Private Ghost Ship of Revenant

[Talon Barova]

Location: Space, Outer Rim
Tags: Valery Noble

It was supposed to be merely a meeting with the other Jedi and personnel amongst one of the Galactic Alliance’s star cruisers. To determine who went to which location and with whom. Yet they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of an incoming transmission. Amidst the static, the holoterminal revealed a twi’lek garbed in torn and bloodied mechanic overalls. Clutching at his side as the twi’lek swiftly yet weakly explained his situation.

”--need help
--trapped
--Ablajeck Sector”

The visual cut out, but not before the blood curdling screams in the midst of something… animalistic in the midst of growls and audible crunching. A disturbing message, yet when Talon saw that it was playing in repeat, he realized this was only a recording. His expression hardened as the thought of such a thing could occur to anyone. Of course it could be a simple matter of trappers smuggling off exotic creatures off-world had gone terribly wrong. It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time, and likely wouldn’t be the last. Yet what concerned Talon the most was the disturbance in the Force that he had felt through the recording. Like a churning well of darkness that was present. Something unnatural had taken place, so Talon was the first to claim the task of investigating the situation.

Talon wasn’t alone however, as Valery opted to accompany him as well. Naturally he wasn’t against it. The vessel he piloted was the Jedi Defender or as Talon liked to call it as Guardian. To which he made use of the force imbued systems to locate where the transmission had come from and scouted out the disturbance in the Force. A handy thing to sense the Force at great distances, but what he had foreseen disturbed him. A familiar presence that was once there, yet he hadn’t felt this presence in a long time.

”Whatever is going on over there, the Force is not all that happy. Granted I would be too if somebody crashed into my ship and doesn’t even have the courtesy to bring drinks.” Talon amused over the thought as he put in the coordinates for the source of the disturbance on the astrogation terminal. By this point of course he had already departed from the cruiser and steadily moved away from the small fleet.

”I tell ya, this ship is a work of art. Sorry about the mess though, I usually fly alone these days.” Despite what he says, the condition of his ship was rather tidied up with some evidence that he lived on the ship for some time now. Such as dishes in the process of drying out, a couple of empty bottles on the counter, but nothing more excessive than that.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Talon Barova

"It's alright," Valery said with a chuckle. "Not the first time I enter a man's ship who travels alone." She flashed a brief grin, but it faded once she refocused on their new task. The transmission they had received was immensely troubling, and not something they could ignore or pass off to someone else. Time was running out for whoever sent it, so without any hesitation, the two Jedi knew it was their mission now.

She just hoped it wasn't too late.

"Try to stay on the outskirts of the sector first. We don't want to run into whatever he did without first checking it out." They couldn't help someone if they got into trouble themselves, so she opted for a careful approach. Scan the sector, determine a plan, and move into action.

It'd take a bit longer than jumping straight in, but it was safer.

 

[Talon Barova]

Location: Space, Outer Rim
Tags: Valery Noble

”Sounds like a plan. Besides it’s outside of our jurisdiction and I believe that the sector had an intense history. I remember hearing something about some Mandalorians bombarded a planet within the sector.” Talon admitted as he adjusted his coordinates to just at the outskirt of the sector.

”Whatever it is, if it’s on a ship then let's hope it's not intelligent enough to learn who to pilot a ship.” He jested, but there was truth of concern in the midst of that humor. Talon hoped that it was a mere beast, but who knew how long the transmission had been playing on the constant loop before anyone answered the call. As he sat at the chair in the cockpit, the Guardian entered hyperspace as streaks of stars filled the viewport.

”What do you think that was, Master Noble?” He inquired rather surprisingly formal and direct. The situation sounded grim enough, but usually Talon chipped in some kind of humor to break the tension even a little. Not this time as there was something in the Force that Talon had not felt in a long time. And he prayed that it was merely a figment of his imagination. Lest his past came back to haunt him again.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Talon Barova

"It is outside of Alliance Space, but we'll do what we can to help." She settled into her chair and looked out through the viewscreen, as they made the jump to Hyperspace. Watching the stars from within a Hyperspace tunnel always had a calming effect to her. She knew that arrival could often mean trouble, so it was her calm before the storm.

Her moment of peace.

"I have no idea what it was. There are so many possibilities," she said, her eyes shifting back to Talon to note his expression, "A dangerous animal, Sithspawn or all if it could even be fake, and we're just walking into a trap." She smirked faintly after her little joke, but she could tell he had something on his mind.

"You seem a bit tense about all of this. Are you alright?"

 

[Talon Barova]

Location: Outer Rim, Space
Tags: Valery Noble

Talon tilted his head as he considered the possibilities. Frankly he would hope that it was either one of those options and not what the Force had shown him. Even at the present moment, Talon could not shake the mental image of a certain Twi’lek that was once so full of life and regal had become distorted. Etched in hate and grasping for power outside of his comprehension. Yet in the midst of it all, the vision presented the cold sensation, like invisible fingers of ice that caressed his face as Talon sensed a dark hand behind it all. He couldn’t make sense exactly as to what this meant, but one thing was for certain. Talon hoped that this incident was not related to that man.

”Am I? Must be losing my touch to cause you worry then.” Talon played it off with a smirk on his face, attempting to mask that there really was something bothering him. It wouldn’t do well if he made the Grandmaster worry about him. All Talon knew that the future was always uncertain, and of how quickly the future could change at a moment’s notice. It was best not to let it bother him too much or so he had thought.

”It most certainly could be either one of those options, especially since it was played on a loop. In which case, let’s hope that there’s no gravity well where we’re going or else this trip might be a long one.” Talon commented as he leaned back into his chair. The cushions provided warmth and micro vibrations that targeted his sore muscles that relaxed his body. With the ship on auto-pilot for the time being, Talon would get up from his chair and proceed to walk over to the refreshments area.

”Care for a drink?” He offered before he pulled out two glasses with a bottle of honey mead from the cabinets.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Talon Barova

"We all get tense over something," Valery said with a kind smile, even though he tried to brush it off. "If something is on your mind, it can help to talk about it." She wasn't going to push him, though. He was a Jedi Knight and an adult — if he wanted to speak with her about anything, he always could. But if he had something to figure out on his own, she'd respect it.

Though, it seemed like he had some concerning habits.

"A drink?" Valery perked a brow, stood up, and walked after him. "Uh, as long as it's not alcoholic right before a mission." She squinted to gauge what he was going to pick for himself. Last time she met him, he had been drinking too, so her first assumption was that he'd do the same now.

Even if he could keep himself from getting drunk, it was an unnecessary risk.

"There are better ways to focus before an assignment."

 

[Talon Barova]

Location: Outer Rim, Space
Tags: Valery Noble

The thing with the alcohol even if it was only mead was that it often did dull the senses and muddled the mind. With the honey mead, the Alderaanians preferred this drink under a more festive occasion, however to truly experience the intoxicated state either the consumer would have to possess low tolerance to alcohol or drink lots of it at a quick pace.

Of course Talon didn’t have just alcohol either despite what the shelves of different kinds of alcohol lined up in his cabinets would suggest. Granted the bottles possessed various quantities as he’s likely tried them at least once, but most of them are of different kinds and some were even the expensive kind. Talon grabbed another bottle from a different cabinet which consisted of many non-alcoholic drinks. Who knew the drunkard liked to sort which was alcohol and which wasn’t? Either way he grabbed a bottle that didn’t look all that impressive until he poured out the contents in a glass. A drink of Cloud City that was mainly milk with a bit of blue raspberry flavor. Talon even took a scoop of ice cream and added on top of the drink while making sure that he never touched the top of the glass or the cream.

”Oh most certainly, mine just happen to be relatively simple to focus on.” Talon chuckled before handing the drink over to Valery. He kept his glass of mead as he put away the bottles where they were and washed what little dishes he used. As he turned to face Valery once more, Talon took a sip of his mead.

”Besides, it'll take a little time to get there. The ship is fast, but even she is not that fast, love.” Talon commented as the taste of honey lingered on his tongue. One could blame the drink to be the source of his loose tongue when addressing the Grandmaster, but frankly Talon has always been like that.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Talon Barova

"Oh wow," Valery said with an impressed smile when he offered a drink. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was a bartender. He had a collection, he knew what to pick and even added little details like the ice cream. All without contaminating the rim of the glass to keep it clean for her. Not bad at all.

"It tastes good, too," Valery added after taking a quick little sip to try it out. The raspberry flavor was particularly nice, and the ice cream complemented it well.

He knew what he was doing.

"Oh yeah?" Valery then asked, having noticed the change in his tone. She smirked and twirled the contents of her glass around while she looked over at him. "You should be careful, calling me that," she then added with a tone that made it obvious she was just being playful. Valery then smirked and took another sip from her drink. One question did come to mind, "How much time do we have? Roughly?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head.

 

[Talon Barova]

Location: Outer Rim, Space
Tags: Valery Noble

”What?” He posed the question with a knowing smile as Valery made a comment. Then again based on what anyone has seen of him, Talon was renowned as the drunken Jedi who somehow manages not to blunder a mission despite his condition. Well, he hasn’t failed a mission since the Grandmaster accepted him back amongst the Jedi.

”I might love a good drink, but if I’m going to love something I’d rather invest the time to get acquainted with it. Learning what makes them what they are, how to cater around it, and learn how to love it properly.” He clarified, but there were quite a bit of hidden messages there that it truly depended on the mind of how they understood it. One thing was for certain, he was unmistakably talking about alcohol. A teasing wink at the end however, might blow her quip out of the water.

”You’re right, I probably should be careful. Am I going to?” He left that question for her to decide how to answer it. For he cannot control what others or the Force does. For the only thing he knew that he should focus on control is how he responded to life and to the Force. For the second he loses control of him is the moment he considers it a loss no matter if he seemingly won the conflict or not. Talon took another sip of his mead when Valery inquired about the travel time.

”About an hour or so. Shouldn’t be too much longer than that.” Talon informed the Grandmaster. As he sat the glass of half drained mead on the counter, Talon produced a simple flask of osmiridium with the colo claw fish engraved into front. Specks of pale blue lights indicate how full it was, yet about a tenth was lit up. As he popped off the stopper, Talon finished the rest of it before he set about washing it out. Talon was a lot of things, but he does not abide alcohol abuse unless it was poor quality booze to begin with.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Talon Barova

"That sounds rather philosophical," Valery mused after he flashed her a wink. "How do you usually go about getting acquainted?" she asked with a smirk before she raised her glass to her lips for another sip. The sweet taste danced over her tongue and brightened her smile, mere moments before he dared tease a little again. He was bold enough to use cute little names to address her, and he wasn't afraid when she called him out on it?

Valery grinned just a little wider.

"No, I suppose you won't. Not here in your ship, at least." She chuckled and set aside her glass for a moment. Valery then stretched her arms and leaned back into her chair to relax.

If they had an hour, she had plenty of time to prepare.

"An hour to relax and get ready, hm?" Valery hummed and raised her hands up behind her head while she leaned into her chair, "Best not to drink too much, then. Or will you still be able to control yourself and focus?"

 

[Talon Barova]

Valery Noble

He couldn't help but smirk as Valery commented on the philosophy behind it. ”A bit of philosophy, a bit of charm, and good company tends to go hand to hand.” Talon admitted as he liked the mixture of it all. It was like a recipe for cooking except for things in life. ”Truthfully it often boils down to how you perceive things is what it means to you. I could be the most charmful guy around and yet in your perspective I could be the last guy you want to be with. Add some modesty, humor, and reliability in the mix and you might change your tune simply because you like what you see. What you hear. It is a natural response after all.”

Talon held up the mostly drained glass of mead. ”For example, I like to get acquainted with people by first offering them a drink. A gesture often seen as acceptance and the first step of a potential friendship if not acquaintance. Then we'd chat, ask questions, maybe throw in some jokes to lighten the mood.” In short he just described what he did with Valery except he purposefully left out some parts. Indicating that it was not something he would normally do, but that was up to Valery to figure out.

He raised a brow when she answered for him. She was mostly right, but he knew better than to blatantly say as such. ”Only on my ship? I seem to recall a similar exchange when you accepted me. Of course, the details are a bit blurry I'll admit, but I do remember those details.” Of course he was certainly not the perfect Jedi and he was by no means the perfect man. He has plenty of flaws despite what he makes it seem. Talon just got better at hiding and often masked by the drink.

”My performance might have been sub-par in the past, but the drink doesn't give the same buzz anymore. Nowadays all that seems to be the same is the taste, and frankly aside from the side effects the good quality alcohol aren't that bad for the most part.” As he says this, he grabs a bottle of rum-equivalent and begins to fill up his flask. The little blue dots gradually lit up as an indicator of how full it was, and Talon filled it up to the top.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Talon Barova

Valery looked down at her glass and chuckled while she whirled the contents around, "Quite the romantic, hm?" she teased with a smirk before she lifted her glass and took another sip. "It sounds like you've given all of it a lot of thought, though, and I quite agree." Not that her marriage had sparked quite like that — it was far more heat in the moment at the time, and they learned more of each other as they went through life.

But, in general, his approach was a lot more sound.

"No, last time you were quite like this. The details might be blurry because I found you after at least a few drinks." Another teasing grin followed before she emptied her glass. "Even then, you weren't too drunk, though. A little forward and very easy-going, but not rude or overly loud." Those were the worst kinds of drunks, but it seemed he didn't really get drunk in the same sense as others.

Either he had a very high tolerance, or he used the Force to filter the alcohol from his body.

"Alright," Valery then said with a smile while her eyes lingered on him as he filled his drink, "If you'll excuse me for a bit, I'm going to meditate and get ready for the mission. It was nice, catching up a bit." She smiled warmly, turned around, and slowly started walking towards an empty room unless he stopped her.