Chapter 9: A Familiar Foe
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11 Elona, 25 ABY - House Palace, Csaplar, Csilla, Unknown Regions
It seemed unlikely to Akea that the security escorts on either side of him were involved with this attack, so Akea had three lives to consider. Although he briefly considered trying to stop the ship outright, he concluded that he lacked sufficient time to focus his power for such a feat. With that in mind, the Jedi Master opted for a cruder solution. He spoke authoritatively but remained composed.
"Run down the hall and dive for cover!"
Before giving the troops a chance to react, he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. He let the Force carry him to safety as he assumed a streamlined position low to the ground, darting away from the spot approached by the airspeeder.
Akea uses Force Speed to compliment a dash action. ((I think Force Speed should be a speed 3 action, although it is listed as 5. If we want to keep it at 5, let me know.))
Control + Enhancement + 1 willpower: 3, 8, 7, 6, 7, 10 - 6 successes. Akea moves 8 yards/tick base, adding 6 to that, we have 14 yards per tick. This means in those 3 ticks, he moved 42 yards from the impact site.
He hoped the warning was enough for the troops to survive the explosion, and tried to keep an eye on the scene, looking over his shoulder as he dashed. In particular, he hoped to gather as many details as he could about the pilot and any identifying marks on the ship.
Akea tries to spot any identifying numbers on the ship or pilot in the agonizing moments before impact.
Wits + Awareness: 3, 7, 7, 9, 4, 1 - 3 successes
((If we agree that Force Speed should be Speed 3, then Akea would also like to try to Force push his escorts even further from the impact on tick 4, if possible, but I'm not sure if it is.))
Dan 22:38, 15 August 2010 (EDT)
(Several mechanics things to comment on here Dan. Saw you messaged me so I'll comment here. First off, your dash speed should be a base of 8 yards per tick (Dex 2 + 6 for dashing), plus 6 successes for Force Speed is 14 yards per tick. Making you 42 yards from the scene in 3 ticks if you should so desire. Secondly, dashing rules how they play out in exalted are that it counts like a typical action, so performing other actions on that tick would require you to flurry. Though I don't think a wits + awareness roll should necessarily count for that. Last, I think you should act again on tick 4? If you act on tick 1 and take a speed 3 action you should act on tick 4 right? Which I think means in this case you would need to go through join battle before your next action, am I right about the Brian? I do agree Force Speed should be a speed 3 action, since it is essentially an enhanced Dash action.) --FyreFly 23:45, 15 August 2010 (EDT)
My bad, I meant 4. I'm in programming mode, so I'm used to counting from zero instead of one. I forgot I'm piling that on top of my dash. So yes, I'm very far away. Corrected numbers.
((I agree Force Speed is a speed 3 action, essentially an enhanced Dash action. Mechanically, you took a Force Speed action before join battle. Tick count will be established with the join battle now.))
Akea slithered away from the expected impact zone with supernatural speed. The building was shaped in a semi-circle on this wing and the hallway followed along the transparisteel walls. The airspeeder took a sharp turn in Akea's direction as he ran, a move that would save the lives of his security escort, who only watched helplessly as the disaster unfolded. Akea moved much quicker than the pilot's ability to track him. Moments before impact, Akea caught a glimpse of the airspeeder's occupants as their lightsabers came to life. Two male human-shaped figures, one blue-skinned Chiss, the other was fully covered with brown robes and a mask featuring large red eyes and a breathing apparatus of some kind.
The airspeeder impacted at high speed, erupting in flames as it sent transparisteel shards and debris flying. In a matter of seconds black smoke was billowing from the wreckage. Akea had distanced himself far enough away from the impact that he felt only the vibrations of the impact and the change in air pressure as the sudden exposure to the colder outdoor air created a breeze in the hallway. The two figures sprung from behind the wall of smoke toward Akea, the masked figure igniting a second lightsaber as he kicked off the side wall for additional speed. They were both poised to strike, and Akea was clearly their target.
Akea Join Battle: Sense + Divination + Wits + Awareness: 4, 8, 8, 6, 4, 1, 5, 4, 1, 1, 7, 5, 7, 8: 5 successes
Battle Order
- Masked: Tick 1
- Chiss: Tick 2
- Akea: Tick 6
Current distance: 23 yards
((I need to know if Akea plans to continue moving away from them before I can resolve any actions. They're dashing to close the gap and plan to attack when in range. I'll provide a map soon.))
Kirkland 01:59, 18 August 2010 (EDT)
((I know I'm delaying the chapter by asking a question instead of posting, but I love the thought of Akea defending himself from these guys without his lightsaber. I'd also like for him to live, so I'm not going to rush blindly into it. I was trying to come up with a good system for parrying with telekinesis, but it's tough, because I'm not sure how I'd want to calculate that DV. Certainly if we were going to use martial arts, I'd abandon that idea fairly quickly. I thought about Dex + Alter + Telekinesis (so it's somewhat analogous to dodging, which is two attributes and a skill), but I don't know if we want to be as easy as standard defending or not. It also crossed my mind to do a dynamic thing like using an Excellency in Exalted, where maybe the user rolls telekinesis, and adds the successes beyond 3 (the amount required to move a person) to Dex + ...? Well, it's complicated, haha. So, if you wanna throw out any suggestions, I'm down with that, but if not, Akea will just have activated his lightsaber with his join battle action. Let me know what you think, and I'll write a short descriptive post about his lightsaber activation/join battle stance, then we can get to resolving their initial attacks. Is Concentration reflexive?))
Dan 04:03, 22 August 2010 (EDT)
(I do think it should be reasonably difficult to do, after all if it was particularly easy you would see it a lot more. I also think it should be a stand alone roll, as opposed to the excellency idea since your not enhancing a parry or dodge, you are using the force as a stand alone defensive method. I think I would go with Wits + Alter + Telekinesis before I did Dex if establishing a DV. But I might prefer only Alter + Telekinesis/2 rounded up. I think this represents that you would need to be significantly greater in the force than your opponent to pull this off. I know it is counter to the system to some extent but I could also see this being a contested roll as opposed to setting a DV, this makes the defensive a little less consistent but probably gives it a little better success chance (you could spend willpower directly on the roll as opposed to a DV).
Concentration is a Speed 6 Miscellaneous Action, I believe the feat Concentration enhances the Force Power by lowering the Speed.)
--FyreFly 11:44, 22 August 2010 (EDT)
((Tony and I discussed this online and came to the conclusion that to preserve maximum coolness and fairness, this should be a Alter + Telekinesis roll, wherein the defender is able to divide his successes amongst the attackers. This is like oWoD dodging - successes subtract directly from your opponent's successes. You can guard against as many attacks this way as you want, but you only have one pool of successes to work with. Onslaught penalty still applies if one attacker is taking multiple attacks, but you're still able to dodge an attack with you dodge DV, so you could try to Force-block two attacks and dodge a third, for example.))
Akea Oahu looked to the oncoming attackers with some disdain, finding their brute force approach inelegant, even for dark Jedi. He turned to face them, but quickly glanced over his shoulder - he was hoping to gauge the reaction of security officials to the attack. Despite Binkata's genuine fear, Akea hadn't entirely abandoned the idea of the Chiss complying with this threat, willingly or otherwise. Meanwhile, he sighed slightly, knowing that if he tried to evade combat, it would likely cost more lives. Any security officials that did try to stop the attack would be cut down quickly without doing much to stop their progress. With that in mind, despite his distaste for combat, Akea, rightly or not, assumed he was the only being in the area capable of defending against such an attack, and reached across his palm with a bony digit, pressing the actuator on his storage bracer.
The lightsaber hilt, a long, stylized piece built by Akea to resemble Sabonese architecture, sprang to life the second his fingers grasped it - he had been trained to activate his lightsaber the moment it was drawn, and it was reflex at this point. His Master had taught him that if a Jedi holds his weapon, he is prepared to take lives. Immediately striking the traditional Soresu defensive opening stance, with the luminescent green blade angled downward in the direction of his attackers, Akea called to his opponents, a diplomat to the last.
"Unless you will accept nothing less than my death as your bounty, I am certain an accord can be reached, and your lives spared. Quench your blades, and we will resolve things in a manner befitting our stature. I suspect neither of us act with a full understanding of the situation at hand."
Although he was quite serious in his attempt and wholeheartedly believed it to be true, Akea did not expect his attackers to have such an enlightened viewpoint. It had been some time since he'd heard the hum of his own green blade glowing near his face - he regretted being forced to relive the memory. Knowing he didn't have time to launch an opening against his speedy attackers, he braced himself for their assault.
((Akea doesn't act until tick 6, so it's their move.))
Dan 12:53, 22 August 2010 (EDT)
"... I suspect neither of us act with a full understanding of the situation at hand."
The incoming Sith duo slowed their approach as Akea spoke. As he spoke, he felt a rush of dark force energy sweep by, just as the wind did moments ago. The masked opponent had activated Force Rage, confirming what Akea already knew. There would be no civil negotiation on this day. The masked man and his Chiss sidekick came to a stop in the grand hallway about 10 yards from where Akea stood. All had lightsabers activated. At this distance, Akea got a better glance at the man he was about to fight.
The mask he wore bore similarities to that of a Tusken raider, and it took much digging before Akea could peg the man's identity. And when it finally occurred to him, there was still much doubt. A'Sharad Hett, a decorated General in the Clone Wars and student of Ki-Adi-Mundi. Was this really him? He survived the Great Jedi Purge? The questions continued swirling in Akea's mind as the man spoke.
"Master Oahu, always the diplomat. I'm afraid that's part of the problem. I can't allow you to have a full understanding of the situation."
Hett inched closer cautiously. His Chiss apprentice, standing a few yards further back, deactivated his lightsaber, sensing his master's preference for a more personal duel. It had been at least 44 years since Hett and Oahu last saw each other, neither aware that the other had survived the Purge until this moment. And they were, perhaps, the only two Jedi that remained from that era ((This statement may not be 100% accurate, but I can't think of any others off the top of my head.)).
Hett made a lunge forward, taking two slashing attacks, assessing the strength of his opponent.
Battle Sequence
- Hett activates Force Rage
- Chiss delays action
- Hett and Akea act
Battle Facts
- Akea's Lightsaber Parry DV = (Dex 2 + LSaber 4 + Sense 4)/2 = 5
((Still working on a map.... gah))
Kirkland 18:58, 23 August 2010 (EDT)
((I may not get the chance to post tomorrow, so I wanted to get something up and preserve the rule. I hate to push, but that map might be important for Akea's action, so I'd like to see it before decided my plan here. Nevertheless, I envisioned some dialogue so I ran with it. Given Int 4, Jedi History 5, and Eidetic Memory, I've assumed Akea recalls some details about Hett's time in the order. Let me know if I should re-write anything.))
Akea's eyes widened slightly, glancing sympathetically to the former Jedi. His grip on his saber loosened - he lowered the blade slightly, still in a firm Soresu defensive position, but acknowledging their prior acquaintance. Hett must have survived the Purge by returning to his heritage as a Tusken Raider. Tatooine was an unfriendly asylum, to be sure, but nothing so savage as to force a Jedi to abandon his way... something else must have happened.
"I sense your fear, Hett. There is anger, to be sure, but it casts a thin veil. You fool only yourself - beneath your angry visage you are afraid - deeply afraid. You fear a galaxy that you no longer understand, and no longer understands you. As many Jedi have, you fear that you are the only being left with the foresight to make a change, to rescue the galaxy from certain demise, real or imagined. But you are not. The Order has returned, and collectively, the people of the galaxy are setting things right. I would not pretend to understand your plight, but you have not fallen so far from your Knighthood that you are the lost to the void - I know your father's strength lives on in you. Where has it gone?"
((Once we get this map going I'll expand this post into Akea's action on tick 6.))
((My artistic abilities at work.))
Kirkland 16:25, 25 August 2010 (EDT)
As Hett moved in to launch his attack, Akea, having prior surveyed his surroundings, began moving toward the open air walkway, but not at the expense of his defensive stance. He wondered what Hett's motive was, and what connection he had to Binkata and the Chiss. Although he would have liked to explore Hett's mind, even the scholarly Akea understood that there were more important things at hand. He continued speaking as Hett advanced - he hoped that Hett could be spared. Every life Hett took in malice would further cement his position as a soul lost to the Dark Side.
"Consider the outcome of your actions. Do you expect that demolishing the Bastion Accords will further even your needs? Do you hope to pluck hegemony from the ashes of another Galactic war? What is it that drives your urge for power? I do not believe you so far gone that you seek power for power's sake - how does terrorism support your agenda?"
It was clear to Akea that Hett had no intention of slowing his advance any further, and with considerable regret, he resigned himself to combat. He counted on his defensive prowess to get him through the first barrage, narrowing his eyes and calling on the Force to make his heavy limbs limber once again.
Akea uses Enhance Attribute while continually taking standard move actions toward the open air walkway.
Enhance + Control + 1 willpower: 3,5,7,10,4,10 + 1wp - 6 successes. Akea channels all of this into Dexterity, and so now has Dexterity 5.
New Parry DV (Whenever it applies) = Dex 5 + LSaber 4 + Sense 4 = 13/2 = 6.5 --> DV 6
Dan 12:57, 31 August 2010 (EDT)
((I thought we were rounding up for Parry DV. So Akea's PDV is 7.))
Akea held up his blade and blocked the first of two swipes Hett made at the Dur Sabon. It was clear to Akea that Hett was being cautious with his attacks, careful not to underestimate the Jedi Master he faced. Akea calculated that Hett must be in his 70's, old in human terms. However his attacks were strong and he appeared as agile and mobile as he did on the battlefields of the Clone Wars, a testament to the power of the rage flowing through his body.
Akea caught the second swipe with his lightsaber blade and the blades locked for a moment. Hett responded, "The galaxy has seen this same old story before. In the name of freedom and democracy, the Republic builds, expands, and dominates the galaxy with the Jedi Order as their protector." The lightsabers separated but Hett continued to speak, "The light side has proven incapable of preventing the greatest atrocities. The Jedi Order does not deserve another chance."
It was the twisted logic of a Sith. Surely Hett realized that atrocities such as Order 66 and the destruction of Alderaan were orchestrated by the Dark Lord of the Sith, a title Hett is apparently all too eager to claim for himself.
Akea slowly backed toward the skywalk, and Hett inched forward in lock step. "Fortunately, Grand Admiral Thrawn secretly left behind a small gift that has grown greatly since his death..... planting the seeds of a new Empire. Even that fool Pellaeon and the Remnant had no idea." A'Sharad Hett was referring to the Empire of the Hand, the entity Luke and Mara speculated about but had no concrete evidence of its size.
Hett crossed the blades of his two lightsabers defensively, and prepared to strike again. "On this night, you will witness the birth of the new Empire. The Sith Empire." Hett took another swing that Akea parried with more ease now that his enhanced reflexes were active.
Behind Hett, a good distance away now that the duel has moved to the skywalk, the two Chiss guards emerged from the smoke with their blasters drawn. The other Chiss force user that accompanied Hett turned to the two guards and with one swoop of his hand telekinetically tossed the guards' weapons out the hole in the wall.
Battle Sequence
- Hett activates Force Rage
- Chiss delays action
- Hett takes 2 swipes, Akea parrys and activates Enhance Attribute
- Hett takes 1 swipe, Akea parrys
- Akea acts
((Due to vacation my next post will be Saturday September 11.))
Kirkland 00:02, 3 September 2010 (EDT)
Suggested Music: Star Wars Episode III Complete Score - Opening Theme with War Drums
"The Dark Side clouds your judgment, Hett."
Akea replied as he parried the Dark Jedi's latest strike. He resumed his defensive position but began to advance slowly, reversing their direction on the walkway. He continued speaking.
"I will be the first to admit that the Purge represented a failure of the old ways; the Jedi Order, as it once was, was not without its faults. The Jedi Order has changed, Hett. We do not operate as we once did, and although we are not without our shortcomings, we will not fail as our predecessors did. History aside, do you truly believe yourself to be righting the galaxy by attacking those sworn to defend it?"
Akea shifted his blade from the left side of his face to the right, maintaining eye contact with Hett. The moment was tense between the two, surrounded by the whirring of Csaplar, each Jedi waiting for the other to strike.
"Do you believe the Jedi Order so susceptible to deceit that you would excise it from the wall protecting the galaxy's citizens? Look in the mirror, Hett - you have become the very corrupter you speak of. You hide in the shadows - amongst Admiral Thrawn's leavings, no less - waiting for the right moment to seize power, knowing that it will flee from your grasp unless you continually tighten your grip. You are on a path to self-destruction and your awareness of this fact has instilled in you a desperation, and that is why you act. But it isn't too late, Hett - not for you or I."
Hett remained stoic, persisting in his combat stance; he was poised like a starving wolf, barely able to contain its anger, ready to burst forth at any moment. At Hett's silence, Akea narrowed his eyes, continuing to paint the picture of Hett's inevitable demise, hoping to redirect or quell his rage.
"You would immerse yourself in Thrawn's old empire, and steep yourself in the teachings of Dark Lords thousands of years past... Have you not seen the inevitability of your fate? Look back, to Kun, to Palpatine, or even to Thrawn - all felled by their most trusted associates, a tradition your apprentices will doubtless carry on. Are you so blinded that you do not see the treachery sown by the Dark Side? You're fighting a war that's long over and fanning the embers of another war that should be. This is not the Old Republic, and the New Jedi Order will not fail. Things change, A'Sharad Hett, and as you've made abundantly clear, so have you."
Finally, Akea decided to test Hett's defense, feinting to the side and delivering a wide, arcing slash across Hett's mid-section - it lacked flair, but was effective nonetheless; despite his distaste for combat, Akea was well-studied in the proper use of his weapon.
Dexterity + Lightsaber: 7, 4, 3, 3, 8, 3, 10, 1, 10 - 6 successes
Dan 00:30, 9 September 2010 (EDT)
((As a side note, I can't overstate how awesome it is to imagine this dialogue, with each character's voice as I picture it, while listening to the suggested music and imagining the crossed blades out on a Csaplar walkway with the city surrounding them. Epic scene.))