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Post by Cain on Nov 27, 2009 22:50:34 GMT -5
Cain's crush on Ashley's arm had severed it at the forearm, and though her ankle was broken her foot remained attached. The telekinetic hand wrapped around Ashley's throat and flung her against the wall hard, "You have much still to learn young one," Cain's voice said into her head, "Rest on your failure here today. Gather your strength so that you do not fail again."
Another clone of Cain appeared from the shadows, appearing to pick up Ashley and carry her away from Kayen who still had to deal with his little test. Ashley was carried through telekinesis down into the Jedi Temple's catacombs where Cain's laboratory was. After she was placed on the table Cain's clone vanished and the medical droids went to work on her wounds. Bandaging her ankle and head and applying a mechanical prosthetic to replace her missing left arm. The machine had no artificial flesh over it, all the gears and circuitry were left exposed. After the droids were finished Ashley was left to rest on the operation table.
Back up in the room of a thousand fountains Ashley would have appeared to Kayen to have been hacking and fighting with nothing, only to have her limbs crushed and thrown into a wall while Cain stood in front of Kayen, a blank expression on his face, "Don't think I've forgotten you, Iridonian."
Raiku noticed Angel come onto the bridge and let out another exasperated sigh, "Oh boy... you aren't trying to go into the temple too are you? I really can't be sending anyone else in there, Cain doesn't appreciate unexpected company."
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Post by Odan Thos on Nov 27, 2009 23:06:43 GMT -5
Angel looked at the Admiral strangely for a second then shook her head. "No. As my message stated, I come to offer my services to the Imperial Navy." Angel said bluntly. She did not understand why these humans were jumping to such conclusions. However what confused her even more was why they think that a droid; such as herself, would desire to go to the Jedi Temple. They had to already know she was a droid. She was identical to Celestial in design and she served in the Republic Navy. "If you require I could provide a list of reference and skill which I possess that makes me qualified to server." Angel said with a jokingly smile. She wondered if she was being confused with her sister.
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Post by Tai on Nov 28, 2009 12:13:45 GMT -5
Tai completely ignored his surrounding as if he could still see the usual temple entrence and platforms and everything else. He kept his focus on the boy not taking his eyes off of him until he felt something grab his neck but he saw nothing. He at first was panicking, grabbing his neck and shaking but than he settled down and fell to his knees and put his hands on them. He was loosing air but stayed calm he could feel life slipping away but he had to stay calm and finally it began to work. He used his own force to push on the force grip around his neck until it completely pushed it away and it sent a force push towards the kid while freeing Tai. Tai stood back up not gasping for air but breathing slowly to still stay calm just taking in huge portions of air at once. "I wont underestimate you if that's what your expecting me to do... I may not be powerful but im not stupid..." Tai said calmly getting ready.
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Post by Gamov on Nov 28, 2009 13:22:23 GMT -5
"Captain?! Sir, what's going on?!" Prescott's tone was frantic as he watched Janus fall to the floor of the landing pad, his body convulsing involuntarily while the boy just watched, his face cold and emotionless.
"God damn it!" He knelt next to the Captain, placing a hand on his forehead to keep him steady before he lifted the Captain's eyelids open and looked into his eyes. His puils were dilated, unresponsive to light. His face was twisted into an expression of agony the likes of which he had never seen on a grown man's face before.
Prescott glanced over his shoulder to the boy and the Sith, the two of them just standing there, frozen in place, observing quietly as Janus was engulfed by a force that none of them could see. He grit his teeth beneath his helmet and was about to shoot some kind of livid remark at the two, even against his better judgment, when the Sith standing next to the boy suddenly fell to his knees, acting as if though the life had been drained from him for no tangible reason.
The Sergeant's eyes widened, reflecting a mixture of disbelife and horror before he turned back to the Captain. The situation was quickly growing out of control, and Prescott knew his priority now was to get the Captain to safety. "Tempest, do you copy, over?"
There was no reply from their ship. Instead, his comm filled with static and a high pitched screeching noise that shot through his head, deafening him. "Gaaaahhhh!!" Prescott ripped his helmet off and tossed it to the platform in a bid to silence the noise. Holding his hands over his ears, he could only manage one thought at the moment. "What the hell is happening?"
********
Janus clutched his stomach, doubling over and collapsing to his knees as a searing pain ripped through his abdomen. He looked to his hands, the normally black leather of his gloves drenched in blood as a sanguine stain began to seep through his uniform. "W-w-what.... Is.... This?" He managed, his voice trembling through the excrutiating pain.
"Debilitating... isn't it? That wound will be fatal in less then ten minutes if nothing is done. However... where this pain would normally hinder others, you will use it to your advantage. You will turn away from your hatred no longer. You will give your pain a face."
Janus could only manage a confused stare to the words. Give his pain a face? Scar himself beyond recognition? Impossible.... He wouldn't do it. His confusion quickly turned to a state of determination, his gaze becoming harsher. "I.... I will not.... I will not be like you...." He hunched over again, trying to force himself to his feet through the agony. But as he did, another surge of pain shot through him, putting him back to his knees as he coughed up a small spatter of blood.
Breathing heavily, he kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke. "You.... maim yourself because you can't...." Another cough forced more blood from his lips, staining the parched valley floor and dripping to the toe of his boot. "You can't stand what you are.... What you've become. So you hurt yourself.... hurt others and force them to be like you.... So you don't.... Don't have to feel alone in your hate."
Each of Janus' words were delivered with less and less force as Janus felt his life bleeding out from him as the air around them began to churn, swirling a large cloud of dust and debris up around the two as the man before him seemed to envelop himself in a dark cloud of energy. Though Janus could barely stand under his own power, he remained looking at Cain, his hand still nursing the wound on his stomach as it continued to leech blood.
Suddenly, Cain let out a scream, a scream that seemed to penetrate everything around it, slicing through the world like a primeval force that had no limit to its power.
Janus staggered to his feet when Cain turned the power on him, extending his arm and projecting an immense wave of invisible energy towards him. Janus felt his back slam into the wall of a nearby tomb, forcing him to cringe in pain as he collapsed to the ground again, falling to his hands and knees.
Cain's giddy voice suddenly bled into the discomfort, "If you can't turn pain into power then at least try not to die too quickly, your despair is exquisite!"
"I.... Won't...." He protested.
"Do it!!" The voice rang into his head again.
"No! I won't allow myself to become.... That!"
"Fool! Don't you realize what he's offering you?!" The voice shot back in disgust. "Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?" Janus asked, seething with anger.
"How do you think we escaped that hell?!"
"It was the Lieutenant...."
"Idiot! It was your pain, your hatred for them that got you out of there! Had it not been for that, you would have died on the exame table long ago!" The voice seemed to become increasingly irritated the longer it spoke. "Perhaps you should have died there. You aren't fit for this life.... But I.... I have no intentions of dying because of your incompotence!! Own your pain! Use it! Use to crush your enemies!"
Janus shifted his head again as the same deafening ring pierced his mind. He brought his hands to the sides of his head, rising up to his knees and throwing his head back as he let out a pained scream of agony. "NO!!!! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!!" But in his weakened state, the battle was short, it gained control without much trouble.
Lowering his head, Janus' expression was visibly altered again. With little care or compuction, acting almost as if he were in a kind of trance, he reached a hand to the right breast pocket of his uniform and grabbed one of the silver colored pins, removing it from its place. He placed his left hand on the desert floor and raised the pin in the other high above his head.
"Own the pain...." He said flatly before descending the pin on his hand, driving the small metal object clean through his flesh and bone alike, releasing a scream in the process that gradually degenerated into a strange chuckle that slowly grew into a laugh as he raised his hand in front of his face and observed what he had done.
Oddly, the pain in his body seemed to have evaporated. Though blood oozed from his stomach wound and the sleeve of his unifrom was stained red with blood from his hand, Janus felt nothing. He was totally numb.
"Is this how it feels? To own your pain?" He asked, turning his hand slowly to see that the pin ahd gone all the way through, sticking out from the middle of his palm.
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Post by Cain on Nov 28, 2009 17:27:33 GMT -5
"Hmph, that's the best news I've heard all day," Raiku replied to Angel, "Welcome aboard, recruit. Pull up a chair, join the excitement. Cain keeps telling us we're at war but from here it couldn't be more boring," Raiku collapsed back into her seat, spinning in her chair and scanning the planet below, "I'll let the big guy know you're on board. I take it you have places to be... we'll contact you if you're needed."
Back on the landing platform the boy shot a glance over to the Sargent, his thoughts could be heard clearly, "What the hell is happening?"
"The girl warned you, didn't she?" the boy responded, "She told you what happened to the others who tried to enter this place... did you not believe her?"
Meanwhile, for Tai the situation was different. He managed to pry the force grip off of his neck, but his force push at the boy only caused him to split into two now.
"I wont underestimate you if that's what your expecting me to do... I may not be powerful but I'm not stupid..." Tai said.
"I expect nothing from you yet," the boy replied plainly, "but that is why we're here now. That is the purpose of the game," the darkness had grown to consume everything around Tai, even the clones of the boy disappeared, "Your composure is impressive... but I can find your breaking point..."
From the darkness appeared a man familiar to Tai. It was Tai's older brother, he was standing over the corpse of a man who had been ran through by a lightsaber, "Ready to finish what you began?"
Within Janus' illusion he had finally given in to his inner darkness. Cain was pleased, but it wasn't over quite yet, "Hmph! You've embraced the dark side... now let's see you use it!" Cain shouted, extending his arms and slamming his hands together. In time with his motions two walls of telekinesis crashed down in at Janus from either side in an attempt to crush him.
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Post by Tai on Nov 28, 2009 17:42:07 GMT -5
The words the boy had said ran through Tai's head and had him thinking, a game? Tai took a few steps back getting ready for the next attack but there was no attack. Until another man appeared, at first Tai could not tell who he was until.... until... it could not be. He looked to the ground and saw kendal, Tai gridded his teeth together and gripped his lightsaber even harder now shacking. He took out the other lightsaber "You killed him..." Tai said out loud still shacking both lightsaber's ignited and out.
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Post by Cain on Nov 28, 2009 18:43:04 GMT -5
"Heh..." Elasser chuckled at Tai's emotional outburst, "I killed him? That's not how we remember it. He tried to help you, but you were too weak to even get out of your own way. You were weak then, you're weak now," Elasser kicked the corpse of Kendal so that it rolled over, his eyes were still open and glazed over, the expression of pain and heart break still frozen on his face, "You know what the difference is between you and me, Tai?" Elasser asked, "You lack the will to do all that is necessary. When the time comes to kill your emotions paralyze you. But not me. My hate is my weapon... that is why I'll always win and you'll always lose!"
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Post by Tai on Nov 28, 2009 19:01:56 GMT -5
Tai could of vomited at the site of his cousin, his best friend Kendal. When Elasser kicked the corpse Tai did not know what to do. "I did not mean to... it was an accident... It was an accident..." Tai told him self so blown away he just did not know what to do. Tai jumped at Elasser with both lightsabers out and came down swinging at him with all his anger hoping to never see his brothers face again, or Kendals.
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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Nov 28, 2009 19:06:11 GMT -5
Kayen had watched as he saw the figure of Cain and he listened. His hand quickly dropped to his belt and he drew his double bladed lightsaber, but he detached the hilt in the middle and had two lightsabers. He grinned slowly as he saw Ashley lose an arm to nothing and he figured it was a force clone and some telekinesis. Both yellow blades of his lightsabers ignited and he spoke "Do you really expect me to waste my time fighting your little illusion like she did? GIVE ME SOMETHING I CAN MAKE BLEED, OLD MAN!"
Perhaps Kayen had a bit of an ego... but it was a front. In reality he was scared shitless to be here, but he knew if he survived this, he would be all the more powerful.
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Post by Cain on Nov 28, 2009 22:46:11 GMT -5
Tai's composure had been broken, Elasser effortlessly dodged his clumsy attacks, stepping off to the side as Tai charged in, "An accident? There is no accident. You failed him. You failed because you were weak. You still are. Aren't you tired of feeling powerless yet?"
Inside the temple Cain listened to Kayen's words stoically, "Very well then," Cain lifted his lightsaber and the blade extended outward infinitely as a beam of light would. As it raked over Kayen's chest it inflicted a deep gash, drawing blood onto the Jedi Temple floor, "You must turn your hatred inwards before you can direct it outwards, Iridonian. You speak as if you have control here, you will quickly find that you are mistaken. If these illusions are something that you can stop, then I invite you to stop them..."
The darkness then began to descend on Kayen as it had all the others, the room growing blacker and blacker. Cain simply stood back watching Kayen before disappearing into the darkness.
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Post by DarkSaber on Nov 29, 2009 12:38:11 GMT -5
Before Ashley could say or do anything else, she felt something tight wrap around her throat and suddenly she was unable to breathe and then she felt herself being lifted off the ground and being thrown into the wall hard.
Before slipping into unconsciousness she did hear Cain’s voice in her head.
“You have much still to learn young one. Rest on your failure here today. Gather your strength so that you do not fail again.”[/color]
*Several hours later in the Cain’s laboratory* Ashley woke up to find herself in a medical room or at least that what she thought it was because she could smell the familiar stench of stuff they used to tend to wounds. She always hated it. She sat up and when she did, she caught site of her new mechanical left arm. She flexed it in and out to get a good feel of it. She felt pain come from her broken ankle and she groaned. She had a really bad headache and the bandage on her head was not helping the matter. She remembered who did this to her and she got really angry. She spotted one medical droid and she used the Force and slammed the droid into the wall.
Ashley closed her eyes and meditated on what had happened earlier. As she focused, she heard Cain’s voice inside her head again.
“You have much still to learn young one. Rest on your failure here today. Gather your strength so that you do not fail again.”[/color]
After a few hours of meditating she focused on healing herself with the Force on her ankle. It was painful healing the bones back into place, but she embraced it as she healed her bones back into place and once they were back in place she unwrapped it and stood up. She unwrapped the bandage from her head and felt the back of her head with her right hand and could feel the stitches and knew they would not take long to heal and so she quickly healed the back of her head and she grabbed her stuff and walked out of the room without as so much as saying one word to the medical droid. She was going back to find the others.
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Post by Kayen/Saul/Katarina on Nov 29, 2009 18:07:39 GMT -5
Kayen yelled loudly and he staggered back as the lightsaber sliced across his chest, immediately burning shut. He didn't even hear Cain, he just roared angrily and charged forward into the darkness, hacking both lightsabers where Cain should have been. He was stupid and he was exerting himself for nothing, but he was furious now. The darkness had engulfed him and he felt himself growing numb and tired.
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Post by Cain on Nov 29, 2009 18:40:07 GMT -5
As Kayen charged forward the Cain in front of him simply disappeared, appearing in the same moment behind the Iridonian, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Sleep... beast," Cain's words were followed by a torrent of telekinesis that appeared to Kayen as flashes of countless lightsaber blades all slicing his flesh at once from all sides, completely tearing up his robes and flesh. Cain let go of Kayen's shoulder to let him drop.
"The force still rules you, Iridonian..." Cain's words said in Kayen's mind, "The force should be your tool to wield. Your emotions should be your weapon to strike your opponents with... not the other way around. Now get up!"
As Ashley wandered the darkened hallways underneath the Jedi Temple a lone door creaked open as if to invite her inside. The room that she was bekoned into was pitch black as well accept for the dim light that came from candles that were arranged in a circle around the room. At the center of the circle sat Cain, his eye's closed and in deep meditation.
"Have a seat," Cain's voice said inside Ashley's head, "Meditate here for now while we await the others..."
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Post by DarkSaber on Nov 29, 2009 18:57:40 GMT -5
Ashley heard the creaking sound of a door opening. She entered the room and noticed at first it was pitch black except for the dim light that came from candles that were arranged in a circle around the room. She saw Cain sitting in the center of the room with his eyes were closed. Then she heard Cain’s voice inside her head.
”Have a seat. Meditate here for now while we await the others.”[/i]
“Get the hell out of my damn head,” she said as she shook her head to clear it. She looked around the room and then after a moment she sat down and put on her black glove over her left hand and closed her eyes and meditated. She could feel the dark side of the Force strongly in the room. It’s power almost intoxicating.
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Post by Gamov on Nov 29, 2009 20:48:55 GMT -5
OOC: Not exactly sure how a ship Captain who doesn't really know the Force is supposed to defend against that, but I gave it a shot. Let me know if this doesn't work.
BIC:
Janus' emotionless gaze at his injured hand soon turned to a glare as Cain spoke again. Looking up from his position just in time to see him bring his hands together in a single swift move, Janus felt a strange twinge deep within himself. Something had changed, or at least it felt that way. Some part of his conscious mind, however small the shift was to his perceptions, had tapped into something he had never knew was there before. A strange primal force fueled by the simmering embers of rage came seeping into his body, imbuing him with an indescribable sensation that felt somehow foreign, yet familiar all at the same time.
For reasons unknown to him, he could suddenly feel this world, measuring it not with his senses, but with another thing. Something feint, like that of feeling a weak electrical current pulse through one's fingertips, connected him to this place. It was immeasurable by his own mind, an anomoly. But it felt as natural as his every living breath.
suddenly, he felt the air around him become disturbed, almost as if an intense wave of pressure were heading his way. It felt akin to what Cain ha done to him before, but now he could feel it well in advance. The sensation and fear of being crushed again by an invisible wall elicited something strange in the Captain, even he did not fully understand, but when his thoughts traversed to preparing himself for the onslaught, a feeling came about him that gave him the sense of being somehow "secure" against it.
Janus closed his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw as he felt the wave begin to crash over him. The invisible force enveloped him, delivering a blunt trauma to all points along the left and right sides of his body, almost as if he had been struck by two moving objects at the exact same time. The effect was immediate as he felt the waves intersect over him and impart their energy on him. He felt his body give slightly to the attack, his ribs buckling just enough from the pressure to force the breath from his lungs.
As the energy dissipated, Janus sucked in a few deep, gasping breaths of air. His whole body ached as if though his bones were on the verge of breaking. How they had managed not to, however, was beyond his comprehension. Fighting to regain his breath, Janus collapsed to his hands and knees again as he spoke, his voice low and labored. "What.... was.... that?"
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