[center]~| The Jedi Temple, Day 1, 11:56 GST|~
~|Sela vs Nyiss|~[/center]

Darth Nyiss stepped purposefully through the cloud of dust thrown up by the broken masonry, Lightsaber still in hand. Between her and Tolun’s lab she could feel the brilliant, ordered presence of a Jedi Master. It sickened her, and in her disgust she felt a great desire to end it, preferably by cutting down whoever was causing it.

It did not take her long to find the one. A quick and incredibly low level telekinetic burst tussled her robe and swept the dust from the air, revealing a robed, dark skinned human woman of roughly the same height as the Darth. Nyiss met the Jedi’s gaze with her own, her eyes filled with disdain and disgust. “Your time has come Jedi.” She said in a richly accented upper class Imperial voice.

With that she shrugged off her thick outer robes, letting the mass of black cloth fall at her feet, leaving only a sleeveless light tunic and loose trousers loosely reminiscent of a Jedi’s garb but in black. Then she ignited a single crimson blade on her saberstaff, giving the Makashi salute to her opponent. She was a civilised warrior, and as disgusted as she may be, she would let the Jedi give whatever accounting she could for herself.

Sela eyed the Makashi salute the Sith gave her. Slowly, her own hand reaching for her blade and edged it outward, producing the same sincere respecting gesture to her side. Partly she expected there was some dirty trick within the Sith’s mind as she watched closely, waiting patiently for something to occur. In the back of her mind she felt Xid’s presence drift away bit by bit, a faded reminiscent of their connection, giving her some peace of mind he wouldn’t involved. 

The master inhaled and tightened her grip on the curved blade. She took the offensive, her blade leapt out to stab a point at Nyiss’ shoulder, her mind already thinking ahead, ready to jerk back and flip her blade to cover her handle and block a counter attack. It was likely the Sith knew at least one other form like many Jedi, but she couldn’t be absolutely certain.

Nyiss put her left foot back and raised her weapon, still holding the long handle in only her right hand. She caught the Jedi’s strike on the middle of her own blade and redirected it away from her body. Rather than counter attack right away, she pulled back, keeping her blade between herself and her opponent. At the same time she began probing at her opponents mental defences with Force induced fear. She doubted it would work right away, but it would still serve as a good distraction.

Sela felt her blade connect. The vibration rattled through her hand, her blade turned away and flowed outward. the master wasn’t about to back down even as the Sith retreated, keeping her blade between the pair. It was then Sela felt the probing of fear trying to edge into her calm mind and wrench control from her.  The Jedi snorted, mainly in disgust, as she brushed it away. It took a second, her mind accepting her fear but instead of letting it control her, she used the adrenaline brought forth. Fear was natural to all living creatures yet only the Sith let it drive them. She slashed forward, aiming at the area between the neck base and shoulder. Her feet pushed forward, cutting the distance, with another fast slash at the knee cap should the Sith retreat again.

Nyiss’ response was first to perform another quick redirecting block, then step in and grip her long hafted weapon with both hands. As the Jedi’s lightsaber came around, Nyiss left her blade high, making it seem as though she had missed the block. Just a moment before the blue blade connected, she activated the other blade on her Lightsaber. The screeching of lightsaber blades contacting filled the air as the Jedi’s strike was blocked. Nyiss then brought the raised blade downwards towards the Jedi’s head, stepping into the strike and keeping her second blade low to retain the guard.

Sela's frown deepened when Nyiss' attack halted her low aim attack, her ear filled with the terrible noise. The blade came down as Sela sensed it more then saw it happen, her fingers loosen slightly upon the curve blade and whipped it upward into a over head block. Her figure stepped back as her blade locked with the Darth, her eyes steadying for a weakness she could use, temporary. 

Shifting her weight, her nearest foot raised and sent a force kick against the Darth's navel. An improvised attempt to disengage the pair and bring space between them.  

Nyiss’ blade once again met resistance in the form of her opponents blue blade. Before she could react, the Jedi’s foot found purchase in her midriff. With the added power of the Force behind the kick, Nyiss found herself flung several meters backwards, shutting her saber off to avoid accidentally injuring herself. To avoid landing prone on her back, she used the Force to execute a somersault midair, landing crouched with her saber in her left hand. She quickly stood once more, raising her right hand towards the Jedi and sending a disdain fueled telekinetic wave directly at her, following up with a burst of Lightning no matter the Jedi’s reaction.

After the boot connected, Sela’s blade released and whipped about, crisscrossing it about her front while trying to keep close. Despite her machine enhancements to recover both her reflexes and what little depth perception she had, it wasn’t up to par compared to the Darth. Deep inside the woman knew she was out matched but she wasn’t terrified by it. Instead, she aimed to take the Darth down with her. Spurred on by the thought, Sela’s arms increase the momentum until the Sith lashed out with a telekinetic wave.

It connected, unexpectedly, causing Sela’s eyes to widen in surprise. Her feet were pushed back as the wave slammed into her full force, her teeth gritted while she tried to cushion the telekinetic attack with her own. The hallway, however, suffered badly. The energy rippled through it causing roof pieces to fall, pillars to shatter, and flooring to rupture upward along the force attack’s path. 

Not bothering to take her eyes off her foe, the Sith followed up with force lightning. Sela whipped her blade quickly to the side and then up, setting it up to take the blow in her stead. Her other hand was released, freeing it up, while she used a telekinetic pull to jerk a shattered pillar form behind the Sith and right into her back. No matter what the Sith did, Sela aimed to toss another where the red skinned alien aimed to be.

Nyiss quickly stopped her burst of lightning as the Jedi used her lightsaber to absorb it. Moments before the pillar impacted her back, she sensed it coming and leapt up and over it. Before she hit the ground, she felt another heading towards her, and a distinct sense of irritation began building in her breast. Instead of dodging the next pillar, she caught it with her own power, stopping it dead in its tracks before dropping it.

“Is that the best you can do Jedi? You’ve already lost.” She said arrogantly.

She then raised her right hand and fired another continuous burst of lightning while clipping her saber on her belt with her other hand. Though she knew the Jedi would just catch it again, she still had tricks the Jedi had not seen, and a sinister smile formed on her lips. She raised her left hand, but rather than aiming for the Jedi, a burst of lightning shot out for an exposed metal girder in the roof behind the Jedi. From there, the Lightning would arc back down and towards the Jedi’s back.

Sela hadn’t survived the war without learning what to expect and usually, that was the unexpected. Though sometimes it put her in odd positions. Her saber whipped up and caught the force lightning with her saber, preventing it from connecting with her. Next her hand raised, pouring her advance tutaminis into the palm as the lightning from the girder rained down. Her Crucitorn was activated as she held her ground, using the force to shut down the pain and withstand longer. Her chest was heaving slightly while her mind raced for what to do next. It wasn’t her first Sith but this red skinned woman seemed to be enjoying this and it showed clear as day in each movement, attack and more. Sela’s legs widened her stance to brace herself from falling when she located the Sith, eyeing her movements while holding her ground.

“Very impressive Jedi.” Nyiss once again spoke, disdain still evident in her voice. “Such a shame your skill will go to waste.”

Continuing her barrage of lightning, she began to walk slowly towards the Jedi on an angle that would lead her to be on the scarred side of the Jedi’s face. She could feel the Jedi weakening, she was evidently blocking the pain of the Force lightning for now, but Nyiss knew the Jedi would run out of energy before she did.

Sela’s lips pressed tighter, but her emotions didn’t slip past her mask. Instead she was considering her options and at hearing the Sith’s compliment, even through a venomous tone, as she gritted out her own reply. Granted it was a waste of breath, but the distraction was welcomed. 

“I wouldn’t... count me out yet…”

With those last words, her tutaminis released allowing the force lightning through. A bloodcurdling scream erupted through her lungs, her air pushed out, while she kept her Cruictorn. She had never hated Force Lightning more than this moment. It rippled up her body, threatening to make her seize up, as she made her mind focus beyond the pain. Her force took hold of the girder and jerked her aim downward. The base screeched in a deafening protest before the bolts holding it in play gave away, twisting off as it shot downward onto the pair. Sela knew this fight was death from the beginning, the very reason she sent Xid away, and now, she was determined to take them both down if she could. Her sacrifice was worth the price if the Sith died with her after all. Unless the alien moved, they both would be crushed underneath.

As the Jedi finally gave in, Nyiss felt the elation of victory, a snarling grin revealing her white teeth as she increased the intensity of the lightning. At the last moment, she notice that the girder she had been arcing the lightning off was hurtling towards the pair. She sidestepped as quickly as she could, lightning still streaking from her fingers - too late.

Pain shot through her right arm as a jagged protrusion cut down the length of it. Worse, lightning still coursed through the metal, and arced into her body. she was knocked to the side, falling to the floor hard with no grace or elegance. It was only through her strength of will that she remained conscious, and only through the Force that she knew the Jedi had fared worse.

Sela felt the steel and lightning burn through her being, every muscle and nerve set on fire through the girder collapsing over top of her. Like the Sith, Sela had tried to dodge it but was too slow. Now laid across it her chest, pinning her down. Chunks of twisted metal had seared and impaled her through the navel, her wounds slowly bleeding out but not fast enough to kill her quickly. The lightning had managed to hit her old war wound and with the lightning pulsing through it, any machine adaptations were rendered useless. She was paralyzed from the waist down in her horrifying realization when she tried to push away the thing pinning her down. Her lightsaber lost in the debris as she turned partly, spotting that had been tossed within eyesight of her. 

Impulsively she tried to raise it to her hand before the Sith could stop her.

Darth Nyiss pushed herself to feet with her good arm. There was pain in her right arm, but it only served to heighten her awareness, just as the dark red blood that seeped from the wound only seemed to make her crimson skin seem more vibrant. She quickly spotted the Jedi, pinned beneath the fallen mass of metal. Nearby, the Jedi’s saber shook lightly, trying to make its way back to its masters hand. Nyiss raised her hand and summoned it into her own hand, clipping it next her belt alongside her own weapon.

“You wont be needing that anymore.” She said with satisfaction evident in her voice.

She made her way slowly around the twisted mass of metal and on reaching the Jedi, knelt beside her. Her good hand went to the Jedi’s neck, but rather than constrict, she drew on the darkside of the Force and began draining away what life remained. She held her injured arm where the Jedi could see, the gash closing and the skin mending over. She spoke no more words as she continued to drain the Jedi’s life away.

Sela’s hands attempted to push and claw the damaged girder off her, only to have it move down enough to crush her legs more. It was useless and though her body wanted to struggle against fate, her mind was calm as a storm’s eye. She knew it would’ve ended one way or another but at least she had bought Xid time to bring someone to finish what she started. When the Darth’s hand grasped about her neck, the Jedi expected the tightening grasp and suffocation to begin, but instead…her body was colder than ice where the Sith touched. The darker skinned woman’s flesh crawled at the wrongness of being in close contact while it spread, the chill sending needles into her muscles and surface, making it blacken more. 

Her hands jerked up, instinctively to force the grip to release. Her nails digging weakly into the skin and tried to remove it, feeling her life slipping into darkness. Not being choked, she could easily speak her last words to her adversary. “Your darkness won’t last forever and what I started… someone will finish it. I doubt, but I hope, they will pity you as much as I do when they end your life. Showing you far more mercy than you deserve.”

Nyiss merely ignored the Jedi’s last words. “Shhh… Don’t fight it…” She said, in a tone that, if not for the hate she felt for all Jedi, might’ve been motherly. “Your end has come.”

“No.” Sela said, her lips smirking, though her eyes screamed calm and dignity, while her fingers slowly loosen. “It’s only the beginning for me.” 

At her last words, her hands loosened their grip and fell to the floor, the black color spreading to the finger and lifeless.

Once the Jedi was drained completely, Nyiss stood once more, revitalized. She spared only a glance at the dessicated husk that remained before turning on her heel. “What a waste.” She said to no one in particular, her usual disdain and disgust having returned to her voice. She paused only to scoop up and put back on her outer robe, before continuing on towards Tolun Fi’s lab, the emotions of the battle already fading.