Private The Search

[Valery Noble]

Copero

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jayce Rotsu

"He should be here soon," Valery told Kahlil Noble as they walked to the landing pad. They were currently on Copero, the planet the Alliance had used to launch their strike against Exegol from. While that battle was over, a lot of the facilities remained for new assignments into former Maw Space. Today, they were tasked with something quite important — missing Jedi. Going into the final battle with the Maw, everybody knew that some would never return.

But not every missing soldier or Jedi was confirmed dead. So many were still missing, and finally, they had found a trace of a missing Jedi Knight and his Padawan. They were out there in Maw Space, but why couldn't they return?

To figure this out, Valery had asked Kahlil to join her for a dangerous mission into former Maw Space, but they were bringing along someone else. A Padawan called Jayce Rotsu , who had expressed an interest in the path of a Sentinel. So what better way to offer experience than to bring him along on an investigation mission with two Jedi Masters? It would expose him to the more dangerous parts of the Galaxy, but he wouldn't be alone.

"Do you think we should take the Bastion and all travel together?" Valery then asked while they waited. "I don't know if it'll draw too much attention. There's still so much... wrong out there." She sighed. It was also no surprise that defeating the Maw at Exegol wasn't really the end. Remnants still existed, and the Maw philosophy meant they'd fight until the bitter end.

It was exhausting to her.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Better the Bastion than an Alliance vessel. That'll stand out more amongst any Maw remnants." It was a gamble of course. An alliance ship would mean the Alliance's presence, and thus dissuade people from attacking them. On the other hand, the Maw was a cult organization that blew up their own world. They'd absolutely strike out against an Alliance ship. So, Bastion it was. The Jedi Master offered the other a brief smile, reached out to pat her shoulder.

"We can't solve everything, but we can solve this. We got this, don't worry. .. Now where's that Padawan?"

Valery Noble | Jayce Rotsu

 

[Jayce Rotsu]

Location: Copero, Chiss Space
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble

"Right here, sir!"

Jayce burst into the Alliance landing pad sweating from having sprinted so far. He was late; but in his defense, he had never been this far from Coruscant. He had never seen a planet so beautiful. It was easy to get distracted.

He had learned about Copero during his classes as a Youngling. It was an important world in Chiss Space; and his briefing suggested it was recently used as a staging point for the Alliance attack on the Maw. Which meant he was finally somewhere he never thought he'd be: at the center of all the drama in the galaxy.

Jayce's stomach coiled like a python in tight constrictions. A small whispered in the back of his mind wondered if they were still out there. The Maw. The Alliance won the battle, of course, but they couldn't all be gone, surely. Which made him wonder what waited for him on this mission he had accepted.

"Padawan Jayce Rotsu, reporting for duty," he said, bowing to the two Masters. He had heard of them both. The Nobles were heroes to the children back on Coruscant. It was surreal to see them in person. "Sorry for being late," he added, scratching the back of his head. "I've never been in an Alliance hangar before."​

 

[Valery Noble]

Copero

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jayce Rotsu

When Kahlil's hand settled on her shoulder, Valery placed her own over his hand and smiled while she squeezed it. Just for a moment, she could enjoy the comfort he always offered her. "I know, thanks love." She flashed a loving smile and then turned her gaze away when she finally felt another Jedi presence approaching. Valery let go of her husband's hand and straightened her posture a little.

It was time for work mode Valery, which meant she couldn't be quite as lovey-dovey with him.

"Padawan Rotsu," Valery said before dipping into a bow of her own. "It's a pleasure to meet you, and don't worry. This is not an easy place to find." She then waited for Kahlil to introduce himself before she gestured at the Bastion, the ship that Kahlil and her own.

"We're going to take our ship and travel into Maw space together. Are you ready for it, or do you have any questions?" She asked before turning to Kahlil to see if there was anything he wished to share with the young Jedi.

 

[Jayce Rotsu]

Jayce had a lot of questions.

The mission brief was not exactly clear on what they were going to be doing. He understood that Jedi were missing and that the recent battle on Exegol had something to do with it. But maybe that was all there was to it. After all, this was an investigation—if they had all the details, there would hardly be a need for the mission, right?

So, he asked another one instead. "The Maw," he said. "Are they still out there? Is... Is there a chance that we'll run into them while we investigate?"

He wasn't scared. At least, he didn't think he was.

But that was here—now. On the safety of Copero. He had no idea where they were going from here. Perhaps their destination would be scarier.

Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble​

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[Kahlil Noble]

"There's a chance, yeah. If we do run into them, our priority isn't to fight though. It's to find our people. So don't get into a fight if you can help it."

Gone were the days young Jedi would be treated as soldiers. Or at least, that's what Kahlil wanted to push for. He flashed a brief smile to the boy before he wandered off to the cockpit of his ship to get them ready to fly.

Valery Noble | Jayce Rotsu

 

[Valery Noble]

The Bastion

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jayce Rotsu

Valery nodded in agreement with her husband but decided to add something more to it, "Former Maw space is very volatile at the moment. We defeated their military at Exegol and neutralized all their leaders, but they still have remnants scattered throughout their territories." In other words, there was definitely a chance to run into some trouble.

"But as the other Master Noble said, we focus on getting our people home." It could force them into a position where they had to defend their fellow Jedi, but she wasn't going to be looking for a fight. There were other assignments that addressed the remnants more directly.

Together, the three Jedi soon reached the cockpit of the Bastion, and while Kahlil got them ready for departure, Valery decided to turn to the Padawan again. "You were interested in becoming a Sentinel, hm? Not a path I see as often these days. What sparked your interest in it?"

A simple question to make some conversation while they headed into Maw space. Similarly, she'd be more than happy to answer his questions, and Kahlil likely would as well.

 

[Jayce Rotsu]

The Maw was still out there.

He knew it. There was no way to completely kill an ideology, and yet the thought that those monsters were lurking out there somewhere, licking their wounds, put a knot the size of his fist in his stomach. So, he focused on Valery's question instead.

"As a Youngling, we were always taught the Sentinels worked closest with the people," Jayce explained. "Up until now, my missions have mostly been patrolling the Undercity on Coruscant. You see a lot of hurt when you work down there." He fidgeted nervously with the hem of his robes. Vulnerability was something he was not used to showing to strangers, much less famous strangers. "I don't know — I guess I figured that was where my place was. The Jedi serve the people of the galaxy first, and through them, the Force. So, why should I not be down among them, where it is easiest to see their needs?"

It all sounded so sappy, so cliche, and yet every word was true.

He scratched the back of his head, eager to get attention off his words. "What should I call you both, by the way?" He chuckled nervously. "You're both 'Master Noble,' after all."

Tags: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Kahlil is fine with me. She's been Master Noble the longest, after all."

Kahlil stepped back from the ship's control room, chuckling to himself as he glanced towards Valery. He'd chosen to take on her name, rather than the inverse, after all. And Master Zambrano didn't sound right, even if it was his name.

"It's not a bad idea, though. You're right, that there's a lot of hurt. We can't see everything, either. It'll be helpful to have someone who is able to see what the council will certainly miss."

Valery Noble | Jayce Rotsu

 

[Valery Noble]

The Bastion

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jayce Rotsu

Valery looked up at her husband and chuckled, "He's as much a Noble as I am, so you can call us both Master Noble if the setting requires it. But for this mission..." she nodded in agreement with her husband. There were times and places to be formal, and this was one where using first names wasn't that big of a deal. But she always wanted people to still refer to him as Master Noble, as much as they would with her.

She then watched Kahlil plot their course and ready the Bastion, but still focused on the conversation. On his interest in becoming a Jedi Sentinel.

"It's true that Sentinels are traditionally more among the people, but I never liked the idea that it's their focus over other Jedi. When people are hurt, who will come to heal them? It's the Healers, so the Consulars. When war comes to a planet, it's traditionally the Guardians who will stand in the towns and cities to protect it. But to really help people at any level, you need Jedi to be close to them, but also Jedi who stand further away from it." Valery smiled softly and turned her eyes to Jayce specifically, hoping that it could maybe resonate with him.

"When you're down with the people, you can see their needs and help directly. But always remember that the quickest solution isn't always something that will last. This is why you have to be able to take a step back and look at the bigger picture too. It's what the Council does, but we do rely on other Jedi, as well as ourselves, being willing to be among those we want to protect too."

"We need eyes on the ground, and if you feel that's your calling, then the path of a Sentinel will work well for you." Of course, there were different branches within the Sentinels too, but he'd figure that all out.

For now, though, she had talked more than enough.

"We'll be there very soon. You two both ready?" she asked with a sheepish smile only her husband would pick up on. It always sparked after she went into briefing mode or talked so much.

 

[Jayce Rotsu]

Jayce said little to either Master, deciding instead this was a better time for listening. Listening to the Nobles confirmed what he had always sort of suspected. His views on the Jedi classes were unnuanced and childish, even if his heart was in the right place. But he didn't feel chastised or lectured. He felt excited—excited to learn.

He was still young, and there was so much more to learn about being a Jedi. Other than Master Organa, he couldn't think of a better pair to learn it from. So, he nodded when Valery indicated they were close to arriving. "Ready," he said with a sure expression.

He couldn't imagine this mission would prove too difficult. Master Kahlil indicated they were searching for missing Jedi above looking for the Maw's remnant, and that gave him some hope. Nevertheless, he resolved to remain vigilant and absorb all that he could before he was inevitable forced to return to Coruscant.

Tags: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble​

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[Kahlil Noble]

"Ready."

There were times Kahlil would tease her about briefing mode, but this wasn't one of them. It was a lot of important information for the young Padawan to think over. Humor, simply put, wasn't appropriate for it. He pulled the lever to disengage the Hyperdrive, letting the lines that streaked by die off and leave them descending towards the target planet. He punched in a few codes, flipped the switches needed, then stood.

"We'll land shortly. It's a town close to one of the battlefields. If they survived and could move on their own, this would be the place they'd go to. We'll ask around, but I don't think they'll trust us too much."

Valery Noble | Jayce Rotsu

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jayce Rotsu

With both of them ready, Valery's mind was at ease, and she seemed ready to get going herself. Jedi were down there, likely trapped and perhaps even hunted down. So much like Kahlil, she was in no mood for unnecessary jokes or anything that could take away her focus from what mattered.

They were bringing those Jedi back home.

Soon enough, Kahlil brought the sip down to the surface of the planet, close to a town that looked like it had been ravaged and rebuilt several times over. It wasn't something new for the Jedi to see — the former Maw corridor planets were all like this as well. But it also meant that the people had gone through difficult times, which made them wary of outsiders.

"I don't have a good feeling about this. I'm not yet sensing any Jedi, but they could be hiding their presence," Valery said, as she stepped outside and watched some civilians quickly hurry into their homes to lock the doors. To them, the difference between Jedi and Sith wasn't so obvious, so she assumed they were being cautious.

"Jayce? How do you think we should proceed?"

 

[Jayce Rotsu]

Jayce wasn't sure he should be the one calling the shots in this mission; but that wasn't what Valery was doing, was it? She was testing his instincts. Seeing how well he could read a situation. A valuable tool for a Sentinel, he supposed.

He wracked his brain for a solution. At the Temple, there were limited classes for searching for specific people. However, Jayce had not just been trained in the Temple. He had spent time patrolling the Undercity on Coruscant, and that had taught him a thing or two.

"You said this town is near one of the battlefields, right, Master Noble?" he said, glancing back up at Kahlil. "Then it has to have taken in refugees somewhere. A local medical facility where their wounds could be addressed, or a food kitchen where they could be fed and given temporary shelter." Jayce shrugged. "That's where I would start. If our missing Jedi aren't there, the locals that run those places might have some leads on where to find them."

Though, given the icy way the locals had retreated from them, it may be a bit harder than just asking. Still, with limited leads, it was their best shot at gathering information quickly.

Tags: Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble​

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