Duel Because I Could Not Stop For Death

[Ishani Dinn]

Test Site Verdant Pasture, Dahrtag​

Through the viewport windows of the Leviathan, Ishani had watched the wall of snowfall at the planet’s south pole part like white curtains, revealing a rocky valley dusted with snow. The starship hovered over the canyon, searching for the facility hidden away somewhere below. Finally, their instruments picked up a signal. Words were exchanged, identities confirmed, and then they were ushered into a hangar.

Khayyam met them at the entrance. “Hello again! My, you don’t look a day older, my lord! And you, the Lady of Folende, you’ve grown much lovelier.”

“Uh, thanks,” Ishani replied, rubbing the back of her neck. How did one take compliments from someone who wasn’t even a member of the same species?

Despite his cheerfulness, the little Chadra-Fan seemed older. His movements were slow and he held himself in a stiff, slightly hunched manner. Only after laying eyes upon Claudia did he grow more animated, excitement suffusing his aged limbs.

“Oh my,” he breathed, peering at her. “Poor child, do you remember me? I knew your father and your grandfather. You must be wondering what they were trying to do to you. Well, after poring over his records here, I’ve found documents that may shed some light on your condition. Come in, please, come in—it’s a lot warmer inside.”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Khayyam met them at the entrance, after disembarking, and he was more than approachable. He greeted each individually, and Arcturus bowed his head softly in response to his words. "A pleasure to see you again" he stated, watching as he flitted from Ishani to Claudia with a renewed vigor.​

​

Though Arcturus knew that the alchemist had ties to the girl's grandfather, what he hadn't been expecting was that he'd be able to shed further light on the whys of it all. That intrigued him, and he perked a brow in response.​

​

Exchanged a glance with Ishani.​

​

Soon enough they were crossing the threshold and into the facility itself.​

​

Frankly, Arcturus was surprised there even was a real reason behind it. It seemed so... Senseless. So wrong.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Vir and Claudia stuck close together as the group moved into the facility. He was sullen and glaring, while she radiated a deep sorrow. Neither were pleased to be seeing Khayyam again, nor were they happy to be back in Verdant Pasture, a place which held far too many memories.

“It seems that your grandfather wanted a way to generate alchemized amber without having to go through the process of imbuing it every time he used it,” Khayyam explained. “He first tried to engineer a tree that would produce the amber. But because trees are not sapient—most of the time, anyway—the amber they would produce wasn’t strong enough with the Force for his purposes.” He spread his hands. “So he looked for ways to create hybrids with other sapient species, starting with Humans and Near-Humans, the most common sapients in the galaxy. I believe he may have even intended to use it as a biological weapon, one that would generate a useful byproduct upon death.”

“So he experimented on his own granddaughter?” Ishani’s lip curled. “Couldn’t he at least have used his enemies as guinea pigs? Or criminals? Why someone close to him—a child, no less?”

“The bodies of the young more readily accept such changes,” Khayyam replied. “The Sith made that discovery decades ago. It is why the Sith Imperials encouraged wealthy families to have their children modified, and took the youthful enslaved as test subjects in their experiments. All for the sake of advancing the science and art of alchemy. As for why he chose his granddaughter, I can't answer that.”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus had been more focused on the facility, and on Claudia, than the meat and potatoes of the conversation in truth. That was until mention was made of young enslaved individuals who were tested and experimented on.​

​

Though it likely went unnoticed, he stiffened at that and his skin paled considerably. Churning memories rose to the surface of a time just before Maliphant, of Senth and the others he'd unwittingly left behind.​

​

Haunted. His expression was haunted... Had his heightened sensitivity to the Force not been discovered, he might have found himself meddled with to a far more severe level than he was, with more than just his memories being tormented. His gaze strayed to Claudia then, and Vir at her side.​

​

He'd escaped the worst of it, but they hadn't had they?​

​

Though normally chatty, Arcturus didn't say a word.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ishani sensed the shift in Arc's temperament at her side. Without saying a word, she gently slid her hand into his.

In the strained silence that followed, Vir's raspy voice cut the quiet. "You play the role of the detached observer in the retelling, old man, but you were part of it all. I recognize your face—it was one of the first things I saw with these eyes. You made this body of mine in your Machine Mother. You helped Messala force me into it—"

"Now, now," Khayyam interrupted, retreating from Vir, who had begun to advance toward him. "Claudia can still be saved. Everything is ready for you in there." He pointed over his shoulder toward a sealed door. "You'll need my help."

Vir pushed Khayyam aside and stalked toward the door.

<Don't let him see what's behind it!> Claudia's telepathy echoed through all their minds.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

The hand drew him back to the present, and Claudia's pleading telepathic voice had him pulling from it though he wanted to stay by Ishani's side.​

​

"Hey now, come on," he stated, trying to deescalate the situation, "I brought you here because she wanted your company, but if you're going to ruin her only chance at a normal existence I will step in. Back up, Vir. Now's not the time for any of this."​

​

The swiftness of his motions, and the poise and grace afforded to him by the practice of his preferred form, allowed Arcturus to slide into place ahead of the man. He strengthened his position there, keeping him from going any further.​

​

"This isn't about the rest of us. This is for her. For Claudia. You will stop." His hand strayed toward his belt, where various weapons and pouches lay - though what exactly he was going to take up if matters didn't settle quietly?​

​

Well... Ishani likely knew, but the rest of them? It was anyone's guess.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Fury and anguish had deformed the shapeshifter, twisting his visage into something hideous. Blocked by Arcturus, Vir raised his hands as if to strike him, but hesitated.

“If this doesn’t work,” he growled. “I will have justice. This is the price for what was done to us.” His face changed, and for a brief moment or two, Vir’s features very clearly belonged to a white-haired boy who had once attacked Arcturus in an alleyway. Kai Bamarri stared at him, his voice inside his head. <For what was done to me.>

He let his hands drop to his sides and took a step away. Ishani, who had inched her way toward Arc’s side, ready to defend him if necessary, turned her attention to the door. “Right, if that’s it for dramatic outbursts today, I don’t want to hang around here for too long.” The kids were waiting for them at home.

She palmed the door controls. It slid open to reveal a sterile lab, filled with the typical equipment she expected from a Sith bio-alchemist. There were tanks, most of which were empty—but one held the slumbering newly-formed body of a girl, floating in clear fluid.

Claudia stared up at the clone of herself in awe. Khayyam scurried into the room, putting distance between himself and Vir. “Hurry, hurry,” he muttered. “You’re all strong in the Force. We’ll need all the help we can get if we’re going to pull this off…”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus recognized him in an instance, and it was only the doppelganger's own restraint which kept him from passing over the sand in search of his blade instead. Fingers grasped at nothing though, even as the voice spiked into his mind.​

​

He was grateful for Ishani's presence... Chaos knew what he might have done otherwise.​

​

"You stay out here" he told the boy-turned-man, this sort of wanton distraction was not ideal, and his rage toward not just Khayyam but Arcturus and Ishani for what they had done in the past was still too raw. "You'll be a hindrance."​

​

Provided Kai didn't try to press the matter any further, Arcturus would turn and enter the laboratory alongside the others. If he did? Well... Might be Khayyam would only be having Ishani's assistance after all.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Give us what we came here for, then!” Kai spat, uncharacteristically raising his voice. “Cure her, before it’s too late!”

His agitation was not unfounded. Something was wrong with Claudia. In the face of that, Kai was not going to stay away. He tried to push past Arc.

“Come here, come here,” Khayyam beckoned to Ishani. In his hands he now held a small, dull, gray crystal. “We must preserve her essence now. This will act as a conduit.”

He pressed the crystal into Ishani’s hands. “For now, all you need to do is get it inside the Soulstone. Her body is failing, she will want to leave it, but you must guide her…”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"That's what we're DOING" Arcturus uncharacteristically raised his voice, something he was not likely to do in most any situation. "You need to calm the feth down, mate, because right now you're the only one stopping this from being a swift process. Go and get some fethin' air. Now."​

​

He stepped in the boy's way again, glowering. A fierce protectiveness had overcome him as of late, and he knew in part it was due to the fact all he could envision in most situations was his children. Claudia right now could well have been Eloise, and for that reason alone he couldn't let anything jeopardize this.​

​

"Use your damn head and do what's best for her."​

​

Arcturus brought both his hands up, to shove Kai back if he continued to try and press on.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Kai grabbed Arc by the shoulders and attempted to shove—or more likely throw—him out of the way. Regardless of the outcome, Khayyam closed the doors before he could enter the lab.

“Focus,” he urged Ishani.

Ishani could not focus. “But he’s—”

“He is a Sith. He can handle himself. You have a job to do.”

She looked at Claudia. If Ishani could save her life, it would all stop. She had Vir’s word.

Holding the Soulstone out, she focused on building a channel between it and Claudia, a pathway that she could follow. She prodded the girl’s mind, gently at first, then more urgently when she found her unresponsive. “It’s like she’s asleep, or… is she dead already?”

“No, but she’s close. You’ll have to pull her out of it. Reach inside and rip her from the clutches of the Netherworld of the Force.”

So Ishani did just that, though even attempting it was like plunging her body into icy mud. It hurt to be in it, and it was difficult to get out of. She fought it desperately, as much afraid it would claim her as she was it would claim Claudia…

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

The doors closed and Arcturus planted his feet and lowered his weight into a grounding stance just before his back could strike them. It seemed as though he wasn't going to listen to reason. Arcturus grit his teeth with that knowledge in mind, and reached for his saber.​

​

"Don't push me, man. I'm being patient as I can be, but you're instigating here. She's dying in there and if this fails because there's not enough hands on deck then her last thoughts are going to be worrying over you. You're being selfish."​

​

Arcturus shook his head.​

​

Typical fethin' Jedi. Couldn't lay their own need for vengeance to one side for two fethin' minutes, could they?​

​

Reaching out his other hand, he shoved the boy back with the Force to put some room between them. He really didn't want to ignite his blade, but he'd already learned before that Kai wasn't one to stand down.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Something in Kai egged him on. Perhaps he craved a rematch either way, a proper duel against Arc after their previous encounter. This time with no sand to put him to sleep.

The hilt of his lightsaber flew into his hand, the blade igniting. <She needs me, not you, murderer.>

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"You haven't fixed her so far" he snapped back, unable to help himself. Kai's lightsaber ignited into existence, and so too did Arcturus' just a second later. He might have been the last to draw the blade into existence, but that didn't keep him from being quick off the mark.​

​

Arcturus slid forth, footwork well practiced, and for the first time in a long time he looked to make the first strike. He lunged into a shiak directed toward Kai's weapon arm, for though he wanted nothing more than to run the boy through and put an end to all of this madness he had promised Claudia 'Vir' would be there for her.​

​

He had no intentions of going back on his word.​

​

Light and nimble on his feet, Arcturus was already poised and ready to slide back from reach should his attack falter.​

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Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai was pleased to find the Sith made the first strike. His body turned aside from the stab, his blade already sweeping in from the side.

From there, they were engaged in battle, with all the swiftness and grace lightsaber combat entailed. Kai was superhumanly fast and strong, but his opponent was a Sith with more training, skill, and experience than him.

Arc might have been aiming to wound, but Kai struck to kill. His blade arced toward his opponent’s neck and head, and thrust toward his torso.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus was deft in his movements, it had always been his advantage over others - he lacked in strength, sure, but he was agile, swift and graceful, Makashi was as much an artform as it was a saber form, and against an individual opponent it was able to flourish in all its majesty.​

​

Of course, he didn't stick to just bladework as they went toe to toe with one another. The Force was that which came to him most naturally, and so he used it to his full advantage as they tangled. Kai was strong, inhumanly so, and he was fast without the need of body altering abilities to aid him, but he was reckless, and rushed, and sought only an end to Arcturus' existence.​

​

That provided the Knight with openings that one of his peers might never have allowed for. Arc parried here and there, knocked him back with the Force, and kept a measured pace with the boy. But where Kai was seeking to kill, Arcturus wanted only to maim him. Destroy his weapon, perhaps, given the strange nature of the one before him.​

​

Lopping off his hand... He wasn't even sure if that would do anything to him. Could he regrow it on a whim? Arcturus didn't know. But he would not be killing Kai this day.​

​

Nor did he plan on being the one killed.​

​

What a conundrum,​

​

Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Arc’s blade managed to graze his arm just below the shoulder. Perhaps graze was too light a word—the lightsaber bit into his flesh, searing it in a way that would be difficult to heal. Pain made Kai see red, brought his anger to a boil.

Lashing out in a fury, he sought to hurt the Sith back. He made an upward slash aimed at lopping off Arc’s sword arm, then brought the pommel of his hilt slamming down toward Arc’s head.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Fury was a strange sight to behold on one who ultimately considered themselves a Jedi. Starlin at least had used humour as his front, but looking at Kai in the fleeting seconds after his lightsaber struck his arm he couldn't help but wonder how he kept to the light at all. Darkness hung there in pieces, largely due to the nature of his body - he was Sithspawn, after all - but beyond that...​

​

Well. He'd have made something of a Sith. Probably not a great one, rage wasn't conductive to progress after all. But something. An attack dog certainly.​

​

Arcturus slid back, the tip of Kai's lightsaber blade narrowly avoiding his arm though it was close enough to singe the shirt and the surface layer of skin beneath, and sidestepped as the boy projected his next move.​

​

All at once he was brought back to the shockboxing arena with Yula Perl . That had been quick and brutal combat, but being that it wasn't at the tip of a blade but one's own fists it was understandable. Even so he limbered up in the aftermath, reaching out to shove a potentially off-kilter Kai as his pommel fell into empty air through the Force.​

​

Beyond that Arcturus pushed the offensive, stepping over to the boy whether he stood or had fallen he held his blade firm in his left hand and sliced it down - this time he didn't aim for the weapon itself, he aimed for the hand which held it. This whole thing was stupid, there was a dying woman in the next room gorramit.​

​

Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Oh, Kai. Kai the tainted, unable to overcome the darkness and tame his demons. Kai the child in a monstrous body, his head filled with simple notions of a black and white galaxy. Kai the suicidal, throwing his wasted life on the line to save the innocent and kill the unjust.

Kai who was currently lying flat on his ass, knocked back by Arc’s blow. He leaned into the fall and rolled backwards, away from his advancing opponent, but only had time to rise to a crouch before Arc was on him again.

Their blades crashed together, locked in a bind for a second or two before Kai shoved him back and staggered to his feet. There was a sound of fabric tearing, Kai’s clothes ripping as he grew an extra set of arms. For what purpose?

To pummel Arc in the ribs while their blades were preoccupied.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

The boy was down, but the fight wasn't gone from him. If anything every single thing Arcturus did only seemed to worsen his fractured state. Their blades clashed, Arcturus was pushed back and he moved with the momentum it afforded him to put some ground back between the two of them. Slid back into his ready stance, a swift x forming in the air as he swiped the tip of his blade in a cross.​

​

He watched as more arms were borne from the boy's body, and realized his initial suspicions had been correct. No sense in removing limbs then... He couldn't kill him either. Well, he probably could but still.​

​

As Kai found his stride Arcturus reached out through the Force to wrap his body in a stasis. It wouldn't knock him out, he wouldn't end up sprawled on the floor, but he would find himself immobilized if it worked. And given how rage induced he was, how seemingly one track minded, he was hoping he'd find success.​

​

Arlo Renard ​