Private Into Exile I Must Go

[Jax Thio]

Location: Jax's Apartment
Equipment: Traveling Garments, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain, Eyepatch
Tag: Valery Noble

Off to Ahch-To Jax goes.

The Jedi Master looked in the mirror one more time before placing his Lightsaber on his belt. Even though Caltin Vanagor helped him, Jax already made up his mind. He needed to stay away from the New Jedi Order. As a Master, he would be a liability for the Jedi Carnifex could spy through his children planning the next stages of his attack. Jax had to face Carnifex on his own. The Alliance needed to win the war against the Brotherhood now that they have successfully defended Tython and Jax will make sure it will stay that way.

Just as Jax took a deep breath, he saw Carnifex's reflection in the mirror. The Jedi Master took out his blade about to activate before the image disappeared only the Worm Emperor's whispers remaining. "Damn it," Jax muttered. "I can still hear him."

The cave..... the answer of disconnecting himself from Carnifex got to lie in the caves of Ahch-To. It was a guess but there had to be a reason why Jax was drawn to it in his dreams. Images of a young boy embracing the darkness wallowing in its power. A source of fear and perhaps salvation of the simple and obvious truth: Carnifex is Jax's father and he was calling to him.

"Goodbye Courscant," Jax said. "See you soon."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Jax's apartment
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Tag: Jax Thio

Buzzz...

Valery stood in front of Jax's apartment and waited patiently — she had only vaguely heard about what happened, and the two hadn't actually seen each other since the podraces that happened before all the recent major battles. A lot had changed since then, and she could feel the turmoil within the Jedi Master.

So now that she had finally found some time, she figured checking up on him would be a good idea.

Because despite all her focus on the front and leading Jedi and Alliance soldiers into battle, a large part of what she did as a Jedi revolved around helping her fellow Jedi. She was often a source of guidance or just someone who would listen when others needed it, and today, she wanted to be that person for Jax as well.

She just hoped that he was open to talking about whatever bothered him.

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Jax's Apartment
Equipment: Traveling Garments, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Valery Noble

"Right everything is in order," Jax took a deep breath pulling his luggage. He's going to miss Coruscant, the glitz and glamor, the constant conflicts on the lower levels. BB-8 constantly trashing his apartment with food wrappers and soda cans. It was only temporary though, Jax will be back one day if he comes back at all. "How can I face him?" Jax said a chill coming down his spine. "How quell his presence inside of me?"

Just then, a doorbell rang causing Jax to whirl around his heart thumping with dread. Carnifex's voice was filled the air speaking in the Sith tongue: A dark and gravely language that was said that rendered non-Force users mad. Jax's lower lip trembled as he continued to approach the door. Everything seemed to slow down sweat started to pour from Jax's forehead as he inched closer towards the door.


" Darth Carnifex ......" Jax thought trying to allow the Force to flow through him but something..... no someone was blocking the Force's passage. Allowing the Dark Side to grow and fester. "I won't give in to you Carnifex..... get out of my head!"

Yet Carnifex's voice continued to become louder with each dark tainted word it made Jax go slower. It felt like he was sinking to the floor...... Jax watched in horror seeing himself falling into the Dark abyss into the waiting arms of his father.

"Come on!" Jax placed his hand on the doorknob blinking, groaning yet relieved now that he broken out of the spell. "I need to go now," Jax said before opening the door to reveal Valery.

"Oh! Val!" Jax said surprised to see her here. "It's been a while! I thought you be on Tython assisting the rebuild."

Jax attempted to sidestep Valery trying to get to the hall. "I would love to stay and talk," Jax said. "But after Tython, I need a long vacation."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Jax's apartment
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Tag: Jax Thio

The door opened and Valery looked up in surprise as well, but not because of Jax appearing. She looked at him with some surprise because he felt very different. Valery knew him as laid-back and easy-going, excited about podraces and other sources of adrenaline. But now he seemed nervous and incredibly tense.

"It has been a while..." she responded but while he looked to get around her and move into the hallway, Valery didn't give him an inch and remained directly in his path.

"I took some time away from the war front or Tython, and figured I'd check in on you." She paused and looked up at him. It was clear that he wanted to leave, but she couldn't let him go just yet, "Is everything okay? I don't want to get in the way if you really need to go, but you look very... tense?"

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Jax's Apartment
Equipment: Traveling Garments, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Valery Noble

Great..... Valery is stepping in Jax way, she was pretty stubborn when it came to helping people just like Jax. The Jedi Master adjusted the bag over his shoulder, his prosthetic arm attempting to pull his luggage. "You're married right?" Jax said. "To Kahlil Noble If I recall correctly, shouldn't you be spending time with your husband than me? I'm pretty much at the bottom in terms of importance."

Self-deprecating but given how rebellious Jax could be at times, he was surprised people put up with him. Jax could hear Carnifex's voice again whispers taking over his mind. "You know how it is Val," Jax said. "Many people died on Tython, we probably sustained more losses than other battles combined. Sometimes you gotta take a break."

Jax groaned his head throbbing, Carnifex was still probing and he could feel Valery's growing concern. "Damn it Val," Jax growled. "Fine, we need to talk now. Step into my apartment quickly."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Jax's apartment
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Tag: Jax Thio

"I spend a lot of time with my husband, but others need my time too," Valery said as she continued to study him, and took note of his more rebellious attitude. "You're important as well, and it seems like you could use some help..." she let that linger for a moment, and after a moment, he did give in a little bit.

Tython had indeed left a mark on everybody, and while Valery had jumped back into battle with the Batorine incursion, she did actually take a small vacation as well. They all needed the rest, but Jax seemed to need a little more than just time alone and relaxation.

"Damn it Val," Jax growled. "Fine, we need to talk now. Step into my apartment quickly."

She smiled, not in an annoying or smug way — she was genuinely happy that he was willing to open up, "Thank you, Jax. I just want to help, in any way I can," she added as she followed him into his apartment and waited to see what was on his mind.

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Jax's Apartment
Equipment: Traveling Garments, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Valery Noble

Jax did not understand why Valery would come and help him of all people. What was Jax to her? No one and that's the way Jax liked it. He was not a hero, nor a legend. Jax never wanted the spotlight, he just wanted to help people as a Jedi should. His personal problems..... should be left for him to handle. "You have a daughter Val," Jax said sitting down on his chair. "She's way more important than a man you barely interacted. I don't where you heard about me Val but I've been..... plagued by nightmares."

Carnifex's voice continued to whisper in his mind, the Jedi Master continued to sway back and forth enthralled by the Worm Emperor.


"That black speech....." Jax mumbled the Dark Side started to swirl inside of him. "No....." The Jedi Master curled his fist. "Get out of my head!" The next thing Jax knew was that he was sprawled on the ground blood coming out of his mouth. "Oh chit....." Jax mumbled. "I punched myself didn't I?"

The Jedi Master shook his head. "No," Jax said. "Val I'm no one to you, you have a husband, a daughter. Take care of them, not me. I don't know what I am"

Jax wiped the blood from his mouth before sighing. "I need a holiday Val......" Jax said. "A very long holiday and I don't intend to come back, In fact I don't plan on coming back. It's over for me Val, I'm not the Jedi that I wanted to be. I'm tainted...... Ever since Empress Teta."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Jax's apartment
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Tag: Jax Thio

"It doesn't matter how important my family is to me, I'm still a Jedi and others need help too," she hoped to reassure him with a warm smile. But after he mentioned the nightmares, the smile faded and she felt something darker swirling around the Jedi Master. His hand curled into a fist and the way he screamed made it feel as if something had infiltrated his mind.

"Jax..." Valery stepped closer and crouched down to help him up if he needed it. There was blood coming from his mouth now, and the worried look on her face made it clear she wasn't just going to leave. He wanted to get away from whatever he was going through, and take a vacation if you could really call it that.

To her, he made it feel like he wanted to self-exile.

"It's never too late, Jax, and I don't think stepping away from the Jedi will get you peace of mind. Whatever started haunted you will follow, no matter where you go. You have to confront it one way or another."

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Jax's Apartment
Equipment: Traveling Garments, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Valery Noble

"Damn it Val! You're sounding like me!" Jax thought bitterly thinking of all times he had left Jairdain behind to risk his life in helping others. Jax wanted to deal with this on his own. No one should know that he was related to the Worm Emperor, who knows what Valery would do. The Jedi Master took Valery's hand not even looking at her instead of the Coruscant skyline it always looked so beautiful.

"I've learned in my years of being a Jedi," Jax said leaning his head against the window. "Is that you can't save them all no matter how hard you try. Especially ones who are too entrenched in the Dark, sometimes all you need to have hope that they'll crawl from their pit of despair."

Jax turned to Valery shaking his head. "That's the way I'm doing it," Jax said. "I have to exile myself from you and the rest of the Jedi. It won't be easy for you to hear but you must. I'm tainted Valery, I'm not who I thought I was."

He sighed. "I'm a liability at this time in the war," Jax said. "We've won at Tython but the Sith will always probe for weakness and right now I'm the weak link in the Jedi Order."

Jax shook his head. "The NJO are the only hope that the Alliance has in winning." Jax continued. "I need to confront Darth Carnifex , he can sense my presence. Ever since we fought on Empress Teta, he has sunk his teeth into my soul Valery."

He placed his hand on Valery's shoulder. "He's calling to me Val," Jax whispered. "He can see what I can see, I'm a Jedi Master and therefore I'm a privy to vital information to the Alliance. "That's why I have to go far away, to go and confront him on my own away from you and the others."

That meant leaving Myvette Faeli and Anneliese behind as well. A twinge of regret came over Jax, but it was something he needed to do.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Jax's apartment
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Tag: Jax Thio

"I'm tainted Valery, I'm not who I thought I was."

Valery's eyes narrowed, not in a hostile way but more inquisitive. She could feel the turmoil within the Jedi Master, but she wouldn't quite call it tainted just yet. But if he believed it to be this bad, and if he really thought Carnifex could control him like that, then she would believe him. It was unfortunate, but Kahlil had once left her to confront his father as well, and for similar reasons.

"I understand what you're going through,"

She offered him a kind, comforting smile as his hand settled on her shoulder, "I've been through something similar with my husband, who had an alchemical mark on him that allowed his father to control him. To remove it, he went to confront his father as well, and even fell to the Dark Side," Valery frowned as those memories resurfaced.

"But it's important for you to really understand this situation. If you feel that confrontation is the only thing that can save you, then I understand that you must go. Just know you will be leaving behind people who might need you, so don't make the decision lightly."

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Jax's Apartment
Equipment: Traveling Garments, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Valery Noble

"There's hundreds of Jedi Masters," Jax said. "I'm not exactly the cream of the crop Val." It was interesting to see that Kahlil Noble was a servant of some kind to Carnifex. So his father was a servant as well? "I guess falling to the Dark Side is inevitable," Jax muttered.

The Jedi Master turned from Valery's gaze staring at the door ahead of him. "Not that I had brushes with the Dark Side all my life." Jax said. "I thought it was natural that all Jedi are prey to it."

He sighed if there was another person to trust aside from Caltin Vanagor and Jairdain It would be Valery might as well get this over with. "Carnifex can sense me everywhere I go," Jax said. "That's why I have to leave."

Jax turned around his face creased with sadness. "He's my father Val." Jax said the tone heavy with regret. "If he spots a weakness, if you, Kahlil, and your get hurt because I'm around you I can never forgive myself. With the war in the Alliance's favor, there's too much at risk. I will not allow Carnifex to destroy the NJO because of me. I will die before seeing that happen."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Jax's apartment
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Tag: Jax Thio

"There aren't as many Jedi Masters as you think, not anymore. And all Jedi are valued, Jax," Valery said before she quietly listened to him. With Carnifex as his father, she understood better than most how difficult his path ahead was going to be. The confrontation that awaited him to be able to just live his own life was greater than most challenges people would ever face.

And it was his challenge alone.

"A fall to the Dark Side isn't inevitable but it will take a lot of spirit to resist it. We all feel temptations and go through moments that bring us closer to the edge, but you're constantly at risk in your current situation," she sighed softly and tried her best to offer him a more comforting smile in what was likely a difficult moment for him.

"I understand that you need to confront him, but don't worry about us. My husband and I have resisted him for a long time, and we'll make sure to keep ourselves, our family and the Jedi safe. This is about you, and your ability to live your life." she briefly rested her hand on his shoulder and looked out through the window. "I can help look after your Padawans if you'd like me to, and you focus on whatever you need to get through all of this."

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Jax's Apartment
Equipment: Traveling Garments, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Valery Noble

"But it's enough to take on the Brotherhood," Jax replied. "Many of them are better than me." Even though Jax had been a Master for almost a year, he still hadn't gotten used to the title. The fact that the NJO recognized Jax as a top tier Jedi despite having a less than stellar reputation was..... surprising to say the least.

"I know that Valery," Jax said when Valery placed his hand on his shoulder. "But that's why I have to go, if I fully embrace the Dark Side then I would wield a great a terrible power that could help start a Brotherhood counterattack."

He was surprised that Valery had little reaction to his revelation. It was good that she didn't outright attack him. "Good," Jax said lumbering towards the luggage and grabbing the handle.

"You're lucky Val," he smiled. "You have a family who loves you, when I was a kid, I was looking for my family wondering who they were and now..... I wish I never knew. Maybe it was best for me to not have a family."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Jax's apartment
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Tag: Jax Thio

"They might be your family by blood, but your real family is right here," Valery said with a hopefully reassuring smile, "Your friends, your mentors, and Padawans. Your partner," she said while she looked at him, the pain still visible within his eyes. She could feel it in the Force as well but hoped that he could somehow find his peace with it all.

"If the Force is calling you to take his step, and if you believe it is one you must take, then it's only the right thing to do as a Jedi. We can't allow darker forces to control our lives, and confronting the difficult things about our past is part of being a Jedi. We can't run or hide from it, and in this case, you really shouldn't either,"

Valery then paused a moment and let her words sink in a little, "This trip can bring you really close to the edge, push you to extremes you've never experienced before, but as long as you stay true to yourself and fight for what you believe in, I think you're going to be alright," she said with a final, more faint smile.

The woman then turned quiet again, and after a moment, she seemed to realize something and chuckled, "Hmm, thinking about it, this whole situation means I'm technically your sister-in-law now."

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Jax's Apartment
Equipment: Traveling Garments, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Second Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Valery Noble

"I guess," Jax said. "Maybe family isn't related by blood but sometimes your blood comes crawling back to bite you. I'll need to find a way to break Carnifex's hold on me." Just as he was about to leave, Valery said something that caused Jax to stop in his tracks. Did she just say what he thought she just said?

"What did you say?" Jax chuckled nervously. "Did you just say that you're my sister in law? What the frack? Does that mean....."

Jax raised his eyebrows in shock. " Kahlil Noble is my brother?" Jax asked.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Jax's apartment
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Tag: Jax Thio

It seemed the realization hadn't really stuck Jax yet either. At least, not until she had brought it up, "My husband is one of Carnifex' sons as well, albeit from a different mother, most likely," she said before she blinked — there was no real way of knowing the answer to that question. Even Kahlil had never really met his mother, and Carnifex had children with a lot of different women.

"So it does mean you're both related, and since I'm his wife..." she was sure he'd understand at this point, but it was still a strange thing to think about. Definitely not what she had expected when they first met, but reality nonetheless.

"Maybe if you get the chance sometime, you should talk to my husband about it as well. But for now, I think you have a much more important challenge ahead of you. Getting rid of your father's grip on you is crucial, and I believe you can do it," she said with a warm, encouraging smile, "I'll make sure to keep an eye on your Padawans, and feel free to tell them they can come to me for help as well."