Private A Stab Forward

[Colette]

Raphael Gallustrade / Valery Noble

"You wouldn't be going into the darkness alone." Colette said and gently nodded at Raphael. "We'll get you out of here, back to one of the temples. Give you some food, some water, and rest."

"After that we can start the recovery again, together. I guarantee that if anyone in the Order gives you a hard time, I will personally come and kick their ass for you, okay?"

"Right Valery? You'll do the same."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Colette Raphael Gallustrade

Valery nodded, "All Jedi will go through temptations and darker times — we will not judge you, and if someone does cause trouble, you can leave them to me." She smiled and nodded in agreement with her Padawan. "For now, let's take it one step at a time, hm? We'll head back, get you some food, and your own room to sleep in." After all of this, she felt certain that he'd want a little bit of time alone.

Perhaps just to sleep, but maybe to sort out his thoughts as well.

"It's time to go home."

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

He wouldn't be going into the darkness alone? No. He'd already been deep within the darkness all on his own, and there'd been nothing in there. Perhaps that was what had opened his eyes to the light from the two. Instead of blinded...he felt a bit less blinded, and more just tired than anything else. The two... he'd never met the padawan, but even looking at her, he felt so horribe about everything that he'd done. There was so much shame and disappointment that swirled in him, though he did his best to hide it.

He listened to the two, intently, albeit unable to understand how they could just forgive him so much. It was all that he could do, realistically, to keep from crying and nodded at the mention of going home. But it was then that he remembered something important and looked back towards the entrance to the hangar.

"Wait... The ship... Darth Keres sent a few soldiers, most likely to keep an eye on me. They'll need to be dealt with, otherwise information will get back to her. No doubt she's had such suspicions about my desire to escape, regardless, but the less confirmation she has, the better..."

Colette Valery Noble

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Raphael Gallustrade

Now that however sounded a lot like violence and murder. Colette's brows sunk in worry as she looked over at Valery.

"I don't think it will matter much." She said and turned back to Raphael. "She finds out either way, and either way we will also be long gone by the time she does."

Maybe she was misunderstanding what the man was getting at, but…

"There's no need to take any lives. We should just go."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Colette Raphael Gallustrade

Valery nodded in agreement with her Padawan, "Sooner or later, news will spread about your return to the Jedi. You're going to be missing, after all," Valery said before she turned towards where they had brought down the Bastion. "Let's just get back to our ship and first bring you back home, so you're safe and we can take our time to figure things out."

"You're going to need a place to sleep, something to eat and perhaps just people around you to talk to and interact with." The last thing she wanted now, was for Raphael to be alone. Perhaps staying at the Temple for a while would be nice, so he'd have plenty f other Jedi to talk to.

Maybe even train with, if he felt up to it already.

"Right this way. I'll fly us home, so you two can relax and just talk."

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael watched the two, listening for a moment and nodded. They weren't wrong. Even if they killed the guards and pilot, eventually, the Empire would realize and then someone would come looking for him. Or they'd find information on him, somehow, or they find these pirates... His plan of evading his mast-- Darth Keres, by eliminating relevant information to him, would've failed, regardless. Even faking his death wouldn't do anything. All of these realizations caused him no small end of frustration and grief. Eventually, there'd most likely come a day where he'd have to face her, and that was something he'd have to live with. Perhaps that was the real reason that the Force had led him back to her.

The mention of home sent his heart into fear, as the home that he'd known, for the last little while, was Rapture. That hellish planet, so wrapped in dark side and even netheric energies, had beenhis home for the last little while. It was the first time that he'd really been trapped on any planet, where his movements had been watched and scrutinized for weakness, for which he was punished. The punishments were always quite barbaric and physical and he bore many of the scars of these "lessons". Lessons that he knew were wrong, but that he had no choice but to accept. The only one that he never actually learned was hating his master. He wouldn't hate her. That was where he, perhaps, ultimately failed. But he quickly realized Valery meant the Jedi Temple, back on Coruscant.

His fingers raked through his hair once, nervously. "I don't...know how I'll be able to face everyone, to be honest. I know what you said, and don't get me wrong I'm grateful but..." He trailed off, a fist tightening. "...how can I look everyone in the eyes and smile again? How can they see me, see the scars I've been "given" and not see anything but someone who turned on their values? I tried to survive, sure, but I still fell to the dark side, for at least a bit..." He looked at Valery. "I know...that we all struggle, that we sometimes fall..." He shook his head and took a breath, steadying himself. "Right. It will be good to be somewhere where I don't feel like I'm being suffocated by the very air, itself..."

Colette Valery Noble