Faction [NJO] Before the Storm

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora listened carefully to Kaleleon's explanation, her attention drifting to the single finger he lifted. She returned his nod with a faint incline of her head.

Many of the Padawans, herself included, had never faced a Mandalorian in combat. Sith were a different beast entirely, one she just felt as if she'd gotten a handle on before the Maw fell. Her gaze shifted over the growing gathering; first Loomi, then her redheaded friend, then the redhead who'd sparred with Colette, and finally, Shan.

"It's good to see you again Loomi, Shan. Welcome to the Padawan Pack, Gwen. I'm Cora." Her lips tilted upward in with a brief spark of amusement before her focus was pulled back towards the stage, to Kahlil and then the Mandalorian in green and bronze armor. Both his outfit and his demeanor seemed battered by the scars of war, his words of advisement coming from decades of experience. Her mouth firmed into a thoughtful frown.

How do you fight an opponent who was nearly impervious to your skillset, and who had the potential to nullify the Force? Manipulating the environment around them might work, as others pointed out. As would be exploiting the literal chinks in their armor, which seemed riskier.

"Will we be practicing against beskar at some point today?" Cora's eyes drifted between Minerva and Julius. "So that we can get a better sense of what will and won't work against it?" It was one thing to be told about the metal's durable properties; it was another thing entirely to feel your blade strike against it.

Turning towards Kaleleon, she appraised him for a moment. He had the training and experience of a Jedi Knight, so it was doubtless that he'd stand at least a few notches above the gathered Padawans in combat. Her only hope was that Valery Noble and Kahlil Noble would not use their spar as an excuse to make inappropriate bets.

"Up for a dance?"

Kaleleon Julius Sedaire Minerva Fhirdiad Loomi Gweneth Zarari Shan Pavond Katherine Holt @all the friends

 

[Kaleleon]

A fair point was presented with my answer given towards Jonyna. While the Cathar had spoken up to ask about other elements, Master Kahlil responded that they were air tight, and in most cases Void-tight. While Jonyna may have not heard of them, but the recent years of Mandalorians used Basilisks. A ship, droid, battle mount machine rolled into one that could drop down from orbital locations outside the atmosphere of a planet. Their Beskar armor could protect them from that kind of stress, our lightsabers were not going to do much against it.

The Jedi spoke up as well. Revealing that he too, had Beskar armor. Almost immediately I wanted to spar with him. I knew far and away, that he would easily kick my ass to the curb. Even if he had limitations of not using the force or a saber. Without a doubt, I would still try. Because in combat, I knew the enemy would not be so lenient. However, that is when I heard the voice of Cora beside me.

Wait, She wanted to spar against me? It took a half a second to register that she was having the same thought process as I did towards Julius. She assessed that I was a combatant, one who would be able to more accurately test her mettle. A smirk hastily formed on my face and I nodded my head.

"Sure. I assume you want me to play the part of a Mandalorian correct?"

Indicating that we would be on one side of the room, I instead went over towards the weapon racks in the back. Reaching up, I just grabbed a basic visored helmet. Also adding a faux-pistol weapon. The pistol tossed in betwixt the utility belt, and the robed armor I wore. Adjusting the size of the helmet to fit my head, I made my place back over to Cora.

"Alright, so like I stated, as well as Julius. Gaps in the armor is what you are aiming for. Neckline, elbows, back of the knee, groin, pits. You need to aim for those. Me on the other hand."

Reaching to my side, I pulled out the practice knife and the pistol. While I hadn't used a knife and pistol combo, I have had used it with a lightsaber. Little different, but a lot of the same basics. Looking back to her, a smirk rising again. Almost teasing.

"Now how hard do you want this to be, Jedi scum?"

Corazona von Ascania Julius Sedaire Kahlil Noble Valery Noble Mother Askani Loomi Gweneth Zarari Shan Pavond Braze Minerva Fhirdiad Katherine Holt

 

[Loomi]

New Cov
Tags: Shan Pavond , Corazona von Ascania , Gweneth Zarari , Kaleleon , Braze

"Hello, Shan," Loomi greeted with a meek wave.

She was feeling a lot better now that there were more people here that she knew. That was good. It seemed like everyone else was beginning to pair up for sparring, which brought a frown to Loomi's face. There were an odd number of people in the rather large concentration that had gathered, which was sort of awkward. Loomi didn't know if she wanted to be the one to ask. Gwen or Shan could be left without a sparring partner. That would suck.

A familiar feeling overwhelmed the room. Braze had arrived, late as she had come to notice was a reoccurring trend. That would work. She glanced between Gwen and Shan, giving an awkward smile.

"Why don't you guys pair up?" she suggested. "Braze just came in late. I-I'm gonna go fill him in on what he missed."

And with a polite half-bow the Godoan was off, approaching the white-haired boy. She gave him a warm smile, stepping over to stand to his left with her hands tucked behind her back.

"Hey," the girl greeted warmly. "We're learning to fight Mandalorians, I think."

A nervous frown did rather quickly follow though.

"I don't feel very good about it though," she admitted. "Th-this stuff is probably more up your alley."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Loomi

And with a polite half-bow the Godoan was off, approaching the white-haired boy. She gave him a warm smile, stepping over to stand to his left with her hands tucked behind her back.

"Hey," the girl greeted warmly. "We're learning to fight Mandalorians, I think."

A nervous frown did rather quickly follow though.

"I don't feel very good about it though," she admitted. "Th-this stuff is probably more up your alley."

Braze brightened up with a wealth of excitement as Loomi came over to him, He fussed at the edges of his sleeves having chosen a longer more breezy outfit for today. He felt a little sheepish having almost eaten the dirt moments ago as she approached and informed him a little of what was going on. He appreciated it greatly and could feel his heart just about swell in her kind presence which was... odd.. why did he feel this way? He tried to shake the feeling as he patted his chest a little hard.

" I love sparring. It's like a big game of tag one where you have to think. " Braze offered explaining his view of it to Loomi showing his interest in it like a game he really enjoyed.

"Mandolorians tend to wear shells right?" He asked. " What about it makes you feel not so good?" Braze asked curiously wanting to know how Loomi felt. He was starting to think that perhaps he would need to learn to fight well enough to protect Loomi and Aliris Tremiru . At least that was what he was going to tell himself. He liked the two of them very much and he had no problem naturally feeling drawn to be that protector for either of them. Plus he couldn't just let Ko Vuto surpass him- Braze was not lacking in motivation.

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Loomi Kaleleon Jonyna Si Corazona von Ascania Mother Askani Braze Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Minerva Fhirdiad Gweneth Zarari BB-610 Jackson Lesan Shan Pavond Katherine Holt Julius Sedaire
​

More people arrived and congregated around the others. It was starting to feel like she was being deliberately ignored, which got under Eloise's skin more than she was willing to admit. Pursing her lips, she crossed her arms over her chest, determined to get what she came here for: an education.

"Couldn't we just use the Force to pull their helmets off, and then stab them in the face?"

Blinking, Eloise turned around to see who had spoken. A boy stood behind her, dressed in a yellow brocade tunic instead of Jedi robes (not that many students bothered with the traditional attire these days). Similar to Corazona von Ascania , he had a funny Ukatian accent. Meeting her bewildered gaze, the boy gave Eloise a cheesy grin.

It looked like he was going to be her sparring partner.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Minerva Fhirdiad Julius Sedaire Kahlil Noble Jonyna Si

After listening to Julius, Valery watched the Jedi pair up but there was something she wanted to add something to his part of the lecture, "While many of the Mandalorians will not shy away from fighting up-close, do not forget that they can use distance to their advantage as well. During my fight on Rodia, they utilized jetpacks to try and stay away when they weren't trying to cut us down up-close," Valery said, her voice raised enough for every Jedi to be able to hear her.

"My advice is to not fight too passively. You won't drain them of energy using Soresu when they can pelt you with an absurd amount of ordnance from afar. Adapt to that, and apply more pressure before they lock you down and force you into a defensive stance where it's only a matter of time before you crack."

"You can focus on defense, but do not let them set the pace."

Her fiery gaze then shifted over to Jonyna Si , who hadn't paired up yet. After her conversation with Kahlil and the Jedi Knight, she wanted to spend more time helping Jonyna grow in her skills, so why not practice more directly?

"Knight Si, you are with me."

 

[Loomi]

New Cov
Tags: Braze

" What about it makes you feel not so good?"

"I don't know," she sighed, hanging her head. "I guess I just don't really want to hurt people. Y'know?"

Loomi just didn't like people getting hurt. She had seen far too much of it in her childhood, or at least the poor excuse for a childhood that she had. Not to mention....

She pushed to to the back of her mind. The Godoan didn't want to think about that.

"But sparing doesn't seem so bad," Loomi decided.

Braze was probably better than her, so she could at least improve a little, right?

 

[Minerva Fhirdiad]

New Cov ​

Tag: Kahlil Noble Julius Sedaire Braze Eloise Dinn Mother Askani Shan Pavond Gweneth Zarari BB-610 Katherine Holt Valery Noble Loomi Jonyna Si

Throughout all their discussion Minerva didn't say anything else but listened attentively. A number of them already had good ideas. Some who had fought with or against Mandalorians. As for the non-experienced there is a vast difference between discussing theories about combat against enemies than actually fighting them. In the midst of the lively talks she looked at BB, smiling inside the helmet.

His courage during the battle of Exegol, programmed or not, was among the finest she witnessed from any being.

"It's an honor to serve with you again, Droid Warrior. Great job with the holograms by the way." Minerva whispered that so that only she, Valery, Juilius and BB would hear.

Afterwards when people were pairing up Minerva noticed Loomi and Braze together. She couldn't hear anything they're saying but the warrior had to resist the urge to chuckle. Of course there is no evidence of them actually being a couple but Minerva thought they would be adorable if they were.

I'm so going to tease her about him afterwards.

Her amusement quickly faded away as the Jedi found their partners. Before the sparring could begin she declared.

"First allow me to demonstrate." Then all of the Jedi present would hear clanking footsteps coming out of the jungle and out of the shadows was more than 30 battle droids advancing in a huge column.

They were being remote controlled by some of her squad mates inside the temple, watching from footage.

"Par Manda'yaim!" Minerva bellowed out in Mando’a for all to hear, drawing her rifle

Jettisoning off the ground via jetpack she flew in from the left flank, blasting in short bursts four droids each in the chest. Swerving to the opposite side she eliminated five more within the column, including blasting one droid's head. Then mid-air she switched from rifle to dual pistols. Flying all around the robotic column like a crazed mynock Minerva rained bolt after bolt, wrecking another four in swift succession.

Then putting the pistols she dived in from behind, freezing three solid with a CP-03V CryoBan Projector from her right vambrace. Drawing back in the air the warrior unleashed fourteen whistling birds from her jet boots. All the remaining droids were immediately destroyed within a moment leaving a newly rendered pile of spare parts on the ground. Landing in a roll, Minerva then sprang up and looked back at the Jedi with a nod.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Loomi

​

" Well, you don't have to hurt anyone if you don't want to and if you get good enough. Then you can just make them tiered or catch them without harming them there are plenty of valid ways you can engage with an enemy." Braze explained thinking it over how best to word things for Loomi.

" If you can think outside the standard you may gain the advantage. " He trailed softly. "I think really skilled fighters can end the fight before they start, and early on if there's no avoiding it. To do with less injury the better. " He trailed happily enough to explain it in a better light to her. He wouldn't mind practicing with her. He'd never even spared with her before and figured this would be an interesting partner.

 

[Jonyna Si]

Her fiery gaze then shifted over to Jonyna Si Jonyna Si , who hadn't paired up yet. After her conversation with Kahlil and the Jedi Knight, she wanted to spend more time helping Jonyna grow in her skills, so why not practice more directly?

"Knight Si, you are with me."

​

"Wait what now?"

Oh no. She'd been singled out by the Sword of the Jedi. Her mind flashed back to her fight with Kahlil Noble , and the pain of falling right on her ass.

Might as well write my epitaph.

Or maybe she'd do great! Maybe she could win! SHE COULD DO THIS!

"Alright!" She chirped, taking a fighting stance, only to stop to watch Minerva Fhirdiad go. She knew what it took to fight droids, though her mind wandered to the thought of Sevs once more. Her training under the recordings he'd saved. PArt of her wondered if those were still there. Sure, Sevs had spent 900 years offline, but surely there was some data still there....right?

Valery Noble

 

[Mother Askani]

Location: New Cov Jedi Enclave
Tag: Jackson Lesan

As the lecture unfolded in the courtyard, Jedi Padawans and Knights gathered, their focus honed on the Mandalorian instructor's words like beams of light converging on a single point. CJ stood among them, her attention rapt, her presence both attentive and enigmatic. The sun caught her even here, illuminating her in a warm glow.

A voice, a whisper of familiarity, caressed her ear. Jackson, a fellow Jedi Padawan whose presence invoked a sense of camaraderie -- they made up the new cohort of Jakku students. He stealthily approached. Carrying that Lesan aura her mom seemed familiar with, a casual edginess, brought an air that resonated with Cortana's Scorpio spirit.

“So war… huh,” he whispered to Cortana as he slinked in behind her. “You think your mom would send us to support the Alliance if that is where this is all headed?”

his voice laced between them like a secret shared among stars. CJ tilted her head just enough to acknowledge him, a sly smile curving her lips. "Mandalorians? That's a whole different level of challenge, and you know she lives for those but...I honestly don't know." their easy casual rapport a testament to the few years spent training together.

As the instructors continued to elucidate the intricacies of Mandalorian combat, their gazes remained locked in a silent exchange. There was an unspoken bond between them, nurtured in the halls on Jakku, which rendered formality unnecessary. She nudged her knuckle into his leg to get attention, followed by her pointing at Julius Sedaire . She leaned in a little closer, her voice laced with a curious note "That's the guy mom was talking about--she said a friend of hers was going to be helping out."

The lecture signaled a transition from words to action. Everyone began to disperse, gathering into pairs – she glanced around the courtyard as fellow Jedi sought partners for their practice sessions. She whipped around, and eyes locked onto Jacksons, and a conspiratorial smile tugged at her lips; the air was alive with the unspoken promise of partnership.

Her voice carrying a magnetic undertone that demanded his attention. "Partner up?" with a casual shrug.

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Valery Noble | Mother Askani | Kaleleon | Julius Sedaire | Minerva Fhirdiad | Kahlil Noble | Loomi | Gweneth Zarari | BB-610 | Corazona von Ascania | Jonyna Si | Eloise Dinn | Braze

Jax knew he should have been paying attention to all of the dialogue and questions, but it seemed too… redundant. Sure Mandalorians were fearsome warriors, and often they were brutal and ferocious, but Jedi were not pushovers. The challenge of an opponent that was hellbent on killing often forced the Jedi to dig deeper and learn more about themselves than anything else. Obstacles of what one could do were mental, and the threat of death, the adrenaline which accompanied it, often led to a desperate push.

The informality they shared was comfortable. There were lingering looks, often spent communicating things which only the two would understand. Whether it was their training together, or something else at work, the two simply understood each other and often were on the same page. A good example was the fact CJ felt the need to rap her knuckle into Jax’s thigh.

“Ow.”

His eyes shot to hers in feigned offense. In truth, he had not been paying attention like he should have been, and with all the new faces he would have never picked out Julius Sedaire from BB-610 . It had always been a point of surprise with Jackson how Romi seemed to know so many people. Every time he though they had exhausted her network, there was always someone else she knew. Jackson had benefited of course, considering her friendship with Judah. Though, he could not help but think there was still something of sympathy involved in her agreement to take him.

Jax just nodded.

Suddenly they were pairing off. For a moment it was awkward and both Jax and Cortana looked around for someone to pair up with. Then their eyes caught the other’s once once. Her shrug had said more than it needed to. Jackson laughed as nodded.

“Sure… let’s show them all how this is supposed to work.”

Why not show off what a couple of padawan’s from Jakku could do.

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Loomi Kaleleon Jonyna Si Corazona von Ascania Mother Askani Braze Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Minerva Fhirdiad Gweneth Zarari BB-610 Jackson Lesan Shan Pavond Katherine Holt Julius Sedaire
​

After the Mando gave a demonstration, the students were free to spar. Eloise looked around one final time in a vain attempt at finding someone else to partner with, but they were all taken. It was just her and the boy.

"Greetings," He bowed in what she considered a very grandiose way. "I am Albrecht von Duschendorff."

"Eloise," she muttered. "Which one of us will be the Mando?"

"Well," Albrecht said. Without finishing the thought, his tone and body language gave away that he expected her to play the part of villain, and he the hero.

Well, fine. Everyone else seemed to already view her as the villain, so she ought to be perfect in the role. Eloise marched over to the armory and outfitted herself in a suit of beskar. The armor fit shockingly well over her tall, athletic frame. Better than her Jedi robes ever did. Picking up a knife and rifle, she positioned herself across from Albrecht. "You first."

He shoved her with the Force. She supposed she wasn't allowed to resist, so she didn't. Backwards she tumbled, letting the armor take the brunt of the impact. As Albrecht leaped toward her, lightsaber pointing down at her chest, she rolled out of the way and unleashed a salvo of blaster fire upon him. These were stun bolts; he couldn't deflect them, so he ran toward her in a zig-zag to avoid being hit. The moment he got close, swinging at her neck, she ducked under his arms and plunged the knife into his leg.

He screamed and hobbled away, clutching his bleeding thigh. Eloise heaved a sigh before calling out, "Medic!"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora nodded as she joined Kaleleon at the weapon's rack.

"That would be preferred, yes. You have more combat experience than I, and if you've fought a Mandalorian before, you're in a much better position to mimic their fighting style."

For her part, the Padawan selected a wrist-mounted energy shield. She gave a passing thought to the head protection her opponent chose, almost brushing it off - before sizing him up again and deciding to err on the side of caution. This may have been an exercise, but that didn't mean that there were no risks. The scream from her fellow Ukatian was a testament to that.

His teasing smile and friendly insult did not go unnoticed. In fact, they caused her to commit her first mistake - a subtle twitch pulled at her brow in irritation. As used as she was to keeping her composure in a vicious court of nobles, the Padawan was oddly susceptible to battlefield taunts.

"That depends on what your definition of hard is, I suppose." Cora slipped a helmet over her head, grimacing with the thought of how it would muss up her hair once removed. "I'd ask that you do not go easy on me, but also leave me alive."

In truth, the blonde was out of practice. Only a short time ago, she'd been navigating a difficult marriage that kept her away from the battlefield or any meaningful training. Now that she was back with the Jedi, Cora took every opportunity she could to shore up her abilities.

Moving a few paces away, Cora took a moment to appraise her opponent. Kaleleon was taller than her, with a similar build to the farmers who worked her family's territory. That meant he was likely stronger than he looked. Her visored gaze drifted to the pistol, then the training knife as she drew the loaner saber from her belt - her personal lightsaber was still ok Ukatis, mounted above the fireplace of her departed husband's study.

After dialing down the intensity to its lowest setting, she surged forward, aiming to jab the tip of the blue plasma into his armpit.

Kaleleon @im too sleepy to tag everyone

 

[Kaleleon]

Easy to train, but not kill her. It wouldn't be difficult to do that. Yet, I had an inkling suspicion that going easy, is not what was needed, or truly wanted. She was a Padawan. She needed to know how to fight. Even more so, if she would be fighting a Mandalorian, they would not take it easy upon her. Fighting in combat, is not training. There were no rules, no honor. no time outs. While we would not be acting in the same way today, I was not going to give her a relaxing day.

Sizing up her frame, and posture, I knew right off the bat she would be a faster opponent. Instead of relying on strength, she was more akin to agility, speed, and the simple strikes that would end a fight as fast as possible. So a fighting style like Form Two, and Form Four were her likely choices of combat. While she did not give me the ready, she just went for it. Already being a little c- Nevermind that.

The blue plasma surged towards me. The knife in my left hand crossed over to the right, but was extended out. Making the azure blade miss its mark, sliding over the top of the shoulder guard for my armor. My right foot took the step forward and crossed the distance to get well within her blade length to bring the pistol barrel up and right at center mass.

"Bang."

Using the Knife to push her blade well away from any harm it may have caused, allowed for a very quick opening with just stepping closer to her. More over, it allowed my blade to be much closer to its own range, and brought the pistol easily within what most would consider "point blank." Having fought one particular individual who once wielded knives against me, and how dangerous it was for him to get within my own reach, I was attempting to use the same tactics he used against me, to teach her to do better.

"Again."

Corazona von Ascania Valery Noble Julius Sedaire Minerva Fhirdiad

 

[Loomi]

New Cov
Tags: Braze

"I think really skilled fighters can end the fight before they start, and early on if there's no avoiding it. To do with less injury the better. "

"Okay..." Loomi nodded, giving a faint sigh. "Well, I guess I'll give it a shot."

She drew her blade, getting herself into a position to begin. The fluid blade flowed into a curved shape, solidifying into something more rigid, though not sharp. The Godoan would at least try her best to see what she could do.

"Alright," she decided. "I'm ready."

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen's tail flicked as he looked around himself at the verdant forest of New Cov. Back home, his men would be drilling and hunting, honing their skills to the conflict to come. Zorrens lived for war. It was their biggest contradiction. A race of people dedicated to preserving life did so by being experts in taking it. The Valde of course, had perfected his skills on the battlefields of the republic, long before he'd grown his tail.

His teeth had been cut against the sith. He'd been honed againSt the mandalorians. They were tough opponents, their hatred of force suers making them happy to make use of slug throwers and anti-force user weaponry. Against a sith, the Valde was set to win any day, hisloadout being made to destroy them. A Mandalorian however, was likely to carry that which he wasn't quite prepared against. "Here we go again," he sighed as he cast his eyes over the group of Alliance combatants, most of them jedi. "Same old story. Just another time."

 

[Ariana Du Couteau]

Ariana Du Couteau, Jedi Padawan
Action: Watching the Sparring Session and Studying
Outfit (No Right Arm)

Ariana was content enough, this wasn’t exactly a lecture, but it also wasn’t exactly a training exercise either. Sitting down with her lone left arm supporting her head as she stared ahead of the demonstrations and listening to the questions and answers, Ariana was curious on the diplomatic side of things with the Mandalorians. Maybe my brother could get me a summary report or something. If war was being pushed by the Mandalorians, then certainly the Alliance and Jedi Order will confront them. Much like if the Sith or Imperial Remnants dared to strike at them, there would be a defense organized rapidly to respond.

But the way they described them, they sound nothing more than glorified pirates. She clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth as her thoughts bounced around her head. Though the most interesting point being made was the futility of attempting to reason with any Mandalorian. Quite the unorthodox position. Ariana had fought against the Maw, and while she never ranked diplomacy as an effective measure against Maw Zealots, she only engaged in combat as a reaction to them. We can give Sith and Sith-spawns a chance to convert.

The discussion turned towards the actual engagement in combat with Mandalorians, and slowly several Knights and Padawans began to pair up with one another. The young Du Couteau watched carefully, mostly on their stances to see how they matched up against one another. A few moments later, one of the Mandalorian Instructors, showcased the weaponry and technology used by other Mandalorians against a group of battle droids. It was clear their combat prowess was to be taken seriously, Ariana figured it would be like her attempting to fight against a ground combat vehicle with just the quarter of the size. And the firepower is nowhere near reduced.

Ariana turned her attention back towards the pairs beginning their duels, a good first start to learn a different fighting style. But Ariana worried that such attempts if not properly watched over in the course of months might not be enough. She was living proof that learning to modify or adjust one’s own fighting style might not always give the expected results. Or even shift entire philosophies and mentalities of how Jedi engage with combat and other people.

“Power brings forth hope.” Ariana mused as she continued to watch and observe carefully.
​

|| Loomi | Kaleleon | Eloise Dinn | Corazona von Ascania | Braze | Jonyna Si | Mother Askani | Minerva Fhirdiad | Valery Noble | Gweneth Zarari | Jackson Lesan | Vulpesen | Kahlil Noble | Julius Sedaire | BB-610 | Katherine Holt | Shan Pavond ||​

 

[Braze]

Noticing Loomi's hesitance, Braze kept his hands at his sides, deliberately choosing not to draw any weapons. His eyes met hers as he offered a confident grin. "Hey, no worries. The whole point of this is to learn, right?"

He glanced at her liquid-like sword, intrigued but not intimidated. "That's a realy nova weapon you have. Have you ever thought about using it to immobilize instead of striking? There are ways to engage in combat without causing harm."

Assuming a combat stance, but with his hands still empty, he continued, "Let's try something different. I'll come at you using just my hands, focusing on movements designed to immobilize. Watch for the openings I create—you can learn about any opponent's—tactics that way."

With a nod to signal he was ready, Braze advanced, launching a slow but calculated open-palmed strike aimed at her weapon hand. It was more of a test than an attack, gauging her reaction and aiming to guide rather than harm.

"We're not just honing our combat skills," he added, carefully watching her response. "We're learning the art of balance, how to take control of a situation without causing unnecessary pain. That's the mark of a skilled warrior, and I think you've got the potential to be just that." He offered with encouragement as he moved in on her.

Loomi

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

The shield emitter bound to her left wrist came up to meet the blaster a hair too late. Bang. A hole in her torso, a Jedi bleeding out on the battlefield. Behind the visor, her mouth firmed into a thin line.

The stroke of her blade had been a test of his movement, one she would not be afforded on the battlefield. At least, not without consequence.

She glanced to the blaster hovering inches from her midsection and grimaced inwardly. This wouldn't be like fighting the Maw and various Sith detachments.

Disengaging, Cora next lashed out for his hip- a feint, before she would force her left arm upwards suddenly in an attempt to bash him in the face with her shield. Her blade followed up quickly, aiming for either his elbow or his knee - whichever she’d find easier access to.

Kaleleon