Private Living Up to the Name

[Alicio Organa]

Jedi Temple Hangar
Coruscant
- Vera Noble -
​

Alicio had been politely requested by his senate guard, and the Great Houses of Alderaan, to have a Jedi escort for his mission to Vandelhelm.

He realized it was probably a smart call. The shipwright planet was between the Alliance and Enclave space, and Alicio had encountered a few... difficulties... in recent months. Being captured twice in quick succession, however intentional both events were, was sure to cause some worry in the people around him.

Hence, the Jedi Padawan Alicio foresaw arriving soon.

The Count himself stood at the entrance ramp to the Gift of Peace, talking softly with Captain da Silva. The officer seemed less than enthused. "...No matter who her parents are, Your Excellency, I don't know if I feel comfortable with a new Jedi as your main guardian for this trip."

Alicio tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Have faith, Captain. I trust Padawan Noble with my life. You should trust her with mine, too." He glanced towards the doors to the hangar, hidden knowledge playing behind his eyes.

"She is young, but you won't find a padawan with more potential. And she will have the senate guard to assist her. So... there is nothing to fear."

"Potential doesn't keep you safe now... sir." She frowned. "I won't let you be endangered on my watch again."

Alicio let his hands disappear into the folds of his cape, tracing the subtle hilt of his saber. "I will be fine, Captain. Faith." He turned back towards the hangar doors, sensing Vera's imminent arrival in the Future. Of course, the main reason for the young Noble's attendance was to expose her to diplomacy. But he truly did trust her with his life. It wasn't long ago he was babysitting her. Now...

It was her turn to babysit him.

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

Deep breaths.

As exciting as all of this was, Vera actually felt nervous for once. This was her very first Jedi mission without her parents, and without her brother. She was representing the Order and family name now, and Alicio had made it very clear what she was going to be doing. Escorting a senator was no simple thing, especially not on a neutral world between home and the Mandalorians, but Vera was determined to do this properly.

She wanted to make Kahlil Noble and Mom proud.

The Hangar doors soon slid open, and Vera stepped inside with her posture straight. Her tunic was clean and without wrinkles, her boots were polished, and she had made sure her hair looked good, too. There wasn't even a faint sign of the gremlin that lingered within — Vera was here as Padawan Noble.

"Captain," Vera said politely before dipping her head. "Senator Organa." This time, though, the corners of her lips tugged up into a little smile. She wanted to be serious, but Alicio was far too important to her.

She had to smile.

"I'm ready for the mission."

 

[Alicio Organa]

There was a lull in the conversation, as Captain da Silva tried in vain to come up with some line of reasoning to convince Alicio. "...Faith will not keep you safe, either, Your Excellency. But... I will defer to your judgement."

Alicio sent a sympathetic smile his fellow Alderaanian's way. He knew trust didn't come as easy to her as it did to him. "Thank you, Captain. I truly appreciate it."

Then, Alicio stood up a little straighter, and turned fully towards the entrance to the hangar, where he saw a familiar, youthful face making her way towards the Gift. Vera received a warm, yet playful smile as she got within speaking range of the Count. She was containing her inner wild child well.

"Padawan Noble," he replied, subtly emphasizing her recent achievement. He gestured to the regal-looking woman stood at attention beside him. "This is Captain Seline da Silva. She has command of the Gift of Peace."

Perhaps there was still some hint of the Captain's former worries on her face, seeing the young girl ensuring her Count's protection, but she executed a short bow regardless, before stepping aside with an outstretched hand. "Welcome aboard, Padawan."

With that, they all made their way up the ramp to the ship, Captain da Silva went ahead to begin takeoff preparations, leaving the Organa to brief the young Noble in the meeting room.

But first, a check-up.

"How are you feeling, Vera?"

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain." Vera bowed her head again, and even offered the woman a polite smile. Still, she couldn't help but feel some tension in the Force. Maybe this woman didn't really want her to come along? It didn't surprise her too much, with how little experience she had, but Alicio had asked her for help, and Vera would always be there for him. So, she set her feelings aside and followed them up the ramp.

This was so exciting.

Once aboard, Vera watched the woman retreat into the cockpit, but stayed behind with Alicio herself. Now that they were alone, a grin tucked on her lips, and that wild side began to show just a little, "I'm doing great! I'm a little bit nervous about going on my first mission alone, but it's also exciting!"

"I'm really glad my first one is with you." Finally, Vera couldn't stop herself anymore, and stepped forward to wrap her arms around his. At 5ft6, she wasn't all that tiny anymore, but around people like Alicio, she'd always be the Little Star.

"Are you expecting trouble on this one?" Vera asked once she did step back again.

 

[Alicio Organa]

As Alicio had expected, Vera relaxed the act once they were alone. Returning her hug, the Count clocked the girl's height. She still hadn't beaten him, though they both knew it was coming within the next few years. Alicio wondered briefly how Amani felt, being shorter than their wedding's flower girl.

"I'm glad it's you here, too. With the two of us watching, nothing can surprise us." As they broke, the senator offered the padawan an easy smile. "I'm honored to be the first of many successful missions in your future."

"Are you expecting trouble on this one?"

Alicio's smile twisted into a thoughtful frown. "No... And yes."

He'd stopped them in the meeting room for a reason. The raven-haired Count stepped toward the table, pressing a few buttons to bring up a display of a planet, side-by-side with a hologram model of a deep space station.

"A conglomerate of corporations on Vandelhelm have reached out to the Alliance for assistance. They've been having difficulties with pirates, and have requested Alliance ships to patrol the area, since we're their largest trade partner." Alicio continued with a thoughtful scowl. "The problem is that the government of Vandelhelm has made it clear that their neutrality cannot be contested, and with the war, our participation is... hamstrung. The corporations have invited us to their shipyard to find a solution."

"So... pop quiz for you, Vera. Hope you did your research." He smirked. This was a learning trip for Vera, after all. "What's stopping Vandelhelm from getting rid of it's own pirate problem?" It was the same reason they were meeting on a space station, and not the planet itself.

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

Vera nodded, "I promise I'll be focused. Nothing will slip past us." She smiled a little after their hug broke, and resumed her more serious approach to this mission again. She knew herself well enough to know, that if she gave in to her excitement of being on mission with Alicio too much, that she'd miss important details.

That wasn't something she could afford to do this time.

Multi-colored eyes then turned to the projector, as Alicio began his briefing, and Vera just smirked a little. It reminded her of Mom and her briefings, and how Dad would always tease her about them. Alicio's was very thorough, and after a quiet moment of thinking, she looked up at him and grabbed a little notebook.

Most Padawans had datapads, but she liked to handwrite her notes, even if she couldn't carry around as much information on her little notebook.

"Does it have something to do with the cloud? Maybe it's hard for them to detect the pirates?" Vera theorized. "Or maybe the pirates have a larger presence on the planet, and they might catch on?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

Vera was certainly determined to get this right. It reminded him, oddly enough, of his first time speaking before the gathered senate. One's first step would set the course for the rest of the walk, he'd thought. She was trying to put her best foot forward.

As he talked, he watched bemusedly as Vera took out a physical paper and pencil, and took notes. She was taking this seriously. It was a new side of her, that he'd rarely seen of her as the girl had grown up. He rewarded her dilligence with a twinkle in his eye, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Does it have something to do with the cloud? Maybe it's hard for them to detect the pirates? Or maybe the pirates have a larger presence on the planet, and they might catch on?"

"Well, I certainly hope it isn't your second thought." Alicio's lips tensed, as he stared back at the planet's hologram. "But from what I understand, you were correct the first time. There's a tightly-packed asteroid field around the planet, one that keeps all but the smallest ships from passing safely. The pirates hide out in the field, striking with snubfighters and boarding craft, then either disappear into hyperspace with their stolen goods, or back into the cloud, where it's dangerous to pursue."

Alicio's arm's crossed, as his head tilted to the side. The vibrations underneath his feet told him the ship was on the move. "They've never attacked the shipyards, where we're going, directly, but it isn't too large a leap to imagine they might try to disrupt our talks. So... don't expect trouble, but don't be caught off-guard if it finds us."

The Count gave Vera a hazy grin, conveying his complete trust in the Noble. "Any questions?"

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

There was a dangerous sparkle in her eyes when Alicio mentioned the asteroid field, and how treacherous it was. In her Noble mind, she already imagined herself in the cockpit of a fighter, dancing between large rocks in space to blow up some pirates. She knew better than to voice those thoughts out loud, of course, but the excitement still crept into her demeanor. She was almost hoping for them to try something, so she could prove herself.

"If they know that we're coming, there's a higher chance of it happening. Do they know?" Vera asked. To her, it only made sense. A Jedi and Alicio, who was arguably the most respected senator of the Alliance, both coming to visit? They were quite the target, but she wasn't going to allow anything to happen.

They'd see it together before it would, and handle it.

"Why haven't they ever tried to bring in help to clear out the pirates? We could blow up the asteroids, or relocate them somewhere, maybe! It must get tiring to have them there, right?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

"If they know that we're coming, there's a higher chance of it happening. Do they know?"

Alicio had to hide his chuckle in return. "Well, I didn't send them the memo." He straightened his face. If Vera was trying to take this a bit more seriously, he should too. "Nothing is public information, but enough people know about the meeting that it's... dangerous. Hence, you."

Her next question was a bit easier to answer. "The cloud protects the pirates. But it also protects Vandelhelm. In the event the planet is attacked, they can use the field much like the pirates are now, to fight off a force much larger than them. Hence, why they're willing to trade with us at all, being between us and the Enclave." Alicio couldn't help but let another smirk through. "But if you have a cost-effective way to destroy an asteroid field, let me know."

Alicio straightened his cloak, one last time. "Anything else? It'll be some time until we get there." Sadly, there wasn't much for a pre-teen to do. Alicio'd never had the reason to download games on his holoprojectors.

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

Vera giggled, "I knowww," she said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, just to poke at him. "I'm just making sure. There could be people on the inside leaking information, or transmissions could have been intercepted." She had seen a lot of spy and Jedi shows on the holo-tv, and that happened a lot. Maybe it worked like that in real life, too?

She knew that transmissions could be intercepted, after all.

What Alicio then explained about the asteroid field made sense. Right now, it was causing them trouble, but it's probably why they wanted it back too. In their own hands, it could be a very useful defensive tool. Though, when Alicio said something about finding a cost-effective way to blow up an asteroid field, she grinned.

That dangerous little Noble grin with the sparkle in the eyes — she'd keep this in mind.

"Hmmm, one thing! It has been a little while since I saw August and Liana. Could I maybe babysit them sometime? You guys have done it a lot for Mom and Dad, too!"

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Good instincts." There was certainly a chance the Vandelhelm Pirates could find out about their visit. The fact that the little Noble was thinking so far ahead showed her advanced experience, for her age.

Then, Alicio's smile sweetened as he saw Vera's mischievous glint in her eye. It was look he knew well from her mother. A look that preceded doing or saying something that would certainly get her in trouble. She was very similar to her mother, in a lot of wonderful ways.

"Hmmm, one thing! It has been a little while since I saw August and Liana. Could I maybe babysit them sometime? You guys have done it a lot for Mom and Dad, too!"

Alicio crossed his arms. "Of course, Vera. You're more than welcome to watch them. It's only fair, considering Amani and I babysat you for so long." The couple hadn't needed to recently, not with all the padawans the Nobles had conscripted to watch their family. "You know, when Amani and I are both busy with work, I... worry that Lia and August get lonely at the Temple Nursery. Maybe you can stop in and say hi there too, every once in a while."

Alicio felt the floor shudder beneath him, before smoothing out. "We're in hyperspace." Alicio turned off the projector. "There are four members of the Senate Guard on this mission, too. You can familiarize yourself with them. I'll be on the bridge, if you need me."

Alicio offered the girl one last pat on the shoulder, before walking past her, towards the front of the vessel. "I can't promise sitting through negotiations will be all that exciting. But even if it's... long-winded... keep your eyes open. Wisdom can be gleaned from the most unexpected of places."

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

"I can do that!" Vera exclaimed with her usual excitement, "I often have to wait to get my ride home if Mom and Dad are busy, so that gives me plenty of time to play with them. And if you end up needing a babysitter at home, you can call me anytime!" She wasn't sure if Amani and Alicio felt comfortable leaving their kids to just her already, but she still wanted to throw her hat in the ring. Otherwise, maybe she'd just have to convince Mom to bring her along too.

That way, they wouldn't just have Valery, but Vera to play with!

Vera then blinked when she felt the ship shift into Hyperspace, and dipped her head in response to Alicio, "I'll go talk to the guards. Will be back up in the cockpit soon." She smiled, bowed her head, and departed to go find the senate guard. Maybe the Captain would be around somewhere too, so she could talk to her.

She hadn't seemed enthusiastic about her being assigned as guard, so maybe she could make her feel more at ease by talking to her a little.

 

[Alicio Organa]

"ETA five minutes. Please return to your stations." Seline da Silva thumbed off the intercom, her voice still echoing throughout the ship.

"Thank you, Captain."

Alicio knew some people couldn't look out the viewport of a starship while it was in hyperspace. A few allies in the senate had to close themselves into their rooms, and practically glue themselves to their refresher, lest they needed to vomit from nausea. The Count, thankfully, never had such issues. There was something... entrancing, about staring out the bridge's front window, staring at the streaks of blue and white, amidst an empty black void.

Captain da Silva was looking at him, he could sense. She hid her anxiety well, but she couldn't keep it from the Force.

"What do you think of her?" Alicio let his mouth twist into a sympathetic smile. "Padawan Noble?"

The Alderaanian captain paused. Trying to think of a diplomatic answer. "She is taller than I expected. Calmer, too."

"Mmm. You still don't trust her, though." Not phrased as a question. Nor was it an accusation. A gentle affirmation of a truth.

"...If nothing goes wrong, I trust she'll present herself well to the conglomerate. But... no. I do not, Your Excellency."

"I hope she doesn't get the chance to prove you wrong today, Captain. But if she gets the chance... she will." Alicio let his thoughts travel back to the stars ahead. He sounded so sure. As if he knew.

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

"Hello," Vera said with a little smile, as she stepped into the room with the other guards. They looked at her, and raised their brows a bit, seeing such a young girl on the ship. They knew who she was — the Jedi meant to help them protect the senator. But much like the Captain, they were skeptical about how useful she would be.

She was far too young, and her bubbly demeanor perhaps didn't help either.

"I'm Padawan Vera Noble," she continued, having noticed the apprehension in their eyes, and perhaps more importantly, in the way they felt to her. "I know that I'm not what most of you expected, but I will do my best to help. Maybe it's hard to see now, but I can help bring everybody home safely." Maybe not always with her combative skills, like Mom, Dad, and Aris could, but her visions were extremely powerful.

If trouble was on the horizon, she'd hopefully know.

"I'm going to head up to the bridge, but I look forward to working with you all." With that, she bowed her head and decided to head back up to join Alicio and the Captain, unless any of the guards were more willing to speak to her.

 

[Alicio Organa]

The guards, three males and a female, had placed their helmets on a nearby table, enjoying their last minutes of relaxation before arrival. They talked about random things to pass the time. Their families on Coruscant, past missions they'd endured together, meaningless things to occupy them, and keep their minds of the danger.

Of course, that danger came to the forefront of their minds when Vera found them. Only one stood at attention as the padawan entered their area, the others looking on with a bit of surprise, and a bit of skepticism. "Sir, uh, Ma'am, uh... Padawan," the one at attention managed. "Thank you... for your assistance. We're glad to have a Jedi on this mission."

"Even a baby one," Another whispered to her colleague, sending cautious eyes Vera's way.

None of them seemed particularly excited to continue a conversation with the Noble, only giving each other subtle looks. They were all thinking the same thing- now they had to watch over two defenseless targets. A noodle-armed senator and a little girl.

"Thank you Si- uh, Padawan. We'll join you shortly."

Vera's trip up to the bridge was short- the Gift of Peace wasn't a particularly large vessel. She would find the Captain and Alicio speaking in semi-hushed tones.

"-can't hail anyone. I thought maybe the Gift didn't have the range on Coruscant, but... we should have gotten something by now."

"Is there any chance the cloud is blocking communication?" Alicio's concern was only multiplied by a sudden dread he felt in the Future. "Signals can be spotty outside of Alliance space."

"It has been difficult to send anything through the Galactic South, but..." Captain da Silva turned her head, noticing dispassionately the orange and silver eyes of their guest. "Ah. Padawan Noble."

Alicio's face had grown significantly more worried since they'd spoken last. Deep lines etched themselves around his expression, and his eyes had become stormy with thought. "We can't raise the station. It's... odd, for them to keep silent." The last thing the conglomerate would want to do was offend the Alliance delegation coming to help them.

It made no sense.

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

This... was something she had expected.

They were skeptical about her being here to work with them. She was much younger, less experienced and probably didn't look all that convincing. Vera couldn't blame them for how they felt, but it still hurt just a little. She was here to help and do her best, but most didn't really seem to care for it, nor did they seem all too welcoming.

"Thank you, I'll see you all soon." She was pretty quick to turn around and hurried out of the room. It was going to take time for her to prove herself to these people, she knew, so she had to stay focused.

She could do this.

Her arrival to the bridge brought some new surprises as well. They seemed a lot more worried than before, and it didn't take long for them to explain the problem. She frowned, gave it some thought, then looked up at Alicio, "It probably means trouble. Should we try to take a look?" Vera asked, referring to their abilities to glimpse into the future.

Maybe there was something there.

"Either way, we should be quick. If something happened there, they might need our help."

 

[Alicio Organa]

"It probably means trouble. Should we try to take a look?"

Alicio's eyes grew distant, glaring out to the hyperspace tunnel around them with more intensity than he'd been staring at it before. The future was too turbulent for him to cut through. At least, all by himself. But him and Vera, combining their Sight...

"'Take a look'?" Captain da Silva gave a dubious look to Vera, fixing her face when she saw her Count didn't share her confusion. "What does she mean, Your Excellency?"

Alicio nodded once to the padawan, well-practiced movements drawing his lightsaber from the hidden confines of his cloak, and freeing the synthetic crystal trapped within. "Captain, prep for our arrival, and prepare a jump back, just in case. Vera and I need a moment."

With a dutiful nod, the ship captain turned around, and began relaying instructions to the bridge. Not wasting a moment, Alicio sat cross-legged on the ground right then and there, planting Introspect's crystal on the ground in front of him. "We don't have much time."

"Would you like to try leading us, Vera?" The last time they'd done this, he had pulled her into their collective vision. Now, he offered that honor to her.

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

Vera looked at the Captain when she seemed confused about her plan but decided to let Alicio explain it. She seemed more receptive to his plans and ideas, so it'd just make this whole thing smoother. With what she felt deep inside, time wasn't really on their side, after all.

The Captain then turned away to start preparing the crew, while Alicio removed the familiar crystal from his lightsaber. He sat down with the crystal placed on the ground in front of him, and Vera joined. She drew in a deep breath and reached forward with both hands, the palms facing up so he could take both hands.

"I'll guide us," she said with a nod, and as soon as he took her hands, the world around them would start to blacken. This time, they didn't end up in a mysterious place with vast waters around them, but instead, the two stood on a bridge with only the vacuum of space and its many bright stars around them.

"We're here."

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio opened his eyes, half-expecting to see the Sea again. Instead, a slight smile touched his face, as he gazed at the starscape around them. So, this was Vera's path. It fit her far better than his cold, dark ocean, Alicio decided.

"This is new," Alicio noted, a constant stream of black smoke still billowing from his mouth, twirling around his face and disappearing into the inky space above. Once, the smog had frightened him. Not anymore. It was a part of him now. Like his vision. Like the Force. "Does it feel any different for you?"

"How do we look ahead?" The Count took a tentative step along the bridge, testing his weight against it.

- Vera Noble -

 

[Vera Noble]

Coruscant Temple

​

Tag: Alicio Organa

"When I was very little, my Dad once called me Little Star," Vera said, her eyes still glued to the Galaxy around them. After Kahlil Noble had called her that, Mom had loved it so much that she started using it too. They both did, and in a way, it was the perfect nickname. With her visions, she could be a guiding star to many. "They've never stopped calling me that. Mom and Dad." She chuckled and finally looked up at him.

"The sea you showed me felt cold and maybe a little scary. This place looks dark, but the light of the stars is comforting. It's what shows us the way." Vera dipped her head and began to trace a pattern with her fingers by pointing from one star to another.

"We find the way forward through patterns. In the alignment of the stars, you'll see an image representing what you're meant to see. Follow their guidance and you'll see everything."