Private Who did this?

[Kahlil Noble]

"Course. She flies like a dream now, too."

Valery's Old Republic ship wasn't the only one that was remade factory new. He smiled the prideful smile only a spacer could have as the ramp lowered clean and smooth. No creaks or squeaks here. He hopped right up and went to the cockpit to get the whole ship ready to go and get them flying towards New Cov. There was no time to delay for the Sithspawn.

"Lets get going."

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

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

"Oh yeah? I thought I saw you working on it the other day, checks out." She chuckled and walked into the Bastion with both her husband and Shan. The cockpit was more than big enough for all of them to sit comfortably, but she let Shan sit in the co-pilot seat to help her husband. It gave her some time to just relax, and Shan would only learn more about how to pilot a ship of this size.

It could end up being useful one day.

"I really hope we can make a difference for him," Valery said somewhere along the way. "I know I've left much of this to you, but maybe Shan and I can help a bit?" At the very least, he could draw strength from his bond with her, but she hoped that they could play a more active role in restoring the Sithspawn back to who he was. Especially Shan — it'd be a great learning opportunity, and it played nicely into how he looked at the world.

But as the ship touched down close to the facility, all three of them could see something strange. The door had been cut open by a lightsaber, and the windows were shattered.

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan didn't understand too much about how different ships flied just yet, considering the Bastion had been the only one he had actually flown but it was most definitely something comfortable. He just paid attention to all of the bits that Kahlil worked on, trying to take all of the actions in. Every little thing he could learn would be valuable in the future. He never knew when he might be by himself and would have to pilot a ship. If he had no clue how to do that, he'd be stuck.

He nodded as Valery brought up making a difference for the Sithspawn, turning his head to glance over to her. "I want to help them in any way I can. I want to help give them hope that things will get better." Shan believed that even if things were hard now, if you carried on pushing yourself forward, you'd get to see things get easier. Things could get brighter and more hopeful. He just had to keep fighting for it all.

His usual grin was on his face...Up until they landed near the facility, and he saw the state of it. With the state of the facility's doors and windows, Shan's heart just plummeted to the ground. Had someone come to kill the Sithspawn? Or free it? But who? No. No. He had to stay calm. Don't panic. His hand just went to his belt, bracing himself in case whoever had done this was still here.

Kahlil Noble Valery Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil stared at the doorway. A frown. He had a frown. Usually he was better at keeping his emotions from showing on his face, but he couldn't hide them now. A lightsaber carving through into his lab was never a good sign. Had the Sith found it? His research wasn't much of a secret, but if they decided to utilize it to reinforce and reconfigure their Sithspawn, there was no telling what monstrosities could be made.

Too much medicine was poison.

"Stay close to Valery."

Kahlil lead the way in, his saber already in hand. He truly hated it when someone went after his labs, it seemed.

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

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

Valery's hand settled on Shan's shoulder to try and keep him calm. She knew he wasn't the type to just explode, but what they were seeing now... was disturbing. If the Sith had found their way here, it meant the Enclave on New Cov could also be at risk. Or had someone used a different kind of weapon to break in here? From the outside, it looked like a fairly fancy facility, and New Cov has been a target of pirates in the past for its biomolecules.

So many questions, but very few answers.

Kahlil then led the way inside and sadly, things only got worse. Equipment was destroyed, either by what looked like brute force, or the hot plasma of a lightsaber. Every corner of the room had been covered, and data banks with records on former patients were not spared either.

It was complete destruction.

"Oh no..." Valery frowned, "Who would do something like this?" She asked as she looked around. "The Sithspawn should be in a secured room, so I think he'll be okay but..."

She was at a loss for words.

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan was ready to rush in to help already. But both the words from Kahlil and Valery's hand on his shoulder stopped him from running outwards. Something was very wrong here, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. But who had been here? There was every possibility it had been a Sith but there was a part of Shan that thought it could have been a Jedi. The Jedi would know about the location of the lab on the planet right? But there was nothing good about being paranoid. Paranoia would just make things harder for Shan.

The equipment as they came in seemed to be absolutely destroyed. Broken to pieces or slashed through with what seemed to be a lightsaber. Someone wanted to get rid of all the equipment and records in here. Someone didn't like what Kahlil had been doing and Shan was just getting more and more frustrated. Why would anyone do this? Who would do this? But then Valery asked the same question as him, so Shan felt at least slightly justified in his confusion.

"...Could the Sithspawn have been tracked?" He still didn't understand too much about them, so if there was a chance that the creature had been tracked all the way back to New Cov would have made sense to him if the Sith had been the ones to do all of this destruction. It would make sense with all of the damage around them, since a Sith could have easily done this amount of brute force and destruction but there was a part of him that was still overly paranoid. He couldn't figure this out and that was something he hated.

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Maybe. There could've been a tracker in it, someone was already watching it, countless other possibilities."

Kahlil stepped through his lab, his expression still oddly calm. He reached out to touch some of the long cooled lightsaber marks. So much destruction. Did someone truly hate what he was doing this much? It wasn't just the need to eliminate his work, there were countless other ways to handle that. This was rage. He stood back up, rolled his shoulders, and moved towards where the Sithspawn had been contained. A spacious room with everything someone alive would need within. Protective glass, not just to keep them in but to keep other people out.

The intent was to stop the curious minds of a wayward padawan from getting into a pen with a Sithspawn that didn't have the capability of restraint. He didn't think he'd need it for this reason.

"But, it's alright. I've got back ups on back ups."

He turned to give them both a thumbs up and a grin. Who knew his paranoia about loosing his work as a Sith would translate so well for his work as a Jedi.

Shan Pavond | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

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

Valery watched Kahlil closely, as they stepped into the lab and looked around. Whoever had done this, had been quite thorough at destroying the most crucial equipment and records. But all of that could be replaced, which wasn't her biggest issue. She was more concerned about the why and who. A Sith on New Cov could mean a big problem for more than just this facility, but what if this was done by someone else entirely?

She wanted those answers.

Seeing Kahlil turn to them with a grin and a thumbs up made her breathe out a small breath of relief, and she was quick to walk forward to brush a hand against his shoulder. "All of this can be replaced, but we should still figure out who did it, and try to find them before it's too late. To make sure it doesn't happen again, and to bring them to justice." It didn't matter what their reasoning was for this destruction.

It was not going to be tolerated.

Meanwhile, Kahlil went to check on the room built for keeping the Sithspawn that was brought here, and while some of the glass was still intact, a larger panel had shattered. A single look inside revealed that the room had been demolished as well, but there was no sign of the Sithspawn. No body or living being — nothing.

"Maybe we can see if the cameras stored any footage? Or tap into other security systems?"

 

[Shan Pavond]

Alright. Kahlil had back ups. That was good...Though that made him more curious now. If this was a Sith, there was a chance they'd have known about the back ups...So was this to send a message? This was under the assumption that it was still the Sith of course as Shan turned his attention towards the destruction. He wasn't exactly trained in investigating things but there was a chance that something could have been left behind in the destruction. A piece of fabric, or even some strands of fibre. At least this way he could be useful, without messing around with anything important. He also wanted to try and figure out caused the brute force damage...Was it someone using the Force? Or actual physical strength...Hm...

He was still on edge after coming in to see all of this. He had always seen New Cov as a safe place, but if someone was able to cause this kind of destruction...Maybe it was going to be a good idea for him to be on guard, even in places he thought he was safe. Something just felt strange about all of this. The timing was just...too perfect in his eyes. No. It wasn't his job to assume things, he should leave this to Valery and Kahlil, whilst helping out where he could.

"Is there any chance whoever did this is still around, waiting?" He might as well get that question out into the air. He was staying on edge anyway as Shan's eyes just kept darting around the lab. He wasn't going to relax until he was 100% sure it was safe here. He was always terrible at sensing things through the Force, unless it was something large, so having to rely on his physical senses wasn't...fun and reassuring in this situation.

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

So they even went after the Sithspawn?

The idea that it could be a Sith sent to retrieve their experiment was still fresh in his mind. He nodded, pulling out a datapad to click on and start to scan through the footage. He did have redundant cameras just in case someone decided to destroy the visible ones after all. He was, if nothing else, very prepared for people to try and destroy his research.

"It's possible. Keep your eyes open and stay close. Until we figure this out we're probably not leaving. There's more than just my lab at stake."

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

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

"I'm worried that they might be around still, too." Even if they left, they couldn't have gotten too far, right? It had been less than 24 hours since they were here, after all. Still, if they had a fast enough ship and went off-world directly after attacking this facility, they could be just about anywhere, and tracking them down could prove to be difficult. Until she knew for certain, though, she was going to assume the worst.

Which meant they'd have to be on guard.

Valery then joined Kahlil as he went to look through security footage, and gestured for Shan to join as well. The feed opened, and much to her surprise at the very least, it wasn't a Sith who was entering the facility with a lightsaber. It was Creuat , a Jedi Shadow who she had worked with once before. Valery frowned, and continued to watch as he passed through the hallway and various rooms to destroy equipment along the way, all while on the hunt for the Sithspawn.

But on another camera focused on the pen for the Sithspawn, they'd see him move. The Sithspawn was aware of trouble coming, and with a powerful jump and its claws tearing through glass, it escaped from the room and charged down the door on the other side of the room.

The Jedi, who had destroyed about everything, followed.

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan kept a hand near his lightsaber, as he hurried over to watch the security footage with the others. There was a part of him that was angry at the fact that whoever this was had went after the Sithspawn. The Sithspawn deserved a chance to feel safe and Shan thought he had helped to give it that...but now it was likely going to feel betrayed. Shan had just caused it more suffering as he fought the urge to snap. Frustration was something that Shan barely dealt with, or at least when he did, he shoved it under his other emotions.

His eyebrows raised however as the Sithspawn escaped. It seemed to have always had the power to get out of the cell, but had been waiting for them to show up...and once again, it was going to think they were trying to harm it. Which was not what Shan had wanted at all. He hadn't seen the person on the security feed before, but they appeared to be a Jedi, or at least Valery seemed to have some kind of reaction to the person. Was it someone she knew?

His eyes glanced across the room once he saw the way the Sithspawn had escaped alongside the other figure on the security feed. It appeared some Jedi perhaps didn't believe in redemption. Or at least that was how Shan was taking in this information as he ran his hand down his face and then pinching the bridge of his nose. He understood that he was...naive in the sense of Sithspawn potentially being redeemed, or anyone being redeemed, but surely there was an actual chance with the Sithspawn. Or had been a chance, he wasn't sure if it would trust them anymore now...

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Creuat

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Oh."

It was both a relief and a worry to see someone he actually recognized on the screen. It.. Made sense, from what he heard about Rhis. Perhaps he should've made time to at least speak to the man before it all came to this, but.. He sighed before glancing to Valery and Shan. Gave them both a brief smile.

"Well, at least this means New Cov hasn't been compromised by the Sith yet. I'll handle Rhis if we find him, but our priority will be bringing the Sithspawn back. There's no telling what danger this jungle will have for him, or the danger his plague might have on the jungle."

With that in mind he clicked off his datapad and made his way towards the hole that had been ripped open.

"I'll leave the tracking to you, Val."

Valery Noble | Shan Pavond | Creuat

 

[Creuat]

P A R A G O N
NEW COV
Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble | Shan Pavond

Despicable.

So many words to describe what he thought of this research lab he found and that was the word he conformed with after witnessing he saw. It was all akin to how the Sith created abominations with their perverted ways of the Force. Suspicions he had on the former Zambrano at first, but he let go of those thoughts after some time passed.

Now those suspicions resurfaced after discovering this deception. Harboring Sithspawns to help them find redemption was regressive. Agents of the Darkside must be destroyed; death was the only redemption for practitioners and creations whom find refuge in it.

He stalked the creature out in the forest with inexorable determination, absent of fear. Its plague tainted the jungle with nearby fauna mauled and left to rot. The one in fear with the Sithspawn and that fear would betray itself.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond Creuat

After narrowly escaping from the facility, the Sithspawn had made his escape into the jungles. Unlike other beasts or living beings corrupted by the Dark Side, this one was much smarter — the result of an experiment on a sentient being — so it wasn't lashing out charged by primal instincts. It was trying to escape, and wasn't wasting time hunting or lingering in one place for far too long. He knew he was being chased, and his only hope of survival was getting away, or having something stop the attacker.

The Jungle, perhaps, would do just that.

New Cov's Jungles had been labeled one of the most dangerous in the Galaxy, with fauna and flora so lethal that people lived in isolated, domed cities. Now, along the path to follow this Sithspawn, Creuat would experience much of that. Dead animals killed by predators or plants, and if he wasn't careful, the occasional vines or creatures would bring him down too.

Yet slowly, he was gaining ground.

...

"We'll handle him together, if we find him," Valery told her husband before walking out the exit the Sithspawn had taken. Regardless of views, a Jedi acting out on their own like this was a problem she'd be involved in too, and confronting them together was the wiser option too. Rhis was the only threat to the Sithspawn, after all.

"Right this way," Valery then said before she started moving out into the familiar jungles.

"Maybe we can let him know we're coming? If we let our Force signatures be sensed, Rhis will know that we're on our way. He's not stopping the three of us, even if he reaches the Sithspawn first."

 

[Shan Pavond]

Having to deal with a Jedi...Shan didn't even think that was something that he'd ever have to come face to face with, but here he was, following Valery and Kahlil off into the jungles of New Cov. He already knew to be on guard around the jungle, from what Valery had told him during his first time here, as he kept his eyes open. This wasn't what had expected at all and he would be lying if he said it didn't make him feel uncomfortable. However his head shot up to look over towards Valery as she mentioned letting the other Jedi know they're coming.

"Wouldn't that push him to work harder? To get to the Sithspawn first before we can, and...kill it, before we can rescue it? Is that the kind of thing he'd do?"

A shudder went down Shan's spine at the thought. Someone being so hell bent on killing the Sithspawn, that they'd destroy a lab...That they'd hunt them down through an environment as New Cov's jungle. And that someone being a Jedi? It all felt wrong to Shan. They were meant to help people, even when it was a hard choice. He just shook his head, trying to shove these thoughts of his mind. His main goal was to protect the Sithspawn, at any cost.

Kahlil Noble Valery Noble Creuat

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"No."

Kahlil turned to look at Valery, giving her a simple, peaceful smile.

"If we find Rhis first, I will handle him and you two will go and find the Sithspawn." Without it's lair, it would only run. And Valery was the faster of the two. That, and if he could talk down one of their order, how was he supposed to speak with the Senate? That, and he didn't dare have Shan be in the middle of a confrontation with a Jedi. He wasn't budging on this, either. Then they were off, running through the forest to track them down, find them.

Hopefully before anyone was killed.

Creuat | Shan Pavond | Valery Noble

 

[Creuat]

P A R A G O N
NEW COV
Shan Pavond | Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble

An interesting thing about Nautolan biology was there many tendrils. They could sense the emotions of others, and was very effective under water. Throughout his time he amplified the gifts of his natural abilities with the Force to root out Sith disciples and other Dark Side elements, sensing their aura and pinpointing their emotions. He was not empath by any means, only tracing their emotions like a predator tracing the scent of their prey.

But he felt not only the emotions of the Sithspawn. There were others here in the jungle not too far away from him. Could it be Kahlil and whomever else he brought with him? If so, he would put a stop to all of this today. The Sithspawn dead and Kahlil apprehended or killed should he refuse to surrender himself.

Nothing would stop Rhis. The dangerous flora that posed a risk to him would be cut from their stems and any predators would be driven off or killed from his own defense. Although these elements would slow him down as the occasional vines would try to ensnare him. The flora posed more of a threat than the wild animals did.

Enough of this.

He ignited his lightsaber and struck the ground creating sparks from the impact. With the Force he enhanced one of the flying sparks to create a blistering fire that he would control, guiding it to burn the flora to create a safe passage for him. It would only last several meters before dying down its flame. A small space for breathing room and would repeat the process if necessary.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Shan Pavond Creuat

"He'll find out we're coming before we reach him no matter what we do," Valery told Shan as they moved quickly through the jungle. The one advantage they had over Rhis was that she was practically raised on this planet, so she moved through the jungles much faster than just about anybody else could.

But along the way, there was more discussion as well.

"No," Valery said, this time not accepting his no for an answer. "The Sithspawn will likely be with Rhis or very close to him, and this jungle is no place to split up in. We're sticking together, but we'll keep Shan protected if we find Rhis. If we're all together, it's less likely to escalate too." Kahlil could handle Rhis on his own without a doubt, but three Jedi confronting him? He'd be a fool if he even raised his blade at all.

She was still worried he would anyway, but they couldn't assume that.

Soon enough, the Jedi would no longer need Valery to track him — trails of burned plants and trees marked the path he was taking to go after the Sithspawn. Was it really that important to him to kill this twisted person? Valery gritted her teeth and kept running, hoping to catch up before it was too late.

But deeper within the jungle, the Sithspawn ran into a problem. After passing by many more large trees, he came to a sudden stop when he realized that the path ended. New Cov was home to many mountains, hills and cliffs, and he found himself on the edge of a cliff now, staring down hundreds of meters into the valley below.

There was no quick way around it.

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan just stayed silent as Valery told him that Rhis would probably know they were coming anyway. He just focused on following her as fast as he could. Moving through the jungle wasn't something that came naturally to him. Though he was caught by surprise when Valery insisted that Shan stays with the pair of them. He wasn't going to disagree, far from it in fact. It made sense, especially since they were going against a trained Jedi, on a very hostile world. If they separated, it would probably not even help at the end of the day.

He almost stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the burnt flora ahead of them. How could anyone, least of all a Jedi, do this? It was wrong! Killing nature, burning it down to the ground, none of it made sense! Shan could hardly wrap his head around any of this. It's not how a Jedi should act! A Jedi should appreciate all life they come across, not burn it to the ground like what had just happened around them. He had to focus on his breathing, trying not to let his frustrations bubble up to the surface. If he let his frustrations fester and bubble, it would just make them more likely to come out when he didn't want them to.

Instead, Shan just tried to turn his frustrations into something worthwhile. Pushing himself to run faster, ignoring the pain in his legs and lungs. The Sithspawn needed help before it was too late, and he couldn't waste time because he was in pain. He'd survive it at the end of the day, but if he wasted time, the Sithspawn might not. Stay calm, stay moving, and stay focused. He had to keep repeating those in his head, to make sure he didn't let himself wander off with his thoughts. All he had to focus on right now was running as hard as he could whilst following the trail of destruction ahead of them.

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Creuat