Duel in the Dunes

[Force_In_Balance]

@StarWriter

Spoiler: Inciting Thread

Here

Awaiting a point in the growing conflict where he felt the need to participate, Vetas nonetheless sat in meditation as the battle between Darth Ragnorik's forces and the Tusken Raiders commenced into a full-fledged slaughter. The waves of pain and death emanating from the clashing armies only feeding his deep, brooding focus as his perceptions spread outward. Even from within the hull of the transport, currently lilting lazily around the area just around the encroaching battle, the feeling was exhilarating. Suddenly, a brief flicker of force energy, wholly separate from the battle itself, caught his attention for a mere moment. Then, over his com-link he heard a panicked tone of voice "Man down, avalanche, South side canyon, requesting med-evac!" At the reception of this signal, Vetas saw his opportunity to do his duty to the Brotherhood and signaled the pilot, setting the transport en route for the source of the distress signal. After a brief flight, Vetas now found himself soaring over the canyon Tycho had launched his ambush from. The shuttle, however, elected to go to the outside of the canyon to the flat sands of the dune sea. By now, Vetas could easily sense the Jedi below and as the troopers began to harness themselves in to descend, he extended an arm to halt them "No. I shall handle this." The troopers paused, seemingly conflicted for a brief moment before they hesitantly answered "A-As you wish my lord."

Barely having listened to the troopers, Vetas then jumped from the transport to the ground below. Using the Force to cushion his fall telekinetic-ally. Though he could not see the Jedi, this would be only moments after Tycho began ransacking their speeders. Vetas sighed, feeling his second full-length lightsaber, his shorter variant, and his three EMP grenades were all firmly in place in the folds of his cloak he then nodded and began to walk into the canyon. However, he did not do so passively. No. Instead, Vetas reached out with the Force, sensing for the Jedi as he slowly, calmly strode forward. The vast bulk of his focus on his use of the Force in this instance, and proceeded to launch a telepathic assault on Tycho. Admittedly, Vetas was no master of the art but he was skilled, and Tycho, if he could properly focus his senses through the assault on his mind, would easily be able to pick out the beacon of Dark Side energy Vetas would become by doing this. As Vetas launched his mental assault, a deafening screech of agony would assail his senses. Cold, rasping words as if spoken by death themselves would echo and reverberate at the edge of Tycho's senses as a weight would attempt to settle over and fog his mind. As if a Gundark had gripped his skull and was attempting to crushit between it's hands. The words alternating between a cold, insane whisper and nails on a chalkboard as it spoke. 'Death comes for you... JEDI. Flee while you can, pray to the Force for mercyyyyy! For you will find none here!' Keeping just a tiny bit of focus on his actual perceptions, Vetas still could not see the Jedi in question, but could sense he was getting closer, and after a few short twists in the canyon, Tycho would come into view.​

 

[StarWriter]

For a brief instant his plan seemed to go off splendidly, having managed to trap the scouting party beneath rocks so he could freely reallocate their equipment for his own purposes. Tycho should have expected as much when the roar of the ship that passed above the canyon filled his ears as it echoed through the mountains. Karabast.

Quickly the Jedi would take what he needed from the speeder, a pair of heavy Mandolorian blasters, a blaster rifle, several fragmentation grenades and varied explosives that he was able to carry to his speeder before he felt a cold chill down his spine and across his senses. The viscous sensation was unmistakable, the Dark Side. Suddenly his worst fear had come to pass. He had been discovered by the Sith. Even if he managed to survive this encounter they would know that a jedi walked the dunes of Tatooine.

For a brief moment Tycho felt his body tense in fear as he felt the icy grasp of that voice in his mind. Thus far in his life as a Jedi, every instance he had met the Sith he had been forced to retreat, or was vastly outmatched and only survived by the aid of his Master or another. But not this day. As that voice echoed in his mind he knew precisely what it was, for the Sith was skilled in the mental ways of the Force. But Tycho excelled at them. That deafening screech was nothing more than a whisper as he focused him mind and the Sith would find a imposing wall barring his way into the Jedi's mind.

Before he saw him with his eyes, he could feel precisely where the taint of the Dark Side was, the Sith gave his position away. Tycho moved away from his speeder to stand near the center of the canyon as the Dark Side user came into view, he stood his ground, boots planted firmly into the hard packed dirt. "Death comes for us all, in time. If you think yourself to be death herself, Sith, then your hubris will be your undoing."

The instant the Sith came into view he would lock his gaze on the man and draw on his considerable knowledge to return the telepathic assault with the full strength and skill he had spent long years honing. These were among his greatest strengths in the Force. Where Vetas' assault had been a deafening screech, Tycho's would be the roar of an engine. A psychic flashbomb set of at and within the Sith's mind to disorient and debilitate.

"My mind is stronger than yours." He would say simply, his skill in this regards was greater than Veras'. Tycho might have told him to leave, or let him leave but the words would be futile, the breath to utter them wasted. The only way he was going to get out of this was to flee, or to beat him. And with an entire ship somewhere nearby he had little chance or hope of escaping as long as the Sith could pursue.

Tycho would have to stand his ground for now. To that end, if the Sith was disoriented even in the slightest by his telepathic assault, he would reach out with the Force at the rocks he'd loosened earlier and attempt to bury the Sith beneath another avalanche.

 

[Force_In_Balance]

Vetas' eyes hardened beneath his mask as Tycho not staunchly defied his mental assault, but attempted to return the mental pressure back unto himself. Vetas paused his forward advance, the sudden shift of attention and power of his Jedi adversary making the once surprise-attack by the Sith begin to turn slowly in the Jedi's favor. It quickly becoming obvious that, in this particular field, the Jedi possessed a prodigious aptitude. Hardening his mind, Vetas stood but a mere 12 meters from his adversary, their minds exchanging blows of an unseen nature for a brief moment. Strangely enough, the Jedi cut his more favorable realm of engagement as soon as Vetas faltered, rather than attempting to push the advantage. This fact, coupled with the Jedi's earlier exertions in the Force making the previous avalanches, and the fact the Jedi was the one who had to telepathically rebuff him from his "back foot" made the effect of his counter-attack lack-luster compared to what they would likely be had the situation been even-footed from the beginning. A brief haze enveloping Vetas' sight until he noted a few small rocks clatter from the canyon above him to the ground below.

Reacting with the quickness of a Force-User entering their fight-or-flight response, Vetas glanced upwards even as he took a few moments to gather Force energy into himself. Side-stepping a sizable rock that would have neatly smashed him into the sand, after being visually confident that no rock was going to come down on him in the half-second this would take, Vetas then utilizing his own exceptional skill in Telekinesis to propel himself forward in an incredibly fast Force dash. Easily bridging just over ten meters, and having taken extra care in putting a small effort into kicking up sand in front of himself into Tycho's face as he launched himself forward. In order to disrupt his opponent's sight of him. in the midst of his dash, Vetas would grab a light-saber from his belt, before igniting the blood red blade and standing just inside of effective light-saber range of his opponent. He then took a single, confident step forward in a Makashi dueling stance. His Force defenses raised and prepared, his footing sure, and his attention focused as he gave a simple nod to Tycho. His voice, from beneath his mask, echoed back on itself just a bit and was in a rather low, almost rumbling tone. "Well done, Jedi. Tell me, what is your name? I would know who it is I am about to slay."

@StarWriter

 

[StarWriter]

Halting the advance of the determined Sith was a victory in and of itself, for at least in regards to the initial, unseen battlefield the two Force users battled, he was the better. It became painfully obvious however in that breath where the Sith evaded the falling rocks and propelled himself towards the naive Jedi, that Tycho was not well versed when it came to dueling. He was far from inept at it, but the lack of experience showed in his choice to not press the advantage he had. In fact, the last true duel he had fought was against a Sith far more powerful than he. A Battle he had only lived through due to the intervention of his then master.

As he watched the Force wielder rush towards him he would brace himself eyes snapping closed and opening his senses as that sand was kicked up around him. Thankful for the cloth mask he always wore for it protected him from the dust and allowed him to breath without obstruction. The low hum of a lightsaber being ignited caught his hearing and with a reflexive motion he would grab the lightsaber from his right hip and activate it. The teal hue cast a stark contrast to the red emanating from his opponent's blade. Like the enemy before him, he raised his Force defenses and settled into the stance of the Shien form. Though he was trained in Makashi, Tycho was not overly skilled with it, his preferences had him focusing more attention on Shien and Niman. And while he could assume a counter stance to his foe, the decision to not stick with his strength and cause the avalanche rather than press the telepathic edge he had be lesson enough.

This was not a training duel in the safety of Tython, this Sith meant to test him and likely kill him. And for that he could ill afford to make any further mistakes.

As the dust cleared he would stare at the Sith, with a steely gaze.

"Why thank you. And here I thought all Sith had a complete lack of manners." He quipped uncharacteristically, remembering something he had learned from his master as a Padawan. "I'm Tycho Skyblade. And you will not be slaying me." He said defiantly.

The Jedi stood his ground, waiting, studying his foe, to see if he would make the first move and how. Slow, measured breaths caused his chest to rise and fall in steady rhythm. He was as ready as he was going to be.

@Force_In_Balance

 

[Force_In_Balance]

Vetas hummed at his opponent's answer, in truth there had once been a time in his life where Tycho's remark would have made him laugh even, but such a time for him had long since passed. Instead he merely nodded once more at Tycho's defiant tone, his expression inscrutable from behind his mask as he too studied his young opponent. He immediately recognized the Shien stance Tycho adopted, and found it rather odd. While he was distinctly aware of the dueling variant of Shien, and had indeed learned it to a high degree, he was surprised a Jedi did not implement such a form against blaster-wielding opponents. Nonetheless, with a small bending of his knees Vetas would lunge forward, being sure not to over-extend his arm as he delivered a swift feint of a stab at his opponent. His arm beginning the motion of extending like a coiled spring set to release, only instead for his arm to rotate instead of further extend itself once he saw Tycho begin to shift his guard. Wielding his singular blade right-handed, Vetas' hand and arm had turned in such that whereas at first his palm had faced upwards with his arm bent slightly. In this brief flicker of a second, Vetas had turned his hand the other way, with his palm facing downward and his arm drawing just a slight bit more toward his left side. Before he then delivered a back-handed slash from his left to his right, or his opponent's right to his left, instead of the direct stab his feint had made it out to be. In the meanwhile, vetas had taken to slowly gathering Force energy in his left hand, as his true focus was on his blade-work at the moment.

However, due to the nature of the technique employed, the blow carried little kinetic force. As such, it was very easy for Vetas to raise the blade slightly and bring his blade down in a second stroke. This one aiming from Tycho's left shoulder, down to his right hip, and carrying a bit more kinetic force. As his right arm went down almost half-way to his left hip, Vetas would then bring his left hand up almost against his chest. From this position, his left hand would be in the air over his right arm's inner elbow and he would deliver a decently potent force push to his opponent before now assuming a Djem-So stance.

@StarWriter

 

[StarWriter]

The lack of bravado in the man's demeanor was odd to be sure and a bit unexpected given that all of his encounters with his Dark Side kin had involved gloating, laughing or otherwise demonstrating their alleged superiority of Jedi. Instead Tycho was instantly put on the defensive as the man before him extended his weapon towards him in a shallow feint. In that instant the Jedi's forward leg would shift behind him, giving ground in order to give him more time to react to his opponents shifting strike. Tycho's lightsaber quickly moved to a diagonal black, while his wrist rotated so that as that back-handed slash came down towards his right side the Teal blade would be there to meet it. Ever so subtly moving in a fluid motion to redirect it out and away from his body.

But there was something else, as he studied his Sith counterpart his formidable gifts in telepathy garnered him a glimpse of a warning and his focus briefly shifted to note the man's left hand. This was not precognition, no, more precisely it was akin to a brawler being able to read his opponents punches before they struck. It was not perfect by any means and once the Sith realized this he might shore up his mind even further but as he noted the Force building in that hand, Tycho would begin to shift his feet. The leg that was now in front of him would suddenly sweep behind him, moving counter to the direction he was attempting to guide the other lightsaber away from him. His body beginning to rotate the same direction as his leg, like a dancer turning in a pirouette his left hand would grasp firm hold of the second lightsaber on his left hip. Sparking it to life, the blade angled to cover the exposed part of his back as he twirled away from the Sith and the force push that would blast at nothing but air.

Following the fluidity of his movement Tycho would turn the wrist of his right hand, bringing the full length of his lightsaber blade arcing towards Vetas' back and side in a back-handed strike. It carried with it the momentum of his rotating body, not expecting it to land if it did it would be a grievous wound. Moving under the assumption that his opponent was skilled enough to evade or block the agile counter, he would stop himself with a soft sweep of his foot into the sand, toes down, and face Veras' once more, this time with both single-handed lightsabers being wielded. Their blades held in a defensive posture of the Shien form.

"Apparently I was wrong about your manners. Or do you not have a name?" Tycho would say calmly, determination in the eyes that peered out over his mask.

 

[Force_In_Balance]

As Tycho pivoted around his attempt at a Force push, Vetas instinctively drew his blade back to a more centered stance. Before moving his blade to cover his left side, his own left foot moving back in order to brace himself for the impending clash of blades. As Tycho's attack was met with a determined,unyielding defense, Vetas then shoved his blade back out his left, Tycho's right, before bringing his blade up to rain a strong, firm and powerful Djem-So strike at Tycho's head. The sheer physical power behind the blow making parrying it an outright difficult task. In response to Tycho's pestering prods, Vetas spoke simply "Survive. Then I may tell you if we meet again."

Directly following his attempted attack, whether it was blocked, parried or actually penetrated the Jedi's defenses. Vetas would step back, once more readying his defenses. Tycho had unknowingly switched to the style of fighting, outside of tradition Niman, that Vetas knew the absolute most about. He himself was a master of the art of Jar-Kai and thus it would be in his best interest in order to lull Tycho into a sense of security with the form, which he could then exploit to his own advantage.

@StarWriter

 

[StarWriter]

Focus, be patient and survive. Words his master had oft said to him during training, and in battle. Focus on your opponent. Which he did as he faced the Sith once more he noted the strike aimed for his head and brought both sabers up in time to block the heavy handed strike. The loud screech of the blades connecting filled his ears and he stared into the eyes of his foe before he saw him step back and rally his defense once more. Tycho would do similarly, stepping back twice and circling around the other man a few paces just to reorient himself. It had been a while since he'd had to block a Falling Avalanche and had forgotten just how potent it could be. He would not make that mistake a second time.

Be Patient. Running his gaze over the Sith's stance he noted the form, recalled the power behind the blow he just blocked and inhaled the scent of burning fabric. At which point he realized the strike, while blocked had partially penetrated his defense enough for the red blade to scorch the robes on his left shoulder. There was no pain, for that he was thankful but it was a grim reminder of just how much danger he was in.

Survive. His master's words echoed by the Sith who taunted him. Yet he remained silent, keeping his focus on the foe in front of him. Tycho took a step closer, then another as he circled around him, and would reach out with the Force to test the man's defenses. Calling on a Niman technique he'd attempt to seize hold of the Sith and yank him off his feet and towards him with the Force. However the young Jedi would add his own twist into it, one he'd done several times in training, mixing it with his telekinetic lightsaber combat. The weapon in his left hand would float out of his grasp to remain where he was positioned so Tycho could grasp the other in both hands.

Given his opponents' knowledge and apparently equal skill with the same forms as him, he hoped the dark side user would either be caught off guard by the attempt, or merely humour him out of bravado or to use it against him as he might try to do. Regardless, he would heighten his reflexes and should the Sith be propelled towards him would sidestep quickly to his right. That singular blade would be brought across in a horizontal slash, whereas the telekinetically controlled weapon would slash vertically in the hopes that one of the blades might connect with his foe. It was risky and no matter the outcome he would roll away to his right after making that slash and round on his enemy, singular blade in hand with the other one returned to hover around him.

 

[Force_In_Balance]

Vetas could only assume, given his opponent's sudden lack of harping chirps and false bravado, that he was now either scared, more focused, or both. Noting the Jedi's burnt robes he made a mental note of the effectiveness of the powerful strike. What the Jedi attempted next, however, truthfully was rather baffling to the Sith. The pulling slash technique was undoubtedly an effective one, however, it was a technique that nearly any experienced Niman practitioner would be aware of. while Vetas did not know what his opponent planned, when Tycho attempted to pull him closer with a sudden telekinetic pull, he was able to figure it out. While Vetas did not go flying towards Tycho as a non Force-Sensitive very well might have, he did stumble forward through the sand a bit.

As he noted Tycho's levitating lightsaber, Vetas instinctively used the Force to pull the short red lightsaber from his belt into his free hand and ignited it. Using his primary lightsaber to block the levitating blade and the shorter variant to block Tycho's two-handed slash. However, given the force of a two-handed strike and how hasty Vetas had applied his defense. While he did manage to divert the strike from his body, he did find his shorter lightsaber being flung from his grasp before Tycho suddenly rolled away from him.

Attempting to interrupt Tycho's roll, Vetas utilized his now-free hand that had once held his shorter lightsaber to send a brief, yet potent surge of powerful Force lightning at Tycho as he was rolling. Making sure to aim the bolt correctly, even Vetas knew it was not a lethal burst given it's small application of energy, and was relying on his rather prodigious potency in the art of energy manipulation to compensate.

@StarWriter

 

[StarWriter]

Focus or fear? While it was true that the young Jedi was indeed scared of facing a Sith on his own with ne'er a person to help him, especially as he was finding, they were at least evenly matched in some ways. They both had an extensive knowledge of the same forms of lightsaber combat, though it was clear each one of them had strengths in differing aspects of the Force. His inexperience in duels was painfully obvious, and he was still feeling out his opponent's capabilities as well as his own.

If Vetas' skill in Niman wasn't clear to Tycho before it was after the man did little more than stumble from his attempted pulling slash. Like himself, the Sith was a dual wielder, though unlike his foe, Tycho had deigned to train with two single-bladed lightsabers of standard length. While he had used a short lightsaber and knew the advantages and disadvantages of both, he preferred wielding two of the same.

It was not surprising that both of his attacks would be blocked, given his performance thus far and yet he had not been completely ineffectual. The power of his two handed strike managed to disarm the Sith of his secondary blade which inspired him an idea. Sadly, his focus would be put to the test as he felt the painful tendrils of electricity arc through his leg as Vetas' Force lightning struck true. This was Tycho's first experience with this particular dark side ability and it was agonizing. He couldn't imagine what a lethal dose might feel like. As such, the Jedi wasn't able to land on his feet, instead he tumbled in the sand a few meters, halting on his back and trying to shake the ache and tingle from his leg.

Yet it would not stop him from doing something to protect himself as he struggled to get his footing. Reaching out with the Force and drawing on his own prodigious knowledge of telekinetic lightsaber combat he'd grasp for the red short lightsaber and attempt to use his foe's own weapon against him. Simultaneously slashing at him with the saber Tycho still had floating in the air. One went for the legs, the other for his upper body and in a desperate gamble, the Jedi would hurl the teal lightsaber in his right hand at his enemy. Hands outstretched and gaze locked one Vetas as he attempted to make at least his own blades, and hopefully that short lightsaber dance a deadly waltz of slashes, thrusts and parries from three different directions at once. Tycho had trained extensively to do this with two sabers, while still wielding a third in his hands. Much more taxing, was to control three as once, but he could do it for a brief period. With hope and luck, it would be enough to harry his opponent enough to give him time to recover and maybe even give the Sith something to fear.

 

[Force_In_Balance]

Vetas had to admit one thing, even silently to himself, the Jedi was not one to give up easily. Briefly relishing the feeling of his Force lightning burning and lashing away at Tycho's body. This small victory was short-lived however, as Tycho counter-attacked, cleverly using Vetas' own short red blade to come at him from what was now his side while the lightsaber still wavering in the air near Tycho slashed at him. Thankfully for the Sith, given how forceful Tycho's two-handed strike had been, his own smaller red lightsaber had been flung a reasonable distance away. As such, this staggered the attacks of teal and blazing red from what would have otherwise been a difficult dual-strike, into something much more akin to a flowing combination attack of Jar-Kai from two different angles. His response was immediate and decisive, something ingrained in training, suffering and his very nature. While Tycho expended a sizable portion of energy in this maneuver, Vetas used much more precise and less taxing means to counter it. The first blade to swing, and the first requiring attention, was the floating teal light-saber. Which Vetas avoided by simply angling his body back and actually stepped towards the red light-saber approaching him. Vetas then flicked a wrist, using a subtle yet precise telekinetic command to deactivate the red lightsaber he had himself crafted as it swung at him. Making it little more than a waving hilt as he then used his own saber to deflect Tycho's thrown lightsaber back in his relative direction.

Vetas then gripped the short red lightsaber out of the air, and activated it once more. Speaking in the same manner as before, his voice unusually steady and almost rumbling . His own force reserves slowly building in strength as he spoke to Tycho" You have fought well Master Skyblade, and for that you are to be commended, however....." Vetas, with a quick extension of his arm reached out with the Force and seized the defenseless clothe Tycho used to cover his face and mounted his Masterful skill in Telekinetics into constricting the thick clothe garment around Tycho's neck. Simulating a true Force Choke without the need to try and batter down the Jedi's defenses needlessly. "..... I can feel your fear, your desperation. Victory for you is an impossibility."

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[StarWriter]

The echo of pain still lingered in his body from the lash of the Force lightning as he watched the Sith, from his perspective easily defend himself against Tycho's mentally guided attacks. The surprise of using his own blade gone when the saber deactivated and was returned to its owners grasp. He had miss timed his attack, had he thrown his second lightsaber into the mix at the outset and forcing him to contend with three weapons at once he might have fared better. Despite this, he was still able to get off the ground, no longer prone as the dancing sabers at the least served as enough of a diversion for him to regain a semblance of footing. Though the thrown lightsaber was deflected it was a small, practiced effort to catch it in mid air with the Force and use the momentum to swing it around to his side as if he were standing there before him and attempting to make a wide sweeping strike.

Hearing the Sith commend him did little for his mood, even had he impressed the dark side user, they both knew that he was losing this fight. Tycho's own inexperience was proving to be his downfall. The Jedi watched his arm extend and braced, suddenly finding his face cloth constricting like a noose around his neck making gasp for air. Hands instinctively went for the fabric, channeling a modicum of the Force along his fingertips to try and slip them beneath the cloth and give himself a chance. Tycho fell to one knee as he struggled with the improvised Force Choke. Gagging from the strain on his throat, his weapons falling to the sand no longer held aloft by his mind.

I...will...not...let....my fear...control me!

Drawing on perhaps the last technique he had left in his arsenal, at least, that had any chance of keeping him alive, Tycho used every ounce of his will to recall the training of so many years. Countless sparring sessions against his former Master that pushed his body and mind to the limits and beyond and the ability to reinvigorate oneself to fight harder, longer, endure more. Battlemind, as it was known.

A sudden influx of energy poured into his body like the cascade of a raging waterfall, his hands pulled back, aided by the Force to loosen the choke enough to breath clearer.
I. will. not. let. my. fear. control me! I. will. not. fear. you! Silent words projected from his mind to the Sith foe who had thus far bested him in every way. Yet he had learned, even in that short span of time they had met. Tycho drew on his superior skill with Telepathy to do what he should have done at the start of their meeting, assault his mind with overwhelming force. This time he would not relent, even if his desperate, determined gamble saw an end to the Force Choke. Tycho would slowly rise to his feet, feeling the ache in his muscles and pushing past the discomfort. Both of his lightsabers would lift from the sand, blades igniting, their teal hues casting opposing shadows as they began to dance around Vetas, constantly on opposite sides or his body, slashing and thrusting, their movements changing forms with every few strikes in the hopes to keep him off balance.

This was his last reserve, and while Battlemind would allow him to fight a bit longer this was an intense drain on the young Jedi. It would either see him through to at least hold his ground and, with luck, give him an opening to escape, or put his foe on the defensive enough to second guess his interest in this conflict. Tycho refused to ponder the third outcome that was more likely, that this canyon would be his grave.

 

[Force_In_Balance]

Vetas watched the young Jedi struggle to relieve his now-constricted throat with perfect stoicism. His grip on the clothe constrict Tycho's airways staying just a bit short of being deadly, but enough to surely take the bulk of the fight out of the Jedi's body and mind. As he felt his opponent begin to re-surge in his strength in the Force, Vetas' stance levelled into one ready for confrontation once more. Feeling his opponent send crashing, deafening words of resolve and "heroism" into his mind, Vetas grit his teeth beneath his mask and summoned what mental defenses he could. Drawing on his own rage and anger to fortify his mind, in much the same way Tycho had allied his resolve. The only difference was that Tycho had expended much more energy in their initial exchange, and while his skill was beyond Vetas', Vetas simply had more energy left "in the tank" as it were. Thus, upon seeing Tycho's blades begin to move towards him, Vetas interrupted his opponent's attempted saber strikes before they could near him. Instead using the grip on Tycho's clothe to pull it upwards, before using a surge of telekinetic might to attempt to fling Tycho towards the mouth of the canyon.

Whether his attempted throw succeeded or not, Vetas then released his grip on the clothe entirely and jumped back further away from the light-sabers floating about seven feet from him now. Making the distance even larger by about another four feet or so. From this point, Vetas readied himself once more.

Of course, if Vetas had succeeded in flinging Tycho out of the canyon there was always the possibility the Jedi would flee, and while that irritated Vetas at initial realization, he also remembered the trapped Brotherhood soldiers beneath the rubble nearby and that they were his true priority.

@StarWriter

 

[StarWriter]

Tycho felt the strain of this battle throughout his entire being and yet, even as the force tugged at the fabric around his neck his resolve did not lessen any. A quick thought and his blades would soar past him to where he was being thrown. Reaching out with his mind towards the stash of equipment he had been attempting to retrieve from the trapped Mandolorians he used nearly the remainder of his reserves to whip nearly a dozen grenades from the hostile speeder to sail towards Vetas from behind. Four EMP, three concussion, one "smack down' grenade and a trio of thermal detonators would carpet bomb the area where the Sith fell back to. Each one activated the moment they were launched.

With his focus divided Tycho landed unceremoniously on the sand at the mouth of the canyon, his lightsabers further ahead and inactive. The last act of defiance was meant more as a cover for his escape, but if he was able to inflict even the slightest injury on his opponent than all the better.
"I didn't know if I could survive a fight with a Sith on my own. Now I know I have nothing to fear from the dark side. Thank you."

The words would broadcast into Vetas' mind as the Jedi rolled to his feet, scooping up his lightsabers before breaking into a dead run out of the canyon towards where his speeder was hidden. Tycho knew full well that the Sith had one this battle, he had no illusions to the contrary as his foe showed more experience and quicker thinking throughout. Yet despite this Tycho bore a grin on his face as he climbed atop his speeder, secured his lightsabers to his belt and sparked the engine to life. As he sped away from the canyon he felt a bit of calm wash over him even as he labored to catch his breath.

 

[Force_In_Balance]

Vetas turned instinctively on a heel as Tycho flung the grenades at him. Made aware of their presence by the priming sounds of their detonators and feeling where in the Force Tycho had attempted to reach. Using a very brief jolt of power, Vetas gripped the grenades out of the air and flung the grenades back deeper into the canyon. Watching them all explode in a single, magnificent jumble of energy. Causing even more rocks to cascade down from the surrounding cliffs and all but seal the pass into now two separate entities. Taking a moment to sense and perceive Tycho's message, Vetas merely deactivated one of his light-sabers and turned, beginning to walk out of the canyon.

As Tycho mounted his speeder, he would be able to sense the troopers that had accompanied Vetas open fire on him. Most of their shots going wide though a few came very close to striking him and/or his speeder. Eventually, however, Tycho was out of their reach as well. The troopers, realizing what had just happened stood stiffly, and worriedly to attention as Vetas returned to them. The Sergeant of the small squad inclining his head as he spoke "My Lord. The Jedi has been routed, and his-..." The trooper went silent as Vetas flicked out his right arm, snapping it out to his side and cleaving a boulder in two in a wordless command for silence. After a brief, heavy pause Vetas lowered his arm, and spoke "You are correct... routed. NOT destroyed." Vetas spoke slowly, making each pronunciation crystal clear for the troopers before beginning to walk past them, adding in a tone that seethed with anger "And now I owe that Jedi a name...." With that said, Vetas and the troopers then entered the transport and returned to Mos Espa, his intent, to make a full report to Warlord Ragnorik.

End of Thread