Something.. Other.

[Darth Ferus]

If there was ever a misconception on Ferus, is was that he was physically strong, but not as fast. His toned body always suggested raw hitting power, but most would over look his reflex's, assume he was a heavy hitter one could evade if needed. This was, however, as false as it could get. Ferus, trained from an early age in the art of swordplay, learned that enough speed would match a hard hitting attack. That moving quickly could prolong ones life.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] 's attacks would find his own saber knocking them away. Once red skin had become black as night, a mark of the Force flowing through him to increase his natural agility. She was duel wielding however, leaving Ferus with one less blade. Which could be countered by simply adding a second hand on his own saber, but he wanted a difference route. His free hand snaked down to his belt, and as he knocked her saber to the side in a quick parry of his own, a second, blue lightsaber sprang to life, thrusting out for her chest as he stepped forward. One hand would be kept up to keep her saber at his side, the other extending out in the same motion.

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

Son of a-

Fangs were briefly bared again as that second lightsaber came in for a kill hit. His initial lightsaber kept hers from blocking. Chiasa was a big fan of Trakata, but was quite frankly afraid of starting to use it until she saw a guaranteed win as a result. It would likely only end in him using it as well and then what? She vaguely noted the dramatic colour change of his skin, but honestly was rather busier watching his blades than his skin.

The knife flashed out to catch the 'saber, her heartfelt thanks going out to Draco once more. It was too short to really effectively combat a lightsaber with, but Chiasa tended to think in terms of her entire body, she didn't fall into the trap of just swordplay.

Which was why with both of their weapons engaged, she pushed this new blade up even as she herself once again dropped, in one swift, fluid movement, attempting a quick leg sweep. Here was hoping he was the sort who got hung up on swordplay and forgot to mind everything else.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Swordplay was as much about the blade as it was ones feet. With both blades pressed against one another, the Zabrak couldn't help but look [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] over for the split second he had. It was his first time seeing his target, and he could tell why she had gotten so far without any issue. Then the leg sweep came. Rather than break their embrace how ever, the red man lept upwards, his two blades shutting off as he did.

Trakata wasn't something he was afraid of using when he had the chance.

With her going down and him going up, there wasn't a whole lot to do but swing down. His sabers, now separated from her own blades, came back to life at their full length, cutting directly down for her shoulders as he passed overhead. He would continue from this leap however, his sabers shutting off as his attacks finished their sweep. A quick tuck and roll, and he would spring up to his feet to turn and face the female once again, light on his toes as ever.

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

Feth!

He was better than her. She was good, and she was fast, but he was better. Faster, stronger, more experienced. This could not be so. Could not be happening. Not now, not when it was not just her life. There was nowhere to run and no back up coming in time. But.. but there might be help in time for Maliha. If she could be kept away from these killers.

Someone would come. Henn at the very least. Draco if anyone thought to contact him. Declan would arrange something. Someone would come.

But not soon enough. She was starting to flag. She hadn't slowed yet, but she would soon, she could feel internal reservoirs slowly depleting. Act now, while she still could. While she was capable. While fury, fear, loyalty and love bolstered her. It was this mix that made her neither light nor dark, able to use both at will. And she was going to use everything. There was a smaller hatch only about fifteen feet ahead. If she could just push him back that far, just for a moment..

Windspeaker had taught her a trick. A way to watch the future. She could only see perhaps 2 seconds ahead, and oh it drained and strained, but in a high speed battle like this, two seconds was an eternity. His blades came down, she threw herself to the side, avoiding them. He rolled and was back on his feet and she was there, pressing, blade hacking viciously, throwing out small concentrated force push after force push, changing where they were aimed, just intent on pressing him back. Even as she did this, she lashed out mentally. She couldn't read him, but that didn't mean she couldn't or wouldn't attack. Whatever mental defences he had would find themselves fully pressed.

"Faovee, arsiyaree, o'ela cli aae kalue ho uru iniba. Ereteik Ch'sei Gambit. Palsehan."

She gritted out, sweat beading from the effort of her multi-pronged attack, loathing the lost breathe speaking caused.

"Confirmed."

Came the soothing voice of the FAU-V1 unit, as it straightened, turning, head pivoting so it could move backwards to better protect it's cargo as she pressed.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

((Posted with permission to solo))​

She wasn't winning. She couldn't say that, but she did have him on the defensive and was pushing him back, the FAU-V1 backing up behind her, filling the space she earned as she pushed him further. More than anything it seemed to be the mental attack that had him off balance. He was still blocking her own strikes with relative ease and compensating for the force pushes, so she could only assume it was the mental barrage that was throwing him off. As she pushed him past the airlock the FAU-V1 stepped into, conscientiously sealing the door behind itself before reaching out and with the utter calm of a droid, hitting the button to eject itself into space.

That sight very nearly broke her, and it almost cost her her life. This was a desperate thing she did, trusting that someone was near enough, quick enough, would come. She didn't think Draco was nearby, and he was the only one she really entirely trusted to show up, but surely one of the Ravens would come. Just one, that was all she needed. Just one to save her daughter. Not herself, she knew that would not happen, but surely someone would save her daughter, who'd never harmed anyone, who deserved a chance.

She couldn't focus to maintain the psychic attack and she couldn't keep up the force pushes. Her reserves were gone. Her muscles ached and burned, but in her desperation, in her sorrow, she threw herself at him, attacks coming faster and wilder, harder to anticipate. Still, the flow of the fight, the tide, changed once more and he started pushing her back. More than once she could feel her skin starting to blister slightly as his blade was only just stopped in time.

Still, unbeknownst to her, apparently her attacker saw something of use in her, or perhaps he just saw an opportunity to bring her back to those who would take much pleasure in killing her personally and earning himself some favours. Either way, at some point during the fight, his intention switched from kill to capture. As he patted her blade aside again and she snarled defiance at him, his hand came in at an angle, blade switching off at the last moment, fist and hilt taking her in the temple, dropping her in one decisive strike.

Skin slowly lightening from black back to red, he gathered the woman, his target for so long, who until now had always managed to stay a step ahead of him, and her weapons with a cold grin spreading across his face. Calling his apprentice, they left, re-boarding his ship, blasting hers and whatever recordings it may have made into so much scrap metal. As he set a course back for Sith space, he arranged to have the Twi'lek frozen in carbonite. She would be more convenient that way.

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

"WHAT THE KARK DO YOU MEAN THE SIGNALS GONE?!"

"I-I-I don't know! I mean, I do know! The ship was destroyed!"

"Was she on it?"

"I don't know! I just had an audio feed and a link to the system diagnostics! A visual feed for this sort of thing seemed unnecessary!"

"Useless!"

Hennbedestr snarled at Gilbert, switching off the comm link. The Togruta was pushing the Exceeder as hard as it could go, many of his readouts were red-lining, and he could feel a faint vibration. It didn't matter. Chiasa and her daughter were alone and under attack. Maybe dead. No! He was nearing the locations Declan had routed to him when Gilberts frantic call first came in.

He was closest, had the fastest ship and could be trusted, so he'd started his desperate sprint. As his eyes scanned for anything however, a low groan escaped him when all that met his eyes was a field of debris. Remembering the fairly cryptic message that had been apparently relayed from CHiasa herself however, a brief surge of hope rose and he flicked his scanners on.

Nothing, nothing, THERE. Life.

Carefully, but swiftly bringing the ship in closer, pieces of spacecraft pinging off his hull, he saw the FAU-V1 spinning silently through space. Despair washed over him, but also resolve. He understood almost immediately what had happened, or thought he did based on the details Gilbert and Declan had been able to provide. It took some doing to get the droid aboard, and once he had he saw the oxygen reserves were red-lining, probably not helped by the infants inconsolable wailing which became apparent once the FAU-V1 opened the sealed pod.

Reaching down, he picked up the small, light orange child, face growing grim. Now what? They'd tried to tell Chiasa she hadn't been a target, look what had happened. He'd be damned if he let the same thing happen to her daughter. Bringing her back to the Ravens was out of the question. Who knew which of them could actually be trusted?

No, he was in a stealth ship, it was time to disappear.