Private Remission

[Mathieu Brion]

Remission​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, two lightsabres, EMP emitter, various items
Tags: Darth Quizitus

---​

The infiltration team quietly moved across the old roof as their stealth shuttle left. It barely left a dust trail - a remarkable feat on the dry rocky world of Korriban. It was a world which the young Morellian had visited in the past. He did not like it. It was well aligned with the dark side of the force and just setting foot on it gave him a tingling sense of unease. But it was something which he had to push to the back of his mind. They were here on a mission - it was the final step in a long campaign. A surgical strike on Darth Quizitus - the attack plans had only been finalised recently in a surprise operation. Surprise both for the Sith on the receiving end and for Chaussidier. The old Admiral was rarely surprised but when he learned that "a radical Mandalorian" had teamed up with his Jedi charge to take on one of the Darth's apprentice and Dromund Kaas operations, any other reaction would have been misleading. For he had only expected the Jedi to go on a reconnaissance mission. The fact that this operation had been launched at all was a victory in and of itself.

The grand building on which they were sneaking was one of the newer temples on the planet. The fact that it was neither a ruin nor tomb revealed that fact. Still, it's reddish coloured stone blocks allowed it to keep the traditional appearance of a Korriban temple. This one was a library of sorts, welcoming only Sith Lords - and of course also Darths. Now, it would be forced to also accept Mathieu and the four soldiers who accompanied him.

The team made its way through a massive ventilation shaft and used maps downloaded from the Dromund Kaas Stronghold to find their way through the complex. While Mathieu was hiding his presence in the force, he had no doubts that the Darth would be able to sense the troops. At least they had managed to make sure that their target wouldn't have any reinforcements at the location. Of course, that had been costly and made it hard for Chausssidier to send more men than the strike team at its current size. It would have to be enough.

Before long, the team had reached the balcony where the Darth sat. It was a more secluded private area - not that the main chamber contained any other visitors at this time. Still, it made him somewhat less hard to locate. Once there, the four soldiers, clad in black uniforms, stepped in through the door to the private balcony two-by-two. Their rifles were drawn and if they saw that the Sith wore heavier armour, they would disable their weapons' stun mode in order to gain the full power that their weapons offered. A familiar mechanical sound could be heard a few times over as the soldiers readied their weapons and took aim.

Mathieu entered from another direction. Instead of walking through the door, he swung down from the balcony above, landing much closer to the target than his troops stood. "Hello there" he quipped. Clad in heavy armour, partially covered by a more traditional Jedi robe, it was obvious that he was indeed a Jedi. His next move would - probably - make it even more obvious. With one smooth motion, he brushed part of his outer robe back as he reached for his sabre and held it by his side, still unignited.

With determination and authority, doing his best to hide the nervousness of facing a Darth, the large Morellian spoke "It is time for you to face justice. Surrender to my custody and I ensure you that we will treat you fairly."

 

[Darth Quizitus]

Auzob Sejule was always an eccentric fellow... and when he was feeling down, it was rather obvious to everyone around him. Nuff's sacrifice was a heavy one, far different than the others, but at least he could stick around for a bit longer. Then again... was it worth it? Was sacrificing his daughter's life and using her bright and powerful presence for his own existence worth the extra hundred or so years?

One glance at the massive library, filled with all kinds or records and bountiful information about everything and anything he could find, around him was a good enough answer. He adjusted his reading spectacles and let out a heavy sigh as he brought his tea cup to his lips for a long and elegant sip, his amber eyes reading over a piece he was working on. An article over the bizarre beasts that roamed the void, living off all kinds of things including the unlucky spacers that ran into them. Finding smugglers to abduct for information was tricky. Not many survived these encounters... but it was going to be good once he found enough. This article was going to be the cherry on top, the Jedi wished they could get information like this on their own. But alas, Darth Quizitus was the one to hoard this bounty of knowledge. He just had to make sure that the filthy Imperials never got hold of this library. They had no appreciation for the finer things in life.

Another sip and a soft chuckle at a light joke he worked into the article. Even after two hundred years, his sense of humour was untouchable. A glance up gave him a spectacular view over the balcony of his domain. His little slice of paradise on the old Sith planet. His oasis. It survived the battle for Korriban, it survived the Imperials' hunt for Sith, it endured through the years. Perhaps if his brutish oaf of a new apprentice learned to keep himself in check, he could also achieve this. He needed to check in on him again one of these days. He was far from ready for a sacrifice, but he couldn't wait for the buffoon to get stronger forever.

A disturbance drew his attention away from his reminiscence. Something didn't feel right. He blinked a few times as he finished his cup and set it aside. The disturbance was at least not wasting his time, as a group of soldiers breached into the library to confront him. He wasn't surprised that they got in so easily, his guards weren't exactly the sharpest light on the ship.

The soldiers were ready for action, though the Sith Lord barely paid them any attention beyond a quick glance over his shoulders. He wasn't going to get out of his comfortable wingback chair. He didn't even remove his bare feet from the ottoman in front of him, though the figure dropping down from the balcony drew a raised eyebrow as he calmly poured another cup of tea from the pot on the stand next to him. Adjusting his luxuriously furred gown, he released a sigh of boredom at the Jedi's words. "You couldn't have picked a more original greeting after invading someone's home?" He muttered as he set his datapad aside and took a sip of his tea, naturally after dropping two lumps in there.

"And who might you be exactly, young man?" He asked calmly. "Tea? I could organize a cup for your troops as well if you didn't kill my butler in your insertion." He offered. The soldiers weren't getting out alive, and he was fairly curious over the capability of this young Jedi, the least he could do was be polite.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Remission​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, two lightsabres, EMP emitter, various items
Tags: Darth Quizitus

---​

Mathieu did his best not to show any surprise at how the Sith almost seemed prepared to face him. Whenever they had done that manoeuvre in the past, the target had turned to the soldiers, allowing the Jedi to appear behind them. This one barely seemed to care about the soldiers and would thus be more prepared for Mathieu.

As if that wasn't enough, the Twi'lek Lord didn't even seem phased by their presence. Instead, he simply insulted Mathieu's wit - or lack of originality, rather. His eyebrows clenched together as he made a confused expression "Sorry..." his confused voice lingered for a little bit as the Sith sipped his tea "Give me a few punchlines and I'll consider using them next time then" he said nonchalantly, not quite sure whether he was sincere or not himself.

The surprises kept coming. Instead of responding to the request to surrender, the Sith asked for who he was and if he wanted some tea. Dumbfounded, Mathieu remained quiet for a few moments "I'm Mathieu... uhh... and I'm a Jedi" He looked to the dark sider awkwardly, feeling as if the Twi'lek saw him as a curiosity rather than an opponent to beat. And the following line confirmed that - at least in Mathieu's mind. Tea? Who offered tea when asked to surrender at gunpoint? Flabbergasted, the large Morellian looked to the Lord with incredulous eyes.

"Nooooo" he said, as if the answer should have been obvious to anyone. He blinked hard as he got the urge to repay the Sith's manners with manners of his own. "No, thank you" he muttered, as if it would make it any better. "Your butler should be fine" Mathieu dismissed the concern quickly, feeling confident in the team having infiltrated the massive library without having to make any silent eliminations.

"Look, we've got plenty of tea, and pencils, datapads and some nice incense on the ship. I'll make you a deal, if you surrender to us now, I'll make you tea personally once we're in safety" Mathieu couldn't believe what he was saying. Why was he being nice to this Sith? The Sith was evil - all Sith were. Why was he treating this guy better than he treated Cassie? Pain flushed through his being as the thought of his fallen friend crossed his mind. Why? - the two of them had fought each other in a brutal, almost bestial battle. How could he now turn around and try to make this one surrender with kindness? Maybe it was because he was a good Jedi. Maybe it was not. Perhaps he was trying to prove that he was truly a Jedi - and that what had transpired during that fateful day wasn't him taking a massive step away from the light. Or perhaps, the Sith was simply toying with him.

One of the soldiers stepped forth and opened the energy cuffs, holding one end out for the Sith Lord to put his wrist in. The men were all prepared to shoot and Mathieu was prepared to leap into battle in defence of the strike team. But at this point in time, they were all hopeful that the operation could just end in a simple arrest.

 

[Darth Quizitus]

Auzob scoffed at the man's remark as he took another sip. "Well you wouldn't even have to try very hard. A simple 'sorry for dropping in' would have sufficed, given your choice of entrance... but I digress." He commented, another loud slurp following. The boy introduced himself and sadly declined the offer of tea, earning a grunt from Auzob as he poured out another cup for himself. "Suit yourself, Mathieu. This is very good tea you are missing out on."

Then came the offer of doing it the easy way. "No, Mathieu, I am afraid I won't be able to do that." He interjected as he set the cup aside. "Come now, my boy, you honestly believe that I am that naïve to just come along on your ship like this is a vacation for me? I know how this will end and so do you. My research is also far too important to give up." His gaze flicked to the soldier approaching him with the cuffs extended. Rolling his eyes, he practically ignored the soldiers as his attention returned to Mathieu. "I would highly suggest that you tell your men to rather return to their vessel and wait for either of us to emerge. I'm sure you and your Order wouldn't approve all that much if they were to be shipped back in pieces." A grin formed on his face, a dark and malicious grin, though he made no move to provoke.

He was ready, though. Mathieu would easily be able to feel the Force building from the Sith Lord. With upheld hands he slowly rose from his comfortable chair and faced the boy fully. "I must confess, this encounter is starting to bore me. So I would greatly appreciate it if you could get the ball rolling already. I have a lot of articles that still need finalizing and publishing. As you can see..." He gestured to the library around them. "... I am a very busy man."

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Remission​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, two lightsabres, EMP emitter, various items
Tags: Darth Quizitus

---​

This was the guy Chaussidier and him had worked so hard for so long to take down? Mathieu watched as the Twi'lek poured another cup of tea for himself. He had already activated his reflex enhancing stim before dropping down and expected to be locked in an intense duel by now. Instead he was being criticised for not being witty enough over a cup of tea. The Jedi offered a polite smile "Regardless, thank you for the offer."

It was disappointing to hear the Lord decline surrendering. Perhaps he shouldn't have been disappointed - it was not something which one should expect from the like of Sith. But then, this one had given him hope of being more fair and agreeable. "The Concord can be reasonable." he said, not mentioning the research - chances were that any research that this man conducted were highly immoral - if not, the Silver Jedi would probably not prevent him from continuing it either. Whether it be from a cell or in freedom.

Mathieu looked to the soldier with the cuffs. They listened to him but he did not outrank them. He could see the determination in the man's eyes and knew that they were all well aware of their duties. They were not there against their will and they were trained to fight Sith. But then, this Lord Quizitus was supposed to be of an entirely different calibre. "No one has to die here" he said, indirectly refusing to comply with the suggestion. It was doubtful how well the soldiers would do. It was also doubtful how well he would do on his own. They needed to work together.

And then he stood up. The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately as the dark sider's powers started to build up and the barrels of the soldiers' rifles followed him up. Mathieu grabbing the hilt of his weapon moved closer to the Lord. Activating his sabre now could put a hole in the Sith at a moments notice. But he looked to the man with calm eyes, trying - perhaps hopelessly - to instill a sense of trust. There was no need for violence. Reaching forth at a steady and determined pace, Mathieu's free hand went to grab the Sith's sabre. If he was allowed to take it, the soldier nearby would move in to put the cuffs on the dark sider.

 

[Darth Quizitus]

The tension and anxiety building in the room brought a calm chuckle from the Sith Lord as he looked at Mathieu and the soldiers. The boy continued to plead for a peaceful solution and it was almost tempting. Could he ditch the Dark Side at the drop of a hat and become a Jedi? Certainly. A bigger concern for him was his unnaturally long lifespan, whether he would continue to live on or simply collapse into a ball of dust and robes once he turned his back on the Dark Side. After all, it was through sacrifice and alchemy that he continued to live on in his prime, growing stronger with each passing year of research and alchemy.

But that could be discussed after a good scrap. He hadn't had a good fight in a while... and these children were becoming more tempting with each passing second.

The soldiers were ready for him, as was the Jedi.

That was fine.

Flashing a grin, he gave a flick of his wrist and a massive force blast erupted around him. The soldiers flew back while their shots fired off in different directions. With his chair and stand far away, he flew back with unnatural grace to make room between himself and Mathieu. From the sleeve of his gown, a lightsaber snapped into his left hand and bathed the library in a deep red as they ignited with an iconic snap-hiss. "I told you to get them out of here." He growled, his voice growing deeper as the Dark Side took hold.

His right hand curled into a claw and the soldiers all started to float, clawing at their necks for air. "I haven't had a good fight in a long time. Come on, boy, let's see what you can do." He quipped with a dark chuckle as he calmly paced around the massive, open floor.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Cadere]

Pooling all his resources after being set back to square one following his encounter with a certain blue-eyed Morellian resulted in the destruction of an artefact he was after. The Dark Jedi, Cadere learned that an old 'friend' of his was rumored to house a large library of knowledge. This man was none other than Darth Quizitus, the bastard that had taken his arm from him several years ago. While he was beyond the desire to get back at him, Cadere knew that he needed access to that library.

After 'requesting' Darth Insatious' underlings put their heads together and locate the whereabouts of Quizitus' library. Everything pointed to Korriban. Perfect, the planet was seeped within the Dark side and was sure to give the Dark Jedi a significant boost in their inevitable rematch. Cadere had no plan on leaving the man alive. The library was to be his after this was over with.

Taking a moderately sized crew, including Death Soldiers and his irritable clones, Cadere made his way to Korriban. As the drop shuttle neared the location of Quizitus' library, Cadere made sure to mask his presence within the Force, but he could sense a familiar presence - one he'd encountered all too recently. Closing his eyes, he focused on it and searched deeper before recognising it was Mathieu's Force signature. Seems fate had plans for the two of them with this being their second encounter in a matter of weeks.

He knew why Brion was here, if their encounter on Oricon was anything to off of, the Padawan was here to detain Quizitus and possibly destroy or confiscate his library. Cadere couldn't let that happen, not a second time. As the shuttle circled around the adequately designed building, the Dark Jedi spotted a group of people through the glass ceiling, stood around one of the balconies. Knowing that the sound of the dropship's engines would be heard, Cadere didn't wait for the pilot to land and immediately flew out of the drop ship's side door. Directing his body toward where all the commotion was.

Pulling his right arm back, Cadere commanded the power of the Dark side, siphoning it around him. The fallen Knight threw his arm forward and released a bulldozer-like telekinetic blast that shattered the glass roof. Transitioning from his dive into a front flip - Cadere withdrew his lightsaber, igniting the crimson blade and braced himself for what was to come. Using telekinesis, Cadere began to slow down the speed of his descent as he found himself falling closer and closer to the balcony.

Cadere positioned his feet, bracing himself for the landing and with an acrobat's grace he landed perched on top of one of the railings behind the group, as if he hadn't just fallen several feet. Quickly hopping forward and onto the stone floor, a red blur shot passed Quizitus' head and straight through one of the soldiers Quizitus had gripped with the Force. Summoning his lightsaber back into his left hand, Cadere said nothing.

Mathieu Brion Darth Quizitus

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Remission​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, two lightsabres, EMP emitter, various items
Tags: Darth Quizitus

---​

It was true - he had been warned. They had all been warned. The soldiers should leave or face the consequences and to Mathieu, it certainly seemed like they were. Something beyond the immediate danger concerned him, however. He could sense a familiar presence approach rapidly. When the Kiffar blasted the glass roof, it became abundantly clear who it was. Cassie had chosen to forgo the elegance of a covert entry and instead taken a more overt brutish route.

Had his old friend really steeped so low as to come to the rescue of a Sith Lord? He was somewhat confident that he could deal with one foe - two, however, was risky at best. Still, it was in pressured situations that an individual's true mettle could be tested. With a calm push, his lightsabre ignited, producing its familiar peaceful hum. Its blue light shining in stark contrast to the crimson reds of his opponents.

While dismaying that one of the soldiers had been killed, Mathieu did not pause to grieve the loss. Instead, he sprung to action with a quick swing to Cassie who had landed relatively near his position by the edge of the balcony. The attack was directed at the fallen Jedi's left arm and chest but was quickly followed up by another attack. As Mathieu swung his blade, he took a step, turning roughly 100 degrees to send a bone-crushing jab towards his opponent's core, hoping that it would at the very least push him off of the balcony.

He didn't stop there, for his soldiers still needed to be saved. But the target would shift. Taking another step and completing the circle, he used the momentum of the turn to produce a powerful and swift swing against the Sith Lord's chest. Only the tip was destined to hit its target - it made the attack easier to evade but also ensured that he wouldn't be as exposed to a counter attack. If Cassie had managed to avoid being pushed off of the balcony, the Jedi would take a step to the side in order to avoid having his back face the two dark siders.

 

[Darth Quizitus]

When the glass roof shattered, Auzob shifted to avoid the falling glass as he looked up with annoyance. ”Oh what now...” He grumbled as he clenched his fist, snapping the necks of the remaining soldiers after the new arrival touched down on the balcony.

Mathieu engaged him before taking a swing at the Sith Lord, who simply stepped back to avoid the hit as he glared at the arrival. ”I take it he isn’t a friend of yours, not sure if that’s a relief or not.” He commented as he let go of the corpses, letting them fall to the ground behind him. He eyed the two of them, though the arrival’s presence felt odd.

Apart from feeling like he was an emotional wreck even by Sith standards, there was something else to him. ”Have we met before, boy?” He asked with a tilt of his head, trying to figure out why the boy’s presence felt so odd to him.

For now he kept his distance. First he wanted to get a feel for the situation, see who was the bigger threat. If he was lucky, the two children would duke it out and he could simply finish then off to return to his work before supper.

Cadere Mathieu Brion

 

[Cadere]

The Morellian's sudden movement was caught in the corner of the Dark Jedi's eye. Cadere raised his lightsaber and in a backhanded motion, swatted Mathieu's blade. Aware of the Padawan's physical prowess, Cadere didn't hold too much hope that his single-handed deflection was enough to knock the Morellian's blade away completely. The Kiffar then subsequently moved his lightsaber dextral and positioned the crimson blade in front of his chest, blocking Mathieu's follow-up attack, he placed one foot behind him as to absorb the attack better. "I'm not here for you." the Kiffar uttered coldly.

His command fell on deaf ears however, as Mathieu continued by sending a punch toward him. Reacting quickly, the Dark Jedi sprung leftward and out of the way of the Morellian's powerful fist. Spinning his body mid-air, Cadere would land facing his two adversaries a few feet to Mathieu's right and directly opposite to Darth Quizitus.

The Dark Jedi watched as the former best friend of Cas Tynen failed to attack the Sith. There was a temporary pause as all three combatants took the time to feel the room, analyse each other, and calculate their next movements. Quizitus addressed him, supposedly recognising his presence within the Force, he wasn't the only one, which led Cadere to ponder if he'd truly eradicated any trace of Jedi Knight Cas Tynen within him. Despite his best attempts at walling off any memory and association to him.

Ignoring the Twi'lek's question, Cadere's eyes trailed over to the large stone bookcase behind the Morellian. With a twitch of his index and middle fingers, several rows of books would fly off their shelves and directly toward Brion. Knowing they wouldn't distract him for long, the fallen Knight rushed over to him, enhancing his speed with the Force, before hopping forward and briefly landed on the towering Padawan's shoulder and launching himself off of him and toward Quizitus.

Cadere projected a telekinetic wall around himself, hopefully preventing the Sith Lord and Mathieu from grabbing him intangibly. As gravity pulled him closer to the Sith Lord, he threw his right arm out and unleashed a stream of fire from his palm then pushing it in Quizitus' direction with a light telekinetic push. When the Kiffar would land, he would continue by unleashing a flurry of lightsaber strikes directed at his neck, torso and arms in succession.

Mathieu Brion Darth Quizitus

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Remission​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, two lightsabres, EMP emitter, various items
Tags: Darth Quizitus

---​

The fallen Jedi had managed to remain on the balcony and the Sith Lord had evaded the attack. He had not dragged his feet after missing and had repositioned himself so that he wouldn't have his back facing both of them. It was heart wrenching to watch the troops he had come with perish so fast. The five of them had worked together in the past - they had trained, had a beer and played cards together. He would mourn their loss - but not now. Now, his focus needed to be on combating the Sith and completing the job that they had come there to do.

Mathieu never replied to Cassie's comment. If they were in each other's presence, the large Morellian would do his best to fight and capture him regardless of what the Kiffar's own intentions were. His eyes darted to the Lord upon hearing his question "He's a friend" he muttered, trying his best to push back any feelings of resentment and sorrow that could so easily surface for him when it came to Cassie's fall.

Their brief moment of peace passed fast. Mathieu heard a slight rumble behind him - but he sensed no real danger in it. Books started to come flying in his direction. Normally, it wouldn't phase him in the least. In truth, it didn't this time either - but he had to admit that Darth Quizzitus did keep some rather massive books in his library. Cassie's use of force speed had always been impressive and it had improved since his fall to the dark side. It was also something which Mathieu was prepared to face. But this time, he sensed no real danger either. His eyes quickly shot to the dark Lord, wondering whether he was doing some telepathic trickery or not. Shifting his focus back to the immediate threat, Mathieu simply allowed his sabre to mirror that of Cassie - this time, he would not counter the charge by an offensive swing but simply ensure that his own blade would be able to block any incoming attacks. But no attacks came - instead, he was just used as a springboard. By the time that he produced a swing towards his old friend, it was already too late - the Kiffar was already darting towards Quizzitus and thus, his sword just swung through a few books.

Not content in letting the two of them fight it out on their own, Mathieu rushed in after the fallen Jedi. If any of them was sent flying towards him, he would try to cut their legs off before continuing the rush towards the other. Whether it was Cassie or Quizzitus who was still standing - or if it was both - Mathieu would engage them carefully and mainly keep a strong Soresu guard and only chipping in a strike when the opportunity presented itself.

 

[Darth Quizitus]

Neither of them seemed talkative which was a disappointment for the Sith Lord, who quickly reached out with the Force to save his books from being used as projectiles in the fight. "Not the books, dammit! Bring your own along!" He scolded them as he eyed their movements while the books were returned to their rightful place. The new arrival came at him with sharp movements and powerful swings.

The fire was of little consequence to the Sith Lord. With a wave of his hand he caught the flames and amplified it, sending it back to the boy as his lightsaber came up to defend himself from the attacks. Mathieu finally joined in as well and the Sith Lord's second lightsaber snapped into his off-hand with another sharp 'snap-hiss' to deflect the Jedi's attacks as well. He moved with elegant grace, flowing along the floor and deflecting their blows. "So you're here for me as well? How quaint." He commented as he smacked their blades away and swung back at their arms before moving around to evade.

"I think I remember you now. You're that stupid young lad that thought he could challenge me on Lothal! Tell me, boy, is that sigil still carved into your chest?" He commented with a smug grin as he watched the two of them.

It was time to amp it up.

Violent torrents of lightning shot from his finger tips at both of them before he rushed forward with the aid of the Force. In the blink of an eye he was in the thick of it again, both blades slashing at their sword-hands and legs with sharp and fluid movements. All the while he watched them closely and kept his eyes open, ready to counter if they tried to counter him.

Cadere Mathieu Brion

 

[Cadere]

Cadere had hoped he was fast enough to blindside the Twi'lek - but alas, he was dealing with a Sith Lord after all. Despite the potential the Kiffar had, Quizitus dwarfed the young Dark Jedi in terms of experience and comfortability with the Dark side of the Force. Watching as the Sith Lord not only caught the flames sent toward him, but also amplified and redirected it at the Kiffar. Cadere was forced to react at light speed, concentrating on the conflagration coming his way, manipulating it and swatting the destructive element away from his frame moments before his lightsaber would connect with Quizitus'.

The Twi'lek managed to successfully defend himself against Cadere's attacks, irritating the Dark Jedi slightly. Then the Padawan involved himself again, fighting against Quizitus' second lightsaber - he had to admit, fighting alongside Mathieu, albeit begrudgingly, reminded him of older... simpler times. The Kiffar refused to allow himself to feel nostalgic as he continued fighting against the evading Sith, Cadere shifted his weight following the strike that smacked his blade away before raising his blade to defend himself from losing an arm a second time.

Quizitus, and maybe Mathieu, would feel a tinge of fury pulsate through the Dark Jedi's aura following the comment made by the Twi'lek. "You won't find out." he declared, indirectly confirming the Sith Lord's suspicions. Aided by the Force's precognition as well as his natural reflexes, the Dark Jedi quickly raised his lightsaber to absorb the lightening shot at him and jerked it to his side, redirecting it at Mathieu. He hadn't forgotten the Morellian was there.

Having redirected the lightening at Mathieu, Cadere gave up valuable time to evade Quizitus next attack and was forced to shift the direction of his lightsaber to block the Sith's first attack and leapt a few feet above the ground, performing an aerial cartwheel to evade the attack aimed at his legs. As he did so, Cadere heaved his right arm inward, telekinetically taking hold of the Twi'lek's ankles tugging along as if he was being pulled by an invisible rope.

After landing onto his feet, whether his attack succeeded or not, continued attacking with intense speed and aggression. Cadere recalled on Quizitus' attachment to his books and lifted his two fingers from the hilt of his blade mid-attack and summoned more books, only this time, in the direction of the Sith Lord. The Twi'lek would be forced to either save his books or defend himself from Cadere.

Mathieu Brion Darth Quizitus

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Remission​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, two lightsabres, EMP emitter, various items
Tags: Darth Quizitus

---​

No books were destroyed.

Yet.

The three of them fought on although it was becoming rather clear that the most intensive fighting at the moment was between the fallen Jedi and the Sith Lord. Mathieu stayed close and primarily looked for opportunities to strike the Twi'lek down. At times, it could even appear as if the old friends fought the foe together. But upon closer inspection, it would be clear that he engaged both of them and produced attacks of opportunity on both of them. Regardless, he saw this as a positive - while not completely unengaging from the duel, this did allow him to conserve more energy than either of the foes.

At one point, the Lord tried to smash his blade away and produce a battle-ending attack against his arms. Fortunately - his two-handed grip of the lightsabre allowed him to keep it under control and with the tight Soresu bladework he maintained, recovering was still quite possible. Quizitus moved swiftly - Mathieu realised as much and refrained from producing a counter attack and instead took a step away from Cassie as the fight once more entered a lull.

His eyes shifted between the two dark siders. It seemed like Cassie knew both of them from before his fall. But the Lord did not appear to know that he had fallen until now. At the moment, it worked to his advantage - for the two foes certainly did not appear to be allied. The Kiffar was clearly not very interested in talking and maintained his rather hostile tone. "Tea with me doesn't sound so bad now, does it?" he asked looking to Quizitus whilst nodding his head to Cassie. The Lord's fellow dark sider.

Regardless, the fight soon recommenced as Quizitus started blasting electricity at them. Having spent quite a bit of time fighting Sith in what used to be the core of the now fallen Empire, it was something which Mathieu had grown accustomed to defending himself against. He quickly steeled his defence and allowed his blue blade to catch the incoming lightning. He thanked his lucky stars for having taken a step away when the lightning from the fallen Jedi was redirected towards him.

While a few sparks lingered, most of the electric beams had already hit the floor where they were nullified. Mathieu had chosen to remove the destructive force rather than redirecting it to either of his foes. When the torrent of lightning was gone, he couldn't help but to notice that it had forced him back a couple more steps - not surprising when faced with the full brunt of it - both from the Lord and from the fallen Jedi.

With his guard still raised, Mathieu crouched down low to defend both his torso and his legs against the incoming attack. He quickly stood back up to his full height and let go of the sabre with his left hand in order to produce a faster counter attack with his right. Meanwhile, it seemed like Cassie had created some distance. With that, he pushed on and reverted back to a dual-gripped style where he would push on towards the Sith with a tight defence and a few quick slashes when the opportunity arose.

The one-on-one exchange only lasted for a brief period of time as the dark Jedi reengaged, both with telekinetic attacks and a flurry of strikes that rained down on the Lord. With a swift step back, Mathieu hoped to avoid the incoming books. What was more was that he produced a wide slash with his sabre, thus cutting off an angle of retreat for the Sith, in case he hoped to simply hop away from the danger. If the books were redirected to him - he would simply let go of the blade with his left hand once more and continue the slash with his right, thus cutting most of them apart.

Not feeling a sense of loyalty to Cassie, Mathieu, unless interrupted, would move towards the Kiffar's side, thus creating some distance between himself and the Lord. A bit after the books and the fallen Jedi's strikes had a chance to hit, he would produce a low slash against Cassie's ankle before reengaging Quizitus.

 

[Darth Quizitus]

Auzob smirked at the boy's comment as he watched his two opponents carefully. The both of them handled the lightning perfectly as he expected, but it served its purpose. They disengaged and were forced to move, giving the Sith Lord what he was looking for. As the boy leapt up to avoid the strike at his legs, Auzob released a torrent of hellfire straight up at him as his lightsaber remained at the ready, hoping to hurl him away with the force and burn him before he could react or try anything funky. "The tea would certainly have worked better now." He growled at Mathieu's quip. At least his sense of humour was improving.

His right hand quickly moved to block Mathieu's swing to his off-angle, but his lightsaber shut off just before contact with his blade, instead igniting behind it again to try and cleave off an arm. He was ready to retreat if his attack didn't go as planned.

Once again they tried to use his books against him. They came flying at him but with a flick of his fingers, they flew off in a different direction. "Such a pathetic specimen. Lose a hand and you fall to the Dark Side. How would you hope to ever accomplish anything with a spine as limp as yours?" He laughed as his amber eyes studied the other two.

He was on the defensive for long enough.

An immense blast erupted from the Sith Lord in all directions around him before a wall of flames followed after. His two lightsabers left his hands and started to drift around him. Like a crimson circle they zoomed around as he moved, his burning gaze locked onto them. "Come, then! You wanted a fight, then let's have it!" He roared with rage dripping from his voice. Around him the building started to rumble and shake as he walked.

Mathieu Brion Cadere

 

[Cadere]

With Quizitus being the biggest threat of the three currently, he made sure to keep 90% of his focus on the Twi'lek. As his body left the ground, his fiery colored eyes lingered on the man's movements. His hairs stood up underneath his garnments, feeling danger headed his way, just as the sensation subsided as quickly as it came, Cadere watched Darth Quizitus unleash a deluge of fire in his direction. Recalling how the Sith Lord managed to capture and redirect his own torrent of fire, Cadere was a fast learner, quick to do the same.

Luckily, Cadere managed to halt the fire directed at him, taking control of it and protecting himself from harm but before he could redirect it back to the Sith Lord. A telekinetic push originating from Quizitus managed to send the fallen Jedi some feet back. Breaking his concentration, the Force fuelled fire he held quickly evaporated and Cadere was forced to adjust his frame while in the air, tucking his legs in and forming a backflip, the Dark Jedi landed unscathed.

His initial strategy to trip up the Sith Lord had failed but he continued on with distracting the Twi'lek with his precious books. As he did so, in a burst of Force speed, Cadere was back in the action. As predicted, Quizitus prevented any damage to his books and assuming the Sith Lord was still distracted, the Dark Jedi took the opportunity to initiate a single right to left horizontal attack "You think this was your doing?" Cadere dryly scoffed at Quizitus' taunting "Please." Cadere prepared to attack again, but that remaining 10% of his focus remembered Mathieu.

Catching the Morellian's noticeable frame shift to his left side, the Dark Jedi's head whipped in the direction of the tall Padawan as he went for the Kiffar's ankle. With his lightsaber already positioned to his left, the fallen Knight shifted his weight and swung his lightsaber downward, catching the Morellian's blade before he could reach his ankle. Slamming the Morellian's blue blade into the ground, he held it there for a few seconds, knowing that Mathieu's natural strength would overpower him soon enough.

Using his cybernetic arm's strength to keep Mathieu's blade pinned, with the little time he had, Cadere's feet left the ground and his left leg thrusted forward in a side kick. Kicking the Morellian's chest and using it as a springboard for the Kiffar to backflip into a safer position, out of rane of both his combatants. His shoulders rose and fell as he watched the Padawan and Sith Lord, scanning the both of them. Something shifted within the Force, his expressionless mask scowled at Quizitus, sensing the change coming from him - he was a predator and when were they most lethal? When they were backed into a corner.

The Sith Lord unleashed a telekentic blast with the ferocity of a thermal detonator. Positioning his arms forward and bending his elbows, the blast smashed against his telekinetic shield causing his feet to slide several feet back and force the Dark Jedi against the stone railing. What came next would force the Dark Jedi onto his back foot as a wave of flames approached, it was sure to hit everything in the room - including Mathieu and himself. Without even thinking, his eyes lingered over to wherever Mathieu was and as if some hidden force took over, Cadere's arms stretched in the direction of the Padawan.

Fighting to take command of the Sith's hellstorm, Cadere managed to partially halt the speed at which the flames approached the Morellian - giving him enough time to evade or, do whatever. However, in his moment of weakness, the Dark Jedi was unable to protect himself and was hit with a wave of fire, knocking him over the balcony...

Mathieu Brion Darth Quizitus

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Remission​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, two lightsabres, EMP emitter, various items
Tags: Darth Quizitus

---​

Mathieu couldn't help but to be impressed by Quizitus' prowess. The Twi'lek had attacked both him and Cassie in an attempt to cut at their limbs. The two of them had reacted differently to the threat but even then, he managed to respond appropriately to both, sending a torrent of hellfire at one and countering at a slash of his own against Mathieu. His capacity to focus on different things and perform advanced techniques simultaneously truly made him a dangerous adversary.

The large Morellian thought that the Lord had gone insane when he extinguished and reignited his blade in such a short succession. It was something which most sabres couldn't handle - for if they could, all lightsabre duels would look and be conducted very differently indeed. Whether it be luck, technology or some weird dark side mysticism, the man succeeded and the blade suddenly posed an immediate threat to Mathieu. At the same time - Mathieu's own blade would pose an equal threat to Quizitus' own arm as he was already in the process of striking towards it when the Twi'lek performed his trick. It was a trade which was decidedly in Mathieu's favour - for heavy armour plates laid underneath his outer robes. If the Lord did not cancel his attack, the crimson blade would hit the large Morellian's heavy plate, causing tremendous pain as the metal would start to melt under its heat. But at the same time, Mathieu's own blade would be able to cut at Quizitus' arm to - after that - recoil away from the pain caused by the crimson sabre.

The fight would rage on. When Cassie tried to trap his blue blade underneath his new crimson one, it was as if he had gone insane. It left them both at the mercy of the Lord. But then, it was hard to blame him - Mathieu had just tried to cut his foot off, after all. Hoping to avoid being within striking distance of the Sith, he continued moving further along the Kiffar's flank and thus farther away from the Lord. The kick would hit him regardless, causing him to stumble back - while it did cause him some pain, it would still bring him in the direction that he wanted to go. The cost was worth the sacrifice.

What came next, however, was not quite as pleasant. While the two old friends had fought, Quizitus had gathered enough power to produce a massive radial blast around him. Mathieu barely managed to erect a telekinetic shield and was rather easily blown away. On a positive note - it did bring him farther away from the Sith.

He was flung towards one of the walls on the opposite side of the balcony's edge. Mathieu had expected somewhat soft landing as the walls were clad with shelves of books - but it was even softer than that. He quickly glanced back to find the mushed body of one of the troopers he had arrived with. A shiver spread through his spine as he quickly looked away from the barely recognisable face. Then he saw the wall of flames that followed the blast. Miraculously, it didn't fall towards him as fast as it did the other parts - unbeknownst to him, due to the intervention of his old friend. Using what little time he had, the Jedi gave up on getting back to his feet and immediately produced a telekinetic blast. It was aimed towards the Lord and would push away the flames heading his way.

Hopefully, the attack would do something to the Lord who seemed to posture for a melee fight. For Mathieu was still laying on top of the mushed trooper. Rising as fast as he could, it was hard not to notice the flames that still lingered - the wooden elements of the structure and the books in their vicinity more than likely did not take well to fire. But what lingered by the forefront of his mind was not the flames - it was why they had been so slow to reach him. An image of the fallen knight being licked by fire flashed by. Whether Cassie had saved him or not was not clear to Mathieu - what was clear was that he wanted it to be true. Regardless, the battle appeared to be far from over. The Kiffar had disappeared and Quizitus seemed as ready as ever.

Dark siders fed on their emotions. At least that was what he had been taught and experienced. The Lord's voice was filled with rage and thus, the Jedi refrained from engaging him just yet. Dropping into a defensive stance, the Jedi stood with his back against a segment of untouched books as he eyed the Sith. Mathieu centred himself and prepared his mind and body for the inevitable onslaught.

 

[Darth Quizitus]

Noticing the danger from the Jedi's blade, Auzob quickly let go of his hilt and grabbed hold of Mathieu's blade. Instead of cleaving through his hand, the Sith Lord simply held it in place while his hilt hovered in the air right beside his hand, burning against the armour of the Jedi. With a daring grin Auzob opened his hand and let loose with a force push against the man at point blank range.

The fight broke apart for a moment as his blast and flames sent both of them flying all over the place. Books and shelves caught fire as the building continued to shake around them. The blast from Mathieu was dissipated with a Force Shield from the Sith as his lightsabers continued to circle around him with dangerous speed. The boy was over the balcony, now it was only Auzob and Mathieu glaring at each other as the magnificent library continued to burn up. He glanced at the balcony and then at Mathieu, before he engulfed the remaining books in flames with a flick of his wrist. The ceiling began to cave in on them as they did nothing but stare. And for a brief moment, the Sith's features softened.

"Go to your ship, my boy. There's something admirable by your tenacity, though I can sense your conflict with the boy out there .You have my surrender. You can have my knowledge. But first... there's some unfinished business I need to take care of. Your dead will have a king's funeral..." He gestured to the burning library around them. His voice was uncharacteristically gentle as he spoke. "... So leave while you still can. I shall meet you there. Don't make me take your life in vain." If the Jedi knew anything about the Sith Lord, he would know how much depth that sentence had to it.

Calmly he turned and, with the aid of the Force, leapt over the balcony after the boy while the building came tumbling down. The roof came down and supports buckled. With a powerful yank, the Sith Lord shattered the pillars and beams of his spectacular temple with the Force. As he touched down and gripped his lightsabers, sand and dust blasted up around him as the building came down behind him. A Force bubble deflected debris while he looked around him with the use of Force Sight, his eyes closed to shelter them from the carnage unfolding.

"Well come on then! Claim your revenge, you pathetic worm!" He roared at the top of his lungs, his voice amplified with the Dark Side as mystical tendrils started to wisp around him.

Cadere Mathieu Brion

 

[Cadere]

What the hell are you doing? Cadere thought to himself as he watched the balcony's railings continue to grow smaller and smaller. He had just risked everything to save Brion. Wait. He paused to himself, wasn't this the whole reason he'd given himself over to the Dark side? To protect the ones he cared about? Specifically from Darth Insatious, his Sith 'Master'. Yes, he had to, he wasn't anywhere near strong enough to defeat the Dark Lord as Cas Tynen. So, if he'd let Mathieu die just then... or at the very least become gravely injured - what would all this had even been for? The sacrifice he had to make all those years ago.

Although his internal rationalisations felt like drawn out minutes, in reality, it had only taken some seconds and the Dark Jedi still found himself falling from the balcony. Regaining his bearings, Cadere twisted his body and used the Force to slow his descent to a grinding halt, leaving the Kiffar's frame hovering mere centimetres from the library's ground floor. Releasing the Force's ethereal grip from himself, Cadere allowed his body to drop.

Feeling concentrated bursts of heat scattered around various points of his body, it didn't take the Dark Jedi long to realise some of his garnments had caught fire. Then the pain began to follow, still, the pain only served to fuel his connection to the Dark side, strengthening him. At least for now. Theorising that with the use of telekinesis, depending on its potency, he could use the Force to put out the flames currently spread out across his clothes. Cadere internalised his focus, concentrating on the Dark side within him, swirling it around him like a growing wave and then proceeded to unleash a powerful telekinetic wave. Blasting it from his body outward, the force of the blast successfully doused the flames but not without leaving holes, burns and scorch marks in his clothing and on his skin.

The smell of burning pages reached the Kiffar's nose, causing him to turn his gaze upward, toward Quizitus making his way down to him. There was no sign of Mathieu though - he could feel his presence within the Force however, informing the Dark Jedi his prior decision was not in vain. Cadere could only watch as Quizitus, feeling his rage incarnate tear the his archive of knowledge down around their ears. He wondered how much knowledge could be saved and recovered, but that was a problem to deal with later.

The snap-hiss of his lightsaber was drowned out by the collapsing debris and the ear-splitting primal roar of the furious Twi'lek. Emitting a telekinetic field around his form, the masked individual stared at his foe and met his challenge with silence, the only man to leave a physical and mental scar on the Kiffar as deep as Insatious. Recalling back to that moment all those years ago, to the loss of his arm, the mutilation of his body - the mental, physical and emotional damage it had left behind, remaining as a memory that haunted him even until this day.

Cadere focused on those memories, the pain, the emotions, all of it, allowing them to fuel his fury and hatred for the coming battle. But instead of a wildfire of rage, Cadere's aura would come off as ice cold through the currents of the Force for his rage was focused - focused on victory. With a twirl of his lightsaber, the Dark Jedi closed the distance between them and rushed toward his opponent with his movements sped up by the Force.

Gripping his lightsaber with both hands, he closed in and opened his attack with a feint disguised as a jab toward Quizitus' torso. Quickly pulling his blade back, he sprung himself upward, over the Sith Lord's head, using his right arm to grab the back of the old man's collar and flip him over as Cadere transitioned into a somersault. Body returning upright at the end of his flip and just before touching the ground, Cadere blasted Quizitus with a powerful telekinetic push. If this worked, Cadere would keep up the pressure by tearing three pieces of falling debris away from gravity and launching them at Quizitus.

Mathieu Brion Darth Quizitus

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Remission​

Location: Korriban
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, two lightsabres, EMP emitter, various items
Tags: Darth Quizitus

---​

The Lord had lost it. Mathieu could feel the wave of hear wash over him when Quizitus ignited the remainder of his dear books. And to add a sense of irony to it, he also surrendered. Memories of how the Twi'lek's crimson blade had burned against his armour plate was still fresh in his mind. The piece was ruined, his arm was in pain and what made matters worse was that the Lord was not. The Sith had attacked Mathieu and Cassie at the same time, one blade in each hand. Through some sort of Sith witchery, he had managed to somehow make use of tutaminis - not by his palm, but rather by his arm.

Mathieu had really not face that much use of tutaminis before. It was a rare sight in the galaxy - understandable, considering the difficulty of the the technique. And this man, this Sith Lord, used it expertly. It was a factor which weighed heavily on the Jedi's mind as he considered the dark sider's words. "You have my surrender" and "Leave while you still can. I shall meet you there"

The Lord turned his back against Mathieu. If he had been within striking distance, the outcome might have been very different. He was not. And so, the Jedi's blue blade was extinguished. If the Darth was surrendering and wanted to spend some more time in his library, Mathieu wouldn't stop him. Of course, the man could be lying - but then, the more time that passed, the more opportunities he would have.

His boots clicked against the floor as he moved towards the same exist that his troops had entered through. Mathieu was not about to hop down into the pit that Quizitus had just gone into. Outside, there were no burning books and while the library would shake and rumble, it's core walls by the outer edge of it would likely be the ones to have the most stability.

Making his way towards a stairwell, Mathieu brought up his comms device "Admiral" he was calling Chaussidier. "My men are dead and Cassie is here." he swallowed - the words carried a different meaning now than they did before. Before, they would have carried a hopeful message. Now, however, it was a threat, a danger. The building shook heavily, causing his pause to last for much longer than intended as he tried to continue moving. The Admiral waited patiently until Mathieu could continue "The covert part is over, send reinforcements" As he said those last words, the device suddenly cut out, rendering him unsure of whether the message had gotten through or not.

Regardless, he would endeavour to descend and make his way out of the building as soon as possible. Hopefully, he would have a team to receive him and Quizitus once the Lord felt ready to leave his library.