Private Outer Rim Scuffle

[Raphael Gallustrade]

It was strange, to think of the Outer Rim as such a home and yet at the same time, such a mysterious place. Ever since his run in with the Maw, he was being far more careful with his use of…he still wasn't sure what to call it, but he was being far more careful with it. He didn't want to suddenly warp into something equally as bad, though if he had, then there would've been a purpose to it, he supposed. Yet, there were always problems and distress calls that were needed in the Outer Rim and the Alliance or Empires couldn't answer all of them. Perhaps there were others like himself, not particularly mercenaries but not quite operatives either. He'd begun realizing that he would need armor sometime soon, but that would have to be later. At least his weapon was completed and ready to be field tested, if only he had a…

As what had happened with Sedri, his systems picked up another SOS. Another world in the Outer Rim, but this time they were just normal raiders, not slavers, lucky for them. He frowned, as he stared into the communicator. Surely someone would come right? He'd… He… He slumped back, head smacking against the plushy interior of his ship's cockpit and groaned. Why was he about to make this his problem again? Surely there would be someone on their way. Surely someone from the Galactic Alliance or the Eternal Empire—No. He'd committed himself to things like this, at least for the moment, and so once more he called upon the whatever and allowed it to guide him to the system. Only a jump away, thankfully, and he was in orbit.

It was a nice planet, with a temperate atmosphere, but it was a colony under attack. Little supplies and weapons meant constant raids. He concentrated for a moment, trying to see ahead. The people would stand, fight and die. He couldn't see if help was on the way, though. He could, at least, make a difference and buy them some time, he could see that, but something kept blocking him. Whether it was an ally or an adversary, however, he couldn't tell.

His mind began to race with multiple possibilities. Was there some kind of other user of this whatever-it-was that he was going to run into? Did these raiders HAVE a whatever-user? He hoped not. He'd seen that the jedi had been able to redirect the whatever and change the overall flow of it, which always caused him to have to alter his calculations. He sighed. It didn't matter. He flew to the planet's atmosphere and to a small colony that sat within, what looked like a dead caldera.

Once he'd touched down, he drew his blaster rifle from the side of his ship and hopped out. A tall, balding human was standing around shouting and giving orders and so Raphael approached him.

"S'cuse me," he said and the man turned to him. "Hey, name's NOI. I got your distress call and I'm here to help with these raiders."

"Alliance military?!" the man said, with a bit of surprise and elation in his voice, though his happiness seemed to die as Raphael shook his head. "Merc?" He shook his head again. "Whatever and whoever you are, then, your help is appreciated."

"Right. So what are the defenses of the colony like? Any major weapons? Do the raiders come at you with anything specific?"

"No, nothing specific. Blasters, vibroblades. Occasionally they'll have a tank. I just hope that they don't bring that today. There are a lot of them, though. There are a few of us with good training, but several of our security staff have just been hit very hard… I'd say we have about an hour, if you want to look at everything and pick a good position." Raphael nodded, and started to move, then had a strange sensation, like a ripple in water and looked to the sky for a few seconds before moving on. He'd felt it, but he didn't have the time to devote brainpower to it. He had to move.
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

Another emergency call from the Outer Rim.

Between her duties at the front, teaching her Padawans, and her personal life, it was difficult to find the time for other assignments. But the war effort had slowed down considerably after the Alliance managed to hold Metellos, and so the Jedi Master's focus turned beyond the borders. People were in need of assistance against another group of enemy raiders, albeit no slavers this time, and she was more than capable to help them out.

Her modified X-wing jumped out of hyperspace just outside the planetary's gravitational field, and with great speed, she closed the distance and pierced through the atmosphere. Typically when planets were raided in the outer rim, pirates with poor relatively poor or simple equipment were behind the attacks. They would be no match for Alliance military assets, especially not a fighter upgraded to play into the strengths of a Jedi.

To let those below know of her presence, Valery performed a fly-by over the Caldera before she circled around and brought the ship down somewhere in an open field. The canopy soon opened and out came the battle-hardened woman. She climbed her way down the staircase and pulled off her helmet, allowing her beautiful, long dark-brown hair to cascade down behind her. The helmet was tossed back into the ship, and Valery stood ready to greet those who were in need of help.

"I'm Jedi Master Valery Noble. I received your call and I'm here to help on behalf of the New Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance."

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

He was patrolling a nearby wall, double checking over defenses, best positions and areas that he could easily set up, when suddenly he heard the boom of another ship entering the atmosphere. Looking up, it became immediately clear: someone that could use the Force. Scanning it as he landed, Raphael identified it as an X-wing, though…it had an odd look to it, and he wondered if it had been modified. He gazed at the pilot, as she exited and introduced herself as a jedi master. A master?! Kriff. No wonder that his calculations were being thrown off so badly.

The same tall, balding official, fairly lean of build, had approached her ship as she landed, this time, Raphael noticed, there was an enormous smile on his face. "Oh, master jedi welcome! It is wonderful to have the aid of a jedi…" The jovial smile didn't seem to abate as he approached. "It is good that you have come. Yes, yes. Good indeed." Then he leaned in a bit closer, just enough to whisper to her but not enough to get badly into her personal space. "In all honesty, I'm glad that one of you arrived. Just before you, another lad landed. He said that he is not with the Galactic Alliance nor is he a mercenary, but that he came to help all the same! You rarely hear of such…magnanimity this far into the Outer Rim, so I wasn't quite certain what to make of him."

Raphael, who'd been watching when she first arrived, now pretended as though he wasn't paying attention, back turned away from the two, he was checking on the wall a bit more. Once more the man tall man looked to Valery away from Raphael. "He says his name is Noi, though I didn't stand to ask if that's his name or just a pseudonym. He has a peculiar rifle like I've not seen before." And once more he gestured to the man, though Raphael paid no attention. "If you'd like, master jedi, I can ask him to leave? Might be good to hear the lad out though." The man shrugged and then went about to look into some of the other colonists, leaving her to do what she would.

For his own part, Raphael, double checked his blaster rifle, making sure he had a cartridge loaded, tested the metallic wall he stood in front of and did his best to pretend like she didn't exist or wouldn't be able to know that he did. He'd heard that those that were jedi could detect or sense or something others that had the Force around them. With any luck she would just not care. He was actively trying to sense out the future around him but, as he'd surmised, the river or force or whatever, was muddied around her. He'd be cordial, regardless. He didn't dislike jedi. They just dislodged his understanding and place in this whole…force thing.
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

Looking around the colony, Valery took note of the people and equipment they had to protect themselves against the raiders. It wasn't much but people who were fighting for their homes always had a natural advantage. They fought for everything they held dear, and that gave them a kind of strength very few other things provided. Still, though, she feared that it wasn't going to be enough. That they would simply be overrun by numbers or better equipment.

That's why she was ultimately here — to level the playing field.

After her landing, she was soon approached by one of its inhabitants, who seemed quite happy with her appearance. Perhaps he recognized her — As the NJO's Sword, she had become a far more public figure. But whether he did or not, a Jedi would always make some kind of difference. She, however, wasn't the only one today who had come from far to assist, it seemed. "I don't believe you're in a position to refuse help," Valery reminded the man with a kind smile before those intense, fiery eyes shifted to Raphael, who was looking the other way.

Something about him seemed to catch her attention; something the tall man standing next to her wouldn't understand. It wasn't about his appearance or his gear, but what she felt through the Force.

"I'd like to speak with him," Valery then added, her eyes never leaving the mysterious stranger. She then dipped her head once more and began her approach with only one question really burning inside, but one she couldn't ask just yet.

"Noi, is it?" Valery asked with a polite smile, "I'm Master Valery Noble. I heard you came to help these people as well?"

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael inspected the small metallic cylinder in his hand, one of his many projects, was figuring out how those bloody lasersword worked. He'd come up with a way to make it work quite well, but he couldn't see the blade, unless using a spectrometer. There was a way to make the weapon visible, he knew that, he'd seen the jedi weapons, after all. The question was how to-- Someone was saying his name and, now startled, the cylinder went flying from his hand. While he'd managed to catch it, he had a hope that she hadn't seen what it was he'd been looking at, and quickly shoved it into one of the pouches on his left side before turning to her.

His mind went into overdrive to think of how to get out of this nicely. "U-Uhm, yes! Hi! I'm N-- Well, my name is actually Raphael, but I go by NOI. Used to be a semi-professional slicer, s-so, ya know, don't use your real name and all that." He smiled, hoping that his act was fooling her. "Plus it's, uh, pretty basic, ya know? It just means No One Important." He smiled to her as he got to his feet, clipping the blaster rifle in his hand to his back and rested his hand on the pouch where the cylinder he'd been examining was.

"I've run into your kind before, from time to time, as you do when you live in the Outer Rim." He gave her a friendly, if nervous smile, and approached the edge of the wall to speak a bit better. "W-Well, that being said, it's nice to meet you master jedi. Was there, uh, was there something that I can help you with? I just got here myself to help and was, ya know, examining the walls to see what we were working with. I didn't know a jedi would be on their way, much less a master." Once more he shifted, feigning nervousness. "You, uh, being the jedi master, and obviously more learned than a little Outer Rim womprat, like me, should be in charge of this defense. Was...there something that you thought I could help with? Something you think I should do?"

Each time that he looked at her, he tried to look into the future, as he always did, yet... Each time the Force or River whatever it was, was horribly muddy and while he could see things...it was like looking through a window in the misty morning. Then realizing that she would...kriff. She'd have been able to know what he was doing, if he wasn't careful and so he quickly stopped, looking to her with a light smile.
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

"Do you prefer Raphael or Noi, then?" Valery asked after an eyebrow slowly raised. She had seen him fumbling around with something and felt his nervousness about it, but for now, decided against directly confronting him about it. Instead, she looked the man over carefully — he was younger than she was, although it would be hard to tell with the youthful appearance she'd maintain for a long time through her Jedi powers. What stood out most to her, though, were his eyes. The color was similar to her own fiery eyes, which made her wonder if he was human or perhaps a Keshian like her as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, and you could help me defend this settlement," Valery said, now finally with a more charismatic smile touching her full lips. "The raiders are likely not the best-trained mercenaries, so a lack of experience won't be a problem. If you're willing to help, that's all I need." Valery gestured with her head for him to follow her, and she began to walk along the outer wall. There were only 2 entry points, so placing heavy defenses there was going to be the most important.

"What are some things you consider yourself good at? Or uh, just tell me more about yourself, Raphael," she said, pausing in her steps to look at him with a more inviting smile, one enhanced by her almost glowing eyes. "And while you do, maybe tell me a little more about that project of yours?"

"The one you were fumbling with at the wall." She smirked just a little as she finally confronted him. Valery tried to keep the tension low, as he wasn't in trouble, but she did want to know what he was up to.

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

He watched her a moment, thinking about it. Few people ever asked what he preferred, most people just tended to call him by his old slicer name: NOI. "Uhm…" He scratched his chin. "I've never thought about it before, to be honest. Uh, I guess… Realistically I'd prefer Raph, but nobody's ever asked me. Everybody usually just uses NOI." He glanced at her a moment and gave a light smile. He was surprised by how young she looked and, in some ways, he wanted to ask her how she'd maintained her youthful appearance. Being a jedi master, he would think that she would have at least some grey hairs from stress and yet… Then he noticed it. Her eyes. Amber. Aflame… For a single moment he couldn't hide his surprise. It… In some ways it reminded him of his own eyes. Then he quickly shook himself back.

Nodding, Raphael quickly falling into stop as the two walked the outer wall. She wasn't wrong, as he examined the area. The two entry points would be the most easily defensible and heaviest… Alright. Not incorrect. Defend the settlement was easy.

"I'm more than willing to help," he replied, the nervous act suddenly dropping and he watched her a moment. "I'm, uh, I'm a decent shot, a pretty good pilot and a really good mechanic." He raised his rifle and also pointed to his ship. "Both my rifle and my ship are custom jobs." He tossed the rifle to her. "Light weight, low recoil, pretty accurate and hard hitting. Low rate of fire, but it doesn't need high fire rates, if it hits as hard as it does. Though…" He paused a moment, as if embarrassed. "I'm…" He frowned a bit as she suddenly asked about his project.

"…you… saw it then." He sighed, unzipped the pouch and pulled out the metal cylinder, sighed again and tossed it to her. The cylinder looked almost directly like a lightsaber, all the pieces were there…except for any kind of chamber for a crystal. That was a part of the construction, she would easily notice was missing. "I managed to work through a crystallized emitter matrix, installed a magnetized gyroscopic ring to cause the weapon to bend around and installed a superconductor to recharge the powercell, when it cycles back through. The problem is that I can only see it in a spectrometer. I haven't been able to find a way to make the blade appear in a visual spectrum, unfortunately." As he spoke, she might begin to notice that his nervousness melted away. "Just… Look, I didn't tell you because I didn't…" He sighed a bit. "I know that you all usually make them and they're some kind of…symbol or whatever… I didn't know how…" He trailed off a bit, looking a bit embarrassed.
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

"Then Raph it is," she assured with a kind smile. It didn't escape her either that he seemed a little lost in thought looking at her, which was either because of her being a Jedi Master and what that meant, because of her eyes, or just her appearance, in general, had sparked something. It was hard to hide the fact that she had been studying him a little too, mostly to get a feel for him and what she felt deep inside.

She could sense the Force flowing within him, and she had wanted to see if he'd bring it up himself. It wasn't uncommon for Force-sensitives to not really understand that they were until someone told them, and it seemed to be the case for him as well.

"A good shot is definitely useful now, and they might need a mechanic for repairs after the fighting. I'm sure some things will get damaged," Valery said as she caught the rifle to take a closer look at it, and noticed his demeanor changing a little at the same time. When he talked about his strengths and gear, he wasn't that nervous anymore, which gave her the confidence that he was going to be alright when the raiders made their move. So many people could act tough and show off gear, but everything always changes when others start shooting at you.

When the topic then shifted to his creation, Valery nodded and took the cylinder to study it for a moment. There were a lot of similarities with standard lightsabers but some things were missing as well. The most notable thing not even being an actual physical component, "Lightsabers are a lot more than just tools or weapons to Jedi. We bond with the crystal inside the chambers, and it's a symbol for who we are and what we represent," Valery explained before tossing it back over. "I'm not mad or wanting to stop you, but I do want to warn you. Lightsabers are extremely dangerous and without the Force, using them will not give you any advantage. It'd only work against you."

She paused and a slight smirk suddenly pulled at the corners of her lips. Valery then raised her hand up through her long, dark-brown hair and made eye contact again, "But that's why I don't think it's beyond your skills to use one. Did you know it already?" she asked. "That you're Force-sensitive."

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

He gave a light smile as she stated that she would call him Raph. For the first time someone had not only asked him what he wanted to be called but also agreed to do so. It was… an odd feeling. He forced down the elation that he felt at her kindness. He could understand why jedi might be a good—No. He forced that thought down and away. Part of him wondered if she was going to ask him about the Force, if he knew about it, if whatever, but he wouldn't bring it up. He didn't want to give her a clue, unless she asked him directly.

Smiling, he nodded to her. "Good shot will be extremely useful, definitely and the repairs won't take much time at all." He laughed and allowed her some time to speak as she would. He wasn't the biggest fan of being talked up, but… For some reason it felt good to have someone tell him about how his talents might be useful. It…was a bit different than normal.

"…Crystal?" His head tilted. There was a crystal? "Bond with a crystal? What does that mean? I've never heard of any crystals, though that doesn't really mean anything, I guess." What they represent? Confusion…had never been more prevalent in his mind. What in the world did she mean by crystals? Her warning about them being dangerous was a…well, he knew that quite well. He already knew that lightsabers were dangerous. "To…be honest my main point was more just proving that I could do it, I guess. I didn't…really… I'm not a swordsman." He laughed, though he couldn't hide the lack of confidence in his voice.

That was when he saw her smirk, that very light smile and his blood slightly ran cold as her eyes locked onto his for a moment. At her next words…she knew. He suddenly realized that she'd probably figured it out a while ago. No. He slowly put the cylinder back into the pouch, frowning, but nodded. "…I've known for years. Ever since I told my dad to stop the tug ship right before a meteor crashed into the hangar… I use it to navigate hyperspace without a navcom, mostly the unknown regions and…for… seeing the future from time to time. Not too far, but enough for it to be useful." He rechecked his weapon once more, before looking back to her. "Sorry that I didn't just come out and say it. Had always been afraid of jedi cuzza the whole "they abduct and brainwash children" and all that." Then he laughed. "Lemme tell ya though, that first one gets you into trouble sometimes. Like running into that…Maw place. It was like…falling into tar or something." He looked over. "So just as a question, how true is that whole "abducting kids" thing? Was it all made up?"
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

At his question, Valery dipped her head lightly, "At the core of each lightsaber is a crystal that's almost like a living being. It's the most essential piece and it can't really be fabricated." She wasn't going to get into synthetic crystals right now, as those were often used by Dark Siders and all of this was overwhelming enough. "There are numerous places where they can be found but it's incredibly difficult to do so properly without the Force," Valery went on to explain. "But to those who feel the Force, a crystal can call out to them, and form a bond. It's... difficult to explain without having felt it once before."

Luckily for him, he was Force-sensitive, so if he ventured out into crystal caves somewhere, she was certain that he'd experience it too. And with her calling him out on it, Raphael finally opened up about his Force-sensitivity. She understood that people were reserved about it, even if they couldn't hide it without training, but his reason for it got her to blink.

"...no, we don't abduct children. In the old days, we'd begin training children so they had enough time to learn how to control a gift that can also be very dangerous. Without attachments to family and other things, they would be less distracted. But even back then, consent from the parents was required, and it's also possible for a Jedi to leave the order during their training."

"These days, though, most Jedi I've met started their training much older, so it was their own decision. We're no longer strict about attachments but we do value teaching our Jedi how to control their sensitivity greatly." Valery, as a Jedi who had gone through a long stasis, was perhaps one of the few Jedi in the Galaxy who had essentially been raised within the order.

"My advice for you, whether you ever consider becoming a Jedi or not, is that you remain careful. It's possible to unintentionally use it in ways you'll regret."

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

There... was a crystal? His head tilted as he started to take in the information and, while at first he viewed as more superstitious nonsense, something told him to rethink that. From her words, this crystal was also alive in some way? That part confused him, but the galaxy was enormous and there were a lot of things that he didn't fully understand. Hopefully, with time, he'd come to learn a bit better. Then... one...could bond with this crystal? Or...rather, it might've been a thing that was more required than something that could happen.

"I'm sure. You don't need to try and explain. If it happens, it happens. If not? No harm no foul." He smiled and listened as she explained that no, the jedi didn't abduct children. It wasn't a story that he'd ever much believed, but he also had that small sense of paranoia that screamed at him. Sometimes he wish he never listened to that part of himself. "Fascinating. I never learned about jedi, to be fair. It wasn't part of the scrapper's curriculum, unfortunately. Though it is heartening to hear that more have been starting later in life. Dunno what about attachments, but I can understand wanting to help someone understand such a gift."

Intently, he listened to what she said about being careful with his use of the Force and she would sense a sliver of fear lance through him. "Already been there. As a jedi, I'm sure you're fairly well acquainted with the Brotherhood of the Maw." He frowned, weight shifting as he did. "...there... A while ago, I was using the Force to...guide my way through hyperspace, as I occasionally do. There's...something calling out within the Unknown Regions but...it took me to a system that..." He paused as if searching for the words. "...it was like...falling into tar. Then came more ships and..." He shivered. "I stood before a creature that was like staring into an abyss and being swept through a river of tar." Then he looked to her. "Sorry about that. It was just...an interesting...time."
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

Valery seemed relieved that what she shared about the Jedi was positively accepted by him. She had been able to clarify some things and felt confident that his views on the Jedi would not stem from ignorance or false information he had picked up. Even if he wouldn't ever become a Jedi himself, he knew what they were about now. But what interested her, even more, was the story that followed.

The darker story about the Brotherhood of the Maw.

As one of the most prominent Jedi in the Galaxy and the NJO's leader in the war, she had encountered a lot of the Maw's evil forces. From their tribes to the Dark Lord herself — she had clashed with all of them and still stood here today to lead the Alliance into their next battle. His own experience had been haunting as well, and the abyss he described reminder her of the monster she had partially created. Kyrel Ren had once been quite different but after she had thrown him down a fiery pit on Tython, he changed into something even worse.

"No need to apologize, I know what it's like," she assured him with a kind smile. "If uh, it's something you need help with, just let me know. Those encounters can linger in the mind, and without training, it could be hard to block out." Valery then looked at the walls again and let out a soft sigh. "But if everything's alright, I suggest we start preparing to defend this town."

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

He chuckled, though it seemed more forced than natural, and shook his head before smiling to her. "Nah, it's, uhm... It's all good. Worst comes to worst, I can ask you for some pointers or something like that once the town is safe. Might do so regardless, later." He stretched a bit.

"Yeah, I'm all for looking into it a bit closer. I did get a bit of a look at it, and you should've seen it as well, but the south side is going to be easiest to defend." He pointed at the far southern wall. "The last lava went down the northeast side, and that's why there's such an easy slope on the north and east gates, but the south side, where the wall is, is a jagged wall up. They'll need climbing equipment to get up that way, but could put charges on the wall, if you wanna take a closer look, I can wait, but probably three people with decent rifles can hold the south side. It's the North and East parts that they're going to hit hardest."

He sighed a bit, looking to the people that were running back and forth. "The equipment is good, from what I've seen, but I'm more concerned about the amount of people qualified to use it. I hope he explained it to you, but...it looks like there aren't a lot of people that are either soldiers or people trained to use the weapons that we're working with..." He gestured to a group of colonists, a few men that looked more like farmers and some women that looked like they were more comfortable running a store. The look in their eyes, however, made him smile. "But I'm not gonna count them out anytime soon."

Then he turned to her. "That's from my...initial look around. Feel free to have your own and tell me if you think there's anywhere specific I can be of use."
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

As they walked along the wall, Valery listened to his opinion about the town and how it could be defended. Where its strengths and weaknesses were, but also how the people of this town would play into defending it. She agreed that they weren't soldiers or even trained in the basics of combat. They, however, had no choice — this was a fight for their freedom, their town, and their lives. If they gave up or tried to run, they'd lose everything.

That's what gave them unique strength.

"I agree with what you're saying. We'll have the civilians cover the southern entrance, so they get the easier fight. We'll lead the more difficult battle, and coordinate the movements of our own side," Valery said, that aura of leadership quickly shining through as she gave it all some more thought.

"I'm going to need you on the wall to provide cover with ranged weaponry. I'll be down below to pressure them up close, and make it difficult for them to even target you or others." She looked at Raph with a slight grin. "These raiders are going to regret choosing this town as their target."

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael nodded, listening to Valery. Civilians on the south flank was actually a pretty good idea. Long as they could barely aim, they could even just throw rocks down on them. Valery would take command of the More difficult side, north and east, while Raphael would provide long range fire. His rifle, Temperance, could easily fire long distances, though not to the extreme lengths of sniper rifles, but nearly as far. He could easily hit nearly as far as the snipers. He needed to provide her supporting fire.

The people began to run around, some security officers headed to barricades near the gates and others got up onto the wall with Raphael. Civilians, meanwhile, following the instructions that Valery had given seemed to grab some rifles and headed to the south, ready to gun down any raider foolhardy enough to try and climb the wall. Raphael watched, doubting that there would be too many but, unlike what had happened with Sedri, he wasn't willing to take that chance.

He nodded to her, as he climbed up to the wall. "Understood. I'll cover you with blaster fire. I'm very good with my blaster." He smiled and knelt down, lining up his sights. But the more that he concentrated to the north, there came a slight sound a crackling. He blinked his intuition suddenly kicking into overdrive and he turned east, before reaching up and tapping on his commms. <"Raphael Gallustrade to gate defense team, Master Noble, wall snipers, our first contacts are east."> He turned slightly, taking aim, and waited. And waited... Then one got into range and he fired. From far away, the weapon struck home and the first raider did a bit of a backflip, as it was struck by the bolt. Then sniper fire started from the woods, striking the wall and the team leaned down. He stopped for a moment and concentrated. <"...gonna have suppression fire, followed by a east gate then north gate charge. Be prepared for heavy weapons fire.">
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

After everybody got in position, Valery stood alone and waited quietly with her eyes closed and her focus drawn inwards. She was expanding her senses along the currents of the Force, both to feel how her allies were holding up, and to receive glimpses of the raiders who were coming their way, still so full of confidence and determination to tear this town apart. They were likely expecting some resistance, but most small towns and cities would never hold out for long, fearing that too much resistance would be punished by even more of their people dying.

These people were different, however, and not only armed themselves, but they could rely on the support of two far more skilled combatants as well. Raph with his weapons and gear on the wall would provide cover, and the Sword of the Jedi was ready to pressure the raiders in ways they had never experienced before.

She hoped that they could be persuaded to retreat with a strong counter-offensive.

<"Raphael Gallustrade to gate defense team, Master Noble, wall snipers, our first contacts are east.">

Valery opened her eyes, having felt them as well, and suddenly exploded towards their location with speed untrackable for a human's eyes. A violet lightsaber ignited and almost instantly, she drew a lot of attention, as they realized what they were up against now. But she gave them very little time to get a shot off, and rapidly moved between targets to disarm and neutralize the raiders.

<"Keep up the pressure!"> Valery called back to those on the wall, who now had a chance to pop out and return fire again.

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael and the wall team, had been opening fire to simply keep them back for a few seconds, when suddenly he watched Noble's violet lightsaber erupted with light. For only a few minutes, he had a true full look at a saber. Then the shots from the raiders surrounding started and the team had to pull down behind the wall. "Don't worry. Master Noble will no doubt give us an opportunity here soon."

That's when it came through. More pressure. That's what she wanted? That's what she'd get. "Try not to fatally wound them, if you can! Leg shots, arm shots! Knock their weapons away!" Raphael began firing, each shot would strike a leg and down a man without killing them or would knock away a weapon. The wall team was firing enough that, alongside Valery, the raiders on the east side weren't gaining any ground and were being forced back towards the woods.

Then came the sound of machinery and Raphael asked for a monocular. Off into the distance, approaching from the north. These were...older tanks. There weren't a lot, maybe three, but they were operating alongside the raiders on foot. That would make things a bit more challenging for the North side. "Where in the world would-- Black market, Raph. Always the black market..." He reached up and put a hand on his comms, reactivating them. <"...Master Noble, we've got tanks approaching from the north. If you can take those, then I can pin down the east with the sniper team. Heavy fire team on the north end can support you.">

He picked up firing a bit more, evading bolts now and then and ducking down once, when a grenade was tossed. This wasn't a warzone, it was too hectic. Raph was good with his better than average weapons, and he knew that he could do as much as a normal soldier could, but the game changer was Valery. Raphael was a backup, but he'd be the best kriffing backup that he could be.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

The battle was already turning in their favor.

Those shooting from the walls were easily taking down the raiders with her cover from below. And to her surprise, a lot of raiders were taken out non-lethally. It was something she could appreciate as a Jedi, but she also understood it would get increasingly more difficult as this clash grew in intensity. With so many people on the move and fighting, even just an attempt to pull off a really difficult shot just to be non-lethal meant endangering your allies.

So as more and more guns were turned towards her, Valery began to deflect the bolts with even more precision. They traveled back along their original paths or towards other targets, all with the intent to keep them from fighting again. One after another, the raiders began to fall, but they persisted. The reason why became rather clear when Raph called out tanks over comms — they likely believed those to be unstoppable for a group of civilians with guns, even if they had support.

<Tanks?> Valery asked with a sigh. <Alright, I'll take them out.> Her tone was confident, and while she placed her trust in Raph to take care of the rest, she began to move. Soon enough, she spotted the first of the three tanks, and it was readying itself to open fire at the wall. If it was breached, they'd have a serious problem, so Valery waited and allowed the Force to guide her. Right before it opened fire, she extended a hand and tapped into her power to crush the barrel.

A shot was attempted, and a huge explosion followed that blew apart the entire turret of the tank, likely killing those inside.

<One tank down!>

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

They were downing them and they were doing it! One by one each shot, almost all non fatal, and they fell to their side, yet... He frowned as he blasted another one. There were a lot of pirates and raiders coming. Raphael had done as he'd said he would do and opened fire on the ones to the east. There were a lot of them on the move and Raphael was finding it harder and harder to simply knock them down without outright killing them. His rifle was strong, but whatever they were wearing seemed to have a bit more resistance to blasters but he kept firing.

He still tried to go for disabling shots, but there were many times that he had to kill one of them to protect his wall team. Each death made him wince just a bit, a ripple in the Force or whatever, that he suddenly was just removing. It hurt... But he did it anyways. Valery... was far more impressive, however. He watched as she swung her blade deflecting blaster bolts in every capacity, and immediately she ran at the tanks.

"Keep firing. We're driving them back!" Then suddenly his eyes opened and he rushed over and tackled one of the other snipers down, as a blaster bolt whizzed overhead. "Keep your eyes peeled. Never know when we're being targetted." He smiled and helped the sniper back up before going back to fire on the enemy again. Another one was knocked down, then another.

He knelt back down, when suddenly he felt a rushing of the Force, as though a tide of the ocean and he looked up just in time to see Valery cause a tank to explode. His eyes went wide. "...what in the kriff?! That was amazing..." That was what the Force could do in a master's hands... It was frightening as well as awe-inspiring. <"A-Amazing! We'll keep covering you and locking down the east!">
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outer Rim

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

The corner of Valery's lip twitched up into a brief smile when she heard Raph over comms. Her taking out one of the tanks had amazed him, and hopefully inspired others to keep fighting, knowing that she'd have their backs against enemies they could not take down themselves. That, in turn, motivated her, even more, to keep going, and with two more tanks remaining, she was quick to shift her focus to another.

Again, she allowed the Force to guide her and waited for the moment that one was preparing to fire. This time, her hand extended again but not to crush its barrel. Her grip extended around the entire turret and with a powerful pull, she forced the barrel in the direction of the other tank right as it opened fire.

A huge explosion followed as a second tank went up in flames, but Valery was not quite done yet. With an explosive burst of speed, she closed the distance to the remaining tank she had manipulated and placed her hand against its side. Immediately, she tapped into its weaknesses and poured the Force down the shatterpoints, causing the entire tank to fracture and break apart.

<Tanks are down! It's time to finish this.>