OOM:Coronation

[last_kallig]

The past week has been a busy one for Lady Kallig and her knight. Her situation is not unprecedented, there have been plenty of commoners in Alderaan's history who have been elevated to the nobility and needed to learn to fit in quickly.

Her tutors were quite impressed at her ability to pick things up. She shared the bitter amusement with Garyn that none of their previous charges must have had their lives riding on lessons as the norm. Being unarmed still makes her uneasy, but she doesn't have to fight the urge to twitch anymore when someone moves near her suddenly.

At the moment, a small army of helpers are helping her get ready for the coronation. Makeup, clothes, jewels, hairstyle, it's quite the production. Extensive preparations for a different kind of battle.

Her House's banner hangs over the dressing table: The red and black symbol of Fire and Water on a white field.

(OOC: Warning for vague adult content)

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[last_kallig]

Ibani has noticed the commotion, is trying to move toward Garyn.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." The push is harder this time, painful, dizzying. For an instant, a clear path opens between Ibani and Nomar Organa over Garyn's shoulders, and Nomar acts.

If Garyn wasn't used to fighting spellcasters who could enhance their abilities, hadn't fought and killed Sith, wasn't familiar with how Ibani could move, there would be no way for him to react in time to stop what happens next. Something silvery, metal, like a flechette or a dart is suddenly flying with terrible purpose toward Ibani.

[moonandstar]

It's but a flash of time - a brief window for the dart to fly, as Garyn is knocked back. But it's long enough...and long enough for Garyn to react. He lunges forward, turning his back to take the shot meant for Ibani. In the same motion, he draws his blade, readying himself for the next movement should he and Ibani survive this one...

[last_kallig]

The dart wasn't metal alone, something in it hisses, spits, tremendously hot as it destroys a substantial portion of his cloak and seriously damages his armor when it shatters on impact.

Ibani forces herself to freeze, to not attack, to play her role.

Nomar Organa's lightsaber drops into his hand, ignites with a snap hiss and a blue blade comes down toward Garyn. Nomar expects his lightsaber to destroy the blade, as it looks nothing like the lightsaber resistant materials he's familiar with.

The crowd is starting to stir now, whatever effect Nomar was using to get them to ignore him faltering under the strain of combat.

[moonandstar]

Garyn snarls and bullrushes through the blow, cracked armor and all. His teeth clench as his ebony blade meets Organa's lightsaber...and clashes.

Garyn doesn't let himself gloat at this little surprise. Instead, he takes advantage of his lost balance, and kicks him hard in the shin.

[last_kallig]

Organa isn't armored at all, and he was surprised enough by the black sword holding up to his lightsaber that the blow to his shin hits full Force.

Organa falls, but turns the fall into a roll, decades of training coming into play. "Why?" he demands of Garyn, pressing at his mind, searching for answers as to why he is defending this Sith whether Garyn wants to give them or not. The Sith are a cancer, a rot, the embodiment of everything wrong in the galaxy.

The security forces are starting to react by now, but they're being slowed down by the crowd, by the press of people, and by the chaos this fight is causing.

[moonandstar]

Garyn continues to advance to keep the Jedi on his back foot even as he rolls.

"Says the assassin."

[last_kallig]

"Someone who cuts out a cancer is a healer, not an assassin, though I suppose I shouldn't have expected a thug to know the difference."

The crowd is moving away from them, raised voices, screams, shouts. Nomar's window of opportunity to act is closing, and he knows it.

He throws his full mental strength at Garyn, sharp and ruthless as an ice pick between the eyes, "Yield!" But he also lunges toward Garyn, hoping the mental blow will slow Garyn's responses enough that he can drive his lightsaber into Garyn's skull through the opening in his helmet.

[moonandstar]

"Many assassins have said the same."

Garyn doesn't back down. He parries the lunging thrust, turning the blade aside with enough force to compel the Jedi to roll back again.

"Now stow your blade, or die like a dog."

[last_kallig]

Organa pulls out of Garyn's mind, lowers his blade. It almost looks like he's going to see reason for a moment, but then he goes at Garyn with every ounce of his skill as a Jedi Knight.

He's quick, a skilled combatant, but he's running out of time. In fifteen seconds Nomar Organa is going to be getting about a dozen blaster shots in him from palace security. Assuming Garyn doesn't kill him before then.

[moonandstar]

The Jedi has ceased underestimating Garyn now. No more mental tricks designed for the weak-minded. Only the full attention of a skilled swordsman.

A pity the fight won't last long. No sooner had Garyn found the rhythm of this fight, and begun to turn back to the offensive, than the Jedi gasps and collapses from more blaster shots than even he could block.

Garyn scowls and sheaths his blade.

"A pity. Just when the party was getting interesting."

[last_kallig]

"I suspect most of the guests don't share your idea of interesting, my knight," Ibani tells him as she approaches. The smile is the most genuine one he's seen on her tonight.

Nomar Organa isn't dead, though he might wish he was when he wakes up after that many blaster shots set to 'disable'. Palace security is taking no chances with him, even unconscious.

Guests are being escorted out with additional armed guards in small groups now.

She reaches out with the Force, so careful, so delicate, because she doesn't KNOW what that damn jedi might have done to his mind.

[moonandstar]

She will find his mind mercifully unmolested. And quite tickled to be called "her knight."

"Perhaps so. But fool that he was, he could fight."

His face returns to its previous grim scowl.

"A hothead, to be sure. I suspect he acted without orders."

[last_kallig]

"If his foolishness persists, you may get another crack at him." She pauses. "Although that could cause...awkwardness with House Rist, depending on the outcome." Since the head of House Rist is in love with Nomar Organa, or at least the man he used to be.


"I agree. If the Jedi Order wanted to assassinate me, they would have sent a Shadow, not a brawler. And House Organa would have waited until I was away from here to make the attempt; assassinating someone at an event that will be viewed by the general public would be gauche."

[moonandstar]

"We've had enough 'awkwardness' already, I should think."

Garyn watches as Nomar Organa's unconscious form is dragged away.

"Though the legal ramifications should be thornier still, I'll warrant."

[last_kallig]

"Oh indeed. His house and his Order will both be furious with him."

"If he had succeeded, success might have washed away his sins, but he did not."

She eyes the damage to Garyn's armor as they are both escorted out. "If that's what I think it was, it was a very good thing it didn't hit me. They're usually fired from a rifle to hunt VERY big game, as the flechette is designed to explode INSIDE the body once it reaches center mass."

"The Hutts sometimes use them when they want a death to be....messy but leave the surroundings mostly intact.

[moonandstar]

Garyn looks down, having momentarily forgotten that yes, he had indeed taken an exploding dart to the chest for Ibani. He sticks his fingers through the hole in his armor. He finds a chunk of that armor embedded in the protective vest beneath from where the dart had caused spalling.

"It's rather a good thing I was wearing those thick fibers beneath my armor padding. What did you call it again?"

[last_kallig]

"Bodysuit is the term I've heard soldier's use for it, no idea if that's what they're officially called."

"I'm glad you're not injured, my knight." She WANTS to say 'my love', but they're still in public.

[moonandstar]

Garyn rather suspects anyone watching will know anyway. Although only Ibani will be experienced enough at reading the color of his face to tell that he's blushing.

"I'm...rather glad of that myself."

[last_kallig]

There's a flicker of mischief in Ibani's eyes that says she's definitely going to remember that calling him her knight made him blush and she's going to make use of that reaction in private later.

She hears bits and pieces of com chatter from the guards as they are escorted out. "Hm. Looks like Nomar hired mercenaries to attack other parts of the castle grounds. Goes some way to explaining why reactions happened as they did."

"He did that when I fought him before, sent men to plant explosives on my ship. Khem Val was waiting for them, in close quarters." She's pretty sure Garyn can imagine how well THAT went for them.

[moonandstar]

"His Order ought to excommunicate him for this, if they have any sense at all."

[last_kallig]

"I'm....not sure if they do that? I've never thought about it, since no one is ALLOWED to leave the Sith, just punished and possibly executed if they fail badly enough."

Ibani makes their excuses, and they slip through a Door and into Milliways at last.

[moonandstar]

Garyn had already discarded his damaged cloak long ago. The cracked and singed armor must nonetheless make him quite a sight as he enters the bar behind her.

"Well, they're a knightly order, are they not? The Emperor can degrade a knight of his titles, if he disgraces them."

[last_kallig]

"They're more a monastic order, I think," Ibani says as they carefully climb the stairs. "Maybe they were something else once and that's why they're called Knights?"

Ibani sighs in relief as she closes the door to their room behind her. "Thank the Force, I can take these damn shoes off."

[moonandstar]

"Well, one can also be expelled from monastic orders in Cyrodiil," Garyn says. "I would assume the Jedi Order has vows they must hold to as well?"

He starts taking off his ruined cuirass.

"Indeed. At least I can say my clothes died well."

[last_kallig]

Ibani nods. "They have a Code, though there's room for interpretation in it."

"Given that I was trained as a Sith, the mortal enemies of the Jedi, I don't know how much I trust what little education I have on the subject."

"They did indeed," she agrees about his clothes. "I may need a bit of help getting out of all of this." Well, 'need' is a strong word for someone with her control of Force Push.