Ask Felucia Trading with the Tribe

[Lucien Adami]

Lucien's jaw dropped as Tiberius set the crude painting alight. The expression on his face was some mixture of shock and amusement and he was only able to hold it a brief few seconds before bursting into laughter. He covered his mouth like a giggling schoolgirl, barely able to contain himself.

"Looks like we know who to put on campfire duty tonight!" He teased, patting his Jedi companion on the back.

The two men were eager to examine the trails he had discovered earlier and so he followed them over to the clearings edge. Lucien joined Derek as he gathered his impressions of the two jungle paths. The wanderer had decided on the smaller one, and Lucien pushed aside the foilage that flanked its entrance, peering as far as he could see into the heart of the jungle. The path was dense and the mushroom trees overhead grew into a thick canopy. The cool darkness ahead was interrupted only here and there by mottled spots of sunlight.

"It definitely looks like the path you'd chose if you wanted adventure." Remarked the Jedi Knight, hedging his bets in the same direction Derek had. "I don't mind leaving the larger trail unexplored for now. There are too many unknowns to make a strategic decision about this. I like the idea of sticking together, at least for a little bit, and seeing if there's anything promising down that way." He pointed into the dark jungle ahead. "What do you think, Knight Fenric?"

@logan2665 @Die Shize

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Tiberius stared down at the smoldering art work that he had accidentally set ablaze. Lucien seemed to find the scene hilarious. Tiberius on the other hand was a bit embarrassed, but he couldn’t hold it against Lucien. If the tables had been turned he probably would have done the same thing, and he knew that Lucien was only teasing and meant no harm in his comment about putting Tiberius on campfire duty.

Looking up from his own masterpiece Tiberius examined the two paths with his companions. “It’s unanimous then. We’ll take the path less traveled.” Tiberius had similar thoughts to Derek and Lucien. The wide path indicated safety. If Hernan had taken that path he was little in good health and would return eventually. The other, more subtle path could indicate that Hernan was endanger, especially if that path was created by some creature that had dragged the villager off. However, there didn’t seem to be much sign of a struggle in the campsite.

Tiberius passed by the other two beings and pushed into the dense growth. Large mushrooms and ferns towered over head. It was hard to follow the path as it was not well defined. “Do you think something might have happened to Hernan?” Tiberius said looking back over his shoulder to speak to Lucien and Derek. Tiberius mind started to bring up images of the Felucian getting eaten by carnivorous plant, or some kind of wild animal that lived on this planet. *What a way to go.* Tiberius thought to himself as the trio marched on

Tag: @Die Shize @Lucien

 

[Kayden Skyler]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Take the path less traveled. If there was hidden meaning in Tiberius’ words then Kayden was just then dissecting them to find it. The Jedi was certainly eager to get to the bottom of this mystery as he advanced past his friend and the man they called Derek.

Tiberius, however, had a tendency for asking the obvious. Of course something happened to him. What are we, rocks? “I hope not,” Derek empathized, or pretended to, whatever. “Stating the obvious but there are plenty of creatures out here in the jungle that you don’t want to be on the wrong side of.”

He stepped over a rock that might otherwise have twisted his ankle, glad that Tiberius was in the lead since he was bearing the brunt of the foliage. If it came to it, they could just take out their lightsabers and cut through the swath. They. Maybe not me. Would give me away.

“Let’s entertain the idea that it was a wild beast after Hernan…” Kayden mused along while traveling in the same direction, wondering where their long lost friend was that very moment as three friends searched for him.

“Why would he take this route? The man seems an experienced explorer, so why not rush for the familiar path? Perhaps he was…sneaking away more than running?”


@logan2665 @LouJoVi

 

[Lucien Adami]

"Seems plausible to me." Lucien answered Derek's question, "It'd explain the condition of his camp at the very least - no signs of a struggle or anything. Almost as if he had the intention of returning to it. Only strange thing so far is how long he's been absent."

He followed Tiberius closely, paying careful attention to his footwork on the uneven ground. "But maybe there was no beast, or at least not yet. He could have come down this way looking for a little excitement? I don't know about you two, but seeing a path like this, barely distinguishable as it is admist the foliage, I just have to know what lies at the end of it."

The unlikely companions would soon find themselves at a fork in the road. As had been the case at the clearing, there were two paths to choose from, but this time something conspicuous caught Lucien's eye. The mushroom tree on the left flank of the left-hand path had, very clearly etched into its flesh, an arrow pointing the way forward.

He walked over and shared his discovery with the other men. "Still looks relatively fresh. It's gotta be Hernan, right? Trying to mark the path he took. To make it easier for a potential search party to find him? Or maybe he just wanted to see both paths eventually and decided to document what he had already explored."

@logan2665 @Die Shize

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Derek brought up a good point. May the Felucian had been trying to leave his life in the village. Perhaps the trio should have gotten more information of the villager before they ran off in search of him. Tiberius made a mental note of this for the next time he was asked to track down a missing resident.

Lucien seemed to agree with Derek’s observation as well He also expressed his curiosity about where this path might lead. “I’m interested as well.” Tiberius state in response to Lucien.

They hiked a little bit farther when Tiberius spoke up again. “You’ve been here longer than us, Derek. Did you know Hernan?” Tiberius was curious what the wander might know about the villager. Had they been friends. Maybe Hernan had been the village outcast.

Eventually the small group came to a fork in the path. Lucien’s keen eyes caught the markings on the towering mushroom. Tiberius walked over and inspected the markings himself. He ran his fingers over the cuts. “You’re right. It looks fairly fresh.” The Jedi agreed with his friend. “Maybe a couple days old.” The flesh of the mushroom was still on the softer side and hadn’t had time to harder like it would if the markings had been made long ago.

“It’s the best lead that we have right now.” Tiberius stated. “I say we see where it leads.” He looked to Derek to get his thoughts

Tag: @Die Shize @Lucien

 

[Kayden Skyler]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Kayden stared at the mushroom tree on the left flank and the arrow etched into its flesh. Lucien’s theories as to that were no less plausible. Hernan could have left a sign to make it easier for a search party, or a trail marker for himself to document his explorations. “Or it was left by someone else to send someone like us the wrong way.”

Unfortunately, anything was possible, and maybe that was the point that Kayden was trying to make. Ultimately, with the Force or without it, the three of them had to go off instinct as much as intelligence.

Tiberius was thinking the same thing. “The best lead is just as much the only lead given the time we have. Let’s mosey.” They were off again, taking the left-hand path to wherever it led, for better or worse.

More foliage, more humidity, more vigilance for unwelcoming wildlife. Kayden had been lost in thoughts earlier but recalled Tiberius’ question to him. It was well warranted. “Hernan, I didn’t know him intimately, not really.” Intimately enough, perhaps? Is that accurate?

“Never had the privilege of meeting him in the village, actually, but heard of him almost upon arrival. A wanderer like me, a wanderer like him, lonely villagers like them, well, they couldn’t hold back.” He smiled at those villagers. Truth be told, he was fond of them.

“Hernan is their best forager, explorer, call him what you will. He’s known for going out but not for this long. I can only assume foul play. He is loved by the villagers and loves them in turn.” Kayden sighed, wiping a bead of sweat from forehead. “I know that much about him, at least.”

The Jedi might have had more questions but the Sith stopped in his tracks just then. “See that?” He peered through the mushrooms and whatever else. “That appears to be the entrance to a cave, gentlemen.”


@logan2665 @Lucien

 

[Lucien Adami]

Would be a shame for the village to lose one so beloved. Small villages like these you'd expect everybody to know each other quite well - you needed to rely on your neighbours to survive, as isolated and hostile as this part of Felucia was. Lucien didn't want to return bearing bad news. He was about to voice something to that effect when Derek drew his attention to a gap in the foliage.

"Certainly is." Lucien confirmed the wanderer's observation of a cave mouth. He pushed his way through the foliage, stepping over an exposed root, ducking under a low branch. Soon enough he stared into the quiet darkness of the cave. As little light made it through the jungle canopy, absolutely none would be penetrating solid rock. A light source was required.

Luckily for the trio, this Jedi Knight kept his utility belt dutifully well-stock. He retrieved a glow rod from his rear pocket and switched it on, holding it forward in his left hand. Sure, his lightsaber would have done the trick just as well but that would such a callous reason to ignite it.

Orange light filled the cave mouth and Lucien drew in a sharp breath at what it revealed. Scratches in the dirt below. Spatters of dried blood distributed around. And next to the violent scene there was, quite clearly, a compass.

"Signs of a struggle... Obviously" An echo accompanied his words. "And a compass. Explorer's tool no doubt. I can't... Sense anybody ahead. Still, we can't give up hope." No, all he could sense in the Force was foreboding tension.

The cave descended into darkness ahead.

@logan2665 @Die Shize

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

“Sounds like he was a great asset to the village.” Tiberius said in response to Derek. Just then Derek stopped and pointed out, thought a thinning of the foliage, what appeared to be the entrance to a cave. Lucien confirmed the finding by getting a closer look.

Pushing through the local flora Tiberius followed after his fellow Jedi to get a closer look at the cave himself. Lucien pulled out a glow rod and ignited it. The light bounced off the cold rock walls of the cave and revealed come chilling clues in their search for the missing villager.

Tiberius inspected the blood. The blood had already oxidized and turned a brown color. “This is at least a few days old.” He stated as he ran his fingers over the dried blood. Next he examined the marks on the floor of the cave. It looked as though someone had drug their fingers in the dirt and went to the back of the cave. Finally, Tiberius picked up the compass. He dared not try psychometry, not after his last attempt especially. The knight turned the instrument over in his hand and examined it. *Could this be Hernan’s* he wondered to himself. There didn’t appear anything special about the compass other than a crack in the glass that covered the face of the compass.

“Would Hernan even need a compass?” he wondered out loud this time. This Cave wasn’t too far from the village, relatively speaking. If Hernan had known the area as well as he was purported to would he need this device? Even the best explores get lost some time though. There was the possibility, though, that the compass had belonged to some other unfortunate soul.

The knight turned and looked into the blackness that filled the rest of the cave. “Shall be go deeper?” he asked his companions still staring into the bowels of the cave.

Tag: @Die Shize @Lucien

 

[Kayden Skyler]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

The sight of dried blood revealed a memory to Kayden that he reveled in. It was like looking at a goblet of wine, still fresh and flowing, and the flavor of dark fruit floated on his tongue right then and there. The blade cuts the flesh.

He pressed a hand to his shoulder, there where the cloth of robe covered, remembered the wound like it was yesterday if not a few days.

There was the compass; a relic of the past, late or early, leading the way toward the future. Like a flayed finger pointing the way to tomorrow—back and forth, over and over again.

“Hope,” echoed Derek after Lucien. “You Jedi might just be the galaxy’s only hope.” TIberius did not need psychometry to point the way forward with more than mere compass. In place of stating the obvious, Kayden began to go deeper, certain that he would not venture those dark depths on his lonesome.

Spoiler: Music OOC

Space was a dark and cold place. Out there in the expanse between the stars, you wouldn’t get far without a ship or at least a flight suit. Skin that is naked is exposed. Flesh that is fallen must be removed. This cave, out here in the middle of a humid world, was dark and cold.

Two Jedi and one Sith traversed it, following a trail of blood where light could be shined upon it. For the former, that light took on more than a glow rod, more than a lightsaber; it was a light echoed by the universe itself, or at least one side of it.

The latter, well, there was no light. That one had learned such truth long ago. There was only a gaping pit waiting to swallow everyone and everything whole. Light and darkness. Neither matters. Not even matter matters. Kayden carried no glow rod but his flashlight served to light the way.

It shone upon their quarry. The trio found a cavern within the cave; a large chamber filled with rock, stalagmite and stalactite, and darkness taunting.

Kayden tilted his torch this way, illuminated a boring wall, then that way, illuminated a camping ground as basic as the one found in the forest clearing.

Then the light crept toward the center of the cavern where it lingered. There, erected in the middle of the chamber, were two wooden beams fastened together in an ‘X’. They were not so naked, though the same could not be said for the body fastened to them.

Its feet were angled toward the ceiling, its hands toward the floor, its flesh and muscle exposed and glistening in the light. The skin was…somewhere else…entirely removed from the body, but not quite.

“There he is,” Kayden confirmed as he slowly backed up and away from the two Jedi flanking him. His flashlight illuminated the body’s head that hung a few inches from the ground.

It was the only part of Hernan still intact, skin and all, though his eyes were impossibly wide and his mouth was locked in a scream. In space, no one can hear you scream.

“Right where I left him.” He smiled.


@Lucien @logan2665

 

[Lucien Adami]

All through their descent into the cave Lucien could not shake the foreboding feeling. It grew and oppressively grew until his heart pounded and sweat beaded his forehead. He couldn't place exactly what the Force was trying to tell him but he knew the answer lay deeper underground. Whatever it was, he had to confront it.

At last they entered the cavern and that foreboding tension reached its climax. The Jedi Knight could hardly do more than look on with an expression of horror as the light slowly revealed the gruesome carnage he so strongly hoped he wouldn't have to witness. Hernan's dead body. And what a carnage it was, barely recognisable in its grotesque, mutilated state. He was captivated by the scene when five words penetrated his shocked state of mind, brought him back to the darkness of the cavern.

Right where I left him...

For all his dinner table talk of empathy, and understanding, of just talking it out, Lucien found that he'd summoned his lightsaber to his outstretched hand and ignited the green blade in a single smooth motion. His actions worked faster than his thoughts. The light of his glowrod swirled around, pointed at Derek. The musing wanderer, the hero of the village. Derek. He looked at the man who smiled, but without any pretense of jest.

"What?!" One glance at the man's expression prompted him to change his question. "Why?"

He advanced towards the wanderer with a slow, measured walk. His lightsaber was ready in his right hand, pointed at the ground in textbook Form II stance. Turning towards Tiberius, he sought to meet his fellow Jedi's eyes, to make sure that they were on the same page, intending to convey: How do you want to approach this?

@logan2665 @Die Shize

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Tiberius had pulled out his own flash light as the group descended into the ever growing darkness of the cave. The only illuminated was provided by the instruments in the hands of the travelers. The sounds of their footsteps echoed off the stone walls. There was the sound of a splash and Tiberius felt a cold sensation on his leg. He had just stepped in a puddle that had formed deep in the cave.

There was silence between the trio as they ventured into the cave. Most likely they were trying to listen to any noise that might grace their ears. But it was not their ears that first alerted them to danger. It was their eyes. The beams of light from flash lights and the glow from Lucien’s glow rod revealed the horrific scene.

First it was the pristine camp site that came to view, but then they all saw it. It was the missing villager, Hernan. He had been stripped naked and fastened to and ‘X’ shaped cross. *What kind of monster would do something like this* was what Tiberius thought. The answer came sooner than he had expected though. It had been Derek that had done this, at least that’s what he words told him.

It was Lucien that spoke first demanding answers. There was a flash of green as Lucien ignited his light saber. Likewise, Tiberius spun around and ignited his own yellow blade. Lucien had already begun his advance towards the stranger who called himself Derek. Lucien looked back and made eye contact with Tiberius. The Tiberius nodded to his companion and began circling around to Derek’s right flank.

Tiberius had a feeling that the wanderer might have a few more tricks up his sleeve, but it would be difficult for him to defend against two knights coming at him from opposite directions. Tiberius reached out with the force, sensing his surroundings, sensing any move that Derek might make.

Tag: @Die Shize @Lucien

 

[Kayden Skyler]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Was it the Jedi way to cut down an unarmed man who they outnumbered? Perhaps not but, then again, they were alone in this cave with only a corpse to judge them. Kayden could run, he could hide, but he had more lessons for his two new friends and a paintbrush to articulate with.

“Does it matter why? If I told you why I prefer regular-fit jeans over slim-fit, would that make your day better or worse? More important is how. That’s how.” He pointed at the elephant in the room, though the Felucian’s face looked closer to a turtle’s. “By peeling life like an onion, I can spy into the core of the whore that is the universe. This very galaxy is just a breast, once supple now swollen, milked dry by its denizens, and they are meat."

Kayden caught onto either Jedi spreading apart from one another so that they might flank the lone man who came to find his distance. "What matters most, master Jedi, is how the Force, the glue that holds everything together, can be split apart with the edge of a knife. If you don’t believe me then just ask Hernan.”

Maybe they could hear him, if they dared; listen to the man’s pleas and gurgled screams, begging to be killed or at least knocked out; but all the blood that had rushed to his head forbade that outcome. Finally the moment had come to end Hernan's misery, silence his tongue, but not quite. Even in death I can hear you cry.

Kayden remembered that woman in the hut, the moans she had made when he took her, blood and fire in his loins. The way the blade erected from his hilt just then, a red hue humming from the lightsaber held in right hand, was much the same.

Amid the red and green and yellow glowsticks, and the echoes of anguish pumping between Kayden’s ears, the cavern had suddenly become a rave. “We can dance if you want to or we can leave our friend behind. Come with me back to the village. Let us see what happens when the light and the dark marry into the kind of power you cannot even imagine!”


@Lucien @logan2665

 

[Lucien Adami]

Part of him had hoped that this would turn out to be some kind of misunderstanding. A sick joke maybe? Disgust, a visceral disgust, had taken hold of Lucien and it spread with every word that spilled out of Derek's mouth, threatening to corrupt his judgement, his reasoning. The red blade ignited. So this would be his first encounter with a Sith.

Was this Derek's plan all along? Lucien had never killed anybody. Hell, he'd never even seen a dead body other than the mutilated specimen tied up behind them. The young Knight had not yet in his life felt the call of the dark side, but the stage was set in this cavern with fear, anger and suffering abound and on display.

Lucien had a strict moral code - he'd committed himself to a pledge of not killing unless it saved imminent lives. After all, people were only products of their circumstances, and even the most wicked could find their redemption. But, in his slow-paced advance towards the wanderer, he could feel an itch. What Derek had done to Hernan was an abomination of justice - and he could think of one way of making sure Derek would never be able torture like that again... But that wasn't the Jedi way.

"So that's it. No thought spared to the person you butchered. Was he just your tool to use? What about the damage you've wrought on his family? To that humble little village you so praised in between mouthfuls of steak and wine?" He stopped walking, now within range of combat.

He held his lightsaber ready. Senses alert, he waited to see who would make the first move.

@Die Shize @logan2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Tiberius edged ever closer to Derek. He listened to his words. His explanation of his motives. Like his fellow Jedi, Tiberius had hoped that this was all just a big misunderstanding., and Derek would conclude with a “just kidding” or something like that and they could all go home. However, as the wanderer continued it became clear that there was no mistake. Derek was in fact the one who killed Hernan.

Suddenly, the red blade of the Sith sprang to life. The stone walls danced with a multicolored mural. The low hum of the weapons reverberated off the wall and amplified their sounds. It was almost melodic.

It appeared that they had misjudged Derek. He had feigned ignorance of the force just the night before. Because of the planets connection to the force it was difficult to identify force users here. The newly revealed Sith continued with his monologue. “I’m afraid there will be no marriages today” Tiberius interjected in response before Lucien spoke. Ironically, it was a nice day for a white wedding.

Lucien spoke now, questioning Derek, if that was his real name. Tiberius continued to circle around to Derek’s flank, taking his time and allowing for the conversation to continue. His senses were still heightened, waiting for a movement that would signal an attack. Tiberius did not want to be the one to initiate this battle.

Tag: @Die Shize @Lucien

 

[Kayden Skyler]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Kayden had previously been masking his Force signature throughout his entire experience with these two Jedi. Once that lightsaber ignited, however, there was no more reason to hide. He became as naked as his trophy there in that cavern.

“Not entirely true,” Kayden corrected Tiberius. “One of the elders informed me that a neighboring village will have two newlyweds today. Perhaps I should congratulate them?”

He turned to Lucien. “Oh, I spared more than thoughts on Hernan while he spared no secret on me. Apparently he was a lonely soul, so maybe only those villagers will mourn his passing. Though, they are an afterthought. A pig might be cute and cuddly but still exists to be eaten—all the better if it’s tasty—and who thinks about that pig as it exits the anus? Make of that what you will.”

Sensing these musings might go nowhere, Kayden positioned himself as one does in a long line at a supermarket. “Look, I have no quarrel with you. If you won’t join me then go tell your friends about me over tea or something. Meanwhile, I have an…errand…and it looks like this guy needs a funeral so I’ll leave you Jedi Janitors to it.”

With that, he began to back up again toward the tunnel, gesturing that if they could leave in peace then it might be best to let him go first.

Was it the Jedi way to wage war? Was it the Jedi way to let a man like Derek Mathalangar walk? Perhaps, perhaps not. This is the way, as the Mandalorians say.


@Lucien @logan2665

 

[Lucien Adami]

"The metaphors aren't as profound as you think. Hernan wasn't a pig. The man you killed had the rest of his life to live, a wealth of experience that you ripped away from him." He scoffed.

The tri-colour of sabers shone, and then slowly dimmed as Derek backed away. Lucien felt like he was missing something. "What the hell was the point of that, then? Show us your torture project on the off chance that we'd decide to join you at the sight of it? Or were we meant to see sense in the rambling about peeling onions..."

As much as Lucien's disgust urged him to swing at the man, he resisted still. It wouldn't be right to cut him down in cold blood but that didn't mean he was about to let Derek walk free. He'd never felt anything in the Force like the man's presence, twisted and suffocating, forever a blight on his surroundings.

"Your whole plan seems to have been making a quarrel with us." He began moving towards Derek once again. "Tell me, was it frustrating when Hernan sneaked away from you down that obscure jungle path, fleeing a beast?"

For better or worse Lucien would be the one to make the first action. He dashed to cut off Derek' escape, aiming to set himself up as an obstacle in his way. If Derek made an attempt to stop him, by lightsaber or Force, he would retaliate.

Lucien still wasn't sure what exactly his own end goal was, what it should be as a Jedi. Take him back to the village perhaps? The native Felucians practically worshipped Derek Mathalangar - it'd take some convincing. The Jedi could always present the explorer's compass as evidence. Either way, the people deserved to know the truth. And Hernan deserved justice.

@logan2665 @Die Shize

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

The wandered continued with his ramblings. Something about weddings next door and Hernan being a pig. It was hard to make sense of the nonsensical, poetic rhetoric. It seemed, however, that at the end of his speech Derek was asking to be allowed to leave. Tiberius had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand the damage done by the sith had already been done and could not be reversed. On the other hand the knight felt that he had a responsibility to stop the man from perpetuating such crimes that he had just confessed to. Was it worth risking their own wellbeing to fight this man? They had no way of knowing his expertise when it came to combat. For all Tiberius knew the man could cut both him and Lucien down with ease.

The trio was slowly making their way towards the cave entrance now with Derek leading them. The light from the sun outside could now be seen. It wouldn’t be hard for Derek to turn and run for the exit. The two Jedi would then be free to return to the village and inform the elders and the rest of the village what had taken place here in the cave.

Lucien did most of the talking at this point. There was not much else for Tiberius to add. The knight had almost resigned to let the sith go in peace, but it appeared that Lucien had decided not to permit this man to leave. As his fellow jedi made a dash to block the exit for Derek, Tiberius charged at the wanderer. He had hoped that Lucien’s movement was distraction enough to allow Tiberius to land a hit.

Like Lucien, Tiberius was a practitioner of Makashi and held his lightsaber in his right hand while keeping his left hand free. Upon reaching Derek Tiberius swung his lightsaber from left to right horizontally. Tiberius fully expected Derek to dodge or block his attack. Being a fellow force user surely he would see this coming.

Tag: @Lucien @Die Shize

 

[Kayden Skyler]

Spoiler: Music OOC

There it is. Kayden chuckled. Jedi justice, raw and unrelenting, brought forth by the senselessness of it all. His partners had to make the first move if they wanted to dance, even as Lucien insisted on finding meaning in such a cruel and unusual death where none might exist.

“What might frustrate you, good sir, is whether I met Hernan before or after this cave, if I knew he and this corpse were one and the same, or if my spiel or all this nonsense means anything besides mildly amusing, including a dead pig's suffering. Oink oink!”

Whether it was the vague vocabulary or the fact that the corpse was once a person, Hernan or not, what mattered most was that the Jedi finally took action. They had heard enough and their Sith had said enough.

It was probably for the best. There was no telling what Derek would do with the village they had come from or the next with its newlyweds. After all, pigs existed to be eaten, whores were raised to be ravished, and the galaxy was formed to be flayed.

With Lucien on his left, Tiberius charging his front, Kayden allowed the latter to swing away. The Sith knew he had to keep from getting flanked so stepped laterally toward his right, pitting both foes at his left to an extent.

His right saber swung leftward to connect with Tiberius’, pushing it away at the tip before it could reach its target. Concurrently, Kayden’s left hand tugged at his opponent through the Force, pulling him toward Lucien.

Tiberius had been charging so the effort was minimal on Kayden’s part, and the result might just send one Jedi tumbling into the other, and he should be careful as to who his lightsaber might now be aiming at.

“Note that the Jedi attacked first, officer,” the Sith smiled. “I was only defending myself.” He would do no less, crossing saber before body, tip angled toward the ceiling. Makashi, Soresu, Djem So; those were outdated at best, cradled by idiot Jedi no less.


@Lucien @logan2665

 

[Lucien Adami]

Nonsensical as they were, his words were frustrating Lucien. The Jedi Knight had never come across an individual who was as resistant to reasoning as the Sith before him, and that was a confronting fact. How could you even reach someone like that?

Unfortunately it seemed like the language of violence was the only method of communication available to them, and so that's what the Jedi would use. Lucien saw Tiberius charge in, and Derek respond with a sidestep, keeping both of his opponents to one side. It won't be that easy. Lucien sought to continue circling, resuming his pursuit of the dark sider's flank.

Sabers clashed and before he could make his move, Lucien was alerted to his fellow Jedi moving towards him, shoved by the Force. He stepped back, allowing Tiberius to recover without threat of collision, but abandoning his approach towards the Sith in the process.

Derek had successfully kept his opponents together and Lucien used the brief respite to plan out his next attack. Tightening his grip around the silver hilt in his right hand, he poised himself to execute a Force-aided lunge - and that's when it happened.

There was barely any warning. Or maybe there was and the three lightsaber-wielders had been oblivious, caught up in the red mist of combat. All Lucien could remember was a deafening rumble. Then the cavern felt like it was going to shake itself apart and he was thrown to the ground. Rocks rained from the chamber's ceiling as it caved in on itself.

Just as it had begun, the battle was abruptly brought to an end. Nature itself had separated the two parties. There would be no resolution to their conflict. All three men would survive this ordeal, but would the men that emerged from the darkness be the same three that entered?

@logan2665 @Die Shize

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Tiberius was pulled forward by Derek’s use of the force and the knight was sent towards his fellow Jedi. Luckily, Lucien was observant enough to avoid being skewered by Tiberius blade. Tiberius righted himself and turned to face their opponent. It looked like Lucien had readied himself to go on the attack, but just then the ground beneath them began to shake.

Rocks began to fall from the ceiling above. Like Lucien, Tiberius fell to the ground after losing his balance. The two Jedi were now trapped inside the cave with Derek on the other side of the rock wall that now separated the combatants. It was safe to assume that the Sith had used this opportunity to escape.

The cave would be even darker than before save for the glow that came from Tiberius lightsaber, and that of Lucien’s if it was still ignited. “You okay?” Tiberius asked his companion. Aided by the force the Jedi was able to move the large rocks that blocked the path ahead. After what seemed like hours a hole large enough for a human to fit through was made. The Jedi crawled through.

The sun was setting now. There was not much time left before there would be complete darkness, but it was important to return to the village and deliver news of the events that had taken place, as well as reunite with the diplomat that the Jedi had been charge with his safety.

It was a long, uneventful hike back to the village, but eventually Tiberius made it. He relayed news of Hernan’s passing and Derek’s true identity as a Sith. After staying the night in the village the Jedi escorted the diplomat back through the jungle to their transportation. Their journey was relatively uneventful. The mission that they had come to carry out was a success, but the danger of the Sith was becoming more apparent.

Tag: @Die Shize @Lucien