Private Stuck Together

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Unknown Planet | Wild Space
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Alvarex Zambrano

With the two violet blades of her weapon ignited, Valery was easily fighting herself through the hordes of skeletons around her. She still wasn't sure what had happened here exactly, but she knew the answer was inside of this Temple somewhere, and this relic must be tied to it all somehow. But before she could get deeper into the structure, she felt him again.

He had snapped out of his trance and with a powerful hatred fueling his Dark Side rage, Rex forced his way through the skeletons to get back to her.

"Rex we need to-" she stopped as he placed his hand under her chin again, and blinked.

"Where I am going, you cannot follow. Darkness begets darkness, you must leave - return to your husband, to my brother, Valery. Go, and may the Force be with you."

Valery frowned and wanted to go against this — the relic was still something she was after, but she began to understand that it wasn't her place to find this relic and deal with this situation anymore. So reluctantly, she nodded in agreement and turned around to leave while he ventured deep inside to end it all.

But by the time she was getting closer to the camp they had built, she felt something that forced her to stop. Whatever was going to happen out there, Rex wasn't going to get through it easily. There was a chance he'd die or be trapped or... she stopped and let out a deep sigh. "Maybe Kahlil is right when he says I'm being stubborn..." she smirked, and began to head back to find Rex.

He had protected her when the beast attacked, so she wasn't going to let him die now. And perhaps helping him would one day help spark change in his path.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

Rex knew what had to be done - this curse, this plague... It was created by the darkness, thus through darkness he could rid this world of its ailment. The story unfolded before him, the fallen Jedi had failed in their duties to protect those who lived under their care. They grew desperate, and some began to usher in authoritarian ways. The power from such an act grew, and they too wanted more power and so falling from their creed they fell. Darkness overcame them the relic had once been, created for the better. It became their doom Skeletal and demonic entities called out for him and Rex answered with one brutal swipe of his shield after the other.​

​

At the bottom of the elevator, he pushed and shoved creatures away burning them with a piercing hatred - a fire that engulfed them. The bottom of the power plant revealed its Jedi Temple interior. Rex marched through them, crushing and pulverizing droids and skeletal beings as he went. Turrets came alive and he reacted in kind - even after taking hits to the shoulder. He would not let Valery down, he would not let those who died here, die in vain.​

​

The Horde was determined to keep him back, but Rex refused.​

​

Outside, the skeletal beings turned on each other - but the loop continued. The message kept playing, distorted only as Rex began to fight the strongest demon there. Cracks in the ground began to appear, the dark side grew in strength, but it was conflicted. Animals retreated from the area en masse running away from the temple, the power plant.​

​

​

His vision was cloudy, Alvarex gasped for breath. He could hear a voice, but his mind could not comprehend to whom it belonged. When the figure drew near, he reached out with his hand. Words were meant to flow from his lips, but none came through.

Rex's gargantuan hand however came to rest along Valery's face. A simple caress as he turned his head to look at the relic in his other hand. He slowly offered it to her as the other hand fell by his side.

​

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Unknown Planet | Wild Space
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Alvarex Zambrano

From afar, Valery watched as the entire structure blew apart violently, and massive amounts of darker energy were released into the environment. It was so overwhelming to the senses, that Valery stood stunned for a moment, and needed a minute to get adjusted again. She hadn't seen what sparked the explosion, but she knew Alvarex was involved in it, and that this relic was intertwined in it all as well.

Then, as quickly as she could, she followed the Force and made her way back to the Sith with who she had been forced to work together with. It was still incredibly conflicting to the woman who had once been part of the Jedi Shadows, but the extreme situation she found herself in now made it a lot easier to focus on just survival.

...

"Rex?" She asked as she stepped up towards him.

He looked dazed by the blast, and she could see the burns that covered much of his body. Not that long ago, it wouldn't have phased her at all when Sith were injured, but now they had been so reliant on each other for survival, that she began to frown a little. A hand settled against the side of her face, but she quickly set it aside and helped him sit down while she took the relic from him, hoping to give him a moment to adjust and snap back to reality.

"I... can't heal you from this," she said, looking him over again. She had never been a healer and only knew how to apply some self-healing through the Force. But she couldn't fix him up, and there was no way she had the medical supplies for all of these burns either.

"We have to get out of here, and you need proper healing. I'm going to get a signal out again from my shuttle, and we'll be out of here soon." She sighed and while she looked at him, the idea of ending it all flashed through her mind. But like last time, she set aside those thoughts immediately and focused on getting them both out.

Trying to kill him now would not be the right thing to do, and she still believed there was hope for him as well. Perhaps it was foolish, but she couldn't ignore the influence her husband had on her when it came to showing compassion and avoiding killing.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

Rex placed himself against part of a wall, his breathing was labored and his body burned. He licked his lips in an attempt to remoisturize them, but they were dry and charred. "Relic," he gasped placing it in Valery's grip. "Take..." inhaled sharply, "pure." Rex stopped talking momentarily, then a few moments more his body was tired, his mind was tired and he wanted to sleep. Internally his voice screamed, he had to stay awake - when Valery mentioned she was calling a shuttle he turned his head and looked at her.

A smirk.

"Told you. You liked me."

He coughed and once more inhaled sharply forcing himself to breathe. Rex coughed again, this time a thick, foul and unruly red-black liquid came forth. Blood mixed with whatever darkness had plagued the area. It was evident what he had done - Rex had absorbed the darkness that contaminated the temple. All it needed was the touch of a Jedi to cleanse it permanently. Clouds began to roll in overhead, and once more he seethed, breathing through the pain as best he could. "Korriban." Rex began, "Vulcanus..." Another breath, "healing... Zam-"

"Zambrano."

"You... can't."

"It. Will."

"Corrupt."

He did his best to get the message through painful breaths, his lungs burned - Rex grimaced and then forced himself to focus his vision on Valery. Rex breathed in and out concentrating on her beautiful visage as he did so. Finally, he managed to say, "you... too... good, do-not... go."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Unknown Planet | Wild Space
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Alvarex Zambrano

"Told you. You liked me."

With the relic in her hand, Valery rolled her eyes at the comment and made sure he was settled properly against the wall. Blood was coming out of his mouth and if she was going back to cleanse the Temple, she had to make sure he wasn't going to drown in it. So it was only when she was sure that he could stay in place the way he was, that she stepped back and looked at the item in her hand.

"I'll head back and cleans-"

She paused and frowned as he tried to speak despite the pain, the blood loss, and the darkness he had absorbed. Korriban? Vulcanus? She had been to the planet before during her service as a Jedi Shadow, but something or someone was out there that could heal him? Dropping him off there was the least she could do, and perhaps even a good step to take in her attempts to steer him in a different direction.

But he didn't seem to want her to go there.

"you... too... good, do-not... go."

"I'll be fine, and if that's where you can be cured... then I'll at least drop you off there before we part ways," she said with a tone that made it clear she had already made up her mind. Valery then finally turned around and was about to head off, when she stopped and looked at him over her shoulder.

"I'll be right back," she smiled faintly, but more sincerely than before, and moved back towards the Temple. With him absorbing the darkness of that place and almost sacrificing himself to keep her safe, she knew there had to be light within his heart. He may be a Zambrano deeply ingrained into that life but she knew one who had gotten out. He could too, hopefully.

With that in mind, she went back to cleanse the Temple with her prowess in the light, only to return to him when the job was done.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

Korriban was no place for Valery, Rex knew that. He coughed again, more black sludge and blood spilled from his lips. Vulkanus ready yourself. I hope Amethyst can forgive me. He gasped for breath, his lungs were drowning in their own fluid and he felt like he was drowning. His hand outstretched toward the heavens just as Valery went to cleanse the Temple. He could hear chatter on the comms, the holotags he carried felt heavier than they ought to have around his neck. "Brother, can you hear me? BROTHER?" Ansgar's voice cut through, "BROTHER! WHERE IS YOUR SHIP?"​

​

His comms must have still been in his pants, but getting them proved harder. Rex struggled to move his hand, burns prevented him from moving - at least not without pain. His flesh and muscles were exposed as he moved to grab the device. Although he tried to connect with his brother through the Force. He gasped again, his lungs burned - he was reminded of Mandalore, where he saw his mother crawling to tend to his father. His eyes went wide as he struggled for breath.​

​

The communication device... The Force, with the Force he opened it, "sga-"​

​

"BROTHER!" ​

​

The light burned... He could feel it, even if she didn't intend to hit him with it - Rex felt it all the same. Oh Blessed Unholy Mother... Kataryna end my misery... Blessed... Rex's thoughts filled with prayer. He pushed himself to lean against the wall and slide down to the cold floor. "Sgar." He managed, and all that Ansgar could say was for him to come home. "Kor- ban."​

​

"Korriban, yes brother. I'll bring Xathrael, we shall meet you there. Hang on brother."​

​

Alvarex was on his back, his eyes gazed upward toward the overcast sky as the sounds of thunder clashed above. "Ave Kataryna, Salve Regina... Ave... His lips were drier than they were before, the brush of light carved a scar over his eye - it mirrored Valery's. "Amethyst, forgive me, my love." He had no idea what was happening and when it happened, he repeated his wife's name and his hand reached out toward a face. Hands brushed along the person's cheek, a thumb stroke across the lips once he determined it was a feminine form. "Forgive me."​

​

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Unknown Planet | Wild Space
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Alvarex Zambrano

The deed was done.

Valery was breathing heavily and felt her hands shaking from the immense physical exertion she had gone through to cleanse this corrupted place with her strength in the Light. But while she was mostly just exhausted, Alvarex had absorbed something from this place that was slowly killing him — she could feel his own dark presence fading in the Force. So even though she needed rest, she quickly picked up the pace again and moved back to the camp, where she had left him behind.

The closer she got, the weaker his presence became, and by the time she reached the campsite, he was no longer sitting against the wall. He was on his back and muttering what seemed like complete nonsense to her.

Brother?

Valery blinked and quickly rushed over to try and get him up, "Rex?"

"Ave Kataryna, Salve Regina... Ave..."

"Rex...?"

"Amethyst, forgive me, my love."

"Rex, snap out of it-"

Valery blinked as his hand came up to touch her face again, and let out a soft sigh. With her own hand, she took his to move it aside before she tried her best to get him back up to a sitting position, so at least the blood wasn't collecting in his mouth. It wasn't an easy task, but with augmentation through the Force, Valery could easily move him around.

"Forgive me."

"Oh shut up and work with me here... you're going to live," she said, but he really was looking terrible. Since she left, he hadn't just deteriorated due to blood loss, but his face was now scarred as well — it looked as if she had struck him with the Light, rather than the Temple.

"You'll be on Korriban soon, and you'll be fine."

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

Rex couldn't be sure what happened in the time between the planet and the shuttle, he could scarcely recall the ride. He could hear her voice and he tried to focus concentrating his efforts to make sense of what he was seeing. Yet such a task was too great for him at that moment, when all he could do was concentrate on breathing. Doing his best to do this and command the Force to keep his body from failing him. Rex's vision grew darker even whilst being moved he was ready, admittedly - not that he was being left with much of a choice.​

​

A moment of lucid clarity, "Valery." His voice rougher, harsher than it had been before, yet somewhere in there - a softness, warmth that he hadn't shown before then. "Take care of Kahlil," there were tears in his eyes as he continued to struggle for breath, "take these." In one swift movement, he took the holotags of his crew. He pushed them onto Valery's arms, "they did not die in vain." It seemed Rex had resigned himself to his fate, "I won't make it to Korriban. Only the Unholy Mother and Father can help me now."​

​

Rex's body turned on him as he gasped again, this time that burning feeling increased it radiated throughout his body as organs began to shut down. He was going to say something else, his eyes focused on Valery but once more the act of his foolhardy heroism came to fruition. His began to close, as he started to fade - black sludge the physical representation of the darkness he took began to pour out of his lips and nose. Rex's azure gaze remained fixed on Valery, even as his consciousness began to slip.​

​

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Unknown Planet | Wild Space
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Alvarex Zambrano

With her fiery gaze turned out through the cockpit window, Valery tried to keep herself focused on getting him away. It was the first-ever time she not only decided against trying to kill a Sith but actually went out of her way to save his life as well. Perhaps her husband really had started to get to her — he wouldn't have wanted to fight Alvarex either. But would he have gone this far to help his brother?

She frowned and kept thinking about this question until his voice cut through her thoughts.

"Valery."

"Hm?" she looked over her shoulder and made her way over to where she had dropped him in the shuttle. She noticed the tears and pain in his eyes, as he gave her the holotags, and frowned. He really believed he was going to die, but still he cared about the way his men were going to be remembered.

"They didn't die in vain," Valery reassured him, "And you're not going to die. I won't allow it," she smiled weakly and quickly hopped back over to the cockpit to bring the shuttle out of hyperspace and down towards the surface of the dangerous homeworld of the Sith. She had been to Korriban before, but no matter how many times she visited, the darkness of this planet still gave her shivers.

"Hang in there," she muttered, mostly to herself as she took the ship down close to where she felt a presence that felt awfully similar to his. She really had gotten better at recognizing this family in the Force.

...

"He's in the back. Take him and these holotags," Valery told those who were waiting for their arrival. While she had trusted Rex to not suddenly turn against her, she didn't trust those who were waiting here for her.

"Then I'll be out of here."

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

Ansgar, Xathrael, and Cordelia greeted Valery. Cordelia while younger than Xathrael had no qualms in ordering him to take the holotags while she and Ansgar took Rex into their arms. Well aware of who Valery was and who she was married to, Cordelia replied. "Thank you for returning the Prince, perhaps one day, you'll join us and take your place." A hover-stretcher arrived with medical droids as Ansgar and Cordelia set Alvarex on the stretcher. Ansgar realized that Valery would not join them his face mirrored his feeling - one of sadness and empathy.​

​

"Take this, this will conceal your ship from our sensors, and if you press here..." He demonstrated, "it will wipe the records from the ship of your arrival here. Take care Master Noble." The droids rushed Alvarex out of the landing pad, Cordelia with them, but Ansgar remained if only to watch Valery's shuttle lift off from the pad and disappear into the void itself. Grateful that their brother had returned - yet he wondered what possessed a woman who worked so hard to fight against their family to return one of their own.​

​

- fin -​

​