Of forests and fire (Cassus vs Vlatkat)

[+SpaceJesus+]

The world was enraptured in deep sleep, resting in anticipation of a conflict strange and unprecedented. The forests of Naboo scratched and rustled erratically as small creatures scuffled through alien branches. In the small clearing a figure sat quietly, legs folded in meditation. His pale white skin glistened slightly from the deep mists that flowed over every inch of the jungle surface, and on his was an expression of pure nothingness. And yet, even as the world put off a facade of peace from every point, there lingered a malevolent and unnatural aura that perforated the harmonious biome, emanating from the figure like smoke from a fire. Deep inside his peaceful appearance, a dark inferno most foul crackled to life.

Vlatkat stirred from his meditations, and tilted his head to the side curiously. He sensed someone coming.

@Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

As he trudged his way through the thick forests of Naboo, Cassus wondered why people liked Naboo so much. It was more of a rural backwater meets ecological preserve than some sort of paradise world. There were planets with vastly superior beauty and more stunning fauna and flora. Even the architecture of Naboo was rather unimpressive to the Jedi Knight as he had seen worlds with buildings with much more unique and much more magnificent designs all across the Galaxy.

Today, he was here to track down a group of smugglers who were supposed to be transporting an item that was stolen from the royal family of Naboo. It was rumored that the group was holed up in this forest, so he had decided to set out on foot; he didn't want to buzz the forest in a speeder scanning for life signs since that might spook the smugglers into moving.

As he made his way through the forest, his maille armor clinking very quietly as he walked, Cassus thought he detected something faint in the forest through the Force. It felt odd, cold, out of place. It was the briefest sensation, but Cassus had a feeling it didn't belong. Stopping for a moment, he closed his eyes and reached out into the Force, calming his mind and listening to it. After several quiet moments he had a feeling of which direction he needed to walk to find the source of this peculiarity. Taking his primary lightsaber into his hand, Cassus slowly realized that this presence was tainted and malevolent. There was something dark in the forest.

Making his way into a small clearing, Cassus recognized what was a figure in the middle of this grove. Hesitantly, cautiously he spoke, "Hello?"

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

Vlatkat raised an eyebrow at the mans question, then reached out towards him with the force. He sensed the essence of life flowing in him, and he grinned a knowing smile faintly. His day had just become a lot more interesting. He weighed his options.

"Wonderful day out today, isn't it?" He mused, neither turning his head nor opening his eyes as he spoke. "I always did like Naboo. The complex ecosystem, the culture, the beautiful scenery both on the surface and under the waters. It's just so... Amusing. It reminds me of my homeworld I suppose."

The tendrils on the back of his head shifted to the side as he repositioned his legs to form a kneeling position. His midnight red eyes snapped open suddenly, almost radiating darkness from their pupiless spheres. "Now then, was there something you were looking for? Something... Troubling you perhaps?" His fingers brushed against his light saber absentmindedly.

 

[Ral]

As the figure spoke, Cassus quickly realized that this man wasn't human at all but was in fact an alien. Watching carefully, the Knight made sure to watch his movements. While he wasn't naturally suspicious of someone in a forest, meeting someone who felt distinctly odd in the Force in this particular forest was more than a little suspicious to him. So, he was going to treat this man with suspicion until he proved himself trustworthy.

The Nautolan wasn't making it easy for Cassus to trust him, however. His words were as odd as he was, stated in a way that made it seem like something untoward was afoot. Or perhaps that was Cassus' natural paranoia speaking. In either case, the Knight would regard the alien with a wary prudence, watching what he did as he spoke, and listening to his words, trying to feel him through the Force. No matter what he did to dissuade his paranoia, a lingering sensation of danger pervaded his soul.

As the alien shifted into a kneeling position, Cassus warily drew the Force inwards, gathering it up around him and in him as he remembered the Jedi Code. The alien's eyes were alarming, bug aside from a barely-noticeable curl of the lip, nothing on Cassus' face betrayed his thoughts. Cassus was sure now, this Nautolan knew of the dark side, he was the cold presence Cass had felt. The knight wouldn't make the first move, though, he would wait for this alien to do it. "Indeed, I'm looking for some smugglers. But I seem to have found something much more disturbing and troubling. You wouldn't happen to have seen these smugglers perchance?"

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

"I've seen plenty." Vlatkat chuckled. Awfully quick one, he thought. He stared out across the landscape in thought. "They're practically everywhere now, taking advantage of political instability. Every kind of uncivilized vermin finding refuge in suffering. See, that's what happens when you try to give criminals freedom when in crisis. They thrive on your selflessness, like maggots in a day old carcass."

Vlatkat rose to his feet methodically. "Lest one learn to control them, they will continue to hurt those who are innocent" He turned, his eyes containing genuine mirth behind their in them. "Ah well, those are simply the ramblings of a man with to much time to think. Honestly, I probably could have been a bit more cordial then unsettling you with my monologgingz So let's get to the point shall we?"

His light saber flew into his hands from inside his monochrome cloak. "Are you going to try to kill me now?"

 

[Ral]

"Is that a fact?" Cassus remarked, his grip on the hilt of his lightsaber increasing slightly as he watched the Nautolan carefully. This figure's words had the subtext of a authoritarian, one who did not appreciate the price or necessity of freedom. Momentarily tensing as the alien rose to his feet, Cassus reminded himself to relax, continuing to focus his mind on drawing on the Force around him. Becoming calm, serene, and focused once more, the Jedi Knight felt the Force around him, feeling its flow. Shrugging slightly at the Nautolan's remarks about smugglers, Cassus forced a smile. "I suppose it just can't be helped. Not all smugglers are bad from my experience. Sure they might skirt the law for a living, but they can bring as much good as bad."

Watching as the figure drew his lightsaber into his hand, getting to the heart of the matter, Cassus scowled. He knew how this was going to go. With a slight sigh, Cassus spoke. "Kill you? Should I? Have you done something that warrants an execution? I'd prefer this not to end in violence, but if you're going to force the issue..." His voice trailed off. "Will you willingly surrender your weapon and come with me for... questioning?"

Cassus expected this to play out only one way. But that didn't mean he wouldn't at least try, and it was clear this Nautolan wasn't nobody, which means he'd like the Order to have a proper discussion with him. If the Nautolan came with Cassus they could avoid any misunderstandings and see what he's really about.

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

Vlatkats eyes narrowed. Cassus had unwittingly struck a nerve in the nautolans mind. He seethed inwardly at the mans defense of smugglers, the brutality of dark memories creeping their way into the wryness in his voice. "You haven't seen them as I have." He said. "You should not pretend to understand those heathens." His initial indignation was curtailed by the mans slight jump at him getting up, once again igniting his sense of humor. "A bit jumpy, are we?" He chuckled.

The Sith considered his enemies words for a moment. "For the record, you were the one who disturbed me." He chastised. "But if you really want my weapon, then fine. You can go ahead and take it."

Suddenly the curved light saber burst into life. It hummed and crackled with dark energy, and in flash of movement Vlatkat hurled the blade, sending it whirling madly at Cassus.

 

[Ral]

"I pretend nothing. Not all are bad people. Some can be noble, simple men trying to make ends meet." Cassus shrugged. His face became a bit more stern at the alien's joke. Inhaling through the nose, Cassus responded, "Not nearly jumpy enough I should think given the situation we find ourselves in."

The knight was about to respond once again to the dark sider's attempted chastisement when the Nautolan activated his sword and sent it flying towards Cassus. For the fairly experienced knight, Cassus could hardly believe such a bold and rash move. His body relaxed, he waited the second he needed for the blade to come as close as possible, then side-stepping to the right safely out of the way at the last moment, activated one of his cyan blades. Knocking the dark sider's blade up where it could not harm him, Cassus extended his off-hand, reaching out, he called it to him with the Force power be had been gathering up for last several seconds.

It would be too late for the Nautolan to recall the blade, and it would be much easier for Cassus to simply redirect the lightsaber's hilt back to his hand safely, especially given his natural talent with telekinesis. The Nautolan would find it harder to stop his blade and call it all the way back to him than it was for Cassus standing there beside it with all of his built-up power, not having to reverse its forward momentum. Calling the curved hilt to his hand, the Jedi Knight spoke, "So, will you come with me peacefully now?"

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

As the man looked toward the clearing where Vlatkat had been standing, he would it find disturbingly empty. He had used the moment of distraction to leap into the trees overhead, unseen by the Jedi in his attempts to stop his sword. As he ran and swung from branch to branch, he reached into his cloak, scattering small detonators at strategically pinpointed locations where they stuck to the trees and rocks below. Timing. Timing was everything. Just as the Jedi had gone to grab his sword into his hand, Vlatkat flipped and positioned his feet against the side of a branch, and catapulted himself far below.

Suddenly, he was behind the Jedi, leaping down with inhuman speed just as he finished his sentence. "Nope." He cracked, and using the moment of shock that would come from the Jedi hearing him directly behind him, he struck with both palms against the lower curve of Cassus's back, using a force push at point blank range. He angled it to send him flying upwards, drawing the Jedi into one of the deathtraps he had set in the trees. In the few seconds Cassus was airborne, Vlatkat hit a string of buttons on the detonator on his wrist, engulfing the air around the jedi in an explosion of flame and crushing shockwaves.

 

[Ral]

(OOC: Just an FYI in PVP you're allowed a reaction and generally 2-3 individual actions. You're also only allowed to focus on one application of the Force at a time, and anything actively distracting, like getting shot at or balancing amongst trees, would break that focus and prevent active Force usage. Basically, things that would be stressing or force someone to split their active focus means you can't effectively draw on the Force, and any used powers would be significantly weaker than desired.)

It took only a few quick seconds for Cassus to deflect and catch the dark sider's lightsaber. Bringing the hilt into his hand, the Jedi looked out across the clearing to see that it was empty. Sighing, Cassus dropped himself into the currents of the Force, drawing it in again. He hadn't expended much pulling the blade to his hand, but the Knight liked to be prepared. That's when he heard the movement in the trees above him, and looking up, saw the Nautolan swinging through the trees like some kind of alien chimp, throwing something down onto the trees and the ground. The knight would be somewhat surprised by the move, the usage of the Force like that would demand burning through much of the dark sider's energy.

Rolling his eyes, Cassus used his Force reserve and extending a hand, used the Force to pull the Nautolan out of the tree with a sudden and powerful tug that would cause him to hurtle to the ground. He would time it so the move was done during the alien's vaults between trees, so that he would find it incredibly difficult to stop himself from falling to the ground. Thus, preventing him from setting any more charges than the ones he had already managed to set.

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

(OOC: Just an FYI in PVP you're allowed a reaction and generally 2-3 individual actions. You're also only allowed to focus on one application of the Force at a time, and anything actively distracting, like getting shot at or balancing amongst trees, would break that focus and prevent active Force usage. Basically, things that would be stressing or force someone to split their active focus means you can't effectively draw on the Force, and any used powers would be significantly weaker than desired.)

It took only a few quick seconds for Cassus to deflect and catch the dark sider's lightsaber. Bringing the hilt into his hand, the Jedi looked out across the clearing to see that it was empty. Sighing, Cassus dropped himself into the currents of the Force, drawing it in again. He hadn't expended much pulling the blade to his hand, but the Knight liked to be prepared. That's when he heard the movement in the trees above him, and looking up, saw the Nautolan swinging through the trees like some kind of alien chimp, throwing something down onto the trees and the ground. The knight would be somewhat surprised by the move, the usage of the Force like that would demand burning through much of the dark sider's energy.

Rolling his eyes, Cassus used his Force reserve and extending a hand, used the Force to pull the Nautolan out of the tree with a sudden and powerful tug that would cause him to hurtle to the ground. He would time it so the move was done during the alien's vaults between trees, so that he would find it incredibly difficult to stop himself from falling to the ground. Thus, preventing him from setting any more charges than the ones he had already managed to set.

Vlatkat hit the ground hard on his back, but he refused to pay the pain of impact any attention. He had started out the fight on a light and passive note, cocky almost. He inwardly scolded himself. Boredom was no reason to act illogical, and he was frustrated at himself for creating a disadvantage so early. He had to get serious. From the place he was laying in the ground he snatched several pebble sized charges from his cloak. He flung them outwards toward his opponent, and they burst in front of him, creating a flash of light and burst of sound. Flash bangs. He knew that his opponents ability to sense danger would not detect them like they would a regular blast, keeping Cassus from dodging them.

He threw the weight of his legs forward, jumping to his feet quickly. He eyed his opponent with a malicious calm as he charged him, his eyes blazing but his face remaining fixed in expressionless rage. He called upon his knowledge of martial arts, dropping to one Knee and ducking underneath his opponents right arm. He sent a quick blow into the bottom of the mans ribcage, then used the bend of his right knee to leap to the side away from danger. It was a single, fluid motion. Approach, position, strike, recoil, recover, repeat. It all happened in the flash of a single moment, a process honed to be second nature. He spun as he dodged, sending a quick strike toward a pressure point on his left shoulder before snaping it back into another evasive turn away from danger. Each movement flowed into the other, merging into a single maneuver, a single martial arts form completed in a few seconds.

 

[Ral]

Watching with a sort of smug glee as the Nautolan fell quite quickly through the overhead canopy and to the ground, Cassus began to gather up the Force again. He normally didn't expect to use the Force this much, but whoever this darksider was apparently wanted to play around before actually fighting. It didn't matter to the Jedi, whatever this Nautolan, if he wanted to waste energy or actually fight, Cassus would be ready.

Watching, he saw what appeared to be a lot of small rocks being thrown at him. Using the Force he gathered up, he created a telekinetic wave of energy to throw them back at the Nautolan. If this alien was going to resort to dirty tricks and distractions, then Cassus was going to just put him out of his misery; he wasn't going to put up with it any more. Of course, it only took another second for the redirected "pebbles" to explode all over where their owner was. A look of surprise crossed Cassus's face, the devices weren't very powerful considering their size, but they could cause a meager distraction to someone caught unawares.

With the Nautolan's surprise foiled, Cassus would grip both lightsabers, dropping into a two-handed defensive stance and proceeding cautiously forward so as not to be taken by surprise or pass too close to a device the Nautolan placed earlier. He gathered up the Force, reaching out he would grip the Nautolan's large tentacled head, and throw it into the ground hard, pinning it there, the pressure almost crushing bone and causing severe discomfort.

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

He threw the weight of his legs forward, jumping to his feet quickly in the few seconds he had bought himself. Vlatkat leapt over the charges as they flew back at him, refusing to use the force to block them in order to conserve energy. As a Sith, Vlatkat was taught from the beginning of his training how to resist another persons influence on them through the force. Now that he was able to concentrate, he would not be effected by the humans grip. Vlatkat infused the air around him with emotion, creating a field of volatile energy that pushed back against the push, then redirected the flow of energy downwards to redirect the motion of his jump mid air. He landed several meters to the left of Cassus. He considered attacking again, but decided against it. He would not play this game on the Jedis terms. The Jedi would have to come to him should he be so bold as to challenge his power. He summoned forth the force, invigorating himself over time and shielding himself from more attacks with telekinesis. He struck a defensive Kagato stance, readying himself for the coming assault. "Show me your worth, Jedi. I would hate for you to disappoint me."

 

[Ral]

(Remember that you can only do one Force thing at a time)

Watching as the stun grenades seemed to miraculously not harm the dark sider before him, Cassus simply watched as the Nautolan lept away from him. Sighing, Cassus noted that his usage of the Force had made him slightly tired, but even he had not used it nearly as much as this dark sider had. So, he immersed himself into currents of the Force once more, feeling at peace as he walked forward slowly, making sure to avoid any potential explosives or detonators from before. Through the Force the Jedi could feel the Nautolan was ready for another attack.

Time to change tactics.

When the Nautolan started taunting him, Cassus simply ignored the alien's words, continually drawing the Force inwards as he cautiously approached. Looking behind the Nautolan, there was a skull sized rock on the ground clearing any leaves or sticks or anything that might make noise, slighty off to the right. Dropping his blades, Cassus called out to the Force, slowly lifting the rock up into the air as he approached as he rose his own blades into a fighting position. Finally, once he was close enough, "Now we wouldn't want to disappoint you, would we?"

Then throwing the rock at the Nautolan's back so it would catch him in the right shoulder if it hit, initially using the Force to sling it forward, then letting the momentum carry it forward the rest of the way through the Nautolan's defenses. He timed it to attack with his primary hand, stepping in with his right foot slashing down to up from right to left in a diagonal line from hip to shoulder. If the Nautolan tried to dodge back or to his right the rock would hit him, if he moved in or dodged to his right the Jedi's blades would be there ready to cut him to pieces.

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

Vlatkat watched as Cassus lowered his sabers. He inwardly lamented the foolishness of the opening his opponent had created. He waited Strategically, allowing Cassus to begin concentrating on whatever it was that he was he was trying to lift. With a flick of his wrist he curled the fingers on his outstretched hand, sending out a single bolt of lightning that clawed its path angrily right between the eyes of the Jedi, thwarting his advances. It was a conservative blast, enough to catch him off guard and cause a great deal of pain and incapacitation on its impact while not using to much energy. Whatever block Cassus would conjure out of his broken concentration would be flimsy at best, and it would keep him from starting any more funny business for the time being. For a man who held two swords against an unarmed foe, he seemed almost comically hesitant to actually engage him without trying to use the force. Vlatkat smiled devilishly. "Try again."

 

[Ral]

(Remember, drawing on the Force takes enough time that it can be interrupted. You've been using the Force quite a lot for extravagant uses and with little to no breaks, so reactively casting something like lightning would be really hard to do.)

Seeing the Nautolan's hands shoot up, Cassus who had yet to begin lifting the rock, grimaced as he had to reactively bring his lightsaber up to block the lightning that was spewing forth from this dark sider's hand. It seemed like such an excessive and wasteful use of the Force, and so quickly done that a normal Force User would probably have started to become fatigued by such displays of power, however brief they were. And unfortunately for this Nautolan, whose name he still had yet to learn, blocking a single bolt of lightning was easy for a Jedi. So, he brought his lightsaber up and shielded himself from the energy, letting the blade absorb the unnatural electricity. Naturally, Cassus wasn't able to focus on lifting the stone at the moment, but this Force User would be unable to try and defend against telekinesis with the Force while shooting lightning at him.

With a sigh and the roll of the eyes, Cassus continued to close the ground between them, still making sure to avoid any possible explosives the Nautolan had dropped whilst harmlessly blocking any more lightning with the vibrant cyan blade of his primary lightsaber. With the Nautolan's lightsaber pointed down at the ground, but securely in his hand, and with his own blade covering the rest of his body, hilt also securely in hand. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" Cassus asked as he looked rather nonplussed at the lightning sent his way. Still, feeling the Force flow around them, the Jedi tapped into it, once again letting it run through him and build up in him. Closing the distance until there was only a short gap between then, "Oh, was that supposed to frighten me? Perhaps hurt me a little? You know, for such an aggressive display of the Force, you must be surely starting to feel the affects of using it so much to stay alive. It seems like so much work, don't you want to surrender instead?"

Cassus knew the answer would be a "no." So, the Jedi would swing his cyan blade diagonally down and to the left cutting from shoulder to hip, immediately followed up by a twist of the wrist into a thrust.

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

(Remember, drawing on the Force takes enough time that it can be interrupted. You've been using the Force quite a lot for extravagant uses and with little to no breaks, so reactively casting something like lightning would be really hard to do.)

Seeing the Nautolan's hands shoot up, Cassus who had yet to begin lifting the rock, grimaced as he had to reactively bring his lightsaber up to block the lightning that was spewing forth from this dark sider's hand. It seemed like such an excessive and wasteful use of the Force, and so quickly done that a normal Force User would probably have started to become fatigued by such displays of power, however brief they were. And unfortunately for this Nautolan, whose name he still had yet to learn, blocking a single bolt of lightning was easy for a Jedi. So, he brought his lightsaber up and shielded himself from the energy, letting the blade absorb the unnatural electricity. Naturally, Cassus wasn't able to focus on lifting the stone at the moment, but this Force User would be unable to try and defend against telekinesis with the Force while shooting lightning at him.

With a sigh and the roll of the eyes, Cassus continued to close the ground between them, still making sure to avoid any possible explosives the Nautolan had dropped whilst harmlessly blocking any more lightning with the vibrant cyan blade of his primary lightsaber. With the Nautolan's lightsaber pointed down at the ground, but securely in his hand, and with his own blade covering the rest of his body, hilt also securely in hand. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" Cassus asked as he looked rather nonplussed at the lightning sent his way. Still, feeling the Force flow around them, the Jedi tapped into it, once again letting it run through him and build up in him. Closing the distance until there was only a short gap between then, "Oh, was that supposed to frighten me? Perhaps hurt me a little? You know, for such an aggressive display of the Force, you must be surely starting to feel the affects of using it so much to stay alive. It seems like so much work, don't you want to surrender instead?"

Cassus knew the answer would be a "no." So, the Jedi would swing his cyan blade diagonally down and to the left cutting from shoulder to hip, immediately followed up by a twist of the wrist into a thrust.

The Jedi was right. Vlatkat felt pain, that deep inner aching that w always follow extended effort. Pushing his limits was always painful, was always tiring. And Vlatkat loved it. Every fiber of his being reveled with the enjoyment that came with feeling himself burn inside. This feeling, the feeling that he was fighting to the best of his ability, it was invigorating, and it seemed to only bolster his strength.

Vlatkat reacted with flawless reflexes, his natural swiftness picking up with the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He hopped backwards a step or two, springing backwards with the swinging grace. He eyed his the second saber in his opponents hand, sure to be watchful in case of a secondary attack. As the first slash gave way to a stab, Vlatkat sidestepped with another sideways hop, landing to his opponents side. He grabbed hold of the humans extended limb right below the underarm and held it in place. He continued to keep himself ready for any attacks made for the second saber. He placed a short stomping kick into the Popliteal Fossa, causing his opponents knee to buckle. With the force he used he wouldn't be surprised if the strain on the joint dislocated it. Then he dropped the elbow on his unoccupied arm into a harsh blow to the spine, sending Cassus sprawling headfirst into the dirt with his nautolan strength. All of this took but a single second to occur.

 

[Ral]

Cassus anticipated the alien's reactions perfectly, first backing out of the way, which is why Cassus followed with a thrust forward. Naturally, the only reaction to that for the Nautolan was to dodge to the side. What he failed to remember though, was that Cassus had two lightsabers. Allowing the Nautolan to grab ahold of his arm, Cassus waited until the alien brought his knee up and started to kick before executing his reaction. Using the dark sider's lightsaber, Cassus swung it around to his side, cutting off the leg mid-thigh as it extended outwards before it even connected with his knee. The Nautolan would be committed to the strike thus unable to stop it, and without a blade of his own could not intercept the strike to block it.

Immediately Cassus flowed from that strike into the next slash. Pulling his primary arm in, Cassus pulled the arm the Nautolan was using to grasp him forward, closer to him. Swinging the dark sider's blade upward in an arc, Cassus would sever the alien's arm just above the elbow. Claiming two limbs in as many seconds.

 

[+SpaceJesus+]

He was about to lose. He knew so even before the blade had struck him. He had overestimated his abilities yet again, and he was about to pay for it. In those few moments, Vlatkat resigned himself to what was about to occur, refusing to give the Jedi any satisfaction in emotional agony. This was his method of coping with pain, as always. Take it as something that did not matter,and it could not hurt you. Limbs could be replaced, after all.

He fell to the ground, dismembered and limp. Vlatkat gritted his teeth at the pain, but did not utter a single sound of remorse. He simply examined his newly mad stumps thoughtfully, methodically on the ground, then sighed in despondency. "Shame. I expected more from you." Vlatkat lifted himself up on his arm, bracing himself with hand and stump. "That was quite a violent move for a Jedi," he taunted. "I don't know why I even pretend to be surprised. I've seen it time and time again. Truth is you're no different than us. You crave the chance to harm those who disagree with you. In fact, you are worse than us, because even as your wanton acts of 'peace' leave bloodstained planets in their wake, when your reformations upend order in the galaxy because no one could be bothered consider the collateral damage they would cause, you still won't acknowledge the pain you create. We do. And we keep going because we know we can't trust you to do anything useful with your power."

Vlatkat stumbled backwards on his hands, and fell backwards onto his back. He grunted, then complacently put his remaining hand in his white robe, letting it rest on his heart. Metal brushed across his fingertips. He looked up at Cassus, an eyebrow raised. "Anyway, it seems pacifism only goes so far on your kind." He taunted "Tell me, did I anger you?"

 

[Ral]

Feeling the blade curb through flesh, Cassus knew his strike had connected. It would have been almost impossible to dodge at that range with almost no time, after all. Bringing the dark sider's blade up as he turned his body, finishing the strike which claimed two limbs, Cassus centered himself, becoming at peace with the Force and gathering it to him as the Nautolan hit the ground. To this alien's credit he didn't scream or whimper, despite being in what Cassus could only guess as agonizing pain. The Jedi could respect that, had to respect it.

Bringing his blades down so that the points were merely inches from the Nautolan's chest, Cassus controlled his breathing as he watched the dark sider carefully, wary of any more of his underhanded tricks. The Jedi could at least do the courtesy of listening to the Sith's monologuing speech about how all in his order weren't that much different from the Sith. That didn't mean he has to appear interested, or even really acknowledge what the Nautolan said. He went on for quite a while about how the Jedi caused pain and refused to acknowledge the suffering. It sounded like a load of uneducated, uninformed, dogmatic drivel that he'd expect from a Sith. The same hypocrisy that caused Cassus to dislike many in his own order.

When the Sith finished, Cassus sighed, never taking his eyes off the Nautolan. Speaking just as the Nautolan's arms, or what remained of them weakened, "You forget one thing during your preaching. You caused this conflict today. I gave you the chance to surrender before defending myself. And if you had done anything other than try to kill me..." Cassus trailed off as the Nautolan collapsed, he saw the snake of a hand start to move into the Sith's robe. Tired, and not wanting to deal with any more tricks, Cassus scowled as he immediately flicked the wrist of his right hand, severing the Sith's hand from the rest of the arm in the middle of the forearm. He wasn't going to deal with another grenade or a hold out blaster. "You would still have your limbs."