Private Riding the Storm

[Makko Vyres]

Valery Noble

Makko let his lightsaber give one final hiss before it was extinguished. He let his shoulders fall, but breathing was sharp and shallow.

Around him, the bisected pieces of training remotes quietly ticked as pieces of metal continued to warp from the heat of his blade.

He had been here too long, pushed himself too hard. The welts were already starting to rise on his bare arms where he had taken hits.

Makko was going to become a Jedi Knight. The trials had come as a surprise. Passing had surprised him more.

Makko turned sharply away from the hall, bringing his left hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Master Noble," he said in surprise. She had crossed from the entrance rather quickly and quietly. He offered a bow.

Makko assumed she had come to talk about the process for the knighting ceremony.

Instead the council had sensed a conflict within him. A distraction. And Valery Noble knew exactly where it came from.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

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Tag: Makko Vyres

"I hope I didn't startle you," Valery began after entering the training room. She had noticed the surprise on his face, but more important to her was what lingered deeper within. The Padawans of the New Jedi Order often went through things most their age never should — it was an unfortunate aspect of being a Jedi, especially in times of war.

But what happened with Cora, and Makko as an extension, was something else entirely.

"You've been in here for a while, so I figured I'd come to check in on you." She didn't say it directly, but her tone suggested why she was really checking up on him. He had come to her home to talk about Cora at the time, so she figured he wouldn't be surprised to see her follow up on it a little.

Well, that and she was here for him too.

"Congratulations on passing the trials, by the way. Excited to become a Knight?"

 

[Makko Vyres]

"I am, yes Master Noble," Makko replied.

The response was revealingly autonomic. Fearing that the trials were not yet over and another test was imminent, he stretched for more.

"I think after everything, it's time I made a difference for other people."

They knew where he had gone. Makko had come clean. A month in the service of Denon crime gang in exchange for Horace's death.

Valery knew that Cora had been the one to kill Horace in the end. Makko still hadn't quite processed his own failure to see the truth: there had never been an intention to hold up their side of the bargain. They wanted their own Jedi soldier for the wars for Denons streets.

"I think it would be good to be focused on that for a while."

Makko skirted his feelings, but she knew what had happened last time he had taken this approach: the wedding.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Makko Vyres

"I'm confident that you will," Valery walked over and offered him a warmer, more confident smile to show she was genuine. He had gone through a lot already in his life - more than anybody his age should have gone through - yet here he was. On the verge of knighthood and wanting to help other people.

That's what a true Jedi would do.

"Becoming a Knight is quite a step, but you have proven to be ready..." she smirked and placed a hand on his shoulder, "So no need to be so tense, Makko. Your trials of knighthood are behind you, so enjoy what you accomplished." There would without a doubt be new trials and challenges in his life, but she hoped they wouldn't be as tough as the more recent ones.

"Do you think you'll take on a Padawan? Or planning to take it slower on that front?"

 

[Makko Vyres]

Makko allowed himself to take a breath.

It didn't feel as if she was here to follow up on the trial. It was the questions that had worried him the most. They knew of his character flaws from the mistakes he had made.

His brief return to Denon had been the capstone on that tower of mistakes.

"I didn't mean to be...quite so tense...you know..." he said.

"But I..."

Makko hadn't even thought of taking on a padawan. He was surprised to find that the idea wasn't entirely abhorrent to him.

"I think maybe a little while before I take on that kind of responsibility? There might be a few more fu...a few more errors of judgement before I do that, you know?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Makko Vyres

"I know, that's why I mentioned it," she said with a chuckle. The last thing she wanted was for him to be tense around her for no reason at all. There would be times, perhaps, when she'd test him or confront him. But he had been through more than enough, and she figured he could use a little time to relax.

Even the best Jedi sometimes needed a vacation.

"It's quite a responsibility, so I can respect that. I was forced to accept a student when I was just Knighted, and it wasn't easy at all. Take the time you need, and approach a Padawan who you feel a connection to." She smiled again and looked over her shoulder for a moment.

"That said, feel free to take some time to yourself too. Passing the trials is no easy feat, so I'm sure some time away from the Temple might be nice too?"

 

[Makko Vyres]

"I know, that's why I mentioned it," she said with a chuckle.

An abashed smile formed in one corner of his mouth. He glanced down at the small marks where the remotes had caught him.

It was a habit he needed to get out of. He pushed himself physically when he felt he didn't have enough control over his life. After the wedding, Starlin had found him taking beatings in a pit fighting arena the Order had visited.

"That said, feel free to take some time to yourself too. Passing the trials is no easy feat, so I'm sure some time away from the Temple might be nice too?"

"I wouldn't mind getting away from time to time," he said.

She knew that sometimes it felt like a home to home and other times a prison. His parents had been hooked into the net most of the time until they were taken. Fractal State had proved time and again that they would only take advantage of him by acting as a family for those who had none.

There was another reason he didn't want to spend too long away at a time. Cora had come to find him. He didn't know exactly how she felt, but Makko thought there would come a time when she did need him after everything she had been through.

"I need to work out my own way," he said, with as much confidence as he could muster. Working for Fractal State again had been a dark chapter, but it had taught him how he could best fuse technology and the Force to be effective.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Makko Vyres

"I need to work out my own way,"

"And I'm sure that you will," Valery said with a confident, supportive tone. "But you don't need to find all your answers today, and your mind works best when it's allowed time to recover and rest too." She paused then, and mulled over some ideas that were floating in her mind. She didn't know Makko well enough to propose a whole plethora of ideas, but sometimes simple was the best way to go.

"Have you ever taken a real vacation since you came here?" she asked.

"I know it may sound silly, but it can really help you figure things out. It could be anywhere you like, or even just here on Coruscant with occasional trips elsewhere. You'd be more than welcome to visit my new home, too, and I'll cook you a meal. I'm also sure the kids would love to see you." She had that bright, motherly smile at the idea.

Though, she also knew how much her kids could be to handle.

"Either way, take the time you need, alright?"

 

[Makko Vyres]

"A vacation?" Makko asked, obviously surprised by the suggestion.

Fractal State hadn't paid enough for a vacation, they kept their members of a fairly tight leash. They would run their own nightclubs and events as entertainment for the member.

The young ones would watch on in awe as the leaders of the organisation were set out on the VIP floor. Everything they might have wanted was provided for the night.

"I...erm...I haven't ever really like booked a vacation. I guess it's just ordering a hotel and a shuttle though," he said.

"And yeah, I'd like to see them too," Makko said firmly. "For an evening at a time," he added quickly with a grin.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Makko Vyres

"A vacation can be anything you'd like it to be," Valery said with a soft smile. "I've had vacations where it was just a few days or a week at home with my husband and the kids. Other times we've gone to some interesting planet we wanted to visit, and in about a week from now, my husband and I are taking a cruise to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary." The bright smile betrayed just how excited she was for it.

Some time alone with her husband, to celebrate something that meant so much to her. Especially after losing him for several years in her life.

"Really? Well, you should come over then!" Valery snickered, but it was obvious that she loved the idea someone else wanted to come see her kids.

"It'd really make their day."

 

[Makko Vyres]

"You know, I knew f...

"I knew nothing about other planets when I was on Denon," Makko said. He managed to catch himself before cursing in front of a Jedi Master.

"Visited a few now but I...never really thought of just going to one."

Makko was going to have to let than notion settle in. For all he thought if himself as a worldly, scrappy young man, he could be hopelessly naive on other matters. He had blind spots.

One thing he had come to appreciate was the safety offered by the Noble family. He had missed many things about his life as a jedi, but Fractal State had kept him too busy or high to care.

"I think it'd make my day, yeah?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Makko Vyres

Sensing an imminent curse, Valery perked her brow but ended up chuckling a little when he corrected himself. She rarely cursed herself, and she definitely didn't like it when Jedi cursed in serious settings, but this time... she wouldn't really have cared too much. Not that she'd tell him that, of course.

"Yeah, you really should try it. There are so many planets to visit for various reasons. Some are interesting if you're into history or science, while others are fun to visit when you just want to relax and bake on a beach all day. There's something out there for everybody, and it can really help you feel better when things get stressful in life." She smiled and thought a little more about her upcoming cruise.

It was too exciting.

"Well if it's also fun to you, why don't you come with me today? The kids are home, so it can be a little surprise visit. You can stay over for dinner too if you'd like."

 

[Makko Vyres]

The idea of travelling just for himself had set some ideas in motion. It was a slow dawning, coming to understand that the backstreets of Denon where he had grown up were not reflective of the wider galaxy.

It was easy to see how different things were, but it wasn't as easy to start to live his own life in a way more reflective of what was considered common.

"I would like that," he said, with barely a moment of consideration. Just some familiarity and comfort would be welcome. As would the distraction of noisy children.

His eyes narrowed.

"Is this a ploy to get more babysitting time again?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Makko Vyres

Valery looked at Makko with a totally innocent smile, "Of course not, and I definitely don't want you to ever feel like you have to spend time with them. Handling one kid can be a challenge, let alone five." Of course, the kids would love it and Vera and Aris weren't all that difficult either.

Yeah, maybe she did want another babysitter, if only because it'd make her little ones so happy.

"Come on, let's grab my ship and we'll head to our new home. The kids will all be there. Just my husband won't be - he's on mission." She smiled and guided him over to the shuttle to start the relatively short trip back home.

"Do you actually have any siblings? Or just like being around kids?"