Private Mudslide

[Alina Tremiru]

Jabiim

​

Flying was something she just hated doing. She was terrible at it, and the landings she herself had to do were often just crashes. It's why she let the autopilot handle all of that. Getting to the landing site, taking off, plotting the course. Alina never blindly trusted it to work, but it'd yet to not. It was when things bad happened that things stopped working. When a system failed. Or a route was blocked.

Or when she was attacked.

Jabiim proved to be a terrible destination for the young Sith. Her travels around the galaxy hadn't gone unnoticed. What should of been an easy way for her to learn more of how the Jedi viewed the Sith was instead her being chased by fighters trying to shoot her down. "Karkin..!" The alarms blared overhead as a shots that she'd so far been able to evade finally hit her ship. It tore right into the engine. She was no longer flying through the atmosphere of the planet.

She was falling.

She hissed in annoyance. No choice but to crash and hope she could get away before they investigated. With that in mind, she rushed it. Nose down, right for the mud below. It was a quick decent, ending with not as rough of a landing as she expected. Mud turned out to be a good buffer. Her ship slid across the muddy surface, her braced against the controls. The skid was probably the longest part, and her ship pretty much sank through it.

A groan escaped Alina as she pushed herself from the controls. She couldn't stay here. She needed to run. They knew her ship, but not her. She could still escape. Maybe. Hopefully.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

Not long after he arrived on the planet, Mathieu realised that there was no real point in trying to do anything about the rain. It didn't matter for how long he waited or how many raincoats and umbrellas he wore - he would still get wet regardless. At this point, he had taken off the outer robes of his armour and simply accepted that he would get wet. On the bright side, the Polytetraflouroethylene which the plates and body glove carried meant that the water would quickly slip off instead of lingering on his person.

Whether he had been sent to the planet as an ill willed joke or as part of a lesson was still unknown to the young Morellian. But he had already been there for a number of days and was looking forward to finally going home. Then it happened - the skies were lit up as a burning vessel pierced through the clouds on a quick descent down towards the muddy surface. Worried murmurs came from those who were around him - he was at a relatively busy ore mine and the main concern seemed to be that one of their many transports had been struck by lightning. Letting out a quick "I'll check it out!" it was only a matter of seconds before the large Padawan hopped into a landspeeder and rushed towards the location of the crash.

On his way there, however, he received a call from the security forces, informing him that an unauthorised vessel had been shot down. Putting the two events together was easy enough and while he did feel concerned, it was still important to get to the site as soon as possible - whether the pilot was originally hostile or not, their life needed to be saved. Passively watching someone die was not the Jedi way.

The landspeeder stopped a fair bit away from the crash site. If needed, it was always possible to bring it closer once the situation had been analysed in person. Approaching from a distance, the Padawan let out a holler "Can anyone hear me? Are you alright?" he kept walking closer, keeping a rapid pace "I am Mathieu Brion, of the Silver Jedi Order, I am here to help" Seeing as he had already discarded his outer robe, it would be easy to spot both of his lightsabres. But at this point, none were drawn, he was approaching the site with open palms and a concerned outlook.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

The first stop was the medbay. Alina already set the systems to purge themselves, and eventually detonate the ship. It was a junker anyway, stolen from a scummy spacer who tried to take advantage of her. But if she wanted to get a clean get away and blend in, she couldn't be found here, in person or in the systems. She snatched up as many medpacs as she could fit in her belt, already injecting one in her leg to help heal the bumps and bruises she got from the crash.

She never liked mud, but she couldn't feel more thankful for the fact it made the landing so much softer than it should have been.

What she wasn't thankful for was the voice that sounded off outside her ship. A grimace rested on her face. They shouldn't of arrived this quickly. Oh. A Jedi. Even worse. The young woman cursed under her breath. Well, maybe she could get his guard down enough to get out and away. Though, he'd know her face. Even worse.

She tucked her saber away into the brown cloak she grabbed before heading out. Hood up, hopefully to obscure her features. Brown because black just screamed Sith. And sunglasses. Her naturally Sith yellow eyes had started to glow after her transformation into a Sangnir, so the sunglasses had become even more necessary. At least she had her Taozin amulet to hide her connection to the Force more reliably than the cloak or the sunglasses.

Alina climbed out of the ship, hugging one of her arms to her chest. Easier to seem less threatening if she seemed hurt. "M.. Master Jedi! Thank the Force!" She half stumbled into the mud. That wasn't an act though, she didn't expect to sink so quickly. She fumbled around the mud, finding a spot without as deep of mud to steady herself.

"I didn't think I could make it here! I didn't know, and then they shot me. Oh I got shot down. It was.. So much fire." She rambled on, not wanting to make sense. If she looked like she was panicking, maybe she could get away with this.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

His first reaction upon seeing the ship's occupant was to look for injuries and it did seem as if her leg was hurt but whatever it was, it couldn't be all too bad, because she had commenced a struggle against the muddy field in which she had crashed with enough energy to come out victorious.

Maybe he should have felt guilty about his second reaction - for Mathieu couldn't help but to notice how he had to suppress an amused smile. Just like him after he first arrived on the planet, the woman was trying to shield herself from the rain with a cloak. It was only a matter of minutes before she too, would find out how futile that struggle was. And then she wore sunglasses, something which was most curious considering the fact that the dark clouds from which the rain poured blocked out most direct sunlight.

"Not Master, I'm just a Padawan" he chuckled whilst continuing his approach. While his tone was friendly, Mathieu remembered the information he had received when he was still en-route to the location. They had shot down an unauthorised vessel and while he did not know what the ship was doing there, it seemed sensible to stay alert. But then, she started rambling on, making him start to think that, maybe she was innocent - could it have been an honest misunderstanding? With a sympathetic nod, he gestured with open palms and a kind voice "Calm down, you seem to have escaped major injuries, you should be safe. Is anyone else in the ship? I've got a speeder back there, I can take you to the security office, their healers can probably have a look at your wounds."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

Oh it worked. Alina hid the surprise well, keeping up the facade of a panicked woman. She fell silent, letting him lead the narration of her story. The questions made it far easier to formulate something. Alina shook her head quickly, fully devoting herself to the panicked woman she seemed to be. "N.. No. I.. I hope not. I.. They.." She trailed off, looking back to the ship like something horrible was going to crawl out.

"I escaped. I.. No! They'll find me!" She had started to calm, but the mention of going to the security office filled her with dread. Not for the same reason as the act she put on, but enough to be believable. "They can't find me. I can't be found. I can't. I can't!" She absolutely avoided any eye contact. She made herself small. Nervous. Even flinched as Mathieu Brion raised his hands. Slowly she was putting together the story that might actually get her out of this situation.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

Visibly confused, Mathieu looked to the woman, still seeming to be in some sort of panic "You're not sure? I mean, surely, you must've known if someone else was on the ship before you crashed, right?" he said, taking a step forward to peek in to the ship through the exit she had used to get out.

It was heartbreaking to see her fear. The woman really did seem afraid of the authorities he referred to. Subtly, he started to shake his head as she spoke of being found, presumably hoping to escape arrest. But the fact that she flinched when he raised his open hands alarmed him as the question of whether she had been beaten by whoever held her captive before crossed his mind. "Ma'am, you don't have to worry. I will take you to the Security Office and they will look at your wounds and probably investigate whatever caused you to crash here. But they won't harm you. I'll be there with you" he said, keeping a soft tone, albeit somewhat raised because of the rain.

Now, he started to move even closer, thanking the stars for being so tall as it meant that he would have an easier time moving about in the pit of mud that she seemed to have landed in. In an attempt to put her mind on less stressful things, he let out a casual "Why are you wearing sunglasses on a planet like this anyways?" before stretching out a hand for her to take, keeping the other by his belt "Come on, let me take you back to the security office. It's way better than staying out here in the rain."

So far, Mathieu had kept lowering his guard, it was not yet at zero but it wasn't fully up either. However, as he got close to her, something felt off as the force seemed distorted or blurred - unbeknownst to him, she was wearing a Taozin amulet. It was hard to put a finger on what it was, but it did become harder to fully trust in her - no normal person would have the same effect on his senses as she did.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

There it was. She knew it wasn't likely, but there was some hope that Mathieu Brion might of been the type to look outside the law. Honestly Alina shouldn't of even bothered to hope for such a thing. The closer he got, the more likely he'd be able to see her face. The more he knew her face, the less likely she'd be able to escape off world. The young woman kept up the act as long as she could, flinching back a step as he got closer, now muttering under her breath about being in danger.

"M.. My master. His.. He sees everywhere. I tried. I tried."

Tried not to have to kill this padawan. Once more she flinched at his hand, but did reach up to take it. Then let the facade drop. The amulet protected her from being detected in the Force, but it didn't work when she started to bend it to her will. And bend it she did. She lifted her gaze. Even with the sunglasses, the unnatural yellow glow was visible as her eyes locked onto his.

In an instant, the Force was gone.

Alina put all her power out. Around them, it was like the Force never existed, but there was more. With her grip on his hand she tried to push that same power into him. Muffle the Force in his mind, body, and soul. If he couldn't resist it, the effects would be instant and sickening.

"Apologies, Jedi, but I can't be caught now."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

Her act was a good one. When they were still at a distance, Mathieu was buying most of what she said, if not all of it. The story was vague, but in his eyes, she seemed more like a victim than someone who would intrude in the Silver Sphere with any ill intents. But things started to shift and change as he got closer but even then, he had not completely raised his guard.

And then he saw them. Her piercing yellow eyes, visible through the sunglasses as he got close. The young Morellian blinked hard, as if getting some water away from his eyes would help him verify what he saw - or hopefully, prove it to be false. But they were still there, causing his eyebrows to furrow "By the stars" his words turned into a whisper - the time for a friendly reception was drawing to a close - maybe he would need to fight after all.

The large Padawan rarely froze, but for a moment, he felt a shiver through his spine as the woman seemed to do something with the force that he had never seen before. And suddenly, it felt as if his senses had been reduced to a sliver of what they were just a few brief moments ago. He immediately tore his hand from hers whilst taking a step back, producing a brief gasp "What-..." he said breathlessly. Looking her in the eyes, he couldn't believe what had just happened - for some reason, he could no longer feel the force "What did you do? I was trying to help you" he said, his voice more sad than angered.

In the end, it was of little importance now. She needed to be incapacitated and arrested - for if she was capable of doing this, she was probably far more dangerous than he first believed. And with that, he drew his lightsabre, activating it and allowing its blue light to cover the vicinity while its calm hum was drowned out in the heavy rain. Holding his usual weapon felt strange, without the force coursing through him in the same way that it usually did. But then, he had fought many battles by this point, and he had done so before opening up to the force. He would not be quite as weakened as some of his peers.

While he could no longer feel the force and still coping with the adjustment process to his current state, he was still a Jedi. Taking a step back, he made one last attempt at trying to avoid violence "We do not have to fight. Surrender. Come with me. I can take you to a Jedi Master, we can help you escape the clutches of the dark side."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

She made no move to keep Mathieu Brion from pulling away from her. The effect had set in. All she needed to do was stay close enough to keep her concentration on the effect. Alina had a love for battle. It ran deep in her soul, often bringing out a grin or other signs of the excitement she felt. There was no such grin. Only a grim expression. She tossed aside the now soaked cloak and sunglasses, they'd only get in the way. Her lightsaber rested in her palm, still off.

Asides from the yellow eyes and lightsaber, it'd be hard to tell she even was Sith by the clothing she wore. A simple grey tanktop and black trousers. Darker colors, but certainly not a traditional Sith robe. She needed to be able to move quickly for how she fought. "You were trying to help me, but I cannot be caught here. I mean no harm to anyone on this world, Jedi. I only sought to learn." The red blade screeched into existence under the heavy rain, the hissing sound of the water evaporating a constant sound in her ears.

"This is the path I chose, and I will not have a stranger try to tempt me off of this. Let me go. Forget my face. But if you cannot, I must kill you."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

This was a tricky situation. A servant of the dark side of the force who didn't wish anyone harm and only sought to learn. It was too good to be true - but then, who was he to accuse her of not telling the truth? A short and perhaps even surprised "Really?" escaped him. The woman had been shot down and tried to conceal her identity - both of those factors, or at the very least the last one, indicated that there might be some truth to her words. But then, she also acted to deprive him of the force, to make him feel as horrible as he did now - that was certainly not something which indicated that she was telling the truth. As her blade screeched to life, their path towards a hostile confrontation seemed to be set as he took a hard grip of his own blade in preparation for the battle to come.

"You are in the Silver Sphere, and they told me your vessel was unauthorised. I get that you might not want to speak to a Master, but isn't that fair? Wouldn't you try to retain me if the positions were reversed? Besides, you won't be going anywhere until your ship is repaired anyways." It was a highly unusual exchange they were having - for neither Mathieu nor the dark sided woman seemed particularly keen on actually fighting. From his point of view, it was a good thing. He had heard that Sith used powerful emotions to fuel themselves in a fight - his hope was that she would be deprived of that energy source if they could have a reasoned discussion.

"Look" he said, trying to convince her once more "If you come with me, I can do my best to let you meet with someone wise. If your objective is to learn, what better chance would you have other than speaking to a Jedi Master?" he said whilst slowly moving to his left to stand up on a generously proportioned rock with it's surface relatively well flattened. Looking down to her as his feet left the muddy pit completely, he continued "But if we fight, what happens then? Are you so sure that you would defeat me? And even if you did, what happens if you get caught by the same group that shot your ship down? Surrender. This is the best option."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

The disbelief in Mathieu Brion 's voice as he questioned her words brought the softest hint of a smile to her lips. It wasn't surprising to her that the Jedi was caught off guard by her desire not to fight. He was right about one thing. Had their rolls been reversed, she likely wouldn't of just let him walk away unimpeded. The fact there was some hypocrisy to this made her expression soften. Would she relent however?

No.

"I told you the only options I could agree with, Padawan Brion. I can get away from here, of that I am certain. But only with you dead." Then she moved. In the blink of an eye the Padawan would once more feel the Force as her attention turned inward. The anger she had, channeled through a perverse Matukai, made her far faster than any human should be. And she wasn't human anymore to begin with. Her red blade shot out in a quick thrust. But where she aimed was off. The blade passed harmlessly by Brion's head.

Her brow furrowed. She wasn't used to the new speed she had. And this mud. "Huh."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

It seemed like the woman was not one to change her mind all too quick. With a head as hard as hers, it was a mystery if a cell would be able to hold her, even if he did defeat her. But then, if it was an energy cell, the solidity of her head wouldn't really matter. But then, that didn't matter much now either, what mattered was bringing their situation to a peaceful resolution. "No, look-..."

Then she lashed out. The Padawan immediately raised his own blade but what saved him from certain death was not that he intercepted her blade - that happened after the fact. What saved him from certain death was that she missed her mark, causing him to let out a confused "Huh", practically at the same time as her.

With their blades pressed against each other up by his head, Mathieu took the chance to send a powerful kick her way. In the best of worlds, her air would be knocked out - if not, he at least hoped that it would give him a moment of respite. For after the kick, he brought his blade down in a defensive stance, discretely sweeping his left hand across his right wrist to activate a reflex enhancing stim with his substance regulator. Hopefully, it would put them on more equal footing.

If the woman had fallen off of the rock, Mathieu would wait on top of it, waiting to attack her as she climbed up. If she was still on the rock, he would then move towards her, sending a swing towards her right side. His approach was a careful one, but for now, he wanted to wait and see what tricks she had up her sleeve before committing too much.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

In her surprise it was all too easy to kick the young woman away. But she wasn't a human anymore. Alina took the kick with grace, flipping away from the rock to land in the mud. Her frown remained as she sunk in just a bit, her attention pulled from Mathieu Brion just long enough to fix her footing. Surprise was gone. She wouldn't be able to do that sort of strike again without ending up impaled. And as strong as her new body was, lightsabers were as dangerous as ever.

Burns didn't heal well.

It was pretty obvious that he had the high ground. Stable footing. If she wanted to fight him, she'd have to jump after him. Dangerous. And if it didn't work and she was able to avoid repercussion, it'd waste time. She needed to get the high ground. Her eyes flicked over to the speeder. And she grinned. Without warning she took off, rushing through the mud right for the speeder. It was her ticket out. Even if she couldn't kill the padawan, the speeder would be enough for her to get around the planet and disappear. Her escape.

And a good way to lure him to having to attack her.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

And there they stood. She was down in the mud and he kept his defences high in anticipation of her inevitable attempt to get up to the same platform that he was on. But as it seemed, that would not happen. Instead, she started moving towards the speeder he had parked a bit away. The large Padawan's wide shoulders fell as he let out a sigh "Don't even try it" he hollered from the rock "I've rigged it to explode on my command" it was a ridiculous lie, one which he immediately saw would be rather hard to believe - especially coming from someone like him. Surrendered, he raised his arms in a shrug "Okay, that was a lie"

For a moment, he seriously considered hopping down into the mud again "But look, I've got the keys" he said, victoriously patting a pocket where they were kept. This time, he wasn't bluffing. Instead, he remained on the rock, waiting for her to return.

But then, he didn't really know much of the woman's capabilities and there was always a risk that she was a skilled mechanic or gifted in the capacities of mechu deru. She might also be one of those Sith who were prone to destroy things in a tantrum. All of those options were rather unattractive to the young Morellian, for he certainly didn't feel like walking all the way back or drawing security forces out to where the Sith was before she had been incapacitated. And with that, he hopped down from the rock to follow her towards the speeder, utilising his length to move as swiftly as possible in the hopes of catching up to her.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

Rigged it to explode? For a moment Alina was actually impressed at the foresight, though once Mathieu Brion backpedaled away by admitting it was a lie, she couldn't help but laugh. "You're a funny guy, Mathieu!" The Force had her moving way too fast to be humanly possible. She'd of made it to the speeder far faster than he could, if she wasn't so trapped by the mud. She had to jump through, keeping somewhat fast but obviously much slower than she could of been.

And just as she hoped, he followed her.

She slowed her run, letting him catch up under the guise of the mud getting too deep for her to properly move in. Then, when he was close enough, she turned. She lept from where she was standing, quickly closing in on the Jedi with her blade held high. Speed wasn't going to work anymore, so strength was in. She brought the blade down with all her might, unnatural and otherwise. The kind that could let her shatter rock with her bare hands.

"Perhaps we can reach a compromise. Give me your keys, and we don't have to fight." Expect, now she was grinning. The thrill of combat once more filled her mind. He was fast. He was strong. Just the type of person she could enjoy fighting and testing her limits against.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

The chase continued. It was painfully slow but they were both stomping their way through the mud at whatever pace they could manage. While he may have been slowed down by the mud, he was also feeling how his connection with the force started to return. It was a good feeling - similar to once more being able to smell after a long period of the lack of such capacities. Instinctively, he started doing what he so often did with what stamina he had: He used it to fuel his own capacities and enhanced them to impressive heights. Unbeknownst to him, the Sith was doing just that herself.

Her leap was more clearly telegraphed than her previous thrust. It was an impressive feat, considering how far and how high she got from a starting position in the mud. It was only then that Mathieu realised how the two of them were probably disciples of the same teachings. Although, with rather different motivators and nuances. For a moment, he considered ducking low and slashing up at her from underneath, but it was a risky move that would leave him more exposed than he would like to be. With that, he simply raised his sabre, intending to block her attack.

Once their blades clashed above his head, the Padawan saw how incredibly much power she had brought into it. An impressed glint in his eyes flashed by as he had to decide on what to do in a hurry. While he would usually rely on overpowering his foes, he now had to conclude that it probably wouldn't happen against this one. And so, he utilised her downward momentum to shift his blade to the right while simultaneously moving to the left, hoping to expend as little effort as possible to redirect her attack. Maybe this would turn into a war of attrition.

While his specialisation was in Soresu, Mathieu wouldn't wait for another attack. As she was about to connect with the muddy surface after the leap and their blades were locked by his side, he jerked around to send a knee into her legs or lower torso, making for a quick counter attack.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

This was a thrill. Far too much of a thrill, really. The danger of being caught and thrown into jail to be tried like a criminal or, worse, forcibly redeemed was always there. But she didn't care. Mathieu Brion was the type of person she really wanted to go all out against. She had only just begun to learn the formal styles of lightsaber combat, which honestly was quite the delight for her. It turned out her style of fighting was already reminiscent of Juyo. Wild, fast and strong strikes at seemingly random. Using her aggression to fuel her power.

Her blade hit the mud as his blade made it glance off to the side, sizzling and boiling the rainwater from the dirt around it. Not that she paid it any mind. She had nothing in the air to balance herself on or a way to stand her ground. The most she could do was curl up, bringing her knee to catch his and avoid getting slammed in the stomach.

Then she pushed off of it.

A flex of her muscle to get some space so she could land on the ground again. Her feet bit into the mud, nearly falling out below her. She was getting used to the slick, but she wasn't there yet. If she moved too fast, she'd have nothing below her feet to gain purchase on. She'd test that limit, however. Once more she took off, low to the ground. Before she reached him she jumped. Not a high one, the kind she could side flip on to bring her saber down from high up with all her weight behind it.

Never once did the wild grin leave her face. Her hair was dirty, matted to her head from the splashing of mud and rain, but she couldn't be any happier than she was now.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

It was almost as if they were dancing, for she matched his movement with her own, elegantly managing to avoid the worst effects of his attack while also inflicting a fair bit of pain as she bounced away. Mathieu's surprised look turned into a pained grimace before he pushed it away. The fight was too important to start focusing on the pain he felt by his knee.

She was tenacious to say the least. Even now, she kept on attacking, this time with a lower jump. Knowing the strength she put behind her last attack, Mathieu knew that he would have to be ready for this one. Had the circumstances been more favourable, he would have tried to avoid the attack entirely, but the mud made it hard to make too many swift movements and with that in mind, he chose to stay his ground.

Once more, Mathieu raised his blade up high with a firm two handed grip as well as slightly bent knees. A moment before their blades clashed, he started to move a little to the right. And then the impact came. It was straining to say the least - he felt how his arms wanted to give in and his legs bent to dampen the impact as their blades locked above him. Fortunately, Mathieu was rather skilled at enhancing his own physical capacities too and his base build was also favourable. It allowed him to adjust his position further and once more try to glance her blow to his left whilst his weapon trended towards a somewhat less horizontal position as she kept pushing down.

It was his intention to allow her to keep pushing for a bit and to land firmly on the ground. That was when he made a sudden move to bring his own blade back towards himself a few centimetres to temporarily break the blade lock. All he had to do then was to make a fast tilt in order to send an elbow into her face. If she staggered back because because of the elbow, he would quickly press forth by bending down low and making a sweep at her legs.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Dancing was something Alina absolutely enjoyed doing, in her pass time. When she learned that fighting had it's own rhythm she couldn't of been more elated. The rain pattering against his armor, the hissing sound as water evaporated off their blades. The hum of each saber, the crashing sound they made when they collided. It was music. Music she couldn't hear until her transformation.

The need to escape was gone from her mind. She wanted to fight Mathieu Brion . She didn't care who won, or who got hurt, or even if it ended in a complete tie. Jedi versus Sith, she didn't even care about those lines. The small jump put all her weight into her strike, but let her have her feet quickly on the ground again. To stay stable, balanced.

She was putting everything into it, pressing firmly against the blue saber to try and lock them together. When the elbow came, her grin widened. Alina ducked right underneath it, slipping past the Jedi. Turning her saber off. She wanted to get behind him, to let his pressure to stave her off send him tumbling forward. The blade reignited as she passed by. She couldn't strike hard, but her hope was a quick slash to one of the gaps in his armor might start turning this stalemate into her favor.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

She was fast, managing to avoid yet another attack, ducking underneath his elbow. It meant that she wouldn't be staggered, but the Padawan's mind had still reflected over the idea of going low. Her maneuvre was a strange one - he had been stepping to the right while trying to brush her sabre to the left - yet she kept moving towards his right side, apparently trying to get behind him. Something wasn't as it seemed - for keeping her momentum at the same time at keeping their sabres up high on the opposite side of him simply wasn't feasible and if she brought her blade closer, they would lock, making it impossible to execute the manoeuvre.

But then he realised how she could use the situation to her advantage. The thought process had barely taken a moment and now, he was quick to act in the hopes of preventing her from succeeding. Instead of letting her try to slip by, Mathieu instead rushed forth to meet her before she could get around him. Letting his heavily armoured torso bump into hers, he would once more try to send a knee into her belly and momentarily letting go of his sabre with his right arm in order to punch the side of her head with enough force to knock a normal sentient out. Sure - there was a certain risk involved as her lightsabre arm was still free - but so was his - and he was heavily armoured while she was not. If she chose to strike, he was guaranteed to get a strike back and without more protection, his was bound to be most potent.

Alina Tremiru