Ask Coruscant Rise Up

[Emilia Vuth]

​

Coruscant Underworld, Lower Levels

The lower levels of Coruscant had a smell. Emilia couldn't put her finger on exactly how it smelt. It just smelt... dirty. She wouldn't want to live here, though at the moment she blended into the underworld well enough. Mostly she appeared as a small figure in a dark gray cloak, as she'd pulled the hood up. Today she'd also chosen to a wear mask because of what she—no, they—were about to do. Snug beneath her cloak was the Scoundrel Armor that she'd gotten from Gatz.

Obviously she wasn't going to wear her white robes down here. They'd stick out and get more attention than she wanted. Besides, she didn't want this to be easily tracked back to her if something went wrong, not when it came to a cult of highly trained assassins. Her lightsabers were snug to her hip and obfuscated per usual, so they were not a concern.

A soft buzz from her hip caught her attention, causing the small sephi to reach down and pluck her comlink from her belt. "Did you find it?" Emilia asked, hearing her stoic tone echoing softly down the empty ally. "Yes, its where we thought it'd be. We can cut through a vent on the south side to get in," the voice said on the other end through the slight crackling of inference.

So they had been right. One of the assassins dens was here.

"Keep Danth outside on watch. You and Oso meet me near the vent," Emilia commanded as she usually did. "Understood," the other voice answered, use to Emilia's bossiness by now. It didn't even make him blink at this point. Besides, it was her mission. He and his people were doing her a favour in return for what she'd done for them.

With a quick thumb of the button, Emilia ended the call. She placed her comlink back on her belt, taking a look around for anyone that might've been listening before taking quicker steps than usual down the ally.

@logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Coruscant had served as the capital of the galaxy for almost longer than anyone could remember. Species from all over had made their home here. It was a melting pot of different races and cultures. It was here that Tiberius found himself. He had been here on the lower levels of the planets for the last few days. He had been gathering information trying to figure out the Sith empire’s next move.

Down here the inhabitants were far removed from the natural sun light provided by the star the planet orbited. Instead the streets were illuminated by neon signs and street lights. It was almost like it was constantly nighttime on these lower levels. The lack of fresh air didn’t do the environment any favors. There was a smelly smell that smelled smelly that was unique to the lower levels of Coruscant. After a while though you almost got used to it.

This was not Tiberius favorite place to be, but a necessary evil if you will. He had just met with an informant that had provided him with some information. The Jedi knight was heading back to his hotel to try and get some sleep. Walking down the streets Tiberius wore his Jedi wanderer robes that stuck out a little less than traditional Jedi Robes. This allowed him to be a little more incognito than he normally would be. His Lightsaber was clipped to his belt, concealed beneath his robes.

With hurried footsteps the Jedi traversed the streets. He rounded a corner to head down one of the alleys and BAM! He had run into someone (@Lilith ). The force of the impact had knocked Tiberius back and he fell square on his ass. He let out a grunt as he made contact with the ground. “Sorry.” He said quickly to whoever it was that he had run into. He pick himself up off the ground and looked at the unfortunate soul that he had collided with. The individual did not appear to be familiar to Tiberius they were wearing a mask that made recognizing a face difficult. Still, he extended a hand to help them up.

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Very little was going through the young Knights mind besides her mission when she began to round the corner. The fact that something could suddenly collide into her right now was not part of her current thoughts. Not until someone actually walked into her, sending her back. She let out a small grunt, not enjoying the feeling of her butt impacting with the cold, dirty ground of the underworld.

Emilia looked up as the figure extended his hand to help her. "I don't need your apology, or help," she answered, standing by herself and swatting away the extended hand.

Then she saw it.

"Tiberius?" the name left her lips with a surprised tone. Emilia did a double-take, staring at his face, into his eyes. It was him. Here? Now? Why? "You shouldn't be here," Emilia added as part of the shock wore off, uncaring that he'd more than likely recognize her from her voice at this point. She wasn't exactly sure what else to say to the man at the moment.

Then she remembered something. In one of her small pouches Emilia had a half-mask that covered the top of a face, just in case something happened to the mask she was currently wearing. She didn't really want to part with it but, without saying anything, the small sephi took the pouch with the half-mask off her belt and pushed it into Tiberius' chest if he didn't back up. "Put this on, and.."

Well, this was not in the plan.

It took a few seconds of thought before Emilia reached out to grab the Jedi Knight's hand to drag him along. Successful or not, she'd begin to walk. "Put that mask on. You shouldn't be there. This is currently the most dangerous part of Coruscants underworld." She couldn't spend too much time chiding and worrying about the man. She needed to meet her men or they'd begin to wonder if she was coming at all.

@logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

*Okay* Tiberius thought to himself as his kind gesture was promptly rejected, but then he heard the voice of the woman he had run into. It was familiar to him. There was no mistaking it. The voice. The warm reception. This could only be Emilia Vuth. “It’s good to see you too.” Tiberius said a little sarcastically as he retracting his outstretched hand.

The eyes of the two beings met and Tiberius heard the Sephi speak his name. Almost in the same breath she told him that he shouldn’t be here. “I can go where ever I please.” Tiberius responded a bit indignantly. Who was she to tell a grown man where he could or couldn’t go?

His comment seemed to go mostly ignored as a small pouch was thrust into his chest and the small Sephi instructed him to put it on in her usual bossy tone. Tiberius looked down at the pouch with a slightly puzzled look on his face. He opened the pouch to find a mask inside. He pulled the mask out and looked at it. It looked similar to the one that Emilia was currently wearing.

His inspection of the mask was interrupted by a yank on his other hand. The Sephi was surprisingly strong as she pulled the Jedi along. She repeated the instructions to put on the mask. Looking back down at the mask Tiberius slid it onto his face. The Sephi again reminded him that he wasn’t supposed to be here and followed it up by telling him that this was the most dangerous part of the underworld.

*Oh boy* Tiberius thought to himself. What was he getting dragged into? “You think that I come here just for fun?” He asked stilled being pulled along by the small framed woman. He pulled his hand away from hers, but continued to follow her closely. “I was here on business from the Order.” Much like the rest of his comments he didn’t figure this last one would get much attention. From Tiberius experience with Emilia she was a very focused individual who pressed on to her goals no matter what.

Tag: @Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Pretty much everything Tiberius said went in one of Emilia's ear and out the other. Of course he had the right to be here... it was just bad timing, at least as far as Emilia was concerned. She didn't want another Jedi caught up in this. If something bad happened, if she became a target of the cults, if there was a mistake, she didn't mind. But if another Jedi was effected by her actions? That was something else.

Emilia tried to push forward when Tiberius let go of her hand. He kept up with her, which was fine for the moment, but if he was smart he'd leave. "This area is controlled by a cult that goes by the name Drak Kor. If they knew a Jedi was snooping around..." Emilia trialed off.

In the distance the building that her and her "crew" were going to break in started to come into view. Emilia picked up her pace. "If you're smart you leave before you get caught up into the politics here. I don't care what the Order told you to do," she added, stopping for only a moment to make eye contact with the Jedi. He wouldn't be able to see but she frowned at him.

The small sephi knew she was bossy but didn't care. What she did was outside the law and likely outside the approval of the Jedi Order. She was an outsider and didn't really belong in the Order, but this Jedi didn't need to get caught up in her antics. If he was smart he'd give her a wide berth.

After the short stop Emilia faced back to the building, looking down at her datapad to confirm the location of her meet up and went forward silently. She took a darker ally in order to make it to the south side of the assassins base without being noticed. The closer she got to the area with the vent, the more she was able to see Oso and Carth.

Oso's arms were crossed and he was leaning against the wall near the vent. Both he and Carth were wearing the same outfit as Emilia, though they were much taller than her, of course. Carth smiled as Emilia closed the distance, "There you are boss, what took you so long?" he asked.

@logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Tiberius was keeping pace with the young Sephi. She began telling the knight about how this area was under the control of a cult. Didn’t seem much different than other situations Tiberius had been in where an area had been under control of a gang or something like that. “Dark Kor” Tiberius repeated quietly after Emilia. He had never heard of them.

The two passed many buildings as they trekked through the streets and alleys. To Tiberius they all looked the same he had no idea which building they were heading for. Emilia began telling him that he should leave before he got caught up in things. “I think it’s a little late for that.” Tiberius responded. The knight was getting mixed signals from the Sephi. She could have just left him in that alley where they ran into each other. Instead she grab Tiberius hand and literally dragged him into this. Something told Tiberius that Emilia did want the Jedi knight to join her, but her cold, apathetic façade made her tell Tiberius that she didn’t want him around.

Emilia halted turned to face Tiberius. The stop was so abrupt that Tiberius almost ran into her again. The knight stopped about a foot from the small Sephi. She stared into his eyes. Although her face was hidden from him Tiberius could tell that she was giving him some kind of disapproving look. In that moment of pause Tiberius thought about his options. This would not be the first time that Tiberius had done something the Order would not approve of. He had decided to go along with Emilia. *What’s the worst that could happen?* He asked himself mentally.

The Sephi began to walk again, and Tiberius followed after her. “So what’s so bad about this cult?” Tiberius asked as they walked.

They began nearing a building with two men standing near it. As they got closer one of the men referred to Emilia as ‘boss.’ Obviously these two men knew the Sephi, but how they knew her Tiberius didn’t know. “You didn’t tell me we were going to a party.” He said to Emilia jokingly referring to the other two men that they were most likely going to be working with.

Tag: @Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

"Drak Kor," Emilia corrected the man. "Not Dark Kor," she grunted. Drak was the name of the founding member of the cult, a man Emilia had yet to meet.

Because she'd spent so much time in the seedier areas of planets, including on this one, Emilia knew the streets like the back of her hand. Gangs, criminals, bounty hunters, illegal plots, smuggler routes, while her knowledge was limited, it was still there and she was keen on building it. Yes, she was Jedi and it was odd for her to be so engrossed in this dark world. It didn't matter to her. She had a feeling a day would come when she was expelled from the Order, and she was fine with that.

Action over inaction.

"The Drak Kor is a cult of highly trained assassins. Lately, they've been targeting... Actually, more specifically, hired to target high-profile Republic and Free World Alliance figures. I'm not keen to let them pull off the hits."

Once they reached the building and met up with Carth and Oso, Tiberius spoke. Emilia ignored it. There wasn't much to say. Either Tiberius dealt with the fact others were here or he left, it was up to him. The vent they were meant to go through was right beside Oso. Of course, it was sealed off with a grate. The small sephi didn't blink at the block. She summoned her lightsaber hilt to her hand and with a snap-hiss her purple blade came to life.

Oso stared at Tiberius. "You didn't tell me you were bringing another warm body, Boss," Oso said, though his dark brown eyes still fixed on the stranger. Oso was a human, around Tiberius' age, brown hair, dark brown eyes, with a brown cloak and cloth covering the lower half of his face. "You sure get around, huh?" he added.

"Shut up," Emilia answered, placing the end of her blade into the grate as she began to carve a way in for them.

Carth, on the other hand, was not human, but because he was wearing heavy armor and a helmet it was impossible to tell what species he was. He was much, much larger than Oso, and he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on when he saw Tiberius. Around six foot five, the bulky humanoid walked up to Tiberius. He stood close to the Jedi and looked down, letting off a long, threatening growl. "This one is taller than the last, but scrawny."

"Most of this 'party'," Oso began, gesturing to himself and Carth, his eyes still very much fixed on Tiberius. "Doesn't give a shit if some fat senator gets his head shot off. But Emilia does, and she's our pal," he said. Emilia grunted in return. "Despite her protests. In fact, I'd say she's part of the crew. But you..." Oso started to walk towards Tiberius. "Emilia isn't in the habit of bringing warm bodies without a heads up."

The clanking of heavy metal on the ground caught Oso's attention briefly. It was the chunk of the grate that Emilia cut out. "Leave him alone Oso, let's go," Emilia said plainly.

@logan2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

“Ah, I see” Tiberius said in response to being corrected by his young friend. She then went on to explain how the more about the cult and how they were targeting members of the Republic and the Free World Alliance. Tiberius thought that this would definitely be something that the Jedi Order would approve of. However, they may not approve of the means by which the hits were prevented, but one thing that Tiberius had learned about Emilia is that she didn’t really care much for what the Order thought. In fact, to call her a Jedi, at least in Tiberius opinion, was questionable. She was in the data base as a member, though, Tiberius had checked after their initial encounter.

Upon arriving at the rendezvous point Emilia didn’t seem to care for Tiberius’ party comment. He was only trying to lighten the mood with a little humor. He didn’t care if there were others here at all, and he had no plans of leaving.

As Emilia set to work making an entrance for the quartet the two non-Jedi members began to size up Tiberius. It started with Oso who expressed surprise at Tiberius presence. The knight kept silent on the fact that he hadn’t originally intended on joining the group when he woke up this morning in his dingy hotel room.

It was Carth’s turn next. He was quite a bit taller than Tiberius. It was rare that the knight had to look up at another individual to make eye contact, but such was the case with Carth. It seemed like the two humanoids were trying to intimidate Tiberius. It didn’t work though. Tiberius was used to being threatened. It came with the territory when you were a Jedi. Even if their intimidation tactics were successful it would be hard to tell through the mask that covered the jedi knight’s face.

“I’m the new and improved version.” Tiberius said jokingly in response to Carth. Internally he was asking himself, *The last one?* Was Emilia in the habit of bringing along people she thought could be used as cannon fodder?

Oso jumped in again telling Tiberius how they didn’t care about senators, and it was Emilia who did. He told the knight how they were only helping her because they were “pals.” *Who knew she had people that considered her a friend* Tiberius thought to himself, his eyes darting over to look at the small Sephi and her purple lightsaber cutting though the metal grate. Tiberius’ eyes move focused back on the two beings closet to him. “Yeah, once you get past the hard outer coating I’m sure she’s just soft and mushy inside.” He said this jokingly in response to Emilia caring about the lives of senators. “Not that I would know.” He added at the end.

Tiberius didn’t know why he was making so many jokes. Perhaps he was a little nervous and didn’t want to admit it to himself. He often used humor as a bit of a coping mechanism. Either way, Oso went on to say that Emilia normally gave a heads up when she was bringing someone new. “I guess she thought you guys could use a little extra help.” Tiberius gave a little shrug with his last comment.

The conversation was cut short though by the claxon of the metal grate hitting the ground and Emilia’s call for her companions to leave the Jedi alone. Assuming they relented and made their way over to Emilia Tiberius would follow them.

Tag: @Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Most of Tiberius' jokes were met with little more than smirks and sneers. And both Carth and Oso did not move right away when Emilia called them off. Oso's body was stiff and eyes remained fixated on the man, and Carth stayed in spot. Staring down intensely, the large humanoid gave one last warning, "Watch your mouth about her."

That was when the two men decided they were done 'playing' with the newcomer for now and turned around. Emilia was already in the vent and so they followed after, drawing their weapons. Unfortunately Emilia was not able to get far into the vent before she realized it was narrowing fast, and soon both her and the men following her wouldn't be able keep going.

Emilia turned her eyes downward and ignited her purple blade again. This time she pressed the blade into the bottom of the vent, knowing what was below it thanks to the map Oso had gotten. Though of course, Oso's map didn't include that the vent got tight, but it was still useful.

The sound of plasma against metal once again filled the air between the three men and small sephi. It took only seconds to cut a small square hole at the bottom of the vent, and the cut piece fell down once Emilia finished. She looked down through the cut and there was what she expected: a sewer. Emilia jumped through the opening, down into the sewer. Thankfully she landed on one of the sides with cement and not right into the water.

Oso and Carth followed Emilia shortly after. All three noticed that the sewer was lit by large lights connected to generators, which probably meant the assassins were using these tunnels near their base. That prompted Emilia to speak, "Carth." Carth nodded, grabbing detonators from his bag. He placed one where they were and then broke off from the group to continue placing them and connecting them throughout the building. "Be careful," Emilia said over her shoulder while Carth started to move away. The large humanoid stopped for a second and looked back, saying "You got it, boss," with an amuse laugh.

Emilia continued forward with her hilt in her hand when a stairwell came into view. At the bottom of the stairwell was when she heard it: the door at the top of the stairwell opening. Three figures appeared at the top, the brightly lit hallway behind them clearly outlining their figures. "Ah, finally, we've been waiting," the one in the lead said.

"Who are you?!" Oso asked from behind in a frustrated voice, raising his blaster. How the bantha did these people know they were coming?

Something shiny in the lead man's hand (at the doorway) reflected light, casting small streaks of it across the stairwell walls. And soon, the pale white light was replaced with a red glow, and it became clear that the item in the mans hand was a lightsaber. The snap-hiss of the red blade made Emilia raise up her own. Half the hallway conflicted with the colour of the other: the red blade's light bled into the purple light of Emilia's blade.

If Emilia didn't know any better, she'd think the man was a Sith, but she knew he wasn't because she'd fought one before and taken their datapad. These were not Sith but they were somewhat trained Dark Side users who had honed skills for assassinations. This one seemed much older than the woman Emilia had fought before, however. He was also much older than the two men behind him wielding blaster rifles. It made her wonder, but there wasn't much time between Oso's question and the next action that happened. The two men behind the red lightsaber wielder started to rain fire down towards the trio.

@logan2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

It was a moment before the two men heeded the call of Emilia. Before turning away from Tiberius they warned him to watch his mouth. As Carth and Oso turned to head to the vent Tiberius furrowed his brow in confusion. Had he said something offensive about Emilia? He shrugged it off and followed the two men over to the vent where the Sephi was waiting for them.

One by one they all made their way into the vent with Tiberius bringing up the rear. It didn’t seem like they had gone too far when the little procession came to a halt. Evidently the vent was beginning to narrow and Emilia was having trouble getting much farther. If the small frame of the Sephi couldn’t squeeze through it was very unlikely that any of her three companions could either.

A moment passed and Tiberius her the familiar snap hiss of a lightsaber being ignited. The dimly lit vent was now illuminated by the purple light that was emitted by Emilia’s purple lightsaber. One by one each member of the party disappeared through the square hole made by Emilia. Tiberius was the last the exit the vent, landing on the cement next to Oso, and narrowing missing landing in the pungent liquid that now flowed beside the group. The smell of the sewer fill the Knight’s nostrils. His face crinkled at the initial smell, but he eventually got used to it and his face went back to normal.

The tunnels seemed like they were being used by someone as evidenced by the many lights that provided illumination in this dingy underworld. The Sephi and her “pals,” as Oso put it earlier, seemed to have similar thoughts to Tiberius. Emilia, Carth, and Oso worked together like a well-oiled machine. This could be seen when Emilia simply spoke Carth’s name and he already knew what the white haired woman wanted.

Tiberius’ eyes followed the large alien as he started placing detonators along the tunnel of the sewer. *So we’re going to seal ourselves in here, eh?* Tiberius thought to himself. He wasn’t too fond of the idea, but this was not his operation.

The quartet began moving forward. There was a stairwell just in front of them. Suddenly, there was a light that burst forth from the doorway at the top of the stairs. There were three silhouettes that could be made out at the top of the stairs and a voice come from one of the stairs indicating that they had been waiting for the group’s arrival. “Friends of yours?” The Jedi knight asked.

These individuals were clearly none of their friends. This was made even more evident when Oso asked who they were. Things began to escalate quickly. The lead man ignited a lightsaber to which Emilia Responded in kind. Tiberius used the force to summon his own lightsaber into his palm and ignited it. The yellow blade joined the multicolored mural that was being painted on the walls.

Soon there was a hail of blaster bolts coming for the group. Tiberius quickly pushed his way up next to Emilia and began deflecting blaster bolts with his lightsaber. His thought was that with Emilia and himself deflecting the blaster fire Oso and Carth might be able to return fire with a slightly reduced risk of getting struck by a blaster bolts. “Let ‘em have it!” Tiberius yelled to be heard over the cacophony on weapons.

Tag: @Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Emilia began to deflect bolts, and as Tiberius approached, she worked in tandem with him. While she mostly worked alone now, before she use to work with her master and she could be a team player with another Force User.

Carth came back into the fray when he heard an unfamiliar voice. Both him and Oso took advantage of the Jedi covering them. And although the darksider was able to deflect some bolts, he soon missed enough that both his gunmen were shot and send back. The darksider quickly backed into the hallway to the left into cover.

Emilia followed, "Carth, Oso, keep moving forward with the plan. This one is mine," she ordered. Though Emilia was unsure how well she'd fair against an older man who likely had more battle experience, she still would take him head on.

The darksider sent out a stream of dark, crackling Force lightning at Emilia as she turned the corner. But, prepared, the young Jedi Knight had her lightsaber up in defence. The dark purple sparks hissed as they were blocked by Emilia's blade. And Emilia poured her focus into her blade.

With a thrust forward she send the Dark Side lightning back at her target. The man hissed, stumbling back and halted his stream. Emilia moved and closed the gap between them, into melee. Emilia's purple blade met the man's red blade. "This time you aren't getting away with meddling in my business!" the darksider growled against the lingering pain of his own lightnings bite.

Emilia's eyes widened slightly, "Drak," she said under her breath, continuing her assault.

Oso and Carth had listened to Emilia and torn away from her and Tiberius if the other Jedi choose to stay behind. They continued to move through the building, placing detonators in key locations. They planned to topple the building, forcing the assassins to move again or choose to leave the planet all together.

@logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Some Jedi had a talent for redirecting blaster bolts with their lightsaber with precision. Tiberius was not one of those Jedi. However, he was decent at at least deflecting shots so that he, and his companions would not get hit. Luckily, Oso and Carth were decent shots and after a while the fire fight ended and the man with the red blade disappeared through the doorway behind him.

Emilia barked out orders for Carth and Oso to proceed with the plan as she followed after the cultist. The two men both nodded and began to leave to carry out their plans. Tiberius for a moment was lost, should he follow Emilia or stay with the other two men. It didn’t take long for the knight to decide to go after Emilia.

Tiberius knew that a battle with a force user, regardless of their level of training, could be fatal. Tiberius would know, he still bore the scar from his battle on Ithor. He hurried after the small Sephi. Tiberius rounded the corner to see Emilia closing the distance between herself and the cultist. Their blades locked and sparks began to fly. Tiberius heard the man saying something but it was hard to make out over the noise of battle.

Three more cultists emerged from down the hall carrying blaster. Tiberius ran over to where the two combatants were locked together. Tiberius leapt over Emilia and the old man. The newly arrived cultists began firing at the knight. Using his lightsaber he began deflecting the blaster bolts that sailed towards him. Lucky for Tiberius, one of the bolts that he deflected went back and struck one of the cultists in the chest. *One down.* He thought to himself. He continued advancing towards the blaster wielding cultists, deflecting their fire as he went.

Tag: @Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

The walls around the Force Users danced in colours. The clash of purple and red engulfed Emilia and Drak in their duel. Though both Drak and Emilia noticed Tiberius jump over them.

That was when Drak took a sharp turn right and ran up the stairwell. Emilia picked up her own pace to follow him. But he made it to the top of the first flight before her. He raised up his hand high in the air, over his shoulder. Lightning crackled at his finger tips and Emilia noticed he was not looking at her. And she could easily guess his eyes were on the occupied Tiberius.

"No!" Emilia said in a growl, rising her own free hand and thrusting it forward. A wave of concentrated Force from Emilia sent the darksider back before he could release a wave of lightning at Tiberius. "You're mine," the Jedi growled again. The darksider collided with the wall with a grunt. Emilia closed in but he ducked and managed to send her flying back himself, by sending a wave of Force into Emilia's stomach.

Emilia's breath was taken away and she hit the wall with a hard thud, letting her own pained grunt out. Meanwhile Drak kept moving up the stairwell, attempting to delay getting ganged up on by two Jedi. Emilia breathed out and Drak didn't give her more time than that before sending a short burst of lightning at her again. Short, so this time she couldn't catch him off guard if she sent it back.

The small sephi caught the lightning in time with her purple blade, summoning her second lightsaber to her hand and igniting it too. She wanted to close the gap somehow, but she had a feeling the darksider wanted to lead her to the roof top, possibly to cut her off from the others.

@logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

In his peripheral vision Tiberius could see the dual between Emilia and the cultist progressing, but the knight was ignorant to how close he was to being fried by the electricity of the old man. The knight kept his main focus on the two gunners in front of him, but he did notice how the vibrant colors on the wall disappeared along with the clashing sound of lightsabers.

Tiberius had managed to advance far enough that he would be able to use the force more effectively against the two remaining cultists that he was facing. With one hand still deflecting blaster bolts the jedi knight reached out with his other hand and crushed the blaster being used by one of the cultists. In response the cultist pulled out a dagger and charged at Tiberius. The dagger was swung at Tiberius who was able to sidestep and dodge the incoming attack. Tiberius turned slightly and swung his lightsaber at his attacker. The yellow blade made contact with the cultist and severed the man’s arm. There was a scream of pain and the cultist fell to the floor writhing in pain before passing out.

The last remaining cultist took advantage of Tiberius being distracted and fired another shot at him. This time Tiberius wasn’t so lucky. The blaster bolt struck the knight in the shoulder and he fell to the ground with a grunt. The cultist continued to fire on the downed Jedi.

Using the force to assist him, Tiberius rolled backwards and pushed himself off the ground with his uninjured hand and propelled himself a couple feet through the air to avoid being made into Swiss cheese.

Upon righting himself Tiberius began blocking most blaster bolts. He also thrust out his injured arm with some difficulty and sent a wave of force at the cultist, knocking him to the ground. Tiberius charged forward as his opponent tried to get up. Tiberius lunged forward leading with his knee. His knee made contact with the head of the cultist who once again collapsed to the ground, but was still conscious, letting out some groaning. The knight kicked the gun out of reach and pointed his yellow blade to the man’s neck to prevent him from getting up.

“Please, don’t take this personally, but I can’t have you following me.” With that Tiberius kicked the man in the head as hard as he could and knocked him unconscious. The jedi knight turned and looked at the stair case that Emilia and the cultist had ascended moments ago. He switched his lightsaber to his injured arm and held his injured shoulder with his “good” hand. Making his way to the stairs he tried to use the force to heal his wound, but it was difficult to do without the proper concentration.

Tiberius began ascending the stairs. It was hard to say how much farther ahead Emilia and the cultist were. Tiberius just hoped that Emilia would be able to hold her own against the old man.

Tag: @Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Drak continued to climb the stairs, warding off Emilia's approach, but he could only take advantage of the small space for so long. They were quickly approaching the roof. And Emilia wasn't stupid. She knew once she existed that door onto the roof it'd lock behind her. Even though others could come to her, it meant she couldn't go back.

It didn't matter how dangerous it got. At this point, Drak was the key. He might be able to put an end to the Order of assassins, dead or alive. So many lives could be saved by stopping this man, and right now that realization weighed heavily on Emilia's shoulders.

As expected, Drak backed out the doorway onto the roof. Emilia dashed forward before the door could close. Drak pulled out his own second lightsaber and met Emilia head on with her purple blades. The sephi quickly realized that Drak was not going to be easy to take down. Even so, their battle continued across the roof. Emilia soon saw an opening and with a boost to her speed knocked one of Drak's lightsabers out of his hand.

The red-bladed lightsaber flew to the side, skidded along then went out. But Drak also took advantage of an opening; right when his blade was knocked out of his hand he sent a stream of crackling lightning at the side of Emilia's torso. It made contact. The surprise, shock, pain, caused the small Jedi writhe and drop her lightsaber hilts against her will. The force of the lightning sent Emilia flying back across the roof. She skidded on the rooftop, coming to a stop near the edge.

The darksider only increased the amount of lightning he sent at the Jedi now that he had her in his grips. All Emilia could do in the moment was scream and process the pain. Drak closed the distance between them, then stopped his lightning. He smiled wickedly, "You're mine."

The larger man leaned over Emilia while she was laying on the ground, and then he extended his hand one more time. The Jedi began to feel her body temperature drop. Colder and colder. Her fingers were numbing. Emilia quickly realized the darksider was siphoning her life, but she was so tired and it was so hard to move. Her eyes leveled with the rooftop and, by luck or the Force, something shiny caught her purple gaze. Drak's dropped lightsaber hilt.

With every bit of energy left in the small sephi's body, she summoned his hilt to her hand without warning. A flash of red filled the space between Emilia and Drak. Drak looked down, his eyes settling on the red blade that was pierced right through his stomach. After a second, the assassins leader collapsed and slumped over to the side.

Emilia herself fell back onto the cold, hard roof with a deep breath. She could swear she could hear someone speaking, and then, everything went black when she lost consciousness.

"Boss? Boss," the voice Emilia had heard before passing out was Oso's. It crackled over her comm. "Boss we are ready to topple this baby on your word. Please answer. Boss?" Oso's voice had a hint of concern in it that was growing.

@logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

He made it. The stairs had taken a deceptively long time to climb. *they need to invest in some elevators* Tiberius thought to himself. There was a metal door in front of him. On the other side was Emilia and the cultist. At least that’s what Tiberius assumed. He pushed the door open just in time to see the cult leader collapse onto the roof top, pierce through with his own blade. Emilia didn’t look like she was doing too hot though.

Tiberius ran over to the small Sephi. She appeared to be unconscious. “Hey, Emilia!” The knight spoke loudly as he should the woman’s small frame. She was cold to the touch. Tiberius placed two of his fingers onto Emilia’s neck to check for a pulse. It was there, but it was weak. Her breathing was shallow.

Then Tiberius heard a voice. It was Oso talking over the commlink. “You there boss? We’re ready when you are.” Tiberius picked up the commlink. “Oso? This is Tiberius. Give me ten minutes and proceed with the plan.”

“Uh, where’s Emilia?” was the man’s response. Tiberius couldn’t blame him. A stranger that the two men already seemed not to trust answered the commlink with no sign of their friend. Tiberius could only guess what was going through Oso’s mind.

“I’ll explain what I can when we see you next, but right now Emilia is indisposed.” He was looking down at the unconscious woman. “Meet us at the Fairview hotel. I’ll send you the coordinates.”

“Okay” there was hesitancy in the man’s voice as he replied. Tiberius tucked the commlink away in his own pocket. He stooped down and scooped up the limp frame of the Jedi. He winced as pain shot through his injured shoulder, but he clenched his jaw and pushed through the pain. He turned around to head back to the door when the glint of light reflected off the fallen hilts of Emilia’s purple lightsabers. Using the force Tiberius summoned both of the purple bladed lightsabers and clipped them to his own belt.

He made it to the door and tried to open it only to find that it was locked. “Well that’s just great.” He said aloud. It seemed like any time you were in a rush everything went wrong. Summoning the force he sent a strong wave of force at it that blew the door off its hinges. Tiberius traversed the stairs and navigated his way to the outside. They weren’t far outside the building when the sound of explosions filled the air. Tiberius turned around to see the building that they were just in collapsing. A plume smoke and dust billowed from the falling structure. Residents started to run and scream as the building came to the ground.

Tiberius turned back around and began navigating the streets to get back to his hotel. He looked down at Emilia. “Hold on.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Tiberius arrived back at the hotel carrying his fellow Jedi. He had gotten some strange looks during the trek back here, but he ignored them. He opened the door to the small room where he had been staying. He laid the Sephi on the bed and removed her mask, setting it on the bed side table. He had sent the coordinates for this location to Oso and Carth. They should be arriving any moment now.

Tiberius closed his eyes and hovered his hands over the white haired woman. A blue aura surrounded his hands as he began the healing process. Several minutes went by as Tiberius used force heal. Then, there was a sharp rap at the door. Tiberius came out of his trance like state and went to open the door. Oso and Carth burst through the door before Tiberius could get it opened more than a few inches.

“What did you do!?” Carth exclaimed, picking Tiberius up and slamming him against the wall. “I didn’t do anything. We got separated and when I caught up with her I found her unconscious.” Tiberius tried to explain what had happened. Carth let out a growl before setting Tiberius down. “If she dies you’ll be next.” Tiberius nodded. “Understood.” He said rubbing his shoulder.

Tiberius walked back over to the bedside. Oso had already made his way over here while Tiberius was being held up. “What are the chances?” Oso asked. “I’m not really sure.” Tiberius responded quietly so as not to alert Carth. “I can help her but I need a little more time.” Oso nodded and took a step back.

Again, Tiberius began the healing process with the force. It was about another 30 minutes until Tiberius himself was exhausted. He plopped down in a chair beside the bed. Both Carth and Oso turned and looked at him. Carth had been pacing the room while Oso sat in an armchair in the corner. “What now?” Oso asked. Tiberius let out a sigh. “Now we wait.” Only time would tell if Tiberius efforts had worked.

Tag: @Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Emilia's dream brought her into the middle of a forest. An eeriness hung over the darkened woods. The small sephi looked down. She was wearing her regular white robes, and had one of her lightsabers in her hand. When she looked up, she was alone, and felt lost. Where was she? Where was she going? Was there anyone here?

As she ran through the woods she could faintly hear her masters voice in the distance. So, for a short time she tried to follow it, and felt guided. But then the voice stopped and she became lost again.

Light filled the sephi's eyes when she woke up out of her unpleasant dream. It wasn't a pleasant waking, since every part of her body hurt, but she was awake. She tried to sit up, groaning before Oso noticed her movement. The brown haired scoundrel frowned, moved to the side of the bed and pushed Emilia back down, "Woah, woah, boss, take it easy."

"Where..." Emilia blinked a few times. Everything finally came into focus, which allowed her to look around. "You're in one of the Fairview hotel rooms."

Fairview hotel rooms? But why? It look a few more seconds before Emilia put everything together, and she frowned. Her eyes darted over to Oso and Carth who were now both by her side. "Both of you shouldn't be here, you guys know that. You need to put some real distance between yourselves and here, right away."

"Emilia we can't leave you," Oso answered, furrowing his brow, "Yes you can, I'll be fine," Emilia said with her signature grunt. Oso looked at her up and down, as if to say 'Right, because you're so fine now'. The small sephi looked back into Oso's eyes. "Look, I'm alive and hidden for the moment. I can't walk yet but you guys can, so go, please."

Oso and Carth looked at one another, knowing Emilia was right. They both should go. "Just keep in touch, will you," Oso said. Emilia nodded, prompting the two men to leave. Though, before Carth left he leaned close to Tiberius. "And she'll stay fine otherwise I'll be back to crush your head like a melon," the large alien growled before both the men left.

Emilia only looked at Tiberius briefly, figuring that he must have healed her, if not rescued her. But she said nothing at first. Her purple gaze returned to the ceiling instead. She was still in a lot of pain, and she wasn't sure what to make of this Jedi. It was the second time he'd helped her, though this time it was probably obvious that Emilia didn't exactly follow the rules. Not really in any sense of the word. "You know, I'm a bad influence," was all she said after a few seconds.

@logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Tiberius had taken up residence in a chair and had his feet propped up on a small coffee table. He had started to slouch down and nod off. The events of the day had really taken it out of him. When he heard the groaning and stirring coming from the bed the knight sat up to see what was going on. Looks like his efforts had paid off. The Sephi had survived.

It was Oso who was the first to come to the Sephi’s aid. Emilia seemed confused at first about where she was, but quickly shifted into scolding her friends for being here at all. Evidently this was not part of their plan. A plan that Tiberius was never really filled in on, he had just been going with the flow. After a good scolding and reassurance that she was fine Oso and Carth left the room. Carth was sure to assure Tiberius that he’d be back if anything happened to the small Sephi. “You know, I really think Carth and I have bonded over the course of this mission.” Tiberius said sarcastically as the door closed behind the two men.

For a moment the two Jedi’s eyes locked, but not a word was spoken. Tiberius hadn’t really expected a response. His comment was mostly rhetorical anyway. The Sephi’s gaze returned to the ceiling and the silence between the two continued. If it was anyone else Tiberius would be concerned, but he had learned in a short amount of time that he had known Emilia that she was not one to waste words, which fit her cold, almost uncaring personality.

Then the silence was broken. Not by Tiberius but by Emilia. The knight was confused. Emilia’s tone was not that of her characteristic cold stoicism, and Tiberius thought that he could almost sense some emotion behind her words. He looked around the room as though searching for another being that his fellow Jedi might be talking to.

“You?” He pointed at the Sephi. “A bad influence on me?” He place a hand to his chest indicating himself. He shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He looked over and smiled at the young woman, but looking at her he could see she was in pain. He reached over from his chair and opened a small drawer in the bedside table. He pulled out a bottle that had some pills in it. “Here, you can take these.” He slid the bottle of pain killers towards the Sephi. It wasn’t anything too strong, but what you could get over the counter. Tiberius usually kept them on hand for small things like headaches. He didn’t know how much good it would do against force lightening inflicted wounds. “I don’t have anything stronger right now.”

Tag: @Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Her purple gaze returned to the other Jedi. He seemed unconcerned about her comment, which in a weird way made her a little more relaxed but also slightly confused. Not that she was expecting a certain answer. She wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting. She hadn't spent a whole lot of time around other Jedi, besides her master.

But her expression remained unchanged. "I don't understand why you're helping me, considering you risk upsetting the Order, Emilia stated, though she stopped to accept the pills.

She plucked the bottle from the top of the dresser, though not without wincing with a short, sharp breath in. She tried to ignore the pain and poured out four pills into her hand, eating them dry. It was something she learned to do because sometimes supplies got low.

There was a pause, but Emilia was not done, "I'm barely a Jedi," she continued, " I wasn't raised under the same code as you." She leaned back, though her eyes still remained locked on the other Jedi. Her purple gaze was as cold and calculating as ever. "I haven't set foot in a temple since I was a youngling. I barely have memories of being in one. Its hard for me to even consider myself part of the Order."

"So don't feel obligated to me, if that's it."

@logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

*why do I help you?* Tiberius repeated the question in his mind. This was an excellent question. Emilia hadn’t exactly been the friendliest of people Tiberius had encountered. The Sephi accepted the pills and continued speaking. Her purple eyes met with Tiberius brown eyes as she did. Then there was a pause and it was Tiberius turn to speak.

He shifted in his seat to sit up a little straighter in his chair. “I guess I help you because I know you’re trying to do good. Even if you’re method are…” He paused as he thought how to describe the Sephi’s actions. “Unconventional.” He concluded. “The Order is relatively flexible.” Tiberius began a new thought. “It is not as rigid as it once was. There’s a little wiggle room on how one accomplishes their goals.”

“Just because you follow a little bit different code than me doesn’t mean we can’t work together... Obviously.” At least Tiberius hoped it was obvious. This was now the second time that the two had worked together, and they didn’t make a bad team, at least in Tiberius opinion. “If you ever wanted to step foot in a temple again you would be welcome to. There is great diversity among the jedi.” There was a slight pause before Tiberius jokingly added. “As long as you’re not practicing sith alchemy or anything like that.” Although not 100% sure, Tiberius was fairly confident that the Sephi wasn’t dabbling in any dark sided magic.

There was a brief pause before Tiberius addressed Emilia’s last sentence. “I don’t feel obligated to you because someone might consider you a Jedi. You’ve made it clear that you don’t care if I help you or not.” This was true, Emilia had stated several times, both on Sernpidal and during this mission that she didn’t care if Tiberius helped her or not.

Tiberius was a little surprised. Thus far, this had been the longest conversation that had occurred between the two beings. Normally, Emilia’s communication consisted of grunts or short one or two word responses or demands. It wasn’t just with Tiberius either. The knight had noticed the same communication pattern when she spoke with Oso and Carth, individuals who considered her a “pal.” As Tiberius stared into the cold purple eyes of the Sephi he wondered if her walls were starting to come down. Was that hard outer shell melting away? Were the two becoming… Friends?

“But I am curious.” Tiberius continued his thought. “Why do you continue to pull me along with you?” There were several times throughout their interactions that Emilia could have left Tiberius behind and continued on her own. “I mean, on Sernpidal, that first night we were there, we went our separate ways and you showed up the next morning with speeder bikes. And this time around you could have just ran away after we ran into each other, but instead you grabbed my hand and pulled me along with you.”

Tag: @Lilith