Private The Path they Chose

[Valery Noble]

​

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

This is where they nearly lost their little star.

Valery stood at the edge of a cliff, her jumpsuit stirring faintly in the wind as her eyes locked onto the obsidian fortress in the distance — a monolith of shadow and fire rising from a landscape carved in rivers of molten lava. The sky hung heavy with smoke and heat, the air itself seeming to shudder with every distant tremor of the earth below. The place reeked of darkness, the kind that sunk deep into stone and bone alike.

And this — this hellish sprawl of evil design — was where her children had come.

Her lips parted, but no words came. Not at first. Just the firelight reflected in amber eyes that flicked sharply across the terrain, searching for something, anything that made sense of it. The tremors of the Force here were deep and strange — old, tangled, and far-reaching. But it was the echoes of her daughter that gripped her heart the most. Vera had died here. Just for a moment. But enough that the Force had screamed.

Valery clenched her jaw and exhaled slowly, trying to steady the thunder in her chest. Then she turned her head slightly, eyes finding her husband beside her.

"They came here… without us," she said quietly, a flicker of disbelief still woven into her voice. "Vera. Aris. Our babies. Look at this place, love..." A pause. Her fingers twitched at her side, aching to draw her saber — not out of threat, but out of instinct. Of fear. "I can feel what they faced," she whispered. "Something more than a relic or some lost Sith fortress. I don't think the Force pulled them here just for a Holocron."

Her gaze returned to the looming structure, "I've got a bad feeling about this place," she said, her voice low with dread. "We need to know what happened here. What they were pulled into. What they're still part of."

She glanced back at Kahlil, something raw flickering in her eyes — worry, yes, but something more.

"I think this is only the beginning."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

It was something he'd dreaded to ever feel. As Jedi, danger was always there. The risk of life, limb, sanity, all of it. But he didn't want to feel that risk extended to his children. He never wanted to experience that. He had. Before they arrived here, he felt it. Vera's heart stopping. It wasn't stopped for long, but it was long enough for him to feel the kind of dread no parent wanted to.

"If there's something that's lingering over our children, it will regret such a thing."

He raised a hand. Machinery trembled under his grasp as he wrenched and destroyed the sentries, still inactive at the moment but watching and waiting. Anger. It was a rare emotion, but something here had tried and failed to keep his little star dead.

"We'll make sure this won't threaten them ever again."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery moved as soon as the sentries stirred — the subtle shift of power in the air, the crackling tension of machines awakening. Kahlil's surge of strength drew their attention, and she was already gone.

A blur of motion. A flare of violet.

Her lightsaber ignited mid-spin, casting its glow across the path as she launched into the fray. Not with the brute force of fury, but with precision — with grace. Every strike was purposeful, every pivot smooth. She flowed between the first two sentries like a gust of wind through fractured stone, her blade sweeping low to sever one at the knee before arching back up into a spinning flourish that cleaved another down the middle.

The third fired a split-second too late.

Her foot connected with its shoulder joint before the bolt even left the barrel, and her saber drove through its core in a single upward strike. The last stood frozen in what might have been hesitation, and for a heartbeat, it locked eyes with her — or rather, it tried to.

Valery danced forward and silenced it with a final, clean cut.

The sentries crashed in a chorus of sparks and mangled metal, falling into the heat-slick stone with echoing thuds.

She exhaled slowly, already moving to rejoin Kahlil’s side. Her long hair clung slightly to the back of her neck, damp from the oppressive heat, but her eyes were sharp, focused, and trained on only one thing now: him.

When she reached him, she turned slightly, her back to the fortress once more. And her hand — still warm from the saber’s hilt — lifted to rest gently against his arm.

"Love," she said softly, her voice brushing past the tension. "Are you okay?"

She knew how much their daughter meant to him — how fiercely he loved her. How tightly he still held onto the fear of that moment when Vera’s heart had stopped. She felt it too, the phantom pain of it in her chest. But Kahlil’s protectiveness perhals ran even deeper than hers, rooted in scars of the past.

"As always, we're going to figure this out together."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I'm alright."

Kahlil turned his gaze towards Valery as she touched his arm, giving a faint smile. As angry as he was, he wouldn't let it leech further into his control of the Force. He refused to let himself fall, after all. If only because Vera was alive and well, at least. Otherwise.. Well, Valery was there for him. He turned his gaze to the doors, idly reaching a hand up to wrench it completely from it's hinges.

Yes, absolutely alright.

"We'll find what's hidden, and they'll be safe."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery watched the door wrench from its hinges like it weighed nothing, pulled effortlessly from the frame by her husband's outstretched hand.

Her breath hitched — just for a second.

The heat from the surrounding lava wasn't the only warmth curling at her cheeks now, and she quickly averted her gaze, clearing her throat. Focus, Valery. Serious mission. Serious business. Not the time to get all flustered over your husband's ridiculous strength and sexiness. Still... she felt it. The flutter. She always did when he did things like that.

She followed him in silence, her expression sobering as they passed through the now-ruined entrance and descended deeper into the fortress. The temperature climbed with every step. The shadows thickened. And then — they reached it.

The chamber.

It was unmistakable, even without the Force singing with memories. Burn marks scored the walls. The floor was littered with twisted fragments of durasteel, broken armor plating, scorch marks from saber clashes and detonations. In the center of it all lay the remains of a droid — mangled beyond recognition. Valery stepped closer, her eyes tracing the path of destruction. The sparks that had flown. The blood that had been spilled. She could feel it in every broken piece. The echoes of their fight. Of Vera nearly losing her life.

A faint smile touched her lips, bittersweet and proud. "Aris… really tore this thing apart for her," she murmured, eyes still fixed on the wreckage. "He didn't hold back." But then the smile faded. She took a slow, shuddering breath, her hand hovering near the scorched metal.

"I can learn more," she said quietly. "If I touch it."

Her amber gaze flicked toward Kahlil again. Using Psychometry here was dangerous and it'd leave her exposed, but nothing would get them better answers.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil paused as he looked over the broken remains. He stood with Valery, but where she felt pride he felt sadness. This emotion their son had felt, he knew it too well. He'd felt it when Valery was kidnapped and tortured. It was a Jedi's greatest weakness, having their loved ones harmed. Love was important to Jedi, he knew. But it was as much a double edged sword.

"No, he did not."

It was something he was going to have to trust Aadihr Lidos to help their boy through. Someone he did trust.

"Go ahead. I'm here, I'll keep you safe. I don't think there's anything left to strike at us right now, but I'll keep guard."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery stepped forward slowly, the heat of the scorched metal rising to meet her even before her knees touched the ground. Her hand hovered over the shattered droid remains, but her gaze was locked on Kahlil's for just a moment longer. "If it gets bad… don't wake me. Not right away," she said softly, her voice steady despite the tension in her shoulders. "Even if I'm—" she hesitated, her lips pressing into a firmer line, "Even if it looks bad. Just give it time."

Her expression softened, then, and she reached toward him, fingers brushing against his until they curled together in a quick, grounding squeeze. Her thumb brushed over his knuckles as a silent promise that she'd be okay. Then, she let go. Valery knelt, legs folding beneath her, and closed her eyes. She pressed her palm against the broken chest plate of the destroyed droid — and the Force took her.

It hit her like a flood.

A scream. A flash of crimson light. Vera. Valery saw her daughter lifted from the ground in an arc of pure red lightning, her body convulsing mid-air before she crumpled to the floor like a ragdoll. The sound of it — her breath catching, then ceasing — was deafening.

"No—" Valery whispered, breath growing heavier. Her whole body began to tremble. The vision didn't stop, as Aris came into view. She felt the tidal wave of rage crash through him — the boy she knew, the son she had watched grow, now a storm of grief and fury. His fists struck the droid over and over again, wild and unrelenting, until sparks blurred her vision. She felt every ounce of it. Their pain. Their fear. Their love.

Her breath hitched. Her hands curled.

And then— something else.

Something deeper. A shadow at the edges of the memory drew her in, and wouldn't let go, "No!" Valery's scream ripped from her throat like it had been torn out of her, her body jolting violently backward as if struck by a bolt of energy. She convulsed once, then collapsed against the stone floor, motionless.

Unconscious.

Kahlil barely had time to react when the sound of footsteps echoed from the far corridor — more sentries?

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"That certainly puts my mind at ease."

He teased, ever so faintly before nodding his head. He trusted Valery more than any other in this galaxy. Beyond it, even. Come what may, he trusted her abilities to handle what would be seen. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd see them, though. Vera, Aris, Aadihr. What happened. He left himself open in their bond, a comfort for at least the terror he knew they both felt when that moment had happened. When she'd see it.

Her getting thrown back was beyond what he'd expected. The visions were strong, but they never interacted with the physical world. He blinked once, glancing towards her before immediately scooping her up in his arms. No time to think or wait, not with the sounds of others approaching. His gaze focused as the Force swelled around him. His lightsaber sprang from his hip, igniting midair as it carved a series of runes around them. A barrier, to prepare for what was coming.

"Seems like you jinxed yourself, love. Wake up if you can. We've got a lot of guests coming we have to greet." He spoke softly, his grip around her tightening protectively. If she couldn't wake, then he'd just have to keep her safe until she could.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery didn't wake — not right away. But in Kahlil's arms, her body stirred. Her brow twitched. Her breath hitched in sharp, uneven gasps, like someone caught in the middle of a nightmare. Soft murmurs escaped her lips, unintelligible at first, but they carried the shape of their children's names.

"Vera... Aris..."

Her hand twitched near her chest and her legs shifted slightly. The weight of the vision still held her in its grip, and it clung to her. Then came the sound — a low metallic rumble echoed through the chamber.

More sentries.

From the far end of the corridor, the shimmer of metal approached, and one by one, the droids emerged. Their red visors illuminated the shadows as they spread into a loose formation, slowly surrounding the runed barrier Kahlil had etched around himself and his wife. The air grew heavier, the silence between each mechanical footfall became unbearable. They were preparing to strike.

But before they could — Kahlil would feel it. A pulse in the Force. Dark and cold — not like the sentries, not even like the memories this fortress still whispered. This was something strangely familiar. Something… old. A ripple from the past. It pressed against his senses like a breath on the back of his neck.

Before he could act, his wife stirred again. Valery shifted with a soft groan, her fingers curling into his tunic. She blinked, eyes fluttering open — still hazy with the remnants of what she'd seen — and looked up at him. Her cheeks flushed, her voice a whisper.

"...Hey." A small, weary smile pulled at her lips. "Miss me?" she tried to joke.

"Someone's coming."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil's gaze narrowed as the sentries filed in. A part of him wanted to destroy them then and there, but the risk of the unknown, the risk they might strike while Valery was unconscious. A few seconds more wouldn't harm anything. Patience. He took a breath, stilled his mind. The shiver of the Dark that brushed over him came and went as he let his mind rest.

Eye of the storm. It was a simple concept, and one he was going to let himself follow. Be patient, wait for them to move and react. Keep Valery safe.

"...Hey." A small, weary smile pulled at her lips. "Miss me?" she tried to joke.

"More than you know."

The relief was visible, but he didn't set Valery down yet. Just waking up didn't mean she was ready to fight.

"Do you know what's coming?"

Valery Noble

 

[Nyxira Valis]

The air within the ancient fortress grew dense, charged with an oppressive energy that seemed to seep from the very walls. As Kahlil cradled Valery's barely conscious form, the encroaching sentries halted abruptly. An unnatural stillness settled over the chamber, broken only by the distant rumble of thunder.

From the shadows of the far corridor, a figure emerged with deliberate grace. Tall and imposing, she moved with the fluidity of a predator stalking its prey. Her violet eyes gleamed with a cold, calculating light, and a smirk played upon her lips as she took in the scene before her — Kahlil, now a protector and husband, holding his wife amidst the remnants of battle.

"It has been a long time, Kahlil," she purred, her voice a silken thread woven with dark amusement.

As her words echoed through the chamber, the storm outside roared to life, lightning illuminating her sharp features and casting shadows across the walls. The sentry droids, once ready to strike, now turned their attention toward her, their sensors whirring in confusion.

With a mere flick of her wrist, an unseen force pressed down upon several of the droids, crushing them against the stone floor with a resounding clang. Sparks erupted from their shattered forms, the air thick with the scent of scorched metal.

The remaining droids hesitated, their programming unable to process this new threat. The woman took another step forward, her gaze never leaving Kahlil's.

"You've changed," she mused, her smirk widening until her eyes finally settled on Valery, and for just the briefest moment, fury burned within her eyes.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery leaned her head against Kahlil's chest, her breath still uneven, her body heavy with the aftermath of the vision. But the moment she heard that voice — smooth and venomous, laced with history — her spine stiffened slightly in his arms. The tension in the chamber shifted. It wasn't just the sentries. It wasn't even the dark presence she'd felt before she fell unconscious.

It was her.

Valery's eyes, still a bit hazy, narrowed slightly as the figure came into view. Tall and elegant in the way a predator is elegant. There was power in her walk. Familiarity in her tone. And the way her gaze slid across the room to her husband? Valery felt it like a blade against the base of her neck.

Her hand pressed slightly more into his tunic on instinct. She was still recovering, but whatever warmth lingered in her expression had cooled into something far more focused now — quiet and assessing. The droids crumpled under the weight of the intruder's power, but Valery's focus didn't shift. Her eyes remained locked on the woman, tracking every movement, every nuance of expression.

Then, softly, just for Kahlil, her voice low and even...

"Who is she?"

There was no accusation in her tone but there was something sharp beneath it. She did not like the way this woman was looking at him, or talking to him.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

His gaze focused for a moment on the woman, watching as she stepped into view. She had command over the machines here, but certainly wasn't their creator. Had she taken over in the time Aris, Aadihr, and Vera had left? Was she always here? The more pressing concern though was how his brow knitted together, deeper in thought.

Then he tilted his head.

"In truth, I don't actually remember. Were you of the academy way back when? I assume you're Sith, at least." More time. The longer the conversation, the more recovered Valery could be. The more ready they could be to fight. He feigned a smile.

"Why don't you remind me your name?"

Valery Noble

 

[Nyxira Valis]

Nyxira's smirk faltered just a little — just long enough for the flicker of mock offense to register before it twisted into something more amused, more deliberate. She brought a hand to her chest, the gesture theatrical and feather-light. "You wound me, Kahlil," she purred, stepping forward as the scorched remains of the droids hissed behind her. The stone echoed softly beneath her boots, each step measured and unhurried. "But then again… it has been a long time."

The glow of lightning outside illuminated the sharp lines of her face, casting violet light across the chamber as she regarded him not with hostility, but with something far more dangerous — familiarity.

"The Sith Academy, on Dromund Kaas," she said, voice lower now, laced with memory. "We studied together. Spent days and nights deciphering ancient runes in those musty halls, arguing over the semantics of incantations." There was the faintest hint of wistfulness in her tone, like dust settled over a memory she hadn't dared disturb in years. Her gaze never left him. Not even when it passed over Valery — who she clearly felt, not just saw.

She smiled again, different this time. Sharp, assessing.

"And now look at you," she said with a soft tilt of her head. "Changed. Confident. Strong. I must say, you wear it well." Her eyes flicked, ever so briefly, to where Valery still clung to him. She didn't need to say it aloud. The edge in her voice — the way she lingered on every word — said enough.

"But I suppose marriage will do that to a man." The smirk returned, though cold, settling as she let her gaze slide back to Valery. Her attention then snapped back to Kahlil, suddenly serious beneath the curve of her lips. "I've come a long way to see you again. And I have to admit," her voice dipped into something quiet, almost intimate, "I'm not disappointed."

Another pulse of thunder rolled through the fortress. Nyxira let the silence linger between them, waiting for either of them to speak — or to act.

But she hoped for neither.

She hoped they listened.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery didn't move at first. Not when the droids fell. Not when Nyxira purred out her little stroll down memory lane. Not even when Kahlil — calm as ever — tilted his head and delivered the kind of response that made Valery's lips twitch into a quiet, unmistakable smirk.

"In truth, I don't actually remember."

Oh, that was good. The kind of burn that didn't need fire. Just truth. But the moment Nyxira stepped closer — that graceful, predator's glide across the stone floor — Valery stirred. Her hand clenched faintly against Kahlil's tunic, the strength behind it returning, bone-deep. Her head rose from his chest, just slightly, enough for her eyes to find the woman again. Still hazy, still catching her breath… but now burning with something brighter.

Every word Nyxira spoke was adding fuel to that fire.

Valery's jaw tightened. She felt the way Nyxira's gaze flicked to her. Felt the unspoken claim in her voice. The insinuation. The possessive tone that tried to mask itself in amusement and history. As if their love, their life — their family — was just some footnote in a story she'd come to rewrite.

And just like that, the smirk was gone, replaced by fire. Valery's eyes, now sharp and utterly awake, locked with Nyxira's. An inferno lived behind them. Kahlil would feel it in her grip, in the way her body tensed against him: the slow, deliberate return of a warrior waking up because someone dared.

"Must be hard," she said softly, voice like velvet pulled taut over steel, "Showing up after all these years just to find out you were forgettable." Her tone shifted, lower now, a quiet threat behind every word. She shifted in Kahlil's arms, sitting up a little straighter, that quiet, dangerous smile returning — but this one wasn't for show.

It was a warning.

"Now, back off… and stay away from my husband."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil laughed. It was a little one, but he couldn't help himself as he felt Valery shift, sit up. Protective as ever, though she seemed to feel something he hadn't fully cared to notice himself. Nyx, her obvious feelings for him, they didn't matter. She was a threat at this point, whether she was involved directly in what happened with their children or not.

If she did have a hand in it, though, there'd be little ways for her to escape his wrath.

"If you want something, be out with it. Otherwise leave. We've business here."

Valery Noble

 

[Nyxira Valis]

Nyxira's smirk deepened at Valery's words, slow and deliberate — a predator savoring the scent of heat in the air. "Oh, darling," she purred, gaze flicking to Valery with barely veiled amusement, "If I were forgettable, you wouldn't be holding onto him like I might steal him away."

The words weren't shouted. They didn't need to be. They glided between the trio like a whispered knife. Her eyes lingered on Kahlil then, a spark of something undeniably fond — or perhaps dangerous — gleaming in the depths of violet flame. But when she spoke again, it was different. Calmer. Lower.

"I didn't come to fight you," she said, addressing Kahlil now, her voice smooth but stripped of its earlier indulgence. "I'm no threat to either of you, nor to your children." At least, not today. Her eyes flicked back to Valery, narrowing with something… knowing.

"But I've seen things. In dreams. In places the Jedi don't dare to reach." Her tone dipped into something cryptic, reverent. "Visions… much like your wife has, but hasn't told you about just yet. Of truths buried deep. Soon, you'll see it too." She took a step back into the smoke curling from the broken droids, half-silhouetted now as the storm outside roared in response.

"You're going to need me, Kahlil."

And then — with a glint in her eye and a sharp, playful smirk — she tilted her head just so.

"I look forward to it."

She winked.

Less than a second later, Valery's violet saber screamed through the air. It missed by less than a breat, but Nyxira was already gone. Vanished in a crack of shadow and smoke, leaving behind only the scent of burnt ozone and the echo of her laughter lingering like a haunting promise in the stone chamber's silence.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

"Damn it." The word hissed through Valery's teeth as her lightsaber snapped back into her palm, the weapon's hum fading as the violet blade retracted with a sharp snap-hiss. Her hand lingered around the hilt a moment longer, knuckles white, jaw tight. She knew it was a stupid reaction — she wasn't even fully recovered, and lashing out had gained them nothing. But that wink. That tone. The smug little promise left behind?

It was too much.

Valery exhaled hard through her nose and turned slowly away from where Nyxira had vanished. Her arms crossed, her stance rigid, her entire aura radiating annoyance. A flare of heat still burned in her cheeks, not from embarrassment, but from the sheer indignity of being taunted like that in front of him.

"I hate her already," Valery muttered, pacing a few slow steps before she finally came to a stop and looked up at Kahlil. Her brow was still furrowed, her lips tugging into a tight line, like she was trying very hard not to pout. "She shows up, says nothing useful, makes vague cryptic threats or promises, then flirts and vanishes into a puff of smoke like she thinks she's starring in a drama holoseries…"

She groaned softly and ran a hand through her hair. "She knows exactly what she's doing, and I hate that I let her get under my skin." Valery looked at him then, eyes sharp but with a tinge of vulnerability peeking through the flame. She took a step closer, voice lowering a bit. "I know it's silly I do. And this…" She gestured vaguely to the dissipating smoke and the now-quiet chamber. "This wasn't jealousy."

She paused.

"…Okay. Maybe a little bit of jealousy."

Another beat. Then finally, a breath of dry laughter slipped from her lips.

"She just… ugh." With an annoyed flick, she reattached her saber to her belt and rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the tension.

"At least I'm no longer feeling like my soul was ripped from my body."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I doubt that."

Kahlil kept a calm smile as he watched Nyx. Needing her, though, that much he doubted with all his heart. He had too little trust for Sith, especially those that seemed as obsessed as she did. He did, however, let out just a little chuckle as he watched Valery pull her saber back from her throw. Emotion wasn't good to act on like that for a Jedi.

But his wife? It brought some joy to his mind.

"You shouldn't let her get under your skin. It's her goal, seems like."

What an odd goal it was, at that. He turned his gaze around, frowning ever so faintly. Whatever they were here to find, it was more likely she'd taken it herself.

"Let's get home. To our family."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery let out a quiet huff, crossing her arms again as she fell into step beside him. Her brow was still furrowed in that very specific way that meant she was both deeply annoyed and deeply aware of how dramatic she looked doing it.

"I know it’s her goal," she muttered. She gestured vaguely toward the smoky nothingness where Nyxira had disappeared. "I can't help it, alright?" she said, casting him a sidelong look that was more pout than glare now.

"People like her just crawl under my skin. It's the smugness. And the drama. And that they just ingore me. Ignore us." She waved a hand at the lingering haze in the air.

She paused, realizing she may have gotten a little carried away.

"...I'm not saying I’d throw a rock at her head," she added, lifting her chin slightly. "But I’m not not saying that either."

They walked in silence for a beat before Valery glanced up at him again, her expression finally softening from full-on indignant rage to something more curious.

"Seriously though," she asked, voice quieter, "You really didn’t recognize her? She seemed so… certain we’d need her soon. Like she was waiting for it."

Her brow creased faintly again.

"Gosh I hate her..."

Kahlil Noble ​