A massive cataclysm has struck the universe, and destroyed most everything in its wake. The survivors are now trying to pick up the pieces, and figure out exactly what has befallen them. Gather together, lightsiders!! The darkness has shattered the peace and calm of the galaxy...and they will do anything to stop anyone from finding out exactly what has been done! This is our first sitewide RP plotline. Lightsiders, you are looking for the source of this massive event. Clues must be found, lackeys tracked down, and bits of memory discovered. Darksiders, you guys don't want that to happen....because of the one behind the whole thing is furthering his ultimate goal. Mandalorians, and non-force users, you guys can decide where you stand on this line....do you side with the Jedi, and try to discover the reasons behind the ruined universe, or will you side with the darkness, and protect those secrets. Will the secret of the cataclysmic reaping be kept under wraps? Or will the Jedi and their allies find out the truth? Your RP and writing will decide the outcome!
BATTLE ARENA
Welcome to The Saga Continues. We have a section called the Battle Arena. Here you can use your characters to fight other characters. Hone your skills and see what you are made of. Don't worry, anything that happens here, does not effect your characters in posts, so if your character dies, you can still use them over and over. Have fun and check it out!
The Saga Continues is the product of the mind of ADMIN ADI; all contents are copyright their original owners. All characters belong to their original creators, and may not be used or replicated without permission. All images are copyright their original owners. This skin Operation Mindcrime was made by pharaoh leap of Pixel Perfect and put together by ADMIN KRYSTAL
The aquatic planet of Kamino always seems to be subject to torrential downpours, and today is no exception. The duelists will find themselves on one of Tipoca City’s innumerable landing platforms, exposed to the elements. This scene is reminiscent of the incident in which Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi sought to apprehend the bounty hunter Jango Fett, but it’s almost certain that that took place on a different site than this. The platform itself is a durasteel construct, 50 meters in diameter, recessed into the familiar half-dome structures favored by the Kaminoans. Only a small lip stands between solid footing and a slippery slope to a watery grave. Protruding from the platform are four half-meter wide maintenance catwalks extending over the ocean, located at the two o’clock, four o’clock, eight o’clock, and ten o’clock positions. At the six o’clock position, there is a three-meter wide, ten meter long pathway leading into Tipoca City proper, but the automatic doors of this platform are out of service for the time being. There are also two triads of pillar-like structures, serving as the communications relay and primary source of illumination for guiding vehicles to land and pilots to disembark. Presently, this landing platform plays host to a pair of Mandalorian Protectorate interceptors. Are the owners inside Tipoca City? On a mission, perhaps? Will they return to their ships soon? [After 15 posts, two Mandalorians will appear from Tipoca City. They can be controlled by the duelists as NPCs, or by a third party, but in any case must be hostile to the primary participants.] . Duelists, your scene is set and the pieces are in play! From here on out, the game awaits.
*The winds blow and the seas rage, yet I remain. On stranger tides I have come to Kamino, and it has come to my attention that there is old business in need of wrapping up. Also new business, in need of my efforts.
The old business? Tal made a mess, that’s what the old business is, from way back when he controlled this planet. And yet, as he continues to develop his power, an idea struck him which depended on some of the after-effects of his residence on this world. And since I am committed to seeing him through to freedom, I accompany.
Then I received a premonition, a summons through the Force, and so I walked here, alone, to this platform, where sit two sleek fighters (I confess I'm not familiar with the make or model of these bad boys), and I've come, alone, to attend to whatever caused this beckoning.
...Not alone. For I am accompanied by the members of my armament.
My left hand is adorned by Vol, the phrik basket-hilted lightfoil. Her long, thin blade casts a teal glow which washes recklessly over the vicinity in this rainstorm. On my right side, with the hand snaking around, I grip one half of Trogdor, mid-haft, with all four unstable red blades ignited and pointed towards the ground, the un-bladed end touching the crook of my arm. Trogdor's flames will spell ruination for all who oppose me. Also on my right side, clasped around the forearm, is the dormant energy shield emitter, Saurez, housed in a bracer. Though he sleeps for now, I know that I can draw upon his strength at a moment’s notice. Held in a holster on my left hip is Crisis, my LL-30 blaster pistol. It is reluctant to strike, today, but I may find a use for it nonetheless. And lastly, guarding me somewhat from the rain which so eagerly seeks to caress, my trenchcoat Freedom soaks in the atmosphere.
Once more I assert: I am not alone. The Force is at my command.
I stride up the center of the main walkway, casually noting the two fighters have been parked in reverse, engines facing towards Tipoca City. Either the pilots were showing off their maneuverability, or, more likely, they are preparing to make a hasty departure. Wouldn't you do the same? Try not to fly over the city if you were making a disturbance? Several feet from the perimeter of the circular platform, I pause.
Streams pour down my face, accumulating in wells around my black glossy artificial eyes. You know, this being Kamino, the featureless glass orbs which occupy my sockets almost let me fit right in, appearance-wise, with the Kaminoans. Other than the faint green hue of my skin, and the far sturdier build I sport. And the not-so-elongatedness of my neck. Other than those differences, I blend right into the crowd, it’s uncanny.
Speaking of the Kaminoans, they are an odd bunch. So much effort put into their technological accomplishments, and yet at their core they are a ritualistic and superstitious race. Don’t you think, with all of their scientific advances, that they could have developed a means of shielding their platforms from the rain? Of course they could have, don’t deceive yourself. This begs the question, why didn’t they? The answer is, because they worship the rain, and the water of their world, and they insist upon making all visitors and would-be-entrants to Tipoca City to pass through it. A ritual of purification, and a sacrificial offering to the spirit of their planet. Legend holds that should the planet test and find anyone unworthy of entry, that they will dissolve on the spot at the first touch of the precipitation.
Here I remain. Wet, but not soluble. And, as the sound of soggy footprints and glow of a crystal blue Force aura betrays, here comes another. I guess that makes us both worthy.
Ugh...he hated rain. Of course, he had come here to see if there were survivors of the plague. The Kaminoans, however, were resourceful. This was one planet untouched by the ravages of the 'Red eyed death' that swept the rest of the universe. Indeed, they saw it as a windfall of sorts....the workforce would have to be rebuilt. Who better to do that than the ones who have cloning in their very blood?
He was just about to complete his business, when he felt a disturbance in the force. It was unlike anything he had felt before...cold, unyielding, and powerful. It sent chills up his spine to know that someone like this survived the plague. It was too bad, really...why couldn't the plague have wiped out the evil in the universe, rather than taking the innocent lives that were sacrificed. It was time to step up, and do what he had trained to do....Take out evildoers.
He had tracked the man to one of the landing platforms, and there he was, standing in the rain alone. Apparently, Adi wasn't the only one who sensed something was amiss. Matango's hand fell to the chrome hilt upon his right hip, the cool metal assuring him that he was not alone in this endeavor. He also carried two small belt-mounted cylinders, as a contingency plan. They would provide one hell of a distraction if employed at the proper moment. Both were a type of detonator devised by Dr Bismarck in the RDMC labs. Although annoyed that they would be getting wet, he was also kind of happy he had chosen to wear sneakers, though...it would provide better traction on the wet duracrete. However, his tshirt and cargo pants would be soaked by the time he was done dispatching the one waiting for him just outside the glass doors. Speaking of, the guest of honor -was- waiting, with a very odd-looking weapon....and probably growing a little impatient. Not one to keep someone waiting, the Arkanian pressed the electronic pad to open the doors, and gave a heavy sigh....
The only thought that crossed his mind as Matango crossed the threshold to the platform beyond was 'Welp, here goes nuffin...'
As he stepped out into the rain, he shivered. He wanted to be back on the open plains of Honoghr, sipping Noghri wine, and taking a good rip on a bong filled with sweet, sweet Endorian Endo. Matango's face curled into a scowl as the torrential rain instantly drenched him, and sticking the black t-shirt to his body. Looking the man over, he could almost smell the stench of darkness radiating from him as he approached to within about twenty feet. This man was another who didn't understand that keeping with the path of the dark was limiting his potential. The Force does not choose sides, each individual does. To some, the pull to one side or the other was undeniable. That was fine, if one didn't want to actually reach the pinnacle of who they could truly be. To Adieumus Matango, however, it was about balance in all things. There could be no darkness without the light to create an absence. There could be no light without the dark to shade from its brightness. To be on one side or the other, it was denying the true nature of the force.
With a shake of his head, Adi spoke loud enough for his counterpart to hear him clearly over the downpour.
"I don't know who you are, and I honestly don't care. What say we just forego the fighting, and go smoke a doober where we aren't in danger of drowning, eh? Maybe talk about you going somewhere else for your sithy business?"
On the outside, Adi was showing no signs of wanting to fight. In his mind, though, he had already struck the man a dozen different times, in a dozen different ways. If the darksider decided to get froggy, Adieumus would be ready. The Force would show him the way.
*He's here. I turn to face him, and immediately take several steps backward, breaching the perimeter of the circular landing pad.
I had elected not to scout him out with Force Sight while he was yet far off, although it would have been well within my abilities to do so. It could wait. So I waited. And now that he's here, this close? I see him well, and I feel like I'm getting a flashback to my youth. To my custody in the tutelage of Brijus the Hutt. This guy gives off that same vibe.
Brijus was a skilled fighter and a cunning warrior, and a man who always seemed to deny the gravity of certain situations and actions. And, a Gray Jedi. And a friend of my father's, himself a model of Sithood. (It just goes to show: faction allegiance only carries so much weight) I learned much under him, especially of the value of innovation in one's armament. But as I came of age, I saw the fallacy in that Gray philosophy. It sounds quite reasonable, until you think it through. Doesn't it just make sense that opening oneself to both light and dark would offer more strength than either alone?
No, that's wrong. Because the fact of the matter is, no one has ever come close to plumbing the full depths of the power of the Force. We are, all of us, limited, while the Force is infinite. Since the Force is infinite, then both the light side of the Force and the dark side of the Force are infinite as well. Thus your perspective is completely flawed if you look at it from the stance of 'using the true nature of the Force,' because the truth of the matter is that no one can fully handle any single side of the Force to begin with. And therefore, since we are left with the finite resources of a mortal being, devoting to 'light' or 'dark' or 'both' is just a question of how you are allocating those resources, with no means of artificially expanding their quantity. At best, you have the exact same result any which way you go; more perniciously, and more likely, by devoting yourself to the jack of all trades approach, you deny the single-mindedness needed for genuine mastery.
That was all in the past, though. I had left Brijus, alive (as a sign of my gratitude), went from Toydaria to Ison, and gave him nary a thought more until now, when this guy has come along spouting weird statements and reminding me of those days. How quaint. Let's let the past die, shall we? Focus on the present.
There are probably many who would take offense to Adi's assertion of apathy to my identity. That, however, is not the most grievous element of his greeting. I call out to him through the storm with a pleasant tone, as he approaches to just over six meters' distance between us.*
*My right hand tightens its grip on the phrik hilt of that half of Trogdor, and my tone drops to a softer, deeper, more dangerous timbre. A slight curl of my upper lip, a slight upturn of my right eyebrow.* “...the responsibility falls to you to demonstrate to me that your power is worth my respect.”[/ul]
*Another five steps back (did you know that Force Sight allows me to see all around me? Being blind has its perks, like walking backwards without worrying about tripping) and I find myself situated centered between the two starfighters, about a meter in front of their triple-engine arrays. I stop with my right foot dropping back, slide it slightly such that the toes point to the outside, and flex my left knee. My left shoulder is forward to Adi. Both of my elbows are flexed to just slightly less than 90º. The man before me is built almost the same as me, maybe a hair shorter and a few kilos lighter. Not much information to glean from the three cylinders he carries on his belt — one clearly a lightsaber hilt, already being caressed, and two smaller ones, unrecognizable to me. This could develop in any number of directions, and when faced with the unknown foe, one must have absolute confidence in their own power. We shall see how true that rings for my opponent.* [/font]
"Why is always about demonstrations of power? Why is it that you darksiders seem to always want to fight, cause chaos? Our goals are the same, peace in the universe, yet you continue to kill, maim, and destroy.
Seems counterproductive, if you ask me. Do not make me engage you. It won't end the way you think."
Adi let the last words hang in the air between them. There was no storm that could wash away Matango's want to avoid bloodshed. Nor was there a way to erase his will to keep the inhabitants of this facility safe from harm. This would be the darksider's choice....live or die. If Adieumus was forced into combat, he would end the fight in as rapid a manner as possible. He looked the other man over....roughly the same height, and build. There was, however, a way the man carried himself. It was a confidence built out of years of successful combat. It was unmistakable...Adi himself held the same air. It wasn't a surprise, though....that weapon the man carried would get anyone else killed by their own hand. He was holding it like it was an extension of his body.
The other man had arranged himself in between two ships, probably as means to keep his fighting area smaller, try to force Matango to make a foolish move by attacking head on. No, Adi would not attack. He merely had to hold his ground here...between the bad guy and the door to get inside. Adi could be very patient. He would wait, and continue to deepen his connection to the force. If this man wanted to truly test Adi, and see what the Arkanian was made of? He would have to exit his little hidey hole, and come to -him-.
Power was not always the ability to fight. Sometimes, it was the ability to decide when to fight, and when not to. Adieumus was giving this man every opportunity to back down before getting hurt in a foolish attempt to attack the former Jedi.
[/i] about why demonstrations of power are of value? Could it be that you want to become one of the Lapay?”[/font][/ul] *Is that what he means when he says that this won't turn out like I think? Yeah, gaining another son here and now would certainly fit the bill of 'unexpected' to say the least.
As it becomes clear that the man who means to oppose me considers it adequate merely to contest my return indoors to Tipoca City, by holding his ground on the bridge back over, I maintain my fighting posture for what turns into an awkward amount of time, while my opponent has yet to ignite his saber.
Sure, there's zero chance that I can close this gap between us before you'd have time to light it up. But still, it's the principle of the matter.
Anyways, since we're talking about power now, I must admit that that's always a subject that's worth discussion, regardless of circumstance. So as the next steps formulate in my mind, I let out that breath I'd drawn and continue that line of thought. Having increased the distance between us, I am compelled to raise my volume somewhat. The threat of danger will be gone from my voice now; I'm calling out to be heard, and we're back to that pleasant tone I opened with. This is the best stuff to talk about.*
[/i]. Everything that matters, anyways. And if you never get around to measuring the water level, so to speak, then you can neither rely on your power, nor can you tell if you have been growing as a person.”[/font][/ul] *I loosen my right hand's grip to allow the half-section of Trogdor which I hold in my right hand slide further towards the ground, restoring my hold on it at the back end of the shaft, where there is a mag-seal mechanism. You see, my double-ended trident poses me slight vexation when it comes to transportation; with forethought in constructing it, I realized that it would need to be able to split in two or else it would just be an impracticality; that mag-seal is what connects them when I use the whole beastie. But I've only got one of the halves on my person now.
As I continue my explanation, I begin to delve into the Force, drawing its power unto myself. Adi has given me the gift of time, and it would be rude to waste it.*
[/i] the means to an end — any end — and that's just the way things are. If you'd like to do anything in this universe, you must have the necessary power to accomplish it. It even requires power to make the choice not to fight, as paradoxical as that sounds.”[/font][/ul] *It's going to take a lot of power just to maintain your senses, probably. My lectures can get a bit long-winded and you've gone and said one of the magic words. Try not to fall asleep, this stuff matters a lot to me.
Having readjusted my grip, I straighten up and take a few more steps back. On the fifth step, my left foot drops behind my right. I raise my right hand, lifting the blades of that half of Trogdor skyward, and then sweep it across my body, reaching to full extension on that side without breaking stride.
This action interrupts my words, naturally, because with a delightful flash and accompanying wail, Trogdor's teeth sever one of the exposed landing struts of the Protectorate starfighter standing here beside me.*
[/i] been realized.
Now, if I'm here to do something, and you come along and say don't do that, then clearly that's a situation where we have two opposing goals. Who gets the right of way? Naturally, the one with greater power! But the problem is that you haven't got a clean grasp on the true definition of power, that's why you're convoluting it with things like killing and destruction: it's a symptom that you haven't completely considered the full scope of what power is.”[/font][/ul] *Another pause, as the leg-ectomy that I've just performed bears fruit. With only two legs left to stand on, the starfighter gradually overbalances and crashes onto its right wing-edge, now standing on with the two remaining struts propping it that direction. Not to worry, owner, wherever you are; I think that it's still flyable. Also, that's why it was important that I didn't break stride. Had to get to a spot where it's not going to crush my toes before it tumbled. I'm sure it would be painful when that happens.
So after the reverberation of the starfighter ceases its clamor, I resume, all the while still stepping backwards.*
[/font][/ul]
*Even now, I continue to strengthen my readiness in the Force. And then, with a few shuffle-steps to the right, the lean-to shelter fabricated by lightly-damaged Protectorate starfighter (seriously, don't worry about it, leg strut repairs are super inexpensive, I know a guy) interrupts the line of sight between Adi and myself and I'll have a bit of optical privacy from which to contemplate how this proceeds from here. Still gonna chat, though, if he keeps bringing up interesting subjects to talk about.*[/font]
"I don't know what a 'Lapay' is...but it sounds like its kind of painful."
Whoever this guy was, he obviously knew how to handle himself. It was odd...darksided or not, there -was- something about him that made Matango kinda like the guy. It would almost be a shame to have to kick his ass. The guy was impatient, it would seem, though...he couldn't stay still. This showed a fighter with movement, someone who flowed from one thing to another...this was another sign that Adi was facing more than a novice with a fancy weapon.
"The ones who speak of violent acts as 'power' know not what it truly is. It is not power that you need to make the decisions to fight or not...its intelligence. Just because you =can= does not mean that you =should=. I train to fight so I don't HAVE to. I train to end a conflict before it even begins, to minimize who is harmed...including myself."
The former lead of the Jedi Watch observed as the darksider cut the landing stabilizer from under one of the craft. Shame, really....that would take a bit of time to fix. Someone else would have to come out in the constant rain, jack the ship up, and put a stabilizer back on the ship. They more than likely would have to wait a couple days for one to be shipped here as well. One thing Adi was jealous about, though, is that this guy now had a bit of a reprieve from the rain.
Damn. Now the Arkanian wished he would have advanced a little more quickly....they could be having this conversation face to face...out of the drenching downpour.
"Diplomacy is a different kind of power. It is again intelligence. To have to resort to beating on one another? That's the last thing that should be done in a long line of steps. When the punches get thrown, and blaster bolts start to fly, intelligence has failed. Peace has failed. Power has failed.
Violence is weakness personified. It means you have failed to use the power you were given in a responsible manner."
Adieumus lowered himself to one knee, and put his right hand on the ground, resting his legs for a moment. A fight was probably inevitable, but Adi was going to try. This was exactly what Adi was talking about....Avoiding violence did more than saved lives...
...It created bonds.
"You don't seem to be weak by any sense of the word...hence the reason I made the suggestion we discuss this over a doobie. It will allow level heads to prevail.
...besides, I hear they have good pizza in the commissary here."
There wasn't a drop of malice in Adi's words...he -was- being genuine. That didn't mean, however, that the force wasn't flowing over him like the torrential downpour.
*None of Adi’s movements escape my Force-given sight, including the fact that his Force presence has been gradually strengthened compared to when he first arrived here. The same can be said for me, though; if it’s a grand Force assault he’s maneuvering for, then I’d be remiss not to bring my strength in the Force to play as well. Like coming armed with but a knife to a gunfight, were I to rely only on the saber skills in my repertoire, I could not hope to compete. And so I continue in what I have already begun, mentally delving further into the Dark Side, even while making a few physical adjustments.
It’s true that it is nice to have gained a canopy. I crouch near the front landing strut of the Fang Fighter, which is by the front of the nose. From this position, the cockpit section of the spacecraft lies fully between Adi and myself. And so the canopy I’ve obtained is good for shelter both from the rain and his prying eyes. Let me do some readjustments to my approach in peace here, won’t you?
I could just barely hear this last volley of words, and in reply I mutter the following statement, which is unlikely to carry through the rain, what with the ship in the way and all. But, I don’t know for sure, maybe he has really good ears (although if that were the case wouldn’t the pitter-patter of the raindrops just drive him absolutely insane here?). Meanwhile, I instinctively feel that Vol will do me no good in this situation. So as I verbalize my reply for the apparent benefit of no one but myself, I extinguish the blade of the cyan lightfoil.*
[/ul]
*While these words are being mumbled, I place the butt of Vol against the empty end of Trogdor, and reactivate the mag-seal to clamp it in place. I pass the combined weapon over into my left hand now, and draw Crisis from its holster with my right. Yes, you’ve got to consider your power according to the understanding that it came to you only at significant personal cost. Consequently, you are compelled to endeavor not to use it in a trivial fashion. The fatal sins against your power are overestimation — meaning that you do not wield enough power to overcome your enemies, the price of which is defeat — and underestimation — meaning that you use an excess of power to overcome your enemies, the price of which is atrophy.
But to what ends you use your power is for no one to dictate except you yourself. If others don’t like it, they can try to stop you. If your power is greater than theirs, then you have no need to fear. Might really does make right, it's an indisputable fact of life.
Were it not for the bulk of my attention being devoted to the Dark Side, I would have launched an attack by now; but the Force has a way of making one act methodically, slowly, while attention is fixed on it. I extend my right arm until the muzzle of Crisis kisses and comes to press against the rain-soaked underside of the Protectorate’s hull, to where only the sight of the blaster is peeking past the edge of the ship, and begin to adjust the rotation of my wrist slightly to start to get the pistol pointed and properly aligned towards Adi’s resting form. Otherwise, still concealed, still ready, still concentrating in the Force, still prepared. Still talking to myself, I guess.*[/font]
The man was still talking at least. Adi's hastily assembled plan was coming together. Even though he couldn't hear anything, the words that Adieumus -could- make out through the storm truthfully made sense. This guy wasn't your average darksider. If it were any other type of meeting, Matango could almost see him sitting down with this guy, having a few drinks, and discussing force philosophy....
....almost....
There were times that Adi wished he didn't have to eliminate some 'bad' guys...not all of them were evil. Some were just darker than others...willing to go further than others...and they weren't necessarily wrong. Both the Jedi and Sith -were- prone to the same goals, identical in many ways, and drew power from the same fountain. The force was the force, regardless of what ability was generated with it. This acquisition of this knowledge had taken Adi a long time to discover...but he had. Alas, a fight was pretty much a foregone conclusion, regardless of how things were going at the moment. Maybe another time, another life, the two men may have been able to become friends....
...Not this time, though. Maybe on the next go-round....
Something had caught the Arkanian's eye under the cockpit of the fighter that the other man had so conveniently hidden himself behind....the proton torpedo launcher underneath where the pilot sat was now fully exposed, due to the fact that the man holding the overgrown salad fork had vandalized the wing strut. Mandalorian fighters were quite unique, and that unique aspect had given Adi a window of opportunity. Proton torpedoes were just explosives at their basest form...enough heat applied to explosives made them do exactly what explosives do...and Adi had a very good heat source just sitting on his hip...a specially-crafted lightsaber that Adieumus himself had tinkered with.
Hearing the man's words trail off into the downpour, Adi slowly stood. He stared intently for but a half second at his target, and adding to his motion with a massive burst of force speed, ripped the lightsaber off his hip, thumbed the activator, and launched the weapon forward in a very straight, fast line. The weapon would take -very- little time to arrive at its target, and should it make it there, it would be able to pierce the launcher, and the vulnerable torpedoes inside. Should it accomplish its mission, the torps contained within the launcher would explode with a pretty heavy force, concussion, fire, explosions, all that fun stuff...and that wasn't including what would explode on the fighter. Who knew how many torpedoes were in the launcher, as well...and one goes off, they -all- would.
If he had truly thought it through, Adi would have realized that he, too, was gonna be caught in the ensuing shockwave. However, the only thing he cared about right now was protecting the Kaminoans in the facility behind him....and thoughts of his own well-being extended only to survive long enough to keep this other man at bay. Sure, he was throwing away his only weapon, but if it worked? It would be worth it.
After all, Adi's best weapon was himself anyway....
*It turns out that all of that blue-shaded light side aura that he’s been intensifying is not just for show. Good.
All of a sudden, Adi uses the Force to augment his body’s musculature and movements. It’s a bit of a relief, I guess; I really expected a more direct application of the power of the Force. Something like Telekinetically shoving the fighter, and sweeping me off the landing platform with it, would have been more akin to what I’d have thought to do. Still, if he can’t confirm that I’ve been killed (which would be ambiguous at best, if I fell into the Kaminoan sea), then he hasn’t got assured safety, so maybe my way wouldn’t be the best after all.
And then he thumbs the ignition switch on his lightsaber, and with a supernaturally swift motion throws it like a dart at my cover, on target to where I am behind it.
The fact that he is aiming for the proton torpedoes at rest in the launch tube does not occur to me until well after the fact. It just looks to me like he’s trying to impale me with this throw.
Fortunately, I am ready. I have been ready for some time now. The burst in intensity of his aura, plus the rising from his kneeling position (in order to make a good throw), in addition to the fact that his saber was at his belt, and the need to ignite it, the arm wind-up (as opposed to breaking into a sprint across the walkway)... all of these things have given me clues to what’s coming before it becomes too late to react. They say that to dodge a bullet, you need only to avoid being pointed at by the nose of the gun before it’s shot. A similar statement can be made here. With plenty of movement letting me know that he’s going to use his lightsaber, even his impressive use of Force Speed does not preclude my ability to recognize the form of his attack.
The saber flies, far too fast for me to swing at it, even if I were to have had an unobstructed path to deflect it. He'd strike me out, in a sports competition. Or in a game of dodging balls, I'd definitely not manage to dive out of the way of this. But that’s not a problem, because it's not a sports competition. My objective was always to use the Force to afford a defense capable of surviving his presumable Force assault. Thus as the energy weapon shears through the rain at breakneck speed, crossing the gap in an instant, his lightsaber’s flight path is suddenly diverted, just before it bites into the hull of my lean-to shelter, by an encounter with a rapidly-erected Force Barrier.
Yes indeed. Force Barrier is my most reliable and familiar technique (apart from my Miraluka-esque Force Sight). Even while I maneuvered to draw Crisis into my hand, the power of the Dark Side had been the bulk of my focus. Would I have thought myself untouchable while behind the cover of the felled fighter? Certainly not! Most things in this universe aren’t adequate protection against lightsabers, not to mention the power of the Force. At the instant I noted that his saber was being drawn, I instinctively knew I needed only to perceive the trajectory it would follow. And now, with no more than a mental command, faster than the blink of an eye, at the speed of thought, the Force forms a Barrier for my protection.
To tell the truth, it is a little unsatisfying. Thanks to Adi’s ingenious use of Force Speed to supplement his throwing speed, I was constrained to produce a very simple Barrier, in a location that provided as much distance as possible between me and him. I would far rather have liked to have made a Barrier that encapsulated the entire saber, holding it hostage; or one that directly interrupted his arm’s trajectory and caused a dislocation of his shoulder. By launching the saber at such a fierce velocity, it is all I can do to just get it up, and even then, I don't finish the whole thing. What I can muster is a hemispherical array of seven interlocking hexagonal plates: a projected partial bubble of shimmering geometrical beauty, adequate to shield both myself and the starfighter I’m using for cover.
The tip of the saber strikes the Barrier — a blow that will glance along the curvature. It will shunted away, off to the right of its initial mark; down and away (from my perspective) toward the left side of the platform, acquiring a significant amount of rotational momentum as it does. Therefore it will begin to spin madly, a deadly whirl of blue, and it will cleanly miss both fighters along its new trajectory. It will sail like a buzz saw into the durasteel platform itself, just shy of hitting the rear landing struts of the second fighter, and will tear through the lightsaber-permeable metal with no resistance to speak of. How far does it go? Well, there’s nothing to stop it. With the Force-augmented Speed at which it was flying, in no time at all it will have passed out of sight, cutting through layer after layer of the underbelly of the platform in a straight shot leading down to the ocean. Once there, it will short out upon contact with the water (unless Adi’s specially-crafted lightsaber has that convenient cyclical-ignition modification). Feed that saber to the gooberfish, why don’t you?
Isn’t it funny how Adi wound up caving to temptation and actually commencing the fighting? After making me look silly when I took up my fighting stance at which point he refused to even draw his saber, now he’s elected to be the one to fire the first shot. Well, I guess the time for words has ended, in Adi's estimation. For what it's worth, I don't have anything more to say right now, either.
With all of the Force energy that Adi has drawn to himself, I am certain that this instance of Speed has not drained his mental faculties yet. Of course, the same could be said for me; this wasn't any special substantiation of Force Barrier. Plenty of fuel left in the tanks, so to speak. After assuring that the saber is cleanly away, I will relinquish the Barrier and take a moment’s respite to re-gather my focus; then, completing my draw of Crisis, and with no saber on hand with which to contest, I will have full license to shoot Adi to my heart’s content. My heart will be content if it comes to a close-quarters fight, although given this sudden insight into his willingness to weaponize Force Speed for what I would call an ‘unusual’ type of attack, I will have to be cautious. Let’s make him use some more of that Speed, why don’t we? I should be able to exhaust him, right?
Crisis's heatbeam attachment (which replaced the sights on the standard LL-30 model, since I’m a blind man and don’t need that garbage) now peeks around the nose of the ship, as I had been maneuvering to do before this interruption by a game of high-stakes lawn darts. In reply to the rude impalement attempt, a deep blue heatbeam shot flashes out from this piece, erupting at the literal speed of light towards where Adi stands. This is an archaic device, capable of cutting through light durasteel with ease. A small spot, no more than two centimeters in diameter once it traverses the distance from me to Adi, it is nonetheless quite something. The continuous beam isn’t capable of causing significant damage, unless it hits a sensitive spot. For instance, I could burn a hole through his trachea, if he lets the beam linger in a single spot for that long. The beam is currently aligned to strike his right pectoral area, though it’ll have to ablate through his rain-soaked cloak first (though, let’s not be disingenuous, the heatbeam can do that in short order). So it’ll sting, if he’s hit by it; crisp his skin right up before gradually wilting it away under the heat of absorption and scattering light. And if that’s the case, it’ll make him move to avoid the burning. I predict he’ll use Force Speed, since that’s already one of the cards already in his hand, and frankly it’s my goal now to have him do it.
For when he takes the bait and makes to close the gap between us, I’ll be prepared to get a second Barrier up. And, the element of surprise of Speed is now extinct: I'll finish what I begin. Go on, Adi, splat yourself onto my Force-field like an insect on the glass of a cockpit.
One must be careful, though, never to let down their guard, no matter how advantageous a situation might appear. There is now a deadly weapon careening through the building below me, which he may try to utilize (but he’d have to do so pretty soon, else it’ll sink to the bottom of the ocean before he has a chance). He can probably sense it, even as far away as he is; lightsaber wielders are very good about being attuned to the crystals inside their blades, so it’s not out of the picture yet. And there’s the issue of what he’ll do if he doesn’t use Force Speed, and can manage to withstand a few seconds of pain while I intend to heatbeam him to exhaustion. For that reason, despite a moment of ostensible disarmedness on Adi's part, I still remain behind the intact cover of the crippled fighter, and intend to do so as much as possible while executing my counter-tactic.
...Hah! There was a torpedo in those tubes! Was he trying to blow up the whole platform?
Now, let us review what has just transpired with a question. If a man earnestly claims that fighting is violence, and that violence is weakness personified, and then turns around and launches a preemptive attack before having received any indication of aggression from his opponent, then which of the following statements is true: that he is admitting himself to be weak, that he is admitting his own failure to avoid violence, or that he does not sincerely believe what he says?
Greetings, gentlemen, I'll be your judge this go-round. The brief duration of this duel is going to be mirrored in my judgment- that is to say, I'll keep this short and sweet.
It's unfortunate this bout didn't get to play out to its natural conclusion. I say that both as a judge and as a fight enthusiast: you're both terrific at what you do, and it would've been a pleasure to see how this fight went down. Since that's not the case, and no true hits were scored by either party, I'm forced to use strategy and positioning as my criteria for producing a final judgment.
'The two worst strategic mistakes to make are acting prematurely and letting an opportunity slip...' -Paulo Coelho
Even though Adieumus is no longer a Jedi, his tendency to avoid conflict whenever possible is a deeply ingrained character trait. I'm glad to see that you remained true to character, even when it must have been tempting to use whatever means necessary to get the jump on your opponent- one that we both know can be very dangerous. I give you props for that. However, I referenced the above quote because, while you refused to initiate hostilities, your opponent was maneuvering to a more favorable position. Namely, taking cover behind one of the fighters. While I appreciate really putting yourself in Adi's head (not hard to do, I'm sure, considering how long you've written him), I would have liked to see you busier in the time leading up to the fight. You could have easily maneuvered to keep Ryu in your line of sight, or even closed the gap and entered melee range- what a power move that would have been, hmm?
Ryu, on the other hand, never stopped moving- or talking, for that matter. I enjoyed the banter, I always do, but I found myself impatient for the fight to begin well before the end of the dialogue. You used your time wisely, however, putting yourself behind the fighter and instantly nullifying any ranged threat from your opponent. I don't need to tell either one of you what a huge advantage cover is for a Forceful that utilizes Force Sight, but I will anyway. You're both hidden and protected, and still able to freely observe your opponent and also to strike at will, since your line of sight isn't impaired by physical obstacles. Adi's traditional approach was therefore doomed to fail, but it would have been interesting to see him go with something more unorthodox- Art of the Small, maybe- to try and turn your position to his advantage.
Alas, the fight was cut short- real life has a way of stepping in when it's least convenient, and I know this firsthand- and so we'll never know what could have been.
Based on the situation both fighters were left in when the duel was submitted for judgment, I'm awarding this fight to Ryu.
This duel is the most flawless example of Sokan I've ever seen. Not only did Ryu use his opponent's adherence to Form Zero to maneuver, I'd venture a guess that he played into it in order to buy himself more time. The end result was a character with Force Sight having open access to his foe, while being protected by several tons of steel and fuselage. Not only was this cover demonstrably effective by the way he was able to defend against Adi's saber throw with minimal effort, his counter attack was almost certain to be devastatingly effective- if not in direct damage, then in draining his opponent's force energy and forcing him to jump through hoops to avoid that damage. And that's not to mention the two upset Mandalorians that would be entering the scene in short order. Mandalorians with only one target to focus on, forcing Adi to defend not only against two members of the most advanced warrior race in the galaxy, but to do it with a hostile Sith at his back.
Thank you both for participating in the Battle Arena- this fight got cut short, but I know there will be a rematch, and I can't wait to read it. Ryu, congratulations, Adieumus, better luck next time- despite your opponent getting the high ground, so to speak, your attack showed real ingenuity, and served as a good reminder that you're not to be trifled with, no matter the situation.
The aquatic planet of Kamino always seems to be subject to torrential downpours, and today is no exception. The duelists will find themselves on one of Tipoca City’s innumerable landing platforms, exposed to the elements. This scene is reminiscent of the incident in which Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi sought to apprehend the bounty hunter Jango Fett, but it’s almost certain that that took place on a different site than this. The platform itself is a durasteel construct, 50 meters in diameter, recessed into the familiar half-dome structures favored by the Kaminoans. Only a small lip stands between solid footing and a slippery slope to a watery grave. Protruding from the platform are four half-meter wide maintenance catwalks extending over the ocean, located at the two o’clock, four o’clock, eight o’clock, and ten o’clock positions. At the six o’clock position, there is a three-meter wide, ten meter long pathway leading into Tipoca City proper, but the automatic doors of this platform are out of service for the time being. There are also two triads of pillar-like structures, serving as the communications relay and primary source of illumination for guiding vehicles to land and pilots to disembark. Presently, this landing platform plays host to a pair of Mandalorian Protectorate interceptors. Are the owners inside Tipoca City? On a mission, perhaps? Will they return to their ships soon? [After 15 posts, two Mandalorians will appear from Tipoca City. They can be controlled by the duelists as NPCs, or by a third party, but in any case must be hostile to the primary participants.] . Duelists, your scene is set and the pieces are in play! From here on out, the game awaits.
