Private Keep Your Enemies Closer

[Darth Strosius]

His masked gaze held Elmindra's as silence reigned in the room, his form having grown still and solemn once more after his rather expressive display. Alisteri knew when to pull back and observe instead of lead the conversation by now. Watching and studying one's opponent was just as integral to discussion and 'negotiation' as it was to dueling. A careful balance of giving away information in order to draw out a similar amount in the other party, a dance in which neither could afford to leave too much out on the floor.

As the captain broke the stare Alisteri did so as well, cocking his head to the side to regard the younger Sith and his entourage of guards that had been patiently waiting since they entered. His gaze narrowed slightly as they made their exit and left the pair alone to continue in their discussion. Or argument, whichever came first. A shame, he wouldn't have minded having an additional Sith to trade words with.

The masked man looked back at the captain as she spoke up once more and drew out a scoff from him in response. "That remains to be seen." He idly wondered if that was all that people saw him as. An apprentice of the Lady of Shadows, the enforcer of Darth Ophidia, the masked Knight on a leash. It was for the better if they did really.

Alisteri glared daggers into her back as she turned away in what must have been some sort of show of trust. Or dismissal of the idea of him posing a threat. Regardless he didn't interrupt as she spoke of her collection and her past, his gaze shifting from her to the displays and back. The Falleen weren't a topic that he was familiar with, no one species was really, but evidently the captain was proud of her heritage and culture so there must have been something noteworthy about them that he'd have to look into later on.

Her questions were first answered by a brief and cynical chuckle that betrayed a hint of malice within. "Ignorance? Really? You have the gall to call me ignorant and then pretend as if the answers to your questions aren't obvious?" He clicked his tongue and shook his head as if he was disappointed. "I serve the Sith as a gardener serves their plot, Captain Xitaar." Alisteri began his own slow stride around the displays as though they were something of interest to him, but really he was just surveying the room in general.

"When I see that a weed has taken hold and infested the garden with its foul and tainted roots, much like Carnifex and his dynasty have within the Sith, it is my duty to remove it. Even if I have to choke the life from each root one by one, if necessary." He idly reached up to run his fingers along the protective glass of one of the displays as he walked by it before glancing back at the captain. "Or if I notice a parasite moving in and claiming the garden for themselves with no real claim to it, much like the self-proclaimed 'emperor' Empyrean, I am obligated to destroy it and its nest to rid the plot of it forever more."

Alisteri turned to fully face the captain again, his hands crossed in front of himself in a rather placid pose. "These weeds and parasites must be eradicated for the Sith to thrive and continue, no matter what methods and steps must be taken in order to do so. It is a matter of survival. Either the threats will be removed and the garden will flourish, or they stay and devour until there is nothing but a dead plot of land for them to abandon and move on to the next. I trust you understand my reasoning now? Or has your position of power and privilege blinded you to the poison in our order?"

Elmindra Xitaar / Kyraj / Darth Caedes

 

[Elmindra Xitaar]

"I believe I understand your reasoning, Darth Strosius," Elmindra said flatly, putting effort into keeping too much contention from her tone. Although this verbal spar was somewhat entertaining, the Inquisitor's stubborn condescension was beginning to wear on her nerves. She schooled her frustration and took a deep breath through her nose, centering herself for a moment before continuing.

"Admittedly, I am not much of a gardener myself but let us use your metaphor, since it seems to resonate with you, and take it a step further," she began, an affected ease to her tone as she moved parallel to the masked man along the row of display cases.

"Let us imagine, shall we, that I am the gardener and Korriban my plot, and I have found a parasite slinking about, leaching valuable resources from my hard-earned crop with no real claim to it, as you say," she said pointedly in an effort to drive home that her story was in fact in reference to him and the situation at hand.

"If I was to follow your reasoning, I would be obliged to destroy him. But I am of a different opinion. I believe to chase down every tainted root, to destroy each individual I find distasteful, is not only inefficient but ineffective." She took on a lecturing tone as she continued.

"A naïve gardener may waste his time chasing down bugs and weeds while another may find success in utilizing such forces to her advantage." There was no small amount of superiority in her voice as she made the comparison.

"It's easy to consider a parasite's sole purpose to be to gorge itself on the resources of others. But what our poor gardener fails to realize is that all those resources taken, all that power collected, it does not simply disappear if the parasite perishes. Its carcass becomes a feeding ground for more of its kind and its fouled nest becomes home to new opportunists."

She finally paused in her slow aimless stride and turned toward her guest. "Now, how would it change if the garden is the Galactic Alliance, and the Jedi Order its gardeners? I agree that the Sith Order is infested with parasites, opportunists feasting on one another because we are too prideful to unify and too afraid to attract the ire of our true enemy—those who cultivate the Light. Why continue to weaken ourselves by destroying one another when there is a bounty fit to guarantee our prosperity as a unified order ripe for the taking?"

Darth Strosius | Kyraj | Darth Caedes

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri remained silent and observant as the Falleen Sith began her response, his attention seeming to shift between the display case that he was hovering near and herself. Of course the simple turns of his head from one item of interest to the other were mostly just for show. Keeping a close eye on the captain was his highest priority at the moment. Even if some of the displays did warrant a second glance or further inspection.

Her turnabout of his metaphor did cause a momentary chuckle from the masked man, but one that quickly quieted so that he could listen to her retort in its entirety. It was so rare that he actually got to joust words with another Sith. Usually blades did far more conversing than mouths in his experience, not that he was against a good duel of course. But to spar with remarks and counterpoints was a rather refreshing, if slightly unfamiliar, method of battle that he was secretly excited to participate in.

The conclusion to her counter argument caused his head to cock to the side as he turned to regard her properly once more. "The Alliance? The Jedi? Really?" He scoffed and shook his head. "You seriously think that waging war against those fools in the Core is worth sacrificing the Sith Order for? Allow me to make some amends to your earlier remarks and enlighten you to the situation as it stands, dear captain."

Alisteri crossed his arms behind his back as he started strolling around the display cases again, his masked gaze never leaving the other Sith. "Korriban is not your garden." He stated simply and firmly. "Nor is it the garden of this 'King-Ascending' Caedes, and certainly not Carnifex or Empyrean." No amount of fleets and armies could change that fact in his mind, of that the Falleen could be certain by how he spoke on the matter.

"I defended Korriban from the Alliance and their allies when they sought to rob it from us, I saw it annexed by the Sith Eternal in their treacherous rebellion against the Sith Empire in our time of need, and when they fled it alongside their precious Worm Emperor I walked amongst the ruins and dreamed of it being reclaimed by the Sith once more." It all seemed like such a distant memory.

By this point it practically was. "When my forces and I liberated Dreshdae from the Ashlan remnants we did so in the name of the Sith. Not the Kainate, not for this Lord Caedes, but for the Sith. There is nothing on Korriban that does not rightfully belong to the Sith, the Sith that I have served without hesitation or treachery unlike so many others."

He admittedly knew nothing of Captain Xitaar, for all he knew she could have been just as loyal to the Sith as he and had merely been deceived into the service of the Kainate like so many others. But it hardly mattered, a Kainite was a Kainite regardless. "As for the parasites and weeds, they left Korriban to rot and only now that they need more legitimacy have they returned to it. They are not Sith, they are tyrants using the order to further their own means. The moment that the Sith Order is beset like the Sith Empire was, they will run and take with them all that they can. Korriban will be left to ruin again by the same people that did so in the first place!"

Raw passion and fury had seeped into his tone before he could compose himself, possibly the first genuine emotion since the Omen contacted him. When he spoke again his tone was much more measured and calmed yet with a note of anger lurking underneath his words. "And you would have me do what? Kowtow to these stains and traitors? As you have?" The remark was spit like venom, the two prongs on his mask seeming more akin to fangs in that moment. "The Jedi are merely another pest, I will not side with tumors just to slay a rat. Those that have proven themselves enemies of the Sith must be eliminated, regardless of what titles they award themselves."

Elmindra Xitaar / Kyraj / Darth Caedes

 

[Elmindra Xitaar]

Elmindra's irritation flared as the masked man began his rhetorical posturing. She bit her tongue at his assumption of his right to "enlighten" her, nearly cutting in with a sharp retort. As much as his stubborn arrogance annoyed her, she knew what he had to say would likely be informative and ultimately useful if she hoped to achieve any level of success in their conversation. So she held back, remaining where she stood as he spoke, still as a viper coiled in the brush.

The captain calmly clasped her hands before her as she leveled her cold gaze at him consideringly, meeting the man's venom with her own icy glare. Her rigid features were set in an unreadable expression, as if she too wore a mask. She was fairly certain her pheromones had not affected him. She assumed it had something to do with his mask which was likely equipped with a rebreather of some kind. Still, the invisible essence saturated the area around them, bearing down on him, seeping through anything porous.

She took on a more diplomatic and contemplative tone, redirecting the conversation where she wished. "You strike me as a stalwart and loyal ally to those who have earned it, Darth Strosius. A rare and valuable trait among our kind. A trait I look for when making allies of my own, and a reputation I take pride in myself even."

She started slowly toward him again, never taking her eyes from that menacing mask of his. "You also strike me as a man of faith. Faith in the Sith you claim to sevre, faith in the dark side and its unparalleled power. Yet, despite the evidence, you seem to have so little faith in our ability to stand together, to wield our power as a unified front and take what is ours as we have taken Korriban. You say you fight for the Sith yet your intolerance blinds you to our true potential."

Eventually, she came to a stop not more than a few feet from him. It was time to get to the point. "I would have you consider our slate a clean one, Darth Strosius, despite political affiliations. I'm sure you've overcome greater challenges in the past. I know I have."

"I would have us work together, perhaps even build an alliance, beginning with a mutually beneficial arrangement wherein you share with me all that you found in the archives of Dreshdae, and my liege and I allow you to get away with the information as well as whatever plunder in that freighter of yours. But only after you've taken audience with the King Ascending."

Darth Strosius | Kyraj | Darth Caedes

 

[Darth Strosius]

Behind his mask there was a small twitch of a smirk forming on his face as he saw the cold glare, despite the fairly nonplussed and stoic expression that they sat in the middle of. He must have finally started ruffling some of her feathers then. Fair was fair after all, she had so rudely interrupted his simple retrieval mission so it was a simple matter of repaying the favor by rudely informing her exactly what he thought of her and the 'Ascending King' that she served. Making no move to strike at him was rather odd though, perhaps she simply hadn't been pushed far enough yet?

The switch to what seemed at first like flattery was not lost on Alisteri, a silent chuckle being his first reaction as she started advancing towards him once more. He awaited her with his hands clasped before him again to show that he had yet to reach for a weapon himself. If the captain wanted to continue their little parley and word sparring then so be it. "Unity among the Sith has always been my primary goal captain, but the tyrants that reside in the highest levels of power are not Sith as you and I are." He could repay the flattery with some of his own he supposed.

When she finally came to stop before him and plainly laid out what was expected of him his smirk only grew despite the thinly veiled threat in her words. Finally she casted off the faux hospitality then. "Oh, you will allow me to get away with what rightfully belongs to the Sith? But only after I meet your master, give you all of my information regarding my findings, and become your little pet that nods and sits when told to do so?" He tapped on his mask as one would their chin. "Why that sounds suspiciously close to an ultimatum dear captain, I assumed this was meant to be a negotiation."

The masked man shrugged and crossed his arms behind his back as he began idly pacing around the Falleen Sith. "Well if this is indeed an ultimatum then allow me to offer my own deal if you would? You let my forces, ships, and everything aboard them jump to hyperspace with their 'plunder' as you call it. Then I will happily share my information and meet your 'King Ascending' without any further delay or argument on my part. I'll even entertain these little remarks of yours as genuine attempts at unity rather than an insultingly overt manipulation tactic. How does that sound to you Captain Xitaar?" He stopped and offered a hand as if to shake in agreement to his proposal.

Elmindra Xitaar / Kyraj / Darth Caedes

 

[Elmindra Xitaar]

The hint of a satisfied smirk pulled at the edge of Elmindra's lip when the masked man made an attempt at returning the flattery. She took it as a small victory but one she still counted as important as it was among the first real signs he might actually be willing to entertain an alliance. At the very least, it meant the seeds she had planted here may yet bear results. Her expression turned from self-satisfied to amused as he continued, quietly chuckling even at the comment about him being her "little pet" as if the idea was genuinely entertaining.

She eyed his proffered hand, giving him a withering look. "It sounds like a rather predictable offer, Darth Stosius, one I had hoped you might come to of your own accord."

She keyed her com to the deck but didn't take her eyes from the slits of that sinister mask, her smugness palpable.
"Lieutenant, are the scans of the Knight Inquisitor's ships complete?"
"Yesss, Captain."
"Transmit them to my personal terminal."
"Yesss, Captain."

Keying off the coms, she turned the full force of her focus on him once more, her tone all business. "Once I have reviewed the scans, and if I am satisfied with my findings, then your forces, your ships, and your plunder may go freely.“

"But you will remain here on the Omen until it is time for you to accompany me to the Capital Palace of Vardin where your audience with Lord Caedes will take place." She spoke with punishing finality, as if lecturing an acolyte, before finally taking his hand. Her grip was surprisingly firm, despite her lean build. She stepped closer, tall enough to be eye-to-eye with the masked man, a dangerous calm in her steely gaze.

"You will do as you're told while aboard my ship, Darth Strosius," she cooed venomously, "unless you wish to learn just how I treat disobedient little pets." Her true ultimatum delivered, she made to release his hand and turn to leave.

Darth Strosius | Kyraj | Darth Caedes

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri's gaze narrowed as the captain dismissed his, admittedly disingenuous and somewhat sarcastic, offer in favor of activating her communicator. Ah so they had finally gotten done scanning the ships then. Probably should've invested in ships with more encrypted and shielded cargo scramblers but he hadn't been planning on being found in the first place anyway. Oh well, live and learn he supposed.

He nodded along with her remarks, more of orders really, as she spoke about what exactly she intended to do. Keep him captive, raid his ships and kill his forces to take their rightfully reclaimed property, and drag him to her king afterwards. About what he expected when he had first arrived onboard but at least she had finally dropped the illusion of cordiality and cooperation. Now they could get down to the proper details and doings of Sith politics rather than playing a show.

The masked man didn't budge or offer much in the way of response or even reaction as the Falleen Sith punctuated her orders with a firm grip on his hand and stepped close enough for her visage to fill the entire reflection of his visor. A bit in his personal space but he supposed it was all about intimidation factor. She did smell rather odd, but he chalked it up to some strange scent she must have picked up in her duties. Either that or some Kainite perfume that was probably egregiously expensive to produce.

He sighed as she released her grip and turned away, idly flexing his fingers as little crackles of lightning danced between them. "You know, you drive a rather hard bargain Captain Xitaar." His hand clenched into a fist as the crackles grew in intensity and his other hand summoned his lightsaber from his belt. "Here's my counteroffer!" His fist splayed open wide and a bolt of Force Lightning leapt from his fingertips towards the other Sith as the red blade of his weapon ignited with a simple flick of his wrist.

Elmindra Xitaar / Kyraj / Darth Caedes

 

[Elmindra Xitaar]

The moment the Inquisitor began to pull upon the Force, the massive geode nearby began to hum while the smaller geode floating on the dias appeared to ripple as if the very matter itself wanted to be shaped by the energy. The hair on the back of Elmindra’s neck stood on end as the air crackled around them. Her head snapped to look back over her shoulder and she scowled, sensing his malice. A moment before he finished speaking, her lightsaber was in her hand. She spun and ignited it just in time to ensnare the bolt of force lightning in the crimson blade, effectively blocking the blow. The impact of his sudden attack made her take a step back but she held firm. The pigmentation of her skin warmed from its neutral green, taking on a reddish tint to signify her growing rage. She sneered, frustration and contempt clear on her sharp features.

“I agree to release your ships, your crew, and your loot as you asked and this is how you repay me?” Her voice boomed over the scream of lightning as it clashed with her lightsaber. When it finally ceased, perhaps to the masked man’s surprise, she did not move in for a follow up attack. She didn’t even key her com to call in backup. Not yet. Instead, she maintained a defensive stance despite the indignant fury that burned in her deep crimson eyes.

“I thought we’d reached an accord yet you insist on testing the limits of my patience,” she hissed. She stood tall and levied her blade at the Sith Knight, warning rather than goading.

“What do you hope to achieve, attacking me in the middle of my ship? Either you’re a damned fool or a glutton for punishment. Or perhaps there is something you don’t want me to find in those scans?” Her tone was far more caustic than it had been before but It was clear even now that she preferred diplomacy over needless violence when dealing with this man. In fact, there was even a touch of curiosity to her words, as if she was genuinely baffled by the man’s actions. However, she was more than prepared to defend herself if he continued his foolish pursuit.

Darth Strosius | Kyraj | Darth Caedes

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man's hand that had previously loosed a bolt of lightning fell to his side to retrieve his sword from his hip as he twisted his body and positioned his lightsaber defensively across his chest. He scoffed at her enraged remark and idly twisted his sword in his hand until the tip of it and his lightsaber were barely held apart. "Please drop the nice act captain. I wasn't born yesterday nor am I ignorant to the workings and politics of the Sith Order." His body tensed as he prepared himself for her attack. Which never came. Odd. Was she trying to find some weak angle to target?

He didn't intend to give her one to find. Despite them both occupying a defensive posture, at least before she levied her blade at him as she continued to speak, he didn't dismiss the idea of an attack. To do so would be foolish after all. "Simple. I prevent you from putting my forces to death and stealing my reclaimed supplies. You were the one prideful enough to invite me onto your ship in the first place!"

Alisteri actually laughed, albeit in a condescending manner, and started slowly stepping to the side like a predator circling its prey. "You really should have blown myself and my forces into dust when you had the chance. I have no idea what they're teaching you Kainites here on Korriban these days but inviting an enemy onto your ship? Making yourself vulnerable and killable when you otherwise wouldn't have been? Just to gloat?" He shook his head as if the idea was simply too ridiculous to say.

"Of course I'm attacking you you blithering diplomat! I'm striking first! You went on and on with your little charade about 'working together' and 'coming to an agreement' and expected me to just believe you? Do I look like some sniveling planetary official to you?!" He almost sounded as insulted as the captain herself did, as though she was the one causing the offense. "I am Darth Strosius, apprentice to the Pale Assassin. I know a trap when I see one!"

Elmindra Xitaar / Kyraj / Darth Caedes

 

[Elmindra Xitaar]

"Do you now, apprentice? If I wanted you trapped, you would be," Emlindra bit back, like a serpent suddenly springing to strike, her lip curling into a sneer. The red tint to her skin deepened and her eyes flashed as anger finally flared in earnest. She still did not move to strike with her blade though. She did maintain a defensive stance, starting her own slow circle opposite of the masked man, matching his pace.

"You are a damned fool if you think the reason I'm tolerating your company is just to gloat. Obviously, it would have been far easier for me to blow you and your forces into dust, as you put it, and that is still a very real option." The threat was undeniably clear now, free of any honeyed diplomacy.

Not for the first time during this conversation, the captain breathed deeply, taking a moment to reign in her wrath and find what was left of her patience. "I thought we might be able to be civilized about this, but I can see you'd rather trust in self delusions than overwhelming evidence. You aren't preventing me from putting your forces to death and reclaiming your stolen supplies. I am choosing not to because I do, in fact, wish to work together."

Elmindra came to a stop in front of one of the larger of the display cases which towered well over her head and stretched several shoulder widths on either side of her. "You want an ultimatum? Stand down now and I will consider this a mistake born of misunderstanding. Or continue to test me and find out how wrong you are about my vulnerability."

The light inside the case behind her suddenly blinked out, the shadow within causing the reflection on the glass surface to become much more defined. The reflective surface behind her revealed what appeared to be a halo of long stringy hair floating around the reflection of Elmindra's head. Pale skeletal fingers attached to boney arms rose to either side within the Falleen’s reflection, bending in unnatural ways as the fingers twitched and snapped. The haunted and hideous visage stepped out from behind Elmindra as if standing beside her but only in the reflection, peering out at the masked man with beady black eyes and a sinister grin. One of Darth Caedes’ Jen'rusalka, tasked with protecting the First Lord of Korriban aboard The Omen for reasons just like this.

Darth Strosius | Darth Caedes | Kyraj

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri rolled his eyes and idly gestured to the room around them as he carefully stepped to the side. "Dragging me to the bowels of your ship, surrounded by your crew and forces, not to mention whatever internal security systems this ship boasts, it certainly seems like a trap from where I stand." Not to mention the initial ambush that had gotten him into this mess to begin with. However his ships had been discovered, he'd have to take steps to ensure that they were far harder to detect in the future. After he managed to escape the Omen of course.

"Must you still continue this charade of pleasantries?" He scoffed and adjusted his grip on his lightsaber and sword slightly, his circling slowing as he crouched down slightly as though he was readying himself for some sort of leap or pounce. "We are enemies! I knew you Kainites were daft and dense but surely you understand that's not how this works? We don't 'work together'," His voice dripped with a venomous sarcasm, intermingled with scorn. ", we kill each other! That's all your lot is good for anyway, fodder!"

The masked man's circling paused as the Falleen's did, his visor reflecting his lightsaber's crimson glow as he glared at his opponent. She had done the clever thing of placing her back against one of the displays, meaning that there was a chance for him to get stuck if he rushed at her and missed, but she was by no means unassailable. Before he could make another few steps to try and flank her however, the light inside the display went out and it seemed to shift within.

His grasp on the handles of his weapons tightened until the handles themselves nearly bent underneath the pressure as his whole body tensed at the sight of the horrid entity seeming to just appear within the reflection behind the captain, finding it rather dreadful and somewhat disturbing to look at. All in all it made the Sith beside it look far more appealing and attractive in comparison.

"Mere illusions mean nothing captain." He hissed as he straightened his stance and held out his sword before him, the tip pointed right at the center of the Falleen's torso while his lightsaber was kept defensively positioned across his chest. Lightning crackled in his fingertips and traveled along the length of the sword as the runes across its surface lit up with a subtle deep red glow. "Allow me to demonstrate what proper Sith 'negotiation' looks like!" A bolt of lightning, seemingly summoned from the arcs both on his hand and on the blade itself, shot out from the sword before he leapt forward after it with his lightsaber raised to slash at her.

Elmindra Xitaar / Kyraj / Darth Caedes

 

[Elmindra Xitaar]

Elmindra tracked the movement of her opponent as he lifted his blade and pointed it at her center. She took note of how the runes along its length appeared to react to the crackling energy building in his fingertips. The weapon pulsed with malicious hatred that seemed to empower the man’s connection to the dark side. She could feel his violent intentions as clearly as she could see him standing before her. It was clear he would not be intimidated or persuaded into avoiding conflict, at least not without putting up a fight about it first. She narrowed her eyes and ground her teeth but a wicked smirk pulled at the edge of her lip. His stubbornness may have been infuriating but there was an undeniable thrill she found in the unexpected challenge. It was always more satisfying to break them when they put up a bit of a fight first.

"Very well." Before she could say more, lightning struck out toward her. Once again, she caught the bolt with her blade but this time the empowered energy forced her back hard against the display case. The thick glass at her back cracked upon impact but did not shatter and she bore her teeth in a scowl as bits of errant electricity arched out from her lightsaber and burnt into her flesh.

Elmindra had little time to recover as her opponent closed the distance to strike but she managed to parry and duck away from the blow. Now that Elmindra was clear the blast radius, the hideous visage of the wraith-like woman in the glass let out a very real-sounding blood-curdling scream before its face emerged from the glass, as if from the surface of water. It then wretched at the masked man, expelling a mass of reflective bile from its gaping mouth in an effort to cover him and the floor beneath him. The viscous substance would immediately harden into a texture akin to metal, potentially impeding his movements and/or adhering his feet to the floor. The Jen'rusalka slipped back within the glassy surface and disappeared from sight for the time being. Meanwhile, Elmindra readied herself to trade blows with the man if he was still mobile enough after the Jen'rusalka's attack.

Darth Strosius | Kyraj

 

[Darth Strosius]

The blade of lightsaber embedded into the glass of the case rather than into the captain's flesh, but it was of little concern. She hadn't managed to move too far away after all. Alisteri wrenched his lightsaber from the case and turned to face his opponent again, just in time for the creature in the glass to screech at him and cause his gaze to briefly snap back at it. What he didn't expect was for it to spout something more physical than a simple scream at him, an odd substance that he most certainly did not want to get caught in.

Evidently the apparition was more real than he had expected, a thought that was only reinforced as he tried to leap away from the bile only to find much of his lower half stuck to the floor by said odd substance. "Oh you've got to be fething kidding me!" Thankfully he had managed to get most of his upper body and his arms out of the way but he was still coated up to his waist. Being immobile in battle was the last thing he needed right now. Without hesitation he flipped his lightsaber around in a reverse grip and began carving into the substance with it.

The hand clutching his sword tightened its grip before slamming the pommel into the substance at his side to try and chip away at it as his lightsaber attempted to cleave away the material that was connecting him to the floor. He needed to restore his mobility as quick as he could before he became vulnerable either to his opponent or her specter. Lightning lit up the blade again as his head shot up from his trapped lower half, fixing the captain with a glare as he leveled the sword blade towards her again. He simply needed more time to get through his trap so firing off a bolt or two in her direction should keep her at bay until he could free himself from the material binding his legs to the floor.

Elmindra Xitaar / Kyraj / Darth Caedes