Private Brothers & Sisters in Arms

[Valery Noble]

Maw Frontlines

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Driver

"How are the men feeling, Sergeant Major?" Valery asked Driver after they had boarded the shuttle designated for transporting officers and Jedi to the frontlines as reinforcements. Together with a task force of more soldiers and air support, they were tasked to offer relief there against the relentless forces of the Maw, and hopefully gain more ground in preparation for the Alliance's push to liberate the core. It was a common assignment for Valery, whose role within the Order largely revolved around leading the war efforts for the Jedi, but she could never do it alone.

In the days of the Old Republic, she had learned to appreciate the company of soldiers and sometimes, she felt more at ease being surrounded by them than by her fellow Jedi. Their comradery and willingness to give it their all for the soldier next to them was something akin to the selflessness of a Jedi, and she always made sure they knew they could rely on her just as much. It helped her develop a bond with her brothers and sisters in arms that went above simple friendships, and while she wasn't familiar with Driver and his men just yet, she knew this battle was going to rely on their bond in battle growing over time.

"ETA - 2 minutes!" the pilot soon called out over internal comms, which Valery acknowledged with a nod of her head before turning back to Driver. She held no rank in the military and would never give them orders or try to assume command of his men, but she was going to offer her suggestions along the way, and cooperate to figure out the best plans of action. "I'll be the first to get outside, so I can cover the exit of you and your soldiers," she offered. They were going to be dropped close to the ongoing battle because of how tense it was, and her lightsaber was a shield that could save lives.

"Once we're out, I suggest we spread out enough and apply pressure. Get the wounded back so they can be brought home, and we'll push from there. Any other suggestions, comments, or concerns?" she asked with a slight smirk.

 

[Driver]

Maw Frontlines
Tags: Valery Noble

"Tense," the clone answered, "But not deterred by any means. Jumping feet first into hell is sort of our MO. I gotta say, you have an impressive reputation behind you, General. It's an honor."

It wasn't just that. Driver was feeling rather nostalgic today. It had been a long time, in a literal sense, since he had served under a Jedi. Valery reminded him very much of the war heroes of his Old Republic. To that end, he was quite pleased with this assignment. Master Noble was no General, but he would call her such out of respect. For old times sake.

"I'll be the first to get outside, so I can cover the exit of you and your soldiers,"

"Once we're out, I suggest we spread out enough and apply pressure. Get the wounded back so they can be brought home, and we'll push from there. Any other suggestions, comments, or concerns?"

"No, ma'am," Driver responded with a grin before putting on his helmet. He turned to the rest of his troops. "LAATs are inbound as we speak. We have a few minutes to clear the LZ. Move in fast, stage those warheads, clear out wounded. Whoever's left will reroute to the front so we can hit those bastards with everything we've got."

As they approached the ground, Driver drew his hand cannon with his free hand. He turned to Valery, knocking the weapon on the side of his old helmet.

"My people can handle themselves," he assured her. "They'll clear the zone, we'll make an opening in the front. I'd estimate about ten minutes before those walkers land and all hell breaks loose. If all goes well, I'd say we can punch a significant hole in their lines."

They were down. The shutter doors had opened now, and blaster fire was sailing over their heads.

 

[Valery Noble]

Maw Frontlines

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Driver

Valery blinked and seemed a little confused when he called her general, but she quickly remembered who he was, and offered him a smile in return. If he used such a title, even though it didn't apply to her, it meant he already respected her, and she felt similarly towards him and his soldiers. She knew what they were trained for, and what they could do, and she was going to do everything she could to keep them safe, knowing they would do the same thing for her as well.

"The pleasure is mine. You and your men have a fine record," Valery assured him before they discussed tactics. It sparked Driver into addressing his men, for which Valery remained completely quiet.

"I agree, the Maw is stretched thin here as well, and they aren't being replenished nearly as much," Valery said before she sharpened her focus and kept her eyes on the little lights that would alert them when it was time to depart. Not long after, they touched down, and with a green signal, the doors opened and a wave of blaster fire was already coming at them. To meet the onslaught of enemy fire, two violet blades exploded into existence, one at each end of her double-bladed weapon, and she moved ahead to form a wide screen of protection.

She had chosen this preferred weapon specifically for its wide span, so she could ensure more of his men made it home.

"Let's push forward!" she called out over the loud noise of battle, all while she gave it her all to protect the troops.

 

[Driver]

Maw Frontlines
Tags: Valery Noble

"Let's push forward!"

"For the Alliance!" Driver shouted in a rallying cry. Behind him came a rumble of voices...

OO-RAH!

As Valery strode forward, her violet blades covering their entry, Driver ran almost at his side, drawing his DC-17 and dropping Mawites as they went. It didn't take long for something more sizable to appear before them. A rival troop transport, dropping off supplies no doubt. With a confidant hand, Driver lifted his hand cannon. The droid brain within locked on. One shot was all it took to vaporize the wing of the Maw transport, sending it careening into the distance.

<<Sergeant Major, Master Jedi, Walkers are 6 minutes out in counting.>>

Six minutes already? They were going to need to pick up the pace.

"SERGEANT!" the voice of a trooper behind distant cover shouted. "WARHEADS ARE IN POSITION!"

It became immediately clear what it was they would need to clear.

<<All heavy infantry, focus your fire on the ridge. They have a line of walkers holding their formation. See to it that that's no longer the case. Fire at will.>>

Within seconds, warheads sailed across the battlefield, engulfing Mawite vehicles in plumed of fire. Everything seemed to be going according to plan-

Driver picked up a faint sound amongst the explosions. It was a buzzing of some kind. No, more like a snap-hiss. Then, it clicked. The clone turned to his left, just in time to see a crimson blade sailing down towards him from above. Sith. The Sergeant Major quickly juggled his options, but nothing seemed fast enough. One word kept ringing through his thoughts in all of this...

Chit.

 

[Valery Noble]

Maw Frontlines

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Driver

The sound of two lightsaber blades hissing against each other in a fierce clash would suddenly pull Driver back out of his own thoughts. In the blink of an eye, Valery had somehow positioned herself between him and the Sith and held his crimson blade up above her own head with a powerful block. Her fiery eyes were burning with her intent to protect and defeat him, and with the Force exploding through her body, she landed a kick against his midsection that sent him back several steps.

Valery then quickly glanced over her shoulder to meet Driver's gaze and dipped her head as if to tell him I have your back, all over again. The Sith meanwhile regained his balance but before he could even think about attacking again, Valery was already up-close and swinging the rear blade of her weapon into a deadly arc. The two blades crashed into each other once more, but that's exactly what Valery had planned.

With a quick rotation of her hips and her left foot coming around to step into the attack, she reversed the direction of her weapon and lashed out with the front blade, which struck from her left to right side, and clipped the Sith's upper leg. His body dipped in response to the sudden pain, and Valery exploited it immediately with an upwards swing of the rear blade that sent his guard up and off-balanced it.

Finally, she released her weapon with one hand and pulled on his body with the Force to send him flying into the dirt close to Driver, who now had a chance to finish it.

"Let's take those walkers out!"

 

[Driver]

Maw Frontlines
Tags: Valery Noble

A wave of relief came over him when Valery stepped in. He had almost forgotten what it was like to have a Jedi at his side in battle. They certainly were a reliable bunch. The Sword of the Jedi was quick to overwhelm the Sith, sending him to the ground at Driver's side. The clone didn't spare a moment, sending two blaster bolts into the warrior's chest, lest the first one not be enough.

"Let's take those walkers out!"

"Yes ma'am," Driver nodded before turning on his coms.

<<Warheads on the ridge, you're clear to fire. Take them down.>>

From there, Driver reloaded his hand cannon, almost a rocket in it's own right, picking off three nearby support vehicles as his men brought down the walkers. The tall machines fell in succession, as though a wave was moving through them. At that moment, the coms came on again.

<<Walkers on the ground. I repeat, walkers on the ground.>>

<<Copy that.>>

A series of thuds came from the distance behind them as a wave of gunships dropped off the ATTE support, which promptly fired on the remaining mawite forces which had dug in. It seemed that they would have a moment of calm before the next push.

"Thanks," he told the Jedi Master, "Guess I owe you one."

 

[Valery Noble]

Maw Frontlines

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Driver

With the Sith down for good and warheads being fired away to take down the walkers, all Valery needed to do was maintain her pattern of defensive deflections. Snipers on the ridge and stray bolts were still coming down at them, and each one she managed to reflect back or away from the troops could be a life saved. But as the warheads hit their mark, and just about the whole ridge was blown apart to take down the walkers, Valery knew it was over.

At least, for now.

They had halted the enemy's advance and created a solid front. Now the long fight for control would begin, but only after the front had been resupplied and the wounded were evacuated. The Mawites were luckily in full retreat, so there was some time before the next storm.

"Thanks," he told the Jedi Master, "Guess I owe you one."

Valery looked behind her as Driver approached, and disengaged her blades before offering him her signature smirk, "I'm sure you'll repay the favor soon enough," she said, knowing that she relied on him and his men just as much as they did on her. The teamwork and coordination are what could make them such an unstoppable force.

"I know the rations aren't great, but why don't we grab something to eat and talk a little until we're moving out again?" she proposed with a kind smile. "We haven't yet gotten a chance to get to know each other."

 

[Driver]

Maw Frontlines
Tags: Valery Noble

"We haven't yet gotten a chance to get to know each other."

"You wanna know me?" Driver reacted with a chuckle. "Afraid their ain't much to know, not that's interesting at least. Don't exactly got a family back home I can tell you about."

Driver retrieved his initial rations, finding a piece of scrap to sit down on. There had been hundreds of soldiers just like him in the Clone Wars. Where did he even begin.

"Well, I fought in the Clone Wars," he continued with a shrug as he removed his helmet. "Won some awards, fought some droids, got captured... next thing I know, I'm stuck in some ice and now I'm here. The DF sure was shocked when a relic came knocking at their door asking to get drafted. Still catches people off guard. Most people don't expect to meet a Fett clone in the flesh I suppose."

The Sergeant Major took a quick swig from a canteen of water in his vest. The bottle was covered in scratch marks. They weren't a tally of kills. Driver wasn't a psychopath. The marks were the number of troops that had been under his command back in the Clone Wars... His brothers.

"You remind me a lot of the Jedi of my day," Driver admitted. "Well, a select few anyways. Guess I only ever worked with a handful of them. What's your story? From an ancient war as well?"

He said this in a joking tone, more so making fun of how ridiculous his situation was.

 

[Valery Noble]

Maw Frontlines

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Driver

"I do, and you don't need a family to be interesting," Valery tried to assure him, now with a charismatic smile replacing the otherwise intense, combat-focused fire in her eyes. She knew how to turn that switch inside her mind rather quickly, and it was likely what helped her not only protect the soldiers she fought with but also be close to them. Out on the battlefields, it was important that everybody fought together. A band of brothers and sisters.

Following him to some rubble in the dirt, Valery sat down and let out a soft sigh now that she got to relax a little bit. Her eyes then turned to Driver, and quietly she listened to his story, which overlapped in many ways with her own. She had gone through a different kind of stasis but was met with a similar surprise when she made her return. "I know what that feels like, but I'm sure they were also surprised to see that you wanted to fight again. But I understand why you did," Valery said with a soft smile. A soldier couldn't just stop being one if their body and mind still allowed it.

Similarly, she could have never given up on being a Jedi.

"You remind me a lot of the Jedi of my day,"

Valery blinked and tilted her head slightly. She didn't know any of those Jedi too well, but enough to know how close a lot of them were to the soldiers under their command. "I hope I can offer you and your men the same protection they did," she replied with a nod.

"My story? Well... yes. I was born a few hundred years after the Mandalorian Wars and fought against the old Sith Empire. I ended up in stasis after a clash on Onderon, and I was released around the time the Maw attacked Coruscant. Born in war, and I woke up in a new one," she said with a fainter smile this time. "But I'd say things have gotten better for me, still. I... lost my husband, but I have a daughter and she makes everything I do worth it in the end."

 

[Driver]

Maw Frontlines
Tags: Valery Noble

"My story? Well... yes. I was born a few hundred years after the Mandalorian Wars and fought against the old Sith Empire. I ended up in stasis after a clash on Onderon, and I was released around the time the Maw attacked Coruscant. Born in war, and I woke up in a new one,"

"Wow," Driver remarked with a puzzled frown. "I... was not expecting that."

He had only been joking, but it seemed that they had more in common then he had first realized. He listened very intently to the rest of her story, giving a faint smile.

"Many out here aren't sure what they're fighting for," he told her. "It seems like you've got a good idea. That takes a great deal of wisdom. You'd make a fine general... but I'm pretty well aware that the arrangement made in my era was problematic, so perhaps it's for the best you aren't."

Driver grinned as his one-eyed gaze drifted off towards the distant haze left behind by a recent air raid. He couldn't say that his reason for fighting was as noble. Protection and revenge were very different.

"I'm afraid why I fight isn't as honest as that," the clone shrugged. "A Sith ordered the creation of my brothers... made them suffer in a pointless war. I guess you could say my being here is a reckoning. Karmic retribution... Pick your poison. Doesn't really matter... This ain't my time... but it feels like I was meant to be here."

His rations were pretty much gone by now. Driver stood, picking up his blaster and returning it to it's holster.

"Well, I see no reason to keep our friends waiting," the Sergeant Major decided. "Let's escort those tanks, punch a whole through to the other side of their like while the iron is still hot."

 

[Valery Noble]

Maw Frontlines

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Driver

"I... was not expecting that."

Valery chuckled, "I've heard that one before and I'm sure you have as well," she said with a grin before she listened to him again. She agreed heavily that no Jedi should be a general in the war, given the problems that could bring, but she appreciated the trust he showed in her. Even though she held no authority, she was able to show leadership and coordinate the war efforts together with the soldiers out on the battlefields.

They listened to her, and she listened to them.

On the topic of their reasons to fight, the difference between them became more evident, but it didn't bother her at all. She knew that most of the people she fought with weren't Jedi, and their views on life were often vastly different. "I understand that feeling, and much like you, I also feel that this is the time when I am meant to shine. It's... a darker time than I would have liked, but perhaps that's exactly why I'm here now."

Much like him, Valery had finished her rations and the troops were eager to get moving. She wasn't going to hold them back, so she got up to her feet, reached for the hilt of her weapon, and shot him a grin. "Alright, get the troops in formation, and I'll take point to keep providing cover."

With that, Valery walked ahead a little and kept her senses sharp in case the enemy had laid out traps or were preparing to ambush. The tanks were rolling up behind her and once the troops were in formation around them, she figured that Driver would join her again to keep up their coordination efforts.

 

[Driver]

Maw Frontlines
Tags: Valery Noble

"Alright, get the troops in formation, and I'll take point to keep providing cover."

Driver spared Valery a nod before getting back on the comms...

<< Push through what's left, hold back their flanks. Let's have this hole completely open by the end of the day. Give'em hell. >>

As the Jedi Master took point, Driver shifted his focus to anti vehicle, using the droid brain in his hand cannon to blow a good amount of land vehicles to shreds. But that was the issue. There was more. An influx, in fact. More so than the Mawites were reported to have access to. In a matter of moments, it seemed like they were being overwhelmed.

<< Reinforcements have arrived. We're outnumbered! >>

"That isn't possible," Driver scowled out loud. "We've been monitoring the air space. We would've known if..."

Then, he saw it, looming over the Maw's forces just off in the distance. It was a circular vessel, with no obvious purpose, simply hovering above the battlefield. Driver, having experience with the Sith after his work with the SIA, had a pretty good guess what it was. They weren't outnumbered.

"They've got a Meditation Sphere," he shouted to Master Noble.

Even if they knew it wasn't real, illusions of the like were hard for the mind to ignore. Not knowing what was real and what wasn't could completely halt there advance. They needed to take that sphere out of the sky.

 

[Valery Noble]

Maw Frontlines

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Driver

Much like the soldiers around her, Valery began noticing that the number of enemies was increasing somehow. She had studied the intelligence reports thoroughly and knew they had control of the planet's orbit — it didn't make any sense. There was, however, something else that also seemed off to the Jedi Master. Her eyes could see what appeared to be enemy reinforcements, but she didn't feel any.

There was no significant increase in life around her, and usually, reinforcements also boosted the morale of their allies. She felt no such thing from the Mawites, who were fighting with the same intensity as before, and perhaps even some desperation. The confusion soon ended though, as Driver spoke up and pointed at a familiar object in the skies above the Maw forces. Valery had seen them before, and currently, a project was being set up that involved something very similar being built to severely augment her powers for a future conflict.

It really made her understand how important it was to take that thing down.

"I'm going to try and help us push through the illusions, but I'm going to need you to direct the assault against it," Valery then told Driver, before she tapped into the Force and hoped to extend the shield she had around her own mind to those around her. It was almost a form of Battle Meditation, where she connected with her allies and sought to boost their morale, fighting spirit, but also their perception.

It was a taxing skill to use, especially while she was still on the move, so hopefully, they'd find a way to take down the Meditation Sphere.

"Do we have any hand-held missile launchers powerful enough to damage or destroy it?"