Private Up In Flames

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Maiev's Apartment
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Once Maiev’s focus had left Valery’s head, the ‘veil’ that weaved around it seemed to sink into the Jedi. Everything about it changed, from the hair and eye colour, changes in complexion and makeup, even down to specific details like the styling of the hair. Of course the very specific details like Valery’s scar, were also absent.

As the witch’s hands travelled along the length of Valery’s arms, and across the upper back, an almost ethereal-looking silk wrapped around every spot. It followed Maiev’s movements as she walked around to face Valery, and shifted her focus to the Jedi’s torso.

Valery’s words got a small chuckle out of the witch. She caught the Jedi Master’s gaze, a playful smirk to match. “Not the first time I’ve heard that.” After all, she didn’t name her business just because she liked the alliteration. “Not quite yet, my inner perfectionist is currently at odds with the time restraint we’re dealing with.”

But the witch worked quickly, and efficiently. She moved almost like a dance, as her hands moved across Valery’s body. Once at her back, Maiev had to refrain from immediately hitting the common pressure points like she would during a massage.

Old habits.

It wasn’t long before Maiev had moved onto Valery’s legs, and not long after that when she took a couple steps back. With a whispered chant, the woven silk sunk into the Jedi’s clothing and established the illusion. Changing Valery’s iconic attire, to something more akin to a smuggler.

“All done, what do you think?” Maiev asked, conjuring a full length mirror with a wave of her hand. “Everything went smoothly, except for the lightsabers unfortunately. The crystals within are too strong for the illusion to work.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"This is... very interesting." Valery looked into the mirror and blinked while she moved her arms, hands, and even her legs to see if it was real. The differences were so astounding that it felt nearly impossible to believe that she was looking at herself. Her hair, her scar, her make-up and clothes — none of it was the same.

It was the perfect disguise, as long as Maiev could retain her control over the illusion.

With a smirk and a nod to show her approval, Valery looked back at the witch, "This is perfect. I could use my blasters and leave my lightsabers here. I won't really need them." She was a good fighter with or without them, and the stun setting on her blasters would allow her to do the job without causing much harm.

"Maybe I'll have to get the Jedi Shadows to learn this someday." She smiled briefly, then turned away from the mirror to remove her lightsabers and ready her pistols.

"Ready to head out?"

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Maiev's Apartment
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Looking upon her work, Maiev couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. It had been far too long since she had last attempted the disguise enchantment, especially so on someone as powerful as Valery.

She hadn’t lost her touch, no matter how far she had disconnected herself from her Dathomirian roots.

“I must say Valery, if you hadn’t become a Jedi, you would’ve made one hell of a smuggler.” Then again, it was highly likely the Jedi; in her capacity as a Shadow, had already used such a guise for a mission or two.

The witch nodded her head. “Hopefully we need to use blasters either, but it’s never a bad idea to be prepared.”

And if Maiev’s suspicions were right, on where Alli was being held, then they were going to be walking into a situation heavily outnumbered. Either a silver tongue, or a blaster bolt was going to get them out of this be the end. Maiev hoped it would end up being the former.

“Having a Dathomirian within your Shadow ranks would be your best bet. That kind of unity would do wonders for maintaining the illusion.”

The question about being ready elicited a chuckle from the witch. “Better question would be, are you ready? We’re gonna have to teleport again if we want to be timely.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"You know what, I totally agree," Valery said with a grin as she looked at her disguise, "The smuggler look works well on me." She chuckled, pulled a little at her jacket to get a feel for the disguise, and then turned her gaze back to Maiev. It was remarkable what she could do with the Force, and if she had still been a Jedi Shadow, she would have done anything to learn these skills.

Valery then holstered pistols and drew in a short breath, "Let's hope we won't need them, but I have a feeling we will." They both knew they were going somewhere with a lot of potential enemies.

This wasn't going to be easy.

To make matters worse, they'd have to teleport again to get there. The first time had been intense, and she doubted that she had gotten used to it already. But with time running out for them, she had no other choice and nodded, "Alright, take me away. Just cover me a little after we get there."

"I have a feeling I'll be a little dazed."

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Starlighter Club
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Maiev hummed in agreement, it was better to be prepared going into any potential dangerous situation. Sometimes just having a weapon on show was enough to deter someone from violence. But the witch had a feeling it wasn’t going to be as simple for them.

There was a high likelihood they’d be entering a gang’s hideout soon. If Maiev’s suspicions were right at least, she needed confirmation first. Either way though, the potential chance of getting surrounded was high. And whether it was going to result in a shootout was yet to be determined.

“Don’t worry, I know where we’ll be landing.”

Wrapping an arm around Valery’s waist, Maiev herself forwards into a portal. They slipped through the window and were zipping across the Coruscant skyline once more. Back to the lower levels they went, only this time their destination was the Starlighter Club.

The duo appeared down in an alley, just behind the club itself. Maiev released her hold on Valery, taking a moment to check their surroundings. Fortunately, there wasn’t another soul in sight.

“You alright?” She asked, gaze washing over Valery to ensure the illusion was fully in place still. Once the Jedi regained her bearings, Maiev led the way towards the front entrance of the club.

No booming music came screaming out from its depths, instead there was an eerie calmness to a place that would otherwise be packed with people. But then again, it wasn’t anywhere close to the right hour for it.

Once inside, Maiev made a beeline for the main bar, where standing behind it was a female Pantoran. “Marian, it’s good to see you.”

“You as well, Maiev. What brings you here?”

“Business unfortunately. Oh, where are my manners?” Maiev stepped to the side, motioning over to Valery. “Marian, this is my friend-”

The witch paused, leaving it open for the Jedi to introduce herself. Hopefully she already had a name in mind.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"It's not the landing I'm worried about..."

Valery grumbled a little more but steadied herself when Maiev pulled her closer to teleport. Once more, the two went practically flying across the Coruscant skyline, but now that she knew what to expect, Valery felt a lot less sick and dizzy coming out of it. Still, as soon as they had made their landing in an alley behind the club, Valery remained seated for a moment.

Only when the world stopped spinning, she decided to look back up.

"I'm fine," she said as she climbed back to her feet, "Let's do this." Luckily, the hour meant that the club wasn't quite booming, so there was no deafening music and far fewer people to worry about. Maiev, once stepping inside the club, immediately beelined toward the bar and Valery quietly followed suit.

She introduced herself and once she offered Valery a chance to do the same, the Jedi Master spoke, "Jade," Valery said, choosing the name of her sister.

"A pleasure to meet you."

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Starlighter Club
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

“A pleasure to meet you too, Jade.” Marian offered the Jedi a smile, before the expression slipped away upon seeing the more serious look coming from Maiev.

“We’re looking for Varren, is he here?” She asked, feigning ignorance to the fact they had ‘convinced’ Strodd to call him earlier. “Want to have a little…chat with him.”

There was a flash of understanding in Marian’s eyes, before the Pantoran let out an annoyed scoff. “Yeah he was hanging out at the bar, moping and complaining as usual. Got a call not too long ago, said he’d be out back in his usual room.”

Good. Means he can’t weasel his way out of here without running into us.

Maiev reached into her jacket, rummaging for a few seconds until she pulled out a credit chit. She placed it down onto the bartop, sliding it over towards Marian. The two women shared a look, before Maiev stepped away and turned towards the nearby set of doors.

“Come on Jade, let’s go catch up with Varren.”

As they both walked out of earshot, disappearing into the backrooms of the club. Marian reached down behind the bar and pulled out a commlink.

“Rath? Could you please loop the camera in private gaming room seven? Thank you.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"You've got contacts everywhere, hm?" Valery had mostly watched her interaction with Marian. Watched and concluded that this wasn't their first time planning something like this. It was a good thing, knowing that their target wasn't the only resourceful person in the Coruscant underowrld.

Maiev had her own tricks.

"So, what's our game plan? Direct confrontation? Or did you have something else in mind?" Valery wasn't opposed to anything, really. They had their target cornered and even if he somehow managed to run, she was certain that she'd be a lot faster. This was going to be over quickly.

Barring any unexpected trouble.

"Lead the way."

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Starlighter Club
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Maiev chuckled lightly. “If there’s one thing I've learned, it's that even being adjacently associated with the Underworld, it’s important to make the right connections. And it certainly doesn’t hurt to cast a wide net.” Running an establishment like hers also helped, given the varied clientele they could have.

“That and well…Varren is a regular here, and a real pain in the arse to the staff. So people like Marian aren’t going to be shy about averting their attention for a little while.”

As they walked down the hallway, Maiev’s eyes shifted to each door they passed. Far as they knew, only Varren was present, but there was no telling if any of the others were too. But the witch could sense nothing as they passed, but easily caught the bundle of frustration and impatience coming from their destination.

“Direct confrontation, and I’m not going to lie…part of me wants to make him pay a little for burning down my business. But our priority is to get the information about Alli’s whereabouts.”

First however, was to lower Varren’s guard a little.

Maiev muttered a chant, her eyes glowing green before she closed them. With a single hand she began to massage her throat, specifically the larynx. The witch quietly hummed, as if trying to tune an instrument, until her voice gradually shifted into a mimicry of a Rodian.

With one hand remaining over her throat, Maiev used the other to knock on the door.

“Who is it?!”

“[It’s me boss, can I come in?]”

“Strodd? Fucking finally, get your arse in here. We need to talk.”

Maiev glanced over at Valery, gaze flickering towards her blasters. No words needed to be said, they were both prepared. A couple seconds passed before the witch promptly kicked the door open.

“What the fu-” Varren turned on his heels at the sudden action, only to freeze when he recognized Maiev. His hand immediately went down to reach for his bla-

“Don’t even think about it, Varren.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"I like the sound of that," Valery said and grinned when Maiev opted for direct confrontation. Being a former Shadow meant she had often been forced to be subtle, but her favored strategy was to be direct. In this case, it'd help catch their target by surprise, and hopefully that pressure would make him crumble.

Make him talk.

"He'll pay for what he has done, but the right way." She smiled reassuringly and followed after Maiev, who had even more tricks up her sleeves. Seeing her use her magic to mimic someone else's voice... it made her wonder if she could also mimic her own.

Varren, unaware of Maiev's trickery, responded and the two were allowed to step inside. A mistake on his part, but one so easily made. Valery and Maiev both burst through the door, weapons already drawn and targeting him before he even had the chance to draw his own blaster.

But Valery wasn't taking any chances. She balled her hand into a fist and used the crushing weight of the Force to completely destroy his weapon.

"I think it's time we talk." With another flick of her hand, the door shut behind her.

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Varren’s fingers had just barely touched his blaster when it was suddenly gone, completely shattered into pieces. There was recognition in his eyes, knowing full well that the Force had been the cause. But his gaze flickered between both women, as if unsure on who.

That was until Valery shut the door behind them, with a simple gesture of her hand.

“You ain’t getting anything from me.”

Maiev just raised an eyebrow, staring the Weequay down. Varren’s bravado immediately disappeared as he turned around and went to run. A ‘fight or flight’ response, only the latter had no possible outcome, given they were standing in front of the only door in and out of the room.

But the witch wasn’t about to take any chances, of the possibility that Varren might try and grab something. So as he went to move, Maiev waved her glowing hand in his direction. All of a sudden the Weequay’s legs snapped together, bound by conjured rope. Varren could do nothing as he slammed face first into the floor.

Maiev walked over, another wave her hand turning the man over onto his back. She used more of her magick to bind his arms together. And with Valery’s help, they hauled Varren up onto his feet, and shoved him into one of the nearby chairs.

By the time his haziness faded, any semblance of confidence was gone.

“Wh-what did you want to talk about?”

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"We already have what we need."

Valery watched the Weequay turn around to run away, but there was no escaping. The only possible outcome was for him to find a new weapon, but even that wouldn't be enough to get through both Maiev and Valery. Still, there was no point in taking risks, so Maiev drew on the Force and snapped his legs together with magical bindings. Varren hit the floor face-first, knocking him senseless long enough for the witch to further bind him.

He wasn't going to leave until they had their answers.

Forced to sit in a chair, he finally seemed to wake from his brief slumber and looked between the two women. His confidence was shattered, his pride gone, and all she saw was a will to survive.

Not that she had ever planned to take his life.

"Stop wasting our time." Valery's voice was sharp and confident, commanding and almost threatening.

"We want to know everything."

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

The Weequay almost seemed to shrink into his seat. Though part of him was curious why he recognized the blonde’s voice. But he was more concerned about keeping his head right now.

“E-everything?”

“Everything. Specifically, where the Jackals are, your boss and where Alli is being held.”

“Yo-you’re in luck then! They’re all in the same place.”

“Really? That seems like an awful coincidence.” Maiev narrowed her eyes at Varren.

“I’m being honest! Like yes the whole gang isn’t there, but the boss and the underbosses are there.”

“Where exactly?”

Varren began to ramble until Maiev slammed her hand down onto the table.

“The Works! District Six, they’re using one of the abandoned factories as a warehouse.”

“And Alli’s there?”

“Yes, the boss wanted to keep her there until they could resolve the mess with the deal.”

Maiev turned to look at Valery, to see if the Jedi Master could gauge if Varren was being truthful. The witch knew she could probably check herself, but she was the one more personally invested in the matter.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

Valery allowed Maiev to do the talking, only so she could focus on the way his words echoed in the Force. Even a good liar struggled keeping the truth from an experienced Jedi, and Valery had been specifically trained to acquire information from people. With just the look in her eyes, she hoped to convey that to him.

She'd be far less pleasant if he tried anyway, and wasted her time.

When Maiev finally got the information out of him regarding the Jackals, Valery hummed in thought and looked at Maiev. She dipped her head to show he was telling the truth and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"It's not a pleasant place to be, but we have no choice." She waved her hand in front of Varren's face, and he went to sleep. Nothing that would harm him, but they had no other use of the man.

"We'll get him taken by local authorities. Meanwhile, I say we head to the Works before they know something is up."

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Starlighter Club
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Maiev watched with mild amusement as Varren’s eyes glazed over seconds after Valery waved her hand. His head slumped down onto the table, followed by an almost immediate chorus of snores.

A part of the witch wanted to make his sleep a bit more…violent. But she was content with him no longer being a potential problem. They did not need him waking up and alerting his boss to their ‘visit’.

“The fact we’re going to be far away from others; and no doubt outnumbered, tempts me to contact the CSF to let them know.” Maiev pushed the door open as the duo left the private gambling room. “But this lot will no doubt become trigger happy at the mere sniff of authorities being around.”

Meaning that trying to talk their way through things was their best bet, until things potentially imploded. But hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

“All taken care of?” Marian asked, catching the two women as they were making their way across the club’s main room.

“Yeah, Varren’s just having a little nap. Shouldn't be too much of an issue from here on.”

With that, they finally exited Starlighter Club, and back out onto the bustling lower streets of Coruscant. “The Works is a far distance away from here, so unfortunately my usual form of travel is ill-advised."

“Although…” Maiev looked over at Valery, a teasing grin on her face. “Maybe that’s fortunate for you, aye?” The witch let out a chuckle, before looking around for a cab or something. “We’ll need to grab a vehicle to make our way over there.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Yeah, I think it's best if it's just us two. We can handle ourselves and cover for each other." If they asked others to join them, she just worried there would be unnecessary casualties. These thugs were dangerous — dangerous enough for the CSF agents to struggle in a close quarters firefight. But not nearly threatening enough to stand up against a Jedi and a Witch with some serious skills that were beyond their understanding.

They'd handle this without help.

After returning, they assured Marian that their job was done and began to head outside. Time was of the essence, so Valery wanted to get going without much more delay.

That said, she was visibly happy when Maiev's means of travel didn't seem to work out.

"Just a little fortunate," Valery commented with a grin of her own. "If we grab a speeder, I can drive us there. Going fast with more traditional means is my specialty." She flashed the woman a wink and turned to look around. There were speeders parked everywhere, but taking one of those was not preferred.

No, she saw something better.

"Look, a taxi without its driver. Think we can borrow it?"

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Heading towards The Works
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

It didn’t seem to take at all long for Valery to find a vehicle they could procure, albeit it was one that was currently unoccupied but clearly owned by someone. Maiev did feel somewhat bad about the idea of taking it, but they were on a bit of a deadline.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, provided we bring it back in one piece?”

At least it wasn’t a speeder bike.

Maiev was not the biggest fan of them, which was considerably ironic given the witch’s past and upbringing on Dathomir.

“Let’s just hope they’re not going to be working today.” It was already decently late into the day anyway, so hopefully it was their day off.

With a quick application of the Force, the taxi was unlocked allowing for the duo to climb inside.

“District Six won’t be too far into the Works, but we might need to hover over a number of the factories there, several of them are considered ‘abandoned’.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"We'll return it or compensate the owner if it gets damaged." She was very serious about that because she didn't believe herself to be above the law. The only reason she decided to take the speeder was because time was of the essence. Every wasted minute could potentially bring them back to square one.

There was no other option.

"I'll handle the flying if you can be my eyes for down below," Valery said as she got settled into the taxi and got it started up. She was a good driver, so if they ran into trouble, Valery felt confident that she could get them to safety. But more importantly, Maiev knew this part of Coruscant far better than she did.

Her eyes scanning the factories and various buildings on the ground was crucial.

Once settled and ready, Valery blasted off and hurried towards the district. She wasn't going to waste any time, so she zigzagged around other vehicles and seemed generally chaotic in her driving.

But every move was calculated.

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - The Works, Sixth District
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Maybe this won’t be too bad.

That was the last thought in the witch’s head before Valery practically launched the taxi up into the air, and into the overhead traffic. Admittedly, Maiev had to grab a hold of the door as they zigzagged around any and all vehicles in their way. Even though she knew Valery was using the Force to help navigate around, Maiev couldn’t help but feel a little trepidation.

Perhaps the old rumours about Valery's habit of breaking speeders had some truth to them…

The irony wasn’t missed on the witch however, given her preferred form of transport as quite literally throwing herself through the air, moving between portals.

Eventually though, the traffic eased off as they moved towards the more open airspace of District Six’s factories.

“From someone who had to tame one, you’d give a wild rancor a run for its money.” Maiev let out a small laugh.

As they began to check the factories, Maiev peered over the edge to look down. Fortunately, all the buildings were uniform in their structure, each with a large skylight that overlooked a large open area within. The first two factories were a dud, until they finally made it to the third.

“Wait, look at the area in front of the building. Don’t you think there’s a few too many vehicles outside, for an ‘abandoned factory’?” The witch’s senses were practically screaming at her, that this was the right place. “Let’s try and land on the roof somewhere, use the skylight to get a look inside.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Why are you holding the door? I'm not going that fast uet." Valery squinted at the Witch. Deep down, she knew she was a somewhat sportsy driver, especially in these circumstances. She just wasn't going that fast yet! And she hated it when people sat in a vehicle with her, bracing themselves for impact.

She'd never hit anything.

...except for that one time she scratched the paint on the Bastion.

"From someone who had to tame one, you'd give a wild rancor a run for its money."

Valery kept her eyes forward and tried to force her lips to shut into a line, but found herself unable to. She smirked and soon began to chuckle. Alright, maybe she was a somewhat wild driver.

Luckily, not wild enough to make Maiev's part of the mission impossible. From up above, she could keep her eyes on the factories below and soon spotted one that seemed off. Too many vehicles parked outside — it had to be the right place. Valery dipped her head, agreeing with the woman, and brought the taxi around.

"I'll make it a quiet landing. We don't want to warn them."

True to her word, Valery made the landing as gentle as one could and even disembarked without making a sound. As reckless of a driver as she was, Valery had still been a Shadow.

Being quiet was easy to her.

Maiev ​