Trials (De'Ville)

[Darth Bhaal]

:: The message he had sent to the Dark Jedi named De'Ville was terse. It contained spatial and planetary coordinates, a time, and a simple note.

Do not be late.

For Darth Bhaal, it was simple enough. The rocky hell he had chosen was a nameless moon in the Empress Teta star system. The rocks were windswept and harsh, a rusty red color, with a foreboding dark sky as a backdrop. A fitting scene for what he was designed to accomplish.

But for now, he waited. ::

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville stretched inside her TIE Infiltrator, the swirls of hyperspace outside the ship. She had left Ithor a few hours before, and stopped on a minor planet for a spare part for her arm blades. The leather straps were worn, so she had just spent an hour replacing them with a synthetic leather which would last longer and fit more comfortably.

Her stomach was starting to get in the way of her stretches...and De'Ville had had to rework her exercise program because of the baby. She was forced to stay away from high impact moves, and opted for keeping limber and strong, with stretches and weight training.

Looking down on her left hand, she twisted a plain gold band that was around her finger, and sighed. It was painful to leave him. But it was also the way it had to be.

Getting to her feet, De'Ville walked to the cockpit, checking on her course. The navicomp had made a few corrections to the flight plan, and the TIE dropped out of hyperspace to adjust. She sat in the pilot seat, and propped her feet up. The message she had recieved while buying the synleather was short and to the point. Just coordinates, and the message: Do not be late. It had intruiged her, and heightened her sense of danger. She felt it was worth the side trip to see what it was about.

De'Ville checked her chrono. She would be right on time.
________________________

Walking down from the TIE's ramp to the red ground of the moon in the Empress Teta star system. The air was breathable, and the gravity normal..and she was ready for whoever or whatever was waiting here for her. She had scanned the surface for explosives or any other sort of booby trap, and had turned up nothing. Her arm blades were tucked away inside the TIE. Hand to hand combat was too risky, so De'Ville preferred the high energy blaster in her hand, and the lightsaber which was attatched to her belt.

Extending her senses, she walked towards the dark presence on the surface of the moon.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: When he had spotted her figure coming over a ridge, he spoke. The silent air carried his words cleanly to her, in a cool tone ::

Are you armed?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville spoke, letting the Force carry her words to the other while she stepped towards him, down off the ridge. "I am."

Being outlined on a hilltop was a good way to get sniped. Of course, there wasn't anything around you could hide a sniper in. But it never hurt to be over cautious.

[Darth Bhaal]

SNAP-HISS!!

:: The orange blade glowed eerily between De'Ville and the masked Sith ::

You are not naive. Good.

Now, I have something that Jedah Lynch wished you to have. Are you prepared to receive it?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville found her lightsaber in her hand, and ignited the amethyst blade in response to the stranger's actions. "Jedah sent you?" She felt a thrill of fear for her child, and used the emotion to draw more of the Force into herself. "I am prepared."

She stood where she was, alert and ready for whatever it was this masked Force user was going to do.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: Swiftly, Bhaal scaled the ridge, feinting high with his saber, only to twist the blade low for an underhanded upward strike, which was met forcefully by De'Ville's own weapon. For a moment, the blades screamed and sizzled against each other, frozen in deadlock. Under his balaclava, Bhaal grinned ::

Does your unborn child share your confidence in your abilities. It shall pay the same price that you shall for failure.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She grunted as their sabers clashed, and glared at him as the familiar odor of ozone filled the air. Their sabers deadlocked, De'Ville initiated a pressure wave in in the Force, shoving hard against her opponent, and sending him staggering backwards.

He recovered quickly, but she was already moving in towards him, kicking away the hand that held the orange blade, and chopping down at his shoulder with her saber.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: He was off-balance from De'Ville's pressure wave when she kicked his saber away. She capitalized with an overhanded swing for his shoulder. As Bhaal fell backwards, he allowed his body to be propelled backwards, sliding on the dusty rock as De'Ville's attack missed its mark. The Sith laughed as his body slid away, then suddenly reoriented itself to where he was standing on his feet, paying no credence to physics or gravity. ::

Good, good...even with child your skills are impressive.

:: He flicked his wrist, and his saber leapt from the ground 12 yards away. He caught the hilt, activating the blade once more, charging her full-on. Once again, he brought his blade upward in an underhanded swoop, but when the blade was countered by De'Ville, he rotated his wrist underneath, using the contact point as a fulcrum to slip the stud of his hilt through her guard, smashing into her clavicle ::

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville grunted as the saber hilt smacked her collarbone painfully, bringing her foot up and centering it on his stomach. She kicked off of his body, their sabers separating as she flipped up and away from him, the Force guiding her and planting her feet firmly, but gently on the ground.

He advanced, saber swinging in underhanded again, but she sensed a change, and was proved correct when he feinted. She blocked as he changed his swing, using the Force to pull her vibroblade from her boot, and throwing it at his chest while their sabers locked together again.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: Bhaal's eyes flashed with fury, as the vibroblade pierced into his chest armor, the tip of the blade digging into the skin and impacting against his sternum. His right hand shot upward, clamping onto the handle, and pulling the blade away. With one arm still locked in a standoff with De'Ville's saber, he examined her smaller weapon. ::

Impressive...

:: Opening his hand, the blade fell two inches, then stopped in midair. ::

...most impressive.

:: Under the influence of Bhaal's force manipulation, the vibroblade shot downward like an arrow, jamming into the flesh between De'Ville's right Tibia and Fibula bones in her lower leg. As her pain receptors began to fire, screaming the alarm of injury into her brain, Bhaal's free hand drifted upward into an open palm, even as their lightsaber blades remained locked.

The force push sent her off her feet, blasting her ten meters away ::

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena deactivated her saber as she tucked into a ball, rolling up to her feet after landing from the pressure wave the other had hit her with. Pain still ran up her leg, and she plucked the vibroblade out of her lower leg as blood ran into her boot. She snarled, activated her saber again, and advanced on him slowly, dampening the pain receptors in her leg with the Force.

They circled each other slowly, their sabers clashing occasionally. De'Ville blocked another blow from her opponent, and spun around him, ending up behind his back. She kicked out behind her, catching him in the back of a knee, and turned just as quickly, saber slashing at his waist.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: The loss of balance brought Bhaal to his back with a thud, and only through his agility imbued by the force was he able to block De'Ville's downward slice with his blade. As he lay on his back with both sabers locked above his face, he laughed from behind his balaclava, as a boot heel whipped upward, stinging LD across the face and knocking her away enough for the Sith to flip to his feet. He twirled his saber in his hand twice in a nonchalant manner...and charged again, feinting a high slice then crouching low, whirling about his center of gravity in a looping arc intended to slice at her kneecaps. ::

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville leapt upwards with the Force, letting the blade pass beneath her bootheels harmlessly. She somersaulted over her attacker, and landed gently on the other side of him, worried for her child, and yet more concerned about getting through this alive. Fury that Jedah would endanger her offspring like this welled up inside her, and she drew on it, creating a ball of Force Destruction over her left hand.

As the masked man turned around, she released it, sending the dark energy crashing into his chestplate, and following up with a vertical saber slash at his face.

[Darth Bhaal]

Hhn-Aaagh!!

:: Bhaal was blasted away by the Force Destruction...fortunate since he was knocked out of range of De'Ville's saber strike. The masked Sith fell backwards, his chest armor smoldering. Slowly, he rose to his feet ::

[Lilaena De'Ville]

After her miss with her saber, De'Ville stepped up quickly as her opponent was getting back up to his feet. She kicked at his saber hand, striking hard on his wrist where there was a pressure point.

Let this end quickly. In her anger she focused in on his kill points. Lilaena brought her saber down with force on the seam between his chest plate and his helmet/mask.

[Darth Bhaal]

:: The searing edge of De'Ville's blade drew closer, until it suddenly hung motionless in the air. Bhaal's off-hand stood between his chest and De'Ville's weapon, casting a strong aura of Force which held her weapon still. ::

This little game is at an end, Lilaena De'Ville. You have proved yourself powerful indeed.

:: Bhaal stepped away from De'Ville's blade. ::

It is as my master has forseen. You have become Master of the Sith Arts.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena halted, her breathing steady, and her face etched with anger at being stopped. As his words set in, she backed off, deactivating her saber, but leaving it in her hand.

"I am a Master now?" Her tone warned him not to mess with her. "This was the trial my master, Jedah, had in store for me?" De'Ville narrowed her eyes at the strange Sith. ...He seems familiar somehow...

[Darth Bhaal]

It is done then.

:: Bhaal lowered his hands at his sides, slightly outspread. Slowly, his body raised off the ground, being propelled by the Force ::

I take my leave of you...Master De'Ville!

:: Bhaal deftly took to flight, his form sailing through the air to return to his ship ::

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She watched the Sith depart, floating over the barren rock and out of sight. De'Ville reattatched her saber to her belt and took a moment to assertain the condition of her child. He was fine.

Walking back the way she had come, De'Ville crested the rise, and looked back to where she had just recently battled. It had been shorter than she had expected...and at a time she had not expected. She rubbed her stomach, and walked back towards her ship. Master, eh? She laughed to herself, But who will I tell?

Perhaps no one would ever know. It did not matter. De'Ville entered her ship, and four minutes later broke out of the atmosphere of the planet into the vastness of space.