Private We all hate sand

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Mos Espa, years ago.

Jacen shielded his eyes from the morning sun as the shadow of the small ship vanished into the sky. Trextan Voidstalker had spent three days with him and his uncle Kellan.

Trextan was no longer a boy. He was a grown man who spent his time as a Warden of the Skies. Jacen had lost years with Trextan when the One Sith had captured the boy. He knew that he had been hasty in trying to mould him in his own image.

Now Trextan followed his own path and Jacen was proud of him for that.

When he could no longer see the silhouette of the ship, he lowered his gaze and turned away from the spaceport.

Jacen paused, fingers idly running through the scruff of his own beard. He could sense another presence through the Force.

He let out a tired sigh. Normally it was another Jedi Knight that wanted to seek out the exiled warrior and gain reputation by bringing him back into the war.

Easier to get this done with.

Jacen let his own hidden presence gradually unfurl about him. The Force swirled about him as he walked through the busy streets.

 

[Valery Noble]

Years ago...

Appearance: Link

Before her time in stasis, Valery would have been forced to either wear a cloak, or a different outfit altogether. Her tunic easily caught people's eyes and made it easy for them to recognize her. But out here, at this time, nobody knew who she is. It was both extremely strange and a relief at the same time — she could actually travel and try to learn more about the current Galaxy without being bothered. But it still felt odd to get weird looks from people.

It wasn't the only strange, new thing in her life either. She had actually got herself a boyfriend? Just thinking about Kahlil Noble made her heart race, which was a feeling she had never been allowed to explore before. This time, that would be different. She couldn't wait until they met up again.

"Well, this place looks as uninviting as I remember," Valery mused while she looked around after departing from the spaceport. The sandy winds were already getting in her eyes, and blowing up her hair an uncomfortable amount. But out here, she was hoping to find answers.

After walking through the streets for a while, however, it seemed that those answers were perhaps reaching out to her. A presence slowly revealed itself, which suggested that it was trying to call out to her. Valery turned, paused for a moment, but ultimately decided to take the risk and explore.

She wanted to know who was out here.

| Jacen Voidstalker |​

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Jacen blended in with the people of Mos Espa. He had been living here for nearly twenty years since the Sith Empire destroyed the Alliance from within.

He turned into a streetside cantina and found a table. He ordered and he waited.

It was months since he had felt a strong presence in the town. Most of the time it was a Jedi looking to track him down, but over the years two sith had come close to finding him.

When he could see the Jedi, he had a player of ahrisa and a glass of blue milk on the small circular table.

She hadn't even attempted to blend in. The typical Mos Espa attire was loose, drab clothing. The girl was going to melt in the midday son.

Jacen stuck his leg out under the table and pushed the chair opposite him back for her.

 

[Valery Noble]

Years ago...

Appearance: Link

She certainly felt out of place, and just about every person looking at her with raised eyebrows only made that worse. Her tunic had always been an eye-catcher, but the more vibrant blue and red colors really popped out in a place like this. The exposed skin and rather form-fitting nature of it also made this planet feel even hotter.

She was going to need a drink, and maybe a cloak to cover herself up.

First, though, she wanted to speak to the man she had felt through the Force, and when their eyes locked, he kicked back a chair to invite her over. "Wasn't expecting to sense someone as strong in the Force as you out here," Valery said, her tone lowered so it stayed just between the two of them. She then walked around the chair and plopped down, but didn't dare looking at the menu and prices. She had no money to spend, so she'd just have to hope that nobody would kick her out for not ordering.

"I'm uh, Valery Noble. A pleasure to meet you," she said, choosing not to introduce herself as a Jedi just yet.

| Jacen Voidstalker |​

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"Wasn't expecting...so you didn't come here to find me?" Jacen asked.

He saw no reason to talk around the matter. He was a direct man. When the One Sith had crushed the remnants of the Republic, Jacen had been one of the first few to form an Alliance in the Rim and prepare to take back their homes.

Jacen was no diplomat.

He also did not necessarily believe anything the woman told him.

"You want a water?" he offered.

Water was never free at Mos Espa, so it was a kind offer.

 

[Valery Noble]

Years ago...

Appearance: Link

"I... have no idea who you are," Valery said with a sheepish smile. Should she know who he is? Possibly, but she figured that her time in stasis was a pretty good excuse to be oblivious to just about anything. Not that he knew that just yet. "I'm uh...it's..." she sighed and ran a hand up through her hair. "It's a long story but I don't know much about the Galaxy. Until just recently, I was stuck in a medical stasis pod at a lab on Onderon."

Well, now she probably sounded crazy to him, but maybe he could tell she was being honest through the Force? Unless he was the overly suspicious type.

"...some water would be nice," she then added, before reaching for the glass that was presented. Her lips looked completely dried up, and her eyes showed some exhaustion, so this glass of water was probably the best one she ever had. "Thank you."

| Jacen Voidstalker |​

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"Thank you."

"Of course," Jacen replied. He tilted his head to one side and considered the woman from Onderon. He waved over a serving droid.

It carried a jug of water. The jug was sealed tight to avoid losing any water to evaporation. There were clear black marks down the side to ensure no portion was too large.

Amusement showed on Jacen's weathered face as he looked back to Valery.

"I feel like cryogenics must have been a popular industry before the plague..." he said, hoping to invite a question on the trailing statement.

 

[Valery Noble]

Years ago...

Appearance: Link

Valery glanced at the jar of water like an animal that was starved by its owners. Out here, it was likely quite expensive too, so she felt bad for accepting any of it. But... he had at least been a Jedi, so he probably didn't mind helping someone out a little. "I probably shouldn't have made this my stop without first getting enough water and food." She smiled sheepishly again but moved on from the subject when he mentioned something she hadn't heard before.

"A plague?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"And uh, I don't think cryogenics were popular. I didn't intentionally get into a pod - I was put in there by a friend to be stabilized after getting badly injured. He just... never made it back to get me out again." She frowned, uncertain about the details of what happened after she passed out.

Maybe one day, she'd learn.

"But what was this plague you mentioned?"

| Jacen Voidstalker |​

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

"Interesting, just you're not the first jedi I've met who skipped the plague in statis," Jacen replied. "I was wondering if it had been terribly fashionably for jedi during those times."

He hadn't been discovered again, so Jacen was quite content to amuse himself with this conversation.

"The Gulag Plague. Everyone cut off the hyperspace lanes and for hundreds of years it was every system for itself," he explained.

 

[Valery Noble]

Years ago...

Appearance: Link

"I hope not, stasis is terrible," Valery joked with a faint smirk. "I woke up blind and unable to move. The Jedi Knight who found me brought me out on one of those floating trolleys." She was poking fun at it now, but the real difficult thing about stasis hit her later. From her perspective, she went to sleep and when she woke up again, everybody she once knew and cared about was long gone.

But it seemed that her time in stasis meant missing out on other terrible events as well.

"That... sounds horrible. That plague isn't around anymore, right? I've been able to travel from one system to another easily enough. Are there other threats to watch out for?"

| Jacen Voidstalker |​