Private Future's Journey

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

Vera smiled sheepishly when Alicio called it a surprise. Usually, she would have called him before showing up at his door, but this was a difficult decision, so she had convinced herself to just do it in the moment. Luckily, the Organa apartment was like a 2nd home with how much time she had spent here as a kid, so she was let in with a smile.

Alicio and Amani always made her feel welcomed.

The man then walked over to the kitchen, and she was quick to follow. Especially as the smell reached her nose. "Only if I get a slice," she teased with a proper Noble grin. No matter how old she'd get, Alicio's baked bread with chocolate would always excite her.

"How are the kids doing?" She then asked while she carefully removed the bread from the oven and brought it over to the plates he had put down. His kids were as old as her siblings, and if they were anything to go off of, he'd have his hands full dealing with them.

Eventually, with slices of bread ready, they'd turn to the living room and despite loving the food, Vera's expression was difficult. "So uh, I was wondering..." She began, multi-colored eyes shifting away from the bread and to Alicio.

"Has the name Organa ever been difficult for you?"

She couldn't find it in herself to be direct about her own problems yet, but this likely hinted where she was going with this conversation.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio shot the young Jedi a playful grin, the beginnings of crow's-feet crinkling the sides of his eyes. "Oh, I was going to have it all to myself, but... I suppose I can share a bite or two." He took the time to power down his devices on the kitchen counter, finally turning to see Vera gently remove the bread. It was only when they began to prep their plates that Alicio noticed just how tall Vera had gotten.

The same shock had come to him when he'd noticed Vera matching his height the year previous. It was difficult not to remember her as a bubbly little girl, barely up to his waist, even after all these years. But she had grown into a capable Jedi since then, with potential eclipsing his own abilities, just as her height eclipsed his now.

"They've been good," Alicio noted, smiling to himself. "That reminds me. Their tenth birthday's coming up soon. And they're expecting their big sis to show up, if you're around." He winked to Vera. "They think the world of you, you know."

With their prizes claimed at the living room, Alicio gently set his food in front of him, watching Vera as she took a bite, before digging into his own food. He waited for Vera to open up the conversation with the patience of an attentive parent.

"Has the name Organa ever been difficult for you?"

Alicio found a soft, surprised smile at the question. "Honestly... yes. Constantly."

He crossed one leg over the other, his voice distancing a little. "You'd think it would be easier, having a name that the whole galaxy recognizes. And it does have it's perks, to be fair. But... when one thinks of the name Organa, they think of Faith. Leia. Bail. Hell, Duke Charle, if you know your history." He found a frown. "They were all heroes, protectors, paragons who seemed to do no wrong. Of course, everyone expects us to be the same."

"I've tried my best to honor my name, House Organa, the Chalcedony Star... But I've fallen short. Many times." He was able to smirk over at Vera again, an obvious tease in his tone.

"Not like you'd know anything about that, right?" He raised an eyebrow.

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

When Alicio made his way over, Vera picked up on the height difference again as well. Everybody around her always told her just how tall she had become, and she wasn't even done growing yet either. It was unlikely that she'd end up as tall as her father, but it was still quite something.

"I already put it on my calendar," Vera said with a grin that showed that inner excitement she always had as a kid. "My parents and siblings will be there too. They're all looking forward to it...and so am I." With both the triplets and Alicio's kids, Vera was extremely protective. She had that from both her parents, who had always been so protective of her and the triplets.

Similarly, she'd always be there for his kids.

But with very pleasant topics over, it was time to ssk the question she had struggled with so much. Quickly, she felt relieved to have asked about his experience first - it was comforting to know that it was okay to struggle with it. He even recognized that he had fallen short at times, but he was still moving forward despite it.

The smirk and tease that followed drew a playful pout from the young woman too, but this still was not easy for her.

"I don't know if I can do what you've done. It sounds like you've struggled a lot but you've accomplished so much too." She sighed and looked down at the hands in her lap for a moment. "I want to make my parents proud of me. But I'm not like them." She looked up with a gentle frown.

"They have done amazing things, still are and will for a long time. Every Jedi looks up to them, but I don't have their strength in the Force, and I just...can't. I struggle with Telekinesis while my mother can bend the world to her will or phase through anything. I can't even do basic runes while my dad killed a Leviathan with them." She sighed again and ran a hand up through her hair.

"All I was ever good at were visions, but I don't feel like I'm getting better anymore. I don't want to let them down but I feel like everybody looks at me differently. I can't even make new friends anymore and...there was someone I liked, but I think I scared him off too." She blinked and smiled sheepishly when she realized how terrible she made it all sound.

"I guess I just don't know if I can live up to expectations. To the name."

 

[Alicio Organa]

Something in Alicio's words seemed to resonate with the Padawan. The realization gave him a bit of comfort, even if he wished they hadn't resonated quite so well.

It was an awful thing, to think you aren't enough.

It took Alicio a moment to decide what to say. If there was a perfect set of syllables to assuage all of her anxieties. Of course there wasn't. So he improvised.

"Vera, how dare you not rival the power of two seasoned Jedi Masters at their own areas of expertise before you're twenty?" Alicio's eyebrow rose again, as if to challenge the absurdity of his own statement. "Do you know what Force powers I was manifesting at sixteen? Absolutely none."

"Do you truly think the love and respect of your parents relies on your strength in the Force?" Alicio leaned over, and squeezed Vera's shoulder comfortingly.

"I know, I know, there's pressure on you. Others expect Nobles and Organas to be better, do better. But your parents aren't proud of what you do. They're proud of who you are. And whether you could move mountains with a single punch, or barely lift a stone, I know you have grown into someone worthy of being proud of."

"As for your other issues..." Alicio found a sympathetic smile. "Um... I've got nothing. I'm just glad my kids aren't at the dating age yet." He smirked, before finding some sincerity again.

"Perhaps I'm only adding to the pressure, but... Vera, I know you can move mountains. Even if you don't see it yet."

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

"That's not what I-" she stopped and listened quietly when he talked about what he could do at his own age, but especially when he talked about the love and respect of her parents. Both her mom and dad had always been supportive, and every memory she had with them, she'd cherish forever. Perhaps that's why she felt this way — her bond with her parents was so strong, that she wanted to always amaze them.

Even though she already did.

"Thank you, Alicio," Vera then said, her lips tugging up into a faint smile when his hand settled on her shoulder. This was going to be something she'd likely struggle with throughout her life, but it helped to have this kind of support. "It's hard to think of myself as someone others can be proud of. But maybe I shouldn't worry about that at all..." she chuckled softly and was about to speak again, when he mentioned dating.

"No! I didn't mean- I uh," she blinked. "I wasn't dating dating anybody. I liked him as a friend, that's all." She looked away, hoping to avoid any potential teasing smirks, but there was something important to still add. "...please don't tell my mom." Mom got very scary when anybody showed interest in her daughter.

"Perhaps I'm only adding to the pressure, but... Vera, I know you can move mountains. Even if you don't see it yet."​

She looked back at him now, clearly surprised to hear that, and a much warmer smile began to show. Vera didn't even know what to say anymore, so she just leaned in closer and wrapped her arms around the man. "I knew you were the right person to talk to. Thank you so much." She leaned back and raised a hand up through her dark-brown locks.

Just in time to notice that her comm unit was bleeping on an emergency channel.

"Oh no..."

 

[Alicio Organa]

"That's not what I-"

Alicio shot the young Jedi a knowing look, as if to say 'that's the point'.

There might not have been one singular correct thing to say, but Alicio was glad to see he may have gotten pretty close. Well, perhaps he could have been a bit more tactful with the boy talk. Vera's sudden fluster told him everything he needed to know about the situation, as he nodded with a growing snide grin and a teasing hum. "Mmm... Of course." Then, a little quieter, he murmured, "Your secret's safe with me."

Alicio let Vera wrap him into a hug, returning it in kind. As they did, he spoke softly. "I think you're right, Vera. No need to worry about making anyone proud. The people that matter are already proud of you, kid."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Alicio glanced down at Vera's communicator, a wry smile already on his face. "That looks important." The Lord stood slowly, procuring his cane from where it was propped, and reaching out towards a separate room, gripping something unseen with the Force. His silvery, blade-horned helmet levitated out, resting in his hands. He judged it for a moment, before glancing Vera's way again.

"Mind if I tag along?"

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

Well, at least his teasing was better than her parent's death glares. They were both extremely supportive, but equally protective. If she brought back anybody she liked... Vera didn't even want to think about it. A lot of people thought her mother was scary just on her own, but how would someone feel introducing himself to Valery as her boyfriend? Then there was her dad... she already felt bad for the boyfriend she didn't have.

She shook her head to snap out of her thoughts and sighed in relief when Alicio promised to keep it between them. Vera offered a grateful smile and broke the hug a moment later.

Right before they were interrupted by her comms.

"Yeah... it's my dad," Vera blinked. "People in the lower levels have been taken hostage and he's asking if I can respond to it." Which meant that her father trusted her, and when that realization hit her, Vera began to smile. But...

"I could use some help though. Mom said you helped her fight on Denon before? So this shouldn't be too new." She flashed a smirk, got up, and rolled her shoulders. Vera looked ready to get going but raised an eyebrow when Alicio summoned some kind of helmet.

"That's new?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

"People in the lower levels have been taken hostage and he's asking if I can respond to it."

Alicio picked up on Vera's sudden happiness at the realization her father trusted her, and responded by smirking, and voicing what she hadn't. "Seems like he's counting on you."

Vera was quick to ask for his assistance. Alicio arched his eyebrow once more, given he'd just offered to help not a minute ago. "I'm sure you wouldn't need me. But of course I'll help. However I can."

As it was brought up, Alicio studied the mask in his hands, something sad and distant in his dark eyes. "Not new. It's an old project of mine." With an audible k-thnk, Alicio pulled the helmet over his head, his grey eyes seeming to shine a cold blue from within the shadowed sockets. "We can take my speeder," the Alderaanian said, his voice modulated to become more robotic and sonorous, as he tilted his head towards the balcony, and the sleek silver airspeeder that rested upon it.

"Time to make our families proud, eh?"

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

"Seems like he's counting on you."

Hearing it out loud only widened her smile, as she turned to Alicio and nodded. "Yeah... he is." She smirked back at him and seemed ready to get going. If dad was counting on her, she was always going to give it her all. Tonight, when she came home for family dinner, she wanted to be able to proudly tell her parents what she had been up to.

The best part — she wasn't going to do it alone, but with a very close family friend.

"Oh stop, I don't get a lot of solo assignments, so I really could use the help." And Alicio had offered it, so she was never going to say no. What she didn't expect, was for him to pull out some strange helmet for this mission. It changed his voice, but there was something about his eyes as well. Vera quickly smirked though and knocked against the side of his metal head with her knuckles. Gently, but hard enough to notice.

"I wonder what Amani Serys thinks of that thing. And what does it do?" She was curious, but she had her mother's teasing look in her eyes too. It definitely looked a bit silly.

But whatever it was, they soon made it outside and turned to his speeder. If it wasn't for the fact that they were on a mission now, she'd have totally asked him if she could drive. As much as she was taking after her father, the inner adrenaline junkie or chaos incarnate, as her father once called it, of her mother's side really loved the idea of taking it for a spin. "They're very far down below according to the coordinates. Level 643," Vera told him as she hopped onto the back.

"Let's make them proud and get those people back home." She grinned and readied herself for the ride there.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Vera was quick to minimize her own abilities, which only made Alicio arch his brow further, that teasing smirk playing across his face. "Yeah, okay," he finally said. "As long as you're taking point. I'm following you."

Perhaps that's what Vera needed to build some self-confidence- leadership.

Once his helmet was donned, Alicio could feel the smug judgment coming from the young Jedi. Rapping her knuckles on the silvery metal produced a multitudinous ringing sound- a clear indicator of songsteel. He turned his eyes to the girl, the grim visage of his mask covering his continuing smirk. "I'm sure she thinks it makes me look sharp." He stared at her a moment longer, the points of the helmet glinting, before donning a cape, and a few extra pieces of silvered armor. "It's an... enhancer, of sorts. Attuned to me, augmenting my natural proclivities towards the Force."

Then, in simpler terms, "It helps me see."

The two of them hopped into the speeder, Alicio falling naturally into the driver's seat. With a final glance at Vera, he brought the speeder into the endless skyline, diving into the depths of Coruscant.

It seemed to be a classic bank heist gone sour.

Two rough individuals, dressed in piecemeal armor and dirty bandanas to cover their faces, could clearly be seen through the thick transparisteel of the dimly-lit building. They held blaster carbines to the heads of a small group of innocent people, staring daggers out of the bank, where a thin perimeter of police droids kept them at bay. No doubt, there were more hostage-takers out of sight, either breaking into the bank's vault, or trying to puzzle out their escape.

Hidden in a nearby alley, overlooking the scene, Alicio viewed the entire scene with an imperious aura about him. He glanced at Vera, a fatherly sort of tone in his voice. "What do you think? How should we approach this?"

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

"Sure... I can take point..." She smiled nervously but convinced herself to do it. Leadership was something that seemed to run in the family, with both her parents on the Council, but she had never felt particularly good at it herself. Right now, the most difficult part was taking point on a team with someone she had looked up to her entire life. She was used to listening to him — even though she didn't always do that very well as a kid — and now she had to guide him?

Vera let out a soft breath and decided to distract herself with something simpler. Teasing him about the helmet. "Very clever," Vera chuckled and watched him piece together an entire, very fitting outfit. Much like her mother and father, she barely had any armor on herself, but she could understand the appeal and usefulness.

"Seems useful, then. But you do look a bit scary."

With a final grin, she readied herself inside the speeder and turned her multi-colored eyes into Coruscant's depths.

After making it down to the right level, Vera followed Alicio into an alley and took a moment to assess the situation. Her senses scanned the interior of the building, and she did indeed pick up on others. Through their emotions, she knew how to distinguish between them. Hostages were afraid and perhaps in pain from injuries, while the hostage-takers were aggressive and relentless in their attitudes.

"There are two groups of hostages. The one we can see, and one further to the left," Vera said, now glancing at Alicio. "We have two options. Either we split up and each overwhelm one group quickly, or one of us has to approach as the negotiator, and distract them long enough for action to be taken."

She paused and looked back at the building. She knew exactly how she'd be able to secure a group of hostages, but Alicio had to be comfortable with it too. There were risks with both plans.

"What do you think? If we burst inside, can you take out those two we see there?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio's eyes glowed a faint blue from within the confines of his helmet as he looked at Vera in turn. Indeed, he looked scary, standing tall like a specter of death, adorned in flowing black and gleaming silver.

"What do you think? If we burst inside, can you take out those two we see there?"

Alicio glanced back at the building, suddenly still, before nodding. "I can," he said calmly, before turning back to Vera, an unmistakable care radiating off of him. "Be safe, Vera. The robbers in the back will return quickly when they hear a commotion. Stay in the moment."

The man turned back to the bank. Seemed to judge the air for a moment, as if tasting it.

"Fifty-six," he muttered under his breath, before seeming to glide forward with smooth, stealthy footsteps.

One. Two. Three...

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

Vera watched Alicio and blinked.

She had known this man her entire life, but sometimes he still felt peculiar and surprised her. In a good way, but it still made her snicker a little when she watched him make his approach. And unlike him, she wasn't about to be overly quiet. So right as Alicio would enter however he would, Vera exploded forward with Force-augmented speed and burst through a window to startle the people inside.

She landed, spun around, and raised her hand to Telekinetically remove the blasters from the hands of the hostage-takers. A blue blade of plasma then ignited, and Vera rushed forward. The pair of men looked at her with fear in their eyes, but Vera wasn't going to cause any serious harm.

All she did was follow a little of her mother's training, as she jumped up and kicked both of them down against the ground.

"Got these two down! I'm sensing others approaching!"

 

[Alicio Organa]

Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen...

Vera elected to go in fast and hard. Which worked fine for Alicio, as he carefully picked his way up to the front door, stepping past security droids with his lightsaber in his hand. He seemed to know exactly when to step in, a subtle use of the Force opening the front doors just as his two targets turned at the sound of Vera. His gloved hand was already outstretched by the time they had their blasters raised at the teen.

Two of his fingers flexed, telekinesis just barely nudging the battery packs of their weapons out of alignment. The criminals seemed to panic as their guns made only clicking sounds, before finally realizing that Alicio was there. They swung the sights of their ineffectual blasters toward the Lord, who simply spoke out a word of immense power.

"Surrender."
​

His will overcame theirs, and with the glazing of their eyes, they swiftly put down their weapons, laying down on the floor. Alicio nodded once to Vera, before tutting at her. "Stay in the moment, Vera," he reminded her, inclining his antlered head towards a door aside the young padawan.

Where a man in Mandalorian armor suddenly burst out, an immense flamethrower in his hands, ready to bathe the room in fire. More bank robbers were close behind.

They had been trying to burn through the vault doors? Points for originality.

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

Another hit the floor.

Vera was quick in addressing the hostage-takers, but careful at the same time. After kicking down two of them, she telekinetically threw another into a wall to knock him out. This way, her strikes would hurt, but every single person she took out would walk out of here alive. That was one of many important lessons she had learned from her parents, and the Jedi as a whole.

Alicio seemed to proceed with similar caution.

"Stay in the moment, Vera," his voice then called out, and Vera turned to see what he was really referring to. A man in Mandalorian armor and a group of his followers burst through the door with intense flames that reflected against her half-fiery eyes.

A surge of fire then blasted from the weapon into the room, but Vera quickly responded by raising a barrier of Force energy to shield herself and the hostages still by her feet, "Get out of here!" she called, and they immediately got up to run towards the safest exit — the one Alicio had cleared.

"I could use some help!" she called back to her friend, as other thugs stepped inside and pelted her barrier with blaster bolts.

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I could use some help!"

Just like that, he was there.

Completely anathema to the laid back, careful pace Alicio had set thus far, an incredible, unnatural burst of speed shot the man across the room, the familiar blue and black blade of Introspect suddenly flashing in front of Vera's wall. One moment, he was paces away at the front entrance, the next, he appeared in Vera's vision, his heel connecting with a criminal's temple in a stunning axe kick.

The nobleman fell back into a familiar Soresu pattern, dizzying loops and twirls of the blade turning away the spare bolts, and giving Vera time to recover. He realized then, with some distaste, that these minds were too strong for him to so easily influence. They would have to do this the old fashioned way.

"Get the flamethrower!," he barked out suddenly, the hand behind his back twisting and contorting, the pressure of the Force suddenly palpable in the air.

Through a hail of blaster fire, Alicio adjusted each of their enemies' stances, if only slightly. Nudging an ankle here, pushing a shoulder there, until their aim was off and their footing awkward. They would miss their next shots, giving Vera the perfect opportunity to jump in.

Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one...

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

"Get the flamethrower!"

Vera trusted him more than almost anybody else, so the second he called out after giving her some cover, she was on the move. Blaster bolts struck the walls and ground around her, but the Count made sure none were able to reach the young Noble. A flash of blue plasma followed, and Vera had carefully severed the barrel of the flamethrower in half, rendering it useless without the risk of causing the weapon to explode.

A powerful leg sweep followed, and the man wielding the weapon was on the ground. She struck him in the face with her knee and turned around to fight another attacker, but this one was too quick.

A punch to the gut folded Vera over and knocked the wind out of her, but she recovered quickly and sent the man flying into the wall with a telekinetic push. One her mother certainly would have been proud of.

"I think that's the last of them..." she breathed heavily and looked over her shoulder, "You okay?" she asked, even though she needed his help earlier when they all burst inside. No matter what, she had to know for sure.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Twenty-two, twenty-three...

Vera jumped at his opening without hesitation, and Alicio couldn't help but feel some mix of pride and concern. She trusted him a lot. It was flattering, but also worrying. If he had been wrong, off by one calculation...

But he wasn't, as the young Jedi disarmed the Mandalorian, and sent him to the ground with two swift moves. Alicio moved to back her up, stepping in front of one criminal as they tried to surround her, deactivating his lightsaber. It was a quick affair, as Alicio pushed his swing out of the way, and knocked him out with a jab to the chin.

He turned towards Vera, a small smile hidden behind a songsteel face. He adjusted his cloak, realigning it on his shoulders before speaking. "I'm fine, Vera. Are you okay?" Then, with a smirk in his tone, "How's that gut-punch feeling?"

Alicio glanced down the way the robbers had come from, nodding. "Yeah, I think that's it." Casually, almost nonchalantly, the Lord reached down, palming a simple device from the unconscious form of the Mandalorian. He studied the display a moment, noting the slowly ticking-down numbers of a remote detonator. He clicked a button at the side, deactivating the timed thermal detonators around the vault's doors, further in the bank.

"Mmm... Good time, too." He flipped around the display, to show the Padawan. "Twenty-five seconds to spare."

"Would you rather help settle things down here, or leave it to the droids?"

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

"I'm doing-"

"How's that gut-punch feeling?"

Vera narrowed her eyes and grumbled a little, "It's fine, I barely felt it," she lied, and he'd easily be able to tell. So she turned away to hide her smirk and looked around to make sure that the situation was really clear. Once she felt certain, she turned back, only to see Alicio with some kind of device in his hand.

An explosive detonator?

"How did you know...?" Vera blinked then chuckled and shook her head. "Maybe I should try a silly helmet as well sometime," she then teased with an even bigger smirk than before.

"And uh, let's leave the rest to authorities. We've done our part, but we're not the police. I'll have to report back to my dad too, and-" she stopped as she heard her stomach growl. She sighed, looked at Alicio, and pursed her lips. "You uh, want to maybe grab a bite before we leave?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Yeah, okay." Alicio didn't bother to hide his knowing chuckle, squeezing her shoulder and pouring just a little healing into the young girl as she was turned away.

Vera seemed surprised at the detonator in his hands. Alicio shrugged, passing the device off to one of the police droids that had finally moved in at the end of the violence. "I can't recommend a silly helmet enough," he joked, finally removing his own, and propping it under an arm, revealing mischievous grey eyes, and a slight grin. "I'm sure it'd do wonders for any boys you may or may not be trying to impress."

At the mention of food, Alicio seemed to consider it, kneeling down and grazing his fingers along the criminals they'd just dispatched. He gave them a bit of healing as well- not enough to wake them, but enough to soothe their wounds. "Rest well," he whispered, an apology in his eyes. Oftentimes, people didn't steal because they wanted to. Only because they felt they had to.

"Yes, let's," he finally said, straightening back up, and walking out into the open air with Vera. "Are you craving anything in particular. Ramen? Burgers?"

- Vera Noble -