Private War On All Fronts

[Katja Javik]

The past few days had been a blur and it was only by some miracle that she found herself where she was, owing her life to a benevolent individual from a village that the Empire had formerly invaded, whose name she did not know and language she didn't speak. It was not an action that she claimed to understand but nor would she criticise it. After all, her life had depended on it.

With nowhere else to turn, she could think of only one place where the people were self-righteous enough to potentially offer any assistance and she knew that even if any of her past wrongdoings were discovered, the retaliation would be nothing compared to what the Imperials would do, which was how she found herself at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant in a turn of events that would have almost been comical had it not been for the circumstances.

Formerly being a Stormtrooper, she had the advantage of a degree of anonymity outside of the former Empire, though it was not absolute which was why she came to the heart of the Alliance, hoping to hide while she figured out her next move, using the pretence of the only person she knew - or so she thought.

Slowly, on account of her injuries at the hand of whom she had thought to be her ally, she made her way towards the entrance but the impressiveness of the structure was lost on her. She was not fond of the Jedi, nor admired them. Until recently, they had been at the end of the barrel of a blaster on the battlefield. It seemed surreal now, like a lifetime ago.

"Do you know where I could find a Jedi about this tall-" She gestured to a height "-with dark hair and a self-righteous attitude?" She asked a guard near the entrance. "I know that could be a number of people but this one is particularly irritating."


Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Katja Javik

"Self-righteous and irritating? Really?" Valery asked with narrowed eyes as she descended the Temple steps. The guards had alerted her to the stranger at the doors, and even with just a quick look outside, she knew who it was. The last time they met was a very... chaotic time of her life, but she doubted it'd matter now. This visit raised so many questions that she wanted to be answered, so for now, she decided to focus on that.

"You look like chit, what happened to you? And why did you come to find me here?"

While she asked the question, she already had the feeling that it wasn't going to be anything good. They had spent that evening drinking and dancing to forget about life, but they were hardly friends. Whatever Katja was going to trust her with right now, it was only out of necessity.

Or at least, that's how it felt to Valery.

"Do you need medical help?"

 

[Katja Javik]

"Valery?" Her gaze shifted to the woman upon hearing the familiar voice, a look of confusion on her face. Of all the places she could've encountered her again, this was the last she could've imagined.

"It's a long story. A really long story." She replied truthfully. She was too exhausted to create a false narrative to explain herself. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. She couldn't see how things could get any worse than they already were even if Valery knew the truth.

"What are you doing here? I didn't know you'd be here. Are you a Jedi?" She asked, puzzled. There were so many questions that she had but those were the most pertinent. To think of her as a Jedi was certainly amusing considering what their last meeting had entailed, though the same could likely be said about herself.

"Yeah. I got stabbed." She said, casually, as though it was normal. "I'm a medic though so it's not a big deal." She brushed it off, pulling down the collar of her jacket slightly to show the bandaged wound. "But I only had limited supplies and then I came straight here because I didn't know where else to go."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Katja Javik

For a moment, Valery was confused that Katja seemed so confused. Why didn't she expect a Jedi to be at the largest Jedi Temple in the Galaxy? Then she remembered that she had kept that part of her life fo herself when they met. Valery offered a somewhat sheepish smile and sighed - she couldn't really hide it anymore now. Not with her appearance from the temple, her attire and the lightsabers hanging from her belt.

"I'm a Jedi, yeah. I didn't think it was wise to share that last time we met." She shook her head a little to move on. This wasn't important right now.

Katja was injured and definitely didn't come here for no reason at all.

"Please don't downplay being stabbed. I can get you supplies from the Temple and...we should probably talk about what happened." It wasn't really common to bring a stranger into the temple, but she wasn't going to let Katja bleed out, and she had this feeling that something had happened she should learn more about.

"Come on, let's go."

 

[Katja Javik]

Under other circumstances, she would have mocked Valery for her revelation, had she not been so exhausted and still in shock from the events that had recently transpired. "No, probably not." She replied with a hint of an amused smile. With any luck, there would be a future opportunity to mention their first meeting.

With Valery's permission to enter, she followed inside, her gaze darting between people that they passed. The same group of people who she faced in battle, some of whom died by her hand. Still, simply observing them didn't evoke any remorse. Under the cold veil of a helmet, she disconnected from the callous nature of her actions.

"Relax. It's not a big deal otherwise I would've been dead by now." Katja replied in her usual laid-back tone. She had not yet come to terms with what she had done, instead opting to pretend there was any normalacy left in her life.

"Yeeeeah..." She started, awkwardly. "So, I'm in the army and my squadmate, who's unhinged at the best of times, tried to kill me." She gave a brief overview of the events, though it was only so long before the truth came out.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Katja Javik

Valery stopped.

"Your squadmate tried what?" She was clearly shocked hearing that, mostly because her mind drifted to the Alliance army, where such things were largely unheard of outside major incidents. "Are you in the Alliance military? How could such a thing happen?" she continued to ask, knowing that there were psychological tests to be allowed to serve in the military. A lunatic who could turn against his own people would not easily make it in.

But while those questions were hopefully answered, she also started moving again.

"It also doesn't really explain why you're here of all places," Valery added, once they reached the medbay. The longer she thought about it, the more questions seemed to pop up. But even with those questions, she turned on the lights and began to look for medical supplies. She wasn't a healer at all, but she could grab everything Katja needed to tend to her injury.

Or perhaps offer assistance and follow directions.

"Got everything you need?"

 

[Katja Javik]

"Yeah, I mean I knew he was always difficult but..." She stumbled on her words. This was the first time she was having to recount the series of events that led her here and it was far from pleasant. "Not to this extent." She finished. The situation had not fully sank in and she hadn't processed that she had murdered a man whose life she had saved on several occasions. Someone she used to sit with, share meals and work under missions of high stress. None of it had fully processed but the longer she spoke to Valery, the more that was revealed.

The first awkward question of many.

"Umm... Imperial Military." She replied, awkwardly, leaving a few moments of silence following for Valery to absorb the information. She had no reason to lie, regardless of how the lie made her look. They were unlikely to offer such a friendly service at the revelation, she imagined, but she needed temporary asylum and the Jedi seemed soft enough to allow it.

"I have nowhere else to go. The first place the Empire will look is my homeworld and the planet I emigrated to. I need somewhere to lay low until I can clear my name." She explained.

"Yeah, thanks." She replied idly as she took the supplies from Valery and began working on replacing the several day old bandage on her wound.
Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Katja Javik

"Not to this extent."

"I sure hope not." Valery was still shocked that something like this could have even happened. How did nobody pick up on any signs that this could escalate to where it had? But much of that confusion faded when Katja explained that she had been part of the Imperial Military. Almost immediately, Valery stopped walking and looked over her shoulder with mixed feelings.

A part of her still blamed the Empire for almost taking the life of her husband, and separating them for years with her believing he was dead. It still created tension inside, but she had to put that aside and think about it rationally. The Empire was no more, and she was a Jedi — she could not deny someone in need of medical assistance this kind of help.

"And the Jedi Temple is the first thing that came to mind?" She raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "Great. Come with me, we'll get you patched up and figure this out." Valery turned away, and likely seemed very cold all of a sudden. While Katja then started patching herself up, Valery crossed her arms and looked at nothing in particular.

She was at a loss for words and needed some time to think.

"Who else knows about this?" she finally asked.

 

[Katja Javik]

Katja knew the revelation would be a shocking one and that it was audacious of her to even be presenting herself at a Jedi Temple after all she had done in the Empire's fight against the Alliance, especially in SCAR, but she would keep that information undisclosed. When her eyes met Valery's, she showed no sign of being ashamed of her past, despite all she had left unsaid.

"Well, a certain Jedi was the first thing that came to mind. We met on Exegol and he seemed... willing enough to help." She explained, choosing her words carefully. Describing him as foolish initially came to mind. The Imperials would never do such a thing if the situation had been reversed and they both knew it. Katja was only taking advantage of the hospitality extended to her by the Jedi because she knew they would help. It was their weakness and one that could be easily exploited. Still, she did not arrive out of malicious intent but simply desperation.

After patching herself up properly to heal rather than merely survive, she took notice of Valery who seemed deep in contemplation after her attitude shifted to one less warm than initially. "No one." She replied. "The Empire has recorded me as missing. If I get caught before going back on my own accord..." She began to explain, speaking as though the Empire still existed. There was no secret in the punishment for desertion. "...then I'll be executed." She said plainly and without fear. It was easy to become desensitised to death when it surrounded you. Especially in special forces who were required to take extreme measures to avoid capture. Yet, in spite of the threat of execution, it was clear that she was expecting to return and that this was not the beginning of a defection.

Valery Noble