Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Hawkbat (Lord Ajihad)

[Asajj]

Coruscant​

Assassin Hideout​

Training Area​

​

"6 filthy Jedi, hanging from a rope. If one filthy Jedi would accidentally fall... 5 filthy Jedi, hanging from a rope." The soft child-like tune filled the training ground with a sinister intent. Asajj sat there cross-legged, eyeing the training saber in front of her. Days before she had turned 18, and of her own accord she decided to begin learning how to use a lightsaber so that she could eventually have one. Many a situation had presented itself where she ended up wishing she had one. To remedy this, she had contacted one of the Assassins, Lord Ajihad, to train her in Ataru, the Way of the Hawkbat. She didn't know it was her mother's specialized form, but she felt it would suit her smaller stature best.

Of course, Ajihad would know who her father was, most of the Assassins did. Along with such ties came respect. Well... maybe more of a fear of upsetting her father... But to her it felt like power, and power felt good. Once she had tasted a drop of power, she wanted more. The Force was the only way to satisfy her cravings. She needed to become a Sith like her father.
And like her mother was too...

"0 filthy Jedi, hanging from a rope..." Her song was over, and her eyes darted around. Where was this Ajihad?

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

The Demon's Fist had actually arrived quite some time before the young [member="Asajj"] had. Force presence concealed, he had waited in the rafters, watching the young Acolyte. He crouched there, concealed by his stealth suit, watching her like a hawk. Before encountering anyone, he preferred to completely analyze them first. That way, if a fight broke out (which seemed to happen a lot around Vi'kas), he would know his opponent's strengths and weaknesses. After watching her to the extent of his satisfaction, he slipped through a hole he had made high up in the rafters, that led outside the door. He didn't want to reveal he had been watching the young girl all this time.

He pulled back his balaclava and assassin's hood, and walked into the room. "I apologize for my tardiness. I had some business to take care of, and it simply couldn't be avoided. Now, I hear you wish to learn the way of the Hawkbat, yes?" His deep accent seemed to echo across the room, echoing off the walls. To someone who hadn't seen him, it might have seemed that his voice was coming from all different directions. He sat down in the chair, and took a sip of some Daro Root Beer he had brought with him. He looked at the girl with a contemplating look on his face. This would be his first time training anyone, and he wasn't really sure how it'd go. He wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for the girl's father, Darth Ferus. The Red Assassin had trained him, and Vi'kas figured he owed the man a favor or two for it. He reclined in the chair, awaiting an answer.

 

[Asajj]

Her posture straightened up upon seeing the man, similar to that of a standing meerkat. She had no idea he had been watching her, in no way was she strong enough in the force yet to have sensed him above her. "Yep, I do. It seems to be the form that'd suit me most." As she spoke she gestured down to her body, pointing out her smaller, skinnier stature that allowed for a more athletic skill set. Standing and picking up her training saber with her, she examined the man in the chair. For a moment she wondered how old he was, and also how close he was to her father, but curiosity was quickly shifted aside with an eagerness to learn how to fight. "You gonna teach me with that drink in your hand?" She asked, a small smirk on her face as she spun her training saber in her hand. Impatience radiated from her clearly, as she eyed the man up and down.

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

The Sith Knight watched [member="Asajj"] 's every move as she got up and spoke. He analyzed here movements and here tone of voice. He raised an eyebrow at the young girl. She displayed an obvious amount of arrogance. When she asked him about his drink, he replied, "Indeed, I shall. Now put any and all of your weapons on the table next to me, and go stand on the gray square in the center of the room." He gestured to the spot he had painted earlier, towards the middle of the room. It was surrounded by a ring of about twenty deactivated battle droids, all holding blaster rifles...

 

[Asajj]

Any and all of her weapons? An odd request, seen as she was here to learn lightsaber combat, but against her judgement she placed them on the table. She looked over to the marked spot, noticing the twenty-odd battle droids with a raised eyebrow. Was this man trying to kill her? Nevertheless she stood in the marked spot, looking rather apprehensively at the droids. "So what now? Kill them with my mind?" The thought wasn't that much of a joke to her as it was a serious question, She had no idea what Ajihad was planning for her to do...

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

The dark-skinned man looked at the girl, before standing up and replying, "No, you will not. You see, in order to practice Ataru, one must learn to develop lightning-fast reaction times, the ability to adjust at any given time. If one practices form four with this, then the practitioner will most likely die. Your task is simple. Use nimble acrobatics to survive the droids' fire. Then we will see if you are indeed ready, eh?" He then pressed a button on his datapad, and particle shield deployed to completely surround at [member="Asajj"] , prevent any form of escape. This shield also protected the droids, which were now whirring to life. He sat back down, sipping his drink. He was interested to see how this'd play out, even if the droids were only firing stun rounds. He offered a slight grin. Of course, the young girl thought these were real blaster bolts...

 

[Asajj]

As much of a dangerous test this seemed to be, Asajj was in no way unnerved. This was child's play for her. Ever since she was young agility had been her strongest asset; she could chase monkeys in trees by 9. Although dodging bullets was somewhat different and more challenging, she knew that with the force she could pull it off. With the droids whirring to life, Asajj gathered as much force energy as she could at her level, channeling it into herself in preparation. Not only would the force aid her in jumping and dodging, but also with sensing the blaster bolts so that she could get out of their way.

Pew. Pew. Asajj grinned as the first shots fired and her nimble body swirved out of the way. The tempo quickly increased, with all the droids firing towards her without co-ordination. She leaped as high as the shield allowed her, performing a slow back flip as the bolts followed her arc, trailing behind her harmlessly. When she landed she was behind one of the droids, who took a few of the droids fire and ended up being disabled. The few seconds of protection the droid had provided allowed her to prepare another jump, yet again dodging the flurry of bolts. This time she slammed into a droid's neck, putting off it's fire without damaging it greatly. Other droids continued their spray, and she carried on with a series of dodges and weaves. Another jump came, but only a small one to force the droids to re-adjust their aim quickly.

All was well, and she had lasted nearly a minute in the firing line of the twenty-odd droids, until finally a bolt clipped her shoulder. Asajj let out a scream of pain and fell down, at first thinking she had been shot with a lethal round. However, the fact that she was only stunned suggested otherwise; they were stun rounds. A few more shots came in, causing her to squirm on the floor.

"Alright alright! Turn them off!" She frowned, wishing she would have lasted longer. It was never good enough for her...

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

After watching the young [member="Asajj"] squirm under blaster fire for a few more seconds, Vi'kas reluctantly shut the system down. The particle shields receded, and the droids moved into their "off" positions. He sat there watching her for another moment, marveling on how much she looked like her mother. He frowned, just thinkinging about the traitor pissed him off. At least her traitorous self has come to an end, he thought.

He sat there thoughtfully, mentally evaluating the session. Her reaction were impressive for her skill level, there was no doubt about that. However, if she were to master Ataru, those reactions would need to increase considerably. After coming to a satisfactory conclusion, he spoke, ​"Your acrobatics were good, but not good enough to begin training with a saber. Your reactions must increase before it will be safe for you to attempt the fourth form. Next door, there is a complicated obstacle course I have set up for you. I suggest using that to build up some endurance, so you do not tire quickly. Feel free to use both the course, and this droid circle for further training. Have you any questions, before I depart?"

 

[Asajj]

Asajj pushed herself up from the floor, brushing some of the dirt from her bare legs. "I'll be sure to use both." She told him, before thinking of a question to ask. There was nothing entirely relevant, but for a moment she considered asking about her mother. Of course, the idea was quickly pushed aside. She was a traitor to the Sith, and died that way. They wouldn't want to remember that, rather she stayed dead in memory. However, a part of her wanted to know more. If she was dead, why couldn't she talk to her. Wasn't that how the force worked?

"No... No questions... Thanks for the training." Her mood had dampened somewhat, the combination of being shot and thinking of her mother did that sometimes...

[member="Lord Ajihad"]

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Although [member="Asajj"] didn't say much, Ajihad read her like a book. Given she didn't yet know to conceal her thoughts and emotions from others, he could tell some of what she was thinking. He felt her dismay in the thoughts about her mother, whom was dead. He sighed. Perhaps someday he would tell her what he knew about her mother when the time came. For now, though, it would be wise to keep distractions off of her mind. After all, Ataru was unforgiving to those who made mistakes.

"You may train as much or as little as you like. How much you train will decide how ready you are to begin Ataru. I will return seven nights from now, at this exact time. You will begin your training in Ataru then. That is all." With those words, Lord Ajihad would stride out of the room, leaving the daughter of the Red Assassin to her thoughts. He would give her ample time to build up her endurance and reactions, so she could begin training in the fourth form.