Private Dark and Frigid

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

Another war had fired up.

Tension with the Empire had always been present, but the mutual interest in defeating the Brotherhood of the Maw had seemed like the one thing keeping the two Galactic superpowers from clashing. But following the events on New Aldera and the invasion of Ilum, everything had changed. Now the Galactic Alliance found themselves in conflict along the two borders, against two enemies both capable and willing to deploy weapons of mass destruction. It was a nightmare situation for the defenders of the Peace, but sadly an inescapable reality.

Now returned from her training as the new Sword in Enclave space, Valery has started planning Jedi and military actions necessary to keep the Empire from gaining an upper hand against the Alliance. But one such plan involved the infiltration of an ancient Sith world now under Empire Control — a type of task Jedi Shadows were ideal for. Sadly, there weren't a lot of them out there anymore, so she decided to take on the mission herself, and use it as an opportunity to help a Padawan gain more experience at the same time.

She had scheduled time in the briefing room at the Coruscant Temple, and there she waited for Zoar to arrive.

Zoar ​

 

[Zoar]

JEDI TEMPLE
CORUSCANT​

Zoar had nearly been starstruck meeting Iris Arani . He'd thought he was so lucky, that his first mission as a fully-realized padawan of the New Jedi Order would be backing up the padawan of Jedi Master Valery Noble. Hero of the Alliance, paragon of paragons, Sword of the Jedi. He'd been incredibly intimidated by Iris' small, slight frame, because he knew that any padawan of a Jedi Council Member would be a force in and of themselves.

That being said, now that he was meeting Master Noble, he might just up and die.

Joining the Keshian in the briefing room was an outwardly calm suit of power armor. The massive juggernaut of a suit stomped robotically forward, greatsaber at it's side, it's mechanical face unreadable. But inside the heart of the mech, Zoar's own heart was beating a feverish staccato against his ribs.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't terrified out of his mind. But he pushed past his fear, stepping up to the Jedi Master, and bowing deeply.

//Master Noble,// the mildly-altered voice of the Miln squeaked, his voice breaking into nervous enthusiasm before he could stop it. //Hello! Hi. It's... ahhhh... an honor to meet you! Padawan Zoar, here.//

He hadn't passed out yet. This was going better than he expected.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

//Hello! Hi. It's... ahhhh... an honor to meet you! Padawan Zoar, here.//

"The pleasure is mine," Valery said with a warm smile and a respectful bow of her head, before she gestured at the table, "Please, join me and I'll explain a few things about our mission."

While he made his way over, Valery took a moment to study the large power armor he was wearing. She had read a little about it in his file, back when she was going through potential candidates to bring along for the mission. As far as she knew, he was the first of his species to walk through these halls, and the way he had adapted to make it all work showed what kind of commitment he had to the cause.

It was something she could greatly admire about someone as young as he was.

"Before I begin, though, could you tell me a little about yourself? What are you good at, and what do you struggle with as a Jedi? And if you have questions for me, I'd be happy to answer them as well." As important as their mission was, there was no great pressure on it either. So she decided to take the time to get to know him a little and familiarize herself with another Jedi in the order she tried her best to be a leader for.

Zoar ​

 

[Zoar]

The suit bridged the distance between itself and the Jedi, servos whining softly with each movement. It was her pleasure to meet him? Little terrified Zoar, of all people?

The armor stood just a bit taller.

Zoar fought past his bashful awe of the Jedi Master, a large manipulator brushing the edge of the suit's battle skirt. //Mmm... Okay. First half of my life, I grew up on Denon. Then I got found, and brought to the Jedi.// The Miln's relieved tone hinted at sour memories from his homeworld. //Um... I'm a mechanic, sorta. Made this suit from scratch a while ago. I'm still working out a few bugs, but it's gotten me through a mission already.// The turadium-durasteel plates readjusted themselves, hissing to make a point.

//And I got neural implants as a baby. Growing up, I spent more time jacked into the Holonet than out of it. So slicing is... pretty easy.// Not a very Jedi-like ability. Zoar was nervous to see what Valery thought of his unorthodox skillset.

//As for shortcomings...// Zoar did a quick breathing exercise, disguising it as thinking time. //I deal with fear. Panic. A lot. It's a Miln thing, but probably a 'me' thing, too. People are scary, wide-open spaces are scary... I'm trying to work through it. My power armor helps a little, but... I still struggle.//

Did he have any questions? The little mouse thought about that for a moment. //If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose me? Does this mission involve tech? Or computers?// That was the only reason someone like Valery would request him, right?

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

While Zoar talked about his life and explained a little more about his suit, Valery listened intently and nodded along. His upbringing likely played a part in him being able to create such complex machines already, despite being very young. Of course, she wasn't quite sure how fast people of his species matured and learned, but it was impressive nonetheless.

His ability as a slicer was actually going to be quite useful too, especially with her being very... challenged, when it came to technology and interacting with it.

However, she had asked him about his shortcomings as well, which she understood wasn't an easy thing to be open about to a stranger. But he answered honestly, and what he told her aligned a little with the nervousness she had felt. It didn't bother her, but this mission was intended to be a small step for him to gain more confidence, while also helping him build up experience as a Jedi serving out in the field.

//If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose me? Does this mission involve tech? Or computers?//

"It could, but it's not why I summoned you here. I'm trying to help Padawans without Masters be better prepared for the war or other duties because they often struggle a little more. They might join the missions we go on, but often don't get the feedback or help they need to grow. So today will be an opportunity for you to gain more experience with me helping you along."

She paused and looked at him with a caring smile, "I do have one other question for you. If a situation required you to step out of the suit, how would you feel about that?"

Zoar ​

 

[Zoar]

"It could, but it's not why I summoned you here. I'm trying to help Padawans without Masters be better prepared for the war or other duties because they often struggle a little more. They might join the missions we go on, but often don't get the feedback or help they need to grow. So today will be an opportunity for you to gain more experience with me helping you along."

Zoar's suit nodded once. That made a lot of sense. Even if he wasn't actively searching for a Master, he knew that feedback was important, because of his conversation with Iris on Denon. It was scary, being judged, but necessary for improvement, if he wanted to grow as a Jedi. //Alright. I understand, Master.//

Her next question triggered a bit of shame in the Miln's voice. //I... caaaaan go without it. If the mission requires it of me.// He'd done as much with Iris. //But I'd be much more comfortable in here. When I'm out there, without my shell, I-I-I get a little jumpy.// He paused a beat. //A lot. A lot jumpy.//

//So... what is the mission?//

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant Temple
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

With a smile and a slight dip of her head, she showed that she was happy he understood. It would likely still be nervous to some extent, but she didn't bring him along to be overly harsh and critical — this was meant to help and encourage him to grow, and her approach revolved a lot more about building people up, rather than bringing them down about mistakes or points of improvement.

Then her question was answered, and it confirmed what she had been expecting a little bit. "I don't think the mission will require it, but I want you to know that it's not the armor that makes you the Jedi you are. It's the beating heart inside," she said with an encouraging smile. "But I will admit, the suit is very impressive, and you should be proud for having built it."

Finally, the last remaining question was asked.

//So... what is the mission?//

"We're going to Odacer-Faustin, a very cold and unwelcoming planet with Sith history to it. A long time ago, an experiment there went horribly wrong, and while that was resolved, there are other projects that still exist somewhere. With the planet being under Empire control, I have some reasons to believe they might fall in the wrong hands, so we're going there to make sure that information doesn't reach the Empire."

She paused a moment, thinking about what more to share, "There will likely be Imperials, and the planet will have a darker feeling in the Force. So keep yourself shielded against influences of the Dark Side, and stay close to me."

"Any questions before we get going?"

Zoar ​

 

[Zoar]

"I don't think the mission will require it, but I want you to know that it's not the armor that makes you the Jedi you are. It's the beating heart inside."

Zoar's mech remained robotic and passive, but his face inside the suit twisted into a slight frown. Mathematically, he was little more than a third of the Jedi Valery was without the armor. Conceptually, he hid far more fear than any Jedi he'd ever met. That made him a poor Jedi, at best.

But he didn't share any of his insecurities that Valery had so adeptly touched on. Instead, he nodded. //Thanks. It's not perfect, but it is pretty cool.//

As Master Noble explained their mission, a large manipulator found the armor's faceplate, as if Zoar were stroking his chin. Golem was highly resistant to the cold, so that wouldn't be an issue for him. In fact, he'd be downright toasty.

What concerned him more was their potential enemies. He'd only ever faced Denonian criminals and gangsters before. But Imperials? An ancient, pervasive Sith presence? Entirely new foes, neither of which Zoar was looking forward to facing.

Relax. You've trained for this in the temple. You've got your suit. You've got Valery Noble. You'll be okay.

//N-no. No questions.// The Miln didn't bother trying to hide his anxiety, but he'd be damned if he let it control him. //I'm ready. Let's do this.//

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Classified
Tag | Zoar

//I'm ready. Let's do this.//

With those words, the two finally finished up their conversation and left behind the meeting room to head for the shuttles. With Zoar in his armor, she figured he didn't need to make a lot of other preparations, and neither did she. Dressing against the cold had been the only thing she considered, but she decided to settle on using Tapas instead, allowing her to stay in her usual, more exposed gear that offered her the mobility she preferred.

The two entered the shuttle not long after, and once the coordinates were dialed in, Valery took the ship away from Coruscant and into hyperspace to begin the journey to Odacer-Faustin. It was quite a lengthy trip, so she had arranged a larger shuttle with enough space to rest, relax, meditate or even work on something. Valery herself used the time mostly to either meditate or think about what was ahead of them — this planet and its reputation was troubling, so she wanted to make sure she was as ready as she could be to not only get through everything, but also help a Padawan along the way.

Eventually, Valery pulled the ship from hyperspace, and ahead of them was the large world of snow and ice. It likely reminded the younger Padawan of planets such as Ilum, but it felt very different. Where Ilum had a natural presence in the Force due to its crystal caves, Odacer-Faustin felt unnatural and twisted, even from space.

"While we're down there, try to keep your mind shielded with the Force, just to be safe. If you feel, at any point, that something is trying to invade your mind, let me know." It wasn't likely, given the Sith hadn't been here in a long time, but she was capable of helping the Padawan if they ran into something anyway. The Dark Side had a nasty habit of lingering in places for far too long.

The shuttle settled down a few minutes later in a mountain range, and the two Jedi were surrounded by nothing but ice and snow. Heavy winds were causing the ship to rattle, and that uneasy feeling in the Force was still there. "Our first location is only a few minutes away, but be careful. I have a bad feeling about it."

She paused a moment as the ramp lowered and looked at him, "What are you feeling currently? Do your senses pick up on anything?"

​

 

[Zoar]

Their shuttle materialized into existence over Odacer-Faustin, and Zoar tried to take it all in. It did remind him, remarkably, of Ilum. A white, pearlescent sphere of a planet, hanging in the empty void. But something was off.

The mech shifted uncomfortably in place as the mouse inside felt the power of the planet. To Zoar, the Force was a Machine; a living, breathing mechanism, that ticked and whirred and put itself together, and pulled itself apart. But the machine here felt warped. Broken.

//I will,// he said, still staring cautiously at the planet. It was as if someone had rent the Machine apart, and slapped it back together, against it's original purpose.

As the shuttle tore through the atmosphere of Odacer-Faustin, and the feeling of brokenness only strengthened, Zoar placed a mechanical hand on his lightsaber. Just to remind him of it's presence.

In quick order, the ship touched down, opening a ramp to dispense the Jedi. Zoar stepped out carefully, each footstep crunching snow, and hissing with hydraulics. He held the hilt of his lightclub tightly, spinning the mech's head to get a full view of the area.

//Does 'peeing my pants' count as sensing something?// Zoar frowned in his armor. //Sorry, Master Noble. Dumb joke, dumb joke. The Machine... Mmm... the Force here is broken. Malicious. But I don't feel anything specific yet.//

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Odacer-Faustin
Tag | Zoar

//Does 'peeing my pants' count as sensing something?//

Valery paused, blinked, and turned to look at the Padawan with a raised brow, but he was quick to write it off as a joke. She chuckled and shook her head a little, but understood at the same time he probably was actually a bit scared. That was fine, though, as long as it wasn't going to interfere too much with their duties here.

"Machine, hm?" she asked as she looked him up and down for a moment, "You use machinery as an analogy for the Force?" Wasn't exactly surprising, considering the armor he was standing in. She was also aware of others who perceived the Force in interesting ways — her own Padawan was one of them.

"But you're right, and it feels that way because we're approaching the ruins of an old Sith Academy. But even time can't cure the poison that is the Dark Side, so it still lingers there," she continued as they made their approach, and soon enough, the structure became visible. Large statues were still alive, preserved in snow and ice, and the Temple itself looked as if it hadn't been touched in thousands of years.

Yet, even through the veil of darkness, they could sense life inside.

​

"It seems we're not alone here either, so we'll have to be cautious." She turned to the Padawan and gestured at the Temple, "How do you suggest we approach this?"

​

 

[Zoar]

"You use machinery as an analogy for the Force?"

//Uh... yes? Yes. Yeah, I do.// The mech folded it's hands together timidly, cradling his greatsaber with both manipulators. It wasn't something he usually shared; his instructors at the temple gave him odd looks. But that's what made the most sense to him. //I see it kinda like a big clock, with a bunch of cogs, but all the cogs are kinda living, and move around, and recombine...? It's hard to explain. Sorry.//

Valery explained the feeling, which only made Zoar's stomach drop more. He swallowed a lump of fear, and tried to stomach his unease. The Jedi Master asked him what they should do. Zoar thought about it for a moment, his emotionless faceplate staring into the middle distance.

//Quietly,// he finally said, feet crunching into the snow as he began his trek forward. //I bet we can find a side door. Or a place where the walls are thin. We go where we can't sense anyone, cut a hole, and sneak in.// The Miln spared a glance at the master.

//Rrrrrright?//

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Odacer-Faustin
Tag | Zoar

"No need to say sorry, I was just curious. My Padawan has her own unique way of viewing the Force too, so these things are quite interesting to me," Valery said with a warm smile before she turned her fiery gaze to the Sith structure ahead of them. Even here, the darkness felt quite strong, so she hoped that it would be bearable within the ancient academy, especially for the Padawan's sake.

While she looked and focused on her senses, she gave Zoar the time to think about their approach. It was a way for her to test his ability to think under pressure a little, and even though he was a tad nervous, an answer came quickly enough.

"Right. That's a good plan. Among the first things Jedi Shadows learn is how to get inside places like this without using the front door or other obvious entry points," she explained before she gestured for him to follow her. Together, they moved down the side of the building, and with each step, the presence of the Dark Side grew stronger, which clouded the other presences they had picked up on earlier.

"Alright, this should be a good spot. Cut us inside with your lightsaber, and then we'll get moving. But be careful, I still sense presences out there, so we might get some visitors. I've got this feeling that Imperials beat us to this place."

​

 

[Zoar]

Zoar felt a starburst of pride as Valery evaluated his plan. She liked his idea. So far, so good.

The large suit tromped just behind Valery, each step becoming more hesitant as the obvious Dark Side presence was felt stronger and stronger. The Miln twitched uncomfortably in his seat, reciting a mantra in his head to keep from bolting in the opposite direction. He had enough will to follow, up to a bare wall. Casting his cybernetics around, he didn't sense any immediate electronics. It was obviously an ancient temple, either with technology too old to use, or non-existent.

The Jedi Master instructed Zoar to open the wall, and he did so gladly, igniting his magenta blade with the sound of a thundercrack, and plunging it into the hard-packed stone. With the greatsaber's power, and his suit's physical strength, cutting through the wall only took a few seconds. After isolating a section of the wall, Zoar kicked in the stone, backing up a moment. That fear returned, heightened by the twisted Force presence around them.

//Um... Could you... go through first?// The padawan was embarrassed to ask.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Odacer-Faustin
Tag | Zoar

The moment Zoar's greatsaber ignited, Valery blinked and watched as the large blade of plasma was thrust into the wall. It wasn't the first time she had seen the weapon, and she probably shouldn't really have been surprised to see it, given the fact he was in quite the heavy armor, but it was still interesting to see. A few seconds later, a hole big enough for them was cut into the wall, and with a powerful kick, Zoar opened the way for them to get inside.

//Um... Could you... go through first?//

Valery turned to him and chuckled, "Of course, but stay close," she said before she moved through the hole with the hilt of her lightsaber drawn into her hand. Inside, she entered a mostly dark hallway of stone, only lit up by some of the light coming through the hole Zoar had created. Cobwebs were everywhere, old metal frames for torches lined up along the wall, and with a cold breeze from outside blowing up some dust, it created quite a creepy scene.

"This way," she whispered seconds later after she had taken a good look around and allowed her senses to wander. But soon enough, she stopped again and raised a hand. This time, no words left her lips but he'd be able to hear Valery's voice softly projected into his mind.

<Three figures approaching, not Force-sensitive,> she said as she waited for them around a corner.

"You sure you heard something?" a voice soon echoed through the hall.

"Yeah, something or someone else is out here," Another replied, only seconds before the three stormtroopers moved around the corner and approached the two Jedi.

​

 

[Zoar]

"Of course, but stay close,"

//Yep. Yes. Will do,// he said, lingering right behind the more experienced Jedi, deactivating his blade.

As far as creepiness factor went, the inside of the temple was far worse than the outside. It was as if they had stepped into a haunted house. Except this time, the danger was very real, and there was a non-zero chance of actual ghosts.

Whatever you do, don't run. You have to prove you can do this.

Following Valery, Zoar felt her words against his mind, and nearly jumped out of his skin, both at the sudden mental presence, and also at the message received through it. Enemies. Oh no. What should he do?

<Okay,> he thought back, his cybernetics and the suit's eyes beginning to beep and glow pink. <Oooookayokayokayokayokaaaaaay. I'll distract 'em, you take 'em down.>

As the soldiers rounded the corner, the slicer plunged his consciousness into the Holonet, invading and scrambling the Stormtroopers' comms. With a natural ease, he was able to isolate their three helmets from the rest, and induce a nasty feedback loop into their ears.

Giving Valery an opportunity to take them out.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Odacer-Faustin
Tag | Zoar

<Oooookayokayokayokayokaaaaaay. I'll distract 'em, you take 'em down.>

<You've got this,> Valery encouraged him as she felt how nervous the current situation had made him. He likely knew this as well, but this was one of the critical moments in this mission — their first encounter. It was up to him to keep himself calm and focused and work through the problem together with her.

Which is exactly what he did.

Valery wasn't too sure what he did to the stormtroopers, but all of them suddenly yelled and desperately reached up towards their helmets to take them off. The second they did, however, they'd find themselves not relieved of problems. Valery moved around the corner and with her hand extending towards them, she sent all three flying into the walls, knocking them unconscious on impact.

They were definitely hurt, but she hadn't killed them.

"Very good," Valery said as she turned to Zoar, "What did you do to them?"

While he answered the question, Valery stepped away from the unconscious soldiers and continued to move forward. But especially now that they were inside, they could feel an insidious presence reaching out to them through the Force. Not from something living, but from something tainted by the Dark Side. It scratched against the edges of their minds, attempting to pierce through and cause insanity.

Valery kept it out but looked Zoar's way to make sure he was alright.

​

 

[Zoar]

It was a textbook takedown, when all was said and done.

Zoar almost felt bad for the stormtroopers as he dimly watched them get thrown into the wall. The mouse Jedi caught up with Valery, feeling his tiny ego inflate just a little bit with the Master's continued praise. //Cheap helmets like these don't usually have good tech protection, so... feedback loop.// He kept pace with her, speaking quickly, as if he couldn't stop their flow. //You pour sound into their mics, which comes out of their speakers. That sound gets picked up by their mics, which comes out in the speakers, which goes into the mics... Instant headache.//

As they stepped further into the temple, Zoar immediately sensed that something was wrong. The Dark was strong here... Too strong, as it scratched against the edges of his mind. Theatening danger. Despite how well he was doing, despite having the literal Sword of the Jedi with him... he panicked.

The mech stopped in it's tracks, glancing around feverishly. //Master Noble, s-s-something's happening!// Zoar's voice was gripped by uncontrolled terror, and he took a step back. //I d-d-d-don't think I can- I can't do this!// The armor's own speakers betrayed the little Jedi's hyperventilating breaths from within.

//Golem! Autopilot!//

The mech went still, then returned to a neutral, robotic position.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Odacer-Faustin
Tag | Zoar

"That's quite clever," Valery said with a soft smile as she listened to his explanation. Any method that helped them take these people down without taking lives was one she'd value, and this had proven to be very effective. If they could repeat the process with whoever else was in here, they'd get through this without a problem.

Or at least, that's what she believed until the intensity of the Dark Side began to grow. Zoar called out to her, drawing the woman's eyes instantly to his robotic form, and she could feel his anxiety spike.

//I d-d-d-don't think I can- I can't do this!//

Valery's eyes briefly widened when the suit returned to a neutral position, and without wasting a second, she raised a hand and allowed her presence to envelop him in the form of pure light. Almost instantly, the scratching darkness faded away for him, and he'd feel a warmth wrapping around his mind. "You can do this, Zoar," Valery assured him. "Focus on what you feel inside and tap into the Force, your ally."

"Guide it slowly and gently to your mind, and make it a fortress. Even without my help, you can keep the Dark Side out."

​

 

[Zoar]

Contrary to Golem's outward calm, Zoar continued to panic within it's metal confines, pulling in and pushing out wheezy, gasping breaths . The Miln disconnected his cybernetics from the mech, covering his face with his paws, and trying to get a grip.

Remember the breathing exercises! Where you do the... the breathing thing?

In the moment, he couldn't remember any. Until Valery showered him in warmth, talking him through it. The darkness scrabbling at his mental walls receded, pushed out by a stronger, fearless presence. Listening to her advice, Zoar took a deep lion's breath, trying to get his racing heart under control once more. His faculties slowly returned to him.

The Force is a friend. It will protect me. Like a suit of armor.

After a moment, Zoar regained control of the power armor, and took on a more natural stance. //Okay. I'm here. I'm back.// Then, quiet as a mouse, //Sorry, it... um, sorry.//

Maybe his trial on Ilum was wrong. He still cowered like a youngling. Maybe he wasn't ready to be a padawan yet.

He decided to overcompensate.

//I'm good now, though. A-okay. Let's k-keep walking.//

- Valery Noble -