A Sudden Slight

[Ben Corscifine]

Ben may have been the guns-blazing, hack and slash type, but he could always appreciate when Dune came through with the cautious, non-violent victory. The guard allowed all three to pass without a moment's hesitation. Sure, that trick would be harder when it came time to face the Sith down the hall, but it had been impressive. The three slowly made their way into the warehouse, keeping close to the walls in case of trouble.

As they rounded a corner, Ben saw another camera. He had been very happy to see the last one destroyed with Tugoro's raw power, and Ben was more than happy to emulate the move.

Sure, they had gotten past the first guard, but who knew who else might be watching? Better safe than sorry, right? He put a hand up to signal to the others that he had this one. Ben raise his arm in the direction of the camera, feeling the Force gather around it. It was almost as if Ben could feel his hand superimposed on the space around the piece of machinery.

Slowly, but with intention, Ben pressed his thumb in towards his palm, picturing the camera inside his hand. Sure enough, Ben watched as the lens of the camera shattered, dropping fragments all over the ground.

And then an alarm sounded.

Apparently, Ben had gotten greedy, because he was not strong enough to destroy the camera entirely, as the Jedi Knight had. Now, the warehouse would be alerted to the fact that the camera had been tampered with. Not a ridiculously major concern, given that a security guard would have already seen the first camera go dark. But, still, there was no mistaking an enemy presence now. Ben shot a horrified look at Dune, as he felt his heart rate rise. He put a hand on the hilt of his lightsaber and looked to Tugoro. Ben's eyes were wide with shock. The operation had been going so well.

He had never done something so stupid in a situation with real stakes.

They needed to act. Now.

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Well, thanks to [member="Ben Corscifine"], an alarm would begin to sound out within the warehouse. The sudden noise would jolt the earlier guard from his daze, causing him to glance around in surprise as he spotted the group of three. Pointing his blaster at the youths, he spoke, "Don't move," as he glanced towards the corridor awaiting back up. The man knew something was not right with these three, but it was still unclear as to what. Either way, the man was clearly ready to shoot, and by the sound of it so were two others. Down the hallway were footsteps, another pair of individuals that had decided to head their way. Stopping as they rounded the corner, the Imperial looking officer and One Sith trooper would raise their weapons, aligning the barrels of them with the trio. There was no way [member="Dune Rhur"] could mind trick his way out of this one, especially as the black clothed figure approached from behind, walking in through the doorway they had entered by. But how?

A cold, distorted voice would speak from beneath the oval-visored mask, "You younglings are pathetically predictable," the Sith spat, his arms folding behind his back, pinning and ceasing the flow of his cape. "Though, I really didn't expect you to trigger the alarm. Disappointing," he continued, his glowing golden eyes glaring at the Jedi beneath the mask. After walking a bit further, the Sith was finally within striking distance of Tugoro, obviously not expecting much from the young lads. Or so Tugoro thought, as he drew back his arm, the force flowing through him strongly as he delved into his Enhance Attribute ability. His fist would sail through the air with alarming power, breaking the air audibly as it honed in on the wide visor of the Sith's mask. Instead of connecting with the glass however, Tugoro was suddenly hit by a wave of dense telekinetic energy, sending ripples of pain throughout his body. The energy would continue forward as a forceful throw, sending the Knight's body hurtling into the nearby wall. Upon impact it would collapse, causing debris and the likes to fall around Tugoro who was now presumably unconscious.

With a single gesture of his black gloved hand, the Sith would signal for his troops to lower their weapons, as he sized up the padawans before him. "How unfortunate, to be led to your demise by Taidarious. He has a knack for that," the Sith spoke, a thick and overwhelming aura of darkness radiating from him. "Though, you must be worth something. Well? Come at me." He declared, releasing the grip his hands had on each other as his arms lowered to his sides.

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"] [member="Ben Corscifine"]

Dune cringed as the alarm went off. Partly because they'd been discovered and partly for Ben's sake. His good intentions had just karked up royally. The Bith sighed as he heard footsteps racing towards them. So much for stealth.

He felt the Sith well before he saw him, his presence standing out like a bonfire. The evil trio rounded the corner and the Padawan's eyes were drawn to the black robed figure in spite of two blasters levelled at him. The voice was thick with contempt and cold like Illum even through the enunciator. Before he knew it, the Knight launched himself at the Sith.

He struck the barrier hard the powerful Dark Sider threw up and was sent flying hard into a wall. The wall collapsed from the impact and Dune knew the situation had just gotten much worse. Something needed to be done before they were all butchered. The Bith had felt the evil power from the Sith and knew he was no match.

So he decided to create a distraction. With the Dark Sider's attention on the fallen Jedi, Dune threw up his hands and ripped a part of the ceiling and let it fall on the Sith and his lackies. The Sith Lord reacted with lightning reflexes, leaping out of harm's way. The soldiers were not so lucky and were struck.

"You little insect!," the Dark lord snarled and he flung out his hand.

Dune barely had time to errect a barrier, though it only stopped the very worst of the powerful wave. The Padawan was sent flying as his shield was crushed. The impact into the wall behind him knocked the breath out of his lung. Sagging down, he had to fight the blackness crowding his vision.

 

[Ben Corscifine]

Ben's saber was out the moment Tugoro was launched across the room. Before Ben could even get his blade ignited, however, Dune had acted by pulling down a section of ceiling, eliminating the threat of the two Non-Force-User enemies. Ben watched with alarm as Dune was sent hurtling into another wall. With the Sith distracted by Force Pushing Dune, Ben seized the opportunity to launch himself forward. He heard his emerald lightsaber snap-hiss to life, filling Ben with the kind of laser focus that only came when he had his saber at the ready. He launched into the Djem So offensive rush that Corvus had taught him during their most recent lesson together, seeking to end this fight before it even had a chance to begin. Ben could feel the enormous power of the Darksider. They were outmatched, but they had no choice.

The Sith Knight was not, however, as unprepared as he looked. He sidestepped Ben's blade easily and leaped backward. Thrown off by the dodge, Ben spun around in time to catch the snap-hiss of a crimson lightsaber. There the Knight stood, strong and tall, weapon at the ready. A laugh rumbled from below the man's dark hood. "Foolish boy. You dare to cross blades with me? Very well, padawan. Your demise will be quick and pathetic, if you so choose."

Ben took a deep breath and focused on the humming of his lightsaber. He was calm as he assumed a Soresu guard. Behind him, Dune was beginning to stand up. The Knight seemed to be leveling a challenge meant to intimidate Ben, but he stared on indignantly, his green blade poised for combat. "Well, Dune, it looks like it's you and me against the Dark Side again..."

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

This was pretty fun, actually. Ballen-Ist was not the type of Sith to go out and actively seek trouble, but he had to admit that there was something about real combat that training simply did not offer. The older Sith Knight had been aware of the trio's presence the entire time, having set up this place in hopes of drawing out the Jedi on Nar Shaddaa. He hadn't expected to find Taidarious, a troublesome man, who had slain his partner Maleus in his padawan days. Darth Ferus would most likely be displeased, but did that even matter? The Sith had not seen his master for quite sometime, and had heard strange rumours. It didn't really matter, for Ballen-Ist's training had been complete during his time within the New Order, as the apprentice of the factions Dark Enforcer. [member="Dune Rhur"] was out of the battle momentarily, hopefully that would last thanks to the Sith's power.

Given that telekinesis was one of his specialities, the Sith was able to create a field around his area as the ceiling debris fell, saving himself from serious damage. From there, many avenues of attack were open to the Sith. He had a few techniques he wished to demonstrate, but was feeling good about this [member="Ben Corscifine"]. Watching the younger lad draw his lightsaber after his own crimson blade was drawn, a large smirk would stretch across the Sith's face, as his arm reached around his waist to his back, grabbing the handle of what seemed to be a hidden sheathed blade.

Pulling the blade from it's holster, yet another dark presence could be felt, as bright crackling electricity ran vibrantly along the metallic sword's length. It was a force sword made by his Sith Lord master, one capable of absorbing lightning, and increasing it's sharpness via telekinesis. Lifting his hand to the side of his waist, Ballen-Ist would flick his wrist, manoeuvring his saber in a vertical rotation that would attempt to meet with Ben's green beam of plasma.

Having been trained in combat for the majority of his life, Ballen-Ist knew what he was doing. Though, there were a lot of things to stay cautious about, he felt like having a bit of fun with these two. Engaging Ben's Soresu defense directly, the Knight would begin to unleash a devastating two handed offensive. Juyo was the name of the game, and the attacks only grew more ferocious as time went on. He full well expected Ben to block, but how long could he keep it up for?

 

[Ben Corscifine]

The Sith's offense was unlike anything Ben had encountered at any point in his training. Juyo was not a form with which Ben had any familiarity--except for a brief mention by Corvus. In fact, Corvus had warned Ben that this form was almost entirely inaccessible to Jedi, because it required a level of heightened emotion that could lead practitioners to the Dark Side.

Not that that was of any concern to this Sith Knight.

Ben knew that there was a way to redirect Juyo--use a Dark Sider's passions against him--but he had nowhere near the skill required to do so. Still, Ben was a very naturally talented bladesman, and Soresu was meant for holding off an opponent. Ben attempted to calm himself, remembering what he had been trained to do when faced with an attacker. He centered himself, and allowed his mind to enter a state of peaceful awareness. The constant hum of Ben's saber drew all of his energy into a single point. Using the Force and his own intuitions, Ben was able to sense his opponent's strikes as they came. As the strong Sith rained his offense upon Ben, the young Jedi felt his heart rate increasing.

Inhale.

Exhale.

It was going alright for Ben, but he could feel the heat of his enemy's blade clashing with his own each time Ben blocked or parried. It took all of Ben's energy to resist launching a counterattack. Ben knew that he would lose this fight the moment he opened himself up, so long as it was simply him versus the Sith. But Ben could only keep up this guard for so long. As he could sense the presence of his friend staggering to his feet behind Ben, the young human could feel himself sending his least favorite three words through the Force.

I need help.

[member="Ballen-Ist"] | [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

It didn't seem like [member="Dune Rhur"] would be able to help, at the moment at least. Even so, the Sith Pureblood's mind was not focused on the Bith at all, for he was almost certain that he was out of the fight, as was Taidarious. He was wrong, however. Still concentrating on his overwhelming offensive, Ballen-Ist would keep up his wild, nearly unpredictable assault of strikes. Sparks and flashes of light lit up the warehouse as [member="Ben Corscifine"]'s blade and the Sith's own two clashed constantly.

With every connection, the Knight aimed to beat down the human's resolve, hoping to whittle away at him mentally and physically. "You know," Ballen-Ist began, his voice still distorted as his face remained concealed. If only Ben could see the malicious grin upon the man's face. "You're not too bad. I can sense your emotions, boy. Feeling fed up? Weak? I sense your anger. Why depend on these weaklings, when you could forge your own destiny?" Ballen-Ist continued, slamming both of his weapons down onto Ben's green blade, attempting to engage in a vicious saber lock. "If this were a real fight, you'd all be dead by now." The Sith spoke quite confidently, still attempting to shake the human's confidence. Though, taking a look at the situation, was it really just mockery?

"It's too late for those two. You still have a chance, though. Why seek help, when you can save yourself?" The Pureblood further inquired, before applying an immense amount of force forwards, aiming to brutally shove Ben and his saber away from their previously mentioned lock. Deactivating his crimson lightsaber, Ballen-Ist would place the black metal hilt upon his waist underneath his short cloak, still wielding his force sword in the opposite hand. Bright electricity continued to stream up and down it, a side effect of the alchemical dark side reaction to his force energy. Now having gained distance, the Knight would lift his arm and point five fingertips towards Ben, as his natural dark side energy began to flow rapidly. Tendrils of violet lightning would leap from the Sith's hand, soaring through the air and towards the padawans location. If it did hit him, it would not do much damage, just a temporary paralysis if anything.

 

[Ben Corscifine]

Ben was exhausted, frankly. The Sith had launched an overwhelming offensive that Ben barely had the capacity to keep up. Beyond that, attempting to keep calm and centered in the face of the Sith's taunts had expended every ounce of energy that Ben had left. His taunts rang true to Ben, in a deep part of him. He was indeed frightened and angry. It was three-against-one and yet somehow Ben was the only one putting up a fight. For a moment, Ben allowed his attention to wander as he asked what was holding him back.

That instant had been enough, The Sith struck Ben with a Force push which hit him particularly hard in his state of distraction and exhaustion. Ben tumbled back, feeling pain shoot through him as his back made contact with the wall. He struggled to his feet just in time to feel a jolt of lightening spring through his chest. His heart began hammering against his ribs, and he fell to his knees. He tried in vain to respond with a Force push, a Saber throw, anything.

It was no use, his body was immobilized and all that he could produce was a pained yell.

In his hand, his saber still buzzed steadfastly, but Ben could not hear the droning over the crackling of lightening and the rumbling of his own choked voice.

[member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Ballen-Ist"]

In the interm, Dune had managed to get back to his feet. Ben was clearly in trouble, he noticed as he attempted to clear his head enough to do something. Taking a deep breath, he drew on the Force to steady himself. Ben was sent flying as he'd been moments ago.

Then the Sith sent bolts of sizzling purple electricity after him. Dune knew it was time to act and shake out the cobwebs. Gathering as much energy as he could, the apprentice sent a hard shove towards the distracted Dark Sider. It connected and the bolts were cut off as the Sith grunted in surprise.

Instead of flying back, though, the evil figure was sent skidding back on his heels. Somehow, he had kept his feet. Dune shook his head in wonderment as he drew his lightsaber from inside his jacket. The sapphire blade hissed to life and he took a middle guard stance.
He fervently hoped Tugoro would regain consciousness because there was no way he could stop the Sith for long.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Having been preoccupied with electrocuting [member="Ben Corscifine"], it was no surprise that [member="Dune Rhur"] was able to get a clean shot in. The energy he had gathered would slam against Ballen-Ist, causing him to stumble backwards slightly as his lightning dispersed. Ben would be in some pain, but he hadn't suffered serious injury. The Sith had been playing with them thus far, and was surprised to find that Dune was back in the game. Directing his attention to the pile of rubble that had buried Tugoro, the Knight would take note of the Jedi's state. He was indeed unconscious, having received the full brunt of the Dark siders power. He knew of the young human's potential, though had never actually fought him one on one. He hoped to keep it this way, considering what had happened to Maleus. This Bith was powerful as well, but Ballen-Ist could tell he was still a rookie.

Grunting a bit from the impact of the Bith's force push, the Sith would reassert his force wall as he slowly began to approach, smirking beneath his mask as he lifted his blade arm. Watching the Jedi draw his own saber, the dark Knight would strike, slashing towards his torso horizontally. The middle guard would most likely prove effective, and if this were the case, he would continue by flicking his wrist, spinning his force sword and attempting to slice the Knight's lower leg.

 

[Ben Corscifine]

Ben staggered back to his feet. He had been thankful that Dune was once again back in the fray; after all, the Bith had just saved him from some major pain. The lightening had not inflicted too much harm, but the surprise of it had left Ben in a state of panic. His heart was thudding loudly, as if it were in Ben's throat, not his chest. He could see the glimmer of Dune's familiar blue blade, and knew that it was at last time for the pair to stand together.

No more of this taking turns. We'll never beat him like that.

Ben could see that the Sith would overpower his comrade--who was by no means a saber specialist--in a matter of moments. Sensing the Sith's strike, Ben knew he had to act. Gathering what strength he could, Ben launched himself into a desperate saber rush. He would attempt to utilize the defensive Shien dulon to deflect the oncoming blade from the side. Granted, this may appear a strange choice in this situation, since Shien was usually reserved for deflecting blaster bolts, but since Ben was not the target of the Sith's slash, it was possible that the aggressive parry could prove successful in creating an opening in the Darksider's double-bladed defense. It would not be an opening that Ben himself could utilize in time, since he would become easily open to a counterattack after such a wild attack, but perhaps it would give Dune the opportunity to strike.

Ben sure hoped it would work, for, if Dune could not make use of the opportunity, Ben would be very exposed to a counterattack in the moments after his charge.

[member="Ballen-Ist"] | [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Ben Corscifine"][member="Ballen-Ist"]

The Sith advanced on him casually as if it were nothing. Dune's blade moved into a drop parry then a low parry in automatic response. There wasn't any great urgency to the attacks, the robed male simply having a bit of sport. His metal blade hummed in the Force with a malignant power, imbued with the Dark Side.

Then Ben's blade was suddenly there, intercepting the next blow. Mild surprise and amusement from the Sith. He felt zero threat, that was apparent. The Bith decided to try something unexpected, attempting to trip up the black robed male with a quick Force pull.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

After a quick exchange of blows with [member="Dune Rhur"], Ballen-Ist was mildly satisfied. The Jedi seemed to keep his cool, and that was what really counted when fighting a dark sider. Continuing to advance on the Bith at a brisk walking pace, the Sith was surprised to find [member="Ben Corscifine"] intervening so soon. Perhaps he hadn't been harsh enough with the young man. The Knight's dark force blade would slam into Ben's own green saber, causing a brief clash of light as the two stood firm. Suddenly feeling a telekinetic grip around him, Ballen-Ist would stumble forward, losing his balance and handle on his weapon.

This allowed Ben's saber to slide upwards along their lock, landing a searing glance across the Sith's mask. Glass shards and metal would fall to the ground as the wide visor helmet fell to the ground, a black gloved hand lifting in order to clutch the burning scar that lined the red skinned man's face. Now the two saw what they were up against, a warrior of an ancient race.

Now, Ballen-Ist was enraged. Having dropped his sword by accident, the Sith would lash out angrily, screaming as he swung his arm through the air, imbuing it with dark side energy as he did so. Utilizing his knowledge of the Kro Var arts, a massive stream of fire would spit forth, much like a flamethrower that a soldier might carry, but far more intense. The flames would impact with the wall, scorching them upon impact, and hoping to blast the two Jedi away, if not kill them. They seemed to be quite smart though, Ballen-Ist figured they would survive. He just needed to buy time.

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Ballen-Ist"] [member="Ben Corscifine"]

When Ben scored the Sith's mask, he bellowed like an enraged rancor. Dune saw why when the mask fell away revealing a livid burn on the pureblood's face. He dropped the metal blade and clutched at his face. Before either apprentice could react, the red-skinned one flung out a hand sending out a jet of flame.

Ben dove one way and Dune the other to avoid the wild attack. The Bith dove into a shoulder roll, recovering his feet quickly. By that time, their adversary had gotten ahold of his weapon again. He was advancing on them with a snarl contorting his features.

Now the Sith wasn't playing a game anymore. His attacks came fast and powerful and Dune saw no chance to mount an offense. His Soresu training was the only thing keeping him alive now. Parry, evade and redirect became his world. The metal whistled through the air as slashes came from every conceivable angle.

Finally, Dune let out a surprised cry. The Dark Side blade had gashed his thigh and the pain was fiery and intense. The enemy's face became a cruel smile once again. But he didn't let up, giving the apprentice no choice but to ignore the bleeding and pain to preserve his life.

 

[Ben Corscifine]

He had gotten lucky with the shot to the Sith's face, but it seemed that it would soon turn unlucky in that it doubled the Sith's rage, therefore doubling his power.

Ben had not been prepared for the flame attack with which their opponent confronted them, nor had he seen anything like it before. The only reaction he could manage was to dive out of the way. He felt the heat of the flames singe the side of his leg as he rolled to safety. Ben was quick to recover, but not quick enough. By the time Ben got to his feet, thigh stinging with the burn, Ballen-Ist was laying into Dune. Before Ben could react, his friend was shouting in pain as the Sith connected with Dune's thigh. Ben watched as pieces of his friend's robes flew from the point of contact and burned into nothing.

Through the Force, Ben could feel Dune's pain as he attempted to continue protecting himself.

It was now or never. Ben felt himself fill with anger, and the pain in his leg was no longer a distraction but a boon. His saber sprang back to life as he catapulted himself forward, attempting a stab at the Sith's shoulder. If the enemy managed to counter, Ben would attempt a Djem So offense, responding to each attack with a counterattack in an attempt to force an opening. If nothing else, he wanted to take the enemy's attention off of his injured friend.

[member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

These two rookies, [member="Dune Rhur"] and [member="Ben Corscifine"], had managed to actually scar Ballen-Ist. The Pureblood's beautiful face had been ruined, never before had he received such an injury close to death. With sweat running down his brow, the Sith Knight would launch himself forward in a blind rage at the Bith. He would resume his Juyo offensive, swinging his force sword wildly through the air, his strength allowing him to handle it with relative ease. It was his preferred weapon, for it was able to perform a few tricks that he had yet to demonstrate in this battle. At first he thought he wouldn't have to, though these two were proving more difficult than Ballen-Ist had initially assumed.

After landing a clean slice on the side of Dune's leg, the Knight would keep up his wild attacks, before suddenly coming to a complete stop. He assumed that the Bith would move to block, not expecting such from the enraged man. However, Ballen was more in control than one might think, as he wasted no time in lifting a leg, thrusting it forward in an attempt to kick the Bith square in his chest. If this were successful, it would do little more than create some distance between the two, perhaps knocking the wind out of him in the process. He needed space, and a brief moment to gather the dark side power within him.

A thick, crimson mist would begin to seep off of the Sith's body, his eyes glowing a powerful golden hue as he focused on the negative emotions that he possessed. He delved into memories of the past as well, recalling deadly training sessions and rivalries he had had long ago. The one thing that angered him the most however, was his old master. With a new surge of strength and speed, the look in Ballen-Ist's eyes was more insane than they had ever been before. Despite this however, one could tell that he was fully aware of his actions, just by the way he moved and executed them. The Sith had entered a state of Controlled Rage, a version of Force Rage that was considered it's peak.

At least, it was in Ballen's opinion, for it granted a dark sider inhuman strength and speed, without the loss of sanity. That part came afterwards, unfortunately. For now though, the Pureblood moved swiftly, leaning quickly to the side, performing an adept Soresu dodge as Ben's saber came stabbing forward. Now that he was in close quarters with the man, this is where things would get nasty. The Sith's free arm would lift and shoot forth, his gauntleted hand forming a powerful grip around the padawan's saber wielding wrist. Streams of lightning would flow opposite of the arm that attempted to bind Ben, flowing energy directly into the force sword that had been lowered.

A bright light would engulf the blade's metal as it seemed to be supercharged, an extremely audible hum radiating off of it as it was drawn back. Preparing to smack Ben with the flat end of his sword, Ballen-Ist would swing it forward eagerly, before lifting his gaze to across the room. A fully armoured man stood in the corridor, a blaster pistol aimed straight at the Sith. A blue bolt of energy would surge forth from the firearms barrel, impacting with the Knight's plated torso, and causing him to cry out in sudden pain. Releasing his grip on the padawan and quickly doubling backwards against the wall, he would watch as more soldiers began to file in, about nine more in total.

The leader had managed to get a shot in, while the others kept their eyes peeled as they rushed to Tugoro's aid. And that was when the insanity kicked in. Ballen-Ist couldn't help but look at the situation, and find it rather humorous. He had spent so many years of his life just minding his own business, hardly killing any Jedi or doing anything for the major Sith factions. And now, the one time he decides to spring a brilliant trap, is when it all comes crashing down. Laughter would begin to escape the Pureblood's lips, beginning to echo throughout the warehouse as it grew in volume.

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Ballen-Ist"] [member="Ben Corscifine"]

The Bith was fighting with every scrap of skill he could muster. He couldn't see the blade anymore, it was so fast. Purely guided by the Force, his blade intercepted the alchemical blade. At this point, his leg was a distant thought.

It came as a huge surprise when the blaster bolts struck the Sith. Reality hit as he finally realised the presence of Tugoro's team. The pain was back now and his breathing sounded like a locomotive. Then the Pureblood's laughter began to ring out and he stared in confusion.

 

[Ben Corscifine]

Ben hardly knew what had happened. Before his offensive could even be launched, blaster fire had disrupted the duel. In the chaos of the fight, Ben had forgotten all about Tugoro's team. It seemed for now they had been saved by the company of soldiers. The Sith began laughing hysterically and menacingly. Despite the terrible nature of the insane laughter, Ben was no longer worried. The Sith was outnumbered significantly now, and stood no chance to mount a successful resistance now, as far as Ben could tell.

Ben himself was still frozen from the adrenaline kick he had received in the duel. His heart was pounding and his mind racing. As Tugoro's team entered the warehouse and began to check on the Jedi Knight, Ben found himself impotent. The rescue had been as much a shock to him as it had been to his adversary.

Well, at least the trio was safe. Ben was especially glad for Dune and Tugoro, who had both sustained injuries. As for himself, he felt robbed of a victory, or at least of the opportunity of putting up his own fight. It was selfish, but it was true.

[member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Everything had gone wrong. It was disappointing, but the one plan that Ballen-Ist recently decided to hatch had fallen apart. He had sent entire continents to war before, too, on the planet of Tof. These Jedi had taken him by surprise, he had been caught off guard by their discipline and training. The Sith Knight himself was so powerful, that he found himself neglecting his own training regimes. He was rusty. "You, you can't do this," the Sith began to sputter pathetically looking at [member="Ben Corscifine"], falling to the ground slowly as he clutched his head in pain. The after effects of Force Rage were the worst, but an experienced user could ward them off quickly.

It was a maelstrom of thoughts that overwhelmed Ballen-Ist, accompanied with all of the emotions experienced alongside them at the same time. "I can feel your hate, your jealously. There is much more to the force than just the light side, you fool!" the Sith screamed angrily, beginning to ramble on apparently. He was barely holding it together, and some of his most inner thoughts and ideals were spilling out. The armored soldiers would begin to advanced, pointing their blasters at the Sith as they closed in on his position.

They wouldn't get the chance to subdue him however, for the Knight rose to his feet, fingers spread as tendrils of lightning shot out, more powerful than ever. The troops didn't have time to react, receiving the powerful electrocutions and being blasted away. Turning quickly and aiming a palm behind him, Ballen-Ist would shoot a concentrated bolt of lightning forth, the momentum of it so strong that it blasted a whole in the relatively thick duracrete wall. Dust and debris would spread across the room, hopefully covering the Sith's escape from [member="Dune Rhur"] and Ben.

For when it cleared, there would be no one there. The medical operatives at the furthest end of the room had managed to steer clear of the lightning, watching in terror as the scene unfolded. However, they quickly hoisted the unconscious Tugoro to his feet, tending to his wounds while moving towards the exit of the warehouse. "We have a shuttle prepped, come on!" The soldiers called to the Jedi. It appeared like it was time to go, for Techno Union operatives were surely on the way.