Operation Double-Edged Sword (SJO/CIS Mission)

[Josh Dragovalor]

Scherezade being a nasty sod, no shock. Josh simply stared at her with unamused eyes with lowered lids as she took her hands back and yammered at him. Even when she would levitate them upwards, she just continued to do so. "After all we've been through, here I was hoping you'd treat me with a bit less contempt" He remarked flatly. "And yet you tried to keep me safe. I don't know what the hell to think of you. You are an absolute piece of work."

Josh wasn't in the mood to sugarcoat, so Scherezade's snappy response de-railing his mild attempt to lighten the situation at least a little bit brought him right back down to where he was when he'd been fighting. Either way, the presence he sensed would have snapped him back to reality anyway. As they set down, Josh would nudge her off him - perhaps a bit more roughly than he normally would to drive the point home that he wasn't someone to push around and treat with contempt no matter what they'd been through - so he could reach for his lightsaber. "Hands on sabers. Now" Josh commanded toward Scherezade without looking at her as he would close his eyes. It was his only warning that he had likely found their aggressor. The room they had found themselves in was dark. Pitch black, even. They couldn't see a damn thing in here.

"Drop the illusion. It might be stronger than her charm this time, but I know you're casting it. Drop it before I set your castle ablaze so the lady and I can see" Josh called out, no pep or cheese in his voice.

A voice rang through the room. Booming.

"As you wish."

The illusion would be dropped, and suddenly Scherezade would be able to see the room in full light. It was a large, dreary looking room, with no ceiling. It's only real furniture was a throne at the end. Well, seems they were full of themselves, yeah? They were at the very top of the castle now. "I don't suppose you can make that charm of yours any stronger in time?" Josh would turn to ask Scherezade. "They're stronger than I had originally thought. Far more. And being far closer in proximity, clearly their illusions are stronger. I'm able to see them now, though the heat in the room gave it away."

But in front of them came a figure cloaked in black, who would in that moment unleash a Force Repulse that would send the both of them flying back. If one could not sense their power before, it was clear now. They could feel every inch of it now.

The figure suddenly disappeared then, and the voice boomed again.

"I've seen the girl's memories... I know everything of the both of you. By now, I would hope you know that this is fruitless" The Sith would boom throughout the room. "But I've had a bit of a change of heart. The girl is emotionally weak. Easy to manipulate even too much so for me... So she's worthless to me" The Sith would reveal. "I can't make anything more of her than a mindless thrall, and there's no point to that when there are people like you to burn them to ash... Boy."

"Can we just fight already?" The Jedi would inquire, eyelids narrowed again. "No, seriously. I've heard the Sith 101 too many times now. Please spare me, oh great one! Spare me of your speech!"

"Oh, no, you should listen to this! The fact is... While she is useless to me... You are not. So join me. Fight by my side... And see what we can-"

"I'm seriously going to throw up if I hear this garbage again."

"I figured you might say that. So... What if I told you that while you two were recuperating... Well... Heh... You already know that I can move long distances very quickly, and in the blink of an eye. What if I told you that I took a little road trip? Say, to Kashyyyk... And took a little souvenir?

Try and sense out. I know you'll know who it is."

Josh's expression stopped cold right then and there. On the throne sat Jason, able to be sensed and looking completely petrified. The child was tied and gagged, and his wide eyes caused Josh to take a few steps but the voice stopped him.

"Now now... Do what I say, and the boy will not be harmed."

"This is another illusion."

"And what if it isn't? Are you really going to take the risk? Risk losing your baby boy?"

And that ignited Josh's lightsaber right away. Josh's expression had darkened in that moment. His eyes were piercing, stern... With a terrifying flare to them that spoke of a man that only had murder on his mind.

"... Screw orders. I'm killing you."

"Now, now... I only have one request. The girl. Kill her. Kill the girl... And join me. And I promise I'll let him go."

Josh stopped to consider this for a few moments... And then a few months became a long, awkward pause. But finally, he seemed to make up his mind as he turned toward Scherezade. His grip on his blade tightened and his fierce expression was laid in intimidating eyes that stared into hers with unbridled fury.

What would he do?

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

“After all we’d been through, I’d expect you to understand by now that I am not comfortable with all this touching, even if it’s just casual crap!” Scherezade retorted, nostrils flaring. How could he not understand that after all that time?! She shrunk back when she was touched, she felt uncomfortable with it, it made her want to scream. It was the main thing she treated him with contempt about by now. Most of the other stuff… She wasn’t exactly the nicest person around these days, but he knew that from the very beginning. She was not about to change herself just because she wasn’t someone’s fantasy version.

There was no time to fight about it now though. One hand was already on a lightsaber, but the other one was on a knife right now. She’d be eternally grateful for the sabers Josh had given her, but she was still not advanced enough with them to not prefer her knives yet. And then everything went dark.

Scherezade closed her eyes, casting her Night Sight spell, “Give me a sound and give me the night, let me see it all tonight.” The soft ding was heard to her ears alone and she opened her eyes now, looking around. She could see their surroundings in soft shades of pinks and purples, but there was still nothing really to see.

And then Josh convinced the Big Evil to drop his illusions and the room came alight, and it looked different than it had a moment ago. Her eyes fell on the throne and she squinted with anger. She was going to set that damned thing on fire if it was the last thing she did. Josh claimed that they were still there, but she couldn’t see them. A stronger charm? She sighed as she shook her head, “not on such a short notice,” she admitted. She wasn’t that well trained with Witchcraft. But for the first time since that horrible night, she wished she was.

But now the Big Evil was there, and Scherezade’s grip on her hilts tightened as she swallowed hard.

Big Evil was… Calling her worthless? Weak? Scherezade let an actual laughter out. Was he trying to get a rise out of her? Calling her the very same things she repeatedly called herself was hardly the way to go about it. All he did was confirm what she thought of herself, not make her cry.

But when Big Evil threatened Josh’s kid… That was when he’d crossed a line. He could try to make her feel like chit all he wanted, he could try talking to Josh however he wanted to, but he forgot that both Josh and his son were under her protection. He was not going to touch any of them. She wasn’t even really listening to his manipulation attempts as she started fantasized about the various ways in which she would gut him.

Except that last line.

Scherezade didn’t approve of that look on Josh’s face. “You’re really gonna take his manipulations in like that?” she almost spat at him, “don’t be another stupid Jedi. Second you kill me, he’s still going to harm Jason. The only way you can keep Jason safe is by killing this mister Big Evil butthole.”

Hopefully, Josh would see reason. If the two fought he’d win, but she’d put up a huge challenge and not go down quietly. And then he’d be too tired to take care of Big Evil and his son would still be in danger.

“So if you want to kill me, Josh DragonsFlame, you go ahead and do it,” she finally said, chin up. Her right hand was wrapped around the hilt of the lightsaber he had made her, and it only took a moment before it turned into the Sword of Darkness, “but I’m still going to kill him, because if ever a reason was needed, it’s the one where he’s krakking threatening Jason!”

Without waiting for Josh’s answer, Scherezade charged at Big Evil. She was going to keep one of his inner organs in a jar for a souvenir after this was done. If she was still alive by then, anyway.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh didn't listen to a word that Scherezade was saying, just continued to stare a hole through her, brandishing both his lightsabers. He would pull her back when she charged forward though, and continued to stare at her.

"No."

He let the pause sink in before he would spin both blades in his hands, advancing on her as though he were about to strike her...

And then he disappeared.

And within moments, he had activated Force Speed and had charged for the throne. The Jedi Master would slash the front of the throne, and a blood curdling scream would sound as the illusions would fade away. The Jason that was on the throne would disappear, as would the Sith Lord that Scherezade had almost charged. Instead, the Sith Lord was now in front of the throne, and hunched over with their robes almost completely destroyed. The Sith Lord had a bald head, though they managed to obscure the top half of their body and their face for the time being. But blood began to trickle down from open wounds, as the Jedi Master had opened two in their front with the two blades.

Josh was clearly far from happy as he would plunge the sabers into their chest once more, growling out words that rang out throughout the room.

"Never... NEVER... TALK ABOUT MY SON, EVER AGAIN!"

The sabers would be pulled out and thrown into the air as Josh would back up, his eyes glowing crimson as fireballs would begin to charge from his hands, and then begin to appear all around him. As the Sith Lord would put up a large barrier around themselves, Josh didn't seem to care as he would send fireball after fireball after them. For every fireball that hit the barrier or the Sith Lord, two more materialized to take their place. Josh continued to unleash absolute hell on this Sith Lord until they were cloaked in a smokescreen that none could see through. Stopping to catch his breath after about a full minute, Josh would back away as the smoke would disappear. The barrier had shattered and the Sith Lord had clearly taken a fair bit of damage, but the barriers had stopped them from killing them entirely.

"Course" Josh would remark as he would catch his lightsabers as they fell back toward him. The Sith Lord would let out a series of heaved, strained breaths as they would then unleash a Force Repulse, the scream filling the room and the blast from the attack sending Josh flying back, managing to land on his feet nearby Scherezade.

"I don't understand!" The Sith Lord would crow as they would materialize what seemed to be a lightsaber. "No one, no matter how powerful, should be able to see past illusions of that caliber. I have spent a lifetime mastering these arts! Yet it's as though you can't even... I know you aren't being protected, I saw you be effected by illusions before! And the girl was able to put you to sleep!"

The Jedi would grin wide as he would pull back his robes a bit, as an amulet would drop down and become visible.

The Amulet Of Talra.

"I call this the Amulet Of Talra" Josh would remark. "It protects the wielder from ALL forms of mental manipulation... Sure, I can sense them coming, feel them coming, but their effects do nothing to me... And I do mean all of them, by the way... Which includes illusions..."

Josh looked toward Scherezade and shrugged. "Sleep inducers..."

Josh looked toward the Sith Lord and shrugged again. "Battle Meditation... Which is unfortunate, but if you gotta block out EVERYTHING, that includes the good and the bad. Kind of a shame, because our shaman friend has been working so hard to support us both, but... I think I can still kill you anyway. But what this means is... I knew that if you thought I would be vulnerable to your illusions... Then you would let your guard down. So while I could sense you using illusions and made my own interpretations... Truthfully I could never see a thing. When Scherezade tried to put me to sleep, I played along and left instructions for my droids to do the same. I knew that you'd think me vulnerable... And that you'd slip up.

So, to sum it all up..." Josh trailed off as his grin only widened.

"... You've been played."

Josh didn't mind disclosing this strategy now. They would have already guessed he was now unable to be fooled by the illusions and wouldn't use them again regardless. But if he could set them off, get them to make another mistake, then now that they were weakened and bleeding out...

They might just have a chance.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

No? Scherezade spun around, sword raised to defend herself from an attack that would surely be coming in almost immediately, her mind already thinking of ways to block Josh without trying to actually kill him, and a moment before she was sure that she was going to be the one who died, Josh shattered all the illusions, began to stab the Sith Lord, to bring his barrier down.

Scherezade just… Stared. There was nothing else for her to do. The Sith Lord and Josh’s words went in through one ear and out from the next, the amount of plotting involved as well as a secret amulet serving enough to just anger her again. Josh had been playing along this entire time. He played not only the Sith Lord, but Scherezade as well.

“For Force’s sake!” she finally screamed as she closed the distance between her and the other two, “can you two stop doing your whole monologuing crap?!”

And without much pomp, she ran her sword through the Sith Lord’s chest.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Sorry!" Josh called out to Scherezade when she cried out, referring to both the monologing and the fact he had played along with her little sleep spell as well. It was a necessary thing, not that she'd have thought he was anything more than an illusion before this anyway. "I mean, I kind of had to! It was the best way to break you out of their illusions, and leave them open. Right, Sithy 'Ol Pal?"

The attempts to rile them up seemed to succeed long enough for Scherezade to get the stab in, but she wasn't able to push in all that long before the Sith Lord would bat her back as their lightsaber began to grow in size, before the blade ignited. It was in the shape of a very large purple scythe, with the properties of a lightsaber. "Oh, kriff" Josh, who had been charging forward after Scherezade, would remark as he would quickly grab Scherezade with the center of his arm and leap back just as they swung in a very fast and wide blow that likely would have cleaved them in two if they hadn't been careful. "I am aware you don't like touching, but you'll have to excuse me if I prioritize our survival a little bit" Josh would speak calmly as he would draw his blades again and charge forward once more, trying to find an opening... But with such a wide range with that scythe, getting in close wasn't going to be easy.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade groaned as she was pulled away from the Sith Lord, not saying anything when Josh commented on the touching thing again. Did he really not get it? There were times in which it was okay, like this one. His pulling her away was what probably saved her from becoming Scherezade A and Scherezade B and both of them being very dead.

But now there was a scythe to deal with, which meant they needed a longer range.

Scherezade grinned.

The knives slid from her clothes. Her knives did not care about range, because they weren’t in her hands when she used them most of the time. Her knives were controlled through telekinesis and she launched all twelve of them at the Sith Lord, sending them from various directions. The scythe was big, but it was only one weapon. Her knives attacked him with flurry.

He was not walking out alive today.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Sith, while weakened by the blows, seemed ready for them this time. When Scherezade would attack with her flurry of knives, they would begin to spin the scythe in their hands as they would deflect the knives in turn. Their reflexes were swift and honed, Josh noted. This was not going to be an easy fight, for sure. Though he felt as though their true power was still yet to be seen. Which was something as those illusions had been powerful already... Either way, Josh would charge forward again, augmenting his prowess with Force Speed as he would go for another slash toward the side as he tried to catch them off-guard once they had finished parrying the knives. Josh would move past the scythe when it was winding down it's spin and go for a slash, but the Sith Lord would suddenly hold out a hand and fire sparks of Force Lightning. Josh would get his blade up just in time to block it, though would be forced to break Force Speed to hold it.

The Force Lightning would push Josh back as he continued to block it, until he would hold out his other hand and launch Electric Judgement, the Jedi equivalent to the maneuver. The attacks collided and pulsed as each fought for control...

Josh then looked toward Scherezade, making a motion with his head to attack while they were open. He had realized just now that with it's power and it's versatility... He was going to need to work with Scherezade to make this work. They needed to use the numbers game to their advantage.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Where Josh was thinking, Scherezade was not. The appearance of a predator was all too easy on her face, and it was not conscious thoughts that she needed now, but rather her instincts, honed and ready take life where she found it. One could argue that perhaps this Sith Lord was not exactly alive, but it was moot; she was entirely focused on killing him, and despite her usual matte and run down appearance, the black beneath her eyes, the appearance of needing a good shower, never before had she seem so focused, so alive.

She grinned when Josh motioned for her, dancing her way quickly between the lightning that was being shot from both sides of the spectrum. While her knives continued to dance around, her lightsabers were turned off, clipped at the belt. She slid on her knees forward, hands stretched out to the Sith Lord.

Had she told Josh about her blood abilities? She was not sure. This thread has been going on for so long and the writer was too lazy to go back and check. But since the Sith Lord was so busy pew pew'ing his lightning, his mind was not on the Sithling that he had dubbed as weak. Her fingers out stretched, she called to the blood that rushed within his veins, calling it, pulling it out. The front of the Sith Lord's skin began to redden as blood pooled, moving bit by bit from inside his veins to just below the skin, and Scherezade knew that unless he did something against it, the blood would spray out through his skin pores very very soon.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It began to make it's work, her blood abilities, at least for a moment. But Scherezade, and then even Josh, would be temporarily stunned by a large Force Stun that would keep one from moving for long periods of time. Scherezade would recognize it - it was the same type of thing that Jyoti had used back at the zoo. Being able to break out quickly due to his own experience in trying to learn the maneuver's full capacities by watching Jyoti, Josh would draw both blades and manage to block just before the Sith Lord could bring it's scythe down on Scherezade. When they swung the scythe, Josh would duck down and quickly turn on the White Current as he vanished. Leaping into the air, he would bring his blades down as he turned off the Current to save energy. It was blocked again, as the Sith would get their scythe up last second, and Josh would disappear again. Josh would move about again, re-appear and strike again - blocked. Josh repeated it once more, but this time he re-appeared under them, with a fireball being charged and waiting...

The fireball would hit them in the chest and what was left of the Sith Lord's robes began to burn as they flew into the air. Focusing his energy, Josh would snap his fingers and the Sith Lord would be struck in mid-air by a sudden burst of pyrokinetic energy, engulfing them in flames as they went sailing toward the ground. It was clear that the Jedi Master was no longer holding back, having fully registered the danger of the threat in front of them. Holding out his hand, Josh would attempt to finish it, knowing he had to go for the kill as he would launch a large stream of flames from his palm akin to a flamethrower. The flames engulfed his target a few moments, but the Sith Lord would use Force Barrier after those few moments were up to shield themselves. As they hit the ground, Josh would begin charging a new fireball as they would toss off their robes. While half their face was charred from the flames... Josh now was able to get a look at their face.

"A woman. Interesting."

Josh didn't give them a chance to retort before he fired. But the fireball would phase through their body, and they would suddenly warp forward, catching Josh off guard with a blast of energy that sent the Jedi Master flying at full velocity and crashing hard into the wall.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Panic was ready to take Scherezade over. She couldn't move. She couldn't work her Force abilities. She did not recognize that it was what Jyoti had done at the zoo; she felt as though she had been imprisoned, still aware, but unable to do anything else. The scythe was coming down at her but there was absolutely nothing she could do against it but stare, open eyed, without the option to even blink in terrified confusion.

She didn't know if Josh had been paralyzed as well, but she could see that he was the sole reason that scythe had not touched her. Scherezade wanted to move, wanted to help her friend as he fought the Sith Lord, but she could do nothing. Their power was strong enough to keep her in her current state while they fought Josh.

It was only when Josh began to burn the Sith Lord that their grip on Scherezade was released. She screamed, wanting to rush forward and rip her heart out, but the fire that was coming from Josh kept her from being able to do so.

Scherezade held back, staring with rage, until the Sith Lord slammed Josh back. Now was her chance.

Before the Sith Lord landed, Scherezade was already on her, knives and lightsabers and all. She moved swiftly, sending kicks and stabs to all the vulnerable places; kneecaps, feet, face-FACE! Half the Sith Lord's face was burned, thanks to Josh.

Scherezade dropped everything and just. Touched the Sith Lord's face, right on the fresh and bubbly burn. Burn marks hurt like a biatch.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Sith Lord was hit hard by Scherezade's taking advantage of the opening, but Scherezade would find herself lifted off her feet with her throat being constricted. The Sith Lord's grip was too powerful to break, and the constriction would grow rapidly tighter by the second as they seemed very intent on snapping her neck quickly. But before they could do so, a scream radiated throughout the room. The rubble that had fallen onto Josh when he hit the wall would shatter as Force Repulse would radiate through the room and send the Sith Lord flying at breakneck speeds, breaking her grip on Scherezade as she would hit the wall. Scherezade would be forced to find something to keep herself planted, or she too would go flying. The Sith Lord would hit the wall and then hit it again and again and again everytime they tried to break free. Finally, Josh would release but the Jedi Master was clearly not finished.

"Hah... Hah... We're not going to survive at this rate..." Josh would whisper between breaths. This Sith Lord was powerful. More powerful than the both of them, he knew. But together, they had done some damage and weakened them, their face was burnt, and their arm was still wounded. Not to mention they were still bleeding profusely from the original wound earlier. He needed to push harder... He needed to push with everything. No holding back, no care for sparing the opponent... If he and Scherezade were to survive here, he needed to use everything.

"Fine..."

Taking advantage of the opening that had been brought about from the Sith Lord being distracted by Scherezade leading into the Force Repulse swatting them back, Josh would release his grip on both of his lightsabers, telekinesis causing them both to float beside him as he would begin to float upwards with Force Flight. Taking a deep breath, he would begin to channel all that he had as he would suddenly use Force Speed to send himself rocketing forward toward the Sith Lord, who would be forced to get their scythe up in time before one blade would slice them in two. The blades would continue to spin around and hit the scythe over and over, over, and over, over and over again until their grip was broken and the Sith Lord was forced to back off. Josh would grit his teeth and motion his hand forward as the blades would throttle forward to impale the Sith Lord and finish it off.

The Sith Lord though, would hold out a hand, and many, many swords would begin to materialize in the air around them. Josh's eyes widened, as the swords would begin to rocket forward, knocking his lightsabers away.

"You're kidding..."

Josh would be forced to let go of his grip on the sabers to protect a Force Barrier, as the Sith would rapid fire summon and launch swords one after another at the Jedi, battering the barrier over and over again until it shattered and Josh would have to release Force Flight and fall in order to dodge. Hitting the ground hard, Josh let out a loud grunt but did not have time to seethe over the pain as he would be forced to begin to roll and roll and roll as swords would be sent flying his way. The swords would barely miss, exploding as each hit the ground as Josh kept rolling until he would manage to get to his feet and dive away to safety.

The Sith Lord would begin ramping up their power, as they would summon more and more swords and began to send them flying in excess in every direction, with swords flying all around the room and exploding on contact with a surface... With many heading the way of Scherezade as well.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She wanted to scream when she felt the pressure on her throat, but her airways were blocked, and nothing but gurgles came out as she was lifted into the air, legs kicking wildly. She loathed this too. The list of things Scherezade was learning that she hated was growing by the seconds in this fight. Josh was never going to hear the end of it if they got out of here in sorta one piece.

Once the Sith Lord's concentration was broken, Scherezade dropped to the ground, grasping for air. She couldn't speak yet to agree with Josh. Things weren't looking great and they weren't going to survive at that rate. They were going to have to come up with something new after all their precious attempts had failed so miserably.

"Hey I already did that," she commented a few quick breaths later a Josh began to approach with lightsabers in the air. That was her fighting style. She'd tried it several times during this fight, and it had never helped for more than the briefest of moments.

Still, she had every intention of joining him. Maybe more swords, maybe both of them doing the same thing at the same time, that could help. But there was no time. Suddenly swords materialized out of thin air. And to make it worse – they were coming after her.

Scherezade turned around and did the only thing she could.

She ran.

The swords kept chasing her, exploding around her. She screamed when one exploded too close for comfort, and she could feel the heat rising in her back and down towards her legs. There was no time to pause and check damage. If she paused, the next exploding sword would kill her.

Quickly enough, the Sithling reached the spot where she and Josh had risen from in the air. There wasn't anywhere else left to go. Going back was impossible, stopping was impossible, and forward was downward.

Scherezade jumped.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

As the swords would finally stop firing, Josh would roll forward and call his lightsabers to him. As they would reach his hands, he would see the scythe materialize again as the Sith Lord would send it flying and spinning toward him. Josh would quickly leap and flip through the air, activating Force Flight just in time for him to float over the scythe, his sabers clashing with it and letting out crackles as they skidded along it. Using the momentum to send himself into the air, Josh would release Force Flight and send himself flying toward the Sith. More swords would be projected and sent flying his way, but Josh would put more power into his swings as he would bat each away with his lightsabers. Activating Force Flight again when he reached his quarry, Josh would swing for the fences, but the Sith Lord would phase through it. Recognizing the power, Josh would immediately spin from the missed strike and swing again. This time the swing hit it's mark, as his lightsaber cut through the Sith Lord's shoulder. Roaring in pain, the Sith Lord would let out a Force Repulse that sent Josh (and probably Scherezade) flying back...

As he went flying, reeling from the pain of hitting the wall at the speed that Force Repulse would send one, he would hold out a hand meekly as he began to slide down the wall. The Sith Lord would hold out their hands as they would unleash Force Lightning, arcing in two directions. One toward Josh, and one toward Scherezade.

The lightning would persist for what felt like hours, and both Josh and Scherezade would be forced to block and hold off the lightning arcs until finally, suddenly...

They would stop. The Sith Lord's eyes would widen as she stared down at her hands.

Her hands were frozen solid.

Josh would light up his own hands a moment to heat them up proper and get feeling back in them again, after using Cyrokinesis to freeze up his quarry's hands and stop the barrage of Sith Lightning.

The Sith Lord would let out a growl and bring back their scythe. Knowing they would have a weaker grip strength, Josh decided to continue to pummel on them to weaken their grip further. Letting his blades fly to the sides, Josh would hold out his hands and begin to summon fireball after fireball, launching them two at a time and pelting the Sith Lord with them, forcing them to block with their scythe. Josh was unrelenting in his barrage of fireballs, but he also knew that the heat would warm back up their hands sooner... But it wouldn't matter if he could execute this plan. After exhausting his barrage, and finally getting in a hit that sent the Sith Lord sailing down to the ground, Josh would catch his lightsabers and charge forward. As the Sith Lord would get their scythe up to block, Josh would suddenly disappear. He re-appeared at their side and brought his blade on them with a horizontal slice that was barely blocked. As soon as it was blocked, Josh would disappear again, re-appearing on another side and swinging vertically. Blocked again. Josh disappeared once more with the White Current, and re-appeared at their back. This time, the vertical slice would connect and slice down their back, causing the Sith Lord to cry out again.

Disappearing when the Sith Lord would swing the scythe at him, Josh would re-appear in front of them this time, slamming his hand into their forehead. He could feel the burns that Scherezade had inflicted earlier but wouldn't waste time as he focused...

The Sith Lord screamed and held their head after what Josh had just done. He had blanked out their memory completely. Considering he only had a second and didn't have any time to wipe them fully, all he was capable of doing in just a moment was blanking their memory for a few seconds. While this didn't cause any permanent damage, it left them open...

With that, he let out a heartfelt, roaring cry toward his partner.

"SCHEREZADE, NOW!"

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

The swords ceased to be tossed and blown up before Scherezade completed her fall. She stopped mid-air, wincing in pain from the injuries suffered in her back. She was going toned hours in the bacta tank once it was all over. As Josh and the Sith Lord's fight resumed, she began to pull herself up. It took more energy than she wanted to admit, and it felt like a lifetime before she was finally upstairs again, just barely setting her foot on solid ground. Just in time for the Force Lightning to come at her.

Scherezade screamed as she raised her lightsabers, using them to absorb it. She was close to the edge of the hole in the ground, so close, and it seemed the strength of the Force Lightning that she was trying to keep from hitting her just kept pushing her back, millimeter by millimeter. When it finally stopped, she didn't know why. All she knew was that it was her chance to close the distance again. Her entire body hurt, screamed with the pain, but she had to push through, if only not to leave Josh to handle the Sith Lord on his own.

She got there just in time to see Josh so close to the Sith Lord, her heart leaped with worry. They had to get out of there alive. They had to make it out. Even if it potentially meant leaving the locals to deal with her, even if-

Josh screamed.

Scherezde wasted no time and lurched forward, the Sword of Darkness forming in her hands, the tip aimed directly at the Sith Lord's heart.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Scherezade's sword impaled them straight through, breaking the memory lock. The Sith Lord let out a bloodcurdling scream as they would hold the wound, which now was beginning to pool with blood. Josh saw the opportunity, and would let his lightsabers float to the sides as he would hold out both hands. Letting out a cry, he would use both hands to charge a fireball that began to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and bigger...

"MOVE!"

Josh issued that command to Scherezade and once she had moved out of the way, Josh would continue to focus his energy, focus everything he had into this... The fireball had long already become bigger than he was, and now was bigger than the three of them combined. Before long, the titanic fireball was the size of half the room itself. And that was when he fired. The fireball would engulf the Sith Lord, who let out a scream as they began to be slowly incinerated by the fireball. Josh would catch his lightsabers and dive into the fireball, knowing that he had to ensure it was done. It was risky, very risky. And it'd probably scare the hell out of Scherezade. Josh would use Force Barrier to negate the damage for as long as he could, as he dove into the fireball... Letting out a resounding cry, he would slash both sabers horizontally, slicing them from the neck. Kicking off their chest, Josh would fly out of the fireball as he watched their body be incinerated, and with that... The fireball would explode.

Josh would be sent flying back at high velocity, crashing hard into the wall and sliding down to the ground as he let out a groan. He had used up most of his energy in that final shot, and had taken his share of damage from the fire. He was covered in scorch marks and blood, and he was seeming to have a hard time breathing after inhaling too much of the smoke. Josh struggled to get to his feet as he would notice that the wall behind them was cracked.

And that was when the floor and walls broke down around them, the walls being stripped that let them see the bottom of the castle... Revealing a machine. Josh's eyes widened, as he noticed that the machine itself was damaged.

"I know what this is... This thing is meant to be a generator... But if enough force and energy is brought in... It could create a massive black hole... Like that one. Something tells me she had that in mind..."

He managed to breathe that out, between wheezing. But he knew what was coming. Within seconds, the machine would explode from the damage that had likely incurred during the battle. A black vortex in circular form began to form instantly, growing larger and larger. Josh would take off at a run, despite all the pain that wracked him as he would tackle Scherezade down. The walls began to be destroyed and sucked into the black hole below. It was there that Josh had a realization.

"With how big that thing is..." Josh would whisper against her. "That's going to take out the entire planet. It looks like she planned to level this planet entirely once she had her army!"

They needed to find a way to get out of there. There was nothing they could do now, they had to get as far away from this black hole as they could, and get on the Final Dragon before this planet was destroyed with them on it. Just as Josh would try and get to his feet, the floor would collapse below them. With nothing below them now except the black hole, Josh's instincts kicked in to grab onto the closest ledge. For Scherezade though [Permission given], she would realize that a large piece of rubble tied to one of the chains holding up the walls, was now tied to her leg with due to the chains having been wrapped around it. As she would fall though, Josh would grab her hand and manage to inch himself up.

"Hold on! I've got you!"

The black hole was getting stronger and stronger, threatening to pull them both into it. But Josh refused to give up on Scherezade now. But the chains were too tight to get them off without using both hands and some dedicated focus, or to cut off without amputating the leg. And that meant the large, very large piece of rubble was still tied to her, weighing her down, pulling her down... And that was too much weight for even Josh to very easily pull her up with. He was horribly struggling to keep her there, much less pull her up. But he needed to try... If he could just get her other hand...

"Just hang on! I won't leave you, I swear!"

No, getting her other hand wouldn't be enough. He had to figure out something...

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade moved.

Her eyes were glued to the fireball, sweat running down the sides of her face and down her back in response to the fight, the stress, the pain of everything. She was not scared, but that was a mere side effect of the adrenaline. Once she would calm down just a touch, the fear was more than likely to flow through her and burst like a stream.

When Josh was tossed back, she ran to him. The Sith Lord was dead enough, now was the time to get the hell out there before-

"Krak," she cursed as he explained what that generator thing was. She would never had guessed it by the look of the thing, but these kind of machineries were hardly her forte. "Come on, come on, come on, come on…" she mumbled, trying to pull Josh up to his feet. If it didn't work, she was going to carry him the hell out of this place.

But before either of them could move or do something, the stupid thing just had to explode. Running began. Running for their lives. This, unlike the Sith Lord, would not change its mind mid-action. There was nothing to do but run and hope for the best.

The floor beneath them gave way and Scherezade screamed as nothing but air came below her feet. I was only at the last second that Josh grabbed her, keeping her from falling down to her death. She knew there was not enough energy in her left to float herself back up. The black hole was pulling on them, trying to suck them in.

Her hand was beginning to slip. There was a chain tied to her leg. She hadn't even noticed it happening.

Scherezade looked up, looking at her… At her friend, struggling. They weren't both getting out of it. Not like this.

"Josh…" Scherezade whispered, but she knew that he could hear every word, "you have to let go."

Let go. Yes. Let her drop. Her life was over anyway, it had been over before they two had even met. He had a son to go to, he had a reason to save himself. She… Did not. All she was, was just a waste of space to most people. No one but Josh would miss her after she fell down and got swallowed up by the whole. Josh… Josh had a son, and friends, and people that respected him, and they would all mourn him.

It was a fair trade.

"Let go…"

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Drop her. She had told him to drop her. Drop her into that. That black hole thing. The Jedi would lower his head down toward her and shoot her a hard glare.

"No" He growled. "Hell no."

The Jedi would pull harder and harder, trying with all of his might to pull her up. But it was no use. The weight she had on her was too heavy, and if he tried to pull her up with the Force, odds were that when he let her go, he might not be able to pull her up before the pull of the rapidly growing black hole would pull her in and consume her. He had to keep a hold on her... And he would have to do this with brute strength alone. But at this rate, the black hole would get bigger and bigger, and pull them both in. He had to do something...

Was he thinking? Maybe. Maybe not. But what happened next was that the Jedi would find a large pillar nearby and wrap one arm around it, hugging his body to it as he would then use it as leverage to pull. But with the black hole and the chain pulling Scherezade down, the level of strain that was beginning to be exerted on Josh's arm and shoulder that was against the pillar was overwhelming... But he kept pulling. He began to growl and seethe in pain as his arm felt like it was being pulled out of the socket, but he could also feel Scherezade slowly beginning to move. She was beginning to be pulled up, as he would keep ahold of both of her hands using one hand best he could, while he kept the other arm wrapped around the pillar even as it caused pain beyond what he could describe.

And then he screamed. He let out a bloodcurdling, sickening scream. Was it a war cry? Was it pain? Was it both? Likely both. He knew he'd dislocated it. He could feel the shoulder pop. He found himself breathing hard, seething, growling, snarling, he could feel the blood welling up in his mouth from the pain as the extremity of it would bring blood up to the surface. He bit his tongue hard enough to where he wasn't able to speak very well anymore, and more blood fell from his mouth as a result.

But he kept pulling. His shoulder was dislocated, he was fighting through unbearable, torturous pain, but he refused to let Scherezade go. His grip only seemed to tighten, as the dislocated shoulder caused him even more pain the more that he pulled and strained on it.

But finally, with one last gasp he managed to pull her up. Dragging her as far from the edge as possible, he would release his arm from the pillar, holding it in pain. He'd used up all of his strength, and the pain was unbearable to the point that he knew he wasn't going to be able to make his way back...

"You... Ah... Ah... Agh... You have...." He managed to breathe out toward her. "You have to go... I'll only slow you down... I can't move much in this... In this state... Go..."

He knew he'd die here if he stayed. But... It was okay. He'd lived his life, had his time to find himself... Scherezade still needed to find herself. She still had more to find.

And deep down, he knew she'd use the time he'd bought to do some good. One day. Even if she didn't believe herself capable.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She had given up. Scherezade had given up and stopped holding on to Josh, ready to fall into that hole and be gone. It didn't matter. No one would wait for her, no one would mourn her. Josh would be able to save himself and make it home to Jason, who deserved to grow up having his father around. Jason, who'd get to see his daddy as often as his daddy could make it happen. Little broken girl dies, not really an old man lives. How it should be.

Her eyes snapped open as she heard Josh's scream, and suddenly she was not on her way to the black hole anymore, but instead she was hoisted up, tumbling on the floor. She blinked in surprise, trying to make sense of it. Trying to make sense of his words. What?! No! That wasn't how it was supposed to go! That wasn't-

Krak. She saw his shoulder. There was…

Scherezade shook her head. She hadn't wanted to do this. Not since their conversation on Naboo, not since she knew what the bottle had in it, not since… Not since she'd begun to be paranoid about almost anything Witch related. But she knew that she still had a bottle of Blackroot Potion. And she knew whatever the costs, if any witch ever came for Josh, since she wasn't dead now, she would protect him. If there would be a price to pay, she would pay it. But he would live. And he would go and hug Jason.

"You stupid idiot," she panted as she sank down next to him, removing the small bottle from her pocket, undoing the cork with her mouth, "Drink this. Don't question me."

The flask would disappear once it was emptied. And then.. And then Josh's shoulder would start snapping into place. His body would heal faster than what it would have even with Jedi healing. And he would have more energy. Enough energy to get back to Jason.

"We move," she nodded, helping him up, not waiting. The healing would snap into place quickly enough. There was no time to waste. She would push him if it came to that. Shove him forward, and stay behind. She was not afraid to die. But she'd be damned if anything happened to Josh.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

As the drink poured into him, Josh thought of how easy it could have been for her, as a Sith, to just turn on him then and there. She could have killed him so easily, he had stupidly made himself vulnerable in front of a Sith, and it could have cost him his life. Hell, she could have just left him here, it would have been that easy. But she didn't. Despite everything, she didn't. Instead, she refused to let him die here. For the second time now, on this mission. The potion tasted rancid, but he couldn't deny the effects as he felt his shoulder, albeit painfully, began to pop back into place. Odds are even with the rapid regeneration he would need to be in a sling for a few weeks, but with this - so long as it had no side effects - and a good amount of time doing bacta treatments, there wouldn't be any permanent damage.

With her aid, he was able to get up, and he nodded his head toward her. But they were very much high up, and the black hole was just below them...

But they didn't have to wonder for long how they'd get out of there.

The Final Dragon would come into view, flying just over their heads as the ramp would come down and give them enough reach to climb on. Knowing he'd have to rely on one arm, at the least the energy the potion had given him would allow him to make his way aboard on his own. Once they were aboard, the doors would close behind them and Josh would collapse against the wall once he'd expended the last of that energy, his second wind thanks to the potion, to get aboard. HK would approach them then.

"Master, it brings me joy to see you still functioning" HK would exclaim as the droid approached. "But I do have a query. What is our next move, Master?"

Josh would hold onto the wall to hoist himself up, looking out the window... He wanted to save that village, but the black hole was getting too large...

And then it happened.

The black hole would suddenly expand tremendously and the pressure it gave was very close to pulling the Dragon in.

They had no choice.

The Jedi Master gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, before he let out a scream loud enough to be heard in the cockpit.

"HYPERSPACE, NOW!"

R4 would let out a few beeps in affirmative then, as the ship would begin to rocket forward, sending Josh crashing forwards before HK managed to stop his momentum. Helping the Jedi back to his feet, HK would lend a shoulder to help fasten him into a seat. Scherezade would need to get herself strapped in, unfortunately, or find something to hold onto. The ship would zoom into the atmosphere full speed, and the last thing they saw before they jumped to lightspeed was the sight of the planet they had just been on exploding into a million pieces... Before it was promptly engulfed.

And then there was nothing but hyperspace.

There was a long pause, and Josh closed his eyes. It hit him then and there what had just happened. All the lives that had been lost... All the people he had tried to save...

"Damn..." He would whisper. "DAMNIT!" He growled as he slammed his fist into the chair, seething and shaking as the realization hit him like a truck. They had failed. They had killed the Sith, but for what? They hadn't saved anybody.

"Master, we had best get you and Miss DeWinter to the medical bay. My sensors indicate you two are in serious need of medical assistance."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

He was getting up. That was good. He was going to get out of this place, even if she didn't know how yet. Maybe a well-placed kick into his ass? "We have to move," she reminded him. Whatever he was thinking, now was not the time to pause to do it. They had to run back all the way to his ship, before this black hole-

Well then. That was convenient. Sighing, Scherezade made sure Josh got on the ship first. If something happened, if anything exploded, she fully planned on shoving him in and remaining behind to deal with it. But nothing of the kind happened, at least, not before they were both aboard.

And then the explosion happened, and suddenly they were in hyperspace. She hadn't strapped himself in. The moment she was aboard Scherezade had fallen to the floor, and she bounced all over the damned place before the ship's insides settled down, her dropping to the ground again. This time… This time she just lay there. She didn't care what her new injuries were. She didn't give a damn.

Josh was cursing. Scherezade almost asked him what the heck he was so angry about since the mission- Ah. Their missions were different.

Scherezade had simply wanted to make sure Josh was safe. Josh had wanted to save the village, the planet, maybe other stuff as well. It was interesting how they'd both embarked on the same adventure and did the same things only to have completely different results.

There was little she could do other than grunt from her place on the floor.

"Jason gets to see and hug his daddy at least one more time," she mumbled as her eyes closed. Sleep. Maybe a little bit of sleep before the Darkness tried to claim her again would be good. There should've also been a bottle of booze nearby, but she drifted into unconsciousness before she could reach it.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]