Peacekeeper Ka Tarvitz vs. Augur C'ree

Peacekeeper Ka Tarvitz

Equite 1, Equite tier, Clan Odan-Urr
Male Human, Jedi, Juggernaut, Guardian
vs.

Augur C'ree

Equite 4, Equite tier, Clan Odan-Urr
Female Sephi, Force Disciple, Sorcerer
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Hall Duelist Hall
Messages 3 out of 6
Time Limit 7 Days
Battle Style Alternative Ending
Battle Status Closed by Timeout
Combatants Peacekeeper Ka Tarvitz, Augur C'ree
Force Setting Unleashed
Weapon Setting Standard
Peacekeeper Ka Tarvitz's Character Snapshot Snapshot
Augur C'ree's Character Snapshot Snapshot
Venue Naboo: Jan-gwa City
Last Post 3 January, 2018 5:55 PM UTC
Member timing out Rear Admiral Arcia Cortel
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Naboo Jan-gwa City

Unlike the Gungan’s submerged capital below Naboo, Jan-gwa rests partially underwater; the majority of the city rests above the water’s surface. A waterfall runs along the cliffs behind Jan-gwa, creating a veil of mist around the base of the city’s rounded platforms. Nocturnally illuminated, domed structures encompass the center of each platform and are home to Jan-gwa’s Gungan inhabitants. Some of the these structures extend below the water’s surface, creating an anchor that keeps Jan-gwa from floating with the currents and provides shelter to hundreds of Gungans.

Etched into the cliff walls are several faces of unknown origin. Resembling a humanoid with unembellished features, these carvings are not reminiscent of the city’s Gungan inhabitants—perhaps an indication that some other civilization might have resided near the floating city.

The noise of rushing water was everywhere. From the splash of rolling waves as they struck the oddly organic foundations, to the endless roar of the nearby waterfall, it was a part of Jan-gwa. An aspect of its identity, the perpetual noise was as defining to the city as the semi-organic coral which formed each of the rounded stone platforms. Combined with the phosphorescent glow of the lamps set low against the mist-veiled waters, these qualities might have once made the city seem peaceful. Instead, they now served only to amplify the palpable sense of terror present throughout much of the settlement.

The rounded walkways and curving streets were notably absent of the local Gungans. Each was hidden within their homes, awaiting behind barred doors until the all-clear was given. Until the most recent threat to Jan-gwa had been captured and contained. Only a small group of Gungans, armed with the weapons of the city’s guards, remained out in the open. Each of them surrounding a figure in white stylised armour holding a horned helm in the crook of his arm. His half-metallic features spoke of barely repressed irritation as he conversed with the leader of the group.

“And how long did you wait until you contacted me?” Ka Tarvitz asked, rubbing his remaining eye with one thumb, “Were you counting by hours or simply by how many men you had lost.”

“Wesa-” the Captain began, but Tarvitz cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“That was a rhetorical question, I’m more irritated that you didn’t come to us first rather than attempting to take her on yourself. And before you suggest it, I am not questioning the capabilities of your men or yourself. You had to have known you were in over your head though.”

“Shesa was runnen freely through da city” the Captain responded with a nod, his large ears flapping with the abrupt gesture, “Wesa had to tryen and keep her contained.”

That was the exact sort of thinking which had gotten them into this mess in the first place, Tarvitz thought to himself. He managed to hold his tongue from issuing a venomous response, albeit barely. However misguided they might have been, the Gungans had made some effort to be helpful. That said, Tarvitz wished that their every error had not simply made the situation worse.

The story - what he could make of it through their broken Basic - had begun when they had attempted to apprehend someone in a local bar. A dark-haired someone, baring blood red facial tattoos and charred hands. She had resisted, and they had attempted to take her by force. Then she resisted with the Force.

Tarvitz glanced back at the nearby militiagung corpses, now hidden from sight by cloth sheets. Each of them had been badly disfigured, either burned from the inside out by Force Lightning or dismembered by a lightsaber blade. There was little to tell from that save for confirming just who the culprit was, and that most deaths had been quick. At the very least there was no indication that she had taken their time with them, as some Krath and Sith might have done. Supposedly those were just the initial casualties, and after she had withdrawn, they had attempted to capture her again. And again. And again. Each time with the exact same result. This had continued until a mixture of sheer terror and common sense had finally forced them to swallow their pride and ask for help.

“Is there anything else I should know?” Tarvitz finished, sliding his helmet into place and double checking his weapons, “Anything at all?”

Each of the gungans gave an uncomfortable look as if avoiding his gaze, their stalked eyes swivelling as they took a sudden interest in the floor or ceilings about them. A few others - not for the first time - seemed to take nervous glances toward the lightsaber hooked at his belt. Ah, so that was it.

Jan-gwa had been visited by members of the Brotherhood more times than he could count. Most, despite several notable duels, had been welcomed without issue. Yet, Tarvitz had sensed a tension about the Gungans ever since his arrival, as if every one of them expected him to turn upon them in a heartbeat. The same had been true of other worlds ever since Rath Oligard had bellowed rhetoric against the Jedi and Sith alike across the Holonet. While he would never be able to have them confirm it, Tarvitz suspected that a few militiagungs had taken the Collective’s propaganda to heart, and attempted to act on it the moment they saw a Jedi in their midst. No wonder they had taken so long to ask Clan Odan-Urr for help.

“Well?” Tarvitz pressed after a few seconds.

“Dalee was una thin,” the Captain slowly admitted, his earth red skin taking an oddly pale quality as he spoke, “Fighting her was, uh, scary.”

“Really,” Tarvitz answered flatly, folding his arms as he slowly looked from the multitude of corpses back to the Gungan.

“More den dat.” the Captain continued, heedless of the sarcasm, “It was liken shesa could reachen inside yous headen, and maken yousa feel terror.”

It was almost certainly C’ree then. If the facial tattoos had not confirmed it then that surely did. Tarvitz didn’t know whether that would make his job easier, or all the more difficult.

“I see. Then thank you for your help,” he said with a nod, “I’ll take over from here. Keep your men back. In fact, keep them out of sight entirely if you can.”

“Dalee anytten wesa can do to hep at all?”

“Keep everyone in their homes, guard the entrances, and if you don’t hear from me within an hour then run.” Tarvitz answered, as he turned and strode off into the twilight lit streets, “You won’t want to be here if I fail.”

Tasking a single man to hunt down a murderer throughout an entire city in one night might have seemed like an impossible task. Tarvitz knew that the Gungans certainly thought so, and sensed their doubt as he walked away. He couldn’t entirely disagree with them. His skills lay largely in fixing machines and, when necessary, breaking people. Yet Tarvitz had been the nearest to Naboo when the call for help had emerged, and whatever his feelings were to the task at hand, he had his orders. Now he just had to prove that their faith in his skills had not been misplaced.

As he walked deeper into the city, Tarvitz uncoiled his senses, reaching out with his mind across Jan-gwa’s nearest streets and probing the nearby districts with the Force. There was a distinct sense of fear from every building. It seeped into the city, drowning out all other emotions and dominating the minds of the populace. Yet, there were slight differences to be found, where the emotion was coloured with other thoughts. Some were tinged with confusion, even rage or contempt for others. A few were petrifying, but there was one which was perceptibly different from the others. Fear which was coloured with a conflicting mixture of regret and satisfaction.

Tarvitz focused his mind toward the source of it, allowing the Force to guide his footsteps as he passed through one shadow wreathed street after another. The dim yellow of the bulbous lanterns formed deep pools of blackness against the stonework. It wasn’t difficult to see just how she had spent so much of the evening evading and hiding away from the Gungans. Tarvitz half expected that his journey would end in the shadowed corner of one street, or even some inconspicuous doorway which could be so easily overlooked. Instead, the Force called out to him, drawing him to the centre of the city, and into Jan-gwa’s domed amphitheatre.

The lanterns within its interior had been extinguished, leaving only the silvery light of the moons to illuminate its surroundings. Seats ringed about its interior, clinging to the building’s edges along with semi-circular platforms decorated with icons Tarvitz did not recognise. At its centre, a broad stage awaited, with twin sets of stairs leading up its sides. For a moment he wondered if his senses had misled him, or he had fallen prey to some illusion. Then he heard her speak.

“Leave.”

It was hissed, barely more than a whisper, yet it echoed throughout the building. There was a power to it as well, and Tarvitz subconsciously took several steps backwards before his mind clamped shut against the command.

“People have died here, C’ree,” Tarvitz called out, “You know I can’t do that.”

“You come to punish?” The question was in a different tone now, “Clan no forgive. Jedi no forget. No hope.”

“It’s never too late to ask for forgiveness,” Tarvitz answered, trying to keep her talking as his eyes scanned the amphitheatre’s surroundings, “The Gungans will portray you as a monster. They will try to spin this their way. Whatever happened, we need to hear it from you as well. Morgan could-”

The words died in his throat as a wave of sheer terror overwhelmed him. It coursed through his mind, reaching into the dark recesses of his thoughts and dragging forth thoughts of failure, regret and loss. Tarvitz felt his heart hammering against his ribcage, and both hands balled into fists as he fought the urge to run and hide. He almost broke at that moment, almost fled the building with all else forgotten, overwhelmed by his own innermost terrors. He made it as far as the doorway before he managed to take hold again, fighting against the fears which threatened to override all else in his mind.

“That’s not going to work, C’ree,” Tarvitz managed through gritted teeth, slowly returning to where he had been standing, “Just listen to me for a moment. Please.”

He could almost half-see the outline of someone standing on one of the uppermost platforms, half crouched in the shadows, and watching him with glinting eyes. She didn’t move, nor did she answer him but, for a few moments, the fear within him subsided. Well, it was a start.

“Much appreciated,” Tarvitz exhaled, feeling his pulse return to normal, “Now, can we talk?”

The figure stepped forward off of the platform, falling to the ground with a lithe grace. She began to walk toward him, navigating her way about the rows of seats. C’ree’s every footstep echoed about their surroundings, and as Tarvitz listened, it was soon joined by others from somewhere behind him. Frowning, the Jensaarai turned to look back, and his eyes widened in disbelief as several armed Gungans pressed forward through the door, the same ones who had greeted his arrival.

“Wit yousa fighten her,” one announced with the sort of blind confidence no amount of training could ever hope to match, “Wesa'll win disa timen.”

Tarvitz wasn’t even given a moment to offer a warning before he heard C’ree scream. It was a cry of betrayal as much as rage, and with a familiar snap-hiss a violet blade sprang into life in the darkness. He caught sight of her expression, a snarling mask of concept before she rushed forward, casting neon bolts of lightning from her free hand. Tarvitz raised his own lightsaber, activating it and catching the energy before it struck the nearest Gungan.

“Run you fools!” Tarvitz yelled at intruding militiagungs, raising his own hand and telekinetically slamming C’ree backward across the open room.

She felt the blow coming; she even saw it in her mind. But she did not care. The power flung from Tarvitz caught her midsection and caused her feet to literally leave the ground. As C’ree soared backwards she twisted and contorted, turning herself through the air, before thrusting a hand outwards and sending her own, darker, power forwards. The wall she was rapidly approaching resisted her and she managed to slow, then slide to a halt with her lightsaber, Pieces of Home, gripped tightly in her white knuckled left hand.

“Tricks. Lies. That all you bring here.” Her voice was no longer a whisper, but growling and full of contempt.

Tarvitz turned his attention to the pale-pink woman after issuing his warning to the militiagungs. The half-Sephi was casually stalking towards he and the Gungans seemingly without a care in the world. C’ree twirled the wood-paneled hilt in her hand, its blade still actively unstable, and held it firmly in a reverse grip close to the emitter; an odd choice for a weapon so long. The Jensaarai heard the rattling shake of a blaster rifle and snapped his vision back to the militiagungs. He was not sure if Gungans sweat, but their body language stated that if they did, they were. A pang at the back of his mind and a yelp from the closest militiagung caused Tarvitz to return his gaze to C’ree who had miraculously closed the distance between them to that but a few paces, and in a terrifyingly quiet manner.

The Human Juggernaut quickly placed his off hand underneath his left on the hilt of his yellow bladed weapon. His knees instinctively bent and his stance became wide. C’ree licked her lips in excitement and responded by bringing her saber to the ready. For what felt like a medium-sized eternity, the two stood steps away from each other. Her violet orbs focusing intently on his one blue eye as they remained silent. The shaking of weaponry behind Tarvitz persisted and he willed for them to stop, to bolster themselves, but he could do nothing for them. Instead, the Human focused on his breathing, and C’ree’s. It was almost as if they shared the same moment, each breath carrying on from the next. He breathed once more, she followed. The two were studying each other, gauging the reactions of their opponent and attempting to find a weakness before the fight even started. He breathed once more, she did not.

The Jensaarai’s muscles grew tight as he prepared to counter a blow that never came. Instead, C’ree had thrown herself forward and past the Odanite, her saber raised horizontally above her head as she slid to a stop within the center of the militiagungs. Panicked screams coalesced with anguish as the group was hit with a sudden feeling of sheer, paralyzing terror. In their minds and hearts, C’ree was the object of their worst nightmare come to collect them from life. The unstable violet blade quickly swept downwards, meeting little to no resistance as the shrieks were cut short one by one.

Tarvitz threw himself into action as the fear instilled within him calmed, having lost the battle against his battle hardened will. He watched as C’ree raised her wood-paneled weapon once more and used that opportunity to slip himself into her sphere of awareness. Yellow met violet as sparks flew and the sound of plasma upon plasma cracked and popped, drowning out the cries from the militiagungs. With a new threat in her immediate vicinity, C’ree focused her attention on the Odanite, letting the bleeding aura around her fall.

“I said run, you fools!” Tarvitz bellowed, noticing that several of them were no longer going to return to their families that day.

Finally taking the hint, with the obvious show of what was to come if they stayed, the militiagungs quickly turned tail and fled the scene. What remained were the bodies of four Gungans, the stalwart devotion of a Jensaarai warrior and the uncontained rage of a broken woman. Their eyes locked once more. It was then that Tarvitz witnessed the sorrowful change of two vibrant, violet orbs into twin globes of yellow-orange hatred.

“I see that there is…” Tarvitz grunted mid-sentence, noticing that his strength slightly outweighed his opponent,” ...no reasoning with you. So be it.”

The Human pushed hard against the half-Sephi’s stance and managed to spin out of lock. C’ree quickly slid herself around in anticipation for a strike that would begin what she felt would be a most enjoyable fight, but a sneer painted her lips as she aggressively batted away what felt to be a very basic slash. The woman hopped backwards, her sneer still obvious, and let out a pained sigh.

“You play with me. Fight harder, one-eye man. Harder!” C’ree bellowed as she threw her right hand forward, a sudden blast of invisible energy slamming into Tarvitz’s chest as she followed through with a downward slash aimed towards the same location.

Tarvitz was already moving as the energy blade plunged down to meet him. Still moving with the impact of the telekinetic blow, he triggered the sets of thrusters mounted on his legs and propelled himself backward on a momentary trail of fire. C’ree’s blade swung through the empty air where he had been moments before, ending as she carved a shallow glowing trench into the floor. An almost primal sound issued from her throat, a frustrated snarl of a predator denied its kill, as she raised one charred claw of a hand.

“Fight harder!”

Tarvitz lurched in the air as an invisible force closed about him, bringing his abrupt flight to a standstill. Instinctively struggling against it, he wasted a few precious moments trying to free himself of the telekinetic force, as if it was some physical threat coiled about his body. For a moment he thought he heard a sound of amusement from C’ree, before she waved her hand to one side.

At the gesture Tarvitz was flung across the room, jets still firing as he attempted to right himself, before the Jensaarai collided against the nearest of the black coral-like walls. He tumbled to the ground, grunting with the impact as he landed heavily on his side. Something in his right arm ripped under the collision as it was caught under him, and he felt it go limp. The sensation was distant, and the inherent agony of the blow dulled as the Force suppressed the pain.

Having the good sense of roll onto his back, Tarvitz half expected to find himself facing the point of the half-Sephi’s blade. Yet there had been no warning whisper through the Force. Instead,, she was advancing forward at little more than a leisurely stroll, spinning the lightsaber in one hand. The dim glow of neon, and the trail of hissing molten stonework as its tip scraped against the floor, granted her already unnatural grace an ethereal quality.

“Get up, one-eye man,” she said, as much a command as it was a plea.

“Why?” Tarvitz laughed, attempting to buy himself a few moments as he channelled the Force into re-knitting his flesh anew, “Am I proving to be a poor playmate?”

“Get up,” she said again, quickening her pace as she repeated the order “Get up, get-up, getup, getup, getupgetupgetupgetup!”

C’ree’s voice rose into a cacophonous mantra as she repeated the words over and over. There was an edge of desperation to the rage in her voice, but even as she spoke she raised her hand again. This time blue-white talons of electricity burst forth from her fingertips, which clashed and writhed against Tarvitz’s guard as he raised his lightsaber to block them. Slowly struggling to his feet, Tarvitz struggled against the onslaught of lightning tearing about the yellow energy blade. In places smaller tendrils broke through, arcing up Tarvitz’s arms and stabbing into his body. Sparks rained from the energy resistant plating off his armour as he held his ground, illuminating the empty rows of seats about them. Holding his ground for several moments, Tarvitz readied himself and began to push back.

Like a man struggling against a storm, Tarvitz placed one foot in front of the other, bracing himself as against bolt after bolt was hurled against his defenses. C’ree’s expression creased in frustration as she switched tactics, reaching out telekinetically to once more hurl him into the air. However, this time, Tarvitz was ready. Planting his feet as she made the gesture, the Juggernaut anchored himself against the ground. The air about him shuddered as she attempted to push him back, but Tarvitz held his ground. He waited for the moment to pass before striding towards her once, lightsaber held ahead of him in a two-handed grip.

“Come on then,” he said, knowing she couldn’t sustain such a barrage of Force powers indefinitely, “Is that really all you can muster against me?”

C’ree tilted her head inquisitively, before her face twisted, twitching into an unpleasant parody of a smile.

“No,” she answered, snapped her fingers, and Tarvitz’s vision was consumed by blackness.