Absorbing Motion

[Audren Sykes]

Location: Voss Temple


Audren's training as a Jedi had been unconventional by modern standards. He was mostly self-taught, with much of that being out in the galaxy rather than at the temple with a holocron or text. Still, there had been times when he'd learned there, and he had nothing against those who made it their primary location. That just meant he didn't know many other Jedi all too well, just a few here and there.

One of those he didn't know well had placed an offer to train in Ataru. That was the form based on movement, one that Abaigeal hadn't been able to teach him. He couldn't see himself jumping around, flipping and whirling above an enemy's head and raining strikes from above, but he hadn't really seen the form in use either, just heard the stories of Master Yoda and others of the like. He was willing to give it a shot, especially given his history with free running in the forests back home. He didn't use that much any longer, but speed and agility were always useful.

Like his meeting with Abaigeal, the Sephi was in a training room. Not the same one, but similar enough. He wore his robes with the tabard already removed, folded and placed on one of the benches running along the wall. The gauntlets were there too, as were the spaulders. That left the heaviest portions of his robes...if he was going to learn this form, he might as well do so in the clothing he normally wore. The real armor could come later. His lightsaber hung at his right hip, and he carried no other weapons. Though he didn't expect the Master to be long, he did begin stretching, warming up the muscles in preparation for the workout ahead.


[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

She was late!

Dashing around a corner, Rasu appeared an emerald blur, running towards the location of her next training session. As always the aging Shi'ido had lost track of time, admiring the rooftop gardens of the temple before leisurely gazing at her chrono. Her heart had almost leaped from her chest before she found herself breaking into a run. Not retaining the guise of a Master at all, the Jedi caught the odd gaze of several passerby's as she continued her pace through the Voss temple. Grateful that she had aided in the construction efforts of the temple, Rasu navigated the structure like a champion, finding no problems in locating the room where she was to train the young Jedi. Approaching the hall, the Jedi Master skidded to a halt, not wanting to appear flustered when meeting this new student. Composing herself, Rasu took a deep breath before she entered the chamber, bowing her head in greeting to the Jedi awaiting her instruction.

"My apologies for being late, you'll soon find that I have a habit for losing track of time but I hope you will forgive me." she said, while holding out her hand in greeting. "I'm Master Rasu Gan, it's a pleasure to meet you." Walking over to the bench, the Shi'ido placed her heavy robe alongside Audren's attire revealing her own armor underneath. While not consisting of numerous heavy plating, Rasu had adopted the garb of Matsu Ike and her attire of Sasori industries, wearing traditional Jedi garb with several armor plating alterations. This attire allowed her to maximise her effectiveness when using Ataru but also provided ample protection than just synthetic material.

"Might I ask for the name of the Jedi I am training?" Leaving the bench, Rasu again approached Audren, ready to commence the training of her favoured combat style.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

"Not a problem, Master Gan. My name is Audren Sykes, good to meet you."

It really wasn't a problem, not for him. He wasn't immortal, time wasn't literally of no concern to him. He expected to live to at least the age of three hundred however, and as such he was still within the first ten percent of his life span. He could afford to be patient. It was good practice. Besides, he was being taught something and hadn't been asked to trade something in return.

It was interesting to see that she wasn't like most other Jedi. She too wore armored robes, though hers was a bit more overt than his were. Sasori, if he remembered correctly. He'd considered them, but ultimately had decided that they were too overt for day-to-day wear. He'd wanted something that provided protection without making him seem combative. While he'd achieved that goal, he still thought improvements could be made.

As Rasu approached, Audren watched her. With green skin and facial tattoos, she was likely a Mirialan, something he only knew because of the predations of the Primeval. He'd been wrong before though, he was no xenologist. And while most people tended to talk a bit before beginning a training session, that was by no means a stricture. As a result, he watched her movements in an attempt to judge intent. He didn't quite square up, but as she approached his stance clearly shifted in response. An attack wasn't precisely anticipated, but the Sephi was prepared for it nonetheless.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Smiling in response to the introduction, Rasu could sense the young man wished to get their training underway. While the woman was prone to dragging on her training sessions with general chatter, she forced herself to avert from this habit in an act of politeness. She wanted to make a lasting impression on the aspiring Jedi, and therefore didn't want to scare him off with her endless prattling. Nodding in agreement, the Shi'ido unhooked her twin hilts from their place on her belt, igniting the golden blades as she addressed her student.

"Now Ataru is one of the more strenuous forms of lightsaber combat. It requires you to remain on the offensive." As she spoke, the Jedi's mind would fall back on memories of her past; battles against various Sith and warlords whom she had faced using such a technique. The battles had been fierce and while she had left with her life, the cost of victory had been high. Form VI was not one to allow for long, drawn out duels, as she would explain to Audren.

"Acrobatic's may assist in this form to confuse the opponent and keep their focus on the defensive. Your attacks should carry purpose however, and while you may use such fancy techniques as to alarm and deceive, you must be aware that you are also at risk of injury." Noticing the shift in the man's stance, Rasu smirked slightly. Ignoring the shift, the Shi'ido would act on this after she had finished educating the student. "Being on the offensive, means you lack a solid defense and there lies the key weakness of this form. Ataru is meant to secure a short victory and will decline in effectiveness as the duel draws out. You will tire and then.... well you can guess what happens next." As she spoke, Rasu continued to pace around the room, noticing how the man's eyes followed her every movement. Turning to face him, the Shi'ido smiled as her speech came to an end. Rasu seemed to stare at the man, waiting for a response, although she knew one would not come.

"Shall we begin then?" Within an instant, the woman pounced, executing a mid-air somersault as her weapons were extended to become a deadly pinwheel, whose blades hungered to seek into the Sephi's flesh.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

Audren listened to Rasu's description of Ataru. She laid out the essentials - constantly remaining on the offensive. Acrobatics could assist, but they weren't the point of the form. That was also a definitive weakness, as there was less of a focus on defense. The form essentially boiled down to finishing the fight fast. It made sense in some manner, but also revealed that a defensive form, possibly Soresu, would be the optimal counter to Ataru. Or Djem So, Shien, whatever they wanted to call it, as it was based off Soresu.

The woman's blades were already activated when she started talking, and as he listened he'd brought his own hilt to hand. He'd held off igniting it however, at least until she'd pulled the child's ploy of starting as soon as they said "go". In this case it was a somersault forward, both blades flashing towards him. His reaction was as near-instantaneous as it could be: his own blade activated and as he stepped out to his left and rotated, the blade swept in at a shallow angle to guide the one of hers nearest to him, subtly keep its momentum from altering to match his movement. Very much not Ataru-based; it was designed to give him a bit of space. For a short term, at least.

"So hit fast, win fast. Don't get tied up with a strong defender."

His lone lightsaber was held defensively, the orange blade slightly angled. He was well aware that he'd done nothing more than buy himself time. Not much of it at that, essentially just enough to counter the tactic she'd employed. He fully expected her to keep moving, always on the attack like she'd said. Two users of Ataru would be in constant flux, battling for that offensive edge over each other. If they were balanced enough, they might even tire each other out to a draw. No way that would happen here, but an interesting thought nonetheless.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

The golden hue of her blades illuminated the smile that was growing on her face as the Jedi locked sabers. Already Rasu could feel the thrill of the fight begin to ooze through her system, filling her body with rejuvenating hormones. She hated to admit it, but when it came down to diplomacy or aggressive tactics, Rasu normally picked the latter. The hissing of the connected blades echoed through the chamber for only a few moments before her opponent countered the attack. As the weapon swung to the side, Rasu leaped backwards, preparing for any form of instantaneous counter-attack. Landing on her feet only a few paces from Audren, she smiled again finding that he too had shared the idea of creating distance.

"Exactly, you have to be able to read your battles as well as your opponents." she said, straightening again as her body relaxed. "Pitting yourself against one who wields the antithesis of your combat form can only spell defeat, but one must also be wise when facing a similar move set. As in science, so to does it apply to combat; like repels like."

Again Rasu continued pacing, even as she spoke, the humming of her sabers would intensify as she subtly closed the gap between the two duelists; inch by inch. However instead of pouncing as she had before, the Shi'ido would exhibit some acrobatics, somersaulting forward before landing beside the Sephi, just out of saber range. Offering a playful wave, she bounded forward, drawing on the Force to extend her physical limits. Audren would witness a golden-green blur as the Jedi Master leaped towards the wall, using the wall as a form of springboard as she came flying back, both blades extended in front of her. Embodying a knife having launched with such Force-imbued speed that the woman's hair had been slicked alongside her face from the intense force. The golden light illuminated the determined features of the woman as she aimed to impale the man's chest. While a much more elaborate technique, it served its purpose of demonstration, providing multiple examples of how to manipulate Ataru to maximise one's own abilities.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

The Master didn't immediately return to the attack. Instead she started pacing while she talked...that pacing slowly bringing her towards him. Very slowly, but still noticeable. When she did move, it was another somersault, this one resulting in her landing just outside lightsaber range. Of all things, she waved, then bounced forward at a wall. She used that as a springboard and ended up heading right back at him in a blur, golden blades poised to impale his chest.

The springboard movement was a type he'd seen before...that he'd used before. It was especially useful when moving at speed through a forest, where surfaces weren't flat and branches jutted out in unexpected places. In this particular case he didn't know why she'd done it instead of just attacking, but her posture, motion, and inertia - largely horizontal rather than vertical - left openings. He couldn't match her in speed, not yet, but he didn't need to match. He just needed to be fast enough. So he accessed the Force himself and used it to his advantage. It lent him speed and the strength to perform a twisting midair flip of his own. He didn't tuck his legs, didn't need to. As he flipped, his lightsaber slashed. Due to the twist it would move oddly, instead of a perfectly-oblique slash from shoulder to hip it would have a little curl in it, the slash taking place as she passed beneath him.

Defense was good, but defense with a dash of offense in the mix was better.

Something he hadn't really accounted for was the added weight of his clothing. He'd not performed acrobatics like this in this clothing, and as a result he landed poorly. Not badly, not enough to injure himself, but off balance enough to cause an additional moment of re-centering that would open him up to potential attack. Only time and practice would allow him to overcome that sort of thing.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu's eyes followed the man as he flipped out of range, bounding out of harms way. She had expected him to do as such, knowing that Knight of his level could not be defeated by such a move so early in their training. As she sensed the man pass over her form, the Force alerted her instantly to the danger that she had missed as the Sephi escaped her line of sight. Adrenaline filled her system as she attempted to twist in mid-air, turning so to face her opponent and the humming blade that inched closer and closer to her emerald skin. Her own weapon appeared to move in slow-motion as she brought it up to defend herself. Sparks flew as both weapons clashed with each other, however Rasu winced as her own her defending saber was flicked from her grasp, soaring to the other side of the chamber. Making eye-contact with Audren, she made a mental note of the technique before tucking her legs as his own saber sailed past, it's course having been diverted from their previous lock. The entire encounter had occurred within only a few moments, however the Jedi felt as though it had lasted several minutes with the stress that had consumed her. With the danger averted, the Shi'ido fell to floor, rolling forward to avoid any harm from the collapse. Rising once more, she reached for her fallen saber, locking her fingers around the familiar metal as it flew back to her palm.

"That was very good. I won't underestimate your abilities again." she said, calling out to Audren as she entered a combat stance once more. This time she would go on the defensive and observe how Audren would use his knowledge of Ataru to attack the woman. Already impressed by what he had displayed, Rasu remained staunch as she awaited the next move.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

Somehow, the Master managed to twist on an axis in midair. Her sabers came with her and blocked his strike, but one was knocked from her hand as a result. Then she was past, rolling to absorb her motion. Once she stopped, her hand extended and the lost saber returned to her grip, courtesy of the Force. As far as underestimating his abilities...it had just been one strike. Her attack was easier to deal with when he was facing just a single blade, he'd had to come up with something facing two.

"Lucky shot."

He honestly hadn't expected to get as close as he did. Hoped, yes, but not expected. One didn't make such expectations when sparring a Master, one just did their best. He'd take the compliment though, for compliment it was. And yet she was entering a stance rather than blurring to attack. Combined with the sense of expectation, he had to conclude that she was expecting him to attack, to put what he'd learned so far into practice.

He obliged.

With the aid of the Force, the Sephi sped towards his opponent. No fancy bouncing, no dragging his lightsaber across the floor for the visual, auditory, and olfactory distractions. Not from this direction anyways. Past the Master and to the right, two lightsabers ignited simultaneously. Minute threads of Force power were wrapped around the activation studs, and the training blades rattled around on their mounts as a result of the gyroscopic effect common to all lightsabers. Then his own blade was slashing in from his right to left. He fully expected the strike to be blocked, but when (if) she moved to do so the angle of the strike would shift to include the vertical, moving as much down as sideways.

Distract, mislead, move quickly.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Doing her best to anticipate the next move, Rasu's eyes followed Audren's footsteps as he came dashing towards her. Obviously using the Force to augment his speed, the Shi'ido struggled to keep pace with the Jedi, keeping her gaze fixed on the saber clasped in his hand.

However when the training sabers ignited behind her, the woman would resist the urge to determine the source of the distraction. As no Force tremor had alerted her to any danger, she would ignore the blades, placing faith in the Force. The distraction worked still, as within the split second that the blades had activated, Rasu found her gaze pull away from the approaching Sephi, preparing for the danger that would never come from behind. Audren's ploy had worked, however now it was time to act before she found herself a severed mess on the floor. Leaping out of harms way, Rasu cursed silently as the trajectory shifted, finding she was still within range of the humming blade.

Her own blades would not reach her in time to deflect the weapon, so instead she called on her strongest ally; the Force. Without gesturing, as there was no time, Rasu projected a pulse of Force energy to clash with the blade, matching the strength of another energy weapon. While it would not lock with the saber, it would halt the direction of Audren's blade, acting as a temporary barrier which allowed the Shi'ido enough time to escape the humming death that had awaited her.

Having successfully escaped, the woman was already preparing her counterattack, hoping to catch the Sephi off-guard with a strike of her own. Still in mid-air from her daring escape, one saber began to angle itself towards the man's hip, leaving her other weapon ready to defend should the training sabers suddenly fly her way.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

Rasu didn't react much at the sounds of lightsabers behind as Audren rushed towards her. It seemed she was distracted by them though, at least in part, as she started to glance at them before correcting her mistake. It was enough that she was still in range of his shifting strike even as she moved away. Yet rather than impact against her with maybe a slight burn, his blade seemed to slow and stop in midair. And she retaliated, one of her blades coming around to swing at his left hip.

To stop moving in a spar - or more realistically, in a true fight - was to invite defeat. Given the angle of his strike and how it had slowed to a stop, he'd shifted from his two handed grip. Now it was held in a reverse grip, a vague idea to bring the blade up and towards her in a flashing strike towards her face. That plan was stopped when the beginnings of his motion intersected her strike. His motion was just starting and it was weak to begin with, a sacrifice for added speed. So it was that the contact between the blades pushed his back, and him slightly as well. His free left hand came up with an open palm, a mass of thick cables of Force power hurtling at the Master in an attempt to fling her back.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu grimaced as her blade crashed into Audren's weapon. Sparks danced around the pair as her golden saber was swung off-course. She was beginning to feel her age, as her muscles and tendons ebbed a dull ache. However there was no time to dwell on this fact. Danger sense had already alerted her to the tendrils of Force energy that were coming her way. Again due to such close quarters combat Rasu would find she had no time to avoid such an attack. A suitable defense would be her only saviour. Erecting a Force barrier, the Shi'ido hoped to absorb most of the impact. As the attack struck home, the Shi'ido was thrown back, however she rose a few meters away, mostly unscathed.

She had yet to face such a worthy opponent and it pleased her to see such a competent duelist within the Sanctum. If Rasu could do her part here to benefit the Sephi, she would in turn be benefiting the Coalition. With this thought pushing her forward, the Force flowed through her body, reviving and replenishing that which had once ached. With pain no longer a factor, the woman swiftly developed another strategy, deciding on a conjoint technique of two saber forms.

Sending Force energy to her finger tips, Rasu willed the particles to speed up resulting in friction. In seconds her hands were caught alight. Flames danced across her finger tips as she curled them into a fist. Without warning she pushed out sending three fireballs in the direction of her Jedi opponent. She hoped this would result in the man leaping in to the air to sail over the physical attack, leaving him open in mid-air. With this in mind, the woman ignited her weapons once more and leaped forward herself, hoping to meet the man in the air with a simple horizontal slash.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

The Push was moderately successful, putting distance between the two. It didn't slam the Master into the wall, courtesy of the barrier that she put into place, but it did what he'd intended. He didn't press the attack instantly, instead giving himself a moment to process what had been done and recover his footing. It was a shame he didn't have a photographic memory, the Sephi would be reviewing the lesson in detail afterwards.

As she rose from where she'd fallen, the Force flowed through her. He didn't detect any barriers being formed, didn't see any immediate effect, so he made the assumption that she was simply pooling power for an upcoming strike. Her next moves certainly pointed in that direction: a concentration of power around the tips of her fingers. That concentration was suddenly fire, a neat trick. The expected followed - the fire was suddenly hurtling at him. And she was starting to leap above them, no doubt to meet him in the air. Which meant he had two options: he could leap over the fire and meet her where she expected, or he could build a Force barrier and meet her at the other end of her leap, where she had the most momentum to put against him.

Most beings built a Force Shield flat, a solid wall to stop what was coming for them. Some might curve it, call it a Bubble, but the concept was the same. Audren had thought it over when first working out how to make one and had come to a different conclusion. A wall was good, but an angled wall was better. Deflect rather than stop, much more efficient if somewhat heavier on collateral damage. And if you're going to angle it, why not add another side to split the attack down the middle? Or add a third? Or just keep going infinitely until it was a cone? With a unidirectional attack, a sufficiently large cone could break the attack with minimal effort used. Theoretically, one could add planes in certain places and angles to guide the deflection, but he'd not gotten the hang of that quite yet.

Armed with that knowledge, he chose a third option. A cone of Force power sprang into place, sending the three fireballs in widely different directions. At the same time, he was charging at where Rasu had been, underneath her present position. And his lightsaber was flashing up at her legs from below. But he didn't escape unscathed. One of the fireballs was redirected up and to the side, hitting the ceiling near one of the corners between it and the wall. Another hit the wall meters away, but the third splashed against the ground, grazing his leg as it did. He ignored the pain, but it would affect his left leg's ability even so.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu's alarm grew as her flight threw the air remained uninterrupted by the Sephi's presence. She had hoped to meet him in mid air however her own diversion had appeared to fail. Immense heat flashed across her face as one of her own fireballs narrowly missed the Shi'ido, having been skillfully deflected by her opponent. Rasu let a small smile grow on her face before her attention turned to the Jedi now meeting her along the ground.

Cursing herself for allowing to be outmaneuvered, Rasu's eyes locked onto the saber now swinging towards her emerald form. Alarm began to fill her system as her body remained helpless in mid-air. Once again she found herself with very few options. The Sephi was definitely greater than her equal, however she still had several tricks that the man had yet to see.

Once more the Force surrounded her, as she dropped her sabers to the ground, abandoning all hope of offense as she focused on defense. She would need to free her hands for such a technique. As her sabers hit the floor with a clang, Rasu had already summoned the Force to her hands. Twisting her body in mid-air once more, the woman directed her hands towards the oncoming weapon, appearing as if to catch it.

As the lightsaber came into contact, Rasu had to force herself not to flinch however as she focused on the absorption, the blade appeared to shrink, seeming to sink into her palm. A faint blue glow surrounded the woman's open hand as the lightsaber's energy was drawn into her palm. Rasu felt a surge of energy flow through her body as the energy blade was absorbed into the Shi'ido. As the motion finished, the Jedi soared over her opponent, landing on the ground mere meters from Audren. Taking deep breathes, Rasu felt a bit heavier than before, owing to the extra energy that now flowed through her aura. Soon she would have to release that, but she would wait to anticipate her opponents next move first.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

Much to the Sephi's surprise, the woman dropped her lightsabers. That left her hands free, but what could hands do against a lightsaber blade? Apparently, quite a bit. Force power wreathed her as she again rotated in midair, but this time it focused mainly on her hands. Those moved to intercept his blade...and when they did, the blade shrunk. Despite the orange glow of the blade, a blue glow seemed to surround her hands.

Then she was past, landing on the floor without a scratch on her. Not that there would have been a scratch, just a minor burn from the training mode his lightsaber was currently set to, but it was the concept. To declare the Sephi startled would be an understatement: he quite literally stopped and looked down at his blade, which had resumed normal size. Frowning, he hit it against the floor, adding one more minor burn to the dozens already present. He felt the shock from contact, saw the mark appear - his lightsaber was working correctly. Thus that unknown thing that Rasu had done was the cause.

"That's new."

Those words ended his inaction, and he whirled to face the Master. She was outside of lightsaber range, but well within the range of a Force-based strike. His left hand stretched out, moving with the motion of his whirl. Imagination was backed by the power of the Force, and thus he attempted to send his opponent flying to the side. Or at least staggering. Either way would give him time to move in closer.

[member="Rasu Gan"]