Knight Kylex vs. Knight Derek Cinn

Knight Kylex

Journeyman 4, Journeyman tier, Clan Scholae Palatinae
Male Human, Sith, Shadow
vs.

Knight Derek Cinn

Journeyman 4, Journeyman tier, Clan Scholae Palatinae
Male Human, Sith, Marauder
Comment

I want to thank you both for participating in this session of the ACC. We here on the staff pride ourselves in positive, constructive feedback. Unfortunately, you got the schutta for a judge, but I will try to relax my otherwise colorful vocabulary. So, let's get on with the grading, shall we?

I am going to begin with addressing both of you. Your biggest combined issue was in the Syntax section of the rubric, especially in the proper transition from dialogue to narration. If you haven't already read the individual comments, you're going to get tired of that phrase real soon. There were also quite a few general typos which, in addition to the previous point, suggested there wasn't a great deal of proofing going on. It may not count for much of the grade percentage-wise, but proper syntax is extremely important because it affects the readability of the entire story. Please make sure you proof your posts, and/or have a friend/frienemy who can do it for you. On the upside, you both had a rather cohesive narrative, and there was only one minute continuity error between the two of you. However — and I harp on this a lot for the individual posts — there was no reason given for the characters' presence on Ruusan, or for a lot of the things that happened there for that matter. Further, there seemed to be a bit of a disconnect between the venue description, the wiki article, and your interpretations, which caused a lot of issues that I saw. Read the notes, and you will see what I mean.

Cinn, what you had in spades was energy. It looked to me like you enjoyed writing everything that you put down. However, in addition to the above-mentioned issues, you seemed to have two modes: no combat and combat. Your first post lacked any conflict, while your second was nothing but fighting; fighting that was... kinda realism busting. A lot. I don't know what prompted those lines of thinking, but remember: your character may have "plot armor," but they are not invincible or infallible.

Kylex, what I saw from you was a driving force to the plot. You kept things moving, if at times I had no idea what you were doing or why you were doing it. Further, one of the biggest issues I saw was that you sacrificed realism in order to keep pushing that plot forward and, at times, the story seemed forced simply so you could get the requisite boxes checked off. Another odd factor was that your character, in the long run, didn't actually do much compared to Cinn's, which was interesting to see, although there were several instances where the adult-to-kid exchange came off as more derisive adult-to-idiot. I don't know if that's supposed to be the "sarcastic" Aspect(s) that you have, but it is something to note for the future.

With all comments otherwise concluded, Kylex is named winner by points.

Hall Cooperative Hall - Old Container
Messages 4 out of 4
Time Limit 7 Days
Battle Style Singular Ending
Battle Status Judged
Combatants Knight Kylex, Knight Derek Cinn
Winner Knight Kylex
Force Setting Unleashed
Weapon Setting Standard
Knight Kylex's Character Snapshot Snapshot
Knight Derek Cinn's Character Snapshot Snapshot
Venue [UNLEASHED] Valley of the Jedi
Last Post 2 February, 2017 3:23 AM UTC
Assigned Judge Qyreia Arronen
Syntax - 15%
Derek Cinn Kylex Sanguris
Score: 2 Score: 3
Rationale: Consistent errors and typos. Language/vocabulary was basic and repetitive. See notes for details. Rationale: Consistent errors and typos. Varied language/vocabulary augmented quality. See notes for details.
Story - 40%
Derek Cinn Kylex Sanguris
Score: 2 Score: 2
Rationale: Story offered several tropes/cliches throughout. Reason for activity was never explained. Setting played little to no role in the story, and was inconsistent with source material. First post did not have any action. See notes for details. Rationale: Story offered several tropes/cliches throughout. Reason for activity was never explained. Setting played little to no role in the story, and was inconsistent with source material. See notes for details.
Realism - 25%
Derek Cinn Kylex Sanguris
Score: 1 Score: 2
Rationale: Two major detractors and multiple minor detractors present. See notes for details. Rationale: One major detractor and multiple minor detractors present. See notes for details.
Continuity - 20%
Derek Cinn Kylex Sanguris
Score: 5 Score: 4
Rationale: No continuity errors noted. Rationale: One continuity error was present. See notes for details.
Derek Cinn's Score: 2.35 Kylex Sanguris's Score: 2.55
Posts

Combat Master’s Note: This venue was designed for use with the Unleashed Force power setting. However, unless both combatants agree, Force powers as listed in the setting of the battle MUST be followed. If participants decide differently they must alert the Combat Master before the battle concludes, or else the battle will be judged with standard Realism grades for Force power usage. See http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Valley_of_the_Jedi for more information on this location.

The Valley of the Jedi. The legendary location of the final battle under the surface of Ruusan, between the Army of Light and the Brotherhood of Darkness. The battle ended in an instant when the thought bomb detonated, trapping the spirits of hundreds of powerful Force users within the Valley for over a thousand years.

You stand near the edge of that very cave, waiting on the tiered stone steps that circle the Valley. The ground is rocky and uneven, sloping downwards towards the center. Stalagmites litter the floor, small outcroppings of rock thrust out from the ground like huge stone blades. But the piles of rocks pale in size compared to the stone statues circling the Valley in perfectly concentric circles. The statues seem almost alive, as if the faces of the dead had been perfectly captured in the carvings and still held traces of the doomed souls they represented.

In the Valley's center, an enormous mound is raised from the ground surrounded by six stone obelisks. From the mound, a blinding light explodes upwards, casting a soft glow of orange, yellow, and red over the entire cave. The light is a source of unimaginable power, an outpouring of pure energy able to strengthen one's connection to the Force—a Force Nexus.

Standing near it, you feel the currents washing over you. The Force practically hums with suppressed power, buzzing against you as if electricity was caressing your skin. Already your strength feels limitless, but you know that by basking in the vibrant light of the crystal, you will achieve ultimate power.

But you are not alone in your quest. The power of the Valley has drawn others to Ruusan. As you prepare for battle, you feel the Force flow through you… waiting to be unleashed.

Derek couldn’t help but shiver as the shadow of the canyon wall crossed over him. The orange, rocky ground beneath his boots seemed to turn into a shade of brown. He’d been waiting for over 3 hours for Kylex to show up. Kylex had dropped him off and told him to secure the perimeter to ensure we wouldn’t be bothered while he made sure there wasn’t anyone else outside the immediate area of the valley.

“Oh there he is, probably met some twi’lek girls and spent most of the 3 past three hours with them” Derek muttered softly. Kylex’s transport shuttle landed softly outside the cave opening where Derek stood. If it weren’t for his helmet Kylex would have been able to see the frown on his face. Kylex walked casually down the ramp, helmet in hand.

“Where in the blue blazes have you been?” Derek Exclaimed

“Relax, saw some crazy old man on the outskirts, decided to ask him a couple of questions” He answered calmly

“And?” Derek asked curiously

“Lunatic, talked about how the rocks are haunted and they talk to him and all kinds of weird nonsense.” He spun the Mandalorian helmet in his palm. “Put the fool out of his misery.” HE said as he chuckled.

“Why?” Derek said as he took off his own helmet.

“Well look around! This place needs some fertilization. It’s much too drab for my tastes not to mention, how often can I practice using my katana on an actual person. Believe it or not, Xen isn’t a big fan of that kinda stuff, says it ruins his image.”

“Alright, whatever let’s get on with this. I’ve waited long enough.” Derek said rather impatiently

The two began moving inside but both froze. They could sense someone watching them.

“Did you clear the abandoned sith base Derek?” Kylex inquired calmly

“You’ve heard the rumors, that place is haunted. No way I’m heading up there by myself.” Derek said staunchly

“Well someone is watching us, best not to tip them off. Let’s go inside. If they want to start something, we’ll let them do it.”

“You think I should activate my droid? Whoevers watching may just be trying to get your ship.” Derek stated as they strolled into the crystal chamber.

“Your right. Activate your droid we’ll have It stay in the ship so if they try and take it, they’ll be taken off guard.” Kylex and Derek remotely activated their droids and peered around the chamber. The room’s ceiling was pitch black and seemed like it had no end. In the center was a round table like structure carved from rock. Surrounding it were the emotionless statues of the fallen warriors of Hoth’s Army of Light. The only illumination came from the swirling  pillar of light appearing from the center of the room. The light gave a ominous glow to the stoic faces of the statues.

As they inched closer, their boots crunching against the grit the littered the chamber floor, they could feel an odd sensation on their skin. It felt like the gentle touch of a women had crawled and oozed its way under the plates of their armor. The power was invigorating as both started in amazement and soaking in the feeling of unlimited power. Neither said a word as the faint hum in the room resonated in their ears and they could feel their connection to the force growin strong and more intense by the second.
Qyreia Arronen, 5 February, 2017 6:20 PM UTC

Syntax

He’d been waiting for over 3 hours for Kylex to show up.

This is not a detractor but, as a general rule, you should write out the whole number as opposed to giving digits for small numerical values (eg. less than one hundred).

[...]to ensure we wouldn’t be bothered[...]

This reads like a section that you had decided to reword, but didn’t delete the original snippet. Regardless, “we” is incorrect in this case, as the ACC uses third-person point of view.

“Oh there he is[...]

This begins what can be qualified as a Markdown typo. Make sure to preview your posts before submitting them.

[...]most of the 3 past three hours[...]

This is a typo that reinforces what was said previously. Make sure you hit that Preview button before posting.

“Where in the blue blazes have you been?” Derek Exclaimed

While a question mark is appropriate punctuation to end dialogue (even if the sentence continues), you still need to put a period at the end of the sentence proper. “Exclaimed” in this case should also not be capitalized.

[...]a couple of questions” He answered calmly

Here you failed to use proper punctuation for closing out the dialogue (a comma, in this case), as well as capitalizing “He” and once again failing to properly end the sentence. These errors are repeated several more times through the remainder of your post.

It’s much too drab for my tastes not to mention, how often can I practice using my katana on an actual person.

This sentence should be broken into two separate statements after “tastes.” As written, it is grammatically incorrect and awkward to read.

“Your right. Activate your droid we’ll have It stay in the ship so if they try and take it, they’ll be taken off guard.”

“You’re,” with an apostrophe, is the necessary form here. The second sentence should either 1) be split up into two sentences after “droid,” or 2) given an “and” after “droid.” “It” should also not be capitalized.

[...]the gentle touch of a women[...]

This is a typo and should be “woman” instead.

[...]connection to the force growin strong[...]

Here “force” should be capitalized (force is physics, Force is the Star Wars space-wizard juice), and the obvious typo should be fixed to “growing.”

Story

“Well someone is watching us, best not to tip them off.

First, if they already know you are there, then there is no “tipping them off.” They already know. That said, I am using this quote to illustrate something very distinct here that is a necessary element in the Story category of the grading rubric: you need to have conflict in your post(s). As it stands, simply having someone “watching” your characters does not constitute conflict, nor does the purported off-screen murder of a crazy hermit.

[...]as they strolled into the crystal chamber.

Assuming that you are using the layout map on Wookieepedia, and the Adegan Crystal Chamber is where the “mound” in the venue description is located, you would still need to walk through the remainder of the Meditation Complex first. This was not mentioned in any way. One moment they were at the entrance, and the next they were in the “crystal chamber.”

Realism

This place needs some fertilization.

This is a planet (or at the very least a locale) that is utterly devoid of life, sentient or otherwise. Kylex is a pretty smart guy (Intellect +3), and a sadist at that. Fertilization wouldn’t do anything. The whole anecdote, if not this quip, seems uncharacteristic and out of place. Minor detractor.

“Did you clear the abandoned sith base Derek?” Kylex inquired calmly

It is unlikely Cinn would have any knowledge of such a thing given that he was not the one to recon the area (Kylex) and his knowledge only extends back to the Clone Wars. Given that the Sith base is also not level with the canyon floor (reference the map on Wookieepedia), I question how Kylex would have expected Cinn to clear it. Minor detractor.

Kylex and Derek remotely activated their droids[...]

Kylex doesn’t have a droid in his loadout. Minor detractor.

In the center was a round table like structure carved from rock.

I am unsure where you gathered this detail, as it is in neither the venue description nor the Wookieepedia article. Even the images on the latter support the “mound” as described in the venue details. Minor detractor.

Synopsis

You had a lot of syntax errors that shows you did not proof your post much, if at all, and even beyond general typos there are consistent issues (ex. dialogue-to-narration transition). I highly recommend getting a proofer to help you improve your posts and maybe fix any hard-wired issues. Even as a cooperative match, you still need to have conflict, of which there was none. There was also little driving the story: Kylex dropped Cinn off to recon, Kylex came back, then they are in the crystal chamber.You don’t give a reason for their being in the valley, why they are doing this together, or who the people that are watching them are (again, need conflict). Your portrayal of the setting and characters could use some review as well, as such mistakes can cause confusion or inconsistencies.

“This place is most wonderful isn’t it?” Kylex remarked as he and his companion walked through the building. “You can feel the raw energy of the Force just waiting to be unleashed.”

“Agreed.” Spoke Derek softly, sliding his palm against one of the walls.

“Well, we can’t sit here all day and look at the scenery, we got a job to do.” Kylex said seriously as he activated his lightsaber, plunging its crimson blade into the wall.

“What are you doing!?” Derek yelped.

“I can’t be bothered walking all the way back to the entrance, JUST to walk past here again.” The Shadow said as he finished cutting a large hole in the wall. With a firm kick the wall gave way, falling to the ground as Kylex and Derek stepped through into the valley itself. The pair looked around, wind blowing through their hair as they slid their helmets back on. The Shadow looked across the valley, spotting a small outcropping in the cliff face above them. He nudged Derek, pointing at the area.

“That is where the base is, we need to move.” Kylex said keenly. “If we encounter anything, be ready to blast it.”

“You got it.” Derek sneered.

The pair made headway into the large dust storm, violent winds roaring and howling around them as they briskly proceeded towards the cliff face. The large wall of stone towered above the two Sith, jagged and with sharp jutting upwards insuring death

“How in Palpatine’s name are we gonna scale that thing?” Derek said, peering at the ledge above them.

“Well, I could try throw you.” Kylex chuckled, flexing his muscles at the Marauder.

“You'd love that wouldn’t you, and quit flexing, whoever is up there might think you have a thing for me.” Derek snapped.

“Only the finest choice in men.” Kylex said sarcastically, reaching behind him and retrieving his grappling hook. “You might need this.”

Derek nodded, carefully aiming the device and firing it, anchoring the point just below the ledge. The Marauder activated the wench function, sending the young boy flying upwards with a whoosh.

“DON’T LOOK DOWN!” Kylex yelled after him, firing up his Z-6 jetpack and taking off to the skies. He rocketed past his companion, laughing and giggling as he soared high, dodging jagged rocks sticking out of the cliff as he flew. The Shadow passed the ledge, coming down and landing softly on the stones. He looked around the area, there was a large building of sorts with what seemed like a cargo lift that went up into the derelict building. The entire structure swayed and sighed in the wind, who knows how old it might have been.

“What a heap of junk!” Derek exclaimed as he crawled over the ledge, handing Kylex the grappling hook. The child looked over the large shell of a base, admiring the architecture of the age old building. Suddenly, their senses went into red alert as blaster fire rained from within the base at the Sith. Acting instinctively, the two engaged their lightsabers, the red and white blades snapping to life and reflecting the searing plasma back to their masters.

“I THOUGHT YOU SAID THE AREA WAS CLEAR!” Derek yelled, deflecting another shot before dashing behind a large boulder

“AND I TOLD YOU TO CLEAR THE SITH BASE!” Kylex shouted back, ducking behind the same boulder. He quickly cycled his vision to thermal spectrum, peering from the giant stone and spotting the asalents. Five men all together, each armed with heavy repeating blasters.

“Stay low.” Kylex said, jumping out from behind the boulder and vanishing from sight. Derek paused, seemingly startled for a moment as he pondered what trickery Kylex had used. For the Shadow, everything appeared smoky, foggy, as if every bit of matter nearby was disintegrating without end. For him, he was used to this, but the strength of the valley made his technique even more effective. He dashed forward into the fray, dodging and weaving his way through the blaster fire towards the men. A grin formed on his face as he jumped visibility, vaulting over a destroyed wall and cleaving the nearest man in half. The others turned to the Shadow as he giggled.

“They are all yours, Derek.”

Qyreia Arronen, 5 February, 2017 9:24 PM UTC

Syntax

“Agreed.” Spoke Derek softly, sliding his palm against one of the walls.

When continuing a sentence and transitioning from dialogue to narration, you should use a comma within the quotes; not a period. The following word, unless a proper noun, should not be capitalized. This happens throughout the post.

“Well, I could try throw you.”

I assume this is a typo and you meant to write, “Well, I could try to throw you.”

“Only the finest choice in men.” Kylex said sarcastically[...]

As above, when continuing/transitioning from dialogue to narration in this manner, you need to use a comma, not a period. Also, Cinn is 13! Bleh!

The Marauder activated the wench function[...]

Does it have a “serve Corellian ale” function? Jokes aside, I believe you meant “winch” here.

He looked around the area, there was a large building[...]

The comma here should either be a colon, m-dash (—, alt+0151), or start a new sentence with a period (I would recommend against this, but it would still be better).

[...]and spotting the asalents.

This should be “assailants.”

Story

[...]we got a job to do.”

That still hasn’t been elaborated on. Story (on the rubric) covers the who, what, when, where, and why.

The pair made headway into the large dust storm[...]

When did this dust storm appear? The only indicator prior to this was “wind blowing through their hair” in the preceding paragraph. Wind does not equate to dust storm; there are gradients. Try to set some description into your writing in the future. See related realism item below.

“That is where the base is, we need to move.” Kylex said keenly. “If we encounter anything, be ready to blast it.”

Once again, there is no “why” given for these actions. They went into the Meditation Complex and just… left? That’s it? Now they’re going to the abandoned Sith base, but the reason is still not given.

Realism

With a firm kick the wall gave way, falling to the ground as Kylex and Derek stepped through into the valley itself.

Ignoring the likelihood that this wall was load-bearing, and thus very thick (thicker than a lightsaber is long), any large cut-out of stone would still be very heavy. This would require Kylex to either 1) leverage his weight against it because a kick won’t be enough, or 2) use that nifty Amplification or — better yet — Telekinesis to get it out of the way. Minor detractor.

The Shadow looked across the valley, spotting a small outcropping in the cliff face above them.

Granted, at Perception +1 you can see the finer details in the terrain. Seeing a “small outcropping” on a distant surface in the midst of a dust storm is unlikely. Minor detractor.

Derek nodded, carefully aiming the device and firing it, anchoring the point just below the ledge.

Grappling hooks qualify as Miscellaneous Weapons, and Cinn has a whopping +0 in that skill. Given that there is also a dust storm raging (which the characters have ignored in regards to their speaking volume), he’d be lucky to hit near the ledge, much less directly beneath it. Minor detractor.

The Marauder activated the wench function, sending the young boy flying upwards with a whoosh.

The Grappling Hook does not actually come with a winch; it’s just a propellant-launched head and rope. Minor detractor.

He looked around the area, there was a large building of sorts with what seemed like a cargo lift that went up into the derelict building.

If you look at the map that is being used as reference, the hallways are all enclosed. It is a subterranean base after all. Kylex wouldn’t be able to see any details of the structure from a glance; just the hall that leads away from the ledge. Minor detractor.

The entire structure swayed[...]

The structure that is built into a cliff is swaying? Unless the cliff itself is swaying, I highly doubt that. Minor detractor.

Derek paused, seemingly startled for a moment as he pondered what trickery Kylex had used.

It is worth noting that Cinn knows how to use Force Cloak. The character is a child, not an idiot. Ignoring Force powers and this out of character description qualify for a major detractor.

He dashed forward into the fray, dodging and weaving his way through the blaster fire towards the men.

In Unleashed Force powers setting, only your Force powers go up to max ability; your Feats do not scale with them. As such, you cannot sprint, run, or otherwise weave through a storm of the blaster equivalent of five machine guns with only Ghosting I. Minor detractor.

Synopsis

There were a fair number of minor typos that, mixed with a penchant for not transitioning dialogue to narration properly, shows you did little proofing. Finding someone else who you consider a skilled writer and having them go over your post(s) would likely help a good deal. When writing out the story, always remember that the “5 Ws” (who, what, when, where, why) are very important. The big issue I kept seeing was that the “why” was never given — not just for the “mission,” but for going into the Sith base (how Kylex knew it was a Sith base, I would also like to know). That “why” is very important, because it gives the reader a focus and a reason to be interested beyond “things are happening.” Realism suffered most because you did not clearly understand the venue, followed by your understand of the Character Sheets and Possessions capabilities. You ate least managed to get some action started, if only barely, since you waited until the end of your post to manifest it.

Derek leaped out from behind the boulder. The blaster fire had stopped firing his way as the enemy had begun firing at Kylex who stood deflecting and dodging their fire. Derek ran up behind them, his HUD displaying the location of the soldiers in the darkness. The Hallway was long so he had hooked his lightsaber back on his utility belt and reached for his Zhaboka strapped to his back.

“HEY!” the Sergeant in charge yelled at another over the sound of their repeaters. “WEREN’T THERE TWO OF ‘EM!” Both realizing this turned but it was too late. The tip of the dual sided spear stabbed into the sergeant. With a quick tug and another precise stab, both men lay motionless in a pool of blood, their repeaters still steaming slightly. The other two quickly took notice and turned on him. Derek whipped the zhaboka around slicing one of the men’s leg out from under him as the other end swung around to stab the other in the neck. Immediately pulling out, he impaled the final soldier who was clutching the calf that Derek had just sliced open.

“What a show!” Kylex said clapping. Derek smiled as he prodded the limp bodies.

“Who do you think they are?” Derek asked, not recognizing their markings. They were dressed in some randomized sets of armor. Grey breast plates and some plates for the limbs over some ragged dirty clothes were their uniforms and surprisingly consistent among the 5

“Pirates possibly.” He stated “We need to keep an eye out for more.”

Derek nodded and they strode down the hallway and up a ramp to reach a landing. In front of them was another ramp that lead to the southeastern portion of the lower level. To their right was the main hallway that lead to the elevator to the upper level.

“We should probably go clear the southeastern portion before we continue on to the upper level.” Derek stated. KYlex agreed and the two knights began jogging down the ramp and down the hallway. They stopped short of another ramp. They could hear voices talking around the corner. Kylex began to advance but Derek stopped him. He took a grenade out of a pouch and tossed it up the ramp.

The resulting explosion threw debris down the ramp along with one of the pirates who smacked against the wall with a metallic thud. They ran up, sabers in hand, but the group of 7 pirates lay motionless. THey were strewn about randomly most covered in burn marks and bleeding from the shrapnel they had received They started into the final hallway that was lit from dim hanging lights. They froze as about a dozen pirates stood in the hallway. Kylex and Derek looked at each other and smirked.

“After you.” Derek Ushered. Kylex looked toward the pirates who were still trying to process what was happening with their dim witted minds. He charged, followed closely by Derek who leaped on to the wall and bouncing right into the middle of the pack, swinging his lightsaber in a wide arc. 3 pirates fell immediately. Kylex very rapidly downed one with a quick stab to the chest of one of the leaders. Another swung his blaster at him.

“Not wise.” He uttered , sidestepping the attack, and swung his lightsaber up, slashin the pirate across the chest and face and throwing him against the wall. Derek meanwhile was having fun dodging the blaster bolts, much to the annoyance of the brigands. In frustration the remaining 7 charged at the two. However lightning bolted out of both the Sith’s hands, engulfing the pirates in a dance of blue electricity. Their screams bounce off the durasteel walls, and their bodies flailed at the burst of energy that consumed their bodies. It stopped and the pirates flew backwards about 15 meters, still sparking slightly from the large dose of lightning they had just received, and smacked the grate covered flooring, tumbling loosely.

“We should do this more often.” Derek said with is hands on his hips.

Kylex laughed mockingly “Maybe you need to get over you fear of ghosts first!”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up laser brain.”Derek replied sarcastically, happy he had his helmet on so Kylex couldn’t see his smile.

Qyreia Arronen, 6 February, 2017 12:18 AM UTC

POST 3 - CINN

Syntax

The tip of the dual sided spear stabbed[...]

Here “dual sided” should be hyphenated to “dual-sided.”

[...]uniforms and surprisingly consistent among the 5

As said for your first post, write the whole number for small numbers. This happens throughout the post. Also, you missed a period at the end of the sentence.

“Pirates possibly.” He stated “We need to keep an eye out for more.”

Here you manage to make the same narration/dialogue mistake twice in one line. These mistakes continue throughout the post.

[...]another ramp that lead[...]

The appropriate form of the word here is “led,” not “lead.”

KYlex agreed[...]

Hey look, a typo. Fancy that.

THey were strewn about[...]

...and another typo.

[...]they had received They started into[...]

Oh hey, another. This time we’re missing a period.

Their screams bounce off the durasteel walls[...]

One more for the gipper. This one should read “bounced,” as ACC is all third-person, past tense.

Story

“HEY!” the Sergeant in charge yelled at another over the sound of their repeaters. “WEREN’T THERE TWO OF ‘EM!”

Use of caps lock aside, Kylex did yell out to Cinn once he had passed the heavy blaster emplacements. They would likely have turned simply at that utterance. The product of this lack of attention by the enemy that you wrote results in a fight that is tropish and unrealistic. We all like to have our characters stand out, but having faceless enemies that might as well be cardboard boxes for all the combat skill they can muster is not good storytelling.

“Pirates possibly.” He stated “We need to keep an eye out for more.”

This is Ruusan! A place lost to time (quite literally, concerning the hyperspace lanes) and imminently strong with the Force! The reader still has not been given an in-character reason for Kylex’s and Cinn’s presence on the planet, who are both Force users, and the imminent foe that was concocted for this unique place was pirates? Why are there pirates here? What are they even going to pirate?

Kylex looked toward the pirates who were still trying to process what was happening with their dim witted minds.

Now Billy, just because someone is a pirate, that doesn’t make them stupid. It just means that they made some poor life choices. Honestly though, at this point I can safely predict the outcome of just about every encounter with a group of pirates in this post. This group of “dim witted” pirates managed to find a planet that even the Jedi had lost track of. You haven’t even managed to tell me yet what Cinn and Kylex are doing on this planet. That means the pirates have you beat so far in the story department.

Realism

The other two quickly took notice and turned on him.

What you described here — and throughout the paragraph — was what I can only call an unrealistic fight. With a whopping +2 Bladed Weapons and facing four opponents who are armed with the blaster equivalent of machine guns, Cinn charged down a straight-up bottleneck and slaughtered all of them without so much as taking a scratch. This is a major detractor.

“We should probably go clear the southeastern portion before we continue on to the upper level.”

I’m going to assume that Cinn has a compass on his HUD, because there is no other foreseeable way that I can imagine he would even know what direction southeast is at the moment. Further, if you are going to use the map on the Wookieepedia article, please remember that this is a subterranean complex: this is not a big open structure where you can see every path and where it leads to. There is one winding path, and the characters don’t have a convenient minimap to tell them what the structure layout is. Minor detractor.

They stopped short of another ramp. They could hear voices talking around the corner.

There was a raging battle only a few moments before, and Kylex/Cinn practically jogged into this group, and yet the pirates are just… casually talking? No heightened sense of alertness? No patrol to see what happened to their buddies? No one heard the scuffle of feet just around the corner? Minor detractor.

Derek meanwhile was having fun dodging the blaster bolts, much to the annoyance of the brigands.

Even with Athletics at +3 and Lightning Reflexes Feat, this fight is still taking place in a confined hallway, and Cinn is facing down at least seven guns at once. Battle Haste doesn’t apply because he’s not stringing attacks, and there’s not an ounce of mention of any use of the Force. Major detractor.

Synopsis

In addition to having another slew of syntax issues, including my favorite dialogue-narration transition, you managed to collect two major realism detractors in addition to all the minor ones. In this ACC module, Force abilities are boosted; nothing else. Not only did this whole post become a tremendous case of self-aggrandisement (Kylex barely factored into the action), but it was unrealistic to a point where I did not want to read any more. There was no story, just combat. There was no realism, just a thirteen year old Force user who apparently can fight on raw physical ability better than most elite adult commandos and even more experienced Force users.

The long hallway was almost unrecognisable after the grenade. The explosion had turned some of the pirates into wall decorations, while others littered the area leading to the outcropping Kylex had spotted earlier in their mission. The Sith waded through the lifeless corpses, giving a few of them a kick as he passed. The smell of burnt and seared flesh invaded their nostrils, each clank of their armour reverberating through the hall.

“I hope that was the last of the pirates.” Derek said, walking along side Kylex as light poured in from the lookout.

“I hope they weren't! These guys are so much fun to ‘un-alive’.” Kylex said with a slight giggle, looking out over the valley. “Just look at that view!” He exclaimed as he removed his helmet, eyes growing wide as the sun snuck behind the mountains, pairing the sky. He rested his elbows on the railing and placed his helmet on the floor.

“Quite the drop.” Derek said sheepishly, looking down below as he joined Kylex.

“Yeah, being thrown off like that, imagine it mate,” joked the Shadow, a wide smile forming on his face as the wind blew against him.

“Don’t jinx it.” Derek replied punching the Sith in the shoulder playfully. He smiled gently at Derek, grabbing a ration bar from one of his pockets and biting into it. The Marauder looked at his companion, puzzled.

How can someone so violent and bloodthirsty be this… gentle. Derek thought as Kylex let out a heavy sigh.

“Listen kid, I don’t need to read your mind to work out what you are thinking. You don’t wanna know what I have been through, what I have seen, what I have lost. I learnt to value the things I have.”

Derek nodded, looking out over the valley as the sun crept behind the horizon. It was soothing. The light bathed everything with a golden tinge that seemed to sooth everything it touched. For the first time in a long while, they both felt at peace.

“GET DOWN!” Kylex quickly pushed Derek to the ground as a searing blue blade passed through where the Marauder’s head had just been. The Shadow bit his lip, calling his lightsaber to his hand and activating it to block a second green blade. Derek rolled on his shoulder and sprang to his feet as he unclipped his saber, igniting its white blade as their assailant jumped back.

“Who the hell are you?!” Yelled the Sith in sync, eyeing the saber wielding being. The figure was dressed in all black, except the lower face and hands. The figure laughed, charging the Sith, dragging the blades across the floor as it leapt at them. Kylex and Derek raised their guard, blocking each blade and quickly responding with a series of jabs and slashes. Kylex severed the beings right arm with an upward slash as his companion spun behind the figure and stabbed it in the back. It let out a deafening screech before vanishing into nothing.

“What in the blue blazes was that?” Derek said, clipping his lightsaber back on his belt.

“I get the feeling that was one of the ghosts.” Kylex said gravely as he slid his helmet back on.

“If that is the case then why did it only attack us and not the pirates?” asked the Marauder.

“It may have been from us using the Force. Call the ship, we need to get out of here.” Kylex said with worry in his voice. “I’m not even sure how we managed to defeat that one.” Derek nodded, signalling the ship to land nearby.

“How are we gonna get down there without being murdered by ghosts?” Said Derek petulantly. Kylex looked at him as he stowed his saber away, grabbing the child and holding him underarm.

“To infinity, and beyond!” Kylex shouted with gusto, firing up his jetpack as they flew into the sky. The Shadow saw their ship land near the cliff face, he was glad the storm had ceased but Derek’s screaming wasn’t helping. The two landed gingerly near the ship, Derek jumping out of the Sith’s arms and running to the ship.

“ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!?” He yelled.

“No, but I bet the ghosts in there would be.” Kylex said smugly, boarding the ship and sitting down in a chair. “Tell Blade this planet is still hostile.” Derek looked at the Sith slouched in the chair, unaware of the arm injury he had sustained when fighting the phantom.

“You got it. Crazy bastard.”

Qyreia Arronen, 6 February, 2017 1:04 AM UTC

Syntax

“I hope that was the last of the pirates.” Derek said, walking along side Kylex as light poured in from the lookout.

Same dialogue-to-narration transition issue as before. This issue continues throughout the post.

Kylex severed the beings right arm

There should be an apostrophe for “being’s.”

Story

The long hallway was almost unrecognisable after the grenade.

This is backtracking (by about two encounters) and is not advised. Also a detractor.

For the first time in a long while, they both felt at peace.

This is a bit of a trope and, given that both of them just slaughtered a whole bunch of folk without so much as batting an eyelash, I’m not sure “peace” is what’s on the menu.

“I’m not even sure how we managed to defeat that one.” Derek nodded, signalling the ship to land nearby.

I feel like you’re trying to add a sense of threat and danger to the ghost that attacked them, but the preceding combat narrative hardly supports that. Those two beat the thing without so much as missing a beat. Caught a little off guard, perhaps.

“How are we gonna get down there without being murdered by ghosts?” Said Derek petulantly.

Didn’t Kylex just suggest that he call the ship? Why is Kylex suggesting that anyway? Wasn’t he the one piloting? See how all these questions are popping up from just this snippet? That whole “why” thing coming back to haunt you… like that ghost.

“To infinity, and beyond!” Kylex shouted with gusto, firing up his jetpack as they flew into the sky.

As a general rule, I would say that there are times when a quote is okay. Going full Buzz Lightyear… please god no.

Realism

The explosion had turned some of the pirates into wall decorations, while others littered the area

There were seven pirates who were at least relatively intact as of Cinn’s post, making this a continuity issue in addition to being one of realism. This was a fragmentation grenade; not an artillery round. People, much less armored ones, are not likely to be turned into piles of red gore by a frag unless they were sitting on the bloody thing. Minor detractor.

“Just look at that view!”

I’ve beaten this dead horse, but just for good measure: Cinn/Kylex were in a subterranean complex built into a cliff face. I don’t know when you reached a point that even had a view, much less a lookout point (which isn’t even part of the Sith Base). Minor detractor.

Continuity

See Realism note one

Synopsis

Overall this post was… better. I would still highly recommend, if anything, getting out of that habit you have with the dialogue transitions. You managed to creep in one final dash of combat, but in came in feeling very Forced. (See what I did there?) This post took a few more hits on story than realism, and largely because of the increasingly dramatized plot. The quote didn’t help. I admit I chuckled. Only once though.