Friend In Need

[Insanity]

Anima waited, eyes glued to the sealed door as he kept his awareness spread around his immediate self. He felt... disturbances, small ones. That strange semi-sentient presence nearby, with Ruthric's outside, nearly an absence except for small thoughts. He waited, then heard it - a lightsaber cutting through metal, but the Jedi guarding him didn't look to where Ruthric was. Then a scuffle, a collision and an almost shocked sound before silence. He brought himself back into awareness and approached the door, hearing the fzzz sound as the locking mechanism was fried. The door opened at his command, stepping out into the nexus of rooms. Ruthric was there, as he'd assumed. Anima bowed to the marauder before turning his eyes to the downed Jedi, then the lightsaber they had dropped before being able to use it. He grasped it in the Force and brought it to himself. "If you're here, then I assume Sogar has gone to get a rematch? If so, he'll be facing two Jedi instead of just the one who I conceded to." As he spoke, he moved towards the door leading onto the rest of the ship, the only things he had on his person being the robes he'd been given in confinement, his datapad, and the newly-taken lightsaber, the grip of which felt unfamiliar and strange in his hand.

 

[Prancing Yawn]

Cat charged down the corridors of the ship, legs enhanced by the Force. Sorn had dissappeared behind him, apparently he had gone to check on Munra.

He turned a sharp corner, feet shuffling across the floor as he came to a screeching halt. Now he could see the source of this dark energy. He grimaced, and turned to face the Iktochi Marauder, flexing his knuckle as he stared at the Marauder's sabers. He frowned - two separate craft had docked on the ship. He was looking at only one Sith. Hopefully Munra was able to hold off the other.. but that was out of his hands.

His brow furrowed and a wild grin appeared on his face as he formed his body into a balanced Teras Kasi stance. He laid his hand out in front of him, beckoning the Marauder with two of his fingers.

"Let's go."

 

[Black Noise]

Sogar breathed in deeply, the dark side flowing through his body like a raging waterfall of energy. It was intoxicating, yet he did not allow it to control him. No, he was a true master of the dark side, he controlled his emotions, not the other way around. Facing the Jedi, he saw him take up a strange stance and beckon him with two fingers.
"Let's go."

Sogar smiled, so this Jedi was just as eager to fight as he was. But Sogar was no fool. Getting close to the jedi would mean moving out of his comfort zone and into the Jedi's, which he absolutely would not do. So, he held up his hand again, Sogar could sense the great and obvious power in this Jedi, but he thought to better to probe his defeneses first, before unleashing fully strength. Out of Sogar's hand flew a long and powerful arc of violet lightning, enough to kill the man if he didn't defend.

Though Sogar wanted to defeat this Jedi, he was also hoping the Jedi was strong enough to stop his lightning. Because if he wasn't, then he'd be boring, and boring is weak.

 

[Zach]

Ruthric nodded to the released captive, turning on his heel and heading back to the door. Curator had already crawled back through the vents to the other side and awaited him patiently. He walked past the beast, using the Force with each of his steps and sensing out, trying to gauge Sogar's progress. It seemed he faced only one conscious enemy. He'd been lucky that the Jedi had become separated, though he was sure the Iktotchi would be able to hand himself for the time being.

"We should meet up with Sogar. It was he, after all, that brought me to help save you," he commented, making his way through the halls of the ship to the bridge. Ruthric sensed the presence of his brother, his aura emanating off of him deliberately. Ruthric smiled to himself, thinking how the other Jedi must feel about facing him. Detecting their presence around the next turn, Ruthric check behind him to make sure Curator was still with him.

The Hssiss had once against concealed himself in the Force, bending the light around his body while constantly suppressing his Force signature. Ruthric too concentrated further on his already stifled aura, making it so that the other Jedi would only sense him if specifically searching for him. When they rounded the corner, Ruthric would intervene if needed. The Jedi may have fought alone, but this was a foolish and fatal mistake.

 

[Insanity]

Anima nodded as his suspicions were confirmed concerning the rescue, letting Ruthric take the lead as he followed. The Hssiss, before it hid itself, drew his attention as he noted its reptillian features and scaled body, as well as its apparent connection to Ruthric. It was gone from view and its presence diminished before he could identify the species, though there had been enough for him to compare it to the Order's archives later. Sogar's aura got closer as they walked, a permeable darkness that was strong and somewhat overbearing. He withdrew his own aura, his presence, and kept it just around his body, not quite hiding it but making it seem weaker than it was. While Ruthric paused, he kept walking, turning the corridor before stopping near the corner.

He was in perfect sight of the Jedi, both able to see the other. He lifted the lightsaber hilt he held and dangled it in front of himself, letting the Jedi get a good look at it. He smiled, a distant and empty expression that would only seem to emphasize the point.

 

[Prancing Yawn]

Cat's grin formed into a teeth-gritting expression as he prepared himself to counter the force lightning. He braced his legs and thrust his palms outward, the energy of the lightning barely cackling at his fingertips as it traveled towards him. He channeled the Force through his own hands, preparing them to meet the burning lightning.

He thrust his hands forward again, this time they met the lightning. Cat groaned as a short pulse of electricity ran through his body, small shocks going on throughout his whole torso. He caught most of the lightning through absorbing it with his hands, but he was no master at Tutaminis, and for a second his whole body felt like an electric cord.

He groaned again and turned his gaze away from the coming onslaught of lightning, to see ..

The prisoner escaped!

His heart sunk. He hoped Munra was alright. Sorn would be there by now.

 

[Black Noise]

Sogar held up a hand to his companions, smiling as the Jedi caught his lightning. The Jedi had obviously not mastered tutaminis, but by no means was he weak. He looked back and said.
"Anima, Ruthric, he' mine."

Sogar looked back at the Jedi, smiling uncontrollably. His passion was for the battle, and passion was one of the basic steps in using the dark side. He could feel the dark sode coursing through his body, and it was intoxicating. He said to the Jedi.
"My name is Sogar, I like to get to know my opponents a bit, before our battle. So, what's your name?"

Suddenly, and without waiting for an answer, Sogar leapt forward and raised his lightsaber up into a diagonal slash. He used the force to aid his speed, knowing that he couldn't outdo the Jedi with his own without aid of the force. He slash was simply, but deadly, and at such a speed, if the Jedi dodged, Sogar would hopefully be able to counter any counter-attack sent at him.

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn looked up. The telltale hum of the hyperdrive had faded, leaving the ship eerily quiet; the sub-light engines were still engaged, but they were dead in space, not making any lightspeed jumps for quite a while. That was the first problem.

And then there was the Sith.

Sorn distinctly recognized one of the presences. He wasn't sure where, but one of them definitely felt familiar. Maybe they'd fought before or something. He leaped from his chair, lightsaber sliding from his belt into his hand by means of telekinesis. Cat went to confront the intruders, and Sorn was right behind him, until he felt the Force tremor that was the injury of Munra, the Jedi guarding Anima.

Dammit! So this was a rescue attempt after all, and the target was probably free. "Go hold them off. I'm going to check on Munra, then I'll catch up to you. They'll regret the day that they messed with the Cat-Sorn combo!"

With that he ducked sideways into a separate hallway, navigating the paths of the ship. He felt that the Dark Side had passed here recently, which meant Anima indeed had escaped. Both airlocks had been filled, so that meant there were now at least three Sith in the ship somewhere, though at least one didn't have his lightsaber. Not good.

Sorn burst into the holding cells, kneeling next to the fallen Rodian. Munra's breathing was shallow and ragged, but she was alive. Sorn was not well-practiced in the healing arts, but he knew the basics. The cause of her injury was pretty apparent: the only console in the room, which she would have been standing next to, was reduced to a pile of slag. Sorn placed both hands over her chest, summoning the light side of the Force from deep within himself. It took a moment, longer than he dared wait, cursing impatiently, but then he felt the sweet healing energy begin to flow. A pale blue glow began to accumulate around Munra's chest, and the burns seemed to lighten. Her breathing slowed, and her heartrate stabilized. This was the most that Sorn could do; she wouldn't die now, but she still required attention. She may or may not wake up soon. Sorn leaped to his feet, muttering an apology for his inability to stay, and rocketed off to reinforce Cat.

Weaving through the passages once again, Sorn felt Cat's presence engaged with one of the Dark Siders, the one he recognized, and now everything clicked into place. This was Sogar, the Iktotchi who had accompanied Anima to Coruscant - the one Sorn had defeated but who had escaped. Anima had been right, he had returned out of a sense of obligation, and he had apparently brought a friend. He ignited his viridian lightsaber and thrust through a passage opening, coming upon the two combatants. His swing would block Sogar's slash at Cat, and then Sorn himself would step into view. He had beaten Sogar once; he could do it again.

"I'll handle this one," he said to his ally. "We have some unfinished business. You go deal with the other would-be rescuer and make sure our prisoner doesn't escape. That would be bad. At least he's unarmed."

Sorn turned to Sogar. "It looks like we meet again. Can't say I'm pleased to see you, but hey, you can't get everything in life, right? I guess I'll just have to whip you one more time to show you who's boss - except this time no running off with your tail between your legs. There's no Anima to save you this time, pal; you're dead meat!"

 

[Zach]

As he felt the approach of another Jedi through the ship, Ruthric narrowed his eyes, restarting his pace forward past the corner he'd hid behind. Sogar may have wished for a singular duel on their own side, but he would by no means allow his brother to be overwhelmed by added assistance. The Jedi have had a tendency to never fight alone, in his experience.

Dashing forward with the Force, turning the corner as he reached out with his hand, Ruthric gripped the newly arrived Jedi. He attempted to pull his mass over to himself with tremendous force. It was unlikely that the Jedi would be able to defend against this until he was already on his way through the air, as he'd focused his attention on the Iktotchi Sith facing off with Cat. Without drawing his lightsaber, the Crusader clenched his prosthetic right arm into a fist and gathered the Force into a collection of compressed, kinetic energy. This would be far from lethal, but it would definitely show the Jedi that he was not one to be overlooked.

 

[Insanity]

Anima lowered the lightsaber-hilt and held it in a proper grip, taking a step forward before he stopped. He sensed the presence of his original captor, finally arriving. One of Sogar's reasons for being here, Anima suspected and knew, was to get something back from the near-defeat of before. So Anima stepped back to the corner, watching as Sorn appeared, blocking Sogar's blow, just barely and with more effort than the Jedi might've thought when doing such a thoughtless thing. That didn't last long as Ruthric came around the corner and intervened, pulling Sorn away. Anima just watched, thinking over the situation as he thought it over. But he knew that interference now wouldn't be appreciated, so he would simply watch. If he needed to, at any point, he would intervene then. He doubted he'd need to.

 

[Prancing Yawn]

"Right - and what took you so long?"

Cat flashed a quick grin at Sorn, recovering his strength after taking on the lightning, when Ruthric charged around the corner, attempting to throw the Padawan over his head, and then started to charge up a blast of Force. Perfect opportunity!

Cat sprinted towards the Marauder, building up momentum for a jump. He shot his leg forward into Ruthric's shoulder, pushing his feet off it and backflipping mid-air back onto the ground.


"Can't you see those two wanna be alone?"

 

[Black Noise]

"It looks like we meet again. Can't say I'm pleased to see you, but hey, you can't get everything in life, right? I guess I'll just have to whip you one more time to show you who's boss - except this time no running off with your tail between your legs. There's no Anima to save you this time, pal; you're dead meat!"

At that statement, nothing else, not even his own sanity, was a factor for him anymore. It would be possibly the only time Sogar ever truly gave himself fully over to the dark side. Ignoring Ruthric behind him and the other Jedi who was moving to counter him, Sogar looked Sorn directly in the eyes and said.
"I've waited a while for this, and I won't try and toy with you this time."

He suddenly surged forward, his normally large presence increased three times. It became as a almost a physical weight upon the room, as if it was something to be felt and pushed against. Sogar naturally had great strength, but now he used the force to blast it through his muscles, pushing the Jedi back and forcing the Jedi's own lightsabers closer to his face. As he did this, he simultaneously gathered force into his hands, not to aid his strength, but to simply build up.

Only one coherent thought was passing through Sogar's head now. Kill the Jedi.

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn's reverie was suddenly broken when Ruthric rushed around the corner and grabbed him with the Force. Thankfully, every Padawan's basic training involved anti-Force tactics, and Sorn responded with a mild Force Push of his own, not enough to paste Ruthric against the wall, but enough to make him stumble, lose his balance, and break his concentration. This would also create another opening for Cat to attack. Sorn fell back to the floor, rising from one knee.

"Sorry I'm late. I was checking on Munra. She should be okay now, though that was a nasty crack on the head she got." He looked at Anima, who now appeared armed, and nodded in grudging respect. "Looks like you were right, and we got a party after all. But that doesn't change things. You're still going to trial on Tython, and you're bringing these two with you now."

Sogar charged then, and the Force presence coming from him increased exponentially. Sorn raised his blade in an automatic parry and was immediately forced back; he could feel the inhuman, unnatural strength coursing through Sogar's veins. But Sorn used Form V, too. Two could play at that game.

Beads of sweat broke out on Sorn's face as he slowly, relentlessly pushed Sogar back, flooding his own limbs with Force energy in the manner of Djem So, until he was able to match Sogar in terms of strength. Amidst the effort, he smiled. This was his domain. One on one combat, straightforward and simple. He'd almost won last time, and this time he'd definitely pull it off.

"It's rude to interrupt when someone's talking!" Sorn said, maintaining the bladelock. Suddenly, he brought his knee up with swift and devastating force, aimed at Sogar's midsection. The blow would cause the breath to leave the Iktotchi's lungs, making him double over and leaving a clear opening. Sorn made sure that the Sith could not use either of his hands by pushing even harder on the blade; if Sogar dropped a hand away from his saber, Sorn's force would cause him to sear himself with his own lightsaber. It was highly unlikely that Sogar would be able to dodge, or even react, to the blow due to its unexpected, sudden nature.

Sorn nodded at Cat. "When you're done with that one, keep the escapee busy. I don't want him interfering like last time."

 

[Zach]

Ruthric crunched his mechanical fist, his stance already prepped to smash into Sorn as he whirled by him, but there was a brief reaction. The Jedi had briefly been picked up with the Force, but he let out a small pulse of kinetic energy, doing little more than balancing his own trajectory in the air. As he'd done this, the other Jedi, Cat, had lunged at him, meaning to interfere before Ruthric would obliterate him. Nevertheless, the assassin would still harm one of them.

His leg shot out in front of him and Ruthric tensed his whole body. The energy in his his fist had gathered to a significant amount, but by no means would it flatten him against the wall. He continued his dashing momentum, throwing metallic pillar of an arm forward straight into the Jedi's oncoming foot. If he'd meant to kick him, he should have prepared better. He'd leaned straight into a full-force punch enhanced by the Force, throwing all his body weight and strength into the slam. His fist made contact with the Jedi's foot, and he felt the cracking of bones. As he made contact, he felt the pushing off of the Jedi into a backwards somersault, but he was thrown back even further, from his own momentum with Ruthric's swing. He would survive, but that near-shattered leg would render him useless in the fight.

As he continued with his dash towards the locked Force users, he drew his lightsaber an activated, it throwing it at Sorn as he was locked with Sogar. Even if he found a way to deflect the whirled saber, it would take up any other concentrations, and leave an opening for Sogar to annihilate him. He kept is grip on the lightsaber with the Force, as all Jedi and Sith were taught to do, even in combat while holding the weapon. As it neared Sorn, Ruthric kept his arm outstretched and released a small burst of lightning. He sent the shock in a straight trajectory, a single lance of electricity aimed directly at the Jedi's pelvis. Had he managed to defend against one of the attacks, even use Tutaminis to defend against the other, Sogar would be able to finish him off. The lightning would not have been lethal or continued by any mean, but it would be enough to trigger the man's nervous system and reflexes.

Should the one he'd just thrown back try to stop him somehow with the Force, as he would have been unable to leap back at him with the injured leg, Anima would be able to counter it, as he'd waited for the correct opportunity.

 

[Insanity]

Anima assessed the situation as it was. The Jedi were being removed from the equation, first the one acting as his jailer, now the older, human Jedi. It was that one he approached as they landed after Ruthric's counter, where he stayed out of reach while looking at him. When Anima spoke, it was in carefully selected words, that impassive and implacable tone behind it. "As you can see... I told the younger Jedi that this would occur. That the Iktotchi would come and rescue me... Rescue me..." He paused, seeming to consider that word, his attention on Cat and the others. "Yes, that's the most apt word for it, I believe. I was in captivity, and now I'm being rescued. Because allies help each other, don't they? Common courtesy, isn't it called? Or was it something else?"

His eyes turned to look at Cat directly, impassive expression seeming to warn the Jedi from interrupting him or causing any interference with the others. "As it is, you'll be left to live. As you don't seem to use a weapon, beyond your own body, there's nothing to collect. You're not someone they'll kill just for the sake of doing so. However, I could be wrong, though I don't believe so."

 

[Prancing Yawn]

Cat groaned loud as his back violently slammed into the wall. He could feel breaking of bones in his foot, and couldn't even put the weight of his shin on it. His palm immediately shot out over of his leg, projecting healing waves of the Force as best as he could. He tried standing up, but his whole body slouched back down into the wall.

"UNGH! ..
cheap shot..."

His teeth gritted, the Knight sat up straight, pushing all of his weight up with his hands. The Sith who the other two had came to rescue had said something to him, but his head was pounding too hard to comprehend all of it.

"Search me if you.. want.. but I'll suckerpunch your.. damn.. gut.."

The Sith had won this round. There was no way Cat could fight, and Sorn definitely couldn't take on two marauders simultaneously. He wondered if they'd make their death painful.. or finish them off quickly...

 

[Black Noise]

Sogar relentlessly pushed against Sorn. His power increasing as every second passed. He sensed Ruthric attacking Sorn as well, and he smiled. Sogar ran lightning through his saber, making it stronger and more volatile. He pushed harder against Sorn, making so that if he dared take even a hand away he would be cut down immediately.

He noticed Sorn's knee coming towards his midsection, but ignored it. Sogar knew that Ruthric's lightning would hit Sorn's pelvis before his knee hit Sogar. Thus the lightning would stop Sorn from kneeing Sogar. But if he decided to defend against the lightning and knee Sogar, he would find himself cut down by Sogar's lightsaber. This Jedi was dead, period, there was no escape when one was outnumbered.

 

[Zach]

The Jedi seemed awestruck as the lightsaber came whirling at his face. He stood motionless, locked in lightsaber combat with the newly appointed Iktotchi Crusader. As the spinning red blade approached Sorn, Ruthric angled it to the side, cutting through each of his arms at the elbow. The blade spun back around from the other side of the Knight's body and pulled back at the knee. The blade incinerated the joint and continued on its path back to its owner's hand. As the Jedi's left leg fell to pieces, the lance of lightning struck the Jedi in his pelvis, crumbling his physical resolve and sending him to the floor in a crumpled heap. The Jedi was beaten, dismembered and disoriented.

The assassin rushed forward, pointing the lightsaber to his fallen opponent's neck as he gripped his lightsaber to his hand, prying it from the detached fingers. He looked down to the Jedi with narrowed eyes, pulling back his arm. The next thing the Jedi would know was only blackness, as he'd deactivated the blade and slammed the hilt into the temple beside his face. It was knock the Jedi out, surely, and Ruthric reached down with the Force to toss him over his shoulder. Turning back to Cat, he only stared, narrowing his eyes as if daring the fellow Knight to intervene. "You will live, for you have minded your place," he told him simply.

 

[Insanity]

((OOC: I can only say... CAKE!))

The other Jedi was defeated, dismembered, and unconcious. It was Ruthric's responsibility now. Anima crouched beside Cat, his voice low, precise without emotion. "Because you're being spared death, you will carry this message I have. Make sure you remember it when you tell those of your Order what transpired. Now listen closely - the Sith will come for you and yours, time and again. You will dwindle, your prodigies slain or fallen. This cycle will continue far beyond your life-span and mine. As it has done for so long." Finished, Anima rose and stepped back, tossing the hilt of 'Munra' into Cat's lap. He turned and walked away from the Knight, towards where he had sensed Sogar's original entry. He doubted Ruthric would have used any ship but that fighter, so Sogar was the one with transport.

He was ready to return to Korriban, to be back amongst the whispers of home.

 

[Black Noise]

Sogar smiled, stepping back and deactivating his blade. It was finished, and vengence, it was exhilarating. Perhaps for the common folk, revenge is bittersweet, to him, it was righteous. He turned and nodded for Anima to follow him, after all, Sogar had taken Anima's ship.

He silently went to the airlock where the ship was docked and boarded, thinking to himself. It wasn't the kill that stuck on his mind, it was the fact he had lost his control of the dark side. Something he never wanted to do, not since he was an acolyte. He decided that he would need to spend a few days in pure meditation. As such was the only way he knew how to correct his uncontrolled dark power.

Turning to Anima, who would doubtlessly take the pilot's position, he stated.
"We are even."