First Order; Second Chance

[Connor Harrison]

During the walk, Connor kept his mind free as long as he could, not looking at anything - or anyone - in particular.

He knew very well this girl was Disciple of the Ren. She knew he knew. He knew she knew he knew. However, he knew she wasn't just beautiful with a killer smile; she was calculating and effective, and so he had to prove himself at least a little to earn her trust.

Sticking close to Ara as they moved through the streets to the garrison, they soon had a room to call their own. Connor unclipped the cloak and set it out on the floor opposite where Ara had gone. Then, he rolled his sleeves up and made sure his belts were tight.

Moving to the hilt she set down, he scooped it up and adjusted to handling a lightsaber again, this time for combat.

"Rules? Well, erm...don't die is a good one.”

The power on the saber could be reduced, but this was more dangerous than training sabers - these were real blades as far as he knew and one wrong, or right move, could take a limb or a life.

With a crack of the neck and fingers, Connor ignited the saber with a sharp snap-hiss and the crimson blade was full of power as it hummed before him.

He looked at Ara and nodded.

"First one to kill their own saber loses?”

Connor lunged forward with a stab to the gut.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

She adjusted her own blade, bringing the power to it's lowest setting and started to turn back to the man in agreement.

"Agre-"

With a quick snap of the wrist she activated her saber and barely deflected his blade away from her abdomen. Instead of dancing away as he'd expect, she moved in. Two quick steps forward and she slashed diagonally, aiming for his open side.

She held her blade single-handed, her training in Makashi taking over. The movements felt smooth and comfortable, the daily sparring practices paying off.

She resisted the urge to grab the force to her, to use it to guide her attacks and parries as she was shown.Instead, she moved past him, out of his range and twirled her blade around in a flourish.

She wanted to see how capable he was without giving away all of her strengths. He had years of experience on her paltry few months of training, but she had the ability to access the Force and use it to her advantage. It seemed a fair match for both of them.

She saluted him with her blade and smiled wickedly.

"Good advice. Don't die, Connor."

She launched into a second attack, swinging in an arc towards his legs.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As expected, the retaliation came. Connor lowered the blade and skipped back two steps , the familiar hum of energy slicing the air somewhat a comfort to him. Another reminder that he wasn’t out of the game, not yet.

Ara stalked around, and Connor simply held the blade low in his right hand. Not only was it a test to survive with diminished Force ability, it would push his recently operated on left hand to use in battle. Seemed a great balance – an injured, Force-devoid ex-Jedi against a younger, eager and fully Forced-up Disciple of the Dark Side.

Perfect.

Ara began her attack after a great piece of advice, and Connor hopped back again, this time using the momentum of this stance to move forward in a basic opening assault – forcing her on the back pedal to defend as he used three long strides forward, each stride bringing a fresh attack.

Side on to her head.

Down to the opposite thigh.

Back to the head.

The sound of the clashing sabers was something he had missed.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

She moved back swiftly, blocking a blow with each step: upper right, lower left, upper left.

Not one to stay on the defensive, she immediately dashed in, two quick steps bringing her within his range.

A feint to the right followed up by a jab to the abdomen.

She reversed her steps and shifted to the right, turning her back away from the encroaching wall. His stride was longer than hers, his blows stronger. Depending on her speed of movement and endurance was her best bet. She would have to keep moving, using small attacks and feints to tire and disorient him.

She danced in again, shifting to the side with each step.

A light cut to the upper right arm.

A sweeping blow towards his head.

She followed these with three strides backwards, her feet never stopping their movement.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

His blade slapped hers away, and he ducked to avoid losing his head, his breathing sharp and eyes focused. Ara was fast, and she had retreated a few steps in the time he had risen up.

Connor didn’t stop for a second.
He ran forward, left arm out, right hand holding the blade up by his side, both able to attack her. Instead, he slid his right foot forward with a sharp kick to the back of her heel. It was a cheap shot, but in battle, it didn’t matter.

One of those tricks to either get a foe to fall down before you leaving their head ready to be cleaved off, or stumble and fall in order to let you get the final blows in.

As his foot kicked, he used the momentum to spin 360 and bring the crimson blade across like hacking down a tree-trunk.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

His foot connected with her heel, sending her stumbling. Pissed that she hadn't anticipated such a cheap shot from the former Jedi, she let the Force guide her, blocking his blade, inches from her side.

"Cheap shot." Her tone was angry, but her expression was amused tinted with pride.

This wouldn't be as easy as she had expected and she looked forward to the challenge. Disengaging from the blow, she swung her blade around low, aiming at his ankles. She rolled, kicking off the floor and landing in a crouch. It was a exercise she hadn't tried in years and her back protested the strange movement.

Ignoring the twinge of sore muscles, she spun, launching back at Connor with a series of attacks aimed at his torso.

Slice to the right shoulder.

Jab to the left.

Feint to the right again.

Taking a page out of his book, she followed the feint up by sweeping her leg around, aiming for the back of his left thigh, intent on knocking him off of his feet. Her momentum brought her blade around, swinging wide towards his back.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor didn’t say anything, just gave a sly nod. It felt good to be back in combat again.

Turning from her blade, he watched her move with deft athleticism. And then, she was back on the assault and Connor used Soresu as his signature mode – letting her hits connect but flowing with them to let her do the work.

And just as expected, she returned the cheap shot to try and take him down.

It would hurt, but it would hopefully be worth it.

As their blades clashed and her stance shifted for the incoming kick, so too did Connor’s and he kicked out with his – shin on shin collision and a dull thud of bone, and at the perfect time came her blade.

He blocked it whilst regaining his stance with both hands on the hilt. He pushed down to take her blade with his, but let go with his right hand and swiped out with a back-handed strike for her face.

It was a quick assault from the moment their legs hit – he was still acting without the Force and held the hilt with his weaker hand. Would he connect? The speed and strength was certainly an advantage in such a tight spot.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

She ignored the sharp stab of pain radiating from where their shins contacted. As his blade pushed hers down, she let it, using his force and momentum to twist her blade with the block instead of away from it.

She noted his change in grip and narrowed her eyes. The blow came and she had two options: to duck back, disengage, and avoid the shot, or to use it to her advantage.

She chose the latter and let his hand connect, turning her face with the backhand to lessen it's impact. The blow still stung, her eye watering from the pain.

Using his own movement to distract him, she slid her blade down his, angling her hilt inside his guard. The hilts impacted, his left wrist beneath hers. She stepped in, pushing against his wrist with hers and bringing her other hand up, attempting to trap his wrist between her hands and the hilt of her blade.

It was a dangerous move, his blade inches from her side, but she was willing to risk it.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Never taking pleasure from hitting a woman, this was going to be one of those little moments she would be wary of in future. It wasn’t just a lightsaber that could - or should – be used in a fight potentially to the death.

Her hilt moved, and her body turned, and he winced at the pressure applied.

A stinging sensation ran right up his arm and he felt trapped.

Looking up at her, he couldn’t help but grin at the strange stale-mate. She had used his blow for distraction and used the attack as a disadvantage.

The hum of the blades and energy glowed between the two locked in a stance, but Connor’s hand was hurting and tingling and the wrist felt heavy with the weight being applied. He had to fight his way out.

He grabbed the back of her hair with his right hand to pull her backwards and down to the ground. It would take them both, probably, due to their stance, but he needed an inch off the pressure to move his way out.

How it pained him treating her like that – but this was a fight, and he would fight as he had to. Hopefully, she would to.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

She should have been shocked that he grabbed her hair, but she wasn’t. As they fell, she brought her knee up between them, rolling with the impact on her back and pushing his weight off of her.

He was larger and heavier than she was. If she became trapped beneath him, she’d be screwed. She had to hope the momentum and his lack of leverage would work to her advantage.

Releasing her grip from the bottom of her hilt, she reversed the pressure on his wrist, pushing their sabers out and away from her body.

Her breath knocked out of her from the impact, she attempted to roll away, hoping he’d released his grip on her hair in the chaos.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The pair went down, and Connor’s body twisted with the push from Ara, and the two parted. He let go of her hair to cushion his blow, and systematically winced and cursed as the pressure shot through his wrist again as she moved and rolled away.

His head lolled to the floor, the damaged hand flexing as best he could to get feeling back, before spinning up on his knees and standing.

Her hair was dishevelled at the back and side, and the two faced off with their glowing blades.

Push the attack. Push the body. He wanted her to succeed.

Connor twirled the blade around like a wheel as he walked towards her, wishing he could barge her back with a Force push or enhanced shoulder barge. Instead, he used the strength he had in him to launch the final wheel motion down to her, as if to cleave her in two.

Time to use brute strength and push harder than before in short, heavy, violent attacks.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

As they disengaged, she pushed to her feet, meeting his attack with a horizontal block. Both hands gripped the hilt against the brute strength of his swing. As the force of the clash reverberated through her arms, she deflected his blade away, shifting backwards as he advanced.

Adjusting to the speed and added strength of his attacks, she kept both hands on the saber's hilt, meeting each blow in a solid block. She was on the defensive with no break in his attacks to give her an opening.

She hissed in pain as the edge of his blade grazed her shoulder, her failure to completely block his move igniting a ball of anger in her gut.

She ducked his next swing and spun, sending her elbow into his ribcage and sending the full-force of her 125 pound frame against him.

As they stumbled backwards, she kept her saber parallel to her body, hilt aimed in a blow to his chin.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He swung across and the blade hummed violently, but she was nimble and took the wind out of him with a well-placed elbow to the stomach, forcing him over and at her mercy when she barged into him.

Fighting to get his breath as the muscles convulsed in his torso, the crimson blade nearly blinded him and his head snapped back - the hilt of her saber clocking him in the chin.

Gritting his teeth and wiping for a check of blood, which there was ever so slightly, he smiled in approval.

"First blood.”

So came the time he pushed back, determined to make the girl suffer as much as he could without getting cut up.

He lunged forward into her with his bright blade, jabbing for the areas on opposite sides to force her to move this way and that, block there and then here. After he jabbbed for the third time, his blade switched hands mid-move and his right root came up as he turned sideways for a swift boot to the gut.

This was his attempt to break her and force submission.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Still angry at herself, the Disciple didn't even acknowledge the hit but focused on blocking and repelling his attacks. The each attack was met easily, even though she was winded and her muscles aching. The force guided her blocks before her eyes even acknowledged the direction he was aiming for.

His foot shot out and contacted solidly with the soft flesh beneath her ribcage, knocking all air from her and sending the girl flying backwards.

Her back slammed into the ground followed by the back of her head, her vision going black for a split second upon impact.

Somehow she managed to maintain her grip on the hilt in her right hand, rolling to the side after a moment of being incapacitated. Her vision was swimming with spots, her breathing harsh and labored. Knowing he'd be advancing on her in an instant, she reached with the force, gripping the hilt in his hand and twisting, attempting to disarm him before he could strike a final blow.

It was her one advantage over him and she was going to use it. The simple use of Telekinesis was about the extent of her abilities at the moment, but he didn't need to know that.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

She fell back, and he smirked at the grace of her falling down hard.

He cut the air with the blade and span it one more time before bringing it to her neck.

With the left boot, he shot out to stand on her wrist of the hand grasping her blade, and....

....what...?

Connor glance at his hand, the grip preventing it from moving further down.

He glared at her - the Force was strong in her and now she was using it, and as much as he fought it, grunting to push her back - he KNEW he could...but he couldn't...

The hilt was twisting outwards, and he pushed harder on her wrist.

He winced, eyes closed and strained.

His muscles stung and the nerves were tingling as his hand opened before the bone broke - the hilt fell from his grasp and the blade died as it clattered to the floor.

His heart sank, and his head lolled back.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Ara let out a painful hiss as his boot came down her wrist and applied pressure. Almost instinctually she gripped the hilt harder, even as she fought with him for control of the blade that was dangerously close to her neck.

As the pressure applied on her wrist grew to the point of breaking, she snapped her hand open, letting it fall to floor, the blade dying instantly.

She barely registered the sound of a second hilt hitting the floor, the pressure on her wrist, pain from her head, and the energy expended using the force causing her to black out for a moment.

The moment was over as quickly as it came and Ara shook her head, attempting, in vain, to clear her vision of the spots. She glanced up at Connor as he stood over her.

"Are you....going...to get off....my wrist?"

Her usual snark was still present despite the heavy breathing. She idly wondered if a rib was cracked.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Allowing himself to finally control his breathing and relax, he forgot he was actually stood ON Ara's wrist until she murmured below him. Connor's eyes went wide and he got off straight away.

"Son of a Bith - I'm sorry...”

He knelt down and took her wrist in his hands and rubbed it gently, and clasped his other hand around her side to lift her into the sitting position.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

He looked over her, trying to hard to see and feel any wounds. There was something - some indication of pain - but as for healing, he'd do little to help in his state. He glanced at his hilt, and then hers behind them.

"Hm,” he mused, "so who won?”

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

"Good question."

She paused, mentally tallying the wounds she'd incurred. Pulling her wrist out of his grip none too gently, she winced as the wrist protested. At least her wrist wasn't broken, even if it would be sore for a while. Her shoulder ached, the burn from the glancing blow bright red against her pale skin. She glanced at it and smiled wryly, noting that it would make an interesting scar.

"Whose saber died first? Those were the conditions of winning, correct?"

She ignored his question about her injuries, obviously she was hurt, he'd just bounced her head off the training room floor. She ran her hands through her hair, simultaneously fixing it and checking for blood. The moment her fingers grazed the tender spot, her vision flashed black again and she pulled her hands away, unwilling to black out again.

Well that was karking lovely. She'd just have to stay sitting a little while longer to recover her equilibrium. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal, even though her ribcage continued to ache where his boot impacted.

She glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow at the blood on his lip. Smiling, she reached up with her thumb and wiped it off.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor noted her staggered movements, and didn't like it. The heat of the combat had taken over, and both had traded blows, and Connor had traded harder ones than he should.

He looked at the sabers, and turned into her thumb, wiping the blood from his lip. Almost ignoring it, he reached his hand around her head and gently threaded his fingers in her hair and felt her scalp slowly. There was a nasty bump. He winced.

"Ok, try to regulate your breathing, and focus on where it hurts. Force healing will help. Focus your Force energy on it - inwards, not outwards. Hone in on the pain. The aggravated muscle. The broken born. The torn flesh. Use the Force to accelerate the skin tissue and your DNA to begin healing.”

He tried to offer his strength to her.

"Focus...focus on it. Feel the Force inside you heal your body. Your body is one with the Force. It will help accelerate muscle repair, even bone growth, and clot blood. Take your time.”

Time was not an issue, and he gently stroked the back of her head and watched her, hopefully finding some relief.

"And....I think your saber died before mine.”

Totally a lie, but it was worth it. If his obvious grin wasn't a clue.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Ara focused on the spot of blood, a sly smile growing. She ducked her head, letting her hair fall forward to hide her expression. His hand in her hair felt amazing and she forced herself not to respond. The urge to lean into it was there, she just refused to do it.

She sat for a moment, wondering if she should follow his advice and attempt to heal herself. If she tried and succeeded, great. But if she tried and failed? She risked black out in truth this time. She glanced up through her hair at the blood on her finger, his blood. No, she wouldn't risk it, time for a distraction. She was always having to distract this man, infuriating.

Ignoring his comments, she shifted onto her knees and began to lean over him, her hand sliding from his split lip to the base of his skull. She turned her face so her lips were next to his ear, a repeat of earlier in the day.

”You sound like a Jedi.”

She laughed and pushed away from him, ignoring the twinges of pain from her back and head. Standing up carefully, she moved to collect the fallen sabers, turning to glance back at him with a knowing grin.

”You are a horrible liar, Connor.”

She shook her head and took the saber hilts back to where her cloak lay, folded on the ground.

"By my count that was...three hits?" She turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "That means three questions. Make them worth it."

[member="Connor Harrison"]