Private Silence in the Void

[Caelan Valoren]

The transport vessel Bulwark flew at a steady speed through deep space in the galactic northwest of Ilum. Its destination was a research space station, The Aegis, that had been home to Alliance research personnel until it mysteriously went dark. No communications. No transports in or out. A security team was previously sent to investigate the situation, but were not heard from again, leaving people worried about the state of the station and what might have befallen the scientist and security team.

Aboard the transport that was drifting towards the station was their response to this: Jedi. Specifically, Caelan and Grandmaster Noble. Both were seated in the transports bridge, watching out the viewport as they approached the station, the pilots of the transport vessel being careful given the loss of comms with the previous recon mission to the area. Nobody knew what had happened. It could be an Imperial incursion, it could be some alien attack, or it could be a host of other things, but they had to approach with the understanding that it could be anything, or it could be nothing at all.

"The station is completely dark," Caelan noted, looking out the viewport.

"There's no power readings of any kind," the copilot said as he scanned the station. "No lifeforms detected either."

"None?"

"None at all. But look, you can see the security force transport docked at one of the external ports."

Sure enough, as they drew closer, they could see another transport docked at the station. But if the security force had arrived at the station, wouldn't there be life forms within? Or had they all somehow perished? But if there were no lifeforms, how would they have perished? This was, without a doubt, something that warranted investigation by the Jedi. He was glad that he was going with Grandmaster Noble on this one because it seemed something of grave interest. If something had killed off an entire stations crew, and then killed everyone that had so far come to investigate, they needed to find out what it was and make sure it didn't leave.

Caelan turned to look at Val.

"I guess if there's no power on the station there's probably no oxygen. We're going to need EVA suits."

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery's fiery gaze remained locked on the looming structure of The Aegis, her expression unreadable as she took in every detail. The station was completely dark — lifeless, silent. No power, no comms, and worst of all, no trace of the people who were supposed to be inside. Yet, the security transport remained docked, untouched. Something had happened here. Something that left no survivors.

A quiet exhale left her lips as she leaned forward slightly in her seat, studying the station through the viewport.

No life signs… but that doesn't mean there's nothing there.

Caelan's voice pulled her from her thoughts. At his mention of the lack of oxygen, she nodded. "Good call," she murmured, glancing toward the copilot's readings. She rose from her seat with practiced ease, her mind already running through the possibilities. Was this an Imperial attack? A containment breach? Something worse?

Whatever it was, they needed answers.

Turning to Caelan, she smirked slightly, though the tension in her stance remained. "let's suit up," she said, her voice calm but firm. "We're not leaving until we know what happened here."

Without another word, she stepped away, heading toward the transport's equipment bay to grab her EVA suit. The station wasn't going to answer their questions on its own — so they'd have to step inside and find them themselves.

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

Fate beeped at him and he shook his head.

"No, you don't need a suit," he assured the droid. "You don't need oxygen to survive."

He rose from his seat when Valery did and followed her back to the equipment bay, Fate tagging along behind him. Grabbing one of the suits that seemed the right size for him, he began pulling it on but stopped briefly to set his lightsaber on the little droid's head. No sense in having it inside of the suit if he needed it on the outside. Suiting up completely, he was soon encased in a suit complete with its own oxygen supply, lights, and pretty much anything else they'd probably need on the inside. Fate was busy balancing the lightsaber on his head like it was a toy, so Caelan let him continue for the moment.

"Moving to dock now," the pilots voice called over the comms.

There was a slight bump as the transport connected with the station, its magnetic seal locking onto the docking apparatus. Deep space stations were equipped with several, both for ingoing and outgoing transport. The one they'd chosen wasn't far away from where the security team had boarded the station, but far enough to keep them clear of it had both been active and needing to take off.

"Seal secure. Opening access hatch."

As the hatch began to open, Valery would feel an ominous darkness wash over her suddenly, as if something distant within the station was calling out with a dark power. Caelan's dampened sense skills were too weak to pick up on the darkness emanating from the center of the station, and he was too busy watching as the door that separated them from it opened. There was still gravity within the station despite the loss of power due to the rotation of the station itself, which meant they at least didn't need grav boots. Also meant nothing came floating through the door.

What did happen as soon as the door fully opened was that everything electronic suddenly died. The power to their transport? Gone. Fate? Collapsed in a heap on the floor. If the transport wasn't magnetically secured they probably would have floated away. Worst of all, there was no comms, as he was trying to speak through them to the pilots but getting nothing. Acting quickly, he grabbed two more suits and raced up to the cockpit to hand them to the pilot and copilot. They needed them alive, and if there was no power, the oxygen was going to run out soon. Then he returned to Valery because even without the comms they could at least yell to each other.

"No power isn't good. We're going to be running on limited oxygen."

He grabbed his lightsaber and thumbed the activation switch, but nothing happened.

"Lightsaber doesn't work either. Something inside of the station is interfering with all electrical items connected to it."

---

ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

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

Valery felt it the moment the station's hatch opened — a slow, creeping darkness that slithered along the edges of her senses like a whisper from something ancient, something hungry. It wasn't just the silence or the emptiness. It was the way the very air, or what little of it remained, seemed to hold its breath.

Then, everything died.

The ship, the comms, even Fate collapsed into a lifeless heap. No hum of repulsorlifts, no flicker of emergency lights. Just nothing. Valery exhaled through her nose, steady despite the ominous weight pressing against her mind. No power means no easy way out. If whatever was inside this station had the ability to shut down all technology, that left them with only what they carried within themselves.

She glanced at Caelan as he hurried to get the pilots suited up, nodding in approval before he returned, his voice cutting through the eerie quiet. No power. No weapons. Then he tried to ignite his saber.

Nothing.

Valery tilted her head slightly, watching him attempt again before she reached for her own. She flicked the ignition. Nothing. The weapon remained a cold, lifeless hilt in her grasp. Interesting. Her fiery gaze flicked back toward the open station, the gaping entrance like the maw of some great beast, waiting. Testing them. "No power, no weapons… just the two of us against whatever is in there," she mused, rolling her shoulders. Then, her voice lowered just a fraction, her expression sharpening with resolve.

"The Force will guide us." Technology failed. Machines could be broken, drained, rendered useless. But the Force? That was something deeper, something beyond the reach of whatever shadow had taken hold of this place. She took a slow step forward, crossing the threshold into the Aegis, her presence burning steady and bright like a torch against the void.

"Let's see what we'll find, hm?"

Caelan Valoren ​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

Valery also tried her saber and found that it didn't ignite as well. Neither of them had their most trusted of tools at their disposal. Caelan found this unsettling, but did his best not to allow it to take control of him. He was a Jedi and he had to retain control of himself in order to be in control of his response to situations. Even though he was now down and out one of his best tools, and his trusted droid friend, he still had the Force and he still had the Grandmaster of the Order at his side.

She said the Force would guide them and then she moved into the station. He nodded in agreement and followed her, even though he knew his senses weren't as in tune as hers were. The Force didn't quite guide him as well as it did others.

The inside of the station was pitch black. No lights lit their way. Even as their eyes adjusted it was difficult to see much more than a few inches in front of their own faces. Caelan relied on his ability in the Force to keep him close to Valery, utilizing it to keep track of her comforting presence since she wasn't very far in front of him. Neither of them could move very quick since the station was dark. At least the doors were open. Considering they had no way of opening them, without that it would be near impossible to navigate.

It was slow going, even down the main corridor, which appeared impossibly deserted. The station should have had dozens of people living on it. Where had they all disappeared to? Why was there no sign of any sort of disturbance that he could feel? No bodies lying on the ground. There wasn't any evidence that was immediately discernable as to what was going on.

Then Valery stepped across a threshold, and a door snapped closed behind her, separating him from her. Caelan realized it only a second too late, his helmed head hitting it softly and hands brushing against it. How had it closed if there was no power?

"Master Noble?" he called, wondering if she could hear him. Though, with the huge metal door and absence of air in the station, it was unlikely.

Worst of all, and Valery may have noticed this by now, they weren't actually alone. While there was nothing in the station that would be detected on a life form scan, there were beings in the station. Machinations created by research into a sith artifact that now sat at the heart of the station and was the reason for all of this. These beings, void shades, were essentially an emptiness in the Force, barely visible to the naked eye in the brightest of conditions, though they made a humming sound when present. They moved throughout he station, searching for something to feed upon, and what they fed upon? Emotions of the living.

"If you can hear me at all, I'll try and find another way to you! If not, meet at the center of the station!"

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ATTIRE: Link | WEAPON: Lightsaber | COMPANION: BD-F8 | OTHER: Sigil Bead (Necklace), Prosthetic Left Arm

TAGS: Valery Noble ​