Darth Suspiria approached the dojo. She didn't duel often and wasn't certain how she would fare, but she had decided to accept. Prophet Crozeus had issued an open challenge.
Her long dark hair was braided and pinned in place forming a coil around her head. A dark tunic, pants and black boots formed her attire. Hanging on a belt at her side was her lavender lightsaber. The hilt shone in the streetlights as she walked.
She entered the dojo and looked around. She spotted Prophet Crozeus waiting to see if a challenger would answer his summons to come and do battle. As always he stood erect and ready, warrior of the Empire, Prophet of the Church. A formidable opponent.
She stepped to the center of the piste and bowed. Her voice rang in the dojo, her words precise. Prophet Crozeus, I Darth Suspiria answer your challenge. Let us duel our way to glory this day.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, she waited for his reply.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus grinned in anticipation. He threw his robes to the floor and stetched, clad in all-black clothing and boots. His eyes still a calm blue, he smiled and greeted his friend.
"Ah, Darth Suspiria. I would be honoured to duel you."
The two Sith Masters looked into the crowd of hopefuls and apprentices and Crozeus grinned. In a flourished manouver he brought out his newly constructed lightsaber, igniting it and relishing the snap-hiss with a deep breath, momentarily closing his eyes. The long ruby and gold blade bathed the two Masters in a eerie glow, and the group fell silent.
Crozeus decided to use his new saber in a different way. He saluted in the second form of Makashi, bringing the blade up to his face so that it almost burnt his nose, before making an X in the air and bringing it down to his side.
He beckoned and waited for Adriel to move.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria smiled back at her friend. They enjoyed many of the same things and often common ground was not easy for Sith to find with one another. Her eyes shone, the bright blue, softened by the golden and scarlet glow. Her dark hair enhanced as a raven's wing at dawn's light.
She too raised her lightsaber in the traditional Makashi salute. A purple glow, burst forth as she ignited it, joining the spectrum already on the floor. A rainbow to complement their combat.
She raised the sword before her face and with a swish completed her sign of respect. She bowed low and then straightened into a side stance, blade pointed at the floor. En Garde! Suspiria cried and began to circle, looking for an opening.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus smiled and circled as well. It seemed the two Masters were both unwilling to attack, so Crozeus decided to take the initiative. He poised with his saber held back, as if he were to strike, and then raised his other arm and sent bolts of Force Lightning at Phoenix's master.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria knew full well that Darth Crozeus loved to do the unexpected. She had been ready for an unconventional first move. She dodged the force lightening and used a Ballestra Lunge. She feinted left, then moved right engaging his lightsaber with her own.
A swift parry, it sent glowing embers of light cascading downward.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus turned slowly, keeping her saber locked with his. He used his superior stregth to turn her blade up so that the two sabers were above their heads, sending sparks raining down upon their heads. Neither flinched. The Dark Warrior, unothodox as always, lashed out with a vicious kick towards her stomach.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria managed to pull her stomach back enough so as not to absorb the full flow of the kick. She still grunted, but was not doubled over. Hobarth Kivar also liked to kick. They had shared many practice hours and often Darth Celestial joined them. Being kicked was not new to her.
She passe arriered and then crescent kicked nastily towards his left leg, seeking to upend him.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus leapt backwards, surprised by her manouver. He decided a new uplook would be necessary. He switched forms to Juyo, hoping the form would throw her off balance as it was not common among the Sith. He brought his saber into quart and lunged, cutting to her arm.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria had been studying Juyo with Darth Celestial and Hobarth Kivar. As Crozeus switched to that form, she could have followed suit. He had more training in that form than her however. Instead she chose something even more unconventional.
She turned in a displacement manuever and the Prophet's blade only glanced her arm. Suspiria then switched to the Arden Lyn style of combat, Teras Kasi. Using a Dancing Dragonsnake movement she flowed forward, and suddenly switched hands with her lightsaber. She swung quickly in a fluid movement, her swordhand covered by a manchette striking directly at his head.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus let out a violent expression as he rolled aside, her blade cutting through the fabric on his left arm and searing his flesh. He hissed, drawing the pain in, and decided it would not be enough to simply attack. He zoned out and came back in again to another form he had mastered, that of Niman. He flourished his lightsaber in a ring around him and took up a light stance, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
He watched Suspiria closely, suddenly leaping in and striking to the throat. A rapid series of attacks and parries ensued, as the two Sith Masters fought to gain an opening, Crozeus preferring to defend and riposte.
Soon they came into a saber lock, and Crozeus brought her saber down with his, before, his eyes flasing blood red, launching a punch at her face.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria gasped as she took the punch. She saw stars for a moment and was staggered back by the blow. It had hit her in the side of the head and her ear began to ring. She shook it off and danced back, taking a brief second to collect herself.
Then she compound-riposted, feinting and parrying...feinting and parrying. She had to stay away from those saber locks. The two opponents were beginning to look a little the worse for wear, yet they were not far into the battle. Suspiria could feel her face getting puffy. There were burn marks on both of their shirts. She had known this would be a tough duel. It was necessary to advance her skill.
She lunged, then utilized a redoublement. The two blades glisaded and bright sparks showered them, adding more cinder holes to the burn marks already there. Suspiria moved to an infighting position, she could almost feel Crozeus's breath on her face. Swiftly she used a Biu Sao spear hand movement. Her fingers moving with blinding speed towards his breastbone...
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus saw it in the Force, a peculiar technique he had picked up since Wayland. However, it was too fast to avoid, and all he could do was steel himself. Her hand smashed into him like a hammer, taking the breath out of him, yet he still used the momentum to roll away rather than leave himself open.
"Nice move," he gasped.
The two Sith wearily circled again. Crozeus' wrist felt limp and his tierce position showed it. He galnced down to see a burn mark running along his wrist. How had that gotten there? He shook his mind and focused back on the duel. Despite their fatigue, fire still burned in their eyes, and Crozeus decided respite would be needed. He gathered his strength and ran from the dojo, aided by the Force.
He arrived at the hangar and climbed into his ship, the Masar's Revenge . He wondered how well Suspiria would fare in the skies.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria raced after Prophet Crozeus, also using the force. They were both exhausted but exhilarated with the thrill of combat. She was sore, and without the aid of the force it felt like she had a bell inside her head. Their clothes were burned and blood spattered. Still she was enjoying herself.
Her shuttle was not as fast as his ship but it would have to do. She climbed in, watching him shoot off into space and she took off after him, pushing the tiny shuttle to speeds it had never flown before. She laughed as he climbed higher. She pointed the nose upward in pursuit.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus grinned wickedly as he felt the familiar thrills of flying wipe away his fatigue in an instant. He thought it would be fun to scare the navy, so he headed straight for an Interdictor class Star-Destroyer in orbit, and hurtled around it, his snubfighter's excellent mobility enabling him to turn and face Suspiria's shuttle, and he squeezed off a volley of laser fire from the dual cannons on the nose.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria could see Crozeus's snub nose heading for a Navy Interdictor class Star Destroyer. Oh the navy might well blast them both out of the sky. She continued to give chase when he turned and fired his laser cannons at her.
She chandelle turned moving out of the laser fire's reach and then did a wing over. Suddenly she was above him upside down. The shuttle really was not meant for this. It also only had one cannon. The little ship shook a bit. Suspiria sighed. She could not afford to break apart in space and have to resort to the escape pod.
Would Crozeus retrieve her? She wondered. As she wasn't certain she didn't think it would be fun to find out.
She did a triangular circuit so that she was behind him again and fired her own cannon, aiming for his engines.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus laughed and nipped along the port side of the destroyer, Suspria's laser fire stitching along behind him. Now, the destroyer would fire on them, and, skilled as he was, Crozeus didn't fancy his chances against wings of TIEs.
Therefore, he headed for the hangar, firing his advanced beam weapons mounted above him at the shield generators. The Revenge skidded along the deck, coming to a halt about halfway across it. The cockpit popped open and Crozeus leapt out, igniting his saber and turning to wait for Suspiria, who would surely follow.
"Stop right there!" Crozeus turned and faced a platoon, no, two platoons of Stormtrooper Marines. He wondered briefly if they knew who, or what, he was. But all the knew, he guessed, was that he had just shot down their shields, crashed ino their hangar and was now grinning at them in an insane fashion holding a shiny thing.
So he was not surprised when they raised their E-11s.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria zoomed along behind Crozeus and watched as he shot the shield generators on the Star Destroyer, skidded across the hangar and their deck and jumped out. She laughed uproariously and then saw all the troopers with their weapons raised.
Oh my, this would not do. She concentrated for a moment and then had a wicked and devious thought. Suspiria hesitated then chuckled. Why not? There might be hell to pay tomorrow from the Emperor, but it would be fun. She did a Yeager loop, making sure to leave an engine signature behind. Then she Immelman turned so that she was on the leeward side of the ship. Crozeus was in view.
Suspiria opened a comm link to the Star Destroyer and yelled. "Bogey incoming, bogey incoming. Two clicks north of starboard. Scramble! Scramble!" She watched, laughing so hard that tears ran down her face.
The ship's alarms went off, calling the troopers to scramble, lights flashing all over the destroyer. The troopers raced for their Tie Fighters, Crozeus forgotten except for two troopers who he quickly disarmed. She swooped in landing the small shuttle in the Star Destroyer's hanger. She leapt out and ignited her lightsaber.
"En Garde!" she yelled, all the while tears of silent mirth continued to roll down her cheeks.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus too was bent double, spluttering in laughter. The two troopers next to him looked at each other, clearly bemused, and Crozeus sent them flying into the wall with a casual wave of his hand. He sensed more incoming, and closed the door with another wave, before ripping a TIE bomber from the ceiling and moving it in front of the door. A thought came to him and he looked up at the security camera, and he waved.
He took up en garde, stepping forwards and backwards, all his fatigue evaporated and replaced with laughter. He went into the simplest of the forms, Shii-Cho, and beckoned.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria looked up at the security camera and also waved. She followed her wave with a bolt of force lightening, shorting out the camera.
She raced towards Crozeus stopping just outside of reach. "Let's duel!" She cried out in exhilaration and twirled her lightsaber. She advanced and parried then leapt up onto a fighter's wing, scampering along it's length, then somersaulted down waiting for him to follow.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus knew she wanted him to follow. That meant she had something planned. So he didn't. He picked up the fighter and raised it above her, its ominous shadow covering her figure, before smashing it down.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria saw the huge shadow and the fighter hovering above her. Using a Teras Kasi move called Rising Rancor she spread her arms and leapt. Done rightly it appeared that the combatant was flying. She soared forward landing not far from Crozeus.
Then in a surprise move, she did a tobi geri flying kick aimed at his chest. "So Crozeus, do you think we will be having bread and water in the Emperor's dungeon before day's end? If so we need to go to the Orchid Diner for a good meal before they arrest us." The words were spoken while airborn, she wondered if he had heard her.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus took it, doing a full backflip. He lunged and began yet another rapid series of attacks, ripostes and counters.
"Oh, absolutely. I like that place."
He grinned wickedly and suddenly did a ballestra, ramming his shoulder into her chest while simultaneously cutting to her side.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria tumbled backwards as Crozeus rammed her with his shoulder. One good thing about the shove was that as she fell backward, his slash at her side was only a glancing blow. She gasped as pain shot through both bodily areas at once. She rolled backwards and came up onto her feet, seeing his wicked grin.
Darth Suspiria's eyes gleamed and she put aside the glib reparte. So he is getting serious, is he. she said to herself.
She counterattacked fiercely, utilizing redoublements and changes of engagements. The two combatants battled back and forth across the hangar bay. The conversation of the blades tap..swish...tap...swish... echoed in the huge chamber, repeating endlessly their skilled swordplay. Then Suspiria croised, forcing Crozeus's blade momentarily into the low position, leaving his upper body exposed. She hammer-punched at him, the strike aimed at the ridge of his nose.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus grunted as he felt his nose break. Blood and fragments splattered on his face and he stumbled backwards. His eyes burned red with fury as he channeled the pain and he glared at Suspiria. He opened his mouth and screamed at her, the Force amplifying the sonic waves until it was at a deafening level. Crozeus had killed animals with his Force Scream. Now he was testing it on a human.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria hadn't really meant to break the Prophet's nose. She had meant to stun him, but the blow had been heavier than intended. She felt his nose break and the blood spattered everywhere. The look of fury in Crozeus's eyes was terrible to behold.
The force scream shattered her eardrum in her right ear before she managed to get force shield in place. She gasped as blood came out of her ear and ran down the side of her face. She went down on one knee, the pain was excruciating. The force shield held sparing the other ear drum and deflecting some of the power of the force scream back at Crozeus. She rose with difficulty, lowered the shield for a second and fired two blasts of force lightening, one at Crozeus and one at the metal support beam above his head.
High Prophet Crozeus
This duel was becoming too vicious, although it was nothing a little bit of bacta and some synth-flesh couldn't solve. Crozeus' wrist saber snapped out of its holster and ignited to absorb the lightning in its violet blade. Crozeus left it levitating and reached up to grab the falling beam in the Force. He threw it aside and breathed deeply from the exertion. He was shaking with exhaustion. Wearily, he ignited his double bladed saber, and hurled his new one at Suspiria with all his might.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria was also shaking from pain and exhaustion. Surely they would heal with Bacta, but all she could say was What a duel!
The Prophet threw one of his lightsabers at her and it hit the force shield she was maintaining, shorting it out. Sparks rained on her and she momentarily covered her face, then quickly recovered.
She counter-attacked, every muscle was screaming. They parried and she pressed, then passe arriered. They were running out of energy, but neither wished to give up the battle. She circled exhausted, waiting for his next move.
High Prophet Crozeus
Once again, Crozeus came in on the attack, batting her saber aside with one blade and slashing with the other. Attack, parry, riposte, counter attack, counter riposte... The movements and patterns were endless.
He leapt back and repulsed all his sabers out from him, igniting them and cirlcing the short one around him, ready to defend against her attacks. The other two he sent at her, and they slashed at her when she was open. The double blades he kept hold of, and slowly advanced. Five blades now posed threats to Suspiria. Crozeus smiled slightly. The advantage of having more lightsabers was apparent.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria had never liked using more than one lightsaber in combat. At the moment however she understood completely that it had its advantages. Two blades slashed at her, and she managed to turn in quartata and avoid one but not the second. It struck her side and she groaned. The rest of Crozeus's blades were in the air circling her and he was advancing.
Suddenly and swiftly she went passata-soto dropping to the floor balanced on her free hand and sliding under the airborn lightsabers. She came up in a fluid movement blade pointed outward, thrusting directly at her opponent's shoulder.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus saw his opponent's mistake, and utilized it brutally. He pivoted aside, her lavender blade scarring along his upper arm, and counter lunged, exploding out woth his blade. It was heading straight for her side, merely millimeters away. If she could somehow avoid it, Crozeus knew exactly what she would do, and how he would counter it.
He couldn't explain why, but he just knew. It was as clear to him as knowing the sun would rise, yet he could never find out why these visions occured to him. Until, that is, he joined the Church. Knowing exactly what his opponent would do at crucial times in duels, is exactly what made him such a formidable opponent. Only the best of the Sith can block their mind completely, as Crozeus found out when he duelled Markaro Vos.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria knew that Prophet Crozeus was a formidable duelist. He was a highly skilled combatant, who had defeated many opponents. She had heard a rumor that he knew what his opponent would do. That made sense to her. Wasn't that the meaning of being a prophet? To prophesize?
She considered for a second parrying his stroke that was headed for her side. She envisioned it very briefly. Instead she turned slightly in quartata. This action would not have been her first choice, but it was necessary.His stroke was too close to totally avoid. Darth Suspiria did what was called 'taking the blade.' She allowed it to slide along her side feeling the fiery slash in every nerve.
Then she did the totally unexpected and slammed into Crozeus corps-a corps sending them both flying backwards....
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus laughed as she did it. In his mind, he had listened to her brain as it whirred and clicked faster than any super-computer. He flew with her and he brought his arm around her. He ignited his wrist-held saber, and cut through the fabric on her back, burning her skin. He reached out and pushed against the ground slightly so when they hit it wouldn't go in.
They gracefully slid along the hangar floor, eventually coming to a halt. Crozeus kept his blade perfectly balanced, burning her. He quickly sheathed it and pushed her off him, before igniting it again and springing across to where she now lay. He pointed it at her neck, raising his hand to call his other sabers to him. They pointed at her as well.
"Give up now." There was no anger or contempt in his voice, only tiredness. He was exhausted, shattered completely, and he knew she was as well, and the hilarity of the situation came to him. They had broken just about every law in the Imperial justice code, and it would take a lot to get them out of this one.
Darth Suspiria
Darth Suspiria looked up at Prophet Crozeus. She was exhausted and knew he was as well. She knew that she had requited herself well, he had just been the better duelist. There would be other days and other duels.
"I surrender Prophet Crozeus. Well fought." She struggled to her feet wincing. She leaned on her lightsaber to keep from falling.
She looked around at the hangar bay and its destruction. She grinned wickedly, and her eyes twinkled. "How long do you think we will get in the dungeon for this?" Then she laughed, which made her wince even more.
High Prophet Crozeus
Crozeus too surveyed the mayhem. "The time in the dungeon doesn't bother me - we would be let out to perform our duties anyway," Crozeus murmured. "It's them I'm worried about." He limply gestured and Suspiria turned to see a whole company of Stormtroopers, weapons raised.
Grimacing, Crozeus slowly raised his hands. The troops simultaneously pressed a button on their weapons. "Don't, pl-" A volley of blue stun bolts cut him off as the two Sith masters were thrown to the ground unconsious.
