Private Sword of the Mourning

[Adriana Fortemps]

// Imperialist Member Fortemps //
// Coruscant //
// Focus // Valery Noble //

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A cold wind nipped Adriana's ear as it blew across the upper limits of Coruscant. The Echani dropped her head down to protect from, however little it helped.

Horrid Weather.

She would have liked to put this matter off to a nicer day. One where she could approach in comfort, perhaps in a comfortable office of her own somewhere. But unfortunately she hardly had the comforts or privilege of her old life, instead having to muck around the streets like any other citizen of the Galactic Alliance. Teeth softly pressed the inside of her cheeks as the woman tried to repel her frustration to the back of her mind. She had more important matters to focus on.

In the Galactic Alliance, the Echani was nothing. Her connections from her past life had married her into the Imperialist party and provided a comfortable enough position as aide to an important party member, though it wasn't long before the taste of ambition began to swell upon her tongue once again. The Imperialist party was small and after the public statements both in the last Senate meeting, as well as the Chancellor's public decrying of Imperialism, Adriana found herself in an even lesser position than she had begun with.

This unpopularity was why the Echani had to sink her nails into any opportunity she could get.

The passing of Kahlil Noble had passed quickly among the upper Echelon of the Alliance in whispers. A hard felt loss to the New Jedi Order and the Alliance as a whole, many that had hardly known the man were still passing remembrance in their own way. But where many saw grief, Adriana saw opportunity. Among the Jedi order none would be feeling the loss more heavily than Kahlil's spouse, the very Sword of the Jedi herself, Valery Noble .

It was this woman that Adriana had made her way through this terrible weather to meet with. A few eager volunteers from the Imperialist bloc had passed along information of the Jedi that had made their ways to the Echani's ears, of the arrival of the Jedi master to Coruscant. Adriana took it upon herself to reach the woman's ear as possible, officially for the Imperialist bloc, but truthfully she only cared about gaining more influence for herself.

Lavender eyes scanned around the entrance of the temple, searching carefully for the silhouette of the Sword of the Jedi. A smirk cautiously curled onto her face as they caught the sight of her target, a proud figure weighed down by something, though still the image of the warrior that she had been told about.

"Pardon me..." The Echani slowly strolled up behind the woman and meekly whispered in an effort to gain the woman's attention, appearing more as a lost passerby then anything else. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm quite unfamiliar with the temple." Smoothly making her way to face the woman, the sight of her iridescent eyes an oddly familiar sight. "You wouldn't be able to assist me in finding my way around would you?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Classified
Tag | Adriana Fortemps

Despite the passing of her husband and the immense turmoil it sparked within the woman, Valery forced herself to keep going in life. She still traveled between worlds to settle disputes, she still made her appearance at the front to lead the Jedi into the war, and she could still be found at the Temple, offering help and training to younger generations of Jedi. But even with those distractions, it was impossible to hide the pain she felt entirely — it had changed her and the aura that surrounded her. No longer did she greet people with her warm, charismatic smile, and there wasn't even a shimmer of happiness burning in her fiery eyes.

If it wasn't for her Padawans and especially her daughter, Valery wouldn't have felt certain about her ability to still fight as a Jedi, and it was likely nobody would have blamed her for it. Many tried to get her to take time away and process, but the more she isolated herself from her normal life, the more misery she felt.

She had to keep going.

Luckily today wasn't anything special — just a return to Coruscant for a meeting that took less than an hour, and the rest of the day she planned to either train alone or teach. But as she passed through the halls of the Temple, a whisper was carried along the faint winds blowing inside, forcing her to stop and turn to look at the woman who addressed her. At the question of needing some guidance to find her way, Valery's eyes were already shifting from side to side, hoping to find a Padawan or Knight able to assist, but there were none.

In truth, she felt no desire to give someone a tour or spent much time talking, but she knew it was the right thing to do, and finally relented with a faint, and forced smile, "We don't often receive visitors," Valery began as she looked the woman up and down for a moment. "But I can show you the way."

She gestured for Adriana to follow her with her head and slowly began to walk, "Are you looking for something or someone in particular?"

​

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

// Imperialist Member Fortemps //
// Coruscant //
// Focus // Valery Noble //

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"Your time is appreciated, Master Jedi. At the very least I can thank you for getting me out of the cold." A half-hearted chuckle passed through the Echani's lips as she made her way inwards of the temple. "Now, I can't say that I am looking for anyone in particular. I had hoped to find some of the Jedi that had been at Ilum during our recent conflict."

Adriana casually thumbed through documents and datapads furled up in her arms, a quick glance showing them to be after-actions reports, assessments and more of the like. Technically classified documents, but the Echani tried less than earnestly to cover them from her companion's gaze.

"I am attempted to form something of a... well I suppose you could call it a census or audit of some kind." Lavender eyes looked back up to the woman flanking her as they made their way in from the cold. "You see I represent a growing concern in the senate that can't yet press forward without more information. We wish to do our part for the Alliance, but we need support; both vocal and evidential, in order to pursue these issues."

Looking upwards and off to the side, Adriana pretending to ponder something in her mind. As if there was some sort of reservation in the woman that quickly and quietly quelled itself.

"Simply put, you wouldn't be able to point me in the direction of any such individuals that have seen.. disagreements with our Imperial neighbours would you?"

The girl continued to feign ignorance, towards both the identity of the woman she had approached as well as her recent tribulations. Perhaps it would have been simpler to confront the woman directly on the subject, and mayhap soon she would, but for now cutting the image of an innocent bureaucrat suit her purposes better.

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Classified
Tag | Adriana Fortemps

Ilum.

The planet and battle there were very distant things to her right now. Unlike some, her clash there hadn't been too intense but focused instead on bringing back a troubled Jedi who had joined the Imperial Knights. She was successful alongside Master Toldreyn, and the Jedi they helped would later be the one to join her on the mission that claimed her husband's life. The sole reason for her incredibly somber aura right now.

"Most Jedi you'll find here were involved, but to find some willing to support politics openly..." she trailed off in such a way that the difficulty was evident. After what happened between the senate and New Jedi Order years ago, and the subsequent split of Jedi from all official positions, they hadn't been very involved in politics at all. Of course, Valery was regularly forced to deal with senators and politicians, as she often represented the Jedi as a whole.

But Adriana at least seemed completely unaware of that fact.

"That said..." she paused again and considered her next decision carefully. She didn't want to talk about her encounters with the Imperials, but if this woman was genuine about what she said, there was no hurt in at least hearing her out. "I've had several encounters now, so I should be able to assist."

A hand came up to gesture in a new direction — the mess hall. "I have some time, so if you'd like to talk, let's grab something to drink and discuss this growing concern you mentioned. Last I heard from the political side of this conflict is the bill about strengthening the borders."

"What are your views on the matter?"

​

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

// Imperialist Member Fortemps //
// Coruscant //
// Focus // Valery Noble //

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"Oh, my apologies!" The Echani reacted as if she had stubbed the woman's toes, careful not to presume too much. "I'm not looking to drum up any official support from the Jedi, simply get a general opinion on some topics."

As much as physical support would help Adriana's agenda, broaching the subject would be near impossible. If she actually managed to find any Jedi that would be willing to openly support a political party, a simple reveal of who the Echani represented would almost assuredly turn them against her. She softly chuckled to herself once more thinking of the response.

Upon hearing an offer to get some drinks, the silver-haired woman perked up,

"Thank you for the offer, that sounds lovely."

Making their way to the mess hall, the pair sat at a table off to the side, an offer to keep the conversation between them as private as possible. Though the Aide truthfully didn't care about who overheard her position, potentially it could even be beneficial if some of the more hot headed Jedi overheard some of the words that would pass between them.

"Well truthfully, the opinion on this upcoming bill is a bit more split than I would have presumed." Lithe fingers intertwined with one another after they set the datapads down on the table. "Me and the people I represent are on the side of strengthening our borders, as well as the Alliance as a whole."

"Considering the audacity of the Empire, supporting our members of the front line is the least that the Senate can do. Both our own Galactic troopers, as well as you Jedi that risk your lives keeping us safe from the monsters outside our borders." Perhaps the pandering was a bit too on the nose, and yet Adriana needed Valery to know that the Jedi were as important in the grand scheme of things as the rest of those who had suffered. "And yet some of the cowar-" The woman caught the words in her throat before her passion had gotten the better of her, taking a small moment to herself before renewing her smile.

"Apologies, I realize I haven't yet introduced myself." A lithe hand reached across the table towards the Sword of the Jedi. "I am a Senatorial Aide, Adriana Fortemps."

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Classified
Tag | Adriana Fortemps

"I'm not looking to drum up any official support from the Jedi, simply get a general opinion on some topics."

Valery dipped her head slightly in response and seemed a little more open to their conversation now. She of course had her own political views as well on a broad range of topics, but Valery understood she had to be careful with openly supporting anything. She wasn't just another Jedi within the grand Alliance anymore — her voice and opinion carried a lot more weight, and she wanted to keep things stable in war times.

"Alright, we'll talk over drinks, then," Valery said with a faint smile, as she guided the woman into the mess hall. There, they found a quiet table to sit down at, and Valery did her best to make herself comfortable. "Tea? Coffee? Water?" Valery asked after Adriana had set down her datapads.

What followed was an answer to her question about the new bill, and while Valery didn't say much yet, her eyes showed agreement regarding the border policy and strengthening of the Alliance.

"And yet some of the cowar-"

A soft chuckled escaped Valery's lips, followed by a small wave of her hand, "It's quite alright, I understand the passion with these things. We're talking about the future of the whole Alliance, after all." She paused a moment and reached over to take the woman's hand into a firm grip, before shaking it. "I'm Jedi Master Valery Noble, of the NJO Council." She didn't particularly like throwing around her positions or titles, but she felt that part was potentially important enough to mention.

"But I don't believe your opinion on this bill is a point of contention, correct? I believe there was quite a lot of support for it."

​

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

// Imperialist Member Fortemps //
// Coruscant //
// Focus // Valery Noble //

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"Tea would be amazing, thank you."

The cup warmed her hands from the chill still running through her, rain having begun to pick up and softly tap away at the glass flanking the pair. The Echani would have preferred her own blend, but it was hardly time to be picky about what she was drinking. Opportunity mattered far more than comfort did.

"A member of the council?" More feigned shock escaped Adriana's lips as she showed worry for having offended such a high ranking member. "My apologies, Master Noble, you have my thanks for entertaining me even though I'm sure you have much else you could be doing."

"As for the bill itself, it will pass of course." A hand raised up to rest her chin upon, the Echani's pointer finger began gently tapping away at her cheek as she appeared in thought once again. "But truthfully many of our senators have ulterior desires that don't quite come across in the floor. For example, Senator Noman Parr has been in many talks about supporting the bill. What he doesn't want people to know is that he is also a majority share holder of one of our major manufacturers."

The Aide leaned back now, blowing the steam away from her tea.

"In the end, we will get our fleets and the defense we need, I won't argue that. What issue I have is that many of our Senator's are doing so for personal gain instead of the good and protection of the Alliance. Truthfully, most days I wish that we had you Jedi running things instead of our Senators. At the very least your intentions are never up to doubt."

A chuckle passed the woman's lips once again as she took a sip from the mug in her hands. The proposition had been presented as a joke, but Adriana had hoped it may get the wheels spinning in the Council members mind.

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Adriana Fortemps

After pouring them both a cup of tea, Valery leaned forward onto her elbows and held the cup between her hands to enjoy its warmth. It was, paired with the aroma and taste, a source of comfort for her but she was trying her best not to show it too openly. As far as she knew, Adriana didn't know about her situation, and she never felt like burdening other people with her personal problems.

"Today is a quiet day, and I try to always make time for people if I can," she assured Adriana with a soft smile. It was a reason why she always seemed so busy — there weren't as many truly experienced Jedi, so a lot of Padawans and even Knights turned to her for guidance or help.

Valery then listened to the woman's perspective on the bill, and especially took note of what she said about senators seeking personal gain. In this case, their personal gain helped the Alliance and its protection as well, but she understood where it could create problems as well.

Adriana was quick to explain her idea of how to address it, even if it was presented as a joke.

"Jedi traditionally are supposed to be selfless, but we do live in very different times now," Valery began before raising the cup up to her lips for a quick sip from the hot drink. "Our views and perspectives can get clouded as well if we surround ourselves with politics. A lot of our Jedi are quite... young and experienced too, so I don't know about them having authority at such a level," she said with a soft chuckle.

"Besides, the current chancellor was once a Jedi. Closest thing to it, don't you think?"

​

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

// Imperialist Member Fortemps //
// Coruscant //
// Focus // Valery Noble //

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"Oh, I wouldn't presume that the Jedi are any more of a monolith than the council is. I haven't had many interactions with the Jedi, but I'm sure you have your fair share of characters."

As her thoughts raced across her mind, the teaspoon dragged against the rim of the ceramic mug. A low pitch ringing sang out as she collected her thoughts,

"As for the Chancellor, I think both her time as a Jedi and on the battlefield help her excel in her positions." Adriana took another small sip from the drink as she thought upon Auteme, someone she only knew from reputation alone. "I have my... disagreements with her, of course. But my respect for her achievements is unbarred by political difference."

"Many of our senators are unaware of the true cost of war, instead leaving the fighting to our troopers and the Jedi. I won't pretend I've achieved much on the battlefield, but I have felt the loss that is accrued by these wars before."

This time her lavender eyes turned downwards, pulling from a small part of truth as the words passed her lips. The Echani took a moment to herself, a breath longer than she had originally intended before turning back up to look towards her companion.

"As one of those that has been in the front the most, I'm sure you can see the writing on the wall in regards to the Empire. I just want to ensure that we prepared for what's to come and get ahead of it if we can."

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Adriana Fortemps

"We have quite a few... characters, for sure," Valery said with a slight smirk. She was quite fond of most, if not all of them, but some were certainly headaches at times. Even her own Padawans had gone through phases where they could be rather frustrating, but being able to handle that was an integral part of managing an order like this one. Even if she complained at times, she still loved doing it.

Valery then sat back quietly and listened to Adriana talk about the Chancellor. As expected, she had a lot more respect for the woman due to her background, and the more she explained her perspective, the more Valery began to understand her views on the ongoing situations in the Galaxy.

"The Empire is going to build a superweapon," Valery said with a dip of her head, "So I agree, in that they're clearly setting up what they need to escalate the war into something even more disastrous for the Alliance." She then leaned back and took a small sip from her tea.

"You were in favor of the increased border security, but what more do you believe needs to be done? Covert operations? Incursions?" Valery asked, hoping to get an even better idea as to what she really wanted.

​

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

// Imperialist Member Fortemps //
// Coruscant //
// Focus // Valery Noble //

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"And should we sit idle while they construct this weapon?" A low scratch came from the mug as the nail on her thumb dragged back and forth against the ceramic. "We managed to stop their ambitions on Ilum for now, thanks to our military and the Jedi, but you couldn't ask for a more pyrrhic victory. We are lucky the Vice Chancellor survived."

Teeth met her lips as thoughts churned away in her mind, softly chewing at her lip as she thought how best to bring this idea up.

"The Maw is a far more pressing issue than the Empire, both in terms of their goals as well the immanency of their threat. But they proved to not be as patient as we are. So happy is our Senate to simply shore up defenses and pray that the Empire is generous enough to allow us to deal with the Maw and rebuild our fleets. To allow them to bring this war to OUR territory." Her eyes raised up with a renewed vigor as she stared deep into the Sword of the Jedi's amber eyes. "I must apologize, Master Noble. I haven't been entirely forthcoming with you."

Reaching into her bag, Adriana brought forth two datapads. Much of the information on it was blotted out, decidedly classified. Though enough of the information was available that the woman who lived it first hand would know.

"I know what you've been through, what happened to your husband." The tone in her voice shifted to a more sympathetic one, almost apologetic in it's delivery. "Jedi and Soldiers should not be dying for the Senate to make up it's mind about how long we should be waiting for the Empire to come for us."

"We need to show the Empire that we won't stand by and wait."

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Adriana Fortemps

"No, we can't," Valery said, her tone a little more somber as those fiery eyes briefly shifted down at the mug between her hands. The strike behind enemy lines with Rakaan that led up to the death of her husband had been a mission to slow down progress on the superweapon. An attempt to buy time so that the weapon could hopefully be located and destroyed completely before it could bring terror to the Alliance.

Looking back up, Valery listened to what Adriana had to say about the ongoing wars and dipped her head slightly. She was of the mindset that a more proactive stance was needed as well, although likely to a lesser degree than what she wanted. But what really sparked something in Valery was the woman admitting to hearing about her husband's death. Almost instantly, her amber eyes narrowed, and the atmosphere shifted just a little.

Either Adriana had wanted to be careful not to tread painful territory, but more likely was that she approached this conversation the way a politician would.

"If you know what happened to my husband, then you know that we are not just sitting by and waiting as well," Valery began after a moment before she slowly reached for her cup of tea again to take a sip. Her demeanor was a lot more serious now, almost devoid of any brightness. "Securing borders is a lot less demanding on resources than expanding them by fighting our way through their territory. We are looking for the superweapon and facilities tied to its construction, but whether or not the Alliance even has the potential to fight 2 full wars at the same time..." she sighed softly and looked at her tea again.

"It's not all that simple."

​

 

[Adriana Fortemps]

// Imperialist Member Fortemps //
// Coruscant //
// Focus // Valery Noble //

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"If I have said anything to suggest that this is a simple subject I apologize, I'm not out there fighting. I don't understand what you are going through on our behalf."

Her hands folded together as she looked down, more clearly sorting her points. Tea was lovely, and truthfully Valery did seem like good company. But it was not the time for tea with friends.

"That said, all one has to do is look at a Galactic map these days to understand that the Alliance is the focus of the Brotherhood of the Maw at this time. The Empire can talk all they want about their losses to the Maw while the hand of the Sith stretches closer to the throat of the Alliance." A fire lit itself in the eyes of the Echani as she felt a renewed vigor, the veiled layers of sweetness slowly fading as she made herself more obvious. "The way I see it, the Empire is biding their time. They view this war with the Maw as opportunity instead of survival, looking to bolster their own forces and expand their borders while we fight to the last in our front against the Maw."

"There is no simple solution to this issue. You are correct that the Alliance lacks the provisions to combat the Empire and the Brotherhood simultaneously. Equally, however, I believe these wars will come to pass regardless."

Spending a moment to take a sip from the drink to settle her passion, she turned to look out the window beside them, staring towards the sky.

"If we believe our curtain will hold against the might of the Empire, why should the same not be true of the Brotherhood? Against whom we have many other factions directing operations. If we would instead spend our might humbling our neighbours, we would not need to worry about fighting on both fronts. There are far more willing to take action against the Maw than the Empire."

The sympathy returned to Adriana as her lilac eyes returned to meet the Sword of the Jedi's, a touch more genuine.

"Would this prevention of this Superweapon construction not be more assured with the support from Admirals Bao and Pryce? Would you worry for those you love as much if our own Starships were above your head instead of the Empires?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Adriana Fortemps

"I agree about the Empire's stance in this war," Valery said with a nod, and with it, she also accepted that it was a very difficult position for the Alliance to be in. A war with the Maw weakened them whether they liked it or not, while the Empire was left in a situation that allowed them to build up. "But I'm not sure about just bunkering up and relying on these curtains. I've recently made attempts to keep our relationship with the Mandalorians strong, by helping with their plague outbreak, as well as the defense of Rothana against the Maw."

"They're an ally we can count on a lot more, and many of them sided with us on Ilum against the Empire as well. They might make a difference in the balance we have, but I believe the time to shift the tide of this conflict in our favor is near. The Maw has been desperate for supplies and weakened ever since Tython. We can't allow them to rebuild."

Of course, big plans were already being made for action against the Maw, but she was more than capable to resist throwing it all out there. A lot of it was more secretive at the moment, but there was no reason to hide a desire to end the conflict with the Maw. The sooner they were brought down with help from allies, the better.

"But as you said, it's not all that simple. Support from the senate to be proactive would go a long way, but I'll work with what I have. I can't influence the politics of the Alliance much but one way or another, I'll do what I can to end this war."

​