Private Recovery and Retreat

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Unknown
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Cyran

Valery chuckled when he rolled his eyes and commented on her wanting him to stay close, "Oh I know you can handle yourself. It's just that I can sense them long before they reach us, so if you're close to me, I can give an early warning." She understood her comment had probably made it seem like she didn't think he was capable of defending himself, but that wasn't the case at all. All she wanted was to give them an early advantage in the case of unwanted visitors.

"But I'll stick close behind and uh, watch your six as you lead the way."

"That works for me~" she hummed and began to lead the way through the mostly undisturbed jungles. It would be easy to tell that Valery loved being here, not because of the mission, but because nature here was beautiful, and she felt at home in jungles like this. But after a moment, she turned around at his questions and blinked.

"I'm a Jedi, yes..." she tilted her head curiously but began to smile when he asked about her lightsaber. He seemed nervous about it, which she didn't quite understand, but she hoped to catch eye contact again, "Here, let me show you," she said before she retrieved the hilt of her lightsaber from her jacket.

When she was sure he had gotten a good look at the weapon first, she hit the activation switch and watched a purple blade ignite. Slowly, she moved it around but her eyes were fixed on him to gauge his reaction, "What do you think?"

 

[Cyran Vaas]

Location: The Rose, on Mysterious a Planet
Outfit: X (With pink skin)
Tag: Valery Noble

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There were some odd reasons to explain Cyran’s nervousness. Partly because of rumors and word of mouth from his friends about the signature jedi weapon. He looked back to her and was eased some to see that she wasn’t upset with him for asking. In fact she looked almost rather happy to show him. Looking at the hilt he seemed to eye it some in astonishment. Leaning in some before instinctively flinching back a little after she ignited it.

Under the shade of the canopy overhead it lit out the area around them a fair amount despite there being daylight. “Woah, it’s purple.” He said as Valery twirled it around some. “That’s really cool.” He was surprised he couldn’t even feel any heat coming from it. He understood they could burn through just about anything but the light didn’t even warm him up. Looking back at her Cyran smiled a little and chuckled. “I think the color suits you. Even though I think a warmer color would match those fiery eyes of yours. But I guess they’re more than just fashion accessories huh?”

He looked back at the hilt and took note of its intricate design. It almost looked ceremonial. Cyran also wondered what the metal flarings on the side close to the amitter were for if not decorative. Perhaps they were hand guards to keep her hands from making contact with the blade. “Um sorry if I came off as a little awkward a moment ago. I’d heard that lightsabers were typically not meant to be seen or shown unless serious and that they were all unique and deeply personal. So I wasn’t sure if it was rude or invasive to ask.” Cyran added, hoping to clarify.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Unknown
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Cyran

"Woah, it's purple."

Valery almost snorted at the comment and after showing it a little longer, she disengaged the weapon and returned it to her belt, "The color with some crystals is the result of the true nature of its owner. It represents something about them that the crystal has recognized and bonded to," Valery explained. Her crystal had once been blue back when she was a Padawan, but a rather scarring event changed it to purple when she collected a new crystal.

After various other events, she understood it would remain that way for the rest of her life.

"We do usually only use or show them when necessary, but there was no harm in it here," Valery said with a soft smile now that she understood the source of his awkwardness a little better. She then pressed forward and not much later, the two could faintly see a structure up ahead, hidden underneath thick vines and surrounded by tall trees.

"There it is, one of the artifact vaults..." she paused and turned to him, "Once we leave this world, I'd like to ask you to delete all records of this location in your nav-ocomputer. It's for the best that nobody finds this place."

 

[Cyran Vaas]

Location: The Rose, on Mysterious a Planet
Outfit: X (With pink skin)
Tag: Valery Noble

Cyran wasn’t really aware of the significance of the color from her perspective. After she said that it can represent something about its owner he thought for a moment. He wouldn’t have known that it could represent some past trauma or inner darkness that was or has been quelled. He then looked at her before getting a rather excited expression. Almost as if a light bulb lit up over his head as he snapped his fingers. “Well, that actually makes some sense now that you put it that way. It almost seems obvious. Valery, are you like royalty or something? I mean your last name is Noble after all, and purple is a color that can symbolize royalty dignity and wisdom.” Ever the optimist Cyran saw the purple hue as a more positive reflection of her rather than a negative one. Someone who was deservingly wise and powerful.

Though he was being honest most “royalty” he met were on the less savory side of the moral spectrum. Beings such as powerful Hutts and such. “But yeah, thanks for giving me a look. It was way more interesting up close and in person than I would’ve thought.” He replied to a bright smile after she put it away.

After which they continued further on and braved the wilds of the planet before they reached what seemed to be their destination. “Woah, seems ancient.” Cyran then looked away from it and back to Valery. Hearing her request he nodded “Absolutely, and believe it or not I have a pretty stellar track record of maintaining client confidentiality.” Calling back to the fact that he was brought into all of this to complete a job. “But uh, you think it might be best for me to stay back out here? If this place holds other artifacts like that one that got me all loopy back on my ship, maybe it’d be wise for me to not go inside?” He asked, trying to be cautious and not accidentally cause a repeat of what happened before… or worse.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Unknown
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Cyran

"Royalty?" Valery blinked and chuckled at the answer, "Oh no, I'm afraid the color is from something... less pleasant. My lightsaber was once blue, back when I was a Padawan. But after this scar..." she tapped against her left cheekbone to avoid having to poke her eyes, "...the color of my new crystal was purple. I believe it reflects a conflict within me. One that has persisted due to other events as well."

She flashed a faint smile but hoped to show it wasn't something that bothered her too much.

"And you're welcome," Valery said as they approached the Sanctum. It's a place she visited more often in her Jedi Shadow days when she often purged or found artifacts that needed to be locked away. These days, only special occasions brought her out here, and this whole adventure sure fit right in.

"You'll be fine in there," she continued when he expressed his concerns, "The artifacts are all stored in nullification resin, and within containers, only the Force can open. So there's no risk." She paused and turned to face him, "But if you're too worried, you can always wait for me to get back here. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

 

[Cyran Vaas]

Location: A Mysterious a Planet
Outfit: X (With pink skin)
Tag: Valery Noble

Cyran took note of what Valery had to say about his comment on the color of her lightsaber. Seemingly representing something very different from what he suggested a moment ago. He could sense that whatever the reason it weighed heavily on her. Cyran wouldn’t pry her to get a better understanding. Though she didn’t deny that she was some sort of monarch. She initially kept being a jedi a secret, he’d keep that theory to himself for now.

Hearing Valery reassure him that there shouldn’t be anything to worry about since the artifacts should also be protected and contained like the one she had with her right now which didn't cause him any problems. “Hmm.” He thought over her words for a moment before nodding. “Okay, I’ll go with you, you know more about this kind of stuff than I ever will I’m sure. I was just worried it may test my luck again, you know?” He replied, ready to follow her into the sanctum. This whole ordeal felt like he’s been caught up in a strange and mystical world he didn’t really know much about. Surely there were other places like this around the galaxy. Which made him wonder and ask.

“Hey, if places like this exist, do you ever think that other Force Orders have similar stashes of artifacts? Like a group of malevolent warlocks or cultists might have a hidden tomb filled with Jedi artifacts lost to your order?” Cyran said out loud, what he had in mind likely fit the Sith, but he was just as if not more unfamiliar with them. “Heck I once heard of a Hutt who collected stuff like this a long time ago.” Cyran then wondered that there must be whole groups of treasure hunters, who may be non-force users like him that dedicate their time or lives to this. In that regard he should probably consider himself pretty lucky to be trusted with this kind of knowledge.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Unknown
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Cyran Vaas

"I definitely understand the concern, but I promise that you'll be safe," Valery said before she guided him into the Sanctum made of stone and other heavy materials. If it wasn't for some of the Jedi decorations in the halls, it would almost feel like a prison. In a way, it was of course, as this building contained incredibly dangerous artifacts, purged or not. But there was no real dangerous aura that lingered here, and if Cyran were to focus on Valery, he could tell she was incredibly calm and not nervous at all.

"Hey, if places like this exist, do you ever think that other Force Orders have similar stashes of artifacts? Like a group of malevolent warlocks or cultists might have a hidden tomb filled with Jedi artifacts lost to your order?"

Valery looked over her shoulder and nodded, "Sith create a lot of artifacts and store them in places like this everywhere. Hutts too, as you said, or just criminals. Some don't know what they're dealing with, others do but they don't care about the impact it can have on the unfortunate soul who ends up with it." She let out a soft sigh and looked around, "It was once my job to find such places and take them down. Not anymore though, but every now and then I still get involved with it."

The two then stopped in front of a large door that seemed to have no lock of visible mechanism they could trigger. But as Valery raised her hand, it became clear why — she tapped into the Force and faint mechanical sounds could be heard moments later. Then the two sides of the door split apart, allowing them entry.

"I don't think anybody has been here in years," Valery said as she stepped inside and looked around. There were huge containment cells everywhere, and behind their Force fields were other artifacts trapped in resin.

 

[Cyran Vaas]

Location: A Mysterious a Planet
Outfit: X (With pink skin)
Tag: Valery Noble Valery Noble

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As Cyran followed he’d gradually grow less and less concerned. Sensing Valery’s own seemingly inner peace and calm. Hearing her reply to his previous statement he thought to himself on how a facility like this must work. Since it likely gets very little traffic he wondered if there were droids around that worked something like grounds keepers and do simple maintenance. Otherwise he just imagined this place going into disrepair. “So you used to be some kind of Jedi treasure hunter? That’s pretty cool. Or like, a bounty hunter for the Jedi?” That was how Cyran understood it at least. He wouldn’t have known what a jedi shadow was, and that her job was likely more than finding just relics and artifacts.

When they got to the large door he wondered if it may just be a strange wall, and that they were at the end of the sanctum. Looking back to see if they missed something his body flinched some from the mechanical noises coming from the door. Figuring that Valery must’ve done something to open it with her invisible energies. Seeing the door open to a show what looked like a mix between a prison and storage facility.

Stepping past to the doors with her Cyran could only imagine what the deal was with all the different artifacts. If they were like the one they had with them now or instead were entirely different. He also wondered if they all had ghosts or spirits attached to them. Even though none of them could affect him Cyran still got the heebie jeebies. Looking inside one of the containment cells he saw what looked to be some sort of short but narrow, item wrapped in resin. He still felt like he had a lot of questions, too many in fact. “Even though I never really knew my mother that well, I do have one pretty clear memory of her when I was little.” Cyran started speaking, seemingly unrelated. “I remember she sometimes told stories of the Jedi, I can’t recall what they were about. Although I do remember her telling me that there were people in my family with gifts like that. Family who could use The Force. But when my parent’s disappeared, so did their knowledge and that heritage of mine.” He explained to Valery some. Cyran himself was definitely not force sensitive, not even dormant. “After meeting you I kinda have me wondering, maybe in a different timeline I would have a better understanding of all this ya know? Hm, sorry I’m probably rambling aren’t I?” He apologized, figuring that Valery was more interested in getting the artifact with her contained and dealt with. Though internally still contemplative of the prospect of other surviving family members of his who he was unaware of.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Unknown
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Cyran Vaas

"So you used to be some kind of Jedi treasure hunter? That's pretty cool. Or like, a bounty hunter for the Jedi?"

Valery turned her fiery eyes away from the mechanisms and storage cells around her and looked at Cyran with a smile, "Not quite. There is no money or other kind of reward involved. I also wouldn't exactly call Dark Side artifacts treasure - they're very dangerous, many even more so than this amulet here," Valery continued. "I'd hunt down these artifacts, Sith or other Dark Siders purely because it was what my duties focused on.

The Jedi Master then turned back into the room, and while Cyran went into some more personal history regarding his mother and stories about the Jedi, Valery raised a hand to summon a cylindrical cell to rise from the ground in front of them. Another flick of her hand later and the security mechanisms forced it to open up.

"After meeting you I kinda have me wondering, maybe in a different timeline I would have a better understanding of all this ya know? Hm, sorry I'm probably rambling aren't I?"

"A little, but that's alright," she flashed a bright smile and shot him a playful wink before she stepped forward and placed the artifact within the container, before closing it again and sending it back down into the ground. "But that is actually quite an interesting story. Have you ever thought about looking more into your family tree? To figure out if there are others who might be Force-sensitive."

 

[Cyran Vaas]

Location: A Mysterious a Planet
Outfit: X (With pink skin)
Tag: Valery Noble

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She definitely had a point, perhaps there wasn’t as much overlap between the two of them then he initially thought. Especially since she was definitely not on the more freelancer side of things like he was. She had an order to look after and in turn look after her. Best thing Cyran could hope for in regards to an organization to work with would be the bounty hunter’s guild. But these days the guild was more fractured than ever it seemed. Not a lot of cooperation these days with bounty hunters and gone were the days of encouraged collaboration with the Jedi Order like in the old republic. Made Cyran wonder why he adhered to the creed so diligently.

Watching Valery continue to seemingly telekinetically manipulate some of the unseen security mechanisms, she also seemed to agree with his statement that he was rambling. Especially since it seemed quite unrelated to the task at hand. Seeing her place the amulet down before it vanished, seemingly gone for good. “Phew, well at least that amulet is taken care of now right?” Cyran said, as if letting out a sigh of relief.

Hearing Valery’s words he nodded some. “Yeah I’ve definitely thought about it. Though all this time I’ve largely avoided it. Like believing it would just be easier to try and forget. There’s a lot of doubt too, and second guessing I guess. Like not knowing where to start, or that I might not like what I find.” Cyran seemed to try and explain to her. Looking back to her he seemed to switch up his tone a little.

“Eh, enough about me anyways. Kinda selfish to just be thinking about myself. This is your mission after all, I’m kinda just the shofer here.” He seemed to feel kinda bad, just talking about his stuff and life. He was sure Valery had quite the story, if she wanted to tell it that was. After all this was originally a professional endeavor on his end. “I mean all I ever seemed to ask about you was your lightsaber, and that was just for my own curiosity.” He also wasn’t sure if they were gonna head back to his ship now or if she still had some work to do here.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Unknown
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Cyran Vaas

"The artifact is taken care of," she confirmed with a nod before she already started guiding him back the way they came. Even if every artifact was secured here, there was still a less than pleasant aura that lingered. While they walked back, Valery listened to him and nodded in understanding, "I can see why it's not an easy thing to look into."

She paused a moment and offered a smile, "Not something that's overly crucial for your own life either."

The two then were getting closer to the exit, and he seemed to feel bad about talking about himself. She could feel it in the Force as he mentioned it, and tried to meet his concerns with a charismatic smile, "Oh you're fine - I asked the question because I was curious," she said before she stepped outside and turned in the direction of their ship. "My own story is a bit... lengthy, and hard to explain. From my long time in stasis, to just the Jedi life in general."

 

[Cyran Vaas]

Location: A Mysterious a Planet
Outfit: X (With pink skin)
Tag: Valery Noble

Hearing Valery’s word again felt rather reassuring. Even if he had other lost family still around. Which he was sure he did, zeltron family trees can be wildly complex sometimes. But he was certainly his own man now, and like she said, not a very crucial element in his life. By the time they began to exit the sanctuary he spoke back. “Thanks, and admittedly it can sometimes feel like a point of pride to be so distant to all the Force stuff while being somewhat accomplished and capable. Even if it was sometimes fueled by spite for what happened all those years ago.” Cyran wouldn’t have really expected a job transporting a woman on the run to turn into such a contemplative experience for him. But then again if he really knew what he was getting into he may have never offered to help.

Once they got out Cyran looked around some outside. It seemed to have gotten a bit darker, even though they weren’t inside for very long. Trying to peer through the lush canopy he noticed that the sky was a lot more gray and cloudy. Likely going to be a bit of rain coming soon it seemed. Which in a rain forest was likely a very predictable occurrence.

Looking back to the Jedi he heard her explain that her life story was seemingly convoluted. Which wasn’t too hard for him to imagine. All those unique Jedi experiences for someone like him would likely be hard to follow. She also mentioned having been in stasis. Was she from the old republic? Maybe that’s why she didn’t seem to have any issues getting aid from a bounty hunter like himself. Since back then the two groups got along a lot better, before those critical formative years of the old empire.

“Hmm okay, I think I can understand what you mean. Well no need to share anything if you don’t want to too. But if you do choose to share I’m all ears.” He replied with a bit of a lengthy pause, however, as if Cyran seemingly couldn’t help himself he spoke up again for his own curiosity’s sake. “Hey Valery… Is it true you guys steal children?” Cyran asked rather casually like it wasn't a pretty damning claim…