Private Fear and Faith

[Valery Noble]

Space

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

"How are you feeling back there, Bee?"

Valery looked over her shoulder as the X-wing dropped out of Hyperspace and began its path down to the surface of Crakull, a planet located in former Maw space. As with others, the fall of the Brotherhood of the Maw hadn't meant a total collapse of the enemy presence — some of the tribes still held power, some Sith had survived and some Dark Side cults had also moved into the power vacuum in an attempt to seize power. The latter was the case for Crakull, which now became home to a new cult.

One Valery wanted to wipe out before they could expand their influence, and before she had to leave for a long diplomatic assignment. It would mean time away from her family and friends, but also from other Jedi duties. This was going to be one of her final few assignments before it, and she had made the decision to team up with one of her closest friends for it. Or well, family.

There were few people or droids out there in the Galaxy who she cared more about.

"There shouldn't be too many of them down there yet, but let's be careful. I'll bring us down a decent distance away and we'll cover the rest on foot." She paused for a moment and looked over her shoulder again. "Stay close to me, okay?" She asked, her tone less professional than it was before. These missions were dangerous, and while she trusted Bee's skills and experience, she was always a little afraid something could go wrong. The same way she worried about her husband, her kids and her Padawans.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Space Near Crakull |
| STARFIGHTER: Noble X-wing |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

BB-610, once again, believes he's punching far above his weight. It appeared that regardless of what feats he triumphed over, a brand new subject of terror leered around the corner, itching to introduce itself for further anxiety in his poor, overworked circuits. For every assassin droid he faced, a Sith showed up, and for every Sith he faced, the remnants of a cult emerged. Just his luck, he wants to say, but being the loyal astromech for The Sword of the Jedi came with its fair share of risks. He knew what he'd signed up for, and despite its constant dangers, he wouldn't trade it for the world. Valery meant everything to him.

Observing the planet from the confines of the X-wing's astromech slot, BB-610 replied with hesitant affirmation, and while the warble in his binary suggested unease, it was nonetheless a confident enough tone to confirm that he'd doubled down for the mission. They'd come this far, after all, and the roaring of their engines as they entered Crakull's atmosphere. The landscape looked decrepit, almost as if it had aged with the downfall of the Maw; uninviting, the dry terrain stretched far, with a dusky overtone to its hues that happily displayed its looming dark side of the Force. Foreign spires dotted the world, of unfamiliar precedent even to BB-610's broad library of memorized cultures.

As Valery steered the X-wing steered closer to the ground, the astromech eased its engines, and as it gingerly kissed Crakull's crust, the starfighter whirred offline upon a successful landing. With a quiet whimper, BB-610 lowered himself from his socket, rolling forward. Lifeform scanner emerging, a brief satellite check informed him of no signs of encroaching life. He wasn't quite certain if that comforted him or not.

Peering up at the Jedi, he heeded her advice, inching closer to Valery upon her exit until he was within hugging distance of her legs. There was a dusty air to the planet, with stray particles dancing with the solemn breeze of foreboding winds. It breathed discomfort, as though the very world itself knew that they didn't belong here. Flashlight activated until the settling fog dissipated, BB-610 murmured a skittish bweep, asking Valery if she thought their enemies had sensed them.

 

[Valery Noble]

Space

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

"I don't think they have, Bee. Not with you handling our jamming systems, and I always keep my presence in the Force buried," she told him, as she looked down at him with a smile. Even after everything they had gone through already, she could tell that he was still a little nervous about these missions. But sometimes she was too — they were exposing themselves to danger again after all, and the idea of leaving behind family was her biggest fear.

But Valery trusted Bee, and she knew that they could complete this mission together and make it home together. So before heading out, she crouched down and gently placed her hand on top of his head, "I don't like the look of this place, and I know you don't either. But we got this, alright?" She winked and gently patted his head before rising up again. Her eyes closed, and for just a moment, she focused on the sound of the wind, as she fell into the Force.

Her long hair waved along to its currents the same way her mind traced through the Force, and once her eyes opened, she knew where to go. "Nobody is nearby, so let's head out. I'm pretty sure I know where they are, but it won't be easy to get to them without eventually being noticed. So this might end up a tough fight."

She looked down at her little buddy with a grin, "Not that we can't handle that, hm?"

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Crakull |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

BB-610 pondered on what it must feel like to be one with the Force. Was it comforting? Did the whispers of the universe feel warm, easing into your mind upon calling to it for answers? Or could it be disturbing? Knowing that you've been tethered to something far greater than yourself? Its aura is warped depending on the user; light or dark, BB-610 could only imagine what they feel. It was something so distinctly organic. He listens to Valery's voice, and how it oozes with stability. It's a nice sound, bold and reassuring while remaining as gentle as her smiles, and it's what makes BB-610 believe that the Force could be one's best friend so long as it were handled by somebody as immaculate as Valery.

It was very easy for the droid to succumb to his nerves, but she made it so much easier for him to feel safe and secure.

Nodding, the astromech's motors quicken, the lifeless terrain beneath his shell jutting his body with subtle nudges of stiffened crust and bumps. The air breathed harsher on them, a giant that's helpless to stop the two ants from exploring its floors. In some ways, it reminded him of Exegol, with just how unsettling its mere presence was: tied to the dark, with the remnants of evil festering in its outskirts. BB-610 was happy that the Galactic Alliance's efforts had paid off in scrubbing the galaxy of its atrocities. And that's what they were here to do, wasn't it? There was no Kahlil, or Cora, or Jasper to back them up, but that only meant that Valery was confident in this matter being resolved by just the two of them.

That was comforting. BB-610 had come a long way, and the support he got from his family was what pushed him forward, regardless of any possible jitters.

"Not that we can't handle that, hm?"

Giggling at that, he gave another nod. The droid's head circled around his body, observing all possible angles with the aid of his dotted photoreceptors as a lookout. BB-610 tilts his head - single optic trained on Valery - and asks, much more confidently, with a string of droidspeak as to what exactly they were looking for. Structures? Spires? Jagged buildings that loomed ominously? He felt naked without internal data to fall back on surrounding the planet, so BB-610's thirst for knowledge was swinging at full force.

 

[Valery Noble]

Crakull

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

His giggling only brightened up Valery's smile, before she finally did turn her gaze forward. Somewhere not too far away, she could sense the darkness that these cultists inflicted on the Force. It made the hairs in her neck rise, caused her hands to feel cold, and this sickening feeling in her stomach would have made her want to turn around if she hadn't grown so used to it. The Dark Side was a corrupting evil that needed to be purged, especially now in the aftermath of the bloodiest war she has ever seen.

It can't be allowed to happen again.

"People," Valery replied after Bee asked a question, "Their heat-signatures specifically. This planet is known for a certain creature that can create very elaborate illusions, and my theory is that they use them to conceal themselves. But it's only an optical illusion that affects the mind." She glanced down at Bee and patted his metal head again, "In other words, it can't trick your receptors at all, and I think that means you'll be able to see right through it."

With that said, Valery continued the path forward, and all she saw aside from trees and grass were mountains. Large chunks of which would not appear to Bee at all. Instead, he'd be able to pick up on rising smoke plumes, and their source down on the ground was hot, so it emitted a lot of of infrared light that could be seen even from afar. Luckily, it wasn't so bright that it obscured the people around the fire they had created, and there were quite a few of them.

Some dressed in black robes, others with the appearance of civilians.

"I'll need you to guide me until we're through the illusion, but once we are, we'll already be very close, I imagine." She sighed and looked back at her friend.

"You see anything?"

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Crakull |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

Ah-- people. That's what he was afraid of. Perhaps he'd been relying on some sort of tell-tale building that gave them the heads up prior to arrival, or a towering obelisk that - while uninviting - steered them towards the right path all the same. People meant that they'd have to be even more subtle lest their adversaries catch sight of their plan, and even worse still, it meant that for every second these cultists weren't in frame, they suffered the risk of a surprise attack. BB-610 was banking on Valery's connection to the Force, and even that had posed an issue with the dark influence surrounding the planet, with the vivid warps of imagery around her certainly not helping. This newfound responsibility placed upon the droid was daunting, as it was often his life placed within Valery's hands and seldom the other way around, but the unending urge to not disappoint inspired him to press forth.

Rolling across the landscape, he peered up at the Jedi, cautiously checking for any sign of tampering in her eyes; if they were clouded, hazy, or a different color, as the illusions presented before her failed to register in BB-610's photoreceptors. Sticking close to her, the droid shook his head, bweeping quietly that the only thing he saw was smoke. Dancing around the frame of his chassis, the astromech noted their warmth, his core heating up above the hot floor. BB-610 followed up with a nervous squeak of binary, asking Valery what she was seeing. There wasn't much of note, truthfully, so the droid pondered if this was where the followers were hiding - after all, it's easy to persuade intruders that nothing of worth was around when their own eyes were against them.

And then, with the clicking of his lifeform scanner, BB-610 perked up. He narrowed his central optic, enhancing its quality as he surveyed the area around them. Amidst dancing flames, the figures of several people materialized in the distance, his photoreceptors eyeing them through the cloud of smoke, scrutinizing past the sweltering smog and internally scanning them. BB-610's motors came to an abrupt stop, a synthetic warble meeting the air as he shook from side to side, bweeping and bwooping skittishly.

The cultists were seemingly unaware of them-- maybe out of hubris, out of ignorance and overconfidence of their tricks. But BB-610 was nervous all the same, glancing up at Valery as he rattled in frantic droidspeak, telling her that he'd spotted them and that they were up ahead, surrounded by a large fire. Reluctantly, the astromech inched himself along, beginning to roll once more - albeit slowly - as they were forced to move onwards. As the Jedi wandered through the illusion, she could at least feel BB-610 pressing up against her legs. A very real sensation, with all the trembles and whimpers that you would come to expect from him.

 

[Valery Noble]

Crakull

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

"I'm not seeing much at all," Valery admitted while she looked around. Her senses told her that that they were close, and even were guiding her in the right direction, but her eyes could not piece through the illusion. Bee, however, soon made it very clear that he spotted something, and Valery listened intently to what he explained. Cultists around a fire of sorts seemed about right with how she imagined them.

Luckily, they hadn't been spotted yet either.

"Good job, Bee, and don't worry," Valery assured him when she felt him rub up against her leg. Together, they pierced through the field of the illusion moments later, and Valery's entire world changed instantly. It forced her to stop for a moment so she could just process what was happening, and she even rubbed her eyes.

"Woah..." she blinked, "Alright, I see them now," she whispered before that fiery gaze narrowed in their direction. All at once, Valery seemed a lot more intense, both because they were in dangerous territory now, and because she knew how nervous it made him. His metal body vibrated against her and the sounds he made were clear enough as well. "I count and feel about a dozen of them, so nothing too troublesome. But I also sense other people, terrified and some are hurt." She turned to Bee now and already offered an apologetic smile in advance.

"If I draw attention with a very straightforward attack, could you circle around and free the captives? Once they're secure, you can join me and we either finish the fight or move out."

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Crakull |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

BB-610 studied them, hungering for any informational tidbit he could snatch up. He was unsure just how many were sensitive to the Force, as he was unable to sense them the way Valery could, and so the lines between potential Sith and quaint follower were rather blurred for him. The astromech glanced at the captives; quiet, they had seemingly accepted their fate - whatever that may be. Several men and only a few women, one of which appeared pregnant. Clinging to an adolescent girl, tears streamed down her cheeks, accompanied by heart wrenching wails that were soon forcibly silenced by one of the cultists grabbing a fistful of her hair and swinging a palm across her cheek with a sickening smack.

The sound made the droid flinch, briefly glancing up at Valery for a resurgence in confidence. For as terrifying as it seemed, BB-610 knew that this had to be done. These people were being mistreated and abused, and it was their responsibility to put an end to it. The First Order had abused him far too much for him to turn a blind eye to this, no matter his fear. So with a nod, BB-610 waited for the Jedi to march forth, and as she pressed onwards, he steered to the left, motors whirring, while he sped towards the backlines of the blazing fire.

He analyzed the prisoners' binds. Stuncuffs, rather than simple rope — it seemed like no expenses were spared, and it got BB-610 pondering on whether some of the captives themselves were Force sensitive. While it wouldn't be as easy as a simple sever, he possessed enough tools to free them, and as several adversaries jumped at the opportunity to bag a Jedi Master, the astromech seized the opportunity and rolled up behind the pregnant woman hugging her daughter to her chest as best she could. He knew his Imperial chassis may cause some alarm, so he tweeted ever so softly in the most reassuring droidspeak he could manage, tool-bay disk sliding open.

Scomp link emerging, its tip parted to expose its thinner extension, socketed inside the stuncuffs' miniscule port. With a few twists and turns, the restraints clicked loose, falling to the ground and freeing the woman that scurried to her feet, hurrying the droid as he busied releasing her daughter's binds. Rinsing and repeating, the two were unshackled, wasting no time in sprinting off as fast as their weakened legs could carry. Similarly, BB-610 wasted no time in moving onto the next prisoner, priming his scomp link to——

THWACK!

The blunt side of a vibro-axe slammed into the droid's body before he could react, sending him flying a few feet forward. Thankfully unable to be tipped over, BB-610 shook his head to calibrate his bearings, eyeing the tall, muscular form of a hooded Gen'Dai. Squeaking in fear, the astromech watched as the colossal figure sprinted towards him, rearing their arm back as the axe was plunged into the ground, just shy of spearing BB-610's chassis as he dodged. Cable launchers fire from the droid's hull, coiling around the weapon in an attempt to pry it away. The Gen'Dai's strength far exceeded BB-610's determination, however, as the alien simply spun the droid in a circle before yanking him forth — only to meet the head of the BB unit's electro-shock prod, piercing flesh and sending jolts of electricity directly into its guts.

Dropping to its knees, BB-610 knew that its regenerative biology would only keep it down briefly, so he withdrew his grapples and steered over to resume his freeing of prisoners. Speeding over to a captive Rodian male, BB-610 readied his scomp link, only for a single blaster fire to penetrate the male's skull, falling limp to the floor in front of the trembling droid.

The culprit was another hooded figure, a human male, it seemed — adorned with cybernetic enhancements, he aimed his blaster at the droid. Movements slow, he seemed to contemplate something, as though he were weighing the astromech up. And in a matter of seconds, the cultist snapped his aim away from BB-610, and instead directed his shot towards Valery with the pull of a trigger.

 

[Valery Noble]

Crakull

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

With Bee agreeing to the plan, Valery wasted no time and accelerated straight for the large bonfire where many of the cultists were working. She suspected they were preparing some kind of sacrifice, since they held people captive but weren't killing any of them yet. So hopefully, the two had arrived just in time to stop whatever madness was going on here. <Now, Bee!> Valery called over comms right before she jumped up into the air and ignited both her lightsabers to draw as much attention as she could. On impact with the ground, a shockwave of Force energy lashed out at the cultists around her, knocking them around and one even ended up inside the large fire.

But it didn't take long for them to draw their own weapons and engage the Jedi, who they believed had come alone. The cultists were Force-sensitive as well, after all, and the only living being they sensed capable of standing up against them was the Jedi Master. Little did they know, that she wasn't actually alone.

Valery couldn't feel her little buddy out there, but she could feel the relief and rush in emotions of the people he rescued, even in a fight this chaotic. It gave her strength because she knew her dear friend was okay, and allowed her to focus more on the rather large group gathering around her. Some had drawn blasters and opened fire, while others opted for melee weapons of their own. Valery exploited this by keeping their melee weapon wielding cultists between herself and those with guns, but it was not a fight where she could make any mistakes.

As the fight continued, however, Valery felt a spike of fear.

She could not react to it, and only hope that Bee was safe, but right as she found herself in a clash with another cultist, a spike of danger almost overwhelmed her senses, before a blaster bolt actually did. Valery's eyes widened and a yelp of pain escaped her lips, as the bolt that left the hooded figure's barrel struck her back. It didn't manage to pierce through her body, but she was bleeding and a hole had been burned in her clothes.

The hit brought her off-balance as well, and a vibro-blade exploited that, as it cut across her chest. Valery stumbled, and knew another follow-up attack was imminent, so she did the one thing she could, and outstretched her arms while she allowed her true inner power to explode. Everything close around her vaporized, while those further away were sent flying with immense force that wouldn't allow them to get back up.

The hooded figure watched it happen, and briefly glanced at the frozen droid, before he decided to run.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Crakull |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

In a moment of panic, BB-610's servos seized up, hoping to lessen the shot by standing on edge. That shot never happened, however, and as though his system had urged him to catch up, the droid's gaze snapped to the direction of the man's blaster. Optic widening, he sees the blistering wound along Valery's back, knocking her forward into a devastating swing that sliced across her chest. BB-610's world slowed to a crawl, unknowing of what to do; taken aback, a guttural fear welling at his core. In any other instance, he would have screamed out for her - yelling for her, rushing to her side. But as the sound of footsteps grew ever distant beside him, the astromech's head pivoted towards the culprit, and his optic blinked a bright red.

As the hooded figure took off into a sprint, some visceral hatred buried deep beneath the droid's surface had been unearthed. Rather uncharacteristic for the often skittish astromech, BB-610 inched forward, tool-bay disks sliding open to harpoon twin cable launchers forward. Hooking around the man's ankles, the droid tensed and reared his body backwards, tightening his tether and forcing the cultist onto the floor with an undignified thud. The wind knocked from his lungs, he grunted and groaned, reaching out for his blast and securing his grip before turning to the droid that had taken the opportunity to close their distance. Before the trigger was pressed, an electro-shock prod met its tip to overheat it with a flurry of electricity, sizzling with voltage as he hastily dropped it.

BB-610 pressed his weight onto the man. Shock prod swapped out for his buzz saw, the tool whirred to life, and despite the struggles of the shooter beneath him, its blade connected to his jugular. In an instant, the saw met flesh, shredding it without remorse in a horrifyingly graphic portrayal of vengeance; blood splattering, the man's movements soon died down as he lay limp in a puddle of oozing crimson. Withdrawing his weapon, BB-610 stared at his handiwork, photoreceptors trained on the milky whiteness of lifeless eyes.

He had little time to marvel much longer, though, as the Gen'Dai rushed to his position, scooping him up with a deathly snug grip and throwing him across the field, straight towards Valery in a collision that would knock her to the floor if she weren't able to dodge. Optic flashing back to blue, BB-610 shook his head, a mechanical grunt leaving his voicebox. The Gen'Dai brandished its vibro-axe, and as it let out a terrifying war cry, it took off into a sprint towards them.

Glancing at Valery, the droid trembled, at wit's end. Hoping to at least buy them some time, the vents in his chassis dispensed plumes of smoke, clouding the area as BB-610 spun his body in circles to quicker smog up the area and conceal their location, in order to let Valery get her bearings and spring back with a follow-up against their adversary.

 

[Valery Noble]

Crakull

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

Valery was completely unaware about how Bee took revenge beyond the flash of pain and quick death that echoed through the Force. But in the aftermath of her own attack, her senses were too deafened to really understand what had happened. She was breathing heavier, pushing herself through her own pain, and trying to focus her mind on the mission again. The captives had been freed, the cultists... well, she killed most of them.

It was time to get out.

Turning back around, Valery spotted Bee flying her way just in time to stop him with a gentle telekinetic grip. She set him down, looked up and watched the Gen'dai approaching them with murderous intent. "Chit..." she said, her body still trembling from the injuries she took to chest and back. But just when she needed a second longer to recover, Bee stepped in and covered them both in smoke to provide that time. A gentle smirk found its way back to Valery's face.

With his Axe raised, the Gen'dai soon stormed into the smoke, but stopped an squinted as he watched a violet source of light appear in the darkness. It looked intense, got closer and-

In a flash of light faster than his eyes could hope to track, Valery exploded through the air to close the distance, and used her blade to sever the man's head from his body. What remained fell over onto the ground with a thud, and Valery stood still just past his body, breathing heavily not from exertion, but loss of blood and suppressed pain. "Bee?" Valery asked with a strained voice. "Are you alright?" She knew that, while her injuries hurt, they weren't life threatening, so she cared far more about making sure her little buddy was okay.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" she asked, her voice suddenly laced with an undertone of anger.