Private Shadows of the Jedi

[Ciaron Nachtnebel]

Location: Bosthirda
Tag: Valery Noble


The winds howled again, cutting across the bleak landscape that was the mountains of Bosthirda. There was little life between the craggy peaks and windswept valleys that covered the planet. Even during the day, dark clouds hung in the atmosphere making the already desolate environment even more foreboding. To the undertrained eye, there was nothing to find on this backwater planet, yet on a small ledge, an older X-Wing starfighter sat empty. The starship looked like it had been abandoned for some time now, its hull even had black markings from small arms fire. Around the starship lie several dead bodies in black robes. Their weapons, forcepikes, lie broken on the ground as well. A glance would reveal wounds and damage linked to lightsaber pyrotechnics. Inside the cockpit, a small red light blinked over and over and over.

From a ledge above the starfighter a man cloaked in grey robes watched the ship carefully. His face was concealed by the hood of his cloak

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple

In some remote section of the temple, a small communicator came to life. The transmission was heavily encrypted. However, one Jedi Master believed it was a transmission from a Jedi Shadow and was for Master Noble herself, taking the device to her quarters. Once the encryption, the cipher was based on an ancient Tythan number, was broken it would reveal the following message:

Time is short... I found the prophecy... The Secret Order's agents have driven me from their temple into the mountains. Supplies running low. The prophecy must be stopped... Need backup. If the prophecy is fulfilled... Darkness will come.

The message was degraded. But the tracking coordinates to an X-Wing Liquid Carbon were sound. The X-Wing owned by Ciaron Nachtnebel a Jedi Shadow not seen since the Crusade. The message was then tagged for the eyes only of Master Valery Noble.

 

[Valery Noble]

Bosthirda

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ciaron Nachtnebel

Within her quarters on the Coruscant Temple, Valery first reviewed the message that had been delivered to her but was unable to break its encryption. The Jedi Master who brought it in had explained where he found the communicator, and it immediately got her to think. She took the message with her, and inserted it into the projector inside the Council Chambers instead, allowing it to help her figure out its contents.

Once she did, the message began to play and she understood that a fellow Jedi needed help. A Shadow, even. It had been years ago that she stepped down in an official capacity as a Jedi Shadow, but occasionally, she felt a need to return to that role, albeit only for specific missions.

This was one such mission.

As quickly as she could, Valery boarded her modified X-wing and made the Hyperspace Jump to Bosthirda, where she returned to real space and broke through the atmosphere soon after. To avoid being detected by potential threats, she went as low as she could into the mountains and followed the coordinates until she reached the Liquid Carbon that had been tagged within the message.

<This is Master Noble, do you copy?> Valery asked on a secured Jedi channel, hoping that the Jedi down there could receive and respond.

<I'm landing now.> With her final message sent, she brought her X-wing down to the surface, powered down its engines, and moved out of the cockpit. After taking off her helmet, she shook out her long hair, allowing it to cascade down behind her back, before looking around the area.

He had to be here somewhere.

 

[Ciaron Nachtnebel]

Location: Bosthirda
Weapons: Yellow Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

The Sky Burned. Light and darkness fell from the Heavens. Paradise burned and the galaxy with it. A man with a black sword rose from the fire.
Ciaron woke in a cold sweat, his heart pounding, gasping for air. Although Master Noble was coming, it would still take several days in hyperspace to reach the Stygian Caldera. He did not want to say it, but he knew it, the Prophets were corrupting him. His mind was slowly being consumed by darkness.

There was no response to Valery's calls. After she exited the cockpit there was nothing. Silence and the occasional howling of the wind.

"You were careless," The silence was broken by a grey-robed Jedi Shadow. "They likely saw your ship's entry and landing and picked up that radio transmission. I could hear it over my ship's comm." His voice was cold and ungrateful, and the only part of his body not covered was his striking cold blue eyes. Jedi Shadow Ciaron Nachtnebel seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He studied the Jedi Master a moment before he pulled down his hood, revealing his short blonde hair and sharp features.

"We need to move and quickly. The Secret Order's assassins will be after us. We will be unable to take on their entire force in a head-on fight." Ciaron stated, looking around as if someone was following him. Although Ciaron was relieved to have a fellow Jedi backing him up. The Jedi Shadow did not show a shred of gratitude, in fact, his demeanor was still cold, and he seemed to skip pleasantries and introductions. "I know a cave nearby."

 

[Valery Noble]

Bosthirda

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ciaron Nachtnebel

"And you're not only ungrateful but not nearly as perceptive as you're trying to seem. I sent my message on a highly secured channel, specifically meant to be picked up by you alone," she said after the man arrived to greet her, clearly not surprised by his sudden appearance. He was a Shadow, after all. "As for being seen? I don't know what else you were expecting. I can't exactly walk my way here, so keep your attitude to yourself, and focus on the mission. I don't care about being your friend, but you can at least behave appropriately."

Her tone was cold for someone like him. Someone who had clearly spent a little too much time away from the Temple or social norms of the Galaxy. She knew that Shadows tended to be edgier and more difficult, but he was still calling for her to get his ass out of trouble.

She didn't need his gratitude, but he could lose his attitude.

"Lead the way," Valery then told him after he mentioned the assassins, as well as a cave where they could take shelter. She had expected this to become a mission like this — if a Shadow called for aid, it was usually tricky business.

 

[Ciaron Nachtnebel]

Location: Bosthirda
Weapons: Yellow Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

Master Noble scolded him but he seemed unfazed, it was clear he was overly paranoid. He did not speak a word as he led her to the cave. A small opening through some craggy rocks. Inside was a small makeshift camp, a first aid kit and some rations, a bed roll, and a crude drawing on the floor of something like a fortress or citadel. If Valery looked carefully she would see an ancient Sith Tome, almost tucked away or hidden behind a rock.

"My apologies, But the prophets are close to finishing their plans." He said glancing out the cave for a long minute as if he was waiting. "They managed to remain hidden from the Ashlan Crusade. But I caught wind of their activities months and came here to hunt them down once and for all."

"They're in the mountains not far from here in a Dark Temple built over a thousand years ago." He stated motioning to the crude drawing. "I've scouted the outlying perimeter. Been in some small skirmishes with their men. But no matter their losses my engagements prove indecisive." He continued, "Few entrances. But the Secret Order is inside. We have to stop them." His eyes directed back up to hers, it was clear he was driven to get inside the temple and confront these prophets.

 

[Valery Noble]

Bosthirda

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ciaron Nachtnebel

"I understand the concern," Valery said, and with just one look around the camp, she also understood why his reaction to her arrival had perhaps been the way it was. He kept looking around, he had a Sith tome concealed inside the same place he slept, and there was time pressure on the mission. It was only logical that it made him feel a bit paranoid.

It was something that used to run even deeper within the Shadows, back when there were a lot more of them out there.

Valery then stepped over to take a closer look at the drawing, and while crude, she could easily understand what he was trying to depict. Their targets were set up in a fortress, and within the mountains no less. That gave them a very strong advantage as defenders, but it was a Shadow's job to infiltrate such buildings anyway.

"We will stop them, but we have to make this next attempt count. If you've fought them before, they have certain expectations now. So if we're suddenly together, we have an element of surprise we can exploit." Perhaps a more aggressive approach to overwhelm them in that chaos, or just the ability to also split up and hit multiple targets at the same time.

"Does that tome you keep there have anything to do with this prophecy? Is it vital for their success or something loosely connected to it?"

 

[Ciaron Nachtnebel]

Location: Bosthirda
Weapons: Yellow Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

At first, Ciaron nodded as Valery spoke of a new assault. "Indeed. Perhaps I can lure them out into the open, and you can strike when their intention is on me." He offered, looking at her and then down at the map. "Some of the entrances are not as heavily guarded as others. That could be our way in."

Valery mentioned the book. Ciaron seemed surprised as she spoke of it. "I did not mention the tome..." He said turning his head to the book. Valery would be able to notice in a fleeting moment that as his head moved, his eyes flickered with a hint of a sulfur color, it stood out from his obvious blue glowing eyes.

"...Prophecy... I saw it in a dream..." He said, his voice trailing off, and he seemed as if he was daydreaming. "Not the tome... I did not mention the tome." He said as if we starting to talk in circles. He shook his head. "The tome speaks of the temple, the layouts, how the Sith who come train here come to learn to channel the Darkside, to control the minds of others, to see the future... to Flow-walk. The power it reveals is truly remarkable."

His concentration broke at the sound of the wind howling as if it snapped him out of something. Ciaron furrowed his eyebrows at Master Noble.

"... I never told you about tome... Its was supposed to be hidden."

 

[Valery Noble]

Bosthirda

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ciaron Nachtnebel

"That sounds like a good plan to me. You know the area better than I do, so it's easier for you to draw their attention and move around." Meanwhile, she'd be able to get inside and perhaps strike at some targets. Or, if necessary, she'd be able to assist him and go after whoever went for him without it being expected.

Then she mentioned the book, and in an instant, Valery saw and felt something strange from him. Her fiery gaze narrowed, as he began to explain what he had read inside it, but he seemed surprised that she noticed. A part of her even felt that he didn't like the fact that she had seen it at all.

But why?

"Are you sure that's all it describes?" Valery asked bluntly. "You're acting strange... restless." She tilted her head and turned to face him now. "Sith creations often influence the mind and even though a Shadow is quite resistant, over time, even our defenses can be put to the test."

"Are you really okay?"

 

[Ciaron Nachtnebel]

Location: Bosthirda
Weapons: Yellow Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

Jedi Shadows were often paranoid. Ciaron was now incredibly paranoid and suspicious, his Jedi training taught him to hide his facial expressions. So he kept a stone face when speaking to Master Noble. "What greater power could there be than to see the future, its diversions, we could see everything they do. Every eventuality. What could I be hiding from you besides the power the book teaching could grant?" His voice sounded desperate.

Master Noble mentioned something about him being ok. His borrows narrowed. "I called you here for help, not to question my judgment."

His eyes rapidly flicked back and forth as if he was trying to figure out what she was saying. There was a tense moment of silence. "You are only interested in the book which I never told you about..." His voice was accusing. "You came here to steal the power for yourself." It was a wild accusation. Ciaron's mind was breaking under the stress of exposure to the dark side, trying to cling to his normal self. He started to bob his head up and down. His muscled tensed, and he looked sick and pale.

"I see now..." His right hand fell down to his lightsaber as if to draw his weapon on his fellow Jedi. Valery was fast, but Ciaron had anticipated she would defend herself, his motion was a deceptive feint. Ciaron's made a quick sweeping motion with his other hand, using force stun a power that Ciaron was exceptionally skilled at.

 

[Valery Noble]

Bosthirda

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ciaron Nachtnebel

"I can't help you if I can't question your judgment at all. I'm trying to help," she told him, and the fact that he wasn't open to it at all as a Jedi was concerning. She knew that Shadows weren't as easy to deal with, but this was almost ridiculous. That book must have had some kind of effect on him through prolonged exposure, or something else out there was driving him insane. He was not only a Shadow, but a Jedi Master as well.

He shouldn't be like this.

Ciaron then looked between her and the book, and something seemed to click in his mind. Something that instantly worried her, as he began to accuse her of being here for the book and the power it holds. "What?" she asked, completely stunned for a moment. "I don't care about this book at all. I'm here because you sent a distress call, remember?" She asked with somewhat widened eyes.

"Snap out of it, Master Nachtnebel," she said, now backing up a few steps to keep him from being able to surprise her too much. There was already an uncomfortable feeling in the Force, and it got worse with each second that passed. Then she spotted his hand slipping down to his lightsaber, and Valery was moving quickly to reach for her own. To draw the weapon that made her the Sword of the Jedi.

But instead, he turned the Force against her. All at once, she felt as if her body grew heavier, and that some kind of invisible force resisted every move she wanted to make. Despite it, Valery pushed herself through as much as she could and looked him in the eyes while she tried to break his attempt completely. "Shield your mind! The book is doing this to you!" she called out, hoping he'd snap out of it himself.

If he wouldn't, she'd be ready to defend herself.

 

[Ciaron Nachtnebel]

Location: Bosthirda
Weapons: Yellow Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

Despite Valery's pleas, Ciaron's mental state had degraded significantly to this point. Both Jedi Master's eyes met each other Ciaron was ready to strike, willing to gamble his stun attack would slow down Valery enough for a quick killing blow. She pleaded to him to shield his mind.

...Shield your mind...

Was it his own words? Ciaron froze in confusion. His thoughts, twisted as they were, flashed to a moment in the past where he spoke something similar.

You need to shield your mind. The dark side is strong here, strong enough to drive even any master of the force mad with dread and paranoia over time.
Master Nachtnebel said to a group of Ashlan Crusaders as arrived planetside, preparing for a pitched battle.

Ciaron suddenly stumbled backward as if he lost his balance. His mind was much more foregone than even Valery had realized. Out of habit, he shielded his mind from the dark side, enough to hold back the insanity and madness briefly. Ciaron stepped back and gasped in pain. His hands reached up to cover his face. He bent over as if in pain, his breathing growing heavy.

"M-Master Noble... You have to leave... It's too late." He managed to puff out between heavy breathing. "The Mind Plague has taken me... Y-You must go... Or your mind will be consumed by it too." He had managed to recover something of his former self

A shadow flicked across the entrance of the cave outside, then another soon after it. There was the sound of subtle and feint footsteps, and Valery could hear the whispers around her. Ciaron stumbled backward, regaining his mind, but the effort had left him weak and fatigued.

 

[Valery Noble]

Bosthirda

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ciaron Nachtnebel

All at once, something changed.

Even through the cloud of the Dark Side, and after having been exposed to it for so long, Ciaron seemed to be able to raise a shield around his mind strong enough to block out whatever was turning him against her. Valery took the opportunity to break free from the lingering effects of Force Stun, and watched him with a frown. To see him gasp in pain and struggle so much was not an easy thing for a fellow Jedi to see.

"I'm not going to leave you here," Valery told him, but as she stepped forward to offer assistance, she felt something behind her. Footsteps were approaching, as well as darker whispers that spelled nothing but trouble. She gritted her teeth, turned to look at Ciaron, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

She knew that staying with him here like this would just result in both of them getting captured or worse, so she came up with a plan on the spot. "I'll hide, but I'm not leaving you to die." With that, she focused on the Force, and first obscurred her presence, before she cloaked completely.

There would be no way for them to find her now, but she'd be able to watch what happened next. If they decided to attack Ciaron, she'd be able to help with a surprise attack and if they captured him, she'd follow and do whatever she could to free him. They could not abandon this mission.

 

[Ciaron Nachtnebel]

Location: Bosthirda
Weapons: Yellow Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

"Just go." Ciaron at first protested, he was almost pleading with Master Noble. But then he heard someone was coming. Ciaron reached for his Lightsaber, he realized while shielding his mind he was in no shape to fight. If his mental defenses slipped the dark side would consume him again, especially if he was forced to kill. Yet refused to listen, stating she would not leave him here to die. Yet Ciaron was more concerned with her own life, fearing his actions would result in both of them getting killed. She quickly ran off to hide.

Ciaron exhaled and stood up straight. His lightsaber felt familiar in his hands as she prepared for a standoff. There was silence for a moment. Then three cloaked figures entered the cave, Sith Assassins. If there were more outside he could not tell.

"So this is where you've been hiding," One of the assassins said. "Where is the other one? We spotted the Ship."

Ciaron said nothing, and then simply ignited his yellow lightsaber. The three Sith Assassins ignited their lightsabers as well, three bloodshine blades against the Shadow's yellow blade.

"We have you corned like a rat." Another assassin spoke. "Do not resist and your death will be quick and clean."

Again Ciaron said nothing, he slipped into a defensive stance. One assassin closed in, attacking with a quick slash. Ciaron deflected the blade and met his opponent with a quick riposte, yet his Sith adversary anticipated the thrust and slapped Ciaron's yellow blade away. Another Sith joined in and together unleashed a flurry of attacks with their lightsabers that seemed to be synchronized. Ciaron could only hold them because of his mastery of Soresu, quickly and efficiently deflecting each attack the two had for him. Ciaron stood his ground but was on the defensive. He was now simply delaying the inevitable unless of course, Master Noble intervened.

 

[Valery Noble]

Bosthirda

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Ciaron Nachtnebel

Three of them entered.

Valery watched the Assassins closely, noting that they were suspicious of another Jedi being somewhere, but they had no idea just how close she was. This wasn't her first time plotting an ambush though, so while they ignited their weapons and readied themselves for a clash with Ciaron, Valery first extended her senses. She felt nothing near the entrance, so if other Sith were around, they were either really far away or cloaking their presence as well.

It was a risk she'd have to take if she wanted to help her fellow Jedi. A risk she could minimize if she acted fast and gave potential back-up absolutely no time to react.

So she waited.

The Sith assassins moved in to attack and Ciaron, much to her relief, adopted a very defensive stance. This forced the Sith to be aggressive and focus heavily on the Jedi Master, knowing they wouldn't break through otherwise. But thus far, only two out of three Assassins had attacked, and the third was finally moving to flank around and trap the Jedi in a duel that required him to cover too many angles at once.

Valery decided to finally close the distance as a result, drew the hilt of her weapon into her palm, and hit the ignition switch right as she stepped out of her cloak. A violet blade ignited, and exploded through the Assassin's back, killing him instantly. But while his body was still falling, Valery was already on the move, and extended a arm for a powerful telekinetic blast to send one of the two remaining Assassins flying against the wall of the cave. Ciaron may have been weakened by prolonged exposure to the Dark Side, but the Sword of the Jedi was not.

"Now!" she called out, hoping to have given him a chance to follow up against the one Assassin standing in front of him. Meanwhile, she moved to intercept the other again and maintain pressure.

 

[Ciaron Nachtnebel]

Location: Bosthirda
Weapons: Yellow Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

Just as Ciaron seemed to be overwhelmed by the assaulting Sith assassins, A purple lightsaber burst through the back of the flanking opponent. The other two Sith lost their momentum to the surprise attack immediately. Valery sent a second Sith flying across the cave. Distracted by Master Noble's surprise attack, Ciaron was able to get the upper hand in his duel, rolling his wrist to change the trajectory of his saber strike, which hacked off the Sith Assassin's sword arm. Ciaron finished him off with a thrust to the heart.

The force moved darkly around someone about to kill. Ciaron's mind was already weak by constant exposure to the dark side. The taste of a fresh kill made him slip yet again. "You did well," Ciaron said to Master Noble, his tone drifting to contempt. "Let us finish the other one off. Shall I?"

The last Sith assassin seemed dazed by the telekinetic attack. Ciaron walked over to the Sith and put his boot in the man's ribs. A satisfying crunch from Ciaron's boot broke the man's ribs. "Ready to die?" The Jedi master said to the Sith, pointing his yellow lightsaber at the man's heart. Ciaron's mental defenses began to slip again. His thoughts were only on slaying the man who was lying before him.

"You'll never find The Mind Plague, you'll both die here." The Sith said, then coughed up some blood.

Ciaron suddenly drove his yellow lightsaber through the Sith's heart. His head tilted back, and he relaxed. Almost as if he was pleased with himself. "Three fewer obstacles in my way." He said to himself as if he had forgotten Valery was even there. His gaze floated to the Sith tome he had hidden, Then finally over to Master Noble. "We are running out of time. The Mind Plague will drive us insane soon enough." Ciaron said to Master Noble, his mind slipping again however he was still able to grasp some sanity.