Duel Among the Ruins of Katarr

[Celiana]

As the healing bracers did their work I pushed myself back to my feet. Connor was still as persistent as ever trying to change my allegiances and tell me The Dark Side was stronger. How I was being a fool and I should join him... Sighing I called my saber back to my left hand and re-ignited it. Looking towards Connor I flashed him a fierce smile and said "Connor the only fool I see here today stands before me. The fact that a newly christened Knight...a padawan still essentially not only was able to hold her own against a Master who'd fallen, but also managed to tag him at least twice speaks well enough of me. I mean the fact that I tagged you has to sting your pride a little."

Drawing my left saber into an angled guard by my face I shifted my hold on my right saber inverting it with blade pointed towards the skies of Katarr. If I were to be defeated today then I'd at least make Connor work for the victory.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor stopped. The girl angled her blade after regaining her footing. The sabers hummed in the air, and nothing else was said for what felt like minutes, but was only seconds. He was drawing the Dark Side to him, for her comments left him seething.

She would feel it drawing inwards, as if building to a violent crescendo. He glared at her behind his visor and saw all the places to strike.

The next attack would be over in seconds, and he moved with a deadly force.

His left hand shot out in a claw, and ripped the left saber from her grip, noting the weaker grip on it. Twisting it from her palm, she would have no voice but to release save for a broken wrist. As it came towards him, Connor slashed down wards.

The two smoking ends of the destroyed hilt landed either side of him.

Next, the hand pushed out again and he blasted her with a loud crack of Force lightning. The current burnt his hand, but he was used to the pain and it spurred him on as he speared it towards Celiana, pushing it forward to launch her off her feet and back into the cracked stone wall of the enclave.

He would only stop when he heard her scream.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

I felt the Force grip both my aqua saber and my hand. I didn't want to release the saber but with the grip Connor had on my wrist I had no alternative. I watched helplessly as my saber was pulled towards him and then saw him slash down through my saber hilt. I had enough time to feel pain at the loss of one of my sabers before I saw him launch the barrage of lightning towards me. Switching my grip on my remaining saber holding it tighter I absorbed the first blast of lightning with my saber blade. Then then second blast came and simply went through my saber into me.

Going airborne I flew for a couple of seconds before I slammed into the ancient stone of the enclave. With the pain wracking my body I coughed up blood as I called my remaining saber back to my hand. If I was going to die I'd at least do so with a blade in my hand in the spirit of the Echani, Mandalorians, and Jedi.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The blood was a good sign – internal injuries. She would not last long.

He stalked towards her and the second her blade met her palm, his hand reached out to it and he found the crystal inside, the Light radiating from it inside the emission chamber. With a clench of his fist, the shorted the chamber, crushing it and the crystal inside. The metal contorted ever so slightly. The weapon now useless.

He crunched over the small debris as he looked down upon her. Connor nodded, saber crackling in his hand.

He suddenly span the blade and with two hands brought it straight down into her thigh, straight through the flesh and burning the muscle as his blade went straight through. The black helmet rose and looked at her as she screamed. He held the blade, a thin smile forming on his lips.

Then, he pulled it up and out, the cauterization took care of any chance of bleeding out.

As her hand went instinctively down to her open wound, Connor’s boot came up and kicked it away, pinning her arm to the stone ground causing more cries from her as her body was twisted over, and with his blade, like an artist, carefully drew a slow burn from her palm, up her wrist and to her elbow.

The flesh tore and turned red raw as the blade cut through her skin all the way up.

Pressing down with his boot, Connor let her go and held the blade beside her head, watching the firey crimson blade start to burn her hair.

He killed the blade and the exhaust vents went quiet. Fixing the hilt to his side, he knelt, resting an arm on his knee and watched her, waiting for her view now.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

I watched as my only remaining saber died in front of my eyes I could feel the shattering crystal as if it were my own heart. Then that evil red blade was driven straight through my thigh. Even through the screaming in pain I felt my hand go to clutch my leg and before I could it was kicked away and pinned to the ground by his boot. Then he began to work his blade along my arm from the hand up to my elbow. He held the blade next to my head where I began to smell my hair burning then just as quickly he extinguished it. Of all the indignities I'd now suffered he knelt by me simply watching. Pushing myself up on both my injured and uninjured hands I looked into where his eyes would be and with the rage I had now I knew the green and gold in my eyes was replaced with burning maroon irises.

Even though I had no sabers to fight him with I dove into the currents of The Force and using the immense energies I ripped of that mask. I wanted to see the eyes of the monster who'd set Aria up to fall, the man who'd caused such chaos at Midvinter, and the man who'd met my blades. If I were to be tortured further at least it'd be a human looking at me. As the mask was ripped off and blasted away into the ruins I gasped out then began to speak, "Look at me Connor! Meet your opponents gaze!" Using The Force I grabbed his head forcing him to not look away. "I realize something now Master, that you never cared for any of us. Coci, Thurion, Joza, Aria...me. You never had love for any of us and for that I don't have fear of you. I pity you, you're more akin to Matsu Xiangu and her dark sithspawn than having any actual humanity."

I fully realized I was antagonizing him but at this point I simply didn't care. He'd destroyed one saber and crushed the crystal chamber of the other. The only weapon I had now was The Force and my words. He'd probably just leave me there in pain because he didn't see me as worth any further attention other than taunting me by kneeling by my body. I wasn't dead, but I was scarred and I didn't know what woman or man would care to pay me any attention. My eyes began returning to their now normal shade. The green irises with flecks of gold and crimson. Perhaps The Force would alter my body yet again through this ordeal....

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor's head pulled forward, and the Ren helmet fell away and rolled across the floor.

Sweat matted hair stuck to his brow, that roguishly handsome face many knew, tainted by amber eyes corrupted by the Dark Side. He felt the Force gripping him to look, but he didn't need to fight. If she hadn't have pulled the helmet away, he would have done it himself to look upon another fallen Jedi who thought they knew so much.

At her words, he narrowed his eyes, but smiled wickedly.

"And they never loved me back. So why should I live in the shadows, serving their needs whilst being restrained from my true destiny? That is why you failed today, Jedi. You failed to take hold of your destiny and make it REAL!"

He twisted his hand on bended knee, the Force wrapped around her throat and he squeezed enough to take away her breath but just to leave a pin-hole of muscle open to keep breathing, but feeling a horrific sensation as she battled to keep it.

"You will not die today. You will go back to them, crawling back to have them help you. And they will. And they will send you back out to fight battles, and I will be waiting to guide you into the Dark Side. You tell Coci Heavenshield that I make good on my promise, and next time it will be her child under my blade."

His face shook a little as he gripped harder and harder, fighting his own urge to kill her.

When it looked like she would black out, he cut the grip on her and lunged forward with his right hand, snapping it back and plunging the steel blade, hidden in the gauntlet on his wrist up through her chest above her breast and below the shoulder. With his left hand, he held her on the blade, and there was silence, bar her gasps.

He started at the wall behind her, letting her feel the pain and remember his scent. He retracted the blade, and stood up, crimson blood dribbling down his hand.

Connor walked across the gravel to reclaim his helmet, and turned to Celiana, a bloodied mess on the ground.

"Give her the message."

With that, he nodded to himself, and walked through the enclave towards where he came.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

Coughing and in pain I targeted all of the injuries I'd sustained by Connor's hand and set the healing bracers to begin repairing those injuries. Then I triggered them active looking at Connor I gasped out my last words towards him "Your blades may have defeated me today Connor but they are not worthy of my blood gracing their edges. I'll give Coci the message you so desperately wish her to hear but be warned that when next we meet you'll be running like a dog who has displeased it's Master. Few things carry as much wrath as a Mother whose child has been threatened." I continued coughing and reaching out with The Force I grabbed the blade that'd stabbed me between the breast and shoulder, then I ripped the blade free of his gauntlet and sent it flying to land next to me. I figured that since he destroyed one saber and crushed the crystal chamber of another the least I could accomplish was to take the blade that had come so close to my heart...

Even if he knocked me out or injured me further the bracers would continue healing me while unconscious and I would definitely be bringing Master Coci his messages. From there it'd be her choice with what to do with them. I was fighting now to stay conscious with so much pain wracking my body but I knew even if Connor didn't come back to hurt me more I'd be in unconsciousness in about five minutes...

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor’s arm trembled and pulled out.

He looked down and frowned. The leather straps were torn and the blade on his gauntlet had been ripped out. That would take a while to repair, but it would be done. The Ren glanced up to Celiana, a broken mess on the floor still fighting the fight with her words.

"I’m counting on her revenge."

He slipped on the helmet and walked towards her, boots crunching over the ground with purpose and strong strides. Within a few seconds he was on her, knelt beside her and placed a hand over her forehead like a vice, and fed a vision of her standing beside him, made up of cybernetic limbs with a fire burning beside her; the Silver Jedi temple collapsing in ruins, and the blood of her allies staining her hands while her eyes glowed yellow. He amplified the noise and sensory overload.

And in the next second, she slumped. Unconscious. Connor bled the darkness into her mind and forced her to shut down.

Standing up, he gave her another glance, the blood trickling down her top and the dark wounds across her arm and thigh. That should get their attention.

"Your destiny lies with me, Celiana," he said in the distorted voice before leaving.

[member="Celiana"]