[NABOO] The Art of Aggression

[Noire]

Mid Rim. Chommell Sector.

Naboo. Caden Ansgar had long heard of the planet's reputable unspoiled beauty, but he had never before set eyes upon it himself. The surrounding rolling grassy plains and hills and the remarkably clear blue seas were strikingly scenic. He had spent the better half an hour sitting on the edge of his ship simply staring. There was certainly nothing of the sort on his home planet of Nar Shaddaa. The name of the planet alone made Caden cringe on the inside. Nar Shaddaa was nothing but pollution, filth, and crime proliferated on a planet-wide scale. He shuddered as he jumped off the ship's ledge and began to make the first few steps of his personal journey. Behind him, the hatch of the ship began to slowly close and his droid beeped a sigh of dismay that it was being left behind. But the droid and the ship would be safe. Caden had ensured that when he had scrambled the tracker and landed the ship in a fairly dense area. It was a marvel of the Force that he'd been able to land the ship at all without any serious damage.

The young Jedi Padawan was dressed in what had become his usual garb for times when he desired to remain as inconspicuous and discreet as possible. In lieu of his typical Jedi robes, he wore a simple light brown poncho with a plain white undershirt underneath it, standard black trousers, though he was still wearing his boots, and carried a commlink in his left hand. His lightsaber hung from his utility belt underneath his poncho, safe from any prying eyes, but still easily accessible in case of an immediate emergency. His purpose on the planet was a rather straightforward one: training. Although he had seen his far share of ruthless battles, been engaged in several duels, and fought for his own survival on a number of occasions since he'd last been "formally" trained, Caden had felt in recent weeks a curious desire to continue his combat training under the instruction of a Jedi he had met long ago. That Jedi was a Knight named Sionann Ione, one who had been the first to introduce him to the Ataru Lighsaber Form, and one he hadn't seen in months.

He had sought her out, following rumors that she was now based on Naboo along with a few other Jedi, and once Caden had managed to escape the nightmare that was the Planet of Dis, he'd headed straight for Naboo. He had managed to send a coded message on a secure channel to Sionann - but he had yet to receive a response. That in itself was not the least bit comforting to the young Jedi as he trekked his way toward a clearing. Caden could only hope that she had received the message of his arrival and that she would furthermore be able to aid him in the continuation of his Jedi training.

 

[Emerald Iris]

Machines were never Sionann's thing, and after all she had been through with the previous nightmare of Dis, she would have had her fill of machines for a while. She did receive Caden's coded message, but her ineptitude at the time had prevented her from accurately replying. Of course that was when natural senses had come into play, along with the mental notification from a very loyal companion who stalked the woods of Naboo regularly, that someone familiar was coming.

It was for her own sport that she timed it just right that when the padawan entered the clearing that she so frequently used for training, the silver haired knight was there, sitting on top of the boulder that was near the center. Dressed in her more exotic white and blue attire that fit her guise as an animal trainer a bit better, Sionnan had one leg crossed over the other, looking right back at Caden. She had a little bit of a silly grin on her face knowing that her little experiment worked, one of her rare attempts at being humorous to anyone else other than herself.

"C..com was having interference," She called out to him while he approach, her stutter giving her away as always when it came to anything that wasn't related to the Force or learning.. "Your message was re.re..received though. And I am here."

 

[Noire]

The growing smile on Caden's face spread like wildfire to a forest. There she was, sitting on top of a boulder, simply waiting for him to arrive. She wore a grin herself, but most of all she appeared to be perfectly fine and in good health. Seeing fellow Jedi safe and away from harm did his heart good. "It looks as if the trying times has had no bearing on your beauty." Caden said, a slight chuckle as he did so. He hadn't been so lucky since the last time he'd seen her. Caden now bore several scars, the burdens of war, and tribal markings on his face as a sign of respect for his Master's people. Caden pulled his poncho over his head and folded it in half as he walked up to the boulder. He set it on the ground, his necklace, bearing the insignia of the Old Republic, along with it. Then the young Jedi bowed respectfully.

"I must thank you. I am here to continue my training of the fourth form under your guidance, Master Ione. I know the ending of our last training session didn't end very well but...I've matured a lot since then." He finished. At the back of his mind he yearned to ask the Knight about learning the seventh form but he wasn't sure on how to formulate the question. He knew the stigma attached to Vaapad and he knew the supposed risks that came along with even attempting to learn such an intense lightsaber form. I'll ask later, he thought. For now, he simply resigned himself to becoming centered with the strong presence of the Force here on Naboo. It wasn't something he felt all that often now. A treasured place of warmth, it was.

 

[Emerald Iris]

It was a natural phenomena that Sionann's appearance hardly changed at all, her scars healed nicely, and the blemishes seemed to fit in well with her skin, but she still could feel a light blush come to her face when he complimented her on her beauty. Most of her trials and strain were on the inside, the storm that was within flashed with more bolts of lightning and howled with vicious gales more often these days. It was not that she was in turmoil, but rather a little stressed. Staying calm was gradually getting a little harder these days, but she would sooner flirt with a Hutt than let others see it. Besides there were ways of getting that stress to melt away.

The sage knight stood up on the boulder watching as Caden approached. He had changed. For better or worse, she could not tell, but he seemed a little more controlled, a little more mature, and a little more battered. The wars were being unkind to his body, but there were certainly teaching him. After all the best lessons were always through experience. Sionann pulled her saberstaff from the back pouch of her belt, the top blade igniting into a bright frosty light.

"Then let us continue with where we left off," She nodded to him in a tone that spoke of readiness. Sionann was a little taken aback by her sudden approach to fight. Usually it all began with a lecture on dos and don'ts or some sort of philosophy. Right now, she was eager for blades to cross, and it was mildly troubling. She had never been that quick to fight before.

 

[Noire]

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Caden replied. But Sionann's words had had a chilling effect. He couldn't ignore the feeling of doubt that was grabbing ahold of all of his senses and vividly reminding him of the climax of their previous duel. It was not the fact that he had lost in their last sparring session that bothered the young Jedi. Rather, it was the fact that he had lost sight of the true purpose of the spar and neglected all that he'd learned about what it meant to be a Jedi. Caden had understood the risks of and yet still used the power he'd felt coursing through his entire body. He could never allow such temptations to guide his actions again. Such temptations could lead him astray and onto paths that warriors of the light should never journey upon.

But despite his doubts, he felt that the Force was with him. Without further hesitation Caden unhooked his lightsaber from his belt and held it firmly in his right hand. As Caden slowly wrapped his left hand around the smooth handle in an Ataru ready, he ignited the green blade and closed his eyes to further focus his mind and sink deeper into the Force. His left foot was first to leave the ground as he sprang forward, tucking in his knees before somersaulting in the air, landing atop the boulder directly behind the Jedi Knight. Caden quickly and firmly planted his right foot forward and arced his upper body over the same hip to counter balance his extended leg. Caden's lightsaber had remained aligned with his right side, and his movements had allowed him to bring his blade forth with much more weight, as he used the gained momentum to propel his lightsaber forward toward Sionann's hip.

 

[Emerald Iris]

Caden made his move to continue their training, and Sionann let a little smirk escape her lips as he flipped over her and landed behind her on the boulder. His strike was coming for her hip. The green blade met the cold edge of the silver haired knight's back blade, as she lightly moved her hip back but didn't turn, relying on her perception to pay attention to his closeness. She still turned her head to have one of her eyes meet his while holding the lock.

"Ataru is characterized by broad motions and attacks that rely on the internal use of the Force," That was when Sionann dropped her left foot all the way back behind Caden's ankle. "It has a disadvantage in narrow passages unless....." She pulled her foot back while using the force from her hip to push him back in the deadlock. This was an attempt to trip him the other knight up and throw him off the boulder.

 

[Noire]

Caden grinned as their blades connected and he held his weapon steady against the opposing blade. Sionann spoke, but Caden found himself concentrating more than listening. It might've been her attempt at a distraction, he wasn't entirely sure, but he knew he wouldn't be able to afford being distracted in real battles. Just as Caden began to push Sionann's blade upward, her left foot ended up behind his ankle in a blur of movement and pushed back hard enough to trip him. He stumbled for a second, hands flapping wildly as he desperately attempted to keep his balance atop the large rock, before falling backwards and off of the boulder completely. He landed on his left hand, maintaining a brief handstand, before landing on his feet and standing upright. He shook his head to get his bearings straight, before calling his lightsaber - which had landed somewhere in the grass - back to his hand and igniting his emerald blade once more. His gaze narrowed and he watched Sionann for several long and silent seconds. A thin smile spread across his face as he hesitated momentarily, before bounding forward with a spring in his step.

He jumped into the air, raising his lightsaber high into with his right hand, and thrusting his left hand forward to blast a burst of concentrated Force energies toward her.

 

[Emerald Iris]

He did it again, and once again Sionann wasn't ready for Caden to make that sort of attack. The burst of Force energies slammed into the sage knight like a brick wall, knocking her clean off the boulder and towards the ground below. She let a little hissing grunt escape her lips as the frustration and the pain mounted, but Sionnan recovered by turning her descent into a back flip, landing on one hand only to spring back onto her feet.

Her azure eyes looked up at him with disapproval. "Internal," She then encouraged and gestured to her body. "The Force is within, keep it within when relying on Ataru. Speed up your body, increase your strength, react faster. If you fight using the form with external powers and internal powers at the same time you will tire too quickly. "

Sionann let a calm breath as the world began to slow around her, reflexes sharpening to brand new heights, motion feeling that much slower. She bolted for the boulder in several long steps, jumping up to meet Caden once again. The sage knight feinted a Falling Leaf that turned into her spinning her saberstaff to the side while her right foot came down as a drop kick in an attempt to knock him back off the boulder.

 

[Noire]

"Right," Caden said with a shake of his head. He had to remember to keep all of her advice in mind. It could be the difference between life or death one day. His eyes narrowed and he watched closely as she bolted for him. He raised his weapon prematurely, preparing himself to deflect her 'Falling Leaf' technique, and failing to notice that she was changing her maneuvers. Sionann's right foot slammed into his chest and he stumbled backward as the blow connected. But he held tightly to the handle of his blade and just as he lost his balance he reared his left arm back and swung his lightsaber forward toward Sionann.

 

[Emerald Iris]

Her boot had connected with his chest and he was faltering, but that was when Caden had been able to get in a parting shot as he fell off once again with his saber coming across with a quick swipe. It made Sionann smile as she ducked and parried upwards to knock his blade backwards while he fell.

"Use your body and your blade as one," She called quickly as he fell off, though his descent was going rather slowly compared to the really high reaction time he was. "Recover, broad motion, don't falter,"


Sionann stood there waiting for Caden to catch his balance and come back up to keep going. She spun her saberstaff around and re-adopted a narrow stance, standing at the ready.

 

[Noire]

The second Caden's boots came into contact with the soft grass he planted his feet and quickly balanced himself. He turned the handle of his blade in his hand as he came to the realization that he needed to find a way to knock Sionann off the boulder. If he didn't, the battle would continue to be a matter of who was atop the boulder and who was not. But the question was...how? Caden chewed this over, a mix of concentrated thinking and determination on his face, before lowered his blade. He examined the way Sionann stood and the manner in which she gripped her blade as she stood there waiting for him to decide his next move.

But he'd already made his decision. He already had a standard plan of attack, but the key was not to falter as she'd said to him. With that in mind and a cackling blade of energy in his hand Caden charged forward. He would not falter. If she blocked it swiftly then he would return with another attack of his just as quickly. He wouldn't have much time to think. Just feel. And that is what guided him as he waited until the very last possible moment before leaping into the air and landing on Sionann's left side. He and his blade were one as he slashed the lightsaber in an upward motion from his right toward her.

 

[Emerald Iris]

He stopped at the ground, not falling on his back like last time, an excellent recovery. He stopped for just a very brief moment, but that moment was enough to let Sionann bring her reflexes back to normal and keep her eyes locked with her fellow Jedi's. They had both survived the horrors at Dis, they had both seen the Sith's double cross, both had seen Larik Novan's honorable sacrifice, and they both felt that powerful presence back on that ship; that unmistakeably deep darkness. She realized something at that point.

This training is too simple, it's not enough...

Sionann saw an instant shift in Caden's approach as she let those words cross her mind. He came back up with a quicker, more precise, assault than last time. The green blade cut through the air in a fluid motion only to clash against the icy edge of the sage knight's saberstaff. Caden turned into another strike making Sionann parry again. Her blades began to act more as a shield rather than a sword at this point as the single green edge whisked around like the wind, his attacks being more fueled on what his training taught him. The instinct of countless hours of practice and determination behind the slashes were beginning to override the thoughts that deceived them.

The sage knight parried, and let herself be pressured, without taking the offensive, taking in this new rush. The Force was flowing through him, he was understanding and was pushing in the right direction this time. She didn't feel that same arrogant pressure like back on Abra, this was a building maturity, a refinement, yet it still wasn't enough. This test of balance had to end.

Icy blue blades suddenly came up on Caden's next downward slash, Sionann shoved her weight into her strike to break his flurry, raising her left foot at the same time. The Force washed over her in this instant an invisible bubble of energy flowing all the way down to her heel. Before the next attack could come she slammed her foot like an axe against the rock between them, shoving her telekinetic might against it in a sudden repulsion.

The boulder couldn't take the stress that suddenly poured into it, and it exploded outward into fragments that scattered around the clearing. Both Jedi would find themselves blown back in opposite directions of the clearing, Sionann recovering into a back flip that had her landing on the ground, quickly standing once again.

"This isn't enough," Sionann would call over to the padawan as the dust settled, a serious glare coming from her azure eyes. "It isn't enough at all. Faster, more precision, stronger, let your instincts speak" The image of that Sith Lord's power burned into her head again, the dark pull that was his corruption began to rattle inside and remind the sage knight of the path she carefully trod every day. "Our enemy won't wait, our enemy won't hesitate, Again, more, come!"

She changed her stance once again, this time adopting her favored Juyo positioning, gripping her saberstaff that much tighter. Sionann poured forth her own aggression, the ferocious drive that made her such a formidable opponent up close, and she made sure Caden felt it while she awaited his attack. Their training together would have to take a sharp increase in its pacing.

 

[Noire]

Caden sensed it. He sensed it even as he continued to drive his blade back and forth steadily; to and fro with each swing of his arm. But he hadn't been able to react fast enough. Even now, as the boulder split and shattered into a thousand pieces, Caden found himself blinded by the dust and thrown back forcefully toward the ground. He slammed into the dirt violently and rolled several times before coming to a slow stop. Any normal man would have been finished for. But Caden had prepared for that part. He had used the Force more swiftly than ever before to cushion his fall as best he could and absorbed the rest of the impact. If not for the Force, several of his bones would have been cracked or broken into a dozen fragments. But Caden wasn't a normal man. He was a Jedi. Soon to be a Jedi Knight, as far as he was concerned.

His soot-stained face was blank now, his brows straight, and his lips parted in a slow and steady breath. It betrayed the utter determination still burning in his spirit like that of the flames on Mustafar. He had witnessed the completion of Sionann's beautiful recovery; a backwards flip that had given the graceful Jedi woman an opportunity to land upright and on her feet. The following moment of silence between the two Jedi, staring at the other from opposite ends as the dust began to finally settle, was fleeting at best. The very instant the clouds of dirt dissipated Sionann urged him on to continue his assault against her defenses once more. But there was a clear distinction from when she had before that Caden caught on to. This time there was a grim conviction in her voice, in her stance, in her demeanor. It was a new aspect of this training session that Caden liked just as much as it surprised him.

But he didn't give it too much thought. Instead he felt. He felt with all of the beads of sweat running down his jawline. He felt with the screaming ache of weariness in his muscles. He felt with his senses; the Force and all of the trained reflexes etched into his memory from years prior. Perhaps that was why he had not noticed that he had already ignited his lightsaber. Perhaps that was even why the hum of the green blade hadn't impeded the intensity of his concentration. Perhaps, that was why when Sionann shouted, "come!", he moved.

Without a word of his own Caden Ansgar dashed across the open fields with long graceful strides and blurring speed, his lightsaber held high into the air. It seemed as if one moment, she was several feet away from him, the next, he was upon her. He swung his blade with his left hand quickly, but it was consciously half-hearted to provide him with enough momentum to switch maneuvers as swiftly as possible. He showed his true colors then. Caden followed through with his slash with a full spin, with his blade raised once more, before returning the grip of the handle to his dominant right hand and slashing diagonally so that the green blade sliced at Sionann's right hip to left shoulder; directly across her torso.

 

[Emerald Iris]

Sionann saw Caden continue to follow her lead, becoming more aggressive and letting his instincts take over. He was finally seeing it, finally coming into what dueling really was. You didn't think, you felt, but this was when the sage knight also let those aching thoughts come back to her. Strike with darkness but feel peace, The words of her first master came through her head as Caden came in for his attack.

The left handed strike came in from him, to catch her top blade moving one way but that was when he turned, switched hands and came in for a wicked fast reversed spin, no doubt using the momentum from her parry to go even faster. It was a deadly strike, that he attempted and had Sionann not had a second blade on her weapon it could have been another scar to add to her body. Her bottom blade came down from a half spin to catch Caden's blade before it got too close. She followed through with a grim ferocity, stepping into his circle with a exhaling grunt of breath while lifting her back blade to the side again and raising her back leg into a quick knee towards the padawan's stomach. Strike with darkness but feel passion....no that isn't it.

She pulled away into a quick spin, feeling her reflexes augmented by the Force, dropping her top blade into a vicious downward slash aimed at Caden's blade once she finished. This strike would attempt to bring his guard down again so Sionann could bring her right leg up this time into a strong kick aimed at the Padawan's head. Strike with passion, but feel... The sage knight had been adding more martial techniques to her form for this session primarily as a method of holding back and keeping herself in check, but those inhibitions were beginning to drop more and more.

Everything over the past month had been coming to this point, she was beginning to understand a bit more. The cold of the darkness, the heat of the light, it was all beginning to lead to a breakthrough. Sionann was beginning to reach a new method in Juyo, a new approach, a passionate one. It wasn't just that outward aggression with the peace within, no, the aggression and ferocity needed to be felt by her just as much as her opponent.

The sage knight pulled away, spinning into a defensive stance before getting ready to lunge in again to meet another one of Caden's attacks.

 

[Noire]

Sionann's response was swift and ferocious; she parried his attack easily and then quickly slammed her knee into his abdomen. A second later and she had already redrawn from her position of proximity, not allowing him to strike back, and reengaged with a fierce downward slash. But Caden was up to measure now. The sting from her knee to his stomach was still great, but he had no choice but to quickly swing his blade just as aggressively to meet hers in a shower of sparks. As he held his lightsaber against hers, Caden began to realize that the spar had taken an increasingly challenging turn and his worry manifested itself in the sweat dripping from his brow. But regardless of his own concern, he began to slip back into a deep concentration and a conscious empty of all distracting thoughts. He paused for a moment, eyeing Sionann with bated breath, before rolling his wrist and pushing his blade past Sionann's to break free of the dangerous tangle.

He spun around and dropped to the ground immediately, sensing her foot jut out once she'd broken down his defense, and then jumped back to his feet once Sionann pulled back and assumed a defensive stance. There was something deep within him that urged him to strike with a ferocity that outmatched her own. Yet even as his fingers wrapped around the vibrating hilt of the plasma blade until his knuckles popped he did not listen. Instead, he remembered. Your passions clouded your judgement...why? Sionann had asked him during their first duel. Her words still sent a chill through his body; it was as though it was a reminder that there was a place that no Jedi could ever afford to visit. He calmly exhaled, his grip mellowing, and then he rushed forward.

Using deceptively slight movements he feigned carelessness. But once he invaded the space within four feet of her, he leaped into the air and clear over her head, landing two feet behind her. Knowing it wouldn't distract the Knight for but a fraction of a second, Caden dashed a few steps toward her, snapping his lightsaber to the right, and spurring the green blade into a series of continuous quick slashes and thrusts.

 

[Emerald Iris]

It was a rush. It was a beautiful rush. Inhibitions were dropping, her thoughts turning to instinct, and it felt great. Don't lose yourself, it's a thin line, feel it....feel it...clear...stay clear! Sionann reminded herself as she raised to defend against Caden's approach, only to follow his movements as he leapt over her. It was a good use of movement, quick, broad, everything that the Way of the Hawk Bat was supposed to be, and he had learned, but the sage knight had forgotten about the lesson, it was now a dangerous sparring match which could end up being deadly for either one of them.

Caden was fast as he landed, and rushed Sionann at the same time one of her long legs stepped in towards him. His blade didn't meet the parrying defenses of most duelists, but rather she struck at his attacks, hitting them back with her own ferocious advance rather than absorb it like a wall. Her voice met these strikes as well as that internal wellspring of emotion in her heart poured away into hands feet and throat in vicious grunts and movements. A slash met with another slash, a thrust met with another thrust, each one pouring into the next, spark flying from their blades as waterfalls from heated energy. It was still not enough.

Sionann feinted her last attack against Caden's, turning her bottom blade off so the strike would go straight through in an action of Trakata, and she came down with a quick overhead slash that intentionally missed her opponent's followup, and while she followed through she immediately stepped forward, re-igniting her bottom blade in a rapid rising slash. This was her signature "Farrow Bird Reversal" maneuver, developed exclusively for her combat style. This attack was too close for sparring and if Caden wasn't able to pull back, there was going to be a nice cold burn across his chest, nothing close to being fatal yet still could leave an unsightly mark.

At this point the sage knight was realizing how far this was beginning to go, and she pulled back into a series of backflips, not for the sake of getting away from Caden, but for the sake of her own control. "That's enough for the moment." She raised a freed right hand, and held her blade tightly with her left. Sionann shook her head realizing how good the rush was, and that she needed to calm it down for a moment to better understand what was happening. Continuing the fight would be a bad idea at this point, she needed a moment.

 

[Noire]

Caden was holding his own against the seasoned Jedi Knight. But truthfully, each return strike and parry of his blade was not his; he had lent his will over to the Force and his basic instincts with minimal thought of his own. Up until this moment, it had worked. But as the spar continued, Caden didn't sense the impending danger as Sionann executed a familiar maneuver, Trakata, and deactivated her lower blade until it was far too late. His lightsaber sliced through empty air, disrupting his momentum, and the Padawan stumbled forward slightly. Caden immediately turned around and raised his weapon again, attempting to recover as quickly as possible, but he wasn't fast enough. The bottom-half of Sionann's lightsaber had already reactivated and was rapidly slashing through the air directly for his torso. He immediately lurched backward but the blade still struck him cleanly across his chest.

Now Caden did stop.

The Padawan staggered for a few seconds, his lips quivering and his teeth clenched tightly together in pain, before collapsing to his knees. His hands were outstretched, shaking in their own right, as he stared down at the diagonal burn mark across his chest. The cut itself - and the cloth surrounding it - still trailed small wisps of smoke from the bar of plasma that had just ran across it. Caden jerked for a moment, still startled his skin had had contact with a lightsaber, before compressing his lips and biting back the pain more discreetly. He glanced at his lightsaber, lying a few inches away from him in the grass, and then to Sionann. She had distanced herself, for reasons unknown to him, but appeared to be fine otherwise. Caden nodded in agreement with her words, they had sparred enough, and finally sat on his bottom to catch his breath. The cut still hurt, and would most certainly scar, but at least the immense heat of the lightsaber had cauterized it. I'll be fine, he thought to himself. He looked up once more at the other Jedi curiously and then sighed. With a look to the sky he pondered what might come next. He wasn't sure, but he did know he needed to return to Galtea.

Home.