Fwurg

[Storyteller (Brend)]

((OOC: Yeah. It is kinda difficult to convey time-pressure through the forum. Especially if some people post fast and others post slow. In this case, it might be useful for to keep an eye on the thread, and maybe post an alteration of your plan after the other two posted... I trust you not to meta-game with this (especially since your plan is already posted :P), so to make things easier for everyone: I expect you have about thirty seconds before you are getting rudely interrupted.))

[Ariana Danacia]

((OOC: I already posted an alteration that is basically a rush job and short cut of my original plan. I can not make it any shorter and it should be about a minute of work at most.))

[Nathan Miodrass Asillion]

Nathan instinctively bent his knees, lowering his centre of gravity. At the same time his hand locked around his lightsaber, not yet taking it off his belt.

All his senses where trained on the mysterious person. His synthetic muscles tensed. His cardiac turbine doubled in RPM. Nathan didn't notice it, his focus on the stranger. He only noticed he had stopped breathing when a warning light in his HUD indicated his body had switched to internal oxygen.

There was no doubt in his mind that if this new stranger wanted them dead, they wouldn't stand a chance. There had only been one time he had this reaction before. Long before he became a jedi. When he met the head of, what was then, the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Then Nathan slowly exhaled, trusting the Force to have warned him if he was in danger. His tensed body relaxed and he let go of his lightsaber.

"I'm Jedi Padawan Nathan Miodrass Asillion. Would you mind telling me your name?" Nathan called out to the stranger.

[Fjihc'Simab]

Nathan and Trigiel

"Fjihc'Simab.", was all he replied. His voice was clear, yet did not sound shouted or loud.

"Jedi padawan. Explain to me why you deserve that title.", he was somehow able to both emphasise the title, and make his neutral voice sound demanding without changing the tone of his voice.

He remains still otherwise, his black eyes unblinking and judging the duo in front of him.

Ariana

((OOC: @Ariana: your earlier check with a result of 16 has been approved, and is high enough to get some forewarning.))

Ariana continued dragging the Green enforcer to their ship. Once inside, she put the man on the ground.

His pulse was steady and slow, which corresponds with her knowledge of human physiology. She fishes around in her medikit to find a long-term tranquilizer -- not something that was available in most medikets -- and find a strong tranquilizer that should keep a human out for roughly 20 hours.

Just as she is about to administer the tranquilizer by pushing the needle into the enforcers neck she feels a disturbance in the force ripple up from the tranquilizer. Her training as a Jedi has made her very sensitive about such things: reflexively, she pulls back the needle and the feeling of danger subsides.

She could easily ignore the feeling and administer the tranquilizer anyway...

[Storyteller (Brend)]

((OOC: I feel I should do a bit of OOC-only clarification on the enforcers. This is purely OOC information to prevent later disappointment:

If you bring the enforcer suit with you, you will not get any new technologies from it. You aren't the first to tangle with these people, and earlier attempts to reverse engineer the suits have made it clear that it's not going to work unless a serious (and extremely expensive) effort is made. A Jedi stealing a suit is analog to a bounty hunter stealing a custom lightsaber from a jedi master and bringing it home to reverse engineer it: even if you somehow get it working you can not use it.

For the record: This is not to prevent you from taking home the enforcer suit. If you take off with the suit in your ship you can fly home with the suit. You simply will not have much use for it other than chamber decoration -- and you might get some feedback from the Jedi master because of your complications to the "simple task" you were given.))

[Ariana Danacia]

((OOC: No problem. I am aware it is not that simple. Its more about the guy than about the suit.

I will post the rest of my plan on Tuesday, giving the others time to react first.))

[Fecta Trigiel]

Trigiel respectfully bowed towards Fjihc'Simab before answering: "Because we are talented in our connection with force, and are being trained to solve as mediators in conflict situations, but we have not yet proven ourself."

Then, Trigiel opened a private holo channel to Ariana alone, and said, so that Fjihc'Simab it wouldn't hear it:
"Master, you'd better come here, we have company."

[Ariana Danacia]

"I fear that if I leave the green enforcer alone now I will lose him. Give me some time."

Ariana waits with the tranquilizer and starts taking off the green enforcer's armor to get a better assessment on the wounds.

((Check: 16 = 8 Force Level + 6 Reason + 2 Medicine / Mechanical Engineer -- Carefully removing the cybernetic armor.))

((OOC: Since I do not have cyberneticist a combination of Medicine and Mechanical Engineer is the closest I get.))

[Storyteller (Brend)]

((OOC: @Ariana: please include a check for the Cyberneticist skill or something relating to understanding ultra high-tech powersuit related problems. What you are attemping is not al all trivial.))

[Nathan Miodrass Asillion]

"I believe he was talking to me Trigiel." Nathan told his fellow cyborg. Before he turned back to Fjihc'Simab and met the man's gaze.

"It is not for me to decide if I deserve the title or not. I can only try my hardest to live up to it." Nathan replied humbly, before continuing in a more confident tone. "But regardless of that it was still given to me and until it is taken from me, I will wear it with the pride it deserves."

He paused. Refusing to flinch, Nathan spoke again.

"Can you prove you are who you claim to be?"

Nathan was trained to be cautious, it had kept him alive more then once. While he did think the man was the real deal, his time with intelligence had shown far to often that trust was generally given to easily.

((OOC: I take it you mean Thursday?))

[Brend]

((OOC:

I take it you mean Thursday?

Was that meant for me?

Regardless, could you please prefix a directed question without further context with a @<person> or @ST or something to prevent confusion next time ^_^))

[Nathan Miodrass Asillion]

((OOC: Woops I made an error. I thought it was Brend who said they would post Tuesday but it was Ariana. My bad.))

[Ariana Danacia]

((OOC: No problem :)

Yes, I posted on Tuesday as planned.))

[Fjihc'Simab]

Nathan and Trigiel

((OOC: I checked the Force level+Vision stats for both Trigiel and Nathan.))

The strange man remained silent for a moment. His gaze bearing down on Nathan.

"You will wear the title with the pride it deserves.", he echoes Nathan. Once again the man somehow twists the emphasis of the sentence without actually changing his pronunciation. This time the weight of his voice landed on the word pride.

"You are a poor liar and a poor imposter, Nathan Miodrass Asillion."

"A Jedi Padawan would know better than to wear his title with pride. And a Jedi Padawan would surely conduct himself more honourable than killing an opponent that poses no threat by slicing them in half like you just did", the man's voice remained steady.

Trigiel noticed that the man shifted his weight onto a single foot while he almost imperceptibly rotated the other foot. He remembers Master Screetor doing the same when he demonstrated a stance that could be used for a lightning-fast opening into the Ataru style.

"Draw your saber, Sith. For I shall explain to you the folly of impersonating a Jedi", the man's voice did not change tone at all. He still stood there, arms crossed and gaze on Nathan.

((OOC: For clarity: I am not declaring combat in this post!))

Ariana

((OOC: Mechanical Engineer is indeed the First-Aid equivalent for cybernetics. Your checks of Mechanical Engineer and Medicine are high enough to prevent you from doing stupid things -- but you lack the experience of a true Cyberneticist. Check approved.))

Ariana starts her work on the armour of the Green enforcer. Starting at the helmet, she soon discovers that this suit is not just some armour, but actually a very advanced exoskeleton that connects directly to the central nervous system of the enforcer. Her knowledge of cybernetics falls short in the face of these connections, but from her training as a field medic and surgeon she knows that simply detaching such connections will most likely kill the enforcer.

As she starts looking for other ways to achieve her goal she discovers that even the simplest of the suit's components are much more complex than they seem at first glance. The suit has no separate parts, and all the components are interlocked with nearby components. Based on what she sees, the techniques used in this suit are years ahead of any Union research she knows of.

Just as she found a way to maybe start taking off a single boot and she found the correct tool, she feels a strong warning rush through the force. Not a feeling of danger or apprehension, but the feeling that one of her companions is in lethal danger descending on the entrance to the base -- where she last saw Trigiel and Nathan.

[Fecta Trigiel]

Trigiel readies his servos in case the three eyed dude would attack, but did not draw has sabers yet. Trigiel might not always agree with Nathan, but he will protect him.

On the same private channel as before Trigiel said to Ariana: "Master, Nathan is about to get sliced by a dude claiming to be Fjihc'Simab if he continues to be stupid."

Although his stance shifts a little, overall it appears that Trigiel just keeps standing still and silently.

[Ariana Danacia]

Ariana immediately replies to the private message from Trigiel. "Stop him! I am on my way in a sec."

Ariana puts the green enforcer down on the ground, quickly takes a mild sedative from her med kit and injects it into the green enforcer. This sedative should keep him sedated for at least about half an hour.

Directly after that Ariana grabs one of the data crystals from the ship that is required to take off. She puts the crystal in her pocket and flies towards the balcony where Trigiel and Nathan are.

((Check: 15 = 8 Force Level + 4 Fitness + 2 Flight + 1 Force Speed -- Flying out of the ship, towards the balcony at high speed.))

[Nathan Miodrass Asillion]

"Trigiel whatever happens next... let it happen." Nathan said to the jedi next to him. Before answering Fjihc'Simab.

"Yes, I killed my opponent. I make no excuses. And I would do so again. My hands are dripping with the blood of many and I will continue to bloody them more. Not because of pride or honour, no. I will do so to make sure others won't have to bloody their hands."

Nathan started slowly walking towards the man.

"And even though I am bathed in blood. Even though I am so low, someone saw fit to lift me up into the ranks of the jedi. So yes, I do take pride in that.

If becoming guilty to protect the innocent is part of the dark side of the Force then strike me down. For I am guilty."

At the last sentence Nathan stopped walking and spread his arms in surrender. He would not resist or defend himself, he trusted in the Force. If he was to die, it would be the will of the Goddesses. He knew the Force would not guide him to his death without a reason.

((OOC: If the storyteller deems it the course of action Fjihc'Simab would take, I don't mind if my jedi dies. I prefer it didn't happen, but I will allow you to kill my jedi AT THIS SPECIFIC POINT. It would, of course, lead to IC questions being asked.))

[Fecta Trigiel]

'Forcedammit,' Trigiel thought to himself, 'Nathan, what are you doing? No way I just let you get killed' he continued his thought. With Nathan walking closer, Trigiel saw no other option but to walk closer as well.

So Trigiel takes a few steps closer. Too far away to be an actual threat to Fjihc'Simab, but close enough to intercept his saber in case that is required. Trigiel even took in count that Fjihc'Simab probably is way faster than Trigiel realised, so the padawan takes a safety margin. He also tries to align his breathing with the one from Fjihc'Simab to be at the same timing as the guy.

[Fjihc'Simab]

The man does not seem to move a muscle as Nathan approaches during his monologue.

As Nathan walks forward Trigiel takes a few steps as well. He succeeds at aligning his breathing pattern with that of the alien, even though it took some effort to even notice the man's shallow breathing.

Ariana quickly sedates the Green enforcer, grabs one of the engine-control crystals and bursts out of the ship flying straight toward the balcony.


Just as Nathan spreads his arms, the man becomes a blur of actions. Because Trigiel is the one paying the most attention to the man -- his attention not hindered by explaining his philosophy nor by flying really fast -- he notices that the man shifts all his weight to the rotated foot, pulling his other foot into the air for about a centimeter. Trigiel is thrown slightly off by the fact that the man acts during an inhale, counter to what is taught at the temple.

Before Trigiel can react, the man slams down the heel of his 'floating foot'. In what is definitely the most esoteric Force Push technique ever seen by the three Jedi, the action creates a shockwave of breaking concrete ground around him and Nathan. Several of the larger pieces of concrete jump up into the air up to chest height. Even as the shockwave travels outwards throwing dust into the air, the man is already executing his second action.

In a fluid motion he swipes his left hand past his belt, grabs one of the sabers there and activates the bright blue blade it as he brings it up. With his right hand, he makes an open palm swipe in Trigiel's direction, unexpectedly preventing the shockwave from hurling several of the larger chunks of concrete towards the cyborg Jedi. He continues the motion of his right arm by passing between him and Nathan to grab the saber in a solid two-handed grip.

Trigiel's servos burst into action. However, even the slight delay created by the man's unorthodox breathing technique has delayed him enough to prevent him from interfering with the downward slash of the man: the man, his saber in a strong two-handed grip brings it down towards Nathan's neck in a well-executed two-handed slash...

Just before the blade hits Nathan's neck, the man comes to a perfect standstill. As the concrete chunks start falling down, and the dust settles, the balcony seems transformed from civilized area to the impact area of a meteor. A small circle of concrete in the middle of the devastation is seemingly left intact. On it, Nathan and the man are standing.

From Ariana's point of view, Nathan and Trigiel walk a little closer, and then the floor of balcony explodes to throw up chunks of concrete and dust. She sees the flash of a blue saber being activated and making a neat arcing slash before stopping all motion. The sound she hears is the rumble of falling pieces of concrete.


(Ariana and Trigiel are nearby and can overhear what is being said.)

The man activates his saber and calmly puts it away.

"A Sith does not give up his life for that which he believes in", the man stated, "You have proven that you are not Sith."

"Yet yours is not the philosophy of a Jedi, Nathan Miodrass Asillion."

"Yours is the philosophy of a soldier.", the way he said 'yours' made it clear he was not only talking to Nathan any more.

"The soldier is trained to defend his world. To uphold the values of his culture. To take actions that the others on his world are not suited for. To protect those on his world that are not accustomed to violence. Soldiers like you are trained to do things that are necessary, the things others want to remain clean of."

"A soldier achieves his objective. A soldier succeeds in his mission. If the fight is hard, a soldier will go into it without hesitation. If the enemy are trained soldiers, he fights. If the enemy is overwhelmingly strong, he fights. If the enemy is weak, he fights. If the enemy prevents him from reaching the objective, he fights. Regardless of the enemy, the soldier fights. A soldier fights enemies. Such is the way of a soldier."

"A Jedi understands that the universe is comprised of all things, and all things have their natures. Every time you kill, you remove something from the universe that will never be replaced. A dead soldier is a dead father. A killed commando is a dead husband. Your actions weigh heavily on the lives of others. Where a soldier sees an enemy, a Jedi sees a living being acting on its nature."

"Many before you have been trained as soldiers. And many after you will be trained as soldiers. Yet none have been Jedi.
To become a Jedi you first need to stop being a soldier."

"Think on this. Or do not."


The man takes a step back. Done speaking, the man simply stands there, on the concrete waiting to see what the three would do now.


((OOC: @All: In this post I have taken a lot of creative liberty with the combat system as written. Normally, if someone draws a lightsaber the combat system is put to use, and 'time slows down' allowing everyone to act in perfect synchronisation with the action. In this case, that would only slow down the story and have the unfortunate side effect of everyone thinking this is a combat. It is not.

If you strongly disagree with this handling of the event, and would instead like for this situation to be resolved in the traditional way -- that is, with me declaring "Round 0!" and you people all drawing sabers as well -- please say so in an OOC-only post. I will update this post and we will go from there. (To be honest, I hope that you can agree with me that invoking the combat rules here would not lead to a better story.)


@Nathan: I try not kill PC Jedi without first discussing the matter with the player, unless they do something phenomenally stupid. In this case, though Nathan shows a blatant disregard for what Jedi are taught, your action was not a 'stupid action' (tm). Mind you, it was not a smart one, but it was a very in-character action for Nathan. Note also, that Jedi masters typically do not kill those they are in disagreement with over a philosophical point.))

[Nathan Miodrass Asillion]

Nathan had been ready to die, perhaps a small part of him had even wished for it. But it didn't take a genius to recognise the wisdom of a Jedi Master when he heard Fjihc'Simab speak.

"I will." Nathan said. "Master."

At the last word he bowed. While he didn't know if he could ever stop being a soldier, he would double his effort at least.

"Master we have your case ready for you."

[Ariana Danacia]

Ariana slows down and gently lands on the balcony. She is convinced that Fjihc'Simab is a Jedi master far above their power level.

She takes a small bow and faces Fjihc'Simab. "My name is Ariana Danacia.

Thank you for teaching Nathan this valuable lesson, he still has a lot to learn as a Jedi."

[Fecta Trigiel]

"I'll get the case for you, Master." Trigiel said to Fjihc'Simab. After which he makes a bow and gets the case. In the meantime he does his best to hear what Fjihc'Simab has to say to Ariana.

[Fjihc'Simab]

Trigiel spots the case not far away, covered under concrete rubble. A little scratched, but still intact.

The man turned to look at Ariana. His tattered clothing flapped a little in the wind. He stared at her in silence, his arms crossed. Standing there, next to Nathan, he did not even seem that big.

After a moment, he spoke:

"A Jedi is never done learning.", his voice sounded neutral, and it was something the masters as the temple also said. Yet all three Jedi got the distinct impression that Ariana was chided for her arrogance.

By now, Trigiel has freed the chest and starts pushing it back to the open.

"Leave it there.", he states as Trigiel had pushed the case free of the rubble. "Padawan Nathan, tell your master that I am grateful for the assistance of the Jedi in this matter."

He takes a few steps towards the case and turned to face them again.

"I suggest that you leave the enforcer here when you leave."

"May the force be with you", he gave the three a nod before walking to the case and starting to push it up the ramp into the base.

[Ariana Danacia]

The only thing Ariana responded with was "As you wish."

Ariana turned away and prepared to jump of the cliff and fly back to their ship. Ariana waits for the others to come with her.

"Any of you a problem with leaving the green enforcer behind? I will get him out of our ship and leave him on the beach for his friends to pick him up."

[Nathan Miodrass Asillion]

"I shall convey your gratitude." Nathan replied to Fjihc'Simab. He bowed to the man before he left.

"I say we leave a ration pack with him." He replied to Ariana. "We don't know when they will come to pick him up. Starving is no way to die for a soldier."

With that he started to head for the stairs leading to the beach and the ship.