Private Running from the Daylight

[Elias Edo]

Ossus
Jedi Praxeum

Elias groaned as the Calypso cut through Ossus’ acidic atmosphere. It started as a breathy sigh that hummed into audible discomfort, brought forth by the harsh memories he had of this world. The last time he set foot on Ossus was to defend its Praxeum from Sith raiders. So much blood was spilled here, on both sides, in a baseless attempt to steal artifacts from the temple.

He watched from the shadows as the Jedi - as his brothers and sisters - were slain by beasts and blades. Saving them wasn’t his mission… he actually wasn’t even there on behalf of the NJO, as he was now. Then, he was an agent of the Rimward Jedi. A Spectre.

A coward.

Today was a reminder of what it costs when you hide and wait for the war to pass you by. If he had been here, if he had been with the NJO, then perhaps things would be different. Perhaps the Sith would have failed in their attack. Perhaps the Praxeum wouldn’t have suffered as badly.

Perhaps he wouldn’t be investigating a potential Sith spy in their midst.

Another sigh came as the ship broke into the lower atmosphere. Beads of acidic water pelted the Calypso’s shields, filling the cabin with a staticky sound. He focused on reaching the rendezvous point quickly and quietly, the same one he used for his Spectre assignment. It was an old Ashlan post that his former partner Rhiza had shown him. A quiet place on the edge of the Praxeum’s scanner range, perfect for insertion without detection.

Not that this was a stealthy operation, per se. But Elias figured that coming unexpectedly would thwart any chance of spooking the turncoat. They can’t run from what they can’t expect, he figured.

“Master Noble,” Elias said over comms, “this is Edo. I’m putting the ship down on the eastern landing pad. How’s it looking?”

He cracked a smile.

“Any Ashlan ghosts haunting the place?”

---

- Valery Noble -​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ossus

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Elias Edo

<Things are looking fine down here, you're cleared to land.>

Valery smirked a little to herself, and began walking over towards the landing pad with her eyes up to the sky. Ossus was a planet with a lot of history to her. It's where she had helped Romi Jade establish the Praxeum, but also where she was nearly killed when Kaahlil had been sent after her for the first time. Later, it became a place where she taught many about the ways of the Jedi, and it had also been a battlefield.

Now, it was being threatened once more, and together with a close friend and fellow Jedi Master, she was going to address it. Valery wasn't going to allow the Sith to gain a grip on this world ever again.

After watching the ship come down, she waited for the ramp to lower and stood nearby with a warm, welcoming smile. As serious as their mission was, she felt quite happy to see him again. Their last meeting had been on Bogano, and at least she felt like it had perhaps been a little too long.

But they both had busy lives.

 

[Elias Edo]

Ossus
Jedi Praxeum

“Can’t you pick a planet with a nice beach?” Elias said with a grin as he stepped down the landing ramp. He approached her and offered his hand.

“It’s good to see you again,” he said warmly.

Although it always seemed to be under less than stellar circumstances, Elias was fond of Valery. He enjoyed their conversations and had a deep respect for her as a Jedi and a friend. Working alongside her was usually just the break he needed from the rest of the galaxy.

It had been too long since last they were together.

“I haven’t been here since the raid,” Elias admitted sheepishly.

“The RJC kept me busy once we left this place. We faced a similar threat on Sluis Van, though it all seemed to be a distraction from the Caldera…”

There was shame in his voice. It was obvious Elias felt guilty for staying in the Outer Rim for so long. Much of his work since returning to the NJO had involved connecting enclaves and orders together to prevent such attacks in the future, and he’d done well. But he’d always blame himself for the friends he lost here on Ossus.

He looked from the acidic canyons to Val, his golden eyes full of hope.

“I hear the Praxeum is healing. I’m eager to see it.”

---

- Valery Noble -​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ossus

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Elias Edo

"Hey, last time I saw you, it was at a beach," Valery said with a chuckle, as she recalled their little surfing adventure. The Jedi Master then walked down the ramp, and Valery pulled him into a quick, friendly hug. He had always been a good friend, and he was a Jedi who remembered her more of the old days — wise, calm and collected at all times. A lot of the current Jedi began their training much later in life, and felt more... chaotic because of it.

He was a true Jedi Master, and that paired with their friendship made her enjoy his company.

"I haven't been here in a little while myself. My husband and daughter started a little project here, though, so this trip was on the schedule already. Good timing," she said with a smirk, as she started to walk away from the Landing pad to guide him to the Praxeum.

"Luckily, the Sith didn't hit it as hard this time around. I was... honestly surprised they even tried. It doesn't have much strategic value, and the bulk of the Sith Order's forces are very far away."

 

[Elias Edo]

Ossus
Jedi Praxeum

Elias smiled as he hugged his friend, always happy to see her even in solemn times such as these. There was a reason he thought of her as a living flame - Valery had a spark of life not easily found in most people. As they walked, he considered her words.

“They came for knowledge, not conquest. It was never about destroying this place, or capturing it. The Sith stole data from the archives,” he explained. What exactly they took was unknown to him, however. But if it was worth openly assaulting a prominent NJO temple, then it was certainly not something they wanted the Sith to have.

He looked to his fellow Master with a sense of urgency.

“If there is a Sith spy lingering among us, we must find them before they find what they’re looking for.”

---

- Valery Noble -​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ossus

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Elias Edo

Valery rubbed the back of her neck, "It's strange, though. We don't have anything important stored on Ossus. Mostly just training manuals and data that's fairly accessible in any library." The Ossus Temple had been built as a place of learning, after all. It wasn't where the Jedi coordinated war efforts from, nor did they store sensitive information there. The Temple was too far away from protected borders for that.

So why did they come?

"Agreed on the spy," Valery then said with a dip of her head. "Do you have any leads to find them?" Otherwise, it was going to be a lot more difficult and time-consuming, but Valery felt confident either way. There were few things the two of them couldn't manage together, after all.

Looking at Elias, Valery smiled again — she looked forward to working closely together with him.

 

[Elias Edo]

Ossus
Jedi Praxeum

“Perhaps the answer is the simplicity itself. Knowledge of our training techniques, especially newer ones developed during these times of peace, could give them an edge. But as you said, they could find those anywhere… so why Ossus?”

Elias rubbed his chin as he considered the possibilities. Then, Valery asked if he had any leads. The Jedi sighed. He did, and it was one that troubled him deeply.

“An old friend,” Elias said coldly. “A Knight. Alaric. He was one of the archivists at the Dagobah temple.”

His eyes moved to his feet. Alaric was a good friend, and an excellent disciple of the Force. But the circumstances of his departure from Dagobah were quite suspect, and his survival during the attack gave him a convenient path straight to Ossus’ archives.

But Elias couldn’t brand him a traitor just yet.

There was due diligence to be made.

---

- Valery Noble -​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ossus

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Elias Edo

Valery nodded, "Maybe it being so far away from our borders just made it the easier target. They don't exactly have the capacity to attack Ilum or Coruscant." They also didn't know about New Cov, so their options were limited. Still, Valery couldn't help but feel as if it just... wasn't worth it. The Sith and Jedi had been fighting each other for thousands of years, so why did they need information about the Jedi and their training now?

Unless, of course, there was more to it all.

Then, Elias mentioned his lead, and Valery noticed the struggle within him. She reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, and offered him a warm smile, "We won't draw conclusions until we have solid evidence. So, let's go find this Jedi Knight, hm?" She asked. Valery knew that he'd be able to push himself through these types of things — Elias was strong and focused like that — but she'd still be there to support him.

She always would.

"Lead the way."

 

[Elias Edo]

Ossus
Jedi Praxeum

Elias could sense her skepticism, and he didn’t blame her. There was objectively little reason for Ossus to have been attacked. But the Sith rarely act without purpose, and with the way things ended with Alaric…

There had to be a connection. He could feel it.

He remained rather quiet as they made the short trek from the old Ashlan base down to the Praxeum. When they came into view of it, he seemed to hesitate for a moment.

“Last time I was here, this place was in flames,” Elias said solemnly.

“It’s good to see the temple in its glory again. It should always be this way.”

The pair made their way to the edge of the enclave, down nearly the same path he took during the battle. It would lead them to a rear passage that kept their arrival as quiet as possible. A lone sentinel awaited them by the door, and Elias spoke a brief passphrase to the guard that identified them and their mission. Once inside, he gave Valery a smirk.

“Ever miss being a Shadow?” he asked, nodding back to the bit of spycraft he’d arranged. Sometimes he longed for the opportunity to be a Spectre again, but the RJC was a flame that burned bright and fast. Besides, he felt his skills were better suited for other tasks than subterfuge.

Elias led her deeper into the temple complex, mentioning that he wanted to find the head archivist as their first contact in the search.

“She’d be able to tell us about Alaric’s duties and performance, I figure. But if not, he can’t be the only archivist here - there’s bound to be others who’ve worked with him.”

“He’s meticulous, I know that much. And quite private. But, when he’s comfortable - as he was with me - he shares things. Hopefully he’s made friends here…”

Elias trailed off as he searched the front of the library for either the Knight, or his boss.

---

- Valery Noble -​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ossus

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Elias Edo

Valery nodded, "We'll make sure it stays this way," she assured him while she followed him to the rear passage. A quiet entry was likely going to be for the best, especially if this Jedi Knight was expecting trouble. The question that followed, though, got Valery to stop for just a moment before she stepped forward again, "To an extent, I never stopped being one. Whenever dangerous Jedi Shadow missions come up, I'm often the one who still handles them." But that didn't really answer his question.

"I don't miss it though, especially not the way I used to be. What I used to believe in," she said with a frown. Back in her old days as a Shadow, the idea of redemption seemed absurd, or simply not worth the risk. With that line of thinking, so much of her current life wouldn't have been possible.

She never wanted to think like that again.

"I doubt he covered all of his tracks. Even if he's a spy, I suspect that he hasn't always been one." Especially not if he bonded with Elias and talked openly to him. Perhaps something else had driven him to do it, if he was even the spy to begin with. They were all questions they'd find answers to soon enough.

"I do have a question for you. If he turns out to be the spy... will you be able to apprehend him? I don't know how close you two were exactly, but if you need support, please feel free to lean on me, alright?"