Ask The Good, The Bad, and The Monster

[Carmilla Styria]

"Are we there yet?" Carmilla asked to the troopers aboard the transport. They were heading to Paakuni for a mission. Mostly just to scout out the land, and Carmilla was sent just to have more experience on other planets. Being in such a cramped environment bothered Carmilla a lot, she also wasn't use to sitting for so long. "In just a feeewwww seconds, aaaaaand now." Carmilla got up from her seat and went towards the cockpit; taking a look out the spaceport, their destination sat right in front of her eyes.

BOOM​

The entire transport shook after being hit by a large blast. A swarm of vessels came from the planet; they were pirates ready to ambush anyone that arrived. Carmilla quickly went back to take her seat while her transport attempted evasive maneuvers. However, there were too many pirates to handle. The transport took hit after hit until one of the engines was completely blown out. The transport spun out of control into the planet's atmosphere. A huge plume of fire lit up the ship as it came crashing down to the planet. The heat from the ship was unbearable, Carmilla fell unconscious as the ship descended. As the transport came flying down it slammed into a large tree before finally landing in the middle of the forest.

Smoke rose from the transport as it rested in a nest of rubble, trees, and burnt grass. When she came too, Carmilla immediately took notice of the large metal shard sticking out of her thigh. She quickly ripped it out, biting her lips to try and endure the pain. "Do any of yo-" she looked up and saw a mangled mess of bodies around her. One trooper's body was horrifyingly distorted, while another was missing entire limbs. A few of them were even missing; they probably were on the other half of the transport. Carmilla got out of her seat and knelt by a trooper, taking his helmet off to take a look at his face. Dead bodies usually had no life essence, but a miniscule amount remained in fresh ones. The two proboscises hidden with Carmilla's cheeks ejected out and crawled through the nostrils of the dead soldier, sucking out the gray gooey membrane that protected his brain. She'd repeat the same with 3 other dead troopers; they were the only ones that had their heads still intact after the crash. After feasting on what remained of the crew, Carmilla entered the cockpit of the ship. One of the main screens flashed red alongside a nearby button. She had no idea what it did but she pressed the button anyways, but nothing seemed to happen. The large gash in her leg was starting to close up; Anzat had increased regeneration, but feasting on life essence could slightly increase it. Her leg still hurt, but her life wasn't threatened. It was dark outside, the ship was the only light source. The flames lit the surrounding area with an orange and yellow warmth. As Carmilla climbed out of the transport her ears began to twitch; a noise out in the distance was growing ever so slightly louder.

"Over here Captain!" A group of pirates equipped with blasters approached the burning transport. "Check for any survivors or valuables! Not everyday we find ourselves a Sith Empire ship like this." They began to check the dead bodies of the troopers, stripping them of their armor and weapons. "There are no survivors Captain!" The pirate captain turned around from the group "Morgan, bring the cargo tug!" he called out to another member. The Captain turned around to watch his men strip parts from the ship, but swiftly turned back around. "Morgan!" He called out again, expecting a response. Thinking there was just too much noise, the Captain walked back a few yards before yelling again "Bring the cargo tug Morgan!" He turned his cheek towards the direction he called out to, trying to listen for a response. The Captain turned back around "Karmon, go tell Morgan to bring the cargo tug so we can load everything up." The pirate underling nodded and went off to relay the information.

The underling jogged down the path carrying a torch. The sounds from the crashed transport began to drown out, and he was left with the silent forest "Well no wonder Morgan couldn't hear us" the pirate muttered. An eerie feeling crept in the back of his head, and he turned to his right and looked deep within.

He quickly scanned the trees, but directed his attention back in front of him again to see where he was going. That is, he came to a sudden halt upon realizing there was something strange in the forest. He looked back toward his right but there was nothing out of the ordinary. "Ah dammit it's just my imagination. Use to hate dark when I was a kid I guess I still can't shrug it off." The underling began walking again, turning his head to face the direction he was going.

"What's taking those two so long" The Captain tapped his foot on the ground with his arms crossed. "Those two knuckleheads probably got the damn thing stuck somehow." He turned around to face his men "Leave the stuff here for now boys, I think Morgan and Karmon are having some problems." The men groaned and complained but nonetheless started to hike back down the path they came. After a good minute or so of walking the pirate captain called out "Morgan, Karmon! What's going on?!" Once again, no response. "Sir," The Captain turned around to see one of his men pointing to a nearby bush "I think that's Karmon's boot, he probably went off into the forest to take a dump." The crew all laughed at the thought and their minds were eased. "Well, tell him to come back here Heid."

The man walked through the forest. He didn't carry a torch but his helmet had a low-light mode which allowed him to see what was around him in black and white. "Karmon, how big of a shit are you taking man? Hurry up we've been waiting on you."

snap​

The man jolted at the sound and turned around. "Dammit don't scare me like tha-"

"AAAAAAAAH" A terrifying scream echoed through the forest. The group of pirates raised their weapons in the direction their fellow member went. The echoes went on for a few seconds, slowly fading out. The whole group stood still and listened carefully for anymore noise. A few more seconds went by and the group started whispering to one another "Were there survivors?" "What if he was attacked by a beast" "He might have fallen into a sink hole" They continued to whisper amongst one another until the Captain finally spoke up "Quiet you guys. Move in that direction, stay focused." They stepped off the path and slowly moved into the forest with their weapons drawn. It was still quiet, the only noise came from their own footsteps. Suddenly a figure came from the sky and hit the ground with a thud; the entire group of men unleashed everything they had onto it. After their weapons were empty, one of the pirates went to inspect the creature that hit the ground. Flipping the body over, he jumped back with fear. "Its.... i- it-it's.. it's Karmon...." "What?" The Captain asked, but before he could take a step one of his men started screaming.

A flashlight shined towards the direction and they could only see legs flailing around. "Terix!" One of the men cried out. He sprinted into the forest to chase after his buddy. "No!" The Captain yelled, but the pirate continued to sprint into the forest. Before the group could chase after him they heard him scream once more "MY FUCKING ARM! PLEASE SPARE M- AAAAAAH!" The remaining group of four were terrified. "I'm getting out of here!" A large bulky pirate yelled before taking off towards the path in which they came from, leaving the Captain with just two men. They stood back to back and scanned everything around them. It was silent once more, but the sound of a harsh wind grew.

Out of nowhere a large dark figure swiftly swooped in, decapitating one of the men and bringing the other into the forest. "CAPTAAAIN!" The man cried out to his captain. However, there was nothing the pirate captain could do. His knees trembled with fear and soon gave out, causing him to fall to the ground. Unable to control his body, his pants became soiled. "Hello." A feminine voice came from behind the captain but he was too scared to turn around. "Despite the weapons they wielded, those vermin proved once again that humans will forever be inferior to us. Anywho," cold metal nails graced the cheek of the captain; he clenched his eyes closed as he shivered uncontrollably. "I'm looking to borrow a ship, since I think it was you who shot down mine." The man was too scared to say anything, believing these were to be his last moments. "Can you show me where a nearby ship is? I tried asking a young man by a strange vehicle down the road but he tried to shoot me." The captains lips trembled but he was able to mutter out a response "Y-yes...." Suddenly he was lifted up and spun around; two cold hands squeezed his face. His eyes opened to the sight of a pale woman with blood all over her face. "Perfect! Show me where it is." She dropped the man to his feet, but his legs were still weak. He felt queasy, but slowly made his way back to the path; Carmilla followed.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

He... shouldn't be out here. It was as simple as could be. On principle, the Padawans weren't supposed to travel without supervision. Exceptions might be made for older cases due to their perceived maturity, but in spite of his now years of Jedi training, Laeonas still had a tendency towards the rash and impulsive. Yet, here he was traveling in the opposite direction from where that temple he now called home was situated.

Bare skinned and bathed in the soft glow of candlelight, the man was sat in a criss-cross position, the only movement being the rising and falling of his chest, and the flaring of his nostrils. He'd been like this for seven straight hours, and on the dot, he slipped out of his trance. He'd been holding himself to a routine while he was out here, and he wouldn't stray from it-- at least, not to badly. It was late on the GS time, and he knew that meditation was no supplement for sleep. He'd reach his destination after a long rest.

After a few minutes in the refresher, a loud chime began ringing. The man let out a groan, walking out of the refresher, out of his room, and into the cockpit-- toothbrush still brushing. As he sat in the captain's chair, he immediately caught notice of the flashing red on the comms screen. Confused, the Jedi's eyes widened as he read the automated distress signal-- and frowned as he saw it's source. Along with the distress signal was it's location-- a charted, but barely populated forest world.

Even if Laeonas were a Jedi, he would've been uncomfortable with simply leaving any possible survivors on their own. He wasn't exactly on a well traveled route-- it could be weeks before another ship picked up on their signal, and by than it might be to late. He was already violating the rules, but when he got home, he might as well have come home telling his teachers that he'd done something that made him worthy of the title "Jedi." Mind made up, Laeonas changed course, dropping out of hyperspace and beginning his approach.

As he did for all situations like these, Laeonas prepared himself. He wrapped himself in the familiar fibrous mesh he wore on every combat mission. He prepared fighting makeup that obscured his identity, the familiar violet feathers playing across much of his face. He wrapped himself in the newly tailored combat robes he'd ordered, a white, black and aquamarine blue outfit, with reinforced padding for added protection, but still quite light so he could practice the full range of his abilities. Ofcourse, clipped to his belt was his new lightsaber-- fashioned with the same crystal as Kamelle Skyler's, but now purified.

If anyone were to see him, they'd have a right to be struck by awe, or clench up at the intimidating sight of a tall, robed figure with a saber on his belt. Ofcourse, as he began to approach the atmosphere, none of the pirates could see that possibly intimidating figure-- only the chromium clad ship approaching their world. As Laeonas reentered the cockpit, the sounds of blaring warning sirens would rip through the ship, and Laeonas would have mere seconds to throw himself into the captain's chair and begin making evasive actions.

The pirates were skilled, and Laeonas was not a professional pilot. He was, however, piloting a heavily modified freighter, which possessed state of the art propulsion and weapons systems that he'd spent quite a bit of money on. Every time they fired, he'd attempt to avoid them-- and even when the lucky shot landed, it'd be heavily dampened by either his shields, or the thick chromium plating on the outer hull of the ship. The man never landed any shots of his own, but offense wasn't his intent. Landing was.

Driving his ship through the atmosphere, most of the pirates began to break off their pursuit as they went from open space and open sky, to mountainous terrain and the air just above forests. That it had gone on for a grueling forty-five minutes showed how patient they'd been, but pirates had their limits. When they finally broke off, Laeonas turned back in the direction of the distress call. It didn't take long for him to arrive closeby, firing from his canon to leave a massive, flat crater in the middle of the forest-- essentially creating a landing pad for himself.

Touching down, the man would soon step off his ship's loading ramp. He scanned the surrounding forest, bright aquamarines narrowed, searching for any signs of predators-- or more hostiles in wait. He saw nothing, but regardless, he'd lock his ship. It was the concentration of all his material wealth, and he certainly wouldn't lose it and be stranded with the fools who he'd come to save. With the ship closing, Laeonas would draw the force into his being-- and begin to run.

The man tore through the forest at speeds that were entirely impossible for most humanoids to reach. However, the supernatural speed quickly came to a stop, as Laeonas' feet began to get stuck in the muddy soil. Running at such speeds was not suitable in such terrain. To say he was frustrated would be one thing, but as he looked out in the forest, foggy and seemingly endless, a sense of unease washed over him. His home was the concrete jungle of Brentaal, or the actual jungle of Yavin. This place, empty and endless... it was alien, and it drew out fear within him.

As he approached the crash site, he almost missed the first body. When he found it, the man's blood ran cold, aquamarines widening. The man wore a horrified expression on his face, but there was something terribly wrong with him. For obviously being freshly killed, he looked almost to dead-- like he'd been drained of something. Blood had poured from his nose, and his eyes were rolling back, bloody tears running down the side of his face. The nostrils looked particularly damaged, almost torn in some places.

"What tha 'ell?" He muttered to himself, instinctively reaching for his saber. This man clearly hadn't died in the crash-- could it have been the work of the pirates? That would mean all the survivors would've probably suffered the same fate. Still, it was possible that others had survived. Laeonas wasn't going to give up just yet. Besides, whoever had done this to the poor bastard deserved some justice.

As Laeonas got closer and closer to the crash site, it was clear that the first victim was not the last. The next was covered in scratch marks, clothes torn and bloody gashes all across the chest, neck and face. This one looked even more dead than the last, looking more like a botched mummification. Blood had been pouring from his eyes, nostrils-- even his ears. Laeonas completely unclipped his saber from his belt as he went on, finger just a centimeter away from the trigger.

When he came upon the crash site, he felt his stomach begin to churn. One body looked almost unrecognizable, covered in carbon scoring and burn marks, as well as the deathly look and the same bruising and bleeding. The best looking one had had it's head severed clean off, while the last looked more terrified than any others. By now, Laeonas' growing fear had been shifting into another emotion-- one that was driving him towards an end besides rescue. One that involved finding whoever had done this to these men. One that was driving him towards punishment.

Yet he pushed these feelings aside, reciting that familiar line in his head; "Emotion, yet peace. Emotion, yet peace. Emotion, yet..." Revenge was not the Jedi way, and it wasn't he who'd been wronged. As he turned his full attention to the ship, however, his eyes would widen as he recognized a clear insignia. "SITH?!" He exclaimed, taking a step back. Laeonas looked at the bodies again-- none looked like Sith soldiers. This couldn't have been the work of pirates-- no, these were pirates.

Diving inside the wreckage, Laeonas was greeted by another grizzly scene, bodies strewn across the room in various conditions. Crushed skulls, twisted figures-- all looking slightly drained, all with bloodied nostrils. On one of the seats was a piece of metal slag, coated in blood-- without a clear source.

The man's eyes widened in terrible realization. He clipped his saber to his belt. This had been a mistake-- a terrible, misguided mistake. He had to get out of here as fast as possible, get back to his ship-- and call the pirates.

​

@Altaria

 

[Carmilla Styria]

Many minutes passed as the two slowly treaded down the path. Carmilla wondered why the man was walking so slow at first, but it was probably because he couldn't see. Anzat could see better in the dark than a human could. They approached the cargo tug, and the Captain saw what happened Morgan. His body was completely distorted, he was hardly recognizable. The captain quickly tried to think of a plan. He knew if he were to bring the woman to one of the pirate ships, she would slaughter all of his men with ease. However, there was no possible way he could escape from her.

As if the force blessed the captain himself, a blast shook the ground from far away. She could see the outline of a ship quickly landing near the blast. "Friends of yours?" Carmilla asked. The captain quickly responded "N-no.. no it isn't." The Anzat looked back towards the blast; she could get a feint sense of an essence, but at this distance it meant it was pretty high. "We will go that way then." She grabbed the captain's shoulder and forcefully turned him to face the direction of the ship and walk that way.

It was still pitch black, and the captain had trouble walking through the dense woods. She grew a bit tired of him bumping into trees, so she picked him up and began levitating towards the area. She weaved through the trees quickly and eventually they stood in front of a freighter. "Are you able to pilot this thing?" The captain observed the ship for a moment and gave his response "Yes, I should be able to pilot it." The news was wonderful to Carmilla "Splendid. You shall take me home and in return, I spare your life." It seemed like a pretty fair trade to her. She got to go back home, and he would get to go back to his normal life before meeting Carmilla.

As they were about to enter the ship, the Anzat's head swiftly turned towards one location. The life essence was growing stronger, meaning it was coming closer. Carmilla quickly grabbed the captain's head, lifted him up, and stared into his eyes. She forcefully entered his mind and whispered to his subconscious 'Obey her...you are fond of the woman in front of you....take in her beauty....you will do as she says....' She set the captain down, his face was blank as he waited for a command. "You stand here and act ignorant. I must see what is coming." The captain nodded and Carmilla used her magick to teleport somewhere into the forest. Within her own lifetime, there was only a handful of people with an essence equal or higher than the presence that was coming towards the ship: the Empress, Astardes, and a few other individuals she met at a party. So, she hid off into the woods; her plan was to use the captain as a decoy, and strike at whomever arrived.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

From the outside, the wreck of the Sith transport looked lifeless-- until a man in robes and makeup burst from the wreckage. His aquamarine eyes were wide, colored with fear as his boots began to tear into the forest floor. The robes and saber he wore marked him a Jedi-- a man who wielded the force, who possessed abilities most could only dream of. Yet for all that power, he was still running-- running in fear. Fear of death, and of the enemy who'd brought it to all around him.

Yet even as fear gripped him, Laeonas' mind worked to construct a timeline of what had happened. "A ship-- a Sith ship, gets downed by pirates. Everyone on it dies but fer 'oever 'ad that shrapnel in their leg." He began, focusing on what he knew. "They do somethin' t'tha crew th'at... drains 'em of somethin', but tha crew's already dead." He further elaborated, still not sure of what exactly had been done to any of the bodies.

"Pirates come ta investigate tha crash-- and tha person th'at lives kills tha lot of 'em." He went on. From their scattered positions, it was clear that some of the pirates had tried to escape, while others had been caught by surprise. Whatever or whoever the killer was, it was intelligent, and it was dangerous. Being on a Sith transport, there was only one conclusion to be made.

"They're a Sith. They're alive. They're on this planet, and they can't 'ave gotten far." He told himself. "They're stranded, but they're gonna want ta leave. They're gonna wanna escape, get on a-- ship." The sudden realization of where he was headed stopped the man in his tracks. He stood in the forest, alone. The pitch blackness extended in all directions, and it was only thanks to the force that he hadn't run into a tree yet.

His ship's navicomputer had access to his travel history-- everywhere the ship had been. The ship's security had always been something he'd put first wherever he'd went, and yet like a fucking moron he'd plopped it down in the middle of a forest, ready for any slicer skilled enough to hack the loading ramp keypad to get into his ship. Only when he got back, he probably wouldn't find some pirate slicer, but instead a Sith who'd murdered half a dozen pirates in a way that left their corpses looking weeks older than they should be, and with faces twisted in some of the most disturbing and obviously pained expressions imaginable. It had a one way ticket to the Jedi temple, and if it escaped on his ship, it'd be all his fault.

That final realization outweighed any fear that was keeping him still. Wide eyes settled, breathing steadied, and feet began to march. The man unclipped his lightsaber from his belt, slipping it up into his sleeve as he sensed his ship, getting closer and closer. He could feel someone close by, slowing his approach, making sure he was as quiet as could be. The hulking frame of his ship grew closer, the interior lights from the cockpit shining, and several floodlights shining off the sides, reflecting off the chromium hull and lighting up the surrounding area.

There was a single man with a dazed expression, standing closeby to his ship. He wore similar garments to those who'd been left dead, and Laeonas could smell the scent of his soiled pants from here. Laeonas didn't need the force to sense that there was something wrong with the man in front of him. The hairs on his neck stood as he looked at him, an unnaturally calm, almost stupified expression on his face. That he just stood by the ship, not making any moves to try and get in... it was clear that something wasn't right.

Why was a man who’d soiled himself so calm? Why was he alone— and how had he survived? Eyes narrowed, than closed, as Laeonas began to reach out. He could feel the emptiness of the forest, the dead trees and around him. The only life close by was the pirate— and, something else. Slowly, Laeonas turned his head, looking off to the right, past the loading ramp, and deep into the tree line. The light from the ship didn’t extend far.

But even without sight, he could visualize it. Someone— something— was out there. Waiting for him to make the first move. The man couldn’t tell if it had spotted him; there was no shift in it’s presence. All he knew was where it was.

Knowing that, Laeonas threw himself forward, launching into the pirate like a kath hound pouncing on an unsuspecting farmer. The man, caught in an odd trance, was barely able to react as Laeonas slammed him against the hull of the ship, particularly smashing his head into the hull multiple times before he collapse. Had Laeonas wanted to, he could’ve kept smashing his head in until his brains stained the finish. But the Jedi wasn’t intent on doing anything to egregious— to anyone who wasn’t a Sith.

The man yanked the pirate up by the hair, blood spilling down his forehead. He stared into the forest— the direction where he’d felt it. “Out.” Came a frosty, razor sharp demand. There were no further demands from the man in the robes. The thing that had slaughtered the pirates had waited for him to slip into it’s trap, and instead, he’d decided to threaten the only man it had spared.

​

@Altaria

 

[Carmilla Styria]

A black puff of smoke would form out of thin air within the view of the Jedi. The smoke would slowly form a figure and Carmilla's body slowly materialized. "You must have a good sense as well, I am intrigued. Your essence, the way you viciously attacked that man... you must be a sith!" She placed her hands together in delight "Wonderful, you must have come for us after we crashed. I request passage back to Dathomir."

Turning her head towards the porate captain, Carmilla continued "I no longer need your assistance. Bite your own tongue off." The man would suddenly gain immense vigor, and promptly chomped down on his own tongue as hard as he could. Blood would quickly gush out of his mouth, and his life disappeared.

"Now then," her attention went back to the stranger "you seemed rather upset earlier. I hope you have not been overly troubled. Oh!" Carmilla quickly covered her mouth "I humbly apologize for my lack of manners. I am Carmilla Styria, a nightsister. I doubt you know her, but I am the apprentice of Lord Astardes."

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Movement. Smoke. The Jedi's head turned, and with it, his grip on the pirate was immediately released. He'd served his purpose in lowering out the Sith, and was no longer of any concern-- for the time being. The man would shift into a combat stance, feet planting themselves into the muddy ground as he shifted into a half squat. Even if he wasn't about to flick out a lightsaber, the stance allowed both evasive, and offensive options. Than, it manifested before him.

When Laeonas had tried to picture the monster that had brutally slaughtered the pirates he'd come upon, many images formed in his mind. What stood before the Padawan wasn’t some ancient phantasm, ready to unleash hell itself, nor a monstrous beast bent on devouring his flesh. There wasn’t even an armorclad marauder, ready to use lightning, saber or otherwise to kill him where he stood. No, what stood before him was a woman-- as tale as he was, but far more pale, and covered in blood.

And she had him completely confused.

Laeonas' stance loosened as she requested passage to... Dathomir? "Tha planet with tha witches?" He thought to himself, remembering his studies on the subjects of force wielding groups outside the Jedi order. Before he could ponder the issue any longer, however, the woman would turn her attention to the pirate. Laying on the ground, he'd slowly begun to regain consciousness from Laeonas' brutal attack. Laeonas had almost forgotten about him, but as the Dathomirian gave the man an order, he witnessed something he could never forget.

It almost sounded like an insult at first-- but, on command, the man that had soiled himself and had been laying with a massive concussion, promptly sat up, and in one swift bite, severed his tongue. Laeonas' jaw slackened, mouth hanging open as blood sprayed from the wound, staining his robes. He'd feel the life force slowly draining from the man, before he was nothing but a corpse. Blinking, Laeonas stood in shock, the whiplash of the woman requesting passage to Dathomir towards ordering a man to kill himself absolutely suffocating. Yet oddly enough, he didn't feel even a little bit of pity.

Instead, he felt angry. Turning towards the woman, the two force users were now both bloodstained. His expression had hardened as the woman spoke, apologizing for her etiquette of all things. The sheer banality of her mood compared to what she'd just done produced a mixture of utter confusion and growing frustration within him. She held more regard for proper introductions than she did for human lives. If his resolve hadn't hardened to steel, he would've wanted to throw up.

"...you apologize for your manners after order a man to his death?" The man whispered in reply, lip quivering as he stood in place. Years of disciplined training were all that kept him from closing the distance between the two and trying to strangle her. "I'm not sure which is more offensive; that you assume I'm here to rescue you, or that you assume I'd do so after witnessing how quickly you dispose of people once they're no longer needed." He'd add, aquamarines narrowing to slits as he stood still.

"Seeing as everyone I've found in this area has either been a corpse, promptly became one, or is asking me to be a chaefurr, I'd say that I have been overly troubled, yes." He said, before glancing down at the pirate. "What do you think he'd want me to do in this situation? I was going to heal the poor fuck and let him run off with shit in his pants, but you seemed to have closed off that route." He hissed, lip curling back in utter disgust.

No matter how the nightsister reacted next, the aggravation radiating off the human would almost feel suffocating. She might feel a pull in the back of her minds, or a subtle hint of it filtering into her own emotions. Ofcourse, it wouldn't take the force to realize that the man's emotions were just barely being contained. What she said or did next would determine if the floodgates would come pouring open.

​

@Altaria

 

[Carmilla Styria]

Carmilla scratched her head after the stranger whipped out a confusing response. "I assumed you were here to help me since you attacked this man so viciously..." The Anzat raised her index finger "Ah, you must not be a Sith, rather another visitor that was attacked by this man and his allies. In that case-" Carmilla suddenly displayed a blank expression.

"Not a Sith, but uses the force. Not a Sith...... but uses the force..... uses the force.... but not a Sith....." she thought to herself in silence, repeating the statement again and again. Her feet slowly left the ground as she began to levitate; it was common for her to unconsciously leave the ground while thinking. Soon however, her train of thought would turn into mumbles. She would levitate higher and higher into the air, and slowly her mumblings were in a normal tone. 10 feet off the ground, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40... she grew louder with her thought process. "The only ones that use the force besides Sith are..." she glanced back down at the stranger.

"A Jedi!"​

Without hesitation, Carmilla reached her left hand outward to direct a quick burst of green lightning towards the Jedi. While this was her first encounter with one, Carmilla received enough training by her mother to know how to handle them. She knew her best bet was to keep her distance and use her powerful Magicks to try and overwhelm the Jedi. Most Jedis did not have as proficient of means to deal with long ranges, at least according to Astardes' instructions.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

​

Aquamarines stared daggers at the tall lank of a witch, blue silken robes stained red from the blood of her most recent victim. The weight of his saber in his sleeve was light, but evident-- ready to drop into his hand and ignite at a moment's notice. The woman seemed to be confused by his response, slowly trying to understand what it was that Laeonas represented. She pondered the question for a minute, falling into a blank expression.

Should he just... cut her down? let his saber fall into his palm, ignite the blade, and cut her from hip to sternum? She was confused, distracted-- vulnerable. It was moments like these that he had trained himself for back in his gang days; moments where he could whip out a pistol and blow out someone's knee. Yet he wasn't a gangster anymore-- he was Jedi. To strike down a confused, unarmed opponent--

No.

She was Sith. Why did she deserve his dignity, his mercy? Had she provided that to these men? He'd seen the looks on their faces; the twisted expressions of suffering and fear. This wasn't a woman before him-- it was a monster. A monster that killed without shame or remorse. A monster that, if he didn't restrain or kill, would doubtless continue to take life-- and he had a feeling that it didn't matter if they were innocent or otherwise.

Yet when the moment came to strike her down, there was hesitation-- a moment to reconsider. That was the kind of thing that got men killed, the kind that doomed them. His eyes fell from the woman for a moment-- and when he looked up to see her again, she was not there. Aquamarines widened as he caught sight of blood stained cloth in the air, and he would slowly turn his head up to look as she began levitating. The man's jaw dropped once again, the little bit of color in his face draining from it.

"Eire a 'gra..." he muttered, all the old prayers of his youth flooding into his mind. A prayer to the almighty and all-being Deus, a prayer to the living goddess of the Earth's blood, Eire, a prayer to the living God of all men, Sol, and a prayer to the god of the Earth's bo-

"A Jedi!"

The flick of the Anzat's left hand snapped the man out of his momentary panic attack. The saber fell, and the blade was ignited as he fell to his side and rolled. White plasma cut through ground, just as green lightning singed the shot where the man had just been standing. Aquamarines were bloodshot, and his mind had been purged of thoughts on God or any other notions that weren't related to ending the witch's life. The man was still a little rattled, but that didn't stop him from throwing out a concussive blast up into the air, intent on knocking the Anzat from the sky.

​

​

@Altaria

 

[Carmilla Styria]

Carmilla was rather surprised that the man was able to dodge her lightning. "Stay still vermin!" She swooped through the air, avoiding the concussive blast and conjured up a sword. Using the force she would send the sword towards the Jedi. Controlled precise strikes would be directed toward's the Jedi's head, while Carmilla stayed levitated in the air. Like a predator that stalks its prey, she wanted to see his capabilities before facing him up close.

Using her right hand to control the blade from afar, Carmilla would direct her left hand towards the Jedi. It would take a moment for the lightning to form, since she was already preoccupied with swinging the conjured sword with the force. Green mist would slowly form around her left hand indicating that something was happening. "Let us see how fast you can move, Jedi." Another green lightning bolt fired from her fingertips, but it was smaller in size. Carmilla stayed persistent with her right hand, keeping constant pressure on the Jedi with quick jabs.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

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The taunt from the witch prompted a slew of expletives from the Jedi, both in basic and a few in old Brentaalan. He could vaguely make out her figure as it tore through the air, though the smoke greatly obscured his vision. He could feel the force hum as the woman did... something. He found out what that something was as a sword flew past him, chopping off a long lock of his raven hair and pricking his temple. Aquamarines widened as the blade arced and thrust back his way, narrowly missing the man's neck as he rotated his hips 90 degrees.

Bringing up his saber at a high angled defensive guard, the next 20 seconds would be the single most intense fight in his entire life. The odd angles at which the witch's blade chopped at him were difficult to predict, and it was only thanks to reflexes that had taken hundreds of hours of practice to develop that he was able to survive her onslaught. Eyes shot from the blade to the woman back and forth at lightning speed, keeping an eye on her and her weapon. A sudden slash downward was narrowly dodged as Laeonas dipped into a crouch, but it cut along his back, barely grazing the flesh beneath. "KRIFF!" He yelled, before violently batting the sword away.

He took the moment after his parry to run about two meters closer to his opponent, his ultimate goal being to eventually reach the witch and gut her. The sword swung back at him in a stabbing motion, and the man would turn on his heel to face it, swatting away the tip and block a strike. The next jab he dodged by lowering his torso, before standing upright again and turning back to the Dathomirian, eyes blazing with hostile intent.

“Eat shit!” He spat in response to her next taunt, bringing his saber up, ready to deflect the lighting bolt he knew was coming— before the sword stabbed at his chest. Wide eyed, Laeonas had a moment to consider what he could do. Extending his saber outward, he struck in order to once again bat the sword away, before drawing it back to his chest as the lightning bolt collided with his saber. In spite of blocking it, the electricity still jumped out and burned through his silk robes, and he let out a painful groan as the lightning burned his skin.

It wasn’t enough to seriously injure him— with her divided concentration, Carmilla’s attacks weren’t each as strong as they could be. It was enough for the padawan to fight off one at a time, but the sudden use of both close and long range attacks had almost been to much for him. Still, the wound was only superficial… and ultimately, all she’d done was ruin his clothes, and cause him pain.

In short, she’d really, really pissed him off.

​

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@Altaria

 

[Carmilla Styria]

At this point, Carmilla was merely toying with the Jedi. She halted her assault; the conjured weapon would lose its form and disappear into the air as black mist. The Anzat returned to the ground, facing the Jedi. She didn't see him as a threat anymore, it was like playing with a child. "Continue to entertain me Jedi," she commanded as she pulled out her own lightsaber. Carmilla felt like this would be a good opportunity to test herself, as she has only ever gotten too spar with her older sisters and clan mother. They were all too proficient for her to beat, but a bout against a Jedi would give her a clear picture.

She stood there with her saber ignited, waiting for the Jedi to make the first move. Carmilla sensed his essence was shaky, which typically indicated a growing emotional state. She mostly saw it in her prey, and thus assumed the Jedi was going through the same thing. "You know, my mother told me how powerful you Jedi use to be centuries ago. She actually met many of them. I believe she has had bouts with your Grandmasters of old, or if not, at least many of those that were regarded as legends. You, however, don't seem to match well with her descriptions of past Jedi. Tell me, are the rest of the present Jedi the same, or are you just an outlier?"

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

​

The next few attacks from the blade were batted away, the Jedi picking up on the movements and patterns of attack as they swung and stabbed at him. Finally, it dissolved to mist, and the human would watch as the Sith descended from her position 40 feet above him. Laeonas, ever defiant, spat out a quick "Up yours, witch!" At the anzat as she tossed out a command. Frustration burned in aquamarine eyes, but regardless, the man stood still, hands wrapped around his blade in a defensive posture.

His emotions were running wild, and the man could recognize it. While they could empower him, moreoften than not they just served as an unbalancing distraction. He took a few deep breaths, but the Anzat's further taunting prevented him from fully banishing his anger. His eyes narrowed as she spoke about how he didn't measure up to the ancient standards of their order, but beyond that his expression betrayed nothing.

His eyes would flick around, taking in the environment around him. The trees, his ship, the witch-- the body of the pirate, now lifeless, but still warm. He lowered his saber a little, and it was than that Laeonas lips curled up, slowly. "And ya think yer 'ot shite?" He asked, a mocking smirk forming on his lips. "All ya've managed so far is kill a couple pirates and ruin my clothes." He went on, slowly walking parallel to the direction of his ship.

"You've met no Jedi.... but I've met plenty of your kind." He replied, venom seeping out of his last word as the force began to swirll around him. "I've seen them kill swathes of men in an instant, summon lightning that can fry a dozen men at once. The only other I've fought nearly killed me... but that was a week after I'd held my first saber, and he was a hell of a lot scarier than you." The Jedi finished-- and than struck.

But not with his saber.

In an instant, the lifeless body of Carmilla's latest victim would be violently ripped off the ground and tossed at the woman. At the same time, Laeonas would rush forward, saber held in a defensive block that he could quickly transition into an attack. The diversion had taken most of his concentration, but he figured that the witch would struggle to divide her attention, avoid getting hit by the 200 lb diversion, and defend herself from the Jedi.

​

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@Altaria

 

[Carmilla Styria]

Carmilla held her ground while the Jedi inched his way towards the ship. She could see life essence flowing all around him, and simply waited for him to make his next move. There was no where he could run, nor did he seem like he would. Carmilla could easily track him down if he attempted to escape. It was clear he was planning for a way to attack her, now that she had given him a fighting chance. "As far as I'm concerned, I still haven't met a proper Jedi." she snarled back. The man was certainly no Skywalker or any other great Jedi of legend she heard stories about.


With a downwards motion of her empty hand, she used the force to slam the corpse into the ground, creating a minor obstacle in the Jedi's path. It was a useless effort from the Jedi, thinking a mere corpse could distract a hunter from it's prey. Carmilla stood confidently and brought her saber towards her center, preparing to parry the Jedi's hasty attack and deal a devastating counterstrike.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

​

Damnable Draoi.

He'd intended for the corpse to hit her like a chair thrown across the room, but the witch had tossed the body aside like it was nothing. His saber gleamed as he charged, and he knew that the Sith's defense wouldn't be so easily broken. He was tempted to come to a halt or slow down, but he didn't want to provide the monster any opportunities. He would continue his charge, right up until the moment where their blades should've clashed--

--and that was when his saber turned off, and he ducked.

The advantage of his speed and the Sith's rather impressive height was an especially unique opportunity to evade and dodge any direct attacks. Rather than risk reigniting the saber and opening himself up to attack, he dove past the woman and rolled back up, reigniting his saber and scrambling to his feet. A concussive blast of force energy would slam into Carmilla, whether she still had her back turned or had spun around to face him.

With it his saber would tear across the ground, and both dirt and leaves would be sent flying her way. Through all of these small, disorienting actions, only then did Laeo burst through and launch himself at the witch. The aggression and power in his strikes more than compensates for his not so masterful skills in the force, as rather than using the complex techniques of his opponent, Laeonas fed on the power it provided him and channeled it into his body, increasing his speed, strength and precision as he struck at her.

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@Altaria

 

[Carmilla Styria]

Seeing the two blades nearly come in contact with one another, Carmilla attempted to swipe his saber towards the right and then towards the ground to disarm the Jedi, but he deactivated his saber and rolled right past her. She turned and watched him scramble his feet, when the concussive blast came she attempted to mitigate it with her own, causing a bit of a shockwave that pushed her back slightly.

The next move was humorous for Carmilla. "You think leaves will disorient me?" Her enhanced vision allowed her to still see clearly, it was barely a distraction for her. She watched the Jedi accumulate life essence within him right before his dash. It seemed that he would attempt the same move from before, but this time he meant it. His commitment would be his downfall; as he came in, Carmilla channeled a concussive blast of her own towards him, although she didn't put her full strength behind it.

Carmilla was still testing the Jedi to see what he was capable of. If he was able to shrug off her own blast, then she could answer his swing by blocking with her saber. She was capable of side-stepping the Jedi, striking him down once he passes, but that would be too simple. She wanted a show of strength, could a Jedi stand up to her natural Anzati abilities?

Tags: @Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

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He cursed under his breathe as he watched her counter the blast, sending her back inches instead of meters. When he rushed at the witch, he threw up a simple defensive barrier as he ran, which absorbed the Sith's attack and allowed him to carry himself forward with only a brief pause. His saber clashed with hers, and sparks flew as two blades of plasma pressed together. Her height and her heels gave her an advantage, but the Brentaalan's strength was something to behold as the force was channeled through him.

When it became clear that the saber lock was pointless, the Brentaalan threw himself back at a 30 degree angle, prepared to throw himself forward again-- and that was when a blast landed between the both of them.

The Brentaalan was sent flying back, ears ringing, eyes blind with light. He lay there, shocked, before his vision and hearing began to clear and he saw them-- men and women with blasters, at least a dozen. They were yelling, blasters pointed where he was, at the witch.

He couldn't hear much, but Carmilla's enhanced senses would allow her to see and hear even after the blast.

"Holy Gods," one of them whispered as he stared at the corpse of the pirate, lifeless on the ground near the ship. "I told you he was dead!" a woman snapped, "Just like the rest-- that fucking WITCH killed 'em!" She shouted, levying her blaster. They'd followed back to the position of the other squad by the reck, only to find all of them dead, and they'd followed them here-- here to find the killer, and a fool who'd followed the distress signal.

And once they were done, they would make sure both would be in the ground.

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@Altaria

 

[Carmilla Styria]

The clash of the sabers illuminated each other's face. Carmilla hissed at the Jedi and revealed her fangs; she attempted to bite his shoulder until he quickly backed away. As he was about to charge back at her, she raised her saber into the air preparing to strike downwards on him.

beep..beep..beep..beep​

The long ears of the Anzat perked up. She looked up for a second to detect where the sound was coming from. An explosive device would appear in front of her eyes between herself and the Jedi. Before she even had time to react the blast went off, exploding right in her face. Carmilla was immediately launched backwards into the dirt. Even with her superior physical abilities, the amount of force that went into her back made her gasp for air. The pain would slowly creep onto her face; it was an unbearable burn. She let out an deathly ear-numbing screech of anger.

Carmilla swiftly brought her attention in the direction of voices. With no hesitation she pointed both of her hands forward unleashing a violent fury of green lightning bolts. The tree line head of her would be turned to ash, while the surrounding area quickly caught on fire. The warriors charged out of the burning woods and began firing upon the Sith. Carmilla snarled, pulled her lightsaber towards her, ignited it, and began to deflect the blaster bolts back at them. Her movements were wide and savage, an insatiable rage roared in her stomach. Her back was turned to the Jedi, but Carmilla didn't care. The smell of her burnt flesh was constantly adding fuel to the fire.

When an opening was available, she used the force to pull a nearby pirate towards her. With her open hand she stabbed her whole hand right through his throat, proceeding to utilize his body as a shield. The pirates did not stop their barrage, knowing their friend was already dead. Carmilla deactivated her saber and proceeded to stab her right hand into his stomach. Unleashing every ounce of power she could muster, Carmilla spread her arms apart to rip the pirate completely in half. Blood and guts spew all over her; she licked her lips and reignited her saber. She quickly deflected the next blaster shot back towards another pirate, but she was slowly starting to get overwhelmed.

Tags: @Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

​

The Jedi lay on the ground, dazed. His robes were covered in soot and dirt, and he stared up into the night sky. The stars stretched out above him, obscured by nothing but tree line. He could hear the shouting, screaming and sound of blaster fire as the conflict raged around him. He could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching, of a blaster clicking as it was levied. His eyes darted to his side, and he saw a young man, clad in outlaw garbs, a blaster pistol pointed at him, unsteadily.

His fingers scraped dirt as he tried to grab his saber, finding it missing. He looked around, and his eyes would fall on the hilt, a meter away. He didn't make any sudden moves as the boy drew closer, seeming to hesitate as he simply held the blaster. The Jedi laid there, almost motionless-- until he wasn't.

There was a flash of movement. A blaster shot slammed into the ground as a blade of white plasma arced through the air. The boy let out a wail as his blaster pistol fell to the ground, along with three of his fingers. In almost an instant, Laeonas had leapt to his feet, summoned his saber, and disabled one of his attackers.

The screams of their young comrade alerted the pirates to Laeo's sudden consciousness, and immediately half of them turned their blasters on him, firing wildly. Blocking as many of the shots as he could, Laeonas would send the boy flying back before he treated behind the tree line. Thinking as quick as he could and acting quicker, he cut the tree down, and continued cutting as it fell, until there were a number of heavy wooden logs left on the ground as he crouched behind what was left of the stump.

With the force as his ally, he began to fling the logs in the general direction of his opponents. Many missed, some came close-- and he heard two of the pirates cry out in pain as they were hit with the projectiles. Taking the opportunity, Laeonas sprang up again and summoned the blaster pistol off the ground, flicking it to stun before rapidly firing with one hand and chopping a few trees with the other, running as the pirates tried to evade getting caught in either his crossfire, or get hit by the trees-- and another two saw their luck run out.

For the moment, he'd completely forgotten about the draoi he'd been so insistent on killing earlier. He'd fallen back on his oldest and purest instincts-- survival at all costs, even if he was going out of his way to avoid killing people, what with the stun blasts and cutting off fingers instead of heads.

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@Altaria