Private Fallen Feathers of a Kingfisher

[Spek Zhio]

Answering his question with another, of her own, certainly felt like a test. But what was he, if not a student? Her intentions, seemed to be, to provide him with a teaching opportunity.

"To melt the doors with our lightsabers, and face them head-on, would be easy to do, on our part," Zhio pondered, out loud. "But, it could lead to more casualties on their side."

A cornered beast also fought more ferociously. Maybe, they also had some last resort contingency planed, that the Jedi pair had no knowledge of.

Perhaps, a show of force could be enough? "We could still remove the doors from the equation, but not engage. Stay behind our Force Barriers until they give up and surrender, after realizing the irrelevance of resisting."

However, that would still allow them to spring whatever last-ditch effort they could have in store.

"Is there a way we could actually neutralize them, employing the Force? Or..." simpler yet, "some other entrance for us to take them by surprise?"

As much as Spek had memorized the ship's layout, he was not planning on employing subterfuge. Therefore, he was not able to recall any sort of ventilation or elevator shaft, that could serve as an impromptu way in.

Retrieving his datapad, he pulled up the ship's schematics. "What's your plan, Master?" He reiterated. Ready to follow her judgement, and possibly learn something new.

 

[Jairdain]

While Jairdain had intended to rely on him for his knowledge of the ship, it soon became clear he didn't know an answer to her question. He pointed out there weren't any other means to get onto the bridge. Maybe it was an escape pod and could be quarantined from the rest of the ship. Nodding as she listened to Spek, she considered his suggestion of just waiting them out and shook her head.

"That is something that could take too much time. Sometimes that could be fine but not this time. We need to wrap this up as quickly as we can and bring them in to answer for their crimes."

So through the door, it would be. Igniting her lightsaber, its white hue filled the corridor around them and she stabbed it into the door to start melting through it.

"Yes, there are several ways to disable opponents, especially if they are unable to use the Force. It's a bit advanced though so I'm not entirely sure you're ready for the knowledge. So often there are some skills that toe the line of Dark and Light. Some of these are that kind. I think when we get in there, you should move to debilitate them and I will knock them out."

Then she smelled something...a smell, she was familiar with and hated...as much as she loved it. Spice...Anger flared in her for a moment but she quelled it and shut it away to the side...for now. Their information was wrong and it wasn't only bota smugglers they were dealing with.

Spek Zhio

 

[Spek Zhio]

Spek ignited one of his own sabers. Needing both hands to tightly grasp the hilt in such a way as to gain leverage against the door, he elected to use his Shien dual-phased one.

The length of the shoto-like dark beam would not be able to melt the titanium-reinforced blast doors all the way through. Nevertheless, it would help weaken them, enough for his master's saber to finish the job more easily. Despite a reverse-grip Shien not being the most adequate hilt for a two-hand grip, its phase switch allowed for a swift shift from the current Nishalorite to the very long Kimber crystal inside. And, although the light-gray Kimber beam was non-lethal and completely ineffective against such strong plated doors, its uncommonly long length would allow for broader arcs during sweeping motions, making it that much easier to deflect whatever volley of ammunition was waiting for them on the other side.

Making an effort to disregard yet another one of his Master's abrasive comments regarding the Dark Side and not being ready for this or that technique, Spek tried his best to focus and sharpen his mind into a state of battle meditation.

Then, he felt it. Removing one hand from the grip, casually placing it against the door as if feeling for vibrations, the Padawan's stance transitioned from one of intent to one of attention. He almost as if lightly caressed the cold metal whith his left hand for a couple of seconds, before using his right to firmly remove his lightsaber piercing into it. Zhio directed a calculated squint at the lightsaber's beam, and widened his eyes after being sure of the way in which it ever so slightly oscillated.

"Master, my lightsaber is reacting to a strong magnetic field nearby," he called for her attention while moving the weapon around as if it were a dowsing rod. He stopped at a point, aiming through the deck, once the saber's beam went from ebony to jet black. "There!" His eyes widened further after recalling from memory the starship's deck plans. "That's the hangar! They must be opening the airlock in preparation for an escape!"

"The Nishalorite is reacting to the now activated magnetic field of the launch bay!" Zhio explained his deductions to Jairdain, turning to face her, and finished with a proposition disguised as question. "Should we split up?"

Spek Zhio was so focused on this recent discovery of his that he had not notice even the faintest scent of the Corellian Spice, wafting through the now more porous melting blast doors. Whether Jairdain had noticed it or not, the question remained if she would become timely aware of the fact that the smugglers had propped it agaisnt the blast doors, and were using it as part of an IED, that would explode as soon as any lightsaber managed to fully pierce through the bridge's defenses, enough to ignite the highly combustible Spice on the other side.

Jairdain