Ask Geonosis Skeletons of the Past

[Kaldar]

Kaldar wasn't getting much out of Mr. Drooly, and that wasn't really what he was hoping for. Fine, so he could have planned this out better and brought something like a security spike or whatever.

Oh well.

Freyja was going to hold off the droids just fine, he was sure.

Fine, I'll help, he thought to himself, rolling his eyes and igniting his lightsaber. His favored Form III was excellent for fending off blaster bolts, and the mix of Sith Shien was also quite useful for sending it back at the enemy.

He slashed bolts out of the air ahead of him, sending them ricocheting in all sorts of different directions and a few even back toward the attackers or allies.

The bright side was that most of these were just B1s and they weren't exactly the pinnacle of lethality. Still, they couldn't take on a whole factory worth, which meant they needed to find a way to shut this all down.

Or...

A thought flashed through Kaldar's mind, and although they might not be able to reprogram all the droids currently in circulation, they might be able to produce the current batch with different loyalties.

As they cleaved and finished off the first squad of droids, Kaldar went over and started with a group of commando droids, programming them to work for the pair of Sith.

Almost there... he muttered, and then hit a final button. Ha! he exclaimed.

Fight smarter, not harder, he said. Why would they go through and hunt down all the battle droids when they could roll out BX commandos and B2s to do it for them. As long as they held the control center - which Kaldar now began promptly cutting off the bridge to - then they could let their new soldiers being produced do the work for them. And get her training in at the same time. Win-win.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja once again found herself pinned down by blaster bolts who were regularly coming too close for her taste. She swiftly guided her lightsaber around, but dodged and moved to evade the rest which, however, left her somewhat breathless after a moment.

Axes felt more natural to her, so she still wondered whether him guiding her a little would make this easier the next time the two of them would probably get shot at. Even if it was only the second time, she had a slight déjà vu moment.

She was grateful for his quick interference as he took out some of the droids and thus made it easier for her to fend off the rest while he furiously started clicking buttons and handling the screens.

Freyja wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but while she was all versed with her phone and social media, programming was nothing she had ever been in contact with. "Wait...what did you do?", she asked him, a hint of confusion crossing her features while she could fall back for a moment.

It took her a moment to realize that soon, the droids weren't just fighting for them but the first began fighting each other. Her eyes widened as she realized what he had managed, while it, however, left her confused why he had such skills. "Now that...is wild. What else can you reprogram?", she wanted to know.

Was he just a regular nerd? A former university student? One way or another, he had indeed just alleviated some of their pains. "But wait...won't anyone notice the droids are acting differently?", she doubted the three they had formerly dealt with were the only ones around, so now was most ceetaintly the point when everyone knew someone was messing around on the inside. "Anyway, we need your mobile unite thingy. Perhaps we have to get to the other side".

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Not reprogram, he clarified. Just program, he said. Even it wasn't exactly the pinnacle of slicing. It was more inputing a couple of basic commands to designate who was and wasn't friendly. Honestly, the pirates or whoever had done most of the work for him.

Who? he asked. The other two buddies are away and we'll kill them when they come back, remember? he said. Or ahd he actually told her that already? Maybe he just pulled it from the poor slobs head and then gone about his work. That was the beauty of a place like this: it didn't require much by way of organic oversight. Just some automation and droids that could tend to the making of more droids. To quote one particular 3PO unit "machines making machines... how perverse."

Speaking of the poor slob, Kaldar picked up his half-alive body and tossed him like a used piece of gum over the side of the control room where he fell and splatted about fifty feet below.

Nah, I'll grab it later, he said, seemingly completely unperturbed with the mobile station.

Let the droids clean up. Besides you want to get your training. Now's your chance, he said. He was perfectly happy to let his new droids clean things up and do the rest of the work. It was very much his style.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Program? She really didn't know anything about this tech stuff, but as long as it served them, she was fine with whatever magic he had created. "Gone? Oh well, I thought there were more, but okay. Fine by me", so it was that easy after all? Creating some mind mush around Mr. Drooly, pushing some buttons and having those droids do their work? Fun.

He seemed completely unfazed about the battle of machines that was still raging in the background while the last hostile units were apperently about to meet their end. Freyja found this whole situation still relatively hard to predict, but she figured she'd have to trust his judgement.

That he suddenly wasn't so interested in the mobile unit, at least not now though, did surprise her and while she said "Okaaay", she wasn't entirely sure whether this situation was in full control. "But we're going back out for that, right?", she asked, hiding the slight unsettlement and thus asked it rather curiously than concerned.

Truth was, being in this factory still didn't sit well with her as those droids were simply hard to read, but she figured if he was sure about this here solving itself, they could simply leave and get their training session started. "This man will not recover, I take it?", she also asked curiously, quickly nodding towards the saliva monster. She had first experiences with mind tricks and knew that not messing up minds completely was quite complicated, but he almost seemed beyond saving, so perhaps she had her answer already.

@Javier esschoolbus

 

[Kaldar]

She just radiated discontentment with the plan and he sighed and rolled his eyes behind his helmet.

Fine, you go kill some more droids, and I'm going to sit here and let the droids and you do my work for me, he said, motioning for her to go out and do some killing. If she got shot he at least wouldn't have to give her any lightsaber lessons.

He did, in fact, promptly sit down and start scrolling through his EZPhone, eyes flicked up when she asked about the drooling man.

After a fifty foot drop? No I don't think so. Unless you're planning to go provide him with some first aid, he said. He'd heard the crunching bone from here, and to be honest, he wasn't even sure he sensed the man alive in the Force anymore.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

She just blankly stared at him when he gave her an unnecessarily moody, cynical reply. For a second, whe closed her eyes in order to avoid rolling them, before she faced him again. "No thank you. It's fine".

He made it fairly clear that he wasn't fazed and trusted the droids, so even if she didn't, she figured it wasn't her concern after all- unless they'd come back at them. His sudden change of mood was irritating, yet he hadn't been the first somewhat unpleasant company she had ever been with.

She soon realized that she should have phrased her question more directly as Mister Sarcasm over there just shot back another snappy remark. "I was wondering whether the brain damage you've seemingly caused him was reversible. As in: how carefully did you rummage around inside there?", she asked in an obviously curious voice, because she was indeed curious about whether he knew how to tap minds carefully. It was a skill that fascinated her skill and somehow it seemed like he had quite a broad set of skills available.

"But anyway - I'm ready", she confirmed once again, not wanting to dwell on this any longer. The battle against the droids had costed her some energy, but she was still rather okay, so she was eager to commence the second part of their deal.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Yes, Kaldar could be a difficult person to get along with when he chose to be and every word could easily be laced with sarcasm and obnoxiousness.

As she clarified her question, he glanced over at her again.

Umm, not sure, he admitted. I wasn't exactly being careful, he said. There were slower, give and take ways to rummage through someone's thoughts, but Kaldar had prioritized speed over anything else, which meant that the damage... may well have been permanent. He wasn't going to take any chances that it wasn't permanent though, hence the quick plunge.

She declared she was ready and he figured it was a good time so he stood back up, heading backwards within the room. It wasn't an overly large room, but it would have to do for now. It was big enough at least and the assorted desks and consoles would better simulate real life: not everything was always neat and tidy.

But she also was a beginner, and something else occurred to him.

Come on, he said, flicking his head for her to follow him as he headed out to the bridge and instead leapt up to the flat roof of the room. More flat, more clear, but without walls to keep them from falling.

He pulled out his lightsaber and let the familiar and haunting hum accentuate his words.

What do you know of lightsaber combat? he asked.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja took a mental note, yet left it uncommented. Yes, he had made sure that the drooly victim wouldn't get up again, yet she would have found it even more interesting to see him conduct a careful, precise incision - then again, she had been so busy with the droids, she wouldn't have noticed that much.

He seemed just as ready and so she began following him, however, she actively had to keep her mind from drifting back to the droid situation for a moment, before her mind was fully here with him. As he lead her onto bridge and upon the wall-less roof, she focused her mind even further, especially as she found her heart beating a little faster from incoming thrill.

Hadn't he asked the same question before? Despite the Déjà vu, she activated her lightsaber a moment after him, keeping it in a casual, defensive position in front of her body. "Stick 'em with the pointy end?", she couldn't help but reply as a smirk crossed her lips. While he was difficult, they did at least share in interest in the same serious.

"I'm quicker than I am strong", judging from his physique, he was similar, "so I know how to use that...but I don't have tons of experience when it comes to lightsaber against lightsaber", she then admitted, as her gaze flicked from her blade to him again.

"Footwork is important", just like with other weapons, "aaand...only because I'm wielding a lightsaber, doesn't mean that's my only weapon", despite her proficiencies with certain weapons, she often used the Force, but she was here to learn how to get better with the lightaber as well. Even more important - you had your head. She remembered Dromund Kaas well.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar snorted slightly at her reply. it wasn't wrong at least. as he reacclimatized to her question, he nodded.

well, it's not wrong, he said, beginning to lazily flourish his blade in front of him as he spoke. it was one part for fun and one part because he wanted to keep his muscles loose and warm for the coming conflict.

the most important piece of a fight is staying alive. I favor Form III because of that reason: it'll keep you alive long enough to find the opening to bring your opponent down. it prioritizes defense over offense, he said, and for that reason it was looked down on by many sith, but kaldar saw it as a great strength in the right situation.

combine that with a splash of sith shien which uses quick counter atrikes to deal debilitating attacks, and you have a deadly combination, he said.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

She watched the flowing movement of his blade attentively, her own snapping into life. She was less worried about the droid situation given that he seemed all chill with it, but she never let her guard down.

Stay alive...another very helpful tip, yet it was just as true as what she had given him with her Throne Games quote. She was certain he was about to actually teach her something, so she began reading into the way he guided his blade before they even actually began sparring.

She slowly nodded as he outlined which techniques he was using and how that ensured the aspect of staying alive, and she took a mental note. Neither her bow nor her axes were defensive weapons, but the lightsaber she had occasionally been wielding for years could really be one, but so far, she had also mostly used it as a tool for offensive. It was also what her old master had taught her.

She remembered that on Dromund Kaas, Freyja had actually gotten some training in defenses given that they had been under fire for quite a while, which hadn't been any different with the droids right here. So hey, perhaps she was already learning from him.

"More unconventional than what I've usually seen, but it's logical", she replied, her gaze flicking back up to meet his. "Show me". She was hoping he'd hold back appropriately, given that it simply wasn't the weapon she was proficient with, but she was ready at least. Circling him slowly, she gave the room another quick scan to assess where the furniture was place, knowing she'd have to utilize it.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

They had come to the roof for that exact reason: there was nothing up here. Nothing to stop them from having the space they needed to maneuver. Lower down presented obstacles that Kaldar was doubtful she was ready for. She needed to adjust to actually wielding the blade first before she worried about how to use objects around her.

The key strength to a lightsaber - and the reason Jedi and Sith use them in an era of blasters when no one else does - is that at its center is a living creature: the kyber cyrstal. It is one with the Force and can therefore become one with you, he said.

In other words, it should become part of you rather than a weapon you wield, he said. It was something even he sometimes forgot and he turned to wielding the weapon rather than allowing it and the Force and himself all blend together.

He raised a hand and motioned for her to come toward him, beckoning her to attack him. As he had already stated, he preferred to fight on the defensive, and each of his movements was something he could explain only once they had been executed. Hopefully, no one would lose a limb in the meantime.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja had been forced yo build and bleed her own lightsaber back then, so the connection she had to it was surely something - however, handcrafted weapons had often given her the same feeling. The hand axes she had wielded for over a decade even more.

She knew how Kyber crystals were connected to the Force and why this made them special weapons for Force users, yet she often didn't keep that in mind when she swung it - it was often just a deadly, glowing sword that cut through almost everything, so he had a point. There was much more that could be done with it.

She understood his signals, so she took another deep breath before she stepped closer, her mind relatively focused and yet she wasn't super hyped about having to take the role of the aggressor in thus- after all, he was much more proficient and trained. She was obviously eager to learn and grateful for the opportunity, but while she was dauntless, she knew it was dangerous though.

Still, she tried heeding his advice and so as she went for her first maneuver - a strike that resulted from her combat ready position and was now a quick slash coming from his left, attempting to strike horizontally while she attentively watched him, wanting to analyze the way he parried and counter-attacked.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar could sense her hesitation in attacking him, but that was fine. She would have to get used to it. He certainly preferred to be on the defensive over the offensive, but he knew how to do both and she would have to learn as well.

She slashed at his side horizontally, and rather than meet her strike, he stepped backwards, letting it pass by in front of him. If by some miracle, she managed to predict the backwards step, his saber was still there to block, though it was doubtful.

Instead, he brought his blade down in a chopping action as her own blade extended in front of him, stopping before it would have struck her if she failed to dodge out of the way, though it would be dangerously close to her face.

Freeze! he shouted, and his own movements came to a full stop and he stepped back away from her.

Foot mobility is important, he said, referencing the fact that he had dodged out of the way.

Quick counter attacks are the best - and sometimes only - way to bring an enemy down, he said. Being able to identify those openings comes with time and practice, he said.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Kaldar's quick reflexes helped him dodge her swing with a quick backwards step. The follow up action was just as instant, and with a little gasp that involuntarily escaped her, she still somehow managed to bring the foot that had followed her forward movement earlier back a little, so that her hip pivoted away and she was somewhat sideways, which still meant his blade was dangerously close, but perhaps in a real fight she might have evaded a fatal strike for now.

He had a point, obviously. She hadn't stayed as mobile as possible, hadn't paid much attention to her footwork, but focused on the current attempted attack too much before his follow up almost grazed her. She still froze as instructed, her face illuminated by the red of his blade and her light eyes meeting his gaze.

"How did you practice your footwork? Repeated training and lightsaber fights?", she curiously asked, overplaying the little shock that had washed over her after he had used her own forwards movement against her so quickly.

It was a little frustrating, but she was soaking in his feedback quickly. "Let's do it again". She wouldn't repeat the same mistakes again. She rolled her shoulders and retreated into a combat ready stance with her blade held in front of her body. This time as she stepped forward to close the distance, she was feigned another horizontal strike coming from his left but instead of following along with it, she moved to his right with two quick steps, so regardless of whether he'd step back or block, she wanted to use his reaction to prepare her follow up.

She could have used the Force, but she was looking for some dueling practice, so she refrained from it. Her right wrist flicked to her left, so that the blade was then coming from his right for a diagonal strike downwards. If he had stepped back, she was then following with a quick step, expecting his blade drawing closer soon after.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar could tell she was annoyed, but she couldn't expect to beat him on a first exchange. He'd hardly be a good duelist if he could be bested by a novice.

Yes. Sparring droids are a good starting point, he said. He spent time training against the droids all the time.

Remember, you're punching way out of your league, he said. It was no slight but simply a fact. As a Sith Master he had the speed to simply defeat an acolyte outright. That was the nature of their Order.

Another Acolyte or even a Champion won't be as capable, he said.

She darted forward again, feigning and re-striking. Once again, he did fall back but this time as she attempted to maneuver to the other side and put her saber all the way from his left side to his right side without actually striking at him.

Rather than giving her the time and space to actually deliver her follow up strike, he whipped his saber around to catch her blade while it was in transition from his left side to his right side and smashed it wide to his own left rather than letting her get it to where she wanted. It would come as a surprise as it interrupted her plan, and with her saber blocked out, he body slammed forward, smashing his shoulder into her chest hard enough to send her stumbling back several steps.

Once again, he stopped.

Controlling the midline is also important, he said. Keeping your opponent's blade boxed out can provide you with opportunity strike and protect yourself, he said.

He didn't launch into another attack. There are seven lightsaber forms, and you should find the one that fits you the best, he said.

Once you pick one you should practice the basic maneuvers until they're second nature. Saber sequences are the backbone of becoming a duelist, he said.

He glanced down and saw that the droids seemed to be finishing up. The droids had blasted each other apart with his commando droids, blasting up the resistance. He pulled out his phone and sent a command to start lifting the mobile droid factory out of here and out to Saijo.

Perfect, he thought to himself.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Kaldar's attempt to soothe her came as a little surprise and she wasn't entirely sure whether she found the little pep talk sweet or whether she should have been concerned. He surely had a point, but she was striving for those skill levels and getting your ass kicked was never fun.

For now though, she focused on the battle ahead: Her blade was quickly transitioning from one side to the other, however rather than managing to follow up with her strike, he was once again guiding her blade and smashing it outwards, hard, before he dashed forwards and slammed into her.

The wind was knocked out of her momentarily and she let out an audible, exasperated 'ooof' as she stumbled backwards. Opening. The key word was opening again, as she had given him exactly that. She sighed quietly, however reflecting on her mistake as she straightened her back. Defeat was never something she took lightly, but he was still right about the odds in this.

She readjusted her clothes and followed his glance downwards before her eyes flicked back up to meet his. "Thank you...this feedback is appreciated". They had cut a deal...but Sith weren't known for sticking to their word, so she was grateful that he had actually put in efforts to train her.

"Seems like this all worked out", with her finger circling, she hinted at the progress down below and thus knew they were soon ready to head out. "Can we do this one more time...but this time you strike first?". Her gaze turned almost somewhat pleadingly, the thrill of the sparring enticing her. She was eager to apply his hints, and it seemed like they had a tiny window left.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar was about to put his lightsaber away when she asked to have one more round of combat. His attention turned from the displaced mobile droid factory back to Freyja.

Fine, he said, flourishing his lightsaber once more. He took a look at her stance and waited a moment before lunging forward, sending a short upward slash diagonally from his own left to right even as his feet carried him slightly to his own left as well. If it struck, the blow - which she was hopefully going to block - would cleave her from her own right hip to left shoulder.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

He didn't seem amused, but he agreed nonetheless. For her, that was a clear win. She appreciated the advice, but the practice even more and she found his fighting style relatively convincing, so with her unbound eagerness to learn, she was more than happy to go again and the smirk on her lips proved just as much.

She took a step back as she readied her stance, her lightsaber diagonally held in front of her, attentive eyes scanning him before he lunged forward. His blade was coming from down below, but instead of blocking, she immediately mimicked what he had done earlier.

She stepped back quickly, keeping the blade within her guard in case he somehow reached her after all, but the intend was to evade, let him follow through with his slash, so that he was out of her guard for a moment.

Assuming she was out of reach enough for her not needing to block, she had to pivot her hip counterclockwise while the right foot stepped forward just as her lightsaber shot out rather horizontally in one quick flick, however stopping mid-attempted-strike in order not to really strike him and thus hovering right next to his right ribcage.

Would she had gotten him with this though? According to her estimations, yes, as she would hit him before he'd be able to bring his blade back down again for a likewise deadly strike, but her eyes stayed locked on his blade in case he did lash out as well, not wanting to risk a hit and thus keeping blocking as her backup option as it would only cost her a wrist adjustment.

@Phoenix

 

[Kaldar]

The shortness of Kaldar's strike meant that unlike her previous attack, when she dodged his, it didn't hugely overextend and all it took for him to block her follow up strike was to flatten out the arc of his blade and move it down a bit. By the time she had closed back in enough to strike him, his lightsaber was already in the way.

Their blades clashed for just the briefest hint of a moment and he continued his foot movement along the trajectory his footwork had carried him on before until they had full exchanged positions from start to finish. With the exchange done, he stopped again.

Tight attacks and remembering where your lightsaber will be at the end, he said, underlining the reason he hadn't been cut in two. The bases of Soresu, he said. Although he had attacked first with a Shien strike, the principles he always used were the same.

He flicked his lightsaber out in his hand.

Enough for you to practice, he said, indicating he was finished teaching. He wondered if she would survive. Being an acolyte was dangerous and the further up the food chain you moved, the more precarious things became. He wondered how far she'd make it. Well, either way, it wasn't his problem.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Red collides with red, crimson sparks of energy danced around their clashing blades accompanied by the familiar buzzing. Fair, tight movements, it all made sense. No elaborate swings or trajectories, no overextensions, no meaningless wastes of movement.

"Impressive", she muttered under her breath, truly fascinated for the moment before she switched her lightsaber off as well. "Thank you", she thanked him again, her tone genuine before she took a look around. It seemed like his programming had indeed been effective and that they were ready to go.

"Do you want to grab a drink once we're out of this?", she gestured around, her offer truly genuine. "Or is there anything else you need me to do?", a deal was a deal, and she felt like she owed him a little more after all of this. So far, they had generally only ended up in heated scenarios and so winding down a little was perhaps not the worst idea.

@Phoenix