Five Forts

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Looking at her as she thought about it... how best to explain it all and how best to really work on teaching her. She would need somewhere to go that sensing her would well be important. "We shall be able to do it later. A good place to test it out would be the mountains. Fighting the Hana or trying to sneak past them." She amused herself with that, after thousands upon thousands of years the warriors of the Hana were by and large unchanged. THeir weapons and tactics might have shifted but they still replied upon their pilkes now with ultrasonic generators and plasma cores to make the weapons cleave through most beings and even metal walls, doors and hulls. Sawa herself though had fought in their arena, seen the legends in statues of past victors and knew how dangerous they could be. Where the Keisei were about beauty, they were about power and being stronger. The energy vampire though leaned back and she tapped a hand on the table. "Hiding your presence in the force though takes concentration and focus. We'll see what you can do."

 

[Xi Rell]

"Yes, Mistress. So vho are these Hana? Some native tribe or something?" Xi asked, as she enjoyd her dessert.

Looking around brifly as she waiter for the ansver, the Bladeborn woman culd see the usual spektakles that she learned wer a standard part of meal-entrteinment. Onna sparring vith each other, the maidens and other slaves slinking around, looking either wanting or bored, and servants rushing around vith new meals.

She vas kuite full, her-self, she didnt plan on eating anithing else after the dessert, plus, she had to watch her kaloric in-take to keep her in shape. Her gaze brifly stoped on Chujo, the big, hunky, hulking Onna captain. Her gaze slyded slowly akros his broad chest and lats... making her lick her lips sligtly. She konsidered haveing another frendly full-kontakt spar vith him today, but... truth be told she vasnt in the mood. Plus, if vhat Sawa sayed vas true, she wuld need her full wits and readynes vith her, during the training in Force masking. Geting beat-up in sparring wuld not make her perform at 100% vhen it wuld be needed.

He glanced back at her vith a sligt smile... he vas obviusly eager to throw it vith her agen, hopefuly to get even for the ass-kicking of the first day... but it wuld have to wait for some other time. They did spar a couple more times, during the trainings for the Onna, but not realy full-force, just as part of the tehnikue-learning that she vas intent on haveing them pick up.

"Maby tomorow, Chujo! Tonight, after I get back from training, you wil lay vith me agen." she smiled back at him, winking, the thoght being a mental message to him. She didnt think she vas that profisient vith telepathy thru the Force for him to recive it, but it vas vorth a try. He wuld get the gist of it, aniway.

She figurd after she vas done training in the mountains, she wuld be very much in the mood for some intimate atentions, from Chujo.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Hmmm Sawa looked at her and was finishing the meal. Setting up some of the arraignments for training purposes. The sith leaned back a little though in her seat and she was watching them for a moment and her fingers moved. A small datapad as one of her servats came over giving her a wrist to feed on. The force energies flowing into her as she drained them and some of the others who were around watched with a snicker. Slowly Sawa pulled her head back and licked her lips. "We'll set out immediately though if you are going to be traveling my dear you shall have to dress properly." She said it and motioned one hand with her fingers off towards one of the servants.

They would get everything set up and she checked it out where they were going for now. She finsihed the meal though and rose up walking out while the rest of the Onna were continuing or finishing up. Drinks flowed and the woman approached the ship seeing what messages she had gotten. A few from different sources that were important enough though. "We shall see later, for now lets get our attention on all of this... on heading out." She knew where would be best and the northern continent was smaller then most knew roughly as large as an island with sheets of ice and often considered a larger island then anything else.

 

[Xi Rell]

[member="Sawa Ike"]

Finishing the dessert, Xi gone to her room. As she changed, in-to her usual light-armored tank top + bacpack + armored gloves and bracers, and light-armored pants, her long-prefered outfit vhen she planed to get busy, she also brifly de-tured to her R41, now in the palace hangar, and picked out a few pieces of gear she thoght she wuld need.

"Smoke nades... yea, il take two. Force-cloak or not, I like haveing a backup... vhat else... a holo-decoy emiter? Yes, it culd be useful. And a couple thermal dets, just in case stealth fails and i need to clean out fast. Macrobinocs... yes, that to." the Bladeborn woman thoght, as she picked out her gear. She culdnt help but scowl, at how some Bladeborn clan-mates of hers looked down on her, in there vords, over-relyance on gear. And also a reminder of how limited she vas in the Force. But, most of them wer dead now, and she stil lived, after all the asignments and contracts she taken, killing Jedi. In the end, its the rezults that count, not the metods.

Finaly done vith her prep, and also going thru her own litle patented 10 min stretch/flex rutine, to get her body ready for action, she climbd in-to the cockpit of her fighter, and signaled her Mistress, who she culd see on the outer landing pad, near her own ship.

"Ready to go Mistress. Take the lead, I'l fly wingman. How far do we have to go?" she spoked over the comm, vhile using the repulzor-engine to slowly glide the R41 out of the hangar. Once out, the old fighter hovered in the air, waiting for Sawa's ship to lift of and join her.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Sawa looked at her and bowed her head as the ship was prepared to take them. Entering it and the decadence was there.... silks lining it, flowers and banners with other script on the walls. Inked runes of sith and atrisian script that she spoke with a grin. "Simple but effective, darkside runes crafted by a sith hand and infused with magics that would allow it to hide one from the senses of others int he force. I have the children in the village practice daily their skills at writing the runes in atrisian script. It lets me trade their skills in writing and teaching those who want to learn dark arts but without having to give into a full master."

She had a grin as the ship was taking off and most of the Onna who stood there had changed, golden armor and more regal equipment. Chujo was still at the fortress with many of the others and instead Koramitsu stood there one of the female Onna with her mask taken away from her face. She was looking at it them. Sawa sat down and there were others, her Onna here were very different compared, their weapons not katana's more sickles with runes along the metal. Their armor having cloaks and they had modern blasters. Heavier casters firing energy wrapped ionic quarrels. For a triple threat just to mess with one.

Ionic energy encased in a slug and wrapped in energy letting it fire from shatter guns developed by verpines. She rather liked it and it was quiet before two servants came in with one of them kneeling down. "Mistress." She said it and Sawa held a hand up as a small chalice was brought to her. Golden metal encrusted with gemstones. She drank from it as the ship was heading there and she let the few hours pass by in silence... mostly. One of the servants was wearing a veil over her face as she played on a harp to entertain her mistress. The other used one fo the six strings to add to the music as the different Onna were reciting poems they were told to make up on the spot.

Sawa mostly used it to amuse herself as the outside changed, from the fields to ocean and then to ice, thick sheets of it that were rarely traveled anymore. Then the island in the distance as it was covered in thick layers of snow. High cliffs surrounding a geothrermal valey with greens in some places and Sawa was going towards a central away. Large castle walls and what amounted to a landing area. All around was snow and ice as the temperature was warm but neither hot nor cold so the people were able to walk around in normal clothing. her golden Onna matched the outfits of the guards as different children and teenagers were here.

 

[Xi Rell]

Xi's R41 landed not far from Sawa's ship, before the bladeborn woman poped the canopy, and exited. From the snow-caped peaks around, she expekted for it to be frezing outsyde. To her suprise... it vasnt. The temperature vas actualy kuite pleazant.

"I dont supose your going to tell me how is this posible? Snow at room-temperature?" the ripped warrior smiled, as she steped close to her Mistress.

"So, vhere are we?" she added, looking around, at the castle and the people standing near-by. She vas also suprised by the number of children around. For a training area, it didnt make sense to her.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Sawa looked at her and she spoke. "The temperature is regulated from a number of vents and springs. It can be the height of winter and this area will be comfortable as to where we are." She looked at some of the children when she was looking at it. "THis is a school of sorts, created by the Atrisian Inquisition long ago. Dedicated to inducting and re-education." SHe said it as she knew some of the things they were doing. "The inquisition would take children and teach them properly how to be loyal to their emperor, foreign children from the colonies and ones who were brought here then left or their parents died.... they would be brought in. Taught and made to serve the purposes, broken down mentally, spiritually and in everyway. I have used it to do much the same and have loyal subjects."

 

[Xi Rell]

"Subjects? Or slaves vithout there own minds..." Xi thoght, keeping her face im-pasive. Yes... the more she diskovered about her new Mistress, the more she dis-liked her. The Inquizition?

It vas one of the more unikue things about Bladeborn, in komparison to most other Sith cults. They placed alot of emphazis on a individual, and a individual's self-determinetion. They worshiped strength. And being strong vasnt just a funktion of the body, it vas also a funktion of the mind. A strong person vithout a strong mind, is just a thrall. A slave. Like the Mistress' Onna. For one to be truly strong, one also needed to be self-determined. This ment that the Bladeborn culd never actualy build a empire, or any kind of large, homogenus society, because they wer too loosely governd. But on the other hand, it also ment they wer stronger as individuals, and virtualy un-stopable as warriors.

But, at the moment, she vasnt here to kontemplate on the Mistress' slaves. They culd burn, for all she cared. If they wer weak enogh to be enslaved, they dezerved there fate.

"Lovely." vas the only thing she sayed out-loud, before she continued... "So, how do I start my training in the Force masking ability, Mistress? You sayed there wer some native tribes up here, the Hana, vhere I wuld have to sneak thru?"

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Sawa looked at her and she was walking towards one of the buildings then she pointed to the mountains. "THey are up there wells ome of the, the more dangerous who have managed to get here." She moved into the building though and there were white clad warriors. Standing around with stun rods and electrowhips as they continued to test the childrens ability to dodge the strikes but they weren't moving from their spots. When they got sight of Sawa they stopped and one wearing a black outfit spoke. "Enough, take positions." Sawa looked at Xi and she pointed towards her when she was taking a seat. "Training in here is two fold they are teaching children how to dodge but also hide their presence int he force. You'll practice with them, each time you are detected they are going to whip you with their weapons."

 

[Xi Rell]

Xi vas confuzed. Vhat did dodge training had to do vith hiding one-self in the Force? And how wuld she even begin? As she steped forvard, puting her weapons on the side of the circle, to the center vith the children, she turned.

"But... but how do I keep my-self from being detected thru the Force?! I dont understand--" she trailed-of, as she maked a hasty duck, a electro-whip line pasing over her head. She then side-steped a relativly clumsy atempt by one of the trainers, to prod her vith a stun-rod.

This vas no efort at all... a trained warrior, vith honed combat instinkts, Xi Rel culd dodge and duck these guys for days on end, and they wuldnt land a strike on her, unles she let them. Another whip-lash pased under her, as she back-fliped over it, then bent-back in a bow, as a stun rod stabed at her chest, folowing by a graceful half-roll to the side, out-distancing another whip.

She culd keep that up for days. But she didnt understand how wuld this help her to mask her-self thru the Force. As she continued ducking, dodging and antisipating, making it look easy, she cast a inkvizitive glance toward Sawa. This vas a nice re-fresher course for her, but it didnt get her any closer to being able to mask her-self thru the Force.

Vhat was the point? "At least these kids get to see how evazion is done..." Xi thoght in amuzement, continuing to dodge evrything the instruktors tryed to hit her vith.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Sawa was looking at her move and she spoke. "Better now the same way you focus the force into your body to anticipate and move. CHannel it into your aura, that feeling you present to others." She waited for a moment. "Your force signature as it were, you are going to find it, you are going to use it to mask yourself from their senses." She remained there looking at the one who was leading it and some fo the children snickered as it was being explained. Sawa held a hand out to one and he approached bowing and she brought him up. "You think it is humorous that she is learning?" THe boy seemed to think about it for a moment but not completely as he spoke. "She questions the master, she shouldn't do that.... when we do we are punished master." She smirked at that and tapped his nose. "Good my little Kayoshi, oh your family would have been so proud if they had still lived." She was looking at him and pushed him away, the former emperor and empresses family was wiped out mostly. some had been taken to the inquisition citadel where she had gone and found them. Now she was watcing Xi dodge as the trainers were focusing on force sight to follow her movements rather then their eyes. It was one thing to conceal yourself in the force and not move... it was another to be able to shuffle slowly... no you needed to be able to properly move.

 

[Xi Rell]

"Yea, litle hard to fokus on chaneling my Force aura vhen I have to dodge these guys! Can you tell them to stop, so I can try?" the Bladeborn woman obzerved dryli, as she evaded another series of strikes from the instruktors. One of them almost nicked her, as she vas distrakted by the converzation. Or vas it something more? Wer they seeing her thru the Force now, and adapting?

Or vas she suposed to do that at the same time? That thoght maked Xi scowl... how?

To vent some of her frustration, she replyed to the boy... "A good student is suposed to kuestion the master! How else are you suposed to judge them worthy of teaching you?" challenge in her voice, counting on that coment to irritate Sawa. She may hav spoken it to the boy, but it vas ment for her... Mistress. The more she stayed here, the more the Sith vampire woman got on her nerves, vith her high-and-noble atitude. She didnt want asociates... she wanted slaves. And Xi vas nobodys slave. It wuldnt hurt to keep reminding Sawa of that.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Sawa listened to her and remained seated there as she moved her hand to dismiss him. "Go back to the others." THe boy didn't answer the woman he moved qithout questioning and Sawa turned her attention back to her as she was still dodging. "You want them to stop? Are you failing to rise up to the challenge?" She said it with less interest and more of a malicious grin on her face. She was sure it would make her angry but Xi seemed to be thinking for herself as Sawa took some interest but she wasn't one to get irritated by comments, she barely showed emotion as it was when the trainers were continuing their strikes. Adding in cracks and twists as they showed more skill with the whips then just lashing out with them. THey did this to teach dodging but also how to use the force when focusing on something else. Turn it into something in the background.

 

[Xi Rell]

"I wil rize to any challege... Mistress!" Xi growld viciusly, as she continued dodging, trying to also fokus thru the Force.

And it vasnt working. A vhip lashed her hard acros her side, as she vas a shade to slow in dodging. Then a stun-rod impaled in-to her back, making her let out a gutural growl, stumbling. She just vasnt strong enogh in the Force, to divide her atention like this. Her midichlorian count just vasnt high enogh to fasilitate it.

Her rage given her fokus, how-ever. She refuzed to admit defeat. She returned her atention fully to dodging, and then tryed to shift it slowly, bit by bit, away from it, and on-to the Force.

"Agh!" another lash konekted. This time, dogedly, Xi didnt retrakt her atention, she tryed to keep it divided.

"Nggh!" another. Using the pain to feed her rage, Xi kept it up, trying to firm up her fokus, vithout sakrificing her defence. But it just... vasnt enogh. No mater how much she fokused, she culdnt keep her atention divided.

She glanced at Sawa, notising her malicius smile. That only infuriated her more. Another strike konekted, but this time she didnt even grunt in pain, just inhaled sharply. Then she shifted her atention to that guy vho just konekted... noticing he vas smirking, too.

And that vas to much for the hot-blooded Bladeborn woman. Alredy pised-off by her failure, this guy's mockery vas over the line. She vas prepared to take that from Sawa, but not some no-name slave of hers. On his next atempted lash vith the elektro-whip, she let it coil around her fore-arm. Ignoring the searing elektrical burn, she puled on it, and the man, making him stumble-in the center... and right in-to her knee, impaling to his gut.

"Vhats so funny?! HUH?!" she snarled as he doubled-over, air rushing out of him, then folowed-thru by knocking him out vith a elbow to the temple, breking his arkade.

Then she turned her burning gaze at Sawa, steping over the KOd man. "We'r done." her voice litle more then a snarl. Then she stormed out of the training chamber, kicking the door from its hinges, fuming, picking up her blades on her way out.

She HATED it. She hated her weaknes in the Force. No mater how hard she vorked to bypass it, thru tricks, and just pure martial prowess, events like THIS remynded her of it.

"Turn it in-to something in the back-ground... thats SO easy for her to say... schuta." she thoght, furious, finaly stoping at the edge of a wide terace, leaning on the rail and gazing off to the distance, trying to calm down, thru deep breths.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Sawa was watching it, the anger the rage... the delicious failure. Xi was so confident she would not serve... that she would get it and then go after her master but there was so much she would have to learn about.... her shortcomings and the sith lord was more then happy to show her all of it when she moved feeling her going off and she opened to it. That energy that heat and rage watching her storm off towards an overlook of the place. "Delicious isn't it." THere was a look though while she stood there and looked up at the larger sith but didn't lose her confidence. "So powerful, so full of anger, of hate and rage and yet the simplest things."

Sawa said it but she wasn't making it into a thing yet. She remained there and spoke. "Would you like to be stronger my dear, to feel the power you need to do what you want?" She grinned and it was far more wicked as she was standing there. "You have power but you don't have the means or knowledge to use it, I have expeirence and wisdom, if you would stop making it like pulling teeth to train and teach you then you kight learn something and displays such as this to show you how far you still need to go." There was a look though as she opened one are to her and motioned towards the snow. "Kneel apprentice."

 

[Xi Rell]

Xi glared dagers at Sawa, but maked no motion to kneel... yet. She vasnt konvinced. Turning back to gaze in the distance, she replyed biterly...

"You say I have power? I dont think so. I vas NEVER strong in the force, Mistress. I vas the least of my peers, in my clan, vhen it come to touching, and using the Force. That is why I fokused so deeply, in-to learning to fight, becoming the best warrior of my clan. Becauze it maked-up for my lack of Force afinity. I can feel it, I can use it, I can draw on it... but it never feels easy. It is never... natural. Never truly a part of me. I have to... force... the Force. I have to koncentrate on it. If that makes sense. Becauze i'm not atuned enogh to use it spontaneusly."

She turned back to Sawa, vith a sigh.

"I dont see vhat you culd do, to change that, Mistress."

All her rage gone, now it vas just rezignation, in her voice.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Sawa looked at her and her face appeared more mocking. "Apprentice, I said kneel not for your to explain. I am not training you because I feel sorry for you, or because I like you but because your are a raw talent in the force who can be shaped to do my bidding and serve my will." She said it and it wasn't a heated anger, her eyes barely changed color from the silver but she radiated that same dark presence she had at the fortress that masked and choked at the lightside in an area. Around others felt it and they turned their heads to look. Sawa held her hand out and pointed. "If you would learn the first real lesson of anything. Learn to serve and then learn when to resist or question your master. Until then you will do as you are told and I shall teach you how to become stronger."

 

[Xi Rell]

Xi's face twisted in re-newd rage. Sawas mockery only spured her on. And this time, all pretense of restreint vanished from the Bladeborn woman. This vas just to much! She never kneled to anyone in her life, if that someone has not proved to be her superior.

"if you are my master... then PROVE IT! No more words! Make me kneel to you! DEFEAT ME!" she snarled in rage, muscles bunching under her skin... then sudely kicked-out at Sawa, a side-kick to the chest, sending the other woman flying 5 meters back, to land on her back. In a flash, both of Xi's Tremor blades wer out of there scabards on her back, as she Force-leaped up in the air, intending to carve her wuld-be master to pieces, on landing.

 

[Sawa Ike]

[member="Xi Rell"]

Sawa was watching her and she could feel it coming, her body loosening and reinforcing itself with the force energies itself while she flew back and looked at the girl leaping at her. The heartbeat stretching out, a milisecond, a moment and she was bringing her hand up impossibly fast as she shaped the air, the area above her palms with vibrations. Friction that went quickly and powerfully until it was expanding and sending a jet of flame into her path. THe force coursing throughout her body reinforcing her muscles and mind. She was moving at speeds augmented by her own body and the force to remain there and out maneuver rising up as she didn't need to speak.

Just expanding the flames as they lept from her hands becoming blue with heat then getting into a larger and larger screen. The commotion attracted the attention of others around them while Sawa could feel it and pulled at them. Energy vampires loved the taste of it all and she latched on the willing were easy but she could feel Xi there and latched, lapped at her energies the taste and trail of it. Pulling to work more on draining her strength faster the more she expelled. Sawa let herself settle into the eye of a storm of emotions and swirling force energies that reinforced her own body and made her stronger when her silvery eyes practically lit up with thin rings of gold, the pale skin becoming gaunt and thin as black veins appeared slightly, her fangs appeared and were elongated.

THe grin was on her face where she was looking at her, the feeling of rage was heat and life.... but Sawa was a creature more of death and destruction. She was cold, tactical and washed away the pain. She was moving after the wall of flames whether it struck Xi or not, whether it was able to char and burn her flesh with the searing flames. She hwas more focused on her speed when she was moving and could feel the blood pumpng and going through her body, the barest hint of it pounding in her ears. She moved quickly as the flame went to her hand and formed a blade itself coming off. Blue flames to sear and heat her tremor swords for slicing purposes. Her other hand coming out with a crackling of red tendrils as they leaked out and crawled.

She had rarely needed to force drain but when you wanted to prove a point there were few skills more dangerous then one that would literally bypass most defenses and that the best counter was using the same skill to create a loop. She had seen that with Rave and Velok, Spencer and a few others. The sinister smirk on her face until she was moving her eyes over the woman attacking her and she could hear more. THe bodies movements, the muscles, the blood pumping the thoughts of fighting. She didn't need pent up rage and power she only needed to crash the experience of fighting for over five thousand years against her and most would buckle under the weight.

 

[Xi Rell]

As Sawas fire lickd her skin, the last shred of self-kontrol left Xi.And vith the embrace of her savage, primal brutality, came a power in the Force she never expirienced before.

"RAARAARRRRHGGAARRHHHRRRGHHHH!" a roar of rage, pain, and defiance, as blood pored from her nose, and the wave of Force energy blasted out-vard from her.

Pure rage. Pure instinkt. Pure blood in her eyes. as the Force-empowerd roar maked the air around the two women vibrate vith energy. Instantly, Sawa's fires got snufed out, as the Bladeborn womans chared face rushed thru them, a few patches of flame stil on her clothes and skin, and the twin Tremor blades moments from slicing thru Sawas head. The vibrato of the Force roar shatered the windows on the far wall behynd them, and caused several of the people watching, to grab there heads in agony, curling up on the terace, as the Force vibrato likuifyed there brains, making them die slowly, in agony. Sawa her-self stagered back a bit, but semed to be able to rezist it.

Then the red tendrils touched her. And all her life semed to... drain from her. The blood faded from Xi's eyes. Her rich, bronzed skin semed to get paler. She tryed to move her sword arms, to slice thru Sawas neck, but she culdnt move. Her muscles rezisted her.

"No... she is draining my life... that queen..." she thoght in a flash.

"No... NO! You... wil... not... not... break me... NO!" she snarld, fighting the suden terible feeling of fatigue vashing thru her body. Her vision dimmed, as she stumbled, her legs trembling.

Cold sweat poring down her face, Xi tryed to fokus past it... glaring murder at Sawa, as she tryed to rezist her draining of her life force.