Private Iron Harvest

[Aldric Laurent]

Edith peered intently at Valery almost as if she were getting ready to fire back with something worse. But then Aldric spoke, softly, almost pleading, "Mom," He just looked at her, and after another beat she sighed, seeming to ease up some.

"Go speak to them yourselves if you want the details," She was too tired to argue it, and wasn't all that involved in the fighting herself anyway, "But you're looking for a rebellion with a pristine record, I'm afraid your head's still stuck in the Jedi Temple." It wasn't an direct claim that they were doing anything Valery would find abhorrent, but she was evidently trying to downplay the woman's expectations. Guerrilla warfare was, by its nature, unclean. Edeth mustered a sad smile, "You seem a good person Valery. My son trusts you, so I trust you. Just don't forget what these people are fighting for, and what they're up against."

Aldric and his mother embraced one more time, before he began to head into the tunnel. She watched them leave for some time, before heading back up, "Well… Can't say that's how I expected this meeting to go…"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Edeth's glare was met with a fiery one from Valery in return, whether she'd appreciate such a spirit or not. Aldric mostly seemed to pick up on the way his mother looked at Valery, though, but his words still kept Valery from saying something she might regret later. There were enough problems in her life already, and making an enemy out of his mother was not something she wanted to add to that list.

That was until she made a comment that got Valery's eyes to twitch a little, "I know what they are fighting for and who they are up against," Valery snapped a little at the woman with unusual frustration, perhaps even anger in her voice. "These people they are fighting killed my husband and the father of my five-year-old daughter. I've had my home destroyed, and been hunted down, and even my kid has been the target of not one, but two assassination attempts because of them."

Normally, Valery would have never been like this to anybody, but all of her frustration unrelated to this meeting was finally coming up to the surface. The woman had likely not meant that much with her statement, but it sure hit a nerve.

"But I'm still not turning into a monster just to fight another. What would even be the point, then?" She asked before turning away to head into the tunnel before an answer could be given, or before Aldric had time to hug his mother. In the heat of the moment, she didn't care if this completely ruined the relationship with his mother. She barely cared about meeting up with these rebels anymore.

All she wanted was to not feel this angry and frustrated anymore.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric watched in stunned silence as Valery outright snapped at his mother. He couldn't find it in him to pick a side on way or another. In truth he had always been in Valery's corner, having been a vocal proponent of just such a mindset in his earliest days with the SIA. But his mother had lived through this for many years more than he. Worse yet, she was the one who had instilled such a rigid moral code in him. If Edeth's time here had twisted her enough that she could find some acceptance for more aggressive methods of rebellion, then it made him pause. As if the foundation of his world view had shifted.

Edeth said nothing. She stared at Valery, never backing down even as the Jedi struck her with a torrent of frustration and anger. There was nothing to say, and even if there was, Valery left before it could be voiced. Aldric embraced his mother all the same, even as they were both reeling from how quick the tone had shifted. He followed Val down the tunnel, leaving his mother alone.

He was quiet, stern-faced and brooding as they went down to find the apparent rebel cell.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"I'm not going to take it back or say sorry," Valery assured him when he joined her in the tunnels, making it clear she was still quite emotional. But almost immediately after throwing the snappy comment his way, she looked over her shoulder with a slightly apologetic touch to her eyes. None of this was his fault and he hadn't even sided with his mother either. But perhaps that's why she felt so frustrated. Maybe she had expected him to pick her side?

But at the same time, she knew why he didn't, and it was likely for the best. She had created more than enough tension on her own already and he hadn't seen his mother in years. In the heat of this moment, though, it did little to suppress the fire that was burning inside of her. Everything was boiling up to the surface.

And so...

"How could she even say something like that?" Valery continued with hand gestures that showed her frustration. "I fight the Empire every day without a single fucking break, and I shouldn't fOrgEt what they're like?" She stopped and brought both hands up towards her face while she took a deep breath.

"Let's just get this over with and get the hell out of here."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Val," Aldric finally said, his tone weary, and a bit reprimanding in the same way he was with his mother. He couldn't blame Val for being upset, but this seemed so incredibly unlike her. Off the cuff she was ready to snap at his mother and throw any chance at a positive relationship down the drain.

She kept going, and eventually he suddenly grabbed her arm, stopping them both in their tracks, "Val," He said again, his lips pursing for a moment as he tried to mediate what he was going to say, "...She… I get it. But she's dealing with it all, too. She's been living under their thumb day in and out for decades," Edeth quite literally never got a break. The Empire was an ever present weight looming over every aspect of her existence. They had killed her child, and now with the rest of the family gone, what else was there left for her?

"It doesn't make what she said right. But, if my mother of all people is saying that…" Aldric shook his head, "I-I don't know. I can't help but believe there's a big reason for it," He was obviously dealing with a lot of internal conflict now, making it harder to think.

"W-what is this?" Aldric finally asked, "What is going on? Talk to me." He tried to confront it back on the ship, but clearly there was still something, or many things, still itching at her.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

She could have kept going with her rant for hours, or let her stubbornness push her through the mission while she'd drag along all of that baggage, but Aldric wasn't going to let her and stood up against it when he grabbed her arm. She instantly froze and turned around to look at him with some surprise in her eyes. For just a second or two, she considered letting her emotions snap at him as well, but her self-control finally kicked in again, and she remained silent.

As difficult as it was to accept, there was a lot of truth to what he tried to tell her, and it instantly made her regret the comment about not apologizing. She still felt very similar, but Edeth had gone through her own pain and loss, and her situation may have sparked different beliefs. "I know..." she muttered, her eyes dropping as she struggled to look up into his.

"I'm sure she has a reason for it but is it right?" She sighed and frowned again as the tension from before lingered, and her words were still spoken with frustration. She just couldn't shake the emotions that Edeth had brought out in her, even though she wasn't really the source of it all. This, Aldric also seemed to understand, as he asked her another question.

She looked up and her body was starting to tremble a little despite his grip. Her eyes grew teary and after just a glimpse of the emerald eyes she loved so much, she couldn't get herself to look him in the eyes anymore. "I... everything has just been going wrong. I can't sleep, I can't rest or recover from missions, and they just don't stop. I've been so tired and when I try to step away for even a second, I completely mess everything up."

Valery looked up at him more apologetically now, "I wanted to tell you this after today, so it wouldn't ruin the meeting with your mother..." she frowned, knowing that she already had done that herself. "On a very recent mission, I ran into someone who I ended up having to work with. He... was really into me from the start, and I played into it way too much - there was a lot of flirting. Nothing more happened and I wouldn't have, but I know it was still wrong, and I did tell him... to which he responded by trying to kiss me just to hurt me. I stopped him from doing that and never want to see him again, but I still messed up, and I... don't deserve you..." Tears were starting to flow down her cheeks, and part of her wanted to step away so she could never hurt him again, while another part of her wanted or even needed some kind of comfort.

"I'm so, so sorry, babe... please forgive me, I promise it won't ever happen again. You mean everything to me." Whatever his answer would be, she'd accept it, but she hoped he'd be able to feel the sincerity in her words.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric said nothing, just shrugging his shoulders wearily. He'd said as much before that it didn't make it right, but at this point he was just so out of sorts with everything going on, that he couldn't bring himself to make any judgment calls on his mother yet.

Valery seemed to tremble under his grip, and finally revealed all of her struggles. He frowned, sympathizing with everything the woman had been going through. Edeth may have been dealing with the empire all these years, but that hardly meant that Valery had it easy. Trouble felt constant, even their attempts to get some time off were met with a new problem.

But what she said after that really surprised him, "...What?" Aldric said, utterly bewildered. He shook his head, and furrowed his brow, trying for a second time to conceptualize what she was saying, "You… you flirted with him?" His tone was confused, but also hurt. Of all the people to do something like that, Valery was the last he would've expected, "Val," Disappointment, "Why? Why would you do that?" The details were sparse, but he couldn't shake his growing distaste all the same. They were together, they loved each other, they said as much. Why go that far with something like that, with a person she just met no less? Even if she never would have gone all the way, it still felt like a betrayal.

Aldric wanted to believe very much that it didn't change anything, but in the moment, he had no more words for it. He… stepped back. Physically shutting down any chance at an advancement on her part. His face flattened, emotions subdued but still creeping through his features. They didn't have time for this. He needed a distraction, "...We should find this cell already." Aldric walked off, dead silent for the rest of the journey. His faith in her, in his mother, in everything, was shaken.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Why? Why would you do that?"

Valery felt her heart racing and looked up at him with nothing more than shame and regret visible through her features. Nothing remained of the woman he had gotten to know, and the longer she looked at him, the more his pain registered in her own heart as well. "I... I'm so..." she stammered with tears still rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry..." she repeated again, but she knew that it wasn't going to be enough, and he confirmed that when he physically stepped back from her.

She felt her heart shatter into a thousand tiny pieces and looked down at the ground when he suggested they'd focus on finding that rebel cell. He was hurt because of her, and she worried that nothing would be able to fix this.

Aldric then began to walk without saying another word, and Valery wondered if she should even go after him at all. Maybe he needed to be alone, maybe he just needed to be away from her? Maybe forever? She knew that if she walked away now, though, there would be no chance at all that she'd be able to make up for her mistake.

So she decided to follow him for now, albeit at a distance that made it feel like they weren't in this together anymore. Part of her still wanted to turn away and leave, so she could never hurt him again, but something stronger kept her going. She just wondered if it was strong enough to complete this task.

She was in no condition to fight or work.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric's head was flooded with conflicting thoughts and feelings. It was enough to make him feel dizzy. Ill, even. Everything had been flipped upside down, and he was caught in the middle with no idea what to do. So he just kept walking. He couldn't bear to dwell on the rest of their problems right now, out of fear that he would do or say something he would later regret. There was too much uncertainty, too many questions. But now simply wasn't the time for it. Realizing that Valery still followed him was a silent, hidden relief, if only marginal. It meant there was potential for something salvageable. It seemed neither wanted to give up on all that they had built. But how things shook out… was still up in the air.

Eventually a bit of light became apparent down the tunnel. Given the length, it was clear that this project was one likely years in the making, carefully crafted for their clandestine purposes. Then a much brighter light appeared, a flashlight, "Stop right there!" The sound of drawn blasters registered as well.

"Edeth sent us. It's… It's Aldric." Some whisperings on the other end could just be heard down the tunnel. When that same voice spoke aloud once more, "Come in! Slowly."

Doing so, Aldric kept his hands raised, and when the flashlights lowered, finally got a view of the area. The bunker was largely barren, still only decorated with earthen walls and floors, alongside a few support beams. Equipment was scattered throughout: ammo crates, weapons, rations, as well as rudimentary communications systems. Enough to keep going, without drawing too much attention. Most of the gathered rebels were human, but a few aliens as well, including a Bothan, who Aldric seemed to recognize, "Ho-ly shit."

"I was about to say the same thing," The Bothan grew a toothy grin, and offered his arm. They shook, briefly hugging with a pat on the back, "Long time, no see, Aldric." He looked back at the unfamiliar face, "I see you've brought a plus one."

Aldric looked back at Val, still obviously quite distracted with everything going on. He tried to act a bit more 'normal' in front of his apparent friend, but there wasn't an undeniable air of discomfort, "I- This is Trask. He's an old buddy of mine during my rebel days. Trask, this is Valery. Valery Noble."

Trask's eyes lit up in recognition, "The Valery Noble? Jedi Master?" He had heard of her, evidently.

"The very same."

"What brings Master Noble to our little operation here?" He asked, approaching the Jedi with a courteous dip of his head.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

As they walked through the tunnel, Valery kept her distance and rubbed the side of her arms while she tried to hold back the occasional sniff. She felt so cold after everything that had happened, and she knew a lot of it was her own fault. The only comfort she had now was that he hadn't told her to get lost yet, which she wouldn't have blamed him for if he had. It meant there was still hope, and right now, she desperately clung to it. If that was lost as well, she wouldn't know what to do or how to feel anymore. He had filled a massive hole in her heart, and she feared losing it so much.

Which only made what she did seem all the more stupid to her.

Soon enough, the long tunnel finally seemed to reach its end as light crept up to them, which brightened quickly when the rebels realized people were coming. Valery raised her hands defensively when they were held at gunpoint, and left the talking to Aldric. She was too emotional and didn't want them to see her like this. But with the Bothan letting them in, she knew it was only a matter of time until someone picked up on it.

"Ho-ly shit."

Valery watched the two old friends reunite but couldn't get herself to smile. Her red eyes and what had happened to the little bit of make-up she had on made it clear she had just been crying and, of course, they soon turned to her as well. Valery looked not at Bothan but at Aldric and noticed his attempt at controlling his discomfort, but she couldn't hide it. Even though all of it was her own fault, she was completely devastated.

The Valery Noble — the comment brought a frown to her features, but she forced a smile and dipped her head quickly in return. "I uh, wanted to join my boyfriend and help him assist your operation here. I know how much it means to him, and I know how difficult your fight is. The Jedi haven't forgotten about you," she tried to assure him, but her voice lacked its usual strength and confidence, and the mention of a boyfriend surely came with an aura of discomfort.

Would he still be her boyfriend? She really hoped so...

"Thank you for having us," she finally added, that forced smile still on her lips, but her eyes did little to hide how she really felt.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Trask studied the renowned Sword of the Jedi with an air of curiosity. "Boyfriend, eh?" He glanced at Aldric, who offered the slightest of nods in acknowledgment. The Bothan was smirking, but quickly picked up on some of her distress, as well as Aldric's, ultimately deciding that it wasn't his place to pry on it, "…W-well, thank you for coming. We'll take all the help we can get, and frankly I don't think it gets much better than this." He recomposed himself, running a hand over his scalp before leading them inside, "Come on. Make yourselves at home. As much as one can down here, anyway," A wry chuckle.

Aldric followed, looking around at the assembled troops, ragtag and without uniformity. But their grit, their cause, drove them together. He saw a bit of himself in each one, remembering the days in which he had been of the same status. Things were different now, but some things never left him, "You've been working on all this the whole time?"

"Just about. Took the rebellion further underground. A bit literally, as you can see. But after our monumental fuck-up at Garang, we needed to recover. Quietly. We needed the Empire to think we were gone. So it's been slow moving, but lately things have gained steam. And with you here, I'm hoping we can put that to full use," Trask glanced back with another vulpine smirk, "You didn't really think I'd just been sittin' on my ass this whole time, did ya?"

This time, Aldric managed to grin back, "Honestly, I figured you were sittin' six feet under by now," Then he turned a touch more serious, "I thought you were dead at Garang."

Trask clicked his tongue, "Not so lucky, I'm afraid. But like I said, it worked in our favor."

"So, what do you need from us?"

"Straight to business, eh? No time to catch up properly?"

Aldric gave him an apologetic look, then glanced back at Valery, "I would like to. Now's just… well, weird timing, I guess."

Trask sighed and stroked one of his whiskers, then raised a palm, "Say no more, brother. We're all fighting two wars here. Or more, right?" The battle was an internal one as much as an external one. He understood the troubles that came with this life, even if they weren't precisely the same as what Valery and Aldric were struggling with at the moment. "I don't need much from you right now anyway. But you do have a ship, yeah?"

Aldric raised a brow, "…Yeah?"

"Perfect," The Bothan grabbed a clunky computer system, blinking with lights and emblazoned with an Imperial insignia. He heaved it onto a table to present to them both, "This is an Imperial black box. We retrieved it from a snatch and grab on a passing convoy, and think it contains coordinates to some kind of facility. We're not sure what, but whatever it is, we're interested. Unfortunately, our systems don't have the processing power to crack this baby open. I wager your ship computer can handle the load?"

Aldric nodded, "I'd wager it can. So we just take it back with us?"

"Easy, right? We've already got a drive ready to unravel whatever's inside. Just need a proper power source. So take it with ya, kick back and relax, and let the drive do it's work," He handed Aldric the drive stick, and looked between him and Val once more, "Any questions?" Aldric shrugged.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"Thank you for the warm welcome, and we'll do our best to help," Valery said with a slightly warmer smile. He had picked up on the strange tension between Valery and Aldric, but he was clearly a close friend to Aldric, so he knew how to maneuver his way around it without making things worse or awkward. That was something she appreciated greatly, and helped her take steps forward again, one at a time. She was still occasionally glancing toward her boyfriend, hoping to find something in him that made her feel more at ease, but he was focused on the rebels for now, and she didn't blame him for it.

As they stepped into the hide-out, Valery glanced around and dipped her head to the other rebels, who perked up a little when Aldric and Valery entered. Some likely knew Aldric from the past or had heard about his work on Dantooine, and Valery was a familiar face in the Galaxy some definitely recognized as well. "This is quite amazing," Valery commented, not so much because of how it looked, but because of the effort and determination behind it all.

These people were committed to their cause, and that's what made them so strong. It's what had always made Aldric so strong to her.

This only further showed when she heard them talk about a failed mission, which brought back memories of their conversation with Edeth earlier. No details were mentioned, but she had a feeling that Garang was the source of a lot of trouble, but apparently also some fortune. Once they were alone and the time was right, she'd have to talk to him about it and learn a bit more.

"I'm sure our ship can handle it," Valery finally said as they discussed the black box, and whether or not their new ship could handle processing it. "Once we have the info, do you want us to contact you over a secured channel, or do you prefer that we seek you out in person again?" The former was much faster and could be safe enough, but the latter was definitely guaranteed safety, so it was up to them.

Valery then looked at the Bothan when he offered them some time to relax while it was being handled, and she showed unusual gratitude in her smile. "No other questions, we'll get to it. And hopefully, we can catch up properly very soon," she said before looking at Aldric. Knowing they were going to head back to their ship and be alone together made her a bit nervous, but she knew it was important. This was going to make or break it between them, and she'd do anything she could to stay with him.

"Ready?" she asked him, and once he was, they began heading back. For the first part of the walk, she quietly followed him again, but she knew silence wasn't going to be the answer forever, so she spoke up carefully after a little while, "I'll apologize to your mother as well. I was being... emotional," she said with a more timid tone. "I don't want to mess this up even more. I just..." She looked at him and frowned, as her mind was racing and her heart was beating. But all she thought and felt came down to one thing she was afraid to say out loud now.

I love you

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"This is quite amazing."

"Blood, sweat, and tears," Trask proclaimed with an undertone of wryness, "They'll keep you going when nothing else will."

He handed the box over to Aldric, before grabbing a small communicator from his pocket and tossing it to Valery, "We've kept a few comlinks encrypted for our purposes. Don't have much, but we've used what we have for everything it's worth." That much was clear to see just by looking around. They had practically pieced this place together with scraps, and gotten all the mileage possible out of what they were working with.

Aldric took the heavy box in both hands, lugging it off as they parted, "Don't do anything stupid between now and then, Trask." He smirked, and the Bothan just laughed, waving them off back down the tunnel.

Once they had some distance between them, Aldric's more pleasant demeanor seemed to mute once again, replaced by silent thought. Valery spoke, and he snapped out of it, but didn't really know what to say, "Can we just- Wait until we're on the ship?" His tone was more pleading than angry. Talking about it in the middle of hauling this back wasn't really what we wanted to do. There was too much to think about and he didn't want to get overloaded and accidentally say something he didn't mean. All this backtracking on Valery's part was adding to that as well.

Eventually they reached the ladder back up, and Aldric carefully balanced the box with his chest and arm while climbing up. Not exactly a comfortable or speedy ascent, but he had trained for worse. Upstairs, Edeth had just finished cleaning the mantle of her fireplace, carefully adjusting a collection of family pictures. She kept focused on her work, looking back and sparing only the slightest of smiles in Aldric's direction, as if to act like nothing was wrong.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

After catching the communicator, she offered Trask a smile and wave in return, before heading off through the tunnels with Aldric again. They were soon getting closer to Edeth's home, and because she felt terrible over snapping against his mother, she tried to break the silence. Aldric's response, however, got her to shut up immediately and she looked at him apologetically. "Yeah.. of course, sorry," she said quietly and nothing more would be said along the way.

Soon, they reached the ladder leading up to his mother's home and while she'd normally have offered to lift the heavy box up with the Force, she didn't dare say a word, fearing that it would somehow only make things worse. Luckily, Aldric was very strong, so he made his way up and Valery followed with her nervousness getting worse every passing second.

Especially when she saw Edeth again.

Right now, so shortly after her outburst, it didn't feel right to already address it, but she flashed the woman a brief, apologetic smile that hopefully showed she'd talk about it later, the way adults should. The lingering tears in her eyes and her appearance being so different probably showed something was up as well, to a woman who had seen just about anything in her life. But together with Aldric, they moved on and back towards the ship.

She reached for her vambrace and with a tap of the button, the ramp lowered. They stepped inside, the ramp slowly moved back up and when the lights turned on, there was silence.

Valery looked at him nervously and fidgeted around with her hands for a little while, before her lips parted to speak softly, "Aldric... I-" she paused and swallowed hard. "I'm so, so sorry..." Her eyes never left him, and she wasn't quite sure what to even say that could help fix this. Nothing felt adequate after what she did, and he deserved so much better. But he meant everything to her, so she just couldn't give up.

"I don't want to lose you."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

The subtleties of Edeth's glances and expressions were almost imperceptible. But even through such micromovements she managed a slight double take in Valery's direction. Her attempt at a smile was marred by a disconcerted frown. What could have caused such a drastic change in the Jedi's person was difficult to decipher, and for a moment she looked back at Aldric as if hoping for an explanation. But of course, no one said anything yet, and they were all left with awkward silence instead. In time, one could only hope.

Aldric lugged the box back up the ship ramp, and plugged it into the computer. Even as Valery started speaking, he made some effort to maintain his composure, but there was an evident waver in his movements, and a betrayal of conflicted emotion on his face. Finally, he slumped back into a chair once the codebreaking process had begun, and sighed, pinching his brow, "Val-"

That was all he could even say at the moment. He looked up at her now, distraught and confused, "I just- don't understand. Was it something I did? Did I do something wrong? What would drive you to go off and act like that with someone else?" Aldric pleaded for an answer. He desperately wanted a reason to not just turn around from all of this.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Dantooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

While Aldric sat down and hooked the device up to their ship, Valery remained standing and did her best to stop fidgeting or looking like she was having a nervous breakdown. What made it worse was the way he looked up into her eyes. Normally, when their eyes met, there was something passionate and loving that sparked instantly and fired her up deep inside. But right now, all she saw was confusion and hurt.

Perhaps she had expected more anger as well, but when he spoke, that didn't seem to be the case at all — he even wondered if it was somehow his fault that she had done what she did. Valery's eyes widened with even more pain and regret, and she quickly shook her head. "No- No, please, none of this is your fault," Valery said with a heart that was beating so fast, she feared it was going to explode. "You've never done anything wrong to me..."

She frowned and felt her eyes dropping to the floor for a moment, "I.. have just been so frustrated, tired, angry... and-" she took a small breath and slowly looked back up. "I've not been myself and I let myself go too far in the moment. It was wrong and I'll never let it happen again."

"There's only one person I love and it's you, and you deserve so much better from me." She looked him in the eyes, hoping to show her sincerity — Aldric was the most important man in the Galaxy to her, and she wanted to throw herself off a bridge for hurting him like this. "I'm so sorry, babe."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"But… why?" Aldric stressed again. Part of him wanted to just sweep it all under the rug and let things go back to normal. But he needed more than just a sorry.

"I get it. I get why you're stressed, why you're angry. All the work you do… it's- it's enough to make anyone else fold. But… why? Why of all the ways to lash out… Why is that where you went?" He just couldn't envision it being a slip up. A heat of the moment mistake. It wasn't something one really did without at least a bit of thought behind it. A bit of reasoning, if it could be described that way. It certainly didn't sound reasonable. But with the evidence presented, it just didn't make sense to him. "No 'sorry'. No 'you deserve better'. I just wanna know the truth."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

The Ship

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"But… why?"

Valery frowned at the question, as it was one she had been trying to really answer for herself as well. It had felt like there wasn't anything rational to it because Aldric had been so good to her and she wanted to spend the rest of her days with him. It's what stopped whatever happened as well before it could go beyond flirting. And normally she wasn't the type to flirt or be overly playful with strangers at all either, so much like him, she had felt there must have been some reason.

"I..." she sighed softly and looked him in the eyes, "In just that moment, there was something about him that helped me forget about everything that has been bothering me, and I played into it far too much because of the tension I felt. I wasn't thinking straight, not until he tried to push things further and I stopped him. But I was wrong about what I felt, about him, and about what I was doing."

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, "There are no excuses for it, no good reasons why. I let some teasing and playful behavior get to me too much, and I wasn't strong enough to stop it and do what was right. I was... weak."

"But... there's nothing I feel for him or for anybody else but you."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric stared sadly at Valery as she spoke, processing what she told him. Nothing between them actually took place, and the feelings she had were more or less surface level. If what Val said was to be trusted, anyway.

He shook his head, and shut his eyes in silent contemplation for a few long moments. Whatever other mistakes Valery made, he didn't believe her to be a liar about them. If she was telling him all this, then chances are, it was the truth. That's what Aldric wanted to believe, at least. What he needed to believe, lest his trust be completely shattered.

It didn't make it feel better. It didn't make it right. But it was a step towards forgiveness. He sighed deeply, and looked back at her, "...Okay." Was all he said for a long pause. He offered a smile. A weary, sad smile that showed he wasn't gone, but also showed that she had undoubtedly damaged some of his faith. It would need to be repaired, but he was willing to see that through, if she was, too, "I believe you, Val." There was little to offer in response. Frustratingly little, perhaps. But it was all he could give her at the time.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

The Ship

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Time had never passed this slowly in her life before, and the longer she looked him in the eyes while he thought about her answer, the slower it seemed to pass. His answer in this very moment could change everything and if he decided that she had gone too far and shattered all of his trust, then she'd have to move forward knowing that she ruined everything, and for what? Not a thing in the Galaxy was worth losing him over, yet she had brought them here.

Because of her, she saw a kind of hurt in his eyes that made her heart feel so heavy.

But then Aldric let out a deep sigh and looked back up into her eyes. It felt like her heart stopped beating for a second, until...he accepted what she said and offered a weary smile. Tears began to flow immediately and for just a little longer, she remained standing and allowed emotions and frustrations to come up to the surface. It was still not right what she did, and it would take some time for wounds to heal, but she was commited to showing him how much he meant to her.

So despite some lingering tension, she walked over and sat down on his lap with a leg on each side of both of his, so she could face him and place her hands on his shoulders. She felt that pushing away being close would only make it more difficult later, so she hoped to break the barrier and make it really clear that she loved him. "I'm so sorry about everything, about today...but I'll make up for it. Both here on Dantooine and just between us." She smiled weakly into his eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck while she leaned in closer to embrace him for as long as he allowed.

"I love you so much," she whispered as her head lowered to rest on his shoulder. There was a lot of work still to do here on Dantooine. Once the device had been processed, they'd be back to work and she wanted to also talk to his mother again, but right now, she was really thankful that Trask had allowed them this moment together.