Life Experience Can Be A Painful Thing [Dante]

[Connor Harrison]

A little boost in his ego was fuelled by Dante - rather, Shaw's - reaction. He was following his gut instinct and it seemed to have paid of. With his back to him, Shaw held the mighty sword but didn't move. Kail steadily pulled the strap of his KX-60 and pulled it around slowly before him, sliding his right hand to grip the butt, left hand resting on the barrel.

Shaw's voice was indifferent; there was no menace to it, but the threat was there. For a man who claimed to have a long list of kills at such an older age, he certainly looked good.

Kail didn't flinch or seemed phase by the imposing man before him. He was taller for sure, but Kail knew that a beating heart resided in all men no matter what cult or power they followed, and a heartbeat could easily be silenced with the right weapon or plan of attack.

When Shaw turned and gave him the chance to leave, Kail offered nothing back immediately.

"I'll be back for you Shaw. And then you won't have anything to life for, I can assure you. Make your peace with that Nagar Shadow...or whatever he's called."

Holding the rifle, Kail backed away, counting his steps to the door until he saw the frame around him, stepping into the warm sun on his back. A few more steps back, he hit the ramp and continued down, turning to walk with a stern stride as he did. Counting to 30 gently under his breath, his heart began to thump against his ribcage.

9...10...11...

He hadn't confronted someone like this in months, probably ever. The previous assignments of relic hunting and adventuring were all good and bolstered his name, but he was driven by the hunt; the kill; the predatory prize.

...18...19...20...

Regardless of if a man was Sith, Jedi, whatever, he still was flesh and blood. Kail had the agility, the training and the drive to confront anyone he had to. Safe to say he wasn't the most sporting of gentlemen in combat, but that usually ended up in a quick, humiliating death.

...27...28...29...

And the fact Shaw tried to lie to him? Please. He wasn't that stupid.

"30."

Kail turned, raised the KX-60 rifle to line up the sight to his right eye and squeezed the trigger aiming directly at the wooden hut. A volley of blaster bolts spat out towards the peaceful home of the Sith Lord.


[member="Dante Zankar"]

 

[Garza]

After I had turned around, I saw the man holding a rifle aimed at my chest. Even as he walked away, saying that he would be back, I shook my head. Men like him would not wait for a next attack. Leaving backwards as to keep me within his sights. I let him walk. WHen he had left my sight, I moved.

Running to the back of the house, I came to a room with a semi-large generator. An Energy shield that would activate in less than ten seconds. Since last time I had gotten into a fight with someone at my house, it was blasted to smithereens, I decided that a shield would be nice in my next house. Literally, I walked in there, flipped the switch, and then rushed to my room. Just across the hall from the Generator. I opened my arms and the doors of the closet flung open to have my shirt fly at me as well as my leather jacket, Flipping them over my head as I then looped a belt on, and in the belt holsters were two pistols loaded and ready.

30 seconds was a long time. Getting that gear, I then slapped my sword on my back, and called only one lightsaber to my left hand, and was firmly placed on my belt as the man began to fire his weapon. I rushed myself to hurry towards the door. Maybe he had to reload by now. I mean hell, I didn't know the model of his weapon was. I didn't know how many rounds he had. Maybe he only had 13? but it was likely that he had a few hundred since he was hunting Me, of all people.

"Always the guys with the guns, never the guys with an actual saber."

[member="Kail Ragnar"],

 

[Connor Harrison]

Thankfully only a handful of shots were wasted as they were absorbed within a deceptive energy shield surrounding the house. Kail lowered the rifle and drummed his tongue against his teeth, thinking how quickly Shaw must have moved in the hut, but if he was a Sith warrior then there was nothing he would doubt the man could do.

Ignoring the distance roars of the Wookiee's from back on the shore, Kail kept his eye on the hut and sidestepped towards the mass of boulders at the foot of the third hut to his right, keeping Shaw's dwelling in sight at all times.

Crouching down and leaning against the smooth boulder nearly double his size in height, Kail's right hand began to twitch on the trigger. He took it away, inspecting it and cursing himself at whatever psychological fear was now starting to manipulate his body. Bones gently cracked in his hand as he flexed and twisted the wrist to shake away any doubt he had in taking one such as Shaw.

At the end of the day, Shaw was a man - well, near enough - a he would bleed like any other. All Kail had to do was keep a cool head and it would be over.

Eyes fixed on the opening of Shaw's hut, and there was no movement except the waving grass before him and the drifting cloud up above. Placing his hand back on the rifle, the mercenary swallowed gently and kepts his wits about him. He had no back-up and no support. He had to think, be clear and be confident otherwise he wouldn't make it off the planet at all.

"Where are you, you Sithspawn..."


[member="Dante Zankar"]

 

[Garza]

I smiled as I could not see the man. He had moved somewhere. But, I have lived here longer than he had. I had the homefield advantage. While he was trying to not loose site of me as any good soldier was trained to do. I would vanish from thin air. A neat little trick that an old friend, Now dead and long gone, taught me when we were both just simple Knights wanting to take on the entire Sith Empire. Now as both of use were exiles, He had been caught and died. While I was still breathing. Sometimes, the master does live longer than the apprentice.

While I had vanish from the man's sight, I moved down the ramp about half way, before leaping to a set of rocks off to my left. It spanned down about the rest of the half of the ramp. At the top of the rock formation, I allowed myself to become visible again. hearing the man's voice, even from here with my higher sense of sensitivity. He thought I was some sort of Sith Spawn. I simply shook my head. and spoke loud enough for him to hear him.

"If I was one, then why have I not savagely killed you?" Really that was one good question for him to answer.

[member="Kail Ragnar"],

 

[Connor Harrison]

He could have done with some more of that water; his lips were getting dry from chewing them and toying them with his tongue as a nervous twitch, waiting for anything. Stay alert - stay ready -

"If I was one, then why have I not savagely killed you?"

Shaw.

His head turned first upwards to where the Sith had appeared from, and the second he saw the figure looming from the rocks above, he pushed up quickly with his knees and brought up the KX-60 and trained it on him. He'd found time to change and arm himself in what felt like mere minutes. AND get the upper ground.

"You tell me." Kail kept his voice flat and emotionless, but firm and loud. "You use deceit, trickery and magic to carve your way around and then change your spots when it suits. You're a coward. You're a lonely coward."

He rooted his feet down in the dry earth below, finger teasing the trigger.

"It's freaks like you that make it harder for us normal folk to live in peace."


[member="Dante Zankar"]

 

[Garza]

I smiled as he said I used trickery. Sure I used it every now and again when in battle. It was a Tool that I could use. it was an ability that I had. Why should I not use it? I shook my head and let it hang as he had his weapon trained on me. Blaster it looked like now that I was closer and could actually see it not in a holster. I knew how to combat against such a thing, but who said we were even going to use weapons in our fight?

"I have ran away in a cowardly fashion, but do you see me doing that now?" I opened my arms without any weapons as I stood on the rocks. I let my head come up and look directly at him now. ​"I use my abilities because I have them. How would you feel if you could move mountains and crush planets with a snap of your fingers, and the people who did not have that power, told you not to use it because it was unfair?" I took a step forwards letting my body weight drop me down to the next rock in front of me. Coming closer to him. "Life is unfair, deal with it." I took another step to the last rock.

"but if I am the freak that is ruining people's lives, why did you just see me in my house, alone. No fighting took place there until you started to question me. Hell, you just fired at me!" Pointing to his gun as though I was convicting a person to death. "You used that gun to fire at me. threatened to take my life just because I have the power to easily kill hundreds of thousands of people, but do you see me doing that?" I was starting to get angry. I should have controlled myself but I was losing it slightly. "I will give you one last chance to leave, and allow me to fake my life into believing I have the heart of a Jedi." Letting my arm drop, I then looked at him with all intent and fell to the ground now with the rocks directly behind me.

"Or I will become the Sith monster you claim me to be."

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As Shaw spoke, Kail didn't lower the rifle, he only followed the man down from above to now one rock above him. With each drop lower, Kail took two steps back. He could see the large treetop village of the Wookiee giants in his peripheral vision to the right, Shaw's hut to his left.

Fair enough, Shaw spoke the truth. Who WOULDN'T want power that was bigger than anything you could imagine, yet couldn't see with your very eye? It mystified him, but he didn't waste time dreaming about it as you were either born with it, or you weren't. Kail wasn't.

"If you call a life pretending to be something you're not, it's not much of a life is it." And yes I did fire on you, but who said I wanted to KILL you? When faced with a monster you always have to take forceful action in my book."

And then suddenly he realised he was hiding behind his rifle. He wasn't scared of Shaw - not much - and needed to show that. The KX-60 lowered to the ground, Kail's face and unkempt hair free from obstruction.

"I bet you've left a lot of scars around the galaxy, haven't you. And I bet that you've left a lot of bodies behind of loved ones that you failed to look out for along the way."

He slowly took a step forward and tapped his chest.

"I'm not a perfect man, but I don't have to pretend to be anything. You're a liability, Shaw. Unstable. A dreamer. And the sooner you either leave and hide away in a cave, or just curl up and die, the better for everyone."

Kail shook his head, his confidence dangerously running away with him.

"You'll never have a heart of a Jedi. At least they're not psychotic."


[member="Dante Zankar"]

[member="Dante Zankar"]

 

[Garza]

I smiled as the man spoke. I didn't move at all as he did so. Taunting me by saying that pretending what I am not is not worth the time. What he didn't know is that through my actions that I had taken, I can't ever become what I wanted when I was a Child. A Jedi. Someone who would fight for people. Protect them with everything they had. Calling me a Monster once more as having to be faced with, I only shook my head. He thought Sith were always a Monster. But I saw no need to try and convince him otherwise that there were the rare few who actually had a heart. Sith who didn't kill because they could, but killed because it was necessary. Images flashed in my mind as his words were spoken. Images were behind the man as his rifle was lowered of my past. Saving to kids from a Bar fight, a Jedi Padawan who needed some help against a Crime lord. And even saving a Friend of mine, even if it costed me to be stuck as a Sith.

Speaking more saying that he was not a perfect man, nor that he pretended to be anything. pointing out that I was a Wild card. I nodded my head as the images left my vision and leaving from being behind him. "I have tried to leave. Why do you think I live in the largest forest planet in the Galaxy? I left because every time I tried to help one person with a noble cause. Stopping the Galaxy from being taken over, I still killed people who got into the cross fire. yes, I have left scars on the world. Ones sometimes too deep for me to heal or fix. But that does not mean that I don't try."

I looked down at my hands as they balled up into a fist. Continuing to speak, "I try to be a Jedi so I can avoid convictions from people like you. So since I gave you your last change to leave, and yet you stand here, convicting me that I will never be a Jedi, Which is true, I will now have to hurt you." I did not say kill, because I did not like killing people. I did not like killing people. and even if he were holding his gun to me, I would not kill someone. Even as a Sith, I was a Jedi in some cases. Drawing my pistol, I raised it, and pulled the trigger.

[member="Kail Ragnar"],

 

[Connor Harrison]

More time wasted trying to convince himself of the good he thought he had, Shaw was talking almost demonically and not moving. Kail had the rifle tight in his hand. From the tone of his voice and the way he was wrapping up and justifying his choices, Shaw wasn't going to waste much more time talking to one who kept pushing his buttons.

Another step back to get a good footing, Kail watched as the final threat came. Before he could make a decisive action, Shaw was on his own pistol; fluid and sleek were his motions as the weapon cracked a shot.

Before he could act he felt the impact of the bullet hit his chest and it sent him tumbling backwards, too fast to keep his balance and he crunched to the hard ground below, a bed of grass and soil.

Wondering why he was still breathing and feeling a dull ache rather than a piercing pain, he shot up his head to look and it seemed the blast had impacted on the thick armoured vest he wore. That was scary; it wasn't a wide vest at all and didn't cover his whole torso, only a portion of his chest. That means it was either a lucky shot that missed his head...or it was intentional to show just how quick and good a shot he was.

Shaw held his pistol out and didn't move. Not waiting for another shot, Kail rolled on his side and used the momentum to life himself up on his knee, rifle gripped in his hand and he squeezed the tigger to fire a round of blasts towards the Sith.

Not a good start; he was sore and rushing the retaliation.


[member="Dante Zankar"]

 

[Garza]

The slugthrower was a powerful weapon. Kicking him back was usually the outcome on a slugthrower with the same power as a Heavy Blaster pistol. But I had hit a vest that the man wore on his chest. As much as it would be fun in some cases to see a man's head blow up like a watermelon, I wanted to give the man a chance to survive this encounter. As I said, I didn't want to kill him. As the man rolled to the side, I lifted my left hand in a stop form and as he fired, the blaster shots dissipated with a little help from the power of Tutaminis. A form of absorbing energy that was thrown at me. Changing the aim of the pistol to fire at his knee.

The term "Took an arrow to the knee" means that you got married. or you literally took and arrow to the knee. Back when Technology to heal wounds was not so great as it is today, a broken knee would literally put you out of the job as it could be broken and would never heal the correct way. Even if it would heal correctly, You would be in a lot of pain for a long time. A good few months for initial pain, but if it healed correctly you would not end up with a permanent limp, or continuing pains if you happen to twist it the wrong way. So a shot to this man's knee, if hit which was likely since he was kneeling and he didn't seem to have armor on his legs, then he would be in pain unlike any other. About the closest you could get to it is a guy getting crunched in the groin, or a woman giving birth.

I had to continue, after I sent my first shot, I sent another with a simple downward aim to the same leg, only aimed for his foot. I was aiming to stop him from moving too much. not killing him. Hitting the foot was not as bad as the knee, but there were a lot of bones in your foot. In the right places, you could literally obliterate tendons and cause the person to forever have their bones in their toes rub against one another. An artificial form of arthritis if you wish. My off hand was still up at the ready should he get past the shots that I had sent him, and if he fired back at me with a blaster.

The powers and tools that I can use to block blaster fire is substantially more than that of a slugthrower. Blasters could be absorbed, or blocked with force powers. Many variations of shields, or energy absorption can do that with the right amount of skill. Which I had. I also had a Lightsaber with the skills to not only depleted the charge of a bolt, but redirect it back at the person should I care to do so. My Sith sword could depleted the charge as well. But physical rounds that came at you many times faster than the speed of sound, were very, VERY hard to block. Most forms of protection against it were literally, avoiding the shot, or using a force barrier. Maybe if you were a Master in Soresu and could block everything to the point where no power could reach you, then maybe. MAYBE you could vaporize the shot. I was good with the Saber. Better than alot of people. But not that good.

[member="Kail Ragnar"],

 

[Connor Harrison]

The KX-60 dropped slightly, Kail wide eyed and suddenly cold seeing the blaster bolts almost be absorbed by Shaw. There was trickery and there was ultimate power. This was power, an understanding and display of a power Kail didn't know or understand, and he was suddenly fighting someone who was not going to submit, he had no reason to.

And before he could do anything, his concentration on the hand absorbing the shots, Kail failed to see Shaw lower his pistol and pull the trigger. The crack of the shot came a split second before the pain - and it was unlike anything Kail had ever felt.

In the seconds it took for Kail to drop his rifle, cry out in agony and topple sideways, narrowly missing another shot that spat up the ground beside him, the whole day seemed to slow down, take its time and enhance each breath greater than it should have.

The blaster shot had torn through his knee. His trousers bore a gruesome hole from impact, matted already by the thick blood and cauterized flesh from the shot. Kail was on his back, gripping his knee with the left hand and trying not to shout too much in the pain he was in. It felt like a great ball of fire had slowly eaten through his muscle and bone and was now burning him up from the inside. It throbbed, it stung, it hurt. A lot.

Gritted teeth and heavy beads of sweat were all that Kail could show to reflect the pain he was in, but even then, twisting his head to see the smug face of Shaw who hadn't even moved, the mercenary fumbled for his SSX sidearm by his right thigh, pulling it out in frustration and turned to fire as many shots as he had left. But it was desperation and anger fuelling his wild shots, not precision or marksmanship.

The pain was excruciating, and he was at the mercy of a Sith Lord. Kail hated himself right now.


[member="Dante Zankar"]

 

[Garza]

Focus was a bad thing for him. While I had made my mark on his knee, It still took him some time to draw up his blaster again to aim it at me. When you get hurt, you get into a rage. Which this man currently was in. So while yes he was firing AT me, he was not accurate as what he could have been. All the better, I had a battle form of Precognition. With the right amount of focus on my end, I could interpret attacks just miliseconds before they took place. Allowing me to see his reaction to me shooting him. Which was lifting and firing many rounds at me. Instead of using the same move over again and needing to move my hand, I used Force Barrier. Almost like a personal energy shield was activated, a mix of a blue and red wavy sheen came to surround my body and the blaster bolts once more turned into spent energy. I waited until the man's weapon was literally Clicking. Trying to send out more blaster shots but could not.

I shook my head with a sad shake. my off hand gripped his blaster and threw it a few feet away from him. Pointing the blaster at him. I then picked him up. Just enough to allow the tips of his toes to touch the ground. Even as he had attacked me, I was not going to kill him. He could watch as I lowered my weapon and the assortment of knives and weapons and ammo on him floated away and landed in a pile next to his spent gun.

The winedown of the Generator told me that the power was cut and it's use was over. I did not crush the man as what other sith would have done what seemed to be days ago. I didn't know all too much about healing with the force. Probably the best that I could do was numb the pain for him to limp out of here. Which I did. I let him hang there in the air. He was able to move his arms and legs, but his body was suspended by the force. "Now if you please. Leave me to my desires. I said I would give you one last chance to leave, but I lied." I was very calm as I spoke to the man who wanted to kill me. Just because he could, not because he wanted vengeance against me. "I have killed many like you. I have killed innocents, but I am trying to change that. Maybe by letting you live, you can see proof of that."

I then started to walk away. Towards the ramp when I stopped should he talk back to me, or should he want to speak more. Every man deserved a Second Chance.

[member="Kail Ragnar"],

 

[Connor Harrison]

The blaster effortlessly glided from his hand like it was simply picked up and taken away by the wind. Kail didn't pay it and notice, the pain was too much to bother about now he was on the cusp of either dying or being left alone to find help. His breath was sharp, keeping a hand around his mangled knee, and his hand was shaking again as he was afraid to touch the wound.

And then he started to rise; turning over to face Shaw and upwards to gently tease the toes of his boots on the hard ground below. He couldn't reach his leg, automatically it was bent upwards to keep the wound as closed as possible. The Force had him, or rather Shaw had him. Kail felt humiliated and angry at himself and the Sith Lord.

What had led to his humiliation? Nothing but an over-blown confidence and reckless underestimation of the enemy. Opposite him, all of the weapons from his opponent gently fell to the floor in a show of...what, mercy? Who knew with a Sith. He could kill Kail without any sort of weapon, so that proved nothing. As Shaw began a lecture on his morals, the pain started to reside gently in his knee, an unexplained feeling of a heavy but gently numbness took over the area affected. He could only assume he was dying right now and his body was shutting down, or Shaw was extending the final hand of mercy.

Still held in the invisible grip of the Force, Kail frowned and held onto his armoured vest to keep his hands busy and his mind distracted.

"If you think I will thank you for this, forget it. Mercy is for the weak - do your job and finish me off. Don't you leave me here like this, damn you."

Right about now, Kail couldn't see a way out and he was throwing out the empty threats much like his blaster was empty; all of it useless against one such as Shaw.


[member="Dante Zankar"]

 

[Garza]

This man did not know what it was like. What it felt like to have someone's head crushed under a boot. or the power to blow a person into billions of pieces so small you could fit them through the eye of a needle. But I didn't. I knew the man was not going to thank me as his empty threats came my way. I shook my head. I crushed down just a little on his chest to expend his air from his lungs. Just enough to cause a little bit of pain and stress, and to keep him from breathing enough to talk. This man understood how it was to be a man, and a survivor, but not when he was at the top of the Food chain and saw what happened to people who you shite on. it falls down to the next and the next. The bottom guy would be covered, while the top would be perfectly clean.

"Not my job to finish you. That is for someone else on a different day." I released his chest and then smiled at him. "And you thought I would let you walk." With a twist of my wrist, he started to float higher and higher from the ground, and then as suddenly as a blaster could fire and hit it's target, he was flung to the mainland. Soon after, his weapons and gear. However, the ammo stayed with me.

I spoke to myself as I could still feel him here. "You may not thank me now, but later you will. Everybody has something to live for." Pulling out a holo image of a little girl. Nine year old girl that was frozen on her swing with a smile on her face. A little girl. My little girl. "You just have not found yours yet."

[member="Kail Ragnar"],

 

[Connor Harrison]

With the strength he could and the determination not to become a disposable victim to one who fought with a power and not his own strength, Kail tried to push away from the Force that controlled him and lifted him as his breath came back.

Trying to root his boots on the ground, it was a vain attempt to struggle. Higher he rose and he prepared himself for the drop, but it still took his breath away and it wasn't straight down as he pictured. An invisible fist impacted against his chest and shot him back, arching downwards to land in the sandy earth towards the shore, kicking up the dirt and sand as he slid across on his back, breath knocked from him.

Only a groan could escape his mouth, the pain tingling in his leg and the numbing sensation seeming to creep up his body. The soft impact of his rifle, pistol and dropped gear came next, clicking and clanging as it hit the floor. Breathing heavily, Kail didn't open his eyes. He just lay, and relaxed and patted his chest to make sure he was still alive and he hadn't been skewered by some horrid pike or spear.

Beaten, humiliated and spared of a death he probably deserved that would have tarnished his entire moral code. Kail slowly pushed himself up on his elbows to sit in the Kashyyyk sun. He gazed at the blood stained wound, refraining from poking and prodding it. His eyes slowly rose up to see how far ahead Shaw and his hut now was. He was lucky the fall hadn't broken any bones.

This was a life experience Kail wouldn't forget anytime soon. And he wouldn't forget Shaw's face either.

He'd be back when he felt more confident, more prepared and able to return the damage Shaw had inflicted on him.

But now he had bigger things on his mind, like how the hell did he limp away back to the Wookiee hovel and maintain any dignity at all...?


[member="Dante Zankar"]