[hider=Post 58A, Frettzo, FallenReaper, Sundered Echo | Kinsa, Xid, Jewel | Part I] [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] Jewel Namore awoke with a start, her hand already on her Lightsaber ready to defend herself from potential attackers. Her eyes scanned the room searching for a target and found… nothing. Her alarm was beeping softly, as it was set to when either someone intruded into her rooms or the allotted time for awakening came, and she relaxed only slightly when she saw that it was the latter. Until she determined the mettle of the other Sith onboard, there could be no relaxation. She did not waste time preparing for the day - there was much to do. There always was. During the night, Imperial Intelligence had monitored the Jedi and compiled character profiles of their apparent tendencies. Anything formed this quickly may well be wrong, but it was at least something to work with for Jewel to select her next pair of targets. She read them over he morning meal, eager to get her torture duties out of the way. As well as this, she was provided with a report of the previous nights events, most of which she disregarded as ‘expected.’ One thing did catch her eye though, was that the Zabrak apprentice Jayda had been injured severely enough to be placed in a Kolto tank for an extended stay. That could prove problematic, and did not show any strength. For a moment Jewel thought that her initial assessment might have been wrong, that the Zabrak wouldn’t be adequate to kill her master. She’d have to reinforce the plan with extra failsafes now. But that was a task for later. Of the Jedi that remained, the one that had seemed to be a friend of Calista intrigued her most. The file listed her name as Kinsa, as well as the unfortunate fact that she was a Twi'lek. That meant she could never be truly respected, but she would at the least prove to be useful in breaking her friend. A few quick taps on her gauntlet controls and a squad of Imperial troopers was already on standby to fetch the Jedi. That meant selecting a second Jedi. There weren’t as many to choose from as Jewel would have liked. Tolun Fi was off the list, he seemed like he might be able to fight her both physically and philosophically. Taking Calista again would likely be detrimental, she needed a visit with the lizard first. Allanar was Nyiss’ pet project, and Jewel knew better than to interfere with the darths plans. A quick read showed that there was one Jedi who seemed to give of himself to a sickening degree. He would be perfect. She had to admit to some desire to crush such selflessness as well. It was the antithesis of being Sith, and it made her feel sick to know that someone could consider others so much more important than themselves. The trip to the Cell block was mercifully swift. The ships layout wasn’t so bad once you learned it. Of course the Jedi would have trouble with that, as they didn’t have access to the overhead maps like Jewel did. A quick hand signal and the troopers stormed into the Cell blocks, no doubt waking up all the Jedi that had been trying to sleep. --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- [i]“Ugh…”[/i] Kinsa muttered, her shivering arms carefully wrapped around herself in an attempt to keep warm. While many slept, she kept awake. It was not out of choice, but because every time she managed to fall asleep, she’d move onto her left side and the pain from her arm would flare up, waking her up and making her sit up. So now she just did what she could. Covering herself in the awkward sheets the cell came with ended up making her sweat, and not covering herself made her get cold. She was barely clothed at all, only with a simple Kolto Tank uniform, stained with blood on one side, and slightly charred on the other. She was cold, in pain and slightly annoyed. But she was still slightly relieved from her previous talk with Calista. Having a friend nearby who she could speak to made wonders, and not only because that friend healed her fractured arm, but because the words she spoke helped Kinsa reassert her spirit. [i]“She did seem bothered… I wonder why?”[/i] She softly asked herself, sighing after a few seconds. Then, the distant sound of unison stomping feet came to her ears. At first she had dismissed it as a product of her mind, since she had barely gotten three hours of sleep. But she realized it was far more than that once the sound grew louder and closer, only to break and form various quick footsteps, followed by the quick incursion of three troopers. [i]“Ah!”[/i] Kinsa gasped, instinctively tightening her self-embrace and immediately recoiling at the slight pain which followed. She jumped up from her sitting position in her surprise, until she managed to get herself together. [i]“U-Um… Fine. I know.”[/i] She said, voice wavering slightly, though she made her fair share of effort to keep a calm expression on her face and body. One of the troopers walked out, while the other two grabbed her by the arms and initially dragged her along, until she caught up in pace, and was led out of the cell block. Suddenly she felt self-conscious and humiliated. Something she had not felt before on this ship… Walking around in the Tank attire was shameful, and she could only wish she was so rudely treated to be taken to a shower and given her old attire. Though she knew it was a ‘too good to be possible’ wish. --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- The Padawan passed the night into a heavy sleep in the cell where time didn’t seem to exist. It was a dreamless sort, casted by exhaustion and the sound of Viera’s voice, which soon had him drifting off and left curled up among the bunk’s thin blanket. Xid slightly stirred when the loud hiss from the Bulkdoors can open causing his head, blond hair all a mess, to jerk up in fear. He felt the instant panic slightly fade into worry upon spotting the troopers rushing into the Cell block. Slowly a question began to bud in his calming mind, but was quickly answered when they marched right up to his own room and waltzed right in. Already, partly driven awake by the adrenaline that raced in his veins, Xid had shifted his body upright to pull himself out of bed. His boots gingerly touched the floor and took a moment to lean over the side, despite the shout to wake, until a trooper reached for him. Xid flinched at the rough hand that tightened around his shoulder, pushed his hunched form from his bed and up on his feet. He nearly stumbled twice yet managed to stay upright against their pushing towards the exit. With each step, the boy’s mind tried to hasten his mind to wake while biting back an urge to yawn. He was lucky he had slept in his full attire or he doubted the escort would’ve allowed him to even get his boots on. Every time he dragged his feet, Xid felt the shove of a hand usher him onwards and at a faster pace. The boy managed to comply enough to cease the handling as his eyes looked ahead, his eyes widened when a familiar purple Twi’lek just coming out of her Cell block. He blinked once then twice, a weak attempt to see if he was seeing things, unable to remove his focus from her: Kinsakwi. [i]“Kinsakwi?”[/i] Xid couldn’t help but let the name slip past his lips. --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- [i]“Xid?”[/i] She asked back to the boy- Another padawan. She could remember him. For a moment, she felt joy at knowing that another one of them was alive, but the joy was quickly erased as one of the troopers pulled her hard to keep up. [i]“You’re alive!”[/i] She said with a subtle smile. --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- So they knew each other. This was unexpected turn of events, one that Jewel would have to be careful to turn to her advantage. It could easily slip the other way and reinforce their hope if she didn’t manage it perfectly. As they walked, she noticed several of the soldiers gawking at the Twi'leks semi-naked form, and had to fight down the urge to throw them into the wall with the Force for it. Instead, she chose the one that seemed most taken with the purple girl and sent him away. [i]“You.”[/i] She said, gesturing at him. [i]“Fetch a set of robes for this Jedi and meet us at the destination.”[/i] She kept her voice calm, locking away her anger. It was useful to lower the Jedi’s morale through letting them be exposed so, but Jewel would not stand for the continued humiliation, even if it was an alien Jedi woman. Of course the Jedi might find it strange to be dressed in Sith attire, and that in itself was demoralising enough. They reached the Arena quickly enough, with Jewel leading them through the winding corridors too quickly for them to get any bearings. The soldier was waiting at the door to the arena with the robes. [i]“Here. Put these on. Quickly.”[/i] --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- Seeing the robes offered to her was a relief. She had taken notice of the glances given her way a minute ago, and it was very uncomfortable, given her state of dress. But why was the Sith offering her a set of robes? She took notice that they were Sith robes, and not her old clothes. There must have been a reason behind the kindness. But she was not going to refuse this. She followed the Sith’s order as quickly as she could, and in no time, she was fully dressed in the dark robes. She had no idea how the trooper had gotten it right, but the size was just perfect. [i]“... Thank you, Sith.”[/i] She muttered after some hesitation. Why was she saying those words? They were the ones that had caused her all of her recent pain and humiliation. Why did her feel thankful, then, to this one Sith, who was most likely not any different than the lot of them? --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- Xid just gave Kinsa a small smile and a nod, inwardly glad his presence made her day brighter, even if the circumstances were less than ideal. He was truthfully surprised she remembered him. It had been so long, almost years that seemed longer, that he didn’t expect a reply. Merely a look but now wasn’t the time to feel joy, he reminded himself. He managed to find his mind in a more awakened state while they walked, his eyes kept with hers, not once realizing her attire had drawn the unwanted attention from the soldiers. It wasn’t until Sith spoke. Suddenly the Padawan’s guilt washed over him when he realized what Kinsa has been forced to be in, his teeth bit his lip in his averted glance. Saying sorry didn’t seem enough. Finally they arrived. Xid had tried to keep his bearings, attempted to mark corridors in his mind but failed. Going between trying not feel Kinsa feel embarrassed in case she thought he would stare and keep up with the pace, he had too much to focus on to keep track. Just another flaw, he thought bitterly about himself. When one of the troopers handed Sith robes to Kinsa, the Twi’lek thanked the Sith, Xid couldn’t help looking at the woman. A nasty feeling, a distant and familiar one, seemed to edge over his heart. He didn’t think it was generosity as it was a selfish reason. It was one that currently escaped him and instead he took a breath, bracing for something to happen. Namely the Sith’s point of bring them to this place, his eyes never left the Sith. --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- Jewel smiled ever so slightly at the idea of a Jedi thanking a Sith, and at the confusion that flashed behind the purple Twi’leks eyes. They were off to an excellent start already. She touched the control panel to the Arena door and motioned the Jedi in. Like before, there would be mundane prisoners, but they were being held in a nearby room this time. Once the two Jedi had entered, she followed, closing the door behind them. [i]“Not all Sith are monsters. I will not be physically harming you today, if you do not force me too. I am Lord Namore. I already know your names.”[/i] She made a point of looking at each Jedi as she spoke to prove the sincerity of her words. --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- [i]“Just because Sith aren’t evil or monsters, doesn’t make what they do any better…”[/i] Xid spoke simply. --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- Jewel let the interruption pass. [i]“And a Jedi’s supposed moral purity does not make their actions good by definition. Please, sit.”[/i] It was figurative to have them below her, not really for their comfort. But she also had to make them believe they were able to act fairly freely here. [i]“I know you’ve both encountered my… colleague, the Trandoshan. I must ask, how did his actions make you feel? I don’t mean pain. We can all feel pain. But when you think about him now, how do you feel?”[/i] --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- This was a certain clash. All her life with the Jedi, she had been told the Sith were lost to the Dark Side, even that they were murderous. This couldn’t be a Sith. Why was this… Lord… Telling them to sit down in such a polite manner? Then she mentioned the Sith of her nightmares. The Trandoshan, the one who had more than one session with her already, the one who broke her arm with a bite, the one who broke quite a few ribs, the one who cut off her finger… Surprisingly it wasn’t anger that she felt, but sadness. So many years in training, and a Sith could just do whatever he wanted with her. [i]“Why do you want to know, Lord Namore?”[/i] She asked, referring to the Sith by title as a way to repay for her respect and helpfulness. Not to mention that being seen as reasonable could have a positive outcome in the future. --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- Xid didn’t say another word, instead he fell into silence like back on Belsavis with his master. He allowed Kinsa to speak, his mind didn’t judge her or let his guard down. When the Lord Sith politely told them to sit upon the arena floor, he got a flash of being a Youngling again and shook the memory away before he slowly lowered himself to the ground. His legs crossed under him, facing the Sith, feeling rather odd to being so in the presence of one fallen to the Darkness. However, he knew there was little he could do and so far, obedience had served him better. Her question was odd to him, the subject about Sish and how he felt thinking about. He wasn’t liking this in the least but he had no reason for why. It was hard not to note how Kinsa had started to act respectively to Namore, his mind slightly confused but said nothing in regards to it. To be truthful with himself, he doubted any words from him would change anything. He was saved from answering when Kinsa spoke, asking for the reason, letting the Sith a moment to answer her. --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- Jewel thought for a moment. The question was, in reality, a weighted one to try and bring their emotions, preferably hate, to the fore. It wasn’t working as intended, she could feel that much. Still, she couldn’t just tell them that. Thankfully, she was an accomplished liar. [i]“Curiosity. For all that I have suffered, I have never been at the mercy of such a monstrous creature. As well, I wonder if you Jedi can feel at all. Expressing emotion is what differentiates us from mindless droids.”[/i] --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- Xid couldn’t help the frown that crossed his lips, inwardly bite his tongue against the comment on droids. Just because people failed to see the similarities and erase those traits, it didn’t make them less than human. He tried to remain still while the Sith explained it was out of curiosity about them. He felt a need to correct her yet talking might make it hard to stop and that might not be a good thing. His eyes shifted to the floor instead, not wanting to speak. --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- ‘Something doesn’t quite feel right… Oh no, she mentioned droids were mindless!’ She thought, quickly looking at Xid to gauge his reaction, biting her own lower lip for a split second. As soon as she saw the frown, she turned back to the Sith, and spoke after a bit of thought. [i]“The Trandoshan… Why do you keep such a monster close to you, if you hold that opinion of him? And… droids are as mindless as we make them… Someone taught me that long ago.”[/i] --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- [i]“You’ve not answered my question Kinsa. Your friend appears to be content in silence, but if you are going to speak, I suggest you at least try to answer me.”[/i] This was not how things were meant to go. Something in her earlier comment had sparked an unexpected reaction. Along with the Jedi’s sudden defense of droids and her glance at Xid it made Jewel begin to think he might be the one Minder had spoken about. The tech-savant. That would certainly be an interesting turn of events. Her voice softened then. [i]“Perhaps if you answer my question, I will answer yours. How does Lord Sish make you feel?”[/i] --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- The Sith suddenly became more… Strict. At least, it felt like that. Kinsa might’ve stumbled upon territory the Sith didn’t like, but there was no way to know. The way the Sith spoke made Kinsa want to just… Relax. But she knew she couldn’t do it. But the feeling was there. So what was she to do? There was no weakness in revealing her true mental state in a situation like this, it was in fact the most sensible thing to do. She outstretched her left hand’s fingers and looked at them. She counted them. One… Two… Three… Four. her ring finger wasn’t there anymore, she felt like she would be able to move it, but it just wasn’t there. She frowned, then looked at the Sith. [i]“Sad… I guess, afraid?”[/i] She simply said, shrugging. --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- The young Padawan liked the fact she remembered his little… insight into machines. His slight relaxation in posture became tense when Xid noticed her finger then. His body started to move a little closer as he studied it, the notion of being an idiot seemed to weigh on him. He had seen wounds, from cuts to mutilations and worse before, at least days after. For some strange reason it was harder to stomach the image on someone he had met. His face seemed to show how sorry he was for her loss and remind him of that painfully reoccurring thing: he was helpless, unable to solve the problem even when he had the skills. [i]“I just wish I knew what made him that way…”[/i] Xid said, more to Kinsa then Namore. --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- Why couldn’t Jedi just react like normal human beings? Somehow, despite all that the monstrous Sish had put both of them through, they didn’t feel anger, much less hate. This Xid human even felt sympathy. Jewel began to wonder if they were lost causes, but before she could make a rash decision she remembered that Kinsa had said she was afraid. Fear was something she could work with. It wasn’t ideal, but it was what she had. [i]“And you should certainly be afraid. You may not survive his next visit, or the one after that. He is little more than an animal, and his restraint is lacking. Why do I tolerate his presence? The simple answer is that I don’t.”[/i] She walked to Kinsa and knelt in front of her, speaking softly. [i]“Kinsakwi'teksa”[/i] She said, being careful to pronounce the aliens name correctly, [i]“I could keep you safe from him you know. Make sure he doesn’t hurt you anymore. In time, I could even have your finger replaced. There aren’t even any strings attached. You need only ask.”[/i] Standing and walking to the middle of the arena, she prepared to order the prisoners to be brought in, waiting only to see if the Jedi had anything interesting to say in reply. --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- The Sith Lord’s answer to her question wasn’t something she had expected, but it made sense that the Sith said something like that. She was trying to scare Kinsa, and it was working. The possibility of dying in this ship scared her, the mere possibility of having to see the Trandoshan again scared her. But it was when the Sith knelt in front of her that she looked around, avoiding her gaze. The offer was wrapped in hidden objectives and reasons, reasons that Kinsa couldn’t manage to see, but she knew they were there. She just had to make sure that none of her mind tricks got to her. She had to remind herself that her Master was out there somewhere, probably counting on Kinsa to not do anything dumb. [i]“No strings attached?”[/i] She asked, slightly surprised and pleased that the Sith managed to pronounce her name properly. [i]“I just don’t want to see him again.”[/i] --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- Xid’s brow furrowed a bit at the continuing kindness of Namore. The Sith’s focus turned upon Kinsa now, ignoring Xid, the Padawan’s guess was because his answer hadn’t been the one that she was looking for or something else. He thought about his words a bit and soon realized how he might’ve sounded. Sympathetic. Something far from the truth. Those that had grown to know, like his master, wouldn’t have jumped to such conclusions about his word choice. He saw his question as more of an inquiry for the problem’s root then pity. Something he could attempt to fix or make sense of Sish’s hatred towards Jedi. Unless it was DNA, then it was unlikely Xid could do anything to change it. It was pointless to correct himself now. Alarm bells seemed to blare into his head when Namore focused on Kinsa’s fear. The Sith’s boots clipped across the floor, bring the Lord to keel in before Kinsakwi and then, gently extended some generosity in a soft voice. Hairs on his neck nape stood erect immediately at the scene. In the back of his mind, Xid couldn’t help wondering the price as his head turned, watching the Sith bring herself near the Twi’lek. Something about this had stirred an unexplained sensation of doom with it. With this woman, the requests made could require anything and that was what the Padawan dreaded the most. His mind was careful not let the emotion run rampant inside, instead just kept his guard up, until the woman rose again to her feet to stand in the arena’s middle. Xid spoke, softly to his fellow Padawan. [i]“I have a bad feeling about this. She reminds me of someone…”[/i] --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- Kinsa spared a glance towards him, nodding, before turning back to look at the Sith Lord. --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- Jewels hand paused just above the button as the Jedi spoke. She looked at Kinsa with a smile as she said precisely what Jewel expected. Finally, she was reacting like a person. The fear that washed over her was almost palpable. [i]“Then you shall be exempt from his visits.”[/i] With that, Jewel pressed the button and ordered the prisoners in. Three haggard looking humans were pushed in by the guards and herded to the middle of the arena around Jewel, where they were shoved to the ground. There were two men and a woman, the woman in what seemed to be the robes of a minor senator, though they were tattered and showed obvious signs of battle damage. [i]“These three were captured in your senate building. Imperial Intelligence has finished with them, and advised an execution-”[/i] One of the men shuddered at that. [i]“But I have other plans. These three could easily become citizens of the Empire, where they would be safe and live out satisfying lives on one of our core worlds.”[/i] Jewel then walked to the edge of the Arena and pulled a pair of swords from the wall-racks, jagged, heavy pieces of sharpened metal formed in shapes meant to inspire fear. [i]“I’m sure they’d prefer to live.”[/i] Jewel said as she tossed the swords to the two Jedi. [i]“But unfortunately, there is a rather hungry beast below the Arena that requires blood. My Master has instructed me not to leave until it has tasted blood, and no-one else will enter either.”[/i] Another press of a button on her control panel and a trio of Imperial Battle droids emerged from what amounted to closets in the walls, each carrying a similar weapon to the one Jewel had just given the Jedi. [i]“It seems a shame to waste potential upstanding citizens of the Empire to me. Maybe you ought to save them?”[/i] With that, the droids began to advance on the trio of prisoners, murder in their cold, lifeless eyes. Jewel had programed them to ignore the Jedi, except to parry blows when they could. It was important to her they not be hurt by means other than the hand of a fellow Jedi. --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- It seemed Xid’s feeling had some merit to it when he spotted the three people being ushered into the arena. Their ragged and damaged forms, signs of struggle and battle showed clear on their robes, hit the ground hard after pushed towards the arena center. He could hear his heart in his chest thumping harshly while Namore calmly explained the reason three prisoners were currently here. The Sith made her way to area’s edge and pulling twin swords built for crude destruction, her hands weighed them before tossing one at Kinsakwi and then him when he stood up. Xid caught it in a clumsy fashion. He wasn’t a fighter after all, but he couldn’t stand back and allow the citizens to be slaughtered. Immediately, the droids reacted and he gripped the blade hilt tighter. He noted the balance difference in the weapon he wielded, the end dripped towards the ground as oppose to his own light saber. Still he resisted the urge to just cast the thing aside because it would leave him vulnerable, his feet pushed toward the attacking droids. Without considering the consequences, he raised his hand up; the blade tip fell to the ground, and focused upon the nearest droid. It stalled, seemingly to have difficulty in moving, as spark shoot from its wiring with a subtle hiss. In moments the droids eyes dulled while its frame slumped, completely deactivated. Xid felt sweat pour down his face a bit, slightly drained, and feeling it was best not to try that again. [i]“I’m sorry…”[/i] He mumbled before back, and shouting to Kinsakwi. [i]“Aim for the back of the head, there’s a link there for the basic functions that routes out to the limbs. Hit it dead on. It’ll kill them quickly and painlessly-”[/i] He was interrupted when instead of attacking, the droid moved toward his side. Its blade once upraised had slightly lowered as it tried to redirect its path, its eyes fixed on the prisoners. No...no, Xid realized it wasn’t going to attack him. [i]“Kinsakwi… they’re targeting the prisoners.”[/i] --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- The moment the Lord gave them the swords, pushed Kinsa back into alarm. Sometime she had relaxed. She had relaxed way too much for her own liking, and swiftly grabbing the sword mid air brought her back. The prisoners were there, humans, and one looked to be part of the Senate… Why was a Senator alive, and a common citizen not? All members of the Senate were a bunch of corrupt figures. She held no sympathy for the Senator, but instead she looked at the other two. Then the battle droids were revealed to them, and the Sith revealed herself to just be another manipulator. But Kinsa had no time to think, she just had time to act. So, gripping the disturbing tool of warfare that was the sword, she entered the stance she had been taught through the years. The opening stance of Ataru was fairly simple, but even a simple stance like that was made more difficult by the heavy weapon. She was used to the particular weightlessness of her Lightsaber, not the painfully real and physical weight of metal. Xid was quicker than Kinsa, and he had attacked the battle droids first, evidently having a hard time as well with the blade’s weight. He managed to take down the droid quickly enough, and turned to give her instructions on how to do it. She turned to look at the droid that moved past Xid just as he had his brilliant epiphany. [i]“I know!”[/i] She answered, then took in a deep breath, and charged at the droid closer to the prisoners, jumping over the droid in a force-assisted flip in the middle and hastily swinging at the dangerous droid. At first, she was surprised at the blade’s inertia once she began her series of moves, and once the blade hit the spot, it kept moving. The droid slumped to the floor, and so did Kinsa, falling to her knees as she attempted to regain her footing. --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- Jewel watched as the two Jedi tried desperately to save the prisoners. They were making a valiant attempt, but it was clear that neither were particularly able combatants, at least not with the Sith training blades she’d given them. The Third droid quickly covered the ground between it and the prisoners and raised its blade to attack. Jewel made an imperceptible adjustment to a control on her gauntlet, for two reasons. First, It would not do to have a prisoner die so soon, then she wouldn’t have an excuse to force the Jedi to fight each other. Second, Xid had used a Force power that seemed overly effective against the droid considering how weak he seemed in combative powers. Combined with his ability to instantly figure out a weak point on the droid where the Republic scientists had taken months. She’d found the Tech-savant, Minders little prize. She wanted to see what he could do. The Droid, instead of striking down one of the prisoners, hesitated, its programing forced to stop where otherwise it would strike. Jewel watched Xid very carefully for a reaction then, largely ignoring the fallen Twi’lek who couldn’t even wield a practice blade. --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- Xid raised an eyebrow when Kinsakwi replied. Her body shifted into a familiar posture then jumped over the droid and swung, making him slightly flinch at the action. It made him realize his lack in clarity and this time corrected himself. [i]“You misunderstood… they’re only aim to kill the prisoners, not us! That’s what I meant by targeting! If we keep between them and their target, it gives us the advantage because they aren’t targeting us!”[/i] His eyes shifted, noting the Twi'lek’s body had fallen down to her knees and he wasn’t doing much better with the sword himself. Forget it, he inwardly spat, taking the chance. His hands dropped his own weapon, the metal’s sound vibrated in his ears, in his wake. Each step rushed along, desperate to bring him closer when the Droid reached them, the prisoners huddle together defensively, bracing for the worse. It brought its blade up but it stopped. There was moment hesitation in the swing. He noted it a split second before he brought his body alongside it, his hand raised to the wiring in the side arm. That didn’t seem to sit well with the bot at all. Its metal skeleton shook when he brushed the red item. He felt it push him away, his middle clashed with the hard substance that sent him slamming into the ground. But he didn’t remove his grasp, fingertips managed to brush the wiring and tightening, ripping it free on his fall. The arm went limp and ceased to move. To him, it was like tearing out the source of life in a living creature. Metal hydraulics and wiring were nothing more than tendons and nerves, once in seized beneath the plating, they were easily broken as he just fluidly done. Inside he bared pain beyond words. Liquid spurted from the ruptured wires, the coloring staining his clothes like black blood but he didn’t stop. No matter what, even if he managed to immobilize it, he didn’t want to risk it being ordered after the prisoners once more. Its arm useless now, the droid had managed to shake him off. It shifted the sword’s weight to its good arm. Back to its original task, it altered course towards the huddle trio. And again, Xid moved upright. Ignoring the pain from his rough push away, he turned to the bot’s back then jerked his hand out. He shifted where it felt right, finding a crease where that gut feeling was strongest, and without pausing to think he shoved his hand in to grab hold the wire cluster. He could feel his hand shaking while he ended the machine’s life… One of the things that bothered him most was how easy it was for him. --- [center]PoV: Kinsa[/center] --- [i]“Well, why didn’t you say so before?”[/i] She asked as she rose to her feet, only to see Xid already ahead of her, having somehow deactivated the last droid. [i]“I could have managed these droids with a lightsaber.”[/i] She whispered to herself, fidgeting around slightly to get accustomed to the weight of the blade, before glancing towards the three scared prisoners. Now that the imminent danger had passed, she was curious as to what would come next. More droids, perhaps? Maybe a bunch of soldiers? Or just more attempts at manipulation? --- [center]PoV: Jewel[/center] --- The droid that had been struck down by blade was not yet completely inactive - it crawled slowly towards the senator and reached for her ankle. The senator screamed as the metal hand grasped her, and a moment later a sickening crack was heard as it crushed the bones in the ankle. Jewel watched on wordlessly - this wasn’t really an issue, no blood was yet spilled. --- [center]PoV: Xid[/center] --- [i]“I thought I did… Sorry, it’s my fault for not being clear I-”[/i] Xid’s eyes widened and his words stopped. His head turned, the adrenaline gone, to spot source. A scream...mechanical and low key but never the less painful erupted in Xid’s ears. Then it was followed by a very real human one. His eyes jerked to the side, spotting the droid that had dragged itself across the floor. It’s metal fingers gripped hold tightly and squeezed upon the robed woman’s ankle, easily crushing the bone. Kinsa hadn’t killed the bot right. Her strike had only severed most the mobility as it seemed to still be able to function, his teeth gritted against the noise only he could hear. He had to make it stop, both for the Senator and the droid’s sake. The Padawan’s feet shifted, bring him close to the woman, her hands scrambled to release the iron grip but failed. Again his hand ripped out the cluster, properly, before he started to peel the fingers away. [i]“Kinsa...why didn’t you kill it? I mean kill it like I asked? One of the prisoners were hurt and you let it suffer…”[/i] Xid words were calm as he pulled the last digit off. Bring his body to crouch down, he gently and tenderly felt the ankle. Yep, it was broke he thought bitterly. With that knowledge he closed his eyes and focused on healing the bones. [i]“Kinsa, keep me informed if anything else comes.”[/i] [/hider]