Private Saber Safari I: I Was A Teenage Sarlacc

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Drystan raised a hand to block the sun's harsh rays beating down on the exposed skin of his face. With a slight tug, he brought up the hood of his cloak, shielding himself as he retracted his arm beneath its protective cover. He navigated a narrow path along the jagged crevices of the desert's rocky formations. Aargonar wasn't quite Tatooine when it came to unbearable heat, but this was as close as he'd felt.

Why was he here? The question lingered in his mind during the trip over. He had no clear answer—at least, not yet. The Force had pulled him here, its threads tugging insistently, a call that couldn't be ignored. It went deeper than mind or body, a quiet summons that demanded obedience.

And so here he was, still feeling that pull guiding his steps, giving him just enough direction to keep moving. He'd packed adequately—his belt and backpack carried what he needed, and his ship wasn't far should he need to make a quick departure. But he had a feeling he wouldn't leave until the will of the Force had revealed itself—until he understood why he'd been drawn here, and fulfilled whatever purpose awaited.

He was a Jedi, after all. And he trusted the Force not to lead him astray.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

The wind shifted slightly as another figure approached from a higher ledge, the silhouette of her cloak rippling against the backdrop. Boots crunched softly against sunbaked stone as Valery descended a short incline, her steps sure, her presence calm but unmistakable — like the echo of the Force itself moving through the stillness.

She came to a quiet stop a few paces behind Drystan, the edge of her hood casting a shadow across her face as she looked out over the expanse of Aargonar's unforgiving terrain.

"If you were looking for peace and quiet, you've definitely come to the right place," she said lightly, her voice warm despite the heat. There was a pause — not one of tension, but of recognition. A shared understanding. She could feel the tug here, too. Subtle, persistent. The kind of call a Jedi didn't ignore.

Her eyes shifted to him, studying his posture, his expression.

"Any idea what you're meant to find out here?"

Not judgmental. Not skeptical. Just curious — the way one Jedi might ask another when both were following the same whisper through the desert. Valery's gaze returned to the horizon, her hands resting lightly at her sides.

"Because something's definitely waiting out here."

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

"I can't say for certain. But I felt the pull of the Force. I'm sure you did too," Drystan muttered, glancing back at Valery with a faint smile.

Having the Grandmaster by his side lifted a weight from his shoulders. He had the confidence to face this task alone, but her presence added a sense of reassurance — a quiet security that steadied him.

"A thousand voices crying out," he continued. "They all sounded different, but it felt like they came from the same source. It's not something I can just ignore... I can still hear it."

Drystan led the way, boots crunching against the dry earth as they moved forward along the craggy path. The towering stone spires around them grew with each step, looming higher, slowly closing in as the trail narrowed. It was a long, winding route, but it offered some respite from the heat, funneling them toward what looked to be the mouth of a cave.

The only sounds were their footsteps and the occasional whistle of the desert wind between the rocks.

"How are things on your side of the fence?" he asked after a beat, breaking the quiet with a hint of small talk — though there was genuine curiosity in his voice. It had been some time since they last crossed paths.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery walked in step beside him, her hands slipping to her sides as the towering stone spires began to rise on either side of them. The breeze whistled between the gaps in the rock, tugging lightly at her cloak, but she barely noticed. The Force still whispered its pull — steady, insistent — but for now, she let the moment breathe.

His question drew a quiet smile.

"Busy. The kids keep me on my toes but I love them." She shook her head lightly, the affection in her voice unmistakable. She cast a quick sidelong glance at him, her smile tugging a little wider.

"And then there's the Order. Handling training, diplomacy, missions, Council meetings, reports… So many reports." Valery let out a mock sigh of exhaustion and tilted her head up toward the narrowing gap of sky overhead. "But I can't complain. They're good problems to have. The kind that remind me why I keep doing this." Her gaze dropped back to Drystan, warm and sincere now.

"And it's good to be out here again. Even if the wind's dry enough to peel your skin off and the rocks keep trying to trip me." She chuckled softly, then nodded toward the cave ahead.

"Still hearing those voices?" she asked, her tone dipping back into curiosity. "Because the Force definitely hasn't stopped nudging me."

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Hearing Valery speak about her family and duties brought a rare smile to the often-brooding Shadow. Yet, it also stirred a moment of reflection—on his own life, or rather, the lack of one outside of work.

"I don't think I'm suited for family life, or even much of a social one," he admitted, his tone honest but not bitter. "But I'd be lying if I said you—and the rest of the Order—aren't growing on me."

He listened intently, giving a small nod of respect. Being Grandmaster of the Order was no small burden. To carry that and raise a family? Drystan had nothing but admiration for her though he simmer it down to respect if anyone asked.

"I am," he added at her question, gaze narrowing slightly. "And it's growing louder."

The path ahead led them into a cave system—dark, damp, and silent. Drystan produced a miniature glowstick from his belt, its soft light illuminating the air around them in a faint circle.

The cave was just as jagged and cracked as the trail that led them there, but now they were boxed in by an oppressive ceiling of rock overhead. They moved carefully until the tunnel came to a sudden stop: a dead end.

A massive abyss yawned before them, so dark that the depth was impossible to discern with the naked eye. Drystan stepped closer to the edge and tossed his glowstick down into the void. Seconds passed. Then a minute. Finally, a faint splash echoed upward.

Water, it seemed.

He turned his head, glancing at Valery with a half-smirk.

"Not afraid of heights, are you?" he asked, already preparing to descend.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery stepped up beside him, her eyes narrowing as she peered into the darkness below. The glowstick's faint splash echoed back up like a whisper, and for a long moment, she said nothing. Just watched the void.

Then she smiled.

"Afraid of heights?" she echoed, casting him a sidelong glance, one brow lifting with playful challenge. "Please. I used to free-climb cliffs on Jedha for fun." She shrugged, the movement casual despite the drop before them. "I like the thrill. Reminds me I'm alive."

Her gaze dipped back into the abyss, thoughtful now, the humor softening into something quieter. "And for what it's worth… I didn't think I was made for family life either." Her voice lowered, more sincere. "I used to think I was just… a weapon. A Shadow. Someone built for the hard parts of the Jedi path." She looked over at him, a warm, flickering ember behind her amber eyes.

"And then I met Kahlil. Then came the kids. Now?" A small, breathy laugh. "I can't imagine life without them. They gave me a reason to come back from the hard parts." Valery stepped toward the ledge and crouched down, fingers brushing the rocky edge. The Force stirred below — water, yes, but something more. A whisper of something old.

"I think the Force leads us where we need to be," she murmured, straightening up again. "Even if it's not what we expected. Even if it's halfway across a galaxy or at the bottom of a pit."

Her smile sharpened again.

"So…" she tilted her head toward him, "Ready to head down?"

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

"I'll start a family when I get around to it," Drystan smiled, giving Valery a nod before casting one last glance down into the pit before them.

He took a steadying breath, centering himself, then leapt into the heart of the abyss, his form vanishing into the darkness as it swallowed him whole.

The fall was long, but with his training and the guidance of the Force, he weathered it, the chill in the air growing sharper as the scent of cold water hit him in the final moments of descent.

With a splash, he pierced the once-still waters, quickly maneuvering into a swim and surfacing with practiced ease. He took a moment to focus, enhancing his vision to survey his surroundings.

The cavern was vast—far larger than the pit had suggested—and the body of water even more so. Luckily, a rocky shoreline sloped up ahead, offering a place to emerge.

Soaked and cold, Drystan didn't complain. He'd endured worse for longer, and the cool air was a welcome break from the oppressive desert heat above.

As his gaze swept the chamber, he froze.

There—against a jagged stone pillar—was the silhouette of a seated figure. Instinctively, Drystan flipped into cover, drawing his saber but keeping it unignited. He watched for a beat, eyes narrowing.

Still. Unmoving.

A moment later, he realized what he was seeing.

"Dead," he muttered to himself, emerging from his cover and approaching the body.

The figure wore black armor and a fearsome mask, cloaked in dark fabric—unmistakably Sith. Drystan knelt beside the corpse, inspecting it. The lightsaber clipped to its belt came loose with a tug, and with a snap-hiss, the crimson blade sprang to life.

Fresh. The armor was undamaged aside from the obvious. No smell of rot. It hadn't been here long.

The cause of death was obvious—an enormous bone spike pierced clean through the chest, straight through the durasteel.

When Valery joined him, Drystan looked up from his kneeling position, brows furrowed in concern.

"What do you make of this?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery didn't hesitate. The moment Drystan vanished into the abyss, she stepped after him. Her body moved like water, limbs loose but deliberate, her senses stretched out wide to feel the air pressure, the trajectory, the coming impact. The wind rushed past her ears, but she didn't fear it — she welcomed it.

Then: splash.

Cold wrapped around her like a sudden breath, but it barely phased her. She surfaced with a sharp inhale, gliding through the water with clean, efficient strokes until she reached the shoreline Drystan had made for. She climbed out beside him, pushing her soaked hair back with one hand and casting a quick glance around the cavern. Her eyes adjusted fast — trained for this. For places that didn't want to be found.

It didn't take long for her gaze to land on the figure.

Her entire posture shifted.

She approached without a word at first, her eyes narrowing as the details became clearer — the armor, the robes, the saber. The stench of the dark side still lingered faintly, like smoke after fire. And yet… no rot. No sign of natural decay. She crouched beside Drystan, her fingers ghosting along the edge of the spike that had impaled the Sith.

She didn't touch it. Not yet.

"The kill was clean," she murmured, voice low, almost reverent. "Precise. Straight through the armor — whoever did this knew what they were doing."

Her gaze lingered on the Sith's faceplate, then lifted to the crimson blade still burning in Drystan's hand. The hum of it set her teeth slightly on edge. But something else gnawed at her. Her fingers shifted to the corpse's other wrist — and there, tucked beneath a fold of scorched cloth, she found it: a charm. Old. Carved bone, strung on fraying cord. Not Sith in origin.

"Do you recognize this?" She asked curiously, She then turned the charm over once more, then slowly rose to her feet.

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Drystan lingered a moment longer, studying the corpse as Valery offered her assessment. His gaze shifted to the bone charm in her hand, reaching out to take it for a closer look.

"It's old. Bony," he muttered, turning it over between his fingers. "...And old and bony."

A beat.

"Can't make heads or tails of its origin, but it's definitely older than Darth Skewer here." His tone was dry, but his expression grew more serious as the weight of the situation settled.

"This guy might've been looking for something ancient... and he found it."

He shook his head, clearly not liking what that implied.

"Whatever it is, we can't let the Sith get their hands on it. And we're Shadows, after all. We press on."

Drystan dusted himself off, tucking both the Sith's saber and the charm away before moving past the body. Behind the stone pillar where it slumped was a narrow path that led deeper into the cavern system. He stepped forward into the growing darkness, producing another glowstick to light their way.

The walls began to change.

Faded pigments emerged from the gloom—primitive paintings as ancient as the charm. The art was simple, tribal, yet clear enough to tell a story. Humanoid figures, crude but expressive, were depicted throughout the winding passage.

But it was the great tendrils that drew his eye. Dozens of them, spilling out from what looked like a horizontal circle. The scale was overwhelming—tendrils gripping people, lifting them aloft, towering over the landscape with grotesque reach.

"Interesting," he muttered, eyes narrowing as he kept pace—his gaze flicking between the ancient walls and the shadows ahead.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery stepped in stride behind Drystan. The distant sound of dripping water echoed through the cavern, but otherwise, the darkness ahead was still — not lifeless, just... waiting. She said nothing at first as the ancient murals came into view, her amber eyes scanning the faded pigments with growing focus. The story etched into stone was raw and primal, yet unmistakable in what it portrayed. She stopped beside one of the larger depictions, her gaze fixed on the tendrils — the sheer size of them, their motion, the way they seemed to twist not just around bodies, but through them.

"Not Sith," she murmured, half to herself, half to Drystan. "This could predate them, even." She reached out, fingertips brushing just above the painted surface, careful not to make contact. There was something in the air — like the weight of memory, of a presence long buried but not gone.

Her voice dropped, steady but alert.

"I've seen patterns like these before." She stepped back, folding her arms. "I think they're warnings. Stories left behind by those who couldn't stop what came… so they carved its shape into stone, hoping someone else would."

She turned toward him, eyes sharper now. "I think our friend back there was trying to find whatever this was. Maybe even awaken it. That charm—" she nodded toward the object he'd tucked away, "Might play into it?"

She looked forward again, the passage narrowing ahead.

The ancient stone seemed to stretch out before them like the throat of some sleeping beast. Valery stepped forward again, calm but resolute, her voice quieter now — just a whisper beneath the weight of old things.

"Let's see what he died trying to reach."

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Drystan nodded, humming quietly as he mulled over Valery's conclusion. That could very well be it. The murals on the walls seemed to tell the story of a tribe that had suffered some great cataclysm. He made a mental note to commit what he saw to memory.

As they continued along the winding path, Drystan raised a hand to signal a halt as an open chamber came into view. Lit only by the shafts of sunlight piercing through rocky crevices above, the area stretched wide before them. But not all was as it seemed.

Bone protrusions—similar to the one embedded in the Sith corpse earlier—jutted from the ground and walls, some still impaling long-dead skeletons. In the light, faint strands like hair-thin wire crisscrossed the space from wall to wall and ceiling to ceiling, forming a delicate, deadly web. Makeshift tiles covered the floor, uneven in placement and shape.

"A trap," Drystan muttered, glancing back at Valery. "Seems simple enough—don't trip the wires, don't get poked."

He stepped forward, carefully avoiding one of the strings, but his foot landed on a tile that cracked and dropped beneath him, revealing a stone spike waiting in the pit below. He was quick to retract his step, pulling back just in time.

"Seems simple, but it isn't," he said, narrowing his eyes as he studied the layout. "Where have I seen this before?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery's eyes swept the chamber, pupils narrowing slightly as she took in the crisscrossing wires, the jutting bones, and the betraying tiles lying in wait like the teeth of some sleeping predator. The smell of dust and old blood clung to the air. Her gaze shifted to the skeletons — not just impaled, but arranged. Like warnings. Or examples.

She didn't hesitate.

With a breath drawn deep and steady, Valery stepped forward — and moved.

She didn't walk so much as glide, her steps deliberate and light, her body flowing from one foothold to the next with the grace of a seasoned acrobat. She ducked beneath a thread so thin it vanished in the slant of light, then twisted mid-step to land in a crouch on a solid tile just past a pitfall. One leap took her off a cracking stone and into a sideways roll that looked more like part of a kata than a survival maneuver.

She paused halfway across, standing tall and balanced atop the narrow edge of a fallen pillar. She turned her head back over her shoulder and flashed Drystan a smirk — not arrogant, but undeniably playful.

"I've danced through halls rigged by Sith broken into vaults on Zakuul, and once cleared a Sith tomb by moonlight without triggering a single glyph."

Her tone was dry, but her eyes glinted with challenge.

"Your turn."

And then she dropped from the pillar and landed lightly on the far side of the chamber — untouched, unscathed, her hair only barely brushing one of the wires as she passed.

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Drystan watched as Valery navigated the traps, shaking his head with a quiet scoff. The Grandmaster was as impressive as ever—he shouldn't have expected anything less. She made the deathtrap look like little more than a playground.

Still, Drystan had come a long way since their last mission. He had cultivated techniques of his own. He could have simply mimicked her movements—adjusted for his own frame, copied step-for-step—but she'd already seen that from him before. In fact, she was one of the few who helped him elevate that ability into something greater than cheap imitation.

No, this time he wanted to show her something different—something original, to prove just how far he'd come since returning to the Order.

A quiet chuckle escaped him as golden sparks of electricity danced along his frame. His eyes shut. His muscles loosened—nearly liquid in their relaxation—as his wavy hair began to lift, caught in the rising charge. In a blinding flash and a crack like thunder, he vanished into a bolt of golden lightning. He streaked along the wall, then the ceiling, scarring the stone in his wake like branching veins of energy before slamming into the ground beside Valery with a resounding boom.

Dusting off his cloak with casual flair, he returned her smirk.

"I'm not much of a dancer, so you'll have to excuse me for bowing out."

Their path carried onward, lower and deeper into the cave system—where no doubt, more than one trap still waited for them in the dark.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery turned just as the air snapped and cracked behind her, a flash of golden light slicing across the chamber. She didn't flinch — but she did raise an eyebrow as Drystan reappeared beside her with all the subtlety of a thunderclap. The dust had barely settled before her smirk returned.

"Show-off," she said dryly, giving him a sideways glance like she hadn't just done the same. She dusted a bit of grit off her shoulder and stepped forward, her saber still unlit but ready in her grip.

"But fine. I'll give you points for style." They pushed onward, the air growing heavier with each step — not just in weight, but in presence. The stone beneath their boots was ancient, etched with grooves worn smooth by time and countless steps. Ahead, the corridor narrowed and dropped slightly, leading them into another chamber cloaked in deep shadow.

Valery paused at the threshold. She felt it before she saw it — that cold prickle at the base of her spine. Not danger. Not quite. But wrongness. Like something had been buried here. Something that didn't want to be forgotten.

"Careful," she murmured, her tone shifting from playful to focused. "There's something ahead. I can feel it."

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Drystan's sharp retort was cut short by the same presence Valery had sensed.

It wasn't the wail he'd felt earlier—but something far worse. A piercing screech echoed through the Force, like a thousand voices loosing a volley of high-pitched cries straight into their minds.

There was something ahead. And whatever it was… it knew they were coming.

The tunnel gave way to a vast emptiness—a cliff edge that dropped into pure abyss. Before them, above and below, there was only blackness.

Then suddenly, the void was filled with whispers.

"Help me..."

A thousand voices, speaking in unison.

And then, the visions began—flooding their minds, should they offer no resistance.

The first: the vantage point of a being deep within a pit ringed with endless rows of jagged teeth. Above, voices chanted in a language now lost to the caverns of time.

Another flash. Tribal figures forced crimson crystals into the heart of something fleshy, something alive.

"Controlled… enslaved… corrupted…"

The voices echoed again, closer now. More insistent.

One last vision. A mass of tendrils, writhing and endless, crushing what appeared to be an underground village—precisely where the cliff before them now stood.

And then, silence. Reality returned.

Drystan staggered slightly, shaking his head, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery reeled as the visions hit — not physically, but through the Force. It was like a tidal wave crashing against her mind: the screaming, the chanting, the memories of things that had long since been buried but refused to die. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing breath through her nose. Her hand gripped the hilt of her lightsaber tighter, grounding herself.

Then — silence.

Her eyes opened slowly. She blinked once, then again, and without looking at Drystan, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Well… that was deeply unpleasant." A long, steady exhale followed before she finally turned to him, her voice lower, more serious.
"Something is down there. Alive or… close enough." She shook her head, as if trying to dislodge the last of the screaming voices. "We're not walking into ruins, Drystan."

Her gaze lifted toward the abyss before them, sharp and certain.

"We're walking into a monster."

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Drystan took a moment to consider the Grandmaster's words. It didn't take long to realize her assumption was likely correct. Whatever lay down there in the darkness was of monstrous repute—he could sense it. He could hear and feel its thousand voices drilling into his ears and mind.

And yet, he stood firm. Unmoved by the prospect of facing such a creature. If anything, the looming threat only strengthened his resolve.

"Even so..." he murmured, the tips of his boots now resting at the very edge of the cliff. "Who's to say it won't ask others for help? As far as I can tell, helping whatever it is won't hurt—and it might help cleanse whatever corruption is seeping through this place from it."

He turned back to Valery, watching her carefully. That was his take on the matter, but at the end of the day, she was his superior. Normally, he wouldn't give the chain of command much thought—but this was different. He respected Valery, and he took her words seriously.

Whatever she decided—whether to help the creature, destroy it entirely, or take another path—he would fall in line without question.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery watched him carefully, her eyes narrowing slightly — not in suspicion, but in thought. His willingness to consider helping something like this monster wasn't naive. It was measured. And in a strange way, she respected it. The Jedi weren't executioners. Not by default. They didn't kill simply because something was strange or frightening.

But still…

Her gaze flicked back to the abyss, the echoes of its call still faint in her mind, "We don't know what it is yet," she said finally, voice calm but edged with steel. "And until we do, there's no helping or destroying anything." She stepped forward, stopping just shy of where he stood at the cliff's edge, the faint breeze from below lifting strands of her hair.

"I want to see it first," she continued, her tone more settled now. "Understand it. Observe what it's doing, and why this place feels like it's rotting from the inside out." Her jaw tightened slightly. "If it's a victim, we'll know. If it's a threat… we'll know that too."

She looked at him again, something resolute in her expression.

"We make our move after that. Not before."

With a slight nod, she began moving along the ledge, searching for a path downward. "Come on. Let's not give it all day to grow stronger."

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

"Either way, the voices need to be silenced. Let's just hope things don't get out of hand."

While Valery remained cautious, Drystan had the urge to charge headfirst—but that impulse was tempered by her orders. The rim of the chasm wasn't a sheer drop; instead, it sloped gradually downward. Jagged and rocky, the terrain offered footholds for those who needed to control their descent.

Drystan, however, used the slope to his advantage, opting to slide in a controlled descent. He chose what looked like a stable outcropping that spiraled downward—an elevated, straight shot to the bottom.

Or so he thought.

A low rumble began to build beneath him, swelling into a violent quake that shook the ground and dislodged stone all around him. The outcropping shifted—rose. And then its true form revealed itself.

A tentacle.

Colossal. Ancient. Its skin so weathered it had blended seamlessly with the stone around it.

"Chit, chit, chit... CHIT!" Drystan shouted as the tentacle surged to life. From where it emerged came a cavernous maw, rimmed with rows of jagged fangs—a monstrous sight that confirmed the truth.

A Sarlacc.

An ancient one, impossibly large, its life somehow sustained by—Force knows what.

More tentacles stirred, roused by movement or scent. Drystan dug his prosthetic arm into the tentacle's hardened flesh to anchor himself, using the metal plating to halt his momentum.

He had seen a Sarlacc before—once, during a job involving a Hutt and his dangerously handsy dancer. But that pit was nothing compared to this. At least this time, he was wearing more clothes.

Valery Noble