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Forsythe
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I was going to try and avoid a double post, but that's what I'll be doing shortly.
Jayda’s teeth felt like they would’ve bitten through her lower jaw at any moment with how pissed she was. Her body was banged and bruised from the Lizard’s little lesson as he tossed her about, nothing more than a rag doll in a child’s grasp. The worse part was now everything time she walked pass the cells the dent in the roof would keep reminding her of her failure. Her weakness and lacking against the one creature she wanted to kill most. It was humiliating to her pride but that would mend in time, slowly. She had just gotten done being checked over for any broken bones or crippling injuries within the medical bay, her mind still played back the scene earlier through her mind. Over and over, seeking where she had gone wrong. What she could’ve done and to her bane, discovered nothing helpful.
After the examination she quickly exited through the doors. Her boot clicked across the floor at a fast rate and headed to the one place which often shared her company, the one area of the ship she used to channel her emotions. Without it, Jayda doubted she would’ve be able to keep herself sane while in the Lizard’s presence and likely end up screwing herself in the end.
Jewel was waiting at the entrance to the Arena, leaning nonchalantly against the wall next to the door and tapping her foot slowly. She’d gotten word that the apprentice Jayda had been beaten severely by her master and Jewel wanted to take advantage of that. When the apprentice finally arrived, she stepped to block the door in front of her and waited for a reaction.
Jayda’s path suddenly became blocked by a familiar face. It was the Lord Sith which had encountered her several day ago, the Sith between her and the Arena entrance. The Zabrak stopped there and her head lifted slowly to take in the woman, her mind’s inner gears turned. Part of her want to lash out but she had little confidence her actions wouldn’t be countered and punished in returned. She had suffered enough one ended battles for today despite what her blood screamed for. Instead she took a step back and addressed the Sith, in a best calm voice she could muster. “You have to be blocking my way for a reason since you don’t seem the type to do anything without one. Now the question is why?”
She looked at the woman and waited for the answer.
“I’m disappointed in you.” Was all Jewel said, staying in the doorway. The rage that Jayda was contending with was easy to feel. Jewel marvelled at the fact Jayda was still controlling it. That was both good and bad, but it was much easier to work with something so obvious than to have to try and divine the feelings of a Jedi. Nonetheless, her hand was on the hilt of her Lightsaber in case Jayda decided to vent some of her rage on Jewel.
Unbeknownst to Lord Namore, a half-Zabrak former Jedi far away from the hask had finally found what he was looking for. He reached out with his mind to find the twisted knot of hate and anger, trying with all his might to contact the mind of Jayda Enor despite the distance.
Jayda merely glared at the woman, her eyes heated and darkened by the words Lord Namore spoke. They stung, true, but less so than her own self chiding and distaste at her own weakness. Did she not think Jayda was disappointed in herself? How many years she strove to survive and learn under the very monster she wanted to have laying bleeding to death at her own feet? Her lips curled upwards, baring her teeth instinctively as more anger clawed its way to the surface. Fingers tighten but didn’t reach for her lightsaber, though every fiber within wanted her to. She wasn’t Sish. The thought snapped in her head as she tried to swallow her fury.
Unfortunately it wasn’t quickly enough before her mind felt the traces of someone inside it. Her body stiffened, locked in place out of reaction and her mind turned inward. Eyes broke contact with Lord Namore in an instant while her muscles fought off the desire to lash out. What the hell was happening? The Zabrak’s breath became shallow despite the twin hearts rapidly working overtime, their thumps echoed within her ears where blood rushed to. Stop...stop! Jayda mentally screamed.
Jewel raised an eyebrow at Jayda’s sudden subtle change in behaviour. It seemed to have no evident cause, but then aliens could never be relied upon to act predictably. She stepped aside, motioning her fellow sith into the large room. “Have you considered my offer?” She said making it sound like a genuine question, even though she fully intended to force Jayda’s hand anyway. “It is evident, after all, that you will never slay Sish on your own.” She added matter-of-factly.
Despite Jayda’s silent plead, the sensation didn’t go away. Instead it got stronger and more determined to connect, each minute seemed to build the pressure stronger. Inside it frightened her as the experience was new and strange. What was happening? Her teeth gritted a bit, allowing her to bite through the muddle confusion ringing in her head. Jayda’s ears tried to focus on the sounds Jewel said but for a moment, heard only the faint jibber come forth and start to pick at her focus. Her breaths deepened and her head lifted, noted the Sith’s gesture to enter the arena after she moved to the side. The hearts fluttered, her instinct demanded the Zabrak’s attention as she tried to rip her mind to the present.
The Apprentice forced herself to move as naturally as possible. A great difficulty since her mind felt like a war had raged within, her hands still tight fists and ears strain to caught the last words Lord Namore had said. Purple eyes jerked into the Sith’s direction with hate at the name which passed through the woman’s lips. In the moment a blurry image passed in her, one that brought pain and sorrow in the moment she seemed to be made from glass. Mehinn’s, her brother.
Jayda closed her eyes. It didn’t stop the pain, that faint and tearing ach which rippled at the core. The energy flowed upon that focused point and seemed to drown her. Helpless, her mind seemed swept up in the roll of pressure and emotion, neither were what she wanted in that moment. She spoke with a slight growl, her voice alien even to herself. “I’ll be the one to kill him…”
“Oh of course, your hand will deliver the final blow I’m sure…” Jewel started as she pressed the keys on the door control that would lock them both in. “But only with help. My help.” She said drawing her Lightsaber and activating it. “You’ve proven time and again that you cannot use your emotions. Without them you will fail.” She raised her lightsaber above her head into the Juyo ready position, but remained still, building up her own emotions slowly. She focused on the idea of carving Kinsa up with her lightsaber to fuel her rage.
Far away, the half-Zabrak slowed his attempt to connect to Jayda, pausing to recuperate.
Jayda’s body had come to a halt upon noting the Sith’s actions. The Apprentice’s ears, partly, tuned upon Jewel whose hand move across the door control. In the followed moments the panel whistled and clicked, announcing it had sealed them both within. There was no way out. Neck hairs became erect in alarm when she noted the dreadful feeling seemed to fill her, a premonition of what to come.
No…please this can’t happen now.
She would’ve been killed if she fought now. That thought pounded against her mind, she forced her mind to harden and fight back. Again, the pressure gathered within her mind uncared about her feeble defenses, hastily rigged walls that already started to crumble. The more she struggled to shove it out, her attempt weak and pitiful, than less difference it made. Her invader was painfully familiar. Like she knew it from a long time ago and that feeling etched deeper than her pain or sorrow, even her desire for revenge. It brought with it a longing type pain. A forgotten one, inwardly she recoiled with shame and fear.
Why? The one word question seemed crushed by a more pressing matter.
Her grasp on her control was slipping, mind weakened from the assault and untrained in defense as the other presence seemed to start to make lead way. Her willful nature and stubbornness tried to intervene only to have little use. It seemed to just simply overstep them too easily. Like they weren’t there and a spark of anger rose at her shortcoming. Her fingers dug in deeper, the gloves constricted against the fisted flesh, when Lord Namore’s lightsaber flickered on. The bright purple blade once more erupted from the hilt. Then Lord Namore fell into a combat position, her weapon held over her head and ready to begin. At the same time, Jayda felt relief when the pressure loosened. Jewel’s words came clearer in their replay over in her head. The words seemed to emphasize the only way she would win was with the Sith’s help, added that her restrain for her emotions would be her downfall.
Jayda was unsure how long the presence would stay at bay but she had a notion it merely bid it’s time. That meant she had to end this battle and quickly before it decided to resume. She shifted her over jacket up, reached across her body to rest her hand upon her lightsaber, and gave a warning. Her tone reflected her present mood with each word. “I have my reasons and this isn’t a wise choice…”
“You are wrong Apprentice.” Jewel spat, her anger rising. How could this alien call herself Sith? No Sith would accept weakness in themselves for any reason. Jayda seemed not to care. “If you want to hide behind your weakness, then you have no right to learn from me. But you have no right to slay your master either. I will save him the trouble of disposing of you. Such a waste.” Her internal anger was building a great deal, as well as her frustration with the stupidity of the people around her and their inability to understand what it meant to be Sith. It flowed over from merely being directed at Jayda as Kinsa and the other Jedi’s refusal to see the truth pushed its way into her mind and became an omni-directional burning rage.
How is that they had been born with a strong connection to the living force and she hadn’t? Why did they squander their abilities while Jewel had to work hard for every Force Push and Leap, every Mind Trick and Choke. No. They didn’t deserve to have their power. Jayda didn’t deserve her power. Jewel would show her what it meant to lose power, here and now. Maybe then she would realise that a Sith could not afford to tolerate any weakness.
Her face remained calm throughout her thought process, her body not relaxed but ready and not tensed. Only her eyes reflected her rage, and her glare was near intense enough to be a weapon unto itself. She opened with a barely perceptible movement in her offhand, feeding her rage into a force attack on Jayda, a quick Force choke that while not lethal, would likely leave her out of breath for a few precious seconds. The moment the attack had been performed, she made a Force assisted leap at the Apprentice, spinning mid flight to give her attack extra momentum, swiping the blade horizontally to catch Jayda’s stomach with the tip of the blade.
Jayda had little time to reply as Lord Namore both threatened and then attacked her. She knew it was likely to come. The anger within the eyes set ablaze and filled with fury, it would’ve been a shock if it didn’t happen. The Apprentice’s hand wrapped about her lightsaber in precision and a well trained action then jerked it free. Any thoughts upon the presence forgotten in favor of survival now, her attention set upon the woman before her. Even the pain was swallowed with some effort, pushed to the back of her mind. The blade came on with two quick clicks as the neon blade bathe her paler skin in its light.
She had been watching the blade mostly yet Jewel wasn’t her first or last force user. Like Sish and their prior fight, she was expecting the same type of combination between force using and combative skills in this one. Her eyes were alerted when the off hand moved. That’s when her throat felt the familiar constriction of a force choke, followed up by the Lord Sith rush forwards. It wasn’t hard for Jayda to anticipate the follow up attack but her breath snagged within her chest. Jayda fought off the distraction, lightened her grip and jerked her blade up, twirling it a bit to block the blade. She couldn’t have stepped back thanks to the moment lost of breath, instead brought up a defense. Her breath count was off. Yet it didn’t prevent her from her strike back, her body whipped about then clipped a force push at the knee.
Jewel felt her leg buckle under her as her blade met Jayda’s. She was falling forward then, but rather than fall, she leapt up with other leg and curled into a ball, using the force to flip on the spot. Her Lightsaber carved a purple arc through the air as she did so, and it was brought down towards Jayda’s left shoulder so as to strike the moment before her feet hit the ground. All her momentum and strength went behind the blow, but she was prepared to move to another attack quickly when it was blocked.
Jayda’s pace from her loss breath was returning, painfully slowly. Her blood rushed with her blocked out rage, the dark emotions pushed in favor to focus. Namely because of her chosen style, Soresu, needed patience and control. The woman flipped in place, added by her force push, as Jayda pulled her left leg back a bit and bent the right. She brought her blade to her left side. The lightsaber flickered up to defend it from the spinning slash, the blade slammed upwards and her right arm arced over her head.
However there was more momentum than predicted. Pain then erupted within her head, enhanced by burning flesh and clothing. The blade brushed her shoulder faster than she could move it. She gritted her teeth, bit back a scream as it seared her.
A spark of anger slipped through when she failed to block the attack, her mind unable to brace against its escape fast enough. Jayda jerked her shoulder back and moved with the movement. Her style abruptly shifted to Djem So. Jayda poured her force into her legs and spun about quickly, going from left to right. Aim to release her blade from its defense, she shoved her strength in her offense. She pushed away the blade at the moment when Jewel’s feet almost touched the ground. During her turn to face Jewel’s side, Jayda’s blade whipped out behind her to both gain momentum and block any possible attack to her exposed spine. It continued on its path even when she faced where Jewel was and then, if she was still there, fell into a single return attack. Her lightsaber brought up to her shoulder then slashed diagonally at the Sith’s left shoulder to her right hip. Depending on if the attack hit or was blocked, she might follow up with another.
A surge of elation ran through Jewel as her Lightsaber beat down Jayda’s guard and struck flesh, the smell of it suddenly filling the room. When she felt the surge of anger in Jayda, a small smile crept onto the edge of her mouth. Jayda spun around while Jewel was recovering from her power attack, and then began another attack. Jewel had already pirouetted out of range though, rather than try a contest of strength against a form that encouraged strength. She leapt high into the air then, keeping her body reversed and her saber between herself and Jayda, stabbing down at Jayda’s uninjured shoulder with the tip of her lightsaber once she was directly above the apprentice, and coming down behind her at a long range to avoid any retaliatory strikes.
Jayda tried to swallow her anger, her mind needed to shift to defense in a faint hope to find a weak spot. Her eyes watched the Sith and noted she had moved out of range, her body leapt over the Zabrak to score from above. Jayda’s body hunched down, ducking, while she slide about to keep her foe in front of her. The lightsaber brushed just inches of her shoulder on the woman’s passing. Her form landed out of reach while Jayda’s legs straightened outward, her body raised to a stand once more with knees only slightly bent. Her blade was held close and defensively, her eyes flickered to read the woman’s body language in hopes to read them better than before.
Jewel stepped back further from Jayda and extinguished her Lightsaber, an exaggerated disappointed look on her face as she felt her opponent gain control of her rage. She raised her free hand and formed it into a claw like shape, reaching out with the force to choke Jayda. She was being incredibly obvious about it, and was far more interested in how Jayda would stop her than any effect it might have. That and with her look at the same time she wanted to give off the idea that she was toying with the Apprentice.
The Sith was messing with her, Jayda’s mind reasoned as she watched Jewel’s lightsaber click off. Jayda’s brow raised at the implied disappointment and watched Jewel’s hand held up in a familiar gesture. One she had recently endured. Something wasn’t right, the movements, at least from what she could recall, seemed off from last time. Her mind repeated the first incident from before in her head. The Sith had purposely displayed stealth and cunning during Jayda’s mediation yet now… there was none of that. It all seemed too odd.
The moment the choking had taken place, the Apprentice’s hand raised out and pulled back with her force. Not at Jewel but the rack behind her. Blades, wick sharp and dangerous, were jerked from their loose fastenings and right at the Sith’s back. Discreetly, Jayda held her own lightsaber tightly while she endured the pressure on her throat.
Jewel thought for a moment that perhaps Jayda might not be able to resist the attack, as she seemed to be ignoring her almost entirely. That would’ve been unfortunate, but then a moment later she heard a tell-tale rattle behind her. There was only one type of object in the room that wasn’t attached solidly to the wall, which meant she was about to get a back full of Sith training blades. She maintained her own attack until she heard the whoosh of air of the blades flying through the air behind her. At that moment, she leapt up into the air with her body parallel to the ground, spinning as she did so, over the oncoming blades. She added an extra push to them, speeding them on their way towards her opponent while she reactivated her Lightsaber.
Had the sound of a Lightsaber activating not been filling her ears, she would’ve heard the tiny sounds of blades cutting hair, removing a centimeter or so off the end of several strands.
There was no fear within Jayda’s eyes when the blades now bored down on her. Her body tensed and stood there for a seconds, her lightsaber buzzed in her ears for a moment longer before she reacted. She focused her Force within her legs as she leapt higher, her feet barely missed being severed by the first approaching blades. While in the air and against the wall she kicked back, pushing herself forward over the remaining blades. The last one she purposely clipped at the handle tip with some forceful kick causing it to tilt back before she Force pushed it towards Jewel. Her body quickly landed on her feet in a low crouch.
Jewel took the sight in as Jayda carried out a fairly similar tactic to her, sending one of the blades back at her. Jewel stepped to the side and reached out to catch the hilt of the weapon the moment it was within her reach. She brought her lightsaber up to the blade to see whether it was a cortosis alloy blade or not sparks clashed when the two blades met, and it didn’t fall into two pieces, satisfying Jewel that it would be a suitable weapon. She walked casually forward towards Jayda with the blades held by her sides, shortening the range but doing it slowly, without acrobatics to conserve stamina while she kept her rage boiling.
The Zabrak hid her shock to spot Lord Namore catch the blade she had fling easier than she had wished. She seemed to test the blade as she rubbed them together, spark flew easily and seemed to be what she wanted. Her steps moved at a steady gait towards her forcing Jayda to stand upright. Jayda knew she had to be careful, mindful of her own energy and use of the Force, that too many risks would end up being her last. She steadied her breath to a easy pattern. Slowly calmed it until the woman was within reach then her legs moved into a readied stance with lightsaber ready.
Until she easily reach the Sith, Jayda’s mind recounted what she could do. Focused and melded into that familiar rhythm, she let her mind forget about that unexplained and eerie familiar essence which once invaded her mind. Her right foot came forward and with it her blade. It lashed out across the Sith’s body diagonally then quickly retracted if unhindered.
Jewel was in motion the moment she saw her opponent move offensively, crouching low to the ground and sweeping the solid blade towards Jayda’s left knee even as her Lightsaber redirected the other siths strike. She was prepared to roll out of the way if she sensed any danger from above. The entire motion was sped up using Force speed fueled by her rage, and the range was close enough that the blade would strike her opponents leg halfway down its length in the middle of the cutting edge if it did.
Jayda felt her lightsaber blade redirected, her eyes caught the familiar flicker of steel headed fast for her leg. Adrenaline mixed with her quick reaction as her feet came together, her Force poured into her feet and leap up in a jump. Her legs drew to her chest barely missed the sharp blade which severed the cloth of her robes. A nice sound of fabric tearing had reached her, once more sounded how close she had came to being crippled as her body brought itself downward again. Her feet touched again as she lashed out with a low horizontal strike, her foot stepped back to bring a little distance between them.
Jewel felt a slight surge of elation as one of her blades met opposition, but it was replaced with renewed rage when all she heard was tearing fabric, and there was no blood drawn. She brought her solid blade around to block the slash aimed at her with a downward facing vertical parry, catching Jayda’s lightsaber on the solid blade for just a moment. As she did so, she leapt up and forward from her crouching position, kicking out towards Jayda’s head with her foot and following through with a barely aimed Lightsaber slash at her shoulder before completing her flip and landing out of range, breathing hard, thanks to assisting the leap with the Force.
Jayda couldn’t stop the kick to her head, but she could at least lessen the damage. Stop herself from being blinded by more pain than needed. This battle seemed to had been taking more and more from her, a unsettled discomfort to realize this in the back of her mind. She had hoped to score a slice across the Sith’s leg, shin or something yet that moment and chance had faded completely. Her head snapped to the side just when the toe slammed into her vestigial horn. Pain, only slightly softened, erupted in her head as the light from Lord Namore’s blade caught her eyes. It flowed to her shoulder and seemed aimed to break the connection between her joint in a clean slice. Her shoulders tilted to the opposite direction, the targeted one jerked in just when the blade grazed her shoulder blade. It easily clipped through the sleeve causing the fabric to puddle upon the floor.
The Apprentice bit back a scream. Her shoulder bore new scars over the old now, the fresh marks did little to distinguish themselves other than become blackened compared to the aged ones. If she had been fully human, the worry of infection setting in would’ve been a concern as Jayda’s body had started to rise again. Her eyes brushed to the right to view the damage and then pushed past the tingles of ache, the flaking of the burn sealed in the back of her mind. For a few long moments her heavy breath was rasp within her ears, each inhale seemed to fill her lungs very little. She turned back to Jewel. Her lightsaber again ready to defend.
Jewel was becoming more and more vexed by this battle, it seemed that she would have to finish the alien by cutting her a thousand times lightly rather than an efficient and final blow. She decided to taunt her some more as she readied for another series of strikes “Your inability to defend yourself only proves you need my help. You’ll never be able to strike me as long as you keep fighting like a jedi!” With that, she spun into an attack, a simple slash with her Lightsaber at Jayda’s middle that she expected to be blocked, to be followed with another, higher strike towards her neck. The solid blade was held pointing away from them both behind her, ready for use when an opportunity arose.
In a far distant place, the half-Zabrak had recovered his strength and sensed the danger that surrounded Jayda. He had to renew his efforts to bring her back from her madness. His mind reached across the stars to hers once again, stronger than before, but softer too. He worried that in her madness she might see him as a threat, something to be fought off, even though nothing could be further from the truth.
Jayda wasn’t fazed by the taunts, mainly because Lord Namore didn’t know the reason she hoarded her emotions. Sealed them away was and unleash them upon Sish in the most brutal way, fighting like a Jedi to store them rather than waste it. Jayda had finally noted the pattern which had emerged several times as Jewel lunged at her, pushed into a spinning attack with her Lightsaber aimed to slice across her middle. Her weapon rose upright and readied to block it.
It should’ve, easily.
However, her mind felt that familiar sensation creep inside again. Her spine tensed and her focus was instantly jerked from where it needed to be, unable to bring up her weapon in time. Jayda’s body barely hopped away but not quick enough. Pain filled her head, jammed against her skull, as the hiss of the Lightsaber burned into her navel and sliced easily through her clothes to the skin underneath. It took everything she had not to drop her weapon. Her eyes were filled with surprise and pain upon the woman, her foe. In and out, her mind drifted from Lord Namore to the foreign thing inside her own.
She had not been expecting the presence again. Not to come to her now, despite its gentleness, while Jayda struggled to focus. Her breathing became shallower. Unable to retain a rhythm again, she felt her mind try to push it out again. If it stayed, it would get her killed and then she would’ve failed Mehinn. It didn’t seem to hear her plead. The sight of another attack, one aim to severe her head from shoulders, came at her.
No…no… A familiar feeling, helplessness seemed to fill her. Not again…no, by the Gods, not again. She tried to lift her lightsaber, yet her hand refused to grip properly, the hilt seemed to spill away as she tried to put up another, pitiful this time, block. Images flashed into her mind, memories she didn’t want. From Sish to her family, all seemed to swirl into a pool of many colors until it was a mess.
The sight of the lightsaber ready to severe her head from shoulders caused Jayda to react. Very violently. Unknown to her, dampness had started to seep from her eye corner as she impulsively reacted.
“ENOUGH!” A simple word, but the attack that followed was more emotional.
A small crack had surfaced in her walled off emotions, a small leak yet the hate, fear, and pain which seeped from it now seemed to suffocate her. Her hand jerked out to shove the bitch away, her force aided by the need to stop this. To stop her foe, the thing which threatened her life and most of…to stop the her helplessness. Twice she had been at the mercy of others, her master and the current Lord Sith. It was more than she could take for one day. Her mind blinded by fury, she ignored the hurt rushing through her arm, then poured her Force into her feet to close the distance she likely created ready to follow up with another attack.
Surprise made Jewel falter for just a moment when the apprentice failed to block her attack, but it was too late to stop the next swing for a moment she thought she would slay Jayda there and then. Before any more thoughts could pass through her mind though, the apprentice had blocked and unstoppered the gates of her rage. A force push far stronger than the previous ones hit Jewel in the centre of her mass and sent her flying across the room. There was no way for her to defend or redirect such a direct and powerful attack and half way across the room she also lost her grip on the sword she’d been using. She hit the wall hard, jarring her Lightsaber from her hand as she fell to the ground.
Across the room, she caught sight of Jayda readying another attack, and it was all Jewel could do to Force pull her dropped Lightsaber and roll to her feet before Jayda was once again upon her.
All Jayda saw...was red. It was all she felt as she drowned in the color’s sense. And all that seemed to have been fixed upon the very cause of her pain, the very threat that was ready to take her life. Her past, the year Sish had tormented her and showed he wasn’t just some dumb predator who fed on pain became vivid in her head fueling her actions. She could easily see his claws tear into her body while blood loss weakened her, her flesh too drained to flinch anymore. Lungs poured air through her body quickly and her mind focused her force into her legs bring her to the Lord Sith’s location. Jayda barely registered how far she had thrown Jewel, mind slightly numbed to anything besides ridding herself of the danger and stopping the presence in her head. Her lightsaber swiped out across the neck the moment her foe was up.
Jewel had only a moment to duck under the blow, bringing her Lightsaber around to block the swipe and prevent her opponents Lightsaber being redirected towards her. She didn’t know what exactly had caused Jayda to finally dip into her emotions, but she was beginning to think she might’ve underestimated the amount of stored up rage Jayda had. It was difficult to keep up her defense now, but not impossible. She rolled to the side to get away from the wall and give her more room to manoeuvre.
Jayda’s hatred and anger seemed to consume her mind, her movements no long set in the normal and ridge control she was used to. Instead it seemed like a fire had settled within her soul, threatening to burn her away at the very core. The first hit missed as the second was blocked. Each time, Jayda felt the frustration pour into her soul.
The moment Jewel had ducked her lightsaber, she hadn’t paused in the reaction and instead it whipped back the other direction diagonally. By that time, Jewel had rolled to the side and behind her yet it didn’t stop her. She knew, a small and faint part, knew she to rein in her wrath. However that presence still touched her mind, hindering her from defending herself making the battle much harder than it should’ve been. First Jewel had to be dealt with then she will shove whatever the hell had entered her head far, far away. Her body had turned on the ball of her foot and once more brought her to face Jewel’s position again. She could feel a slightly drain on her energy, yet she ignored while her muscles seemed to scream for relief. Her weapon lashed out diagonally and came back around with another cut, making a x in front of her.
This fight was becoming more intense and risky than Jewel had bargained for. She leapt back ungracefully from Jayda’s diagonal slash, narrowly avoiding a slash across her chest. To open up the distance and recover some strength, she began to flip backwards, deactivating her Lightsaber as she went. She had barely started the manoeuvre when a searing pain burnt into her leg. She screamed at the sudden pain, barely managing to complete the flip. She landed awkwardly on one foot, keeping her injured leg off the ground. The pain was unusual, Jewel was unused to getting hit, yet it cleared her mind and gave her focus. She activated her Lightsaber again and raised it above her head. She was hardly using an orthodox stance, standing on one leg as she was, but at least she could still defend herself.
Jewel’s scream rang within Jayda’s ears, long and loud. Her mind flinched at the sound, unexpected as her mind tried to push through the hazy gathered in her head. Her hearts pounded in her chest, still struggled to fill her heated rage and instinct screamed for her to finish it. On the other hand, her stomach turned when her nose caught the scent of burnt flesh. Not because she felt guilty about her near attempt to kill the woman. She had killed lives before and easily, but thoughts about the aftermath were what made her stutter and stall. The fact one ill controlled strike could’ve ended a life in a such a careless way and leave evidence of her crime. It wouldn’t take much to have her killed much to her distaste.
Her mind clenched down upon her emotions, her face twisted into a painful expression. Her mind was still being invaded, easily and threatened to enflame her rage again. Stubbornly she tried to peel away the tingling feeling to focus on the current situation. Sweat seemed to pour from her body and drench her into a chill, her teeth gritted to remain in control. Jayda no longer moved towards the woman. Even if her hate wanted to, these emotions and pain wasn’t for the Sith before her. As to remind herself of her original purpose, Jayda spoke both to the Sith and partly to herself as well.
“This wasn’t meant for you…” Her voice seemed to be fighting off the pain driven into her, her fists tightened about her lightsaber. She tensed for a moment. Her body set there before suddenly she turned, her movement ridged and forced, towards to the door. To her frustration it was still sealed. Not wasting any time, Jayda’s hands both gripped her weapon then sliced the controls. The panel hissed and sputtered as the door hissed open, her body quickly vanished down the hallway.
After the examination she quickly exited through the doors. Her boot clicked across the floor at a fast rate and headed to the one place which often shared her company, the one area of the ship she used to channel her emotions. Without it, Jayda doubted she would’ve be able to keep herself sane while in the Lizard’s presence and likely end up screwing herself in the end.
Jewel was waiting at the entrance to the Arena, leaning nonchalantly against the wall next to the door and tapping her foot slowly. She’d gotten word that the apprentice Jayda had been beaten severely by her master and Jewel wanted to take advantage of that. When the apprentice finally arrived, she stepped to block the door in front of her and waited for a reaction.
Jayda’s path suddenly became blocked by a familiar face. It was the Lord Sith which had encountered her several day ago, the Sith between her and the Arena entrance. The Zabrak stopped there and her head lifted slowly to take in the woman, her mind’s inner gears turned. Part of her want to lash out but she had little confidence her actions wouldn’t be countered and punished in returned. She had suffered enough one ended battles for today despite what her blood screamed for. Instead she took a step back and addressed the Sith, in a best calm voice she could muster. “You have to be blocking my way for a reason since you don’t seem the type to do anything without one. Now the question is why?”
She looked at the woman and waited for the answer.
“I’m disappointed in you.” Was all Jewel said, staying in the doorway. The rage that Jayda was contending with was easy to feel. Jewel marvelled at the fact Jayda was still controlling it. That was both good and bad, but it was much easier to work with something so obvious than to have to try and divine the feelings of a Jedi. Nonetheless, her hand was on the hilt of her Lightsaber in case Jayda decided to vent some of her rage on Jewel.
Unbeknownst to Lord Namore, a half-Zabrak former Jedi far away from the hask had finally found what he was looking for. He reached out with his mind to find the twisted knot of hate and anger, trying with all his might to contact the mind of Jayda Enor despite the distance.
Jayda merely glared at the woman, her eyes heated and darkened by the words Lord Namore spoke. They stung, true, but less so than her own self chiding and distaste at her own weakness. Did she not think Jayda was disappointed in herself? How many years she strove to survive and learn under the very monster she wanted to have laying bleeding to death at her own feet? Her lips curled upwards, baring her teeth instinctively as more anger clawed its way to the surface. Fingers tighten but didn’t reach for her lightsaber, though every fiber within wanted her to. She wasn’t Sish. The thought snapped in her head as she tried to swallow her fury.
Unfortunately it wasn’t quickly enough before her mind felt the traces of someone inside it. Her body stiffened, locked in place out of reaction and her mind turned inward. Eyes broke contact with Lord Namore in an instant while her muscles fought off the desire to lash out. What the hell was happening? The Zabrak’s breath became shallow despite the twin hearts rapidly working overtime, their thumps echoed within her ears where blood rushed to. Stop...stop! Jayda mentally screamed.
Jewel raised an eyebrow at Jayda’s sudden subtle change in behaviour. It seemed to have no evident cause, but then aliens could never be relied upon to act predictably. She stepped aside, motioning her fellow sith into the large room. “Have you considered my offer?” She said making it sound like a genuine question, even though she fully intended to force Jayda’s hand anyway. “It is evident, after all, that you will never slay Sish on your own.” She added matter-of-factly.
Despite Jayda’s silent plead, the sensation didn’t go away. Instead it got stronger and more determined to connect, each minute seemed to build the pressure stronger. Inside it frightened her as the experience was new and strange. What was happening? Her teeth gritted a bit, allowing her to bite through the muddle confusion ringing in her head. Jayda’s ears tried to focus on the sounds Jewel said but for a moment, heard only the faint jibber come forth and start to pick at her focus. Her breaths deepened and her head lifted, noted the Sith’s gesture to enter the arena after she moved to the side. The hearts fluttered, her instinct demanded the Zabrak’s attention as she tried to rip her mind to the present.
The Apprentice forced herself to move as naturally as possible. A great difficulty since her mind felt like a war had raged within, her hands still tight fists and ears strain to caught the last words Lord Namore had said. Purple eyes jerked into the Sith’s direction with hate at the name which passed through the woman’s lips. In the moment a blurry image passed in her, one that brought pain and sorrow in the moment she seemed to be made from glass. Mehinn’s, her brother.
Jayda closed her eyes. It didn’t stop the pain, that faint and tearing ach which rippled at the core. The energy flowed upon that focused point and seemed to drown her. Helpless, her mind seemed swept up in the roll of pressure and emotion, neither were what she wanted in that moment. She spoke with a slight growl, her voice alien even to herself. “I’ll be the one to kill him…”
“Oh of course, your hand will deliver the final blow I’m sure…” Jewel started as she pressed the keys on the door control that would lock them both in. “But only with help. My help.” She said drawing her Lightsaber and activating it. “You’ve proven time and again that you cannot use your emotions. Without them you will fail.” She raised her lightsaber above her head into the Juyo ready position, but remained still, building up her own emotions slowly. She focused on the idea of carving Kinsa up with her lightsaber to fuel her rage.
Far away, the half-Zabrak slowed his attempt to connect to Jayda, pausing to recuperate.
Jayda’s body had come to a halt upon noting the Sith’s actions. The Apprentice’s ears, partly, tuned upon Jewel whose hand move across the door control. In the followed moments the panel whistled and clicked, announcing it had sealed them both within. There was no way out. Neck hairs became erect in alarm when she noted the dreadful feeling seemed to fill her, a premonition of what to come.
No…please this can’t happen now.
She would’ve been killed if she fought now. That thought pounded against her mind, she forced her mind to harden and fight back. Again, the pressure gathered within her mind uncared about her feeble defenses, hastily rigged walls that already started to crumble. The more she struggled to shove it out, her attempt weak and pitiful, than less difference it made. Her invader was painfully familiar. Like she knew it from a long time ago and that feeling etched deeper than her pain or sorrow, even her desire for revenge. It brought with it a longing type pain. A forgotten one, inwardly she recoiled with shame and fear.
Why? The one word question seemed crushed by a more pressing matter.
Her grasp on her control was slipping, mind weakened from the assault and untrained in defense as the other presence seemed to start to make lead way. Her willful nature and stubbornness tried to intervene only to have little use. It seemed to just simply overstep them too easily. Like they weren’t there and a spark of anger rose at her shortcoming. Her fingers dug in deeper, the gloves constricted against the fisted flesh, when Lord Namore’s lightsaber flickered on. The bright purple blade once more erupted from the hilt. Then Lord Namore fell into a combat position, her weapon held over her head and ready to begin. At the same time, Jayda felt relief when the pressure loosened. Jewel’s words came clearer in their replay over in her head. The words seemed to emphasize the only way she would win was with the Sith’s help, added that her restrain for her emotions would be her downfall.
Jayda was unsure how long the presence would stay at bay but she had a notion it merely bid it’s time. That meant she had to end this battle and quickly before it decided to resume. She shifted her over jacket up, reached across her body to rest her hand upon her lightsaber, and gave a warning. Her tone reflected her present mood with each word. “I have my reasons and this isn’t a wise choice…”
“You are wrong Apprentice.” Jewel spat, her anger rising. How could this alien call herself Sith? No Sith would accept weakness in themselves for any reason. Jayda seemed not to care. “If you want to hide behind your weakness, then you have no right to learn from me. But you have no right to slay your master either. I will save him the trouble of disposing of you. Such a waste.” Her internal anger was building a great deal, as well as her frustration with the stupidity of the people around her and their inability to understand what it meant to be Sith. It flowed over from merely being directed at Jayda as Kinsa and the other Jedi’s refusal to see the truth pushed its way into her mind and became an omni-directional burning rage.
How is that they had been born with a strong connection to the living force and she hadn’t? Why did they squander their abilities while Jewel had to work hard for every Force Push and Leap, every Mind Trick and Choke. No. They didn’t deserve to have their power. Jayda didn’t deserve her power. Jewel would show her what it meant to lose power, here and now. Maybe then she would realise that a Sith could not afford to tolerate any weakness.
Her face remained calm throughout her thought process, her body not relaxed but ready and not tensed. Only her eyes reflected her rage, and her glare was near intense enough to be a weapon unto itself. She opened with a barely perceptible movement in her offhand, feeding her rage into a force attack on Jayda, a quick Force choke that while not lethal, would likely leave her out of breath for a few precious seconds. The moment the attack had been performed, she made a Force assisted leap at the Apprentice, spinning mid flight to give her attack extra momentum, swiping the blade horizontally to catch Jayda’s stomach with the tip of the blade.
Jayda had little time to reply as Lord Namore both threatened and then attacked her. She knew it was likely to come. The anger within the eyes set ablaze and filled with fury, it would’ve been a shock if it didn’t happen. The Apprentice’s hand wrapped about her lightsaber in precision and a well trained action then jerked it free. Any thoughts upon the presence forgotten in favor of survival now, her attention set upon the woman before her. Even the pain was swallowed with some effort, pushed to the back of her mind. The blade came on with two quick clicks as the neon blade bathe her paler skin in its light.
She had been watching the blade mostly yet Jewel wasn’t her first or last force user. Like Sish and their prior fight, she was expecting the same type of combination between force using and combative skills in this one. Her eyes were alerted when the off hand moved. That’s when her throat felt the familiar constriction of a force choke, followed up by the Lord Sith rush forwards. It wasn’t hard for Jayda to anticipate the follow up attack but her breath snagged within her chest. Jayda fought off the distraction, lightened her grip and jerked her blade up, twirling it a bit to block the blade. She couldn’t have stepped back thanks to the moment lost of breath, instead brought up a defense. Her breath count was off. Yet it didn’t prevent her from her strike back, her body whipped about then clipped a force push at the knee.
Jewel felt her leg buckle under her as her blade met Jayda’s. She was falling forward then, but rather than fall, she leapt up with other leg and curled into a ball, using the force to flip on the spot. Her Lightsaber carved a purple arc through the air as she did so, and it was brought down towards Jayda’s left shoulder so as to strike the moment before her feet hit the ground. All her momentum and strength went behind the blow, but she was prepared to move to another attack quickly when it was blocked.
Jayda’s pace from her loss breath was returning, painfully slowly. Her blood rushed with her blocked out rage, the dark emotions pushed in favor to focus. Namely because of her chosen style, Soresu, needed patience and control. The woman flipped in place, added by her force push, as Jayda pulled her left leg back a bit and bent the right. She brought her blade to her left side. The lightsaber flickered up to defend it from the spinning slash, the blade slammed upwards and her right arm arced over her head.
However there was more momentum than predicted. Pain then erupted within her head, enhanced by burning flesh and clothing. The blade brushed her shoulder faster than she could move it. She gritted her teeth, bit back a scream as it seared her.
A spark of anger slipped through when she failed to block the attack, her mind unable to brace against its escape fast enough. Jayda jerked her shoulder back and moved with the movement. Her style abruptly shifted to Djem So. Jayda poured her force into her legs and spun about quickly, going from left to right. Aim to release her blade from its defense, she shoved her strength in her offense. She pushed away the blade at the moment when Jewel’s feet almost touched the ground. During her turn to face Jewel’s side, Jayda’s blade whipped out behind her to both gain momentum and block any possible attack to her exposed spine. It continued on its path even when she faced where Jewel was and then, if she was still there, fell into a single return attack. Her lightsaber brought up to her shoulder then slashed diagonally at the Sith’s left shoulder to her right hip. Depending on if the attack hit or was blocked, she might follow up with another.
A surge of elation ran through Jewel as her Lightsaber beat down Jayda’s guard and struck flesh, the smell of it suddenly filling the room. When she felt the surge of anger in Jayda, a small smile crept onto the edge of her mouth. Jayda spun around while Jewel was recovering from her power attack, and then began another attack. Jewel had already pirouetted out of range though, rather than try a contest of strength against a form that encouraged strength. She leapt high into the air then, keeping her body reversed and her saber between herself and Jayda, stabbing down at Jayda’s uninjured shoulder with the tip of her lightsaber once she was directly above the apprentice, and coming down behind her at a long range to avoid any retaliatory strikes.
Jayda tried to swallow her anger, her mind needed to shift to defense in a faint hope to find a weak spot. Her eyes watched the Sith and noted she had moved out of range, her body leapt over the Zabrak to score from above. Jayda’s body hunched down, ducking, while she slide about to keep her foe in front of her. The lightsaber brushed just inches of her shoulder on the woman’s passing. Her form landed out of reach while Jayda’s legs straightened outward, her body raised to a stand once more with knees only slightly bent. Her blade was held close and defensively, her eyes flickered to read the woman’s body language in hopes to read them better than before.
Jewel stepped back further from Jayda and extinguished her Lightsaber, an exaggerated disappointed look on her face as she felt her opponent gain control of her rage. She raised her free hand and formed it into a claw like shape, reaching out with the force to choke Jayda. She was being incredibly obvious about it, and was far more interested in how Jayda would stop her than any effect it might have. That and with her look at the same time she wanted to give off the idea that she was toying with the Apprentice.
The Sith was messing with her, Jayda’s mind reasoned as she watched Jewel’s lightsaber click off. Jayda’s brow raised at the implied disappointment and watched Jewel’s hand held up in a familiar gesture. One she had recently endured. Something wasn’t right, the movements, at least from what she could recall, seemed off from last time. Her mind repeated the first incident from before in her head. The Sith had purposely displayed stealth and cunning during Jayda’s mediation yet now… there was none of that. It all seemed too odd.
The moment the choking had taken place, the Apprentice’s hand raised out and pulled back with her force. Not at Jewel but the rack behind her. Blades, wick sharp and dangerous, were jerked from their loose fastenings and right at the Sith’s back. Discreetly, Jayda held her own lightsaber tightly while she endured the pressure on her throat.
Jewel thought for a moment that perhaps Jayda might not be able to resist the attack, as she seemed to be ignoring her almost entirely. That would’ve been unfortunate, but then a moment later she heard a tell-tale rattle behind her. There was only one type of object in the room that wasn’t attached solidly to the wall, which meant she was about to get a back full of Sith training blades. She maintained her own attack until she heard the whoosh of air of the blades flying through the air behind her. At that moment, she leapt up into the air with her body parallel to the ground, spinning as she did so, over the oncoming blades. She added an extra push to them, speeding them on their way towards her opponent while she reactivated her Lightsaber.
Had the sound of a Lightsaber activating not been filling her ears, she would’ve heard the tiny sounds of blades cutting hair, removing a centimeter or so off the end of several strands.
There was no fear within Jayda’s eyes when the blades now bored down on her. Her body tensed and stood there for a seconds, her lightsaber buzzed in her ears for a moment longer before she reacted. She focused her Force within her legs as she leapt higher, her feet barely missed being severed by the first approaching blades. While in the air and against the wall she kicked back, pushing herself forward over the remaining blades. The last one she purposely clipped at the handle tip with some forceful kick causing it to tilt back before she Force pushed it towards Jewel. Her body quickly landed on her feet in a low crouch.
Jewel took the sight in as Jayda carried out a fairly similar tactic to her, sending one of the blades back at her. Jewel stepped to the side and reached out to catch the hilt of the weapon the moment it was within her reach. She brought her lightsaber up to the blade to see whether it was a cortosis alloy blade or not sparks clashed when the two blades met, and it didn’t fall into two pieces, satisfying Jewel that it would be a suitable weapon. She walked casually forward towards Jayda with the blades held by her sides, shortening the range but doing it slowly, without acrobatics to conserve stamina while she kept her rage boiling.
The Zabrak hid her shock to spot Lord Namore catch the blade she had fling easier than she had wished. She seemed to test the blade as she rubbed them together, spark flew easily and seemed to be what she wanted. Her steps moved at a steady gait towards her forcing Jayda to stand upright. Jayda knew she had to be careful, mindful of her own energy and use of the Force, that too many risks would end up being her last. She steadied her breath to a easy pattern. Slowly calmed it until the woman was within reach then her legs moved into a readied stance with lightsaber ready.
Until she easily reach the Sith, Jayda’s mind recounted what she could do. Focused and melded into that familiar rhythm, she let her mind forget about that unexplained and eerie familiar essence which once invaded her mind. Her right foot came forward and with it her blade. It lashed out across the Sith’s body diagonally then quickly retracted if unhindered.
Jewel was in motion the moment she saw her opponent move offensively, crouching low to the ground and sweeping the solid blade towards Jayda’s left knee even as her Lightsaber redirected the other siths strike. She was prepared to roll out of the way if she sensed any danger from above. The entire motion was sped up using Force speed fueled by her rage, and the range was close enough that the blade would strike her opponents leg halfway down its length in the middle of the cutting edge if it did.
Jayda felt her lightsaber blade redirected, her eyes caught the familiar flicker of steel headed fast for her leg. Adrenaline mixed with her quick reaction as her feet came together, her Force poured into her feet and leap up in a jump. Her legs drew to her chest barely missed the sharp blade which severed the cloth of her robes. A nice sound of fabric tearing had reached her, once more sounded how close she had came to being crippled as her body brought itself downward again. Her feet touched again as she lashed out with a low horizontal strike, her foot stepped back to bring a little distance between them.
Jewel felt a slight surge of elation as one of her blades met opposition, but it was replaced with renewed rage when all she heard was tearing fabric, and there was no blood drawn. She brought her solid blade around to block the slash aimed at her with a downward facing vertical parry, catching Jayda’s lightsaber on the solid blade for just a moment. As she did so, she leapt up and forward from her crouching position, kicking out towards Jayda’s head with her foot and following through with a barely aimed Lightsaber slash at her shoulder before completing her flip and landing out of range, breathing hard, thanks to assisting the leap with the Force.
Jayda couldn’t stop the kick to her head, but she could at least lessen the damage. Stop herself from being blinded by more pain than needed. This battle seemed to had been taking more and more from her, a unsettled discomfort to realize this in the back of her mind. She had hoped to score a slice across the Sith’s leg, shin or something yet that moment and chance had faded completely. Her head snapped to the side just when the toe slammed into her vestigial horn. Pain, only slightly softened, erupted in her head as the light from Lord Namore’s blade caught her eyes. It flowed to her shoulder and seemed aimed to break the connection between her joint in a clean slice. Her shoulders tilted to the opposite direction, the targeted one jerked in just when the blade grazed her shoulder blade. It easily clipped through the sleeve causing the fabric to puddle upon the floor.
The Apprentice bit back a scream. Her shoulder bore new scars over the old now, the fresh marks did little to distinguish themselves other than become blackened compared to the aged ones. If she had been fully human, the worry of infection setting in would’ve been a concern as Jayda’s body had started to rise again. Her eyes brushed to the right to view the damage and then pushed past the tingles of ache, the flaking of the burn sealed in the back of her mind. For a few long moments her heavy breath was rasp within her ears, each inhale seemed to fill her lungs very little. She turned back to Jewel. Her lightsaber again ready to defend.
Jewel was becoming more and more vexed by this battle, it seemed that she would have to finish the alien by cutting her a thousand times lightly rather than an efficient and final blow. She decided to taunt her some more as she readied for another series of strikes “Your inability to defend yourself only proves you need my help. You’ll never be able to strike me as long as you keep fighting like a jedi!” With that, she spun into an attack, a simple slash with her Lightsaber at Jayda’s middle that she expected to be blocked, to be followed with another, higher strike towards her neck. The solid blade was held pointing away from them both behind her, ready for use when an opportunity arose.
In a far distant place, the half-Zabrak had recovered his strength and sensed the danger that surrounded Jayda. He had to renew his efforts to bring her back from her madness. His mind reached across the stars to hers once again, stronger than before, but softer too. He worried that in her madness she might see him as a threat, something to be fought off, even though nothing could be further from the truth.
Jayda wasn’t fazed by the taunts, mainly because Lord Namore didn’t know the reason she hoarded her emotions. Sealed them away was and unleash them upon Sish in the most brutal way, fighting like a Jedi to store them rather than waste it. Jayda had finally noted the pattern which had emerged several times as Jewel lunged at her, pushed into a spinning attack with her Lightsaber aimed to slice across her middle. Her weapon rose upright and readied to block it.
It should’ve, easily.
However, her mind felt that familiar sensation creep inside again. Her spine tensed and her focus was instantly jerked from where it needed to be, unable to bring up her weapon in time. Jayda’s body barely hopped away but not quick enough. Pain filled her head, jammed against her skull, as the hiss of the Lightsaber burned into her navel and sliced easily through her clothes to the skin underneath. It took everything she had not to drop her weapon. Her eyes were filled with surprise and pain upon the woman, her foe. In and out, her mind drifted from Lord Namore to the foreign thing inside her own.
She had not been expecting the presence again. Not to come to her now, despite its gentleness, while Jayda struggled to focus. Her breathing became shallower. Unable to retain a rhythm again, she felt her mind try to push it out again. If it stayed, it would get her killed and then she would’ve failed Mehinn. It didn’t seem to hear her plead. The sight of another attack, one aim to severe her head from shoulders, came at her.
No…no… A familiar feeling, helplessness seemed to fill her. Not again…no, by the Gods, not again. She tried to lift her lightsaber, yet her hand refused to grip properly, the hilt seemed to spill away as she tried to put up another, pitiful this time, block. Images flashed into her mind, memories she didn’t want. From Sish to her family, all seemed to swirl into a pool of many colors until it was a mess.
The sight of the lightsaber ready to severe her head from shoulders caused Jayda to react. Very violently. Unknown to her, dampness had started to seep from her eye corner as she impulsively reacted.
“ENOUGH!” A simple word, but the attack that followed was more emotional.
A small crack had surfaced in her walled off emotions, a small leak yet the hate, fear, and pain which seeped from it now seemed to suffocate her. Her hand jerked out to shove the bitch away, her force aided by the need to stop this. To stop her foe, the thing which threatened her life and most of…to stop the her helplessness. Twice she had been at the mercy of others, her master and the current Lord Sith. It was more than she could take for one day. Her mind blinded by fury, she ignored the hurt rushing through her arm, then poured her Force into her feet to close the distance she likely created ready to follow up with another attack.
Surprise made Jewel falter for just a moment when the apprentice failed to block her attack, but it was too late to stop the next swing for a moment she thought she would slay Jayda there and then. Before any more thoughts could pass through her mind though, the apprentice had blocked and unstoppered the gates of her rage. A force push far stronger than the previous ones hit Jewel in the centre of her mass and sent her flying across the room. There was no way for her to defend or redirect such a direct and powerful attack and half way across the room she also lost her grip on the sword she’d been using. She hit the wall hard, jarring her Lightsaber from her hand as she fell to the ground.
Across the room, she caught sight of Jayda readying another attack, and it was all Jewel could do to Force pull her dropped Lightsaber and roll to her feet before Jayda was once again upon her.
All Jayda saw...was red. It was all she felt as she drowned in the color’s sense. And all that seemed to have been fixed upon the very cause of her pain, the very threat that was ready to take her life. Her past, the year Sish had tormented her and showed he wasn’t just some dumb predator who fed on pain became vivid in her head fueling her actions. She could easily see his claws tear into her body while blood loss weakened her, her flesh too drained to flinch anymore. Lungs poured air through her body quickly and her mind focused her force into her legs bring her to the Lord Sith’s location. Jayda barely registered how far she had thrown Jewel, mind slightly numbed to anything besides ridding herself of the danger and stopping the presence in her head. Her lightsaber swiped out across the neck the moment her foe was up.
Jewel had only a moment to duck under the blow, bringing her Lightsaber around to block the swipe and prevent her opponents Lightsaber being redirected towards her. She didn’t know what exactly had caused Jayda to finally dip into her emotions, but she was beginning to think she might’ve underestimated the amount of stored up rage Jayda had. It was difficult to keep up her defense now, but not impossible. She rolled to the side to get away from the wall and give her more room to manoeuvre.
Jayda’s hatred and anger seemed to consume her mind, her movements no long set in the normal and ridge control she was used to. Instead it seemed like a fire had settled within her soul, threatening to burn her away at the very core. The first hit missed as the second was blocked. Each time, Jayda felt the frustration pour into her soul.
The moment Jewel had ducked her lightsaber, she hadn’t paused in the reaction and instead it whipped back the other direction diagonally. By that time, Jewel had rolled to the side and behind her yet it didn’t stop her. She knew, a small and faint part, knew she to rein in her wrath. However that presence still touched her mind, hindering her from defending herself making the battle much harder than it should’ve been. First Jewel had to be dealt with then she will shove whatever the hell had entered her head far, far away. Her body had turned on the ball of her foot and once more brought her to face Jewel’s position again. She could feel a slightly drain on her energy, yet she ignored while her muscles seemed to scream for relief. Her weapon lashed out diagonally and came back around with another cut, making a x in front of her.
This fight was becoming more intense and risky than Jewel had bargained for. She leapt back ungracefully from Jayda’s diagonal slash, narrowly avoiding a slash across her chest. To open up the distance and recover some strength, she began to flip backwards, deactivating her Lightsaber as she went. She had barely started the manoeuvre when a searing pain burnt into her leg. She screamed at the sudden pain, barely managing to complete the flip. She landed awkwardly on one foot, keeping her injured leg off the ground. The pain was unusual, Jewel was unused to getting hit, yet it cleared her mind and gave her focus. She activated her Lightsaber again and raised it above her head. She was hardly using an orthodox stance, standing on one leg as she was, but at least she could still defend herself.
Jewel’s scream rang within Jayda’s ears, long and loud. Her mind flinched at the sound, unexpected as her mind tried to push through the hazy gathered in her head. Her hearts pounded in her chest, still struggled to fill her heated rage and instinct screamed for her to finish it. On the other hand, her stomach turned when her nose caught the scent of burnt flesh. Not because she felt guilty about her near attempt to kill the woman. She had killed lives before and easily, but thoughts about the aftermath were what made her stutter and stall. The fact one ill controlled strike could’ve ended a life in a such a careless way and leave evidence of her crime. It wouldn’t take much to have her killed much to her distaste.
Her mind clenched down upon her emotions, her face twisted into a painful expression. Her mind was still being invaded, easily and threatened to enflame her rage again. Stubbornly she tried to peel away the tingling feeling to focus on the current situation. Sweat seemed to pour from her body and drench her into a chill, her teeth gritted to remain in control. Jayda no longer moved towards the woman. Even if her hate wanted to, these emotions and pain wasn’t for the Sith before her. As to remind herself of her original purpose, Jayda spoke both to the Sith and partly to herself as well.
“This wasn’t meant for you…” Her voice seemed to be fighting off the pain driven into her, her fists tightened about her lightsaber. She tensed for a moment. Her body set there before suddenly she turned, her movement ridged and forced, towards to the door. To her frustration it was still sealed. Not wasting any time, Jayda’s hands both gripped her weapon then sliced the controls. The panel hissed and sputtered as the door hissed open, her body quickly vanished down the hallway.
Post is up moving us to Tolia, also bringing Ellri's char back and exiting Cayden Blacks char.
On the far edges of the Tolia system, space had remained undisturbed since the last Ha’tak had left years prior. That was about to change. Around a large green-blue gas giant world, a ripple appeared in the fabric of space. In moments the ripple expanded, generating a richly colored bright storm in space. From the depths of the storm emerged the grey, blocky hull of a ship the likes of which the system had never seen before. Emblazoned on the sides of the ship was a name - Catherine Langford.
The scene on the bridge of the ship was tense with anticipation. No-one knew quite what they were jumping into here, would there be Ha’tak waiting to ambush them, peaceful empty space or something totally new and unknown. Officers breathed a collective sigh of relief as no bolts of super heated plasma or anything else unpleasant could be detected in the vicinity of the ship. The officer in charge of sensors spoke almost immediately as the readings started coming in. “Sensors aren’t picking up anything unusual. No other ships in system.”
Shortly after, the communications officer spoke, relaying a subspace message. “Homeworld Command is requesting we unplug the Gate so they can dial in. Generals Orders.”
In the gate room, elsewhere in the ship, the large cylindrical plug that prevented the Stargate from activating was withdrawn from the gate. Shortly after, the familiar call of “Incoming Wormhole” resounded through the room. Last minute personnel adjustments were being made, and a small number of people came through the gate to board the Langford from earth, despite its vast distance from the Homeworld.
A message also came through, requesting that the Tok’ra Ahmos be withdrawn to the Tok’ra Homeworld immediately, and as soon as the incoming Wormhole disengaged, the NCO in charge of the Langford Gate operations began dialing out to Earth. The Wormhole established and Ahmos arrived in the gate room shortly after. He would go to Earth and from there to his own world.
The scene on the bridge of the ship was tense with anticipation. No-one knew quite what they were jumping into here, would there be Ha’tak waiting to ambush them, peaceful empty space or something totally new and unknown. Officers breathed a collective sigh of relief as no bolts of super heated plasma or anything else unpleasant could be detected in the vicinity of the ship. The officer in charge of sensors spoke almost immediately as the readings started coming in. “Sensors aren’t picking up anything unusual. No other ships in system.”
Shortly after, the communications officer spoke, relaying a subspace message. “Homeworld Command is requesting we unplug the Gate so they can dial in. Generals Orders.”
In the gate room, elsewhere in the ship, the large cylindrical plug that prevented the Stargate from activating was withdrawn from the gate. Shortly after, the familiar call of “Incoming Wormhole” resounded through the room. Last minute personnel adjustments were being made, and a small number of people came through the gate to board the Langford from earth, despite its vast distance from the Homeworld.
A message also came through, requesting that the Tok’ra Ahmos be withdrawn to the Tok’ra Homeworld immediately, and as soon as the incoming Wormhole disengaged, the NCO in charge of the Langford Gate operations began dialing out to Earth. The Wormhole established and Ahmos arrived in the gate room shortly after. He would go to Earth and from there to his own world.
Earlier…
With all of the controlled chaos of preparations settling into relative calm once the ship broke orbit and after she got her shut-eye, Captain found an hour free to finally visit their extraterrestrial guests. Between the last minute swaps in the crew and the mountain of bureaucracy she had to attend, Kat didn't have the time back on the base. Now was time to remedy that. She only hoped they wouldn't feel too offended. Opening up messaging on her PDA, she thought about who'd she would go to first. But it was no decision at all. Aside from the lack of trust she harbored towards the Jaffa, the Tok'ra were plainly more interesting to learn more about.
To: Ariadne of Shayet
Subject: A few moments of your time
Greetings Ariadne, Idalia,
I apologize for not greeting you personally when you arrived to Earth, my duties required me elsewhere. If you could spare a few moments, I would like to talk with you, just tell me where and when. I hope you'll enjoy your stay on the Langford.
Cpt. Catherine Black
Ariadne had quickly picked up the simpler elements of the systems available to her, which were very few from her quarters, understandably. When a message arrived from the Captain of the ship, she was quick to respond in the affirmative, specifying the observation deck as her preferred location. Idalia liked the view, and so far Ariadne herself didn’t really have any favoured location on the ship. She went there immediately, having no trouble moving about the ship after memorising the layout map she had been given. One of the useful aspects of her nature as Goa’uld symbiote was the ability to remember anything permanently if she focused on it for a while.
Catherine smiled when the message arrived. It looked like boredom has been abolished for the next few minutes. Fetching her ID card and tying her hair into a ponytail, she left the quarters for the observation deck. It was located at the rear of the ship in the tower usually occupied by the bridge on the other 304s. They of course had a smaller one closer to the bridge, but that was limited to staff on duty.
As such it took her a few minutes to get there. When the door opened, she was glad to find only one other person in there. Everyone else was probably asleep or disinterested in the sea of blue the hyperspace looked like. "It is quite a view, isn't it?" she said as she approached and stood next to the Tok'ra, her eyes locked on the tunnel in front of them.
Ariadne was seated already in the Observation Deck, a room apparently devoted entirely to looking out at space, or at the moment, Hyperspace. Idalia thought it was the best spot on the ship, and Ariadne couldn’t help but consider the idea a good one.
When the Captain arrived, not long after her, she turned to get a look at the woman that would be lord and master of this ship. For the smallest of moments she likened it to coming into the service of a new System Lord, but that thought was quickly pushed away by both Idalia and her. “Ten years ago I might have told you that that view was mundane and common. Today though, I am inclined to agree.”
A short chuckle escaped Catherine's lips of all reactions. "I didn't realize you probably seen it all. How are you doing? I trust your cabin is satisfactory?" she asked, despite not being able to do a single thing if they weren't. The Langford is a warship, not a hotel, although if she read anything about the Tok'Ra tunnels, she doubted the quarters on the 304 would be troubling.
Ariadne did not know what to think of the captains reaction. She put it aside as an eccentricity and pressed on as though it hadn’t happened. “On the contrary. I have seen it all, but Idalia is not satisfied with seeing it all in my memory.” She thought for a moment, comparing the quarters she had been given to the opulent rooms she once had on her Ha’tak. The most recent one at least. An amused smile crept onto her face, growing as Idalia admonished her for the train of thought, before she continued. “My quarters are satisfactory. I have seen better, but far worse also.”
"You would die just seeing mine then." captain said, turning her sight to the person next to her. "If you don't mind me asking, I noticed your name. You were not born tok'ra, right? How did you come to see things their way?" she asked, hoping she wasn't digging too deep, but on the other hand, she really wanted this question answered. It made a lot of difference to her if she turned out of self preservation, or maybe something more noble. And while she would understand the first, it'd make her watch her back.
Ariadne had been wondering when that subject might come up. The Tau’ri were notorious for giving no trust at all to Goa’uld, and for good reason. If she ever wanted to be accepted here she couldn’t appear to them as one who simply ran to the Tok’ra to survive. “That… is not a simple question.” She began, choosing her words carefully. “In truth, I joined the Tok’ra partly to come closer to your kind… The Fifth Race. My race had its chance at greatness, and we squandered it fighting amongst ourselves. Your kind has proved their greatness countless times by overcoming every System Lord that dared take the title, and it is my honour to now assist you. You would have turned me away if I had come promising aid as a Goa’uld.” She didn’t mention how much influence Idalia had had over her in the first days after taking her as a host. That was too personal to tell the Tau’ri woman without knowing her in the slightest.
Captain stood in silence for a few seconds, taking in what she was told. After that, a very dry, sarcastic laugh echoed through the deck. "Is that how you see us? I suppose I'm much less forgiving than. Even now the existence of all this," she exclaimed, "is kept secret on Earth out of fear that the resulting panic would destabilize the system enough to completely collapse. How can we care for the galaxy when we didn't learn yet to care for each other?" she shook her head. "If you take interest in history, I'll be happy to tell you just how frighteningly similar we were to the Goa'Uld just a few decades ago." she said, the world wars and caribbean crysis coming to mind. "But I digress. What do you make of the Jaffa?" Black asked, more to get a glimpse of what problems might arise between the two alien groups than anything else.
Ariadne nodded knowingly at Black’s words. Some among the Tok’ra had told her of the state of Earths history to try to change her views, but they had failed. “The difference between your people and mine is that enough of yours overcame their infighting to achieve galaxy-shaking accomplishments. It remains to be seen whether the Tok’ra will rise to a similar height of greatness now that the opportunity has presented itself.”
She was glad that she was in control when the captain asked about the Jaffa however. She could feel Idalia’s desire to speak her thoughts on the matter, and while she couldn’t entirely push away the feelings that welled forth, she could at least phrase it a little more diplomatically than her fiery Host. “The Jaffa are a Prideful people Captain. In their minds they can do no wrong. They attribute every terrible act they have performed in the past to their Goa’uld overlords, despite the fact that many of them enjoyed the power they wielded as servants of the most powerful galactic power at the time. They value their own people and customs over everyone and everything else.” To give such an opinion she had had to dip into what other Tok’ra field operatives had told her during her stay on the Tok’ra Homeworld. She would have given a different opinion on the Jaffa once loyal to the Goa’uld, but the ‘Free Jaffa’ as they called themselves, were a much changed people.
Catherine sat down as well, taking a few moments again thinking about the implications and comparing with her own research. She didn’t exactly like what Ariadne was saying. “So it’s pretty much as I thought. Pride and excuses. In the past the Jaffa were… Unreliable, shall we say… as allies. Gerak to name one for all. I would hate to make such a close call here, and I can’t say I am a subscriber of their tactics either.” Black continued, recalling the file saying Bra’Tac nearly rammed SG-1 into an Ori mothership. And that was one of the most reasonable Jaffa the SGC worked with. Looking into Ariadne’s eyes, she noticed some unease. “Is something wrong? You know this is a two way street, right? If you have something to say or ask, out with it.” she smiled.
Ariadne wondered whether it was entirely wise to be telling the captain that her presence here might cause a diplomatic incident or worse, but her desire to remain alive and not be looking over her shoulder won through in this case. “Recently the Free Jaffa have become incredibly… insistent… when it comes to surviving Goa’uld being killed. I have only been Tok’ra for less than a decade, barely the blink of an eye for both my kind and the Jaffa. If they learn of my past, they may act rashly.” Ariadne stopped with just that warning, a prudent one given how many innocents might get in the Jaffa’s way if they decided to dispense their ‘justice’ freely. She didn’t want to go into whether or not they were right or what the Captain should do about it. Those were areas mired with difficult ethics and diplomatic concerns.
"Then don't let them find out. Tok'Ra are masters of spying, keeping secrets and waging war from the shadows, no?" Catherine said half jokingly, "Don't worry, if what you said applies, they would only charge you head on, and there's enough marines in the corridors to repel a boarding attempt, let alone five jaffa." she said, although the expression on her face said that she’d rather cycle anyone threatening her crew through the airlock, if there wasn’t political shitstorm to follow. “If anything they should respect you for making that decision, no matter how late.”
Ariadne sighed at that. She wished it were true, it would make things so much easier. “Unfortunately the Jaffa seem to like thinking in black and white. They like things to be good or bad, so they can decide whether to shoot them or not. But enough of this unpleasantness.” She wanted to move the conversation away from the Jaffa. It made Idalia, and by extension her, sick to think about them, and Idalia’s anger wasn’t something she enjoyed being so immersed in. “Was there anything else you wished to speak to me about?” She said calmly, though not to imply she wanted to leave.
"Yes, but in light of what you told me, I think I have enough to think about for now." Captain sighed, "Hopefully next time we speak it will be on lighter note. There will be a mission briefing sometime later today, so prepare yourself to deal with Mr. Bureaucrat. I’ll see you there." she warned with a smirk, getting up to leave.
“I look forward to it greatly.” Ariadne said with a heavy tone of sarcasm. She stood as well, to see the captain off, as she intended to stay in the observation deck for a while longer. “Thank you, captain. I look forward to our next meeting.”
With all of the controlled chaos of preparations settling into relative calm once the ship broke orbit and after she got her shut-eye, Captain found an hour free to finally visit their extraterrestrial guests. Between the last minute swaps in the crew and the mountain of bureaucracy she had to attend, Kat didn't have the time back on the base. Now was time to remedy that. She only hoped they wouldn't feel too offended. Opening up messaging on her PDA, she thought about who'd she would go to first. But it was no decision at all. Aside from the lack of trust she harbored towards the Jaffa, the Tok'ra were plainly more interesting to learn more about.
To: Ariadne of Shayet
Subject: A few moments of your time
Greetings Ariadne, Idalia,
I apologize for not greeting you personally when you arrived to Earth, my duties required me elsewhere. If you could spare a few moments, I would like to talk with you, just tell me where and when. I hope you'll enjoy your stay on the Langford.
Cpt. Catherine Black
Ariadne had quickly picked up the simpler elements of the systems available to her, which were very few from her quarters, understandably. When a message arrived from the Captain of the ship, she was quick to respond in the affirmative, specifying the observation deck as her preferred location. Idalia liked the view, and so far Ariadne herself didn’t really have any favoured location on the ship. She went there immediately, having no trouble moving about the ship after memorising the layout map she had been given. One of the useful aspects of her nature as Goa’uld symbiote was the ability to remember anything permanently if she focused on it for a while.
Catherine smiled when the message arrived. It looked like boredom has been abolished for the next few minutes. Fetching her ID card and tying her hair into a ponytail, she left the quarters for the observation deck. It was located at the rear of the ship in the tower usually occupied by the bridge on the other 304s. They of course had a smaller one closer to the bridge, but that was limited to staff on duty.
As such it took her a few minutes to get there. When the door opened, she was glad to find only one other person in there. Everyone else was probably asleep or disinterested in the sea of blue the hyperspace looked like. "It is quite a view, isn't it?" she said as she approached and stood next to the Tok'ra, her eyes locked on the tunnel in front of them.
Ariadne was seated already in the Observation Deck, a room apparently devoted entirely to looking out at space, or at the moment, Hyperspace. Idalia thought it was the best spot on the ship, and Ariadne couldn’t help but consider the idea a good one.
When the Captain arrived, not long after her, she turned to get a look at the woman that would be lord and master of this ship. For the smallest of moments she likened it to coming into the service of a new System Lord, but that thought was quickly pushed away by both Idalia and her. “Ten years ago I might have told you that that view was mundane and common. Today though, I am inclined to agree.”
A short chuckle escaped Catherine's lips of all reactions. "I didn't realize you probably seen it all. How are you doing? I trust your cabin is satisfactory?" she asked, despite not being able to do a single thing if they weren't. The Langford is a warship, not a hotel, although if she read anything about the Tok'Ra tunnels, she doubted the quarters on the 304 would be troubling.
Ariadne did not know what to think of the captains reaction. She put it aside as an eccentricity and pressed on as though it hadn’t happened. “On the contrary. I have seen it all, but Idalia is not satisfied with seeing it all in my memory.” She thought for a moment, comparing the quarters she had been given to the opulent rooms she once had on her Ha’tak. The most recent one at least. An amused smile crept onto her face, growing as Idalia admonished her for the train of thought, before she continued. “My quarters are satisfactory. I have seen better, but far worse also.”
"You would die just seeing mine then." captain said, turning her sight to the person next to her. "If you don't mind me asking, I noticed your name. You were not born tok'ra, right? How did you come to see things their way?" she asked, hoping she wasn't digging too deep, but on the other hand, she really wanted this question answered. It made a lot of difference to her if she turned out of self preservation, or maybe something more noble. And while she would understand the first, it'd make her watch her back.
Ariadne had been wondering when that subject might come up. The Tau’ri were notorious for giving no trust at all to Goa’uld, and for good reason. If she ever wanted to be accepted here she couldn’t appear to them as one who simply ran to the Tok’ra to survive. “That… is not a simple question.” She began, choosing her words carefully. “In truth, I joined the Tok’ra partly to come closer to your kind… The Fifth Race. My race had its chance at greatness, and we squandered it fighting amongst ourselves. Your kind has proved their greatness countless times by overcoming every System Lord that dared take the title, and it is my honour to now assist you. You would have turned me away if I had come promising aid as a Goa’uld.” She didn’t mention how much influence Idalia had had over her in the first days after taking her as a host. That was too personal to tell the Tau’ri woman without knowing her in the slightest.
Captain stood in silence for a few seconds, taking in what she was told. After that, a very dry, sarcastic laugh echoed through the deck. "Is that how you see us? I suppose I'm much less forgiving than. Even now the existence of all this," she exclaimed, "is kept secret on Earth out of fear that the resulting panic would destabilize the system enough to completely collapse. How can we care for the galaxy when we didn't learn yet to care for each other?" she shook her head. "If you take interest in history, I'll be happy to tell you just how frighteningly similar we were to the Goa'Uld just a few decades ago." she said, the world wars and caribbean crysis coming to mind. "But I digress. What do you make of the Jaffa?" Black asked, more to get a glimpse of what problems might arise between the two alien groups than anything else.
Ariadne nodded knowingly at Black’s words. Some among the Tok’ra had told her of the state of Earths history to try to change her views, but they had failed. “The difference between your people and mine is that enough of yours overcame their infighting to achieve galaxy-shaking accomplishments. It remains to be seen whether the Tok’ra will rise to a similar height of greatness now that the opportunity has presented itself.”
She was glad that she was in control when the captain asked about the Jaffa however. She could feel Idalia’s desire to speak her thoughts on the matter, and while she couldn’t entirely push away the feelings that welled forth, she could at least phrase it a little more diplomatically than her fiery Host. “The Jaffa are a Prideful people Captain. In their minds they can do no wrong. They attribute every terrible act they have performed in the past to their Goa’uld overlords, despite the fact that many of them enjoyed the power they wielded as servants of the most powerful galactic power at the time. They value their own people and customs over everyone and everything else.” To give such an opinion she had had to dip into what other Tok’ra field operatives had told her during her stay on the Tok’ra Homeworld. She would have given a different opinion on the Jaffa once loyal to the Goa’uld, but the ‘Free Jaffa’ as they called themselves, were a much changed people.
Catherine sat down as well, taking a few moments again thinking about the implications and comparing with her own research. She didn’t exactly like what Ariadne was saying. “So it’s pretty much as I thought. Pride and excuses. In the past the Jaffa were… Unreliable, shall we say… as allies. Gerak to name one for all. I would hate to make such a close call here, and I can’t say I am a subscriber of their tactics either.” Black continued, recalling the file saying Bra’Tac nearly rammed SG-1 into an Ori mothership. And that was one of the most reasonable Jaffa the SGC worked with. Looking into Ariadne’s eyes, she noticed some unease. “Is something wrong? You know this is a two way street, right? If you have something to say or ask, out with it.” she smiled.
Ariadne wondered whether it was entirely wise to be telling the captain that her presence here might cause a diplomatic incident or worse, but her desire to remain alive and not be looking over her shoulder won through in this case. “Recently the Free Jaffa have become incredibly… insistent… when it comes to surviving Goa’uld being killed. I have only been Tok’ra for less than a decade, barely the blink of an eye for both my kind and the Jaffa. If they learn of my past, they may act rashly.” Ariadne stopped with just that warning, a prudent one given how many innocents might get in the Jaffa’s way if they decided to dispense their ‘justice’ freely. She didn’t want to go into whether or not they were right or what the Captain should do about it. Those were areas mired with difficult ethics and diplomatic concerns.
"Then don't let them find out. Tok'Ra are masters of spying, keeping secrets and waging war from the shadows, no?" Catherine said half jokingly, "Don't worry, if what you said applies, they would only charge you head on, and there's enough marines in the corridors to repel a boarding attempt, let alone five jaffa." she said, although the expression on her face said that she’d rather cycle anyone threatening her crew through the airlock, if there wasn’t political shitstorm to follow. “If anything they should respect you for making that decision, no matter how late.”
Ariadne sighed at that. She wished it were true, it would make things so much easier. “Unfortunately the Jaffa seem to like thinking in black and white. They like things to be good or bad, so they can decide whether to shoot them or not. But enough of this unpleasantness.” She wanted to move the conversation away from the Jaffa. It made Idalia, and by extension her, sick to think about them, and Idalia’s anger wasn’t something she enjoyed being so immersed in. “Was there anything else you wished to speak to me about?” She said calmly, though not to imply she wanted to leave.
"Yes, but in light of what you told me, I think I have enough to think about for now." Captain sighed, "Hopefully next time we speak it will be on lighter note. There will be a mission briefing sometime later today, so prepare yourself to deal with Mr. Bureaucrat. I’ll see you there." she warned with a smirk, getting up to leave.
“I look forward to it greatly.” Ariadne said with a heavy tone of sarcasm. She stood as well, to see the captain off, as she intended to stay in the observation deck for a while longer. “Thank you, captain. I look forward to our next meeting.”
Kasyra had finally made it back to her shared quarters, taking far longer than the others to leave the briefing because of the pounding in her head. Every step was hell for her, and the quiet beeps the door made when she unlocked it had sounded like the ship was trying to shout her out of existence. She had finally reached her bed, and once there had very nearly fallen straight asleep.
What she had instead done, after several minutes of sitting silently, was pick out a small metal box from under her bed. Inside the box were a number of drugs, mostly stimulants of varying kinds, already prepared for injection straight into a Quarian suit environment. For what seemed to her to be an age, she contemplated just putting it back where it belonged, laying down and leaving this rescue mission to the rest of the crew. They didn’t have infections to contend with after all.
Eventually though, she talked herself back around. The crew didn’t have the advantages she did in this sort of a situation. Her suit was sealed and shielded, so she could navigate hazards others couldn’t without a second thought. Not only that, she was a Quarian. Every Quarian knew at least a little about ship repair and functions, and if anyone could buy more time for a ship in a terrible situation it was her. Or maybe Tzvi. But two Quarians were better than one right? That way they could wire up twice the amount of scrap metal to make precision jumps.
She took several of the syringes from the box and placed them carefully on one of the tiny ports on the exterior of her suit designed to allow medicine to be administered without opening the suit. only moments after she depressed the syringe the stimulants started to flood her system, injected through the suits on-board medical systems, and her headache began to subside, clearing up almost immediately. The next syringe was filled with immuno-boosters to help against the infections. The effect of that one would come later. The final syringe was filled with a cocktail of drugs to stave off all of the effects of the infection that were currently making her life a living hell. Unlike the immuno-booster, the effect was instant, restoring her mind and body to a near perfect state. She tried not to think about how much worse everything would be when it wore off though.
With the injections done, she put away the small box and its syringes and started looking around the room for the extraneous pieces of her suit she’d haphazardly removed after the mess on Lueks yacht. She started with the armor plates that kept her suit safe from accidental breaches and provided a little more protection in combat. Much of this was stored nicely near her bed as she’d removed all but the most vital plates for her party outfit. Still, those vital plates were now the ones she had to find, and hope they were dry and largely undamaged.
What she had instead done, after several minutes of sitting silently, was pick out a small metal box from under her bed. Inside the box were a number of drugs, mostly stimulants of varying kinds, already prepared for injection straight into a Quarian suit environment. For what seemed to her to be an age, she contemplated just putting it back where it belonged, laying down and leaving this rescue mission to the rest of the crew. They didn’t have infections to contend with after all.
Eventually though, she talked herself back around. The crew didn’t have the advantages she did in this sort of a situation. Her suit was sealed and shielded, so she could navigate hazards others couldn’t without a second thought. Not only that, she was a Quarian. Every Quarian knew at least a little about ship repair and functions, and if anyone could buy more time for a ship in a terrible situation it was her. Or maybe Tzvi. But two Quarians were better than one right? That way they could wire up twice the amount of scrap metal to make precision jumps.
She took several of the syringes from the box and placed them carefully on one of the tiny ports on the exterior of her suit designed to allow medicine to be administered without opening the suit. only moments after she depressed the syringe the stimulants started to flood her system, injected through the suits on-board medical systems, and her headache began to subside, clearing up almost immediately. The next syringe was filled with immuno-boosters to help against the infections. The effect of that one would come later. The final syringe was filled with a cocktail of drugs to stave off all of the effects of the infection that were currently making her life a living hell. Unlike the immuno-booster, the effect was instant, restoring her mind and body to a near perfect state. She tried not to think about how much worse everything would be when it wore off though.
With the injections done, she put away the small box and its syringes and started looking around the room for the extraneous pieces of her suit she’d haphazardly removed after the mess on Lueks yacht. She started with the armor plates that kept her suit safe from accidental breaches and provided a little more protection in combat. Much of this was stored nicely near her bed as she’d removed all but the most vital plates for her party outfit. Still, those vital plates were now the ones she had to find, and hope they were dry and largely undamaged.
I am most of the way through a Kasy post. I'll put it up shortly.
Post is up.
Post is up.
Prince, I'm afraid the idea of Asgard systems has been a sticking point for many of us since even the beginning of the RP this one grew out of.
That's why simply mentioning Asgard Core made such a mess and your original point has taken so long to be addressed....
That's why simply mentioning Asgard Core made such a mess and your original point has taken so long to be addressed....
Life? In the OOC? Sacrilege!
Yes, Lucian Alliance.
I'm gonna let Sep answer any Asgard related questions.
I'm gonna let Sep answer any Asgard related questions.
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