Private From a Certain Point of View

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Indifference
Tags: Valery Noble

From the hotel balcony, Republic City looked like a dream.

Cloudcutters reached for the sky, their dazzling lights glowing against the night. The airlanes were crisscrossed by zipping speeders, each of them in such a hurry to get to wherever they were going. Down below, pedestrians scurried like ants.

Hosnian Prime truly slept for no one.

Thayne sighed as he went inside and set his rifle case on the bed. With a click, he popped open the lid to reveal an impressive railgun staring back at him: the shadow who traded it for a life had endearingly called it ‘Furthestkiller’. Tonight, the assassin would put its name to the test.

He loaded a single slug into the chamber and took up his position. Down in Senate Square, his mark was sitting on a cafe terrace. Through the scope, Thayne watched as the wrinkled Alliance war veteran sipped from a steaming mug, laughing and chatting away. Sharing stories, reminiscing about paltry honorifics. Thayne figured he looked old enough to have been around when the Sith tore through his homeworld.

If only the poor captain knew how enticing the crosshairs found his head.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

Valery hummed a gentle tune while she walked over Hosnian Prime's senate plaza, looking for a cafe or someplace to get herself a hot cup of tea. She had traveled to the planet for diplomatic reasons, and with that settled and no mission that was planned directly after it, she wanted to take a little bit of time to herself. Life had been very hectic for her, both on a personal level and in terms of Jedi duties, so finding time to just do nothing was getting rare.

What little free time she did get, she often spent with her daughter, and while that was the most amazing way to spend it, sometimes she did need a little alone time as well.

So after settling in a comfortable chair inside a small cafe, Valery relaxed and looked down at her drink. Her mind was mostly empty of thoughts, and especially work-related problems were set aside completely. But what should have been entirely relaxing and comforting still couldn't quite feel that way — she felt a strange tension in the Force. Not the kind that sparked when she was in danger, or someone she loved got hurt, but it was uncomfortable.

It drew Valery's eyes up from her drink, and she began to look around for the source.

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Indifference
Tags: Valery Noble

The assassin watched closely through the scope, waiting for the perfect moment. Furthestkiller was a powerful weapon with virtually no zeroing distance to calculate, but it’s fatal flaw was moving targets - and every stupid joke told at the table below sent the captain’s head back in a fit of laughter.

He waited patiently, until the perfect shot offered itself for the taking. The man lifted his cup to his lips, slow and steady to avoid scalding his mouth.

Thayne took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

Then, red mist.

He didn’t wait to see what was left of the captain’s head; The screams from down below gave him all the satisfaction he needed. He wasted little time dismantling the rifle and placing it back into the gun case.

‘Too easy,’ he thought to himself, a smug grin breaking across his face.

‘The Alliance makes it too easy.’

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

After finally snapping out of her own thoughts and setting aside this strange tension she felt, Valery reached for her cup of tea and slowly raised it up to her lips. It was still very hot, so she gently blew against it to cool it off quicker, and when she finally wanted to take a sip, she felt that tension spike and...

BANG

Valery's posture tensed up, and for just a moment, she sat completely frozen while people all around her were screaming and running for their lives. What should have been a peaceful end of a lovely day had now also turned into chaos, and she already knew that it was going to be up to her to do something about it. So she set down her teacup, allowed her senses to expand with their usual focus, and she looked around with those analytical, fiery eyes.

There he is.

Whether it was a reflection of light against his weapon or something else entirely, Valery believed to have spotted the attacker. Her senses locked in and felt the powerful emotions rushing through him. It had to be him, so with the hilt of her double-bladed weapon already drawn into her hand, she sprinted outside and made an explosive jump up towards the balcony in an attempt to intercept him.

Two violet blades ignited as a precaution, and she actively searched for him, "Hold it right there!"

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Indifference
Tags: Valery Noble

Thayne stopped mid-stride, glancing over his shoulder with silvery eyes. He smirked, showing his confidence.

“Enjoy the show?”

He lowered the gun case to the floor and turned to face the Jedi, taking in the unexpected purple glow that stood opposite him. Finally, a really target.

“I don’t do autographs, but I could make an exception for a Jedi!” Thayne taunted, drawing his blaster with lightning-fast agility.

He sent a short burst of blaster fire towards Valery, all the while taking several steps backward. The assassin needed to put some distance between himself and those blades.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

His first question remained unanswered, and all she did was stare him down with fiery intensity in her eyes. She wasn't in the mood at all to play games or listen to long monologues. This day had been long enough for her already, so this was going to end quickly, one way or another.

"Keep the autograph for signing your prison papers," Valery said in return, right as he drew his weapon and opened fire. With a quick spin of her weapon, the two blades turned and swatted away the initial burst of plasma. He was trying to keep pressure on her and back up at the same time, hoping that distance would help him stay clear of her weapons.

But she didn't need to be close to strike.

While her right hand continued the pattern of rotations to deflect his bolts into the floor and ceiling, her left hand made a wrapping motion, and from the side, she tossed a rather big closet towards him, hoping to either hit or off-balance him with the attack.

"Surrender now! You're not going to get away!" she called out before she tossed a table his way as well.

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Indifference
Tags: Valery Noble

For a moment, Thayne felt the suppressing fire had given him enough time to dash into the hallway, but the sudden onslaught of furniture sent him diving to the floor. The wardrobe flew past him, crashing into the far wall, but the table smashed against him. He cursed as the impact knocked his K-16 out of his hand, the blaster skittering away out of reach.

He scrambled to his feet, grabbing and throwing as many of the splintered boards as he could while trying retreating. When he saw a break in the struggle, he reached into his boot and drew his spare - and last - blaster.

"Who's going to stop me?" he shouted back at her.

Thayne fired a trio of bolts, their crimson glow illuminating the room as they flew into Valery's blades. He knew there was only one course of action now, and he loathed it.

With his spare hand, Thayne reached for a metallic hilt on his belt and snatched it off with a forceful flick of his wrist.

He'd only ignite it when she got close enough to feel its heat in her abdomen.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

"You're looking at her," Valery told him as she slammed the table into his body, thereby disarming him of his weapon. But the tension she still felt in the Force already revealed that it wasn't his only one, so there was no surprise when he pulled another from his boot and opened fire again. But much like the earlier shots he fired, they were all deflected as well, and she showed no sign that was going to change.

There was only one way that this was going to end, and so she finally made her approach.

But as she did, Valery felt another warning and stopped to bring around her weapon, just in time to catch the blade he ignited and attempted to thrust through her abdomen. Valery gritted her teeth and shoved the blade aside, now with a look in her eyes that made her feel a lot more serious about this, "Who are you?" she demanded before swinging around her rear blade to follow up in an attempt to pressure him.

"You can't win this, so give up," She added, as the front blade now came around from her left to right, also in an attempt to lash out at him and break through his defenses.

"You don't have to get hurt."

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Indifference
Tags: Valery Noble

He made his move, but he wasn't quick enough. Valery was clearly stronger, faster, and more powerful than the pathetic Knights Thayne had dispatched thus far. He'd bet that the sudden appearance of his lightsaber would throw her off, as it had done with countless others in the past, but he'd have to do better than cheap tricks to escape with his life.

It was a mental note he made with haste as his attention turned to the barrage of saber strikes that pummeled his defensive stance. Only when he managed to catch both of her blades against his own did he snarl at her through gritted teeth.

"The Jedi," he spat, trying to keep her lightsabers from reaching his flesh, "have done nothing but hurt me."

With a powerful push, he shoved Valery back, just enough to catch his footing and resume his position.

"Nothing makes me think you'll do anything better."

Thayne held his ground, ready for her advance.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

She was relentless in her barrage of attacks, hoping it would keep him from retaliating, and with time, she felt confident that she could break through and finish it. But when he caught her blades and snarled at her, Valery felt a shift, not in the Force but within herself. She knew that Jedi had fallen through the cracks — that some could have been helped but were only hurt more in the end. There had been a time when she felt that repressing her emotions and feelings the way the overly traditional Enclave she was part of hurt her like that as well.

Perhaps not to the extent of those who had left the order or fallen to the dark side, but she could still vividly remember the relief she felt when she first allowed herself to be open to someone else about her feelings. So when he shoved her back to create distance, Valery didn't resist and kept her distance for now, even though she could feel that he was waiting for her to advance.

"Nothing?" she asked, and perhaps to his surprise, she suddenly disengaged her two blades and lowered the hilt down to her side. She was, of course, focusing intently on him through the Force, so any attempt from him to attack and she'd be back in action, but she was still more exposed than she should be and hoped to show him something that way.

"I don't want to fight you, but can't you see that killing people is not the solution to your problems?" She frowned and let out a soft sigh.

"Please, disengage your weapon and come with me. It doesn't have to be like this."

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Indifference
Tags: Valery Noble

Thayne's body jolted as Valery's blade disengaged, completely astonished that she'd put herself in such a vulnerable position. Even if she wanted to play the hero, prevent their duel from ending in death, it was risky as hell.

He liked that.

"I don't want to fight you, but can't you see that killing people is not the solution to your problems?"

"You say that with confidence, but you don't see the hypocrisy in your own words. Killing people is the solution to every problem the Alliance has ever faced."

Thayne tried to stay focused on the Jedi, waiting for the inevitable moment that her facade dropped, and her blades came out. Thoughts buzzed inside his head, years of running, hiding, and killing all conflicting with what he saw before him now.

Could she really offer him a chance? Every chance he'd taken on the Jedi left him with nothing but pain.

He wondered if she remembered the slaughter on Dromund Kaas. Did she know that his family was butchered at the hands of the Sith, while the Jedi did nothing? Perhaps she was drinking tea while his mother screamed for help and his father was torn apart. While his sister and brother were dispatched like vermin.

Or maybe she wanted to help, just like he did, but was thwarted by the Order.

'This is a trick. Turn off your lightsaber. An unarmed Jedi is a dead Jedi. It doesn't have to be this way. It can never be any other way again.'

He looked at Valery with a grim, cold, painful expression. He didn't want to fight her, either, but there was little left to do now. An Alliance officer lay in a pool of blood at the cafe below, and Thayne had already opened fire. She'd have to kill him or lock him away. Neither were consequences he was willing to face.

"If killing people is good enough for the Alliance, good enough for the Jedi... then it's good enough for me."

His lightsaber remained lit, the pained blade unwilling to kill another Jedi ...

... but its wielder all too ready to do it again.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

Valery listened to every word he said with a deep frown, but still made no move to ignite her weapon again. To keep him from lashing out, she allowed her intent, which was otherwise concealed, to freely flow through the Force. This wasn't a trick to get him to lower his guard, nor was she going to get aggressive because of the disagreement.

But she still could not allow him to leave.

"How can you begin to compare the sacrifices men and women make at the frontlines to the cowardly murder of someone drinking coffee off-duty?" Valery asked with a shake of her head, now completely disgusted by the man in front of her. "The Maw wants to, and has actively tried to burn down every world in the Galaxy, and our people give their all to resist that every day. They are not the same as you." She told him with a lot less empathy for him now.

"If you believe your difficult past gives you any justification to lash out like this, then you're just weak. Everybody has lost loved ones in these wars or even outside the war, and we've all suffered in these difficult times. But some choose to handle it better than others, and the path you've chosen is that of a frightened coward."

Her thumb lowered back to the ignition switch and her expression grew much colder than before, "I have nothing more to discuss with you. Either you surrender your weapon and you come with me, so you might still find a way to turn your life around. Or I'm going to have to take you in."

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Indifference
Tags: Valery Noble

"Where were you when my people screamed for help?!" Thayne half-shouted, the anger boiling just below the surface.

"Their cries fell on deaf ears. The Alliance turned their backs on us."

He lowered his blade, but it remained ignited. What few echoes in the Force he could feel beyond the rage that clouded his judgement told him that Valery wasn't trying to play coy. She did really intend to diffuse their standoff without bloodshed. It felt wrong... he couldn't shake the feeling that her words were coated with honey, but his ability to divine such nuance had long been eroded by hate.

Tears welled in his eyes as the memories flashed like vicious lightning behind his eyes. Thayne was just a boy when his Master found him playing in the streets of Dromund Kaas. His presence in the Force stood out against the shroud of darkness that plagued his war-torn homeworld. When his sensitivity was discovered and he was brought into the fold of the New Jedi, he was promised that his family would be safe. That his only worries now would be his training. It was the last time he saw them before the invasion.

Thayne didn't care that Valery refused to entertain his words. He spoke on anyway, revealing only what he could manage without losing himself to the pain.

"Do you know what it's like to walk into your home after years of separation," he said bitterly, "only to find that the Jedi did nothing to protect your family?"

"Have you ever had to see your parents' bodies mangled beyond recognition? Have you ever looked at the dismembered corpses of your siblings?"

His bottom lip quivered as he glared at the Jedi, his silvery eyes glistening as he recounted the horror.

"HAVE YOU?!" he screamed.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

"I went through 4000 years of stasis, thereby losing everybody I knew and having to find the ruins of my Temple again. I've lost 3 Padawans, my old Master, and both an old boyfriend and my husband were killed. My five-year-old daughter has been the target of 2 assassination attempts just in the last 3 months alone, and my home has been destroyed twice," Valery said calmly despite his yelling and the anger she felt from him. This wasn't going to be settled with words alone, so she kept her lightsaber ready, just in case he decided to attack, or if she made the decision to take him in with Force. She wasn't going to even try to kill or seriously maim him, but there was no way he'd walk out of here.

"Like I said, some people handle it better than others and don't just point fingers and let emotions control them forever. There are also a lot of people out there willing to help you, myself and other Jedi included, but that means facing your mistakes and the difficult things in life head-on, and that scares you," Valery continued as her fiery gaze shifted to meet his.

"Deep down, you know what you did is wrong, but you're either too scared or unwilling to face consequences for your own actions. That's what makes you weak, and until you overcome your own barriers, there's nobody who can help you and fix your life for you. It's in your own hands and if you're willing to put in the effort, so am I, and so are others."

Having had enough of his self-pity rant, Valery let out a soft sigh and drew her blade vertically up in front of her. A simple yet steady lightsaber stance. "I'm going to need you to drop your weapon. This is the last chance — please do what's right and work with me." If he didn't, she was willing to bring him in the hard way as well.

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Indifference
Tags: Valery Noble

"I'm going to need you to drop your weapon. This is the last chance — please do what's right and work with me."

Thayne shook his head defiantly, bringing his saber forward and clasping both hands around the hilt. From behind its nefarious orange glow, he glared at the Jedi before him.

“We both know I can’t do that.”

Part of him really thought she would understand. That she’d listen. But she was just the same. Just like them. A Jedi.

A liar.

Thayne stood unmoving, his body poised to strike the moment he sensed her advance. Were Valery just another Knight, he'd make the first strike. But he could sense that she was something more. A force to be reckoned with. He took a deep breath, calming the outburst she pushed him to. All the pain and hatred that bubbled beneath the surface was best left as a reserve to tap into. If he could control the flow of his rage, he could use it to best her.

Or, at the very least, break away long enough to get out of there.

His silvery eyes narrowed, his regained composure cracking into a zealous smirk. He didn't have to kill her, just escape her grasp. He could manage that. He'd been escaping his entire life.

"Catch me if you can," he said, unleashing a sudden burst of energy from his palm that would knock Valery off-balance if left unmitigated.

Were she pushed back from the blast, he'd dash into the hall and begin a daring, if risky, escape. But he was also prepared to cross blades should she stand unphased.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

While they stood face-to-face with Valery's final warning being given, she could feel the intense emotions within him shift around again. During the brief argument, a lot of it had bottled up to the surface but the fact he was trying to gain control over himself already made her cautious. Then, a split-second before he made the move, Valery felt his intent echo along the currents of the Force, and she raised a hand defensively.

The blast of Force energy that followed was largely dispersed away from her as she tapped into the strength of the Force as well, but the force behind it was still enough to shove her back a few steps. Enough to give him a headstart for an escape attempt down the hallways.

Without wasting a second, Valery sprinted after him, the hilt of her weapon drawn into her hand, but she wasn't planning on using it just yet. Instead, she tapped into the Force once more, this time to pull open a door in the hallway in an attempt to have him slam into it.

"You can't get away!" she called after him, as she began augmenting her speed as well for the chase.

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Catch Me If You Can
Tags: Valery Noble

​

Just as fast as Thayne got himself into the hall, Valery was hot on his heels. He knew the Force push wouldn’t be enough to throw her completely, but he’d at least counted on it buying him more of a lead.

A door swung open with incredible force, cracking him in the arm as he tried to dodge the sudden obstacle.

“Chit!” he huffed as he bounded down the hall, once again relying on the Force to enhance his abilities.

“Chit, chit, chit!”

He dashed ahead at full speed, his lightsaber now before him and ready to slash through anything she’d throw - or pull - into his path.

As the assassin rounded an upcoming corner, he spotted an opportunity to put some distance between himself and the Jedi. He brought his lightsaber up and out, slashing the orange blade across a pair of pipes lining the wall. Hot steam shot from the cuts, hissing into the hallway.

Thayne chanced only a split-second backward glance before turning his eyes ahead and making for the emergency stairwell.

If he could get to the roof, he could recall the Nomad and escape with his life.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

The door she had summoned into his path struck Thayne's arm, and while it wasn't enough to stop him, she made up for some of the time she lost because of his Force Push. With every passing second, she now felt like she was gaining on him, or at least staying close enough to where he couldn't completely lose her.

She was going to get him.

However, Thayne wasn't without his own ideas either — using his lightsaber, he cut through some pipes and a combination of steam and hot water blew out, right into her path. Valery gritted her teeth and formed a layer around her skin that allowed her to draw in the heat. It was an application of Tutaminis, but it would only help prevent her from burning. The blowing steam and water falling on the floor still slowed her down, allowing him to reach the stairwell before her.

"You're making a mistake!" She called after him when she finally made it into the stairwell, but he was already getting close to the roof. She doubted that he planned to jump all the way down, so maybe had had a speeder waiting for him there?

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Location: Senate Square, Hosnian Prime
Soundtrack: Catch Me If You Can
Tags: Valery Noble

​

The durasteel stairs clanged under the force of his boots as he scaled them, two at a time, with a dash of speed enhanced by the Force. He punched a series of commands into his gauntlet holopad, issuing a remote summons to his ship. Thanks to recent augmentations to the ship's systems, the Nomad would be firing its engines and lowering the rear cargo hatch. All he needed to do was make it there.

He rounded the final bend of the stairwell in a flash, stopping for nothing. Thayne crashed into the door, sending it back and nearly knocking it from its hinges. His eyes scanned for the Nomad, but much to his chagrin, the ship was nowhere in sight. It was either en route, or his system overhaul was faulty; As Valery emerged from the stairwell behind him, he hoped to the stars it was the former.

"End of the line," he shouted from across the rooftop. His orange blade was glowing fiercely as he held it off the side. Thayne was cornered, and he knew that. It was obvious now that besting Valery in a duel was unlikely.

If the Nomad didn't arrive soon, he'd die on this roof. Or worse, be taken prisoner.

"What are you going to do now, Jedi?" Thayne asked.

But he already knew the answer.

 

[Valery Noble]

Hosnian Prime

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Thayne Tameron

With a burst of speed, Valery pushed herself through the door to reach the rooftop. She had felt him move up there but, for some reason, he stopped moving. Either he had no way out, or something had happened that prevented him from getting away. She doubted that he had gone up there without a plan to just hope for the best.

So she had to remain cautious.

"You know exactly what I'm going to do," Valery told him as she stepped onto the rooftop with the hilt of her double-bladed weapon in hand. She once again ignited its violet blades of plasma and stared him down. She had no desire to harm him, nor would she even attempt to kill him.

But if she had to first defeat him before she could capture him, she would.

"There's no way out," she continued.

"Please, lay down your weapon and surrender. Don't make this harder than it already is."