Jedi Temple - Naboo

"I am sorry, Jedi, but that information is not intended for you, yet."


Vodo stared at the holocron as if it were the culmination of ten thousand years of Jedi annoyance. He had been trying for three hours to unlock certain information on Master Vodo Siosk Baas from this particular holocron, but the holographic Jedi keeper would not allow him access.

Holocrons worked in tandem with the Force to give out information only to the Jedi it deemed were ready to know. Evidently, it concluded Vodo did not need to know about the ancient Master Baas.

"Tell me about Exar Kun." He said for the thousandth time.

He had stated that exact sentance at least twenty times and each time had received the same answer: "I am sorry, Jedi, but that information is not intended for you, yet."

"Why not?"

"I'm sorry Jedi..."

Vodo wanted to through it across the room.


Vodo knew he was descended from Master Vodo Siosk Baas, the legendary Jedi Master who had trained Exar Kun, who in turn started the Sith War and ravaged the galaxy before he was stopped by the combined might of the Jedi at Yavin 4.

But other than that, Vodo knew nothing about himself. He knew nothing of his race, or if he even had a home planet. He was raised in an orphanage on Coruscant, born at least seventy years before, yet he looked and felt young. He could conclude that his species was long lived.

He just wanted proof. He wanted the name of a world. Thats it.

He shifted in his chair, the same one he had occupied for going on six hours. It was well into the night on Naboo, and most of the Temple was asleep.


Vodo preferred it that way.

Vance walked the lengths of the darkened Jedi Temple passageways. He moved like a shadow, his cloak billowing around his boots as he moved with practiced silence. The majority of the temple was asleep, very few in the ways of guards or patrols actually keeping any official watch. The fact was, that Vance had been monitoring the temple, in order to realize the best time to engage in his search... and it was, as he had believed and expected, night time.

For a good few months now, Vance had been hunting down various Sith artifacts, in an attempt to further allow the ancient knowledge to help in creating the Sith Order. He would supply any number of objects in that attempt, and he would do so willingly for the Order to survive; this included entering the Jedi's very home for his mission.

Looking down, Vance smiled to himself at the small prism held in his gloved hand. A Sith Holocron. Filled to the very edges of it's prism with information for the taking; the Holocrons had always been repositories of knowledge and wisdom, holding the teachings and mentalities of great Sith Lords. Vance looked over the solid triangle object in his hand, noting the Sith inscriptions which lined the base edges, and the flat faces covered with Sith hieroglyphs, and could feel the power within at the black crystal built into the top point. Yes, the Jedi had always hidden such Holocrons from those who would use them for the dark teachings held within, but Vance had been able to make entrance into the deeper Archives to steal that which belonged to the Sith Order.

Now all that remained was to escape the temple as silently as it had been entered.

Rounding the fourth corner on the passage he walked, Vance immediately came to a stop. He saw a lone figure seated within the main Archive hall, a lamp on at his side as it spoke with what appeared to be another Holocron.

"Why not?" The figure said, the annoyance in the creature's voice apparent.

"I'm sorry Jedi..." The Holocron replied in its monotonic tone, ever showing it was nothing more than simply a machine. Yet a machine that held great pools of useful information, none-the-less.

Vance was standing in the open doorway of the Archives, the light in the chamber catching him with its dull brightness. He wasn't aware of how perceptive the alien before him was, sitting no more than a few meters, but if Vance made any move without waiting to see if he was discovered, he would no doubt be seen... And to think that Vance had decided on using a different escape route than the one used to enter. He should have kept the plan more simplistic, in hindsight, as now he was in quite the situation.

Slowly Vance moved his arm within his cloak, placing the Sith Holocron into the pouch on his belt, where it joined the others. Over all he had managed to discover three, each different in its on way, but still Sith in nature quite plainly. Stepping backward, Vance tried to keep his movements minimal, attempting to walk back out of the lit area...

"I'm sorry Jedi..."

Vodo contemplated throwing the holocron at the nearest wall. His long study on ancient Jedi masters, including his own ancestor, had not been fruitful. Of all the holocrons in the temple, none had revealed anything more than the basic stuff you could find in most historical textbooks.

He refrained from closing his eyes, not wanting to drift off into sleep. He reached into the Force, letting it's cool energy flow into him, revitilizing him.

And then felt a strong warning tingle creep over him. A feeling of impending danger.

Odd Vodo thought. The Temple was one of the most secure places on the planet, why would there be any danger...?

He expanded his Sphere of Respnsibility twenty meters outward. The Sphere was an ancient Jedi technique for feeling the immidiate area around oneself.

And then he felt it. Felt him.

Someone was slowly creeping backwards back through the back entrance of the Archives.

Vodo's hand tightened around his walking stick. And in one fluid motion, without ever turning his back or head to alert the intruder, Vodo leaped.

Using the Force, he went high into the air, towards the mysterious inturder, who was trying to quietly move back through the door, which lead to a little-used service corridor.

Bringing his walking stick down, Vodo landed in a full defensive position, with the Force swirling around him.

Vance was almost free of the sphere of light, his eyes watching the hunched Jedi with caution, when he felt a brush of the Force touching his mind. It took but a moment for Vance to understand that he had been sensed through the Force, that the Jedi creature at the table was reacting; and before Vance had time to take any action, whether it be running for the exit or attacking, the Jedi landed in front of him in a dazzling display of acrobatic ability...

Interesting.

Vance slowly stood straight, inclining his head inside of his hood as he looked over the Jedi alien in it's defensive posture. For a moment Vance considered laughing, given that this being was facing him with a walking cane, but the fact remained that the Sith couldn't afford to make much noise... not if he wished to escape the temple without legions of Jedi swarming down upon him.

"Hello, Jedi." Vance said, though the undertone to his use of the word Jedi was unmistakable. With a slight movement, the Sith bowed his head. "A pleasant night for staying up late and interfering with temple raids, is it not?" He asked, his smile broadening a little more.

For all intents and purposes, Vance could see this creature as being old and frail; and aside from using the Force in it's movements, it would remain as such. Surely there was some other aspect to this being that was unexpected, yet Vance knew that his race was familiar... possibly from some teaching or mention in a past Sith Holocron?

Slowly reaching down for his lightsaber, Vance narrowed his eyes, his voice lowering. "Go back to your work, Jedi... it is best for both of us." And holding the handle in his gloved palm, the Sith slowly shifted his right boot, sliding it back to better support his weight; if attack became an option, he would have to strike quickly and with precision, there was no other way, for the clashing of weaponry would bring even the deepest Jedi sleeper awake.

"The choice is yours, I merely wish to take what is rightfully mine." Vance said, smirking as he touched the pouch at his side with his free hand. And a little of what's yours... Jedi Holocrons included.

From beneath the cowl of his hood, Vodo stared through yellow eyes at the smiling man that radiated darkness through the Force.

"The choice is yours, I merely wish to take what is rightfully mine."

Vodo inclined his head in return, and decided to try something different - he lowered the stick. Instead he put it in front of him and leaned on it heavily.

He stood there then, unmoving.

"You won't get out that way." He said matter of factly, "Before I moved I tripped the silent alarm, the door at the end of the passageway, the one that leads to the courtyard, has been closed."

He was lying, of course, but the other did not know that.

So he stood there, his five-foot frame looking very small in the darkened archives.

"You won't get out that way." Vance smirked, listening to the Jedi. "Before I moved I tripped the silent alarm, the door at the end of the passageway, the one that leads to the courtyard, has been closed."

In turn, Vance sighed. Things just seemed to be getting harder by the second, and if he wasn't careful he would be trapped between freedom and a few dozen Jedi very soon.

"This leaves me with one option then, Jedi." Vance said, stepping forward. "I will be leaving through the achives, as I had originally planned." And shifting his arm, Vance brought his lightsaber forward, holding the deactivated handle facing the short Jedi.

"Move, or you shall die." Vance said simply, his thumb over the activation pad. And if the Jedi wished to further hinder Vance's escape into the night, then he would pay for that mistake; but the fact remained that an alarm had been triggered, which meant that within a short while Jedi would be storming the area...

Stalking toward the Jedi slowly, Vance began to edge around the creature's left, keeping his eyes on the short being; but pausing, the Sith narrowed his eyes, shifting his hand outward... and Vance sent a rippling wave of force energy toward the Jedi, before rushing toward the inner archives and the means to freedom through the balcony beyond.

"Don't miss your precious holocrons too dearly, Jedi." Vance hissed over his shoulder, before continuing his dash...

Vodo did not move. Or at least, he did not seem to move.

As Vance took off in a full run, Vodo felt a stab of distaste. Sith Lords claimed to have all this greater power, but here this one was, fleeing!

Are all Sith cowards?


Yes.


With a thought, Vodo sent the chair he had been occupying only a moment before, flying. The missile shot towards Vance like a bolt from a blaster. At the same time, Vodo sent another Force-fired projectile, in the form of a large wooden desk. But not at the coward Sith, instead he sent it ahead of him, blocking his immediate exit.

Then the Jedi stalked forward, walking stick in hand. Vance turned around, and Vodo leaped, aiming a poweful strike downwards at the Sith Lord's head.

ooc: We'll keep at Knight ranks, as we started out in the thread.

The flow of the force was hard to miss, the way the mysterious energy flooded the area with its invisible touch, especially in such close proximity to the user. Even as the chair was thrown toward him, Vance's lightsaber activated with a snap-hiss; and with a twist of the wrist and a side step, the chair was sliced through the middle, sending it away from its intended target to shatter further on the hard temple floor.

Vance, by this time, realized that his means of escaping was cut off by the large desk, which bared the way and left him cornered with the Jedi closing in for the attack. As the small creature leapt toward him, Vance twirled his blade, bringing it up in an overhead block; and catching the staff against the energy weapon, Vance pushed back against the Jedi, before breaking away and stepping back quckly.

"Interesting, Jedi," Vance growled, his azure lightsaber blade hovering in front of him, keeping a tight defense up. "I would have thought someone who promotes peace would have allowed me to simply leave... I guess I was wrong."

Lunging forward, Vance stabbed straight with his blade, the tip aimed for the Jedi's chest. And then twisting, he brought the lightsaber around in a fast, tight arc toward the Jedi's neck. Vance knew he was now on a time limit, and that the clash of lightsaber on highly resistant staff was bound to wake all nearby...

Not what I intended.

Vodo brought his stick up and feigned a block at the swipe with his neck. The Sith put all of his strength into the blow, even as Vodo ducked and lashed out with his foot, catching the man in the abdomen.

The Jedi Knight did not back off, but instead pressed the attack. He gave himself to the Makashi form of lightsaber combat and aggressively drove forward, entering into a series of horizontal strikes intended to bring the Sith's blade up in a tight defensive block.

"Someone once told me..." He struck again toward Vance's head, who blocked it, "That if you want peace..."

Their weapons crossed, showing Vodo's alien funnel shaped face.

"Prepare for war."

Vance chuckled as the two braced their weapons against the other's, sparks spitting into the air from the lightsaber blade on the stick; it seemed this Jedi's weapon was more than at first thought, and was rather durable indeed, despite the loving caress of a lightsaber upon it...

"To me, that sounds very aggressive, Jedi." Vance said, his voice low as he narrowed his eyes. "It almost makes me wonder about your Order, and what exactly they tend to teach their precious students... surely you do not promote peace through war?" And pushing the Jedi back, Vance leapt backward at the same moment, allowing them both some distance.

Vance had noticed the form that the Jedi had used, and it was cause for some concern; though Vance was not without his knowledge of various lightsaber forms. He was, after all, one of the (if not the) best Sith Order duelist to date, and this allowed him to change his stance, shifting his posture as he settled into Form V, Shien. Form V was designed to overcome an enemy through strength and power, and considering the Jedi's use of such a delicate and fine Form, Vance planned on beating aside his weapon through the powerful swings and attacks his Form offered.

Stepping forward, Vance began a rotation, his lightsaber humming as he came at the Jedi with a full three-sixty swing, aimed for his mid-section; which in turn left little in the way of defending, as the enemy could not simply duck or leap over the blade had it been aimed for a higher or lower portion of the body.

But Vance did not expect a connection. Not against this seemingly lithe foe.

"Peace through aggression," Vance spat, twirling his blade around his body as he stepped at the Jedi rotating his body to give heavier strokes, the blades path sending multiple attacks at the Jedi. "Is what the Sith tend to believe. They feel that by destroying the Jedi, they can finally bring about their own style of peace to the galaxy... in effect, the Jedi are keeping the fighting alive through their unwillingness to back down."

Vance smirked, finishing off with a long two-handed slash, aimed for the Jedi creature's right shoulder, intending on severing through his upper body. "What I find amusing, is that the Jedi promote peace, non-aggression... yet every time a Sith shows himself, the Jedi can not attack and kill their enemy quickly enough." Vance stepped back, his lightsaber spinning up into a defensive stance. "So tell me, Jedi... would it not be more adhering to the Jedi code to allow me to leave with what you stole from our kind originally? And let us not forget... you attacked me first."