Private Through Ash and Silence

[Caelan Valoren]

Where had she gone?

With everything that had happened, for her to just abandon them in their time of need? That didn't feel right to him. There was something more going on. And in the wake of the loss of his wife, he needed answers. He needed to know that, no matter what, he still wasn't alone. Sure, Cora was still around, but the Jedi that he had spent the most time with, the ones that he had called friends, sisters, brothers, most of them had disappeared. Some he wasn't sure were even still alive. Others he didn't know where they had gone. One day they were there, available, the next disappeared. And they'd lost one of them, one who'd taught him Broken Gate, on Coruscant.

He had to find her, and the logical place, one he'd found her before, was New Cov. If she wasn't there, someone there would likely know where she was. So he'd taken his leave of Lazerian, in the wake of the death of his wife, and headed for New Cov with Kastiel and Serenya along for the ride. He would not leave them, not now. With everything they'd lost, memories they would never have, he wasn't going to leave them alone with anyone unless he absolutely had to. Even then, it wouldn't be for long.

So when he'd arrived on New Cov, when the transport landed, he left it wearing a wrap with his oldest on his back and his youngest nestled against his chest. He waded off into the forests, away from the city, delving deep within for the temple that he knew was hidden back in the confines of the forest, away from where people would easily find it. Just a father, carrying his children on a walk through the woods. Nothing to see there. Nothing to see until he found what he was looking for and walked inside the safety of the walls, pausing to take a breather because he wasn't used to all the added weight. Not that he couldn't use the workout.

He just hoped she was there.

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Valery Noble ​

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[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

She had felt him long before the sound of footsteps carried through the forest. Familiar threads in the Force drew her attention outward, and so she left the Temple interior to wait along the shaded path. The trees swayed faintly overhead, but her presence remained steady, open, and unmistakable for someone searching.

He'd certainly recognize her.

When Caelan finally emerged, carrying the weight of more than just the children at his chest and back, she was already there. Valery stood with her hands resting lightly at her sides, the faintest smile softening her features. She let the moment settle, giving him time to feel her presence fully, before a word was spoken.

For now, the smile was enough.

She was happy to see him again.

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

When he regained himself, he walked forward again, taking the winding path through the inner sanctuary, heading towards the temple proper. It didn’t take him but a moment to feel that she was there, ahead of him, waiting. A breath of thankfulness passed through his lips. Though he would have scoured the galaxy to find her so that they could speak, he was grateful that he had found her on the first try. Perhaps he should have thanked the Force. Undoubtedly it was the real reason that he had found her so swiftly.

As he approached, he didn’t smile. Smiling was something distant, a memory now. He hadn’t done it since before Anavi died. Too much had happened for him to think about smiling, even if, inwardly, he was happy to see her. Valery had always been someone he could rely upon. She’d found him and kept him company when he was going off to find his lightsaber crystal on his own because his Master was too busy with other things to travel with him. Then she’d been with him when he’d finally broken through the pain and heartache from the loss of his family that had stopped his development.

“Hello, Master Noble,” he said as he neared. “Glad to see you are well. With your disappearance from the Order I was worried.”

He wasn’t really worried that something had happened to her, but more worried that he wouldn’t be able to confide in her again, or that she was completely stepping away from the life of a Jedi. What if she had decided that enough was enough and just disappeared into the galaxy, never to be seen again?

“These are my children Kastiel and Serenya.” He indicated each in turn. “With the loss of my wife I travel with them when danger isn’t impending. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Valery Noble
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[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's smile deepened when he drew closer, her gaze softening as it moved from him to the little ones resting against his chest and back. There was no mistaking the heaviness in his voice or the shadow that lingered over him, but the sight of Kastiel and Serenya brought light into her expression.

"They're beautiful," she said, her voice carrying the warmth she always held for children. "You do not need to worry about them bothering me. Quite the opposite, really. I am glad you brought them." She had always loved children, her own most of all, but she never hid the fondness that stirred whenever she was around the young.

Her eyes lingered a moment longer on the two before settling back on him. "It is good to see you too, Caelan. And I am still here, even if my path has shifted. I would not simply disappear."

She gestured toward a quiet alcove along the path, shaded and peaceful with a small seating area built for visitors of the Temple. "Why don't we sit? I can prepare some tea, and we can talk properly. It has been too long." Her smile softened again as she motioned for him to join her, clearly ready to listen and to offer whatever comfort she could.

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

He hadn’t actually thought the children would bother her. Considering she was a mother, she wouldn’t reject someone else having their kids around. That being said, when she indicated they were beautiful, he smiled, albeit a bit forlornly. There was still an impinging sadness within him at the loss of Anavi. It wouldn’t go away quickly, he knew, even if they had been drifting apart. She was still the mother of his children, and he had still loved her to an extent, same for her to him. But they had never been meant to be together, and that had become more and more apparent the longer they actually were together.

“Thanks,” he said as she indicated that they sit.

He carefully removed Kastiel from his place on his back, the Force had many uses, and settled him onto his backside on the ground before he sat beside him. The boy was content to play with the grass and the various insects that flitted around for the moment, which just left him to tend to Serenya, who was sound asleep.

“After Coruscant, when the call went out to go to Ilum, I had expected you and many others to be there, but you weren’t. Only Master Si and Knight von Ascania were there from the council and they indicated that you and others had– left, I guess is the best way to put it.”

Kastiel started crawling around, but Caelan didn’t stop him since they were in a safe place.

“What happened? Did you leave? Is the order splintering?”

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery settled onto the bench beside him, her hands curling around the warm cup of tea she had just poured. For a moment, she let her gaze linger on Kastiel as he explored the grass, a soft smile tugging at her lips before she turned her attention back to Caelan. His question was one she knew would come sooner or later.

"I did not walk away from the Order," she said gently, her voice calm but firm. "But the Alliance… its course has shifted in ways I can no longer follow as I once did. I have given everything of myself to their cause, to the Jedi they entrusted me with, and I do not regret that. But the Force has shown me another path. One that does not bind me to the politics of the Senate."

Her orange eyes lowered to the surface of her tea, the reflection of the light flickering against her features. "Some chose to follow me on that path. Others remained with the Order as it continues to serve the Alliance. Whether that becomes a true splintering, I cannot say yet. Time will tell."

Finally, she looked up at him again, expression steady but softened by the warmth of her tone. "What will not change is my purpose. I will still help the people of the Alliance. I will still help any who need it, no matter where they come from. That is what it means to me to be Jedi. Titles, factions, governments… they rise and fall. But the people remain."

Her lips curved into a faint, reassuring smile as she added, "And I do not intend to turn my back on them. Or on you."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

Caelan was quiet as he listened to her speak. It was enough for him to hear her out while keeping an eye on Kastiel as he perused the grasses and chased after bugs. The kid was getting bigger by the day, it seemed. He remembered just a year prior when he was born, wide eyed, a menace to sleep, but happy. His mother had loved him instantly, of course, and Caelan as well. He'd had everything, and then that was taken from him the same as Caelan's parents had been taken from him. He'd failed to keep his promise to Kastiel, though the boy would never remember he'd made it.

"I've become disenfranchised with the Alliance, myself," he said when she was finished. "They become so locked into their senate sessions and grandstanding. They hate monarchies and they antagonize them for no reason. I don't know if you heard, but the Hapans withdrew from the Alliance after they lost another Queen. Other worlds seem keen to follow, and the Empire gobbles up still more while the Senate argues amongst itself instead of deploying the full might of the GADF."

He might not want to be a soldier himself, not wanting to be an attacker, but that didn't mean he ignored the need for such people. Soldiers and naval personnel kept the galaxy safe. They were essential, and so was military action, especially when the enemy made it clear that they expected worlds to just be handed over in order to stop their assault.

"I can't say I haven't though of having Lazerian withdraw and rely on its own defenses. At least we're organized."

Pausing, he turned to look at her.

"You concerned me when you weren't there on Ilum. I didn't know if something happened to you on Coruscant, and as one of the people who has been of the greatest help to me, especially with Anavi's murder, I didn't want to lose anyone else. I know we lost Caltin, too. It's hard to lose people."

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery listened in silence, her tea resting between her hands as Caelan spoke. She followed the way his voice shifted, how his thoughts moved between frustration with the Alliance, concern for his world, and the lingering pain of loss. When he finally paused, her head dipped in a small, understanding nod.

"I know," she said softly. "I have the same worries. The Senate spends too much time arguing while the galaxy bleeds. People turn away from the Alliance not because they want the Empire to win, but because they no longer feel protected. That is what frightens me most." Her fingers tightened faintly around the cup, the warmth seeping into her skin as her eyes settled on the boy still playing in the grass.

She looked back to Caelan a moment later, "But I am fine. I survived Coruscant, though I will not pretend it left me untouched. That day took much from all of us. It is why I knew I could not just return to the same halls, waiting for the next Senate vote while the galaxy tears itself apart. I have started something new, Caelan. A path where Jedi and those who share our cause can act directly, to fight back and to help the people where it matters most."

Her expression softened, the faintest smile tugging at her lips. "I am still here. You will not lose me. And if you ever choose to take Lazerian down this path, you will not be alone."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

He nodded in agreement with what she said.

“The senate has become bloated and has tied the hands of the GADF as a result, is my understanding. Our strongest fighting ships have been held back from engaging the Empire.”

But then, he didn’t believe that combat was going to resolve that situation anyway, at least not in the favor of the Alliance. Coordination and cohesion were lacking, and the end result was obviously that the Empire was going to continue to cut swaths of territory from them and pin them between themselves and the Sith. Then the two would push until the Alliance was no more, and that would leave Lazerian and the fate of his people in a very bad place. It worried him greatly, but he didn’t feel there was a military solution to stopping that, at least not at the moment.

He wasn’t even sure he wanted there to be one.

She went on to explain that she, and others, were creating something new, meaning to take the fight back to those who threatened peace and who decided to harm others. It still sounded like what he didn’t agree with in terms of the direction of the Jedi, but he understood the need for it. It wasn’t an action he could participate in, being combative, but maybe there was a means for him to assist in another way. He’d have to think on that.

“I understand that fighting against these people is a necessity, because it’s clear they have no intention for peace or a willingness to negotiate based on the demands they gave the senate. But I still feel it’s only right to act in defense so I cannot join in aggressive actions.”

No condemnation, just honesty.

“Plus, with Anavi gone, I need to make sure I’m here for Kastiel and Serenya. I don’t want them to have to deal with what I did.”

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Valery Noble ​