Private The Nature of our Bond

[Valery Noble]

Aing-Tii Ship

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

Vera.

The image of her daughter flashed into her mind again, which meant that Kahlil would be able to see her too. She was still worried and couldn't shake it out of her mind. Not until he did what always worked with her overthinking — he tapped her forehead. Valery blinked, looked at him, and sighed.

"Of course, we'll help. No doubt about that. I just... yeah." He already knew.

<Master Jedi?> The Aing-Tii then interrupted, which got Valery to take a step back while she composed herself again. The figure turned to Kahlil and then looked at the Sith warship.

<These are not slavers, we can tell. They are better equipped and feel dangerous. We intend to strike with three of our most powerful vessels. But we would like to hear your thoughts first, as you seem to know them.> He glanced at Valery for a moment, who had mentioned his father.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

".. They're a scout. Destroy them, don't, and it'll lead to more. There being only the one ship just means they're a sacrifice." Kahlil frowned. He recognized it, the tactic. The mark. How could he not. He reached up to rub his brow.

"If you can throw them off the scent, that'd be the better idea. They're looking for you, is my guess."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Aing-Tii Ship

​

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

A sacrifice?

Valery frowned and looked at Kahlil for a moment. The thought of using any living person like that troubled her and made her wonder why there weren't more uprisings against such methods. Fear, indoctrination, and strange loyalties probably all played a part in that. Either way, it didn't matter much for them right now.

They had to stop this scout, even if it wouldn't keep them away forever. Every minute they could buy these people would be worth it in the end.

<I fear that it's too late to trick them into turning away. Their activity in the region has increased recently. They know something.> He looked at the two Jedi and nodded. <We'll ram their ship and try to take some captive. Perhaps we can learn more about their plans that way.>

<Will you two help us board them?>

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil glanced to Valery briefly. Then, chuckled.

A grim, sad chuckle.

"Don't underestimate the power of faith. My father is as much a king as he is a god to the Epicanthix loyal to him."

Then he looked back to the Aing-Tii, gave him a simple nod. There was no turning back, then. Which meant Carnifex would arrive sooner than they likely thought. Though, ram the ship? Take hostages?

"We can try, but, their fanaticism isn't to be underestimated. Any captured will likely try to kill themselves immediately."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Aing-Tii Ship

​

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

"I know..." she had seen some of it firsthand, and they were dealing with it regularly now that they were trying to help the survivors of Panatha. It just never got easier to know how strong this kind of faith was, and thus how impossible it was to persuade them to change.

For now, it meant a confrontation was unavoidable.

<We understand, but it is worth trying,> The Aing-Tii monk said in response. Even if they got little information out of the people they captured, leaving the ship as intact as possible could perhaps offer other intel. Even if only the data they acquired about the ship itself, and what kind of technology it possessed.

So with that in mind, the three Aing-Tii ships teleported once more, right around the Sith vessel. They formed a triangle, with one Aing-Tii ship in front of it, and two at its sides, slightly angled to hit from behind as well. There would be no way to evade or stop them now, so within seconds, a huge shockwave would echo through the Sith ship, as organic vessels rammed into it. Aing-Tii warriors flooded out immediately, joined by a pair of Jedi Masters.

But as they boarded the ship, Valery suddenly stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I... feel a familiar presence," she said, as she looked up at her husband. She felt Darth Strosius , who she had encountered many years ago, not long after she returned to the Galactic scene from her meditative retreat. "I don't know him well, but I encountered this Sith before. I think he's leading this scouting mission."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Equipment: Lightsaber, Sword, Dagger, Armor
Tags: Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

​

The Sith ship wasted no time in deploying what few troops it had aboard alongside the very basic defense systems. Doors and bulkheads slid closed to delay the intruders as much as possible, vents and airways cut off in an attempt to starve the rooms of breathable air, and the cameras scattered around the ship followed all that they could.

"Jedi are among them! Two confirmed but possibly more!" The bridge of the ship was alight with activity as the crew scrambled to find some method of escape and keep track of the boarding parties at the same time. "Good." The voice of the ship's acting captain broke through the chaotic orders and reports being shouted across the bridge, several confused eyes turning to where the masked man stood at the center. "That means we've found what we're looking for. No more Aing-Tii tricks this time."

Despite his assessment, Alisteri was inwardly cursing the situation. Caught between three ships that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, or at the very least had moved far quicker than the scanners could track, and on top of it all he did not like the presences of the Jedi that he could sense aboard the ship. One of them felt familiar, but both stood out among the Aing-Tii and were far too much him to handle. There was only one option.

"Fire everything we have into the enemy vessels." His authoritative tone dissolved any possible disagreements before they could be formed into words. The Sith was in charge no matter what and he made sure they knew it. "I don't care how much the guns overload or overheat I want them to deal as much damage as possible to cover our escape. Ready every pod and shuttle, have all soldiers at the bulkheads to meet the invaders and prepare to scuttle the ship. I want everyone to ready their blasters just in case. I'll delay the Jedi until we can secure our escape."

Without further orders he left the crew of the bridge to do his bidding, drawing his lightsaber into his left hand his sword into his right. He'd have to buy time and get out alive all in one go if he was to report the location of Aing-Tii. Easier said then done of course, but he was not going to be deterred. Not by two Jedi of all things.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil paused as the ships collided. His eyes narrowed, his reach furthered out. There was nothing familiar here. No trace of the Kainites, of his family. Of the bred and loyal soldiers he'd come to know that served under Carnifex and Demiurge. These weren't Kainites, were they? He stepped beside the other Aing-Tii, giving Valery a brief nod in confirmation of her concerns.

"It's not my father. .. Which honestly just concerns me more."

Valery Noble | Darth Strosius

 

[Valery Noble]

Aing-Tii Ship

​

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

"It means that it's more than a personal conquest." The Sith as a whole were after the Aing-Tii, and that meant trouble. They were too far out from the Alliance, the Mandalorians, or other superpowers to receive proper assistance. All Valery and Kahlil could do was delay the inevitable and help the Aing-Tii survive.

Valery then began to move together with her husband, alongside Aing-Tii warriors as they were heading for the first wave of soldiers. They were undoubtedly going to defend their ship for as long as they could, but likely with the idea to retreat. Sith were not suicidal, so they'd understand that this was a battle they couldn't win.

Sadly, they already had what they were looking for.

"When I last met this Sith, he was only an Acolyte. He is stronger now, but we can handle him. I only fear that it'll delay us too long, so let's try to capture him." The last time they encountered each other, there had been a conscious effort to avoid a fight. This time would be different.

"Up ahead!" Valery then called out, as Sith Order troops appeared. Alisteri would be facing them soon enough, but until then, Valery charged into the enemy lines with her two violet blades drawn. She spun around, moved at speeds they could barely track with their eyes, and carved a path right through.

She was here for the Sith.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Equipment: Lightsaber, Sword, Dagger, Armor
Tags: Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

​

Already firefights were breaking out across the ship as the garrison of soldiers met the Aing-Tii boarders. Soon enough members of the crew had found themselves engaged as well, arming themselves with blasters from fallen soldiers as the fought their way through the ship to some method of escape. Retreat was their only option now, and if they knew that then their enemy most certainly did as well. For now they had to run but soon they would return with an entire fleet to enact their vengeance for such a slight.

Soon. But first they had to escape in order to see that vengeance carried out.

Alisteri marched through the halls, doing his best to suppress his own presence in the Force whilst following those of the Jedi. He had a few more tricks up his sleeve since he had last met this particular Jedi, but not enough to secure him a victory over her. Especially since she wasn't alone this time. He'd have to fight smart, and he started that by snagging the grenade belt of a soldier as they ran by him. A few extra tricks never hurt.

By the time that the masked man emerged into the grand firefight where the Jedi were the Sith Order's troops were already clearly on the back foot. Alisteri sighed and clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt as he took cover behind a pillar. He primed four grenades on the belt and clenched it tightly as he rounded the pillar. "You Jedi have a habit of tresspassing I see!" He launched the belt right at the pair of Jedi and pulled his lightsaber back to his hand, holding his sword aloft in the other as the red blade ignited.

"Stand fast brave soldiers of the Sith! Our enemy finally faces us on equal footing, show them no mercy. Kill them all!"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

The Sith had more troopers than he realized.

Gone for so long, he hadn't realized that the Order had it's different factions, different soldiers. Not everyone was beholden to the Kanites, were they? He moved after Valery, his blade acting as the shield to her sword, deflecting shots, battering back foes. Giving her the space she needed to continue carving a line. Up until danger spiked his senses, at least. He raised a hand without looking, catching the belt of explosives through the Force. Sent it scattering down a side hallway and away from the Aing-Tii.

"The Empire's been busy! I didn't expect to see non Kanite's freely running around. Guess that means Carnifex slackened the leash, some?"

It was bait. Proding at the pride of the Sith to try and get information.

Valery Noble | Darth Strosius

 

[Valery Noble]

Sith Ship

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

The Sword and Shield got to work.

For a scout ship, the Sith had a surprising amount of soldiers, and even the ship crew had armed itself to fight. But with three large Aing-Tii ships boarding, and two Jedi Masters fighting, it would only be a matter of time before they'd break through. One by one, the enemy soldiers were already falling to her blade, as she was able to fight mostly unhindered. She placed her trust in Kahlil to keep her shielded, knowing it was one thing he'd never fail at.

Even as a belt of grenades threatened to fall into her path.

With quick use of Telekinesis, it was tossed aside and the grenades exploded a safe distance away. But what emerged right after was a lot more dangerous than explosives. The Sith, despite how much he had changed, still looked and felt familiar enough to her. She stared him down, drew her weapons up, and briefly glanced at her husband.

"You know this isn't a fight you can win. Surrender, and no more lives need to be lost." She suspected that his intel had already been sent to the Sith Order as well, so what did he still need to fight for beyond survival? It gave her just a little bit of hope that they could stop this from escalating.

Only a little.

"This scouting mission is over."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Equipment: Lightsaber, Sword, Dagger, Armor
Tags: Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

​

Unfortunately the grenade belt idea went about as well as he had expected, it would have been too easy for the Jedi to simply get blown up after all. No, they were a persistent breed of pest indeed. Even worse the battle before him was very much turning in the favor of the boarders, with soldiers dying left and right as they lost ground with each that fell. He had hoped that they could hold longer than this but the ship's garrison was far too spread out dealing with three boardings at once to be as effective as it should have been.

Alisteri cursed under his breath and tapped the side of his helmet to switch to the comms used by the ship's defenders. :"Pull back! All forces pull back to the bulkheads guarding the escape pods and hangar. We need to evacuate immediately!": As the soldiers began a fighting retreat however, the Sith would stride forward to give the boarders and their allies a far more enticing target.

"Carnifex is the one who's leash has almost strangled him Jedi, much like you have done yourselves by boarding my ship!" Lightning crackled across his fingertips as he adopted a combat stance and readied himself to face the boarders, not seeming to pay any heed to the blaster bolts being fired around him by the retreating soldiers. "Surrender? Really? Has that ever actually worked for you?"

The masked man chuckled and shook his head, but there was no mirth or humor to be found in his tone. "We'd have better luck and chances of survival trying to invade a star than surrendering to Jedi scum." The last soldier crossed the threshold of the area and the Sith threw a hand behind himself to launch a bolt of lightning, hitting the door control and shutting it with no chance of opening it in a functional manner.

Without another word Alisteri leapt up, stabbing his blades into the ceiling and swinging himself up to kick in the vent that sat right above where he had been standing. "Should've minded your own business Jedi!" He wasted no time after using the momentum from the swing to land inside the vent, rushing through it as best he could.

:"Bay 12 is sealed, find some way to vent it before the Jedi get out!":

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Carnifex was the one on a leash?

Kahlil laughed. More out of surprise than anything. It shouldn't have been surprising. The Maw didn't bend the knee to his father, why would another group? Maybe he just assumed because they were the survivors of the Empire he'd been born into. He sped forward, aiming to then chase the Sith just as the door was zapped. And closed. He didn't hesitate to thrust the blade forward with the full intent to just cut through it. They couldn't escape, not if they wanted to help the Aing-Tii ready their retreat.

"Can't do that, Sith! We all know what you plan to do with the Aing-Tii, and I'm not about to let you bring another extermination to more people!"

Valery Noble | Darth Strosius

 

[Valery Noble]

Sith Ship

​

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

While Kahlil laughed about the comment regarding his father, Valery was more focused on his response to being asked to surrender. It was absolutely no surprise that he didn't, but she wished he would have. She wished other Sith would when the odds were stacked against them.

So many lives could be spared if they did.

"Unfortunate, but we're not letting you get away."

Sadly, she had to quickly swallow those words when a burst of lightning from his fingertips sealed the door to allow his people a route of escape. Right after, he jumped up and cleverly made his way into the vents, but she wasn't just going to let him run.

<The door, love! I'll go up the vent!> While Kahlil carved through the door to follow after them from down below, the much smaller Valery jumped up and phased her way into the vent, so she could go after him. Her history going through ventilation shafts was quite terrible, after she had gotten stuck in one a long time ago, but this one luckily accomodated her shapes better.

"You can't escape!" Valery called after him and with an outstretched hand, she attempted to telekinetically pull him towards her. She had her violet blade drawn, and was ready to strike him down.

Meanwhile, down below, Kahlil would be right behind the retreating soldiers. Hopefully he'd be able to catch some, or pull the two out of the vents.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Equipment: Lightsaber, Sword, Dagger, Armor
Tags: Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

​

As expected the damaged door would only halt the Jedi for a few moments, but those moments were vital as soldiers and crew all across the ship retreated from their untenable positions and instead moved to defend the corridors and halls that allowed access to the hangar and escape pods. Much like the Sith had done, albeit with blasters rather than lightning, many doors were sealed and then broken behind the retreating forces to grant them as much time as possible. Every second counted if they were to escape alive, and the overworked weaponry of the ship itself could only do so much to occupy the boarding vessels.

What Alisteri had not expected however was for one of the Jedi to follow him into the vents as he made his own retreat.

He quickly stabbed his sword into the wall of the vent, unable to fight the pull with his own strength in the Force. "And you can't stop me!" He gritted his teeth and ignited his lightsaber once more, slashing down and carving a hole in the duct to fall into one of the corridors below. The Sith hit the ground running, the soldiers retreating from the bloody battle with the Jedi just ahead of him after sealing off the door that led to their battleground.

"Keep going! Tell the other squads to dig in and prepare!" He stopped in the middle of the corridor and summoned forth lighting once more, letting the crackling arcs travel up the blade of his sword as he raised it towards the hole in the vent. "You should be thanking me Jedi! You should be glad that we found the Aing-Tii before the Kainites did!" He loosed a single yet powerful bolt of lightning at the hole before turning to run once more, hoping to delay one in the vents and escape before the one at the door could get through.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil paused. Danger. But not for him. For Valery.

In an instant Valery was no longer in the vent. He pulled on the Force, pulled her from the danger of being caught within the blast of lightning to bring her by his side. His brow furrowed as he stared at the halfway cut door. The Sith were retreating. Protecting their own. Not surrendering, but fleeing none the less. His gaze shifted towards Valery, then to the Aing-Tii that followed. The Sith were coming. They'd come back, for certain. Whether or not the people here were all killed and captured.

It didn't feel right to try and kill them.

He spoke up, letting his voice boom across the battle.

"Take to your escape pods and leave, Sith. We will not pursue. But should you come back, we will not extend this mercy again."

Then turned his gaze to the Aing-Tii.

"Fall back, and begin preparations for evacuation. The Sith will come back, in force. Whatever is happening with them, they seem to be in an arms race for your planet."

Valery Noble | Darth Strosius

 

[Valery Noble]

Sith Ship

​

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

Lightning.

Blue crackling began to glow in her fiery eyes, threatening to burn her if she didn't quickly try to defend herself. It wasn't an easy task inside a vent, but she had to protect herself before it was too late. But in an instant, none of it was necessary anymore — rather than being crouched down inside the vent, Valery was suddenly on hands and knees down in the hallway.

Safe beside her husband.

She looked up, flashed a grateful smile, and jumped back up to her feet to help pursue the retreating Sith and his soldiers. At least, until Kahlil stopped and called out to all the Aing-Tii.

"Good call," Valery admitted, even though she had been ready to pursue them. Not to kill them, but to try and capture some if possible. But it was too risky, and what mattered a lot more was getting the Aing-Tii out of here. The Sith were coming, and it would already be impossible to evacuate everybody.

They had to get as many out to safety as possible.

"Are you okay?" she then asked, not having seen what happened down below. She could feel he was alright, as always, but she still wanted to check.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Equipment: Lightsaber, Sword, Dagger, Armor
Tags: Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

Alisteri didn't spare a second glance to the Jedi after he made it past the threshold at the end of the corridor, stabbing one of his blades into the control panel to seal the door shut after the warning had reached his ears. "Mercy. Bah! Jedi hubris at its best." He muttered under his breath, although he was not one to think twice about such an offer and quickly ran to catch up with the retreating soldiers.

Soon enough the ship's escape pods launched out in several directions, all away from the Aing-Tii vessels as the ship's power systems began to overload and start a relatively slow but total self-destruction process. It was easy to escape of course but it was meant to destroy evidence, not be used as a weapon in and of itself.

In addition to the pods a few shuttles and some smaller craft rocketed out of the hangar and sped away from the ships as fast as they could manage, their engines burning hot and bright as they moved out into the space away from the planet. For now the Sith had retreated, but more would come.

Alisteri himself checked over the soldiers in the shuttle alongside him as they veered off to find somewhere to lie in wait for the coming Sith fleet. "Darth Strosius, there's reports coming in from the fleet. But there's one message that you need to see." He sighed and made his way to the cockpit, grasping a handle on the ceiling as he leaned in to inspect the console. "Yes? What is it?"

"It's a message from Darth Ophidia sir." The pilot nodded to a blinking transmission light and Alisteri's gaze snapped to it immediately. His master never contacted him unless she had orders, but all he was supposed to do was scout for the Aing-Tii. Or so he thought anyway. "Patch her through."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I'm fine, for now. Worried that the Order is acting on it's own without my Father. Suddenly there's a whole other threat brewing in the Outer Rim alongside him. Our peace might not last as long as we hoped, after the Maw."

Kahlil frowned, but eventually he gave Valery a smile. Nodded his head. He was ultimately fine. And right now they needed to focus on the Aing-Tii.

"Let's get them out of here."

Valery Noble | Darth Strosius

 

[Valery Noble]

Sith Ship

​

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

Valery watched him for a moment and noticed the rising tension inside. The Sith threat was greater than they had anticipated, and it wasn't just his father anymore who was pulling the strings. But who was? And how many of them were out there? She was aware that the Mandalorians had already failed to stop them, so just how big was this issue?

At least big enough to have the Aing-Tii evacuate.

"I don't think it'll last either, but we'll be ready." She briefly took his hand and just looked up into his eyes. Valery smiled softly and then turned to look at the Aing-Tii who were still behind them.

"Let's get out of here."

One of the monks nodded and looked between the Jedi. <Thank you for all you've done for us.>