Piece of a Puzzle

[Jacob Crawford]

Maena​

The Tower​

​

Deep within the towering skyscaper, there was carnage. Tucked away amongst the ongoing experients was a small area set aside for training. Jacob stood within a reasonably sized room, dressed in simple clothes; torso bare to the coldness of the room with only a pair of trousers and boots on. His cybernetic arm was clear to see, as he slammed the hardened metal into the skull of a droid. The new one was still being manufactured, although since then he had repairs made to the current basic one. His opponents were basic in nature, bipedal droids wielding various stun weapons; from batons to staves. Set to a moderate level, Jacob bobbed and weaved around the room as they attacked.

While Jacob could've easily used his own facilities, the training room there was still going through its finer details and required supplies. So for the now he was making use of the ones located within the Tower. The irony of which, wasn't lost on him.

The purpose for the current exercise was to test his new lightsaber. It had been recently forged, and it had admittedly been years since he had wielded one. Albeit, he did have the memories of time as a Jedi, plucking away at the days spent sparring and dueling. But it was unfortunately not as simple as that, as Jacob discovered quite quickly. There was a distinct disparity between taking the memory, and putting it into practice. The muscle memory just wasn't there anymore, eroded away with time. But Jacob was still very physical when it came to combat, his 'imprisonment' on Dxun had done nothing but ingrain that fact

As such, he took to using a lightsaber quite easily. While the specifics once taught to him were nothing more than a memory now, the broad strokes were still there. Much like riding a bike, it came to him in quick succession. But as he felt a stun baton jab into his exposed side, it was clear there were still some rough patches here and there. Coiling the Force around his hand, Jacob hauled the offending droid off the ground and flung it into a nearby wall. Before the machine could hit the ground however, he pulled it once more and sent it hurtling into its kin. With the group as a whole stunned, Jacob lunged into the fray and sliced them apart.

After a minute he stepped away from the now pile of droid parts, stopping by the room's terminal; the same place he had deposited his shirt and jacket. Jacob took a moment to dry himself down with a towel, taking a breather before he moved to the computer. This had been his secound bout today, a similiar pile of parts sitting at the far end of the room. He intended to continue for several more hours, unaware that he was soon to be interrupted.

[member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[NightSister]

Aria Vale paid frequent visits to the Unit, and equally so to the Tower that stood over it.

From the outside, it looked a ruin - the inside was miles of medical facilities. Neither were particularly her style. But she had associates who showed their faces often and it was as good a place to train as any.

Today, if any of her friends were around they were elsewhere, busy with experiments of some nature that Aria would surely be unfamiliar with and if Matsu's creations were any indication, not especially fond of either. No - she was making use of the freedom afforded her across Maena for the sake of training.

Despite the frequent times where her training had a far greater element of real life, Aria made it a point that she regularly exercise her ability, if only for the sake of routine practice. She turned to Matsu when she wanted to test her mental talent, but for all the worth of adaptability her focus had always been on more physical skills.

Namely, telekinesis. She'd always found the skill rather useful.

She'd been there for perhaps an hour simply flexing her proverbial muscles, testing just what degree of control, of precision, that she held over her skills. She'd assembled and disassembled equipment parts; she'd used them to best a training droid; she'd tried controlling the metal creature entirely as though it were a puppet and she the puppeteer.

But someone upstairs was making an awful lot of noise.

Aria stopped a droid dead in its tracks in an instant, walking from the room and leaving the machine to stand there. She could deal with the racket, but the presence of noise was unfamiliar enough that she had to be curious.

She pushed the door open unabashedly, stood by its frame.

"Quite a commotion in here-oh." Eyes flickered briefly up and down the man standing a few yards away. "You."

| [member="Jacob Crawford"] |​

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Fighting with a lightsaber again was very therapeutic for Jacob.

It reminded him of the old days, of that hidden thrill he let burn within him during spars as a Jedi. He called upon those memories, tugged and clawed at them. Right until their breaking point where they snapped into reality for a moment only to ping back and reverberate between the two.

Trained and disciplined he might of been back then, but the Jedi were never truly able to take the fighter out of him. To not enjoy the sensation of taking a blow and giving one back in equal measure. Those nights forced into a fighting cage were hell for young Jacob, but a cherished memory for the older one. They had hardened him, pushed him to use the Force in more subtle ways, belying even the thought that he'd ever become more of a mentalist than a duelist.

He knew his skill wasn't there, the ease of movement was muddled amongst stiffer swings and jabs. It was almost second nature to wield a lightsaber again, but Jacob couldn't get away from the feeling that he'd never be able to reach his old potential again.

So focused as he was, Jacob didn't pick up the presence that was approaching the room. His attention was on the current batch of droids, ducking and weaving around them as he severed their limbs.

The last came at him quick, throwing jabs in rapid succession. Jacob tried to find an opening, but it was difficult to try and move his blade into the right position. So instead, he shut it off just as the droid's mechanic fist soared towards his face. He kicked his leg out, tripping one of the machine's then turning around and slamming the droid head first into the ground.

That was Aria arrived to see. Jacob crouched on the floor, hand wrapped around the back of the training droid's head as it twitched on the ground for a few moments until its systems shut down. Almost immediately her voice echoed in his ears, another memory sprung to the front of his mind.

Just barely a whisper within a thunderous storm.

"You?" He replied, questioningly as he slowly stood up. His back was to her at first, showing the twin scars that trailed diagonially from shoulder to hip. However it was soon out of view as he turned to face her, although the front wasn't without its own scars either. "Oh, I remember you now. You were there that day, on the beach."

[member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[NightSister]

A smirk curved her lips as memories drifted fleetingly to the front of her mind. The storm, the air disintegrating into an explosion that spread across the beach and the fields, the crater of bare obsidian. It seemed like a lifetime ago but in a way it had changed so much.

She imagined a lot had changed for him too.

Gaze tracked his scars momentarily then ticked back to his eyes. Amber. She doubted it was natural. Unsurprising considering where they were and considering what admittedly little she knew of him - but it inspired mild curiosity on her part and brought the slightest satisfaction to her smile. Interesting indeed, but hardly unwelcome.

"That's me," she answered with a quiet amusement. Her expression was still faintly reminiscent, mind still recalling their first encounter. How long had it been since that day on the beach? Years she was certain, but the memory was perfectly preserved in her brain.

Every now and again she still dwelled on that day, and though she'd learned a good deal amidst the madness of the storm the identity of the one causing it had remained one of the things to be dwelled on.

"We were rather too occupied then for introductions - I'm Aria."

An eyebrow lifted, and she folded her arms.

"You're not planning to explode again, are you?"

| [member="Jacob Crawford"] |​

 

[Jacob Crawford]

There was a similar smirk on Jacob's face as he recalled that day on the beach. He remembered it differently, being the epicentre of the storm - the cause of it. In those moments there was nothing else but himself and the Force. The shaky connection being reforged through destruction, the elements whipping around him.

But since then he had several occasions to revisit that memory, look at things he hadn't consciously noticed at the time. Glimpses from the corner of his eyes, voices that had echoed out that had never settled in his ears.

The spider in pain; angered, reaching across the mental expanse. The goliath that moved through the undead, charging with ill intent. And the smol doctor who moved herself into harms way to project her patient.

They had been what had stood out the most during that time, but he had noticed others - those that he hadn't outright acknowledged until he had looked back.

The apprentice that lingered in the distance, watching. And the vengeful soul, caught in it as a bystander but found her sights on the goliath.

"I remember now." Jacob looked at her, gaze wandering. He noticed the amber eyes, similiar in colour but different. More smoother in a way, especially in comparison to his own. Whereas his were more feral looking, a reflection of the violence that had wrought the change. "You don't look half bad, given what happened that day." But then again how long had it been since then? He couldn't quite remember, other than the fact it had been what had irreversibly changed him.

Jacob let out a chuckle as he walked towards the room's terminal and picked up the towel again to dry off.

"I'm Jacob." He said, dropping the towel back down and went to reach for his shirt. But he stopped as a thought occured to him. He retracted his hand away from the shirt and instead leaned against the terminal, crossing his arms against his chest.

"So what bring you to the Tower?" He asked, a growing smirk appearing. "To spar, perhaps?"

[member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[NightSister]

One eyebrow lifted and the corners of her lips just barely turned up.
"Nor do you."

Then a name. She'd always known they had power. Aria hadn't worked out what power his held, what power its owner held. All in good time. Truthfully, until he proved to be her enemy (not her intention by a long shot, but you never know) she was satisfied to know only what she needed. Still . . . Aria was an easy creature to make curious.

He had been there when the beach had turned to obsidian. He was here now, in the tower. And he wore the signature of a Sith. Yes, she decided, it would be surely worthwhile hanging around a little longer.

"Pleasure," the Sith added, almost thoughtfully.

What brought her to the Tower?
Hmm.
Interesting indeed.

Her eyes met his, flame against flame, and Aria smirked. She recognized eyes like those. They were the kind that hid something far more dangerous behind their depths. This was going to be fun.

"To train," she answered, smiling faintly. "Not that they're mutually exclusive. And if you're offering..."

She was never one to turn down a chance to spar.

[member="Jacob Crawford"]​

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Jacob had grinned, an almost full blown - teeth gleaming grin. It had been a long while since had a proper spar, against another actual opponent that weren't droids, or beasts for that matter.

The idea brought out a rumble from the inner beast, one sparked to life in the depths of Nar Shaddaa and brought to surface on Dxun. That, and he was still feeling the adrenaline high from fighting the last bout of training droids.

"Oh, I am." Jacob pushed himself from the terminal, walking back to the middle of the room. There he simply stood, arms folded across his chest as he looked at the woman.

He could feel power coming from her, Jacob saw a lot more clearer now that he had some perspective to pull from. She was Sith much like him, but there was something more to it.

There was a sense of familiarity, but not out of personal knowledge. Rather it was something he knew the two shared. Maena.

Both had already shed blood, sweat and tears on this planet.

"So what will be, Aria. Hand-to-hand, or training weapons?" There were a few to pick from, located off to the side. But Jacob had a feeling the latter wasn't going to be the choice.

He wanted to say something else, the words on the tip of his tongue, but instead he pulled them back in. He was going to voice the idea of levelling the playing field, given only one of them was presently half naked. But Jacob had refrained, it was only fair he had a bit of distraction on his side, after all he was already fatigued from his previous sparring.

Instead, he just gave her a knowing smile and awaited her answer.

[member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[NightSister]

Oh, this was too good.

Her grin exchanged for something more predatory, a sharp-as-knives smile. Eyes like ochre clouds were pleased with themselves and lit up with challenge. Because Aria was all too fond of the fight. She had never thought of herself a sadist; what she liked was to watch the chaos, the madness. Destruction. Fire. There was something to be said for finding time for those fragments of ruin. And something told her this would be a good one.

For an instant her gaze fixed on him, almost narrowed, half as though she was thinking of her answer and half as though she were trying to work him out, decide who - what - she was up against.

She made up her mind quickly enough.

"Let's see how good you are at hand to hand, shall we?"

Feet shifted. Stance shifted. Hands raised to in front of her jaw. Knees bent, almost crouching, like some beast watching its prey as it readied to pounce, to sink in its claws.

But she didn't pounce, not yet. Instead she waited to see if he'd go first. Partly manners - she'd fought enough to have a healthy respect for duel ettiquette - but also curiosity. Observance was a useful tool in combat, and she was interested besides.

[member="Jacob Crawford"]​

 

[Jacob Crawford]

"We shall..." The grin never left Jacob's face as Aria walked forwards into the the centre with him.

He slipped into a stance he was familiar with, adjusting it to a much smaller form than he was use to. The same one Jacob had used to tackle down beasts twice his size at times.

Obviously that wasn't quite the case in this situation.

Feet shifted along the ground, keeping his right side further back. His hands mirrored this, held close to his face in a similar manner as Aria.

Jacob's body was angled low, centered to the ground, but not as much as his opponent. They circled around one another for a bit, two predators not making a move initially. Both waiting to see if the other would make the first strike.

It was him that finally moved in, sliding forwards into an attack. But suddenly stepped back as he reconsidered.

Then he lunged at her with a left hook.

He'd start this off light.

By following that up with a right punch...with his cybernetic hand.

[member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[NightSister]

She saw his first attack coming. She had the seconds timed, ready to dodge a hair's breadth before he could strike, topple his balance. Then it never arrived, and Aria had the span of a heartbeat to realise where to look.

When she looked, she was greeted with a left hook.

Not bad.

Knuckles grazed past her skin; her eyes concentrated, but her mouth smiled. Aria shifted her stance again, watchful, searching to pinpoint him so she could follow up with her own-

ooph.

Cybernetics.
Not exactly fair game, but she'd be disappointed if it had been. That wasn't the nature of Sith. And predictability bored her.

She was not bored now.

His blow struck with full force and she grunted, let herself stumble, but her feet were rearranging even as they fell askew so that when her posture restraightened she was already moving forwards, at his side.

The distance between them was slim - perfect. Here it was easy to launch a kick into his side. He'd have plenty of space to fall. Or maybe he wouldn't fall at all. She wasn't sure which would be the most fun.

[member="Jacob Crawford"]​

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Jacob smirked as his cybernetic hand made contact, there was something satisfying about it. Not necessarily the hit itself, but the fact he managed to surprise Aria right off the bat. It set the tone for the rest of the spar, one where it was made clear Jacob had no qualms with being unfair.

Nor did he expect Aria to remain so either.

That was the fun in after all, this wasn't a training session - just a bout of fun that involved kicking the chit out of one another.

Completely friendly, if their smiles, smirks and grins were anything to go by.

He watched carefully as Aria managed to correct herself, bouncing back from his first strike fairly quickly. She went in for a kick almost immediately, angled for his side and soon found its mark and slammed into it. Jacob grunted in pain, feeling a sharp pain shoot up that side of his body. Probably wasn't too smart to take that blow, but he had remained mostly stationary, maybe budging to the opposite side a little.

Take a bit of pain in order to have an advantage be practically given to you.

Jacob hooked his arm around Aria's leg, wrapping around her knee, forcing her to balance on one. Then once again he fell upon his cybernetics as he curled the hand into a fist and went to slam it down against her thigh.

[member="Aria Vale"]​