Private Operation Bha'lir

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Classified | Hangar

"They're waiting inside the Hangar, Master Noble."

Valery dipped her head in response and moved across the military terrain to meet Zeke and his squad inside the Hangar. As far as she knew, they had been there to prepare for the mission already, but there were a few details they still needed to discuss together. For Jedi to fight alongside soldiers was a relatively common thing on the battlefields, but it happened rarely on special operations. This was going to be an effort to change that for missions where the expertise of a Jedi paired with the military training and skills of a commando unit were necessary.

But on a more personal level, Valery hoped it would create better cooperation between the Alliance military and Jedi in general. Before her time in stasis, the Jedi were far more numerous and their deployment alongside soldiers more common. The bonds she created with some units were still important to her, even though it was technically thousands of years ago. Perhaps with this plan, she could build up new memories like that.

The only difference was that they weren't going to the frontlines to fight against the Sith Empire — they were being deployed far behind enemy lines to strike against a Maw laboratory where dark experiments were being conducted. She was going to be the expert in dealing with anything corrupted, while the commando unit was the muscle they needed to deal with all the defenders. Of course, she did plan to assist them with that as well.

Stepping up to the doors of the hangar, Valery paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and knocked several times before she opened up and stepped inside, "Good morning," she said with a kind but more professional tone. Valery was already in her usual attire, with weapons strapped to her belt and her vambrace's computer ready with all info she needed. They likely had a bit more gearing up to do, but she didn't mind that at all.

"I hope you're all well-rested and ready, this mission is the first of its kind. So I also figured we could go over some details again, together."

Zeke Dystra ​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadren
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

"Then, before he could even throw another punch I kicked the big tub of lard so hard he went flying to the outside of the bar!" The demolition expert laughed, all of which was joined by his squadmates. A week ago they had got into a bar brawl with the locals on Coruscant. Zeke and Carmine received black eyes and bruised faces for their troubles, but Kenth on the other hand had that and a broken nose from one of the regulars swinging a pool cue across his face. The only one left unharmed was Felix, who instead fixed them up once they had finished with their fun.

Before preparation even started they were all tested to see if they were physically able to do their job. As expected they were cleared, even with the small worry of the nose. Thankfully, Felix promised to keep an eye on it for him just in case he somehow managed to damage it further.

"It was one hell of a night, even though we only had one drink," he said with a roll of his eyes, slowly putting down the line of cards that were neatly organised in his hands "Alright ladies, we'll have to continue this game later. Double check your gear and get ready to move, the Jedi will be here to talk to us soon," he said sternly as they followed his order without hesitation each one of them going to their own little area's to check over the gear they mostly had prepared.

Zeke had already thrown his polished battle armor other than the helmet. Putting it on now would be pointless considering they weren't even set off yet. The captain sat down and checked over his blasters, now and then looking to his fellow men to see if they were doing their jobs. After a minute, he caught the eye of the medic, Felix. He seemed to want to ask something as he put down his small medic backpack "Sir, is the Jedi your mentioning the same one that evacuated us from Tython?" Instantly the captain replied with a nod "Correct Felix, she was the one who helped us get the injured padawan back to HQ." He confirmed before Carmine chimed in to confirm it even further "Or in other words, the Jedi with the larg-"

A knock at the door cuts the sniper off midsentence, forcing the captain to raise a finger to his lips as a way of telling him to shut up "Alright, enough of the jokes. Our guest for the evening has arrived so I expect you to be at your best from now on. This is a first for us and the Commando as a whole, so keep doing what you've been doing for the past few months and we'll be fine" He said to his men, their heads nodding in unison from the importance of the mission. Zeke turned his head and saw Valery walk into the hanger and respectfully go up to meet her, his hand outstretched for a stern handshake

"Good morning Valery, we are more than ready to take on what's ahead of us," he said with a confident nod and smile before withdrawing his hand "Everything is in place and ready to go, but it won't hurt to look over them in confirmation. You remember my squad mates correct?" he said as he began to walk to them with Valery in tow.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Classified | Hangar

After entering the Hangar, the first to step forward was the leader of the squad she'd be working with — Captain Zeke Dykstra. Valery had briefly looked through his file when she was told about who she'd be working with, and his record was quite impressive. The same was the case for his squad members, so she felt confident about working with them.

"Good morning, Captain Dykstra," Valery said with a kind smile, as she accepted his hand and offered a firm shake in return. The use of her first name, rather than a more formal greeting, got her to smirk a little, but she didn't seem to mind it and withdrew her hand moments later.

"I've seen their files. Or well, the unclassified parts," she said as she began to follow him to the others, "But a more personal introduction wouldn't hurt — we didn't exactly have much time to talk back on Tython." She had been too focused on helping as many people as she could back then.

Zeke Dystra ​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadren
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

"You're right, I'll introduce them to you now. Boys!" he shouted over, which they instantly snapped up to their feet and stood at attention. The first was the Medic, Felix. He was a strong man and full of pride, quite different from his fellow counterparts "Jedi Master Valery, it's an honor to meet you!" he said courteously, as he was a big supporter of what he had done for them through various war campaigns "The name Is Felix, combat medic" he said with a quick handshake and nod to Valery, uncharacteristically excited to have a chance to work with such an honorable individual "I am pleased to have a chance to share a mission miss"

Next along was the explosive expert Kenth, who seemed to be casually juggling a grenade between his two hands "Morning Jedi, Kenth is the name. I specialise in blowing shid up for our boys." he said with a brief nod. Compared to the medic, the other three didn't have as much respect for the Jedi just yet. It was true they were warriors on the battlefield, but they had yet to prove themselves to them just yet. Kenth was the more gritter of the squad and didn't care what he had to do to get things done "I hope to think you'll be pulling doing your bit, Jedi. We don't take kindly to talkers who sit on the sidelines and do nothing" the man warned, his face looking bored as he looked her straight in the eyes "She will Kenth, don't you worry about that..." Zeke responded with a stern look back at him. Without a handshake, the captain motioned her along to the next man.

"Carmine, marksman," he said to her short and sweet, his eyes doing well not to look anywhere else but her face. Carmine was a troublemaker at heart, but one who used it for good. He liked a good mess around, but during missions, he was a different animal "I'm afraid we haven't met until now Jedi, but I've heard some stories. I'm just curious to see if they're true" the man said, wanting to see how good she really was in his own right. He'd still work with her no problem, it was the matter of if she was more talk than bite.

After Valery had finished talking to them Zeke motioned for all of them to gather around as he brought up the map of the secret lab. What came up was a large facility with large walls and heavily fortified towers "You all know the plan, but a little reminder won't hurt. The positions are as follows, Carmine will be taking up overwatch, Felix and Kenth will be taking out the relay tower to halt their communications and defensives, while I and Valery will be taking a trip into the belly of the beast to gain intel. Once you feel your jobs are done, meet us inside to regroup. Everyone got it?" he asked, his men replying back to him with a firm nod. In ways, they were going into the unknown, so they had to be careful at all times.

"Good, now gather your things and prepare for transportation to Rhigar"

Valery Noble


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[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Classified | Hangar

"You're right, I'll introduce them to you now. Boys!"

Valery offered a smile and followed Zeke to first be introduced to Felix, the combat medic of the group. Within a second or two, she could tell he was a very respectful young man, and one with significant experience in his field. She shook his hand and smiled at the excitement he showed, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, and I look forward to working with you." After letting go of his hand, her attention shifted to the next man.

Kenth was everything one would expect from the demolitions expert — he was playing around with grenades, had huge confidence, maybe even an incredible ego, and he certainly wasn't easily impressed by anything or anybody. After the warning, Zeke tried to reassure him but Valery wasn't intimidated and spoke up herself too, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll all carry our weight," she said with a nod before turning away to meet the last one of the group.

Carmine was a marksman, and his rather short introduction played into it. She often knew them as the more quiet types, but they were always some of the most reliable as well, "You'll find out soon enough, and I look forward to seeing you in action," she said with a slight smirk before she shook his hand and gathered around the map when Zeke requested everybody to come together. He laid out the plan, and much like the others, she nodded in agreement.

"Captain, I don't have much preparing to do, so I'll get ready on the ship. If you need me for anything, just let me know," she said with a dip of her head before she left the soldiers to themselves for a moment, so they could gear up and prepare to head out to Rhigar for this unique and daunting mission.

Valery felt ready for it.

Zeke Dystra ​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadren
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

"Post theme: Riders Of The Storm - The Doors"

Each one of the boys had a different opinion on Jedi, and he didn't hold it against them if they had different views on them. Yes, they were his men but he wasn't going to be all controlling like some Captains and higher ranks in the Alliance were. Zeke was an officer who gave them that freedom, so when they were away from the field they could actually live their own lives instead of what the army gave them. In one way or another, he was proud they didn't all stick to her straight away. The reason to prove a point to his men would keep the Jedi on her toes.

"You got it, Valery. I and my men will finalise the remaining preparations we have left and join you shortly," he said to her with another nod as she left, his attention soon turning back to his men. With a swift wave of his hand, they all went back to their small areas and gathered all the gear they needed for the mission. They were all to pack light, considering they would only be there for a few hours at most. If everything went well, they'd exit the lab without alerting the whole planet.

One by one they entered the ship, clad in battle armor that was similar to Zeke's but with their own adjustments. Their helmets were kept off for now, but they were sure to throw them on once close to the Maw infested planet known as Rhigar. Zeke's men all sat alone in their seats, each one having good space and alone time to think about the mission ahead. As Zeke lifted away from the hanger and zoomed directly to their target, his squad was nothing but silent. In a time like this, there was no time for jokes or banter, their minds had to solely focus on the task ahead. One mistake on their part could possibly cost them their lives, as well as the squads.

Zeke had automatically camouflaged their ship from enemy shuttles and radars, and before they knew it they had slipped out of hyperspace next to the planet itself. Like a bullet, they shot down towards the planet's surface. Any Maw surveillance wouldn't know they even entered the atmosphere, if they did know eventually it would be surely too late for them. The ship rumbled violently for a few moments before things slowly but surely began to feel calm again. Instead of the silence that had been present for most of the trip, the sound of a rain storm battered against the hull of their ship.

Soon enough, Zeke came to a halt and hovered above a clearing that was well shielded from any watchers in the sky. He brought the ship down, and with one final shake it shut off. His men instantly shot up and Zeke came out from the cockpit "Carmine, surveillance" he said without a second thought, something which was answered by the sniper hitting the ramp button "It will be rough conditions, but that won't change a thing..." he said thoughtfully while staring into the heavy rain, a slight smile crossing his lips as he looked back "Have fun" with that, he was gone.

Zeke threw on his backpack and grasped a hold of his blaster, his gaze looking over to the remaining bunch

"Okay ladies and gents, let's get moving. We don't want to keep our hosts waiting"

Valery Noble
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Classified | Hangar

One by one, the members of Zeke's squad stepped into the ship and sat down in full armor and with all their gear ready. It was perhaps a strange thing for them to see her without all that kind of protection, but she preferred it this way. She had a set of proper Battle armor, but she felt better when her speed and mobility weren't limited. Her lightsaber and skills with the Force would be her protection on this mission, as well as the cover her allies would provide.

In return, she would make sure to have their backs as well.

The journey itself was one left in silence — the commandos were all focusing on the mission and keeping themselves without distractions, while Valery centered herself in the Force and moved through her mental techniques. She was calm as always, confident, and very much ready to do what needed to be done. She wasn't going to allow herself to disappoint these men, and she trusted they would all handle their part of the mission.

Eventually, the ship touched down and with Carmine moving to his overwatch position, Valery stepped out and remained close to Zeke, who she was going to be teaming up with. The other two commandos were likely pairing up already as well, so once their sniper was in position, it would be time to move out.

"Okay ladies and gents, let's get moving. We don't want to keep our hosts waiting"

Valery dipped her head and tapped the lightsaber on her belt, "I'm ready," she said before a smirk flashed through, "Who is taking point?"

Zeke Dystra ​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadron
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

"Good, I'll take point and lead us to the lookover point. From there, we wait for these two to work their magic" he said with a slight grin to the medic and demolition expert who were already starting to make their way down the ramp "It won't take long to strap an EMP charge to the relay tower, but with this love bird in tow, I can't guarantee anything" Kenth said light heartedly as they began to go out of view from the Jedi and commando "Just because I have a wife and you don't doesn't mean a thing!"

With the rest of the squad gone, it was only Zeke and Valery left alone. Looking back to her he grinned and motioned her along down the ramp "We better go, being late might mess up the timing" he stated before following the Jedi out into the open atmosphere of the rain. Zeke walked a few paces ahead of Valery and seemed to keep silent for a short time as they walked along together, the only sound being rain hitting the greenery the planet had to offer. Turning his head slightly, he began to get curious and soon decided to know more about the woman behind him.

"So, Jedi. What's your story? you been in the order for long?" the man asked in a hushed voice, his attention mainly on what was ahead of him rather than the Jedi herself. He knew about Valery's feats as a Jedi, but he didn't know much of her past at all. He was still a regular soldier when she first joined the order all that time ago, seemingly out of nowhere by that fact. She didn't look old or old, so it was a mystery as to how old she truly was. After all, the Jedi were known to live long lives.

"I've served in many battles you took part in, but never really heard anything beyond that other than clueless chatter amongst the troops. Now that I'm in her presence, I may as well hear it from the woman herself"

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Classified | Hangar

There was a quick but somewhat noticeable eye roll at the interaction between Kenth and Felix, but she shrugged it off with a smirk and looked at Zeke again before she followed him down the ramp. "Agreed, let's stay on schedule," Valery said and finally, she drew the hilt of one of her two lightsabers into her hand as she followed close behind him. She wasn't expecting trouble just yet, but the second something happened, she wanted to be ready to defend both him and herself.

All focused, she blinked and looked at him for a moment when he asked a more personal question, "It's complicated. I've been a Jedi my whole life, but I started in the Old Republic... about 4 thousand years ago. I ended up in stasis and got out of it around the time of the Sith Empire's collapse. Shortly after the Maw's attack against Coruscant is when I joined the NJO and began helping out again," Valery explained while her eyes remained fixed on the environment. Even if there wasn't any trouble around them yet, she couldn't lose her focus entirely.

"Since then, well, I've been part of just about every major battle." Her story was of course a lot more complex, but boring him with the details was probably not a good idea, and they didn't really have the time for it either, as it seemed they were approaching the first sign of danger.

"Captain, guard patrol approaching at one o'clock." Carmine chimed in over comms.​

Up ahead, they could hear some chatter, and flashlights from the few guards who were patrolling the area could be spotted as well. They either had to bypass them somehow, or this was going to be the moment when things got serious.

"I was going to ask for your story... but let's deal with these first," she whispered to Zeke.

Zeke Dystra ​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadron
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

Old republic? four thousand years old? damn, Valery was way older than he thought, far beyond his initial guesses. No wonder the alliance put her in such high regard, her experience and ways that have long since faded would surely come useful in today's galaxy. Zeke remembered the attack on coruscant clear as day. The sky went black from the amount of smoke that was in the air, and the air stank of burned flesh from the bodies that lay on the streets. In ways, he had already seen the worst of the galaxy when he was a regular soldier. Yet, there were still so many more horrors he had yet to see.

Just before he was about to say something, a voice came through their ears warning them of a patrol ahead. Nodding slowly, he looked back to Valery "Agreed, we should hide until they are in reach" Zeke explained, looking back to the two lights that were approaching from the distance "There's a tree's either side of us right now. You go to the left and I'll go to the right. Once the two have walked past us we carefully approach from behind and take them down, clear?" he asked Valery, only going to his position behind the tree's once she had answered.

Zeke placed his large stature behind the tall tree and waited patiently as the two Maw soldiers came into view. They were nothing special, just two standard freaks with weapons they saw on the average grunt. The two of them seemed to be chatting among themselves, laughing and joking about how their most recent raid had gone. When they went past, Zeke looked across to Valery and motioned for the Jedi to approach with him

"I've got to sharpen this blade when I return... the damn thing went blunt after using it for slaughter!" The one on the left said, his right hand juggling a strange knife in his hands "Then only use it fo- hey, look at that! there are fresh marks here" his partner with the gun said as he knelt to get a closer look. Suddenly, without even a sound Zeke wrapped his arm around his throat and pressed down hard, forcing him to squirm momentarily just as the commando snaps his neck. Allowing him to flop to the floor, he glared over at the Jedi to check out her work.

"If it means anything, for a Jedi who is four thousand years old and has been in many major battles, you still look amazing," he said with a brief grin over to her, allowing the Jedi to decide what he meant by that. Getting up, he swiftly dragged his body into a concealed area and brushed his hands in thought "I'm afraid my story will have to wait, the lab is only a few minutes away." he said in a serious manner. Their overlook point was just up the hill, from there they'd be able to get a proper look at the lab and wait for Felix and Kenth to set the EMP charge.

Valery Noble
​

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[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Classified | Hangar

Valery didn't waste a second and immediately got behind the tree on the opposite side of the path. She held the hilt of her lightsaber in her hand and waited for the pair of guards to pass. Zeke gave the signal and quietly, Valery moved after him while she picked up on the tail end of their conversation. There was no way of knowing where they had been before getting stationed here, but somewhere deep down, she could feel that they had contributed to a lot of unnecessary loss of life.

Those who killed without remorse always held a much darker feeling in their hearts, and these two were rotten to the core.

Zeke finally closed in moments later, and while he choked one out, Valery stepped up behind the other and tapped him against the back of his head. But what looked like a relatively light head turned off the lights inside, and sent the man down to the ground instantly.

"If it means anything, for a Jedi who is four thousand years old and has been in many major battles, you still look amazing," ​

She looked over in his direction and blinked at the comment, "Good skin care helps," she joked with a slight smirk before she joined him again, "Were you waiting to tell me that without the others around, Captain?" she added. Her eyes then shifted in the direction of their target, and she'd nod in agreement.

"Let's get set up, and I'm sure we'll get the signal from the others soon."

Zeke Dystra ​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadron
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

"I tell you what, that's one heck of a skincare" he briefly smirked at the woman as she pointed out how he had waited for them to be alone to say such a thing. Zeke looked at her but didn't say anything, his stone cold expression not giving anything away as he looked towards the hill himself "Correct, let's make haste" he said to the Jedi just before running up that hill, Valery behind in tow as they reached the very top in no time. Zeke knelt and looked at the various buildings the lab housed. Although, it wasn't what was on top that mattered.

"There she is, who knows how many of our boys have gone into there and never returned" he grunted out loud with a look in his eyes that suggested showing mercy wasn't going to be on the menu "The tests done by those scum have not only been done on creatures but prisoners captured by the Maw's campaigns. Intel suggests they are turned into beasts far beyond recognition, something that suggests they are searching for their next set of atrocities to throw at us." Zeke said with menace in his voice, his once closed fist opening and closing rapidly. Today was the day that would end, all he hoped was at least some brave souls had survived down there

"Charges are set, prepare your ears..." a voice crackled from the comms in their ears, an indication that things were about to get more heated. Not a second later, a sudden noise of the relay tower shutting down burst into their ears. Felix and Kenth had sneaked their way in and completely shut the laboratory from the rest of the heretic planet. There was a question if they'd still go stealthy after that, but from Zeke swinging around his heavy blaster rifle into the standard position of his hands he wasn't prepared to beat around the bush any longer.

"All hands are off, fire as you see fit," he said to his men with a sinister smile as all hell began to break loose within an instant. Rapid sniper fire rained from above, peppering the guards who were standing confused in the watch tower and rendering them motionless in their posts. Inside, the medic and demolition expert was only just beginning their onslaught. With a swift load of his grenade launcher, Kenth shot two precise shots into the middle of the front gate to blow it wide open "The gates of Tython have reopened!" he shouted with joy to his captain just before turning his launcher to a barracks some soldiers were pouring out of and firing a single shot straight at the door.

"Move out Valery, they'll be nothing for us before long," he said in an emotionless tone before beginning to absolutely belt it down the hill with as much speed as possible. Jedi beside him or not, he ran through the burning front gates and walked right into a battleground. A dozen or so undergeared Maw soldiers were pinning down his men, while Carmine up top slowly began picking them off. Zeke rolled behind a heavy storage container and peeked around to catch three of them running across the courtyard. Without a thought he raised the blaster and sprayed them down where they ran, dropping them to the floor with smoke coming from their bodies.

Soon, many began to focus their fire on him from the barracks. Even though they weren't prepared they had managed to make some makeshift fortification at the front of their place of sleep "Kark, they've locked themselves in pretty tight there. Valery, what is your status?" he grunted down the comms, blasters only firing above his head by inches.

Valery Noble
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Classified | Hangar

"The very best," she said with a smirk.

But after their joking had finished, she followed him uphill and took a position from where she could overlook the entire area. Zeke explained a little more about what was ahead of them, but she also focused on her senses. Dark experiments and death left tremors in the Force that could linger for a long time, but here everything felt fresh. They were still conducting experiments, and she was worried they would have to deal with them. As a former Jedi Shadow, that wasn't a problem for her, but it could be tricky to kill certain types of Sith creations without the Force.

It likely meant she'd have to focus on purging anything tainted by the Dark Side, while Zeke and his squad covered her against all the Mawites that ran around. But only time would tell.

"Today we'll end it all," she confirmed with a nod before a voice came through the comms. She smirked a little and watched as the explosion created a lot of chaos — she could even feel it in their ranks.

"Move out Valery, they'll be nothing for us before long,"​

He didn't have to ask her twice. Matching his speed, Valery moved down towards their target, now with both lightsabers drawn into her hands to deflect any incoming fire. There was a large group up ahead, and while Carmine was taking several out, they needed to be quicker to relieve the others of pressure. With Zeke taking up cover, Valery stepped forward and decided to become his cover, now that they were trying to pin Zeke down.

"Come on, move forward!" she called out as she deflected a series of blaster bolts to take out multiple enemies. It removed some of the pressure and as long as Zeke stayed close enough, he could easily pick off the Mawites. Their blaster bolts were intercepted with precision, while she'd allow his to pass.

Zeke Dystra ​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadron
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

Zeke smirked at the Jedi's quick thinking and jumped over his cover, placing himself behind the master as they began to move closer to the enemy's position. Left and right he was picking off the enemy, who was starting to get overwhelmed by who they should target "Good thinking Valery, now time to apply the pressure!" he smirked as he pulled a grenade from his belt and pressed down the button, setting a short timer just before he threw it towards part of the Maw barricade. Within a few moments, it got blown to pieces, four lifeless and torn bodies getting flung into the air like nothing.

On the other side of the courtyard, Felix and Kenth were busy applying pressure on the enemy. Peeking up, the pair of them would have more time to peek over their cover and pick off some of the enemy not too far away "Felix, do me a favor. Grab me the grenade "Mustafar" would you?" he said while sending a volley of blaster fire to keep them suppressed "You named one of your incendiary grenades Mustafar? so corny..." "Shut up, just get the damn thing would you?!" he grunted back as the medic went behind him and reached in to pull out the large grenade that had "Welcome to Mustafar" cleanly painted onto it. With amusement, he passed it over to the demolition man who nodded and threw it into his launcher.

Without hesitation, the man fired the grenade launcher and sent it hurling towards the barracks with swift intent. The round went through the front entrance and exploded on impact, erupting in a huge fireball that consumed many that were left inside. Screams and yelling were clear as many figures rushed out of the building covered in fire, some even resorted to jumping out the window "Fitting don't you think? because Mustafar is a fire planet and things burn and... oh fuck it you get the idea!"

Now there were only a few left in the courtyard, all of which had resorted to charging because the fire was too hot behind them. Zeke jumped from behind Valery and took down the first two that approached him with two quick shots, before suddenly pulling out his pistol and running right at a knife wielding maw heretic. Zeke ducked under his swing and lifted him in the air without hassle, slamming him back first to the hard floor with viciousness. As the soldier gasped in pure shock on the floor, Zeke quickly snapped to his knees and pressed the blaster to his temple, and executed the monster right there and then.

In the corner of his eye, he saw another running at him. He was about to turn around when Felix tackled him to the ground by diving and grabbing both of his legs "Oh no, not today" as he climbed onto his chest. Instinctively, the soldier tried to swing his knife, only for the medic to grasp it and suddenly twist it in a way that made the man's elbow pop. In response, the Maw soldier yelled at the top of his lungs and the arm that grasped the knife fell limp. Keeping hold of it, the medic moved his grasp to the man's hand that still loosely held the knife. Felix reclosed it and slowly brought it to the injured man's chest. He didn't even let the man beg before using the man's hand to drive into his own body, leaving him to gasp and hope for a faster death.

Sooner or later, with the help of Carmine picking off the stragglers the upper area finally fell silent. Zeke looked around him at the destruction they had caused. They didn't half cause a mess, but this was only the starters to their main course "Fine work... Kenth, Felix secure the ground level and see if you can find anything of use. Carmine, keep an eye on the area while me and Valery make our way down to the lab. They won't even know what's happened up here until we visit them"

Nodding to Valery, he motioned her to follow him to the elevator that would send them deep underground "You weren't lying about the experience... It's almost as if you've worked with some of our boys before.
Valery Noble
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[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Classified | Hangar

With Valery's cover, Zeke was able to easily pick off most of the enemy forces despite the cover and positions they had. Occasionally, her deflections were able to be carried out with enough precision to hit the source again as well, resulting in their numbers decreasing rapidly. The only pause in her momentum occurred when an incendiary grenade was used, and many of their enemies were set on fire in the fireball that erupted.

As much as Valery could be deemed an aggressive fighter, she still favored a swift ending whenever possible, so watching them burn was difficult. It caused her to angle her deflections to take them out first, thereby giving them salvation from the otherwise incredibly painful death.

Following the explosion, however, only a handful remained, and most of them began to charge for close quarters fighting. In response, Valery disconnected from Zeke and moved in rapidly with the untrackable speed of a Jedi. She moved from one target to another, taking them down with rapid strikes until the combined efforts with the commandos had left them in an empty and quiet area. There was still life up ahead in the building they were going to infiltrate, but the bulk of their forces was now neutralized.

"You weren't lying about the experience... It's almost as if you've worked with some of our boys before."

Valery chuckled, "I've fought alongside countless soldiers. Just not on special operations like this very often," Valery commented before she turned her attention to the building. "Captain, I'll breach this door so they don't hear anything coming. Can you stand by to take out anything hiding behind it?"

Stepping forward, Valery looked over her shoulder to make sure Zeke was ready, and only when the others were in position, she tapped against the reinforced door with her hand. Instantly, massive cracks formed and the whole thing shattered to pieces right in front of her without warning.

What would be on the other side?

Zeke Dystra ​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadron
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

Zeke nodded from the mention she had worked with other soldiers, just not on high value missions like this. Kenth and Felix who were following behind were still silently bickering about their relationships just as they came up to the door. Zeke sternly put a finger to his lips and motioned them to set up either side of the door, allowing the Jedi to do what she needed to do "By all means, work your magic Valery" he said as he leaned behind Kenth and watch her put a hand on the door.

All of the squad seemed transfixed on the power of the Jedi destroying the door before their eyes, almost forgetting they had a job to do once it had broken down. Snapping out of their interest they came out of it just in time to focus on the door falling to pieces, snapping them into action as all three stepped into the doorway. In front of them, there were a dozen or so Maw troops hurrying to throw on their gear, each one without a weapon in their hands as they turned to see the soldiers at the door.

Not a second later the commandos sprayed a volley of blaster fire into the prep room, furniture and objects getting blown to pieces as the smoking bodies of the brutes fell to the floor one by one. After thirty seconds the room was almost unrecognisable, a once lively now turned into a torn mess by the time they stopped shooting.

"Alright, that's enough!" Zeke shouted, stopping the other men who were seemingly enjoying every moment of this. The captain made his way into the room and stepped over the bodies of the fallen, unfazed from the massacre he had just caused. He looked back to Felix and Kenth and motioned them ahead "You two know what to do." he said as they both nodded and began to walk ahead, trying to find anything of use up top.

"Valery, we're going down below. Be prepared, we're going into the unknown here" he warned the Jedi, his head motioning her to follow him to the door. Carefully, he made his way down the corridor with his gun raised, checking each corner while they made ground toward the elevators. Suddenly, a lonely Maw brute jumped from around the corner and swiped a knife at Zeke's chest. With impressive reactions, he leaned back and shot a powerful knee into his stomach, before grabbing him by the arm and throwing him to Valery to finish off.

"Sneaky bastard..." he said with a brief grin to Valery who had dealt with the annoyance appropriately. Turning back, he went to the right and found the doors that were going to send them down to the abyss below "Ladies first" he said to let the Jedi go first before following soon after. Raising his hand, he pressed the button, letting the metal door shut in front of them.

Zeke stood there silently for a few seconds, only the sound of the elevator filling the gaps instead of the standard elevator music "So far so good, you're very much showcasing to my boys that the Jedi can be useful" he said calmly without looking at her, an expressionless face showing nothing to indicate his intentions "I'd be shocked if you weren't, No one would train their ass off not to use a body like that for the greater good." That could have meant many things, but it was up to Val to unravel that herself. Although, it was clear from the look of her Valery was certainly the real deal.

Valery Noble
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Classified
Tag | Zeke Dystra

The moment the door shattered to pieces, Valery allowed the Commandos to swarm inside and clear the room with intense volleys of blaster fire. It would have been easy for her to do the same thing, but ranged weapons were a lot quicker about it in close quarters like this. Once the last of the Mawites had dropped to the floor, Zeke gave the signal to cease fire, and only then Valery moved into the building herself.

"Valery, we're going down below. Be prepared, we're going into the unknown here"

"I'm right behind you," she assured him before she drew the hilt of her lightsaber into her hand and followed after him. They weaved through several hallways and were slowly making their approach to the elevators when a Mawite suddenly jumped out to attack Zeke. From her position, she couldn't do much but the Captain had it under control and shoved the Mawite towards her after knocking the wind out of him with a powerful knee. With a tap of the activation switch, Valery's blade ignited in time to pierce through the brute's heart, which ended their little encounter instantly.

"Not sneaky enough," she countered before they made their way to the elevators, where he stepped aside to let her enter first, "How nice of you," she said with a smirk. Once inside, the doors closed and several seconds passed as they went down into the depths below the facility. Seconds Zeke used to make another comment that got her brow to raise just a little, "That's one way to put it, Captain," she said with a slight roll of her eyes. "Just don't get too distracted, hm?"

A grin touched her features, right as the door opened and Valery launched herself through with a lightsaber raised and ignited. She had already sensed some trouble on the other side, so she offered Zeke cover as he made his exit, and set him up to return fire to take out the few guards that were waiting down below.

​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadron
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue

"Miss Noble, I assure you getting distracted is something I don't do," he said with a slight smirk to the woman, his stare resting on the side of her face "Complements are few and far between in this galaxy after all" he stated before slowly turning his face to the door, the same grin still spread across his confident expression. It wouldn't be long until they reached the bottom floor, but a little bit of calm before the storm wasn't bad by any means. And for now, Valery seemed to be taking it well.

Zeke seemed to get the idea that Valery was going to move first out the door within moments of its opening. Nonchalantly, he raised his blaster to the door and snapped his gaze to the Jedi as she flew out of the door towards a squad of maw troopers who were waiting outside. Four of the six fired straight at Valery while two of them with sharp blades made a beeline towards Valery, their crimson blades slashing at the woman's chest to try and strike the Jedi down.

In the meantime, Zeke rolled to the right and peppered the guards that were firing at her. Before the wild maw reached her, she managed to take out two of the Maw by deflecting their shots back at them. Cleaning up after her, he left the other two on the floor with smoke rising from their bodies. Getting up, he kept his blaster aimed down the corridor and checked to see if she was doing alright

"In front of me Valery, I'm afraid you'll be my cover for the meantime"

Briefly smiling at the Jedi, they began to slowly but surely make their way down the crystal clear white corridor. For now, they seemed to be alone in the underground complex. Yet, there was still uncertainty as to what was being tested down here "Turn right into this room here" he said with a motion of his right hand as he kept his eyesight on the corridor until they entered the very spacious storage area. When Zeke turned back around, Valery had already seen the horrors that were before them.

The room was littered with cages and tanks full of atrocities. All of them were different, ranging from creatures from different planets and deformed bodies that used to be like them. That wasn't the worst of it though, all of them were deadly silent "The Maw have outdone themselves this time..." he grunted as he stood by a cage that had a person standing silently inside. His features were deformed beyond recognition and certainly beyond saving. Zeke stared into what used to be its face, unmoved or concerned as to what they had done to him.

"All of these seem to be the work in progress, makes me wonder what the success stories are..."

Valery Noble
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Classified
Tag | Zeke Dystra

As the door opened and the group of Mawites revealed themselves, Valery was ready to engage them. But seeing how 2 were approaching with drawn blades, she decided to focus on them while Zeke took cover and blasted two of the four armed with blasters to the ground. Those who decided to fight Valery up close came to regret it very quickly, as the violet blade of her weapon struck them down.

With those 2 out of the way, the risk of friendly fire for the other Mawites disappeared, which sparked them to open fire. But again, Valery was focused and deflected the shots back at them to take them down.

"In front of me Valery, I'm afraid you'll be my cover for the meantime"

"I have no problem with that," she assured him with a smirk, as she began leading the way through the facility. Most of the guards had converged to fight them already at this point, so the hallways were empty and quiet. Yet at the same time, Valery still felt a strange tension in the Force - something dark that was waiting for them up ahead.

When they stepped into the large storage area, she finally understood why.

"It's not beyond what I've seen them do before but..." Valery frowned as her fiery eyes shifted between cages and containment cells storing mutilated figures and other atrocities, all twisted by alchemy and strange chemicals. It was one of the most unnatural things she had seen, and as a former Jedi Shadow, that meant something. "This makes me feel like Sithspawn are being created, and those 'success stories' are often very troubling," Valery said as she walked passed a series of tanks and took a closer look inside of them.

But all of a sudden, her eyes shifted away, to the opposite side of the hall, as she felt something.

"We're not alone," she whispered.

​

 

[Zeke Dystra]

Operation Bha'lir
Mercian Squadron
Mission #1
+Zeke - Brown
+Kenth - Orange
+Carmine - Green
+Felix - Blue
​

"We're not alone,"​

Zeke looked back to Valery and swiftly swung around his blaster and stood beside her as they stared towards the end of the hall. Whatever was approaching had to come through a pair of metallic doors before them. Valery was his eyes and ears in things he could see or hear, almost like a personal radar of sorts when it came to an operation like this. Only when the doors began to click, did her senses only seem to be true. It was just a matter of who it was.

Slowly but surely the doors opened, smoke pouring from the other side as a tall man in a white coat walked through with both hands behind his back. He seemed to be weaponless and harmless, but anyone unknown down here was more dangerous than anything they had come up against so far. The professor raised a brow and looked between the two of them, seemingly unimpressed that two people are seemingly infiltrated his life's work.

"A Jedi and a run of the line soldier have infiltrated my laboratory? it appears I won't have to go very far for new subjects"

Zeke was tempted just to shoot him right there and then, yet something stopped him. The bald scientist had an aura of authority around him, one that commanded respect and power. In other words, he seemed important, and killing him would only stop them from getting valuable intel. Right now, he only seemed to silently study them. Soon enough, his mouth turned into a sly grin "Ah... I recognize you now. Valery Noble, hero of the galactic alliance. You as a specimen in my research will be a crown jewel in my research"

"How about less talking and more getting to the ground!" Zeke said suddenly, his gun raised directly at his chest. Surprisingly, the scientist didn't look fazed and chuckled at the interruption "That won't have to be necessary. After all, you do have some friends that surely want to meet you" with a click of the button in his hands four test tubes with figures faded inside began to shive and thrash wildly. The liquid inside was slowly sucked into the vat below until mangled bodies were left.

"Come on out, my beauties!" he shouted proudly before the creatures staggered out of their tubes and began to stalk their prey. They seemed to be a mixture of former Jedi and soldiers alike, turned into brainless creatures of the maw. Grunting, he fired shots into the two creatures to his right. They staggered backward at first, holes clearly shown in their chests. However, it didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. In retaliation one of the brutes shot out his acid covered tongue and snatched the blaster from his hands and swung it against the wall with tremendous force.

"Those bastards have tough skin." he said to the Jedi just before he swung the blaster behind his back and took out his knife "Be cautious of the tongues and nails, you take the left, I'll take the right," he said fast, the corner of his eye tracking the scientist going over to a nearby workstation.

Valery Noble​