Dominion Loose Ends | SO Dominion of Faldos

[Von-Kri]

Tag: Lirka Ka​

​

He had expected a strong slash from the Kainite, but he overestimated his ability to focus on a strong defense and mapping out the tunnels. While his blade surged out to block it, he tensed with fear as he felt his hold collapse and his blade slammed into the armor plate of his thigh along side hers. It didn't breach the armor, but he let out a cry of pain as it burnt in outside of his leg, forcing him backwards. He tripped in his fall breathing heavy as his corrupted form fought tirelessly to get himself back up - his free hand blocking the strikes were he could as he crawled backwards.​

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Then he saw his chance. Inbetween the strikes he swung the blade sideways, cutting a tibanna gas line, and super cooled gas that froze the skin instantly began to spur out onto them both. He could feel ice crystals form on his cheek as he forced himself to a standing position, forcing himself to avoid breathing in the dangerous gas - instead moving to run down the hall once more - no doubt with Lirka in tow.​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Objective 3: Eliminating the Competition

Malum ground his teeth, gritting them with the force of a catapult against a castle wall.

Loyalty to the Kainites, that much he knew she had in spades, but an outright zealot? A fanatic? A militant? He had no idea she had fallen so deep for the former Emperor's words. Yet that was the case for all of them, ideologues and demagogues them all, espousing greatness, and even showing it. Gathering a following of those too wea-, not too weak, but too easily influenced, too easily persuaded, to believe their own value should come forth from someone greater than themselves.

In the end, they were not too different were they?

Where she had fallen for the sway of a man, a great and failure of a man in equal spades, he had fallen for ideals. Of an Empire that would span from the Rim to the Core.

She thought himself a heretic, thought himself loyal to a man who he felt no loyalty to, yet, loyalty was expected, loyalty was demanded.

Really, if the old Empire still lived, would there even be a contest between him and Quintessa today? They would be serving Darth Carnifex, Dark Lord of the Sith and Sith Emperor, without question, without disloyalty.

Yet, here he was, his eyes tracking the chakram thrown towards his rear, as his blade tracked speedster, as she made herself in the opposite direction. Here he was loyal to the Sith, loyal to an Empire, yet not truly loyal to the Emperor.

What a contradiction?

Enough to make him understand too keenly, what such zealous loyalty could do to anyone.

He breathed out softly, as time slowed around him, a moment to think was all he would get, as another chakram was thrown toward him. Two chakrams in motion now, and a combatant both fueled with infinite devotion, motivation, and fealty, one too fast for him to pin down. It was the opening moves of the fight, yet, he had no plan.

Was it time to bring out the other sabre?

He had only done that thrice now, against his Mistress at Fiviune, against Rhiannon on Eliad, and against those hypocrites and traitors of the so-called Crusade and Empire on Dromund Kaas. Would Quintessa make herself the fourth to be worth such a thing?

Perhaps, but he was far from out of tricks.

The force swelled in him, and where he once might have directed it to his fingers, it instead approached up his torso, to the back of his neck. He breathed in, and let his eyes darken from the light.

And then.

He allowed it to erupt.

The Force broke out of him like a tsunami, and the chakram behind him was the sandy victim, behind him, he could almost picture the Push blowing away all the debris and objects, as now, all he needed to deal with was what was in front of him.

Now, there was the other threat aimed at his feet. Far more annoying, yet an opportunity to show another trick.

He did not retreat, he did not stand his ground paralysed.

He did something entirely unexpected.

He ran toward the chakram.

The sound it made was of a blade spinning through the wind, that was not too surprising, it was, what it was after all. For most this was suicide.

Yet he was not most.

He was the heir of the great Darth Marr, apprentice to the most powerful woman in the Empire, and destined and fated by his own creation for things far greater than falling upon his knees, either now or ever.

As the blades span for his knees, his legs broke from their charge, making a leap over the blade, while grunting, as he felt the slightest slice upon his shin. Feeling blood trail down his leg.

It was nothing major but seemed that he had mistimed it somewhat.

It was what he got for thinking of big things in the middle of a duel.

His eyes locked back on Quintessa, it was his play now.

"You are Sith, like I, the Kainites, and your... liege, will lose this war no matter what faith you have in him," Why did he continue speaking? He did not know, she was not one to be convinced, he would not be after all, "But you cannot die today, especially since you know where it is." What it? The Malsheem, but did she know how valuable she was in that regard? Better not make it too easy.

His hand shot out, almost as if a vice grip was gripping upon the air, as his darkened eyes glowed liquid burgundy, sparks broke out across his hand, as lightning, blue and steady like the fastest water stream broke out of his hand.

She was fast.

But could she outpace light itself?

Quintessa

 

[Rayden Helonus]

A R B I T R A T O R
TAGS - None
LOCATION - Faldos, Artefact's Epicenter

The Arbitrator had known suffering, hunger, thirst... exhaustion. Yet none of those could properly describe the lethargic leeching he felt as he strode through the streets, past buildings and down alleys. Every breath drained his lungs, every step threatened to make him fall, though he soldiered on. He had a mission, after all. The Emperor called for the artefact, called for it to be studied. This was Rayden's speciality, and it was time to show his master how effective he could be.

Sith Artefacts were known for their... unpredictability, no one artefact worked the same as the next. That his initial guess regarding the artefact's effects was correct? It was hard for Rayden to say where it was astounding or trivial, though the possibilities were relatively limited- assuming, as he had at the time, the artefact was not the work of one of the ancient masters of the Dark.

Step after step, as his boots crunched against the unkempt streets, he neared his objective. He could feel it, sense it. A source of power, of the Force, that stood in stark contrast to the dead town; a source that grew stronger and stronger by the second, with every step and every piece it took from him. Soon he found himself within a small, pathetic hideout, littered with bodies. Judging by the way their looks competed against the entire settlement's vileness and grime, they were the smugglers that thought themselves above their word, above the Sith.

In the center, atop some rusted and worn crate, laid the artefact- a thing of inordinate beauty, completely out of the place in the rundown squalor of a smuggler's hideout. The Sith scarcely had the time to admire it, though, with his every breath being stolen before it even got past his lips; the cool embrace of death tugged at his every limb as he drew closer to the artefact.

Well aware that he had minutes, if not seconds, to seal the artefact before it claimed him aswell, Rayden raised his arm with conviction. Hand outstretched and fingers splayed, it took a mere thought and a torrent of purple lightning shot from his fingers, into the artefact. With this, perhaps final, act of defiance, he poured his will into a simple command.

"Recognise your master! Recognise the Sith!" he commanded, voice dying out as his last reserves faded, falling to his knees as his lightning faltered. Planting his hands into the ground, the Arbitrator smirked weakly after a moment passed... nearly cackling.

The drain he felt, the leeching, had ceased. He was alive. His mission was a success. Still, he was in no state to survive...

Indeed, the walk back to his ship might just kill him. Dragging his body forward everso slightly, he gripped the crate the artefact rested on and pulled himself up to it's level. Holding himself up, the Sith gripped the artefact with his free hand, gasping as he did as his Sepulchral had instructed. Draining his energy back into his body.

That was not the end of it, though. No true Sith would pass up on such an opportunity, to feed on the power of a town... it was something unheard of since the ancient times, a ritual only ever employed by the most powerful of the Sith to feast upon entire planets. It was thrilling to think about, if only Rayden could find the space to think as he drained the artefact of all it had accumulated...

When he was done, the Sith Knight rose to his feet, taking the sealed, empty artefact in hand, and called for a pick up.
​

​

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Port Hangar - KWV Crimson Eternity
Objective: III - Eliminating the Competition │ Repel Boarders
Tags: Darth Malum of House Marr

It was through Quintessa’s attunement to her chakrams that she realized that one of her attacks had succeeded in cutting open soft flesh. With the drawing of blood, she sensed that it might not be long before the Devaronian blood poison infused into the edge of the chakram began to exact its agonizing, white-hot wrath on the scion, potentially inflicting such extreme pain that it might very well incapacitate him on its own.

Or so, she hoped.

"You are Sith, like I, the Kainites, and your... liege, will lose this war-"

Quintessa was long past talking.

The speedster launched herself forward in a dead sprint with the wind speed of a raging tornado, closing the distance while the scion was talking, perhaps sooner than he might have liked. Simultaneously, her lightsabers sprang to life within her hands, projecting shimmering, white blades manifested by crystals taken off the corpse of a Dark Jedi she had slain on Terminus. Within the span of less than a heartbeat, she was at Malum’s legs, committing to a thrusting strike with the lightsaber in her left hand, aimed to burn open the scion’s right leg at the knee in the attempt.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Twin Lightsaber Shotos

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

She was long past talking, unfortunate.

Blaster fire echoed along the corridors ever still, and his eyes widened as she indeed did was faster than light, the lightning storm erupting from his fingers passing above her head, as she charged him without fear in her eyes.

That was the moment he felt something innately wrong in his shin, at the precipice of his wound. He had less than a moment to curse himself for not even considering the prospect of poison before he felt his legs fail him utterly. He breathed in, a futile effort to numb the pain, that quickly transcended feeling to instead directly inform his brain that he should be feeling one emotion, and one emotion only.

Pain.

Yet muscle memory still functioned barely, his free hand pawed down to his side and pulled out his secondary sabre. There was no longer any hesitation this his second blade would be necessary, as with tears in his eyes, with fuzziness breaking his view, his blades clashed with Quintessa's defending his legs, just barely, as her assault aimed to tear them off entirely.

With such pain, perhaps he would even be attempted to be crippled.

Rationality held on, as sparks erupted from their clash, Malum pulling himself slowly off the ground, the pain transcending beyond pain, to numbness, his nerves momentarily shot, giving him just what he needed.

He breathed out, the Force growing in his hands, and then pressing through his lightsabers.

Pushing outwards like a typhoon against wooden hulls, he needed to make the distance between them, or else, accept that she would win this fight.

And that would be unacceptable.

More sparks erupted as the push turned into lightning, lightning breaking from the tip of his lightsaber, and aiming to strike the goblin that had brought him so low.

Friendship? Friendship was the barest thing on his mind.

Quintessa

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Port Hangar - KWV Crimson Eternity
Objective: III - Eliminating the Competition │ Repel Boarders
Tags: Darth Malum of House Marr

Quintessa hissed as her lightsaber was knocked aside, sparks popping angrily as her weapon made brief contact with Malum’s blade. Indeed, the Asa’nyx had no words for him now. All that was left was rage, focus, and deadly intent, manifesting as a blazing glare in her cyan eyes, as if flames were erupting from her irises.

The speedster moved to strike for Malum’s legs again, but before she could carry out the attack she was sent flying backward, to land awkwardly and violently against a charred piece of hull from one of the boarding craft.

She looked down to notice her left forearm bent at a sharp, unnatural angle, but the pain from the injury had yet to surface amidst the adrenaline coursing through her nerves. Without hesitation, the speedster pushed herself back onto her feet, only to be met by a coruscating lance of Lightning which initially struck her directly in the chest before she managed to bring the lightsaber in her good arm to bear in its path, blunting much of the scion’s attack.

However, broken as she was, the speedster still had cards left to play.

Quintessa needed no hands to call her chakrams back from where they had landed, some distance behind Malum. As she blocked her opponent’s Lightning, her weapons lifted off from their resting places and accelerated in a blur of motion, called not to Quintessa, but to the scion bearing down on her. The bladed discs soared on a straight course from a little more than 24 meters behind Malum, one willed to cut off his left leg, while the other weapon was commanded to punch into his upper back, both intended to strike while he was possibly distracted by pain, a desire for vengeance, and the sight of his opponent, seemingly dazed and weakened.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Twin Lightsaber Shotos

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Malum hissed through every action, the poison though having numbed his pain receptors, was still aching his legs, to such a degree, that he knew mobility would fail him as things moved on, had likely failed him enough already considering he was fighting someone who was known for their speed.

Still, there was still something he could do.

One of his lightsabers continued enacting his will of returning the pain that she had caused him, continuing to flow through lightning, and forcing her onto the defensive.

The other traced down to his shin, and his hissing grew further, as the smell of burned flesh filled his nostrils.

Cauterising the wound was a risky venture, he was far from intuned with the medical arts, and to call a lightsaber a medical instrument was a laughable enough idea. Yet, it would at least remove the short-term wound from the equation, until he could have an actual doctor or medical droid heal him. Moreover, it brought him some instant relief from the effects of the poison.

He had indeed been lucky that the chakrams had only nicked him, if they had punctured forth, the poison would be spreading throughout his entire body... and with how much pain a prick had brought, he almost shivered at what it would feel if it spread further into his bloodstream, into his heart...

Would his chest have exploded?

Thankfully he would not need to find out.

But moreover, his change of lightsaber position saved him in another way too.

Though Quintessa was thus far pinned by his lightning storm, the poison had made it ever so clear to Malum that it was far from her only way to attack.

The Force saved him, as his head turned, coming face to face with the chakrams that had caused him all his ills.

His mind may have been blinded by pain.

But pain brought its own vision, its own focus.

That was the way of the Sith after all.

His lightsaber struck out, parrying the incoming chakram.

He felt a moment of euphoria.

Before the very painful reminder, accompanied by a snake-like hiss, she had more than one chakram.

Bloodshot red eyes, gazed down at another wound, in his other leg.

Malum would not realise it at that moment, but his movements had saved him from a further grievous wound. The chakram aimed to have cut off his entire leg and had instead only nicked it again.

Yet at the present moment, that rational thought was the last thing from his mind.

"ARGHHHHHHH!" Malum screamed into the hanger bay, both his lightsabers like clockwork combining their beams to produce further lightning. Burning with rage, burning with pain, the lightning transformed, a river turning into a deluge, blue turning to white, as Malum willed the Force through his fingers, and demanded, with all his being, to crush and murder his erstwhile friend.

The Force championed further, excess energy burning off him as if he was a candle wick burning, and flowing out the wax, the Force acted against Quintessa, attempting to push her against the wall, leaving her no escape against the lightning storm that wanted nothing more...

Then to burn her alive.

Quintessa

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Port Hangar - KWV Crimson Eternity
Objective: III - Eliminating the Competition │ Repel Boarders
Tags: Darth Malum of House Marr

Her luck was running out.

Malum’s Lightning was powerful, even with her lightsabers positioned in front of her body to absorb it. The speedster's alabaster features twisted into a grimace beneath her helmet's transparent visor as a renewed burning sensation coursed through her limbs, muscles spasming almost uncontrollably as the electrical onslaught began to overwhelm her bodysuit’s defenses, inflicting shallow burns across her arms and chest.

For a moment, Quintessa believed that electrocution at the hands of the Marr scion would be her ultimate fate. However, an opportunity manifested itself, in the form of a fleeting lapse of concentration.

The Force saved him, as his head turned, coming face to face with the chakrams that had caused him all his ills.

Bloodshot red eyes, gazed down at another wound, in his other leg.

It was not a lapse in the stream of Lightning itself, but rather, its focus and accuracy, no doubt caused by the attacks from her chakrams. The scion was strong, but there were few Sith in the galaxy capable of maintaining such devastating power while simultaneously committing the focus needed to track weapons that were almost invisible to Force senses. Accordingly, Quintessa’s Farsight registered a tiny lapse in the energy output of the scion’s dark rays moments before it happened, which the speedster immediately capitalized on. Seconds before Malum could channel his pain to further augment the strength of his Lightning into something far more crushing and lethal, Quintessa sprinted a wide arc towards the scion’s left side with blistering speed, covering the distance within a small fraction of a second. Without breaking her stride, she leveled a right-to-left diagonal slash with the lightsaber in her right arm, the attack’s alacrity and power enhanced by Force Speed as she aimed to sever both of Malum’s legs at the shins.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Twin Lightsaber Shotos

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

She was gone.

That was the only thought going through Malum's hazy mind, still battling the poison, mind demanding he attempts to numb it away, while the Force continued to flow through him, somehow energised and excited with the prospect of the intensity of the pain brushing and cutting through his system.

Had he truly annihilated her? Pushed her against the hull of the ship, and with no escape destroy her utterly with the force of the white lightning snapping and flailing through his lightsabers? Had he burned her tiny body to a crisp, to ash, but indeed go even further beyond that? Wipe out her existence as if she had never existed at all?

Unfortunately not.

It took only his eyes to flicker, to flinch, to feel the presence of her through consume essence, not a fading energy, as if she had been completely broken, no... her presence was still angry, was still defiant.

She had escaped the will of his lightning.

And she was closing in on him fast.

He could see it coming in slow motion, her attack from the left, angled back, prepared to close in, cut him in half.

His breath came out ragged, the pain from his legs still prevalent, still burning a path of agony.

Making it certain that he could not withdraw in good order, she was too fast to allow him to do it in this state. His lightsabers were in no position to block her, he would need to move inhumanely fast to manage that, and unfortunately, Quintessa was the only non-human in this duel.

Was this how he would fall then?

He breathed in.

No.

He felt the ring of flames around his finger burn hotly.

He felt his red eyes glow a dangerous glow.

And then a second later, as she was inches from contact.

Flames burst forth from his skin.

A wall of flames to protect himself from attack, flames pouring out of his mouth as if he was a great drake. It had been long since the desperation had grown so deep, so long since the convection called to him so. The last time it had been with his Mistress. Quintessa should be honoured that it had gotten so far.

Too bad that he could not let her appreciate it.

Rushed forward, exploiting the time given by the flames, both blades singing through the air, both to strike at her separate arms, she would not need them, to tell him where the Malsheem was.

Quintessa

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Port Hangar - KWV Crimson Eternity
Objective: III - Eliminating the Competition │ Repel Boarders
Tags: Darth Malum of House Marr

A wall of flames was thrown in front of her, and yet, Quintessa did not falter.

The speedster’s Force Reflex dilated the passage of time according to her perception, giving her a moment to contemplate stopping or sidestepping the fire as she ran, neither of which she decided to do. In that regard, she didn’t think more than twice. Almost unflinchingly, Quintessa committed herself to running straight through Malum’s wall of flames without decelerating or altering her course, before continuing on to deliver her original intended attack—a right-to-left diagonal slash delivered with preternatural velocity and ruthlessness, aimed to sever both of the scion’s legs at his shins.

She stopped neither for fire nor death. The small-statured speedster intended to end the duel, one way or the other.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Twin Lightsaber Shotos

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Through the wall of flames, she emerged out with the confidence and poise of one certain their victory was close. What was the burn and hinge of fire on the skin, of the burnt flesh, of the spilling of blood, all momentary pain, when in comparison to eternal victory? And truly, this time, his eyes glancing erratically, widening helplessly, seeing her twin blades approach his legs, destined to remove them, and leave him dead in a pool of his own suffering. He knew it was over.

He had been pushed to the edge before, facing impossible odds, and still triumphed, or at the very least, survived.

This was the first time he truly felt out of options, felt the lightsaber singe the hairs on his body, as his skin could feel the heat of the sun upon it in intensity that he had never felt before.

The world slowed as his mind buried itself within itself over and over, considering wilder and wilder ideas on how to remove itself from this position, if he could move his legs and kick her away if he could move his arms at a speed greater than that of light and move to block, if he pushed her aside with all the power within him, buy him just a few more seconds.

Yet the reality of the situation was dawning upon him, and denial was giving away to acceptance, as his mind dug deep, he himself went after it, no longer denying the inevitable, accepting his fate.

"It is not yet your time, Malum." A voice within him boomed, the same voice that spoke to him at Fiviune, the same voice from Dromund Kaas and Korriban.

His absolute ancestor, the great Darth Marr's voice.

The peripherals of his red eyes could make the sheen of the amulet around his neck, as hot as the lightsaber rapidly approaching him, he could feel the ashes within, swirling around as if placed into a collider, it shined a light as brilliant as Force Blind, even he had to close his eyes, lest he is blinded by looking directly at a star.

But blinding Quintessa at this moment would not save him, her momentum was a too-foregone conclusion.

"I would not give you false hope, my heir." How could he doubt the great Darth Marr? He kept his eyes closed, yet felt relaxation come over him, his legs stopped being in pain, his shoulders became placid, and his mind tranquil.

And then.

The world exploded.

He felt his body limply flying through the air, his hands holding tight his lightsabers, while his ears rang in white noise.

Yet, at least his body was still intact.

He could give an amiable smile at that.

As he crashed against the hull of the cold cruiser, and gave out a very pained groan. His body ached, his bones collapsed, and his skin was on fire.

But he was still whole.

Coughing dust particles, as his mind juggled the various sensations around his body, attempting to stand, he felt his legs shake, his breathing hitched, and he could see the blueish eyes of his short opponent through the dust and smoke of the hanger bay.

He was not yet defeated if standing without being able to move could be called that.

He was certainly losing, as if that was not plainly evident.

He coughed up blood as his hands moved up, breathing harshly into his comms.

"Custos, Venerandus, to the hanger now!" The desperation was thick in his voice, his ears still ringing that he did not hear the reply.

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Port Hangar - KWV Crimson Eternity
Objective: III - Eliminating the Competition │ Repel Boarders
Tags: Darth Malum of House Marr

Time slowed to a crawl.

Suddenly, Quintessa found herself out of balance, the world spinning before her as she was sent flying through the air, flames licking at her form in the process. Nevertheless, harnessing much of what was left of her willpower, Quintessa rotated her body in mid-air, before landing like a feline atop the charred husk of a ruined fighter, her legs splayed wide as her hips sank low to the surface beneath her. In a blur of motion, she launched herself off of the fighter’s hull, the howling air extinguishing the flames as she did. Then, tracking Malum’s signature via the sensors in her helmet, Quintessa sped towards his position, positioning herself so that she might approach the scion from a blind spot.

Not only did the speedster need to conceal the injury to her left forearm, but there was also the matter of honor—she did not intend to give the scion the privilege of looking her in the eyes when she brought him to heel.

“MALUM!” Quintessa roared, her voice hoarse and high-pitched, yet strong in spite of the exhausting fight. “It’s time to end this little game.” She hissed, contempt laid bare in her tone. “If you want to live, you’re going to leave and call off your dogs.” The Asa’nyx continued. “Do both these things quickly and do them now, or else your life is forfeit.”

Spoiler: Loadout

• Pulsiva Bodysuit
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade (2) - L/R
  • Sith Talisman
    
    • Spirit Anchor
    • Amulet of Many
  • Utility
    
    • Supernal Infusion
    • FAE/U-01 “Serenity” Anti-Signal Field System
• Dancer’s Wheels
• Twin Lightsaber Shotos

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He could feel her, even if he could not see her, consume essence had become as much a tool of detection for him, as it was a tool to consume the power of those around him. The invisible shadowed tendrils would latch onto any life and have their fill, and what little he consumed now, he could already feel restoring his legs, slowly, as if it was a frostbite victim, whose only source of warmth was a hand upon it.

He could feel her, rapidly approach, raising his lightsaber demanding for lightning to flow, he finds it empty.

He is empty.

He hopes Custos and Venerandus will arrive, that the Guard will save him.

He is hoping a fool's hope, she is too fast.

He raises his lightsabers to block her incoming strike, to buy him more time, to escape, but what escape is there if his legs refuse to obey?

Her lightsaber was pressed against him, not stabbing him as he had expected, but rested, with the implication that she could run him through.

His lightsabers were nearby, but too far to do anything that would save him from the pain of plasma burning through his flesh. The fault of being able to sense her, but being unable to see her.

Her words echoed in his ears, as the ringing began leaving him behind.

She gazed down upon her, it was over and they both knew it, but she would not have her true victory, she would not kill him, though looking in her eyes, it was so clear she wanted to. This was the price of zealotry, the power to destroy friendships. They had fought together at Saijo and Dromund Kaas, and this is how it would end.

Red met cyan, silence permeated through him, her request would be granted, he truly had no choice. He deactivated his lightsabers, a show of surrender, a promise of withdrawal, a promise, that the next time would be different.

"Custos and Venerandus, we are done here, withdraw back to the dropships."

"..." Silence permeated the comms for a moment.

"It shall be done, Scion Marr" Gruff and soft voices melded into one as they answered.

His gaze made itself back to Quintessa, a silent question, was that what she wanted?

Quintessa

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Port Hangar - KWV Crimson Eternity
Objective: III - Eliminating the Competition │ Repel Boarders
Tags: Darth Malum of House Marr

“We’re finished here, Malum.” Quintessa hissed, anger manifesting in her tone. She didn’t like the idea of the fight coming to such a disappointing end, but the speedster could not afford to take the risk of continuing it further. At the very least, she could take satisfaction in humiliating the scion in front of his Guard, who would no doubt see the three-foot tall Asa’nyx bearing down over him and realize that it was the weakness of their master which had caused the retreat, and not their own.

“Crawl, limp, or have your dogs carry you back to your shuttle.” The speedster continued. “But show yourself here again and I’ll take more than just your pride.” She finished.

With that, the Guard arrived in the hangar, hounded all the while by the red-armored Kainate soldiers who were determined to inflict as many casualties as possible. For her part, Quintessa stood watch over the scion as he departed, a blue fire in her gaze as she took in the scene of Malum returning to the shuttle and the vessel flying off into the black.

It was only then that the flow of adrenaline ceased, white-hot pain from her broken forearm assailing her nerves as she cursed the name of the scion’s vaunted predecessor. Under her breath, Quintessa made to swear that she would bring an end to the Marr line, but the words failed to leave her lips before the medics reached her and blackness consumed her vision.

Final Post.​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

The anger, the rage that had coursed through him throughout the battle ended as soon as the battle concluded, yet it was very clear to him, as Custos and Venerandus came to his side, half-pulled, half-held him up, as they made their way to the dropships, that Quintessa's anger and rage, most certainly had not passed, and indeed, he was not sure if they would pass.

He said nothing then, as he passed her struggling form, not wanting to ruin any chance to recover their friendship, only now noticing the injury he had made to her arm, it looked like it hurt quite deeply.

It was not as if he himself was not in intense pain either though.

Though he had withdrawn and had the Guard withdraw too, a ceasefire had not been called, blasterfire continued on the hanger, as the Guard put itself under cover, firing onto the Kainite droids, and inflicting heavy losses as their parting gift, consolation for not having destroyed all of them and taken the ship. Still, there was a solemness to the Guard, it was perhaps their first tactical defeat in years, and all due to the failure of their commander.

He silently promised it would never happen again.

"Malum are you okay?" Venerandus asked, a sombre and worried tone penetrating his voice. He was glancing him up and down, and not in the way he normally did so, with a teasing smile on his lips. Malum idly nodded, realising that Custos had the same question, yet, for now, remained silent, hard-eyed, as he kept watch on any hostiles.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, Quintessa just got the best of me, a medical droid and a bacta tank, and I'll be right as rain," He offered a smile, it was a weak one, one that did not reach his eyes. He would have died in the fight, if he had not gotten lucky, the amulet at his neck went silent, which worried him, but he was confident its warmth would be back soon.

"As you say, my Scion," Custos grunted out, evidently not believing his words, as he saw the darkened skin by his legs where the poison had impacted, he gave him reproachful eyes, disappointed in some way, that made Malum feel even more terrible.

Victory had eluded them.

It would not happen again.

Quintessa