Refuge Interrupted

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The auction room had been cleared, all that remained was the MagnaGuard, the Devronian, and the very same Gand who [member='Ar'ekk'] had seen at the Pazaak table. It seemed the small alien had managed to outbid the others, standing on the raised platform alongside his new mechanical bodyguard.

"You won't be disappointed in your investment, my friend," the horned smuggler said, slinging an arm around the shorter alien as they looked at the Jedi duo. They had been accompanied by the Noghri, and two other armored aliens in helmeted suits. As Ar'ekk spoke, the Noghri lifted his blaster, nudging it against the apprentice's back as he ordered, "Quiet." Luckily for them, that was essentially Tugoro's plan, for they would have to wait and see how this situation played out. "To prove it, we've brought you two live Jedi!" The Devronian then activated the MagnaGuard, watching as it reached around to its back, grasping its electrostaff, holding it out in a two handed grip.

The dark clothed individual then revealed himself, standing in the doorway with the other armed guards. "Easier than I expected. True Jedi really are a dying breed. Aren't you going to draw your lightsabers?" The man taunted, a rebreather mask fitted snugly over his face.

 

[Arekk]

"Couldn't have done this by yourself or you were too scared?" the Padawan taunted back, a personality trait known of him. This just added fuel to the fire more than anything. The feel of having a loaded blaster against your back was always an unpleasant surprise. His gaze dragged along towards the Magnaguard who remained in a ready-to-battle stance.

Ar'ekk closed his eyes, getting tuned with the Force. This would allow him to gain focus for an eventual battle if it were to break loose. He did not want to make any sudden movements without first having his master's approval.

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

With a swift nod, Tugoro slowly lifted an arm, delving into his jacket and bringing out his saber hilt. "What I've done is almost Jedi-like, working in tandem, unified with my.. Comrades." The Sith spoke, his true nature revealed through his words, though his aura in the force was still faint.

Tugoro's lightsaber activated, a shimmering beam of blue plasma energy stretching out from the metallic hilt tightly in his grasp. The others had moved off to the side, the room door closing as they began to spectate. The MagnaGuard jumped down from the platform, twirling its staff quickly through the air as it began to approach the duo, circling them as they prepared their own stances for battle.

"Calm down, [member='Ar'ekk']. Remember your training." The brown haired Jedi warned, as he dropped into the defensive form of Soresu, readying himself for any surprise attack from the group.

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk unclipped his lightsaber, igniting the weapon instantly. His eyes were focused on the minions, mere bodyguards there to serve as the bait. The Noghri remained behind him with a blaster pointing directly at his back so his focus was on eliminating him first by throwing a swift kick backwards and swinging the plasma blade towards him, cutting off one of his arms and force pushing him backwards.

The Padawan adopted the same defensive form as Tugoro did, as previously taught by him in the planet of Sanctuary. The duo were against eachother's back, pinpointing an attack and covering all bases possible. Their sights quickly shifted towards the Magnaguard, who was prepared to engage them in battle and prove its worth.

"Here we go again."

It was time to fight back.

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

A loud screech of pain escaped the Noghri's lips, as his arm was severed by [member='Ar'ekk']'s attack. His blaster fell to the ground, as did his entire body after he slammed into the door, sent flying by the burst of force energy the apprentice had released. At that very moment, the MagnaGuard lurched forward, lifting its staff over head in order to strike.

The deadly streams of electricity on each end glowed a bright purple, but it had been a feint. Releasing one metallic hand, the droid would point it forward, as the repulsor tech in its wrist released a powerful burst of kinetic energy. It was a shock wave much like Ar'ekk's own, one that would send them off their feet as well. This was a surprise, for the MagnaGuards of old were not equipped with such technology.

Tugoro had been focused on using his saber, and so he was only able to bring forth a defense at the last second. A force barrier shielded him from the brunt of the blast, though caused him to skid backwards on his feet.

 

[Arekk]

The Magnaguard's shock wave sent him against the wall, slamming his body at a considerate speed. He stood on his knees for a brief moment, regaining his original posture slowly. He ached in brief pain as the impact was of proper consideration. The apprentice's focus were the two armed guards remaining near the door so he lounged to attack them.

The plasma blade penetrated through one of the guards torso, immediately sending him to the grave. The other one returned fire with his blaster, missing his shots due to nervousness before falling on their stomach due to being soffocated by Ar'ekk's force choke.

Only the Magnaguard, the Gand and the Sith remained in the room, unless more surprises were ahead. The young Jedi rejoined his master, adopting once again their defensive form.

"How about we put an end to this fast, master? I remember how much you dislike surprises."

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

"Trying," Tugoro shouted, his torso leaning backwards as the electrified end of the MagnaGuard's staff whizzed over his face. The droid pulled its weapon back, attempting to sweep the Jedi in his awkward position. Instead, Tugoro hopped lightly into the air, his booted foot planting against the middle of the staff, and pushing off in a flip. He landed beside [member='Ar'ekk'], just as he finished dispatching the two armored guards.

The MagnaGuard was incredible fast, not a foe to be underestimated due to its mechanical nature. The Devronian, Gand, and Sith all stood together off to the side, watching the performance with much approval. The small Gand said a few things in his native tongue, in which the Devronian responded, "Yes, very good! I can take you and your new prize off world, once I get my new ship..." The smuggler spoke, trailing off at the last part as he glanced towards the dark clothed man.

With another flick of its wrist, the MagnaGuard activated its energy grappling line, another tool made to combat the abilities possessed by the Jedi. It quickly soared through the air, wrapping around Tugoro's own hand. With a powerful yank, the droid pulled the Jedi off of his feet, causing him to fall hard and lose grip of his saber, which subsequently deactivated.

 

[Arekk]

Seeing as [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] was in iminent danger, Ar'ekk rushed towards the Magnaguard with a more offensive attack form. The lightsaber clashed with the staff, with particles blowing off during the impact. It was no easy opponent to beat, that's for sure but it would give Tugoro the momentum to recover from the fall.

As they engaged in a clash of weapons, the young learner threw another force shockwave towards the Magnaguard in an attempt to put it off balance and strike him down. This maneuver required an enormous amount of energy but luckily Ar'ekk wouldn't be completely depleted of it.

"Are you okay, master?!" he shouted as he struggled during the battle.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro's head was spinning, as he slowly began to regain his composure. He was still on the ground, a aching in his temple after slamming it against the ground. It would be a moment before he was back on his feet.

The MagnaGuard on the other hand was still up, retracting its grappling line immediately after the Jedi had gone down. The other advanced, engaging in a speed blitz of exchanges, their weapons clashing repeatedly before there was a pause. [member='Ar'ekk'] had gathered more force energy, sending it in a push towards the droids position. The advanced combat learning program within the MagnaGuard allowed it to adapt, as it quickly leaped to the side, avoiding the force push entirely. The Jedi's earlier display of the technique had the droid on guard, knowing what to exactly what to expect from him.

Now with some distance between them, the MagnaGuard again engaged one of its wrist gadgets, releasing a single miniature rocket that would fly through the air, aiming to impact with the ground near Ar'ekk and blow him to smithereens.

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk caught a glimpse of the incoming rocket, his iris widening at the frightening sight of a fast and deadly bomb coming straight at him. Thankfully, he managed to dodge the rocket by leaping away from its targeted location which eventually made the whole Jekk'Jekk Tarr rumble. The room shook as if an earthquake of a great magnitude erupted with full power and the ceiling seemed to be on the verge of coming down on them.

The Padawan lunged once again in attack, trying to figure out during the skirmish if the Magnaguard presented any weaknesses by giving it a quick look when possible. He quickly realized the chest was uncovered and unprotected so the best way to destroy such droid was to stab them right there in the middle.

It would be a hard task to destroy this bodyguard droid alone, so he had hoped that [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] recovered.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The door to the auction room was blown right off of its hinges, falling to the ground outside in the hallway. Tugoro had managed to stand up straight, calling his lightsaber hilt back into his palm with the force. The blade ignited, and he ran forth with his apprentice, this time engaging the MagnaGuard in an offensive style.

If they were to let up in the slightest, he was sure another gadget would be put to use. The rotating wrist joints of the droid made it difficult to combat, as it spun the electrostaff in a wide circle for a moment, fending off the two Jedi's attacks at once. Through the force, masters and apprentices were known to work in great tandem, and so Tugoro only hoped that [member='Ar'ekk'] sensed his intentions, just as Tugoro had sensed his.

Shifting into powerful and quick strikes of Djem So, the man aimed to maintain his momentum with each clash, causing the droid's programming to shift to the increasing threat. An overhead strike was performed by Tugoro, his blue saber swinging through the air and smashing into the high block of purple electricity.

 

[Arekk]

The overhead strike done by [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] allowed a small window of time to smash the center of the Magnaguard, its core and weakness. This was the moment to strike and Ar'ekk knew it, so he plunged his lightsaber plasma forward with all the strenght he had left and punctured the chest of the droid but it remained unknown if the Magnaguard would fall to its doom.

Timing the attacks well and in perfect synchronization was the key to beating this powerful foe and their workrate prevailed after years of hardous training and adapting to multiple conditions. Despite being away for so many years, they still complemented eachother; the master and the apprentice.

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro's blade slid along the electrostaff, sweeping under it and across the MagnaGuard's torso within seconds. [member='Ar'ekk'] had struck with a clarity and precision, something he probably wouldn't have been capable of if his anger had gotten the best of him.

With its backup system destroyed, the droid could only squirm briefly on the ground, before shutting down completely. Exhaling calmly, the Jedi made sure to maintain control over his breath, the dark and gloomy room of the Jekk'Jekk Tar still polluted by toxic fumes. The Gand cried out in horror, watching as his the credits he had won slipped through his grasp. He began to scream angrily at the Devaronian smuggler, who simply shrugged and started to back away. The Sith then acted, aiming an open hand at the small alien, before clenching it into a fist. The crack of bone could be heard, as the Gand crumpled lifelessly to the floor. "We should go." Tugoro whispered to his apprentice, as the dark clothed man drew his own saber, its length a sinister red that oozed the dark side of the force.

Their way had been opened thanks to the MagnaGuard's rocket, though they would most likely have to defend themselves all the towards the main entrance, unless there was another exit.

 

[Arekk]

The ceiling shed some light at some stairs on the right side, some secret passage to a second floor, where the single door led to a docking bay within the Jekk'Jekk Tarr where a rusty old ship remained hidden, as if it was someone's personal prize. It was covered with a big tarp and the outside looked mushy, clearly the ship had remained there for years unattended.

"Above us, master. If we go through the main entrance, we're good as dead." he shouted, pointing at the cantina. The whole place was swarmed with The Exchange's personal bodyguards and best assassins, owners of the Jekk'Jekk Tarr.

They'd have to make a big jump upwards to reach the stairs that led to the second floor.

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The Sith had been sure the Jedi would stand and fight, compelled by their duty as self-righteous guardians of the galaxy. He was wrong, for the two leaped skillfully through the air, their bounds enhanced by the power of the force, as they landed above on the second level. Moving quickly, the duo utilized the force, pulling the large tarp from the old ship, which was revealed to be a modified Dynamic-class freighter.

The second level was a small personal hangar apparently, and this ship had been there for sometime. "Get on board, get it ready for take off!" Tugoro shouted, the beam of plasma extending from his hilt waving as he turned, to face the Sith who had leaped through the opening as well. Below, the Devaronian could be heard complaining loudly, for the freighter was apparently supposed to be his.

Lifting his arms, the dark sider expelled several tendrils of lightning through the air, aiming to overwhelm Tugoro with the powerful electricity. Angling his blade out in front of him, the Jedi was able to catch the lightning, focusing it into his saber with the force. Bright crackling sparks lit up the dark hangar, as Tugoro did his best to hold the Sith back, while [member='Ar'ekk'] got to work.

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk rushed through the main concourse of the ship, reaching the cockpit in record time. The controls were dusty as ever so he had to blow the particles off to see whatever was ahead of him.

"I'm not sure if this ship even works, master!" Ar'ekk shouted, doubting the ship's capabilities given its prolonged hiatus in activity. With the pressing of a few buttons, the control panel and everything turned on miraculously. The dynamic-class freighter was still alive and running to the Padawan's surprise.

There was no magnetic field that disallowed the ship to leave so all what Ar'ekk had to do was to maneuver the freighter forward and escape. Multiple soldiers of The Exchange had come to aide the Sith in hunting down the Jedi duo, with blaster shots going all over the place.

Ar'ekk and [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] had not managed to escape the Jekk'Jekk Tarr yet as the Sith engaged the master in combat. The young learner controlled the underbelly turret from the cockpit, providing covering fire so Tugoro could make a run for it towards the ship. An alarm inside the freighter alerted the Padawan that danger was inminent. Only the Force knew how much damage the spacecraft could take before crumbling down, so he hoped it lasted enough to make their way out of harm.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The main loading ramp was wide open, however getting their would be a lot more difficult than Tugoro wanted to believe. The intense stream of lightning let up, the Sith lowering his arms as he ignited his saber once more. Through the force, Tugoro could sense [member='Ar'ekk']'s intentions ever so slightly, knowing that he would have to engage this foe for a brief moment. Darting forward, blue and red blades of plasma collided in a lock, the Sith pushing forward in order to apply immense pressure, hoping to knock the Jedi backwards.

This was successful, with Tugoro stumbling backwards, but almost immediately regaining his footing as the Sith lunged. The crimson beam nearly skewered the brown haired man, but Tugoro was able to evade the strikes at the last second, striking out with a kick once he saw the opening. The Sith took it to the torso, taking a few steps back himself this time. He was not fased in the slightly, an arrogant smirk stretching wide beneath the rebreather mask he wore.

It was the last thing he did, for a large bolt of energy soared through the air, colliding with the Sith and exploding, sending him flying across the hangar bay. Deactivating his weapon, Tugoro quickly pivoted on his heels, knowing that time was of the essence. Closing the loading ramp, he made his way into the corridor, taking a right that led into the ships main cabin. Another hall ahead revealed the cockpit, where Ar'ekk was presumably in the pilot's seat. "Can this thing fly?"

 

[Arekk]

"For our sake, let's hope it can." he replied, taking a hold of the main controls and the headset laying above him. The pressing of some buttons and switches allowed the freighter to fire its engines up only to fade away at the last second. The following tries were unsucessful, as the ship did not want to ignite once again.

In a fit of rage, Ar'ekk slammed his fist hard against the cockpit controls which by art of miracle or simple luck, made the ship start again. A confused look on the apprentice's face quickly turned into a worrysome frown, moving the steer forward to get out of the hangar. With the ship in the air and slowly getting out of the big and closing metal doors, they'd try to get away from the grasp of the Sith and its evil minions.

"Come on, take us out of here." the Padawan whispered to himself as if he was talking to the ship, with the hopes of being able to escape from a certain death. It seemed as time slowed down even more as they tried to leave.

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The freighter had started up, not as derelict as it had appeared to be. It hovered above the hangar bay floor, before quickly moving moving, leaving the Jekk'Jekk Tar behind entirely. Slumping into the co-pilots seat, Tugoro would look over the control panel before him, finding the communications system and typing a few things into the computer.

"Who is this? How'd you get on this frequency?" Cheedo questioned, as his voice was heard over the static of the transmission. "It's Tugoro, you've got to meet us in orbit, alright?" The Rodian wasn't pleased at being ordered around, but by the urgency in Tugoro's voice, he could tell that things were serious.

Ending the transmission, the Jedi turned his attention to the ship sensors, noticing three red blips on the radar that were rapidly approaching. "We've got company, Sith fighters!" They would have to lose them among the giant skyscrapers, or last long enough until they had cleared the atmosphere. It was time for [member='Ar'ekk'] to see how much of a pilot he was.

 

[Arekk]

Between the alarm going off and the sounds of the blips in the radar, Ar'ekk only thought things could get worse now. Adopting evasive maneuvers, the Padawan piloted the freighter in different directions to avoid being hit by incoming fire.

"Get on those guns, now! I need them off my back so I can get us out of here." he ordered his companion, taking out the leader who characterized him during war time. This brought back some brief flashbacks of ground battles, cities destroyed entirely and worst of all; dying comrades.

Going towards the city would put everyone at danger, so he decided to head straight out into Hutta space and rendevouz with Cheedo at once. The movements of evasion would gain them some time until they could reach their desired location but the Sith fighters had to be destroyed if they wanted to have a chance of survival, in case the freighter decided to die on them.

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]