While on the desolate world of Korriban, Exile felt like a king among peasants. The planet oozed of the Dark Side, and her lacking power felt almost complete in this environment. While in the old Academy, she struck down every strange, black clad soldier that attacked her as if they were nothing, like air, which compared to her, they were. Then she met Sion. It was even for a while, but the walking corpse simply wouldn't die. Leaving her with only one option: Escape. An hour later, she found the entrance to the caves, and another hour of battling through Tu'kata hounds and other beasts, found the tomb.
But in her mind, she knew that it was all fake; visions of her past trying to kill her, long-dead generals asking for orders, and other inner battles that would have made another's stomach churn. But Exile had severed herself from all that years ago. She plowed through them all, eventually reaching the end of the maze, only to find Darth Revan himself. The battle was easy enough, though when he drove his saber through her shoulder, and though the mark dissipated, the pain did not. She pushed it out of her mind, and continued on.
In the academy, Exile had found a datapad, supposedly belonging to a Twilek Padawan who claimed Lonna Vash still lived. And a datachip she plucked off one of the dead assassins only confirmed it.
Peering past a corner, Exile saw no threat and strode down a short hallway hill, reaching the large stone door at its end. The door rose up into the ceiling before she could sneeze, eliciting a small reaction that she quickly covered up. She was revealed to a large dome-like chamber. A few baskets sat in a corner of the room, next to a fold-out cot. But other then that, it was empty. Besides the cloaked person sitting in the middle of the room.
When she stood, Exile saw that the years had not been kind to Lonna Vash. Her skin was pale, with wrinkles in around her eyes and on her forehead. Her robes were stained, dirty, and torn. It looked as though good sleep was a treat that rarely came to her. Living in a cave dose that to you. . . She thought to herself with a smirk. Exile took three steps in and stopped.
"Exile?" Vash said, burying her shock farther then Exile could reach. "I assume you've been the one triggering this tombs illusion power again?" She nodded. And Vash closed her eyes. "And I assume you killed Kaah in order to find me." That she didn't do. The Twilek was already dead when she found him.
Vash sighed. "Very well." She breathed, reaching into the folds of her robes. "Then it is my duty to end your quest before it goes any further." She pulled a cylinder out, and a bright, silvery blade jumped out. Exile smiled. Then grabbed her own weapon from her belt and activated its scarlet blade.
The Jedi Master struck first, hurling a wave of Force-energy at Exile that she deflected easily enough, though realized it was only a distraction so Vash could leap and strike from high up. She got her blade up in time to stop her from taking her head. Then tossed her forward, Vash landing once again in the center of the chamber as Exile dropped herself into a melee fighting stance she learned from the Mandalorians.
Their sabers combined hum echoed off the walls, making Exile's teeth shake inside her mouth. She charged forward, hacking her blade at Vash. Now, unlike past fights, Exile couldn't call out to Kreia for help, the old woman's excuse being 'unable to focus her thoughts' while on Korriban, so she had to pay close attention for herself. But as they fought from all corners of the chamber, Exile noticed little changes in Vash's footing, grip, and other nuances of combat. It hit her like a blow to the head. Every Master Exile had encountered before had proficiency with a single form. But Vash it seemed was a different story.
To the naked eye, it would be nothing more then a few mistakes, just sloppy footwork. But Jedi
Masters didn't make sloppy mistakes, not that many. And as she went from defensive to offensive, her graceful, almost elegant parries were replaced with hard swings and aggressive strikes, Exile knew that she was not a master of a singular form, but a participator of all.
Exile had to rethink her strategy. And came up empty quick.
She ducked down, narrowly avoiding a decapitating arc that took the end of her pony-tail off instead of her head. "Enough of this," she murmured. Like on Onderon, Exile opened herself to the Dark Side, finding it astoundingly easier then before. Time around her slowed drastically, stopping altogether. Still crouched down, she seized the moment and swung her lightsaber forward, slicing the scarlet blade through the Jedi Master's shins.
Time resumed at its normal pace, and Vash's scream echoed throughout the chamber.
Exile reached out and threw the crippled woman, like a child would a toy, slamming her into the doorway from which she entered. Vash's lightsaber hit the ground where it fell from her grasp, rolling toward Exile before stopping. Ignoring Vash's moaning and groans Exile extended her reach to the door in the ceiling. In her mind, she could see the logistics of how it operated, and how to bring it down. She used the Force to crush the safety's holding it, causing it to come crashing down from the ceiling and end Vash's pain.
Another barrier holding her powers back had fallen.
Breathing heavily from her sudden use of the Force, Exile grinned. Then bent down and grabbed Vash's lightsaber off the ground, hanging it next to the other trophies on her belt. And with a final glance at the door, Exile grabbed her comnlink, wired to get a signal even from here, brought the device to her mouth and ordered; "Be ready for pickup." Then strode off.