Open [Vandyne] The Push West! - Bad Mistakes

[Raksis]

*Sir, I can see the Prime Minister on a speeder.* Herald’s voice came up in Raksis’ helmet. The Dathomarian’s laughed again as he continued lunging forward barely dodging the collapse of the corridors. He rollled but then quickly got back to his feet, examining the place where he could sense the Prime Minister had left.

“Do not let him escape. But don’t kill him either- I have other plans for him.” Raksis ordered his droid who was piloting Orcus. There must have been a ship out there that the Minister was supposed to escape on. “Destroy his ship. He’ll be heading for it.” The Sith found another speeder to pursue his prey with and followed the directions Herald gave him, who was flying over the Minister, barely out of sight.

Eventually, Herald followed the Minister long enough to find his ship and opened fire on it’s thrusters and hyperdrive at once. Raksis saw the chaos and sped towards the explosions caused by Orcus, expecting company.

 

[The Storyteller]

The Nikto Jedi would shove the Captain torwards the three men, letting the lightning cook all four of them before the freshly freed hand would pull the hood down. He held up a finger to his lips. "No witnesses.." he then pressed a button on his bracer, an alert that the PM had boarded the ship and smiled before detonating the prime ministers ship. The explosion would rip through the vessel, killing all aboard,even the Prime Minister.

It would take the other Sith some time to get back to them as planetary forces would likely engage the would-be killer.

He then, would reach out with the Force and grab Hailie before slamming her headfirst into a wall, knocking her unconscious. "I'd kill that one too, if I were you.. Come now, Bir, surely you remember me.."

@Tulos @Kell Rook

 

[Bir Vuul]

This Jedi’s actions confounded the Kel Dor acolyte as he felt the mayhem that ensued after he detonated the ship that had already unknowingly been under fire by Raksis’ own ship. The ripples of repercussion told Bir that the Prime Minister was, in fact, dead. His mission had been a success but not by his own hand. Because of this, he was left with only one option to claim the honor that had been stolen from him.

Then another act of curiosity as the Nikto threw Halie into the wall of the tunnel and rendered her unconscious. Just who was this man?!

”Your words mean oh so very little to me, my friend!” Bir declared with a chuckle. Did he know him? Had they met prior to his own capture? As the Acolyte had come to realise in recent days, anything was possible. But he had not answered Bir’s questions and he was beginning to get impatient. With the Prime Minister dead and Kayden out of contact, their escape needed to be executed soon. But first, an execution of his own for the Jedi.

”The only sense of familiarity you exude is one I am not eager to recall!” Bir said firmly, taking a step towards the threat. For a moment, it was as though his sanity had returned. His scar began to ache but the pain restored a bit of what he had believed to be lost forever...

@Rhogar @Kell Rook

 

[Raksis]

*Sir, he already blew up the ship. The Minister is dead.* Herald replied through the comm. “Oh, well that’s not what I had in mind but that’s alright. Plenty of more victims to be made on this gutter of a planet.” Raksis sighed and continued on the speeder towards where the enemy were. After they opened fire, Raksis jumped off the speeder and let run into and explode upon three of the enemy troopers. The rest were easy game. Raksis flew into the air with his swords drawn, hacking away at the enemy while occasionally using the Force to choke his victims or burn them with the fire coming from the violently dismantled speeder he arrived in.

*Shall I come and pick you up? I think Mr. Vuul needs your help.* Raksis beheaded the last the men that remained in his area. “Bir should be fine- if he’s weak, then that means Bane’s vision happened sooner than expected. Though, I would’ve killed him anyway, so I’m not sure what difference it makes.” Raksis chuckled darkly into the comm and sent Herald his signal. Or that fact that if I’m not the one to kill the Sith, I won’t receive any further information from Darth Bane...

@Tulos @Rhogar

 

[The Storyteller]

The 'Jedi' would seem unnaturally calm, even going so far as to step closer to Bir. "Come now, surely you must hear his call when you close your eyes.. feel his power.. He calls you home.. to Korriban. He has watched, he has waited, and he has found it to be time to train you. To show you your proper path."

The saber would ignite once more. "Should you survive, that is."

------

Raksis would find more and more security forces moving to engage him, they had the numbers, but as long as he moved quickly and intelligently, most were far too slow to hit him. He would also receive word that key members of the Prime Ministers cabinet were still alive and heading for a secondary space port to get off-world and maybe try to rule in exile.

@Tulos @Kell Rook

 

[Bir Vuul]

THEME
​

Every word the Jedi chose confirmed exactly what it was that Bir had come to expect. This man was a Jedi no longer. He had fallen prey to the same fate that had twisted the Kel Dor into who he was today and possibly suffered similar repercussions. Whoever this Nikto was no longer mattered. Kor’Bishal stood before him. Not in a physical form of course, but that of a proxy… and a dead proxy served no one any good.

This was a moment that Bir had both knowingly prepared for and yet never expected to come to fruition. At times, it almost seemed as though the entire ordeal in the torture chambers of Korriban had been a bad dream. As though they had never happened. That Bir was always this version of himself, simply stuck in an unconscious trance in which he served the galaxy as a Jedi. Instead it was a truth that could not be denied any longer, it seemed.

Reaching his left hand across to the clips of his chest plating, Bir released them without breaking his concentration from the fallen Padawan. A glare of hatred shielded behind his goggles, the Jedi would undoubtedly still feel the rage boiling over within the Acolyte. The clattering of durasteel impacting the floor echoed through-out the tunnel before the signature *snap* of a lightsaber cut through the silence.

”I always survive…” Bir spat coldly. The burning insignia on his chest, gifted by Kor'Bishal, was readily apparent for the Jedi to recognize. There was approximately fifteen meters between Bir and the Nikto but behind the Jedi lay the corpses of his many victims. Members of Bir’s own squad torn down in an effort to corner and capture, if not defeat, the Kel Dor. Snapping his left hand forward, Bir coiled the Force around the leg of one of the soldier carcasses and snapped it towards the Nikto’s back. The tunnel was small, which would make maneuvering around the projectile difficult yet not impossible. If his actions allowed it, Bir would then follow up by wrapping his invisible grasp around the Jedi’s neck. Likely, however, he would react in a way forcing Bir on the defensive. Bringing his saber upward across the front of his torso with his right hand, he would be ready to deter any return assault.

@Rhogar @Kell Rook

 

[Raksis]

“Herald!” Raksis called to his comm. Shortly after, cover fire from Orcus began to overwhelm the beginning group of security giving him time to get into his ship and head off to the secondary port. “Blow them all to hell.” Raksis ordered and then sat in his respective seat and began meditating during the chaos.-Right away, Master Hiraaks.- Herald began blasting away at all of the potential escape routes with an occasional fly by on the political cabinet. Herald was a droid, but his piloting skills were indeed impressive.

Raksis could feel the anger swelling in Bir. He did not want the Jedi to win. He did not want the Acolyte to win. He wanted them to fall by his own blade. One step closer to completing his Vision. The Dathomarian then grew troubled, as he saw his future to be shrouded in mystery. The clouds billowed with thick continuous smoke, but a light seemed to break through to him. Darth Bane was hover over something. Something that could fit into Raksis’ hand and be used for the most mortifying of rituals. He wanted it.
But for now, he needed the politicians dead. I wonder who will rule this planet…not me. I will not participate in politics. However, it will make for a harder target to eliminate for my Vision…

 

[The Storyteller]

"That's what they all say.. his playthings. You're just the last one left." He'd say with a wicked smile, as his eyes fell to the sigil burned into Bir's chest. Was it mind games? Or was he telling the truth? "You can't run forever, Bir." Something about the tone, tinged with Kor'bishal's presence in the Force.

The Nikto would smile as Bir reached out with the Force, and though he couldn't see what he grabbed it could feel the coil of it behind him. So instead, he would wrap the Force around Bir and tug the Sith towards himself, sidestepping to bring both bodies on a collision course, his blue saber would then swing towards Bir from his left hand, aimed for the young Siths head.


-----


Herald would have moderate success at wiping out most of the cabinet, though without Raksis deploying to verify, confirmation would have to wait until the Sith sent an army or a proxy to pacify the world. One thing that Raksis would see in his meditation, however, was a faceless mask and a symbol that would linger with him when he closed his eyes. It would carry the power of something ancient, something darker than Bane himself.

@Kell Rook @Tulos

 

[Bir Vuul]

As Bir’s left hand moved to coil the Force around the Nikto’s neck, he was caught off guard as the Jedi moved to pull him into harm’s way. While he may have also been selected by the Kor’Bishal to be a messenger of his purpose it was clear that like Bir, they had a similar level of training, allowing the Sith a degree of level playing field in terms of strength. As the tug of the the Padawan Hildarad pulled the Kel Dor toward him, Bir instead moved his left hand ahead of him with his palm facing downward. The Force slowed the heaving of the Jedi, Bir’s feet dragging across the tunnel floor, but only enough to keep him upright. He was still being drawn in next to his foe.

Bringing his saber arm upward, the corpse Bir had used as a projectile would connect with his robotic prosthetic’s elbow while the Acolyte brought his blade upward to catch the blue saber of his foe. Blades locked and in close proximity of the Padawan, Bir kept his leverage on the blade strong as he pushed back. If he were to remove his lightsaber from Bir’s Hildarad would find that crimson sword would angle downward for his left shoulder. Still, with the weapon held away from his head, Bir would proceed to pull his head back only to snap it forward, aiming to headbutt the Nikto directly in the face.

@Rhogar @Kell Rook​

 

[Raksis]

There were whispers of something dark beyond the symbol Raksis could see. Something that beckoned to him as Bane did- something old. Something dead. Something…else. Raksis thought about his Vision and what it really meant to him. It was his lively hood. He lived to see the beginning of an era where the Sith no longer struggle. He had plans and layers of those plans stacked on more layers. He was going to execute them all. Every last plan. Every last Sith.

This…other darkness…it was a distraction from his Vision. A good distraction. Something that could aid in his Vision.
“Tread carefully, my Shadow.” The familiar voice echoed. “Herald, continue with the assault. If Bir dies…so be it. I will have something to kill either way.”

@Tulos @Rhogar

 

[The Storyteller]

Bir could feel Hildarad's presence in the Force was stronger, that the former Padawan was toying with him. As corpse smacked Bir's robo arm, blue saber would tangle with crimson, however the sudden jerk would happen to be fortuitous for the Kel Dor as the point of the saber would briefly graze just below the shoulder of Hildarad. The Nikto's hiss would transform into a fiendish smile as Bir pulled close for the headbutt, and the hardened head of his race would allow the Padawan to tank it rather swimmingly, and he only seemed to laugh in return. "Good, Bir.. Good.. Surrender to him, surrender to the mark."

The crimson saber would get ever closer to the neck of the Nikto as both men struggled against each other. However, the crimson saber would dance teasingly near the soft flesh, before Hildarad shoved him back with all his might, giving himself nearly two meters of clearance. "This is the end, Bir.." He would step forward, closing the distance, and his blue saber would swing in a wide arc, the blade angled for Bir's neck, leaving his own torso wide open.

_________



Raksis would feel a flicker in the Force, the time for withdrawal was pulling ever nearer, with their advanced strike a success, the remainder of their forces would be funneling in shortly to help the new puppet government get set up. He could either return to get Bir, or leave the Acolyte to his own devices.

 

[Bir Vuul]

Bir’s head rung from the impact against that of his foes, the repercussion of which being that Hildarad had managed to use this moment of shakiness to muster his strength to throw Bir back. His blade had nearly cut into the Jedi Padawan’s neck but he had underestimated the man before him. Or had he? As Bir shook the fogginess from his mind, though the pain radiating across his forehead remained, he saw that perhaps he was more of a fool than he had even originally believed. More a fool than even himself. Had he been anticipating the effects of the failed headbutt to last longer? Most likely but the Force gave one clarity and Bir was ready to act.

As Hildarad advanced, his blade coming in on Bir’s left with a wide swing, Bir too moved in, calling on his connection with the Force to aid him in a moment's notice. With his hilt in his right hand, Bir would reach across his torso as the blade pointed upward before connecting with that of his enemy. The pull of plasma on plasma could be felt but it was at this moment of collision that Bir allowed the Force to accelerate his movements. Keeping the blades together the Kel Dor would bring his left hand to wrap around the wrist of the Nikto’s right and push it upward, finally allowing himself to separate the lightsabers as they rose.

Maintaining his hold of Hildarad’s dominant hand, Bir would then bring his crimson blade downward, aiming where the neck met the shoulder of the Nikto Jedi. It would sear through his flesh faster than the blink of an eye, anything from neck to the left armpit cleaved clean off and falling to the floor. The remainder of the body would not take long to follow suit, crumpling to the ground.

”This was… far too easy,” Bir stated coldly as he stared at the remains for a moment. His tunic had also been cut and as his body stood, the forward portion of the fabric would fall to reveal his chest, allowing Bir to see the same mark that he bore himself. The final piece of evidence he needed. Kor’Bishal had tired of waiting.

Bending down to retrieve Hildarad’s saber, Bir felt a tug from the Force that indicated to him that Raksis had found some success. The fallen jedi that had stolen Bir’s kill would rot in this tunnel and the political cabinet of Vandyne had been eliminated. It was time to go home so he would approach the unconscious Halie and place a finger on the back of her head, springing to life shortly after.

“What the hell happened?” Halie asked as she held the side of her head. “What happened to the Jedi?”

”Defeated. And our objective was accomplished. It is time to go,” Bir stated coldly as he offered her his hand. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Bir wasn’t happy or thrilled with life. No, he was aggrieved by what had transpired here. If what the Padawan had said was true, that Kor’Bishal wished to train him, then the Marauder could well be as foolish as his Jedi toy. Bir had sworn revenge against this man and revenge he would have for the death of his old Master. If his offer of training was sincere, he would simply give Bir what he needs to see his goals through. Perhaps a trip to Korriban truly was in order…

Halie and Bir would make it to the surface and call for extraction, the pilot who had dropped off a much larger squad arriving in mere moments.

“Where… where’s the rest of your squad, Commander?”

Bir looked to Halie, the look in her eyes evident that she had expected him to give the co-ordinates of the remainder of her squad. They both knew Captain Kip had died at Bir’s hands but it was clear to the acolyte that she was still vain enough to believe that the others may have survived.

”We are your only passengers. Take off,” Bir growled as he moved away and took a seat along the wall of the landing craft. He would begin to entire a deep state of meditation as the ship ascended through the atmosphere, seeing nothing but darkness. The chill down his spine returned and his scar began to ache once more, causing Bir to open his eyes in a cringe in time to see the ship enter lightspeed.

”Kor’Bishal…”

[/EXIT THREAD]

@Rhogar @Kell Rook

Spoiler

We've accomplished what we were set out to do. Feel free to throw up a closing post if you'd like Kell but this will wrap up the thread!