Private You're Gonna Carry That Weight

[Amani Serys]

Even in the aftermath of Tython, its consequences were far from over. A shuttle of evacuees had been pursued in their escape, leading to a crash, and survivors in need of rescue.

Amani was already a highly empathetic person, but the cataclysmic assault on her homeworld had granted a deeper perspective than even she could have ever realized. It was renewing in its tragedy, and in spite of her lengthy list of injuries, she was back in action. Clearly, however, not at full capacity.

On the way to the site, Amani stayed silent for some time. The hilt of a lightsaber hung tightly in her left hand. Meanwhile her right hand wasn't even working, still bound within a cast. There came a point in which she glanced up, unintentionally locking eyes with one Valery Noble as she did. Amani then affixed her gaze back to the metal floor, rather obviously avoiding an encounter.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Shuttle
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

Tython was barely behind her but she already felt that it was time to move on to the next step. The Maw was still deep within the core, and soon, she planned to lead an incursion to start destabilizing their military might so far away from their own borders. It was time to kick them out of the core and initiate the charge to rid this Galaxy of their evil.

But today, she was on a mission to handle something smaller, but just as important — a shuttle with evacuees had crashed after it was attacked by Maw remnants, and together with a small team, she was going out there to bring them back safely. Valery herself luckily hadn't sustained any terrible injuries; just the scratches and bruises you'd expect in a fight. Kahlil Noble had definitely taken the bigger hits this time, but that's also why she had left him at home to take care of the kid while she could use the strength she still had to help some people.

A few hours passed on the shuttle, but eventually, she spotted a familiar face, one who seemed keen on not drawing her attention. But Valery couldn't help herself, and walked over with a soft smile, "Amani? It's been a while, but I'm glad to see that you're safe," she said with a sincere tone.

"How are you holding up?" Valery then asked, as her eyes shifted down to her cast.

 

[Amani Serys]

Not so lucky.

Amani had no distaste for Valery, in fact she held the woman in quite high regard. But perhaps that was exactly why she was so keen on avoiding her. The delusion of personal failure still hung over her like a rainy cloud, whether or not anyone else could recognize it.

“Master Noble,” She spoke dryly, and with a forced, flat smile. “Um. I’m okay.” There was no hiding that lie. The extent of her injuries were clearer up close: bandages on her nose and cheek, sutures on her forehead, and of course the cast on her arm. Not to mention any injuries that hid underneath clothing, which was itself still dotted with dried stains of blood from the battle at Tython. How could she be considered fit for duty?

She wasn’t, but Amani had lied about the extent of her injuries to take part in the effort. Even now, one of her biggest injuries remained hidden: the massive flesh wound to her leg had been stitched together, yes, but the only reason she could even appear to move healthily was because of a brace that she kept tucked underneath the pant leg.

Stubborn did not begin to describe this display.

Preempting some kind of incoming analysis, Amani moved to deflect the focus back to Valery. She peered up at the master, one of her eyes marked with a splotch of red from a broken vessel, her skin notably paler than the last time they had spoken.

“...How are you?” As if there was nothing wrong.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Shuttle
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"Um. I'm okay."

While Amani did her best to force a smile, Valery looked her in the eyes and the younger woman would be able to tell that Valery was worried. She had always been rather empathic, and very caring towards others, so to see someone she knew and respected like this was difficult. But it was also a type of accepted pain Valery knew from her own past — to sit still and do nothing while others needed help was sometimes just impossible, even if your own body was falling apart.

Being a Jedi or someone capable of helping others came with a sense of responsibility that couldn't be tamed by physical injuries.

So while Amani was likely expecting Valery to notice the extent of her injuries and maybe even lecture her about it, Valery offered a warm, understanding smile, "I'm doing alright, but you've definitely seen better days," she said, her eyes briefly snapping on to the cast. But she knew there was likely a lot more than that.

"Look, I uh, I'm not going to tell you what you should and shouldn't do. I understand that helping here probably means a lot to you, but... please do be careful, okay?" She tried her best to smile and not make the situation more difficult than it already was, but confrontation was never entirely comfortable.

"The Maw is still out there, and while people need help, you won't be able to do much if you get yourself in trouble first. If you don't mind, maybe stick closer to me for a little while? I can help keep you safe, and your skills with healing can help others where I can't. Does that sound like a good deal?"

 

[Amani Serys]

"I know," Amani seemed to loosen up to Valery's assurances. She had built up in her mind that there was going to be a whole talk about recklessness, or whatever other concerns there might be regarding her current state. But Valery seemed to get what she was feeling on some level.

The mirialan offered a more genuine, if still pained smile, "Deal. And thanks." Self-sacrifice was far from an uncommon school of thought among Jedi. But everyone has their limits. Amani was simply convinced she had yet to reach hers. She could breathe. She could move. And as far as she cared, that meant she could fight.

"They violated my home. Wanted to make it into their vessel just so they could destroy everything," Her gaze fixed idly upon the metal hull, recounting the events that brought them to this point. Even aloud it was still a lot to comprehend, "I can't let them hold me back."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Shuttle
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

Amani accepting the little deal brought Valery a lot of relief — she still believed it would have likely been better for the woman to take more time to recover, but Valery herself was a bit stubborn about things like this too. As long as Amani felt like she could keep going, Valery wasn't going to actually try and stop her. She'd just do her best to keep the other from pushing herself too far.

"It's what separates them from other threats we've dealt with in the past," Valery said with a nod. "They don't attack just military targets or planets with strategic importance. They aim to destroy anything, and that's why we have to keep fighting them." She sighed and allowed a brief moment of silence to linger between them.

"We just have to make sure we don't lose too much of ourselves in the process." A sort of subtle hint, but she did mean it. The last thing Valery wanted was for Amani to get herself seriously hurt trying to help other people while she was in need of help herself. "But we'll be fine, this should be simple rescue and recovery."

"If the Maw shows themselves, we'll deal with them."

 

[Amani Serys]

"Mm." Amani smirked, picking up on the intended message behind Valery's words of wisdom. "I'll try not to do anything stupid." Couldn't go any worse for her than Tython, right? Especially if things stayed as simple as the briefing suggested.

"Simple search and recovery," She hummed back. The thought of it managed to bring out a soft laugh, "When's the last time any plan went simply?"

On one hand, Amani was eager to give the Maw a piece of her mind. On the other, she was ready to take a year long nap. War was an exhausting ordeal, to put it mildly. For as good as it felt to help, she did not at all miss the accompanying trials it put on both mind and body. Worse yet, was how easy it was to fall back into that state of mind. Like she'd never left.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Shuttle
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

Valery chuckled, "I doubt you're going to do something stupid, but just be careful with taking risks." She really didn't want to make it sound like she was pretending to be her Master or mom, but she couldn't help but feel a bit worried. It was simply in her nature to care, and watch out for the well-being of those around her.

"When's the last time any plan went simply?"

"Uh..." Valery blinked and began to chuckle, almost nervously, "Sadly, they never go too smoothly when something really serious is up. But we can hope today will be different? Would be a nice change of pace..." she let out a soft sigh but the somber expression quickly shifted back into a faint smile again.

"We should be arriving shortly but there will still be a walk ahead of us. They can't bring us down too close to the crash site, just in case there is trouble nearby." Valery looked down and quickly checked her gear — everything was ready, and she felt ready too. Tython's effects still lingered, especially on her mind, but she knew how to push herself past the exhaustion and mental pain she felt.

They had people to rescue.

 

[Amani Serys]

"That it would," She mirrored Valery's expressions, "Guess we'll find out."

Amani gave one last look over of her supplies, then a nod to confirm she was ready. The shuttle made landfall, and as the sounds of its inner workings wound down, the bay doors parted, letting rays of natural light flood into the hold. "Let's get to searching and rescuing, then."

They seemed to have landed within the clearing of a wooded area. She tucked away her lightsaber for now, and pulled out a tracker instead. The site of the crash pinged slowly but rhythmically. "Less than a klick away. Should be no problem."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Shuttle
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"The Jedi part of me really hates forests," Valery said after the two had stepped out of the shuttle and onto the surface of the planet where the ship had crashed. Amani had traded her weapon for a tracker to try and locate it, but Valery held firmly onto the hilt of her saberstaff. "It's difficult to move through with large groups, you can easily be ambushed and..."

She let out a sigh and stopped herself from rambling about it too much. At the end of the day, the terrain made no real difference to her — it wasn't going to stop them and at most would just make things a bit trickier.

"Less than a klick away. Should be no problem."

Valery nodded and without even really discussing it, she took point. If something happened and they needed to fight, she wouldn't stop Amani from helping, but she wasn't going to allow someone with an arm in a cast to be at the very front. "Hmm..." Valery hummed as she looked around and listened to the sounds that echoed through the forest.

"I feel something or someone is watching us," she said, her voice softer so it stayed between the two of them.

 

[Amani Serys]

"Think so?" Amani replied back. "I find it makes getting somewhere unseen a lot easier. But I guess I never have to patrol them with an army at my back." She laughed a little. There was something about Valery of all people voicing such concerns that was mildly amusing. "I just hate cold places. Made my first trip to Mirial a bit of a rude awakening." It was a strangely mundane train of thought to be led down, given the situation. But a pleasant distraction, regardless of how fleeting it was.

"I feel something or someone is watching us,"

Amani slowed down and focused on their surroundings. "…Yeahhh…" The tracker was put away once more, in favor of her saber, "I'm feeling that too…" The sounds of the forest had a way of being deceptive. Every creak could be the enemy in waiting. Or merely a natural ambience.

"How do you wanna play this?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Shuttle
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"Don't even get me started on cold places," Valery looked at Amani and smirked a bit. It was a little funny, considering that she had taken the woman to Spintir when they first met, a planet with mountain ranges so cold that a Jedi would have to use Tapas or wear some extreme winter clothing. But it was the truth — she disliked any planet with extreme weather conditions.

This, however, was very different.

"I'll draw their attention, let's see if they want to say hi," Valery said in response, and without waiting much longer, she began to move ahead of Amani and any others who joined them. It made Valery quiet the target if enemies were lurking nearby, but she knew what she was doing. Her mind was already extended out into the environment, picking up not just on living beings but signs of danger as well.

Minutes passed like this, with that same feeling lingering in the air. But finally, a spark struck both Jedi — a single, high power bolt left the barrel of a sniper rifle and came straight for Valery from a diagonal angle to her right. Almost instantly, her purple blade ignited and angled itself to deflect the bolt away and into the ground. "We got company!"

 

[Amani Serys]

“I trust you.” As much as Amani wanted to play vanguard right now, she confirmed her sincerity with a nod. Valery was the master here, after all; And besides, if she was going to respect Amani’s conviction, then it’s really the least she could do to offer that same respect.

So the mirialan laid in wait. Each passing minute dripped with increasing tension, the noises of the forest seemed to grow louder and more distracting. But still Amani held her breath. Valery knew what she was doing.

And then the crack of a sniper pierced through the din. She flinched to react, but Valery deflected the bolt with equal speed. Amani, and most everyone else, quickly leapt for cover, “I noticed!” Her voice sounded louder than she expected. Specifically because she expected there to be an eruption of blasterfire in the wake of the first attack. But instead there was another lull. Was there only one? Were the rest really still holding off? It was an unexpected tactic to say the least.

<You saw where it came from?> Amani reached out to Valery’s mind telepathically, <Where’s the rest?>

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Shuttle
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

Silence.

After deflecting the bolt from the sniper, Valery had also expected a lot more enemy fire to erupt. But there was nothing, and even the sniper waited a moment. But through the Force, Valery could feel that the shooter was still out there and that its barrel was aiming straight for her. So in an attempt to offer the others more cover, she didn't move away — she stood perfectly still with her lightsaber drawn and drew in a deep breath.

<You saw where it came from?>

<I did, but the sniper is repositioning>

Another shot rang out a split-second later, this time from a slightly different direction, and went straight for the Jedi Master. It didn't matter though, because Valery was paying attention and deflected it again.

<I can sense more of them, they're trying to encircle us!"> Valery exclaimed telepathically and through the tree lines, Amani would be able to confirm it with eyesight as well. More enemy snipers and standard soldiers were positioning themselves to close a trap around the Jedi and those with them.

"We have to push through!"

 

[Amani Serys]

“Great.” Amani mumbled. Sure enough the rest were closing in, and in short time they were out of options.

"We have to push through!"

She flew out from behind the tree and ran to escape the trap. Right on cue, the next shot burst forth, and Amani ignited her blade, redirecting the bolt back at the last second. Then, more shots followed, as the attackers sought to overwhelm the Jedi and their allies.

With the Force as her aid, Amani was able to cross a great distance, when one of the shots found purchase against one of her legs. With a short yelp, she tumbled and rolled across the forest floor, gripping the smoking burn on her calf.

More movement.

Amani stifled her groans, keeping cover under the surrounding foliage as her shooter emerged to confirm the kill. Sure enough, Maw. She caught sight of him first, and without hesitance whipped out her pistol and fired two-quick shots at his head. “Bastard.” That felt more satisfying than she cared to admit.

<Still alive?> She called back to Val.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Shuttle
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

Not hindered by injuries or other problems, Valery was drawing a lot of attention from the attackers with her quick movements and the two plasma blades of her saberstaff intercepting their blaster bolts. But despite this, Amani was under heavy pressure as well and took a hit to her leg that sent her down to the ground.

It caused Valery's eyes to widen but she was too far away to offer help, and with one of the attackers approaching her, she feared something could go terribly wrong. So as fast as possible, she moved toward the Mirialan Jedi, only to find her pulling out a pistol to handle the attacker at the last possible moment.

Valery just sighed in relief and quickly continued to move closer, <T> "And in one piece," She called back before she jumped across the distance and landed right beside Amani. Perhaps somewhat unexpected, she disengaged the two blades of her saberstaff all of a sudden, but they were quickly replaced by a Force Barrier she projected around the two of them using the Force.

"Can you still move? Or need help?" Valery asked. She could carry Amani if necessary, but that was going to make getting out just a little more difficult. "We need to regroup and make sure we're not surrounded before we engage them."

 

[Amani Serys]

"I'll survive," Amani grumbled, slapping a batch patch against the wound on her leg. Annoying. She was too slow to avoid the bolt, now she risked being even slower. The Mirialan pushed herself back onto her feet, straining through the initial jolt of pain. She'd stay standing through sheer stubbornness if need be.

"Let's go, then," Amani ushered away from the center of combat, hoping to create more distance between them and the enclosing Maw. All over, chaos unfolded, as each group attempted to gain an upper hand, while not being able to maintain sight of all their targets in the dense foliage. "Can you tell if we're clear?" Her head was too cluttered to make use of her senses, at least not at their full capacity.

"This is a real pain with only one working hand." Amani reignited her lightsaber, keeping an eye on her surroundings for any betrayal of the next enemy attack.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Planetside
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

While Amani quickly patched herself up, Valery continued providing the cover she needed. Even if she could carry or help the Mirialan move, it would be a lot easier if she could stand on her own two feet, and that seemed to luckily still be the case. When Amani rose back up, Valery dropped the barrier and ignited her blades again to remain a shield for those who needed it.

"We're almost clear!" Valery exclaimed as their push continued. The Mawite's encirclement was a problem, but they had spread their numbers thin to create the formation, and despite their brutality, the average soldier wasn't exactly a match for trained Jedi. So with as much speed as she could muster, Valery led the charge and it wouldn't be too long until they were at least to relative safety.

There was a problem, however — those people were still at the crash site, and Amani wasn't in the best condition to go through a fight right now.

"Do you want to stay with me and fight through? Or do you think it might be best for me to draw their attention? If you can make it to the people stranded here, maybe we can get them out somehow."

 

[Amani Serys]

They pushed through until the formation was penetrated, freeing their team from the Maw's trap and giving them a new advantage in the fight. The enemy troops would have to reorganize and re-manouver, on top of losing the surprise element. Even still, one of the Jedi had gotten sloppy.

"Dammit," Amani cursed under her breath, now taking the briefest of moments to double-check the wound. It wasn't permanent, but permanence didn't really matter when they were already in a dangerous situation. She shot Valery a desperate look, but ultimately conceded to her latter idea. It was for the best anyway. "Alright. I'll head to the crash site and link up with the stranded. You all keep the Maw focused on the fight right in front of them. Better yet, lead their focus away from the actual site, if you can." She would get her chance with the Maw in time, but for now, people needed her help.

"Just as long as you don't do anything stupid," Amani managed a slight smirk, and tossed Valery an earpiece for communication. The Jedi Master could handle herself. With a parting nod, Amani slipped through the trees and on towards their objective.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Planetside
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Amani Serys

"Me? Doing something stupid?" she smirked and made it sound like she was planning to do something very stupid, but she was of course joking around a little. Only for a brief moment though, as the Mawites were moving to restructure their formations and pressure the Jedi and their allies with a new front.

"I'll make sure to draw their attention, stay safe," Valery then added after catching the ear piece and placing it in her ear. She tapped against it for a quick check and then moved forward with her blades ignited. The violet plasma always stood out on the battlefields, where most soldiers were dressed to hide away in the environment with their colors. But to make sure she really had their attention, Valery jumped high through the air and charged right for the enemy lines.

They either focused on her and opened fire, or she'd be right on top of them without any pushback.

...

Meanwhile, Amani was on her way to the objective and with the bulk of the Maw forces fighting Valery and her allies, the path ahead was mostly cleared. Yet, there was a strange feeling that lingered in the Force — a gentle pulse that made it impossible to feel entirely comforted by her fellow Jedi's distraction.

For a few minutes, she continued but the sudden sound of bushes nearby moving would likely catch her attention. It was followed by the mechanical sounds of droids moving.

She wasn't alone, but still undetected.