Eclipsing the Shadows' Light

[Jazen]

Jazen kept his face blank and his emotions well under control as the Sith lady evaded his attacks, whispering words to him that might as well been dipped in pure poison. Luckily, whoever was hidden under that hooded robe lacked the sharp tongue that Adara had shown, at least so far and thus, Jazen was able to shrug off her words like the rain that pelted his shoulders. There was something familiar about that voice though, distorted as it was by the rain and violent battles around them. But where had he heard it before?

He didn't have much time to ponder that at the moment, as the woman launched a counter attack of her own. At first, Jazen was unsure as to what she was doing. Then he heard the cracks; cracks that didn't match up with the lightning in the background. Jazen turned to the source of those cracks, noticing something dark and big falling from the sky above him. A flash of lightning showed him what he already knew; she had broken some of the larger branches with the Force and now they were falling towards him.

Diving to the side, Jazen just managed to avoid becoming a little paddy pancake under the first branch. A shove with the Force knocked the second away from landing on him and he rolled to the side to avoid the third. His outer cloak was now covered in mud and leaves, making it weigh more than it should. Casting it aside, he turned his attention back to the woman, who was still watching him with her red saber lit. Spitting some of the mud that had gotten into his mouth out, Jazen started running towards her again.

Along the way, he slid his saber across one of the fallen branches, shredding off a chunk roughly half his size. Casting aside his whip, which was now more of a hindrance uncoiled, he grabbed the chunk he had cut away with the Force and flung it at her, making sure it was blocking her line of sight. And when he was almost to her, he suddenly hopped to the side, using the Force to increase his speed so that he was only in the air for a moment before his feet touched base, putting him at the woman's side. No matter how she countered the log, Jazen would follow up by pushing at her with the Force, then quickly move into a set of quick, sharp swings at her sides and legs, aiming to get in little hits that would eventually wear her down. And until his breath left him, he would keep pressing that attack unless something forced him to abort it.

[Apillis]

As the lightning emmitting from her curled finger tips at the woman before her, Acalya's eyes widened a little as the spinning shoto came right for her. Immediately she withdraw from continuing her elemental assault of dark side energy, and batted away the shoto with her lightsaber as she took a couple stumbling steps backward scarcely saving her own head from being disconnected from her neck. Acalya took a second to make certain she regained her balance as she looked back at Kirin with a smile, almost... as if with a bit of pride in her.

"I would think you know perfectly well precisely why I do what I do, if not, your mother truly was a terrible teacher.", she replied, "I love making people understand their greatest follies and embracing them to achieve a more truthful perspective of themselves? No... There is no love in what I do... Love and beauty is fleeting and has no meaning. Survival has meaning... Power has meaning... Without either what is the point of anything?"

Her smile curled into a diabolical grin, "Why attempt the killing blow so soon -- against one of your own blood? Are you going to fool yourself into thinking it was to make the fight shorter? Stop this needless bledshed before it can esculate into something more? If so. Then deep down inside you know what it is... All lies... You wanted to ascert your strength over mine, prove yourself the greater of us two. Doing so teaches the opponent the reality, they were inferior -- by drawing out such confrontations the weaker never learns anything. Because instead hope is given to them -- hope in victory, and once someone has hope -- it is always an impossible task to rid them of it utterly... a sliver always remains. Despair with no hope in life and eternity is a succulent thing to savor. Is that what you want from me, Kirin?"

Acalya snickered a little, "Tell me, what are you willing to do for me to release Rin from my grasp?", she then deactivated her lightsaber, clipping it back onto her belt as she then drew a vibrosword instead, "What are you willing to sacrifice?... Or better, yet... Who are you willing to sacrifice?"

With swift flip of the blade into a reverse grip, while Acalya's ability for augmenting her speed is not very impressive -- still backed by porpelling herself forward with her telekinesis as a lunge -- the power of which can prove devastating. With a taunting laughter that is precisely what she did. With the power of her charge right for Kirin, the powerful telekinetic wave of energy behind the cross-slash she made the moment her high-powered charge brought right in Kirin's face, the assault could be felt and heard as its blaring rumble made the ground beneath their feet tremble a little.

[Dire Wolf]

Adara's lips curled in a malevolent grin as he let out that little cry of frusteration. In an act of defiance she sent one more thrust towards him, this time he blocked it with a circular parry, rushing towards her on the inside. If she held onto the blade, the woman would either be beheaded or minus her arms. Neither seemed like a very good option. He was nearly halfway down the pike when she sent it away with a blast of telekinesis.

Her form was a blur as she dove away from his saber, though it turned out that there was no swipe incoming. Instead it turned out to be a telekinetic push, and she was just barely too slow in dodging. The wave of energy caught her feet, throwing her body around in a full circle before she hit the soggy earth with a soft thump.

She scrambled up to her feet and sprinted towards the main group, calling the staff into her hand with a stiff pull of telekinesis. At that moment the woman realized how deeply she hated storms. Adara loathed the crash of billions of droplets of rain against the ground and her now mud crusted hood. Even so, her staff whirled around her body in elegant arcs before the blue star erupted from the hidden emitter. That small smirk pulled at one corner of her lips at the crackle of the rain against her pike's blade. "You know," her voice could cut steel, "when one spares your life, you don't give them reason to kill you."

The staff then began to whirl around her body as she charged, its trail almost visible through the disrupted fall of rain. To an experienced fighter, it would look as if she was setting up to sear him in half at the waist. Indeed, just as she neared him her blade would have looked as if it was aimed at him.

That was not the case. Just as the strike would come close to him the blade would deactivate and she would crouch low. Blue eyes watched from the darkness of her cowl as the body attached brought the staff around in the circle, its power and momentum gaining with each passing inch, as she looked to sweep him off of his feet.

------

A good fighter knew when to take a hit so that she could make a killing blow. She also when to block, to risk a flurry, and more importantly... when to get out of dodge. As her sweet sister charged at her, she realized that the very final option was the only true one. The Force itself flowed into and around Kirin like an incorporeal hurricane, one that couldn't be felt with skin or seen with the eye... but rather felt through one's ethereal perceptions. A heartbeat later, the woman unleashed the fury of this storm in the form of a corporeal blast of energy. Instead of being directed at her sweet sister, it was aimed at the soggy patch of ground just a few yards from the ginger shadow's feet.

Mud and water exploded up from the ground as if an artillery shell detonated within it. A muddy veil was quickly erected between them, and while surely Acalya was charging... she would be blind to Kirin's movements. While the recoil of her push did push her back some she quickly recovered and charged right at Acalya, her form a blur as she leapt towards the area where she guessed the woman was. Only, she kept herself low to the ground.

When Acalya passed through the veil, the woman would be upon her... and slashing at her legs. Regardless of her success, Kirin hit the ground with a sideways roll and all but flew to her feet. Hatred radiated from Kirin's bloodstained eyes as they glared coldly at her kin, "I don't care about who's stronger, sweet sister. I don't even care about this war, or the light or the dark side anymore. I just want you to die so my daughter's nightmare can end."

That cold glare turned into a scoff, and she spat out her next words as if they were poison, "name your price."

[Rugs]

Locke watched Adara's attempted dodge fail with a grim satisfaction. Rather than escape his attack, she was caught and flung back through the air, landing ignobly in the mud a few feet away. It was good to know that he could at least put up some form of a fight against her, though, as lightning seared the sky once again, followed faithfully by thunder's booming, he wondered if she was toying with him, as she had on Druckenwell. And if she is, what's the real difference between us? Locke decided he'd much rather find a way to end the fight quickly before he could discover the answer to that.

He watched her carefully as she stood once again, keeping his blade up and his senses open to the Force to respond to any sudden attacks. That saber she had inserted into the end of her staff came to life again, as it had once during the battle in the stadium. It had cut into his thigh then, as he'd tried to escape one of her attacks. He had no intentions of letting it touch him again.

"Reason to kill me?" he answered, his tone filled with a mocking sort of sarcasm. "Adara, I'm hardly the person to blame if you don't like falling over in the mud."

Locke readied himself as she charged at him, watching that staff whirl around her body, anticipating where it might try to strike him. The thing moved incredibly fast, parting the sheet of rain as it tore through the air and bore down on Locke. He took a step back to give himself an extra bit of working room, and then she was on him.

The strike seemed to be coming at his stomach. In fact, as the pike came forward toward him, that's what Locke thought it would do, and so he acted as such, moving his saber to stop it before it could sever him in two. It was a feint, though. His saber went wide when nothing met it, and before he could fully react, the staff came around again low and slammed into his legs, sending him down to the boggy ground.

His mind raced as pain shot up from his leg. He had to do something to keep her from making a follow-up. Freezing up here on the ground would be the end of him. He spit the mud out of his mouth, ignoring the rest of it that was caked to one side of his face and in his hair and threw another push at her as he rolled back, trying to put some distance between them so he could get back on his feet.

[Jenno]

Rain pounded his armour like blaster fire and Vreem could feel a warning through the Force. It lacked specifics but the Jedi Master knew danger when it was whispered to him. Lamilia’s words joined the assault upon him. And whilst she did not mention him directly, he could tell that she was still directing her disdain of this war towards him. She clutched to the ways of the Jedi with such fervour that he doubted she would ever see his perspective with a balanced mind.

He did not respond to her though as there was a sense of malice clinging to the rain and this intensity did not come from her. They could all sense it and sharpened their senses because of it. His hand was ready to call forth his lightsaber should the illusive malice try and set upon them with a surprise attack. But they didn’t have to burst into action when their enemy appeared. Two men came walking straight toward their bush from their vantage points, completely throwing away their advantage of surprise. It was odd for a pair of Sith to walk towards a group of five Jedi so callously, one of the men even calling out to them quite nonchalantly.

It didn’t take a tactical genius to perceive that there were likely other Sith lurking around. Maybe these two were simply a distraction whilst a squad of Sith surrounded them. But there had been no word from their contacts about such a strong presence of the Sith Order on this planet. Of course, if there was critical information on this rock then why wouldn’t there be Sith protecting it. And without any real gauge of their numbers, who knew if this was really considered a strong Sith presence.

But right now they were in a dangerous situation. They had been discovered, their enemy’s numbers unknown and with no secure route towards their objective or escape point they were very much in trouble. And the Force warned him of others, he could sense a desire to kill was in the air and its source came from more than just the two Sith who had revealed themselves. Vreem took a few steps away from the group and called out to the men. “Where are your allies? I can sense the foul air that seeps from you Sith and I know you are not alone.” Vreem was still without his lightsaber ignited, fighting was not what his intention had been coming upon this planet. There were higher things at stake than killing a few members of the Sith Order. But perhaps if one of these Sith could be captured they might have a source of information to help them in this war.

For now there was no real way to get on with their mission until this obstacle was removed. No doubt they would be pursued if they tried to make a break for their target and he doubted they would last too long in such a plan. Their safest option was to stick together and watch out for one another. Whether or not his Jedi companions would like it, Vreem suspected that they’d soon be his new comrades in battle and that they would get a small taste of what this war was like. At least for a little while.

[Nightender]

Alindra watched as Jazen spit mud before, laughing as she prepared to make a real attack. Before she could swoop down, a large chunk of log flew upward at her. She jumped to the side, slashing the log in half, only to find Jazen blazing toward her.

There was nowhere for Alindra to go to avoid Jazen's attack, which was a burst of the Force. Alindra felt it and was thrown through the air, crashing against a tree before she could recover. As Jazen swooped in, Alindra moved with her lightsaber, clashing against sweeps at her legs and thrusts to her sides. Sweat poured over Alindra's brow, not from the layers of cloth she wore, but from the speed she was having to exert herself at.

For a moment, she tried to go on the offensive, but thought of another strategy instead. Alindra still attacked, moving her strokes at Jazen's lightsaber, but her aim wasn't to hit him or even hurt him. She wanted an opening to his face, if only a second. Her lips saw his and wanted to make contact. She might even be able to lure him to her side still.

[Jazen]

For once, Jazen was happily surprised. His plan to distract the sith to give himself an opening....had actually worked. The woman had attacked the chunk of log he had thrown in the best way possible, using her saber. That committed her to that direction. So when his Force Push hit her, she was caught off balance and easily tossed, easier than Jazen thought was possible. And then she was on the defensive, forced to parry Jazen's pressing attack.

For once, Jazen wasn't outmatched, or facing a foe he needed the assistance of another to even make the battle fair. He was finally facing someone, at least so far, that he could fight on even ground on his own. He wasn't about to think that he had the battle won already, he'd learned well from Master Roq about pride that day. No, he was doing his duty and until it was done, he would be prepared for the fate's to switch a few times. Didn't mean he couldn't like the way things were going.

Jazen was getting better at reading the situation and from what he could see, he was her better in lightsaber combat. Unless she was hiding her true strength or her better lay in Force battles, Jazen had the advantage so long as he kept her in this form of combat. Deflecting one of her counter attacks to the side, Jazen was about to bring his saber back up to try a strike at her when she lunged at him. Not with saber, not with a force power....but with her body. Startled, Jazen shot back from her, putting distance in between himself and her, his saber between them. He shaved two more pieces of the tree when he spun back from her, backup plans just in case.

"What trickery are you trying to pull sith? You risked losing your life with that move, for it left you widely open."

He didn't admit that he couldn't have killed her there, his Jedi way would not allow him to kill unless absolutely necessary. Or that he had been so surprised by the move that he had backed away in slight fear, his brain knowing what she was doing. And it scared him that he had almost let it happen.

[Karl the Unfettered]

Shard stalked through the wet forest, relying on the noise of the rain and the others, and his own stealth, to conceal his presence. He did not speak, he made no sound beyond his footfalls, he held himself very carefully; his focus was on Vreem, the High Councilor, one of the stronger Jedi on the planet today, perhaps the strongest. He had no illusions of adding another notch to his kill-count of Jedi today, especially not one as big as Took, but he was certain to put a rattle in their plans and shake things up at the least.

He aimed to go around the group at large, and come up on Vreem from behind. He felt it necessary to make some sort of entrance, not just to dash in lightsabers blazing; such foolishness was beneath him as Dark Lord Memnon, after all. No, the quiet sneak-around, the subtle whispers and then... an Announcement. Not just words, not just a speech, but an Announcement. Nothing grand, this wasn't the place for grand, but still.

Then he was in position, in the trees behind Vreem. Lightly he leaped up to stand on a branch, the clearing beneath him and open to his sight. "Jedi..." he whispered out loud, throwing his voice so it came from in front of Vreem. "Jeedai..."" he whispered again, this time from somewhere to Vreem's right. "Jetii..." the Miraluka whispered again, this time throwing his voice to come from all around Vreem. Then he muttered in several incomprehensible languages, repeating the same word, Jedi, over and over: Jawaese, Droidspeak, Miralukese, an approximation of Shyriiwook.

Then he leaped down, silently landing several paces from the Jedi Master, revealing himself in the Force as he did so. "Face me, Vreem Took," he called out normally, if somewhat loudly, "if you don't want a bullet in the back of your head." There were no more tricks, no more illusions; he stood plainly, hands open and empty at his side, waiting for Vreem to turn.

[Meira]

Rain... Trees... Darkness... blah, blah blah.

The rain fell in thick drops, clinking against the metal roof of the small shelter. It patted on the large, thick leaves of the trees that had all but overtaken the structure. It formed pools, in endless chaos of ripples, in the mud around the edge of the covered patio. Even with the rain, the air was thick and humid, almost hard to inhale. Thick storm clouds crowded the sky, not that much could be seen through the canopy, but without like, there were no shadows... or all was shadow. In any case, yes. It was dark.

Long, thin fingers, tipped with sharp nails, closed around a glass that was wet with condensation. Those drops of water clung to pale skin as the glass was lifted off of the table and brought to thin red lips. The concoction, some kind of local fruit drink, was overly sweet and very cold, a perfect treat at such a time. Ice blue eyes, flecked with gold seemed distant, preoccupied. The glass was returned to the small table, the thin hand wiping away the sweat from the glass along a leg. A foot tapped idly, arms stretched, and the rain continued to fall.

Only a small distance from the shelter where the Dark Lady sat, comfortable in her cushioned chair, a game of cat and mouse was beginning. She observed, through her senses, as beings moved through the trees, blinking in and out of the force like so many lightning bugs searching for a mate. And they would find each other, or already had.

Acalya had brought the issue forward, warning of a number of Jedi poking their noses around where their noses ought not be. And so the Sith were sending their response to teach these Jedi a lesson in minding one's own business. But Renata, well... she was content with observing, for now.

Time would pass as the little bugs crept closer and closer in on one another, some already starting their courtship, others taking things a bit slower. But the numbers were off, it seemed there were three little bugs that had no mate. Such a sad thing. Could she allow it to happen?

With a sigh, the fiery haired woman rose from her chair and stretched her limbs. She'd been sitting still for a while. She breathed in a deep sigh, looking out into the rain and the trees. The whole point of sending all the others was so that she wouldn't have to bother herself to get wet. But these three... two were of no real significance, it seemed, but the third... the third was a tediously bright little bug.

And so it was that Darth Renata stepped out into the rain to close in on the Jedi who'd come calling. They didn't even bring a gift... She sped through the trees, using the force to augment her movement, until she came upon the grouping of Jedi. Her senses went out, though it was not entirely needed. Only one of the three seemed elusive. The other two stood very close... and one didn't seem to even have her eyes open. A small voice within called to attack, but Renata was no simpleton. She'd been a Jedi once. No, instead she kept herself at a fair distance. She made no attempt to conceal herself within the force, there was no need. The Jedi knew they were there just as much as they knew the Jedi were there. No, she kept her presence open and as she moved into sight, she used it to beckon one of the three forward. Not the statue radiating light, not the one concealed, no... she called to the weaker of the three.

Her call used no words. It was a subtle tug in the force. It was a glimpse of her body, positioned to seem open to attack. It was her appearance, already soaked through, thin... weak. Come. It called. End this one quickly, she will be no trouble. And he came, hesitant, unsure... but he came. His hand moved to unclip his lightsaber from his belt and gripped the hilt tightly so as not to let it slip in the downpour. Slowly, he moved away from the bright one, becoming more sure of himself with every step. Each step of confidence moved him farther from the Jedi's influence, and ensnared him more in in her own. The false bravado would be the last thing he felt

[Apillis]

((Basically a verbatim c/p of what Jake and I IM RPed for the conclusion for Kirin and Acalya's confrontation, naturally minus our Skype names and whatnot. It also ties in another plot that is currently in the works and will take place later on down the road.))

A diabolical grin formed on Acalya's dark grey lips, "I think the lives of the Jedi Shadows traveling with you is a fair price for the life of your daughter, wouldn't you say? Kill them, and she is free."

If looks could kill, Acalya would be dead, "I'll play along. IF I agree to this, you'll have to give me more. Leave Rin, and everyone she holds dear, alone, and I will kill the shadows. Gladly."

Acalya nodded slowly with a wide grin, "Certainly."

Kirin narrows her eyes at Acalya. This was just too easy, "If you're lieing to me, Acalya, I won't stop until you're dead. I don't care if I have to punch the devil in the balls and come back from chaos itself."

Acalya let in a deep sigh and exhaled it, "Master Jedi, I -am- Ruin, creating chaos is what I do, and if you were sent into it... Believe me... you would not be coming back out. But, why would I lie? This way, you are completing my mission for me. Which I find possitively delightful."

"Because you're a Dark Sider and a Sith Lord, and hate me for reasons I can't control." Kirin paused only to scowl, but not at Acalya... at herself. She was doing the wrong thing and she knew it, but she would do so much worse for her daughter. Thank the Force Acalya doesn't know about Tali. "I'll do it, Acalya, but know that I'll be watching my daughter. If you don't release her, I'll know... and I'll find you. You'll find that fighting a Master is a bit harder than preying on the young."

Acalya chuckled a bit, "Oh yes, I know... The Jedi Knight Kyia who 'saved' father was a Jedi Master when I met her... and killed her. But, if you're done with your idle threats, Master Jedi... I do believe you have some killing to do, don't you?"

Kirin glared at Acalya (even more) when she said that. Kyia was the one who brought her to the temple after her family was obliterated. She had considered the woman a close friend... and took her death to heart, "You were the one who killed her?" she paused as she turned, but looked back at her "sister", "I'll kill you for that."

Acalya slashed a grin at Kirin, "Oh my, you knew her then? Hmm... pity about her pad--...", Acalya paused and with a flippant sigh and a shrug, "Well, we can catch up on that later when you've finished your task."

Anger welled up within her, and it begged her to lash out her power to crush her dark sister into a ball of gore. She didn't though, and instead fully turned around to do so with self loathing in her heart. She gave the shadows to set the trap then, but when two leapt from the trees they found that they were simply floating mid-air. In an instant they flew headfirst at their own tree, and would continue to do so until they were dead. The three remaining watched as she did so, baffled. Two of the three charged her then, while the third stayed back to provide Force support. A pair of violent blades danced around Kirin's body with a deadly elegance, each one parrying an attack from a separate shadow. A powerful blast of the Force erupted from her off hand then, and cast the second shadow back far enough for her to unleash a purple hellstorm of attacks on the first. Except the third shadow threw a wave of telekinesis at her.

Throwing her own in kind was simple enugh, and sent him flying, but it distracted her enough for the first shadow to slip his saber into her shoulder. Searing pain flowed into her mind as the arm went limp, and she was forced to attack him with her off hand's shoto. Every time he parried a slash, two more seemed to rain down on him. Finally, she evaded his brutal vertical overhead slash as slipped the knife-sized saber across his throat.

Even as he fell, her telekinetic will lifted the dieing man up and slung him at the second shadow, who dodged under him only to find a violet meatgrinder of death toppling end over end towards him at harrowing speeds. He barely had time to blink, let alone dodge as the shoto seared through his brain. When it returned to her hand, the elevated words on his hilt burned into her hand. Mercy. They brought tears to her eyes as she charged at the final shadow, slapping away his blade with all her Force augmented power and speed before driving it into his chest. Those bloody eyes welled up with tears as she clipped her sabers to her belt, and turned to Acalya... hating her almost as much as she hated herself. "Leave, and take your thralls with you."

Acalya only stood by and watched the events unfold with a pleased grin, though her brow furrowed a bit in response, "Leave? You are within Sith space and you are ordering us to leave?", she then looked to Alindra and Adara,"What she said right there... it blew my face off.", she then looked back to Kirin, "I think you'll find it exceedingly merciful of me to let you three leave here unscathed. Which... I am willing to do...", a devious smile grew on her face as she uttered, "If you ever have a mind to... go to my family's home... you can pay your respects to Kyia there... I had her Padawan bury her there when I made him my apprentice... Unfortunately, he lacked the strength and endurance to complete his training..."

Kirin watched Acalya, the pain obvious in her eyes. This was all just too much. Killing three of her brothers and sisters to save her daughter, listening to Acalya bark, and learning that she in fact had been the demise of one of her closest friends. She half expected Acalya to be behind Dairion's death (rin/tali's father), too. "What ever happened to the lively little girl with the toy dolls?" A heavy sigh deflated her form as she turned towards Locke, throwing Adara out of the way as if she were a toy. She said something to him then, and curled her presence around her body (force conceal, activate!) before slipping out into the darkness of the torrential downpour.

Acalya looked upon Kirin's broken and despondent form, her head tilted a little in reaction to Kirin's question, she answered Kirin as the woman slipped away, "A Jedi Knight saved father from the darkness, and then one night a monster killed him and his family, sparing only his daughter. The monster sacrificed the little girl to become me... and here I am."

A voice slipped into Acalya's mind inquiring, "So... the girl, Rin, it ends...?"

Acalya smirked responding back to the voice with her own mind, "I agreed that I would do nothing to her. You will just have to take my place..."

*****

Lamilia kept her position and stance as she focused herself to reach out to the Jedi she traveled with, letting her own light, compassion, serenity, and care wash over them freeing them from the physical and spiritual ailments of weighted encumberance of anxiety or fatigue they may suffer. Though as she kept herself centered, she could feel a darkness watching she and the two Knights with her, though one Knight was hidden -- she was not as naive as to believe he may have gone unnoticed.

A dark will culling one of the pair of Knights from the herd so to speak, enticed him wearily away from she and other Jedi. Even with her eyes closed a look of concern was evident upon her visage, and rightly so, "Stop!", she whispered to the Knight, though he did not respond to her. She then uttered to the one cloaked near her, "Go with him, protect him... He needs more protection than I do..."

Lamilia never had much -- if any -- talent for manipulating people, more so through the Force, and never did she ever really have the desire to. The ability to overpower the entranced Knight's mind and return him back to her side she did not possess. Instead all she could do is try to protect him by further extending the protection of her compassion through the Force and hope that and his comrade were enough to save him from the darkness that bewitched him. For now her priority was making certain the others too were strengthened by the warmth of the Force she exuded to grant them an edge over the darkness that stood before each of them.

She only wished there were more Jedi within the Order to take up the Healing arts, so many only desire and crave strength and battle to destroy the darkness. But, so few appreciate the washing away he darkness with only but extension of light within through their own benevolence through the Force itself. The natural primal strength of the dark side can be a staggering thing, but what a powerful shining light it is that a Jedi can generate from their own equanimity...

[sparrow]

Ki'ang stayed close to Lamilla. With the Sith strength in the shadows unknown, it was extremely important that the Jedi stayed together, and since Lamilla was the Healer, that meant keeping her at the center of the group. No, it wasn't that Ki'ang thought Lamilla incapable of protecting herself. In fact, if for whatever reason the two came to blows, he was fairly certain that he would end up on the losing end of the fight, lacking the speed and extra stamina that came with youth.

But right now the mission required a different part of Lamilla's talents. Her healing aura, projecting a light that pushed away the darkness, was powerful, but required concentration and focus to maintain, concentration and focus that she wouldn't have if she were suddenly forced to engage in intense lightsaber combat. So she would have to be protected. It was one or the other, and the boon that her healing abilities provided more than made up for the loss of the direct involvement of her blade.

Erim suddenly began moving away from the group, his hand moving towards his lightsaber. Lamilla whispered for him to stop, but the Knight seemed to pay no heed. Something was wrong, very very wrong. Erim's steps seemed unsteady, almost as if he was in some sort of trance.

There was a Sith somewhere out there, a telepath. A strong one. And they were trying to split the group apart. Suffice to say, Ki'ang was not about to let that happen.

"Erim, stop! We stay together!" No response. The Sith's grip over Erim's mind was strong. It seems that a more heavy-handed approach was needed. The weaves, ones that Ki'ang had practiced thousands of times in his life, came together quickly, forming a shimmering barrier that slammed down between Erim and the unseen Sith. Erim had been so enthralled that he bumped straight into the barrier. He stumbled backwards a few steps and blinked in confusion.

Your move, Sith.