As the searing pain coursed through her wrist, Romi's scarlet lightsaber wavered momentarily, but her determination remained unyielding. She locked eyes with the Sith warrior, his triumph radiating from his menacing visage. She stumbled back a couple of steps, pulled by the momentum of his blow, flourishing her blade as she regained her footing.
But...this was a long game.
"You know you'll only cause more destruction and pain to yourself in the end...," Romi strained, her voice laced with pull.
"You, or your well-being won't matter. You'll be exploited for your power...and then what?"
The Sith warrior snarled, his crimson blade descending upon her with a renewed fury.
"You know nothing of power," he spat, his voice dripping with contempt.
"This is power, and I will crush you!"
Romi focused on evading his onslaught, her movements becoming more agile and elusive. She sidestepped his strikes with fluid grace, countering with swift, precise attacks of her own. But the Sith warrior was relentless, his anger giving him an unwavering edge.
"I can the sense conflict within you, you can't hide from me" Romi pressed on, her voice seemingly echoing in the recesses of his mind, parrying a particularly forceful blow.
"Poor boy, you've never known anything else have you? There's more to the stars, places your power can touch and actually do some good. You've never thought of the alternative? Sad."
The Sith warrior laughed, a bitter, mocking sound.
"Peace is an illusion, Jedi," he sneered.
"Only through strength can true order be achieved. The dark side grants me power beyond your feeble understanding."
"Does it?" She shot back.
Their lightsabers clashed, sparks flying in a spectacular display of light and darkness. Romi's defenses strained under the Sith warrior's relentless assault, her movements growing increasingly defensive as she fought to maintain her ground.
"You're trapped in a cycle of anger and hatred, I've known it myself" Romi pressed, her voice resolute despite the strain.
"But it doesn't have to be this way. On the other side of the hill is freedom from the shackles of the dark. Choose a different path..."
The Sith warrior's attacks grew more frenzied, his strikes fueled by the conviction that he would emerge victorious. Romi ducked, weaved, and parried, her movements becoming more desperate as she sought an opening to strike back.
"Your words are empty!" the Sith warrior bellowed, his voice dripping with malice. He was young, and sure of it.
With a surge of unrestrained rage, the Sith warrior launched a relentless onslaught, each strike faster and more powerful than the last. Romi found herself being pushed further and further back, her defenses crumbling under the onslaught of his assault. But even in the face of overwhelming odds, she refused to give in. She channeled the vestiges of her strength, drawing upon the unwavering light that burned within her. Her movements became fluid, precise, as she deftly evaded the Sith warrior's strikes. Still...
What was her plan...
"You can't deny the truth forever," she said.
"You'll be consumed, just as they have consumed countless others. It's not too late to break free from their grasp."
The Sith warrior's eyes burned with fury, his attacks growing wilder as he sensed victory within his grasp.
"You underestimate me," he snarled, launching a powerful strike aimed at her exposed flank, but in his overconfidence had overextended his blade arm. She'd been talking in into making careless mistakes, deceptively leading him to believe that he was her martial superior throughout their scuffle.
Romi twisted her body with a burst of agility, swiftly avoiding the lethal blow. She retaliated with a swift counterstrike, her lightsaber slashing through the air with a resounding crack.
The battle reached its climax, the clash of their lightsabers resounding through the battlefield. Romi's strength suddenly grew, and her resolve seemed to burn brighter than ever. She refused to let the darkness claim another soul.
"Remember who you were...before this," she pleaded, her voice filled with genuine compassion.
"There is goodness in you, buried deep beneath all that rage. Embrace it, and together, you...we can forge a better future."
The Sith warrior's features twisted in a mix of fury and contemplation. For a fleeting moment, doubt flickered in his eyes, a glimmer of uncertainty. But then, with a surge of malevolence, he renewed his assault, determined to prove his superiority. Romi braced herself, her heart heavy with the weight of the duel. The fate of Elom and the countless lives at stake hung in the balance, as the clash between Jedi and Sith reached its climactic crescendo.
She broke off their clash, and in his blinding fit of rage he charged for her, however her blade whirled faster. He lunged at her, bringing he full weight of his body with him; he wanted to tear her down. She cut into the trajectory of his blade and knocked it a few minute degrees off its intended mark, betraying that she was ever truly struggling under his earlier assaults.
She stiffened her wrist and forced his blade down, there was brief beat where they locked eyes, because in the next second he could either break off awkwardly or he'd lose a limb -- either way the next move was hers. She ran her blade up and along the length of his, severing a finger causing his hand to spasm and release his blade. She cut off her lightsaber in quick succession, spinning around his frame and digging the blunt end of her hilt into his side, forcing distribution across his back muscles -- A kidney shot.
Arghhhhgg!
The Sith warrior gasped for breath, his anger seething through gritted teeth. Romi approached him, her own lightsaber poised, but her expression filled with compassion.
"It doesn't have to end like this," she said, her voice soft but unwavering.
"You've tasted the power of the dark side, but its only brought you and everything around you ruin. Open yourself to a different path. Redemption."
The Sith warrior glared up at her, his eyes smoldering with a mixture of defiance, fatigue, and pain.
"Never," he snarled, his voice laced with stubbornness.
Romi sighed, her gaze filled with genuine sorrow.
"I'll tell you this, your power is not inherently evil," she countered.
"It's all how you choose to wield it that'll define your destiny from here."
For a brief moment, doubt flickered in the Sith warrior's eyes, a hint of vulnerability piercing through his hardened exterior...brought on much by him being bested. Romi sensed his internal struggle and took a step closer, extending a hand toward him.
"Trust me, choose a different path," she implored, her voice a gentle plea.
"Release the rage, and together, we can heal a lot more wounds."
A conflicted expression crossed the Sith warrior's face, his inner turmoil evident. He stared at Romi's outstretched hand, his fingers twitching with uncertainty. But then, with a defiant shake of his head, he mustered the remnants of his dark resolve.
"No... I will not be swayed by your words, Jedi," he growled, pushing himself up from the ground, a glint of determination in his eyes.
"I will never surrender to your ideology."
Romi's heart sank, disappointment mingling with understanding. With a resolute nod, she deactivated her lightsaber and reached for a set of binders.
"I had hoped for a different outcome," she admitted, her voice tinged with regret.
"But I won't let you continue down this path. You leave me no choice."
As the Sith warrior prepared to fight once more, Romi swiftly maneuvered, using her skill and agility to subdue him. With deft movements, she placed the binders around his wrists, ensuring his capture. The Sith warrior struggled against his restraints, his eyes blazing with defiance.
"I will never stop fighting," he spat, his voice filled with lingering bitterness.
Romi regarded him with a mix of sadness and determination.
"And I won't ever give up on you," she whispered, her words filled with a flicker of hope.
With the Sith captured and his power contained, Romi turned her attention to the chaos surrounding them—the retreating refugees, the devastated planet of Elom. She knew this was all far from over.
End.
Kassogtha Cthylla
