Borleias

[Avararda Dinn]

Avararda could feel the ship leaving ground, but it didn't feel like 77's flying. Jaden, he thought. He sent another Force-message. Head for the Coruscant, the new Jedi temple. Let your feelings... guide... you. He had trouble sending the last few words, due to his pain. The med-droid inserted sedadive, and Var was out.

[Prince Vegeta Isolder]

OOC: Understood Raynuk, sorry for getting in the way.

 

IC: Isolder struggled into consciousness. For several moments his memory failed him. He'd leaped for Quietus and then . . .

 

Blasted by that Tzeentch's force lightning. He must have hit me good to knock me out like that.

 

Indeed, Isolder's muscles were stiff and he could feel several painful burns underneath his chest plate. He had no one to blame but himself. He'd acted a novice leaping into battle like that. Nonetheless, he couldn't help feeling this supposed god should have been more careful.

 

Kai-Jon!

 

Isolder snapped up to his feet, and found his caelestrum still in hand. He stretched out his senses and found his padawan unharmed. Isolder swayed a moment, disoriented, and then started to walk randomly. He truly had no idea where the battle had gone off to, or if it was still going on. The best he could hope for was to stumble on to a Jedi.

[Andon]

OOC: Eh, it's uninspired. But that's what happens when you spend an hour writing a post and then lose it...

 

---

 

The world suddenly became hazy and dull as his knees threatened to give out from underneath of him.

 

She was in pain...such terrible pain. The raw emotions she showed were much different then the intimate ones she had shared before; now they were unrestrained as they flowed freely. The scream alone would have been enough to deafen all in the area, but the full weight of the Force engulfed her voice and it caused the very ground to begin shaking around them. Her rage was wild and free, but that very same lack of control would be her unbridled undoing. The reservoirs of her hatred were furious and deep, but they could only last for so long; her despair would carry far but its lifespan was limited to the passion she could harness to summon it.

 

The Jedi Knight's fingers loosened around his lightsaber hilt as he dropped to one knee, his free hand clutching his temple in a vein attempt to rid himself of the pain. It was futile, nothing would be able to counter this, the ringing in his ears only increasing the longer she remained in her state. He quickly realized that he couldn't just wait this one out and as his ever blurring vision caught sight of her he knew what he had to do.

 

The Jedi delved his whole being further into the vast bounty of the Force; his aura ascending to another plane of understanding as clarity returned to the man. He took her toil and sorrow into himself, running them through the spiritual filter in his soul that allowed the most tainted of feelings to transcend into the purest of them; the one place that conviction and mercy found a balance. His grip tightened aroung his saber as he slowly sauntered to his feet, the ample Force energy surrounding the area being drawn into the Jedi; her own anger undoing the very damage she had done to him.

 

He exploded into motion as he summoned the Force around him, wrapping the tendrils of his mind around her figure as he pulled her towards him with a twinge of his fingers; the Sith caught off guard by his move as she hurtled through the air towards him. Simultaneously he drew his saber behind him, his muscles constricting underneath his robes as he tightened his grip and swung the viridian fire of his blade viciously in a slanted arc towards her. Alora barely had time to get her weapon in a guard position before his blade was upon her; the two energy beams colliding in an ocean of sparks that were cast in all directions.

 

The sheer savagery and brutality of his Form V dedication overwhelmed her as his blade bashed against hers, the Sith's momentum changing as she was batted out of the air downward; Alora's back hitting the ground firmly. The Jedi pressed his blade down on hers, the saberlock not but an inch or two away from her neck. Andon's posture was strong and his footing was flawless as he stood in perfect balance, surrounding the Force around him to counter any trick she may have up her sleeve.

 

"I wasn't tricking you...I was helping you! Those feelings inside aren't saving you, they're destroying you. What you don't understand is that no one stands strong in the darkside, you only fall further and further!"

 

He pushed the saber lock down further on her, the crimson and emerald light of their sabers reflecting on her face.

 

"You have every right to mourn the deaths of your family members, but you have to let them go. That has been the downfall of every Sith before you... you have to learn to let things be. Did you ever stop to think that maybe they were destined to die? No matter what you do now you'll never be able to undo what happened to them. Do you honestly think your family would want you to live like this? Do you think they'd want you to know such pain on their account if they truly do love you as much as you love them?"

 

With a look of remorse on his face, Andon Colos pushed the locked blades down further, the edge of her crimson blade lightly pressing against her shoulder as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

 

"Do you feel that? That's pain... we all have to deal with it and we all have to move on. You're stuck in the past... you'll never leave that place of sorrow if you don't learn how to move on. You're family died, whether then or later on life all of them would have eventually died. Everything has their time in this world and then they are gone. Can't you see that?"

 

Just as quickly as he burned Alora with her own weapon he leapt away, giving the pair a gap of ten feet between them as Andon stood with his blade idly by his side.

 

"They're dead...nothing can change that. You're not the first to lose a family nor will you be the last. You watched them die... you're not the first. Get over it..."

 

He rotated his wrist backwards as he twirled his saber in two complete rotations before raising the weapon above his head; the blade tilting back over his right shoulder. His feet were spread the width of his shoulders apart and his knees were bent in the slightest sense; his mind ready for the next attack.

 

"...atleast you didn't kill one of yours."

[Alora]

Both blades at her neck, all Alora did was glare at the Jedi through the crimson and emerald glow. Physical pain, even the smell of her scorched flesh was nothing compared to the mental anguish she had been through. As he moved back from him she remained silent, not saying a word as he spoke. When she did answer him her voice came out again as a low growl,

 

"They might be dead but I'll not rest until the I find the murderers that took them from me."

 

She projected the image to him of how her parents had been found, how brutal their death's were as if the killer had taken pleasure from his handywork. The horrified looks that had been frozen in place on both her parents faces, how mutilated their bodies had been. And how she had been the happy, carefree, fun-loving girl before it had happened. Even showing him just how caring she had been...

 

"You think it's easy to forget that? My life was destroyed then. What makes you think that I've lived since then anyway?"

 

Since then, Alora had only felt alive when in the Hunter's arms. The rest of the time didn't seem to matter any more. She literally didn't care if she lived or died. She'd tasted death before, at the hands of Havoc and Geki, her life was worth nothing except what the Dark Masters wanted from her. Even through her brainwashing, she'd been surprised that she had been brought back, brought back to live the nightmares over. It had been part blessing that she hadn't remembered her past... even if she had wanted to remember it. When the memories were recently brought back, she hadn't wanted the remembered anguish that some retained. Pleasure with pain.

 

His last words sunk in and she latched on, a strange sympathy that she fought from surfacing coming through.

 

"Killed one of yours? Who was it you killed Jedi?"

 

She held herself ready, not striking again yet, just waiting for what he had to say. This was a strange way to fight an enemy but she felt somehow compelled to hold back from striking again just for the moment...

[Obi-Jin Majere]

Kai-Jon saw his master struggle to his feet and seeing no one around ran to his side. As Kai-Jon approached he saw Isolder sway and quickly grabbed his master and drew his arm around Kai-Jon's shoulders to steady the Blademaster.

 

"Isolder! Are you okay? Just relax I've got ya. Steady." As the Blademaster seemed to get his footing again Kai-Jon asked "Should we find shelter so you can recouperate, Master?"

[Andon]

The Jedi stood silent as she opened her mind to him once more and projected the image of her mutilated parents. Her anguish, her pain, her eternal misery was his in this moment as he saw through her eyes for the first time. He felt the love and compassion that used to make up the whole-being of her soul, the sweetness and innocence she showed the world. And then her moment of bittersweet realization when she found her parents... the moment she came to terms that we are not invincible in life. It was the hardest way to learn that lesson...

 

Dammit...

 

Loosening his stance he no longer held the saber high above his head ready for the strike, instead he held it idly in his right hand, the blade pointing down as its tip barely kissed the ground... his figure still silhouetted by the burning forests behind him. He looked almost defeated as he relived her past, the feeling of helplessness and lost direction all too familiar to him. His once hardened hazel stare now broke as his gaze softened and his eyes watered, a single tear forming in the corner of his eye and slowly trickling down his cheek.

 

The Jedi breathed in sharply as his knuckles turned white around his lightsaber hilt, his body racked by the feintest shudder as he lowered his head; Alora talking all the while. Just as she realized with every memory how fragile we are, the Jedi Knight experienced that same notion as well. No matter how much he understood about the Force and found harmony around him, he would always be subject to mortal toils. As she spoke her last words, Andon looked back up at her... his eyes possessed by something inbetween grief, sorrow, anger and failure.

 

"Who did I kill," he weakly spoke, "I...I killed all of them."

 

He shook his head from side to side, trying to silence his mind.

 

"I mean... I could have stopped it, but I didn't... so I killed them all with my inaction. But either way I was wrong...even when I acted it cost me one of them. I...I-I just..."

 

He fell silent as he tried to find the right words, only sadly finding they would not come to him. Instead he focused his thoughts and projected his feelings and memories into her mind as he spoke.

 

"Imagine lying on the ground, your back spasming, your limbs numb, your lungs on fire and your mind screaming for you to get up... but you can't. Imagine lying on the ground unable to move as your little sister cries out your name desperately for help. The little sister you've watched over since the day she was born... the sister that always came to you for help when she needed it... the sister that believed that her brother could protect her from anything. Imagine lying on the floor and listening to her last cry of pain before her chest was crushed in."

 

The look of hurt was drawn across his face as his eyes closed and his shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. The Jedi Knight was using every relaxation technique he knew to keep himself in balance... these memories couldn't hurt him anymore, but reliving them like this was living torture.

 

"Imagine hearing the frantic scream of your mother from across the room at the sight of this happening. Her weathered face battered and bruised as she tries to crawl over to both the dead daughter and beaten son. The mother who always comforted you, who always loved you and would do anything to keep you safe. Imagine tapping into the Force unknowingly and feeling every sensation of failure that clouded her thoughts as she crawled towards both of you. Imagine watching her body fall limp to the floor after she was struck across the forehead with a brass light fixture ripped from the wall."

 

Once more his eyes opened and instead of the gentle sorrow that possesed them before, in its place were the embers of rage. The darkest hatred he could ever fathom boiled to the surface as the inferno burned deep in his hazel orbs once more.

 

"Imagine being broken... wanting to die... wanting to strike down the one who did this. Imagine looking up from the floor not at some heartless criminal but at the face of your father. The father who always had a gentle smile no matter what the situation, who always had time to play outside with you, who always kissed your forehead as he tucked you in. Imagine seeing him reduced to such a beast by the poisons of alcohol. Imagine forgetting all the good things about him and just wanting to destroy him..."

 

The Jedi's burning gaze caught Alora's, the depth of his emotions far greater then the ones he had shown her before in such a playful manner. A newfound depth to his emotions that he never meant to surface ever again.

 

"Imagine giving into every bad feeling you ever had in fifteen years of your life and focusing it on him... imagine mauling him with your bare hands as you went beyond the limits of pain and made him suffer for his sins. Imagine wrapping your hands around his throat and squeezing as tightly as you can, feeling joy not sorrow as you watched his life fade away. Then imagine the empty feeling that emcompasses your whole being as you hear his neck snap and his body slump to the floor. Imagine the horror as clarity returns to the monster and you realize that you did it... you killed him... you killed all of them one way or another."

 

He broke the mental contact with her as he positioned himself further in the Force, allowing its calming serenity to wash away all his doubts and misfortunes once more. He stood silently for a few minutes regaining his composure, both of them taking the time to recover. Breaking the silence he spoke lowly, his hazel eyes once more in their same gentle and unassuming stare.

 

"If you can imagine all that, then you now know what it feels like to be me when I dream. These memories will never leave me, but I've learned how to stop them from controlling my life. Please... let me help you. It's hard, but we have to keep living... we keep living for them. We do the best we can everyday because no matter what that's what they would want for us. I can't make these memories go away, but if you'll let me, I can help you reach a point where they can't hurt you anymore."

 

He paused, trying to make some kind of sense in the moment. When he spoke again, his voice was filled with compassion and concern.

 

"Please...I can help you...if you'll let me..."

[Alora]

It was her turn to stand silent, the now foreign feeling of compassion entering her as she shared his pain, a tear escaping from her right eye. This isn't right, I should be feeding off his misery... so why arn't I? He'd been through just as much mental anguish as she had. For some unknown reason she felt close to him, a kindred spirit in the nightmares of pain. It has to be a Jedi trick...he's done something to me. Her hand clenched tightly against the hilt of her saber.

 

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to call back the anger but instead recalling how it felt to be held by him. She shook her head, her eyes again meeting with his, trying to shake that particular memory, trying to replace it with one of being held instead by her Hunter. This Jedi had gotten under her skin, he was eroding her defenses. It wasn't a good feeling, this feeling lost, floundering under the Jedi's compassionate gaze. She had to look away, had to break that eye lock of his hazel stare. She took a step back from him, unable to look away from him but wanting more distance between them.

 

"No!"

 

She gripped her saber again as if it was a lifeline. It was insane that all she felt like doing was moving towards him, to let him fold her into his arms, let him help her, hold her... but no, she couldn't do that. Her free hand slipped into a pocket, thumbing a switch to call her ship to her. She needed distance from this Jedi but it would take a little while for her ship to arrive...

 

She took a few deep breaths, finally able to shift her gaze from his to the fire behind him. Her focus shifted again, letting the anger, the frustrations flow through her again. Slowly she began to move, small sideways steps, feet crossing over as she began to circle him again. She let her anger build towards herself this time, for her weakness in letting the jedi get to her, letting it build until she suddenly moved to strike at him again, crimson blade clashing with emerald in a shower of sparks as she put her strength behind the strike.

 

"That is for getting under my skin Andon" She slashed again, her movements getting faster, "That is for making me want you to hold me" Her voice growled out her arguments, "And this is for making me want to hold you!" She slashed again, blades striking, sparking, hissing. Tears of frustration slid down her cheeks as she fought him this time, angry at herself for wanting nothing more than for him to hold her and kiss her.

[Prince Vegeta Isolder]

Isolder nodded weakly as Kai-Jon held him up.

 

"Yeah, let's get under cover. I don't think I can fight right now."

 

Isolder was silent as Kai-Jon held him up, the two walking slowly through the heavily wooded battleground. Isolder spoke once again as they hurried along.

 

"Now, what you saw back there, blindly rushing into battle like I did. Just remember that is the exact opposite of what you want to do when you have to fight a Sith."

[Talon]

((This post is somewhat time-warped, as I've been absent for a while”¦))

 

Surprisingly, the Dark Lord was able to fight his way out of Talon's submission. Strong was this warrior- strong in the Force. But even profound strength could be undone, so Talon and Kakuto both pushed forth one final time. Both Jedi and Sith had found that essence in their souls in which they were most comfortable, and even while plagued by fatigue and injury the two fought with unparalleled passion. In a spectacular climactic fashion, both blades and eyes locked in a last standoff.

 

And then the Sith gave up. His grip on his saber relinquished, and the silver blade fell away to provide the perfect target for the Jedi's own blade. As Talon's own, brilliant flaming sword advanced upon the Sith and began a slice through Kakuto”˜s armor that would end his life, a solitary but demanding question rang through the Jedi's mind.

 

Why did he concede the lock?

 

The Jedi Master did not realize the answer until it was too late”¦ Talon's concentration broke as Kakuto's war hammer pummeled into his thigh. Lightning from the alchemized weapon shot through the Jedi Master, charring flesh and tissue. The warrior could feel the bone in his leg crack and then shatter under the immense pressure, and the initial shock nearly knocked the Jedi unconscious. His nerves, however, were shot- and feeling in his extremities, and then his leg, slipped away. If he couldn't feel it, it couldn't hurt him.

 

By his logic, he could finish the fight. But he couldn't regain focus. His vision was blurred. He could barely see Kakuto's grin as he raised his hammer one more time- to deliver the blow that would end the fight. But Talon's resolve was unfathomable. This was not how it was to end.

 

He couldn't see, but he reminded himself that he didn't need to. As the hammer twitched into its fall, the corner of Talon's mouth slightly raised into an all-knowing smirk.

 

Checkmate.

 

Talon waited. The hammer was only moments away. His grip on the lightsaber hilt, which had only slightly relinquished in Talon's glazed state, tightened. Just before the hammer again impacted on the Jedi Master, Talon- using his good leg- sprung upward into the air. The hammer passed underneath, and its wide arc provided a clear shot. Talon's flame like weapon- a portrayal of the Jedi's very soul- moved forward in a stab that impaled the Dark Lord of the Sith through his lower chest. The Sith Master's eyes widened, and then he was gone- disappeared from the battlefield. Some dark magic had whisked him away from Borleias, but Talon could feel Kakuto's essence- somewhere between life and death. This day, the fight was over- but their war was not”¦

 

And so Talon again fell to the ground. He released a muffled grunt as his broken leg fell onto hard rock. He had lost much blood, and he was spent”¦ his eyes closed and his mind drifted into unconsciousness.

[Obi-Jin Majere]

Kai-Jon regarded Isolder with a crooked smile. "Lesson learned, Master."

They came upon a shallow cave the opening obscurred by brush and branches. "This looks like a good place." Starbuck helped the blademaster settle in under the cover and then positioned himself near the opening with his blaster drawn. "You rest I'll stand watch."

[Nahstaa]

Nahstaa's ship touched down, landing out of the way. Striding through the battlefield he had been killed on not so long ago, nahstaa avoided fights. He had other business to attend to.

 

Finding his burnt and charred remains, nahstaa picked up his saber, along with the charred but fairly undamaged fletchette rifle, and his two blaster pistols, which had been cast aside and left undamaged.

 

Walking back to the ship, he jumped in, and stretched out his feelings, searching for his apprentice. Taking off into space, he set co-ordinates and made the jump into hyperspace.

[Draj Haerin]

EDIT: Shit, sorry. Wrong one.

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara nodded to Raziel. "Come. Other Jedi need us." She stretched out her Force presence and felt someone nearby. Gesturing with a hand for Raziel to follow her, Ara sprinted through the woods, her sword at the ready as she pushed through the brush.

 

After a few quiet minutes, she came upon Talon's unconcious body, strewn out next to a boulder. Ara knelt down next to him, giving a quick warning glance to Raziel.

 

"Keep watch. He needs some help."

 

Reaching out with the Force, Ara attempted to heal as many of Talon's wounds as she could.

[Prince Vegeta Isolder]

Isolder admired Kai-Jon's courage. There was no sign of panic in the padawan's eyes. In a single day he'd been recruited to the Jedi, been thrust into battle, visited the home base of a living god, and seen his Master struck down in combat with a single attack. Yet Kai-Jon showed no fear, nor did he show he'd lost any faith in the Jedi.

 

"I should be okay soon. The lightning paralyzes your body, and it was especially effective with such a direct attack. But it is only temporary as long as you get away quickly enough."

 

Isolder's mind flashed back to that incident. It was not Raynuk's attack that had struck him, but Tzeentch's.

 

Only one who wields the dark side can summon force lightning.

 

Isolder needed to talk to Ara soon.

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara took a long breath and leaned back from her "patient." Talon was stable, but there was only so much one could do with only the Force and one's bare hands. She wiped her hands off on her pant legs and stood up, her knees cracking from being stuck in one position for so long.

 

"Rizzy, if you can, carry Talon. I feel there are others in need here, of that I'm sure." She sighed and blew air up at her bangs. Not to mention ourselves. It's a long way back to the ship.

 

Ara trudged forward, Raziel behind her with Talon, as she tried to find any other Jedi in need of assistance--or Sith in need of some "help" as well.

[Nahstaa]

((I havent posted this in space, as i didnt post after the last post... ill just assume i turned around..))

 

Nahstaa's ship landed on the surface of borelais, well into the woods of borelais. Strolling out in a black trenchcoat, wearing his cleaned and reloaded weapons in a new weapons belt. Standing in the fresh air, he calmly unscrewed the top of his lightsaber, pulling out the crystal, and switching it for the one he had made recently. Although the blade colour was exactly the same, this crystal was a part of himself, and it would aid him in his combat. Re-adjusting the saber, he hit the activation switch, and grinned as a black shaft of light slid out of it with a snap and a hiss.

 

Clipping it to his belt, along with another saber he had picked up from his ship, nahstaa strolled through the forest, making his way to the corpse of the dragon he had killed. As he approached it he grinned. The massive beast was still externally in-tact, having simply had its insides vaporised by the blast from the detonators. Walking up close to its head, he bodily shifted the massive skull onto its side, and pried the jaws open, before gripping two of the teeth in his gloved hands. Pulling hard, he removed them from the head, before following suit with 10 more of the teeth, wrapping them all in a leather strap, and attaching the thing to his belt.

 

Looking around him, he noticed the riders of the ex-dragon, and slowly sauntered over to them. As he approached, he said

 

"Lovely sight isnt it. Your dragon I mean."

 

Flashing a grin, he said

 

"Hows my sister going rizzy? I havent seen skye in quite some time. Nor you for that matter." A grin of malic on his face, he nodded to ara

 

"You, I dont think I have met before, although id imagine that if you dont know me, you would know my sister. Im quite surprised that I didnt meet you in my time with the jedi order. I havent met the one you are carrying with you either.

 

For old times sake rizzy, im going to give you the choice to walk away from this fight, and take that man with you. Im sure your friend can handle one little sith lord. All I would ask is for you to carry word back to my sister that im still alive, and probably not quite as she would remember me."

 

Indicating towards ara once again, he said

"You however, I plan on getting aquainted with."

 

Drawing out his lightsaber, he ignited it, the black blade extending once more with a snap and a hiss, followed by a hum.

 

((A duel ara? If you want to stay josh, i dont mind fighting you, although im not going to be fighting as i normally would. Either way, I want a duel with 3 posts each, and the final outcome decided by chad or one of the moderators. Your choice, if you choose to accept.))

[Talon]

The continuous bouncing into Raziel's back brought the Jedi Master back to. He felt... better- as if he had received some professional Jedi healing. A glance at Ara through Raziel's robes and Talon understood that she had given him a little bit of extra help. With each passing moment, the Jedi was more and more in touch with his surroundings, and as the blazing forests and the deep black smog overhead came back into focus, he finally noticed that they were traveling in the wrong direction. They were slowly heading back to the ships, but Talon still had unfinished business”¦

 

He whispered up to Rizzy, his carrier and fellow Jedi. ”œTo the crucifix”¦ I must go to the crucifix”¦”

[Apollo]

Raziel watched Skye's brother carefully...he had fallen. But if one could fall, then they could be picked up once again. He listened as Talon spoke to him

 

”œTo the crucifix”¦ I must go to the crucifix”¦”

[Nahstaa]

"Well, that leaves just us doesnt it. Come to think of it, I think I do know who you are. Im fairly sure I saw you breifly when you were rallying the jedi on tempay, ara. That would make you the leader of the jedi... Interesting."

 

Still grinning maliciously, nahstaa began to circle ara, Attempting to force the jedi to make the first move, and break out of her calm shell. Still in his trenchcoat, he pulled out one of the dragons teeth, and whilst tapping it gently against his leg, said

 

"That beast you rode was definately a beautiful animal. I shall have to take some of its skin. If the reports on it are right, the skin is resistant to the blade of a lightsaber... It would make an excellent set of armour. Perhaps Ill have its skull as a trophy."

[Bad karma]

Spider's ship came out of hyperspace above the planet. He quickly brought the ship in and landed. He gathered up his gear and grabbed his trench. He tossed his Jedi hoody over the back of the pilot's seat and headed out. He was on a mission; he had to get in and out with no fights.

 

He walked across the battle scarred ground slowly, quietly. He looked down at his data pad. He listed any major heat sources with in a one mile radius. There were not too many of them but the few there were would do.

 

He arrived at the first of two ships. It was a nice freighter”¦but what kind of security did it have on it? He put his hand up to the control panel on the outside and watched as the little wires made their way out of his robotic arm and into the ship.

 

A short while later he entered the ship and went straight to the pilot's area. He stuck a data chip into the system and copied down everything from the console. Flight records, logs, all of it. He finshed exchanging data with the ship, retrived his data chip and walked towards the entrance of the ship.

 

He quickly existed fixing everything up to look like it was never touched. He stored the data chip in its slot on his arm. He slipped through the trees looking at all the bodies all the blood. The carnage of battle, a truly beautiful thing.

 

He moved up to the next ship and did the same to it as he did the previous one. He could feel that there were still people of great power on the planet”¦alive at that. His master was near another”¦one of very great power. He continued to do as he was told to though, and that was getting the data and leave. No fights.

 

He quickly made his way back to his ship after getting the data off of both of the other ships. He got in and took of, making it into hyperspace a short while later.

[Exodus]

The deep, rich obsidian spread across his vision, a black horizon whose purity was ruined by the clusters of tiny white pinpricks. As he narrowed his gaze, sharp and keen, the blue-tinted haze swarming the distant echoes of light was clear, so that each glowing ethereal thread could be traced.

 

Mallichae Syn remembered climbing up to the highest creche window, blunt, refined fingers pressed against the glass, reverent breaths appearing as warm clouds on the transparent surface, and mind filled with night's glittering blanket.

 

Staring out from the confines of the massive Temple, he would smile softly, and wonder why the stars swirled as if in the midst of a secret, tender rhythm. Voices floated from the distance. The quiet murmurs of remaining battles and depatures of fleeing ships interrupted the serenity of their victory.

 

For a moment, he lingered there, echoes of his early days rippling in his mind. His body was completely drenched with sweat and the little protection he did have on, a pair of old black pants, had been stretched and ripped until they literally hung, dripping with moisture, from his slender hips. That is if he was standing up, as it was they pooled around his built legs sharpening the contrast between its color and the slightly tanned skin of its owner. The pelvic region of his body was slightly raised in the air making his well-built stomach shine against the beautiful moon.

 

"I wonder what will happen next.."

[Dagon]

OOC((Its been three days...))

 

::Convulsing as unholy energy coursed through its body, the dragon's corpse rose in a pillar of flame and was remade anew. A split appeared in its forehead, growing wider and wider until the dragon had become a two headed monster. Blue and silver liquid flame dripped from its maw as it turn to its killer and struck with the speed of a serpent.::

[Nahstaa]

As the massive amounts of liquid flames approached him, Nahstaa looked to his right, before pushing against the ground and against ara with the force, throwing himself and herself apart, and on either side of the flames. Running his hand along his belt, he searched for one, just one thermal detonator, only to discover that he had forgotten to attach them to his belt. Running his hands around further, he found his two blaster pistols, and decided to give them a try. At a range, that dragon could simply avoid any effective attacks he threw at it, and lay down massive amounts of liquid flames onto him.

 

Glad he had reloaded them back in the ship, nahstaa began letting off a continuous stream of fire into the dragons face, hitting the back of its throat every time it tried to let off its liquid fire. Running as he shot, he managed to keep his aim accurate with aid of the force as he bolted as quickly as he could away from ara, attempting to deal with the more threatening opponent first. He doubted a jedi would be so spiteful as to attack even a sith as it attempted to fight something of this magnitude, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

 

Changing the direction he ran in every time the dragon let loose with more flames, nahstaa tried to draw it in closer, letting up his fire when the thing was flying towards him, and concentrating it on its massive face when it moved in any other direction.

 

As he heard the power pack depletion alarm, nahstaa instantly stopped firing, simply avoiding the dragon and making his way into edges of the forest to reload, but not staying there for long.

 

((Now for the fun part chad... The dragon is an NPC, as in, it doesnt have a character sheet, its simply a part of tzeentch's forces. It doesnt have a rider, so therefore i can control the thing, realistically. If you want to do something, do it yourself mate. The more you bring that dragon to life, the more im going to OHK it))

 

Having grown sick of being shot at, and led around like a dog, the dragon moved in close, landing on the ground and lunging at nahstaa, who had moved out of the forest. Rolling forwards and to one side, nahstaa avoided the beasts massive jaws, and jumped forwards and towards the dragons neck, landing safely on the dragons head. Pulling out two of the things teeth from a leather strap on his belt, he plunged them into its eyes, forcing them in as hard as he could with the force. Leaping forwards and over its head, he avoided a shower of flames as the dragon screamed in rage, coming up running, but not away from the thing.

 

Instead, he headed right for its mouth. Throwing his saber at the massive lizard's mouth, he controlled it precisely with the force, spinning it carefully. Throwing himself away from the beast, he altered the sabers spin so that at the critical moment, it sliced upwards into the top of the dragons mouth, going straight through its brain. De-activating the saber instantly, he awaited the things death, pulling his saber towards him as the thing slowly slumped to the ground, dead in its tracks.

 

Taking out a very sharp knife, he walked over to the dragon, and lifted some of its scales, digging deep into its soft skin. Slowly slicing away a large flap of the beasts skin and scales, he left it to fall on the ground, before walking over to its jaw, and once again pulling two of its teeth from its dead jaw with his gloved hands.

 

Putting away the teeth, he rolled up the section of the dragons hide, slinging it over one shoulder and walking slowly with the burden. Ignoring the jedi, he got back onto his ship, dumping the parts of the dragon onto the floor of one of the ships quarters.

 

Keying in the co-ordinates, he left, heading for mimban

 

((I guess ill be seeing you soon then chad... Ahh well))

[ObliviousKnight]

Armiena's R5 unit, in temporary command of the Avenging Angel, retreated into hyperspace.

 

During the course of the battle, the droid had been operating "behind the scenes," observing the movements of the opposing Sith, scanning the wreckage of the Sith dropships, and attempting to track the hyperspace vectors of the retreating ships. Alas, not even the freighter's advanced sensors could pinpoint the exact route taken by the retreating Sith, but they had collected a wealth of information concerning the Sith army of zombies and the dropships.

 

Perhaps Armiena would be able to find some use for this information.

[King Kheldar vos Correlli]

Sorry to have to step in at this point Nahstaa, but the dragon is a developed NPC and is "owned" by a particular poster- in this case either the previous rider or the creator/giver of said dragon has the right to control it and post its actions. If someone takes the time to develop an individual NPC's personality and history (with in reason) so it's more than a faceless mass of troops, OHKing it in an arbitrary fashion as was just done is out of line. They don't have the same amount of OOC protection as player characters, nor should they, but posts like that are bordering on disrespect for other's posts and is subsequently invalid.

[Nahstaa]

((*sighs* sorry about that, ive been running on very little sleep and i snapped off of virtually nothing. I was looking forward to that duel with ara, and i honestly dont see any need whatsoever to have magical dragons that bring themselves back to life. I dont give two stuffs if i get killed, but i want to have the opportunity to leave a mark on whoever wants me dead, rather than have them be a pansy, and sit in their fortress entertaining guests with no risk whatsoever to themselves. Just seems a tad one sided to me, and the dragon doesnt seem to have any particular purpouse here.))

 

Shaking his head at this thing that just wouldnt die, nahstaa decided he had had enough. Pushing against the liquid fire with the force, he managed to alter its course enough so that instead of targeting him, it was now heading towards ara. Throwing himself backwards as hard as he could away from the fire, he flipped as he flew through the air, landing solidly before turning and bolting as fast as he could.

 

Letting off volley after volley at the beast, nahstaa headed for his ship. Hitting a button on a small remote in a pause of fire, nahstaa initiated

the ships warm ups, and by the time he made it there between the dodgings and duckings of his flight, the thing was ready to go.

 

Letting off one final volley, nahstaa bolted into the cockpit, and set the guns to fire on the dragon automatically as he took off. Making his way out of the atmosphere, he hit hyperspace and headed for mimban, being careful to ensure he couldnt be followed by making a few scattered jumps along the way.

[Talon]

Raziel understood Talon's wish. Quickly leaving Ara and Nahstaa behind, the Jedi turned and ran back towards the rubble of the Jedi Dojo. Talon couldn't see it yet, but he could sense the crucified Hou-Jo Poleb's final resting place- centered on the peak of the Dojo ruins- where he seemed to be standing tall over battle, like the general of some ancient and forgotten war, surveying his troops from afar.

 

Rizzy's running was quick but erratic, as if there was something troubling his thoughts. Talon's eyes slipped closed and the tendrils of his mind stretched outward, searching Rizzy's thoughts and emotions. He was worried about Nahstaa and Ara. While he spoke no actual words, he communicated with his Jedi friend.

 

”œCalm down, Rizzy. Do not fear the road ahead. When we go back that way, I anticipate Nahstaa will find himself too preoccupied to worry himself with us.”

[Andon]

He lost her.

 

She moved towards him to strike again and in return the Jedi was in motion, the tip of his lightsaber blade dragging the ground as he lunged at her. He swung the weapon around, the energy beam still pointed downward as he threw his weight forward to intercept her strike. The momentum caused the two weapon's to bounce off one another and in return he focused that velocity and rotated his wrist in an slashing arc in the opposite direction to catch her blow.

 

She growled out her words before each preceding attack, her voice deepening with each outburst and its gentle softness giving way to harsh indifference. Her next swipe came swiftly, the Jedi bending his arm in an "L" shape and holding his blade horizontally in front of his eyes to block the would-be finishing blow. She brought down the full brunt of her fury in an attempt to push the lock down upon him, but the Jedi shifted his weight equally to balance his footing as Alora pressed herself on him. She held the superior positioning and angle, but brute strength alone was enough to ease himself out of this one as he pushed upward forcefully, throwing her back.

 

His voice elevated to a shout as he spoke, "Why do you think I'm trying to get under your skin? Can't you ever get over yourself and everyone's constant need to brainwash you."

 

He corrected his saber grip and balance as he shifted his stance from that of a defensive one to an offensive one. When he spoke again his voice had returned to his normal somber tone.

 

"Perhaps you need someone to control you... perhaps you need the feeling of being helpless so you can have someone to blame. Don't you know it's easier to point the finger outward then at yourself?"

 

So far in the fight he had waited for her to attack and then for himself to defend, but no more. The tables turned as he slashed at her, the attack no doubt causing her to re-evaluate her positioning as the end of his first strike flowed into a crouching 360 jung ma slash aimed to go across her stomach. He shifted his footing once more as the stike neared its target area and he took a long step forward with his right leg, thrusting his blade straight outward creating even more space between them as the continuance of the fight constantly changed.

 

Before her counter could even be fathomed he quickly retracted his blade and leapt to clear the distance between them; the Jedi contorting his body in the air to allow from maximum impact as he brought his blade crashing down on her. He was deep into the offensive now, his face stripped of emotion as he detached himself from the fight and merged himself with the Force, allowing it to whisper to him where the next strike should be placed. Each swing was more furious then the last as his strength continued to increase the longer they fought: each hop and step strategic as the flow of the battle played out in his mind, the game shifting from seek and touch to chess.

 

His aura was in a state of harmony as he moved in for strike after strike; the more control he had allowing him to let go that much more. His slashes and swings were constantly changing with one slash being graceful and controlled while the next would be more wild in nature, the blade in the latter used to bash against her defenses forcefully to break them rather then chipping away at it with precision. His hazel eyes retained their compassion as he fought, but deep at their core they burned with the passion of the fight.

 

As he tossed her blade wide with a simple misdirection from his deceiving fighting style, he raised his saber high and brought it down swiftly in a one handed strike; Alora's blade meeting his in a lock. He twisted the lock and pushed forward, the blades going out wide as he stepped forward... their faces only a few inches apart.

 

"Can you not look past the fact I'm a Jedi and see that I only wanted to help? Do you always judge people in name and appearances only? Are we not defined by what we do?"

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

OOC: To be honest, Nahstaa, I was looking forward to a duel as well. I didn't know dragons could "regenerate" ala phoenixes. O_x I would have dueled sans dragon anyway, as I really don't want to hide behind or rely upon another "thing" to win, but I guess we'll both have to take a raincheck, huh? As for the dragon's purpose here, I didn't have time to drop him off at the Jedi temple, and figured, heck, why not use him to fly around quicker? Other than the little flame balls, which I was hoping you would dodge (honestly), I wasn't planning on using him in any attacks. Anyway, enough OOC. I am going to use Ryu to get back to the ship, if there aren't any objections...?

 

IC: Ara blinked. Once, twice, three times. Ryu had revived. She didn't know a lot about dragons, but...since when did they magically come back to life?

 

Unfortunately, Ara didn't have very long to ponder upon this question, as Nahstaa had just left her with a long jet of flaming liquid to deal with. Ryu had already cut off the supply, but there was still the "leftover" projectile headed straight at her head to get rid of. She leapt out of the way and Force-propelled the liquid at the same time, sending it relatively harmlessly into a sandy patch still a little too close for comfort for Ara. Without anything else to further fuel the flames, they died out on their own.

 

Letting out a breath of relief, Ara cautiously approached the now two-headed Ryu. Both heads let out a snort of recognition, nodding at Ara as they wound restlessly through the air. One leaned its long neck down to rest its head next to Ara's, whereupon she patted its snout.

 

"It's nice to have you back, though I'm, er, torn as to whether your second head requires a second name." The other head snorted again at this, as if shrugging in response to her idea. The first head bobbed up and down, almost encouraging the young woman to go on. Ara coughed. "Well, since you're Ryu, I suppose he'd have to be...Nas." She looked up at the other head almost wearily. "Is that all right?"

 

"Nas" roared loudly, almost grinning, before bringing his head down to give Ara a playful nudge. The "nudge" was more than that, and sent Ara flat on her butt.

 

Ara laughed a little nervously. "If you die again, I hope this pattern doesn't continue. I'll run out of names." She hopped onto the two-headed dragon's back and lightly kicked one of her feet against his side. "We need to go pick up Talon and Rizzy. I think they're at the temple ruins. Mind if we go back?"

 

Apparently not minding one bit, Ryu/Nas took flight quickly, reaching the dojo's ruins in no time at all. The dragon landed neatly next to the burning pyre and the two Jedi.

 

"This will get us back quicker. Let's pick up any remaining Jedi and head out. I don't think there's anything else we can do here except for come back later and rebuild."

[Alora]

She had fallen silent, concentrating on the dance of the sabers, her eyes never leaving those of her opponant, fathoming his moves from the look in his hazel depths. A slight grin appeared on her face as he too lost himself to the fight, the combat movements between them both smooth and skilled.

 

"Do I look helpless now Jedi, do I look like I'm being controlled?"

 

Alora's voice actually softening with her response as the dance continued, flurrying her blade, letting it fluctuate between a pale silver and the dark crimson. Andon seemed to take on another spur of energy as his moves increased, going from defense to offense. She smirked at him before falling into a trance like, force induced state, letting it guide her movements as she fell to the defensive postition, not bothering with the other manipulations of the force, instead just enjoying the duel of the clashing weapons. The longer the battle lasted though, the more danger Alora had of her strength weakening and the Jedi getting the upper hand on her, for now though she was holding her own but Andon not only was larger in frame but alot taller compared to her slight figure. It was almost a relief when their sabers locked once more, her breath catching in her throat at the look in his eyes as he appealled to her.

 

Alora's strength gave slightly, bringing Andon's face even closer to hers. Part of her wanted the fight to continue, the spark of fire still in her violet eyes, another part of her won over as she closed the remaining distance letting their lips meet again. Sparks of another kind flared as her saber disengaged. Directing her thoughts to him rather than break the kiss, she responded to him. Right this moment I don't see a Jedi, but a man...