Private Way of the Sarlacc

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

When Aris moved, it only took a second or two before he'd hear the sound of Valery's lightsaber igniting, followed by a scream. She had already encountered one enemy, but Aris himself was heading for the most important thing - the Noble homestead.

It was currently in lockdown mode, which meant all outside doors and every window was on lock. Only a Noble would be able to enter the house via scans. So, as soon as Aris reached the door, it opened for him, and right there in the doorway was Aurra with her tauntaun plushie.

"There is someone in the backyard," she told him, which meant whoever was there was stuck. The lockdown didn't allow anybody to leave, and the kids would remain inside with Bee until someone arrived to help.

Aris was here now.

"Get him!" Aeryn called out with a grin. She was too young to really understand what was happening.

 

[Aris Noble]

They were safe.

Aris couldn't hide the relief from his own face as he saw Aurra and Aeryn there at the door. They were safe. They were together. He took a deep breath to still his mind, less he fumbled his way into hugging them both. There was still a threat close by, and one that needed to be dealt with first. "Mom is here with me, so stay inside until she says it's okay."

He gave them both a smile before he looked towards where they said someone was. They were trapped, so there was no reason for him to intervene. "I'll keep you safe. Where's Adam?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

"He's-"

"I'm here!" Adam stepped into view with two of his drumsticks held like weapons, and a toy helmet on his head. He had his chest puffed out a little, and seemed very serious about what he was doing. Aeryn giggled at it, and Aurra just rolled her eyes before turning to Aris.

"He wants to protect us," she explained.

"Yeah, and I will-"

Bang.

A sudden loud banging on the door leading into the backyard had Adam running towards his big brother to hide behind his legs. Aeryn and Aurra were startled too, but they weren't as eager to run and just stayed close.

"I think he's trying to get in," Chaos suddenly added, as she appeared to float around the kids. Protectively so, the same way Valery could hover over them.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris blinked in surprise, then smiled softly as he looked down to Adam. It was adorable to see him so dressed up. But even then, he wasn't going to be the one to fight this time. He reached out to gently pat the top of his helmet before he looked up towards where the sound of banging came from. He glanced up towards Chaos with a frown. The doors and the way were sealed. They weren't easy to get in.

But these people had come prepared.

"Lead the triplets to the training room, lock the door. Seszil?"

The blade floated towards him. Close, protective. He'd been here to keep the triplets safe after everything went down. But if they brought Void Stone, Seszil wouldn't be able to move properly. Worse, Aris wasn't strong enough on his own to carry the heavy blade. Otherwise he would've kept Sezil by his side. For now, Lightsaber would have to do.

He ignited the blade, readied himself. He didn't want to take a life, but to protect his family he wouldn't hesitate.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

"You heard your brother! If you follow me to the training room, I'll play with you and your Mom will give you snackies!" That definitely caught the attention of the little ones, though Adam did look at his big brother for a moment longer. The pat on his head made him smile, but he wished he could also help Aris out.

He wanted his big brother to notice his efforts. For now, the pat and smile was more than good enough, and he ran off with his siblings.

From the backyard, Aris would be able to hear whispers between the clear attempts to force open the door into the home. There were at least two of them, but it was hard to tell if there were more.

If left unchecked, however, they would likely break their way in eventually.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris just took a breath. He wasn't going to leave where he stood guard. The doors were strong, and they might eventually break through, but there was nothing more he could do but wait where he was until they either broke their way in, or Mom came around to handle them from the outside. He wasn't the attacker here, he was the defender.

And he was going to be the best damn defender he could be.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

The sound of a torch melting through steel grew louder, as Aris stood guard to protect his home. With each second that passed, tension in the Force was rising, but without the ability to sense it, he would likely be more drawn to the sound. With a mechanical click, the door fell open and a pair of men had quickly jumped back to have some distance to the now open door

One carried a large butcher knife with a vibro-blade in its design. The other held a pistol, and looked up at the young Jedi standing his ground.

"Here without your Momma, huh? We likely have her gutted already. Now, put down the lightsaber, kid. Don't try anything stupid."

 

[Aris Noble]

The door fell open, but not in the way they might have expected. Once it was clear they were cutting their way in he stood closer to it. Waited as he watched the line be burned through. Then, just before they finished cutting, he launched himself forward. It was one simple kick with his full might behind it. It didn't fall, it launched into the one cutting the door in a flash of metal.

Aris stood in the cut out doorway, his lightsaber in hand as he looked to the remaining intruder.

"Turn away. I will cut you down if you stay."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

The remaining Open Hand operator gritted his teeth when he watched the door crush the other he had been with. Even at a young age, Jedi possessed incredible power, but they hadn't come here without knowing that. It's why they carried the void stone splinters to hide themselves, and why they had researched more about who they were up against.

This was Aris Noble, he knew.

"There are more of us," he began as he held his knife out in front of him. "They're already coming and you can't hide." He knew on his own, he wouldn't stand a chance but with greater numbers and the right threat, perhaps he would listen.

"We have your Mother, Aris," he said and raised his wrist to project an image. A holographic Valery appeared on her knees, cuffed in anti-force bindings and with bruises, cuts ans blood everywhere. A fake image with conveniently no background details, but one hard to distinguish from reality.

But he knew Aris could not sense her to verify. Would he take the risk?

"Surrender your weapon and nothing bad will happen to her. You have our word."

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris had already moved as he spoke. The warning was ignored, and Aris wasn't going to hold back. A quick movement and the young Padawan was before him, cutting down in an instant to remove him as a threat. No hesitation, no holding back. They were a threat that needed to be handled, no matter what he said or what he tried to show.

His siblings were counting on him.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

The only thing he could do was scream, before Aris struck and silenced him forever. It left the backyard and area around the Noble house awfully quiet, but the threat wasn't quite over yet. The occasional scream and blaster shot rang out in the distance, but with each passing second, they began to fade away.

Footsteps approached the door into the backyard, slow and careful, like a predator stalking their prey. They stopped right around the corner, and the few seconds that followed would likely feel much longer. Then, a figure stepped around quickly, her lightsaber drawn and her fiery gaze burning with focus.

"Aris..." Valery let out a sigh of relief and dipped her head. "You okay? Nobody hurt?" Valery herself had blood on her arms, but it was easy enough to tell that it wasn't her blood.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris hadn't spared a second glance to the body, instead walking back inside the cut down doorway. He stood there, lightsaber still in hand, saber still burning, as he waited. It was an eerie silence and focus in his eyes, but it was all he had right now. The only thing keeping him from thinking about the two dead just ahead of him. He didn't so much as flinch as Valery stepped into view, more seemed prepared to leap towards her and strike if she was, in fact, one of the others.

She wasn't, though.

"They're okay."

He paused, glancing finally to the man he'd cut down.

".. I'm not."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

I'm not.

Valery felt her heart sink into depths she didn't know existed. It was one thing for Kahlil to get hurt — just thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable, and she hated it when anything bad happened to her husband. But to hear her kid say he wasn't okay was a different kind of pain entirely.

The violet blade of her lightsaber disengaged and the weapon was swiftly returned to her belt before she moved forward and just wrapped her arms around him. She gently pulled his head against her shoulder and held him close, "You did good protecting the house and the little ones. I'm proud of you," Valery said, knowing he was still in pain.

"Dad and Vera are on their way to handle the people responsible. We can go inside and talk?" If he just wanted a hug and a chance to express himself, she was more than okay with that, too.

 

[Aris Noble]

There was a relief in knowing Vera and dad were back and handling the other half of all of this. It didn't matter if they stopped the attack like they did today, if it will keep happening. It didn't change how he was feeling at the moment though. He killed someone. He did it to defend his family, keep his siblings safe, but he still did it. These were the first people he'd ever killed.

".. Okay."

He didn't know how to feel or what to do, but he wasn't against going inside. Away from the bodies.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

"Oh sweetie..." Valery felt so much pain in her heart to see and feel the way he felt right now. He did not like to hurt people, even those with bad intentions, let alone kill them. This was something that could never be undone, and that weight was a burden he'd have to carry now.

But as his mother, Valery couldn't help but feel like it was her burden too.

"Come on," she said softly, as she guided him inside and walked over to the training room. With a flick of her hand, it opened, and three little Nobles stood real close with big, expecting eyes.

"Mommy!" They exclaimed, and all three of them ran for their Mom to hug her. Though, it took less than a second for little arms to reach out to Aris as well. Their big brother had protected them.

"I'm so glad you guys are safe," Valery said, crouched down and with her arms around them.

"It's because of Aris, Mommy." Aurra looked up at him and gave him a little smile. "Are you okay, too?" She then asked him because she was worried about him.

"Mommy? Cocoa?" Aeryn asked. That always helped him feel better, right?

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris followed along, but he was still very much in his own head. He wasn't sure how to feel, what to do. He was just.. There. Existing. Trying not to think too much on everything that had happened until the door opened and the triplets were there. All three of them, all okay. He didn't regret his choice, but as they crowded around him and tried to cheer him up as best they knew how, he couldn't help but smile.

Even as tears filled his eyes.

"I will be, don't worry."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

Valery could tell he was emotional.

Aris wasn't the type to break down crying or to want to talk too much about his feelings. A true introvert with a very strong mind that could help him push through his problems. But, as his Mom, Valery couldn't help but do something. Leaning in closer, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head — a difficult thing to do with how tall he was — and hugged him close with an arm around him one more time.

"Aris, why don't you take the little ones inside and turn on the holo-tv? I'll handle the backyard and make some cocoa." She wasn't going to have Aris remove the bodies, not after how he felt. That was something for her to handle, and once it was done, he'd get a cup of hot cocoa and some snacks.

"I'm sure Vera and Dad will be home soon, too."

 

[Aris Noble]

"Okay."

Aris nodded a little as he glanced to the triplets. Right now it would be a good idea to get them inside and distracted from the bodies outside. They certainly didn't need to see them. He let out a sigh as he closed his eyes, tried to remove the images in his mind. They would linger, but right now a distraction would be good. A show. He brought a smile back as he looked down to the trio and ushered them on.

"You heard mom. What would you like to watch?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Bastion

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

The triplets waddled ahead and climbed their way onto the couch to sit with their big brother. Even though Aris looked calm, they could tell something was on his mind. There was something different about his eyes, and they were worried about him. So, where they'd usually bicker over which show to watch, they were quiet now and decided on the animal channel.

The one for kids, showing cute animals doing cute or funny things.

"Aris?" Aeryn asked after a moment. She was technically the oldest of the triplets and decided that she needed to be helpful, "Thank you." She crawled up against his side and looked at him with a smile.

Not a moment later, Valery walked into the living room with a tray - cups of hot cocoa and some cookies on it. Seeing the kids all together brought a smile to her lips, and she quickly joined them to offer the hot drinks and snacks.

"I hope it's good. I made it all myself."

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris smiled just a little as he glanced to the eldest triplet and nodded. He wasn't sure how to feel about this, but he didn't regret what he did. Not if it meant keeping them safe. He would never regret keeping them safe. He looked up though as Valery came in and reached up to take the hot cocoa and took a sip right away. There was something there in the all too familiar drink.

He'd be alright, eventually.

"Thank you, mom."

Valery Noble