of broken circuitry, wires being detached, as metal debris detached itself, falling towards the young terrorist, threatening to crush her, to which, she could release a weak, pitiful yelp, squinting her eyes shut while barely working arms instinctively rised to protect her, although obviously, that wouldn't be enough.

Valery Noble
Kahlil Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Marigold

In an instant, Kahlil was right next to her again, though it hardly felt any different to her. Their bond always made her feel like a part of him was with her, and right now, she felt like she could use his help. Valery was able to relate to Marigold's pain, but she knew how unpredictable and dangerous it could make her - a danger not just to others, but go herself as well. Valery had once snapped and killed a lot of slavers herseld, but it had nearly pushed her down a much darker path.

Now she had people around her to help and support her, but it seemed the girl did not.

"We are not going anywhere, and you need to calm down before it's too late," Valery urged her, but it was already too late. The Force screamed in response to her outburst, and the ripples began to lash out like a tidal wave. Valery gritted her teeth and raised a hand to project a barrier, just to keep herself from being flung away. But it wasn't enough to protect the building, and all around them it began to crumble.

"Love!" Valery called out as she dashed forward and raised her hands to telekinetically hold up the debris, so it wouldn't fall down on Marigold. It put Valery in an extremely exposed position, but she higly doubted Marigold would do anything and get crushed underneath the rubble alongside Valery.

"We...gotta... move." Her voice was strained and small bits of debris were raining down on her, leaving behind smakl bruises and little cuts. "This place...is falling...apart."