Dorin Excoriate [Closed]

[Varus Shatterstar]

It would have been impossible for Varus not to notice the exchange between the Female Sith and his comrade, Seraphina. There was something there between them, which was something he'd picked up from the looks displayed by the both of them before anything had even come out of their mouths. The names that they had both let slip in whispers only solidified his theory, and his eyes couldn't have been more serious as he glanced over at Seraphina, glaring more than staring at the woman as he questioned the trust she had earned from him.

Had she put him in a situation of dire consequence? Was she not so different from the clearly demented woman who stood before him, hissing at the mere site of him and ready to cut his throat based on a difference of belief in the force? Sith seemed so eager to jump to the conclusion that Jedi didn't understand the dark side, but if there was one Jedi that did, it was Varus. That was because Varus knew exactly what it was like to feel hatred and fall victim to anger. He knew what it was like to be bathed in anguish wrought by death and deceit. This was his life, however, and he'd chosen the path that would salvage, as opposed to the path of destruction. He wanted to help people, no matter how much he'd hated some of them along his own, personal journey.

Looking back over at the pair of Sith standing before him, Varus raised both arms, Sabers still clutched in either hand, and crossed them across his chest, tucking his hands beneath either armpit. He stood there like that for a few moments, sizing up the woman in front of him as he was deciding whether or not he should make a bold claim. It didn't take him long to find the right words to share, however, and when he spoke, he spoke with confidence and conviction as his deep voice carried the words from his mouth for all of them to hear as the bombardment began to shake the structure.

"I'm well aware that this place is coming down sooner or later, whether it's destroyed by the Sith, or by me.", he said first, revealing to them that he intended to bring that place down with them in it, or not. "You see, I'm a very serious man. As you can imagine, I'm not a fan of games, and so I'll get right to the point. There are two things you need to know about this beautiful place and one fact that you need to realize before this goes any further. I'll start with one of these things, then I'll share with you the one fact you need to know, and then I'll share something of utmost importance.", he said as he glanced back over to Seraphina, making sure that she was no longer distracted by the sight of the female Sith that she seemed taken by for the moment.

"The first thing is that yes, there are precious artifacts located here in this very temple, of which my... friend and I have gathered and hidden away in two separate locations.", he said, watching the Twi'lek with the slightest hint of disappointment in his eyes, knowing that there was much more to this story than he knew of, but no matter what it was, it was clear to him that he was now the only one that he could fully trust. If they made it out of this alive, he'd have some questions that he might very well ask the woman with a bit of aggression soaking his stern words.

"The one fact that you need to know is that these items will never find the warmth of your hands, which I know might sound odd given your proposal, but I'll elaborate a bit so that there will be no confusion while also letting you know that this leads to the second, and most important thing you need to know.", he said glancing over to Darth Venefica with those ice cold sapphire eyes of his. "There are two separate thermal charges weighing about five pounds each tucked safely away in each hidden location that were set on thirty minute timers, each one alone having the destructive capability of completely leveling this place. I triggered one about three minutes ago and the other two minutes before that. At best, the four of us have twenty-five minutes to get out of here before this place comes crashing down around us and these artifacts, and then no one gets their hands on the precious information that they hold, whether or not the ensuing Sith bombardment takes this place out first."

His voice was firm and his words direct as he spoke so that no one would question the seriousness of what he was sharing. Varus was a do or die type of man, and that day they were going to complete their mission, die in the process, or get out having destroyed the precious items they sought. Either way, the Sith would never get their hands on them. Thus was the nature of Varus and his will when set on something of utmost importance. Simple and clean... or perhaps blood drenched and dirty.

[member="Darth Venefica"] - [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] - [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

The entire room had gone completely mad in an instant. First an interloper had descended from the second story of the temple, cracking the temple floor. The male Jedi, eyes glowing like two tiny moons, carried twin lightsabers, one snapping up to meet each hand. Unbeknownst to Sage and the Jedi himself, the new arrival was the Jedi Knight who had taken off his half-brother's leg in the battle of Kashyyyk.

That coincidence was neither here nor there, because something very strange happened when the pink Twi'lek Jedi laid eyes on the Dagobah swamp lady. The woman's eyes widened in confusion, and she deactivated her lightsaber. Foolish girl to de-fang herself in front of two more venomous snakes. Bloodlust rose up like bile within him at the sight of her presumed defenselessness. It took all of his restraint to stay coiled, and not rise up and strike at her vulnerability.

Finally, Darth Venefica gave the Jedi an ultimatum, and a pretty fair one in Sage's opinion. Give up the artifacts in exchange for their lives. All of their lives. The temple would soon be buried in rubble from the orbital bombardments. Sage could already hear the cries of the soldiers trapped underneath the temple rubble at the other end and smell the charred flesh lingering through the corridors. His eyes flashed to both Jedi Knights. If they refused, Sage's order was to kill, and the young Acolyte knew he himself would fight until his last dying breath. Death was either coming to a few of them or all of them. Unless the Jedi had their wits about them and relinquished what the Sith came for.

The male Jedi responded first to Darth Venefica. His words almost shook a violent fit of laughter from Sage. Typical Jedi. Outwardly full of peace and light, but inwardly prideful and spiteful. If we can't have our toys, no one can. Sage interpreted the male Jedi's idiocy of destroying their own ancient and precious artifacts, as a definite refusal, and with that Sage began to carry out his orders like a dutiful Acolyte. A dutiful Acolyte who had been chomping at the bit to attack something again.

The Acolyte called upon the Force to enhance the muscles in his limbs, and moved towards the Twi'lek Jedi at impossible speeds. As the room slowed down around him, allowing him to strike more precisely, Sage launched into a flurry of quick, sharp thrusts aimed towards the Twi'lek's midsection.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Darth Venefica"] [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

What hurt more? The look of Varus' disappointment of her, or the thought of having to entertain this engagement further? Who knows. It was quite possibly the worst situation imaginable for the Cambrian Twi'lek. His glaring eyes pierced her soul. Her mouth opened for only a moment, as if to say something before snapping shut abruptly. What could she say to him? Was now the most appropriate time to divulge information like this? During a standoff with a building imminently collapsing around them? With an unstable acolyte determined to have the blood of one or both Jedi smeared across the floor? An unlikely proposition, but if Venefica followed through with her threat, it could very well come to that.

The threat was now posed. Thousands of possible outcomes now raced through the Jedi's mind. Each one quickly calculated inside her head as to the likelihood of survival and success, as well as possible victims. What were the basics? What were the things she could not waver from? She would not let harm come to Varus, not on her behalf at least. Likewise she couldn't bring herself to fight or hurt Venefica. The acolyte though, was immature and unstable. Unpredictable. A wild card that had to be handled with care, as he was the root cause for this standoff. If she'd not have entertained his ruse, the four of them would not be stuck here, in this very situation. Once again she cursed herself, Stupid Sera! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! A look of sadness and regret came over her face as she looked away from Varus and to the floor briefly. She'd only have a moment of pause between Venefica's threat, Varus' words and the acolyte's brazen attack.

With her head still looking toward the floor, her voice was low key and soft as she answered both Varus and Venefica. "The artifacts belong to the Jedi. You've already decimated one of our sacred places, is that not enough? Are we all willing to die here for the sake of learning a small handful of Jedi knowledge?" She would look first to the acolyte, to gauge his interest in the discussion, though finding relatively none, she would instead look hopefully towards Venefica and then back to Varus, her soft green eyes practically begging him not to lose his faith in her, that this would be a conversation for another time, that she would not betray him. She knew that he was both entirely willing to carry out his threat as he was capable of doing so.

Once more she would look towards Venefica with a pained expression. "Xhex...I can't...I can't give you what you're asking for. I..."

Whatever words she had hoped to speak would be cut off as the agitated acolyte made his bold advance towards Sera. As he charged toward her with an impressive burst of speed and such blind hatred, thrusting his lightsaber towards her like a maniacal viper her hand would spring forward, saber still inactive as her face turned from a pained, hurtful expression to a determined scowl. The younger man refused any reasoning or discussion, even as the building around would crush them, for what? The sake of a few relics. Pitiful.

A wave would resonate directly in front of both Sera and Varus as the younger Sith struck, taking the form of a powerful Force Whirlwind, a vortex wall of the Force, with tendrils enveloping around the acolyte to lift him harmlessly off the ground. Her face would turn to a more vicious look as she glared back toward the acolyte, and then Venefica, one of sheer defiance. If she ignited her saber, there would be no going back. Her heart was torn equally between Venefica and the Order. She did not want to lose either, but one by one her options were being torn away from her.

"Take your apprentice and leave. Nobody needs to die."

[member="Darth Venefica"] | [member="Sage Bane"] | [member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Amaethon"]

Solan watched the saber come at him and was about to jump to the side when a blast took out his legs from under him and the blade cut across his cheek as he called out and tumbled to the ground for a moment before rolling onto his feet and holding the gash that now existed there as he growled and shot his eyes at Amaethon. "And more than you know about the Jedi, im not one of them my friend, and nor am i one of you. I use the dark to kill undesirables sure, but i hate to tell you... you are now one of those undesirables...." With that Solan drew in the pain in his cheek and the pain of people around him, he let forth the emotions and memories of Makeb.

His body shuddered for a moment as he left the force gather around his arm which became a dark cloud in the force before a bolt of electricity signaled what he was doing and with one hand still holding his scythe at his side the other rose and sent long arcs of lightning across the ground and at Amaethon. It wasn't a single burst as while he was using it he continued to draw from the people of this world and the people who scarred his mind from Makeb. He smiled wider as his other hand tightened around the scythe and his mind reached out and searched for the emotions of others and the life forces. Any Hate was his aid, any Fear, any pain, any Jealousy, and Vanity, any Lust, anything was his to wield and he laughed as he pushed more into the lightning as he kept it going. It was not strong immediately, but if he was able to keep the pressure on this man at all and harm him in any way. Then Solan would only drink in that pain and use it to further fuel his powers.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian was thrown back by the force maneuver of the Sith. Kian went with the blast, knowing that the wall wasn't far behind him, he flipped over end, his legs connecting with the wall and he bent his knees and used the force to take up some of the impact. Regardless, the impact took the wind out of Kian for a moment and he landed, not so gracefully in a crouch. Rising up, Kian shook his head and listened to the warped words of the Sith. It was what one would expect from a Sith, and Kian smiled broadly, knowing that for once the smile would be seen.

"By all means, do." Kian said and saw her raise her arm in a force attack. Kian himself was hesitant to use the force, as it currently had strange, unreliable outcomes, but he had no choice in this situation. Raising his hand, Kian erected a force barrier to intercept the flying debris. Kian, hesitant to even do this minor task, used the barrier less like a shield and more like a prow of a ship to push the debris to either side of him. Kian could hear the rubble colliding with the walls behind him. Even with his barrier up though, a few small pieces made it through. Kian felt some bounce off of his thick Shadow robes, the armorweave taking up some of the impact. One piece nicked his forehead, opening a small gash.

Kian didn't have time to register the pain, or to wipe the small trickle of blood, because the Sith was following in the debris attack with an attack of her own. Kian rushed forward, toward her attack, stepping to the side as he slashed his blade out to push the whip aside. Kian couldn't block the weapon directly and had to keep his momentum moving him out of its reach. To stand still against such a weapon was to allow yourself to be ensnared and Kian wasn't planning on letting that happen. As Kian closed with the Sith, he smoothly transitioned his slashing block into an upward cut, aimed to start at her midsection and transition upward toward her shoulder joint. As a Form V practitioner, Kian preferred the Shien variant, relying on his defensive abilities to counter enemy attacks, but with the lightwhip in play he would need to focus on the more aggressive attacks of Djem So.

[member="Darth Hauntruss"]​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

She reared back her head and let out a small chuckle at the male Jedi's words. She didn't believe he was bluffing nor did she wish to stop the countdown. The Sith had come here to destroy any relics, symbols, or objects of the Jedi; not to capture them. She would have commended the male Jedi for doing the Sith's work but before she could offer him her thanks, Sera's voice put a halt to her laughter, leaving it to die upon her lips. She looked at Sera with pleading eyes when she began to speak to her directly. Darth Venefica didn't expect her friend to hand over the artifacts willingly but she also hoped that her compromise, their lives for the artifacts, could have prevented any kind of fight. And a fight was going to happen now when she saw [member="Sage Bane"] charge toward the two Jedi.​

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The Sith Lady was impressed how fast the Acolyte charged toward the Jedi, but was unimpressed by how he did it without control; allowing them to trick him into attacking first, using his craving for killing against him. He was young and he would learn. If he had been just a little more patient in his attack, they would have succeeded, together, in reaching the Jedi. Now he was trapped and she would have to save him.​

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"Apprentice? He is not my Apprentice...in fact, kill him for his lack of control," she said smiling. "Or shall I do it?"​

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She rasied her right hand up showing the glowing blue and white glowing energy dancing across her fingertips. With every passing second she poured more hatred and malice into the Dark Side of the Force, transforming the small sparks into a web of electrical energy. ​

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[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] ... [member="Sage Bane"] ... [member="Varus Shatterstar"]​

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus could not hear the thoughts of the Sith woman, nor would he have desired to, but if he could he might have actually laughed at her foolish beliefs. Could she really have been so juvenile to believe that the holocrons located there in the Dorin Temple were without equal? Furthermore, was she really so daft to believe that the very secrets those holocrons held were not known and stored in other locations by the Jedi?

These holocrons were unique, and many of them were indeed priceless relics, the first of their kind, but this planet had not been the only home on which the secrets they kept had been stored. Sure, there would be bits and pieces of knowledge within each of those relics that would be lost forever to both the Sith and the Jedi, but the most important articles of information were not unique only to the holocrons of Dorin. Of that, Varus was absolutely certain, which was why he had no qualms with destroying them, nor did he hold issue in going down with the ship, so to speak, to protect those secrets from Sith scum.

"I don't like killing, and I refuse to take life without cause, but if you so desire... I will not stop you if you choose to cut down your ally.", Varus said, his arms tightening a bit across his chest as he prepared for battle, Force Valor now in full effect as the light side of the force amassed in the man and his body temperature increased as his form adjusted to the incredible increase of power. A visible steam actually began to rise from his chest in shoulders as he narrowed his eyes on the Sith woman, watching as light, blue snaps of electricity danced between her fingers.

"I hope that you'll choose life before those timers run out.", Varus said, truthfully wishing that Venefica would think better of her decision to fight rather than escape the already crippled structure. As they stared one another down, however, Varus noticed out of the corner of his eye that the younger man, who'd proven to be little more than a pawn of greater, more powerful Sith like the woman he might be fighting very shortly, had attacked Seraphina. He didn't even flinch as he attacked the Twi'Lek Jedi. He knew her to be well capable of defending herself, and even if she wasn't able to, Varus figured she'd had a reckoning coming.

She had lied to him, after all, and Varus wasn't a very big fan of liars. If it came down to life or death, however, Varus still wasn't sure that he could stand by and watch the demise of the woman. He was much too soft those days, he had to admit...

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] - [member="Darth Venefica"] - [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

There was some very interesting dissonance apparent between the two Jedi. Betrayal. Disappointment. It was written all over their faces, and it was obvious that Darth Venefica was somehow at the center. Not that it mattered to Sage. A refusal was a refusal, and he had his orders.

Sage had expected his blows to be parried. What he did not expect was to be lifted up into the air, and hit by a maelstrom that kept him unable to move. The strong light-sided energy whirled around him, binding him helplessly in place, and he was relegated to a mere watcher of the events unfolding. The Sith Acolyte's lightsaber became a dangerous hindrance while he was being flung around, so he had no choice but to let the hilt drop to the temple floor.

The madness continued as Darth Venefica seemed to be offering his head up on a silver platter. So perhaps he was being punished for his civilian massacre at the space port? Or perhaps the woman was as crazy as foretold by the rumors that were whispered through Coruscant. Sage growled at Darth Venefica from his whirling vortex. His eyes widened in confusion as she begun to spin a web of crackling energy in her hand. Was he about to incur the wrath of the lightning storm? He was dead sure that Darth Venefica had been pleased with his performance so far. Whatever music she was dancing to now, it was not a tune that Sage could hear.


[member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Darth Venefica"] [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

With Sage subdued for the immediate moment, Sera's focus would turn towards the lightsaber he had been wielding only a moment ago. As the durasteel hilt clanked against the temple floor, the echo ringing out in all directions, she would briefly divert a small bit of her attention toward that hilt and call it towards her, clasping it gently in her hand so it would no longer be a threat to anyone. The girl would shake her head in disappointment, wishing he had just listened to reason and left instead of turning this into a grand debacle.

What now? Varus clearly didn't trust her as his ally, the acolyte, once released would surely take up his rage towards her in some other manner, and Venefica...She was.....Going to kill him?! What?! Surely she was bluffing...She had always been against killing the defenseless. Sera of all people knew that from back on Manaan when her life was both spared and saved by this very girl. Something was up, and Sera's gut told her that the tendrils of electricity weren't meant for Sage. Is she turning on me? Does she really intend to kill me now? Or was this meant for Varus? A momentary distraction to make everyone involved believe she was going to betray the acolyte when in fact, it was meant for one or both Jedi.

Sera really wanted this to end peacefully. She cared for Venefica. She was also dedicated to the Order, and to her friend, if that was what he still called her once this was over. She'd expect a severe and harsh discussion if they did escape, but would he turn her in to the council and brand her as a traitor? Would he attempt to simply kill her too? He seemed entirely uncaring of the life or death of the acolyte judging by his tone and choice of words when reacting to the Sith Lord's proposal to kill Sage. Did he care that little for her safety and well being as well now? It was hard for her to judge. She wanted to simply explain everything, to tell him that she was and still is a Jedi, but sometimes some things change. Would he even listen to her? She felt entirely alone right then, as if unwanted by either side.

Her hands began to tremble slightly, she couldn't hold the acolyte forever. The act of continuing the maelstrom was tiresome. And so she went with her hunch as it was the best option. The Twi'lek Jedi gently released Sage, lowering him to the floor as the rush of energy dispersed. She took in a deep breath as he touched the ground, and in a quick, fluid motion, ignited her saber and slashed the acolyte's hilt in two. Her eyes passed back to Venefica. "Don't...Xhex. Please. Just go. I will give myself to Varus and face whatever judgement I am owed. If you care for me, please, go." Her voice was shaky, attempting to hold back the emotion that lingered on the tip of her lips and behind her eyes. Was she honestly about to cry? Perhaps. But between speaking she would focus an invisible barrier around Varus in the event that her hunch was correct, and if Venefica attempted a Force Lightning strike on her ally.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"] | [member="Sage Bane"] | [member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

She stared at Sera not knowing what her fate would be at the hands of the Jedi. They preached against not killing but they were known to practice a technique far worse than death. Severing one from the Force. But it was Sera's decision to make. Slowly she allowed the energy to dissipate from her hands lowering her head in defeat. Not at the hands of the Jedi but for failing Sera. But she would give one last gift to Sera in an attempt to help her if this would be the last time her eyes stared at her beauty.​

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After powering down her weapon, she reached into one of the pockets of her cloak, stitched together and fashioned from the skins of Dagobah pythons and fur from the Knobby White Spiders, producing a small metal knob. She knew Sera would recognize it as a memento from the droid they fought together on that nameless planet years ago. ​

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"I only wish to say goodbye to my friend," she announced letting the male Jedi know she meant to bring no harm to Sera.​

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Slowly she walked toward Sera, her hands raised up in a gesture of truce, while spinning her invisible dark magik into the metal object. With every step she took, more and more of her dark energy poured into it until at last it was complete. The object had now been Tainted. Once more she dipped into a pocket and brought forth a red and brown cloth, wrapping the object inside.​

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"Do not touch the object yourself," she whispered into Sera's mind as she embraced her placing the wrapped gift in her palm. "If your life is put in danger...simply touch the object to the threat. I hope to see you again."​

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She pulled away with a smile, gave a wink, and turned to walk away. She gestured for [member="Sage Bane"] to retrieve his weapon and follow her. Once they were out of ear shot, she began to laugh hysterically. After gaining her composure she smiled at the Acolyte.​

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"Do not worry beautiful man...you will see her again...and if your lucky, the male Jedi." Then she produced a small datachip and handed it to him. "Let them have their false victory...our victory was absolute. On that datachip has every location of their hidden enclaves...and so much more. Return that to [member="Darth Hauntruss"] and make your Master proud."​

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[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] ... [member="Sage Bane"] ... [member="Varus Shatterstar"]​

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus nodded to the Sith woman as she eyed him just before they turned to leave. Even to his enemies he showed respect when they made a choice that strayed from violence. In this instance, this woman had earned his respect, no matter what she thought of him. That's why he did nothing as they turned to leave. He didn't want to make any sudden movements or ignite a flame within these Sith that might cost them all their lives. It would be a foolish and careless thing to do, but when they'd made it out of earshot, their forms still making their way out of the temple, Varus unfolded his arms and clipped either of his sabers back to his belt.

He continued to watch where the pair of Sith had left for some time, feeling their forms in the force as they put distance between themselves and the Jedi they'd almost gone to war with. He could pick a Sith's signature in the force out for more than a mile, and so he was well aware where they were and how far their feet were taking them. Only when they'd made it outside the enclave did Varus finally turn and glance over at Seraphina, a look of doubt and disappointment still hanging on his face. Despite that, though, Varus spoke to her with dry, direct words. "Gather your things and let's get those holocrons. We've got about ten minutes left, and those charges do not have an off switch, for obvious reasons."

It was the only thing he'd say to her for now, though they were going to have a confrontation later when they made it off that rock. They both of them had been through more than enough together to be able to feel and see change in mood and emotions. He was well aware that she could see his frustration with her, and they might very well come to odds later on because of it, but for now they still had a mission to finish, and Varus would be damned if his female companion kept him from completing a mission that was well within grasp because she wanted to have a "come to Jesus meeting".

Turning, Varus made his way back into the darkness of the temple. He found his way into the archives again and it was there that he located the holocrons in the pack he'd stowed away. When he had obtained them he threw the pack over his shoulder and waved the stone compartment closed by way of the force. He then turned and headed out of the archives, eyes and ears still very much on alert as he kept ready for any form of trickery by the Sith. He trusted the word of Darth Venefica because of the sound of her voice and the sincerity on her face. She wouldn't kill her friend, and he would be spared the trouble due to association that day. He was certain that he'd just made an enemy, however, seeing how she detested even the sight of him with such a glaring hatred. Something he hadn't earned by past encounter, but by the claiming of a brighter path in the force.

Stepping into the hangar, Varus glanced back and forth around the room expecting to see the Twi'Lek Knight, though he didn't notice her right away. Figuring that she must already be in the ship he'd prepared, Varus headed for the platform, which was still lowered, and began scaling it as he sought her out.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] - [member="Sage Bane"] - [member="Darth Venefica"]