The Force is Inside You[Hecate&Siobhan]

[Soell Alberio]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Hecate nodded quickly to her Mistress in response to the command to disarm the machine, it was certainly a more difficult task than simply landing a blow. Not least of all because the Echani didn't feel too confidant about prying anything from a droid's hands whose strength did not tire of loosen. To remove the weapon from its grip would require action on her part that was both swift and sudden enough to take the lightsaber from it before it could maximize its grip, which also meant applying all her own strength to take the device away to do it quick enough.

Waiting for the droid to come at her once more, the white haired woman dropped down low as if she were going to attempt a sweeping backwards kick at the mechanical training partner's legs, her lightsaber held in a high guard to deflect the blow from the droid she knew was coming. However, her goal wasn't to knock the droid down, she'd hurt her own legs first badly if she did that, instead she hooked her leg around the machine's and pulled herself around using her guard to slow and deflect the droid's weapon as she began to pull herself up quickly, grabbing the pommel of its weapon in her hand and stabbing with her own blade at its face hoping the stun setting would disorient its systems maybe with such a forward touch enough to loosen its grip if it managed to latch onto its blade in time before she pulled it free.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hecate"]


Siobhan watched her student's swordwork, feeling a perhaps absurd craving for a cigarette. She had been trying to quit for a while but to no avail! It was either that or...get hot and heavy with Hecate since the violence was serving as a turn-on for Siobhan. At this juncture this writer can only shake their head and wonder how this Siobhan could get so oversexed.



Regardless Siobhan kept watching the display with interest, making no comments for now. She was not much of a swordsmaster and open enough to admit it, though the Echani was showing potential. Another droid was already in readiness behind the door that coincidentally was behind Hecate, a powerful electro-staff in hand, though it did not charge through...yet.


From an opposite direction two remote droids that were armed with rapid-firing blasters, though set on a stun setting, were ready as well, though likewise they made no move into the training room yet. Now Siobhan just had to make up her mind which to use first!

 

[Soell Alberio]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Well Hecate wouldn't be one to complain at all about receiving such action, especially as a reward for all her hard work. That is if allowed to take a while to catch her breathe and clean herself up a bit, being sweaty and exhausted did not leave for fun times of the sexy variety. Nonetheless such matters were not on the young Echani's mind as she pulled with all her might, amplified by the force, trying to wrest the lightsaber from the training droid's grip.

It took a few moments, but with the jab of her own lightsaber set on stun to the droid's head module, the machine did indeed release the weapon in its grasp. Likely a combination of being offset by the blow, the pull on the weapon from its slackened hold, and whatever effects a lightsaber on stun sparking against a droid's head probably caused to its system if any.

The success wasn't lost on Hecate though as she immediately began backpedaling away in case it tried to take it back right away. Technically this was what her Mistress had claimed was the victory scenario, but that didn't mean the droid would turn itself off right away for all she knew. "Mistress Kerrigan is this a satisfactory disarm?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hecate"]


Siobhan had been spending the last few moments wondering what should Hecate next. Like every good teacher she had given this all the attention it required and thought the matter through. After all, being a teacher was serious business!


So she had finally come to a decision by...flipping a coin. As it happened she got tails, which meant that force plot wanted remotes to attack Hecate. Yes, this writer actually flipped a coin for some reason. But have no fear, the big skeletal droid wielding an electrostaff would not be forgotten!


Anyhow, Siobhan was pleased with the outcome and the droid ceased its attacks, for now. "It is. Good work," she nodded. The words had just left her lips when suddenly two remotes whirled into the room. "Deflect their rounds with your blade. Let the Force guide your movements." As she spoke these words the two remotes, both coming from opposite directions, began firing salvoes of stun blasts that would give Hecate a good zap if she got hit.

 

[Soell Alberio]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

"Thank you Mistress! And yes Mistress, I'll do my best." Facing the incoming remote droids, Hecate did as ordered and let herself reach into the force once again. She was heavily tired, and the Echani felt as if she was working as hard if not more than she had when she was a child training under her mother in the Echani arts. The young white haired woman tried not to rely on her eyes too much, machines couldn't be read like people, her usual approach wasn't fit for combat with droids. Not to mention the little remotes flitted about quickly and close to randomly, it would take a while if she tried to search for a pattern in their movements.

So instead Hecate relied on the force, reaching out with it to feel when the remotes were about to fire, where they were when they fired, where they were facing, and then using this knowledge to guide her lightsaber to intercept the stun shots. It felt much easier than fighting the larger droid. It was hard yes, the concentration level was frustrating to hold onto, but at least she wouldn't be thrown across the room by superior strength and a tenacity of a machine up in her face. Just deflecting the stun bolts was a nice enough break from that she supposed, even if it was still challenging to keep up with the flurry with both remotes even with force enhanced reaction speed.

Nonetheless the Echani persevered. She danced, her blade spinning about her to turn stun bolts away as they were fired at her. Again Hecate didn't think she was supposed to dismantle the remotes, she merely had to deflect the blasts until her Mistress was satisfied once more. The thought made the white haired girl smile. Satisfying her Mistress was something that seemed to be repeating itself as her present objective. She hoped she continued to satisfy her Mistress with her progress and ability.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hecate"]


Speaking of droids, the big skeletal one was obviously not shut down but still active. While it had lost its grip on its lightsabre it still had integrated weapons systems. Such as wrist-built blaster pistols. So it promptly began to use them productively by sending a hail of stun bolts streaking through the air right at Hecate, who would presumably be distracted deflecting bolts from the remotes.


Not very nice but then actual battle was not nice either and besides, they could only give Hecate a thorough zap if she got hit!

 

[Soell Alberio]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

No it wasn't very nice at all, because as absorbed into her immediate surroundings and battle as she was, and focusing to make the task of deflecting the rapid fire stun bolts much easier, Hecate wasn't paying any attention whatsoever to the mechanical menace she had thought would quietly leave the training room. She only felt a faint warning through the force but it was already too late as she was deflecting other shots at the time and didn't have the time to move her blade. She just didn't have the control over the force yet to make herself any faster or stronger.

So with a grimace as the first blast hit and sent a shock through her body the young Echani spun about trying to keep up with all three, though a flurry of shots hit her after the first one and caused more to hit before she got her lightsaber moving appropriately again. Its a common saying among soldiers the more that hit you the more that will. Essentially being true, the more tired and injured you were the more likely you were to become even more wounded. Each zap was taxing when they hit her, she'd live, but technically she knew that in a real situation she would have been dead by now. Spinning the lightsaber about herself through the various motions of the stance her Mistress had just taught her, Hecate wondered as she both deflected stun blasts and was zapped by them when her Mistress would deem this exercise done. Hopefully before she got zapped enough eventually from the bolts that got through her guard to make herself too numb to do anything else after training.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hecate"]


Siobhan watched the exercise for a while longer. It shall be left to Hecate's writer to decide how many stun bolts she deflected and how many hit her before the Countess finally called it quits. Abruptly the naughty machines stopped firing.


Naturally Siobhan looked completely unapologetic. "Every zap, burn or bruise in training might mean one less limb lost in battle. You have technique, you need to refine it. Same with your focus. It is essential. As is Movement. A static target is a dead target. Jedi got mowed down during Order 66 because jarheads with blasters just swarmed them from multiple angles. Likewise work on your barriers. Even with the best lightsabre deflection and force-enhanced reflexes, some shots will come through."

 

[Soell Alberio]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Gasping towards the end before Siobhan called off the droids, Hecate managed to keep count of the pattern where she faltered. In the end she found she was able to deflect more once she got into the rhythm, but far less than she should or could have if she had been able to be aware of the third droid before it had attacked. The unison attacks from all three at different angles was when the young Echani simply couldn't keep up her defense and a bolt or two would slip in. Thus the white haired woman had done her best to position herself so she could try and keep two of them within her field of vision at all times if not all three.

Still, trying to do so while deflecting attacks and trying not to let herself be boxed into a corner was just too much for the time being. As it was her Mistress' advice as the attacks were finally called off and Hecate took a breathe of relief, and groan in exasperation and fatigue, made the Echani woman sigh as she nodded her head in understanding. Although in all honesty she was too tired anymore to truly be concerned with anything other than just being happy she could let her strained muscles and number extremities relax. "Yes Mistress. . . .does the barrier have to be anything special to block the energy from a blaster bolt or is it similar to how you had me block the pieces earlier? Even if I can't do it now I can try my best Mistress, although perhaps some simple blaster resistant armor weave into my clothes could help as well."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hecate"]


"Girl, get some proper armour if you want to survive battle. I don't care about what the Echani way is, no one with sense goes into battle wearing a sky blue parade uniform unless they're asking to get limbs blown off. It's going to do you no good against explosives, lightning or being riddled with blaster rounds. Or for that matter significant blunt trauma if you get telekinetically grabbed and thrown across a room into a wall," Siobhan said bluntly.


No need to sugar-coat things and she was never one for pussying around anyway. Going into combat wearing parade uniforms had not gone well for the French in World War One!


Well, this was a different universe but the point still stood. It was simple common sense. Besides, Echani did make armour! "With enough strength a telekinetic barrier can bat away or dissipate blaster rounds, but if you rely just on that and super reflexes you're setting yourself up to get killed."

 

[Soell Alberio]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

If Siobhan's tone was in any way meant to cause a reaction like flinching from the young Echani then it didn't work, Hecate was simply too tired and sore from being shot so many times to worry about having upset her Mistress over the subject of armor. Sure maybe she could wear some form of armor if that would help possibly, but she would never go anywhere the level she had seen her Mistress wear or that the Mandolorians were known for. Not that there was anything wrong, but it was far too. . . .brutish in the white haired woman's opinion.

The Echani saw battle as the highest form of expressing oneself as a person and displaying their emotions and conflictions in the most honest of ways. It was a social construct that Hecate deeply respected, having armor of the sort to provide that much protection would inhibit that expression, Echani armor makers were notorious for making them only class 4 at the most to provide the most mobility still and keep from obscuring the motions of one's body. Besides it was the mark of a bad soldier to let themselves be caught in the open where they could be shot so often. Even with her new potential with the force Hecate didn't intend to blindly charge battle lines.

Still, she did not wish to upset her teacher, and her Mistress might do who knows what else to her if she displeased her. "Perhaps, but wearing heavy armor counteracts the point of enhanced speed and reflexes Mistress. A class 3 or 4 armor to defend against blunt trauma perhaps but I want nothing like you yourself use if that satisfies you milady. Will that be enough if I learn effective barrier use?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hecate"]

If Siobhan had wanted to cause a reaction she would have done more than use sharp words. Her opinion of 'legendary' Echani combat prowess was not that high. Battle was about shooting the guy on the other side and making it back out alive.


It was simple common logic. If Hecate thought class four armour and super speed would prevent her from getting fried then she was just being naive. As for being upset, it took more to make Siobhan feel that way. As it was she was just slightly annoyed. She was not expecting Hecate to get beskar'gam, which in any case she would get anyway.


Without a further word she made a mental gesture and called a boltgun into her hands. Likewise magazine of the APE rounds. These were Anti-Personnel Explosive boltgun ammunition, designed to make mincemeat out of personal armoured targets below class eight armour. They lacked the explosive area of effect of explosive bolts, but were deadly. So she loaded the gun and without a word fired at the big droid that had earlier been peppering Hecate with stun bolts.


There was a bang and the bullet, in essence a miniaturised HEAT shell, punched through the armoured torso and tore the machine to pieces, leaving a big hole and with smoke coiling off it.


"Class five armour. APE round. Designed to smash anything except the most heavily armoured targets. 30mm x 45mm explosive bolts have a range of up to 1000 m for bombardment, 2 m casualty radius, up to 6 m damage from blast and shrapnel. You can't outrun that. As a matter of fact, at your level enhanced reflexes and speed will amount to little in combat," she said calmly.


Another droid, looking much like the one before, entered the room. Without giving the machine much of a look Siobhan suddenly wrapped her telekinetic willpower around the machine. The droid was abruptly lifted into the air as invisible fingers compressed around it. Metal creaked and sickening crunches were heard as Siobhan systematically crumbled the machine and in the same motion made it crash back onto the ground.


Repeatedly. The robot was crushed. Sparks flew and there was the smell of burnt circuits and eletronics. All this Siobhan did while in a state of calmness. "You can't dodge that. At your level force barriers will withstand little. Class three to four is useless for anything except for scouts."

 

[Soell Alberio]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Well whether or not Siobhan appreciated it, Hecate certainly did. She grew up on those teachings, was taught and developed her own desire to reach that pinnacle of prowess only the best of masters in the Echani Arts could reach. Her entire culture thrived on it, it was something that was around her daily her whole life on Eshan and it was the same for the rest of the Echani as they also were raised and fed on that culture and environment of belief.

All the same the white haired woman saw arguing the matter wasn't going to get her anywhere. Not that she wanted to really delve into the topic from the beginning anyway. The young Echani only felt uneasy because she held an opinion that her Mistress was less inclined to, and her Mistress firmly believed her safety was at risk. Which was perhaps the one thing at all making Hecate reconsider, at the very least to not worry the person taking their time to teach her, and who had hired her for work in Firemane, and had shown her a lovely time too.

Still, the remarks about the class of armor the droids matched as when Siobhan took the boltgun to blowing them apart and using the force to crumple them up also hit home a little. She understood the risks and the facts of her current strength, but then that also made her somewhat irritable about things as well. "Then what is it you're trying to recommend to me Mistress, I just don't want armor of the sort to defend against everything if its going to limit my ability to fight and communicate. I'm a soldier Mistress, I've fought before, I know not to recklessly do stupid things and I don't intend to flounder about now just because I have the force. Perhaps at my level i can't do those things, no question. But I don't intend to fight someone above my level who specializes in such powers as yours.I don't intend to challenge a dozen armed soldiers at once head on, especially in a situation where I would be easily surrounded. I fully intend to take tasks on I can handle while I continue to refine my control and build up my potential. I'm not refusing armor outright either Mistress, but is there a compromise?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hecate"]


Clinging to traditions was well and good, until it got in the way of getting things done. It certainly made Siobhan strongly doubt Hecate's capabilities as an officer. As for having been a soldier before, Hecate had only been in a couple skirmishes.


Siobhan had seen actual war - and fought some of the worst monsters this Galaxy had spawned. True, she was not without flaws, one of them being her extreme arrogance and pride, but she had experience only a select few in this world had. As for compromise, Siobhan was her boss. She did not negotiate with subordinates!


"You've seen skirmishes, not war. And in battle you don't get to chose who you fight. Enemies are not going to line up politely and ask whether you want to fight them. Nor I do negotiate with people under my command, Lieutenant," Siobhan said bluntly. If the girl would not learn, experience would teach her. Perhaps painfully, but that would be her own fault then. "Work on your training. I expect good results. You're dismissed."

 

[Soell Alberio]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

The sharp remarks of her Mistress stung quite harshly for the young Echani. Hecate had hoped her willingness to compromise might please Siobhan, but instead it looks like her show of even slight resistance displeased her teacher and employer. Having rank established and brought up was like a crack of a whip and caused the white haired woman to bite her lower lip, quite hard in fact, as she tried to keep from saying anything else that might cause a rift. . . .or widen one if one had already been made.

Being dismissed as well was another blow, she felt rather upset with herself for saying something to end up being sent away like this. Everything else had gone so well, she had earned so much praise and respect. Now she felt like she just lost it all. For a moment she wondered as she hesitated whether she ought to feel defiant and claim she would show she could manage her way, but immediately quashed the thought as she desperately wished for her Mistress to be pleased with her.

So after a few seconds of being unable to decide if she was leaving or going to try and apologize, Hecate bowed low and focused on hiding her face for a moment. "Yes Mistress. I apologize for my brazen audacity. I will reflect on today's training and continue to work on Shii Cho and Force Barriers." She hoped this wouldn't hang over her long as she stood up and began to head towards the training room exit. First official full day as a student and servant and already she was on the wrong track it seemed.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hecate"]


For her part Siobhan departed the training room. "Harmony, dear, do come to my study in ten minutes and attend upon me. Wear that dress I like," she spoke, voice soft as silk but commanding. She was a generous mistress and perhaps more egalatarian than most, but expected a high amount of devotion when she was in control.


After changing out of her training clothes into a sleek business suit and refreshing herself, she went over to her study. It was outfitted with all the technical toys and communications systems to allow her and Tegaea to work from home and at the same time remain updated on Firemane operations and galactic events. Unsurprisingly a good deal of paperwork had accumulated on her desk, made out of wood from Kashyyyk, in her absence.


A frown creased Siobhan's features and she settled down onto her plushy leather armchair, grabbing a pen and one of the folders that had aurebesh sigils emblazoned upon it. The particular document that she began studying was a progress report on the construction of three bases, Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire that were being set up in the mountains surrounding Santaissa and would provide protection to repel invaders.


Here and there she made notes in the margins with her pen in her usual messy handwriting. As she did this soft footsteps announced the arrival of Harmony. The dark skinned, very attractive servant girl in a rather brief white dress and she curtseyes when she approached. "Busy day at work, Mistress? How may I serve you?" she asked sweetly, leaning against the door and thus giving Siobhan a good view.


Siobhan looked up from the paper she was studying and gave her a thin smile before pointing down to her chair. "Come over here. My feet demand your attention, pet," she responded before going back to reading.


"Yes, ma'am. I hope I'm not too distracting and you can still concentrate!" Harmony quipped with a wink since, as everyone knows, servant girls were at their best when they were misbehaving! Regardless she quickly crossed the distance and went on her knees next to her.


Absentmindedly Siobhan reached out to pet the girl like a favourite pet before scribbling in some comments on a page making proposals to build up a starfighter base and upgrade the Eldorai's interceptors. Her shoes were removed by her servant and then a soft, very pleasured moan escaped Siobhan's throat as Harmony's very nimble and talented fingers began working their magic on her feet. Lovingly strokingn and stimulating them, rubbing pleasuring lotion over them and providing just the right amount of pressure where she desired it most.


Fingers were gently rubbed over her ankles and Siobhan sighed when Harmony planted soft kisses on her toes, slowly working her way up towards her long legs. While this happened Siobhan kept reading through official business papers.


Thus the thread is concluded.