Private Grow a Garden Safe from Murder

[Kaleleon]

Odessen​

Moving out into a separate room, No windows, just an open porch with the sounds of the forest. Men and women moving about to fulfill tasks. The meeting of these new rebels had ended. During that time, I had been told to meet with Valery after the proceedings were done. She had asked me to stay after and not just head out on the assignment given to me just quite yet. There was something that she wanted to converse about. So, I stayed. In that time, R7 had gotten off of the Nightsinger, and had joined me for a moment. I place a hand on the head of the droid. It swiveled underneath my touch and looked up at me.

"Beeuop?"
"Yeah I am good buddy. Just... thinking."
"Dop."
"Trust me okay?"
"Bedop."
"I appreciate it."

My hand came off of the droid and he rolled away. His motors fading into the distance as he returned to the ship. My eyes playing over the forests of Odessen. A planet that had been the home of a rebellion of old. Seemed fitting to be called here to do just the same once more. Now that this was the case, it reminded me all too much of what happened during the Hyperspace Wars. It felt like forever ago. Yet also like it happened yesterday. Flexing my hands as the images flashed in my eyes. The moment I had thrown punches into the side of a Escape pod to leave the planet... The feeling creeping up on me again. However, I breathed in. Letting myself feel those emotions and slowly letting them go. It was the past. This was different now. This was something of greater value that was being fought for. Not just some personal crusade, but one to fight back against the same menace that caused those wars. Yet, under a new name.

I sighed heavily as I had let those emotions stay too long in my chest. Finally realizing I needed to breathe properly. Controlling the air I breathed. Letting myself forgive the past. A soft smile came to my face as I remembered my fathers words. Then just moved to lean over the low wall and peer out more into the forest. Actually paying attention and listening to the nature of the world without spacing out. It wasn't long that I felt someone's presence near me.

I turned my head over my shoulder to see Valery. Nodding to her, I stayed where I was.

"Well, that turned out different from last time."

A chuckle escaped my lips.

"Always seems like I join at just the time I am needed."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery stepped out from the meeting chamber with the last of the gathered Jedi and rebels filtering away behind her. She spotted Kale near the edge of the porch, standing just past the low wall. The air was fresher here, and for the first time all day, she let herself take a slow breath before approaching.

She didn't say anything right away. Instead, she closed the distance with a small, genuine smile and pulled him into a firm hug. When she stepped back, her hands lingered briefly at his arms before falling back to her sides.

"It's good to see you again," she said with warmth in her voice. "And yes, you really do have a habit of showing up at just the right time." Her smile tugged a little wider before she turned to lean against the low wall beside him with her hip, eyes drifting out to the trees for a moment.

"It has been a while though." She tilted her head slightly, eyes returning to him. "How have you been holding up?" She could tell he had a lot on his mind, but she wasn't going to pressure him to talk about it.

Kaleleon ​

 

[Kaleleon]

As she came closer, She opened her arms for a hug. I was surprised at first, but easily accepted it. Feeling the warmth of her form against mine was... new to me. As if there was something I had been missing for a long time. It was nice, and accepted easily. Her hands stayed on me for a moment before letting go. With how much we have worked in the past, it was seeing an old friend return that allowed us to be close friends. The soft smile on my face brightened as we broke apart. Nodding my head to her words.

"As it is for you. Jedi Order Wayfinders tend to be out instead of closer to the temples."

The scoff that came from me at the notion that I worked mostly alone in the past bit. She did confirm that I showed up at the times most needed. With the Core Worlds taken over by the Galactic Empire, I knew that I was now needed. I hate that I had not been there. I was away on a mission when I had heard the news. No where near close enough to bring any aid. Now that I am here though? I would do all I could. She knew that.

"Yeah, been a hot minute. Just doing what I can where I can. You know me."

The smile slowly faded as I found my eyes dropping down to the ground. Finding a fascination in my boots. Pursed lips and a slowly raised hand before I spoke, I needed to speak. Had to. Normally I didn't unless necessary. But now? I felt like I could. Knowing it was just Valery who would be hearing it.

"How many did we lose? I tried to be there, but being on the other side of the galaxy I couldn't do much."

I could feel it. There were many deaths that had taken place with the Galactic Empire overtaking many of the worlds we had fought to protect for years now. It was a hit to the solar plexus. Knocking the wind out of us. Which is why this rebellion was going to be here. To try and fight back.

"Could I have done anything to help the Order?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's expression softened the moment she saw his eyes fall. She recognized the weight in his voice before he even finished the question. Guilt, frustration and that awful sense of helplessness that had followed so many of them through the final days of the Core were all in his voice.

Then she nodded, "We lost too many," she said, her voice low and steady. "Caltin…" Her breath caught, just briefly, before she continued, "He fell during the battle on Coruscant. There were others. Some we haven't even confirmed yet." She looked at him again, and there was grief in her eyes, though she pushed it away as quickly as it came.

"But none of that is on you, Kale. The fall of the Core wasn't a single moment or one fight. It was a storm none of us could hold back. You couldn't have stopped it, and neither could I." She turned slightly, her shoulder brushing his as she faced the trees again.

"But you're here now. That's what matters."

Her voice grew firmer.

"That's what all of this is. We lost our footing, yes, but that doesn't mean the fight is over. It just means we change how we fight. Where we fight. We build something new, closer to the people, and we stand up again." She paused, then turned to look at him, that fire burning in her eyes.

"I do feel something... tense in you, though. Like you've got a lot on your mind." She smiled a little warmer, "So, I wanted to check in on you."

Kaleleon ​

 

[Kaleleon]

The single word of the man's name.

Caltin.

It stung to hear that one of the great Masters of the New Jedi Order had fallen. Doing what he could to fight against the growing menace. I knew what it felt like to get shot. I have been. Hearing his name, and that there were still more yet to be recorded, was a pain to the chest I was not expecting. I guess I might have missed words spoken during the meeting where his name could have been uttered. But I guess now it finally had set in.

Valery's words were serious. Soft and steady. Trying to hold whatever emotions she felt about the situation. It was clear that of all the people this could have hit the hardest, she was one of them. Her voice seemed to almost break with her words, but she kept them solid as she spoke to me. Being the guide she always was. Dealing with the bad hand and doing the best she could. Better than most. The pit in my throat preventing me from speaking allowed her continue.

She did not blame me. While she did not, I did. I had come to the defense of Coruscant before. I had been Knighted merely days before the attack by the Dark Empire had struck against us. And the moment it was being attacked again, I was not there. Once more the words of my father echoed in my head. "A man is guilty of all the good he did not do." Even if she didn't say it, I still felt it. My eyes stayed low. Even as she spoke about pivoting and learning to stand again. Once more, my father's voice. "Rise and rise again. Until Lambs become lions." It was as if she was trying to say the same things to me that I had been told after the destruction of Csilla.

What caught me off guard, was her question. She came to me to check up. Make sure I was alright. A breath shaking as it was released from my chest. Trying to not expose the breaking I felt in my soul. Another name of someone I knew who had perished in combat. Another person who I had looked up to was now no longer walking beside us. Once more, losing friends and family. So much death. Breathing in again, and releasing it in a solid exhale now, I looked up to her.

"Survivor's guilt Val."

I never called her Val. Always used her full name or called her master. Now? I was breaking. It hurt. But I had to keep control of it.

"That's the job though. We knew that when we took the oath. When we speak the code. We knowingly put ourselves on the line. I just... wish it didn't happen so often."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery didn't need the Force to feel the weight behind his words. She heard it in his voice, saw it in the way his shoulders sank with each breath. There was something different about the way he said her name, too. Just Val. It caught her off guard, but only for a second. Then her expression softened, and the faintest smile tugged at her lips.

Without a word, she stepped in a little closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. Her touch was gentle, and her body language made it clear that if he needed it, the embrace was still there for him.

"I know," she said softly. "I wish it didn't happen this often either."

She gave his shoulder a small squeeze, eyes fixed on his face. "I've felt that guilt too. After every battle, every lost friend. After watching too many fall while I kept going." She paused. "But if we carry that guilt forever, we lose ourselves. And I think we've both lost enough already." Valery turned slightly to face the forest beyond the base again, where the sounds of life still carried through the trees. It was peaceful here, but it would not stay that way forever.

"We can't undo what happened. We can't bring back those who gave everything. But we can make sure their sacrifice wasn't for nothing. That's what we do now." She looked back at him, and the fire behind her eyes had returned.

"We fight. We rebuild. We give the next generation something better to stand on." A faint smile formed again. "And we do it together."

Kaleleon ​

 

[Kaleleon]

The hand on the shoulder. Soft, but firm. Holding me there in an attempt to ground me and to prevent my head from going too high into the clouds. It felt familiar and also comforting. Once more breathing in steady as she spoke. She hated it too. She knew this feeling and had dealt with it before. I knew she had. What she said was words I had heard many times before. Guilt held someone back. The feeling of inadequacy to change what happened killed many. No need for blade or firearm. Just the thoughts of such alone could bring a man to his knees. I knew so. I had been through it before. However, it kept coming back. Wanting to drag me down and bend my head to its oppressive nature. Valery, did what she could to speak the opposite.

"No. We can't undo something like this. Just..."

Breathing in and releasing it again.

"Rise in the face of whatever caused it. Its what we do. Even if no one else will."

My eyes looked to the hand she held on my shoulder for a moment, seeing that she cared about my well-being. It was a strange feeling. One I most often don't get. Last time I had someone care for me in any form like that, was my Half-sister. And that was... not a good situation. Sure a mother and father can do what they could, but I knew they always would be there. For someone who was not related by blood, an outsider to such. To show a caring hand was new for me. Unexpected, but not unwelcomed.

Breathing in again, solid and strong. My form straightening up. Twisting my head as if to release pressure from myself. My hands shaking a little to remove whatever nerves were still trying to fire off in me.

"Thank you Val. I- I appreciate it."

The smile slowly returning to my face. Tongue licking my teeth before continuing.

"huh, well, now that you are a Rebel leader, What's the deal with being Grandmaster?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery felt his posture shift and watched the subtle change in his expression. The tension that had clung to him seemed to ease, if only a little. When he stood straighter, she smiled and gave his shoulder one last squeeze before letting her hand fall away. "It's good to have someone like you here, Kale," she said with a warm smile. "Strong enough to rise, even after everything. I need people like that."

She turned slightly, her gaze following the line of the trees ahead, where the sounds of the base continued to hum behind them. Then she looked back at him, smile still faint but genuine. "As for being Grandmaster… I've stepped down." She said it plainly, without bitterness or regret.

"Someone else will take the role. The Order will go on, and the Alliance will keep standing because it needs to. There are good people still holding the line, and I trust them to do it." She paused just a moment, her eyes flicking between his.

"But this..." she gestured loosely toward the base around them, "This is where I need to be now. I've walked that path long enough. It's time I fight differently. No Jedi councils, no politics. Just the people I need to lead into battle."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, her shoulders relaxed, and her eyes focused on what she saw around her.

"This rebellion is my path now."

Kaleleon ​

 

[Kaleleon]

She had stepped down. It confused me personally. As Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order, wouldn't they need someone who had been there? Leading troops and guarding who was needed? Not going off to make a rebellion somewhere else? I could not judge her harshly though. I had done something similar in the past. Leaving the New Jedi Order to go fight with the New Imperial Order against the Sith Splinter factions instead of aiding in the fight against the Brynadul. I left my post because I felt it was what was best. Maybe that is what Valery needed to do. Step down, and let the new generation of Jedi rise up. Fight on their own terms just as she was doing here.

I was in thought for a moment as she finished her words. The rebellion being her path. This Hidden Path in the Galaxy. Maybe, it was best for her to do something of her own. If only to allow those who needed the room to grow, the space to do so.

Nodding my head I looked up to her. Thinking back to the moment she asked me in private to become a Jedi Knight. The two words I had accepted the responsibility with. She trusted me then, and even voiced that she still does now. It meant a lot to know and understand what that really meant. How it felt. There was a purpose. A reason for everything. I had gone through the trials of the Jedi Padawan for a Second time for a reason. Now as a Knight once more, there was still so much for me to learn and do better.

"I still stand by what I said during my trials, Val."

My eyes looking out past her and to the nature around us. Hovering for a moment before down at my feet again. Not out of some emotional break, but because I knew what I wanted to say. I just didn't know how to correctly voice it.

"I think that is what I was supposed to learn the second time around."

Another deep breath before speaking freely.

"We do what we believe to be right. Leaving the order, Joining it, fighting for others. When to take a step back and look at what is happening. What we need to be prepared for, is those potential consequences. Leaving the order to do what you feel is right, can be very dangerous. It can leave people in a tight spot and put others in danger unnecessarily. Even knowing such dangers are there, we still have to try. Otherwise, we are no better than our past selves."

My eyes looked up to her. Filled with a finality of getting that last lesson from the Grandmaster of the Galactic Alliance.

"I trust you Mas- Valery. I just hope you understand where I am. I am still needed there, but I will always be available to you."

Reaching down to my hand, I pulled a ring from off of my finger. Pulling off a ring from my finger. A simple golden band. It looked to hold no significance. Yet, there was much within it. I held it in my hand for a moment, looking at it before handing it to her.

"If you need me directly, Use it. I will answer. Always."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery looked at him, her expression softening as he spoke. She listened closely, not just to his words but to the way he said them. There was strength in his honesty, and she appreciated that. When he held out the ring, her brows lifted slightly in surprise, but her smile never faded. She reached out and accepted it, her fingers brushing his before curling around the band. It looked simple, but the weight of it in her hand felt like something more.

"I appreciate this, Kale," she said, then held the ring up to eye it for a moment. Her smirk returned, a flicker of old teasing warmth in her eyes. "Though if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were proposing to me."

She laughed under her breath and looked at him again, more fondly than before.

"But really... thank you. I do understand where you're coming from. Staying with the Order, holding the line. That's still an important fight. And I'm glad you're there for it." Her fingers closed around the ring again. "Just like I'm glad I can count on you, when the time comes."

Valery tucked the ring away and stepped back, offering him one last squeeze to his shoulder.

Kaleleon ​

 

[Kaleleon]

Of course the very first thoughts of handing any sort of jewelry to a woman, was the thought of proposed bonding in matrimony. My eyes rolled heavily at her words of teasing nature. We both know for damn sure that her heart lay elsewhere. Even if I wanted to try to be with Valery, there would never be a chance in all of the force to me to be able to do so.

Plus, I had a feeling Kahlil would have a reason to become a Sith.

I did not give her the ring to be a bond between us. More so, the ring is a communication device so that she could reach me wherever I may be. Encrypted and connected to nearly every Jedi channel known, and even many more kept in secret. I trusted Valery not because she is now, the former Grandmaster, but because of who she is, and why she helped me through my process of becoming a Knight of the Alliance once more. She had me swear the oaths that I had once broken, and now so easily would want me to break them. She knew what I had learned, and gained by my return to the order after the Exile from the Second Great Hyperspace Wars.

Not that she asked me to break it, but to bend it to fit and aid her. Which in truth, I already did many times before. Helping splinter cells of the Jedi with the various Enclaves and even the Lightsworn in the past. This connection we shared was one forged of friendship and admiration. Nothing else.

"No, I feel my heart lays with someone else who I have yet to meet."

I answered her with a chuckle and a smile to her comment, but continued.

"There are times, Val, that I feel torn between helping the New Jedi Order, and the other Jedi who are across the galaxy. Each has their merits. Each has reason. I am not one to cast them aside because they have a difference in opinion. I swore to become a Jedi, and help all people. No matter who they are. You even stated that as one of my greatest weaknesses years ago. My willingness to aid even a Sith come to the light if they so chose."

I knew she was a busy woman. and I wouldn't hold her up any longer if she was required else where, but I knew for a fact what I needed to do. What I had to do. I had Ran Serys to support, contacting other Jedi and even attempting to find possible allied forces that could help me in my pursuit of smuggling Jedi and civilians stuck behind the curtain of the Galactic Empire.

"I have recently been getting a lot of traffic of communications from other Jedi Orders and sects. I feel my assignment right now, is to get them and find a way to coordinate together. Find Allies for your Hidden Path, just as much as Allies for the Alliance. I also received a call to return home. To Weik. There has been a change there that is requested of me. I feel that it is close to the time in which Weik will be joining the Galactic stage."

A deep breath drawn into my chest and then released. Even as a Jedi Knight, I found myself having so much responsibility thrown upon my shoulders. Much of it I did not ask for. Yet I took it all the same, because I didn't know anyone else who would be able to do the same.

"You have that to contact me. Like I said, I will be here. To be completely honest, I don't think I could have gotten this far without your guidance. Or from the aid of others. So if there is anything, anything to help you and your rebellion, I will answer."

Valery Noble