[Duel] The Winter Soldier

[Lord Gaius]

Comic Strip | Theme Song | Orto Plutonia | Jedi Knight Hasjo Hallu vs Sith Acolyte Sokrai Ronaro​

Hasjo glanced over his shoulder, motioning with a pair of blue goggles in his hands. "Defend the laboratory, Lieutenant. I do not want the professor hurt" he spoke sternly and with authority to Les Hender. Hasjo glanced over to Flight Marshal Peit Hale "Once the LAAT's are prepped for flight, evacuate the station. I'll meet this Sith alone."
"Knight Hallu" Peit called, throwing his head to the direction of the Nautolan "Knight Hallu, the ships won't be ready for launch for another thirty minutes. I'll organise the First Lieutenant to defend the main gate until we're ready for launch."
"I'll buy you as much time as I can. But do not wait for me. I sense a great darkness ahead for me. Once you're away, I'll be right behind you. Well rendezvous at Voss." The Knight gave them a curt nod, and Les spoke in his bionic voice "May the Force be with you." Hasjo shared the blessing onto Les before placing his goggles over his eyes to protect them from the harsh cold. The Nautolan was adapted to the cold, but such extreme environments required him to be well suited and to wear goggles, lest his eyes quite literally freeze over. He didn't have the advantage of eyelids like many other species. But even then, they too often had to wear goggles in the ferocious wastelands of Orto Plutonia.

[member="Sokrai Ronaro"] was here to stop her fellow Chiss from aiding her enemies. Sukh'Al'Lee had spat out a furious tale of insults in his native tongue upon the word of a Sith landing craft approaching the planet. The defence systems had attempted to shoot it out of the sky, but a storm had swept away all hopes of using any form of targeting system. Hasjo raised the hatch and climbed out into the cold, immediately his teeth began to chatter. He comfortably ran his hands over the Lightsaber Pike attached to his hilt, reassuring himself for the conflict ahead. He peered his eyes through the swirling snow that clouded vision twenty feet ahead of him. He could barely see a thing out here as the storm reached it's zenith. He began to trudge through the snow, following the darkness that permeated from the very core of the Sith. He shouted out to her, hoping she could hear his voice "Return from where you have come, Sith" he hissed those final words. Perhaps she was a Dark Jedi, but regardless, the Dark Side was evident, and to him it was all the same. The Dark Side was not something to be trusted.

 

[Lord Eclipsion]

"Return from where you have come, Sith"

Sokrai heard the distant echo of the [member="Hasjo Hallu"] shouting. She scowled, as she began steadily walking away from her ship and towards the Nautolan. So he figured it out. She thought in anger, as she began nearing the remote base. The snow flew by her light but thermal-heated armor, some of it sticking on it. Sokrai was here on a personal mission, to end the life of one of her own kind, which was already small in number. This scientist is aiding Republic soldiers! This scum is betraying his ancestry, his culture and his species! He must be punished for his insolence! Sokrai thought with absolute disgust, as she turned on her purple lightsaber. " YIELD! This man is trying to destroy his culture! He betrayed our noble kind and must die. He aids our enemies, who pursue and murder many across the galaxy, not just Chiss! HE MUST PAY!" She yelled, using some of the force to persuade and intimidate him to give-up. Sokrai put her left hand in the air, and began spinning her lighsaber, glowing against the pure white snow.

 

[Lord Gaius]

"YIELD! This man is trying to destroy his culture! He betrayed our noble kind and must die. He aids our enemies, who pursue and murder many across the galaxy, not just Chiss! HE MUST PAY!" [member="Sokrai Ronaro"] shouted.
Hasjo pushed aside all emotions and thoughts. Her words would not persuade him. A calm washed over him, through his very core and being. His perceptive, immense, black eyes saw the distant haze of a lightsaber. He began to silently stalk towards it. He unclipped his lightsaber pike and held it in his right hand, ready to ignite when it served him best. The muffled crunch of snow below his feet was almost inaudible in the extreme weather storm. Orto Plutonia was a terrible place, and would prove unique as a duelling ground. He stopped, knowing he was close. He slowed down his breathing, preparing himself. His left foot slid back, finding strong purchase. His chest raised and lowered in a rhythmic motion. His twin hearts began to beat out of sync, preparing for the fight ahead. Adrenaline coursed his veins, his body knowing what was ahead. He suddenly leapt, propelled through the air by the power of the Force. His body completely horizontal like a speeding bullet. His dual cerulean blades ignited and the pike twirled between his fingers at an unnatural speed, performing the technique of Su that he had mastered. He flew towards her, a propeller of eviscerating power.

 

[Lord Eclipsion]

Sokrai sensed the lighter area of the force that approached her, knowing that [member="Hasjo Hallu"] was going to attack. But what happened next surprised her, as the Nautolan came charging forth with a pike, racing at her at incredible speed. As she saw this, she hurled herself out of the way, dodging his charge. She slowly got up, and got into a loose and offensive position. " You fight with a pike? Fight with honor! Fight like a true warrior, and use only one saber! " Sokrai told him, trying once more to influence him.

 

[Lord Gaius]

"You fight with a pike? Fight with honor! Fight like a true warrior, and use only one saber!"
He slammed against the ground like a furious torpedo. Snow was thrown up from the impact. He collected his stance and turned to her. His body facing away to reduce his body target zone. Something about her words were unique in that they tried to squirm into his mind. It was trying to manipulate him. The ocean calm washed over him, expelling any thoughts of what she spoke. He did not even think to question her words lest he fall under her sway. He sucked in a deep breath, the force empowering his lungs as he expelled a tremendous Force Bellow capable of deafening the weak. The air vibrated with the blast that was mean't to stun and disorientate opponents.

@[member="Sokrai Ronaro"]

 

[Lord Eclipsion]

Sokrai noticed a small blast of snow ejecting from the earth, mort likely from the knights impact. Suddenly, a ground-shaking, deafening yell echoed across the barren landscape. Her ears began ringing, as droplets of blood leaked from them. Sokrai nearly collapsed to the ground, but she slammed her lightsaber into the snow, to keep her balance. She began using more and more force persuade when she talked, trying to manipulate the knight. " COWARD! You fight with the force, not your skill! You use cheap tricks, instead of fighting like a warrior! You are no knight, you are just a weakling, who is afraid to fight like a true knight! " Sokrai yelled at the Nautolan.

[member="Hasjo Hallu"]

 

[Lord Gaius]

"COWARD! You fight with the force, not your skill! You use cheap tricks, instead of fighting like a warrior! You are no knight, you are just a weakling, who is afraid to fight like a true knight!"
He faltered a step, the words seeped into his mind and he considered her. No, he told him. He can't let her inside. He steeled his resolve, strengthened his mind and allowed the calming meditation of the Matukai take over him. He had learned their ancient techniques by his Togruta Master, Sochi Ru. He breathed in deep once more, his lungs burning with a fire that he had never known, releasing another powerful blast. This time, it was different. He moved in, closing the distance shorter after the blast. He spun his body in a series of twirls, becoming a whirlwind of a cerulean haze. A living, martial hurricane, his body moving in two and three directions at once, joints flexing, unlimited by human vertebral restraints. His attack was absolute fluidity, one motion flowing into the next, without a wasted effort. Each attack was a wipe sweep, mean't to keep her away from him to retain the advantage of distance.

@[member="Sokrai Ronaro"]

 

[Lord Eclipsion]

Bellow after bellow, Sokrai's ears pained more and more, her hears marked by lines of blood. A haze of blue approached her, swinging and dashing at the air in front of her. She slowly backed away, stumbling over herself every once in a while, as she stared at the blur with pure, uncontrolled hatred. " COWARD! YOU FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR, USING MULTIPLE BLADES, USING MERE TRICKS TO WIN YOUR BATTLES! YOU ARE NO HERO, NO WARRIOR...YOU ARE A FAILURE TO THE REPUBLIC!" Sokrai yelled with pure rage, using a huge amount of energy in force persuasion.

 

[Lord Gaius]

"COWARD! YOU FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR, USING MULTIPLE BLADES, USING MERE TRICKS TO WIN YOUR BATTLES! YOU ARE NO HERO, NO WARRIOR...YOU ARE A FAILURE TO THE REPUBLIC!" She shrieked like a banshee. And her words would have finally hit home, and they nearly had until she mentioned the last sentence. Failure to the Republic. He was no longer Republic, and hadn't been for the last year. He worked for the Silver Jedi Order, a reclusive and secretive group, but very commonly mistaken for the Republic. He pressed his assault. He moved his torso with a boneless agility that seemed impossible for any vertebrae. Hasjo was a veteran sword fighter, astonishingly aggressive and intuitive. He tried to close in on her, hoping to force her a retreat lest he be forced to worst measures. He continued with the sweeping arcs, his body performing moves that might make a Twi'Lek dancer jealous.
@[member="Sokrai Ronaro"]

 

[Lord Eclipsion]

Sokrai kept inching backwards, now putting all of her energy into her following statement, hoping it would work, and send the Nautolan to fight with one saber. " YOU PRIDE YOURSELF ON BEING A GUARDIAN OF THE PEOPLE, YET THE PEOPLE ARE ABANDONING YOU! THEY KNOW YOU ARE WEAK, NOT A TRUE WARRIOR WHO FIGHTS WITH HONOR! YOU FAILED TO GUARD THEM AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES, AND LOOK AT YOU NOW! GUARDING A LOWLY DOCTOR, INSTEAD OF GETTING REVENGE AGAINST THOSE WHO WRONGED YOU! YOU ARE A FAILURE! " She bellowed with all her might.

[member="Hasjo Hallu"]

 

[Lord Gaius]

The second blade evaporated from sight. He held the hilt with only a single hand. He no longer kept her at bay, he was leading a fully fledged assault on her. He became unpredictable in his attack, as was the way of Form I. His stance held great strength, and there was a deep clarity in the Jedi as he organised his lines of engagement. While the dual blades were useful, it prevented a variety of techniques he often utilised when possible. The Pike was designed for sweeping attacks, and not the bladesman dance of a single lightsaber. He came at her attempting a right-to-left diagonal slash along her chest before suddenly spinning around to perform a swing towards her hip.

@[member="Sokrai Ronaro"]

 

[Lord Eclipsion]

The second blade evaporated from sight. He held the hilt with only a single hand. He no longer kept her at bay, he was leading a fully fledged assault on her. He became unpredictable in his attack, as was the way of Form I. His stance held great strength, and there was a deep clarity in the Jedi as he organised his lines of engagement. While the dual blades were useful, it prevented a variety of techniques he often utilised when possible. The Pike was designed for sweeping attacks, and not the bladesman dance of a single lightsaber. He came at her attempting a right-to-left diagonal slash along her chest before suddenly spinning around to perform a swing towards her hip.

(Darn! Thought you would break just there!)

Sokrai, now smiling sadistically, easily blocked the simple slash at her core, but barely managed to graze his swing at her hip, slightly deflecting it and leaving only a minor burn there. She began a series of fluid jabs and slashes, moving gracefully and with rapid speed. Her loose grip swung her lightsaber at Hasjo's left arm, then followed by a sweep of her legs at Hasjo's legs, hoping it would trip the knight up, giving her the distinct advantage.

[member="Hasjo Hallu"]

 

[Lord Gaius]

As each jab came towards him, he maintained his balance. His left hand held outwards to hold his balance while his right manoeuvred his bladework. He batted away the jabs and slashes, her speed increasing. It reminded him of the velocities. He was now of the defensive as she unleashed herself upon him. She came for his arm, he brought his left hand in and held his lightsaber across to deflect the blow. He would have lost his arm otherwise, and he was thankful he had blocked it in time. The Force guided his movements as he performed the battle meditation of the Matukai. She swept at his legs and he jumped into the air, curling his feet up. The technique was known as Sai. As he landed, he spun 360 degrees in the use of Jung Ma, increasing the power of his attack with the gained speed of his move. He lunged out with Shiak, an impaling move considered honourable by Jedi. He attempted to aim for her weapon arm.

@[member="Sokrai Ronaro"]

 

[Darth Imperatus]

"Who goes there?" the soldier at the main gate. In response, Melkaroth simply stepped out into the open.

"Oh, I'm a Jedi. Really." He said, a small smile upon his face. In his black armor, complete with the trademark black cape, he could pass for a Jedi about as easily as a nexu could pass for a domesticated pet. The soldier pointed his gun.

"You're not authorized to enter this facility." he said. "Leave now!" The Sith responded by charging forwards, whipping out his saber and activating the first blade. The soldier fired two shots--Melkaroth deflected them easily while continuing to sprint towards his quarry, and then swung his saber up in an upwards arc, cleaving his opponent in two. In the same motion, the Sith twirled his saber in his hands and sheathed it.

He continued through the lab, cutting a path of destruction through the enemy forces without slowing his slow, purposeful strides one bit. Round a corner, he came up against another soldier.The seargent raised his blaster rifle, but too late--Melkaroth he drew his saber and ran him through the stomach, causing him to collapse to the ground. Melkaroth continued on. Outside the doors of the laboratory was yet another soldier. Without hesitation, the man trained his blaster and fired with the accuracy of a trained soldier, but Melkaroth's lightsaber moved in a blur as he dashed forwards, first blocking the blaster bolts and then slashing the Les' blaster in two. Carrying on with the momentum of the saber, Melkaroth spun around and kicked the soldier in the jaw with enough force to send him flying across the room. Feeling rather pleased with himself, Melkaroth strode into the laboratory. The Chiss professor stood before him, blaster pistol drawn. The Sith held his lightsaber diagonally in front of him, ready to deflect an attack.

"Greetings." he said. "The Emperor sends his regards." there wasn't a trace of emotion in his voice.

The mission had of course been to eliminate this threat, but what Melkaroth saw before him was the perfect key to a very valuable asset. "I was sent here to kill you, Chiss, but you will not be harmed if you do as I say. Now drop your weapon and tell your little Jedi friend your predicament." The Chiss replied venomously. "Ah but of course, by your command." Slowly, he walked over to one of the panels. Melkaroth watched impassively as he pressed several buttons on the console.

"Knight Hasjo." he said, his voice full of forced calm. "I'm sorry, sir, the facility has been...compromised by a Sith."

That was all the professor needed to say. In two short strides he closed the distance between them and shoved the Chiss to the ground.

"As you can hear, Jedi, the professor is unharmed. Now kindly surrender your weapon. I expect a transmission indicating that you have done so from the Sith you are fighting within the next thirty seconds."

And so he waited for a response, quite oblivious to the fact that there were others in the facility...

 

[Lord Gaius]

Les Hender . . .
"Sir, the perimeters been breached!" A voice shrieked over a crackling communication link. The distinct sound of plasma and the blood curdling cry of dying soldiers echoed throughout the deep laboratory. "Sergeant, I'm ordering your men to retre-" He was suddenly cut off as the sergeant let out a gasp. He was impaled by the mysterious attacker. Les checked the communication array, it was dead and silent on the other side. He turned to Sukh'Al'Lee, motioning for him to slam shut the doors "Stay in there and activate the defences. I'll buy you time."
Les turned as he could heard the slap of two boots against the metallic surface of the underground bases floor. The Sith, [member="Melakoth Tyrin"], came into view. Les pulled his blaster tight against his shoulder and opened fire, but the man moved like a demon, and he was upon the veteran commander in a split-second. The swing of plasma and his blaster was cleaved in half. Suddenly the man moved like an animal, swinging around to deliver a powerful kick straight to Les' jaw, and suddenly everything turned black. The unconscious body of Les slammed against the ground.



Sukh'Al'Lee . . .
"Greetings." the Sith said. "The Emperor sends his regards." there wasn't a trace of emotion in his voice. Sukh'Al'Lee turned around to face him with a cold hearted resolve. "I was sent here to kill you, Chiss, but you will not be harmed if you do as I say. Now drop your weapon and tell your little Jedi friend your predicament."
"Ah, but of course, as by your command" the Chiss hissed venomously through clenched teeth. He turned about to the unique computer before him, the controls were entirely holographical. The words were in the language of the Chiss as he rapidly typed in thin air upon the floating blue text. "Knight Hasjo." he said, his voice full of forced calm. "I'm sorry, sir, the facility has been...compromised by a Sith."
"As you can hear, Jedi, the professor is unharmed. Now kindly surrender your weapon. I expect a transmission indicating that you have done so from the Sith you are fighting within the next thirty seconds."
As the Sith had taken over, he slowly stepped back across the room. Sukh turned to the room-sized hologram that filled the entire space with data. He rapidly typed silently as though it was a physical keyboard. Entering a sequence. And just as the Sith had finished his speech, he activated it. The entire laboratories defence systems came online. This was a state of the art military compound, fleshy soldiers weren't the only thing defending this place. They were so unreliable. He bolted for the other side of the room, slamming his open palm against a switch. A door disguised as the wall slid open, and he entered the panic room. It closed behind him.


Les Hender . . .

One of the various Sergeants came rushing into view, waking up the Lieutenant. Les groaned, running his hand along his helmet. His jaw was killing him, that kick had stung. He got onto his knees and craned his neck to peer at the Sergeant. He was kneeling over one of the Air Marshals, a Captain. "Sir! The Captain is unconscious!"
Les raised a finger and ordered the Sergeant "Order all ships to withdraw out of range! NOW!" He stood up and brushed himself off. He retrieved a heavy blaster pistol from his side holster, making sure the Sergeant had picked up the unconscious Captain and was withdrawing from the area. Smoke and rubbled filled the room. He entered the personal quarters of Professor Al'Lee, pistol raised to the Sith "You've got to the count of ten before I blast a hole through your skull big enough for me to climb through." Les Hender wasn't expecting to survive this. Heck, this was suicidal. He knew he was about to die, and would die willingly in the name of all that was good in the galaxy. He tore off his helmet. Les was born deaf and without a tongue, a defect as a baby. Without his helmet, he could not hear nor speak. It was how he would want to die. He gritted his teeth, letting out an inhumane wail that could only be contributed to those without tongues. And he pulled the trigger one after the other. Knowing this Sith would kill him, right there, and right then.

 

[Darth Imperatus]

The Sith's lightsaber swung around, blocking a first blaster bolt, then another, then another. He then simply stood there for a few seconds, staring. Surely, the soldier knew that his attacks were useless, that the Sith would kill him in retaliation. But still, he fired, opening his arms to death with that horrible yell and making a conscious decision to go down fighting. He knew of course that the Republic and their so-called light-side associates were corrupt and hypocritical, but at least this man was no coward. Before him stood a warrior, an enemy but a warrior all the same, and for just one second the Sith marveled at that fact. Then he began to advance on the soldier, more slowly than he normally would.

"You are a very, very stupid man." he hissed, his voice full of hatred. The soldier responded with another shot--deflected again. Then Melkaroth leaped forwards, closing the remaining distance between them and initiated a spinning attack, slicing the man across his midsection and then whirling around and running him through the heart. The blow was savage, but somehow Melkaroth thought that such a warrior would prefer it that way--to be killed by an enemy who was striking with his full force, not holding back.

[member="Hasjo Hallu"]
[member="Sokrai Ronaro"]

 

[Lord Eclipsion]

Sokrai grinned widely, when a fellow acolyte, [member="Melakoth Tyrin "]used the distraction and invaded the base. Slowly creeping through the white slush of the snow, she stealthily approached [member="Hasjo Hallu"] , her lightsaber now turned off, to prevent him from hearing the soft hum of the weapon. Sokrai steadily raised her hands, and then tensed. She quickly turned on her lightsaber, and slashed at Hasjo's legs with a rapid fury. She quietly told Hasjo, now using whatever was left of her force energy. " You have failed, Knight. Your scientist most likely lies dead, among the many killed by your ignorance. "

 

[Lord Gaius]

"Knight Hasjo." a voice crackled over the communication link, his voice full of forced calm. "I'm sorry, sir, the facility has been...compromised by a Sith."
She vanished from sight. Just as he had turned around to impale her upon his blade, he was baffled to find she was gone. He dare not return to the base, Les Hender would have things under control. The Chiss would be safe in his hands, he was confident of that. He took a step back, allowing the Force to be his eyes for him. To sense that which he could not see. As was all Younglings trained in such an art form in the Jedi academy on Coruscant from the age of four. One must rely on the Force, and their instincts. He could feel her, nearby. The Dark Side of the Force permeated from her very being. Her decrepit anger fuelling her attack. He leapt once more, bringing his legs up against his backside. A blade glided beneath, narrowly avoiding him. He had almost lost his legs.
"You have failed, Knight. Your scientist most likely lies dead, among the many killed by your ignorance."
"The Dark Side has blinded you, you cannot hope to succeed!"
He felt something, a disturbance in the Force. Someone close to him had died. In that very moment, Les Hender had ceased to exist. Hasjo stumbled back, trying to force his emotions to wash away. He consoled himself in the fact the Chiss remained alive. There was still hope. He ignited the second blade on his pike. He began to spin the blade in the technique of Su that he had mastered. The cerulean blade becoming a circular haze as he increasing the twirl to such a speed it could only be done through the guidance of the Force. A loud whine could be heard coming from the plasma as it spun. Hasjo kicked off, performing a series of acrobatic feats that couldn't be achieved by any vertebrae. He leaped head over heels through the air, only to land and send himself in a twirl. His blade becoming a tornado of eviscerating destruction that would have enemies stampede over each other running for cover. He utilised everything he knew in the Art of Movement to become ultimately unpredictable. He launched these attacks at her, attempting to overwhelm and shatter whatever defence she could muster. He recalled the words of his long time friend, Sirak 'Because the weapon is difficult to master, however, few among the Jedi – or even the Sith – understand it. They don't know how to attack or defend effectively against it.' He had confirmed this when the Sith Acoylthe did everything she could to convince Hasjo to fight 'honourably.' There was no honour in what they had done, and he would show none to a Sith.

@[member="Sokrai Ronaro"]
@[member="Melakoth Tyrin"]

 

[Lord Eclipsion]

Sokrai uneasily glanced at [member="Hasjo Hallu"], as she barely deflected his unpredictable attacks. Suddenly, one slash caught her off guard, as she lightsaber nearly flew out of her hands. She did a blackflip, and regained a weighty stance, now having a firm grip on her saber. Sokrai chuckled as she faced Hasjo again. " Even when faced with failure and the death of your allies, you do not honor their death, fool. " She threw her saber at Hasjo, as it spiraled speedily at his torso. Using some of her energy, and some basic training in telekinesis, she sped it at even a greater speed at Hasjo's core.

 

[Lord Gaius]

He continued the twirl, Su. The technique created a form of deflector shield, it's speed was ferocious and those that trod in it's path were sliced and diced. The Chiss leapt away from him. [member="Sokrai Ronaro"] said "Even when faced with failure and the death of your allies, you do not honor their death, fool."
Her lightsaber came spinning towards him with great haste. Propelled by the power of the Force. It slammed against his Su, stopping his Lightsaber Pike from it's spin. His wrist ached as he righted his stance. The sound of propulsion drives could be heard as they whined through the storm, overhead five LAAT/i's were shooting out from a formerly closed hanger. They descended high into the sky, above the misty clouds that fogged the atmosphere. Hasjo looked to the Chiss "It's over, you've lost." He took several steps back, regaining his breath for a next assault. He surged his lungs with the power of the Force, manipulating the strength of his voice box. Ready to bellow if she come closer. An irritating attack that hurt the ears and disorientated the mind, but it was not a move that would win a fight, only delay the inevitable.