Space

[Zara Nargal]

Comm-- Miss Nargal, I am the Count Draken Shadowlord of Serenno. I would like to make a reservation of your finest suite. I may be reached at the following comm number. --End Comm

 

-- Comm to Draken Shadowlord --

 

We have arranged for your accommodation in the Casino's Golden Wing. We await your arrival, and hope you enjoy your stay with us Sir.

 

Zara Nargal.

 

-- end comm --

[Nom Anor's avenger]

"Yue..." For a moment, the Jedi Master seemed distantly present within the confines of hyperspace. His thoughts went back to his padawan from years ago. He had trained a boy under the name Yue. Due to the complex situation, Nom, a Jedi Knight at the time, never really got too close with the boy. Based on rumors and hersey, Yue had suffered from a distinct split of personality, leaving a prominant dark and light side. His Jedi counter part was known as Damon, a ranking official in the Alliance. Yue, a blood thirsty Sith. During Nom's bout with Faust, Scorpio must have incurred a run in with the young man. Does Yue have the ability to spread this malicious disease? Is Scorpio going to suffer the same fate? Lingering questions fluttered through Nom's mind as he turned to face his apprentice once more.

 

"It's obvious we're dealing with more than just simple anger and rage here. We have a problem that transends any possible punishment that I could pass. Right now we need to contain a possible evil that might escape from you." Nom turned to face the blue twilight of hyperspace, letting its cool shades sooth him. "To do that, we need to enlist some help. Take us to Gala Scorpio."

[MSA]

"Yes Master", said Scorpio as he turned back to the console typing in Gala's coordinance into the nav computer. "We have a problem that transends any possible punishment that I could pass." Scorpio pondered on the words of his Master and became worried. What had Yue did to Scorpio? , What evil had become of that fight with Yue? , What had Scorpio done?, all questions that came across Scorpio's mind.

 

"Right now we need to contain a possible evil that might escape from you." Scorpio pondered as well on these words. As Scorpio pondered them, he became inraged by the thought. "Yue will pay for my falling.", Scorpio said to himself.Within a few moments, the LAF 250 came out of hyperspace above Gala.

 

((Continued in the Gala thread))

[DarthBrendo]

(From Dubrillion)

 

Laayla exited hyperspace to change courses. However before she re-entered, Mindan took the opportunity to send an encrypted comm transmission to Kal regarding an announcement he wished to make.

 

Once this was done, Mindan re-entered hyperspace.

 

(Continued on Artus)

[Ary the Grey]

Deep in space, in a random location determined by a strange algorithm that caused the whole station to jump into hyperspace every two hours, lay the mysterious Shadow station. Even if someone was near it, the whole thing was painted a nonreflective black, camoflaging it against the backdrop of space, nearly making it invisible to the naked eye, and specialized sensor jammers made it impossible to see with a normal ship's instruments. However, if someone was looking for something very specific like Ion emissions, or just knew the station, it could be found.

 

Aryian's ship easily landed in the hidden hangar, revealing itself as it recognized his approach vector, and he programmed the thing to remain open so that Damon could find it. As soon as it was safe, Aryian exited the ship, making way to the large dome on the bottom of the station, the zero-g fighting arena. As soon as Aryian sensed Damon landing, he reached out to his implant, unlocking the informaion, allowing Damon access to the Station's sensors and controls.

[Damon]

Once out of hyper space the Damon nor the X-wing could find the space station. Yet upon closer inspection a opening was seen to be a hangar floating in space. Whatever this Shadow Station was it was much to the liking of Damon.

 

After landing it was as if a door in his own mind had opened. He could feel and see every control and sensor of this place. Aryian had out done himself and more. This would be the first and last denfense of the jedi. There was one peice of infomation that did make Damon wonder though. A zero-g domed arena in the bottom of the station.

 

Walking at a pace that let him study the innerards of the station Damon came to the arena where Aryian was wating for him. Standing before the door he did not know what strange effects that the loss of gravity would have on the force. While above average on intellengce and some what celever he could not really claim to know psyhics as well as he should. Still there was no room for doubt or hesitation.

 

The door open and he entered.

[Ary the Grey]

The lights in the arena were off, something Aryian intended to do. Damon entered, feeling a slight moment of nausea as he passed into the weightlessness as soon as he entered the door. The door slammed shut behind him, cutting off all source of light.

 

"Lights."

 

From the far side of the large dome, a voice came, causing the various lighting instruments to kick in, temporarily blinding both as their eyes adjusted, but Aryian had no intention of taking advantage of that.

 

For the moment, a program was in place, a short one he had written on the ride over, cutting off Damon from using the station's various sensors and security devices to his advantage, as well as breaking the link between their implants momentarily, just in case some thought or other thing might slip out from his mind mid-duel, off balancing it in Aryian's favor. He was a fair fighter, and this would be fought right.

 

He was standing on a rather large sphere of durasteel, like other objects that floated throughout the arena, various crates and shapes of differing sizes littered the arena, providing for a number of strategies.

 

Aryian held his hands down, palms facing Damon, his eyes closed, concentrating on the Force. Damon could easily feel his power, his sheer will. From inside his robes, his lightsaber hilts shot to his hands, which wrapped around them slowly, a longing feeling lingering in his mind. It had been some time since he used them, but it certainly wouldn't affect his use. His hands twirled the hilts once, zipping up to slam the hilts together in front of him, giving then a quick twist to lock them together. The entire hilt dropped with his right hand, the twin silver blades on the staff saber igniting simultaneously.

 

"Well...time to find out, eh Damon? Your trials start now."

 

((I believe it was a five post Modded? Correct me if I'm wrong in your next post, but I'm giving you the option of first post. If you want me to attack first, don't number your next post.))

[Damon]

((Yep. Five post modded.))

 

The implant that had yeilded so much info was gone in a single instant. While a void did appear it was for the better. The void would help make sure no accidents would happend due to a loss of thought.

 

A blinding light filled the empty void of darkness revealing a room with objecits all around. Some small enough for one man to barely stand off of, while others the size of platfroms. Aryian had gone all out.

 

The presence made by Aryian in the force was massive. He could feel the room itself to radiate just because he was in it. Damon did not know where he was in the force. He knew he was quite a mark in the force, but he did not yet know how he would compare to the judge in front of him. That followed by the silver staff saber sent shivers down the spine of the knight still on the ground.

 

The next words spoken sent the phase that forced Damon into place was spoken by Aryain.

 

"Well...time to find out, eh Damon? Your trials start now."

 

Damon spoke however before he even began to graze the force.

 

"A staff saber. Haven't seen one of those before. Then again a lot of people haven't seen these before either."

 

Taking his first step with in the waterfall image of the force Damon began to glow and shine. Two small hilts floated into his hands. The hilts were about about a fourth shorter than the average light saber. Two beams of silver raised. They however stopped half way to where a light saber would have been. They were after all short sabers.

[Traven]

Traven dropped out of hyper space into an unknown system and it was a giant Asteroid field. He said to him self

 

”œWell I can practice using force precognition, or just getting very good at piloting.”

[Traven]

((sorry for the double post i hit it once the site must have gliched))

Edited December 5, 2006 by Guest

[Ary the Grey]

((1))

 

Aryian felt Damon tap into the Force, knowing that unlike Aryian, he preferred to keep his true potential hidden until later. What many didn't know about Aryian is that though he radiated his full aura, it was not the limit of his potential, not by far. He also noted Damon had two short sabers, the kind that would make Aryian's style of form III defense complete, except that Aryian preferred the reach of full lightsabers, as well as the versatility and unpredictability his own sabers gave him. He intended on designing two tonfa-style sabers when he got back to the Myrkr base, but for now, he would use what he had on him.

 

Silently he wished for his armor, until nanoseconds later he remembered why he shed the thing, instantly cursing himself for daring to have it any other way. His fiance would wed a natural man, not one who was half machine or otherwise enhanced. This he would do for her, purify himself as best he could.

 

But now was the time to focus on the task at hand, on the duel. Aryian did not reply, one was not needed. He would not give his secrets (at least the ones Damon didn't know) away so easily. Damon would have to find out on his own, the hard way.

 

Aryian stepped off the large sphere, pushing off with a bit of Force energy to send him towards Damon at a reasonable yet easily controllable speed, something Aryian did as he neared the other. The good thing about being this skilled in the Force was the power to levitate yourself, something that usually took mastery to fully acquire the skill. Knights had done it before, but instances of this were rare. Damon would have to learn fast, unless he had already known the skill.

 

Very fast, Aryian's Force presence flickered with power at he briefly glanced at something behind and to the left of Damon, quickly returning his Gaze to Damon's head. In a zero-gee environment, one only had to give something else the proper accelleration in the right direction, they didn't have to maintain that to keep it going. And thus it was, the brief Force pulse, barely enough to trigger Damon's warning sense, had shot a small crate destined directly for Damon's Torso, flying at an angle that wouldn't hit Aryian if Damon simply dodged it.

 

And with that, Aryian dove in, summoning up a force barrier around his body. He used the leverage of the staff saber to his advantage, shoving the full brunt of the blade in a overhead cut down on Damon, who would have an easier time catching it on short swords, though it was obvious Aryian had the upper hand when it came to range, as his sabers were a good foot longer.

[Damon]

((1))

 

Damon saw Aryain begin to levitate above the floor as came at him. levitating while in theory was simple. Doing it on the other hand was hard. Damon had been able to do it barely as he scaled down the massive buildings on Coursant. It was here he would have to perfect it.

 

The force yield a small yelp of a warning, but only after the split second glance. With a quick look behind a small crate was seen coming his way. When facing forward again Aryain was not on the ground, over head coming down with his staff saber. A choice had to be made. Dodge Aryian or the crate. He could not do both, that is with out careful action. Zero gravity made such things as momentum seem infinite. It was that idea of momentum that Damon would use to throw Aryian off balance.

 

Damon threw his left hand saber into a spin at the crate splitting it in half. Using his right hand and a redistribution of his weight Aryian and Damon clashed. The momentum of such a overhead attack shifted the energy of the attack towards Damon sending him back from Aryian. Due to the position and weight of Damon he was sent back from such a powerful attack. The distance traveled while decent was not enough. A small gap existed between the two. The gap would be closed to fast from Damon to recover and block properly. Using his empty left hand Damon pushed with the force sending him at a fast yet border line unsafe speed.

 

Pulling up his knees Damon made contact on a small platform. Using what momentum remained from landing he sifted the platform to shoot him straight back to Aryain. It was time to put some Artaru to work. With a combination of the a stream of force trailing at his feet a kick off Damon rocketed at Aryain. His short saber at the ready. Flying straight for Aryian seemed like a suicide attempt. Before the point of conflict would occur Damon now drew more of the force into himself like a short gust and pulled his short saber to him. The left leg drew inwards preparing to move with a counter if Aryian though of something unexpected. as the short saber landed in the left hand and ignited to form an X that would help deliver a powerful blow if Aryian decided to meet it.

[Ary the Grey]

((2))

 

Long ago Aryian had used that same maneuver in his Knight trials against Leonardo Stovachi, rushing an opponent, and it had failed. He had only used it one other time, on Darth Mortis Diabolus at Borleais, but it was merely to shift his attention to another attack. It failed again, and Aryian suffered a near mortal injury. In the combat he'd seen since, he had never used it again.

 

It was a small matter to counterbalance his own inertia by small subtle pushes with the Force, keeping himself anchored in place fairly easily. He saw what Damon was going to do, and for any other Jedi, it would have had panache and style that might have thrown them off, but he was the Master of the Force shield, things he used with deadly efficiency and experienced ease.

 

Damon shot towards him, nearing him at dangerous speeds, and he waited for the exact right time to summon a thick Force Barrier in front of Damon, allowing the attacker to slam headlong into it, carefully just out of range of Damon's sabers, before thrusting at Damon's head with his own lightsaber.

[DarthBrendo]

(From Artus)

 

As the Laayla sped through the cold darkness of space, Mindan slept uneasily. Something was troubling his sleep period with disturbing images. He couldn't pin down what they were though, and this alone was cause for concern. The alarm went off and Mindan made himself ready for re-entry into realspace.

 

(Continued on Coruscant - Black Sun Citadel)

[Damon]

((2))

 

Damon realized his head long rush was denied when a solid bubble of the force made a shield protecting Aryian and absorbed all of the energy from the attack far enough from its controller to keep the short sabers out of range. With the momentum having to be used Damon's body squished together before he was left floating.

 

There was no time to stall though because a light saber was being sent at Damon's head. Using form IV in zero gravity was harder than perceived. However it was still able to be used, just a bit differently. Using what force he could generate at his feet he fixed himself to receive the attack. The light saber rode along the short sabers in there X guard and allowed Damon to move by positioning his feet behind his back and a small force push as he went under Aryian' thrust. Using a push from his feet hard as he could and his short sabers as a guide he sprang forward riding along the light saber into Aryain's admen sending both men flying as mess of flesh and light sabers to be floating in space.

 

The momentum carried both men in a jumbled mess into a nearby crate which was singled with a loud thud and a slow movement. Breaking free from Aryain and the crate Damon used a slow stream of force pushes and shift in weight to distance himself from his proctor before taking place on a floating sphere.

 

Both men were more than a quick leap away. While being a user of a rather acrobatic form of light saber combat he just could not use his short sabers effectively in this type of environment. However if Aryian likes range Damon was more than willing to meet this ranged combat requirement.

 

Using the force Damon deactivate his short sabers and grabbed his "other" light saber from his belt. This particular hilt was longer than usual by a full half. Its size was as big because of the dual energy crystal matrix that was installed as well as the blade that it would produce. The light saber ignited reveling it to more than just a light saber. It was a long a saber. The blade being a full half longer as well as an adjustment to become double the length of a light saber it presented an interesting style of fighting. This light saber had only been seen in combat once and as such was largely untested.

 

Damon brought the long saber to eye level with himself dropping down to one knee on the sphere as he prepared for either Aryain's next attack or trick.

Edited December 8, 2006 by Guest

[Ary the Grey]

((3))

 

Aryian was mildly surprised with Damon's move, however it had caused little to no damage to the Master, as Damon's kick merely impacted with the Force shield surrounding Aryian's body, barely an inch above his clothing. However, it did cause Aryian to shoot back, and for a moment, he lost concentration on Damon, instead focusing on grabbing himself with the invisible hands of the Force, and again anchoring himself in place. When he found Damon again, Aryian was once again surprised.

 

The long lightsaber was an ancient weapon Aryian had only heard about, but never before had he seen one before, ignited or otherwise. It's length was impressive, spanning an extra half the distance of a normal lightsaber, and legend had it that it could go possibly more than double the length of the lightsaber. The only thing within the bounds of lightsaber technology that was even more rare and interesting was the legendary lightwhip.

 

However, even with this weapon in Damon's arsenal, Aryian would not be easy to take down. Several new strategies formed in the Master's mind, avenues of approach that had a variety of possible outcomes. It was like a life-scale version of Dejarik, every move he made would affect Damon's next move, the only thing Aryian could really do was choose an attack that had the best possible outcomes in order to maximize his chances of victory.

 

Long lightsabers had range, which gave them both an advantage and a disadvantage. Their primary advantage was allowing the wielder to attack from a distance, and with a longer hilt, it was easier for them to wield with two hands, using leverage to their advantage. However, against a staff saber, which also relied heavily on leverage to aid in it's blows, that feature would only cancel out Aryian's advantage. The range itself was a problem, however Aryian knew that if they locked sabers, Damon could do little to nothing if Aryian decided to move inside his range. With two lightsabers, Aryian would be able to block all slashes made at him, and Damon would not be able to stab at him.

 

He gripped his hilt with both hands, twisting it and snapping both sabers back to their individual hilts, taking a crouched defensive stance in the middle of the air, making perfect sense in zero gravity, albeit looking a little funny. Damon as well, had taken such a stance, and it was apparent curiosity riddled his face as he pondered why Aryian did that. The master's own experession, though, revealed nothing. His face was a solid wall of focus, his eyes solidly locked on his target.

 

And then, without warning, Damon knew why Aryian had chosen to do what he did.

 

Like a viper, Aryian lashed out in the Force, focusing a powerful Force blast directly behind Damon, the cause of which shot him towards Aryian like a helpless rag doll. The blast in itself was not enough to break Damon's bones, as Aryian held himself back, knowing this match was non-lethal. As Damon neared, time itself seemed to slow as Aryian totally fell into the Force's control, allowing it to guide his movements.

 

His left saber moved out and up, catching and deflecting the wildly swinging long saber as it came dangerously close to hitting him, his right saber coming in and across his body to the left, lashing out and around to the right as Damon's body came into range of his lightsaber. If done correctly, and if Damon hadn't realized in time, then Aryian's blade would meet Damon in a nasty slice.

[Nom Anor's avenger]

The chaotic atmosphere of battle pulsed through the air as Aryian and Damon continued to fight. The sense of urgent pain and concentration permeated throughout. Yet through even the loudest, most chaotic, and distraught situation, Aryian's comm still vibrated, longing for its master's touch. Whether or not the Jedi Master was even listening did nothing to stop the frantic voice now escaping from the confines of his communications device.

 

"Aryian, this is Master Nom Anorus. I have no idea if you can even hear this, but I need to know where a Jedi by the name of Damon could be. The computers have him listed in the Special Ops groug. Please respond if you are aware of his location..."

 

The frantic scene of battle taking place between the two Jedi could very well mask the presence of sound eminating from Aryian's pocket. But they could not mask the desperation from the one who sent it.

[Traven]

As Traven waited in the cave that his ship was docked in he saw a small red light flicker off the silver hull the felt the echo of the force rush through him he got on the controls so fast the fighter had to reset the system. Traven shot out after the system reset, he charged his weapons and fired. The asteroid that the force was coming from shot apart. And a small red crystal flew away as the only remains of the asteroid. Traven opened the cargo hold and maneuvered so that the crystal sat inside the hold. He then dodged several large rocks and shot out of the asteroid field and found a small barren moon that had what looked like an old pirate outpost. He docked and got out of his ship. The air in the abandoned hanger was breathable but very thin and stale he would not stay in here very long of risk losing conciseness.

 

He walked to the hold opened it and there lay a deep dark red, yet glowing warmly and not cold to the touch crystal. He took it into his pocket and boarded his ship. He fired up the engines a deep blue filled the room as he left. He sat in space wondering why he had picked up this crystal and why did it seem to have an echo of the force.

[Ary the Grey]

((THIS IS NOT PART OF THE DUEL))

 

The message came in for Aryian, yet automatically rerouted to his ship, which handled it for Aryian.

 

A highly encrypted untraceable comm was sent out by the ship back to Nom, detailing directions to get to the Station.

[Damon]

((3))

 

For to long Damon was relaying on something that was not his forte. He had seen what Aryain can do. A shield made of the force. Being able to be very delicate in his manipulation of the force. Aryian was truly a jedi among jedi. Yet Damon knew if wanted to get around Aryian he would have to start tapping more into the force. He was short in time as he was forced push making him have to counter the move or be sliced by Aryain. This was where the tide would turn.

 

Staring at the small pond behind him Damon now starts to climb the cliff in front of him. The water flowing over starts to increase in strength as he climbs. The water keeps him cool as he climbs. It encourages him to climb higher and higher. Half way up Damon comes back to the battle.

 

With more of the force now being channeled with himself Damon's senses started to enhance. He could feel every thing with more power and intensity than before. His body seemed to be moving to slow and soon slowly into Aryian's light saber. The force now pulsed with in his body as the long saber blade vanished and Damon shot down under the silver blade with the aid of a force push. With another focused force pushed he shot quickly across behind Aryian. Using a small box behind Aryain as a force projectile Damon force jumped at Aryian. The small crate flew in front of Damon nailing Aryian in the back before a force blast was sent into the now tendered back of Aryain.

 

As Aryian flew across the arena Damon followed with a force push and levitation before hitting one of the silver spheres. He jumped up and went over in the direction of Aryian. His long saber hilt in hand Damon activated it to full capacity. Using force speed Damon came in like a bullet with his blade pointed straight down. Knowing that Aryian would put up a shield Damon arched himself around Aryain bringing his blade across the mid section of Aryian. Then with a force push Damon sent his body into a rapid spin. His body and his blade now spun in a blue haze that picked up momentum. This attack would either give Damon the win or set him up for what he needed next.

Edited December 8, 2006 by Guest

[Ary the Grey]

((4))

 

Aryian could see what happened, but he couldn't do much to stop it as Damon used the Force to dodge out of his blow, plowing a crate and a fairly nasty Force Blast into Aryian's unprotected back, pain shooting up the nerves located there. The Force nulled much of the pain, but that still didn't excuse the fact that it still hurt.

 

As he plummeted towards the other end of the Arena, Damon came at him again, his Force signature now raging like a white pyre in the Force, near matching Aryian's own skill and prowess. It was then that Aryian knew he had done well in choosing to give Damon his trials, the man was more than ready.

 

However, instead of coming straight at Aryian, Damon came around to Aryian's left from his backside, the hum of his lightsaber deadly close, and much longer now, from what Aryian sensed. He would have to rethink his strategies again if this was how Damon was going to play.

 

You don't have me yet, Damon...I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve.

 

Aryian delved into the Force again, concentrating on a large convex Force shield near Damon, flinging it up into the ceiling to carry Damon along for the ride, barely missing the long blade that was carving at his gut. Unfortunately, this had the added side effect of throwing Aryian in the opposite direction, as he had neglected to anchor himself in place through use of self-levitation, and as a consequence, both men hit the ceiling and floor of the arena at approxiomately the same time, the impacts knocking the wind out of both opponents.

 

But Aryian wasn't done, not by a long shot. Now was the time to show Damon what he was really made of, just how tricky he could be. He pushed away from the floor, not hard, just enough to give him some momentum away from it, and he began to rub the air molecules over his body. Within seconds, the temperature began spiking rapidly around him, heat which he absorbed inwards as Force energy to use again in heating himself. It was a technique Aryian had only used two other times, and he only used it when necessary. For Damon...it had become necessary.

 

With Aryian's Force cycle started, his robes began to burn, surrounding him in red and then a bluish fire, quickly turning it to ash and obliterating it. His hands were perhaps the only part he neglected to heat, because melting the hilts of his lightsabers would not be a good thing at this point in the battle. He grinned at Damon, who had just caught sight of him as the last of his robes burned off, sort of weirded out at the sight of a naked Aryian, yet quickly realized what Aryian was doing as the Master's Force aura sharply rose well beyond what any normal person should ever be able to contain.

 

It was at that point that Aryian entered Damon's mind, projecting near twenty images of himself, and for Damon's benefit, they were all clothed, including giving him the hallucination that the original Aryian was also clothed. Normally, his armor would have covered him, acting as well as a catalyst and a well to focus and hold excess energy, but the Force that now coursed through Aryian was very raw, and very deadly. The twenty or so Aryians cracked their necks, each staring at Damon with a passion to end this duel, their way.

 

And as one, they all attacked, a flurry of lightsabers coming for Damon. He couldn't tell which one was the real Aryian, not by how they felt in the Force, their lightsabers would deflect on his own, and they all seemed to act independently. It was the one technique that Aryian had tested before, but never really used until now. Now it would prove its effectiveness, now Aryian would see just how far he could crank up the pressure on Damon.

[Damon]

(4)

 

After the burning aura came forth and the clothes returned to Aryian things were bad. There was no way he could figure out which one was real and there was no time. He had to act quickly or risk losing. This left Damon with only one resort. He would also collect all that he was into one shot and use it. As the Aryians neared forth Damon deactivated his long saber, clipped it, anchored himself to the roof and closed his eyes.

 

With in his soul Damon now neared the top of the cliff. After he reached the peak and felt more at peace than any time before Damon looked behind him and noticed the small pond was now a vast lake with no end in sight. With out hesitation he walked away from the ledge and turned around. Running he dived off the cliff. Wind rushing past his snow white hair finally making contact with a gigantic splash as he now become one fully with the force.

 

His hair began to glow and illuminate. The clothes he wore began to shake and ripple. The white crystal around his neck lit up and shined bright. The light in the room started to diminish till the crystal was the only source of light in the room. In single moment Damon's eyes shot open revealing his pure white eyes, lit showing a strange yet beautiful light. Damon shoved Aryian out of his mind and as his force aura now grew to such a level, Damon knew it was ready. With two massive force pushes at his necklace, time seemed to slow to a crawl. The Aryians seemed to stop in mid attack and fade out. The necklace shined as bright as a star. Then all at once time resumed.

 

What was about to happened Damon had practiced only a few times. The problem was he never tested it in battle. However every time he had used it he was even momentarily stunned. The effects of such a light on any being on the receiving end even he had yet to find out. Well now he would.

 

The energy seemed to explode in a outward motion filling every nook and cranny of the arena. The light slowly moved though out the entire satiation and then outside of it. The station for only one slight second seemed to look like a star. Inside the station Damon said something to Aryian while the light began to blind both men, stopping the Aryians cold, and finally make them disappear from an overload of Aryian's senses.

 

Within in Aryian's mind Damon spoke.

”œThis is the ”œforce light”

[Ary the Grey]

((5))

 

Aryian, all of them, held their arms over their eyes, one or two holding their hands over their mouths as the light and noise stunned him to such a degree that his focus blurred at its peak, causing him to lose control over his own illusion. The Force cycle, however, he had perfected to the point to where it was easy in a normal environment to maintain, however in the chaotic one such as Damon gave him, it was the only thing he managed to focus on as the tidal wave of pure light whipped at him, ripping him from the calm ocean he had known as the Force. Sharp pains erupted in both his eyes and ears, as he felt a warm slick fluid begin to seep from both.

 

No...

 

As the effect faded, Aryian's sight and the sounds around him failed to return, just as he feared it would when it began. Damon's words only confirmed this, adding insult to injury in a fashion. But it was not over yet, not by a longshot. Aryian's physical senses were crippled, but the Force more than made up for it, Damon's aura clearly fixated in his mind, directly ahead of him. And with both of them impaired, there was no need for Aryian to summon up the illusion of clothes and waste energy and concentration. He calmed himself even more from the shock, allowing it to fade into the Force as if it never were.

 

You're kidding me...

 

And all of a sudden, Aryian's Force cycle went nuts. He had been holding back on Damon, not willing to risk mortality, but now it seemed just a little closer to him since he would need healing for his eardrums and eyes. The amount of raw energy inside Aryian multiplied itself quickly, reaching what it once was and nearly three times beyond it, nearing the limit Aryian had only reached one other time, as He dueled the Sith Master Darth Mortis Diabolus. It was the only way he managed to save his life, ironic in the sense that the technique was also very threatening to Aryian's life, a razor sharp double-edged sword.

 

Not like this...

 

Aryian pulled his arms away from his face, and had Damon been able to see, he would have seen the blood slowly dripping down his face from bloody eyes, and a small trail of blood coming out each of his ears. But it was clear that his focus was directly on Damon, such an attack was merely an annoyance to be dealt with later when Aryian licked his wounds. Damon's aura was strong, and for a moment, it had surpassed that of the Master, Aryian's normal aura, but with the Cycle, it was now clear that Aryian could effortlessly hold the high ground.

 

You are a strong fighter...

 

The man with the silver sabers was impressed. Damon had fought a good fight, but now was the time to end it. He didn't want to have to use this technique, but for Damon's own good, he made the descision, reaching into his vast well of power and thrusting his mind at Damon, entering it with little difficulty. Now, for both of them, the rules had changed dramatically, once again randomizing the sabacc cards they had been dealt to see which one had a pure sabacc. Damon was now trapped in his own mind with Aryian, struggling for dominance.

 

Aryian and Damon appeared in a white void, seemingly standing on nothing. Both were perfectly fine, each could see, hear, sense with the Force...all was as normal, save for where they were.

 

"Well, well, well...I must say, Damon, you underestimate yourself...you've given me quite a run for my credits. But now, it's game over. I'm going to win this little game, and nothing you can do will stop me."

 

Aryian's face was not as Damon remembered it, instead a large scar ran down his left cheek, a wound no doubt with quite a story behind it. But still, that was the least feature worth focusing on as pure rage, or to Damon, the appearance of, flowed through him, focusing energies forbidden to most Jedi.

 

He lashed out suddenly, the Force throttling him to the invisible floor in the eternally white abyss, pressing Damon's cheek into it as if it were nothing. It continued to press harder, making the pain and pressure constant.

 

"You think you've gained the upper hand? Think again."

 

Aryian grabbed him and whipped him up with the Force in one move, leaping to slash at him with two silver blades that somehow seemed to be stained with blackness...

 

((Yes, there's an explanation for all of it, and I almost expect you to ask me IC about much of what happened mentally when this is all over. Good duel, all I can do is sit back and relax, waiting for the Mod. Great duel, great duel. I seriously think you underestimate yourself a bit, all you really need to work on is sentence structure and flow, as well as varying your attacks to throw off your opponent. Otherwise, you get an A from me.))

[Damon]

((5))

 

The void inside his mind was blank. Being wiped around Damon lost all sense of focus. In side his mind hid something that Ara had helped contained. A bond existed between his dark and evil twin. The bond had been contained though the necklace given to him. The bond however started to win over the most secrete and inner parts of his mind. Damon could not keep control of his own mind anymore. The battle had taken a toll physically and mentally on Damon. The darkside of the bond now was starting to take control. Aryian was now coming in to attack him with his two dark silver light sabers. As Damon thought Aryian would hit for sure another being was now in the middle of the two men. A red light saber appeared in the hand of this being who bared a dark black hood. A voice came forth. It echoed with evil and hate.

 

”œHow pitiful Damon. I haven't seen you in years and here I am saving you. Well don't worry after I'm done with him I will finish the job.”

[Amidala Skywalker]

Wow...I am really impressed with both of you. That was an amazing duel. Both of you pulled out all the stoppers, and let your creative juices flow. You did a good job of dealing with the unique environment, as well as dealing with the tricks that the other pulled.

 

The mind intrusion at the end was neat, and you two definately have some unique powers that you've created and worked on that make you stand out as excellent swordsmen and duelers.

 

It was really hard for me to pick a winner, but I'll have to go with Aryian by a hair. It seemed to me that his fighting just a touch more class to it, although Damon really made it personal to himself. You two definately have histories, and I like you played them into this duel.

 

Excellent, excellent duel--one of the best I've ever read. And Damon, I definately think you passed the test...and woe to any Sith that chooses to oppose you!

[Ary the Grey]

((Well, in this event, considering what would happen when Aryian exited Damon's mind would probably cause him to go into a coma or something, I'm going to continue on with the original plotline, except that this was pretty much a draw, as I cannot make a win post on this thing. Anyways, awesome duel, Damon, maybe the next time we spar I won't be so lucky.

 

Also, I'm typing on a Mac keyboard, so if there's doubletapped letters, you'll know why...>.>))

 

Aryian's body slammed into the wall, causing him to crumple. His mind shut down as he lost control over the Force Cycle, not being able to end it properly. It was all he could do to thrust himself out of his body with the last ounce of Force energy he had left, his mind manifesting in a Force ghost a short distance away in the same crumpled position as his nude body. The act in itself was not so much a practiced thing rather than an instinctual act off desperation, and luckily for Aryian it worked.

 

Fortunately, he could see as well as hear, though the sensations were all different, strange, new. Never before had he experienced this, the majesstic freedom this offered, though honestly when he took a second to realize how it had happened, he resolved never to do it this way again.

 

He also hoped to God Damon could see him, as Aryian, though master that he was, was not at all familiar with this.

 

Damon...Damon, get up, it's over. Get some medical droids or something...we're both going to need patching up.

 

When Aryian's body went comatose like it was, the program linked to his implant quit working, allowing Damon's implant full functionality. It would be simple for him to summon medical droids with a whim of thought, something that needed doing very quickly.

 

Something else came to Aryian's thoughts, though not as important, on what to do with Damon. Technically, neither had won, so should Aryian grant Damon the title of Master? He would think on it, he reasoned, and would come to a descision after they were both treated medically...

[Damon]

A ghost apeared infront of Damon at the same time the implant shot open in his mind. The ghost was a projection of Aryain who was now comatose. It told him to hurry up and get him to the med bay by any means needed. Damon however was in no shape to make such a request. Then he remebered the implant and with it he called a few medical droids to both them and ordered them to take both Damon and Aryian to the med bay and into bacta tanks. As the droids arrived Damon passed out next to Aryian

 

 

-------------Many hours later after a stay in a bacta tank-------

 

Damon awoke and his bacta tank opened. He was better off than Aryian mentally. However after reading the tank signs Damon saw that Aryian would be awaking himself.

 

Damon dried instantly due to the nature of bacta. He now awaited Aryian to awake and what his verdict was on the duel.

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian spent several hours simply looking at the two men in the bacta tank, Damon...and himself. Overall, Aryian had sustained the major brunt of the injuries, and it showed. Thankfully, his major organs were unharmed in the skirmish, but he knew that several times it was an extreme possibility. They had been fighting with real lightsabers, though Aryian could have instantly toned his down to a mere training saber frequency had he expected to actually cut into Damon, he trusted the other enough to leave it on full power for the entirety of the duel. All in all...he did trust Damon.

 

When the time came, he calmly stepped back into his body in the only way that felt natural, his real eyes opening in the sticky fluid as once again his soul and body were one. It was still an uncertainty how he did that, and quite frankly, he did not want to repeat the experience without learning more about it from a more learned Master.

 

Damon was already out of his tank, drying off, waiting for Aryian. He floated to the top of his tank, using the mechanical equipment above the tank to haul himself out and onto the floor, big gobs of red sticky fluid gushing on the grated floor, collecting at the funnel below to be repurified and reused. He stood, spitting a few times, getting the crap out of his mouth. It was one thing to be cloned, but Aryian hated Bacta. It seemed too sticky and gross for it's own good. However, the few times he had actually needed a bacta tank, he had always come out feeling refreshed and a bit younger.

 

He grabbed a white robe from a rack nearby, covering himself and moving to a set of drawers near where Damon stood, pulling out some Jedi Robes and collecting his possessions. There wasn't much, only his two lightsabers and his comlink that had fallen out of the charred clothes in the arena.

 

It was only after he was dressed that he broke the silence, finally choosing to start talking to the other Jedi.

 

"Damon...you were very impressive in there...you caught me off guard several times, and in the end, rendered me combat ineffective. You yourself were also ineffective in the end, leading to a mutual draw, however, I believe I took more hits than I gave. You took my power and threw it right back in my face, something others would not find an easy thing to do."

 

He sat down on one of the benches in the room, leaning back and relaxing for a brief moment.

 

"Still, our agreement was that if you won, you'd pass your trials, if you lost, you wouldn't. Since it was a draw, I'm in a quandary. But since you impressed me with your skill, and because I think you are ready, I'm giving you the title of Master within the Jedi Order. Congratulations, Master Damon, you passed."

 

He reached down, feeling the twin cylinders in his pocket. He had several duplicates of the same sabers stored on his ship, in case some Sith decided to outright destroy them, however these were the ones he had fought with since before he was taken on as a Padawan, these had a connection to him no others could have, the crystals within the only physical remains of his parents, their souls having long ago left him.

 

"To commemorate this, I'd like you to have my lightsabers. I don't think I've ever dueled anyone else as worthy of them as you. I have more, but these...trust me, these are more valuable to me than the others. Take good care of them."

 

He fingered them for one more moment, almost regretting letting them go, however he knew this was a good thing, that it was the right thing. He locked the hilts together in a staff-saber style, handing the entire thing out to Damon.

 

"And I also trust you won't speak to anyone else about what you saw while we were...connected mentally. Worry not about me, I can take care of myself, like I always have."

[Damon]

Damon held the light sabers in his hands. For the first time in along while he was speechless. Then thought and replied.

 

"I thank you for your trust Aryian. I remeber long ago after I was first knighted you went berserk and almost stroke lady Ara. Now many years later here I am a master next to you. We have both seen a lot of things happend over these years haven't we. The order has changed so much. I have changed so much. As you would not like me to talk of your darkness I ask the same. I know my darkness is gossip and hear say, yet it is still for the most part secert. You saw him ealier. That is the man who bears my darkness and my name sake. He might one day come after you to finish what I forebid. He is not a lord in the sith order yet, however he is my dark equal."

 

Damon stopped for a moment he had just achived a mile stone for himself and the order. However a blink was seen on Aryian's COM.

 

"I was about to say somthing uplifiting and probally funny, however your COM is thinking. You should probally check it."

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian looked down at his Comm, noticing the message from Nom was still there, but also that it was replied to.

 

"That blasted ship...it must have taken another one of my messages..."

 

He played the message, it was a short one, and it specifically intoned that Nom was looking to find Damon.

 

"Well, I suppose Master Nom is looking for you. Give him my regards when you see him..."

 

Aryian sighed, remembering old times. That was when he got the scar on his soul, was when Geki used him to try to assassinate Ara. Luckily, it was unsuccessful. But, even with Ara's sword, the darkness within him lingered. It wasn't something that bothered him, and he had learned to control his demons rather than outright kill them. They were as much a part of him as his arm was, or his leg, and he finally came to the conclusion long ago that he would only be killing a part of who he was.

 

"And honestly, Damon, you think I would talk about you?" It was here that Aryian afforded one of his youthful grins, "Now that would certainly be the pot calling the kettle black..."

 

It was kind of funny to Aryian as he realized he never knew where that phrase had come from, though common in the galaxy as it was.

 

"But, we both have stuff to do, you have a few new duties to tend to, and a few more freedoms to explore. Just know that if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you, okay? Now with that said, I need to get back to Myrkr...whether you come back for the Special Ops training is now optional to you."

 

Aryian stood, walking out the door, hesitating one last time as he spoke again.

 

"And the next time we skirmish, you might not be so lucky. So...ah...keep on your toes. Who knows, you might actually be fighting side by side with me one day, and I wouldn't want to lose you to some scum Sith's blade."

 

And with that, Aryian continued on, making his way to his ship. He sat in the cockpit a long while, comtemplating and thinking about things, before finally warming the ship up and exiting the station, leaving for Myrkr once more.