Chapter 9: Menace and MisunderstandingNow…The purple blade arced through the air, stopping bare centimeters from Kazic’s face. Once again, he was amazed at the strength of the blow, the speed of the swing. He knew that if he wasn’t wrapped in the Force, his opponent would have quickly bested him. But his biggest surprise had not come from any physical attack. He’d felt the pressure against his mind, deluging him with first illusions then a brutal form of Force Suppression and, when those were not effective, simultaneous metaphysical attacks as he defended against the small girl’s viper-quick saber assault.
He knew that he was among the strongest mental Force-users that he’d ever met. It was taking everything for him just to defend, to blunt the attacks meant to sear his mind, to effectively lobotomize him. And her strength in the Force was…astounding. But he was holding his own, if barely.
Suddenly, he saw the red haired girl smile, as if reading his thoughts. “Oh so you’re done with me playing with you? Good…” Her smile turned predatory. “I’ve seen A LOT of things lately that I thought were disgusting—Aqualish erotica, Herglic food fixations, even hairless Wookie grease-wrestling, but I’ve never seen something as revolting as your face!” She seemingly (and effortlessly) redoubled her efforts, her purple blade in five places at once, his defenses sorely pressed.
He knew that she was taunting him, toying with his emotions while distracting him. Kazic discerned that he would have to do something…drastic. But…everything that he’d lived for, everything within his entire being was against doing…
that. No, he would rely on the Force as his ally.
His Ataru was virtually flawless…but it seemed as if this
girl had mastered the Form, incredible as that was. Kazic had been alive for more than 400 years, most of that time training, studying, absorbing from as many battlemasters and saber practitioners as he could. And, he could admit without ego, that he’d accomplished much, certainly he could be counted among those celebrated warriors, even besting several of them.
This girl was better, stronger, and even more…savage, able to extemporize seemingly at whim. Her assault suddenly penetrated his defenses, her blade connecting with his armor while concurrently attacking his mental safeguards. Thank the Maker, both his armor and his mind held but…if he
hadn’t been wearing his armor…or mentally prepared… Kazic knew that he would have to change things up, and quickly.
Back flipping, he switched to a Niman variant that he’d learned from Master Stryka. Very few of her apprentices had even
attempted to learn it, such was its complexity. He flowed into the offensive forms that Master Stryka had taught him, telling him that—aside from her—he was the
only one to gain mastery in it.
“Good! I was beginning to think that this would be over too soon! Now I see that you’re more than just a barely-trained, unimaginative gormin like the rest of these Jedi!” If the girl’s smile had been predatory before, she practically beamed with brutal voraciousness now.
As their blades met, blue on purple, the air began to hum from the violence of their combat. Kazic didn’t sweat, such was the legacy of his Anzat ancestry. Additionally, his resilience was far beyond that of a human’s. But even he was beginning to feel the effects of prolonged saberwork, the toxins in his body becoming too much for even his superior physiology to compensate for. Again, he tried a desperate attack, one that he normally would not have even
contemplated, much less attempted. Hoping to distract, Kazic’s offensive became a furious flurry of strikes, seemingly leaving an ever-widening opening to exploit. But it was not so much an invitation as it was bait. One that the girl saw and took.
As the girl’s saber came within reach, he quickly switched hands with his saber, using his now empty hand to grab the girl’s wrist, arresting her swing and creating a small opening. Her eyes widened in surprise while his saber had a clear path towards her exposed body. But even as his saber arced towards her, she broke free of his grasp.
…How in the hell…?! His saber hissed through the air, “merely” burning through the clothes that she was wearing, although the plasma blade must have connected against some tissue as he could smell burnt flesh as well as seeing a momentary spasm of pain in her face.
She was no longer smiling. All humor left her demeanor. “That…hurt.” Her lips spread in a rictus grin. “I haven’t felt that kind of pain for…quite some time.” Her stance changed, something resembling Juyo but more…aggressive. “Let me show you now, you frellik-faced farbot!” And she attacked. Her saber seemed a solid cloud of plasma; her punches and kicks felt like a gorog’s; her metaphysical attacks those of brute, crushing force, not the subtle, piercing assaults she’d been continually using.
If Kazic had been hard-pressed before, he was completely inundated now. In just under a minute, the girl had struck his armor no less than three times. Worse: she’d scored a glancing cut across his forearm, shattering the vambrace and burning his arm. And his head felt as if it were stuck within a vise. Again, he tried a desperation attack: Electric Judgment.
The yellow Lightning surprised the girl, coalescing as a plasma cloud that surrounded her, dancing all along her face and skin, scorching burns forming where the arcing contacted the skin. But then, she smiled. “Lightning, eh? So that’s the way you want to play it, Frellik-face?” She didn’t sound pained; she sounded angry. And it was then that Kazic knew that he had run out of luck.
Closing down her purple blade, blue Lightning began to surge from her hands, up her arms, sheathing her upper body in a bluish-violet hue. And with speed that even Kazic’s Force-enhanced eyes couldn’t fully track, the girl
hurled the Lightning at him. First, it overwhelmed his own (comparatively) meager Lightning, subsuming the electric cloud surrounding him and absorbing it, his aura going from yellow to violet. He’d been hit by Sith Lightning before; this was
nothing like it. Every single fiber, every individual cell felt as if it was being flash-boiled, energy coursing through his body causing his muscles to violently contract, micro-tears forming along soft tissues as the girl poured her Lightning into him. And while he was able to stand under the onslaught for a short time, he was soon on his knees, now eye-to-eye with the girl. And as the violet glow from her Lightning played across her face, turning her red hair almost black, her eyes held an almost sadistic humor in them.
“Wow Frellik-face! Every time I’ve done this, it just usually vaporizes the kriffing bastich that I use it against! For as ugly as you are, your skill with the aether is not insignificant!” She punctuated the last with a concentrated blast of Lightning causing Kazic to go from one knee down to all four limbs. And as she did, she stepped forward, standing almost right on top of the Anzati Master.
Overcome by pain, the crushing weight of the girl’s rage fueling her metaphysical assault, and his own desperation, Kazic’s primal instincts overrode the logical side of his mind. Pure impulse driving him, the Anzat (who’d forgotten the name Kazic) sprang up from the ground, enveloping the girl, completely ignoring the Lightning passing through his body. His red eyes had gone completely black, all signs of sapience gone. His hands latched onto the girl’s arms, bringing her face-to-face with him. And even though she was still stronger than the Anzat, the girl could not shake him off.
Mindlessly, the Anzat put his face nose-to-nose with the girl’s, real concern finally showing upon her face. And, for one of the rare times in his life, Kazic’s tentacle-like proboscises extended from his cheeks, slathering across the girl’s cheeks, searching out her nostrils and mouth. Disgust and fear replaced concern causing the girl to inadvertently scream out, her strong hands and legs attempting to shove the Anzat away. Meanwhile, she redoubled her metaphysical assault…but for naught; for all intents and purposes, “Kazic” was no longer there. And while she managed to do significant damage to Kazic’s body, her efforts to remove him were futile.
If the cognizant parts of Kazic’s mind and personality were in control, the girl would have easily divested herself of the Anzat. But pain and the Anzati threat responses had stripped Kazic of such; in his place was a monster, the likes of which had spawned countless stories of terror told across countless planets and cultures. And all told of the relentless, inexorable dreaded beast that fed upon the brain of its victims, the so-called “soup.”
It was this that Kazic’s proboscises sought now. And as one of them slowly found the girl’s open nostril, the other quickly followed suit. Panicked, the girl let out a primal scream of anger, defiance, and fear. But it was too late.
Suddenly, Kazic was pulled off of the girl, thrown bodily against the far wall, colliding with the transparisteel wall with a sickening crunch as several of his bones broke. He didn’t so much as grimace, the pain not registering as Kazic had succumbed to the Anzati mindlessness in the pursuit of the soup. And even as he slid to the ground, his bones were reforming, his tissues healing. He attacked the man he faced now.
He was shorter than Kazic by about 10 centimeters, his light hair short, framing a face seemingly sculpted of adamantium. Even as he helped the girl up, he kept his eyes on Kazic, not even blinking when the mindless Anzat attacked. The man sidestepped in a flurry of motion, too fast for the eye to see, grabbing Kazic’s outstretched arm, pivoting and throwing him down to the ground. Kazic’s arm broke in three places, half a dozen ribs shattering, along with his jaw as it connected with the ground. Both of his scapulas then broke in two as the man projected a crushing weight with the Force (not that he thought of it in such terms). Furthermore, the man kicked out with his heel, pulverizing Kazic’s femur in multiple places, the fractured bone ripping through the flesh of his thigh. Finally, the man kicked with his other boot, splintering Kazic’s pelvis.
Still, the Anzat fought on.
Face impassive, the man clouted Kazic with a powerful Force Push causing his head to snap to the side. The suddenness and ferocity of the motion caused the blood supply to momentarily restrict itself from reaching the Anzat’s brain, finally knocking him unconscious. All the while, the man’s face had remained completely expressionless although he slightly exhaled a sigh.
He ignited the lightsaber in his hand, the green blade casting shadows all along the apartment’s walls creating a labyrinthine array of silhouettes. And just as he was about to cleave the Anzat in two, a powerful voice shook the entire room.
“
STOP!”
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Then…“…And so we have a stalemate. In such an event, I, Kage Arkady Cyne, shall cast the deciding vote.” The short, gruff Kage looked around the Council as he made his pronouncement. “I vote against the measure that all non-Vhal’Dan citizens of Galtea must either swear the oaths or submit to monitored biometrics. This session is adjourned.” As Arkady stepped down to retire to his Office, Anson approached Kazic and Saani as they were quietly speaking.
“Kazic, this is a mistake. We need to safeguard the Vhal’Dan against those whose allegiance of which we are uncertain.” Anson’s deep brown eyes weren’t angry, just…intense.
Kazic sighed before answering, stroking his black goatee while the muted light within the Hall of Balance cast soft shadows across his armor and atop his brow, making his red eyes appear to glow. The physiological effects were one of the reasons that such myths persisted regarding Anzati possessions, devilry, and bewitchment. Still, the look on Kazic’s face would have done little to dispel the myths; indeed, the ferocity of his visage would have only added to it.
“No Anson. At best, the measure is a slippery slope that would serve to alienate and stir unrest. At worst…wholesale fascism. I will
never endorse such.” Kazic crossed his arms, the armor of his vambraces making a dull noise as he did so. “Not now. Not ever.”
Anson took a step towards Kazic, seemingly looming over the Anzat, quite a spectacle given that Anson was almost 15 centimeters shorter. The handsome Arbiter’s tone was quiet, almost genial but his eyes told another story. “I know what you’re really about. Aresaea.” He didn’t quite smile. “She is not one of the Vhal’Dan. She’s never been inducted into our Order; never even considered it. Yet…we have amongst us a…person of dubious loyalty.”
Just as Anson was wont to flare hot, his anger a raging furnace, Kazic’s temperament went in the opposite direction. Icily, the Anzati Master spoke softly. “She is not only loyal—as you say—to the Vhal’Dan, Ari
is family. And you do her a disservice to suggest otherwise. Say what you will but know this: I will
never question my ward’s fidelity. Ever.” Kazic’s eyes had adopted a half-lidded look of indifference, however, he felt anything but: he wanted to release the storm that Anson and his faction had induced in the Anzat…but he was still in control of himself. Barely.
Anson’s smile hardened. “Perhaps. But know this: one day, one day very,
very soon, don’t be surprised to find that we’ve come for Aresaea, for the good of the Vhal’Dan. Maybe later…or possibly even today. But I will be coming.” He moved to join his confederates but turned his head to the side, pausing for a moment. “Sometimes Kazic I wonder if you truly have the best interests of our Order at heart…” And without a backwards glance he gathered his retinue and walked from the Hall.
For once, Kazic’s collected nature was washed away by the fury of Anson’s threat. He couldn’t care less what the Arbiter thought of him; let Anson question his loyalties all that he wanted. But to threaten Ari…
“
K’ompo, let it go. You’re better than this.” Saani’s quiet reassuring tone echoed her demeanor as she grasped his big hand, holding it in hers. “Look, I have to join Corvus at the Ship Manufactory in the Inez Commercial District but I’ll join you at home later tonight.” She told Kazic, gesturing at the Fifth Speaker. She briefly kissed her husband. “I love you.” Then she turned to join the Devaronian Speaker.
“Love you too,
Kanp’a.” But, try as he might, his anger not only persisted but intensified. All the way from the Hall of Balance, the ride on the hyperloop, and even as he approached and entered the door of his apartments, Kazic’s fury would not relent. Upon opening his door, he almost expected to see Anson already there waiting for him.
He knew something was wrong the moment he entered his apartments. As the Force flowed from him, he didn’t find anything amiss. But Kazic had learned long ago to trust his senses. And, frankly, he was too angry to let anything go.
“Come out now you cowards. I know that you’re here.” He had his saber in hand, ready to ignite. And even as his Force-enhanced senses told him of the various minutiae in the environment, he still had difficulty locating the lone intruder.
…There… Kazic was finally able to lock onto the figure. Incredibly, he was still having difficulty tracking the intruder, as if they were…deliberately obfuscating his efforts. That in and of itself was amazing; Kazic’s mental Force abilities were among the strongest of the Vhal’Dan. Nevertheless…
He ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade washing the apartments in cold illumination. And for the first time, he saw that the intruder was a small girl. He started; he should have been able to easily sense her this close. At worst, his infravision should have seen her body’s ambient heat in the dark but her body didn’t register at all differently from her surroundings…
“I’m taking Aresaea. You will give her to me. Now.” Her voice was playful, imperious, and contemptuous. She had a saber in her hand that had yet to be ignited but the girl’s eyes gleamed with provocation.
Kazic shook his head, incensed at the girl’s tone. “The hell you will.” And with that, he attacked.
<<<<< >>>>>
Now…Something in the voice made the man stop. He turned his head towards young woman who’d yelled. Immediately he knew, his questions flooding through the aether and receiving answers in kind. He closed down his lightsaber.
“Aresaea. This is Kiraea; it was she who found you here. I am Valens.” His face relaxed a little but it still looked as if carved from durasteel.
Ari ran forward but not to either Kiraea or Valens, as he’d suspected. Instead she quickly kneeled in front of the unconscious broken body belonging to Kazic. Ari began to direct Healing flows into Kazic but she knew that her efforts were too minor, her skill not up to the task. “…Guardian…I…I’m sorry, he didn’t know! Please, please help him!”
Both Valens and Kiraea exchanged glances, an entire discussion passing in a single look. Desperate, Ari instinctively joined them in the aether, showing the two everything that she’d encountered, and not just on Galtea. Everything. Nodding slightly understanding that there was much more here than met the eye, Valens bent over the Anzat. And—to his eyes—he could easily see the splintered lines, the Shatterpoint almost completely ruined. Expertly, he smoothed the broken lines, joining the fractures and straightening the pattern, rebuilding it and once again making it whole. And when he was finished, Kazic lay before them, still unconscious but now restored, uninjured, and healthy.
“Kiraea, you should be more careful next time you wish to play with your opponent. They might end up surprising you.” Valens’ tone was quiet yet compelling, the red haired girl smirking as she took the rebuke without comment.
Meanwhile, Ari grabbed Kazic in a fierce embrace, her eyes wet with tears. “Thank you! Thank you Guardian!” She put her head against Kazic’s forehead. “Kazic! It…it’s ok! Please wake up! Please…” Slowly she rocked the Anzat as she held his body to hers in her lap. And slowly, Kazic’s eyes opened, blinking as he focused first on Ari and then on Valens.
“…Ari? Dear One? …I…I would not let him take you. Anson… No matter the cost…you…I… I will
never let them harm you…” The Anzat quieted, drifting in and out of consciousness, sometimes speaking. Every time Kazic talked, Valens listened intently, his piercing eyes taking in everything. Making a decision, Valens kneeled by Kazic, gently Delving him.
And Valens saw, he saw
everything. Letting out a breath, he stood looking down at Ari as she cradled Kazic in her lap. And he knew. He had not attacked Kiraea to dissuade her from taking Ari with them; rather Kazic had thought that Kiraea was going to convey Ari to this…Anson.
Her eyes still red with tears, Ari looked up at Valens. “Guardian…will, will he be OK?”
And—as he had for many lifetimes—Valens knew with conviction that what was required was something…
more. Only this time, Valens hoped, this time…he would not
have to fight.
He looked at the young woman, her aqua eyes pleading and he knew he was right. “Yes. Yes, he will be.” He knelt by Ari, his face relaxing. “And I will make certain of it.”