Secrets in the Dirt

[Kian Karr]

Exhaustion was the word that Kian's mind was searching for as it attempted to explain the feeling his body was giving him. His joints were beginning to ache from the clashing lightsabers and his focus was beginning to loosen as he heard the battle raging between his apprentice and the other Sith. Kian couldn't afford to allow his focus to waver however, and he was quickly pulled back to his own battle as the Sith's blade dover for his ribs in a sudden stab. Kian reacted on instinct, bringing his blade across in a block and punching out with his left hand, catching the Sith in the jaw and staggering him to the side.

Kian used the opportunity to dive forward, his blade slashing with the powerful, two-handed attacks of Djem So. Kian hadn't had much opportunity to dictate the pace of the fight so far and he was glad to finally be in the driving seat. The male Sith was clearly a Juyo practitioner. HIs powerful, erratic attacks had driven Kian on his back footing and the only thing that had kept him in the fight was the timely arrival of Elizie and his relience on Shien's defensive abilities.

Now, however, Kian was on the offensive again....which is where he liked to be. Slashing down hard, Kian's blade slammed into the purple blade of the male Sith and almost broke through his defense. The Sith growled with frustration, and Kian couldn't help but notice a bit of surprise. Kian wasn't a big man, but with his training and the aid of the force, he could pack a bigger punch than many of his opponents realized. Taking the opportunity, Kian sidestepped and slashed, his blade just inching past the Sith's compromised defense and scoring a small cut just above the hip. The Sith let out a growl like a wild beast and thrust his hand at Kian, hurling a blast of force lightning at the Kel Dor. The Sith poured into that attack all the hatred and anger and Kian could feel the darkness rolling off of him.

Kian raised his blade in front of him and braced against the impact. The lightning collided with his blade with a thunderous crash and almost jarred the hilt from Kian's hand. Unknown to Kian, a similar attack was happening between his apprentice and the Sith behind her.

Not unknown to Kian was the fact that Jedi Pra'ct was on the move......

[member="Elizie Adasca"]​

 

[Bubák]

(sorry for the wait, very busy!)

More pain came as the blue lightning hit her in the midsection and ran through her entire body, the impact of the stream of energy sending the Padawan flying and landing her body in the dirt. The agony was unimaginable; she had not experienced anything like this before. It felt as if the Dark Side wanted to rip her apart, tearing her muscles and slowing down organs. No wonder Force lightning, the purest manifestation of the Dark Side, found its use as a torture tool. But it wasn’t just the physical aspect that made this experience so painful – the Arkanian noble could feel the darkness coursing through her mind, slaying the Light Side, shattering the Code. All will to fight, all trust in the Code, Elizie suddenly found it lacking, replaced by pain and hopelessness. Suddenly, nothing really mattered to her, she just wanted it all end, find peace of mind again and die. The cloud of the Dark Side did not last for long though as strength started to return into the Padawan’s body and mind with the effects of Force lightning wearing off.

Milky-white eyes gazed towards the figure that hit her. Like a sneaking shadow, the Sith slowly paced towards the Padawan, not for the sake of a dramatic effect, but because her leg’s been broken, evidenced by the woman’s posture and limping. This generously offered the Padawan a bit of time before the Sith came as she struggled to her feet, discovering her strength to be wavering. Pain still lingered within, making the simple task of getting up outright impossible. Unlike her Sith opponent though, the Padawan could not use the pain to empower herself. On the other hand, she had not wasted much energy in the encounter, nothing like Light-Side Force lightning in her arsenal of Force powers. This gave the Padawan a bit of an advantage in this moment, her shaking hand raising up and releasing a telekinetic wave of energy. This, coupled with her opponent’s broken leg, was enough to send the Sith down.

This opportunity could not be passed. Pushing herself up with a pained grunt leaving her mouth, the Arkanian set her eyes upon the Sith as the latter found herself in a similar situation as the Arkanian’s been a moment ago. Still struggling to control her body properly, feeling an occasional spasm in muscles, the young Padawan slowly advanced towards her opponent, her emerald lightsaber pointing at the woman. Boots gently tapped on the ground, the sound mixing with the hissing of lightsabers and heavy breathing of all participants of this show. The Sith managed to get on her knees and raise the crimson bladed weapon within her hands in defence, expecting the Jedi to go for a strike for her head or chest – and Elizie went for her lightsaber hilt. One swift jab delivered a devastating injury to the woman’s right hand, cutting through two fingers wrapped around the hilt and the weapon itself, impaling the Sith’s palm as well. The look of shock and surprise that spread over the woman’s face soon ceased to be when Elizie brought the lightsaber around, using the curved hilt to impact the Sith’s temple and knock her out. With this small duel over, the Padawan slumped to her knees, letting out a breath of relief.

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian's hands were going numb. He'd successfully blocked the flash of force lightning with his lightsaber, but the Sith Lord kept the stream of lightning coming, freezing Kian in place as he defended from the crackling lightning. It was a contest of will and time. The lightning was draining and Kian could see the fatigue beginning to set in on the Sith Lords face, but Kian's hands, gripping his lightsaber against the blasts of energy, were beginning to struggle to keep his grip. He was unsure of who would falter first.

"You're allies have fallen.....surrender while you can!" Kian called out over the sound of the crackling lightning. He wished this to end peacefully....he wished for this to end with as little death as possible. But the look of pure rage on the Sith's face at his suggestion seemed to answer the suggestion long before he answered.

"I'll kill you Jedi!" The Sith said, miraculously throwing even more energy into the lightning blast, "Then I'll turn your precious padawan!" He said and began to cackle in maniacal way only a Sith could. Kian was forced a step backwards, feeling the strength in his grip weakening. This Sith was going to kill them both. He was going to....

A blue blade tore through the Sith's chest and Kian wasn't sure whose face was more shocked, the Sith's or his own. The built up energy in the Sith blasted outward, sending a shock-wave that threw Kian back onto the ground. When Kian rose back to his feet, he saw Jedi Pra
'ct rising shakily back to his feet, his arms clutching an ornate saberstaff. Kian rushed to his side, and helped him to his feet.

"I had too.....I had too." He mumbled.

"It is alright Pra'ct." Kian said helping him up. As Kian did, he felt a rumble and the whole room seemed to shake.

"Structural integrity was already compromised......the energy blast...." Pra'ct began, taking a deep, unsteady breath. "We need to get out of here!" He said, his eyes looking into Kian's with a sudden urgency. Kian understood the concern and turned to Elizie.

"Elizie.....It's time to go!" Kian shouted. "Get her up and moving." Kian yelled grabbing the Verpine Jedi and dragging him toward the exit.

[member="Elizie Adasca"]​

 

[Bubák]

Another Sith fell down, much to Elizie’s relief. With no immediate danger, or so she thought, the white haired Padawan threw a glance towards her destroyed mask, partially molten by the extensive heat of her opponent’s lightsaber. The sight and the thought made her realize her cheek hurt quite badly. Not a crippling pain, as the Sith’s Force lightning, but very distracting. Her hand instinctively reached up, touching the wound, followed by a hiss from the Arkanian as she immediately retracted her fingers after briefly touching the burn. The skin in the injured place was the opposite of how it should be; instead of feeling the delicate touch of skin with soft flesh underneath she felt underneath her fingers every time she washed her face, she noted something crisp, something that did not belong on her face. All thoughts suddenly moved towards another being, the unconscious Sith. The hand unfortunate enough to lay upon the burn went down towards Elizie’s belt, unclipping a medpac, ready to give all the medical treatment they needed, but her efforts were cut short by the Jedi’s words carrying a warning.

Energy blast. The small medpac found itself attached back to the girl’s belt as she reached down for the Sith woman at the same time. Grabbing the collar, another hand placed under the woman’s belly, the Arkanian grunted in exhaustion as she slowly lifted the unconscious Sith up, crouching while doing so and letting the dead weight rest upon her shoulder. This would have been easier without knocking the Sith out in the first place, but who could have known this place was going to be destroyed so soon? Then again, carrying an unconscious Sith might be better than dragging one that is awake and trying to fight. If Elizie had learned something about them in all these years, it was that Sith were destructive – even at the cost of their own lives. The hatred for Jedi burned brighter than their fear of death – it simply went beyond the grave. Truth to be told, a small part of the Arkanian Jedi considered simply leaving the Sith to fall to her own machinations, but that wouldn’t have been the Jedi thing to do. The dark-haired woman was an enemy, but right now, she was also a defenceless prisoner. Elizie could not abandon her.

Slowly, the Padawan went after her teacher who had his hands full of the Verpine Jedi. It did not help the exhaustion from their duel refused to go away, quite the opposite. One could cut through the tension in the air, the desperation that filled the excavation site and surrounded the four figures, all somewhat limping their way back towards the exit. Always remaining two steps behind Master Karr, Elizie made her way through the tunnels she had passed through before, trying not to think about how much time remained in their pockets. It wasn’t until her eyes spotted a literal light at the end of the tunnel, a bright illumination that offered much more hope than any of the lamps on the way ever could. Pushing herself past her limits, ignoring the sharp pain that made its home in her legs, the teenage noble sped up, ears suddenly deaf and everything trembling as explosions ripped through the excavation site. Once outside, Elizie tossed herself down, throwing the Sith to the ground as well as a powerful shockwave washed over her back, hot air making her feel as if all of her body’s been burned by a lightsaber. The spot on her cheek hurt the most though!

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian collapsed outside the exit as well, the wave of air blasting him down. Glancing back he couldn't see far into the tunnel behind them and Kian wasn't sure if it was because the ceiling had collapsed or because of the plums of dust that hung in the air. As Kian rose to his feet, he heard the snap-hiss of a lightsaber igniting and Kian turned to see Jedi Pra'ct standing over the injured Sith, the blue lightsaber blade held up, poised to strike.

"Pra'ct....she's injured and unharmed." Kian said, calmly.

"She killed them all.....and she laughed." He spit out, on the verge of tears. Kian could feel the anger welling in him and he could sympathize....but this was not the way of the Jedi.

"Jedi do not kill unarmed, defenseless prisoners.....and you are a fine Jedi." Kian said, meaning the words. He'd known Jedi Pra'ct for several years now and wasn't about to let him make a mistake that he would have to live with for the rest of his life. Kian glanced back toward Elizie and signaled for her to secure the prisoner and then stepped directly forward so that he was standing in front of the Verpine Jedi.

"You're better than this." Kian said. "There is no emotion, there is peace!" Kian added and Pra'ct finally looked into Kian's goggled eyes. For a moment Kian thought Pra'ct was going to speak, but he said nothing. He lowered the blade and deactivated it and began to sob. Kian reached out and placed an arm on the Jedi's shoulder, giving him his support. Pra'ct had been through a lot in the past day it seemed.....he would need time at the academy to heal both physically and mentally.

Turning back toward Elizie, Kian smiled solemnly. "Its time to go." Kian said and began to make his way, slowly, back toward the ship, moving the broken Pra'ct with him.

[member="Elizie Adasca"]​

 

[Bubák]

“Uh,” the Arkanian Padawan grunted, desperately wishing for this to be over. With little strength inside her body, the cold ground she lied upon welcomed her like the most comfortable of beds. If only she could shut her eyes for just a minute, take a short nap! Ears continued to ring in an overpowering tune that played within her head, making the white-haired teenager completely oblivious to the Jedi igniting his lightsaber, intending to end the Sith’s life. Both women continued to adorn the ground, one unconscious, the other trying to stay awake. Not even the Light Side warned Elizie of the deadly danger hanging over the Sith’s head. Whether that was due to the Padawan’s life not being in danger or because of the Arkanian’s weakened state will never be revealed, but whatever the case, it was good Master Karr still held enough strength to speak, to think and find a way out of this situation. Finding whatever strength remained in her bones and pushing herself up, the Padawan absent-mindedly touched the burn on her cheek, ignoring her surroundings for a moment as the ringing became a soft whistle that was soon joined by the subsided sounds that slowly started finding their way into her ears again. Turning to the two other Jedi, the Padawan raised her eyebrows in worry, her mind trying to collect what happened to assess the situation as quickly as possible with the possibility of having to act any second.

Her teacher’s words sounded strangely muffled and it took Elizie a second to truly comprehend they were not meant for her anyway, unlike the movement of his hand. The Sith. A polite nod was followed by putting restrains on the woman, just in time as the Sith appeared to be regaining her lost consciousness. Yellow eyes slowly opened, looking around, yet they showed no sign of hostility. For now, the Padawan contributed it to the shock combined with head trauma, coupled with the real possibility of the Sith waiting for the right moment to break free. At least she walked on her own now, Elizie’s hand that firmly rested on her shoulder guiding her towards the Jedi ship.

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Enroute to Ossus

Once they had returned to the ship, Kian and Elizie had seen to securing the Sith in the hold until their return to Ossus. Once they arrived there, they would be able to hand her over to the Republic Military for her crimes. Kian was sure that she would go through thorough interrogations regarding her operations and the Shadows would likely be a big part of that. Kian had then deposited Jedi Pra'ct in the medical bay where he was being seen to by the medical droid.

Kian now knelt on the floor of the training room once more, his eyes closed and the aching in his body slowly but surely fading away. They had been through a lot in the past few hours and Kian hoped that Elizie had seen to her injuries. Kian reached his hand up and the large saberstaff that lay on the floor in front of him lifted into the air.

​

All Pra'ct had said when Kian took the weapon from him that it was likely the saberstaff of the famed Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan. Kian was surprised to find that the weapon looked so similar to the weapons of today. It seemed odd that the weapons of the Jedi had changed so much in the millennium since their conception. Although, this weapon was far more ornate than those wielded by most Jedi, likely a sign of the rank of the Jedi who wielded it.

As the hilt landed in Kian's hand he thumbed the two ignition buttons and watched as the blue plasma blades sprung from both ends of the hilt. It was a large hilt and Kian felt the balance of it for a few moments before deactivating the blades. Kian wasn't one for saberstaves, but he had to admit that it was a beautiful weapon. The question was.....what to do with it?

Kian sat the hilt back down and took another deep breath as he awaited the arrival of his apprentice.