Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

THE SET-UP: Aboard the space station that serves as the headquarters of the Shepherds, the Psycho Brigade has confronted the leader of the mercenary group, Amlann, and very much intend to kill him for the trouble he has caused them. After sufficiently distracting Rianna, Amlann waits patiently for the other two to make good their threat...

HOW THIS WORKS: Xavier has this down, but Dak may need a refresher. I suggest looking at recent duels (particularly of Xavier's and Rianna's) to get an idea of what is going on. I will send your move sets via PM, and you will tell me what kind of attack you want to use.

ANALYSIS: Amlann has displayed his strength in the Force in a few simple actions; it is safe to say that his skills with a lightsaber are sufficient to be worrying. On top of that, Dak and Xavier have vastly different fighting styles, relying on agility and strength respectively. They will also have to take turns attacking and defending.

As is tradition, Dark Side strikes first. Dice roll gives the honor to Dak. Amlann appears to be stalling as it is.

Score:

Xavier/Dak- 0, Amlann- 0.

Dak to attack, Amlann to defend.

Notes:

The events in this duel can affect the other duel against Del, and vice versa. Keep that in mind.

And despite not being the attacker or defender this turn, I will remind Xavier that his support action does factor into the fight, so feel free to describe what he is doing during this time, Jamie. It does not require choosing out of your move set, just explaining your action.

Dak moves forward with his sabers, a controlled one-two slice to both sides of the chest.

Xavier let's his red and green sabers come to life as he approaches from Amlann's side. He makes a quick step forward to look like he is attacking but pulls back at the last second for Dak to make his move.

It becomes quickly evident that Amlann does not possess great physical strength, but he understands how to make sure of what he has. He pushes Dak's first lightsaber into the second with a one-handed parry, throwing the attack off-balance with little effort. He then lands a nerve strike in Dak's side, stunning him for a moment as Amlann goes after Xavier.

Score:

Xavier/Dak- 0, Amlann- 1.

Amlann to attack, Xavier to defend.

Amlann is launching a thrust towards Xavier's side.

Xavier eyes up Amlann coming his way. He waits for him to make his move, and once he does Xavier moves to counter with a strong blow as he pushes his sabers into the attack.

Dak will recover from the hit, leaning to the side, waiting for another opening.

Xavier turns sideways and sweeps his lightsabers into a power blow to knock the thrust away, and manages to pull it off! But just barely. Amlann seemed to be expecting that and tries to whirl around, but Dak's presence prevents him from enacting it fully and the two of you spar with him for a moment before Xavier finds an opening...

Score:

Xavier/Dak- 1, Amlann- 1.

Xavier to attack, Amlann to defend.

Update- Del has fled from his fight, leaving Galder and Rianna free to join this duel in the sixth round.

Xavier senses his opening and decides to enact his wrath on this man. He twirls both sabers overhead bringing them down with a thunderous overhead strike aimed at Amlann's head.

Dak will simply ready himself to strike, spinning his right saber to a reversed grip.

By the time the blades come down, Amlann has coiled into a defensive stance with his lightsaber held horizontally just above his head. The crackle is magnificent. Then he springs up and to the side, leaving your lightsabers connected with his as he moves to your side. He drags his lightsaber after him and scores a light burn across your shoulder, Xavier, before smashing the pommel of his lightsaber into the side of your head to move you aside as he goes after Dak.

Score:

Xavier/Dak- 1, Amlann- 2.

Amlann to attack, Dak to defend.

Amlann launches a series of refined slashes at Dak while Xavier recovers from the counterstrike, his lightsaber swiping lightly towards his face.

Dak utilizes all his power and knocks Amlann's blade downward with his left saber, then up and wide with his right, stabbing toward Amlann's undefended chest afterward.

Intercepting Amlann's swipes with his lightsaber, Dak takes the counter-offensive and slashes back! Amlann lets his lightsaber be knocked out of position and spins about to bring it back so that he is ready for Dak's attack. But Dak is still the stronger fighter and it pushes Amlann back, giving Dak the opportunity for a full offensive...

Score:

Xavier/Dak- 2, Amlann- 2.

Dak to attack, Amlann to defend.

"You are talented warriors," Amlann says. "Your skills could be most useful in bringing peace and safety to the Galaxy. Why fight facts?"

Xavier comes back from the light stinging in his shoulder. He hopes to give Dak the chance to attack so he will try and force Amlann's blades away with his own.

"We have personal flaws that prevent us from following such a path."

"Flaws can be examined and removed," Amlann says. "I can perfect you if you let me educate you in the ways of my upbringing."

"Why should your view mean any more than ours, old man? We've run our path, and will continue to do so. Yours, however, ends here."

"It may, it may not," Amlann says. "But if you choose to ignore my offer now, all you will know is pain and sorrow. The Dark Side allows only for a pitiful existence, unable to be at ease with anything. I can help you!"

"A man we hold in the highest regard tried and failed to save us. You are no better than our Master."

"If you insist," Amlann says.

Just before Dak goes in, Amlann gestures towards Xavier and pushes him bodily away with the Force. Xavier crashes against a wall, removing him from the fight for a round. This gives Dak a better opportunity, but also leaves him without support...

As Amlann is distracted by Xavier, Dak rushes to Amlann's least protected side, feinting twice before slashing vertically up and down, intending to trap Amlann with the scissor movement.

Amlann does not quite fall for Dak's feints, but it is Dak's speed that helps him here. With his concentration on repelling Xavier, he fails to avoid Dak's trapping of his lightsaber. The lightsabers crackle and grind in a lock, with Amlann unable to pull his weapon free. Instead, he shuts it off and performs a hasty telekinetic blow to keep Dak from eviscerating him before retreating up the stairs. He switches his lightsaber back on and the two spar for a moment before Xavier rejoins the fight.

Score:

Xavier/Dak- 3, Amlann- 2.

Amlann to attack, Xavier to defend.

When Xavier catches up to Amlann and Dak, the leader of the Shepherds suddenly smacks aside one of Dak's blows and darts past him to perform an impressive leap towards Xavier, bringing his lightsaber down at the Dark Jedi.

Seeing the leader rush at him, Xavier takes a step to the side while bringing his green saber across to the deflect the blow almost like a matador with a bull..

Amlann lands and his blade slams into Xavier's, but his momentum carries him forward and he goes with it. This pushes Xavier's blade aside and Amlann twists to slash for his neck. It is parried but catches Xavier out and he needs to give Amlann space to rethink his approach.

However, Rianna and Galder now join the fight, putting Amlann in the middle of the united Psycho Brigade.

Draw, to attacker.

Score:

Psycho Brigade- 2, Amlann- 2.

Rianna to attack, Amlann to defend.

Galder is providing support by taking shots with his arm blaster at Amlann before Rianna goes in.

Rianna wastes no time in going on the offensive, rushing in and swinging her purple saber towards his chest with a powerful blow.

At first Galder's shots keep Amlann preoccupied to give Rianna her opening, until he turns them to his advantage. Amlann reflects one heavy shot back at Rianna, stunting her attack as she is forced to reflect it away. Then Amlann evades her attack and trips her up with one of his telekinetic tricks before advancing on Galder.

Score:

Psycho Brigade- 2, Amlann- 3.

Amlann to attack, Galder to defend.

Galder retracts his arm blaster and goes in for a vicious power swing to counter Amlann, with his fellow Darkies supporting...

Glaring in anger, Rianna quickly regains her footing, backing off to the side a little for Galder to move in with his attack. As soon as he gets in close, though, she flips over Amlann while slicing her saber towards his shoulder.

Dak approaches on Galder's opposite side, slicing low in unison with Rianna.

The resulting tangle is pretty impressive to watch.

Galder goes to hack Amlann in two with a simple power blow to the abdomen, while Rianna goes high and Dak goes low. The impact of Galder's blade against Amlann's pushes him back, but Amlann decides to exaggerate. He lets himself be thrown back, springing into the air and launching a kick backwards into Dak's chest, over his low attack. He rebounds off of Dak, then, carrying himself up and over Galder... while Rianna goes even higher to compensate. In a whirling blow, Amlann blocks Rianna from above, then spins downwards to force Galder to duck and defend.

Amlann and Rianna land simultaneously and, with ease, the older fighter trades thrusts and parries between her and Galder while Dak and Xavier must maneuver around Galder to get another swipe at the Shepherd's leader.

None of this seems to deterr Amlann. He promptly breaks out of the chain of blows by flipping up and kicking Galder across the jaw and pushing back Rianna with the Force. When he lands, it is Dak that he twists towards to protect himself.

Score:

Psycho Brigade- 2, Amlann- 4. Match point.

Dak to attack, Amlann to defend.

Dak recovers from the kick to the chest and launches into an attack as Amlann lands, spinning his sabers deftly into a blur, hoping the display will leave Amlann unable to block effectively. He spins, cutting high across Amlann's neck, whipping his tail low at ankle height and ending with his other saber slashing straight up the middle, sparks being drawn from the floor in a white-hot shower.

Rianna is getting overly fed up with Amlann using the Force against her, and strikes at him, making a controlled stab towards his back.

Dak calls upon an alien advantage, here. In order to avoid the strike towards his throat and the sweep of the lizard's tail, Amlann leaps into the air, sending himself horizontal and carrying himself over Rianna so that Dak's second sweep ends up meeting Rianna's controlled thrust and the sparks get flung in Rianna's face rather than Amlann's.

However, Amlann lands uneasily and just barely intercepts a pair of powerful downward strikes from Xavier and Galder, so Dak's impressive display of agility wins him this round.

Score:

Psycho Brigade- 3, Amlann- 4. Match point.

Amlann to attack, Xavier to defend.

Amlann coils down and twists upwards to throw both Galder and Xavier back. He eyes the pair for a moment before bringing his lightsaber up into a high guard, then feints for Galder before bringing his weapon across at Xavier's chest.

Xavier watches as the old man's blade comes towards him, and he has grown tired of this. He crosses his blades at his chest and promptly steps into the attack using all his power and weight to stun the leader with force.

Rianna ducks down while spinning with her sabers out, aiming a blow at his legs.

Dak maneuvers behind Amlann and stabs both sabers square at the center of his back.

To counter Xavier's lightsaber-enhanced body slam, Amlann throws his own weight into his swipe, pressing his lightsaber into the center of the X that Xavier forms with his blades after the initial attack. Then, pressing down, he uses his lightsaber as leverage to lift himself up and launch a pair of telekinetic kicks at Rianna and Dak (he loves kicking Dak) before carrying himself up and over Xavier.

This leaves Galder and Xavier on either side of him, the former having pulled out his second lightsaber and both raining down hammering blows at him. Amlann is forced to dance between the two until he manages to get a break and leaps up onto a walkway above the four swordsmen.

Rianna is the first to recover from being kicked and is the most apt to pursue...

Score:

Psycho Brigade- 4, Amlann- 4.

Rianna to attack, Amlann to defend.

Rianna leaps up after Amlann, holding her orange saber in front of her in a defensive position while striking with the purple saber in a simple jab towards his chest.

Dak runs up a wall and then jumps to cover the other end of the walkway and trap Amlann.

Dak's assisting move probably also involves using his claws to climb the underside of the platform before flipping up over the edge to help Rianna.

Having both taken the Classic approach, Rianna and Amlann go toe-to-toe passing back and forth thrusts and parries and precise maneuvers. The swordplay between the two becomes quickly heated, with Rianna alternating between sabers and Amlann showing expert swordsmanship. Every so often, the parries send their enemy's lightsaber(s) into the railings of the walkway or into the wall.

Rianna just proves to be the more dexterous, and with Dak flanking him and Galder shooting up through the walkway, Amlann flings himself over the railing to get clear and strike at the shooter.

Score:

Psycho Brigade- 5, Amlann- 4. Match point.

Amlann intercepts a few shots from Galder as he leaps down, deflecting them at Rianna and Dak to keep them from following immediately, then goes after him.

Dak slices through the walkway with his sabers so it falls and swings down toward Amlann and Galder.

Rianna flips down off of the (now-collapsing) walkway, slashing her saber at Amlann on her way down.

After a pair of quick power blows that Galder shrugs off, both of them maneuver out from under the falling platform when Rianna lands amongst them. Amlann turns to ward her off with a few parries, then knocks her away with a powerful Force push. When he rounds on Galder, he manages to launch a single thrust that Galder intercepts with his left-hand blade. Taking advantage of his cybernetics, Galder puts his wrist to gyrating, which twists Amlann's lightsaber out of his grip. And then, with one swift move, Galder removes his head.

Score:

Psycho Brigade- 6, Amlann- 4. Match to the Psychos.

It is roughly at this point that Del returns, just in time to watch his master die. He emits a wordless scream of agony, and many Shepherds appear as he ignites his lightsaber once more.

You may now return to the game thread.