Private Way of the Sarlacc

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

"They will be killed, likely at the Sarlacc pit," Valery said as they circled around the sail barges from up above. "Those people down there live in the dune sea, and prey on the weak. They sell spice, they hunt for illegal bounties and extort people for credits." She had been on Tatooine many times — it had even been one of the first planets she visited after coming out of stasis, where she met Jacen Voidstalker for the first time — and it still was just as terrible.

She hated almost everything about it.

"Those Mandalorians have surrendered, and they can't fight anymore. But they're going to be killed, for whatever reason. What do you think a Jedi should do?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Oh. Well that answered a lot of what Aris was unsure about. He powered up the guns almost immediately.

"When a Jedi knows something is wrong, they should make it right."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

Valery saw the weapons coming online and smiled a little to herself. She'd rather not expose him to danger at all, but up in the Bastion, they had an advantage. Even down below, she wasn't worried about a few thugs taking her down, and her son was already quite the duelist himself.

"I'll bring us around. Target their rear to knock out their engines. We're not blowing them up." There was no need to — just knocking their sail barge out would be all they needed to get the Mandalorians and bring them out without being pursued. Of course, they were going to get shot at.

The Bastion circled around the barge, and dipped down through the clouds a moment later. She leveled the ship, kept it steady, and called out, "Now, Aris!"

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris didn't need to be told twice. He prepped up his blasters, and the moment the target came into view he opened fired. They had air superiority for sure, and with surprise it wasn't hard to take out the engines and force their barge to the ground. "Got them! But are we planning to land? How are we going to stop them from just shooting the Mandalorians?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

Valery circled around and with just one shot, Aris took care of their engines. Definitely not bad, for a boy with little experience and no ability to tap into his senses. Maybe he had played games where he practiced his shooting? Or, well, maybe it was just a Noble thing to be good at this type of stuff.

Either way, the sail barge was down, and people on top of the barge's deck started opening fire. Not that it bothered Valery - simple blasters couldn't get through the Bastion's shields.

"I'm going to set the ship to auto-pilot, and have it circle around the barge. I will have to go down there to stop those people, but you have a choice," Valery said calmly.

"I trust you to join me take care of things down there, Padawan Noble. But if you don't feel ready, stay on the ship and offer fire support from above."

 

[Aris Noble]

The smart, responsible thing would be for him to stay on the ship, man the guns, and support her from the air. He was a Padawan, still learning how to handle actual conflict, and there was no telling what sort of weaponry these pirates might have given they were able to take down even armored Mandalorians.

There were too many unknowns, and it'd be irresponsible to put the added pressure of making Master Noble have to watch him and potentially have to defend him while there were threats everywhere. And yet, he climbed right out of the seat and made his way to the lowering ramp to join her regardless. He trusted his skill. More than that, he trusted the belief she had in him.

"Let's get them."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

That's my boy.

Valery knew that it was likely safer for him to stay on the ship, and normally she would make him stay there. She also knew Kahlil wouldn't like her just bringing their son into danger. But she trusted Aris with this, and she felt confident that Kahlil would also trust her judgment.

She could really use his help.

"Alright, after me." Valery guided him to the ramp, lowered it, and looked down as heavy winds from flying around cut into the ship. She clenched her jaw as that air bit into her skin, but then let herself fall from the sky. She tapped into the Force to cushion the fall, and reached out to slow down her son, just to be safe.

"Get to the hostages! I'll take down the big guns!"

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris jumped out after her.

And promptly fell like a rock. Not in an uncontrolled way, but very much diving head long towards the ground. He couldn't slow himself with the Force, but he could strengthen his body to withstand the fall. That, and surprise wasn't going to be on their side for much longer given the explosion. Not that it mattered for long.

Valery slowed his descent, and on impact he immediately took off in a sprint towards the hostages. He was faster than the thugs were ready for, and his lightsaber ripped through their blasters, and a quick kick to the side of their head knocked them out cold.

"Get up and run!"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

Valery moved with the same kind of speed and jumped up with explosive force. A turret on top of the sail barge had turned towards her son, towards Padawan Noble, and no part of Valery was going to allow it to fire. Her purple blade swept through the barrel, right as the thugs tried to open fire. Their weapon exploded, injuring them severely, but neither of the two gunners were killed.

Then, in mid-air, Valery whipped out her blaster and fired several stun rounds to take down people atop the barge. They scattered for cover, and returned fire, but a Jedi Master wasn't exactly what they were ready for.

Meanwhile, the four Mandalorians on their knees seemed stunned that such a young boy, such a young Jedi, was there to help them of all people. But once that initial shock faded, they got up and started running. As they did, Aris would hear a loud bang, before a sniper bolt struck one in the back. Beskar saved the man's life, but he was knocked to the ground with the air beaten from his lungs.

The sniper atop the barge aimed again, but Valery wasn't quite on top of him yet.

 

[Aris Noble]

He didn't have the power of foresight, and it showed this time. The shot came, and he felt nothing. They weren't targeting him, which was likely why, but it still struck him hard as he watched the Mandalorian get hit. Another Jedi would've known, would've intervened. He couldn't. But he didn't dwell on it for long. Aris moved, bringing his saber around to catch the next shot and sent it right back at the sniper.

"Get up and keep moving! I'll hold them here."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

The sniper bolt came in fast, but Aris was quicker and sent it back along its previous path with a sweep of his blade. It struck the rifle the man held as a result, which exploded and showered the thug in shrapnel. He stumbled back with a yelp of pain, but Valery was right there to silence him with a kick to the head. Before his body hit the floor, Valery was already right on top of another, who had tried to shoot her in the back.

But something changed, and the fire that had consumed the engines began to spread. Valery felt the danger and rushed over to the railing on the top of the deck, but it was too late.

Aris and the Mandalorians would feel the shockwave and heat, as a massive explosion tore the vehicle in half. But without his Jedi senses, he could not tell what happened to Master Noble.

"K-keep running, kid!" a female Mandalorian called out, after she pushed herself back up from being knocked over by the shockwave. "Can you call your ship down?" She had seen the Bastion circling above them, after all.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris raised his hands to cover his face from the explosion. He could at least feel danger to himself, but as he lowered his hands there was a pang of confusion. Valery had been on that ship. In truth, he didn't think that would bring her down. But at the same time, he couldn't help but be worried. He glanced to the Mandalorian, blinking slowly.

"I- uh. I can."

He could do that much, yeah. Though, they weren't exactly allies, were they? He frowned for a moment, but didn't hesitate to call down the Bastion. Whatever they were, right now they were people who needed help.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

"Very good," the woman said, as the Bastion was making its way down with a lowered ramp. They were unarmed, or at least they seemed to be, and wouldn't feel too threatening. Though, they also very much seemed to be in a hurry, "We should get out of here immediately. More of them will come after that explosion."

But she knew that he'd still be worried about the other Jedi.

"Your Master is gone. Nobody can survive an explosion like that," she continued and tried to offer some comfort by placing a hand on his shoulder, as if he needed or wanted that. "Come on, we have to go."

Another Mandalorian, a tall brutish man, seemed a lot less patient, "If we don't go now, we're going to all be fed to the Sarlacc pit anyway, kid."

 

[Aris Noble]

"The immediate threat has been taken care of by the explosion. We will wait for Master Noble."

Aris turned his gaze towards the Mandalorians as they hovered on the ramp, his gaze serious and focused. He didn't need the Force to know something was amiss here with how they were acting. Just because pirates were their foe didn't mean they were good guys.

"You are welcome to leave by foot, if you feel you need to. But the Bastion will not be leaving without her."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

"You can't be serious," the brutish man replied, "They're likely on their way as we speak." He shook his head in disbelief, and looked up and further into the Bastion. There was temptation in his eyes. An urge to just push past the Padawan and take control of the ship to get out. Even without powerful Force senses, this was much obvious.

But his companion knew the risk, and placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him from moving, "If you insist on waiting, why don't we go look for her?" she proposed.

"If she survived, she might be hurt."

 

[Aris Noble]

"I've not known a Mandalorian who ran so readily, especially when it meant abandoning someone who helped them."

It wasn't very honorable at all. He stared at the bigger figure with a frown. Something really wasn't right here. He didn't like this, not at all. He glanced to the woman with the same, distrusting frown.

"Yes, we should."

Not that he trusted them. He turned to run off towards the burning barge, but the Bastion itself wouldn't take off without him, just in case they chose to try and steal it.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Aris Noble

"Watch your tongue, boy," the man snapped when he challenged their honor. "We're not abandoning anybody. She's just a corpse, and we are unarmed. Those pirates are not." He narrowed his eyes and took on a more threatening stance this time. The woman said nothing for a moment, but she knew better than to provoke a Jedi Padawan while she had no way to fight back,

Even one this young meant trouble. He had proven as much when he took down those people back there.

"Let's just go. If we're quick, we'll be on our way," she urged, and the two other Mandalorians who had remained quiet also nodded in agreement.

The brute grumbled, but with Aris running off, he was given little choice and followed along. The sail barge that had exploded was now cut in two halves, both buried in the sand. There was debris everywhere, some of it burning, others blackened by the fire and explosion.

But not too far away, Aris would see Valery as well. She sat on her hands and knees and was coughing, but looked otherwise unharmed.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Then take a gun from your captors."

Aris had knocked out several of the pirates that had them at gunpoint. At any moment they could've armed themselves. He squinted suspiciously, but eventually relented. Valery was more important. His mom was more important. He was rushing to find his mom, and sprinted through the sands. Only to see her standing, coughing, but relatively unharmed.

He smiled wide. Relief was clear in his eyes, even if he wouldn't say anything.

"Mo- Master Noble! We have to leave!"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Tatooine

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"Annoying brat..." The man grumbled while Aris rushed off. He was the one who had told everybody to run, and a sniper had opened fire at them as well. How could he have retrieved a weapon? He sure as hell wasn't going to trust a boy to protect him, even if he wielded a lightsaber.

For now, he followed after Aris, and so did the others. They were still on edge and did keep their distance, but when Valery came into view, they stopped and seemed shocked. The explosion had been intense, so how was she still alive?

Valery looked up when she heard her son, and saw him running over. He was obviously concerned, until relief washed over him when he saw that his Mom was okay, "I got sand in my mouth," she said before she spat onto the dune. "But let's go. Are the Mandalorians safe? We're going to need to get answers from them about what happened."

The Mandalorians in question weren't very far away, and if Aris were to look, he'd be able to see them collecting weapons all of a sudden.

 

[Aris Noble]

"They're safe, but they're very eager to leave. I believe they might not be actual Mandalorians."

Their first instinct was to run, rather than fight. They didn't immediately go for a weapon, they didn't bother with their jetpacks to fly, they didn't even try to reclaim their helmet. From everything he knew, Mandalorians were the type who would fight to the death before they even thought about surrendering, and even the more honorable one's would only do so if it meant the safety of their fellows.

"They will likely turn on us."

Valery Noble