Private Noble Intentions

[Jonyna Si]

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"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's right up the mountain, just pass by the markers. Tell Master Hara when you get there that I'll be back in a bit. Takin' a nap."

Jonyna blinked, and the cathar before them went back to bed. The woman attempted to climb up to check on him, only for the hammock, old and tattered, to be empty. She looked back down to Val, looking a bit confused.

"...are you seeing the same thing I'm seeing, or am I just bugged out?"

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"...I'm seeing it as well," Valery said with a raised eyebrow once she managed to make her way over the edge. The man she had heard was suddenly gone, but the place where he had been was still there. All sorts of theories began to run through her mind, but she had never really seen anything quite like this.

Had it been a Force Ghost?

"This place is strong with the Force. Either because of the Temple or it's why a Temple was built here," Valery said as she began to ponder out loud. "Maybe we're seeing and hearing things that once were. Something that left its mark on the Force, never to be forgotten."

There is no death, there is the Force.

"We should keep going. Maybe we'll meet this Master Hara, hm?"

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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"Might as well." Jonyna figured, keeping going. The trek up the waterfall was winding, and at several points Jonyna had to ask Val to stop and let her simply catch her breath.

"Sweet Sylvar..." Jonyna groaned, about two thirds of the way up, lodging herself between two juts of rock just to take a rest. "Ya know, this all sounded really cool in my head. Going with you to go find a temple no one was sure existed, but...wow, this is exhausting." Jonyna couldn't help but let out a laugh. "You think we'll find some artifacts? Something to show for? Maybe we could rebuild it, like you did the New Cov Temple..."

It was all wishful thinking at this point, but that had been the type of thinking Jonyna had survived on, and at this point, old habits were coming to the forefront.

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"The harder the climb up, the more rewarding it'll feel." Valery smiled, as she sat between two rocks and looked back down the way they came. She reached up to run a hand through her hair and let out a soft breath. Even with her stamina, a climb like this was quite tiring. Not just physically, but mentally too.

She couldn't lose focus at any point, after all.

"I'm sure we'll find something there, but we shouldn't just take things away. Restoring the Temple and keeping its artifacts there is more respectful to its History." The same had been done to New Cov, with the exception of artifacts that had belonged to her in the first place.

But most of what was found there, still resided there.

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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"Did...did Jasper ever tell you about that guy who wanted a bunch of artifacts from your temple?" Jonyna huffed, chuckling. "Just walked up to me while I was meditating, demanded I hand over a bunch of artifacts so he could 'borrow' them, and threatened both me and Jasper..."

That was ages ago, but it still stuck in Jonyna's mind. She remembered calling Val for help when an Imperial Cruiser popped into orbit, but it never came to that...

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"Excuse me, what?" Valery looked at Jonyna and perked a brow. No, she hadn't heard about this story before, and she figured Jasper had a reason for not telling her. She was quite protective of New Cov, so if she had known that someone tried to steal from the Temple, she would have been quite intense.

Luckily, it had been handled.

"I hope no other strangers have just randomly found the Temple. An important part of its security is that it shouldn't be easily discovered."

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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“Yeah, I still have no idea how he found it. Thank Sylvar Jasper was there, I was trying to commune with my mom when this guy just showed up and started barking orders at me.” Jonyna huffed. “Some prince from Zakuul, apparently he wanted to ‘restore glory to the Empire of Zakuul’ or some chit. I dunno, I kinda zoned him out when he told me his droid could take me and started calling your temple a ‘ruin’. It was a whole headache and a half. Haven’t ran into him since, thank the Force for that.”

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery blinked.

"Well, I suppose every planet has people with problems." This one just happened to have stumbled upon her Temple. New Cov luckily doesn't usually keep younglings around, so the safety concerns are minimal. But the Temple still holds a special place in her heart, so even just the idea of some crazy person trying to loot it was troubling.

She was glad Jonyna and Jasper had handled it.

"At least this Temple really is almost impossible to reach. I doubt looters have made this climb just off of rumors that a Temple might exist up there." She flashed Jonyna a grin because they did have certainty.

"Means there is more for us to see."

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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"Here's hoping. If we find it, I'm gonna try and make it at least a little more accessible." She laughed. "I don't think every padawan will want to trek up a waterfall like we are just to get there."

And finally, there it was.

The top.

"Oh sweet Force..." Jonyna let out a sigh of relief. "I hope...I hope the water at the top of the waterfall is just as fresh as the water at the bottom."

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"Finding a way up would be useful. On New Cov, the terrain is not quite as bad but we just use shuttles to avoid the fauna and flora." That could be an option here, too. Something that would bring them up but not disturb the serenity of nature too much. All they'd need to do was have one landing pad near the Temple somewhere.

But she'd leave that up to Jonyna. Valery knew how important it was to make these decisions yourself.

"Yeah, let's drink and rest a moment," Valery said with a chuckle once they reached the top. "It's running water, so it should be fairly clean." They could always boil it if it wasn't, but she preferred her water cold.

Especially here.

"At some point, we should do a safety check, too. Make sure we map dangerous parts here and maybe set something up so a lost wandered doesn't find themselves going over the cliff's edge."

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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Jonyna nodded, walking up to the river. There was plenty to figure out, but first they needed to find out if the temple even existed at all. Given the Force Ghost they ran into, it had to, right?

There was a lot on her mind, but all that was squashed by the sudden relief of hydration. The water was pristine, fresh from the mountain snowmelt that made the water near freezing, but perfect for the two. "...you think the Protectors won't mind me setting up a temple here? I mean, I talked with Mia Monroe recently, but..." Jonyna frowned. It was still weird knowing her world was technically under the control of the people she had feared as a kitten. "What's your take? I know you and Shai had a thing together, I never had any mandalorian 'friends'..."

The Cathar cupped the water in her hands, sipping it down before cupping another, and pouring it over her face. The chill of the liquid washed away sweat and caused her to shiver. But it was nice.

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"I don't think they'd mind, as long as you talk to them. Secrecy is something they won't appreciate." Mandalorians often just wanted the truth and they wanted it directly. No beating around the bush, no sugarcoating the situation — speak clearly and with honesty, and it was usually no problem.

The Mandalorian Protectors were also easier to talk to, from her experience.

"I hope that the relationship with them will be alright. We have more than enough evil to fight, and we really can't use more hostilities near our borders."

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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"Sylvar I hope so." Jonyna let out an exasperated sigh. "I wish I could go out and do it my old way sometimes, ya know? Just hit the Imps and the Sith where it hurts without having to worry about the GA smacking me upside the head for it. Things were simple back during my time. Just me and my crew, striking at Imp strongholds best we could, and getting out before the Imps could hit back. You ever miss your days before you went under?"

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"Miss it?" Valery paused for a moment and let out a soft sigh, "I miss some of my friends, and I wish I could have gone back to meet my parents at least once. But... no, I don't really miss those days. I was doing well for myself at the time, but I was never truly happy." She had found much of her joy and happiness in life after meeting Kahlil Noble . He had given her a purpose beyond duty, and the kids they were raising together made every day worth living.

She'd never even dream about going back.

"In your case, these times may not be as simple, but there's reason for that. We have to hold each other accountable, more than ever before. We can't just go around fighting battles wherever we please, whenever we feel a need to. This is a very different fight we're in, and we've been doing a good job for the most part." Some battles were still lost, and lives were still at stake. But the Alliance has been standing for a long time now.

She wanted to keep it that way.

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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Jonyna got quiet as she considered that. "...I wish I could go back and talk to my dad. Mom I still have a connection to with my saber but...dad I never really had the chance to. He wasn't a jedi, so..." She paused, smiling softly. "Maybe I can show you the nexus on this planet sometime too. I think you'd like it."

Vetar's Ha'ja hadn't been somewhere Jonyna had visited in a long time. Maybe a trip back was worth it. For now though...

Jonyna looked up. The clouds obscured whatever was above them, and they still had quite the climb ahead of them. "You think it's up there? I mean, the temple had to have been built up there for a reason, rather than in the jungle..."

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"I'd love to see the Nexus," Valery said with a warm, understanding smile. It wasn't until after her time in stasis that she really began to understand what family meant. Before, she had never even thought about going to Keshi to meet her parents, but now, she wished that she had.

It wasn't something that could be changed, though, so she had learned to move forward.

"It could have been built up there as a way to protect it. you can't exactly march an army up there," Valery theorized. "But you also mentioned a Nexus. If this planet has strong connections to the Force in various locations, that could also be a reason to build a Temple up there. Or... it's just for the view and connection to the environment around it." Just theories for now, but she had a feeling that it'd be related to at least one of these things.

Everything had a reason.

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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Jonyna let out a sigh. "Only one way to find out, I guess."

As they hiked, Valery could feel it. The call of the Force up the mountain. Something strong was up there. Something powerful. Just beyond the clouds, it was there.

And the moment they broke through the clouds...

A temple, massive balconies carved into the mountain. Val could see, it ghosts walking the staircases as if no time had gone by. Ethereal beings of the force, just whisping away. Each seeming independent of each other, only some interacting. it was as if different time periods intermingled with each other.

"...it's real..." Jonyna muttered as she caught sight of it.

The Lost Temple of Cathar.

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Even before the two Jedi broke through the clouds, Valery's senses felt a sudden surge in the Force. The Temple was up ahead, she just knew it, but there was more than just a long-forgotten structure waiting for them. As soon as they pierced the clouds and saw the spirits wandering along balconies wrapped around the mountain, Valery knew.

This was far more than just a Jedi Temple.

"That's... incredible," Valery said with a smile, as she turned to Jonyna. "We found it. But I think we found a little more than what we were expecting, hm?" She looked at the spirits and began to wonder. They couldn't claim this Temple and disturb the one place on this world where they were able to still wander.

So how would they approach it?

Jonyna Si ​

 

[Jonyna Si]

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"Y-yeah..." Jonyna was a bit awestruck. "...do we wanna approach? I mean, the questions we could ask them, the things we could learn!" She sounded like a gitty child, ready to enter the toy store.

"Are you two just gonna stand there?" A voice from behind them asked.

Tag: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery said with a chuckle. “Of course, we’re going to take a look and talk to those Force Ghosts.” As long as they wanted to and weren’t disturbed by two Jedi visiting their Temple. But as she heard a voice behind her, encouraging them not to just stand around all day, Valery knew they wouldn’t mind.

If anything, this was going to be interesting to them as well.

“Come on.” Valery placed a hand on Jonyna’s shoulder and gave her a quick nudge, before she began to walk forward herself. She looked for a place to access the Temple structure, and unless stopped, she’d make her way up there. To the balconies that were wrapped around the mountain side.

“I’m curious to find out how long they’ve been here. They could be spread around hundreds of years, perhaps thousands.”

Jonyna Si ​