Rock You Like a Hurrikane

[Juggerduck]

Hurikane

Thid Qaal sat cross-legged near the edge of the canyon cliff. Below him spread a dusk-hued valley, hidden completely by shadow from the day's waning light.

The Yuuzhan Vong High Priest fought to find his center in the maelstrom of Force energy that surrounded him. For many, he knew, the Force was a place of refuge, a place to find inner strength and calm. For him, it was a chaotic storm of barely-controlled power, tugging at him from all directions, calling, showing him things unbidden. It was glorious and terrible.

Hovering two feet in the air before the Vong was an amphistaff. Qaal had captured it long before his escalation and rebirth; the two were bonded. In the right hands, the living weapon could be used as a staff, a whip, or a spear. It could trip, poison, and maim. It was impervious to lightsabers.

Qaal concentrated. An opening appeared in the creature, and as it did, four violet crystals floated into the air. They had been donated by a native of the planet, one of the rock and crystal entities that did not have a name, as far as Qaal knew. This one, what was left of it, lay dead and shattered at the bottom of the canyon, having provided the priest all that he needed from it.

The crystals settled into the writhing flesh of the amphistaff, which closed itself around the opening and grew still.

Thid Qaal fed his energy into the amphistaff, testing, probing, as befit a proper student of the Force. Then he rose, and willed the staff to float into his waiting hands.

He spun the staff expertly, running through several fighting katas he'd been trained in back on Zenoma Sekot. He flicked the staff with deft precision, and the thing became a sinewy whip, cracking into the deepening darkness. He pressed a knob on the staff that had been growing for days, awaiting the crystal now nestled inside it. Twin blades of stark, glowing purple revealed themselves from the mouth and tail of the staff as it contracted its length by a half meter on each end, stiffening once more, creating a living, double bladed weapon.

 

[Keira Priest]

Music

While she despised Sith, often Keira didn't bother devoting her time to tracking any number of them, instead awaiting the day they would meet on the battlefield to settle any scores, recognized or not. However, as with everything, there were exceptions, and it seemed she had once again found hers. This particular individual was apprenticed, as far as she knew, to a particular Vong that she happened to hold quite a grudge against, and with good reason. Or, well, it was commonly considered to be a favorable enough excuse when said individual had tortured you and been ultimately responsible for your initial fall to the Dark Side along with granting much of the same treatment to those that had once been close friends in the past.

This wasn't to say that she translated those same crimes to him simply because of his existence, but she had been intrigued enough to go after him in the first place, and there was no doubt in her mind a fight would develop simply because of their opposite affiliations. But she had come prepared for a fight regardless, her inherent wariness of the Vong after that unpleasant first encounter not allowing her to do otherwise. The weight of her armor had become something akin to a safety blanket, and she no longer noticed its present, the HUD that hovered before her eyes within the helmet a familiar sight. The only weapon on her person was the saber that had hung at her waist ever since she joined the Jedi and thereafter abandoned them. Nothing more was needed.

The systems within the helmet illuminated her surroundings as the daylight waned, but she didn't need that to instantly and instinctively recognize the twin plasma blades of a saberstaff in the distance. Had she not been currently suppressing her presence within the Force so it dwindled to almost nothing she would have reached out to touch on his own in order to gain a better sense of just who she was dealing with. However, she had a feeling she already knew what to expect, and that was nothing more than utter violence and bloodlust, a was most common among the Vong. She could speak from experience in stating that such a thing was only amplified when they were granted a connection to the ethereal.

All progress halted once a conversational distance had been reached between the two, and she offered no spoken word of greeting, merely inclining her head slightly. Still she didn't release the tight grip she held on her signature in the Force, though the saber at her hip would be more than telling as to her attunement to the energy field. Only one word was put forth in greeting, her voice modulated slightly by the helmet she wore, "Sith."

[member="Thid Qaal"]

 

[Juggerduck]

Labels. Humans were good at labels. Sith. Vong. Love. Enemy. Thid Qaal rolled his shoulders. Sith was as good a label as any, even if he hadn't been named as such. It was a label that inspired fear, he knew.

The Vong could feel the song of the Force that sang to her. He could feel her cells dying, tiny sparks of entropy.

"What?" he demanded. "You know me not, armored thing." He pointed his amphistaff-saber at her belt. "Are you Jedi? Come to pick a fight? Another Sith, come to prove yourself? Something else? Your label is what, armored thing?"

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Without a word Keira released the hold on her aura that had been keeping it in check and carefully concealed. The presence that radiated outwards with her as the epicenter held its own sort of simmering volatility, but it was far more subdued than it had been in the past, seeming to carry its own defiance by nothing more than existing, claiming allegiance to neither aspect of the Force, yet all and none at once. Her existence itself was a paradox of survival against overwhelming odds and circumstances that would shatter the average being, so it was only fitting that her presence demonstrate much of the same. "I've worn many labels over the years. Jedi, darksider, slave, commander," There was a pause, and she tilted her head slightly to one side, "Death."

Still she didn't take her weapon in hand, but to her credit she was respectably wary of his own. "My label is what I make it out to be. I'm here because I know your Master. Dredge." Simply speaking his name brought forth a tidal wave of memory, the final image she was left with being the crack of a gunshot and the body of that young woman crumpling to the ground in her mind's eye. That had been the day her true self had died. "Thought I'd see what there is to make of his apprentice." It was a fair enough explanation that didn't reveal overly much about herself in the process. Better that her arrival here remained under wraps, as those close to her no doubt wouldn't approve. That spoke much to her personal character and impulsivity.

Her left hand shifted, saber hilt seeming to materialize within her grasp, blade remaining unignited for the moment. Releasing a slow breath she opened herself fractionally to the same darkness that fed his own power, careful not to let herself slip over the edge. Self-control had always been the damning thing, a quality she always seemed to lack to the degree necessary. "I would say so far that I'm not overly impressed."

[member="Thid Qaal"]

 

[Juggerduck]

"Neither is Master Dredge," the Yuuzhan Vong High Priest conceded. "I label you 'Judgement.' I have found it common that both Sith and Jedi are fond of mocking those they believe inferior. It must be why there are so many orders and factions. None of you can co-exist.

"That you are not impressed by me, who has taught himself to assemble a weapon with nothing but his own intellect and teachings left behind by others long-dead says much about you, Judgement. Keen to conclude. Driven by emotion. Darksider and slave are the labels you wear within, where you think no one can read them." Qaal tapped his chest with a clawed finger. "I can read them. I see you stumbling. Inside. The Force reveals all to me. The darksider who is whispering and scratching and clawing at your heart, who wants out once more." His words didn't carry a mocking tone; he spoke matter-of-factly, almost annoyed. "Who will judge you, I wonder?"

Qaal set his feet shoulder width apart, his right ahead of his left, and lowered his amphistaff so that the tail was at ankle height and the head by his shoulder. He had no need to ignite the blades, not yet. If she had seen what he had created she'd expect them soon enough, and if not, it would be an advantage to be leveraged when needed.

"All right, Judgement," he said. "You've come far to pick a fight with me. You may as well begin."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"I won't argue with you. The Sith and Jedi both are fond of their labeling and excluding of others they don't see fit to remain in their ranks. But I belong to neither of them." The observations made on his part weren't largely inaccurate, and so she didn't bother to deny them, only nodding a single time once he was finished with his assessment. "I won't deny it. But I've learned to keep that darkness in check instead of succumbing to it like so many times before." That was mostly true. While she would let it out on occasions such as this, it was otherwise kept closely guarded within herself. Restraint for her was a very fickle thing, and one she learned through trial and error to exercise effectively.

As always, she had her own interjections and objections to insert, no matter how much she may have agreed. "I didn't say I wasn't impressed, but look at things from my point of view. I've been across half the galaxy and back, seen and done things a lot of people could only dream of. Sure, you can build your own weapon, but a lot of Jedi and Sith do the same thing. I did, too. Then repaired and rebuilt it when it was broken or malfunctioned." That he had accomplished the same with an organic being by transforming it at least partially into some sort of saber was no small feat, but given the circumstances and their differing allegiances she wasn't going to begin handing out praise, as it were.

With a shift of her left hand at her side orange plasma snap-hissed into existence with a flourish as she spun her blade once with nothing more than a flick of her wrist. Unlike him no formal stance was taken, though she did study how he held himself for a moment to do nothing more than gauge how he might fight. Before too long, however, she simply struck, lashing out with a flurry of slashes meant to overwhelm one's enemy and with enough finesse perhaps even end a battle before it had the chance to begin in earnest. Given her opponent, however, she didn't anticipate anything of the sort.

[member="Thid Qaal"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

Within a different plane of existence a Malevolent spirit observed. A darkness that was doomed lingered the galaxy forever now and since "his" death that was the fate he embraced. Kezeroth grinned devilishly as his former student [member="Keira Ticon"] activated her blade. Death had separated them but he continued to linger on. Though Kezeroth could not be seen with mortal sight he stalked in the shadows.

The darksider who is whispering and scratching and clawing at your heart, who wants out once more." His words didn't carry a mocking tone; he spoke matter-of-factly, almost annoyed. "Who will judge you, I wonder?"

Raising a spectral brow Kezeroth nodded his head in agreement. The Darkside was always the way of chaos, desolation and chaos. To hold it in check was the folly of the Sith and those alike. One would think that those who knew Kezeroth or even knew of him would know this of all to be true.

The Darkside could never to be enslaved. One could come into agreement with the darkside but broken by ones own will without consequence. Slightly shocked by Keiras response to [member="Thid Qaal"]'s statement Kezeroth positioned himself in the distance behind the vong within the plane the spirit dwelled. He was disappointed in his past pupil.

Judge? Two crimson eyes formed in the background behind the vong, from Keira's viewpoint she would see it perfectly. The shadows formed a large dark body briefly representing Kezeorths own body when he was still alive.

Telepathically his voice would speak to the woman's mind as Kezeroth gazed. " Who would judge? I will."

 

[Juggerduck]

Qaal kept a two-handed grip on his amphistaff, blocking the deft slashes from the woman's orange blade as they sought to find an opening, and backing up several steps in the process. Realizing that further retreat would put him in position to be knocked off the cliff, the Yuuzhan Vong called on the Force to leap into the air, twisting as he did so and igniting the twin purple blades of his own newborn weapon. Judgement was swift, he mused, landing some dozen feet behind her. Too far away to strike, he thought, chastising himself. It was all still new. He needed more practice.

The Vong closed on [member="Keira Ticon"], saberstaff glowing and held in a combat ready posture. Did she seem distracted, somehow? Qaal felt something stirring in the Force, a new voice, but dismissed it for the moment. Striking quickly, he attacked her left flank, right shoulder, and the left side of her head in three rising strikes. Bringing the bottom over he slashed downward, trying to cleave her skull in two.

[member="Spirit of Kezeroth"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Despite everything about the encounter telling her to keep a careful eye on the Vong there was a prodding at her subconscious that told her to do just that. Begrudgingly Keira tore her gaze away from the individual that was the prominent threat only to be met with the hazy apparition of a man she hadn't seen in a long, long while. For a moment she thought it was nothing more than a trick of the mind, until the intrinsic familiarity of his presence washed over her and those words echoed in her mind. Before a retort could be fired off [member="Thid Qaal"] had struck, and she was caught off guard due to a reverie in memories of a far simpler past. Well, perhaps not simpler given the near-death sparring matches that had accompanied her training, but certainly more so than this.

Each strike was met with a block that held far less substance than would have been typical if she wasn't distracted, some of them nearly non-existent. The overhead cut was the only one she could say she defended against marginally well, and it was the only one she pushed back against, releasing a burst of the Force intended for his midsection in the same moment. Whether it was successful or not she would do her own part to move herself away from the cliff's edge, not fancying a more permanent end to this encounter just yet. Combat against a weapon of the likes he wielded was something entirely new to her, and she decided immediately that while she didn't enjoy it, adaptation was a necessity.

With this brief moment of recompense that she had a feeling wouldn't last very long at all her attention turned to [member="Spirit of Kezeroth"], speaking telepathically, "Your timing's terrible, know that? Couldn't you have saved this happy little reunion for a bit later? I miss you and all, but it'd be a lot nicer if we could chat when I'm not busy kicking somebody's teeth in."

 

[Juggerduck]

The kick took Qaal squarely in the midsection, sending the Vong backwards. Thanks to the placement of his torso implants, the blow did not knock the wind from him or drive him to his knees, but it did serve to unbalance him. The split seconds spent regaining control would have been the perfect moment for [member="Keira Ticon"] to strike, but once again she seemed focused on something else.

Pressing the activation stud on the twin-bladed amphistaff, Thid Qaal deactivated the purple blades. With a sweep of his right hand, the Vong hurled a cloud of dirt and rocks at the Rogue Master, attempting to temporarily blind her. Even as he did that, he closed the distance in several force-boosted steps and thrust out with the head of the staff, striking with precision at a small sliver of exposed flesh where the woman's helmet met the top of her armor as she defended against the sudden storm of debris. If it connected, the living head of the amphistaff would bite, injecting its toxin into her bloodstream.

 

[Keira Priest]

While the dirt and rocks dashed towards her face were logically nothing more than a nuisance given her helmet, instinct had taken over in those seconds after speaking to her long-dead mentor, hands raising to block the spray of debris, sending a pulse of the ethereal outwards that would act as a shield against it. This left her undoubtedly open, and she cried out in pain as the fangs of the amphistaff sank into her flesh, poison seeping into her bloodstream like a cold fire. Reaching up she pressed her hand to the wound, gloved palm coming away stained with blood, though not in copious amounts as had been typical in the past. The injury itself was manageable, but she knew the effects would hardly be so.

Her knowledge of amphistaff venom was far from intrinsic, but she knew it was lethal if left to sit for too long, and that was enough. It meant this would have to be ended in a timely manner, something she had even less of a problem with now. Once again she struck out with the Force, this action far more instinctual than the last, the repulse enough to send him off his feet and careening backwards if he was entirely unprepared. It was a purely defensive movement meant to forcibly distance him from herself, though despite this her saber still remained in her grasp. Things wouldn't be as simple as knocking him backwards, and if he had learned anything from his master she would be in for a long fight.

[member="Thid Qaal"], [member="Dredge"]

 

[Dredge]

Dredge was... disappointed to say the least. Not in Keira and her ability to fight, but in his apprentice choosing to fight the woman. There was a certain philosophy that Dredge had, it was one that he used quite often really. Never fight someone when you didn't have to, especially if they were one who hung to those pesky ideas called morality. Dredge didn't have morals, he didn't have empathy, compassion, he only had rage that either burned hot or cold.

And with that rage the man used it against his enemies, those who would seek to do harm to what was his, and right about now [member="Thid Qaal"] was his property. The Yuuzhan Vong's soul may have belonged to the gods, but his ass belonged to Dredge until his heart ceased to beat.

Standing on a cliff not far away Dredge watched the two of them go at it, really it was quite entertaining but enough was enough. By his side Dredge whistled at one of his guards and had them bring forth a few prisoners towards the edge of the cliff. One was a squad of clone troopers taken prisoner on the battle of Yutan, and the other a family taken from the slaying of sanctuary.

Dredge sighed as he had both of them placed side by side at the edge. Waving his hand over to the to another of his underlings they brought forth a comm link that he then used to send an open broadcast to the woman about a eight hundred meters away.

"Hello Keira, it seems you've been poisoned. Nasty stuff that venom, so it means there's not a lot of time before you keel over and die without the anti venom. I just so happen to have a vile on my persons, but in order to obtain it we're going to play a little game." Dredge said with a wicked grin.

Thid, stand down." Dredge said telepathically to his apprentice.

"Let's make a deal!" Dredge said over the comm with a overly excited voice.

[member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Thid Qaal"]

 

[Juggerduck]

Qaal sailed backwards through the air some twenty feet before the Force-based momentum caused to him to land hard on his back and tumble in an uncontrolled somersault, though never losing hold of his weapon. Stunned, he scrambled to his feet, gathering himself for another attack, when Dredge appeared.

His mind registered the telepathic instruction of his master.

By your command, he replied telepathically, the first such sending he'd attempted. Dredge's tutelage was helping the Yuuzhan Vong priest quiet the noise of the Force that had assaulted him since his elevation ceremony. Qaal grimaced at the order as he'd wanted to continue combat, but the one he'd labeled Judgement was poisoned now, and would die soon anyway without treatment. Qaal would content himself with watching.

[member="Dredge"] | [member="Keira Ticon"] | [member="Spirit of Kezeroth"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

" Can you feel it? The poison surging through your body. Purge the poison from your body and unleash your rage!" Kezeroth spoke to [member="Keira Ticon"]'s mind after waiting some time. It was true he did disturb her battle and if she had disturbed one of his own battles in the past, He too would be grumpy. Ok more the grumpy. Enraged is more the word that would sum it up but thats beside the point. Kezeroth could sense a difference in his once dark pupil, a difference that bothered him personally. But he would never speak that to her directly.

Gazing at Thid Qaal the Malevolent Spirit grinned with sinister intent. Attempting to connect with the Yuuzahn Vongs mind, Kezeroth let his taunting remarks fill the acolytes mind. And though the Spectral Gen'dai was not what he once was, a remnant of his power remained with him.

<< " You... are weak. Your very soul is nothing." >> Kezeroth glanced at the Warlord @Dredge. A rather interesting individual and from the sight Kez assumed that he was the master and Keiras attacker the apprentice. << " Your form is as pathetic as your Master. Dredge!" >>

 

[Keira Priest]

"I'm not putting the lives of those civilians and my men on the line. Unnecessary risk is a waste." Indeed Keira had changed since her time spent learning under [member="Spirit of Kezeroth"], but she saw it as a metamorphosis for the better. There were a number of paths to tread within the Force, and while he might not have approved of her abandoning the dark she was far from leaving it behind entirely. No matter what a fraction of that shadow would still reside within her, surfacing in scenarios just like this. Despite her unwillingness to lash out she did do what she could to purge some amount of the poison from her bloodstream, knowing it wouldn't be enough to save her but focused on nothing more than remaining on her own two feet for the moment.

Her eyes narrowed as her HUD streamed out vital signs, but she paid them no heed for the moment, focused only on the well-being of those at the edge of the cliff, awaiting a drop that would surely kill them. She took a few steps towards [member="Dredge"], seeming to ignore [member="Thid Qaal"]'s presence for the moment. "You have something of mine and I have something of yours. What do you say we make a trade?" Even as she spoke those words she knew there would be no bargaining of any sort, not that there ever was with the overlord. It would be a matter of her own choice, and lately she had been dealing in too much death already, all but choosing who would live and die on this or that battlefield. She didn't need this, but then again, he didn't care.

 

[Juggerduck]

Another voice entered Qaal's mind, another dark voice seething with power. It mocked him as [member="Keira Ticon"] had done, as [member="Dredge"] had done. Thid Qaal smiled.

Ego Hammer, he projected to [member="Spirit of Kezeroth"]. I see now. All Sith do is berate and beat down and strip away. You line up to break spirits, to trick beings into believing they are less than they are. But you're wrong, Ego Hammer. I am a High Priest of the Trickster Goddess herself. I know how to hide away, how to find what is hidden, even within myself. Your words expose your own weaknesses. My form is weak? It's newly learned. I just finished creating the first amphistaff-lightsaber moments before Judgement attacked. Is that weakness? Pfah! Go invade the mind of someone else, Ego Hammer. Yun-Harla keeps me strong!

He closed his mind to the voice, whoever it might have belonged to, and focused on the physical forms before him.

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

Forced out of [member="Thid Qaal"]'s mind Kezeroth tilted his head letting his smile fade some. It was true that in his other form he was weak as well, but he was also strong. Fed up with both of the two the malevolent spirit traded glances at them both in anger. His tempter became palpable as the ground shook slightly in his rage. They wished to remain weak that was on them, but when true strength would come back they would see their foolishness.

"Rrrrrrrrrrrraaaahhh!" He groaned aloud letting his voice pierce into the physical reality. A giant shadowy figure faded in and out of existence for a time before settling into nothing and disappearing into the dust of the planet.

[member="Keira Ticon"]
[member="Dredge"]

 

[Juggerduck]

Thid Qaal saw the spectral form of [member="Spirit of Kezeroth"] waver into view before him, emanating a power the Yuuzhan Vong felt might have been capable of tearing him apart. The icy grip of fear closed around his heart and he nearly re-ignited his saber-staff, wondering how it could possibly save him against a ghost, but just before he did the apparition faded from view. Thid Qaal knew then that he had withstood a powerful being within the Force, and knew too that he would try to steer clear of it in the future, or at least until he felt skilled enough to attempt a fight, fair or otherwise.

[member="Keira Ticon"] | [member="Dredge"]

 

[Dredge]

"Keira we both know that I hold the cards here, you're dying and despite what you can do with the force that venom is dead to it. So by all means purify away, it's only a stall until the inevitable end that is your death. So giant force ghosts aside I think I'm going to-" there was a small garbled sound on the comm unit and Dredge's voice came back in.

"What's that Keira? You choose the civilians, well alright I have to say this is so unlike you to play along." Dredge said in an almost sarcastic voice.

Walking towards the civilians the man tucked a metal vile into the pocket of a Rodian then with a wave of his hand the monster pushed the civilians off the cliff to fall to their screaming deaths which would give Keira about a good ten second window to attempt to save five falling men and women about a good kilometer away. He gave a small laugh then looked back down at the small figure in the distance that was Keira.

"Looks like you've earned that Anti Venom, Keira. I'm a man of my word. Look for it on the Rodian's corpse." The monster snapped his fingers and the warlords men grabbed the clones and drug them back into the Yuuzhan Vong ship.

"Thid, get your $&@# and let's go. I have plans for this one and I don't intend on having you ruin them for me." The overlord said telepathically as he turned his foot and walked back to his ship.



[member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Thid Qaal"]

 

[Juggerduck]

Still shaken from the mental invasion from [member="Spirit of Kezeroth"], Thid Qaal walked silently to his master, keeping his eyes on [member="Keira Ticon"] in case she decided to do something rash before they separated, rather hoping he'd see her collapse to the ground and die before they left Hurikane.

[member="Dredge"]