Intrude Upon Happiness, Plunder the Future

[Dennys Waszylla]

Dennys had never seen so many Jedi relics in one room before. As they had gone down the staircase after beating the Force Apparition, the man wondered what else could possibly be hidden beneath the foundations of the old Jedi Temple. Had this been a place for forbidden or incredibly valuable relics? That would explain why the Jedi had tried to slip in and activated the guardians, wanting to get what they could and escape before the Empire even knew they were there. It was funny how Dennys' desire to create a legacy had found this plot in the middle of it's execution. Now would be time for a different type of execution.

The sounds of the working men and the Jedi Master could be heard from further in the room. Teal lighstaber in hand, Dennys nudged Kal gently and pointed to a nearby bench with some parts on it. He knew what they were, holocron materials. That's what he'd originally come for, though from a different location in the Temple. He didn't say anything as the look in his eyes should have been enough, that they could complete all their goals in one fell swoop. He gathered the Force around him as he waited to get Kal's back. It was time to kick some ass and make the future theirs, not left in the hands of a decaying Order.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

They'd finally arrived. This was what they had been after this entire time, and it frustrated Kravos that things had gone so roughly for him thus far. He wasn't going to let these Jedi get away with what they were doing or rob him of what he was here for. These Jedi had already taken enough from him, and he wouldn't let them take any more.

His saber hummed in his hand. Its familiar weight was always a relaxing feeling in any situation like this, and it was no exception now. Even when the Light Side of the Force seemed to resist him down here, there was his saber. In fact, that caused him to wonder if the Force itself was what had worked against him with the Guardian above. Perhaps his own immersion in the Darkness robbed him of his power here.

Whatever the answer, he wasn't going to let it stand in his way now.

Abruptly, the Jedi Master stopped what he was doing, stiffening and turning around. I can sense you there. The creeping darkness. Why don't you show yourself? he said. His words caused the others in the room to stop as well, but they weren't as much of an issue as the Jedi was. He was the only one in the room of true power, and would need to be addressed quickly and efficiently.

 

[Dennys Waszylla]

As soon as the Jedi stepped into view, Dennys didn't hesitate. Gripping his lightsaber like a javelin, he hurled the blade even as the first hooded man turned the corner. With the added speed of the Force added to the throw, the blazing projectile managed to slash through the hooded Jedi's chest, though the man's own reflexes saved him from death but left him with a critical burning slash across the chest. With a pull Dennys retrieved his lightsaber while the man was still stunned from the attack, his hood falling away. The sight of that face underneath almost caused the veteran to drop his weapon. He hadn't been expecting such a blast from the past. Finally turning the corner, his own lightsaber in his hand, Jedi Master Arthur Gawanhyte practically sneered at his former pupil.

"That a child like you could take me by surprise, I suppose miracles DO happen. I didn't know you were still alive, Vancent. You and the rest of those children were supposed to die so that your betters in the Order could carry on, yet I see that you failed even at that task." He lit his lightsaber, using some of the Force to block out the pain of his injury so he could fight. "And you brought a friend. Kal Vox, I haven't seen you since the trial here all those years ago, when you turned traitor. I was powerless then, just like Fennex and Wyck. Now, though, I've made sure to get quite a bit stronger to take you down. Gregorio, bring me this traitor's head and I'll guarantee a seat on the Council." The other Jedi who had stepped out, a human with bulging muscles and shaved head, ignited his lightsaber with a grim but hungry look in his eyes. In the back the sound of work could be heard, the workers still gathering the artifacts.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kravos didn't know whoever this was standing in front of him, and despite him apparently knowing Kravos and Dennys, perhaps that said something about the man. He'd been at the trial? Many people had, and most of them were dead and even more were irrelevant. Evidently, this man fell into the latter category and would soon fall into the former.

The Dark Lord didn't bother with a retort, but pulled the Force to himself. Even as he did so, he could feel the Light in this place resisting him. His enemy here wasn't just these Jedi, but the power of the temple itself. It resisted, refusing to bend for him as he was suddenly put back on the defensive.

The burst of flame he was planning never came, and the Dark Lord was forced to bring his saber up, blocking the blaster bolts from some of the mercenaries now coming against him. He was forced further on the defensive and abandoned the attack altogether, moving forward quickly but not attempting a follow up attack yet. Instead, he decided that if the Force was working against him, it was time to corrupt it at bit. He let his own growing anger and the memory of the trial pollute the Force itself as he drew the attention of the Jedi away from Dennnys to hopefully allow him the opportunity to attack. @Insalius

 

[Dennys Waszylla]

In an instant Dennys relived his earliest days. At the background of all his memories, his forced seclusion in the temple, the fights against the Exiles alongside his other child soldiers, there was Arthur's face. To the rest of the Order he was a silent man, seemingly kind and unremarkable to the point of being forgettable. The children knew the truth, though. They could hear his real goals, to become a Councilor, the Grandmaster even, by manipulating everyone so subtly to get there. A word here, an action there, working on the subconscious of others to ingratiate himself. To that end, he also had to do enough to keep him in his position. That's why he handled the children and their training. He would do what he could to make them successful warriors, yet not TOO successful. He'd train a few to be combat machines, such as Dennys, but others he would leave gaps for them to either fall to the Dark Side or fall in battle. It was how he kept himself below the radar while also keeping his children under his thumb.

Then it had happened, when Dennys decided to leave the Jedi yet not fall to the Dark Side. He'd been sent to go kill his best friend, who had just also left the Jedi Order. He wasn't becoming an Exile, though, he just had taken enough of Arthur's manipulations. He knew that Dennys was one of Arthur's pet projects and didn't hold back. Both boys had tears in their eyes, fighting through the shards of their shattering dreams of a world outside of war. Then the grenade went off, neither having known who had triggered it as they rolled around in the mud and blood. His friend had died, always wanting to know what a world without war looked like. He wanted to see all the places a normal boy could, then he breathed his last. That had been Dennys' dream as well, now he would live it for the both of them. At the time, he could only think of how happy Arthur would have been knowing they both had died. Of course he'd live this long as well.

"What's the matter, Vancent? Surprised to see me? It seems like your backup isn't doing well in this place. The fact that Ossus fell was a fluke, see how it rejects your dark friends even now." The blond man sneered as he walked forward, lightsaber in hand as his chest still smoldered from the previous hit. "Your death was too...nebulous, shall we say. I couldn't trust you or the other children anymore, so when Ilum happened, I made sure they were on planet in the thickest of the fighting. They died, every one. Took a good number of the enemy, yet thanks to Syresh none of that mattered. They died for nothing. It was like they were never there. Now all that needs to happen is for you and Kal to die here and I can start my hard work to regain my prestige. Do be a dear boy and die."

As Arthur spoke, something clicked inside of Dennys' mind and soul. He remembered all the old faces, the dreams they shared and the pain they helped each other comfort away. He remembered further, from his first Exile friends to when he first met Alais and the others. Every person that had died over his entire life, every person he cared for, it all mixed with the memories of his travels and experiences. There was the good and the bad, all pulling together into the same place. He'd had the most attachments out of everyone he knew, their passion for life and the pain of their passing now coalescing into his usual control of the Force. He pulled on that raw power like he had never done before, taking a page from Kal's book and quickly igniting the flames on Arthur's chest from the previous lightsaber hit. As the man cried out in pain, Dennys leapt forward, channeling all that power into his fists.

"NO MORE!!" The haymaker that Dennys threw hit Arthur in the jaw, the enhanced strength sending him flying back into a wall. Dennys kept up with him, the Dark Side flowing through him as he became the instrument of his lightsaber's name, The Black Wolf of Desire. All the pain, the joy, the sorrow, the love, everything that made him feel alive flowed through his fist. On the heels of his own power, though, was the echo of the hopes and dreams of all the fallen that he kept in his heart. "YOU AND THE JEDI WILL NEVER HURT ANYONE ELSE!!" The uppercut to the gut not only forced the air from Arthur's lungs but also broke his ribs, perhaps even cracking his spine from the impact. The man was lifted up and thrown back towards a workbench covered in sharp kyber crystals ready to be used to make lightsabers.

Somehow Arthur was able to get back to his feet, yet that was the mistake that would cost him his life. In a seeming flash Dennys was behind him, between the Jedi and the workbench, and the Sith wrapped his arms around the waist of his former Master. "APOLOGIZE TO THE OTHERS IN HELL!!" With all the strength he could muster, still bolstered by the desires of the fallen combined with his own, Dennys gave a bestial howl as he threw himself back in the strongest suplex he could muster. "WASZYLLA FINISHING STRIKE!! BLACK LUCEID!!!"

The crash that rang out was titanic, Arthur's face being thrown with the force of the living and the dead right onto the sharp kyber crystals. They pierced his face, eyes, neck, all before he broke the durasteel workbench and was planted in the ground. Unlike the Dullahan above, the ground didn't yield before his chest cavity did, which was the only place the ruined head could go. The Dark side swirled around Dennys as he stood up, taking out a beer from his fanny pack and popping the top. "This is for the fallen, you piece of shit." He glared at the body as he poured the alcohol in the collapsed neck cavity of the former Jedi Master, giving respect to everyone who died from the man's machinations. The galaxy was a bit of a better place now. The children could finally be safe.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Darth Kravos didn't stand idly by. He could tell that the Jedi Master was getting under the skin of the Sith Master, but it quickly became clear that that was a bad idea. Kravos continued to deflect the blaster bolts away deftly. The saber slashed the plasma bolts out of the air and into the ground and walls. In a split second, he charged forward, pounding his saber down on the other Jedi Knight, but it was blocked.

So Kravos adapted. He pressed down with the strength of the Force, shoving his own blade over his opponent's and plunging it into the man's throat. It was quick and effective. With both Jedi out of the way, that left the pair of Sith to deal with the mercenaries who seemed to have abandoned packing up in favor of firing on the Sith.

Good kill, he told Dennys, not having time to say much more as he stepped in to provide cover to his partner and give him more room to attack their enemies. Teamwork was the only way to win out against greater numbers. @Insalius

 

[Dennys Waszylla]

Dennys was still in a bit of a daze, having just used the Dark Side for the first time, yet for a cause he believed in. He'd gotten justice, vengeance, for all the lives used and lost by Arthur's twisted schemes. How the Jedi could have fallen that having a man like that in a position of authority had been seen as a good idea. It truly showed that the Order hadn't learned their lesson from the initial Exiles that had caused the 100 year war oh so long ago. Now, with the man dead, another old guard had passed on and a cancerous tumor was excised from the formerly popular monastic group. Pity that they wouldn't have long to savor their detoxification for long. For Cregan's death, all of them deserved to be wiped from the face of the galaxy. Except the Younglings, though. He'd already gone and rescued them, so that was fine. No worries of collateral damage.

Coming back to reality, Dennys saw the other Jedi be cut down and the mercenaries start firing at them. Picking up Arthur's lightsaber, Dennys took a step back and crouched slightly, flexing his muscles as he prepared to throw. This had been a move that he had used on Ilum recently, when he had been helping to clean the abominations from the planet and get rid of Syresh's lingering presence. The lightsaber was a bit different than the giant axe he had used way back when, but that was fine, it wouldn't take much different control to make sure the trajectory and power were right. With a grunt he heaved the weapon as hard as he could, putting a spin on the hilt as he let go to turn the weapon into a flying disc of death. Damn, he could come up with some badass ideas when he wanted.

Using the Force, Dennys managed to take hold of the flying hilt to guide it's trajectory. The initial target had managed dodge the blow, giving the floral shirted man a sneer of superiority. Dennys casually flipped the guy off just as he had the blade boomerang back and bisect the man at the waist. The new trajectory of the saber went right down the line of the other five men, killing a couple and gravely wounding the others. When it was done he called back the lightsaber, having started to bleed the weapon to become his own crimson blade. "Hey Kal, you think you got these Motherkriffers? Should be plenty of open flames for your favorite trick." He gave the other Sith a thumbs up, the crimson of his blade making his floral shirt glow in a peculiar way, almost as if this were meant to be. Funny how things work out.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kravos took another step back as his saber swung down, spiking another shot into the ground as two more flew by over his shoulder. It provided Dennys with space for his throw. It seemed to work out.

As Dennys asked if he could handle the remaining enemies, he gave a nod. Certainly, he said, reaching out his left hand and gripping the flames. They responded immediately and he pulled them out, letting them flux and pulse in the air as his saber continued to deflect incoming shots.

Then all at once it seemed to explode. Like a backdraft seeking oxygen, the flames burst out and consumed the mercenaries. Screams errupted as impossibly heated flames consumed the mercenaries, causing gruesome deaths as every part of them - outside and in - was consumed. Then there was near-silence. The crackling of flames and the charred smell of flesh filled the room, but there was nothing else. Just the Sith.

 

[Dennys Waszylla]

And with that, it was all over. The explosive noise that had started when the Jedi and their lackeys had came into view died in the echoes of the voluminous chamber. Turning off his new crimson lightsaber, Dennys put it into his fanny pack as he gave a sigh of relief. He wasn't tired, in fact he felt he could keep going for a lot more if needed. No, he was glad that during the fighting their objective hadn't been hurt. Speaking of which, Dennys walked his way over to the workbench that held the holocrons just ready to go. There were three, one more than what he had expected to grab. That got his mind turning on what he could do with the third. He looked over at Kal, his eyes going beyond his friend for a few moments. Who else did they know that could use a holocron like how they wanted to? When the answer came to him he smacked his hand to his forehead. Why didn't he think of it sooner?

Taking a couple beers out of his other fanny pack, Dennys used the Force to chill them both to the perfect temperature before tossing one to Kal, though only doing so when the other man was paying attention and knew what was coming his way. Popping the top, the man took a good pull of the drink to start cooling off from the fight. "Ugh, these goddamn Jedi...The galaxy will be better off without them. They've been fighting so long against us and other perceived evils that they can't even see that they've become the very evil they sought to destroy. Child soldiers? Political intrigue? One way or another I'm sure they'd find a way to justify their actions as long as it let them win and return to power, in the end. That's the REAL reason they're fighting right now, they want their prestige back. They LOVED being in power as the 'moral' authority of the galaxy. Take that away as we have and look at how the mask crumbles to show the ugly truth."

Putting his can down on the worktable, Dennys pointed at the holocrons. "Speaking from a tactical point of view, it's impossible that some of the Jedi have seen the writing on the wall. I don't doubt they're trying to save what they can of their legacy in these holocrons. Look, you can see these were recently made, the tools to make them are still warm. Now, I know you and I were coming here to just get our two, but here's a third one. Here's my thought on that: Why not give the last one to Andraste? If anyone has any reason to create a legacy it would be her. If we're gonna replace the Jedi then we'd better do it right. Leave them our wisdom, but in the Sith way: Where they have to TAKE it, prove themselves worthy of it, lest it fall into hands unable to use that knowledge and power." He made a small face as he finished talking, as if in a small amount of disgust.

"Ugh, I hate talking philosophically. Fun fact, many people think I'm a frat boy meathead. I've traveled around enough to be as well learned as any scholar, goddammit. Anyway, let's take these back to Korriban. This walk down memory lane has made this probably the best time to really put one of these things to use. I'll grab two, you grab one, and we can go on home. And send some soldiers down here to take what the Jedi tried to hide. I wonder, do other temples have these little hidden repositories? I wonder if we should send people to go check them out, just in case. Maybe we can find out how to make that Force Guardian thingie. THAT would be awesome to have around the palace, like a badass pet that's absolutely brutal to spies and such. C'mon, let's get the hell out of here.

/Endthread