Outside the Emperor's Gaze

Eccles · Sep 23, 2017

It seemed not even the self-proclaimed Dark Lord knew the actual irrelevance of Rhen Var. A planet that became the dueling ground of Dark Lords not because it had any meaning to the Sith Order, but because years ago a non-force sensitive Dark Lord had been the planet's Moff. It should be a painful reminder of how the Sith allowed themselves to be ruled over by an impostor, one that the Emperor himself had to dispose because others had been too weak. The Governor of Coruscant had fought Sith Marauders while in service of the Republic and while he was eventually beaten and re-educated by the Empire, his memories had remained intact even though his body had since aged and lost the fitness of a military man functioning in operational capacity. He knew what the Force could do in a battle, but he didn't care to be frightened.

Some had said it was pathetic that no one from the Sith Order had dared to challenge Darth Ruin to dismiss the latter's ridiculous claim, but none of them including Ruin himself were privy to higher level Imperial intelligence. The truth was that Ruin would not survive the month, regardless of how he fared on Rhen Var, for there were many challengers waiting in line. A HoloNet address to interfere with programming throughout Sith Space was a thing not easily accomplished, for most communication lines outside of the Galactic Core were dependent on Imperial beacons that could not be hacked at a distance. The Insurgency had managed to get through for a single minute before getting cut off. Sey didn't know how upstarts like Ruin or Fenris were able to make these transmission from the Outer Rim, something he guessed wouldn't be possible for another thousand years still. "Moff DeWitt,"

Sey turned to the military attaché from Echo Company, "He's on his way." The attaché nodded, "Should be any moment now." The stands of the Rhen Var arena were empty and the skies above showed no Imperial ships of war in orbit. Neither the Moff of Coruscant nor the self-proclaimed Dark Lord of the Sith held enough traction within the Empire to warrant an audience. Sey knew that not even the Emperor would be watching, for he was looking at Ziost instead. Inside the arena stood just attaché and the Moff in his [surl=http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?threads/sith-empire-technology.64216/#post-1323657]Redoubt-class Armor[/surl]. A [surl=http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?threads/kageb%C5%8D.64612/]Kagebo Mag-Staff[/surl] was separated into the parts and fastened to his back, just above the lightsaber he had taken from a fallen Sith on Bandomeer. He held a [surl=http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?threads/systech-aural-blaster.72950/]Systech Aural Blaster[/surl] and a [surl=http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?threads/sp-30-suppressed-blaster-pistol.74502/]SP-30[/surl] in his hands, but hadn't cared about bringing extra magazines. He expected the Sith to be a coward and refuse to take him on in close quarter combat, in which case a rifle wouldn't make any difference.

A snowstorm was developing around them and the sub-zero temperature was already beginning to get through the Redoubt armor to chill Sey's toes and limbs. Darth Ruin better not be late.

@Apollyon

Apollyon · Sep 24, 2017

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Assumptions of Ruin's lack of power swirled throughout the Empire, questions concerning how legitimate his claim to the title of Darth much less Dark Lord circulated the Sith Order. Everyone had forgotten a simple fact, Ruin had earned the title of Darth, he ripped it from Reign's dead grasp. However, Ruin wasn't phased by these facts, his duel against Reign had been viewed by Acolytes and a sparse few marauders but no real Sith dignitaries had paid the two feuding Sith Lords any heed.

This was paired with the fact that Ruin hadn't done anything to directly effect the Empire, yet. Instead, the Sith Lord had been building alliances and investing time in individuals to build something lasting, something greater then mere planetary destruction or grandiose shows of power. Instead, Ruin had begun to build bridges that down the road could potentially lead to an unstoppable force being birthed into the galaxy, all he needed was time.

Perhaps that was the reason why Ruin's declaration of supremacy fell upon deaf ears, perhaps the only reason this Moff DeWitt paid him any heed was because he had been misguided. Darth Ruin didn't skitter away from Moff DeWitt, he didn't hide from the Imperial just as he never ran from Darth Reign, he came to meet and defeat the man on Rhen Var. It was with that determination in mind that Darth Ruin stepped from his ship onto the frigid planet of Rhen Var, Ruin's piloting droid stayed aboard his ship, he hadn't brought guards or "acolytes", it was just him.

Ruin slowly trudged his way through the thick snow until he came about twenty meters away from the man, his adversary. Wrapped beneath the thick brown woolen cloak, was Ruin's golden armor and upon his belt sat his twin lightsabers and a Sunspear blaster pistol. Despite the heat provided by his body glove, Ruin still felt the frigid grasp of Rhen Var in his fingers and toes. However, the Darth allowed the cloak to fall from his shoulders and his lightsaber was called to his hand, it's golden blade activating in a single sinister hiss.

Darth Ruin recognized the weapons upon the Moff's back, practical tools but they lacked the reach his lightsaber provided by nearly a foot and a half. Aside from DeWitts blaster rifles and whatever functions his armor might have, Ruin knew this was a tilt in his favor. Even as Ruin wordlessly gave Moff DeWitt a duelist's salute and a slight nod of respect towards the man, he kept his eyes locked upon him, his senses extended, and his body prepared to react to anything the Moff might throw at him.

"Come then darling, let's get this messy business out of the way." Ruin thought to himself as he watched his opponent's figure through the haze of snowfall.

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Eccles · Sep 25, 2017

Sey watched as Darth Ruin stopped at the twenty meters distance and gave him a duelist's salute. The Moff of Coruscant frowned underneath his snow-covered helmet as he didn't quite understand why the Sith would be so cautious fighting a retired Legion officer nearing his forties."Get lost," he told his military attaché for he didn't need to see his colleague getting his head chopped off.

The snow storm was quickly increasing in severity, making it difficult for Sey to see his opponent's sillouette, something he knew Darth Ruin would have much less trouble with on account of his Force sensitivity. Not being one to tarry or beat around the bush, the Coreworld governor aimed his SP-30 pistol at the fading sillouette and fired once. Thanks to a twenty years of military service a snowstorm wouldn't prevent him from hitting center mass with that single bolt from his blaster pistol. Luckily the Darth's lightsaber worked as a beacon in the storm.

@Apollyon

Apollyon · Sep 26, 2017

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The severity of the storm began to intensify, it obscured Ruin's vision and caused the figure of Moff DeWitt to become more obscured then it had been. As the white sheet began to cascade around him a dark blue flash flickered to life in the direction the Moff had been standing at before the storm had caused his form to disappear almost entirely. Ruin, being a skilled practitioner of Soresu and Djem So, reacted instinctively, bringing his lightsaber blade upwards to intercept the bolt and send it flying back towards it's point of origin. The Moff would have to react to the bolt suddenly returning to him or risk taking damage from his own attack and due to the depth of the snow that had been building up it would be difficult to run, he likely would have to roll or leap out of the way. That moment of broken line of sight, that would be an opportunity that Ruin wouldn't waste.

After the shot had been deflected Ruin would deactivate his lightsaber, causing the beacon that revealed his presence to fade from existence and he would force his feet to move him towards his right, DeWitt's left in a circular fashion. As he did this, Ruin would send his second lightsaber, unactivated, in an arc off to his left, DeWitt's right. The hilt measuring at 11 inches would be difficult, if not impossible to track in the middle of the severe snowstorm they had been caught in and due to the howling winds, hearing the hilt as it cut through the air would be nearly impossible. The hilt of the weapon was sent on a collision course with DeWitt, aimed to hit him between the knee and his ankle.

Once Ruin had moved a few steps in the opposite direction he had sent the blade he activated his lightsaber to draw the Moff's attention back to him. Once the hilt reached 3.5-4 feet from the Moff's position the blade would be telekinetically activated, the weapon would impale his legs, and eliminate the man's ability to move. Should the Moff manage to evade the blade, the hilt would simply return in it's active state to Ruin's open and awaiting hand which was down and by his side. Even as Ruin moved and mentally guided the blade towards where he had last sensed his opponent, he kept his eyes peeled and his senses focused on DeWitt's signature, he intended to make this a brief encounter.

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Eccles · Sep 28, 2017

Sey watched how his blaster bolt was deflected back to him and how Darth Ruin's lightsaber suddenly vanished. Fearing a devious attack, the Moff of Coruscant walked forward and shot five bolts of which the first was two meters right of where he had seen Ruin's lightsaber and the last two meters to the left. If the Sith was still relatively close he'd have to use his lightsaber to deflect the badly visible bolts, which would no doubt break any conscious Force use that he may have been planning.

The deflected bolt him in the chest immediately after he fired those shots. It felt as if the air was punched out of him with an impressive fist to the ribs, which no doubt would leave some bruising. Still, he knew it was best not to focus on such defenses and let the Sith do whatever he wanted. With the change of movement and after forcing the Sith to react, his flying lightsaber hilt would not only not hit the Moff, but Ruin would most likely not be able to keep focus on it in order to return it to his hand.

Despite the pain in his chest, Sey continued to walk forward as he switched his SP-30 from the right to his left hand, dropping the aural blaster and took his own lightsaber in the right. He was still a decent shot with his left, which was good enough at this range. "Let me show you-" he yelled through the snowstorm, "That the Imperial Legion trains the better duelist!" It was a clear invitation to a lightsaber duel, which he hoped the Darth was arrogant enough to accept.

@Apollyon

Apollyon · Sep 30, 2017

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Ruin saw a muted flash of dark blue ripple across the white backdrop of the snowstorm. Instinctively, Ruin activated his lightsaber and rose to defend himself but there was nothing. For the briefest of moments there was just the vast emptiness and howling winds of Rhen Var and then four brilliant flashes.

Ruin scarcely had the time to telekinetically throw his lightsaber in order to react to the oncoming shots. Unlike earlier, Ruin was not able to perfectly send the short volley back with precision. Instead, Ruin estimated where DeWitt's positioning would be and angled his blade to deflect the shots back at what Ruin assumed was the man's position.

As the final shot was sent screaming back at DeWitt, forcing him to halt his charge and evade or meet a death at his own hand, Ruin reached out with the Dark Side, the weapon from his belt was ripped free and leaped to his hand. Ruin's secondary lightsaber, gripped in his right hand was held in a reverse grip the the blade held in a downward, diagonal angle across his body. Meanwhile, Ruin's primary lightsaber, gripped in his left hand was held with a bent arm with the pommel of the hilt at his waist; the blade of the weapon aimed at an upwards angle. Ruin would maintain his reversed grip on his secondary weapon until DeWitt reached him. Then, with the threat of ranged assault eliminated, would the Sith Lord return to a standard hammer grip.

With his contrasting blades were ignited, Ruin stood ready. However, he never responded verbally to the Moff's challenge, instead he simply sent a singular telekinetic message.

"Come then DeWitt, let us be done with this."

Ruin stood ready to react to the Moff's actions, as the Dark Side swirled around him and surged through his veins, and caused Ruin to sense the DeWitt's position despite the blinding storm. However, even as Ruin stood ready he had a feeling this would be the bout that would bring either DeWitt or himself to finality.

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Eccles · Oct 8, 2017

Darth Ruin revealed his presence almost instantaneously after Sey had fired those shots and as the latter dropped the aural blaster into the snow the deflected bolts flew passed him at mere inches. Due his movement and the poor visibility due to the weather the split second estimation the Darth had made of his location hadn't been perfect and he had quite simply missed.

The near misses prompted Sey to up his tempo into a light trot and as he yelled his invite he ignited the red lightsaber in his right hand. Ruin's telekinetic words were like the howling of the wind as the Governor of Coruscant diverted his charge to the Sith Lord's left as he aimed his SP-30 at his opponent's left side and emptied the power pack at close range. His aim was directed at the lower half of the hilt in Ruin's left hand and if the Sith Lord wanted to deflect it he had to either move the lightsaber in his left down, opening himself up to Sey's own lightsaber, or swing the lightsaber in his right upwards and cut off his own left hand. Either way, he wouldn't have time to think of some fancy answer, no tricks could be played where one had less than a second to decide.

The Moff would swing his own lightsaber at Ruin's left shoulder, pivoting as it were to face the self-proclaimed Dark Lord of the Sith.

@Apollyon

Apollyon · Oct 11, 2017

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DeWtitt charged head long towards Ruin, his lightsaber activated and gripped in his right hand while his blaster pistol fired roughly at Ruin's left hip. In response, Ruin brought his left blade down slightly and angled the slant towards his right, this allowed the blade to catch the blaster bolts fired at him. As he did this, Ruin returned the saber in his right hand to a hammer grip, brought his weapon inward towards DeWitt as the man got closer. The slash was aimed upwards, designed to slice through his opponent's forearm between the wrist and elbow.

It was at this point, when the pair were in striking distance that Ruin would allow his armor to defend against the blaster bolts sent his way. Ruin instead brought his left weapon into a low slash as well bringing the blade upward from his right thigh, groin, before finally emerging from DeWitt's left hip. As this occurred, Ruin lowered his body slightly to the right to give him slightly more time before Dewitt's blade made impact and strafed slightly forward in a counter-clock wise fashion; this caused almost a rotary effect, . The intent was to counter through a hole in DeWitt's offense, which was leaving his center of mass wide open to attack. By cutting through DeWitt's saber arm, Ruin would essentially neuter the man's ability to continue the fight and through his lower slash DeWitt would be find his fate sealed.

This was possible due to Ruin's stationary and defensive posture, while DeWitt's own assault was far more telegraphed as he came into view, charging forward through the thick snow five meters from Ruin's. While Ruin's counter offensive wasn't perfect and would likely result in two blaster shots rippling into the armor on his left side it would be very difficult, if not impossible for DeWitt with his arm posture, momentum, and lack of a central guard to find an answer for Ruin's own counter-offensive. This challenge would come to an end swiftly and decisively.

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Eccles · Oct 12, 2017

[OOC: This ending is approved by @Apollyon]

A single second sealed both their fates. Darth Ruin's armor was failing after sustaining two direct hits and when he cut off Sey's arm the latter aimed his blaster at the self-proclaimed Dark Lord's head and delivered a fatal headshot, but as he did that the Sith slashed him in two with his left lightsaber.

Both lifeless bodies fell down into the still increasing layers of snow. Their lifespans shortened by ambition just before their unmistakable talents were needed in the defense of the Empire. Their legacy forever overshadowed by the fall of their faction, their planets and their superiors. DeWitt had no time to regret his decision or watch his life pass by like in the Holomovies, instead he just experienced an intense pain and then nothing. The Governor of Coruscant was dead. The ordinary Imperial who refused to bow down to yet another Sith Lord's ambitions had to pay for it with his life. The fate of those that followed his example, those Imperials who proclaimed a split from Emperor Malon and the Sith Order since DeWitt's challenge of Darth Ruin, would hopefully be different than his.

[End Thread]

Outside the Emperor's Gaze

Eccles

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Apollyon

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Eccles

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Apollyon

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Eccles

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Apollyon

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Eccles

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Apollyon

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Eccles

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