Private The Zone

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"This should be... interesting," Valery mused while she sat in the co-pilot seat of the Bastion, her legs casually thrown up onto the console in front of her. She knew he didn't like it when she did that, but she wanted to be comfortable while she read through reports. "A few years ago, researchers on Zanov discovered a new element with very useful properties. Most noteworthy, it was energy dense and with a few adjustment to the designs they have for existing power plants, they could start harvesting the energy from it," Valery explained before she flipped to the next page.

"A test plant was built and ran for about a month, before a currently unknown set of events caused a huge explosion. Dust and radioactive debris were sent across the continent and even transformed it." Valery raised an eyebrow and looked away from her Datapad, hopefully to not see a frustrated look for the way she sat, but one of curiosity as well.

"Apparently, strange phenomena have been sighted in the entire zone around the plant since the explosion. Unexplainable things that cause problems for the natives. No trip to the plant has been survived, and every ship that tries to go there, mysteriously crashes." Valery flashed him a smirk and shifted her butt around to be more comfortable, "I think even your piloting skills can't get us there, love."

She cleared her throat and continued, "Anyway, we've been asked to land inside the zone at a military camp they set up. They want to tell us more about the ongoing situation, and figure a way out to reach the plant. As it is now, it remains an emitter of radiation and other types of energy that they barely seem to understand."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Minerals can have a connection to the Force. I'm starting to think there might be some connection with that." Just looking over the report made it the only clear thing to him. The unexplained were often just the result of the Force. At least, that's why he figured they were the two heading to investigate. He did chuckle, though. If he wasn't going to be able to fly them in, then it was more likely they'd end up having to walk.

That wouldn't be much of a problem, technically. The radiation would make it worse for them, though.

"We'll get the full picture when we meet the others. Ready?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"It could explain some of the anomalies that were reported. Self-sustaining fires, gravitational anomalies... and some they haven't even figured out yet. People who have gone in just never return." A lot of mystery and danger, but that was exactly why she thought this assignment was interesting. It wasn't the usual type of problem she dealt with, and they could perhaps learn a lot of new things about the Force.

Valery turned in her seat, feet dragging over his console without hitting a button somehow, "I'm only concerned about their push to reach the plant. Every journey deeper into the zone — closer towards the plant — ended in disaster." Sure, the two Nobles weren't exactly ordinary people, but if they had no idea why these excursions ended in death or people disappearing, they would be taking risks as well.

"Bring us down, love," Valery said as she raised her hand and looked at her wedding band with a smile. "This could end up being a longer assignment, you know," she added with her voice hinting at excitement. "I'll miss the kids, but... it's nice to be out here doing something good with you."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Whatever he case, we'll figure it out, I'm certain."

Together they could solve just about anything, he figured. That was their greatest strength. Each other. He smiled as he looked over to her, listened to what she was saying. It was grim, but at the same time, it was them together. "I wouldn't mind being lost with you for a bit, you know." That was his last little quip before he guided the Bastion to landing. Yes, he wouldn't mind it, so long as they were together.

That was all that mattered to him, ultimately.

"Who are we meeting?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"You've been very romantic lately, you know. Are you sure that I'm the silly romantic here?" She finally removed her feet from the ship's console and spun in het chair until she was facing him directly. Getting lost together for a bit, huh? If this wasn't such a dangerously unknown situation, she would have loved the thought of that as well. Just the two of them, wandering around, exploring, and going on adventures together.

There wasn't a person in the Galaxy who she'd rather have by her side.

"We're meeting with the commanding officer of the camp, as well as someone they refer to as a 'pilot', but not in the flying sense. Pilots here are people who have mapped parts of the zone, and can help others navigate through it. I believe he'll be the one to guide a new attempt at reaching the plant." She smiled and turned around again while they made their landing. Once down, she unbuckled herself and sighed in relief, as the strain against her chest faded away.

"Are you ready, adventurer?" She stood up and extended a hand towards him. She wouldn't make him walk out hand-in-hand, but she wanted just a brief moment of touch before they headed out into the usual dangers again.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You realize both things can be true, right?"

Kahlil just flashed a smirk before reaching up to at least wipe down where her feet were. No, he didn't like it when people put things on the control panel. There were few things he really stressed about, and cleanliness of the Bastion was the biggest of them all. He set the Bastion down, standing himself to stretch out. "That's an interesting term, but I can't find fault with it. They'll guide us through, hopefully."

Maybe.

He took her hand, squeezing rather firmly as he flashed a smile and lead the way down. Hand in hand still, no less. "Of course."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

The Zone

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Maybe, but you're starting to outperform me. You haven't been reading my romance novels without telling me, I hope?" Well, more like smutty novels, but he didn't know that. She hoped. Valery flashed him a grin in return either way and watched him wipe the console where her feet had been a second ago. Her eyebrows began to rise as he did, and she squinted at him with a slight tilt of her head, "My feet aren't dirty, you know." Not yet, since they hadn't landed and been on their mission yet.

But she knew he was a bit of a freak when it came to the Bastion and its maintenance.

Her freak.

She smiled at the touch of hands and gave him another look of pleasant surprise, when he squeezed and held it as they walked outside. Whether or not it raised any eyebrows, Valery couldn't tell — almost every single person at the camp was wearing a mask, and many also had hoods covering their heads.

The grim colors of the surroundings made it look like a radioactive apocalypse, even though it was safe enough to be here.

"You two must be the Nobles." A tall soldier, slightly older than most, approached and looked between the two, "I'm Commander Vazyro, commanding officer of this outpost. I'm sure you two have a lot of questions, so please, why don't you join me inside the bunker?"

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Of course, Commander."

Kahlil offered a brief smile to the man before following him into the bunker, still very much hand in hand with Valery. There was no reason for him not to, after all. And no, he didn't answer anything about the feet and him cleaning. There was no winning in that topic, so he chose simply not to participate. Better to distract her with hand squeezes than get in any more trouble.

"Will we need to get our own outfits for this place?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

The Zone

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

<I win.>

A decade as someone's partner taught her a lot of things. She knew exactly why he hadn't said anything about her feet on the console, or the comment she made about it herself. So, she decided to telepathically bait him. He could choose to respond and deal with her being her, or he could ignore it and be forced to watch that annoying little grin spreading across her lips. Or, well, he could get her in trouble later, but she hoped he wasn't thinking about that right now.

They had work to do~

Either way, Valery held his hand and squeezed affectionately while they headed into the bunker. At this point, she had noticed some people looking at them for the handholding, but she didn't care. Only when they entered the bunker, and two scientists in lab coats approached to shake hands, did Valery withdrew hers from Kahlil's grasp to shake them.

"Masters Noble," one of them said with a nod. "Be assured, you do not need a special suit here. Some areas in the zone might require it though, so we'll offer you a suit when needed."

The Commander nodded, "These are Doctors Zaman and Yeder. They've been conducting research into the zone since its inception, with a particular focus on anomalies and artifacts respectively. Their knowledge will be crucial to reach the plant."

Valery listened along and nodded, but if Kahlil were to be tapped into their bond, he'd know that she was dreading the idea of suiting up. She had a particular dress code for herself, and ugly protective suits were not her cup of tea.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

He didn't respond, instead just looking ahead. She'd pay for it. Later. Right now they had something else to focus on for certain. Kahlil reluctantly let go of her hand once they had to shake hands with someone else. The scientists, then. At least they wouldn't need the suit hopefully, provided they weren't going anywhere too dangerous.

Which, knowing their luck, wasn't going to be the case.

Kahlil chuckled just a little at the feeling he got from Valery. He wouldn't explain his laugh, just nodded to those before them. "They'll be able to talk to us through coms, right? Unless coms are broken when you enter the zone?" That was a possibility. Which, he really was hoping wouldn't mean they were planning to come along too.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

The Zone

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

A smirk of victory pulled at her lips when she heard no response anymore. She knew the silence meant trouble, but she couldn't help but feel as if she won at least one battle here today. Though, as smug as she was, her eyes shifted to him when she felt the reluctance to give up her hand. As vocal as she was about her love for him, it had always been physical touch between them that resonated the most.

Holding hands, as simple as it was, felt better than just about anything else.

"Comms work throughout most of the explored zone, but there are anomalies where they won't be operable. Beyond the dead forest, however, we are certain they won't work. It's the forest before you reach the nearby city — now a ghost town — and the power plant is just beyond it. Workers of the plant and families used to live there, but now it's desolate. Thus far, we have found no way to reach it, but that is why you are here," the lead scientist explained, before the other chimed in.

"We have heard rumors of an artifact whose properties change in the vicinity of anomalies. We believe we can use it to create a compass of sorts. A device that can warn you about the presence of anomalies and help you navigate through them."

Which already hinted at their first task — they needed to find this artifact.

Valery looked at her husband and smiled, "I guess we suit up and find this artifact together?" she asked him, but she was certain other questions remained. They needed a lead, or perhaps help from people inside the camp.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

So only parts of the place would loose communication? That wasn't ideal, but at least they had some communication. And that meant they weren't about to end up coming with them. That would've been it's own problem. But now, this artifact. He raised a brow curiously as he glanced to Valery, giving her a brief nod. That was a good enough plan going forward.

"Do we have a location of where they are?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

The Zone

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

Doctor Yeder nodded, "The pilot inside our camp heard of the rumors during his trips to map the Zone. He will tell you where to go, but take your time. We have much to prepare, and I'm sure you would want to learn more about the Zone first." They knew very little about the anomalies, after all, let alone the mutants and different groups of people that banded together.

It wasn't all military - there were more dangerous people out here, too.

"If you'd like to learn more about the mutants of the Zone, talk to Strider. He organizes hunts whenever we discover particularly troublesome mutants," Doctor Zaman added. "You might even wish to join a hunt, to help the camp and to learn."

Valery looked at her husband for a moment to see where his mind was at. They could try to go straight for the artifact, or would it be better to take on little missions on the side first? Learn about this place and its dangers.

"Just be aware of bandits and avoid the dead forest," the Commander said, his voice a warning. "This is no Coruscant, Masters Jedi. There is no order here, and your greatest enemies are often the people, rather than mutants and anomalies. Spend some time at camp, talk to people and offer your help if you are willing."

"It will help you prepare for the great journey to the plant."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Great journey?"

Kahlil raised a brow at the terminology. Such a term often lead to some religious significance. And with an event like this, he could see how it could be seen as a sign of mythology or god or the like. It was a dangerous belief, though, especially with the idea there were people who lived rather cruelly throughout. "We'll talk to Strider, first. The more information we have, the better off we'll be."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

The Zone

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Surviving the dead forest is no easy feat, Master Jedi," the Commander reminded him with a quick nod of his head. But with that said, he didn't have much more to share with the Jedi. They would have to get familiar with the Zone and its inhabitants, and when they were ready, the path for the power plant could begin.

A great journey indeed.

"After you meet with Strider, I also suggest a visit to Doc. As the name suggests, he's our medical expert. I'm sure he'll have some useful things to help on your mission." He once more nodded, and allowed the Nobles to leave the bunker.

"You know," Valery said with a chuckle as they stepped outside. "Is it bad that all of this feels...exciting to me?" She looked around for a moment. While apocalyptic and dangerous, all the mystery of this Zone was intriguing to her as well.

So much to discover and do out here, and Valery would never shy away from a little danger.

"Though I do feel a little out of place. Have you noticed that there aren't any women out here?" She looked around the camp, but turned her gaze back to him when she saw none. "Just means I'm even more special~"

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Once they were outside Kahlil couldn't stop his own smile from forming. There was so much danger here, but he was still a scientist. Or whatever the mystical version of a scientist would be. His magic senses were certainly tingling, would be the short of it. Whatever this place was, whatever was going on, he was excited to figure it out. All the different pieces.

So, he smiled to Valery and nodded. Though raised a brow up.

"How can you tell? Practically everyone earlier was in suits. Are there really no women here?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

The Zone

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"I haven't seen one yet," Valery said with a chuckle, "Even in suits, you can still tell, you know. And this camp is safe enough from what I gathered, so not everybody is fully suited up." She shrugged. It didn't really matter all that much, but it was a detail that made her wonder if there was a particular reason for it. Had something happened to them? Or had they gone somewhere else?

She wasn't really getting strange looks for being here, so maybe it was just a coincidence.

"I recognize that smile and little sparkle in your eyes, though. You're excited, aren't you?" She flashed her teasing little smirk and reached for his hand to squeeze it. She loved seeing him like this - serious about a mission but excited and eager at the same time. She was already more than happy to just be out here with him, and now it would be an experience she knew they'd remember.

"Just, let's be careful too, alright? As much as I'm thrilled to explore, people have been dying and disappearing for a reason." There was that shimmer in her eyes again - the worrying kind, whenever she felt there was danger for him or the kids. "I'll be very upset if something happens to you." She looked at him with a playful little pout, but her tone made it clear she had some genuine concerns.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"That is very odd."

This wasn't a place like Ukatis, so why weren't there any woman? He frowned in thought, but pushed that aside to instead focus on what they were going to be heading to. Strider. He paused to glance her way at her pout, raising a brow. "You think I'm going to die or something? Ye of little faith. This place is totally up my alley, so don't worry about my health. You just stay alive for me, alright?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

The Zone

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

Valery squinted at him, "Hold up there, love. Are you claiming that you're somehow better equipped for this than I am? The former Jedi Shadow" She glared but there was a more playful smirk tugging at her lips as well. This was a chance to poke at him, and she'd never pass up on that opportunity "I'm not worried you'll die, but don't get too cocky~" Valery slowly walked around him, her hand first placed against his chest and slowly trailing a circle around his entire torso while she walked around him.

Like a teasing predator stalking her prey.

"You're a nerd when it comes to these things, but we should still be careful." She stopped right in front of him and flashed her grin right up at him.

"I'll protect you when it gets dangerous," she teased some more.

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You were taught how to destroy. I was trained how to utilize. We are not the same." Kahlil just smiled a rather smug way as he glanced down towards Valery. They both certainly had their skills, but he'd tease her about it none the less. "I am an absolute nerd, yes. And proud of it. But thank you, my beautiful bride. I appreciate having such a stalwart guardian. Shall you lead the way as my bodyguard for the evening?"

Valery Noble