Chapter 9: A Familiar Foe

From The Whereabouts

Star Wars:
Revised System

Stories

Characters

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

  1. Hett activates Force Rage
  2. Chiss delays action
  6. 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

  1. Hett activates Force Rage
  2. Chiss delays action
  6. Hett takes 2 swipes, Akea parrys and activates Enhance Attribute
  10. Hett takes 1 swipe, Akea parrys
  12. 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, 7, 9, 1 - 8 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.))

The wind intensified as the duo stepped further down the skyway. Even a city buried deep underground had air currents that were unpredictable. The tail end of Akea's dialog began to be drowned out by the sound of repulsorlift engines overhead. 3 troop transports flew overhead and came to a stop near the opening in the building that Hett created with his collision. It looked like this time it wasn't just terrorism; a coup d'état was occurring right now.

Responding to Akea's critique of the Sith ranks, Hett said, "You may have noticed I have not one but many acolytes. The Rule of Two is no more, there is only the Rule of One. Brakiss was skilled but impatient; he left quite a pool of talent that I have developed. Our ranks exceed yours. Their loyalty to their new Dark Lord of the Sith is unwavering."

Hett angled the blade he was holding defensively and caught Akea's swing with it. He took one step back and bellowed angrily, "A'Sharad Hett is no more, I am Darth Krayt, Dark Lord of the Sith."

Krayt looked up, held one lightsaber at each side, and screamed. The call of a Krayt Dragon, amplified a thousand times over by the dark side of the Force, echoed throughout the city. The Force Scream sent a shockwave of dark energy rippling through the force. Akea, standing near the epicenter, was knocked back violently by the wave, landing at the center of the common area at the middle of the walkway, 10 yards from where Krayt stood.

  • Krayt Force Scream - 3 successes
  • Akea Knockback - 1 success (willpower)

Windows shattered and small rocks and stalactites rained on the city from the ceiling above. A small seismic wave was felt on the city floor. The skyway, not supported by anything but the buildings on either end, swayed like a bridge under stress. Some joints between segments of the skyway bent, but it did not collapse.

Battle Sequence

  1. Hett activates Force Rage
  2. Chiss delays action
  6. Hett takes 2 swipes, Akea parrys and activates Enhance Attribute
  10. Hett takes 1 swipe, Akea parrys
  12. Akea swings, Hett parries
  14. Darth Krayt uses Force Scream, Akea is knocked down
  16. Akea Acts
  20. Krayt Acts

Kirkland 00:39, 15 September 2010 (EDT)

Akea rose quickly, turning an eye back to the transports - the situation was getting out of hand. As convenient as it would be to deal with Hett here and now, Akea began to doubt that he'd be able to dispatch Hett so readily, and considered that his time may be better served by ensuring this coup didn't cripple the Chiss government completely. Hoping to put some distance between Hett and himself so that Akea could further address the bigger picture, he nevertheless maintained his dialogue with the Dark Jedi as he righted himself.

"You are crass and uninformed, Hett," the Dur Sabon Jedi Master made certain not to use Hett's assumed title, continuing, "and you are not Sith. Even the Sith, deluded as they were in their ways, had the foresight to recognize that the nature of their power made them unfailingly treacherous; do you think that increasing the number of wolves at your back makes it less likely one of them will strike at you? Do you hope they will instead strike at each other? The death of another apprentice offers them nothing - In their eyes, it is your blood that will smooth the stairs to power. Thrawn's Empire of the Hand will do nothing but prolong the bloodshed and anguish that the galaxy has grown all too tired of; the people of the galaxy will see this movement for what it is - something that should have been extinguished before its fires were even lit."

With that, Akea readied his saber for Hett's approach - the Dark Jedi was too spry to hit at the speed of his approach. Keeping the rest of the scenario in mind, Akea backpedaled toward the building south of him as he waited to defend Hett's attack. As Hett approached, Akea closed his eyes, drawing the Force around him and calming himself in the midst of battle.

Akea is guarding and taking move actions toward the building behind him.

((I'm assuming Force Push can be dodged, in which case it's mechanically impossible for me to hit Hett this round after standing up. If I'm wrong, do let me know. We should probably get the mechanics of that power worked out - the Wookieepedia article seems to suggest the Force Push power can be arced, perhaps at the expense of kinetic energy for less skilled users. This might be something cool to incorporate to allow cornered Jedi to hit multiple opponents with one push - I think there's precedent for this, although how we want to say that would be done mechanically is still a matter of some debate.))

((Secondary question - is there another walkway connecting these two buildings above or below us?))

Dan 04:37, 19 September 2010 (EDT)

((On Force Push: You should be able to dodge a force push, but not parry. It can definitely be used on multiple targets, and perhaps you only needing one force push to push a group of opponents backwards (this is done a few times against battle droids in the prequels, and I see it as one push action, not multiple.) My first inclination is to roll Alter+Telekinesis vs. the target's Dodge DV, (perhaps with a penalty if you're arcing the push), but that doesn't seem like a very high dice pool.))

((To answer the 2nd question: You are at the top of the building, and there are 5 other outdoor walkways below, each separated by 15 floors. They are each rotated, so if you looked at all 6 from directly above, it would look like an asterisk.))

Rocks continued to rain down from the ceiling above as the Force Scream reverberated through the cavernous city. Krayt walked forward, into the walkway's center pavilion. He reached out through the force, redirecting the path of a large 50 pound piece of rock that was falling from the ceiling. He pushed the rock, accelerating it even faster than gravity had already done, and hurled it towards Akea. Quickly recovering from his prone position, Akea stood and instinctively swung at the incoming projectile, slicing the boulder into two smaller pieces that deflected to either side. They crashed against the walkway. As Akea looked for ways to cut himself off from Hett, he kept the falling boulders in mind.

Sensing he had the upper hand in the battle, Darth Krayt did not want to let Akea out of his sight. After the failed telekinetic strike, he began to jog toward Akea as Akea backpedaled at the same speed, toward the north building. As he backed away, Akea received a short message from Allanar via the force, and a quick glance to the side confirmed that Allanar was not far from entering the fray. He saw a civilian metrocab in the distance, and felt Allanar's presence inside of it.

Akea and Darth Krayt are 15 yards apart, moving at the same speed toward the north building. Allanar is due to be in the vicinity on tick 30.

Battle Sequence

  1. Hett activates Force Rage
  2. Chiss delays action
  6. Hett takes 2 swipes, Akea parrys and activates Enhance Attribute
  10. Hett takes 1 swipe, Akea parrys
  12. Akea swings, Hett parries
  14. Hett uses Force Scream, Akea is knocked down
  16. Akea rises from being prone
  20. Hett uses Telekinesis to throw a boulder, misses
  21. Akea Guards, retreats to north building
  24. Akea acts
  25. Hett acts
  30. Allanar and Renora's metrocab could arrive on scene

Kirkland 00:42, 21 September 2010 (EDT)

((If we're only given the Alter + Telekinesis dice pool to hit against a dodge DV with Force Push, it's pretty unlikely that anyone but a highly experienced Jedi would ever able to push anyone remotely good at combat (DV >= 4). This is a mood thing, so it's your call. It's true that you don't often see hero characters pushing each other, and when they do, they're often of comparable power - Obi Wan and Anakin, Yoda and Palpatine, etc. I do think we should create some system to counter Force Push with Force Push, since this has precedent in the movies and is described on Wookieepedia, and is pretty darn cool.))

Dan 19:27, 21 September 2010 (EDT)

After slicing the boulder aside, Akea re-assessed the situation. Allanar would arrive soon, and he was likely a better combatant than Akea, and if the two of them were able to get to Hett before his apprentice had the chance to interfere, they might be able to salvage the situation. In considering this, Akea noted that he still maintained his trump card - Akea was a Jedi. Unlike Hett, Akea had made his peace with the Force and with the galaxy. His life was not dominated by hatred and by fear. Akea could almost taste Hett's fear, hanging thickly in the air just beneath the rage with which Hett attacked his former companion. Akea didn't suspect Hett himself would be willing to confront every Sith lord's ultimate fear - death - for the sake of completing a single tactical move in what was most likely a larger game of chess. If Akea and Allanar could seriously threaten him, Akea had a feeling Hett wouldn't risk becoming a martyr to his own cause, and might retreat.

Still, this required a bit of time, and there was no guarantee they'd have a good shot - the timing would have to be just right. Realizing Allanar hadn't arrived quite yet, Akea hoped to buy himself some time. He narrowed his eyes, relaxing his defensive pose and directing his palm upward, focusing the Force around the falling boulders. As Hett drew closer, Akea issued his final challenge.

"Very well, then, Hett. If this is what you would have your legacy become, so be it. Your opponents in this struggle are not the Republic and Jedi Order that you remember. This is much larger than you or I. We have learned from our past, and it is with due diligence that we will protect our future. We stand ready."

Alter + Telekinesis + 1 willpower: 9, 9, 7, 2, 10, 4 = 5 successes + 1 = 6 successes

Akea, approaching the neck of the common area, advanced just behind it, continuing his backward movement. With a sweeping gesture, he directed two full tons (2000lb) of the falling boulders to the bridge area he'd just traversed, hoping to cutoff or delay Hett's approach.

((I may need to change this post depending on your ruling. Akea is attempting to either obstruct heavily or simply destroy the bridge at the bottle neck of the common area - Akea landed in the center of it, and has been backpedaling towards the 'standard' bridge. As soon as he gets to the standard bridge, he drops the boulders at the beginning of the skinny part - if we're picturing this same way, this would place Hett on the longer edge of the bridge, which would buckle due to the weight of the common area if severed - I know it might not completely fall off, though. If this sounds right, my final question is whether or not I need to re-distribute my successes on telekinesis. My thinking right now is that I don't really need to speed the boulders up much, since they're already moving at around ~40 m/s - about 90 mph - (if we assume Csaplar has Earth-like gravity, which seems fair based on its Wookieepedia entry), so I've devoted my successes to collecting more weight in hopes of breaking the bridge or creating a very sizable obstruction.))

Dan 04:39, 25 September 2010 (EDT)

Chapter 9 Concluded. Experience Awarded: 5.

The next chapter is Allanar's Active Time Event - Chapter 10: Csaplarian Streets.

Your next responses will be in Chapter 11: Ascendancy in Turmoil.

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