Mace Windu vs Depa Billaba

Shatterpoint

As Vastor gathered himself to spring again, Mace reached into the Force. The vibroshield stuck into the wall above Nick's head squealed against the bunker's armor as it came to life and pulled itself free and streaked like a missile toward Vastor's back.

Vastor's incredible reflexes whirled him, and those same reflexes snapped his shields in front of his chest in plenty of time to block-But they didn't actually block anything...

There was a reason why, when Vastor's shields met to make that metallic howl, he always brought them together back-to-back, instead of edge-to-edge.

The flying shield's vibrating edge sheared through both Vastor's shields, through both his wrists, and buried itself in the bone of his chest, stopping less than a centimeter short of his heart.

Vastor blinked astonishment at Mace as though the Jedi Master had betrayed him.

Mace said, "You were warned."

Vastor's head shook weakly, suddenly palsied. He dropped to his knees. You've killed me.

He sounded like he couldn't make himself believe it.

"No," Mace said. "That's another of the Jedi rules. Killing you is not the answer for your crimes. You're going back to Coruscant. You're going to stand trial."

Vaster swayed. His gaze went blank and blind.

"Kar Vaster," said Mace Windu, "you are under arrest."

Vaster pitched forward. Mace caught him and turned him face-up before lowering the unconscious lor pelek to the floor.

Then he pulled himself back to his feet, leaning on the console.

His vision grayed and lost focus; for a moment he wasn't sure where he was. This might have been Palpatine's office. Or the interrogation room at the Ministry of Justice. The Intel station, or the dead room at the Lorshan Pass.

Perhaps even the Jedi Temple... but the Jedi Temple wouldn't ever smell like this.

Would it?

"Master Windu?"

He remembered the voice, and it brought him back to the command bunker.

"Is it over?" Geptun called tentatively from the transceiver chamber. He sounded very old, and more than a little lost. "Can I come out now?"

Mace looked down at Kar Vastor, and the spreading pool of blood in which he lay. He looked at the scattered corpses of clone troopers and militia techs. He looked at Nick Rostu, crumpled against the wall.

"Master Windu?" Geptun's head appeared slowly over the rim of the hole in the floor. "Did we win?"

Mace looked at the sad, shrunken form of Depa Billaba, and thought about his victory conditions.

"I seem to be," Mace Windu said slowly, "the last one standing."

It was the only answer he had.

Also, I found this interesting.

Vastor was younger, stronger, faster, and immensely more powerful, and he wielded weapons that could not be harmed by the Jedi blade. Mace couldn't win such a battle on his best day, and this day was far from his best: he was exhausted, badly wounded, and heartsick.

Nick's guns roared flame at a hurtling dark shape that leaped from nowhere. Sparks clanged in the gloom as Mace whirled instinctively and slashed at the shape and it vanished in a dive that carried it over the console bank. Before he'd even seen what it was.

You didn't feel me coming at you. You can't.

"That wasn't you," Mace said, low.

But it was. One-seventh of me.

Your pardon: one-eighth.

[...]

Her reply was a scream louder and more savage and an onslaught to match. She broke through his guard again and scorched his wrist. Another stroke burned a slice through his pants leg just above the knee.

Power roared around her, a rising storm of darkness.

Mace got it now: as each Akk Guard died, his share of pelekotan backflowed through the bonds Vaster had forged among them.

She was getting stronger.

And with each stroke of her blade, he could feel himself slipping into the shadows. He had to. She was too strong, too fast, too everything. The only way he could survive was to give more of himself to Vaapad. To give all of himself.

To sink into pelekotaris dream.

The shape [Kar] smoked with power. More power than Mace had ever felt.

This probably won't apply to most people who've never taken part in a debate involving Vastor, but the general consensus here had been that - by Mace's own admission - Vastor was simply a greater combatant than Windu. Clearly, this is not the intended message. Mace stated that he couldn't win a fight against a man commanding the power of eight Force-sensitives; the most powerful individual he'd even encountered.

Mace FTW. I still demand a an Afro Samurai-inspired animated miniseries based on Shatterpoint.

Originally posted by Eminence

This probably won't apply to most people who've never taken part in a debate involving Vastor, but the general consensus here had been that - by Mace's own admission - Vastor was simply a greater combatant than Windu. Clearly, this is not the intended message. Mace stated that he couldn't win a fight against a man commanding the power of eight Force-sensitives; the most powerful individual he'd even encountered.

That is interesting. However, the 2nd quote came after the Akk akks were dead, and Depa was unconcsious, right? So would that still apply?

Oh, and imho, rereading this, there is no question in my mind that on even footing mace owns depa.

truejedi
That is interesting. However, the 2nd quote came after the Akk akks were dead, and Depa was unconcsious, right? So would that still apply?

Shatterpoint
Mace got it now: as each Akk Guard died, his share of pelekotan backflowed through the bonds Vaster had forged among them.

Originally posted by Eminence
Yes.

well, if it was the strength of all 8 of them, then why was Depa getting stronger, and not weaker, as they died? I guess i'm not understanding the word backflowed. The way that phrase makes it sounds, depa and Vastor were strengthening the akk-akks, not the other way around.

As the akk-akk's died, Depa and vastor needed to lend less of their pelekotan (or force power) to others,and were getting stronger. Right?

Otherwise, any force-meld would weaken as the members died.

What am I not understanding here?

mace takes this but not easily.

truejedi
well, if it was the strength of all 8 of them, then why was Depa getting stronger, and not weaker, as they died? I guess i'm not understanding the word backflowed. The way that phrase makes it sounds, depa and Vastor were strengthening the akk-akks, not the other way around.

As the akk-akk's died, Depa and vastor needed to lend less of their pelekotan (or force power) to others,and were getting stronger. Right?

Otherwise, any force-meld would weaken as the members died.

What am I not understanding here?

And if you've forgotten, all Korunnai are Force-sensitive; the Akk Guards are simply the strongest of them, and have been "trained" by Vastor.

I gotcha, so even though the Akk's were dead, through the meld, their power in the force stayed with the group.

Thanks. I knew i was missing something.

btw, i thought bringing Vastor into the Battle of Mindor was a little stupid myself. Technically, he could still be alive, and any author can use him anywhere they want to.

Originally posted by Eminence
Kar Vastor had forged a powerful Force-bond encompassing himself, the Akk Guards, and Depa Billaba. They all contributed to this bond; think of the group as a "pool" of power, apparently somewhat similar to the battle meld members of the NJO would relearn and come to employ, but with a twist. Every time a Guard is killed, and therefore removed from the bond, his "share" of power flows back into the pool, strengthening the others. By the end of the battle, all of the Akk Guards are dead, so all of their power has returned to the "pool". Since Kar Vastor has become the lone beneficiary of the connections, and therefore the only member retaining access to the combined power, he wields all of it.

And if you've forgotten, all Korunnai are Force-sensitive; the Akk Guards are simply the strongest of them, and have been "trained" by Vastor.

that makes sense but what i don't like is that after one akk gaurd dies its like the remaining people get to use their force reserves. that makes no sense at all because as far as i know the force doesnt work that way or everytime jedi were together in a battlemeld and 1 died everyone gets their power.

it reminds me of jet li's movie "the one" where after each time he kills himself he gets their power and this also is kind of like the highlander either way i find this application of the force as a contradiction to how the force works

xxxpoppunker182
that makes sense but what i don't like is that after one akk gaurd dies its like the remaining people get to use their force reserves. that makes no sense at all because as far as i know the force doesnt work that way or everytime jedi were together in a battlemeld and 1 died everyone gets their power.

it reminds me of jet li's movie "the one" where after each time he kills himself he gets their power and this also is kind of like the highlander either way i find this application of the force as a contradiction to how the force works

I suppose it might be a little hard to understand if you haven't read Shatterpoint in a while, but looking the characterization of "pelekotan" - the Force as the Korunnai see it in the jungle - would help.

ya ill look into this more

and wtf vastor is in shadows of mindor?

Originally posted by BruceSkywalker
Mace stomps

Yeah, that just about covers it.

was that a y instead of a what there popunker?

His mind is controlled (as well as Nick Rostu's) by some secret Imperial agent. (who if i remember correctly, Can? use the force. Luke feels like he murdered a whole planet of people, but its obvious to us that he didn't...

Book was pointless in my mind, and throwing vastor in there was even weirder.

Why does everyone say Mace beat Depa in Shatterpoint?I´ve read the fight many times.In the german version of Shatterpoint ,Depa nearly killed Mace,but at the end she didn´t want to do that and Mace knew that he couldn´t beat Depa in a swordfight.

Originally posted by JediMaster97
Why does everyone say Mace beat Depa in Shatterpoint?I´ve read the fight many times.In the german version of Shatterpoint ,Depa nearly killed Mace,but at the end she didn´t want to do that and Mace knew that he couldn´t beat Depa in a swordfight.

Mace basically decides not to go ont the offensive for fear of killing Billaba, who he loves like a daughter (or something like that). Had Mace went on the offensive, I belive he would have broken Billaba down and killed her.

We talked about it: Depa was gaining force strength from each of the 8 Ack-Guards who had died.

Originally posted by truejedi
We talked about it: Depa was gaining force strength from each of the 8 Ack-Guards who had died.

Right ...And Mace wasn't really fighting back. He stayed on the defensive choosing not to take the offensive.

and he had started the duel by getting a lightsaber stuck all the way through him... hardly a fair start.

Originally posted by truejedi
and he had started the duel by getting a lightsaber stuck all the way through him... hardly a fair start.

If I gained anything from that novel, it was that Mace has one ridiculously high pain threshold. He was shot all to hell, had the crap kicked/beat out of him, and had a hole put through his midesction from being impaled by a lighsaber. Dude is truly one bad mutha ****er.

Holy shit, remember when Eminence still posted? Total mind****.