Olive Branch of Infinite Pain

[Caulder Dune]

UTAPAU
PAU CITY

A very particular kind of loathing seeped out of Adekos with every step he took as he approached the hangar. Far more intense than usual. This was not the kind of disdain that the Umbaran usually emitted. This wasn't a ball that featured naked servants or public executions in gardens. This wasn't Carach attempting to feel up his apprentice for the seventh time. No, it was Jacen Cavill, gallivanting around the cosmos with all the ridiculous machismo that could be expected from a creature of such low intelligence. Adekos was usually content to allow this to continue. Only rarely did Cavill's lunacy affect him, but now it was getting out of hand. People in the Hegemony weren't supposed to fight one another. That was the agreement, but his patience and willingness to kowtow to Kryptus was gone. And with it, any willingness to uphold that unspoken agreement.

By this point, Adekos decided he would rather be dead than put up with this behavior any longer. When the scuffle finished, this would be resolved. Either because Adekos was dead and could no longer be eternally pestered, or because of some infinitely unlikely alternative scenario that probably wasn't worth mentioning.

Adekos entered the hangar bay, which overlooked one of Utapau's many sinkholes. He sighed, form flickering unnaturally as he unclipped the lightsaber from his belt. It activated, sans the traditional "snap-hiss" sound for whatever reason. Apparently the lightsaber was as resigned to its fate as Tyrin was.

"Cavill? Get out here, you mongrel."

 

[Jacen Cavill]

Utapau​

Pau City​

Armored boots, the kind that only a man with a pretty sharp mind and loads of money could make, echoed off the halls in the empty building. Not a soul resided in the shiping building, he had made sure to send them all home early. Another’s presence was inside, and he was drawn to it. Feth, he had felt him enter the system, and now it was time to actually have the conversation he had been dying to have with the Umbaran for nearly a decade. Stewed long enough this rivalry had, despite the fact that they traveled in the same circles. Fate had ordained this to happen, and Kryptus was more than happy to oblige it. He had longed for it, even.

That’s why he was walking at an obscenely fast place.

Eschewing his traditional Iron Skin armor weave, he had decided to put his armor on as well over it. Not because he needed the protection, the gauntlet of Kressh on his left arm would do that if his own abilities somehow failed. No, he wanted the satisfaction of running an armored fist straight through Adekos’ face. Just the mere thought of getting to do so brought a smile to the Sith Lord’s face. So much so, that he briefly had to scrub the memory from his brain. Happiness wasn’t the path to power, he needed his rage, especially to stomp the little ant he was going to see.

Strolling into the hangar, he pulled Daesumnor from his back. Long red cape blowing behind him due to his stride and the great central air system in the hangar, his unarmored face merely growled at his opponent. “I’m here child.” Another few steps were taken as he closed the distance, digging deep into his well of rage. That power wrapped around him, and infused itself into him, giving him that unique ability most feared. “Are you actually here to do what needs to be done, or do you want to call in a few assassins and have me fight them?”

[member="Adekos"]​

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Jacen Cavill"]

"And here I thought it was my job to bloviate." Said the Umbaran, flickering erratically. "Look at you, marching about with the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger. You've pulled out all the stops. Afraid I'll actually hurt you?"

His words dripped with condescension. There was no denying that the balance of power was shifted heavily towards Cavill, so Adekos would need to rely on the seedier sort of strategy. Like inciting Cavill to attack first with a light sprinkling of Dun Möch. Adekos hadn't counted on the man being here with the invincibility gauntlet either. The game plan would need to be adjusted accordingly. Although the final outcome undoubtedly would remain in Cavill's favor.

"It'll make for an interesting trophy after I pluck it from your corpse. I hope, for your sake, you're not as bad at holding on to your trinkets as you are your corporations."

 

[Jacen Cavill]

“Dun moch, that’s cute.”

Another step was taken, and then another. Now they were merely five meters apart, and the air between the two was thick with tension. Everything was crystallized, and time stood still for a moment. Kryptus lived for this feeling, the inevitable right before all hell broke loose. It’s what drew him to combat like moth to a flame, he had always chased this. That was why he wasn’t a Count of Serenno like he was supposed to be, and why he had so often set out for his own path. This time was no different, the Hegemony had rules, and he didn’t care this time.

Ardik’s head was what he wanted.

“You are right, I don’t need anything to beat you.” With a press of a button, the armor across his chest snapped open and he threw it off along with the armor on his legs and arms. Standing there in just the iron weave, he unclipped his cape as well. Only adorned with his belt that housed a few tools, and his gauntlets he stepped forward again. First, he unclipped Moridin;s gauntlet and set it straight down on the ground with the opening for his arm facing up. Then he repeated the process for the gauntlet of Kressh. Setting them on top of each other, he then rammed Daesumnor into the ground with all his might. Buried up to the hilt, the gauntlets couldn’t be pulled due to the alchemical blade holding them down.

Then he advanced.

“I don’t need anything to beat you.”

Muscles infused with the darkside, he took Spencer Jacob’s lesson to heart and became a blur as he shot forth with all his agility right to the Umbaran’s face. Slightly airborne, he kept his left arm tucked in to protect his sternum while launching a devastating right cross from the other hand straight at the helmeted jaw of his adversary. This wouldn’t have been so bad, if said Sith Lord couldn’t punch a hole through most metals.

Kryptus could.

[member="Adekos"]​

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Jacen Cavill"]

Cavill's bare first connected with the smug, masked jaw of Adekos. Under normal circumstances, this would have mortally wounded Adekos instantly. There was no coming back from a punch to the face from Kryptus. Unless of course, the Adekos standing there speaking to Cavill was actually an illusion projected directly into the latter's mind. Adekos wasn't particularly good at illusions, they were never really stable or complete, but that hardly mattered when his opponents were always painfully unobservant. The illusion would dissipate, and with nothing to absorb Kryptus' momentum, he would probably stumble or fall flat on his face.

Directly behind him, Adekos blinked back into existence. He was leaning on Daesumnor, casually, inspecting the knuckles on his own gauntlet.

"For all your strength, it seems the infamous Darth Kryptus can hardly see through even the most mundane of illusions." The Umbaran derided, shimmering where he stood while he continued. "I'm not at all surprised. I doubt you can even breath through your nose without devoting you full concentration to it. Perhaps cut some time injecting yourself with enhancement drugs and read a book for once. You might notice a change."

 

[Jacen Cavill]

“What I choose to do with Sith poison, is my own damn business.”

Smoke was practically coming from his mouth and nostrils at that point, as he turned to face the real Umbaran. How did you fething fall for something so trivial Kryptus. Tirdarius would have monologued you to death for weeks had he seen you do that. Would Ashin, Spencer, Rave, or even Marek have fallen for such a rookie trick? Crimson and mustard eyes only turned a darker shade of red as he felt his entire body heating up with rage. The idiocy he had just displayed had only thrown more fuel into the fire that was his rage.

Ardik was only making him stronger.

Muscles, honed by years of training, flexed as he tightened and relaxed his body. Veins that were exposed were practically about to pop as he started to march towards the Umbaran. Just knowing that he had a smug expression under his helmet only served to infuriate the Sith Lord even further. Fire was running up his spine, and his pupils were practically burning. Pain shot through his body, only intensifying the rage he felt. That march, it didn’t stop as he continued to close the distance. There was no speed, no strength, nothing too crazy. No, just fire running up his spine as he got within three meters of the scumbag.

Then, fire and death sprayed forth from his eyes right at the Umbaran’s heart.

“Enjoy seeing Grandmama Ardik!”

[member="Adekos"]​

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Jacen Cavill"]

Rays of crimson death shot from Kryptus' eyes, flying through the air on a collision course for the galaxy's preeminent derisive Umbaran. The rays pierced straight through Adekos, exiting his back. Again, he would have been killed instantaneously, but the illusion merely dissipated a second time. Already, the real Adekos was having more fun with this than he originally anticipated. There was always room for a more creative form of messing with Kryptus, however.

"You can't go on living like this any more." Came a smaller, more effeminate version of Kryptus' voice. If the Sith Lord were to turn his head and look over at his left shoulder, he would see a miniature version of himself poised there. It looked like Kryptus, but talked like a version of Kryptus that became a eunuch somewhere along the line. It was also garbed in the traditional tan robes of a Jedi. "This is a path that only leads to great pain! You must return to the Light Side of the Force, make amends! Sell your belongings and become a simple moisture farmer!"

Obviously there would need to be a bad shoulder adviser to counteract the good one, so to speak. But Adekos hardly felt like making a persuasive argument for ushering in his own demise. The second illusory shoulder adviser said nothing, but began to urinate on the side of Cavill's neck. Although nothing was really there, this would be accompanied by the approximate sensation of a small trickle of water impacting his neck. The second adviser looked exactly like Kryptus, except his attire was torn to near shreds, his face badly scarred, and a still activated lightsaber jammed through his left eye socket.

It murmured something incoherent as it relieved itself.

"Unsaturated polyester resin Fiberglass surface resins and volatile malted milk impoundments 9 large egg yolks 12 medium geosynthetic membranes 1 cup granulated sugar An entry called: "How to Kill Someone with Your Bare Hands" 2 cups rhubarb, sliced 2/3 cups granulated rhubarb 1 tbsp. all-purpose rhubarb 1 tsp. grated orange rhubarb 3 tbsp. rhubarb, on fire 1 large rhubarb 1 cross borehole electromagnetic imaging rhubarb 2 tbsp. rhubarb juice Adjustable aluminum head positioner Slaughter electric needle injector Cordless electric needle injector Injector needle driver Injector needle gun Cranial caps"

 

[Jacen Cavill]

[member="Adekos"]

Kryptus wasn't amused in the slightest. If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that the range of these illusions was quite short. Someone as weak and puny as Tyrin, that went for in the Force as well, couldn't do this forever. Having a limited skill set like Kryptus did, it helped when you only had a few powers that could drain you. Force body was just like breathing for him, and in that moment he pooled all of his focus into building that shield up as much as he could. A shimmer covered him, tinted red almost from the rage. Smoke still seeped from his eyes from the deadly sight, but he had another idea in mind entirely. One not even worth elaborating on too much for the simpleton he was facing.

"Hope you like Baradium."

On the back of his belt, he unclipped a pair of old-school firing pin detonators. The kind that mechu deru couldn't sabotage because there was no technology to stop. He threw them to opposite corners, before repeating the process to the other corners. Then, he threw one straight up to the ceiling and fired up his shields more. "Illusion this."

BOOM!!!!​

​

[member="Adekos"]​

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Jacen Cavill"]

Grenades? This lunatic carried grenades with him? Truly there was nothing that could drive Adekos from an optimal hiding spot quite like explosive ordnance being lobbed at him by a musclebound brute. A real shame this was ending so abruptly- he could have done this all day. Adekos stepped out from behind cover, revealing himself at last. This was, in fact, his actual self. Not another clever illusion or a human replica droid or something equally asinine.

The legitimacy of this Adekos was verified when he redirected the grenade back at Kryptus. Elementary telekinetics, honestly, not that Kryptus would understand. The thermal detonator, a nasty bit of technology to be sure, landed right back at Cavill's feet. There were no one-liners or witty dialogue from the Umbaran this time. Because even if that grenade went off, Kryptus would probably survive, and there were few things more terrifying than being caught out in the open by Darth Kryptus.

 

[Jacen Cavill]

“Bingo”

Kryptus didn’t even pay attention to the fact that he was running right into a thermal detonator. Adekos had finally been forced from his cowardly, apprentice-level position. Finally forced out into the open, where he would have to fight a man’s battle. A sinister smile parted across his face as he saw the Umbaran, and he rocketed forward with all of his speed. Well, he tried to that is. Explosives tended to put a damper on things, even to those who could throw up a shield around themselves and move at incredible speeds.

Physics could not be ignored.

Launched backwards, he slid on his back a few meters. Then he stood up, wiped some of the flames off before locking onto his opponent and launching himself right at Adekos. Momentum, speed, and fury carried him across the space within the time it would take him to blink. At the last moment of his sprint, he lifted off and threw a flying side-kick with his left leg aimed right at the cowards chest.

Learning from the Echani had it’s benefits.

[member="Adekos"]​

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Jacen Cavill"]

As expected, Kryptus ran brazenly through the explosion with barely a scratch. It was almost as if he were made entirely of steel. As if he were a Man of Steel. But steel was not all that interesting of an alloy in these parts. So it was more like he was a man of Durasteel. Yet Durasteel was rather mundane as far as armor went, so it would have been better to say he was a man of Dura-Armor. Hegemonic Automaton droids featured dura-armor in their construction, however, so that wasn't entirely special as well. There must have been a stronger material more apt for this kind of thing.

Jacen Cavill: Man of Quadranium.

Yes, that was more accurate.

The brute of a human being barreled towards him with the Force and speed of a bullet train. At the last moment of his sprint, Cavill leapt and kicked the Umbaran square in the chest. The force of the blow sent Adekos back a couple of meters, the lousy combatant skidding to a halt on his back. Pain wracked his chest, but his armor had absorbed the worst of it. Adekos leapt back to his feet, his lightsaber now plainly visible in his hand. Unlike the illusions, this one was deactivated.

"Oh, come on. Is that all? I barely felt it."

Was it wise to poke Kryptus? Not any less wise than it was to be fighting him in the first place. If Adekos was going to die, and he was quite convinced he was, then he would at least die spewing the same mockery that passed his lips in life. Then again, perhaps his taunt would have been more effective if he hadn't had to break it up in between spurts of coughing.

 

[Jacen Cavill]

Did he kick him as hard as possible? Why feth no, but it sure did feel good to make physical contact with the little sprite after years of dodging this. Thick as thieves they had once been in the old Sith Empire, and in their little petty alliances. Multiple schemes had been hatched between the pair, and their bond was one of mutual respect and admiration. A healthy dose of hatred had helped keep them together while they plotted to take down the old Emperor. That’s where it all went south, because while Jacen conquered in the name of expanding the Empire for himself. Let’s just say that Tyrin was scheming.

The Umbaran got the Empire, and Cavill got the shaft.

So yes, it felt good to finally bury his foot into his armored chest. Every sound, from the impact, to his heavy breathing only made it that more rewarding. Dreaming of this moment for years, and being held back made this worth it. Years of built up rage were starting to percolate, and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him from getting what he wanted out of the man he had once called a friend. Well, as much of a friend as a Sith could have. They were in the business of betrayal, it just bothered him that he had been beaten by the cowardly man before him.

What was Tyrin next to him? That thought brought a smile to his face, and he started marching.

A barely audible taunt left his opponent’s mouth and made it to his ears, but the grim expression that came over his face indicated he wasn’t amused. Far from it actually, this was time to focus and enjoy what he was about to do. Letting the darkness wrap itself around him, he quickened his steps. Passing right by the sword that held the gauntlets down, he marched onwards as he started to jog towards his opponent. Reaching behind his belt, he pulled out his lightsaber, the last of his trinkets and ignited the blade. Crimson covered the area, and ozone met his nose as he took a two handed grip. Right on his opponent, he brought down the blade in an overhead strike aimed right at the center of Ardik’s head.

“If you ain’t first, you’re last Ardik.”

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Jacen Cavill"]

Cavill started marching right towards him again, prompting the Umbaran to activate his lightsaber. Really, it was his only fighting chance. His lightsaber was no longer the deep crimson it had usually been. To further distance himself from his Sith identity, Adekos had bought a green lightsaber crystal on the holonet. It was a sickly, eerie green. Nowhere near the vibrant coloration usually displayed by Jedi. It matched Adekos' armor well enough, and had been purchased for that reason. What was the point in anything if there was no style? Speaking of style, Cavill certainly seemed to be experiencing a dirge of it. Also, he was practically on top of the Umbaran.

What Adekos lacked in strength, he made up for in speed. Ish. There were plenty of people who were faster than him. Usually he just covered his flaws by summoning legions of droids, but in the absence of droids he would go for speed. Trying to stop an overhead swing from Cavill wouldn't end well, likely bringing poor Adekos to his knees. From there, Jacen would just hammer away until Adekos was a fine pink mist. Adekos instead opted to use a little of the Makashi he picked up to his advantage. His lightsaber rose to defend him, only to swat aside the crimson blade that had been barreling towards him. Adekos would direct the blade away with his own, allowing it to fall harmlessly off-target and probably into the ground.

It was tempting to just punch Kryptus in the face while he was stooped over from his missed over-head swing, but Adekos knew better than that. His opponent was made of quadranium. It would be futile. The Umbaran instead made the universal peace sign with his free hand and thrust them forward towards Jacen's face, intending to poke both of his eyes out with his gauntlet clad-hand. Maybe his skin was all "super" or something, but Adekos' thrust his hand out with enough force to potentially blind his larger foe, if only for a little while.

 

[Jacen Cavill]

Djem-So met Makashi, and white-hot rage burned through him at the parry his opponent used. Blades sparked against each other, sickly green against crimson for but a moment as his opponent side-stepped him. Metal was sundered by the blade of pure energy, and ozone flooded his senses as his momentum brought the blade down through the floor. Pulling it out of the durasteel was an easy task, trying to fall back in the beginning stance for form V. Just as his two handed grip started to rise above his navel, the Force screamed a warning at it’s master.

The axis shifted, and he could only turn his head in time.

Fingers of durasteel rocketed towards his handsome features, directly at his eyeballs. There was no time to react, no time to even curse at the Umbaran. Instead, he slammed his eyelids shut just as the fingers pressed deeply into his skull. Holding his ground, a loud scream escaped his lips as blood began to run down from where the skin was being dug into. Pain led to rage, which in turn released more power into the furnace that was the darkside of the Force. Dark power crept out from his heart, and released itself into his muscles. Every fiber of his being suddenly tensed, and he kept his hilt in his right hand. Cavill’s feet barely turned as he pointed his hips right at his opponent.

Kryptus left hand shot up towards the one that was poking his eyes, and in a blur it had a grip on his wrist. Years of training, a burning hatred, and a specialty that few possessed made the next sequence of events plausible. Metal crumpled, and sparks flew from the armor he had crushed around the small bones of his opponent's forearm. His grip tightening, he stepped into [member="Adekos"] with his right foot as he brought his blade screaming down again at his exposed head. Just as the blow was to meet the his head or that sickly green blade, he switched gears.

Trakata it is..

That blade of crimson disappeared, but the hilt continued it’s downward trajectory right towards the Sith’s belly. Jacen’s emitter pressed against the armor his former friend wore, and he pressed the activation switch in an attempt to impale him.

Snap-Hiss!!

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Jacen Cavill"]

Unsurprisingly, the cheeky poke into Kryptus' eyes had unintended consequences. The human, who was actually much more than a human (perhaps even a super-human, by most accounts), gripped Adekos' offending hand. Cavill proceeded to crush that hand with blinding strength, causing Adekos to give scream that was as loud as his Umbaran lungs could possibly permit. This was a natural response, truly, and it was so utterly outrageous that he didn't even notice Kryptus' move in for a second overhead strike. Not that it mattered, as suddenly Cavill's lightsaber deactivated.

He does Trakata now? Since when did he do Trakata? Nobody he knew did Trakata. Except for this man, apparently.

Heat suddenly seared through his abdomen as the Umbaran was, quite suddenly, impaled. Adekos wheezed in pain. He hadn't endured a lightsaber wound in quite a while. Apparently it was only a matter of time, but now that Cavill's weapon wasn't going anywhere, Adekos would make his last move something to take this brute of a man down with him. Adekos channeled his increased pain and anguish into a sudden burst of Force Fear. Obviously Cavill was far too mentally stunted to be possess any sense of self-preservation or horror. Adekos was not attempting to make his former colleague flee from battle after impaling him. That would have been stupid.

As a matter of fact, it was only intended as a distraction. Something to preoccupy his danger sense for only a few moments- that was all he needed. It was hard to focus on Adekos' lightsaber as it screamed towards his neck from the side when feelings of unimaginable horror suddenly started clawing at him. This was a movement sped along with the Force, again fueled by Adekos' unbridled anger at... Just about everything. This situation. His opponent. The fact that he was going to die. The fact that Ovmar outlived him. The fact that he had never constructed a last will and testament and now all of his things were going to get looted by Ovmar. Or worse, the Silver Jedi.

No, with this in mind, Adekos was going to afford Kryptus next to no opportunity to avoid that fell stroke of his blade.

 

[Jacen Cavill]

"You fool, this is over."

Then his senses were flooded, and he felt an odd feeling he had never felt before. His senses were overloaded by sensations that were foreign to him, he suddenly felt as if he wasn't there anymore. Instead, he was the little boy being shunned from his father. Then he was warped back to Korriban for that first time. White hot fear took over his body, and he could remember the weeks of wandering alone. Every moment in his life that had caused him to feel this emotion flashed across his mind's eye. He wasn't there with Tyrin anymore, hell he didn't even know he was holding a lightsaber. None of his feelings for the Force, and his senses were showing him what was presently happening. Instead, he was just being repeatedly hit with emotions that he didn't allow himself to feel anymore. Everything was clouded, and in that moment his lightsaber deactivated and the emitter point to the side and curiously at an angle close to the Umbaran's left shoulder. Even his grip was growing lax on the arm, to the point that [member="Adekos"] would be able to escape should he want to.

Then it came, the strike out of nowhere.

Heat touched his neck, and his ligthsaber managed to ignite and swipe up through the puny man's shoulder as his entire existence faded. A head should have fallen to the floor, but the body dissapeared. Cavill's clothes and lightsaber fell to the ground, but his physical form and the sword named Daesumnor had dissapeared. Leaving a one armed, holy, Umbaran there with two gauntlets...

Across the galaxy...

He poofed back into existence aboard his ship, except he was nude and wearing the mask of Nihlus.

TO BE CONTINUED!​

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Jacen Cavill"]

Rather than collapse to the ground a headless corpse, or explode in a torrent of Dark Side energy, Kryptus vanished from existence. His attire pooled onto the ground, lightsaber deactivating and falling into the abandoned clothes with an unceremonious thump. Strange, Adekos could have sworn those of a powerful Dark Side persuasion were supposed to explode. Clearly it wasn't for everyone, as there was certainly no way Kryptus had survived such a thing. His head was cleaved straight off. Or at least, it should have been, shouldn't it? Adekos had no way to verify now.

Still, with the exception of the hole in his abdomen, it appeared he had come out unscathed. Adekos thrust his hand upwards in the air triumphantly. He had won. Against all the odds, he had won, and he wasn't even that badly bloodied.

He looked up at his arm, then realized it wasn't there.

His gaze followed down where it should have been and to his shoulder. Adekos then noticed, just as a low groan rose up in his throat, that his shoulder did not connect to his arm. Rather, it was now a stump. A stump that ended in a cauterized wound. Adekos peered down to the ground, noticing his arm laying there, clutching his lightsaber for dear life, the blade still activated. The groan turned into a low, miserable wail as the Umbaran resigned his dignity and fell over, landing on his back.

"Please bring my shuttle around." Adekos requested into his commlink. "And bacta. And, uh, ice."

The darkness closed in around his eyes, and Adekos drifted off into the rougher sort of unconsciousness.