Private Solstice Eclipsed

[Quintessa Zambrano]

First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories

It began with the bugs.

The tiny, ergovorous insects were seeded within the village’s power generators days in advance of the Kainate raiding party’s arrival. It had been a relatively painless task for Quintessa to carry out, though it had demanded some patience, given the clandestine nature of the operation. Nevertheless, it did not take long for the results of her infiltration to manifest, with the bugs beginning to feed on the energy produced by the generators, in the process initiating a series of power outages across the village that disrupted communications and turned off the lights.

And in the absence of light, darkness swiftly took hold.

A trio of landers approached the settlement at the start of the midnight hour, less than two days after the bugs were initially seeded around the generators. The dropships flew close to the terrain in order to minimize the risk of detection, before touching down just behind a hill just outside of the village and disgorging two platoons of crimson-clad strand-cast soldiers, in addition to a group of four Acolytes. Then, in swift, aggressive fashion, the Kainate forces descended on the settlement, setting a cordon around the village before moving to seize civilians from their homes. Sporadic blaster fire rang out as those who put up armed resistance, attempted to escape, or were deemed unsuitable for harvesting were cut down. All the while, Quintessa had been tasked with patrolling the perimeter, where she might harness her aptitude for Force Speed to catch any runners who managed to slip the cordon, while also searching for incoming threats that went unnoticed by the sensor arrays. So far, the operation seemed to be going smoothly, but with so many civilians to extract, there was bound to be something that slipped through the cracks…

​

It had not taken Miklan Aintale long to realize that it was the oddly-colored beetles causing the issues with the power. The ergovorous insects crawled everywhere energy moved, feeding ceaselessly to get at the energy that they used as sustenance. As such, he crushed the beetles under his boots wherever he saw them, while spraying copious amounts of bug spray over any generators, which worked to discourage the creatures, but failed to eliminate them entirely. Nevertheless, upon realizing that his village was under attack, Miklan worked desperately to find a clean power source to jury-rig with the small communications transceiver he had in his bedroom, hoping to get a signal out so that someone might come to his village’s aid. The bugs crawled all over his room as he worked, attracted to the energy output of the transceiver. Sweat beading on his features, Miklan tapped quickly at the controls, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before the beetles ate up all of his power. Already, the screen was beginning to flicker in and out, causing the man to slowly lose hope even as he continued to work, and yet…

Against the odds, he managed to succeed.

“This is Miklan Aintale of First Solstice Village, to any and all receiving this message, we are under attack from slavers and are in immediate need of assistance!” He said in a single frantic breath. “They’re dragging people from their homes and rounding them up in the town hall!” He continued. “I don’t have long, we've been suffering from a series of power outages caused so please…if you intend to help us, respond to thi-”

Then, without any warning, the signal cut out.

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Ship: Link

From within the Council Chambers on the New Cov Temple, Valery played the message several times on the holo-projector to fully absorb the information that was being shared with her. The man who had contacted her talked about slavers raiding his village, and after a quick glance on the map, she found his location within the Outer Rim. It could mean the Hutts were extending their reach again, or perhaps an entirely new threat was looking for slaves to grow their power structure. She wasn't quite sure but regardless of who was causing this, she knew that it was something she had to address before the problem could grow.

Normally, she would have likely tasked a Jedi Knight to investigate, but due to the lack of information and most of the Jedi being focused at the front with the Maw, she decided to take on the assignment herself. She boarded her fighter, plotted the course into her navigational computer, and took off to deal with this problem.

After exiting hyperspace and approaching the planet, Valery focused her senses and quickly discovered that the problem was far worse than she had imagined. There was a dark presence she could feel on the surface below — several even — which hinted at either Sith or some Dark Side cult being active in the region. It made her all the more relieved that she had taken on this assignment because handling anything touched by the Dark Side was well within her skill set.

With a quick approach, Valery brought her fighter down a safe distance away, hopped out of the cockpit, and drew the hilt of her double-bladed weapon into her hand to make a move against her targets. But to keep her approach a surprise, she first cloaked herself and suppressed her presence in the Force, making it very difficult if not impossible for her to be detected. This way, she moved into the village and approached the first group of enemy soldiers.

"You shouldn't have come here," Valery said the moment she stepped out of her cloak, and two violet blades ignited from her saberstaff. Her fiery eyes turned to the soldiers, who were undoubtedly taken off-guard, and with a series of quick, Force-augmented strikes, she brought down several before she pushed on towards the Sith Acolytes, who had now likely picked up on her presence in the Force as well.

She was on her own out here, and without any backup nearby, but she was determined to bring all of them down.

Quintessa Zambrano ​

 

[Quintessa Zambrano]

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tag: Valery Noble

Quintessa felt a pulse echo in the currents of the Force.

The speedster immediately recalled the nature of the sensation, she couldn’t immediately place where she had first felt it. Nevertheless, the pulse was incredibly strong, even though it lacked the Vahl’s seductive, whispering aura that promised wild power for one who strived after her. Instead, it felt like a deep, fundamental perversion of the Force as Quintessa knew it, honed to a lethal edge that bewildered her just sensing it.

Suddenly, the Asa’nyx came to a halt. She remembered where she had first sensed it.

It was the Ritual of Vahl, where she had danced as a group of Jedi prisoners were lined up to be sacrificed, until the event was suddenly interrupted. The realization that she hadn’t been able to finish her routine—having been interrupted in what she knew to be a sacred dance of Vahl—was already making her angry. Fortunately, anger was a robust font of Dark Side power, which quickly began to flow through the speedster’s form as she sank her hips into a low three-point stance, a bloodthirsty glint in her eyes as she made the report to her comrades.

<<Jedi.>> She hissed, burning hatred coloring her tone.

Then, with a gust of disturbed air kicked up in her wake, Quintessa launched herself back towards the village and the location of the foul presence, the energies of the Dark side propelling her forward at the velocity of a speeder bike in the process. Needless to say, it didn’t take her long to reach the village, but she had no intention of engaging the Jedi immediately. If there was one thing that separated Kainate Sith from others, it was their ability to coordinate and fight together. In their order, ambition was set aside and repressed in favor of slavish devotion and loyalty to the Perfect Being, Darth Carnifex . Quintessa was no exception, having been born in the Heart of Darkness and conditioned to view the Eternal Father as the embodiment of the Sith’ari. It was this devotion that motivated her in the place of toxic ambition, a religious desire to see the Sith'ari gaze upon her and smile in recognition of the devotion and sacrifice she practiced daily, in His name.

Such a reward was frequently the subject of her dreams, after all.

Soon a plan was set into motion. The crimson-clad troopers and their droid support units began moving the captured civilians from the town hall and towards the nearby repulsor train (it would take quite a bit of time for them to reach the vehicle and actually begin the process of loading the civilians). All the while, Skyreaper drones would begin to sweep through the village, searching for any lone civilians to capture, so that even if the troopers failed in getting the large group of civilians from the town hall onto the train, a small harvest might hopefully still be reaped from the operation.

Simultaneously, the four junior Sith, now including Quintessa for a total of five, closed in on the Jedi’s general area, forming a loose cordon around her estimated position in the hopes of boxing her in and preventing her from achieving her objective!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - Flash
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - CryoBan

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Ship: Link

With the first group of soldiers down, Valery decided to shift her focus away from them. As much as she wanted to keep engaging them in an attempt to prevent them from taking away civilians, she knew that leaving the dark presences she felt unaddressed would be more disastrous in the end. She had to remain patient and fight this battle one step at a time. But their intentions were very similar, in that the 5 distinct sources of darkness were all converging on her location to fight together.

It was the smart move on their part, and while Valery felt confident in her skills to engage more than a single opponent, five at the same time was quite a challenge, even if some felt less experienced. So she quickly settled on her plan and allowed the Force to freely flow through her body, augmenting her speed, reflexes, and strength all at once. Her fiery focus turned to one of the Acolytes, and she charged him with controlled aggression highly unusual to most Jedi.

She was calm, collected, and not acting on emotions, but her tactics were unorthodox.

Again, the two blades of her weapon ignited, but this time as she crossed the distance to her target through the air. Her intense eyes were already meeting his, and with great power, she came down to force him into a defensive stance. Violet and Crimson plasma clashed and hissed against each other, but Valery wasn't giving him any time to breathe. The initial attack had only been to force him on the backfoot and was followed by a flurry of fast-paced attacks meant to overwhelm.

For a moment, the Acolyte kept up, albeit just barely, but after her rear blade struck his left arm, the Sith dropped his weapon in response, and Valery gave him no time to recover. The saberstaff flourished around and with a precise attack, she pierced the weapon through his heart, killing him instantly and leaving only four more Sith remaining.

Her focus shifted again, and she picked her next target.

Quintessa Zambrano ​

 

[Quintessa Zambrano]

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tag: Valery Noble

Zala Sinu had always trusted in the will of the Force.

The young Priestess’ faith was challenged, but not yet broken, as the agents of what was once the greatest Dark Side power the galaxy had ever known descended on her village, their armored forms like demons in the night. The soldiers’ guttural tongue echoed across the settlement as they escorted the villagers out from the town hall, though the soldiers made slow pace as they struggled to corral their captives. And yet, with the summary execution of a pair of shopkeepers who had attempted to escape, Zala’s hope was beginning to dwindle…

Until she saw the crimson-clad bodies of the troopers Valery Noble had ambushed and slain.

It was the telltale work of a lightsaber. There was a Jedi here who was working to save them. There was hope yet. She needed only to buy some time!

Immediately, Zala doubled over to fake an injury, falling onto her knees as a trooper plunged his electrostaff into her back, drawing a shrill cry out from her lips as the electricity coursed through her nerves.

Even if she could only buy ten seconds, it just might be enough to save them all!

The cordon was set and the Battlemaster was in place. While Acolyte Ikoral IV was slain, he had performed his duty in pinning the Jedi at a single location, allowing the four other Acolytes and Neophytes to close in, albeit too late to save their ally’s life. Nevertheless, as Valery had done to Ikoral IV in giving him no time to recover from her powerful offensive, they moved to do the same against her.

Quintessa was the first.

One of the speedy Neophyte’s chakrams came flying at the Battlemaster at a low arc, aimed to strike at her knees in the hopes of forcing the Jedi to take air or potentially severing her lower legs outright, though Quintessa knew better than to expect such a fortuitous outcome. Not a split-second later, Acolyte Parash VI launched forward, unleashing a flurry of attacks with his twin lightsabers. Then, Acolyte Nacheria VIII flew down on the Battlemaster from above, the hulking dark-furred Wookiee giving a powerful roar as she bore down on the Jedi with her blue greatsaber, won in battle after slaying a Mandallian Giant Jedi hunter, who was even bigger than she was! Finally, Neophyte Skotia VIII emerged from the shadows, unleashing a torrent of crackling Lightning from his fingertips as he closed in on the Battlemaster, intending to deliver a thrust aimed for the Jedi’s torso timed to arrive just after Parash and Nacheria’s opening flurries!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - Flash
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - CryoBan

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Ship: Link

After killing the first of the Acolytes, Valery could feel the others closing in on her position from various angles, meaning she was going to be dragged into a tough fight. Somehow she would have to separate them and thin their numbers before too much of her energy was drained trying to defend herself against all of them at once. Luckily, she did have a few ideas to accomplish just that, but it was going to be tricky.

When the others initiated the clash, Valery noticed the chakram flying towards her legs. It had the intended effect, as Valery jumped up to avoid the strike, which exposed her to the others who were coming in fast. The first unleashed a flurry of attacks that she was able to guard herself against, but when she felt one coming from above, she knew she had to act quickly. Noticing another preparing a surge of lightning, Valery had an idea.

She waited for the moment the Wookie swept her weapon down and altered her bonds to the environment to phase through the attack and attacker, thereby putting the Wookie directly in the path of the lightning attack. Hoping it would connect and catch the Acolyte by surprise, Valery thrust the front blade of her saberstaff forward, at the now exposed back of the Wookie in an attempt to secure their demise.

The other Acolyte continued the flurry of attacks almost immediately after, forcing Valery into a defensive stance again. But slowly, she felt there was a chance to take them all down, one by one.

Quintessa Zambrano ​

 

[Quintessa Zambrano]

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tag: Valery Noble

Nacheria swept her blade down towards the Jedi’s head, bellowing out a triumphant roar in anticipation of a glorious kill. However, the Wookiee’s euphoria was short-lived. A confused grunt escaped from her lips as the Jedi phased through her like she was made of air, before a sudden, white hot agony overcame her senses as Skotia’s Lightning struck her massive form, singeing her fur and drawing a pained roar out from her throat, which was silenced by a precise thrust from the Jedi’s violet-bladed saberstaff, lanced through her heart.

In spite of the suddenness of Nacheria’s death, Parash didn’t miss a beat in resuming his assault on the Jedi, disciplined as always in spite of his aggressive fighting style. All the while, Quintessa’s chakram was called back into her grasp, but after seeing the results of Skotia's Lightning, the diminutive speedster didn’t intend to risk a throw. Instead, the speedster launched herself towards the Jedi’s flank with the blistering speed of an arrow loosed from a bow, before firing off a burst from the repulsor weapon on her right gauntlet from four meters away, carefully aimed to disrupt the Battlemaster’s balance by aiming to take out her legs through what was the technological equivalent of a Force Push, while harnessing her Farsight minimize the chance of friendly fire by anticipating Parash’s movements.

Bewildered by his mistake, Skotia shook himself out of a stunned daze and fell into his emotions with renewed intensity, before unleashing a torrent of Lightning aimed to strike the Jedi in her chest, ideally after her balance might be compromised.

Nevertheless, in spite of his roiling emotions, out of the three remaining Sith, Skotia seemed to be the weakest.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - Flash
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - CryoBan

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Ship: Link

While she kept Parash at bay with clever defensive tactics, she also felt the other two were preparing to lash out again as well, this time more careful not to hurt each other. In response, Valery quickly shoved Parash aside with a sudden Force Push, and just in time before Quintessa began her attack. The repulsor blast still off-balanced Valery when it connected but at least Parash wasn't able to take advantage of it and strike her down with his blade.

Instead, Skotia exploited the opening with a surge of lightning, which connected with her chest. Valery yelped in pain at the initial shock but quickly composed herself and raised a hand between her body and the stream of lightning. Within the palm of her hand, a funnel formed through which she siphoned in the rest of the energy that was being turned against her in the form of dangerous Sith Lightning.

Spotting Parash approaching from her flank, she rapidly extended the arm towards him, and redirected the lightning she had absorbed to blast him away again. It was unlikely to be enough to kill him, but it would stun him long enough for her to make her next move.

Having decided that Skotia was the weaker of the three Sith, Valery closed the distance in the blink of an eye, and hoped the surprise of her redirecting the lightning would make it easier to take him down. With quick and powerful sweeps of her two blades, she forced Skotia into a defensive stance, only to finish it moments later. She slammed his blade up with a powerful sweep of her rear blade, and quickly twirled the front blade around to strike across the torso.

With Skotia down as well, she turned on her heels and focused on Parash and Quintessa, but she already knew who her next target was going to be. Weakened by the lightning Parash would be far easier to take down, especially because she felt something unusual from Quintessa — she showed a lot more potential than these other Sith.

Despite it, she seemed confident in her abilities to end this.

Quintessa Zambrano ​

 

[Quintessa Zambrano]

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tag: Valery Noble

Quintessa thought that there might still be a chance.

Three of her allies had been cut down and slain, but Parash—the most skilled of the entire group—still seemed capable of fighting and the Jedi had taken minor hits. However, it was increasingly obvious that their opponent was far beyond the level of a typical Master. Ikoral, Nacheria, and Skotia had been cut down only seconds apart from each other, the Jedi doing so with a mystifying finesse that left the speedster dazzled.

And yet, victory was still within reach. She could sense…

A heart skipping a beat. However, it wasn’t hers. It was Parash’s heart. The Asa'nyx had seen the Acolyte pushing himself onto his feet in her periphery, but he was back on the ground by the time she took another look, a hand planted over his chest as a pained expression was born across his tentacled crimson features.

It was the Fatal Current.

Quintesssa recognized it because it was the technique Skotia had been training on, tuning the amperage of his Lightning so that it fell into the Goldilocks range of death. Too much amperage and while the target would sustain severe electrical burns, they might still live. Too little and the target would only suffer a moderate shock. However, within that narrow amperage range, a bolt of Lightning could induce cardiac arrest. Quickly replaying the last few seconds in her mind, Quintessa realized that Skotia had finally managed to strike his Lighting within that range of death, but the Battlemaster had successfully redirected his attack towards Parash, electrocuting him in the process. The Asa’nyx had known that the Neophyte was training himself in the technique for some time, albeit with little success…

Until now.

The tiny Asa’nyx could not deny the sense of anger and fear that rose in her chest at seeing Parash’s collapse, a fiery hiss escaping from her lips as the emotions roiled inside her core. Regardless, such passions were not meant to be felt, but rather, harnessed as a font of power. She quickly tapped into them as she shifted her attention back towards the Battlemaster, her body set in a defensive stance. It went without saying that the Battlemaster was a bigger, more powerful fighter than she was, but there might be an advantage in her size, in that the Jedi might be unused to fighting someone of her stature.

But how far would that really take her?

Quintessa let the question slip from her mind, instead setting her focus on honing her emotions, the Dark Side’s empowering energies activating her muscles to prime her body for another Surge. Then, in a burst of disturbed air, the speedster launched herself towards the wall of the building behind her with the speed of a loosed arrow, utilizing the structure as a springboard to potentially send her body flying a little more than ten meters over the Battlemaster’s head.

By the time Quintessa landed 16 meters away from the Jedi, on the opposite side from her initial position, Valery might find a bouncing flash grenade at her feet, primed to detonate on its next bounce!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - Flash
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - CryoBan

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Ship: Link

Her next target was set, and the Force was already rising within her for an explosive assault against Parash. But then she felt something. The acolyte was badly hurt but the sudden tremor in the Force revealed something much worse — he was dying. The Lightning she had redirected against him had burned his skin but must have caused even more internal damage than she had originally believed.

It was an unfortunate way for him to go, but one she welcomed at this moment, as it allowed her to focus on the one remaining Sith. The one she had felt to be stronger than the others.

"This is it," Valery warned the Asa'nyx, but as expected, she felt the woman's anger and hatred building up. It soon piqued and with incredible speed, she used her smaller stature to jump over Valery and use the environment to her advantage. To keep up, Valery augmented herself in a similar fashion and spun on her feet to track the woman, only to quickly find a grenade being thrown her way. She reached out with a hand but before she could toss it back or project a barrier, it exploded. The flashbang instantly blinded and deafened her, leaving her in what would usually be a very problematic situation.

But Valery didn't need to see or hear to fight her opponents.

Focusing on the Force, Valery wanted to buy time so her senses could recover, so she locked onto Quintessa's presence in the Force and suddenly extended a hand out in her direction. Her grip through the force was projected towards her, hoping to take hold of the Sith's body and apply pressure, not enough to cause great harm, but enough to possibly restrain her and prevent her from preparing herself.

Finally, with a motion of her arm, she tried to throw the woman against one of the building walls. It would hopefully harm and stagger the Sith, but it also gave Valery some time to recover.

Quintessa Zambrano ​

 

[Quintessa Zambrano]

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tag: Valery Noble

"This is it," Valery warned the Asa'nyx...

<”For you, Light-slave.”> Quintessa cut back in savage ur-Kittât, the words leaving her lips with a sharp hiss as a surge of confidence filled her core upon seeing the apparent success of her grenade.

Just as Quintessa shifted her body in transitioning to her next move, she felt her limbs grow heavy, as if they were immersed in molasses. It didn’t take long for her sudden confidence to be taken down a notch, with her body beginning to move of its own volition that she recognized was the will of her enemy. Nevertheless, Quintessa tried to resist it with as much of her strength as she could bring to bear, but the Neophyte was no match for the raw telekinetic power of a Battlemaster.

And so, Quintessa flew.

Not a second later, the Asa’nyx hit the wall with a hard crack, a lancing pain shooting up her spine as her bodysuit’s integrated shield projectors blew out, having absorbed as much kinetic force as could reasonably be mitigated. The rest carried straight into her body, rattling her skull, breaking four of her ribs, and causing more than a few microfractures to break open in her legs and arms.

Slumping down to the ground, Quintessa groaned out in pain as the taste of blood registered on her tongue. It took a few seconds for her vision to clear, a sudden flow of adrenaline blocking out what would have been a pounding headache stemming from a concussion. Unfortunately, it could not make her respiration any easier, which was now a heavy, rasping rhythm that hurt with each breath she took.

In spite of the pain, none of the Neophyte’s injuries were crippling, at least not yet. She drew on that pain as she pushed herself back onto her feet, tapping into it as a channel for the Dark Side, before letting those energies flow into her muscles, charging them up like a battery.

<”Pain is the scalpel of creation.”> Quintessa recited to herself in the process, a quote unique to Carnifex Thought. However, her words might also be audible to the Battlemaster, if she had managed to recover from the flash grenade by the time they were spoken. Suddenly, the speedster exploded into what was a blur of motion to the unenhanced eye as soon as the words left her lips. Then, running a circle around the Battlemaster in the attempt to get on her flanks, Quintessa launched a chakram from her left hand, thrown high with the intention of striking the Jedi’s chest. However, the attack was also intended as cover which Quintessa immediately utilized to close the distance in a flash of motion, before attempting a move inside of the Battlemaster’s guard—a lunging, diagonal slash from the Asa’nyx’s left shoulder to right hip using the gauntlet vibroblade on her right hand, aimed to strike across the back of the Battlemaster’s knee, should that area present itself!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade - Flash
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - CryoBan

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Ship: Link

Pain echoed through the Force.

It was the signal that confirmed her attack had worked as intended, perhaps even better than intended. Most of all, Valery needed a moment to recover from the flashbang, but the damage the attack had caused likely would contribute to ending this fight. She just had to make sure not to get too overconfident after defeating all the others — Quintessa was still different, and no opponent, especially a wielder of the Dark Side, should ever be underestimated.

"Your pain will be the catalyst to your defeat,"

With her hearing and eyesight slowly fading back into existence, Valery watched and focused on the movements of the Sith. The pain she felt had turned into anger and hatred that fueled her power, and so for now, it almost felt like she had gotten stronger despite the injuries. Valery knew, however, that it wasn't going to last forever. The body, the mind, they all had a breaking point and all she needed to do was push her enemy towards it.

The Asa'nyx then sped up and moved to circle around Valery, who was still recovering a little but strong enough to augment herself and keep up with the unnatural speed. A chakram was thrown seconds later, drawing Valery's blade up into a guard against it, but she quickly realized it had only been a distraction. With lightning speed, the Sith closed the distance, and while she normally would have felt confident about defending herself, the lack of proper sight hindered her.

A sharp pain struck the back of her knee, momentarily off-balancing her stance, but Valery tapped into the Force and pushed herself far beyond the pain. She spun around, a fire ignited in her eyes, and gave the Sith not even a second to admire the hit she landed. With the aggression the Sith was likely familiar with, but without the emotional fuel, Valery lashed out with several quick strikes of her double-bladed weapon, hoping to pressure the woman.

Looking for an opening through the guard, Valery followed up with a powerful, Force-augmented kick to the woman's body. One with the strength to break rock, and now with the intent to break her enemy.

Quintessa Zambrano ​

 

[Quintessa Zambrano]

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tag: Valery Noble

<<Sir, the Sith still haven’t reported back. We’re all but certain that Nacheria, Ikoral, Skotia, and Parash have gone dark. Quintessa is still showing activity, but…>> The Corporal’s words trailed off, the implications of her words already understood by those present.

<<As soon as Quintessa goes down—and I believe she will—we need to retreat, with or without the villagers.>> A strand-cast officer spoke up. <<This is no common Jedi, sir.>> The Sergeant tapped the screen of his OmniLink, which brought up a holographic image of the Jedi on one of the security cameras in the village. From there, the facial recognition software ran her through the system, before returning a match.

<<Battlemaster Valery Noble.>> The Sergeant said.

<<Then we need to hurry up and get the villagers on the train. How much longer do you think that speedster can keep her occupied?>>

<<Not long, sir.>>

Her blade had struck true, slashing across the back of the Battlemaster’s knees and in the process, drawing blood. Quintessa’s nostrils flared in elation at the sight, but her satisfaction was short-lived. The Jedi retaliatory assault was immediate and dangerous, coming faster than she could have expected and in the process, punishing the Neophyte for her lapse in focus. Although they were lightsaber-resistant, her gauntlet vibroblades weren’t intended for duels, so it only took a few strikes for her defense to be found lacking. In her desperation, Quintessa managed to jump over one of the incoming slashes, but in doing so she had left herself dreadfully exposed.

The Battlemaster’s next strike severed both of the Neophyte’s legs at her knees, slashing through the armorweave, then flesh with the ease of a knife dicing a vegetable. A terribly high-pitched scream ripped from her lips in response, only to be silenced by the Battlemaster’s ensuing kick, which punted the Asa’nyx a little more than 15 meters away, as if she were nothing more than a toy ball!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade - Flash
• Bouncing Multi-Purpose Grenade (2) - CryoBan

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Tag | Quintessa Zambrano

The scream that followed after her blade carved through the woman's legs was tough to hear, as Valery wasn't one to enjoy the suffering of others at all, Sith included. But the kick she followed up with completely silenced her and launched her away, sending her rolling over the ground. Through the Force, it was evident that she was still alive, although in terrible pain and without medical assistance, she could still pass away.

However, she had no choice but to give up on going after Quintessa.

Her fiery eyes shifted to where she felt the civilians, and with a massively explosive jump, Valery moved over rooftops and entire streets to close the distance, her weapon drawn ready and the Force rising fast. After she landed, she made sure to have drawn the attention of whoever was left, and spoke with a commanding tone.

"Leave these villagers and retreat now. Take your wounded with you," she said as she stood ready. "Or I will be forced to defend these people against you."

​

 

[Quintessa Zambrano]

Location: First Solstice Village - Uvatar II, Outer Rim Territories
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tag: Valery Noble

Quintessa gave a weak cough and with it came a veritable geyser of blood flowing out from her mouth.

The speedster looked down at charred stubs that had once been her legs, disbelief, shock, then anger coloring her pale, blood-stained features as she took in the sight. She tried to scream, but what came out was a weak, raspy, and pained grimace that triggered a fit of ugly, hacking coughs. Having been kicked into a nearby dumpster, the Asa’nyx’s surroundings were impossible for her to see. For all intents and purposes, she was trapped. As such, it didn’t take long for panicked, frantic thoughts of her own mortality to take hold in her mind, but she couldn’t dwell on them for long before the void of unconsciousness began to sweep her away.

The mechanical tendrils of a Skyreaper reaching out to grab her was the last thing she saw before blacking out.

In the aftermath of the Eclipse, as the attempted slave raid had come to be known, a dark cloud of grief loomed over the First Solstice Village. The small community had lost many to the raid, most notably many of the village elders and those few fighters who had attempted to repel the crimson-clad Sith troopers’ assault. Those individuals had been pillars of the community, leaders, warriors, fathers, mothers, and yet more. Their loss was terrible and might be felt for years, decades, and perhaps even centuries to come. It was as if the village’s heart had been ripped from its chest, and yet…

Hope had survived.

In spite of the loss of the village's leading figures, the Jedi Battlemaster Valery Noble had managed to save the entire surviving population from a variety of dark fates at the hands of the Kainate. In the weeks after the raid, the Priestess Zala Sinu blessed two newborn girls who had been christened as Valery, in honor of the village’s heroine. Memorials were erected to those who were lost, and defense programs were initiated to see to the village’s protection, so that such a raid might not happen again. All the while, the survivors began the long, arduous work of collective healing, building back what had been damaged and replacing what had been lost. While it was a rocky, uncertain path fraught with contention and obstacles, progress was being made and would likely continue even after the Battlemaster’s departure.

And with that healing, before long, the grim shadow of the Eclipse gave way to dawn.

Final Post.​