Private Who Says You Can't Go Home Again?

[Rann Thress]

O N D E R O N​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

It'd been so long since Rann was here, back on Onderon. Longer still since he'd actually wanted to be back. As he walked through the many arches and fanciful facades of a less than ideal city, he immediately felt at home, and couldn't help but smile. People were moving, the city was bustling. The buildings, old. Older then any creature that living in them. Markets filled with people. Street performers, doing their hustle on unaware travelers and locals with short memories. The smile grew wider. His old spot was probably very quickly taken over by another charlatan. This one, very clearly, did not have the Force, but still very adeptly swindled these poor fools with his sleight of hand and charisma. Rann was impressed, he even laughed, and continued on his way.

"The industry seems to be thriving without me," he said quietly, the smile still on his face as he absent mindedly wandered the squares and streets of his home city, Iziz, keeping a careful eye on the beggars and children, and also on the countless performers around the area. Rann knew all too well how easy it was to get robbed in this old city. He continued, lazily strolling, eyeing the 'shows', allowing himself to get lost in the confusion of the mass of people, and he felt happy. He felt at peace. For the first time in.... how long? He was unsure.

He decided not to dwell on it. It didn't matter, anyway. The past was the past and Rann was here and now. Inside Iziz, in the market, walking around being jovial. It felt good. He hadn't allowed himself to just...check out in a long time. It's been pretty nonstop every since he joined the CIS. Now, some R & R time was just what he needed, and it seemed, surprisingly, Iziz would provide that.

For the first time in what felt like years, Rann allowed himself to wander around. Ever since Ryloth every move he made had been with purpose, a goal in mind. Now? Well, the purpose was enjoyment, relaxation. To feel like his life was again his. Never did he feel like a slave in the CIS, but he definitely didn't feel free. Now was different. It wasn't...quite a vacation. Peace time Confederacy allowed for some leeway but he was still technically 'working'. However, Rann was sure to take advantage of every single second he had, and take that time to do...nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing but walk his old home, see the sites, be amazed that Onderon hadn't been reduced to ash yet. It was a lovely thing.

Yet he couldn't help but feel like he did have a purpose here, as much as he tried to ignore the feeling anyway. Something kept gnawing at him. A feeling in the back of his chest, like something he forgot to do, but knew he forgot to do it. Try as it might, the feeling wouldn't get to Rann, he would not allow anything to get in the way of his perfect lazy day. No worries, no problems, no nothing.

As he continued to walk the streets of Iziz, he made sure to observe every single location that he remembered from his youth on the planet. It felt different now, knowing who his Father was, but still similar of course. He grew up here, he lived, played, and thieved here. Despite his want to leave when he was younger, this was home. Here, in the filth of the city. Where people could hide. People could steal, people could make themselves anew.

This was his home.

Who says you can't go home again?



​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

Onderon. The planet where it all started. The planet that had brought about a course that she could not avoid. And here she was again, back in the heart of Silver Jedi space, trying to disrupt Silver Jedi business once more.

She walked through the market, her golden eyes on her target - Unifar Temple. She took her time, however. These kind of missions were getting harder and harder to do. She questioned the teachings of the Sith more and more each day.

As Lavria slowly made her way through the markets, she sensed it - a conflicting Force. She felt a sliver of the Darkness she knew so well. She stopped at a stall and scanned her surroundings, trying to pinpoint where the feeling was coming from. She closed her eyes and pulled heavily on the Darkness, willing it to find to lead her to that little bit of a connection.

Got him.

Her eyes snapped open, the dim gold of them suddenly a bright yellow as they caught sight of the long-haired man strolling through the market a little ways behind her. A sinister smile spread on her face.

She waited for him in a side street, leaning against a wall. As he passed, she spoke.
"Tempting, isn't it?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him sideways.

 

[Rann Thress]

S T R A N G E R​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

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"Tempting, isn't it?" ​

​

Rann slowed his walk to a gradual stop and looked at the woman talking to him. He gave her a short look over and blinked, confusedly. An odd sense of familiarity came over him and he couldn't help but smile. This was why he was here. ​

​

Of course I can't just have a day. he thought, cursing the cosmic annoyance that was the Force.​

​

"You've no idea." He said, still smiling. He stepped off the road onto the sidestreet she was on, careful not to impede foot traffic as much as he could. He tried to maintain a sizable distance from her. Both out of respect, and for caution. He looked around the marketplace, observing his surroundings, people watching and also scanning for threats. He wasn't quite sure what to think of this woman. Or what, exactly, she meant by her question.​

​

Was it his Rage within him that she somehow felt? He shrugged and placed his back against the wall she was leaning on, maintaining the distance and putting his left hand on his belt and close to one of his Lightsabers.​

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"But we all have our battles don't we?" He asked, looking at the woman, his smile fading. Rann wasn't the best at sensing the content of ones character through the Force...not since Ryloth. But reading a person visually wasn't too difficult.​

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I wonder if she knows.​

It won't matter.​

​

"I'm getting the very strangest sense of Deja Vu," he said, looking at her, "I can't help but wonder what it is about me that caught your attention. Call me paranoid," he forced a smile and placed his robotic right hand on his belt, close to his other lightsaber, slightly hoping it was just the Lightsabers that caught this stranger's attention. ​

​

She knows.​

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Why does it matter.​

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He blinked, and looked down at the ground ahead of him, watching the feet of people moving by. Already he lamented the day that was. The perfect day that existed just a few seconds ago. ​

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And the darkness in his mind couldn't help but direct him towards the worst case scenario.​

She wants to kill you. Kill her first, quick and clean, make your escape.​

No. Stop.​

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A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he raised his eyes back at the woman,​

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"What sort of temptations do you suffer?"​

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​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

Lavria watched him. She saw when his hand inched toward his sabers. Everything about him screamed that he was definitely not Jedi. Who knew what he was capable of.
"No need for that just yet, Blue-eyes." she calmly, motioning to his sabers. What was it with other people and reaching for a lightsaber the moment they saw a Sith? Are we really that bad? she thought.

He let it drop that they all had their battles. Her golden eyes narrowed. Does he know? She had been hiding it so well, he couldn't possibly know. Not even Master Zul was entirely sure. But then he continued to speak, asking her what had belied him.
"Come now. Don't say you can't feel it beckoning you? That feeling that tries so hard to take over. We call it Darkness, sweetie." she said with a sinister smile, still aware of his hands close to his sabers. She pulled the Dark Side a little closer around her, just in case.

Then he caught her off guard, asking her about her own temptations. Her upper lip curled in a sneer. She couldn't say it out loud. To give it a voice would mean treason. She still feared what it would bring about if she allowed that tempting mushy crap to gain the upper hand. She moved away from the wall she was leaning against, unfolding her arms. Her hands moved closer to her own sabers.
"I'd rather die than say it out loud." she said, eyes flashing yellow. "You're no Jedi. Who are you?" she demanded.

His question had flipped a switch. The Light was shoved back into a very small and dark corner of her being and was dwarfed by the sheer power of the Dark. She was ready use it in all it's glory should Pretty Boy try something stupid.

 

[Rann Thress]

S T R A N G E R​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

"Sure, Yellow-eyes." He replied, smirking slightly and looking at the woman. "Rather have something and not need it. I'm sure you understand." He tapped the pommel of his saber with a robotic finger, meeting her eyes and staring at her. He didn't want to fight her, that was for sure. But it paid to be prepared.

"For what it's worth, I do prefer conversation." He maintained eye contact with her, refusing to stand down or submit. While he didn't want to fight or antagonize her, he did want to show he wasn't a push over. If he made her uncomfortable? So be it.

"I, of all people, don't need a lesson in the Darkness, friend. My Father is a Sith Lord. My siblings are Sith Lords. My Master is a very old Sith Lord. And that's just recently." He gestured to the street performers in the distance.

"I was found here, by a darksider. I was originally trained by a darksider, and I've loved a darksider. And that was before I became even more familiar with it. I've seen what it does. What it can do. I fear what it will do to me."

He looked down at the ground between them and blinked. He raised his left arm to pinch his nose between his eyes.

"That little voice in your head telling you to do something evil? What you feel? What you know as the Darkside? That's not my story. Sure, I can fall to the Dark, but I won't get a power boost if I succumb. I don't have a voice in my head that just tells me what to do. If I fall, it won't just be a voice. It will be me, and I will die." He put extra dramatics on the end of the sentence, just for melodrama and showmanship if nothing else.

Still, it wasn't entirely untrue. What Rann experienced as the Darkside was a whole presence inside of him. The other side of the coin that was Rann Thress. If it ever got control? The positions would flip. Rann'd be the voice in the mind. And his Rage would be the man.

He clicked his tongue and looked around again before settling his eyes once more upon the woman. "And you asked who I was? Well," he chuckled, "No Jedi. That's for sure. I tried, once. Too many restrictions. Hmm. Well, ask people here and, if they remember, they'll call me a fake and a trickster called Rann. Ask around in the Confederacy of Independent Systems and, if they know me, they'd call me Rann Thress, Son of Darth Metus, Knight Obsidian and Lord of Rannon."

He was quite proud of his rambling list of titles he'd accumulated. It wasn't often that he'd gotten to use his own self-styled titles, and he did still like to ham it up for the performance.

Part of him did wonder why he was telling this complete stranger all of this information, and he couldn't help but smile at the thought. Part confidence, pride, and curiosity. This girl intrigued him. To so brazenly call him out and strike up a conversation? Even more so, to discuss the darkside? In public? Jedi Space, no less.

He met her eyes again and held them within his gaze, smiling, "You're a bold one though. You know that, I'm sure. Bold enough that I feel whatever temptation you do face, you're not too scared to admit that you face it. Or shouldn't be. You're also no Jedi. You're no Knight Obsidian, I know every one still living, since most of us are now either dead, or monstrosities. You're not Bryn, that's for damn sure. You're not Alliance, and you're probably not New Imperial. I've seen their propaganda, they're not the biggest fan of us Force Users. You're not from the Darkwire either. That leaves Agent of Chaos, or a Sith, from the Empire."

He rubbed his chin, never breaking eye contact with her, "I'd wager against Terrorist. I feel pretty strongly that you're all for Order, as long as it's your order. That means you're a Sith. Makes sense. They attacked here recently, right?" He asked, gesturing to the City around them.

"So here you are. A young Zabrak Sith, probably alone, in the middle of Jedi controlled Space, in an area with high security because your people just attacked it. If you get caught here, you're probably dead. Yet here you are. On mission, surely. And loyal to your Masters, I bet." He stood up off the wall and took a step closer to the girl, dropping his hands away from his belt.

"So something you're facing... something so bad you'd rather die then admit it? Now I'm even more curious."
​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

Listening to his tirade took the wind right out of Lavria's sails, her hands dropping to her sides. She did not, however, lose her snarkiness.
"Look, Title Boy, you are shooting your arrows wide into the dark here. You know nothing." she sneered. That irritating little piece of Light was back. It happened more and more these days. That nagging little voice urging her to get out from under the yoke of the Sith Empire - to be free.

Rann commented that he was curious as to what has her so afraid. She looked away from him.
"You'll also be afraid if you were property of the Darkest Empire in the Galaxy." she told the opposite wall. This burden of hers was becoming harder and harder to bear, to keep quiet.

She looked back at him. Would it really be that bad to tell a complete, non-Jedi stranger, the truth? One who knows what it's like to have demons that follow in your shadow. And then what? Have another person telling her to leave the Empire? And go where? But just maybe he could help figure it out. She clenched her jaw for a second and then made up her mind.
"If you want to bet that I'm loyal to my Masters, you'll have to pay up, Gambler. I haven't been loyal to them for quite some time. But if I were to outright defy them, I'd be killed for treason. I was sent here to take out leadership. If I refused, my Master would have known something was off and would have acted on it. So I'm here. But do I look like someone hellbent on executing someone? If I was, you would be dead already and I would be on my to the head honchos." she explained with a sneer. "I'm afraid, because I don't know where I'll run to where they won't find me. Afraid of being alone when they do." It felt almost good to get it out, but at the same time, she felt horribly exposed. What was she doing telling this guy everything. Why did she even feel she could?

 

[Rann Thress]

S T R A N G E R​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

"Title Boy?" Rann laughed quietly and shook his head.

"Well, with Blue-Eyes and Title Boy you're helping me add to that list. I'll be sure to introduce me as those two things as well from now on, thank you." He chuckled a couple more times and continued, a smile still on his face.

"You're not property of anyone unless you choose to be. You're not some common slave. You're a Force User. Also, Darkest Empire? You must not have been seeing the news. That title goes to the Confederacy, depending on who you ask."

He shrugged and turned, placing his back on the wall again.

"From what you just said, you're already committing Treason. And you know it. You also decided to speak with me instead of attack or ignore me. Which is curious."

He clicked his tongue and looked at her.

"I'll admit, I don't know much about the Sith Empire beyond what probably most people know. Yeah you guys are pretty evil. Yeah you use Slaves and yeah you're essentially a cult in charge of a star-nation. But judging what I do know about the Sith and Darksiders in general? They already know. And this is probably your last chance, or it's too late already."

He looked to the city around them, "So I figure you have a choice to make. Accomplish your mission, return to your masters and hope to live another day, or run. To be honest, if I'm not your target I don't care if you decide to accomplish your mission. If I am," he chuckled, "well then we have a problem. Either way, I think you're pretty screwed."

He shrugged his shoulders. "If they're as all knowing and all powerful as you imply, anyway. Frankly, these days? Sure seems like the tides are turning. Maybe ten years ago, hell even five years ago, yes they'd hunt you down and kill you no matter where you decided to run and hide. Now? Hell it might not be the Sith Empire for much longer."

He laughed, but then looked at the girl with a bit of pity. "Now I think of it....to your mind every option is pretty much death, right? Desert the Sith, run, hide, and die. Accomplish your mission, go back and die. Or accomplish your mission, go back, and eventually be executed by the NIO. Right? It might not mean much to you, but for what it's worth I'm sorry. But I don't think it's as bad as all that. You can run and you can live. If I may be so bold, I think that's your best option. There's no fate but what you make."

He held out his right hand to the girl, "By the way, I never did get your name. And I feel like that's very rude of me."​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

Lavria listened to him speak. She gave a sinister chuckle.
"Well, you know what they say - curiosity killed the Loth-cat. Don't rule out an attack just yet, Pretty Boy. You might regret it." she said with a smirk.

He went on to say that her Master already knew and that this was probably her last chance. She cocked her head, her golden eyes almost thoughtful.
"He has had his suspicions for quite some time. Yet he keeps sending me on missions. Every time, I manage to bring back results that are just satisfying enough so that he can't do anything to me, yet I'm still able to defy him and his superiors. I'm a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them." she finally said.

She listened to him speak some more. She had to admit that he had a point. The Sith Empire was losing it's hold on the Galaxy. She remained quiet however, as he continued to speak, moving back to the wall as he did so. And of course he would say she should run.
"And where will I run to, Mr Know-it-all?" she sneered, glaring at him. "I have been with the Sith since I was four years old. I don't run. I fight it out. I need to find an edge first."

He asked her her name. Lavria eyed his hand that he held out to her. Should she tell him? Normally, she was quite brazen with giving her name. But she had no idea who this guy was working for. For all she knew, he was an informant. But there was something that told her that, even if he was an informant, it would not be detrimental to her. She finally shook his hand.
"It's Lavria. I'd say it was a pleasure meeting you, Rann, but I don't do pleasures." she quipped with a smirk.

 

[Rann Thress]

S T R A N G E R​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

When asked where this girl, whose name she gave as Lavria, should run to, Rann could only shrug.

"I don't know, I've never had to flee the Sith Empire before. I'd think it's not something you fight alone, though."

He shook her hand firmly and pulled away, "Then the pleasure is all mine." He smiled,

"And, well, if you decided to attack me now I think the fights already decided." He shrugged again, raising his hands further away from his lightsabers.

"Unless you decided to be sporting about it and give me a chance I don't think I can reach my sabers in time."
True, he could always use the Force to push her away, but the idea was there. Rann wasn't really a threat right now, or tried not to be. This girl, Lavria, intrigued him. She was very endearing to him in a certain way that he appreciated. And he couldn't help but love every quip she threw his way.

Pretty boy, blue-eyes, title boy. They all made him smile. Despite this woman definitely being dangerous Rann wasn't afraid of her, or concerned in the slightest. A mistake? Perhaps, but only time would tell.

"I didn't come to Onderon to die, though. And it'd make me pretty happy if you didn't come to Onderon to kill me. Or, just end up killing me anyway."

He crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged his shoulders again, "Look. Stay, go, the decision is yours. Maybe there's more to you than meets the eye, maybe you belong with them. I just...I don't think you do."
​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

He was nice. Lavria did not meet a lot of people that was truly nice to her off the bat. Any amicable conversations she may have had with non-Sith people usually entailed some kind of fight first. He was just nice off the bat. It caught her a bit off guard.

He conceded to her. He was either very stupid or he....trusted her.
"You....you shouldn't be so trusting of strangers. It might bite you later on." she said softly, all snark gone from her voice. He was truly different. He had chipped away at her armour - all without any violence. This stranger, here where all started months ago.

He had just told her that he didn't think she belonged with the Sith, when everything went south. An explosion in front of Unifar shook through the streets. Her head snapped up, her dulled golden eyes wide.
"No. They wouldn't." she whispered before looking back at Rann. "That explosion was just a distraction. They'll be going after the head honcho. I don't even know who it is. But they know I've failed. I have nothing to do with this, I swear." she told him desperately. She started moving to the main street, pulling her sabers from her belt as she did so.

Before she disappeared into the running crowd, she looked back at Rann.
"Choice is yours, Rann. You can run, or you can help me buy these people some time." she told him before wading into the crowd.

 

[Rann Thress]

L A V R I A​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

He smiled.

"Yeah. Maybe. But not today." This was going very well. This might still be a perfect day after--

BOOOOOOOOM

An explosion at the Unifar Temple. It rocked the city, and the shockwave stumbled Rann. Immediately, he looked at Lavria. Not accusatory, more...confused.

"I..." He started. It was all very sudden, but he nodded. He had to help, he had to see this through to the end. He didn't know if he quite trusted Lavria, but he decided it'd be better to try, or to keep her close at any case.

"Of course, I'll help." He smiled at her and removed one of his lightsabers, Amber, from his belt. He figured he'd only need the one for now. He followed Lavria into the panicked crowd.

Another world where I'm running against the crowd to an explosion. I sure do love my job.

He sighed and continued pushing.

"Move!" he yelled, trying to force his way through the crowd.

This was a job for Silver Jedi Law Enforcement, not him. But, if they came here and saw Lavria? She'd be dead or captured by the end of the day.

Rann didn't think she deserved that. She also didn't deserve to be preached at by Jedi. Boring, if nothing else.

It wasn't a perfect day, but it was an exciting one.




​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

She probably should have taken off, but she knew very well what the Troopers would do just to make a point. This will cause troubles for her, but she couldn't just stand by and let innocent people get killed because she failed to do her Sith duty. Damn this mushy crap.

She heard Rann shouting at people to move. Relief ran through her to know that she at least had someone at her back - stranger or not. It scared her a little to know she'd be standing against her own people. But she was basically done being a brainwashed pawn in their games, to work with them to take out innocents just because they happened to stay on a Silver Jedi planet.

Finally she breached the crowd and entered into the demolished square. It was strange. Aside from the few bodies that were caught in the blast lying around, it was desolate. No movement, no troops. Her brow furrowed. Where were they? Who caused this if not them?

She then caught sight of the two figures disappearing into the Temple. Two? They sent two to follow up on me? This might be easier than she had thought. Taking out these two might still help her retain some cover within the Sith Empire. She waited for Rann to catch up.
"Two assassins just entered Unifar. The Jedi are too slow. The target would be dead by the time they arrive. You up for a little race?" she asked him, a smirk spreading on her face at the end.

 

[Rann Thress]

G H O S T S​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

Rann finally broke through the crowd alongside Lavria.
He looked around and gulped, he became clammy and sweaty.

The site of the explosion, the bodies, the screaming. It reminded him...of...

He grabbed at his right arm, where flesh met steel. A somber reminder of Ryloth.

But not your only one.

He looked down and exhaled, trying to get himself under control. He turned to look at Lavria. She was looking at the entrance to the temple, and Rann followed her eyes. Two figures entered. He locked eyes with Lavria.
"Two assassins just entered Unifar. The Jedi are too slow. The target would be dead by the time they arrive. You up for a little race?"

He exhaled again and nodded.

"Sure. Bet I can get em before you can." He smiled a bit. He tried to hide his nervousness. The scene was too much. Too similar. But he had a chance to do this one right. He had to.
He began sprinting towards the temple. They both would die by his hand.
He'd succeed this time.
He had to. The terrorists would die.
​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

He seemed shaken, but Lavria did not press the issue. It was clear this man had some historical demons to fight. Instead, she allowed him a headstart before taking off towards the temple as well.

It was strange. Where were all the guards? What the heck was going on? No guards meant no bigshot. Then why send two assassins? Were they even assassins? Lavria's head was swimming with questions as they moved up the steps towards the door. When they reached it, she ignited her sabers. Whoever they were, they weren't here to have tea.

The foyer seemed empty. but she could feel them closeby. They were Sith, all right. And one of them felt exceptionally familiar. Her eyes flashed. Time to fight fire with fire. She looked at Rann.
"I really hope you are ready to use more than your blades. We're in for some battle." she whispered to him.

Just then, a voice that she had grown insubordinate to, rang out through the hall.
"Lavria, what have you done, Child?!" Master Zul said.

Kark.

 

[Rann Thress]

T E M P L E​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

"I really hope you are ready to use more than your blades. We're in for some battle."

"More than my blades?" he asked, looking down at their opponents.

"I'm not too worried..." He said, somewhere between nervous and confident. He was confident in his abilities, sure, but the memories the scene outside dredged up?

Concerning.

"Well. In for a penny, right?" He turned to her and smile, igniting his lightsabers.

Psheeeeeew
Pshoooow

He turned towards the two Sith facing them.

"Onderon is closed today, thank you." He pointed one of his lightsabers in their direction,

A fight would be good right now, something to take his mind off of the carnage, and his past.

"Are these friends of yours?" He asked Lavria. One of them obviously knew her, and she obviously knew him.

"Cause I'm about to kill them."
​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

Lavria barely heard Rann's quip at the infiltrators. Her eyes were on her Master. She had gone cold. This was it then. She would be squaring off to the man that had raised and trained her.
"I have done nothing, Master." she stalled, but she knew he won't fall for it. She vaguely hear Rann ask her if they were friends of hers.
"Something like that." she said softly.

Master Zul lifted his chin. "Come now, Child. Did you really think I wouldn't keep an eye on you after Coruscant? I have seen enough today. This ends in two ways - either you surrender and come back to Dromund Kaas for judgment, or I condemn you here." he said calmly.
This choice pushed her into action. So be it.

She dropped into her battle stance, lightsabers at the ready and drawing on the Dark Side like she had never done before. Her eyes burned bright yellow while her face darkened, giving her a gaunt look.
"I was taught to never surrender. I stand by that." she said, her voice echoing hauntingly, enhanced by the Darkness.
He sighed. "So be it." He ignited his double blade. "The traitor is mine." he told the woman next to him - a Sith Knight if Lavria remembered correctly.
"Make her suffer." she said before launching herself at Rann with vehemence. Lavria just hoped he was ready for it - and that he could hold onto his humanity while doing so.

She didn't have time to ponder it, however. Zul sent a string of lightning at her before moving on her. She intercepted the bolts with a saber while flicking two fingers at him, sending a powerful Push at him. When the lightning stopped she moved and locked sabers with the man she had trusted with her life. The hurt wracked through her, feeding the rapidly growing bubble of Darkness. She accepted the raw power, even though the tears burned in her eyes.

 

[Rann Thress]

E N G A G E​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

Rann sighed and readied his blades. It seemed like this wouldn't be resolved peacefully, not that he was surprised.

It'd have been much more surprising if this didn't come to blows.

"Good luck," he whispered to his companion. It'd been awhile since he'd actually engaged in one on one combat outside of training or sparring.

He didn't have to wait for the attack long, the female Sith launched herself at him with a ferocity Rann came to associate with the Sith. Immediately Rann stepped back, and began a slow withdraw allowing the Sith to press her attack. Slash after slash was met with Rann deflecting, trying to control the course of battle. He wished he could get a look at Lavria, see how she was doing, but this woman here was taking all of his attention. Her ferocity was matched by her skill, making her a dangerous adversary for sure. He continued to give ground, waiting for his moment to come.

Sparks continued to fly as the Sith continued her onslaught, and Rann was uncharacteristically quiet and focused. No one had challenged him quite like this in awhile. He just had to wait for his moment, and when she threw a wide horizontal strike, he saw it. He hopped over her, front flipping through the air and landing behind her before switching comfortably into Ataru. Now, it was Rann's turn. And he began his own attack. She, like him, seemed to be a bit unfamiliar with defense, or at least much more comfortable on the attack, and Rann used that to his advantage. He knew how to press the attack and keep momentum.

As always, the gnawing at the back of his mind ceaselessly reminded him how easy it'd be to just kill her. But with every passing second he refused and refused to give in, believing his own power to be sufficient in at least disarming her.

He just hoped Lavria could deal with her adversary much more adeptly than he with his own.​

 

[Lavria Xedrim]

TAG: Rann Thress

Years of training and sparring with this man flashed through Lavria's mind as she deflected and countered Zul's masterful attacks. It was not going to be easy to gain the upper hand here. They knew one another's moves too well.

With emotions flooding through her, she could feel a new depth within the Darkness that she was drawing on so heavily. A new door. A dangerous one. She realised that she was not going to put an end to all of this with lightsabers and parlour tricks alone. She'd have to pull a rabbit from a hat, or Master Zul would not let her leave alive. So she opened the door.

The sudden onslaught of power was incredible. She pressed the attack harder than ever before, catching Zul offguard and putting him on the back foot. They both moved in a blur of red, Zul knowing full well that she had tapped into a new kind of power.

He did manage to get a slice in one of her biceps, but not enough to cut through. This fueled her even more and she pressed harder, regardless of the burning pain. Eventually she got what she wanted - an opening. As she crossed her blades, she released a Force blast to pushed him on his backside. As he launched himself to his feet again, she pulled hard on the Darkness. Before she realised what she was doing, strands of Darkness wrapped around Zul in a Net, bringing him to his knees. The shock on his face mirrored her own, but she did not falter. She lunged forward and planted a saber in his chest.
"I'm sorry, Master." she whispered before she withdrew her saber and watched the light fade from his eyes, tears falling down her face.

The sound of lightsabers clashing penetrated her thoughts. She looked up, seeing Rann and the Sith Knight still at it. With the Darkness within her almost physically manifesting, she could feel the struggle within him. He helped her with this. She owed him some in return.

With the Sith's attention was on Rann, Lavria had more than enough time to properly grab hold of the woman's throat with the Force and lifted her off the ground, Choking the life out of her slowly. When the woman's neck finally snapped, Lavria let go. Her arms then dropped to her side. She was at a complete loss of what she was to do now, her heart broken at the fact that she had to kill the man that had raised her.

 

[Rann Thress]

E S C A P E​

Tags: Lavria Xedrim​

The fighting between Rann and the Sith had the ebb and flow of two relatively equal combatants. Rann continued his attack, keeping her on the defensive, trying to overwhelm her and strike a killing blow, yet her defense kept him at bay effectively, yet not without visible difficulty. It was becoming clear that Rann was gaining the upper hand. Had the fight gone on for a few more minutes, Rann would likely have come out as the victor.

Yet, they would never know.

After a parried attack, the Sith raised off the ground, clutching at her neck. Panic and fear shown in her eyes more so than during their fight yet clear as day. Rann dropped his sabers and stared at her, eyes wide. She looked at him with pleading in her eyes, silently begging him to save her, until a sickening crack cause her eyes to darken and her movements to cease before she was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground. Rann looked at the cause, behind her, and saw Lavria. He blinked, surprised and looked around. He spied the corpse of the male sith on the floor, then he looked back at Lavria.

It was clear she was shaken by the action, yet Rann was at a loss for words, or action.

The quiet of the room was only punctured by the sound of Ranns lightsabers continuous humming. Rann was thankful for something filling the sound void, but still he shut them off. He returned them to their place on his belt and slowly approached Lavria.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping over the dead sith before him. She looked like she could use a hug, but Rann kept at a distance. He... didn't know quite what to do. He turned towards the body of the male, Lavria's master, and reached out with the Force summoning the fallen warrior's lightsaber to Rann's hand. He observed the craftsmanship of it before holding his hand out to Lavria.

"It might not mean much. But you should take this. Not as a trophy. As a memory." he said, thumbing his green lightsaber on his hilt, a memory for him.

"And uh... we should go. I don't know what you want to do, or where you want to go, but I'm going back to Confederate Space. I wish you'd come with me."
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