Private What comes Next

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

Despite the brutal wars and tough times, the New Jedi Order was still growing and maintaining its numbers. Many had lost their lives in the heavy battles that devastated the Galaxy, but with a large generation of new students and many experienced Jedi joining the order at the same time, the Jedi as a whole felt stronger than they had in a long time. To keep that steady, so they could remain the Alliance's shield against the Maw, it was important that every opportunity to help young Jedi was taken, and that's what brought Valery to the Temple today.

No classes were scheduled, her own Padawans were out focusing on different parts of their training, and she had a break from her duties at the front. But her work as a Jedi never stopped, and so she had decided to use her free time to take on a different assignment, and complete it with a Jedi who had only recently returned. She had read his file and learned about what he was now struggling with to some extent, but there was still much to learn about him.

She hoped today would be an opportunity to familiarize herself with yet another Jedi of the order.

Tash Erenoss , the Jedi in question, had been requested to wait for Valery at the entrance of the Temple, where she soon arrived and offered a respectful bow to greet the young Padawan. "You must be Padawan Erenoss?" Valery asked with a kind smile, "I'm Master Noble, it's a pleasure to meet you."

 

[Tash Erenoss]

It felt odd to be back at the Jedi Temple. As a youngling it always felt like a home to him, and yet the number of times he returned here after becoming a padawan could be counted on one hand. Master Penin saw little need to come back often while there was still work to be done, after all. Tash himself started thinking the same way eventually. Little good could be done to help those in need in a far-off system while you're busy meditating or consulting archives.

And yet, here he was, returned to a place he so easily accepted leaving behind. He had lost his master, his guide in his life, and yet was that a good enough reason for him to have come back? Though he is just a padawan, would the council have approved of him working to protect those struggling in far off systems? Would the force have guided him to find his master again if he had made that choice? Is it right of him to even worry about his master in the face of what they worked to do together?

"Is there a point in even letting these thoughts cloud my mind? Surely you would've had an answer, master," He whispers solemnly to himself, clutching tightly at the scorched object in his hands. The lightsaber of his old master, it's handle warped and its internals rendered non-functional, likely from the incident that lead to his master being lost. "For now, I can only hope that I retained enough of your teachings to be making the right choice."

Placing it back into the storage compartment beside his bed and shutting it tightly before leaving, Tash would slowly march out from his quarters and make his way through the temple, only giving the slightest bow of his head to acknowledge those he moved past, though not many would have tried to stop and speak with him in the first place. Spending so many years away from the temple would have that effect, he realized.

After finally stepping past the entrance to the temple, Tash would only have to wait a short while for Master Noble to arrive. Why a member of the council would want to personally meet with and work with him, he did not know, but Master Penin did not leave him without good etiquette. He bowed in return to her, only daring to rise upright and speak when prompted. "It's a pleasure and honor to meet you, as well, Master Noble. I hope your day has been pleasant thus far."

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

While she didn't show it, Valery was quite pleasantly surprised to see him bow in return, and speak so politely. The Jedi these days were very different from the traditional Jedi she once knew, and many had given up on this kind of etiquette. But deep down, it was a small part of her past that she was quite fond of.

"My day has been quite alright, thank you. I hope yours has been as well?" She asked before she gestured for him to follow her with a gentle motion of her head. Valery then turned around and continued the conversation while they stepped into the large halls of the Coruscant Temple that still very much looked the way they always had. The Temple had been destroyed several times and completely rebuilt, but somehow it still all felt so familiar.

"I'll bring us to a briefing room where we can discuss the mission but before we depart, I want to make sure you've settled in alright? What you've gone through isn't easy, and not something you have to deal with on your own," she tried to assure him, her tone caring and kind. She cared greatly about all Jedi, but especially Padawans had a special place in her heart.

She'd do whatever she could to protect and help them.

 

[Tash Erenoss]

At her questioning, Tash's eyes darted down for a moment, a brief flicker of concern creasing his features before he nodded to the master. "Of course. I can't complain about having a home with regular meals again, I suppose." His words came out almost as if he were joking about his circumstances, though the emotion behind it all rang a bit hollow. Still, a small smile maintained itself on his face as he followed behind her.

He had expected a silent walk with her to their debriefing, but it seems Master Valery hadn't chosen him to accompany her at random. She wanted to know if he was okay, an empathic, innocent question and yet it was one he struggled to answer. It's not as though nobody really worried about Tash after what happened during his time away, with many expressing their condolences, but he always found it hard to speak of it more. Master Penin never really did have much of a connection to the rest of the order and so they didn't communicate much more beyond giving briefings on their activities. Despite how jovial he was, Tash knew him to be a loner in many aspects, and with the years they spent on their own missions, perhaps Tash was turning out to be the same way.

So how could he explain it? How could he open up on losing his best friend to people he really only knew in passing? In Tash's case, he basically didn't. "I've settled in well enough. I'm grateful for the order being so welcoming to me staying here again after all of these years. Just having a place to return to is more than enough help." Partly truth, and partly lies, though it was hard for him to even recognize if the lies were to himself or the master. It always hurt him to respond like this. He knew they were sincere, and yet with it being so hard to forgive himself for failing to help his master, it was too much for him to ask for others to forgive him instead.

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

Valery offered a soft smile in response to his answer, but she hardly needed to use the Force to pick up on how he felt beneath the surface. It was understandable, all things considered, so she wasn't too surprised that he didn't want to open up about it either. They had only just met, and it would take some time to develop enough trust. Until then, she'd at least make sure that he got the attention he needed to continue his training, and that he felt comfortable enough to settle back in.

Everything else would be worked out with some time, she believed.

"Of course, you'll always be welcome here or at other Temples we have," Valery said as they continued down the hallway, and entered the briefing room. It was currently empty, so she stepped over towards the holo-table and used her access codes to boot a few things up in preparation for the briefing. "And if there's anything you need, please feel free to let me know," she assured him with a kind tone.

With a tap of a button, the holo-projector then turned on, revealing a Galaxy map with some highlighted planets. But before she'd dive into the assignment, she wanted to learn a little more about him. "Before we get started, could you tell me a little more about yourself? I'd like to know something you believe you're good at, and something you feel you still struggle with." Especially the latter was important — good self-reflection would help him progress his training a lot more.

 

[Tash Erenoss]

Nodding in affirmation at her assurance, and silently thankful that she was not trying to press him further on it, Tash would continue to maintain pace with the master until the pair finally entered the briefing room. Soon a galaxy map was pulled up with a few highlighted points, likely planets relating to their task that they had been assigned to. Before the briefing, though, Valery wished to question him on his capabilities. A fair question, given how she probably just didn't know much about him, and yet it wasn't so simple to answer.

"I...suppose I'd say the thing I'm lacking the least in is my training with my lightsaber," he responded, his brows furrowing a bit. His old master had always commended him on his talent in forms V and VI, even going so far to say Tash was nearly as skilled as he was. The padawan always felt as though it was empty praise, given how much he still continued to rely on his master even up until the end. If he really was nearly as good, then they wouldn't have struggled as much as they did with those pirates...

Tash shakes his head of the thoughts, realizing that he'd been standing there in silence before continuing, "For what I struggle with, I'd say it's hard to label one singular thing. My connection to the force, my ability to maintain focus in any situation, my awareness, my ability to adapt, just generally it feels like I've barely grown even with all of my years as a padawan."

Sighing in resignation, he places his palms onto the terminal and leans against it. These were his thoughts on the matter, and yet he knew his master would say a very different, much more positive tale. Was it disillusionment with his only point of real comparison being his master, an accurate reflection on himself without being biased by the praise he received, or was it even still too embellishing for one that couldn't even find a single man with all of his jedi training and a year of time at his disposal? Why was it all so hard to quantify for him?

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

She listened intently to what he had to say and acknowledged what he considered his strengths with a nod, but she was very clearly most curious about what he believed were his weaknesses. Most people had no problems talking about what they were good about, as those things were typically what they enjoyed as well. To realize weaknesses, and fears, and be open about them was quite a challenge, however, but a necessary one to overcome as a Jedi.

The few he listed were all deeper things that weren't so easily addressed or fixed, and that only helped confirm that his self-reflection skills were where they needed to be.

"Growth can sometimes take a long time, which makes it hard to really notice small steps of progress along the way. It's why self-reflection is so important. You have to be aware of your shortcomings if you ever hope to overcome them, and by being aware, you'll eventually know when you've grown beyond them." She paused for a moment and tapped a button on her console again, this time to zoom in on a particular planet — Dubrillion.

"Take the time you need to settle in and while you train and work, even if you're without a Master, actively think about these things. Always be proactive and don't be afraid to reach out for help if you need it. Especially now, your growth depends a lot on your initiative." She hoped that could change for him again, perhaps under a new Master. But until then, he'd have to monitor his own training carefully and focus on what he needed to learn to become a Jedi Knight.

"As for our mission. we'll be going to a mining facility on Dubrillion. It went completely radio silent 2 days ago, and the Jedi were asked to investigate it. I have files on the planet if you want to read up on it, but if you have specific questions, feel free to ask them now."

 

[Tash Erenoss]

Master Noble, her wisdom on full display as she spoke, instructed Tash on the next steps that he must take. Truly understanding and examining himself simply are just the only avenues for growth, and up until he lost his master he just didn't need to worry about it before. Why focus so much on introspection and knowing yourself when your master is supposed to know you better than even you do? Without that guidance, those words of encouragement, the sense of lacking responsibility for yourself, well it's left him on a precipice where he's too afraid to jump. It's on him to do so, though, and really that was always going to be the case. One has to grow beyond being a padawan someday and her words simply reminded him of this inevitability.

"I understand, Master Noble. I thank you for your guidance." He'd bow his head to her for a moment before pushing off of the council and turning his attention to the display that she had pulled up. While there probably was a lot of introspection to be done for him, right now he felt that enough time had already been pulled away from their mission for his own sake. There were lives on the line at this Dubrillion facility, after all, and that was far more pressing to him than discussing his own prowess.

"Dubrillion...Far off in the outer rim, I believe. I've never been on that planet specifically so I'd appreciate the files, but I also wish to know if this is an isolated incident. Being that far out, it's easy for larger criminal cells to establish themselves and take over facilities like this so it's good to know if it might be more dangerous than current intel presents it as. A mining accident requires a very different approach to, say, a terrorist group establishing themselves there." Tash's brows were prone to creasing in concern and doubt, but now they were fully furrowed in contemplation. While he wasn't the most confident in himself, years of experience with handling more domestic situations like this made it a lot easier to be sure of his words.

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

"I'm glad I was able to help a little."

She offered a smile and dipped her head in response to his bow. But much like him, she wanted to leave that topic there for now. He had been given more than enough to think about and slowly work on, so for now, it was time they'd focus on the mission. The facility on Dubrillion housed a lot of workers and visitors every day, so for it to have gone dark was very troubling news, and could mean something truly terrible had happened.

They were going to be the first ones to find out.

"We have no reports or any information on what could have happened. There are reasons to believe that it could have been an attack from pirates or other criminals, but a mining accident is another option. Or even just something that cut off all communications, and the actual facility is fine. It's several days out so nobody has gotten a chance to travel from there to here or vice versa yet." She paused for a moment and offered a datapad with general info on the planet.

"We'll be the first ones to get there and report back. So we'll have to be cautious so we're not caught in anything that might have hit them, but we also can't afford to waste too much time." Now, she gestured for him to follow her, and she'd begin guiding him towards the shuttle pad, where she had one prepared for their journey already.

"We can talk more along the way, if you have any other questions?"

 

[Tash Erenoss]

It seemed that pretty much any option needed to be considered, a fact that Tash didn't particularly want to hear. The two were essentially going in blind with any potential number of issues that they'd need to resolve, and it would only be the two Jedi. Yes, one of them was a battlemaster that served on the council, but he himself was still just a padawan.

Nodding his head to her as she handed him the Dubrillion datapad, he'd tuck it in his cloak for him to study while on their way there. There would probably be little information of use but every little bit helps.

"I agree. Every moment wasted is potentially vital. Let's go." At Master Noble's behest, Tash would follow along as they moved to their ship. When prompted for any further questions, he'd shake his head and pull out the datapad to start clicking through whatever he could for something potentially helpful. "No, I don't really have anything more to ask. If the only thing we know about the mission is that we don't know then it's better to not let what-ifs cloud our judgement. We'll figure it out when we're actually there, right master?"

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Hyperspace

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

With his agreement, Valery continued her walk towards the shuttle bay, where her personal shuttle was ready and waiting for them. She had only recently acquired it with her partner, and usually, she traveled around in her X-wing, but this would be a lot more comfortable. The extra space was also needed because she wasn't traveling alone today.

"Settle down in the co-pilot seat and feel free to look at your instruments, but be careful." She wasn't actually certain if he had any experience flying ships like this, so for now, a role in the co-pilot seat would maybe help him learn a few things. And if he already knew, he'd be a good assistant flying there.

"We will figure out when we get there, yes," Valery said with a dip of her head. "But I will drop out of hyperspace beyond sensor range. It gives us a moment to boost the signal, and maybe pick up on something while we stay undetected. Or maybe the Force will offer us some insight as well." With a few switches flicked, the engines powered on, all systems were checked and the two Jedi were soon on their way.

After breaking through the atmosphere and clearing away from the gravitational field, she'd take the shuttle to Hyperspace, where the auto-pilot took over and gave them a chance to talk a little more. "Do you feel confident being in the turret we have at the top? I'm not sure if we'll need it but if we run into trouble there, I'd rather have you ready to respond."

 

[Tash Erenoss]

Following her into the vessel, Tash was quick to follow her instructions and seat himself in the front at the co-pilots chair. Larger shuttles like this weren't his typical method of navigating the galaxy but what was there all seemed familiar enough. A communications relay, a panel for diagnostics, it was all standard enough.

"That sounds wise to me, Master Noble," he offers in response to her proposed plan for when they arrived. "Even if their main communications towers are compromised, we'll be able to pick up smaller things at that range." In crises situations, sometimes the only thing people can get out is low-quality transmissions through their personal devices, and while the hope is that this is just a a harmless technical issue, Tash can't help but have a bad feeling about it all.

The ship launched without a hitch, only requiring a few minor adjustments on his end to make the power run efficiently during their journey there. Pushing his chair back and leaning back into it to relax as the autopilot is engaged, Tash turned to Valerie as she spoke. It seems that he wasn't the only one feeling on edge if she was wanting to establish a battle station for him already.

"Starships are more my forte but I've manned a turret a few times before, yes. A lot of cargo vessels in the outer rim have heavy laser turrets installed and hired hands to man them, and sometimes those hired hands were myself and my master. People just felt a lot safer knowing that a Jedi was controlling it, I guess."

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Hyperspace

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

Valery dipped her head when he mentioned his experience operating turrets like the one they had on this ship. It was hopefully not going to be necessary at all, but better safe than sorry. "Alright, take the ladder in the center of the ship up, and get yourself familiarized with the controls. It's pretty standard, but get a feel for it to be safe." The only difficult situation they could find themselves in now was an enemy below their ship.

But even for that unlikely problem, Valery had ways to address it.

With Tash hopefully getting seated in the gunner position, Valery focused on their hyperspace course and adjusted for their early departure from it. Normally, a ship would drop out fairly close to the planet, but outside the range of its gravitational field, and cleared from its sun as well. This time, she intentionally jumped back out closer to the sun, which would make them impossible to detect with the naked eye, and it would hopefully create some interference as well.

Nothing sensors couldn't punch through with adjustments, but those on the station were not expecting them, so they had no reason to make such tweaks.

"Well..." Valery began over internal comms after dropping out near the sun, "The station has sustained damage, but I'm still picking up life signs, and most critical systems are still working. On backup power, though," Valery said. This meant it could have been an attack, but some kind of accident was still possible too. "I think I'm picking up on something attached to the station's hull though..." she hummed in thought.

A ship? Or just debris?

 

[Tash Erenoss]

Seemingly satisfied with his response, Valery told him to head to the turret. Giving her one last bow of his head, Tash hurried off to the central ladder and quickly climbed up it into the mounted turret. Compared to the rather drab, low-budget ones he has used before, this one seemed positively radiant. A well-made seat, two handles for you to take in each hand for greater precision with controlling the turret, a targeting interface installed between the two for convenience, it was a nice little setup for him.

"Alright, let's get settled in, I suppose," he mutters to himself, hopping up into the chair and gripping the controls. He'd give them a small tilt, and the turret immediately responded, rotating him slightly and moving the muzzle along with it, and as soon as he stopped the rest of it also did. So it was maintained enough to stay perfectly responsive which was nice. A shame that he ideally just won't use this at all, but it is nice that they have this going for them if things go wrong.

For the rest of the trip, Tash spent his time idly reading through the datapad he had been given, finding no real helpful information for this situation unless expensive vacation homes could somehow help the mining station begin operating again. So, still just as blind about the whole ordeal as he was before, their ship would pull out of hyperspace some distance away from Dubrillion. Master Noble detected some lifesigns and power running through the station and something potentially attached to it, all things that left more questions, and unfortunately a lot of those questions made Tash consider if there had been a hostile takeover.

"If there aren't any other scans you can perform, I guess we should try to pull around to whatever you think is stuck to the station. Meteorite accidents usually have distress calls sent out before impact but it's good to check to see if it's that or...something worse, you know?" He really hoped that it wasn't something worse waiting for them.

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Hyperspace

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

For a long moment, Valery carefully weighed all their options. She could continue to scan and hope for more information, but she had done the same few scans several times now, and they gave the same answer each time. Alternatively, she could do what he suggested, and bring them closer to find out what's going on, but thereby risk falling into a trap or being exposed somehow to whatever hit this space station.

As a Jedi, it was her duty to do whatever she could to protect people, so she wanted to go, but she wasn't quite sure how she felt about exposing him to these potential risks just yet. After another moment of silence, though, she let out a soft sigh and opened the comms to him — she had made her decision.

"I'm going to bring us closer. Keep the safety on the turret but aim at whatever is attached to the station," Valery told him, right as she fired up the engines and moved away from the protection the star had offered them. The closer they got, the better her sensors were able to analyze the station as well, and she quickly noticed that whatever was attached to the station was not a natural part of it. Different materials were used in its construction.

When they finally got close enough, both Tash and Valery would have a good sight on it — the 'object' appeared to be a ship of some kind, magnetically attached to the station's hull but there was nobody inside, and even life support seemed non-existent on-board. But it wasn't the only thing that would draw their attention.

"You see those holes in the hull? The metal is bent outwards... the explosions came from within."

 

[Tash Erenoss]

There was some hesitation at his request, the uncomfortable silence reminding Tash of just how odd it was for a Padawan to be suggesting orders to a Master. Quin Penin had encouraged that behavior in him to encourage his ability to think for himself, or at least that's what he had been told. It worked just fine with his old Master, but Valerie was not Quin.

Just as he was about to chime up and apologize for his words, Tash would recoil back as her voice sounded off, expecting a reprimand but instead just being told to be wary as she did just as he suggested. For a moment he'd just stare at the intercom, unsure how to process this unexpected response, but he'd quickly tighten his grip around his controls once again as their ship began to close in. "R-right, will do."

It didn't take long for the state of the station to become clear to the Jedi. Many sections on it were damaged, internal explosions ripping through the hull and exposing it to the vacuum of space as Master Noble had noted, and with the obvious culprits seeming to originate from the docked ship sitting in front of them. It's power didn't seem to be active though that did little to ease the tension running up through him.

"So there's all of this damage, and since the ship's still here I guess these saboteurs might still be in there. What should our course of action be then?"

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Hyperspace

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

It seemed Valery wasn't the only one who sometimes needed a moment of quiet contemplation. After she agreed to his proposed plan, it remained silent for a few seconds. Valery wasn't sure why, but it mattered very little right now — he chimed in soon enough again and readied himself as they began their approach towards the station. Everything about it seemed off. From the docked ship without active life support to the internal explosions.

Why would a saboteur set off explosives if they were still inside themselves?

It didn't make any sense to her at all, but she felt certain they could find answers if they went in to investigate. She picked a docking port that led into an uncompromised section of the ship and slowly brought them in. "Whoever is inside, we'll bring everybody back. If they get aggressive, try to disarm and restrain them. We can get more answers from them that way," Valery said before the hiss of the docking port echoed through their ship.

"Come on, let's get moving," she said before she'd wait for him to climb back out of the turret. "Are you ready?"

 

[Tash Erenoss]

The silence of space was always deafening. Obviously sound didn't exactly travel well through the endless vacuum but the logical nature of it didn't detract from the uncanny feeling of no sounds aside from their own ship as Valery pulled them in closer. They'd be able to hear how it was inside of the station when they were actually inside, but until he could confirm he he could only worry about if it was going to be just as silent.

As the ship was close to engaging, Valery gave him some quick orders for them to work off of, boiling down to just telling him "Don't do anything too rash for a Jedi." If they find workers, they would need to be escorted outside of the damaged station, and if they find hostiles, they needed to figure out what exactly was going on even if it is something as simple as just being common criminals wanting to make some credits.

Leaping down from the turret's hold and into the main deck beside the Jedi Master, he nods his head to her before looking off to the entry hatch. "Of course, Master Noble. I'm always ready to try and save people, and right now there might be a lot of people here that need us. Just say the word and let's get started."

Tags: Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Hyperspace

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Tash Erenoss

Valery offered a soft smile in response and tapped a button on the side panel to unlock the hatch. It opened up for the two Jedi, and they were able to step into the mining station. The hallways were incredibly dark, lit only by faint, red emergency lights in the ceiling, and there was an eerie silence. The whole place looked and felt like a ghost station, but if they allowed their senses to wander, they'd know they weren't alone.

"Emergency lights were activated and we have life support, so there is still power," Valery commented as she looked around for a way to a control room or something of importance. Her priority was saving any survivors, but thus far her senses remained a little too clouded to pinpoint them.

"What do you think happened?" Valery then decided to ask, hoping to get him to think actively about the situation. "Perhaps sabotage from inside or an accident?" The latter wouldn't explain the ship they had seen unless it was supposed to be an evacuation vessel they never were able to reach. So many questions remained, but they had very few answers.

A sudden metallic bang that echoed through the hallways drew Valery's eyes back forward, but she stopped walking for a moment. It could have been a blast door, but she felt tension in the Force. "Keep your lightsaber ready, just in case," Valery said before she moved forward again.

 

[Tash Erenoss]

Moving in right after Valery, the cold silence of the ship hit him him like a wall. No voices echoing throughout it all, no people to meet with them at the entrance point, no sounds of machinery working away deeper within. There was only the soft thud of their boots to give any voice to their surroundings. Even the emergency lights fed into the disturbing sensation of it all.

The worst part of it wasn't how alone he felt there with Master Noble in this entire station, though. The worst part was how he knew they weren't alone. The Force lended itself more to giving sensations than serving as a precise tool for measuring things, but even just allowing his mind to wander with it would make the hairs on the back of his neck tingle at feeling other beings here and the sense that those on this ship may already be aware of the Jedi's arrival.

They were here to resolve this situation though so there was no time to let these thoughts hinder him. He'd slowly proceed forwards into the small docking area, being careful to not stray far from Valery as tried to pick out some kind of sign through the dim, red glow that everything was bathed in.

"I don't think it was an accident, Master. From the few times I've been on stations like this, I've learned that volatile substances are usually kept pretty deep within them in reinforced areas. If those areas exploded badly enough to break free, the entire station would probably go up, and not just take out random chunks like what we saw outside. Maybe-" His voice caught in his throat at the sudden clang from down one of the halls. His body tensed and he instinctively dropped his hand to his lightsaber at his side, the only thing keeping him from bolting forward to see the source immediately being the fact that Valery didn't seem to have the same idea as him.

Just proceed slowly and keep his lightsaber at the ready? Just give whatever made the noise more time to escape the scene? It felt wrong to him, but just as he was about to speak up in defiance, he'd realized that perhaps defying a Master was not wise in this situation. She wasn't Quin Penin. Not everybody would be like him, and he needed to get used to that fact. Taking a breath, he mutters, "Right. I'll watch behind us." Unclipping his weapon from his side, though keeping it deactivated and hidden in his grasp thanks to his long sleeves, he trails behind Valery, taking quick glances back as he moved.

Tags: Valery Noble