#there was only one working and they were also the only one who coul reset the projectors

[st-just]

Tried to see Furiosa but the theater lost power an hour in. Taking this as a sign.

[nyxwordsmith]

The sides team up in pairs and all get in a fight and its up to thomas to find out why (dogs vs. cats)

 Full Disclosure: I’m writing this one after being awake for 24 hours, so uh, it’s a little silly. And um, to be fair, I’m probably going to re-use this one for an angstier version later on. I just felt like using this for something silly at first.Warnings: A little swearing, Insulting another character

Taglist: @red-the-ruler (If you would like to be added, please let me know)

It’s just a silly fic I wanted to write. I’m not proud of it XD

 It had been a long, painful week. Thomas had no idea what he had done to deservethis, but he was pretty sick of it. For a wholeweek Logan and Roman had been at each other’s throats. And poor Thomas,being the host, had to literally take a week off. Because his mind felt like itwas literally being torn apart.

 His dreams were interrupted by slamming doors.His breakfast was filled with screaming. His television shows were punctured bybreaking plates.

 On the seventh day of this, tired from beingpulled in four different directions he could hardly decipher, Thomas sat on thecouch in his living room and rubbed his temples.

 For over a week the shouting was absolutelyimpossible to decipher. It was like white noise, crackling and ear-splittingly loud,ever-present and about to send Thomas to the pit of insanity.

 Finally, with a frustrated grunt, he summonedall of them at once. The sight was…well, disarming.

 Roman loomed over Logan, as he tended to dowhen he was angry, looking more like an angry dog than human. He even bared histeeth, glowering down at the trait who was hardly a few inches shorter. Hishair was a mess, his coat rumpled and uneven as though Thomas had interrupted aphysical fight.

 Logan was glaring up at Roman, looking only thetiniest bit calmer. His eyes burned with the same intensity, his smaller framepractically shaking with barely restrained rage. His glasses were crooked,muscles in his jaw tense, hands curled into fists by his sides.

 Patton looked terrified. The shortest of theSides, his hands were pressed to his mouth, arms tucked protectively close tohis chest, eyes darting between the fighting pair, wide and filled with tears.That nearly broke Thomas’ heart right there. It probably would have sent Pattonover the edge too.

 Remarkably, Virgil looked calm and…amused? He was slouching as usual, hiseyes sparkling as he hid behind his hair, his lip quirked into a smirk. Eventhough he appeared calm, Thomas could feel that he was watching them bothcarefully, prepared to move at a moment’s notice.

 In fact, Virgil was the one who realised they’dmoved at all. His eyes slid to Thomas, that quirk on his lips twitched, “Ohhey, Thomas.” In unison, the other three Sides turned to Virgil, then toThomas, “I told you so.”

 Logan turned to glower at Virgil, beforetaking a deliberate step back from Roman. The prince noticed, but when theireyes met again the burning animosity returned.

 At least they’d separated a little.

 “What the heckis going on?!” Thomas threw his hands in the air, exasperated, eyes wild asthey slid from one Side to the other. Patton made a tiny whimpering noise,hunching a little, and Virgil protectively moved toward him.

  A glare from Logan stopped him with a frustratedsigh, so Virgil threw Patton an encouraging smirk instead.

 Logan and Roman were too busy glaring at eachother to realise Thomas had asked a question, and Patton was too afraid to sayanything. Virgil rolled his eyes with another frustrated sigh, “Your logic isfighting with creativity. Again.”

 Thomas narrowed his eyes at Virgil, “Thatdoesn’t explain why it’s been going on for a week.” His tone was tense, a verythin layer of rock over a slow-moving flow of magma.

 Virgil really wasn’t deterred, reacting onlyby arching a single eyebrow, “Oh, that’s not the best bit.”

 Virgil’s cool, calm voice was soothingsomething in Thomas, which he found odd, considering the other Sides were all onedge. Or maybe that was fatigue. That was probably a near week of no sleep.

 “Dude, I know.” Thomas expected somethingsardonic and mocking in his smile, but instead it was gentle and understanding.Maybe his fatigue was coming fromVirgil. He did look way too loose to be involved in…whatever this was.

 Thomas groaned, “Before I lose my mind completely someone explain what is goingon.”

 Virgil turned to Logan, his eyes glitteringwith amusement, “Care to explain?”

 Logan swiftly spun to Thomas, arms wrappingtightly around his chest, his back straight. That furious glint remained in hiseyes, burning, “Roman is a degenerate animal-“

 “Hey!”

 “-who has no understanding of perfection.”

 Thomas blinked. And blinked again. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

 “What he means,Thomas,” Roman started, also facing his host, “Is that Logan is atraditionalist so blinded by-“ Thomas zoned out long enough to spot Virgilquickly slipping to Patton’s side and whispering something, rubbing the smallof his back and easing him sit at the base of the stairs.

 Thomas chose not to zone back in, shaking hishead, “Enough!” He didn’t like theparallel to the Heart vs Mind video. That had given him a headache too, “Callingeach other names is not explaining what this fight is about!”

 With Patton safely on the steps, Virgil glidedbetween the pair toward Thomas, “Crofters.” He said simply, hands sliding intohis hoodies pockets.

 “Pardon?”

 Virgil’s amused smirk returned, “They’refighting about Crofters.”

 For a moment, Thomas was absolutely certain he’dgone completely mad. His Creativity and Logic was fighting over a spread? Thatwas absurd!

 Almostas absurd as having Sides in the first place.

 As intrusive as the thought was, it was right. He pinched the bridge of hisnose, letting his head tilt back a little, “Crofters.” He practicallywhispered.

 “Yup. Patton and I got dragged into it.” Virgilcontinued, hyper-aware of the glaring match that had continued over his head.He shrank a little, “Logan prefers his on toast. Roman prefers to eat it fromthe jar.” Virgil sighed, “That is the whole point.” 

 Thomas blinked a total of six times before itsank in. And he fell back onto the couch. His head fell into his hands, “I’velost it. I’ve completely lost it.”

 The tired defeat in his voice almost seemed toecho in the room, “Not yet.” Virgil answered, “But if this isn’t resolved,yeah.”

 “Virgil.” The anxious Side jerked a little,but he kept his full attention on Thomas, “Have they done this in the past?”

 “Fought over stupid shit?” he laughed, “Yeah.”

 Thomas was surprised that Patton didn’t chastisehim for the curse, but it was likely that he was still frozen on the stairs. “Whathappened to…resolve it?”

 Virgil arched an eyebrow, his smirk growing alittle, “You…want to know?” the amusement in his eyes was darker now, andThomas squirmed under his gaze.

 “I’m losing my mind, Virgil.” Thomaspractically pleaded, “Over a spread.”Virgil snorted, “Please.”

 Virgil grinned, taking a step back andpositioned himself right between them. Patton was squirming on the stairs, bitinghis lip and shrinking into himself.

 Thomas couldn’t tear his eyes away as Virgilvery quickly turned to Logan, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, andyanked him down for a particularly heated kiss. It was brief, but Logan’sexpression had changed. Like Virgil had hit a reset button. Instead ofglowering at Roman, he was staring into space.

 Before Thomas could protest, Virgil wasturning toward Roman. Who was staring at Virgil and backing away a little.Virgil grinned, leaping for Roman and the pair ended up on the floor, fightingplayfully until Virgil won.

 Virgil pulled himself off Roman as he toostared silently at the ceiling. He brushed himself off, glancing sidelong atThomas before he went to Patton and gave him a far gentler, chaste kiss.

 “Okay…” rubbed at his eyes, “What-“

 “You know we’ve been together for a while,Thomas.” Virgil’s fatigue was now catching up to him as Logan’s eyelidsfluttered.

 “But they like…reset.”

 Virgil snickered, “Just a little adrenalineand common sense.” Virgil shrugged, starting to waver dangerously on his feet, “Didn’tknow I coul-“ he rocked forward, barely catching himself. Thomas didn’t riskhim falling, already moving to his side and guiding him to the couch, “-Didn’tknow I could do that until we got together.”

 “Uh, how many fights have you broken up likethis?” Thomas asked, glancing nervously between the Sides as they slowly brokeout of their stupors.

 “One. Before this.” Virgil yawned, sinkingback into the couch cushions, “About…dragon-witches?” he shook his head tiredly,“It was dumb too.”

 Logan was the first to return, looking aroundthe room confused before looking down at his clothes. Almost immediately, shameand embarrassment twisted his features, “That’s…”

 “Dangerous. Yup.” Virgil pulled his feet uponto the couch, curling himself up but not tightly, “It’s only works sometimes.Doesn’t work all the time.” He yawned, pulling his hood up over his head asRoman stirred on the floor, “Like a failsafe when they get…like this…” he wavedvaguely at the rest of the room.

 Thomas smirked as Patton snapped up, comingtoo much faster than the other two. Patton’s worried eyes fell on Virgil as hecurled up beside Thomas on the couch, who was slumped forward on his thighsagain.

 Thomas knew he didn’t need to speak anymore.Patton would do enough lecturing for them. In fact, Thomas was certain he didn’twant to be awake for this.

 Much like Virgil had, Thomas sank back intothe couch, and let himself drift to sleep.

 Crofters…hethought to himself with a dry laugh, It is pretty good…

[tiaraofsapphires]

Apoptosis-Chapter 2

lol remember this thing exists?

Chapter 2: i succumb to the weight of the world

Read here on Ao3!

Sara had given the Tempest crew one more day before they were expected back on the ship, ready to disembark.

It brought up the total amount of time they were on the Nexus to three days.

By then, the medi-gel and time would mend battle wounds to the point where they could get back into the field. The physical was recoverable.

The emotional, however, was a different story.

The entire team took this loss hard, that much was obvious on the ride back to the Nexus, though not as hard as she did. Jaal, their teammate, their confidante, their friend.

She would let them mourn for a man who wasn’t dead yet.

She would busy herself in finding a way to get him back.

That brought her to a desk now covered in reports and every scrap of information pertinent to the kett she could find.

They knew some things about the kett. Things about their behavior based on intelligence gathered from military encounters. Things about their physiology, from autopsied bodies. But, not enough, never enough.

SAM had his information on Meridian and the Jardaan. It wasn’t enough or conclusive, but it was a start.

There had to be some answer there. If the Jardaan created the angara, maybe they had insight into their physiology, enough to reset Jaal to before Exaltation.

The Jardaan were intelligent and powerful enough to create a whole other sentient species. There had to be some root of a cure there.

“I would not place too much hope in the information I collected when we defeated the Archon,” SAM said.

“We need more, don’t we? We need to look harder.”

She raked her fingers through her hair.

“Fuck,” she breathed, “I don’t know where to begin.”

“Perhaps one of the vaults will have answers after Meridian’s activation.”

She hummed in agreement. It made sense.

They had vaults on Eos, Havarl, Voeld, Kadara and Aya. It would take time to visit them all, explore every last inch of them to find some kind of hint.

The issue was that Sara didn’t know how much time she had to look.

“It may also be wise to revisit the ruins of the kett base on Voeld,” SAM continued.

Schematics and maps appeared on her datapad.

“Yeah. We should go there first. Look at the base and the vault. Two birds, one stone. Then we move on.”

It was logical, of course. SAM didn’t do anything that wasn’t logical so when he didn’t speak up to contradict her, she assumed he agreed with her.

She tried to be as logical as possible, trying to separate the level-headed Pathfinder from the mourning shell-shocked girlfriend, focus on the former than the latter. She supposed she needed a bit of both to get the job done.

She was going to fight. She had to.

Even if she had to tear apart the fucking laws of nature to bring him back, she would.

Sara let herself have that conviction, though it hurt.

She refused to cry anymore, especially in front of Scott, and her jaw hurt from clenching it so hard all the time.

She tapped on her desk. She didn’t like the quarters she was given on the Nexus. They were too barren and impersonal. Even her father’s quarters on the now-beached Hyperion had a bit more life to it.

But it had all the essentials that Sara needed, so it didn’t really matter.

She turned back to the datapad to make a rough outline of what the hell she was planning on doing.

Sure, Voeld first. Then Meridian, then Kadara, then Elaaden, then Eos, then Havarl. She dreaded a visit to Havarl. She would have no choice but to visit Jaal's family and face her failure. But perhaps she would get lucky before going to Havarl and she would only return to his family with Jaal whole again.

It wasn’t likely. Too many variables, too many unknowns.

She couldn’t just ask for a cure to be made. No one would listen to her. They wouldn’t waste valuable time and resources for something that was, in their minds, futile.

Lexi would tell her that it wasn’t possible, just like the asari had told Jaal all those days ago. That was back when it was simpler, when Exaltation happened to other people, to distant relations and unknown people.

This hit so close to home that the kett who turned Jaal might as well have shot Sara in the chest. It would’ve probably hurt less.

A life for a life. If it came to that, she would pay that price.

She kept that fact close, though, never verbalizing it. She was determined, not suicidal.

There was a knock just as SAM said, “Scott is at the door.”

Scott let himself in, tray of food in his hands, before she could do anything about the piece of information. She supposed SAM was just giving her a warning and was going to let him in whether she liked it or not.

She grunted in greeting.

She didn’t talk much to anyone outside of SAM, hardly let anyone into her room. Scott was the only one who really attempted to see her as far as she knew. The rest of the Tempest crew must have known to give her some distance.

She didn’t allow herself to waste away, but it felt like she was dying a little every second. She knew she needed to be strong. It would be a long time, a lot of work, to get Jaal back.

But, she let herself wallow in how fucking shitty this situation was for a bit.

Eat little, sleep even less.

Scott and SAM made sure that at least she was getting enough food and sleep to survive. Her brother offered her glasses of water and plates of food that tasted more like sawdust than anything, telling her that he wasn’t going to leave unless she finished at least half of it.

It wasn’t an idle threat, either. He always had that set in his brow that told her that he was very serious.

For his benefit, she choked down her food, this time nutrient paste and bread that tasted synthetic more than anything else. Scott watched her as he sat next to her. Probably checking to see if he needed to tattle to Harry or Lexi.

The bruises were yellowed and fading. She was at least aware enough to change the medi-gel and bandages on her wounds so they were mere echoes of what they were days earlier.

Scott pitied her, she knew that.

“Do you want me to stay?” Scott asked after her plate was empty.

She shook her head.

“No, I—

“Still need space?” he finished.

A nod. Of course, Scott knew her.

“Well, if you need a fresh pair of eyes, you know where I am.”

He stood up and kissed the top of her head.

“Love you, Sara.”

“Love you too.”

The door shut with a hiss and she was alone again.

She didn’t throw her datapad onto her desk, but it made a loud noise regardless.

She avoided her email as much as possible, but every so often she’d glance at the little number and noticed how it got bigger and bigger.

When she finally checked, it was exactly what she expected: a flood of emails expressing condolences from across Heleus. It seemed like everyone she ever met in Heleus, who she remembered and didn’t remember, had sent an email, paying respects.

Respect and condolences for a man who wasn’t dead yet.

But she read them anyway, gave them short and stilted acknowledgements. It was overwhelming.

Even Reyes Vidal sent something, to her surprise. Even more surprising, how heartfelt and sincere it was.

But when she thought about it, it was likely sent at the prodding of her brother.

It was good Scott was doing something after the Archon wreaked havoc on him. He was assigned as liaison between the Initiative and Reyes’ Collective.

She wasn’t an idiot, she could tell from vid-calls and emails that something was up between Scott and Reyes. She thought about calling Scott back and having him give her details.

Even if it was nothing, it would be a welcome distraction.

She shook herself out of it.

No, she didn’t need a distraction. She needed to keep working. She needed to find all the missing pieces to an impossible puzzle and get Jaal back.

Minutes blended into hours and it got to a point where she wasn’t sure if it was her hands that were shaking or the words on her datapad were moving by themselves.

“You have had approximately 2 hours of sleep in the past 62 hours. You need to sleep,” SAM spoke up.

Sara startled at the sound, cursing when the datapad crashed to the ground.

It took her a moment to pick it up, everything sluggish. She felt drunk.

“Need sleep, huh?” she mumbled.

The bright code of SAM node writhed and swirled.

“Symptoms of sleep deprivation include impaired judgment, slowed reaction times, hallucinations, paranoia, and eventually death. To avoid this, I suggest sleep.”

Sara grumbled as she stood and shucked off her clothes.

There was a reason she didn’t sleep, and when she did, slept fitfully. She dreaded what kind of dreams would meet her as soon as she closed her eyes.

There could be dreams of the battle, of Jaal’s face twisting in pain. Perhaps that was why the angara were in a trance before they were turned in that facility on Voeld. She wished Jaal hadn’t felt anything and didn’t feel anything anymore. Maybe he was locked away in a numb state, some tiny spark of the angara she once knew, hidden in the recesses of that kett body. She didn’t know, couldn’t know.

She hated not knowing.

And then there was the possibility of there being dreams of before the battle. Of caresses and kind words, a rendezvous behind a waterfall.

Only to wake up, knowing that those things were only memories.

She lay down and pulled the blanket over her. The lights dimmed on their own accord, though it was likely SAM’s doing.

“I don’t know how I can sleep,” she muttered, half to herself, half to SAM.

“I can help.”

SAM turned from a buzz to a hum in the back of her head and the world turned black.

…

She woke up with her face wet and her chest aching.

She didn't know if she had a nightmare or what. She just felt empty, like she just had a breakdown and didn’t get an opportunity to actually feel the outpouring of emotions and was just left with the hollow echo.

Sara wanted to lash out at SAM, screech and scream at the AI in her head. He basically knocked her out without her express permission, but she figured he did it for her benefit. She couldn't bring herself to be angry with him. That required energy that she didn’t have.

“Sara, you are expected on the Tempest in an hour.”

She groaned and forced herself into a sitting position, groaning again when pain creaked its way through at the movement.

Aches and pains. She was only twenty-three and sometimes she felt like she was sixty years older than that. She got shot at and fallen off of plenty of high places and gotten the shit beaten out of her more times than she could count and it took a toll.

“Okay, SAM.”

She shuffled to the bathroom and near-boiled herself in the water. She slapped on makeup to cover the bruise-like shadows under her eyes, reapplied bandages over the wounds that were still healing, and dressed.

Looking back into the mirror, she looked like a living human, vaguely. She even looked like a Pathfinder, ready to take on another army.

Did she feel like it?

No, not really.

She was exhausted and emotionally drained, despite several hours of sleep.

One last cursory look at her emails. More condolences and minutiae that she could deal with once they were underway on the Tempest.

Sara didn’t want to leave her room, just for the sake of not wanting to see anyone. But for the sake of bringing Jaal back, she was dragging her ass out to the world.

“Alright, SAM, let’s face this.”

There were only nods of respect and quiet greetings of ‘Pathfinder’ on the walk between her apartment and Tempest. Deference to a hero, though she didn’t particularly feel like a hero.

She tried to look as normal as possible. It wasn’t too difficult. She could hide her pain, both physical and emotional. There was no question she still mourned, it had only been a few days and it was no secret how close Sara and Jaal were.

She tried not to think of Jaal as dead or in the past. Dead meant there was no going back. He was alive, in some form, in a cage on the Nexus.

For now. She would get him back, eventually.

Liam stood at the lowered ramp of the Tempest, clearly waiting for her. Everyone else must have been on board.

Before he noticed her, Sara watched. He looked tired, a little hunched-over.

He and Jaal were good friends, close despite differences in culture and species. If anyone else could take this loss as hard as Sara did, it would be him.

He brightened a bit when he finally saw Sara, not so much that it looked fake. Sara managed a smile in return.

“There she is,” Liam said, patting her back when she got close.

“Hey, Liam.”

He was always a ball of energy, no matter what, at that much was clear when he waved his hands as he spoke.

“Now, I know you’re expecting me to try to dissuade you from this. Be the voice of reason and all that.”

Sara snorted. “You, the voice of reason?”

Liam grinned self-deprecatingly. It was nice to joke, like nothing ever happened.

“Yeah, right?” he said.

A serious expression stole over his face. “But, fuck that. It wasn’t fair what happened. Everyone else is fucking pissed and are behind you.”

She nodded.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah. Plenty of waxing poetic over a lot of drinks brought about a consensus. We’re doing this. We even got Lexi to shut up for two seconds and give this a chance. Plenty of freaky things have happened in Andromeda. What’s another?”

Sara felt a fresh wave of tears crop up, but she blinked them back.

“Thanks. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

He patted her back again. “No thanks needed. Let’s get him back, alright?”

A surge of confidence straightened her spine and she nudged him.

“Yeah. Let’s do this.”

She passed by most of the other crew members on her way to the bridge. There were soft greetings, but Sara had every reason to believe she was going to be cornered by every single one of her friends on the ride to Voeld.

Nobody protested. In fact, everyone looked invigorated, like they were just as willing to go through with this as she was.

She glanced at the closed door of the tech lab and swallowed a lump. Jaal wasn’t there. When she walked through the cargo hold, she didn’t look for their recently-installed cell or for dried splatters of kett blood.

Business as usual.

Suvi gave her a tentative smile as soon as she entered the bridge. She had a feeling she was going to be requested for a cup of tea and a chat about life and death.

“Are you sure about this?” Kallo asked from his seat.

The hesitation in his voice grated her nerves with a force that surprised her, making her tense, anger and defensiveness creeping vice-like around her throat.

Apparently, the consensus wasn’t as universal as Liam had said.

But she couldn’t truly fault Kallo for asking. It would do them no good for her to change her mind halfway to Voeld and send them on a wild goose chase on the other side of the cluster. He, as pilot, needed to think about fuel and supplies, so they don’t get stranded on one planet or another for days because they ran out of fuel.

This was her plan, her path. And she had only so much time before the Initiative leaders got antsy that their human Pathfinder was traipsing around Andromeda without any progress in anything.

But Avitus, Hayjer, and Vederia were there. They could pick up the slack while she was away. She wasn’t alone in the whole Pathfinding business. Hyperion was aground on Meridian, so she had completed what technically the human Pathfinder was supposed to do.

She could go traipsing all she wanted until there was an incident that needed all four Pathfinders to deal with it.

She saved the fucking cluster. She was allowed some sort of leeway in her activities.

So, yeah, she was sure about this. As long as Jaal was in that state she would always be sure of any plan that could possibly return him to her.

“Positive. Set course for Voeld.”

[sithhoplite]

Velodrome Chapter 4

Dreams Realized, Grudges settled, Feelings spoken

Velodrome Dueling Hall

Sith and Imperials alike began filling the seats inside the Velodrome long before the final match was to take place. Dark Council members arrived with their apprentices awaiting to see who would be crowned Imperial dueling champions in the single and double saber competition as well as who was the best overall dueling team in the tournament. The team competition was tight with Korriban 1st, only 3 points behind was Leritor and 4 points behind Alderaan. The final of the double saber competition was between Xalek, apprenticed to Darth Nox and Lord X’iphos who was apprenticed to Darth Gravus. On the single saber side it was to be Lord Eton who was apprenticed to Darth Decimus and Lord Lakadimos apprenticed to Darth Gravus. Both bouts were anticipated to be even matches with the winner being the one making the fewest mistakes. The winners would be recognized by Darth Marr and Darth Vowrawn of the Dark Council.

Lakadimos sat in her locker listening to her Ipod, blocking out all the distractions of this night and focused on one thing, winning. Not only would it be oh so sweet to win it all, doing it by beating Eton, her tormenter at the Academy would add to it. This was her hour of redemption and no one was going to stop her. While she wanted to watch the final match between Xalek and X’iphos she chose not too as to keep herself in the zone. At the conclusion of the match with Xalek defeating X’iphos in an incredibly close bout she knew it was time. Looking up she saw Darth Gravus walking towards her. He would lead her out to the dueling circle as her Master. It was show time.

Gravus ushered her into the arena to a loud and rowdy cheer from the crowd. She walked back and forth eyeing Eton like prey she was about to pounce on and destroy. He stood there following her movement, resentment, anger and disgust radiating from him. Glancing quickly over at the box of Darth Nox, she could see the diminutive counselor looking eyeing her. The reply to her letter to Nox irked her, telling her she should win more graciously and not even using her title in reply just cemented her feelings that aliens had no understanding of Imperial tact. Gravus and Decimus walked to the edges of the circle to watch the match. Normally both Sith would at least shake hands before the match but that was not going to happen in this one, the hatred and resentment between these two ran far too deep for that.

“Ready to lose Mothax,” Eton yelled at her, “ It is time a real Sith showed you how to be a champion.”

She looked around, “ Huh is there a real Sith to teach me that because it sure as hell isn’t you.”

“You filth, I will show you.”

“Show me what? I do recall you losing to me back on Korriban as well. I guess you are going to go 0 for 2 tonight.”

Eton leapt at her with rage in his eyes. He whirled around and lunged at her but she easily parried his strike. Lakadimos stabbed at Eton using a beat trying to make him angry, it didn’t work. He parried and launched a counter attack using his strength to push her back and put her totally on the defensive. She countered his attack with a Coule reestablishing leverage over him. Eton disengaged for a moment to reset himself and renew the attack. He used a flunge at her but she easily used an Esquive which began putting him on the back foot. While he parried her attacks he was driven back with each strike and knew he was losing momentum and leverage with each blow. Out of anger he brought his boot up and kicked Lakadimos in her right knee. She fell to the ground when her knee buckled under her. Eton was given a red card and deducted a point. Channeling her pain and now righteous anger she got back up and gingerly put pressure on it. Gravus took a step towards the ring but did not enter it.

“You won’t be so mighty now you can only fight on one leg you half breed. Come and let me end you.”

She knew she was in trouble but also knew that Eton was now over confident and she would use that against him. He came right for her as she expected and she used a feint to goad him into getting reckless. She turned out of the way and used a Trompement to hit his arm with her saber causing him to cry out in pain. Knowing he had been played angered him further. Blinded by his rage he started making mistakes. Lakadimos has a moment of clarity and it was like she could see it before it happened, his lunge at her followed by a Patinando. She fell backward putting her hand on the mat, balancing on her good leg and carried out a Passata Sotto. She lunged up after ducking his thrust and her saber landed mere millimeters from his throat. She brought her saber down in a Zornhau maneuver that knocked the saber from his hand leaving him defenseless.

“Feel free to move closer, I would love to kill you right here and now.” She taunted

The audience was on its feet waiting to see what was going to happen next and neither Gravus nor Decimus stepped in to stop it. It seemed like both Masters realized that this was going to end one way or another and they would not stop it.He circled her but she would not flinch and he knew if he made any moves towards her she would cut him down without a second thought.  Eton felt himself lifted up in the air and his throat being closed. Lakadimos looked over and saw a very enraged Darth Decimus.

“You will admit your defeat apprentice and do it now or I will kill you myself.” dropping Eton to the floor.

He looked at her with blinding hatred at her but bowed his head and walked off the mat. It took her a moment to register she had won but when it did she dropped to her knees, arched back, arms raised and yelled. All the emotions she had kept bottled up inside came pouring out. Darth Gravus went over to her at a jog and picked her up in celebration. The rest of the Leritor team came out and mobbed her. Darth Mortis cheered heartily from his box at her victory. She was now the undisputed top duelist in the Empire entire and would now join the other legendary winners. Topping it off the team trophy would go to Leritor, they surpassed Korriban by a mere 1.5 points.  

Darth Nox led Xalek down to the floor to receive his medal as double bladed champion.. Darth Marr and Vowrawn made their way to the arena floor to present the victors their medals and trophy.. Lakadimos stood as tall as she could with the help of Gravus. Putting any pressure on her knee right now was almost impossible and she was sure something was broken or torn in there. However at this moment she was flying high on adrenaline.

//I knew you could do it my dear. We shall celebrate tonight.//

//I can not wait to get you alone Master.//

Marr’s voice boomed and the crowd quieted quickly. “Tonight we have seen two impressive duels that showcased excellent swordsmanship, fortitude and grit..  These two new champions join the legends before them as undisputed Imperial dueling champions. They have honored themselves and their Masters with their victories. Apprentice Xalek approach.”

Darth Nox walked with Xalek as he kneeled in front of Darth Marr, “ You have shown that you are best in the Empire with the duel saber. You stand supreme above all challengers. You honor yourself and your Master. Congratulations.”

Darth Vowrawn placed the medal around Xalek’s neck and raised his arm in victory to the crowd. Nox cheered on her apprentice and his victory. Lakadimos clapped for Xalek as he was a worthy champion.

“Lord Lakadimos, approach.”

Gravus likewise walked with Lakadimos to kneel in front of Darth Marr. “ You have shown without a doubt you are the best in the Empire with your lightsaber. All competition before you has fallen and even injured you let no Sith defeat you. You have honored yourself and your Master, Congratulations”

Darth Vowrawn helped her up and placed the medal around her neck. Holding her arms high in victory she could not stop smiling. Gravus picked her up and held her high for the crowd to see.

“Leritor approach.” Marr commanded

Darth Gravus, Darth Septum and the rest of the team knelt before Darth Marr. “ You as a team have shown that through teamwork and individual effort you are the supreme planet in this competition. You honor yourselves, your planet, your Master and your coach. Let no man in the Empire say Leritor does not produce  the best duelists in the Empire. Rise and congratulations.”

Darth Marr put the medals around the necks of the victors and presented them with the Imperial Dueling Cup. X’iphos and Shaythin lifted the trophy in jubilant celebration and the crowd cheered. Lak and Septum popped the Champagne bottles spraying them on everyone, the celebration was on.  Lak stepped back for a moment and took it all in, this was the culmination of her training, this one moment. Seeing the joy of her squad mates she smiled.  Leaning further into Gravus, partially because her knee was not able to support her but partly to enjoy the feeling of him holding her.

Team Leritor took the party back to the hotel. Alcohol of varying kinds, food of all types, Sith and Imperial alike enjoyed the party long into the night. Gravus had taken Lak back to his room for a private party of his own. She was better able to stand on her leg but even he could see how badly it hurt. As they entered the room she felt her body being pushed back towards the bed. The look on his face gave her no doubts as to what he had in mind. Caressing her cheek, “ I could not be prouder of you Lak, you have surpassed my highest expectations.  Tonight I am going to take you to bed, making you writhe under me, moan and scream my name.”

“Those are lofty aims Master, can you back them up?” a sultry smile crossed her face

Growling at her, his mouth crashed on hers. She pulled at the clasp of his breastplate and it unlatched. She roughly pushed it off him and pulled at the armorweave underneath. They both quickly divested one another of the remaining clothes. His hands were hot on her skin as he caressed her in ways that set her skin on fire. She arched into his touch and his mouth. Gravus wasn’t the first man she had been with but he was the first who had her body and heart. Her fingers threaded themselves into his hair and he groaned.

Slowly he slid into her and she let out a low moan at the sensation of him filling her. He paused for a moment relishing the feelings of her wrapped around him. She moaned his name as he gently started to thrust inside her. He looked down at her, eyes closed, mouth open in pleasure. She was so beautiful. Bending down he captured her mouth again moaning into it. The pace increased and he pulled his mouth back. Putting his forehead on hers he looked her in the eyes.

Voice heady with desire, “ You are mine Lak, and only mine.”

They both were teetering on the edge and he knew he couldn’t last much longer. She looked up at him, her emotions plain for him to see.

“Gravus, gods more. I love you Master.” she groaned as her whole body tightened and she shattered into a thousand pieces. Her breathless cry ripped from her throat.

Try as he might the feeling of her tightening around him was too much for him and he came inside her. He rolled off of her and pulled her into his arms. As they settled under the covers he pulled her flush against him he smiled.

“I love you too Lak. “

She smiled at those words and the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. He intertwined his fingers with hers as they drifted off to sleep.