Private Mudslide

[Alina Tremiru]

He was just as fast. Alina's eyes narrowed some as she realized that Mathieu Brion had caught on to what she was trying to do. Her saber was already off, freeing her arms once more to move. He wasn't shy about using his unarmed strikes against her. The young Sith could do nothing for the knee as it slammed into her stomach. Her stronger body was it's own kind of armor, but she still winced. Her strike retreated, arm coming up to protect the side of her head to catch his punch. The impact showed just how strong her body was. She didn't need armor to keep herself protected. Matukai made her body strong and fast, but also resilient.

But now his saber arm wasn't by her. She went right into her core fighting. The boxer. Cara Dorniarn had taught her well, and she'd only gotten better at the style of combat. Her fist came around, aimed for the side of the armored Jedi's head in a similar fashion that he had. Faster. Harder. The more she enjoyed this fight, the stronger she was getting. Her passion fueled everything she did.

"Come on Mathieu! Hit me harder! Stop holding back!"

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

And on they went. Few could withstand the force which Mathieu could put behind his attacks but the woman he was facing now was different. Not only did she survive his hits, she also produced powerful attacks herself. Not to mention the speed. It was clear that their focus was the same and despite how much the Padawan hoped to avoid conflict, in a sense, he found that he appreciated standing against this particular foe. By fighting her, maybe he could discover some of his own weaknesses and shortcomings. It was thoughts which he would have to process later on - for if he ever started to find enjoyment in a fight with lives at stake, he was going down a dangerous path.

Then, she threw a punch of her own but they still stood close and with their height difference, her position was far from ideal. Further working to mitigating the damage, he threw up is own arm to block the attack. Even then, the impact of her fist was a powerful one and following his prior idea of saving as much energy as possible, he allowed himself to go along with it and spun back in the same direction that her punch went, reducing the impact damage whilst also building up momentum. While he spun - a move which with her boost only took a bare moment - she let out a quip for him to push harder. In truth, he didn't know if he could go harder at her but it didn't matter. He would continue the fight, trying to find harmony in the constant elements of the world and allowing it to channel his focus.

Drawing upon the teachings of the Soller Navah and his time spent with the Jedi, Mathieu continued amplifying his physical abilities. It was where his focus laid throughout his training, from the beginning until now. In a way, he was confident that few with similar experience would be able to call themselves his equal but maybe she was an exception. Regardless, maintaining the momentum, he quickly came around with a lightsabre thrust aimed at her torso. He expected her to be able to defend against it but his assault didn't end there as he continued to push on, bringing his sabre into a spinning motion to gather more power behind his strikes, the large Morellian threw a number of slashes at her whilst trying to push forth the best he could.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

It was Alina's turn to go on the defense. Had the saber not been a part of this bout she would of continued after him, launching her blows to bring him down. But loosing her arms tempered that desire for constant offence. Her lack of armor was a choice for the freedom of movement it gave. And she was used to the mud around them now. The slickness, the depth.

She backed up as she weaved through Mathieu Brion 's strikes. Her armor wasn't a physical thing, but the speed and reaction in which she could evade her foes attacks. Her blade was exclusively used for defense this time around. She copied him, tilting her blade just enough to send the strikes she couldn't evade away from her body mass and keeping her from having to try and full on block it. Her eyes were constantly moving over him. Learning. Comparing.

At one of his stronger blows she finally struck back. Her blade ripped up through the mud to meet his, scattering mud over them both. Once more at an angle, but like he had she wanted to use his momentum as her own. She deflected the strike to the side, spinning with that added boost as she brought a heel up and around for a solid kick to his head.

"You're having fun with this! Aren't you? This is fantastic!"

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

While Mathieu was often comfortable staying on the defence, the offence offered much learning too. Here, the woman operated differently than Mathieu, however. Where he tended to make heavy use of his lightsabre, she chose to evade his attacks to a higher degree. It was impressive and something which his physique was simply not as well suited for. While he had the strength to match most fellow humanoids, avoiding attacks was far more tricky. Still, he pushed on, even if his attacks didn't hit, he hoped that all the dodging would wear her out.

And then, she shifted her moves. Instead of using her blade to redirect his attack away from her body, she now used it in what first seemed like a full block. But instead of keeping their sabres locked, hers went in the same direction as his strike had been going - away from his blade. Seeing another dramatic shift in the mud, Mathieu realised what was happening. Her move was very similar to the one he had done earlier, in theory. But unlike his attack, hers was with a kick. And unlike when she defended, Mathieu had been pushing forth towards her with a lightsabre. Continuing on a similar trajectory as earlier, he swung his blade down while raising his arm and shoulder on the opposite side for a better angle. The path of his blade was clear - unless it was stopped, it would cut at her leg that was planted to the ground and then continue on to the leg she used for her kick. If that attack succeeded, he would be in a good spot - regardless of whether her kick connected or not - for while his armour and enhanced constitution could take the kick, her flesh was not quite as well suited at tanking a lightsabre.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Tsk."

Her hope was to send him past her, strike at his back. But he was in more control than she gave him credit for. The kick changed, no longer aiming for him as she brought it around. Her other leg picked up off the ground too as she cartwheeled through the air, over the saber threatening to sever her limbs. The annoyance was clear in her face. She'd have to get some light weight armor to protect her limbs if she wanted to bring so much unarmed into her fighting style.

She made some distance between them as she landed, her blade swiping through the mud to create a literal line in the ground. Constant motion. "Shame you're in armor. Would be a fairer fight otherwise." The grin returned as she continued to back up. "How about a compromise? The Empire and the Silvers are allies. Let's go get lunch, and I'll tell you why I'm here. Don't like it, feel free to bring me in to what you were doing originally. I'm not gonna beat you before reinforcements come by, and that'll only be way more difficult."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

Once more, she evaded his attack in a manner which was most impressive, jumping off of the ground and putting herself high enough up in the air to completely avoid his attack. It was clear that she was annoyed, something which he had not seen much of so far - most of the time, she had been smiling, grinning, even. Part of him was concerned, for a part of the philosophy which he believed that many dark siders followed was one where they allowed powerful emotions to fuel them in battle. Annoyance could easily translate into frustration or anger, something which he had tried to avoid triggering and part of why he tried to hard to present a fair argument when they were still on speaking terms - aside from the merit in a fair argument in itself.

A faint smile grew on his lips as she spoke of a fair fight "I don't look at combat that way. It is a means to an end - fairness matters little to me." he said, standing back, making the distance between them even further. It was an intriguing offer. A compromise. There were many factors to consider, but first, he needed to declare something very important "The Concord and the Sith are not allies." but after the clarification, he went quiet to let her finish her thought.

On the one hand, just letting her go wasn't really an option. She was on a Concord world and it would only be right to take her in. On the other hand, it had been a very even battle and the Padawan was unsure of whether he could win or not. He had not called for any reinforcements himself - so whatever help that could arrive would be sent by the outer defence force and by the time they arrived, it might already be over and if he lost, she'd probably be on the run already. At least she saw a considerable risk in fighting it out too - for if she didn't, she wouldn't have offered the deal that she did - even allowing him bringing her in. He didn't really trust her - but if she was honest which some Sith were, it was a good deal. Both options meant that there was a high escape risk - but if he went along with the compromise, he would at least be able to talk to her and hopefully, plant the seeds of light in her mind.

Mathieu had been quiet for some time until he finally extinguished his lightsabre, removing the blue from the equation and allowing the red of her blade to drown the nearby areas in its colour "Deal" At first, he would wait for her to extinguish her blade too. If she did, he would start to walk towards the speeder whilst keeping a fair distance from her. This was not one of those times where he'd freely let his guard down as a show of good faith. "I know it would be futile to ask you to relinquish your weapons." he said before letting out a chuckle "And judging by that fight, I'm not sure if you need them. But maybe I can ask for your name instead?"

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

Not allies? Well, that explained why she was shot down so readily. She kept her stance, not entirely sure if Mathieu Brion would even be alright with that sort of compromise. He didn't call for reinforcements, but there was the fact her ship was shot down. The people who shot it down would be here at any moment. Then again, she could slaughter them, upset the young Jedi. Unbalanced would make him easier to fight against.

But she didn't want to fight like that. At least, not with him. His strength was a challenge for her to overcome. One day.

The red blade receded into the hilt of her blade as his did. She walked with him, keeping the space for the moment. But there was only one speeder, so they'd have to get closer sooner or later. At his words though she laughed. And handed over the lightsaber. "It belonged to my sister before she died. Be careful with it." He was right, she didn't necessarily need a lightsaber to fight him. But given how she lost her arms and nearly lost her legs just now, it wasn't something she wanted to test.

"And, Alina."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

It was surprising to see how cooperative she was. Taking hold of her sabre, he strapped it to his belt, not making any efforts to hide it. If she was going to show some good faith in him, then he would be wrong to not do the same. Naturally, keeping his guard up was still a priority but she had already reduced her threat level by agreeing to loose the sabre for a while. "I'll keep it safe" The rain was pouring down, but as long as they kept speaking loudly, it seemed to be something which they could overcome. "Alina? I thought you Sithy types adopted other names, or does that only come later on? Got something in mind?"

It wouldn't be long before they arrived at the speeder "Don't worry about the getting the seat wet. On this mudball, it's inevitable" he said before assuming the driver's seat, pointing his hand towards the passenger seat for her. Once inside, he took a more quiet tone as the heavy rain now only produced smatters on the vehicle's roof and windows. It was enjoyable to listen to and a good change from what had been outside. Mathieu reached to the back of the speeder and handed her a towel "If you need to dry off" he said with a smile, keeping her in his peripheral view to ensure that he could ask to use the towel when she was done with it.

It seemed as if it would be a calm journey back to the base on which he had been stationed for the past few days. It was where the Security Office was but it was also where she could hope to find a mechanic or transportation off of the planet. "Aren't you going to remove those glasses?" he said, looking to her sunglasses. Eventually, curiosity got the better of him "You fought well. Most people would be knocked out cold after the kind of attacks I leveled at you. What's your secret?"

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Jedi never struck me as people who stereotype others." It was a slight dig, but Alina had all her own reasons to dislike the Jedi as a whole. Mathieu Brion seemed to be a good guy, but her anger wasn't going to disappear just because she knew a couple good eggs. She gladly took up the towel to wash off some of the mud. At least she was too soaked for it to cake on. She smirked a bit before taking off her sunglasses. Her yellow eyes were on full display, glowing unnaturally.

"I'm not human, would be the short answer. And I don't mean because I'm Sith or anything." He'd likely be able to see it. The sharp fangs in her smile. She looked away shortly after though, her eyes on the world outside the speeder. The rain was beautiful, in it's own way. A kind of beauty she figured not many could actually appreciate.

"Matukai."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

Stretching out a hand, he waited for her to hand him the towel once she was done - he was rather wet and muddy himself. "Stereotypes can be useful to identify patterns and can serve as the best possible foundation upon which one can make a decision within a timely manner." he said, defending the concept before looking over to her with a soft smile, appreciating that she thought something about him "But I try to be mindful and not allow it to blind me to the individual I am focusing on. That's why I asked." his tone remained cordial - they were having an odd truce, something which he did not encounter everyday. Naturally, it was hard to forget that she was a Sith - but if he could find peace and harmony in a follower of the dark side, he would take the chance to explore it.

"What are you, if not human?" he said, not able to put a finger on what species she might belong to.

The landspeeder swooshed through the rain, flying higher than it was really designed to. It was a security measure - for if she tried to kill or otherwise disable him, there was a fair chance that they would both die in a fiery crash. It was more than just dangerous - it was also fast, seeing as how they could avoid manoeuvring around terrain which would have blocked their way further down. It was not long before the settlement would come into their line of sight but before arriving, he managed to ask "Matukai, huh? Got any tricks to share?" he glanced over to her with a mischievous grin "I am giving you a free ride, after all" he said, chuckling at his own joke.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

"Vampire." She had no intention of telling Mathieu Brion which kind, if only to avoid giving away a crucial weakness to someone who was, ultimately, an enemy. Her gaze stayed out the window, just watching the rain as it fell. The planet was such a downer. Almost like home. Alina snorted after a moment of silent, turning her gaze back to the taller man with a laugh.

"You want the tricks a Sith uses to channel the Force in their body? Try getting really mad at something and channeling it through your limbs."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

She was obviously not very inclined to share what species she was, seeing as she only gave him a one-word answer. Mathieu sent his passenger a bored look but refrained from pushing any further. He did not really see why she would be secretive about it - but if she wasn't in a sharing mood, he felt no particular need to inquire more on it.

Apparently, his question on her techniques amused her. It wasn't his intentions but she let out a good laugh for it regardless. "No. When I channel the force, I am at peace. Or, I strive to be, at any rate" he said, now with a serious tone - he was not upset, but it was important for a Jedi to maintain some degree of control and on that point, he was rather clear. "But if Matukai arts are all about channeling the force to empower your body, I might be an expert already" he said, now smirking.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Her brow raised immediately at the serious tone. She'd only been jesting, but it seemed to have struck some kind of cord. Or was it simply Mathieu Brion not wanting to admit a fault? Alina had no desire to push it, though. She was, technically, a prisoner now. A small frown formed at the thought, but she pushed it aside to avoid souring the mood between them.

"I suggest seeking out actual Matukai. It's a very different belief than the Jedi. Not that it's a belief I use. I am a Sith, after all. Peace and harmony aren't my thing."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

"Fair enough" he said, nodding briefly "So is that what you did?" he asked, looking to her to see if she followed. He was at a different place and added a short "...during our fight." to clarify.

The smatter of the rain seemed to increase in intensity and a powerful gush hit the landspeeder, flying high up in the air. Not caring too much for the current subject, Mathieu said "Maybe we should take her down a few hundred metres" as he lowered the vehicle's nose and directing it towards a path closer to the ground.

"What I meant to ask was if you got angry at something and channeled it into your body during our fight. You seemed to be pretty happy" he said, glancing over to her with his eyes taking a detour to her lips "You were smiling, grinning even, almost the entire time."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

This time she didn't hide her frown as the wind battered the speeder. It wasn't hard for her to figure out Mathieu Brion was trying to make sure she didn't try anything. But now it was starting to get actually dangerous. Once the speeder was lowered she actually listened to what he was saying. A soft smile returned, both as she caught his gaze and of course the subject. Anything that might tempt a Jedi was something interesting to Alina.

"I was. Anger is a strong emotion, but it's only one emotion. I enjoy fighting quite a bit, if that wasn't obvious. I use all the emotions I feel to channel my power. Under control. Only fools let themselves loose control."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

".. if that wasn't obvious." Mathieu chuckled and interjected with a quick "It was" as she continued. Something didn't make sense to him "But, I didn't give you much of a reason to be angry, did I? Besides, how can you be channeling anger if you are smiling all the time? Sure, multiple emotions can be felt at the same time. But anger and happiness is a rare combination."

For a few moments, he was quiet. The question on which emotions she channeled had been asked, but what was more important was what she said at the end. Remaining in control. He was not all too well read on the teachings of the Sith, in fact, some might claim that he was rather poorly read on them. All he knew was that, those of his friends who had fallen or were on the verge of falling, had a hard time of controlling their actions. Even to the point where they did things which they previously thought was morally flawed. But if it could be controlled - maybe he could save someone from doing something they would regret if he ever got into the same situation again. The question had to be asked. "How do you keep control? Emotions are powerful, both in empowering you to channel an inner rage, but also to make that rage take control over you."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"You're a Jedi of the group that just shot me down and wants to bring me in for a cleansing with one of your Jedi Masters." There was plenty of reasons for Alina to at least be annoyed. But the reason for her anger was something she kept to herself. The Jedi killed her sister when they bombed Korriban City. It was the prime example of their hypocrisy to the young woman. Her gaze once more drifted to the window, not wanting to let Mathieu Brion get a read on anything she might actually be feeling.

A Sith's power was their emotion. Letting it show was no different than laying her cards on the table.

"You learn how. It's not something you can just do. There are many Sith who believe in letting themselves go to their rage, but they're foolish and ultimately destroy themselves. You Jedi are supposed to be above your emotions and remove yourself from them, right? It's a lot more similar than you'd think."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

"Just to be clear. I had nothing to do with you being shot down." he said, raising his eyebrows innocently as he did. The second accusation was one which he was more related to and also one which he could answer "You make it sound like turning to the light would be a forced choice. But what do you think the Masters would do with you, really? All they would do would be to try to convince you, to help you find the light-" he said, obviously not well read on the story of Revan. At any rate, this did reflect his honest belief "I'm not sure if it would be that different from talking to me. Except that they are much wiser and have so much more experience than I do."

Keeping his eyes on their path ahead, Mathieu leaned his head to the side. "Well, okay, sure. What would be your best tip to someone who are struggling to take control when they are letting their emotions empower them?"

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"I don't know what your masters would do, and I have no reason to trust them. The only one I'm starting to trust is you, but Jedi are known to keep secrets from their younger generations." As much as a Sith could trust a Jedi, at least. She kept her focus on the window, knowing that the turmoil was still on her face. Not because she was tempted, as she wasn't. She just really didn't like the Jedi. Mathieu Brion was at least good company. Her brow furrowed further as she did turn her gaze back to him once his question met her ears.

A full on glare was shot his way.

"You make time to feel them. For me, I feel them in training. Let them take over and truly experience it. You can't be above your emotions. No Jedi can. If you refuse to feel them, they will one day take over when you don't want them to. But should you really be asking a Sith how to control emotions? We both know this is a path to the Dark."

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Mudslide​

While he didn't have much to say in regards to her low trust of the Jedi, he did let out a cheerful "Hey, thanks!" as she mentioned that she was on the verge of trusting him. It was hard to argue against someone not having faith in something. Especially the Jedi - Mathieu mostly had good impressions of them, but he remembered talking to a friend once, and hearing so many examples of when his people had done questionable things. It was hard to speak for what had happened in the past but ultimately, all Mathieu could do was to make the best of the present. Maybe that was the best way to win people like Alina over.

The base slowly started to appear in the distance. For the moment, it was just a tower with a plethora of bright lights sticking up behind the treeline. Making a subtle motion, he pointed to it as she spoke, just to give her a hint that they were close to reaching their destination. Just as it happened, a large cargo freighter departed from the area, serving as a good indicator of how busy it was.

"If I feel like my emotions are getting the better of me, I will seek peace and harmony" he said, producing a soft smile. She made a good point - standing above one's own emotions may not be possible - but trying to dampen their negative effects and try to centre oneself to view the situation from a place of compassion and objectivity, that was indeed very possible. The degree of success might vary, of course, and that was part of why he asked. "Why not? Even if I won't embrace your teachings, it can be good to know, right?" he said before letting out a sigh. The Padawan's broad shoulders fell before elaborating a little further on why he asked "And... when someone is beyond the point of finding peace in the moment, I want to be able to help them avoid doing something they'll regret for the rest of their life."

Alina Tremiru