Private Stuck Together

[Valery Noble]

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

While he went off to collect materials, Valery sat by the fire to warm her hands and took a moment to think about her family. Her husband knew she'd be out here to find these relics, but he must be worried —the creature that made it difficult to connect with the Force also made it difficult to feel him through her bond. Which... likely meant he had trouble sensing her as well.

But he knew better than anybody else that she was tough and could keep herself out of harm's way. She'd be back home with him soon.

A few minutes later, Alvarex returned and began to assemble the makeshift bed with the materials he had collected. It was a lot of effort for just the night here, but perhaps it wasn't the worst idea.

"Do I really look like him? I can't tell if he's one of my full brothers or one of my father's bastards but uh well, I learned to stop counting siblings a long time ago."

Valery looked over at him for a moment, and pursed her lips forward, "A little, sure, but he's not quite like most of the Zambranos," she then sat down on the bed and felt around with her hands. It was a lot softer than sleeping on the ground, which gave her the idea; "You should take this bed for yourself. Makes it easier to recover."

She took the pillow and put it down at one end of the bed, but she remained sitting for now.

"Don't call me that," she then said, referring to him calling her Princess, "My husband took my name for a reason — we're not claiming any titles and we're not part of that family anymore." She seemed very sure about that. The trouble she had to go through with Kahlil to finally get rid of his father's mark was something she'd never forget. It created some of the toughest months in her entire life.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll hunt that thing down. The sooner we get rid of it, the sooner I can be out of here," Valery muttered before she began making herself somewhat comfortable. "I'll take watch in a couple of hours."

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

Alvarex sighed, of course - Kahlil. There was only one sibling that truly incurred their father's wrath. "Kahlil, huh?" Traitor, was the first thing that the man thought of. "No." The tone is firm and authoritative. The Epicant replied when Valery insisted that he take the bed, "I will not. I do not need it, it's for you. Told you, I was trained to go without - besides it looks better with you in it anyway." The Prince, God-Prince, Son of the Kainate himself took a few moments to look at Valery and smiled softly.

Rex closed the distance between them, his feet treading softly along the ground. Dusted boots met with Valery's knee and then... Rex knelt down and tucked his hand beneath her chin. "Do you trust me?" Softer than it should have been, an octave lower than it ought to have been - yet it was airy and light. He turned behind him and opened his palm to the starry eye sky above. Clouds formed at his command, "do you trust me?" That boyishly rogue smile on his features as he stepped onto the cloud and held out his hand for Valery to take.

While Kahlil could decide his fate all he wanted... Valery, however; she'd only ever seen what the galaxy wanted her to see. What Kahlil painted his family to be - and sure, they had their moments. Giants among the clouds, tyrants to some but for Rex it was all part of the grand plan. His father's vision for order, his mother wish to bring stability to the nations scattered throughout the void. His vow to serve them was his bound, however, tonight - tonight he was willing to share these ideals with someone who had been manipulated. At least - this was his view, "I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."

Rex's voice was sincere and warm, his azure gaze lingered far longer on her eyes than they had any right to. "I have no doubt that my brother worked very hard to distance himself from our family... But, if you'll let me, I'd like to show you something." He'd like to tell her the story of Vulcanus and his beloved, "please." Rex pleaded, his eyes softer than they had been all day.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

"Kahlil, huh?"

Valery nodded and the corners of her lips tugged up into a gentle smile — she was clearly very fond of him, and just thinking about him in situations like this, when things were rough, made her visibly happier. But the smile shifted back into a more neutral expression when he insisted that she took the bed.

Reluctantly, she decided to just agree and be done with, "Fine..." she said, blinking at his final comment.

Her fiery eyes then shifted down to the bed, and she was getting ready to lay down for the night but spotted something approaching in the corner of her eyes. Looking back up, Rex was suddenly real close, and his hand connected with her chin, forcing her eyes to briefly widen in a moment of panic. She had let her guard down, and now-

Nothing bad happened, but he asked her a question instead.

"Do you trust me?"

"I..." Valery blinked, not sure what the hell just happened or what to say. With a gentle shake of her head, she pulled her chin away and looked at him with a frown. He had a hand extended to her and wanted to show her something, but what he said struck her deep inside.

"I have no doubt that my brother worked very hard to distance himself from our family... But, if you'll let me, I'd like to show you something."

"You have no idea what he and I had to go through because of your family," she said, a fire in her eyes ignited. From briefly losing Kahlil to the Dark Side to a clone of her husband nearly killing her in a deceptive attack... it hurt too much. "I don't trust you, I just can't... not after what happened, and because of who you serve."

"If you want to tell me something, do it here," she said, not breaking eye contact with him as he stared into her burning globes.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

"For a Jedi, you're very judgmental - but suit yourself." Alvarex shrugged, typical Jedi - always quick to judge and make assumptions. "You don't know a thing about me, but you're happy to group me with the rest. Which tells me you're nothing but an ordinary Jedi. Get some rest." Rex dismissed the clouds and crossed the campsite. "And no, what I have to share isn't something I can simply tell you about. Nor, at this stage, would I. You're no better than the rest of the galaxy. My father was quite right about the lot of you."

The sting of her rejection and accusations were apparent on his face, his eyes aglow with an amber rage that simmered quickly as he withdrew his presence from the camp.

It wouldn't matter how kind or compassionate he was, he was his father's son - and Valery reminded him of it. Rex set off toward the wilderness, he'd need to craft another weapon if he were going to try and kill the beast. Rex didn't feel quite like returning to the camp, and while he would undoubtedly ensure Valery's safe if for no other reason than out of a familial obligation. He couldn't guarantee anything further than that, the relic would have to be found and the creature slain.

Keeping himself focused, he went back to the Epicant Hymnals. The Force was enough to keep him awake and push him through the night if necessary, the Prince wandered the wastes until he came back to the river. This time he followed the sounds of the water coming across the waterfall, there he let his beautiful voice go. He took a seat in the moonlight and began to whittle away at a spear.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

"Judgemental?" She practically hissed back. Yeah... there was no stopping her fiery side now.

"Even if you're different, you still condone the actions of a man who caused people so much suffering, my family included." She was actually somewhat angry, but felt no desire to keep arguing with him — it wasn't really going to change anything. She just accepted that he wasn't going to tell his story, and watched him depart from the camp. Likely to get his own frustration out.

"Idiot..." she muttered softly after he left. That creature was still out there somewhere, and he was injured. If he was caught now, he'd be in trouble. But Valery didn't care — it was his own mistake for running off because he got angry, and she wasn't here to fix his problems or patch him up whenever he got hurt.

So after drawing her feet onto the makeshift bed, Valery drifted asleep. But while she was hoping for some rest, her dreams had other plans for her. Several hours passed, and she woke up breathing heavily and covered in sweat... this place, this Sith... none of it helped.

"Kriffin' Zambranos..." she said before she got up to her feet and took a moment to collect herself. With her mind back in focus, and her breathing calm and controlled, she moved after the Sith into the forest, hoping she'd find him before the monster did. Because something told her trouble was going to come for them.

Minutes passed but eventually, the sound of a voice caught her attention. He's singing? She blinked and followed the sound of his song to wherever he was.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

When the morning arrived Rex had moved on from the waterfall, armed with spears and a new strategy. He had found the beast's lair and didn't bother to cast his gaze toward Valery. "Go after your relic, proclaim you found it on your own." He wanted nothing to do with her and the venom in his voice was clear as day. "I must honor the men who died to bring me here." The stench of his brother's mark on her was strong and it made him want to annihilate everything Kahlil held dear. Goad the man into becoming what he truly was, what all Zambranos were, monsters.

Letting out a ferocious roar, Rex's eyes turned into the sulphuric Sith-influenced color and the dark side bowed before him. If she was going to regulate him as a monster, and a beast? Then by Vulcanus' beard he would show her exactly what she wanted. The creature from the day before emerged from its cave and roared in return. It wanted Rex to charge, but Rex refused and tested the creature's patience. He took a spear from its holster and aimed. The spear found purchase in one of the creature's eyes.

"GO. NOW." Rex roared, with devil-like eyes from the man who could be so soft and warm. The galaxy was a cruel place, there was no room for compassion, his father taught him that - and after this encounter with Valery Noble it all but cemented the fact that his compassions were woefully misplaced. Amethyst' voice sang in the back of his mind, another spear let loose from his hand as he swiftly moved out of the creature's reach. The creature reached out with its arms to find spears striking into its skin.

Each moment that passed consumed him. "Go." He once more warned the Jedi, "I will not be so kind the next time we meet." Rex's eyes promised that the next time they met - he would treat her just as he would any other Jedi. "You've shown your true colors to me, Jedi. You are like the rest, and it seems my compassion was misplaced. A mistake I will not repeat."

 

[Valery Noble]

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

This was to be expected.

Earlier, he had tried to be compassionate, caring, and even gentle with her. But her decision had angered him greatly for what it suggested about him, and he no longer felt the way he did. Or perhaps it was just buried underneath layers of fury. Either way, she briefly stopped and watched as he commanded the Dark Side to his will. Everything about the way he looked at her made it seem like he stood ready to attack.

But something still stopped him, and she didn't think it was the monster that lingered nearby.

"You'll get yourself killed," she said, ignoring his roar for her to get out.

Instead, Valery ignited the two blades of her weapon and stood with him. He was a powerful wielder of the Dark Side, and she was a beacon of strength in the Light. She wasn't afraid of him, not of the beast, and she wasn't going to let this man's anger complicate their way off this twisted planet. So whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to deal with her staying, or he'd have to physically do something about it.

"You've shown your true colors to me, Jedi. You are like the rest, and it seems my compassion was misplaced. A mistake I will not repeat."

"Oh get over it, will you?" she muttered back, as she moved and danced between the attacks of the beast. Her blades were leaving behind cuts at strategic locations, hoping it would weaken the creature and leave it open for more powerful follow-up strikes later. It worked well in tandem with the spears, and even though they were clashing somewhat as well, she felt their cooperation was quite efficient.

"Suck it up for now and you can be angry with me later. I'm here to help you." she wasn't sure if that meant anything — she didn't really care. They either worked together, or they'd be in trouble.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

He didn't respond to her, instead, he drew the dark side to him. If she wished for death, then so be it. At the very least, Rex had given Valery a fair warning. The spears within the beast would drive deeper, Rex's anger pushed them forward as another one flew. Raising the earth with his might he threw the rocks forward not caring where they went, so long as they hit the creature. "No. You came for the relic, I will not tell you again."​

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The creature's arms went down toward him, hands grasping at the dirt, Rex's natural athletic ability shined. Another spear into the eye, Rex took out one of the spears from the arms and threw it into the eyes. This one - hurt - the creature was considerably weaker. Summoning the spears to him, he threw them down with a fierce roar. The creature ceased to move afterward, while he was sure the Jedi had done her part. This was where they would part ways. He would go as he had before encountering her to fetch the relic and get off the planet.​

​

If he had died, then he was truly weak and deserved his fate.​

​

His silence is what she would get.​

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Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

He ignored her, and that was fine — as long as he kept his rage turned to the beast, she was perfectly content. Because one way or another, it had to be killed, so she could get out of here. She wasn't sure how yet, but perhaps her husband could even show up and bring her back home. After everything she had gone through here... she really wanted to see him again.

"No. You came for the relic, I will not tell you again."

"I don't need you to tell me again!" She called out and while he was doing incredible damage with his spears, Valery was making sure the beast couldn't strike at him from any unexpected angles. It was as much to protect him, as it was to keep herself safe in the end. Because they were in this shitty situation together.

When it finally died and the Force slowly began to return to them both, Valery disengaged her weapon and let out a soft breath. This was the moment she had been looking forward to, but also one that she dreaded a little. Was their fight going to fire up again? Or were they going to part ways this once?

The answer came, as he silently began to depart.

I'm sorry your father has this grip on you....

She couldn't say it out loud, not after what happened. But it's what echoed in her mind, as she watched him leave.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

The further he ventured into the planet, the stronger he felt the connection to the relic. They did not die in vain. He told himself as he brushed past the trees of the overgrown jungle. It was when he stepped on durasteel plates that he finally looked up and surveyed his surroundings. The jungles had overtaken the settlement, he brushed away a few vines only to find skeletal remains and an ominous warning. Rex assumed it to be about the beast and so he dismissed it but grew curious as to the settlement's purpose.​

​

Whoever had established - whatever nation it belonged to - the symbols associated with them had long since faded. Something felt strange and off about the place as he continued his investigation. Almost as if this settlement's doom hadn't been at the hand of the Brynadul, or at the very least not alone. He stepped up into one of the portables and what he saw were skeletal remains huddled together. A cursory glance around and he caught sight of a datapad. The Epicant picked it up and wiped dust and dirt off its screen, pressing the power button he was surprised to find it work.​

​

He began reading the data, and it told him of a power plant nearby. Isotope-5.​

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Of all the elements... this was the most unstable. Tucking the datapad into the belt loop of his armor he secured it with leftover rope he had previously crafted. Upon seeing the Jedi he sighed, and walked past her again, moving to look for the power plant.​

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Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

​

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

"I'm getting the cold shoulder now?" Valery asked as she watched him step past her with an audible sigh.

After killing the beast, she had given him some space, but the relic was still out there, and it had been the reason she even came to this planet. So as much as she wanted to leave and return home, she decided to follow after him in the end. But as she glanced at him, she could still feel the anger within him because of what she had told him.

In his eyes, she viewed him to be a monster because of his name alone. But, that wasn't the case.

"Look, I get you're angry, but I'm not as judgemental as you think. I just want my family to be safe," she said, her words sincere as she followed after him. Whether he believed her or not, she didn't know, but it was for the best that they worked together somewhat. For all she knew, there were more of those beasts out there.

Or other significant problems.

"This place isn't safe, so until we're out of here, we should stick together. Before another one of those creatures catches us by surprise."

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

"Safety is an illusion," remarked Alvarex as he made his way toward the power plant. Moments after securing the datapad he untied it from his belt, handing it to the Jedi. Silence fell between them as their journey continued, Rex's sulphuric gaze fixed on the horizon. "Relic's this way."​

"You might condone my family, you and my brother can distance yourselves all you like, but our blood runs through your family's veins. Every single one of us has been born attuned to the dark side, in a way that cannot be described. Our power guaranteed by that of my forefather Vulcanus." He began, "Vulcanus was once a slave in the Old Sith Empire, the one that once stood up against the Old Republic."​

​

"Vulcanus the Mad," his voice was low and soft as he mentioned the word Mad. Shoulders slumped slightly as he went on, "he wasn't always the Mad." He stopped at another ruined portable, "he had a wife, Kataryna. She was an Imperial Agent, she bore him two sons - he couldn't have wanted for more. Until she was killed, by the Republic's Jedi."​

​

"He went mad after her death, she was the only thing keeping him ... human."​

​

"The cruelty he displayed is how we became what we are today," it was the shorter and less romantic version of the story he was going to tell. "Sometimes I wonder how long it will be before I become much like him, my father rid himself of the ability to feel - perhaps for that reason." Although, Rex knew better, "you wrote me off to be much like him and my uncle."​

​

Stepping into the portable he began to look around but continued his story. "Kahlil didn't grow up like me. He didn't know the love of our father, the love of the mothers - siblings. To be presented the galaxy on a platter, yes, there is a cost. Always a price to be paid, but it is the weak who must pay it. Father's words, not mine."​

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"I wonder how long it will be before I become the beast, the monstrosity that all Zambranos become."​

​

"We each have an anchor, and when it's gone..."​

​

"Well."​

​

He knelt down and scooped up a child's toy, and only turned to look into Valery's eyes. Once more his gaze was softer than it should have been, they dared to peer into her soul. Rex delicately placed the toy into her arms. "But this, here, this settlement - an unfair lot for the families who lived here. Yet... they chose to gamble with power." They lost.​

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Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

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

She accepted the datapad and began to look it over while he continued with a story about his family. Was it the one he had mentioned earlier? Either way, she listened and much of what he said, she understood better than he likely knew. Valery wasn't a Zambrano, not by blood anyway, but her life with Kahlil had drawn her so deep into it, that she had learned a lot.

"He went mad after her death, she was the only thing keeping him ... human."

Valery frowned somewhat, as his words allowed familiar feelings to rise up within her. About Kahlil, herself, and one of the biggest challenges they ever had to overcome just to be together. But it also reminded her of what would happen whenever she lost someone she truly cared about. It happened several times in her life, and each time, the consequences had been destructive.

Alvarex then continued his story, finishing by looking into her fiery eyes, while he offered the child's toy. Valery took it, looked down at it with a somber expression, and finally glanced back up at him, her expression softer than before.

"I... understand why you struggle with that," she said, referring to his fear of turning into a monster as well.

"When I got with Kahlil, he had a mark from his father on him that allowed him to take over his son completely. We suffered so much to get rid of it, and I was his anchor. I still am his anchor in some ways, and he is mine." Especially with their dyad, the two kept each other calm, controlled, and together.

"You don't have to end up like your father, or other Zambranos who cause only suffering. You can have your anchor, if you open your mind to the idea. You're not a monster because of your name." she said as she looked at the toy again. Valery understood she wasn't going to bring someone like him to the Light just like that, but perhaps she could plant a tiny seed of doubt in his mind.

"Let's get this relic and end whatever is going on here." She finally said after a moment of silence.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

"Kahlil plays and toys with power neither you nor he, can comprehend." Rex stated matter-of-factly, "my father isn't human anymore, he isn't the same man my mother fell in love with." Stepping down onto the ground he sighed, "and I have my anchor, my Amethyst, it's her love and touch - keeps me grounded."​

​

"Can you believe she almost married Darth Tacitus?"​

​

"Turns out he wasn't very good at paying attention to her."​

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He smirked at the memories, "she came around the palace, waiting to see him after he was done talking with my father." Rex bit his lower lip and sighed - but this time - there was an air of light around it. "She was just standing there, looking as radiant as the sea in the pale moonlight." The hopeless romantic within him escaped his lips. "I offered her my hand, to take her to the gardens for a walk. Her hand was so small, she's so delicate... it was the first time I tried to sing poetry - well, the night after anyway."​

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Rex almost seemed to have a skip in his step, a schoolboy lost in love, "and the way she brought love to my boys the night she met them."​

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The power plant was almost in reach, it was his own senses that brought forth reason to pause. Rex's smile disappeared as he looked into the chasm that was the pool, "what in Vulcanus' name..." he gazed into the empty trench that seemed miles wide and deep. Skeletal remains - they were trying to escape the blast from the looks of it.​

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"I am sworn to my duties, my oath binds me to my father, for it is as my mother wished - and I had only ever hoped to be all she dreamed me to become," a boy lost - tied to the appeasement of his mother. He chose his path, and as he looked at the bodies that lay scattered, their bones charred to black. "But in the end, it won't matter."​

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"The mark isn't what you need to be worried about, Valery."​

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He addressed her by her name. "It's the nature of the beast."​

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Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

His first comment about Kahlil made the softer expression fade again — she knew her husband better than anybody else, and to hear such a thing after everything she had gone through with Kahlil... it was almost frustrating. But when he began to talk about his wife, she set aside her thoughts and just listened for a while.

About how they met, how she had become his anchor, albeit an anchor keeping him where he was.

The way he talked about her reminded her a lot of herself — she was a bit of a hopeless romantic in some ways, and her love for Kahlil ran incredibly deep. It was impossible to find words to even describe it, and it seemed to be the case for him and his wife as well. Which... made her doubt that her attempts to get him to change his path would ever work.

It also raised another question. What would she do if they ever encountered each other again? They had stopped trying to kill each other to overcome this planet, but that would likely never be the case again. Were they just going to pick up the fight again, or could she somehow change his future anyway? This was the type of thing she'd want to talk to Kahlil about — he was always there to help her with these issues.

"I know my husband and his nature; I'm not worried." There was no doubt in her voice about this.

"But I do believe you could be different," she said as she stopped and looked at the remains of those caught in the blast. It made her frown to see so much death, and all the pain and despair still lingered in the Force. It was almost painful to her.

"Do you have any idea what this relic even is? I never imagined it'd be tied to something like... this."

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

"Honestly, I don't get sent on fetch missions, so no. I don't."​

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"I specialize in taking out units that stand in my father's way, shock troopers you might call them."​

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Stepping down into the pool, Rex felt a chill go down his spine. "I've been inside the most cannibalistic temples, but this place?" His body shivered as it moved, "... you're feeling that too, right?" He could hear something humming, and as he looked he noticed, "are those... track marks?" Rex's hand felt them and in the grooves, he noted that something latched here. "No..."​

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"They were trapped," observed Rex and he turned around to see the wall, scratch marks, "boxed in like livestock for the slaughter."​

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Whispers crawled into his mind, unbeknownst to them both - they had walked into a trap. The relic had been tainted by the non-Force sensitive wishing to find power - enough to fuel the planet and their wealth. He did his best to sidestep the bones, he turned to Valery to ask her something but in that moment he felt something on his arms, a skeletal hand, and its owner. Rex bashed his head against it and moved quickly trying to get through the long and deep trench. The power plant's entrance was up ahead, its massive columns and towers, decayed and broken.​

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"You- you seeing this?" Rex's voice wavered, his mind caught in the loop - he could see the workers running for their lives as the 'containment system' shut began to close. The heat of the flames, the radiation burns, he could feel it - as if he were there. The Sith within him fed on the pain, the memories and as he pressed forward he could hear their cries. The people who were running, their last moments - he was experiencing them. The outside looking in - those sensitive to Force could sense what was happening and those more in tune could see the metaphysical changes on his body.​

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Valery Noble​

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[Valery Noble]

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

"Seems we're both on an odd mission, then," Valery commented.

Much like him, she was a warrior at heart — a true protector the way Jedi should be. So going on relic hunts like this was a bit strange, albeit not entirely uncommon. There was a brief time in her life when she worked more closely with the Lorekeepers of her Enclave because she had sustained injuries that kept her from fighting.

"I can feel it..." Valery said with a deep frown as she moved through the pool. Echoes of the past lingered here, and if they weren't careful enough, they would find their way into their minds. "Trapped?" she looked around, almost as if she was trying to find something that went against that theory. But deep down, she already knew he was right. "But why?"

The question couldn't be answered, as strange things began to happen.

A skeleton moved and grabbed his arm, forcing them to quickly keep moving... only to run into what looked like an image of the past. Workers were running all around them, explosions and fire... radiation. Valery was confused for a moment, but slowly she began to figure out what happened here. It looked like some kind of accident but with what Rex was saying... this was so much more.

"Snap out of it, Rex!" Valery called out, as she felt how it affected him. "We have to keep moving," she gently placed a hand against his back, and tried to nudge him to go forward.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

Rex could hear Valery but he couldn't see her, he moved his body forward pulling on his brute strength to power himself into building as ghosts reached for him. Skeletons rushed toward his body separating him from Valery as he crashed into the front gate. An eerie sound began to play - the sounds of a wailing klaxon. Critical mass had been reached, evacuate - evacuate. Radiation containment droids performing their last subroutines rushed toward Valery intent on keeping her back.​

​

Had this entire trip been a set up by Carnifex? Intended to force Rex into his own crucible? Perhaps. Even if it hadn't been the intent, Carnifex would undoubtedly welcome the change altogether. The relic hummed to Valery as well, asking for help, insisting on help. The Isotope-5 powered artifact continue to power the plant as it came to life. A malicious sound cut through the power plant. Skeletal beings lashed out at Valery should she attempt to free the man they vowed to have under their control.​

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The artifact that they had come to seek was a Force-imbued, Isotope-5 embedded holocron crafted by a being who wanted people to die, to suffer - someone who had once held hope for people. Hope for the galaxy but had been shown the cruelties of the galaxy for what they really were. Someone who had used the settlers and their lives to gain power for themselves, only to not be able to contain it themselves. Whoever they were, they had been long gone - but their device remained.​

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It would only be when Valery arrived at the power plant that she would realize that the power plant had been built on the ruins of the old Jedi Temple. A temple that had been corrupted, violated by a dark side cult.​

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Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

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

"Evacuate — Critical Mass has been reached. Evacuate."​

Valery looked around as the Klaxon began to play and only grew more confused. Was any of this real or were these droids and skeletons created by their minds under the influence of something powerful? She had no idea, but they certainly felt real, and she was now being swarmed by droids trying to keep her from reaching Alvarex, who seemed affected by it all even more than she did.

"Rex!" she called out, but her voice couldn't reach him anymore.

So rather than focusing on him, she turned to the droids and extended her hands out to blast them back. They were simple containment droids, so they weren't going to be a problem for her to take care of. And no matter how much effort it took, she was getting to this plant now to stop whatever was happening here.

However, the closer she got, the more dangerous the situation became. Rather than just simple droids trying to keep her back, malicious skeletons lashed out at her, and she responded in kind. With a lot more force, but without lethal intent, she bashed her way through the skeletons and moved after Rex, only to stop again as the nature of this Temple struck her.

This was a Jedi Temple.

Valery frowned for a moment but set aside the negative emotions, so she could push ahead and get inside this place. Whatever this relic had caused, this was no longer a retrieval mission. She was going to purge whatever darkness had created this.

 

[Alvarex Zambrano]

Rex hit the back of an elevator shaft, his head smashed into the duracrete-backed, durasteel. That woke him from whatever trance he had been in - once more a roar was made, this one, undoubtedly Valery could recognize. His massive hands punched into the shaft as he crawled out of it, a slew of Epicant came forth from his lips. He grabbed hold of debris and began to use it as a shield, pulling the Force to him he commanded it with great intensity. Amber-hued eyes that seemed to drip with darkness, skeletal creatures flew about - his mind twisted, a want, a thirst for violence became him in a moment that would be but a blur.

He could feel Valery's presence, and so he turned toward her and walked toward her as he tossed aside the mobs. Once he reached Valery, the gargantuan man gently placed a hand beneath her chin once more, "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."

With that, Rex turned once more toward the temple he rushed forward taking command of the skeletal beings with spells taught to him by his mothers. High Sith words forced the skeletal beings to rush back toward the power plant and as Rex swung into the elevator shaft he knew the relic was down below. Demonic entities lashed out toward him they crawled out of the shaft and screamed his sire's name, phantom gasps for the name of Vulkanus the Mad. Chanted, "Alvarex the Mad."

The isotope-5 laced relic, with its Force imbuement, would tell the story of the Temple that was once here. How it became corrupted, perverted by fallen Jedi who sought power for power's sake, to make themselves feel better - until darkness became them. A power plant built over the Temple to hide what had been the true nature of the world, a beacon of light - suffocated by darkness.

Valery Noble​