Gala - Jedi Praxeum Ruins

[Vladimir Faust]

Due to the Jedi Leader's loss at the hands of the fiendish Vladimir Faust in the middle of the on going seige of Gala, it came as no surprise as the first visitor to the underway construction site was not the Jedi Grandmaster, but a horde of howling troops dispatched by Faust.

 

The battle inside is short, merciless, and bloody as huddling workers, Alliance soldiers, civilians, and construction droids meet by the business end of storm trooper blaster rifles. When the slaughter is complete and no living soul remains in the confines, a demolitions team moves in and destroys the meager beginnings of the Temple before withdrawing.

 

Though not much in terms of real damage commenced to the Temple, Vladimir Faust ensured its foundations would be forevermore stained with innocent blood, imparting his legacy onto the Jedi lair.

[Vladimir Faust]

An automated, weaponless Imperial shuttle lands at Gala, declaring its peaceful purposes.

 

Its sole occupant, still drugged, was Jedi Master Darex Trevelian and a holomessage tucked into his person. If activated, it would play Faust's smiling face and the following message.

 

I recently came across Master Trevelian here on an Imperial world and whatever he would like to believe, did intervene on his behalf. He is safe, alive, and well, though feel free to examine him if you have any doubts. His two companions have chosen to remain in my care, and will be safe. Alas, I cannot promise that your heirarchy will approve of their lessons or what they may learn and become afterwards. Note Master Trevelian's life is discharged on behalf of a debt I owe your order: A life saved for a life saved. We are even.

[Vladimir Faust]

Luciferian slowly faces her, feeling the inner conflict. As he suspected, the child's self-hatred was fueling her, making her strong. Such hatred as able to fuel no less than the likes of Darth Vader. Win or lose here, this was a victory. Now all he had to do was draw it out and-

 

At that, an iron grip fixes itself around Luciferian's throat, clenching him. Not the expected line of attack at all, but a good sign. She was willing to use the Force directly for offense. For a moment a smile flashes on his face.

 

"Good... work.... Not... good... enough..." he hisses. The smile breaks into an angry growl and with that, all hell breaks loose.

 

Once more it seems the shadow passed over the sun- this time though, there was a shrill whirling as something shot past through the air at speeds breaking the soundbarrier. Behind Luciferian, the Jedi Temple errupts into a brilliant ball of flames from the impact of a diamond boron missile. Walls, floors, and ceilings collapsed and cracked as fire seethed through the structure seeking out life to end, flesh to burn and rend, and blood to boil and spill. Somehow, he sensed none of the masters within were snuffed by the attack, but it would be a nasty wake up call.

 

If the sudden conflagration errupting behind Luciferian and sending his Jedi robes billowing and before Kari were not enough to break her concentration, Luciferian pushed back in a mighty roar of Darkness, sending out clear signals to any surviving Jedi his presense and Force signature, breaking the grip at his throat and sending Kari reeling, literally head over heels.

 

Luciferian acts, his lightsaber flaring to life in his right hand and the microblades in his left hand rending his disguise. The Jedi robes fall apart, as does the mask of Lusef's face, split in two.

 

With ease, Vladimir Faust removes the contact lenses and puts them into a compartment in his trenchcoat, hidden under the robes previously, leveling the tip of his lightsaber at his apprentice's throat. His features are of disdain and dissaproval, his eyes cold as glaciers.

 

"A good opening gambit, not lethal enough, child," he states flatly. "If you want to kill me, you'll need to do better than that." His mouth opens into a wolfish grin, flashing his all too white teeth, shining like his armor. With that, he lunges, intent of driving the blade through her throat.

[Vladimir Faust]

The flow of electricity takes Faust by surprise, only getting a second of a prescient warning before the blow landed- not enough to block it, but enough to mitigate it's damage- somewhat. The shock flows through his coat, then through his metallic armor- hurting like hell and causing his left arm to temporarily short up. A few memories flash back of his infamous shield collapse when he sent Coruscant's planetary shields through the midlevel towers- though it destroyed the planet and killed billions and billions of sentients, the backlash of energy fried him.

 

How... How DARE YOU!

 

Roaring, Faust's leg kicks back with his enhanced strength, solidly connecting with the droid's mushroom capped head with a sickening crunch and sending it spinning off like a frisby. The second he connects with the droid, he leaps forward, meeting Kari's boulder head on, activating a second lightsaber in his still shaking left arm. There is a shriek of sonics and a flash of light, as several energies- sonic, Force related, as well as the heat and light of the lightsaber as Faust slices the boulder in quarters with a cross strike, driving the shards of the rock forward into his apprentice with a might Force push.

 

"You will submit before the power of the dark side, child!" he roars, his eyes blazing with cold fire. He swings his lightsabers at his apprentice, no longer using the blades, but instead a full burst of twin sonics- knowing full well how that trick worked on her sister- not to only subdue, but subdue in a manner as painful as possible for the Togruta. "Submit or perish!"

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust's attention picks up the arrival of the two Jedi coming in. While he intently keeps up the attack on his wayward apprentice, he takes a few cautious steps backward to give himself some room.

 

"Well, well, well," he calls out mockingly, "crashing the party early? I hope you enjoy the bonfire I made!"

 

At Arlan's demand he let her go, Faust laughs, "Sorry, whelp, she's my apprentice. You can have your turn later! I can-"

 

Faust breaks off his taunt sharply, sensing the attack by the Jedi Master, whirling out of the way and nearly turning into a crouch to avoid both the darts and the freezing goo, sending his trenchcoat spinning behind him like a cape. His eyes widen briefly, watching a single hole through the resistant fabric of his coat and a stained mark in one now brittle corner where the goo made contact.

 

"You'll pay for that, Jedi," he hisses, shooting Scorp daggers with his eyes. "I'm going to stain my coat red with your blood!"

 

At that, Kari lept into the fray- not unexpected, just unwelcome. Faust takes a curiously defensive stance, keeping all three Jedi before him, having prepared his next line of attack. Faust parries her attack with ease in one hand, using the lightsaber in the other to drive her back.

 

"You're a fool, child," he grates, "if you learned nothing from me, from your life story, there are no innocents! Victims always prey on those weaker then themselves, and this universe cares nothing for our hopes and dreams, much less the Force itself. We chose to make do or make die by our will!"

 

Still taking the defensive, rather of character for him, Faust launches his attack, meeting his apprentice's eyes with his own- cold blue shining with a deadly fire. The attack comes, not at Kari's body, but her mind. Having made inroads into her head before to toy with her memories and emotions with subtle marks, Faust this time channels a roar of darkside energies, throwing tremendous force behind it. No longer creeping in through the door to her mind, he kicks it open in a brutal fashion.

 

Though his mental attack is anything but subtle to outside observers, the results are, and fiendish at that. Faust vanishes from his padawan's senses, implanting an illusion into her head as everything around her seems to dim. Scorp and Arlan vanish from her sight and senses- their images transforming into two ghosts from Kari's past: Her dead sister and her dead mother. Their images transposed over the two Jedi rushing to her aid, they take on a threatening aura, the mental suggestion implanted that they will once more do her harm- deadly harm.

 

Faust's words echo in her head at this: Defend yourself against this child! I have brought these two ghosts back to slay you. It is fitting they have their vengence! Fight them if you wish to live!

 

... and kill those damned Jedi with your own hands, sealing yourself to the dark forever....

 

Faust readies himself for whatever attacks would come, hoping to enjoy a rather delicious show....

 

***

 

Around orbit, Faust's ship, the Bhelliom moves in a tense and erratic pattern. Having delivered one payload to the Temple as a wake up call, it carried a firm defensive pattern to stay out of sensor range and sight.

 

That said, the ship's AI, carrying Faust's mind and part of his will was not taking chances either. A yatch came in and landed along with a specialized wolf-spider droid- one of Draygo Darkfire's thrice damned droid puppets, the Bhelliom marking it for destruction. A single missile fires off, intent on nuking the emergency landing pads and with it, another generous portion of the Temple itself.

 

Really, there was no kill like overkill.

 

As for the X-Wing the ship picked up on its sensors in the atomsphere high above the temple, a cruel streak appeared in the ship's processes and its thrusters fire up. It might have been some poor SOB arriving out of the blue, or it could have been a serious threat for Faust. Either way, it was going to be dealt with.

 

On Xanatos' comm a loud, static filled shriek fills it, immediately followed by a recording of maniacal laughter.

 

Welcome to Hell!

 

There's a flash as the Bhelliom sweeps past it in one quick motion before turning about- its chain gun barks to life, spraying bullets at the ship's cockpit. While not enough to immediately crack it, the rounds are embedded in it in a most unsettling fashion, leaving a cruel looking smiley face etched into it with bullets.

 

Have a nice day!

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust watches with glee as his apprentice advances on the two Jedi, still keeping on guard to enjoy the show. It required little further effort from him, having driven the illusion into Kari's mind with the force of a railroad spike. To his disgust and dismay, the Darkfiress showed up, both of them. The Hunter warily eyes them both. In Aryian he sees determination to try and radiate an aura and spoil his fun to extercate said spike. In Armiena he swore he saw a look of recognition at the other two Jedi, then at him... determination, or perhaps even loathing and hatred? That almost brought joy to Faust's black little heart.

 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Darkfi-" he begins, pivoting towards her and keeping an eye on both enemies, breaking off with yet another sharp hiss as the Jedi witch fires a blaster cannon out of her guantlet. Faust vaguely remembered it- it contained the souls of her family. If he could leave with that prize, it could provide some fun opportunities.

 

Faust coldly watches the blast shoot at him, licking his lips with cruel intention and reading both lightsabers. Such single-minded purpose to kill him should be rewarded.

 

As the blast approaches his chest, Faust uses his lightsabers to not only block the energy blast, but cut it in two. The high energy blade splits into two lesser, but still deadly bolts, each going towards their intended targets- one towards the former Jedi Grandmaster's husband to shock him out of his work and break his concentration (and kill him if Faust was fortunate), and the other towards the fleeing Jedi who accoasted Faust earlier with his shouts of "Let her go!" and similar nonsense.

 

Faust was probably best off just letting his apprentice do the dirty work on the Jedi and Master Essan and disrupting Aryian as he concentrated on stopping her, but his flight triggered something in Faust. He wanted to see the boy die, and his friends suffer. He couldn't help it, the illusion he put into his apprentice's mind be damned.

 

The second half of Armiena's beam follows after Arlan and strikes true. Faust's steely cold eyes watch as the Jedi stops, then crumples motionless to the ground, his lifeforce rapidly fading away- struck and mortally wounded by his master's deflected attack.

 

Saving the feeling of his lifeforce as the just the barest nub of energy remained to yet anchor him to the mortal coil, Faust's grin is truly vicious. "Oops! Was he someone you loved?" he asks Armiena. "Really, when will you learn not to cross me?" Still tracking Aryian and Kari mentally (and regretfully letting Essan go...), Faust calls to his apprentice, using of all things, her sister Tori's voice. "Kari, child, help me dispose of these two and your training is complete. Then we can go forth and bring the galaxy the peace it deserves!"

 

*****

 

Far, far above the Jedi Temple, the Bhelliom finds itself surrounded by a most unfortunate amount of attention- still better it take the target than the fleshly meats of its other half. The ship's AI recorded the incoming and obscenity laiden comm from the X-wing, determined to play it back later when it had more leisure and wasn't under attack from five different sources at once.

 

With that, it sets out to deal with the incoming fire in a most direct fashion. Just as Faust below used Armiena's attack to mortally wound if not outright slay her former padawan, Faust's ship was determined to use the X-wing as cover. It pulls up very sharply the moment it senses the X-wing's proton torpedos, making a loop-the-loop that had enough Gs to make a normal human pass out and barely avoiding all 3 torpedos by the narrowest of margins. While it avoid the torpedos, the ship goes into a violent spin after being hit by one of the Saladin's railguns and off all things nearly crashes right into the X-Wing before steadying itself in an uneven fashion. Given the fire, there was only one thing to do- it sent out a short comm to the X-Wing.

 

Just hold steady and hold course and don't do anything stupid if you want to live!

 

With that, the ship's jamming arrays go into full force- while it might not stop the Wolf Spider's visual sensors, it would dull and slow its other ones, as well as partially frustrate the most unfortunate ship.

 

Moving above the X-Wing, the Bhelliom hugs dangerously close to the ship- its own sensors cutting beyond the jamming field to keep a wary eye out for incoming ordiance. While its chain gun or lasers could make short work of the ship or at the least, its R5 droid, it does not. The ship was far better as a moving, living shield. The ride down is shakey as the explosive ordinances go off, creating massive amounts of turbulance and leaving scorch marks to be burnished out of the wings- but the Bhelliom made its intentions clear: If you're going to shoot, be prepared to kill the two of us- if not, stand down!

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust tries to keep his attention split between his apprentice and the two Darkfires. He would have tried to do something to cut in edgewise with Aryian's little speech, but Armiena forced his hand, and once more forced Faust onto the defensive.

 

"Really, they trusted you?" he scoffs, hastily retreating, almost scrambling backwards at an angle, he senses prickling up that something was horribly, horribly wrong. "What a mistake that was? Tell me, do you care so much for the boy?"

 

Parrying the oncoming projectiles and blows with his mechanicalleft hand, spinning it in a fashion not unlike the infamous droid general from the Clone Wars, Faust plays a second trump card, making him glad he kept the boy alive, gathering the energy for a rush of Force telekenesis.

 

"So, you're still around!" he calls, beating off Armiena's attacks, calling over to Tori, sensing her spirit. "Shall I bury you again?" part of him spares a glance to Kari, hoping she didn't see that exchange. It might ruin one of the last holds he had over her.

 

A mighty Force pull sends Arlan's broken body sliding across the found. Using a dramatic flourish, Faust sweeps a spin parry with his lightsaber, at the same time, catching Arlan in one swipe by the scruff of his collar and raises him aloft with a vicious shake- placing him as a human shield between himself and the former Jedi Grand Master... and for good measure the ghost of his apprentice's dead sister.

 

"Careful!" he hisses, "or you'll finish the job you started with the boy! Come on, I dar-" His tone hardens... feeling something probing at his mind with that sense of wrongness growing greater. While he's not sure what affect it is- sensing his thoughts, illusion, or trying something of a mental hold, he growls, immediately deciding on the nastiest counter-attack he could think of. "If you want in my head, witch, come on in and enjoy the show!"

 

With that, Faust lets his memories pour out for Armiena's consumption- damn near all of them, turning into a flood of the Hunter's most cherished thoughts. Rather than break her attack, he instead decides to break her outright.

 

Suffice to say that this litany of horros surpasses even my skills as a writer to catalogue as thousands, if not tens of thousands of atrocities get played back at a split second, burned into Armiena's mind. Faust was at his best with his many victims, the pain extending for just several hours in the more merciful cases... Others would make even a hardened soldier weep. Many more would induce nausia in sturdy souls. Others simply defy reason and comprehension, save for an unquenchable malice.

 

Faust, twisted by any standard, knew enough to guess few people could stay sane having even witnessed a portion of his acts.

 

*****

 

The Bhelliom's scramblers and jamming in full effect around the Temple now, Dashel is treated to a harsh static.

 

The ship's AI, using its own secured line, almost responding to the call from the X-Wing, when return fire came from the ground. The X-Wing bursts into a spiral and the Bhelliom comes under assault.

 

Not screwing around, it makes a pragmatic choice- it fires up its thrusters at full speed- intentionally clipping one of the X-Wing's wings with is reinforced hull and damaging it to where it almost broke clean off. Forget the X-Wing, playtime was over.

 

Bye, friend!

 

Though there was always time for one last mocking call at least.

 

Barrelling forward itself with an erratic, but patternless weaving, it draws a lock on the Saladin using its own tracing abilities and sends back a stream of triple fire- chain guns, laser cannons, and ion cannons- not only picking up the Saladin, but small droids of the same make and targetting relentlessly as well. As an additional measure, the AI/Faust in the ship decided to stop playing around- as it sped up, its sensors scanned the ground, getting a clear picture of events below, feeding them to the Hunter. Deciding to even the playing field, two small side panels on the ship opened up and a flickering cloud emergies, silvery and red, before suddenly breaking apart and scattering below....

[Vladimir Faust]

((Not quite doing a 3 day, but doing a temp incapacitate to OK so she can rejoin the battle when ready)).

 

Faust poured out his memories with delicious amusement, watching his nemesis collapse under their weight into a near catatonic mess. His mind cleared of her influence, he brandishes his lightaber, quickly searching Armiena's mind. Concluding that being lost in that dark abyss of chaos before slipping into Hell would be a fitting way to finish his foe, kneels, sitting the still limp and bloodied form of Arlan down, then raises his lightsaber up over Armiena's face. A swift stroke would bore through her head and end her pittiful existence, and her spirit would be weighted down by the full force of what she failed to stop. He concentrated fully on that moment to the point of excluding all else. For this moment, he would savor her death and the breaking of her spirit.

 

It would be sublime!

 

A split second before the killing stroke could land, several things happened at once. Fire hit and it burned. Faust encountered pain before on several occasions, but this one hit and hit hard. Unlike past instances with rended and tore at his flesh, this fire touched his blackened soul. The pain was great, even as it barely harmed his body. His lightsaber plunged and missed the former Grandmaster's head by a mere inch. Spinning around with an animal screech, he glared at Damon. For a moment he felt his connection with the Darkness and its power waiver. Unfortunately, that assault only made his hatred stronger, though it flowed in an uneven and stuttered bursts. Lightning almost errupted, when the second impact struck. It was his apprentice, Kari.

 

He heard Kari scream, rather aptly stating his goals in training her- rebuilding her as a monster and weapon in his own image. Turning aside to flash her a grin, his old pride and arrogance reasserting itself, Faust's eyes widened, getting a split second of premonition of the impending attack before it struck out in all directions.

 

The energy wave came and Faust, struggling to assert his dark side energies from Damon's meddling, put up a hasty barrier of Force energy, very unintentionally shielding the limp but still breathing bodies of Armiena and Arlan behind him as he did so. Even so, it blasted at him around the edges, a few bursts leaving nasty burns on the side of his face. His signature trenchcoat fluttered behind him, twisting like the manic wings of some demented angel.

 

He sensed Aryian doing the same, saving himself by raising a barrier and Faust gave an unconscious nod of approval at the Jedi's survival instincts. He knew Damon would have to do something to survive this onslaught as well and would not likely be much of a threat because of it. Even so, as he held the Force barrier up with his right hand, his left, snuck to the side, reaching for a disruptor pistol at his side. Without a second thought, he fired from the hip, aiming for the Jedi and his damned fire. Still, really, the biggest danger was Kari and her now unconscious storm of energy... also, his best opportunity. His wolfish grin widens and his eyes narrow again.

 

"Do it child!" he calls out, jeering, not only to her deaf ears, but to her unconscious mind. "Finish me if you can! Deny what your family worked for! Blast this place off the face of the world." His grin is wide, and sensing the moment, he projects one thought to Kari in a deadly gambit. He could sense his ship closing in and letting Dashel and the X-wing past safely, the Bhelliom dancing its duel with the wolf-spider droids to close distance- the cloud not nanites, but remotes it released suddenly opening fire in close proxomity to hammer and slag the droids with blaster fire from behind the droid's shielding. If he could get out of the way his apprentice would serve her purpose.

 

He reaches out in her rage and implants the instructions for a single technique into her mind, goading her into using it to finish him off. The move is a dark one, one Faust studied in his trips through the galaxy and in lost Sith holocrons, but never dared use himself in order to preserve his own precious skin as it killed the user and those around him or her, condeming their very souls. His apprentice would not realize the implications of this forbidden move, and lost in her own power, would destroy herself and the other Jedi. If the Bhellom closed distance and defeated those droids, Faust would escape as it went off and leave these fools to their fates.

 

"Do it! Kill me if you can child! Use the thought bomb on me and finish me!"

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust waited impassively, hanging on that split second to watch his apprentice's actions- now was the moment of payoff, what he trained her for, when she would cut like the swordstroke he intended from the moment he touched down on Haruun Kal. It was all going to plan, and while his investment was limited to a single action, and not the dedicated follower he hoped, it was still successful in his mind.

 

Still taking a few hasty potshots at Damon, he hurriedly backed away from his apprentice, knowing the technique that would errupt, sensing it on the cusp of time as probabilities and possibilities narrowed through the Force. He sensed the Bhelliom make its approach, visibly appearing on the horizon now.

 

He senses tingling, the Hunter pivots, sensing another Light damned Jedi running to the show. He grins, readying his lightsaber, though still keeping his pistol at ready for Damon's next batch of holy fire. Two slugs hit the reinforced plate of his armor, clanging off and leaving smoking dents. The third one hits home in a most unpleasant fashion, lodging itself firmly into Faust's shoulder through a joint in his armor. While it was his left arm, his mechanical arm, sparks fly out as receptors tell him he should be feeling pain if this were real. That fact just pisses him off and he meets Dashel head on.

 

To his chagrin, he saw Dashel do the unthinkable by grabbing Kari and pull her closer to Faust. Having wisely backed away from his padawan before she went off like a soul sucking black hole of dark energy, bring brought closer by Dashel's mad charge was not pleasant.

 

In that split second, possibilities unfolded before Faust- watching Dashel crouch down, holding his apprentice. He sensed a second danger on the horizon, but the immediate threat was Kari above all. His lightsaber, defensively held, shielded Dashel from an out and out attack by Faust's own blade.

 

Unfortunately, Dashel's crouch, while defensive, still yeilded the high ground. Faust's reaction was simple, and direct. He Force pushed at full force, both to send the impertinent Jedi flying and to propel himself back. There's an ear shattering boom as he projects the telekenetic push- and while Faust was a Sith master, that boom came from the oncoming torpedo.

 

At that point, several forces collided and dispearsed at once- Kari sent flying in one direction as her waves of darkness unrolled, Dashel in yet another, Faust flying back and up, and at that moment, the impact of the torpedo. The Hunter's gambit paid off in that second- though aimed to clear his deadly apprentice out of her radius, it was not enough to escape the torpedo, save for Faust's earlier plan of egress.

 

The Bhelliom chose that moment to swoop in and Faust latched on, the tail end of his trenchcoat licked by the flames of that last torpedo. He could feel chill radiate in the air and through him as the Thought Bomb went off- tugging at his soul. It felt wrong, but he dared not look back. Wounded, and now dripping blood from his shoulder with the smoke and sparks, he wanted out. Flipping along the wing of his ship, which broke into a spin to aid him into the cockpit, Faust speeds off, having his ship send a few peppering shots at the wolf-spider droids and the damned ship that tried to snuff him out with the torpedo.

 

Blazing out of Gala's space, unconsciouly clutching the damaged shoulder which still sparked and smoldered from the slug, Faust has a final comm sent out, even as he retreats.... flees... the site of that last explosion.

 

I leave you now and dodge your sorrow...

Ah... but fear not, I'll finish the lot of you tomorrow...

 

And with that, he mentally bids himself a farewell to Kari. She was a fool, but ultimately a useful tool in the end. Pity she was not better wielded, but.... well, there was always the next apprentice.

 

Grinning to fight back his frustration and pain, he pilots the ship up, winding and weaving to escape parting fire, and sends the Bhelliom rocketing into hyperspace.

 

As for what he left behind as the stars faded to brilliant white bars and hyperspace envolped him.... between Kari and the damage to the Jedi Temple.... a mortally wounded Arlan... a mentally wracked Jedi... and more... it was a start.

[Vladimir Faust]

With no comm call from Darex, Faust took a more investigative approach to finding the Jedi. Part of it was keeping his friends close and enemies closer, and part of it...

 

He could only smirk at that thought, knowing exactly what he had in mind.

 

Landing his ship at some distance from the Temple, he hops out, landing gracefully on the ground with the cockpit snapping shut behind him. A panel on the ship opens up and dozens of small remote helpers float out, orbitting around the Hunter. Without a word, they deploy for Recon per Faust's usual protocols.

 

The Hunter, while wearing his usual white armor, instead opted for a dark cloak and cowl, concealing his identity, but looking all the more like a classic Sith. Finding the Temple empty, he makes his way inside, his remote scouts reporting the Temple void of life or light.

 

With some effort, he stealthily locates the comm and security center, hoping to find some clue to lead him to the Jedi's hidden council. To his chagrin, everything was a total wipe-no comm systems or records. The destruction left behind was most thorough.

 

Musing for a bit at this dead end, he egresses the Temple, much more brazenly than before, knowing security was down. A pity since a comm or camera recording showing the departure of the Jedi would have been an excellent lead.

 

Returning alone to his ship, not without some eyes and ears left behind, Faust departs.