First Reply ENTRY #1345 - "That planet with the cat people on it."

[Hit²]

[LOCATION: Cantros 7]
[EXPEDITION INTENT: "Training - and I guess finding The Collective "]
[JOURNAL LOG ENTRY #1345 - "That planet with the cat people on it."]​

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Perspective - HIT²
Now Playing - Macroblank - entropy

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Reductive, I know, but that's the header we're going with. Apparently signs of Collective activity were spotted on the planet, but so far, there's been diminishing returns to my visit. The locals are friendly enough... They let me train in peace with a few buried logs outside their commune. I've just been hitting these things for hours... The dummies are stained with my own blood - I think it's scaring a few of the kids that come to spy on me during the evening.

I also tried to remedy that by showing them a few moves, but I split one of the logs in half while trying to perform a side-step into a hook. They ran away after that. I'm really hoping I don't start seeing pitchforks and torches on the horizon anytime soon.

Whatever, that's just how my life goes I guess... End log.

---

Hit took temporary residence on a small commune within Cantros 7. While most Cantrosian communities were reasonably advanced, this one decided to follow a more naturalistic form of living. Hit was training his body as he did every other day, but a looming sense of dread continued to plague his mind as he honed his techniques. With every conflicting thought questioning the atmosphere of peace around him, his footwork got even sloppier. He hadn't seen any Collective "Hoard Scorn" cleaving their way through innocents or setting up bases of operation across the planet's surface, but he couldn't trust his own eyes or ears. Hit of all people knew you had to remain vigilant, even when the enemy falls still.

 

[Zar Kevdac]

It seemed Contii had another mission for Zar, this time wringing some credits out of a deadbeat who was in way too deep with his newest employer. Well, that or just dust the guy and send a message, either way someone was about to have a very, very bad time. Zar landed the Daggerlip outside the Cantrosian village, out of sight, and made a slow approach looking for the only human in this feline village. Or rather, sniffing out the only human, he had a...distinctive aroma compared to the natives. He wasn't in hiding, another hunter might have respected that fact but Zar just considered it poor planning.

"So, you must be Hit." Zar drolled as he sauntered down the walk, hands resting near his holsters in a casual stance.

Hit²

 

[Hit²]

It wasn't long before the peace gained through the flow of training ceased immediately. Hit organized his appearance by flicking the blood off his hands - his upper-body then bending down to touch his toes without effort in a satisfying stretch.

The only thing separating the commune from the training space was a thin row of blue colored crops, hedged in front of a nearby home. People began to eye Zar Kevdac through windows, while a few wandering pedestrians ran inside buildings upon witnessing his holstered weapons.

Hit put his hands on his waist and addressed Zar with an apathetic frown. "And you are? Oh... No, wait, never mind... I think I might have an inkling."
"I'm surprised he didn't send some kind of robot centipede to mug me. You're a refreshing change of pace - gunslingers are a bad match up for me though..."

 

[Zar Kevdac]

"A bad match? How do you expect to get me from all the way over there?" They were still on opposite ends of the path. People were already starting to duck into their houses, seeing the imminent violence that was about to take place. Zar paid them no mind, all his senses were trained on the human while his hands laid on his disruptors. He was curious to see just what made this unkept mammal so confident he could take him.

Hit²

 

[Hit²]

"Would you like to find out?"

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Now Playing - Hangar 18

Hit marched past a few of the imbedded logs in his makeshift training area and stopped next to a particularly big one. The log was as wide as Hit's body, and a little taller too. He eyed it up from top to bottom and tapped the base of it with the tips of his knuckles. He continued to stare down Zar with an unbothered smile as his stance shifted low - enough for one knee to almost be touching the dirt floor, while the other knee held tightly behind him in a slighter bend.

It wasn't long before the top of the log came flying towards Zar, after Hit jabbed it from behind. After the first speeding projectile was launched, Hit immediately dashed towards the next "wooden dummy" to repeat his cover and fire tactic, punching the backs of their heads to fire shards and chunks of splintered wood like a cannon.

Every dummy he beheaded gave him another opportunity to close the distance, and he would only get closer until Zar reacted accordingly.

"Huff- see that? Just like a gun... My fist is the hammer, and the log's the bullet... Looks like we're on an even playing field."

 

[Zar Kevdac]

Alright, that was a new one to Zar, he was wary of some kind of counter attack, but having logs punched at him was a first. The first two he narrowly avoided, but Zar's reflexes were razor-honed and by the time his target reached the last log, Zar could not only weave backwards through the logs to create distance, and even vaporized the last log before it could get launched at him.

"Yeah, but its still a fist. And I've got disruptors. The kind that'll kill yah real slow and painful on a glancing blow, so why don't you make this painless for both of us and just let my dust you?" Zar asked nonchalantly.

Hit²

 

[Hit²]

Hit appreciated Zar's keen reflex. He watched him deduce the aim of each log and react accordingly.
It was the potential of a martial artist being painted before him. He witnessed Zar tap into the "flow" that Hit danced with every night and day. It was extraordinary. It was combat.

In his idle glee, Hit thrust his fingers through the last remaining wooden dummy and tore its upper half off. It was embedded on his digits - he began wielding it like a huge riot shield. It would only be able to sustain one disruptor shot, but it would give Hit just enough time to reach close-combat distance.

Afterall, he had distracted Zar long enough to halve the path's distance between the both of them already. There wasn't much expanse left for Zar to utilize.

"I've got slow and painful ways too... Better keep that jaw guarded, because I'm almost there..."

---

As the battle ensued, the surrounding Cantrosian community began to flee in the opposite direction. They abandoned their homes to seek sanctuary away from the potential calamity. The only remaining Cantrosian presence was one small boy hiding between the crops adjacent to the training area.

The lush blue jungles over the horizon of the path, in the background of the commune, began to stir with a discomforted shake. Something was hearing the ongoing battle. It was reacting to the noise.

But that was unbeknownst to Hit or Zar.

 

[Zar Kevdac]

Zar wanted to know what this man was on and where he could get some, because having a disruptor shot at him only seemed to excite him. Even as his proverbial shield was crumbling to dust in his grip the man was closing fast, and Zar was starting to wonder if a disruptor should would kill the man or just make him mad. Still, mustn't show weakness in the face of crazy mother-fethers, not proper for a cold-blooded merc.

"You aren't here yet!" Zar kept backing up, trying to move in an orderly fashion as the man closed in, keeping his disrputors up and a steady stream of fire going.

Hit²

 

[Hit²]

Now Playing - Invasion A.D.

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Hit's temporary shield was instantly vaporized after a centered shot. He continued to run in a beeline towards Zar - defying the cover tactics he used to deter the disrupter blasts. Instead, he began to bob and weave through the shots - crackles of energy barely scraping past his face or shoulder. It was only until he was finally a few meters from Zar's position did a disrupter shot almost land its mark.

Almost.

The final shot held still in the air, with the energy vibrating wildly - begging to be let go.
The usual smug smile on Hit's face was replaced with an expression of shock. He lightly panted as he used the force to deviate the final disrupter blast's trajectory into the sky.

"I... Cheated. Sorry, but that one got too close..."

He had finally reached a comfortable distance to engage Zar. Hit's confidence slowly returned as his arm swatted in Zar's direction. It didn't intend to land - Hit was just judging the distance, before in a split second, he would begin his counterattack.

Zar had to be prepared to get down and dirty.

 

[Zar Kevdac]

Zar must have hit the salt too hard, because he could have sworn that his last disruptor shot was stuck in midair before bolting up toward the sky. Disruptor shots weren't supposed to do that last time he checked, and when Hit mentioned he'd cheated Zar began to wonder why exactly every mission from Contii seemed to take a bizarre turn.

"I'm not getting paid enough..." Zar ducked back and away from the first swing, trying to create some distance as he brought his disruptors up again. In these tight confines most people would have ditched the pistols, but Zar was confident he was fast enough to get a shot off even in the middle of a fist fight. If nothing else, they might make Hit nervous enough to cheat again.

Hit²

 

[Hit²]

Hit smiled brightly at Zar's combative instinct. Zar wouldn't allow the distance disadvantage to stop him, and he was... Using guns in close combat?

Despite Hit's honed reflexes, he gawked as the barrel of a pistol aimed squarely at his head again. He feebly attempted to retaliate with a forearm strike to knock the aim off him, and adapted his footwork to the close quarters by going very, very low...

His arms lifted up in a boxer's stance and he began to bob and weave again - side-stepping around Zar with incredible grace. This time, his efforts were spent on dodging the various gun blasts going off right next to him. He attempted to disarm Zar at one point, but the sound of another disruptor shot beaming near his ear made him step back in a moment of panicked caution.

"You know, I thought blasters were kind of cheap... But you move well with them."

Hit's mind rationalized things differently to ordinary people. He gauged worth and respect on someone's martial instinct - their potential.
Zar had exceeded Hit's expectations. Hit thought Zar would just... Fold - after he got close enough. That was the deal with most long-ranged opponents - they clung to their toys too religiously.

But Zar moved with combative ambition. His core was tight, his stance was low, and his arms flicked quickly like a whip to aim his disruptor pistols. His motions were similar to a trained martial artist. Hit was actively indulging in the conflict. He found value in this battle, and he wouldn't underwhelm the pace with lazy movements.

---

His intensity began to accelerate. Hit released a barrage of straight jabs towards Zar - his fist seemed to evaporate in the air from the sheer speed.
The style of fist-fighting was familiar to a stance innovated in a galaxy far, far away. His left fist was loose and agile, while his right fist covered his cheek and maintained a solid defense.