Private The Quest of Lord Darkstalker

[Lord Darkstalker]

As Valery Noble was resting outside, watching the beauty of Naboo's gorgeous waterfalls, a certain Kel Dor male walked through the grass, slightly seeing her now as he walked directly towards her position. He would not have to say anything, either. He knew that the inferior Jedi still had the ability to sense nearby life. Especially enemies.

Except he wasn't here as her enemy. He knew he would have to say that. And he was all too prepared to.

He couldn't explain it, but he knew the solution to his problem would be her. The dark side gave him this truth in a vision the previous infinite darkness he was in since... he didn't know how long. He didn't know how long he had been out, or how he was here.

No, he knew that. He and his master's ship had been split in two, directly separating the two despite them being next to each other. Thank goodness for their built-in emergency deflector shields made in case the ship, well, split in two. The energy between he and his master during that moment was immeasurable, so they knew directly where it would split if it did.

In hindsight, maybe they should have landed first.

But now, there was no turning back. And in the darkness since, he had a nearly infinite number of visions of what he was to do. And how much of a threat his master's power would actually be if he succeeded.

And that was why he needed the help of a Jedi. Because they have a long record of (somehow) eradicating the dark side's grip on the galaxy.

That was what he needed, as he was now less than 20 standard feet away from her.

This is Lord Darkstalker, as his master had named him. And he was about to ask for help from a Jedi.

"How pathetic of me," he thought to himself, "to have to ask a Jedi for help."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers | Double-Bladed Lightsabe

Valery sat cross-legged on the soft grass near the edge of the cascading Naboo waterfall, her amber eyes fixed on the rushing waters as they fell into the serene pool below. The gentle breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers, and the faint mist from the falls cooled her skin. For a moment, the galaxy's endless conflicts felt far away, and she allowed herself to bask in the peace of Naboo's beauty.

But the Force had other plans.

The distant ripple in the Force was faint, insignificant even, but it had been there for some time. It was not the kind of presence that demanded immediate attention, but Valery was attuned to even the subtlest shifts, and this one was steadily approaching her position. She didn't move, nor did her expression change as she tracked the source in the periphery of her senses. The intruder's intentions weren't clear, but there was no mistaking the tinge of darkness in his aura. It wasn't overwhelming — not yet, at least — but it was enough to put her on alert.

As the presence drew closer, her focus remained on the waterfall. She could hear the soft crunch of grass beneath his boots now, each step deliberate, growing louder as he approached. It wasn't until he was less than twenty feet away that she finally shifted her attention.

"You've been walking toward me for some time," Valery said, her voice calm but edged with quiet authority. "If you're here to fight, you'll find no victory. If you're here for something else, speak."

Her tone left no room for games, but there was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. Sith rarely approached Jedi with anything other than violence, and she was intrigued by the faint hesitation she sensed in him. Whatever his purpose, Valery was ready.

Lord Darkstalker ​

 

[Lord Darkstalker]

The mysterious Kel Dor figure stood tall, nearly seven standard feet. His robes looked similar to that of a traditional Jedi's, only black and slightly tarnished. His shin guards were that of a heavy metal, a material shared by the buckle on his belt. The dark cherry red sleeves of his robes went into his black lined gloves, that nearly went up to his elbow. And the cape he wore crossed over in his front, and flowed at his back, slight and small tears at its edges. The outside of the cape shared the black of the robes, however the inside shared the red of the sleeves. The pants and boots shared the black, too, even though both were mostly covered by the tabard of the robes and the metallic shin guards. You could tell he would stand out in a crowd.

His face would remind you of any other Kel Dor, and the mask was the same pitch black as all other Kel Dors'. The top of his head was more rounded, and it stood as tall as the rest of him. Stiff, almost as if an immovable force.

He spoke with a deep and slightly synthesized voice, due mostly to the breathing mask Kel Dor had to wear anywhere outside of their home.

"Valery Noble. Jedi Grandmaster and Battlemaster, as I've seen. The Force has guided me to you. I need your help." He said this with confidence and clarity, with a sound of slight acknowledgement that he knew Valery would not at first accept it.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers | Double-Bladed Lightsabe

Valery remained seated, her posture relaxed despite the imposing figure now standing before her. The Kel Dor's attire, dark and heavy with the symbolism of the Sith, paired with his towering stature, might have been intimidating to someone less accustomed to such encounters. But for Valery, it was simply another challenge, one of countless others she had faced in her life.

Her amber eyes lifted to meet the dark mask that obscured his face. His voice, deep and mechanical, carried an odd weight — confident, but not laced with the overt malice she had come to expect from those aligned with the Sith. That alone was enough to give her pause, though she kept her emotions carefully in check.

"The Force guided you to me?" she repeated, her tone even but skeptical. "That's not something I hear often from someone carrying the scent of the dark side."

Valery rose to her feet with practiced grace, her movements fluid as the mist from the waterfall swirled faintly around her. She adjusted her posture, standing tall but not threatening. Her lightsaber remained clipped to her belt, a clear indication that she wasn't looking to escalate — yet.

"If you've come here to ask for help, then you already know what that means," she continued, her voice calm but laced with authority. "It means trusting me enough to tell me what it is you want, and why I should consider aiding you."

Lord Darkstalker ​

 

[Lord Darkstalker]

The man Valery now saw before her did not move, and he stood straight as he spoke.

"Although I may not like it, the Force has shown me that you may be the only one that can save the people of this world from a more tyrannical ruler than Palpatine. I have seen visions of your power, and your potential. You, Valery Noble, whether I like it or not, are the only one that can help me defeat my master and succeed."

It surely would sound insane, he knew that; but he also knew this was his only chance.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's amber eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the Kel Dor, her stance shifting subtly into one of quiet scrutiny. His words carried weight, but they were riddled with contradictions that made her hesitate. A Sith asking for her help? Claiming to seek salvation for others? It was enough to raise a thousand red flags in her mind.

Her brow arched as she crossed her arms over her chest, her voice calm but tinged with skepticism. "You want my help to overthrow your master," she said, repeating his words carefully, as if weighing them. "You claim the Force guided you to me, that I'm the only one who can help you…"

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she tilted her head slightly, her expression firm but not hostile. "And yet, I don't even know your name. I don't know who you are, what you've done, or why I should trust anything you're telling me."

The mist from the waterfall swirled around her as she stepped closer, her movements deliberate. "You wear the robes of the Sith, and you carry the taint of the Dark Side. Those aren't things easily ignored, and they tell me you've likely walked a path of destruction and suffering to get here."

Her tone softened slightly, though the caution in her eyes remained. "If you want my help, you're going to have to give me a reason to believe you're not just trying to replace one tyrant with another. So tell me, who are you? Why should I trust you?"

Lord Darkstalker ​

 

[Lord Darkstalker]

Outfit: Robes | Shin Guards
Weapons: Lightsaber

The mechanical sound in his voice shone through yet again with a hard sigh.

"Firstly, I'm not a Sith. Everyone thinks that just because I go by the name 'Lord Darkstalker' means I'm a Sith. Me and my master were 'Disciples of Darkness,' not Sith. Secondly, the true name I was given by my mother I will never know. This is one of the few things the Force has not shown me. Thirdly, if you are to be so adamant in finding trust with so little time to save your precious Jedi Order, I'll give you a little story. Of how I got here."

He took a breath before continuing.

"It was around the time Satele Shan was grandmaster of the Jedi. Me and my master were flying on our capital ship - that he had taken from the Republic by force - performing a ritual he had wanted to do long ago. He was, and is still, trying to find the key to stopping the aging of his body. And I felt it. He was extremely close. And with my help, he may have done it. However, the energy concentration between us two split the entire ship in halves; my half landed here, and I have no idea where his landed. However long I was unconscious, I don't know. All I know is he has landed too; and he is awake. And while I was unconscious, I saw visions of galactic history. Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, the Fall of Omni, all of it. And I have seen everything you have done; all of your feats, and that you are the only hope left for the galaxy. If my master succeeds, I know he will soon also find the powers of regeneration, and even my Dark Lightning. You have to help me, Valery, if you want the Jedi Order to live to see 1,000 ABY."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery listened intently, her arms still crossed as the Kel Dor recounted his story. The weight of his words painted a vivid, unsettling picture — a master obsessed with immortality, rituals that tore a capital ship in half, and a dark disciple who now stood before her, claiming visions of the past and dire warnings for the future. Yet, despite the gravity of his tale, it left a sour taste in her mouth.

When he finished, she remained silent for a moment, her amber eyes locked on him with piercing scrutiny. Finally, she exhaled softly, her tone measured but firm.

"You've told me a lot about your master and the danger he poses, and I don't doubt that he's a threat to everything the Jedi Order stands for. But all you've given me is a reason to go after him — not a reason to trust you."

She stepped closer, the mist swirling around her boots as her fiery gaze bore into his mask. "If you're not Sith, then what are you? A Disciple of Darkness is still someone who worked with Sith ideology, who embraced the corruption of the Dark Side. You stood beside a man who slaughtered and destroyed, all in the name of power. So why now? Why come to me, of all people, when your path has been one of destruction?"

Lord Darkstalker ​

 

[Lord Darkstalker]

Outfit: Robes | Shin Guards
Weapons: Lightsaber

The Kel Dor once again took a long wait before continuing.

"I 'm not asking for trust. But, I am, as you would say, desperate. During my visions, the Force showed me that only our combined powers can stop him. Me. And you. His abilities may even be growing as we speak. So, you don't have to like me. In fact, after he is gone and the threat is destroyed, you can try to eradicate me as well. If you want, of course. I see no reason to fight you in the first place, since I want nothing to do with 'galactic takeover' like most Dark users. Unlike the Sith, all I want is order, not chaos. And I see the Jedi of this time have brought that. Therefore, I see no need to destroy you. But, whether either of us like it or not, we need each other. To save the Jedi, and the galaxy with it."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's expression hardened as the Kel Dor spoke, her amber eyes narrowing with a mixture of skepticism and resolve. His desperation was apparent, but so was the deep connection to the darkness he still carried. Her arms remained crossed, her posture tense as she listened, but her trust in his words remained absent.

When he finished, Valery took a deliberate step forward, her tone sharper this time, laced with a firm defiance. "You speak of visions and power as if they make you indispensable, but let me make something clear: I've faced Sith Lords, Emperors, armies, and the darkest forces this galaxy has ever known. I don't need you to stop whatever your master is planning."

She let her words hang in the air for a moment, her fiery gaze locked onto his masked face. "What I do need is a reason to believe you're not playing a deeper game. Desperation isn't enough to make me trust a Disciple of Darkness. Your words about wanting order, not chaos, mean nothing when they come from someone who stood alongside a monster who tore apart people's lives."

Her voice softened slightly but carried no less conviction. "You came to me because you saw no other path forward, but that doesn't mean you're the path I need to take. So why should I believe this vision of yours? Why should I risk everything to work with someone like you, when I don't even know if the darkness you claim to oppose hasn't already consumed you?"

Lord Darkstalker ​

 

[Lord Darkstalker]

Outfit: Robes | Shin Guards
Weapons: Lightsaber

"Valery Noble," he spoke again, hoping he would finally gain her trust with a desperate gambit. "You're quite resilient, as I've seen in my visions. And in those visions, I have seen the threats you have faced. If we let my old master be any longer, he may surpass even the likes of Revan and Nihilus in power. I... can't show you evidence. there is none. But you are a Jedi. I want you to see if you sense any deception in me. I have not said anything untrue. And, even if you can't see that - which I'm certain you can - there's only one way to find out. As you said, 'I'll find no victory here.'"