Private High Speed, Low Drag

[Ara Sheridan]

WIELU | CAPITAL
TAGS: Valery Noble
GEAR: In bio

Being assigned to Master Valery for a mission was something Ara never thought she'd hear. It made her incredibly anxious. She felt that she was improving, certainly compared to where she was, but now she was going to have her pseudo aunt overseeing her performance. It also made the rather questionable cargo in the hold far more awkward. She heard about the destination a lot sooner than the identity of the Jedi in charge of this operation.

The excuse wasn't much better either. When she heard that she was going to Wielu, her mind immediately jumped to the -rather illegal- podracing scene on the planet, as well as its amazing tracks. What better place to break the new ECU in than a few laps on a track... at least, that was the plan. She still hadn't brought that topic up with Valery. Just seeing her face when she saw the pod in the cargo hold was enough to deter any hopes of pitching the idea to her.

So she was reduced to playing her guitar as they flew to the planet. The mission was rather straightforward too, at least in theory. Wielu always had a rather rough criminal presence, but a new disturbance had a lot of people reaching out to the Jedi for help. When stories of supernatural occurrences and odd disappearances begin to rise up, it became a job way above the pay grade of any officer or even gangster. It was also focused around a recent podrace, another layer of salt on the wounds.

"Hey, master, are you hungry?" She asked with a smile as she sat upright on the couch of the ship's mess room, her fingers still dancing across the strings of her guitar. Despite the awkward situation around her pod, Ara was all smiles and sunshine. She had all the reasons in the galaxy to be, with how things were going between her and Kayl Krayt . That part was also left on the down low, at least for a moment. It would likely come up eventually, Valery was always good with picking up on people's emotions. But until then, Ara was avoiding that kind of topic entirely.

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

"Hey, master, are you hungry?"

The familiar voice abruptly snapped Valery out of her trance and drew her fiery eyes to Ara. The combination of music and finally having a moment of peace where she didn't need to worry about anything had left her mind wandering, and she couldn't help but hyper-focus on recent events. From the trouble in her personal life to the war, and of course, to all of the Padawans she tried to take care of. Even those who weren't directly under her tutelage often relied on her guidance or lessons, and with the Order growing so rapidly, it was a huge responsibility.

"Uh... hmm." she paused and finally adjusted to reality with a smile. "Something to eat would be nice. Got anything in mind?" she asked Ara with a more familiar demeanor. She was one of few Padawans she felt a connection to almost as strong as the bonds with her own, and much of that is because of how they've interacted in the past. She had been there for Ara in difficult times, and Valery would be lying if Ara's antics hadn't been somewhat amusing.

And now, she was on the verge of Knighthood.

"It has been a little while since we went somewhere with just the two of us, hm? Has everything been going well for you, both with training and just with life in general?" Valery asked with sincere interest. She rarely had the time to really catch up with people, so now that they were traveling, it was an ideal opportunity for it.

 

[Ara Sheridan]

She only took note of Valery's odd reaction when she was pulled from her trance to answer. Ara's gaze lingered for a bit with curiosity, but she quickly moved over to the kitchen. "Simple recipe, but super good. A Tatooine recipe, actually, that I learned a while back. I made sure to pack enough ingredients, the ration bars they gave us are garbage." She remarked as she pulled some wraps, meat and veggies from the fridge. Immediately the girl began to prepare the food with experienced precision. "Like... come on! Would it kill them to give us the berry flavour ones?" She continued with a shrug.

The sizzling of meat soon began while Ara worked on the vegetables, chopping them up into fine bits.

"It has been a little while since we went somewhere with just the two of us, hm? Has everything been going well for you, both with training and just with life in general?"

"Last time was on the roof of the temple. Stuff's been getting hectic for the both of us." She remarked with a chuckle as she turned to look at Valery. "Things are alright. My boyf- a friend... helped me fix up the pod, so that's running again, b-but I haven't had a chance to take her out for a proper run yet." She quickly turned to continue working on their meals in hopes of hiding her face, no doubt that Valery caught that slip. "But other than that, I'd say with training it's going really good. I've been putting a lot of work in. I still got a lot to learn, but I'm feeling like I'm getting really decent these days. Especially compared to where I was a while back." While she tried to keep Valery from remarking, she was also sincere in her words.

The vegetables were tossed into the pan along with the meat, as well as various sauces and spices. "You good with hot food, or should I keep the hot stuff away?" She asked over her shoulder. Once the filling was allowed to simmer, she looked at Valery again. "How's things been on your end? You look like you've been having a lot going on." She asked with a hint of concern in her eyes. She had no desire to mingle in her personal life, but she could see when someone was having a lot on their plate.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

"You think the standard rations are bad? Should see the energy bars they made us eat at the frontlines..." she shuddered at the thought alone. If there was one thing that had motivated Valery to become a good cook when she was younger, it was likely the terrible meals she had to endure as a Padawan. Now, she loved trying new things and sharing recipes with others, so Ara's offer was a welcomed distraction from all the things that bothered her.

But the distraction wasn't big enough to make her miss the slip-up.

Ara continued to talk as if that would somehow help Valery forget about it, but the Jedi Master naturally ignored everything and decided to push on the subject. "I'm glad your training has been going well but... boyfriend?" She looked at Ara with a wide grin just to make it clear there was no way around it. The added benefit was that she could dodge the return question a little. Valery had picked up on the concern in Ara's eyes, but she didn't want to bother the young woman with issues of her own personal life. She'd much rather focus on the fun parts of life, and new boyfriends were about as exciting as life could get.

"Who is it? Where and how did you two meet?" Valery asked to bombard Ara with some questions. Then, another smirk touched her lips.

"...Got any pictures?"

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara realized immediately that her plan had failed, and her mistake was noticed, when Valery commented on her having a boyfriend. But what made her even more worried was the lack of criticism and the giant smile on her face. The Zabrak was blood red as she brought her hands up. "M-master, I can promise you that it won't be a repeat of last time! For real." She immediately responded with worry written all over her features.

Valery, it seemed, was hardly worried about that for the moment. She asked for details and, of course, for pictures. Ara scratched the back of her neck as she thought about how to answer all of that. "Um... yeah, I got a pic." She admitted sheepishly as she pulled out her datapad. After getting it back from the master, she was perpetually perplexed about how the screen was fixed.

When she gave it to Master Valery the day she was arrested, the screen was all but shattered. It was almost entirely unusable, but when she got it back, the screen was pretty much entirely fixed. Master Valery never claimed to have fixed it, though that simply made the situation more confusing.

Regardless, it was perfectly fine now, with only a light crack in a corner that was hardly a bother. She unlocked her device and searched through a bunch of miscellaneous photos until she found a picture of her and Kayl together. Sitting down next to Master Valery, she held the datapad for her to see. It was a picture of Ara leaning against the tall man beside her pod, taken after he managed to fix its computer up for her. The helmet sporting a T-visor resting on an engine was a dead giveaway of his origins. "His name's Kayl. He's a super good slicer and tech guy... he also flies a Basilisk War Droid." She explained with a nervous smile.

"He's part of clan Krayt. We met on that assignment I had a couple months back, I had to tail a group of thugs to find out if they had a gang base. He was after them for a bounty on their heads. Things went south and we had to fight them. He helped me break into their devices and we followed the trail to a massive slave operation in Underworld. We, uh... went in and freed the slaves. A few died, but most of them we managed to subdue for arrest." She explained as she sat back and looked at the picture for a moment.

It was a nice picture, easily one if her favourites. "I'm serious, though. It ain't gonna be a repeat of last time. He's pretty reserved, but he's super solid. So far, it looks like he takes loyalty real seriously. He ain't spineless like the other guy was." She looked at Valery with a serious stare, trying to convey her point and put the master's concerns at ease.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

"Heyy, I wasn't saying that it would be," Valery said with a chuckle. Ara's first attempt at bringing some romance into her life had sparked a lot of trouble, but it wasn't the strangest thing out there. First boyfriends or girlfriends often weren't going to be the one but it had still been a valuable experience. She seemed and felt happy right now as well, so Valery was never going to question the decision unless she actively saw something terribly wrong.

The Zabrak then pulled out her datapad and joined Valery after choosing a picture that showed the two together. It immediately gave Valery's eyes an almost motherly glow. "I can see why you like him~" she teased while she nudged Ara with her hip just a little bit. Kayl was definitely the type for Ara — tall and strong, and with a basilisk droid and tech skills, he could probably nerd out over podracing and other things like it with her too.

"In all seriousness, you seem really happy with him and that's all that matters," Valery added. She then wrapped an arm around Ara's shoulders and pulled her close for a moment.

"If he hurts you though, I will go after him." She winked and released Ara so they could get ready for the meals that were being prepared as they spoke. "You should introduce him some time. Or come over to my place and I'll make you both a meal and we just talk a little more."

"I'm sure Vera would love to see you too," she said with a chuckle.

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara snickered as she looked away for a moment from Valery's remark. In hindsight, it certainly made sense why they clicked so quickly. It was in the back of her mind as she hung out with him. Though, upon hearing Valery's reassuring promise, Ara's laughter escalated.

"No jokes, I told him the same thing, and apparently Iris did too when they met on some kind of mission. Poor dude's got a line already forming if things go south." She admitted as she put her datapad away and got up. She stirred the food around and finally dished up, setting a pair of wraps on their plates and landing them on a table with the use of the Force. Certainly a misuse of her power, but also good practice for fine control over objects.

A blush formed once again as Ara glanced off for a moment. "Um... dunno how a meeting would go. I can probably check if we can visit at your place." She spoke carefully, already trying to figure out the odds of an embarrassing story or two coming up in conversation... or what kind of slip ups would happen on their end. Luckily Master Valery mentioned something that shifted the conversation a little. "I never actually met Vera yet. Don't think I even know what she looks like. Might be nice to actually meet her... though, I'm probably not the best influence to have around a kid." She admitted with a guilty laugh.

The Zabrak fell silent for a moment as she drizzled a dangerous amount of hot sauce into her food and munched away, savouring the taste and the sting of the sauce. It didn't take long for her sinuses to open up, but that didn't stop Ara from finishing her first wrap in record time. "Um... by the way, Master... if we finish up with the mission soon enough... do you... think we can take my pod out for a spin?" She asked with a cautious smile as she glanced up at the woman.

She had to confront that bantha in the room sooner or later, after all...

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

"Good, it's important that he knows," Valery added with a wink before she watched Ara get up to finish preparing the wraps. After they were put on plates, the young woman returned and telekinetically set them on the table, which got Valery to raise an eyebrow. In the past, she wouldn't have said anything, knowing that Ara had her struggles with her connection to the Force, but things had changed a little. "You're getting close to Knighthood, so be mindful of how you use the Force. You're not a young Padawan anymore," she said calmly.

That was all she really needed to say — she felt no need to linger on it, and turned to her food for a quick bite. Instantly, her smile brightened and she looked back up at Ara, "Hmm! This is great, Ara!" she complimented. While she continued to eat, the conversation shifted to Vera, and Ara's response got Valery to blink.

"Huh, yeah you haven't yet. But you can meet her soon if you'd like — she's even at the Temple a lot these days for youngling training," Valery said with a very proud, motherly smile, "And don't worry, she is already chaotic and energetic. She'll love you," Valery teased with a grin.

"Um... by the way, Master... if we finish up with the mission soon enough... do you... think we can take my pod out for a spin?"

Valery paused right after finishing up her wrap and slowly looked up at Ara with narrowed eyes. For a moment, she seemed a lot more intense, but a fiery spark ignited in her eyes and she nodded, "Only if I can give her spin as well. I love riding my bike and I've actually done some podracing for charity before too."

"So maybe we can make it a little competition, hm?"

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara blinked when Master Valery addressed her arguably trivial usage if the Force. She was about to explain herself, but Valery didn't seem to linger on the situation. She could bring it up later, it wasn't something she wanted to leave unexplained. Any master worth their salt would think that the Zabrak was abusing her power with a stunt like that, but Ara fully believed that it wasn't the case.

At least she seemed quite impressed with the Padawan's food. Ara flashed a grin but remained silent as she mulled over the master's words. She looked up again at the mention of meeting Vera. "Oh damn, she already learning? I take it she's getting it harder than the other paddies, huh?" She joked. The prospect of meeting the kid felt rather daunting. She was never good with children, an aspect that made her nervous about getting a padawan if she managed to get the promotion. The comment Valery made sounded promising, but Ara still struggled to believe that she was almost on Knight level.

"Wait, hold up! You ride? Like... swoops?" She asked, brushing aside everything else for the moment. "Oh man, you definitely gotta meet my mom, then. She'll be able to soup up your ride real easy. She's crazy about swoops and racing. She was actually champion for a while in Underworld when she rolled with her old gang." She explained with a beaming smile. "But yeah... I'll take that deal. Can't fight better than you, but I can cook better... beating Valery Noble's time on a circuit will be something worth holding onto." She teased with a smug grin as she finished her wrap and sat back in her seat.

Eventually the ship dropped out of hyperspace and their time to relax came to an end. Ara quickly put the dishes away and made her way to the cockpit. "Not sure how we go about this kind of thing, Master. Do we go to the crime scene first or do we talk to the police?" She asked Valery. Tracking random disappearances wasn't exactly something she was familiar with. Their only lead was the last location where people went missing ans the records from the police.

However, something stood out to Ara. An odd feeling through the Force. "Master... I feel something. Not like Sith but... definitely dark." She remarked as she stared out of the viewport.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

"She's learning fast and I definitely don't give her special treatment," Valery said with a smirk. Her daughter had been dealing with Force visions ever since she was three years old, so her training had to start early, and they had to take it very seriously. It was important that she learned to control them, and Valery did her best to assist with it, whilst still leaving much of her training up to others.

She couldn't be too involved.

On the topic of riding swoop bikes and podracers, Valery began to grin a little, "I usually drive just a normal speeder bike for fun, but I've competed a little bit with swoop bikes and podracers, yes." Not that she practiced regularly or did it often, but she had been convinced to participate to raise credits for charity. Luckily, the very refined senses of a Jedi Master helped her perform quite well, despite being a beginner.

"Don't be so cocky~" Valery then teased, "Unlike you, I cook more than just fries and greasy burgers, but... I'll admit that you can probably set a better time on the track. It's more your thing than it is mine," Valery chuckled. Of course, she wasn't going to make it easy or just give Ara the win. She'd have to work for it, and the last thing she should do is underestimate Valery. As calm and peaceful as she often seemed now... there was a time when she was an adrenaline junkie herself.

The two then finally jumped out of hyperspace, and Valery's exterior shifted. She loved to mess around a little when possible, but mission time meant being serious, and this was something they could not underestimate. "It's likely that the police will be at the crime scene, so we can go there and cover it all," Valery said in response, but something that Ara said shortly after that changed her plans completely.

"Something dark?" she asked with a tilt of her head. "Maybe that's where we should begin. Can you take us down there?"

 

[Ara Sheridan]

"Hey, I can cook more than just that!" Ara immediately countered. "Just not my fault those are the best food." She flashed a beaming smile. The downtime was pretty much exactly what they needed. A chance to unwind and catch up properly. Unfortunately it had to come to an end as they descended toward the planet's surface.

Valery asked if they could go to the source of it all, earning a nod from the Zabrak as she focused on flying towards the scene of the crime. The darkness was slowly becoming more prevalent to the point where Ara shuddered somewhat. "Can't you feel it, master?" She asked as she glanced over her shoulder. Eventually they reached a suitable spot to land, a pad close to the crime scene. Upon emerging from the shuttle, an officer was already waiting by the ramp with a stern frown. "Oi, what do you think you're doin' here?" He started with a commanding voice as he held a hand out towards them.

Ara hesitated for a brief second, wondering if it would be better to let Valery handle the negotiations. "Turn around and get back in that cockpit." The officer continued. From the look of his stripes, he was a sergeant. A few other officers in the area stopped to keep an eye on the commotion. "We're Jedi, officer." Ara decided to speak up. The man raised an eyebrow as he studied the two women. "I'm Padawan Ara Sheridan, this is Master Valery Noble." She continued, gesturing to herself and Master Valery. Finally she stepped aside to let Valery handle the rest as the officer's attention immediately shifted to her.

"Master Noble, eh? Didn't think us normal folk are worth the bother for the likes of you." He remarked with a skeptical look. Ara blinked at the remark but kept quiet. Better to let the professionals handle situations like these. "So, what's the big deal here? Why's a bunch of Jedi comin' all the way out 'ere?" The sergeant continued.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

Valery chuckled at the response and held up her hands to concede, "Burgers are really good. My daughter wants me to make them for her birthday, so I can't deny it." Of course, she also wanted cake and other snackies that were going to take a ridiculous amount of time to prepare, but there wasn't a thing in the Galaxy Valery wouldn't do to make her little star happy. Especially on her birthday — this year it was going to be special, she could feel it.

The journey then turned slightly somber, as something dark connected with them through the Force. The source wasn't something she could determine, but there was something out there. "Faintly, but I don't think as strong as you do. Which... can mean a lot of things." Usually it meant that the source was more connected to Ara than it was to Valery, and that worried her a little. But it was also possible that Valery's senses weren't quite as sharp today. Times had been exhausting and rough on her, after all.

Either way, the two took the ship down to the surface and soon found a place to land. But before they even had a chance to get out, they were greeted by an officer wanting them to turn around. Valery raised an eyebrow at the way he addressed them, but she didn't even move an inch just because he demanded they did so. The brief conversation between him and Ara that followed immediately set the tone for Valery, who wasn't having any more of his chit.

"Everybody is worth my time if they need help, sir," Valery said with slightly narrowed eyes. "We came here for personal reasons but felt something along the way that we'd like to investigate. I'm sure that's not going to be a problem, right?" she asked, her tone confident and strong. Her body language also made it very clear that she wasn't going to accept being sent away.

He had no legitimate reason for it, so she wasn't going to waste her time following his orders.

 

[Ara Sheridan]

The officer huffed with annoyance at Valery's remark while Ara worked on suppressing her grin. Luckily the Jedi Master didn't let loose with a full broadside on the officer which relieved Ara. Not exactly a surprise, after all. It was an excellent example for Ara to remind her of restraint, even in situations like these.

"Well then, seein' as you two are 'ere, might as well make yourselves useful." From his tone of voice Ara figured that he didn't want to entertain the two of them any longer than he needed to. "We've had some nasty situations going on lately, way worse than normal." He spoke as he gestured for them to follow. "Yeah, we heard. That's why we're here. But we got some details that this might be above the standard criminal element." Ara spoke up as she followed, glancing over to Valery. The officer spared them both a glance of curiosity, but didn't ask about any of it.

The two Jedi finally arrived at the most recent crime scene, where various other officers were carefully inspecting the area. The sergeant led them through some holographic tape and exchanged a few quick words with another officer, who seemed to be a few ranks higher. The man glanced at the Jedi for a moment before giving a nod. "Master Jedi. I assume you're here because of this mess?" He spoke as he approached them, gesturing to the space around them.

The scene itself was a mess. A secluded square behind the hangars, but bloodied spots, markings on the ground and other telltale signs indicated that it was more likely a type of ritual that took place. Ara looked around then back to the inspector. "Whatever the hell happened here is unnatural. Nothing like we've seen before. Hell, we've even had reports at our precinct of gangsters and wanted criminals coming in to report things that they experienced. In some cases they were even survivors, if you can believe that." His weathered gaze shifted between the Master and Padawan for a moment. Ara watched him carefully, studied him from head to toe. The darkness felt heavy around her, causing her to take a step closer to Valery.

"I want to apologize for the behaviour of my sergeant, Master Noble. We've... had some bad experiences with Jedi in the past... or in some cases, no experiences at all. Some of my officers don't take kindly to your presence. However, this is not something I would like to investigate on my own. You can move freely to do your job, we'll do ours. If you need assistance, feel free to talk to me." He gave them a nod before moving on, leaving the two Jedi to their business.

"Master, it's cold. Heavy. Something ain't right about this scene." Ara spoke as she looked at Valery. "This ain't even helping, he didn't mention anything new either. I don't think they know anything more than we do." She looked away at a nearby stain on the ground. The Padawan eventually moved over to the blood stain and knelt down with a frown.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

"Well then, seein' as you two are 'ere, might as well make yourselves useful."

Valery caught the tone of his voice as well but decided to ignore it. The more time they wasted here dealing with this Sergeant, the less they'd have to actually make a difference out here. What was waiting for them up ahead felt incredibly dark and something told Valery they'd need every second they could get to figure this out and deal with the problem. This couldn't be handled just by local authorities.

Are realized the exact same thing and Valery nodded in agreement. "We'll take a look ourselves and figure this out. Thank you for your help, Sergeant." She flashed just a faint little grin that could easily get under his skin if he was already agitated. But Valery didn't care and turned around to move to what mattered the most.

The scene itself, as expected from what they had felt, was horrific — from blood spatter to death and powerful emotions lingering in the Force. It felt far too intense so close to where it happened, but Valery kept herself composed and closed her mind to darker feelings trying to connect.

"We are here to help, yes," Valery told the superior officer when he made his appearance. He already felt far more open to Jedi assistance than the Sergeant, which was relieving. She was well aware that some people disliked Jedi intervention, but sometimes that distaste for the Jedi really made it impossible to solve important cases. And whatever it is that happened here, it wasn't going to be solved with traditional methods.

This required Jedi.

"No need to apologize, sir. I understand that our help isn't always welcomed, but I can assure you that we will do our best to figure out what caused this, and who is behind it." Unlike the Sergeant, Valery now offered a much brighter smile to show her appreciation. If he was in charge here and allowed them to work, she felt confident that nobody was going to interfere.

After the man left, Valery followed Ara around to get a first impression of the scene. But rather quickly, she drew the same conclusion. "They know nothing. Understandably so because this isn't something most people can do." She frowned and turned her eyes to the blood stains on the floor. "Be careful with what you touch. Not only can we contaminate the scene, but the Force can show you glimpses of what happened, and at a scene like this... it's very overwhelming. I was considering using Psychometry to figure out more but now..." She let out a soft sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Let's first try and just make visual observations and record everything. We can turn to the Force for answers if we don't get anywhere, but it won't be a comfortable process."

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Valery's warning reached Ara just in time as a hand stretched out to study a mark on the ground. She immediately pulled back and looked up at Valery with curious eyes, listening to what the Jedi Master had to say. "We're gonna have to get creative, Master." She commented as she got up and started to walk around.

"This symbol. It's the sith marking, ain't it?" She asked as she wandered to the center of the area, where a symbol was carved into the duracrete slabs. She lingered by the symbol for a long few moments with a deep frown. "Master, can you hear that?" She asked softly, lightly flicking her head as if trying to shake away an irritation. No sounds apart from the ambient noise and officers around them were apparent. A hand came up to scratch at her head as she moved on, trying to figure out where the suspect could have gone.

But after a few moments, she halted by the symbol again, coming to a deathly standstill for a few long seconds. A number of the surrounding officers did the same, all standing eerily still as a heavy aura of Darkness rippled through the Force. Finally Ara's lightsaber snapped to her left hand while the offices drew their weapons. The crackling, unstable blade erupted from her hilt as she launched at Valery with a violent grunt.

Murderous green eyes burnt with hatred as she attacked Valery with immense speed. Blaster bolts flew through the air as well, all aimed at Valery while Ara tried to overwhelm the Jedi Master. "You should have stayed away!" The Zabrak snarled in between her powerful strikes.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

"It is. and I think it's more than just a drawing," Valery told her while she looked around elsewhere for other clues. Everything reeked of the Dark Side, and every symbol felt like something sinister. More than just blood in particular patterns — they were like runes or ancient Sith Alchemy.

There was no way she'd use Psychometry on them now.

"Master, can you hear that?"

Valery blinked and snapped out of her thoughts when Ara called for her. "Heard what?" she asked, not having heard a thing beyond the wind blowing around them. She could feel the Dark Side, the death and agony lingering in the Force, but her other senses perceived nothing.

Did she miss something?

Then she felt something — a ripple through the Force that sent a shiver down her spine and tried to push through the barriers of her mind. It persisted, so without being affected, Valery turned around and watched as every else stood frozen. "Ara...?" she asked and the answer came swiftly, as the Padawan drew her lightsaber and blasters were pointed in their direction. Valery's eyes widened and without wasting a second, she summoned both lightsabers into her hand and swatted away the first wave of blaster fire.

Just in time to catch Ara's lightsaber strike as it came in fast. "Ara, snap out of it!" Valery exclaimed before she jumped back to distance herself and look for some more cover. "Don't let it control you!"

 

[Ara Sheridan]

"You're wasting your breath, Jedi. This planet's mine!" Ara snarled as she pressed her attack, pursuing Valery as the Master tried to gain some distance. The troopers quickly followed suit as they reloaded their weapons and took aim once again.

"You always poke your snout where it doesn't belong. But that's alright. Those barriers won't hold forever." Ara continued with a sickening grin as she let loose a powerful blast with the Force, immediately moving in once again with quick, powerful swings and thrusts. "Go ahead! Kill this one! Isn't that what your padawans are good for? Cannon fodder is all they are to you!"

"Just like these pathetic worms."

"All expendable.

Ara reached out with the Force once again, attempting to wrap around Valery's throat with a powerful grip. "What the hell did you even do to this one, huh? I'm amazed she hasn't joined our ranks yet on her own." Ara leapt onto a roof, pausing to watch Valery with disdain across her features.

The small skirmish, however, quickly drew other officers into the fray as they came to investigate. "The Jedi! She's gone rogue!" A voice called out from behind cover from one of the possessed officers. Understandably, the new arrivals were quite confused about the whole situation. "All of you, stand down!" A sergeant called out from behind his cruiser, levelling his pistol at the fighting group.

Ara ignored the situation among the officers, instead honing in on Valery as she leapt at her in pursuit. "Having you in my army will be quite the occasion..." She muttered with a dark chuckle between her strikes. "Though this one might be reaching the end of its usefulness."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Wielu

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ara Sheridan

She couldn't fight Ara.

Valery had sworn to always protect her fellow Jedi, and Padawans held a special place in her heart, even if they weren't her own. To fight back and potentially harm one would go against everything she stood for, and even though it had recently also happened to Silas Westgard , she still couldn't get herself to strike back. So all she did was move in retreat, maintain distance and meet every incoming strike with a clever parry or subtle dodge.

"She will never join your ranks," Valery persisted before she felt the Force latch itself around her throat. She gritted her teeth and fought back to keep herself from being choked out, but it was getting more and more difficult. Without fighting back and applying some kind of pressure, the darkness that controlled Ara was giving every opportunity to prepare its strikes.

She couldn't just keep defending herself forever.

"Stay out of this!" Valery then called out, as more officers joined. "Something has taken control over her!" Valery watched Ara jump on top of a building and finally saw her chance. While the young Zabrak prepared to attack, the Light began to shine deep within the Jedi Master. Her left hand readied itself, and the second Ara jumped, she extended her arm.

From the palm of her hand, a withering blast of Force Light lashed out at Ara, not to harm the woman, but purely to drive the Dark Side out of her mind. Then another wave followed, and another, hoping that the continuous stream of light side energy could help her snap out of it.

Come on, Ara...

 

[Ara Sheridan]

The moment the Light came from Valery's hand and collided with Ara, the Zabrak's eyes rolled back and her body contorted as she crashed into the ground. The writhing padawan cried out in pain for several excruciating seconds before finally going still, passed out on the ground a few feet from the Jedi Master.

The attack didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the possessed group, who immediately split up to hold off the other officers while another half focused their attack on Valery. "The Jedi's the enemy here, you idiots! Karkin' hell, save that damn kid!" An officer called out over the blasterfire in hopes of convincing their former comrades. Luckily it fell on deaf ears, with the conscious officers pushing their attack. Soon the other half had to divide in order to hold off the attack, giving a window of opportunity for Valery and Ara to escape.

A window of opportunity that was irrelevant to the padawan rolling on the ground, in pain and oblivious to the rest of the world in her passed out state. Her eyes briefly opened and a hand shakily reached out to her lightsaber hilt before she finally went limp, her eyes closed entirely as she passed out again.

Valery Noble