Versus Goliath

[Vattas the Hutt]

Typically, a padawan would not be approved these sorts of outsourced duels. But Vattas the Hutt was no typical padawan. By no means was he a spectacular prodigy, his crowning achievement being the conception of a new hybrid lightsaber style, but even then he would not claim himself a master of it even if he was its creator. Nor would he say it was a particularly amazing style in itself since its core tenants were not as universal as the classical forms, but rather specialized to make the most use out of Vattas’s biological advantages. The reason he was provided this setting to duel was two-fold: to provide practice for his opponent to combat an irregular opponent such as the Hutt Jedi, and to allow Vattas to freely spar without needing to worry about his partner breaking their wrists trying to parry his strikes.

[SIZE=11pt]A cargo ship, borrowed from the Order’s fleet, flew down to the surface of Geonosis, landing in a canyon at the coordinates which were to be the set for Vattas’s duel. The ship’s side opened up, its whole storage facility taken up by the large Hutt, about 11 meters in full length, 3 of those meters upright. Instead of sluggishly crawling off, the Hutt instead floated, a number of repulsorlift plates implanted along his tail letting him glide slightly above the ground. About Vattas’s neck hung his lightclub, a rather large silver cylinder that was at least twice as long and wide as a regular lightsaber.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Looking about, Vattas scanned his terrain, learning what would soon be a battlefield. Perhaps he was arrogant that he would even have an opportunity to use the land, but it never hurt to be prepared. Rock columns dotted the landscape, and somewhat far to the west there seemed to be a crumbling slope up to higher ground, about fifty meters higher to be exact. But there was also plenty of open space, such that the land did not make itself an obligatory participant in the duel.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The ship went on to leave to higher ground where some might observe the exchange from above without unintentionally interfering. Vattas curled his tail, meditating until his honored opponent would arrive. While the humble Hutt would not show it, he was quite anxious to meet the one who accepted the request for friendly combat. Was it one with a grudge against the Hutts and wished to try their hand at beating one, or an eccentric warrior who thought it a fine opportunity, or some third option which neither demonized or glorified his species? The curiosity Vattas held toward his mysterious opponent was a deafening noise in his mind, one which he attempted to quell in his deep breathing, though the effort was futile.[/SIZE]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Alkor wore a loose fitting set of dark robes that felt slick against his sticky skin, wet from the extreme heat. A far cry from the comforts of Golbah, the elements were an agreed upon reality that neither of the contenders seemed to mind going in. He wore his lightsabers on both hips and no actual armor, all settings at non-lethal as agreed.

The Silver Jedi had reached out for various training opportunities with their closest ally, and the Knights Obsidian had been quick to respond. While they dedicated most of their resources to security and intelligence, extending the hand of friendship was an expectation of any faculties that answered directly to the Vicelord.

Call it the duty of the Knight Commander to act as an ambassador. Call it a chance to get a fight in to loosen up before the coming conflict. No matter what, he met the Hutt face to face as he left the ship with both hands clasped behind his back. "On behalf of the Confederacy, it is my honor to accept your challenge," he bowed his head slightly in respect- from what he knew of Hutts, they generally did not shake hands.

He'd never met a Hutt Jedi, though.

The area was open enough to allow free movement, albeit with some higher ground at the fringes. Alkor watched the ship as it went winging away, then returned his gaze to [member="Vattas the Hutt"] intently.

"Whenever you're ready," Alkor offered.

 

[Vattas the Hutt]

Vattas bowed his head in return to the Obsidian Knight, noting the Commander’s gesture to be out of respect and not revulsion, which Vattas could appreciate. Many individuals of other species could be quite… small-minded. Vattas did not hold anything against these small-minded individuals, only holding pity for them as they knew not what they would miss while viewing the world through a pinhole.

[SIZE=11pt]“My name is Vattas the Hutt. It is an honor.” The Hutt spoke common, a rare sight even if Hutts most all knew the tongue as they would rather not lower themselves to the level of other species. With the pleasantries done with, Vattas unhooked his lightclub, Vattassunt, it seeming almost normal in his large hands, and then adjusted its settings to non-lethal… or as non-lethal as such a weapon would get. It may now merely leave burns instead of cleaving through materials, but its size and Vattas’s strength made it no less apt at crushing bone even at its lower settings. Activating it, the yellow plasma-blade came to life, about 3 meters in length with red lightning dancing along its edge. The blade itself was thrice as wide as a normal lightsaber beam, Vattas having wanted to make the most out of his unique advantages. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]With the invitation, Vattas would make the first move, bringing Vattassunt up above him with both hands, the Hutt powered his repulsorlifts into a gliding dash toward Alkor, bringing the lightclub down in a wide overhead blow that would cleave the Obsidian Knight from head to crotch. It was a simple move to follow, but not without thought. Vattas paced his attack such that it would only strike Alkor with the last third of his blade, making full use of the Hutt’s vast Outer Ring range that kept his foe from immediately countering his strike. It also served to set up a potential follow-up, whereby Vattas figured that Alkor would evade either [Vattas’s] left or right.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]If left, Vattas would pivot his body left as well and swing his lightclub at a slightly upward direction toward Alkor. This maneuver would not have the same destructive momentum of the initial swing, but perhaps the speed of it could catch Alkor by surprise and instead throw him toward a pair of stone pillars some 30 meters away, with about a meter gap between them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]If right, Vattas would pivot his body left using his lightclub as an anchor, using his repulsorlifts and some Force telekinesis (although he hadn’t the mastery to lift something as large as himself yet without assistance) to sweep his tail around in hopes of slamming Alkor, or at least forcing him into the air where Vattas would bring his lightclub full-circle to send Alkor flying toward the twin stone pillars.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]There was, of course, the option for Alkor to retreat or attempt to block the initial overhead strike, but either of those were probably less appealing than the sidestep. Retreating would mean playing to Vattas’s most apparent advantage, his reach, and allowing the Hutt to control the combat from a safe distance. Parrying or blocking the blow, more likely than not, would break Alkor’s wrists.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Alkor Centaris"][/SIZE]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

He watched the Hutt with interest as he took to the air, noting the nature of the Cybernetics almost immediately. A Hutt that took to the skies for combat, armed with a massive lightsaber type weapon that, even with no weight behind it, still carried extremely lethal potential force. What an interesting weapon the Jedi had at their disposal.

The Jen'jidai dipped low in an instant as the massive opponent came at him, his senses and being dipping into the Darkness of the Force. He became aware; more aware of the danger, but also of his own excitement. Of the emotions that came with single combat, and how they flowed between combatants.

The Hutt was a Jedi- they kept their emotions in check, which made them more difficult than average to read, but a strike was always laced with a hint of intent. It became easier to react when your focus dialed in to that minutia.

Alkor was low at the point when the strike came- and he skirted beneath the heft of the blade, utilizing natural agility and speed to get himself out of harm's way. He wasn't a fool- the Hutt intended to keep him at arms' length.

That simply would not do.

As the Lightclub came bearing down, he continued forward and spun the saber from his left hip up, counterclockwise in front of his body and over his right shoulder. The blades of plasma kissed, and though the weight and power of the strike were easily enough to overwhelm Alkor had he attempted to simply block or parry the strike, it did exactly what it needed to do. It provided the minimal resistance necessary to prevent the Lightclub from simply searing into the Corellian.

Alkor drove forward, utilizing the residual heat from both sabers perilously close to his body to incite himself. Fear begets Anger.

He rose up from under the initial strike with the second blade in his left hand, arcing it from right to left in an attempt to shiim the Hutt's wrists.

[member="Vattas the Hutt"]

 

[Vattas the Hutt]

What an interesting approach, one which spoke to Vattas’s inexperience. Rather than evade to the side as would be normally considered, Alkor went low and approached from beneath the blade itself, an opening that the Hutt hadn’t even considered before. The lightning off Vattassunt, of course, would be painful for Alkor, but such pain without substance likely had lit. The experience was, once more, humbling. Instead of using the saber as any sort of definitive defense, Vattas figured that it was for measuring purposes, to maintain a safe distance from Vattas’s own saber. And yet, while Vattas could admire the bravery and wit necessary to even attempt an exploitation of that near-nonexistent opening, he had every intention of squashing it, literally.

[SIZE=11pt]2 meters wasn’t a great distance to travel in normal circumstances, but in combat it was a precious moment, a whole and long moment of vulnerability. Alkor kept himself at bay with a single hand, providing flexibility in options but halved his power, an opening for Vattas to control the encounter with his already superior strength. With an instant thought, Vattas empowered his repulsorlifts, his tail rising as his body lowered a half meter each, shifting his Hutt weight upon Alkor’s blade as the Knight reached the first meter of Vattassunt (the lightclub), a maneuver to force Alkor to brace himself and thus seal his movements. At the same time, Vattas began to circle left while maintaining this overbearing stance, keeping pressure on Alkor’s right side through the saber to prevent the Knight from easily disengaging, place strain on his joints, and, in the least likely scenario, disarm him. Once reaching about 45~60 degrees from Alkor’s initial path toward the Hutt, Vattas would push forward into the continued clashing plasma-swords so to ram through the Obsidian Commander and pressure him into retreat.[/SIZE]

It did not escape Vattas's notice that there was a second lightsaber on the Commander's belt that had not yet seen use, though he would surmise it would soon make its appearance. He wasn't quite worried about it as long as he could continue to control the mid and outer ring of defense, however it would no doubt become much more troublesome once Alkor could actually reach striking distance.

[member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

The blade at his back did the work for him. He continued forward beneath the Lightclub, albeit with some resistance and sparks of electricity jumping and arcing across his lightsaber. The proximity burns scathed at his robes and the heat licked his flesh, but it was annoying pain- not the genuine article.

As it bore down, his grip on the hilt of the right saber pressed deeper into his scapula. The blade singed perilously close to his back, but the force generated by the Lightclub had to escape in one of two ways- crushed, or out from under. The course Alkor had put himself on was accelerated as the Hutt circled to the left, and Alkor swiped up slightly short of his intended target.

No matter.

The blade struck the outside of the Lightclub somewhere in the middle third of its length. He pushed off from the massive blade with his own and stepped out to his right- into the trajectory of the Hutt's movement- spinning out from beneath the weight of the massive lightweapon before it could cause any greater amount of damage.

From behind his back, the saber in his right hand spun once more and he used the momentum of his initial step to drive it forward in a vicious stabbing motion, aimed for the dorsal side of the Hutt, specifically aiming for one of the Repulsorlift keeping the Jedi afloat. It would hardly be lasting damage with their saber settings at what they were, but a quick jog of the electronics might be enough to redistribute the weight and inhibit his freedom to move a bit.

[member="Vattas the Hutt"]

 

[Vattas the Hutt]

[SIZE=11pt]It was a brilliant ploy, one that Vattas would expect nothing less from an Obsidian Knight Commander. Against a larger opponent, to not only close the distance but also thrust so precisely at a weak spot, it was truly textbook. While straight-forward as far as tactics, it was done perfectly, such that the energy of Alkor’s stabbing lightsaber did send a shock through Vattas, though minimally. His thick hide and bodily fluids were already quite resistant against heat and electricity, and the lowered damage of the nonlethal settings of the lightweapon did little but heat the repulsorlift plate up. If the saber was at normal damage, whose to say what would have happened next. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The single plate would be destroyed, requiring Vattas to shift his weight and perhaps become awkward, so much so that he’d more likely choose to shut off all the repulsors and rely on his normal ground movement, which he had no qualm about. Still, the plates did leave him vulnerable in exchange for their utility, a weakness that Vattas had to note for later. Yet, this handicap went both ways: in true combat, Vattas could cleave through the earth and use his body’s natural endurance to tank the lightsaber strikes, yet in this friendly duel there was an assumption of damage which he would rather avoid. Vattas did not mind this, so much, as learning to avoid damage with his great body was no doubt a useful skill to develop. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]But alas, in this reality Vattas’s plates were barely affected, some pain being the only result. Vattas also had no intent to feign a loss, whether the loss of a repulsor would have affected the result would be an unknown, but nonetheless a lesson to learn from. The Hutt’s tail curled as Vattas’s motion twisted leftwards, his long serpentine form quickly encircling Alkor, floating about a foot above the floor, and the entrapment coiled like a constrictor snake. Vattas’s torso and his lightclub would loom from the top, covering the most open are of his tail-wall with his saber. While he would rather avoid ‘damage’ that would no doubt be taken by his tail, the Hutt would take the penalty for this ambush, protecting his vitals from being struck at the least. Once fully bound, Vattas could apply the ‘finishing blow’ to the Commander.[/SIZE]


[member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

The result was much less catastrophic than it could have been, meaning the plates were either protected fairly well against Electronic Interference, or the settings on the sabers were too low to deal any significant damage. It was enough to entertain that the blow may have meant more in a real combat situation, but Alkor had no time to take that into consideration or to comment. He had to transition quickly, otherwise his advance would have been a wasted effort.

The Hutt did something altogether unexpected from a foe in lightsaber combat, and he began to coil like a serpent. Either his hide was more resilient than he let on, or the Jedi was up to something else. Alkor took the opportunity as resistance came off the saber in his left to throw his body weight upward.

The opponent was airborne, albeit only slightly, but being caught with his feet on the ground would have inhibited the number of directions he could go. Fortunately, there was only one he intended to.

Driving his weight down toward the plate he had made contact with, Alkor hefted his weight and drew slightly on the Force- just enough to steady his approach and enhance the quickness with which he reached his destination. Two things would happen very quickly-

First, the lightsaber would pressure down on the plate, creating a constant flow of electricity that would ideally cause Vattas an annoying amount of pain and second...

Alkor would land with both feet on the Hutt himself.

[member="Vattas the Hutt"]