Battle of Coruscant -- The Jedi Temple: Training Rooms

[Rom]

Jedi Temple Training Room

While many Jedi had chosen to leave the core worlds and hide, many did choose to stay and fight. They took their stand at their Temple, ready to defend everything they had fought so hard for. It had only been a year since the reconstruction after the bombing and now the Sith had returned in overwhelming numbers. The dark side engulfed its halls, flooding what little light did remain. Fighting filled all halls of the temple, scorch marks and bodies decorated the halls, leaving trails of victory for the Sith as the pressed their way through. As some continued, they would find themselves in the training halls of the temple, where Jedi were waiting. The battles pushed pass the halls and into training rooms. One of these training rooms include an experimental training hall, the floor allowed to mold and shift in order to represent different viscosities of terrain and the air to become any atmosphere at the push of buttons. However, the energies of the Force had an unnatural influence on the controls, making the room unpredictable and thus until now, were off limits to Jedi.

 

[TAC]

Indeed, the reality that many Jedi would fall today, and many even in this room, was undeniable. For weeks, months, years the Galactic Alliance had fought back the oppression of the Mandalorians and Sith, but now that time of truth had come. Coruscant would fall, today. The Galactic Alliance, and the Jedi that had stayed, would be pushed up and out or face death at the hands of their enemies.

Jalaila knew that.

But the Force called her to stand, here, inside the Jedi Temple. Called her to utilize her lightsaber and stand for what she believed in, the strong, visible Order that had saved her life and in turn she had committed herself to. This is what she knew, loved, and lived for, and she would not let the Sith destroy the tradition that had been created without a fight. It was true that the Diathim was only a Knight, but there were few precious Masters to help defend the temple. In fact, in the Training Rooms, there were few Jedi at all. The dark cascade of every moving floor revealed only a few other Jedi within it. But the Sith would come. They would feel the Jedi here, alive, and they would flock like maggots.

As battle neared, the Jedi Knight took her lightsaber from her belt. Normally in combat she would wear her altered Imperial Knights armour, but because of the dexterity needed for this particular battle, she had removed it for simpler Jedi Robes. Taking off the outer cloak she ignited her lightsaber, the brilliant light helping to illuminate the room. The bright weapon was, in a strange way, akin to the bright, shining of her skin, a feature of her species. It gave her a very mystical and angelic look as she simply stood, in the dark room, awaiting her fate.

 

[Wanderer]

Armored boots running sounded down the hallway to the Training Rooms. Three Temple Guards, common soldiers, burst into the room. They were out of breath and one was badly wounded, blood pouring from a gash covering his torso. They quickly shot the heavy door and jammed the lock to prevent entry. They turned around and just now noticed the Jedi in the room. One of the soldiers stepped forward, relief obvious in his eyes. "Thank the Force, a Jedi! We were defending one of the other training rooms when...we got hit by something. I couldn't even get a good look, but I know it was big and fast for it's size. It tore through my whole platoon. Out of twenty-five men, we're all that is left."

The wounded guard was sitting against a wall. He was shaking from blood loss and shock, muttering to himself. "It just...tore Lorik in half...just grabbed him and ripped him in two...hahahaha! We're all going to die...hahahahaha!"

The leader shook his head and turned back to the Jedi. "We don't have much time. Whatever it is will be here soon and-"

He was cut off mid sentence as something slammed against the heavy metal door. The wounded soldier laughed hysterically while the other two took positions near the door. They trained their rifles on it as another deafening blow hit the door, leaving a dent. The blows started to land harder and quicker until they stopped. The door was covered in dents and there was a slit in the middle that showed nothing but darkness in the hallway beyond. One of the guards walked forward slowly, the wounded one covered his ears and started talking incomprehensibly. The guard reached the door and put his ear against it as if listening for movement. Suddenly the half of the door he was listening against blew of the track, sending him and it flying several yards. The guard was killed instantly from the impact of the heavy door. Before the other guard could register what had just happened there was a sickening smack. He coughed and blood poured from his mouth. He looked down to find a large sword in his chest. It had come flying out of the darkness and struck him with deadly precision. The last thing he would see? A monster entering the training room.

Standing six foot five, weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, and with eyes as red as blood was Variik Ak'Thaar. More of a beast than a Bothan, his abyss black fur was covered in permanent Sith tattoos. In his hand was one of his Sith warblades. He walked over to the dying guard and half-snarled, half-smiled at the man before ripping the other blade violently from his chest ending his life. The wounded, hysterical soldier scream and tried to make a break for it. But Var simply cut him in half when he got close to the door. His crimson eyes now set themselves on the Jedi in the room. He smiled sinisterly, showing his sharp fangs. Spinning a warblade in each hand, he walked over to the Jedi coming to a stop several yards away. "Well, well. What have we here? A little, angelic Jedi all alone? Lay down your lightsaber and I may give you the mercy of a swift death...maybe."

 

[Indigo]

Nirulve hated this.

He never liked the Sith; his first assessment of them had been that they were brutish, malevolent, and self-absorbed, lending themselves to an extreme arrogance easily. He could still easily recall the look on the face of the Sith he had murdered for his position, a look of one that did not expect something weak to defend itself. Over time, having met some Sith, his opinions had changed. Coros, Galad, Whelp... they had been friendly. They had their faults, certainly, but they did not obviously act as the standard Sith way. Perhaps, over time, Nirulve had hoped, he would find enough Sith like that to convince himself that the loud, arrogant, violent proportion was a vocal minority of sorts.

That hope had died this day.

He picked his way through the wreckage of a Sith's creation, having followed far enough behind that he had yet to fight anything. He had cloaked himself within the force, not allowing his presence to be felt, in hopes of evading conflict. He had to keep moving, had to look as though he was pursuing prey, for fear that otherwise he would be shot. His ragged appearance lent himself to someone that had seen a lot of conflict despite that, his shirt and pants torn and filthy. In reality they were simply clothes he had worn on a different mission, with an emblem of the Sith stitched poorly to his back. The only indicator that he was a Sith at all, for with his presence hid and only a sword at his side, he might have been a mercenary in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or a child.

He paused. The Sith he had been following had thus far proven very efficient at murder on the move, a brutish, terrifying creature the little Lannik had not met before. He had been using the thing as both a shield and a way forward, a way deeper into the battle to avoid arousing suspicion and to keep himself safe. Now Nirulve sensed the Sith had stopped, pausing in a room Nirulve could not understand, his feeble ability to feel through the force failing him. There was another living thing in that room, however. Nirulve swallowed, hard. He had yet to see a Jedi. He had been following far enough behind that the only thing of the enemy he had seen were corpses, and the corpse of a jedi was only slightly different than that of a soldier. Or a Sith. He trembled, knowing little about the Jedi. On Korriban they had been discussed with contempt by acolytes, and crusaders had a wide range of opinion. He dared not enter the room yet, instead hiding in the hall, his body next to the door, evading being seen through the gaping hole where it had once been. Even in his great fear his mind marveled at the kind of strength required to break such a defense with raw physical might. Silently, he pressed his ear to the wall, trying to make out the words being said.

One Jedi. Angelic in nature. Did that mean wings? Wings meant flight capabilities, and with his angle he could see the room was massive and tall. Flight would be a large advantage. The Jedi had a lightsaber out. Nirulve's pulse raced, his mind creaking under the strain of the fact he had never fought against someone with a lightsaber before. He prayed silently that the beast-acolyte he had been following would be enough to destroy the Jedi, that the Jedi was only a padawan, something at their level. Nirulve didn't want to fight. He was scared. He wanted to run. To hide. The massive one had to win. He had to.

Nirulve clutched his sword harder, his hand beginning to ache. He would wait. When the moment was right, if the beast could not defeat the opponent on his own, Nirulve would jump in. He prayed to nameless gods that such a thing would be unnecessary.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

The Lector strode through the debree, making his way through the temple bit by bit. His Mask adorned his face, it showed his true self, his inner darkness and gave a palpable aura of fear. Blood coated it in various places, and he was not in his traditional suit today. Instead, he was in the robes of the Sith. One of the few times he felt it appropriate to be garbed as such was in battle. The mask itself had a darkside aura of fear attached to it. It magnified and revealed the evil inside a person, and The Lector had quite a lot for someone so refined. It was a rare sight to see him as he truly was. As he turned a corner he saw Nirulve, one of the acolytes that he had invited to his estate just the last weekend past. He was recognizable as the Lector, but just barely in the way he was now. He wondered if the Acolyte would know who he was.

"Nirulve, why are you cowering out here?" He said, just as two troopers came around the corner. They were met by a burst of Lightening from the Lectors fingertips to stun them, followed quickly by his curved crimson saber slicing through them, directed by the force to boomerang back. It happened in nearly an instant, if one had blinked they might've missed all but the searing white light embedded in the cornea from the intensity of the electric blast.

 

[TAC]

"No."

And that was all that needed to be said.

Jalaila took a step onto the next block, and her second foot followed. The cube which she had been standing on skyrocketed up, and all of the blocks to it's left and right shot up with it, creating a solid wall behind the Jedi Knight. She gracefully took a few more steps forward, the blocks going into erratic motion after she stepped on them. She stopped just a few feet from the beast, her lightsaber now up in front of her.

"Would you like to invite your accomplices who are so patiently waiting on the outside," she inquired. Before the beast could respond, the Jedi flickered her wrist, and the lightsaber within it made an upward slash towards the Sith. Her left hand was held close to her body but pointed out, for added balance, as the primary attack was followed suit by quick flicks to the left and right.

The Jedi then prepared for her defense, wanting to test out exactly what the Sith was made of. He looked like the big, mean kind. She, however, was quite frail, which would make this an interesting match-up. She would be relying on speed and mobility, at least until the other sith arrived.

 

[Wanderer]

"I don't need them." He hefted his Sith warblades and easily blocked her attack with a crossguard, catching the energy blade of the lightsaber between the two. He twisted violently to throw her off balance and then started to swing his blades in deadly arcs that had a bloody grace to them. Despite his massive stature, his attacks were smooth and precise. He smiled showing his fangs. "Limbtaker and Soultaker have yet to taste Jedi blood! You should feel honored that you will be the first!"

With a feral roar, he charged swinging both blades at once from different directions in a flurry of movement.

 

[Indigo]

Nirulve's heart nearly stopped. He was being addressed. By a ... monster? Some nexus of evil. He had to bite back tears, his mind tearing at the seams. What was this thing that knew him? He had no response. A flash of light, and the smell of death. Nirulve was shaking violently. He didn't want to die... this thing could kill him instantly. But how to appease him? Go fight? He could not. He would die. Either option was death. What could he do?

His presence was withdrawn, hidden within the force. His body was behind a wall. The Jedi should have no knowledge of him. He overheard a snatch of the conversation in the other room... Limbtaker? Soultaker? The Sith was raving. Was the battle over already? No. He could hear violence. He could feel it, reverberating across the walls. He wanted to scream, wanted to cry. Wanted this war to stop, both in reality and in his head. He gripped his nameless, bloodied sword more tightly, his hands burning in protest. He managed to pry one hand free, bringing a single finger to his mouth. A shushing gesture. He then pointed behind him, into the room with the Jedi, following this with a finger traveling across his throat.

The message was clear. Quiet, I will sneak in and silence her.

Whether or not he was capable was yet to be seen. For now, all he could do was watch and wait. Wait, and pray that the Beast-Sith inside ended things quickly.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

"As you wish." The Lectors voice rang out in Nirulves head, telepathy keeping things quiet just between the two. He then turned, and headed around the corner a smile hidden behind that horrible mask as he thought about the dozen detonite charges he had bought two weeks prior. He thought about them, as he killed a few more temple guards with relative ease as they fell against his lightsaber. He thought about them as he made his way to the Hangars in which the Jedi might attempt to flee to. ((Heading over to that thread now, will return when I'm done blowing things up unless you all are already moved on from here.))

 

[Alhon]

Simon swept quickly through the training halls towards the sounds of battle. All around, the temple shook under the force of the assault, screams and the sound of blaster fire echoing through the hallways.

They had failed.

The young padawan knew that already. The Sith had landed. They were in the Congress Hall, the Ports, Defence Command and the lower levels. They were here in the Temple. They were everywhere; all efforts to repel them had failed.

Indeed, they had failed long ago, on the day the Alliance first allowed the Empire to advance a single step into its space. Now, here on the darkest of days, Simon knew he was about to witness the end of everything he held dear. The galaxy was about to shift once again and for those who served the Light, an uncertain future lay ahead.

All this he knew. Yet, he would not serve the Force by fleeing; too many had run already. Cowards he might have called them, yet that would imply a fear his fellow Jedi would never admit to. Perhaps they were right to flee, but Simon could not do the same. He was the Force’s champion, its instrument and its servant. Right now, it willed him to fight the darkness.

The same Force suddenly flared in warning as a trio of imperial commandos spilled into the corridor from the right. The young Jedi sidestepped as the imperials opened fire, his blue blade igniting and sweeping up to deflect their onslaught. Simon swept towards the commandos, maintaining his defence until the first man was within reach. He slashed the trooper quickly across the chest, dodging past him and kicking out at the second, catching the imperial in the knee before swiftly cutting him down. The third leapt for cover behind a pillar, but Simon threw out his hand, the wave of Force energy knocking the commando off his feet. The padawan was upon him within moments, burying his lightsaber in the man’s exposed back.

Extinguishing his blade, Simon took a deep breath. Not for the first time, he reminded himself of the need for calm. The pause lent him greater focus, and he became aware of a dark presence off to his left. It was strong, not mere enemy troops but Sith, perhaps more than one. He hurried up the corridor, turning into the first available training room.

It was one of the ‘shifting’ rooms; a moveable series of blocks that rose up or down to create a series of different environments. A lightsaber flashed by the door on the far side of the room and Simon saw one of his fellow Jedi fighting fiercely against a monster. The thing was huge, all red eyes and black fur, wielding two large blades with considerable skill.

So, the Sith have brought demons.

He set off across the room, wary of the moveable floor. The dark side rolled off the creature, an aura of hate and aggression that festered like a black stain. Simon Dram would see that stain wiped clean.

 

[Indigo]

Up until this point it had been going so well, reflected Nirulve. No one had noticed him. Bothered with him. Talked to him. Now he had to go murder a Jedi. He didn't want to... killing one, no doubt, would cause others to become enemies, and while he knew in his soul that in the end all things would become enemies, he put off making more as best he could. Within the force he felt a ripple, and with horror he realized there was a third body in the room now. He could sense little else about it; while focusing on keeping his own presence buried in the force, he had difficulty extending any senses out. Silently, he prayed that it was a Sith. He needed it to be.

But it was something he could not leave to chance.

He peeked his head in, his eyes scanning through the room, and he could not believe his eyes. The room's surfaces, walls and floors, seemed strangely... amorphous. The environment itself was fluid, constantly in flux. There were walls and valleys, rises and falls, all along the floor, and they reacted to the movement in the room. The lighting as well, Nirulve noted, was in flux. The floor lit up at some points, and the lightsabers lit the room, but it was otherwise quite dark. The eerie lighting suited Nirulve, he decided. The floor terrified him though, he was loathe to set foot on it. Settling back into the pace of the battle, he saw the three warriors again. The beast-Sith. The "Angel", although her wings were not in use. And a third. Just a man. The Lannik grit his teeth. The man was not in combat yet, but it was clear that he was no Sith. The robe colour, the patient look, and the intense eyes staring down the Beast-Sith.

This was bad.

Nirulve hated fighting, but today he had no choice. He would flee and die by the Sith, or fight and die by the Jedi. And he knew, deep in his tormented soul, what choice he had made long ago, that today his 'choice' was a false choice. He was to survive. Regardless of how many he had to kill to do so.

He set one foot on the floor. It hummed slightly, vibrating under his feet. He tested his other foot. He was vibrating slightly, but it did not effect movement. He scanned for footholds, walls, places from which to get a better vantage point. Quickly he dashed to a low wall, a one foot rise, and hid behind it, crouching. The battle between the Beast and the Angel were warping the floor. The Angel literally had her back against a wall. No way to retreat, but no way to get behind her. The ground around the Beast warped as he struck, large pillars rising and falling with his blades. He was not yet caught up in the chaos he was devising, but it could happen. The newcomer was walking slowly towards them, trying to avoid setting off the floor. He was only creating slight ripples, but they grew larger and larger the further out they went, getting speed and power. Just as he was gaining momentum. A quick analysis of himself revealed that the floor was vibrating in reaction to his feet, but his presence was well hidden; even the floor barely reacted to him.

He steeled himself, clutching his sword tightly in both hands to stop the shaking. He knew what he had to do; the Beast-Sith was horribly strong. It needed the chance to win against it's opponent. Against two Jedi failure was almost assured. He needed to deal with one, and one only. The other fell to his cowardly coat-tail. It fell to Nirulve.

He darted across the floor, the wall luckily extending out to the ripples. The rippled themselves were big enough to hide his movements in the dark as well, and he rapidly positioned himself behind the newcomer, and shot towards him. Nirulve couldn't steal the lightsaber; he was holding it. He had nothing else of value other than his life.

Guess that was the only thing that could be stolen.

Silently, he was behind him. He took his sword, aimed for the spinal column, and brought a slash down. In his last moment he panicked; it had been long since he drew blood, and never Jedi Blood. He lost his nerve, and with it the control of his presence he had. The floor he was standing on reacted suitably, seeming to undergo some sort of outward explosion. It shot Nirulve up, giving him an unexpected height, his slash now higher on the man's body, near the shoulder blade. The sword fell straight down as though a guillotine, Nirulve's mind only barely aware of what was happening, for it was happening so fast.

 

[TAC]

The beautiful, glowing Jedi Knight was not intimated by the comments or motions by the Sih. She had met many in her life, and handled herself with a grace and quiet courage that truly was angelic. She recognized there were others, around them, but none were yet an immediate concern to her so she simply focused on this great beast who seemed to be pining for some attention.

She could indulge him, certainly.

His technique to throw her off balance was quite interesting. And indeed, she had never seen such an action in all of her time as a Jedi and combatant. She was, however, prepared for everything- and if she was anything at all, it was graceful. She flowed with the motion, ready to block once his attacks came. She smiled up at him, deflecting his multiple attacks by simply letting them reflect off of her own blade. Her motions were small and smooth, letting the huge beast attempt to slam his weapons into her again and again with little effort on her part.

While the roar was also cute, it only served to use oxygen that could have been put into the force of the attacks. She felt tempted to laugh at the Sith who tried so hard to intimidate her. When his furry was finished, she simply stood, completely in control, looking at him.

"You seem to be tiring yourself."

 

[Wanderer]

He brought his blades in from two separate directions and continued his relentless flurry of assaults. Sith warblades striking against her lightsaber in a show of bright and brilliant streaks. She smiled up at him, deflecting his multiple attacks by simply letting them reflect off of her own blade. Her motions were small and smooth. She then said something about him being tired. He ended his attack but was still only a few feet from her. Grinning with a primal and savage smile, he confidently spoke while continuing his attack. "Me tired? Never. I'll admit you're good...at dodging and blocking. But that won't save you little angel."

He decided to try something different against this Jedi. She was indeed good at blocking but he knew she wasn't fast enough to dodge sound. Var took a deep breath, holding his swords on his sides he pulled as much Force as he could from his inner energy. Focusing it with hate and rage, he moved the mass of Force energy to his throat and vocal cord. With that he roared once again. But this time it was fueled by fury and the darkside; a Force Scream. Var liked to call his a Force Roar. He had learned how to focus this devastating attack through years of practice and now unleashed it in the Jedi's direction. The room shook and the floor in front of him began to crack as the energy of the Force Scream flew across the room towards the frail looking Jedi.

 

[TAC]

"I would not be so sure," the angelic Jedi responded in turn. She was sure that he could hold him off all day- he was big and brutish, the one thing that she was exceptional fighting against. Her delicate frame and practiced lightsaber form allowed her to simply dance around the beast, and nothing he could do with his lightsaber would be able to compare with her skill of blade.

A force scream, however, was not expected. In fact, the Jedi Knight had never seen such a move. What exactly he would be doing remained a mystery to her, even though the move in the force was obvious, and it gave time for Jalaila to react. She stepped forward, her lightsaber pointing towards the Sith's gut as she pushed forward as quickly as possible. There was no hesitation in the trained warrior's movements- the Sith's swords were simply at his side, waiting to be dropped as the beast was slain.

What happened next, however, would have never been expected. As Jalaila moved forward, ripples from the Force started to emanate from the Sith's mouth as he opened it. She could feel the beginnings of the scream slam into her, almost in slow motion, as she neared inches away from the Acolyte. The speed of sound significantly faster than her own well oiled movements, however, and as the scream continued she could feel the pressure from the scream. She was lifted up and off the ground, slammed at a high velocity backwards. As she flew threw the air, spinning so her feet were now in the air, sh struggled to react and find some way to slow herself down. As she flew, however, one of the moving blocks flew up into the air, catching her unprotected head and smashing it. As she moved past the block, her head flew from her body as inertia took over.

A frail, beautiful being, stamped out by the tyranny of the Sith.

Another Jedi deceased.

Another story at it's end.

 

[Alhon]

It happened incredibly fast.

Simon was a third of the way towards his fellow Jedi, hurrying cautiously across the volatile floor and anxious to lend his blade to the fight against the Sith. Already he had noticed weaknesses in the creatures attack, points he could exploit to put an end to the beast.

He was focusing so intently on the demon before him that he failed to detect the second’s approach. Out of nowhere his senses flared in warning and he sidestepped at the last moment, a knife slashing through the air where his shoulder had been. Whirling, he drew his lightsaber, blue blade igniting to reveal a second Sith, far shorter than the first. Indeed, this attacker was every bit a shadow of his counterpart; small, silent and stealthy. His aura was not one of aggression, but anxiety and fear. Simon kept his blade steady; fear was a powerful ally for a Sith and he would be a fool to underestimate one who so nearly struck him down.

“I am Dram of the Jedi Order” he said, hoping to take advantage of his foe’s apparent under confidence. “You cannot prevail. Lay down your arms.”

Though uncertain of this Sith’s capabilities, Simon sensed he would have a considerable chance of victory if it came to a fight. He and his fellow Jedi would draw a line here, in this training room. The servants of darkness would advance no further.

Then a scream sounded behind him. A scream unlike any he had ever heard.

 

[Indigo]

Nirulve landed ungracefully onto the floor, which bent and shifted under and around him, partially surrounding the tiny creature. He spun to look at his opponent, who was now speaking. His eyes narrowed, their pale yellow light scanning the young jedi. Lay down his weapons? No. Nono. That would be foolish, because to turn away would be to be cut from behind. No. He had to move forward. All he had to do was defend until the other Sith was free to butcher the new opponent. Well then. Nirulve took a basic defensive stance, the first stance learned in Soresu. His fear flowed through him, the floor around him forming a defensive wall, spikes protruding from it. Nirulve steeled himself, only to nearly fall over from the force of the roar emitted by the beast-sith. Nirulve turned, and watched the angel jedi die. He was surprised; if he had known how fast she would fall he would not have bothered entering. As it was he now had to find a way to escape, rather than get caught up in the carnage of the beast sith. He spoke, softly, the whirring of the machines nearly blocking the voice out in it's entirety.

"Your survival, not mine, is in doubt, Dram. Goodbye."

With that he tried something; he threw his own energies at the floor, raising it up, hiding him from both the Jedi and Sith that remained in the room. He looked to the body of the dead angel, silently running to it, hiding himself with the force as the walls fell, checking to make sure she was dead. He did not doubt it; her head was no longer present. Better to be sure however; he had heard some aliens could survive losing their head, and it would not do to assume in a combat situation. A glance at her immobile and ruined form confirmed it; only three things lived in the room now. Nirulve knew that soon it would be down to two; the beast Sith did not leave people alive.

 

[Fantasy Liver]

Ike Heeba was crying. His entire squad that had been assigned to fortify the Jedi Temple had been decimated by the Sith. He was the only survivor. And not through any skill that he possessed. Rather, when he and a fellow Human private had seen their squad being slaughtered, they decided to retreat. Unfortunately, the Human had been wounded mortally before making a full escape. Ike wandered the Temple, trying to find somewhere where he could rest and maybe access some sort of communication equipment to convey to his captain that the squad had been wiped out. After all, regardless of what the captain thought about Jedi, this Temple was of strategic importance.

He, instead, made his way to the Jedi Temple Training Rooms, after a time, where he found Simon and the Sith engaged in combat. He was about thirty feet behind the Sith.

"Freeze Sith scum!" Ike yelled, raging at the loss of his squad. He opened fire on the Sith; shooting three times with his K8 blaster.

 

[Alhon]

Torn between the foe before him and the plight of his fellow Jedi, Simon found it difficult to prioritise his actions.

Risking a glance over his shoulder he caught sight of the female Jedi hurtling through the air, seemingly thrown from her feet by the beast-Sith’s powerful outburst. Her head smashed against one of the blocks with a sickening crack and her body landed awkwardly. She made no move to rise.

Simon shut his eyes against the realisation that another Jedi had fallen. Yet, there was no time to dwell on failure now.

He turned back quickly as blaster bolts ricocheted across the room, apparently aimed at the second Sith. The Lannik was already moving however and the young padawan leapt aside as the floor hurtled upwards at his foe’s command, throwing up a wall between them. Simon pivoted, glancing through a gap in the blocks and seeking the source of the blaster fire. An alliance solider hurried past his vision, pursuing the short Sith into the shadows.

“You there!” Simon called, “My name is Dram, I’m a Jedi, find a way round here immediately; the greater foe is on this side of the wall!”.

Simon wheeled, confident that he was right. The Lannik was a small, fearful creature and for the moment he appeared to have fled. The hulking beast visible on his side of the room was neither small nor afraid however. The creature had already slain one Jedi with his ferocious assault; he was clearly skilled. Simon only hoped he was now overconfident also.

He raised his blue blade into his Soresu stance, addressing the beast directly. “For each of us you lay low, more will rise to oppose you…”

His gripped his hilt tightly, centring himself, feeling the weight of the Force at his back.

“I will do what I must”.

 

[Wanderer]

"You are right about that." Snarled Var with a vicious smile on his lips. His fangs, bloodied as he used them in battle against non-Jedi, gleamed in the dim light. "You Jedi are like cockroaches. So easy to kill, but you pests pop up everywhere. First I will kill your little soldier friend, then you, and then I will find some more Jedi to play with."

He looked over to the dead Jedi and then back to the small human. He hefted his deadly warblades and twirled them in sinister arcs at his sides, readying his muscles for combat. He hadn't had his fill of blood and death. Oh no, not yet. There were more to kill and Var was very happy. He had killed the first Jedi he had faced in mere moments, but he wanted more blood. "The angel didn't last long, I wonder if you can do better. Limbtaker and Soultaker are hungry...let's feed them your blood!"

With that the monstrous Bothan smiled and roared. He would let the small one make his first move while also watching the soldier. Blaster bolts were easy to deflect, but annoying. Var also made sure to make it a point of...talking to the cowardly acolyte hiding somewhere in the room.

 

[Fantasy Liver]

Ike Heeba stopped and heeded Simon's words. He stealthily made his way around the other side but because he was a newcomer to the training room, it would take him awhile before he got there. The fluctuating floors didn't help either.

The little Ortolan hoped that he would be of assistance to Simon. But what he, an ordinary soldier could do against this beast of a Sith was uncertain.

He stopped when he saw Var and spat in the Sith's direction and then leveled his blaster at him but did not fire yet.

"You're going to pay for all of this, Sith" the Ortolan spat, using the term Sith like an insult.