Private Little Star

[Kahlil Noble]

"She can't see everything." It was a gentle reminder. As clear as Vera's visions were, Kahlil didn't want that burden on his daughter's shoulders. She would get things wrong, she would see the wrong thing. It was the most important that the people around her the most understood that much. He made his way down the ladder, his expression oddly serious this time around. The last time Cora and him had been here they did have to deal with a Mandalorian trying to gas them out.

Underground never felt so unsafe.

"Hopefully we can finish what we're here for quickly. The moment Mandalorian's get word we've arrived, there will be hell to pay."

Valery Noble | Corazona von Ascania

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

"She can't see everything."

Valery smirked a little at Kahlil's response — it was protective Dad mode, and they both knew that. But it was a fair statement. Vera was immensely helpful with her visions, and there was no way they could get her to back out of helping, but she was also still a kid. There shouldn't ever be real responsibility on her shoulders.

That's for the parents to handle.

"Well, let's make sure that they find out we're here when we want them to, then," Valery said, her own expression a little more serious now that they were underground and getting ready for the briefing. At the end of the tunnel, there was a small meeting room, and an older Twi'lek man was already waiting for them.

"Masters Jedi, thank you for coming. Please call me Hallon, I'm the commander of this rebel cell," he began, and as soon as the Jedi got settled, he activated the holo-map for them to see. Their current location was marked on it, but so was another. "The situation has been quite dire, so we could use the assistance before we lose more of our people. This second rebel cell was compromised and we know the Mandalorians are planning to hit it tonight, when their vizors offer advantages at night."

"The problem is that we can't easily get them out. The Mandalorians will likely see us approach, and even if we move them out of there, we run the risk of inviting trouble to our own cell. We were hoping that you could help us stand against this Mandalorian attack."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora studied the map, noting the pair of blinking dots that denoted their location, and that of the allied rebels.

"An extraction, then." Ideally, they would be covering the rebel escape against the Mandalorians. Operating in the dark would make things a little trickier, but their foe had lost the element of surprise the minute their raid plans had been leaked by a prophetic ten-year old who ate pancakes with her bare hands.

"Do you have numbers on the Mandalorians who'll conduct the attack?"

Both sides were likely planning for this to be a quick mission. Despite her newfound dislike for the warrior culture, Cora wasn't pleased to be going up against them, but she found strength in helping Ryloth fight back.

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil's expression stiffened, before he let out a heavy, tired sigh. There was no denying the last time the Jedi were here on Ryloth their actions sparked the surprise assault of so many Alliance wars. It was the excuse the Mandalorian's needed or wanted. And now they were here again, and they were very likely to make for another excuse depending on what they did. "The Mandalorian's hold no value in life that's not fought for. Our involvement will make them attack again. More worlds, like Ukatis."

The Alliance would be ready this time, but was fighting a war here, like this, the best path?

"We're fighting the Mandalorians. And we will defeat them. But your people cannot stay here any longer. Evacuate. If you are unsure on where to go, you can come to the Epicanthix. Help us and the Alliance fight back the Mandalorians to free your world. Staying here now, fighting now, will only lead for far more deaths."

Valery Noble | Corazona von Ascania

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

Valery raised a brow at her husband, "They are going to attack regardless. The Alliance will counter-attack with or without the Jedi for revenge, and this war will escalate whether we get involved here or not. We can't ignore cries for help just because a culture of war and conquest will get angry and use it as an excuse for an attack they would have carried out either way." Luckily, it didn't seem like Kahlil was in favor of just not doing anything.

He just urged for the Twi'leks to evacuate, and while Valery saw the logic in that, telling people to stop fighting for their homes was never easy, and rarely received well.

The Twi'lek rebel, who had already chosen to fight, definitely didn't seem very open to the idea. "We can't all just leave this planet, Master Jedi. Did you forget already how you even managed to land here without detection? Do you think we can just fly right past them with a fleet of outdated, civilian ships full of our people?" He shook his head and sighed. Maybe there was a way to get people out, but he couldn't see it.

"We have to resist this tyranny, and even if we could escape, this other rebel cell is still stuck, and there will still be an attack to wipe them out tonight. We can't let you fight them alone, right?" He then turned to Cora, and scratched his chin in thought.

"The Mandalorians are going for a surprise attack, and they have no idea that you three are here. I doubt they will bring an army. From their perspective, it'd be risky because it could warn us of their imminent attack."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Both Valery and Kahlil raised good points. Even if they hadn't intervened on Ryloth, the Mandalorian war machine would have kept carving its bloody path through the galaxy. Who knew where it would strike next?

"They'll attack again, whether the Alliance counters or not. The Crusader I fought on Ukatis said that she was after my 'lifeblood'."

There was a firmness to how she spoke, glancing between Valery, Kahlil, and Hallon. Evacuating could feel like giving up, but those who had designs to leave should have that choice. There was value in knowing when you were up against something bigger than yourself, and fleeing to live another day.

For now, they had a task to focus on. Extracting the rebels at risk.

"I'd assume we'll be dealing with smaller numbers, then." She nodded. "We also have the advantage of knowing the layout of where the second cell has taken refuge."

It wasn't enough to get cocky on. Cora knew that by now; sometimes no matter how thoroughly you planned, the opposition could come in with a curveball.

"I'm ready to move when you are."

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"It wasn't our world that was attacked, nor our people, Master Noble."

Ukatis was a battlefield on it's own. He agreed that they would help, but this was a chance to see how Cora herself might handle the idea that her actions could bring harm to others, as they had for the Ukatins. His worry was unfounded, though. She made her choice without any hesitation. So he'd do the same. "We'll follow your lead to the cell, and do what we can to keep people alive. But leaving is your best option right now. Honestly, I'm surprised you were expecting us."

They were here because of Vera's vision, not because of a request of help.

"I can't make your soldiers leave, but you should do what you can to get your civilians off world."

Valery Noble | Corazona von Ascania

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

"I know, but it's not our actions that got them attacked, and get more of them attacked." Still, she was also curious to see how Cora would feel about it. Because Kahlil was right too — from the perspective of someone on Ukatis, it could at least feel like the intervention had sparked the attack entirely. But after what Cora had heard from the Mandalorians, it seemed that she was able to make her mind up quite easily.

The Mandalorians had turned into beasts, and worlds were going to be targeted one way or another. The best a Jedi could do was stand up against it now before too many more lost their homes as well.

"I agree, and we'll do our best to evacuate civilians. But it'll be slow. If we move too many people at once, the Mandalorians will detect us immediately. It's a limiting factor for our rebel operations as well." A few speeders here and there wouldn't stand out, but if he brought an army together in one place, the Mandalorians would be all over them.

That's why they were split up into small cells.

"Again, thank you three for helping. Your daughter was optimistic about your chances, and I can see why." He smiled but Valery just blinked. Had their little star been in contact with a rebel group on Ryloth? But how? She shook her head and looked at the others.

"Let's grab a civilian speeder and meet with the other cell."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora tilted her head in acknowledgement to the rebel leader's thanks. What happened on Ukatis had made her indescribably angry, but so far she'd managed to reign much of that in while focused on the mission. The Padawan hadn't thought about how she'd react when exposed to another bout of combat with the Mandalorians.

The speeder ride was fairly uneventful, and Cora kept mostly to herself in quiet contemplation as they sped across the brutalized landscape. She felt no small pang of regret when they'd had to retreat from Ryloth earlier, but held onto the knowledge that she and Kahlil had allowed Twi'lek lives to escape the carnage. War had always been a messy thing, but now it was a personal thing too.

To keep herself centered, she went over Hallon's words from earlier, parsing out the bits that would be the most important.

"Wait, how did Vera get in contact with Ryloth?" She called over the rush of air around them, suddenly realizing what Valery and Kahlil had understood minutes ago.

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"She's quite resourceful. We'll have to check and see just how she's contacting people on a hostile world without being caught when we get home. Encryption isn't an easy thing." It was very fascinating to think about how Vera was able to do this, but they had actual business to handle here before they could go and interrogate his little star. "A speeder will work, yes. Preferably one with a roof though. We'll stand out plenty on Ryloth." Even if they dressed in more civilian attire, it'd be hard not to be suspicious of a group of non Twi'lek not in Mandalorian armor.

Especially given Kahlil's height. Epicanthix weren't the type to join other cultures after all.

Valery Noble | Corazona von Ascania

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

"She's....yeah," Valery looked at Kahlil and chuckled. Vera really was something special with her methods at times, though usually that revolved around her visions, and not stuff like this. It got her to think and... "Yula," Valery said after a moment before she snickered and shook her head. "She spent time with her auntie Yula to learn some mechanical skills. Maybe she taught her how to do this kind of stuff?" She wasn't quite sure, but she doubted Vera had figured it out all on her own.

She was good at asking the right people for help though, and Yula was a trusted friend. Especially if these were the skills she covered with Vera, rather than teaching her how to make bombs.

For now, Valery shrugged off those thoughts and got them inside a speeder. One with a roof, so her ridiculously tall husband wouldn't alert the entire planet of their presence. The trip itself was luckily quiet, but that was to be expected in the wastelands they were navigating through.

"There, those rocks," Valery said as they approached another formation. "I don't see anybody up on the surface this time, but I do sense people."

Then, a flash of danger struck them all.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora frowned. This 'Auntie Yula' was teaching children to send encrypted messages to war-torn planets? Vera had a good moral compass, but it still seemed irresponsible. Perhaps she was a little protective over her younger sister, and didn't like the idea of some strange mechanically-oriented ruffian imparting lessons that could be used for less-than-legal actions.

That line of thought was quickly interrupted when Valery drew their attention up toward a rocky structure. With a wide base and a collection of sculpted boulders near the top, it would be easy to hide among the shadowed crevices.

But not from a Jedi Master's refined senses. No sooner had Valery pointed the rock formation out did a missile streak through the air, aimed in the same direction that they were heading. It struck near another, smaller cluster of stones that camouflaged the underground entrance of the rebel cell.

Cora glanced down at the datapad in her hands. The location Hallon had marked on it was flashing rapidly. Her head jerked upwards as the missile detonated.

"They must've hit where the rebels are hiding!"

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil jumped from the speeder once danger was clear. The rockets that flew through the air, the danger they posed, he didn't have time to even explain what he was doing. Runes flared in the distance before the entrance to form a hasty barrier. It wouldn't fully protect them, but it'd be enough to at least save some lives. Defense was his focus. It didn't matter that this was likely going to give away that they were here.

People's lives mattered more.

"Go, Valery!"

She and Cora could handle the offense.

Valery Noble | Corazona von Ascania

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

Bright flames reflected against her Keshian eyes as missiles streaked through the air, and struck either rock or protective barriers created by Kahlil. Already, Valery knew that this quiet extraction wasn't going to work out, and the three of them could expect more Mandalorian forces to arrive soon enough. So, without wasting more time, Valery jumped off her speeder while it was still going, and controlled her landing by cushioning herself with the Force.

Overhead, two dropships with Mandalorian warriors were already closing in.

"Cora, we need to cover the rebels, so they can defend themselves!" Valery called out, as some of the Twi'leks were already getting in position. But with explosions going off around them, and Mandalorians falling from the sky with their jetpacks, they were chaotic and certainly overwhelmed.

<Love, can you take down those gunships?>

With that one question asked, Valery exploded into the air and landed on the formation of rocks. Her double-bladed weapon ignited, drawing much of the Mandalorian attention to her, and with several rotations, she swatted incoming blaster bolts away to cover the rebels.

Once Cora joined her, it was time to counter-attack.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

The scream of a missile, and all hell broke loose.

"Right!"

Valery surged forward, leaping from the speeder and onto the rocky formation where the Mandalorians had set up. Cora was on her heels, following just behind Valery even if it took a startled second for her to catch up. She'd forgotten just how strong the Sword was.

Igniting her lightsaber, Cora joined Valery in redirecting the incoming fire from the rebels. It was easy to defend an attack that was coming from one direction, but the hissing of jet packs meant that they would be coming in from all angles.

In the chaos, one beskar combatant had slipped to the side underneath the semi-cover of a rocky outcrop. A tingling sensation at the back of her neck drew Cora's attention toward him just as he'd hunched forward, the missile slung over his back pointed towards them and hissing angrily.

Panic seized her, and Cora threw her free hand forward without thinking. The Force coiled around the Mandalorian before snapping inward, tightening around his neck. He let out a sudden gasp, gloved hands clawing desperately at his throat.

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil turned his gaze to the sky as Valery spoke. Gunships. That was never a good sign when the Mandalorians alone often doubled as an assault vehicle. They weren't holding back. He raised a hand, letting a different sequence of runes form in the air before him. He let out a breath just as the sequence finished, and from it ice spread through the air. It ripped across like a lightning bolt, but on impact with one it caused durasteel to suddenly flash over with frost. An all consuming chill that caused even the engines to solidify into ice before the one plummeted to the ground.

"Get yourselves set up! I need rockets on those other ships, bring them down!"

Valery Noble | Corazona von Ascania

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

As soon as Mandalorians fell from their dropships, Valery became quite the target. The double-bladed weapon on its own drew a lot of attention, but without the rebels fully mobilized, a Jedi Master really stood out on some barren rocks. Others decided to jump their Padawan, and while Valery did feel that something was off when Cora channeled the Force against one of them, she was far too busy to really see what happened.

Two Mandalorians with Beskads drawn charged at her, and she fought hard to keep them away. Knowing they wouldn't back down before she was dead, Valery decided to become a little more aggressive. With the Force focused, the two warriors were telekinetically slammed together, before she threw them into a pillar of stone. It wouldn't take them out of the fight, but perhaps she could convince them to lay down their weapons.

At the same time, rebels rushed out and began to set up defensive positions. Most were wearing simple sets of combat armor, and held basic rifles, but a few joined with rocket launchers as well. The enemy dropship was targeted, and several missiles were sent after it.

The Mandalorian warrios in the sky, however, quickly moved all around the rebels in an attempt to overwhelm them. They were going to need some assistance.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

A chill surged through the air as Kahlil's ice rune activated, and it was enough of a startle to snap Cora back into focus.

Her heart was thundering away, her invisible hand tightening around the Mandalorian's throat. If she kept her grip, he'd collapse from lack of air, perhaps even die.

There was power in that, in holding a life so close to death. It was alluring and revolting all at once, a shock that caused her to suddenly relinquish her hold. The armored man collapsed to his knees, chest heaving, but the missile on his pack had been activated and already locked onto the rebel hideout.

Cora thrust out her hand, slightly trembling. A powerful updraft of Force knocked the missile slightly off its trajectory. It hit a formation of rocks to the side of the rebel entrance, shaking the ground and sending dust through the air.

A cacophony of yelling drew Cora's attention back towards the rebels who'd emerged from the ground, attempting to fight off the warriors in the sky. Dashing forward, she telekinetically lifted a rock no bigger than a melon and hefted it at the nearest airborne Mando, striking their jetpack. This drew their opponent's focus from the rebels to the young Jedi with the hallmark blue lightsaber.

The initial hail of blaster fire was enough to send Cora stumbling back, but she quickly found a rhythm in deflecting the bolts with the plasma blade. This gave the rebels room to advance, picking off the Mandalorians one by one as they went.

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil reached his hand up again, but this time it wasn't to craft another rune. He wrenched the very air to send a squad of Mandalorians right back into the dropship they'd exited from. Just as one of the rebels lined up a rocket to take down the ship itself in an explosion of fire and shrapnel. He could play the defense for now, letting his saber ignite to catch the shots of another that had started to circle around to defend one of the rebels.

"Focus the ships, I'll handle the flyers!"

Corazona von Ascania | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

The tide of the battle was turning. Cora had secured her part of the rocks, and focused much of the Mandalorian attention to herself. It had allowed more of the rebels to come out of hiding, which in turn meant that Kahlil wasn't having to tank everything. They took advantage of his manipulation of the air, and blew apart a transport ship with several warriors inside.

Valery had her side of the battle covered as well, and was more aggressively advancing forward. But the Mandalorians were never a people easily defeated, and from one of the ships, a weapon more familiar to Kahlil and Cora was deployed.

The canister struck the ground near Valery's feet, and a puff of toxic gas rapidly expanded. Valery turned into her use of Breath Control, but one last inhale of air momentarily flooded her system. Her eyes grew teary, and the world around her began to shift, while she stumbled on her feet.

"Gas!" She still managed, hoping the rebels had learned from theasy battle and gotten themselves rebreathers.

At the same time, a Mandalorian near Cora took notice of the momentarily dazed Valery, and aimed his rifle to take a shot.