Private At Death's Doorstep

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

After six days of extreme physical and especially mental torture, Valery sat alone on her knees within her cell. It was night, and while she was supposed to sleep so she could at least regain some of her strength, she had reached a point so close to breaking that she couldn't simply lay down and sleep anymore. Eventually, the pain and physical exhaustion was going to force her eyes to close but for now, she just sat still and tried to keep herself as strong as she could be.​

​

For most people, Jedi included, the situation would have likely already torn them apart but Valery had something that helped keep her going. Her desire to return to her family was so strong that she simply wasn't going to give up, and Carnifex certainly knew this as well. She was going to die before she'd break and give up on who she was. There was no turning Valery to the Dark Side or twisting her into becoming some mindless slave. ​

​

But she was at death's doorstep, and with every bit of strength she still had, Valery had called out to her friends through the Force. Drained of energy, she fell over onto the cold floor and laid still there, hoping help was coming soon.​

​

​

 

[Onrai]

It seems you’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?

The voice was one quite familiar to Valery, as she had last heard it when seeking to disrupt the ritual to exterminate the remaining Mnggal-Mnggal in the Mugg Fallow system. A ritual the being that slowly manifested next to her was responsible for conducting. The presence of Onrai soon filled the cell which Valery had been entrapped in, the shadowed form of the goddess standing next to the injured and ailing Jedi.

“Fear not, Valery. I’m not here to harm you.” If Valery looked around, she would notice something peculiar - a torch some distance away from the cell she had been shackled in seemed frozen in its flicker, the flame perfectly static and untouched. “I felt that you were desperate for succor, for a moment of peace in tempestuous storm my old friend has trapped you in. And I have come to grant that peace.” The shade sat down next to Valery’s ailing body, before offering her a hand.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

Hearing the familiar voice echo in her mind, Valery opened her eyes and clenched her jaw a little while her fingers flexed and curled up against the ground. The woman that appeared moments later wasn't one Valery trusted, regardless of the intentions she may have had on Mugg Fallow. She was touched by the Dark Side and undoubtedly had a history of violence and pursuit of personal desires that involved the oppression of others.​

​

With the woman now inside her cell, Valery tried to push herself up but she quickly learned that she lacked the strength to do so. That was, at least, until she heard Onrai speak and noticed the hand extending towards her. Perhaps with some stubbornness, Valery refused the hand and used what little strength she had to push herself back up to her knees. Standing wasn't going to work, so this would do for now. ​

​

It was at this moment that the woman in torn clothing noticed the frozen torch, and she no longer heard the sounds of construction outside — even though she wasn't sure what exactly was happening, she figured that something had frozen them in time or something along those lines.​

​

"Why are you really here?" Valery then asked as her fiery eyes looked through strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face.​

​

​

 

[Onrai]

"Can a goddess not be benevolent?" Onrai was a bit hurt at the wholescale rejection of her assistance. "You've clearly been through a lot, Valery. Let me help you. After all, this discussion we're having is private, within a slice of the universe away from everything else. To those outside your cell, no time has passed at all." She still sat there, staring at the Jedi. "So unfortunate that those who think they are in the right can be so easily manipulated into situations where they become such skilled accomplices, as the rot god succinctly showcased." A sigh exited her lips as she looked at Valery.

"He's done a lot to you, hasn't he? Chemical cocktails and torture techniques aplenty. At least it's harming that which harms you as well as yourself." She said. "You need strength, and I am more than willing to offer it to you."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

Benevolent? Valery resisted the urge to snicker at the woman's words and slowly lifted a hand up through her hair to tuck away some loose strands that had fallen in front of her face. She then adjusted the torn fabric of her tunic to keep herself covered and looked at the other woman again. Valery was clearly in bad shape but despite it, her confidence and the strength of her personality didn't seem to be overly lacking.​

​

"Offer me strength? Why?" she asked, clearly skeptical about the supposed good intentions of the woman who had visited her in her cell. "Isn't he an old friend, an ally?" she continued, her eyes now beginning to narrow.​

​

 

[Onrai]

“An old friend, yes, but you know as well as I do that there is never truly such a thing as an ally when it comes to the Sith. The main reason why I am above such petty limitations - I have seen how answering the prayers of one’s flock builds loyalty, and I assure you Kaine never offered supplication during his time on Panatha as their resident deity.” Fear was his preferred method of ruling after all.

She pondered for a bit and before looking over at Valery once more. “You sent a prayer out into the void for help, for support, for the strength to carry on and resist that which Kaine wishes to inflict upon you. He always was so into submission… but I digress. I hear the prayers of the helpless, and I answer them. So here I am, to give you the strength you need.”

She looked over at Valery. “Or would you rather I just give your little friend the strength he needs to survive at your expense?”

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

"Perhaps he's not truly an ally, but why would you aid a Jedi and go against him in the process? Surely you have your price, and I'm confident that it's not one I'm willing to pay," Valery said as her eyes narrowed in Onrai's direction. It was quite obvious that there was little to no trust — she actually seemed to believe that Onrai was looking to manipulate things herself.​

​

"I reached out for help to those I trust most, and I don't think you can give me the strength that they can," Valery said but it was what Onrai mentioned after that really caused her brows to furrow into a frown.​

​

"Is that a threat?" Valery almost demanded, clearly bothered by the woman's words. "If you plan to make things worse, just get it over with. I don't have the time or energy for it anymore. And if you want to help, giving me too much strength won't work. He's going to notice anything too significant you do here."​

​

 

[Onrai]

“Because my decisions are my own.” She said. “Can I not be benevolent in the face of adversity and suffering?” She raised an eyebrow. “My price is simply a more positive impression and a willingness not to fall under the spell of that which you do not know.”

She paused for a moment. “Those who you trust will be here for you soon. And they will be successful at freeing you. But whether you survive until that moment or not is what is in question. I am offering you the strength to survive, as I have foreseen you will not make it without help. Kahlil will cradle you in his arms as you breathe your last breath, and the loss will lead him down the dark path once more - a path that will see Kaine’s sword cleaving through his neck, his soul an eternal plaything for his father.”

At the last comment, Onrai laughed, shadowy presence almost licking at Valery’s wounded flesh, her form a lot less humanoid now and more amorphous. “Don’t you think that if I wanted to hurt you, I could have? We’re in a sliver in time, a pocket fractionalized infinitely. Here tortures and pleasures alike are drawn out over a seeming infinity. When we finish here, there will be not a suggestion that I ever interacted with you. I ask plainly, do you want my help to survive so the terrible future does not come to pass, or would you like to leave your hands in the realm of fate?”

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

A soft breath escaped Valery's lips that could be perceived as a chuckle — she still didn't seem convinced by Onrai and the price she had for her help. She was ultimately still Sith or at the very least a dark side entity, and that could easily mean that this was part of a long-term plan Valery was not yet aware of.​

​

"I know my friends will get me out but-" she paused as the woman suddenly mentioned the name of her husband, and the way she talked about him ignited a fire in Valery's orange eyes. One that seemed to be fueled by the laugh that followed from Onrai, whose form had begun to change.​

​

"He's not going to fall any more, and he's the reason I'm getting through this. Not you or anything else," She seemed very adamant about that. Her family had been the sole reason she was able to push herself through everything, and even if she wasn't going to make it without more help, she still viewed them as the reason that she made it this far.​

​

"But if you insist so much on helping, what is it exactly you plan to do? Give me more energy and strength? Heal my wounds?" she narrowed her eyes, "Just keep it subtle because you're not helping if he finds out. And don't expect me to start liking you all of a sudden. I know your kind, and I don't trust you."​

​

​

 

[Onrai]

“Don’t be so sure.” She said. “I saw his first attempt to walk away from that which has haunted the Zambrano line for decades. It did not work out well.” To the rest of her claims, she shrugged - it was one of many possible futures, but one close to completion.

“Well, for one, get rid of that parasite. And for two, give you the necessary life energy to survive. Your flesh will not be unmortified, and Kaine will suspect nothing. As for knowing my kind…” she gave a laugh. “You know nothing of what I have become since the ascension to this form of existence. But perhaps one day, you will.”

From within the shadows, a hand was offered to Valery, waiting for her own to be locked within it.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

"You don't know him the way I do, and what has changed..." Valery said, still not happy that she even mentioned his name. She was always a protective woman, but even more so when it came to her husband the daughter they had. Even if Valery died, he no longer had his father's mark and he still had Vera who would keep him going. No, he wasn't going to fall anymore.​

​

Valery then sighed and decided to drop that topic to instead focus on what was most important — the offer Onrai was making; the one she still didn't seem to really trust. She looked at the hand that extended from the Shadows and frowned, clearly uncertain about the decision she should make.​

​

Her hand then finally came up and slowly moved towards Onrai's, only for it to drop back down moments later. Valery let out a soft sigh and looked at the entity that was lurking in the dark, "I'm sorry, I can't do it. I... will trust in the strength my family gives me to get through this."​

​

"I can't put my faith in you."​

​

 

[Onrai]

“I know him as anyone else would. The wayward son, the one always trying to stay out of his father’s shadow, unlike the cannibal Elani, the imperious Constantinius, or other wayward spawnlings Kaine has sired into the world over the years.” She waited succinctly, happy to see that the Jedi would finally accept her aid - only to watch as she fell away.

“Your lack of faith is going to be your undoing sometime, Valery.” She frowned. “But even with your rejection, you shall still receive some supplication, even if it is not what you expected.” A hand raised as Onrai focused not on Valery, but on the life form that had been forcibly bound within her, which fed and survived from her essence. It had grown dim and weak from the persistent poisons of the chemicals Carnifex had subjected its host to.

Yet weak it would not remain.

Onrai focused on the parasite, and where once the Spectre of death was certain to loom over its animalistic cells, soon vim and vigor were restored to it. Once more it grew strong in Valery’s bosom, and no more would it be at death’s doorstep. Yet even as it was made more powerful, its life force leaked into the rest of Valery’s flesh, a smidgen of strength beginning to but slowly leach back into her spirit and body. It would not be enough to help her fully recover, but it would be enough to keep her alive. The parasite was now an element of Onrai, and for as long as it remained within her, the goddess maintained a direct connection with the Jedi.

“Your future has been secured. You will survive, and Kahlil will take you away from this place to recover. What you do afterwards is up to you.” She said.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

"Maybe one day, but not today," Valery said in response, somewhat stubbornly to the woman talking about her undoing. But the defiance in her expression faded rather quickly when Onrai raised her hand and still decided to do something, although not something Valery had been quite expecting.​

​

Deep within herself, she could feel something change but it wasn't her own body — or not directly at least. The strength of the parasite increased but in the process, she felt some energy replenishing her reserves as well. A few deep breaths were taken and with slightly widened eyes, Valery stared at the woman in the dark.​

​

"Why..." she gritted her teeth, clenched her jaw, and looked at Onrai as she talked about how Valery was going to survive.​

​

"I don't know what you did, but this parasite is going to die, even if you strengthened it. I'm stronger than it, and I know how to defeat it," she said, less stubborn and more so determined. ​

​

But she wasn't going to forget what happened here.​

​

 

[Onrai]

"What I did is ensure that it is no longer it which is feeding off of you." She said. "Now you are feeding off of its own life force. Of course, its death will come, but for the time being it will serve as a temporary reservoir to feed your spirit and ensure you survive to be recovered." A smile crossed the lips of the woman's atypical form. "I'm surprised you haven't taken the opportunity to inquire more about Kaine from someone who's known him for practically the length of time he has been a Darksider. I remember when he was naught much more than another plucky apprentice, seeking to ascend the ranks of the first Sith Empire to rise up after the galaxy had restored itself."

The lack of inquisition had been rather surprising, truthfully."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

"I had other things to worry about," Valery retorted. Even in her current state, she had tried to remain aware of what Carnifex was plotting on this world. The construction outside, this temple itself, and gaining a better understanding about his followers — none of that had slipped her mind.​

​

But the more her body and mind were breaking apart, the more difficult it became to focus on that. In the last 2 days especially, simply surviving had demanded all of her attention.​

​

"Now that I have the strength to survive, though, I'm all ears," she said as she looked at the shadowy entity. "Fighting him and what he stands for is a crucial part of who I am, so I'm willing to listen to what you have to say." It was still somewhat surprising to Valery that she even wanted to share anything, but she wasn't going to decline simple conversation. She was, however, going to remain skeptical about anything she was told.​

​

There could be a lot more to it, and Onrai could simply be playing her own little game.​

​

 

[Onrai]

"Well, now you have the opportunity to ask." Onrai replied. "Please, go ahead and inquire whatever it is you wish to know about Kaine, and I will answer to the fullest of my abilities. Even a goddess has her limits, though."

Onrai hoped she didn't ask how many kids Kaine had. Even she didn't have any idea.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

Valery rolled her eyes the moment Onrai referred to herself as a goddess again, but the idea of being able to ask some questions was quite tempting. Part of Valery wouldn't really trust the answers, but Onrai likely had a reason to provide Valery with useful information as well. If she could somehow use it to be even more of a threat to Carnifex, then it would only benefit Onrai.​

​

"Well, what can you tell me about his motives? His plans?" she asked before she gave it some extra thought. "Anything that can help go against him better?"​

​

 

[Onrai]

"Kaine's motivation is to become that which he claims himself to be." Onrai explained. "He claims himself to be a god. If there is a way for him to become such, he desires to achieve it. The best way for him to do so is to do as I seek to - to find a way to the World Between Worlds, a way to become a part of the very fabric of the universe and have a way to command it, to shape it to his whim." She said. "Of course, unlike myself, he would do as Akala did - warp the galaxy into his own image as opposed to using his power to provide for those who worship him. And he is the persistent one - the twice-Emperor, the only one to ever achieve such a feat." She said.

"To interfere with his work is not a simple matter indeed. Not with the loyalty of those beneath him... like the beautiful stiletto that was Taeli Raaf."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Janara III | Cell​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Onrai ​

​

"What is it with you Sith and your desire to try and be gods?" Valery asked rhetorically and in an almost mocking way. But the answer was to be expected — they were talking about Carnifex of all Sith, after all. The marks he had left on the Galaxy were still very much visible today, and new ones were still created regularly.​

​

"It's not true loyalty from those beneath him. Have you seen them?" she turned her gaze briefly to the narrow window in her cell. Outside, people of the village had been working on building various constructions for him. "They've been turned into mindless slaves by him and those closest to him."​

​

"There's no loyalty in that," Valery said before a soft sigh escaped her. "I'm not sure what else to ask that is relevant. I've been dealing with him for some time, and I know what he's like and how his family is tied into it all. I'm just interested in continuing to interrupt and stop his plans."​

​

"Until one day, the twice-emperor is no more."​

​

 

[Onrai]

“It’s an achievable goal.” She pointed out. “Look at me for example. I can know what it is my worshippers pray to me about, and I can fulfill their prayers - for the most part. Thing is, Kaine has never been like this. He has remained trapped within a mortal shell, never able to ascend to a higher plane of existence as I have - and indeed there is no way for him to now.”

At the comments regarding loyalty, she nodded. “Which is why the majority of the Sith-Imperial veterans are loyal to one person - that being me. I have always, even in my past, sought to provide for those who served me knowing that their loyalty would remain absolute without any sort of mental influence or brainwashing. But Kaine does prefer more aggressive methods… makes him believe at least that they have fully submitted to him. Maybe it’s a kink for him, and who are you to shame him for it?” She laughed.

An eyebrow was raised. “You won’t get rid of him, you know. He has contingencies upon contingencies in the event some or all of his flesh is rendered useless.” She said. “I would know. He’s been brought back at least once at my hand over the years.”

Valery Noble