Public Finder's Keepers: Mission to Jakku

[Maestus]

Maestus studied Aaran Tafo carefully. She did, indeed, feel the quiet presence of the Force within and around him. As he drew a touch nearer, she clearly felt it. She even acknowledged him with a slight bow of the head. Any Force user was dangerous. Moreso if they had training and tutelage. She would be diligent not to under estimate him, or take him and his abilities for granted.

She looked him over as he drew nearer, and did notice the lack of weaponry. Interesting. She carried a lightsaber, but had yet to draw it. Idly, she wondered if Aaran was a skilled Force combatant. She decided she would find out soon enough.

I am called Maestus, Warlord of the Brotherhood of the Maw. I am anything, if not reasonable. However, I regret to inform you that I can not simply call off the assault. Even if I wanted to.

She turned away from Aaran, and moved randomly around. No real direction, she was just puttering about. With her back turned, she spoke again.

Are you a betting man, Aaran?

She turned on her heels sharply, and looked at him. A hungry expression on her face.

 

[Calruss Shiman]

Location: Jakku, Niima Outpost
Allies: None
Enemies: Kyrel Ren The Mongrel Alars Keto

The maw hoard just kept coming, throwing wave after wave of warriors their way to clench their thirst to purge. Calruss kept up his brave defence of the ship, cutting down the endless stream of heretics while blaster fire from the ship supported the cause "Come on.." growled the pilot underneath the ship, who had numerous times burned his hand from the rush of filling the leak. He wasn't nervous by any means, it was just this particular task required care and precision not an all out rush "I'll need more time on this shit, as well as some space to not get fired at!" the crewman shouted from over the blaster fire, his body squirming from the blaster fire that came his way. Calruss stared ahead of him and slowly shook his head, knowing he had to do something risky if they were going to get off this planet in one piece.

Without hesitation, he lowered his lightsaber loosely to his side and ran with speed towards the center of the outpost. The plan was to draw away the heretics away from the ship while identifying any commanders they had on the field, once they fell the rest were sure to crumble. A pair of heretics were the first to test their luck against the teen and both fired with purpose at the approaching danger, a mad smile spread across both of their faces. Calruss skidded to a halt and lifted up his left hand, freezing the blaster shots in mid air with force stasis before suddenly sending it back at them. Both warriors were sent backwards in a heap, as another to the right thought he had the element of surprise on his hand. Just before he could pull the trigger, Calruss fell to one knee and threw his saber in a sideways motion, soon making contact with the warriors legs and forcefully sending him to the floor in absolute agony. He brought back the bright red weapon and got to his feet, his attention caught by a overseeing figure

This warrior was different compared to the rest, he seemed to have authority and power over the grunts as they proudly showed off the prisoners for his approval. It was almost as if they were separating the strong from the week, keeping the best and wasting the less desired. That only meant one thing, these heretics were increasing their numbers from each raid they did. Something that would sure be a problem in the future if left unnoticed. As Calruss approached the commander seemed to have his sights set on a pair of individuals who distinguished themselves from the rest, Jedi...

As much as he had a distaste for the Jedi they were not the bigger problem, the maw and their insane hoard of heretics were the main threat. That didn't mean he was planning on helping them, they were Jedi, and nothing more. Calruss stopped to the right of them and coldly stared at Alars Keto , ignoring the Jedi duo for now "A heretic being pretentious? why doesn't that surprise me..." the teen said with a tilt of his head, his voice booming over the battle going on around them "You won't be looking for swords if you don't have any hands" Calruss snarled, his head shooting a quick unimpressed look in the Jedi's direction

 

[Aaran Tafo]

She was stalling.

A fair tactic. While the natives of Jakku were a hardy people. They were not warriors or soldiers by nature. Survival was their first instinct. Not defending their own or banding together. Unfortunate as it was. The only benefit that the natives of Cratertown had was that Maestus only had so many men with her. There were only so many people she could bring back with her.

He also noticed that she only brought one ship with her. And due to the nature of these raids. They needed to employ hit & run tactics. Otherwise, the locals could muster a proper defence. Or others would come looking in if things dragged on for too long. He was confident that the other Jedi in the Jakku Enclave knew what was going on. Even if communications were jammed, they would find a way to contact the Galactic Alliance. Jakku was right on the edge of their borders. If nothing else, a patrol could be alerted from the next system over. One quick hyperspace jump, and help would be on the way.

As she turned her back on Aaran, the Jedi began to move, his own pace casual as he made his way towards the loading ramp of the ship that the Warlord had arrived in. If nothing else, he would position himself here. Able to intercept any of the pirates returning with their prizes. If worst came to pass, he would simply enter the ship itself and attempt to destroy it. Preventing anyone from leaving. Buying the natives more precious time to escape if need be.

"Depends on the wager." He finally said, turning back around to face the Twi'lek. Having moved himself into position. Making it necessary for anyone wishing to return to the ship needing to go through him. "But I'm the kind of guy who likes to stack the deck in my favour." He said giving the slightest shrug. He was confident that on the chance that the order was given for the ship to simply reposition itself. He would be quick enough to make it inside and wreck some havoc. But for now he was going to entertain Maestus. If only so it would keep her focus on him over helpless civilians.

"What do you have in mind?"

 

[Tu'teggacha]

Location: Jakku, Starship Graveyard
Allies: Brotherhood of the Maw
Enemies: Open

There were three types of salvage that the Brotherhood's slaves stripped from the old hulks.

The first was simple chunks of durasteel, ripped from the hulls and bulkheads of these long-derelict ships. These would be returned to the great forge chambers in the holy city of Gehinnom, where they would be melted down into raw materials. Durasteel scavenged here would become blades, scattergun bullets, and armor plating - personal, vehicle, and starship. Although it was the simplest, the durasteel was the most important. It was fuel for the war machine, the material from which their conquest was forged.

The second was less common: the innards of the ships. Wiring, power cells, inertial dampers, coolant regulators, all of the components that made starships and planetary vehicles actually function. It was like stripping out the hearts from these ancient, withered corpses, so that they could be made to made to beat again in fresh bodies. Extracting these components required more finesse, so smaller squads of closely-supervised slaves with proven technical talent were called in to cut them out whenever they were discovered.

The third was the most readily usable: intact weapons, fuel, medical supplies, and other gear that did not require tinkering or reforging. The slaves sought this kind of salvage most eagerly for one simple reason: it was the only kind that was rewarded. The threat of the lash and mental torture kept them all working at the simple jobs, but if they found a cache of readily-usable materials, they would be permitted to rest in the shade with food and water for the remainder of the day. It was the only ray of hope in their lives.

It wasn't mercy that had encouraged Tu'teggacha to invent this particular rule. The entire idea was to turn the slaves against one another. If a group of slaves stumbled upon an intact stormtrooper armory full of E-11 blasters, a small riot might erupt as they attempted to use the weapons to escape. Work would be delayed, and valuable marauders might be killed unnecessarily. But the reward was offered only to a single slave, whoever reported the cache to an overseer first. The rule changed their entire calculus.

Most often, it turned the slaves against each other. It was not uncommon for a work crew, terrified and exhausted, to beat each other to death so that the lone survivor could claim the Ebruchi's reward. Non-combat slaves were easily replaced, and the damage was far less than an attempted insurrection would cause. Given that, it was a brutally efficient solution, one that had yet to fail. Of course, Tu'teggacha was constantly amplifying fear and despair among the workforce, which helped them to turn on one another when needed.

Yes, his system worked, and it would bring back great riches from the starship graveyard.

 

[Alars Keto]

The enforcer stopped in his tracks at the sight of a younger male enter the fray at the Jedis' side. He studied the boy dumbfounded for but a moment before his eyes caught the sight of the laser sword loosely within his grasp. Kryll rose his warblade and pointed in the young man's direction. "Aye! Where you get that? You should aaand that over before you poke an oye out son!"

"A heretic being pretentious? Why doesn't that surprise me... ...you won't be looking for swords if you don't have any hands." Kryll chuckled aloud as his hands clasped together on each side of the blades hilt. "You're a funny lad, last bloke was a comedian too before I cut out his tongue. What you think? Gonna ride into the town and save the pretty ladies and set off into the sunset?" He twirled the blade between his hands, " 'ome on I ain't got all day lad!"

Settling his feet into the sand in a defensive stance, he motioned to Calruss Shiman, taunting him into attacking. Flagging the young man forward with his hands as his blade hummed from it's electro-plasma filament edge. "Come get 'hese hands then! Come on!"

 

[Calruss Shiman]

Location: Jakku, Niima Outpost
Allies: None
Enemies: Kyrel Ren The Mongrel Alars Keto

The leader of this horrid bunch seemed to have some bite to him, but idle threats like that were not going to faze Calruss by the slightest. He watched in a loose stance as he beckoned him to come forwards and strike, but even he knew that was a death trap. With that blade he wielded and the way he carried himself it was clear the man had some experience in fighting. As well as that, his size and strength were also a key factor to think about and to not take likely "Trust me you insignificant fool, Women and being a hero are the least of my thoughts right now" he said with a small sigh, his eyes glaring over to the man with an uninterested yet fearless expression. For now, he was buying time and giving his crew some breathing space to work, even if they were still getting some resistance. However, taking care of this barbarian leader would be a bonus.

Calruss kept his vision locked on the man as he slowly transitioned into an offensive stance, an indication that the boy probably knew more then first thought "So be it..." he muttered to his taunts before slowly beginning to walk over to him, his lightsaber still drawn to his side. The teen knew he needed to keep his distance from him, any close quarter combat was sure going to be a disaster for him and his chances of getting off this baron planet alive. Calruss slowly came to a halt and circled him, waiting for a good chance to strike and start off this uphill battle. Although, he was sure his speed was going to help him greatly in this confrontation, as well as some mind games that were sure to get into the brutes rotten mind "I hope you can keep up with me old man, considering you're way past the prime of your life..." he said with a taunt of his own, looking to get into his head and force him into mistakes.

Suddenly, Calruss decided to make his move. Swiftly jumping to the right without any indication, he goes down to one knee and looks to deliver a swipe of his lightsaber into the back of his right leg. Chopping away at his legs were sure to gain some benefit and level the playing fields, yet his mental assault was sure to work equally as well.

 

[Koleric]

Still wounded from the holy raid upon Batuu Koleric was never one to sit idly by, the pain he felt from his injuries fueled his power further rather than weakening him. He would follow his brethren to Jakku to replenish their ranks and supplies, purging the weak from the heard and cutting trophies from those who interfered. Having no vessel of his own he road upon a slaver ship the warcries of his brethren would never lower even as they decent they would raise in volume.

Upon landing Koleric was one of the first to run off the ramp the warcries of his brethren taking the smugglers and laborers by surprise, those who took up arms were either cut down swiftly or were unlucky enough to be able to take shots into the horde before being run down and beaten into submission. A mans voice called out.

"Kill the weak, take the worthy!" ​

The one everyone knew as The Mongrel was taking advantage as being one of the chosen that had answered the Voices call. He had even displayed his strength by cutting off ears and other appendages and turning them into jewelry from those who had questioned him, this is something Koleric had approved of and even as if it was sense of twisted fashion he shared similar trophies.

Koleric began to cut down women and children and incapacitating men who could be used as war slaves, even taking time to play a sadistic game with a young Azumel using her mothers head as a type of kickball passing it to the screaming child before cutting off it's head fastening one of it's eye stocks onto his necklace. He would continue this over and over and brining an end to those who interfered.

 

[Maestus]

She slowly turned to face Aaran Tafo once more. When she took note of where he had positioned himself, she could only smirk. He was smart, she gave him that. She would be careful not to underestimate him. Perhaps he would be a worthy opponent. Oh, the thought occurred to her. He would be a valuable asset to the Maw. Once he was broken. Now that would be delicious. Watching him writhe and scream under the lash and mental pain they would inflict. Yes, he needed to be taken alive.

Tell me, Aaran the Jedi. What odds do you place on yourself?

She stepped closer to him, closing the distance. She rolled her shoulders, her cloak falling back. Her hands at her sides, she flexed them. Balling them up then slowly relaxing. She watched the Jedi, studying his body language. Facial expressions. This was no youngling or Padawan. He was trained, but how well? She would see for herself.

 

[Romi Jade]

Niima Outpost

"You'll get clea--you're giving me that look..." She faltered to it.

"Fine..but stay close. And, when I say--" The younger blonde tugged at her, and she stumbled into her form hearing the air tear under the pressure of something flying just past her body. "Clear..." she looked at Viers, then her eyes bounced all around them -- they were surrounded.

That soft distant whine from earlier was now much much darker and heavier, as their vehicles torn through the outpost and began to circle the outskirts.

Chit

"Alright, crash course," Speaking to Viers but also facing away, "Draw your senses inward. Let the drum fall around you in a wave..."

She worked her view from left to right, taking in raiders after raider...

One of their own stepped forward, "Focus. Clear thoughts breed a stable connection. Let the ripple sit at your feet." but she continued to try and coach her student.

"And when you get that little tickle just at the nip on your neck...follow it Viers. Act don't react."

"I'll pry those swords from your cold dead hands!"

"I'll give you a chance..to back off!" She hailed him with a warning. In her peripheral, she saw another form fade into view. With focus, he didn't have a distinctive look like the others. She didn't know what was going on...but this was on the precipice of a mess. But his intentions seemed pure for the moment. His banter with Kryll seemed to tell they weren't on the same side, and his snarl was enough for her to let him do his thing.

He looked a bit young

Was he native and defending his home?

Was that a lightsaber?

This was a lot...

When they started their bout, she had every intention of stepping in...he was a kid -- from the looks of it.

Outside, two other two gunners from the flight were heeling around, rifles sparking as their laser fire tracked toward her. Romi deftly twisted her body, blade flashing faster than the eye could follow, making herself a standing target to draw fire that she splashed back at their attackers while the others scrambled to their feet.

"Activate that beacon Viers!" Her voice clawing in height to be audible.

----

Viers Connory
Alars Keto
Kyrel Ren
The Mongrel
Calruss Shiman

 

[Aaran Tafo]

Again with the stalling. At this point Aaran was convinced she was waiting for reinforcements. Or like all Darksiders, they talked a big game but faltered as soon as the odds turned against them in the slightest. Their resolve would crumble.

One could figure it was the downside to relying on emotion over discipline. The former offered no consistency, the latter gave the focus to continue on even when the odds were against you.

Instead of immediately answering Maestus Aaran simply raised his hand. Mind focusing as he thrust his will behind him, towards the ship, reaching out with the Force to grasp at the delicate machinery that was situated around the loading ramp. The faint groan of twisting metal, the various twisting and popping of fragile parts as he began to telekinetically crush the parts of the ship that would allow it to pull the landing ramp closed. For the moment preventing the raiders from re-joining the larger fleet in orbit until it was repaired, or a replacement was called. Both of which would take time, a resource that the Brotherhood did not have in abundance.

"Stop stalling." He said, his voice still keeping that calm, placid tone despite the display of telekinetic strength happening behind him. It was probably an unsettling feeling for Maestus. She would have been so used to harnessing her own anger to perform a similar feat. But the man in front of her did not so much as frown as he called forth the needed strength to mangle the ship behind him. "Either surrender, leave or try to kill me." He stated simply, no hesitation, no anxiety or worry in his tone. Not even the shift in emotions that one would usually feel when gearing up to fight. Meaning he had no intention of battling her.

Or he had already come onto the scene with that in mind. No need for the shift in his focus, as he was already primed and ready to engage in battle right away.

"And in terms of odds against you. One hundred percent."

 

[The Mongrel]

Location: Jakku, Niima Outpost
Allies: Alars Keto , Kyrel Ren , Zachariel Steelblood
Enemies: Romi Jade , Viers Connory , Thalia Senn , Calruss Shiman

He had underestimated the young one. The Mongrel watched as she moved with impossible speed - though not quite as fast as her teacher - and ignited her blade, slicing the electro-net in half with her short-bladed laser sword. The two pieces of the net flew cleanly aside, slapping harmlessly against market stalls and falling to the ground. They sparked for a moment, the heat of their severed conduits fusing the sand beneath them into a thin layer of glass, then fizzled out. Ducking back behind cover, The Mongrel reloaded his net gun.

He would not make the same mistake twice. The girl was dangerous.

How did one fight these magic-wielders? Even beyond their deadly laser-swords, they always seemed to be a step ahead. The Mongrel had heard rumors that their senses were far beyond the ken of ordinary people; even when they weren't consciously using their magic, they saw things a little before they happened, making them almost impossible to surprise. He was certain that was how the girl had managed to intervene in the split second before his net entrapped the older woman. Had he been in her place, he could never have done it.

So how did you kill someone who could see every strike coming?

The Mongrel's thoughts scattered as he saw a familiar sight: a second crimson blade wielded by a familiar teenager. The wound in his leg pulsed in time with his rapidly-beating heart, and he hissed in furious hatred. Blaster fire was steadily flowing from the turrets behind the kid, cutting through marauders and keeping him from behind overwhelmed by the press of numbers. Having held his position, he stepped up beside the two women. The three of them were an island in the sea of marauders, standing alone against the slavering legion.

This was a much different battlefield than the narrow streets of Black Spire Outpost, the open sand only slightly interrupted by the fragile market stalls, many of them already torn down. Slave-soldiers could attack the Jedi from every side, an overwhelming onslaught. With Alars Keto leading them, they might well be able to overpower even these formidable warriors. The presence of Zachariel Steelblood and Kyrel Ren , easily the deadliest warriors the Maw had to offer, would only further stack the scales against the tiny group of defenders.

Of course, there were two things that might still swing the balance back in the heroes' favor. Crouched behind the ruins of a junk-seller's tent, The Mongrel decided to do something about both of them. Reaching into his bag, he produced two of the devices he'd made after the raid on Batuu, rusted metal spheres that rested easily in the palm of his hand. After the devastating attack of the Smuggler Queen's AT-STs, he'd realized he needed to carry an easy, portable solution to any deadly technology their enemies deployed against them.

These ion grenades he'd cooked up would do the trick.

The first grenade went straight at Calruss Shiman's shuttle, aimed directly at the deadly turret. The Mongrel's arm was good, and his throw was perfect; with any luck, the ion blast would knock out the shuttle's defenses and end the laserfire pouring into his comrades. The second grenade flew right at Viers Connory . The Mongrel had overheard Romi Jade 's instructions, and he had no intention of allowing that beacon to be activated. If the ion charge got close enough, the beacon would be disabled, and the Jedi would be on their own.

Knowing the power of the defenders' magic, The Mongrel had primed the grenades to explode when they encountered any pressure; trying to deflect them with the Force would only set them off. He just had to hope that they would get close enough for the blast radius to reach the beacon. He grinned savagely, showing grimy teeth filed down to points. He'd designed the grenades to take out scout walkers, so the ion burst was quite large. There was a good chance it was going to work. Maybe it would even affect their lightsabers.

Crouching back into cover, he began reloading his scattergun.

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Kyrel walked through the gates of Niima Outpost, a thirst for blood and destruction kept coursing through his mind. The sands themselves were soaked with the blood the scavengers who tried desperately to escape his crimson blade. Now here he was staring down what seemed to be a fight between the marauders of the Brotherhood, against Jedi Master Romi Jade, a smirk had grown on his stiched lips, the two Knights of Ren that came with him slowly approached close behind. The Jedi seemed to have a Padawan with her. He couldn't tell, but watched as she moved with her apprentice shouting out "Activate the Beacon." That would not do, feeling her immense power in the Force, he had heard stories of this one when he was alive. She would be more useful alive than dead.

Stepping forward, whatever desire he had to consume her flesh, to devour her and take her soul and her power into himself. It could not happen yet, for what was before them was the sign of the Shadow, an offering for the priests themselves. Perhaps if Kyrel was lucky, she could lead him to where other Jedi were. Even more so if she could lead them to him and his Knights. The skulking behind the shadows was troublesome enough, even as all he wanted to do was unleash the might of the army that the priests promised. An army that would go far than that of this rock and bring the galaxy to the brink. Kyrel remained quiet, studying the attack of the marauders, despite the will and despite not fearing death. Soldiers against the likes of Jade seemed to be someone that required Kyrel, and his Knights to handle.

"Well, this is interesting. Seems the Jedi Woman is calling for help boys, this cannot do. Knights, you are released, capture the Jedi Woman and her apprentice. Take her alive, but do please maim her if you must. Maybe an arm or a leg would be a sufficient offering for the Shadow!" He said with his saber arm extended towards them, as he approached to get closer to them. Letting him and his Knights encircle the Jedi. For they might prove to be valuable assets for the great cleansing that was to come.

If the beacon was activated, if more help were to arrive. They would simply need to leave. It wasn't time for the heathen army to reveal themselves. It was too soon. Even so, Kyrel admitted that if anymore Jedi were to appear. He was hungry, and he so missed facing Jedi these days. He always figured that he needed the practice. Dispatching his Knights into the fray, he moved to approach the Jedi from behind to trap them so that they could be captured, and this ended quickly.

Romi Jade
Viers Connory
TK-818
Inferious
Calruss Shiman
The Mongrel
Alars Keto

 

[Alars Keto]

The Psychopath took note of what the Warden of the Shroud said here and there. Old age, no interest in saving the women, hope he could keep up, blah blah blah this kid was getting on his nerves. There was blood that needed shedding, the sands were looking a little not-crimson at the moment. The lovely banter between the two only spurring his desire to cut out the boy's tongue like the last bloke.

In a flash, the boy rushed in and leapt right without any hint prior. He swept back with his lightsaber ignited in an attempt to take out Kryll's leg. The highly trained mercenary-turned marauder lieutenant followed the movement with quick reaction time just barely behind his surprise movement, he leapt up and over the blade, falling to his knee. With a single swoop the sinister warrior intercepted the lightsaber with his own blade, the electro-plasma filament edge riding against Calruss Shiman's saber interlocked for a moment as he picked himself up. Both blades pierced into the ground, grinding against another without a sound.

He brought his face in close as the light illuminated the silhouette of his face from below. "Come on' boy. Let's see some blood." Within mere moments, Kryll drew his head back and sent it forward in an attempt to crash skull to skull with a thunderous headbutt.

Calruss Shiman

 

[TK-818]

Falling in step behind the other Knights of Ren, Sinh had set foot on Jakku with the single purpose of fulfilling his master's will. Several innocents had already stained his vibro-halberd's blade, it's edge dripping crimson unto the yellow sand below. A flash of light filled the area from several places as The Mongrel made his move boldly, the Knights of course wasting little time to move in on their old adversaries.

Sinh and the others circled the Jedi with a wide birth, each with their weapons at the ready. The Dark Side coursed through each one of them, empowering them as they prepared themselves for what was to come. The Knight of Ren tilted his head to the right slightly in mockery as they continued a slow approach. Slowly, but surely the circle would close in closer and closer.

The Mongrel | Kyrel Ren | Inferious | Romi Jade | Viers Connory


​

​

 

[Inferious]

Following the lead of his fellow Knights Inferious eyed his prey up and down taking in account the speed of the other, the master may be even faster. In excitement he began to giggle thinking about ripping his preys mind and body apart wishing he had the ability to sew it back together to repeat the process until there was no will left to live.

Like a pack of hungry wolves they began to circle watching every step, every twitch of the eye. They were embodiments of the shadow their auras would clash, the question is would this candle light be choked in shadow or would it burn brighter lighting a way for a anotherday?

Inferious began to ponder aloud

" TK-818 shall we take bets on who's entrails are longer, the Master's or the Padawan's?"

He paused for his "friend's" response knowing there would be no remark back.....snickering.

"True, true it's not like we can ask, we will have to cut open the packages ourselves."

​

 

[Calruss Shiman]

Location: Jakku, Niima Outpost
Allies: None
Enemies: Kyrel Ren The Mongrel Alars Keto Inferious TK-818

In the midst of battle the crewman were still holding their own against the unrelenting force of the maw, the turrets beginning to stack up a pile of bodies that had been cut down by the blaster fire. Underneath the ship the crewman was providing the final touches to the filling "That's it, come on..." he grunted under his breath as he came to the final stretches of the repair. Yet, his efforts would soon be wasted. The Mongrel managed to figure out a weakness to their defence and perfectly threw a grenade that hit the turret directly, in turn disabling the ship and most of its power. The crewman in the cockpit opened his eyes in despair, almost accepting with the turret and shield down they were doomed, especially when a dozen blood thirsty maw warriors furiously began to charge the defenceless ship.

Below, his crewmate heard a variety of stomping and yelling go up the ramp as well as some blaster fire. But that was soon turned into a blood curdling yell as the maw began to get their revenge on the man who killed many of their fellow brothers. All he could do was keep himself calm and stay hidden, hoping the warriors had not seen him before hand.

Across the outpost Calruss was busy taking the fight to the enforcer, trying to use his speed to chop away at his legs in a kneeling position. However, the man saw it coming and swiftly interlocked his lightsaber with the sword he wielded skilfully, forcing both weapons into the floor as the pair got into a standing position at the same time. Calruss gritted his teeth and met the heretics stare with one of fire and determination, adamant in ending the brutes reign of terror in the maw. The teen could sense that his words were beginning to sink into the mans deranged mind perfectly, but he knew more was needed to make it snap in two. Calruss didn't even have a chance to reply to his threats when he threw his head forwards, only missing by inches after he moved his head back out of instinct. Almost instantly, the teen unwrapped his left hand from the lightsaber and pushed it forwards into his opponents chest, attempting to force push the brute forcefully backwards to give him some room "Blood? the only blood you'll be getting is your own heretic"

 

[Maestus]

Perhaps she relied more on emotion, than outright discipline. But that was not to say she did not have both. Her eyes were impassive as he twisted the ships loading ramp pistons. Rendering it useless. A minor inconvenience, at most. She did, though, take time to com her Brothers for a replacement ship, in Cratertown.

She was mildly impressed. Aaran Tafo was displaying his strengths. Letting her know she needed to be careful with this one. It had been a long, long time since facing a Jedi in combat. Truth be told, she couldn't remember the last time. Then again, she did not dwell in the past. She had more pressing plans for the future that required her attention.

At this particular moment though, she needed to focus on the present. And the Jedi before her.

She took a step or two closer, not really closing the gap. Moreso casually strolling. She made no move for her lightsaber. She carried no other weapon. Instead, she merely lifted a hand, closing it into a fist. Aaran Tafo would feel a slow closing around his throat, as Maestus attempted to choke the life from him.

She relied not just on her anger and rage to focus her energy. But the discipline she had beaten into her as well. Focus, and be aware of her emotions. She allowed them to fuel her, but not consume her. No, she focused her energy and will. The tightness increasing around her enemies throat . Beginning to crush his windpipe, heavily restricting his breathing. As the blood was slowed to his brain, he may become light headed and woozy.

She did not relent in her Force Grip. She would hold it until he died or freed himself.

 

[Aaran Tafo]

It was a genuine relief when she actually backed up her implied threat with some action. An exertion of the Force, an attempt to crush his windpipe and block the blood from flowing into his brain. He had experienced similar techniques before. On Atrisia when a madwoman tried to crush his heart in his chest. Those kind of techniques were typically fatal.

The issue was that for it to succeed against someone else that used the Force. The difference in the respective individual's strength had to be rather large. So sadly, that was not the case when Maestus pitted her will against Aaran's. She found the gap in their strength insufficient to gain any form of leverage. For the moment she raised her hand to attempt to choke him into unconsciousness. He moved, his own presence slipping through her fingers, attempting to grasp him was like trying to grapple with smoke.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between the pair was closed, a cloud of sand kicked up by the movement of the Jedi as he allowed the Force to lend him the speed he needed to get right into Maestus' face.

"Weak!" Came his cry. Fist lashing out with a blow aimed right at her solar plexus. The sheer speed and strength behind the blow were unnatural. Far beyond what a human was normally capable of. Striking at her with all the speed of a lightning bolt and all the force of thunder.

It was unfortunate she had decided to not draw her lightsaber. As it would have given her something to parry the oncoming punch. Attempting to block it with her arms alone would probably not end well for her. As the force behind the punch was probably enough to shatter the ribcage of a far sturdier individual than Maestus several times over. Even if she did block or dodge, he would continue. A furious flurry of punches. Each one of them just as fast and strong as the last. Seemingly looking to overwhelm the smaller female before she could properly mount a defence.

 

[Alars Keto]

With the grit of his teeth and blind luck, the young warrior dodged the blow from Kryll's skull as he swung his head to headbutt Calruss. The boy's hand raising up to Kryll's chest and with force of will utilizing the 'Jedi Magick', he was sent flying back by an invisible force. The veteran warrior tumbled along the ground, keeping a tight grip on his weapon as he adjusted his weight.

A final roll saw the psycho raider raise mid-roll to his knee and shove his blade against the ground to a halting skid. Infuriated and seeing red, Kryll instantly went back to a time he combated a Jedi before his imprisonment on Osseriton. "I'm gonna carve you up real good pretty boy!" Grabbing a cylinder from his hip, the lieutenant popped a clip off the top and threw it aside toward the boy.

Smoke. Smoke began to pour out from the top as it popped off, filling the vacant desert area with a steady stream of smoke. Accumulating quickly around him, a large cloud began to take shape as a grinding sound against barren earth hit his ear drums followed by unintelligible noises one could only assume was war chants from a madman. The sounds reverberated around the boy, neither here nor there as the smoke circled him.

Suddenly, diving out of the smoke came Kryll with a quick decisive swing in an attempt to lop the boy's head clean off.


Calruss Shiman

 

[Dagon Kaze]

Dagon never thought running errands for Romi Jade would have had him witness the most savage and gruesome slaver raid in his life.

And this close to Alliance frontier patrols?

Something was off.

What was an enthusiastic chatter of women and children turned to screams of widows and orphans. The small settlement erupted in chaos, blood and fire. Some of the settlers tried mounting some semblance of defense, or at least try to delay the inevitable. Dagon frantically looked between the people fleeing for their lives and the makeshift barricades erected. They knew the sands of Jakku better than he did.

He just needed to give them time.

Snap-hiss.

The blue blade came to life and Dagon rushed into the fray. In the midst of the scuffle his eyes found a man freely wrecking havoc ( Koleric ). His Force sense jittered before he called on the ethereal and released a telekinetic wave of the slaver aiming to blast him into a nearby wall.

--

ok i engage Koleric