Star Wars: Conflicting Views.
Posted: 2004-12-17 06:54pm
STAR WARS: Conflicting Views.
By David 'Crazedwraith' Cutter.
***
It started at the setting of the third sun. The entire temple was cast in the hues of the dying light in mellow golds and pinks. The Jedi stood facing the ruin of an Alter to the dark side of the force. It was why he was here; this place was strong in the malignant influence of by gone eras. Eras when hundreds of people’s force essence was sucked dry by Sith like some sick feast. It was well spring of power to a fallen Jedi, a Dark Jedi. It was a beacon to his prey.
And the prey came, haughty and tall. Sheathed in black robes and black armour spikes protruded from shoulder pads and a Black mask with silver tracing covered his face. He smirked arrogantly when he saw the Jedi standing his back turned and called out:
“So the Jedi council, sent you? They actually thought that you actually had had the guts, let alone the power to defeat me, old friend?”
The Jedi did not answer. Instead he replied,
“Dellos Yain, ten years ago, you were expelled from the Jedi order. For weakness, for corruption and for disobeying the instructions of the Jedi council in such a way that a Jedi Knight and two Padawan learners almost perished. You were warned then that you would be closely watched and if you stepped over the line we would come down very hard on you. That day has come. Surrender now and we can get you help.”
“Help?” Dellos’ voice was etched with sarcasm, “What help would I need from you, old friend? I am strong, stronger than any Jedi. I will not surrender, you will remove yourself from my path old friend the way you always used to and you will carry on living you pathetic live.”
The Jedi turned around, a sad smile on his face.
“You insist on misunderstanding, Yain.” The Jedi’s voice took on an edge worthy a mono–molecular blade. “Surrender now or I cannot guarantee you will leaves this place alive, let alone in one pieces.” It was not a threat to either of them. In the Jedi’s eyes, it was mere statement of Fact. To the Sith it was an example of the Jedi’s self–delusion.
Under his mask, Yain’s grin broadened, he let out a mirthless chuckle.
“So be it…”
Snap–hiss. A metre long blade of ruby energy ignited in the hand of the Sith and danced in towards the Jedi’s heart.
“…Jedi”
The point of the blood blade was scant centimetres from the Jedi’s chest when the emerging azure length of energy swept up through a parry. A fluid counter–strike was intercepted by the Sith much further from his own body. The blade sprung apart kissed low, separated and kissed again. The Blades were locked. Braced against each other. The Sith just smirked again.
“Do you truly believe you can defeat my Power, Davos Quin? You truly believe you are a match for the darkside?” And with a surge of raw power he shoved Jedi Knight Quin out of the lock, the telekinetic shove sent it him staggering back. Yain stabbing at him thrice in quick succession.
The ruby point danced for the head, blocked by horizontal move or the blue blade. Quin cocked his wrists as he blocked the next thrust for his midriff. He danced around the next high strike and stepped in and slashed for Yain’s mask. His range was wrong.
Yain just leaned back and laughed.
“Is that the best you’ve got old friend?” his breathing was steady his posture was casual, as if the Jedi couldn’t be construed as a threat at all.
“I haven’t even tapped my powers, yet we seem to have reached the end of yours all ready. You were always weaker, Davos. Always slower to learn and quickly to fail in the face of adversity old friend.”
The Force users circled each other, aiming light slices and stabs at each other, all heart seemed to have gone out of them. Their battle had almost moved beyond the need.
Quin aimed a strike low. Yain sidestepped casually bringing his down towards his opponent’s shoulder.
“Yes, I was always weaker. Which makes this situation ironic does it not? By rights I, the ‘slower’ of us, should have fallen for the lure of quick power. Yet you, one who professed always to be able to do it always, learnt quickly. Why did you take the easy path, when the true one was so clear to you?” Yain, cackling, spun his sabre turning it in to a whirling red discus as he flashily picked off two thrusts to his chest.
“So still, yapping out the company policy? Why cling to their lies, Davos? The darkside is stronger. Even now, you a fully-fledged Jedi Knight are nothing more than an amusement, a chew toy. You don’t even rate as an annoyance.”
He slashed for Quin’s knee. It was retracted out of the way, he slashed at eye level, and Quin ducked. He whipped his lightsabre around, hard and fast: meaning to end their play with one decisive stroke. It was blocked as easily as any half–hearted stroke in their play. The Jedi’s eyes were half–closed he had found his centre. And he spoke.
“Perhaps you are right. What do I know about such things? I only worked and worked and worked on my skills endlessly. I could have had all this power with just one unguarded moment you say. Yet I did not, yet I am still here. You say I failed sooner next to adversity. I disagree.”
Yain brought his blade down vertically, smashing down with stupendous power. Quin simply deflected it and smashed his boot into The would be Sith’s solar plexus. Dellos doubled over.
“Here is what I think. You did not conquer any adversity. You saw than which faced me, and saw none opposing yourself and you thought that meant you had conquered it. The truth is as soon as adversity and difficulty showed its face as soon as you actually had to push hard for things you crumbled. You took the easy path. You were weak.”
The Sith mutter just one word…
“No”
… And turned the temple into a whirlwind of powers. Force lighting burst from his body. The air was turned into a sandstorm as it whirled, bringing up dust. Millennia old tiles, piles and racked pieces or wreckage were lifted into the air and joined the storm to flense his victim alive. Pure force energy wreathed his form and coursed through his veins, no weak minded Jedi could stop hi– –
A Force shielded fist came out of the maelstrom and hit Yain in the face. His force storm faded. Quin’s form was visible the quickly fading dark energies rebounding from his shields. A sad smile was on his face.
“Good Bye…Dellis Yain.”
Yain collapsed, his mask cracked, blood leaked from his nose and he scrambled weakly back. His fingers scrabbled weakly across the surface of the temple floor searching, searching and finding a smooth metal cylinder. It was his lightsabre. He screamed his triumph. His desperation, his anger and humiliation at being brought so low by a pathetic servant of light powered him, the darkside lifted him to his feet and launched him forward his eyes a strange shade of glowing yellow, his face contorted with rage, beyond what was normally considered humanly possible.
Quin fixed the sad smile to his face and let the force take him to meet the onslaught.
A living observer could not have seen what was happening in front of him, it was not likely in the latest production of Industrial Automation, or Cybot Galactica could have perceived what was happening beyond two vortexes of light blue and red light, intersecting at countless white flashes.
To the Jedi, it was almost if they were both moving in water, or rather as if two other people were moving in water and he was just observing the ride.
Again and the again the blood blade came for him. The sky blue beam always cheerfully rebuffed it and counter attack. Slashing from the left, high low and high again. Stamp thrust. The Red blade’s parries were coming slower and slower. It danced out for Quin’s head was parried. It danced out lashing across his knees. Davos threw his front leg up lifting himself into the head and front kicked Yain’s already bruised face. Dellos staggered back and Quin advance mercilessly. Dellos tried one last desperate lunge. He was finished, he had lost and knew it but that last stroke could have run through Davos twice over if he had stood to receive it. He did not. He twisted and brought his own Lightsabre down and past the blood blade, neatly nicking Dellis’ sabre where energy met metal. Davos took one hand of his hilt and smacked Yain with the dark end. He slumped over to the floor; miraculously laughing despite the azure point levelled at his throat.
“Now what Old friend? What we you do? Execute me? When it’s against your precious ideals of the force? Drag me back to the Council? You could never get me there and you know it. It would be so easy just to kill me, but then ‘never for attack’ isn’t that right? I could kill thousands, millions and yet you pathetic Jedi can’t take the final step. Kill and become me, Davos.”
The sad smile had been lost somewhere during the furious (on Dellis’ part anyway) conflict returned on the face of the knight.
“If you truly believe that, Yain, then you never knew what being Jedi is about. We’re not pacifists. We are not forbidden attack or killing. We are forbidden aggression, attacking for no reason attacking for our own personal gain, killing for pleasure as you did that is forbidden. We guard the peace and if the peace requires your death then it shall have it.”
Davos Lifted his blade for the final stroke and Dellis screamed a baby’s wail of fear and lunged using the only weapons left to him, his fingers curled like claws as he shoved them into Quin’s face.
The azure blade punched through his chest with scant resistance. It flash fried his organs. Yain dropped to the floor dead.
Quin killed his blade. He knelt and closed the eyelids on the corpse of a man who had once been his best friend.
“I’m sorry…Old friend.”
***
Thats it folks. Please comment.
By David 'Crazedwraith' Cutter.
***
It started at the setting of the third sun. The entire temple was cast in the hues of the dying light in mellow golds and pinks. The Jedi stood facing the ruin of an Alter to the dark side of the force. It was why he was here; this place was strong in the malignant influence of by gone eras. Eras when hundreds of people’s force essence was sucked dry by Sith like some sick feast. It was well spring of power to a fallen Jedi, a Dark Jedi. It was a beacon to his prey.
And the prey came, haughty and tall. Sheathed in black robes and black armour spikes protruded from shoulder pads and a Black mask with silver tracing covered his face. He smirked arrogantly when he saw the Jedi standing his back turned and called out:
“So the Jedi council, sent you? They actually thought that you actually had had the guts, let alone the power to defeat me, old friend?”
The Jedi did not answer. Instead he replied,
“Dellos Yain, ten years ago, you were expelled from the Jedi order. For weakness, for corruption and for disobeying the instructions of the Jedi council in such a way that a Jedi Knight and two Padawan learners almost perished. You were warned then that you would be closely watched and if you stepped over the line we would come down very hard on you. That day has come. Surrender now and we can get you help.”
“Help?” Dellos’ voice was etched with sarcasm, “What help would I need from you, old friend? I am strong, stronger than any Jedi. I will not surrender, you will remove yourself from my path old friend the way you always used to and you will carry on living you pathetic live.”
The Jedi turned around, a sad smile on his face.
“You insist on misunderstanding, Yain.” The Jedi’s voice took on an edge worthy a mono–molecular blade. “Surrender now or I cannot guarantee you will leaves this place alive, let alone in one pieces.” It was not a threat to either of them. In the Jedi’s eyes, it was mere statement of Fact. To the Sith it was an example of the Jedi’s self–delusion.
Under his mask, Yain’s grin broadened, he let out a mirthless chuckle.
“So be it…”
Snap–hiss. A metre long blade of ruby energy ignited in the hand of the Sith and danced in towards the Jedi’s heart.
“…Jedi”
The point of the blood blade was scant centimetres from the Jedi’s chest when the emerging azure length of energy swept up through a parry. A fluid counter–strike was intercepted by the Sith much further from his own body. The blade sprung apart kissed low, separated and kissed again. The Blades were locked. Braced against each other. The Sith just smirked again.
“Do you truly believe you can defeat my Power, Davos Quin? You truly believe you are a match for the darkside?” And with a surge of raw power he shoved Jedi Knight Quin out of the lock, the telekinetic shove sent it him staggering back. Yain stabbing at him thrice in quick succession.
The ruby point danced for the head, blocked by horizontal move or the blue blade. Quin cocked his wrists as he blocked the next thrust for his midriff. He danced around the next high strike and stepped in and slashed for Yain’s mask. His range was wrong.
Yain just leaned back and laughed.
“Is that the best you’ve got old friend?” his breathing was steady his posture was casual, as if the Jedi couldn’t be construed as a threat at all.
“I haven’t even tapped my powers, yet we seem to have reached the end of yours all ready. You were always weaker, Davos. Always slower to learn and quickly to fail in the face of adversity old friend.”
The Force users circled each other, aiming light slices and stabs at each other, all heart seemed to have gone out of them. Their battle had almost moved beyond the need.
Quin aimed a strike low. Yain sidestepped casually bringing his down towards his opponent’s shoulder.
“Yes, I was always weaker. Which makes this situation ironic does it not? By rights I, the ‘slower’ of us, should have fallen for the lure of quick power. Yet you, one who professed always to be able to do it always, learnt quickly. Why did you take the easy path, when the true one was so clear to you?” Yain, cackling, spun his sabre turning it in to a whirling red discus as he flashily picked off two thrusts to his chest.
“So still, yapping out the company policy? Why cling to their lies, Davos? The darkside is stronger. Even now, you a fully-fledged Jedi Knight are nothing more than an amusement, a chew toy. You don’t even rate as an annoyance.”
He slashed for Quin’s knee. It was retracted out of the way, he slashed at eye level, and Quin ducked. He whipped his lightsabre around, hard and fast: meaning to end their play with one decisive stroke. It was blocked as easily as any half–hearted stroke in their play. The Jedi’s eyes were half–closed he had found his centre. And he spoke.
“Perhaps you are right. What do I know about such things? I only worked and worked and worked on my skills endlessly. I could have had all this power with just one unguarded moment you say. Yet I did not, yet I am still here. You say I failed sooner next to adversity. I disagree.”
Yain brought his blade down vertically, smashing down with stupendous power. Quin simply deflected it and smashed his boot into The would be Sith’s solar plexus. Dellos doubled over.
“Here is what I think. You did not conquer any adversity. You saw than which faced me, and saw none opposing yourself and you thought that meant you had conquered it. The truth is as soon as adversity and difficulty showed its face as soon as you actually had to push hard for things you crumbled. You took the easy path. You were weak.”
The Sith mutter just one word…
“No”
… And turned the temple into a whirlwind of powers. Force lighting burst from his body. The air was turned into a sandstorm as it whirled, bringing up dust. Millennia old tiles, piles and racked pieces or wreckage were lifted into the air and joined the storm to flense his victim alive. Pure force energy wreathed his form and coursed through his veins, no weak minded Jedi could stop hi– –
A Force shielded fist came out of the maelstrom and hit Yain in the face. His force storm faded. Quin’s form was visible the quickly fading dark energies rebounding from his shields. A sad smile was on his face.
“Good Bye…Dellis Yain.”
Yain collapsed, his mask cracked, blood leaked from his nose and he scrambled weakly back. His fingers scrabbled weakly across the surface of the temple floor searching, searching and finding a smooth metal cylinder. It was his lightsabre. He screamed his triumph. His desperation, his anger and humiliation at being brought so low by a pathetic servant of light powered him, the darkside lifted him to his feet and launched him forward his eyes a strange shade of glowing yellow, his face contorted with rage, beyond what was normally considered humanly possible.
Quin fixed the sad smile to his face and let the force take him to meet the onslaught.
A living observer could not have seen what was happening in front of him, it was not likely in the latest production of Industrial Automation, or Cybot Galactica could have perceived what was happening beyond two vortexes of light blue and red light, intersecting at countless white flashes.
To the Jedi, it was almost if they were both moving in water, or rather as if two other people were moving in water and he was just observing the ride.
Again and the again the blood blade came for him. The sky blue beam always cheerfully rebuffed it and counter attack. Slashing from the left, high low and high again. Stamp thrust. The Red blade’s parries were coming slower and slower. It danced out for Quin’s head was parried. It danced out lashing across his knees. Davos threw his front leg up lifting himself into the head and front kicked Yain’s already bruised face. Dellos staggered back and Quin advance mercilessly. Dellos tried one last desperate lunge. He was finished, he had lost and knew it but that last stroke could have run through Davos twice over if he had stood to receive it. He did not. He twisted and brought his own Lightsabre down and past the blood blade, neatly nicking Dellis’ sabre where energy met metal. Davos took one hand of his hilt and smacked Yain with the dark end. He slumped over to the floor; miraculously laughing despite the azure point levelled at his throat.
“Now what Old friend? What we you do? Execute me? When it’s against your precious ideals of the force? Drag me back to the Council? You could never get me there and you know it. It would be so easy just to kill me, but then ‘never for attack’ isn’t that right? I could kill thousands, millions and yet you pathetic Jedi can’t take the final step. Kill and become me, Davos.”
The sad smile had been lost somewhere during the furious (on Dellis’ part anyway) conflict returned on the face of the knight.
“If you truly believe that, Yain, then you never knew what being Jedi is about. We’re not pacifists. We are not forbidden attack or killing. We are forbidden aggression, attacking for no reason attacking for our own personal gain, killing for pleasure as you did that is forbidden. We guard the peace and if the peace requires your death then it shall have it.”
Davos Lifted his blade for the final stroke and Dellis screamed a baby’s wail of fear and lunged using the only weapons left to him, his fingers curled like claws as he shoved them into Quin’s face.
The azure blade punched through his chest with scant resistance. It flash fried his organs. Yain dropped to the floor dead.
Quin killed his blade. He knelt and closed the eyelids on the corpse of a man who had once been his best friend.
“I’m sorry…Old friend.”
***
Thats it folks. Please comment.
