Private A Work in Progress

[BB-610]

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| LOCATION: Noble Household |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


Life was as busy as ever for this plucky astromech, with babysitting galore keeping him busy. What BB-610 had been lacking in the saving the galaxy department, he’d more than made up for in the sheer amount of diapers he’s had to change and head injuries he’s narrowly prevented, not for lack of trying from the Nobles’ newest little terror. As far as he was concerned, this was even more taxing than fighting Sith...

What was once a foreign concept has since become one such topic BB-610 has grown intimately familiar with: organic life, with the journey from infancy into adulthood. The droid loves and cherishes the little ones with every last electron in his synthetic core, but even artificial creatures such as himself deserve a break.

Enter Kahlil, who’d taken the family’s bundle of headaches out for the day, leaving BB-610 to bask in some much needed relaxation with Valery. Time, so far, spent cleaning their residence’s many rooms — only then would he turn to himself for a routine inspection.

All systems operational, diagnostics up to snuff . . . Mm. Satisfactory. His tool-bay disks are given an internal ogling, and BB-610 can’t help but notice the distinct lack of something very special to him in one of them. With the narrowing of his optic, he turned to the drawer at the side of his recharge spot in the little ones’ bedroom.

Utility arm extended, the drawer is opened, and from it is fished a small, metallic box with an input socket adorning its center casing. Unearthing his scomp link, it’s promptly inserted into the socket in question, turning it with a satisfying series of clicks that ultimately pop the case open.

A shoto lightsaber, its hilt a gorgeous onyx with cyan accents, lay inside. A few seconds are spent marveling at the mere sight, the droid’s proverbial heart a-flutter. It never ceased to amaze, having been assembled meticulously by the droid’s own hand.

While BB-610 may not be one with the Force, he did possess an ability that proved just as invaluable when it came to lightsaber construction: computer precision, with an inherent knack for knowing the smallest of nuances on account of his role as a technician. He had no nerves, no thoughts or hesitation — simply the cold, calculated precision of his programming.

Ever so gently, as though he were handling fine china, the astromech’s utility claw scoops the hilt into its grasp, clutching it. The appendage is tilted this way and that, eyeing the sheen of the weapon he’d been far too busy to test . . . until now. With the press of a button, the air concentrates with newfound energy, and a crackle of plasma speaks for the blade that swiftly emerges.

It’s a bright teal, owed to the kyber crystal he’d earned many moons ago on Ilum with the help of Valery. The low buzz of the lightsaber is hypnotic, a comforting hum that drones away at his palm. BB-610’s optic dilates, enamored by the beauty of it. A part of it felt perverse, for a lowly astromech to wield such a powerful instrument, and it was intoxicating.

Arm outstretched, the lightsaber is lowered, as though he were knighting a Padawan. With the swirl of his chassis, the blade is suddenly swung overhead, deflecting imaginary blaster shots. A few more swings, with the nastiest of Sith at the mercy of his blade, stabbed through the heart, gutted by boiling plasma, struck skyward and——

Oop— The lightsaber slips from his grasp, the astromech recoiling with a synthetic shriek. The weapon falls to the floor, blade automatically withdrawn, rolling uselessly for a brief little wobble. BB-610 peers down, taken off guard.

Unsurprisingly, this may be harder than he thought . . .

 

[Valery Noble]

The quiet in the Noble household was… unnatural.No little footsteps pattering down the halls, no sudden shrieks of chaos, no mysteriously sticky objects being hurled through the air. Just stillness — peaceful, golden stillness. Valery was taking full advantage.

With Kahlil graciously wrangling the kids for the day, she and Bee had managed to tackle the never-ending mountain that was housework. Now, the rooms sparkled, the air smelled faintly of citrus cleaner, and the floors were so clean, even a toddler couldn't find something to stick to them.

She exhaled as she leaned against the kitchen counter, hair pulled back into a lazy bun, sleeves rolled up. Her idea of "relaxation" still included being productive, of course — and she was halfway through prepping a meal. Something nice. Comforting. A little surprise for when her husband and their chaos-goblins returned.

She hummed softly as she stirred a pot, the familiar rhythm of it soothing, grounding.

And then—

Shrreeek — CLUNK.

Valery blinked. The unmistakable snap-hiss of a lightsaber had registered a second earlier… followed by a synthetic yelp and a metallic thud. Wiping her hands on a towel, she stepped out of the kitchen and rounded the corner — only to pause in the doorway, arms folding as she took in the scene. BB-610 stood there in a guilty little swirl, optical lens blinking rapidly. At his feet: a very familiar teal-bladed shoto saber, now quiet and harmless after its dramatic fall.

Valery raised a brow, lips already twitching into a smirk, "Well," she drawled, eyes twinkling, "Someone's been getting ambitious." She stepped forward, crouching just enough to retrieve the saber from the floor with a practiced hand, examining it with curiosity and fondness. "Still in perfect condition. Your craftsmanship really is something else, Bee."

She offered the hilt back to him, that smirk still tugging at her lips. "But it seems like you're in need of some training."

Straightening up, she gave his dome a light, affectionate tap with two fingers.

"How about a session together?"

BB-610 ​

 

[BB-610]

​

| LOCATION: Noble Household |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


Valery’s voice catches him off guard. He’s startled, physically recoiling with a warbled yelp, optic wide as though he’d gotten caught with one hand in the cookie jar. In all his hyperfixation, he’d forgotten she was busying herself nearby, and with artificial adrenaline finally wavering, the droid feels a tangible sense of embarrassment creep up on him.

He mewls, guilty, head lowering down the front curve of his chassis — BB-610 feels small, deeply ashamed of what he’d just done. He doesn’t expect any reprimanding, of course, but the droid can’t help that gut-wrenching ache all the same.

Valery is, thankfully, the galaxy’s most patient soul, and so when she provides him words of warmth and an offer to retrieve his lightsaber, BB-610 is… not surprised, per se, but most certainly relieved. The astromech perks up, head straightened, central photoreceptor dancing its focus between Valery and the blade in open palm.

Almost hesitantly, his utility arm is outstretched once more, delicately accepting it back into his grasp. He’s happy to see it unscathed.

"How about a session together?"

Snapping back to the Jedi, BB-610 almost has to double-take, now standing much more confidently — a child on Life Day morning. With an ecstatic cry of sheer excitement, the astromech circles Valery’s feet, weaving between her legs with the infectious giddiness of a pup, singing her praises all throughout.

His celebrations come to an end shortly thereafter, however. BB-610 casts a glance down to the hilt in his claw, head tilted ever so slightly. The droid is deep in pensive thought, it seems, and when he turns to Valery, all that aforementioned excitement has dwindled substantially.

The astromech bweeps — his binary soft, melancholy — as he tells his friend that he isn’t even sure he can train. With an added string of sorrowful droidspeak, BB-610 adds that he can’t possibly begin to try without having the Force.

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery watched the way Bee's giddiness ebbed into uncertainty, and her expression softened. She didn't interrupt his little swirl of joy — it was too pure, too deserved — but when he quieted, when he looked down at the hilt in his claw like it was suddenly too heavy to hold, she stepped forward again.

Gently, she knelt to be closer to eye level, resting her arms loosely on her knees.

"Bee…" she said softly, her voice warm, coaxing, never pitying. "You say you don't have the Force, but I've seen what you do have. Heart. Will. Loyalty. You've learned more than most Jedi do in a lifetime — and not just how to change diapers," she added with a sly smile and a knowing look. "Though I do appreciate that particular skill."

She reached forward and brushed the back of her fingers lightly along the rim of his dome, her touch affectionate and reassuring.

"You've grown so much already. And not because someone told you what to be — but because you chose to. You chose to protect. To fight. To care." She leaned in just slightly, her smile growing. "So maybe the Force isn't with you in the same way it is with me. That doesn't mean you can't train. Or learn. Or try something new."

Valery straightened back up and offered her hand out toward him, palm up and open.

"And hey… it'll be fun, right? Just you and me. No distractions. No tiny goblins climbing the curtains."

She winked.

"Come on. Let's see what you can do."

BB-610 ​

 

[BB-610]

​

| LOCATION: Noble Household |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


Were he to have lips, they'd have pulled themselves into a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Provided he had those as well, of course. Her words are kind, uplifting; there existed no doubt that they would be anything less, for even during the astromech's stormiest days, Valery never failed to shoo those dark clouds away.

A ray of sunshine everlasting, an exemplary Jedi for the galaxy at large. He considered himself the luckiest droid to have graced the cosmos.

BB-610 whistled, humbled by her praise, core heating up in what can only be likened to a blush. A giggle shortly thereafter, almost childish, finding humor in Valery's joke with all the understanding of a boy built of flesh and blood.

He was loyal — to a fault, at times. He had been met with encounters far above his pay grade and never once had he backed down in spite of suffocating fear should his family be at risk. He was brave — paradoxically so. Perhaps all Bee needed was to be reminded of his worth.

With a chirp, he thanked her, a brief wobble of his chassis following suit.

Lightsaber poised within his grasp, utility arm outstretched, speckles of confidence kissed his systems. The room was subsequently reunited with a flash of teal and the accompanying humbuzz of plasma, BB-610's focus tore itself away from Valery, finally falling unto the blade held deathly still.

The astromech tweeted and clicked, wanting to know where to begin with defending himself, lightsaber angled diagonally before him.

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery's smile only grew as Bee's lightsaber ignited — the soft snap-hiss of the blade felt like a promise. His excitement, his determination… it was infectious. She chuckled warmly as his little chassis gave that delighted wobble and his photoreceptor zeroed in with sudden focus.

"There's the Jedi droid I know," she said with a proud glint in her eyes, hands resting on her hips as she looked him over.

With a flick of her wrist, she deactivated her own saber and nodded toward the hallway.

"Come on. Training room. Let's give those new moves of yours some space to shine."

---

The training room at home was quiet when they entered, the gentle hum of energy shielding along the walls and the smooth, padded floor waiting for action. The lights were soft, ambient — no harsh glare, just enough to illuminate every shift and movement.

Valery stepped onto the mat and rolled her shoulders back, loosening up with the ease of someone who'd done this more times than she could count. Her saber hissed to life once more, its violet glow casting a halo across her features.

"Alright, Bee," she said with a smirk, slowly circling around to face him. "We're starting with the fundamentals. Lightsaber zones. When someone attacks you, they're targeting one of several key areas — and the first one's the head."

She stepped forward with the calm grace of a teacher in her element, and then — slowly, deliberately — raised her blade high. Her stance was perfect, every movement intentional. And then she brought the weapon down in a wide, telegraphed arc, aimed right toward the top of his dome.

It wasn't fast. Wasn't meant to be.

"Zone one. Head strike," she called out, clear and confident. "Block horizontally — we always want a right angle when blades meet in this basic form. Strong and simple."

Her blade neared its mark with a glowing hum, and her amber eyes watched Bee carefully — waiting to see how he'd respond. Not just if he'd defend, but how.

The lesson had begun.

BB-610 ​

 

[BB-610]

​

| LOCATION: Noble Household |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


BB-610 was no stranger to the training room. He'd cleaned it many a time, as he'd done with every corner of their homestead, and yet not once had the droid indulged in its actual purpose. It did a number on his nerves, standing before Valery as teacher and pupil, but that tangible electricity was also owed to a feeling of excitement.

The droid listened attentively, central optic keeping its focus fixed on her features whilst the photoreceptors dotting his body study her saber. He nodded, understanding — so far, so simple. Upon the hiking of Valery's blade, BB-610 inched backwards, head creeping up the curve of his chassis in order to shift attention to her hand.

He followed her instructions, utility arm jutted to the side, lightsaber of his own tilted in tandem. Much like Valery's, the astromech's motions were slow and steady, though his were born of inexperience.

A crackle of light as purple and teal kiss, their blades meeting for the first time. BB-610 stared, enamored. and while there's no excess pressure straining his grasp, the droid can nonetheless feel Valery's saber pressing against his. His stance is shifted, perhaps subconsciously, drinking in the energy thick in the air.

His weapon held firm, droidbrain racked, instinct told him to raise his blade up and along the length of Valery's, a mutual hissing of plasma as his tip is drawn closer to the centre stress of the Jedi's saber, as though to quaintly challenge its hold over his. With one last angular sway of a mechanical arm, the kiss between both lightsabers is finally broken, swerved to the side following the brief spin of his chassis, enough momentum to have harmlessly jutted the woman's blade away should she not double down.

For BB-610, what had just occurred was a series of mental algorithms informing him of the precise coordinates in which to meet for the highest probable chance of success.

For Valery, it was just another day.

BB-610 straightened himself out, head perked up, and while his lightsaber remained ignited, he ensured it was aimed away from her. He chirped and chattered, binary inquisitive, hopeful — having asked if he'd done good with all the cadence of a child prying for their mother's approval.

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery's blade hummed as it met Bee's in that slow, deliberate cross — and even though the strike was measured, the moment the sabers touched, she felt a thrill of pride ripple through her. His form was solid. His instincts? Sharp. There was a slight adjustment at the last second, an angular shift of his weapon that deflected her strike not just passively, but intelligently. His little spin to follow through was so precise, it even made her blink.

And then he looked at her. That hopeful chirp. That inquisitive tilt of his dome.

Valery broke into a wide grin, one hand lifting off her saber to give an approving flick of her fingers toward him.

"You did great, Bee," she said warmly, voice full of pride. "Perfect angle, perfect control. And that little follow-through? Very impressive. You've been watching more sparring sessions than I realized." She stepped back and reset her stance, her lightsaber steady in both hands now. Her feet shifted on the mat, her movements still graceful, but this time with a little more weight behind them.

"But we're not done yet," she said with a teasing glint in her amber eyes. "Next up — zone two. Right side of the body."

With a fluid motion, Valery turned into a horizontal sweep, her blade arcing towards his right side, aimed about halfway down his chassis. The strike was still telegraphed — she wasn't trying to surprise him — but it was definitely faster this time. Her shoulders moved with the blow, a touch of power behind it, just enough to make sure Bee felt the shift in pressure as the plasma neared.

"Same rule applies!" she called, her smirk curling. "Right angle, solid base — meet the strike, don't chase it."

BB-610 ​

 

[BB-610]

​

| LOCATION: Noble Household |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


He did great! Oh, joyous, happy days—— it caused him great pride to hear that, chassis rumbling and wobbling with giddiness unrestrained, beaming at Valery's praise. The astromech was humbled, truly; when you enjoy sifting through archival footage to reflect on adventure's end, one's droidbrain begins to pick up on the overabundance of techniques on display courtesy of the person closest to them.

It operated on a level more subconscious than he'd thought, perhaps, but nothing really ever left his memory banks should they not be manually wiped.

As she'd said, though: they were far from done, and BB-610 was every bit of eager to continue. With a nod, he prepared himself, photoreceptors locked on the Jedi's saber for a prompt analysis ala pattern recognition software. Its results entailed the methodical tilt of his utility arm, abruptly snapped into the stance his self-correcting AI had dubbed the most beneficial.

Valery's blade is reunited with his own, clashing against the shoto's center stage. BB-610's algorithms spoke for themselves — a perfect block of a would-be attack, with a sturdiness behind it to ensure this hypothetical enemy couldn't press forth without meeting some resistance.

BB-610 had impressed even himself, optic widened. He lacked the gift of human intuition and — more importantly — the Force, but his programming had always aimed to steer him closest to the highest probable victory amongst countless possible outcomes, all drummed up in his head within milliseconds.

The telekinetically inclined could dispatch him with ease, even so, but his determination was one that flirted with a stubbornness not dissimilar from Valery's.

He cooed, a realization struck. BB-610 noted her posture, her movement; it was slow, a deliberate decision on her part. BB-610 whistled, likening her training to a dance. Chirping and clacking, the droid elaborated, adding that he'd follow her lead and match her rhythm.

Music truly had been a boon in his life.

With that, the droid continued, eager for more.

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery's saber sizzled softly as it pulled away from the clash, and her grin lingered as Bee chirped excitedly. She could feel his joy — not in the Force, but in the rhythm of his movements, the confidence in his form, the way he wobbled with pride. It was infectious. And when he chirped about the rhythm, about matching her lead?

Valery blinked once. Then she laughed, light and genuine. "A dance, huh? Alright then, partner. Let's see how well you follow." She stepped forward again — but this time, there was no pause. No telegraph. No explanation. Her saber came in low, zone three — left side. Then without hesitation, her body turned, flowing like water into the next zone and the next. Her movements weren't fast yet — but they were connected. Seamless. A choreography of discipline and grace. Each swing followed another, timed just enough for a reaction, but no longer isolated. She was building a rhythm. A pattern.

She flowed back into zone two again — Bee's right side — then shifted upward into a feint at zone one. Not a real strike this time, but enough to test his instinct. Was he watching her shoulders? Reading her weight shifts?

By now, she was no longer announcing the zones aloud. Her steps were quicker. The pace had picked up. But her smirk remained. "Keep up with me, Bee," she said, her voice light but laced with challenge. "And if you can match my rhythm all the way through…" She pivoted again, starting a new sequence from the top.

"I'll give you a reward."

Her saber sang through the air. Her feet glided across the mat. And as the pace escalated, so did the pride in her eyes — because this wasn't just training anymore.

It was a dance. A duet.

BB-610 ​

 

[BB-610]

​

| LOCATION: Noble Household |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


BB-610 accepted that challenge in stride. His resolve was second to none, driven by a sordid need to prove his worth not just to himself, not just to Valery, but to the galaxy at large. His will to be respected, admired, adored like her pushed him forward — impassioned by some strain of uncharacteristic spite.

He wasn't just a droid. He wasn't a tool, he wasn't property, and he had grown far too bitter with feeling like an item for his liking.

Valery's movements were studied, her pace evenly matched by the sharp rebuttals of his stance. Zone three — left side. Another crackle, sizzling with power most reciprocated, their blades held firm against one another. The Jedi's efforts had been discernibly doubled, with BB-610 finding it necessary to apply much more force behind his grasp, but it did nothing to discourage him.

Zone two — right side. His chassis swerved, a seamless motion that twirled his saber to successfully block hers. One photoreceptor studied her feet, reading the subtle shift in distance between them after every strike. Another remained fixed on her features, facial recognition software noting the twinge of Valery's brow and the subconscious tensing of muscles unregistered to the untrained eye that informed him of an impending clash.

Not a murmur of binary met the air, focus wholly on their tango, one roll back upon one foot inched forward. BB-610 had grown confident, following the woman's lead to a T.

Zone one — left side. His head crept back, gliding across the back curve of his chassis, allowing his shoto more room to block the bulk of his body. Deceptively graceful, BB-610 worked on instinct, on raw data; zone three — right side. The blade spun, risen skyward in a mesmerizing blur of teal as to pump its tip against the underside of Valery's saber to knock it off course.

His weight tipped to the right, balanced at the apex of his mass as the astromech's form rotated on the spot. The synchronized hum of their blades grew louder, increasingly forceful. BB-610 knew he couldn't hurt her, and he trusted her to not hurt him. Zone one — right side.

Their routine escalated, a natural ebb and flow that worked not to one-up each other, but to thrive in unison. The astromech's motors whirred, a zig-zagging of his body to rock him side to side. For all intents and purposes, BB-610 had returned to that cold, calculated machine operating off of statistical analysis and objective diagnoses.

Zone two — left side.

There existed no margin for human error, but that programming — advanced as it were — could be easily misled by the nature of organic intuition, a concept fundamentally inconceivable to the unfeeling slum of ones and zeroes.

Zone three — right side.

No, it wasn't the droid's programming that had allowed him to strut alongside Valery's heels, to bob and weave between her arms in a ballad of swings. It was his passion that held him steady, his intimate love for her that maintained his devotion. Bee wanted nothing more than to make her proud, to make everybody proud——

Zone two — right side.

——and it was that very same passion that made him more than his programming.

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery's grin deepened with every pass of their blades. His stance was strong. His rollwork? Nearly flawless. And more than anything, she could feel it — not through the Force, but in the rhythm they'd found together. Bee wasn't just matching her pace; he was dancing with her. Sparring on instinct and heart, not just code.

She pushed a little harder, bringing the tempo up another notch — sweep, pivot, low feint. Her saber came in from above, curved at the last second for an oblique angle meant to test his reaction time.

Clash.

He was there. Right where he needed to be. Valery's saber snapped back to her side, and she stepped away, breath steady but proud fire blazing in her amber eyes. A beat passed — then she smirked and straightened her posture, her free hand resting on her hip.

"That's enough for now," she said, her voice undeniably warm. She deactivated her saber with a snap-hiss, and the room settled into quiet hums of cooling power cells and the subtle whirl of Bee's servos. "You kept up well." Her smile softened into something fond. "Actually, you did more than that. You held your own, Bee."

She stepped forward and reached out, gently patting the edge of his dome.

"You just learned the foundation of Shii-Cho — the first lightsaber form," she continued, crouching a bit so they were eye to photoreceptor. "Every Jedi starts here. It's not fancy, not flashy… but it's the heart of everything else we build. It's balance. Control. Flow."

Her eyes sparkled as she leaned in, whispering like it was a secret just between them.

"And you crushed it."

Then, standing again, she crossed her arms with a smirk.

"So… ready for your reward?" She wasn't sure what he wanted yet, but he had earned it.

BB-610 ​

 

[BB-610]

​

| LOCATION: Noble Household |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


He relented, abiding by her words. Their dance had concluded, and now BB-610 could bask in the afterglow of an upstanding performance. Utility arm lowered, his blade was withdrawn, the training room no longer lit by flickers of teal.

Its hilt was studied, idly thumbed by one metallic claw. The faux-adrenaline had worn off, programming allowed a backseat as to make way for a rising sense of pride; BB-610 couldn’t believe what he’d just done. He was mesmerized.

Peering up, his optic welled in emotion, lens glimmering as it dilated; Valery’s praise meant the world to him. The astromech leaned into her head, brushing against an open palm. Her touch was all he could ever want.

His core had warmed considerably, the vents of his tool-bay disks hissing with steam as internal fans got to cooling him down. Him? A Jedi? BB-610 wasn’t sure that was even possible — this flight of fancy had spurred him on far too much already…

…and yet the idea was intoxicating.

BB-610 clicked and clacked, humbled by his Master’s words. He bowed, a sign of respect; it was the least he could do, he thought, head lifted up shortly thereafter as he chirped a great many thanks — each giddier than the last.

The droid’s chassis swerved on the spot, lightsaber gingerly placed back into its casing. The lid was popped shut and summarily locked once again with the brief twist of his scomp link, before the box was returned to its drawer.

Satisfied, all photoreceptors were now on Valery, having earned his undivided attention.

Gazing at her ever so expectantly, he nodded, excited. An oil bath sounded heavenly…

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery watched him — the way his optic glimmered, the way he bowed with that subtle flourish of pride. Her heart swelled with affection, and she bowed right back, not as a formality but with warmth that reached the corners of her smile. "To Master Bee," she said softly, teasing just a little as she straightened again. She reached out again, brushing her fingers along the top of his dome, light and fond, before turning toward the corridor.

"Alright," she said, lifting her chin and gesturing ahead with a mock-serious nod. "You've earned it — come on, let's get that oil bath running." Her steps were casual as they moved, and she glanced down at him with a knowing smile. "I'll even add those scented additives you like. Lavender... or was it the one that smells like old starfighter coolant?" she teased with a smirk.

Once they reached the little droid maintenance room at the Noble homestead, Valery got to work. She moved with ease, adjusting temperature controls, mixing the right solution into the tank — one hand on her hip, the other flicking switches with the finesse of someone who'd done this many times before.

As steam curled gently from the edge of the bath, she looked over her shoulder toward Bee.

"You really did great today," she said more seriously now. "If you ever want to do more training, just let me know. We can try new forms, or even build on Shii-Cho. You've got a real talent for this." She leaned in a little, voice lowering like she was letting him in on a secret again.

"And honestly? You might even be better than a few Padawans I've trained."

She winked, then stepped aside and made a grand gesture toward the bath.

"Your royal soak awaits."

BB-610 ​