Private Looking Ahead

[Valery Noble]

Noble Home

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble BB-610

"Alright, you two got everything ready?"

Valery stood just outside the Bastion and looked between her husband and droid. They had been on missions before together, the most notable one having been a clash up against the Drengir. But it had been a while and this time it'd just be the three of them — a chance to make a difference while also bonding some more. Valery, despite the gravity of these missions, was actually looking forward to it quite a bit.

"We'll be heading into former Enclave territory to take a closer look. With their most recent actions, it's pretty safe to assume that they're looking to really control all those planets again. The more we find out, the earlier we can warn civilians or help people prepare against them." Perhaps, it'd help the Alliance prepare its forces to actually assist whoever became their next target.

But where would it be?

Kamino? Rothana? Scariff? There were so many options, and they had very little answers.

"I can leave flying the Bastion to you two though, hm?" she grinned and looked at her husband. He was an amazing pilot, especially in the Bastion, so with Bee assisting him as well, they'd get there safely.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Epicanthix |
| TAG: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble |


BB-610 rolled forward, whistling a quiet little tune, as he approached the Bastion. Perhaps it was simply due to Valery's contagious excitement, but the astromech was also reeling in the jovial air, fairly optimistic and eager to get to work. The end of the Second Great Hyperspace War had, truthfully, drilled home that no matter what major conflict controlled the galaxy, there would always be wrongs littered throughout the cosmos for them to right; there was always a fight to be had and people to help, so BB-610 intended on doing just that. The fact that he would be accompanied by his family was simply the cherry on top.

'Yup!' The droid chirped, wobbling in place. He'd wait for Kahlil, listening to Valery as she explained. Enclave territory was new to him, and while that certainly brought about its own uncertainties, no longer would he let those fears get the best of him. Putting on his brave face, BB-610 nodded, happy to assist no matter where their destination ended up being.

"I can leave flying the Bastion to you two though, hm?"

That, however, certainly was reason for fear.

Hardly anything to do with flying, of course, no-- BB-610 was designed for that, and while he vastly preferred the much nimbler starfighters, it wasn't as though it didn't come natural to him. No, the anxiety came from partnering with... Kahlil, specifically. A very strange woe to have, but never before had it dawned on him that he'd never actually flown with Kahlil before. When it came to one-on-ones, whether they be missions or down time, it had always been him and Valery. It left BB-610 rather stunned. Huh...

He'd been owned by Scherezade deWinter during his Agent of Chaos days, and then by Bella after their merge with the Eternal Empire...
...Perhaps he was just naturally drawn to women-?

Nevertheless, he wasn't against bonding with Kahlil in the slightest. The notion was a tad nerve inducing, but that's simply because Kahlil was so heavily idolized by him. BB-610 glanced over to the man in question, nodding once more with a happy bweep. Once ready, the astromech would roll forth to board the Bastion, optics seeking out its controls as he navigated towards the front deck.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Another trip to former enclave space.

Kahlil let out a sigh. And of course made sure to check the cargo hold of the Bastion to make sure another Padawan hadn't stowed away as Loomi had. It turned out well enough for them when it happened, but it didn't mean that they could just let Padawans stow away every time they went out to handle problems. Sometimes it was too dangerous. Was that the case today? Kahlil wasn't sure, but he didn't want to have to worry about protecting them on top of everything else.

And it gave him an excuse to collect himself. He looked calm as ever as he stepped into the room with the other two, but he was just as nervous as BB was. Ever since the loss of R6, Kahlil hadn't really had a droid with him. Valery trusted BB, the kids did. BB was the one who helped Vera while he was gone. There was a fear there. That because Kahlil wasn't there to help the droid might not even like him.

Mix that with the continued lack of actually trying to talk to BB over the years since, and Kahlil was left just unsure on how to even approach them.

"Yeah, we got this. Should be easy I imagine."

BB-610 | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Noble Home

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble BB-610

"Great!"

Valery looked between them with a wide grin. All of this was, of course, completely intentional — the two of them hadn't worked closely together yet before. At least not without Valery and Padawans being involved at the same time. She wanted to change that, and knew that their own pasts didn't make this much easier. Bee had replaced R6 in their lives, and she knew what that meant for Kahlil. At the same time, she knew Bee hadn't always felt comfortable just placing his trust in others.

Valery had, after all, needed to save him from a crowd trying to kill him.

"I suggest we start at Tatooine or Geonosis — they're close to Ryloth and the intersection of two hyperlanes. Be careful though, or we might end up being spotted." She sat back with her hands behind her head to relax, and watched as the two were forced to navigate and fly together.

She knew how good they were at this, so she wasn't worried at all.

It'd be a good bonding exercise.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Epicanthix |
| TAG: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble |


BB-610 glanced over at Kahlil, and then back to Valery. He inched forward, eager to get started-- only to backtrack and roll ever so slightly closer to her, like a lost child afraid of straying too far from their mother, peering between her and the Bastion as though to signal for her to lead the way. Of course, this wasn't what their little excursion was about, so as soon as the droid realized it was up to him to kickstart things, he slowly rolled towards the entrance, cooing quietly. The Bastion, as ever, invited him in as he followed internal directions and made his way to the cockpit.

Inserting his scomp link into the ship's socket, his synced his droidbrain with the Bastion's navicomputer, promptly inputting the coordinates for Tatooine. He wasn't too big a fan of either planet, truthfully, but Geonosis' rocky surface proved a tad too bumpy for him at times. Engines whirring to life, BB-610 glanced back, hoping to see both Nobles stood nearby. He settled his eye on Kahlil, with a second tool-bay disc sliding open to let his utility arm emerge, forming as best a gesture of salute as possible.

He'd known of their previous astromech, but rarely had it been subject of discussion. BB-610 mused, having never truly thought about it before - did Kahlil think BB-610 had replaced it? Was that what kept him distant, only begrudgingly accepting of him because of Valery? Did Kahlil even like him? Did he hate him?

Oh no... Oh, no, no, no- It all made sense now. Oh, he'd messed up bad-- Should he say something-? Would that be okay, to abruptly mention it? Would that be opening old wounds? Would it be irresponsible to talk about it in front of Valery? The droid's brain ran wild with possibilities, calculating each and every outcome, mortified of their results, begging that he could still at least salvage this sinking ship that he had just imagined into existence.

He was overthinking, of course, but that's often the case after a history of abuse.

Beginning to tremble, he bweeped, his binary bordering on shaky, as he piped up and asked Kahlil if he wanted them to jump to hyperspace or not. The faster option, but hyperspace wasn't always the best course of action, especially with how close they were to the Unknown Regions. BB-610 awaited orders, sternly fixed on the Jedi, not wanting to even remotely disappoint him.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Tatooine it was.

Kahlil was pretty indifferent to both planets, mostly on account that Geonosis had their own forms of 'zombies'. As a boy it'd made him curious on just how they worked, but the idea of just a parasite taking over the body of their host left him with little interest to pursue it any farther. They were dangerous and it made it easy to overwhelm, but what he wanted was the secrets of the soul. Of what made a person a person.

It was also what made it so difficult for him to even talk to Bee. He glanced to him, his expression clam as ever as he nodded and got the question. "Hyperspace will be fine for now, just keep scanning around the world. If the Mandalorians have already reached out that far, we'll have to drop somewhere outside their sensors if we don't want to get caught." Business first. People were easier to understand. Facial ticks, emotion, between his eyes and the Force he could generally get an idea on how someone felt about him.

Not so much with droids. It's why he had no idea R6 had been working for his father all that time.

Valery Noble | BB-610

 

[Valery Noble]

Noble Home

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble BB-610

While they somewhat nervously plotted the course to Tatooine, Valery studied them closely and quietly. Kahlil was the most important man in her life, the father of their children, and Bee had become one of her best buddies. She trusted him to watch their kids and put her life in his hands many times when they were out on missions together. So, she was hoping for them to get closer too, and it seemed that breaking the ice wasn't that easy.

From their home to Tatooine was a decent flight, so she figured they'd have the time.

"We'll manage. I'm not so worried about being detected with you two flying us there. But..." she paused and looked between the two with that warm, encouraging smile she always had for them. "...everything okay? You two feel a little tense. I can give you both a moment alone if you'd like."

"We're all part of the same family, so I want to make sure all is well."

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Epicanthix |
| TAG: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble |


As Kahlil gave the order, BB-610 nodded, and with the Bastion's engines whirring louder, they were lifted airborne and sent drifting through Epicanthix' blue skies. Departing for the planet's upper atmosphere, they soared steady, guided flawlessly by the astromech's droidbrain as their home became lost to the horizon; a tiny spec on Epicanthix' surface by the time they had reached space. The journey was smooth, as anticipated, but his piloting was far from BB-610's main concern.

Turning to Valery, the droid stared, fishing for the right words. It wasn't that he didn't want to be alone with Kahlil- he just simply didn't want to blow things out of proportion. The galaxy was thick in tension already, they hardly needed any unnecessary squabbles among family. He shook his head, simply to let her know that things were okay, and waited for the jump to hyperspace before he elaborated.

Engulfed by the light of hyperspace, BB-610 averted his gaze, observing the rush of stars as they traversed the cosmos en route to Tatooine. BB-610 bweeped, his binary soft as he admitted that he simply didn't want to disappoint. Realizing that - perhaps - his words might be referring to Valery, he turned to face Kahlil, optic wide with glistening emotion. BB-610 may be cold metal on the outside, but he felt just like any human did, and he wanted to let Kahlil know that -- to let him know that the droid was earnest.

The astromech chirped once more, adding that he looked up to Kahlil. The two of them were, in certain ways, quite similar, having been conceived by the Sith before forging a path of their own to fight for good. Glancing at the floor, BB-610 paused. He bweeped, quieter this time, as he told Kahlil that he didn't want him to hate him should he mess up. In retrospect, the droid's subconscious preference for women made sense. It had been the men in his life that abused him, after all. He refused to believe that Kahlil would be like those people, but there was only so much trauma the astromech could neglect. Maybe that's why he'd never rushed to get to know Kahlil more.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil listened in silence. He knew Valery's intentions, it was clear through their bond, but he didn't want to push it himself. He was still nervous. Though just listening to Bee seemed to clear up more than he expected. His smile softened as he looked out to the blue of Hyperspace. "When I ran from home, I had no one save for R6 for a long time. They were planted, of course, by my father to spy on me. But that didn't matter to them. They couldn't break that part of their programing, but they kept me safe. Took care of me and protected me. They were family for me when I had none, regardless of the purpose they were made for."

He reached down, gently patting the top of the droid's head. "When I wasn't there, you were for Valery and Vera. There's no one I trust more with my family in this whole galaxy than you, Bee. There's no possible way for me to hate you. If anything, I'm more worried you'll hate me."

BB-610 | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Noble Home

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble BB-610

"R6 also brought us together," Valery added softly. "When you were captured shortly after I came back from my long retreat, R6 found me and led me to you." If the little droid hadn't helped her find him that day, perhaps he wouldn't be here at all anymore. She'd have lost him. But R6 wasn't the only droid who had been a huge help to the family — when Kahlil had been taken out of her life, Bee had been there for her.

Valery smiled warmly when Kahlil mentioned that and how much he trusted Bee because of it.

"I hope you two don't feel like I've been pushing too much here. I just... I care a lot about you both and this family. It's important to me that we all live together happily."

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Epicanthix |
| TAG: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble |


BB-610 lifted his head, surprised. He wasn't sure what he was expecting-- Kahlil had always shown himself to be sincere and caring, much like Valery. The two were a match made in heaven, and that was reason enough to put his faith in the man. There was something that the droid saw in him though, through no fault of Kahlil's own; BB-610 couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was a silhouette. There was a man in his life once that looked just like him. The details were hazy, a blurred mess from the sheer amount of memory wipes the First Order had put him through, but it was there all the same.

That was why there was a very, very faint flinch when Kahlil reached to pet him. A fleeting feeling, BB-610 couldn't help but anticipate a smack or the tug of Force energy crushing his chassis, but the moment never care. Instead, the feeling left as quick as it came, and the astromech found himself leaning into Kahlil's touch, nuzzling into his hand with a soft coo, a purr-like whir rumbling at his core.

Shaking his head, BB-610 bweeped, saying that he couldn't hate his family even if he tried. He glanced between the Jedi, chirping happily as he continued, saying that he had existed for a very, very long time, and that no once had he felt what true love was before he met the two of them. As the light of hyperspace faded around them, BB-610 kept himself pressed contently into Kahlil's palm. It felt nice for them to share a moment together.

Now having entered the space around Tatooine, the droid cast a passing glance towards the planet. Following Kahlil's orders, BB-610 primed the Bastion for a scan for any Mandalorian presence, his own signal enhancer swirling as it strengthened their reach. Drifting steadily, the astromech turned towards Valery, bweeping as to say that he wasn't picking up any unusual activity.

As they pressed through the planet's atmosphere, the sandy oasis of Tatooine became ever more present, and while it wasn't particularly exciting to look at, it nonetheless provided a good landing for their ship, now touching ground near a quaint settlement. Its engines whirring offline, BB-610 whistled, asking what their next step was.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I don't believe you're pushing anything. It was a conversation we should've had sooner."

He certainly should've, considering that it was Bee who helped take care of Vera. He glanced to Valery, giving her a brief smile. But then the ship was landing. Nothing popped up yet about Mandalorian activity, but he imagined that would change soon enough.

"We explore. I've no doubt that the Mandalorians will be making use of Tatooine as they had before. From what I heard, they went through and systematically eliminated the Hutts and other gangs. Whatever their purpose was behind it, we'll find out."

Valery Noble | BB-610

 

[Valery Noble]

Noble Home

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble BB-610

"Awwe," Valery said with love-filled eyes as she listened to them both, and watched their moment. She hoped it wouldn't interrupt it, but she just couldn't help herself. Her family was the most important thing to her in the Galaxy, so for them to break the ice and really understand each other meant a lot to her. No more tension or fear — just the affection, trust and willingness to go through anything together that was expected of family.

Today, that meant a new challenge out here on Tatooine.

"Yeah, let's get going. I'd rather not be here any longer than we need to," Valery said as she got up, looked out the window and sighed. As much as she hated the cold, this kind of heat wasn't something she liked either. Why couldn't every planet be a jungle? Setting that feeling aside for now, she opened up the ramp, strapped on her backpack with supplies, and headed out into the heat of the twin suns.

"Bee, could you do a scan of our surroundings? We'll have to use our sensors and senses to track the Mandalorians."

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Tatooine |
| TAG: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble |


With the Bastion now entirely dormant, BB-610 caught up to his family, rolling closely behind them as they set foot upon sandy ground. The astromech glanced around, as though to verify that this was indeed Tatooine. Unsurprisingly, it looked exactly as he remembered it; the planet seemed to live in stasis, refusing to change regardless of whatever state the galaxy was currently in. While he appreciated the stubbornness of a planet unfazed by time, he'd certainly wished it changed. Tatooine was far from his ideal place of stay.

"Bee, could you do a scan of our surroundings? We'll have to use our sensors and senses to track the Mandalorians."

Nodding, the droid rolled forward, scanner emerging from atop his head and antennae rising to stabilize his signal. BB-610's servos listened attentively, however an unceremonious droning within his satellite took him aback, his optic narrowing in confusion. Turning to the two Nobles, he bweeped, mentioning that his scanners had picked up on something, but there was a line of interference blocking it.

thud. thud. thud. thud.

Distant footsteps made their presence known, the clang of metal muffled but noticeable all the same. Following the sound, BB-610 rounded a corner, noticing the tailend of a figure walking past a settlement, now obscured from the droid's sight. Incredulous, the astromech surveyed their surroundings further, and it was only then that he'd spotted a tiny pinprick in the distance, smaller and smaller as it sped off into the twin suns. Advanced photoreceptors zooming in, BB-610 studied the figure, watching as they brought a hand up to their head.

The droid spoke up, bweeping as he told the Nobles that he'd seen someone on a speeder with a lot of cargo strapped in. In a matter of seconds, the interference grew stronger, as though there were a message being relayed, encrypted and reduced to white noise for protection against foreign sensors. Before he could perform an enhanced scan, the speeder was gone, and BB-610 was left without answers.

thud. thud. thud. thud. thud.

The footsteps grew louder, faster, and the astromech once again followed. Steel met the ground, and openly visible was now a hulking SST-combat droid, its chassis quaking from the sheer weight of its steps, arm-mounted blaster perpetually raised and primed for firing. Bweeping skittishly, the astromech recoiled, backing up into Valery's feet as he trembled, relaying in utter fear that it was a Rampart unit. It approached one of two vehicles - jeeps of some sort - as it stepped onto its cargo holder and began to reconfigure itself, shifting its body into its sentry form. Not before long, the vehicle whirred to life, wheels kicking clouds of sand and dust as it drove off in the same direction as the speeder. Curiously, BB-610 could not see a driver.

thud. thud.

Approaching footsteps, with what could only be assumed to be another Rampart unit drawing nearer to the second jeep. The small collection of settlements were eerily silent, broken up only by the booming thunder of metal. BB-610 peered up, gaze bouncing between Valery and Kahlil, before finally settling on the latter. Chirping, the astromech stated the three choices they had:

Beat the Rampart unit to its vehicle and stowaway quietly. Face the Rampart unit and commandeer the vehicle themselves. Or abandon the idea altogether to remain with any locals to find out what might be happening. Perhaps this had nothing to do with the Mandalorians at all... Would it be worth the risk?

What decision would they reach?

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Patience."

Kahlil raised a hand, mostly to remind himself not to just jump in. Whatever the droids were doing in the distance, he couldn't be too sure of. But worse, the village itself seemed too quiet. Which meant that if someone still remained, they'd likely be in trouble. He glanced to Valery before nodding his head towards the town itself, then started making his own way there. If there were people who needed help, that should always be their first priority.

"Let's find out what's going on."

Valery Noble | BB-610

 

[Valery Noble]

Noble Home

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble BB-610

Jedi senses were often quite remarkable. She could figure out if Sith were on the same planet as she was, they allowed her to feel her children's presence across the scars, and she knew exactly when danger was imminent. But sensing other droids was still something she couldn't do, so having Bee with her always proved to be extremely useful. His sensors were incredible and even though there was interference, he was picking up on more than enough for them to establish a plan.

But they had several options to choose from.

Valery reached down to pat the top of his head after he rolled up against her leg, and offered a grateful smile for all his help, "Great work, bud. We'll take this one slow," she said before glancing up at Kahlil. "I agree. We can ask the locals and if those people are worth going after, we'll just summon the Bastion."

"Those speeders aren't outrunning our ship." Especially not with one of the Nobles flying while Bee could tap himself into the ship's sensors. Nobody was getting away from them.

"Let's get moving." She grinned and started walking through the sand to reach the settlement.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Tatooine |
| TAG: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble |


BB-610 nodded, content with the decision they'd made. One last passing glance, and the final vehicle was mounted by the Rampart unit, once again reconfigured into its sentry form as the driver-less jeep revved its engines and drove off, not far from its predecessor. He wasn't entirely sure what either of those meant; to his knowledge, Mandalorians didn't tend to use Rampart units, but their adept combat skills in being lethal killing machines meant that they were bad news regardless of whether they were with the Mandalorians or not.

For now, though, the trio opted to stand their ground and search the area. The settlement that they had landed nearby was oddly quiet for Tatooine, which hardly instilled confidence. A small hut was just behind them, but upon quick inspection, there appeared to be nobody home, nor was there any sign of struggle. BB-610 narrowed his optic. Hm.

Bweeping cautiously, he mentioned that the place seemed deserted, and that he had a bad feeling about it. Rolling back the way he came, BB-610 turned a corner, and once again, none of the stands dotted around had their associated vendors. It was easy to assume that the Rampart units had something to do with the eerie stillness, but why would there not be signs of struggle?

He perked up, having gotten an idea. If there were any place on Tatooine that would be filled to the brim, it would be one of the many cantinas. Swirling around to roll up to one, careless of the fact that they 'didn't serve his kind here', BB-610 pressed forth as the door slid open. Whatever optimism the droid may have had was squashed in an instant. The cantina was empty. Not even the backing track of music remained. A deathly silence.

The sound of rustling caught his attention, however, and while it may otherwise have been cause for concern, the simple sound of anything that broke the quietness was almost a relief. BB-610 inched closer to it, realizing that a nearby storage box had been twitching. Utility arm emerging, the astromech cautiously flipped it over, and out ran a tiny PG-unit.

"D- Don't hurt me," it spoke in glitched basic, immediately speeding away from the astromech. It soon met the roadblock of Valery and Kahlil, accidentally bumping into the latter's foot. It stared at the two, towering over it as it stood in place, too petrified to move. "D- Don't hurt me." It repeated.

BB-610 rolled back on over, peering up at the two Nobles with a look of concern.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

No life.

He could feel it as he walked into the town beside the other two. There was no one here, no one alive at least, that he could feel. It was concerning to say the least. An empty city. He glanced to Valery just before Bee zipped off into the nearby cantina. He raised a hand, more worried about the droid, but the surprise was clear. Even R6 had been had for him to figure out. The Force didn't tell him anything about droids that weren't actively trying to kill him.

Bee was at least quick to return. Well, not Bee. Kahlil blinked slowly as he glanced to the droid that had bumped his boot, then up towards where Bee was. And smiled, faintly.

"We're not here to hurt you. Just figure out what's going on. Where are the people? Where did they go?"

BB-610 | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Noble Home

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble BB-610

As they got closer to the settlement, Valery reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. It wasn't natural for a place like this to feel so empty, and it bothered her. It wasn't quite a void in the Force, so it didn't weaken her own strength, but she could tell that people had been here not that long ago. That's what made this ghost town all the more disturbing, and they needed to figure it out fast. Perhaps those droids from before had something to do with it.

Or worse, the Mandalorians.

Valery snapped back to reality when she noticed that Bee had rushed off into the cantina, but she wasn't worried. She trusted him and it didn't take long for something to come out. It wasn't Bee, but a little droid bumped into Kahlil's foot and spoke up. A first sign of life, as far as Valery was concerned.

"Anything you can tell us would help bring them back," Valery assured it with a smile, before she looked up at Bee. "Found anything else inside? Or does it really just feel like everybody disappeared from one moment to another?"