Skirmish Eclipse | Jedi vs. Sith

[Sinestra]

Sinestra hammered the invisible barrier one final, futile attempt, before taking a step back. She paced within her side of the divide, her face seething with anger. Her chest heaved, brimming with rage, and her eyes burning sulfur, refused... no, feared to take even a glimpse at the stack of bodies.

"Save me?" Sinestra halted, her gaze fixated on her former master. Contempt tugged the edges of her lips slightly. "Like you saved them?" the seer's material focus remained on Romi, but through the Force she prodded for any weakness to escape the past the Jedi had condemned her to relive.

Romi Jade

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Malum laughed.

It was a great belly laugh, sourced from not only deep within him physically, but a cry, desperate and trite, from the depths of his soul, the only sound in the building they inhabited, apart from the hiss of blue plasma against Sith steel.

"Oh is that not so easy for you to say, not all of us have the blind devotion towards relics like Valery Noble , not all of us can afford to see all that is wrong within this galaxy, and simply hope some immortal tyrant will put all in order." Malum hissed, with feral intention, as he finally barrelled through her guard, as he forced her back, as victory loomed before him.

Only for his heart to beat.

Breath caught.

The amulet burned with an unsettling reminder.

The fragment of her, caressed the synapses in his mind.

What should have been a clean slice across her neck.

Slowed by his unconscious will, to simply...

...A blonde lock, made as black as his own, burned to ash, falling before them.

As her words struck him back into focus.

As a sneer made itself evident on his face, as he prepared to continue the attack, as her voice within him chided his moment of weakness...

...As he chided himself for his moment of weakness.

"I seek nought to marry you, Cora, I seek nought to control you," Malum began, his breath heavy, his grip on the beskar hilt heavier, the strain on his muscles growing, yet the battle far from over, as he extended out his free hand to guide him, the plasma hissing back into silence, leaving simply the Sith steel visible, as he opened his stance, blade to the rear arm, yet still pointed to the target before him.

The Force was beginning to swirl about her.

He could feel it in the air, like wind brushing past.

Whatever she wanted.

He needed to counter.

"I seek only to show you what I see, in this galaxy, and within you." The sneer passed away with each breath, the ghost of a smile beginning to emerge as he readied himself for their third clash... or perhaps with Exegol and Thule, it would be their fifth.

Would it be the last?

Strangely... and not only for the amulet, which he resolutely ignored, which he still lied to himself that it was a sign that it indicated some other on this world, but too for... them... he hoped it would not be the last.

"I see so much potential within you, Corazona von Ascania , it begs to be released." He had saved her for selfish reasons, for his own curiosity, for his own want, he had chosen to let Jedi escape.

But what if it was not selfishness?

What if it was selflessness?

What if it was something within him, something he could not quite fathom, could not quite touch, nor understand, yet still acted within him, the self that was beyond id, beyond ego and superego.

That knew exactly what needed to be done.

What if he had saved them, saved her, the most Jedi-like Jedi he had ever witnessed.

The Jedi, that made him question so much... that made him wonder if there was purpose in their Order.

To bring to the darkness.

To bring to the Sith.

To save them all.

An order renewed, from all the failures, the wanton cruelty, the rule of immortal tyrants.

Had that been what he had wanted?

His feet were moving faster than his mind, the question unanswered, the thesis unexplained, as he charged forward, swing engaged, he did not wish to think, he simply wished to move.

Only for another heartbeat to pass.

Only to witness the light emerge in her hands.

Only for fear to flicker within those red orbs, that so nearly always were filled with more courage than sense.

He had pushed too far in, there was no chance to stop his momentum, and she had a perfect shot.

Waves after waves of darkness emerged out of his form, from all angles and sides, as what looked as if smoke, ash and ichor flooded the building in which they stood, a temple sanctified for the light, became drowned in darkness. Desperation had become his own course, as her voice flooded his mind, and he had pulled the Force toward him as a carnivore used their claws to slash through skin and sinew.

Desperation it may have been, yet the calculus remained, darkness was the absence of light, yet if the darkness was substance, was real... it could surround, encircle, and vanquish this single bolt.

Yet he knew too, it was far too late.

In all his life he had heard the horror stories of what that specific ability could do.

He had witnessed on Exegol, it deployed on a massive scale.

It was an ability... that was so definitionally Jedi.

Yet, too, for all the harm it could cause... felt so antithetical too.

Such was the hypocrisy of the Jedi.

If he was to be struck here.

Then he would strike her too.

Expose her to the darkness, raw, and unfiltered.

See firsthand, all that... Darth Nwul ... had seen in her.

...

Agony.

It was knowing there was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, yet not knowing where it was, or when it would, the darkness enclosed his vision, yet the tension of waiting for it to reach him.

Could not compare to the agony of it finally reaching him.

Agony.

Pure agony.

A great flash of brightness was the only sign of its arrival, yet that may as well of been the executioner's axe.

A silent scream erupted across the temple, as Malum's form collapsed onto the wooden floors, as the shaking took control of his body, as he felt the Sith sword fall beside him, and he felt the great burning.

He had been burned before, to face the flames had been an activity that his instructors had taken in his opinion, a near sadistic passion in. Yet, it had taught him a healthy appreciation and fear of the orange embers that licked at skin, that much of his foes had employed against him, and that he would had been equally as willing to employ back against them.

Yet.

Yet, that could not compare to this burning.

The flames were not visible, they could not be seen nor feared, indeed, as he convulsed on his knees, from the outset there did not seem to be anything actually wrong with him.

Yet within him.

A great battle was underway.

His final shield, what he had thought, beyond all else would have protected him, the amulet did nothing, brimming against his chest as was its won't, all other times, it had been all the more willing to intervene when its master had faced mortal wound.

Yet it did nothing.

She, Darth Ophidia 's presence, fought alone, as the light, as much a virus, as it was the inferno, tore through within his body, within his soul. The Darkness, the Force, that swirled so easily around him, within him, was cut away, piece by piece. With the precision of a surgeon, and the impact of a butcher, all that he had known since childhood, since birth, the power, the strength, the essence of what he was.

Burned away.

---

The waves of darkness were fading away.

As Malum stood up from his knees.

Eying the Sith Sword disdainfully.

As he reached into his robes for a lightsabre.

His mind was delightfully clear, almost as if a haze had taken across. The first time in... so long... that he could think in such clear, and crisp thoughts, without... another listening... without the risk, or fear of the stabbing pain in his brain.

The amulet still burned hot against his chest, yet Malum cared little for that now.

As through the darkness, he found the blue eyes of his sparring partner.

As a real genial smile spread across his face.

As red orbs shined brilliantly.

"What gives me the right?" Malum answered, the words echoing the smile he felt, as the blue plasma of a lightsabre ignited at his side, as through the red eyes, a shimmer of the same colour made itself visible, "I have no right at all, only what the Force guides me."

The Force swirled about him, as he launched himself forward, with a swing to slice through the Jedi's hilt.

 

[Efret Farr]

The plant suddenly surged laterally. Its leaves and stalks grew around the defenseless parts of Malva'ikh's body first then extended to hold fast his torso and both of his arms.

As a stem pulled back on the wrist holding his dagger, Efret's eyes widened. Though she had managed to avoid the metal blade this time, she could have sworn that it still stung as if being removed from raw skin. She'd check herself again once she was safer for chest wounds, but she wouldn't find any in the physical sense. There was, however, something very wrong with her body now: it was causing her psychological pain for having kept it safe. It was almost guilt.

A stretch of skin underneath her tunic burned, blood agitated at the stolen potential of being spilled. Her two previous wounds ached anew, begging for another.

Maybe it would stop if she only leaned in and—

She forced herself to stumble backwards. She had known minutes ago that she had to leave, but now she really needed to.

And so leave she did, from one nightmare out into another on the streets.

Post 12 // Exit thread time to get help
Malva'ikh Dralidok​

 

[Darth Apophion]

The sky above Jakku bled a deep crimson as Darth Apophion stood amidst the fleeing crowds, his presence a monolith of darkness. The panic, the chaos, the fear—it all fueled him. He watched the Jedi, those pitiful guardians of the light, as they attempted to shield the innocents with their feeble powers. His crimson saber ignited, casting an eerie glow against his dark visage.

Ran, the Jedi who had caught his eye, moved like a tempest, her green blade a blur as she protected the pilgrims. The Sith observed her movements, noting her skill and determination. As the last innocents fled, Ran turned her full attention to him. The Jedi at her side hesitated, their fear palpable. One stepped forward, but Ran halted him with a command. She dispatched two to follow the crowd, leaving her with Master Odo and Jedi Knight Imda Hoal. Apophion's eyes gleamed with dark anticipation.

Apophion's grip tightened on his vermillion lightsaber, his stance shifting into Makashi. The Jedi moved to flank him. He remained motionless, his focus absolute, his blade humming with malevolent energy.

Odo's strike came first. Apophion moved with the fluidity of a viper, his saber meeting Odo's in a resounding clash. He dodged, his wrist twisting in a precise, practiced motion, redirecting the blade harmlessly away. Imda's attack followed swiftly, but Apophion was ready. He pivoted to meet his foe, deflecting Imda's strike with effortless precision. In a seamless transition, Apophion thrust his saber forward, striking Imda's thigh with pinpoint accuracy. Imda staggered back, the Jedi leg wounded, and the attack thwarted.

"You will fall," he declared, his voice resonant with dark authority. "All of you."

Odo came at Apophion again, his movements a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand. Apophion's blade was a blur, meeting Odo's strike with flawless precision. He stepped inside Odo's guard, his movements economical and deadly. With a sharp twist, disarmed Odo, the Jedi's saber flying from their grip.

Before Odo could react, Apophion's crimson blade slashed through the air, finding its mark with lethal efficiency. Odo fell, an expression of shock and pain written on their face. Imda, struggling to remain upright, made one last attempt to strike, but Apophion was already upon the fool. A swift, decisive thrust ended Imda's resistance, the Jedi Knight crumpling to the ground. He struck both down before Ran could intervene, both falling quickly to his merciless blade work.


Darth Apophion stood amidst the fallen bodies of Master Odo and Jedi Knight Imda Hoal, his vermillion saber casting an eerie glow in the twilight of Jakku. His gaze fell upon Ran and her green lightsaber. He stepped forward, his presence a suffocating shroud of darkness, and spoke, his voice resonant and cold, echoing through the desolate square.

"Look around you, Jedi. Your comrades lie defeated at my feet, their light extinguished by the darkness you so naively thought you could conquer. This pilgrimage, this futile quest for peace and salvation, ends here. You cannot protect them, nor can you protect yourself."

He began to circle her, his movements slow and deliberate, each step a reminder of his dominance. His eyes never left hers, piercing through her resolve like daggers.

Ran Serys​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora had only ever wielded Force Light against one other opponent - Mercy , the towering Sith Knight who, ironically, lacked Mercy. The result had been a brief interlude where Mercy oscillated between two extremes – a terrifying conquer one moment, and a serene holy warrior the next.

It hadn't been a vision of the future, nor had it been a forked path. One image had clearly fit better than the other.

Darth Malum of House Marr had given her much to think about, and Cora did her best to block his voice from her mind as she concentrated on keeping up her assault. Waves of Dark emanated from his body, cresting against the Light, trying to drive her out. The clash between two opposing sides of the Force swelled to a fever pitch, causing violent ripples in the weave and then-

Cora stumbled back, her strength petering out. Her knees hit the floor in time with Malum's collapse, and she grimaced at his agonized howl. A shard of guilt pierced her chest, cold and heavy. He was in pain, and she didn't like that – was it simple empathy for another life, or borne out of something more?

Malum was a Sith Lord now, and it showed in his strength, in his raw ability to stand after being hit with an ability designed to burn away the very thing that fueled him. Cora was left breathing heavily, limbs trembling from pouring her strength into keeping up her assault at such an exhausting level. She heard the hiss of a lightsaber, and snapped her head upward to find a blade as blue as her own crackling at Malum's side.

Shock seized her. Her mouth fell open, uncertain of what she was seeing. Unprepared for what she'd done. The man standing before her was still very much Malum, but there was something markedly different about him now, and she could not yet see whether that was a good or bad thing.

What...what have I done?

A burst of speed carried him toward her, and Cora barely managed to scramble up before he struck. Blue plasma burned a hot path through the hilt of her own lightsaber, nicking her fingers in the process. She let out a sharp yelp, the destroyed hilt flying from her grasp and landing several feet away with a clatter and a burst of sparks.

"I didn't want to...do this…"

Her jaw clenched through a pained hiss. With her non-dominant hand, Cora reached behind her belt, and retrieved something that would be familiar to Malum.

His own lightsaber.

"I've tried to purify this on my own almost a dozen times by now. That is why I came here. To Jedha, to this temple."

Her thumb brushed the ignition. A crimson blade hissed to life, bathing blue eyes in scarlet light. A renewed energy swept through her, unnatural and unsettling.

"And now I've no choice."

Pushing forward, she went for the throat.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It was with practised ease that he had sliced straight through his opponent's lightsabre, the kyber crystal within ruined, as the metallic hilt was flung out of her fingers, and was sent flying to the bannisters, broken, destroyed, her fingers only through luck, or perhaps simply the will of the Force remained free from similar treatment, even if she let out a sharp yell, and her claws were burned by the blue plasma he had unleashed on her.

Concern...

...Why was he fighting her anyway, to this degree?

His kin, as much as the amulet around his neck indicated.

Training could certainly be dangerous and difficult.

But he had never truly wanted to hurt her.

He opened his mouth to utter apology, to call it a draw, to go to her, to tend to her injuries... as he had done...

...Had he ever... done that?

He did... but... where?

His confusion made him lose out, as he tilted his head in confusion at her words, only to have his eyes widen, as another lightsabre was drawn...

...A lightsabre that was familiar to him.

But... why would that be?

"Cora, please, I am sorry for pushing beyond safe limits, let us call it a dr-" Malum's words ceased, as the rest of her words struck him with the fury of a flaming star destroyer.

Attempted purification of a lightsabre...

...They were on Jedha...?

He felt the darkness swirl about them, swirl about... her...

...No...

How could it be...

Red plasma ignited, hissing alive as it contrasted against the blues of the woman that shared his blood.

The woman that had fallen to the darkness.

He felt a pinprick in his eyes, as she advanced forward.

He raised his lightsabre in opposition, but the grip was weak, the will to do what he must, disappearing.

How could he... how could he do this?

He could not.

Malum charged forward, yet as her lightsabre was about to reach his neck, he felt the Force, the comforting presence, like a hug from mother... mother...?

He felt himself phase right through her.

Just as Valery Noble had taught him.

...She had... taught him...?

He swung his blade back, her back shown to him, pointing at her neck, breath heavy, threat raised.

"I never thought I would have a cousin of mine turn against the light... why Cora... why would you do this?" Malum asked, all the training he had of the genteel arts, thrown out the window, as the emotion crept into his voice, and... he felt so... hollow, "Please, Cora, give up, we can fix this, it's not too late!" The pinpricks were growing in intensity, red eyes shimmering with the faintest blue glow, teared up.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Falentra]

There was a fleeting concern that she had pushed him too hard - hit him too hard. While they were fighting on opposite sides - an unfortunate circumstance - he had been a long time friend, one of her closest, like an older brother. Truly, Raphael Gallustrade wasn't someone she wanted to hurt. But such was fate. It just had to be here, in the midst of battle that they reunited.

And if she could just get him to join her... it was very much a selfish ideal. There was so much potential within the dark, much more than there was with just light. The ways of the Jedi limited one's potential - a fact that she quickly learned after having fallen. After his own experience within the dark, why couldn't he see that?

"Darkness is potential, Raph." She said. Allow him the leeway to catch his breath after the hit which had not seemed to faze him much, it had not spurred the reaction she was expecting. In myrkr, where she first encountered her darkness... triggered by pain and fear when the cipher of kaine terrorised her. When she had branded the emblem on her wrist. It was not pleasant, but it had been necessary. Just perhaps...

Without extending a hand, she connected through the force, commanding it to her will, Falentra pushed him back against the wall as she marched up to him. The back of her lift palm angled his head to the side. From her side, she produced a shikkar. Now hovered precariously at his neck right under his jawline near his ear, the cold tip of the glass blade against skin.

"Trust me. It will only hurt for a bit." Like Phaelissia did with her many years back, Falentra would do the same, she began to carve, not a sigil, instead sith runes in a neat line down his neck. The voices in his head... they grew louder. That darkness... the potential.

 

[Romi Jade]

​

"Like you saved them?"

She was visibly thrown off -- shook.

She realized then, these were as much her memories as they belonged to the seer. In this momentary lapse of focus, the metaphysical barrier grew weaker, as she had not been able to reinforce its wisping edges.

"I made a bad play, yes." The weight of it was evident in her voice. "I'll be tormented by it forever...but that's what I don't want for you. We can still honor them, you don't have to claim any more lives for the future Halsia..."

But then the plane suddenly shifted -- they were thrown further into the past. Deeper into memories they shared.

A younger Jade and a younger Halsia.

"Even at a young age, your ability to perceive the streams of the Force far outclassed mine."

This coming from a woman who had come to have many visions, even birthing a prophecy. "I thought you were one of the children of prophecy, if not that, you were destined to become one of the greatest seers we've ever seen."

A beat.

"What happened?"

Sinestra

 

[Sazo Vass]

Had I hit a nerve? Seemed so. I could only scoff.

The feeling of hatred in the Jedi was strong. It all made sense. My Lord had told me when he took me under his wing, that the Jedi feared more than anyone, and they feared the Sith more than anything. Our mere presence on Jedha had sent them into a frenzy, and though they called it righteousness, every Sith that would die tonight would drive the successful Jedi further to the darkness.

"DO IT THEN!" My voice roared across the rooftop, the challenge barely reaching her before she was upon me. Using the force to reach me that quickly, I was screwed. No sooner was aware of her careening down upon me than I held my blade up in a weak block, but surely her strike would simply knock it aside.

Sazo Vass

Sazo descended upon her foe; with one sweep, she knocked the blade aside, before allowing her momentum to take it's full course, knocking the Sith down.

She viciously put a knee into her opponent's diaphragm to wind him, straddling him as she wrapped both hands around his neck and squeezed.

Sazo said nothing, simply screaming a loud, primal, angered scream and she focused on nothing but the death of her foe, everything forgotten.

Sorren Moonstrider

 

[Thalia Senn]

Jogon

​

The fist connected with the soft of her cheek. She staggered back, her flow interrupted. A punch? He was fighting like a karking salt cursed Clam Shucker. She spat blood from a split lip and looked at the Dark Jedi appraisingly.

"Dirty move, jaggath." Emperor's iron bones that had hurt. But he let the punch stop his roll. She jumped on him her storm not quelled. The force sent her soaring into the air, her twin bladed overhead strike from above crashing against the mountainside.

[I'msorry.I'msorry.I'msorry.I'msorry.I'msorry.I'msorry.I'msorry.I'msorry.]

​

​

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael took in a few panting breaths, his eyes slowly starting to readjust, after the blow that he'd taken. He shook his head as he stumbled, trying to get to his feet. It wasn't easy. The blow had knocked the wind out of him and had caused him to hit his head and so his vision was still swimming. Eventually he'd managed to force himself to his feet and he tried to ready himself for her to hit him again. Only she didn't, at least not in the way that hed been expecting, and thus, as he was hit with the Force, he was swept off his feet and slammed into the wall.

"...da--" He took a breath, forcing words out. "Darkness is not... is not potential..." He watched as she approached him, though and the best he could do was to twitch, trying to fight the connection. He struggled, as best he could, but suddenly he saw the blade in her hand, and as she moved his head to the side, Raphael had... at least something of an idea of what she had planned. He was about to protest and to beg. She knew what had happened to him... She knew about what had happened. She'd talked with him... she'd... He'd trusted her with that information... And now, here she was using it against him... Betrayal bit him, though he dismissed such thoughts as she was not a jedi, anymore. No, now she was sith. That didn't really make him feel better, but it would at least give him some peace, later, he thought.

"I'd rather it not hu--!!!!" Her knife immediately began to dig into his skin, just below his jaw. He took a breath, as it bit into him, hissing and wincing in pain, still held by the Force, it was all that he could really do. She kept going, however. The dagger went further and further down his neck. The screams... What had once been whispers, were once more rising to cacophonic screams. He grit his teeth, doing his best to try and keep them down.

"Stop..." he muttered, through grit teeth. It began to swirl. He could feel his breathing picked up, he couldn't control it, couldn't force it down, this time, yet still he did, holding it back despite it threatening to spill. That was what she wanted, and he knew it, but the longer that this went on... the more runes... the more pain... No... "No more..." he whispered to himself. Yet, despite it all, he'd managed to hold, until she was nearly down to his collarbone. The burning feeling, the eyes, the screams of Rapture... It was all forced back to the surface and, in a moment, he could no longer hold it back. His trauma, that he'd been healing from, the eyes and screams, the constant watching. The dam broke.

"ENOUGH!!" he shouted, the rage and pain, bubbling over and the strength of survival, what he'd tried to suppress and cast away, was ripped back up. The burst of power was intended to push her back, to get her off of him, but it was, without a doubt, powered by the worst side of the Force. The shame that he felt was immediate and radiated off of him. He couldn't bring himself to calm, though. The darkness emanated off of him, oozing from his form. Perhaps this was what paralyzed him, after the fact. He couldn't... bring himself to act. He would first have to center himself, though he didn't feel that Falentra would give him the time to do so.

Falentra

 

[Sorren Moonstrider]

Her knee in my chest brought me down hard. The gasp of air that wouldn't come sparked fireworks in my head.

My mind was a marathon of bad thoughts, of death, of hatred, of solutions far and away as she grabbed me by the neck. What could I do? I was pinned.

But the words of my new master echoed in my mind. The first thing he'd taught me was fear. He'd... shown me things. Terrible portents of doom, visions of monsters. I recalled that tight feeling in my chest of fear, and how weak in made me. Even as I choked for air, I could not allow myself to fear. Fear was what made a person lose it all. It was what made this Jedi lose her cool.

Receding into my mind as my vision began to blur and grey, I tried my best to focus on one thing: the saber she had wrenched from my hand. I'd heard it clatter across the roof top, but I had not heard it fall. I visualized it instead of the fading face of the enraged Jedi in my eyes. Feeling the kyber within it, the one I had attuned myself to years ago in training, I called through the Force for it. The silver blade roared to life somewhere beside us, and in a moment of utter desperation I willed it to fly towards her.

The blade telekinetically floated into the air, and like a spear it lanced towards the Jedi with intent to impale right through her.

Sazo Vass

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Safe limits? Sorry?

Something felt wrong about the way he spoke to her. There was genuine concern in Malum's voice, when only moments ago he'd been a raging inferno.

Then he phased through her - another surprise - urged her to give up, and called her cousin.

A barrage of the unexpected. It was enough of a shock to pierce the faint haze of Dark that oscillated from the weapon in her grip. Cora turned on her heel, batting away his saber -blue?- before it could rest pointed at the back of her neck. A renewed suspicion hardened her gaze as she bit back the blistering pain in her wounded hand.

"What is wrong with you?"

It was only minutes ago where he'd spoken of deceit, leading her first thoughts to believe that this was Sith trickery of some sort. But then-

-had her Force Light done this?

"I haven't turned against the Light." Her upper lip curled into a sneer. "And I don't have a cousin in you. Don't act too familiar."

Cora regarded Malum with intense scrutiny, her patience having waned for whatever act this was.

"If you want this to stop, then leave!"

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Kyric]

<Eyes on the sky, Kyric! It looks like someone else came to your rescue for once.>

The transmission cut out in what Kyric assumed to be a necessity, so the Kid followed the Big Chieftain's advice and sought out his reinforcements. All he could see was a single freighter on a collision course with a flock of dragons. But when the kiffar zeroed in on the approaching ship, two young women flashed within his mind. Identical as far as Kyric could tell, Tansu and Talin Treicolt were only discernible to him because of their history on Concord Dawn.

"Well, chit! That ain't any better!" Kyric holstered his blaster and continued his flight. The specter hadn't pursued further, making the boy think his distractions, or the Big Man, may have slowed Darth Aion down long enough to abandon the chase entirely. There were much bigger problems now. Death didn't bother him too much. But the idea of anything happening to either of the twins sent a spike of panic directly through his chest. "We'll just go warn ma directly. Feth it."

When the freighter flashed by and skipped off the canopy across the street, Kyric winced. He nearly fell off the roof as it bounced off the ground and began to drift around a sloping portion of the temple. "Wow..." The boy kicked off one roof and launched himself to the next. His breathing had become uneven at some point since first clashing with the Sith Lord. Pain blossomed throughout his body, likely a direct result of the life drain he endured. "Almost there. Almost there. Almost there." He dropped off that same building, using a slanted awning as a slide that deposited him only fifteen feet above the ground.

“KEEEEEEERRICK!”

Kyric hit the classic three-point landing with a groan. Breaking into a forced sprint, he hurried toward Talin's nasally call. "Hold yer horses!" He rounded the corner and his lead boot hit the landing ramp. "I'm right here! Where's yer sister? Flyin'? How'd you get this ship anyhow, you rabid little womp rat?" He bombarded her with questions while unceremoniously dragging her up the ramp.

"Let's get gone!" Kyric demanded as politely as he could at the top of the ramp. "I'm not for havin' yer lives on my con- hey, wait-" He pointed at Dax. "Whose the pretty boy? No. Stop. Doesn't matter! Just fly!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My Heroes
Dax | Talin Treicolt | Tansu Treicolt
Farewell, Friends New & Old:
Caltin Vanagor | Darth Aion | Domina Prime ​

 

[Sinestra]

Sinestra was on the verge of growling at the mention of Halsia's name, but her rage choked when she was transposed to another plane; walls of ancient stone rose up to replace the dreary megablocks of the planetwide city and soft rays of sunlight warmed her skin from the cold drops of rain.

Serenity doused the flames of passion churning within her gut as her stubborn gaze finally relented from the form of her master and shifted to the echoes of a distant past taking shape; hers and her former masters, far younger. Just like how the sun cuts through the storm, offering hope of a better day, so did the warm memory pierce through the cold veil of darkness.

Unbidden, the tranquil past rushed to the forefront of her heart and mind: the grass was greener; the light was brighter; with friends surrounded and nights of wonder. High hopes and noble purpose.

"I am not your failure, Romi." was all Sinestra mustered to utter; the harmony slowly began to drift away, sorrow seeping in to fill the emptiness. "You did not kill Halsia Myr." the softness in her voice faded, an edge as sharp as a shikkar taking its place as she added, "I did."

Feeding off the sorrow, the dark side morphed it into anguish before a deluge of anger drowned the past into a fathomless, cold abyss. The sulfur in her iris magnified, and the abyss stared back at Romi; it vaporized the walls of what once was, stripping it away to reveal the harsh reality of the present.

Both of Sinestra's arms shot forward and the dark side exploded forward, aiming to rip apart her former master just as it had atomized the astral plane of the past. The sheer power of the energy released shattered buildings and pillars behind Romi, large chunks of rock began crashing down in a landslide.

Romi Jade

 

[Jogon]

Jedha
Holy City, Abandoned Market Plaza

Thalia Senn

Jogon didn't waste a second. As soon as he decked her, he turned tail and started running. Her complaint was addressed to the back of his head, and if the dashade had a clever rejoinder in mind he didn't bother to articulate it. Jogon did failed to cut an elegant or even dignified figure in his daring retreat - the big lizard looked downright absurd - but his thundering footfalls nevertheless carried him a short distance to the mouth of a narrow side street.​

​

It was crammed with abandoned market stalls. Some were still stocked with knick-knacks and now cold food, since they'd all left in a hurry. Above them, ramshackle cloth awnings were still hanging. He couldn't keep up a regular defense forever. It wasn't feasible. One wrong move and he'd be in at least three pieces. But he could give her the runaround; try to tire her out or restrict her movement.​

​

He turned around to face her again and was surprised when she came down against him from the sky. Jogon just barely brought his lightsaber up to deflect the blow, but it still knocked him off his feet, and sent his lightsaber flying from his hands hands, skittering across the road.​

​

Not good.​

​

She was coming in for the kill. Still struggling to rise, Jogon shot a hand in front of him. Fear, fury, and pure instinct coalesced into the Force: the Dark Side. An invisible concussive blast rocketed forward, attempting to send her flying back into the plaza.​

 

[Falentra]

Pain was an essential part of life, for creation and rebirth. The runes ancient and the sacred language of the sith effected through the sustenance of sentient life - the blood that surfaced on skin. It glowed as the magic was sealed, the viscous liquid solidifying into a crimson marks. "I'm almost done." His pleas ignored as she continuted the intricate etching into skin. A pain that was temporary, just as it was neccessary to summon what she sought for him.

A sense, the force signature changing within Raphael Gallustrade as the darkness warping over his light. The shrill screams she sensed, what ever he had done to trap such chaos in his head. If only he allowed himself to embraced it, instead he was fighting it. It was futile to suppress the inevitable. Through pain was the anger and the desperation.

While she had expected some sort of pushback, she did not expect it at such an extent of sheer power. The blast that had detonated from him sent her flying backwards and crashing into a trooper. Despite her aching body, her training kicked in as she quickly got up onto her feet, barely taking a few seconds to recuperate unlike the unfortunate trooper.

Running on adrenaline of a fight, it was thrilling. Little did she know, her suit had broken and water was leaking from the multiple cracks across from the heavy impact.

They were on other side of the small expanse of the temple hall. Yet she could feel his darkness. After what she had done to help him get to this point, she would not allow him to throw it back under. The amphibious sentient had one more trick under her sleeve, her larynx constricted, expanding the pressure to let out a peircing sonic scream his way.

That was when she felt the coolness of the water trickling down her arms to her fingertips - she stopped her scream before the air in her lungs ran out. That pair of lungs that lacked alveoli to respire. Her unique physiology meant she breathed through the gills and moisture of her skin... and that moisture was gradually running dry.

There was an internal panic within her a sentiment that betrayed her - Raphael would be able to notice it in her features as she cast a glance at him. Before she turned tail and fled. Falentra needed help. Desperately. Strangely, reaching out, she couldn't quite sense the distinct presence of Darth Malum of House Marr in the force around... she went searching.

 

[Sazo Vass]

"I thought the Dark Side broke your chains, bogan."

Sazo was lost in a blood wrath. Everything- training, common sense, awareness- fell to the wayside. This man tried to hurt her, kill her. Not because they were in conflict- simply because he could. She snarled, tightening her grip on the Sith's neck.

Sazo was so focused on killing her assailant, that she didn't notice the lightsaber hurtling at her with sinister intentions until it hit her above the breast, and below the armpit. The Sith had called the blade to him with such fervor, it not only struck the young Korun, it sent her flying. She was pitched over the side of the roof, hitting her head with a audible thwack, before falling over.

Stunned and unable to control herself, Sazo's fall was broken by a closed dumpster, several ribs and her kneecap broken by it, before she rolled off, crumpled into a heap in an alley. She blinked, attempting to get up before falling over, her vision going grey. She slide down, reaching into the Force desperately calling out to her familiar before her adversary came to finish the job.

'Jiub, help me...please.'

Sorren Moonstrider

 

[Sorren Moonstrider]

Sazo Vass

I barely noticed the saber striking the Jedi, nor her fateful crash down below, through the intense rush of relief as her hands loosened from around my neck and her maddened visage was wrenched from my field of view to reveal the stars above.

I took a jagged breath of freezing air, like a gale wind forced down my throat by my needy lungs. I took a few more, gasping for them, until I levelled out. My head spun the stars in my eyes, I couldn't bring myself to sit, let along stand. My hands reached to my throat on instinct, assuring nothing was broken, rubbing away the soreness to no avail.

Groaning, half-heartedly rolling over on the adobe roof, I saw no Jedi. I took a moment, then reached out for my saber. Wherever it had flown to and took the Jedi I couldn't say, and I felt too weak to reach it through the Force.

That saber had been with me a long time, but I was in no shape to retrieve it. As the moonlight hit my ice cold skin, I knew the shadows were my friend now, and I still had my prize, my power: the blue Jedi saber. The Imperial Knight saber I had carelessly discarded into that Jedi was a great weapon, no doubt, but its crystal had been purified from the dark side by a knight long before me. It was a relic of an old empire. What the new Empire, the Dark Empire, needed was a new crystal bled red by the will of the Sith.

I had not slain my Jedi rival, I knew, but nor had she slain me. I sensed in her a great darkness as she'd attacked with such fury. To know that the Jedi purest of heart were slain so easy, and the Jedi harboring darkness in their souls were so close to the fall... it vindicated something for me, something of my own turn to the dark side.

As I managed to stand, then against the will of my body to run, I crossed the roofs of the city back into the embrace of darkness and anonymity. Jedha had once again proven the weakness of the Jedi, as the Jakku enclave had in the last war, and it had proven a testament to the strength of the Sith... to my strength.

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

The Sonic scream of Rage from Astrid pentoghast yeeted Nathan across the street, instantly rendering him deaf in one ear and disorienting him as he slid brutally across the street, scraping his headandface and arms, leaving multiple contusions and lacerations.

NATHAN! He heard Syd Scream distantly in his head as he struggled up, revealing her connection to him to Astrid without realizing it.

He was permanently bonded to the one who had murdered him and his wife, through the foolishness of his own hand. Multiple thoughts escaped him about Syd to Astrid. All blood soaked as he teleported behind Astrid, not to try cutting her with the lightsaber. He had chosen by a far more brute force method because Astrid's level ten Yeet-Scream had affected his judgement. He was ignoring the murderer of his wife, the corrupter of his daughter, even as she begged him to allow her to help.

Nathan, LISTEN! You're not THINKING STRAIGHT-- Syd pleaded.

He clenched his fist, hard enough to crack stone even from a casual blow, and sent it racing to Astrid's spine to try and break it.


OOC: Apologies for the length of time to reply. You can feel free in your next post to defeat me and we can get to the thread we were planning.