Knives Out (OS vs GR Skirmish on Ruusan) PM to join

[Elijah Black]

Objective: Avoid eating letters
Location: Outside the Jedi Academy
Allies: Prudence
Enemies: [member=Melori Raaf] (claimed)

Zylah was on the attack. This felt so much better, immediately feeling like she was thrown right back into her comfort zone. However, what kept pulling her out of it was the weapon her opponent was using. To her, it was an unpredictable weapon. She had not been trained in tactics to counter it, she was not yet familiar with the many potential sequences one could perform with it. She was sure to get some valuable lessons here, although it wasn't exactly a safe learning environment.

When her attack ended, Melori countered, but not in a way she expected. Her attack did not come with her blade, but with the Force. Zylah yelped, confirming Melori's control and the pain she felt as she maintained pressure. Her entire face grimaced in response to the pain. Make it stop! Makeitstopmakeitstop! It felt like there was nothing she could do, she was not yet fully aware how to shield herself from Force abilities, or how to brush them off her once they'd hit.

Her grip switched from right to left, her right hand withdrawing close to her body, as if it'd do her any good. The pressure was increasing. If bones could scream, this was how they did it, she thought. Luckily, Zylah was ambidextrous, so using her left hand wasn't the worst thing that could happen. However, the crushing pain in her other hand made focusing impossible, and she knew she couldn't fight long like this.

Zylah threw herself at Melori, using less coordinated strikes this time, simply flinging her saber at her, hammering away at her defences. She was a strong girl, though pure physical strength had never been her greatest asset, that was speed. Hopefully, she'd be able to break her opponent's concentration, or somehow bypass her defences if her focus was on crushing her hand. Which was about to happen any moment now...

At the back of her mind, she heard [member=Taeli Raaf] offer her a way out. However, Zylah was forced to respectfully decline. While her help thus far had been much appreciated, she couldn't back down now. This was her fight, and she couldn't run from it just after she'd been able to get back into it. The black sheep of the Raaf family had to be stopped.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Objective: Show that black is best
Location: Outside the Jedi Academy
Allies: Me, myself and I
Enemies: [member="Zylah Dvale"] (claimed)
Theme: Till they hear you scream…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2cBslLAErM

‘Seeds in my head
Visions in red
All that I dreamed
All that I’ve bled
My mind is a gun
I won’t be outdone
Say what you want
While I shoot for the sun

All you doubters and haters, actors and fakers
I don’t have time for you, woah
You’re feeding the fire that’s taking me higher
Coming like a cannonball

Oh it’s kicking down your door
Kicking down your door
Oh so what you waiting for?
What you waiting for?
Scream
Scream
Scream
Till they hear you scream.’

Melori wasn’t comfortable on the defence against Jedi – but the brutal training she’d received at the hands of the Sith Lords that had taught her meant she was used to fighting against the odds. Her first session had inflicted more damage than the Jedi Order had managed in all the fights she’d had to date combined.

But Melori grinned as she was aware she’d stemmed the tide. Her training to date was not general in nature – but rather for this one specific moment – she was a duellist. Her new Master was taking her beyond the confines of the one to one encounter but today it was all she knew, and would put it to good use.

The Jedi was looking to put up a wall to her attacks and she was surely going to kick it down.

Dun Möch was not only a verbal tool. Any weapon she could use to plant doubt in the Padawan’s abilities was part of the technique. The words, the unusual blade and now the requirement to focus on the pain – all valid tactics for a competent duellist.

But she’d underestimated the Padawan’s resolve. The fellow blonde came at her and it required all of her focus to keep the Jedi’s blade at bay – sufficient effort for her to drop the Force Wound on her. The pain wouldn’t go away immediately, but the damage wouldn’t get any worse - and she'd no doubt avoided broken bones.

And more desperate times called for more desperate measures. It was vanity to treat this like some exercise, to cycle through various Abilities – she needed to focus on one thing – winning. She was aware her fellow Sith were falling back, but she was not going to leave so quickly. She had more pain to inflict. She needed to hear this girl scream.

It called for a more holistic approach. Time for her Teräs Käsi abilities to come to the fore. As soon as the Padawan threw her last strike, Melori spun on her right foot and shot her left leg out in a powerful side kick, aiming to slam her boot into the girl's chest. The she immediately dropped into a squat, spun her lightsaber like a scythe, planning to sickle the Jedi cleanly at the knees. Then, with amazing speed she again twisted herself and her weapon, flowing into the form known as Rancor Rising. She brought the right blade up between the Padawan’s thighs - hard - using her leg muscles to augment the strike as she pushed up from the squat to a standing position.

 

[Elijah Black]

Objective: Blue all the way baby
Location: Outside the Jedi Academy
Allies: Also me, myself and I
Enemies: [member=Melori Raaf] (claimed)

The pressure on her hand eased off, but the pain lingered. At least it wasn't building up, her bones no longer threatening to break. That being said, it had been a pretty close call. She wasn't ready to use that hand again anytime soon, it looked like she'd be going one-handed from here on out. The battle of the blondes raged on.

Zylah's last strike was met with a block. Quickly the Sith girl spun around, landing a hard side kick straight to her chest. She felt the air get sucked out of her as she stumbled backwards. When Melori dropped immediately after, it was all she could do to swing her saber down in a direct block, but not before the lightsaber dug itself into the side of her leg. The Sith was quick to recover, spinning around, coming at her with another attack, her legs both aiding her in terms of strength and speed. The double-bladed lightsaber was confusing, distracting. It was almost as if her options in attack doubled. She was too fast, too experienced. This wasn't going well.

Zylah leapt upwards, pushing off with the Force as she gracefully attempted a front flip over Melori, displaying some Ataru acrobatics. On her way up, she'd try to slap away Melori's incoming blade that threatened to split her in half. Letting the blades bounce off each other, she'd seek to follow up with a tap against Melori's chest, as she flew over the girl. Suspecting retaliation, she got her saber up in a guard as she landed. Only, her landing wasn't smooth. The cut she'd suffered to her leg still burned deep, and it caused the Padawan to cry out in unexpected pain, as she dropped to one knee. Not good. Definitely not good.

"You will not break me." Defeat me, maybe. But not break. She would not allow herself to fall back down into a self-pitying state, or at the very least, she'd try to resist Melori's attempts. "You're not the Raaf I choose to follow. I'm sorry you're not more like your sister"

 

[Kerstas]

Objective: Beat the Padawan (and look awesome as poodoo while beating said Padawan)
Location: just outside the Academy.
Allies: The Sith
Enemies: [member="Travot Ravenna"]

Kerstas was displeased with the way the Padawan thwarted her surprise attack, but did not allow it to distract her. Rather, she focused on her opponent's form.

From his blocks and overall lack of offensive moves, it was not difficult for her to recognize the Soresu form -- a combat type for those hoping to survive, not win. It would be an interesting match, in the long run, between him and her. Even so, the Chagrian girl made use of her limited knowledge and smooshed everything together, causing her to alternate between Makashi and Ataru, with a little Shii-Cho thrown in when necessary.

They still had not spoken. Their focus, or at least hers, was more on ensuring the other could not slip past their defences. Kerstas had changed her focus from wanting to kill the Padawan to just maiming him. A brand to remember her by, though for some reason as the duel progressed the Acolyte felt a sneaking suspicion that this wouldn't be the last time they met.

Their abilities were as close to being equal as they could, though to her frustration, the Padawan seemed to be a bit better. How bothersome.

In between slashes, stabs, and blocks, the girl thought about a good way to disarm her opponent, cause him to slip; to make a mistake he would not be able to repeat. The fog trick hadn't worked, though now that she thought about it Kerstas had sensed something like worry and, if she wanted to flatter herself, surprise.

Well, that was it then, wasn't it? Bring forth something completely and totally unexpected -- speech.

The Chagrian had already spoken, but that was to Sabik, and she doubted this Padawan had heard her. She had yet to speak directly to him since they'd first engaged, and so she spoke to him now.

"Why even defend? The Sith will succeed in destroying this facility -- there's no doubt about it. And is Ruusan even that important to the Jedi?"

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Location: Just outside the Academy
Objective: Try (and fail) to talk to the girl
Allies: The Jedi
Enemies: [member="Kerstas"]

If only the Sith Acolyte knew how close she was to breaking through the man's defenses with her flurry of attacks. Soresu itself frequently encouraged using the most minimal of movements to economize energy, just barely enough to block or evade an attack. So while Travot's performance might have looked close to normal on the outside, he was beginning to feel strained internally. She certainly was not a slave to a chosen form, unlike Travot, and that made her dangerously unpredictable. A trait that Travot was beginning to find formidable in constantly adapting methods. Despite this realization, her next attack was beyond what the man could ever have imagined. He briefly stopped swinging blade, pulling it back to a center guard position as she talked. As she did, his left hand left the hilt of his saber to rest on his belt, and one of the Dazzle grenades he had taken from the armory just before the attack. But the man could only blink before he replied.

"You speak with an admirable certainty and faith," offered the jedi padawan, "yet I do not share your conviction that the temple will fall, as battered by your fellow Sith's attacks. But I have to ask you this...if this place isn't important, why travel all of these light years to even attack it?"

Before she could fully respond, the man tossed the flash grenade towards her feet. The man closed his eyes, focusing on the Force to guide him through the events after it would explode. But the grenade was a feint. Just after releasing the grenade, his left hand channeled and focused the Force towards her in a Force push. He expected neither to really damage her, but hopefully it'd be enough to keep her busy so that he could fall back to a more defensible position.

 

[Lord Gaius]

//OOC Note

Spoiler

Sorry I disappeared. Life took a wrong turn. I hope you don't mind me jumping back in, I just want to try and start where I left off.
-Link Here-

Location - { Academy }
Objective - { Victory }
Allies - { One Sith - @Kerstas }
Enemies - { Galactic Republic - [member="Travot Ravenna"] }

Your hands upon
A deadman's gun and you're
Looking down the sights
Your heart is worn,
And the seams are torn
And they've given you reason to fight​

The heat of battle had swept him aside into a tide of particle beams and plasma. He had lost sight of the woman he had arrived with, and his motions became instinctual. The Jedi were numerous, but so were the Sith. His wrist flicked just in time to stop a grazing blow, and then his body twirled to come down with a furious slash across a padawans chest.

The body fell limp to the ground, now in rest with the many Jedi and Sith around him. The battle was coming to a dramatic end, and the more Sabik pushed himself, the more the tide began to lessen. Fewer Jedi dared to charge against the onslaught, and many had already fled off-world, even some of the Sith were pulling back.

And you're not gonna take what they've got to give
And you not gonna let them take your will to live
Because they've taken enough and you've given them all you can give
And luck won't save them tonight
They've given you reason to fight​

His eyes danced from body to body, his chest heaving and he was alone. The ice cold blue of his eyes had turned to a hellish orange that burned with a bloodlust. He deactivated his lightsaber and went into a low crouch, moving hastily through the graveyard of the newly-made dead. While the Force could predict events, it could not predict everything, and a degree of stealth never hurt if there was a slim chance of surprise.

He spotted the Chagrian ahead, dancing the dance of blades. The Jedi Sabik had initiated combat with much earlier was there, and Sabik hastened his pace. He stood straight and broke into a sprint. His lightsaber, left hand, reverse-grip, swung back and forth from his palm. The yellow plasma becoming a blur of motion. The dirt kicked up behind him, leaving behind a storm of dust.

And all the storms you've been chasing
About to rain down tonight
And all the pain you've been facin'
About to comin' to the light​

He saw a hand toss a canister, and before it could hit the floor, Sabik curled his metallic right hand. He yanked his right arm back, and the Force would comply, hurling the flash grenade right at Travot's forehead. And he continued his sprint, closing in on him now. Thirty meters . . . twenty meters . . . ten meters . . .

He pounced, feet digging into the ground, knees bent, and then straightened. He propelled himself with the aid of the Force, jumping higher than any mundane Human could have. He flicked his wrist, the blade swinging around to face downward, he cried out a bloodcurdling scream of rage. He came soaring down from above and to the right of Travot, attempting to land his lightsaber into the Jedi's shoulderblade.

 

[Kerstas]

Objective: Prove that Sith are better than Jedi because Jedi are stupid and Sith aren't so there!
Location: just outside the Academy.
Allies: [member="Sabik Dhami"] ((welcome back ))
Enemies: [member="Travot Ravenna"]

"I said it wasn't important to the Jedi. But the Sith don't attack willy-nilly." Truth? Unknown. Her truth? Possible. But she wasn't focused on truth or falsehoods -- her eyes instead moved to his hand, the hand that grabbed an object and sent a slight tremor of unease through her. She raised her lightsaber to counter this object, when several things happened at once.

One: As the canister left the Padawan's hand, the Acolyte could sense the Force beginning to swell around his hand, and she braced herself for what was to happen.

Two: Sabik appeared out of nowhere, pulling the canister back towards the Padawan, letting loose with a bloodcurdling scream. I didn't call for you yet, she wanted to tell him, in reference to their conversation prior to jumping. However, she didn't tell him, because she didn't get the chance.

Three: The Force Push connected, causing her to stagger/slide/skip back, and for a moment, she deactivated her lightsaber to avoid impaling herself. How bothersome that would be. Out of pure instinct, her head had also turned away and her eyes were closed. So, when the grenade went off, Kerstas wouldn't be blinded; rather, she would just hear a bang.

The girl turned back, lightsaber once again lit. Instead of jumping right in, however, the Chagrian hung back a bit, biding her time and waiting for the best moment to re-enter the fight.

Spoiler

Alright, mostly going on the assumption that the grenade didn't last long before it detonated. Let me know if I need to change anything ^_^

 

[Darth Timoris]

Objective: There can be only one blonde
Location: Outside the Jedi Academy
Allies: The best Raaf bar none
Enemies: [member="Zara Dvale"] (claimed)
Theme: Dear Prudence, won't you come out and play

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_fk-oC331Q

Melori was a Sith of significant experience and a veteran of Dominions and Invasions. And she used every moment of that experience to its full effect – giving everything she had to this fight and holding nothing back.

The pain in her abdomen wasn’t abating and even with her desire to use it to fuel her access to the Dark-side, there would be a point where it would become a significant hindrance – and from her current acrobatics, that time was soon.

Her kick landed and she followed up with a saber attack that landed before the Padawan surprised her by leaping over her. And she paid the price by taking a blow to the chest as the Jedi

She span as soon as the Padawan was above her and as the other girl landed she heard her cry out with pain and drop to a knee. In truth, Melori was probably in as much discomfort but was too stoic to show it.

Melori smiled and deactivated her saber. To kill her would be too easy – or least not satisfying enough. “You follow my sister? For now. One day you’ll realise that you have made the wrong choice and I shall be there for you. You have so much promise. I want you to fulfil it. Become as good as the Jedi can make you and then I’ll show you how good you can really become.”

Her eyes were now a soft blue. "Aand the funny thing is, I’m probably more like your precious Grand Master than you’d care to admit.” And she stepped back…slowly. The rest of the Sith were either evacuated or planning to retreat, the charges placed. “Until next time, eh?”