Private Momento

[Aayla Shan]

Indeed she was curious what Kadan was on about regarding not slowing down, she had a mind to not slow down for him if he fell behind... Well, probably not really; it felt good having him near at times. As crazy as it sounded her connection to the Force felt more solid based on her proximity to him. There really was no doubt there was a Force Bond at play. She had only felt it with her first Master, many years ago, and had always fought them; turning her mind away from any other Master that tried, but given their exploits.. Well; she felt more comfortable with him around. She smiled then, glancing back and peering at the base. They had done a good thing today.

They pressed on, and her eyes panned up as the Star Destroyer broke cloud coverage. She had mused a long time ago that the behemoths could seem terrifying at a glance, but the idea of one being in atmosphere specifically for you caused her heart to sink; she would refocus along the path, weaving around any hazards that popped up. Though, in boxing they say its the punch you don't see coming that knocks you out. A few seconds before Bright3 unveiled his attack, she felt it, having no time to transmit it through words, she let that sudden alarm flood to Kadan, breaking a second too late, and was sent careening from the speeder bike.

She skillfully projected a protection bubble around herself, though it shattered as soon as it touched the ground; causing her to tumble. At the very least that first hit wasn't taken full on. The speeders were trashed, but they weren't too far away in the first place. They could still run...

Her eyes leveled ahead then, in the direction she had rolled from and saw him. The terrible looking Sith Lord. No doubt the very same person they had just Fethed over bad. His words should've been chilling, but there were Forces at play beyond even Aayla's understanding. In that moment, she would sink into Force Valor, and draw her saber to her right hand with the force; adopting Shii-Cho on instinct. She wasn't a big mentalist, but she knew better than to speak aloud right now.

'Kadan if you're alive, you better get up.. There are more coming, and we don't have time for this fight. We might have to kill him, if we can'

She thought, not taking her eyes off of the Sith. Her eyes would glance over to Kadan, not only feeling out for him in the Force, but visually making sure he was good; even though she had no need too. She wasn't entirely used to fighting with him yet, and this may end up being their trial by fire... Or their death. It was a toss up at this point.

 

[Bright4]

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TRIAL BY FIRE​

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They had this really nasty habit, he and Aayla. Whenever things looked like they were going good, everything just sorta fell apart. Be it the will of the force, or some really cruel cosmic joke, he wasn't entirely sure. What he did know, was he didn't find it amusing in the slightest. The force bond between the two remained strong, almost like she was an extension of himself, as he was to her. Their powers were certainly amplified, as were their levels of understanding. It was for that reason when Aayla broadcasted the warning through their bond, he wasn't entirely caught off guard.​

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A split second before impact, he saw the Sith Lord, and felt the power ripple out.​

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Then he felt himself flying through the air. He corrected himself, flipping end over end and landing feet first, and rolled with the fall, ending up in a low crouch, but had a problem. He could feel Aayla, but she was out of his line of sight, and far closer to the farm presence that he had felt descend from earlier.​

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He heard her voice in his head, his saber already in hand as he rushed to find her, the blue blade flaring to life. He could visualize what she was looking at, where she stood, and her pose. It certainly wasn't a good image. He could feel her force valor reach him, and felt his mind harden like durasteel against the waves of anguish this new foe put forth. He flipped his saber hand into a reverse grip, his free hand drawing the retractable vibro blade he carried on himself.​

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We take him down together. I'll give you the opening you need. He can't take us both down if we strike fast.​

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They'd take him down together or die trying. He pulled on the force, adding it to his steps, as he speed closer on target, running up a fallen tree, planning to use it as a ramp as he leapt from the top of it, aiming to come down hard and strike the Darth from above.​

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Kadan arrived on the field of battle, and flung his vibro blade towards the Sith. As he fell, he flipped himself over head of the Darth, aiming to strike from the other side as he slashed at him with the saber, falling back on a mix of Ataru and Juyo. Landing, next to the Sith, he threw a low kick, aiming to knock the man out of his strong stance, hopefully giving Aayla an opening to strike at him from.​

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This guy messed with the wrong padawans.​

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Aayla Shan​

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[Bright3]

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CHILDS PLAY ​

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To his surprise, the lone padawan he faced recovered quickly, even drawing her blade against him; her companion on the other hand was sent flying, perhaps he was dead. Levo merely smiled, taking up the stance of Djem So, offering the padawan the first move. His senses told him that not only was the second padawan alive, but he had been the one to have the strange presence about him. He would kill that one last. Right now, he had the young woman to claim first. The force rippled out before him, as the two began to call upon the force, perhaps thinking that their meager strength could prevail against him. Fools.​

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The 'hiss' of his suit lingered in the air, the distant 'vroom' of his Tie escorts was a reminder that the padawans were running out of time. He would have them, one way or another. That much was certain. As he stood, posed to defend himself, there was a flash, his senses warning him of danger. He raised his left hand and caught the hilt of the vibro-blade, then swung his blade to the side to block the follow up strike from the new padawan. It was a valiant effort, but it would be in vain. He took the blade still held in his left hand, and feeling the padawan kick into the back of his leg, was entirely un-phased. The poor childs foot would strike solid beskar plating, but that was nothing compared to what he planned on next. Taking the vibro-sword, he thrust it into the padawan's exposed right shoulder, used his saber to shove the ideally wounded padawan out of the way, and prepared to face whatever assault the female padawan had to offer.​

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This was a pathetic showing, he was hoping for more than this.​

Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

Being able to peer into his mind within combat was something new entirely. As he pushed forward, so did she, spinning the saber and rushing him from the other side of his body. He would have been forced to look one way or the other, was her thinking behind it. A few things were done to help interfere with Levo's offense, and defense. She got there a second late, just as Kadan's foot had made contact with the other; swinging her own saber at his exposed right side. Her intent to initiate a saber lock with the other on the opposite side of Kadan. If this didn't affect his composure, she would shoot out a hand and slow the blade that was intended for Kadan's shoulder.

 

[Bright4]

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FIRST BLOOD​

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Their minds were one for a time, and the sensation was...unusual to say the least. Kadan's first instict was to be concerned for Aayla, but as she began to move, he knew that he couldn't afford to worry for her. They had to work together if this was going to work, and he couldn't distract himself with such feelings.​

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Aayla's quick thinking had saved him from taking a sword to the shoulder, but the shove of the man's saber strike knocked him off balance. The padawan righted himself, trying once more as he could see Aayla's future movements taking form. Kadan switched to a two handed form, his foot throbbed as it finally registered the fact he struck hardened metal. Taking his saber, he sought to thrust the blade into the man's chest, then having done that, would release one hand from the weapon and hit the Darth with the strongest force push he could muster, then held it, seeking to keep the Darth moving, hoping to throw him far enough away that they could make a run for it.​

Aayla Shan

 

[Bright3]

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CUTE TRICK​

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They were showing themselves capable, but it was nothing he hadn't seen before. He could feel the padawan rush past him, his precognition warning him of the strike she made. He moved to stop the blow, shoving back against her with his might, letting his rage power him now. The woman had stopped the blade, which suited him fine. He willed the blade forward, and sent it hurtling towards Aayla, hoping to break her attempt to strike at him once more. Using his now free hand, Levo slapped the blade thrust off to the side, sending Kadan stumbling along as his blade would impale the ground, Levo's own hand protected by the Beskar and Phrik alloy it was composed of. He followed with bashing the padawan in across the face with a solid fist to the side of the head, hopefully dazing the young man.​

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Then the padawan struck him with the force, the power was intense at first, sending the Darth back a step, and began to slowly push him back; at least for a few seconds. Levo was not impressed. He planted his feet, and hurled his saber towards Kadan. With his free hands locking onto Aayla, he let loose a torrent of force lightning would erupt from his finger tips.​

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They were starting to anger him now.​

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Aayla Shan​

 

[Aayla Shan]

In the moment, there was nothing else really of note; just the constant ebb of battle. She wasn't going to let the Sith breath for barely a second, just as he became infuriated, she felt comfortable within the light; comfortable within her kinship to Kadan. No matter what, they weren't going to die today. As Bright3 allowed that serrated edge to flick in her direction, she dodged; narrowly an audible groan coming from her form though her adrenaline didn't allow her to stop; she continued to dig deeper at his side, keeping an equal distance on one side than Kadan; he had to block one, or attack one. Without a double-saber there was no way around it, or so she thought.

As her blade came around in her right hand, she would swipe low at his knees, before bringing the weapon up and attempting to crown him with it; in her mind if she faltered for a second it gave the Sith the opportunity to focus one or the other; with the blade headed to Kadan, she felt a sudden need to push forward, and was a step late on the uptake, she received a taste of the ability she had only ever HEARD about; and was sent back a few feet on impact, saber falling from her hands as she hit the ground in a series of convulsions. She wanted to move, but her body was out of control, nerves firing causing her to spasm wildly and roll away from the fight.

She would need a moment to recuperate, if the Sith didn't murder her first. Even still, her mind was still in the fight, thinking about a way to defend against it; it was their sabers, she had read about it in the archives. The lightsaber could be used to channel the Force Lightning easier... She only hoped he could succeed where she failed. For now she tried to will herself back to her feet; though her composure was starting to crack... Were they going to make it out of this?

'Stand up... Die on your feet, if you wish to do so...'

 

[Bright4]

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GET ANGRY​

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He was strong, and faster than he would have thought. Kadan thought he had the man dead to rights, but the Darth proved him wrong, knocking aside the blade, and smashing him in the face. Kadan thought he saw stars for a moment, staggering back, and nearly losing focus before he slammed into the Sith with all of his strength. It wasn't enough. He kept pushing, straining with all he had, and had nothing to show for it. A saber flew towards him, a flash of crimson, and Kadan narrowly avoided being bisected by the weapon as it flew over head, having to slash away at the blade with his saber, his concentration broken. The Sith was free however, the force push no longer slamming into him, but watched in horror as Aayla was laid low by a blast of lightning. There was a phantom pain that struck at him, making Kadan think that he had been injured as well.​

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Time seemed to freeze as he witnessed it, the padawan's eyes widened in shock, as he watched her body convulse and twitch on the ground. His eyes looked back to the Sith as he stood, seemingly undaunted by their best efforts. He was going to kill them if something didn't change. Kadan staggered forward, his head still spinning from the strike, now noticing the taste of blood in his mouth as he had bitten into his tongue it seemed. He glanced to Aayla once more, feeling his blood start to boil, that sense of fear he had known from child hood flickering at the back of his mind, and the pain he could sense creeping from Aayla's bond, it was pooling within him.​

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He was going to let it out.​

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"No. No, more." He muttered, his saber slipping from his hands, as he clenched his fists, putting forth everything he had to bare. He would not let this day be their end. He reached out, seizing the broken trees, the speeders, anything he could grab, he took, the weight slammed down on him, almost crushing him, threatening to bury him, destroy him. He fought it back with anger, fear, and pain. Aayla would feel it as well, that he did this for both their sakes. Then, with this mass he had gathered, he combined it together, and let it fly towards the Sith, throwing everything he had into it, nearly faltering from fatigue as he did so.​

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He hoped to buy them time, hoped that maybe, just maybe they could get away.​

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Aayla Shan​

 

[Bright3]

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IMPRESSIVE​

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One padawan was dealt with, and that left one to go. Reaching out, he collected his saber, pulling it back to his hand, and merely staring in wonder at the young man that moved to defend the fallen padawan. To his surprise, he hadn't killed the young woman, it was something he would correct after he had finished questioning her, but for now, he had the familiar one before him to deal with. Levo could feel something within the man stirring, a dark power that he was just tapping into, and the Darth merely grinned. So quick to tap into the dark was this one, he could feel the concern that he held for the woman, the worry, it was a weakness, one that had sealed their defeat. "Children with toys, this is what the jedi send against me?" He muttered, his voice sounding like metal grinding, the darkside festering within him now, as he was now actually trying. He noticed now the item that this man held on him, something that angered the Sith at first; Azula's mask.​

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Then something struck Levo, as the man's lightsaber fell, he noticed something peculiar about it. It was made of Beskar, and on it, the symbol of the Mandalorian. Curious, a jedi Mandalorian? What were the chances of that? Then it began to click, this man, this young man, it stirred thoughts of Azula, and Tatiana, and this one was not all that different.​

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A look of surprise came over the Darth, his attention lapsing for a moment, as a thread began to come together in his mind. Was...this perhaps his child? Had the force delivered the boy to him? He held Azula's mask, he was a force user, and his presence matched those of his kin...yes, it had to be, this was his-​

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His lapse in focus cost him, as he was struck full force by the gathering of wreckage that Kadan had put forth, and sent him tumbling, not injured, merely annoyed. This garbage pile the man had struck him with would not get past the defenses of his suit, but the weight he was struck with would send him trembling backwards, pinned under trees and wreckage, the padawan did manage to buy the pair some time. But little else. Even now, Levo began to push, working to free himself, and to find out for himself for who these strangers were.

Aayla Shan​

 

[Aayla Shan]

Die on her feet? What kind of cryptic message was that... In any case, there was still work that needed to be done. She fought through the pain, and rose yet again, turning on the enemy. She would have helped Kadan, but he seemed to have dealt with the Sith Lord by himself. Or at least had knocked him back for a moment. Her eyes scanned to her saber, and moved to pick it up in transit to Kadan, fingers grasping at his shoulder and tugging him away, back in the direction of their ship. Unless he had something to say, she would continue their mad dash to safety, and their only escape route from this planet, and system.

She hadn't said anything, but her intent was quite apparent through the Force, put space in between themselves and this Sith Lord; Even though they might've had a chance to kill him while he was trapped, that wasn't their way; they should have run while they could, and fought if it was necessary. She would glance back only if she felt as though Kadan wasn't following, but if he was; there was no reason to turn back until they got to the ship.

If they got there unimpeded, she would jump straight from the ground, onto the lip of the cockpit before hopping into the seat and beginning the procedures for starting up the ship.

Bright4 Bright3

 

[Bright4]

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GET AWAY​

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Relief flooded the padawan as he witnessed the Sith be swept aside by his attack, then the fatigue hit, and the lightheadedness nearly saw him topple over. If not for Aayla grabbing hold of him, it would have certainly put him out of commission. He leaned on her, his feet struggling to keep up, yet he ran with her all the same, knowing this was the only chance they had at escape. Around them, TIE fights buzzed like angry Tribillion Beatles, and he knew they would have to fly like hell to get out of here.​

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His saber was left behind, there was no time to turn around and get it, but that hadn't even entered the padawans mind. His only concern was getting out of there. There was a singular focus working between the two padawans now, and that was to get back to the ship. Trudging through the undergrowth of Felucia, there was relief as their ship awaited up ahead, and for a moment Kadan felt his strength re-surge as escape was right before them. He unlocked the ship, his feet finding themself now, as he and Aayla would climb into the ship, his hands working fast on the controls as the engines flared up. The ship roared out of the clearing, uprooting trees, burning away the grass, and making a hell of a scene. But there was no time for caution, as the moment the pair had taken off, TIEs were already moving in on their location. Kadan's head still buzzed, pain still lashing at him, but he knew how to fly defensively still. There was only one problem, they needed a hyperspace route. He shouted to Aayla, his focus remaining on the sight of the Star Destroyer looming towards them; one last challenge to over come. The N-Wing wasn't built for speed, which meant he couldn't outrun the TIEs, but he could keep them guessing. Putting on a few moves, the padawan kept the ship spinning, rotating, making it difficult for the oncoming TIEs to land their shots. "Aayla, I need a hyperspace course, you gotta make it quick. That destroyer can get us in a tractor beam if we linger too long." ​

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They would be in space in just a minute, he kept the weapon system powered down, converting everything into the shields. They would need the extra protection to make it out of this.​

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Aayla Shan​

 

[Bright3]

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NEW OBSESSION​

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There was a new sensation that Levo felt, as he pulled himself out of the wreckage. He felt, warm, almost excited in some manner. It had been some time, and he couldn't quite put a name to it, at least not first. Ah, there it was. Pride. Yes, pride. He almost chuckled as he lifted the tree off himself, the Sith feeling the two padawans moving away from him. It was his own fault for that, but it was no matter. His ship was still in position. He rose, slowly moving back to where the trio had done battle, his voice sinking back to the wispy shell of a man, as he conserved his power once more. "Captain, tractor beam that fighter. I wish to detain it's inhabitants." A smile strained to form across his face, prompting a stinging sensation to sweep over his face.

His child had potential, unlike Tatiana, he could use the force, and the darkside was...open to him. This was a great thing, and he longed to take the young man and fulfill his potential. The heavy footfalls of the Sith stopped, as he came across something buried in the dirt, a low chuckle drawing from his lips as he reached out, and Kadan's saber found his hand. The Darth ignited the weapon, and summoned from it's blue blade, giving the item an inspection to confirm what he already believed. The symbol of Clan Ordo had been burned into the pommel, and with it, Levo has his proof. The blade deactivated, and the Sith added it to his belt for his 'collection'. His gaze went upwards, hearing the 'vroom' of the ship, and the wake it left as the padawans made their escape. Levo merely watched as his fighters closed in on the ship, knowing they wouldn't be making it past the Crimson Dawn.​

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In his excitement, he had forgotten what fate had befallen the Captain, and that none on board had been brave enough to take initiative. He most certainly would be thinning the ranks onboard once he arrived. But for now, he would watch, filled with a sense of smug satisfaction that all was going as planned.​

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Aayla Shan​

 

[Aayla Shan]

As the systems were turned on, she was still silent; Aayla had been... Something had switched within her. She did what she could to aide with their escape, and would have been plotting a hyperspace jump before he had even mentioned it, but when he did, she would focus on the numbers being entered. She had received the same basic piloting training as any other person did. You entered in the wrong route, you could be dead before you had time to say 'Chit'. It was one of the reasons they usually trained you to enter it, simulate it, then enter it again for accuracy; though in this case she could barely focus on the task before her. What in the hell... Her button presses would slow, and she just leaned back as well she could, looking over to Kadan morosely.

"Solid... Hit it."

She said, her voice which was monotone didn't even seem in line with the tense situation they had found themselves in... Though through their bond, it would be easy to tell that she just wanted to get away from this planet. She wanted to get away from that horrid Sith. She wasn't what she thought she was, and with that stupid Force Ghost that had decided to begun stalking her, she certainly didn't feel like what she wanted to be. Her head pressed back into the headrest as she waited for him to hit the numbers. She knew it was somewhere in the Core Worlds, but the last few digits were honestly entered at random, the fact that there was a Star Destroyer meaning if they got too close, they could be yoked up in a tractor beam...

That would suck...

 

[Bright4]

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GET OUTTA DODGE​

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Kadan was on edge, and for good reason. Given the TIEs firing at them, and the Star Destroyer that was currently trying to get a lock on them, he felt there was a good reason to be nervous. The only reason he hadn't totally sunk into a panic was thanks to the force bond, as he could feel the woman working on the coordinates, and that she would be done soon. Which allowed him to solely focus on dodging the oncoming laser fire. The ship shuddered once, as it took a strike to the aft deflector shields, but they would be fine, the shields took the brunt of the strike, and they could take far more punishment than that.​

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He felt ecstasy flood his system as Aayla finished the calculations. The pair flew past the Destroyer, and truthfully, he was expecting to dodge a tractor beam lock; but nothing happened. Puzzled, he put the engine to the limit, alarms blared at him to slow down, but he wouldn't, hell he couldn't. "Lets hope that route is good, because we are going to need repairs." He warned, his hand moving to engage the hyperdrive, green streaks of laser batteries flying past their craft, as he initiated the drive, and was thrown back in his seat.​

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They had made it, somehow, and now, he had no idea where they were off too. Relief took over, as the padawan nearly collapsed into his seat, taking a long desired breath as the worst was behind them. There was silence for a moment, before Kadan chuckled to himself, his eyes closing as the strain from the days events hit him all at once. "That wasn't so bad, right?"​

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It was a joke obviously, but he was exceptionally grateful that he had brought Aayla along. Though, he'd let her select the location for their next adventure. His track record wasn't very good after all.​

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/end thread (?)​

Aayla Shan​

 

[Aayla Shan]

(Agreed, well written!)