Skirmish of Empress Teta

[Master Maverick]

Tython has fallen.

The Sage Master has just received word that the homeworld of the Jedi has been conquered by the vicious Sith. While the Jedi will fight until the bitter end, preparations must be made and actions taken. Empress Teta seems to have been ignored by the Imperium. This will prove a costly mistake.

Ashara Vashee, acting quickly and decisively, calls for an immediate evacuation from the planet. The Sage Halls are to be emptied of all Jedi and any important artifacts, data and belongings that are essential for the continuation of the Jedi Order should the Core fall, which has been only whispered in the shadows until now. Citizens from the capital, Cinnagar, are to be evacuated as well, using the authority of the Jedi Order to call for such executive action. The government can hardly disagree.

The past few months have seen an emptying of the Temples of the Jedi Order. With Tython all but destroyed by their ancient enemies, this process could not find completion. The Sage Halls have at least a chance, however.

With forces from Alsaka moving towards Coruscant, it is only a matter of time before the planet is completely cut off. Time is of the essence and all must work quickly in order to find success. The planet may be abandoned, but this is far from the end for the Jedi.

Darkness has fallen. However, the worst has yet to come.

Taken by surprise, the Sith and her minions arrive at the doorstep of the planet. The Sage Halls being their primary objective. The crushing defeat of the Jedi, the foundation and source of hope, will only see the collapse of the Alliance shortly after. The Jedi and planet security scurry to finish their evacuations. Many will be stranded on the planet, though, and at the mercy of their new Sith rulers.

Fortune smiled on the Jedi in a small way - the invading fleet was no where large enough to quarantine the planet. There was plenty of time and space to break through the thin blockade as it formed around the planet. While planet security was putting up a fight, it was clear that, while they could hold off the initial attack, reinforcements from Tython would overwhelm them when they arrived. Only through this small window could the Jedi find safety in their hiding places throughout the galaxy.

There would need to be defenders for the vanguard of the Sith, despite this. Preparations were not yet complete and there was sure to be a strike force headed directly for the Sage Halls in order to hinder or impede whatever the Jedi might have been doing.

​

Sith Objective: Capture the Sage Halls. Kill all Jedi on sight. Capture only high profile Jedi if able. Destroy the Temple when able.

Jedi Objective: Defend the Temple from infiltration until evacuations are complete. Capture any Sith if possible.

Participants
Jedi:
Master Larik Novan
Knight Lucien Fang
Padawan Markus Kavos

Sith:
Juggernaut Drakus Ty'Laun
Immortal Assassin Xanthus
Acolyte Satoryu
​

OOC: These are to be duels. Whether they are 1 v. 1, 3 v. 3, or anything else is up to the participants. As with all the other battles, this is no death and no capture unless agreed upon by both parties.
Link to OOC thread

 

[Twisted Reality]

Drakus knew it would have just been a matter of time, over head the Sith fleet moved on the planet. Each ship maneuvering and slowly tighten the noose around the throats of the Jedi down on the Empress Teta. Drakus had never set foot here during his time with the Jedi. But it was nice to know that soon they'd be bringing the full force of the Imperial Navy on his home planet of Coruscant. Hopefully, he'd be there for that moment as well. But Drakus had been given orders, and this was the target. The Sage halls, and two other sith were to acompany him.

A Crusader Assassin, and an Acolyte who seemed the favor the same road. Drakus being the highest ranking Sith on this assignment, stood at the top of the ramp leading up to the AI-1 Stealth Transport. Drakus's personal ship. It was fast enough and Nimble enough to avoid planetary fire from the defenses. An Imperial Pilot at the Helm to take them to their Destination. He waited, Helmet in hand as he waited for the 2 other sith with him to get on board before the ramp raised and the Transport joined the landing force.

No doubt the Reinforcements from Tython would be far behind, but they had to avoid letting all the Jedi escape. The young master moved towards the cockpit and pressed a button on the touch screen display of his Sith Sabre Armor to sync his helmets HUD to the transports scanners.

"Take us as close as you can to the Sage hall, we'll jump out when you hover. Don't linger too long, and return to the fleet. if this ship gets hit i'm taking it out of your hide."

Drakus stressed that point, and the pilot have him a nod.

"Yes my lord."

Drakus moved back to the main area of the Transport, it was a relatively large Transport which was how he liked it. It even had a Training/Meditation room, crew quarters, and functional medical Bay.

As the Transport screamed into the Atmosphere and zipped across the sky towards the entrance of the Sage hall, he turned to the two others with him.

"The objectives are simple, Capture the Sage Halls. Kill all Jedi on sight. Capture only high profile Jedi if we are able. Then Destroy the Temple when finished."

The Pilot called over the Transports intercom to tell them to lower the ramp. Drakus raised the helmet of his Armor, and slipped it over his head before locking the seal. He wore no cloak this time, since they were walking into a literal war zone. Hitting the controls to lower the ramp he walked out into it first. Turning towards the two.

"Get ready, i'll be the first one off."

Drakus called the newest addition to his saber Arsenal. A Sinister Sith hilt to his palm and when the Green light shone Drakus gave them both a casual and overall lazy Salute. Before Hopping off the ramp falling the 30 feet to the forest clearing below a mere 50 yards away from the entrance to the sage halls outer courtyard.

Activating his lightsaber he started walking, the Crimson blade humming idly. Already the sounds of Battle filled the air, as Imperial soldier fought it out with the planet Security in the first wave. He expected the Jedi to come out and face them, but the question was...who would it be?
​

 

[Mattoxz]

Markus rushed through the halls, giving his help to any that might need it. The Sith were invading, and it would only be a matter of time before they breached the Temple itself. It was hard to believe this sacred place would be touched by the war, yet here it was. Evacuations were taking place, explosions could be heard in the distance, it was chaos. As the Padawan escorted a group of Younglings to an escape shuttle, the realization finally hit him. He was one of the Jedi selected to hold off the invading forces. Him! A newly appointed Padawan who had only had the bare minimum amount of training!

The shuttle landed, and the Younglings flooded onto it, confused and scared, just like Markus. 'You could get on the shuttle right now, and just go. No one would know if you left with them.' The thought bounced around in his head, tempting him to leave. It would be so easy, so safe. 'Yes you coward, run! Leave these fools to die, what do they mean to you?! You are weak and insignificant, the Sith would tear you to shreds!' Another voice thought, more harsh and commanding. The young man stood there for a moment, voices raging in his head for him to leave.

"Are you coming?" A Youngling tugged at his robes, looking up at him with the innocent eyes of a child. This settled it for Markus, he had to stay. He had to help others escape, even if he wouldn't be able to himself, even if a Sith struck him down without mercy. "No, I cannot go with you. Now hurry onto the shuttle, please." The Padawan nudged the child onto the shuttle, and waited until the loading doors hissed shut. A certain feeling of acceptance came over Markus as the shuttle took off. Pulling out his medicine, the young man sighed, it seemed his time as a Jedi would be brought to a surprising halt. Popping a pill into his mouth, Markus ran back down the docking bay into the Temple.

The voices had passed thanks to his mind calming pill, making it much easier to think. Death or not, he would make sure that others survived. Fear continued to rise up in his body, but Markus continually beat it down. He helped out where ever he could along the halls of the Temple, it helped keep his mind off of other things. He finally decided to head towards the Courtyard, in hopes to get any stragglers to safety. The Sith could be here at any point, so it was imperative to make sure everyone had a way out of the Temple.

 

[Fang.]

Fang closed the briefing on his datapad as they came out of Hyperspace above Empress Teta, He had been requested to come and help aid in the defense of the temple on Empress while Master Ashara evacuated all students and important artifacts off world before the Sith from Tython arrived, Fang's Transport had just barely made it out of the blockade. Take us down to the courtyard of the temple and drop me off Fang said to the pilot before exiting the cockpit and going to the bay doors. Fang took a deep breath, centering himself and putting the events of Tython behind him. He was coming to Empress directly from a battle, a battle he and his padawan had lost against a Sith Master to preserve the Jedi Forge, he prayed that his last ditch attempt to bury it had also saved it from destruction by the sith. Fang had sent Arisa, his padawan, to help in the war effort where she could and told her to meet up with him after the battle of Empress. putting those events behind him he focused on the task at hand. From the report he had been given The Sith that were here were steadily making their way to the temple, so the jedi likely had some amount of time to prepare before the true sith arrived at the temple, and then only so much before the sith fleets from tython arrived.

The landing ramp opened about, they were about 20 feet above the court yard, Fang looked out past the temple, and saw the fires of destruction raging. He put up the hood of his cloak and jumped off the landing ramp. Landing on one knee in the court yard below. he looked up and rose, he saw a padawan boy enter the temple, he gave him a nod of acknowladgement, before briefly glancing around at his surroundings

 

[Marf]

It was to be the Korribani girl's first battle and her anticipation was at an all time high. In her quarters on Sith Master Drakus' ship, Satoryu sat on the floor in a meditative pose, carefully focusing her hatred and bloodlust to prepare herself for the upcoming conflict. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of space through the ship's window, and their planetary destination. "Oooh, my pipsqueak's going into battle! Make sure you get some women and children" said the ghost. "I am a woman, and a child, I have no aversions to killing either, Kesti" replied Sato telepathically. It was time to meet the other two Sith who would accompany her, a Master Warrior and a Crusader Assassin. Standing up, she finished tying her obi, to which she attached her double-bladed lightsaber hilt. Sato also brought with her two shikkar knives aswell as a plain Sith dagger, for when the noise of a lightsaber was too unsubtle.

Clad in her light-weight Assassin's robes, her hip-length obsidian hair fell around her face and blended in with the blackness of her attire, creating the illusion of a hood. Satoryu made her way to the bridge where she would meet with her fellow Sith. The warrior was waiting for her,"Master Drakus" said Sato as she bowed to her superior, "I am Acolyte Satoryu, It is an honour to serve under your command." The Assassin Xanthus appeared not long after Sato and Drakus gave his orders as the ship moved into the planet's atmosphere.

"The objectives are simple, Capture the Sage Halls. Kill all Jedi on sight. Capture only high profile Jedi if we are able. Then Destroy the Temple when finished." He meant they couldn't kill everybody? Logical enough, thought Sato. This was a crucial moment for the Empire, she would have to be professional, no killing for the sake of killing. "Understood, Master" replied the Acolyte. The ship reached the planet's surface and Drakus descended from the ramp. Sato was much smaller, the jump was greater for her, so she waited until the ship was closer to the ground. Once it touched down, Sato leapt off and joined the Sith Master, the battle could be seen in the near distance. She did not ignite her lightsaber just yet, instead she wanted to clarify her orders.

"Master, my skillset would be of more value to us if used inside the halls or on the outskirts, or would you prefer myself present in the main battle?"

 

[Xan]

Empress Teta. A world covered by a massive planet-sized city, an ecumenopolis of similar lineage to Coruscant if not quite similar in size and population. The Jedi boasted a strong presence on this world, a presence that was thought to be as unshakable as the ground upon which the world-city was built. 'Then again...' Thought Xanthus as he let his sights peer out of the viewport to the world-city beneath him. 'Then again, Alsakan and Tython were also thought to be unshakable foundations upon which the Jedi built their pillars.'

The Assassin had been present upon both of the Jedi worlds during the great purge of the Jedi, and had personally conducted operations on both worlds as well. Though most would have rather died than admit it, Xanthus was unashamed to admit that he had failed at least slightly in his task upon Alsakan; far too many had escaped from that battle with their lives intact due to the efforts of the Jedi. True, he had felled a great number and indirectly caused the deaths of many more, but his objectives had not been satisfactorily met. Tython on the other hand, had been a successful task well carried out in his own opinion, though he doubted that he would speak of what his actual task was for some time.

Fate it seemed had deemed that he should be present for the fall of the third foundation of Jedi power, arguably one of the more important in the galaxy. The Sage Halls of the Jedi Order. If Tython were the heart of the Jedi Order, then the Sage Halls of Empress Teta were undoubtedly the mind, and Xanthus had been chosen to destroy the memories of the Jedi Order. Perhaps it was his opportunity to erase what had occurred on Alsakan? Xanthus decided that the reason for his selection was irrelevant, all that was important was that he was a Crusader being assigned to a mission that required his level of skill. He had been sent to accompany a Master and an Acolyte in the task at hand, and by the Force, he would see this task complete.

The Master outlined their objectives, and Xanthus swore personally to see each one carried out. He was not sadistic, nor was he overwhelmingly evil. No, he had simply heard his objectives and considered himself bound by them. 'Surely the Jedi can understand something like that.' Xanthus thought with a chuckle as the Sith Master jumped from the transport, followed by the Acolyte. He stepped forward to be the next one off. When he had reached the edge of the ramp, Xanthus took a step and Force Leaped into the air.

As he was falling, Xanthus ran a swift mental check of his equipment. He was wearing his armor, the Prudii-class Shock Trooper Armor that he had received from MandalMotors not long ago. Normally he would be wearing his armorweave cloak with the armor, but not in this case. Being that he was expecting intense battle with defending Jedi forces, Xanthus had left his cloak aboard the transport vessel. For weaponry, he had merely his lightsabers and the weapons attached to his armor; in other words, he was armed in the most light fashion that he had ever been since he had first abandoned his brethren and joined the Sith. His personal lightsabers were attached via magnet lock to the back of his armor, but he called upon one of them into his waiting right hand as he descended. The other, created with di-chrome material, was invisible upon his back, a surprise for his enemies whenever he desired to utilize it. The slight curve designed for Form II specialists felt right in Xanthus's hands, and as his feet hit the ground and his bones absorbed the impact, the silver blade ignited from its sheath. Rising from the ground, Xanthus began to follow the Sith Master, Drakus. 'Come forth Jedi, let us perform in full view of the watching galaxy. Let them see the fall of the Sage Halls and know that you have failed.' Xanthus thought to himself, though he allowed the words of his mind to flow through the Force to any who would hear and listen. He wanted them to know that the Sith were here. He wanted them to know fear.

 

[TAC]

They were all late.

Jedi Master Larik Novan, by this time one of the most well respected Jedi based out of Empress Teta, had been fighting for a half an hour. The man had amazing stamina, keeping a physical regime that was appropriate for a warrior of his caliber. The Sith infantry had engaged the local defenses, as well as Galactic Alliance supplements, albeit their were few. An experienced officer in the GA Special Forces by this time, the Jed Master had been leading a detachment of troops in combat not more than a mile from the hallowed halls that he called his home. It gave the man a certain zeal, fighting for a place which he considered his home, and the ferocity of his fighting reflected this. He was never out of control, but there was no mistake that this man was fighting for the lives of those he loved.

An explosion went off near the GA Leuitenant, and he ducked behind a tree, grabbing a solider with his spare hand and pulling him behind the large beast of nature as bits of shell splintered past them. With a nod to the private that he had just saved, Larik paused for only a moment. The Corellian was just getting warmed up, and they had been pushing the Sith back now, instead of steadily losing ground as they been. The Master knew that it was only a matter of time, however. As he took his moment respite he pulled out his comlink, noticing that he had been hailed by the temple.

Returning their attempt of communications, Larik got through to one of the Jedi scrambling to remove the final effects and files from Sage Master Ashara's office. He was informed that his assistance was needed immediately back at the temple. The sith, the force users, would no doubt be there soon. The Halls were not necessarily famed for their strong combative force users, and while they had their fair share, Larik would be crucial in it's defense. They still had many members of the Order to evacuate. Confirming he would be there as soon as possible, Larik flipped to his compan'y comm channel, opening up.

"This is LT Novan, folks. The Jedi Temple has called me back to aid in their defense. Continue to implement our plan, Sergeant Hemrock is in command. Watch their right flank, I'm willing to be it'll break first. Keep your heads low, and I'll be back as soon as possible." The Jedi Master paused, then, the comm still open. He toyed with the thought that he might not return, either because these braves soldiers were completely wiped out or because it was very viable he would be killed in the defense of the temple. He simply shut the comms off instead, however, nodding to the man that would now be leading the troops.

Turning and calling upon the Force, the man sprinted away from the combat. Saving his power, however, he slowed back to a regular run as he past the most dangerous of the combat zones. His 74-Z speeder bike, which he had borrowed for the Jedi in order, was waiting for him where he had left it. Turning his lightsaber off and hooking it on his belt, the Jedi Master rechecked to ensure his outer cloak was still securely fashioned to the bike, and then jumped on. Hitting the throttle he shot forward, expertly navigating the paths he had begun to know so well.

Within three minutes he was close to the temple, and he saw what he thought he could identify a sith ship moving in closer. As he neared, his suspicions were confirmed as three Sith warriors hopped of and started waltzing towards the courtyard and front doors of the temple. Another Jedi who had just jumped off of ship was not more than 100 feet away from them, as his own ship took off and shot away. There was no one else yet in the courtyard, but Larik had time to act as he sped closer.

Kicking the throttle into full gear the Jedi Master rocketed towards the three sith. He pointed the front of the unarmed speeder bike at the center of the three warriors. Finally closing in he took a deep breathe, undoubtedly noticed now by the warriors. The bike was speeding far too quickly to be stopped by a quick applications of the force, but the Master didn't expect it to hit any of them. Simply intending for it to distract and disorient them, the man leaped through the air, gracefully landing between them and the courtyard.

Calmly and collectively, not more than ten feet from the assembled enemies, he took his lightsaber off of his belt and ignited it. The near-clear lightsaber had soft bounds, flickering and allowing the plasma to move in a slightly unconventional shape. It was still a straight lightsaber, but the exact lines where the blade ended and the air began were not constant, making it a tantalizing and distracting sight.

"Welcome to Empress Teta," the Corellian said, quietly, as his speeder bike assumedly smashed into the ground or a tree in a bit of fiery explosion for away from those assemlbed. "My name is Larik Novan, and I am afraid I must ask you to leave." He assumed a defensive position, the Force surrounding him and within him as he awaited some sort of response, whether it be of rhetoric or combat. He had no desire to fight these three sith, but had no doubt that they still fight. He was prepared, and more Jedi would join him soon. For now, he would be enough.

 

[Twisted Reality]

Drakus watched and listened, as he walked towards the temple Court yard. He could sense the Jedi, and he could sense their fear. Drakus reveled in the feeling, and smirked coolie under his helmet. But he was brought back to reality by the sound of the Acolyte with him. She wasn't sure what he wanted to her do, and were her skills would be most useful. Drakus turned his helmeted head towards her and looked down at her.

"Acolyte Sato, you were chosen because your skill set is flexable. Assassin's can go unseen, but also act much the same way as a warrior can if the need arises. Just trust in your training, i'm sure there are some Jedi Padawan's of equal experiance around for you to beat on."

His attention was drawn back as the sound of a speeder bike, filled the forest they walked in. Drakus brought his attention back to in front of him and sure enough it was a Jedi.

Side stepping to the right, While sliding his left boot on the ground. He turned his body to watch it speed past before looking back over at the Jedi that appeared. Sizing him up, Drakus rolled his shoulders slowly and turned his body to face him. He laughed a little bit and shook his head slowly.

"The Jedi are always so polite. Even while their Temple halls are crumbling around them"

He mocked, the Crimson blade of his light saber humming idly as he stood there. It was safe to say that Drakus had been ready for this to happen. But one Jedi actually coming out to face all three was not what he expected. Was this Jedi crazy? Oh, he liked Crazy...they were often the best Jedi to face...because they tend to have darker tendencies then the usual Jedi. Stepping up from the other two Sith Drakus deactivated his lightsaber, and reached around to his lower back and placed it on the Magnetic locking plate on his lower back. And grabbed the one of the two matching long handled saber hilts before his arm rested at his side. The saber held in his right hand and across his body in a defensive posture while making himself look open to attack. The Cyan blade, humming idly after the snap hiss of their activation.

"Xan, Sato. Go on ahead, you'll find your opponents in the Temple court yard. I'll deal with this one."

Drakus's voice was calm, and collected. He stood their, ready to act if the Jedi before them thought he would try and stop his two compatriots from going forward. He called the force around him, and inside him readying his intervention should he need it.

"I'm Sith Master Drakus Ty'Laun. Is that any way to greet a lost Comrade?"

Drakus's HUD linked itself with Sato and Xan's tracking beacon's so he could keep an track of their positions but Drakus showed no signs of Hostility Just yet.

​

 

[Mattoxz]

Markus finally arrived within the Courtyard, and even among all of the high emotions running through the temple, it still remained beautiful. The courtyard contained everything that a haven should have, in Markus' opinion. Peace emanated from this place, washing over Markus, giving him a greater sense of calm. This peace would be short lived though, as a man seemed to just drop from the sky in front of him. From the looks of his attire, and the feeling of the Force around him, he was a Jedi. Good news for Markus, for he was not prepared for a fight just yet. The Jedi was obviously older than the young Padawan, and gave off an air of experience. A Master perhaps? No, it was merely a Knight, but the Padawan did not know this. Markus would not make the mistake of addressing him in the wrong light if he was actually a Master, it was all a matter of perspective really.

"Hello, Master! I am Padawan Markus Kavos, are you here to assist in the evacuations?" The young Padawan ran up to the man who seemed to give him a nod of acknowledgement. Hopefully this Jedi was here to help, because Markus would have no chance of getting everyone out on his own. Just as he began to let his guard down, a dark feeling shot through him like a stream of lightning. A large disturbance in the Force was approaching, like darkness sweeping away the light. It had to be Sith, they had finally arrived. Markus began to tremble, he had never encountered a Sith before, and from the feeling of it, more than one was here.

"Master, I sense a dark presence, what should we do?" The Padawan looked towards the older Jedi for guidance, for he was at a loss of sense. He had read many things about Sith, how ruthless and unmerciful they were. It was likely they would kill Markus if they got the chance. And that horrified him.

 

[Marf]

Moments after the warrior and the two assassins had landed, a Jedi master approached them. He was the first Jedi Sato had ever seen since the Padawan she had killed at the academy when she was 12. He claimed to fight for peace, wasn't that an oxymoron? Their pretentious hypocrisy disgusted the Acolyte. Master Drakus began to engage the Jedi and ordered Xanthus and Satoryu to continue on to the Sage Halls. "Master", said Sato with a bow. As she walked past the Jedi, she gave a subtle glare accompanied by a flick of her sinister looking hair.

The battle could be heard inside the temple as the young Assassin-to-be skulked around the entrance. There were several large hallways leading to the courtyard, which were mostly empty, save for a few Padawans taking shelter from the open fighting. Satoryu focused on her presence, using her mind to gather all it's potency, which she filtered out into a whisper. Nearby Jedi would be unable to detect her, for the time being. Using the Force to lift herself ever so slightly off the ground, she moved like air towards one of the hallways leading to the courtyard, not making a single sound. Placing one pallid white hand on the wall, she peered through the hall towards a Padawan, about her age, whom she guessed had been given the task of watching for entering foes. Sato was of the such description, but the Padawan was facing the front and did not detect Sato's presence until she clasped her cold hand around his mouth and sliced a dagger across his throat. Not a sound was made, save for the blood splattering on the stone floor. She hadn't wanted to draw attention to herself before she reached the central battle, which was several meters away.

Her daze was interrupted by another Padawan who ran towards her after seeing his dead comrade. Before his sabre could touch her, Sato produced a shikkar knife and impaled him, snapping the poison blade off it's clutch and leaving it to fester in his stomach. The courtyard was ahead and Sato could see a Jedi Knight and Padawan conversing. A sly smile curled on the side of her mouth as she looked out from the long black hair which nearly covered her face. "Good Afternoon Master Jedi" said Sato in her exotic accent, her voice dripping with malice. Xanthus would be along anytime now.

 

[Fang.]

"Master, I sense a dark presence, what should we do?" The padawan asked him, Fang sensed it too. Rising to his feet he turned to the boy

Go and meet it, Welcome it to our home of course! said Fang as if the answer should be obvious, hoping to lighten the padawan's mood in the grimm situation. While Fang didnt usually make jokes on the battlefield, he wanted to make the padawan feel a bit more confident in his abilities and think that maybe things werent quite so Grimm.

Fang turned and began to walk towards the exit of the courtyard towards the main gate, that was when a Sith popped out. Judging from her robes, she was an Acolyte, and from her smaller frame, she was likely more skilled with the force than with a lightsaber. Good Afternoon Master Jedi she said with obvious malice in her voice, it was almost as if she was trying to intimidate him.

And to you little Sith Fang replied evenly, I would ask you to kindly leave, but I think we both know that you would prefer combat wouldent you? Fang said dryly after a pause. There was no doubt in his mind, This Sith, intended to do harm, and as much as she could. It was Fang's responsibility to stop her, and with that, Fang began to call on the force, closing his eyes, calling it into him, the energy around him, channelling it, slowly, Fang raised his right arm, palm facing down. Fang's face remained emotionless as he opened his eyes, and then, with a quick movement of his wrist, his palm flung up, sending a powerfull force push towards the Sith. Fang doubted she would be able to dodge it, but the Sith always found some way to surprise him.

 

[Xan]

The force energies erupted from the Jedi Knight's palm and streaked through the air towards the Sith Acolyte. The compressed air that formed a force push were on course to strike the Acolyte, however they were interrupted in their path. An armored hand reached out from the shadows that had concealed it and 'captured' the harmful energies of the push. With a simple flicking motion located in the wrist and an application of an opposing force, the armored hand redirected the force push into a nearby wall. A portion of the wall cracked due to the power of the push, but the sturdy structure of said wall remained intact. Emerging fully from the shadows even as he defended the Acolyte, Xanthus stepped in front of the Acolyte, though took another step that placed him on her side instead. "I am sorry, Jedi. I am afraid that I can not let you do that. Chivalry and all that, you understand."

A short time beforehand, Drakus had ordered he and Satoryu to penetrate deeper into the temple and seek out their own opponents, something that the Acolyte had rushed off to do without pause. Personally, Xanthus preferred the stealthy approach, and to that effect had bent around him light and sound, becoming invisible to the mortal senses. Truly the Jedi could still sense that he was nearby, but it was doubted that they would have the pinpoint accuracy in their senses to be able to 'feel' his precise location. For his own part, Xanthus could still see perfectly, thanks to a power known as Shadow Vision, which allowed him to see without the light that he had stripped from his own personal space. From there he had simply followed the Acolyte into the temple, having no doubt that eventually her walking would lead to a group of Jedi. It was their temple after all, and they would still be there in groups even during the evacuation process in order to make sure that all went as it was supposed to.

Admittedly he had been expecting a larger group, but two would do for now. Pointing towards Fang, Xanthus said in a calm voice that defied the battle that he was expecting: "Acolyte, that one is mine. You may feel free to take his companion if you wish." That said, Xanthus ignited his lightsaber again and began to step towards the Jedi Knight. The silver blade of his lightsaber probably held itself in conflict with the usual Sith color of red, but then again, Drakus himself had cyan lightsabers. "Sith Assassin Xanthus." Xanthus said with a light bow as a way of introducing himself. "You can still retreat from this, Jedi. There would be no shame in it." He said as he assumed his battle-ready position. Lightsaber pointing at a forty-five degree angle to the ground, left hand placed upwards near torso, feet held slightly apart at an angle, force gathering within his frame.

 

[TAC]

Larik shrugged, eying the man carefully. "I knew a man, once." That was all he said for a moment, as he peered at the Sith standing in front of him, hidden behind his armour. "He trained with me when we were initiaties together, at the Temple on Coruscant." The Jedi Master smiled sadly at the man across of him, the young gentlemen he had gotten to know as a passing acquaintance in his early days of training. "I am sorry it has been so long since I've seen you, Severice. We were all told you were dead."

With that sad statement the Corellian's hand came up, releasing a hard push from the Force. Following it were quick, probing slashes from his lightsaber. High left, high right, low right, in quick succession. He was on the defense, then, ready for the man's inevitable counter attack. Larik knew that while the Sith had been with the Jedi he had utilized two lightsabers, although he now only had one lit. The Jedi Master would have to watch carefully, in case there was a sudden change up. But he had fought before, and many times. He would be prepared for whatever this Sith could or would throw at him.

"Even more sorry to see that only have you fallen, but you've come back to burn what you once devoted your life to." The Corellian was attentive, ready for the slightest of movement that would indicate an attack of any sort.

 

[Twisted Reality]

Drakus smirked under his helmet, so he was recognized as what he use to be. Keeping his Saber held down and across in front of him. He lowered his head a little bit, Ready for this fight. It was true, he's always fought with two sabers. But that only limited his striking power, being a avid user of Form V powerful strokes were needed. Something harder to do with Two blades, but since his time as a Jedi he'd been trained in Ataru but pushed it aside for Form III.

"Mmm, what gave me away Larik? Was it the color of my blade?"

The helmeted head tilted, as he too raised his hand. Gathering the force in his palm taking the force push head on. Gathering the Energy and giving it a push to the side redirecting the harmful energy. God he loved tutaminis, they were incredibly useful. Before he raised his saber up, angling the blade to left so his enemies blade glance off to the side, before shifting his wrist to the opposite side bringing his left hand up to grip the hilt, as he did the same with the strike to his high right. Then the third strike was met with a quick arching drop block from his left to his right in a drop block on his right side.

"Why would i let something like the Jedi order live? After what they did to me!"

He raised his saber up over his head, and took a step forward with his right foot. Classic Djem So falling Avalanche. Bringing the blade straight down, then low left, low right to open Larik's stance. Before letting his left hand come off the hilt of his saber quickly gathering the force into his palm before letting off a force push aimed directly at Larik's chest looking to send Larik flying backwards.

"Of course they say i'm dead, they sent me to die. Sending me off on a mission, when i clearly wasn't ready! With a partner that didn't even last five minutes! I was Weak, and sith made me Strong. Gave me my leg back! No Jedi would dare train me, Yet in captivity...a Sith Lord saw my potential and raised me from the dirt to live again. If i'm not mistaken, it was the same Sith Lord that Killed your former Battle Master. So in a Sense i did die, but Darth Silentius pulled me from Severice's ashes."

Drakus's voice was wicked yet calm, his emoutions channeled and feeding his power through the force. Drakus liked the combo he dicided to train in. Able to switch between Form III's defensive mentality and instantly switch gears into Djem So...but he always had a trick up his sleeve. Because unlike when he was a Jedi, his fighting style use to be moderately paced and had a curtain ease to it...now it was Brutal, Calculated, and Methodical.

​

 

[Mattoxz]

Markus was horrified by the sudden turn of events. Before he even knew it, two Sith had made their way to him and the older Jedi. This was not good, not good at all. The older Jedi and the Sith, who introduced himself as Xanthus seemed to be squaring off against each other. The Padawan's attention then switched over to the Sith girl, who looked about his age. He could feel...death around her. His stomach suddenly turned, he felt like he was going to be sick. This girl had killed people, and she would kill him too! Markus bent over, coughing and spitting up the little amount of food he had for breakfast. It was too much for him, never before had he been placed in such a situation. He had to regain composure though, there had to be a way out.

"Miss...Miss please, don't do this. You do not need to fight me, it is unnecessary." The Padawan's voice was shaky, unnerved. "Just walk away now, let us go. Violence will not gain us anything but more death..." Anxiety and fear were consuming his mind, it was painstaking just to subdue the urge to yell. Voices were going mad, flying through his head. If things kept up like this he would lose his head, in one way or another.

'Fight, you fool! Fight!'

Suddenly Markus drew his lightsaber, a green blade appearing from the hilt. The action was not his choice, but it certainly would help him considering he couldn't even move his own legs.. "Please Miss, do not make this anymore than it needs to be. All of us could step away, right now. We could finish evacuations, save lives. Do you want to be the cause of more death?" The Padawan took a defensive stance, his training was finally taking over. "I do not wish to fight, please do not make me defend myself."

 

[Marf]

Before Satoryu could dodge the blast of Force energy that was hurled towards her, the Assassin protected her from the worst of it. As Xanthus engaged the Knight, he ordered Sato to take on the Padawan, she acknowledged his command with a silent bow, then turned to face her opponent. She strode up to the Padawan, her lightweight robes and luscious hair were blown about by a subtle breeze, closer, closer, and before she could threaten him, the Padawan vomited on the grass in front of her. "You reek of death, you do, Sato" said Kesti the ghost, "Have done since before I was born" replied Satoryu telepathically.

Had she known Markus was also a fellow voice-hearer, she might just have taken pity on him. Although the manner of their conditions were different, Markus' was medical, Sato's was paranormal, Sato was still painfully aware of the tribulations which were caused by a secondary personality. However, she didn't know about their common interest, and to her, Markus was just another pile of decaying organic matter who followed the pretentious hypocrisy of the Jedi philosophy, completely naive about the nature of The Force or existence itself. "You stink of fear, you're in no condition to fight me. If you'd prefer I could just stick a blade in your gut, it wouldn't last as long, but it would still be satisfying," said Sato to Markus.

"Violence will not gain us anything but more death!" Death. The sound of the word caused a big, involuntary grin to appear on the Acolyte's face and she began to breathe heavily. Her sincere fetish and utter fascination with the subject extended to the point of which she considered Sith Assassins to be the "ultimate masters of the art of homicide." Then the Padawan ignited his lightsaber, he wasn't as terrified as he appeared. "Flay him! Spill his entrails!" Sato winced, "Quiet Kesti!" It was a whisper, but she had said it aloud by accident. The ghost had commanded her, but her decision to obey him was not against her will. Taking a few steps back, she detached her double-bladed hilt from her obi. Entering the Juyo stance, she turned her body sideways and held the hilt out horizontally in front of herself, then ignited both blades. "Your proposition does not interest me. Whether it is plain or violent, slow or quick, the death of another is an addiction I am tired of denying myself."

 

[Fang.]

Fang saw a hand reach out from the trees and redirect his force push into a wall, a cloaked sith stepped out into the court yard "I am sorry, Jedi. I am afraid that I can not let you do that. Chivalry and all that, you understand." said the Sith, Fang chuckled, and turned slightly to face him as the sith continued into the courtyard to face him, with rougly 40 feet between them, A Sith with a sense of chivilrey? my my, the empire never ceases to surprise. Fang said in response, his hands empty at his sides.

"Sith Assassin Xanthus." the Sith said with a light bow introducing himself, the Sith got stranger every time.Watchman Fang Fang said in response, it was only polite "You can still retreat from this, Jedi. There would be no shame in it." the sith said ignighting a silver blade and taking a step towards Fang. was he sure that he was a sith? Thought Fang with a light chuckle to himself

I would extend the same offer to you, But I think we both know what the answer would be. Said Fang calling one of his lightsabers to his right hand, Fang held his arm slightly off to the side and activated, the silver balde cracking to life, the blade infront of him, Fang held his left hand off to the side, and continued to gather the force within him.

 

[Xan]

Xanthus merely chuckled in his turn at Fang's last words. It was true, they both did know exactly how the other would respond. At this point, extending the offer to withdraw was merely a formality. The Jedi would not abandon the Sage Halls, its artifacts, and every living soul within to be utterly decimated by the Sith before evacuations and removals could be completed. Likewise, the Sith would not leave Empress Teta until the Sage Halls were conquered or razed to the ground, every living soul extinguished and every artifact captured or shattered. The Unstoppable Force was meeting the Immovable Object, though unlike the philosophical deadlock, this time something would have to give eventually.

Xanthus resolved to ensure that the Unstoppable Force of the Sith would indeed push back the immovable Jedi. As the Jedi's blade ignited into existence, the silver of his weapon being comparable to Xanthus's own saber, Xanthus began to take steps to his immediate right and forward, moving around his opponent and yet closer at the same time. "We are agreed then, that this duel must be fought. Our respect Orders would lambaste us both if we withdrew. Other than that, I believe that somewhere on the inside, we both desire to test our skills in combat. Because this is your home, I'll extend to you the first move." Strangely formal Xanthus was in the midst of battle, a habit that he had discovered during a time before he had met the Sith Order. Formal, but not foolish by any means. Even as he prepared for Fang to make whatever move he chose, Xanthus continued to gather the force into and around himself, making of himself the conduit of force energy that every force sensitive being in existence had the ability to make of themselves. This duel would be one where the Force played just as much a part as lightsabers, and would be all the more interesting for it.

 

[TAC]

There was going to be some competition here, that was for sure.

The Jedi Master did not lose focus, didn't react or speak to the angry words of the Sith. They registered, and he felt sadness for the man who had been lost and the monster he had become, but there was no other reaction. Larik could hear it in Drakus' voice. The sound of hate. The Corellian had heard it before, when he had lost his arm to another fallen Jedi. The same mistake would not be made here today.

After speaking the Sith went into another phase of combat, and Larik saw the change coming. The man dropped his left arm away, raising his right arm with his lightsaber in his hand. He met the vertical attack high, and guided it down and past him to his left. His left hand picked up the saber, locking in his double-handed grip for Ataru, as he then easily met both the low strikes to his left and right.

The thing about a force push is that you could see it coming, if you were paying attention. Reactions to it are hard, however, as they have to be small and concentrated. The force-user utilizing the feat can also change the direction of the application, as well, so simply moving out of the way wasn't an option. Unless, of course, you have really good timing. Larik simply took a step back, turning his lightsaber off, and as the Force Push came at him pushed himself up off the ground and arched his back. The push carried him with it, but the Jedi Master rode it backwards and landed softly on one knee, looking downwards.

A sigh could be heard, if listening closely. "I am sorry, Drakus." There was no pause as the Jedi Master then stood straight up, igniting his lightsaber. "I am more sorry that you are angry at the Council for being destructive, putting you on a mission that would do nothing but hurt you... and in turn you come back to destroy them." The man raised an eyebrow, "Ironic, isn't it?" With that the Jedi dropped into a defensive stance.

 

[Twisted Reality]

Drakus knew that beating on a Jedi Master was not going to be such a simple task. He would not play games with Larik, Not like he had done on Tython With Lucian and his padawan. Seeing Larik 'ride' his force push away had sent him closer to the other two pairs in the courtyard. Glancing out of the corner of his eye to check on them. It seemed that only Larik and himself had initiated combat...the padawan present on the other hand threw up. Sato was unsettling her signature in the force was like nothing he'd ever felt from an acolyte.

His eyes came back to Larik as he spoke, his free'd left hand came up. Breaking the seal of his helmet, he lifted it from his head. letting it drop at his feet. His head held lower as he looked up at Larik those green orbs flaked with Red and gold. A sinister smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Drakus had always been what he was now. His passion for improvement and his innate ability to grasp something and be able to apply it after and increase his aptitude in it was something the council had feared. He was convinced of it, they feared he would get too good too fast...so they opted to get rid of him..their betrayal masked by a mission. It was sort of Ironic, to think of it. He'd come back to destroy those that betrayed him.

"It is Larik, truely is Ironic. The Jedi held me back, tried to force me to be what i never was. And as i faced death, i found freedom, found who i truly was...and i came to realize i enjoy being the bad guy. And my revenge will be complete when i set foot inside the Jedi Temple on Coruscant...my home planet as a Conqueror. And watch the Galactic Alliance and Jedi order fall around me."

With that, Drakus raised his left hand lifting the cortosis woven durasteel helmet from the ground with the force and sent it directly at Larik. Much like he had done with his force push, a distraction. Drakus followed, both hands on his saber hilt. Using his left hand at the bottom as it's pivot point and the way of aim. He thrusted it multipul times. At Larik's left shoulder, right shoulder, left thigh. and right thigh. While being ready to counter any counter attack Larik may have in store for him.​