Private Saber Safari I: I Was A Teenage Sarlacc

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Drystan raised a hand to block the sun's harsh rays beating down on the exposed skin of his face. With a slight tug, he brought up the hood of his cloak, shielding himself as he retracted his arm beneath its protective cover. He navigated a narrow path along the jagged crevices of the desert's rocky formations. Aargonar wasn't quite Tatooine when it came to unbearable heat, but this was as close as he'd felt.

Why was he here? The question lingered in his mind during the trip over. He had no clear answer—at least, not yet. The Force had pulled him here, its threads tugging insistently, a call that couldn't be ignored. It went deeper than mind or body, a quiet summons that demanded obedience.

And so here he was, still feeling that pull guiding his steps, giving him just enough direction to keep moving. He'd packed adequately—his belt and backpack carried what he needed, and his ship wasn't far should he need to make a quick departure. But he had a feeling he wouldn't leave until the will of the Force had revealed itself—until he understood why he'd been drawn here, and fulfilled whatever purpose awaited.

He was a Jedi, after all. And he trusted the Force not to lead him astray.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

The wind shifted slightly as another figure approached from a higher ledge, the silhouette of her cloak rippling against the backdrop. Boots crunched softly against sunbaked stone as Valery descended a short incline, her steps sure, her presence calm but unmistakable — like the echo of the Force itself moving through the stillness.

She came to a quiet stop a few paces behind Drystan, the edge of her hood casting a shadow across her face as she looked out over the expanse of Aargonar's unforgiving terrain.

"If you were looking for peace and quiet, you've definitely come to the right place," she said lightly, her voice warm despite the heat. There was a pause — not one of tension, but of recognition. A shared understanding. She could feel the tug here, too. Subtle, persistent. The kind of call a Jedi didn't ignore.

Her eyes shifted to him, studying his posture, his expression.

"Any idea what you're meant to find out here?"

Not judgmental. Not skeptical. Just curious — the way one Jedi might ask another when both were following the same whisper through the desert. Valery's gaze returned to the horizon, her hands resting lightly at her sides.

"Because something's definitely waiting out here."

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

"I can't say for certain. But I felt the pull of the Force. I'm sure you did too," Drystan muttered, glancing back at Valery with a faint smile.

Having the Grandmaster by his side lifted a weight from his shoulders. He had the confidence to face this task alone, but her presence added a sense of reassurance — a quiet security that steadied him.

"A thousand voices crying out," he continued. "They all sounded different, but it felt like they came from the same source. It's not something I can just ignore... I can still hear it."

Drystan led the way, boots crunching against the dry earth as they moved forward along the craggy path. The towering stone spires around them grew with each step, looming higher, slowly closing in as the trail narrowed. It was a long, winding route, but it offered some respite from the heat, funneling them toward what looked to be the mouth of a cave.

The only sounds were their footsteps and the occasional whistle of the desert wind between the rocks.

"How are things on your side of the fence?" he asked after a beat, breaking the quiet with a hint of small talk — though there was genuine curiosity in his voice. It had been some time since they last crossed paths.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery walked in step beside him, her hands slipping to her sides as the towering stone spires began to rise on either side of them. The breeze whistled between the gaps in the rock, tugging lightly at her cloak, but she barely noticed. The Force still whispered its pull — steady, insistent — but for now, she let the moment breathe.

His question drew a quiet smile.

"Busy. The kids keep me on my toes but I love them." She shook her head lightly, the affection in her voice unmistakable. She cast a quick sidelong glance at him, her smile tugging a little wider.

"And then there's the Order. Handling training, diplomacy, missions, Council meetings, reports… So many reports." Valery let out a mock sigh of exhaustion and tilted her head up toward the narrowing gap of sky overhead. "But I can't complain. They're good problems to have. The kind that remind me why I keep doing this." Her gaze dropped back to Drystan, warm and sincere now.

"And it's good to be out here again. Even if the wind's dry enough to peel your skin off and the rocks keep trying to trip me." She chuckled softly, then nodded toward the cave ahead.

"Still hearing those voices?" she asked, her tone dipping back into curiosity. "Because the Force definitely hasn't stopped nudging me."

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

Hearing Valery speak about her family and duties brought a rare smile to the often-brooding Shadow. Yet, it also stirred a moment of reflection—on his own life, or rather, the lack of one outside of work.

"I don't think I'm suited for family life, or even much of a social one," he admitted, his tone honest but not bitter. "But I'd be lying if I said you—and the rest of the Order—aren't growing on me."

He listened intently, giving a small nod of respect. Being Grandmaster of the Order was no small burden. To carry that and raise a family? Drystan had nothing but admiration for her though he simmer it down to respect if anyone asked.

"I am," he added at her question, gaze narrowing slightly. "And it's growing louder."

The path ahead led them into a cave system—dark, damp, and silent. Drystan produced a miniature glowstick from his belt, its soft light illuminating the air around them in a faint circle.

The cave was just as jagged and cracked as the trail that led them there, but now they were boxed in by an oppressive ceiling of rock overhead. They moved carefully until the tunnel came to a sudden stop: a dead end.

A massive abyss yawned before them, so dark that the depth was impossible to discern with the naked eye. Drystan stepped closer to the edge and tossed his glowstick down into the void. Seconds passed. Then a minute. Finally, a faint splash echoed upward.

Water, it seemed.

He turned his head, glancing at Valery with a half-smirk.

"Not afraid of heights, are you?" he asked, already preparing to descend.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery stepped up beside him, her eyes narrowing as she peered into the darkness below. The glowstick's faint splash echoed back up like a whisper, and for a long moment, she said nothing. Just watched the void.

Then she smiled.

"Afraid of heights?" she echoed, casting him a sidelong glance, one brow lifting with playful challenge. "Please. I used to free-climb cliffs on Jedha for fun." She shrugged, the movement casual despite the drop before them. "I like the thrill. Reminds me I'm alive."

Her gaze dipped back into the abyss, thoughtful now, the humor softening into something quieter. "And for what it's worth… I didn't think I was made for family life either." Her voice lowered, more sincere. "I used to think I was just… a weapon. A Shadow. Someone built for the hard parts of the Jedi path." She looked over at him, a warm, flickering ember behind her amber eyes.

"And then I met Kahlil. Then came the kids. Now?" A small, breathy laugh. "I can't imagine life without them. They gave me a reason to come back from the hard parts." Valery stepped toward the ledge and crouched down, fingers brushing the rocky edge. The Force stirred below — water, yes, but something more. A whisper of something old.

"I think the Force leads us where we need to be," she murmured, straightening up again. "Even if it's not what we expected. Even if it's halfway across a galaxy or at the bottom of a pit."

Her smile sharpened again.

"So…" she tilted her head toward him, "Ready to head down?"

Drystan Creed ​

 

[Drystan Creed]

AARGONAR

"I'll start a family when I get around to it," Drystan smiled, giving Valery a nod before casting one last glance down into the pit before them.

He took a steadying breath, centering himself, then leapt into the heart of the abyss, his form vanishing into the darkness as it swallowed him whole.

The fall was long, but with his training and the guidance of the Force, he weathered it, the chill in the air growing sharper as the scent of cold water hit him in the final moments of descent.

With a splash, he pierced the once-still waters, quickly maneuvering into a swim and surfacing with practiced ease. He took a moment to focus, enhancing his vision to survey his surroundings.

The cavern was vast—far larger than the pit had suggested—and the body of water even more so. Luckily, a rocky shoreline sloped up ahead, offering a place to emerge.

Soaked and cold, Drystan didn't complain. He'd endured worse for longer, and the cool air was a welcome break from the oppressive desert heat above.

As his gaze swept the chamber, he froze.

There—against a jagged stone pillar—was the silhouette of a seated figure. Instinctively, Drystan flipped into cover, drawing his saber but keeping it unignited. He watched for a beat, eyes narrowing.

Still. Unmoving.

A moment later, he realized what he was seeing.

"Dead," he muttered to himself, emerging from his cover and approaching the body.

The figure wore black armor and a fearsome mask, cloaked in dark fabric—unmistakably Sith. Drystan knelt beside the corpse, inspecting it. The lightsaber clipped to its belt came loose with a tug, and with a snap-hiss, the crimson blade sprang to life.

Fresh. The armor was undamaged aside from the obvious. No smell of rot. It hadn't been here long.

The cause of death was obvious—an enormous bone spike pierced clean through the chest, straight through the durasteel.

When Valery joined him, Drystan looked up from his kneeling position, brows furrowed in concern.

"What do you make of this?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery didn't hesitate. The moment Drystan vanished into the abyss, she stepped after him. Her body moved like water, limbs loose but deliberate, her senses stretched out wide to feel the air pressure, the trajectory, the coming impact. The wind rushed past her ears, but she didn't fear it — she welcomed it.

Then: splash.

Cold wrapped around her like a sudden breath, but it barely phased her. She surfaced with a sharp inhale, gliding through the water with clean, efficient strokes until she reached the shoreline Drystan had made for. She climbed out beside him, pushing her soaked hair back with one hand and casting a quick glance around the cavern. Her eyes adjusted fast — trained for this. For places that didn't want to be found.

It didn't take long for her gaze to land on the figure.

Her entire posture shifted.

She approached without a word at first, her eyes narrowing as the details became clearer — the armor, the robes, the saber. The stench of the dark side still lingered faintly, like smoke after fire. And yet… no rot. No sign of natural decay. She crouched beside Drystan, her fingers ghosting along the edge of the spike that had impaled the Sith.

She didn't touch it. Not yet.

"The kill was clean," she murmured, voice low, almost reverent. "Precise. Straight through the armor — whoever did this knew what they were doing."

Her gaze lingered on the Sith's faceplate, then lifted to the crimson blade still burning in Drystan's hand. The hum of it set her teeth slightly on edge. But something else gnawed at her. Her fingers shifted to the corpse's other wrist — and there, tucked beneath a fold of scorched cloth, she found it: a charm. Old. Carved bone, strung on fraying cord. Not Sith in origin.

"Do you recognize this?" She asked curiously, She then turned the charm over once more, then slowly rose to her feet.

Drystan Creed ​