Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 3763634" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 514: InsaneTobias tumbled backwards over one of the chairs in the shuttle’s cockpit, pushed over it with a hard fist of the Force. His flight was stopped by the pilot’s chair, which was harder than it looked and nearly knocked the wind out of him. If not for the blue lightsaber blade that chopped through the chair in front of him, Tobias might have simply stayed there on the deck with his back to the pilot’s seat. Of course, seeing a lightsaber take two swift strikes to peal through the other chair was enough to keep his head in the moment.    Seeing the blue lightsaber coming down again, Tobias put aside getting up and instead dove to the side, making sure to keep his own lightsaber up so he didn’t cut himself. Instead, he cut some of the lower consoles as he got to his feet, and a loud crackling behind him signaled that Tokarr’s lightsaber had also dealt a rather fatal blow to the shuttle’s controls.    A growl of frustration escaped the obviously-insane Miraluka and he spoke some odd word that was likely in his native language before swinging his lightsaber in a long, horizontal arc. The lightsaber took out another series of consoles as it swung for Tobias’ head, and the shower of sparks nearly caused him to drop his guard, but Tobias somehow kept his own blade up and caught the wild strike.    When Tokarr pulled his blade back to strike again, Tobias made a quick decision.    He turned and ran out of the cockpit, nearly fell down the boarding ramp, and turned around in time to duck under another swing from Tokarr. The strikes were so wild and...well, Tobias didn’t have another word for it, but it was like the Miraluka didn’t really know what he was doing. There was none of the finesse, style, or precision Tobias had come to expect from someone wielding a lightsaber. He was, however, quite fast.“Stand still!” Tokarr finally yelled something that made sense as he exited the cockpit and swung down at Tobias. But Toby easily sidestepped the swing, edging around the lowered boarding ramp and to a place where he had more ground to stand on.    Before he knew it, he was in the open cargo hold, Tokarr a second behind him and still swinging wildly. There was more room here, at least, but that didn’t make any of it easier. Tobias ducked, rolled, parried, and even jumped over Tokarr’s attacks that came at him one after another after another. Soon the bulkheads and the deck was covered in smoking scorch marks from Tokarr’s wild attacks, and still, Tobias had yet to attack on his own. The entire time, he’d stayed on the defensive...partially because of how fast Tokarr’s attacks were coming at him, and partially because Tobias just didn’t want to attack.    Then, suddenly, Tobias saw an opening. Tokarr swung high for the neck again, and Tobias ducked under it easily, his eyes staying on his opponent the entire time...and Tokarr’s torso was wide open. Seeing his chance, Tobias shifted his weight and charged under the Miraluka’s guard, shoulder first. A grunt of surprise and pain escaped Tokarr before he was sent back a couple of meters and hit the rear bulkhead.    Tobias stood up straight, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder...that shouldn’t have hurt so much...and raised his blue-green blade up in front of him again. Seeing the short moment of pause, he said firmly, “We didn’t come here to kill you.”    Before he responded, Tokarr also got up completely and off of the bulkhead. He took a few deep breaths and brought up his own weapon. The cloth that covered his non-existent eye sockets had been lost now, and so an odd, eyeless face was snarling Tobias, “If you want to stop me from destroying the Vong and protecting this galaxy then you’re going to have to kill me, Jedi.”    And then Tokarr charged again.    Not skilled enough with the blade to parry the thrust coming at him, Tobias simply spun to his right and out of the way, Tokarr moving past and sending his blade only into empty air. And there was another opening...but Tobias didn’t do what he could have. He could have taken off Tokarr’s head with a simple back swing of his lightsaber. It would have ended it right there. But instead, Tobias removed his right hand from his lightsaber and swung that back instead, catching Tokarr hard in the side of the skull and slamming him into the bulkhead with a loud thud.    By the time Tokarr hit the deck under him again, his head spinning from the force of the blow, Tobias had run down the boarding ramp. Something else had crossed his mind suddenly.    Venda.    Where in the Force was she?!    Knowing he didn’t have long and suddenly thinking this more important than fighting with some crazed Miraluka, Tobias ran back outside of the shuttle, his eyes scanning everything. No sign of her...    “Tobias!” the voice came from the treeline, behind him, and Toby turned to see her coming out from the forest, bright green lightsaber in hand. She looked to be in fairly bad shape, with cuts and bruises along her legs and face, and he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened and why she was coming out of the trees.    But instead of asking any of that, Tobias simply yelled back, “You’re alive!”    He was a kid, he was allowed to say stupid, cliched things.    Three loud clanks, one after another, signaled Tokarr descending the boarding ramp. Tobias ‘s head spun yet again, and he saw the Miraluka coming at him at full speed. Tobias raised his lightsaber up in front of him, seeing where the attack was coming and preparing to hold it back...    But then nothing came.    Tobias watched the Miraluka descend the boarding ramp then sharply turn away from him, charging off towards the south at a speed that had to be enhanced by the Force. Staring in shock, Toby didn’t know what to say.    Footsteps nearby caused him to turn again, nearly swinging his lightsaber to block an attack out of reflex, but he saw Venda and stopped himself. She was breathing hard, but gave him a quick look over to make sure he was okay before looking south towards where Tokarr had gone, “We need to go after him.”    “He’s lost it,” Tobias said flatly, stating the obvious but feeling someone needed to say it.    Venda nodded, deactivating her lightsaber blade with a loud fizzling sound, “It makes him even more dangerous,” her voice then assumed a stronger tone that seemed to wash away the previous exhaustion, “Draw on the Force...let it flow through your legs. We’re going after him.”    Tobias had never used the Force like that before. But there was a first time for everything, and Venda was already running...</blockquote>

Verification