Private Who is Katherine Holt?

[Katherine Holt]

Location: Katherine's Mind - Eye of the Storm
Tags: Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble​

Her glare turned towards Valery. “Giving up would insinuate I had a choice to begin with. I didn’t.” Dark clouds began to form high above them, churning to the tempo of Lorelei’s emotions. “My last memory was going to sleep the night before my sisters and I were going to set out from our home. Next thing I know, I’m waking up here...” She waved her hands out towards their surroundings. “Looking like this…” Followed up by gesturing to herself. “As the pretender was being infected by those red crystals!”

“Kahlil’s right, your a victim of the Sith. Of their manipulation and barbaric ways.” The winged Padawan took a step forwards, finally summoning the courage to speak up. “I am sorry, truly sorry that this has happened. But all these actions, trying to hunt me down. What if you actually manage to succeed? What then? We’ll both die?”

“There has to be a way.”

“There isn’t one, we both know there isn’t!” Katherine replied, frustration clear in her voice. “Just please, allow us to help you. Make your remaining time be that of peace, rather than violence.”

Lorelei said nothing, glaring towards the Padawan. But after a few moments, her gaze wavered, her expression shifted from anger to…sadness? Memories flew to the surface, of the scant few ‘happy’ memories she had after her parents had cast her aside. Particularly of those that involved Caroline and Eleanor. Of their promises they had made to one another.

“No. I can’t, I won’t! I will not break the promise I made!”

Katherine moved forwards, intending to grab ahold of Lorelei. But she jumped back, and the moment her foot touched the ground, she vanished.

The Padawan let out an audible curse.

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Katherine Holt

"Kat," Valery said, her voice almost motherly once Lorelei disappeared. She had listened quietly to the exchange, hoping that together they'd be able to find a way to convince the other. Perhaps it had even worked to some extent, judging by the change in demeanor. But in the end, Loreli had vanished and left Kat on her own again. Valery hoped with all of her heart that she'd turn around after thinking about what they had said and offered.

But whether she would or not, she wasn't going to let Katherine be a victim because of her.

"I'm sorry," Valery said, her eyes shifting to Kahlil, hoping he'd help comfort his Padawan as well. "Maybe there is still time or an opportunity to help her, but right now, we have to get you out of here. We have to get you back."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

A promise?

Kahlil rubbed at his chin in thought as Lorelei vanished. Deep in thought, at that. What sort of promise was she trying to keep in here, locked away in a body that was no longer hers? And how could they properly help her? They needed answers on those, but as Valery spoke he blinked and glanced to her. Then smiled softly. "She gave us a hint to find her, don't you think?"

They needed to find the promise. Whatever it was, he knew that's where she'd be.

"Asides, you don't want to leave before we help her, right, Katherine?"

She was his Padawan after all.

Valery Noble | Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: Katherine's Mind - Eye of the Storm
Tags: Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble​

While our paths may diverge...from one another, let us never...forget the bond we forged together.

Katherine’s train of thought had matched Kahlil’s, and immediately searched her memories for the promise Lorelei spoke of. She followed the emotional trail she had left behind, peering beneath the layer of anger that Lorelei had put on display.

So that’s how it is…

“Exactly, much as I would like to leave this mental hellscape right now. It’s better to tackle this here and now, rather than later.” Of course that was her mindset. Katherine looked over at Valery, giving her a cheeky little shrug. “I am my Master’s Padawan.”

The redhead’s expression shifted from humorous to serious, crossing her arms. “The promise is the one made between Lorelei and her sisters, before they were to set off on their own paths. She remembers making it, but not the memory of the moment.”

“Whether she’s consciously aware of that fact or not, she’s fled in search of it, desperate for comfort. But she’s not going to find it, because it’s lost to her.”

Katherine stretched out her arms, a hand towards each of the Nobles.

“But I have a feeling I know where she’ll end up, and I can take us there.”

Once both Nobles’ had taken her hands, the winged Padawan closed her eyes and focused. After almost a minute, the trio were enveloped in a blinding white light. When it finally dissipated, they found themselves in a hallway, the walls around them a blend of white and grey.

Followed by that seemingly universal sterile smell of a facility.

A glance around revealed blood splattered walls, and floors littered with the bodies of both Sith and Imperial troopers. With the familiar iconography of the previous Sith Empire plastered sparingly around.

“This is it. This is where the end began for Lorelei, and mine only started to begin.”

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Katherine Holt

"I am my Master's Padawan."

"Oh, I know," Valery said with a faint smirk, directed at both Katherine and her husband. But Valery herself wasn't any different when it came to this — she didn't want to leave before finding a way to help Lorelei. To help both of them, as long as they could. At least they had a lead for now with this promise, and it seemed that Katherine knew what it was about. Or, at least, what it revolved around and how to approach it.

Hopefully, it'd be enough.

"If we find her there, do you think we can help her figure out what this promise was? Maybe even fulfill it somehow?" Valery asked but regardless of the answer, she stepped forward and took the Padawan's hand. She closed her eyes and with a blinding flash of intense light, they moved through the mind's realm again.

This time, they stood inside a facility, covered in blood and littered with bodies.

"Alright, let's be careful. This feels very dark," Valery said, as her hand instinctively dipped to the lightsaber on her belt. She had no idea if it'd be useful at all, but she was always going to defend herself and those with her.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"It would be the best way to get her to trust us to help her. I refuse to believe she is unable to he helped." He wasn't going to let that go, not now, not ever. It was neither Katherine's fault or Lorelei. It wasn't Lorelei's time to return to the flow of the Force. He'd find a way. He turned his gaze around as they arrived in the memory, nodding once.

It made sense. And he already had an idea on what the promise might have been.

"Let's find her."

Valery Noble | Katherine Holt

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: Katherine's Mind - Eye of the Storm
Tags: Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble​

"Alright, let's be careful. This feels very dark,"

“Not too surprising…This was where I was held, and experimented upon. Alongside whatever else the Sith were up to in this facility.”

Katherine’s memories of escaping were still incredibly foggy. They were nothing more than a recollection of corridors she had run down. But, there was still a trail to follow, one that would lead to where the redhead expected Lorelei to be.

“Somewhere in the depths of this place, resides a cocoon where I was being held within.”

The Padawan walked forwards, stretching a hand out to her side, where seconds later a spear materialised into its grip.

“Prepare for a fight, I’ve no doubt neither Imperial nor Sith troops are going to be happy seeing us.”

Sure enough, after they turned a few corners, they ran straight into a small group of Sith troopers. All seemingly recuperating from taking out some Imperials.

They immediately noticed the trio.

“Jedi! Here?!”

“Why are they here!?"

“Doesn’t matter, just shoot ‘em!”

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Katherine Holt

Without realizing it, Valery stuck just a bit closer to Katherine. This place not only had a sinister aura that she didn't trust, but it was one with dark memories attached to it. That made the Jedi Master inherently protective, even if it could be perceived as a little annoying. But given everything that happened thus far, she doubted Katherine would mind.

They were in this together.

"If they try to stop us or harm you or Lorelei, we'll deal with them." Valery was dead serious about it, and it wasn't long before she was given a chance to show just how serious she was. As soon as the soldiers spoke and raised their weapons, Valery was upon them. Like a lightning bolt, she went through the hallway and took down several of them with an ignited blade before they could even comprehend what was going on.

It was rare for her to strike this hard and fast, but this was important.

"Keep moving!"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"As terrible as it sounds, we're always ready for a fight."

Kahlil raised a hand as Valery shot off. The Force shifted under his guidance, heavy all at once. Those she didn't take down were promptly crushed under an unimaginable weight that defied normal logic. Some were sent crashing to the ground, others thrown into the nearby walls, some even up into the ceiling above. He walked forward, continuing to manipulate the Force as he went to grip a door in their path to rip it from it's hinges.

"We'll tear this place apart if we have to. Let's find them."

Katherine Holt | Valery Noble

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: Katherine's Mind - Eye of the Storm
Tags: Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble​

With Kahlil quite literally tearing open a path forwards, and Valery darting around taking out anyone who was trying to flank them, Katherine had little to do. Though the further they delved into the facility’s depths, that became a boon.

Her head began to throb painfully, locked away memories rushing back towards her. Like puzzle pieces filling in the blank spots that had plagued her for so long.

The route they were going down was inadvertently the same one she had taken when escaping, only in reverse. But as Katherine’s memory returned, there was a realisation slowly dawning on her, one that was likely crossing the Nobles’ minds too.

They were going in circles.

“Wait, wait! Something’s not right.”

Katherine paused as she turned to face one of the nearby walls, running a hand along it as she walked down the hallway. The basic, universal look of the facility made it difficult to keep one’s bearings. But in the Padawan’s mind, she remembered something that they ought to have passed already, and yet…

She paused her investigation roughly halfway down the hallway. Katherine frowned as she focused, pushing her intent inwards into the memory.

Reveal yourself.

The section of wall before her suddenly opened up, as though a curtain had just been pulled free. Revealing a door that had been blasted open…from the inside.

“She’s this way!”

Katherine didn’t hesitate as she dashed through the doorway, heading down yet another corridor. Only this one already had the bodies of Sith soldiers littering the ground, all of which were facing towards the destination the redhead was heading.

It seemed that Katherine had flown into a blind, panic rage upon escaping.

Once they finally reached the end, finding a similar blasted open door, they found their objective. Residing at the far end of the room was a fleshy cocoon, suspended from the ceiling, above a large basin built into the floor beneath it.

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Katherine Holt

"Wait, wait! Something's not right."

Despite her focus on taking down aggressors, Valery had noticed it as well. The rooms and hallways had looked far too similar, and with this being a world beyond the normal realm, she understood they had been going in circles. Or, at least, they were not heading anywhere. Katherine remembered, however, and forced the path to open with her mind. Valery offered a brief smile but quickly followed the Padawan.

They had no time to waste.

With Kahlil forcing open doors and opening whatever was in their way, Valery just focused on staying close to Katherine. She was strong and always would be able to defend herself, but she needed support like any other person did.

Especially here.

"That's..." Valery paused when they reached the last room and saw the cocoon. "What do we do?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"We help her to wake." Kahlil stepped into the room, stepped towards the cocoon. There was no denying who was here, now. But was this really where she was going to go? Where she could keep her promise? It was more likely a representation of a barrier the other girl had put up, trying to keep them separate, safe. He raised a hand towards the basin, idly shattering it under an immense weight through the Force.

No more basins. No more alchemy. Not even here, in a memory. Enough had been done.

Katherine Holt | Valery Noble

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: Katherine's Mind - Eye of the Storm
Tags: Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble​

With the basin removed, Katherine was able to walk up underneath the cocoon. She reached up and placed her hand flat against its surface, closing her eyes and focused.

“This was as far as she could go. She tried to run back to the memory of the promise she had made. But…” Katherine went quiet for several moments, before letting out a sigh. “Lorelei’s deteriorated too much, her connection to her own memories is nonexistent now. This is it for her…where my memories, my life began.”

She stepped back, turning around to face the Nobles. Katherine’s gaze shifted past them for a moment, noticing the door they had entered via was no longer there.

This was it then, they weren’t leaving this room; this memory, until it was resolved.

Guilt swelled in the Padawan’s heart, but she was also resolved to see this through. She nodded to both Kahlil and Valery, before turning to face the cocoon once more. With a stab and slash of her spear, she cut it open.

The weapon was discarded, freeing up Katherine’s arms as she moved to cushion Lorelei’s fall. Both fell to the floor, with the Padawan wrapping her arms around her mirror. It was something of a surreal moment, holding a reflection of herself in her own arms.

Loreli, now whole and in the flesh; minus the wings. She bore the same dishevelled appearance Katherine had when Kahlil first met her.

“I…I-I couldn’t find it, couldn’t find them! Why? Why?!”

The redhead’s cries became muffled as Katherine pulled her into a hug. “I know, I know. And I’m sorry, but you need to stop this Lorelei. All the thrashing and fighting back is only making things worse.”

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Katherine Holt

"If you keep fighting, we can't ever help you," Valery said after Katherine cut into the cocoon and caught Lorelei's fall. These were just memories. Dreams, in a way. They kept Katherine trapped within, but Valery did not believe that anything here would change the real world for the better. All it did was cause more suffering.

It needed to end.

"It's time to let go, so the suffering can finally stop." Valery walked over and placed a hand atop Katherine's shoulder. She offered support and comfort to her that way, while her gaze settled on Lorelei. She wasn't angry or upset with her — she only felt pity for a girl who just wanted to live her life.

But it had been taken away from her.

"We still believe we can help you. All you need to do is trust us."