Private Reflections of Power

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
TAGS: Valery Noble

Honestly, he did feel a bit bad for doing it, but, well, it worked. The little droid, at least the part of him that seemed nice, really didn't want to hurt anyone. It was the double programming that was causing the issue. On the plus side, if they could remove that programming from him, he'd be a pleasant droid to have around. Caelan wouldn't object to having a droid companion on his travels and in his day-to-day work. Might be handy in some situations.

When they opened the locker, inside they found a green BD unit that had flopped forward and wasn't quite able to right itself.

"I think only part of him will be angry when all is said and done," he said, pulling the droid out and pointing to where the holoprojector should have been. "They took his holoprojector out and replaced it with a blaster."

He had no idea where to start with the droid. Mechanics were not his forte. If Kita had been there she probably would have been able to completely reprogram him. Caelan didn't even know where to start with something like that. Best he could do was look around the droids head to see if there was something obvious on the outside that he could do to resolve the situation. When he didn't notice anything he shrugged and looked at Valery for guidance. This was definitely beyond him.

"Don't know where to start with the poor guy."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery crouched down beside the BD unit, her amber eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the modifications to its frame. Her expression softened at the sight of the little droid struggling to right itself, a quiet sigh escaping her lips. "Poor thing," she murmured, her hand reaching out gently to steady Fate and prop him upright.

She tilted her head, studying the replacement blaster where a holoprojector should have been. "Whoever did this knew what they were doing, but it's... cruel," she said, her voice carrying a hint of disapproval. Valery had a special relationship with her own droid, so seeing something like this was unnerving.

After a moment, she turned to glance at Caelan, offering him a faint smile to ease the tension. "But it's nothing we can't fix."

Her fingers lightly brushed over the seams and connections around Fate's head, feeling for anything loose or out of place. "First, we need to remove the blaster attachment and check for any external overrides. Once we've dealt with that, we can reboot him and see how he's doing."

She glanced at Caelan again, her smirk returning. "And by 'we,' I mostly mean me. You might need to hold him steady, though, in case he wakes up mid-repair and gets... feisty."

Valery carefully retrieved a small toolkit from one of the ship's compartments and knelt back down, her movements precise and deliberate. As she worked to carefully disassemble the blaster attachment, she glanced at Caelan. "It's hard not to feel bad for him," she admitted, her tone soft. "Droids might not have the same kind of emotions we do, but they form attachments and develop unique personalities over time. Fate deserves better than this."

Her hands paused briefly as she sighed. "Let's give him a chance to be more than just a weapon." She resumed her work, her focus sharp, determined to free the little BD unit from its corrupted programming.

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
TAGS: Valery Noble

Caelan nodded at all she said. Yes, someone had known to some extent what they were doing. They had to in order to fit a blaster into the small compartment meant for a projector. It was innovative, but, as she said, it was cruel. BD units weren't meant for combat, they were meant for traveling with scouts and people who charted the stars. He should have been out there helping someone do that. Probably the people who'd attacked them had killed the people he was with and captured him in doing so.

Doing his best to keep the droid steady, he watched what she was doing because he was curious about it. There were a lot of things he hadn't learned because of how he'd grown up. Flight was only one of them. Mechanics was another. Droids were extremely useful, and he had a desire to keep this little one for himself. If he was going to do that, though, he needed to learn how to take care of him. Watching her was a good start.

"Feeling bad for him is why I put him in the locker," he said, holding the droid still in case he did fully wake up while she worked on him. "I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't like having to hurt the people attacking us."

He'd done everything he could not to kill them, but even still, he technically had. Several were left to die on the stricken vessel. Several had been killed when he blew up the attacking ships. It irked him to do it even though he knew he'd had to in order for them, and the civilians, to survive. Killing just never sat well with him. Remembering it now threatened to make him ill, but he tried to push it to the back of his mind and focused on what they were doing to help the droid.

"I'd honestly like to keep him if we can fix him."

Fate would be a good companion and helper. Probably great to have for some missions.

"Unless you think that's a bad idea."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's hands worked steadily as she listened, her touch deft and precise as she continued disassembling the corrupted modifications on Fate. Her expression softened further at Caelan's words, and she glanced up briefly, her amber eyes meeting his.

"I don't think it's a bad idea at all," she said with a small, encouraging smile. "In fact, I think Fate would be lucky to have you. It's clear you care, not just about him, but about the people around you. I think that'll help you form a bond with Fate."

Her focus returned to the droid, and with a soft click, the blaster attachment came free. She set it aside carefully, then began examining the exposed components underneath. "Droids like Fate are more than just tools — they thrive on connection and trust. If you want to keep him, you'll need to be patient, especially after everything he's been through. But I think the two of you could be good for each other."

Her hands moved with deliberate care as she reconnected some loose wires, and she glanced up at him again. Valery then set down her tools and pressed a button to initiate a soft reboot, her expression calm and hopeful as she stepped back slightly. "Let's see if he's ready to meet you properly," she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Then, with a playful tilt of her head, she added, "Just don't forget — if he likes you more than me, I'm going to be a little jealous."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
TAGS: Valery Noble

He watched her work, the studious padawan making mental notes. When she pulled out the blaster modification and set it aside, he picked it up to examine it. It was quite crude. No shielding or anything. They had clearly had little care for the droid. Just as little care as they had for life considering what they'd been doing to the ship. Even though he felt bad about killing them, he also partially didn't feel bad that they were gone. It was kind of hypocritical of him, really.

"Droids in general are more than tools," he said, agreeing with her. "They do a lot of different things and some of them possess a level of intelligence that borders on our own."

There were some droids that experienced, at least it seemed like they did, emotions. Fate had when he'd been angrily cussing at them. Granted, that had been the detached programming from the marauders, not his innate programming. It was possible his original programming lacked the capacity for those sorts of interactions, though he doubted it.

When she said something about being jealous if he liked him more than her, he couldn't help but grin. Levity was appreciated in the situation. Not because he was worried about the droid, but because he was still feeling beaten up about killing people. At least she was starting to take his mind off of that part of their situation. And as Fate woke up again, and stood on his own feet, a bit wobbly at first, that helped him to forget as well. It seemed as though the little guy was at least able to function properly.

"Bwoo-dweep! Dwoo-beep beep? Vrrt-dwoo?"

"Well, hello yourself. My name is Caelan and this is Master Noble. And your name is Fate, right?"

"Bee-dwoo! Dweep dwo-dwooo! Vrrt-beep beep? Bwoo-dwoop?"

"No, that was Master Noble."

Fate started dancing in place and turned towards her before dancing over to her leg and giving it, more or less, a droid hug.

"Bwoo-dweet! Dwooo-beep!"

Caelan laughed. "He says thanks for fixing him."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery couldn't help but laugh as Fate wobbled his way toward her, his excitement radiating through his cheerful beeps and whirs. The little droid's enthusiasm was infectious, and her amber eyes sparkled with warmth as he wrapped around her leg in what could only be described as a droid hug.

"You're very welcome, Fate," she said softly, crouching down to his level. Her hand reached out to gently pat his head, the gesture affectionate yet careful. "But don't give me all the credit — Caelan here is going to take really good care of you from now on."

Her gaze flicked up to Caelan, her smile deepening. "Looks like you've already made a great first impression," she teased lightly, nodding toward Fate's joyful movements. "I think he likes you even more than me. Guess I'll just have to live with it."

Valery rose to her feet, her tone shifting slightly, though her warmth never faded. "On a more serious note, Fate's been through a lot, and so have you," she said, glancing between the two of them. "But it's clear you're both ready for a fresh start. Just take things one step at a time, and you'll do great."

She folded her arms loosely, her expression calm but encouraging. "Now, how about we let Fate stretch his legs while we check out what's left on the ship? Maybe we'll find something useful — or at least figure out what else those marauders were up to."

With a wink at the little droid, Valery turned toward the hallway leading deeper into the ship, motioning for both Caelan and Fate to follow.

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
TAGS: Valery Noble

Caelan couldn't help but smile at the droid's enthusiasm. It seemed he was quite grateful for whatever it was that Valery had done to fix him. Clearly she'd done more than just remove the pea shooter from his eye. Maybe that whole thing had been what was corrupting his system? Some sort of override device? Would make it easy to quickly corrupt droids if you could just shove a single device into them and make them work for you with a snap of your fingers.

Regardless, he squatted down and motioned for Fate to jump up on his arm and then perch on his shoulder. The little droid did just that and Caelan stood with his new friend along for the ride. Was definitely different having a droid riding along with you, but he wasn't going to complain. An extra set of eyes, and sensors, would come in handy more often than not.

"I think we'll be alright," he said, feeling much better than before.

He did recognize that what he did was necessary, and he was becoming more hardened against it over time. He was certain that eventually it would not hurt him when he had to do it, which was why he was so adamantly against doing it in the first place. Not because he wanted to hurt, but because he didn't think it was right to take the life of another unless absolutely necessary. But for now, he focused on walking with Valery to search through the ship and see what they could find.

"Do you think we can get this thing to make it all the way to Hurikane? Or are we going to have to go find some parts somewhere?"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery glanced over her shoulder as they made their way deeper into the ship, her amber eyes catching sight of Fate perched happily on Caelan's shoulder. The sight brought a soft smile to her lips — the little droid seemed to have already formed a bond with Caelan, and it was heartening to see the Padawan in better spirits.

"Getting it to Hurikane?" Valery repeated thoughtfully, her tone carrying a note of playful skepticism. "That's… optimistic, to say the least." She gestured to the corridor ahead, where flickering lights and the occasional sparking console painted a clear picture of the ship's current state. "If we're lucky, the hyperdrive is still intact, but even then, I wouldn't trust it to take us all the way there without a few stops for repairs."

She stopped at an open doorway and peered into what appeared to be a storage room, its contents scattered and disorganized from the marauders' occupation. "We'll search for anything useful here first," Valery said, stepping inside and motioning for Caelan to follow. "Parts, schematics, or even just a clue about what they were doing with this ship."

Her gaze shifted briefly to Caelan, her voice softening. "If we do need parts, we'll have to find a place to go where we can get them."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
TAGS: Valery Noble

"Dwooo-vrrt beep-beep! Bwoo-dweep dwooo."

"The who?" Caelan asked as the little droid beeped out a bunch of information. "Never heard of them."

Not that surprising. The galaxy was a vast place. The idea that he would know every outfit out there was just ludicrous. If they operated in, or near, the space around Lazerian IV then he might know them. For example, he did know Ukatis because it wasn't all that far away, in the grand scheme of things. He hadn't heard about Cora's marriage, or the fall of Horace, but such things were often kept from him by his parents. It was entirely possible this group was much the same.

"Fate says the group that attacked us called themselves Nihil. I've never heard of them before, though."

They entered a storage room and it was... full of stuff. Clearly they weren't the first victims of this group called the Nihil. A little bit of everything was present in the room, including food. He spotted an apple and grabbed one to take a bite of it, realizing that he was overly hungry after doing all the work that they had done. There were a lot of other crates, too.

He walked to another one and popped the lid off to find bottles of wine. Lofting a brow, he shook his head and put the lid back. That one wasn't going to be much help. Another container lid lifted and he found a bunch of assorted droid bits and bobbles. Probably enough to build a whole new droid in there.

"Bwoop-beep? Dwoo-dwooo vrreeet beep-dweep dwoo-dwoo bwoo-wrrrt?"

"I doubt it. Probably stole it from a ship transporting droid parts. Seems they've hit a wide variety here." He looked over to Valery. "Any luck, Master Noble?"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery chuckled softly at the rapid exchange between Caelan and Fate, her amber eyes glinting with amusement as she scanned the chaotic assortment of supplies in the storage room. The mention of the Nihil caused her expression to darken slightly, though she kept her voice steady as she spoke.

"The Nihil," Valery repeated, her tone thoughtful. "They're an old group of marauders, infamous for their ruthlessness. I've never run into them myself. Just learned about them during history classes."

She paused, stepping around a crate filled with tangled wires and broken electronics. With a practiced motion, she pried open another container, revealing a stash of outdated datapads. Her fingers brushed over one of the devices as she spoke, her gaze lifting to meet Caelan's.

"We should collect whatever we can find about their operations here. Even small details might help us piece together their goals. The more we know, the better chance we have of preventing future attacks."

As she rummaged further, her lips quirked into a faint smile at the sight of Caelan biting into the apple. "Glad to see you're making yourself comfortable," she teased lightly, her tone carrying a note of warmth despite the seriousness of their situation. "But keep an eye out for anything that might help us get this ship moving again. I'm worried that we won't make it to our destination otherwise."

Finally, she unearthed a small toolkit from beneath a pile of discarded parts. She held it up with a smirk. "Looks like the marauders were a bit disorganized. This might come in handy if we need to make repairs."

She glanced at Fate, who chirped in agreement, then turned her attention back to Caelan. "We'll keep digging, but once we're done here, we should check the engine room. If the hyperdrive or any critical systems are salvageable, we'll at least have a starting point."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
TAGS: Valery Noble

Well, it seemed she'd heard of them. Something from olden times, come back to haunt them? Or someone else just trying to take up the mantle of the Nihil and make them a threat again? Probably the latter. It seemed unlikely that a marauder outfit like that one would last for long amongst the modern day galactic powers. Even the Sith would seek to crush them if they dared to attack civilian vessels within their space. So why were they attacking them just outside of Alliance space? Brazen stupidity or some other motive?

When she mentioned making himself comfortable he shrugged and held up the apple.

"Well, they aren't in need of it now, and I was feeling hungry," he said, not really seeing a problem with it. "Besides, they probably stole it from someone else, so it wasn't technically their property in the first place."

He went back to rummaging, with Fate scanning things as he did so. Most of the crates were useless. Weird odds and ends that might make a few bucks if sold to someone, but nothing that was a real score. Either they hadn't had much luck, or they were just stealing whatever they could with the intention of using it for themselves. But what could they possibly need a container full of artificial eyeballs for? Yeah, he found one of them. Looked like some pretty high end cybernetics, but he didn't know that for sure. They could be cheap stuff for all he knew.

Taking another bite of the apple, he opened up another crate, and in this one he found something interesting. Several bits and pieces that looked high grade ship wiring, and something that looked an awful lot like a power supply. If they didn't need it, they might be able to trade it, so that was something at least.

"Found a power supply. Maybe we can use it? Or trade it for something?"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery turned her attention to Caelan, her lips quirking into a faint smile as he held up the apple in defense of his choice. "Fair enough," she said, her tone light but carrying a teasing edge.

Her fiery amber eyes scanned the dimly lit storage room again, catching sight of Fate as the droid busied itself scanning various items. The chaotic array of supplies felt like a treasure hunt, though the treasure in question was far more practical than valuable. Valery crouched beside a partially opened crate, her hands brushing aside packaging to reveal a mess of tangled wiring and corroded circuit boards.

When Caelan mentioned the power supply, she looked up with renewed interest. "That's promising," she said, standing to walk over to him. Her gaze studied the equipment he'd uncovered, and she nodded thoughtfully. "If it's compatible, we might be able to patch it into the ship's systems. Worst case, it's definitely worth something in trade."

She crouched again, running her fingers lightly over the power supply. After a moment, she straightened, brushing dust from her hands. "This could work," she affirmed, her tone carrying a spark of hope

Valery's attention shifted to another crate nearby, her movements quick but deliberate. "Keep looking for anything that might stabilize the hyperdrive or patch into the engines," she said as she pried the lid off. Her tone turned teasing as she added, "And maybe keep an eye out for more snacks while you're at it. You seem to be on a roll."

As the two continued to search, Valery glanced at Fate, then back at Caelan. "Any theories yet on why they targeted this area? Or do you think they were just opportunists hitting whatever they came across?" Her voice softened slightly, but there was an edge of determination. "I can't help but feel like there's more to this than random chance."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
COMPANION: BD-F8
TAGS: Valery Noble

When she came over, Fate jumped down from his shoulder and wandered off amongst the crates. Caelan didn't mind, as the little droid was probably inclined to knowing what they needed better than he was. In the meantime, he watched as Val looked over the power supply, and wondered if it was a good find or not. He didn't know what it would do for them, but she mentioned possibly patching it into the ships systems, or, if that didn't work, trading it, so he was glad he found it.

At the mention of more snacks, he smirked a little. "I'll see what I can find for you."

He went back to searching through the crates, a renewed interest in food because he honestly had no idea what he was looking for otherwise. Food he could find, but other than something obvious, like a power supply, he wasn't going to know what was useful to them.

"Dwoo-vrrt bwee-dweep beep-beep, dwooo-bwoo dweep dwoo-bwoo beep-vrrt. Bwoo-dwooo beep-vrrt bwee-dwoo vrreeet."

Caelan paused in opening a box and looked across the room at the droid, who was standing on top of a crate, scanning, literally, its contents.

"You sure?"

"Bwoop!"

"He says they were probing the hyperlanes around Alliance space, hoping to catch something of high value. Sounds like we were their unlucky victims."

He opened another box and this one had an assortment of items in it, including wine and other spirits, but also some dried meats. Perhaps this one had actually been a part of their original supplies. Who knew how long they'd planned to be out there poaching the spaceways. Had to keep a supply of food on hand. The drink was kind of stupid, at least to him, but he knew that people like them often imbibed. He didn't have to understand why.

"Want some dried meat?" he asked, holding some up for her to see. "Seems they liked dried meat and alcohol."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery chuckled softly as she looked over at Caelan, her fiery eyes sparkling with amusement. "Dried meat and alcohol? Well, that's certainly a bold dietary choice," she said, stepping over to inspect the box he'd uncovered. "But it'll do."

She reached out and grabbed a strip of the dried meat he held up, giving it a quick look before biting off a small piece. It wasn't exactly gourmet, but it was edible, and that was good enough for now. "Not bad," she said with a shrug, though her tone carried a faint hint of sarcasm.

As she chewed, her attention turned toward Fate, who was still perched atop the crate, scanning its contents. The little droid's explanation about their attackers made her expression tighten slightly, her playful demeanor giving way to a more serious focus.

"So they were hoping to snag something valuable," Valery murmured, her gaze narrowing in thought. "That explains the ambush, but it also raises some questions. They were organized enough to pull off a hit like this, so what were they hoping to find?" She crossed her arms, her mind working through the possibilities. "We didn't exactly have a treasure trove onboard."

Valery crouched down to sift through another nearby crate, her tone turning more thoughtful as she continued. "It makes me wonder, though... were they just after random targets, or do they have a buyer waiting for something specific?"

With a quick glance at Fate, she added, "Your little friend seems to have a knack for digging up answers. Let's see if he can help us figure out what else they were after."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
COMPANION: BD-F8
TAGS: Valery Noble

Bold? Well, he thought it was more stupid than that, but yeah, he supposed it could also be a bold choice. Not something he would choose, but then he didn't drink and had no desire to ever do so. He'd seen what that stuff did to people and he didn't really want any part of it.

When she took the meat from his hand, he watched her take a bite and then followed her attention towards Fate who was scanning one crate after another. Seemed the little guy was absolutely going to do his part to find them a way out of their predicament. Not that Caelan minded. The droid was going to better know what the ship needed than he was. He was more apt for finding food or other survival supplied than anything else. Well, at least until Val spoke again.

What she said worried him. She was right, it was a public transport and most of what it was carrying was people and food, not expensive equipment or a treasure trove. So what if they weren't looking for something, but were hunting someone? She mentioned doing work for someone else and he felt a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him grab at it with the hand that didn't hold an apple. It was just like had happened when he arrived on Coruscant, wasn't it? Someone hired to find him?

"Dwooo-beep bwoo-dweep dwoo, bwoo-dwo vrrt-dwee whoo. Bwee-dwoop bwoo beep-bwee-dweep bwoop dwoo-vrrt!"

Caelan looked over at the droid and felt the need to sit down for a minute. He picked an uponed crate and sat upon it before looking over to Val, his expression stressed.

"He said they were looking for someone, and that he found parts that could help with the hyperdrive," he said before setting the apple away, suddenly no longer hungry. "What you said and what Fate said makes me think they were looking for me. People tried to grab me when I first arrived on Coruscant months ago. I think whoever killed my parents is really out to end my family line."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's expression shifted the moment Caelan's tone changed, her fiery eyes softening as she took in the weight of his words. She stepped closer, setting the strip of dried meat aside and crouching slightly to meet his gaze.

"That's... troublesome," she said gently, her voice steady but warm. She reached out, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "If they were looking for you specifically, it means we have to be careful. Someone saw a threat or value in you, and that says a lot about your potential. But it also means we have to stay one step ahead of them."

Her gaze flicked briefly to Fate, the droid still diligently scanning the crates. "Fate has already found something to help with the hyperdrive, which means we can get off this ship soon. That's one problem solved, but I want to understand who these people are and why they're after you. If there's any clue left behind, we'll find it."

If not, she'd have to set up further investigation. There was no way that she'd allow one of her Jedi to be hunted down like this.

She offered a faint, encouraging smile, her fiery determination flickering in her eyes. "Your family line doesn't end here. Not as long as I'm around."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
COMPANION: BD-F8
TAGS: Valery Noble

"I don't think it's because of who I am," Caelan said, looking her in the eyes. "It's more what. They attacked my home and killed my family and the only thing of value we protected were the empeth crystals. They're probably after me because I could come back and try and fight them. I'm a loose end."

She was right, of course. Fate found something to help them, he'd found the power supply. They weren't going to die there. Nobody else knew where they were, so unless there was a tracking device on the ship, they were safe. Considering how big of a piece of junk the thing was, he kind of doubted that was the case. Besides, like she said, she wouldn't let anything happen to him. Not that he couldn't handle a lot more now than he could have before. The teaching he'd gotten from Dreidi Xeraic had helped him immensely.

He did his best to smile, although it was kind of a sad one, and then nodded his head in response to her.

"I'll be fine. It's not the first time they've come for me and it probably won't be the last. But I did better than any other time they've tried, so I think I will be alright."

The family line not ending with him was still to be seen. He was only fourteen, though. Lots of time to find someone to be queen and to have children with. For now, though, they just needed to get this thing working again so they could make it to Hurikane. He took a deep breath, winked at her, and then walked over to where Fate was. Inside of the crate were hyperdrive parts. Probably spare parts for the very ship they were on. Although they certainly looked different from any hyperdrive he'd ever seen.

"I really hope you and Fate can figure out the hyperdrive. I'm not very mechanically inclined."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's eyes softened further as she listened to Caelan, her heart aching at the weight he carried for someone so young. His resilience, though, was undeniable, and she couldn't help but feel proud of how far he had come. Even so, the sadness behind his smile didn't escape her, and she resolved to ensure he never faced this kind of danger alone again.

Her lips quirked into a faint, wry smile as he mentioned the hyperdrive. "Well, I'm afraid I'm not much better when it comes to mechanics," she admitted, glancing toward Fate. The droid's diligent work brought a flicker of hope to her otherwise tense thoughts. "But that's why we've got Fate here. If anyone can figure out how to get us moving again, it's him."

Valery approached the crate Caelan was examining, crouching beside him to inspect the parts Fate had uncovered. While the hyperdrive components looked entirely alien to her untrained eyes, she trusted the little droid's expertise implicitly. "Looks like you're going to be the star of the show, Fate," she said with a small chuckle, giving the droid an encouraging nod.

She placed a gentle hand on Caelan's shoulder and met his gaze. "We'll get through this," she said firmly, her voice carrying the steady confidence of someone who had faced countless challenges before. "Once the hyperdrive is up and running, we'll make it to Hurikane and figure out the rest from there."

Straightening, Valery crossed her arms and looked back toward the scattered crates and the dimly lit interior of the freighter. "In the meantime, we can focus on anything else Fate might need for the repairs. If we work together, we can speed things along."

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
COMPANION: BD-F8
TAGS: Valery Noble

"Bwoo-dweet dwoo-vrrt BEEP-bwoo!"

Caelan laughed. Little droid was getting full of himself now. Valery's words had gone to his little droid brain, apparently.

"Yeah, well, just make sure you get it fixed. Cuz if you don't, guess who won't have the power!"

Fate bobbed up and down and started pushing the small crate in the direction of the hyperdrive. Seemed like he was stronger than he appeared. That or the crate didn't weigh much. The parts inside didn't seem all that heavy, now that he thought about. Anyways, if they let the droid work they'd probably be back up and running a lot faster than if they bothered him, so like Val said, he figured on working on something else. Probably a good idea to check on the life support.

"I'll check on the life support, especially since the guys that attacked were all wearing personal systems. We might be running dangerously."

That seemed like something he could handle, checking on the oxygen levels inside the ship. They had all been wearing life support, so they were probably lucky the shuttle craft had it. Maybe their smaller vessels, the fighters, didn't? Like old Imperial fighters? Or maybe they wore the life support because then they could suck the air out of ships and be able to walk through it without a problem. There were also those gas grenades they'd tossed around. Could be a combination of both.

He searched through the various panels inside of the ship until he found what he was looking for. Fortunately, it wasn't hard to find. He couldn't imagine trying to do the same thing on a large ship. Also fortunately, the ship had a decent amount of air left, although he initiated the recharge since they were on a planet with a breathable atmosphere. No sense taking any risks, right?

"I'm recharging the oxygen tanks. It'll take a bit, but at least we'll be good until Hurikane."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery chuckled softly at Fate's antics, the little droid's confident attitude bringing a touch of levity to an otherwise tense situation. "Looks like we've got a real hero here," she said, her gaze following Fate as he pushed the crate toward the hyperdrive. The sight of the determined droid eased her worries slightly, though she knew they still had work to do.

Her attention shifted to Caelan as he spoke, her expression softening. She admired his initiative and the way he was stepping up despite everything he had been through. "Good thinking," she said, nodding approvingly as he moved to check on the life support systems.

As Caelan worked, Valery paced the interior of the freighter, her hands resting lightly on her hips as she inspected their surroundings. The ship's dim lighting and the faint hum of its systems gave it a slightly eerie quality, but she focused on staying grounded in the moment.

When Caelan announced that he was recharging the oxygen tanks, Valery turned back to him, her lips curving into a warm smile, "Good work. We'll be on our way soon, then." They still had an assignment to complete on Hurikaine, and despite the ambush, she wanted to go for it.

Caelan Valoren ​