damned_institute | Nightshift 34 - Weapons Range (Basement)

Qui-Gon followed Sanzo in, lightsaber in one hand. He paused when he peered past Sanzo and saw what was in the next room. What was this? It looked like something he'd see back at the Temple on Coruscant: like a training chamber, it had uneven ground, obstacles meant to test one's balance, coordination and concentration. Here the floor rose up, there it was dotted with a random selection of small and large blocks, and over there was a row of what looked like silent training droids set into stand-by. His expression was one of polite interest, but Qui-Gon's mind raced as he took in the room and searched for exits. Again, two exits: back the way they came and a door at the end of the room.

First the lightsaber, covered with a stranger's blood. Now this room. It was almost as if it'd been planned for a Jedi's arrival. Qui-Gon's frowned to himself. It could be a trap. He could feel no malicious intent at the very moment, but that didn't mean they couldn't be on the verge of getting attacked. His senses weren't as clear as before.

At least he felt little less tired than before. Touching the strange lightsaber seemed to have lifted his spirits, like encountering an old friend, and he felt able enough to defend themselves if they were ambushed.

As the patients entered the room that seemed to be tailored for a Jedi to train in, the droids who were off to one side of the area started to activate. Thus far only two humans had made it in, so only two of the droids booted up.

The first was a Magna Guard which carried the routine electrostaff that glowed pink on both ends. It was humanoid, but its movements were clearly robotic as it made its way toward the first human. Its main task at the moment was to keep the younger one distracted.

The main event was meant for the Jedi, however, and a specialized training droid headed toward him, bearing a humming, blue lightsaber. This was the true purpose of this little exercise. Did the Jedi still possess skill enough to fend it off? Its programming was telling it to show no mercy, and so it started straight toward the Jedi, ready to attack once it got close enough.

All of a sudden, there was a distinct lack of weapon in Callisto's hands. She glanced down at them, a baffled expression on her face. A glance over the floor showed nothing, and there had been no clang as it hit the ground - not that she would have dropped it to begin with. She spun back, grasping for any handle on the door, but it had locked behind them. When a few solid bangs provided no result, she gave an angered wordless cry.

"What is this?" she growled. Why even let them pick up a weapon if they weren't going to be able to carry it beyond the room?

The sound of Qui-Gon's weapon buzzing to life again drew her attention back to the rest of her group. The older man still had the light saber. While this seemed heavily unfair, it also meant that there was still a chance she could get it for herself. The reason for its activation soon drew her thoughts completely elsewhere, however. They were being attacked by creatures she'd never seen before.

They hardly looked living - animated creations of some sort, possibly. The most important matter were the weapons they were carrying. If she was lucky, perhaps she could get a better replacement after all. But first, she had to see how they fought. Things would be a good deal harder with just her bare hands.

Suddenly that pile of metal was rising, and impossibly enough, walking right towards them. He'd seen bodies animated as shikigami, but this?

He glanced at Callisto, as she came up behind him, just in time to see her do that double-take at her suddenly empty hands.

"Stop your bitching, and get ready!" he snapped.

Sanzo raised the gun, and got the one advancing on them in its sights. He took only a fraction of a second to get the strange head centered, to take in the red eyes and inhuman face. He pulled the trigger.

Qui-Gon switched his grip on the red lightsaber, holding it two-handed, the blade vertical as he assumed a guard position. He recognized one of the droids as some kind of training droid, his eyes on the blue lightsaber - it was the other he didn't recognize, some kind of model taller than he was with a cloak and wrappings, an electrostaff in its hands, the ends of it sparking pink. Two red photo-receptors were turned in the group's direction as it spun the electrostaff menacingly.

"Droids," Qui-Gon warned his two companions. "Get back!"

He gathered the Force about him as best as he could. Instead of a flow, it trickled in, filling him with energy and purpose and, yet, at the same time impossibly draining him. For now he could maintain this but not for long. This would have to be quick. He took two long strides to cover the room, leaping over a dip in the floor and swung at the training droid with the lightsaber.

The Magna Guard made no move to dodge when a bullet came its way. It took the hit to its head, being pushed back slightly from the force. One of its glowing eyes took most of the damage, and it sparked for a moment as it lost one half of its visibility. It was intelligent enough to make up for the difference, however, and it moved forward with at the same speed as before once it had recovered.

Upon reaching the younger man, it flipped its electrostaff expertly in its metal hands and then jabbed one end of it straight for the human's chest. It could deal with the female once it had disposed of the one with the weapon.

The training droid had a harder fight on its hands, but that didn't deter it in any way. As the Jedi came to meet it, the droid was ready to parry the attack. Once the two light sabers clashed, the droid moved a half-step back and then quickly sent a slash toward the man's side.

Callisto's eyes narrowed in Sanzo's direction for only a moment. She didn't just take comments like that, but repercussions would have to wait until they weren't getting attacked. The droids were advancing quickly, and since they were automotans they weren't going to have the same weaknesses as humans. This was proven as the shot taken to one droid's eye had next to no effect on it.

When the Magna Guard went for Sanzo, Callisto moved at the same time. Hopefully, it would be distracted enough with its intended victim that she could get a good grip on its weapon. It only seemed to be enhanced at the ends, so if she grabbed in the middle she might be able to avoid the worst of the damage. The problem was she didn't know how strong the droid was. It could be a problem if she was too overpowered.

It was with an animalistic scream that she went for her goal, the safety of the already wounded man last on her mind. It didn't matter if she didn't intercept in time. It might even be easier to gain control over if it had already connected.

Shit!

The bullet hit home, ripping through the metal and blowing shrapnel out, but he might as well've just shot at a mountain: the result was about just as useful. The thing's head snapped back, righted itself, and closed that gap between them, the sparkling staff coming at him in a blur.

Sanzo reacted on instinct, bringing his arm down to block it from his chest.

The creature was faster than he'd counted on. Or with that blood loss so far, Sanzo wasn't fast enough.

He caught the brunt of it in the stomach instead, electricity sparking out, followed by a burst of pain from all over. Stars danced across vision that faded in and out, as he slid back.

Sanzo couldn't do anything but try to regain his breath, doubled over. He could feel the wounds starting to tear open again, fresh blood seeping out.

Qui-Gon's senses expanded.

But it wasn't like usual, an instantaneous increase in his awareness, being able to react so fast he had plenty of long seconds to make a decision and act on it. Instead it seemed to come with a second delay, one that already almost cost him. The droid's lightsaber came at him fast, a blue, hissing blur he just barely blocked before it could bite into his side. And yet he was aware of what was happening behind him still, knew the other strange droid was attacking the other patients, heard somehow, above the commotion, Sanzo give a pained grunt and Callisto give a fierce battle-cry.

The Force was there. But Qui-Gon struggled to become one with it, it flowing through him sluggishly, giving him energy only to steal it away. The droid pressed him aggressively, forcing him back as their lightsabers flared and sparked with angry buzzes, blue against red. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he just barely managed to leap over a deep crater in the floor, clearing it with the help of the Force-aided flip and landing on the other side. The Jedi Master miscalculated his landing, stumbled, and went down hard on one knee before he could right himself. Pain shot up from his knee but he pushed himself back up, accepted the pain and let it flow through him instead of dwelling on it; he couldn't afford to use the Force to heal himself, not when he was using every ounce of his energy reserves to fight.

The droid, he noted with annoyance, would naturally not tire and would keep coming until he disarmed it or destroyed it.

Qui-Gon was worried about his two companions. But he had to focus on what was the most immediate threat and a lightsaber was more dangerous than an electrostaff. Hopefully the other two could hold off the other droid while he took care of this one. The Jedi Master spun his lightsaber, the blade a blur of crimson, and went on the offensive again, dashing forward and swinging his lightsaber at the droid's blade arm.

When it came down to it, these poorly armed humans were no match for the Magna Guard. It watched rigidly as its first target fell into a kneel. The man's previous wounds were opening up, but the droid knew better than to leave a job half-done.

It felt the other's hands try to make a grab for its weapon, and reared back for a moment, swinging the staff around to jab the female in the side. It would deal with her once the injured one was officially out of commission. So it advanced toward the downed man, sending one side of the staff in a swipe toward its target's shoulder and neck area.

The other droid was diligent in its battle with the Jedi, following the man's movements and noting his weaknesses. He was fighting as if he had one hand tied behind his back, and while the droid knew that it wasn't meant to kill, it also knew that it was supposed to test the Jedi's fighting prowess. When the man came for it again, the droid started to spin its blade arm at the elbow, sending the lightsaber in an arcing circle that worked effectively as a shield.

Too fast. Callisto cried out in pain as the droid's weapon hit her in the side. She fell back, holding a hand over the injury and snarling at her opponent. The injury only fueled her anger at this entire situation. She wasn't going to be swatted at like an insect.

Qui-Gon seemed to be having some difficulty with his opponent, which just figured. "Hurry up and kill it, Old Man!" she yelled with her back to him. Unfortunately, he was their best option for taking out either of these at the moment. It looked like she'd just have to keep this one occupied until he could get to it. Not a plan she was going to enjoy.

Sanzo's fate wasn't factored into this at all.

Sanzo opened his eyes in time to see Callisto take it in the side and yelp.

Whatever this was, it was fast. Unlike humans, and even the most feral of youkai, there didn't seem to be any real mind behind it, at least not one that involved self-preservation or pain. It just kept coming at them. It'd taken a bullet like it was nothing.

The monk drew in several more harsh breaths, gathering himself.

Sanzo struggled to straight a little, enough to get at least a better look. The monk snapped off another shot; this one aimed at the metal torso, the bullet exiting the chamber with a loud crack.

That was when the creature came back at him, blazing staff coming down, hard, right at the space between his shoulder and neck. Again, Sanzo tried to move, to roll to the side, do something despite the pain to dodge.

The energized end cracked down, striking home. Sparks crackled out as the energy rippled out from the impact, mirroring the agony that was racing through his body.

Sanzo had the sickening moment, of feeling fresh blood staining the makeshift bandages once more, going down his clothes and arms... followed by a feeling of weightlessness among a fading world.

And then darkness.

Qui-Gon heard Callisto's cry. He ignored it as a distraction. He would take care of this droid but it wasn't easy. This droid was put on a high combat level and he himself was weakened and exhausted: it was not a casual exercise as it would be under normal circumstances, but a struggle. Distracting as well was a sharp spike of pain in the Force from Sanzo behind him and then nothing. Risking a glance, Qui-Gon saw Sanzo crumpled face down on the floor, unconscious, with the staff-wielding droid standing over him, Callisto facing it with one hand clutching her side.

The lightsaber droid facing him was just as relentless. Qui-Gon had charged at it only to have to pull himself short as its arm whirled, turning the lightsaber in its hand into a deadly blue blur, moving so fast it appeared to be a solid shield. Qui-Gon's lightsaber brutally deflected off of it, almost wrenched out of his hands by the force of its spins, sending sharp pain in a jolt up to his shoulder as he grabbed at the hilt before it could be jerked out of his hands. The Jedi Master retreated, side-stepping and looking for an opening with sharp eyes, prowling around his opponent.

He couldn't be distracted by the other two patients. Much as he wanted to protect them, he couldn't afford to divide his attention between the two droids just yet. Collecting the Force about him, he sent one of the heavy blocks on the floor skittering and sliding toward the droid, at the same time sliding in from the side with a left feint, then stabbing with his blade from the right, the red lightsaber cutting through the air and aimed at what had to be the droid's control panel. The joint act of using the Force to move the block and fuel his movements made his breaths come in harshly. Usually his heart-rate slowed using the Force but now it increased, slamming into his chest as if he'd been kicked, his legs feeling alarmingly weak and not his own anymore.

With one target eliminated, the Magna Guard drew away from the unconscious body and then swung around toward the female. She had been effectively injured, which would make finishing up its task simple as far as it could tell. It didn't hesitate to advance on the woman. Holding tightly onto the staff, the droid gripped it horizontally and then shoved the center of it toward the woman's sternum in an attempt to knock her back.

The other droid was soon learning that it was not fighting with someone inexperienced. While it was able to react fast enough to parry the man's deadly strike, it had to pay for that by not moving out of the way of the blocks coming straight for it. They collided with its legs, forcing them to buckle as it fell to the floor with a clang.

How long had it been since she'd been effectively injured? A few years? Through godhood and immortality, wounds didn't last very long and she hardly felt pain. This - this cleared up the mind. Callisto wasn't willing to be killed by a reanimated pile of scrap. She still didn't know what was truly going on.

When it looked like the droid would be turning its attention on her, she chuckled in a way that was half growl. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

She took her hand away from her injury, throwing herself back just in time to avoid the thrust and then grip the weapon with both hands once the energized end had passed her. She yanked hard on it, unsure of what sort of results this would produce, if any.

Qui-Gon went for the kill the moment he saw the droid's free arm start to pinwheel a little, trying to adjust its balance as the heavy block slammed into its legs. Part of being a Jedi was sensing the terrain and using it to your advantage: such a trick like the one he'd just used was elementary, something an initiate could do. Spinning the hilt in his hand, the blade leaving a red after-image, the Jedi Master stabbed down at the fallen droid with a powerful blow.

Whether it was due to some slight distraction thanks to that second gunshot or simply a miscalculation in regards to what the female human was capable of, the Magna Guard soon had to deal with the woman trying to wrench its staff away. The yanking caused the droid to stumble forward, but it used the momentum to its advantage. It removed one of its hands from the staff and then slammed its arm into the human's face, hard.

As for the other droid, it was left helpless as the red saber came straight for it. Unable to move away fast enough, the weapon connected with its circuitry, causing sparks to fly up as it started to shut down.

Callisto couldn't react in time to avoid the slam to the face, and she fell back. The staff was released as she tumbled to the ground, dazed and with blood running freely from her nose. She tried to stagger up to her feet again automatically - to get out of the way before the droid could follow up with another blow, but as stunned as she was she only got a couple crooked steps before falling over again.

She sat on the ground and tried to gather her scattered senses. She couldn't stay put. There was still danger around...

Satisfied the training droid was down and out, Qui-Gon wheeled around to face the other. Pain shot up from his twisted knee at the movement, a momentary distraction he couldn't afford as he gathered the Force around him for what would hopefully be the last time for now. He might as well be trying to grab water. Sanzo was still sprawled on the floor, his bandages seeping with fresh blood and Callisto was sitting stunned on the ground, her face a mask of blood from where it'd run from her nose.

Qui-Gon went after the new droid with a single-minded intent. His knee gave him a slight limp now but he still made good progress, crossing the room in long strides until he was practically on top of the droid. The weakness he'd felt from using the Force settled in every bone in his body - holding the lightsaber alone seemed to be too much and yet he doggedly held onto it, face lined with exhaustion.

The Jedi Master waited until he was closer before launching himself into the air, the Force giving him a boost (but not as much as he'd expected) and sending him in a sailing lunge, lightsaber blurring red as he swung it two-handed at the droid stalking Callisto.

With the female grounded, the Magna Guard had been ready to repeat what it had done with its first target. However, before it could get any kind of final blow in, the Jedi came to the woman's defense.

The other droid had been downed, but the Magna Guard showed no sign of acknowledging that. Instead, it switched targets without hesitation, blocking the Jedi's lightsaber with one end of its staff. The moment it had successfully parried, it flipped the staff around in an attempt to send the other end straight for the man's knee. It had already registered that the Jedi had been favoring one leg, and it wasn't above exploiting an enemy's weakness.

Not a damsel in distress, she'd said. Through the dizziness, Callisto realized that Qui-Gon had just come to her aid. At least Sanzo hadn't been awake to see it. (Not that his opinion mattered.)

She knew if she tried to get up again the results wouldn't be any better than before, so she remained where she was and tried to staunch the blood flow from her nose with her shirt. It was probably broken, which would be a pain for a while but nothing she couldn't handle.

Trying to focus on the fight just gave her a headache, as the glow from their weapons blurred together into a sort of tripped-out light show. She turned her eyes to the ground instead.

Qui-Gon had landed on his feet just as the droid towering over him swung around at the very last second.

Instead of meeting its torso, his lightsaber impacted with the staff and instead of simply slicing it in half, it hit it with an impact that rang up his arms like thunder. Lightsaber resistant material, possibly phrik, he had a split second to think as he was already trying to side-step away. But that split second was too long and while he had probably escaped the worst of the blow aimed at his injured leg, it still hit with enough force to send him to his knees.

He responded with an upward slash straight up with the humming red blade, trying to buy himself time to get back on his feet. Qui-Gon was openly limping now, his knee a ball of pain radiating up his leg even though he tried to to keep as much weight off it as possible. He had to draw the droid away from the two other patients. Flicking a glance over, he could see Sanzo was still unconscious. Callisto herself was still on the floor, possibly still stunned, her nose still bleeding profusely. It was up to him to finish this.

Qui-Gon's reserves were running dangerously low. It wasn't often he'd felt this utterly tired, this drained. The last two times he could remember was when he'd been taken prisoner by Jenna Zan Arbor years ago, the other the time he'd been fighting the Sith creature back on Naboo. There was another lightsaber in the room, thanks to the downed training droid, but Qui-Gon didn't dare ask Callisto to try to use it. No doubt it'd be more dangerous then helpful and he didn't want her accidentally slicing off anything even if she was trying to help.

Obi-Wan...

But Obi-Wan wasn't here right now. This very moment, there was only him with a lightsaber that wasn't even his standing between this warrior droid and two strangers, one who could be possibly bleeding to death the longer this took. Qui-Gon resolved to dig deeper into those reserves. He had to win. A small bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face as he limped back to get some space, circling around the droid and trying to draw its attention away, giving a seemingly casual spin of his lightsaber as he adjusted his grip.

Considering how close the droid had gotten to the man, there was no time for it to avoid the slash, which cleaved up through its front, melting metal apart. That took out a chunk of its circuitry, but it still had the ability to move, and none of its limbs had been damaged. It couldn't analyze the situation as well as before, but it wasn't completely destroyed yet.

Still, there was lagging in its movements as it followed the Jedi, moving away from the two downed humans since it hardly considered them threats in comparison to a man who was armed with the lightsaber and expertise with the Force.

It had been stripped of the ability to do anything too fancy, so it went for a basic jab with the electrostaff, aiming for the man's chest.

There wasn't much to grab nearby, but Callisto was angry. A bit of rubble, a small piece of broken stone, found its way into her hand and she chucked it solidly at what she supposed was the back of the droid's head. She doubted that would do much good, but she'd be damned if it hadn't felt a little better just to throw it.

She stood now, still swaying and still holding her shirt to her nose. She was on her feet, though, and that was the important part even if she was still useless in combat.

"Aren't you done yet?" she muttered under her breath.

Qui-Gon blocked the incoming jab, but just barely, the move unusually messy. While he'd managed to score a hit on the strange droid, it didn't seem to have been as damaging to it as it had to the other droid: the big, ugly gash in this one's chest sparked violently but it kept coming, its electrostaff buzzing harshly whenever it came into contact with his lightsaber. Qui-Gon flicked a glance at another piece of debris, willing it to move across the floor. Nothing. Not even the slightest budge.

If he was going to take this droid out, it wouldn't be with the same trick. Qui-Gon was lucky he was able to even keep fighting with how exhausted he felt.

The droid came at him, spinning its staff, and it was all Qui-Gon could do to parry once, twice and three times in quick succession. Usually he could see the attacks before they happened, but now it was just a split second advantage he had, barely enough to keep the droid off him. He backed up again, injured knee protesting, and suddenly spun on his good one, swinging his blade from over his shoulder down across toward the staff wielding droid.

While the stone colliding with the back of its head didn't do all that much to damage the droid, it did succeed in distracting the Magna Guard for a moment, leaving it open to the Jedi's next attack.

The lightsaber connected with its shoulder, dragging down through the metal once again. It even severed its left arm, but the fact that its legs were still intact meant that the droid still had some fight in it. Holding its staff in its remaining hand, the Magna Guard advanced forward, spinning its weapon around as it tried to get two quick hits in on the man using either side. It didn't have as much maneuverability anymore, though, which meant that its movements had become sloppy. The hits its circuitry had taken were definitely putting it at a disadvantage, but the fact that it couldn't feel pain meant that it excelled in determination.

The strange droid's manuevability was greatly limited now that it could only spin its electrostaff with it's remaining arm. Still Qui-Gon kept his distance, tightening his grip on the hilt of the lightsaber, its blade casting a hellish red glow on his face. Instead of the world expanding, he felt it narrow to a point - probably one of the alarming effects of his exhaustion - and it was only him and the droid, the click of exposed parts he could hear over the sparks of the sliced through chassis.

Qui-Gon wasn't sure what guided him the next moment.

The droid made the tiniest of missteps. It would have been easy to miss. But it was enough: it was the opening he'd been looking for.

Qui-Gon wasn't aware of the lightsaber in his hand now. It was there and yet it was a part of him, the Force rising in one final surge around the Jedi Master as he ducked under the sweep of the droid's staff, the ends of it crackling over his head. Suddenly he was up under its guard even as it tried to correct its error, the lightsaber flashing blood-red and humming. In one fluid, almost graceful motion, Qui-Gon decapitated the droid's head and, in the same arc, sliced off the other arm and cleaved through the torso, the lightsaber a mere blur now. The remnants of the droid clattered loudly to the floor, smoke rising from the cauterized, glowing edges where the lightsaber passed through.

The Jedi Master sucked in a trembling breath, closing his eyes. He willed himself not to pass out; he was so very tired, the battle draining him in more ways than one. Holding onto the lightsaber seemed to be too much. But Qui-Gon pushed himself anyway. He opened his eyes, deactivated the lightsaber, and stepped over the scrapped droid, heading for Callisto and Sanzo. He knelt by Sanzo, feeling for a pulse. Relief flooded in him. The young monk was still alive, but his pulse was slow and labored. He'd lost too much blood tonight.

To make matters more difficult, Qui-Gon wasn't sure if he could heal him this time. Not without rest. Trying to call upon the Force, Qui-Gon felt nothing, just a yawning emptiness, and he knew he'd expended every bit of his energy on the duel with the two droids.

"Are you alright?" Qui-Gon glanced over at Callisto now, ignoring the way just doing that made the room spin. He began tearing at the sleeves of his tunic, gathering enough to use as compresses and found to his surprise he'd been burned several times by both the training droid's lightsaber near-misses and the other droid's staff. His tunic was singed, several in places he didn't even recall getting hit. Callisto, too, had some burns and her face was still a ghastly mask of blood from when the droid hit her.

So much for the lack of guards down here.

The bleeding had stopped somewhat. Callisto had removed her shirt completely to hold it over her nose. At least this place had seen fit to give her something underneath her top, simple as it was. The dizziness, also, wasn't as bad as before.

Whatever Qui-Gon had done seemed to have worn him out something horrible. She thought about asking where his abilities had come from, but figured it had something to do with whatever religious or magical sect he belonged to. What had he called them? Jedi?

"Oh don't worry about me," she answered tiredly. "I'll live." She took a better look at the two fallen droids. It didn't look like any more were coming for now, which was good. They wouldn't be able to handle any more. "Someone's sure enjoying toying with us, that's for sure."

"Or it was a test," Qui-Gon said quietly. It had certainly seemed to be specifically geared for a Jedi (or, he corrected himself, a Sith). Qui-Gon didn't know where the droids had come from; he'd been under the impression Earth was too primitive to have such things and yet here they were, with someone's bloodied lightsaber in his hand. "Either way, we should be safe for now."

Unless more come went unsaid. He focused on doing his best to staunch Sanzo's blood, for a few minutes working in silence. Considering their heated arguments earlier, Qui-Gon didn't expect the young woman to want to tend to Sanzo. Eventually Qui-Gon sat back, resting on his knees and surveying his handiwork with a worn expression. This was all he could do for now. The rest would be up to Sanzo and time: with enough time, perhaps he would be well-rested enough to try to Force heal him again. Qui-Gon sighed, wanting nothing more than to rest and knowing this deep in enemy directory, it'd be wiser to keep moving or back-track until they could find a safe zone.

It was then, looking around, that he noticed something glowing off near the far door. Some kind of hidden compartment had opened since the duel with the two droids and whatever was inside was casting off a pale, silvery glow, as if beckoning them. Qui-Gon didn't trust his legs to hold out on him and instead flicked a glance at Callisto.

"Could you see what that is, please?" he asked, nodding at the open compartment. "But it might not be wise to touch it," he added as an afterthought. "Could be a trap in case we weren't supposed to make it out of this."

"Same thing," Callisto muttered under her breath. In the past, plenty of gods had disguised their toying with humans as "tests." There was very little different in the end. Anyone with power enjoyed using those without it for entertainment.

She glanced off in the direction Qui-Gon had nodded and began walking towards the object without any hesitation. As she got closer, it became obvious that it was another weapon - a sword. Was it the one that had disappeared as she left the previous chamber? ...No. It was even gaudier.

Frowning at it, the former warlord was tempted to just grab it despite the Jedi's warning. She had some common sense, though, and she kept her hands at her side. It didn't even look sharp, anyway. "It's a sword!" she yelled back. "But good luck causing any damage with it. Maybe you can hang it on your wall."

Some kind of trophy? That didn't fit the profile of a Jedi training exercise. The Jedi way was to take something from a battle, whether you won or lost, and be thankful for the lesson in combat you received. Winning gaudy trophies was unnecessary and promoted the wrong kind of competition, Qui-Gon felt, and he frowned a little in disapproval at it.

"Possibly a trophy of some kind. I've no use for such things," Qui-Gon said. If Callisto wanted it, it was hers. He turned his attention back to Sanzo, studying him. The Force could tell him nothing about his state and the only way he could check up on him was the conventional ways. Somehow they would have to move Sanzo, but not yet, hopefully. Qui-Gon didn't think he could stand very well now, much less trying to carry the other patient, and he needed a few more minutes to rest before he would even think about trying it.

Perhaps Sanzo would come to and it'd be easier to access the damage then. He glanced out across the training room, still smelling the scent of ozone from the battle. He'd been familiar with the light-saber wielding droid, but he'd never before seen the other one. It was no regular training droid, that was for certain. From the way it fought, it seemed almost like it'd been made to fight Jedi, especially with that staff. Qui-Gon eyed the line of other droids against the wall but they didn't seem to be activated, standing silent sentinels. Whoever activated the first two droids hadn't done the same with the rest - it was possible he or she didn't know they'd been destroyed.

Callisto glowered at the object in front of her. There wasn't much to it, aside from being fancy looking, and no real reason to grab it if she wasn't going to be using it for combat. All the same, it had only appeared after they'd (Qui-Gon, rather) destroyed the attacking creatures. Either it was a reward of some sort, or it would spring a trap. Perhaps pulling it free would cause more of the droids to come to life.

The real question, she supposed, was whether it was worth the risk. If it was a reward, and eventually meant for another purpose, then it would be a waste to leave it here. Then again, the fancy design might have been meant to appeal to a thief, and grabbing it could mean trouble.

Well, screw it.

She reached for the weapon, pulling it out and grasping it in both hands while looking around for any changes because of this. Nothing happened immediately, and nothing continued to happen as she made her way back to the Jedi. "I suppose we can use it to break something, if nothing else."

Qui-Gon almost smiled at Callisto's cavalier attitude. That was one way of putting it, he supposed. So far as he could tell, she hadn't triggered any traps or alerts by picking up the trophy: the remaining droids remained unactivated and if there was an alarm, it was a silent one. It'd be better to keep moving. Just a few more minutes. Just a few more minutes and maybe he could collect himself for the monumental task of getting back on his feet and then he would have to deal with trying to move Sanzo. Moving the monk would most certainly aggravate his wounds. But leaving him here also had its own problems. To begin with, they didn't know if reinforcements were coming. Or if those droids against the wall were a threat.

The best thing to do was to try to heal Sanzo again. But Qui-Gon would have to have patience even as he worried about the young monk: the fact was right now he couldn't call upon the Force at all.

"I'll need a moment to rest," Qui-Gon said. He wasn't telling Callisto what to do: what she did was her business and while he thought it best to work together as a group, it was her choice. "Are you going to go on?"

She was tempted. Oh, she was tempted. But given what she'd seen so far, Callisto realized that heading back out on her own probably wasn't the best of options right now. Besides, these two men might still be useful to her, half dead as they were. You didn't have to be moving to be a shield.

Qui-Gon wasn't going to be getting up right away, though. Whatever he'd done had worn him out for the time being. So she wandered around, taking in the area and trying to find anything that might better serve as a weapon. The staff the second droid had was too tall for her to wield easily, and in any case she much preferred the light saber of the first. She walked over to where it lay on the ground, picking it up and examining it carefully.

"So how does this work, anyway?" The Jedi's question went unanswered for now. She didn't believe she owed him one. Let him think what he would.

Looking up from tending to Sanzo, Qui-Gon froze for a nanosecond.

His mouth thinned into a line.

Callisto was holding the droid's lightsaber.

"It's extremely dangerous if you don't have the proper training," he said, expression stern now. She'd find the power button sooner or later...and he wasn't in any position to get up and stop her. The best he could do was warn her before she injured herself: better yet, she could put it down. But he was a Jedi and that meant not dwelling on what he wished would happen. "Point it away from yourself. You don't want to go missing any limbs from an accident."

Qui-Gon wished he could use the Force right now. It would probably helped either persuade the young woman to put down the lightsaber or he could have just simply called it into his hand. But Qui-Gon couldn't lie; he was in no condition to move, much less confiscate the blade from her before she figured out where the power switch was. He closed his eyes briefly, took a calming breath, and opened it. It was just another thing he'd have to deal with right now and would deal with. Wishing anything wouldn't change the fact Callisto had the droid's lightsaber and didn't plan on putting it down.

Proper training? What was this, some specially designed weapon of his order? Callisto took into account the way it suddenly sprang to life when he used it earlier. Perhaps it worked in a similar fashion to the light stick she'd been using? It was at least a similar shape.

She kept it held out in front of her, parallel to the ground. The correct end seemed fairly obvious, but on the off-chance that she was wrong... well it couldn't hurt to play it safe for now.

The switch wasn't the exact same as the one on the flashlight, but she eventually found it. The lightsaber sputtered once as she barely hit it, then sprung to life the next instant. Callisto stared at the blade of energy, only keeping herself from touching it because of the the damage she'd seen it do earlier.

To test it out, she dropped her bloodied t-shirt to the ground. A quick slice severed it into two pieces. It might still be wearable without the bottom, more bloodied half. She gave it a few more test swings, feeling the weight and the way it moved. As much as she loved the play of light, however, something was off. The weapon just didn't feel heavy enough in her hands, and the damage it caused was too subtle. It may have seemed like a blade of fire, but it didn't have the same effect.

All in all, it was just too clean for her. Shutting it off, she tossed it in Qui-Gon's direction. "Here," she muttered. "It's not my style."

Qui-Gon caught the hilt with no small amount of relief. No one had been injured and she appeared to have satisfied her curiosity with the weapon. Perhaps now things were turning in his favor: Qui-Gon had two lightsabers now and while they weren't his or Obi-Wan's, they would have to do. Simply having lightsabers didn't make escape any more easy but it would make it safer during the night, at the very least. He was still curious as to where the red one had come from, but it was a question for another time and place. Right now he needed to see if Sanzo could be moved.

Checking up on him, he couldn't say he was entirely sure if he was. But there was no choice. It seemed to take a monumental effort to get Sanzo lifted and situated on his back. Qui-Gon was a large, broad-shouldered man, but his exhaustion from earlier made him stoop a little even so under the unconscious monk's dead weight and without the Force to ease the burden. The Jedi closed his eyes, feeling his heart hammering again, and took several breaths again to center himself. His legs still trembled. But they held and he was fairly certain they wouldn't give out on him.

"Let's go," he said, after he was sure he could move. He checked to make sure the two lightsabers were still with him.

The shirt was still bloody and now rather dirty, but Callisto put it back on anyway. She had to be a sight - nose all bruised up and dressed like the walking dead - but it could have been worse.

She could have been Sanzo.

At least Qui-Gon knew better than to ask for her help in carrying the unconscious man. She led the way out, pushing on the door handle and thankfully finding that it gave.

Nightshift 34 - Weapons Range (Basement)

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