Private Securing Peace

[Valery Noble]

Odessen

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Cale Gunderson

The War was over.

But even with the Maw's military and its leaders defeated, and much of its remnants in disarray, there was no end to their terror just yet. Warlords were abusing the power vacuum throughout former Maw space, and terrifying beasts were wreaking havoc everywhere. One such creature was the target of their little hunt today. It was no ordinary Sithspawn, so Valery wasn't bringing along Padawans, and even most Knights and Masters she wasn't quite comfortable with. They needed to not only be capable fighters but also someone she could trust.

For this reason, she had brought her husband along, as well as a friend she trusted. Both Kahlil and her had met with Cale shortly before Exegol, so it also felt like an opportunity to catch up again and work together to make sure the peace they had created could last.

"We're going after this, a Sith Wyrm," Valery said after they had gathered around a projector on the Bastion. The ship was on auto-pilot and soon dropping out of Hyperspace, but for now, Valery took the time they had to tell them what she knew. "It has been living within the forests on Odessen, which luckily isn't very densely populated. But even if it can't kill anybody there, the risk of someone trying to control it and use it against others is too great."

She looked between the new Shield and Cale with a soft, determined smile. "We can't land in the forest, so we'll hover above it and drop down. Find it on foot, kill it, and summon the ship for extraction again. Any questions or comments before we get started?"

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Cale sat on the ship and shifted uncomfortably. He tried to tell himself it was only because he hadn't had a smoke in a bit out of courtesy, but the truth was otherwise. His own starship had been his home for over a decade, closer to two, and it had gone down with so many others on Exegol. The Bastion felt strange and alien when juxtaposed with the Violet Venture's cramped halls, and the contrast left him feeling out of place. The mission would help, it'd keep his mind off the changes, and focused on another fight.

The scars from his last fight were still fresh, sutures freshly removed, nose still bandaged over the bridge and still bent, and the aches and pains still lingered. But maybe the last part was just a sign he was getting old. He hoped not, something told him Sith Wyrm's made meals out of old Jedi.

"How'd this thing get here anyway? Not exactly native fauna." The answer was an obvious one, the Maw had almost certainly been responsible, but the little bit of Sentinel that still lingered in him wanted a name. It would be a mission for another day to be sure, but Cale had a particular dislike for those that crafted Sithspawn. If that stemmed from one too many close encounters with the beasts, or the general cruelty of their makers, even he couldn't say. But even with this task ahead of them, he was almost desperate to be sure there was another to come right after it.

Anything to avoid sitting still.

Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil slowly flexed his hand as he listened to Valery explain the mission. If there was ever a way to tell if she was nervous, it was when she went into briefing mode. He chuckled, just a little, to himself. Mostly to distract from the subtle pain still in his arm. It at least worked now, not like the first couple of weeks after the end of the war. The same couldn't be said for his eye. Where his right was still the bright silver he'd always had, the left was now dull and grey.

A sign that it'd been blinded.

"Could've been made on world. Any reports of a lab or temple the Sith were using?"

Valery Noble | Cale Gunderson

 

[Valery Noble]

Odessen

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Cale Gunderson

Valery looked between the two and offered an appreciative smile for their input. A part of her was nervous — they were both still recovering from Exegol, and they had yet to find a way to heal Kahlil's eye. So bringing them along to fight one of the more dangerous types of Sithspawn was riskier. But she trusted them both with her life, and she knew how determined they were to not leave these planets to monsters like this.

Still, she was a tad nervous, and she knew Kahlil could tell, so she flashed him a reassuring smile. They could do this, especially together.

"No reports, but the SIA has been prioritizing more populated worlds, so Odessen hasn't been looked at thoroughly yet. It's very much possible that something is hidden in the forests, so we should keep an eye out for it. Maybe we can take more than just the Sithspawn down." Ideally, the creator was dealt with as well, or they'd risk more of these beasts being made to terrorize innocent people.

Looking over her shoulder, Valery noticed that the ship was dropping out of Hyperspace. She closed the projector down, turned to the two men, and shot them a grin. "This is the fun part," she told them before walking over to the ramp, which was lowered as the ship hovered above the trees. Valery jumped down, enjoyed the brief rush of adrenaline and the wind flowing through her long hair, and made a three-point landing, the Force assisting her to absorb the otherwise lethal impact.

"I can feel it, but which direction?" she asked, once they had joined her as well.

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Cale was simultaneously relieved and worried at the mystery behind its origin, and both hoped they'd find nothing more than their monstrous quarry on the ground while also holding out for the chance to take down whoever was responsible. Peace was a confusing time for him, all of this was confusing if he were being honest with himself.

"Oh yay, the fun part." He mused to Khalil after Valery had leapt from the ramp, a slight smirk on his lips as he rolled his shoulders and calmly stepped from the ramp and into the open air. The force moved as he did, both a shield and a cushion that spared him from becoming a red smear on the forest floor as wind whipped through the mess of dark brown hair.

He landed with none of Valery's grace, and he was sure Khalil would do a better-looking job of it too, but Cale didn't lose his footing and thus counted it as a win. Cale looked around the dense forest, and felt the taint of darkness in it, not bothering to hide. Why would it bother? Before the three of them arrived, it was unquestionably the most dangerous thing on this planet. That reign was over now though.

"East." He felt it calling, slithering, hunting. Cale was all too glad to have his lightsaber.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Leave it to Valery to enjoy falling through the air, huh? He snickered, glancing towards Cale just as Kahlil fell back. He let his eyes close, let himself fall into the embrace of the Force. His landing was much quieter, and how exactly he landed seemed odd. Like he was just suddenly there, on the ground beside Valery. In a way he was. A simple trick to keep himself from just dying.

"East it is. I'm sure they're aware of us now, though. So that'll be fun."

It wouldn't be. He disliked Sith Wyrms. Ugly creatures, with an ugly temperament.

"Should I set up what we did with the Leviathan?"

Valery Noble | Cale Gunderson

 

[Valery Noble]

Odessen

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Cale Gunderson

After watching Cale land beside her, Valery turned to see Kahlil appearing seemingly out of nowhere. She had felt what he did through their bond and playfully rolled her eyes at him with a big smirk. "Missing out on the rush of a free fall, love," she joked before the darker presence of the Sith Wyrm caught her attention as well. Faint tremors could be felt moving through the earth below their feet, and a sting of death lingered in the air.

It was still somewhat far away, but getting closer fast.

"I only fear that this Wyrm might be too fast and maneuvrable for it," Valery then said in response to Kahlil. "Unless..." she turned her fiery gaze to Cale and smirked.

"How do you feel about playing bait with me? Kahlil will set up a trap for it, and we just need to get it to him." She wasn't sure if they could wipe this creature the same way they had taken out the Leviathan, but perhaps his runes could trap, weaken or just harm it as well.

 

[Cale Gunderson]

"I feel like playing bait has a pretty universal emotional response," Cale answered with a grimace, though one that faded into a half-smile after a few heartbeats had passed. "But if you two think it'll work, then let's run it."

Cale wondered what the Leviathan must've been like, wondered what kind of twisted horror it must've been to warrant such a name. The Mawities had produced more than their own share of horrors in their relentless pursuit of apocalypse, but even the twisting flesh of their abominations had never left a mark as deep as simple Sith. He still woke in the night, dreaming of Felucia, of Vulcanus, of flesh ripping apart and reforming in front of his very eyes. He wondered if that nightmare was small compared to whatever the couple must've faced while he spent his time away from the worst of it all.

"If this thing takes another appendage off me, do me a favor and just let it finish up." He gave Khalil a wry smirk, pulling the hilt of his saber from his hip and absently tossing it into the air and catching it before turning his gaze back to Valery. Cale gave her a nod, ready to follow after her to the waiting abomination.

Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"It'll work, so long as you don't get caught."

Loosing another limb certainly wouldn't be ideal for anyone. He turned his gaze towards their surroundings before reaching into a pocket to pull out- Chalk. Yep. Just a simple looking stick of chalk. That radiated with the Force, at least. Kahlil knelt down, already starting to etch away the runic sequence he had in mind. The one he'd done before with the Leviathan was powerful, but time consuming. Too time consuming.

This one would be easier.

"Just a couple minutes, I think. Should be fine enough. Won't disable or kill it, but it will certainly slow it down."

Valery Noble | Cale Gunderson

 

[Valery Noble]

Odessen

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Cale Gunderson

"It'll work-" Valery said at the exact same time as Kahlil, but she allowed him to finish the sentence and flashed him a bit of a grin. The plan was already unfolding through their bond, and she knew they could make it work. They had been successful with the Leviathan, and while this was different, it made her feel confident.

"Well, I don't think this beast will take just an appendage. If it catches you, it'll be over pretty quickly." She looked at them with a dumb smirk and drew the hilt of her lightsaber into her hand. "But we're not losing anybody today." With that said, she began to move while Kahlil reached for his chalk and began to prepare his runes.

For Cale and Valery, it was time to play bait.

In the distance, the three Jedi could soon see immensely large trees falling over like it was nothing. The Wyrm moved fast, leaving behind a path of destruction as it shifted through the forest. But it didn't take long for it to rise high above the trees, just so it could roar at the two Jedi Masters below. Valery, of course, wasted no time and tossed a tree toward the creature, which struck it in the face and clearly angered it.

"I think I got its attention..."

The beast came down towards both of them, so Valery jumped away and turned to Cale, "We need it to keep following us!"

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Cale grimaced at the sight of the Wyrm. A pale creature that radiated darkness, it was no surprise that it had been born of it. The time to ponder it’s nature and question it’s existence would be later though, as no sooner had his saber sparked to life then Valery had propelled a tree into it with enough force for the wood to splinter into pieces on impact. The creature’s anger was palpable, the force moved around it so fiercely that Cale swore it might produce heat.

Then it came for them, jaws wide and lined with needle sharp fangs. Cale moved back, and it’s maw found nothing but more tree trunks and dirt. It became angrier, and as it reared it’s head back to strike again Cale wrapped a telekinetic hand around the mess of dirt, wood and stone it had just created and flung it into the Wyrm’s eyes just as it began to move. It roared with ear-splitting ferocity and rushed after them.

“Don’t think that’ll be a problem!” He called out to Valery with a breathless chuckle, the beast was practically seething as it chased after them. With any luck it’d be all but blind to Kahlil’s gambit.

Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

All things considered, it was peaceful on his front. Not that he took it easy. Etching out the runes, making sure the sequence was correct so it didn't just implode or do something far worse, it had his full attention. But unlike the other sequence he'd made before alongside Valery, this one was far.. Quicker, to draw out. Freeze, focus, expand, and several others. All intricately layered and set out large enough for the Wyrm.

The moment it was done, he moved to stand before it. Ignited his blade and clicked on his com.

"All set. Bring it here when you can. And do try not to loose any limbs."

Cale Gunderson | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Odessen

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Cale Gunderson

"We're trying!" Valery yelled to her husband over comms, when he urged them not to lose limbs. But with a very angered Wyrm right behind them, it wasn't that easy. With each strike it attempted, it seemed to be getting closer to devourings its prey, and Valery wasn't interested in becoming Sithspawn food. So when its massive head slammed down once more in an attempt to eat her whole, she jumped up and on top of its head.

If only she could see the look on Kahlil's face when he was able to finally spot them.

The beast, however, wasn't keen on keeping the Jedi Master on top, and suddenly moved up to make itself tall, while thrashing its head around in an attempt to shake her. It sent Valery flying up and over the trees around them, where she disappeared from sight. Now that it had lost one Jedi, the Wyrm looked back down and went after Cale for the final stretch before they'd reach the trap set by Kahlil.

Would Cale escape and would the runes work?

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Cale had watched Valery's acrobatics with a mixture of awe and annoyance, he'd forgotten how much they as Jedi were prone to showing off. If he'd had the time to think about it, he'd have recalled that he hadn't been so different once, and still would've been now if he hadn't become such a grump. But there was no time for self-reflection as he moved to evade another downward strike. The force of the blow shook and churned the ground beneath it, but Cale was well clear.

The Wyrm roared, and Cale swept the edge of his saber over its flesh, searing and slicing. He hit it once, twice, rolled back as it lashed out again, its maw of teeth snapping shut inches from him, then struck a third time before he broke back into a run towards Kahlil and his runes. It would work, it had to work, but if it didn't they'd find a way to kill the thing anyway.

"You're up!" He shouted to the waiting Jedi Master and his mystic trap, sprinting headlong towards it with the Wyrm practically nipping at his heels.

Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil was ready and waiting. He brought his hands up just as Cale cleared over his little impromptu trap, and just as the Wyrm crossed over it. He raised a brow at it's size, but his trap should work regardless. A flash of blue, and suddenly the ground froze over. The beast, froze over. Not the whole thing, but a good portion of it's center was suddenly incased in crackling ice. It wouldn't hold, not forver.

But now how fast it was mattered little.

"Go!"

Valery Noble | Cale Gunderson

 

[Valery Noble]

Odessen

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Cale Gunderson

"Go!"

Through their bond, she already knew what was coming, and was on the move, allowing her to strike the second the beast was partially frozen. Her violet blade caught the back of the creature's head, but she wasn't stopping her. With the blade dragging along the top of its head, she accelerated towards the creature's face, where she plummeted the blade into one of its eyes to take away some of its sight.

Hopefully enough to create a bigger blind spot.

In response, the beast opened its gigantic maw and screamed in both pain and anger. Valery had to hold on for dear life but managed to stay on top while the beast tried whatever it could to lose her. But with the ice keeping it stuck, the pain, and the lightsaber caught in its eye, this was no easy task.

Now it was up to Cale to deliver a more crippling blow.

 

[Cale Gunderson]

The beast writhed and screamed as the Jedi ensnared it, ancient powers working to wrestle the beast into partial submission. Cale had never had the mind for or interest in the more arcane side of the force, he didn't trust it, couldn't trust it. After all, it'd been the strange and arcane that had made him little more than a puppet for a decade. He trusted the saber that hummed in his hand, the energy that flowed through his body, and that was all he needed.

He shot upwards, capitalizing on Valery's distraction as he rushed the Wyrm's head and struck out. Blue light caught where the Wyrm's top and bottom lip came together on the left side of its face. Cale tore the blade forward through alchemically forged flesh, mutated musculature, and through hardened bone. The beast thrashed and screamed, but its jaw now hung open and useless, severed at one side. There would be no devouring them or anything else now. The Wyrm's defensive measures were all but crippled with its lower half immobilized.

Now someone just needed to finish it off.

Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil raised a hand then, as he watched Valery and Cale both rip through the creature. Disjaw it, blind it. Cripple it for sure, but it wasn't enough to outright kill it. So, it fell to Kahlil to finish it off. A rune flashed, brief in his palm. Light, accelerate, pierce. A simple combination, but one with a deadly effect. Light formed, condensed, and as if it was a spear he launched it right through the creature's head. Physically, it did nothing at first. The Light was not a weapon he would use to inflict harm.

But for the creature born and made of the Dark, it's very being couldn't remained unharmed.

All at once the creature stopped moving. And slowly it's body, starting where the spear of light imbedded in it's unhinged jaw, fell apart to ash.

Valery Noble | Cale Gunderson

 

[Valery Noble]

Odessen

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Cale Gunderson

The Jedi Masters sprung into action.

With her attack partially blinding the creature, she had given Cale an easier opportunity to jump up and pierce the beast's skin with his own blade, and the attack he went for left its maw wide open. The Wyrm was badly injured and focused on the two Jedi atop its head.

Far too much to notice Kahlil down below preparing an attack.

A spear of light ripped away at the Wyrm's dark corr, and piece by piece, it turned into ash, allowing both Cale and Valery to slowly descend down until their feet reached the ground again. Valery let out a sigh if relief, ran a hand up through her long hair to fix it up, and turned her fiery gaze to her husband. A brief look and smile followed - a message only he'd understand - before she turned to Cale as well.

"I'd say that went pretty well. But we do have to figure out where it came from. Maybe we can track its path here?"

 

[Cale Gunderson]

"Any fight you walk away from." Cale mused, though he couldn't deny this particular brawl had gone rather well. No one had died, no one had been seriously maimed, there weren't even any new scars. But the day wasn't over, and that meant the fight may well not have been done. Even as he thumbed the ignition on his saber, the blade collapsing into its hilt, he was still waiting for something to follow. The force heard everything, and if he knew how to listen, so could he.

It was something he'd picked up on unwillingly, but it'd made survival at his lowest point possible.

"Might as well try, don't want to be back here this time next year doing the same thing."

Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble ​