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Private The Thin Line


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THE THIN LINE
THE GREAT ERROR vol. II
Issue #8 w/ Valery Noble Valery Noble

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The Sacking of Coruscant, the great betrayal, changed the way Dag viewed the galaxy. A little more vigilant, a little more cautious, a little distrustful. Bold but not as reckless as he was before. Time devoted to preparations and planning had substantially increased and in inverse proportion so his tolerance for evil decreased. Taking all this Jedi Watchman role thing a little more seriously. Rough justice had become a little rougher. Little by little the line had skewed, drifted.

So when his little birds, be it those of technological nature or straight-up informants, turned up with the news that a Jedi was arriving on Denon - he moved to act. Quickly he diverted from his usual nighttime patrol to the spaceport where the Jedi was to arrive, soaring from rooftop to rooftop. This was one of the medium-sized spaceports around the City, not as busy as the largest but neither was it as subtle and barren as the small ones. Security was tight - as one would expect from a corporate-run world - but not anything the raven-haired Jedi could not bypass.

Gate 34.

Customs' officer handling the gate wasn't expecting a man coming down from the vents. A wave of the Jedi's hands and her instincts were dulled and her mind was temporarily confused to the point the officer renamed the arrival's name from the list to that of his fourth cousin she'd met once on Life Day seven years back. To whom it may concern, Valery Noble was not a name any paper runner would see in today's manifest of arrivals. A bit of work on the security camera's tapes with Yula's gadgets and Dagon Kaze's pretty face was never here.

When the ramp of her ship lowered, she would see his leather jacket-clad form leaning on the gate's door with arms crossed and a thin, lopsided smirk.

"It's a long way to my city, Val... can't say I've been expecting you." look, he rarely checks his voicemail, alright?​
 

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Location: Denon
Valery: Appearance
Outfit: Link
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze
The Battle of Jedha and everything that happened alongside it had made for difficult times for Valery. Between getting blown up with the SIA Blacksite, having her partner fall to the Dark Side, and being attacked in the streets of Coruscant, there was very little that brightened up her days. Not long ago, she had talked to Dagon and she seemed to carry hope with her, but now she felt like it was her time to suffer and carry the weight of this war on her shoulders even if just a little bit.
But despite this, she rarely, if ever, showed her misery to others. The last thing she wanted was to be a burden, so she maintained a strong facade, and tried her best to be helpful. Today though, she decided to deviate from that slightly - she wanted to visit a friend just to spend some time around someone she trusted and cared about.
For this reason, she arrived at the Denon spaceport late at night. She wasn't expecting Dagon to be ready to receive visitors at this time, so her plan was to head for some cheap hotel and look for him in the morning.
But as she stepped out of her familiar X-wing without the facade on yet, she was caught by surprise as Dagon was standing right there to greet her with his usual smirk. Even through the darkness of night, he'd be able to tell that her stance quickly changed when she spotted him. She stood more upright and offered the best smile she could in return. But she looked rather pale for some odd reason and didn't quite carry herself the way she normally would.
For this visit, she also wasn't dressed as a Jedi, instead choosing a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of white shoes. It made her look like a biker girl, but that was better than looking like a Jedi out here.
"Oh hey, sorry if it was inconvenient," she said as she began to walk over. "I tried calling, but you weren't answering and well, I figured I'd come to check on you. The fighting on Jedha was... severe."
Then something struck her, and she tilted her head.
"Wait, isn't this area restricted? How did you get..." she stopped and smirked. "Nevermind. It's good to see you, Dag."
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THE THIN LINE
THE GREAT ERROR vol. II
Issue #8 w/ Valery Noble Valery Noble

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Check on me?

He really has got to start opening that voice mail even if it meant going through a hundred telemarketer scams offering everything from kitchen knives to cement trucks. Half were straight-up scams and the other half were boosted goods looking for a new owner. And there's no consumer protection commission on Denon, and the cops hardly do anything about the rampant corruption running the world let alone dealing with low-time hustles. Hell, they were probably on those rackets too.

Her mention of Jedha furrowed his brows for a moment in a slight expression of pain before they abated, "... good to see you too, Val." Dag smiles earnestly, her former question would remain unanswered. Shoved under the rug. She's smart enough, she'll figure it out.

"C'mon, we gotta bail." he gestures to her and pushes his back off the doorframe, leading the duo away from the hangar and towards his speeder parked outside. "Glad you didn't show up all Jedi dressed to kill, good thinking. Swoop bike girl kinda oddly fits you, not gonna lie." he remarks with a smirk, "Even without the usual mess of tattoos and piercings those here got runnin' for them."

After a brief pause, he went straight to the point just as they were getting into the speeder, "You're here about Jedha, aren't you?"​
 

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Location: Denon
Valery: Appearance
Outfit: Link
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze
Valery followed him outside the hangar and smirked at his comments, "I figured this would help me blend in a little better. Dressed to kill, but not as a Jedi." she joked as they began to approach the speeder parked outside. "And of course, without tattoos and piercings." she smirked - those really weren't her thing at all.
But this small talk was hardly the reason for her visit, and he knew this as well.
So when he asked his question, she stopped just outside the speeder and looked at him, her smile faded. She instead nodded her head lightly and stepped into the vehicle. "Jedha and well, life in general I suppose." she said as she sat down and tried to make herself comfortable.
"While we pushed out the invaders, it came with a cost. Everybody seems to be affected by it. Granted, I'm not close to a lot of people but..." she offered him a weak smile. "I just want to make sure friends are holding up well enough. I remember our talk before the attack, back on Mirial, and figured I'd come check up on you."
She then let out a soft sigh.
"Of course, I won't force you to talk about it if you prefer not to." she decided to add, knowing he had taken up quite a difficult role by fighting Solipsis himself.
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THE THIN LINE
THE GREAT ERROR vol. II
Issue #8 w/ Valery Noble Valery Noble

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x

"Of course, I won't force you to talk about it if you prefer not to." she decided to add, knowing he had taken up quite a difficult role by fighting Solipsis himself.

It's sometimes hard to tell what's day and what's night on Denon just of how busy and lively the City, at least, is. Meaning you still drank your coffee when the sun breaks the dawn but you'd still be seeing fresh party goers. The City that never sleeps. Much like Coruscant, really. But the skylane they took was almost barren. It was one of those bypasses that drew a line between the sleepless inner city and the rundown, lights-off industrial part of town.

The air's dirty, fused with tibanna gas whether from the heart of the city or from the residue fumes of the plants on the right but its breeze is somehow refreshing as it caresses their locks. Night-time drives that clear the mind. Gave him space to think as much as hanging from the edge of a rooftop, broodily watching the hive of scum and villainy that this world was.

Here they could talk. About anything. Be it Jedha or life, as Val so directly put it.

It's then when he finally opened his mouth again. Blue eyes fixated on the road ahead in rumination.

"... I couldn't end him." she knew who he was talking about, "There was a thin chance... at the cost of Zaka Zaka 's life but even then the outcome wasn't guaranteed. I chose the life of an ally over the mission... over the galaxy..."

"...and as much as I want to convince myself it was the right call... I just don't know. It just feels like... like everyone he kills from then on is on me. My fault."​
 

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Location: Denon
Valery: Appearance
Outfit: Link
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze
Valery leaned back into her chair with some apparent difficulty and rubbed the side of her neck while she began to look outside. Driving at night and watching the lights of the city flash by had an oddly relaxing effect on her, but she knew this beauty was corrupted by crime and awful people making other's lives miserable out there. It almost made her wonder how Dagon could spend so much time here.
But as they began to drive and were left alone, the topic quickly returned to why she was really there. She listened quietly to what he said and turned her gaze away from the city, and back to him.
"If we were willing to sacrifice the reason we fight in the first place - our friends, allies...the people who can't protect themselves; all for a slim chance at victory, then I believe we are truly blinded by the war." she began before she shifted to rest her body against the inner side of the door.
"There is a time and place for sacrifice, but dying in vain only weakens those left behind, and strengthens the path of the destroyer as a result." she paused and let out a soft breath.
"You didn't choose the life of a friend over the mission or the faith of the Galaxy. You chose not to let your desires to end this conflict push you into grabbing hold of the tiniest chance to do so. A chance that involved choice over another person's life; a friend's life."
"To take down Darth Solipsis is important, but there is no guarantee that it will end the conflict as a whole either. If a sacrifice is to be made to take him down, there should be no great uncertainty. Or you risk losing everything to gain nothing."
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THE THIN LINE
THE GREAT ERROR vol. II
Issue #8 w/ Valery Noble Valery Noble

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x

Blue eyes remain fixated up ahead at the passing lights as her gaze turns back to him. The Jedi Master's words sound so reassuring, so true, and yet their rationality barely scratches the walls of doubt erected over his heart. Her voice's tender, tranquil even against the soft hum of the engine, with only a barely noticeable pang of concern in its undertones. Something clawed at her, inside, as much as it did him.

The features on his face only barely contort when he remarks, "Sound like you've been through something."

"... something
you regret."
 

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Location: Denon
Valery: Appearance
Outfit: Link
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze
There was an extended period of silence following his question. As much as she was able to guard her emotions and thoughts against the outside world, a tremor of pain now broke through her facade. She frowned and shifted in her chair, a teary gaze moving roughly in the direction of Dagon.
"I lost the person I love." she began, unsure where to begin explaining but more importantly, how much she was going to explain.
"He fell to the dark side and is out to try and take his father down. I know I should have hope for his return somehow, but I can't stop myself from fearing the worst," she said with a shaky tone and the occasional voice crack. While the plan was for her to be his anchor to get him back, he had also requested her to kill him if he was beyond redemption.
"I just...feel so much pain, and I'm tired," she said as her hand shifted over her stomach, tracing circular paths while she focused on something deeper inside herself. Throughout her life, she carried an internal conflict with her, created by various events of her past. But now she carried something else as well, something that should be celebrated but in the absence of the one she loved, it was far more difficult.
Valery then went quiet and raised a hand up to rub the tears from her eyes. She heavily disliked looking this vulnerable, and as usual, tried her best to set it all aside. But this time, the pain she felt was too great, so her face remained buried inside the comfort of her hand for now.
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THE THIN LINE
THE GREAT ERROR vol. II
Issue #8 w/ Valery Noble Valery Noble

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x

"I lost the person I love." she began, unsure where to begin explaining but more importantly, how much she was going to explain.

His heart stops. The fingers on his hands were not enough to count the number of people he loved that he lost. That list had become a book. His brother's fall to the Dark Side, their mother's suicide, his first love - Ayana's tragic death by his very own hands. No cruise through the empty skylane, across the shimmering neon lights, could ever wash away that pain. In that heartbeat - all these memories seemed to shuffle through his mind, reliving them again and again and again.

Her voice cracks, crumbles, and Dag slowly turns his head back to her. Gone was the Jedi Master of a thousand years, of a thousand battles, of a thousand predicaments. She was left somewhere behind on the previous highway exit. The person who sat on his passenger seat was a woman finally broken with tears crystallizing her orange eyes against the dark of night. There's no need for the Force to tell him that her wound goes deep, far deep into the very essence of her soul.

And then, when her hand caresses her gut, a silent gasp escapes his lips. Blue eyes widen in a shocking revelation. The investigator mumbles something incomprehensible, looking for the right words, looking for anything to say. The story of her loved one - much similar to Dagon's own crisis with his father - abates, and in its wake dawns the anguish of reality.

"I-I..." his hand reaches for hers, squeezing it tight for a long moment before it shifts back on the gears of the speeder, and a long, tense sigh is exhaled but the strain lingering in the air remains. "..I'm sorry, Val... anything you need." he slightly nods his head - no more words are needed for her to know she has his support.

After a pause, the raven-haired Jedi clears his throat but his voice still remains hoarse as he asks, "...does he know?"
 

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Location: Denon
Valery: Appearance
Outfit: Link
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze
Valery's hand was gently trembling when he took hold of it to squeeze it for a long moment. The comfort it provided helped her calm down, and her breathing slowly grew more steady. She looked up at him with a weak smile and nodded, "I appreciate it, Dag." Valery said while she tried her best to appear stronger. "I just..." she rubbed some tears away from her eyes and took a deep breath. "...don't want to be alone right now. So thank you for meeting me here."
For a moment, she seemed to be doing much better but the question regarding the father was one that brought a frown to her face again.
"He doesn't know," she said, her tone a tad stronger. "I intend to keep it that way as well, for the safety of our child. His family is too dangerous." she sighed and ran a hand up through her hair. This whole situation was quite a mess, and a part of her feels like it could have been prevented. But she'd be lying if she expressed discontent about becoming a mother.
"I'm going to visit an old friend soon and hopefully she can help me out, but it's going to be tough until the baby is born. Once I recover from the pregnancy, I can keep my child safe," she said with strong motherly determination. "But until then... I'm going to need some help."
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THE THIN LINE
THE GREAT ERROR vol. II
Issue #8 w/ Valery Noble Valery Noble

kwzlsmL.png

x

"He doesn't know," she said, her tone a tad stronger. "I intend to keep it that way as well, for the safety of our child. His family is too dangerous." she sighed and ran a hand up through her hair. This whole situation was quite a mess, and a part of her feels like it could have been prevented. But she'd be lying if she expressed discontent about becoming a mother.

Good, Dag nods. He knows better than most the weight, the curse, that is to be the legacy of a Sith Lord. The child's existence has to be kept a secret from the fallen man if there's no chance for redemption - like how it had been the case of Haytham Kaze. Jem, his stubborn apprentice, was being rocked in the same boat. The daughter of the Sith'ari himself, Dag had her brought here to lay low. To protect her from the monster's claws.

And that couldn't be compromised.

No matter what.

"I'm going to visit an old friend soon and hopefully she can help me out, but it's going to be tough until the baby is born. Once I recover from the pregnancy, I can keep my child safe," she said with strong motherly determination. "But until then... I'm going to need some help."

His brow furrows deeper as he says nothing in response immediately. A little more vigilant, a little more cautious... He knows the most rational play is to split 'em - Jem and this unborn child so it doesn't turn out into a bad two birds, one situation... but Dag... Dag's always followed his heart rather than the letter of the rational.

"Means you'll need to... cut down on duty." he observes, eyes narrowing to no specific point in the distance, "... whatever you need, Val."

He's all ears.

A thousand plans, a thousand scenarios rev up in his head.
Valery Noble Valery Noble
 

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Location: Denon
Valery: Appearance
Outfit: Link
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze
"Means you'll need to... cut down on duty." he observes, eyes narrowing to no specific point in the distance, "... whatever you need, Val."
She had realized this as well when she found out that she was pregnant, yet it remained an odd feeling. Valery barely remembered anything about her few years prior to becoming a Jedi, so the vast majority of her life had revolved around her duties. To temporarily step back from them was going to be strange. But she knew it was necessary as well.
"I plan to look for a place to hide and lay low while I go into the later stages of pregnancy. No duties, but also difficult to find in case trouble comes looking for me." she thought about this for a moment. Thus far, there were very few loose ends to her work - she had been efficient at hitting her targets. But there were still a few minor problems that could quickly become major ones.
"I hope the friend I'm going to approach will be able to help me during this time, and maybe some others can too. I just... feel terrible for having to ask this of anybody." she frowned. Dagon was also one of the few she trusted greatly as a friend, and she hoped he knew this. But he seemed to be having his own issues lately as well. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself for asking for his assistance in protecting the child.
But she did have a question for him that she figured he'd be able to answer.
"I did want to ask you something as well," she said before a brief silence lingered between them.
"Would you be able to help me find a place to hide and lay low? Somewhere I can safely give birth, and then leave behind once the baby is born?"
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THE THIN LINE
THE GREAT ERROR vol. II
Issue #8 w/ Valery Noble Valery Noble

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x

Dag wasn't expecting anything less than Valery Noble. For the short period of time he's known her, she was as capable in battle as she was out of it. Her level of awareness was something to strive for. Extremely clear-minded and level-headed - something the New Jedi, young as they were and with no masters, had lacked throughout the Stygian campaign.

"...I just... feel terrible for having to ask this of anybody."​
He shakes his head, "Don't. Helping people is who we are."

"I did want to ask you something as well," she said before a brief silence lingered between them.
"Would you be able to help me find a place to hide and lay low? Somewhere I can safely give birth, and then leave behind once the baby is born?"

Narrowing his eyes, Dag mind begins to think - flashing through every possibility, every scenario.

"Yeah." he says. He'd need Yula's help on this. She still knew the City better than he did and each location of their safehouses, including their own home, and their specifics. If there was someone that knew what the most plausible place for Valery's request was, it was Yula Perl Yula Perl . "Yeah, for sure."

"But you're gonna need to tell me everything, Val. The father, everything about him, the last time you saw him, where... every detail even if it seems negligible at a glance." preparation was key, vital. He glances back at her, the weariness on his face replaced by a solemn facade, "Not 'cause you can't protect the child on your own... but so we won't have to put that up to the test at all."

Valery Noble Valery Noble
 

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Location: Denon
Valery: Appearance
Outfit: Link
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze
He shakes his head, "Don't. Helping people is who we are."

Valery already began to smile a little again - she was happy to have friends that were this helpful, even if it was part of being friends or Jedi. She was still asking him to help with something that had a whole different kind of responsibility to it. The future of a child was a special thing.
But when he asked his questions, she began to think and looked back over.
"I saw Kahlil Zambrano, the father, last on a vacation we went on together - it was on Spira. His fall was... not entirely unexpected," she said with a frown. "He believed it to be necessary to get close to his father, who I believe the real threat is. As much as I don't want Kahlil to get close now that he has fallen, I don't believe he would ever do anything to harm me or the child if he were to find out. The problem would be his father finding out through him," she said with a soft sigh.
"But I'm not willing to test that theory. So ever since he fell, I've made sure he can't reach or find me through our bond in the Force. Only when we're really close or if I allow it, he can reach me." she admitted, hoping this wasn't going to be a problem. The chance of him finding her, and actually looking for her while she was in hiding was small. But she understood if it complicated matters.
"But I will not allow him to find me. I will under no circumstance allow my problems to endanger others. Whether that's you and your loved ones, or anybody else helping me."
She looked at Dagon with an almost stubborn type of strength in her eyes - she was dead serious about this.
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THE THIN LINE
THE GREAT ERROR vol. II
Issue #8 w/ Valery Noble Valery Noble

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x

Zambrano?

The name soured the taste in his mouth. They had gone to war against their patriarch - the Sith Emperor Carnifex; buried countless friends and comrades in the process. A war they had returned home in laurel wreaths drenched in blood and a crown of thorns painting them - the Jedi - as the villains of the story. Stroked by the broad, holier-than-thou brush of other Jedi and politicians who'd lifted no finger against the genocide for decades.

Kaze forgives but... he does not forget.

Retribution was an act reserved only for the truly corrupt - the Sith and their machinations. Otherwise, it became a burden too hefty to carry.

"...I don't believe he would ever do anything to harm me or the child if he were to find out. The problem would be his father finding out through him," she said with a soft sigh.​
"I'm not w--"
"--I'm not willing to test that theory. So ever since he fell, I've made sure he can't reach or find me through our bond in the Force. Only when we're really close or if I allow it, he can reach me." she completed his thoughts before they could fully escape his tongue and a thin smile crosses his face. Ever clear-sighted Valery Noble despite the turbulent storm of emotions that sought to consume her, to force her to make a mistake.​
The raven-haired Knight stares in the distance, musing not over the decision - that had been made the moment she had put her trust into him - but over what followed after. Plans, contingencies, scenarios. Finally, his head turns to meet her determined gaze as the smile disperses from his lips, "I'm with ya." he nods, then looks back ahead on the road. "Sith do have their deranged fixation over legacy..."

It's yet another child of a Sith Lord on Denon, this one still unborn, that needed to be protected by all costs, that by all means had to be saved from the same fate Dagon had suffered through as he'd grown up.

"I'll take you home tonight, you can stay with us for as long as you need to, Val." he says, "I want to see if anyone comes snooping for your ship after I drop you off.. -- I'll handle that." on Denon not only the walls but the very air you breathe has ears. He also needs time alone to clear his mind and think without having to go through another migraine session sponsored by Jem Fossk Jem Fossk and Yula Perl Yula Perl again.

Valery Noble Valery Noble
 

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Location: Denon
Valery: Appearance
Outfit: Link
Ship: Factory link
Tag: Dagon Kaze Dagon Kaze
"I'm with ya."
These words alone brought such a sense of relief that Valery finally leaned back in her seat and relaxed. She let out a soft sigh and kept her eyes closed for a moment - she was incredibly thankful to have friends like this. Then with a smile, she opened her eyes and looked over at Dagon.
"Thank you, Dag. I appreciate it a lot. It's going to be nice to have some people I can trust closely around me." she said with the same warm smile. The fact he was willing to let her stay in his place warmed her heart - it wasn't often an easy or desired thing at all.
"I will of course help in any way I can. I love cooking, so I'd be more than willing to prepare some good meals and do other things around your place. Keep it clean, protected, and such." There was no way she was going to stay in someone else's place without contributing. She didn't want to feel like a burden.
"As for my ship, it's pretty stealthy and I took a less than straightforward route here. If someone is snooping around, they're serious business," she said just so he'd be aware. It was often her job to track and hunt others down, so she also was a lot more aware to avoid being tracked herself. So if someone did manage to do so... they likely were quite skilled.
But with that said, the two would continue their drive towards the place she was likely to be staying for quite some time. It was likely going to take some adjusting, but she also looked forward to it all.
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