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Jul 30, 2010 16:28:52 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Jul 30, 2010 16:28:52 GMT -5
The Jedi was good, but not enough get through unscathed. As the floor literally fell out from under Locke, the Jedi managed to attach himself to a falling piece of walkway, using the Force to launch himself back up. Rajjdan carefully watched the Jedi as he managed to grab onto an edge, that almost gave way but kept holding. See a vulnerable moment for Locke, Rajjdan unleashed a blast of Force Lightning, hitting Locke in his side. The electricity coursed through his body wracking him with such pain that he cried out before shutting his mouth and doing his best to bear it. Once the pain passed the Jedi pulled himself up. Instead of taking advantage of the moment and continuing to attack Locke, Rajj let him climb back up. After catching his breath Locke spoke.
"Well aren't you clever?"
While Rajjdan was clever, Rajj simply felt like he was winning the fight. He grinned at the Jedi as he stood up.
"Just a bit."
The Jedi stood up, a look of determination in his eyes burning like fire. He popped his fingers as he turned his attention back to Rajj.
"I suppose the first round goes to you, then, but now it's my turn, yes?"
Rajjdan barely had time to nod and say yes when the Force screamed at Rajj. Rajjdan had just flipped sideways as the floor was ripped apart, landing on the handrail. Rajjdan was still focused on keeping his balance on top when the Force told him yet again an attack was coming. Unable to do much more than look up with his current situation, Locke flew right into Rajjdan's chest, knocking them both off of the walkways, sending them tumbling down through the air. As they fell Rajj was quick to push Locke off and send a Force Blast at him, which would send him crashing into the floor if it hit while Rajj guided himself with the Force into a safe landing, turning around to face Locke.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jul 30, 2010 18:17:19 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jul 30, 2010 18:17:19 GMT -5
To Locke, time seemed to slow as he flew through the air towards Rajjdan. The Dark Jedi flipped off of the floor of the catwalk itself as it was ripped away from beneath his feet. His timing was near-perfect though, and once again, the thought came to Locke that he might be fighting someone that was very gifted in the realm of sense.
Couldn't be something easy, could it?
Even so, that didn't save Rajjdan from Locke's attack. Locke's right shoulder slammed into the bigger mans chest, taking them both over the edge of the rail and sending them into freefall. Locke tried to wrap his arms around Rajjdan, to keep him from getting away and position the Dark Jedi so that he'd land on the bottom of the heap, and in doing so act as a sort of cushion for Locke. But Rajjdan kept his wits about him and reacted. Locke lacked the physical strength to compete against Rajjdan's, and so he found himself being pushed away, with a Force Push following him.
Locke countered Rajjdan's push with his own. His was the stronger, and the danger was negated. At the same time, he twisted himself in the air, flipping over so that he'd land on his feet. He called the Force around him, using it to slow his fall so that he landed safely in a three point crouch, with a hand down in between his legs for balance.
"Not bad," he muttered before he leaped at Rajjdan again. He landed a few feet away and attacked, launching out with a flurry of quick one-handed strikes that were meant to overwhelm defenses with speed, rather than with raw power. The first was a lick at Rajjdan's shoulder, followed by a quick swipe at his thigh. Then came a cut toward the stomach that feinted into an attempted buck with the hilt of the saber into Rajjdan's face.
Whatever the outcome of if, Locke would end his attack with a powerful push, right after he tried to hit Rajjdan. It was a strong one, strong enough that Locke instinctively gave a yell to go with it. It carried the broken bits of the catwalk that were scattered about like they were toys, and would hopefully carry Rajjdan as well, right into the wall.
Perhaps Rajjdan thought he had the upper hand for now. In truth, he might have, but Locke was dead set on changing that.
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Jul 30, 2010 21:14:54 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Jul 30, 2010 21:14:54 GMT -5
(OOC: In the practice thread me and Jerek are ready to start one, you mind judging our duel?)
Though they landed on the floor at the same time, bits of the metal walkway falling around them, Locke was quicker to leap back into the fight, striking with impressive speed. Rajj had hoped that his Force Blast would have slowed down the Jedi at least a little bit, but in hindsight, Locke's apparent skill in Telekinesis was significantly better than Rajjdan's. The only reason Rajj was holding his end of the fight so well was because of his ability to sense Locke's attacks before they came.
Shoulder, thigh, stomach/feint into a buck into the face. Rajj didn't see these attacks coming, he felt them. But he was almost not fast enough to block, with his sudden focus on speed over power. It took the use of both of his lightsabers to effectively block Locke's swift barrage. To avoid Locke's buck to the face, Rajj simply tilted his head to the left.
Knowing it was coming, Rajj let himself get swept up by Locke's Force Push, to put some distance between himself and Locke. As he flew away, to both keep the metal shrapnel from flying into him, and to attack at the same time, Rajj shot a blast of Force Lightning at Locke, the screeching arcs grabbing the metal and flinging the electrified chunks at the Jedi.
Using the Force to keep himself from becoming a smear on the wall, Rajj landed near the hanger bay, where the bay doors were still open. Rajj pulled a small device out of his pocket, checking it. "Oh, shit, only two minutes?!" Turning to Locke, Rajjdan spoke quickly, "Lessons two and three, my friend, all the power in the world is moot before someone who sees it all coming, and don't stay in a building rigged to blow." With a quick salute, Rajj put away his lightsabers and jumped out the bay, hijacking a speeder as he flew away. Swinging back by the bay he quickly said, "I feel like we'll meet again Locke, stay well until then!"
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jul 30, 2010 23:17:15 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jul 30, 2010 23:17:15 GMT -5
{Sure, why not}
Locke felt frustration starting to well up as he continued his efforts to try something, anything that might land an attack on Rajjdan. His strikes with his saber were blocked. The blow to the face was evaded. Oh, but some of them had some so close! But Rajjdan was always ready, always just a step ahead of Locke. He had to keep pressing on the offense, or things might take a turn for the worst; he didn't have Rajjdan's gift with sense, and he still couldn't tell if the man was more skilled than he or not. Whatever their levels of ability, they were close, and that could be a dangerous place to be.
Still, he launched out with his blow in the Force. But Rajjdan was ready, and countered. Locke reacted quickly, blowing the pieces of metal aside before they got close enough to be a threat. Then he held his saber out in front of him, catching the lightning on it this time, rather than with his body. It was much less painful.
There was a pause where Rajjdan fished around for something in one of his pockets, which drew a lifted eyebrow from Locke.
"Lessons two and three, my friend, all the power in the world is moot before someone who sees it all coming"
Locke scowled. He hated to admit it, but Rajjdan's words had been backed up. So far. There would be a way to get past the man's senses, though, Locke was sure of that much. It would just take some patience and a cool head. The next thing Rajjdan said was more pressing, anyway.
"And don't stay in a building rigged to blow."
"What?!" Rajjdan was making his exit before could answer. Locke wasted no time doing the same. He heard Rajjdan's last taunt, but he didn't pay any attention to it. Instead he hastily gathered his coat back up and threw it over his shoulders again before clipping his saber onto his belt and running over to one of the speeders that sat within the hangar. It was a small thing, probably only meant for one person at a time, but it would do. Locke was thankful for the not-necessarily-legal skills he'd learned during his time working undercover with gangs, because the thing was off, and he didn't have the card needed to start it. He could just hotwire it.
As he worked, he tapped the button on his com device, and a familiar voice greeted him a few seconds later.
"Something up, Locke?" This was the voice of Search. She was a Torgruta woman, about the same age as Locke, back at the Coruscant Security Forces HQ. She was a whiz at working their databases, hence the name. Locke had worked with her for a number of years, and the two had a sort of friendship. They worked well together.
"Can you tell me," Locke said as he hurriedly worked the wires of the speeder, knowing that time was running out, "if you know anything about a Rajjdan Trillvan?"
"Not off the top of my head, no. Want me to scan the databases for him?"
"If you'd be so kind." Locke continued his work until he heard the engine come to life. And then go out. "Come on, baby, work!"
"Come again?" asked Search, obviously amused.
"Was talking to this speeder," Locke muttered.
"You mean you call someone other than me 'baby?' Locke, I'm hurt." Search's voice was colored with amusement.
"It was an accident, I swear." Locke chuckled lowly and almost jumped with joy when the engine came alive once again. He jumped in and kicked it into gear, speeding out of the hangar and to safety. "Don't tell anyone. Especially not the Jedi; they'd just kick me out on my ass."
"Could always come work for us. I know the chief wouldn't mind a guy like you on the team."
Locke snorted a laugh as he scanned around, searching with his eyes and with the Force for Rajjdan's speeder. "Come work for you? You'd think I was a full-time employee, with as much time as I spend around you crazy lot. When's my check coming?"
Search laughed. "Can't say. Anyway, I've found your guy. Bounty hunter, from the looks of things. Very impressive record."
"Ah, I see." There was a sudden boom behind Locke. He didn't need to look back to know that the building had exploded. But he looked back anyway, and saw a plume of black smoke pouring into the sky, over huge roaring red flames.
"What was that?" Search asked, concern clear in her voice. "We're getting reports of an explosion."
"That would be the work of Mr. Trillvan," Locke answered, sighing. A glimmer in the Force caught his attention. "Ah, I think I found him again. I'm moving to pursue."
"Gotcha. Want me to send in some backup for you?"
"No, keep them focused on intercepting those spice shipments. I can handle him. It'll be a pain in the ass, but I can do it. What you can do is keep looking into his file and tell me if you notice anything of worth."
"I'll see what I can find, though I doubt I'll see anything that could help you."
"It's the thought that counts, toots."
Search laughed again. "I swear you're still some teenage boy, Locke"
"So I've been told." Locke grinned as he angled his speeder around, bringing down to give chase to Rajjdan. "Keep in touch, Search."
"Will do, Locke. Stay safe."
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Jul 31, 2010 11:45:50 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Jul 31, 2010 11:45:50 GMT -5
Rajjdan had flown as fast and as far as he could until there were only 30 seconds left, then Rajj watched from a distance as the hanger blew up, almost taking Locke out with it. With some advanced binoculars he looked at Locke, watching as he looked back at the hanger. "Good, he made it." He said to himself, glad that the Jedi had made it. He was looking forward to playing with him some more. Zooming in on his face, Rajjdan noticed him talking. Focusing, Rajj tried to read his lips, which was hard when the target is flying fast and you're trying to keep track of their lips through a pair of binoculars that have to be on 200x zoom to see, but he managed to read a line.
That would be the work of Mr. Trillvan, ah, I think I found him again. I'm moving to pursue.
"What?" Rajjdan quickly suppressed his presence in the Force, and ran into a nearby bar, The Star-Drinker to hide as he thought to himself. Great, now I'm going to have Dark Jedi stamped on my name, after working so hard to keep it from being known. As upset as Rajjdan was as he slipped to the back of the bar and ordered a drink, in the back of his mind he was replaying the fight in his mind, how thrilling it was. It was by the skin of his teeth that he'd been dodging those attacks.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jul 31, 2010 18:34:38 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jul 31, 2010 18:34:38 GMT -5
Locke spotted his foe as he ran into a cantina. "Gotcha," he whispered to himself as he brought his speeder around to park within a row of speeders near the edge of the street.
"Find anything, Search?" he asked while he sat there, looking into the bar.
"Not really. He's got a ship docked here: the Gifted Shadow, but other than that, there's not much."
"Gimme the location of where his ship's docked. He might try to run off to it, and I'll have a better chance of keeping up if I have an idea of where he's going."
"I'll send it to your datapad. Should get it in a minute or so."
"Thanks." Locke started to climb out of the speeder, but paused for a moment. "Oh, and can you add a few things to his dossier for me?"
Search was silent for a moment. "Sure thing, Locke. What do you want me to add?"
Locke sighed and looked around, and stood so that his back was to the bar. He spoke softly, even though the noise the crowd made would be more than enough to cover his words. "That he's wanted for assisting with an illegal transfer of drugs, resisting arrest, and arson. Then there's the whole 'Dark Jedi' problem."
If the act of raising one's eyebrows made a noise, Locke suspected he would have heard it through the com. "A Dark Jedi? Is that why you wanted to deal with him on your own."
"Part of it, yeah. He'd wipe the floor with any normal men you sent in after him. Hell, he's giving me a hard enough time as is."
"Alright, Locke, I'll have these submitted. Be careful with him." There was concern in Search's voice. Locke could hear it, and he couldn't help but smile a bit. "You're a good man; we don't need to lose you."
"You know I take care of myself, Search. Locke out." The line went silent with the press of a button and Locke turned around. Well Rajjdan, let's see where this goes, shall we? With that, he stuck his hands in his coat pockets and moved inside to hunt down the bounty hunter.
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Jul 31, 2010 20:15:01 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Jul 31, 2010 20:15:01 GMT -5
Rajj watched as the Jedi walked into the bar. From his location in the back he'd been able to watch as Locke had stopped and turned his back on the bar. He stood there for several moments. When Locke turned around and back into the bar, it was easy enough to assume he had labeled Rajj a Dark Jedi. It was going to be difficult to get out of this one. I'll have to call in that favor that Senator owes me to get it all removed. A Dark Jedi was simply using my name and I'm in no way involved in this fiasco. Grinning Rajj ordered a drink and waited for the Jedi to find him. They were in a bar full of innocent bystanders. Locke could not afford to start a fight in here, should even one person die it would look bad on the Order.
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Rugs
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Aug 1, 2010 13:48:56 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Aug 1, 2010 13:48:56 GMT -5
It was busy within the cantina. People moved back and forth as they went about their business, completely unaware of the two forces that walked among them. Locke swatted gently at the air in front of him, dispelling some of the smoke that hung so thickly through it.
He carried himself comfortably, naturally; he'd been in more bars than he could count in his time as an Investigator, and he'd been in more bar fights than he'd like to fight. Of course, the latter wouldn't be an issue until he found Rajjdan.
To start, he went up and sat at the bar and ordered a drink. It was alcoholic; Locke didn't mind a bit of the stuff every now and then--in fact, he actually had quite the liking for it. But it wasn't strong; he needed his head clear to be able to compete with Rajjdan.
He looked around as he sat there with his drink, searching for the Dark Jedi with his eyes and through the Force. Rajjdan was either hiding himself in the Force or missing, because Locke couldn't find him through that method. Does he know Concealment, then? That could be a pain to deal with. Of course Locke knew the ability as well, but he was still in the process of learning it. If Rajjdan was as skilled with his senses as Locke believed, it wouldn't do him any good.
Fortunately, Rajjdan was a man that stood out in a crowd. Probably had something to do with his height and the color of his hair, along with the fact that Locke already knew what he was looking for. Locke grinned to himself when he saw him and took another sip from his drink before standing up and sauntering over to Rajjdan's table. He was off in one of the back corners of the bar, no doubt trying to avoid confrontation.
"Well hello there, Rajjdan," he said as he pulled out the chair opposite Rajjdan and took a seat. Again he took another drink from his glass before setting it down and looking up to meet Rajjdan's eyes. "I guess you were right about us meeting again, eh? Come here often?"
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Aug 1, 2010 14:09:20 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Aug 1, 2010 14:09:20 GMT -5
Rajj watched as Locke ordered a drink and took a sip, looking around carefully for him. Rajj could feel the Force probing the bar, passing through Rajj because of his hiding. Eventually though Locke found him, probably because he was almost a head taller than anyone else and he was the only one with such perfect silver-white hair. Locke sauntered over to Rajj's table.
Taking a seat opposite of Rajj he said, "Well hello there, Rajjdan, I guess you were right about us meeting again, eh? Come here often?" He took another sip of his drink
"Rajjdan? My name is Kiron Lillfet, you must have me confused with someone else." He said with a huge grin as he pulled out an Id that said the same thing. "This is my third time in this bar, if you have to know Locke." He said, purposely saying Locke's name to mess with him. Surely Locke would realize it, that Rajj had contacts, had favors he could call on, he was one of the greatest assassins of the underworld at the time. If Locke started anything, Locke would get in trouble for attacking a normal citizen.
Rajj took a sip of his drink and then watched Locke's reaction, wondering if he would notice that his clothes didn't have any dust or scorch marks on them, like they did when he left the hanger. Nor was there anything in his hair. There was nothing about him that indicated he had been involved, even his lightsabers were gone, hidden in his secret stash, one of many hidden throughout Coruscant, to be retrieved later. In the few seconds Locke had lost sight of him, Rajj had been quick to change, fixing himself up so as to look completely innocent.
"By the way, I think you'll find that the bartender, and several other people, will vouch for my having been here for the past hour."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Aug 1, 2010 21:06:53 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Aug 1, 2010 21:06:53 GMT -5
Locke only laughed softly at Rajjdan's attempts to throw him off. So he wanted to play a game, then? So be it. It was a game Locke had played before and one that he could play well.
"I think you are assuming, Rajjdan, that I'm an amateur in this arena." He chuckled again and took another drink for his glass. "And while I'm sure amateurs might be thrown off by your little charade, I won't be.
"See, you can change your clothes, you can clean your hair, you can make a fake ID, you can bribe everyone in the damn bar to say what you want, but there are things that you cannot change, my friend. Things that a trained eye can find." He was of course, referring to biological things--some of which were easily noticed, others that weren't; facial structure, hair length and color, the voice, body language and little subconscious mannerisms. All of these things came together to paint the picture of who someone was, and were among the first things Locke had been taught to read and recognize as an Investigator.
"Now, I'm going to make this offer again to you, Mr. Trillvan," he said, leaning back to casually throw one arm over the back of his seat while he held his glass in the other. "We can do things the easy way, or you can keep trying to play games and we can do things the hard way. Don't think I can't get to you just because you're masquerading as some civvie." Locke smirked; it was a dangerous smirk--the smirk that said he had something hidden up his sleeve. "I've methods that you're not even aware of yet. Like I said, I'm not an amateur at this game, friend."
He wasn't lying. There were techniques that he knew that he specifically held in reserve, keeping them hidden from most specifically for situations like this.
"So what's it gonna be, Rajjdan?"
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Aug 3, 2010 15:50:19 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Aug 3, 2010 15:50:19 GMT -5
Rajjdan smiled as he looked at Locke. "No, my friend, I am not assuming you are an amateur, I am simply giving you a friendly warning. That I am not an amateur. I have been making my way through the underground of society for over 5 years, mostly being a bounty hunter for various crime bosses, and this is the first time my status as a Dark Jedi has ever been noticed, by Jedi or Sith. There's a reason for that. And just so you know, you can't pin the explosion on me, that wasn't my idea, it was the bosses. He's very thorough in getting rid of evidence. He blows everything up, thinks its the best way. Even what few transports your people are capturing are going to explode the moment they try to crack them open without proper, 'authorization'."
He sat back and took a sip, sensing through the Force a distant explosion as one of the transports exploded. "There's one." He whispered to himself. "You will not be taking me anywhere Locke, not without a proper warrant, at least. And by the time you have a proper warrant, I will be long gone."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Aug 3, 2010 18:24:14 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Aug 3, 2010 18:24:14 GMT -5
Locke merely raised his eyebrows at Rajjdan's claims that the transports were rigged to explode, should any security forces break into them. There was a ripple in the Force that made him turn his head off in the direction it came from. Something's wrong. He looked from Rajjdan back off to that direction. Perhaps he was telling the truth. Well, it could be dealt with. It would be a bit sloppy, but there was no helping it.
"Search," he said, pressing the comlink that was his ear to turn it back on.
"What's up, Locke?" Search sounded concerned.
"I have it on reliable sources that these transports are rigged to explode. Might want to get the word out tot he chief and see what he wants to do about that."
"Gotcha, I'll start working on that now. You know he'll probably order them to be shot down, though, right?"
Locke worked his jaw, choosing his next words. "Well, whatever he does is his call. I'll leave that to him, though; I have business to attend to."
"Don't get yourself hurt, Locke."
"You know I'm always careful, Search," Locke said, smiling, even though the only person that could see him was Rajjdan, and he wouldn't be able to hear half of the conversation.
"Sorry about that," he said, reaching up to his ear again in a motion that--to anyone else--would look like he was turning the comlink off again. But he didn't. From the outside, there wasn't any way to know, since the com didn't have any lights on it or anything of the sort, but Locke left the channel back to Search open. When the conversation resumed, she'd be able to hear it. She'd know what to do from there, and it would be recorded, for later use. "You know how it is when unexpected pieces of help get dropped into your lap.
"Anyway, I'm glad that you're so sure of yourself, Rajjdan," Locke said after he finished of the last of his drink and gently set his glass down on the table. "But you're mistaken about one thing: See, I do work with local law enforcement from time to time, yes, and if one of them was going after you for criminal charges, then yes, they might need a warrant. But, I am a Jedi, first and foremost, and you, in addition to attacking me, are a user of the Dark Side."
He smiled sadly at Rajjdan; it was the smile an adult might give to some child who couldn't comprehend the simplest thing in the world. "It is my duty to apprehend you, and if I capture you, you'll be going back to the Temple, not to some local prison. Also not that we, as Jedi, do not need warrants to apprehend users of the Dark Side, such as yourself. It's part of what we do." Locke shifted his posture, brining his elbows forward to rest easily on the table with his fingers steepled up in front of him. "You won't escape us. Even if you get away from me--which won't be easy, I promise you--we'll find you.
"So again, I'm going to give you a choice, Rajjdan. You can come with me peacefully, or I can drag you back to the Jedi Temple. Because now, it's not a matter of your involvement in criminal activities; it's the business of the Order." He sighed then and met Rajjdan's eyes. He really didn't want to fight the man again; not because of the people around--he could scatter them easily enough--but Rajjdan was strong. And as of yet, he still hadn't thought of a way to break through the man's gift with his senses.
If another fight broke it, it would be a hard one. At this point, all they were doing was delaying. They could sit there and talk all day, but the fact remained that Locke wasn't going to leave until Rajjdan left, and if he did leave, Locke certainly wasn't going to let him get away. No, the only way Rajjdan was going to get away would be to beat Locke, and Locke wasn't going to let that happen.
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Aug 3, 2010 19:47:06 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Aug 3, 2010 19:47:06 GMT -5
Rajjdan watched as Locke warned someone about the transports. Search. So that's who he's working with. Wonder if I can pull strings to get her in trouble. Rajj's careful eye noticed that when he turned off his comm, his finger didn't quite touch it. Guess I won't mention the incident anymore. He thought to himself as the Jedi continued to talk.
When Locke started talking about how, as Jedi, it was their duty to apprehend users of the Dark Side, Rajj suddenly had a fierce look come over his face. The Jedi's words angered Rajjdan, and he was going to let him know it.
"Oh really Jedi? It's your duty to apprehend users of the Dark Side, simply for not being afraid of power?! So are Jedi the only ones with a right to the Force. Is only the Light Side allowed to be used? Anyone who does anything else is evil to be taken down? It's just like a was telling you. You Jedi think you're the only ones able to use the Force properly when the greatest and most evil Sith always came from your Order! Revan and Malak, Exar Kun, Freedon Nadd, the ones who always bring the galaxy closest to ruin are always from your Order!"
Many of the people in the bar were turning and looking at the man who was berating the apparent Jedi. Some were smiling and cheering for the one who seemed to be teaching the arrogant Jedi a lesson.
"It seems to me, Jedi, that your Order is so fundamentally flawed its a wonder it still exists! You claim to be the guardians of the Republic, of Peace, when half the time you won't get off your lazy asses to defend the Republic, like during the Mandalorian Wars."
Rajj suddenly stood up, grabbing his drink and downing the whole thing in one gulp.
"I'm leaving, Locke, and I don't care if your Order has the legal right to arrest me, simply for using the Dark Side. I am not going with you to the Temple."
Now Rajj glared at Locke as he stood, towering over him, his eyes now tinged with yellow. He still respected the Jedi for the skill he had shown in their confrontation, but he wasn't going to let the Jedi talk like the Order was the only ones with a right to the Force.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Aug 3, 2010 21:16:54 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Aug 3, 2010 21:16:54 GMT -5
Locke could feel his teeth pressing together as Rajjdan began to rant at him. It wasn't even the insults toward the Order that were laced throughout the man's words that were angering him, but rather the sheer foolishness of them. But he let Rajjdan talk, and remained calm until one fatally incorrect accusation.
"You claim to be the guardians of the Republic, of Peace, when half the time you won't get off your lazy asses to defend the Republic, like during the Mandalorian Wars."
His fist clenched underneath the table. He didn't care what Rajjdan thought about the rest of the Order or their tenants, but that was an insult that Locke would not bear. Especially now, with the Order split over when to act to combat the growing Sith presence on the Outer Rim. But Locke was not one of the ones that was sitting back, waiting to see how things played out before acting. He was a Blade of the Order. He'd fought Sith before, at the Battle of Rhen Var, and he'd fight them again.
He stood up when Rajjdan did at met his glare flatly with one of his own. The point of no return was coming up now. He could feel it.
He reached to his belt and grabbed his pistol before pointing it upwards, toward the ceiling. Two shots rang out and hit the ceiling harmlessly, drawing the attention of everyone in the building. "Clear out, all of you," Locke ordered, his voice hard. Some of the people started to get up leave, since they had the sense to see that things might very obviously get dangerous soon, but a very small number of the patrons hung around. Locke spoke again, weaving the Force into his words for that extra persuasive kick to get them out. "Now."
As the last of htem were leaving, he looked back to Rajjdan, who still stood there, towering over him. If they were both normal men, without the Force as a sort of equalizer, Locke might have been afraid. As things stood now, though, he was just irritated.
"Let me tell you one thing, Trillvan," he said in voice that was dangerously soft. "If you ever even try to accuse me of sitting on my lazy ass while my Republic is threatened. I have fought in battles bigger than anything you've ever been in. So before you try to run your mouth and tell me what I am and what I am not, realize that you don't know a damn thing about me."
He rolled his neck again and sighed, forcing his irritation away again; he needed a cool head to deal with this man. The Force flowed into him now as he opened himself up to it. It was calming, soothing; a stark contrast to the fury he could feel rolling off of Rajjdan, to the point where the man's blue-grey eyes were turning yellow. "And it should be obvious by now, Rajjdan, that I'm not letting you go anywhere. If you try to leave this place, I'll drag you back to the Temple."
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Aug 3, 2010 21:51:42 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Aug 3, 2010 21:51:42 GMT -5
"Your naivete shows in how you take my statement of your order personal, Locke. I have fought against you, and know you are not as lazy as most of the Order. I know that even now your order is trying to deal with the threat of the Sith Empire. Know this Locke, I respect you, as a warrior, as a Force-User. What I don't respect is the Jedi, and their self-righteous prattle. You will not take me to the Order, if I have to destroy this entire sector to prevent it."
An almost visible aura surrounded Rajj as his eyes turned completely yellow. He didn't have his lightsabers, so he would need the full power of the Force for this next step of the fight. Electricity arced up and down his body. His hair started to sway, as if a breeze were flowing through, even though the were inside.
Rajjdan opened his mind to the Force, he was without his lightsaber, so he'd have to dodge everything while attacking with the Dark Side.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Aug 4, 2010 11:03:56 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Aug 4, 2010 11:03:56 GMT -5
{Again, you're trying something that's beyond Rajj's capabilities. He's got a 3 in protection; he won't be blocking a lightsaber with that, and destruction, by nature, doesn't lend itself toward defending. You'll have to try to not get hit, but if you try to block it with the Force, Mr. Trillvan's gonna be in a world of hurt xD}
Locke watched Rajjdan calmly as the Force swirled into and around the man. His eyes were yellow through-and-through now, filled with the tainted touch of the Dark Side. The Force was surging into Locke now, but it was different; he resided in the eye of the proverbial storm, unmoved and unconcerned with Rajjdan's showboating. Locke was calm now--relaxed and at ease, but he was just as ready as Rajjdan was to spring into action.
"Self-righteous prattle?" Locke narrowed his eyes at the Dark Jedi. Gone now was the sort of almost-friendly banter the two had had before. Gone was the sort of amused testing of the other they'd had in the hangar. Now, it seemed that the realization was dawning on both of them that, beyond the simple conflict that was born of Rajjdan working with the petty gang, they were enemies. Locke was a Jedi. Rajjdan was a Dark Jedi, and had attacked Locke, no less. There was nothing to be done now other than what duty called for.
"You seem to think, Rajjdan, that we have no reason for what we do. You seem to blind yourself to the fact that people like you have a way of hurting others, in their own bids for power; it comes with the territory when you're dealing with the darkness. If it didn't, the Dark Side wouldn't be the Dark Side." He took a few steps closer to Rajjdan and continued to meet his eyes, even though, physically, he was a both smaller and weaker than the large man.
"We know we are not the only Force-using group out there; the Matukai, the Zeison-Sha, hell even the random drifters that have been trained in one way or another in the ways of the Force--we don't bother them. But when you start to do things that are wrong, when you start to hurt other people for your own benefit, then we have a problem, Rajjdan."
The air between them was thick with energy as the boiling point grew nearer. Locke knew he couldn't stop what was coming, and so he began to work secretly, weaving little tendrils of telekinetic power out and around Rajjdan's arms without making any motions with his hands. "And you say that you won't be coming back to the Temple as if I'm going to give you a choice, Rajjdan."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tightened his grip on the man through the Force and brought his hand up before throwing it to the side, in a motion that was intended to send Rajjdan with it and crashing into a table.
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Aug 4, 2010 12:44:32 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Aug 4, 2010 12:44:32 GMT -5
Rajjdan was done talking. He listened as the Force told him of Locke's tendrils of telekinetic power reached around him. At the same moment Locke made the motion to throw Rajj aside, he channeled his energy into those strings, dispersing their energy, violently, away from Rajj, causing various cracks to appear in the walls and the floor. As this happened Rajj called upon the power of Force Lightning, summoning the energy into his fist, and slamming it into the ground as he dropped into a three-point crouch, sending a wave of Dark Energy out, like a Force Repulse, but weaker, and laced with electric energy. The energy wave destroyed every table and object in the room and wrecked the walls, causing millions of pieces of shrapnel to start flying around. Rajj immediately used the Force to direct all these pieces and splinters to fly straight at Locke.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Aug 11, 2010 22:23:01 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Aug 11, 2010 22:23:01 GMT -5
Locke called the Force to him once again as Rajjdan slammed his fist down into the ground, releasing a sort of lightning shockwave. There wasn't much kinetic energy behind it--the real threat came from the electricity that arced out around the room. It danced over the surface of his shield straining his protective abilities to the limit, but it held long enough for the threat to pass.
Before he could counter, though, Rajjdan acted again, taking up pieces of debris and attempting to hurl them at him. Locke only snorted derisively. I'd think you would know better than this, Trillvan, he jeered within his mind.
Both of his hands came up and swept out around him as he sent the Force booming out from his body. The situation became a battle of telekinetic prowess. Between Rajjdan's less than average abilities and Locke's strength, there wasn't even a contest. The pieces of debris paused in the air, caught for a moment between the two opposing Forces before Locke's will won out, sending them harmlessly to the ground like drops of rain.
There was a moment of silence as the two stared each other down. The Force flared around them, fueled by an angry intensity from Rajjdan and a quiet determination from Locke. Here, in a casual bar of all places, two souls, one shining with the light, the other, tainted by darkness, were preparing for an all-out war against one another.
Locke just stood there, with a calm self-assurance radiating out from him. "You should know better than to get into that sort of contest with me, Rajjdan," he taunted softly as he brought his left hand around. With it, he reached out through the Force to grab at Rajjdan and made a motion to pick up him and then slam him down onto the ground.
At the same time, he called his lightsaber to his hand and activated it, letting the orange blade sing to life once again. As he completed the motion with his left hand, he made another, working to pull Rajjdan up and forward while he lunged forward, using the Force to augment his speed as he came in with a swift cut at the Dark Jedi's wrist.
He was done playing with Rajjdan now. Now it was time to bring things to a close, before they could spiral out of control.
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Aug 12, 2010 0:26:11 GMT -5
Post by danthien on Aug 12, 2010 0:26:11 GMT -5
Rajjdan smirked an evil grin as Locke shielded himself from his electric shock-wave and threw aside the debris. It looked like it took almost all of Locke's protective skill to defend against the attack. As they stared at each other, Light versus Dark, Rajj felt like he needed to rectify his statement about the Jedi, but Locke suddenly the Force spoke to Rajjdan.
Rajj sensed that Locke was going to grab him again, but this time the Force told him to go with it, so Rajj let Locke pull him into the ground, though Rajj used the Force himself to cushion his drop, landing in a push-up position when Locke started to pull Rajj up and towards him. Seeing his lightsaber coming out, the Force whispered again. Rajj boosted himself with the Force, so that when Locke pulled on him, Rajj ended up leaping over Locke, just out of his lightsaber's reach. As he landed on the other side of Locke, he rolled with his landing before sprinting for the Door. As he ran by the Bar he reached out with the Force, grabbing all of the alcohol and throwing it at Locke. Rajj spun on his heels, sending a blast of Force Lighting at all of the bottles, causing them to explode like several dozen Molotov Cocktails, creating a huge fireball coming at Locke.
Continuing his spin, Rajj straightened himself towards the door and kept running out. He didn't have his lightsabers, he'd retrieve them later. For the moment he had to run. Rajj quickly ran around the side of the bar, heading towards a back alley as he suppressed his presence in the Force, hoping to lose Locke. He ran in the general direction that he'd left his Sabers, actually quite near the burning hanger.
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