Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Dec 20, 2017 8:50:58 GMT -8
Luxeria didn't even flinch as the blaster fire began to fall around them. She heard the inital snap hiss of lightsabers being ignited, followed by the sound of deflecting lasers. Despite her calm, she knew she couldn't keep this easy pace, unfaltering before the barrage. In the end, she wasn't worried, confident her skills would carry her through. But against the droids' numbers, they needed to find a way to drop quite a few pretty fast.
Looking around, she noticed a large rock about thirty feet away. From her distance, she gauged it was wide enough for three people to stand shoulder to shoulder and be covered. Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she extended her hand, reaching out to it with the Force. Of all her abilities, her Telekenisis was one she was most confident in, certain its level of skill was up there with a few masters. The rock shook a bit as it came off the ground, shaking dirt and ash fron its surface. Once high enough, she moved it in front of her, providing a small defense for the six troopers, Vasari, and herself.
She heard the blaster fire pattering against the other side. It wouldn't be long before the rock would crumble. But it was all the time she needed. Lifting her other hand, she focused upon the rock, wrapping the Force around it as she shoved out hard with both hands, sending it flying at speeds fast enough to crush bones and mangle the bodies of even the B2 droids. And so it did as it plowed though the droids, taking down a three wide line. She continued to press on the rock until it was out of her reach. It cleared quite bit out and knocked down several around them like dominos, creating a relief in the majority of the blaster fire.
There was little time to celebrate in the achievement as she noticed three items fly into the air and then come straight at her, rockets fired from a few of the B2s. She lifted her hands moments before they hit, projecting the Force in front of her. In the next instant came the explosions. When the smoke cleared, Luxeria was standing there, a shimmering wall in front of her. She smirked, certainly glad she was able to utilize a Force Barrier when searching for componets for her lightsaber. It proved most useful in a pinch. Letting her hands drop, the barrier faded. Tightening her fist, her smirk grew, ready to turn the droids into junk heaps.
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Vasari
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Tell me that I wont feel a thing...
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Post by Vasari on Dec 20, 2017 14:39:04 GMT -8
Vasari was the last one off the Lander - with the exception of the pilot, and when her feet finally hit the volcanic surface of Mustafar she inhaled sharply attempting to catch her breath. She had never panicked in the sparing ring, on Kessel when she was fighting against the Jedi that might have been trying to kill her (Vasari really couldn't tell when explosives were involved), and even the first time she had shot into space... but being here now surrounded by what could only be thousands of droids all programmed to kill her she felt a tight feeling in her chest. Had she not linked herself so strongly to the Living Force during the landing the experience might have been different than it was but when the moment came and she stepped past the row of troopers to stand next to Luxeria and that first wave of a half dozen blaster bolts sped through the air towards her she acted on instinct, her mind dropping into the raging power of the second current of the force and her saberstaff came to life. With a red blur and swirl of motion that was the tight spinning motion of the shield of swords technique she shielded herself and the troopers behind her with an impenetrable shield of her swirling lightsaber blades.
She had always wondered what battle shock felt like - had that been it? That momentary lapse of judgement and inability to think clearly? Had Luxeria not been there, shielding the group with that rock for the moment of time they had all disembarked and gained their ground on the planet things might have gone differently. But now it had passed... and she was focused once again on her task... which was for the moment, clearing an effective landing zone. Reaching her mind out into the distance she felt nothing... yes the power of the Dark Side was strong on this world, and yes she felt wrapped in its power just as she had on Iridonia... but beyond that, nothing. As her saberstaff twirled round and round, causing the near constant barrage of blaster fire to deflect back to its point of origin or harmlessly into the ground or sky, she reached further... She felt the power surge come from Viox and even Xakire as they landed not far away, and even the minds of the troopers who were moving towards the droid foundries, but was that all that was here? Droids and the Blackguard?
Her shield was a guard for Luxeria's right hand side and with the two of them standing there they could probably last forever against the droids, but eventually the unfeeling metal horde would march right up to them and overwhelm their position by sheer number alone - they could not stay here. Something changed and she felt an explosion - the B2 Supers had fired a barrage of missiles at them - which Luxeria had expertly stopped with but a wave of her hand. A smirk took her lips as she glanced to her left, remembering what Luxeria had told her upon the landing craft. Reaching out towards the girl at her side she slowly sank into the embracing calm she offered... then something hit her...
<<They're only droids...>>
The thought came as a question to her own mind, but would have been heard as a laughable statement within Luxeria's - something Vasari had not intended as she took up the Soresu shield technique with a single hand and outstretched her left towards a battle group of supers... only sixteen in number in two rows of eight. arclets of lightning shot from her fingertips, not the normal barrage one might expect when assaulting a larger grouped force this was a highly specific and well timed strike - sixteen arclets of green lightning splintered from Vasari's tattooed fingers and shot through the processor units of each super battle droid within the group. There was no explosion, no flash, no grandeur... simply sixteen droids that were once standing in their way, and now were laying inoperable upon the volcanic ground of Mustafar.
Vasari's laughter at the simple fact caught her by surprise as she turned towards the B1's and unleashed yet another barrage of ichor lightning towards the grouping of droids - another dozen dropped and there was slowly beginning to form a half circle indent within the on-coming droid army. Now she understood what the feeling of disappointment from Luxeria had been in regards to, and in a moment of embarrassment she remembered the moments it had taken her to recover from the landing, and the panic at being so heavily outnumbered. Droids... they were only droids.
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Dec 20, 2017 15:13:48 GMT -8
Luxeria felt the surge of panic that initially filled Vasari. She said nothing, knowing full well that it would fade in a short time. Her first mission had been of a similar fashion: new to her many of her abilities and with no leadership training. It was a far different feeling to grasp than simply hunting Terentateks,
as dangerous a task as it was. She barely glanced over as Vasari moved up beside her, refusing to hide behind the troopers. As she figured, her partner's panic faded as instinct took over, letting her respond without fear to the barrage.
It wasn't until after the rockets had detonated against her barrier and the lull in the action that Luxeria actually gave a ful glance to Vasari, noticing the saberstaff. It wasn't a weapon she had given much thought to. She had seen others wielding them, but in watching the movements, she wondering if they were more a hindrance than an advantage. Whatever the truth was, Luxeria had chosen to stick a single saber, deciding to expand her knowledge in its use before switching to a new style of weapon.
Still, she couldn't keep the droids back by simple use of the Force, at least not from the distance they were at. She'd have to wait until they came closer to utilize her other abilities. With that, her right hand slipped down to her belt, grasping the elegant hilt that rested at her side. She then lifted it up to point out at the droids as if making a threat to them. The black chrome accented in the crimson tribal designs and electrum outlines gave it dark beauty. And these droids would see what such beauty was capable of. With a press of the cyan jeweled activation stud, her purple blade came to life. Thanks to the crystals within, it was well defined and looked almost like a normal sword bathed in a purple glow. It was only a moment after that it moved around her, deflecting blaster bolts to the side. She didn't try and deflect them back, the thinness of her blade made it difficult enough to block them as it was, though Luxeria made it look otherwise.
Shortly after Vasari's barrage of lightning, she brought her saber close to her, pulled around to her left shoulder as if she was winding up. Sure enough, she threw her blade out at the droids, letting it spin like a disc as it began cutting through a line of six droids, its path manipulated with grace. Upon returning to her hand, she held the saber in front of her she stepped back on her left leg, left hand extending back. The Force began to gather in her palm, feeding on the dark-side as it took shape into a red orb that grew to the size of her palm. But she wasn't done. As destructive as she could make this attack, it would only do so much on its own. For this reason, she used her alternative variation of the Force Burst. Violet lightning began to surge around her hand, infusing itself into the red orb. It was only a second more before she thrusted out with her hand, the orb flying into the central droid of ten. The were close together, close enough for all ten to feel the effects as the one droid was almost completely blown apart by the attack, and the surging electricity within it spread to the rest, dropping them in the same fashion Vasari's had.
Standing straight, she smirked and gave a slight chuckle as she reflected on the words Vasari had spoken to her a moment before the last attack.
<<Just consider them practice, though I'd be just as please watching them crumble into scrap.>>
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Viox Savage
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Post by Viox Savage on Dec 20, 2017 17:14:09 GMT -8
Reaching terminal velocity as he fell, Savage gathered the Force around him. Drawing on the darkness radiating from the planet itself, along with the power granted to him by the ancients in his head, and his own natural affinity, he created a bubble around himself. With barely three feet to spare before he hit the ground, he released the energy he had been gathering. The shockwave launched outwards from the source, which happened to be Viox, in all directions. Creating a small crater below him and expanding outwards for several meters, flattening anything in its path. B1's, B2's and outcroppings of rock. Even with how successful it was, it did little to thin the numbers of the advancing droids. But it did serve to direct some of their attention away from the main group. Unclipping his saber hilt from his waist, he twirled it in his hand, then ignited it. The orange blades sprang to life. Charging forward while the droids were still shifting their focus, he began swinging the saber in a figure '8' pattern before himself, carving a swathe through the droids. Propelled forward by his own muscular legs and the Force, he shot forward at remarkable speeds. He wasn't concerned about the droids. Kelborn was on it. No, he wanted to get to the Castle and begin searching it for any sort of relics and artifacts left behind after all these years. That was his goal. It just so happened that the droids were currently in his way, which meant they needed to be dealt with. Besides, swinging his lightsaber and reducing dozens of droids at a time to slag was satisfying. It was a good training exercise that would benefit the entire group. If the Sith were to truly rise within the galaxy once more, they needed to know how to work together and set aside selfish ambition and power trips. Those always ended poorly for those involved. This time would be different, he was certain of it. Continuing to hack his way through the droids, he pushed onwards...
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Xakire
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Post by Xakire on Dec 21, 2017 6:54:41 GMT -8
As Xakire plummeted to the ground he gathered the Force around him and closed his eyes, focusing his power. As he landed he pushed the Force outwards causing droids to fly away, crashing down some distance away. While his landing was far less spectacular or powerful than his master, it got the job done.
Igniting his lightsabre in the moment he landed, Xakire was able to deflect the barrage of shots fired at him with his dual orange sabres moving with incredible speed as they deflected shots from all angles.
As he fought his way through the droids, Xakire could briefly feel Vasari again. She seemed...fearful....weak, but it lasted only for the briefest moment leaving Xakire to wonder if he was mistaken or perhaps if it was a manifestation of his own. No, that can't be right...I've been in battles like this before.
He continued fighting through the boards of droids, occasionally using the Force to aid him in making large acrobatic jumps or bursts of speed as he tried to keep up with his master who was moving with impressive speed.
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Dec 21, 2017 9:29:03 GMT -8
The sensation that came from both Viox and Xakire as they landed and dove into the mass of droids rang through the area as clear as crystal. Luxeria gave a smirk as they continued to deflect the blaster fire. It meant they couldn’t just stand here any longer and hold their ground. It was time to press into the masses and push them back until every last droid was offline.
Turning to Vasari, her smirk grew as she nodded to the woman, letting her voice echo in her mind. <<Let’s go, Vasari. We can’t allow the men to take all the fun from us.>> Her voice resonated with an unfaltering confidence as she looked back to Colonel Locklear and the other Shadow Troopers. ”Now! Press onward, into the masses! These droids can’t stand against the power we wield! Don’t let any stand in your way! Let this be the beginning, the time for our might to be recognized!”
Looking back to her Zabrak partner, she nodded once more before taking off in a full run at the droids, no sign of hesitation around her. Her pace slowed though as she reached the droids, moving about the ranks with grace and fluidity. Her strikes weren’t straight into the enemy, but downward deflections and parries, thrusts that cleaved the droids apart. Giving an example at how effective the Makashi form could be in such a situation, she continued pressing in, spinning and slicing through, not letting a single one in her path to continue its existence. After moving in deeper, she finally came to a stop as the droids around her began to direct their attention to her. Her smirk returned as she threw her right arm out to the side, releasing her grip on her saber. Her hand then moved up in a fluid motion as the saber began to circle her, blade facing out and sliced through the droids closest to her. With each rotation, the radius grew until it began spinning as a disc again to build momentum, stretching out to a twenty foot range before returning once again to her hand. It left room for more droids to approach her. Raising her left hand, she emitted a Force Wave, stronger than normal to bring the newest collection to the ground in pieces.
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Dec 21, 2017 11:28:34 GMT -8
Vasari acted upon instinct her hearts beating wildly as she took off after Luxeria when her partner moved one way she moved the other, when Luxeria attacked Vasari shifted her stance to deflect the bolts moving towards them. Her mind was sinking ever deeper into the living force connecting her to every living mind in her vicinity, but the focus was upon Luxeria. Her saberstaff carved through droids with each slow fluid motion of her body. She moved with an unnatural grace, each footfall landing perfectly on balance and without sound even though none would be heard over the roar of battle anyways...
Once they had reached the center of the largest cluster she felt more than saw Luxeria stop - brought to focus for only an instant she deflected a full barrage of bolts back at their hosts. Vasari pressed her back against Luxeria's guarding her from one direction as she guarded from the other - the two of them created a 360 degree sphere of death to anything that came close to them. When she felt Luxeria step forward, Vasari stepped back... when she felt her partner retreat - she pressed forward... and always their back pressed gingerly against one another as if they were moving as a single entity.
The shift in tactics did not seem to take Vasari by surprise - deactivating the twin blades of her staff she exhaled and pressed herself more tightly to Luxeria's body - a half second later she felt the spinning lightsaber blade shift around her - once... twice... faster! the blade moved around the pair of them in a deadly sphere before extending out cutting down anything that clicked or clanked in its path. As the blade extended Vasari held out both of her hands and once again from her fingertips a torrent of emerald lightning shot from her outstretched hands to engulf any droid that was spared the circling death of Luxeria's saber - - the dancing sparks between her fingers ended the moment Luxeria's saber returned to her hand and once more Vasari's twin blades sprang to life as she raised her right hand and echoed Luxeria's Force Wave from the opposing side with equal intensity.
Vasari blinked as a cloud of volcanic ash and dust filled the air around the two of them, circling her hands over her head - with an added flurry of her lightsaber once more adopting the shield defense of Form III she wrapped the force in a cocoon around the pair of them preserving clean air for them to breath as they pressed their offense against the seemingly countless hordes of droids - Vasari no longer felt panicked or even worried - she felt Viox and Xakire a short distance off - Xakire's mind was a honed blade as he rushed to keep pace with his master, slipping a thought of confidence and reassurance to him along the force she became more aware of how deeply she had dedicated herself towards the link with Luxeria. She had allowed the force to guide her movements before... but this was something else, something stronger - but there was no time to worry about it now...
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Dec 21, 2017 12:04:30 GMT -8
With each move she made, she felt Vasari there, either complimenting her own attacks or covering her other side. It brought about an odd feeling. It wasn’t the fact Vasari was doing so well keeping with her, fighting with her as if they had done so many times before that made it feel odd. It was the fact that she was unsurprised at it. Such a display would warrant confusion and desire to understand, yet they carried on without question or hesitation. The most she could gather was Vasari was skilled at following the flow from those around her, especially after the exchange of memories. They saw how the other fought. Anyone skilled at mimicry or good at following could run with that. That was what she chalked it up to being.
As the air cleared, more droids were already surrounding them again. ”There’s just no end to these things. And it’s starting to piss me off!” The calm around Luxeria could be felt coming undone as if undoing the restraints about her. As it faded, the dark-side began to well up around her as she drew on the emotions of irritation and the energy of the planet. Her forest green eyes were replaced with flaming orange orbs as the darkness filled her. She extinguished her lightsaber and replaced it, stretching out both hands before her. Taking hold of two B2 droids, she grunted and growled a bit as they came off the ground. With the simple lowering of her head, her hands began closing and the droids crumbled into compact junk. From there, she began to sling them around, plowing down droid after droid. They also functioned as shields when the blaster fire was able to pick up before silencing them with blunt force devastation.
Locklear and the group weren’t too far behind, carving their own path through the droids, working to divide the numbers further. Slowly, the numbers were dropping, but when would it end?
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Dec 21, 2017 13:48:23 GMT -8
Vasari’s mental grasp upon the living force began to weaken, she felt a sudden and very powerful feeling of irritation build from... somewhere. She found herself having to focus more and more upon the shield of blades technique as she struggled against the irritation, attempting to calm her mind and let go of the passing feeling as she had in training when something had bothered her or she had failed to pick up something quickly. The mental exercises did not work and her form started to slip as the pieces of her mind lost grip upon what they were doing - what was happening to her?!?
Vasari heard a sudden grunt of effort and it distracted her for a split second, more than enough time in the heat of battle - and a blaster bolt slipped through shield wall and struck hard against her shoulder pad. The blast rocked her shoulder back into Luxeria’s shoulder before she could focus enough to still her body. A rush of anger, more at her own failure than anything else cane over her and instead of focusing past it she allowed the pain of the blast to mix with her rage and apparent irritation and she lashed out with a force wave twice as powerful as her last but without any real target and thus a simple and brute show of strength- something she would expect out of Xakire not herself - but even without her normal level of focus the raw power of the blast was more than enough to knock several rows of droids from their feet most now unable to stand again.
<<Relax... focus... you are more than a blunt instrument...>>
The words played through her mind as if she was repeating them to herself - unaware her mind and the link between herself and Luxeria would transmit the message to her as well. Regardless of her ignorance at the additional recipient of her mental chiding, it seemed to have worked at least for the moment, her mind cleared and she relaxed enough to focus, but that irritation and that rage still burned within her, like unused fuel only adding more weight; she was refusing to yield to its power and thus limiting herself and her own potential power. Yet she fought on, moving now away from Luxeria’s back in a slow circle around her body deflecting fire from all sides now as her partner raised the crumbled droids and began using them like clubs to crush more of the oncoming army - as an afterthought an image from her days at the academy passed through her head - one of the older boys juggling electrified metal spheres - and then the effect when Vasari had knocked one into another student. A smirk took her lips and as she moved between Luxeria and her new toys she through out her guard hand and sent several jolts of her emerald lightning at the crushed droids linking the Kenetic energy in a circular loop so it would continue to conduct through the droids fueling itself through her connection to the force and thus electrifying anything the crumbled droids came into contact with.
With a joyful giggle - no doubt barely audible over the blaster fire she returned to her work of defending Luxeria - the shield to her sword, at least for these few moments being this outnumbers made it necessary...
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Dec 21, 2017 15:27:16 GMT -8
Luxeria stumbled forward prior to tossing the droids around when Vasari bumped into her after taking the shot. She looked back, wondering what had just happened that caused the flow's disruption. In the moment, her irritation had proved dominate, stirring her partner's thoughts, though Luxeria, herself, hadn't realized. She then felt the sudden wave of power that emanated from Vasari, destructive in nature, even greater than their's combined earlier. The flare of emotion that resided currently in the woman made Luxeria smirk, feeling, at first, that she was doing as she had: fueled herself on the darker emotions. But as the words echoed in her mind, it proved not to be the case. While she thought the message was directed to her, it still spoke of Vasari's mind as well. It seemed that she wasn't a as practiced at focusing and directing her anger, or at least, not in an uncontrolled build. Still she said nothing for the moment, letting her focus remain on her own destruction.
She did find it amusing, though, when Vasari regained control and even compounded on her attacks by infusing the crumbled droids with lightning. It added to the power and devastation that was being caused. What was more was what she did next, her own intention being similar when she had finished with her little rampage. Violet lightning began to surge from her hands, stretching out over the droids, a show of emerald and violet dancing before them over the mangled bodies. However, the difference in her attack was the execution and intention. Luxeria worked to overcharge the bodies, launching them out, one on each side of her into the droids. A few moments later, they both exploded, taking out another cluster each.
With another short lull in the action, she took a deep breath, letting the irritation subside, though held onto the darkness. From here on, she'd need to keep it ready for what came next. The droids weren't the concern. It was what awaited them within the cavern and castle. She'd need to be at her best, no time for warm ups or the like. She glanced over at Vasari from the corner of her eye, her smirk never fading. <<Don't be afraid to let loose the emotions that reside within. Focus and control them, yes, but let them build. It is one of our greatest sources of power, after all. And don't think less of yourself just because you did something a little different than normal. There will always be times when you'll need to be a "blunt" instrument. It all depends on what the occasion calls for.>>
And like that, the few moments they had were gone, blaster fire once again falling on them. Lightsaber back in hand, Luxeria resumed deflecting the blaster bolts, taking the open swings as they came. She needed to be cautious and conservative to a degree. She couldn't afford to unleash all her power on a collection of droids. She needed to reserve her strength and seek efficiency for a little while.
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Viox Savage
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Post by Viox Savage on Dec 21, 2017 18:00:51 GMT -8
Mustafar's Surface
Locklear and his Shadowtroopers surged forward the moment Luxeria shouted her war cry. Now it was time to go on the offensive. Locklear and his team functioned in unison, hacking, slashing, deflecting and parrying. As they moved, covering the rear of the human and Zabrak females that were ahead, they felled dozens of droids. But the onslaught continued. Even at the top of their game, these droids would overwhelm them. But for now, Locklear and his soldiers pressed forward, cutting down any droid caught within their grasp. As Locklear and his Shadowtroopers moved forward, the silver armored Sith Troopers had managed to secure the landing zone and were now pushing forward, firing back at the droids. Armed with blaster rifles and ionite fused vibroswords, the Sith Troopers charged forth, engaging the droids. Even with their overwhelming numbers, the droid army's steady advance was being ground to a halt...
Underground Droid Foundry.
Major Kelborn and his unit moved swiftly across the rocky, molten terrain. Having found a secondary entrance to the underground droid foundry, the Death Troopers moved quickly, dispatching sentry droids, engineer droids and any other droid that had the misfortune of getting caught in their crosshairs. They were silent and efficient. Just as they had trained to be. Taking down another unsuspecting sentry, Kelborn pushed forward, finding the main production line for the B1's. He motioned for his troops to fan out and secure the area, but as he did so, several droidekas rolled out onto the field, deploying themselves and firing in salvos against the now pinned down Death Troopers. Several were troopers were dropped under an unforgiving barrage of blaster fire. As unfortunate as it was, it was time to step up their game. Motioning to his compatriots to continue keeping the droidekas' attention, Kelborn ran out from cover, procuring a beacon from his belt. As his fellow troopers kept the droidekas occupied, Kelborn activated the beacon and threw it like a grenade at the droidekas. Diving back into cover, he signaled the Void in orbit. Upon receiving an acknowledgement, Kelborn ducked down further, hugging the ground behind the stack of crates he was using for cover. Moments later the roof above the droidekas was exploding inward. As large boulders rained down, crushing the droidekas, four pods had also landed. As they opened, Kelborn peered over his cover to observe. Four Phase III Darktroopers exited their respective pods, bringing their cannons and rocket launchers to bear. The monsterous Darktroopers began to fire at the equipment and enemy droids, with the intent of wreaking havoc on the droid production lines and the droid army itself...
Mustafar's Surface. Vader's Castle approach.
Carving a large swathe through the droids, Savage had slowed his pace, as the essences within his mind grew restless, making it difficult to focus for extended periods. Not that it had mattered now. Having cleared the main battlefield and climbing up a large rocky hill, the Zabrak Sith Lord now stood at the foot of an obsidian staircase carved into the terrain. And it only went up from here. Heart rate elevated and sweating due to both the exertion in the fight to reach the stairs and the sweltering heat of Mustafar's terrain, the Zabrak was still successful, at least thus far. But the Force rippled oddly here. There was immense power at this site, but there was also a disturbance. Something other than droids occupied the Castle, that much was clear. But who or what remained a mystery. Calling out to his apprentice, he spoke.
"You feel that, yes? There is much power here. And yet, it feels slightly off. Be mindful of your surroundings, my apprentice. Something far greater than mere droids resides within this castle..."
He looked about, scanning the area. While doing so, he extended his perceptions outwards, brushing against the minds of young Vasari and Luxeria. Allowing his eyes to flutter closed, he spoke through the Force to them both, alerting them of his new discovery.
Be on your guard. Remain mindful of your surroundings. Someone else calls this place home, aside from the droids...
As he finished speaking, blinding pain wracked his skull, causing him to drop to his knees, gripping his head and scream in agony. Another, familiar voice echoed within his head.
Blind, arrogant and stupid, son of Savage. We agreed upon the terms for fusing our power with yours. And you have yet to deliver. Instead you exhaust our abilities furthering your own ambitions. We will only abide so much longer before we decide that you are not worthy of our powers....keep that in mind, son of Savage...
And as suddenly as the pain had appeared, it was gone, leaving Savage on all fours, panting and trembling slightly. After Mustafar was once again a Blakguard world, he would need to consult Witwer again. Despite his lack of physical involvement with the Blackguard, the whelp was very good at rifling through the secrets of the Force, finding new and interesting ways to help Savage remain in control of the five Zabrak elders now residing within his head. It was a challenge, but Witwer seemed to be the only one he could trust with such a matter. The realm of Chaos have mercy on him if he ever betrayed that trust, however. Savage rose to his feet, albeit somewhat unsteadily, and shook his head to clear the ominous feeling he now had. The elders were becoming agitated and were lashing out. They needed to be reigned back in, lest he lose all control of them. That would be unpleasant for anyone around him, ally or otherwise. He couldn't allow that to happen. Not with Iridonia prospering under Clan Savage's leadership and the Blackguard Reborn gaining momentum. His vision was coming to fruition. He was so close to acheiving all he had set out to do...so very close. And he wasn't going to let some ancient windbags ruin that for him. Not while he was still in control...
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Xakire
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Post by Xakire on Dec 22, 2017 5:12:55 GMT -8
As he continued to deflect blaster shots, slice droids in half and dash forwards behind his master, Xakire felt a brief thought of reassurance from Vasari. He smiled slightly as he decapitated another droid in half.
Then, he found himself just outside the castle. He caught his master and stood beside him, still deflecting shots, some of which he managed to reflect back to their point of origin.
"Yes, master. I feel it...but what is it?" Xakire replied to his masters warning. It was true, he felt it. Or at least he was sure he did. The Force felt....different here. Vasari had explained to him that the Force was like water and if that was true the Force was rippling or flowing in a way he hadn't seen before. Despite this, he could still feel the power of the Dark Side strongly here. It was made sense really, Mustafar was a dark place both literally and philosophically.
As Xakire reflected on his surroundings, his master suddenly dropped to hs knees, screaming. At first Xakire wondered if he'd been shot, but no...he wasn't shot, he'd be likley dead if he was. Besides, no battle droid would be the one to kill Viox Savage. Something was happening. Was it this place? Was it this...thing Viox described occupied the castle?
"Master! What is it?!?"he exclaimed as he rushed to his master's side, sheathing one of his lightsabres while he used the other one to block the odd shot that was still being fired. Viox's men had cleared away much of the troops.
Strangely, almost as soon as he'd dropped in agony, Viox seemed to have recovered. "Are you alright? What was that?" he asked, noticing his master trembling ever so slightly. He wondered if this was fear or something else...either way, if his master was suffering like this, what hope did Xakire stand?
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Vasari
Blackguard Imperium
Tell me that I wont feel a thing...
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Post by Vasari on Dec 22, 2017 9:15:55 GMT -8
Vasari felt the irritation within her subside, finally she was able to regain control and sink back into the easy flowing first current of the living Force. The dark side was not something that was unknown to her, or something she actively attempted to avoid, but manipulating its energies, in her experience, oft times had explosive results. When she heard Luxeria's voice within her mind, talking to her on the same subject she had chided herself for only moments ago - she simply thought her partner had overfelt her feelings on the matter, but her wording was so specific... had she heard her thoughts or felt her feelings. Something was happening between the two of them - but now was not the time to figure it out. Vasari's physical strength was beginning to lag, and she felt herself relying on the force more and more for her defenses. They needed to gain ground - it would take another hour at the least to clear the droids from the field at this rate, and the effort would leave at least her exhausted beyond use... Raising her voice over the din of battle - still unsure if Luxeria had been able to hear her thoughts or not she shouted over her shoulder to her partner.
"We need to make for the mouth of the cave..."
Extending her thoughts to the maps she had studied prior to the journey here she focused for a moment and mentally shared the route circling the castle to the mouth of the cavern below - near a cliff overlooking a spectacular lavafall that came from the mouth of the castle itself. The Caverns entrance lay between the cliffside the castle was built upon and the falling lava. Her focus was drawn from the task as the blasterfire resumed. Locklear and his men had finally caught up with them and were currently fighting off a squad of B2's that were raining blasterfire and missiles down upon the blackguard soldiers. Extending her mind beyond her own she passed along a sense of urgency as she stepped away from Luxeria towards the path she had briefly shared with all of them - through a large line of droids that had assembled in the lull of battle to press the attack once again...
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Dec 22, 2017 10:55:29 GMT -8
The girls continued on, deflecting and taking down droids as they came. Luxeria was holding out better physically, a major part being played by utilizing as much of the Makashi mindset as possible as well as the six months she spent searching fornlightsaber componets. That time was spent searching the wilderness for days at a time without a weapon. An experience she loathed at the beginning, but was now thankful for.
She turned back as she saw additional blaster fire raining down around them, only being aimed at the advancing droids. She gave a small sigh of relief seeing the Sith Troopers firing back at the droids, their work to secure the Landon zone finished. It gave them a little more breathing room. Shortly after, she felt the ground shake as shots were fired from orbit. She could only guess that the other team was successful in taking out the droid foundry, another piece of relief that was added. It meant that there would be an end to the masses around them.
She continued deflecting as they progressed onwards, then hearing Viox speaking to them. Squinting her eyes in curiousity, she reached out spanning the distance towards he castle with her senses. At first, she felt nothing but darkness. But upon further inspection, she felt something off as well. It was faint from this distance, but with he proper focus, she could sense it. And with that knowledge, she’d be ready. Turning to Vasari who spoke out loud, she nodded in agreement as the image of the cave entered her mind. Having the better knowledge of where they were going, she figured now was a good time to let Vasari lead, taking hold of he experience.
”We’ll follow your lead to the cave. I’ll watch your back.”
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Vasari
Blackguard Imperium
Tell me that I wont feel a thing...
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Post by Vasari on Dec 23, 2017 15:46:44 GMT -8
It did not take the group long to breath through the edge of the droid battalion that had assaulted them - with Vasari and Luxeria carving such a deadly swath through anything in their path and the troopers trailing behind them as a rear guard keeping them from worrying about their flank they reached the edge of the battleground quickly - Vasari's speed increased almost to the point where it did not seem she would stop as she neared the cliffs edge - in point of fact she did not she kept pace right until she leapt over the cliff and out of sight!
Following after her those that followed would be greeted by the amazing sight of the side of the Castle and the Lavafall that they had all seen through Vasari's mental image sharing. The falling lava ran smoothly from the mouth of the castle hundreds of feet down into a pool of fire beneath that stretched on for many miles. Vasari had leapt fearlessly from the cliff and had landed some twenty feet down upon a narrow outcropping - a pathway leading along the cliff face right to the overhang from the castle above. The view from where Vasari stood waiting for the others to catch up was just like the mental image she had shared with the group. Following this path would put them right at the mouth of the Cavern. She closed her eyes - steadying herself against the cliff wall in the moments it took the others to catch up - both taking a quick breather from the heat of battle and calming her hearts, and the other to focus on finding Viox within the torrent of the Force energies she felt flowing around him. It was difficult now to link to his mind - he seemed lost within a raging sea of the dark side, but after a moment it cleared and she was able to connect with him clearly.
<<We're approaching our entry point... I feel something powerful within the Castle... keep your eyes open.>>
Pulling her mind back from Viox she sank back into the relative warmth and comfort offered by Luxeria's presence. She seemed to have felt a rushing sense of relief - no doubt having to do with the airstrike on the foundries - Viox' men must be closer towards their own goal She felt them all now, closing in - the three pronged attack closing like a vice around the throat of this dark planet. Soon enough Luxeria was by her side and they were all once again moving along the path towards the Castle, Vasari looked over at Luxeria and giggled slightly seemingly out of no where, but didn't say anything, simply looked at the girl giggling.
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Viox Savage
Blackguard Imperium
"You want the same as me. My redemption, eternal ascension. Setting me free."
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Post by Viox Savage on Dec 23, 2017 15:51:17 GMT -8
As he continued to deflect blaster shots, slice droids in half and dash forwards behind his master, Xakire felt a brief thought of reassurance from Vasari. He smiled slightly as he decapitated another droid in half.
Then, he found himself just outside the castle. He caught his master and stood beside him, still deflecting shots, some of which he managed to reflect back to their point of origin. "Yes, master. I feel it...but what is it?" Xakire replied to his masters warning. It was true, he felt it. Or at least he was sure he did. The Force felt....different here. Vasari had explained to him that the Force was like water and if that was true the Force was rippling or flowing in a way he hadn't seen before. Despite this, he could still feel the power of the Dark Side strongly here. It was made sense really, Mustafar was a dark place both literally and philosophically.
As Xakire reflected on his surroundings, his master suddenly dropped to hs knees, screaming. At first Xakire wondered if he'd been shot, but no...he wasn't shot, he'd be likley dead if he was. Besides, no battle droid would be the one to kill Viox Savage. Something was happening. Was it this place? Was it this...thing Viox described occupied the castle? "Master! What is it?!?"he exclaimed as he rushed to his master's side, sheathing one of his lightsabres while he used the other one to block the odd shot that was still being fired. Viox's men had cleared away much of the troops.
Strangely, almost as soon as he'd dropped in agony, Viox seemed to have recovered. "Are you alright? What was that?" he asked, noticing his master trembling ever so slightly. He wondered if this was fear or something else...either way, if his master was suffering like this, what hope did Xakire stand? |
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Luxeria
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Post by Luxeria on Dec 23, 2017 16:23:48 GMT -8
While her intention had been to cover Vasari's back, dipping into the bit of knowledge she had on the Soresu form to keep a full defense of her ally, it was far from what happened as Vasari took off in a quick pace. However, Luxeria had no issue with it. At this point, the path to the cave was already weakening and stood little chance against them. With the Shadowtroopers on their backs, the short trip was relatively smooth.
Luxeria noticed the cliff's edge as they made their approach, but didn't sense Vasari to have any intention on slowly. Suddenly, her pace quickened, leaving Luxeria a good few steps behind, enough to watch the Zabrak disappear from sight over the edge. But there was no hesitation from Luxeria, no sense of caution. Many would have come to a stop if only to see what laid below. The certainty Vasari had carried over completely to Luxeria, and without thought, made the jump as well. Prior to stepping off the edge, she leapt forward, seeming to soar off the ground as her body slowly began to drop as she fell to the outcropping below. Giving a flip, she landed to a knee and was quickly up and moving back against the wall. It wasn't out of fear that this reaction came, but the reality that the others would soon be following. Whether they'd follow so freely, stop to see what was below them, jump down or climb was the real uncertainty in her mind and stepping back was the best choice to ensure there was room for all of them.
As the others joined them and they began their approach, she noticed Vasari giggling. Luxeria said nothing, but couldn't help but smile in amusement. There was a slight rush given to her from the jump, the unadulterated sense of the unknown and making the jump headfirst without hesitation or caution sent a strong surge of adrenaline through her, enough to rival, if not surpass her drive for battle. Laughing a bit herself, she shook her head as she followed behind Vasari, her saber being replace on her belt as they went.
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Vasari
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Post by Vasari on Dec 23, 2017 16:48:00 GMT -8
The fit of giggling slowly subsided and she bit her lip no longer nervous by Luxeria's presence by or side or within her mind. Something was happening, and now that they had a moment to consider it along the short trip to the mouth of the Cavern she was able to focus more upon the link they were quickly forming with one another. She moved a little deeper into Luxeria's mind, not intrusively but simply curious as to what she would find there - knocking on doors and testing knobs as it were seeing which ones would open to her and which would remain closed. Likewise she opened her own mind allowing the girl access. Clearly she had great power in the mental manipulations of the force - one that might even rival her own power, but there was something there holding her back from her true potential... a mental block that seemed to be restricting her, or perhaps it was something else entirely but Vasari wanted to find out what that was.
"You were beautiful back there, the way you moved, how you carved our path through those droids... I'm not sure I would have done it quite like that, but by your side it seemed like the perfect thing to do... until I got shot that is... still not sure how that happened..."
Vasari rubbed at her shoulder pad and winced slightly - there was an angry scorch mark right below the pad close to her collarbone... ~There goes my flawless skin... wont look as good topless anymore~ she thought to herself before recalling the extent her mind was open to Luxeria and blushed picking up her pace slightly as they approached the Lavafall. Ahead of them lay a clear path into the darkness of the Cavern - as the group moved around the edge of the cliff beneath the lavafall the heat would increase drastically but the light from the fire would illuminate their path quite clearly. A gash in the cliff face directly beneath the Castle that looked like a knife wound in the perfect obsidian flesh of the cliff face - here the rocky terrain would smooth out and as they neared the entrance the sight of perfectly carved stone steps would be visible to the group.
Vasari hesitated now - not out of fear or caution, but she had felt something earlier and was not too keen on leaping into the dark without knowledge of what that darkness was. Looking to Luxeria and silently asking her mind for strength and balance to aide in her search she allowed her mind to flow from their position deep into the depths of the Cavern. Tales from this place had been sporadic since the fall of the First Empire, a book she had read on Iridonia mentioned an expedition being planned for Mustafar but nothing had been written passed the planning stage - and the author had written nothing else since, at least that she could find. But now that she stood here, and was feeling the darkness coming off this place she got the feeling the Expeditionary Force never made it off this planet alive.
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Xakire
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Post by Xakire on Dec 24, 2017 3:42:24 GMT -8
As he continued to deflect blaster shots, slice droids in half and dash forwards behind his master, Xakire felt a brief thought of reassurance from Vasari. He smiled slightly as he decapitated another droid in half.
Then, he found himself just outside the castle. He caught his master and stood beside him, still deflecting shots, some of which he managed to reflect back to their point of origin. "Yes, master. I feel it...but what is it?" Xakire replied to his masters warning. It was true, he felt it. Or at least he was sure he did. The Force felt....different here. Vasari had explained to him that the Force was like water and if that was true the Force was rippling or flowing in a way he hadn't seen before. Despite this, he could still feel the power of the Dark Side strongly here. It was made sense really, Mustafar was a dark place both literally and philosophically.
As Xakire reflected on his surroundings, his master suddenly dropped to hs knees, screaming. At first Xakire wondered if he'd been shot, but no...he wasn't shot, he'd be likley dead if he was. Besides, no battle droid would be the one to kill Viox Savage. Something was happening. Was it this place? Was it this...thing Viox described occupied the castle? "Master! What is it?!?"he exclaimed as he rushed to his master's side, sheathing one of his lightsabres while he used the other one to block the odd shot that was still being fired. Viox's men had cleared away much of the troops.
Strangely, almost as soon as he'd dropped in agony, Viox seemed to have recovered. "Are you alright? What was that?" he asked, noticing his master trembling ever so slightly. He wondered if this was fear or something else...either way, if his master was suffering like this, what hope did Xakire stand? |
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Darth Malvus
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Post by Darth Malvus on Jun 5, 2018 12:08:01 GMT -8
In the months before the Raid on Felucia...
Location: Construction site of the Dark Obelisk
Malvus looks up from a table, seeing a magma pit flare up in the distance. The lava spewed forth high into the sky before it died down and collapsed once more to the ground. Thanks to the cooperation with the native Mustafarans, who were more than grateful about the destruction of despotic forces over their world, that shouldn't be a problem where the construction was being done and where Malvus stood, inside a prefabricated military base. That was the problem with this Type II-class planet, too much lava that could easily scorch any unlucky soul, such as the infamous Darth Vader. The thought of the Sith Lord made Malvus glance down the cliff where the military base overlooked. Down at a massive lava river that coursed across the planet's surface.
It was here, at the end of the Clone Wars, that Obi-wan and Darth Vader, still known as Anakin Skywalker, fought to the death. The Dark Side of the Force was strong here, the rage and hatred of Lord Vader, before he was encased in his armor, lingered here. Those attuned with the Force would see his presence in the Dark Side, his yells and bellows echoing distantly in the Force. A most ideal location for the Obelisk being constructed as the new headquarters for the Blackguard Reborn.
Malvus turns back to the table, flipping through some of the holo-images placed before him. It was a tedious task, but the Sith tended to visit here often to ensure construction was still on schedule and all was meeting the designs and desires of Lord Savage. Two construction overseers had been killed, or rather mysteriously disappeared, for their lack of motivation and insight. The third, and present, overseer at least learned the lessons of his predecessors and worked hard to prove as such. The Jen'ari stopped at the plans for the new throne room for the Sith'ari, causing the Sith's eyebrow to go up slightly.
He turns slightly, feeling the presence of his superior approaching and entering the same room. Malvus gives Viox a nod before turning back to the blueprints.
Going over the top with this throne room design of yours, Lord Savage? I figured nothing could outshine your palace back on Iridonia, but this... a fortress within a fortress I see. Be grateful that my facade nation, the SesTrade Hegemony, has plenty of resources to spare and necessary contacts to meet your designs.
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