Private Riddles in the Dark [Valery]

[Darth Carnifex]

The yawning chasm beneath His feet stretched deep into the darkness, the bottom swallowed up by utter blackness. Above Him was the same, an endless open shaft that had no discernable end. The only constants were the platform He was suspended on, the energy wall projector above it, and the disengaged walkway that connected the platform to the shaft's outer wall. A door existed where the deactivated walkway was currently retracted, but it was closed and bolted shut with Beskar-reinforced locking mechanisms.

Surveillance bulbs, almost invisible to the naked eye, watched His every move from over a dozen different points on the outer wall. He had identified most of them but had not endeavored to discover the rest. It did not disturb Him to know that His adversaries were watching Him, as they were assuredly keeping as close of an eye on Him as possible. No doubt they also employed sophisticated biometric scanners, infrared sensors, electrocardiogram monitors, and every other system known in the galaxy to ensure that their greatest adversary, their most valuable prisoner, did not somehow escape containment.

They needn't have worried so much if they knew that the Dark Lord did not endeavor to escape His prison.

Or, perhaps, that should have been an even greater cause for concern.

The Dark Lord sat cross-legged at the center of the platform, deep in meditation on the Dark Side of the Force. The only clothing that covered His skin was a simple gray tunic emblazoned with a serial number and a pair of similarly gray trousers. They had modified the standard prisoner suit to exclude any form of footwear, waist fasteners, or any other non-essential garb for fear of the Dark Lord using them in any nefarious manner. Restraints had once been considered as well, but they had been set aside in exchange for extreme solitary isolation.

With a clanking whir, the bridge extended out to magnetically connect with the Dark Lord's platform. The door at the end opened with a clunk, a pair of stern-faced Inquisitor-Jurists marching out across the still-extending walkway before stopping a meter from the energy wall. The Dark Lord opened His eyes at their approach, remaining where He sat and listening in silence.

"Prisoner Omega-1," the designation they had given Him passed over Him without comment, "You have been petitioned by Alliance Shadow Noble for questioning."

Oh, now that was interesting.

Few had ventured down to meet with Him face-to-face, most of them representatives of the Crusade that held Him in bondage. For an Alliance Shadow to seek Him out was truly something interesting, least of all that it was one who went by the name of Noble. The Dark Lord deduced who exactly it was that had come to see Him to the moment her name was spoken.

"Bring her before me."

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Bosph | Prison facility​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Darth Carnifex ​

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"Master Noble, it is time."​

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Up until now, Valery had withdrawn herself into her own mind while her eyes blankly stared at the closed doors leading into the prison chamber. To get to where she was standing now required a lot of security checks, and she was constantly being watched, almost as if they were afraid that she'd help break out their prisoner. While in reality, she would have never taken him as a prisoner, to begin with. But none of that phased the woman at all — she had gotten lost in deep thought as Carnifex's presence echoed out through the Force in his meditative state.​

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While she had never met him face-to-face before, there was something about his presence that felt familiar. Perhaps it stemmed from her meeting with Demiurge on Panatha, or was it related to when she felt the signature of her fallen boyfriend, the son of this Dark Emperor? ​

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Regardless, He was the culmination of everything she had sworn to fight and destroy, and now she could finally meet him.​

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"Master Noble?"​

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"I'm ready," Valery replied with a steady tone as she stepped forward and between the two guards who were assigned to escort her to the magnetic bridge. They were not going to come with her — she remembered this from her security briefing. She was to cross the bridge alone, and it would be retracted behind her while the guards monitored her through the multitude of instruments they had set up within the chamber. ​

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"Follow us." the guard said, and Valery complied.​

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After stepping into the room and up towards the bridge, the guards moved back while Valery paused in her steps herself, her fiery orange eyes drawn to the Epicanthix man within his prison cell. This was the true face of evil she was staring at, and she knew it stared back. She could feel his darkness beating against her inner Light.​

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Valery then drew in a small breath and began the long, monotone walk across the bridge, her eyes never once leaving him. She wasn't worried about him breaking out or trying something unexpected here, but there was something about him that made looking away impossible.​

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"Lord Carnifex, we finally meet in person."​

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[Darth Carnifex]

"Indeed, we do."

The Dark Lord remained seated as His body slowly levitated up into the air by several meters, His legs only uncrossing once He had reached the requisite height for the bottom of His feet to dangle just a few centimeters above the cold metal floor. Then His body ceased levitating and He softly touched down on the floor, now fully standing. He then walked a few paces towards Jedi Master Noble, stopping half a meter away from the scintillating energy field that separated them.

"The Oracle foretold that you would be here, an absolute certainty." Despite being divided by an energy barrier, the sheer height discrepancy between the Jedi Master and her Dark Lord adversary was absolutely staggering. The Dark Lord stood over eight feet tall, His body rounded out with muscle and hard sinew. Master Noble was lean and muscular, peak physical condition for a battlemaster and talented Sith hunter.

Two warriors, separated by the immeasurable gulf of faith.

"I can only hazard what you would want to speak to me about, Master Noble," offered the Dark Lord, His flat monotone voice rumbling with the innate charisma of absolute authority; the same snare that had ensorcelled countless millions into wars that had left entire sectors of the galaxy ravaged and ruined. "But undoubtedly it will concern my son. You may hide your feelings well, but even this I can glean from you."

He gestured almost flippantly, a haughty motion giving the Jedi Master permission to continue. Even when locked behind an impenetrable energy barrier, the Dark Lord of the Sith carried Himself as though this were a magnificent throne room, and Master Noble was one of the many supplicants coming to pay Him homage.

"You may begin."

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Bosph | Prison facility​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Darth Carnifex ​

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Valery stood with her posture straight, and her hands folded together in front of her as Carnifex began to rise from his meditative sitting position. Each step he took towards her after he had gotten up to his feet forced her eyes to shift up until even her chin had to rise in order to look him in the eyes. For many, a height difference like this would be intimidating, but Valery showed no signs of it affecting her. He troubled her in many ways, especially when it came to his son, and that severely overshadowed something as simplistic as a height difference.​

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"The Oracle foretold that you would be here, an absolute certainty."​

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Valery's eyes narrowed slightly as she listened to his deep, monotone voice — even imprisoned and in clothing that not only prevented escape but also served to undermine a sense of authority, he was able to make people crumble underneath him with just words and tone alone. But Valery didn't come all the way out here to feel intimidated, and simply stayed silent for a moment while her calm exterior remained intact.​

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It was only when he mentioned Kahlil that she felt heat rising within, but it settled as quickly as it came. She looked him in the eyes and began to speak with a voice that carried her own confidence and natural charisma.​

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"It does concern your son, my partner — do you really believe he's going to help you?" she asked.​

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The question seemed selfish. A Jedi Master traveling into territory she wasn't entirely welcomed in, to meet with Lord Carnifex only to ask him about her boyfriend. But there was far more to it. These were family matters and those typically involved members of the family taking up roles in a larger plan. ​

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The Sith Emperor known for crippling entire sectors in the Galaxy through schemes and power had also willingly allowed himself to be imprisoned, and as far as she knew, nobody had expressed great concern. Sure, others would be suspicious as well but they still extended what had to be done by organizing this trial, which only seemed a formality. She disliked it heavily and needed to find out more. ​

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"Or is all of this just to satisfy some twisted desires?" She knew that wasn't the case at all. He was Sith, and everything he did had a reason. But challenging it was hopefully going to provide her with some answers. ​

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[Darth Carnifex]

"The boy has served in ways you could never hope to comprehend, Valery Noble. It is an attribute that he shares with you, an inability to see further than what lies within his immediate vicinity. A narrow scope of vision, easily manipulated." Context clues allowed the Dark Lord to pick up on the likely possibility that Valery did not know of her paramour's fate, otherwise, she would've used different terminology when referring to him and possibly would've used that against Him.

The arrogance of a Jedi.

But the true aim of the Dark Lord's ambitions had never been to try and course-correct His son down the path he had traveled, but to harvest the boy's genetics to fill in the gaps where the Dark Lord's own databank was lacking. In doing so, He had been able to complete the restoration. When knowledge of Kahlil's severing had reached the Dark Lord, He dismissed it without emotion and cast His gaze onto new prospects, ones with infinitely more potential than the disgraced spawn of a nameless concubine.

His new vessel would be far more powerful than Kahlil could ever aspire to be.

In time, He would unleash it upon the galaxy.

For now, that secret remained safely locked away. The Dark Lord would only ever offer up morsels to His captors, inconsequential but tasty morsels nonetheless, all to string them along in a game of His own making. "Could you feel his suffering, Master Jedi? When he was first brought to me he had been relinquished of his arms at the hand of his sister, beaten down like a mongrel. By my grace, he was repaired. The surgery was performed without anesthetics, such is the way of the Dark Side."

The Dark Lord then shifted the conversation, "In time, he will seek you out. I have trained him well. You will not be able to resist his deception, to see through his lies." The Dark Lord was masterful at sowing the seeds of doubt and mistrust, to twist the bonds of faith into shackles of hatred and fear. "He will use your own love for him against you, rendering you helpless as he slips the blade into your neck." He spoke with utter conviction, the sheer confidence and unwavering tone in His voice unmistakable.

But could she trust the words of a Dark Lord?

Even if they might potentially be true?

"You will see," He whispered.

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Bosph | Prison facility​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Darth Carnifex ​

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"Could you feel his suffering, Master Jedi? When he was first brought to me he had been relinquished of his arms at the hand of his sister, beaten down like a mongrel. By my grace, he was repaired. The surgery was performed without anesthetics, such is the way of the Dark Side."​

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Valery's jaw clenched at his words as memories of that pain flashed back into her mind. Through the unique, powerful bond she shared with Kahlil, it wasn't just awareness of his suffering that struck her — it had felt as if her own arms were being ripped off at the hands of something evil. To now know what had happened to him... she briefly frowned. Not as a sign of weakness, but as an empathic response for Kahlil. He was out there somewhere, and she just hoped he would be alright.​

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The conversation then shifted, his words now lighting up the fire inside her eyes as he spoke of deception. In her mind, the idea that Kahlil would ever turn against her was preposterous, and she knew he was attempting to create doubt and fear within her. Normally, it would have never worked but the confidence in his tone was incredibly unsettling. ​

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Unaware of the threat he was actually referring to when he mentioned Kahlil, she began to speak.​

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"Narrow scope of vision? Your lack of faith in your son's ability to withstand your desires shows we might have that in common then, Lord Carnifex." Valery stepped closer towards the cage and allowed her arms to shift by her sides.​

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"There is nothing that will ever turn him against me, and I will not stop before this twisted plan is demolished. Considering your current situation, that might be sooner than I first believed as well." She briefly glanced at his cage, but it was more so the thought that the Crusaders weren't going to just keep him captive forever that sparked her comment.​

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They would be fools if they tried.​

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"So while you rot away in this cell and get ready for your trial, I'll be ready to clean up whatever you leave behind."​

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[Darth Carnifex]

"The boy is mercurial, he could not decide for himself if his own life depended on it." The Dark Lord could see that He was getting a rise out of the Jedi Master, the faint motion of the pterygoid muscles gave it away. Her body language betrayed her emotions, the Dark Lord could see through her like she were an open window. Where there was weakness, the Dark Lord pounced without hesitation. He would poke and prod that gap in her armor until He struck the soft vulnerable flesh beneath.

"What will you do when his affections stray, Master Jedi? Do you believe that you are the first woman he has ever courted?" His eyes glinted, "Has ever taken to his bed?" It was an educated gamble, the mirroring implications of which could strike deep. "How long will it be before he grows tired of you and seeks another? It is not the first time it has happened, you know. The number of inconsolable women in his wake... It's quite staggering."

He shifted gears before allocating enough time for Valery to compose herself, domineering the course of their conversation without offering anything in return. "The trial will be a grand monument to the failure of the Light, Master Jedi. When the common people see their champions stumble and fail to achieve any meaningful gain, then they will know that their faith has been misplaced."

"To know that justice means frighteningly little."

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Bosph | Prison facility​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Darth Carnifex ​

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Valery had always been a woman who struggled with the repercussions her strong sensitivity to the Force produced. The closer she grew to someone, the more powerful the bond would be that formed between them. It typically happened with her Padawans and close friends, and while it was a huge source of strength, it also possessed the ability to bring her down, when such a bond was broken. ​

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The loss of her former Master and several of her Padawans were scars she still carried with her today, all contributing to an inner turmoil she could never get rid of. But the mere thought of losing Kahlil, whose bond with her was beyond anything she had ever felt before, hurt so much more. All her life she struggled to get close to people and to find someone who loved her as much as she loved them — Kahlil was that person, and he meant everything to her.​

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So at the dark Lord's words, who knew this as well, her eyes dropped for the first time, and the woman remained completely silent as she felt pain wash over her. But once he finished, she looked back up and showed her earlier confidence again, as she set aside the fear of losing him. She trusted him.​

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"For someone who has put so much effort into bringing his son back into the family, you've failed miserably at recognizing growth and change in him. His past matters nothing to me — I know how he feels about me, and for as long as I'm alive, there's no chance he'll serve you or break the promise he made me." She was utterly convinced of this.​

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"As for your trial," she said with clear dislike in her voice, her eyes looking around at the cage again. She wasn't fond of this whole trial, and it showed. "I don't believe the show is something you deserved — to die a martyr. But the events unfolding will be a mark of your own failure."​

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"I'll be watching it, Lord Carnifex, and I will get Kahlil back."​

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[Darth Carnifex]

"But what if I don't want to be with you," spoke the Dark Lord in the voice of Kahlil Noble .

The intonation, the cadence, everything was perfectly replicated.

"I've found someone else, Val, someone who actually makes me happy. Someone who gives me what I need." Had Valery closed her eyes at this exact moment, she would have pictured Kahlil's face as the Dark Lord mimicked his voice to torment her. "Her and I are never apart, we spent the nights together like you and I once did on Spira. I laugh when I think back on those times when I put up with you because you were easy. She laughs at you too, knowing just how desperate you were for comfort."

The Dark Lord felt nothing as He manipulated the emotions of others, but even this was unfathomably cruel. He gained no tactical advantage from this, came no closer to achieving His grand ambitions for the galaxy. No, He performed these acts of cruelty because He could; because He had the power to do so. He knew that this would get under Valery's skin, that was the purpose. To stoke the flames of insecurity and watch them squirm in the throes of His vile machinations.

Nothing less than a monster.

"She tastes exquisite," purred the Dark Lord in Kahlil's voice, "And when I am done with her, I will find another. And we'll laugh at you too."

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Bosph | Prison facility​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Ship: Factory link​

Tag: Darth Carnifex ​

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"But what if I don't want to be with you,"​

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Valery's eyes widened as the familiar voice echoed through the chamber. It had been so long since she last heard him, and she longed for the day she could hear him again. Before they said farewell to each other on Spira, they had finally expressed their love for each other the way they hadn't yet before. ​

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That "I love you." still lingered in her mind, giving her strength every single day he wasn't with her.​

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But the words she now heard in his voice hurt her like no blade ever could. She knew he was doing this just to get to her, and that they didn't represent Kahlil's views or feelings in the slightest, but she cared too much about him for it not to be painful to listen to. ​

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So as he spoke, her hand briefly shifted to her stomach, where a child was forming, its presence growing stronger with the day. No words could ever overshadow what the baby meant to her — Kahlil, this Dark Lord's son, was never going to betray her like that. Valery gritted her teeth and took a step back from the cage.​

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She had heard enough.​

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"You have my promise that I'll be the last one to laugh, Lord Carnifex," Valery said, her voice strong at the surface, but she still felt the painful words inside.​

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"I look forward to being with him again." ​

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With that, Valery turned around to leave, and while she expected some kind of response from the Dark Lord, only the echoes of her footsteps echoing through the chamber would fill the void of silence. He was dead silent, knowing his words had ignited the fire within the woman.​

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