Private Loose Ends

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Stasis facility
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

Frowning underneath her mask, Valery stood within the remains of the facility she had recently visited with her husband and looked around. The ceiling had partially collapsed, the walls of the cave were unstable and many of the stasis pods were damaged or destroyed. A few years ago, she had been in one like this herself, and it had been Ala who rescued her from this place.

With her return here, she had confronted her past with the help of Kahlil, but something had escaped from this place that still needed to be taken care of. Normally, she'd handle this alone, and it wouldn't have been a problem to do that again now, but this was too personal. She could use the help of a friend she trusted to get through it, and Aayla Shan was the one friend she both trusted and felt confident about with these types of jobs.

She was a Jedi Shadow, and this task was right up her alley. So under the code name Aurora, Valery had sent an encrypted message with the coordinates to this facility built into a cave on Onderon. It would be the best starting point to explain what they were going to do, and why she really needed her friend's help.

So, within the remains of the facility, Aurora waited.

 

[Aayla Shan]

Aayla had left Kashyyyk within mere moments of receiving the message. Only having to see the name in which it was sent under, and the location her presence was requested. The "Fat Cat" Stealth Transport was yet to have been flown by her, and she figured that today was no better time. It held the necessary technologies to keep her movements well enough off the radar, and also didn't bare any markings that would specifically coin it as a Silver Jedi vessel. As such, she had took it for a spin, and found it exhilarating. She saw the Fat in its name, as it was a hugely cumbersome ship to operate, but also saw where the Cat came in, as the thing truly got up to speed and held it.

Once it started rolling, it rolled...

The Transport breached the atmosphere above Onderon, roughly eight miles away from Valery's position, Aayla glancing at nearby panels and disengaging the auto-pilot to take control. The Elysium Empire certainly knew how to build some spacecraft; she had wholly enjoyed the trip here, ignorant of what she would find when she arrived. Whatever it was, the "Flame of the Jedi" As Aayla had jokingly taken to calling her needed her help with it, and at this point she was desperate for any action...

When she neared the facility, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes in slight confusion. This was the place Ala had...

Those memories were better left buried. She had enough on her plate as it was.

~ ~ ~

​

Once the ship had landed, she turned off the necessary systems, then would rise to get herself prepared to meet up with Valery, walking by the weapons locker and remembering it was in fact stocked with a plethora of weapons and live munitions. She never saw herself using any of them, but it didn't hurt to know she had a small armory available at any given time. She quickly changed into her own bodysuit, masking herself and hitting the button for the ships ramp before heading towards, and into the facility.

Eventually, she spotted Valery, and would walk up to her without a second thought.

"Well?"

An oddly mechanical voice sounded to the other, the masked figure's head turning to pan the area...

"Why are we here?"

She asked, the second question would come off a little more demanding than the first. Valery didn't know this, but Ala's disappearance had rested on Ala's heart heavily for some time. She was... Close to the girl; to put it lightly. Even after she had gone to the Ashlan Crusade, Aayla made effort to keep in touch, and then Kadan came along, gods what a time.

Although this wasn't about her, it still brought up memories she would've been okay leaving buried...

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Stasis facility
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

"Why are we here?"

Valery turned around when she heard the voice behind her. Much like her own, it was distorted to keep her identity concealed, but they were incredibly close friends, so it was easy for them to recognize each other. A mechanized sigh followed from Valery, and she looked back at the stasis pods before she began to speak.

"My husband and I returned here because I believed old friends to be stuck here; I saw them in visions and... I could feel them," the woman began as memories flashed back through her mind.

"But what we found was... terrible. A woman was protecting this place, and she looked like an old friend of my past, even felt like her. But she was corrupted and something else felt off, too." Valery now turned back to Aayla and looked at her through the mask. While her expression was concealed, Aayla would likely be able to tell that something bothered her friend.

"We fought and defeated her, but she managed to escape when this place collapsed. Now she's out there causing problems, I just know it. I want to finish what I started here, and take her down. But I can't do it alone."

She paused and looked away for a moment.

"I hesitated when I fought her, and it nearly got me hurt, if it wasn't for my husband stepping in. Aayla... I need you to help me take her out. If I hesitate or fail again, I need you to do what I can't."

 

[Aayla Shan]

Hence Aurora, and not Valery. She understood now... Aayla relaxed a bit, now well aware this had nothing to do with what she was thinking about. Though therein, she found a sense of pain, Brief, but potent. It would subside as she watched behind Valery, realizing what it meant to the woman, what it would've meant to herself if she was ever put in the position. Perhaps she would want someone else deliver such a blow as well. She wasn't entirely certain her heart could take it. Though, one thing about Aayla had changed for the worse, her ability to simply turn it off and on. Able to at times disconnect her morality from a situation to make a clear decision.

It was troublesome, and ominous.

"I hesitated when I fought her, and it nearly got me hurt, if it wasn't for my husband stepping in. Aayla... I need you to help me take her out. If I hesitate or fail again, I need you to do what I can't."

Valery hesitated? She would have asked her about it, but thought against it, she was smart enough to piece two and two together. In a sense, Aayla was here for emotional support, and if push came to shove... To be an executioner.

"I'm sorry... If they're too far gone, then... I'm here with you. For you. C-.."

She skipped a beat, but found her resolve, her friend's friend had turned into a target, but she still needed to know the ins and outs here. She just wanted to try being somewhat subtle about it.

"What can you tell me about... Them?"

Aayla Finished, moving even closer to Valery now and offering a reassuring grasp on her right shoulder before moving to crouch and look around the facility. She certainly couldn't sense anything yet.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Stasis facility
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

"I'm sorry... If they're too far gone, then... I'm here with you. For you. C-.."

Valery looked over her shoulder again and nodded. This is why she had asked Aayla to join her — she would be here to support her as a friend, but there was no way she'd hesitate to complete the mission either. Not when it came to those corrupted, and not when it was Valery asking for her help. They trusted and respected each other, so she felt confident in what was ahead of them.

"I appreciate it," she said with a smile that couldn't be seen, but her relief was clear in her tone.

The woman then moved over and placed her hand on Valery's shoulder, which added to the comfort she felt. This was going to be difficult, she knew that much, but at least she had a trusted friend with her.

"What can you tell me about... Them?"

"I believe she was created in this lab with the DNA of my old friend. Corrupted from the start, so likely with no way to the Light — the Dark Side is all she knows," Valery began before she finally did turn around to face Aayla.

"She's not the most powerful, so taking her down isn't going to be a problem. But she's resourceful and I have a feeling she's causing trouble somewhere. We shouldn't underestimate this woman," Valery said calmly.

"I also know that she's still on Onderon somewhere, but within the jungles. It can be dangerous so we'll have to move with caution, and figure out what she's up to exactly. But... shouldn't be a problem for two Shadows, hm?" She was grinning a little now that she had accepted what was to come.

 

[Aayla Shan]

When Valery had turned around, Aayla let her hand fall at her side, listening to Valery's briefing. Cloning, especially cloning those that held Force Sensitivity could be dangerous for those that didn't know what they were doing. She wondered briefly if the ruined facility had anything to do with that. Though wouldn't dwell on that line of thought too long. Mostly listening, she would nod when it seemed acceptable until Valery had finished saying all she had to say, finding a bit of solace in her jovial tone towards the latter bit of her words.

It was a good thing Aayla's face was obscured, or the restrained laugh would have been all too visible. She enjoyed it when her friends were happy... So today, they were going to hunt down mischievous Sith, and put an end to her. It was likely cloned from the DNA of one of Valery's friends, whom she imagined as well was from the same time era as Valery. Honestly, she should've probably asked Valery a lot more about that time period. There was likely so much knowledge she had never thought to simply ask the woman, though Valery had passed on quite a bit in their meetings as it was.

"No... No problem at all, we'll put an end to this"

Aayla said reassuringly, inhaling a bit, to the point it was somewhat transmitted through her speech modulator. Then, she would nod ahead.

"Lead the way, Aurora..."

Aayla said, content to follow the woman for now, though after a few moments, her thoughts would run back to something from just a moment ago... Something the was reminded of on her crash landing on a planet she had never been too before then... She had learned a bit about her lineage, but the time period was so long ago no on would've known anything about it...

Except Valery was from that time period...

"V..Aurora..."

She started, glancing around herself to verify they were alone.

"Do you know any Shan's from your time period? Bastila.. Or Satele? What were they like? What did they do?"

She would have posed the question to the woman, as if to kill time as they traveled, though her mind was open in the Force, still maintaining some caution on their trek.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Stasis facility
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

"No... No problem at all, we'll put an end to this"

Valery nodded and turned her body towards the other exit of the caves, which would lead them straight into the jungle. But before she could depart, Aayla asked a question that had Valery stop for a moment — it was about her days in the Old Republic, which outside of lessons she learned, Valery rarely talked about much. She understood why Aayla wanted to know more about Bastila and Satele though, and she had no reason to keep anything from her.

"Bastila is from before my time, but I know the stories that most history books have. Satele though... she was Grandmaster around the time I began my own journey as a Jedi. So my interactions with her have been limited, but she was a good leader. Confident, calm, and a very proper Jedi. She disappeared somewhere around the time that I ended up in stasis."

Valery paused and looked at Aayla.

"I'm quite sure you share some traits with them. You have that same strength and confidence in you and without a doubt the potential they had. If you'd like, though, I can always tell you more about their stories sometime. Unless you've learned it all yourself already from history books?" Valery asked. She wasn't actually sure how much information about that past was still around — it was an incredibly long time ago, after all.

The woman then finally guided Aayla out of the facility through a different exit, and they stepped straight into the jungle. It was dark outside, and with the thick vegetation all around them, even the moon wasn't helping light the way much. Luckily, their gear made it far easier to adjust to the environment, and their senses were sharp.

"Last I heard, she was somewhere in Sector 11, but I'm not quite sure why," Valery said as they moved through the flora. Around them, the two Jedi would be able to sense a lot of life — animals were everywhere, and some were certainly dangerous as well. But even Onderon's predators were careful about making moves against two Jedi in full gear.

"Maybe she's hiding somewhere or trying something with the animals?"

 

[Aayla Shan]

She followed closely behind Valery, listening to what response the other would have for her, clearly losing some of her attention on her surroundings at the response.

Behind her mask, her face would falter a bit, hoping to have heard more. Aayla was relatively alone in this large galaxy. Given, she would have a real family soon, she wanted to know more about her own family. She didn't want to just be another orphan of the stars, although so many others were. She almost felt greedy for such a thought process, but it didn't change how she felt... Then Valery continued...

"Bastila is from before my time, but I know the stories that most history books have. Satele though... she was Grandmaster around the time I began my own journey as a Jedi. So my interactions with her have been limited, but she was a good leader. Confident, calm, and a very proper Jedi. She disappeared somewhere around the time that I ended up in stasis."

She had completely looked away from her surroundings, enamored in the words Valery had spoken. They were true, and she remembered she had never told Valery the story of how she came into possession of her second saber. Almost feeling ashamed of such a trivial thing, though... They weren't here for her. What was her emotional state as of recent anyway? She felt as though she was everywhere. Everywhere except the places she was.

Partly, it could be contributed to her Astrian heritage. She felt the Force so deeply that staying in one place was beyond drab. It felt like a shackle. Mostly the reason she always seemed available whenever Valery called; the farther, the better.

"I'm quite sure you share some traits with them. You have that same strength and confidence in you and without a doubt the potential they had. If you'd like, though, I can always tell you more about their stories sometime. Unless you've learned it all yourself already from history books?" Valery asked. She wasn't actually sure how much information about that past was still around — it was an incredibly long time ago, after all.

"Quite a bit... And a little personally. Though that's a story for a roof over our heads."

She admitted, smirking to herself behind that mask. Strength and Confidence huh? Where exactly, Aayla wondered. Doubting oneself was a natural occurrence, and even as far as Aayla had gone, she wasn't beyond such things. Just before they changed the path however that Valery was going to leave, Aayla would stand and look to her left, briefly staring off into the relative darkness. For just a moment, she thought she had seen the face of a friend, but knew all too well it was just her mind playing games... They were long gone now.

"Last I heard, she was somewhere in Sector 11, but I'm not quite sure why," Valery said as they moved through the flora. Around them, the two Jedi would be able to sense a lot of life — animals were everywhere, and some were certainly dangerous as well. But even Onderon's predators were careful about making moves against two Jedi in full gear.

"There's a lot of life roaming here, perhaps the think it would be easier to hide amongst them?"

Aayla said, raising her hand with a palm down as a creature reminiscent to a moth would land on her knuckles. It brought a smile from her, but she would wiggle her hand, causing it to fly off.

"Whatever the case, I doubt its anything good... Let's find them and..- And put an end to it."

She would reiterate with some firmness. Wondering what would happen when they finally came to that point. In all honestly, although Valery had taught her so much, she knew the woman was a better Jedi than her. Valery didn't strike her as a person that harbored any hate, whereas Aayla had always hidden something within her. Almost like a split personality reserved for the Sith she encountered. She hated them and had no reservations about it. In a sense, she hid the fact that she openly violated the Jedi Code when it suited her. Although, it had never been a problem before...

Not yet, anyway.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Stasis facility
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

"Whatever the case, I doubt it's anything good... Let's find them and..- And put an end to it."

Valery briefly stopped and looked over her shoulder, the vizor of her mask focused on the other concealed woman. Aayla knew what needed to be done today, and she began to appreciate that more and more the closer they were getting. Out there, she could already feel what she now believed to be a clone of her old friend — it was dark, corrupted, and not truly that of her friend, yet it felt familiar. As if even just a fraction of the bond she shared with her old friend lingered in this clone as well.

"Thank you, Aay-" she stopped, not because she feared using her friend's identity out here — they were alone after all — but because some movement in the bushes around them caught her attention.

Through the Force, the pair of Jedi could feel several creatures getting closer fast, but something darker shrouded them. They weren't corrupted themselves because these beasts weren't Force-sensitive, but it was as if the Dark Side controlled every part of their behavior. Anger, hatred, and a hunger to kill had overwhelmed all their animalistic senses.

"Something's coming for us," and without a moment of hesitation, Valery drew the hilt of her lightsaber into her hand and ignited it to reveal the purple blade.

Then, from her left side, the first of the beasts jumped out towards her. With a quick spin and a powerful sweeping strike, Valery evaded his charge and used her momentum to sever its head from its torso, all in a single motion. But there were more, and the two Jedi quickly found themselves surrounded by a whole group of them.

"Careful with these... Orlax are known to be fast."

 

[Aayla Shan]

Enlightening is what her conversations with Valery usually felt. Though, she didn't have too long to dwell on that fact. That creeping darkness was felt by Aayla almost as soon as it was applicable to be sensed by the pair of Force Warriors. She unclipped her saber, and maintained her pace with Valery, glancing left and right before glancing to Valery as she began to speak. The shortstop on her name caused her to activate her yellow saber immediately with an iconic snap-hiss. Bringing it up in no formal stance, but simply holding it up at the ready.

As one charged Valery, Aayla focused her intent on one that was charging from her own direction, jumping into the air effortlessly and twisting to split the creature right down the middle. When she landed, she took a few steps to place her back to Valery's briefly, a light press, before taking a step back to maintain a decent enough back-to-back standing.

"Well, that's not good..."

Aayla noted, glancing right and left through mercury pools. Her free hand brushed against her other saber, her first blue-bladed saber coming to life, and being adjoined to her yellow one to create a mismatched (in color) dual-saber. She had a thought then, noting the Dark Presence she had felt seemed to run concurrent with the appearance of this mob.

"Are these creatures even known to be pack hunt-.."

She stopped suddenly, stepping away from Valery and bringing up one end of the saber staff to chop at another charging Orlax. Fast as they were, they were unmatched by her reaction time, and her pure speed. Within moments, she would have slain an additional three, and flourished her saber while slowly backtracking to Valery.

"Willing to bet our friend is behind this... Somehow."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Sector 11
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

Back to back, Valery and Aayla stood together the way they had many times before, ready to face whatever threat was coming their way with the intent to cause harm. The corrupted Orlax's were fast, but no creature like this could match the speed of trained Jedi, and so the two Shadows were efficiently thinning the numbers quickly, thus removing the one advantage the beasts had.

"Willing to bet our friend is behind this... Somehow."

Valery nodded in agreement, "They seem enraged, and keep coming even after we cut down so many-" she paused as another jumped out at her from the bushes, but like those before, it was struck down with a single quick sweep of the woman's lightsaber. Their bodies now covered the ground around the pair of Jedi, and finally, it seemed that was the end of it.

"Come on, we should keep moving,"

Without anything else said, she began to guide Aayla deeper into the jungles and closer to the darkness they could feel up ahead. About 15 minutes passed without any real sign of danger or wildlife, but something else caused Valery to stop and look around — a thick, green gas was flowing through the jungle around them. Luckily, their masks easily kept it filtered out but there was an odd feeling that came along with what they were seeing. "This is bad," Valery commented, mere moments before the ground began to shake the way it would when large feet marched over it.

"Really bad,"

A loud roar followed and up ahead, the two could see an enormous beast coming right for them.

​

"Now I know why she went out here..." Valery frowned, drew both of her lightsabers, and looked at Aayla to see if she was ready. There was no way back, so they both understood what had to be done.

 

[Aayla Shan]

She kept pace with Valery, slaying any beast that dared approach their defensive bubble with haste, and zero hesitation. Within no time, they were done, and Aayla would loose a huff of air, audible through her mask though garbled. She flourished her saber in finality before deactivating the blades, but did not separate her sabers. Instead, she held the conjoined weapons in hands as Valery suggested they press on, nodding and moving to follow her in kind. It had been a while without event, and Aayla was beginning to think they may have been soon to find their objective, before the first thud. She stopped on the spot, slowly deadpanning over to Valery.

"Oh, that's never good..."

The Younger Jedi said, head dipping down briefly, before raising to notice the incoming gas. For just a moment she seemed worried, but would relax, almost forgetting she had quite literally made this prototype suit by hand. It had a Lucerne labs Pnuema rebreather, which meant she could survive in this... For some time, at least. Well, to be honest the Vexis Mesh has a fair set of surprises up its sleeve, though there was always room for improvement. Partly why she chose to wear it for this mission.

Though also, she may have been slightly jealous of Valery's own Shadow armor. The lady was something else.

"This is bad," Valery commented, mere moments before the ground began to shake the way it would when large feet marched over it.

"Really bad,"

"It's always bad when we're in these clothes honestly..."

She mumbled, more to herself, but audible enough for the other to hear. She activated both blades and held her conjoined sabers at the ready. A second before the creature roared however, Aayla's HUD gave a very clear picture of what was coming, and Aayla could only mumble her reaction.

"Well Chit..."

The roar would've been deafening, but her armor protected against that as well, mostly. She glanced to Valery once, offering a nod and immediately turning to run away from the other, though not at all leaving the fight. Hoping Valery got the same notion to split up. Made no sense giving this hulk of a creature one spot to focus on, and as such she quickly moved through the jungle, elevating, lowering, flipping and tumbling, though deactivating her saber soon after she began her acrobatics.

Glancing back once, she noted one of the heads of the hulking creature headed towards her, and she figured that there was no time like the present, with Valery's most previous training, she reached back without turning around, a short but potent burst of purple lightning leaving her fingertips and coursing into the creature's head, and open maw. It recoiled at the jolt, screeching in anger, and perhaps surprise. It had likely never had its food fight back.

"More where that came from! Come on!"

She yelled aloud, continuing to run, and hopefully getting the creature to give chase, though admittedly it would be a short one. Whereas she needed to navigate this jungle, this creature simply trampled everything in its way to capture its prey. For now however, she seemed to stay just a few feet ahead of its wrath.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Sector 11
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

"It's always bad when we're in these clothes honestly..."

Valery snorted through her mask despite the imminent danger that was about to hit them, "Story of my life..." she said as her eyes looked through the vizor of her mask and locked onto the large beast. She knew their kind, and how dangerous they were, but the two Jedi Shadows were much faster, and both had the training to deal with them. So without even having to coordinate anything, Valery split off in the opposite direction of Aayla at exactly the same time her friend began to move.

With Force-augmented movements and acrobatics, she weaved her way between the trees and dodged the beast, as it tried to devour her with one of its three heads.

But in an attempt to fight it, the woman kept her focus mostly on the heads that weren't focused on her, but the one that was targeting Aayla. It tried to snap at the woman and was met with purple lightning in return. After feeling the beast's pain through the Force, Valery changed directions and moved to cross behind Aayla, and jump up into the air to slash across the neck of the head that had been burned by lightning. The violet plasma of her lightsaber made contact moments later, leaving behind a long open and burned wound that caused the beast to cry out from the intense pain it felt.

<T> "Keep moving and we can take him down," Valery said telepathically as she again separated from Aayla.

However, the beast had tricks up its sleeve as well — extremely angered with the damage Valery had done, it very suddenly spun with surprising speed, and swung its spiny tail around in a wide-sweeping strike. The very tip caught the Jedi Master's back, sending her flying forward and into a tree, where she remained motionless for a few seconds.

But as one could expect from Valery, she quickly crawled back up and tried to move around a little. She wasn't standing as strong and was clearly still dazed a little, but she'd be okay.

The only problem was that the beast was turning to bring its heads around for a follow-up attack...

 

[Aayla Shan]

Well, this day had taken a turn. Though, Aayla didn't feel as though there was a real threat here. Well, there was a huge, looming threat, but she didn't feel as though it would be the end of them. She had turned around, raising her hand again, but Valery crossed her in a flash, delivering a searing blow across the nape of the monstrous creature. Behind her mask she could only smirk at the blow. No, this wouldn't be the end of them, she had confidence in that.

<T> "Keep moving and we can take him down,"

She turned on the spot, sprinting off into what was relative cover in the tree line, considering the creatures size it would either have to thrash about wildly, or lower its head to get a better view of her.

<R>"Understood, I'll swing back, get its attention."

Aayla responded over their linked comms, sliding to a stop, and looking at the tree she almost ran past, instead quickly gathering the Force about herself and jumping up easily onto a high branch, her foot barely made impact before she gathered again and performed a subsequent jump to quickly change her level of elevation. She watched the beast, and saw the spin just a second before Valery did.

"VAL!-"

The impact made her heart pang with panic, doubly so when the woman lay unmoving for a while. She quickly began a series of quick and precise movements through the tree-line, screeching as she made the last jump and flipping once in the air to activate one side of her saber-staff, she overshot one of the beasts heads, the yellow blade making another vicious sear across the other side of the neck Valery had just struck. It reeled, body spasming from the shock of it, though she wasn't done with it. Aayla would deactivate the saber, the Force helping her anticipate how the flow of the figh was going.

They wouldn't lose, and it wouldn't kill her friend. She would destroy it before that happened. She fell right on the other head, saber activating again to plunge it directly into the brain of this specific head. Though the middle head, which had received most of the Shadows combined effort would move to bite at her, seemingly uncaring that it might bite its conjoined counterpart. With her right hand still forcing her saber into the skull of the right head, her left hand raised, fingers separated to again unleash a torrent of Emerald Lightning at the middle, causing the entire creature to stumble in the direction it recoiled.

Though, also bringing the head she was up on a little quick, hitting her directly in her own head, and knocking her briefly unconscious. Her suit immediately running a scan of her vitals and readying a medical concoction to remedy her status. Though, it wouldn't be immediate, and she was already sliding down its back limp, and lifeless, eventually falling into a spin that closely resembled death; hitting the floor with a thud unless Valery caught her. Simultaneously, her sabers would fall to the ground harmlessly and deactivated.

The creature, full of spite and malice raising a foot, intent on stomping the life out of her; perhaps in its own way of thinking she would be an easier meal if it flattened the puny creature first.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Sector 11
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

"Aayla..."

Valery muttered as she got back up to her feet and looked around, still somewhat dazed but her senses were adjusting to the situation. She could feel the beast's pain, but she also felt what was happening to her friend. Turning around to face the massive creature, she watched as Aayla slid off the beast's back and hit the ground. Her eyes widened in shock, but she wasn't going to just stand there and watch this thing kill one of her closest friends.

She couldn't go through that pain again.

So before the large foot came down, Valery had her arm extended and pulled Aayla away through the Force. She caught the woman and gently placed her down before her fiery eyes stared at the beast through the vizor of her mask. It was wounded, and deteriorating quickly, so it was time for Valery to finally finish it off for good.

All around the Jedi Masters, trees began to suddenly tremble under the heavy pressure she exerted on them through the Force, until they snapped in half and floated around the woman. The pressure then shifted to the very tips, compressing them down into sharp points that she directed at the beast, which was on the move and ready to kill the two women. "It's over," she said with a cold, distorted tone, as a barrage of tree-sized spears were thrown at the three heads and torso of the creature.

With some erratic movements, it was able to dodge a few, but the sheer amount overwhelmed it quickly, and after several trees punctures its heads, necks, and body, it began to tumble over. When its body finally hit the floor, a huge shock echoed through the ground, and its release of poisonous gasses finally stopped, allowing the fresh air around them to clear the area.

"Aayla?" Valery then asked as she rushed over and crouched down beside the unconscious body of her friend. "Are you okay? Please... come on..." she seemed almost desperate — she couldn't lose another friend, especially not Aayla.

 

[Aayla Shan]

Luckily for Aayla, she didn't hit the ground, and instead rolled along before coming to a rest. For some reason her suit didn't immediately pump her body with adrenaline, and for the entirety of Valery's impressive display of Force usage, Aayla would have been laid out still. Finally however, after Valery had moved to rest by her, and called her name a few times, she got the first shot. She snapped to attention, hands moving to rest on the grass below, then immediately to clutch at her own chest. Her body still peaking on adrenaline from the shot. Her gaze snapped onto Valery, staring at her like she had six heads before something odd happened. She just, burst out laughing.

Obviously, this had nothing to do with the fact they had won the fight, and something more subconscious, although Aayla wasn't telling that story.

"I thought I was out longer."

Aayla said, getting a readout of her previous condition. Seems she lost it there for a second, though she couldn't remember clearly what happened leading up to her winding up on the ground. As she rose though, it started to come back to her, and she would slowly pan before raising her hands and recalled her sabers to hand, this time separating them and clipping them on opposing sides. Hopefully that was the last time she got knocked out in he middle of a fight, though undoubtedly it wouldn't be...

"Your friend, is a real peach, Aurora..."

Aayla managed, realizing she was more so in shock, than any actual physical detriment, but would turn to look at the felled creature.

"That's one way to use nature on nature..."

She said, chuckling and continuing to scan the area to make sure there were no further hostiles... Something in the Force tugged at her though. They had to be getting closer. Let's just hope their target didn't have any more of those brutes on reserve, she thought.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Sector 11
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

Her question was answered rather quickly, as Aayla woke up and... burst out in laughter? It caught Valery by surprise, and she just sat still for a moment while she looked down at her friend, and made sure she really was okay. But with the way her suit protected her, and what she felt through the Force, it seemed Aayla was going to be just fine.

"I thought I was out longer."

"Don't you laugh at this... I was really worried," Valery said with a distorted voice through her mask. She wasn't sure what caused Aayla to be like this in the current situation, but it was very strange. "But I'm glad you're okay," she quickly added before helping the woman back up to her feet. When she stood steadily, Valery looked her over again — a final check to make sure there weren't any major injuries they couldn't ignore. As much as she felt a need to go after their target, it wasn't worth losing a friend over.

"Your friend, is a real peach, Aurora..."

"She always had an annoying side to her, but this is a little much," Valery joked as she turned to look at what remained of the beast. Hragscythe were dangerous on their own, and often required a whole team of Jedi to be taken down — but this one had been corrupted as well, driven insane, and thus made even more dangerous. She was visibly relieved that it had been the two of them who ran into it, and not someone else.

"That's one way to use nature on nature..."

Valery rolled her eyes inside of her mask and waited for the scan results to come through, "I couldn't let nature turn my friend into a pancake, so I was sadly forced to," she said in response before she turned her vizor out into the jungle again. "She's close, and I doubt she has more of these on her side," Valery said before she finally turned to her friend.

"You still feeling strong enough to keep going? I don't want you to take unnecessary risks just to help me."

 

[Aayla Shan]

She grimaced lightly behind her face mask, realizing the last thing she remembered was being atop the behemoth, and then waking up on the ground. She fell, and Valery had likely seen the whole thing. She needed to be a little more tactful. Then again, Aayla had stared into the void and saw her death already, so it made sense from her perspective why something like this came off as trivial, or perhaps even comical. Still, better her mind herself, and at least try to sympathize with Valery's position there. As such, when Valery's distorted voice reprimanded her, a visible nod came from her back in the woman's direction.

As they walked, Aayla felt the first click in her back, and would roll her shoulders trying to find the spot. She had definitely sprained something... Luckily, her suit was way ahead of her, counteracting the aggravated muscles with a counteracting agent. She was going to need some rest after this, but for all intents and purposes, she would've still been fighting at well over ninety-five percent effectiveness. Hearing Valery's friend always had an annoying side briefly made her wonder then if Aayla herself was ever annoying, though she wouldn't pose the question. Hopefully, she erred away from the side of annoyance.

Well, she certainly didn't send three-headed monsters after her friends; that had to count for something.

"I couldn't let nature turn my friend into a pancake, so I was sadly forced to,"

Those words would be the first time since she had gotten back up Aayla understood the gravity of what had happened in those few precious seconds... So that's how it was...

Hence Valery snapping at her for joking about it, well, she would take that on the chin.

"She's close, and I doubt she has more of these on her side,"

Aayla was still thinking about how silly she was a moment ago, and would only loose a hum of understanding that was audible through her voice modulator.

"Mhmm."

The tone was somber, and clearly unfocused on what Valery had actually said, as Aayla wasn't the silent type with people she knew, and usually had an answer for everything. Even if it was a wrong answer. Though, she would've snapped out of her reverie at the next thing Valery asked.

"You still feeling strong enough to keep going? I don't want you to take unnecessary risks just to help me."

She shook her head defiantly as the notion.

"Not a chance, you're a good person. I don't see any risks taken for the... Flame of the Jedi as unnecessary. I'm sure you would do the same fo-.."

She cooed the Flame, and Jedi part, still not letting up on Valery for that magazine cover. Though, she had stopped short when she realized what she was about to say. What in the hell was she even thinking about? She stopped herself, but she knew exactly what she was going to say. That impulsive tick that had followed her from her padawan reared itself in the strangest of ways at times. Though, therein she had a thought, and slowed to a stop, looking to Valery with a curious gaze for just a few beats.

"Maybe... When we find them, we should lose the masks. If it was me, I think I would rather know, rather than it be strangers in Battle Armor... If it even comes to that. Its your call though."

Aayla said, offering to completely abandon one of the main tenets of shadow work, being anonymity. Though, for some reason, if they had to do... That, to a friend of Valery's, it felt dirty for the blow to be struck by people she didn't even know. Aayla realized then that if she were in the same boat, she would've wanted it to be someone. Not some faceless specters Irregardless of the answer, she would have taken a single careful step forward before returning to her full, but tentative walking speed.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Onderon | Sector 11
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Shadow Gear
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aayla Shan

Valery noticed that Aayla's tone was somber, and especially that she was unusually quiet. But considering what had just happened, and what their mission was all about, she couldn't exactly find a reason to blame her for it. So rather than prying too much, she said nothing and allowed the topic to shift.

"Not a chance, you're a good person. I don't see any risks taken for the... Flame of the Jedi as unnecessary. I'm sure you would do the same fo-.."

She rolled her eyes inside her mask, and a distorted snort came through, "I swear, I'm going to get you back for that someday, but... I do appreciate it," Valery said with a warm smile that couldn't be seen, but likely could be felt through the Force. She wasn't hiding her emotions from Aayla, and she felt incredible relief and gratitude for what the woman was doing to help her.

She stepped over and placed a hand on Aayla's shoulder for a moment, "And you're damn right I'd do the same for you, no matter what," she said with a nod. But then Aayla paused for a beat and looked at Valery with a curiosity she wasn't quite expecting. Something was brewing in her friend's mind, and when she explained her thoughts, Valery paused a moment.

"Take off our masks, hm?"

It was something she hadn't considered at all yet up until this point — a Jedi Shadow never removed their mask, and doing so anyway could often result in death. Or it would expose one's identity and cause a lot of trouble later down the line. But this mission was different, and the chance for anything or anybody to learn about this was slim.

"You're right... even though it's not really her, it's the right thing to do." A distorted sigh followed but Valery's hands came up to lower her hood before she removed the mask and allowed her long hair to fall free around her. "There's a cave system nearby — I think she's hiding out there and probably waiting for me to arrive. She knows she can't run, so she'll do whatever she can to fight us.... this can get ugly."

Valery stared off into the distance one more time and finally looked at Aayla, "Once this is over, let's have a proper girl's night out. Not one where we have to fight or kill anything."

 

[Aayla Shan]

Her joke had at least struck at Valery's nerves again, but how could she pass it up. After all the magazine cover was purely epic. Maybe Aayla only thought like this because she knew the woman personally. Perhaps if she was just a civilian it wouldn't have been as cool to her. Well, for the most part, Aayla usually thought the things her friends did were cool... Almost always at the onset, even if her mind changed later, the initial reaction was usually support.

"I swear, I'm going to get you back for that someday, but... I do appreciate it,"

She giggle-snorted at that, she hadn't ever seen Valery play a prank, and took that as a moot threat. The woman was all goodness, Aayla could hardly even see Valery formulating a plan to tease someone, much less 'getting Aayla back'. Though, a wise Jedi once told her never say never...

She stepped over and placed a hand on Aayla's shoulder for a moment, "And you're damn right I'd do the same for you, no matter what," she said with a nod. But then Aayla paused for a beat and looked at Valery with a curiosity she wasn't quite expecting. Something was brewing in her friend's mind, and when she explained her thoughts, Valery paused a moment.

"Take off our masks, hm?"

The hand on her shoulder was what stopped her initially. Committing her words to memory. Though, she didn't see herself as anywhere near susceptible to the dark side, she was now... Aware, that she had some issues with her feelings. Perhaps it was the coming maternity that was going to put her out, or something else. Whatever the case, the upcoming break was something she would need.

"You're right... even though it's not really her, it's the right thing to do." A distorted sigh followed but Valery's hands came up to lower her hood before she removed the mask and allowed her long hair to fall free around her. "There's a cave system nearby — I think she's hiding out there and probably waiting for me to arrive. She knows she can't run, so she'll do whatever she can to fight us.... this can get ugly."

Valery stared off into the distance one more time and finally looked at Aayla, "Once this is over, let's have a proper girl's night out. Not one where we have to fight or kill anything."

Another nod was given after that, and Aayla reached up as the other spoke, unclipping her own mesh and pulling it down under her chin, her face visible to the other now, Aayla pulled the hood off of her head, and let her black hair ruffle slightly in the sparse breeze that blew through the underbrush. She smirked at the thought, wondering if she could convince Valery to imbibe once. There was the time her and Phalsi had went out drinking on Coruscant. Oohp... Aayla blushed at something from her memory.

"I'll hold you to it... By your lead."

She spoke, following Valery into the known unknowns ahead.

"I gotta say, its hard imagining a time when we aren't just going from one fight to the next. I almost miss the times recorded in our history texts. There was a war back then, sure, but Jedi didn't need to fight nearly as much as we do now. If it isn't one psycho band its another. Bryn, Maw... The eleventh thousand resurgence of Sith. I wish there was a way to just..."

Her silvery eyes slanted lightly at the thought, though she didn't say what she wanted too. Which was, 'She wished there was a way they would all just die...'

Valery Noble