A Long Journey

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham straightened out his own robes over his armour as he shrugged his shoulders. When she began to question his choice as to what part of her he had grabbed, he simply made a 'heh' sound and stepped past the Herglic guards. Humming softly, he walked through the destruction of droid parts, kicking a piece here and there if they got in the way of his path. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said evenly, though the look on his face was one of amusement. At least there was still a way to get under her skin.

Frowning, he felt his spine tingling again, and he glanced down the hallway, not towards Joza, but to the other two herglics. He tilted his head to the side as he glanced out the corner of his eyes. Normally he would've been fast enough, but he didn't realized what was happening until it was too late. Another drop pod crashed into the spot that the two herglics had been crouched or standing in. He couldn't really tell the difference with all the smoke in the way, but it appeared that that didn't matter either with their deaths.

More drop pods crashed along the wall until there was nothing but just a wall of drop pods. "Come," he said. There was a presence in the Force approaching, a dark one. Darker than his own. Stronger than his own. He didn't reach out for fear of what he'd find, and he beckoned the other three to come along. "Quickly." He'd say as they started to hiss open. The herglics wouldn't have moved until Joza did however. They were big, and most likely dumb, but they had enough intelligence about them to know that their employer cared for the Zeltron.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza paused for a few moments while gritting her teeth, wracking her brain to see if she could come up with a snarky response. But it wasn’t worth it, not right now…she’d just have to get back at him later when they were out of clear and present danger. “Ugh” She simply grunted in annoyance before waving him off. Haytham Kaze was one of the few people who could irritate her with ease, she’d come to find.

Eyes flickering, Joza followed his gaze as it moved behind her. Not a second later did the drop pods start crashing in like an army, and this time she ground her teeth for a different reason. And then, she felt her stomach twist. Something is coming. The Force called in warning, a foreboding feeling riding on it like the wind. She could feel the urgency within both Haytham and his words and quickly moved to catch up with him.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham closed his eyes for a moment as he watched Joza start hurrying towards him. Behind her the two Herglics came behind her and he headed down the other corridor as soon as she passed him. Opening his eyes again, he drew out a blaster pistol in the small of his back and fired a trio of crimson bolts at the lift that they had come up. He did it consciously, he knew what he was doing. While they had been on that floor, the lift behind them had closed. That tended to happen with lifts after inactivity, but what hadn't been realized was that the lift had dropped to the lower levels again. That was who he sensed on the lift, the foreboding presence that was coming closer.

Shooting the controls of the lift was only a way to waste time for whoever was coming through the opening to the lift.

He didn't want to see what the occupants did to get out. Instead, he turned and hurried down the hallway after the other three. The Herglics stopped outside of the bridge bulkhead doors and they opened to admit Joza and Haytham before he shut them with a wave of his hand.

"Weapons are down I presume?" He said as he stepped past Shaya to read the reports that were coming in himself. His mind raced as the Force amplified his abilities. He places a hand on the rim of the console as his eyes widen and he raises a hand to facepalm himself.

"I forgot to drain the bacta tank!"

He turned to face the entrance of the bulkhead doors. The presence was right outside the doors. It moved slow, but he knew it was only for show.

I hate Sith.

There were two slams on the bulkhead doors and they indentations could be seen alongside the slams on the bulkhead door. He already knew it was his former bodyguards.

"I hope you learned something against those Sith that took your hand."

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza grimaced as the bulkhead doors dented heavily, assuming that the bodies of her herglic guards had been tossed against it far too easily. They looked pretty heavy, too. Clicking her tongue, she shook her head and smoothed out her hair. At a second thought, she retrieved a hair tie from somewhere within her robes and quickly put her hair up. All of this foreboding darkness nonsense was making her fidgety, and she just wanted to get to the fight. Then again, she tended to jump the gun on these sorts of things.

“I think we’ve got more pressing problems than the stupid bacta tank.” She murmured, twirling the hilt in her hand once more. Glancing over to Haytham, it occurred to her that this would be the first time they would likely fight alongside eachother. Never had a Sith as my combat buddy before. The thought was somewhat amusing, but she realized that she hadn’t experienced much of his combat style. Their brief duel on Cloud Nine was her only glimpse into his abilities, and from what she could glean she supposed that they were similar in that regard. Close combat and saber work. Though she was trying to remedy that on her how part, she wondered how far his skills extended.

Her upper lip curled into a snarl at his words. “Don’t you worry about me.” She grumbled back, eyes fixed on the door a she began to gather the Force towards her. “I’m not the child I was on Bakura.”

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham reached down towards the small of his back and removed the disruptor pistol that was there. He hefted the overbearing gun and strode down the steps as he beckoned to Joza to follow. Either the Sith would blast the doors off of their hinges, or he would cut a hole into the bridge. After what he had done with the Herglics, he doubted he was going to perform the latter. He released the Force sense, he didn't believe he had anything else to learn from his opponent.

"I think I'll keep worrying about you," he said to Joza. Outside the door, all was silent. The bridge crew drew out whatever weapons they had, which was primarily handguns and blaster pistols. Pistol in his right hand and drawing out his hilt with his left hand, the Sith Warrior smirked to himself. He certainly did seem quite positive despite the impending death only a few meters away beyond the bulkhead doors. "I think I'm going to enjoy seeing what other ways your body can move."

There was a moment, a pause and the blast doors burst open with an explosion of light that temporarily blinded all those within the room. There was a loud ringing to follow and then blaster fire erupted towards and from the now wide open doorway.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza tisked when Haytham indicated that he’d continue to worry about her, though inwardly she felt a brief flare of warmth at his protectiveness. Still, that didn’t stop her from worrying about him as well. Despite his growing strength, she’d only become more concerned over his wellbeing since Nikias’ attack. She’d seen what the Hellyni was capable of.

Normally, Joza was able to fire back a retort without missing a beat. But things with Haytham were never normal, so his words gave her pause before she could have reacted, allowing a spark of irritation to rise in her chest at his cheeky comment. “Don’t let me be a distraction now. You can admire my body later, preferably in a more private setting.” She shot back, eyes narrowing as the familiar pre-battle anxiety in her chest rose.

Predictably, the doors were flung open by a sudden burst of power, a flash of blinding light accompanying it. At that moment, Joza would ignite her saber and raise her other hand to shield her eyes. Until she properly regained her sight, the Zeltron would swat blaster bolts from the air with practiced flicks and graceful sways, using the Force to aid her senses.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

After he had spoken, he wasn't exactly listening to Joza anymore. Of course he was going to be admiring her body afterwards, Haytham certainly didn't plan to die. And with the pink force user along side him, he wasn't going to let her die either. At least, not before he was cut down.

The sapphire beam in his hand exploded outwards in the tell-tale sound of Snap-Hiss. It reached out to the surrounding air as if it were the surface of an ocean and it required oxygen to live. He deflected a bolt somewhere, and he didn't wait long enough to see where it had gone. He was blind, for only a moment, but that didn't stop him from pointing the disruptor pistol over the edge of the console he crouched behind and fired beam after beam at the middle of the entrance.

Specifically where he sensed the dark sided presence. It was struck every time, and deep within it's black billowing robes as if there was a constant wind around it, holes were created in it's flesh, but it remained unwaved as the Sith Lord drew off of the pain and anger he felt. A hand extended out from it's body and it was as if the Dark Side was sent forth from him to grasp at anyone close to him. Ally and enemy. And it sapped the life out of them before dropping the bodies, devoid of life.

​

For the first time in a long time, Haytham felt... Afraid. And then the anonymous Sith Lord leapt over the railing towards both Haytham and Joza and swung a powerful arc with the crimson beam that was extending out from his concealed hand. It was quick, but fast enough for Vanitas to lean backwards and twist his head to the side, only to lose a few locks of his black hair. He didn't have enough time to see how Joza fared as his right arm reached across his chest as he fell away, only to fire another beam from the disruptor pistol into the chest of the Sith Lord.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

A low note of fear thrummed deep in her chest, but instead of outright ignoring it, Joza allowed herself to feel it. The Zeltron had strong emotions, and acknowledging them helped her to deal with whatever situation was at hand—specifically, a mysterious Sith Lord who seemed to be unharmed by the blaster bolts that struck his flesh. Stupid tricky Sith.

A shiver tingled her spine as the Sith Lord drained the life from those in his immediate vicinity. No sooner had he accomplished that did he make haste for the two saber wielders, lashing out in a wide arc at the pair with a crimson blade. Whereas Haytham had physically avoided the strike altogether—save for a few locks of hair—Joza lifted her free hand and manipulated the air between them in an attempt to bat away the Sith’s saber. Hopefully catching him on unsteady feet, she would jab her saber against his unguarded torso, already moving away from him.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

After Haytham finished twisting and rolling away from the Sith Lord, he watched as the Zeltron manipulated the Force to make an attempt at knocking away the Sith Lord's lightsabre. Of course, the blade was knocked away for the darkly clad being didn't employ the Force to protect his person, at least, not in the area situated around his lightsabre. His lightabre was pushed away and the Dark Side manifested in his other hand, he spun away with the push of the Force that was applied on his lightsabre and found himself away just avoiding the pink warrior's jab.

A blast of the Force was released from the Dark Sider towards the centre of Joza's mass as she retreated and created more distance between them, but she'd find that it rapidly gained on her.

Haytham reacted quickly.

He knew what the Force blast was, he had employed it to a much lesser degree when he had been facing off against Nikias in the hotel, and he created a hasty shield in the Force in between the blast and Joza, regardless as to whether she avoided it or not. Simultaneously, he leapt up into the air, his knees tucking into his chest as his heels came over the back of his head as he leaned forward into a forward flip to gain more momentum and strength behind his attack. He came down, quickly and heavily, overhead slash coming across his chest to collide with the Sith Lord's raising blade.

He reached out to Haytham's armour, which earned him a handful of plasma.

Dropping his disruptor pistol, he grabbed the shoulder of the Sith Lord as he caught hold of Haytham's armour, specifically on his waist, and clenching his fist, the wrist blaster that was, well, on his wrist delivered straight to the Sith Lord's shoulder a downpour of blaster fire until he finally cried out in what could only be assumed as pain, and threw him to whichever direction [member="Joza Perl"] was in.

 

[Joza Perl]

On high alert, Joza felt the dark sider’s force blast making haste towards her, but she also felt the force shield that was erected in front of her. With this knowledge, the Zeltron elected not to dodge or parry, though she had initially prepared to try and absorb the blast.

Instead, she would move even further away, grasping the currents around the two men as Haytham interjected to combat the Sith Lord up close. She patiently awaited an opening, shuffling around and focusing on keeping control over her air shaping, a skill she had recently begun developing. She inwardly cringed as the man attempted to grab ahold of Haytham, feeling a sudden sharp pang of fear in her chest. The Sith Knight was strong, but in this moment she realized how much she truly feared losing him.

Grasping her hand into a fist and pulling it back, she reeled part of the vortex to move with Haytham’s body as the Sith Lord tossed him in her direction, trying to use the air to break any sort of stumble or fall as if it were a cushion pressed against his back. Glancing back to the opponent, her hand would rotate outwards, using the remaining part of the makeshift whirlwind to try and urge the Sith Lord towards her. At the same time she would push off from her heel, using the force to imbue her speed and make a sharp slash with her saber towards his throat.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham met the buffering space that Joza had created with the manipulation of the air, though he immediately dubbed it as the Force. There was time to analyze her abilities later, now however, there was something else to take care of. And that was the Sith Lord on the bridge of his ship. In the background of their fight, blaster bolts still flew to and from the doorway, but the bridge defenders were holding out despite the members. Both troopers on both sides had realized that firing at those that wielded lightsabres wasn't too smart and steered clear of them. Collateral damage was actually quite easy in a situation like this.

Standing still, Haytham's grey eyes caught sight of Joza as she went past him towards the unmoving Sith Lord.

Instead of being pulled towards her, he had rooted his feet to the ground via the Force, only his upper body and robes seeming to have been being pulled in her direction. So when she slashed at the Sith Lord's throat, she would've likely felt the Force seeping deep into her flesh with a freezing nature. Tingling down her nerves and setting into her muscles as it made an attempt at stopping her dead in her tracks, before maneuvering back and away from her as Haytham stepped in, blue lightsabre coming from down under to the Sith, only to meet a downward parry from his crimson one.

They leapt away from each other, only to dash back to each other, a saberlock engaging.

But Vanitas had taken into account what Joza had done previously in the beginning of the fight to knock aside the horizontal slash.

Behind his slash with his lightsabre, was the power of the Force, though not only was the Force strengthening him and speeding him up to turn their fight into flashing and blinding lights, when the Sith Knight's lightsabre met that of the Sith Lord's, the Force exploded out from behind his blow and waved over the Sith Lord, crumpling his knees for a moment as Haytham employed just sheer strength to hold him in position before he brought his blade back again and slammed it overhead this time against the Sith Lord, another burst of the Force behind the blade and pushing him closer to the ground.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza grimaced out of surprise more than frustration when she felt a static feeling creep up her legs, sinking into her flesh as it worked its way up her body. He’s trying to paralyze me! Gritting her teeth, the Jedi’s mind raced as she attempted to fight off the stasis. Luckily for her, Haytham had come to intercept their opponent, effectively giving her time to recover. If anything, her right arm would not succumb to the paralytic effects of the force, given that it was inorganic. With this knowledge, she was able to block any errant shots that came her way.

As the Zeltron put all of her efforts into warding off the catatonic state, her gaze locked on to the battle taking place just a short distance away. Though she knew Haytham to be a capable warrior, this was the first time she’d actually seen him fight, aside from their duel…where they’d both been focused on other things. And even though he seemed to be forcing the Sith Lord back with his saber skills, she was still worried about him.

As the stasis began to fade from her body, oddly enough, Joza didn’t move yet. Instead she continued to act as if she’d been stunned, but reached out quickly and carefully in the Force. Not for her lover—but for the enemy. Hopefully taking advantage of the Sith Lord’s compromising position and using it against him, she attempted to induce dizziness and nausea. She was trying to distract him, throw him off balance for even a moment, so that Haytham could end this.

As an added measure, she dashed behind him, knowing that he would likely see her—a Sith Lord was not one to lose an opponent in battle, and her pink skin and red hair made her hard to miss. Still, she would lash out and attempt to cut a swath across his back. Even if the Malacia had no effect, he’d have to deal with a warrior on either side.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham continued to hold the Sith Lord down via the saberlock. He wasn't going to let him go anywhere. The Sith Knight continued to press him downwards, closer and closer to ground with every single press of his lightsabre. Vanitas was stronger physically, and he was abusing that advantage. Muscles ripped underneath his robes and armour and his grey eyes burned in his skull as he stared into those of the crimson Sith Lord before him. His azure blade started to slide across the saberlock, briefly losing much of the control he had as his blade slid closer to the Sith Lord's own lightsabre hilt.


He could see the concentration in the Sith's crimson eyes, suddenly unfocusing as Joza used some sort of Force ability on him, though Haytham didn't know that. He was just waiting for her to stroke him down while he had him engaged.

But Haytham fought dirty too.

His leg reached up to kick the Sith Lord in the balls, or where he thought his balls were, but instead he was met with the Force creating a buffer between that crippling space. Lifting his right hand off of the blade, the saberlock disengaged the moment that Haytham's lightsabre cut through the hilt. But he was unbalanced from that lifted foot, and he was pushed backwards as the crimson blade disappeared into nothing. He slashed one last time as he fell and took the Sith Lord's hand as a prize as her somersaulted away, just as Joza cut a swath through his back, bringing him down to his knees and eventually crashing in the spot that Haytham had just been in.

"Sure took your time," he said as he took a look around their immediate area before slumping against a nearby console. The bridge was covered in bodies, but over a dozen metres away from the trio of Force users. hey had after all, given them a wide berth. With the death of the Sith Lord, the attackers immediately forfeited any foothold they had on the bridge and threw down their weapons. He heard the cries of surrender and the dropping of weapons.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza huffed, eyes glued to the Sith Lord as he crumpled to the ground. She wouldn’t look away until she could feel the life drain from the man and heard the enemy soldiers surrender. Keeping her blade alight, she inhaled deeply, not realizing how labored her breathing had become. She’d used quite a bit of energy in attempting to heal his leg, and the surprise battle had taken its toll on her as well.

“Hey, I was frozen for a bit.” She paused, looking over the body of the defeated dark sider to see that his hand had been removed, and frowned. Hands were a somewhat sensitive subject to her. “And I gave you an opening.” Kind of. She hadn’t seen to what effect, if any she’d had on him, but he was no threat now so she saw no reason to argue further.

“You alright?” She swallowed thickly, running her free hand through her hair. Her words were nonchalant and partially hollow seeing as how they were in front of others. “Did you really have to take his hand though?”

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham remains seated against the wall as he exhales from his mouth. Slowly, he got back up to his feet, replacing his now deactivated hilt on his belt as he rolled his shoulders back. "I'm fine. Are you?" He answered, just as she begun to berate him about taking the hand of his enemy. Glancing down to it, he blinked at it, rose back up to her own hand, the cybernetic one and frowned at her emerald gaze with his own grey one as he walked pat her towards the steps.

"Are you actually going to ask me that?" There was obvious irritation in his voice. The question he thought was a waste of air, air that they could've potentially been losing if the life support system was damaged. Passing a sensor, he glanced down to it, only to let out a small sigh.

At least they had air to waste.

Glancing along the line of prisoners that had been lined up near the entrance to the bridge. Haytham didn't hesitate to look upon those survivors that fought on his side before he spotted Shaya, and nodded once to her before he threw his head over his shoulder to find Joza, and once finding her, he beckoned her to follow him.

"Major Shaya." He said on his way off of the bridge, "Kill them."

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza’s upper lip curled into a snarl, and she said nothing, only grunting in response to his follow-up question. A sting of irritation struck her chest, but she ignored it for now. They butted heads often, so it should serve that they would right now. Especially after an emotional conversation and a battle. Still, she didn’t think that the question was that out of line, given the circumstances.

Finally disengaging her saber but hanging on to the hilt for now, the Zeltron followed Haytham when motioned to, though there was a hint of wariness in her steps. A pause, and her eyes fell over the defeated who had survived, lined up as if they were about to be executed. The thought caused her stomach to knot, and she visibly grimaced at Haytham’s orders.

“Wait—why are you killing them?” Stepping to his side and a little in the front, she fixed him with a hardened stare. “Do you not take prisoners? Can’t they be ransomed or reconditioned?” Though she expected to be met with cold words, Joza couldn’t keep quiet. Suddenly, it sunk in that she was aboard a Sith’s ship. Perhaps regrettably, she reached in to their bond and attempted to soften him.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham would've been watching her, almost daring her to challenge him when she snarled, but when she didn't he had continued forwards.

Not even bothering to stop as she moved in front of them, he just would've stepped around her, just enough so that his shoulder likely would've collided with her own and moved her forcefully. But then he'd slow down to a stop and turn back to the bridge. They had hardly made it off of the bridge before Joza had stopped him. He looked at the line of prisoners over Joza's shoulder and he would've tilted his head to the side as he felt what she was trying to do.

He'd wave a hand at Shaya, knowing she'd be watching and she gave the command to not shoot just yet.

Stepping back onto the bridge, black robe cloaking his steps. He turned his head back around to Joza, allowing his eyes to do all of the speaking.

Gauntlet raising, he brushed the back of one of the prisoners heads with his right hand, his movements dangerously silent as his hand indicated the bridge. While he did, his force sense reached out and he grasped all of the prisoners. Just under two dozen of them remaining. "I'm going to explain this to you once." He said to Joza, turning sideways to show the destruction the bridge itself had sustained. "Can you read sensors, Joza? What do they say?" Rhetorical. He continued. "They still have a Star Destroyer out there."

He dropped his right hand and it touched his hip.

In one smooth motion, the Tsaisi Magus was drawn from his hip and it separated the closest prisoner's body. A perfect diagonal cut as the YV Blade Construct tore through the flesh and blood.

Once the lower half flopped to the ground, he re-resheathed the Tsaisi and turned to Joza. "Their lives belong to me." He aimed to walk past her as he turns his head to her when they were next to each other, "Are you going to stop me?"

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza would have bitten her lip, but she saw the action as far too demure than what she was going for. Instead she settled for the inside of her cheek, eyes widening a notch and stance tightening. Out of line? Yes. But the Jedi in her had to say something, as hopeless as she felt. And even though her eyes flashed at his response, it was entirely expected. Then why was she surprised?

She wanted to flinch as he bisected the prisoner, but her instincts would not allow for it. Much like him, she felt as if she had to portray a certain appearance in this situation—though she was keenly aware that she was in no position to have demands. Not like this, anyway. If he wanted to, he could order her to be executed as well, and there’d be little she could do about it.

Not that she expected him to…

But the cold look in his eyes startled her. Moreso than it had before. He used to smile a lot around her. She realized long ago that those easy days were gone.

At his query, she turned on her heel and bit her lip, away from the prisoners and soldiers. Nothing I can say will change his mind. But…he has…a…point. The Star Destroyer was a very big point indeed. That, and was she being to naïve? Straightening her back, she settled on silence as her answer and hastily walked away from him, away from the execution she was now having mixed feelings over.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Haytham watched as she didn't answer him. Instead, she just walked away. Fleeing from the lesson that he would otherwise have her watch. His jaw tightened and he threw a look over his shoulder to Major Shaya and said, "Leave them. Find any other personnel, and get them to the Med Station. Major Shaya, lead the cleansing of the ship. If they send another wave, we won't be getting taken from behind." His gaze wandered to Joza's retreating form just as his arm snapped backwards.

The grasp that he had achieved on the gathered soldiers from moments ago went to work. When his arm snapped backwards, their bodies were lifted off of the floor as if thrown by an invisible force and slammed off of the wall around the entrance to the bridge. Some found their necks being snapped above the entrance, others beside it. He made sure to bounce them off the floor too before he released them and continued behind Joza before he said, "Did you really think there was another way to end that?"

His voice was even as he waited for her answer.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

This time, Joza did flinch when she heard the impact and felt the vibrations of the bodies against the durasteel wall, and then again on the floor. She didn’t know what to do, but she didn’t want to express that unless they were in private. She’d seen slaughter before, and she wanted to avoid it as often as possible. Finally, she clipped her saber hilt back on to her belt, left hand idly clasping across her right wrist as if cradling the pink synthflesh.

All she wanted to do in this moment was to leave. To leave and be alone with her thoughts, out from under his oppressive presence. But it was strange—she’d been ruthless when slaying soldiers and guards on Hora as she escorted Nik to the main hall. They were not Sith, and she had no quarrel with them, yet she made sure that they either died or were permanently incapacitated. They weren’t going to grant her any quarter, so she returned the favor. Which begged the question, why was she going soft now?

Because it was him. All this time, she hoped that this wouldn’t happen. That she wouldn’t find out things she didn’t like about him. That she’d have to face the reality of the situation, and that it made her question her own actions. Not like she ever had a solid belief in the Jedi way, but she didn’t like being confronted with things like this.

“No.” She responded quickly, not wanting to elaborate. Did she even feel comfortable spilling her heart out to him anymore? Having honesty met with coldness was discouraging, and she was beginning to tire of it. She didn't want to be treated like an underling from him. "I should leave."

[member="Haytham Kaze"]