Ask Ajan Kloss A Clash of Blades & Ideals

[Nakira Sinvala]

Nakira swiftly spun, narrowly evading the stun bolt that would've hit her in the gut. The training remote was absolutely merciless, firing another volley of blaster bolts at the Padawan. Her blue bladed move in a flurry, intercepting most of the bolts that came her way with minimal movement. The few that managed to penetrate her defense would not strike the intended target, for she was already on the moving again; sidestepping to the right.

While her mastery of the Force left much to be desired, her proficiency with the blade was increasing fast. It was not that different from training in Teras Käsi, Stava or even Corellian kickboxing. That was why she had actually taken the gamble of splitting her focus between multiple Forms, building her own style from the ground up. And now, her attention had shifted to Shien, incorporating blaster deflection techniques in her otherwise melee-oriented combat techniques.

The fiery blade moved in an upward arc, deflecting the final bolt that marked the end of her training program. Nakira let out a sigh, as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Unlike last time, the training remote actually forced her to evade some of its blasterfire. While that wasn't part of her original plan, it was still good development. After all, she couldn't walk through volleys of blasterfire and expect to come out unscathed by deflecting only.

The Padawan glanced at the direction of the Temple. She was still quite in tune with the Living Force, and felt a source of Light approaching. It was still early in the morning, and there were barely any Jedi present on the training grounds. Nakira eyed the newcomer; a woman with dark brown hair in stone colored robes. Nope, didn't ring a bell. Expecting the woman to go do her own thing, Nakira's attention shifted back to the remote. Perhaps she could run the program again, but without evading the remote's blasterfire this time around.

@Sunfrog

 

[Kiara Jace]

The morning was fresh and bright on the jungle moon of Ajan Kloss so Kiara sought to take advantage of the time she had before she would inevitably be summoned for a mission. On mornings such as these, she preferred to meditate outside to fully revel in the natural beauty of the flora and fauna on the moon which reminded her sorely of her home.

Upon stepping outside the temple, Kiara heard the familiar sound of blaster bolts being fired and curiously followed the sound until a Padawan came into sight who was diligently training in the early hours of the morning. Kiara watched the young woman for a few moments, reflecting on her own time as a Padawan and how she had pushed herself through independent training as she strove for Knighthood.

The Padawan seemed to have a similar drive so succeed so Kiara wondered if she could offer the young woman any more help in her training, knowing that she would have appreciated a similar offer three years ago during her training. She approached the Padawan who seemed content to work independently, though from what Kiara had witnessed in her time as a Jedi, it was more expected for a Knight to initiate a conversation with a Padawan than the other way around.

"Morning." She called out as she neared the Padawan, offering a warm smile. The Knight didn't have a Padawan of her own, she was thankful not to have the responsibility, but was not opposed to helping others' apprentices. "You seem keen to learn. Would you like to spar with me?" She offered the Padawan. Training against blaster fire was essential but as was learning to duel and the only way to learn was with another person and by making mistakes.


@Powerfullhorus

 

[Nakira Sinvala]

Just as the Padawan wanted to initiate another sequence, focus on more aggressive volleys of blasterfire against her proficiency with Shien, the newcomer called out to someone. A quick glimpse made her realize that the Jedi with the stone-colored robes was talking to her, of all people present. Although it was to be expected, really. She could count the Jedi present on one hand, of which she stood out the most with her bright red robes.

"Good morning." she replied respectfully, her focus returning to the training remote. Unlike the Padawan had expected, however, the woman continued. A slight smile played about her lips when she heard the offer. "Aren't we all keen to learn?" she replied, her warm, hazel eyes containing a hint of amusement. "I haven't received much training in one on one combat, but I'll gladly take up your offer." Nakira glanced at the weapon in her hand. "Should we use training blades or our own lightsabers?" she was fine with either, so it really depended on her fellow Jedi's preference.

Quickly, Nakira deactivated the remote which still hovered beside her. She didn't want to accidentally damage it with some over the top move during a sparring match. After all, the remotes were hard to get, given the Jedi's questionable reputation. Realizing that she hadn't introduced herself yet, she quickly turned to face the woman again. "Almost forgot. My name is Nakira Sinvala, Jedi Padawan. Pleased to make your acquaintance." she said, expecting the woman to introduce herself in turn.

@Sunfrog

 

[Kiara Jace]

The Padawan certainly stood out among the others that frequented the temple, if not for her flamboyant appearance then for her dedication to learning the art of combat at such an hour when most Padawans were yet to drag themselves out of bed or in the case of a few. It was an admirable quality that earned the Padawan respect from the Knight. "Some of us more than others." She replied, recalling the times she had overslept as a Padawan which led to her Master gracing Kiara with her presence in her room in the ungodly hours of the morning to wake the Padawan up. Thankfully, it was a phase she grew out of.

"If you're trusted enough to wield a lightsaber then I should trust you enough not to injure me. After all, you need to learn control to effectively wield a lightsaber." She told the Padawan. After all, the mistakes she could make with a lightsaber could be far more grave out in the field rather than here. Kiara trusted that if the Padawan was to make such a mistake then she would be able to catch it and quickly correct it in the unlikely instance that the apprentice bested her in the spar.

Kiara bowed her head respectfully as the Padawan introduced herself before returning the favour. "Pleasure to meet you Nakira. I'm Kiara Jace, Jedi Knight." She responded before turning to step a few paces away from the Padawan. As this was no normal duel, she would provide Nakira with advice and feedback as they progressed through the sparring. Once the pair were a suitable distance away from each other, Kiara ignited her lightsaber and brought the blade up vertically and then down again in a Makashi salute as a challenge to her opponent.



@Powerfullhorus

 

[Nakira Sinvala]

Instead of training sabers, the Knight chose to spar with their real lightsabers. She seemed confident that she could handle the Padawan in one on one combat. It was a logical assumption, given her the short amount of time she had spent with the Jedi so far. But the woman wasn't aware of her past. Before her, clad in red, stood perhaps one of the most deadly combatants that Hapes had to offer. Perhaps she knew not much more than the basics of lightsaber combat, but Nakira was well versed in many forms of armed combat. Techniques she could utilize with a lightsaber as well. It provided her with a few advantages over the Knight; the element of surprise, experience and physical prowess that could easily match a trained a Jedi Knight.

Nakira studied Kiara's opening stance for a moment, her lightsaber still deactivated as she tilted her head slightly ajar. She recognized the opening stance of Makashi, but saw no reason to take a counter stance. She wasn't a slave of a singular Form, compromising her techniques and combat sequences. No, she made use of every tool at her disposal.

Her smile hadn't faded yet; to any watching it looked almost as if Nakira wasn't taking this serious at all. But that was just a facade. Instead, Nakira carefully analyzed her opponent. They were equal in height and weight, meaning that neither had an advantage over the other. Her training combined with her physical exercises meant that she could probably match her in speed and agility as well. All in all, this duel was far more equal than it looked.

With a hiss, her lightsaber ignited, her fiery blue blade hardly visible against the blue sky had she decided to raise it above her head. Nakira brought her blade in front of her, taking a two-handed stance with the tip of her blade pointed at her opponent's forehead. Her knees and elbows were slightly bent and her heels made no contact with the ground. This moved her center of mass slightly forward, making it much easier to cross short distances fast, while also making her movement hard to read.

Nakira, however, didn't take the offensive. Instead, she kept her guard up and waited for the Knight to attack. Not because she lacked the confidence, but because a Jedi's nature was to defend. A passive approach to combat, that was what she would master.

@Sunfrog

 

[Kiara Jace]

Kiara was not arrogant enough to believe she was destined to win the spar as she knew that she could make a mistake that the Padawan could exploit just as easily as her opponent. However, Kiara believed the Padawan was likely less experienced in combat which could make her more likely to make a mistake which could cause her downfall. The Knight hoped she could provide a valuable learning experience for the Padawan, no matter what the outcome.

As a native of the peaceful Naboo, Kiara had little combat training prior to Jedi training aside from minimal training with a blaster during her time in the Space Corps, though arguably most of her training compromised of piloting which was yet to prove as useful to the Jedi. Since joining the Jedi, the Knight had not been as adverse to combat and aggressive negotiations as she had been growing up. Naboo only had to defend itself but the Jedi were in a seemingly perpetual war against the injustices of the galaxy which meant they needed to use a more active approach whereas Naboo was peaceful because it could be.

The Padawan seemed peculiarly at ease with the situation which Kiara supposed was good, lest the Padawan were to let emotions cloud her judgement. However, being too comfortable with the situation opened oneself up to a variety of errors if careful attention wasn't paid to details. The stance the apprentice was taking was an interesting one which left Kiara unsure what to expect. Everything she had witnessed so far made her keen to see what Nakira was capable of.

Once Nakira seemed prepared, Kiara advanced on her opponent and once the distance between them was closed she raised the blade to meet Nakira's, opting for short and fast swings rather than wide ones which sacrificed the power behind the attacks but meant the opponent would have to stay on high alert at all times as a minute error could become a fatal one which was especially valuable when your opponent bested you physically and as the pair seemed to have a similar level of physical capabilities then Kiara would hope to best her duelling partner another way.

It was clear the Padawan was opting for a defensive manoeuvre do Kiara increased the frequency of her strikes, the blades hissing upon each contact, hoping to catch her opponent out but Nakira seemd to be doing exceptionally well, much better than Kiara had expected. She had to admit she was impressed.


@Powerfullhorus

 

[Nakira Sinvala]

Nakira kept her gaze fixed on her opponent, as the Knight advanced on her with the opening stance of Makashi. She knew that Form II was specifically designed for lightsaber combat, but she couldn't help but notice how pathetically predictable the stance made her opponent. With that in mind, the Padawan hoped that she could end this duel in just a few strikes.

The Knight could realistically only make one move, as she stepped within range. With her lightsaber in her right hand and pointed downward, she would have to make a diagonal upward slash from right to left first. Either that, or the Knight would aim for her legs in a low and wide arc. Whether she could capitalize on the Knight's opening move all depended on the movement of Kiara's lower arm.

As Nakira had hoped, the Knight's went for an upward swing, likely attempting to keep her swings short and fast after she had her weapon fully raised. Instead of standing her ground and directly blocking the purple blade, Nakira took a fast and unexpected step forward. She lowered her saber a little and moved it to her left shoulder, as she simultaneously used her stance to take a quick step forward, catching Kiara's blade about 6 inches from the emitter in the middle of her diagonal swing before it would have connected with the left side of the Hapan's body. Her movement was tight, swift and efficient, thanks to her opening stance, which would make it very hard for her opponent to act on this move.

Due to the one-handed Makashi style of the Knight and the magnetic lock of their lightsabers, the purple lightsaber of her opponent would be rendered useless. If she would try to disengage, Nakira could quickly sever the Knight's hand or cut the woman in two, if this were a real duel. With the Padawan closing the short distance between them, she would also be able to perform a melee strike to bat Kiara's hand away, would the woman try to use the Force on her. She still had her lightsaber in a two-handed grip, but because they were equal in strength, Nakira could easily free a hand to perform such a strike. In short, the Hapan believed that this quick but subtle forward move could very well be checkmate already.

@Sunfrog

 

[Kiara Jace]

To keep with the defensive approach Nakira appeared to be taking, Kiara expected the Padawan to raise her blade to meet the attacking blade but was surprised to find the Padawan take a different approach and meet her opponent's blade closer to the emitter - worryingly close had it been a real duel. Upon the engagement of the two lightsabers, Kiara placed her free hand on her lightsaber hilt to give herself more support as she estimated her opponent to be of equal, if not more, strength given their similar stature.

Before even determining what her next move would be, Kiara knew she had already made a mistake which had allowed her to be defeated and she couldn't see a way to recover from her error. Had it been a real duel, she would have taken more drastic measures to escape what was seeming to be a sealed fate but she was reluctant to inadvertently hurt the Padawan in attempting to do so and knew that teaching the apprentice to behave unfairly would not be wise.

After evaluating her options, Kiara decided to disengage and take a step back, freeing a hand to hold it up as a sign of surrender. Although she had considered using the Force prior to disengaging, she knew that at the proximity the pair were at it could easily be rendered null and thought it better to face the music now rather than draw out the inevitable end. It was apparent to both by now that she had underestimated the Padawan and was shocked, and embarrassed, at being beaten so quickly, though she didn't display such emotions and seemingly took them in her stride.

"How long have you been training for?" She asked the Padawan. Admittedly, it was something the Knight should have established before the pair began their spar. Kiara didn't want to belittle Nakira by saying she had been lucky. The Padawan was good, she could see that, perhaps even close to her trials but the Knight knew it was just as equally her own shortcomings which had failed her today and would likely require some self-reflection which was what she had come outside to do in the first place.



@Powerfullhorus