Private The Nature of our Bond

[Valery Noble]

Kathol Rift

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"According to what I read, they live on a planet somewhere in the Kathol Rift," Valery muttered while she spun around in the co-pilot seat. The Kathol Rift was a very treacherous stretch of space, and when it came to navigating and piloting ships like this, Kahlil was more experienced and skilled. So she let him handle the controls and added almost nothing in return.

Just spinning.

"No idea where but uh, don't try to hit the nebulas while we search for them, babe." She shot him a dumb, totally helpful grin and sat up straight, fiery eyes turned to the viewscreen. This was the first step in their journey to understand the nature of their bond better. The Dyad. The dynamic between the Sword and the recently chosen Shield. None of it was a coincidence or a choice made by a person — this was the will of the Force.

Valery believed that the Aing-Tii would be able to help them understand.

"Hmmm..." She smirked, got up to her feet, and stepped up behind him, so she could let her arms slide from each shoulder down his chest. The long journey had made her a little bored, so why not mess with him a bit? Even though he was flying them through the Kathol Rift. "I really wonder what we'll find once we meet them," she said softly before kissing his cheek and stepping back again.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"A nebulas, huh?"

He snickered, glancing towards Valery for a moment, then back to the controls. Somewhat. He was half in half out of a trance with the Force. In regions like this, it was important for him to be able to use the Force to navigate. Especially here. The Force was.. Everywhere. Far more than he expected in this region.

"We'll find them. Don't worry. Just, make sure you keep your head on straight? Rumor is weird things happen to folks coming through here. Haven't felt it myself, but I haven't stayed here longer than passing through."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Kathol Rift

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Oh, he was trying to focus.

Valery shot him a sheepish smile and plopped back down into her chair. Her Keshian eyes were able to pierce through the dark vacuum much better than most people's eyes, and even though the Kathol Rift was dangerous, it was very beautiful as well. The Nebula Kahlil was carefully maneuvering his way through seemed so colorful, making it hard to imagine that entering it would likely not end very well.

"I always keep my head on straight," Valery said smugly. "The mind of a Shadow is not easily messed with~" she smirked and casually leaned back into her chair.

Until she spotted a spider. On top of Kahlil's shoulder.

Her eyes widened, and she suddenly lunged forward to whack down on top of her husband's shoulder, not caring that he needed to focus right now. "Spider!" she yelled, but as she pulled back her hand, there was nothing. Valery's entire face turned bright red, and slooowly she looked at Kahlil.

"Heh... I uh, I think I missed." Yep, totally.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

If there was an advantage to being so deep in the Force, it was being aware of things going on around him. Like him about to be smacked. He didn't even jump, didn't even look back towards her. Just continued to pilot. And smirked. Very much smirked. Once he was at least certain they weren't going to crash into anything he turned his gaze up towards her with quite the grin forming.

"Uh huh. Missed."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Kathol Rift

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

That grin on his face.

He didn't even need to say anything - it killed her completely. She squealed something of a response, fell back down in her seat and tried to hide her flustered face. Even after all these years together, after 4 kids and being married, he could still so easily make her blush.

Perhaps another reason why what they had always felt so special.

"I swear there was one..." She mumbled before looking out into space. Kahlil was quite expertly navigating them through the Kathol Rift and-

Another spider.

On top of the console this time, crawling his way towards Kahlil. "There!" She exclaimed, while pointing at something that wasn't actually there. But as she did, a shift occurrd in the Force as well. And suddenly, Kahlil would see a ping on his map, drawing him to a seemingly uninhabited planet.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil just kept his brow raised. He didn't need to look to know there wasn't a spider. And thus, the grin only widened.

"Right. Good to know the Sword is so easily swayed in this region." He was absolutely going to tease her about that. Would've continued, if not for the sudden blip on the radar. His attention turned, a frown settling on his lips. There wasn't a signal there before. And unlike Valery, he wasn't affected. The perks of being an Epicanthix, it seemed. The Jedi Master let out a sigh as he shifted the controls to lead them towards the planet in question.

"You're gonna want to figure out how to block that out. If we get real spiders I don't want to be second guessing if it's just the Force affecting you."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Kathol Rift

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"She's not swayed very easily, thank you," She grumbled and shifted a little in her seat, a pout on her face. "I just... wasn't paying enough attention," she then admitted. The excitement of this journey with him, the long trip, and her bit of playful teasing — it had been enough to take away her focus a little too long.

So as he told her to figure out how to block it out, she smiled sheepishly, "I'll be fine now, sorry." Instantly, Shadow Val took over, and her mind became a fortress almost as impenetrable as that of an Epicanthix. Her barriers were more used to blocking out the Dark Side specifically, but she'd be able to stop a few spider illusions as well.

"The planet. It wasn't there before, hm?" She frowned and pointed at their map, "It's in the middle of this nebula. Can you get us through it?" She asked, but she already knew the answer. They came here for a reason, and both knew challenges would be there along the way.

Getting through the turbulent nebula would be their first, and it would require a lot of focus on the Force's guidance to not get torn apart

 

[Kahlil Noble]

He chuckled and grinned, watching her for a moment before turning his gaze, finally, back to the controls. He couldn't help but want to tease her now and then, especially now when it was just the two of them. In a way it was their own vacation. Sort of.

"Course I can. Just sit down and strap in, though."

Just in case. He closed his eyes as he let himself drift into the embrace of the Force. Let go of the controls. Sinking so deep was something that used to be difficult, not so much now. The controls moved on their own, activating switches throughout the ship without touching them, all through the Force. He'd get them through, safe and easy.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Kathol Rift

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Despite the pout, Valery shot him a sidelong glance and grinned in return. He knew it better than anybody else, but she loved his teasing and the little bits of fun between them. It made missions like this almost feel like the private vacations they needed as well, just to be together as loving partners, and even as best friends.

This one just required them to be more careful.

"Yes sir~" Valery then said with a grin before she literally buckled up and sat with her hands in her lap. She could feel how Kahlil was tapping into the Force to take control of the Bastion, and she saw the dangerous storms that almost looked impossible to get through, so this was something to take seriously.

Yet, it seemed as if Kahlil got them through it almost effortlessly. On each side of the Bastion, massive rays of lightning danced around, threatening to consume that with even the lightest of touches. But through his Force-assisted piloting, they got through without even a scratch. "Even after all these years, sometimes you still surprise me, you know?" she chuckled.

But in orbit of the planet they approached, the two Jedi could see a strange object that resembled a ship of some kind. But any and all scans only showed organic signatures — no metals, plastics, or other materials you'd associate with ships. There was, however, a slightly smaller ordinary ship attached to it with what looked like boarding tubes.

"What do you think is happening there?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I always have some tricks, yeah."

He flashed her another grin, though it didn't stay as he looked over the scans. A wholly organic ship? There was only one species he knew of specifically that had organic ships. Vong. And he was never much a fan of the Vong. At least, if only because of the torturous machines his father employed from them. Kahlil hazarded a glance back towards his wife. Gave her a brief smile.

Little chance they weren't going to investigate.

"Want to check it out?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Organic Ship

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"I do like your tricks," she said innocently, but there was something to her tone that made the statement seem playful. But it also didn't linger for long, as she focused on the organic ship with another attached to it. It didn't look like any of the Vong ships she had read about, so was it another species entirely? Or maybe a new design?

Either way, she felt a need for caution.

"Yeah let's take a look. I doubt any of this is a coincidence," Valery told him before she pointed at the side of the ship. "It has a similar docking port as the one the metal ship uses, but on the opposite side. Let's go from there." She turned to him with a soft smile and waited until the Bastion linked up with the strange organic vessel. As it did, tendrils of some kind began to shift around and made sure their ship was secured.

Even a breathable atmosphere appeared within the tunnel between ships.

"This is... I've never seen a ship like this. Have you?" she asked as she stepped inside and looked at the walls that felt alive. "Who would live in a-"

She stopped as a loud, alien shriek echoed through the ship from afar.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil helped to bring the ship in, though it seemed it was almost unneeded as the other ship proved to be very much alive indeed. Kahlil set his jaw, even as they were pulled in. At least it didn't look like any Vong ship he knew of. Still a little unsettling to see it slither around his ship as it did. He raised a brow curiously, to her question, but the brow didn't stay up as the screech echoed through the ship itself.

That wasn't good.

"Well, at least we're going to find out what happened."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Organic Ship

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"I hope there aren't any real spiders here," she said, and the way she stayed close to him made it clear that was an actual fear and not just a joke. If it came down to it, she wasn't that bothered by spiders, but they were nasty little creatures, and she preferred Kahlil to handle them if he could.

So with that in mind, she began to walk toward the source of the scream they heard. Several more followed soon, but all of them were still far away, and the Force showed no real signs of what was happening.

Until they spotted a body.

"Oh no..." Valery said, as she stepped closer and crouched down, "It's one of the Aing-Tii."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

One of the Aing-Tii?

Kahlil glanced over the corpse briefly before turning his gaze towards the halls around him. He ignited the blade of his lightsaber, readied it all the same as he started to sprint down to the hall towards the screaming.

"Quick! We might be able to save some."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Organic Ship

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"Right! After you!" Valery called back before she jumped to her feet, reached for the hilt of her lightsaber, and sprinted after him. As they passed through the hallways, they'd run by more bodies, but not all of them were Aing-Tii. Some were humanoids in darker robes, and all of them were wearing masks. Some had whips on their belts, while others were dead on the floor with blasters near their bodies.

"Slavers!" Valery called out to her husband. She had read about the Aing-Tii's hatred for slavers, so was this an attack against them?

That would also mean-

BANG

The entire ship suddenly began to heavily shake, as it felt as if something huge had just struck it. The Force of impact was so great, that it slammed Valery into the wall, and by the time she was struggling back up to her feet, she spotted another organic vessel. It had rammed itself into the other ship they had seen attached to this one.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Slavers are always bad news."

He tensed, but his gaze already peered over towards where the impact would land. The Force already gave him a warning. Kahlil moved, leapt from the ground just on impact to let the ship move under him, then landed to keep going. They needed to find the survivors, and stop the Slavers themselves.

"Hopefully the Bastion will be fine!"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Organic Ship

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Valery hadn't been so lucky, and groaned from the impact against the wall. She was now falling behind a little as he continued forward, but sped up to try and get closer to Kahlil again. They had to stop whatever was happening out here before it was too late for the Aing-tii or their own ship.

Although it seemed the Aing-tii weren't all that worried. For some reasom, they had just rammed the other ship with one of their own.

"I think the Bastion is fine!" She called out, seconds before Kahlil would find himself in a wide, open hallway. Bodies were scattered around on the floor, but several Aing-Tii were fighting the slavers and starting to slowly get the upperhand.

But it was a costly fight, and for some reason the slavers saw no reason to retreat.

"We have to help them!"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

There was a lot going on here behind the scenes Kahlil wasn't sure about. Too many things that weren't adding up. Slavers didn't fight to the death like this, did they? He frowned a little before he reached a hand out.

The Force pulled under his direction, then wrapped around all them. The Aing-tii, the slavers. To outright and utterly stop the fighting immediately as he stepped into view.

"The fighting stops now. No more blood will be spilled."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Organic Ship

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

All at once, both the slavers and the Aing-tii were frozen, held in a tight grip by the Jedi Master. Valery meanwhile caught up and looked at everything with slightly widened eyes. Tension in the Force had ceased, but she felt powerful emotions instead. Frustration, anger and the Aing-tii seemed to still possess the will to fight.

The slavers were the ones who felt relief.

Both Valery and Kahlil then felt something reach out to their minds, as the highly telepathic Aing-tii looked for a connection. Not in a invasive way, but it was their method to communicate.

"Why do you stop us?" One asked, the question directed at Kahlil.

"They must be dealt with," another said.

"Love, I think they were hunting the slavers..." Instead of the other way around. It made sense, considering their hatred for slavers, but now they had to figure out how to respond to it.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

That made more sense. They were here to hunt the slavers, not the other way around.

Regardless, Kahlil kept his hands up. Kept any of them from moving. "So many have already died. I apologize, but I cannot let anyone else die. I can have the slavers here arrested and brought to the Alliance to be convicted of their crimes, but I cannot allow you to kill anyone else."

It certainly wasn't his place to say as much, not here. But it was the only avenue he could see to stop the death.

Valery Noble