The Rebel Faction

He could feel the other; the darkness that pervaded the area around the being would be evident to any force-sensitive organism in the area. It wasn't a noxious darkness, like that which was around the Demon being, but at the same time it was not something to be dismissed either.

Turning a corner onto a broadway street, Tobal saw utter confusion. A mass of people clawed at one another, trying to escape. Hover and tracked vehicles were smashed into a pileup a mile long, and here and there a few high-flying speeders zipped overhead. It was everyone for themselves here, the panic feeding panic, and generating more panic.

"It's VADER!" screamed an old man, sitting in the twisted remains of a car in the pile-up. "It's VADER!" he screamed again, his mind gone. He must have seen Vader at one time, or knew someone who had known the infamous ruler of the old Empire. Rumor spread rumor, and this man was beginning one right now, right here. Ears heard the cries of "Vader", and the word would spread.

Pulling his hat down, settling its crown firmly upon his head, Tobal pushed his way forward, into the fleeing crowd. People cursed at him, some larger people tried to run over him, but he pushed them aside. Like a rock on the edge of a waterfall, he stood unmoving as the cascade of people plowed into him. Shorter than the galactic standard by many centimeters, the source of the disturbance in the river of people might as well been a wrecked car, a car no one cared to climb over.

And then, they were gone. The last straggler in the wall of people passed Tobal, running for his life.

And there, he stood. For, it was a he. Often it was difficult to tell with the Force, distinguishing the sex of someone unfamiliar to oneself was a skill that came with great time, and dedication. The being before him had just finished killing a civilian with his ignited lightsabre, and behind him was the remains of his carnage. The bodies of a squad of law-enforcement officers lay behind him, proving to Tobal that the being possessed the basic fighting skills necessary to not kill himself with his lightsaber, but nothing more.

The being completed his killing and looked up at Tobal. From this distance the Tribal could not see the man's eyes, nor did he care to. A paper blew down the street, flying toward Tobal, whipped to speed by a breeze. It passed him by, and continued on its way in the wake of the fleeing crowd. The cloud overhead deepened in color, threatening to bring down rain at any moment.

"Rather biased comment of you....Arix. I don't think I am the best, I know I am not. If I was I would have beaten Malice in our last duel."

*Janus eyed the Jedi wearily. It was obvious, from the man's general flow of feeling that he was not a true Jedi. No true Jedi would have ignited his sabers so readily, or, for that matter, sook out a man who as of yet had done nothing on the planet.*

"You intrigue me Arix, for you are not a sith, but you are far from a Jedi. So, what are you?"

*As soon as he asked he read the answer from his opponent's mind. Rouge Jedi...*

"Hmm, rouge? Can't say I've heard of the such, but a Jedi is a Jedi."

*Janus opened his mind deeply to the force, allowing it to flow completely through him. He held out his right arm, palm pointed forward, and started to form an invisible orb of the force from the focal point of his hand, surrounding Arix. Though he didn't need the focal point, and hardly ever used one, he figured it was best to make the Rouge Jedi think that he had to use a focal point.*

"So tell me Rouge, what is the difference between yourself and the average Jedi?"

*Janus spoke purely to confuse his oponent, to lower his guard. Talking usually helped with that. Not that he needed it, he could attack without lowering the guard, it was just easier, and alot more fun.*

As the storm began Noktu just spirked as his eyes finished their mechanical scan of his opponant, as the Jedi approached Noktu just smiled and held his saber at the ready, the same time feeling his pockets full of vibro blades...

Without hesitating he pulled one out and threw it effortlessly at one of the bystanders, the crimson blade slicing into the mans neck and soon the ground was covered with crimson blood as he fell... "Now Jedi lets begin"

Arix could feel the Force pulsing around him, and he knew that it wasn't his doing. Losing himself deeper into the Force, he could feel the darkness of the invisible shield forming around him. The Rogue Jedi knew that he had to act quickly. If he didn't, who knows what the Sith would do.

Losing himself completely in the Force, Arix reverted to his primal insticts, mixed with his skills in the Force. In such situations, this was always what the Jedi did. The primal instincts had one goal and one goal alone, to preservate his own life for as long as possible. Suddenly, he leapt impossibly high, barely clearing the rapidly growing Force barrier. Turning into a corkscrew, he landed like a cat on his feet, this time facing the Sith's back.

"I give you an advantage, and what do you do? You ask me questions! Just for that, I'm not letting you have this anymore!" Arix yelled in response to the Sith, presenting an impenetrable mental shield.

Arix could hear the not-too-distant screams, and he at first feared the other Sith was wreaking havoc through the streets unhindered. Checking quickly through the Force, he sighed with relief as he acknowledged the presence of the Shadow Jedi, who had apparently reached the Sith-after a little probing, he found his name to be Bane Nothos-and they were getting ready to duel it out. Returning to the fight at hand, the Rogue knew that he would have little time before the Sith countered his evasive maneuvers.

Preparing himself for a charge, Arix felt the raindrops begin to fall. Forming a better plan, he concentrated deeply, drawing Force from everywhere he could find it. A spark appeared at his fingertips, and then another, and another. They were growing rapidly, the raindrops feeding into the electrical energy. Unlike the black Sith lightning, an electricity of pure white spurted forth. It was a greater attack of the Rogues. The Spark of the Lightside, it was called. Arix shot it out at Janus, putting his other hand on his right hand's wrist, feeding into the power.

The Sith had by now definately turned, and was most likely preparing defenses, if they had not already been thrown up. Arix knew he had to work fast. He launched into action, following the SOTL (Spark of the Lightside) towards his opponent. Running impossibly fast for a normal human, dual blades struck out at Janus, one heading for the neck, the other straight for the thigh.

Arix had been expecting something like this. He hadn't really expected his attacks to do much good. Instead, his actions had a dual purpose. To test the strength of Janus, and to wear the Sith down, presenting a vulnerable target that the Sith would put most of his energy into destroying. That is why he was not crushed by the Sith's attack. His Force Shield had bought him valuable time, but he could not hold it for long.

Easily finding debris on the street, most likely from the stampede of civilians who had fled the viciousness of Nothos, Arix sent it flying at Janus. The Sith, who expected him liquified by now, would most likely not be able to counter in time. Then the Rogue Jedi waited for it. Milliseconds went by, and his concentration on the shield grew strained. He began to worry, but then it came. A moment of faltering in Janus's concentration. That was all Arix needed. Giving a mighty Force push, he was soon clear of the crushing death trap Janus had constructed.

"Good. You are much better than I thought, Janus." Arix announced, hoping to catch the Sith off guard with the mention of his name. He had done a little mind probing of his own.

The Rogue once again took the offensive, and he went into another charge, closing the gap between Janus and him. The instant Arix felt the darkside well up inside the Sith, he played his card. Blinding Light was a technique that the Jedi had built into his greatly diverse fighting style. Since they were in broad daylight, it was easy to gather the energy needed. Soon his card was on the table, and Janus was surrounded in a ball of blinding glare.

Arix charged into it without hesitation. He didn't care. The light stung, so he closed his eyes. The Rogue had been trained to battle in all situations, including blindly. Enhancing his other senses, he could feel the vibrations of Janus's feet, and hear the swish of his arms. Lashing out, Arix worked the Sith in a rather laid back lightsaber combat, steadily working up high, the Jedi knew his Light would not last long. He then played the wild card. Striking down in a double thrust low, Arix gave the Sith another test. He gave Janus plenty of time to block the shot, but left his upper body wide open. If Janus were to strike at him and score a hit, he would likely decapitate the Rogue, but at the cost of one, more likely two legs. Arix switched concentration, pouring everything into his arms. If Janus decided to go high, the Jedi made sure his arms were fast enough to block.