Brotherly Love

[Captain Canuck]

(@Seiya you know how long I've waited to title a thread that?)

The Peacekeeper loomed above the planet Mandalore. Most of those who would spot the massive starship would not see the entire thing. Most likely they would only see a section of it's gunmetal grey hull slowly passing over them. The ship was the pride of the Jedi Order. It was a symbol of their strength, of education, and of hope. Hope was the reason it was passing through Border Alliance territory. Many of these systems were under constant fire from the Sith, barely standing their ground in a war many still refused to acknowledge. They knew the threat of the Sith, and The Peacekeeper was here to show them they weren't alone. The Jedi would not abandon their plight, they were here and they would fight.

Mandalore was nothing more than a supply stop, even though the ship could hold months of food. Many of the Border Alliance planets were disorganized and even occupied with civil strife, but not Mandalore. They were safe and organized. This is the reason why Pollux Midwan was getting out of his bed early this morning. The Mandalore stop was a perfect place for him to take a carrier ship to the surface and explore a bit while they were restocking.

Within his personal chambers, Pollux readied himself for the trip. He adorned his beige tunic and brought the sashes hanging behind him over his shoulder and attached to his belt. He then proceeded to tightly wrap blue leather, so dense it was almost cord, around his arms and up to his elbow, over his tunic. After fixing his blonde hair, he was ready. As he walked out of his chambers and almost pressed the door button, he remembered his lightsaber. He darted to his small provided table and clipped the object to his belt. The lightsaber was a training saber, a borrowed piece of standard equipment. He wore it mostly out of pride, to bear the symbol of his order.

He entered the hall and slipped into the river of people flowing through the ship to the wing hangars. Pollux followed the bustling crowd and managed to secure a seat on a ship to the surface.

 

[Seiya]

Castor dropped out of hyperspeed and watched as the vessel drops from the flagship and enters the atmosphere below. In his Icarus class courier he trailed behind, out of sight. As he saw the cities and towns scattered along the planet's surface, it made him feel almost nostalgic, and with his brother so close in the other ship he felt almost homely even though he was still so far away. The Sith dropped into the landing bay of the city, only a row down from his brothers, sure he would go un-noticed for the time being.

Taking a breath, the Sith trailed down the rows of ships and looked upon his brothers. If not for all the people nearby he would attack him on the spot, or at least greet him however it was too risky, and Castor would be forced to wait, and to trail him. However Castor reached the planet long after Pollux, and in order to find out his where abouts the young Sith closed his eyes, reaching out to his emotions, and the darkness. He quickly felt his brother, as if it was there the whole time however in the crowds he was impossible to pinpoint. Castor only made his way in the direction of where he sensed his beloved brother, wearing nothing but his dark robes, he did not wear his hood. His only weapon seemed to be the lightsaber clipped on his belt. Following closely behind him was his small TI-87 droid, however it stayed out of the way and was only there to assist Castor, and his goal to make his brother his apprentice.

He understood the challenge would be quite apparent, but Castor has trained hard for this moment, and would not lose it so easily. He was sure that some good would come out of the day, and that his brother would second guess the Jedi Order. The naive Sith was sure his brother would join him, and not betray the bond they had together.

 

[Captain Canuck]

"Someone just walked over my grave..." Pollux muttered. An unease crept over him, the likes of which he had never felt before. It was as if a great shadow was creeping over him, breathing down his neck while he walked along the citizens, vulnerable as a sleeping child. Little did the padawan know how correct the description was. It tickled his insides and pricked his brain, it was impossible not to pay attention to the feeling.

His mind raced through the possibilities. Was it the unfamiliar environment? No, he had been to new planets before and none had had this effect. A hidden assailant? He was a padawan, not a Genera. He needed to check his ego if he thought there was a Sith after him. The crowd of people? Jedi gave off force signatures like large flames, each with their own unique color, intensity, and characteristics. In comparison, citizens were like warm coals. Alas, enough coals gathered together could imitate a fire. Pollux turned out of the river of people, farther from his unseen stalker, and he became more at ease. The street he turned down was less populated as he passed by dilapidated houses, abandoned factories, and 24-hour cantina's.

 

[Seiya]

"You have a right to be afraid..." A metallic voice, from only inches behind Pollux' shoulder. One so familiar to him that it could ignite chills, far greater than what he felt before. The feeling of the looming shadow only grew heavier around Pollux, freezing him in place. If his Jedi training was correct, he would face his fear and turn around. But when doing so, there was no Sith, only an empty street with a bum holding a bowl out before him.

The masked Sith, eager to reunite with his brother checked the street once more, only to see his slightly taller, and more matured brother standing far down the road, confused and mislead. The Sith spared him the suspense, and walked out from behind the under-crowded cantina, no lightsaber in hand but instead his tightly bound fingers uncoiled from his fists as he stood before his brother, far down the road. The dark figure, with a white stained metal mask was silent but quite obviously an enemy to the Jedi. His stance was assertive and strict, his shoulders back and his right arm stretched out slightly in front of him. His index finger pointed out at the Jedi just before a raspy, metallic voice spoke loudly through what was almost like a broken radio speaker to distort the voice. "Your time has come, Padawan."

 

[Captain Canuck]

Like opened floodgates, the feeling returned all at once. It's presence alone almost knocked him off his feet. Words like wet rocks sliding over each other whispered into one ear. "You have a right to be afraid..." The words reached through his ears and gripped his soul. Even Pollux, a padawan, knew these were no more vocal noises. There was something deeper. It was like as if fear itself was speaking. He should have trusted his instinct, because it was obvious now.

Pollux was being attacked.

The Jedi knew he was likely less experienced than his assailant, and had very few advantages. One of the few was the element of surprise. He flipped his lightsaber into a reverse grip and lit it going behind him, as to pierce through his assailant. It buzzed to life and he flipped around to face him... but only found empty air each time. His head swept from side to side frantically, this was not his ideal situation. He had no knowledge whatsoever. Who was his assailant? What were his abilities? Why was he attacking him?

"Your time has come, Padawan."

Pollux quickly flipped his lightsaber and pointed it at the assailant with his other hand folded across his chest, a classic starting pose for Form V: Niman. Perhaps if the assailant saw his clear knowledge of the form, he would take him more seriously? He watched as the figure entered the street. Pollux guessed him to be about his age (Give or take ;D) and by the way he walked, much better trained than he was.

“Do not act hastily, for it is only you who will suffer.” Pollux frowned. “You dare attack a Jedi on the planet The Peacekeeper is docked? This city is crawling with Jedi Knights and Generals! Walk away now, and spare yourself.”

 

[Seiya]

“Do not act hastily, for it is only you who will suffer.” Pollux frowned. “You dare attack a Jedi on the planet The Peacekeeper is docked? This city is crawling with Jedi Knights and Generals! Walk away now, and spare yourself.”

"Oh how you've grown.." The Sith began walking forward, slowly allowing himself to get closer to Pollux and fix the gap he had made between them. As he did so, he slowly reached for the lightsaber on his belt, unclipping it so that he could grip it tightly within his right hand. He twirled it once, showing off slightly before igniting the blade of light, casting a light green hue around himself and the lowly lit area around. Castor stood before his brother, smiling lightly under his mask, and thinking to himself how he missed his brother so. But he did not reflect long, taking a familiar stance before his brother, Shien.

Castor knew even though his brother seemed to be weaker, he had to weaken his guard in order to truly use his force abilities. So preferring a lightsaber he lunged forward with full guard, getting himself dangerously close to Pollux before swinging at him only to lock his saber with the Pollux's blade, as if to test his true physical strength, which seemed to match his own, which was a surprise to Castor. But nonetheless he was confident in himself and struck at his brother furiously, and with one harsh jab keeping one hand free he attempts to stab right through Pollux's chest, sure he would put up some kind of resistance, but the Sith was a curious one and wanted to see how much his brother had changed over the years.

 

[Captain Canuck]

Pollux only locked for a moment, testing his opponents strengths before leaving the situation. He stabbed and tested the assailant's reflexes, which were as quick as Pollux could imagine. The assailant would probably notice that Pollux's lightsaber seemed to be low on batteries, dull and less bright. Pollux guarded against the stab, their blades sliding along each other as the stab missed him. He slashed with one hand rapidly before pushing out his other in a hasty force push.

 

[Seiya]

The Sith was sent flying back, his heels dragged along the floor but his guard remained solid and strict, any sudden attacks would likely not be taken by surprise. Holding his saber with his left hand, powering it off, Castor after recovering from the push stepped forward once again in such a way that it might send shivers down the spine of his enemy and send the hairs on his neck to stand still. He stood tall and looked unaffected from the force push that sent him back and as he walked forward, proud and full of obvious determination he stretched his left arm forward once again. Casting out all of his index fingers, out of range of Pollux' saber, he with intense concentration sends a mighty wave of electricity through his forearm and then each of his fingertips. The wave shot out intensely and gave little time to react.

 

[Captain Canuck]

Pollux frantically swiped his lightsaber through the stream, not knowing what to do in the face of the cackling threat. His training saber failed and lighting arced through his body, lighting up every pain sensor he had. He fell to the ground and writhed, but his limbs movements were beyond his control. He let out a shrill cry, longing for the unknown moment of relief.

 

[Seiya]

"You need a teacher.. you are weak." The Sith pressed the words on his younger brother who now lay dormant on the floor reveling in pain. And with the victory the Sith took a few steps closer, gently swiping his hand forward and sending the training saber out of reach of his brother with a small force push. Towering over Pollux, Castor leaned over slightly to get a better look at his face. "I can teach you the ways of the dark side, and together we can conquer the galaxy.. Putting an end to both the Jedi, and the Sith. We can make balance in this galaxy, if we work together. Refuse however, and I won't hesitate to kill you, and rule this dreadful galaxy myself." The Sith gripped his saber, and allowed the end to impact the floor just beside Pollux's head, igniting sparks and small flames in the various scraps of hay and other dry material laying around.

 

[Captain Canuck]

"Balance..." Pollux chuckled. "You speak of something you know nothing of. You are Sith. You pillage, destroy, and molest landscapes without heed. I am Jedi. I protect those who cannot defend themselves against you. The Jedi cannot exist without the Sith. That is balance."

Seeing as he already refused the Sith's offer he slumped backwards and settled on top of his legs, in a kneeling position. Lesser, emotion fueled men might panic, but not Pollux. Pollux was always calm, even in the face of death. He has accepted his fate. "If you wish to kill me, then do so. But allow me my last wish. Do... Do you know my brother Castor?" Pollux gripped a fist and his eyes began to water. "H-He's a Sith too. He's a Sith but I love him. He's the only blood I've got. Does he worry about me? Does he talk about me? Does he even care anymore? My wish is that I do not die in ignorance of those answers."

 

[Seiya]

The Sith remained still for a moment, staring through his metal mask, and breathing lightly through the speakers. "I killed him, for he was weaker than even you." And with that, the Sith raised his saber up high above Pollux, and remained still, as if preparing himself to do this deed, it was unlike any Sith to hesitate, but this one did. And as he brought the blade of light downwards, interested in cutting right through the skull, he missed and the blade collided with the ground and ignited a cloud of fiery sparks once again. This would more than likely give the padawan enough of a chance to truly damage his enemy.

 

[Captain Canuck]

"You killed him?!" Pollux's face turned red and tears flew down his face, but his expression remained one of pure fury. "He was my brother! You bastard!!" The Jedi let his emotion guide his hand and pull the force to him. As he reached his hands back, the air around the distorted and warped. He threw them forward, and let loose an unstoppable torrent of force energy. Dust from the ground was kicked up and sent with it, allowing its movements to be better seen. If the attack hit the stranger, it would easily pick him up off his feet and throw him through the nearest wall. Pollux stood panting, hunched forward. He was a different person as he held out a hand and called his lightsaber to it

 

[Seiya]

The ignorant Sith knew there was nothing he could do as he noticed the force directed towards him. The force would push him right threw the sandstone wall of the now closed Cantina, knocking the wind out of him instantly. It would crumble rather easily, and be penetrated quickly. The Sith being thrown like a rock smashes against a variety of chairs and knocks over a total of two tables before eventually settling on the ground, seemingly unconscious for more than a few moments, eventually sitting up and shaking his head. Having lost his red saber in the crash, he reached into his dark black robes to pull out a saber familiar to Pollux, Shin's.

Sitting among rubble and broken glass, the Sith looked up to see his now weakened brother before him, just on the other side of the now obliterated wall. Quickly though, the Sith noticed a sharp pain straining in his right thigh, a large shard of glass became lodged inside as he was tumbling through the air, and now prevented him from standing up fully. This would give Pollux time to recover from his mighty attack, and also would render the Sith weak and almost powerless to defend himself. With one small chant, and a few mumbles the Sith tucked away the saber and stretched out the both of his arms, spreading all his fingers in Pollux's general direction. After his previous attack however, it would take time to charge this one. "The darkness is already strong with you... You can become unbelievably strong. Let me teach you Pollux, before I am forced to end your life.." He stalls, knowing he cannot defeat him with little strength left.

 

[Captain Canuck]

"You took that lightsaber from Castor!" Pollux fumed, but had little energy with which to channel his anger. "That's rightfully mine! Damnit, who are you anyway?!" As he calmed down, Pollux became more like himself. "Why do you want me? Why not another Jedi? Come to sever the Midwan bloodline? If you wanted an apprentice, Castor would have been no different than I."

 

[Seiya]

The Sith let out a deep sigh, and with that he lifted his unpowered right palm to his mask, and slowly lifted it from his face and dropped it to the floor. Castor stared forward with obvious shame in his expression. He was in pain and unable to focus on an attack, either way he was unable to bring himself to kill his brother Pollux. "I hate you..." He lies to himself, and rips the shard of glass from his leg using a gesture with his finger. He screeched between his teeth. "If I kill you, I can become so much stronger than either of us can imagine. You are holding me back from unlocking my true potential. If you are not with me, then you are against me." With that, he stood up slowly, gripping the saber with his left hand while he limped slowly forward towards his brother, holding his saber forward in preparation for yet another duel.

 

[Captain Canuck]

"What? You- Castor..." It dawned on Pollux the motives of his brother's strange actions during the duel. "Brother! Stop this!" He held out a hand, desperate for him to stop. "Why did you hide yourself from me? Castor, we can be together! We can train and live together again! Promise!" Pollux held his arms out to the side, showing his disinterest in dueling. "Please brother... We don't have to fight." He begged for armistice, but something told him that Castor would force him to battle soon.

 

[Seiya]

Castor looked away from the gaze of his brother, his saber was lowered but he continued walking forward. He seemed to be disinterested in fighting himself for only a moment before he snapped out of it, and stared more intently at his enemy, and brother. With that, he stopped just in front of his brother and stared at his extended arm. He knew that he himself was beaten, but he also assumed there was only one choice. Since he already betrayed the Jedi, there was no going back and he would have to kill his loyal Jedi brother. With one aggressive and harsh attack he betrayed his brother once again, and slashed quickly at the arm that was extended out for him to take. "You are nothing to me.. Not anymore!" He shouted in rage as he swung furiously.

 

[Captain Canuck]

The lightsaber cut a thick slice into his arm that was too slow to avoid it. He backpedaled and stumbled, falling onto his arm. Since he grabbed his arm, he had to drop his lightsaber hand. With a curse, he cradled his bad arm to his stomach and held out his lightsaber in one hand, slashing at Castor broad and across his chest.

 

[Seiya]

"I do not care about you! I do not worry... and you are not my brother, not anymore. From now on, you are my enemy." With a loud yell, Castor forced his arms forward and in his palms accumulated a warped orb, one that seemed to bend spacetime, with it electricity bursted with life within and like an aura it surrounded the orb, almost as soon as it was conjured the Sith cast it forward with all his might, as if in spite of his brother's previous attack on him. It would be quick, and in Pollux's condition, and at such a close range it would be extremely difficult to dodge.