Main Halls

*Behind her, Ksandra could hear the other two getting up, or at least trying to-- she took a brief moment to connect to the Force, sending out a quick warning pulse of emotion, trying to tell them to stay out of the fight, while keeping a wary eye on her opponent. 'Maul's' style was pure animal aggression, and she would have her hands full with him. When he lunged, she was ready for it, tapping into the Force to markedly boost her already-quick speed and reflexes.*

*The red blade slashed out at Ksandra's shoulder but the woman was already in movement, dropping her left shoulder and pulling it back to dodge the strike, right blade already rotating forward to catch the real strike and redirect it away, bringing her left blade down in a sweep aimed at the fake Maul's knees. The Force was flowing through her veins, making every nerve hum with the lightning of adrenaline as her lips twisted back into a feral smile.*

This reckoning has been a century in coming.

*She was good. Quick, agile. But this was just the beginning. Maul hopped up, bending his knees inward to avoid the low strike and aimed again for her shoulder, the right one this time. He kept his second blade in line, ready to intercept the inevitable counterattack should his strike not ring true.*

*Ksandra's response was a harsh bark of laughter as he jumped over the sweeping strike, rotating her right wrist to bring that end of the staff in an upwards swing that would pull back towards herself, aimed between the Zabrak's legs for when he came down, left blade rotating around to keep the enemy saberstaff's other end at bay.*

*Of course she would attempt a maneuver like that. That was almost expected. Granted perhaps a midair cartwheel would have been a better move, but he had a way out of this one as well. Utilizing his agility and conditioning, he extended his left leg, coming into contact with the actual metal of the woman's lightsaber. In one swift motion, he drew back his left hand and thrust it forward with a wave of the Force behind it, at the same time pushing off her blade and backflipping out of the way to a safe distance so that he could set up a new attack run.*

*When the Zabrak's foot hit the center part of her lightsaber, Ksandra let go with her left hand, allowing the blade to be pushed harmlessly past her, then flexed her wrist, dropping one shoto into her hand and triggering the activation stud all in one swift movement, stabbing towards the Sith's foot like a striking snake, Force-enhanced speed allowing her to make the move before she sensed the wave of Force energy gathering around him then launching towards her. She threw herself into a backflip, rolling with the punch as it were, landing in the balanced Ataru guard position.*

*The Force Push had been a tiny bit unexpected, Ksandra had to admit. The original Maul had been all about shredding opponents with his lightsaber, never using any Force techniques. Maybe this one had some brains to go with the deranged instincts? Shrugging the thought off, she smirked faintly.*

"That all?"

*A prick of warning. Barely in time, Maul heard the ignition of a shoto, and twitched his foot to avoid gaining a hole in the appendage. The blade did manage to stab through the edge of his boot, and Maul felt the heat next to his foot as the material melted and instantly dried, leaving a curved cut in his boot. No concern of his; he landed in a crouch, using a hand to brace himself, and looked up with a scowl. A trickster. Well then, he'd have to use a few tricks of his own. He stood, then suddenly did a few series of midair cartwheels and somersaults, twirling his blade in a deadly display before attacking again, two strikes, a high and low, striking from the right and left respectively, turning his body as he moved. She knew how to use a sneak attack. But sneak attacks only worked once.*

"Seen that before..."

*Ksandra practically sang the words, a benign smile that would have looked completely out of place to any bystanders who didn't know her well on her face. Despite facing a replica of a figure that had haunted her dreams for decades, she was calm, perfectly in tune with the Force as Ataru demanded, unfazed by the acrobatics and flicking away Maul's two strikes with an expression that bordered on vague contempt as he pressed her harder.*

"Unsurprising, when you've only got one fight of data to work with."

*Then she counter-attacked in a deft spin and roll, spinning the staff in her hands and making a sharp cut at his stomach before bringing the other end around and knocking his blade upward, swiping at his chest.*

*Maul swore, this woman spoke during a duel more than any Sith he had ever seen. He himself had always been a Zabrak of few words. And it suited him. But instead of mere taunting, this woman seemed to have a melodious tendency. Perhaps he'd remove her vocal cords before he finished her. He'd definitely keep it in consideration.

At this point, Maul was beginning to tune out her words, his senses locked onto her movements and them alone. She had deflected the strikes, and now she was counterattacking. He deflected her first attack and kept his eye open for a follow-through. What came next was a deflection of his own weapon, followed by a swipe at his chest. Maul quickly released his left hand from the blade and threw his arms to the side, leaning backward at the knees to dodge just under the blade. He then pulled himself back up to his feet, and, quickly, attempted to kick the woman's foot out from under her with his left foot, spinning quickly on his right foot so that he would come back around in time to deflect any blows should he fail.*

*Ksandra grinned as the horn-headed Sith leaned backward under her blade, and quickly snapped off a vicious swipe at his knees, before springing off her left foot and tossing her body through a butterfly kick to dodge the sweep. The irony was not lost on her that this was in fact one of the original Maul's signature moves...*

*As he spun, she landed, shifting her right hand to an underhanded grip on the saberstaff to wield it like a spear, launching a blurred flurry of precision stabs aimed at incapacitating the Sith by striking key muscles, the way her Makashi instructor had taught her.*

*Maul brought his blade around to deflect aside the attack at his knees. When she moved to avoid his sweep, he backflipped out of the way, setting himself up in a better position to deflect the incoming stab attempts. One by one he knocked stab after stab aside, then suddenly leapt to the side, against the wall, kicking off of it, somersaulting high in the air above the woman, before landing on the other side. Once on his feet, he dropped down to a low crouch, spinning around with a low sweeping attack aimed at her feet with the blade of his weapon, before turning to his feet and striking high, then at her abdomen.*

*As the Zabrak leaped over her head, Ksandra danced backward, bringing up the saber's tip in a credible Makashi-style attempt to burn through his spine as he somersaulted, but not remaining still to see the effects of her move. The moment his boots hit the ground, she was back in motion, performing another backflip to dodge the sweep and using a quick application of Force Push to knock Maul's weapon out of alignment and away from her body.*

*She certainly was taking advantage of each and every opening she could. Obviously very experienced. Particularly if she claimed she had been waiting "nearly a century" for a fight like this. Maul deflected the attempt at his spine, but felt the assault on his weapon throw off his aim. He snarled and pulled his weapon behind him, regaining his control over it, as he extended his left hand, attempting to Force-push the woman away in retaliation. He slowly stood, snarling softly in anger. He would have to step up his game; she was definitely proving more difficult to do battle with than... perhaps anyone he had ever faced.*

*Ksandra flicked her wrist almost contemptuously, generating a burst of Force energy in response to Maul's attempted Push, not budging from where she stood approximately six feet away, still between Maul and the other two children.*

*The feral smile touched her lips and she lifted the lightsaber again, drawing on the Force to power her next move, some part of her mind absently musing that it was almost like listening to the galaxy singing through your nervous system, eyeing Maul with narrowed eyes, tilting her head as if daring him to attack.*

*Morgan suddenly awoke. Her eyes shot open, darting about without truly focusing on anything. She... she was back, back in the Academy. She felt the tiled floor under her cheek and palms. So she had been sent straight to Harmony from the battle... and had returned to the same spot. She must not have been gone very long if she hadn't already been taken by Maul...

She became aware of sounds, suddenly. The whirs of lightsaber blades, the clashing and sparking of them colliding with each other... Someone had come to rescue them! It wasn't her father, but it was someone, and that was all that mattered. Slowly, Morgan drew her arms and knees beneath her and pushed herself up into a sitting position, groaning softly with the effort; she felt much more weak now that she was back in the land of the living.

She became aware of a hot sensation on her forehead. She reached up to feel it with the tips of her fingers and hissed when they came into contact with her skin; her forehead had been gashed open. She drew her fingers away and looked at them to confirm something else she had felt: Yes, she was bleeding too. But she was alive. And Jamie...

Morgan's head suddenly jerked towards the doorway, and she could see a battle raging between Maul and a winged woman Morgan had never seen before. But that wasn't important. Her focus was upon Maul. The one who had killed Jamie and taken him from this world, putting him in Harmony, away from everyone and everything he loved. Now that Morgan had met him, she hated that he wasn't here, in this world, with everyone else!*
You... b-... rodder...
*Her father had told her not to swear, but there was no other word Morgan could think to say that would be appropriate in her cursing whisper. He had taken Jamie... had tried to take her, and no doubt had tried to take Michelle. She was still alive. And so was Ethan. Thank the Force. But for what he did to Jamie... he would pay.

The Force began to build up within her. Her strength returned, her focus on anything but her own injured state; the bloodied gash on her forehead didn't exist, and she felt absolutely not fatigue whatsoever. The air around her began to tremble; her hair and clothes rippled as though by some invisible wind. Her hand went to her lightsaber. She removed it, the small green blade coming to life. She then set out towards the door, and to her next mission...*

*As the brief lull in the battle between Maul and Ksandra ensued, a figure emerged from the door Morgan had been hurled through earlier. However, this figure certainly didn't look like Morgan; no, it had the appearance of a young boy, with blond hair and hazel eyes. He was holding a green lightsaber. He had been walking quickly, then, upon seeing Maul, had suddenly increased his speed. With a shout, he leapt at the Sith, lifting his lightsaber and aiming the blade at the Zabrak, aiming directly for a killing blow: Where the monster's heart would be. If he even possessed one.*

*She was taunting him now? Arrogant little witch. He was going to make her regret those words. He bared his teeth and made to step forward and begin his onslaught anew, when suddenly, his eyes were drawn to the doorway Morgan had been hurled through and froze.

That was... it... No... That was impossible... It was... The boy... The one Maul had killed... Aerandir's first Padawan! This... this had to be some trick. An illusion... Something meant to throw him off. He raised his weapon, trying to sneer, but he could not eliminate the nervousness from his countenance. This... this shouldn't be happening. Why was the mere image of some child, one he had killed without any trouble at all before, causing him to react like this? He was a Sith. He should have simply cast it aside and continued to attack this woman.

And yet, as the boy leapt with a yell, Maul stumbled backwards over his own feet, dropping his lightsaber and falling backwards. The boy landed upon him, the lightsaber sinking into his heart. A grunt of pain escaped his lips and was immediately cut off. Just as Maul had impaled him in the heart all those years ago, he had come back to return the favor. Maul's yellow eyes stared up at the ceiling as his heart disintegrated and blood ceased to flow through his body. This was... almost poetic. And perhaps anticlimactic. He had fallen... against an illusion?

... In his dying moments, he knew. He recalled that moment three years ago, as he unleashed a steady stream of Force lightning into Morgan's body, how she had somehow managed to briefly conjure a shield to deflect the blast just long enough to cast him into shock. His right hand twitched; a few whirs and clicks could be heard, reminding him of the arm he had lost that day to Aerandir. This boy was no boy... This was Morgan, utilizing another of her tricks.

His eyes turned forwards, towards her eyes. Or rather, that of the projection she was somehow casting. He almost wanted to compliment her, but he was surprised at how long he had managed to hold on already. His energy was fading... All he could muster was a weary, yet congratulatory smirk, a breathless "heh" of a laugh, before his head fell and his eyes rolled back, the energy leaving him at last. And so passed Darth Maul, oblivious to the fact that he was merely a doppelganger of the true Sith Lord...*

*The boy landed upon Maul as he went to the ground, driving the blade through the Zabrak Sith's heart. Maul reacted in shock, and yet... seemed to be congratulating the boy on the maneuver. The boy didn't seem to react to this, his eyes locked upon Maul's with a look of sheer vengeance upon his expression. He stood there, watching, until Maul's head fell lifelessly and his eyes rolled back. Then the boy's image seemed to fade...*

*Morgan stood there, blade still plunged into the chest of Maul. She felt the life left him, a simultaneous feeling that both stung and relieved her. Feeling the loss of a life was never pleasant, but now, Jamie was avenged. Maul was dead, and to be quite honest, she was surprised she had been successful. But it didn't matter; it had worked, and she could rest easy knowing Maul wouldn't live to harm anyone else ever again.

Her breaths started to grow deeper, less steady. That... had taken more energy than she had realized. There had been something different about the way she had entered the fray and attacked Maul... She couldn't place what it was. All she knew was that she had been thinking strongly about Jamie, and how nice of a boy he was, and that Maul had taken him away from everyone that loved him. And Maul had seemed strangely shocked and... scared during her approach.

She didn't even realize she had taken on Jamie's image.

But Maul had fallen. He was dead now. "I did it, Jamie..." she whispered in her thoughts, eyes beginning to moisten as she withdrew her lightsaber from Maul's chest and deactivated it. "I took care of him for you..." She closed her eyes, tears slipping through her eyelids and falling down her cheeks. She felt weak now... She had been weak before. That attack had taken more effort out of her than she realized.

And suddenly, Morgan dropped her weapon. It clattered on the floor as the girl's energy left her. Once more unconscious, she began to fall to the floor...*

*Ksandra was staring at the odd tableau in front of her, not entirely sure what had just happened, but lowering her lightsaber and deactivating it as the Sith collapsed.*

A win's a win, I suppose.

*As the little girl began to crumple, Ksandra reacted in a quick leap, catching the child with one arm and gently lowering her toward the ground, checking for a pulse then glancing toward the other two.*

"She's alive, just unconscious."

*Michelle looked towards Ethan, seeing that the woman's appearance had seemed to give him extra strength as well. She flashed him a weak grin, then looked forward, just as the woman seemed to be sending them a warning pulse, telling them to stay back. Michelle didn't need to be told that. She'd be stupid for trying to interfere. And besides, this woman seemed to be doing a pretty good job of handling Maul anyway.

Michelle started to take deep steadying breaths like she had learned to do in attempts to recover some of her energy, just enough to stand on her own. After a moment, she did, standing up as straight as she could, though still with a slightly-pained look. But she held onto her lightsaber anyway, in case she would need it. She hoped she wouldn't, but Michelle never knew with these Sith... they had a way of getting away from situations and causing new ones.

But suddenly... something strange happen. Something that caused Michelle to stop and stare in awe. From the same door that Morgan had flown through earlier... had appeared... Jamie?! She knew his face; he was the very reason she had pushed herself so hard in her training, and why she was so advanced in her studies: She didn't want his fate to become hers. But... was she really seeing this? Or was this some sort of hallucination?

The Jamie figure lunged, attacking Maul. Driving him to the ground. Stabbing him through the heart. Just as Maul had done to Jamie all those years ago. And even more strangely, the sight almost seemed to frighten Maul before he finally was killed. It was no illusion then, so... what was i├óÔé¼ÔÇØ

Morgan?! No... way... Jamie's appearance... was just a Force projection Morgan had utilized? But... how?! It didn't matter; for just after Michelle had sensed the life leave Maul, Morgan dropped her weapon and fell over.*
Morgan!
*Michelle ran forward, feeling her pain but not acknowledging it. She clenched her weapon tightly, hopping over Maul's body and kneeling down beside Morgan's fallen form, which the woman had caught and gently lowered to the ground. She pronounced her as merely unconscious, and Michelle closed her eyes, grateful for this. She then started to breathe deeply, somewhat painfully, almost gasping with each breath, before looking at the woman.*
Who... are you, anyway?
*Michelle was breathless at this point; Maul's attack had been just painful enough to subdue her. She hated it. She hated feeling weak, but at least she could still move, unlike after her leg had been broken on Felucia, then had to recondition herself afterward. That was nearly unbearable. This... she could live with. Especially since Morgan was okay. But that gash on her forehead... Michelle couldn't help but turn and give the dead Maul a scowl; for a moment, she briefly entertained the notion of mutilating the corpse, but no... that was wrong. That was an action that would lead to the dark side. Besides... he already got what was coming to him. For a long time...*

*Ethan could feel it, a brief pulse in the back of his mind. The woman was warning them to stay back. Frowning, he glanced at her, then down to his lightsaber. He didn't want to stand back, he wanted to help. That Sith monster was killing Morgie! But he knew, he knew he was useless here. He could barely even stand right now. He just felt so useless...

Staggering forward a step, he reached down to scoop his lightsaber off the floor. A flash of pain shot through his chest, threatening to bring him back down to the floor. Ignoring it as best he could, Ethan stood back up, feeling his chest where he'd been kicked. Another streak of pain hit him as his hand came into contact with a small bulge. Oh great, a broken rib, just what he needed... How was he supposed to be any help like this?

And yet, it seemed like he might not be needing to give any help. Whoever this woman was, she was amazingly skilled. Parrying, dodging, counter striking, taunting the creature the entire time... she was incredible. But the beast was equally skilled. The two went at each other, lightsabers colliding, as Ethan watched in awe. He'd never seen a sight like this...

Suddenly, something caught his eye. Somebody was coming out of the door Morgie had flown through. But it wasn't her. It was... a boy? Ethan had never seen him before. The blond haired boy ran at the Sith, green lightsaber in hand. He pounced. He drove the lightsaber in.

And suddenly, the monster was no more. The boy had killed him. That was incredible... and yet, before Ethan even had the chance to react, the boy was gone. And in his place was- MORGIE!? What was going on!? Biting his lower lip to hold back his own pain, Ethan stumbled forward, walking towards his mysterious savior, towards the dead Sith, towards Morgie.*
Is she alright?
*The sound of his own voice startled him. It sounded so... hoarse, and weak. But that was a secondary concern right now. Morgie looked like she needed much more help than he did.*

*Ksandra turned to look at the two children who had clearly approached once the fight had ended, standing up and scooping the unconscious girl into her arms, shaking back a piece of her dark hair as she answered Ethan's question first.*

"First, yes, she's all right, she's just unconscious and a bit banged up. I don't know what that was but I'd definitely like to find out."

*Turning to Michelle, she smiled a little, shifting Morgan's weight to clip the saberstaff's hilt back onto her belt.*

"I'm Ksandra, or you can just call me Kas. I'm a Master from the Yavin 4 Praxeum-- I was visiting with Aerandir when the alarms went off, and was lending a hand in the defense. You might say I've had some... experience with Sith."

*She chuckled a little.* "I'd shake hands, but they're both somewhat full at the moment."