Private Everything gets a return

[Darth Assimilus]

Location: Deep Space - NJO Space Station - Prosperity

After the Force speed and Art of Movement classes with the Jedi initiates were complete, Grrwunhoooll made his way to the Jedi Council chambers, a datapad clutched in his large, furry hand. The chamber doors slid open with a soft whoosh, revealing the inner sanctum. The room was a circular space, adorned with elegant yet simple decorations that exuded an aura of calm and overall wisdom. The walls were lined with intricate carvings depicting the history of the Jedi Order, and a large, translucent window provided a stunning view of the stars beyond.

As Grrwunhoooll humbly stepped inside, he couldn't help but feel a mix of nervousness and excitement. The air in the chamber seemed to hum with the presence of the Force, a palpable token of the justice and responsibility held within these walls and within each and every member. The Jedi Council members sat in their designated seats, their expressions serene and thoughtful in the wookies eyes.

Grrwunhoooll felt a swell of ambition and hope as he looked at the council members briefly. To one day sit among them, to be a part of the guiding force of the Jedi Order, it was a dream he cherished deeply. Yet, there was an underlying current of unease within him. He had lied. He had lied to the Council about the death of his Padawan, a lie that gnawed at his conscience. The guilt weighed heavily on him, a dark shadow in the corners of his mind..

And unbeknownst to him, the lie he carried was no longer a lie. The truth had shifted in the vast, unpredictable currents of the Force, but Grrwunhoooll remained unaware of this new reality.

Believing this was a quick errand. He approached one of the council members and handed over the datapad and was thanked for his act of service. It was in the transition of his bow and pivot to turn and leave that something he did not except happened.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

"Knight Agaburry?" Valery asked when he had offered the datapad with his report and turned around to leave. "Do you have a moment to speak alone?" She glanced at her fellow Council Members, who had no trouble giving her a chance to speak to the Jedi Knight in private. They knew what she was going to discuss with him and understood that the Council as a whole didn't need to be involved.

They trusted her judgment.

Valery's gaze followed the Council members as they took their leave, but soon settled on the Wookiee. Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity to get to know him well, but she had read through his service history and he was nothing short of an excellent Jedi Knight. Committed to his work and ambitious, he was the type of Jedi they needed. Especially during these difficult times of war.

For that very reason, Valery wanted to make sure her approach was just. He had told the Council a lie, but she would not punish a Jedi for disobeying the Council if their reason for it was sound. She had to understand before making her own judgment of the situation.

"Apologies for not announcing this meeting earlier, but there's something I'd like to talk to you about." she paused and looked him in the eyes, hoping to convey that this was serious but that she was open to listening. "What happened to your Padawan?" she asked with a tone that implied she knew his original story to be false. Now was his chance to be open and tell her what really happened.

Darth Assimilus ​

 

[Darth Assimilus]

"Knight Agaburry?" Valery asked when he had offered the datapad with his report and turned around to leave. "Do you have a moment to speak alone?" She glanced at her fellow Council Members, who had no trouble giving her a chance to speak to the Jedi Knight in private. They knew what she was going to discuss with him and understood that the Council as a whole didn't need to be involved.

"Apologies for not announcing this meeting earlier, but there's something I'd like to talk to you about." she paused and looked him in the eyes, hoping to convey that this was serious but that she was open to listening. "What happened to your Padawan?" she asked with a tone that implied she knew his original story to be false. Now was his chance to be open and tell her what really happened.

Grrwunhoooll had committed to the movement of turning his back, a detail that made it rather awkward for him to suddenly swivel around and face the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. Standing half turned and yet head cocked back to Valery Noble , the wookie let out a low gruff cry in Shyriiwook and slowly let his body turn to match his gazes direction.

This is a meeting for me? I was expected?

He was nervous now. Seeing how the initial question was a formality. She was giving a command in his understand. One to stay and talk. Amber eyes scrolled around the room as if trying to locate his former padawan. In truth it was how he acted when he felt put on the spot and he was. What if she does not understand me? What am I saying of course she will.

She is the Grandmaster.

It felt like a long time before Grrwunhooll gave his response. " My padawan." He scratched the top of his head some and invoked her name. Words that were enmeshed with subtle emotions. " Nouqai Veil is...dead." There was a shame in his voice and a blame that only he could lay on himself. And suddenly he was starting to see how foolish lying really was.

How foolish he was to vow and be so loyal his ex-padawan, to Nouqai Veil that he would not tell of her corruption and fall. And yet he even in his folly remained stubbornly loyal to their bond. " We departed Coruscant, before the invasion, to attempt once again the Trial of Spirit." Grrwun shook his head side to side. " She had attempted it so many times. She struggled. She deserved to succeed. Truly!" He said lowly in Shyriiwook.

" We departed for a planet named Thral and searched for a comfortable cave to use. We got split up...or she had initiated her trial..or..." The shaking of his head went faster and then stopped. There was a tear in his eye. Tears. Droplets fell toward shaggy fur and gave it a reflective moist texture under the light of the Council chamber.

I am glad no one else was around. I could no longer hold it back.

" She drew her saber and attacked me." I shrugged and looked at the floor.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

Despite his lie and the tension in the room, Valery's expression softened. She understood the bond between a Master and a Padawan very well. Having trained several to Knighthood, she knew of the struggles, but also the joy when they succeeded. The strength of the bond, but also the pain when it was broken. Something had happened that greatly troubled the Wookiee, and as tears began to flow down into his furr, Valery knew his lie had not been without reason.

But she had to know.

"She attacked you," Valery repeated to draw his eyes back to her, "But you did not kill her." That was the core of his lie and it's what made her wonder. Why was he claiming her to be dead? Was it an attempt to protect her? To keep other Jedi from hunting down his troubled student?

She would understand that pain but she needed to hear it from him.

"Tell me, please, why did she attack you?"

Darth Assimilus ​

 

[Darth Assimilus]

The knights eyes remained stubbornly glued in their place. A mix of sorrow and wookie pride leaking through.

But then..

"She attacked you," Valery repeated to draw his eyes back to her, "But you did not kill her." That was the core of his lie and it's what made her wonder. Why was he claiming her to be dead? Was it an attempt to protect her? To keep other Jedi from hunting down his troubled student?

She would understand that pain but she needed to hear it from him.

"Tell me, please, why did she attack you?"

The thick hair on Grrwunhoooll's shoulders and neck came to a rise making appear larger. A reaction that surprised the wookie with a flare. I am not playing dejarik. We are both jedi. His inner reassurance did little to calm his nerves and with a deep inhale and exhale, He willed himself to settle into the wellspring of peace at the core of his being. When amber eyes finally arose to meet Valery Noble 's own, there was calm and also something else. Something fierce birthed from attachment. A mother katarn willing to protect its young from perceived threats...even at the cost of its own life.

His own life.

The loyalty of a wookie.

" If your son or daughter fell to the dark ,Would you kill them?" He spoke with a thick dialect of Shyriiwook. I knew I was defeated. I already felt it and now I was admitting it.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

"If your son or daughter fell to the dark, Would you kill them?"

Valery was taken aback by the question. Her posture straightened and she shifted back into her chair, visibly a little uncomfortable. She despised even the mere idea of that question, but she understood why he asked it. And why she needed to give him an answer.

"No, I wouldn't be able to do it," Valery admitted with a frown. "If my son or daughter — or a Padawan — were to fall, I wouldn't give up on them very easily. We're Jedi, not executioners. We can try to bring out the good in others and we can learn to forgive, even if we can't forget." So many had fallen and returned to the Jedi throughout history. If one of her own were to fall, she would hope they'd find their way back.

With or without her help.

After a pause, she continued, "I understand that in that moment, you needed to defend yourself. But do you truly believe that she's gone? That nothing could ever bring her back?" If that were the case, she hoped that he wouldn't ever find himself in the position where he needed to strike her down.

Darth Assimilus ​

 

[Darth Assimilus]

After a pause, she continued, "I understand that in that moment, you needed to defend yourself. But do you truly believe that she's gone? That nothing could ever bring her back?" If that were the case, she hoped that he wouldn't ever find himself in the position where he needed to strike her down.

The wookie paused again in thought and then began in Shyriiwook as before. " I dont know. I dont know if it is even in my place as jedi to bring Noquai back or bring her in. I did not want to reconcile what that would mean for our friendship and bond. Her "death" is the only mercy I have for myself and her." He seemed to say in one fast slightly emotional sentence. His shoulders shrugged and a deep exhale was released.

It was all he had. His entire countenance had changed after that. He looked tired. No. Exhausted.
Tired of the lie he had to bare on his shoulders. Tired of the heartbreak it caused him and the separation it brought. But there was a single flicker of fire that remained. It was pride and stubbornness.

" I thought I could of protected her by respecting her boundaries. But I cant." he shook his head left and right and felt a new sensation of nervousness in what he had willingly admitted.

I knew in the eyes of civilization. I was an accomplice at best and a enabler at worse.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber

"I understand."

Valery wasn't sure what response he'd have expected and why he decided to lie because of it, but she wanted him to know how she truly felt. The bond between a Master and Padawan was a unique thing. Powerful in nature, and nearly as close as direct family. To have lost his student must have felt like losing a vital part of himself.

"A long time ago, before I ended up in stasis, a Padawan of mine fell to the Dark Side as well," Valery continued. "The Enclave I served was more extreme. We did not believe in the redemption of Sith or fallen Jedi — we killed them on sight. I wasn't any different at the time, and I ended up striking her down because I felt it was my duty to do so."

She paused for a moment and frowned as memories flashed back into her mind.

"It shattered me, even though I was raised and trained to believe it was necessary. Those days are long gone and I know few, if any true Jedi who are still that extreme." Could someone even be a Jedi if they could not forgive? If they believed it to be impossible for someone to change and walk a better path?

"So, I understand. I only wish you had told me sooner. The truth."

Darth Assimilus ​

 

[Darth Assimilus]

The wookie tilted his head to the side in confusion. Unsure of what was exactly going on now. Was he in trouble for this lie of his?

Was this a question? It sounded like a statement.

Looking around the council chamber he raised a brow and padded the wet matted fur on his face. He felt like a disgrace and from his mouth the words of the individual flowed. Grrwunhoooll Agaburry, the wookie. Not a jedi.

" Right now, I dont trust the jedi, I dont trust the council, I dont trust my padawan and dont trust you. I dont trust myself to do what I need to move on, Valery. I want to trust and heal and I dont feel like I can." He stared at her. Tired like.

" Id like to take the Barash Vow and retire to Kashyyyk." He suddenly stated.

Valery Noble