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And so, for the first time in years, we return to our sabre duel format...

-

THE SET-UP: The Jedi are on the planet Mandragos, home of the Synod of Ferradyne, a religion that worshipos the Light Side. They are there to try and build a case against Sienar, an Abbot in the Synod who has done great good in the galaxy, but whom in the previous episodes was discovered to be a powerful Dark Sider playing a long game, who has loomed in the back stories of many players.

Now elected Archimandrite- leader of the Synod and Head of State on Mandragos- Sienar has mocked the Jedi all story, claiming that they will never get enough evidence against him before it is too late, and daring them to kill him before that (offering no resistance), a temptation at least one Jedi nearly went for.

To make matters worse, Sienar took with him to Mandragos the Acolyte Gallagher, who since last episode has been trying to avert the massive deaths that will be be caused by a coming famine- a famine he knows that Sienar is in some way instrumental to stopping. The Jedi had hoped to bring Gallagher back, but since being with Sienar he has started to act very strangely and refused to rejoin his friends.

Now the situation has changed. The Jedi finally acquired enough evidence to move against Sienar's associates, who offered lethal resistance. Now, keen to recover Gallagher who they fear may be slipping to the Dark Side, they have advanced to face Sienar himself. Sienar claims that they are idneed now too late, so he has no more need for deception. He faces them openly. And he has little to lose. The Jedi knew that Sienar suffered form a crippling wasting disease- but they have only just found out that a degenerative brain condition means he also only has weeks to live at most.

Sienar's cunning and traps have reduced the final amount of Jedi he faces to one, Roan, the most senior Jedi in the group, who fought at Zeiton when we last had such a duel.

The fight is in a library room. It is poorly lit but the contents of much of the room have been dumped into a hidden chamber underneath as part of Sienar's trap; a metal floor has slid back covering that over. Sienar threw a few bookcases at Roan as he made his way to Sienar, but the floor is generally clear so the environment makes no difference to this duel.


HOW THIS WORKS: Well... here we go!

Combatants will exchange blows each turn, trying to defeat their foe's guard and score the single blow you need to win a sabre duel. One player is nominated as the attacker. The title of attacker changes between participants each round of the duel.

There are three different moves you can make, each based on one of the three physical stats of Strength, Dexterity or Agility. You add the value of your chosen stat onto your sabre skill as used in combat to get the final power of your move.

There are two other complications. First, moves become better against other moves. Strength moves get a bonus against Dexterity, Dexterity gets a bonus against Agility, and Agility gets a bonus against Strength,. The bonus is worth two extra points.

The other complication is that when you play your move, it has an inbuilt extra power of +0 (known as a weak move), +1 (a normal move) or +2 (a strong move).

Obviously, if you could, you would only ever play strong moves... but your options are not that flexible. At the start of the duel, each combatant chooses to take six moves, choosing no more than three of one type. This gives you a 'hand' of moves to choose from each turn. The strength of each move is randomly determined, but weak attacks are more common than normal, which are more common than strong. When you get down to just one card remaining, you re-draw your hand.

The highest score wins each turn. If a draw, then the attacker wins. Winning scores you a point. First to five points wins... so long as you are leading by at least two points. The duel continues until one playe has at least five points, and two more than his opponent.


ANALYSIS:

Roan is a skilled and veteran Jedi. Sienar's skills with the force are truly formiddable and his skill with a sabre great as well- but Sienar is an ageing cripple also. But Roan has much on his mind- his fellow Jedi caught in a trap of Sienar's, the possible failure of his mission, his ignorance of what Sienar's plan actually is, and his fears for Gallagher, whom Sienar is preventing the Jedi from accessing. At least one fear- that of Sienar himself will now be settled.


Roan has leapt into the offence and hence is the attacker.


Roan- please select your fitst hand of six moves.

Well as I don't have any particular stat that is better than any other. I will go for 2 of each.

You may wish to cosndier Sienar's stats in that decision.

I think he's got a Low Agility.
So 3 strength and 3 dexterity.

Ok! Well, we'll pick up things tomorrow as I have no save function for the programme that co-ordinates this.

(Good luck, Roan. Burn him down for Andro!)

Sorry, was about to draw for you, but I have a sudden worry- can I just check your justication on drawing three Dexterity?

Oh, I ment to draw 3 agility.
I misspoke..

Very well!

Your draw is reasonable, Roan. You have drawn:

Strength (Normal)
Strength (Normal)
Strength (Weak)

Agility (Normal)
Agility (Normal)
Agility (Normal)

Current Score:

Roan: 0

Sienar: 0

Roan is attacker.

-

Your sabres having clashed, Sienar steps back as the metal floor closes. His hood falls back to reveal his disintegrated face, half eaten away, with the exposed gumline and no hair.

"You cannot win, Jedi," he says. "Strike me down... and what difference does it make?

I'll go for a normal strength move as I step into the first attack after landing.

"I'm not playing your games anymore Sienar. This ends now."

(Shouldn`t you specify whether Roan is going for Strenght move or Dexterity move?)

...I did...

Sienar plays Weak Strength. Final score is... 14 all. A tie... but Roan gets the round as attacker!


Current Score:

Roan: 1

Sienar: 0

Sienar is attacker.

---


You step forward and make your blow, Roan, Your blades clashm,a nd Sienar shows great strength for such a shattered body... but right now, your youth and energy is gettign the edge and you force him back...


"No game, Jedi. And not your choice whether to take part."

I'll play a Normal agility

"Then what do you call this?"

Sienar plays normal Dexterity. Round is 17 to 14 in his favour!


Current Score:

Roan: 1

Sienar: 1

Roan is attacker.

-

You make a fake-out to dash to his side, Roan, but Sienar's had is already outstretched. A flurry of books comes your way and impact into yuor side as you twist out the way, and then Sienar is upon you with a sequencde of three blows that are again faster than you would have thought possibler from such a person. Now you have to give ground under his attack, lest you lose your guard.

"What do you think this is, Jedi? This is deadly serious, and no matter what move you make, you lose!"

"Really? I feel you may be losing as well."
Another Normal Dexterity.

I'll need the correct move confirmed there, Roan.

Yea, because I apparently can't remember to do anything..
Normal AGILITY...

Sienar plays normal Dexterity again for an exact replay! That's a broken serve there...


Current Score:

Roan: 1

Sienar: 2

Sienar is attacker.

-

This time, Sienar gestures and a shelf out of your sight comes into your back as you try to move around. Sienar's blows are now gathering in speed.

Red sabre clashes against blue (I believe). the custom grip of Sienar- that provides finger holes for his malformed hands with its stubby remntants of fingers- is proving up to the task as Roan finds himself driven back, the flash of clashing sabres illuminating the whole of the darkrned room.

"I cannot lose, Jedi! No, in fact- I have already won!"

(Green, but ok...)
Tactic change...
I'll go for a Normal Strength.
"Why do you say that. Do you think you can really turn Gallagher?"

Sienar's move is normal Strength as well- and he wins that, 15 to 14. Uh-oh!

Current Score:

Roan: 1

Sienar: 3

Roan is attacker.

-

Your sabres lock on the next clash (green it is! Sorry!). There is the distinctive sound of two sabre blades grinding against each other. His red-lit eyes, some of the last working parts of his body, exposed widely because the skin around them is long dead, stare into you.

"You think I really care about a one-man irrelevance? A plaything? It amused me to see him squirm and to see you worry. But he makes no difference to anything at all! My grand plan!"

And then with a thrust of his hand, you are thrown backwards across the room, landing heavily aainst the stone wall.

I need this point now, So I'm going to have to go with my last Agility move now..

Sienar plays normal Strength... score is 16-15 to Roan! Roan's round!

Current Score:

Roan: 2

Sienar: 3

Five moves played! Please state a new set of six moves.

-

Picking yourself up quickly, finally you dash around Sienar, his powerful blow misisng you with a mighty cry from the Archimandrite. He has to adjust quixkly, pulling his sabre back to a guard just in time as your sabres clash again.

"Like I told Andro- your failure here will haunt you for the rest of your life. Your Jedi ways have failed you. I am the prophet of your failure. I brought you the message, and like fools you did not listen!"

Oh thank god...

Still waiting on you there!

I know, got distracted by Techno Work.
I'll make my last move the Weak Strength.
And then take the same picks as last time, and try NOT to be an idiot again
3 Strength and 3 Agility.

"Then what was this message that I failed to listen to?"

Errr, there is no last move, you did your last move, that's why I asked for the new cards! You only make five moved before a re-draw.

Oh man, I totally missed that I get to skip one card...
Cool

Looks like a good draw. You have:

Strength (Strong)
Strength (Normal)
Strength (Normal)

Agility (Normal)
Agility (Normal)
Agility (Weak)


Current Score:

Roan: 2

Sienar: 3

Sienar is attacker.

-

"That the only way to stop me was to kill me earlier. Now it is too late for all of you!"

I will go with a normal Agility

Well ok, but this duel is not going anywhere unless you keep up with the trash talk.

Someone go get my duellist!

Apologies all around...
Chaos and life and whatnot..

Anyway back to saber-stabbing..

"What are you planning to do with this Poverty Commission? Are you thinking that by making the Jedi kill you, we will be disgraced and you will be turned into a martyr? Thats not going to work..."

And normal Agility.

Lordy, I was sure I had posted to this! Grrr!

Sienar plays a normal Strength... which gives the edge to you!

Current Score:

Roan: 3

Sienar: 3

Roan is attacker.


---


Moving quickly, you blur out of the corner Sienar had backed you into, a flurry of books flying after you as you do so. Now standing tall, silhouetted by light behind him, Sienar strides purposely towards you.

"You think I need YOU to make me a martyr? That's already a certainty! What can I possibly care happens to the Jedi afterwards? You think I'd do all this for a mere scandal? No Jedi- what you have failed to stop is worse. Much worse! I've revealed the weakness of the Jedi for what it is. You have failed the people you are meant to protect."

As Sienar strides over, I move purposefully and take a powerful swing at him.
Gritting my teeth I mutter "What is the Church going to do with their control over the commission?"

Is that a Strength blow or is it pure talk?

Ah shit, that was supposed to be a normal Strength move.

Sienar plays normal Strength also... the round is his!

Current Score:

Roan: 3

Sienar: 4

Sienar is attacker.

Match point to Sienar!

---

Your sabres lock.

"The church will have no control at all over the Commission, you fool! It is but a Church! The Senators will have the control! The Church gave me something so obvious you could not see it. Moral authority!"

With a roar, he pushes you back as his great force power lends potency to his sabre arm. Ypou are thrown back against the wall, and you seem to feel a breeze as if from nowhere.

"It was the remaining squeamish morals of the Republic that would stop the Senators taking that one step further that I wanted them to do so- to take full control over the emergency money! But with my backing to the plan, and my coming martyrdom, I have made it a certainty!"

I made this mistake once before. Sienar has 6 moves, and Agility is his dump stat, so logic would dictate that he pick 3 strength and 3 dex. Now as he has already played 2 strength moves, playing a third one is not likely to happen, as if I were to counter it, then he would be SOL, because I would know that the rest of his moves must be Dex based.
So I will go with my Strong Strength Move.

"You think the Republic is so corrupt, so immoral that its own senators will squander the money and billions will die because of their ineffectiveness?"

It's the right move- you beat Sienar's Dexterity blow!

Current Score:

Roan: 4

Sienar: 4

Roan is attacker.

-----

You forcefully pick yourself up; Sienar's angry death blow misses its mark.

"Is it not clear enough to you? I've been showing you, Jedi. All you have seen here. This conference. The Senators. The disregard for the needs of the many. The never ending pursuit of money and power! That's all it comes down to!

"You wonder what I wanted, Jedi? You wonder why I did what I did? You fooled yourselves so you could not see- when what it was was so obvious! The transportation breakdown that has aggravated the famine- my doing! My grand project! Only with the power of the Force to guide me could I bring such a thing upon the Galaxy. Billions of people will die in that famine, Jedi! Countless billions! I will kill more than any Sith, any one being ever managed in all history! And the only thing that could stop it was the goodwill of others. And I have destroyed that! In the hands of the Senators, the people are doomed Not one credit will ever go towards stopping that famine! THEY ARE GOING TO DO NOTHING AS THEY ALL STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARVE! Sienar is manic, insane. He strings out that last word until it rattles and gurgles in his throat.

"And you are going to have to stand by and watch it happen!" Sienar's voice becomes an impossibly high-pitched giggle. "A-hahahahahahahaha! Haaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha!"

"I will not. I will not let those people starve. You underestimate the senate, and the Jedi. Your hate has blinded you."

Normal Agility move.

Sienar plays weak Dexterity... but that gives him the round. A strong one would have done you.

Current Score:

Roan: 4

Sienar: 5

Sienar is attacker.

Match point to Sienar

---

Still moving with amazing precision for a crippled man, Sienar's blows bypass your guard and for a moment you are left wide open.

"You fool! You know nothing! And you have learned nothing either. I have seen it all, Jedi. Seen it all! You want to know the secret? Do you want to know what all that money will be spent on?

"Weapons!"

Well my only real rational choice is to think that Sienar is out of good moves this round, so I can't think of a reason not to pick my last normal strength move.

"Why weapons? Is the Penchant for war that high?"

The force is with you, Jedi. Seems the AI thought you were going for another Agility move. Sienar plays another weak Dexterity and you take the round!

Current Score:

Roan: 5

Sienar: 5

Roan is attacker.

---

You finally catch Sienar in a lock, and by now used to his surprising strength you managed to send him back...

"Oh, you have NO idea! But even their penchant for destruction will not match what I have achieved. harnessing nature is the greatest weapon of all. My famine will kill more than any weapon ever shall! My ultimate glory! My gift to the stars!"

Roan- he's insane. Brilliant, but insane.

Indeed,
and by my calculations we are do a re-pick...
Same pick for me. 3 strength, 3 agility.

We have herr what I call a Straight Boring!

All six of your moves are normal.

I will start off with a Normal Agility as it seems like Sienar uses Strength moves to start a round...

"What do you look to gain? WHY would you undertake this when you will not even live to see it out?"

He does indeed, and against a Normal Strength the round is yours!

Roan: 6

Sienar: 5

Sienar is attacker.

Match point to Roan.

---

"Why? WHY? You DARE ask me whyyyy? Isn't it obvious! How you prattle on with your weak ideas, unable to see your own failure. You speak of hate? What do you know of hate? To you, it is just a word. I'll tell you about hate!

"I earned this Galaxy,. I did all the work. I defeated every Jedi sent against me. I hid myself from your presence. I killed my Master and took all of his flawed power for myself. I seeded my influence throughout the criminal empire he controlled, and from there bent the whole of the Synod to my will.

"And for what? For me to catch a one in a thousand disease on the final resting place of that failure? To be... enslaved in this crippled husk of a body! Was that to be my reward? Was that fair?

"And so I took that misfortune and made it my own. I took power from the hatred building within me. I turned my pain into strength and my plans continued. My body may be ruined but my brain and my powers remained, greater than ever before! And my form won me more sympathy and more authority. I put together a plan so perfect, no-one could foresee it until it was too late. As you are too late, Jedi! You should have killed me when I told you to! Only then could you have stopped me! Since I have given my speech, my plan is infallible! You cannot stop it without pitting yourself against the Senate- which you will never do!

"And for all that,. what is my reward for taking all the Galaxy can throw at me? ANOTHER DISEASE! My brain... ROTTING FROM WITHIN!!! Is that RIGHT? Is that FAIR?"

His robes are billowing, Roan, and you can feel a breeze from somewhere.

"That is the reward this galaxy has for me? After all that work? Then be DAMNED to the Galaxy. BE DAMNED TO YOU ALL! Can you not see?"

"I HATE EVERYTHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The blast of power knocks you off your feet. The books around you raise and begin to smoulder and burn along the edges; a deafening hurricane roar passes through the chamber.

In the trap below, Jelena senses the enormous staggering wave of hate passing through the whole citadel. it is enough to momentarily (though not usefully) disrupt the forcefield.

And Andro, now in the acid vat chamber and limping upwards, falls back onto the ground as the blast passes over him too.

And for a moment, Roan, Sienar seems as if he is raised in mid-air, and you see in that moment a young man of muscular build and a stare of iron.

(That can't be good.)

Reeling from the sudden blast that toppled him, Andro staggers back to his feet. Doing his best to ignore tha pain of his injuries, he puts everything he has into making speed up to where he knows the final fight must be. He hopes that blast was the end of Seinar, not Roan and the others. Because Andro has no more time to deal with the madman, who has little time left himself. No, Andro is looking now for the murderer. He's looking for Gallagher.

Do I recognize that person at all?
Also I believe its match point to me...

And I will go with another Normal Agility move.

Aww, I had a speech and everything, but it went away...

"You are a fool. There is no chance, only the will of the force. Your hate has corrupted you, and that corruption has become physical. Your self consuming hatred has made itself apparent. There is nothing but balance, the galaxy owes you nothing. We all return to balance, and for your darkness, I will bring the light."

No-one has seen that face in a long time. The apparition advances towards you.

"You call me a fool, Jedi. But it is you that has failed. And I don't need to live to see that. I don't need to live to take enormous comfort from knowing that as time passes, day by day, you'll see how right I am.

"This is the Dark Side, Roan. This is Purity. The Sith tried to build an Empire. Such fools. Because the Dark Side- the pure Dark Side- is good for one thing only. Destruction. If I could reach forward and snuff out the Universe itself, I would do so. But in destroying more than any has ever done before me... that will have to do!

"I am your teacher, Roan! I am your teacher and your guide! I have shown you a truth that you will realise, and it will haunt you forever. The natural state of things is not balance. The natural state is evil and chaos and death. All I have done is given it focus. In that I can be successful, I am, at least, slightly more sane than the Jedi, who seek to hold it all together, which can never be so. Those people are dead, and your Order will just stand by and watch it happen. Look your Council in the face and tell my spirit that this is the way you thought it was before you came here.

"Your final lesson, my pupil! Accept it!"

His sabre flashes down, and yours flashes up.

And at 7-5, the duel is over, as you just slashed through his midriff.

Job done- back to the thread.